“Déjà Vu”
by Andra Marie MuellerPart 6
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
Parking her car at the curb in front of Sarah’s home, Jessica climbed out and slowly made her way up the lawn to the front door. Taking a deep breath to steel herself for the coming discussion with her children, she rang the bell, and a moment later the door opened to reveal her nephew Cameron Caldwell. At almost twenty-one, Cameron was the spitting image of her brother Scott, and she felt the same small twinge of regret that always struck her when she realized he would never see the man his oldest son was becoming.
Scott would have been so proud of him, she mused sadly.
“Hey, Aunt Jessica,” Cameron greeted.
“Hey yourself,” she responded, and they exchanged a hug before Cameron stepped aside and Jessica walked inside the house. “Is your mom here?”
“She’s on the phone with the hospital,” Cameron told her.
“How are the kids?”
“Sam’s asleep in my old room, and Eric took the twins to the park to watch he and a few of his friends play football.”
The captain nodded just as Sarah Caldwell emerged from the other room and gave her sister-in-law a warm smile.
“Hi, Jessica.”
“Hi, Sarah.”
Sarah glanced at her son. “Are you staying for dinner?” she asked.
Cameron shook his head. “Not tonight. I’ve got a date.”
“Lucky girl. Have fun.”
“I will. Night, Mom. Bye, Aunt Jessica.”
“Bye, Cameron.”
The young man exited the house and Jessica waited until he had closed the door behind him before addressing Sarah. “There’s something I need to tell you,” she began, “and I need you to keep an open mind because it’s going to sound crazy.”
“All right.”
“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it,” Jessica replied. “John’s not dead.”
“Excuse me?”
“I got a call from Fox a couple of hours ago, and he asked me to meet him at the Bureau because he had new information about John’s death.”
“Is Mulder claiming that John is still alive?” Sarah prompted.
“John was with Fox and Dana when I arrived at the Bureau. Apparently he wasn’t killed in the explosion last year, but was only critically wounded. He has allegedly been in some mysterious overseas clinic recovering, and because of the extent of his injuries underwent extensive reconstructive surgery. I asked him a series of questions that only John would know the answers to, all of which he answered correctly, and Dana did a DNA test that proved he is John Doggett.”
Sarah shook her head. “This is unbelievable,” she replied. “I can only imagine what you’re going through right now.”
Jessica flashed the older woman a small smile. “At the moment I’m torn between jumping his bones and slapping his face,” she responded wryly. “I came over here before I had a chance to do either.”
“What are you going to tell the twins?”
“As much as I can, though I don’t know much more than what I’ve told you. John’s all but admitted he stayed away by choice, but I have yet to hear an explanation as to why.”
Sarah gave her sympathetic smile. “Whatever explanation he gives you, just remember that he loves you, and you love him. Everything else is water under the bridge.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jessica said.
Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Doggett, and he flashed the women a tentative smile as he approached. “Ladies,” he greeted.
“Hello, John,” Sarah greeted. “It’s good to see you again.”
“It’s good to be seen.”
Sarah gave him an encouraging smile before excusing herself and leaving him alone with Jessica.
“I didn’t hear the doorbell,” the captain said.
“I ran into Cameron outside and he told me the door was open,” Doggett replied.
“How did he react to the revelation that you’re alive?”
“He was surprised naturally, but once he got over it he made a comment along the lines of ‘its nice to see that the bad guys don’t always win’.”
“I’ll second that.”
“So when do I get to meet Sam?” Doggett inquired casually.
Surprise flickered across Jessica’s beautiful face. “How do you know about Sam?”
“Mulder told me,” Doggett said. “He said that this Sam has been livin’ with you and the kids for about six months now.”
Something in his phrasing struck Jessica as odd, and after a moment it registered why. “You think I’m living with someone?” she asked. “Another man?”
“I don’t hear you denyin’ it.”
To Doggett’s surprise, his wife suddenly burst into laughter, and he felt his heart twist. Damn but I’ve missed hearing that laugh, he thought to himself. Aloud he asked, “Care to share the joke?”
It took a full minute before Jessica regained enough control to reply. “I don’t know what I find funnier,” she began. “You believing that I could actually get involved with someone else or you believing a word that comes out of Fox’s mouth.”
His irritation was quickly turning to confusion. “Well if this Sam guy ain’t your boyfriend, then who is he and why the hell is he livin’ in our house?”
“Why don’t I bring him out here so you can meet him? Once you do, you’ll have the answers to your questions.”
Smiling to herself, Jessica left the living room and made her way down the hall to retrieve her still sleeping son from Cameron’s room. Careful not to awaken him, she gathered him in her arms and made her way back to the living room. Doggett glanced over expectantly at her return, and she gave him a warm smile as she walked over to stand in front of him.
“John Jeremiah Doggett, meet Samuel John Doggett, also known as Sam.”
His ice blue eyes widened with shock. “Our son?” he prompted incredulously.
“Yes. I found out I was pregnant the day of your memorial service.”
Jessica handed him the baby, and Doggett gazed down at the sleeping infant with adoration and wonder etched in his features. “Hello little man,” he greeted softly. “If you aren’t the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. After your mama of course.”
As if sensing the import of this meeting, Sam chose that moment to awaken, and with a dramatic yawn he opened his eyes to focus his sleepy gaze on his father. At just over six months Sam was even more of a replica of Doggett than he had been at birth, complete with the ice blue eyes. He studied Doggett with a typical infant’s curiosity, and after a moment he raised his tiny hands toward Doggett’s face, trying to touch him. The gesture caused Doggett’s heart to constrict, and he felt his eyes well with tears.
“You know me, don’t you? You know that I’m your daddy, and that you’re a part of me.”
Doggett wasn’t the only one whose eyes were welling up. Watching Doggett with their son, and seeing the reverence in his expression, was the final evidence she needed to accept that he was John.
Whatever my issues are with his absence and return, there’s no denying he is John, she mused.
Aloud she asked, “I don’t suppose it would do any good to ask you not to retaliate against Fox for making you think that Sam was my new housemate?”
“None at all.”
*****************************
RABAT, MOROCCO
“Baron Stuckhold?”
He glanced up to see his majordomo standing in the doorway to his study. “Yes, Rolf?”
“Your guests have arrived, my lord. Shall I show them in?”
“By all means.”
Rolf half-bowed in acknowledgement and vanished as silently as he had appeared. A moment later a trio of men of varying nationalities but all roughly the same age as Stuckhold entered the room. The group exchanged formal greetings before settling themselves in the various chairs in the room.
“Gentlemen, I have gathered you here to update you on the status of Project Phoenix. I spoke with Laurent two days ago and he informed me that Agent Mulder has retrieved Agent Doggett from the Paris clinic and returned home with him.”
“Then the surgeries to repair his face were successful,” the American surmised.
“Quite. I have not yet had an opportunity to view the results firsthand, but it is my understanding that aside from a few minor surgical scars, Agent Doggett’s face is as good as new. Laurent said that the alien DNA tripled the normal recovery rate for the burned tissue, and stimulated the rejuvenation process to the extent that eventually even the surgical scars will disappear.”
“What of his knowledge of the clinic?” queried a silver haired man with a South African accent. “If he knows of its existence, surely he intends to share that information.”
“Not if he is made to understand that should he do so, those closest to him will pay the price,” Stuckhold replied.
“I hope you don’t intend to have Jessica Doggett abducted again,” the American said. “Dieter tried that tactic and not only allowed her husband to retrieve her, but got himself killed in the process.”
“My son made a fatal error in allowing Agent Doggett to discover that he was the one responsible for Captain Doggett’s abduction,” Stuckhold responded. “Knowing what he did of Agent Doggett’s history, he should have known better than to keep her on the same continent as her husband, let alone within fifty miles of the town where he abandoned him. And his determination to succeed where he felt I had failed forty years before blinded him to the reality involved in taking Captain Doggett away from her family.”
“So if you don’t intend to abduct Jessica Doggett, what is your plan?” the South African asked.
“I will threaten the Doggetts with the lives of their charming young children. Despite the extremely limited exposure the twins had to the testing during Captain Doggett’s pregnancy, they are all ready showing signs of the same genetic enhancements as their mother. And their infant son is merely six months old, more than young enough to be used as a viable subject.”
“Surely you don’t believe that you would stand a chance in Hades of getting within one hundred yards of any member of that family as long as Agent Doggett is alive,” the American remarked. “And Agent Mulder may not be as lethal as his brother-in-law, but I have no doubt he would be a formidable adversary should he discover the threat to his sister’s family.”
“If it comes to that, Mulder and Doggett will both be eliminated along with their wives, and all of their children will be taken. The clock is ticking, Gentlemen; we have to move swiftly to ensure the work of the Syndicate will continue.”
The others nodded in silent agreement.
******************************
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
That evening, the Doggett family had returned home and John was putting the twins to bed as Jessica cleaned the kitchen. Grace and Matthew had naturally been confused about Doggett’s return from the dead, but nonetheless were obviously delighted to have their father back. After the twins near immediate acceptance of him, Doggett had hoped it would ease the tension between he and Jessica, but while not as cold to him as she had been at the Bureau, they were still a far cry from the devoted husband and wife they had been before his presumed death.
Once the twins were tucked in, Doggett made his way into the adjacent bedroom to check on Samuel, and found the infant sound asleep. He watched him silence for a moment, his guilt over having missed the baby’s first six months overshadowing his joy over his new son. Eventually he pressed a gentle kiss to Samuel’s head and made his way downstairs. Jessica was putting the last of the dishes into the dishwasher when he approached, and he flashed her a small smile.
“Well Gracie and Matthew are down for the count,” he said, “and Samuel’s sleepin’ like a baby, no pun intended.”
“Thankfully he’s been a pretty sound sleeper since he was born,” Jessica told him. “He usually sleeps for four or five hours at a stretch.”
“I seem to remember that the twins were up every couple of hours or so.”
“They were, which makes it all the nicer that Samuel sleeps for long stretches. It’s a little harder to deal with the night feedings when you’re doing it solo.”
“Ouch.”
“I’m sorry,” Jessica apologized. “I didn’t mean that to sound like I was sniping at you again.”
“It’s ok. In your place I’d be just as mad as you are.”
Not knowing how to respond without rehashing the argument of why he had stayed away, Jessica remained silent, and Doggett changed the subject. “I like what you’ve done to the house,” he remarked. “When did you add on the extra rooms?”
“Well when I first discovered I was pregnant, I knew that this house as it was wouldn’t be large enough for three kids and three dogs. I originally planned to buy a new one, but after thinking about it I decided the twins had enough upheaval with your death. I didn’t want to add to their stress level by moving them into a new home. So I added a third bedroom next to the twins’ room and created a home office over the garage.”
“Must be a lot easier workin’ in an actual study then scatterin’ papers around the living room,” Doggett replied.
Jessica gave him a sad smile. “Actually I did it because if was down here at night alone, it brought back too many memories of evenings we spent fighting for couch space while working on our respective cases. Building the study was one way to avoid your ghost.”
Doggett sighed. “It always comes back to that, doesn’t it?” he asked rhetorically. “I don’t know how many more times I can apologize for causin’ you that pain, Jess, but I stayed away because I was tryin’ to avoid doin’ just that. When I woke up in that clinic in France, one of the first things the doctors told me was that I could still die. I wasn’t willin’ to drag you overseas just to watch me die all over again.”
“That should have been my choice to make,” Jessica countered.
“Do you really think you could have dealt with seein’ me that way? You’re havin’ a hard enough time acceptin’ me with a face that’s fairly easy on the eyes. If you’d seen me before they did the surgeries you would have run screamin’ out the door.”
“Do you really think I’m so shallow that the scars or the disfigurement would have changed my love for you?” his wife prompted.
“It has nothin’ do with you, Jess; it’s a fact. They didn’t even let me see myself until they’d finished all the surgeries a year later. Once they had, one of the doctors showed me a picture of what I looked like before they began their work, and it almost made me physically ill.”
Now it was Jessica’s turn to sigh. “We’re wasting time rehashing the same argument and it changes nothing,” she said. “Obviously you did what you thought was best and I can accept that. But I can’t just flip a switch and pretend the last thirteen months didn’t happen. I need time to adjust to you being alive.”
“If you want time, Jess, I’ll give you time. But I’m not goin’ to let what happened cost us our marriage. We’ve fought too long and too hard to rebuild our family to let Stuckhold or anybody else tear it apart.”
Her eyes widened at his mention of Stuckhold. “I see Fox didn’t waste any time filling you in on his theory about Frans’ role in all of this. Back from the dead barely a day and all ready he’s trying to recruit your help in uncovering his latest conspiracy.”
“It’s what I do, Jess.”
“It’s what killed Monica and almost killed you,” Jessica returned.
Doggett sighed again. “It’s been a long day for both of us,” he said. “Can we call a truce for tonight and pick this up tomorrow?”
“Fine. The couch in the den folds out into a bed, and there are some blankets stashed in the closet. Unfortunately I gave away all of your clothes, so I don’t have anything for you to sleep in.”
“Our bed would be my first choice,” Doggett responded dryly.
“If you seriously think I’m going to let you back into my bed just like that, you are dead wrong. No pun intended.”
“And how do you think it’s gonna look to the kids if we’re sleepin’ apart? Not exactly a ringin’ endorsement of your belief that I’m me.”
Jessica paused, knowing he had a point but unwilling to concede it aloud, and Doggett continued.
“All we’re talkin’ about here is sleepin’, Jess. Literally.”
She gave him an assessing glance. “Scout’s honor?” she prompted.
He smiled. “Cross my heart.”
“Just stay on your side of the bed.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
***********************************
GEORGETOWN
Strolling into the kitchen, Scully discovered Mulder seated at the table reviewing a case file, and seated herself in the adjacent chair. “Burning the midnight oil?” she prompted softly.
Mulder glanced up and flashed her a small smile. “Something like that,” he allowed. “I promised Skinner I’d have this report on his desk first thing in the morning.”
“Given the day’s events I’m sure he’d understand if you turn it in a little late,” Scully said.
“I suppose so.”
“You haven’t said much since we left Headquarters this afternoon.”
“Just thinking about everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours and hoping I made the right decision by bringing John back to Jessica,” Mulder replied.
“I can’t imagine why there would be any doubt about that.”
He shrugged. “There shouldn’t be,” he agreed.
“But?” Scully prompted.
Mulder glanced at her. “Laurent didn’t save John’s life out of the goodness of his heart, Scully, and he certainly didn’t allow me to retrieve him simply because he’s a nice guy. He answers to somebody, and that somebody wanted John brought back here for a reason.”
“You think its Stuckhold.”
“He’s the most likely candidate, but I doubt he’s the one responsible for rescuing John from the fire last year. And the question still remains as to why he was rescued to begin with. Why was he spared and not Monica? If these people are so desperate to keep their secret that they’re killing federal agents and US soldiers, why bother to save John’s life at all? There’s another agenda at work here, Scully, and unless and until we can figure out what it is and who’s behind it, John and Jessica are still in danger. I hate to say it, but as much as I care about him, maybe it would have been better for everyone if John had stayed dead.”
She reached across the table and covered his hands with one of hers. “I share your concern for John and your sister, Mulder, but whatever happens you have to know that you did the right thing. You’ve given Jessica back the other part of her soul, just as John did for me when he helped find you all those years ago. Having been where Jessica is, I promise you that despite her issues with his absence and return, she’s immensely happier to have him back than still be mourning his loss.”
“On the plane ride home, John asked me if I ever thought about what my life would be like if I had never met you,” Mulder replied softly. “I can’t imagine anything scarier than living my life without you in it. I know I drive you crazy most of the time, but you have to know how much I love you.”
Scully gave him a loving smile. “I do,” she assured him. “But just to be safe, why don’t you escort me back upstairs and prove it to me?”
Mulder smiled back. “Best offer I’ve had all night.”
*****************************
FALLS CHURCH
The following morning, Doggett awoke early and found the bed beside him empty. He rolled to his side intending to get out of bed and locate Jessica, only to discover she was seated in a chair a few feet away, watching him.
“Good mornin’ beautiful,” he greeted.
“Good morning, yourself.”
“You been sittin’ in that chair long?”
“Most of the night,” Jessica answered.
“What for?”
“I was afraid that if I went to sleep, I would wake up to discover you were still dead and yesterday was only a dream,” came the quiet reply.
Doggett felt his heart twist at her remark. Ah, Jess, he thought. I love you. Sliding out of bed, he crossed over to kneel beside her chair. Taking her hands in his, he placed them on either side of her face as he gave her a warm smile. “I’m still here, sweetheart, and I’m not goin’ anywhere,” he assured her.
“I’m scared, John.”
“Of what?”
“Of losing you again. I lived through your death once; I couldn’t survive it a second time.”
“You won’t have to.”
Jessica sighed. “You make that promise so easily,” she said, and pulled their joined hands off of Doggett’s face to settle in her lap. “I wish I could convey to you what the last 13 months have been like for me. I would wake up in the morning and reach for you, but you weren’t there. The empty space caused the reality of your death to hit me all over again and another piece of my soul would wither away. I would watch Sam in his playpen and wonder how old he would be before he realized he didn’t have a Daddy. I’d think about what to tell him when he asked about you, or how I could protect all of the children from the forces that are determined to destroy our family.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Jess. Believe me I’d like to erase the last thirteen months, too. Wakin’ up alone at that clinic in Paris, not knowin’ when or if I’d ever see you and the twins again, scared the crap outta me. I was worried that whoever had takin’ out the clinic in D.C. was gonna target you and the kids and I wouldn’t be there to stop it. The only thing that kept me sane was prayin’ I’d find a way out of there and back to you.”
“Well someone must have heard your prayers because here you are, and you even got another son in the bargain.”
“Yeah, but when this is all over Mulder’s gonna pay for makin’ me think otherwise.”
The beautiful blonde gave him a knowing smile. “He wouldn’t torment you so much if he didn’t know he could get a reaction,” she chided. “After everything we’ve been through together you should know better than to believe even for a second that I could love somebody else.”
“I know that,” Doggett allowed. “So where do we go from here? You say you love me and yet yesterday you could barely say my name without chokin’ on it.”
“I’m sorry I was harsh with you, but I was understandably a little overwhelmed by your return. I watched you die in that fire last year, John, and I was certain I would never see you again. Then thirteen months later you suddenly return from the dead, and my world takes another 180 degree turn. I just need some time to get my bearings back.”
A pause. “You do know that I have to work with Mulder to figure out who did this,” Doggett said softly.
“I know. And if Kersh allows you to return to the X files, I’m okay with that, too.”
Surprise flickered across Doggett’s rugged features. “Since when?” he asked. “Last night you were pretty adamant about me not returnin’.”
“I admit I’m still not thrilled by the idea, but I know in my heart that it’s what you want. And maybe you and Fox can make certain that the Syndicate never threatens our family again.”
“We’re damn sure gonna do our best.”
They exchanged a smile just as the ring of the phone interrupted their conversation, and Doggett reluctantly rose to his feet before crossing over to the night stand to pick up the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Good morning, Agent Doggett,” Skinner’s voice greeted. “I apologize if I woke you.”
“What can I do for you, sir?”
“Deputy Director Kersh wants to see you in his office as soon as possible,” Skinner told him. “A.D. Potter saw you when you were here yesterday and was in Kersh’s office at the crack of dawn telling him about it.”
“Gettin’ interrogated by Kersh isn’t exactly how I’d planned to spend my first day home but I suppose there’s no point in postponin’ the inevitable,” Doggett replied.
“I’m glad you’re in such an agreeable mood,” Skinner returned, “because he’s requested that you bring Captain Doggett with you.”
Doggett reflexively glanced at his wife as he responded, “What the hell does he want with Jess?”
“I don’t know for sure, but if I were in his position, the first person I’d go to for verification of your identity is your wife.”
“Right. We’ll be there in about an hour.”
Doggett hung up the phone and turned around to meet Jessica’s inquiring gaze.
“Have you been summoned to meet with Kersh?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Doggett confirmed, “and apparently the honor of your presence has been requested, too.”
“Really…did he say please?” Jessica asked drolly.
Doggett permitted himself a small smile. Somebody’s been spending too much time with Mulder, he mused. Aloud he said, “You can ask him when we get there.”
***************************************
On to part 7