New Agent Joins The X-Files

January 3 -- If you've been wondering whatever happened to that nice Annabeth Gish from long-ago flick Mystic Pizza, well, wonder no more.

The 29-year-old actress will go from mystic to mystery as she joins The X-Files in a three-episode arc this season. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gish has an option to return as a regular, a move that is likely to be dependent on fan response.

If she does return, she would reportedly not replace female lead Gillian Anderson, the eight-year vet who is now getting attention for her big-screen turn in The House of Mirth. Anderson and new regular Robert Patrick are already signed for a ninth season. Although Fox hasn't announced that there will be a season numero nueve, the net is clearly laying the groundwork for it.

Series creator Chris Carter tells the Reporter, "It seems to me that we have benefited from the addition of Robert Patrick to the cast [this season], and we're hoping that we can expand the cast even further and as successfully with Annabeth," he says.

Ratings are up 7 percent over last year, and up 9 percent among adults 18 to 49, according to the Reporter.

Gish's FBI agent character will not only have X-Files-esque expertise in ritualistic crime, but will also have a "personal history" with Patrick's John Doggett. In other words, the sexual tension that's been a hallmark of the show will continue.

The first episode with Gish will air Feb. 25. The episode will also mark the return of alien abductee David Duchovny.

If you're headed to the video store to familiarize yourself with Gish's film work, look for these titles in addition to Pizza: Desert Bloom, The Last Supper, Wyatt Earp, Nixon, or Double Jeopardy.