(A pure fever dream from not being well at all recently. Askmalcolmtucker, malcolmtuckeris and malcolmsayingnicethings in the same room. I'm off back to bed.) Sam was daydreaming at work, a rare moment between organising Malcolm's work and sorting out her own. It was wrong and god did she know it but her thoughts kept returning to his hands. Those long clever fingers, wide palms. She couldn't remember a time when she hadn't craved the touch of those hands. A flash of light from under his office door broke her out of her reverie. She hadn't heard a bulb break, nor were there any cameras in their offices. When she heard Malcolm's voice raised in a "what the FUCK?" she raced to his door and opened it. 3 sets of identical blue eyes looked at her. 3 Malcolm Tuckers. One of them spoke in that familiar understated drawl: "Sam, pet. We may have a problem" -------******------******------****** Later, when she'd been assured of which of them was the 'Real' one (at least where this universe was related to) and given instructions to not let anyone into the office, Sam returned to her desk and Malcolm closed the door to face the other two. "That'll hold the baying mobs off, I don't fancy explaining to anyone why I've somehow managed to clone myself" One of the others (Christ he needed some fucking labels) spoke up "I don't think we're clones, exactly, I've noticed a few differences" "Okay, alternate fucking universes then. Where did ye spring from, the universe where nobody wears a fucking suit anymore?" For one of the newcomer Malcolms was attired in a very familiar snuggly fleece. "Suits make people on edge, I prefer a more relaxed approach, say nice things, keeps people happy" he smiled. In perfect unison the other two swore at him. Through further discussion (and swearing) they found that between the two suit-clad Malcolms there wasn't much difference except that one of them had run a column where people could ask him stuff, and the other had rather more embarrassing pictures of his past than the other two. Beyond that there wasn't much to tell them apart, that was until the questions from the Nice Malcolm started. A few minutes after he'd been asked if he was in love with Sam, the Ask Malcolm had flung an entire stack of newspapers at the other two and threatened them with a punch up the bracket. Brackets. Whatever the fuck terminology you used when dealing with your duplicates. "Now, come on, this isn't helping. How about a drink and something to eat while we try to figure this out" Nice Malcolm smiled and started rummaging through the room for bags of satsumas and cans of Fanta. "Ye should wear a fucking maids outfit if ye are going to act like one" snarled Ask Malcolm but gratefully accepted the satsuma thrown at him. "Did we ever act like that?" asked the last Malcolm, cracking open a can of fizzy drink, "I know I have some bad photos of my past but I cannot imagine being this servile" "Probably on Prozac or some shite" "Aye, you're likely right"