While he does, he makes another call.

"He's here! He's okay! Rose is back!"

He hangs up much more quickly this time.

He walks him to the couch.

"I forgot to buy food I was so busy trying to find an answer...I'll get you some tea, okay? I'll get you a blanket."

And he does.

+

"There was a different version of you that came here, a different version of me..."

He looks at the stuff on the ground.

"I'll catch you up later."

+

He desperately places kisses all over his cheeks, holding Rose just as tightly as he did.

"Mason looked after your apartment, and he wasn't the most clear about who was in the search, but I bet Lavender was out there tearing the Earth apart looking for a way to get to you. So was I."

+

He speaks into the phone again.

"I might have better news for you, call you back soon!"

He rushes over to Rose's side.

Everything taken from him suddenly rains down on his head. It includes several items he didn't expect: tools and objects from around Ted's labs.

Rose thuds down somewhere else in his apartment.

"HONEY?!"

+

Elsewhere, this universe's Ted is frantically calling Mason.

"There's a second me walking around with Carnelian! If you see us walking around, it's super important that you take Carnelian back home immediately - -"

+

He temporarily deactivates the shields. He takes Carnelian's hand and walks through with him.

"Remember: don't let anyone take that book away from you."

As they disappear, the stone vanishes. The shields automatically go back up.

+

He hugs him then he gets back up.

"I'll pick the place for the date.

It might not have poison, but I'll call ahead and make sure they have thorns or something."

He's just relieved that they're finally done with all of this.

+

He uses a nearby computer to move a tray that sits beside the portal.

"We're almost home."

He looks at him.

"Once you place the rock on the tray, it will retract, and it'll make contact with...that thing.

Get as far away as you can while staying inside the room."

It's...moderately horrifying.

The portal doesn't sit nicely and keep to itself, it fights behind the force field, contained only by the force field surrounding it. The field buzzes each time it hits, but it appears to be holding strong.

It swirls with images from a thousand worlds.

+

But as soon as they had to deal with actually walking through the place, it started to feel like a labyrinth.

He keeps a firm hand around Carnelian's, occasionally glancing over to make sure he's okay.

They finally reach the portal room.

+

He looks up at him.

"And if not, we'll have all of the tools we need to change it until something correct happens.

Before we go, do you need anything?

His fridge is looking a little empty, but the cabinets are completely filled with tea."

He changes the view to a specific room with an unstable portal. It's being contained by a force field, the conditions controlled by computers nearby.

"That's our goal. If we bring your stone there...that's gotta fix this mess."

+

He reaches down and uses the other Ted's watch to display a hologram.

"When we get to the labs, I go in, and then I'll let you in. Don't touch any of the doors without me, the security is ridiculous on this place."

+

Evening arrives.

Ted stands beside himself.

His other self is tied to a chair, clearly attempting to yell and kick him. Carnelian's Ted kicks one of the chair legs, knocking him over.

He grabs a bug that's revealed on his sock.

"...And that's the last one."

+

While Carnelian has an active "bridge" across universes, two versions that have been mismatched...the two relevant versions of Ted are standing in the same universe.

There's nothing to connect.

"Keep that stone with you.

We're going to visit the other me tonight."

+