After dessert, as the dishes were being cleared and Megan bounded off to her room humming a kids song, Jess lingered in the kitchen. She stood silently for a moment, watching Isabelle dry her hands at the sink. The moment stretched until Isabelle finally turned, a question already forming on her lips.
"Jess?"
Jess folded her arms, leaning against the counter. "We need to talk."
Isabelle blinked, setting the dish towel aside. "Okay. What about?"
"You know what about." Jess kept her voice low, steady. "The device. The swap. The fact that I left a guy named Jeff behind, and now I come back and you're still in That body acting more like Me then Me!"
Isabelle exhaled slowly, then nodded. "You're right. We should talk."
"You were supposed to be begging to change back by now," Jess said. "I thought you'd hate it—being stuck like that."
"I thought I would too," Isabelle admitted. She stepped closer, her expression calm but heavy with meaning. "But things changed, Jess."
"What does that mean?"
"It means... I’m not the person I used to be," Isabelle said. "And I don’t mean just physically. I’ve had time to understand myself, and to figure out what makes me feel... whole. And being Isabelle—being Her, Being Mike Husband, Megan's Mother, Your Mother —isn’t something I’m pretending to be anymore. It’s something I am."
Jess’s brow furrowed. "But Jeff—"
"Was a part of me. He’ll always be a part of me. But that part doesn’t define who I am now."
Jess hesitated. "And Dad? He knows?"
Isabelle nodded. "He knows."
"And you two... are like, together-together?"
Isabelle offered a bittersweet smile. "For a very long time now, yes. even longer then you realize"
Jess looked down, her thoughts a whirlwind. Finally, she met Isabelle’s gaze. "I’m trying to understand. I really am. But it’s hard not to feel like something huge changed while I was gone... and I wasn’t given a say."
"You have every right to feel that way," Isabelle said gently. "We didn’t expect it to happen like this. But if you ever want to talk about it more—really talk—I’m here But If You Think, I'm Going To Let You Take Away This Life We Have Me & Mike You Got Another Thing Coming!" Isabelle Follows Up With "I've Set A Block On The Device So You Can't Change Either Me Or Mike Without Our Specific Password!"
The two stood in silence for a moment longer, the tension softening just slightly between them. In the quiet that followed, the weight of the body swap was laid out before Jess, what was supposed be less then 24 hours, what was supposed to be a punishment for "Jeff", but all it accomplished was "Jess" spent a Fun day at the mall as a teenager and when She got back, Her Son was now Her Mother, And She lost Her Husband to Her Son...
Jess Didn't Know What To Say Or How To Respond, If She Even Would, So Much Had Changed In What Her Mind Was An Afternoon!
Jess sat with her cup of tea, silent as the dinner dishes were cleared. Isabelle had just excused herself to tuck Megan in, her steps soft, unhurried—too comfortable in her body for Jess to ignore it any longer.
Jess stared at the table, mind racing. A Boatload of feelings lived in seconds for her, but Isabelle moved like someone who had spent lifetimes in this reality. Jess had questions—too many to pick the right one. But when Isabelle returned, Jess didn’t mince words.
"So," Jess began, trying not to let bitterness curl her voice, "how long did it take before you stopped wanting to be Jeff again?"
Isabelle paused, something unreadable in her eyes. "A while," she admitted. "But not as long as you'd think."
Jess scoffed lightly, shaking her head. "You look so... at ease. Like this body was always yours. Like that life with Mike was always meant to be."
Isabelle sat, quiet, before replying, "I didn’t plan for it to happen this way. I never intended to take anything from you. But it... became real. It became mine."
Jess looked down at her hands, fingers trembling slightly. "Do you love him?"
"Yes." With Eyes Fantasying About Their Love
"And he loves you?" Eyes Full Of Doubt
"Completely." Eyes With Absolutely No Doubts
There was a silence between them. Not hostile, not entirely sad either. Jess took a breath.
"Mike and I... we hadn’t really been in love for years. I think we were holding on for Megan For You. For routine. I thought we were fine. Until today. Until I saw you two."
"I didn’t want to hurt you."
"I believe you," Jess said. Then her lips curved into something between a smirk and a sigh. "I met someone at the mall today. Some guy from the bookstore. I laughed like I hadn’t in ages. And I felt guilty. But now... maybe this is my out. Maybe this is the reset I didn’t know I needed."
Isabelle smiled, warm and maybe a little wistful. "You deserve to be loved. Really loved."
Jess stood. "Just don’t expect it to be easy. We’re not exactly rewriting a chapter—we’re flipping genres."
Isabelle nodded. "Then we write carefully."
Jess gave her a nod back, then turned away. Isabelle As Jess Walked Away Said "I'm Happy, And I'm Sorry If That Came At The Price Of You..."
But Jess As she walked upstairs, her steps weren’t bitter. They were measured. Maybe curious. Maybe relieved.
Downstairs, Isabelle glanced toward Mike, who met her gaze with a steady look. Whatever they were now, whatever they had become, it was real. And maybe, just maybe, they could all find something better than what they started with and hopefully Jess would too...