Note: Thank you to all those who reviewed. Just to mention, I did some changes and corrections to the last two chapters. If you want, you can read them, if not, that's okay. Thank you again.

Chapter 3. Discussion

Dickie and Elliot stared at each other. A million questions were in their minds that they wanted to ask, but nothing was said.

"So . . . how are you?" Elliot finally asked, trying to break the silence and awkwardness of the situation.

Dickie shrugged, "I'm…really . . . confused."

Elliot nodded back, understanding what Dickie was feeling.

"How's Mom?" Dickie asked.

"Oh, she's . . . great," Elliot said. "Your sisters are fine."

Dickie nodded back.

"How are things here?" Elliot asked.

"Um, busy," Dickie said. "And . . . confusing."

"Oh," Elliot replied. "It's usually like this."

"Dad, what are we going to do?" Dickie asked, asking one of the important questions on their minds, and looked his father in the eyes.

Elliot thought about it. What was his next step? He found Dickie, in his own body. They had to figure this out, find the cause of this, and hopefully fix this strange mess. There were decisions that they need to make as well: were they going to tell people about what happened, or were they going to keep this their own secret, and try to live each other's daily lives like it was a 'normal' day?

"Well… You got any ideas? Do you think you could be me and do my job by yourself?" Elliot asked.

Dickie bit his lip, "Probably not."

"Don't worry, Dickie," Elliot said, seeing Dickie's sad expression. " I'll ask your mother if I can stay with you until . . . this thing disappears."

/\

"I don't believe this," Olivia said, as she watched and listened to Dickie and Elliot talked through the two-way mirror. She would not, could not, accept what she was seeing.

"We're all afraid when this day could come," Cragen said. "Olivia, this could have happened to any of us, I'm just sorry that it's him."

"But why like this?" Fin asked. Everyone looked at him. "No offense, but I thought Elliot will go all vigilante on cases, not like this. Look at him. He's acting like he's a kid again, and calling Dickie 'Dad.'"

"What do you think, Doc?" Munch asked Huang.

"My guess it's some kind of role reversal," Huang said. "Elliot doesn't want the stress that he has as adult, so he went back into his mind to a time where he didn't have that much stress, as a child."

"But why he's calling Dickie 'Dad?'" Fin asked.

"Elliot probably wants a male figure to look up to," Huang theorized. "He's probably confused, maybe even doubts himself, and wants someone to give him answers."

"But why Dickie?" Munch asked. "Elliot could have gone to Cragen, Fin, even myself."

"You're forgetting that Dickie's family," Huang said. "Elliot probably wants someone that can understand him who is in his family. Since Dickie the only male family member that is close enough, Elliot probably went to him."

"Then why Dickie is calling Elliot 'Dickie?'" Fin asked.

"Maybe Elliot doesn't want to accept the fact he has a problem," Huang theorized. "Elliot knows he's good at solving other people's problems, but he doesn't know how to help himself. If he pretends to be someone else, maybe he can understand his problem better."

"There's something I don't understand," Olivia said, and Huang looked at her. "Why is Dickie going along with him? Why hasn't Dickie told any of us about Elliot?"

"Like most families, loyalty runs deep," Huang said. "Dickie thinks if told anyone, he'll be betraying his father's trust. Plus, he has been in a house full of women, with no father figure, Dickie is probably willing to go along with this just to be close to his father."

"Well, I must admit, Dickie knows what he's doing," Munch said, watching Elliot and Dickie. "He's acting calm, serious, responsible."

"It's like he came prepare," Olivia said, and then thought of something. "I don't think Dickie can act like this without planning ahead."

"Maybe Elliot told him what do," Fin said.

"But I don't remember Elliot talking to Dickie anytime this week," Olivia said. "Do you?"

The others shook their heads.

"Well, he could have talk to Dickie when we weren't looking," Munch said. "Or at home."

"The only way to find out is to ask him," Cragen said, and headed out of his office.

"Wait," Huang said, stopping Cragen. "With your permission, I would like to observe them more. I know you want to get answers, but perhaps confronting Elliot now isn't the right thing to do. Maybe if we keep on watching, we'll be able to figure out what happened."

"Okay," Cragen said, as he turned around and joined the others. "But if there are any signs that they are putting their lives in danger, or that they're going to leave, I'm bringing them in."

Huang nodded in agreement, as he, Cragen, and the other detectives continued to watch Elliot and Dickie.

/\

"Dad, what happened to us?" Dickie asked. He was scared. He didn't want to be his father forever.

"Look," Elliot said and looked up at Dickie. He felt pretty weird admitting something to his son. "Last night, I made a wish…"

"The celestial event, right?" Dickie asked.

Elliot's eyebrow rose and then figured out what happened, "You made a wish as well, didn't you?"

Dickie nodded, looking embarrassed.

"What did you wish for?" Elliot asked, curious; he wasn't angry at Dickie.

"I wished…. I wished that I could be like you," Dickie confessed. Elliot's eyes widened.

"Well, I have to admit that I feel somewhat honored that you look up to me," Elliot said, with a small smile.

"Dad?" Dickie asked.

"Yeah?"

"What did you wished for?" Dickie asked. Dickie knew he shouldn't pry into his dad's feelings, but somehow he felt comfortable asking that question.

"I wished . . . to see the world like you, Dickie," Elliot said.

"Why did you wish that?" Dickie asked, curious, still feeling comfortable asking his dad that question.

"I . . . just wanted a break from my work," Elliot said. "A break from my life."

"Oh," Dickie said. He didn't how to properly respond to what his dad said. "Dad . . . I want to me again."

"So do I," Elliot said and sighed.

"Do you know . . . how we can be . . . ourselves again?" Dickie asked.

Elliot thought about how to solve their problem. For once, Munch was right with one of his 'stories.' Maybe Munch knew more about the celestial event. Elliot then got up.

"Dad? Where are you going?" Dickie asked, watching Elliot.

Elliot stopped. He then realized that he couldn't go ask Munch right away. That would raise too many questions. "Dickie, go outside to John, and ask him when this 'celestial event' ends, so we'll know when the wishes end."

"You're sure?" Dickie asked.

"Yes, you go ask him. If I go ask him, it would look unusual," Elliot explained.

"Um, Dad?" Dickie asked.

"Yes?"

"I heard that the celestial event only appears once every two hundred and fifty years," Dickie said, and he looked like he was about to cry. "So if that's true . . ."

"Don't even think about that," Elliot said, trying to make Dickie feel better. "Look, I may not know that much about space or celestial events, but I bet something like this doesn't last for one night. The celestial event will probably appear again tonight, and then we'll fix this."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Dickie said, after thinking it through and feeling better. "Maybe we can even wish ourselves back."

"You feel better?" Elliot asked. Dickie nodded back. "Good. Go ask-"

Before Elliot could continue, he and Dickie heard someone tapping on the other side of the two-way mirror. Elliot then remembered that his mind was so focus on solving this strange problem that he forgotten what room he was in. It was at the moment, he realized that he and Dickie could be in serious trouble now.