"Maybe that's why he's here, then..." Merton said quietly, sitting down.
"To stop the mating thing?" Al asked hopefully.
"Naw, if I were in there, it wouldn't take place? I'd... screw it up?" Merton winced. "Bad, *bad* phrasing..."
Al grimaced.
"Son, that doesn't help..."
"Look, Becky's... Becky. And, I love her very much, you know that, but... if what you say is true, then that handlink knows what's *supposed* to be, and... it says she's supposed to be with him. I... I love her." he said again. "And... I honestly can't think of anyone who I'd rather have as a brother-in-law or whatever than Tommy. He's my best friend, and he'd treat her like a total queen... the filthy, filthy pervert..." he muttered.
~*~
About half an hour later, Merton and Al walked into the Lair, where Sam, Lori and Tommy were sitting, waiting.
"Uh... hi, Mr.---"
"Don't you 'hi, Mr.' *me*, you dirty little... wolf!"
Tommy shot a look to Sam, who was still in Merton's body at this point.
"He didn't know, Tommy." Merton answered for Sam.
"Who are you, buster, and how do you know my name?" Tommy demanded.
"I'm Merton J. Dingle! Who else?"
"No, you're not!" Lori said indignantly.
"Actually, he *is*; we switched bodies..." Sam explained, figuring there was no harm in telling them *now*, since they were about to end the project...
"Yeah, sure, Merton... Come on, what are you trying to pull?"
"He's not pulling *anything*! Tommy, I'm *telling* you, it's *me*! Ask me *anything*. Something only you and I know about."
Tommy eyed Merton for a minute; not quite sure he could trust that his best friend was in someone else's body...
"Okay... on the night we became buds, what happened?"
Merton blanched; that wasn't a question he *wanted* to answer in front of anyone, but...
"Okay, we were hangin', and T&T were gonna kick my ass, so you wolfed out and scared the crap out of them? Then, you looked in the door of the Factory and saw your date had meanwhile started dancing with some other guy?"
Tommy's eyes got big.
"Who was this date?" Lori asked.
"Stacey Hansen; cheerleader."
"Yeah, she was pretty, but now that I look back on it, kind of..."
"Skanky?" Merton supplied.
"Yeah, that'll work..." Tommy smirked. "Okay, so you... switched bodies... how do you fix that?"
"Pops is gonna take us and have it fixed now..."
"To stop the mating thing?" Al asked hopefully.
"Naw, if I were in there, it wouldn't take place? I'd... screw it up?" Merton winced. "Bad, *bad* phrasing..."
Al grimaced.
"Son, that doesn't help..."
"Look, Becky's... Becky. And, I love her very much, you know that, but... if what you say is true, then that handlink knows what's *supposed* to be, and... it says she's supposed to be with him. I... I love her." he said again. "And... I honestly can't think of anyone who I'd rather have as a brother-in-law or whatever than Tommy. He's my best friend, and he'd treat her like a total queen... the filthy, filthy pervert..." he muttered.
~*~
About half an hour later, Merton and Al walked into the Lair, where Sam, Lori and Tommy were sitting, waiting.
"Uh... hi, Mr.---"
"Don't you 'hi, Mr.' *me*, you dirty little... wolf!"
Tommy shot a look to Sam, who was still in Merton's body at this point.
"He didn't know, Tommy." Merton answered for Sam.
"Who are you, buster, and how do you know my name?" Tommy demanded.
"I'm Merton J. Dingle! Who else?"
"No, you're not!" Lori said indignantly.
"Actually, he *is*; we switched bodies..." Sam explained, figuring there was no harm in telling them *now*, since they were about to end the project...
"Yeah, sure, Merton... Come on, what are you trying to pull?"
"He's not pulling *anything*! Tommy, I'm *telling* you, it's *me*! Ask me *anything*. Something only you and I know about."
Tommy eyed Merton for a minute; not quite sure he could trust that his best friend was in someone else's body...
"Okay... on the night we became buds, what happened?"
Merton blanched; that wasn't a question he *wanted* to answer in front of anyone, but...
"Okay, we were hangin', and T&T were gonna kick my ass, so you wolfed out and scared the crap out of them? Then, you looked in the door of the Factory and saw your date had meanwhile started dancing with some other guy?"
Tommy's eyes got big.
"Who was this date?" Lori asked.
"Stacey Hansen; cheerleader."
"Yeah, she was pretty, but now that I look back on it, kind of..."
"Skanky?" Merton supplied.
"Yeah, that'll work..." Tommy smirked. "Okay, so you... switched bodies... how do you fix that?"
"Pops is gonna take us and have it fixed now..."
