Title: Inhibitions Author: RPcrazy Category: DRR, X-file Rating: NC-17 (graphic sex) Keywords: Doggett, Reyes, X-file, romance. Disclaimer: The X-Files characters in this fic do not belong to me. Summary: On a case in Salem, Massachusetts Special Agent John Doggett is behaving bizarrely and it is Agent Reyes job to find out why. Notes: Inspired by an episode of Smallville. The name of which would give it all away. Email address: holosweet@yahoo.com.au Please be nice :D Chapter One "Damn it Monica!" Agent Doggett tried to keep his voice down so the other hotel patrons wouldn't hear but his patience was really tested that time. "You're an FBI agent and we have a reputation to uphold." "I know John," Reyes sighed, sitting back in her chair a little awkwardly. "But FBI agents are also human beings and need a little fun now and then, admit that." Doggett stood up glowering at his partner, his jaw grinding, and felt more frustration as she just sat there with a Mona Lisa smile. What did that mean? He would have expected her to have looked more chastized. "Fun? That's what you call it?" He placed a fist on the table. "Kissing Detective Marlow on the cheek was fun?" "John, please sit down and let's talk about this. It's been a long day and you're tired." Her calm exterior covered her inner chaos at disappointing her partner. She nibbled her bottom lip as she watched how angry he was. "Monica. I'm tired when I say so!" He pointed a finger to make his point. "I've put up with a lot of nonsense from you and this is enough." "Please John, just sleep on this, okay?" Doggett had been curiously grumpy since that morning and she'd hoped that taking him for a beer after work would loosen him up. Instead, it was getting him more worked up. "Okay, I'll sleep on it but it won't change my mind about this loosening of protocol." He glared at her for one last time and then turned. "I'm off to bed." Reyes knew that no matter what she said then it wasn't going to convince him to change his mind. It was no big deal giving the small kiss. Detective Nicholas Marlow had helped them solve the case. Without him they wouldn't have found the bodies in Salem Woods proving that Agent Reyes' dreams were in fact based on reality. It was a reward for helping her save face and after all it was officially outside work hours Reyes shook her head in frustration as she watched her partner walk through the door. Looking around the room there were a few faces watching her but turned when they shared eye contact. Sighing she left a tip and went for her jacket that she'd draped over her chair. There was something more, she could sense it. Pondering the day's events she made her way to her hotel room on the second floor. The next day they would be their final day tying up loose ends with the week long case. Maybe she could find out what was eating her partner. 'Yes,' she spoke to herself. 'There must be something bugging him and I'm going to find out what.' ............... After washing up before bed she slipped into her white sleep chemise and slunk down into the covers. On rolling over to turn off her bedside light she caught a glimpse of the time. Midnight. Lying on her back she looked up at the darkened ceiling. Would he be asleep right then or was he also thinking about her? He looked in far too tense a mood to sleep soundly. The last image she had before drifting off herself was of him lying awake in his unlit hotel room. "I'm coming." She must have been asleep all of five minutes before there was knocking at her hotel room door. With drowsiness still clouding her mind she flicked on a light and opened the door without thinking to put on a robe. "You look beautiful tonight." His eyes looked her up and down and then a hand reached out and gently pulled up one strap that had left her shoulder. "John?" Looking puzzled she waited for him to state his reasons for waking her. What she received back confused her. He had a wide rare smile and was dressed to the nines. A pale blue shirt was open at the collar displaying a gold chain around his neck. The dark blue suit looked freshly pressed or even new and his hair was groomed to perfection. He was not the same man who had left her less than an hour beforehand. "Can I come in?" The smile stayed. "No John, you can't come in. Have you been drinking?" She suspected not or she would have smelt it. What she did smell was a wonderfully alluring after-shave fragrance. "What I've been doing is coming to my senses." He was not talking or behaving like the Doggett she knew. "I've been thinking about you." As he spoke he was inching forward and before she knew it he was in the room and closing the door behind him. "I'm here to apologize for my earlier behavior and want to make it up to you." His body was getting even closer and suddenly she was lying back on the bed with him lingering above. Whether it was the wonderful smell or the way he looked, his altered persona, she didn't know. What she did know was that if it were any other time then she would have gladly accepted his kiss. "Make it up to me?" was all she could think of to say as he moved down closer. "I want to take you dancing." His body was hard and warm on hers, everything she had wanted in a man on and in her bed. His mouth was slightly open as it was almost on hers. Then she came to her senses and with both hands pushed him away. "No John, not like this." She rolled from under him and stood, making her way to stand in front of the dresser. "Protocol, remember?" "I remember. So that's a no?" Like the gentleman he was he ceased pursuing and accepted her decision. "Then I'll see you in the morning." Flashing another wide smile he blew her a kiss and made his way to the door. "Just remember, no matter what, it's you I want." "You're going back to your room right?" She had to know he wasn't going to do something foolish. Especially that last statement of his proved he was not acting himself. If he'd had romantic feelings for her then they had been really well hidden until then. What had changed? "See you in the morning," he repeated as Reyes watched him walk down the hall and straight past his own hotel room. .............. No way could she sleep. The investigator in her had to know two things before she went to bed. One was where her partner was going and two, why he was acting that way. Quickly she dressed in a halter dress, strappy shoes and a light leather jacket. What made her wear those was apparent as she left for reception. It was the comment about going dancing. "Excuse me sir," Reyes got the attention of the lone male behind the counter. "Yes ma'am." He must have been no more that eighteen, maybe the manager's son, she thought. "Did a man go past here, six foot, short brown hair in a dark blue suit?" Reyes was clutching at straws but it was a start. The boy nodded as he began talking, "Yes, about ten minutes ago. He asked if there were any nightclubs where he could go dancing." "What did you tell him? Please, it's important." Reyes put on her most innocent face. He smiled, almost winking. "Oh I see. I suggested the Blue Room. It's a cab ride away but it caters for all ages and it's open until about five in the morning I think." Reyes didn't know how to take that but thanked him and headed off. Going across town in the cab she wondered why she was bothering. It could all be a mid life binge for all she knew. He was a big boy and could look after himself. It was still very unlike him, particularly on a work night. Was he doing that to teach her a lesson? It had just simply been a friendly thank you kiss. The detective was really cute but Reyes had more respect than to go seduce a police detective from another town. "We're here." The cab driver waited to be paid. "That'll be a twenty." There were a few people milling about outside the tall stone building. By day it would have looked quite bland and non-obtrusive but by night it was a rainbow of flashing lights. Even from the front door the lively atmosphere inside could be anticipated. After the security guard smiled and nodded Reyes through, she moved her way into the main arena. Indeed the Blue Room was true to its name. Various hues of aqua, cobalt, turquoise and sapphire coated the walls in what looked like spotlights. Every so often they would change to another color, giving the arena an alive feeling. Looking around for Doggett was a difficult one with all the people moving around. A smoky haze also tinged the place and the music was overpoweringly loud. What she would do when she found him she was not sure. It was not as though she'd changed her mind about the dancing, it was just that she was watching her partner's back. Taking off her jacket she draped it over the back of the stool chair. Sitting at the bar she ordered a chardonnay and then sat back to sip it as she surveyed the room. It was indeed a venue for all ages but Reyes started thinking about how many of them would be going to jobs the next day. How many of those would be tired and hung over? "Anyone sitting here?" A voice came from her side. Looking up she saw a tall, dark man, one anyone could have seen coming onto a woman if watching a movie. "No, you take it." She took another sip and kept looking around the room. Then she saw him sitting at the circular bar about a quarter of the way around. He wasn't alone. At that very moment Reyes felt a pang of discomfort. In all her time with Doggett she had never seen him with another woman romantically except his ex wife. She hadn't really thought of him as a ladies' man but seeing him there with the pretty brunette all over him she was changing her theory. "You're first time here?" It took a moment for Reyes to translate his message. "Hi, I'm Carl." "How could you tell? Hi, I'm Monica," she smiled but immediately went back to looking at her partner. He was sitting with his back to the bar, legs open, and the woman was nestling up nice and close. "Probably because you're alone," he replied. "And you're not?" Reyes astutely retorted and watched as the woman took her partner by the hand and led him to the dance floor. "I'm meeting a work colleague here who hasn't shown up yet." He checked his watch. "You'd think that if he's not here by one then he's not coming, but not this place." "Oh, why not?" She was so out of the nightclub scene, leaving that in her youth. "Because the place closes at seven in the morning." Carl received and paid for his beer and took a mouthful. "I thought it closed at five." Her eyes went back to the dancing couple that she could just see through all the moving bodies. He wasn't a half bad dancer. Somehow she hadn't imagined him as a dancer. Maybe it was his driven work ethic leaving no time for flippant recreation. Dancing to him would be a waste of time when he could be fixing his truck or watching a good car race on cable. This was truly a Doggett she had not seen before. "Look, I noticed that you have your eye on someone over there. Looks like he's taken." As soon as Carl said those words a flood of emotion took hold. She hadn't thought of any other woman in his life than she and Agent Scully. "I work with him." She decided that honesty was the best policy. "He's not been acting himself lately and I thought by watching him I could decipher the problem." "You're spying on him!" Carl laughed. "You could say that." Reyes snorted and drained the rest of the wine from her glass. "Another?" Carl did seem such a sweet guy but Reyes was not in the mood for niceties. "No, it's all right. I should get back and get some sleep." She stood wearily and felt like yawning. "A word of advice." He helped her back on with her jacket. "If you want him then you have to let him know. If not then be prepared that he might want other women." "You're right of course." Reyes sighed. "It's been good meeting you and I hope your friend turns up." "If you change your mind I'll be here." Like a gentleman he shook her hand and smiled. If it was any other time she might have taken him up on his offer of company for the night. Chapter Two Reyes woke up with an aching shoulder that needed the heat of the shower to help relax it enough for her to be able to move her arm. Her sleep had been restless and the tension had to take toll on some part of her body. It was their last day of the case. That afternoon they would be on their way home to DC after finishing the paperwork and officially closing the file. Thinking about Doggett again and what he'd been doing when she left the nightclub without detection was making her bind up into a ball of stress. She never did find out why he was behaving that way. Maybe deep down she believed the authenticity of his apology and that he was finally seeing it through her eyes. It was their final day of a one-week stay and she still hadn't worn her lemon work dress and jacket. It seemed too good for when they were searching through scrubland for the missing girls. It was just the outfit to make her feel a woman again. As she slipped on her matching suede slingbacks she thought about her partner and how he would be feeling after a night with little sleep. On the job he had done all nighters but they weren't also mixed with dancing and alcohol. Collecting her badge and wallet she headed out the door to meet her partner a few rooms down the hall. What she saw she was not prepared for. Coming out of Doggett's room was a woman, not just any woman but the one from the previous night, the brunette. "Wait up there," was Reyes' instant reaction. The woman turned, a little startled as Reyes put a foot in the door to stop it from closing. "Do I know you?" She asked. "No, but I'm John's partner and we're due at work." She really didn't want a conversation with her but it was inevitable. "Phew!" she exclaimed. "That is one hell of a partner you have there. I'm going home to have some real sleep." She ran fingers through tousled hair. Reyes' urge to say 'you slept with him?' was strong but the words could not escape to state the apparent. For Doggett to sleep with someone he had just met was certainly not part of any agenda Reyes knew about. It could have been her. Doggett had wanted her the previous night and yet she blew him off into another woman's arms. "I'm not sure he's in any shape to go to work today." She laughed and then moved down the hall leaving Reyes to just imagine what had happened. Somehow the vision of fat sucking vampires came into her head and she quickly entered the room. "John?" She announced her presence and was relieved to see him in one piece although still in bed. "What were you thinking last night?" "Oh, Monica," he groaned and sat up, clutching his head and letting the blankets fall to show his bare skin. "Get me some ice will ya?" She felt disinclined to get him anything seeing the torture was self-inflicted but stood and walked to the fridge anyway. Finding some paper toweling she dropped in a few ice cubes and returned it to a waiting wounded Doggett. "So besides the obvious, what did you do last night?" Reyes held the ice pack to his forehead. "Come on, lie back." Slowly he did as he was asked and he relaxed enough to answer. "It was all very hazy." He watched her as he spoke. "I remember going to a nightclub and meeting a woman." He hesitated and looked under the blankets to clearly see he was wearing no clothes. "So the age old trick of not remembering. The woman I met on the way out seemed to be highly impressed." Doggett went strangely quiet, grinding his jaw. "Really Monica, the only other thing I remember is talking with you before I left in a cab." "You don't remember trying to kiss me on my bed?" She held the ice steady. "You don't remember the woman who was in this bed with you?" "Monica, I...I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have disrespected you that way." His eyes showed his true remorse. "Forgiven, now let's get going to work." She took the ice pack away and let him get out of bed in privacy. "I just need to make a phone call while you're in the shower." ................. "No, I have no idea." Scully's voice sounded from the other end of the line. "It could be that he was slipped a drug or there's something chemically out of place in his brain but I'd need to examine him." "Thank you anyway Dana. Apart from a hangover he seems back to normal this morning." "Hangover you say?" "Yes, why?" Reyes was puzzled. "I've never seen John have any more than two beers. What would suddenly make him change?" "I don't know but hopefully it's all better now." She thought back to the amorous Doggett and smiled. If only it was for real and he did feel that way about her, she would be the happiest woman on earth. "Well be sure to tell him to drop by when you both get back to DC." "Will do Dana." With that she clicked the off button just as Doggett was exiting the shower. "That was Agent Scully, she's agreed to examine you when we get back." "You told her about this?" Doggett was frowning as he got fresh work clothes from his drawer. "Monica, I don't particularly want this getting around." "And it won't. This is Dana we're talking about. She wouldn't tell a soul." Reyes politely turned the other way as her partner dressed. "Just promise me if it happens again that you'll throw water over me or slap me or something." He sat on the bed in his shirt and work pants putting on his socks and shoes. "Hand me my jacket will you Mon?" "What's this?" The jacket seemed to be a little lop-sided as though something heavy was in one of the pockets. Digging her hand in she came out with a piece of rock. "It's just something I found yesterday in the woods." He took the jacket and the rock from Monica and replaced the item in his pocket. "You usually collect rocks John?" Reyes was amused. "I just thought it looked unusual and the color is different." He combed through his hair and collected his badge and wallet. "I used to collect crystals as a boy. Ready to go to work?" Reyes nodded to both statements. ................ Detective Nick Marlow was in a fine mood as they entered the station. "Good morning agents." He particularly took a little more notice of the female agent especially in the suit he hadn't seen before. With his eyes he told her how much he liked what he saw but the code of behavior would not let him say aloud. "Mornin' Detective. What you got for us?" Doggett was straight to the point, perhaps noticing the transient flirting. "Well, they were two sisters, Evelyn and Nicole Timms." He moved to behind the desk to be in front of the computer. "Taken from their homes two weeks ago by a Hugh Jeffrey Walker of Boston. He killed them and dumped them in the woods. No sign of sexual assault, just knife wounds to the heart. He's now in custody. That's all quite clear." He looked towards the female agent who was sitting on the edge of a nearby desk. "All that says it's a cut and dried case, all except for how we knew where the bodies were, Agent Reyes." "I can't say for sure 'how' it happened only that I was taking a yoga class and the instructor suggested we try a herbal tea that was renowned as having properties to clear the mind and relax the partaker into an inward state." "Sounds illegal to me." Doggett snorted and crossed his arms. "It's not illegal, just a recipe called 'pupulun aniti' from an ancient American Indian tribe. I found out later that these people took this for use in telepathic communication." "So why you Agent Reyes?" The detective sat at his chair and began typing notes for the report. "Why not anyone in that room with you? Why not someone from anywhere in the country?" "I have a gift Detective. It allows me to see things that others may not. With the help of the tea it probably helped channel the distress call to me. Unfortunately by the time I recognized the setting of Salem Woods where they were found it was too late." She hung her head a little and bit it lower lip. "You helped catch the culprit Agent Reyes and that's a good thing." Doggett stood and walked over to be beside his partner. "Otherwise he could be still out there killing other unsuspecting teenagers." Reyes nodded at her partner, not at all seeing the man he was the previous night and first thing that morning. "Okay," Detective Marlow stood. "I have another case I'm working on. I'll let you two finish up the paperwork here. Page me when it's done?" Before leaving he gave Reyes an extra wide smile that this time Doggett definitely noticed. "We're only here till the afternoon Monica, don't get any ideas." Doggett pulled up another chair next to the one Reyes took to do the typing of the report. "What ideas would those be John?" She began looking through the notes on the monitor but was especially conscious of how close her partner was. "Ones like last night when you slept with a woman you'd only just met?" Doggett looked around the room with a frown hoping no one had heard. "I told you, I don't remember much of that and I really don't know how it happened." He looked sheepish as his head looked ahead to the screen. "I really do believe you John." Her voice softened. "I can't see you sleeping with just anybody." "Good to know," he nodded unhurriedly and looked at his partner who was only inches away. "There's only one woman in the world I would consider making out with." Reyes' heart leapt at the admission but she tried to keep her cool. "John, we need to write this report and finally close this file." Even though she had started out saying it with conviction the words ended with not so much willpower. A strange feeling was overtaking her body, one she liked very much but couldn't explain. "I need to talk to you alone Monica," Doggett leant in and whispered so that no one else heard. Why was it that his brand of after-shave was suddenly more important than doing their job? They were always professionals in their work life. She felt her inner desires coming to the fore at a highly inappropriate time. "Where will we go, there are people everywhere?" Normally she would have laughed it off and patted him on the knee and suggested they finish the report first. Her partner perused the room looking just as insistent as she. "The only place where there's a lock." He stood and Reyes followed him barely able to manage the way she was feeling. The bathroom was out the back and away from public gaze. ~~~~~~~~~~ "Oh Monica, forgive me," he mentioned breathlessly as he took off his jacket and hung it on a peg behind the door. Reyes had her jacket off in no time and handed it to him to hang with his own. Suddenly they were madly kissing. It was not slow and sensuous like a first time might have been but fast and furious. Their arms clung to each other as though they could always be closer. Both bodies moved back until the sink stopped Reyes. Immediately Doggett lifted her to a sitting position. As if his partner knew exactly what was coming she spread her legs and let his hips dig into her groin. The moment was raw, savage energy as though letting all their stored up emotion escape in one heated make-out session. Reyes couldn't believe what they were finally doing and in work time too but she didn't care. It was as though they had lost all inhibitions. Still moving his mouth gloriously on hers, not being able to get enough, he somehow began undoing her back zipper. Sliding it all the way down he broke the kiss in just enough time to pull her dress down over her shoulders and chest revealing a perfect white lace bra that she'd had no intention of anyone seeing. His mouth was wide with awe and lust as his fingers made a slow path down from her shoulders and over the soft mounds of her breasts. Her head flung back letting her hair cascade behind her as his expert hand massaged each breast. Using fingers first and then flat palms he fueled even further the burning desire for him to take her there and then on the lone bathroom sink. Reyes wanted him so badly her loins ached. With nimble fingers she undid his tie and then shirt buttons revealing his naked chest. It was her turn to feel over his hardness. With her hands flat she drew the shirt down and off his shoulders letting it fall to the floor. In an instant he had removed her bra and they were once again intensely kissing, skin on animated skin. Above, mouths were open as lively tongues explored, down below their hips ground together as though they were already unclothed and making hot love. Still linked at the lips Reyes went for Doggett's belt buckle and then the zipper of his pants. Something happened at the precise moment she'd heard the grinding of the zipper. It wasn't just the forceful knock at the door that stopped them in their tracks. "You all right in there?" It sounded like Detective Harlow's voice. "We're.....I'm okay." Doggett quickly corrected and looked at his partner as though he'd just been a mischievous schoolboy. "John I.....," Reyes wasn't sure what to say. "You don't know what came over you because that goes the same for me." He picked up his shirt and began dressing as Reyes was donning her bra. "There's something at work here John." Pulling up her dress top she turned to let Doggett do up the zip. "Firstly you last night and now both of us today." "Monica, I hope you're not mad with me." He watched her reaction as he did up his tie and then went for both their jackets. "No, I'm not the least bit mad with you." She stood away from the sink and brushed her dress down. "I was prepared to let you make love to me right now, in a police station bathroom." "It's odd all right because I was prepared to nail you Monica." He put his final arm through the jacket sleeve and straightened his clothing before moving to the door. "That's not like me. I respect women. I respect you," he said in a quieter voice. "I know John. Let's look as though we're back at work and see if we can get to the bottom of this." Reyes returned to their workstation first trying hard not to show the guilt that she felt deeply inside. Beginning to type, before long Doggett was back by her side. "All clear." He reached into a pocket for a Kleenex to wipe his sweaty forehead but with it brought out something else. ~~~~~ He handed it over to Reyes who looked to him with puzzlement. "This is the rock you found in Salem Woods." Suddenly something caught her eye. "I know it sounds silly but could this be causing the changes in us?" Monica chuckled, "John you really are understanding the X-Files better. Pass me that Kleenex will you?" "What is it?" Taking the tissue she began wiping over the surface of the rock revealing more of what was underneath. As each bit of clay was rubbed off there appeared more of an orange glow. "Looks like a piece of amber." She kept uncovering more of the stone. "The dried sap from trees that can hold fossils from many millennia back." As the last speck of dirt was removed both their mouths began to drop as they witnessed something quite unusual. From deep within the rock there seemed to be a faint pulsating glow. "Let me see that." With permission Doggett took the stone and examined it more fully. "How can this be? Would this be the cause of what happened to us?" "That I don't know John." As they spoke the pulses became a little more frequent. "Why did the effect suddenly stop before?" "It was in my jacket pocket which was over by the door. Maybe proximity to this thing sets it off." Doggett turned the amber in his fingers. "It's more than proximity. Something activates it and we're going to need to find out what." "What's that?" At the sound of the detective's voice Doggett quickly put the rock back in his pocket. "Just a piece of rock I found in the woods, nothing to do with the case." Doggett shrugged it off as no big deal. Until he knew more about it he was not telling anyone. "Harlow, we'll be done here in about an hour or so and then we'll be on our way." "Okay then." He took his coffee cup back to another workstation across the room. "John, until we know what activates this we need to encase it in something to block the power." She looked around the desk for something suitable. "That's if it is this." He pulled the stone back out of his pocket. "I just can't understand how it could be." "How about we tell Agent Scully when we get back." Reyes produced a plastic bag from the desk. "Maybe she'll have some answers." "You think that will protect us?" Doggett watched as she wrapped layer after layer of the plastic around the stone. "You want to be protected, Agent Doggett?" Reyes gave him an innocent looking smile. Chapter Three "Damn fleet cars!" Doggett picked up a stone by the roadway and hurled it into the empty field. "I think it's time this one was replaced." "John, a tow truck will be here any moment." Reyes sat leaning against the car hood just enjoying the smell of the open country and the feel of the breeze through her hair. "This way we won't get home until early morning." He looked at his watch that indicated six in the evening. "We could stay overnight somewhere." Reyes suggested. "I'll give AD Skinner a call to say we may be in late tomorrow." She extracted her cell phone from the car and dialed. He could hear her quiet phone voice as what seemed to be their saving vehicle appeared over the horizon. "Looks like a fan belt but also the alternator seems shot, we've had intermittent electrics for half the drive." Doggett explained to the driver after he pulled up beside the road. "Nothing I could fix out here." "Looks like you could be right." The driver extracted his head from inside the hood and wiped his hands on a rag. "I can take it to the next town. They have a gas station with a mechanic there. Don't know how long you'll be stuck there though." "We'll be staying overnight anyway, Les." Reyes looked at his nametag. "There's the Owen's place. They have a couple of rooms they let out but apart from that there's not a lot in the way of overnight accommodation. Just ask Sam the mechanic and he'll get an assistant to drive you there." Reyes looked at her partner with a relaxed attitude trying to convey the feeling that these things happen and to go with the flow. "Okay," Doggett agreed as he began helping Les tie up the front of the car to the truck's hook. "Now you and your lady friend sit in the truck while I finish up here." He had clearly done many of those rescues before. "This is just great!" Doggett humphed as he let his colleague into the cabin. "It's just a small obstacle in life John. Life is full of things to test us." Reyes was the calming influence he needed. "I know," he sighed as he brought out the plastic bag from his pocket. "Like this thing." "We still don't know for sure if it's this rock that is causing our changes in behavior but it looks highly likely. May I?" She took the bag from Doggett and began unwrapping. "Is that wise?" Doggett emitted a nervous chuckle. "Why John, you don't want me molesting you here and now?" She pulled out the rock and it glowed orange in her hand. It was truly beautiful to watch. "No, I'm not sure if I can sit by and watch you and Les making out." At that comment she gave him a small dig in the ribs. "Seriously John, you've had this in your pocket since Salem and nothing's happened so far. What would that tell you?" "That either the plastic is blocking the energy some way or it hasn't been triggered?" He took the stone and shifted it in his fingers. "Do you think this glow inside might have something to do with it? Seems brighter than before." "I think it has everything to do with it and I think I've just made a connection." Reyes looked into the eyes of her partner. "I think I've figured it out but I'm going to need to try something when we get a place to stay overnight." Doggett had no time to agree or disagree when there was Les' voice at the door. "All set to go." As he climbed into the driver's seat Doggett quickly slipped the golden amber back in his jacket pocket without it being seen. "Charlotteville, here we come." He smiled as they headed off down the road. Reyes felt a little nervous about what she was thinking of doing but it was all part of the research, she told herself. Doggett was an astute man, he would also have known the implications of her plan. ~~~~~~~~~~ "I usually let out the cabin by the week but I can see your dilemma." Mrs. Owen turned to walk back into her house. "I'll just get the key." "Monica, we should have told her we're federal agents," Doggett's voice rumbled by her side. "We're not on official business and I just have a feeling she wouldn't have let us use the cabin overnight if she knew." Reyes indicated inside the home and to all the religious icons. "Mrs. Owen and her husband are God fearing people and she thinks we're married or she would have turned us away even if it meant sleeping in our car over night." "Married?" He tried to keep his voice low even though he felt he needed to say it much louder. Reyes just showed him her left hand with her silver ring strategically placed on 'that' finger. "That'll be thirty dollars up front if you don't mind." The landlord waited while Doggett got out his wallet and handed over the cash. "You don't have a ring Mr....," "It's Doggett and....," he hesitated trying to come up with some excuse that didn't sound too suspicious. "It was my late dad's ring and it's just getting resized to fit me." Reyes internally smiled at his quick aside. "I'm sorry to hear about your father." She politely replied. "Okay Mr. and Mrs. Doggett the cabin is right out back. I'm sure you can find your own way. "I wish you wouldn't spring things on me like that Monica." Doggett turned the key in the cabin door. It was a little stiff making him wonder how long it had been since anyone had stayed there. "You did well John." Reyes chuckled as they entered and surveyed the facilities. "I mightn't want to go home." The cabin seemed cozy and clean and had a smell that reminded her of vacations when she was a girl. There were two sections, an open plan living room with a kitchenette at one end and a door that probably led to the bedroom. "I'll sleep on the couch." Doggett placed an overnight bag to claim the furniture and went to the kitchen and opened the fridge door. "Want a soda Monica?" "Just something plain for me," she called as she went for the bedroom door. 'Perfect,' she thought. Doggett handed her a bottle of water that he had opened for her. "Bigger than I would have thought." Doggett mentioned as he moved around the room. "I think it's made for a small family. You don't need to sleep on the couch after all John." She quickly exited the room then came back with his over night bag and hers. His bag she placed on one of the three beds and hers on another. He nodded approval. If they were on official business, for protocol's sake, he would have insisted he still take the couch. "I'm beat," he looked at his watch. "Quarter after nine." "Since when did you ever get to bed that early John?" Reyes giggled. "Since I know I didn't get much sleep last night." He said it quietly not really wanting her to remember what he had done. Hell, 'he' didn't want to remember! "So does she have your phone number?" Reyes was more curious than annoyed by her partner's actions of the previous night. It was not the John Doggett she knew and admired and so in a way forgave him his moment of abandon. "Hope not. I'm not sure I could do a repeat of last night." Doggett this time smiled. It must have either all come back to him or he was trying to spare her feelings by feigning memory loss. "So Monica, you were going to test something out with that stone?" He took it out of the pocket after hanging up his jacket. "I bet you were thinking about that all the time we were having dinner at the diner tonight," Reyes hoped. "No, I'm just curious." He began loosening his tie and then went to take off his socks and shoes. "You said you thought you knew what triggers this." He handed it to Reyes who watched as the glow became even brighter. ~~~~~~~ "There's clearly some sort of internal energy source this thing has." Reyes placed it on the table between their two beds and also went to her bag to get out her night attire. "Almost like a battery. A battery doesn't work unless it has something to trigger it." She pulled out her satin baby doll and panties but decided to go with the night T-shirt instead considering present company. "So what you're sayin' is that you might know what sets it off." Doggett pulled off his shirt and replaced it with a fresh green T-shirt, then went for the belt of his pants. At that point he turned away so they could both have a little privacy in changing. "I watched a repeat episode of Smallville recently and in it Clarke Kent had a ring that was made of some sort of red mineral that changed his personality." She pulled off her v-neck sweater and undid her bra, letting them fall to the bed. "Don't tell me you watch that show!" Doggett pulled off his pants and underwear to pull up his cotton boxers. "It was in one of my moods when all I wanted to do was stay home and be entertained by the television." Slipping the T-shirt over her head first she took off her pants and put on some fresh underwear for bed. "Maybe this stone is something like that? The energy inside is triggered somehow that causes a change in our personalities." "Monica, we're not in a science fiction show here, neither are we in a Jekyll and Hyde movie, it's real life and as far as I know no one changed their personality because of a bit of mineral." He found his toothbrush and made his way to the mirror and sink in the room. "Drugs can change a personality if ingested, aromatherapy is meant to be a legitimate form of relaxant, why not this?" She held it up after replacing her day clothes in her overnight bag. "Then what are you sayin'? Man made this?" He took it from her and rolled it in his fingers as she also went to clean her teeth. "That I don't know yet but I'm hoping we find out when we take it to Dana tomorrow for analysis." She cleaned her teeth quickly and popped under the cool covers and faced her partner in the adjacent bed. "John, do you know what something like this means? Harnessing the energy of this crystal could mean so many things. It may be a whole new form of safe drug." "You mean if loosing one's inhibitions is a good thing then I'm not so sure." Doggett placed the stone back on the bedside table and they both watched as its glow lit up the dark room. "I'm starting to think that this is all just crap anyway." He lay back and snorted. "Otherwise, it would have kicked in by now." "John?" Reyes' soft voice pierced the quiet room. "Last night, what were you thinking about just before you went to sleep?" There was even more silence but Reyes knew he was thinking of what to say. She already had a rough theory of what it was. "About you," came a sexy rumble from the other bed. Suddenly her face flushed and her heart beat as though it was going to fly out of her chest. "What about me?" She knew but it was all part of her test. There was audible breathing in the room that added to her own. "Oh Monica, I'm not sure I can control myself." There was a low groan from his throat and then deep breathing as though he was trying to keep himself from doing what his body was pushing him to do. "John, I feel it too." Her experiment had worked. She knew what activated the stone's aphrodisiac energies. Last night it had been him going to her. This time she knew what she should do. ~~~~~ Getting out from under the covers she moved over to the adjacent bed and to a man who was clutching the bed covers until his knuckles almost showed white even in the darkness. "It's all right John. I want this too." Her lips were so ready for his. Remembering his intense kisses from earlier on that day in the Salem PD's bathroom were not enough. She needed to feel them again but more. "John if you think it's just the stone making you feel like this then I'll stop but I intensely want you right now." No more words were needed. The next moments were almost blurred as he lifted the covers and then brought her body to his. Rolling on the bed with limbs locked so tightly they kissed again from where they had left off earlier. Reyes couldn't help but make primal noises that filled the room as his hands explored all over her body in only a few minutes and then were pulling at her night clothes. Doggett's tongue probed inside her so deeply and erotically and just as suddenly let her do the same. Only taking a short break she let him slip off her t-shirt and once again his hands were massaging her breasts, tweaking at her nipples with his thumbs. "John, your clothes." He let her take off his T-shirt and then flopped him back on the bed and straddled him. Forcefully she took his willing mouth again as his hands moved sensuously over her bare back and down to her sweet soft cheeks. Fingering under her underwear with both hands he teased open her legs bit by bit and let his hard on move on her slick center. "I can't stop!" His voice was almost squeaky as he gyrated his hips making her wish they didn't need to stop to take off their underwear. "Don't stop," she urged as she let her breasts skim over the hot skin of his chest and then her tongue brush over first his bottom lip and then his top. The kiss was brutal, passionate, primal as were his hands moving her ass cheeks open, and pulling her hips closer to his. She wanted to feel all of him. At that moment she didn't care what he did to her. He could perform his most intimate fantasy and she knew she would come over and over. With a sudden tug the underwear was torn from her body. Another tug pulled the fabric right off her hips making her totally bare. His fingers from both hands teased at her core. Normally she would have imagined a first time as slow and intimate but nothing else mattered. He could have her any way. Her heart thumped wildly as his hips drove into her and his hand stayed between her cheeks pulling her closer and closer. She couldn't hold on. Before she knew it her internal energy was building into a screaming orgasm. As if he knew, Doggett kept up the intense motion experiencing his own pre-orgasmic state of euphoria. Just as she was reaching the heights he quickly ripped off his boxers, threw her over on her back and pushed his thick rod deep inside her. He was pumping wildly as her orgasm peaked over and over. There was no way she could have predicted how wildly sexual her first encounter would be. No way had she ever had multiple orgasms with anyone. Looking up she just had to see that it was really her FBI partner John Doggett above her and in her. It was a side of him she had only imagined and it was all true. "Oh baby," his hips slapped hers and then stopped for a moment as he growled in his chest. As his sweet warmth filled her completely she began to settle, the veins in her neck relaxing. Becoming aware again of the room around them and the circumstances of their first sexual union made her beam widely. "What?" Doggett asked through half closed eyes. He lightly rested his body on her allowing her a feel of his back and ass. There had hardly been time to really feel just how good his body was. "You," she wickedly grinned. "How did you learn to fuck like that John?" "I really don't know where that came from." He planted another kiss on her lips before rolling over and pulling the covers over both their bodies. Reyes turned and stretched over to hold the golden crystal and showed it to Doggett. "You think it was because of this but I think it really comes from us John." Reyes gave the stone to her partner. "Notice something?" "Yeah, there's not so much of a glow now." "I think that what sets this thing off is our sexual thoughts." A hand ran down his chest and she knew at that moment that if they didn't do something about hiding the stone there would be a sleepless night ahead. "How so?" He gave the rock back and Reyes replaced it on the table having no intention of expressing to him that he could be having another very active night. "I'm not sure how it works but it somehow relaxes our inhibitions. The repressed feelings inside us are loosened and we are free to act upon our impulses. Can you imagine what a break through in medical science this would be? Imagine how Dana would be feeling?" Reyes was wondering it too, whether Doggett was also feeling the blood begin to heat again. Her hand as if with a mind of its own moved down under the blankets to 'touch' her reply. "Again?" Doggett smiled and rolled his partner over so that he rested on top. As he kissed her sweetly that time, a warm orange glow filled the room. ~~~~~~~ "Oooh," It was almost a groan expressing how much her body ached from a night of almost continual sex with her partner. The number of positions was almost uncountable. Every pore, every muscle, every patch of skin had been touched over and over with fingers, tongues and mouths. Memorable was an understatement. It was a super human effort on both their parts. Even the dreams with the little sleep she got were filled with erotica. "My head!" Reyes groaned and slowly sat to find Doggett with an ice pack for her. He also looked a little worse for wear. "Come on Monica, Skinner will be here with a new vehicle in little over thirty minutes." She lay back and let him rest the pack on her forehead for a moment. "There's a couple of aspirin and water for you on the table. I'm going for a shower." "Please stay." Reyes held onto his arm. She couldn't believe she still had some energy. "For a moment but we can't let him see us like this." Doggett sat on the bed beside her and handed over the aspirin. She dutifully swallowed and then looked to him to hopefully read his expression. "About last night.....," She was silenced by a morning kiss. It was engaging and sensual as his hand slipped slowly down her bare back and brought her closer. The same old feelings were beginning to surface but that time sense began to take over. If they had sex again then it was possible they could be caught. If Skinner was early he could walk in on them and that would be disastrous for the trust he had placed in both of them. Doggett must have felt it too because he released her lips and then smiled. "Let's shower. I'm anxious to see what this rock actually is." As he stood dressed just in his boxers he looked across to where they had left the evidence. "Monica, do you have it?" "No." She lifted herself into a kneeling position on the bed and looked to the spot she had placed the artifact the night before. It wasn't there. Doggett began looking around the room but Reyes noticed something unusual and called him back. "John, here!" Together they both witnessed something unexpected. From the spot the stone had been, there came an intense golden light that almost blinded them and then just as suddenly was gone leaving an empty space on the table top and a slight scent of some unknown fragrance. It took a while for them to both understand what had happened. "I think we must have used up all its energy." Reyes smiled even though she was vastly disappointed. "I suppose 'batteries' don't always last a lifetime. I should have known." "Easy come, easy go I guess." Doggett was a little more flippant than his partner would have thought. "Don't you see John, there's nothing left to find out what makes this thing work." Suddenly feeling her nakedness she covered her chest with the sheet. "Monica, you don't need to cover up what I have already mapped out clearly in my head." He bent down and took her chin and drew it to his mouth. She kissed him back and knew for sure that an outside influence wasn't guiding his behavior. "You're not upset by this?" Reyes questioned. "John that doesn't seem like you." "You know when I said I read all the X-Files?" His face went a little serious. "For all the strange goings on, the things Mulder and Scully had witnessed, where's the evidence, the hard facts?" "There are the rubbings from the Scully's spaceship," she reminded. "Yes, we both saw those but where are they now?" His face remained sober. "Our office got guttered after Mulder's trial remember? Everything of importance was taken. What can we do about it? It's happened. Go with the flow Monica, they were your words if I remember correctly." Reyes smiled, happy that her often severe partner was finally softening. "So you're saying that what matters is what we have seen, what we know and have experienced." As Reyes spoke her partner nodded. "Our experiences are more than a filing cabinet's worth of files." "You got it, now let's shower and pack." He began to walk to the bathroom but looked back. "Where there's one, there may be others." He grinned and then disappeared through the door leaving Reyes to ponder just that thought. Chapter Four "I see nothing wrong with you, either of you. Nothing that a good relaxing bath couldn't fix. What did you two do up there?" Dr. Dana Scully with stethoscope around her neck stood back from the two seated agents. The next day back at work Reyes and Doggett had made a special trip to Quantico to let Scully examine them. They needed to know if there had been any lasting effects from the night before, if there was some chemical reaction in their bodies that may have caused harm. "What did you say the problem was again?" Looking towards each other the eye contact confirmed that to save face and to keep their secret safe a story would need to be concocted. "Dana, it could have been something we've eaten." Reyes stood and refastened the buttons of her top while Doggett put on his tie. "John just seemed more affected than I was?" "Agent Doggett?" Scully looked to him for verification and he turned to Reyes while putting on his suit coat. "Um, maybe it was dinner yesterday. I wasn't myself last night and woke with a massive headache." Reyes had told him on their way back home that it was her duty as a partner not to give all the details of his unusual actions, especially over the phone. "Can't remember the last time I felt that way." "Okay, it could be bacterial or even viral. That wouldn't be past the realm of possibility." She took the stethoscope off and placed it on a nearby stainless steel bench of the lab. "How do you feel now?" "Fine, fine." Reyes repeated. "Finished as quickly as it started." Reyes also slipped her jacket back on and reached for the car keys. "I could do further tests if you really want but if you're both feeling okay now and unless this recurs I'm giving you both a clean bill of health." Scully washed her hands and then went for some paper towel. "Sorry to bother you Dana." Doggett indicated to his partner that they should be going by placing a soft hand on his partner's lower back. "Any time I can help." The last thing they both saw as they entered the hall on their way towards the elevator was a rare smile from their colleague and friend. Did she know something she wasn't telling? "We should have told her more John." They walked briskly to their destination, wanting to get back to DC before their absence was noted. "Why and bring attention to ourselves and our aberrant behavior?" He pushed the down button and the doors immediately opened. "I think this can safely stay with us Monica. It has no bearing on the case we just closed." "I suppose I just want answers." It was her turn to push the button for the parking garage. The elevator was empty so they could talk freely. " "Don't you think I want answers as much as you? I don't know about you but this need not go beyond the two of us. It's our reputations on the line." The bell sounded for the basement and Doggett was the first to exit. Reyes stood alone in the elevator pondering his words. She was a little disappointed in Doggett's attitude. It was as though he was sweeping it all under the carpet. They had willingly shared their emotions, their bodies and a bed. Even though under the influence of some unexplained force they could have fought it if they really wanted. "Coming?" Doggett turned when he sensed he was alone. "Why the long face?" Reyes caught up to him. "I just thought maybe last night could have meant the same to you as it meant to me." She stopped him before opening the car door for her. "Last night meant something." He nodded and began to understand. A faint smile spread over his face. "You want it to happen again? It that it?" "John?" She leant against the car door showing she wanted resolution before returning to DC. "I'm getting too old for casual sex." "Uh huh, and...?" The small smile remained. He was teasing her and making her give away her feelings for free. "You want it to happen again?" "And you don't?" She opened her eyes wide innocently. "Okay," He placed his hands on his hips. "How about next weekend we both go back to Salem and go look for more of those rocks." "I'm happy to do that with you John but something tells me this was a one off." She watched him as he slowly nodded understanding. Then he moved in close enough but not making anything too obvious to passersby and spoke in a low voice beside her face. She could feel his sexual energy once more just streaming from his body to hers and wished they were outside her apartment at night so they could decide to enter and spend another night together. "I think we both know we don't need any rocks to make our own chemistry together." As he moved back, the smile on his face was impish. Reyes' smile returned as she let her partner open the door for her and then watched keenly as he made his way to the driver's seat. With the same playful smile he started the engine and began to reverse. "I'll be at your place at eight tonight." His smile became wider as he sensed his partner's contented aura beside him. The End