Other days, Emily’s enthusiasm and Daniel’s knowledge was a source of unexpected surprises - of the financial kind.

  One Saturday afternoon, Sarah and Thomas sat at the kitchen table, surrounded by what seemed to be a small mountain of papers—bills, bank statements, receipts and more - scattered haphazardly and appearing quite intimidating.

  Thomas had his head in his hands mumbling to himself, while Sarah stared bnkly at notepad in front of her with income and expense line items.

  “This doesn’t make sense,” Sarah muttered, pying with her pencil. “I think we’re making enough money, but why do our savings seem to barely be growing? It almost feels like we are bleeding money somewhere?”

  Thomas made a defeated sound and, leaning back in his chair. “Maybe it’s just inftion? Groceries, gas, everything’s gotten so expensive..” he grumbled scratching his beard.

  Sarah shook her head, unconsciously nipping the pencil eraser, promptly gring at the offending tool. “No, it’s more -something’s not adding up” she said centering herself again.

  Unbeknownst to them, Emily (and Daniel, of course) were watching from the doorway. Daniel, from their shared mental space, spoke softly. “Oof - they’re stressed, Em. Look at them—they’re spinning their wheels.”

  Emily tilted her head curiously “That mountain of bills, all that paperwork and stuff looks so…nineties. Why don’t they just use e-receipts” she mumbled thoughtfully.

  “That's because we ARE in the 90s in your universe you time dited Shrimp” Daniely pyfully chided her. “Those don’t exist yet!”

  Emily ignore her brother’s teasing, her eyes ser focused onto her parents. “Danny do you think we can help them?” she mumbled softly. There was a pause as though Daniel were contempting a response. “Yeah” he started slowly “big picture stuff is the same - we can at least have a look,see if there is something they missed?”

  That was all the confirmation Emily needed. Without further adieu she stepped into the kitchen and asked. “Hey, Mom, Dad, what’s going on?”

  Sarah gnced up, her expression still tight. “Oh, it’s nothing, sweetie.” She smiled and added with a slight tease “Sweetie 1 and 2. Just adult stuff. Don’t worry about it.”

  Emily, or Daniel within blushed, but still approached the table, brow furrowed as she peered over at the paperwork. “Is it money stuff? Because, uh, you guys don’t look okay.”

  Thomas gnced up, his face softening despite his frustration. “It’s nothing for you or Daniel to worry about, kiddo. We’re just trying to figure out where our money’s going.”

  Emily folded her arms, her tone growing sharper. “Okay, but, like, you have two brains in here.” she said momentarily tapping her temple. “One of whom used to handle their own finances, by the way.”

  Sarah looked at her skeptically. “Emily…”

  Daniel switched in, her posture straightening and her voice shifting slightly. “Seriously. I’ve done this before, mom. Budgets, spreadsheets, even some investments. And Emily’s not clueless either. Just let us take a look.”

  Thomas frowned, shaking his head. “This isn’t a game, Danny. These are our finances—not something to mess around with.”

  “We wouldn’t mess around,” Emily said, switching back in seamlessly. Her voice was earnest, pleading. “You guys are stuck, right? Just let us look. We’re not going to change anything. We’ll just crunch some numbers. What’s the harm?”

  Sarah raised an eyebrow, gncing at Thomas. “It’s not that we don’t trust you, Emily, but this is complicated stuff. It’s not just about numbers—it’s about knowing what to do with them.”

  Emily folded her arms and tilted her head, exasperation creeping into her tone. “Seriously? You’re forgetting there are two brains in here. And one of them used to run their own apartment, manage portfolios, and deal with bills. Come on, Mom. Just give us a shot.”

  Thomas opened his mouth to argue, but Sarah held up a hand, studying Emily carefully. “And you’re sure you can handle this without getting overwhelmed?”

  Emily hesitated for a moment, then Daniel switched in, her tone softening. “We’re sure. Look, we hate seeing you guys this stressed. Let us help. We’re not saying we’ll fix everything—just that we might see something you missed.”

  There was a pause as Sarah and Thomas exchanged a gnce. Finally, Thomas sighed. “Alright. But just to look, okay? No touching the accounts or making changes without us.”

  Emily grinned, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “Deal!” she chirped, already moving to the table. “But seriously, Mom, Dad—calcutor and paperwork? It’s the 90s, not the Stone Age. Let’s get the computer involved.”

  Thomas chuckled despite himself, shaking his head. “Alright, alright, I’ll grab the paperwork. Just... don’t break the computer, okay?”

  —

  As the days went by, the evenings settled into an odd rhythm.

  Thomas and Sarah carried on with their usual routines, occasionally peeking into Thomas's office, now commandeered as the siblings’ financial "command center." Papers were pseudo-neatly organized into stacks, a crude but functional spreadsheet glowed on an old CRT monitor, and the sound of furious typing, muttered calcutions, punctuated by occasional huffs of frustration filled the air.

  It was clear the siblings were fully immersed in their self-imposed mission, sifting through the myriad of numbers with growing determination and frustration.

  From time to time, Emily or Daniel could be heard muttering words that sounded suspiciously close to curses—in French or Spanish, evidently disguising them would make them less noticeable.

  A rogue paper or two was occasionally flung across the room, accompanied by Emily's indignant voice, “Danny, seriously? Don’t throw stuff! I’m the one who has to pick it up!” Moments ter, she’d be spotted hurriedly retrieving the discarded document, muttering about how “for an adult, Danny you sure know how to act like a kid sometimes.”

  “Man, if we had modern software, this would be so much easier,” Danny grumbled one evening, taking control briefly as he leaned back in the office chair. “This old 90s software—it’s like trying to hack into the Matrix with a typewriter.” He paused, a sudden look of realization crossing his face. “Wait… that movie doesn’t exist here yet… does it?”

  Thomas, passing by the room with a cup of tea in hand, snorted. “Okay, Mr. Tech Snob. Some of us have to make do with what we’ve got in this timeline.”

  “Noted,” Danny replied dryly, his fingers drumming on the desk. “Just don’t bme me if the hard drive decides to combust after storing a few numbers.”

  –

  One particur evening, the comedic tone escated.

  Sarah stood in the kitchen, enjoying a rare moment of calm with her freshly brewed cup of coffee. The scent wafted pleasantly in the air, a small comfort in the midst of a long week.

  Emily trotted into the kitchen—except, it wasn’t quite Emily. Her posture was stiff, her movements focused , and her expression all business.

  Sarah gnced up, immediately suspicious. “What’s up, sweetie?” She paused, narrowing her eyes. “Wait a minute, is that you, Danny?”

  It was indeed Daniel, who marched straight to her without preamble. Before Sarah could react, he plucked the coffee mug right out of her hands with an air of entitlement.

  “Hey!” Sarah began, but Danny was already taking a long sip.

  His face twisted into a scowl. “This tastes like ash compared to what I used to drink,” he muttered, shaking his head in disapproval.

  Then, with a more disgruntled tone, he added under his breath, “Esto sabe a mierda…”

  Sarah’s eyes widened. “Excuse me? What did you just say?”

  Unfazed, Danny handed the mug back with a quick, “Needed the energy,” turned on his heel, walking out of the kitchen as though nothing had happened.

  Thomas peeked over the top of his newspaper from the living room, struggling to stifle a ugh. “Did he just jank your coffee and maybe insult it at the same time?”

  Sarah, still holding the mug and blinking in disbelief, turned to look at her husband, who was barely managing to keep his amusement in check.

  “The audacity,” she muttered, though a reluctant smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “The absolute nerve of that…that….”

  Thomas finally let out a ugh. “You’ve gotta admit, though—it’s impressive. The guy’s got no shame when he is in business mode.”

  Sarah shook her head, refilling her coffee as she watched Danny, or perhaps now Emily, disappear down the hallway, although she could stop a small smile from creeping on her face.

  —

  Late one evening, Sarah walked past the office, intending to quietly check in on the kids. As she peeked inside, the sight that greeted her made her pause. Emily—or perhaps Daniel—was slumped over the table, drooling slightly onto a notebook, the soft hum of the computer the only sound in the dimly lit room.

  “You two…” Sarah sighed, shaking her head with a fond smile. She stepped inside, careful not to disturb the delicate piles of paperwork. After saving the open spreadsheet on the computer, she leaned down and gently lifted her daughter’s limp body into her arms.

  “Which one of you is it?” she murmured softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

  A small groan escaped Emily’s lips, followed by a half-hearted stretch, her body curling slightly against Sarah like a sleepy cat. Her eyes flickered open before abruptly closing again.

  “Ah, Emily,” Sarah chuckled quietly, adjusting her grip as she began carrying her out of the office. “Danny must be fast asleep.”

  As she carried Emily down the hallway, Thomas appeared from their bedroom, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “What’s going on?” he asked, his voice low and groggy.

  “Found her passed out at the table,” Sarah replied in a whisper. “Worked herself to exhaustion.”

  Sarah huffed softly, shifting Emily’s weight in her arms. “Two souls or not, she’s getting heavier. I don’t think I’ll be able to do this much longer.”

  Thomas chuckled, stepping closer and gently brushing a strand of hair from Emily’s face. “Enjoy it while it sts,” he said, his voice tinged with affection. “Soon enough, this will be one of those memories we think back on and wonder where the time went.”

  He paused, his expression softening, though a pyful glint remained in his eyes. “So, uh… are you carrying your daughter right now, or…? I mean is this more like carrying your daughter, or carrying a drunk college roommate, or what? It’s weird but also kind of endearing?”

  Sarah ughed quietly, her gaze lingering for a spell on Emily’s sleeping face. “Does it matter?” she asked softly, her tone warm and full of love.

  For in that moment, together, both Thomas and Sarah were once again reminded that in reality, they carried the weight of their unique, wonderful family—not just physically, but in their hearts.

  —

  The following Sunday morning, Sarah and Thomas were unceremoniously 'summoned’ to Thomas’s office. Emily and Daniel had several printouts, analysis sheets and their extensive, now slightly intimidating spreadsheet open on the computer.

  “Okey-dokey,” Daniel said, switching in as he sat up straighter, gesturing toward the screen with slight fir. “Les numbers are crunched, analysis complete” he began in a faux french accent. He paused, giving Sarah a cheeky look, his eyes twinkling “Mom’s coffee consumed” eliciting a small smile and shake of the head from Sarah. “Wanna know what’s bleeding your budget dry?”

  Sarah and Thomas exchanged a gnce, both curious and apprehensive. “Let’s hear it,” Thomas said, his voice low.

  Danny clicked to the first tab on the spreadsheet. “First, subscriptions. You’ve got multiple cable streaming providers, with overpping channels and content. That’s about a hundred odd bucks a month that doesn’t need to be spent. Plus, I’m not sure you actually watch even half those channels - consolidate and maybe switch to a more limited provider?”

  Emily switched in seamlessly, perking up a little bit, pointing to the next column. “Also, Mom, your coffee habit? You spend a lot on specialty coffee every month. Like a lot.”

  Sarah’s jaw dropped, her posture a little defensive. “I need coffee to function!”

  “Sure,” Emily said, raising her hands “I’m not going to challenge you there, otherwise that snobbish brother of mine will annihite me. “But do you need three expensive fancy drinks from that coffee pce? StarClunks is it called? That’s nearly 150 a month.”

  Thomas coughed in amusement, trying his best best to stop his lips from twitching as Sarah shot him a gre. Emily turned to look at him with a smirk “Oh Dad, before you ugh any further—don’t think we didn’t notice your tool problem.”

  Thomas blinked like a deer caught in the headlights. “What tool problem?” he asked with just a hint of indignation in his tone.

  Danny switched in with a sheepish grin, flipping to the next section of the spreadsheet. “You keep buying tools you barely use. Like that overpowered torque wrench set you got st month? Still in the packaging.”

  Thomas grumbled scratching his beard. “I was going to use that” he said in a low voice with a gnce at Sarah who was now giving him an uncomfortably bnk look.

  “Rent instead, if its something you’re going to use infrequently” Danny suggested, his tone gentle. “It’s cheaper, and you don’t end up with a cluttered garage full of stuff you don’t need.”

  Emily jumped back in, the body nguage becoming more animated as she gesticuted. “Oh, and why are you using 100-watt bulbs in the closets? For what? The moths? And multiple 200-watt bulbs in the floodlights outside? Are you trying to create a runway?”

  Daniel switched back in, the body nguage calming instantly - “I’m sorry, my sister gets a little excited” he began almost apologetically. “Point is guys, a lot of your bulbs are massive energy hogs and they run far too frequently.”

  He waited for Sarah and Thomas to digest this news before adding “Switch to something lower wattage? Maybe consider turning off the floodlights and outside lights or putting them on a timer? Energy costs in this universe are quite high for some reason and you’ll save bank.”

  Emily switched back in clearly ignoring Daniel’s slight swipe at her. “And in the near future, you should see a new type of light bulb, probably called compact fluorescent light, hit the market—well, more widely—switch to those. They will save a LOT of money - like hundreds a month. You can even get LEDs when they come out…”

  Danny switched back in rolling his eyes. “Ignore what said about LED light bulbs folks - those may not exist for twenty years yet, but CFLs’ are likely around the corner. ”

  Thomas and Sarah looked at each other, both thinking the same thing - they sometimes forgot that the souls in front of them possessed knowledge from another universe. It was humbling.

  “Alright, Mr. Future Tech.” Thomas sighed “Point taken, What’s next?”

  Daniel clicked to the next tab, gently directing his parents to some of the printouts as well. “Business expenses. Dad, those trade journals you buy? They’re a necessary expense, but they shouldn’t come out of your personal account. Either charge them to your business or cim them as a write-off.”

  Emily switched in and added thoughtfully, “Same with Mom’s continuing ed courses. If they’re required for her work, they should be deductible.”

  Thomas shook his head in surprise, as Sarah simultaneously frowned, unconsciously scratching the side of her head. “I didn’t even think about that. Are you sure? That could be a lot of money saved…”

  Emily’s voice was firm yet gentle. “Positive. We checked. You should absolutely be ciming those.”

  Daniel shifted gears, no pun intended. “Oh, and about the car? It’s a gas guzzler. We calcuted your miles per gallon, and it’s awful. Once interest rates go down, you might want to consider something more fuel-efficient. It’s old as heck anyway and you spend over three thousand a year maintaining it”

  The two ‘financial whizzes’ continued, discussing phone pns, savings structures, ddered CDs, high yield accounts, and even investment portfolios.

  “Seriously folks” Daniel grumbled “your financial advisor is putting you in overstuffed, fee-den index funds. What’s the point? I swear even this universe's financial bros can be….” he completed the sentence with a few choice words that promptly resulted in a scolding from Sarah.

  Finally, Emily switched, leaning back with a proud look on her face as she pointed at the totals on their printouts “When you put it all together, you could save 1,000 to 1,500 a month.”

  Thomas and Sarah stared at the paperwork then the spreadsheet and then at each other, their jaws sck.

  “That much?” Sarah asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Danny switched in and nodded. “It adds up fast. Lots of little things snowball into one big thing.”

  Thomas looked equally stunned. “Are you sure about all this? Like really sure”

  “Yep” Emily said proudly switching in. “Dad, we double-checked everything. And triple-checked, just to be safe. You’re making more than enough, it's just that there are a lot of little efficiency issues that add up”

  Sarah leaned back in her chair, running a hand through her hair. “I don’t know whether to feel impressed or ashamed.”

  Thomas nodded, twiddling his fingers “How did we miss this?”

  Daniel switched in, walked to Sarah and Thomas, knelt by them and took one hand from each. “You don’t need to feel impressed, ashamed, guilty or anything” he said gently. “You’re running a house, a marriage, a business, seeing patients, working after hours, maintaining retionships, keeping Emily and my secret. Stuff like this just happens. So don’t feel bad, please.”

  He closed his eyes and when he opened it was Emily looking at them, equally tender. “Danny is right, the point of this presentation is to help you, to give back a little for everything you’ve given us.”

  Her eyes twinkled mischievously and she added with a wink “Besides, with all your savings maybe you can give me a slightly rger allowance?”

  Thomas and Sarah stared back at her - dumbstruck by the combination of the unexpected tenderness followed by the equally unexpected sass. Sarah giggled, Thomas chuckled, and before they knew it the room was full of ughter.

  “Oh you two…” Thomas said, poking Emily in the stomach eliciting giggles. “One minute the wise sages…”

  “And then two imps the next moment.” Sarah added with a nod.

  The quiet settled as Thomas and Sarah looked at their daughter - no - the two souls who had worked tirelessly because their guardians had been at wit’s end.

  Thomas exhaled deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. “You know, I thought letting you look at our finances could be a mistake.”

  Sarah smiled faintly. “And now?”

  “Now I’m wondering if we should have handed you two the checkbook months ago,” Thomas admitted, shaking his head with a rueful grin.

  Danny switched in with a soft smile, meeting their eyes. “Hey, we’re all learning, right? Just don’t ask me to invest in stocks or companies. Your universe isn’t exactly like mine. Besides,” he added with a smirk, “I’m not looking to break the timeline or create a tech bubble.”

  Thomas leaned back, grinning. “No hot stock tips, huh?”

  Emily switched in with a cheeky grin. “Nope, and let’s be honest, Dad. You’d just spend it all on tools and magazines anyway.”

  Laughter filled the room again, as Thomas mock-clutched his heart in mock betrayal. As it subsided, Sarah gnced at her family—her husband, her two-souled child, and felt a quiet sense of awe at how far they’d come. The finances were finally making sense, but what struck her more was how this conundrum had somehow, inexplicably brought them even closer together.

  “Alright,” Sarah said, rising from her chair and shaking her head. “What’s for lunch? I think our financial advisors deserve a treat.”

  “Pizza?” Emily chirped happily.

  “Pepperoni please?” Danny added.

  Thomas chuckled, rising to follow his family to the kitchen. As they left the room, he gnced at Sarah and whispered with a grin, “So we’re bribing them now, huh?”

  Sarah smiled softly. “Wouldn’t you?”