Jon didn't miss a beat, and immediately began recounting Nancy's day as if he'd been there the whole time - even though he'd been inhabiting a completely different life just an hour ago. It started with a manicure, of course, then lunch with Susan and Gerri, then they came home and did some tidying up around the house. Every time he mentioned something Nancy did, the memory of being there with her became clear as day. He remembered the feel of the buffer on his nails, the smell of the polish as it was drying, the crunch of the salad he ate for lunch, and the juicy gossip of catching up with his girlfriends. A stray thought of getting a call from Leonard then coming over to meet him flashed in his mind, but that didn't seem to fit. He puzzled it out as Nancy picked up the conversation right where he left off.
It was at that moment that Leonard finally bounded up the stairs and into the dining room, which suddenly crystalized that incongruous memory for Jon. Yeah, that had definitely happened. He felt like he should be angry at Leonard, or resentful somehow. But he couldn't put his finger on why he should feel that way about his own son. He was a brilliant, kind young man after all, if a bit socially awkward. Leonard smiled at the two- no, three of of his parents.
"Hey Dad, Mom" he said, with a bit more emphasis on 'mom', then he looked at the meal laid out. He glanced up at Nancy, then Jon, "Wow Mom, did you do all this yourself?" he asked.
"Of course sweetie," Nancy said.
"Anything for my boys," Jon said with a slight laugh.
They all sat at the table and set into the meal, carrying on like any normal family. Any outside observer would've seen them as a normal family too, thanks to the remote's reality warping powers. Jon felt deeply contented as he and Nancy listened to Ted recounting his day at work. But something still nagged at Jon. He could sense that Leonard was watching him, almost like he was observing him. And that just made him think of that odd memory even more. The familiar routine of the dinner conversation gave Jon a moment to turn it over in his head - and as he did he could remember more: Coming down the stairs, he remembered his heels clicking on the wood. Leonard showing him is invention. His invention! The remote!
He remembered now - though not all of it. Even though he felt so at ease here, he realized that this must not be his real life. He tried to remember details of his old life, but it was foggy. Had he been someone else's mother? Was his family missing him right now? He had to find a way to get to that remote, to try and undo this. He just needed a reason for Nancy to go to the basement. Think, think...
As the family polished off their bowls of soup, Nancy piped up all of a sudden, "Oh, I just remembered, I've got a whole load of laundry to finish up!" <Yes!> Jon thought, <That's the ticket!>
"Don't worry, honey," Ted said as he looked at Jon, "Leonard and I can take care of the dishes tonight. Right, son?"
"Uh... I guess?"
"You guys are the sweetest," Jon said with a smile, while he and Nancy stood up from the table. As they made their way to the basement, Jon could swear he felt Leonard watching him. Down the stairs they went, two pairs of heels clicking on the wood this time. Jon tried to remember what it had been like earlier - Leonard called out for him, and he came down the stairs... was one of Leonard's friends over? What was his name again? A few more steps to the cold concrete floor, and there it was, just sitting out on Leonard's workbench. The remote! Seeing it brought back more memories - Leonard gave some type of speech, some explanation that didn't really make sense, then pressed a few buttons and... well then all Jon could remember was rushing to get dinner ready. That must be why they forgot the wash!
Even though he wanted to go over and look at the remote, Jon and Nancy continued to the laundry room. They flipped open the washing machine and started hanging up the freshly washed clothes. Jon tried to will Nancy to go a little faster, but you really can't rush a chore like this. <Can't have these getting all wrinkled,> Jon reminded himself. But it only took a few minutes with two pairs of hands going at it. Finally. Everything was hung up neatly, and Jon and Nancy gave a satisfied sigh in unison. He could feel the draft of the basement on his bare legs. He couldn't wait to curl up on the couch with a blanket, next to Ted, and... wait a second. The remote! Remember the remote!
He had to push this time. Chores were done. Dinner was done. He had to be able to influence Nancy on this one. She had been there when it happened, too. The speech. The remote. Fusion. Life Merge. That was it... just go take a look.
They crossed the basement together, and Jon carefully picked up the remote, turning it over in his freshly manicured fingers. Leonard was always protective of his work, didn't even like Nancy cleaning too close. But Jon knew she was an upstanding, moral woman. And if his son was doing something inappropriate, it was his job as his mother to set him straight.
It was about the size and shape of a large universal TV remote, but with a strange and confusing array of buttons and LED displays. Jon tried to make sense of it. The top setting read: MODE: LIFE MERGE, and below that, SUBJECT: NANCY DRULLERS [LOCKED] <Wait, that's me,> Jon thought. Below that, a display with two numbers: LIFE FUSION: 100% and DOMINANCE: 90%. There were + and - buttons beneath each. Jon tapped one of the buttons a few times and the display labeled DOMINANCE ticked up, stopping at 100%
"Hmmm," Jon said with a hush. This was way more complicated than he was expecting. If this really was some weird and powerful thing, he didn't want to mess things up any more. He thought about just asking Leonard about it, he wouldn't lie to his own mother, would he? But before he could decide, Jon and Nancy both froze, their eyes growing wide, at the sound they heard - footsteps coming down the basement stairs!
