Changes in Policy by Eisoj5 PG Category: V Spoilers: Per Manum Keywords: Post-Ep Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully, Doggett, Skinner, everybody belongs to Chris Carter, who enjoys dictating their fates more than I do (or else I'd have my own production company too...) Summary: Filling in the blanks around the end of Per Manum. Doggett and Scully talk. "What happened? Where is she?" I demand of A.D. Skinner as I stride down the hospital hallway. He turns from what I assume is her door to face me. "Hold on, Agent Doggett." I've got one hand about to push her door open. "What happened?" The older man sighs. "I'm not entirely clear on that." He's giving me an accusatory glare. "All I know is she was brought in by a man named Rohrer." "Yeah, I know him," I reply. "I sent him to take care of . . . Agent Scully . . ." I look in the window. She's sleeping. "What did he say?" "Rohrer said he probably saved Scully's life. He said they got her and Mrs. Hendershot out of that other hospital on your orders. They were apparently being drugged, or something." A.D. Skinner looks away. He doesn't believe what Rohrer said. And surprisingly, neither do I. Yeah, we might have gone back a long way, but I guess working on the X- Files rubs off on you. Trust no one, or something like that. "There's something you should know, Agent Doggett," Skinner says after a moment. I look at him expectantly. "About Agent Scully?" He nods slowly. "I told her to tell you a long time ago, but she . . . Agent Doggett, Scully's pregnant." Those two words suddenly make a lot of things fall into place. I was commenting on the similarities between Duffy Haskell's wife's experiences and her own, saying they were identical cases. My words come back to me. "Except for the pregnancy." How could I have been so blind? She'd said she didn't want Haskell investigated, but I knew she was doing some looking into it on her own. She said Dr. Parenti was her doctor, but he was a specialist in fertility . . . Yeah, okay, I'm an idiot. But why didn't she tell me? I glance in her window again. "Is the baby all right?" I ask Skinner. He seems relieved that I'm not angry. "Yeah. She's fine, the baby's fine. Mrs. Hendershot and her baby are doing well too." He adds that almost as an afterthought. Scully is clearly the most important thing on his mind. I nod, and take a step into Scully's room. She's still out, heart monitor beeping softly. A thought occurs to me. "Who's the father?" I ask quietly, looking over my shoulder at the A.D. He sighs. "You'll have to ask her about that," he replies with a shrug. He leaves, and I pull up a chair to stand vigil beside her bed. Sometime later, Scully wakes up. She blinks at me groggily. "Agent Doggett?" she asks. "Agent Scully," I reply. "What are you doing here? What am I doing back in this place?" she queries, starting to sit up anxiously. "Lie down, Agent Scully," I tell her. "You're not taking any more chances." She settles back reluctantly. "What happened to me?" "You're okay. You're fine," I assure her, then pause. Should I let her know I know? I take a breath. "And your baby's fine." Scully looks at me, and although I can tell she's not thrilled about this information being in my hands she's relieved to hear everything's okay. We talk for a bit longer about the other woman, Mrs. Hendershot. Scully is confused about what really happened, what it all means. I can't explain any of it, seeing as how I didn't even know what was going on most of the time, but she is scared and I don't know what to tell her. Finally I say, "At least you're okay." Another pause, awkward between us. Another beat. "Why didn't you tell me?" That's not the only question I have, but right now it's the most important thing. It comes as a shock that your partner, even if you're not all that close, can choose to hide something this important for you. Scully seems actually relieved, sort of, that I know. She looks close to tears as she speaks. "I was afraid. Afraid that they'd use it against me to take me off the X-Files so that I couldn't find Mulder." I'm kind of sad, hearing her say that. I may disdain the X-Files, for all their unexplained phenomena, but I'm her partner now. "I told you I'd help you. I said we'd find him," I reply, touching her shoulder. She smiles a little, and sensing my cue to leave, I get up and go out into the hall. **** The doctor gives me the "all-clear" and lets me get dressed. I button my shirt slowly, wondering how I'm going to get home. Very pragmatic of me to think this, the least of my worries. Maybe my mom will come get me, I think. Turns out Mom won't have to. I step out in the hallway and to my surprise, both Agent Doggett and A.D. Skinner are still here, talking quietly. They turn in my direction, matching concerned expressions on their faces. "Need a ride home, Agent Scully?" Doggett asks. I nod slowly. I'll have to figure out how to get my car back later. We walk in silence out to his truck, eyes never meeting. I sense he has a thousand questions, but is too polite to invade my privacy and ask. Heading out of the parking structure, he finally breaks the silence. "Agent Scully . . . it's probably none of my business . . . but is Mulder the father?" He doesn't look at me while he speaks, eyes firmly fastened on the road ahead. I look down, and find myself on the verge of tears again. Doggett gives a tiny, regretful sigh. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." I shake my head. "No, it's all right, Agent Doggett. You deserve to know." I glance over at his profile, swallowing back the tears that keep threatening to flood out of me. Words flood out of me instead. "After my abduction, I learned that whatever had happened to me during that time rendered me barren. I would never be able to conceive. But Mulder stumbled across samples of my-of my ova, stored in a government facility. I had it taken to Dr. Parenti and he informed me that I would have this one chance to become pregnant." I pause. "I . . . asked Mulder to be the father." He nods, as if what I'm saying confirms what he's known all along. "But, Agent Doggett, before Mulder disappeared, I was told that the-the procedure failed. So . . . in truth, I can't explain to you how it is that I am pregnant. I would like to believe that the procedure did work, but I can't know for sure . . ." I trail off. "Hence my concern over the recent events." Again, Doggett nods again, slowly. He seems almost relieved that I'm confiding this to him. I hesitate. I trust this man, nearly as much as I trust A.D. Skinner and even Mulder, but it has to be said. "Everything that's happened . . . everything I've just told you . . . it has to stay between us." He looks over at me, familiar furrows appearing in his forehead. "Agent Scully . . . your pregnancy can't stay a secret forever." I sigh, and glance downwards at my stomach. "I know, Agent Doggett, but the surrounding circumstances . . ." "We will find him," he repeats his promise. "I won't let the X-Files be shut down." I smile, a little sadly. I think he has a misguided sense of loyalty to me, to Mulder. Doggett really should get out while he can, before everyone he loves is taken from him, before the only thing that's left is a pursuit of an ever-elusive truth. He doesn't ask for directions on the rest of the drive to my apartment. Doesn't say much of anything, actually, but is content to let me sit in silence, consumed by my own thoughts. We pull up by my building a short while later. He shuts off the engine and gets out, comes around to my side and holds out his hand to help me out. I have to laugh. "I'm not *that* pregnant yet, Agent Doggett." Doggett shrugs, a small, wry smile on his face. "You'll be all right?" It's part question, part reassurance to both of us. I smile. "Of course. I'll see you tomorrow." I turn to go inside, turn back. "Thank you, Agent Doggett," I say quietly. He stands there for a moment, hands in his pockets, looking at me. Shakes his head. "No, thank you, Agent Scully, for finally trusting me enough." I nod. Doggett gets back in his truck and drives away. I turn and go inside. Mulder, wherever you are, when you get back we need to talk. About this baby growing inside me, about everything that's happened to us. And we need to change that policy of yours; Trust no one except, maybe, your partner. end Author's Note: (Constructive) Feedback is appreciated (jscz@umich.edu), but Doggett-bashing and other related flames will be fed to my dragon. Thanks for reading!