"Reunion"
by Andra Marie Mueller
Part FiveSee part one for summary, author's notes & disclaimer
****************************************
Half an hour later, Mulder, Jessica and Doggett arrived at the Lone Gunmen’s headquarters. Scully had taken her own car, as Doggett’s truck could not hold four adults and Will’s car seat. The drive to the Gunmen’s had been made in silence, with Jessica attempting to absorb what she had been told and neither Mulder nor Doggett knowing what to say to make it easier to bear. They made their way to the front door and Mulder knocked twice, paused, then knocked twice more. A moment later the door swung open and the Gunmen stood there, eyeing Jessica in open curiosity and admiration. Although they had undoubtedly uncovered her picture while researching the adoption certificate, it certainly did little to prepare them for the real deal. After a lengthy, awkward silence, Langley was the first to speak and simply said, “Wow.”
Jessica permitted herself a small smile at that as Mulder and Scully exchanged amused looks. Doggett was long used to the reactions Jessica received, but today had little patience for it.
“Are you boys goin’ to let us in, or shall we stand here a little longer and let you keep droolin’ on your shoes?” Doggett asked dryly.
“Sorry,” Frohike apologized, and the trio stepped aside to permit their visitors entry. Once they were
inside, Mulder made the formal introductions.“Lieutenant, this is John Byers, Melvin Frohike and Ringo Langley. Gentlemen, Lieutenant Jessica Doggett.”
“Doggett?” Byers echoed. “As in Mrs. John J.?”
“Yes,” Doggett confirmed, and in answer to Jessica’s questioning look, said, “Old habits.”
“I take back everything I ever said about you, Agent Doggett,” Frohike said.
“I take back everything I ever thought about you,” Langley added.
Jessica shot her former husband an amused look but said nothing, and the attention shifted to Will. They cooed over him for a couple of moments before Mulder brought them back to the reason for their presence.
“So what did you find out?” Mulder asked.
The Gunmen immediately became all business, and Byers answered Mulder’s query.
“We took the information you gave us regarding Lieutenant Doggett’s alleged date and place of birth and ran a cross check against the birth records for the New England Medical Center,” he said. “There was no birth certificate filed on May 2, 1964 or any other date for a baby girl born to Edward and Elizabeth Caldwell.”
Jessica paled visibly at the revelation but said nothing, and Doggett gently placed his hand against the small of her back in a silent gesture of comfort.
“I also ran a cross check for any babies that were brought into the hospital around that time and were considered orphaned or abandoned,” Langley told them. “There was one file on a baby Jane Doe who was brought in on April 30, 1964 for dehydration and hypothermia, and she was discharged two days later to the custody of an FBI agent named Carl Spender.”
Mulder and Doggett exchanged a look at that. “Quite a coincidence that the agent investigatin’ your sister’s abduction also happens to be granted custody of another abandoned baby girl in the middle of the case,” the latter remarked.
“It gets better,” Byers told them. “I scanned the signature of the attorney who signed the adoption certificate and ran it through the system to see if any matching signatures were found for attorneys on the East Coast, and it came up as an 89% match to an Alan Grant of Caldwell & Grant in Alexandria, Virginia.”
The lieutenant closed her eyes as if to ward off the implication of that information, and released a heavy sigh before muttering, “Damn.”
“Given how closely your sister’s abduction mirrored Lieutenant Doggett’s adoption, we played a hunch that the connection was something other than a baby stealing ring,” Langley continued. “I tapped into the medical files for the Bureau and Alexandria P.D., and did a DNA probability match against your blood types.”
“You think Lieutenant Doggett is actually my sister?” Mulder prompted, torn between incredulity and amusement at the thought.
“She is,” Frohike replied softly, and handed a printout he was holding to Scully.
“That’s impossible,” Jessica blurted out.
“Not according to this,” Scully countered, and stole a quick glance at Mulder before glancing at Jessica. “I could do another test with actual blood samples but it will tell you the same thing it does on paper. DNA doesn’t lie, Lieutenant; you are Christina Mulder.”
What color remained in Jessica’s complexion quickly vanished as the full import of the revelation hit her, and she fought the urge to sit in the nearest chair and just sob. “This is unbelievable,” she muttered. “I don’t even know who to confront first - my mother or Alan Grant. Although maybe I should be talking to the agent that apparently started it all. What’s his name, ‘Spender’?”
“Actually, talking to Spender isn’t an option,” Mulder replied. “He’s dead. Or at least that’s what the word on the street is. I haven’t been able to verify it one way or another.”
“Well under the circumstances I think it would be a good idea to put that back on your list of things to do,” came her sardonic reply. “In the meantime, I intend to have a little chat with Mommy.”
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea right now, Jess,” Doggett cautioned.
“I think it’s an excellent idea,” Mulder countered.
Doggett shot him a quelling glance before returning his attention to Jessica. “Whoever sent you the note and the article the other day was obviously warnin’ you that they’re willing to kill to keep your real identity a secret. That seems to be why Scott was taken out, and until we know exactly who we’re dealin’ with, I don’t want you becomin’ the next victim.”
“My mother may be a liar, John, but she’s not capable of committing murder,” Jessica chided.
“Its not your mother I’m worried about; its Grant or whoever else they were conspiring with that concerns me.”
“He has a point, Lieutenant,” Scully interjected. “Mulder and I have dealt with Spender in the past and if he is still alive and involved in this, you could be in danger.”
She released a resigned sigh. “Fine; I’m not up to arguing about it anymore. Just take me back to the Bureau so I can get my car and go home.”
Doggett nodded in silent agreement and glanced at the Gunmen. “Thanks for your help, boys,” he said. “I appreciate you sheddin’ some light on all of this.”
“Glad we could help, Agent Doggett,” Byers replied.
“I’m sorry we had to be the bearers of bad news, Lieutenant,” Frohike said.
Jessica managed a small smile. “Thank you for taking the time to help uncover the truth,” she responded.
“I’ll ride back with Scully,” Mulder said, and waited until Jessica and John were out of earshot before addressing his friends. “I know this goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway. Nothing we discussed here leaves this room. I don’t want you guys to put yourselves at risk, or further jeopardize Jessica.”
“Our lips are sealed, Mulder,” Byers assured him.
“You seem to be taking the revelation that Lieutenant Doggett is your sister rather well,” Scully observed.
“I’m used to living with conspiracies and lies,” Mulder pointed out.
“Well it doesn’t look like Lieutenant Doggett is as comfortable with the deception as you are,” Langley replied. “Although at least we know now who got the looks in your family.”
Scully smiled as Mulder rolled his eyes.
***********************************************
FBI HEADQUARTERS
The drive back to the city was made in silence, both Jessica and Doggett lost in their own thoughts. Pulling into the parking structure of the Hoover Building, Doggett made his way to the second level and came to a halt behind Jessica’s Expedition. Turning off the car, he turned to face her.
“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?” he asked. “You’ve had a pretty emotional day.”
“Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine. Right now I’m just sort of numb; the reality of what we discovered hasn’t really registered yet. Learning that your entire life has been a lie takes a little getting used to.”
“I meant what I said about confrontin’ your mother, sweetheart,” Doggett replied. “Until we know all the players in this game, it’s best that we don’t make any dangerous moves.”
“Don’t worry; I don’t enough left in me to face her tonight. I’m just going to go home and take a long hot bath and try to make sense of all of this.”
He nodded. “I’ll call you a little later to see how you’re doin’.”
She smiled. “Thank you, for caring and for being with me through this. I don’t think I’d be able to handle it without you.”
He smiled back. “What are ex-husbands for?” he asked rhetorically.
Her smiled widened and she leaned over to give him a gentle kiss. “I’ll talk with you later.”
Opening the door, the lieutenant slid off the seat and out of the truck, then walked around the front toward her car. As she passed by Doggett, however, a sudden thought occurred to her and she stopped to face him.
“I was wrong a minute ago when I said my entire life has been a lie,” she amended. “What I have with you is the one truth that has been my anchor since the day Scott brought you home to meet our family. Whatever else happens, I want you to know how much that means to me.”
“I promised you a long time ago that I’d always be there when you needed me, Jess, and I never break a promise.”
“Have I mentioned lately that I love you?” Jessica asked rhetorically.
“I think you just did.”
She shook her head. “Bye, John.”
“Bye, Jess.”
Doggett waited until Jessica had climbed into her car and successfully started it before turning on his own ignition and heading for home.
***********************************************
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA
By the time Jessica pulled into her driveway, a light rain had begun to fall, and she made a mental note to take an umbrella when she walked Trouble. Climbing out of her car, she crossed over to the mailbox and pulled out her mail, then began to skim through it as she approached the house, unaware of the figure in the second floor window that glanced briefly outside upon her arrival before retreating behind the curtains. Reaching the front door, she found it slightly ajar, and instead of being greeted by an excited dog, she was met with only silence.
“Trouble?”
The inquiry received no response, and given that Trouble had never failed to welcome her home in the ten years she’d had him, instinct told her something was wrong. Withdrawing her gun from her purse, Jessica aimed it in front of her as she slowly swung the door open with her other hand. Making her way into the living room, she discovered Trouble lying beside the couch, his chest wound and the small bloody hole in his skull indicating he had been shot to death. A small piece of paper was tucked under his collar, and keeping her gun aimed and ready, she knelt beside him to retrieve it. It was on blank paper, but as with the previous note was typed and consisted only of a single line:
“Curiosity doesn’t kill only cats.”
Her elegant features contorting with grief and anger, Jessica crumpled the note into a ball as she addressed her dead dog.
“Someone’s going to answer for this, old man. I promise.”
Rising to her feet, she slid her purse off her shoulder and retrieved her cell phone, keeping a watchful eye on the staircase and the kitchen as she dialed for help.
“Nine one one emergency.”
“This is Lieutenant Jessica Doggett from Alexandria P.D. I need a squad car and a special services unit from Animal Control sent to 1101 Braddock Road. I have a home invasion robbery and a murdered dog.”
“Acknowledged, Lieutenant.”
Jessica ended the call just as a crash sounded from upstairs, and she tossed the phone onto the couch before cautiously making her way up the staircase. At the top of the stairs, she quietly made her way down the hall toward her bedroom, hearing the unmistakable sounds of someone bustling about in the room as she approached. Reaching the bedroom doorway, she saw a large man dressed in black holding a gun as he poured what smelled like gasoline throughout the room, and she leveled her gun as she alerted him to her presence.
“Police!” she shouted. “Drop the gun and the gas can and put your hands in the air where I can see them!”
The intruder dropped the can but not his gun, and whirled to fire at Jessica. She heard the slight whizzing sound as the bullet passed within an inch of her ear, and fired off her own shot as she began backing out of the room. Her bullet missed its target and lodged in the wall above her bed as the intruder charged her while firing another round. The second shot struck her in the upper chest near her heart, causing her to drop her gun and stumble backward against the railing. Stopping less than a foot in front of her, the intruder shifted his grip on the gun and used it to strike her across the face, the barrel opening a gash in her cheek. She instinctively reacted by attempting to strike him, but he grabbed her arm in mid swing and used both his strength and her own momentum to send her hurtling backward over the railing. Too surprised to even scream, Jessica barely had time to brace for impact before she hit the hardwood floor, her left leg crumpling beneath her as her head hit the ground with an audible crack. Gazing at her still form only long enough to ensure she was unconscious, the intruder walked back into the bedroom and tucked his gun into his waistband as he picked up the gas can. Tilting the can, he poured a path of gasoline behind him as he walked backward down the short hallway and down the stairs. In her living room, he threw the can aside and reached into his pocket to withdraw a lighter. Igniting it on the first flick, he tossed it onto the staircase and then dashed out the back door as the gasoline soaked carpet immediately ignited.
***********************************************
FALLS CHURCH
After parting company with Jessica at the Hoover Building, Doggett returned home and changed into casual clothes before heading into the kitchen to fix himself dinner. Once he had eaten, he grabbed a beer out of his refrigerator and wandered into his den to catch up on some old paperwork. He had been home for close to ninety minutes when the phone rang, and setting his work aside, he reached over to pick up the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Good evening, Agent Doggett,” an unfamiliar male voice greeted. “You and your former wife have been very busy little bees.”
“Who is this?”
“She’s a very beautiful woman. It would be such a shame if something were to mar that lovely face.”
“I don’t know who you are but I’m warnin’ you now to stay the hell way from her!”
“Good night, Agent Doggett. I hope you remembered to kiss Jessica good-bye.”
The line went dead and a warning bell began to chime in the back of Doggett’s brain. He immediately dialed Jessica’s number but the answering machine picked up on the second ring. Once the beep sounded, he said, “Jess, its me. If you can hear me, pick up the phone. Its urgent.” A pause. “I’m goin’ to try you on your cell phone but if I don’t reach you, call me as soon as you get this message.”
He severed the call and dialed her cellular number, but again received only voice mail. After leaving a second message, he decided to head over to her house and make sure she was all right. As he made his way into the living room to retrieve a jacket from his hall closet, the phone rang a second time, and he picked up the receiver. “Jess?” he prompted.
“Agent Doggett, this is Captain Phillips. I’m at Alexandria Hospital.”
Dread settled into Doggett’s stomach like a block of ice. “What’s happened to Jessica?”
“She’s been shot,” Phillips told him. “She called 911 to report that someone had broken into her home, and when the squad car arrived the house was engulfed in flames.”
“How bad is she hurt?”
“At the moment she’s in surgery, but I think you should get down here right away.”
“I’m on my way.”
Replacing the phone in its cradle, Doggett grabbed his keys and bolted out the door.
***********************************************
ALEXANDRIA HOSPITAL
Some time later, Doggett was in the waiting room of the ER along with Mulder and Scully, whom a frantic Doggett had called on his way to the hospital. He had told them about the ominous phone call he had received just prior to Phillips’, and the three agents agreed that whoever had made the call must also be the person responsible for the sending Jessica the note and the article about the kidnapping. The trio had arrived at the hospital at roughly the same time, and Captain Phillips had been there to greet them. She had told them of the 911 call from the neighbors who had reported hearing gunshots and seeing smoke coming out of the front door of the house. By the time the police and firefighters had arrived, the house was nearly fully engulfed in flames. They had managed to get her out alive, but between her gunshot wound and the smoke inhalation she was in critical condition. Not trusting himself to refrain from confronting Elizabeth Caldwell about Jessica’s abduction/adoption and this newest assault, he had lied to Phillips and said he would contact her about Jessica.
As the clock ticked into its third hour since Doggett had received Phillips’ call, he stood in the hallway, staring forlornly toward the elevators as if sheer force of will could make the surgeons materialize. I the chairs a few feet away, Mulder and Scully were quiet, watching Doggett worry and wishing they could find a way to ease his anxiety.
“I don’t what he’ll do if she doesn’t make it,” Scully remarked. “Losing their son was painful enough, but if Jessica dies, it just may shatter his emotional control.”
“She won’t die,” Mulder declared. “She comes from a family of fighters, remember?”
Scully smiled at that. “You really like her,” she observed.
“She’s easy to like,” Mulder responded. “Actually she reminds me quite a bit of you.”
“Do tell.”
“She’s strong, intelligent; likes kids and animals; and she’s fiercely loyal to those she loves. She is also honest and not afraid to speak her mind. And besides, it will be nice to have a chance to be a big brother again.”
“You do realize that if she and John do officially reconcile and remarry, then it will make him your brother-in-law,” Scully pointed out.
Mulder grimaced. “I hadn’t thought of that,” he said. “Does that mean I have to sit next to him at Christmas dinner?”
Scully rolled her eyes just as one of the surgeons tending to Jessica emerged from the elevator and approached them. “Which one of you gentlemen is John Doggett?”
“I am,” Doggett said.
“Mister Doggett, I’m Patrick Douglas, the cardiac surgeon in charge of your wife’s care,” he told him.
“How’s Jess?”
“Your wife’s surgery went very well and we’ve transferred her to a private room while she recovers. If there are no complications over the next twelve hours, we’ll release her in the morning.”
“How badly was she hurt?”
“Her most serious injury was the gunshot wound to her chest,” Douglas told him. “The bullet grazed one of the cardiac valves and caused some internal bleeding. Fortunately it missed the heart itself and we were able to extract it once we controlled the bleeding. She’s also had a fall of some sort, which resulted in a concussion and a torn ligament in her left knee, but no bones were broken. We repaired her knee surgically, but she’ll be on crutches for at least a month and need a couple of months of physical therapy. The smoke inhalation burned her throat and lungs, but we’ve given her some medication to ease the pain and she should be breathing normally within a day or so.”
“I want to see her.”
“Of course. I can take you to her now.”
Doggett glanced at his friends. “I appreciate you guys comin’ over, but you should get home to Will,” he said. “I’ll tell Jess you were here.”
“Can we get you anything before we go?” Scully asked.
“No, thanks. I just need to see Jess. I’ll call you in the morning and update you on her condition.”
“If you need anything, call us,” Mulder told him.
“I will.”
Bidding them farewell, Doggett followed Douglas down the hall to the elevator, which they rode to the third floor. Once there, Douglas told him Jessica was in the last room on the right and then left him to be alone with her. Doggett made his way to her room and quietly walked inside, then felt his heart constrict at the sight of her. Her left cheek was darkly bruised and covered with a bandage, which was barely discernible against the pallor of her skin, and her left arm was being kept immobile in a sling. The bandages on her chest were visible over the top of her hospital gown and an IV lead into her right arm. Grabbing a nearby chair, he settled himself beside her and took her free hand in one of his, then lifted his other hand to gently caress her uninjured cheek. She stirred at his touch, and after blinking sleepily a few times focused her gaze on Doggett, her face creasing into a warm smile.
“Hi, Sunshine,” she greeted wearily, her voice raspy from smoke damage.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Doggett returned softly. “How’re you feelin’?”
“Tired,” she responded. “And everything hurts.”
“I imagine it does.”
“They killed Trouble,” Jessica told him. “And they left another note. It was tucked under his collar and said ‘Curiosity doesn’t kill just cats.’”
Anger flickered across his face. “Sick bastards,” Doggett muttered.
“I’m scared, John,” she confessed. “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
“No one else will,” Doggett declared. “You have my word on that. We’re gonna catch these guys, Jess, and when we do I promise they’re gonna pay for killin’ Scott and Trouble and for tryin’ to kill you.”
Her smiled widened. “My hero,” she replied lightly. “I’m glad you’re here.”
He smiled back. “So am I. You scared the hell outta me, though. Keep this up and my hair’s gonna turn gray.”
“I like a man with a little gray,” Jessica responded. “It gives you character.”
Doggett released a heavy sigh and stilled his hand, lightly resting it on her uninjured cheek. “When I think how close I came to losin’ you…”
The thought was left unfinished as his voice cracked, and Jessica placed her own palm against his cheek. “I’m sorry I made you worry,” she said softly.
He flashed her a reassuring smile. “I fully expect you to make it up to me.”
“I’m sure you do.”
“Have I mentioned lately that I love you?”
Surprise flickered across her elegant features for a brief moment before being replaced by joy, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she responded. “I think you just did,” she replied.
***********************************************
Late the following morning, Jessica had been discharged and was finishing getting dressed when a knock on the door signaled the arrival of a visitor.
“Come in.”
The door opened and Mulder walked into the room, flashing her a tentative smile as he walked over to stand in front of her. “For someone who almost died yesterday you don’t look half bad,” he teased.
“This from a man who spent three months in a coffin before coming back to life,” Jessica retorted lightly.
“Well at least nobody tried to turn me into a Human s’more,” Mulder countered, then grew serious. “How are you feeling?”
“Remarkably well, actually,” she answered. “My chest is pretty sore and I’m going to be limping around in this leg brace for a month or so because of my knee injury, but otherwise I don’t seem to have suffered any permanent damage.
Mulder smiled at her attire, the blue surgical scrubs usually worn by doctors. “Are you trying to start a new fashion trend?” he suggested.
“Hardly. Between the blood and the smoke damage the clothes I was wearing yesterday are ruined, and the rest of my wardrobe went up in flames yesterday along with everything else I own, except my car.”
“I’m sorry about your house.”
“The material items can be replaced,” Jessica said, “but Trouble can’t, and someone is going to pay for killing my dog.”
Not wanting to dwell on the painful subject, Mulder quickly shifted topics. “Where’s your bodyguard?”
“If you’re referring to John, he went home to shower and change clothes. He’ll be back shortly to pick me up.”
Mulder nodded. “He was pretty worried about you last night,” he said. “We all were.”
Jessica smiled. “I appreciate your concern,” she said. “I also want to apologize for snapping at you yesterday. The discovery that I’m really Christina has to be as hard on you as it is on me.”
“It threw me for a loop, but unfortunately I’ve lived with lies and secrets most of my life, so once the initial shock wore off, I was okay with it. How are you holding up?”
“I wish I could wave a magic wand and erase the last twenty-four hours. Discovering that my parents have lied to me my whole life and that uncovering their secret may have cost Scott his life hurts, and I’m mad as hell. And having some petty piece of slime try to kill me and burn my house down after he killed my dog was icing on the cake.”
“Petty piece of slime?” Mulder echoed in amusement. “That’s certainly an erudite insult.”
“Not all of us have the benefit of an Oxford education from which to draw our demeaning descriptions of common criminals,” Jessica responded.
His smile widened. “Is concealing insults in a politely phrased sentence something they teach you at those fancy Virginia boarding schools, or do you just come by it naturally?”
“I’ll take the Fifth on that.”
He shook his head before returning to the previous subject. “So, now that the cat is out of the bag, where does that leave us?”
“I don’t know. I like you, Fox…”
“Call me Mulder,” he interrupted. “Everyone does.”
“Even your parents?”
“My parents and Samantha were the only ones who didn’t,” Mulder allowed.
“What’s wrong with your given name?”
“Fox is an animal; not a name.”
Jessica smiled. “Well your issue with your name aside, despite the unusual circumstances surrounding the revelation I am your sister, and calling you Mulder feels too informal. Addressing you as Fox seems to be a family tradition, so with your permission I’d like to continue it.”
The request triggered a long forgotten memory, of the night before Samantha’s abduction, when she had sat beside him on his bed and engaged him in a similar conversation.
“You can’t expect people to call you by your last name, Fox,” she chided. ”It makes no sense.
“Easy for you to say,” Mulder responded. “You have a normal name.”
“I like your name,” Samantha countered. “It’s unique, just like you. Besides, I’m your sister and I’ll call you what I want to.”
“Hello…are you still with me, Mulder?”
Jessica’s voice shook him out of his reverie, and he graced her with faint smile. “Sorry,” he said. “If you really feel that strongly about it, than I suppose I can chalk it up to sister’s prerogative and live with you calling me Fox.”
“Thank you. As I was saying, I like you, Fox, and despite your less than favorable descriptions I would like to know more about your...our...parents. But to be perfectly honest I don’t know that I’m ready to accept you as my brother. I adored Scott, and his death is a wound that’s still healing. And I know how much Samantha meant to you, despite your separation.”
“Just because I loved Samantha doesn’t mean I don’t have room in my heart for another sister.”
“And just because I loved Scott it doesn’t mean I don’t have room in my heart for another brother,” Jessica said. “But we both need time to adjust to it, and there are still a lot of questions about why I was taken and why somebody is going to so much trouble to keep me from answering those questions. Not to mention the inevitable confrontations with my mother and Alan Grant.”
“As long as we’re on the subject, what do you intend to do about them?” Mulder asked. “There is no statute of limitations on kidnapping, but we’d have a hell of a time proving it.”
“I haven’t even thought about any legal ramifications,” Jessica replied, “but at this point in time it wouldn’t serve any purpose. Pressing charges against them won’t give me back the life I lost when I was abducted, and it won’t bring Scott back.”
He gave her an assessing glance. “You’re certainly less bitter than I expected you to be.”
“Feeling sorry for myself isn’t my style, and after having to bury my son, living with my mother’s deception pales in comparison.”
The squeak of the opening door interrupted their conversation and they both glanced over expectantly as Doggett entered the room. He greeted Mulder with a brief smile before addressing Jessica. “You ready to go?”
She nodded. “I contacted a friend who works at the Marriott and she’s made arrangements for me to stay there until I can find a new place to live.”
“You’re not stayin’ in a public hotel,” Doggett countered. “You may as well paint a target on your back.”
“I don’t have a lot of options, John. Staying with my mother is obviously out of the question, and I don’t want to risk Sarah and the kids getting hurt by staying with them.”
“You’re overlookin’ the safest option,” Doggett responded. “You’re stayin’ with me.”
That shocked her into silence. Sensing things were about to get too personal for outside observation, Mulder decided it was time for him to leave.
“I think now would be a good time for me to leave,” he said to no one in particular. “I’ll catch up with you two later.”
He beat a hasty retreat, and once they were alone, Doggett spoke again.
“I do believe this is the first time I’ve ever seen Jessica Doggett at a loss for words,” he teased, repeating the quip she had made to him when she had reentered his life barely a week before.
“John…” Jessica began. “I appreciate your sense of responsibility or chivalry or whatever it is that prompted you to make the offer, but staying with you isn’t an option.”
“Why not? I’ve got plenty of room, and I’ll feel a hell of a lot better knowin’ you’re somewhere safe.”
“It’s not that simple,” Jessica replied. “Do you remember when we began dating the summer you returned from Beirut? Six months after we began seeing each other, you finally told me that you loved me. Do you remember what I told you when you asked me to move in with you?”
He thought for a moment before responding. “You said somethin’ about not wantin’ to play house, and that livin’ together wasn’t a lifetime commitment because when things got tough, one of us could always walk away.”
“I also said that the day I shared a home with you it would be as your wife, because I wasn’t going to settle for less than forever with you. The same principle applies here. I can’t move in with you - even temporarily - when I know there’s a chance we could wind up back where we started; at just friends.”
“That sounds like an ultimatum,” Doggett said carefully.
“Its not,” Jessica assured him quickly. “But I don’t want to risk either of us getting hurt by starting something we won’t finish. I know you, John, and you have the strongest personal code of honor of anyone I’ve ever met. Because of our past you feel an obligation to take care of me, and I adore you for it. But I don’t want that to influence your real feelings about reconciling with me.”
Inexplicably Doggett chuckled at that, earning him a frown from his ex-wife. “Dare I ask what you find amusing?”
“You think that I want you livin’ under my roof because I feel obligated to you?” he asked incredulously. “Maybe we should get one of the doctors in here to reexamine your head cuz you’re obviously delusional.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere.”
Closing the distance between them, Doggett lifted his hands to cup her face in his palms, careful to avoid brushing against the stitches in her left cheek. “I appreciate your sense of reverse chivalry by tryin’ to protect me from you, sweetheart, but I assure you that I’m doin’ exactly what I want to do. I love you, and as far as our marital status goes, I intend to rectify that situation just as soon as we get rid of whoever it is that’s tryin’ to kill you.”
Jessica’s sapphire blue eyes welled with unshed tears. “If that’s a proposal, Agent Doggett, it’s certainly the most obscure one I’ve ever heard,” she chided.
“Maybe this will help,” he replied, and reaching into his pocket, withdrew her wedding band and slid it onto her finger. “I love you, Jessica Alexandra Doggett. Will you do me the honor of marrying me again?”
“Absolutely, positively, anytime, anywhere,” came the emphatic response.
His smile widened as he lowered his head to kiss her.
******************************************
On to Part Six
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