Author's Note: Kudos to djkauf for betaing this for me.

Zach and Sylvia took a cab to the local twenty-four hour Wal-Mart and purchased a couple of outfits and a few necessities for Sara to hold her over until she could make her own decisions about what she wanted to wear. Dane and Stuart made liberal use of my dad’s liquor cabinet while we discussed what we were going to do. Needless to say, we didn’t get much accomplished.

Eventually I showered, changed into a nightshirt that I’d left behind, and then slipped into bed beside a thoroughly zonked Sara.

The next morning I was awakened by the smell of coffee brewing. Even though I don’t drink it, I still like the smell in the mornings. Sara was firmly snuggled up in the curve of my front with the blanket tightly gripped in her little hand.

I had no idea what I would do if I had been shrunk that much, probably exhaust myself by crying my eyes out much like she did the previous night.

My minute movements must have struck something in her mind because her eyes fluttered open a moment later. Sara startled and pulled away, spinning her head around to see me. I watched as emotions played across her face and then she settled in misery.

“It wasn’t a bad dream,” she whispered.

I shrugged. “I still wake up like that sometimes.”

We lay there, not moving too much, until I decided that I needed to get her mind on dealing with the situation instead of sliding into self-hate which was only a step away from where she was currently.

“Do you feel any different in your head, Sara?”

She looked at me in confusion.

“I mean, do you have any desires to eat flowers, or run around naked, or speak any new languages? Things like that.”

She looked like she was concentrating on my question and then shook her head. “Not really, no.”

“We’ll work on that later then. Right now we need to get you up, showered, dressed, and functioning again.”

Seeing the look on her face from the previous night, I slipped out of bed and went over to the dresser. “Sylvia and Zach went out and got you some clothes. They had to buy them in the kids section, but it’s nothing stupid. I made them promise not to get you any Justin Bieber shirts and nothing too cutesy.

She gave me a mild turn of her lips in return.

“There’s a bathroom across the hall and I’ll keep everyone away from the area until you come out, okay?”

Sara nodded.

I dressed in some of the clothes that Evelyn bought me when we first got back. That consisted of black denim shorts and a white camisole with regular sandals. I’m sure my mother would have been scandalized, but until I got back to the house I was kind of limited in the wardrobe department.

Zach was up and already making breakfast. Dane was trying his best to separate his ferret from Roberta. From what I was hearing the male say, I was betting that Roberta didn’t get too much sleep just trying to stay a step ahead of her horny male counterpart.

When I turned around to see how Zach’s progress was going I watched as he was holding a ladle of pancake batter over a hot plate, frozen in place, looking at my bare legs and most probably my butt that was barely covered by the shorts I was wearing.

“I think your pancakes are burning.”

“Huh?” His eyes snapped up to mine and then it clicked as to what I was saying.

As he tried in vain to save the two that were starting to send up black smoke, I moved over to the refrigerator. It was stocked with a minimum amount of food-stuffs since I planned to return here often. I opened it up and bent over a little to retrieve the orange juice.

When I heard Zach groan, I straightened and tried to act like I didn’t hear him. After pouring a small glass, I returned it to the fridge and then leaned in to Zach.

“I need to make a call and then jump home for my suitcase. Will you be okay?”

His arm snaked around my waist and I received a brief hug. “We’ll be good.”

His lips distracted me for a moment, and maybe his jawline, since they both were so close. Slowly, I raised my eyes to his and I could feel the desire, not only from them, but in my chest as well. He was figuratively on fire and I was the cause of it.

“We need to talk soon,” I said.

The corners of his eyes tweaked slightly, unsure.

“After breakfast.”

I nodded. “Make sure nobody teases Sara. She’s really sensitive right now. Come down on them hard if they do.”

Zach licked his lips and I watched, kind of distracted like, before I realized what I was doing and pulled away. Quickly making my way out the back, I grabbed my phone and scooped up Roberta.

“Behave, and you can go home.”

She stilled when I cradled her on my left arm, and found the closest palm tree. I aimed for the park down the street from my house and dropped him on the ground. After saying the counter to the Baleful Polymorph, I was staring at a very very freaked out Robert.

He looked at me like I was the Antichrist and froze at the spot he was in.

I pointed my cane at him. “If I find out that you are taking anything else out of that house except for your clothes and a few necessities, I’ll turn you into a dairy cow and drop you off at the nearest field with a randy bull in it. Are we clear?”

A wet spot started to appear at the front of his jeans.

“I guess we are. You’re in L.A. by the way. Have a nice day.”

Just to show off, I entered a tree in the park and disappeared in front of his eyes.

~O~

“Chase, what are you wearing?”

I shook my head. “I don’t have a lot of clothes at the beach house, Mom. That’s why I’m here, to change and pick some up.”

She shook it off and nodded. “Your father and I have decided to extend your offer to Janie, if we ever get to meet her that is.”

I smiled. “Mom, it’s only been one day, and there are things going on. I’ll bring her by as soon as possible, okay?”

She frowned. “Go get out of those shorts. Don’t let your father see you in them; he’s stressed enough as it is.”

With a grin, I left the kitchen and snuck upstairs.

My suitcase was by the door were I left it, so I entered the walk-in closet and started sifting through the mounds of clothes that my mother bought for me. Conveniently, they were sorted by outfit with the footwear underneath, so I didn’t have to worry about mismatching. That was one less problem to deal with.

The right side of the closet was for typical girl stuff, i.e. dresses of all types. On the left was everything we compromised on, my adventuring clothing. I was more than satisfied with what I wore on the trip to Tennessee. The neoprene swimsuit and leather pants held up well and were comfortable. The trouble was I only had one set in black. So, this time I opted for gray.

There were two others in brown and a subdued blue. I had no idea how someone would go about making blue leather pants. I assumed there was dye involved somewhere along the line.

After stripping out of the shorts and cami, I donned the neoprene and leathers. While I was putting on my socks and boots, I called Janie and put it on speaker.

“Hello,” said an older female’s voice.

“Hello, may I speak to Janie, please.”

“May I ask who’s calling?”

“Chase.”

It took a minute for her to make it to the phone. By that time I’d already slipped on one boot.

“Hey Chase.”

“Hi. Are you busy?”

“No, I’m cool. What’s up?”

I licked my lips and just dove in. “My parents want to meet you.”

There was no sound at first then she came back sounding somewhat nervous. “How’d they take it?”

I shrugged and smiled. “Surprised, but pretty good. They want to personally extend the invitation I offered you yesterday.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. So, what do you think?”

I heard her sigh a little. “You’re in L.A. right?”

“Uh-huh. Is that a problem?”

Once the boots were buckled I found the belt that Zach got for me and secured it around my hips.

“A little. I didn’t want to be too far away from my parents.”

I relaxed after that. “Janie, you know that trick I did through the tree in your back yard. I can do that with you too. We can be at your parent’s house in like ten minutes whenever you want.”

“I’ll think about it. I’m not promising anything.”

I’d take what I could get for now. “That’s all I’m asking. How about that visit with my parents?”

She giggled a little. “Sure. I have to work today and tomorrow, but I’m free on Tuesday.”

That still didn’t sit well with me, but she was in charge of her life. I didn’t have much say in the matter. “Tuesday’s fine.”

“Good, oh… did you happen to get Zach’s email last night?”

Her voice sounded concerned. “Yeah, what’s up with that?”

“Stuart bulked out like the Hulk and Dale’s turning into a Ranger. Sylvia has magical holy powers and Sara…”

“Sara?! What happened?”

“Sara shrank. She’s a Halfling. Is everything alright with you?”

“She’s a what?”

I sighed and scratched the top of my head trying to think of a way to explain. “She’s like a normal person, only smaller. She’s maybe about three to three and a half feet tall.”

The noise of the receiver on her end dropping sounded. I heard it clattering around and then it went quiet.

“Chase, are you still there?”

“I’m here. You okay?”

“Yeah, I just dropped the phone. Is there anything I can do?”

“Sure, don’t panic. What I’m seeing doesn’t seem to be harming anyone, just changing them. If anything happens to you that is out of the ordinary, call me immediately. I don’t care how small.”

I debated with myself whether or not I should have said anything in the first place. Janie didn’t need to be worrying about this with the babies and the anemia. However, I knew I would be seriously pissed if someone knew something might happen to me and they didn’t say anything.

“Okay,” she said with a timid voice.

“Try not to worry, seriously. Whatever happens, I’ll be there.”

“I know.”

“Good.” I paused for a moment. “Look, I need to get back to the others and try to figure this thing out. Call me, even if you just need to talk.”

“Okay.”

~O~

Once I switched watches I went back out to the bedroom and looked at myself in the mirror. “I like black better.”

Turning in place, I opened my makeup cabinet, which served to store several things. No, I don’t have so much makeup that it warrants an entire cabinet. There was perfume too, and hair ties, and clips; you know… girl stuff.

I dabbed a little Rapture behind my ears and on my wrists before setting the bottle down trying to figure out who I was attempting to smell good for. That answer came easily enough, to my dismay.

Okay, fine. I think Zach is entering the yummy category in my head that I normally keep reserved for girls. There was just something about him that turned me on a little. Maybe it was because he found me so attractive.

I never really had someone pursue me before. Not that he was doing a lot of active pursuing, but still. Zach could be read like a book, and everything he was doing was obvious and cute. I hated leading him on, but what was I supposed to do about it?

No matter what Sylvia said, the whole situation still felt gay to me.

Had I accepted that I was a girl and probably would be for the rest of my life? Yes. But in my head, I still considered myself a guy, or at the bare minimum, guy-ish.

Looking at my face in the mirror, I decided that I needed some makeup… just a little, because Mom would want me to wear it. Just a little eyeliner and a tad of eye shadow, plus some mascara, and some lipstick. See, that wasn’t too much.

When I capped off the lipstick I felt another cramp and knew before the end of the day that I would be into my first day of my period. It was like clockwork. For safety’s sake I dropped by the bathroom and attached a liner to my panties.

So far, in my limited experience at being a girl, this was the worst part. To add insult to injury, I had to carry around what I considered medical supplies in the form of tampons and liners. In case you guys were wondering what going through a period is like, I can describe it for you. This isn’t exactly right, but it’s the closest thing I can think of experience-wise.

It’s late at night, and you’ve been on a drinking binge, just enough to give you a light hangover, but nothing debilitating. You stop off at your favorite convenience store on your way home for a snack and those Twin Chili Cheese Dogs staring at you from the cooler, that you always thought looked gross, look mighty attractive, probably because you’re drunk.

You take them out and overcook them in the store microwave and snatch a Big Grab bag of Jalapeno/Sour Cream flavored Doritos on the way to the counter. The five minute ride home is just enough to polish everything off if you eat it quickly.

You know you’ve done this or something similar in your youth, so shut up.

The next morning it feels like something crawled up your butt and nested in your lower intestines. So you spend the most of the morning on the toilet trying to relieve the cramping.

That’s pretty much what having a menstrual cycle is like, only you can’t get rid of the cramps as easily. I won’t go into the mess, since this isn’t that kind of story, but use your imagination.

With a bottle of Midol stuck in my suitcase along with a box of tampons and liners, I was ready for adventure!

~O~

I wasn’t so stealthy coming down the stairs and Dad spotted me in the outfit. The morning paper, that he was reading, went limp in his hands, and I could see the anguish on his face.

“Do you have a coat to cover up with?”

I shrugged as I made it to the bottom. “I’m going to Hawaii today. It would look kind of weird to wear a coat in eighty degree weather.”

Thank Buddha that Mom came out of the kitchen just then, with a cup of tea in her hand. She gave me a once over and nodded. “You’re getting better matching your makeup with your clothes, honey. Be safe.”

Dad looked at her like he couldn’t believe she was going along with my wardrobe choice. Well, that was for her to deal with. I was out of there.

The heat started in as I stepped out of the tree and I had to stop to adjust my body’s internal thermostat to compensate. I did not want to sweat and ruin my makeup.

Zach met me at the back door where he was sipping at a soda. The appreciative look on his face told me my efforts getting ready were noted.

“Everyone up?”

He nodded. “Fed and watered as well. Sara went back to your room. Nobody said anything mean, but they couldn’t help staring.”

I rolled my eyes. “Alright. Let me see if I can get her out and then we can talk.”

Zach looked eager and a tad bit nervous at the same time. “Okay.”

The guys gave me the eye as I passed though the living room. Something to note along the way, Sylvia was happily snuggled up against Stuart on the couch. With her legs tucked underneath, she looked ridiculously tiny next to the muscle-bound behemoth. Talk about your odd couple.

Even though it was my door, I tapped on it and announced my presence before entering.

“Hey Sara.”

She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, looking forlornly out of the window. Her head turned just enough to see me.

“Hey,” she said quietly.

The clothes Sara was wearing were obviously for kids, but at least they fit fairly well.

“You have breakfast?” I said as I started unpacking the suitcase into the closet.

She nodded.

I tried to hold back from giving my opinion since out of all of us, she seem to have gotten screwed the worst. Yeah even me. I was a girl, but at least I was a normal-sized girl.

“Zach thinks I’m an Athason something.”

With a nod, I confirmed his assessment. “Athasian Halfling. They’re a…” Oh, how to say this and have it not sound awful. “They’re a sub-culture of Halflings. They mostly keep to themselves and live in highly humid areas where tall trees are around, or jungles, rainforests, places like that.”

Sara’s eyes drifted to me. “Is that why I feel uncomfortable here?”

I hung up a blouse and looked back at her. “You feel uncomfortable?”

She nodded. “These clothes. They’re okay, but I hate them.”

I was afraid of this. From what I had seen, Sara seemed to be taking on the racial traits of the Athasians which really wasn’t a good thing.

“Do you feel like you’d rather wear a lot less? Like maybe a bikini?”

A look of relief fell over her face. “Yes.”

With a nod I said, “I’ll make sure you have a bunch of them.”

Her eyes pooled and I saw her smile for the first time. I really wish I hadn’t.

Keeping my composure, I thumbed toward the front of the house. “I’m going to go send someone to the store, okay. Can I get you anything from the kitchen?”

She shook her head. “No, Zach made me some eggs and bacon, and ham, and sausage. And that’s really weird because I was never a big meat eater.”

“It’s probably your metabolism… changes and all. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

When I closed the door behind me, I breathed out a calming breath and proceeded to the living room. Giving Zach a shrug of my head we went out to the patio.

“Everything alright?”

“No,” I said. “She’s showing a lot of Athasian traits. Have you seen her teeth?”

Zach averted his eyes and looked like he was thinking.

“They’re sharp, like razor sharp. Aren’t Athasians cannibals?”

He shook his head. “No, they don’t eat each other, but they eat other races. It’s a conservation thing they don’t waste meat. As long as she has a good supply of food she should be fine.”

“You’re sure?”

He looked at me with suspicion in his eyes. “What are you considering, Chase? Taking her back to the island and leaving her there?”

Well… “No.” Then I relented. “Maybe as a last resort. We have to be really careful here, Zach. She could be a serious danger.”

We were interrupted by Sylvia at the door.

“Chase, I have to get back to the hospice before they notice I’m missing.”

I nodded. “Okay, I’ll take you.” Looking back at Zach, I noticed the frown on his face. “Can you see if one of the guys will go to the store and buy a bunch of bikinis for Sara?” Then I thought about it. “Never mind. That might look weird. I’ll do it. We’ll talk when I get back.”

~O~

I wound up taking Dale and Stuart back as well. Their opinion was if there wasn’t anything that I could immediately do then they wanted to get back to their life. It didn’t look like Dale was going to be experiencing any physical changes so he was pretty much off the hook, but Stuart said that he was making plans; for what, I had no idea.

So it was just Zach and me… and Sara, the pygmy cannibal.

I’m sorry, but those teeth really creeped me out. Not to mention that every hour that went by, she seemed to be reverting more and more into the Athasian mindset. She wasn’t exactly feral, but it wasn’t far off. Her speech started becoming chopped and her sentences noticeably shorter.

No, Zach and I still haven’t had a chance to talk yet.

We were on the patio watching Sara as she played on the beach. Obviously, the thought of losing her humanity wasn’t high on her priority list.

“What are we going to do, Zach?”

His hand slipped around my waist and I leaned into his shoulder for some small measure of comfort. “I have no idea.”

Peace, friend.

My head snapped around and there was Kitty in his panther shape making his way up the stairs to the patio.

“Kitty!”

He padded up to me and I knelt to hug his neck. “Where have you been?”

Away. My mate grew angry with no kits to tend.

I giggled against the palm of my hand. “Had to take care of business, huh?”

“Big kitty,” I heard a quiet voice to my right.

Sara was there, on top of the railing to the deck, squatted, ready to pounce. Her eyes were wide with wonder. It was then that I noticed how childlike her face was. The rest of her body, if larger, could be mistaken as adult, but her face was as young looking as her height would lead you to believe.

I waved her down. “Sara, you remember the panther from the island, right?”

With no effort, she hopped down to the floor and kept her squatted position. Her eyes moved to me briefly and then she edged up until mere inches away from the panther.

Kitty turned his head to Sara and sniffed her for a moment and then nuzzled her neck at which point I think he made a friend for life. Sara’s face lit up and she hugged the panther.

I will take her, friend.

“What?”

This is no place for one such as her. She needs others of her kind.

“You know where others are?”

I do. They will welcome her, care for her. She will be safe and happy.

Looking at Sara, my heart broke for her and what she was becoming, but at the moment, I was impotent in my ability to help her.

“If I find a way to reverse this, can she come back?”

You will know where to find her, friend.

Turning around I looked up at Zach. “What do you think?”

Without saying anything to me he worked his way around and knelt next to her. “Sara, honey, would you like to go where there are others like you… to the jungle?”

Her smile went very wide, unnaturally wide to show almost all of her deadly sharp teeth. “Big kitty come too.”

I nodded. “Kitty can take you there.”

In a second she was on Kitty’s back, looking like she wanted to ride, and truthfully she was small enough.

“Does she need anything? Zach, get her other bikinis and my blade. She needs a weapon.”

Tears were already running down my face as I drew in close and gave Sara a hug. She clutched at my hair and neck. When I pulled back, I sniffed. “If you need anything, anything at all, you find the big kitty. He’ll bring you to me.”

I will watch over her, friend. You will call if you need me.

Zach returned with a plastic bag with all five extra sets of bikinis for her and my knife inside. She took it and threaded her arms through the holes and settled it on her back.

“Bye Chase, bye Zach. Go kitty!”

The panther stood and hefted Sara to a better position before leaping over the railing to the sounds of his rider laughing all along the way until they disappeared into the brush.

I wiped at my cheeks. “I failed her, Zach. I’m failing them all.”

His hands encircled me from behind. “No, you’re not. You didn’t do this to them and you’re doing the best you can.”

I wasn’t so sure.

“You’re only one person, Chase.”

Turning my head, I looked up into his eyes and saw that he truly didn’t blame me for anything. The compassion he exuded, I felt in my chest along with other things. My gaze dropped to his perfectly straight nose and then a little lower to his full lips.

Before I realized it, he’d closed the distance and his lips were barely a few millimeters from my own. He was leaving the decision to me, offering his comfort, but I had to accept it willingly.

Our eyes locked and I searched for something undefined and tried my best to find the same thing within me, tried to make sense of what I was feeling, and why I was feeling it. The thing is, it didn’t matter.

I pulled away.

Certain parts of my body started aching and it wasn’t because of early-onset arthritis.

Turning around, I faced him and stood. He mirrored my every move. “Zach, I used to be a guy.”

I got one shake of his head. “I don’t care.”

“You’re my Acolyte.”

He smiled slyly. “I still don’t care.”

My eyes widened as I saw him take a single step forward. I pointed over his shoulder. “Look… cheese!”

I swear, that trick never works.

“I’m not much of a cheese kind of guy.”

Backing up a couple of steps, I bumped against the patio door. Zach didn’t advance; instead, he pulled his tee shirt over his head.

Oh hell, now that’s just not fair.

“That’s because… um, you’ve just tried sliced American cheese. There are other kinds that are much better. There’s Livarot, and Chaource, and um… Valençay.”

“I love it when you speak French.”

“No, those are French cheeses.”

“Uh-huh. Was there something you neglected to tell me about this marking, Chase?”

He was tapping his chest where a magical tattoo of my hand was marked into the skin over his heart.

“No?”

I don’t think he believed me.

He nodded and passed his eyes over my shoulder, considering something. I hoped it was what to order for lunch and not other things to eat… meaning me.

“Okay, we’ll play it your way. But there’s something I need to tell you and something I need to know.”

A peep didn’t escape my mouth, because frankly, I was scared to death of saying anything.

“You’ve probably figured out that I’m in love with you. This isn’t just a lust thing I’ve got going on here.”

I swallowed; my mouth was suddenly very dry.

“Yeah, I’m seventeen and most teenagers don’t know the first thing about real love. It’s hormones, and curiosity that is up front in their brains. But I’ve been through too much, Chase. I could have died on that island and probably a few times since. Throughout all of that, you were there.”

His eyes locked with mine and I could see the intensity of his stare.

“I can’t seriously think of what it would be like without you in my life.” With both hands, he pointed to his head. “You’re in every waking thought I have and you’re in my dreams. My hands ache to just touch you. It doesn’t have to be sexual, just a finger or a brush against your skin to remind me that you are real and not just a dream.”

Running a hand over his face, he chuckled. “Now that I think about it, that sounds kind of stalkerish. I’m sorry if I’m coming across that way.”

He backed off a step to give me breathing room, and to stick his hands in his pockets. “I just need to know one thing. If you say no then I’ll back off and leave you alone. I won’t ask you again and I’ll do my best to act normal around you.”

I still didn’t say anything even though I knew what was coming.

“Do you… even just a little bit… do you love me too?”

“I…,” I stammered.

“I… what?”

“I don’t know.”

He took a deep breath and I knew he was holding back a massive amount of frustration.

“Can you maybe give me a hint about where your head is around this issue?”

I felt an overwhelming desire to run away to the massive state of avoidance, I think that’s somewhere in New Mexico, I could be wrong.

“I don’t know if I can love a guy. I was perfectly heterosexual only a few months ago.”

He shrugged. “You can still be heterosexual, or bisexual. I don’t really care. It’s not an issue with me.”

Trying to find anywhere to look but at him was becoming a problem. “Look, I could say yes, and then jump in your arms. We could kiss and then I could promptly vomit at the thought of anything further. I couldn’t do that to you.”

He smiled and almost laughed. I saw him visibly hold back. “Well, I won’t take it personally if you do that.”

The grin reached his eyes and I saw that he was thinking of something, and it was probably really bad.

“How about we try that? I kiss you, and if you get sick then I’ll back off.”

See why I shouldn’t talk; it only leads to bad things.

This time around, I just zipped my lips, which in retrospect was probably an even worse idea.

Two steps brought him right up against me. Instinctively, I licked my lips as did he. Then Zach did it again: he moved in and hovered the barest fraction of an inch away, making me commit to a decision one way or the other. It wasn’t fair. Why could he just kiss me and I could figure out what I needed to know that way?

Screw it.

I shot my hands up and gripped his neck, pulling him in the rest of the way, sealing my lips on his. In a second, I opened my mouth and deepened the seal, our tongues meeting in the middle and his gaining entrance only after a brief battle.

Damn, he tastes good! Crap, I’m kissing a guy! What’s his hand doing… oh, that feels good.

Before I realized it, Zach pulled away left me there wanting a lot more. I focused and blinked, but I still hadn’t let go of his neck. Without a second thought, I pulled him back down and grabbed a hold of his belt, tugging him into the house.

My body was humming along, picking up the pace of its desire to be quenched of the three months of built-up frustration it had endured.

Zach’s hands dropped to my butt and he lifted me up until I wrapped my legs around his hips and squeezed him as tight as I could. The leather and the neoprene suit, not to mention his jeans, made feeling him through all of that material somewhat difficult, but I could tell he was more than ready for anything that I could dish out.

He was seventeen, ‘nuff said.

Breaking the kiss, I buried my mouth on his neck and bit him roughly. “My room, hurry.”

One thing I had to give him, he could take direction very well.

On the way, I unbuckled my web belt and tossed it while I worked on his neck and earlobe with my teeth and tongue. He tasted so good, like dark berries kissed with vanilla. Whatever body wash he was using spiked my senses, driving me insane with desire. My nipples were hard under the neoprene and I could feel myself moisten. It was a good thing, because I didn’t think that I could deal with any foreplay at the moment.

“Oh god, Zach.”

I grabbed a handful of hair and started kissing him again. There was too much I wanted to taste and all of it was mine for the taking.

The door slammed open and in three steps he let go and I dropped on the bed. My breath was already heavy as I scrambled to unbuckle my boots. He was already toeing his off as he fumbled at his jeans.

Now I saw the advantages of wearing a dress; way less stuff to take off. Just drop your panties and bam, you’re ready to go.

My boots went flying across the room and I stood up, biting his chest along the way to his eager lips. He grunted and moaned until we were reunited again. Then everything slowed.

The manic power that came over us changed to something else, a moment of tenderness where he cupped the base of my neck and my hands were on his waist, holding on with purchase.

We separated. “Chase, I’ve wanted you for so long.”

My breath came in short pants. “Well, I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, because it’s too late to back out now. Now get your pants off. I’m seriously horny.”

He grinned and I followed my own advice.

“Dammit, I knew you were wearing sexier panties than I was,” I said when I saw his Fishnet and Lace cheeky panties in black with pink lace available from Victoria’s Secret for the low low price of eleven-fifty or three for thirty from their Sexy Little Things collection. And yes, sometimes having a photographic memory is odd at times.

He froze for a moment. “Is that a problem?”

Looking up at him, I grinned. “If you’re still wearing them in about thirty seconds it’s going to be a big problem because I’ll start without you.”

I lowered the zipper on the neoprene suit and slipped it down my body, reveling in the feeling of finally being out of all my clothes.

That didn’t last too long because I was taken up in Zach’s arms again and a second later I was on my back with my legs around him, trapping his body against mine. Immediately, I grabbed another fist full of hair and tugged down until his mouth was on my breast.

“Oh shit, that feels good.” It was a hundred times better than when Janie did the same thing; of course I was probably a hundred times larger in that area at the moment.

Zach lavished attention to one and then the other, and that was all I could take. He started going lower, which was sweet, but I pulled him off.

“Next time okay? I need you inside me right now or I’m going to scream.”

Before he had a chance to situate himself I rolled him over. “Me on top. It’s my first time in this body.”

He nodded and scooted up relaxed and looked like he was enjoying the view.

I laughed. “You like?”

“Very much.”

That’s when I grasped him and looked down.

Oh shit. This is really going to happen.

On the beach, when I made him my Acolyte and we saw each other naked, I got to see him briefly at full mast. What I didn’t consider was the dark. He looked a lot bigger in the light of day. In reality he was probably just a little bigger than I was when I was still a male, and I topped the yardstick at six inches.

No, he wasn’t porn star big and for that I was thankful.

“Chase, if you want to wait…”

I looked up and met his eyes. He would wait for me, until I was ready, really ready. The deal was I was ready right then and there.

“I told you it was too late to back out. Now you’ll just have to suffer.”

Rubbing him back and forth on me, I felt the heat that he was radiating down there and I wanted it badly. Positioning him in just the right spot, I lowered myself just a little until he was pushing inside.

This might be a bad idea. I should have bought a damn dildo like my mom said.

It took forever for me to adjust and I could see the look of tension on Zach’s face. His eyes were closed and I was sure he was trying to think of awful things like dead puppies or something so he wouldn’t be a stereotypical teenage male and shoot off before I’d even fully taken him in.

God it was so tight, but I was tenacious if I was anything.

Lower and lower I settled, rising up every now and then just a little bit to spread my natural moisture around him for an easier go if it, but eventually reaching my goal. It had to have been three maybe four hours since we started, or it felt like it anyway.

“Jesus, Zach, can you possibly be any bigger? I feel like I just impaled myself on a summer sausage.”

“Don’t move. Please,” he begged.

Oh, I knew that look. I froze and tried my best not to twitch in the slightest until he eased back down off of the plateau of no return. The problem was I didn’t want to lose the moment, so I closed my eyes and performed a little self-exploration while he was recovering.

It’s amazing how sensitive a girl’s breasts are during sex. It felt like live wires were attached to my nipples and that they were a second and third sexual organ.

When I felt Zach start to move a little, I opened my eyes to see him staring at what I was doing. That brought a grin to my face.

“Enjoying yourself?” I asked.

“Immensely.”

“You okay now?”

He nodded. “How about you?”

I shrugged. “Still adjusting.”

“You feel so good, Chase.”

“Well I’d like to take the credit for that, but that’s all nature’s doing. Enjoy it; I’ll probably never be this tight again.”

It’s been my experience that laughter is needed during sex, just as long as it’s not directed at the male member. It relaxes both people, especially when it’s the first time for one or both of the participants. It’s also good for a distraction. So when he was chuckling, I lifted up off of him.

I think I’m really going to enjoy sex as a girl.

“Oh shit… Chase. I’m not going to last long. I’m sorry. Every time you move, it’s like heaven.”

Oh well. It’s not like there won’t be other times.

When I reached my apex, I smiled and pushed down, engulfing him again. “Just let go, Zach. That’s the good thing about you being you. Recovery time is fantastic.”

He opened his eyes after another bout of self-containment, and I grabbed his hands to pull him up with me, so I could see him eye to eye.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed him lightly as I started working him below. I wasn’t a pro at this, but I remember what got me off as a guy and I used every bit of that knowledge to make this the most erotic experience for him as was possible. When I saw he was close, I pulled away and hugged him to me.

“Now, Zach… now!”

He pulsed and I gripped him as hard as possible. It sent a thrill of pleasure through me that might have been a mini-orgasm, but I wasn’t placing any bets.

“God Chase, I love you. I love you.”

Then he tensed and groaned loud, shuddering with the experience. I held on for the ride.

When he started to come back down off of his high, I worked my lips to his ear and bit lightly on the lobe before saying, “I love you too.”

~O~

We spent the next twenty minutes just lying there. I never slipped him out of me, leaving him there for as long as possible so I would commit everything we just did to memory for the rest of my life. Eventually nature ran its course and the party was over so to speak.

Zach’s face was red and I knew he was feeling embarrassed, so I scooted up and kissed him again. “Baby, I know what it’s like to be in your position, literally. I was a virgin. There’s virtually no way on this green earth that you could have made me orgasm on the first try. Nobody’s that good. So chill.”

He rolled his eyes. “I wanted everything to be perfect for you.”

Slipping down, I kissed his chin looked him in the eye. “It was perfect. And guess what?”

“What?”

“If this is just a sample of what it can be like then you’re going to be a very busy and tired man in the future.”

He smiled and started to get a familiar look on his face. “I’m ready if you are.”

Reaching back I felt him, hard and eager again. “Down cowboy. I have to recover from the abuse that monster did to me. Give me a few days.”

You would have thought that I ran over his favorite gaming dice or something. “A few days?”

“Yeah, I’m starting my cycle today, considering what we just did, probably very soon.”

It took him a second to catch on. “Oh. Okay.”

“I’m going to take a shower. Scrub my back?”

~O~

With the aid of a little soap and my hand, I took care of his need to try to make shower-time into broken neck time. I was never a big fan of sex in the shower for that reason alone. We played quite a lot and I actually received some relief with a little coaching on my part and Zach’s hand. It was going to take some time and guidance, but I would show him how to do it right.

My experience on the male side taught me one thing. Communicating during times like these is paramount. My first two girlfriends were scared to death of sex, and wanted it to be as quiet as possible. It took me forever and a lot of research on the internet before I became a decent lover. I admit it. I was lame at the beginning, but not anymore, and I was going to make sure Zach knew everything to do, and vice versa.

It sucked that I had to start all over again and relearn everything, but I was dedicated student and I also had the added advantage of knowing what turned guys on; hence my referring to his member in terms of a summer sausage. Guys like that stuff and it wasn’t like it was a great sacrifice on my part to say it. Confidence is key.

When we got out and toweled off, the clothes went back on.

Oh, by the way, I was right. Minutes after exiting the shower, I started my cycle. Good timing, right?”

Three days, and that man is mine again.

That’s when I groaned. Mom was going to have a field day with this one.

I had to hunt down all of my clothes. They were everywhere. Once I was back in proper dress, I leaned against the door and felt a pleasant ache between my legs. I couldn’t believe I did it. I’d taken one of the last steps in accepting my femininity. There was no doubt in my mind that I was starting to enjoy being a girl.

There were some pitfalls, yes, but for the most part I hadn’t changed all that much. Sure, I didn’t need my meds anymore, and I didn’t freak out when I saw the occasional dust-bunny. The clothes thing wasn’t really an issue with me. They served a purpose like anything else in the world. And I found myself someone to enjoy the more fun things in my life with.

Things were looking up.

Oh, I almost forgot one of the best things about having Zach around. He cooks. When I left my room, I saw him in the kitchen, shirtless with his jeans barely hanging on his hips, and he was barefoot. There was an animalistic side of me that wanted to possess him, and I had. He was mine. So I let him know it.

Easing my way in the kitchen, I slid my hands around his torso from the back, with one stroking his abs and the other finding my mark on his chest and covering it. It would remind him that it was me that marked him and I was very possessive with what was mine.

“Whatever you’re cooking smells almost as good as you,” I said.

“You’re going to make me get a big head.”

Lowering my hand, I squeezed him lightly down below. “Too late for that. You’re big enough as it is.”

See, it’s the little things.

We had grilled cheese sandwiches. Zach thought it was appropriate. I thought it was cute that he remembered.

Halfway through the meal I saw him smiling to himself.

“What?”

He shrugged. “I just never thought you’d see me as anything more than a friend. Even when you said you’d be my date to homecoming…”

I twisted my lips to the side. “So I was in denial and you teased me with your hot sexy body until I broke down and gave in.”

Zach stared down at his plate looking like he was in deep thought, so I got up and rounded the table. His chair was cocked-eyed in relation to his plate so I slid my leg over and sat down on his lap, facing him. Picking up his sandwich, I tore off a little piece of it and held it up to his mouth.

He opened and I set it on his tongue with a smile. “You’re mine now,” I said as I set my hand on my mark.

“You’re mine,” he said.

I picked up his hand and set it over my heart without saying anything. Leaning in, I kissed him and it was like starting anew.

~O~

By dinner time we’d received word from everyone else that had been on the island and everything seemed to be fine with them. There was the odd question to be answered like if anyone had come down with some strange illness or something of the like, but that was it.

As much as I didn’t want anyone else to be affected by whatever was causing the changes, I had really hoped for a high level wizard or a sorcerer, someone that could mix a potion or perform a spell that could change Sara back to her original body.

Zach and I got dressed up and we went out to dinner that night. He was in a nice shirt and slacks and I wanted to look good for him so I picked a sexy dress and even wore heels without complaint.

Throughout the meal I could feel my body humming again. Now that I’d sampled the merchandise, I wanted him in the worst way. I wondered if this was what Janie felt like on the island.

And yes, I was on birth control. While I had every intension of not engaging in sex with a guy, my mom wasn’t as confident. Within a week of being rescued I was popping a pill on a daily basis. I just hoped Zach didn’t have too much homework on Wednesday night, because I had the full intension of kidnapping him and doing the deed right, several times in fact.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked before sipping at his iced tea at the end of the meal.

“Wednesday night.”

His brows bunched in confusion.

“Make sure to take your vitamins and have a good dinner, because afterward…” I let my foot slip up his leg and watched as he stiffened for a moment.

His hand went underneath the table and stoked my bare calf which felt pretty nice. “I’m probably going to have homework,” he teased.

I shrugged. “Too bad. I need my Acolyte to serve me, probably more than a few times. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long hard night of sweat and toil.”

He swallowed and his eyes went to my neck as I stretched it out.

When we went home, it didn’t take much encouragement to get him into my bedroom. Even if I wasn’t going to have sex during my cycle, I wanted him in my bed with nothing between us but my panties. I did have to take care of a problem of his or he’d never get any sleep, but that didn’t take very long. I hoped that was a temporary issue.

By the time the lights went out, Zach was laying back and I was tucked neatly along his side breathing in his wonderful scent

~O~

The next morning we had breakfast and a mild makeout session before we both left to return to our respective homes.

Mom’s penetrating eyes saw immediately that I was hiding something of note. That’s why she followed me upstairs with my empty suitcase. This time I refilled it and changed clothes so I could go pick Janie up.

“You look very content, Chase. Is there something that you want to tell me?

I stood at the doorway to my closet as I buttoned up my blouse. If I tried to mask it then she’d pick right up on my issues, so I decided to just tell her outright.

“Zach and I are together now.”

Her eyebrows went up with interest. I could easily see she was excited, but she kept it low-key for the moment. “How do you feel about that?”

Grabbing a skirt, I slipped it up and over my hips. It was loose and stretchy so no zipped was required. Right after I situated myself, I stopped and looked at the wall, while thinking about the last kiss we shared.

“I’m okay,” I said with a pleased smile. “Probably more than okay.”

That knowing look if hers was all over her face when I looked back at her. “Are you still a virgin, Chase?”

I grabbed the flat-heeled sandals before returning to the room and sitting down in the chair across from where Mom was sitting on the bed.

“No. It was my decision and Zach gave me plenty of chance to back out.”

She gave me a dubious look, but I pressed the issue.

“Mom, I know Zach. He was sincere. He would have had to go relieve himself immediately, but he would have waited if I wanted, even right up until the last moment.”

She saw the truth of my words and seemed satisfied. “You’re still taking your birth control, correct?”

I nodded. “Every morning before I brush my teeth.”

“Good girl.”

Mom looked me over and then frowned at my toes. “Let me have your polish. You need a touchup and we need to have our nails done. Do you think Janie would be interested in joining us? I could make the appointment for three.”

A quick call later and I didn’t have to do much arm twisting.

While Mom was smoothing the polish over my chips, I think she delighted in making me squirm just a little.

“So, how was your first time?”

I rolled my eyes. “It wasn’t my first time to have sex, Mom.”

“In this body it was. You can tell me or I can keep this subject up all day long. I’m quite annoying when I want to be.”

With a sigh, I relaxed in me chair. “It wasn’t storybook perfect or anything. I mean it hurt, but not too much. It was like I was distracted by how much he was… stretching me open.”

That brought a naughty smile from her. “Oh, gifted is he?”

My ears were burning as I spilled. “A little larger than normal, but nothing I couldn’t handle.”

When she capped the bottle off, she waved her hand over my toes. “Be thankful for that. Big is good sometimes, but for longevity I much prefer average.”

It was the weirdest thing in the world talking about this with my mother. My conversations with Dad amounted to, “Are you being safe?” “Yeah.” “Good.”

We never talked about breast size, depth and tightness of vaginas. I mean seriously who talks about this stuff outside of their age group?

“Do you love him?”

My eyes widened at her question. “Mooom.”

“Chase, are you in love with Zachery?” her determined voice had reasserted itself.

My face joined my ears in heated revolt. “Yes.”

She stood with a large grin on her face and patted my knee. “Do your father and me a favor, honey. Two grandchildren are more than enough for now. Try to wait a few more years for any new additions.”

I waved that idea right off. “No need to worry about that. That’s one experience I’d rather put off for as long as possible.”

Mom giggled. “You’d be surprised. Once you hold your own baby in your arms, see his face for the first time, and feel him suckle on your breast, your perspective changes.”

“Well, I’m thinking maybe when I’m forty or something.” It was a joke, but there was a tinge of seriousness added to it. There was no way I was ready for that step in my life.

“Speaking of which, you might want to consider breast feeding yours and Janie’s babies.”

I spun around in my chair to see Mom by the door looking serious.

“Feeding one child can be tasking, Chase. Two… may pose problems. There are things you can do to produce milk to help out the mother of your children. Lord knows that I would have loved a break every once in a while. A woman gets sore after constant feeding.”

Looking down at the floor I realized I needed to do some serious research. “Okay, I’ll think about it and talk to Janie.”

“There’s less than twenty-five weeks to go, Chase. The earlier you start, the easier it is on your breasts.”

My eyes widened at the though. “You mean I’d need to start now?”

“You can wait until later. They use a different drug and there’s a real good chance your breasts will hurt during the process. But if you use a different, long term drug then it’s more natural. You remember Cathy Simpson down the street. She adopted and told me all about it.”

I nodded. “I’ll talk to Janie about it today.”

TBC...