Jennifer leafed through the mail with an air of boredom. It was a rainy, cold December day and she was home alone. Jonathan was at the office still and Jessica was in school. Normally, she would have had a story to write or a prospect of a story to investigate, but today there was nothing. She sighed as she realized the mail contained nothing more then advertisements and credit card applications. Jennifer walked into the kitchen and threw it all in the recycling box. Jennifer looked at the phone, picked it up and dialed Marcia’s number.
"Marcia!" Jennifer greeted her friend and boss. "Please tell me you have a story for me to work on!"
"Jennifer?" Marcia laughed. "I’m sorry, things have been a little slow. You could always try to write fiction."
"Fiction? I tried that once…nothing came of it."
"Well, try again. I have to go. I promise I’ll call you as soon as something comes up. Ok?"
"Ok, thanks Marcia."
Jennifer hung up the phone and sighed again. She was even considering asking Jonathan for a job if this didn’t let up. She wasn’t sure she could stand being cooped up with nothing to do much longer. Jennifer walked to the drawer and pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil and walked into the living room. She sat down on the couch with her legs up on the cushion. She held her pencil on the paper but nothing happened. She was in a funk and she couldn’t stand it. Jennifer scooted down on the couch so that her head was resting on the arm of the couch. She bent her knees and leaned the pad of paper against them. It wasn’t long before her eyes began to glaze over. She rubbed them gently and yawned. She didn’t know how long she had been sitting there when Jonathan came in the door.
"Darling?" He called. When he saw Jennifer lying on the couch he walked over and kissed her on the top of her head. "Didn’t you get the mail?"
"Of course I did." She said as she sat up and noticed the envelope in Jonathan’s hand.
"Then what’s this?" Jonathan queried as Jennifer took the envelope from his hands. It was a fairly large sized manila envelope and it was addressed to her.
Jennifer opened the envelope but then paused. "Wait…Darling, what are you doing home? You’re not supposed to be back for hours yet."
"Are you complaining?" Jonathan smiled and leaned over so that his face was merely inches away from hers.
"Mmm, not at all!" She giggled as she reached up and pulled his head down and into a kiss. The kiss lingered and Jennifer had to take in a deep breath as it ended. She was perfectly content to continue further but Jonathan turned his head to look at the papers Jennifer was holding.
"Darling, What is that all about?"
"I don’t know. I haven’t read it yet, I got a little distracted." Jennifer smiled.
Jonathan grinned back at her as she started to look at the papers. She was reading the cover letter intently and was surprised when she looked up and Jonathan was gone.
"Darling?" She said, wonderingly. She started to get up and search the house for him so she could tell him what was in the envelope. However, as she was about to leave the living room the telephone rang.
"Hello?" She said as she picked up the receiver.
"Hello Darling."
"Jonathan? Where are you?" Jennifer’s forehead creased in confusion. Wasn’t Jonathan just standing over her by the couch?
"At the office…darling, are you okay?" Jonathan asked concerned.
"Yeah, but, I think I must have been dreaming…"
"Was it a good dream?"
"Of course, all my dreams of you are good dreams, Darling."
"What about that time you dreamt that Max and I were in that accident…"
"Okay, most of my dreams of you are good dreams."
"Then there was the time when you dreamt that I was fifteen again…"
"Okay, some of my dreams of you are good dreams."
"Then there was the time you had that dream about me falling down a pit…"
"Darling…"
"And the time you dreamt that I turned into a vampire…"
"Darling" Jennifer said a little louder.
"Oh, and that one dream where…"
"JONATHAN!" she yelled into the phone.
Jonathan laughed. "Sorry, Darling. I’m glad it was a nice dream, maybe we can make your dream come true later?"
Jennifer smiled "Sounds wonderful!"
"I just called to hear your voice. Are you sure everything’s ok?"
"Of course, why wouldn’t it be?"
"I have meetings until four and I’ll be back in plenty of time for dinner."
"Great, I love you darling."
"I love you, Darling." Jonathan said as he hung up the phone.
Jennifer hung up the phone and was going to take Freeway Jr. outside when she noticed the papers on the couch. "But, that was just a dream." She said to herself. She picked up the papers and tried to convince herself that she was not going crazy as she went to find Freeway’s leash.
Jennifer and Freeway Jr. had traversed the grounds and were heading back inside when they saw Jonathan’s car in the driveway. Jennifer was sure it couldn’t be four o’clock yet. She looked at her watch, however and noticed that it was indeed four o’clock. "Oh boy." She sighed as she went into the house.
"There you are, Darling, we were wondering what had happened to you." Jonathan stated non-chalantly as he read the newspaper. He was sitting in a chair in the living room and Jessica was on the floor using the coffee table as a desk for her homework.
"I must’ve lost track of the time."
"That’s okay, want something to eat Mrs. H." Jennifer jumped out of her skin when she heard Max’s familiar gruff voice speak from behind her.
"Max!" She barely whispered. Her voice was caught in her throat and she couldn’t breathe. She looked at Jonathan and Jessica, but they were acting as if everything were perfectly normal. Jennifer didn’t know what was happening to her, but she was now sure she must be going totally insane.
"Jonathan." She said a little louder, but only barely audible. "It’s Max." her hands were sweating and she wouldn’t have been surprised to find herself crying.
"Of course it’s Max, Darling." Jonathan said cheerily.
"Who’d ya expect, Mrs. H.?" Max asked.
"Uhh, no, no one." She stammered. "But," she paused slightly and looked at Jessica sitting on the floor. This was what she had always wished for. Ever since they’d found Jessica, Jennifer wondered what it would be like to see Max and Jessica together. To watch Max give Jessica all the love she deserved to have from her grandfather.
"But, what?" Jessica asked, looking up from her homework.
"Nothing, Darling, can I see you in the kitchen for a minute."
"Sure darling." Jonathan answered as he got up and walked towards the kitchen. Jennifer paused and watched Max sit down on the couch and put his hand on Jessica’s shoulder.
"Need some help?" he asked sweetly.
"No thanks, Grampa." Jessica said. Then she looked up and saw Jennifer staring at them. "Mom, are you okay?"
"I’m fine." Jennifer said slowly as she swallowed the lump in her throat and joined Jonathan in the kitchen.
"Darling, what’s going on? You’re acting rather strangely." Jonathan said as Jennifer came into the kitchen. He stood in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Jennifer placed her hands on top of his and looked into his eyes.
"I don’t know."
"You don’t know what?"
"Anything. I don’t know anything anymore!" Jennifer started crying and Jonathan pulled her into an embrace.
"Darling, please tell me what’s wrong."
"Everything, it’s all wrong! Everything has changed. Nothing’s the same." She cried into his shoulder.
"I’m sorry Darling, I don’t understand."
"I’m dreaming, I have to be dreaming."
"What? Why?"
"Max, he." Jennifer paused, how could she tell Jonathan that Max was dead. It broke his heart before, how would he take it a second time.
"What about Max darling?" Jonathan stroked Jennifer’s hair as he spoke.
Jennifer lifted her head off his shoulder and looked into his eyes. "He’s not supposed to be here."
"Where’s he supposed to be?"
"Oh Darling." Jennifer started crying harder.
Jonathan scooped her face into his hands. "Tell me."
"Dead, he’s supposed to be dead." Jennifer choked out the words.
Jonathan was stunned. He didn’t know what to say. Why would Jennifer think Max was supposed to be dead? He wasn’t sure what to think, but the look on Jennifer’s face told him that she completely believed what she had just said.
"Maybe you just dreamed that and you’re confused. You said you had a weird dream earlier."
"No, darling, it wasn’t a dream…it was real."
"What are you saying?"
"I don’t know, I don’t know!" Jennifer exclaimed. She was becoming very frightened. Her entire world was changing and she couldn’t do anything about it…or could she. "Darling, pinch me."
"What?" Jonathan laughed.
"Pinch me, please." Jennifer was tempted to laugh at the look on Jonathan’s face.
"But, darling, Max and Jessica are in the next room!"
"Darling, please right here on my arm." Jennifer pleaded.
"Jennifer, maybe you should lie down."
"I don’t need to lie down!" Jennifer yelled as she pushed herself out of Jonathan’s arms. She turned around quickly to leave the kitchen. She didn’t realize how close she was to the table though and she groaned when she bumped her leg on the table’s corner. When pain seared into her leg and she didn’t find herself waking up from a dream she collapsed to the floor in tears.
"I am NOT crazy." Jennifer said for perhaps the millionth time.
"No one is accusing you of being crazy, Mrs. Hart." Jack said. He had asked the family to call him Jack. If he were going to help Jennifer Hart he would have to be on comfortable terms with her family. He could do her no good if they didn’t trust him. His psychologist side was intrigued by this case. He would do anything to ensure the successful completion of her therapy. This would be one for the Journals, he could feel it.
"That’s not how it sounded to me." Jennifer said, angrily.
"I’m sorry if it did. I didn’t mean it like that."
"You think I dreamt up nearly the entire last decade of my life!"
"I was simply offering that as a possibility."
"I need to get out of here."
"But, the hour isn’t over yet!"
"Don’t worry, you’ll get paid for the entire hour. I am going to pick my daughter up from school." Jennifer stormed out of the office.
"Darling, you aren’t even giving him a chance to help you." Jonathan said from the sink in their bathroom.
Jennifer was sitting on the bed. Jonathan walked out and sat on the bed next to her.
"He’s an idiot."
"Darling…"
"No! He tried to tell me that I dreamt everything that has happened since our house burned down. Then when I asked him how he could explain Jessica then, he just sat there staring at me."
"What do you mean, how you could explain Jessica?" Jonathan asked.
"Jonathan, if I dreamt Max’s death and I dreamt our house burning down and everything else, then wouldn’t I have also dreamt that we adopted Jessica. If that’s true she shouldn’t be here…right?" Jennifer said unsure of herself. She wasn’t sure of much anymore.
"You dreamt that we adopted Jessica?"
"Yes, I mean no. We did adopt Jessica…she is sleeping in the room down the hall, isn’t she?" Jennifer said, beginning to get annoyed.
"Well, I’m sure she is, but we didn’t adopt her."
"Oh no." Jennifer closed her eyes and sunk down onto the bed so that she was now lying completely down on her back. She lifted her hand and used it to cover her face. "Darling," she said, her voice slightly muffled. "If we didn’t adopt her, why does she call us mom and dad?"
"Darling…" Jonathan said. Jennifer looked out from under her hand, surprised at the condescending tone in his voice. She looked him in the eyes and watched him closely. "Don’t most kids call their parents Mom and Dad?"
Jennifer didn’t answer him. She just stared at him in confusion. He had just said two things that didn’t make any sense. How could they be her parents if they hadn’t adopted her? Even if she had dreamt a decade away, there’s no way she could have forgotten having a daughter. There was no daughter in her memories before the house burned down. That was when this entire "dream" had supposedly started, if it was a dream, she should remember Jessica being there before the dream. Shouldn’t she? Her thoughts were confused, she couldn’t think. Jennifer got up from the bed silently and walked out of the room.
"Darling?" Jonathan called after her. He followed her out of the room, but when he got to the top of the stairs she stopped him.
"I just want some air." She said softly. "Go back to bed." Jennifer was shocked at herself. She didn’t know what was happening to her, but for the first time in her entire marriage she wanted to be as far away from her husband as she could be. That thought alone scared her more than anything else that was happening.
Jennifer awoke as the sun streamed in through the living room window. She had fallen asleep on the couch. She sighed as she heard voices coming from the kitchen. She wearily walked into the kitchen, hoping Max and Jessica hadn’t noticed that she had fallen asleep on the couch. She knew she didn’t want to have to explain that to them when she couldn’t even explain it to herself.
"Good morning, Darling." Jonathan said without looking up from his newspaper. Jessica was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal.
"What’s your pleasure?" Max asked. He was standing at the Refrigerator with the door open.
"I’m not very hungry, Max." Jennifer said quietly. Her eyes narrowed and her heart beat faster when no one bothered to ask her if she was okay. The last time she claimed she wasn’t hungry both Jonathan and Jessica fell over themselves trying to figure out why she wasn’t feeling well. And when Max was with them, well…she sighed; Max was with them right here and right now. And her husband and daughter were calmly going about their morning as if nothing were wrong with that. Max shut the door to the refrigerator and sat down at the table with Jonathan and Jessica. Jonathan stood up and put the paper back down on the table. He grabbed his briefcase and kissed Jessica on the forehead.
"Bye Jess." He said.
"Bye."
Jonathan walked over to Jennifer and kissed her on the cheek. Jennifer shuddered at the cold and emotionless kiss. "Bye, Darling."
"Jonathan, don’t you want to talk about last night?" Jennifer pleaded.
"What’s there to talk about?" His words nearly broke Jennifer’s heart.
"Darling…"
"I have to go. Bye Darling." Jonathan said as he walked out of the house. Jennifer watched the space he had just vacated. She didn’t know what was happening to her life. All she knew was that if she didn’t fix it she could lose everything that mattered to her.
"It’ll be okay." Jessica said softly as she came up behind Jennifer. "Things have just been really weird lately."
"You’re telling me!" Jennifer nearly laughed. She hugged Jessica tightly. "Go on, you’re going to miss the bus."
"Okay, bye mom, bye Grampa." Jessica hugged Jennifer back and hugged Max on her way out of the kitchen.
Max started clearing off the table as Jennifer watched. This was the first time she had been alone with him. She wasn’t sure of what to say. She needn’t have worried, though since Max seemed to be ignoring her. Even when she and Jonathan were engaged, Max always took the time to make her feel comfortable and wanted. He never ignored her…until now. She didn’t know why she was surprised; she hadn’t exactly been friendly with him. She was still so confused; in her heart she had mourned Max’s death years ago. She didn’t want to have to mourn him all over again.
"Mom!" Jessica came running into the house in tears.
"Jessie?" Jennifer ran from the kitchen and to the front door where Jessica was coming in. "What’s…" Jennifer stopped in her tracks when she saw Jessica. She was sweaty and dirty. If Jennifer hadn’t just seen her leave for school a minute ago she would have sworn that she had just taken a run through the woods. "Jessica, what happened?" she exclaimed. Jessica ran to Jennifer and Jennifer held her close. Jessica was crying uncontrollably at this point.
"Jessica!" Max called as he joined Jennifer and Jessica in the foyer. "What’s going on? Aren’t you supposed to be on your way to school?" Jennifer was shocked that Max didn’t even seem to notice that Jessica was so upset.
"I, I …oh mom." Jessica tried to talk through her tears, but it was a losing battle.
"It’s okay, sweetheart. Let’s get you cleaned up and then you can tell me what happened, okay?" Jennifer said as she stroked Jessica’s head. Jessica nodded.
Jessica had taken a long bath and had fallen asleep before Jennifer could ask her what had made her so upset. Jennifer was becoming very worried; Jessica had been asleep for hours. Max hadn’t even asked if she was okay. Jennifer was beginning to wonder if she really was going crazy. The Max she knew would never be so callous about anyone being so upset, much less his own granddaughter. Could she be dreaming? No, she told herself, this was more like a nightmare. After a few more hours, Jennifer was extremely anxious. Jessica was sleeping the day away and she wanted to know why. She was about to go to Jessica’s room to check on her when Jessica came through the kitchen door.
"Jessica!" Jennifer said. She placed her hand on Jessica’s shoulder. "Are you ready to talk about what happened?"
"What?" Jessica asked, clearly perplexed.
"Don’t you want to talk about why you were so upset this morning?"
"You’re the one that was upset this morning." Jessica said as she looked at Jennifer as if she’d lost her mind.
"Jess…" Jennifer started.
"I have homework to do." Jessica stated as she walked to her room.
Jessica could have sworn she heard a bang come from her room, but when she got there, it was empty. "Maybe, craziness is contagious." Jessica laughed as she sat at her desk and pulled out her books.
Jonathan didn’t come home that night until Jennifer was already in their bed. Jennifer didn’t like what was going on between them lately and she was going to fix it tonight. She had made Jonathan’s favorite food for dinner, but he hadn’t shown up for dinner. Then she wrapped it up and decided a private dinner for two later would be better anyway. So she set up a table in their room with candles and flowers. She left the food in the oven to keep it warm. When 10 pm rolled around and Jonathan hadn’t even called, Jennifer put everything away. She had resolved to at least wait up for him to get home. Her resolve faltered around midnight and she fell asleep unwillingly. She didn’t know how long she had been asleep when the bed moved underneath her and awakened her.
"Darling." She said quietly.
"Sorry, Jennifer, I didn’t want to wake you up."
"It’s okay. Come here." Jennifer opened her arms and Jonathan got into the bed and allowed her to wrap her arms around him. "I don’t like what’s happened to us."
"I know, neither do I." Jonathan said softly. "I’m sorry, it’s just been an awful couple of days."
"Where have you been so long?"
"The office."
Jennifer looked at the clock. "You’ve been at the office until three in the morning?"
"I was thinking."
"About what?"
"About last night…and this morning."
"Oh, Darling. I don’t know what’s happening!"
"I know. I love you." Jonathan kissed her forcefully. The kiss was neither passionate nor loving. Jennifer stopped the kiss and got up from the bed. She didn’t even look at Jonathan while she practically ran to the bathroom. She leaned against the wall and began to cry. She slid down the wall and sat on the floor letting the tears wash over her face. After she had cried until she was sure she’d run out of tears she walked back into the bedroom. Jonathan was sound asleep. "You’re not my Jonathan." She said softly.
Jennifer did not want to go back into her bed. She didn’t know where she wanted to go, but she knew she had to get out of this house. She got dressed in jeans and a sweater and left the house as quietly as she could. She walked to the garage and began to open her car door. She stopped and stood perfectly still when she heard crying coming from inside the car. She looked in the window and gasped when she saw Jessica curled up in the backseat. She unlocked the doors and opened the back door. Jessica jumped when she heard the door open. Jennifer sat on the seat next to Jessica and pulled her into her arms.
"What are you doing out here?" Jennifer asked.
"I couldn’t stay in there." Jessica said.
"Why? And why didn’t you come to me instead of hiding in the car and crying by yourself?"
"I had to. I couldn’t let them see me."
"Who? Jessie, who couldn’t you let see you?"
"Them!"
"I don’t understand, Jessica you have to tell me why you’re so upset."
"They have Dad. I got away. I don’t know what they’ll do to him."
"Who has Dad? Jessica…" Jennifer paused. "Jessie what are you saying? Your father is upstairs." Jennifer said, even though she didn’t believe that herself. That man in her bed was not her husband, she didn’t know who he was or what was going on, but of that one thing she was sure.
"No, he’s a fake. So are the others."
"The others? Oh my…Jessica, you don’t mean…" Jennifer took Jessica’s head in her hands and made her look her straight in the eye. "I’m not going crazy and I’m not dreaming am I?"
"Huh?" Jessica said, confused.
"That’s not Jonathan or Max or…oh, it makes so much sense now. All the weird things, Max all of a sudden alive, you coming in upset and then all of a sudden there’s nothing wrong…Jonathan!"
"I had to hide in the closet when I heard her coming. I was so afraid she would find me."
"Oh, sweetheart. It’s okay, it’s okay." Jennifer told her.
"We have to get out of here. They’ll be looking for me soon." Jessica said.
Jennifer nodded. "Get up front." Jennifer instructed. She and Jessica got out of the car and sat in the front seats. Jennifer turned the engine on and drove away from the house. An overwhelming feeling of sadness engulfed her as she watched her home get smaller in the rearview mirror until finally she could no longer see it. Jennifer wanted to go straight to the police, but it was the middle of the night. So, instead she went to a motel where she and Jessica stayed for the night. As soon as day broke, they left the motel for the police station.
Jennifer drove to the police station and parked the car.
"Come on." She said to Jessica. They got out of the car and walked into the building.
Lt. Grey saw Jennifer coming as he was on his way back to his desk. "Mrs. Hart!" He called. "To what do we owe this honor?"
"There’s something strange going on."
Lt. Grey noticed the sad look in Jennifer’s eyes and motioned for her and Jessica to follow him into his office. "Jennifer." He said when they were all seated. "What’s going on?"
"I don’t know. I’m not sure I believe it all myself."
"The body snatchers." Jessica said.
"The what?" Hershel said.
"Body-Snatchers! They took us and switched us with imposters."
"You mean pod-people?" Hershel said, trying to suppress a laugh.
"No, not pod-people, imposters!" Jessica said loudly and emphatically.
"Jennifer, what is she talking about?"
"Imposters. Jonathan and Jessica were both switched with imposters. And Max."
"Max?" Lt. Grey’s
"I thought I was just dreaming…or that I was going crazy…"
"How…Mrs. Hart…Jennifer, this is a little unbelievable." Lt. Grey said.
"I know it is. Don’t you think I’ve said the same things to myself that you are saying right now? That man in my house is not my husband." Jennifer stated.
"Okay, How about we go back to the house and check it out?" Lt. Grey was halfway out the door before he finished talking.
Lt. Grey’s unmarked police car pulled up the gate at the house on Willow Pond Drive. He reached up to touch the call box. No one answered.
"Looks like no one’s home."
Jennifer reached across Lt. Grey and keyed in the combination that would open the gates. The gates opened slowly and Lt. Grey drove through them and up to the house.
The front door was open and the Lt. instructed Jennifer and Jessica to stay in the car. Jennifer didn’t listen. She followed him inside the house carefully.
Jennifer and Lt. Grey searched every room of the house. When they came back downstairs Jessica was standing in the doorway.
"Did you find anything?"
"Not a thing. Not even evidence of anyone being here. Even Freeway is gone."
"What are we going to do?" Jennifer asked.
"Nothing, we can’t do anything without proof that something was going on here."
"What about the fact that Jonathan is missing?"
"Have you tried calling him at the office?"
"Lt. Why would I call him at the office when I know he isn’t there?"
"Just to humor me?" the Lt. said.
Jennifer sighed as she walked into the house and into the living room. Jessica and Lt. Grey followed her and listened closely as she called Hart Industries.
"Hart Industries. Can I help you?"
"Deanne, it’s Jennifer, Is Jonathan there?"
"No he isn’t Mrs. Hart. Is something wrong?"
"No, no, Thanks Deanne." Jennifer hung up the phone.
"He’s not there."
