"I've been feeling kind of loose, I've been feeling kind of mean, I've been
feeling kind of wild since I turned 17."
-From "Ain't it Heavy" by Melissa Etheridge
"Good night, Monica." Doggett rolled over and laid on the very edge of the bed, taking up as little room as possible.
"So, you're...going to sleep?" Reyes got up and went to the bathroom. She was surprised to find any hot water left as she washed her hands...Doggett had been in the shower for, like, and hour.
"Yeah, why?" Doggett answered when she stepped out of the bathroom again. He had to close his eyes as she walked by...her T-shirt revealed way too much leg for his comfort.
"Well, that's fine if you want. But it's only 8:30,"Reyes had to laugh. He was already lying down, with the blanket tucked up under his chin and his pillow bunched up under his neck.
"Um...it's just that...well...what else is there to do?"
"I dunno. Let's play a game!" Reyes felt very immature.
"A game? Monica, I don't think we even have a deck of cards. What kind of game could we play?"
"Truth or dare."
"No! I think that hair dye has gotten to your brain. What are we, in high school?"
"Come on, it'll be fun! What are you, chicken?" Reyes had gotten back on the bed and was bouncing it lightly. "I promise, as soon as you get uncomfortable, you can quit."
"I'm already uncomfortable."
"Pleeeeease John? Pretty please with sugar on top? I'll even go first. I choose...truth."
One could almost see the wheels turning in Doggett's brain. This was his chance...he could ask Reyes anything and she'd have to answer truthfully. "Okay, I'll bite. How many men have you slept with?"
"Hmn." Reyes pretended to start numbering them off on her fingers, but then stopped. "One."
Doggett almost choked. "Brad? He's the only one?"
"Yup. You have to remember I was really weird in high school. I was nerdy and I had braces for, like, 6 years."
"And college?"
"That's when I met Brad." "Oh. And no one since then?"
"Nope." The truth was that her feelings for Doggett went way back, and she hadn't really been able to look at another man in that way. "Your turn! Truth or dare."
"Truth."
"Were you ever attracted to Dana?"
"Attracted, yes, what right minded man wouldn't be? But I never had any real feelings for her." Doggett seemed to have relaxed a bit, he was facing her now, even letting himself look at her.
"See, this isn't that bad, now is it. Dare."
"Let's see...your dare is," trying to be as non-sexual as possible, "To give me a foot massage. I choose truth again."
Reyes slipped off the end of the bed and knelt by his feet, taking them one at a time into her small hands. "Truth, huh? Let me think for a moment." She seemed to focus on his feet for a minute, as the millions of questions she wanted to ask rolled through her head. She loved this game. "What was your first impression of me?"
"My first impression? I guess I thought you were a little...stubborn. And pushy. I still do, sometimes, to tell you the truth. Like tonight for example."
"Oh." Reyes looked hurt for a moment, but it passed easily. "So, my turn, huh?" She finished with his feet. "I choose truth."
"Same question."
"Well, you were a grieving parent when I first met you. I thought you were reckless and irrational, but that's normal."
"So what do you think of me now?"
"Well...wait, you don't get two questions per turn. You'll have to wait." Reyes had joined him on the bed again, and was lying on her side facing him. He was lying staring straight up at the ceiling.
"Shucks. Oh well. I suppose I choose...Dare."
Scully still hadn't told him about her dream, and it had been over and hour. They were setting up a place to camp for the night. It was just starting to get dark out, but they could already see dozens of stars in the sky above the clearing they were in.
Another group of hikers passed headed in the other direction. Something about them gave Scully a weird feeling. She felt for her gun...even in the middle of south America she never went anywhere without it. Mulder didn't have his...it had been confiscated when he was arrested. He had confessed to her that he often felt naked without it.
There were surprisingly few bugs out for that time of day. Scully sat down on the ground, leaning against a tree. She stared up at the sky.
Mulder joined her after struggling with the tent for a few minutes. He'd get her to help him set it up eventually, but right now they needed to talk. "So...you were telling me about a dream you had last night?"
"Oh, right, that. Don't worry about it...it was silly, actually. Upsetting, but silly. You got malaria and died and I was working as a prostitute. It probably had something to do with the conversation we had last night. But like I said, it was silly.''
"Well, geez, that's it? I mean, I'm sorry I gave you a nightmare, but that's why you've been giving me the cold shoulder all day?"
"Yeah, basically. Look, Mulder; I'm tired, I'm hot, I need a shower, and, not surprisingly, I'm crabby."
Mulder extended his hand to her...this time she took it willingly. "Come help me set up this darned tent and I'll haul some water so you can get cleaned up. Then you can go to sleep, okay? I promise. And for goodness sake, if you have another nightmare, wake me up."
The word nightmare didn't even come close to describing the dream Scully had that night. It involved the other hikers she had seen earlier. She woke up with a start, breathing hard. Mulder was already awake...apparently she had been screaming for him in her sleep. He pulled her close and had just started rocking her back to sleep when there was a noise outside their tent. A knife sliced through the nylon fabric and a hand reached in, grabbing Scully by the collar.
-From "Ain't it Heavy" by Melissa Etheridge
"Good night, Monica." Doggett rolled over and laid on the very edge of the bed, taking up as little room as possible.
"So, you're...going to sleep?" Reyes got up and went to the bathroom. She was surprised to find any hot water left as she washed her hands...Doggett had been in the shower for, like, and hour.
"Yeah, why?" Doggett answered when she stepped out of the bathroom again. He had to close his eyes as she walked by...her T-shirt revealed way too much leg for his comfort.
"Well, that's fine if you want. But it's only 8:30,"Reyes had to laugh. He was already lying down, with the blanket tucked up under his chin and his pillow bunched up under his neck.
"Um...it's just that...well...what else is there to do?"
"I dunno. Let's play a game!" Reyes felt very immature.
"A game? Monica, I don't think we even have a deck of cards. What kind of game could we play?"
"Truth or dare."
"No! I think that hair dye has gotten to your brain. What are we, in high school?"
"Come on, it'll be fun! What are you, chicken?" Reyes had gotten back on the bed and was bouncing it lightly. "I promise, as soon as you get uncomfortable, you can quit."
"I'm already uncomfortable."
"Pleeeeease John? Pretty please with sugar on top? I'll even go first. I choose...truth."
One could almost see the wheels turning in Doggett's brain. This was his chance...he could ask Reyes anything and she'd have to answer truthfully. "Okay, I'll bite. How many men have you slept with?"
"Hmn." Reyes pretended to start numbering them off on her fingers, but then stopped. "One."
Doggett almost choked. "Brad? He's the only one?"
"Yup. You have to remember I was really weird in high school. I was nerdy and I had braces for, like, 6 years."
"And college?"
"That's when I met Brad." "Oh. And no one since then?"
"Nope." The truth was that her feelings for Doggett went way back, and she hadn't really been able to look at another man in that way. "Your turn! Truth or dare."
"Truth."
"Were you ever attracted to Dana?"
"Attracted, yes, what right minded man wouldn't be? But I never had any real feelings for her." Doggett seemed to have relaxed a bit, he was facing her now, even letting himself look at her.
"See, this isn't that bad, now is it. Dare."
"Let's see...your dare is," trying to be as non-sexual as possible, "To give me a foot massage. I choose truth again."
Reyes slipped off the end of the bed and knelt by his feet, taking them one at a time into her small hands. "Truth, huh? Let me think for a moment." She seemed to focus on his feet for a minute, as the millions of questions she wanted to ask rolled through her head. She loved this game. "What was your first impression of me?"
"My first impression? I guess I thought you were a little...stubborn. And pushy. I still do, sometimes, to tell you the truth. Like tonight for example."
"Oh." Reyes looked hurt for a moment, but it passed easily. "So, my turn, huh?" She finished with his feet. "I choose truth."
"Same question."
"Well, you were a grieving parent when I first met you. I thought you were reckless and irrational, but that's normal."
"So what do you think of me now?"
"Well...wait, you don't get two questions per turn. You'll have to wait." Reyes had joined him on the bed again, and was lying on her side facing him. He was lying staring straight up at the ceiling.
"Shucks. Oh well. I suppose I choose...Dare."
Scully still hadn't told him about her dream, and it had been over and hour. They were setting up a place to camp for the night. It was just starting to get dark out, but they could already see dozens of stars in the sky above the clearing they were in.
Another group of hikers passed headed in the other direction. Something about them gave Scully a weird feeling. She felt for her gun...even in the middle of south America she never went anywhere without it. Mulder didn't have his...it had been confiscated when he was arrested. He had confessed to her that he often felt naked without it.
There were surprisingly few bugs out for that time of day. Scully sat down on the ground, leaning against a tree. She stared up at the sky.
Mulder joined her after struggling with the tent for a few minutes. He'd get her to help him set it up eventually, but right now they needed to talk. "So...you were telling me about a dream you had last night?"
"Oh, right, that. Don't worry about it...it was silly, actually. Upsetting, but silly. You got malaria and died and I was working as a prostitute. It probably had something to do with the conversation we had last night. But like I said, it was silly.''
"Well, geez, that's it? I mean, I'm sorry I gave you a nightmare, but that's why you've been giving me the cold shoulder all day?"
"Yeah, basically. Look, Mulder; I'm tired, I'm hot, I need a shower, and, not surprisingly, I'm crabby."
Mulder extended his hand to her...this time she took it willingly. "Come help me set up this darned tent and I'll haul some water so you can get cleaned up. Then you can go to sleep, okay? I promise. And for goodness sake, if you have another nightmare, wake me up."
The word nightmare didn't even come close to describing the dream Scully had that night. It involved the other hikers she had seen earlier. She woke up with a start, breathing hard. Mulder was already awake...apparently she had been screaming for him in her sleep. He pulled her close and had just started rocking her back to sleep when there was a noise outside their tent. A knife sliced through the nylon fabric and a hand reached in, grabbing Scully by the collar.