Grumbling to himself, and trying to puzzle out what to do about Leonard, Jon tends to his makeup as he drives. He's no professional, but after years of a busy life, he's become proudly proficient at doing a decent job while on the road. Foundation. Blush. Eyeliner. Every red light, every time traffic slows, he tends to a bit more until his face is all gussied up. As he gets to the lipstick, something gives him pause. He never told anyone, but this had always been a small joy in his day. He always felt like this made his face striking and sexy, even as he grew older, but for some reason, as he held the tube and stared at his reflection, the mirror didn't seem to reflect back what it was supposed to. He looks away, and shakes his head, then looks back.
"Yes..." He confirms. He sees Mrs.Black in the mirror, just like he should, but again that didn't seem quite right. He looks again, and again Mrs. Black looks back, but something still stood out. It isn't until he starts to break it down piece by piece that things started to come together. His hair is far too short. Rather than the red locks he usually has, (Or the blonde ones he had gained, thanks to Karen's irresponsible wish) his hair is short, and brown. His lips aren't in a defined cupids bow, but are more rounded out, and less smooth. He blinks a few times, and suddenly realizes why. He still looks like Jon... Or rather, he still looks like himself! Leonard may have changed everything else, but his body is still the same. He shifts his bra strap again, which had started to dig into his shoulder, but suddenly makes a second realization. His clothes fit. They don't fit perfectly of course, but it was as if he had purchased the exact sizes he needed from the very beginning.
He holds his hand to his head while trying to make sense of things, but a curious urgency strikes him. He still needs to finish his makeup before work. Mr.Marin was a good boss, but he could be strict. He expected a professional appearance, and didn't easily pardon tardiness. As Jon lined his lips in the classic crimson, his reflection seemed to become Mrs.Samantha Black once again. He realizes this is because his reflection IS Samantha Black's, and always had been. So what did that make Jon in this reality? The question drops heavily in his stomach, but time had passed him by, and he had just arrived at work.
Mr.Marin was fortunately out of the office, as he sometimes was when he was meeting business associates, meaning that Jon's 10 minute tardiness would go undiscovered. Swiftly he click -clacked his way across the bank floor, to the elevator, and up to the fourth floor where his office, Mr. Marin's office, and the board room, was. He already knew he had a lot to do, and as he sat at his desk, and kicked off her heels, he started working his way through the backlog of spreadsheets, account balancing, and phone calls that demanded his attention.
As he worked, he found his thoughts drifting to dinner plans. He was, of course, still expected to prepare meals for the family, even if they weren't as planned or elaborate as they used to be when he was a stay at home mom. He sighed, and his fingers continued to punch in numbers while his mind took inventory of the pantry at home. Karen wouldn't be happy about it, but they'd probably have to settle with a frozen casserole again. She'd have to stop by the store for some canned veggies, they'd already had corn 2 nights in a row, and they were running low on milk... which seemed to be a universal constant. Tod was usually home by 7, and he wouldn't get off until 5. That wasn't nearly enough time to shop and cook. He took a moment to text Karen.
"Hi sweetie, can you pick up milk and mixed veggies on the way home" He fired off another text. "And anything you'd like for dessert, within reason."
"k mom" was the curt response.
The text stood out to him. This was the first communication he'd had with his daughter, with Karen, all day. He stared at his phone wistfully, only to shout in surprise as he realized someone had appeared in the chair opposite his desk.
"How's work, Jony boy?" the figured laughed. Leonard was wearing the same skeevy smile from before.
Jon crossed his hands elegantly, and spoke with the professional tone he reserved for unruly borrowers and clients. "It's fine Leonard." The words were more curt than he intended. "You know this is a restricted area. It's not open to the public."
"Nothing is restricted to me, Jon. Or should I say Mrs.Black?" He scratches his chin. "I've been making some tweaks over the past few hours while you worked. I want to know, which name do you prefer?"
"I prefer MY name." Jon quips.
"Which is?" Leonard teases
"J-Jon." Jon responds with uncertainty.
"Well, that's a start." Leo crosses his arms and looks up thoughtfully. "You see, I want to make sure the target still feels like themselves, but have everything they need to live their new life."
"This better not be my new life." Jon interrupts, his calm demeanor fading away.
Leonard rolls his eyes and continues. "The problem is, if your life chafes too much, you'll stand out, but if doesn't chafe enough, you may as well be Mrs.Black..." He gesticulates flippantly. "Or Jon's soul born as Mrs.Black, whatever."
"Do you need something Leonard, or are you just here to pester me with questions? I'm very busy as you can see." He gestures to his desk.
"Hmm... Maybe still too much Mrs.Black, and not enough Jon." He starts tapping away at that tablet again, and Jon's eyes flit towards it. The glance is unnoticed by Leo. "But as a matter of fact, I do need something." He looks up to Jon. "I need you to quietly clear a 10 million dollar deposit into my account."
"What?! can't your device do that?" Jon stammers.
"Oh it can!" Leo insists. "And so much more, but right now it still creates a lot of..." He glances to the side. "Collateral." He titters. "You were already arrested three times since this morning!"
"You're lying, I don't remember that."
"You wouldn't, I undid the changes. Look, the point is, equivalent exchanges, or single point changes to the past are easy, but changes to the present either require completely rewriting the past, which I'm not ready to do yet, or accounting for every little butterfly effect that might occur, and that's still tricky." He nods. "So, I need you to clear that transaction now."
"I can't do something like that. There's an entire board that could catch me, not to mention the bank manager, Mr.Marin."
Leonard starts punching at his tablet, and Jon marvels as his office begins to grow. Ornate pottery appears on corner pedestals, and lovely floral paintings suddenly hang on the walls. "Congratulations." Leonard says. "You've just been promoted to bank manager."
Jon rises to his feet, and staggers around the office. "What? Y-you can't do this."
"I just did."
"What happened to Mr Marin?"
"Bribery, corruption, money laundering. He went to prison 5 years ago, and with a bit of a push, the board elected you as bank manager to replace him."
"You can't do this." Leo rolls his eyes, but Jon starts shouting. "Undo it. Just... Just write in your little machine that Mr.Marin cleared your deposit."
"So you're NOT going to cooperate? I'm giving you a chance to work with me here, Jony boy. To make up for your impulsive error this morning."
Jon crosses his arms. "No. Not like this."
Leo sighs, and shrugs. "Alright, just know that it didn't have to be this way." Beaming a big smile, he presses a single button on the tablet, calling a pre-programmed function.
(I'll edit this for tense later. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do present or past.)
