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Oh why did I have to get into this elevator!?" Reyes thought out loud.
It was a generic silver elevator, which was currently stuck between floors. Thankfully, she was not alone.
"Well at least it didn't fall down." Arlene, Skinner's assistant and secret wife said. They had begun dating sometime around when Mulder was missing and got married once Doggett and Reyes found out about them a while after Mulder and Scully were no longer involved with the X-Files or the FBI in any way.
"Don't jinx us." Monica moaned. She and John had gotten together that Valentine's day, and she had gotten pregnant not too long afterwards.
"We're in a hospital." Arlene pointed out. John was at a supermarket when Reyes's water broke, fortunately Arlene was visiting at the time and was able to get Reyes to the hospital.
"I can feel her moving around." Reyes commented, feeling her baby kicking against her womb.
"It's going to be OK." Arlene assured her. They had rushed into the hospital and took the lift to go to the birth ward, when there was a power cut and they got stuck. "I can already imagine Doggett, Mulder and Scully working tirelessly to free us!"
Reyes nodded, knowing that she was right. "I never thought to ask, how did you and Skinner get together?"
Arlene blushed. "It was around the time Mulder and Scully got together, which I noticed due to their increased flirting when they thought nobody was watching or listening, and Skinner realised that he needed someone in his life too."
Monica remembered something. "Wasn't Skinner married?"
Arlene nodded. "He doesn't like to talk about it, but he found himself feeling lonely and desperately needing someone, and since Mulder and Scully stopped being idiots and finally got together, he decided it was time he found someone too."
Reyes found that this was taking her mind off the pain of her pregnancy. "Go on."
"So one night out of the blue, he invited me to dinner." Arlene said. "He made his apartment quite romantic with low-lighting and candles laid all over the room. We then had gorgeous spaghetti and meatballs before we then shared our fears of being alone and just wanting to be with someone for the rest of our lives. We then confessed we found each other very attractive and we kissed, we went to the bedroom, and you know the rest."
Reyes smiled, revealing in how simple them getting together was, compared to her and Doggett, especially compared to mulder and Scully.
"So how did you find out you were pregnant?" Arlene asked.
Reyes shut her eyes in frustration. She had promised herself that she would not tell anyone other than a certain few people the specific details about how she found out she was pregnant, as it would betray a secret. But she needed to take her mind off all the pain she was feeling.
"It happened shortly after I had a foursome." Reyes nervously admitted.
Arlene laughed in amusement. "Who did you have it with? Mulder and Scully?"
"It must be an X-File." Reyes admitted. "And in the morning after, I got morning sickness and I realised I was pregnant."
"That must have been awkward." Arlene commented. "Having a morning after a great event made awkward by being delivered very important news."
"It was, but it was great news." Reyes said.
Before they could talk any further, a familiar voice called from above. "Reyes, Alrene, are you OK?"
Reyes's face lit up. "Doggett!"
"We're fine!" Arene replied.
"Good!" Doggett replied. "The technicians are currently working on a way to get the elevator working again and to the closest floor, Scully is ready to deliver the baby."
Reyes smiled.
Suddenly, the elevator lit up. Arlene and Reyes felt a jolt as the elevator slowly ascended and reached the nearest floor. Reyes felt relief as some nurses picked her up and put her on a stretcher and she saw Scully. "Dana."
"Since you delivered William, it's time I return the favour." She said.
Reyes nodded as she was taken to the delivery room.
---
Skinner and Mulder arrived shortly afterwards.
"I've never been more nervous in my life." Doggett admitted to Mulder as Skinner quietly kissed Arlene.
"At least this is a quiet and peaceful childbirth." Mulder pointed out. "There's no super-soldiers surrounding the birth, no lights in the sky to light the way to it and nothing supernatural happening."
Doggett nodded. "Well that's reassuring."
Mulder then noticed Arlene and Skinner kissing and whispered to Doggett. "How long have they been...you know?"
Doggett shrugged. "I didn't ask."
Mulder nodded. "It's nice to see Skinman move on after he lost his way all those years ago."
Doggett had always meant to ask Mulder what had happened with Skinner's wife, but it never seemed like a good time to ask. "What happened?"
Mulder quickly explained the somewhat convoluted events surrounding the death of Skinner's wife.
"That's sad." Doggett mused.
Mulder shrugged. "He's never talked about his past much." He pointed out. "When when I tried to resign after Scully was in a coma after being returned from her abduction, he told me about his time in Vietnam and they helped me alot through the darkest period of my life."
Doggett looked at Skinner and how he looked uncharacteristically happy with Arlene. "And I think he's starting the happiest period of his life."
Mulder looked at Skinner. "Looks like he's found the person that is what Scully is to me and what Reyes is to you."
Doggett nodded, then he realised something. "Did you finish your book?"
Mulder nodded. "I got in contact with a MUFON member who was also a book publisher and published it. For safety reasons, I published it under a fake name: D.W. Lazarus."
"D.W. Lazarus?" Doggett asked, then he realised their significance. "Dana, William ... and Lazarus makes three."
"Pretty clever isn't it?" Mulder asked.
Doggett nodded. "So what's it about?"
"It's a mystery that is being investigated by two people." Mulder said. "A man and a woman."
Doggett could see where this was going.
"It's a thriller with supernatural elements thrown in And some romance between the main characters." Mulder continued. "But so far, it's only subtext."
"You don't say." Doggett said, pretending that he had no idea it was clearly based off Mulder and Scully's lives. "It must be fiction."
"It must be, even though it's only subtext for the first book." Mulder said. "I was going to to take it beyond subtext, but Scully told me it would be better to slowly build it up."
Doggett nodded. "You working on a sequel?"
"Year, I aim to write about one book a year." Mulder said. "I don't know how many there is going to be, but I have a lot of material, so I won't be suffering any writer's block anytime soon."
So it is based off his experiences while on the X-Files! Doggett realised. Good thing all the conspirators are all dead and the aliens are gone for good.
Skinner and Arlene walked up to them. "Don't worry Doggett, Reyes is going to be OK." Skinner said in assurance.
"Scully know's what's she's doing." Mulder assured Doggett.
Doggett nodded.
"What's the baby's gender?" Arlene asked.
Doggett realised he and Monica had not told anyone the gender of the baby.
"It's a girl." He said.
"How adorable." Arlene said. "Have you thought of a name yet?"
"We have, you'll just have to wait until she's born to find out." Doggett teased.
Reminds me of when Scully refused to tell anyone William's gender until he was born Mulder thought. I hope Maggie is having a nice time babysitting him for now.
Scully then walked out of the delivery room. "You can come in now."
Doggett rushed into the delivery room and was stunned into silence by the sight he saw. Reyes was no longer pregnant and their child was in their arms, sucking on her plump breast.
"Isn't she beautiful?" Reyes asked.
Doggett nodded. Scully had clearly made sure the baby was clean and it's urinal cord off before anyone was ready to see her.
"Can I hold her?" Doggett asked.
Reyes nodded.
Doggett slowly knelt down so that he was beside the bed and slowly took the baby into his waiting arms and he studied her. "She has your eyes, my nose, your hair, my skin and your mouth."
Reyes smiled. "Do you want to announce the name?"
Doggett nodded and turned to Mulder, Scully, Arlene and Skinner. "Everyone, meet Monique Doggett Reyes."
"That is a beautiful name!" Arlene squealed. "How did you come up with it?"
"Well since it was a girl, we wanted the name to be similar to mine, yet different enough to avoid confusion." Reyes stated.
"I then asked around and noticed that Monique is a name that has become popular within the last few years, so it made sense to use it." Doggett explained.
"Makes sense." Mulder mused.
Reyes looked up at Scully. "I don't think I could have done this without you."
Scully smiled. "Your the strongest people I know, you would have done it no matter what happened."
Reyes blushed over how right Scully was.
Mulder looked at Monique, and then at Doggett and Reyes. "I have to hand it to you, you've made one beautiful baby."
"Thank you." Doggett said sincerely.
Skinner looked studied everyone around him and while he was undeniably happy for them, he also felt sad as it reminded him of his own history. He remembered how happy he was when he learned that Sharon was pregnant after 4 years of a blissful marriage. Unfortunately, she had a miscarriage. This led to months of misery and the start of the end for his marriage (as well as the loss of his hair). Eventually, he needed to take his mind off it and joined the FBI. And while he managed to never think about the miscarriage (even when Sharon died), being in this room and surrounded by people who had children, it made him want to cry.
Arlene noticed Skinner about to cry and pulled him into a hug, with his face conveniently facing away from the others. "It's OK." She assured him.
He cried as quietly into her shoulder until his face looked like he was just hot and he turned back to everyone. Monique was asleep and Reyes looked like she was exhausted.
"I think it's time everyone be getting home." Doggett said.
Mulder nodded and noticed that Scully was also tired from working overtime at the hospital recently so she could get a few days off from christmas day to New Year's Day. "Come on Scully, your mum and William can't wait for us to arrive back home."
Scully nodded while yawning and Mulder half-carried her out of the room.
Arlene tugged on Skinner's sleeve and whispered into his ear. "I'll make all the bad memories go away." She said in a lightly teasing way.
Skinner nodded in eager anticipation and left the room, leaving Doggett and Reyes alone with their daughter.
"Monica.." Doggett said.
Reyes looked up at him. "Yes John?"
John got onto his knee and pulled out a velvet box with a wedding ring inside.
"John!" Reyes reacted in surprise.
"Monica Reyes, will you the me the greatest honor and become my wife?" Doggett asked.
Reyes was termortially overcome with shock before she overcame it. "Of course I will!"
Doggett beamed with delight as he slipped the ring over her ringer and kissed her on the lips and marked a new chapter in their lives, in all the best ways possible.