On Mulder's chair, wrapped in Mulder's clothes, was a big dog. It barked once, then quickly looked around, as if his own voice scared him. German Shepherd, Scully decided, even though the dog's breed was the least of her concerns at the moment. She was a dog lover, she couldn't help it.

"Where is Mulder?" she asked firmly, keeping her eyes locked on the dog, whose ears twitched on the mention of her partner's name.

"You're looking at him," Genia said casually, with the hint of boredom in her voice. "He doesn't talk, just as you demanded."

"I didn't demand anything," Scully insisted. "That… That wasn't supposed to be a wish!"

"You said 'I wish'," Genia reminded her.

"I never said 'dog'," Scully pointed out.

"No," Genia agreed. "But you didn't rule out a dog, either."

"Oh, God!" Scully gasped. The dog was looking at her now, and there was no doubt he had Mulder's eyes. It was Mulder's gaze, begging her to fix him, like he always does. But this time, she wasn't sure that she can.

"Are you ready for your next wish?" Genia asked, faking patience.

"What?" Scully was still staring at the dog, almost forgetting Genia's presence. "No, I… I need to think. I need to fix this mess. Just leave me alone for a while, would you?"

"Is that your wish?" Genia inquired.

"Yes!" Scully snapped, without thinking. "That's my wish! Just go!"

At the moment she said it, she realized it was a huge mistake. "No, I didn't mean that!" she pleaded, but Genia was already gone.

Damn!

Genia's disappearance upset the dog as well. He barked twice, then jumped off the chair and shook the clothes off. He whined, looking expectantly at Scully.

"Mulder," Scully gasped. "Is it really you?"

At the sound of her voice, dog started to wag his tail happily. Scully crouched in front of him and reached with her hand to stroke his head. It seemed to please him. For a moment Scully forgot how she ended up with a dog in her office, she was just glad that he was there. She missed having a dog.

"Agent Scully?" she heard Skinner's voice behind her and jumped to her feet. How did she miss hearing him come in?

"Sir…" she had no idea what to say.

"I thought I heard a dog in here," Skinner noted. "What is going on? What is this animal doing in here?"

"This," Scully pointed to the dog. "I'm afraid this is Mulder…" No. She couldn't tell Skinner the truth. She was the reasonable one. Besides, he would never believe her. She didn't truly believe it herself, even though it was happening right in front her eyes, or behind her back, more precisely. Paranormal activities tended to happen just behind her back, all the time.

"…Mulder's dog," she finished the sentence sheepishly.

"Since when did Mulder get a dog?" Skinner eyed her suspiciously. It was hard for her to keep his gaze and lie straight to his face, but telling the truth seemed way harder.

"His… umm… uncle suddenly died, sir," she was thinking fast. "And nobody else was available to take the dog, so Mulder brought him here."

"I'm going to kick his ass," Skinner was not pleased. "This is the Federal Bureau of Investigation, not an animal shelter! Where is that partner of yours?"

"He left early to make funeral arrangements," Scully was talking smoothly now, gaining back her confidence. "His uncle didn't have children, so there isn't really anybody else to…"

Mulder interrupted her with a bark, but one angry look from her was enough to shut him up.

"I'm sorry about this, sir," she continued before Skinner had a chance to comment further. "I was just about to take him home with me."

"You're taking him to your place?" Skinner was suspicious.

"Mine is bigger," she said simply. She wasn't taking him to Mulder's appartment, that's for sure. You couldn't expect from a dog to live alone, even when the said dog used to be Mulder.

"Let's go, Mulder," she called him when it seemed that Skinner was ready to leave it at that.

"His name is Mulder?" Skinner raised an eyebrow.

"Mulder's uncle wasn't very creative," Scully sighed. "So he named the dog after himself."

"You know what, I don't care," Skinner concluded, scratching the top of his head. "Just get him out of here."

"Yes, sir," Scully said, hoping he wouldn't notice that she didn't even have a leash. She still had Queequeg's leash in the desk's drawer, but Mulder was much larger dog and the collar wouldn't fit him.

On the way home she called her mother, asking her to go to the pet store and get some dog food and a new leash. For her partner, but she deliberately failed to mention that part.

"I said 'for a while', Mulder," she assured the dog who was sitting on the passenger's seat. "Not forever! She only left for a while, but she will come back and I will fix this. I still have one wish left, and I will not mess up this time."

Of course, 'for a while' could have meant a few hours. Or a few years…

Mulder licked her hand fondly, seeming more at ease than she felt. Of course, he would be content, he was a dog! Even if he wasn't, being taken to his partner's home with a promise of leash and food was probably one of his biggest fantasies.