DTH Jon failed to take into consideration just how 'identical' to the last world, this world was. It did appear a little more time had passed. Probably the difference in time between the last two hops, five minutes or so.
When the group hopped into this dimension, version three of ARD Karyn and Jon were still on the bed. The make out session between them seemed to being going well. ARD Jon was in the process of removing his jeans, already being shirtless. ARD Karyn's top had been removed. She still had her bra on and was yet to remove her own jeans. DTH Jon couldn't help but stare at the new breasts straining to be contained in the tight underwear.
DTH Karyn noticed Jon ogling her counterparts breasts. She quickly slapped him on the shoulder. "Oww!" DTH Jon shouted as he put his hand on the spot Karyn hit. The noise made the somewhat distracted couple on the bed aware they were being watched.
The half naked Karyn screamed in panic, jumped out of the bed and ran from the room. The bathroom door could be heard slamming shut. ARD Jon grabbed her top and went to follow her. In the panic he forgot his jeans were round his knees, he lost his balance and hit the floor face first. He pulled himself up, blood pouring from his nose. He pulled up his jeans, giving the group of travellers an evil stare before hobbling out into the hall. They could hear him talking to Karyn through the bathroom door. "He's going to be really eager to help us now." DTH Karyn said with only the slightest hint of sarcasm.
Zoe grabbed DTH Jon's hand and started shaking it. "Congratulations." She said to him.
"What for?" Jon asked, unsure what exactly in this terrible situation, was worthy of being congratulated.
"Cock-blocking yourself twice in the space of five minutes. You've got a real talent there." Zoe told him. Jon pulled his hand out of hers.
"It's not like I did it deliberately." He thought about the situation for a few seconds. "In hindsight maybe hopping in the bedroom itself was a little unwise considering the circumstances."
"You think?" Zoe asked.
"Yes, in future if a similar situation occurs we'll move to a different location before hopping." He hoped that would solve that problem in the future. Karyn snorted.
"What?" He asked.
"Us getting together like those two," Karyn pointed through the door, "is going to be extremely rare. Actually I'd have said it was impossible, if I hadn't seen it here with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it."
"I suppose so." He agreed. Everyone in the room apart from Karyn could almost hear Jon's heart breaking. "I'll just go see how they are getting on." He walked slowly from the room into the hall.
"Nice one." Zoe said to Karyn sounding like she was personally offended. "Do you think you could have found a more hurtful way of saying that?"
"What do you care? You keep telling us he's not your brother and you are always poking fun at him." Karyn had forced Zoe's hand a little. Zoe knew she had to admit the truth to prove her point.
"Okay, maybe I'm getting to know him better," Zoe felt she'd went too far, " a little bit." She clarified. "Yeah, I poke fun at him but I wouldn't go as far as you did. That was pretty hurtful."
Karyn shook her head. "It wasn't hurtful because Jon doesn't have those kinds of feelings." She turned to Prisoner Jon. "Do you?" He looked at her confused. "You don't have any romantic feelings for me, I mean Karyn."
"Nah, you, I mean, she's just a friend." He said. "A pal." Prisoner Jon started to wonder. The words had came out like an automatic response. He hadn't really thought about it that much.
Zoe was quick to respond. "You can't take his word for it. If Jon was hiding his feelings he wouldn't admit it." Karyn mentally had to admit Zoe had a point. "Since getting the stone and the DTH, you two have been through a lot together, right?" Karyn nodded.
"Intense situations can result in intense feelings." Athena said
"Great insight, Doctor Love." Zoe told her former friend with barely held contempt.
"Who is talking about love?" Karyn asked. Nobody got the opportunity to answer before the other three came back in. ARD Karyn had put her top back on. There was a small but prominent blood stain on the front of it. ARD Jon held a wad of toilet paper under his nose. DTH Jon was smiling.
"They've agreed to help us." He told the group.
"How did you manage that?" DTH Karyn asked. She was very surprised they had agreed to anything after the disaster of the group's arrival.
"We negotiated it. I won't go into the exact details but there was some swearing involved and the statement along the lines of 'As long as we don't come back here again'. I also agreed to delete this timeline off the DTH."
"You can do that?" DTH Jon opened his eyes wide and nodded in a robotic fashion. He was making it clear to Karyn he was blatantly lying.
Whilst DTH Jon and ARD Jon discussed the new functions of the ARD, DTH Karyn managed to get her counterpart into the hall.
"I wanted to talk to you." DTH Karyn said.
"About what?"
"You and Jon. Your relationship." DTH Karyn really wanted to find out what was going on with them.
"What about it?"
"It's just a fling right, a bit of fun?" It was ARD Karyn's turn to snort.
"Hardly, I thought it was kind of obvious when you arrived. I love him." She said. DTH Karyn felt she could have been knocked down by a gust of wind after that revelation.
"When you say love..."
"Why are you trying to get me to deny my feelings? I love him. You are me, you must know how I feel?" DTH Karyn shook her head. "You will. One day he'll leave and you'll worry he won't ever come back. I went through it. You'll understand then and regret not telling him earlier."
DTH Karyn looked back into the bedroom. She could see her Jon examining the ARD in his hands. Was the other Karyn right? Was there more to this than friendship.
"I can tell you are starting to doubt yourself. Why did you ask me, if you weren't?"
"I was just curious." DTH Karyn turned away and headed back into the bedroom.
