Title: Hostage Negotiations
Author: Katherine Scully
Author email: dolphin_66th@hotmail.com 
Rating:
Series: The X-Files
Timeline: Late season 8, prior to “DeadAlive.”
Spoilers: None, really.
Feedback: Please, don’t make me beg.
Archive: ATD, TLS and SHODDS, if they want it. Also eventually at MTA (my 
site). Anyone else please ask first.
Disclaimer: The X-Files and all related characters are property of Chris 
Carter and 1013 productions. No copyright infringement is intended.
Note: Response to the SHODDS Doggett-gets-taken-hostage challenge.

Hostage Negotiations
By Katherine Scully

“What, exactly, is it that you want, Sir?” the familiar voice of Special 
Agent John Doggett in her living room made Scully turn. She’d gone to the 
kitchen to get a cup of coffee during a commercial break, and came back in 
to find the face of John Doggett on her television screen. The voice, she 
realized now, was filtered through a microphone and the television speaker 
and the image of Doggett was being filmed by a camera hidden in the ceiling. 
John was standing, facing a man with a gun trained on his chest while 
several other men and women sat on the floor, lined up against a wall as 
though lining up for a firing squad. One woman held a child of four or five 
in her lap, and looked terrified.

“Let the mother and child go, Sir,” John said calmly.

“WHY THE HELL SHOULD I?” the man screamed, and it began to dawn on 
Scully 
just what was happening. It was CNN live coverage of a hostage situation at 
the District Attorney’s office here in D.C. Oh, God, Scully thought, 
sitting down on the sofa, stunned, staring at John’s face.

John Doggett had been her saving grace from the moment he’d arrived in her 
life. He’d kept her sane, given her a reason to keep plugging away at the 
X-Files with Mulder gone. If he died… she couldn’t even bear to think of 
that. Scully placed a hand over her bulging belly and stared at the screen.

“Don’t yell,” John attempted.

“QUIET!” the man yelled louder. It was almost funny except that it wasn’t 
funny at all, given the situation.

“Sir, we can all hear you fine. We can resolve this if you would only tell 
us what it is you want.”

“I want you, right now, to SHUT UP!!!” the man screamed, pointing his gun at 
the ceiling and firing. Several people lined up against the wall screamed, 
the woman with the little girl sheltered her daughter, and Scully flinched.

<><><>

Seven hours of tenseness later, Scully was still glued to the screen. She 
had never spent a more terrifying day. Skinner was at the scene now, but 
had placed an agent at her door with orders not to let her go anywhere. 
Langly, Byers and Frohike were in the building trying to figure out how to 
bring the guy out without people getting killed. She suspected the 
Cigarette-Smoking Man and his people weren’t far away.

There was a knock on the door, and the guard opened it. Monica Reyes 
entered the room, noticed the distraught look on Scully’s face and gave Dana 
a hug. She carried a bag with Chinese symbols on the front.

“I come bearing food,” she said. Scully smiled weakly.

“Thanks, Monica,” she said. “How are you holding up?” she asked.

“I’m worried about him, but at least he’s not being stupid and getting 
himself killed.” “That’s true,” Scully said as Monica sat down beside her on 
the sofa and began spreading out cartons. She handed Scully a container of 
wonton soup and went to the kitchen for plates and cutlery. She came back 
in balancing two plates, a glass of milk for Scully and juice for herself, 
and cutlery. Scully thanked her.

“No problem,” Monica said with a smile. They ate in silence, staring 
intently at the screen, watching as Doggett tried to talk sense into the 
moron. He’d managed to talk him down and convince him to let the mother and 
child go free, along with the other women. It was only Doggett and the men 
remained. Cut to the outside, Skinner talking on his headset to Langly, 
Byers, Frohike and the FBI people working with them. For once the paranoid 
trio had no problem working with help; simply because they knew Scully cared 
about Doggett. Scully had never been more grateful to them.

“You know, Dana, you should watch something else or get some sleep for a 
while,” Monica said, glancing at the clock and noting that it was nearly 
midnight. Dana knew, though, that it wasn’t really a serious suggestion. 
Monica knew that Scully would not move from her spot unless she had to as 
long as John was out there, in danger. She was itching to get to the 
building and do what she could to help, but the guard Skinner had placed at 
her door was insistent that she stay put. All exits to her apartment were 
covered.

Dana watched as John continued to talk to the man, whose name they knew only 
as Guy. John looked exhausted, his voice was weary, he looked like he 
wanted a warm soft bed in a dark room. He was probably hungry; he hadn’t 
eaten in hours and he was under a *lot* of stress right now. One would be, 
having had a gun pointed at you for the last twelve hours.

<><><>

It was finally over. Twenty-four hours after it had all started, it was 
over. The guard had not only let her out the door after it was over, he 
drove her to Doggett’s apartment and let her in before the tired agent was 
brought home. Scully knew she would have time; he was at the office 
briefing Skinner on everything that had happened, before, during, and after. 
The suspect was in custody; he’d been locked away in a federal jail 
waiting for trial. Things were back to normal.

She kept the lighting low as she made a quick meal for them both. She knew 
he would be tired and bright light would hurt just now, so she made a quick 
spaghetti sauce and cooked noodles, poured juice and waited for him to come. 
The meal was just ready when she heard his keys rattling in the door.

The fact that the lights were on, but low, immediately alerted Doggett that 
there was someone in his apartment. The smell of food made his stomach 
growl, as he his the keys down on the table by the door and walked into his 
kitchen. He was greeted by a tired and relieved Dana Scully.

“Dana?” he asked, too tired and surprised by her gesture of kindness to even 
think about calling her Scully. She smiled.

“The agent who kept me shut in my house all day let me in,” she said. “I 
figured you’d be tired and hungry and might like a little company that’s not 
screaming at you,” she said. Doggett went to her and wrapped her in his 
arms, not saying a word. He didn’t have to.

Scully hugged him tightly, realizing that he was truly grateful. He pulled 
back and looked into her eyes.

“It smells wonderful. I love Italian,” he said. She smiled slightly.

“Good,” she said, pulling away from him and loading noodles and sauce onto a 
plate for him. She gave herself less than half of what she’d given him, and 
they sat down to eat.

“This is fantastic, Dana,” he said, chewing. They ate in silence for a 
moment. “You know, the only thing I could think of, the whole time I was in 
there, was you. I couldn’t get you out of my head. I realized, then, that 
I’m in love with you, Dana,” he said. She was silent for a moment.

“John… I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I love you, the whole time I 
was watching the coverage of the situation. I kept thinking that I don’t 
know what I would do if you died,” she told him.

Wiping her mouth, she came around the table to him and he pulled her down to 
him, kissing her fiercely. They held each other for a long moment when it 
was over. Though it was not the first time they’d kissed, it was the first 
time it had held any real meaning for them. They both knew, in that 
instant, that they were in love.

~Finis~