The bullpen was buzzing with tension. The team of agents worked tirelessly, eyes glued to their files, coffee cups stacked in precarious towers on desks. Mulder sat at the head of the table, combing through leads with the weight of the case pressing heavily on him.

"I'm telling you, we're missing something," Mulder muttered, frustration seeping into his voice. Then his eyes lit up. "We need Dr. Scully."

Several heads turned as he picked up his phone. His tone softened as he said, "Dana? Are you free?" A few agents exchanged knowing glances, whispering with amusement about the way Mulder said her name, his usual brusqueness replaced by something much gentler.

Minutes later, Scully arrived, efficient and composed as ever. She glanced briefly at Mulder, then turned her focus to the case details laid out before her. Within an hour, she'd found an angle no one else had considered.

"This," she said, pointing to a specific piece of evidence, "might be worth exploring. I could conduct an analysis, but..." She glanced at the clock, concern flickering across her face.

Mulder caught the look. "Then please, run it," he urged, then paused, noticing her hesitance. "How long will it take?"

"Three hours, minimum," she replied, her voice uncertain.

Mulder frowned, then, as if an idea had struck him, said, "Listen. Call daycare. Tell them I'll pick Maddie up today. I'll bring her here and keep her busy until you're done with the analysis. Please. This could be the break we need."

Scully hesitated, clearly torn. "Are you sure? It's not as simple as—"

"I'm sure," Mulder interrupted, his tone firm but kind. "Call them. Let me help."

She exhaled, finally nodding. "Okay. But you take my car. The booster seat is already installed, and—"

"Got it," Mulder said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Don't worry. I'll be careful—with Maddie and the car. You go do your scientific magic."

Scully gave him a long look, gratitude and trust in her eyes. "Alright. I'll get started."

As she headed off to the lab, Mulder grabbed her car keys and left to pick up Maddie, already thinking of ways to keep her entertained.

Mulder arrived at the daycare, scanning the room for Maddie. When she spotted him, her face lit up, and she ran toward him with her backpack swinging.

"Mr. Fox!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his legs.

"Hey, Maddie," Mulder said, crouching down to her level. "Ready to go on a top-secret mission?"

Her eyes widened with excitement. "Are we going to Mommy's office?"

"That's right," Mulder said with a smile. "But first, we need to make a pit stop for snacks. Can't tackle a mission on an empty stomach, can we?"

As they drove to the office, Maddie kept bouncing in her booster seat. "Will I see the big microscope? Mommy has a big microscope, right?"

Mulder chuckled. "She does, but it's in a very special lab. We'll see if we can arrange a sneak peek, Agent Maddie."

When they walked into the bullpen, several agents glanced up. A few raised eyebrows, and Mulder could hear the murmurs.

"Who's the kid?" one of them whispered to another.

"Mulder's babysitting now?" another joked.

One agent, a younger guy named Carter, smirked and said loud enough for Mulder to hear, "Didn't know 'Spooky' was in the nanny business."

Mulder didn't flinch. He led Maddie confidently to his desk, pulled out a box of crayons and paper from his drawer, and set her up. "Alright, Maddie, your mission is to draw me the coolest alien you can imagine. Think you can handle that?"

Maddie nodded eagerly, already grabbing a crayon.

As she started coloring, Mulder picked up the phone. He dialed an extension and waited.

"Hey, Agent Keller," he said when the line connected. "I hear you're working on that handwriting analysis case. Got any downtime?"

"Uh, maybe. Why?"

"I've got a very curious young visitor here who wants to see a 'big microscope.' I figured your setup might impress her. What do you say?"

Keller laughed. "Alright, bring her over. I'll give her a mini tour."

Mulder hung up and turned back to Maddie. "Hey, Maddie, you want to see a really cool science setup?"

Her face lit up. "Yes!"

"Alright, finish that alien, and then we'll go check it out. Deal?"

"Deal!" Maddie said, already scribbling furiously to complete her masterpiece.

Mulder leaned back in his chair, watching her with a small, contented smile. Despite the teasing and the stress of the case, moments like these made it all worthwhile.

When Scully finally emerged from the lab after hours of painstaking analysis, she handed the crucial report to Supervising Agent Regis. He scanned the documents briefly, nodding in approval before glancing back at her.

"Where's Mulder?" Scully asked, her voice carrying a mixture of curiosity and concern.

Regis motioned toward the bullpen. "At his desk. Don't worry. He didn't leave your daughter alone for even a second. Mulder may have his edges and quirks, but he's a man of his word."

Then, as if debating with himself, Regis leaned in slightly. "You know, Mulder would be the best profiler on my team, even without that fancy education from good old Blythe. And do you know why?"

Scully raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Regis smiled faintly. "He's dedicated, he has his principles, and he feels things deeply. He has this ability to put himself in someone else's shoes—sometimes so well it's uncanny. And on top of that, his mind is incredibly open. It's a rare combination."

Scully frowned slightly, unsure where this was going. "Agent Regis, what are you trying to say?"

Regis hesitated, then offered her a knowing smile. "That Mulder is a good guy. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about my daughter being with him—except… I wouldn't let him take her for dinner. If you let him have his way, it's always fast food."

Scully's lips twitched with the hint of a smile as Regis added, "One more thing. He looks genuinely happy whenever you're around. I've known him for a while, and I haven't seen him like that in a really long time."

Scully regarded him quietly for a moment. "Thanks... for your insights about the case and the profiler."

Regis gave her a polite nod. "Just doing my job. Oh, and if you could keep this little conversation between us?"

Scully's smile softened. "Certainly. Though you didn't really tell me anything new. I've noticed these things about Mulder."

She turned and walked toward Mulder's desk. As soon as Maddie spotted her, she jumped up from her chair, beaming. "Mommy, Mommy! I saw a really big microscope! Mr. Fox showed it to me!"

Scully crouched down and pulled her daughter into a hug, her relief evident. "I'm so glad you had a good time, sweetie." She kissed Maddie's head before looking up at Mulder, who sat nearby, watching the moment unfold with a soft smile.

"I think we have a few more minutes to go over the results, if you want to," Scully said, standing.

Mulder straightened in his chair. "Of course."

"The team's already in the meeting room," Scully added before turning back to Maddie. "Maddie, can you be a good girl for a little longer and stay here until Mommy's back?"

Maddie nodded eagerly. "I'll draw another alien for Mr. Fox!"

Mulder chuckled warmly. "Looking forward to it."

As Scully and Mulder walked off toward the meeting room, Maddie settled back at the desk, her crayons already in action.

Mulder stole a glance at Scully, his voice quiet. "Thanks for trusting me with her today."

Scully's expression softened as she replied, "Thanks for picking her up. And for keeping her entertained."

By the time Scully returned to Mulder's desk, the meeting had dragged well into the evening. Maddie was slumped over in a chair, half-asleep, her crayon loosely gripped in one hand. Mulder looked up from the file he'd been reviewing and gestured toward the drowsy little girl.

"She put up a good fight," Mulder said with a quiet chuckle, "but I think bedtime won."

Scully smiled fondly as she bent down to scoop Maddie into her arms. The little girl murmured something incoherent, her head resting against Scully's shoulder.

"I'll walk you to your car," Mulder offered, grabbing his coat.

Together, they made their way through the quiet halls and out to the parking lot. As they reached Scully's car, she adjusted Maddie in her arms, carefully opening the back door.

"Thank you, Mulder," she said, her voice soft but sincere. "It was very interesting to see how you work. Really."

Before Mulder could respond, Scully leaned in and kissed his cheek, her lips brushing against his skin lightly. "And thank you for everything you did for Maddie today. I'm sure she'll be talking about that microscope for weeks."

Mulder, slightly stunned but clearly pleased, managed a small, genuine smile. "It was my pleasure, Dana."

Scully gently settled Maddie into her booster seat and buckled her in, her motions careful and practiced. As she started the car and pulled out of the lot, Mulder stood there for a moment, watching her taillights disappear into the night.

He couldn't stop smiling. That simple peck on the cheek had left him grinning like a teenager.