From: ephemeral@ephemeralfic.org
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 02:08:17 -0500
Subject: Truth or Karoke (1/1) by Brekke
Source: direct

Reply To: elseheavens@hotmail.com


Title: Truth or Karoke
Author: Brekke (elseheavens@hotmail.com)
Classification: MSR or MS UST. 
Rating: PG-13
Keywords: MSR

Distribution: Sure. But only with my knowledge.

Summary: A late night car drive, lack of sleep and some games
between our favourite duo.


Disclaimer: Chris, didn't your mother ever teach you to share?
 

***
9:35pm
Middle of Nowehere
***


Mulder rubbed at his eyes with the bases of his palms, trying
ineffectually to keep his eyes open and on the road. They'd been
driving for almost twelve hours straight since nine o'clock this
morning, and of those twelve hours, Mulder had been driving 
eight. 

Scully had half heartedly offered to relieve him a few hours 
ago, but Mulder had noted the bone weariness in her expression 
and shaken his head. Now watching enviously as she dozed 
peacefully in the passenger seat, Mulder wished he'd taken up 
her offer.

For an insomniac, he sure was sleepy.

Systematically he tensed each of his muscles - a technique he'd
picked up long ago that was supposed to ward off sleep. He
smiled reminiscently remembering when Scully had caught him
at it early in their first year together.

"Mulder, what the hell are you doing?" she'd asked him, more
exasperated than amused. She'd still been a little unsure of 
his sanity back then. 

"Tensing my muscles Scully."

She'd given him a long look. "Yes, I can see that. I was 
actually wondering *why*. Weight lifting finals coming up?"
They'd bantered like that even way back then.

"I'm trying to stay awake," he'd explained.

"By tensing your muscles?" 

"Yes."

She'd rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Mulder, that has 
absolutely no medical basis at all. All you're doing is 
making a very interesting performance for whoever is in the
next car over."

Mulder chuckled softly in reminiscence. Even as young and green
as she was when they'd first been partnered together, Scully had
never had any qualms about bringing down her partner with her 
science. It was one of the things that had first attracted him 
to her - the fact she was never intimidated by him: his height, 
his ideas or his rank.

All at once, even though she was right next to him in the
car, Mulder missed Scully like crazy. As much as he loved to 
watch her sleep, all soft and vulnerable, Mulder craved a
conscious lively Scully more. Besides which, if he tried to
drive any further without conversation or interaction of any
sort they were going to wind up wrapped around some oak by
the side of the road.

The problem was how to wake Scully surreptiously in a way that
left him the innocent party. Mulder had encountered Cranky-
Morning-Scully on more than one occasion in their six years
together and it was not an encounter he would ever rush to 
relive. 

No, this manouver would call for subtlety if he was to avoid
Scully's bad side. Unfortuneately, subtlety was an attribute
Mulder had very little of. 

He considered a few options, none of which were particularly
subtle. The first was to beep the horn at the next passing
vechile, only the roads were completely empty. The second was 
to swerve wildly across the road, and hope the jostling would 
wake her up, except in his condition this would most likely
end with the car-around-tree scenario. And the third was to
actually wrap the car around a tree, which would definitely 
wake her up, but probably only for a few moments, until she 
passed out from blood loss.

Eventually Mulder settled on option four and reached down and
punched the button to turn the radio onto the only radio station
currently within range: Hot FM. A moment later the car was 
filled with the none too dulcet tones of The Living End and
a moment after that a soft moan from the other side of the
car confirmed that his plan had worked and that Scully was most
definitely awake.

"Did I wake you Scully?" Mulder asked with consideration, not
all of which was feigned.

Scully grumbled a little and brushed her hair out of her face.

"Did I?" Mulder persisted.

Scully gave him a long look, then finally sighed, recognising
the signs of fatigue in his features. "No, Mulder, it was the
other half crazed UFO-obsessee in the car."

"Oh," Mulder grinned. "That's alright then."

Scully snorted softly and glanced out the window to gain some
clue of their location. There wasn't much she could see at
this time of night and of it, there was nothing to give
her an idea of where they were. 

She turned back to Mulder. "Where the hell are we, Mulder?"

Mulder shrugged. "About twelve hours drive from where we were
this morning," he told her seriously.

Scully rolled her eyes. "Cute."

"No, seriously Scully, we're about a hundred k's from the town
in the casefile," he told her. "Only about an hour more to go,
so just make yourself comfortable."

"I *was* comfortable," Scully mumbled, giving Mulder a long
accusatory look. Mulder hid a smile, wondering what if Scully
would ever dare give him that look again if she knew exactly
what went through his head every time she gave it to him. 
Actually, knowing Scully, if she ever found out he wouldn't be
alive to give the look to.

Mulder ignored her last statement and turned the volume control
on the radio up a little bit. After a moment he turned back to
Scully. "Ever play any travelling games?" he asked her.

Scully shrugged noncomittally. "I was a Navy brat, Mulder. I 
must've spent half my life on the road. I know every travelling
game there is."

Mulder shook his head in disbelief. "Naah. No one knows *every*
travel game," he insisted.

Scully cocked an eyebrow at him. "Try me."

Mulder thought for a moment. "The Sign Game?"

Scully scoffed. "Easy. You have to make up a story for each of
the road signs that come up before you pass the next road sign."

"The Body Part Game?"

"Twister in the car."

"Hitchhiker's?"

"Make believe game."

"Double Bill Jones?"

"Card game specifically for road trips."

"Eye Spy?"

Scully regarded him with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not even going
to dignify that one with an answer."

Mulder shrugged. "Worth a try," Mulder was silent a moment. He
was damned if he was going to let her win. "Ever heard of 
'Truth or Karoke'?" he asked.

Scully's brow furrowed. "Actually, no." Which wasn't really that
surprising since Mulder had only just invented it. "It sounds
like one of those glitzy game shows."

"Not quite," Mulder grinned, forming a possible explantion in 
his mind. "It works like Truth or Dare. We ask each other 
questions and we can either answer them or sing along to a
song on the radio. Wanna play?"

Scully stared at him incredulously. "You want me to sing?"

"Not if you answer the questions, Scully," Mulder corrected.

Scully rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Mulder," she 
complained, "it sounds like the kind of game I used to play at
sleepovers when I was fourteen. Do you want me to do your hair
as well?"

Mulder grinned, a few none too clean thoughts about sleepovers
and Scully playing with his hair running through his head. 
"Maybe later," he told her. "Right now I'd settle for a game of
'Truth of Karoke'."

Scully sighed in resignation, and turned down the radio so it 
was inaudible. "Okay Mulder, Truth or Karoke?" 

Mulder hid his elation at her submission and formed his 
expression into his usual wry smile. "Why, Scully I believe I'll
take Truth."

Scully paused to think about it. This would have to be a good
question. She owed Mulder for making her play this ridiculous
game in the first place. It had to be a question that would
make him feel as ridiculous and demeaned as she did now. 
"How did you feel about Krycek lusting after you when you were 
partners?"

Mulder's head whipped around and he almost swerved off the road.
He stared at her in bewilderment. "Krycek doing *what*?!?" he 
demanded.

Scully regarded him with not completely feigned surprise. She
supposed Mulder may have missed it, since it wasn't exactly
the kind of thing guys saw in other guys, but Scully sure as
hell hadn't. 

Krycek practically drooled when Mulder was around and more than 
once she'd caught him examining Mulder's ass. Mulder may have 
thought her coolness towards Krycek at their first meeting 
might have been because he replaced her as Mulder's partner, but
it was actually a protectiveness of a completely different kind.

Scully ahh'd softly under her breath. "So you didn't notice?"

Mulder shuddered. "Ah Scully, perhaps you read his role
to earn my trust a little incorectly..." he suggested. 

Scully shook her head. "Mulder, the guy couldn't take his
eyes off you and I caught him licking his lips behind your 
back at least three times."

Mulder shook his head in disbelief. "Geez Scully, there are some
things you just don't tell a guy."

"Sorry," she apologised. "Ready to sing?"

Mulder looked at her like she was mad. "I said Truth."

"But you didn't answer the question," she insisted.

"But Scully-" Mulder began.

"That's how the game works, Mulder," Scully cut him off.

Mulder grumbled to himself for a moment and then twisted the
volume control back up. To his dismay he was greeted with the
Spice Girls. However, he wasn't about to let Scully win. He
cleared his throat during the first verse and then launched in
on full volume and even began to bob up and down to the music.

"If you wanna be my lover, 
You gotta get with my friends,
Make it last forever,
Friendship never ends." 

Mulder grabbed the end of his tie with his free hand and used
it as a mike, spinning around to serenade Scully, who was trying
desperately not to laugh and was failing miserably. He leered
at her suggestively.

"If you wanna be my lover, 
You have got to give,
Taking is so easy,
But that's the way it is."

Scully finally gave in and burst into gales of laughter. Mulder
grinned back, belting out the last few lines of the song, before
turning the volume back down again. He waited patiently while
Scully tried to regain her composure.

"Phew Mulder," she breathed out, still puffing slightly from
her exertions. "Are you sure you and Krycek-" she began.

Mulder interupted her with a horrified exclamation. "Scully!!"

Scully chuckled softly. "Sorry." she apologised with a grin.
"Truth."

Mulder chewed on his bottom lip, trying to think up an 
appropriate question. "When did you lose your virginity?"

Scully rolled her eyes. "Mulder that is such a cliched 
question," she complained. "Eighteen. Truth or Karoke Mulder?"

"Wait a minute," Mulder interupted. "Who, where and how?"

Scully crossed both her arms over her chest. "Only one question
a turn, Mulder. Truth or Karoke?"

"Alright," Mulder conceded finally. "Karoke. I don't think I
could stomach anymore of your questions, Scully." 

Scully shrugged. "Your choice." She turned up the radio. It
was halfway through 'One Week' by the Barenaked Ladies.

"Scuullleee," Mulder whined. "I don't know the words to this
song."

Sculy sighed in exasperation. "Mulder, I'm not even going to 
ask why you know the Spice Girls and not the Barenaked Ladies,
but just sing the bits you know." 

"Fine." 

There was such a long silence from Mulder, that Scully despaired
that he'd sing any of it. But sure enough as the chorus came
on, Mulder perked up a bit. However, he didn't sing all of the
chorus the way Scully expected he would. In fact he didn't sing
a single word.

"Woooo hoo hoo," sang Mulder.

'It's all been done,' the radio played.

"Woooo hoo hoo."

'It's all been done.'

"Woooo hoo hoo."

'It's all been donnnne befoorrrre.'

Eventually the song faded to the background. Scully regarded
Mulder with the Look. 

Mulder's expression turned innocent. "You said to sing the
bits I knew," he pointed out.

The Look remained. "You have an edetic memory," pointed out
Scully.

"I hadn't heard that song before, Scully," Mulder insisted. 
"Your turn," he continued blithely. "Truth or Karoke?"

"Truth," Scully replied. "If you're last question is anything to
go by, I don't have anything to worry about." 

Mulder resented that. "Okay," he didn't miss a beat. "Do you 
think I'm sexy?"

Scully gaped at him in disgust. "Oh Mulder, that is such an
egotistical male question."

"It is, isn't it?" Mulder agreed amiably. "Well?"

Scully shook her head. "No way, Mulder. I refuse to answer that
one, merely on the basis that it's a pathetic question."

"Chicken," Mulder breathed under his breath. Scully shot him 
the Look, yet again, but stayed silent. Mulder reached for
the volume control and shot Scully an expectant look.

They both listened to the song for a minute as the first verse
played out. Mulder recognized it immediately and began to 
chuckle softly under his breath. Scully was a little bit slower
to realise and when she did she spun around to face Mulder, a
pleading look on her face.

Mulder was unmoved. He grinned widely. "Way the game works,
Scully." 

Scully swore softly under her breath and began to hum along to
the music. Mulder was certain she would back out. There was no
way in the world conservative Dana Scully would ever sing to
a song like this. 

But Scully continued her humming and even began to dance in 
slow sinuous movements in her seat, her eyes cast forward, and 
sure enough when the chorus began, so did Scully. Her singing 
was dreadful and completely out of tune, but Mulder was 
tranfixed.

"Ohhh, I don't want anybody else,
When I think of you, babe,
I touch myself."

Scully slid her eyes sideways to meet Mulder's hazel ones which
were firmly fixed on her. She smiled slightly.

"Ohhhh, I can't have anybody else,
When I think of you, babe,
I touch myself.

I don't want anybody elssssse,
Yeah, when I think of you, babe,
I touch myself."

She sang on, keeping her eyes on Mulder, who was trying 
desperately to  drive in a straight line while staring at
Scully, until finally the song drew to a finish. 

Mulder cleared his throat noisily and pulled his eyes away 
from Scully's amused ones. Ahead of him he caught sight of 
the motel sign and sighed in relief. "We're here."

They both remained silent as Mulder pulled into the hotel 
carpark and roused up the manager and checked in. They didn't
even speak as the took their suitcases from the car and
settled into the room. In fact it was only when they were
ready to say goodnight that Scully finally broke the silence.

She was regarding him, silently. "I can't believe you didn't
notice Krycek checking you out," she told him.

Mulder shifted, he was still uncomfortable with Scully's theory
and more than a little touchy about it. "I can't believe you
were too chicken to answer that last question," he snapped
back like a kid who'd lost his favourite toy.

Scully regarded him innocently. "But I did answer."

Mulder frowned in confusion. "What?"

"I answered the question," Scully repeated. "Weren't you 
listening to the song?" she added in a soft breathy whisper,
throwing in a pout for good measure.

Mulder froze. Her words going straight to a certain part of
his anatomy and getting a proper salute. All of a sudden he
was hot and flushed. He gulped, staring at Scully not knowing
what to say.

A slow smile crept across her face. Her eyes slid down below
his waist in silent recognition, before raising again to meet
Mulder's. They were dancing with amusement. She inched closer 
to him, until they were barely seperated and rose up on her 
tiptoes, her lips by his ear. "In your dreams, Mulder" she 
whispered, and turned and slipped back into her room, chuckling
softly.

Mulder stared blankly after her, his body bereft of her warmth
although she had never even touched him. Her final words rang
through his head over and over again. 'In your dreams, Mulder'.
Mulder shivered, realizing Scully would never know just how
true those words were.

"You have no idea, Scully," he said to the empty room. "You
have absolutely no idea."

***
END
***

Notes:

1) This was written to a challenge requiring a late night car
trip and the song, "I touch myself".

2) Did anyone else notice Mulder singing the part of 'One Week' 
that DD sang for the Barenaked Ladies in real life that time?

3) All the car games are the production of me and my brothers
on our numerous car trips North every year.

4) Hope you enjoyed it and I'd love some feedback.