"Tell me something I don't know about you"
Scully sighed. "Mulder, it's past two a.m."
"Yeah, but you made me turn off the TV and I can't sleep"
"Then count sheep"
"I'm at 76 and still awake..."
Scully turned her head, gazing over at Mulder's dark figure lying on the bed on the other side of the nightstand. He held his hands interlocked behind his head and was staring straight ahead. She fantasized about going back out there and flashing her badge at the clerk who had explained to them a few hours back that there was REALLY only one room left, and that the next town with a hotel was a three hours drive away. She even considered grabbing her blanket and her pillow and sleeping in the car, but her bed was just to damn comfortable. Plus, why couldn't Mulder sleep in the car?
"Come on, Scully... I'll tell you something about myself in return" Mulder pleaded.
"Mulder, I think I know all there is to know about the conundrum called Mulder"
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Come on, Scully, this will be fun. Plus, I am sure if we had ever made it to one of those team building seminars they kept trying to send us to they would have made us play this game years ago. So we technically owe this to the bureau."
Mulder could put reason behind just about anything. Scully was about to tell him off again, but if she had learned anything in the past hour it was that his turning and tossing wouldn't let her get to sleep anyway. It might just be easier to get this over with.
"Fine. But just one 'confession'. " Scully sighed.
Mulder's eyes widened a little at her choice of words. Scully could tell even though the room was dark save the dim light of the street lamps outside their window. What should she tell him? Certainly nothing that would invite follow-up questions. Something harmless but good enough to satisfy his curiosity. Better something far in the past, something a younger version of herself had done.
"So?"
"Hold on, Mulder, this isn't easy"
"Because you don't have many secrets, or because you don't know which one to pick?"
Scully did not dignify him with an answer.
"Ok. Here it goes. All through high-school I was a blond. I only went back to red because a guy I was into told me he liked redheads."
Mulder turned to face Scully. "That's shocking! The emancipated Dr. Scully changed her looks for a man!"
"Haha, very funny, Mulder."
That hadn't gone half as bad as she had feared it would. She now had two options: She could let it rest and see if he would finally let her sleep, or she could take him up on his promise. On one hand, sleep sounded pretty darn good just about now, but on the other hand, she was curious about what he would be telling her. This was too good of an offer to let pass.
"Mulder?
"Yeah?"
"Your turn."
"Hold on, I am still trying to picture you as a blond..."
Scully only snorted.
"Ok, I got one. Speaking of high-school: When I was in high-school I got sent to the principal's office because I was caught smoking in gym class."
"You didn't happen to be smoking to impress a girl, did you, Mulder?"
"How'd you guess?" Mulder asked feigning shock.
"That was fun, Mulder" Scully finally said with just as much sarcasm in her voice "but I REALLY need to sleep now"
Mulder didn't reply. He seemed to be still thinking about their 'confessions', about which one she was unsure of.
After a while even the street lights went off, and Scully felt warm sleep washing over her, starting at her toes, slowly crawling up her legs, lingering on her belly, until it finally reached her eyes.
"Can I make a confession, Scully?"
"Hmmmmm..." Scully murmured sleep-drunkenly.
Mulder paused for a minute, before he confessed "the girl I tried to impress was a redhead too. That's what made me think of that story. I've always been into redheads myself."
Scully felt the sleep that a minute ago had been threatening to wash over her retreat.
"Is that so?" Feeling emboldened by the darkness, she couldn't resist. "Have been, Mulder?"
She could practically hear the thoughts being churned over in Mulder's head.
"Still am."
"Huh."
Mulder, who was still facing her turned back onto his back.
"To be honest, there's only one redhead that has been occupying my mind for the past few years."
Scully bit her lower lip, immediately hoping Mulder wouldn't notice her reaction. This 'conversation' was quickly entering dangerous territory. Very dangerous territory. She could let this slip, as she always did when things between them got interesting. She was sure that if she let this go now he would never bring this conversation up again. Or she could take him up on his dare. See how far and where he would go with this.
"Anyone I know?"
"Maybe."
"Tell me about her." She was getting bolder. Part of her wanted to crawl back into her safe shell, but another part of her was (very literally) too tired to keep fighting her impulses.
"She is gorgeous, and I don't think she is even aware of it. She has the most brilliant mind I have ever seen, and I have seen many brilliant people in my days. She is kind and generous and upright down to a tee." Then, in a somewhat lower voice "And she sometimes wears those tight skirts coupled with those fuck-me heels to work, which just about kills me."
Scully inhaled sharply, seriously starting to consider chickening out. This conversation was still harmless enough to ignore it come tomorrow, nobody had actually said anything compromising. But over the last few years Scully had gotten more and more fed up with always being The Ice Queen. She was fed up with sitting on her tongue when he bantered with her freely.
"Sounds like someone I should be jealous of"
"Jealousy isn't an attribute I would use when describing you."