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"So what's next then?" asked Leo, "It's only 9:30; realistically, George thought it could be 11 before we're out of here."

"Well Harry, has outed a secret of his, maybe we should all reveal a guilty secret?" Nikki suggested.

"My secret is not guilty!" Harry retorted.

"How many times did you try singing to a girl to entice her into bed with you?" she asked bluntly.

"Nikki!" both Leo and Harry exclaimed.

"Only once," admitted Harry a moment later and then laughed.

"Did it work?" Nikki asked.

"No, it did not!" Harry replied. "But maybe it was more to do with the fact that we'd been playing drinking games for the five hours previously; there was a chance I could have been singing slightly flat."

He smiled at his friends, he really hadn't sung in years. It felt good to do it again, like meeting an old friend unexpectedly and being reminded of happier times. Maybe the evening wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Right then Leo, what's your secret?" Nikki asked turning the computer round to shine its light in his face. "We have ways of making you talk!" The computer light was hardly effective at disarming Leo, as a bright light in an interrogation room would be, and shortly after moving the computer, it made three final flashes before shutting itself down; the battery finally admitting defeat.

"Shall I go and get mine?" Harry asked.

But they were getting used to the dim light, and they could see some street lights in the distance now, that had got their power back.

"No, the dark's the best place for secrets," admitted Nikki and stretched out on Leo's sofa. Harry wasn't sure which end to take, the foot end, and have Nikki's feet in his lap, or the head end where he'd have to have her leaning against him.

"Is there room for anyone else on there?" he asked.

Nikki sat up, which Harry took as his cue to sit at the head end, and seconds later felt her lie comfortably back against him, her feet stretched out as before.

"So Leo, any hidden talents?" Harry asked, moving the arm Nikki was leaning on and putting it around her.

"Piano? Origami? Karate? Rare fish breeding?"

"No, no, no and no," Leo laughed. "I don't keep secrets from you two," Leo said and then paused.

"Well not any more, I learned my lesson the hard way you remember?"

Nikki and Harry laughed.

"You two were insufferable," Leo said.

They just continued to laugh.

"It was an honest mistake," Leo insisted.

"I know, I know we've heard it all before," Nikki said. It was odd hearing Harry laugh so close to her ear and to feel his body shaking beneath her. Odd but strangely comforting.

"I don't think we're going to get anything more out of Leo," Harry conceded. "What about you?"

"I am an open book," Nikki declared.

"No you're not and you're a very bad liar!" Harry said and tickled her waist causing her to shoot up in the air.

"Aha!" he exclaimed. "Now I always suspected you'd be ticklish,"

"Harry!" she warned turning round and looking at him.

"It's ok," he insisted. "Your secret's safe with me," he replied tapping his nose as he did so.

"What time is it now?" asked Leo stifling a yawn.

"Only just ten," Nikki replied. "Looks like we'll have to sing storm songs, after all!" She turned back around and settled into Harry's arms once more.

"I already did mine, Harry just laughed at me," Leo grouched.

"Yes, but…" Harry began.

Leo was staring at him, and he felt Nikki try to move to face him again.

"I'm not singing you stormy weather," Harry replied. "Do you know how hard that song is to sing?"

"Obviously not," laughed Leo.

"I've got one," Nikki said sitting up.

"Jeremiah was a bullfrog, he was a good friend of mine,"

I never understood a single word he said, but I helped him drink his wine,"

She stopped before the chorus.

"What does that have to do with storms?" asked Leo, he was sounding more tired by the second.

"Oh, it's not to do with storms exactly, just being stuck here reminded me of it. It was in an X files episode, Mulder and Scully were stuck in the woods, trying to avoid some monster or something, anyway Mulder is injured and Scully stays up all night to keep watch. Mulder asks her to sing something so he'll know she's still awake…"

"And she sings 'Joy to the world?" Harry asked.

"Well not the choir boy Christmas one, I'm sure you're very good at," she giggled. "But she did sing this one, and she was even more out of tune than Leo."

"Oy!" Leo countered but added quickly. "Well at least Harry won't have to teach us the three part harmony this time."

Nikki settled back into Harry's chest, and they all began to sing. She could feel the heat of his body and hear the warmth of his voice all around her. It was a great song, and certainly good to keep their spirits up she decided, until that was, the beginning of verse two. She'd forgotten all about that one. She wondered briefly if Scully had too, probably not knowing her.

She could feel Harry's breath tickling her neck as he continued to sing loud and strong:

"If I were the king of the world
Tell you what I'd do
I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the war
And I'd make sweet love to you."

She continued to sing the second chorus, but Harry's presence was becoming more and more distracting, and harder and harder to ignore.

Leo yawned again. "I didn't know you liked science fiction?"

"Oh, it's not like that's my big secret. I'm not bothered by it really, I never watched for the monsters or the aliens, I just loved the fact that the character that was so desperate to believe in all the paranormal stuff rarely had the weird experiences and the scientist who didn't believe in it, always did. It was funny," she added a moment later and then, "it made me seem slightly less geeky."

"Oh," replied Leo, who didn't understand in the slightest but couldn't contain yet another yawn.

"Do you want the sofa?" Harry asked, sitting up and nearly tipping Nikki out of his lap. He put an arm round her waist to steady her.

"No you two keep it," Leo replied leaning back in his leather desk chair, "But if you're going to spend the night singing, maybe you want to take it outside? I'm pretty sure that no one has to keep awake to watch out for the monsters though."

"No, we only have to watch out for Harry," grinned Nikki. Predictably, he released the arm that had been supporting her and gave her a nudge towards the floor.

"Just don't break anything!" pleaded Leo, as Nikki put her hand down onto the coffee table to steady herself, scattering the glasses and plates from earlier.

"That was his fault!" she cried petulantly.

"Come on, let's let Leo get his beauty sleep," Harry said and pulled the door to Leo's office open, he wedged it with his foot, then with Nikki pushing from one end, and Harry pulling at the other they manoeuvred the sofa out of Leo's office and left him in peace.


Joy to the World: Three Dog Night

X files Season 5 Episode 4 Detour, Mulder and Scully belong to FOX