Helen, slightly agitated, says, "Well, I will tell you something, Will. I was happier when I believed it." Will gets up and kneels next to her: "Helen...our boy is paralyzed. His spine is irreparably damaged. There are no miracles. There is no magic. God is not coming down to fix it, and nothing is going to change. Please, don't leave me alone knowing that." Before Helen can say anything, Joan comes down the stairs, having overheard some of their conversation. She apologizes, and her mother says it's okay, asking if she's hungry and offering to make breakfast. Joan declines and runs back upstairs. Good scene; nice work from both Mary and Joe. (Get it? Mary and Joseph? Har. I can't take credit for noticing that, though -- someone else pointed it out to me.) I'm starting to feel like I get Will more, and get their relationship better. Helen = Mulder and Will = Scully.

At the police station, Daghlian tells Will he's brought in a caller from the tip line, who thinks a neighbour in his building might have the missing boy. Will snipes that it sounds awfully scientific. The witness says the lady next door to him has always been weird; she "keeps to herself, doesn't seem to have a job," and he thinks maybe she lives on disability. Well, that's probably what my neighbours think about me, too. It's called being a freelance writer, people. And don't even get me started on how it's hardly a crime to keep to oneself. Frankly, I think it's a service to humanity. There are a lot of people who could stand to keep a lot more to themselves, and I'm willing to name names. He's seen her with a little kid she claims is an orphaned nephew she's adopting. He verifies that it's the same kid when they show him a picture.

At school, Joan and Luke are walking through the halls, and Joan's telling them about the fight their parents were having. Luke shrugs it off, saying they've always had fights. Joan says this was different, because they were fighting about God. Luke says they've always fought about that: "Mom wanted to get married in the Church, and Dad didn't. You know, blah blah blah. God and money: it's basically what adults fight about." Scylla and Charybdis suddenly ooze up and tell Joan they need to talk. Scylla's hair is looking particularly bad, as if she'd had it in corn rows for two or three days and just took it out. Joan: "About what?" Charybdis: "Your behaviour." Scylla: "It's so not cool. Flirting in the hall with Dax for everyone to see? Lynnie cried all through World Geography." Maybe she's just upset about the disputes in Jammu and Kashmir. I know I am. Charybdis warns Joan, "Stealing someone's boyfriend does not look good on the social résumé." Joan points out, "I did not flirt with him. He came up to me." They look at her with disbelief; Scylla purses her lips obnoxiously. Joan just stares at them, finally saying: "You know what...bite me." She walks away. Charybdis: "Oh...that's charming." They follow her. Luke says, "Can you just leave my sister alone?" Yeah, that's forceful. Scylla calls back, "Back off, pinhead!" Luke: "Hey! That's Mister Pinhead to you!" Joan stops and turns, and says, "You know what? I don't care about Dax Hibbing, or Lynnie Carmichael, or my 'social résumé' or who's gay or who's not!" Grace is in the doorway behind Joan, but Joan doesn't see her. Joan continues, "I can't spend my time on this planet worrying about that stuff! There's other things to do." Charybdis: "Like what? Chemistry and chess?" Joan: "Yeah! Like that. Those guys may be nerds but at least they know what they're here for." Scylla and Charybdis flounce off without any parting insults, which I find hard to believe. Grace also slips away before Joan can see her. Luke walks up and says, "You called me a nerd." Good gravy, it can't be the first time. Maybe he's pleased about it. Joan says it was a metaphor.