I wrote this over ten years ago. It was essentially finished, but I somehow never considered it ready for posting. Or, at least, it had gone as far as I was inspired to take it. It kinda begs for a sequel, but it's fine as it is.

It's big. It took some time to edit. Especially since I needed to change the dates so that it wouldn't be so... well... dated.

Much thanks to Terry Volkirch for test reading it way back when. She might even remember the story.

One fine day, Joe wakes up and finds that his whole life has been turned upside-down.

* * * * *
Interlude

Jack, Harry, and Jock were drinking beer and laughing about how they beat the crap out of that cross-dressing pervert when they saw a bright light outside the front door. They went to investigate, and immediately felt their feet leave the ground. They tried to escape, but couldn't do a thing about it. They floated into what looked like a flying saucer -- kicking and screaming all the way.

Once they were all the way inside, the door closed. They felt their clothes being pulled from them as if by invisible hands. They stood naked, scared, and shivering.

A deep voice came from nowhere. "You killed Myra Jones. If we had not intervened, she would still be dead."

Putting on false bravado, Harry said "You mean 'he'. Myra is no girl!"

"Myra's soul is that of a girl. You have no idea what it's like to be trapped in a body that doesn't fit who you are, but you are about to find out!"

Instantly, all three became short, fat, and pimply-faced girls with scruffy hair and cracked fingernails. Full-length mirrors appeared in front of them.

They started to cry. Really, they couldn't help it. "Please don't leave us this way. We'll do anything!"

They sat there for several hours, not knowing what was going to happen. The thought that they may end up being short fat girls for the rest of their lives started to really sink in.

"If you want your old bodies back, you must agree to do three things!"

"Anything!," the three agreed in unison.

"First, you must each write a sincere letter of apology to Myra."

That would be easy enough.

"Second, you must each buy her a gift that we will specify. Understand that it will take all the money that you each have been saving."

That was more difficult, but what choice is there?

"Finally, you must tell anyone who asks that she is a real girl. That is not a lie, since we turned her body into that of a real girl, just like we did to your bodies."

The three girls felt themselves being lifted and pushed out of the flying saucer. "Remember, if you don't do as you promised, you will be changed back."

They were then deposited in a heap, along with their clothes, on to the front lawn. When they got up, they realized that they were boys again.

It was getting light out. They ran into the house before anyone could see them.

* * * * *

Saturday, November 20, 2021:

Jan, Myra, and I went clothes shopping. Myra needed some new clothes to fit her new body. Jan was only too happy to help. I just went along for the ride.

Myra was happy to toss the bird seed from her falsies to the chickens. Now, she is getting a bunch of new bras to fit her newly modified torso. She can still wear a lot of her old skirts and tops, but her narrower waist and wider hips made it necessary to get some new pants. When we passed some swimsuits that were on sale, she just had to get some. She purposely chose styles that she could never wear before. Now, instead of hiding her 'unsightly bulge', she is choosing clothes that show off that newly flattened area. It may seem immodest, but I can hardly blame her. Besides, wearing clothes like that in gym and swimming is a sure way to squelch the rumors that she is a he.

After we got home from the store and stashed our loot, I printed a copy of my journal for her to read.

Sunday, November 21, 2021:

After a stressful week, there's nothing like a good church service to bring you home and make you realize what life is all about. We all had a lot to be thankful for today. We couldn't announce it to everyone, but God knows.

Myra, much to her delight, found that her singing voice is even lovelier than before. She has an effortless three octaves of full-voice range. She was all smiles for the entire day. A weight has truly been lifted from her heart.

Monday, November 22, 2021:

Myra and I were chatting before our first hour class when Jack, Harry, and Jock approached us. A mixture of fear and anger hit me in the pit of my gut. They didn't look hateful or aggressive, though. They looked ashamed, embarrassed, and just a little scared. One by one, they approached Myra, asked for her forgiveness, and handed her a card and a small, wrapped gift. I was in shock. What had our mysterious benefactors done to these boys? I hope I get to find out someday.

They all headed for their next class, so Myra and I ducked into our classroom early and just looked at each other in shock. She opened the cards first, and each contained a carefully worded and hand-written apology. The gifts turned out to be a set of diamond earrings, a necklace, and a brooch. Myra was all smiles when she put them on.

She wore her new suit in swim class. It's a sleek one-piece number with high hips and no place to hide a 'tuck job'. She told me later that she did the same thing that I did. She let a bunch of the girls in the locker room see her. Hopefully, that should squelch the rumors.

Thursday, November 25, 2021:

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have a lot to be thankful for this year. Myra is just bursting with joy, and was only too happy to share it all with my family.

My family kidded me about picking up strays, but they all love Myra. She fit right in, and was soon chatting with my nieces. When the musical instruments came out, she added her voice to the sing-along.

Monday, December 6, 2021:

Mrs. Troybrange had her baby this past weekend. I knew that she was getting along in her pregnancy, but I didn't know that she was that close.

Mr. Spencer will be substituting for her for the next three months. I hope he doesn't give Myra and me a hard time. His attitude about girls taking advanced science and math classes is well known.

Wednesday, December 8, 2021:

Myra and I have managed to get ahead in algebra class. She is more confident if she is already familiar with the material before the teacher presents it, so I help her out by looking ahead in the book and explaining the material. We had been multiplying polynomials, so the next step is to factor trinomials. Last night, I showed Myra a couple tricks so we would be ready for class today.

I like math, but Mr. Spencer has mastered the fine art of making anything boring. I passed the time by practicing my drawing. Myra diligently took notes, but I could tell that her heart wasn't into it. Suddenly, Mr. Spencer was standing over my desk. "Do you think this is art class, young lady?"

"No sir." It rarely does any good to make an excuse.

"Do you think that maybe you should take some notes?"

I really don't like his attitude, but I have to remember that I am a teenie-bopper, not an adult with an engineering degree. Still, I can't let him ridicule me.

"I already know how to factor a trinomial."

"Then maybe you would like to show the whole class how to do it." This yielded some snickers.

"Yes sir."

I walked up to the board and quickly wrote down one of the problems from the book. I carefully went through each step, showing the class the same tricks that I had shown Myra last night. When I was done, I put the chalk down and took my seat.

Thursday, December 9, 2021:

It's time to go to court again. As far as I'm concerned, all is over but the shouting. Still, the girls who went through hell with that rapist will be there, and I should be there too.

As expected, he got several life sentences without parole. The devastation on the faces of the girls, and the sickening nature of the recording made it difficult to give him anything but the max. As he was being led away in chains for the last time, I told the girls that he would never be back to plague anyone's life again. Then, we all went to the counseling room. I really wish I could help those girls break out of their private nightmares.

Friday, December 10, 2021:

The educational dreams are back again. I am learning a lot about how to use the technology in the field. I'm also learning a few things about the construction of the pattern for a body, but it'll take a whole lot more than a few nightly sessions to learn all the ins and outs.

I found out that our mysterious benefactors have made templates for everyone that Jan and I deeply love. I saw templates for my parents and grandparents, my brothers and sisters, and everyone else that is dear to me. This heartened me greatly.

I paid special attention to Jan's new forms. Her new female form is lovely. It's not all that different from the body she wears right now, except that all of the scars are gone, and her skin is smooth, tight, and totally wrinkle-free. Currently, she has no fine wrinkles, but her skin has some larger wrinkles because it hasn't shrunk down to her new size. Another difference is that the eyes on her new body are a more brilliant shade of green. Instead of the standard hazel-green, they are a bright emerald green..

Her male body looks to be about sixteen years old, and is well-muscled. Seeing that body when I'm in my Tiffany form does things to me. It looks like we're both going to have to make some adjustments when she wakes up in that body. Part of me is fearful, but part of me is excited.

Tuesday, March 1, 2022:

I haven't updated my journal in quite some time. Really, little exciting has happened. Life has settled down to a quiet routine.

My business picked up at the beginning of the year. It seems that everyone wants to get projects rolling right after Christmas vacation. This put me in a big time pinch because the school isn't going to listen to some student saying that she's busy running a business.

Fortunately, Myra was happy to learn how to do some routine coding. She's also quite artistic when it comes to laying out web pages. This, of course, inspired John to join in on the fun. Soon, the three of us were yelling across the house to bounce idea off of each other.

To make things easier, I spent this past weekend cleaning out one of the storage rooms in the basement, painting it with sealer, adding insulation to the walls, and building benches. Once everything was finished, I set up four work stations, the printers, the scanners, and the servers. Putting all of the computers into one room keeps the room warm enough. Now, we can all sit down there together and work in peace.

The extra money that came in from our mysterious benefactors (child support money and Tiffany's stipend) allowed us to pay off our debts early. Now, with the debts gone, Tiffany's child support and stipend money will handle all expenses. The money from my business can go into our income mutual funds, as well as give us extra money for fun stuff. Switching our health insurance to a special high deductible type that is only used for emergencies saved us a bunch of money. After all, Myra and I will never need medical attention, and it's not likely that anyone else will. Everyone has a template, and can be shifted to a new body if necessary.

So, Jan has put in for a one year sabbatical. She wants to stay home and enjoy her family. She wants to vacation with us all in the summer. Maybe we'll even do the circle tour of Lake Superior. John, Myra, and I can even work at our business while we're on the road. It's not an ideal vacation, but it beats staying home and working in the basement.

Myra's child support checks, by the way, are being deposited into a special mutual fund that she'll be able to access once she turns eighteen. We had been using some of it as an allowance for her, but she told us that she doesn't need it anymore. She likes using the money that she earns in our business. It looks like she's going to start life with a nice little nest egg. Also, she is learning how to take care of her money. And her mom and dad are still on the hook to get her through college.

Wednesday, March 2, 2022:

Mr. Spencer announced today that Mrs. Troybrange will be back next Monday. Myra and I are excited about it. We always liked her, and we're looking forward to chatting with her about her new baby. Jan assures me that she'll be only too happy to tell us all about her new little bundle of joy. She also suggested that we bring a gift.

We were wondering what to get her. Some baby bottles? Formula?

Jan pointed out that she will have plenty of that stuff already. Everyone gives new mothers that kind of stuff. She ought to know, since she's been there.

Myra and I looked at each other as the same thought came to both of us at once. Neither of us thought that we would ever be mothers, but we now have that ability. It's quite likely that Myra will get married and become a mom. I have already done the reproduction thing, so I have no plans of doing it myself. Still, who can tell? After Jan gets her male body, and after our current crop of kids has been sent out into an unprepared world, who can tell what will happen? After all, we have plenty of time.

But anyhow, what does a new mother who's just going back to work need? Jan tells me that she needs time and sanity.

So, we went down to the cellar and brought up a big box of assorted home-canned meals. We had truly instant meals like chicken soup, pasta with tomato and ground chevon, beef strogenoff, and lemon chicken. We also got some desserts, like apple sauce, canned peaches, cherry pie filling, and apple pie filling. We wrapped the box with a baby blanket, tied it up with a ribbon, and added a card.

Monday, March 7, 2022:

Mrs. Troybrange is back! Yay!

Mr. Spencer hadn't bothered us since the day that I factored that trinomial on the board, but the class was still uncomfortable. I was sure that he wouldn't give either of us a break. Fortunately for us, we didn't need one.

Mrs. Troybrange was really touched by our gift, especially when she found out that Myra and I had done a lot of the canning ourselves.

When some of the kids in the back started whispering things like "teacher's pet" and "brown nose", Mrs. Troybrange pointed out that Myra and I are already earning a solid "A", so we don't have any reason to try to butter anyone up.

Thursday, March 31, 2022:

Tomorrow marks he one year anniversary of our little adventure. It is far from over, I am sure.

Again, I haven't had anything to say in about a month. Things are settling down nicely. The excitement seems to be over for a while. Myra, of course, got to experience her first period in December. She was thrilled because it was the final proof that she's a real woman. After two more of them, she was somewhat less thrilled. That was when I told her how I managed to avoid them.

Ever since I had discovered that becoming Joe for three hours will reset my cycle, I have made it a point to spend a three hour session as Joe every three weeks or so.

By this time, Myra was intrigued by the idea of switching bodies. I put my hands on her and switched her to her (male) Mark body. I gave him a set of John's clothes and let him walk around the farm and enjoy his stronger body. When he asked me to switch him back, I told him to imagine his Myra body. It took a couple seconds for him to get the hang of it, but Myra was soon standing in front of me. She switched back and forth a couple times for practice, then put her girl clothes back on. I suggested to her that she work out and build some muscle in her Mark body, and reminded her of the time I was almost raped. She agreed readily enough, and started working three or four times a week.

Wednesday, April 1, 2022:

Happy April Fool's Day!

The joke was on me last year, and is on me again this year. While I wasn't paying attention, my loving family plotted. Jan found an excuse to drive me over to the church fellowship hall. For some reason, it was full of people.

"SURPRISE!", they yelled.

I was overwhelmed. I didn't realize that I knew that many people. Even my parents and grandparents made a special trip to come here. Also there were the girls that I met at court, their families, and the people that were involved in the accident. When I thought of all the people that I had touched as Tiffany, I could hardly keep my emotions in check. Our mysterious benefactors have not only given me a challenge and an opportunity to grow, they have improved, and even saved the lives of a number of people. They have given me a wealth of friends. It ended up being an all day birthday party with an 'April Fool' theme. I wonder if our mysterious benefactors gave Tiffany an April first birthday on purpose.

When evening came, all of the various musicians, and there were plenty, got out their instruments and we had a jam session.

Friday, April 15, 2022:

Happy tax day.

Actually, we got ours done early just to avoid the rush. With two extra Dependants, the business, and the child support payments, the paperwork was rather complicated this year.

But today is a good day for us, anyhow. We don't have to think about the taxes right now. We can concentrate on celebrating Jan's first day of sabbatical. We went out to our favorite Mexican restaurant and pigged out. I really wanted one of their giant strawberry margaritas, but I wasn't willing to use up any Joe time to get one. There is no way that I could get served as Tiffany. It's a small price to pay.

Part Three: Together

Monday, April 25, 2022:

As usual, I woke before Jan. I used to be the late sleeper, but my new Tiffany body requires no sleep for body maintenance. More accurately, my bodies (Tiffany and Joe) need no sleep if I switch bodies a couple times a day. My brain still needs sleep, though. One of the characteristics of a neural net computer is that it needs some downtime to work properly. Depending on the stress level, emotional level, and the amount of intellectual stimulation, I need anywhere from three to six hours of deep sleep every night.

Since it was only 4:00 in the morning, I went to my office and did a little administrative work. I reviewed the time sheets, billed the clients, and set up the list of tasks. I often recommend a task for either John or Myra, but I generally let them choose their own projects. Still, I often insist that they take on a project that will be educational to them. Also, everyone has to do their fair share of the boring projects -- except for the big boss... hee hee hee.

After setting everything up for the day, I still had time to go through some of John's and Myra's code. They did well. I have been teaching them techniques for writing reliable and easily modified code, and they are quick learners.

I went back up to our bedroom in the hopes that Jan would be getting up -- and would be up for a little hanky-panky. We had about an hour and a half before we would have to get everyone up and encourage them to get ready for school.

Jan was just starting to stir. It wasn't Jan, though. I felt my heart flutter as I saw Jan, or rather Butch get up and look himself over.

"Good morning, Studmuffin!"

Butch wore an expression of confusion. He's a smart lad, though. He just has to shake the sleep out of his handsome head. He looked at me and his eyes widened. His heart strings were pulled the same way mine were. We were literally made for each other, and our mysterious benefactors made sure that our emotional makeup reflected that. Still, the situation was awkward for both of us.

"I love you dearly, but I'm not a lesbian."

"You have a few things to learn about being a man, Butch." I smiled at him and took up a sexy pose. "First of all, there are times when you can't hide the fact that you're aroused. Lesson number two is the fact that you're at the 'raging hormones' age."

Butch looked very nervous and uncomfortable. Blast it all, Jan teased the snot out of me a year ago, but it appears that she, I mean he can't take it back.

"Thirdly, you can't be a lesbian if you're a male."

I really need to inject some levity into this situation.

I grabbed some of my Joe clothes and tossed them to him, then I switched to my Joe form. "Come on, son! It's time for me to teach you how to chew, spit, watch football, guzzle beer, and write your name in the snow!"

That, at least, got a smile. I left him to get used to his new body and went to my room. As much as I would love to help him through the transition, I have other commitments. I went to my room, became Tiffany, and put on my school clothes. We still had an hour before we would need to wake the kids.

I checked in on Butch. The clothes I had tossed to him fit amazingly well. In fact, he looked very handsome wearing my clothes. He looked over at me and smiled.

"First of all, you can't teach me to chew or spit because neither of us will touch tobacco. Secondly, nobody in this family bothers to watch spectator sports. Thirdly, I have yet to see you guzzle the microbrewed beverages that you seem to prefer. And finally, there won't be any snow here for at least another six months."

It appears that his sense of humor is back. "OK, then, I guess we can get by with a game of 'sink the Cheerios.'"

We chatted for a while about the trials and tribulations of getting used to a new body and gender. After his initial shock, he has become quite used to the idea. We had both known that this day was sure to come, anyhow.

I went around the other bedrooms to get the kids up, and Butch went downstairs to make breakfast. Myra did a quick shift and back to freshen herself, and John showered. The other two boys just needed to get dressed.

Everyone went down to eat breakfast. Butch was nowhere to be seen. Soon, though, he came back in from doing the morning chores. As he came in, I said, "Hey, everyone; Butch here will be staying with us from now on. Mom will be out of town for a couple months, though." Everyone knew what was going on, of course. Soon, it was time to walk to the bus stop. We all hugged Butch good-bye and left him alone in the house to contemplate his situation.

School was... school. Things just went along as they always did. Myra and I are really enjoying the music class. Algebra is a skate class for both of us, now that Myra has gotten the logic of it figured out. Some of the immature boys are still causing us trouble. They are referring to us as the 'ice queens', and loudly speculating that we are having a lesbian affair. We just reply that we aren't interested in a junior high romance, especially with the immature boys that we keep running into. That, of course, earns us the title of stuck-up witch (with a capital "B") (or something like that.)

When we got home, Butch was going over a pile of legal papers that came from the same legal firm that had sent the Tiffany papers to us. Butch wordlessly handed an envelope to Myra. It contained a certificate for the live birth of a one Myra Jones. That leaves Myra with two legal identities to go with her two bodies.

Our mysterious benefactors have been at it again. We now have a birth certificate for Butch Kettering, adoption papers, a driver's license, a PADI diving card, and a few other odds and ends. Butch turned sixteen today.

So, Butch is sixteen years old, and is Joe and Jan's adopted son. I was wondering why he was adopted, while I was only fostered. Then it hit me. Since we aren't legally brother and sister, and are not genetically related, we can legally get married. That'll make me a Jeblonski again!

Butch's back story is similar to Tiffany's. His parents left him with a nice inheritance and an 'allowance' stipend. Joe and Jan get a nice child support check every month from a special trust fund. There was, of course, the inevitable personal/confidential letter.

Dear Butch and Tiffany:

You have done well, and we are very proud of you. We think, too, that you have come to trust us. Do you agree that life is better for you now?

You know the drill, Butch. You will get your new, improved Jan body once you have fully embraced your new male identity. This means that Tiffany will have to embrace yet another facet of womanhood.

Always remember that you are a married couple -- body and soul. Bruce and Tiffany are as married as Joe and Jan are. Your memories may make it difficult to remember this, but your bodies and brains are fully ready.

You, Tiffany, may find it difficult to make yourself vulnerable. You need to remember that butch is your soul mate, and loves you dearly.

You, Butch, are used to seeing Tiffany as a daughter. That is but a memory from your Jan body. When you wear your Butch body, Tiffany is your wife. She needs a special kind of love and tenderness that only you can provide. Whether she wants to be or not, she is vulnerable to you, and can be hurt easily. She may not want to believe this, but she knows it deep down.

Summer vacation is coming. Resist all temptation to dump the extra time into your business. Invest your time with each other, and with the kids. And you both need to remember to act with love and tenderness. Don't let your raging teen-age hormones override the respect that you have for each other. The hormones are there to enhance, not detract.

By the way, Tiffany can now be Joe for six hours a day. As before, only one can be stored. That leaves five free hours. When Jan comes back, she'll have three hours a day with two free hours.

With love and respect:

Your Mysterious Benefactors

Butch and I couldn't help but smile. The next adventure is starting. We celebrated by dressing up and going out to our favorite Italian restaurant for dinner. I brought my digital camera and we took turns snapping pictures of each other, much to the amusement of an older couple that was enjoying a walk by the lake. We asked them to take some pictures of us together. After we got home, I copied the pictures to the server, and printed off some of the best ones.