Title: The Cruise Ship Case (For JD Lovers Only) 
Author: Mrs. T.J. (jaynekranc@yahoo.com)
Rating: PG-13 
Author's note: Takes place after season 8. I am a Dipper. If you 
don't like Doggett, don't bother reading this. I don't want to 
start a war here. I had enough of that in my last fic. 

***************************************************
 
The small dark-haired woman looked out at the ocean moodily. 
She could sense that things were not going well. When she had 
first been introduced to John Doggett by a mutual aquaintance, 
she thought he would be exactly what she needed, but things 
were getting so complicated! 

She would have to get out soon. It was such a shame. She had 
really hoped to make a difference this time. She sighed and 
pulled out her cell phone. She punched in a number, and 
listened as a machine picked up. She had only spoken a few 
words when a savage blow struck the back of her head. She 
slumped down. One of the two men behind her picked up the 
phone, and carefully shut it off. The second man began to drag 
the woman away. Blood glistened in her long black hair. 


***************************************************

Dana Scully banged around in her kitchen, frustrated. William 
was teething, she's spent hours cooking a special birthday 
dinner for Mulder, and she had no idea where he was. She held 
her screaming baby and felt like throwing a modest screaming 
fit herself. The idea of Mulder becoming a private investigator 
had seemed so logical at first. He had such an impressive 
background. Surely he would be able to attract clients. What 
Mulder attracted were weirdos. He checked out every UFO 
sighting. When his computer buddies insisted that they had 
corrected the flaws in their crop circle program he went back to 
England to test the new predictions. Of course nothing 
happened. He went to a little town outside Atlanta to check out 
the energy levels at a supposedly haunted old telephone 
building. 

"Why would a ghost haunt a telephone building, Mulder?" 

"Maybe he's trying to communicate. He should go haunt the 
Atlanta Braves...they need all the help they can get this year." 

"You know I don't keep up with baseball, Mulder." 

"How can you not like baseball? It's unamerican." 

"It's too illogical for me. No man with four balls should be able 
to walk," She had said snidely. 

He'd laughed, kissed her forehead, patted the baby and gone. 
None of these clients paid him. He's sold his parents summer 
home and all the furniture he'd had in storage from his Mom 
and Dad's places to finance his agency. Dana crooned to her 
fussy baby, all the while thinking about the way things should 
have been. She thought having William would settle Mulder 
down. She thought they'd get married, and finally start to live a 
normal life, and he was still chasing the next big thing. She 
couldn't even count on him to babysit. Her mother watched 
William three days a week while she went in to the office. She 
spent most of her time helping Monica with paperwork. 

John Doggett was military neat, his reports always correctly 
done and on time, but Monica, as sweet and kind and 
empathetic as she was, was a total ditz. Dana didn't know how 
Doggett kept his sanity, but he was always unfailingly kind and 
gentle with women. Monica had been there for him when his 
son had died, and he would never treat her too harshly, no 
matter how many times she goofed up travel plans, misplaced 
paperwork, or regaled him with new age ideas. Skinner had 
Monica in his office at least once a week, however, and Dana 
hoped he wouldn't fire her. 

Dana could very easily picture what type of husband and father 
John Doggett had been. He was so steady, so reliable, so 
unafraid of expressing his feelings. When Dana went in to the 
Bureau, his concern for her was touching. 

"Can I take your coat?" 

"Can I bring you back some lunch?" 

"How are you doing?" 

Dana thought about Doggett and sighed. He was such a good 
looking man. His eyes were deep blue and expressive. He was 
tall without being too tall, and solid without being heavy. He 
had an air of maturity around him that was very soothing. Dear, 
sweet John Doggett! She drew so much strength from his 
friendship. Dana had to shake her head to clear her thoughts. If 
Mulder had been able to show her half the consideration 
Doggett did, she would have been satisfied with her life. The 
doorbell rang. Thank God, thought Dana. Mulder's back. He 
must have forgotten his key again. 

***************************************************

John Doggett was standing at the door. He was wearing one of 
his beloved Marine T-shirts, jeans and a black leather jacket. 
He was carrying a large box, and smiling. 

"Oh, God, John, I was just thinking about you!" 

"Good or bad?" 

"Good...always good. Come on in." 

He did, and set the box down on her coffee table. "I brought 
some stuff over for William. I had a bunch of things stored 
away that belonged to Luke. I decided it was time to get rid of 
them. Some of them are too big for this little guy," He said, 
stroking the baby's soft hair, "But he'll grow into them." 

"John, I don't know what to say." Dana's heart ached every time 
she thought about what Doggett must have gone through when 
his son was murdered. "That's a very special gift, and I'll 
treasure all of it." 

He looked around. "Where's Mulder? I was looking forward to 
seeing him again. I thought he'd be here." 

"I have no idea where he is. Since he started this new business 
he's been driven. I never know what's going on with him." It 
was hard to hide the strain in her voice, and she glanced away. 

He had noticed the look of pain in her eyes, but didn't know 
what to do about it. Doggett had never been able to figure out 
Scully and Mulder's relationship. Dana Scully was a smart, 
beautiful, devoted woman, and Mulder didn't seem to appreciate 
her at all. He had been tempted on several occasions to try to talk
some sense into Mulder, but he knew by now that Mulder never
listened to anyone's advice. 

Finally he just said, "I'm sorry. Can I do anything to help?" 

"You could have dinner with me, unless you've got plans." 

"No, I'd like that. Want me to hold the little guy while you get 
organized? I haven't held a baby in a long time. I'd like to 
remember what it feels like." 

"You can hold him and keep him," Dana teased, "At least until 
he gets done teething." 

John took the baby and walked around the apartment with him, 
looking out the windows, at pictures, just talking to him. 

William sat quietly in his arms, taking everything in. "Hey," 
said Dana, "He really likes talking to you." 

Doggett laughed. "He's probably just trying to figure out my 
voice.  I've lived all over the world and it shows. I get a lot of grief 
over it." 

"How did you get from Georgia to New York, is what I'd like 
to know." 

"I joined the Marines at 19. I traveled all over, Europe, Asia, 
the Middle East. I thought about making a career of it, but I 
was in Lebanon when the barracks got bombed. I lost a lot of 
good buddies. I decided to get out, and New York seemed like 
a good place to go to school." As he talked, William looked up 
at him steadily. 

Dana watched the baby gurgling happily, and shook her head. 

"Not everyone is that good with kids, John, and not all guys 
like babies. Mulder says he'll play with William when he's old 
enough to hold a baseball bat." 

Then Mulder IS an idiot, John Doggett thought to himself, 
although he didn't say so. "William, you're all right," He said to 
the baby. He looked up at Dana. "It does me good to see him 
here, safe and sound. With all the stuff I heard about aliens and 
chips and implants, I was really worried about him." 

Dana put the food on the table, and looking up, saw that her 
child had gone to sleep in John Doggett's arms. "Want me to 
take him?" 

"I'll put him to bed." Doggett got the baby down in his crib 
without waking him, and Dana felt tears in her eyes. It was so 
nice to have some help! They had a pleasant meal, and Dana 
cheered up considerably. Doggett couldn't compliment her 
cooking enough. "This is great. I usually go out to eat. I can 
cook a little, but I usually don't bother." 

"Why do you have such a big house then?" Dana asked 
curiously. 

"I traveled so much when I was in the service that I decided 
when I got out, I'd always have a house. I just wanted to have a 
home. Sounds nuts, doesn't it?" 

"No," said Dana, "It sounds sweet. Just what I'd expect from 
you." 

He actually blushed, and she found herself smiling once again. 

***************************************************

Dana Scully and John Doggett were sitting in the X-Files office 
one Friday afternoon going through some files. Monica Reyes 
had been summoned to Skinner's office to explain an expense 
report. When the door flew open, Dana looked up, intending to 
give Monica a sympathetic look, but to her surprise Fox Mulder 
was standing there with William, a diaper bag over one arm and 
his duffle bag over the other. 

"Mulder, what are you doing here? We weren't supposed to go 
out to dinner for another hour!" 

"I can't go now and your mom wasn't home. Here," He said, 
handing her the baby and dumping the diaper bag on her desk. 
"I have to get going. I have a plane to catch." 

"But where are you going?" cried Scully. 

"Tennesee." 

"What for?" 

"I got a call. There's supposed to have been a sighting of 
Samuel Hartley!" 

"Who?" 

"Samuel Hartley!" 

"I don't...Oh, Christ!' Dana did remember. "Mulder, that's 
ridiculous! Samuel Hartley committed suicide years ago!" 

"Then what happened to his body?" asked Mulder happily. 

"Someone involved with the ministry must have stolen it!" 

"Yeah, right. Do me a favor, Scully, stop by my apartment and 
feed my fish, will you?" 

"But how long will you be gone, anyhow?" Scully was furious. 
"I don't know. As long as it takes." Ignoring the fire in her eyes, 
Mulder quickly kissed her on the forehead, and walked out. 

Dana buried her face in her baby's fair hair, and tried to calm 
herself. When she finally looked up, John Doggett was looking 
at her with such compassion, that she wanted to cry, or scream, 
or throw something. 

"If you're not doing anything tonight," He said casually, "Why 
don't you let me take you out to dinner?" 

His tone was so light that Dana had to laugh in spite of herself. 
"It's a deal, if you can think of a place that won't mind us 
bringing the baby." 

"Sure," said John, taking the boy from her. "We don't go for 
those swanky places, do we pal?" 

The baby grinned at him, showing off two brand new bottom 
teeth. Doggett, remembering his own son at that age, sighed. 
Mulder was really an idiot sometimes. 

John Doggett took them to eat at a diner that was casual enough 
for the baby, but took itself seriously enough to have really 
good food. 

"You shouldn't have worried about him," John said, indicating 
the baby. "He's really good." William, smashing up a cracker 
on the tray in front of him, looked up with wide, quizzical blue 
eyes. "Smart, too," John added. "He knows I'm talking about 
him." 

Dana smiled at her small son. "He just knows a friend when he 
sees one. Thanks for doing this, John. I was two seconds away 
from having a nervous breakdown when you asked me out." 

"That's what friends are for," He said lightly. Then, in a more 
serious tone, he said, "I'm worried about you, Dana. Everyone 
who knows you worries about you. I thought when you got 
Mulder back, everything would be fine and you'd be happy. 
You don't always seem happy, though." 

"It's complicated," She said, looking down at her plate. 

"What's so complicated about it? It would be perfectly clear to 
me." 

"I know, but you're not Mulder. He likes going off in different 
directions at the drop of a hat. He's always got a million things 
on his mind." 

"And you get the leftovers," said John. "It's not right. You 
deserve better. You're one of the smartest, funniest, most 
beautiful women I've ever met. One of these days I'm going to 
tell Mulder what an idiot he's being." 

"No, John, don't. He is what he is, and nothing will ever change 
him." 

"And that's good enough for you?" 

"I don't know," she said softly, and at that moment she didn't. 
She had to turn away from those soul-searching blue eyes of 
his. She glanced at William and found him twisting around in 
his high chair, looking at an elderly couple getting up from the 
table behind them. The older woman smiled at Scully. 

"Your  baby is so cute, and such a well-behaved little thing!" 
Turning to Doggett, she patted him on the shoulder, and said, "You 
must be very proud." 

He sighed as she walked away. 

"Sorry about that," said Dana, embarrassed, picking up her son. 

Not as sorry as I am, he thought, but for different reasons. 
Being around William reminded him how much he really 
missed being a dad. He changed the subject to work, which 
seemed safe enough. They talked about cases they'd gone on, 
FBI politics, the new computers they'd gotten and how difficult 
it was getting them up and running. Dana told him how she'd 
joined the Bureau out of medical school and what it had been 
like. He told her a little bit about New York and his police 
work. William had been asleep in his mother's arms for an hour 
before they paid their check and left. All talked out, Dana felt 
as peaceful as the baby. It had been so long since she had really 
talked about anything to anyone. 

John Doggett helped her get the baby into his car seat. "Thank 
you again," Dana told him sincerely. 

"Any time," he said, then unexpectedly, he leaned over and 
kissed her on the cheek. "Hang in there. Things are going to get 
better." 

"I hope so." She smiled, and hugged him quickly. He walked 
away and she watched him drive off in his shiny silver truck. 
As she did so, she heard it. 

"Da!" 

She looked at William sitting in his car seat. "What did you 
say?" 

"Da, da, da, da, da." said the baby happily. Dana groaned. 

"Mommy has been humiliated enough for one day. Don't you 
start!" 

He banged his small hand on the padded seat, and firmly 
repeated, "Da!" 

Maybe Mulder IS an idiot, Dana thought. He should be here. 

***************************************************

When Walter Skinner called Dana Scully to his office, she was 
worried that he was going to tell her that he was shipping 
Monica Reyes back to New Orleans, and that he wanted her to 
work full time again. Dana wasn't ready to do that. Instead, 
however, he asked her to sit down and said, "Dana, I know it's 
hard with the baby, but could you get away for a few days if it 
was really an important case?" 

"I don't know. I'd have to see if my mother could stay with 
William. Mulder's out of town so I can't ask him. What kind of 
case?" 

"We have information that a terrorist group is channeling funds 
to members here in the States using cruise ships." 

"Cruise ships?" She was incredulous. 

"I'm sending Agent Doggett to meet with our informant. I need 
someone to go undercover with him It's a Caribbean cruise, 
actually." 

"Let me get this straight...you want me to go on a Caribbean 
cruise as part of Agent Doggett's cover, so that he can meet with an 
informant in person?" 

"Yes, basically." 

"I think I can handle that." 

"Good! My first thought was to send Agent Reyes, but she has 
no experience working undercover and you do. Plus, this ship is 
going on sort of a special cruise this next trip out." 

"What's so special about it?" 

"It's a honeymoon cruise," said Skinner, suddenly looking 
nervous. 

"WHAT?" 

"That's why I want you to go. Doggett and Reyes have 
managed to keep a good friendship going, but let's face it. As a 
married couple, they'd go together about as well as Scotch and 
chocolate syrup." 

Dana laughed. "All right. I'll ask my mother if she can stay with 
the baby. I could use a vacation." 

"If you can go, you go on Friday morning." 

Margaret Scully agreed to stay with William. It'll be good for 
you, Dana. Fresh air, lots of sun, and I'm sure John will make 
sure you stay safe." Mrs. Scully had met John Doggett at 
Mulder's funeral, and several times after, and she liked him. He 
was always so pleasant and polite. 

"What makes you so sure?" 

"He always looks out for you. He's sweet." 

"Yeah, he's sweet. It's strange, Mom, but when I first met him, I 
couldn't stand him. I thought he was really cold, but when I got 
to know him, he turned out to be the warmest, nicest guy I 
know," said Dana. "And it's the little things he does that are the 
sweetest." 

"Like what?" 

"Like the way he always stops and buys the Kool-Aid kids sell 
off card tables in their driveways. The way he lets people pull 
out in front of him when he's stopped in traffic. And he 
ALWAYS overtips waitresses." 

Margaret Scully laughed. "Dana, he's just a considerate man! 
Just because he's toughminded doesn't mean that he can't be 
tenderhearted." 

"I just wish he'd had an easier time of it the last few years. 
Losing his son...getting put on the X-Files...he's really had it 
rough." 

"Now that he's got his career back on track, he'll probably do 
fine," said Margaret. She hesitated, then continued. "What do I 
tell Fox when he comes back?" 

"IF he comes back," said Dana, "Tell him Skinner needed a 
favor, and I'm helping him out." 

"Will do." 

Dana went to pack, looking for her best summer clothes. 

Margaret Scully was giving William his breakfast when John 
Doggett came to pick up Dana on Friday morning. That is, she 
was trying to give him his breakfast. William was spitting out 
his baby cereal as fast as she could spoon it in. 

"Good morning, Mrs. Scully." 

"Hi, John. Nice to see you again." 

"It's always a pleasure to see you, Ma'am, and this little guy." 

John got down next to the table and looked William in the eye. 

"Hi buddy! How you doin'?" 

Distracted by the newcomer, William actually swallowed, to 
Mrs. Scully's relief. "Don't move! I was beginning to think he'd 
never try this stuff. John, you're a Godsend!" 

Doggett laughed. "First time anyone's said that in awhile! We're 
just old friends, aren't we, William?" 

Dana came into the kitchen. "Mom! You got him to eat it! I 
was beginning to think the pediatrician was crazy, telling me to 
start him on solids." 

"It wasn't me," Mrs. Scully said dryly. "It was the father-of-the-
year here. Oops!" She said, "Sorry, John. I didn't mean to hurt 
your feelings." Mrs. Scully was thinking of the little boy she'd 
heard John had lost. 

John, concentrating on her grandson, just said, "You didn't. 
Glad I could help." He turned to Dana. "You ready? We've got 
a plane to catch." 

"I think so," Dana answered. 

John looked back at Dana's mother. "I really appreciate you 
taking over here, so Dana could go with me. I needed the help." 

"Don't mention it." She carried the baby into the living room to 
say goodbye to his mother. 

Dana went to pick up her suitcase, but John took it and said 
firmly, "I've got it. Bye, Mrs. Scully." 

"Good luck," said Margaret, watching them go. What a nice 
guy, she thought. I wonder if he'll ever get married again? 
In the truck in the way to the airport, Dana admitted she'd never 
been on a cruise before, and John told her all he knew about the 
ship they were going to be on. It sounded heavenly. 


They made it to the airport in plenty of time to catch the plane 
to Florida, where they were supposed to pick up the ship. 
Doggett asked Scully to sit with the carry-on bags while he 
went and checked them in. She was sitting in the airport 
waiting area, trying to remember what Calypso music sounded 
like, when she heard a familiar voice. 

"Dana! I can't believe it!" 

Looking up she exclaimed, "Daniel! How are you?" 

The last time she'd seen Daniel Waterston he'd been in the 
hospital in serious condition. Now he looked perfectly healthy. 

His color was good, and his eyes were bright. "I'm 
fine...couldn't be better." 

"How's Maggie?" Dana had worked to get Daniel and his 
daughter's relationship back on track, and was relieved to see 
him smile. 

"Oh, Dana, things are so much better than they used to be. You 
were right all along. Until Maggie and I patched things up, I 
couldn't do anything with the rest of my life. You look 
beautiful, by the way. I've been thinking about you a lot lately." 

Dana changed the subject quickly. She would always remember 
Daniel fondly, but she wasn't happy remembering who she'd 
been when she was with him. So much had changed for her 
since then. "Where are you going?" 

"To an AMA conference. I take it you're still out of the loop 
when it comes to medicine?" 

"Well, yes..." 

They were interrupted by John Doggett's return. "All set," he 
said cheerfully, then noticed the white-haired man at Dana's 
side. 

"John, this is Daniel Waterston. He was one of my professors in 
medical school. Daniel, this is John Doggett. He's with the 
FBI." 

"Pleased to meet you," said Daniel, shaking Doggett's hand. 

"I've been trying to talk Dana into going back into medicine for 
years now, but I guess the FBI would really miss her." 

"Everyone misses her now," said Doggett. "It hasn't been the 
same for us since the baby was born." 

Daniel looked at Dana, shocked. "What baby?" 

"I have a seven month old son," She said softly. 

"You should see him," offered John Doggett. "He's the smartest 
little guy. Dana's mom is watching him for us this week," He 
added innocently. 

"Where are you going?" asked Daniel icily. 

"To Florida. We're going on a Caribbean cruise. We pick up 
our ship there," said Dana. 

"Have a nice time," said Daniel coldly, and walked away. 
"Strange guy, isn't he?" asked Doggett. 

"He was always a little eccentric," offered Dana. Although she 
knew why Daniel's mood had changed, there was no way she 
was going to tell John Doggett what Daniel was thinking, and 
what would be the point anyway? At least Daniel would be able 
to get on with his own life now. John Doggett had a unique way 
of solving her problems for her without even trying, and Dana 
was grateful for it. 

***************************************************

Once they were settled into their seats and the plane had taken 
off, Dana turned to John. "Tell me some more about this case. 
Skinner didn't say much. It doesn't sound like a case for the X-
Files, though." 

"It's not. At least I don't think it is. It's a straight terrorism case. 
I used to work with some people who were tracking this group, 
and they asked for my help. I've been trying to do what I can. 
We've had an informant, a woman who works on the cruise 
ship, giving us information about these terrorists. I've been 
taking her calls on a special machine. She was checking into 
funding, but I'm worried about her. The last message I got was 
cut off. That's why I'm going to look for her in person." 

"Cut off? What do you think happened?" 

"I hope she was just interrupted and had to hang up, but I 
suppose she could have been caught. I hope not. This is what 
she did manage to say." He handed Dana a scrap of paper from 
his pocket. Dana looked at the transcript of the call. 

Hi, John. It's Julia. I've finally 
figured it out, and I must admit 
it's pretty clever, considering. 
They're paying off in D-grade... 

Dana looked up. "What's D-grade?" 

"I wish I knew. I can't think of anything where D-grade would 
be good, can you?" 

"I guess we'll have to find out when we get there." 

"Oh, that reminds me, before we get there, you'll have to put 
this on." 

Reaching back into his pocket, he pulled out a jeweler's box. 

Opening the box, he removed a dazzling diamond engagement 
ring, which he slipped onto her finger. 

"You gotta fit in, right?" 

"John, this is gorgeous!" 

"It's a carat and a quarter, so don't lose it." 

"I won't. This is going to be fun. I never got to wear anything 
like this for a job before!" 

***************************************************

Dana turned her hand, admiring the way the large stone flashed 
fire and light. It was a beautiful ring in a yellow gold setting, 
and fit her perfectly. AS John Doggett went to close the box 
she noticed something else glittering inside. 

"What other surprises have you got in there?" 

"Oh, it was part of a set," He said, opening the box to show her 
a matching diamond wedding band. "Don't worry. I have two 
whole days to work the case before we have to concern 
ourselves with that." 

"With what?" 

"Skinner did tell you what kind of a cruise this was, didn't he?" 
"He said it was a honeymoon cruise." 

"Oh, Christ!" John Doggett looked stricken. 

"What's the matter?" 

"That's only half of the story," admitted John. "We're traveling 
as part of a wedding cruise group." 

"What's the difference?" She shrugged. 

"It's a group of engaged couples. In two days, when the ship 
reaches its home port, everyone gets married." 

"Are you serious?" She looked into his eyes and saw at once 
that he was. "Why in the hell didn't he tell me that in the first 
place?" 

"Probably because he knew it would never get that far. We'll 
take off as soon as the ship hits port, and besides, everyone 
knows how you feel about marriage." 

"And how is that?" Dana was getting angry. 

"Well, you've always been so independent, and you wouldn't 
marry Mulder, so everyone thinks..." 

"Mulder never asked me!" 

Now it was Doggett's turn to look confused. "Not even when he 
found out about the baby?" 

"John, just because Mulder agreed to help me with the IVF, 
doesn't mean we discussed marriage." 

"With the what?" 

Dana sighed, and spoke patiently, as if to a child. "I couldn't 
conceive a baby. You know that, but I wanted one so much! 
Mulder agreed to help me have IVF treatments, that's all. He's 
one of my best friends, but it's not like we ever slept together!" 

Doggett looked stunned. "You meant you worked with Mulder 
for all those years and you never..." 

"NO!" 

"Is he nuts or what?" 

John was so rattled, that Dana had to laugh. "Oh, drop it! It 
doesn't matter. Tell me some more about these terrorists." 

***************************************************

The flight to Miami was a short one, and they had no problems 
disembarking or finding their way to the ship. 

"There she is," said John. "The Voyager of the Sea." 

"She's beautiful," said Dana delighted. "I didn't think it would 
be so big!" 

"She can carry over three thousand people," John said, "And 
I'm not sure, but I think she was the first cruise ship to have an 
ice rink AND a roller blade rink." 

Dana stared at him. "Who would go on a Caribbean vacation to 
ice skate?" 

"Who knows? Let's get on board." 

But it wasn't that easy. Their reservation had been expertly 
deleted. The cruise ship company official was beside herself. 

"I'll admit, I don't have a cancellation notice, but the reservation 
is just gone!" She checked Doggett's paperwork again and 
sighed. "I'll tell you what I'll do. You can have an upgrade to a 
Category B room, with our apologies." 

"What's that mean?" Dana asked. 

"You'll have our Grand Ocean View Suite with a balcony. Will 
that do?" 

"Sure," They both said. 

As the woman arranged to have their luggage taken to their 
new room, Dana whispered to John, "Do you think maybe 
someone doesn't want us here?" 

"Could be." 

The woman returned. "Once again, you have my apologies. I'm 
sure you'll enjoy the suite." She smiled at them. "So you're part 
of the wedding cruise group? You're lucky." 

"How's that?" asked Doggett. 

"Well, something always seems to go wrong with weddings. At 
least this problem was easily solved. Congratulations." 

Doggett looked at Dana Scully, and sighed. "Thanks." 

Soon they were on their way to New Providence Island. The 
ship was the most luxurious thing Dana had ever seen, and the 
suite was also luxurious. The furniture was blond wood, 
including an armoire with a 25 inch color TV and a VCR. 

There were a couple of comfortable upholstered chairs, and a 
private bar. "Good God," said Dana. "I've seen less liquor at 
New Year's parties!" The bathroom came stocked with plush, 
wrap around towels, and two monogrammed terry cloth robes 
on hangers. They had fresh flowers, and a fruit basket, but the 
centerpiece of the suite was definitely the king sized bed, 
complete with four overstuffed down pillows. She and John 
looked at the bed, then looked at each other and shrugged. 

Surely, she thought, we can share a room for two nights 
without making a big deal out of it. She noticed that John was 
still looking a little embarrassed, so she decided to get things 
out in the open. "Would you feel better if I promise not to rape 
you in the middle of the night?" 

He laughed. "Could you even find me in that thing?" 

"If I had to, I could. Remember, I'm not doing field work now, 
so I'm not authorized to carry a weapon. You get the side by the 
door. Then if someone breaks in, you can shoot them." 

"It's a deal." 

They unpacked and went to dinner. They wound up sitting with 
five other couples, who all started reminiscing about how they 
had all met and how they had all proposed. One couple, Bob 
and Heather, zeroed in on John and Dana as soon as they 
introduced themselves. Heather was a short, dumpy blond 
whom Dana immediately disliked. She was whiny, and Dana 
felt she was paying entirely too much attention to John for a 
woman who was supposed to be getting married in two days. 

She looked at him whenever he spoke and completely ignored 
her. 

"So, how long have you two known each other?" Bob had 
asked. Dana didn't like him, either. He was also short and too 
brash. 

"About a year and a half," John had replied, concentrating on 
his steak. 

"How long have you been engaged?" Heather asked. 

"It was a very sudden engagement," Dana offered. 

"That's true," said John, looking at her, his blue eyes sparkling 
with amusement. 

"Nice ring," said Heather. "Did you pick it out together?" 

"No," said Dana. "It was a total surprise." 

"I just love thoughtful men," said Heather. 

"So do I," said Dana pointedly, turning back to her dinner. Her 
shrimp had been rolled in coconut, fried, and topped with a 
mango sauce. She never thought she'd ever taste anything 
better, until John ordered a honeymoon dessert special, which 
turned out to be a huge brownie, with vanilla ice cream, fudge 
sauce, caramel sauce and real whipped cream on top. It came 
with two spoons. 

"I guess you're supposed to help me eat this," John said 
sheepishly. 

She sighed with mock exasperation. "The things I have to do 
for you!" and slid close beside him. He laughed and put his arm 
around her, and since she was right-handed, and he was left-
handed, he was able to leave it there as they put their heads 
together over the gooey treat. 

John Doggett couldn't believe he was getting paid to spend a 
few days with his hands on Dana Scully. This wasn't an 
assignment...this was a miracle. He looked at her in her peach 
colored cotton dress, and thought there was no woman on the 
ship more beautiful. He couldn't help enjoying himself and she 
was enjoying herself, too, until she began to get the strangest 
feeling she was being watched. Looking up she saw a blond 
woman in a uniform giving them a very odd look. When Dana 
caught the woman's eye, she turned and walked away. Dana 
was puzzled, but as she watched the retreating figure, John 
spoke up. 

"Come on, you're not quitting already are you?" and she turned 
her attention back to their dessert. 

***************************************************

Dana had to admit that the service on the ship was as luxurious 
as the rooms. A waiter hovered nearby the whole time they 
were at dinner, attending to every detail of their meal. After 
dinner she and John went for a walk around the deck still arm 
in arm. 

"We're not the only ones here with an ulterior motive," said 
Dana. "Bob and Heather aren't playing with a full deck either." 

"They don't exactly look like any engaged couple I ever saw," 
admitted John. "But I don't know what their problem is. I've got 
other things to worry about. I'm going to check around and see 
if anyone can tell me where Julia Hamera is. No one has heard 
from her at the office, and I'm beginning to worry because she 
hasn't contacted us yet. She was told if there was ever a 
problem that I would come out using my own name. She would 
have known to check the reservations." 

"Maybe that's why ours was deleted," Dana offered. 

"I think you're right." 

"What should I do?" Dana asked. 

"Stay in the cabin. That way I'll know where you are." 

As he took her back to their suite, she realized that she had 
enjoyed having his arm around her, and gave him an impulsive 
hug. "Be careful." 

It was hours before he returned. Dana had gone to bed, but as 
tired as she was, she was unable to sleep. When he finally came 
in, she was glad. Sitting up in bed, she asked him what had 
happened. 

"It's the damndest thing! Julia Hamera worked on this ship for 
five years. Everyone on the crew knows her, but no one knows 
where she is now or what happened to her." 

"Well, you'll just have to try again tomorrow. I'm glad you're 
back, anyway. I was getting worried. Go to bed, or you'll be 
good for nothing in the morning." She rolled over toward the 
wall, and he went to clean up. When he came out of he 
bathroom, he was relieved to see that she was already asleep. 

He watched her for a moment, the way her thick auburn hair 
spread across the pillow, the way she looked in the pale green 
chemise she had chosen to sleep in, and groaned. It was a 
terrible thing to have to admit about a woman that he had to 
platonically share a bed with, but John Doggett was in love 
with Dana Scully. He'd had a thing for her since he'd met her, 
since she'd tossed that cup of water on him. Fiesty, he'd 
thought, and he liked spunky women. If he hadn't found out she 
was pregnant, if Mulder hadn't come back, he wouldn't have 
been able to stand being around her without making a move. 

He'd always thought she and Mulder had been a couple, that all 
he could hope for was her friendship. It had thrown him 
completely for a loop to find out they were not lovers, and 
never had been. Did he have a chance after all? Mulder was 
always off doing his own thing. If Mulder had wanted Scully, 
surely he would have acted on it years ago. There was the baby 
to consider, but Doggett loved that kid as if it were his own. He 
wanted a home. He missed having a family. Dana could give 
him everything he craved at one time, if he could only convince 
her that he was the right man for her. If he had the chance he 
would treat her right and make her happy. He had a couple of 
days to observe her, to see what was making her tick now. 
Maybe he'd find something he could use. Sighing he crawled 
into his side of the bed, and in a moment, he too was asleep.

The next morning when John Doggett woke up, Dana Scully 
was already up, looking cool and elegant in a beige sundress. 

She was sitting at the table, going through some papers. "Good 
morning," She said. 

"Good morning to you. What are you doing up so early?" 

Dana indicated the forms in front of her. "They want me to pick 
out a wedding bouquet, and they want to know if we want a 
photographer! I don't really have to do this, do I?" 

"You'd better," He said, getting out of bed. "It would look a 
little strange if you didn't." 

Oh, fine! I'll go with the white roses and the stephanotis. Sound 
good to you?" She checked off a few boxes, and smiled. 

"Breakfast is in twenty minutes, Honey. Better hurry." 

He laughed. "Will do, Sweetheart." 

Tossing down her pen, Dana had to admit, she liked hearing 
him say that. John Doggett was one of the nicest men she'd ever 
met, and she had treated him so badly when they'd met that she 
sometimes wondered why he hadn't left her in Utah to be 
tortured by the second coming cult. He was always courteous to 
women, though. He put up with so much from Monica Reyes, 
and he had been so kind to Leyla Harrison the one and only 
time she had gone out on a case with him that she still raved 
about him. Dana had put so much effort into trying to make 
things work with Mulder that she had been ignoring how 
comfortable she felt with this man. It was getting harder to 
ignore. 

They had the same waiter for breakfast that they'd had at dinner 
the night before. His name was Lawrence and he was a good 
server. They were having champagne mixed with orange juice, 
and he hovered behind them refilling their glasses before they 
even had to ask. "This is a good combination," said Dana. "I 
wonder why I never thought of this before." 

"Don't drink too much of that if you're not used to it," warned 
John. 

"Yeah," teased Bob. "You don't wanna have a headache later." 

He and Heather howled with laughter, and Dana wanted to kill 
them. 

A tall blond woman appeared at their table, the same blond 
Dana had seen watching them the night before. 

"I'm Sherry, and I'll be your wedding coordinator. If you're 
finished, we'll be ready to go to the Bridal Shop so you ladies 
can pick out your gowns. You, too, fellas. The Tuxedo Shop is 
right next door." 

Oh, thought Dana, a wedding coordinator. No wonder she was 
trying to figure out who was with who. 

"I brought my own dress," said Heather offhandedly. 

"Then I guess you're free to enjoy the ship," said Sherry. "It 
should be a good day for sunbathing, and we have a fold-down 
Marina at the stern if you're interested in water sports. I'll drop 
off a schedule for you later so you know what to do tomorrow 
night. You wouldn't want to miss the ceremony." 

"Certainly not," said Heather, knocking back some more 
champagne and orange juice. Dana thought the look Sherry 
gave Heather was very odd, but she didn't have time to think 
about it, because they were all being herded away. 

***************************************************

Dana decided to make the best of things, and actually enjoyed 
her visit to the Bridal Shop, even though everything was 
incredibly expensive. She didn't think the FBI would appreciate 
her spending thousands of dollars on an Emanuelle gown for a 
fake wedding, but she had to do something. She finally found 
the perfect dress. It was from Alfred Angelo and only cost 
$460, but it was beautiful. It was ivory, with a scoop neck, 
short sleeves and delicate embroidery all over the bodice. The 
skirt, although not narrow, was not too wide. 

"That's perfect for you, Dear," said the saleslady, looking for a 
veil to match the dress. "You little girls get lost in too much 
skirt." She placed a veil on Dana's head, and said, 
"Now...look!" Dana glanced in the mirror, and was amazed at 
how good she really did look. "That's you done," said the 
saleslady. "We don't even have to alter it. Put your name and 
your cabin number on this tag, and put the tag over the hanger. 
Leave it in the dressing room. We'll tidy it up a bit, and have it 
sent up to you in the morning." 

With the dress ordeal out of the way, Dana began to wander 
around, looking in the various shops. In one gift shop, she spied 
a jewelry counter, and got a wonderful idea. If she had to go the 
whole nine yards here, so did John. She decided to buy him a 
wedding ring as a joke. She could just imagine his face when 
she teased him about it. At the jewelry counter, she was met by 
a tall dark-haired man, who was rather unpleasant for a 
salesman. 

"My name is Diego. May I help you?" 

"I'd like to buy a wedding ring...for a man." 

"I see. Do you know what YOUR ring looks like? It IS 
customary for them to coordinate, you know." 

"It matches this engagement ring. It has diamonds," Dana 
offered, extending her hand. 

"Most men prefer not to wear diamonds," the clerk sniffed. 

"Perhaps something simple, in the yellow gold?" He took out a 
tray of rings. "What size?" He asked haughtily. 

"I'm not sure." 

He sighed. "Better take this one, or perhaps this one." He 
extended two rings. "But I need to know by tonight if we have 
to size it." 

Dana bought one, and hurried out of the store feeling foolish. 
She saw John coming, and stuffed the small package in her 
purse. 

"There you are!" 

"How did you like the tuxedo shop?" 

"Took the first one they showed me," He said. "I had other 
things to do." 

"Did you find your informant?" 

"No, and I'm getting damned frustrated. Let's go back to the 
cabin and regroup." 

***************************************************

When they got back to their room, there were noises coming 
from inside, faint but definitely audible. John looked at her, and 
raised a finger to his lips. Dana nodded and stepped back. John 
opened the door, careful not to make a sound.There was a man 
in the room with his back to them. He had Dana's suitcase on 
the bed and was searching it. 

"Hey," John said softly. As the man turned, John socked him 
right in the jaw. As he went down, Dana had another flashback 
to Utah. 

"You're really good at that!" 

"Thanks. Let's see what we've got here." Taking out his gun, 
John rolled the man over, and they both gasped. It was 
Lawrence the waiter. Lawrence opened his eyes to find John 
Doggett pointing the gun right at his head. He raised his hands. 

"Pocket...left side." 

John nodded at Dana, who pulled out some identification. 

"God, John, he's with the security police on the island! We're 
FBI," She said to the man on the floor. 

"Then we have been working at cross-purposes," He said, 
getting up. He rubbed his jaw, and winced. 

John showed Lawrence his identification, and asked, "You 
checking out this smuggling thing, too?" 

"Yes, and when you started asking questions about Julia 
Hamera, I had to check you out. She was one of our informants. 
She has been missing for a week." 

"She's missed several contacts with us, too," said John. 

"Something must have happened to her." 

"She must have been on to something new...she must have been 
close," said Lawrence. 

"Do you think she's still alive?" asked Dana bluntly. 

The two men looked at each other. "I hope so, said Lawrence 
softly, "But either way, someone working on the ship itself 
must have been involved. You've thrown up a lot of red flags. 
I'm afraid you are in danger." 

"Then we have to get Dana off this ship," said John firmly. 

"She's part of my cover, but I won't put her at risk. If they're 
onto me, then she'll have to go." 

"Excuse me?" said Dana, her eyes starting to flash. "If the 
terrorist operation is using the island as the drop off point for 
the funding, I'll be damned if I let you dump me off there 
alone!" 

Looking at her furious face, John Doggett thought he'd better 
drop that idea, if he didn't want to eat an engagement ring. 

"She's right," said Lawrence. "She would not be safe there 
either. You should probably stay together, and the three of us 
can continue the investigation." 

"But if we stay put," argued John Doggett, "When we get to 
Nassau tomorrow night..." 

"We'll have to get married," finished Dana. "Here," She said, 
reaching into her purse. "See if this fits." 

***************************************************

"I have to admit you're handling this awfully well," said John 
Doggett the next day as she pinned his boutonniere onto his 
tuxedo jacket. 

"Would it help if I got upset?" 

"I guess not." 

"There...perfect." Dana stepped back and eyed him critically. 
He'd gotten a classic, single-breasted two button tuxedo and he 
looked great. 

"You're perfect. You really do look beautiful." 

"Thank you, and I must admit, when it comes down to 
marrying you or getting shot by terrorists, I didn't have to think 
twice." 

She picked up her bouquet, and they went to get in line. All the 
couples had to line up in front of the entrance to the wedding 
chapel. They would go up, get married, and go out through a 
side door to a reception. It was like a bizarre assembly line. A 
photographer came up. "You're number five, aren't you?" He 
asked brightly, checking his notes. "Smile now!" 

He snapped the picture and said, "Be sure to wait for me on the 
other side before you sign the license," 

"Yeah, right." Doggett sighed, and whispered to Dana, "I swear 
to God, if you want to, we can get this annulled the minute we 
get home." 

"If I WANT to?" 

Sherry appeared. "Next! John and Dana!" She collected their 
wedding rings, and then they were standing in front of the 
officiant, and he was saying, "Do you take this woman, Dana 
Katherine, to be your lawful wedded wife, in sickness and in 
health, for richer for poorer, until death do you part?" 

John looked at her. She could always tell what he was thinking 
by his eyes, but not this time. 

"I do." 

God, did he really say that? 

"Do you take this man, John Jay, to be your lawfully wedded 
husband, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, until 
death do you part?" 

"I do." 

"May I have the rings?" 

He took them, then handed the diamond band to John. "Place 
this ring on her finger, and repeat after me, with this ring, I thee 
wed." 

"With this ring, I thee wed." It slid straight onto her finger, and 
felt warm from his hand. 

The man handed her the other ring, and she repeated the words, 
"With this ring, I thee wed." 

"You may kiss the bride." 

They looked at each other for a long moment, then Dana tilted 
her face up to his, and he kissed her. It was a nice kiss, warm 
but not sloppy. Everyone in line behind them applauded. They 
went down to a table at the side of the chapel, signed the 
license, and were forced to pose for another picture. 

"Looks good," said the cheerful photographer. "We'll put 'em in 
an album and have them sent to your cabin." He left them 
standing there. John, sighed again, and took her arm. They went 
into the reception area, where a buffet had been laid out. He 
took two glasses of champagne and handing one to her, said, 
"Here." 

"Thanks," Dana said. "Nicest wedding I ever had." 

***************************************************

John Doggett gave Dana another unreadable look, and they 
went to eat. Dana had to admit it was a fabulous buffett. There 
were small tables for two set up all around a wooden dance 
floor, and the tables gradually filled up with happy couples. A 
disc jockey started to play music. All of the songs were slow 
and romantic. 

"He must be using a top 100 list out of Bride's Magazine," 
observed Dana. 

"I guess so." John snagged another two glasses of champagne. 
He was obviously deeply upset, and Dana tried to tease him out 
of it. 

"You trying to get me drunk?" She asked lightly. 

"You want to dance, you'll have to get ME drunk!" 

"Let me know when you're drunk enough, and I'll try it." 

"Oh, hell, might as well." 

He took her hand and they danced. The song was Lee Ann 
Rimes singing "I Need You" and Dana had to admit it was a 
good wedding song. John wasn't a bad dancer. She liked 
holding his hand, and the way he had his arm around her. Dana 
wasn't upset at all, she was happy, and she was stunned to 
realize it. The music stopped,and she just stared at him. They 
stayed on the dance floor as Kenny Loggins sang "For the First 
Time", and then the disc jockey started to play Shania Twain's 
"From this Moment On" and Dana stepped right into John's 
arms, holding him close, tucking her head under his chin. 

When the song ended, she looked up, and he said softly, "Dana, 
I think..." but she didn't want to know what he thought just 
then, she wanted to know what he felt, so she put her mouth 
back on his. She kissed him long and lovingly, and then she 
found him kissing her in return. 

They stood there in the shadows on the edge of the dance floor 
for three songs, just kissing, each kiss getting longer and 
deeper. 

Finally he pulled back his head, and said brokenly, "Dana, 
Don't get caught up in the moment. I don't want you to start this 
if you're not sure." 

"I could say the same for you." 

"I'm sure. I know I'm sure. I've always known. I was able to say 
what I said in there because I meant every word of it." 

"Thank God!" She said, pulling his head back down. 

***************************************************

John Doggett gave Dana one more chance when they were back 
in their cabin, and in bed. It was one thing for them to be 
kissing each other, touching each other, but he found it very 
hard to take that last step. He blazed a trail with his mouth from 
her breasts, to her throat, to her ear, where he had to whisper 
one more time, "Dana, I love you and I want you, but are you 
sure this is what you really want?" 

If she had said, "Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all," as 
much as it would have killed him to do so, he would have 
stopped. 

She looked into his eyes, and saw longing there, but also 
confusion. 

"I've never been so sure of anything," Dana said firmly. "I 
loved you for a long time, but I'd made such a mess of my life, 
I was afraid to admit it. I love the way you treat me. I love the 
way you're so damn stubborn when you think you're right. I 
love the way you work so hard and never stop trying to do 
what's best. I love the way you look, and especially the way 
you look at me." 

"How's that?" 

"As if I were the most important thing in the world to you." 

"You are." 

Dana slid her fingers through his hair, pulling his mouth down 
to hers. 

He kissed her, then buried his face in her hair. He was on top of 
her, then he was inside her, and she was arching up against 
him. This felt so good, so right, she knew she would never 
regret it. Then it was her turn to stop thinking and just let 
herself feel. She didn't regret it the second time, either, or a 
couple of hours later, the third.

As Dana came awake the next morning, she was aware of a 
tremendous warmth. Opening her eyes she found herself curled 
up against her husband's side. Her husband. This was the 
craziest thing she had ever done in her life, and she was 
incredibly happy about it. 

John opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Good morning." 

"Good morning to you," She said, leaning over to kiss him. 

"Great honeymoon," He murmured drowsily. 

"Yeah, it is." 

"Not a very successful case, though," 

"I'm sorry." Dana, stroking his chest, looked at the ring on her 
finger. Suddenly, she sat up shocked. 

"What's wrong?" He opened his eyes and sat up, too. 

"D-grade! John, it's diamonds! The less color in a diamond the 
better it is! D is the rating for a perfectly colorless diamond! 
They're not funding the terrorists with paper money! They're 
funding them with diamonds!" 

He stared at her for a moment, then they both jumped out of 
bed and started scrambling for clothes. 

"Where's Larry?" Dana asked John an hour later, for the tenth 
time. 

"I don't know. I can't think of anyplace else on deck to look. 
We've looked everywhere." 

"John, look here!" She pulled him behind a post, and pointed. 
"There!" 

A tall thin man, carrying a large black pouch, was leaving the 
ship. 

"Who the hell is that?" 

"It's Diego, the jeweler in the gift shop. He's the one who sold 
me your wedding ring." 

"A jeweler? I'll bet he's the one transporting the diamonds. I'm 
going to follow him. You keep looking for Lawrence." 

"Be careful!" 

He cradled her head in both hands and kissed her hard. "You, 
too!" 

John took off after the jeweler. Dana watched him go, then 
decided to see if Lawrence was still in his quarters, since he 
was nowhere on deck. She crept down through the ship and 
found his room. Knocking, she was relieved to hear him say, 
"Come in." 

Dana opened the door, and found Lawrence sitting in a chair, 
his hands tied in front of him. Sherry was standing over him 
with a gun. Dana barely had time to take this all in, when 
Lawrence jumped up, knocking Sherry into the wall, and 
screamed. Run!" 

Dana saw Sherry hit him over the head with the butt of the gun, 
but she couldn't wait to see if he was all right. She just ran, but 
she soon heard fooststeps coming up fast behind her. Turning a 
corner, she ran right into Heather. 

"Heather, help me! There's someone behind me with a gun!" 

Heather looked at her calmly. "I've got it under control." 

Reaching into her pocket, Heather pulled out a small handgun 
of her own, which she pointed right at Dana's head. 

Sherry came around the corner, and Heather gave her a 
withering look. "Good job, Airhead!" She said sarcastically. 

John followed Diego down a narrow road to a deserted stretch 
of beach. The thin man stopped near a pile of rocks. John was 
just reaching for his gun when a familiar voice said, "I wouldn't 
do that if I were you." 

It was Bob, and he was pointing a gun right at John Doggett's 
heart. "Hands up." 

Dana sat on a chair next to Lawrence, listening to the two other 
women argue. 

"We should have heard something by now," Sherry 
complained. 

"They'll be back soon," Heather assured her. "As soon as they 
get that other FBI agent. You had his name. You should have 
handled it the minute they came on board." 

"Well, they didn't look like FBI agents to me," sniffed Sherry. 

"I've seen hundreds of engaged couples on this ship, and they 
were no different from anyone else. She couldn't keep her eyes 
off him and he couldn't keep his hands off her." 

"Forget it," said Heather. It's being taken care of." 

Dana's heart sank. Had she sent John into a trap? If she had 
gotten him killed, she would never forgive herself. The door 
opened and she was relieved to see him enter alive and well. 

She ran into his arms, and he held her close. She was not as 
pleased to see the two men with guns come in right behind him. 

"Told you," Heather snapped to Sherry. "Where the hell have 
you been?" She asked Bob. "He give you the diamonds?" 

"No, I didn't give him the diamonds, and you're not going to get 
them until this mess is straightened out," He said, pointing to 
Lawrence and the two agents. 

"Well, let's take care of it."said Bob. "We're all together now." 

"Not quite," said Sherry. "We still have one more loose end." 

She opened the closet door. Sitting on the floor of the closet 
was a small, dark haired woman, an ugly purple bruise 
darkening her forehead. She had obviously been badly beaten. 

Diego pulled her out and pulled the gag out of her mouth. 

"Julia!" cried Lawrence. 

"I'm sorry," She whimpered. "This is all my fault." 

"See here," Diego told Bob and Heather. "We've got to get 
them off of this ship. We can't kill four people in this cabin. 

Someone will hear us, or at the very least there'll be hell to pay 
when they find the bodies. It'll screw up the whole operation, 
and we're making a hell of a lot of money here." 

"He's right," said Sherry. "You take those two." She said, 
indicating Dana and John. "We'll take these two." 

"All right, but we meet back at the beach in an hour," said Bob. 

Let's go now. Nearly everyone is ashore." 

"It's a deal," said Sherry. 

"Move it," said Heather to the two agents. "And don't try 
anything, or I WILL shoot you." Bob let them out and Heather 
followed. 

After they were gone, Diego looked at Sherry., "I don't trust 
them. Let's take these two down to the beach with us. We can 
kill them after we get what we want." 

"All right," She said. "Come on, you two. Let's go." 

There were two small boats at the deserted dock. Bob forced 
John and Dana out of the car at gunpoint. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Doggett asked. 

"Partying with our new friends," said Bob. "Too bad the party's 
almost over." He pointed to the smaller of the two boats. "Get 
in...Wifey first." 

Dana climbed into the boat, and sat on the passenger side. John 
climbed into the driver's seat. Reaching into the other boat, 
Heather produced a bottle of scotch, and some kind of small 
device, that neither John nor Dana could make out. Heather 
handed Doggett the bottle. "Have a drink, Agent Doggett." 

"I don't like scotch. Got any beer?" 

"This is no time to be funny. I would have no problem shooting 
the bride from here." Shaking his head, John Doggett took a 
long drink of scotch, which burned its way down his throat. 

Heather grabbed the bottle back, pouring a good portion of it 
down the front of Doggett's shirt. The rest she poured over the 
side of the dock. She tossed the empty bottle back into the boat 
with John and Dana. "Bye, guys. The honeymoon's over." 

Bob leaned over, adjusting something on the side of the boat. 
Then, taking the small device from Heather, he climbed into the 
other boat with her. John suddenly realized exactly what was 
going down. 

"Are they letting us go?" whispered Dana. "They can't be!" 

"There's a bomb on this boat," John said grimly. "They're going 
to send us out over the water by remote control and let it blow." 

"Should we try to jump?" 

"If we do, they'll probably just run us over with the boat, and 
then let it explode. The bomb is on my side of the boat, near the 
bow. When this boat is found later with a hole in the bow, 
they'll just say I was driving drunk, and no one will give it 
another thought." 

"Oh, God," said Dana, as the boat started to move. John had 
one chance. Pulling out his little pocketknife, he leaned over 
the side of the boat, almost falling out as it picked up speed. 

Dana cried out in fright as it nearly tipped over, but when he 
came back up, he had something in his hand. He threw it back 
at the other boat. There was a tremendous explosion, which 
threw debris over their heads as they ducked. John got the 
controls on their boat to work again, and turned them around. 

“Where are you going?" Dana gasped. 

"We've still got one chance to catch those guys. If we can get 
them as they're waiting to have the diamonds picked up, it'll all 
be over." 

***************************************************

Diego stood next to his car, scanning the beach below. 

"No sign of them yet." 

"They have another ten minutes," Sherry said calmly. She was 
sitting in the back seat of the car with Julia Hamera. Lawrence 
was sitting on the ground next to the car, his hands still tied in 
front of him. He had tried to work at the knots without drawing 
too much attention to himself on the ride over, but he'd had no 
luck. 

"Wait," Diego said, "Here comes a boat." 

"Is it them?" asked Sherry, opening the car door. 

"Damn it! It's those two FBI agents!" Diego raised his gun, 
ready to fire as soon as the boat pulled in. Larry jumped up and 
hit him across the back of the head with his bound hands. 

Diego fell off the side of the roadway to the sandy bank beside 
it. 

With a shocked cry, Sherry started to raise her own gun, but 
Julia was able to push her out of the open car door, and the gun 
went flying. Lawrence was able to kick the gun out of her 
reach. John Doggett, running up the beach, grabbed the 
screaming Sherry while Dana picked up the gun. 
Diego still lay unconcious on the side of the road. 

"Good job," John Doggett said, surveying the scene. Dana 
managed to untie both Lawrence and Julia, and was amused to 
see the small woman throw herself into the dark haired man's 
arms. 

Turning to John, she sighed. "Aren't Caribbean vacations 
romantic?" 

"Ask me later," He grinned. 

"Not too much later, I hope!" 

Dana was almost sorry to be going home. It had been a hectic 
trip, but she had a feeling she was in for just as much 
excitement when she got back to Washington. She had to tell 
her mother about her marriage, arrange to sublet her apartment, 
and move all her things to John's house, starting with the 
nursery furniture. William was going to love growing up in a 
real house with another person to love him, someone who knew 
all about being a good dad. What she was going to do about 
Mulder, she hadn't decided, except she was going to tell him 
the truth, which is what he always said he wanted. 

Diego and Sherry were in jail on smuggling charges. Heather 
and Bob were waiting to be extradited, where they faced 
smuggling charges, and questioning about their ties to the 
terrorist group. Julia and Lawrence were getting married. 

John and Dana had met them for drinks the night before at the 
ship's aquarium bar. The fish tanks had reminded Dana of 
Mulder, and for a minute she'd gotten sad, but then John had 
put his arm around her, and she'd let the last regretful feeling go 
as she'd looked into his smiling eyes. 

"It's nice to have someone else wait on me for a change," 
Lawrence said, ordering another round of tropical drinks. 

"You made a great waiter," Dana smiled, "But you make a 
good policeman, too." She'd turned to Julia. "Are you sure you 
want to marry someone in that line of work?" 

"What do you think?" Julia had shot back. 

"I highly recommend it," Dana had said, looking fondly at her 
new husband. 

"It's so amazing that you two got engaged right when he got 
involved with a wedding cruise," said Julia, indicating John. 

"He never told me he was getting married." 

"Yes," Lawrence agreed. "I was glad to hear it, I must admit. 
Julia told me so many times about what a wonderful man he 
was, I was getting jealous. However, your engagement was 
quite a coincidence. " 

"Wasn't it, though," Dana had said. 

As they were packing the next morning, there was a knock at 
the door. John went to answer it, and took the large flat package 
from the girl outside. He brought it over to Dana. "The pictures 
are here." 

She took the extended package and carefully opened it, 
removing an ivory colored photo album with the words "Our 
Wedding Photographs" and a fanciful design of wedding bells 
embossed on the cover. They sat down together at the table and 
opened the album. 

Inside, there were twelve 8x10 glossy pictures, each in its own 
plastic sleeve. The first one was of the two of them standing in 
line. There were two wedding ring shots, one of him putting the 
diamond band on her finger, and one of her putting the plain 
gold ring on his. The next picture was of them holding hands. 

Looking at it, Dana could still here the voice in her head, 
saying "I now pronounce you man and wife." There was a 
picture of him looking at her before the kiss, and a picture of 
the kiss itself. There were photos of each of them signing the 
marriage license, and the photo they had posed for by the buffet 
table. The last three pictures they had not posed for and had not 
expected. One had been taken of them as they sat together at 
the tiny table, drinking their champagne, and two were pictures 
of them on the dance floor. The photographer had caught a 
proper first dance pose, but the second shot had been taken 
later, of Dana cuddled in John's arms, both of them swaying to 
the music, eyes closed, lost in the moment. It was such an 
intimate picture, Dana closed her eyes again remembering what 
it had felt like to be so cherished and loved. 

"You were so beautiful," He said. 

"And you were very handsome." 

"No regrets? Because Dana, it's not too late..." 

"No regrets, John, and it's much too late. You know that, and so 
do I." 

"I love you." His blue eyes were intense. 

"I love you, too and I always will." 

***************************************************

John kissed Dana quickly, then released her. "I don't care what 
you do about your family, but I'm calling mine now, from 
here." 

"We'd better call Skinner, too," She said. He's going to have a 
coronary, and I'd like to see him back on his feet by the time we 
get home." 

She sat back to listen to John's half of the conversation with his 
parents. 

"Ma? It's me. Is Dad home?...No, I don't need to talk to him, 
but you need to tell him something, something important...No, 
I'm okay. I'm better than okay, I'm married...No, I'm not 
kidding!...Yeah, the one I told you about." He looked at Dana 
sheepishly. "Well, it was a sudden decision...Three days 
ago...Yeah, I am...I love her and she loves me...of course we'll 
come, I just don't know when...okay, thanks. Goodbye." 

As soon as he'd pushed the button to end the call, Dana 
exclaimed, "You told your parents about me? When?" 

"When I first started working with you. I told them about 
Mulder disappearing, and how I was supposed to help you find 
him, and about how you were having the baby. I told them 
when we found Mulder dead, too." He looked embarrassed. "I 
didn't tell them about digging him up, though. They're both 
nearly seventy, and I didn't know if they'd have a stroke, or 
have me committed." 

"I don't blame you for that," said Dana ruefully. "But you told 
them about William? And they don't mind?" 

"Mind?" He took her in his arms and held her tightly. "They'll 
love him. You're giving them a second chance, just like you're 
giving me." 

"You're giving me one, too," She whispered, tilting her face up 
to his for another kiss. This one was not quick, and neither was 
the next one,but then she pulled away. "Later, John. We still 
have to call Skinner." 

"You want to tackle him, or you want me to?" 

"Better let me," She said, and took the phone. A few moments 
later, she clicked it off and started laughing so hard that she had 
to sit down. 

"What the hell is so funny?" 

"Skinner's not there. He eloped with Monica Reyes." 

THE END!