TITLE: The Stone AUTHOR: Agent X EMAIL ADDRESS: aussie_xphile25@yahoo.com.au DISTRIBUTION: anywhere, just let me know CLASSIFICATION: post ep, S, A KEYWORDS: S, D, Luke Doggett SPOILER WARNING: Invocation, Empedocles, minor Season 8 in general RATING: G SUMMARY: Doggett speaks to his son. Scully learns something about her partner DISCLAIMER: The wonderful characters in this story are the property of the genius Chris Carter, 1013 and Fox FEEDBACK: Yes please, good or bad, to the above address DEDICATION: As always, this story is entirely dedicated to the wonderful Robert Patrick, who has inspired me to write this by bringing the character of John Doggett to life! Also to my fellow WIB and the crew of the Doggship - love ya guys!! Author's Note: Just a few notes about the lack of continuity in this post-ep. I am assuming that Scully didn't know about Luke's murder, only that Doggett had a personal connection with the case in Empedocles. Just works better for me that way. _ More notes at the end. * No beta reader used. Please excuse the typos * **************** The Stone John Doggett knelt in the wet grass in front of the weathered grey stone. It was pouring with rain and he carried no umbrella; the water making his clothes dark and his spiky hair stick to his head. He didn't notice though. All he saw was the inscription on the small marker: Luke John Doggett 1990-1997 Much loved son of John and Miriam Forever in our hearts This stone, this marker, one of thousands that could be seen across the grass, was the only sign that Doggett's son had ever existed. Not many people in DC knew he had a son, and even fewer knew what had happened. It was just too painful to talk about. It wasn't that couldn't face the past. God, no. He'd been reliving that moment every night since he saw his son lying face down in the dirt. What he couldn't handle was people's sympathy. The one thing that made him break down was the look of pity on people's faces when they knew about his son. Doggett was an ex-Marine, ex-NYPD, and now FBI. He didn't break down, *ever*. He prided himself in his unemotional approach to his work. There was no room for emotions in law enforcement, they just got in the way of the job. It was hard *not* to be emotional though, when the job followed you home. Wiping the rain from his face, he sat down next to his son's grave and began to speak. "I think he's gone, Luke. I think we got the bastard who did this to you." There was no reply. Not that he expected one. "I know it's too late for you, but maybe not for some other little boy out there. Maybe somewhere out there are parents who will never know what it's like to lose a child." He brushed his hand across the worn grey stone. In his mind's eye he was gently touching his son's cheek as he slept at home. God, he missed that. "I don't know what to believe anymore, son. I was always so sure that good cop work was the only way to get the job done; that these *leaps* Agent Mulder takes are just lazy. Now I'm not so sure. Maybe he and Monica were right about thisÉ this *thing*É this *evil*. Maybe it does jump from body to body, always passing on the evil to another personÉ" He shook his head. "No, I can't bring myself to accept that, Luke. I just *can't*. Because if that's true then maybe there's something else I could have done to save you. To bring you home to me." He bowed his head to hide his tears, even though no one was around to see them. "The only thing that gets me through each day is believing that I didn't let you down; that I did everything in my power to find you. If these things that Mulder talks about are trueÉ then it means I failed youÉ I let you down." He bowed his head again, tears mingling with the rain on his face, dripping onto his son's name. "I'm sorry, son," he whispered. "I'm sorry." As always, the stone was silent. He left. **************** Dana Scully sat in her car and watched her partner leave the cemetery. She waited five minutes, until she was sure he was gone, and then traced his steps to one of the many small markers on the grassy hill. She read the inscription. "Oh my God," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "His son. It's his son." Suddenly everything made sense to her. His reaction to the latest case, that haunted look she saw so often in his eyes. His desperation to find Billy Underwood on that case months ago. Everything was suddenly clear. His son had been the victim of some horrible crime. Her heart went out to him and she placed her hand on her own belly, imagining the pain of losing a child. She was a little hurt that he hadn't told her about his son, but then again, she hadn't given him any reason to confide in her about anything, let alone his innermost feelings. She felt guilty about following him to the cemetery, but on the other hand, she was glad. That small marker in the ground told her more about John Doggett than any FBI profile ever could. She had misjudged Doggett when they first met. He wasn't sent to destroy her or the X-Files, even though that may have been Kersh's plan. Doggett had his own agenda on the X-Files, an agenda that was a selfless and kind as he was. From the moment they became partners he had watched her back without question. From the moment he knew of her pregnancy he had done nothing but support her. When they found Mulder dead he had tried to protect her. Now she knew why: he didn't want anyone going through the pain he went through himself. Scully wanted to go to her partner. She wanted to tell him she knew of his pain, to hug him, to comfort him. But she couldn't. Instead she plucked a single white rose from a nearby bush and laid it on top of Luke's grave. "I bet you were a wonderful son," she whispered to the stone. "Because you have a wonderful father." ~The End~ More author's notes: Just another note about continuity: Luke's DOB in his file was some time in 1990 and he was seven when he disappeared, which makes it 1997. However, I thought Doggett was still with the NYPD when Luke died, but it says in *his* file that he graduated from the FBI Academy in 1995É? WTF is going on? Ah well, that Chris "Mr Continuity" Carter for ya! _ IÕd love some feedback on this one so please send all your thoughts and/or flames! And another thing, if any of you have read my other stories, you will notice that I seem to have a preoccupation with Luke Doggett. Each story is completely different because I keep having all these ideas about what *could* have happened. _