Jon's eyes fluttered as the room came back into focus. He was face to face with Leonard, whose expression had gone from total anger and panic to a calm half-smile. His sandy brown hair now framed his face in longer, soft curls - styled just like Jon's (and Nancy's). At this distance Jon could see the deftly applied makeup on his face - foundation, eyeshadow, lipstick, mascara. And, just like him, a pair of rose-gold hoop earrings in his ears - the ones Ted gave them for their birthday last year!
It was almost like looking into a mirror! But that was... his son? That didn't seem right, he didn't have a son. Just me and Ted, was the thought that ran through his mind. But it felt like there were two other trains of thought just under the surface, fighting to break through. But neither one could overcome what he was seeing before him. They both looked down at the remote Jon was holding. There was not a hint of recognition in Leonard's eyes, but a sudden clang of memories hit Jon.
This was Leonard's remote! Leonard - that Leonard - was the one who was standing in front of him. But now he's wearing my clothes, Jon thought. He then looked at Leonard's work bench - or what used to be Leonard's work bench. All of the gadgets and bits of electronics and wiring were gone. The counter space was now a neatly organized assortment of crafting supplies. Jon suspected if he searched the house there'd be no sign of Leonard at all. Except for this remote, somehow.
Holding it and looking at it helped Jon remember. Leonard made this. And he had done this to Jon. He knew this wasn't the way things were supposed to be. But there were far too many buttons and settings on here to make sense of, no obvious "undo" button. And how could Leonard's invention still exist if, technically, Leonard didn't really exist anymore (at least not as Leonard)? Thinking about it for more than a few seconds made Jon's head spin.
"Honey!" A voice called down the stairs. "I'm having ice cream for dessert. You want some?"
Leonard immediately spun around and answered. "No thanks sweetie, you know I'm on a diet!"
"And you should be watching what you eat too!" Nancy added. She was right, Jon thought. Though he realized he should stop dawdling and head back upstairs. At that thought Nancy and Leonard wordlessly headed towards the stairs. And though he'd been so locked into Nancy's life so far, Jon hesitated as he looked down at the remote. It was helping him remember. Maybe if he held onto it long enough he'd figure out how to use it. But could he risk having it around Ted? The thought of losing his husband to this thing was almost too much to bear. As the other two headed up the stairs the anxiety of separation started growing even stronger.
He had to catch up. Would he leave the remote in the basement or take it with him? Or maybe a quick press of another button would help?
