Title: “You’ll Never Be Alone”

Author: Little Albatross (admin@littlealbatross.com)

Dates: July 11, 17, 2004; August 6-7, 11, 2004; September 9, 2004

Distribution: XFMU, Don't Not Believe. Anyone else, please ask.

Rating: G

Category: post-episode, Follmer/Reyes UST

Timeline: The night “4-D” left us with.

Spoilers: 9x05 “4-D”

Beta: Cassie

Disclaimer: Monica Reyes and Brad Follmer don’t belong to me. I 
wish they did, but they don’t. They belong to Chris Carter, Ten-
Thirteen Productions and 20th Century FOX Broadcasting. If you 
recognize anything else, it’s not mine.

Summary: Monica discovers that she’s not alone in remembering the 
events that happened with Erwin Lukesh.

Author’s Note: I’ve always wondered what happened after “4-D”. 
This is one of my ideas I’ve had of what happened. I hope you 
enjoy it.

--------------------

Monica Reyes sits on her couch with a blank expression, not 
taking notice of the darkness in her apartment at 67 Bennett 
Avenue. The events that unfolded today were unbelievable. How can 
a parallel world exist? How is it John Doggett didn’t experience 
what happened? Why is she the only one who remembers?

Her mind can’t make sense of it.

John Doggett left her apartment earlier that day, and the only 
thing she could think of to do was to sit and stare blankly at 
the unpacked boxes in her apartment. Now that night has arrived, 
cleaning up the mess is something she needs to do. Perhaps it 
could take her mind off of today’s events.
 
Monica rises from her couch, turns on a lamp, and walks in a daze 
to the mess in her bedroom. If she’s going to keep her sanity at 
least one room should be made livable.
 
Her eyes look at the boxes that are stacked against her wall, her 
unmade bed, and packing paper that has been thrown to the floor. 
She doesn’t even know where her bed sheets or pillows are.

She lets out a sigh and stumbles her way over to the stack of 
boxes. She opens a box and finds her bed pillows. She smiles as 
she sees that she is on a start in the right direction. She 
tosses the pillows on her bed and continues opening boxes until 
she finds her bed sheets.

There is a knock on her door, which catches her attention. She 
checks her watch: five minutes after nine at night. She walks 
through her living room to answer the door.
 
“Who is it?” She asks.

“Brad Follmer.” His voice comes through the door.

Monica opens the door. Brad is wearing a brown coat, which is wet 
from the gentle rain outside.
 
“Hey.” Monica says, not expecting to see him.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” Brad asks.

“No, you didn’t.” Monica smiles at him. “Come on in.” She moves 
to the side of the door to allow him entrance into the apartment. 

Brad looks around her apartment.

“I thought you’d have more unpacked by now.” Brad says, turning 
to smile at her. 

Monica smiles back, not sure if she should tell him how she’s 
been sitting in a daze all day.

“So what brings you here?” Monica asks, changing the subject. 

“I thought I’d come see how you’re doing.” Brad says with a hint 
of nervousness in his voice.

Monica smiles.

“I’m good.” She says, hoping that she’s convincing him. How could 
she possibly be good after almost being killed in a parallel 
world? “Would you like something to drink?”

“Water, please.” Brad says.

“I hope I have my glasses unpacked.” Monica smiles at him as she 
heads into the kitchen. 

Brad follows her, being careful not to trip over any boxes or 
packing paper.

“You don’t need any help unpacking do you?” Brad offers.

Monica finds a glass and fills it with water. She turns and hands 
it to him.

“I think I can handle it from here.” Monica smiles at him. “The 
movers did all the heavy lifting.”

“That’s good.” Brad smiles. “It’s a nice place you have. Suits 
you well.”

“Quiet neighborhood too.” Monica says, as a thought enters her 
head. She looks at him curiously. “Come to think of it, I wasn’t 
aware you knew where I lived.”

Monica looks at him curiously. Brad shows nervousness, not sure 
how to bring up what he’s come to talk about. He lets out a sigh.

“I, uh...” Brad starts.

Monica has never seen him nervous about anything in his life. 
He’s always been very forward with her. She waits for him to 
continue.

“I don’t know how to explain this, Monica.” Brad says. “I mean, 
how do you explain something you don’t understand?”

Brad looks into her eyes, knowing that she’s the one person who 
can understand him. Monica waits for him to go on.

“Something happened today...” Brad starts again. “I don’t know if 
I should even tell you.” He laughs nervously. “It’s crazy.”

Brad shakes his head, deciding that it’s better not to tell her. 
Monica walks up to him and looks him deep in the eyes.

“Brad, what is it?” Monica asks, growing concerned for him.

Brad can’t turn away from her honest eyes. They are so welcoming 
and understanding. This is why he loves her so much. He takes a 
heavy sigh before continuing.

“A man tried to kill you.” Brad says in all seriousness.

Monica looks into his eyes. Does he know what happened with Erwin 
Lukesh? Her heart skips a beat.

“A man who could pass through different worlds?” Monica asks 
timidly. 

Brad is speechless as he looks in her eyes. She knows?

They both stand in silence, allowing the information that the 
other knows to sink in.

“Erwin Lukesh.” Monica says.

“How did you-“ Brad is not able to finish his question as his 
voice trails off in disbelief.

“I don’t know how to explain it.” Monica says. “I remember 
everything that happened. I think it all started when John 
Doggett was shot in another world. A world like ours, but with 
differences.”

Brad and Monica are silent again. How is this possible?

“If I know, and if you know...” Brad says. “Does Doggett 
remember? Does Skinner?”

“I don’t know.” Monica says. “Until now, I thought I was the only 
one.”

“Yeah, me too.” Brad says. “One minute, I’m in my apartment, 
getting a call from Skinner telling me Agent Doggett’s been shot. 
You’re a suspect because the slug came from your gun, but your 
gun hadn’t been fired. And suddenly, Erwin Lukesh is wanting to 
kill you.” Brad shakes his head at the unbelievable story. “Then 
I’m back in my apartment as if nothing happened.”

“Talk about whip lash.” Monica says with a small laugh, trying to 
cover the fact that she is bothered by the events that happened 
between her and Lukesh.

Brad senses this in her voice and in her eyes.

“Are you okay?” Brad asks.

“Yeah.” Monica says. “It didn’t really happen. I’m fine.”

Brad is no fool and knows she is lying to him. 

“I know it didn’t actually happen now. In this world,” Brad says. 
“But it still happened to you. You remember everything as if it 
were real. I know I do. That’s why I’m here.”

Monica looks at him. Tears well up in her eyes. Tears of mental 
anguish, knowing that she could’ve died, and tears of relief that 
she can talk to someone about this.

“He said that this time he’d get to bleed me slow.” Monica says, 
as a tear falls down her cheek. “I’ve been sitting on my couch 
all day, thinking what could have happened if you never came 
through my door and killed him.” She wipes a few tears from her 
eyes. “Would I still be here, or would I...”

She stops herself from finishing her thought. It frightens her 
too much to think that she could be dead right now.

“Hey...” Brad says softly, as he pulls her into a much needed 
hug. She wraps her arms around him and holds him close, resting 
her head on his shoulder. “You know I’d never let anyone hurt 
you.”

“I know.” Monica says as tears fall down her cheek and onto 
Brad’s coat. She doesn’t care if he’s damp from the light rain 
outside. She feels safe in his arms. She shuts her eyes trying to 
stop more tears from falling.

She pulls away from him and wipes her tears away. He gently 
caresses her cheek and runs his hand through her soft hair. She 
allows him to lead her into him as he kisses her on the forehead. 
She smiles at him, happy that she’s not alone.

“Thank you for coming.” She says. “I’m glad I’m not alone with 
this.”

“Do you know what I thought at first?” Brad asks with a smile, 
knowing she will find humor in what he’s about to say.

“What?” Monica asks.

“I thought I had some strange vision of the future.” Brad says.

Monica smiles at him, amused that Brad Follmer thought he had a 
vision of the future. She laughs quietly at the thought. No 
wonder she feels so much for him. He understands her. He 
understands that sometimes she reacts from her feelings while 
working on a case, and he has never once told her she’s done the 
wrong thing. He has never called her theories crazy, no matter 
how off the wall they are.

“You’ll never be alone, Monica.” Brad says, looking deep into her 
eyes.

Monica listens, knowing his words are true.

“I came over tonight,” Brad starts. “To make sure you were all 
right. After what happened, in this parallel world... I didn’t 
know if it was real, or if it was a dream, or what it was... I 
had to make sure nothing bad was going to happen to you.”

“Thank you.” She says softly, looking into his eyes. Knowing why 
she fell in love with him in the first place. Knowing why she 
loves him. Brad has always looked out for her. Even in New York 
when he tried to remain professional on cases, he was always 
there to see that she did not get hurt. Always asking her how 
she’s doing after working a mentally difficult case. He cares so 
much for her, more than anyone ever could. Not only does she know 
this; she feels it. 

Monica looks him over, wondering why she isn’t with him now. 
Maybe she’s afraid to fall into those bad office habits they had 
in New York. She let him know when she first saw him again after 
two years that she didn’t want to be like that. He flirted with 
her a bit, which she did not mind, but he respected her decision, 
knowing it was best for the both of them. When they first met up, 
they were both stuck with work related conversation. Monica 
wishes they would have broken away from that. She notices that 
Brad is still wearing his coat.

“Did you want to take your coat off?” She asks.

“It’s all right.” Brad says nervously. “I don’t want to keep you 
awake any longer than I already have. I know how you like to go 
to sleep early.” he smiles at her, seeing how tired she is. He 
doesn’t blame her. They’ve both been through one hell of a day.

“It’s no bother.” Monica says. “I’ll probably be up for a few 
hours trying to make sense of my bedroom anyway.” She smiles at 
him. “I wouldn’t mind a little help.”

She smiles at him and Brad nods his head.
 
“All right.” Brad says. 

“You should probably get out of your wet coat.” Monica says. “You 
don’t want to catch cold.”

“Yeah.” Brad says as he takes off his coat. “Where should I put 
it?”

Monica looks around. The apartment is a disaster.

“Umm... I guess you could leave it on the chair.” Monica says, 
indicating one of her kitchen chairs with her eyes.

Brad sets his coat on the chair.

“What did you need help with?” He asks.

“Well, I was going to work on my bedroom. You know, make it 
livable for tonight.” Monica smiles at him. “Maybe you could help 
out with my kitchen? As you can see, it’s kind of a mess.”

“Sure.” Brad says, giving her his irresistible smile.

“Just let me know if you don’t know where I would put something.” 
Monica says as she heads out of the kitchen. “I’ll be in my 
bedroom.”

Brad nods his head and looks around the kitchen at the unpacked 
boxes that are open. He notices a lot of items from when Monica 
was in New York. She hasn’t changed much in her style from what 
he can see. He starts to unpack more of her boxes and figure out 
where to put her things.


Thirty minutes later, Brad notices that the rest of the apartment 
has fallen silent. He stops stacking plates into a cupboard and 
listens, not hearing Monica move things around in her bedroom. He 
leaves the kitchen and makes his way to her bedroom to make sure 
everything is all right.

Brad stops in the doorway when he sees Monica asleep on her bed. 
He smiles as he makes his way into her unpacked bedroom. He 
kneels next to her bed and watches her sleep peacefully for a 
moment.

“Monica...” Brad says softly, knowing she should be woken up to 
get more comfortable if she wants to sleep.

“Hmm...” Monica manages to utter.

“You fell asleep...” Brad whispers to her.

Monica’s eyes slowly open as a slow smile forms on her face. Brad 
smiles back at her.

“I was just making sure it was comfortable.” Monica whispers back 
to him.

“Looks like it is.” He says to her with a smile.

Monica sits up and shakes her head in an attempt to wake herself 
up.

“I think I finished most of your kitchen.” Brad tells her.

“How long was I sleeping?” She asks.

“I’m not sure, but I have been in there for a half hour.”

“I only made my bed.” Monica says, feeling guilty for falling 
asleep on him while he works.

“I think I’ve kept you awake enough for tonight.” Brad says, 
watching her yawn. He smiles at her.

“It’s okay.” She replies. “I’m not tired.”

Brad doubts her as he watches her stretch her tired muscles and 
look at him with her tired eyes.

“Do you think anyone else remembers what happened with Lukesh?” 
Monica asks.

“I don’t know.”

“John, he didn’t seem to remember a thing.” Monica says. “He 
probably thinks I’m pregnant because of my reaction to getting 
plates for polish sausage.” She laughs. “I was crying when he 
came in because... for me, I had just pulled the plug on him. I 
felt his life slip away.”

Brad listens.

“Why is it that we’re the only two who remember?” Monica asks.

“I don’t know.” Brad says, shaking his head. He doesn’t even 
understand it. “Maybe we were both affected by it in a strong 
emotional way.” He suggests. “You losing John Doggett and almost 
being killed by Lukesh. Me, I...” He hesitates before saying the 
rest of his sentence. “I could’ve lost you.”

Brad looks down, wanting to hide his fear and emotions from her. 
He thinks she doesn’t feel the same way for him. The thought of 
losing her is something he never wanted to think about. 

In New York, he worried for her every time she went out in the 
field. Monica is the one person that has ever truly made him 
happy. He always enjoyed her company. She has a freshness to her 
that makes him feel alive inside.

Brad’s life has always been inconsistent. His father’s job 
required him to travel around to different countries. Brad had 
never been able to settle down until his parents divorced in 
1972, and he was enrolled into a boarding school. He’s never been 
close with his family, especially his workaholic father who found 
his family unimportant.

The Bureau has been as inconsistent for Brad as the rest of his 
life. After graduating from the FBI Training Academy, he was 
assigned to work in Washington, D.C., but longing for more 
fieldwork got him a transfer to Los Angeles. Just as life became 
consistent, he was offered a promotion to be the Assistant 
Director in Charge of the New York field office. That was an 
offer he couldn’t pass up. After New York, he was promoted again 
to Assistant Director at the Headquarters in Washington, D.C., 
where he’s now the head of the Office of Professional 
Responsibility in the Office of the Director.

Even though Monica left without explanation by accepting a 
transfer to New Orleans, she has always been a constant. She’s 
always been there for him.

Now with her in Washington, D.C., Brad is not sure if she still 
has feelings for him. He feels close to her, which is how he 
finally convinced himself to come to her apartment tonight. He 
knew she would be the only person to understand what he went 
through. Knowing that she went through it too has only 
strengthened how he feels for her.

Brad lets out a heavy sigh to hold back his emotions, and just as 
he looks up at her, she’s making her way off of her bed and to 
the ground next to him. Without a word, she wraps her arms around 
him, feeling what he’s feeling. Sharing the same fear. He wasn’t 
expecting her to do this. He slowly wraps his arms around her and 
holds her close to him, feeling that she still deeply cares for 
him.

She feels safe in his embrace. His strong arms hold her gently, 
yet with the strength to protect her. Feeling his body pressed 
against hers brings back many memories of New York. Memories of 
when she and Brad would order take out from Carlo’s, the small 
Mexican restaurant that they knew no one they knew would go to. 
Carlo’s was literally a crummy hole in the wall. The food wasn’t 
even that good, but it was the last place anyone would expect to 
find agents of the FBI. They knew no one would catch them there 
and they could continue with their secret relationship.

Monica always felt a rush with their relationship. Always hiding 
it from other people. In a way it was special to share the 
relationship with one another, but at the same time, it would’ve 
been nice to have other people know. Maybe that is what she’s 
afraid of now with him. She doesn’t want their relationship to be 
a secret. She never has. Yet the issue of him being a superior to 
her would remain an issue with the Bureau. However, with her back 
in Washington, there is no stopping the feelings they both have 
for each other.

Monica pulls back and gives him a kiss on the cheek. She sits in 
front of him and smiles.

“You will never lose me, Brad.” Monica says.

Brad looks into her eyes, hoping that she is right. He cannot 
imagine his life without her. He would give up everything for her 
if he had to.

Brad smiles softly at her as he takes hold of her hand. He looks 
deep into her eyes as Monica smiles back at him. Both know that 
words are not needed between them.

THE END.

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admin@littlealbatross.com