Is There Another Option?

“You can’t do this!” Fred pleaded. “I won’t go back to being a spectator in my own body!”

”If it makes things easier, I can probably make it so your Fred persona sleeps until you’re brought back to me, after the baby’s birth.”

Fred was unmoved. “That’s if he decides to bring me back to you at all! Why wouldn’t he just keep his happy wife at that point!? Also, you claim that you need time to think things over, but do you really? All of the arguments we’ve laid out just now are the same ones that we’ll make a couple of months from now. If you believe it’s better for the children that ‘Hannah’ resume control now, why would that change once she has yet another newborn to take care of, on top of everything else!? And once Hannah is back in control and has given birth, are you really going to wipe her away at that point?!”

Jeppeline looked down for a long moment. She didn’t seem to have a good answer for that. ”You may well be right, Fred. I might ultimately decide in favor of restoring Hannah to control permanently. I don’t like what was done to you, Fred, but I don’t think it’s fair to deprive Henry of his wife or your many, many children of the only mother they’ve ever known.”

Fred opened her mouth to respond, but Jeppeline held up her hand and continued. “However, it’s also unfair to simply wipe ‘Fred’ out of existence altogether. I understand your feelings on the matter, and apologize for suggesting such an outcome earlier.”

Fred nodded slowly. “Thank you for that, at least. Is there really no other option? Must one of us be erased, or laid dormant, or awake and aware but out of control, for the rest of this body’s life?”

Jeppeline walked slowly over to a nearby bookshelf and removed a dusty tome. She spoke while thumbing through the pages. “Two distinct personas inhabit your mind, Fred. An unusual situation, to be sure, and as such, one requiring a somewhat unorthodox solution. I should warn you, though; you may not like this idea very much.”

”Anything would be better than the current situation.” Fred said, hoping she was right about that.

1. “I can break down the mental barriers separating Fred and Hannah. I can’t say for certain what this will entail – what I suspect is that Hannah’s personality will merge with your own somehow,”
2. “I can transfer your Fred persona to a temporary holding vessel, thus leaving Hannah in sole control of your body. I can then seek out a new body for your mind to inhabit. I can make no promises, though. You’ll just have to trust me.”
3. “I can transfer your Fred persona to another living being, thus leaving Hannah in sole control of your current body, We just so happen to have a perfect host available, one without a distinct persona of their own– namely, the unborn child you carry."
4. Before Jeppeline could speak, the door bursts open and Belboz enters! He has somehow become aware of Fred and Henry's visit.

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