by Polly and SLS
Polly122456@yahoo.com and siriasl@yahoo.com

Classification: S, Angst
Disclaimer: Oh, please. Do we really need
this anymore? Fine. They're not ours, we
don't claim to own them. . . yada, yada,
yada.

Summary: "I'm a man who values the truth,
remember?  That's something we do have in
common."

Notes: This story takes place during the
course of "The Truth." It also assumes the
birth-and-death dates for Luke Doggett as
1986 and 1993, respectively.

Feedback: We'd love it! Send it to
Polly122456@yahoo.com or siriasl@yahoo.com.

Archive: Beyond the Sea, XFMU, Gossamer,
Spookys and at SLS' site -
http://kentuckybelle.secretcountry.net -
everyone else, please let us know so we can
come see.

See our authors' notes at the end.

Something in Common
by Polly and SLS

*What is the point of all this?  To destroy
a man who seeks the truth or to destroy the
truth so no man can seek it?  Either way,
you lose.*

He'd been thinking about Reyes' impassioned
words ever since they returned him to his
cell.  It sounded like something he might
have said himself once, a long time ago,
when he believed that there were things
worth fighting for, worth risking everything
for.

Reyes reminded him of himself a little bit.
She was willing to believe in things that
couldn't be proven, willing to say or do
whatever it took to find the truth.  He
should tell her to stop, before it's too
late.  Stop before they ruin her--her career
and her life - and take away everything
that's important to her.

But people had told *him* to stop, and he
hadn't stopped.  He doubted Reyes would
either.

But maybe he should try to tell her anyway.
*Stop digging before they bury you.  Let it
go.  Give up the ghost.*

*Give up the ghost.* That was a good one.
Even when he tried to give up the ghost, the
ghosts wouldn't give up on him.

He pushed his arms and legs forward,
stretching out the stiffness that had
settled there while he'd been propped
against the wall thinking about the
afternoon's proceedings. Too many nights
sleeping on this cold concrete floor were
taking their toll on his middle-aged body.

He estimated it had been nearly two hours
since he'd been returned to his cell, and
marveled that he was getting pretty good at
judging the passage of time by watching the
shadows as they fell across the wall
opposite the tiny window.  That Indian Guide
training was finally paying off.

The scraping slide of the heavy door roused
him from his thoughts.  He shielded his eyes
against the harsh fluorescent glare, staring
up into a familiar face - but not the one he
expected to see.

"Agent Doggett?  What are you doing here?"

Doggett looked back uncomfortably as the
door slammed shut behind him.  He had
changed clothes since Mulder had last seen
him at the trial that afternoon.  In the
black sweater, bluejeans, and casual
workboots, he was no longer the picture of
the straight-arrow FBI-agent.  He turned
back to face Mulder and shoved his hands
nervously in his pockets.

"Agent Scully asked me to come," he said.
"We ... Agent Reyes and I found something
that might help your case."  He glanced
around the cell, knowing that it would be
risky to say more.  "They went to check it
out--Agent Reyes and Agent Scully, I mean.
Agent Scully asked me to come tell you.  She
wanted you to know she's doing everything
she can."

Mulder smiled and nodded.  "I know she is.
I know you all are.  And I appreciate it."
Doggett started to speak, but Mulder was
determined to change the subject.  "Where's
Gibson?"

"He's safe," Doggett replied, folding his
arms across his chest.  "He's with Skinner
right now.  The A.D. wanted to ask him a
couple of questions.  I'm picking him up on
my way home.  He's gonna stay at my place
tonight."

"That boy needs to be protected at all
costs," Mulder said, staring intently into
Doggett's eyes.  "He shouldn't have come
here."

"I don't think anyone could have stopped
him," Doggett said.  "That boy thinks a lot
of you."

"I think a lot of him too." It was nearly a
whisper, and Mulder looked down at the
floor.  "Take care of him."

"I will," Doggett replied.  "You can count
on it."

Doggett started for the door but then he
turned back and cleared his throat.  "I also
wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about what
happened in the courtroom this afternoon.  I
guess my testimony wasn't very helpful."

Mulder looked up with a lopsided grin.
"Couldn't bring yourself to jump on the old
alien conspiracy bandwagon, huh?  Even to
save my sorry ass?"

Mulder laughed at Doggett's pained
expression.  "Kidding, Agent Doggett,
kidding.  It was pretty apparent from the
moment we met that we weren't gonna be on
the same side of much of anything.  Our
beliefs are on opposite ends of the
spectrum.  I should have known they wouldn't
replace me on the X-Files with someone who
had anything in common with me."

Doggett winced a bit.  "Just for the record,
Mulder, I never tried to replace you.  I was
assigned to help find you, and that's all I
ever tried to do."

"Yeah, I know that," Mulder said.  "But you
ended up assigned there with Scully.
Skeptics - 2.  Believers - 0.  My side
didn't have a chance - we didn't even get to
field a team."

"That's not entirely true.  Agent Scully did
go to bat for your side.  While you were
gone, she tried her best to put herself in
your role," Doggett explained.  "And I was
in her usual shoes.  Talk about irony.  But
she eventually stopped trying so hard to be
you and concentrated on being herself.
Still a skeptic, but a lot more open to your
way of thinking."

"She never mentioned that," Mulder said
softly.  "When Scully and I first started
working together, she couldn't bring herself
to say she saw or believed lots of the
things that I did without hard proof to back
it up.  You two are alike that way.  I guess
I should've known from experience that
convincing you of what I believe would be a
tough sell."

"So you two didn't have much in common
either when you started working together,"
Doggett noted.  "What changed?  How did you
convince Agent Scully?"

Mulder laughed.  "I don't think I ever
convinced her of anything.  I think that
over the years we just both began to
appreciate the other's viewpoint. You work
with her long enough and she tends to have
that affect on you and your way of
thinking."

"She certainly does," Doggett agreed.

Intrigued by the comment, Mulder opened his
mouth to speak, but Doggett spoke first.

"I had no choice but to testify the way I
did today," he said.  "I'll admit that I
don't believe in the same things that you
and Dana or even Monica believe in.  That
doesn't mean I don't respect your beliefs.
But I just can't say I believe in something
when I don't.  Not even ..."

His voice drifted off, and they both knew
what he was thinking.  'Not even to change
your fate.'

"Don't sweat it, Agent Doggett," Mulder
said.  "There's nothing to be sorry for.
You told the truth as you believe it to be.
I'm a man who values the truth, remember?
That's something we do have in common."

"Still, I wish I could have done more."

"Forget it," Mulder repeated.  "The outcome
of this so-called trial is a foregone
conclusion.  Nothing that anyone says - or
doesn't say - is going to change that.  I
don't want any of you to think you could
have done more.  Especially Scully."

Doggett didn't know how to respond. He knew
Mulder was probably right, but was surprised
at the defeat in his voice.  Well, Mulder
might be ready to stop searching for the
truth, but Doggett knew there was still one
truth to be found, and hopefully Dana and
Monica would find it tonight.  If they did,
the outcome of Mulder's trial might not be
as certain as he thought.

They were both staring at the floor; the
easygoing conversation of just a few minutes
ago replaced by awkward silence.  Finally,
Doggett turned toward the door again.
"Well, I guess I'd better be ..."

"Are you in a big hurry, Agent Doggett?"

Mulder's question caught him off guard.
"No, not really.  Gibson will be fine with
Skinner.  What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to ... I wanted to ask you
something, if you have a few minutes ..."
Mulder's voice trailed to a whisper again,
obviously uncomfortable with making the
request.

"Sure," Doggett said as cheerfully as he
could muster, trying to relieve Mulder's
anxiety.  "What did you want to ask me
about?"

"William."

Doggett felt the hair on the back of his
neck stand on end.  "William?" he repeated.
"Don't you think it would be better to talk
to Agent Scully?  Or A.D. Skinner?"

"I can't ask Scully," Mulder said.  "She
feels guilty enough already.  The things I
want to know ... they'd just make her feel
worse.  I've hurt her enough and I can't
hurt her anymore.  So, I'd appreciate it if
we kept this conversation private."

Doggett nodded.

"And I have talked to Skinner.  He's tired
of me asking.  He's told me a lot, all that
he can remember, but I want to know more.  I
*need* to know more."

For an instant their eyes locked, Mulder's
filled with pleading intensity.  Although no
words were exchanged, Doggett gave a nearly
imperceptible nod, a signal that he
understood.

*I know what you're asking me.*

*I know why you're asking me.*

Yes, he understood perfectly.  A man facing
death wants to know that his life had
meaning.  He wants to know that he's leaving
something behind. A child provides that
legacy, but Mulder knew little about his own
son.  He wanted memories to sustain him in
this difficult time, memories that he had
been denied.  Doggett realized that he
hadn't been able to help Mulder in the
courtroom today, but he could help him now.

"I had so little time with him before I
left," Mulder said, his voice breaking.  "He
was barely a week old.  In a couple of
weeks, he'll celebrate his first birthday."

"I know," Doggett replied.  "It's hard for
me to believe that Luke would be almost 16
now.  Almost ready to get his driver's
license.  He'd probably already be bugging
me to buy him a car ..."

"Oh, Jesus, Agent Doggett.  I'm sorry.  I
wasn't thinking.  I didn't mean to dredge up
a lot of bad memories."

"Hey, Mulder, it's okay." Doggett tried to
smile.  "I have a lot of good memories of
Luke.  It's good to think about them.
Comforting.  They help get me through the
tough times."

*None tougher than what you're facing right
now,* he thought.

Mulder seemed at a loss for words, so
Doggett took the initiative.  "Well, I guess
Skinner told you the physical stuff.  His
eyes were really beautiful - sort of a
blue/green color.  The most unusual shade
I'd ever seen.  And his hair was brown, sort
of with a reddish tint.  He definitely had
your nose."

Mulder smiled.  "Poor kid."

"And Agent Scully's chin," Doggett
continued.  "It seems like kids usually take
after one parent or the other, but William
was a pretty good composite of both of you."

"Did your son look like you?" Mulder asked.

Doggett laughed.  "Everybody said he was the
spitting image, but I always thought he
looked like Barbara ... my wife."  He
scuffed the toe of his boot along the cement
floor.  "I think when you look into your
child's eyes, you see the person you created
him with, and that's why you think he looks
like that person.  It's that love reflecting
back at you.  I know that's what Agent
Scully saw when she looked at William.  She
saw you.  He was her connection to you.  He
gave her hope when she thought she'd never
see you again.  I know it almost killed her
when she gave him up, partly because she
thought she was giving up on you."

Mulder was silent for a few moments, then
drew his knees up toward his chest and
rested his arms on top of them.  Doggett
took the opportunity to sit against the wall
beside Mulder, mirroring Mulder's position.

"Let's see ... what else?" Doggett
continued, trying to ease the tension.  "He
was gonna be tall ... I could tell that
already.  And he had big hands and long
fingers. He was gonna be a basketball
player, like his dad."

Mulder smiled and rested his chin on his
hands.

"I don't know a lot about the timetable for
when babies are supposed to do what,"
Doggett said, "but I heard Dana and Monica
talking one day about how William was ahead
of the curve.  He was doing stuff at six
months that most babies don't do till nine
months or a year.  He was a smart one."

"Like his mom," Mulder interjected.

Doggett smiled.  "I also remember Dana
saying that he didn't cry very much.  Even
after all the stuff he'd been through."

Doggett regretted the words as soon as
they'd left his mouth, but he couldn't take
them back.  So he tried glossing over them
instead. "He hardly ever cried.  She said he
was a very happy baby, laughing and smiling
a lot.  I remember Luke cried all the time
for the first few months."

He glanced over at Mulder.  He was still
staring straight ahead, but Doggett could
tell the words were having a profound
effect.  He wracked his brain for a few more
details to share with Mulder.

"I didn't get to see Agent Scully with
William a lot, but the times I did I
remember thinking how great she was with
him.  That I was seeing the *real* Dana."

"What do you mean?" Mulder turned his head
slightly to look at Doggett as he spoke.

"Agent Scully builds such a wall around
herself," Doggett said.  "She tries so hard
not to let anyone see her vulnerabilities,
to not let anyone in."

"Tell me about it," Mulder sighed, staring
forward again.

"But when she was with William, she was so
open, so natural," Doggett said.  "I just
got the feeling that was the real Dana that
she only let a few people see.  Kids will do
that to you.  They have a way of breaking
down those barriers."

Mulder nodded in agreement and closed his
eyes.

"You know, something else I remember,"
Doggett continued.  "I heard Agent Scully
singing to William a few times, and you
figure it would be some kind of lullaby, you
know?  But it was always the same - that
'Jeremiah was a bullfrog' song.  I asked her
about it once and she just said it was
William's favorite."

He chuckled and glanced over at Mulder who
was smiling warmly, visibly lost in a very
happy memory. Doggett didn't know what the
song meant, but it was obvious it meant a
lot to Mulder.  He smiled too, glad he was
able to call up this particular memory for
Mulder.

He wasn't sure if Mulder was listening, but
he kept talking anyway. "My favorite thing
was putting Luke to bed at night.  He loved
to hear bedtime stories - the more bizarre
the better.  He would have liked hearing
some of your X-File stories, Mulder.  I bet
William would have too."  He paused a
moment, and then had another thought. "Oh, I
also remember William's favorite toy was
this stuffed panda teddy bear."

Mulder looked up so suddenly that it caught
Doggett off guard. "A panda?"

"Yeah, it was almost as big as William, but
I remember Agent Scully saying he had to
have it in his crib every night or he
wouldn't go to sleep, and that he'd fuss if
she didn't take it in the car with him.  She
said it was a Christmas gift from Frohike."

Mulder smiled.  "From me.  I asked Frohike
to get it from the zoo.  I saw them in the
gift shop once when Scully and I were there.
I had a dream about taking William to the
zoo, so I called the guys and asked them to
get it."

"They knew where you were?" Doggett asked in
surprise.

"Not exactly," Mulder replied. "I guess they
could have figured it out, but I asked them
not to.  And I asked them not to tell Scully
I'd been in touch or that the bear was from
me.  I knew it would just upset her.  I knew
it was risky to call them, but given how
things turned out, I'm glad I did.  I'm glad
I got to talk to them one last time." He
leaned his head against the wall and sighed.
"They were good friends."

Doggett nodded in agreement.  "Yeah, they
thought an awful lot of William too.  I
remember, at Halloween, Agent Scully told me
they showed up at a party at her mom's house
dressed as the characters from the 'Wizard
of Oz'.  You know--Scarecrow, Tin Man,
Cowardly Lion, just for William."

Mulder laughed out loud.  "God, I wish I'd
seen that!"

"Agent Scully said it was pretty hilarious,"
Doggett chuckled.  "She dressed William up
in a little Yankees uniform.  I saw it on
her desk at Quantico.  She said she had
recently become a baseball fan, and that the
Yankees were your team."

Mulder smiled, remembering a night of
batting practice under the stars.

"Seeing that little costume brought back
some memories for me, let me tell you,"
Doggett said wistfully.  "Luke loved
Halloween - more than Christmas, I think.  I
don't remember ever gettin' that excited
about Halloween when I was a kid.  But
before I knew it, he had me dressing up and
going around the neighborhood with him.
That's how it is to be a father, I guess.
You do things you never thought you'd do ...
all for your kid."

Suddenly Mulder's smile was gone and he was
staring up at the ceiling.  "I never really
saw myself as a father.  After my sister
disappeared, I didn't have the best
childhood or share a close relationship with
my parents. I didn't think I'd be great
father material," he said. "But the time
I've spent with Gibson taught me that I
*could* be - that I really *wanted* to be a
father.  Something I learned too late."

"Not too late for Gibson," Doggett said.
"When we were driving to Skinner's tonight,
he told me a little bit about how you two
have been spending your time in New Mexico
during the past year.  He told me you've
been like a father to him - at a time when
he really needed one."

"I always knew I wanted to be a father,"
Doggett said in an effort to keep the
conversation going.  "When Barbara got
pregnant I was so happy.  And I was one of
those typical nervous fathers-to-be.  The
closer she got to her delivery date, the
crazier I got.  Every time she had a little
ache or pain, I was halfway to the car with
her suitcase."

Mulder smiled as Doggett continued.
"Barbara got the last laugh, though.  We
were in the delivery room, and the head
started to crown, and I almost passed out.
They had to get the smelling salts.  She
never let me forget that one - big Macho Cop
and I nearly hit the floor.  I recovered for
the most important part, though."

"I wish I'd gotten to Georgia in time to be
with Scully when William was born," Mulder
said.  "I missed so much, and that was the
one part I could have shared in."

"You were doing what you thought you had to
do, to protect Scully and your son," Doggett
said.

"But I couldn't protect him," Mulder sighed.
"That's why it's so important to me that
Gibson be taken care of.  I promised to
protect him too, in a way I couldn't protect
William, and now look.  He put himself at
great risk by coming here, because of me.  I
failed him, just like I failed William."

"You didn't fail your son, Mulder," Doggett
said, "any more than I failed mine.  You
can't let yourself think that.  Believe me,
I know all too well the guilt and
disappointment a father feels when he thinks
he let his child down.  I've replayed the
day Luke was abducted a hundred thousand
times in my mind.  All the things I could
have done differently..."  He stopped to
look Mulder square in the eye.  "We both did
the best we could do."

Mulder considered this for a moment and then
spoke.  "I guess we have more in common than
I thought, Agent Doggett.  And I wish for
both our sakes we didn't.  We've both lost
our sons."

Doggett swallowed hard and rubbed his hands
on his jeans.

"I don't--I don't mean to imply it's the
same thing," Mulder stammered.  "Your son
was murdered.  There's no atrocity worse
than that.  William will at least have a
chance."

A look passed over Mulder's face that
Doggett couldn't quite comprehend.  "I
understand why it feels the same," Doggett
said.  "The loss of a child is still a loss,
no matter how it happens."

"When my sister disappeared, it was like
someone punched a hole in my chest," Mulder
whispered.  "When I found out she was dead,
I knew that void would never be filled.  It
would always be a part of me.  I thought
nothing could be worse than that feeling of
emptiness."  He paused for a moment, but
Doggett could sense there was more to come.
"But when it's your own child, somehow it's
like a part of you has been amputated.  Like
a piece of you is missing.  Does that make
sense?"

"Perfect sense."

"I guess for the first time I truly
understand what my parents went through when
Samantha was abducted.  I'm sorry that you
had to go through that."  Mulder fell
silent, and Doggett waited a few moments
before speaking.

"I'm sorry that any parent has to go through
that," Doggett said.  "But I thank God every
day for the time I did have with him.  To
see him grow and change, to see his
personality start to take shape, see that he
had likes and dislikes, that he knew right
from wrong.  I at least got some idea of
what kind of man he would have grown up to
be."

Doggett looked Mulder in the eye before
continuing.  "I'm sorry you didn't have that
chance with William."

Mulder nodded slowly.

They sat together in silence for a few
minutes more, until Doggett finally cleared
his throat.  "Well, I guess I'd better ..."

"Do you want to have any more children,
Agent Doggett?"

Doggett bristled slightly at the personal
question, but understood Mulder's need to
know.  "For a long time after Luke died, I
didn't want to consider it," he responded.
"I thought it would be like we were trying
to create a replacement for Luke.  That's
partly why Barbara and I eventually
divorced.  But I've been thinking about it
quite a bit recently, and now I think I'm
ready."

"Recently?"

"I guess you don't really think about it
until you meet someone that you'd like to
consider starting a family with.  So it's
been on my mind a lot recently."  Doggett
shifted slightly to relieve the stiffness in
his lower back.  "So, the answer is yes.
I'm ready now. I'm looking forward to more
children."

Doggett was puzzled by the cloud that seemed
to pass over Mulder's features. He thought
his answer to Mulder's question would help,
but it seemed to have had the opposite
effect.  He frowned and prepared to stand
when Mulder spoke again.

"Scully told me that last year after I was
found you had a chance to be transferred off
the X-Files and you didn't take it, Agent
Doggett.  Do you mind if I ask you why?"

Doggett leaned against the wall again.
"It's like I said before.  I may not share
your beliefs but I do respect them, just
like I respect good work.  And you and Agent
Scully did phenomenal work.  Paranormal or
not, you got a lot of scum off the streets.
I guess I thought that work should have a
chance to continue."

Doggett absently ran a hand through his
short-cropped hair.  "I knew once I was gone
and Agent Scully went on maternity leave
that Kersh would shut down the X-Files in a
heartbeat.  So I decided to stay.  The work
*is* pretty challenging, and there was the
opportunity to continue to work with Agent
Scully."

"Enjoyed working with her, did you?"  It
wasn't really a question, and Mulder began
to pull on his lower lip with thumb and
forefinger.

"A man would be a fool not to," Doggett
said.  "I'll admit we didn't exactly get off
to the best start, but after working with
her for awhile, I did grow to like and
respect her very much, both as a partner and
as a person."

"Something else we have in common," Mulder
interrupted.

Doggett chuckled.  "She's an excellent
Agent.  Extremely intelligent, the
consummate professional.  A very courageous
woman.  Yes, I've enjoyed working with her a
lot."

He looked over at Mulder who continued to
nervously tug on his lip.

"I think she and I eventually found a good
working rhythm," Doggett continued.  "Not as
fluid as the one you and she shared, as she
liked to tell me on more than one occasion,
but I think we did all right.  I guess it
was evident that she and I could never have
the kind of connection the two of you did,
but that didn't stop me from trying."

Mulder looked up.  "Maybe I shouldn't tell
you this," Doggett said, "but for a while I
hoped there could be something more between
Agent Scully and me. But she made it clear
pretty quickly that there was a place in her
heart for only one man.  And once you
returned--well, it was apparent that's where
her heart was, and where it would stay."

The tension seemed to drain out of Mulder
like air from a balloon, and Doggett
suddenly realized that Mulder must have
misinterpreted his earlier comment about
finding someone special to start a family
with.  He wondered how Mulder could be so
unsure of Dana's feelings for him when they
were so obvious to everyone else.

"This year was hard," Mulder was saying.
"I've missed her so much.  There were so
many times that I just wanted to come home.
Maybe if I had ... well, maybe things would
be different."

"Like I said before," Doggett interjected,
"you did what you thought you had to do.
Both of you.  You've both sacrificed a lot."

Mulder nodded slightly and stared at his
feet once more.

"Monica and I have talked a lot about you
and Agent Scully ... everything you've given
to the cause, everything you've lost,"
Doggett explained.  "You've both made us
realize that it's important not to waste one
second of the time you have, because you
never know when things will change.  When
you've got a chance for happiness, you
should take it, so Monica and I are taking
that chance."

"You and Agent Reyes, huh?" Mulder finally
smiled.  "Good for you.  I'm happy for you."

"We haven't talked about it much, but I know
Monica wants children," Doggett said.  "So
that's what got me thinking about being a
father again."

Doggett glanced at his watch and decided
he'd better be on his way to pick up Gibson.
He was hoping to hear from Monica or Dana
soon, and would be glad to be reunited with
his cell phone that he had surrendered at
the guard's station.

He stood up and stretched out the kinks,
twisting his foot back and forth to ease the
pins and needles.  "How about you, Mulder?"
he asked as he waited for circulation to
return.

Mulder squinted up at him.  "How about me
what?"

"Do you want to have any more children?"

Mulder laughed.  "Well, that's kind of a
moot point right now, don't you think?"

Doggett squatted down to Mulder's eye level.
"Don't do this, Mulder.  Don't give up.  I
may still be a skeptic, but I've learned one
thing on the X-Files - that nothing is
impossible.  Hell, I saw you come back from
the dead - and I know that's not the first
time.  A man who's cheated death as many
times as you have must still have a few
cards up his sleeve."

"You gotta know when to hold 'em and know
when to fold 'em, Agent Doggett," Mulder
replied.  "This time the stakes are high,
the opponent is holding all the cards, and
the deck is stacked.  It's time to fold."

"Not all the cards," he said.  "Don't give
up on your wild cards yet.  We're gonna do
all we can.  There's always a chance."

Mulder nodded, but the expression on his
face told Doggett just how unconvinced he
was of the possibility of another miracle
for Fox Mulder.

"Don't.  Give.  Up." Doggett repeated,
punching out each word.  "You owe that to
Agent Scully.  And to yourself.  And to
William."

Doggett saw a spark return to Mulder's eyes
at the mention of his son's name.  He
returned Mulder's gaze sharply as he stood
up and adjusted his sweater.

Mulder nodded in understanding.  "Thanks,
Agent Doggett.  And thank you for taking
care of Gibson.  Tell him that I'm thinking
about him, and I miss him."

"I will," Doggett said, as he walked toward
the door.  He called for the guard, then
turned back to face Mulder who was still
looking up at him.  "Whatever it's worth,
Mulder, I believe that the apple doesn't
fall far from the tree.  No matter where or
how William grows up, he carries you and
Agent Scully with him. And I think that
means he'll grow up to be a good man, a
gentle man, with a good heart and a good
soul."

"It's worth a lot, Agent Doggett," Mulder
whispered.  "I appreciate it, more than I
can say."

The door opened and Doggett paused for a
moment, readjusting his eyes to the bright
light.  Before stepping through the doorway
he turned back once more.  "And I think that
one day William just might go chasing some
lights in the sky.  He won't know why - and
he'll be skeptical - but he'll go.  Because
somehow he'll know that he needs to find the
truth."

Mulder looked up and smiled.  "Thanks, John.
For everything."

The heavy door slid home and Doggett stared
at it for a few moments, thinking back on a
conversation he never expected.  The guard
nudged him to move along, and he set off to
collect his gun and cell phone, his mind
filled with a jumble of thoughts - thoughts
of Mulder, Scully, Gibson, William, and
Monica.  And Luke.  Right now, he missed
Luke more than ever.

But he couldn't think about Luke now.  The
memories would be there for him when he
needed them, as he was sure he would in the
days to come.  He signed out and headed for
the door, off to collect Gibson, to do the
job that was entrusted to him.  He had a
promise to keep.  And he was a man who kept
his promises.

As he punched Skinner's number on his cell
phone to let him know he was on the way, he
remembered that Agent Scully had once told
him Mulder would do "whatever it took."  He
put his pickup in gear and vowed that now
*he* would do whatever it took to help
Mulder.  He wanted both of them to have a
chance at a future with the women they
loved.

It would be something new they'd have in
common.
 

The End

Author Notes:

Can a Mulderist and a Doggettist write a
story together without driving each other
crazy?  Absolutely!  Why?  Because they too
have "something in common": their love of
the X-Files. That's where this story has its
genesis. Well, that and a friendship that
survived (and thrived!) through David
Duchovny's absence in Seasons 8 & 9,
Doggett's entrance into the show, Scully's
hair during Season 9, a wild time watching
the series finale with our fellow Phile
friends and much more!

Polly - I'm relatively new at fanfic writing
and don't know what I'm doing most of the
time, so I wasn't sure I was ready to try a
joint project with anyone.  But
collaborating with my XF bud, SLS, was a
great pleasure.  I'm not sure either of us
knew exactly how to go about
"collaborating," so we just made it up as we
went along.  I'm not a Doggett fan by any
stretch of the imagination, but my goal for
this story was to treat both characters with
respect, as I believe that's how the
characters would treat each other.

In collaborating with SLS, I think our
mutual respect helped us to keep each other
honest, and thus to try and keep the
characters honest to themselves.  So thank
you to SLS for a great experience, to my
favorite beta Peg's Girl for comments and
suggestions, and to everyone who has
encouraged me to continue to write.

SLS - first and foremost, I must thank my
good friend and co-author, Polly. This was
only my second attempt at a story
collaboration and I'll freely admit I was a
Nervous!Nelly every step of the way. But
Polly and I held hands and made it through
unscathed. ;)

I've been in love with Polly's writing since
she started writing her X-Files "Theatre of
the Mind"'s almost 3 years ago and am
thrilled and honored to be part of this
story alongside her.  Polly, I hope you
continue to churn out more stories as long
as you're inspired to write them. And thank
you for 1) not torturing my boy too much, b)
letting me dress him ;) and 3) giving my
story "Halloween Memories" a shout-out here.
Now get yourself a website to house all
those gems already! ;)

Next I have to thank my wonderful and loyal
beta, MeridyM. Your comments, suggestions
and opinions mean a lot to me, hon, and
Polly and I are thankful to you for giving
this the once-over. Thank you for always
being there to offer your "red pen" services
;), your support of me and this story and
for just being a dear, loving friend.

Finally, I must thank Megan, Mara and Jenna
(who also graciously hosts & maintains my
site) who - when they got a sneak preview of
this story - kindly said they actually liked
it. ;) And a special shout-out to Mara -
your comment made my year! Thanks darlings!
::smooches::