Title: Recreational Vehicle 
Author: Mrs. T.J. 
Type: DSR  
Rating: NC-17 (sex, language)
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine.
Summary: An escaped convict is stalking Scully. Doggett agrees 
to take her out of town and protect her. 
Feedback:  tjeras@juno.com



"This is a stupid idea, Agent Doggett," said Dana Scully, 
watching him load the camper. 
"It's a great idea," He replied. "This escaped con that's after 
you, he can't hurt you if he can't find you. And how can he 
figure out where you're going if we don't even know where we're 
going? We just pack up and hit the open road." 
"I just hate camping," She sighed, leaning against the trailer. 
He glanced up, and couldn't help but admire the way her breasts 
stood out when she crossed her arms under them like that. The 
idea of watching Dana Scully for a few days was a dream 
assignment to him. 
"You don't look like the wussy type to me," He grinned. "I think 
you'll manage roughing it for a while." 
"It's not that," She pouted, tossing her red hair. "It just 
brings up too many bad memories." 
"Why? One of your camp counselors try to get in your pants when 
you were younger?" 
"John Doggett, you are infuriating!" She whacked him on the arm. 
"If you must know, my dad was stationed at Great Lakes for 
awhile when I was a kid. We used to go out in a camper every 
weekend. We went all over the Midwest...Michigan, Wisconsin, 
Indiana, Illinois. One weekend when we were in Twin Lakes, 
Wisconsin, a tornado went through. A walnut tree went down and 
cut the camper right in two. I was on one end, and my parents 
and my brothers were on the other. I was never so scared in my 
life. It's supposed to rain all weekend, and I don't want to be 
in a damn camper in a storm!" 
He looked at her with sympathetic blue eyes. "I'm sorry I teased 
you. That would spook anybody, but Dana, just because it's gonna 
rain, doesn't mean we're in for a tornado!" 
"I know. I'm sorry." 
He started loading up again. Dana couldn't help but admire the 
strength of him as he lifted the boxes of supplies. His arms 
were powerful and his tight black T-shirt showed off his chest 
to it's best advantage, not to mention the way his tight jeans 
looked on his ass as he bent over. John Doggett teased her 
occasionally, but he had always been a perfect gentleman. Her 
thoughts, as she watched him pack the camper, were not lady-
like. 
"God, Have you got enough stuff?" 
"The more we take, the less we have to buy. We have to pay cash 
for everything remember, so no one can trace us, and we're 
trying to stay away from places where we might be recognized." 
He slammed the back door, and opened the door to the front of 
the truck trailer. "Time to go." 
She took his hand, surprised by it's warmth, and climbed in. 
Dana woke up, and looked around fuzzily. They had been driving 
for hours, but they had finally stopped. She stretched a little, 
and looked for John. The shocks on the camper weren't that 
great, and her ass hurt. She was relieved when he appeared 
outside the door. 
"We're here." 
"Where is here?" 
"Our first stop. I just checked us in at the campground office. 
I took two days. That'll give us a chance to make sure 
everything is working okay before we move on." He helped her out 
of the front of the truck, and unlocked the back door for her. 
"I'm going to get all the hookups straight. You can go ahead and 
get ready for bed." 
"Wake up and go to bed, is that it?" 
"Something like that." He laughed, and his laugh was warm. 
Dana went in, and cleaned up in the miniscule bathroom, pulling 
on a silky, short, pale blue nightie. Looking at the sleeping 
compartment over the truck bed, she wished she had brought 
pajamas. She and John Doggett were going to be in mighty close 
quarters, but she had only thought about the humid weather when 
she had packed her clothes. She climbed up into the bed. 
As she did so, he came through the door, stopping short to enjoy 
the view of her butt swinging into the bed. Then he shook his 
head and got his mind out of the gutter. "Go to sleep, Dana. 
Good night." 
"Good night, John," She said settling under the covers. 
He cleaned up and putting on a pair of sleep pants climbed up 
beside her. How could anyone want to kill such a smart, funny 
beautiful woman? He could think of a lot better things to do 
with her. 
He woke up hours later, to a terrifed shriek. She was sitting up 
in bed, staring out into the room. A flash of lightning lit the 
camper, and she cried out again, burying her face in her hands. 
He put his arm around her. "Hey, it's gonna be okay." 
"Make it stop!" 
"Honey, I can't do that!" 
"Block it out!" She turned to him, wild eyed. 
"What do you mean block it out?" He was confused. 
"I don't want to hear anything but you! I don't want to see 
anything but you! I don't want to feel anything but you! Help 
me! Hold me!" And with that, she threw herself into his arms. He 
wrapped his arms around her, sliding one hand along her back, 
slipping his other hand into her silky hair. 

Thunder rumbled in the air, and Dana turned her tear-streaked 
face up to John's. She put her mouth on his, and he accepted her 
kiss, and kissed her back, trying to comfort her, but as 
lightning lit the room again, he felt her lips part, and her 
tongue slowly glide along his bottom lip. He groaned, and met 
her tongue with his own. To turn away was beyond his willpower. 
Her tongue slid all the way into his mouth, and he sucked on it, 
pulling her tighter into his arms. They sank down side by side 
on the bed, and she slid her hand across his bare chest and 
around his neck. He moved his hand from her soft hair and slid 
it down her neck, to her collarbone, and then over the smooth 
material that covered her breast. He could feel her nipples 
start to harden under his hand and could hear her breathing 
quicken. She kept kissing him, long deep kisses, and slid her 
hand over his shoulders and back. He moved his hand down to her 
hip, finding the hem of the short gown and sliding under it to 
stroke her round ass. She was wearing silky blue panties to 
match the nightie and it was the work of a moment to hook his 
finger in the waistband and pull them down. They were damp in 
his hand, and he was surprised to find her so hot so soon. 
She kicked them off and sat up slightly, pulling off the short 
gown. 
She lay back on the bed, putting both hands around him, pulling 
him close for another long blistering kiss. He began to stoke 
her bare breasts, and cupping his hand around one round breast, 
he slid his mouth over the other. He kissed the soft mound, then 
ran his tongue in circles around and around, ending up on the 
hard pointed nipple. He sucked it in, and she ran both hands 
through his hair, moaning with pleasure. When he drew his mouth 
away, she could have wept with frustration, but he only switched 
his hand with his mouth, giving equal time to the other breast. 
His mouth was warm and wet, and his touch was firm, and she 
arched up against him in ecstasy. 

"Oh, God, you feel so good," He sighed. 
"So do you, but I think those pants will have to go." 
He stared at her with glittering blue eyes. "Dana, are you sure 
this is what you want.?" 
"I'm sure." 
John cradled Dana's head in his hands and kissed her, long and 
lovingly. It wasn't a "spread your legs and fuck me" kiss. It 
was warm and gentle and sweet, and Dana thought again about why 
she felt so safe with this man. He was kind and considerate, and 
she realized 
that after this trip, nothing would ever be the same. If she 
kept playing with him, it would have to be for keeps, and the 
prospect was just as exciting as the body in her arms. 
She ran her hand over his shoulders, down his back to his waist, 
and tugged down the offending clothing. He kicked the pants away 
and rolled back on top of her. She felt him hard against her 
thigh, and spread her legs for him. He rubbed up and down 
between them. She was so hot and wet that he was able to slide 
into place without any assistance. He was on top of her, then he 
was inside her, entering her fully with one long stroke. She 
cried out, arching up against him, digging her fingers into his 
back as he impaled her. He held still for a moment, and she sank 
back, utterly yielding. He kissed her again, another long, sweet 
kiss, and then burying his face in her hair, he began to move, 
slowly at first, then as she began to move with him, faster. She 
stroked his neck and his back as he pumped into her, then, 
spreading her legs wider, she moved her hands down to his ass, 
trying to pull him even deeper inside. 
"Harder," She whispered. "You can go harder, you can go deeper. 
Give it to me!" 
He finally slammed down, groaning, and she felt him spurting 
deep inside her. His pleasure seemed to trigger her own, for as 
she felt him pulsate, a shiver went though her, inside and out, 
and she clung to him, moaning. 
He collapsed on top of her, and even the weight was welcome. She 
wrapped her arms around him, stroking his back once more, 
sliding her fingers into the damp hair at the base of his neck. 
Their breathing slowed in unison, and when he raised his head 
two sets of ocean blue eyes met and linked. 
"You're not sorry?" He whispered. 
"No, oh, no!" She pulled his mouth down to hers and kissed him, 
holding his tightly, not wanting to let him go. She wanted him 
inside of her forever. 


When Dana woke up the next morning, she was lying up against 
John Doggett's side, her head against his shoulder. The sun was 
shining into the camper. When she raised her head to look round, 
he opened his eyes. 
"Good morning" 
"Good morning to you," He answered, reaching out to stroke her 
bright hair. She leaned in and kissed him. "Interesting weather 
we had last night," He murmured. 
"I think the storm inside was bigger than the storm outside. It 
looks like a beautiful day today, though." 
"Too bad," He sighed, glancing up at the sunny window. Then more 
seriously, he asked, "Any regrets?" 
"None at all. You even cured my fear of campers. I know now that 
I'll be all right as long as you're here with me." She sat up 
and found her nightie, and pulled it back on. "Why don't you 
clean up and I'll make some breakfast?" 
"Sounds good." He watched her for a moment, as she twisted this 
way and that. "What the hell are you doing?" 
"I can't find my panties!" 
"Are you complaining or just stating a fact?" 
She grinned. "Speaking of facts, how long are we supposed to be 
on this trip?" 
"Till they catch that asshole, I guess." 
"What if they never catch him?" 
"Interesting thought. Why don't we discuss it later?" He said, 
pulling her into his arms for a long, blistering kiss. As he 
hand moved down her back and over her butt, she sighed. 
"Not too much later, okay?" 
When he came out of the bathroom in a pair of jeans, she was 
still wearing the silky nightie, but she had food on the table. 
"Go ahead and eat," She whispered. "I'll be right back." 
Dana used the toilet, and brushed her teeth, but she found she 
didn't want to shower up. In her mind, she could still feel him 
against her, could still smell the warm clean masculine scent of 
him, and she didn't want to give that up yet. 

She came out of the tiny bathroom, and poured herself a cup of 
coffee. 
She felt his eyes on her, and turned to face him. 
"You are so beautiful." 
"Thank you," She said lightly. "So tell me," she said, sitting 
down and helping herself to a piece of toast, "Did last night 
make up for the crappy way I treated you when we were first 
getting to know each other?" 
He laughed. "You don't know, do you?" 
"Know what?" 
"I fell in love with you the minute you tossed that cup of water 
on my head. You were so sexy and spunky I couldn't help it. I 
never thought you'd ever trust me, though, much less show any 
interest in me." 
"It did take me longer than that," She admitted. "I fell in love 
with you in Utah, when you came to take me home from the 
hospital. I'd ditched you, insulted you and tried to ignore you 
but you never held a grudge. You stuck right by me just the 
same, and then when we were getting ready to go home, you picked 
up my bag and carried it for me. 
I'd forgotten what real gentlemen even looked like." 
"We're a dying breed." 
"God, I hope not." She leaned over, and kissed him, and he slid 
his hand along her cheek. A sudden inexplicable tension flared, 
and she slid off her chair onto his lap, wrapping her arms 
around his neck, winding her fingers into his hair. He ran one 
hand over her shoulders and back, and let the other travel over 
her breasts, which responded to his touch almost at once, 
through the thin material that covered them. 
"You know what?" 
"What?" She murmured in his ear. 
"I think we got up too damn early this morning." Sliding his 
arms under her he carried her back to bed, and pulled the gown 
back off. He blazed a trail with his mouth from her mouth to her 
throat and back to her breasts, alternating with his hand and 
his mouth, as he had done the night before. She moaned, putting 
her hands back into his hair, but he soon slid out of her reach, 
moving his mouth down, tracing circles around her abdomen with 
his tongue. 
"Oh, God, John, what are you trying to do, kill me?" She sighed, 
but she didn't protest when he spread her legs, and began to 
stroke the insides of her thighs, first with his hands, then 
with his mouth. He slid his mouth up to the center of her, 
rolling his tongue around her throbbing clit, and probing inside 
her. She trembled and moaned as he played with her. "Not fair." 
"What's not fair?" 
"My turn now." She sat up and pushed him back, her mouth 
covering his as her hands found the zipper of his jeans. He 
helped her push them down, and grunted with pleasure as her 
mouth and hands found his hard cock. She stroked him, and ran 
her mouth up and down the hard shaft, paying special attention 
to the throbbing head until he grabbed her by the hair. She 
yelped, even though he hadn't pulled that hard. 
"No more," He said. "I want us to be to together." He pulled her 
up his body, and she straddled him, manoeuvring him into place. 
She began to move up and down, around and around, not caring 
about anything except how good it felt. She sat up, rubbing his 
chest as he slid in and out of her, and he reached up to cup her 
breasts. From that position, she felt a twinge of pain as he hit 
deep inside her, but even the pain brought a perverse pleasure. 
"Oh, yes, oh yes, oh yes, NOW!" She whined, as a massive orgasm 
shook her inside and out. As her internal muscles clamped down 
on him, he found his own release, and as she pitched forward 
onto his chest, she felt a flood of semen coat her insides, and 
crawl down her thighs. 


When they finally got up for the day, which meant getting out of 
bed, getting cleaned up, and getting completely dressed, they 
went for a walk around the trail that went through the 
campgrounds and into the woods behind it. It was a beautiful 
day. Washed clean from the rain, everything seemed bright and 
green and beautiful. 
John Doggett put his arm around Dana's waist, and modulated his 
steps so they could walk in step together. Dana felt an 
overwhelming sense of tenderness for him. She had spent half her 
life running to keep up with tall men, and his natural 
thoughtfulness was touching. 
"Tell me the truth," He said softly. "What we did...well, you 
hadn't done that for awhile, had you?" 
"I hate to admit how long it's been. Was it that obvious?" 
"I kind of thought so, by the way you responded." 
"John Doggett, you're a treasure. Most guys would just blame 
that on their fantastic in the sack skills!" 
He laughed. "I try, but there was something different there." 
"How about you? Was I the last woman in Washington you hadn't 
gotten around to?" 
"I hadn't gotten around to any woman in Washington," He 
admitted. "After I lost my wife and my son, I decided to stick 
to my work for awhile. I had enough of meaningless screwing 
around when I was in the service. Once I saw how different it 
could be, I kind of lost interest in that sort of thing." 
"I was teasing you, John," She said softly. "I know you don't 
screw around for fun. You're too nice a guy." 
She stopped walking and turned to face him. He slid one hand 
around the back of her neck and tilted her face up to his. He 
kissed her, and she closed her eyes, and lost herself in his 
kiss. His tongue slid into her mouth, and she met it eagerly 
with her own. They moved together, establishing a rhythm. His 
lips and tongue were her only reality. His arms tightened around 
her until she was totally entranced, forgetting everything else, 
thinking of nothing but the warmth of his mouth and hands. Her 
hands moved over the muscles in his back and shoulders, feeling 
the strength of him, wanting to belong to him totally and 
forever. When he ran his hand down her hip, and then across her 
backside, she trembled, pressing herself in until it seemed like 
every inch of their bodies were touching. When he moved his 
mouth from hers she felt an agonizing sense of loss that the 
feel of his hot breath in her ear soothed only slightly. It was 
like waking up from a dream. 
"I might have been wrong. Maybe you always respond like this." 
"Only to you," She whispered, "And they just stood for a moment, 
holding each other close, letting the singing breeze cool their 
fires down to a soothing warmth. 

After dinner, John Doggett decided to check in with the office. 
He and Dana had left their cell phones behind, so they would not 
be tempted to use a line that could be traced, but they had been 
given a special phone to use. Their contact person was Skinner's 
secretary, and they were supposed to use her home number so that 
it would be even safer. Doggett checked the number, and punched 
it in. As he held the phone with one hand, Dana curled up beside 
him, and wrapped her arms around his other arm. She leaned her 
head on his shoulder and waited...waited to learn if they were 
going back to Washington, or if they were going to continue 
wandering. 
"Hello?" 
"Do you know who this is?" asked Doggett. 
"Yes," said the woman on the other end of the line. "How are 
you?" 
"Fine. We just wanted to know if we're in, or out." 
"You're still out." 
"All right," He said. "I'll talk to you in a couple of days." 
He punched the button, and tossed the phone aside. "They don't 
have him, yet, Dana." 
"I hope he's enjoying his freedom as much as I'm enjoying my 
exile," She said softly, and ran her mouth around his ear. 
"Hey," said John, a slow smile spreading across his face. They 
leaned back on the bunk, and she covered his face with small 
kisses. He ran his hands over her back, pausing to pull off her 
t-shirt. She held his head in her hands, kissing him thoroughly 
as he found the clasp between her breasts and opened her bra. It 
only took a moment to draw it away, and then he was free to 
devote his attention to the soft flesh he had uncovered. She 
sighed, and lay back, closing her eyes, but soon his attentions 
were no longer relaxing, they were intoxicating. She pulled off 
his shirt, and they both stripped out of their jeans. He ran his 
hand smoothly over her belly and thighs, and began to expertly 
probe between her legs. He knew what she liked now, knew how to 
touch her to bring her to a frantic state of arousal. 
"Now, now, please, now." She whispered, putting her mouth back 
to his ear. 
"Whatever you want." 
"I want you. I want all of you." 
He kissed her, long and lovingly, pressing his chest down onto 
her breast, enjoying the feel of her hard nipples against his 
skin. Impatiently, she slid her hand down to guide him. He 
entered her easily, his hard cock burying itself in her warm wet 
flesh. She gasped again, always amazed at how good it felt when 
he filled her up. She had been empty for so long that she 
couldn't seem to get enough of him. As he moved inside her with 
long, measured strokes, she wrapped her legs and arms around 
him, pulling him as close to her as they could be. When they 
came, they came together. 

When they pulled out of the campsite the next morning after 
breakfast, Dana almost felt bereft. She'd become a completely 
different person during her stay there, and plain and simple as 
it was, she'd never forget the place. She'd never feel the same 
way about camping either. 
They had planned to stick to small towns, state parks, out of 
the way places. If they ran out of money, or had an emergency, 
they'd have to get to a city with an FBI office, but in the 
meantime, they were just free to roam. 
They stopped in a small town at lunchtime, and discovered a 
Founder's Day festival going on. Parking the camper at the dead 
end of a side street, they went walking hand in hand throughout 
the carnival like atmosphere. 
There were all kinds of musicians, and crafts, and booths 
selling wonderful foods. They got pork sandwiches stacked up 
till that they were hard to hold, and baked potatoes cooked over 
a fire, piled high with sour cream and butter and cheese. John 
won Dana a teddy bear, spinning a wheel, and she had to laugh. 
She hadn't played in so long, she felt like a child. Come to 
think of it, she hadn't played this way that much as a child. 
They wandered around through the local park, and the town's tiny 
historical society. They bought homemade lemonade from a vendor 
so tart and sweet Dana had to wonder why anyone ever made it 
from a mix. Some lovely little old ladies from the local 
Presbyterian church were having a bake sale, and sold them the 
best cherry pie they'd ever tasted. 
They wound up at the local high school in the dark, sitting on 
hard wooden bleachers watching fireworks go off. Dana was 
exhausted, but happy. She leaned against John's shoulder, and he 
smiled at her. "If you're going to fall asleep on me, we'd 
better head back, that is unless you want me to carry you." 
"I can manage." 

They walked back to the trailer, and decided to just stay the 
night parked where they were, since they were both so tired. 
They got ready for bed, and just cuddled together. Dana felt 
utterly peaceful lying in his arms, but as John gently stroked 
her bright hair, she began to feel something else. She began to 
stroke his chest, and kissed him gently. Amazed at how quickly 
her mood could change, she wanted very much to make love to him. 
Neither of them was very energetic or passionate, but they were 
both feeling aroused, and moved their bodies gently together 
until they felt warm and tingly. Dana lay back, and guided his 
penis in, enjoying the now familiar fullness of feeling John 
inside of her. They both became very excited as he stroked into 
her with long slow measured strokes. John moaned and called her 
name softly as he came deep inside her, and she came right after 
him. Snuggling together, she sighed. "And we were going to go 
right to sleep!" 

Driving around in the camper, they had time to talk. They were 
also willing to talk, which was a great improvement. They talked 
about everything. She told him about her family, and medical 
school, and how she'd decided to join the FBI. He told her about 
New York, and his police work and the Marines. He'd been all 
over the country, and quite a bit of the world, including Korea, 
Lebanon, and Germany. 
"I loved Germany," He said. "For awhile I thought I wanted to 
live there." 
"Can you speak German?" She asked. 
"Sure, pretty much. I"m a little rusty." 
"Say something for me." 
"For you?" He grinned wickedly. "Du machst mich ganz heiB." 
"What does that mean?" 
"You make me hot!" He ducked as she whacked his arm. 
"Say something nice!" 
"Du bist mein Ein und Alles." 
"What's that?" She asked suspiciously. 
"You are my everything." 

Dana giggled. "Remember the time we were on that stakeout for 
nine hours and we hardly said a word?" 
"Oh, God, the bat thing! I remember. It was your fault. You 
didn't trust me." 
"I didn't know you. I have to get to know people before I can 
trust them." 
"Do you trust me now?" He looked at her oddly. 
"Do you have to ask?" She was startled. 
"There's something we haven't talked about that I think we 
should." 
"What's that?" Dana asked. 
"Mulder." John stared at the road ahead as the name hung in the 
air. 
Dana sighed. "What do you want to know?" 
"I want to know what we're going to do when we get home. If 
you're going to tell me how much fun this was and thanks for the 
memories, and go back to Mulder, I don't know what I'm going to 
do. I can't go back to being who I was before, Dana. It can't be 
the same." 
"I can't either, John. I can't go back to being who I used to 
be, and I can't believe you thought I could." Tears shone in her 
eyes. 
"But you love him..." 
"I did love him, yeah. We have years together that can't be 
erased, but it's not the same with him as it is with you. 
Mulder's like a kid, cute and enthusiastic, and totally 
unreliable. He even lives like a frat boy. He never wanted to 
settle down. He's always off chasing the next big thing, and 
he'll never change. He is my friend, and I care about him and 
never want to see him hurt, but when the baby died, he took 
everything with him. That was the end." 
John sighed. He could understand that kind of pain, probably 
better than anyone, but he still had doubts. "But you were 
lovers..." The thought of Fox Mulder on top of Dana Scully, 
pumping into her, making her scream his name, tortured John 
Doggett. 

She laughed. She actually laughed. He had to glance over and 
watch her laugh. He couldn't believe it. 
"John, I worked with Mulder for seven years and I slept with him 
once! And I knew that time was a mistake the minute I did it. I 
took off even before he got up the next morning. If he had even 
mentioned it to me again, I would have knocked his head off." 
"Well, that's nice to know and all," said John, "But I still 
think he's in love with you. He wasn't very happy about me 
taking you out of town, even if it was to protect you." 
John thought back to the way Mulder had burst into the meeting 
he'd been having with Skinner and Kersch. He'd wanted to take 
Dana away, but Skinner and Kersch wouldn't hear of it. 
"That's just what this guy will expect, Mulder," Skinner had 
said gently. "And this is a threat to an FBI agent. It's an FBI 
matter. I'm sorry, but you are no longer with the Bureau." 
"And the sooner you learn that, Mr. Mulder, the better off 
you'll be," said Alvin Kersch. 
It had been Mulder bursting in that had sealed the deal. Doggett 
was sure of that. Kersch no longer trusted John Doggett, but he 
hated Fox Mulder more. The idea of using Doggett to irritate 
Mulder amused Kersch. It was becoming a pattern. That case with 
the oil rig had been the same way. Doggett didn't like being 
used, but he had to thank the son of a bitch for this one. 
"Don't worry about it, John. When the time comes, I'll take care 
of it." said Dana. 
"What will you tell him?" 
"I'll just tell him it's over." 
"Will you tell him about us?" John Doggett pictured Mulder, 
feeling the same way he had felt himself, and it was an uneasy 
feeling. 
"If I have to, but I think he'll know. I think he's known for 
awhile how I felt about you, by the things I said, by the way I 
acted. He probably knew before I was even comfortable with 
admitting it to myself." She sighed. "The worst thing that could 
happen would be if he decided to make a big deal out of it, and 
it became well known around the office. Then they wouldn't let 
us work together anymore." 
"Whatever happens happens. Let's not worry about it any more 
today." 

He saw the sign on the road he was looking for, a big brown 
County Park sign, and they turned the camper, heading for their 
next place to sleep...to sleep together. 
They were amazed to see a huge crowd of people, most of them 
elderly. Doggett pulled up to the gatehouse at the park 
entrance. "What's going on?" 
The teenaged girl at the gate looked at him a bit oddly, and 
said, "We're having an Old Time Music Festival this weekend. 
It's being presented by the Society for the Preservation of Old 
Time Music." 
"Never heard of them. We were just looking for a place to stop 
for the night. You still got room?" 
"Sure, if you don't mind being in the middle of a jubilee." The 
girl grinned, took their money and handed them a map. When John 
was sure he understood her directions, they drove back to the 
site. Cheerful old gentlemen and white haired ladies waving at 
them as they passed. 
"This," said Dana, "Is going to be interesting." 
"That's for sure," said Doggett, getting the camper hooked up. 

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

P.S. I'm working a program sponsored by the Society for the 
Preservation of Old Time Music on the 22nd. I want you to know 
they are real, and they are very sweet. 
Dana watched John setting up the campsite, and smiled to 
herself. He was so handy, and she loved that about him. She 
already knew he could do anything with his little pocket knife 
from minor surgery to fixing a radio to hot wiring a bus, and 
she thought it was incredibly cute and sexy. 
He felt her eyes on him, and smiled at her. She had on a mint 
green tank top, and a pair of jeans that hugged every curve, and 
as well as he was starting to know those curves, the sight alone 
was enough to make him want to touch her. He walked over and put 
his arms around her, and she came into his embrace instantly. 
"This has got to be," he said huskily, "The best assignment I 
ever had." 
She kissed him, slipping her arms around his neck, and he leaned 
her up against the side of the camper, moving his hand slowly 
and tantalizingly over her breasts. She slid her tongue into his 
mouth, and he met it with his own, She sighed, and slid her 
hands down his shoulders and back. She intended on going 
farther, but a cheerful voice interrupted her. 
"Must be honeymooners, huh?" 

They both looked up, embarrassed to find an elderly woman 
smiling at them. "Don't mind me, kids. I love honeymooners! My 
name's Gert, and we're having a barbecue at the next site over. 
We wanted to invite you folks to come on over. I can see you're 
busy, but you gotta eat sometime, right?" She winked and for 
some strange reason, they both had to laugh. This woman was 
tall, with a mix of iron gray, and medium brown hair that hung 
down her back in one of the longest braids they had ever seen. 
She was wearing a blue blouse and a long denim skirt, and her 
smile was infectious. 
"That would be wonderful," said Dana, "But we just got in. I 
don't have anything ready I could bring." 
"Just bring yourself and this good looking devil," She winked at 
John. " I need an audience, or I won't be able to practice for 
tomorrow. What's your names?" 
"John," He said, holding out his hand, "And this is Dana." 
She shook his hand vigorously for someone her age. "Well, come 
along now, or you might miss something." 
They followed her down the path to a campsite, where a large 
group of older people were setting out a literal feast. As they 
came into sight of the camp, they heard a voice cry out, "Hey 
Gert! Find me any pretty women?" 
"Yeah, Earl, I gotcha a red head!" 
John instinctively put his arm around Dana's waist, until he 
realized the speaker was a sweet faced old man in a wheelchair. 
Gert laughed. "Don't mind Earl...it's like a dog chasing cars. 
He wouldn't know what to do with one if he caught one. Hey, 
Gladys! How you doin'?" She was speaking to a white haired 
women, setting out plates and silverware. 
"I'm ninety five!" snapped the woman. 
"I guess," John whispered to Dana, "That's saying enough." The 
woman gave them plates, and they had food pressed on them by 
their new crowd of friends. A tall man with faded gray hair 
brought out several bottles of wine. "Are you supposed to have 
wine in a county park?" Dana asked timidly. 
"No, but as long as we don't cause no trouble, they won't come 
around saying anything." He handed them both big glasses, and 
taking a sip they found it tasted like strawberries. 
"God, this is good," said John. 
"A toast to the honeymooners," Gert said playfully, and everyone 
applauded. 

The gentleman with the wine laughed. "Honeymooners, huh? My 
name's Art, and I'm sixty eight years old. I've been married for 
forty two years. I'm gonna give you my secret." 
"And what's that?" said John, a bit embarrassed. 
"Go on the way you start!" Art laughed. "My wife and I are still 
loving it up, just not so often." 
Everyone laughed again, and shaking his head, John turned back 
to his plate. As they ate, Gert began to set up the strangest 
instrument Dana had ever seen. It was a trapezoid shaped box, 
covered with wires. 
"What is that?" She asked. 
"A hammered dulcimer," Gert answered. 
"I've never seen one before." 
"Well, dulcimers have been around since the 1400's. They got 
popular again in the 1960's, when folk music come back in style. 
There's mountain dulcimers. sometimes called Appalachian 
dulcimers, which you play with your hand, and then there's the 
hammered dulcimer. This is what I hit it with." The strikers 
were strange, not quite like hammers, but certainly not like 
drumsticks. She prepared to play, and Dana sat back to listen, 
not quite knowing what to expect. 

The dulcimer made a sound like no other stringed instrument they 
had ever heard. It was twangy and wild, and plaintive, all at 
the same time. Gert played "Shenandoah", "The Amber Waltz" and 
"The Yellow Rose of Texas". 
"She's really good," exclaimed Dana to John. Art, coming around 
with more strawberry wine, laughed. 
"This is how it should sound. If you play a dulcimer indoors, 
it's like caging a lion." He slapped another man on the back. 
"Ray, you've had enough to eat, and you've sure had enough to 
drink! Why don't you and Betty get out there and give Gert a 
hand?" 
"We will, if you will," the man replied, and the three elderly 
people produced a mandolin, a guitar, and a banjo. 

They began to play Civil War songs, like "Dixie's Land", 
"Southern Soldier Boy" and "Lorena". Dana and John listened to 
the music, the laughter, and watched more food and wine passed 
around. All of these people were so alive, more so at sixty and 
seventy and eighty than Dana had been so far in her thirties. It 
made her sad, but it made her determined. She'd spent enough of 
her life thinking about duty and loyalty and how to make a 
difference for other people. She wanted to start thinking about 
her own needs, and what was best for her. 
When the impromptu band took a break, she whispered, "Let's go," 
in John's ear. He was a little surprised, since she had been 
obviously having such a good time, but the motion of her lips at 
his ear after she stopped talking said more than her words. They 
got up to leave, and shook hands with some of the people around 
them, thanking everyone. Dana gave wheelchair bound Earl a big 
hug and he grinned, giving her a quick slap on her backside. 
Dana's eyes widened. She had no doubt that he would know exactly 
what to do if he caught a pretty lady, but she didn't want to 
test her theory. 
Gert hugged both of them. "Such a beautiful night," She sighed. 
"Such a beautiful night for lovers." She blew them a kiss as 
they headed down the trail. 
"I think," said Dana, "An eighty year old man just tried to 
proposition me." 
"I can't blame him for that," grinned John, as they came back to 
their camper. "Will you still be making love to me after forty 
two years?" 
"Do you think your other girlfriends will mind?" 
"Hey!' He said, taking her in his arms. She brought her mouth 
back to his ear, kissing him, licking him, biting him gently. 
She followed the line of his jaw with small, tender kisses, 
around his chin and up to his other ear. He pulled her close, 
running his thumb down her spine, making her jump against him, 
pressing her pelvis to his growing erection. 
"Oh, God, John, oh yes!" she said, as he picked her up and 
carried her to bed. They stripped each other slowly, moving 
hands and mouths over each new section of revealed flesh. 
"You are so beautiful," He whispered, "So very beautiful, inside 
and out. I'll never stop wanting you. I'll want you on my 
deathbed, and if there's any kind of justice, you'll be the last 
thing on my mind." 
She was hot and wet and trembling when he finally took her, 
burying every hard throbbing inch into her slick center. They 
made love, slowly, tenderly, passionately, clinging, and crying 
and finally exploding. 
"Is this what you want," He gasped, "Is this what you really 
want?" 
"This is all I want," She groaned, burying her face in his neck, 
"This is all I'll ever want. I want you. I want all of you, 
always." 
He lay on top of her, without withdrawing, just kissing her, 
breathing in her scent, looking into her eyes, raw with emotion, 
until he was able to start all over again. 

Dana, are you going to sleep all day?" 
"Mmmmmmm...hmmmm." 
She opened her eyes, and found she was lying on her stomach, 
literally sprawled across the bed, which looked like her tornado 
had gone through it. John was standing next to the bunk, looking 
down at her. He was barefoot and barechested, but he had on a 
pair of jeans, and was holding a mug of coffee. "The festival 
must have started. I already heard fiddle playing coming from 
somewhere near the front of the park. I thought you might want 
to go see your buddies again." 
"Mmmmmmm..." she sighed again, and closed her eyes. 
"Then again, maybe you just want to stay in bed all day..." She 
heard a click as he set his mug down somewhere, and then felt 
his hands on her back. He gently but firmly massaged her back 
and shoulders and neck. His hands were so strong that he was 
able to work deep down into the muscles. Dana literally started 
purring with pleasure. His hands moved over her spine with long 
steady strokes, stopping only for a moment when he reached the 
small round scar she'd gotten in Utah. He leaned down and kissed 
it, and the feeling of his breath on her back was as powerful as 
the touch of her hands. 
"John Doggett, you feel so good!" He leaned all the way over 
her, kissing the back of her neck, and she could feel as he 
pressed against her that he was getting aroused. 
"So do you, but I've got something that would feel better." 

He drew back slightly, and she was aware of him pulling off his 
jeans, but she was so relaxed she could hardly move. She didn't 
have to. He got between her legs, and pulled up her hips, 
rubbing up against her from behind. His fingers found his way 
under her body, reaching all the right places. She began to 
tremble as he moved his fingers in and out and around, and she 
gripped the bedding beneath her hard, gasping. His stiff cock 
rubbing against her ass felt wonderful, but it felt better as he 
manoeuvred her and slid it in from behind. Her whole body swung 
forwards and backwards with each stoke, and she could only try 
to hang on. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of him 
grunting with each push, and her own heavy breathing. She began 
to yelp with each movement as he pushed her further to the edge, 
of the bed and of ecstasy. She knew he was with her all the way, 
and when the end came they both collapsed in total satisfaction. 
His body covered hers like a blanket, and she could literally 
feel their hearts slowing in unison. 
"Can we stay in bed all day?" She murmured. 
"I don't think I could take it." He rolled off of her and they 
lay side by side facing each other. He put his hand on her cheek 
brushing the hair back from her eyes. 
She kissed him gently. "I love you, no matter what we do or 
where we go. Just stay with me." 
He kissed her back, just as gently. "Just try and get rid of me. 
You can't. Not now." 
"Not ever." Dana looked into his eyes, shining like crystal, and 
smiled. 

It was afternoon before they got up to the festival in the park. 
A wooden platform had been set up as a stage, and there were hay 
bales arranged around it for people to sit on. They watched the 
different acts for awhile. There were barbershop quartets, 
bluegrass musicians, and fiddlers, all dressed in costumes that 
suited the time periods of music they were playing. There were 
ladies in hoop skirts, singing with men in frock coats, and 
people dressed in pioneer outfits. The barbershop quartet guys 
all had brightly colored jackets and the type of straw hat 
called a boater. It was a nice show, but it wasn't the same as 
it had been the night before, even with the costumes. The 
feeling was totally different. When John suggested they go up to 
the concession area and look for something to eat, Dana didn't 
protest. On the way over, they met Ray and Betty. He was wearing 
a pair of old fashioned trousers held up by suspenders, a plain 
shirt, and a hat that looked something like a derby. She had a 
long flowing dress, with an apron and a bonnet. They had their 
arms around each other, just like Dana and John did, and Dana 
thought they were cute. 
"Try the soup," Ray called to them. "He always does a wonderful 
job," 
so when they got to the food, they went past the hamburger and 
hot dog stands and went to where a man in pioneer clothing was 
cooking soup over a fire in big iron kettles. He had chicken 
noodle with cornbread, and ham and bean soup with potato bread. 
They got some of each and agreed to share. Everything was 
delicious. John bought two frosty brown bottles of sarsaparilla, 
and Dana took one hesitantly, not knowing what to expect. It was 
old-fashioned root beer, and absolutely wonderful. They got two 
more to take back to the stage area, but as it got later, it got 
cooler, so they also stopped at the camper for a blanket. 

John picked a haybale near the back and toward the side, and 
instead of sitting on it, he leaned against it and stretched out 
his legs. He held out his hands, and Dana settled in the space 
between his legs, with her back to his broad chest. He wrapped 
the blanket around them both and put his arms around her waist. 
She settled her head back against his collarbone, and felt him 
brush his lips against her hair. She was warm and comfortable 
and totally happy. 
Dana closed her eyes, and was listening to the music, when she 
heard something else. The unmistakable pop of the snap on her 
khaki pants. Under the blanket, one hand had moved from her 
waist, and was slipping down the front of her pants into her 
underwear. 
She turned her head. "John!" 
"Shhhhh!" He murmured, kissing her cheek. She pressed back 
against him hard as the hand found its way down and began to 
move between her legs. "Be quiet. Just hold still." 
She bit her lip to keep from trembling as he slid one finger 
inside her, using his thumb to caress her. "I can't." There were 
people all around them, and she fought to control her very 
breathing as he moved his hand, but it was a losing battle. She 
pressed back even harder against him, the way she would to keep 
her balance on a roller coaster, and found his body responding 
to the pressure of hers and the riskiness of the situation. "I 
can't. Let's go." She was begging now, and he kissed her 
quickly, withdrawing his hand, leaving her panties wet and 
sticky. 
"All right. I can think of better places to be anyway." His grin 
as devilish, and lasted until they were back at the camper. She 
pushed him down on the bed the minute they got inside. 
"That was totally unfair!" 
"But you liked it!" 
"It was still unfair. You're in for it now!" Pulling down his 
pants, she began to touch him, first with her hands and then her 
mouth, teasing him as he'd teased her. He let her go so far, and 
then rolled her over, stripping her quickly, and taking her 
almost violently. The music in the distance was drowned out by 
the slap of flesh on flesh, and the cries Dana no longer had to 
hide. 


Dana caught her breath burying herself in John's arms. 
"Unbelievable," 
she sighed. 
He smiled at her, gently rubbing her shoulder as she leaned into 
him. "All right, I admit, it wasn't very romantic, but it was a 
helluva lot of fun." 
She kissed him. "You don't always have to be romantic. It's nice 
to get a little crazy once in awhile, too." 
"Was that crazy enough for you?" 
"I would never have believed it. Good old serious, logical Agent 
Doggett, a sex maniac!" 
"I am not a sex maniac." 
"You could have fooled me...except..." 
"Except for what?" She hesitated, and he said, "Come on. If 
something's bothering you, tell me." 
"When I... well, when I use my mouth you never let me finish. Am 
I doing something wrong? Because if you don't like it, I won't 
do it anymore." 
"Are you kidding? You're doing everything right. You drive me 
crazy, Dana. No guy on earth would tell you anything different, 
but that is kind of a guy thing isn't it? I like it when we're 
together. It's amazing how well we go together. I want you to be 
happy, too." 
"I'm happy." 
"Hold that thought, will you? Because I think we'd better check 
in." 
He found the phone, and called Skinner's secretary again. When 
she picked up the phone, he just said, "It's me." 
"Is she with you?" 
"Of course," He said, winking at Dana. "I never let her out of 
my sight." 
"I need to talk to her." 
"What is it?" He was instantly concerned. 
"I have to tell her. She can tell you later." 
John shrugged and handed Dana the phone. She took it and said, 
"Yes? What is it?" 
"I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to say it. Your 
place and your mother's place were both broken into this 
weekend." 
"Oh, my God!" 
"Don't worry. Your mom wasn't home. She's in California visiting 
your brother, and there was no real damage done, but it's got to 
be him. He's looking for you, and he's probably getting really 
frustrated. Keep moving. Don't stay anywhere too long, and stick 
together!" 

The woman on the other end hung up, and Dana turned to John and 
gave him the news. He was outraged. 
"They should have been watching your place every minute! Of 
course he would go there looking for you! They could have had 
the asshole right now if they'd stayed in position!" 
"Well, they didn't and they don't," said Dana. "So I guess we'd 
better pull out of here first thing in the morning. I don't 
think anyone could trace us from these calls, but we're not 
supposed to risk it." She came back into his arms seeking 
comfort, and he held her close, looking out at the darkness. He 
would go anywhere to keep her safe. He would die before he would 
let anyone hurt her. Little did they know that someone else was 
going to be the one to die. 

When they broke camp in the morning they headed northwest. John 
was still bitching about the ineptness of the teams that were 
supposed to be staking out Dana's apartment. He went on and on, 
until she finally just told him flat out to let it go. What was 
the point? 
It was the closest they'd come to having an argument since 
they'd started out, and after an hour of dead silence, he 
apologized. He was no longer used to that kind of silence, and 
it made him feel lost. They stopped in a small town built around 
a medium sized lake, to have lunch and use a laundromat. 
Dana had lemon rice soup, and a hot turkey sandwich with mashed 
potatoes and gravy. John shook his head as he watched her. 
"How can someone as small as you eat the way you do?" 
Dana laughed. If anyone else had said something like that she 
would have been insulted, but she could see that John was 
genuinely bewildered. "I don't usually eat like this. I don't 
know if it's the fresh air or all of the exercise." 
He grinned. "You do know how to do the burn." 
"You're so awful, sometimes. I really love that about you." They 
both laughed, relieved to have things back to normal. 

When they got all of the laundry in the machines at the 
laundromat, Dana had to compliment him. 
"You sort clothes really well for a guy." 
"When I was in college I used to go to the laundry to pick up 
girls," He said, smiling. "You'd be surprised what kind of 
conversations you can start by asking someone how to get puke 
off jeans." 
Dana giggled, and they started reminiscing about their college 
days. 
After awhile, she jumped off the counter and went to the window. 
"What is it? Do you see something?" He came to her side 
instantly concerned. 
"Yeah, I see a Dairy Queen across the street. How about a banana 
split?" 
"After that lunch?" 
"It'll just be more calories to burn off." 
"I'll be right back." 
He returned with two banana splits, and Dana kissed him, right 
in front of the laundromat window. "You are one sweet man." She 
started on the side with the strawberry sauce, and began to work 
her way to the pineapple. "Speaking of calories," She said, in 
between mouthfuls of soft serve, I can't imagine them having a 
lake and not having a campground somewhere. Wouldn't you like to 
camp out here for awhile? We could go swimming." 
"Did you bring a suit?" 
"Does it matter?" 
"Not if we work it right," He said, and gave her a quick kiss. 
Her mouth tasted like chocolate syrup, and thinking of what he 
could have done with some chocolate syrup over the last week or 
so, convinced him. This was as good a place to stop as any. 

After the laundry was done, John and Dana went grocery shopping, 
and got directions to a campground on the lake. When they pulled 
in no one was even at the gatehouse, but an older man soon 
appeared. 
"You got any sites left on the lake?" John asked him. 
"Only about thirty of them," He replied. "We don't get too many 
people during the week. Most of our people are weekenders." 
"Can we have one close to the water? For two nights?" 
The old man took their money, and they soon found themselves 
setting up camp in a heavily wooded area not far from the shore. 
They took a walk, looking around. There were a few people, but 
not many, and lot of the trailers that were parked on the sites 
were empty. 
"They must rent by the month or the season," said John, "And 
just come out when they can." 
"Would you like to have a house trailer as a vacation home?" 
asked Dana. 
"No." He said, "But I'd love to do what we're doing when I 
retire. Just travel around, seeing the country." 
"That would be nice," She said, slipping her arm around him. 
Farther down the beach they found a dock where they had jet skis 
for rent. 
"Ever done this?" John asked her. 
"No," Dana admitted, "But I've seen it, and it looks like fun. 
It's so expensive, though," she said looking at the sign in the 
window. "$55 an hour?" 

The man inside the office saw them looking in, and waved at 
them. "Oh, let's try it," said John. They decided since they 
were both wearing shorts and T-shirts and gym shoes, so it 
wouldn't matter much if they got wet. 
They rented the machine, and the attendant made them put on life 
jackets and made sure that John knew how to work the controls. 
They got on. Dana gripped the handles on the side, and they 
headed slowly out from the dock. I can do this, she thought. 
Once they were further out, though, he picked up speed, and she 
thought she was going to fall off. She was hanging on so hard, 
she began to get blisters on both hands. "John! Stop!" She 
screamed in his ear. He slowed down at once. 
"What's wrong?" 
"I can't do this! I'm afraid I'm going to lose my grip." 
"That handle is no good," He said. "Hang onto me. And if you do 
fall, fall to the side. If you go off the back, the water 
spouting up will knock your ass off." 
"Oh, swell." She wrapped her arms tight around his waist, and 
laid her cheek against his back. He took off again, and it was 
more fun. There weren't a lot of boats out on the lake and 
gradually she got used to riding on it, and began to enjoy the 
feeling of bouncing over the water. By the time the hour was up, 
she was laughing as the spray blew into her face. 

When they took the jet ski back, she threw both arms around his 
neck as he stepped out onto the dock. "I want to do that again 
tomorrow." 
The attendant grinned, watching her cling to John, as he steered 
her back towards the camper. 
They made some dinner, and as it started to get dark, they took 
a blanket and a bottle of wine down to the beach. 
"This isn't as good as Art's strawberry wine, but it's good," 
said Dana, sitting on the blanket, looking up at the stars. 
"It's so pretty here. The sky is so clear, and everything smells 
like pine." 
"Still enjoying your exile?" 
"You know I am." 

He sat behind her, and slid his arms around her, breathing in 
the sweet smell of her wind blown hair, She turned soft blue 
eyes up to him and smiled slowly, her lips moist and parted. He 
lowered his head and moved his mouth over hers hungrily. Dana 
turned in his arms, pressing closer to him, slipping her hands 
around his neck. She felt his thighs hard pressed against her 
own and knew perfectly well how the evening was going to end, 
but she wanted to tease him a little more first. Drawing back 
she said, "How about that swim? Now's our chance. No one's 
looking." She began to strip off her navy blue T-shirt, and 
little white shorts, and as he watched her strip, he tried to 
catch her by the ankle, but she eluded him, and dashed into the 
water, gasping at the coldness of it. He took off his own 
clothes, and went after her. She tried to outdistance him with 
rapid strokes, but he easily overtook her, laughing at her as he 
pulled her back into his embrace. 

When Dana woke up in the camper in the middle of the night, John 
had a possessive arm around her. She blushed, remembering how 
the evening had gone. When they had gotten back on the blanket, 
she had developed an overpowering need for him. She didn't know 
where the feeling came from but it was like a powerful all 
consuming ache inside of her. She felt so empty that she had 
acted like an animal in heat, clutching and clawing at him, 
begging him to fill her up. She had kissed him fiercely, and 
wrapped her arms and legs around him, pulling him deep inside of 
her. 
If she closed her eyes, she could still hear the sound of flesh 
slapping on flesh, her weird moans and cries, and the grunts he 
had made as he pounded into her, filling her with his life 
force. The feeling had been totally unlike anything she had ever 
felt before. It was as if he had opened up a whole new place 
inside her. There had been something different in the longing 
she had felt and in how it had been fulfilled. She couldn't 
understand it, but it had fled as quickly as it came. 

Now she felt slightly embarrassed, but most of all she felt in 
desperate need of John's love and protection. She wanted to stay 
in his arms forever. She curled closer to him, and fell back 
asleep. 
The next morning, she still felt an overwhelming need for 
tenderness. She kissed him gently every chance she got, and 
found solace in his arms. 
He didn't try to figure out why the wild cat that had scratched 
and bit him the night before was now so subdued and caring. He 
didn't need to understand her moods to be what she wanted him to 
be, and being what she wanted him to be was all that mattered to 
him. They walked with their arms around each other kissing and 
caressing. They went out on the lake again, and she clung to him 
and laughed. They were everything to each other, and that was 
all that mattered. 

John was helping Dana straighten up after dinner, and admiring 
her beauty at the same time. Her skin, always porcelain smooth, 
had become sunshine golden, and her eyes were a smoky blue. Like 
his own, they looked different at different times, in different 
lights. They were very deep and inviting tonight. She felt his 
gaze upon her, and put down the dishtowel and went to him, 
sliding her arms around him, putting her head on his chest. 
"Let's go back down to the beach," He whispered, and she nodded. 
They walked arm in arm. Spreading out the blanket, he lay back, 
his head propped up on one hand. Dana curled up beside him, and 
began to cover his face with small kisses. 
He reached out with his other hand to cup her face. 
"I love the way you're treating me today, but if you think you 
have to be a devoted little lamb to make up for going a little 
crazy last night, you don't," He said gently. 
"I don't know what happened to me last night," She sighed, 
leaning on his chest. "I've never felt like that. I just wanted 
sex. I wanted a hard, thick cock inside of me and Nothing else 
mattered. I couldn't see straight, and I can't explain it. I 
know it sounds awful, but I can't help it." 
"It's not easy being a sex object," He teased her, stroking her 
bright hair. 
"I don't feel that way now, though. I want you to make love to 
me." 
"Your wish is my command." 

He kissed her cheek, the corner of her mouth, and then her mouth 
itself. She slipped her hand behind his neck as his lips moved 
over her throat. He unbuttoned her camp shirt, and drew it open. 
She moaned softly under his exploring, practiced hands. He got 
the clasp between her breasts open in a minute, and groaned at 
the way their pale roundness gleamed in the moonlight. Dana 
closed her eyes in ecstasy as he covered them with hot, wet 
kisses. When he unsnapped her jeans she raised her hips to help 
him slide them off, pulling her panties with them. She slid her 
arms around his neck, pressing her breasts against his hard 
chest as his hand swept along the inside of her thighs. She saw 
his features above her, sharp with excitement, and she put her 
hand down to free him from his tight jeans, to guide him. He 
murmured encouragement as she touched him, running her hand over 
the hard shaft and smooth head, pressing him into place between 
her legs. They were soon moving together, gently at first, then 
letting their building passion drive them. He pumped into her 
with long, smooth stokes, matching each one with a thrust of his 
tongue into her mouth. She was sucking on his tongue as it slid 
in and out, but she had to let go to catch her breath, which was 
coming in gasps. He moved his mouth to her ear, running his lips 
around the delicate shell. 
"You with me?" He hissed into her ear, feeling how close she 
was, knowing he couldn't hold off much longer. 
"Oh, God, John, yes!" 

They slept like the dead that night, Dana's head on John's 
shoulder. Again in the morning, as they were packing up to leave 
the lake, she felt a terrible sense of loss. It was like they 
were floating through life, getting to know each other, moving 
from passion to laughter, to understanding. She had learned to 
enjoy driving along with him, always heading somewhere, anywhere 
but home. What was home anyway? How could she ever go back to 
the daily grind after experiencing such wonderful freedom? But 
no one can spend a lifetime floating through the clouds. 
Everyone has to come down sooner or later, and for Dana and John 
it would come sooner than they expected. 
They found another campsite, set up another temporary home, 
barbecued dinner on another campground barbecue pit. She was 
getting ready for bed, brushing her hair in the tiny bathroom, 
trying to see a majority of her face in the minuscule mirror, 
when John called Skinner's secretary to check in. 
"It's me." 
"Thank God! You've got to get back right away." 
"They got him?" 
"He's dead." The young woman on the other end of the line began 
to sob. "They're both dead." 
"What are you talking about?" 
"He went looking for her at Mulder's. Two nights ago. They shot 
each other. You have to come home. You have to tell her." 
John Doggett's heart froze in his chest. "How can I tell her 
that?" 
"The simplest way possible, I guess. Start home tomorrow. Call 
me back tomorrow night, and I'll have more details for you." She 
hung up, and he groaned. 

Dana had heard him in his misery, had walked out of the bathroom 
to find him staring at the phone. She stood there, in her short 
nightie, clutching her hairbrush, and knew something was 
radically wrong by the look on his face. His eyes! His poor 
eyes! 
"What is it?" 
He told her. He just flat out told her. What else could he do? 
She lifted tearful eyes to him, and he recognized the anguish 
there. This was the one thing he had never thought of. He knew 
that Mulder would always be in the back of her mind, and in a 
corner of her heart, and he thought he could live with that, but 
he had never expected this. 
"Oh, my God! I was having sex on a beach, and he was dying! Oh, 
God, this is all my fault." 
"Dana," He said, frightened by her words, "How could it be your 
fault? You couldn't have known!" 
"That man was after ME!" 
"Because of an X-File! If it hadn't have been for your loyalty 
to Mulder, that guy wouldn't have known who you were! Please, 
Dana, don't tell me you're going to blame yourself for this!" 
"I don't know what to think! I"m so confused! John, I want to go 
home!" 
"Get some sleep, Dana. We'll leave in the morning as soon as 
it's light. I will take you home." 
He eased her back onto the bed, and covered her with a blanket. 
She closed her eyes, hot tears running down from under the lids, 
making wet paths down her cheeks. He watched her long into the 
night. 

When Dana woke up, it was very early. The light was coming in 
faintly through the window. She was used to waking up surrounded 
by warmth, with John's arms around her, and his breath soft in 
her ear, but he was not there. He was already up, and dressed, 
and sorting through the supplies. He saw her raise her head, and 
said gently, but firmly, 
"Come on, Dana. We've got to get going. I made some coffee if 
you want it, but we have a good straight two days drive ahead of 
us at least. You'd better get dressed." 
"What are you doing?" 
"Just trying to see what's here. When I take this thing back to 
the guy I borrowed it from, I want to give it to him clean. If 
we have any food left over, do you want it? I don't cook much." 
He was so businesslike, she was startled. She hurt badly enough, 
thinking about the loss of her friend, but to have John so cold 
hurt just as badly. She went to the bathroom, and got dressed. 
When she came out, he was outside, working the hookups. She took 
a piece of toast, and a cup of coffee, and sat at the table, 
thinking about Mulder. It was so hard to go through this again, 
but this time, she knew, was really the end. 
When John came back in, she asked softly, "Did Kimberley say 
anything about the funeral?" 
"No. She told me to call back tonight and she'd have more 
details. That's probably what she meant. I guess Skinner's 
taking care of it." 

He didn't look at her, and suddenly Dana understood. He's 
scared, she thought. He's scared for us. This thing could tear 
us apart if I let it, but how can I take care of John when I 
hurt so damn bad myself? 
She went over to him, and laid a hand on his arm. He flinched a 
little, and Dana's heart broke all over again. 
"John, I know how hard it must be for you to try and understand 
how I felt about Mulder. For a long time, he was all I had, and 
I was all he had. We had total trust and faith in each other. I 
couldn't just put that aside, even if we weren't meant to be." 
"If you really believe he totally trusted you, then you don't 
know what trust means. He never told you everything, Dana. I 
read a million X-Files, and I found out things when he went 
missing that you don't know." 
"Does it matter now?" 
"I don't know. You told me it was over, but I don't think, from 
the way you acted last night, that it really was." He hesitated. 
"I'm sorry about what happened. If it had been up to me, it 
would have gone down differently. I would have had that guy days 
ago." 
"John, please..." 
"I promised to take you home. Let's get going." 

They got into the cab of the truck, and started driving. This 
time it was Dana who couldn't bear the silence, but every time 
she went to break it, she couldn't think of anything to say that 
would explain everything she was feeling. Maybe he was right. 
Maybe the man she'd wanted all along wasn't the same man that 
she needed so much. And what she should do about that...she 
hadn't a clue. 
They were no longer meandering, just driving fast, on the 
straightest route possible to DC. They had a fast food lunch, 
and drove again until dark, only occasionally making comments to 
each other, and none of them about anything important. It was 
very late, and very dark, when they stopped for the night. Dana 
was so miserable by the time she got ready for bed, that she 
didn't now where the pain was coming from. She was sorry for 
Mulder, sorry for John, but most of all sorry for herself. 

He checked in, and let her talk to Skinner's secretary. Mulder 
had killed the convict with one shot, but he had been badly 
wounded. He had lived for a day and a half, but he had never 
regained consciousness. He didn't know, thought Dana, that I 
wasn't there. The thought was a relief in a way. They'd had to 
establish that Mulder had no next of kin, and then Skinner had 
taken charge. She and John should make it back just in time. 
When Dana shut the phone off, John sighed. "Maybe we should get 
you to the nearest airport. You could be there in a couple of 
hours, and I could drive the rest of the way home myself." 
"NO!" 
"Dana..." He began. 
"John, there's nothing I could do there, and I promised I 
wouldn't leave you." She began to cry. "You said you'd stay with 
me. You said you'd stay with me no matter what!" 

She sat on the bed, tears making wet paths down her cheeks, 
falling unheeded to her breast. He knew she was miserable with 
loss, but he didn't know how to alleviate this kind of pain. He 
was sorry that he had let his own feelings get so mixed up, but 
he didn't know how to express his regret. 
As if some inner knowledge guided him, he went to her, and took 
her in his arms, hushing her tearful sobs against his strong and 
hardened chest. Tenderly, he comforted her, brushing dampened 
hair from her cheek, and kissing each tear from her face until 
she raised her eyes to his. 
"Dana, just because you lost Mulder, does that mean I have to 
lose you?" 
"No...oh, no. It's not the same. It was never the same. You've 
got to believe me." 

He gave up his doubt. He had to believe her. It was as if his 
whole life depended on it. 
She met his kiss almost eagerly, as if to prove that she was 
still alive, that she was not going to let her heart die from 
sorrow. If the very world fell apart around her, she knew now 
that she would always have something to hold onto. 
Her hand moved behind his head, bringing his lips down to meet 
hers. He kissed her long and passionately, as if he realized her 
need to feel something warm. She sighed and began to kiss him 
back, her brow knitting with concern when he moved away. She 
need not have worried. He kissed her from head to toe, moving 
his mouth and his tongue over her body, until she had to beg him 
to go on. He slid on top of her, hard and willing. She felt the 
tip of his hot cock hit home, then felt him pause. "Dana, are 
you sure?" 
"I made up my mind a long time ago, John. I'll never change it. 
Love me, please." 
He slid the smooth head in a little bit, then drew back and 
repeated the motion, never fully entering her, just teasing her, 
until she thought she'd lose her mind. 
"It's all right, yes, it's all right," She whispered, and he 
finally entered her fully. They were one and the ice in her 
heart melted as he slid smoothly in and out of her body. She 
cried again, but her tears were not all sorrowful ones. Some 
were in gratitude for this man who loved her so well. 
She reached a shattering climax, and his release came 
immediately after. She spent the night back in his arms, and 
felt comforted. . 

When they got back to Dana's apartment, John helped her carry in 
her things. "I'm going to clean out the camper and take it back. 
Will you be okay?" 
"Yes. I'll see you at the funeral tomorrow." 
"And what about after tomorrow?" His blue eyes were intense. 
"Maybe if we don't look, tomorrow will never come at all." She 
hugged him and let him go. As He went to get back in the camper, 
he looked up toward her window, and saw her, standing there, 
looking out, holding the teddy bear he'd won on the carnival 
wheel. 
He drove the camper home, and started cleaning it out. He made a 
pile of clothes that needed washing, and decided to throw the 
bedding in with it. He didn't want to take the damn thing back 
without everything being perfect. Something shiny caught his 
eye, and reaching down between the bed and the frame, he pulled 
out a pair of pale blue panties. If he had it all to do over 
again, he would have done so many things differently, but not 
all of them. He knew of all the things he regretted about his 
life, he'd never regret Dana. Even if getting involved with her 
turned out to have been a terrible lie, it was worth it. 
He should have slept well that night, after all of the strain 
and the driving, but he couldn't. His house, where everything 
was so organized and familiar, was like a cave. His bedroom, 
where he so often sought solace after a frustrating day, had 
become a torture chamber. He pictured Dana everywhere, imagining 
what her bright hair would look like spread across his pillow, 
remembering the feel of her head against his shoulder, her body 
warm beside him. 

When he finally slept it was a restless sleep, and in the early 
dawn, he was miserable to open his eyes and not find her there. 
He wanted to pull her out of his dreams and into his arms. Did 
she miss him? 
Dana did miss John, because without him, her apartment was a 
hole, where memories could taunt her. She pictured Mulder 
leaning against the doorframe with his boyish grin, sitting on 
the couch smiling mischievously, or pacing around, trying to 
explain his latest wild theory. It has always been something 
with him, like working with a whirlwind. She would miss his 
charm and enthusiasm, and long to see his smile to the end of 
her days, but she knew he would never have been ready to settle 
down. He would never have to know that lost and exhausted, and 
afraid, she had surrendered her independence, and found support 
and comfort and love. She had tried to tell Mulder many times 
how worthwhile John was, how secure he made her feel, how 
important it had been to her to have someone totally devoted to 
her welfare. Mulder had been too paranoid to trust the other 
man. Now he would never get the chance. 

Dana went to sleep, holding a pillow, its softness no substitute 
for a man's hard chest, strong and warm beneath her cheek, but 
things were so awkward, she didn't know how she'd ever reconcile 
her magical road trip with her return to the real world. 
The funeral was surreal. She had seen it all before, done it all 
before, and the irony gave the ceremony a strange quality that 
no one quite knew how to deal with. Skinner asked her if she'd 
be ready to come back to work on Monday, and she said she would. 
He had left her then. This time it was John Doggett who stayed 
behind to dry her tears. She leaned against him ever so 
slightly, appreciating him, but not knowing how to handle the 
bizarre quality of the situation. 
"Are you okay?" He asked. 
"Yeah," She said, "I'm okay. Are you going back to work Monday, 
too?" 
"I guess so. It'll seem funny won't it?" 
"It does, but I guess we'll get used to it." 
"I'm not sure I want to. Dana, we have to talk." He said, 
looking at her with so much longing in his eyes that she had to 
close her own. "Give me a few days to get my head together, 
John, and then we'll straighten it out. I promise." Leaning in 
slightly once again, she kissed him quickly on the mouth, and 
headed for her car. 

The workweek began with them buried under so much paperwork they 
didn't have time to talk about their personal lives. They had 
three weeks worth of files to sort through, and reports to 
write. Monday, and Tuesday and Wednesday got away from them, and 
it got harder and harder to bring up the subject that they were 
both dancing around, although it occupied their thoughts more 
than they would have liked to admit. 
Now that John Doggett had completely fallen for Dana Scully, he 
wanted to know where he stood. He knew that she still felt 
guilty about the way things had gone with Mulder, and he knew 
too that she was scared stiff of anyone finding out what they 
had done. If Kersch has gotten wind of it, they would never be 
able to work together again. Kersch would burn both their asses 
and enjoy doing it. 
Dana knew that she loved John and that he loved her, but it 
seemed so strange to think of playing "your place or mine" at 
their age. She was miserable at night, though. Her pillow had no 
firm ribs to run her fingers over, and no shoulder to lean on, 
but she couldn't find the right words to change things. It was 
so different at home, and at work. Things that had been so 
simple were now so complicated. 
She didn't feel, well, either. The lack of sleep and the strain 
she was under were getting to her. 
Then a thought came to her, and it shook her to the core. 
She was pacing in her apartment, wondering what she should do, 
when she heard a knock on the door. John was standing on the 
other side, his hands jammed in his pockets, his face tense. 
Before she could say a word, he came in, and slid his arms 
around her, pulling her close. 
"I'm sorry, Dana, but I couldn't stand it anymore." 

She began to cry, but her tears were tears of relief. "Oh, thank 
God! It took you long enough, John! I'm so happy...I didn't have 
the nerve." His mouth took hers and they strained together 
hungrily. They were both famished for the full taste of love. 
Dana gave herself up to his fierce, fevered kisses, drawing him 
into the bedroom. They hastily discarded their clothes, and he 
began to stroke her body from her neck to her knees, long 
sweeping strokes that left her cold and hot and shaky. She sat 
him down on the edge of the bed, and moved her tongue around in 
his mouth, as he moved his fingers between her legs. She put 
down a hand to touch him, sliding the loose skin that covered 
the hard cock back and forth, running her hand over the round 
head. She felt a drop of liquid, silky smooth, and knew that he 
was ready. Straddling him, sliding her legs around him, she 
pressed him into place, and wrapping his arms around her back, 
he began to lift her up and down. She got his rhythm at once, 
and began to move on his lap, feeling him fill her up once more. 
He held her tight as he felt her climax begin, and as she 
bounced up and down, shuddering, he found his own release. 

She still had something she had to look into, but she had no 
intention of giving him up in the meantime. She was going to 
need him more than ever now. 
They both slept soundly, neither of them tormented by the 
thought of what they were missing. When they woke up in each 
other's arms, they felt detached once more from the world around 
them. John traced his finger lightly over her face, caressing 
her mouth, her nose, her slanted brows. "I never thought it 
could be the same once we got home and went back to the office. 
I was wrong. It's better, because I had to wait for it. It's 
true...you don't appreciate what you've got until it's gone." 
Dana smiled. "It's a shame we wasted so much time. I missed you 
so much." 
"I thought you still felt guilty about Mulder." 
"I did, and I didn't. I was just so afraid of the future." 
"I was afraid, too. I was afraid I was losing you forever." He 
kissed her cheek. 
"We're going to lose our damn jobs if we're not careful." 
"Well," John teased her," I wasn't planning on doing it on my 
desk." 
"Be serious, John!" 
"I am. If they find out, we'll deal with it. If one of us has to 
leave the bureau, we can still be together. Hell, we could get 
married." 
"You want to marry me?" She was shocked. 
"Why not?" 
"I can't think that far ahead. One thing at a time, okay?" 
"I think I know where to start," He grinned, and moved his head 
down her body, kissing his way to her very center. She shivered 
as she felt his fingers open her up, and his tongue move in to 
flick the tenderest part of her, and probe her. She ran her 
fingers through his hair, moaning, and then yanked on it, not 
hard, but hard enough to get his attention. 
"Ouch! What did you do that for?" 
"You're being silly," She whispered. "We CAN do this together if 
we try!" and she turned herself around so that they were lying 
side by side. She took him in her mouth, and he began to lick 
his way inside her again. They established a rhythm, her mouth 
moving across the smooth hard head as his tongue went round and 
round her throbbing clit. She was trying to pay special 
attention to the ridge when the first orgasm began to shake her 
body inside and out, and she had to brace herself between his 
thighs, as she groaned with pleasure. She intended to make it up 
to him, and slid the hard shaft into her mouth, but he began to 
caress her again, wanting to continue to please her as she 
pleased him. He gasped and she sucked hard as he came in her 
mouth, warm and salty and slightly metallic. She was so close, 
it was the work of a moment, when he caught his breath, to make 
her come again. 

Dana and John developed a routine. They had lunch together every 
day, and took turns either making dinner or going out. At least 
once a week he either spent the night at her apartment, or she 
spent the night at his house, and they spent the weekends 
together. They usually hung out at his house on the weekends. 
Dana was starting to love that house, to feel more at home there 
than in her own apartment. She loved the fireplace. Her favorite 
nights were spent making dinner together, then taking their 
coffee in and sitting in front of the fire, but they were 
wearing out the hearthrug making love. 

They opened a bottle of wine one night, and sipped it as they 
watched the dancing flames. When he kissed her, his mouth tasted 
like the Merlot, and she swept her tongue around in his mouth, 
enjoying the flavor of him and the wine. He eased her down on 
the rug, and they lay side by side, running their hands over 
each other, unbuttoning clothes, sliding things off smoothly. 
They knew the feel of each other's bodies so well. It was easy 
now to come together and light a fire of their own. He liked to 
run his fingers through her hair, which glowed eerily in 
firelight. She loved the feel of his hard body against hers, 
warm and willing to please her. She rubbed the back of his neck, 
and his shoulders, and he sighed with contentment. John slid his 
mouth down Dana's throat, pausing at the base, to nuzzle the 
hollow there, one of her most sensitive spots. He moved on to 
her breasts, and she quivered as he kissed and licked and sucked 
at the pink nipples. She felt him becoming aroused, and a thrill 
went through her as he began to slide his hard cock back and 
forth between her legs, making her tingle with excitement. She 
reached down to stroke him, to guide him. 
"Are you ready?" His eyes glittered like crystal in the 
firelight. 
"Ready, ready, more than ready," She breathed, and took him 
inside her. 
It was perfect. He slid in and out, and she wrapped her legs and 
arms around him tightly, holding him close, feeling his heart 
thudding against her chest, his hot breath in her ear. He was 
gentle this time, but she still had to scream with pleasure as 
she felt him pour into her, triggering her own orgasm. 

They lay together, quietly, just enjoying the feeling of utter 
relaxation that swept over them, but in the back of John's mind, 
as perfect as his life seemed, he knew something was wrong. She 
always gripped him so hard now, as if she were afraid to let him 
go. She often had tears in her eyes as she clung to him, and she 
refused to talk about the future. 
John wanted her with him all the time. He wanted to tell Kersch 
to go to hell, to make some decisions about what they were going 
to do with the rest of their lives, but Dana always brushed him 
off. 
"One thing at a time," she continued to say. Well, as good as 
things were, it wasn't enough for him. He loved her, and he 
wanted to live with her. It was as simple as that. 
"You know," He said lightly, "If you'd marry me, we could do 
this every night." 
"Oh, John, give it up. Don't I make you happy now?" 
"Of course you do, but I miss you so much when you're not here. 
Don't you miss me?" 
"Of course I do, but there's just no way to manage it." 
"Give up the bureau...or I will." 
She sat up, shocked. You can't do that! I won't let you!" 
"Then you do it. You could go back into medicine, or you could 
just stay home. You've earned the right to relax a little." 
She sighed, a shadow crossing her face. "There's something I 
have to do first." 
"You're afraid. I can feel it. Won't you tell me why? Let me 
help you. Whatever it is, we'll work it out together." 
"Maybe it's something you don't want to know. Something you 
won't want to deal with." 
"What's that supposed to mean? I love you, and I'll be here for 
you no matter what! Just tell me what's going on!" 
"I can't...not yet, but I will. Soon. Trust me, John, just once 
more." She lay back and shut her eyes, and he held her close, 
and wondered. 

One morning when Dana came into work, John was not in the office 
but there was a small, square white box on her desk. It was 
about six inches square, and about six inches high. On top was a 
card with one word on it, written in John Doggett's backslanted 
scrawl. The word was "Memories". Dana lifted the lid off the 
box, and had to laugh. Inside the box she found a very familiar 
looking pair of lace trimmed blue bikini panties, and a CD 
entitled "Mick Doherty's Old Time Hammered Dulcimer Favorites". 
She had no idea where John had managed to find a dulicmer CD, 
but she had to give him credit for trying. Hearing a noise 
behind her, she found him standing there, shutting the door 
behind him. 
"You're nuts, John Doggett. You know that?" 
"I'm nuts about you," He grinned. 
He slipped his arm around her waist, and kissed her on the 
mouth, sliding his other hand across her back. She returned his 
kiss, long and lovingly, then realized what they were doing, and 
put her hands up, pushing against his chest, trying to push him 
away. "Someone could come in," She whispered. 
"I'll kill the first soul who touches that door," He breathed 
into her ear, sliding one hand down over her butt to draw her 
back into his arms. 
"Come on, John, what if someone just barges in?" She shivered as 
his mouth moved from her lips to her cheek, and down her neck. 
"I thought you said you weren't planning on doing it on the 
desk." 
He laughed, then, and released her. "Oh, all right! Have it your 
way, but if you want to, we could go out to dinner after work, 
and you could come over and play your new CD on my sound 
system." 
"Can't." 
"What do you mean you can't? You got a date? What's your new guy 
look like?" He teased her. 
"No, I don't have a date, and I don't want a new guy. I can't 
keep up with the one I've got." Dana hesitated for a moment. "I 
have an appointment. I have to go to the hospital...I 
have...some research to do." 
"Is this for a case? They give us something new you haven't told 
me about yet?" 
"No, this is just for me. I need to find out some things." 
"You thinking of going back into medicine after all?" 
"We'll see." Dana slipped both arms around him, and hugged him 
again, tightly. When she turned and walked away to her desk, she 
made sure he couldn't see her face. 

John Doggett was a happy man when he came in to work on Friday 
morning. He loved Fridays. Fridays mornings meant eight more 
hours of work before he and Dana could go out to dinner, then go 
home and spend two whole nights and days together talking and 
laughing and making love. The weekends were what he wanted his 
whole life to be. She wasn't there, but he was confident she 
would be in any time, and they could at least make plans. He had 
heard about a great new Chinese restaurant that they could try. 
He was whistling happily as the phone rang. 
"John Doggett." 
"Is Miss Dana Scully in please?" 
"No, but I expect her any time. Can I take a message?" 
"One moment please." 
He heard murmuring in the background, but he couldn't make it 
out. 
"Mr. Doggett?" 
"Yeah?" 
"Miss Scully did say that we could leave a message. I'm calling 
from the records department at Washington Memorial Hospital. 
Miss Scully had requested a complete set of her medical records. 
Please tell her that they are ready for pickup, with one 
exception. One of the oncologists she used is no longer on staff 
here, and his files have apparently been misplaced. She can pick 
up the files we have, or we could keep looking for the missing 
files and she could get back to us. Will you ask her to let us 
know what she would like us to do?" 
"I'll do that," He said, scribbling frantically. "Washington 
Memorial, medical records, oncologist files missing...I think 
I've got it. Does she have your number?" 
"Yes, Sir, I'm sure she does. She has been in contact with us 
several times over the past two weeks." 
"Okay, I've got it." 
"Thank you." 

The woman hung up, and John Doggett slowly replaced the phone in 
its cradle. What the hell was this all about? He glanced at the 
piece of paper in his hand and tried to remember what an 
oncologist was. When he did, he went white, and sank terrified 
into his chair. His heart started up and his mind stopped, and 
all he could do was scream NO! NO! NO! in his head. 
This couldn't be happening, not now, but he couldn't think of 
any other explanation. It all fit. Dana's fear, her moodiness, 
the way she sometimes looked at him when she thought he couldn't 
see, it all made sense now. Something he wouldn't want to know, 
yes, but how could she have ever thought this was something he 
wouldn't want to deal with? Did he think he was going to duck 
out on her when she needed him the most? He couldn't do that. He 
would do anything to help her, go anywhere he could get help for 
her. John tried to remember everything he'd heard and read about 
the last time Dana had gotten sick. All that mattered was that 
she'd beat it, and she was going to beat it again. He was going 
to tell her he wasn't going to give up on her, if she ever came 
into the damn office, but she didn't. He paced all morning, 
calling her cell phone and her home phone at intervals. Where 
was she? 

Dana sat on the floor next to her coffee table, which was 
covered with medical reports and files. She had tracked down 
test results and paperwork from every hospital she had been in 
for the last five years and studied them all, looking for 
relevant information. She blinked away the start of tears, and 
taking a deep breath, determined that she would NOT cry, but 
then as she thought of John, a keen awareness swept over her of 
all the things he'd had to overcome. He'd lost his only child, 
the victim of a senseless murder. He'd suffered through her with 
a difficult pregnancy, carefully watching over Dana, even as she 
carried another man's child. He had risked his career out of 
loyalty to her. How could she put him through this again? 
Tears blurred her vision and as much as she fought to hold them 
in, they erupted into agonized sobs that shook her slender 
frame. She folded her arms on the table, laid her head down and 
wept bitterly, her whole body shaking with fear and worry. 

She was startled by the rattle of the doorknob as John Doggett 
burst into the apartment. 
"John! What are you doing here?" She blinked frantically, wiping 
away her tears and sitting up next to the coffee table once 
more. 
"I've been worried about you! All day! Washington Memorial 
called-something about picking up medical files." 
"I've got them." She indicated the mess on the table. "Oh, John, 
this is so unbelievable! I don't know why this happened the 
first time, and I really don't know why it's happening now." 

John Doggett winced at the sight of her puffy face, and at the 
memory of the sounds he'd heard as he'd come up to the door. 
"They said they couldn't find everything. Maybe they'll find the 
rest of the files and there'll be something in them that can 
help you." 
"Oh, I don't need that stuff," She sighed. "I just don't know 
what I'm going to do about work, though. Kersch knows damn well 
where I was six weeks ago." 
Doggett frowned. "I don't even remember that! It was either a 
truck stop in Ohio, or a lake in Indiana. What difference does 
it make?" 
"He knows I was with you! I tell him I'm six weeks pregnant and 
he's liable to tell us both to hit the road!" 
"OH, MY GOD!" 

Doggett's legs went out from under him and he collapsed on the 
couch, his head in his hands. Dana jumped up, alarmed, and 
crawled onto the couch beside him. He was mumbling to himself. 
"A baby! It's a baby! It's OUR baby!" He looked at her then, and 
grabbed her by the head, giving her a long hard kiss. 
Dana was shocked. "You're handling this awfully well. Most guys 
would totally freak out." 
"Oh, God, woman, you have no idea!" 
He kissed her again more gently, but as his tongue slipped in to 
play chase with hers, Dana leaned heavily against him. "So, what 
do you think we should do?" She breathed, as he traced his lips 
along her cheek. 
"Right now I think we should show that kid how much his dad 
loves his mom." His hands went to her blouse, and began 
unbuttoning. 

As she shrugged off the offending garment, Dana smiled. "He 
won't be seeing you from your best side for awhile." 
As her bra went after the blouse, onto the pile of medical 
reports, John Doggett pretended to be insulted. "Fine time to 
start complaining!" 

It was strange the pleasures Dana could find on a ten year old 
couch. She had slid off his tie, and unbuttoned his own shirt 
with the same sure touch he had used on her blouse. After she'd 
undone his belt buckle and unzipped him, he had eased her down, 
pulling off her pants, just as eager for her as she was for him. 
She stroked John's hair as he slid his mouth down between her 
breasts. He began to trace his lips leisurely across her 
abdomen, as if to reassure her that he was perfectly satisfied 
with the state of things. He moved his mouth around and around 
in gentle circles, a touch so light and teasing, that she was 
breathless by the time he moved back up her body. 

There was enough tasting, handling and kissing going on on that 
couch to leave them both breathless. 
Dana leaned one leg against the back of the couch as John's 
naked body covered hers. She could feel his hard throbbing cock 
moving back and forth against the very center of her, and the 
blunt probing she felt was one more touch she willingly 
accepted. Hot and wet and willing, she took him into her fully, 
meeting each hard stroke with a thrust of her own hips. As he 
moved through the now familiar territory, she covered his mouth 
with warm, licking strokes of her own. Dana realized nothing had 
changed, that this man loved her no matter what, and that 
knowledge was in itself a warmth that pleased her and drove her 
to please him. 
The way he had her pressed into the couch cushions meant that 
every stroke of his cock pulled on her most sensitive spot, and 
she was soon panting, wondering how long she's be able to hold 
on. She grabbed his shoulders and arched up, riding him until 
she couldn't bear it another moment. She felt herself grip down 
on him, waves of pleasure rushing from her crotch to every nerve 
in her body. He heard him groan as she gripped him, and knew he 
was coming along right behind her. It was like fire flooding her 
insides. 
Their gasps became sighs of contentment, and they both relaxed 
onto the much-abused cushions. Dana wrapped her arms around 
John's back damp from the exertion, and rubbed his hands along 
the broad expanse, moving up to massage his shoulders and neck. 
"I love you so much," She sighed. 
"Then why in the hell didn't you tell me you thought you might 
be pregnant? Why did you get yourself so worked up about it?" 
"I was not supposed to be able to get pregnant! Not once, and 
certainly not twice. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't 
understand it, and I never thought you would, either. I didn't 
know what you'd want me to do. I know you like kids, but I 
certainly had no idea if you'd want to have another one of your 
own, especially after all the trouble we both had." 
"Dana, when Luke was born, I swore I'd be the best dad I could 
be, and I did my best. It wasn't good enough, but I really 
tried. I'm going to tell you the same thing. If you're willing 
to give me a second chance, I will do the very best I can for 
you and this baby." 
"You're giving me a second chance, too, you know. They really 
are going to have a fit down at the Bureau, though," said Dana, 
shaking her head. 
"The hell with it. You ought to know by now that when it comes 
to you and my job, you're always gong to be number one. You're 
first in my life, honey. Nothing means more to me." 
"There's just one thing about you being in this situation that I 
don't understand." 
"What's that?" He looked at her, his blue eyes warm. 
"How do you know it's a him? What are you going to do if we get 
a girl this time?" 
"Oh, brother!" John groaned. "I know exactly what I'll do! I'll 
pray day and night that she takes after you!" 

Dana moaned and pressed her head back hard on the bed. "Oh, my 
God!" 
A wave of feeling swept over her, shaking her to the very core. 
"Oh, God, John, I can't take much more of this." 
He brushed his mouth along her ear, whispering encouragement. 
"Almost there, honey, almost there." 
She panted, and ran her hand along his neck, clinging to him for 
support. "I love you. Oh, God, how I love you." 
"I love you, too. Relax." His breath was warm in her ear. She 
was hot and cold and shaky, but he was solid and comforting, and 
she needed him so much that she willed herself to settle back, 
as he swept a gentle hand across her cheek, brushing her hair 
away from her damp face. Her eyes were shining a deep smoky 
blue, and she saw them reflected in his own caring, crystal blue 
eyes. 
Dana cried out. The impulse was too strong to resist. "I think 
it's coming. I really do." Clenching her teeth, she raised her 
head off the pillow and arched her back, squeezing her husband's 
hand so hard that he thought the bones would break. 
John looked up. The doctor nodded. "I can see the head now. Good 
grief, that's the reddest hair I've ever seen on a new baby!" 
Dana gripped down again, and was rewarded with a muted cry. 
"It's a girl." The doctor announced. 
Dana, exhausted as she was, burst out laughing. "Looks like all 
that praying of yours paid off, John." 
John looked stunned. "Is she all right?" 
"Seems to be," the doctor replied. "Her apgar scores are good." 
"But are you SURE she's all right" 
"What did you expect? Give us a minute to clean her up and weigh 
her and you can hold her. Just don't drop her, and I think 
she'll be fine!" 
Finally wrapped in a blanket, the baby was still wailing. She 
flailed her tiny fists and turned as red as her bright hair. The 
nurse went to lay her by Dana, but Dana, still shaking from her 
exertions, pointed to John. His daughter looked at him, and at 
that precise moment stopped crying, something that John Doggett 
would tell damn near everyone he met for the rest of his life. 
He didn't even try to curb his grin as he stared down at the 
puckered little face. The child's eyes were wide open, and every 
bit as blue as they might have expected. He held her as the 
nurses got Dana settled down, and then carrying her carefully, 
he laid the baby in the crook of Dana's arm, where they could 
both examine her. 
"I'm afraid she does look terribly like me," said Dana, but 
we'll probably find some of you in her eventually. Maybe the 
ears?" 
John Doggett gave his wife a very stern look. "Bite your tongue. 
Don't even think about it." 
And they both started laughing like fools, or at least like two 
people that were madly in love. 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
The End! That's as far as I'm going to go with this. I'll be 
starting something else by the beginning of next week, something 
that is more in keeping with the theme here. It will be called 
"Suspension" and it will also be DSR. Watch for it. That is, 
watch for it if you like my writing. If not, you are warned and 
you know what to avoid.