A/N: Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews. This surely makes a vivid contrast to my last fic. As someone mentioned in the reviews, there are so much that can be done with this kind of plot, and I am finding this out as I am writing this story. As someone else mentioned in the reviews, it appears that someone had the idea of Sharon and Brenda swapping bodies before me, and to that I'll say: "It's impossible to be a 100% original and while I wasn't aware of the other story, I honestly don't care if this is not an original idea, as body swap is considered a very old and traditional trope (i.e. Freaky Friday and an episode of Lost Girl). What matters to me is the way I write it, and to have fun during the writing process. I hope that regardless of what you've read before, that you like this story and let it stand on its own, without comparing it to another writer's work for better or for worse." And of course, to everyone who left a review or contacted me here or on another social media platform, thank you so so much for taking the time to review and comment on my story. I love your insights and as detailed as they are, the more fun they are to read.
Sharon opened Brenda's closet and inspected its content. She made an involuntary face of disgust. Brenda had a thing for florals and an unexplainable fondness of pastels. In short, the other woman's wardrobe was hideous. Sharon had to rummage through Brenda's messy closet for a while before she could find some decent casual clothes to wear.
"You look nice," she heard Fritz behind her as she stood in front of the mirror and gathered her hair with a few bobby pins. Try as she might, she could not find any hair clips in any of Brenda's drawers. Bobby pins were her next best option.
"Thank you," she replied happily.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"I'm meeting B… Sharon for coffee," she responded.
"Who's Sharon?" Fritz wondered.
"Captain Raydor," she clarified. "I thought that I might check on her, see how she's doing."
"That's sweet of you," he smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Sharon froze. She knew he was sure she was his wife, and physically, she was; but as nice and kind as he was, she was not attracted to him in any way and did not wish to be. "How are you going to get there?"
"I'm allowed to drive, am I not?"
"Not under the influence of the pills you're on," Fritz said. Sharon let out a long sigh.
"I can drive you if you want," he offered.
"That would be great, thanks," she accepted. "But if you don't mind, I'd rather meet Sharon alone."
"Of course. I'll go grocery shopping and pick you up on the way back."
"That works for me," she smiled at him, the first genuine smile since she woke up that morning.
'The Chocolate Spoon' was a small but lively café that Brenda chose as their meeting place. Considering Brenda's known weakness for sweets, it did not surprise Sharon that she would choose a place named after a dessert. As she went into the café, the smell of freshly ground coffee hit her nose and made her head spin. She quickly located Brenda who was seating at one of the tables and eating a big slice of chocolate cake.
"Do you have any idea how many calories are in this cake?" Sharon approached the other woman, her hands resting on her hips in admonishment.
"I don't care about that," Brenda smiled and shoved a spoonful of cake into her mouth. Sharon cringed at the thought of the other woman's calorie intake.
"Well, I do. You're in my body," she replied.
"Here, have some," Brenda pushed the plate towards Sharon. "Maybe if you'd had a little chocolate, you wouldn't be so anal."
"Fritz warned me that I should watch my, I mean, your blood sugar," Sharon chose to ignore the other woman's attempt to insult her. "And I'm not supposed to have coffee either."
"It's just like him," Brenda smirked.
"Can you blame him? He almost lost you," Sharon said softly.
"How is he doing?" Brenda asked.
"He thinks I'm you, so probably better than you'd expect, although he is worried," Sharon replied.
"I miss him," Brenda let out a deep sigh. Sharon could understand why. Fritz was a good guy, and even though their interactions since she woke up as Brenda were rather short, she could tell he was a caring husband.
"How are Emily and Ricky doing?" she wondered.
"They're driving me crazy. They barely let me do anything," Brenda groaned.
"They must have been so scared," Sharon said softly. "Be kind to them, okay?"
"I'll try," Brenda promised. "Now let's get down to business. We both died, and then came back and now we are stuck in each other's bodies. What do we do about it?"
"Maybe we should talk to someone who specializes in paranormal phenomenon," Sharon suggested.
"Fritz's sister Claire is a clairvoyant," Brenda informed her.
"I'm not sure a clairvoyant is what we need," Sharon responded.
"And I'm not sure I want Fritz to know that we are not ourselves," Brenda let out a deep sigh and stared into the huge cup of coffee that she was nursing. "What about an exorcist?"
"I don't think we're possessed. And frankly, I'd rather avoid contacting the church," Sharon replied.
"Yeah, I'm not on good terms with them either," Brenda shrugged.
"Oh, I'm in good terms with the church, and I'd like to keep it this way. That's why I'd rather avoid asking for an exorcist."
"Okay, then how do we switch back?" Brenda wondered.
"Maybe we don't," Sharon knew that her words would annoy Brenda, but it was an option they had to consider. "Maybe for the time being we need to learn how to live as each other until we figure out another solution."
"That's not my thing," Brenda argued.
"You know what? It's not my thing either, but we're stuck this way, so we better make the best out of it."
"And how do you suggest we do that?" Brenda quipped.
"By seeing the good in this situation," Sharon answered.
"Yeah, I don't see anything good in being you," Brenda retorted. "For one, you took my husband."
"I did not take your husband! Besides, you took my kids!"
"I hate kids! Why would I want your kids, for heaven's sake?" Brenda contended.
"They are great kids; I love them!" Sharon stated.
"Yeah, well, my husband is great too, and I want him back."
"Okay, so maybe there's not much good that we can see in this situation," Sharon let out a sigh of despair. "But this is happening regardless of what we want, so let's lay some ground rules." Brenda gave her a quick nod. "First, we have to promise each other that we will not do anything that will alter or sabotage our bodies, our relationships, or our jobs until we find a way to switch back."
"Acceptable," Brenda replied.
"Good," Sharon smiled. "That means that you can't eat any more sweets for as long as you are me."
"You can't be serious," Brenda groaned.
"I am serious. And also, no tattoos, and please keep up with my regular diet and sleep hours, now that you are going to have my job," Sharon instructed.
"Oh, no! I have to work in Internal Affairs," Brenda covered her mouth with her palms. "You took my husband and my job!"
"And your cat," Sharon couldn't help but tease the other woman. She was just as dissatisfied with the situation as Brenda was, but the other woman's panic and accusations were rather comical, and since she was quite a sarcastic person, the temptation to get a kick out of Brenda was almost impossible to overcome.
"That's not funny!" the other woman called. Sharon rolled her eyes.
"So, what do I need to know in order to be you?" Sharon inquired.
"Where do I begin?" Brenda whined. She looked at the other woman and tried to think rationally, but the notion that the wicked witch has taken her husband and her job and all she got in return were two kids, and a position in the most hated division in the LAPD did nothing to help her stay calm. "First, do not kiss or touch Fritz," she said. "And take good care of Joel."
"Fair enough," Sharon replied. "All I really ask is that you be kind to Emily and Ricky. And tell them I love them."
"I can't believe I'm the mother of two kids," Brenda whined.
"At least they're already grown and can take care of themselves," Sharon offered Brenda the positive side of the matter. The two women spend an hour exchanging information about their lives that would help them go through the next few days until Fritz called and told Sharon that he was on his way to pick her up.
"He will be here in a couple of minutes," Sharon updated Brenda as she got up and straightened her blouse.
"Yeah, I better head back, too, or your children will gather a search party," Brenda sighed and left money on the table to cover her coffee and cake. She accompanied Sharon out of the coffee shop as they both noticed Fritz's car coming from around the corner. Sharon turned to Brenda and wrapped her arms around the other woman.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she said before she entered Fritz's car. Brenda stood there for a long moment and stared at Fritz who smiled at her through the window. God, she missed him so much, and she would give anything to be able to hug him and tell him she loved him. She watched him drive away from there, and her heart slowly sank inside her.
-To be continued-
I am still working on the next chapters and hope to deliver another one soon, but in the meantime, I'd love to know your thoughts about this chapter, so feel free to leave a review or send me a PM.