August 2010

9:30 a.m.

"Mulder?" Scully called, fresh out of a quick shower, as she grabbed her clothes from the closet and from the drawers, setting them on the bed. "Mulder!"

"You rang?" he said, in a deep Lurch voice as he walked into the bedroom.

"I did," she said, hurrying as she took off her robe and he hummed in appreciation. "I need your help."

"More than happy to help," he said in a low voice, stepping closer and beginning to lift his shirt.

"No, not that," she smiled, reaching for her bra and putting it on as he groaned out a complaint and released his shirt. "I've been called into the hospital and this is my last pair of clean underwear." She lifted them and showed him, before sliding them up her legs as he groaned again.

"So far not seeing the problem," he shrugged and she gave him a look, to which he waggled his eyebrows.

"I had planned on doing the laundry today, but I have to go in. Right now." She put on her shirt and buttoned it, then put on her pants, tucking in her shirt. "I also have that conference in two days, for which I was going to get all the laundry done today. I was going to pack and be ready, but now I am down to this last pair, and won't have time to wash them before I work again tomorrow." She sighed as she stared at him and he smiled.

"I can do the laundry for you. I can even pack if you'd like," he suggested and she cringed, knowing how he had packed his own things in the past. Unfolded, socks not always paired, everything in disarray. "Okay okay, just the laundry then." He laughed as she nodded with a relieved expression.

"Thank you, Mulder. I would really appreciate it." She smiled and went into the bathroom to put on her makeup. She let her down from its messy bun and began to brush it.

"Although, I still don't see the problem with no underwear," he said, following her into the bathroom and sitting on the side of the tub.

"Ha! Until you have to be conscious of how you to sit in a skirt to avoid flashing underwear, you don't get to have an opinion about going without them," she told him, with a look over her shoulder.

"Huh, didn't think about that," he murmured, rubbing at his lips, and she shook her head with a smile. "Okay, Scully, I'm your guy. I'll wash the laundry and get things ready for you. Any dry cleaning you need picked up?" She smiled again with a nod and he winked as he gave her a thumbs up.

She left twenty minutes later, kissing him goodbye and walking to the car. As she opened the door, he called out to her.

"They all go in the dryer right? They're not like the pink sweater?" he asked and she growled.

"Yes, they do. And I'm still mad about that you know," she said, turning to look at him as he stood on the porch, and shaking her head.

"It was two years ago. And I bought you another one," he said, sighing loudly and shrugging with his hands out wide.

"Not the same," she said pointedly and he sighed again.

"No… I know. It's not the same. I really did like that pink sweater."

"So did I," she said with a sigh.

"All right, Doc, you gotta get going. Go be amazing and save the world. I'll tackle underwear mountain." He saluted her and she laughed, waving goodbye as she drove away.

Almost thirteen hours later, she pulled up to the house, turned off the car and sighed heavily. She rested her head on the steering wheel, her body achingly tired. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head and took the keys from the ignition, and opened the door.

Trudging up the stairs, she sighed wearily as she unlocked the door and stepped inside the house. It was completely dark, something that very rarely happened. She turned on a light, frowning as her eyes adjusted to it. As she did, she noticed that there were things hanging from the ceiling.

Dropping her keys and taking off her coat, she stepped forward to investigate. When she saw what it was, she laughed, looking around for Mulder, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Reaching up, she touched a pair of her black lacy underwear which were hanging from a clear string. On it was a small post-it note that read: elevation- 100 feet. She giggled and moved past it, walking to the next one.

Touching the white pair with purple lace, she saw another note: elevation- 200 feet. Shaking her head, she walked around to the three other different ones that hung around the room. Each pair had a different level of elevation.

Seeing one hanging in the stairway, she walked over to it and looked at the note: elevation- 1000 feet. Keep coming! ; ) She shook her head and continued up the stairs, finding one pair on the railing, with the note: elevation… too… high and a skull and crossbones under it.

She laughed and carried it to their room, finding a pair hanging on the doorknob with a note: summit approaching. Nearly there!

She took that pair too and opened the door with a smile. In the middle of the bed was a pile of clothes, folded and stacked neatly, arranged in a tower, like a mountain. On the top, were the remaining pairs of her underwear, stacked by color and style.

The top pair was attached to a wooden dowel and arranged like a flag. She laughed as she shook her head. He had bought that pair of underwear for her as a silly joke: midnight blue with white stars that also glowed in the dark. That feature had led to a fun night the first time she wore them, along with many puns from Mulder. Now, it was being used as a marker on the summit of what she could only conclude was laundry mountain, and she grinned

Setting down the other pairs of underwear she held in her hands, she walked into the bathroom, looking to see if Mulder was hiding in there, waiting to surprise her. As she stood in the doorway, she heard a noise behind her and turned around to find Mulder walking toward her and she laughed hysterically.

He was wearing ski clothes, all of it very loud as he walked closer: pants, a puffy jacket, a beanie, goggles, and thick gloves. He was also wearing her earmuffs, the pink fluffy ones that had been a white elephant gift one year from her mother at Christmas.

"You made it!" he yelled, and she quickly covered her ears as she laughed. "Welcome to Underwear Mountain! You've reached the summit!" He clapped his gloved hands and she giggled, shaking her head at him.

"It was a little dicey for awhile," he continued to yell, "but the job was finished and it all came together! I've cleared the mountain, and I've brought bit home to celebrate and share it with you!" He made a sweeping motion with his gloved hand and turned toward the bed.

"As you saw on your climb," he shouted again and she laughed, stepping closer to look at the craft he created, her tiredness forgotten and replaced with giddy happiness. "The mountain has different elevations, but the peak… well, it's more than worth the effort! The most wonderful places always are, I have found!"

He turned back toward her and smiled, the pink earmuffs causing her to laugh again. She walked over to him and could see herself reflected in the goggles.

"You are something else," she chuckled and he shook his head.

"What?!" He yelled and she closed her eyes, her eyebrows up as she smiled. She opened her eyes and he nodded. "You'll need to speak up! The wind up here is strong and it blows something fierce!"

She pushed the earmuffs back and he gasped. "Are you insane, woman?! My extremities must remain covered at all times!"

"Shut up, you big goofball, and kiss me."

"What?! You really need to speak—"

She grabbed the front of his jacket, pulled his lips down to hers and silenced him, ski goggles, pink earmuffs and all. She laughed at the extra width to him as he was wearing all the thick puffy clothing. He tried to hold her, but his gloves did not allow it.

Breaking from her kiss with a curse, he ripped them off and tossed them to the floor. She lifted his goggles and grinned into his eyes.

"How hot are you with all of this on?" she laughed and his eyes widened.

"So fucking hot."

"Well, let's get you out of these clothes and see what we can do to cool you off. There is a mountain of laundry to put away and I do need to pack…" She yelped as he lifted her and brought her to the bed, setting her down as the mountain of clothes wobbled, the underwear falling off the top and landing on the bed.

He pulled off the goggles, beanie and earmuffs, tossing them on the floor. His jacket was unzipped and thrown down as well and she was treated to the view of his naked chest. The pants were next and then he stood before her completely nude, with the beginnings of an erection.

"I'm already sweaty and there's no sense wasting this bad boy," he said, motioning to his crotch. She snorted and he pounced, the clothes tumbling down as he called out "Timber!" and kissed her noisily. She squealed and giggled as he worked at unbuttoning her shirt...

She smiled as he lay on top of her, her hands running up and down his naked back, his heart racing against her chest, both of them now sweaty as they lay amid the toppled pile of clothes. She made a conscious decision to run out of clean underwear more often.

The journey to the summit of Underwear Mountain had been incredibly fun.