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He'd served in 'Nam. He'd been an Assistant Director at the FBI for several decades. He'd been in charge of the X-Files division, which had achieved legendary status according to the newbie whispers in the halls of the Hoover Building. Yet Walter Skinner was certain this was the most anxious he had ever been for an assignment.
"Could you babysit Katherine this Friday?"
He knew Katie, adored her, but babysitting wasn't in his repertoire.
It wasn't that he didn't like kids, he just didn't have a lot of experience with them. When he was with Sharon, it was apparent they both had reservations about starting a family together. Then when Arlene finally made a move after years of back-and-forth, they just had so much they wanted to do, so much life left to live, and a kid just never seemed to factor in. He didn't have a large family, neither did she, so he just never spent much time interacting with kids.
And Mulder and Scully's daughter was a little… strange. Strange in a wonderful way that he loved, but strange nonetheless. Her first word was "boo" and she toddled around with Mulder's were-monster action figure for a whole year after that. Her favorite snack was yogurt with bee pollen until Mulder introduced her to hull-free sunflower seeds. Skinner didn't want to think about what kind of mess that had made. He'd even watched her pull a full-grown lizard out of her diaper during her second birthday party, much to her mother's horror and her father's amusement. Then again, what else could you expect from a baby born on Halloween with Mulder and Scully as parents? He could only imagine the shenanigans that took place on a daily basis in that home.
He'd arrived early, and was just standing in the living room as his favorite former agents scrambled around the house, still in the process of getting ready for their date. Scully had mentioned on the phone that they usually used a teenager who volunteered at her hospital, but it'd been months since she went to college and they desperately needed a Katie-free night to themselves.
Skinner hesitantly agreed.
He'd visited plenty of times over the years — hell, he'd helped Scully procure the place back in '05 — so he made himself at home. Skinner stared at the framed family photos perched front and center above Mulder and Scully's fireplace as his mind replayed fond memories of the last six years. Photos of loved ones, some he presumed were a part of Scully's family, a few of himself, one of Doggett and Reyes — or more accurately, Uncle John and Aunt Monica.
Skinner sighed. His heart went out to Mulder. His family and his closest friends were dead, all he had was Scully, and the few people who he couldn't quite shake.
The last photo, propped up by a snowglobe, brought a smile to his face. A young man with Mulder's floppy hair and Scully's bright eyes was smiling while holding Katie as a baby, a young man Skinner himself had once held twenty-something years ago. He then realized he was wrong; Mulder had made a family for himself, and it was just as unconventional as he was.
"Skinner?" Mulder slapped a welcoming hand to his back and smirked. "You good? Well-rested and ready to be tested?" he joked.
"You two have given me decades of practice in that arena." Skinner rolled his eyes. "A mini Mulder, I can handle."
"Ah Skinman, I knew you had it in ya."
"Mulder, don't scare off the first sitter we've had in six months," Scully scolded while sliding her very small feet into very pointy heels. "Please make sure she's sleeping by eight. She's been excited all day for this, so I hope she's not too wired during bedtime."
An irrational sense of pride started to bloom in his chest at her words. "Katie was excited for me to babysit?" he asked.
Mulder rushed past him, yanking at his tie, presumably noticing the blood red stain. "It was cute until she threw up from how excited she was," he snorted. "Nothing like rinsing curdled milk and spaghetti sauce off dress shoes."
Skinner cringed, glancing down at the white sweatshirt he'd worn. "Lovely."
"Kids are full of surprises, Skinner," Scully teased. "Especially Mulder's."
"Hey," Mulder chuckled, sliding the cleaner yet gaudier tie around his neck before pressing a kiss into the crown of Scully's head. "She's only half mine."
"Uncle Skinner! Uncle Skinner," a young voice screamed, followed by tiny footsteps bounding down wooden stairs.
He turned just in time to feel a forty-pound child slam against him, a pair of tiny arms circling his left leg. He looked down and saw a heap of curly, auburn hair burrowing deep into his side. A pair of big green eyes and rosy cheeks beamed up at him as her chin prodded his hip, and he nearly melted right then and there.
"Well hello there, Katie girl," he boomed, bending down and swooping the little one into his arms.
They'd had a learning curve trying to think of how to introduce him to the girl since he first met her as a newborn in the hospital. Mulder and Scully still had a bad habit of calling him 'Skinner' even though he'd insisted for years 'Walter' was fine, and he definitely wasn't going to have a toddler call him by his last name. Both Mulder and Scully's parents were gone, which caused Mulder to jokingly ask if he'd be 'Grandpa', much to his personal chagrin. After more deliberation, he was now Uncle Skinner, and it was one of the best titles he'd ever had.
"Uh, whatcha wearing Katie?" he asked, rubbing his hands along her side and feeling a weird furry texture.
"Yes, Mulder. What's our child wearing?" Scully asked in a tone that told him this was not the first time the conversation had been brought up.
"She really likes Werewolf of London," Mulder stated in lieu of explanation, clearly finding it more amusing than his wife.
"Rawr!" the little girl growled next to him, baring her baby teeth.
"Katherine, don't bite Uncle Skinner," Scully chastised preemptively. Then, turning to him with a pursed smile explained, "Yes. Our child is going through a werewolf phase. Other six-year-olds at her school live in their Elsa costumes, but Katie prefers her fursuit."
"Better than Mulder's ghillie suit," Skinner murmured. He didn't know what an Elsa was, but it looked like their offspring was taking after Mulder.
"I wanna show you somethin' in my room!" she declared, gently pulling on the fabric of his sweatshirt.
"Honey, don't pull," Scully reminded lightly while trying to fasten an earring. "And we need Uncle Skinner for a few more minutes, okay?"
"But he's here for me," Katie argued softly, hopping up to wrap her arms around Skinner's neck and rest her wild-haired head against his bald one.
"She has a point," Skinner stated pointedly. "You two need to get your ass-sscessories on… so you can get your butts in gear."
"Nice save," Mulder chuckled, fumbling to get his foot into his puke-less dress shoes.
"She's already had an early dinner, but since she threw most of it up, it's okay if she wants a bigger snack than usual later. She gets one around seven," Scully explained, slipping her coat on.
"We usually watch some T.V. then," Mulder supplemented.
"She's already had her bath, so you don't need to worry about that unless she gets really messy," Scully added, as if that was a rather likely outcome.
Mulder dug around in his pockets for his keys as he explained: "The emergency contacts are on the side of the fridge. We're pretty far out and the fire department's closest, so if anything happens I'd just lie and say a fire was involved so they get here faster."
Skinner chuckled as Scully playfully slapped Mulder on the arm in reprimand, casting Skinner a glance and shaking her head with a smirk.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Katie and I are going to manage ourselves just fine. Won't we, Katie?" he asked, turning to the little girl.
"Mhm!" she replied before giggling.
"You'll call us if you need anything?" Scully bit her lip and adjusted the band of her purse.
These were two of the most reckless agents he'd ever had to deal with, and seeing them dissolve into anxious worry just reminded him that he was holding their miracle in his arms. It brought a sentimental smile to his age-worn face. "I promise."
Scully nodded and turned to leave, but on second thought quickly scampered over to them so she could press a kiss to her daughter's head. "Have fun with Uncle Skinner, okay?" she murmured, her eyes crinkling with adoration when looking at the girl much like Mulder's were looking at his women.
"Mommy, get yer butt in gear," the girl mimicked in a squeaky voice.
"Good to see the Skinner influence already taking effect," Mulder chuckled, swooping in to kiss the girl's head before turning and playfully kissing Skinner's temple.
"Ack," Skinner shivered and tried not to smirk. "Get outta here you two. Say bye to Mommy and… your dad," he stammered, unable to refer to Fox Mulder as Daddy in any context.
"Bye-bye," Katie squealed with the flap of her hand, bidding adieu to the most nervous parents he'd ever seen.
When the door shut and they were finally alone, Skinner turned to the girl and asked, "You said you have something to show me?"
5:00pm
An outer-spaced themed bedroom. He should have guessed.
He hadn't been upstairs in a long time, but glancing around the room, it was obvious she was in the transition between a nursery and a little girl's room. There was an oddly familiar mobile of stars hanging from the ceiling above her bed, a child height chart etched into the door, a small white desk nestled in the corner with what looked like school work laying underneath fat markers and long yellow pencils. This was where her little mind expanded and her personality grew.
Skinner smiled, spinning in a circle, taking it all in. In the middle of the room was an impromptu beauty salon. A collection of dolls were lined up at the foot of her bed, some with elaborate clips and bows in their wiry hair.
Creepy.
"Let's do our hair…" Katie exclaimed, her enthusiasm faltering as her attention drifted upwards. Her mouth comedically dropped into a small 'o' as she realized her mistake. He chuffed a laugh and sat down carefully next to her. "Um, it's okay!" she said meekly, reaching up and clumsily rubbing the expanse of his bald head to comfort him over his perceived loss.
It was endearing to see the little girl try to spare his feelings over the loss of hair he hadn't had since the eighties.
"We can do our makeup like Mommy!"
"I don't know how to do makeup, sweetie," he apologized, hoping the heart-shaped box under her arm full of pink blushes and glittery glosses would be used on one of her many baby doll's faces instead of his own.
Undeterred, Katie promptly dumped the box of play makeup in a colorful pile between them. Her eager fingers dug through it, spreading each girly item around like spilled skittles.
"This is Daddy's favorite!" she exclaimed with a proud grin, holding up some silver shimmery eyeshadow.
"Is it now?" he chuckled, amused to imagine Mulder in this position.
Skinner obeyed, unable to deny Mulder and Scully's little girl anything, and lowered himself to her feet.
"I'm gonna make you pretty," Katie squealed in delight as her sweaty little hand lifted his chin. "Daddy says Mommy don't need makeup, but she still paints her eyes and wipes creamy goo on her cheeks."
He smiled down at her carefully swirling the spongy brush across the silvery powder. "I'd bet my badge your dad loves your mom either way."
"Shh, Uncle Skinner, no talking," Katie scolded as the eye shadow brush swiped unevenly under his brow and dragged roughly across his temple. Her button nose was scrunched in a familiar way that Skinner recognized instantly as a Scully trait.
"Of course," he said seriously. "Sorry."
"Now make your mouth like this," she instructed, puckering her plump lips into an incredibly adorable pout. And dear God, that was a spitting image of Mulder if he ever saw one. "You can have purple lips and I can have pink."
"Fanks…" he slurred as the cold lip gloss covered every inch of his mouth and tickled his mustache.
As awkward as it may have seemed for a grown man with a bad back and aging goatee to sit cross-legged on the floor as a kindergartner painted him pretty, Skinner felt nothing but love.
6:00pm
"Hey, Katie?" he called out. His mouth still felt sticky with a glossy residue that he couldn't seem to wipe clean. But at least he was spared the glitter, thank God.
"Hmm?" she replied while putting the makeup into random drawers around the room.
"What happened to all of your stuffed animals?" Skinner asked, his eyes scanning all the fluffy creatures. All of them in one way or another were stitched together, each looked like a variant of Frankenstein's monster.
"They needed sur… sur-ger-ree," she explained, stumbling on the word.
"Surgery?" he offered.
"Mhm!" Katie skipped her way over to the giant pile of melded fluff. "My alien stuffy had a hole in her belly so Mommy pa'formed sur-gee-ree. But then Mommy went to work and Daddy did sur-gee-ree on everyone else so alien wouldn't feel sad."
Skinner shook his head. "Somehow that does not surprise me one bit."
"This is Rex, and this is Meister, and this and this is Goop, and these birdies are Rob and Laura. They're married!"
"Rob and Laura, huh," he chuckled. "Of course they're love birds."
As she was showing him her treasures, he glanced up and saw a row of some more family photos on a floating shelf. In one in particular, Mulder had his arm slung around Jackson's shoulders in the front yard, both men's hands shoved inside baseball gloves as Scully held Katie on her hip, the wind ruffling their strands of coppered hair. It was during one of the young man's occasional visits to see his 'new' family that had never stopped loving him. Everyone was smiling.
Everyone was happy.
Wanting to see what he was looking at, Katie stood up on the bed and looked towards the wall. After her dark green eyes scanned the photo to her liking, she tossed Skinner an endearing grin and said, "My Jackson likes my room too!"
The statement made his old heart swell.
He turned and watched as Katie started jumping on her twin-sized bed, the springs creaking underneath the pressure. "Careful there, little monkey. I know your mom's told you what can happen if you jump on the bed, she's had to do a lot of surgery on people who've bumped their heads."
"This is what Mommy and Daddy do when they pray," she blurted, the bulky blankets shifting under her feet.
"What do you mean?"
"After I go to bed, I hear Mommy and Daddy jumping on the bed and she starts talking to God," she innocently explained.
Realization dawned on him and he felt his face color instantly. "Oh," he squeaked. "That's… nice."
While he was still trying to figure out how to navigate the situation, he looked away for a second, only for his attention to snap back at the sound of a thud. Katie no longer was on the bed and it took a muffled groan for him to realize she was on the hardwood floor.
"Katherine!" Skinner rushed around the bed, nearly slipping on the fallen stuffed animals, and knelt at her side. "You okay, Katie? Don't move."
"Owww…" Katie's little lip trembled as she pointed to the red scrape forming across her knee.
"W-what do your parents do when this happens?" he stammered frantically.
"Um, they put a band-aid on it," she whimpered. "The Scooby Doo ones."
"Right, right. Of course." Skinner stood, his back cracking loudly, making Katie snort out a giggle.
The knot in his gut loosened at that. Kids don't giggle if they're seriously hurt, right? God, Scully would shoot him. She'd shot the man she married, for Christ's sake.
"All right little monkey, I'll go find Scooby Doo."
7:00pm
"Hello?" Mulder replied from the cell phone speaker.
"Is everything okay?" Scully's subdued voice called in the background.
Skinner could hear elegant music filter through the phone and pictured their concerned faces. He cringed, feeling a little guilty now.
"Hey, I'm sorry to call and interrupt your evening. Everything's fine. Katie's telling me her bedtime routine involves watching The Twilight Zone. I just wanted to confirm if that's true?"
"Hiiiiii!" Katie yelled towards the phone.
"Hi, Katie Bear," Mulder chuckled.
"Your dad says hi," Skinner relayed, directing his voice towards his feet where the little girl was playing with his socks. She looked up at him and made a dramatic gagging face, squishing the end of her nose as if to avoid smelling his feet.
"Skinner, what's wrong?" Scully asked, presumably having taken the phone from Mulder.
Skinner sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, regretting his decision to call. "I just wanted to confirm if Katie's allowed to watch The Twilight Zone?"
A second exasperated sigh was her response before adding, "Yes. Mulder's been showing her some 'classics' and she's become infatuated with it, unfortunately. I appreciate you calling to confirm."
"Of course," he replied. "Sorry to interrupt your night, I just didn't want to be responsible for any nightmares."
"Her favorite episode is 'The Eye of the Beholder.' The disc should still be in the player," Mulder added with glee.
"Wait, I want to say goodnight," Scully blurted.
It sounded like they were clamoring over each other to get to the mouthpiece, and he couldn't help but laugh at the thought of his two most rambunctious agents turning into doting parents. It looked good on them.
"It's for you," he told Katie who took his phone excitedly.
"Uncle Skinner can't use a hair tie becau-because his hair is missing!" she exclaimed in excitement, her pearly whites on full display. "But he's still really pretty!"
He chuffed a laugh, blushing as muffled raucous laughter erupted from the other side. After a series of 'I love yous' she ended the call by assuring her parents that she would make sure Uncle Skinner didn't get too scared. "I'll protect him," she assured confidently.
Skinner would take it to his grave, but he hated The Twilight Zone. He watched it when he was a kid and it scared the shit out of him. Even when he was reading Mulder and Scully's case reports over the years, he sometimes got the heebie-jeebies when they exceeded the creep-factor of this godforsaken show.
After they'd settled on the couch and they were about ten minutes into the show, he felt a familiar, irrational sense of unease brew in the pit of his stomach. "This doesn't scare you at all, Katie?" he asked, turning to the girl, a bit hopeful it did.
"Daddy says it's better I see monsters when I feel safe. That way we can talk about them so I'm not scared when I see them for real," she explained slowly, playing with the popcorn they were sharing.
Of course Mulder's preparing his daughter to encounter monsters as a when scenario not an if. But he supposed her parents knew as well as he did that most of the world's monsters were men in plain sight.
"That's very smart of him," Skinner praised. "Your dad's a great man." Then he leaned towards her and whispered, "But don't tell him I said that. It's way more fun to tease him."
Katie smiled at being the recipient of an adult's secret and nodded her head vigorously. An eerie sound on the television caused him to jump slightly and he turned to see a monstrous face wearing a medical uniform.
"Uncle Skinner?" Katie murmured, patting his knee.
"Hm?"
"It's okay if you're scared. We can talk about it so you feel better," the little girl explained.
He wanted to say he wasn't scared, but he enjoyed seeing the girl mimic Mulder and Scully's parenting by repeating things they'd clearly told her before. "What does your dad say when you're scared?"
"He holds my hand and makes me feel safe cause he's so big," she stated, grabbing his hand with her much smaller one — her whole palm only able to wrap around two of his fingers. "Then um, then he," she stammered, getting distracted for a moment.
"He what?" Skinner prompted, trying to keep her on track.
"He'll talk about the monsters. Sometimes they're more scared of us than we are of them," the precocious girl explained. "Like, um, they," she started, pointing a greasy finger towards the screen. "They're scared cause she… cause she looks different, but different isn't bad."
"That's true," he nodded, impressed that Mulder's lesson on monsters was simultaneously teaching her to embrace difference.
"We're all different," she wisely mused, kicking her legs out on the couch, her dainty feet nowhere close to the floor. "That's what Mommy says."
He looked down and caught her staring at his head again with a pensive look, and he made a mental note to tell Mulder to make her watch Star Trek: Next Generation so she could see another bald person.
"Your mom is usually right and your dad knows it. Does he ever get scared?"
"Daddy don't get scared unless Mommy or me get sick or hurt," she replied with a shrug.
Skinner grimaced as he looked at her knobby little knee, adorned with a Velma and Daphne Band-Aid. He knew the kid was perceptive. She hit Mulder's weakness right on the nose. He'd seen that fear in full effect far more than he ever hoped.
"But Mommy always makes him feel better by tellin' him he's being silly," she told him. Then offered, "But Mommy don't get scared so easy. She's a doctor so she makes it all better if we're sick or hurt."
"Your mom's a tough lady, that's for sure," Skinner chuckled as they watched the black and white monster creep across the screen. "Just ask your dad."
8:00pm
After years of thinking Mulder was going to send him into an early grave due to stress, he realized his daughter might just finish the job.
He'd lost her.
Well, she had to be hiding somewhere in the house, but she wasn't answering him and he was starting to panic. He'd turned on the porch light to glance outside, but other than a homemade rocket sitting on a bench, there was nothing out there but acres of land.
"Katie, olly olly oxen free! Please come out, you win," he called, frantically pacing the halls to find the girl.
"What's an oxen," a soft voice questioned from right behind him.
"Holy shit!" Skinner yelped, grabbing his pounding chest as the barely three foot tall girl squealed a laugh. "You're a really good hider, Katie. You scared me."
"You said shit!"
"Well now you said it too, so we'll both be in trouble," he explained with faux worry, clasping his hands together at his waist.
She sucked her lip in between her teeth and nodded pensively. "I won't tattle if you don't," she murmured.
Skinner could tell this wasn't her first bargain and it wouldn't be her last.
"Deal," he agreed. "Where were you? You scared me when I couldn't find you."
"I was following you, but I was on my tippy toes," she explained, pointing to her pink painted toes. She wiggled each one against the hardwood floor and he couldn't hold back a rumbling laugh.
"All right, then, you sneak. Ready to get into your pajamas? It has to be warm being a werewolf," he asked.
The kid was wildly independent. Skinner just stood nearby and supervised as she brushed her hair and teeth before getting changed, running into her bedroom with more energy than a child going to bed should ideally have.
With her blue nightie on, he could see a familiar gold cross dangling on her chest. "Do you need to take that off when you sleep?" he asked, pointing to it.
"I need to pray with it on so he hears," she replied.
"Ah, I see." Skinner found it interesting that she was learning Scully's faith, but with some of Mulder's eccentricities being she was treating a cross like a homing device for a direct line to the big man himself. "I'll give you some privacy while you do that. Call me when you're done, okay?"
"'Kay, you can go in Mommy and Daddy's room and jump on the bed if you wanna," she explained, crawling underneath her sheets.
"Maybe later," he dismissed before taking a step out into the hall, looking at some of the photos on the wall as her sweet muffled voice hit his ears.
"Hello God, it's me Katherine," the mini Judy Blume greeted. "Thank you for letting me have such a fun day. Mommy and Daddy kissed me and loved me, and Uncle Skinner and I had lots and lots of fun."
A small smile tugged on his lips at the innocence of the girl. He had no doubts Scully and Mulder worried every day about ensuring she was safe and happy, and just being her parents was clearly doing exactly that. He'd never met a happier kid. He paced the hall as he listened to her pray for her family, including himself, and some of her little friends at school. Suddenly he realized that he was purposely included in this moment of her young life, that she wanted him to be, and he couldn't tamp down the warmth blossoming in his chest.
Eventually, she wrapped it up by saying: "G'night, God. Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."
9:00pm
There was a monster in the living room.
She had seen all the movies with Daddy and this sounded like a bad one. If she had to guess it was for sure a wolf beast because of how it was growling. She wanted to close her eyes and hide, but Uncle Skinner was down there and he was a scaredy-cat. Plus she promised Mommy and Daddy that she'd protect him.
Katie slid her feet over her bed until her socks hit the carpet. Reaching on her nightstand, she grabbed the necklace Mommy gave her in her fist and put it over her head before grabbing the pink flashlight Daddy used to make creatures appear on the walls with his fingers.
Gulping quickly, she tippy-toed her way down the hall, sitting on her butt as she scooted down one stair at a time. The monster was getting louder, and she thought her heart was going to explode like her rockets outside.
"Uncle Skinner, I'm here," she whispered into the living room.
She scanned the nightlights around the room to find either the creature or Uncle Skinner, but she wasn't finding anything. Scrunching her brows, she walked closer to the couch, hearing the roaring getting louder. She wished she'd put on her werewolf costume, then maybe the creature wouldn't notice her.
Closing her eyes, she squeezed her cross and focused as hard as she could…
Hi God, It's me, Katherine. Sorry to bother you. I'm scared, but I need to save my uncle cause he gets really, really scared. Can you protect us? Thanks. Sorry to wake you up.
Opening her eyes, she took a confident step forward and turned quickly so that the light was shining on the recliner.
Her mouth fell open in shock.
Uncle Skinner didn't say he could roar! He looked like he was asleep, but she was pretty sure he must be h-hibernatin'. She let out a breath and glanced around the room, grabbing Mommy's colorful blanket from off the couch and crawled up Daddy's recliner to sit by Uncle Skinner. She only managed to cover one of his long legs, but she nestled into his side and turned the flashlight off as she yawned.
She'd keep him safe!
10:00pm
"Is that… Skinner snoring?" Scully giggled as a muffled, rumbling sound came from the other side of the door.
Their keys jingled as they tried to sneak a peek through the window.
"I want to see A.D. Skinner sleeping like a baby," Mulder chuckled, quietly pushing the door open and guiding Scully in with his palm at her back. He flicked on the light and immediately felt his lip pout at the endearing sight in front of him.
Scully gasped lightly before whispering, "Oh, Mulder."
Laying in the recliner was his old boss, one of the most ornery 72 year olds he'd ever met, snoozing soundly while holding his sleeping daughter at his side. Katie looked content and peaceful, despite the snoring happening right next to her.
"Hang on, I need to take a picture," he whispered, tip-toeing close enough to take a couple dozen pictures of the sleeping duo.
Mulder squinted down at Skinner's mouth. "Is that…?"
"Lip gloss?" Scully finished, "Yes."
Yeah, these were frame-worthy photos for sure.
He felt Scully's arms slide under his suit jacket, her head nuzzling his chest, and he suddenly felt the urge to ask Uncle Skinner to babysit again next weekend.
"Mulder," Scully murmured, nodding to the camera.
He spun it around and tenderly pressed his lips to hers as the flash captured the moment forever.
Mulder brought the phone closer to them and he flipped through some of the photos, causing a domino effect of Scully's laughter, followed by Skinner waking up with a jolt.
"Sorry, sir," Scully whispered towards the disoriented man.
"Don't call me, sir," he playfully chastised. He looked around gaining her bearings, and they both witnessed the smile of affection that spread on his face when he noticed the lump lying next to him.
He removed the blanket from himself and tucked it around the sleeping little girl, cocooning her so he could hold her as he stood up, the various creaks and pops making Mulder worry for the future of his own knees.
"I can take her," Mulder offered, holding out his arms as Skinner carefully passed her over. While doing so, Mulder couldn't ignore the distinct purple hue on the older man's lips. He knew that particular shade of Katie's makeup palette was especially difficult to remove.
"Purple looks good on you, sir."
"Very funny, Mulder. I hear you look good in Kiss Me Sweet Silver," he retorted. "Yes, I read the label."
"What can I say, silver brings out my eyes."
"Thank you, Skinner," Scully said, handing him a tissue as a peace offering. "She looks like she had a great time."
Skinner smiled fondly down at little Katie curled up and sleeping soundly, her pouty mouth parted and thick lashes fluttering. "She wasn't the only one."
Scully started rummaging through her wallet and as soon as a bundle of twenties came out, she was stopped by Skinner placing his hand over hers. "Don't you dare," he warned.
"But you did us such a huge favor," she lamented.
"You've done me countless favors over the years," he refuted. With the glance Skinner cast at their sleeping daughter, Mulder had a feeling he meant more than just favors done during their years on the X-Files. "You try to give me any money or if you send me anything through the Venmapp or Casho or whatever the hell they use nowadays and I'll write you up."
Scully slowly set her purse down with an indulgent smile, and Mulder knew his wife was already intending to pay the man back through baked goods.
Mulder and Scully watched as their old boss made his way to the door. His once rigid military posture had curved over time, and was slower than he used to be, though his pride wouldn't show it. The man who had reamed them out so many times over the course of three decades had warmed and softened, a supervisor turned their greatest friend.
Skinner cleared his throat as he slipped on his shoes, and both of the former agents tensed in an involuntary reflex. A muscle memory anticipating a verbal lashing.
Instead, the older man turned around and gruffly stated, "You know… it's not good to be cooped up all the time. Haven't you spent enough time in your life doing that? You two need to get out more, live the years you've lost. You both have my number. I'm usually free in the evenings."
Mulder smiled softly. "Admit it. You just want a free makeover."
Skinner grinned at that and nodded. "Gotta keep the marriage exciting for Arlene. Besides, the girl needs some sane influence in her life."
Scully reached over to tuck a strand of Katie's crimson hair behind her ear and whispered, "Uncle Skinner is welcome anytime."