both different & alike

The sound of music playing and girls shouting wafted through the open door. Natalie gave them both an amused smirk. "Sarah, sounds like you're running late. Why don't we talk about this after you're done. 'Dad' can hang here with me. We have some things to discuss."

Sarah pulled Tom aside as she stepped toward the door. "Tom," she whispered harshly, "this isn't what I planned. She's me! I thought maybe I'd have a regular twin sister, not some sort of clone. We need to change this or get rid of her."

Tom tried to placate her. "Don't worry, I'll figure this out. Just go on in and enjoy being in high school again. You always told me you were envious of cheerleader - 'those popular & pretty girls', you called them. Now's your chance. Go on!" He nudged her gently through the door and she went in, glancing back over her should at Natalie once more as she left.

Tom turned to face his new daughter. "Umm, so, uh ..." he grasped at something to say to cover his awkwardness. "Hey, why aren't you in there?" he asked.

Natalie shrugged. "I guess we're not completely alike. I remember being Sarah and you making that wish. The next thing I knew, I was in a student council meeting here at school. From what I could figure out, we both were into gymnastics and stuff when we were younger. Sarah continued that, going into cheer in high school. I - Natalie - went into track instead, and got invovled in student government. Apparently we're those kind of twins - look and sound exactly alike, but different interests."

She examined Tom carefully as she talked and seemed to reach some conclusion. "You're not as freaked out by this as Sarah are you?" she noted.

"No, not really... I mean no more than I am by finding myself married to Abby with Sarah as my daughter." He chuckled. "You aren't that weird compared to the rest of it."

Natalie nodded. "Sarah isn't going to get used to me - she will feel threatened, even jealous," she told Tom.

"What? Why?" he asked.

She gave him a look of disbelief. "Because I am her. I'm your wife as much as she is, and she is afraid I'll try to take you ... take everything. I know that because I WAS her. But she's wrong - it's more complicated than that. I know she was me - but she's also my twin sister who I love. Because that was the wish - for a twin sister."

Tom was at a loss for words. He never imagined a wish could have so many unintended effects.

Natalie continued. "Look, I have a theory we should test. Make a wish about me - something simple, like that I'm blonde." At Tom's questioning gaze, she prodded him "Just try it!"

He took the coin and made the wish she suggested. Nothing happened. Tom looked at the coin in confusion, wondering if he had exhausted it's power or somehow broken it. Natalie seemed to almost read his mind. "It's not the coin ... at least not exactly. I thought this might be the case. It doesn't work directly on me anymore because I'm not Sarah."

Tom gasped at the realization. "You mean I created you?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes, and you can't change me. I mean, I guess you could get rid of me by making the right wish on Sarah - like that she's an only child." Her expression changed to one of desperation. "But don't do that! Please Tom! Remember that I am effectively another version of Sarah - but with my own thoughts and feelings now. I don't want to disappear. Promise you won't 'kill' me with a wish - because that's what you would be doing!. Please?" Tears began streaming down her cheeks, her panicked breathing so rapid she looked on the verge of passing out.

His immediate reaction - before he could even wrap his mind around what she was telling him - was to say "Of course not! I promise, I won't do anything like that." He put his arms around her and held her as she cried. After a few minutes she recovered herself and wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry...I just completely freaked out. Realizing I'm not a real person, just some sort of magical copy..."

"No, you're more than that," Tom said, calming her. "No matter where you came from, you're clearly your own person. And since you have all Sarah's memories of us together and share her love for me, you're as much a part of my life as she is. Understood?"

She nodded, saying nothing for several minutes. They just sat together in silence, enjoying each other's presence.

Finally Natalie cleared her throat. "Uh, Tom, I know myself - Sarah, I mean. She will too afraid and freaked out to accept this like you. I screwed up by meeting her this way - I should have found a way to introduce myself more gently, to ease her into it. But I was compensating for my own fear, and a little pissed off at her for the way the wish worked." She paused to think for a moment. "I hate to say this but I think you'll need to use another wish. Make her forget about what I said, to remember me ONLY as her twin sister ... or maybe make it so that she doesn't feel threatened by me, that she's happy and excited to have a... a clone basically."

Tom found himself in agreement as he listened to Natalie's suggestion. But either wish could be a valid approach, so which way should he go?