TITLE: Analysing the Opposition
AUTHOR: Agent X
EMAIL ADDRESS: aussie_xphile25@yahoo.com.au
DISTRIBUTION: anywhere, just let me know
CLASSIFICATION: V, A
KEYWORDS: MulderPOV, impliedMSR, impliedDSF, post-ep
SPOILER WARNING: Empedocles and minor season 8 before that
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Mulder realises Doggett isn't all that bad after all
DISCLAIMER: The wonderful characters in this story are the property of
the genius Chris Carter, 1013 and Fox
FEEDBACK: Good feedback always welcome, as is constructive criticism.
Don't send a flame if you don't like receiving junk mail.
DEDICATION: As always, this story is dedicated to the wonderful Robert
Patrick, who has inspired me to write this by bringing the character
of John Doggett to life! And also to the SHODDS - the most wonderful
group of people I've never met! ;-)
AUTHOR'S NOTES: For me, when Mulder was informed by Reyes or the
kidnapping and death of Doggett's son, it marked a turning point, if
you like, in the relationship between the two men. After that point
there seems to be a mutual understanding or respect between the two,
and even a small amount of trust... this fic is my opinion of what
Mulder would have been thinking after Empedocles

* No beta reader used. Please excuse the typos *

*

I realised something tonight.
We're not all that dissimilar, John Doggett and I.
Certainly you wouldn't know it to look at us or hear us speak. His
features are as sharp as mine are soft. His voice is somewhere in
between New York and Georgia, with other places thrown in for the fun
of it. My voice, on the other hand, never changes, and could put a
grizzly to sleep, or so I'm told.
Our beliefs are somewhat different too. More different than sunflower
seeds and doughnuts, to be exact.
He goes by the book... I try to forget the book exists. He believes, as
he once told Scully, that the only way to get things done is good cop
work. In my experience, the only way to solve *anything* in our line
of work is to make a leap, and a big one at that.
His time on the X-Files is as short as mine is long, although it is
evident Kersh plans to make his stay in the basement office a long
one. It seems a common occurrence for those high up in the chain of
command to put would-be threats down here in the basement. For Kersh,
I'm a threat to his sanity, and Doggett is a threat to his job.

There are two things Doggett and I have in common though, that make us
more alike than any of the above set us apart.
Loss.
The loss of a child, a family member, a friend...
That kind of pain is something you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy.
He and I both know what it is like.
I, with the loss of Samantha when we were both still kids, then the
loss of both my father *and* mother to Spender, Krycek and other
similar foul beings.
And Doggett lost his son. Kidnapped and murdered at the age of only
eight. He found his son's body, for God's sake. I can only imagine
what such a gruesome and personal discovery would have done to him.
It's taken him over four years to really bury his son, and the guilt
of what else he could have done to save him. And now to have all that
pain brought to the surface again...
Was Agent Reyes wrong in bringing to whole case forward again? No, not
with the possibility of finding the person responsible so close. At
least, although it wouldn't change the past, it might bring some sort
of closure to the case.
I know the feeling all too well.
The number of times I thought I was close to finding Samantha alive...
the number of times I *did* find her, only to learn it was an alien
clone. Even Scully didn't know what I went through during those times.
Which brings me to the other thing we have in common.
Scully.
My dear Scully whom I'd move heaven and earth for if it came to that.
And through my absence in the last few months, I know John Doggett
would have done the same. Countless times, so I've been told, he has
gone *way* past the call of duty to protect her, to save her, to watch
her back. And he'll continue to do it, whether he's her partner or
not.
I know I will too.
I know Scully originally thought his only goal in finding me was to
advance his own career. And maybe it was, back then, but not anymore.
He stayed in a dead-end job to find a man he didn't know. All so he
could make Scully happy.
I should have seen him for who he was before now. I should have known
that he wasn't a mole, a traitor, a liar. But after my experiences,
who could blame me for being suspicious? 'Trust no one'... wise words
from a dying man, and if I didn't live by those words, I doubt I'd
still be around.
I guess I didn't trust him because I saw him as a threat. A threat to
me, a threat to the X-Files, and most of all, a threat to my
relationship with Scully.
But he isn't a threat to any of those.
After this last case, I see that there is more to John Doggett than
first meets the eye. He is a good man; a credit to both the FBI and,
dare I say it, the X-Files. Even if his refusal to believe is as
stubborn as my refusal *not* to believe, when it comes to cases, he'll
do whatever it takes to find the truth.
It's been a long time since anyone has been on the X-Files besides
Scully and myself. It's going to take some getting used to... but I'm
willingly to give it a go and I'm sure he is too.
We may not like each other, but we have an understanding, if you like;
a mutual respect for one another.
Scully trusts him, so maybe one day I will too.

~ the end ~

Author's Notes: Okay, it's 1:57am and I *had* to finish this before I
went to sleep. I think I rambled on a little but I like to get on my
soapbox now and again... just ask the SHODDS ;-)