Ansley-8 bristled, and Greck belatedly wished he’d phrased that sentence more politely.  “I wanted to be near my partner, sir.  There’s nothing ‘unnatural’ about that.  We fell in love, the way most people fall in love.  I thought he was handsome in an exotic way from the start, and both of us have both always been attracted to quieter men.  It’s a perfect match; we share many values and beliefs, as well as our love for accountancy and old green-and-white movies.”  Despite his annoyance, he smiled at Ansley-12.  “This isn’t some sort of self-love, you know.  Not really.  We’re two different and separate people, really, though we may technically be the same man.”

“If you want to punish Robert, you’ve got to punish us both.  I’m to blame, really,” said Ansley-12.  “It was my idea for him to move next door.”

Rubbing his temples, Greck tried to backtrack.  “First of all, Mr. Ansley-8, I didn’t mean unnatural, I meant—you know what, never mind.  My opinion really should not even come into play here, and it certainly doesn’t manner—the law, however, does.  And the point is, Mr. Ansley-12, that, yes, you are to blame, both of you, because technically, in the yes of the law, you’re the same person, one entity who has broken the law.  That’s what you need to understand.”

“That’s ridiculous!”  Ansley-20 broke into the debate.  “Obviously, they have two bodies, and thus must be two people.”

“Is it?” asked Greck.  He nodded at the Ansleys who had ceased to speak, and who were staring out into space.  “They’re surrendering their identities to you, at the moment, are they not?  They’re all, as the expression goes, ‘not at home.’  Can you really say that they’re conscious beings?  For all intents and purposes, there are only four people in this room right now.”        

            Ansleys-8, -12, and -20 looked at their fellow-selves, who did seem barely aware of the conversation.  “Oh,” they said in unison.

            Greck quirked his eyebrows at them.  “You see my point.   And I see yours as well, I truly do.”  He stretched his neck to ease the tension in it, finally feeling like he was on steady ground again.  “Alright, so why didn’t you report this relationship in the first place?  The Paradox Law fully allows for these exceptions.  You could have taken care of all this months ago.”

            Ansley-12 sighed.  “U-12 doesn’t accept other-self relationships, Mr. Greck.  We didn’t want to be persecuted for our love.”

            “Fair enough, but you needn’t have advertised it, you know.”  Greck rolled his eyes at the couple.  “The parameters of the Paradox Law lay out a plan for these sorts of situations.  The enforcers of it are stationed cross-verse; the agents could have worked it out for you, quietly, and without judgment calls.”  Greck breathed out noisily, irritated again.  “You just jumped the gun without working out the situation properly.”

            Finally, the group looked guilty.  “Well—” Ansley-8 began.

            “And another thing.  What I really fail to understand is why the rest of you got involved!  I mean, as if the situation weren’t complicated enough, you all have to get down here, even though it’s obvious that those two are the only ones really being affected by the situation.”  Greck gestured wildly at nothing and everything.  “I mean, for goodness’ sake.”

            “We share a strong love for justice, sir, and for each other,” Ansley-20 said finally, his voice a little cold.

            “A strong love for . . . oh.  Oh!  Um.  Wow.”  Greck tried to keep his mouth from dropping open too much.  “But . . . then . . . all twenty of you . . . wow.”  His eyes went blank for a moment as he pondered the logistics of that notion.  “There’s an image that’s going to pop up later in my nightmares.”

            This was enough to make everyone pay attention.  “Not like that!” they shouted in unison, several of them plainly disgusted by the idea.

            “For most of us, it’s like having brothers,” Ansley-20 explained.  “Honestly.”  He paused.  “Normal brothers, I mean.  Not inbred ones.”  He shivered.  “I know it’s hard for you to understand, but that’s really not what we meant at all.”

            “Obviously,” said Greck weakly.  He shivered as well, before finally getting control over himself.  “No, no, of course you didn’t, I’m very sorry.”

            “Apology accepted,” said Ansley-20, quietly, and he smiled at Greck.

            “I’m very glad we’re all learning something about one another, and how misconceptions can prevent correct communication,” said  Ansley-8, “but if we could do something about our money situation, that would be just wonderful!”  His sarcasm, although he attempted to contain it, was a palpable force.

            Greck winced a little before setting his mouth into a firm, authoritative line.  “Mr. Ansley-8, I’m sorry that things are not going easily for you, but you have to understand that I’m doing all I can.”  It occurred to him that the most recent documents and memos outlining the Paradox Law might something with which he could work.  “Now, I’m going to look for some papers that I believe will address the situation, but unfortunately—” he gestured around the room, “I am a little over-worked at the moment.  Consequently, it will take me a few minutes to find everything.”  He sighed and rubbed his forehead.  “Look . . . why don’t you . . .” he paused, trying to think of something that would distract them.  “Tell me about your relationship.  I suppose.  Being as this is part of the issue at hand.”  As soon as he said it, Greck regretted it, but it was a topic that was bound to keep them occupied.

“I knew for the first time that it was real, properly, after Robert had moved next door,” said Ansley-12, reflectively.  “It was a month and half after he’d decided to switch houses.  At the time, it was sort of half ‘I’m moving to be near you’ and half ‘I really like neighborhood,’ so we were trying to keep our relationship low-key, nothing constricting.  Then I had to go out of town for a week.  I missed him so terribly, that I could barely concentrate on work.  When I got back, I just rushed next door.  He was sitting on the couch, waiting for me, with this look—” Ansley-12 drew in an awed breath.  “I knew I never wanted to be away from him again.”

Greck, searching through a filing cabinet, felt a twinge.  He wondered, not for the first time in this often excruciating conversation, what that would be like.

Ansley-8 laughed.  “I knew the first time that I saw him in a pair of jeans, instead of that stuffy suit he always wears.”

Greck reflexively looked at Ansley-8’s suit, which he’d assumed to be identical to the others’.  It was, he noticed for the first time, slightly different—there was a thin grey threading amongst the more sensible blue fabric.  Apparently, Greck thought with partially bitter amusement, this was enough to make it “not stuffy.”

“Oh, hush,” said Ansley-12, blushing.

“That is the real reason, Mr. Greck,” Ansley-20 said quietly, speaking to the other man’s back as Greck stooped to look through a fallen file.  “None of us have ever had something this strong for ourselves.  We are not good with emotions.  The idea that two of us could find companionship in that way . . . we couldn’t let our other-selves give that up to regain their money.  We had to support them.”

There was a silence in the room for a few seconds, as Greck picked through the last papers to avoid looking at Ansley-20.  “I .  . . see.”

Ansley-20 nodded.  “I’m glad.”

There were no papers left to search; there had only been one pamphlet on the Paradox Law, and it had been entirely unhelpful.  Greck tried to collect himself.  “I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head, “but I really don’t know what I can do for you.”  He felt truly regretful; the dropping postures of the couple belied their brave speech.  “The Paradox Law clearly states that after two consecutive months of living in proximity with one another, you may legally be considered—” He stopped, his eyes wide with excitement.  “Wait.  Wait.”

“What is it?”  Ansley-8 and -12 asked together, caught by the sudden staring stillness of the other man’s face.

“Two consecutive months, two consecutive months,” he repeated, his expression turning into a triumphant grin.  “And you only lived next to each other for three months!”

All of the Ansleys looked at him in confusion.  “But—”

“The week’s vacation negated the first month and a half!” Ansley-20 blurted out, catching on to Greck’s plan.  “So, technically, you had only been living together for a month and half when they docked your salary, which makes it illegal.  You’ll not only get your pay back, you’ll probably get a little extra as well.”

Identical smiles spread over Ansley-8 and Ansley-12’s faces, expressions which were passed onto the other Ansleys by default.  “So . . . we can go home?  Go back to our work?  We are alright with the law again?”

Greck, bouncing a little in his seat from the discovery, started scribbling on a legal pad.  “They’ll probably close this loophole after your case, but as of now, I know it’s opened.”  He laughed.  “But please, if you move back to your respective homes, file the relationship paperwork so we don’t have to do this again.”  His face turned serious.  “To be honest, I would look for another job, also.  I do not think you will be welcome at your previous one.”

“We will.  It does not truly matter, as long as we have each other,” said Ansley-8, beaming, his hand firmly held in his partner’s grip.  “Thank you so much, Mr. Greck.”

“From all of us,” said Ansley-12, and the other eighteen nodded their heads and stood to leave, all at once.

The other man shrugged, attempting to show a modest demeanor, and trying to ignore the jarring reminder of his separation from these men.  “I was simply doing my job, but you’re truly welcome.  I hope that things go a little better from now on.”  Despite himself, he shivered a little, again, as they turned to leave in one unconscious motion.  He shuffled papers so as not to watch them walk out in unison.

“Mr. Greck?”

Greck looked up in confusion.  “Mr. Ansley-20, can I help you with something?”  He gestured at the chairs.  “Have a seat.”  

Ansley-20 remained standing and looked at him.  Greck realized with surprise that the bird-like features of the man’s face no longer bothered him.  Perhaps the other dissonance of the meeting had canceled out his initial discomfort.

“I just . . . I just wanted you to know . . .” The man squirmed in place, his feathers ruffled.  “Well, I could tell that the whole idea of twenty identical people bothers you a little.”

Greck winced.  “I’m terribly sorry.  Is it that obvious?” 

“No, no!  Truly, if I hadn’t been watching you closely, I never would have noticed.”  Ansley-20, inexplicably, blushed at his own words.  “I just wanted you to know . . . that we’re not completely identical.”

Feeling his own face get strangely warm, Greck nodded, confused.  “I see.  Thank you?”  He felt a queasiness in his stomach.

Ansley-20 stamped his feet.  “Argh!” he exclaimed.  “I’m doing this all wrong.”  He stared at Greck for a few moments, then leaned over his desk and kissed him.

Greck stared, open-mouthed, completely unable to speak.  The man’s beak-like mouth felt odd against his skin.  Not bad, just  . . . unusual.  Then Greck remembered that he was, in fact, heterosexual.  “Mr. Ansley-20, I’m sorry, but I—”

 “I just wanted you to know that you’re not the only one who’s the odd one out in a group,” Ansley-20 interrupted, his face completely red.  “Um.  I’m . . . I’m going to go.”  He scurried to the door, glancing back at Greck with each step.  He paused at the door.  “Um.  Yeah.”  With an audible sniff, Ansley-20 left, easing the door shut with a miserable expression on his face.

Blinking, Greck tried to breathe against the tide of confusing emotions surging in his brain.  “Well,” he said to himself, clutching at his papers and desk for support, “that was decidedly—”

The door slammed open again.  “I forgot the most important part of this conversation,” said Ansley-20, his face still red, but his expression now hopeful.

“Oh?” Greck choked out.

Ansley-20 smiled tentatively.  “My name’s Roberta.”  She shuffled her feet.  “Does that help at all?  Maybe?”

Greck let his breath out in a relieved explosion.  “You have no idea,” he said.

They grinned at each other.