Title:  Family Affair
Author: A.Tearz
Rating: I’d say PG-13, if that…
Disclaimer: Characters/locations/etc…property of CC, 1013 
Productions, Fox network, etc... All other characters/locations/etc 
were created by…me! No copyright infringement intended.
Archive: If you want it, email me and let me know where it goes, 
please…

Summary: It was that time again, the annual family New Year’s 
Eve party…

A/N:  My first and probably last XF fic…or any fic for that matter. 
Apologies for any typos, grammatical errors that may occur. 
Hopefully, you guys will enjoy. 



* x * x * x *


It was that time again, the annual family New Year’s Eve party. 
Every year, the Doggett clan came together on December thirty-
first to eat, drink…basically do the same things they’d done for 
Christmas. John’s mother had always had the belief that if the 
whole family were together to welcome in the New Year, they’d be 
graced with as much luck as they could get for the upcoming year. 
He found it to be quite a silly notion, seeing as there was always 
someone that couldn’t make it each year. It didn’t matter, though. 
His mother held strong to the belief. He believed it gave her a 
sense of strength and a sense of familial unity that happened all too 
little throughout the rest of the year. Besides, he enjoyed seeing his 
extended family…his nieces and nephews, sisters, uncles, aunts 
and crazy cousins. This year’s party was exceptional for him, for 
the treasured events were to take place at his home for the very 
first time. His mother was having the house renovated, so he’d 
volunteered to move the festivities to his home. He was excited.

Walking down the hall to the office he shared with his partner, he 
couldn’t help but wonder what she’d be doing New Year’s Eve. He 
wanted so badly to invite her over to his home, but surely she’d be 
spending the holiday with her mother. That’s where she’d been 
since Christmas Eve. They’d both spent the day working hard to 
finish up cases, not wanting too many things to pile up once they’d 
returned from their holiday. He’d asked her about her plans, and 
she merely shrugged, stating she’d spend time visiting with her 
mother. She didn’t elaborate; she shut herself off to him, once 
again. She’d been so distant when he’d first met her, but that was 
understandable. Her partner had gone missing, and he was the 
replacement. He understood her reservations, her frustrations, her 
need to distance herself from him. But he had had this strange 
thought that her disposition would change once he’d proven to her 
how loyal he could be. He’d saved her life a few times, and she’d 
done the same for him. What they’d gone through in their brief 
partnership couldn’t compare to the things she and her partner had 
been through, but it was more than what she’d gone through with 
any other agent. He’d thought that their experiences thus far would 
at least put them on casual speaking terms. He’d been wrong. 

He did manage to make her laugh once. The office was too quiet 
for his comfort, so he’d struck up a bit small-talk. Of course, he’d 
been doing most of the talking. He wasn’t sure how he’d gotten to 
the subject of music, but he’d found himself talking about rappers 
and the type of jewelry he’d seen them wear. It amazed him how 
some rappers casually wore thick diamond chains around their 
neck. The idea fascinated him.

“…it was then that I decided that, if I should ever become a 
rapper, I’m gonna have an iced-out ‘Agent DG’ hangin’ from my 
neck. It would be impossible for people not to notice my bling.” To 
his surprise, she began to laugh…the most beautiful sound he’d 
heard from her yet.

“Is that so?” she managed to say after calming down. “Then, I get 
to call you the ‘Bling King.’” Her smile was gorgeous; it 
momentarily lifted her sullen features, basking her face in a 
youthful glow. That moment, however trite, would be one he’d 
cherish.


He entered the office whistling as he reminisced. To his surprise, 
she was there, her back towards him as she searched through the 
filing cabinet. She was dressed as if it were a regular work day-- 
business suit neatly pressed, and not a hair out of place. He 
suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable in his jeans and t-shirt. She spoke 
first, not even bothering to face him.

“Agent Doggett, I didn’t expect to see you here during the 
holidays.” She shuffled through the cabinet a few seconds more, 
then closed it after retrieving a handful of files.

“I,uh…I can say the same for you, Agent Scully.” He waited for 
her to look up; she didn’t. She just sat behind the desk, flipping 
open the manila envelop topping the stack. “What brings you here 
on New Year’s Eve?” He walked over to where she sat, moving to 
look over her shoulder to view what she was reading. She abruptly 
shut the file, tapping her index finger on the cream-colored paper.

“Just thought I’d brush up on some old cases.” She pushed her seat 
back, lifting the stack of files to her arms as she stood. 

“I thought you’d be with your mother today.” He backed away 
from her, giving her room to round the desk and grab her jacket.

“She’s in California with my brother. My nephew’s sick; my 
brother and his family couldn’t make it for Christmas, so she left 
on the twenty-sixth to be with them.”  He nodded his 
understanding as she set the files on the chair, lifting her jacket and 
putting it on. “Why exactly are you here, Agent Doggett?”

“Oh, I, uh…I realized that I forgot the file for the New Jersey case. 
I wanted to read up on it before we got back. Hey, I’m havin’ a 
little get-together at my place…I’d love for you to come.” He 
already knew she’d refuse his offer. She hadn’t even looked at him 
since he’d come in the office, not even a glance. If she couldn’t 
even grant him the common courtesy of a simple look, visual 
acknowledgement of his presence, there was no way she would 
accept such an offer.

“As enticing as that sounds, Agent Doggett, I’m actually just going 
to head home.” He had to get out of that office fast. He was 
quickly becoming aggravated, not because she’d turned down his 
offer, but because she simply refused to put up any effort to make 
this partnership bearable. He’d tried and tried, and then he’d tried 
some more. No matter what he did, what he said, how he acted, she 
never changed. She continued to keep herself locked away from 
him. How could he have developed feelings for someone so 
closed-off as she was to him? Shaking his head, he headed out the 
door, throwing a quick ‘see you at work’ over his shoulder. He 
didn’t mean to be so brusque, but he didn’t want to let all of his 
aggravation out on her either.

She stood in the empty office, files in hand, as she bit her lip to 
keep herself from crying.

* * * *

He did a quick run-down of the things he’d prepared for the party. 
He had the chips, dip, alcoholic beverages, and juice for the kids. 
He had everything his mother told him to get. More food and 
drinks would arrive with the family members, and his mother 
would be bringing part her home-cook meal and finishing the rest 
of the feast at his place. He was about as prepared as he was going 
to be. He ran around the house, putting final touches to his already 
cleaned home. He’d gone upstairs to prepare one of the guest 
rooms for his mother, and passed Luke’s room on his way back 
down. That had brought his spirits down a bit, but he brushed it 
off. If he thought too deeply about it, he wouldn’t get through the 
day. He went into the family room to light candles when he heard a 
knock at the door. He casually swung the door open with a smile, 
all set to greet his mother or another relative. It surprised him that 
the person behind the door was not a relative, but his partner.

“Agent Scully?” She stood before him with her eyes focused solely 
on the file in her hand. 

“Yes, I’m sorry to have bothered you, but I thought I should drop 
this off before heading home.” She finally looked up at him, and 
his heart skipped a few beats when his eyes met her beautiful blue 
ones. Realizing he had her standing on his porch, he stepped aside, 
allowing her to enter his home. He looked to the file in her hand, 
the Jersey file. He must have forgotten it in his haste to get out of 
the office. “It would be a shame if you’d come into the office for 
nothing.”

“Yeah, uh, thank you…Agent Scully.” She smiled at him, but he 
noticed immediately that the smile did not reach her eyes. She 
looked sad, lonely, almost regretful that this moment was passing 
so quickly.

“I guess I’ll see you at work then.” She smiled once more before 
turning to head for the door. His arm almost involuntarily shot out, 
grabbing her lightly around the wrist to stop her from leaving.

“Agent Scully, I know you said you wanted to spend some time at 
home, but I would really like for you to join us tonight. You said 
your family’s in California. I’d feel horrible knowin’ you were 
sittin’ at home alone during the New Year. Please, stay.” She 
studied his face for a few moments, not moving to take her wrist 
from his grasp. He almost had a hopeful look in his eyes, playing 
across his facial expressions. How could she turn that down?

“I’ll stay on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“You let me help. Let me cook something or clean, it doesn’t 
matter. I don’t want to be just a ‘guest.’” She smiled at him; she 
was doing that a lot lately. He’d never seen her smile so much.

“Deal.” His smile spread across his face as he reached to grab her 
jacket, hanging it on the hook by the door. He took a few minutes 
to give her the grand tour of the downstairs area. Just as they’d 
finished, a knock fell upon his door.

“Mom!” he yelled as he hugged his mother around the dishes she 
was carrying. Scully walked to the entrance of the foyer leaning 
against the wall as her partner greeted his mother. Her 
partner…she’d never called him that before.

“Oh, John, I’ve missed you so much,” his mother said, reaching up 
to plant a kiss on his forehead. “You hardly visit your mother 
enough. Ever since you started working for the FB…” His 
mother’s words came to a halt when she spotted the redhead 
observing them. Doggett stood holding the dishes he’d taken from 
his mother, following her gaze to his partner.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude,” Scully said timidly as she 
turned to walk back into the living room.

“No, no, it’s okay. Mom, this is my partner, Agent Scully,” he 
introduced, nodding his head in the direction of his partner. “Agent 
Scully, this is my mom.” Scully walked slowly towards his mother, 
hand held out to shake hers.

“You may feel more comfortable calling me Dana.” She was 
surprised when John’s mother completely disregarded her hand 
and took her into a heart-felt embrace.

“Well, Dana,” his mother said into her ear, “It is very nice to meet 
you.” She pulled back, looking to Scully’s face without letting 
their arms go. “You can call me Cheryl.” Scully nodded, smiling 
brightly. Doggett had to get out of there and head to the kitchen. 
He couldn’t take too much more of seeing Dana’s face light up 
with each smile. If she kept it up, he didn’t know if he would make 
it to the New Year.

* * * *

A few hours had gone by, and John was learning more and more 
about his partner. She was so comfortable around his mother, 
talking more than she ever had since they’d met. She laughed with 
his mother, actually threw her head back and laughed. Her beauty 
was intoxicating. Scully and his mother had been in the kitchen all 
morning, preparing dinner as he sat in a chair and watched. He 
took this rare moment to innocently scan his partner’s body, 
noticing for the first time how small she actually was. He’d never 
noticed before, for she was such a strong person. He’d heard how 
she could take down men twice her size, and believed it instantly 
because of the strength in her personality. But now, he finally sat, 
taking in her complete form. She was about five-foot-two or three, 
appearing to be just barely a hundred and ten pounds, if that. He 
couldn’t believe the strength that little body packed…strength and 
beauty. 

Cousin Lorena arrived first. She’d brought her husband, Jeff, and 
two kids, along with John’s niece, Kasey.

“Cousin John, Cousin John!” The kids ran to him as Scully and 
Cheryl joined them in the living room. 

“Hey there, sport,” he said, lifting the little boy over his shoulder. 
He bent down to kiss the little girl’s forehead.

“Cousin John, who’s that?” The little girl pointed to where Scully 
stood, away from the rest of the family.

“Megan, what have I told you about pointing?” Lorena chastised, 
giving Doggett a quick peck on the cheek.

“It’s rude. I know. Now, who is it?” Lorena shook her head as she 
walked over to hug Cheryl. Dana smiled, walking over to the little 
girl and offering her hand.

“My name is Dana Scully. I work with your cousin.” Megan 
looked warily at Dana’s proffered hand before taking it and gently 
pulling her down to eye level.

“My name is Megan. I’m six. That’s my little brother, Damien.” 
She pointed up at the boy hanging over Doggett’s shoulder. “He’s 
only three. He’s a baby.”

“Am not!” Damien protested, wiggling to get down. Doggett 
placed him on the floor next to Megan. “I not a baby. I a big boy,” 
he said, leaning into Megan’s personal space to emphasize his 
words. Dana smiled, offering her hand to the little boy.

“Well, Damien, it’s nice to meet you.” Damien happily took a hold 
of her hand. He didn’t know he was supposed to shake it, so he just 
held it. “Wow!” Scully exclaimed. “Damien, you’re so strong. 
Only big boys are strong like you.” Damien’s face lit up as he 
smiled, extracting his hand from hers and hiding behind Doggett’s 
leg. Scully stood, crossing her arms in front of her as she looked at 
the ground.

“So, this is your partner, Uncle John?” Kasey chimed in with an 
incredulous look playing against her features. Jeff rounded to stand 
next to Doggett, who nodded at his niece’s question.

“Yes, this is Agent Dana Scully. I invited her to join us this year.” 
Scully stood in the middle of the family members, feeling a little 
like a displayed object. Everyone was looking at her and she had to 
fight the urge to hide her face behind her hands.

“Damn, John. She’s friggin’ hot!” Jeff exclaimed in a low voice 
that was meant to be a whisper; everyone heard it anyway. Scully’s 
head shot up in Jeff’s direction, then slowly slide her gaze to 
Doggett’s. His face was red as he angrily elbowed his cousin in the 
ribs. Placing an errant strand of hair behind her ear, she slowly 
walked out of the living room and into the kitchen.

“Jeff, what the hell is the matter with you?!” Lorena yelled as 
Doggett made his way towards the kitchen. He froze when he 
heard little Damien speak.

“Damn, John. She’s friggin’ hot!” The little boy repeated with the 
exaggerated emphasis of a child. He shook his head, and continued 
on to the kitchen.

* * * *

She was standing at the table chopping carrots when he came into 
the kitchen. She didn’t look up when he entered. He felt like 
wringing Jeff’s neck at that moment. Scully was finally relaxing 
around him. She was laughing, and cooking, having a great time as 
far as he could tell. Then, in a split moment of stupidity, his cousin 
opened his big mouth and made her retreat back inside herself. He 
was pissed.

“Dana, I’m sorry about that.” He didn’t know what else to say. She 
continued chopping the carrots, sliding the pieces into a large bowl 
before starting on another.

“It’s okay. It’s not like I haven’t heard it before.” She looked to his 
questioning eyes before she continued. “Around the office, it’s 
been rumored that some of the male agents think I’m ‘hot.’ I’ve 
even heard rumors about bets going, to see who could be the first 
to show the ‘Ice Queen’ exactly how ‘hot’ she was.” All was quiet 
for a few moments more as Doggett ran her words through his 
mind. He’d heard things about her, but not like that. It angered him 
to think that other agents were wasting their time on such 
immature behavior.

“Well that may be, but you don’t need to listen to that mess in my 
house. You came here to act like part of the family, and that’s how 
they’re gonna treat you.” Kasey entered the kitchen smacking on 
her gum as she reapplied a generous amount of gloss to her lips.

“You’ll have to excuse our cousin Jeff, Donna. He can be such an 
ass sometimes.” Scully looked up from her task, smiling at Doggett 
as he playfully swatted at his niece.

“Her name is Dana…what’s with you people? We get one guest in 
the house and you all start actin’ crazy.” Kasey smiled as she 
hugged her uncle.

“Sorry, Dana,” she said, ducking her had as Doggett tried wiping 
her face with a napkin. “Uncle John! What are you doing?”

“You don’t need all this makeup on, Kase. You’re too young to 
be…”

“Uncle John, I’m eighteen. I think I’m old enough to wear 
makeup.” She walked over to where Scully stood, watching them 
with a smile. She picked a carrot piece out of the bowl, crunching 
happily on the vegetable as she studied Scully’s face. Scully would 
have been uncomfortable, if she wasn’t so busy staring at Doggett. 
“You’re really pretty, you know that?” She said, snapping Scully 
out of her intense stare-down.

“Oh, uh…thank you,” she replied, returning to the carrots as the 
blush settled in her cheeks.

“You have a natural beauty guys like Jeff don’t appreciate. I hate it 
when guys say women are ‘hot.’ It’s annoying.” She picked up 
another piece of carrot making her way over to the stove. Scully 
gave Doggett another glance and realized he was staring at her. 
She quickly averted her eyes as she felt herself blushing even 
more.

“My niece is a charmer.” Doggett smiled nervously as he cleared 
the table of unused dishes. She smiled as Cheryl entered the 
kitchen.

“Gretchen and Chase are here,” Cheryl said, announcing the arrival 
of her daughter and son-in-law. “They brought Steve. Kasey, 
please go and help Megan fix her dress. She’s crying hysterically 
like a drama queen in John’s bathroom.” 

“Sure thing, Grandma,” Kasey said, nudging her uncle and 
nodding at Scully’s back with a smile. He shook his head, pointing 
to the stairs where a heartbroken Megan awaited assistance. He 
turned back to see his mother’s arm around Scully’s waist, hugging 
her as she cut the last carrot.

“How are things coming, sweetheart?” Cheryl asked her.

“Great, actually. I’m almost through.” Scully looked to Cheryl’s 
face, smiling as she continued cutting the carrot. Doggett couldn’t 
help but smile. His mother never treated any of his girlfriends like 
she’s treated Dana. That meant she really liked her. Wait, 
girlfriend? Where’d that come from?

“So, uh, Gretchen brought Steve? This should be fun.” Doggett 
said. Cheryl leaned in and proceeded to tell Dana all about Steve.

“He’s from Chase’s first marriage. When Chase divorced Steve’s 
mother, he was about thirteen-years-old. He took it pretty hard. He 
used to get straight-A’s in school; he was on the soccer team, did 
some volunteer work around his neighborhood. Once his parents 
split, his grades crashed. He got involved with some pretty bad 
characters in his neighborhood. They were trying desperately to 
become part of a gang, but didn’t quite make it. That didn’t stop 
them from terrorizing the neighborhood. When Steve was about 
fourteen, he was arrested for something he and his ‘friends’ were 
caught doing. That’s when Gretchen and Chase decided to file for 
full custody of him. He’s sixteen now. They’re in the process of 
finalizing it, but until then, he switches back-and-forth between the 
two houses.” Scully listened intently as Doggett shook his head.

“They let him get away with too much,” he said, gaining Scully’s 
attention.

“Well, John, he’s a troubled child. We have to remember that, no 
matter how badly he behaves.” Cheryl grabbed a hold of Scully’s 
hand, pulling her gently towards the kitchen’s exit. “Come, 
sweetheart. I’ll introduce you,” she said with a smile. Scully 
looked to Doggett with a shy expression, allowing herself to be led 
by his mother. He smiled at her, and followed.

* * * * 

Introductions were brief, and soon, everyone that would be 
attending the party had arrived. Dinner sat simmering of the stove 
and in the oven as everyone sat in the family room, drinking, 
talking, catching up on each other’s lives. The wind had picked up 
outside as snow began to fall, darkening the room as dusk began to 
set.

Scully sat between Doggett and Kasey on a smaller of two 
couches. The other was filled with a few more adults, as the rest of 
them sat in kitchen chairs. The children sat comfortably on the 
floor, sipping their juice and laughing as they played amongst 
themselves. Random conversations filled the room as everyone 
listened to what each person had to say.

“My mom apologizes for not being able to make it. They gave her 
the night shift in the ER. Oh, and I finally convinced mom to let 
me go to California with my friend after school ends,” Kasey said. 
“She agreed I could take time off from school to ‘find myself’ 
since I’ve gotten such great marks so far.” Kasey smiled as 
Doggett rolled his eyes and gave an exaggerated playful sigh. He 
laughed as he reached his arm around Scully the muss his niece’s 
hair, inadvertently trapping Scully against his chest in the process. 
She smiled, and he realized how close he was to her face, her lips. 
He’d momentarily forgotten his relatives were even in the room as 
he lost himself in her ocean-blue eyes. Jeff cleared his throat with a 
smile as Scully placed her palm flat against Doggett’s chest, giving 
him a little push. He snapped out of his trance, quickly retreating to 
his side of the couch. Doggett and Scully nervously focused on the 
kids playing in the middle of the floor.

“Real smooth, John,” Jeff said, chuckling as his wife elbowed his 
side. Scully scanned the room to find everyone staring at them, his 
mother smiling as she averted her eyes. She almost got up to leave 
the room when Gretchen changed the subject.

“Well, Steve is planning on joining the basketball team. Aren’t 
you, Steve?” 

“Nope.” Steve sat in the corner, staring out the window as the 
snow fell.

“What do you mean ‘no,’ son?” Chase questioned. The room fell 
silent as Steve turned his head slowly to meet his father’s eyes.

“Just what I said, man. I ain’t joinin’ no damn basketball team or 
anything else.” He turned to face the window. Chase made a move 
to go to him, but was stopped by Gretchen’s hold on his arm.

“Not now.” Chase sat back, eyeing his son with contempt. An 
awkward silence filled the room thick as smoke. Finally, Damien 
spoke up with excitement.

“I go to school soon. Mama said so.” He stood, picking up his 
sippie-cup filled with fruit punch and heading to where Doggett 
and Scully sat. He climbed confidently into Dana’s lap, making 
himself comfortable before lying back against her chest and 
drinking his juice. Scully froze at first, not use to being around a 
child this young since Emily. Soon, she relaxed, wrapping her 
arms around his little belly and laying her cheek against his hair. 
Lorena laughed before elaborating.

“He’ll be going to headstart in February.”

“Wow, Damien. That’s great,” Scully said as the little boy turned 
to face her.

“Yeah, I go like a big boy.” 

“That’s right, sport.” Doggett reached over, tickling him on his 
belly. Damien erupted in a fit of laughter, and Scully couldn’t help 
but laugh also. She held the squirming little boy in her arms as 
everyone else in the room, except Steve, began to laugh at him.

“Stop it, Cousin John,” Damien exclaimed as he laughed even 
harder, twisting so that her faced Dana completely. All of the 
sudden, the lights went out. Megan screamed as everyone sat still.

“Hold on everyone,” John said, standing to make his way to the 
circuit breaker. Silence filled the room as everyone waited to see 
what Doggett was doing. The light flickered back to life as 
everyone heaved a sigh of relief. “Just a small power-outtake. 
Probably ‘cause of the wind,” John announced as he sat back on 
the couch. “Now where were we,” he asked, tickling Damien some 
more. The little boy squealed with happiness as he twisted once 
more. The lid to his sippie-cup flipped off, sending red liquid 
pouring down the front of Scully’s white shirt.

“Oh, no, Damien!” Lorena yelled, grabbing him off of Scully’s lap. 
“I’m sorry.” Everyone stood, scurrying to find something to clean 
the mess.

“It’s okay,” Dana stated, lifting the shirt out of her skirt, trying to 
cup the liquid in the material in effort to keep it from dripping on 
the carpet. “Excuse me.” She made her way to the kitchen, Cheryl 
and Kasey following behind her.

“I sorry. I didn’t mean it,” Damien cried, burying his face in his 
mother’s shirt. Doggett held his arms out to him, and Damien fell 
willingly into his embrace.

“It’s okay, buddy. It’s Cousin John’s fault. He shouldn’t have been 
tickling you like that.” 

“I like when Cousin John tickles me,” he said, sniffling as his tears 
subsided.

“Well, then, let’s tickle some more!” John yelled and resumed 
tickling the happy toddler.

* * * *

Scully came back into Cheryl’s room after changing into one of 
Kasey’s outfits. She felt a little uncomfortable, for the teen’s 
clothes were a little too tight for her taste. Kasey had lent her a 
spaghetti-strapped black dress that was cut too high above her 
knees and too low on her chest. She quickly covered herself with 
Kasey’s sweater before exiting the bathroom and returning to a 
waiting Cheryl and Kasey.

“Thank you again, Kasey for letting me borrow this. I’ll have it dry 
cleaned and sent to you.”

“No, don’t worry about it, Donna…I mean Dana. It looks so cute 
on you! I want you to have it.” Scully stood looking at herself in 
the mirror. She paid special attention to her stomach, making sure 
to hide the slight bulge that threatened to reveal her secret. She was 
startled by Kasey’s sudden interest in her hair. The teen ran her 
fingers through it, admiring its body and shine. “You have the 
prettiest hair, Dana! Doesn’t she, grandma?” Scully smiled as 
Cheryl stood.

“Kasey, stop playing with the woman already. You can’t dress her 
up like your friends.” Kasey immediately dropped her hand from 
Scully’s hair. 

“I just think she’s beautiful,” Kasey stated.

“Thank you.” She didn’t know what to say to such compliments.

“Uncle John thinks so, too, you know.” Scully turned abruptly, 
eyeing Kasey with curiosity.

“Kasey Jane Doggett!” Cheryl exclaimed, swatting at her 
granddaughter.

“Grandma, you know he does.” She turned to face Scully. “He 
does, Dana. I mean, just look at the way he looks at you, even 
when you don’t notice. And never once have we met any of his 
partners, or girlfriends for that matter. You must be somethin’ 
special if he brought you home to meet the Doggett clan.” Color 
profusely filled Scully’s cheeks as she lowered her gaze.

“We’re just partners.” She smoothed imaginary wrinkles from her 
dress before turning to face her reflection once again. “He’s saved 
my life a few times, even when my behavior became reckless. He’s 
just…there for me because he’s my partner. Nothing more.” She 
lowered her head to try and hide the quiver in her chin. She would 
not cry in front of his family. Why did she want to cry in the first 
place? Was it because she felt like she was backstabbing her real 
partner? Maybe it was because she felt all of these mixed up 
emotions for Doggett, ones she couldn’t put into words. With each 
day she spent with him, these feelings got stronger and stronger, 
and she felt like she was betraying the one person that trusted her 
solely. But she couldn’t fight these growing feeling for John. He 
made her laugh, even when she fought to control it. He comforts 
her when she cries, and defends her when she needs it. She didn’t 
deserve his loyalty, but he gave it to her anyway. 

Cheryl walked over to Scully, wrapping her arms around her as 
Scully’s forehead fell on her shoulder. No matter how hard she 
tried, she couldn’t stop herself from sobbing into this woman’s 
arms. She wished it had been her mother, but her mother wasn’t 
there and Cheryl was. Cheryl had treated her like she was a part of 
this family from the moment she embraced her when they’d met. 
She had such a comforting disposition that made Scully melt into 
her arms and cry over her newfound feelings. Kasey stood back, 
watching with worry as her grandmother comforted this woman. A 
few moments later, Scully regained control of her emotions, 
pulling away slowly as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” Cheryl put a finger to her 
chin, lifting her face to meet her eyes.

“Don’t ever apologize for showing how you feel. I’d be worried if 
you didn’t.” She smiled at her son’s partner, wiping the freshly 
fallen tears from her face.

“Hey, Dana?” Kasey walked around standing by her grandmother 
to look into Scully’s eyes. “It’s more.” 

* * * *

Doggett helped Jeff and Chase set the dining room table, but his 
mind was on what was happening upstairs. They’d been up there 
for nearly thirty minutes.

“What’s takin’ them so long?”

“You know women. They take forever to get ready,” Chase 
answered, placing wine glasses by each setting.

“John, here, has the sexiest woman working next to him every day. 
It must take time to look that damn hot.” Jeff chuckled at his own 
‘joke’ as Chase shook his head in disgust.

“Hey, lay off her. Got it?” John left no question to his feelings as 
he balled his hands into fists and invaded Jeff’s personal space. “I 
don’t want you talkin’ about her like that. Do you understand?”

“Hey, man. I’m just making some observations,” Jeff said 
defensively.

“Make ‘em, but don’t let ‘em leave your mouth.” Jeff nodded, 
backing away as Cheryl entered the dining room.

“Is everything alright, gentlemen?” She noticed the tense 
atmosphere as soon as she stepped into the room.

“Yup. Everything’s fine,” John answered through clenched teeth, 
never taking his eyes off of Jeff.

“John, kitchen, please?” His mother walked out of the room; 
moments later, he followed.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothin’, mom. Just settin’ Jeff in his place again.” His mother’s 
expression was that of worry. He kissed her cheek, bringing her 
into his embrace. “It’s fine, mom. It’s done. How’s Dana?”

“Oh, she’s fine. She’s wearing one of Kasey’s lovely dresses. She 
looks good.”

“Good, good. Well, I’ll finish setting the table, and you will not 
worry anymore.” He kissed his mother’s forehead before turning to 
leave. 

“As long as you give me no reason,” Cheryl countered.

* * * *

Scully and Kasey came downstairs laughing. 

“Wow. You guys make me want to join the FBI. I mean, you get to 
be called ‘agent.’ That sounds important.”

“Well, don’t join just for the title. It’s a lot of hard work.”

“I know. And you’re a doctor? Gosh, you’re like the smartest 
woman I know, seriously.”

“I doubt that,” Scully said, gaining a sudden interest in her shoes. 
Her stride was interrupted when she ran into someone. Looking up, 
she saw it was Steven. “Oh, I’m sorry.” Kasey stepped back, 
glaring at her cousin. He held an awful smirk on his face. Scully 
immediately became uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, shortie,” he said, walking around her as he 
ran his eyes up and down her body. Scully crossed her arms in 
front of herself, eyes never leaving his. “Damn. Hard to believe I 
ain’t notice you before, not until you lifted your shirt and gave me 
a preview of what could be, baby.” Scully nearly laughed at his 
horrible attempt to ‘mack.’ Instead, she kept quiet as this sixteen-
year-old laid his lines.

“Steve, you’re such a jerk. Go away,” Kasey said, shaking her 
head. Steve licked his lips, stepping closer into Scully’s space; she 
didn’t back down.

“Damn, baby. I gotta get a piece of that.”

“Is that so?” Scully asked him, stepping away from him slightly.

“Hell yes. Uncle John can’t possibly be hittin’ that right.” At first, 
she was finding his ‘lines’ funny, but now she was getting a bit 
offended.

“And what exactly would your uncle think if I told him about this? 
I’ve seen him when he gets angry, especially over me. You don’t 
want to be on the other side of that anger. I would suggest you 
back away from me, and ignore me for the rest of this evening.” 

“Damn, girl. I was just…”

“I don’t care. Your grandmother has gone out of her way to make 
this an enjoyable night for the people she loves, and surprisingly, 
that includes you. I will not having you messing this up for her. 
You are going to drop the ridiculous ‘street talk,’ and participate in 
your family’s activities, or go sit in the car and wait until your 
parents are ready to leave.”

“You don’t know me, bi…” Scully held her hand up to silence his 
swearing.

“And you don’t know me either, or else we would not be having 
this conversation. You have one of two options on how you plan 
on spending the rest of this evening. Pick one and put it into effect 
immediately.” She stared at him a few minutes more before 
stepping around him and heading to the kitchen. She spotted 
Damien lurking behind Steve, and picked him up, hugging him 
close to her as she walked.

“She’s awesome, isn’t she?” Kasey asked with a big grin, then 
followed Scully into the kitchen.

* * * *

Dinner had passed and everyone had gathered into the family room 
once again. The New Year was quickly approaching, with only a 
half-hour left of the old one. This was usually the time some 
family members grabbed a nap, or sat speaking quietly amongst 
themselves. Scully fell asleep on the couch, holding a sleeping 
Damien to her chest. Doggett hadn’t realized she’d been so tired, 
and he was feeling guilty. His arm thrown across the back of the 
couch, he sat speaking with Chase, and was surprised when Steve 
joined in on the conversation.

“In a few weeks, we’ll have full custody of him,” Chase said.

“That’s good. I think that’s what he needs, a stable home away 
from that crowd he’s hangin’ with now.”

“I can’t wait to come live with them.” Doggett looked up as Chase 
turned around, stunned that the words had come from his son. “I 
didn’t want the divorce, but couldn’t stop it. But I thought this 
would at least get me settled somewhere. I can’t stand bein’ sent to 
live one place durin’ the week and then have a whole different 
place durin’ the weekend. So, I’m hopin’ this is a good change.” 
Steve smiled as Chase stood up to hug him.

“I think it will be,” Doggett said, reaching over to shake Steve’s 
hand. “Go. Talk with your dad for awhile.” Steve smiled, nodding 
his head in Scully’s direction.

“She’s a burst of fire, man. I can see why she’s your partner.” 
Doggett nodded as Chase led Steve away. He began working his 
head in a circular motion, trying to relieve the tension he felt in his 
neck and shoulders. Glancing around the family room, he noticed 
that everyone was asleep. The people that were awake went into 
the dining room to talk, as to not disturb those in a slumber. His let 
his eyes fall on the television screen, watching as some music 
group sang to take up time. Suddenly, he heard a soft sigh from 
Scully’s direction and felt her position herself so that she lay on his 
chest. The movement surprised him for a moment, but he quickly 
recovered, placing his arm over her shoulder and hugging her to 
him. He could see little Damien sucking his thumb as he held onto 
one of Dana’s straps. Feeling his eyes droop, he turned to face the 
television again.

He nearly jumped out of his seat at the vision he saw. It was his 
son, Luke. He just stood, holding a little girl’s hand as he watched 
his father hold this woman.

“Luke?” He whispered, rubbing his eyes to see if the vision would 
disappear. It didn’t.

“Hi, daddy.” Luke and his friend stood a good distance away from 
them, but he could see them clearly. The little girl began to tug on 
Luke’s sleeve.

“Luke, Luke, that’s my mommy! That’s her,” she said, pointing to 
the woman snuggled against Doggett’s chest.

“Wow, Emily! She is pretty. Isn’t she pretty, daddy?” Doggett let 
his eyes fall upon Dana, taking in the soft glow of her skin, the 
fiery redness of her hair, the beautiful features that made him fall 
in love with her. He jumped slightly at the thought. Love? “Yep, 
daddy. You love her.” Luke smiled, showing nearly all of his 
beautiful baby teeth. Emily stared at her mother a few moments 
more before looking to Luke and copying his smile.

“Daddy, I wanted to see you one last time. I didn’t get to say 
goodbye and neither did Emily. Emily missed her mommy like I 
missed you.”

“Luke…I miss you too, buddy.” Doggett held tight to the sobs in 
his chest as tears poured from his eyes and spilled down his 
cheeks.

“I know, daddy. I just wanted to let you know that I’m okay. I’m 
not by myself. I have Emily. She’s my bestest friend and we’re 
always together. You don’t have to worry about me, okay?”

“O-okay, buddy.” It hurt. It physically hurt him keeping his cries to 
himself. He missed his son so much, ached to hold him as he stood 
there before him. And Emily, she was a beautiful child. He’d seen 
pictures, but to actually see her alive and filled with so much 
energy, nothing compared to it. She looked just like her mother, 
innocent, beautiful, pure. 

“John?” Emily called.

“Yes, Emily?” He looked down at Scully just in time for her to 
reposition herself so that she slept with her face turned up, lips 
inches away from his.

“Will you tell my mommy that I love her, and give her a kiss for 
me? I miss her so much.” He looked back to Emily, who’d looked 
as if she were about to cry. Luke took her into his arms, hugging 
her. Emily hugged him back, turning so that she could see Doggett 
and her mom. Doggett nodded, turning back to Scully and placing 
a soft kiss on her lips.

“Don’t worry, Emily. Daddy’s gonna take care of your mommy.”

“Really?” Emily asked, her eyes sparkling, and face lighting up 
with a beautiful smile. John nodded, smiling back as more tears 
fell. “Will you take care of my baby brother, too?” She asked in a 
hopeful tone. Doggett looked at her with a puzzled expression. 

“Emily’s mommy is gonna have a little baby in…” Luke stood, 
counting his fingers, Emily mimicking his actions. “She’s gonna 
have a baby in six Januaries.”

“Six Januaries?” Doggett asked as Luke and Emily nodded. “Do 
you mean six months?” Luke nodded again.

“Please take care of them.”

“I will, Em. I won’t let anything happen to your mommy.” John 
swiped the tears from his cheeks, smiling to reassure the girl.

“And don’t forget to tell her that I love her.” She grasped onto 
Luke’s hand again.

“I love you, daddy.”

“I love you, too, son,” John said, struggling to get the words out 
around a sob. The kids waved once more, blowing kissed before 
turning and running hand-in-hand into a light.

* * * *

Everyone sat around the television, anxiously awaiting the ball 
drop. Doggett was quiet, still thinking about what had happened 
not so long ago. He didn’t even notice that Scully was still laying 
on his chest until she looked up at him.

“A penny.” He looked down at her.

“Hmm?”

“For your thoughts. What’s going on in that head of yours?” She 
reached up, smoothing a strand of hair back from his eyes. He 
grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lip and placing soft kisses on 
her fingers.

“Just thinkin’ about my little boy, your little girl. Do you know 
how much Emily loves you?” She froze, rising up to look him in 
the eyes. She nodded. 

“Do you know how much Luke loves you?” She took her place 
back against his chest after watching him nod his head. Damien ran 
up to them, pointing back at the TV screen.

“Look, look! The ball is gonna drop!” Dana smiled as the little boy 
climbed into her lap once again. The sound of people counting 
down on TV as well as the family room filled the silence. She 
looked up, catching John’s eyes with a smile.

“I think I’m going to miss him the most once this night is over.”

“It doesn’t have to be over,” he whispered, slowly lowering his lips 
to meet hers.

“Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!” Damien 
clapped happily on Dana’s lap as her lips finally came in contact 
with John’s. The kiss was slow and warm, filled with every 
confusing emotion she felt for him. The family around them 
hugged each other, laughing and singing as their kiss continued. 
Finally, Megan spoke upon it.

“Ewww! Look at Cousin John!” Lorena shushed Megan as 
everyone around them laughed. Doggett pulled back, looking down 
at Scully as she opened her eyes. She gave him a slow smile, 
which he returned before they turned to face the eyes watching 
them.

“Damn, baby. I gotta get a piece of that!” Damien exclaimed. 
Steve rushed over to him, swooping him off of Scully’s lap and 
apologizing.

“I knew it,” Kasey chuckled, hugging her grandmother once more. 

The excitement of the ball drop was beginning to die down, and 
Scully continued to lie on Doggett’s chest, fingering patterns 
against his white t-shirt. She looked up a few times to catch Cheryl 
smiling at her. All the extra attention made her want to hide her 
face into his shirt.

“You know how long I’ve been waiting to do that?” Doggett 
asked, stroking her hair. “Not even that much. I just wanted you to 
notice I was there…I didn’t know how to make that happen.”

“Because I wouldn’t let it happen.” She looked to his eyes. “I’m so 
confused about what’s going on, what I’m feeling. It’s more than I 
can put into words at this current moment, but I plan to figure it 
out. I owe you at least that much, John Doggett.” She reached up, 
planting a soft kiss on his lips.

He thought back to seeing their children together, hand-in-hand, 
looking out for each other in Heaven as he and Dana looked after 
one another on earth. He decided to keep that bit of detail from her, 
along with his current knowledge of her pregnancy. Looking into 
her eyes, he realized he’d do anything for her. Anything.

“I’ll wait as long as it takes. Only for you, Dana Scully.” She 
smiled, cuddling even closer to him, if at all possible.

“I would expect anything less from my ‘Bling King.’”


* x * x * x *



The Challenge
- Must be DSR
- Include one of the following holidays: TThanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, 
New Years.
- Include either a Scully family gatheringg or a Doggett family gathering.
- Include an "in-joke" between Doggett andd Scully having to do with a 
nickname.
- Someone spills their drink.
- Include a power-outage or stalled car.
- Someone is visited by a ghost of someonee they love.
Did I get it all? Hope you all liked it.