Joan wanted to laugh but she bit her tongue "I'm not sure when this might wear off" Joan said as she listened to her own voice. It sounded deeper, smoother and with much less of her own natural accent.

Abby concentrated; dwelling on her words until it felt like she had to impersonate her normal voice "This is awful" she managed to say clearly "I can’t believe I sound like you even though we've swapped back"

Joan did chuckle now just to ease the mood "I know…I honestly have no idea what this is going to bring us each time"

Abby was mad for so many reasons.

Joan stripped down and Abby gathered up her sweaty and smelly clothes and put them on. She grabbed her purse and shoes and headed out.

The house was quiet when Abby got home so she was able to quietly undress and toss the dress in the dirty laundry.

She needed to shower as she had gotten her body back, and it smelled like the bar.

As she showered, she was regaining her feel for her own body again. Each time she came back, she felt uncomfortable but she didn't want to admit it. Her body felt wrong and off until she got acclimated to it again whereas when she turned into her Mom, the feeling of it being natural was instant.

Abby had to get back into her own mindset while also reconciling her memories and thoughts from the last several days as Joan.

She could also see what her Mom had done in her body but it was like watching a movie.

"Mom is actually killing it when she's me" Abby realized seeing the work she did.

Luckily it was the weekend so both Joan and Abby could ease back into their lives.

Abby had to admit that there was a hangover to coming back to her own body, Joan thoughts and mannerisms kept creeping up and she had to concentrate to not fall into them.

On Saturday at lunch, her daughters were being loud and she shouted "what're you doin' over dere!" in a thick New Jersey accent.

Dan looked at his kids and they all laughed.

"Mommy sounds just like Grandma!" Their 5 year old exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah…nice impression hun" Dan added. Abby just blushed before playing it off as a joke. She focused and laughed "I've been workin on it for a long time fuggehdabbit"

Dan smirked at his wife.

Joan was bored, restless, listless as well. Nothing was keeping her attention as the days dragged on for her.

Bored at home and bored with retired life, nothing gave her a thrill. Her routine was sniffling, her hobbies felt old fashioned and dull. She got on her laptop and decided to sign in to her work account. Technically, it was her daughter's work account but she knew all the passwords and, in all honesty, she was dying to go to work.

Logged in, she perked up. Her fingers flew over the keys. She set herself up at her dining room table so she had full access to mouse movements to tweak her designs.

Abby, on the other hand, was frustrated at work. She felt a deep down humiliating fear; she no longer understood her work. She was totally faking it. "I don't understand this anymore…" she was panicking. Although most of her mind and memories had returned to her, her job knowledge was slipping away. Blank really. 2 full days, she sat at her desk too afraid to do anything. Then she noticed that her projects were progressing?

"What the…?!" She thought before she realized what was happening. She got up and excused herself to an empty hallway where she called her Mom.

"Hello" Joan said

"Mom?!" Abby said breathlessly, panting and near tears.

"Yes Abby…you sound all worked up?"

"Mom! I am shitting myself with worry! I can't remember shit about how to do my job! You're on?!"

"Yes Abby, I am…I'm just glad you're not mad at me for doing some of your work"

"Mad? God no! You're saving my ass!" Her Jersey accented voice really came out.

Joan smiled on her end and she chuckled softly "Sounds like you owe me haha"

Abby blushed on her end.

"You just sit at your desk and look pretty and leave the work up to me" Joan said reassuringly yet, her heart was pounding and her stomach fluttered.

"Um, yeah…okay…I can do that, I guess" Abby replied.

"Why don't you swing by my place tonight after work. We can talk about this" Joan said.

"Yeah, that's probably not a bad idea" Abby agreed. "I'll see you later"

"See you soon" Joan replied.

After hanging up, Joan just sat back. So satisfied, so natural, so powerful to hold the knowledge…

She chuckled internally and went to work, truly motivated to do the best work possible.

Joan felt younger, smaller, prettier as she worked. Her mental picture of herself was changing, altering. If she pictured herself, she saw a young woman with dark hair and glasses.

A pair of those glasses sat in her nightstand, an emergency pair stashed there just in case. They had both stashed sets of clothes at each other's homes.

Joan went into her bedroom and retrieved the pair. Her fingers were numb just holding them, she put them on.

She blinked a few times as her vision actually cleared. She gasped and took the glasses off. Joan was shocked. The room was fuzzy to her, details were blurry. Slowly, she put on her daughter's glasses and saw everything come into sharp focus, crystal clear.

"Ohmygosh…" she whispered putting her hand to her mouth "did my vision just physically change?!"

Outside of a full change, maybe by sheer will, her vision changed "Did I manifest this?!"

Joan was nervous, almost scared by this turn of events "What can this mean?"

She sat back down, adjusted her glasses, and went to work.

Abby went to the bathroom to compose herself before she could head back to her desk.

She walked softly, tentatively even, almost tip toeing to the bathroom so as to go unnoticed.

She let out a long sigh as she shivered behind closed doors.

Closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths, which each inhale her mental self-image began to change. Having lost her education and work experience made her feel old, out of touch. "Without technology, I might as well be in my 60s" she thought.

The picture of herself in her own mind grew older, heavier, more…matronly in her looks; all the way to her blonde hair framing a fleshier face.

Abby took off her glasses to rub her eyes. As she blinked her eyes open. She saw the bathroom clearly.

A bit confused, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. It was her youthful face but missing her signature glasses. "I don't even need them" she thought, tucking them into the palm of her hand as she returned to her desk to pantomime her work.

Abby had way too much time to let her mind wander that day. Without work, she just had to look busy, it was her mind that really went to work. By the time her work day was over, she was just concerned and confused.

Joan pushed back from her table and stretched out her back "Oh I wish I was oh about 30 years younger" she said hearing her spine pop.

The glasses stayed on; they had to, Joan absolutely needed them. She was smiling as she walked through her condo waiting for Abby to come over. She passed through her living room and caught a glimpse of herself in the glass of a painting. She jumped, seeing the glasses reflecting back on her face "unbelievable" she murmured. Once again she took note of her voice.

Joan sang to herself as she waited, a bit of vampire by Olivia Rodrigo.

Abby drove to her Mom's condo in a daze. She had pulled herself together somewhat but she still couldn't shake a deep seated feeling that their power dynamic had been the thing that had truly flipped between them. Her Mom had been in a better position since this had all started, but now, it seemed like another level had been achieved.

She drove without her glasses. That alone was freaking her out. She had no idea what to expect as she pulled into her Mom's driveway.

Joan opened the door with a smile on her face.

"Nice glasses" Abby said, stepping in.

"Oh, glad you noticed haha" Joan blushed.

"Yeah, how could I not?" she retorted. She took off her black loafers and headed to the living room. Joan followed and sat down across from her daughter.

Abby did not look pleased. Her brow furrowed, her eyes intent, her lips tight in contrast with Joan's more open and relaxed look.

"Relax Abby. You're going to have to calm down. We need to think about what's going on rationally"

"What's at all rational about me losing my job skills to my Mom? Or the fact that we've seemingly swapped out our vision to go along with our voices?" Abby snapped.

"I know, I get it…I get your frustration"

"How am I supposed to hide this? I feel so…so…" she grunted in anger. "It's exhausting!"

Joan nodded sympathetically. "Should we go see Madame Onyx?"

"No! She'd just probably switch us out fully!" Abby said quickly.

Joan snorted out a short laugh. "Let me make us some tea. We can talk…talk it all out as best we can.

Joan went to the kitchen and started the water. "I have Lemon or Earl Grey" she called out.

"I'll have the Earl" Abby replied.

"Me too" Joan added softly to herself.

Joan looked at Abby's shoes sitting by the door. She wanted so badly to put them on.

Abby sat on the sofa and let herself be comfortable there. The smell of the condo actually did calm her. She stood up to stretch out and she saw her Mom's house slippers sitting by the chair, tucked under so just the worn down fuzzy heels were showing. A thought crossed her mind that she never thought she'd think "I want to wear those"

The thought caught her completely off guard and her jaw dropped as her heart raced. She blushed bright red at the realization.

"Who's shoes are those? Those aren't Mom's shoes…they're, mine"

Abby looked down at her bare feet. She lifted her toes and spread them apart "What if I put on her slippers?" The thought was just, there. Clear and certain. For a moment, looking down at them, she pictured herself wearing them. Again. She wore these all the time when she was in her Mom's body "Would putting them on make my feet change into hers? Should I? Would it just be easier if I were her and she was me?"

Joan looked over her shoulder towards the living room. She didn't hear movement or see a shadow from Abby coming her way. Her heart began to beat faster as she took a step closer to the door and Abby's shoes.

Joan had worn these black loafers many times when she was in Abby's body. Everything in her was telling her to put on her shoes. She looked down at her bare feet; she had left her house slippers sitting by her chair. She lifted and separated her toes, knowing her foot was currently a size too big for these shoes, she knew it would be a tight fit, but very doable. "Very much so…" she thought as her right foot hovered off the ground "Just a little toe point and the right angle on my heel and these would be my shoes again"

Joan put her foot down next to the shoes "Would it work? Would my foot turn into her foot if I put it on? I want it so bad!" She admitted to herself, somewhat ashamed of her blatant desire and she blushed, shame faced.

She poured their tea and carried the cups into the living room.

Abby was sitting back down and she crossed her legs. Joan snuck a look at her toes.

As she sat, Joan asked Abby "How do you feel when you're me? We need to answer honestly even if we don't want to. We've been putting off an honest, frank conversation about what's been happening to us for too long"

Abby nodded and took a sip first. She paused and an odd slight smile formed before she spoke "You're right. When I'm you, I feel like you. Like it's who I've always been. I don't think about being Abby because when I'm you, it doesn't cross my mind that I could possibly be anyone else. I think of, well, for lack of a better word, you as my daughter and me as your Mom. When I change back, I remember everything that I did as you, that I did as Joan but I also see the things you did as me"

"And how do you think I'm doing as you?" Joan asked.

"You, um…" Abby blushed and squirmed in her seat "...you're doing great as me"

Joan just sat back a bit stunned but trying not to show it "Thank you. That, actually means so much to me” Joan tried to contain her smile “In that case, I have to ask, do you truly appreciate me and my point of view and my actions and mannerisms that annoyed you so much?" Joan pressed her case, her voice rising as she spoke "Since that was the lesson you were supposed to learn in all of this"

"I suppose I have" Abby said "I can truly say that since I've been you and acted as you, they are natural to me by now"

"But do you truly understand?" Joan asked again.

Abby shrugged her shoulders "I thought so but…" she pointed at Joan's glasses "If we were going to be done, this wouldn't be happening. You wouldn't have my education and job skills either"

"True…" Joan said as she stood up and paced a bit.

Abby watched her Mom walk. "What do you want Mom?" She asked and Joan stopped and turned towards her.

"You said we need to be honest" Abby said "I, <sigh> I can tell how much you enjoy your time as me. You're not just along for the ride at this point. You're fully invested in this too. I mean, at this point, you're as much me as I am. I could ask you all the questions you asked me"

Joan stammered for a moment and picked up her cup. She took a drink and sat down "How honest do you want me to be?"

"Brutally" Abby said.

"Then I need to ask one last question before I answer you: Do you enjoy being me?"

Abby had been fearing this question, she sighed "Enjoy…no. I can't say yet that I enjoy it because I just can't bring myself to embrace it…do you understand?"

Joan nodded.

"When I'm you, I'm kind of on autopilot. It's weird….I'm so confused and conflicted. When this all started, I was furious about it. I suppose I still am. I feel so out of control. I can't control being in my own body and that frankly, pisses me off. Middle of a wedding, in the middle of having sex?! Come on! All of a sudden…I'm turning into you!” She paused “but if we're being brutally honest, when I am you, I don't feel bad”

"What if we could control it? Pick a time and place and we swap?" Joan suggested.

"I don't know…I…okay, confession time.. Even though I don't like it per se, a few minutes ago, I was actually thinking about it and; it didn't repulse me"

"Oh…should I take that as a compliment?" Joan teased, giggling a bit.

"Well since I hadn't ever thought about it before like that; yes!" Abby said. "Yes you should! I can admit that I like being retired"

Joan laughed "I bet you do! But as you might have guessed, I like working again!"

"It does seem to suit you" Abby admitted and Joan smiled.

"When you went to go make our tea, I saw your slippers and, I thought about putting them on and if I did…would it make my feet change into yours" Abby admitted "That was the first time a thought like that; changing something with you, voluntarily, fascinated me more than repulsed me. I don't know how I feel about that"

"I understand that you would feel strange. I can't think of a better word, about turning into your own Mother. And yes, it's weird for me becoming my daughter too but…"

Abby leaned forward.

"I have to admit that I really like being you"

"Well duh" Abby said, rolling her eyes "But how much?"

Now it was Joan's time to sigh and hang her head "I think about it most of the time that I'm me. I think about when I get to be you again"

Abby's throat closed hearing it out loud. She rubbed her chin and looked off as her hovering foot bounced.

Abby closed her eyes and thought long and hard. She simply put up her right palm in a wait gesture.

Joan understood. She got up and refilled their tea, but this time, she swapped their cups.

"What should I do?" Abby thought "If I don't really give this a shot, it's just going to keep going on like this. Maybe actually thinking about it is telling me to expand in my role when I'm her…see if I can find something that I can make my own as her. If I take more control…maybe we can find an ending in this"

She let herself go, let her mind wander. She saw herself as her Mom. She saw her Mom as her. They were smiling at one another.

Abby actually felt her heart increase. She felt a tickle in her throat and tingling in her spine and arms "Excited?!"

Joan watched her daughter closely. She saw a slight smile twitch on her lips and her head tilted ever so slightly. Then her lips pursed down again and she pulled her chin back.

Abby felt tightness creeping over her back. She realized she needed to see this through or it might never end, but it was a risk.

Abby opened her eyes and took in a loud deep breath "What if I said I wanted to switch places with you for at least 3 full months?"

Joan was shocked. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened "You? You're serious?"

Abby nodded "The only way out of this is going through it. Going full immersion. To really, really get a full sense of each other's lives. I have to make it mine. I'm assuming that you don't mind if we swap for this long?"

Joan chuckled and looked slightly embarrassed, looking away sheepishly.

"I'm thinking that we can circumvent the usual order of swapping on the full moon if we ask for it, if we force the change as our choice. And…if that doesn't work, we could go see Onyx and see if she could do it"

Joan didn't want to seem too eager but she asked "Do you want to try it tonight?" And she was surprised when Abby answered "Yes. I might lose my nerve if I put it off"

"Um, so…how do we…?" Joan stammered while thinking.

Abby sighed heavily "I'm not sure. But my thoughts were triggered by looking at your slippers. Maybe if we…"

"Literally put ourselves in each other's shoes" Joan added.

"Yeah…that could trigger a body swap" Abby finished.

Abby picked up her tea and took a sip. She saw her Mom do likewise before Joan stood up.

Joan's knees were weak. The realization of what could be was really hitting her but she composed herself and went into the kitchen and she picked up her daughter's shoes.

She also reached into the top drawer of the end table next to her and brought out a small box "These should do the trick"

She pulled out the black and white stones.

Abby recognized them instantly and she smiled "I almost forgot about those"

"I thought so…but I do like the idea of putting on your shoes. But these can set the time you want"

"Very true" Abby replied "Going back to the original way" she looked her Mom up and down, knowing that in a few moments, that it would become her body.

Abby's stomach tightened into a knot, there was something different about her feelings going into this. There were things ahead that she would have to discover.

Joan put her hand out and Abby took the white stone and closed her hand around it.

Joan's fingers wrapped back. She could feel the cool black stone pressing into her palm.

Abby opened her hand to reveal a black stone. She gasped seeing it actually work again.