It didn't take much to find a cab. Jeff knew the location and all of the hotel. But problem was he only had a 20 dollar bill in his pocket and that probably wouldn't get him far at all. He didn't want to talk to his brother though..not at all. Not until he straightened things out with..himself. Yeah, he was basically beating himself up but it was bound to happen. He hailed a taxi which came quite quickly. When did taxis start driving around Dallas? He decided not to ask. He quickly got in.
"Where too, mister?" the gruff man asked.
"Um..toward the Holiday Inn on Roward Ave..go as far as 20 dollars could take me." he said uncomfortably.
"Sure mister." the man replied before he drove off.
He hoped the 20 dollars would get him far enough that he didn't have to walk more then 20 minutes. It was around 4 as Jeff noticed. He then wondered if leaving his brother like that was a good thing to do. His stomach growled loudly in agreement--he had no money to spend on something to eat now. Last thing he had was Matt's pancakes.
The taxi stopped after 20 minutes.
"This is as far as 20 bucks can get you, mister." he said in the now annoying gruff voice. "The walk is like, 10 minutes from here. Just keep following this sidewalk."
"Thanks." he said as he paid up and left the taxi. It quickly left him in the dust. At that point he noticed wet drops falling onto his head and upon looking up he finally noticed the change in weather.
"This is not my day at all." he mumbled softly. He didn't have a coat or anything. Jamming his hands into his pockets, he started walking the depressing walk home.
Everything was quiet..a nervous quiet maybe. No one was out..but then again, who would they be out in the rain like he? He suddenly felt stupid--he shouldn't have had that tantrum. He was being selfish and for once he realized being it. This shit wasn't just happening to him, it was happening to his brother too.
"Hey! Jackass!" a slurred voice called out. Jeff turned around to see a man with 2 other men behind him. "Yeah, you."
"We're gonna getcha fer attack da dudley boys.." another man said before nearly tripping over his own two feet. Jeff backed away slowly...he couldn't take all three of them on, especially when they were burly kinda men.
"That's just TV fellas." he explained slowly.
"You're jest sayin' that loooseerr.." the third man said. Jeff looked to the right and left of him and saw an allyway. He knew it was stupid, but he quickly dashed to it. The men took off after him.
If he ever wanted to know what fear was, he found out at that moment as he skidded to a halt. Dead end. He looked at his surroundings and found it pretty bleak--nothing to hide in or behind and no way to get over the fence. He saw the men easily walking to him. He saw it then..a gun. He remembered that Texas folks get guns easily. That wasn't good.
"We're ganna make sure you never attack our heros again.." the man with the gun said.
The first thing Jeff thought was what surpised him--he wondered what would become of his brother. Would he be stuck as 'Jeff' forever? Would he blame himself if he died from this? Would he care? Jeff heard the gun click and he tensed. Yes, he was going to die. He closed his eyes tightly, ready to be hit.
"I don't think so, buddy!" a mysteriously familiar voice rang out and then 2 thumps were heard. Jeff opened his eyes to see Matt with a peice of wood from who knows where. He slammed it into the back of the man with the gun. He slumped down in pain.
Matt quickly made his way to Jeff, who looked like he was about to be sick.
"Are you OK, Jeff?" he asked. "I'm so sorry..you have no clue how worried I was about you. When you disappeared I thought you just ran away." Jeff helplessly looked down at the downed form with the gun. He couldn't talk..a lump in his throat from the fear was preventing him from doing so. Suddenly he noticed the man weakly raise the gun.
"Watch out!!" he cried out. The bullet flew out of the gun and for the split second time froze. Matt jumped in front of Jeff. Basically milli-seconds later, Matt fell to the ground. The man with the gun was out of it.
"Matt!" Jeff cried out. He kneeled down to the unmoving form in front of him. He turned him over to see he was still conscious, but barely. A reddish spot was growing on his shirt.
"Jeff.." he said softly. Jeff basically had his brother in his lap. He didn't care if it was his body that was hurt, he cared that his brother was in it. "I'm sorry, Jeff..you don't deserved to be bossed around.." His body was racked in a coughing fit, a bit of blood running down his pale cheek. "Jeff..I love you..take care of my body for me, huh?" He let out a breath and closed his eyes, and then he was still.
"Matt?! MATT!!" Jeff cried out in fear. "Don't die Matt..don't die.." Tears streamed down his face. "I need you!! You can't leave me now..we've been through everything together..don't leave me.."
At that point Jeff suddenly felt warmer. The whole world was a whirl of colors and then it completely disappeared. They weren't in a town, a city..hell, they weren't even in their world. It was all white. Pure white. But it wasn't heaven..for some reason Jeff knew that.
"You figured it out after all.." Jeff shaded his eyes and soon he saw Miriam standing there. She grinned.
"Look at your brother, Jeff." he looked down, confused, and then he felt a sharp breath come out of his mouth. Matt was lying there..the REAL Matt in his rightful body. He had no wound. He was breathing. In other words, he was alive.
"How..?" he questioned.
"Duh, that didn't happen. None of this happened, Jeff." she smirked. "This is all in your mind."
"What?!" he exclaimed.
"I am what you can think of as your conscience. Do you understand now that even your brother has his problems and that he does everything because he loves you, Jeff?" she questioned.
"Yeah..I really do..I never knew he loved me so much..he took that bullet for me.." he trailed off, for at that moment he saw his brother sit up.
"Matt! You're OK!" Jeff said, completely forgetting about Miriam. He looked at him and his eyes widened.
"I'm back in my body! Yes!" he said, getting up as quickly as Jeff had ever seen.
"Now boys.." Miriam said, getting their attention. "I'm allowing you to go back to where you were before this happened. I don't want to see your sorry asses in this situation again, got it?" They both nodded.
"Will I ever see you again?" Jeff questioned. Miriam smiled.
"We'll see." she said softly. "Now, close your eyes..when you open them again, you'll be in the exact moment you changed. You'll remember it all, but I wouldn't suggest you tell anyone. Don't want to have people you've had one too many hits." Jeff and Matt did as they were told. The world became unbarably light, even with their eyes closed..
***
Jeff lazily opened his eyes to see the familiar wall he had seen before. He turned to his side and a smile appeared on his face. They were back where they started. He sat up and basically made a beeline to the bathroom. His rightful face stared back at him in the mirror. He held back a shriek of joy and he quickly ran to his brother's bed and proceded to dive into it and onto him.
"AHH!!" Matt screamed as his brother jumped onto him. He sat up, stunned.
"Matt we're BACK!! We're in our rightful bodies!! You're not dead!!" He cried out. Before Matt could react Jeff pulled him into a very big hug.
"Ahh!! Jeff!! You're going to kill me!!" Matt gagged as his brother squeezed the air out of him. Jeff let him go and Matt rubbed his shoulder.
"What was the lesson, anyway?" he asked.
"Uhm..well, OK, you died and all..and I said how you couldn't leave 'coz I needed you, even though you're annoying at points." he grinned. Matt smiled slightly.
"Well..I'm glad that's over.." he was sitting up, his feet dangling over the side of the bed he was sleeping in. Jeff was doing the same. "I'm sorry I always boss you around like that, Jeff. I have no right to do that at all."
"Yes you do. You know more then me..you're looking out for me, you know?" he smiled slightly. "That's why you're my bro."
"Hey Jeffy, you want something to eat? My treat." Matt suddenly said.
"You don't have too.." Jeff slowly explained.
"I want too. Pancakes?" he questioned.
"Black colored?" he inquired.
"Brown, I'm making it, remember?" he joked. Jeff smirked and pushed his brother lightly as he left.
He decided right there that maybe the brother thing was OK after all.
"Where too, mister?" the gruff man asked.
"Um..toward the Holiday Inn on Roward Ave..go as far as 20 dollars could take me." he said uncomfortably.
"Sure mister." the man replied before he drove off.
He hoped the 20 dollars would get him far enough that he didn't have to walk more then 20 minutes. It was around 4 as Jeff noticed. He then wondered if leaving his brother like that was a good thing to do. His stomach growled loudly in agreement--he had no money to spend on something to eat now. Last thing he had was Matt's pancakes.
The taxi stopped after 20 minutes.
"This is as far as 20 bucks can get you, mister." he said in the now annoying gruff voice. "The walk is like, 10 minutes from here. Just keep following this sidewalk."
"Thanks." he said as he paid up and left the taxi. It quickly left him in the dust. At that point he noticed wet drops falling onto his head and upon looking up he finally noticed the change in weather.
"This is not my day at all." he mumbled softly. He didn't have a coat or anything. Jamming his hands into his pockets, he started walking the depressing walk home.
Everything was quiet..a nervous quiet maybe. No one was out..but then again, who would they be out in the rain like he? He suddenly felt stupid--he shouldn't have had that tantrum. He was being selfish and for once he realized being it. This shit wasn't just happening to him, it was happening to his brother too.
"Hey! Jackass!" a slurred voice called out. Jeff turned around to see a man with 2 other men behind him. "Yeah, you."
"We're gonna getcha fer attack da dudley boys.." another man said before nearly tripping over his own two feet. Jeff backed away slowly...he couldn't take all three of them on, especially when they were burly kinda men.
"That's just TV fellas." he explained slowly.
"You're jest sayin' that loooseerr.." the third man said. Jeff looked to the right and left of him and saw an allyway. He knew it was stupid, but he quickly dashed to it. The men took off after him.
If he ever wanted to know what fear was, he found out at that moment as he skidded to a halt. Dead end. He looked at his surroundings and found it pretty bleak--nothing to hide in or behind and no way to get over the fence. He saw the men easily walking to him. He saw it then..a gun. He remembered that Texas folks get guns easily. That wasn't good.
"We're ganna make sure you never attack our heros again.." the man with the gun said.
The first thing Jeff thought was what surpised him--he wondered what would become of his brother. Would he be stuck as 'Jeff' forever? Would he blame himself if he died from this? Would he care? Jeff heard the gun click and he tensed. Yes, he was going to die. He closed his eyes tightly, ready to be hit.
"I don't think so, buddy!" a mysteriously familiar voice rang out and then 2 thumps were heard. Jeff opened his eyes to see Matt with a peice of wood from who knows where. He slammed it into the back of the man with the gun. He slumped down in pain.
Matt quickly made his way to Jeff, who looked like he was about to be sick.
"Are you OK, Jeff?" he asked. "I'm so sorry..you have no clue how worried I was about you. When you disappeared I thought you just ran away." Jeff helplessly looked down at the downed form with the gun. He couldn't talk..a lump in his throat from the fear was preventing him from doing so. Suddenly he noticed the man weakly raise the gun.
"Watch out!!" he cried out. The bullet flew out of the gun and for the split second time froze. Matt jumped in front of Jeff. Basically milli-seconds later, Matt fell to the ground. The man with the gun was out of it.
"Matt!" Jeff cried out. He kneeled down to the unmoving form in front of him. He turned him over to see he was still conscious, but barely. A reddish spot was growing on his shirt.
"Jeff.." he said softly. Jeff basically had his brother in his lap. He didn't care if it was his body that was hurt, he cared that his brother was in it. "I'm sorry, Jeff..you don't deserved to be bossed around.." His body was racked in a coughing fit, a bit of blood running down his pale cheek. "Jeff..I love you..take care of my body for me, huh?" He let out a breath and closed his eyes, and then he was still.
"Matt?! MATT!!" Jeff cried out in fear. "Don't die Matt..don't die.." Tears streamed down his face. "I need you!! You can't leave me now..we've been through everything together..don't leave me.."
At that point Jeff suddenly felt warmer. The whole world was a whirl of colors and then it completely disappeared. They weren't in a town, a city..hell, they weren't even in their world. It was all white. Pure white. But it wasn't heaven..for some reason Jeff knew that.
"You figured it out after all.." Jeff shaded his eyes and soon he saw Miriam standing there. She grinned.
"Look at your brother, Jeff." he looked down, confused, and then he felt a sharp breath come out of his mouth. Matt was lying there..the REAL Matt in his rightful body. He had no wound. He was breathing. In other words, he was alive.
"How..?" he questioned.
"Duh, that didn't happen. None of this happened, Jeff." she smirked. "This is all in your mind."
"What?!" he exclaimed.
"I am what you can think of as your conscience. Do you understand now that even your brother has his problems and that he does everything because he loves you, Jeff?" she questioned.
"Yeah..I really do..I never knew he loved me so much..he took that bullet for me.." he trailed off, for at that moment he saw his brother sit up.
"Matt! You're OK!" Jeff said, completely forgetting about Miriam. He looked at him and his eyes widened.
"I'm back in my body! Yes!" he said, getting up as quickly as Jeff had ever seen.
"Now boys.." Miriam said, getting their attention. "I'm allowing you to go back to where you were before this happened. I don't want to see your sorry asses in this situation again, got it?" They both nodded.
"Will I ever see you again?" Jeff questioned. Miriam smiled.
"We'll see." she said softly. "Now, close your eyes..when you open them again, you'll be in the exact moment you changed. You'll remember it all, but I wouldn't suggest you tell anyone. Don't want to have people you've had one too many hits." Jeff and Matt did as they were told. The world became unbarably light, even with their eyes closed..
***
Jeff lazily opened his eyes to see the familiar wall he had seen before. He turned to his side and a smile appeared on his face. They were back where they started. He sat up and basically made a beeline to the bathroom. His rightful face stared back at him in the mirror. He held back a shriek of joy and he quickly ran to his brother's bed and proceded to dive into it and onto him.
"AHH!!" Matt screamed as his brother jumped onto him. He sat up, stunned.
"Matt we're BACK!! We're in our rightful bodies!! You're not dead!!" He cried out. Before Matt could react Jeff pulled him into a very big hug.
"Ahh!! Jeff!! You're going to kill me!!" Matt gagged as his brother squeezed the air out of him. Jeff let him go and Matt rubbed his shoulder.
"What was the lesson, anyway?" he asked.
"Uhm..well, OK, you died and all..and I said how you couldn't leave 'coz I needed you, even though you're annoying at points." he grinned. Matt smiled slightly.
"Well..I'm glad that's over.." he was sitting up, his feet dangling over the side of the bed he was sleeping in. Jeff was doing the same. "I'm sorry I always boss you around like that, Jeff. I have no right to do that at all."
"Yes you do. You know more then me..you're looking out for me, you know?" he smiled slightly. "That's why you're my bro."
"Hey Jeffy, you want something to eat? My treat." Matt suddenly said.
"You don't have too.." Jeff slowly explained.
"I want too. Pancakes?" he questioned.
"Black colored?" he inquired.
"Brown, I'm making it, remember?" he joked. Jeff smirked and pushed his brother lightly as he left.
He decided right there that maybe the brother thing was OK after all.