Kiss Me, Bianca: 9 Final

 

The conclusion of the first Bianca story.

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Author's Note: Thank you all so much for your support! I love you all! If I make a mistake or write something wrong, I am always willing to learn.
If you read my story, Please? Leave me a review? ~Clara.
 
This version of Kiss Me Bianca: 9 Final has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
 
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.

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FIGURING IT ALL OUT -or- THE WEB OF OUR LIFE IS OF A MINGLED YARN
 

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Marilyn teased as John and Rose entered the screened room of the cottage. "Did you two have a good talk?" She had a strong suspicion that these two had not spent the evening just talking, but if, after the revelations of the day before, Rose had been able to do anything to make Johnny feel sexually adequate, then that was a good thing.

John kissed his mother. "We did, mom. I'm sorry that I reacted like I did."

"No need to be sorry, baby. It was a lot to take in. I'm sorry, too. I should have taken you to other doctors years ago. Maybe all of this could have been avoided."

"No, mom. We just would have known this stuff sooner. It wouldn't have changed anything."

She reached up and ran her hand along her son's soft cheek. "I'm glad you're feeling better, baby. Do me a favor and call Ed and tell him you're ok. He came by last night and sat with me until he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. Then he fell asleep in the recliner. He left about an hour ago to visit his grandmother while she's on The Cape. He's very worried about you."

"Ok, mom." He kissed her, again, then headed off to the big room with his phone.

"He looks better." Marilyn smiled at Rose.

"I think he's ok, now. He just needed to know that none of it really matters. We all still love him."

Marilyn nodded. "Do you think that this will really impact his chance of making it as an actor?"

Rose shrugged, "I guess. If he's not a conventional looking guy, then he's not going to get a lot of conventional roles, but if he's a conventional looking woman... who knows. He's already proved he's a striking actress. Maybe that's the route he should follow. I don't know."

"I spoke to his sister, last night. She's very concerned. She wants to come to our meeting with the doctor on Monday. I'm not sure that's a great idea, though. I'll need to talk to Johnny."

"Bebe," Rose corrected.

"Oh, we're back to 'Bebe' again, are we? After the doctor's visit, yesterday, I kind of thought that 'Bebe' might have been gone forever."

"Well," Rose poured herself a cup of coffee, "I think that 'Bebe' might actually be here to stay."

They pulled into an A&W Root Beer drive-in restaurant on the way to Sandwich for another performance on Saturday night. The 1950s themed drive-in was a favorite of Ed's. Ed and Rose had burgers, but John only wanted a root beer float.

"Ahhh," he let out after his first long pull on the vanilla flavored root beer, "that's good stuff."

Rose and Ed were eating in the front seat of the car, but the doors were open. John was bouncing around, talking to each of them and blowing off excess energy.

"He seems a lot better," Ed said, quietly, to Rose. "I guess that he's ok with what's happening to him. It'd freak-me-the-hell-out me if it was happening to me, I'll tell you. When I asked him to take the role of Bianca, I never thought he'd end up like this."

"He'll probably start living as a girl, Ed. It'd be easier that way, but he'll always still be a guy and he'll always be your pal."

John came over to Ed's door, "Want a taste? It's definitely the best root beer float on The Cape!"

"Sure! Thanks!" As Ed took the cup to take a sip, John reached in and grabbed a handful of French fries off of his plate.

"Hey!" Ed tried to grab him to retrieve the fries, but John jumped away, laughing. "Well, I'm keeping your float, then." He put John's cup on the dashboard in a location that John couldn't possibly reach.

After eating the few fries he'd managed to grab, John bounced back to the car door. "Hey, come on, give it back."

"No." Ed held his food away from the door. "If you're going to act like a brat, then you don't get your drink."

With John looking adorable in a loose hanging, soft pink, sundress, Ed was finding that the role of 'boyfriend of the older sister,' and teasing John as if he really were a child, just seemed natural.

"Please, Ed," John pleaded. "That's all I have for dinner."

"Yeah, that and my food, which you stole!" Ed held his cardboard tray forward to illustrate, and when he did, John grabbed it and ran. In a moment, Ed was up and chasing him. "You little brat!"

In a few big strides, Ed came up behind John, threw his arm around John's waist and lifted the insanely giggling man dressed as a girl into the air, kicking and screaming, while simultaneously grabbing the tray of food and rescuing it from being dropped.

Ed threw the younger man into the crook of his arm and carried him back towards the car, feet and arms flailing as he hollered through his giggles, "Put me down! Ed, I'm wearing a dress, for crying out loud, put me down! People can see up my skirts! Ed! Put me down!"

When he reached the driver's door, Ed reached in, put his tray down, then took the root beer float out and carried it and the still laughing, but also protesting, John to a picnic table. First he put the drink on the table, then planted John on the seat. "Now, sit here and finish your drink. We need to leave in about ten minutes."

As Ed headed back to the car, John stuck out his tongue, theatrically, then returned his attention to the float.

"He's playful, this evening," Rose laughed as Ed climbed back into the Tesla.

"It's like he's on a sugar high or something," he chortled. "Honest to God, sometimes I'd swear he really was a kid."

"Yeah, but that's when Bebe is the strongest and I think that Bebe is his best bet for happiness."

"Yeah?"

"Ed, he's never going to look like a man and he's going to be growing breasts. I think that Bebe is his only chance of a normal life and that we should support that. Don't you?"

"I guess."

John couldn't hear what they were saying but he could see that they were still talking about him, so he waved at the vehicle.

"So who plucked your eyebrows so thin?"A voice came from John's right side.

"Stacy!" John leapt up to hug the hairdresser who'd first transformed him into a younger clone of Nancy.

"How are you, angel?" She looked him over, carefully. "Hmmm, you know, you should come back for another moisturizing treatment and a little maintenance, but you're looking just about perfect. Good job, honey."

"I'm good, Stacy. What brings you up to Sandwich?"

"Actually, I'm going to see your show, tonight. I'm meeting Jan and her new 'lady friend' for dinner after the show."

"'Her new lady friend?' Oh! Julia! She's the one who plucked my eyebrows like this."

"Well, they're adorable, but you'll have a hard time covering the fact that they've been plucked when you go back to being a boy."

"Well," John snickered, "things have changed a little. I doubt that I'll be going back to being a boy any time soon."

"Really? Huh." Stacy remembered how adamant he was that this was just a short term thing when he'd visited her. Something had changed.

"Stacy! Hi!" Rose came over and hugged the hairdresser. "Have you been talking to this naughty little girl?"

Ed joined them and they all chatted until Ed said it was time to go.

"Tough crowd tonight!" Harry was shaking his head as he exited the stage. Something was going on with the sound tonight. Petruchio's mic, in particular, was cutting in and out like crazy, making it hard for the audience to hear what was happening on the stage.

"The sound guy says that there are ships from Mass Maritime Academy doing maneuvers in the canal and their communications equipment is screwing up ours," Ed shook his head.

Harry looked around, then whispered, "Can I ask you something, Ed?"

"Sure."

"What's with John? I mean, at first he seemed pretty normal, but now... I mean he has turned into a pretty hot, little thing, you know."

Ed was not real comfortable with this conversation, but decided to just let Harry continue for now. "Yeah. I guess."

After a pause, Harry said, "Are you guys... you know... a couple?"

Ed just shook his head.

"How about you and Rose?"

"No, Harry. We're all just buds, you know."

"Yeah, but you and Rose are moving in together in LA, right?"

"As room mates. That's all."

Harry looked around a little, then whispered, "So, as far as John... or Bebe is concerned...?"

"What?"

"Would it be ok if I hit that while you're out of town."

Ed looked around to be sure no one was watching. "Tell you what, Harry... if I hear that you 'hit' on Bebe while I'm out of town, I'll hit you so hard your grandmother will feel it."

"What?" Harry was truly surprised by Ed's reaction. "Come on, Ed..."

"I'm not kidding, Harry. Leave Bebe alone. She's only been a girl for a few weeks and she's really confused. So are you, obviously. Trust me, I understand. I wish she was really a girl, too, but, regardless, if you go near her, I'll hit you so hard, I'll knock you from here to Hell and back again. That's a promise. Come on. We're on."

Ed walked out on stage and started delivering a line directed at Harry's character, but Harry was late getting onto the stage, so Ed delivered his line to no one. Moments later, Harry appeared and continued the scene, but there was a palpable tension between the two young actors on the stage.

When Bianca entered, John felt the tension immediately and began working towards normalizing the performance, but it wasn't easy. The scene involved Ed and Harry, as suitors for Bianca's hand, arguing and competing to gain her attention. John, as Bianca, quickly began flirting with the two suitors and made each of them relax into their roles. Soon, everyone was ok on stage, but there was still a lot of tension in the wings.

"What's going on with them?" Rose asked when she and John were waiting stage left and they could see Harry and Ed in a heated discussion on stage right.

"I don't know. Maybe all the tech stuff going wrong is getting to them."

Rose nodded, but warned him, "You know, this could be about you."

"Me!?"

"Yes, you. We know that Ed has a thing for you and I think Harry does, too. So... Maybe it's about you..."

"I don't think so."

"Well, just to be sure, I think you'd better go make it clear that your on 'Team Ed,' just in case."

"Ok." For the remainder of that evening's performance, when he wasn't on stage, John was hanging with Ed, letting him put his arm around him, holding his hand, just being his 'little sister.' It seemed manipulative, but the show definitely ran more smoothly after he did it.

"Oh, you were wonderful!" Stacy embraced John as he exited the wing area and headed for the dressing rooms. "I knew that Ms Weldon saw something in you, but, holy cow! You blew me away."

Stacy linked arms with John as they strolled. John thanked her and Rose joined them as they passed into the tent that acted as a dressing room. Jan introduced Julia to Stacy and they all discussed the costume design of the show while John, Rose and Gloria got changed into their 'civilian clothes.'

While they spoke, Julia mentioned that Ed and Rose had gotten parts on the show that she was working on.

"Wow! How awesome is that!?" Stacy cheered as she hugged Rose. "You must be so excited!"

"Oh, I really am!" But the conversation soon turned to John's amazing auditions and how he was still not cast in the show.

"I don't know what's wrong with these people," Julia said. "They rave about his audition, then don't hire him. They've got me vexed, I'll tell you!"

"Maybe he looks too old?" Stacy offered as she hugged John in sympathy. Still in just his bra and panties, he accepted her friendly hug, but smiled to say that sympathy wasn't necessary.

"No way," Julia snorted. "I had him in light makeup and a little dress from Target. He looked like a fourteen year old, trust me. Maybe even younger."

"Take a seat, baby. Let Stacy try something," Stacy guided John to a chair, then went to work on his hair.

"What did you do to him that day?"

Julia came over to John and manipulated his hair to illustrate the curls that she'd put in. "He was cute as a button with the curls."

"I bet he was. Let me try something."

Stacy began braiding John's hair, starting in the front on one side, following the upper line of his temple all the way to the rear, then following the line of his skull, then down his back to the end of the hair. Then she did the same on the other side. When she'd finished, John's black hair was beautifully braided in perfect symmetry, ending just above his shoulder blades. She took a moment to brush and curl his bangs just enough to make him look even cuter.

"I like it," Julia said. Let me show you how I did his makeup.

His 'Bianca' makeup was removed and Julia went to work. Again, his look was young and pretty and fresh. Jan helped him get his little, pink dress on without messing up the braids, then turned to Rose. "What do you think?"

"Aww," Rose spoke in that strange voice that women use when they speak to, or about, puppies, kittens or babies, "he's so cute!" She squeezed his cheeks between her hands. "I could just eat you up!"

"If you just walked in off the street," Stacy asked, "how old would you guess he was?"

Rose let out a long exhale. "I don't know. Certainly no more than fourteen, but maybe even younger. Twelve? Thirteen? You made his cheeks so plump and those braids... they're just so adorable."

Jan produced some pink ribbon and tied two large bows to the ends of the braids. "If you like wearing curls," she instructed, "Just leave these in until tomorrow morning and you'll have beautiful curly hair all day."

"Ok," John smiled as he looked in the mirror. He was REALLY impressed with the work they'd done. He definitely looked young. He thought that twelve was reaching a bit, but he could agree on thirteen or fourteen."

"Hello! May I come in?" A voice asked from outside the tent flap.

"Just a second," Jan called, then she crossed to the tent flap and said, "Can I help you?"

The others couldn't see who was there, but they heard a woman's voice saying, "My name is Madeline Crenshaw and I need to speak to Ms Foley, please."

"Ms Foley?" Jan asked. "What is this about?"

"It's about business and I guarantee that Ms Foley will want to see me. We met recently."

"Just a moment." Jan turned to them and whispered, "Madelyn Crenshaw? Do you want to see her?"

Rose wrapped her arm around John's shoulder as he nodded that he would see the guest, although he was baffled as to who she was.

"Do you know who she is?" Rose asked him.

"No clue," he replied.

Through the flap came a woman dressed in expensive, yet casual attire - as if she had bought her vacation clothes from a more expensive version of Lands End or L.L. Bean. She wore very little makeup and her hair was tucked into a baseball cap. She was so casual, in fact, that it took John a few seconds to recognize her. "Hello, Bebe," the woman smiled as she crossed the canvas floor to shake his hand. "Maddie Crenshaw. We met a couple of days ago..."

When the realization of who this woman was dawned upon John, he actually jumped just a little and shouted, "Oh, my goodness! You're 'The Disney Lady' from the audition!"

She laughed, "Yes, I am 'The Disney Lady.' I have to tell you, young lady, you completely shocked me on that stage tonight. What a great performance."

"Thank you, ma'am," his little Bianca curtsy followed the sentence. Everyone, John, Rose, Gloria, Jan, Julia and Stacy, was suddenly electrified by the prospect of something wonderful and exciting happening, right here and right now.

"I'm Bebe's sister," Rose interrupted. "May I ask, what brings you all the way to Cape Cod, Ms Crenshaw?"

"I know who you are, Rose, and I know that..." she stopped and looked around the room before continuing. "May I speak freely? What I mean is, does everyone in here know about John Foley?"

Everyone slumped with disappointment. John tried to keep a bit of a smile on his face. "Yes, ma'am. I'm John and my friends all know about it."

Ms Crenshaw reached out and ran her hand along John's braids. "Well, I must say, Mr Foley... you certainly do get into character."

"Yes, ma'am," again, a little curtsy. "I'm sorry to have deceived you, ma'am. You didn't need to come all this way, though. You could have balled me out over the phone."

"'Balled you out?' I don't 'ball people out,' Mr Foley. That's not why I am here."

"Then what can we do for you?" Rose asked.

"I'm here to discuss the death of John Foley." She said glibly.

"What!?!?" The others were shocked.

"And the birth of Bianca Foley, if you'll consider it."

Everyone looked at each other, confused.

"Ms Crenshaw," John stuttered as he formed his thoughts, "I have two questions. One - how did you find out about John and, two - what do you mean by the birth of Bianca Foley?"

"I found out by asking a lot of questions, Bebe. That's part of my job. And as for the birth of Bebe Foley, I am proposing that you cease to be John Foley in every way possible and become, legally, Bianca Foley. And that you become this perky, pretty little girl that you've created and that you accept the role of Alex on 'Civil Disobedience.' What do you say?"

There was stunned silence until Rose said, "Ms Crenshaw, as exciting as this is, I think we should talk to our mom about this before..."

"Oh, and you can knock off that 'sister' stuff, too. I know that's not true, but I think it's a great story. I'm not sure it'll work long term, though. The press checks everything, nowadays."

Rose and John looked each other again before Rose continued. "You are very well informed, Ms Crenshaw, but I still think that we need to discuss this all with Bebe's mom and her agent. Maybe we could get together tomorrow morning before Ed and I fly back to LA..."

"Perfect, but no one is going to LA until I get to bottom of the whole Bebe affair. Besides, as of last night, 'Civil Disobedience' is officially being retooled. So, call the airline and cancel your tickets. I will be at your house at 10:15 tomorrow morning. Please have something good for breakfast. It doesn't have to be fancy - just tasty." She pulled out a card and handed it to Rose. "Here's my number. Please text me the address."

She turned and headed towards the door. "Good night, ladies! See a some of you in the morning!"

"Shit," John whispered, "did I just get you guys fired?"

Rose was pale. Did she still have a job? She looked at Julia, who also was a bit concerned, but she shook her head as she said, "No. I don't think so. I think she just wants to make sure that everyone is on the same page before anyone goes back to LA."

"Can I come in?" Ed called from the tent flap.

"Yes, Of course," Jan called.

"Look," Stacy said, "I don't really know what's going on, so I think I'd better leave you guys to talk."

"Me too," said Gloria. "I'm sorry, guys, but I just don't have much to offer right now. Good luck."

They left and Jan went about closing down her wardrobe room.

"We just had a visitor from the show..." Rose began, but Ed cut her off.

"I know. I met her outside. She was pretty blunt about the whole Bebe situation and the show being on hiatus."

"I think I should probably show up for breakfast tomorrow, too, if you don't mind," Julia said. "After all, she knows that I work for the show, so I have a pretty big stake in this. Besides, if I make Bebe look young and weak and vulnerable, maybe she'll take pity on us all."

"Ok," Ed nodded, "but what does all this mean? Do you think we're going to be responsible for shutting down the entire show? I mean, there's hundreds of people involved. I don't want to be the guy everyone points to and says 'It's his fault.'"

"No," Julia shook her head. "I think that the fact that Ms Crenshaw came all this way is an indicator that she's supporting the show. I think that she wants to know exactly what she can expect if she decides to hire Bebe. I may be wrong, but I think we should look at this as a good sign."

Rose let out a long breath. "Alright, then, I'll look at it that way, too, and I'll hold off on saying anything to my parents until this is all worked out."

"I'm sorry, guys," John shook his head in disgust. "Every time I get involved in this show, things go badly for you guys. I shouldn't have been so persistent."

"Look, sunshine," Julia hugged him and kissed his forehead, "We all know you're the right choice. So, stop being a martyr." Then she slapped his bottom and said, "Don't worry so much. You'll get wrinkles and we don't want that pretty, little face to look a day older than it has to." Then she went to help Jan pack up everything.
 
THE DAY OF RECKONING -or- TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE
 

"My goodness, they are certainly making him jump through a lot hoops, aren't they?" Marilyn was cutting up a variety of melons and berries to make a fruit salad for breakfast. She'd already gotten the waffle iron out and set Ed to work making a stack of waffles, which were then put into the warm oven until needed. So far, there were twelve waffles in there, but Marilyn insisted that there should be at least sixteen - twenty, if the mix held out.

"I don't know, Mrs Foley," Ed poured more batter on the waffle iron and flipped it over, "I can't tell if they're trying to do a great job on the show or cancel it. But, you know what? Even if they cancel it, I've already gotten further in acting than I ever expected, so... that's pretty cool, I guess."

Marilyn stopped cutting long enough to rub his shoulder and kiss his cheek. "You've done very, very well, Edward. I'm sure that you have a big career ahead of you."

"Thanks, Mrs Foley."

Just then, Julia appeared in the doorway, started a drumroll on the door frame and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the one, the only, Bebe Foley!"

John appeared in the doorway, his hair still looking adorable in braids with new, baby blue ribbons tied to the ends, makeup to make him look as young as possible and wearing the flowered dress that Rita had bought him for his first audition. John and Marilyn applauded as he entered with Rose right behind him.

He smiled and curtsied. "She'll be here any minute, mom. Do you need me to do anything?"

"Just sit there and look pretty," Marilyn teased.

Rose was typing on her computer at the table. They all quieted as they heard the sound of Skype connecting, then the sound of Rita's voice, "She'd better mean business. It's too early in the morning to have my makeup on. I'm never up a 6:30 on a Sunday morning."

"Sorry, Rita," Rose giggled. "She didn't give us much information last night. She just said to have breakfast ready for her."

"Well, I've been thinking about this since you called," Rita nodded. "I can't imagine that she'd actually come to your house to beat up on you, so, my guess is that she has an offer in mind, but she wants to be sure that there's no chance that casting Bebe will come back to bite her in the ass."

Rose agreed.

"So, Where is my little princess?" Rita teased.

"Right here," John turned the computer to face him.

"Oh, aren't you just precious!? Turn your head so I can see your braids." He did as he was told. "Aww, those are adorable. Did Rose do that?"

"Nope," Julia pushed her face into the camera. "I did. How are you, Rita?"

"Julia!? What the hell are you doing on Cape Cod?"

Julia smiled. "True romance, Rita. I'll tell you about it another time."

"Congratulations," Rita smiled.

The conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"That's her, now," John was suddenly tensing up.

"Relax, honey," Rose, Marilyn and Rita all said at once.

"I'll get the door," Ed left to answer the door. Moments later, he returned with Ms Crenshaw.

"Good morning, ladies," she greeted everyone. "Hello, Rita. Nice of you to get up this early to join us."

"Good morning, Maddie." Rita's voice came through the computer. "I certainly hope that it's worth my while."

Ms Crenshaw smiled at Rita's catty remark. "I certainly hope so, too. Let's see what we can do. But first, I'm famished. What are we having for breakfast?"

They ate their fruit salad and waffles and scrambled eggs and toast in Hyannis, while Rita drank a couple of cups of coffee in Los Angeles. Conversation was limited to the performances of the actors in 'The Taming Of The Shrew' the previous evening and a quality comparison of beaches on the east and west coasts. 'The Disney Woman' preferred the beaches on Caribbean islands to either. None of the people around the table had the experience of vacationing in the Caribbean, so the conversation faultered.

Finally, after coffee and hot chocolate had been served in Hyannis, Ms Crenshaw said, "So, let's get down to business. We, The Disney Corporation and Fielding Productions, the producers of 'Civil Disobedience,' would like to offer the role of Alex to young Miss Bebe Foley, HOWEVER, we don't want any problems with Ms Foley suddenly wanting to become a man a few years down the road. We need to agree that, for as long as 'Civil Disobedience' is on the air, Ms Foley remains 'Ms Foley.' If, after the production of this show ends, Ms Foley decides to become Mr Foley, again, then she needs to work with The Disney Corporation to do so in an appropriate way that serves not only her best interests, but those of The Disney Corporation as well. Do we understand each other, so far."

Everyone agreed that they did.

"Now, if Bebe Foley takes this role, then she has to live the life of Bebe as well. That means private high school, on set tutors, curfews, clothing... the whole nine yards. Is that understood?"

"Wait?" John seemed a bit troubled. "I have to go back to high school?"

"That's the deal, young lady," Ms Crenshaw nodded. "The other kids on the show will be going to the same school and using the same tutorial service. I believe that you met Kylie, who will be playing your best friend and neighbor. We've already enrolled her in a very cooperative, private school. They allow their girls to be on set when needed and they work well with the tutors. It's an excellent school and you'll receive an excellent education."

"But I already had an excellent high school education."

"Then you'll get another - possibly a better one, but, regardless, for the next four years, you will be attending Notre Dame Academy. That is non-negotiable."

"That's absurd," Rita announce from the computer screen. "Maybe Disney hasn't heard, Maddie, but the studio system is dead. You can't control an actor's personal life!"

"Oh, we'll make it worth your while, financially speaking, but remember, Rita, Disney is a family brand. We need to protect that brand. Now, to be honest, what we really want is to leave here today with Bebe Foley signed to a contract, HOWEVER, if there's one thing that Disney has, it's a stable of young actresses. So, if little Ms Foley and her management decide to play hard ball, then we have the resumes of several thousand other little girls who will do whatever we ask them to do. Are we clear?"

"Johnny," Marilyn whispered to her son, "be very sure that this is what you want before you accept this offer. If you do this, then to everyone in the world, except for the people involved in this meeting, you will be a high school freshman and a girl, at that. That means no freedom, no driving, no dating, no drinking, nothing adult at all for years. Is it worth it for a TV role?"

Ms Crenshaw overheard a bit of what Marilyn said, so she wrote something on a piece of notebook paper, folded it and slide it to Marilyn. "In light of what we are asking, this would be Bebe's pay-per episode for the first two seasons. If the show is successful, then we can revisit that amount before the third season begins."

Marilyn peeked at the paper and gasped. She showed it to John who looked up at her in shock. "I think it's worth it, mom."

"May I be included in this conversation?" Rita asked. Marilyn held the paper up so that the number was visible to the Skype camera. Rita nodded, then said, "It's a very good offer, Maddie, but what about some back-end things."

"Such as?"

"I'd like to see 'pay-for-play' added in as well as a merchandise percentage..."

"If you want a merchandise codicil, that's fine. It's a show for adults, Rita. I doubt there'll be much merchandise. As for 'pay for play,' I can't authorize that, right now, but we could meet during the week to iron that out."

It was quiet for a few moments before Rita asked, "Bebe... what do you think?"

John slumped and sighed and looked to everyone without anyone offering a single word of advice. It was all on him, now. "Well... before we do anything, I should tell you something... I found out on Friday that I... well... I'm what the doctor called 'intersexed.'"

Ms Crenshaw looked to the others at the table, all of whom just nodded. "Meaning what, exactly?"

"Meaning," Rose came to John's aid when he couldn't find the words, "Bebe has a number of female characteristics as well as male..."

"... and now, it seems," Marilyn explained, "she is about to go through another round of puberty... this time, though, he will be displaying female sexual characteristics."

Maddie took that information in and processed it. "So, Bebe will... what? Be growing beasts?"

"Yes," John said, still a little embarrassed to discuss it. "That's what they mean. I'll be growing breasts. The doctor couldn't examine my chest because of the breast forms, but she thinks that I've probably already started developing and I've decided to not try to inhibit them. In fact, I'm going to encourage their growth."

"So," Ms Crenshaw pondered, "let me get this straight. Right now, you've got developing breasts - like a little girl?"

John nodded.

"Huh," she smiled. "This may work out just perfectly, then."

"How's that?"Rita asked.

"Well, actually, in our re-tooling meetings, we had discussed making Alex a little younger. A girl in training bras may work even better for us. Then we can watch you grow into womanhood through the seasons. I kind of like that this could happen naturally."

John looked at Marilyn. "Training bra?" It seemed like something for a child. Almost like referring to him wearing a diaper.

"You'll probably need one, honey. I hadn't really thought about it, but..."

"Most thirteen or fourteen year old girls are out of training bras, Maddie," Rita said. "How young do you plan to make her?"

Ms Crenshaw looked to Julia. "How young do you think we could make her?"

Julia sighed as she evaluated John. "Well... when you talk about training bras, it makes me think of a girl a little younger than Bebe can go. I think that most girls start wearing them by age eleven, some as early as eight. I had a friend in school who was so small that she didn't start wearing one till fifteen." She sighed again. "Honestly, no matter what I do, Bebe would look a little odd as an eleven year old. On stage, we could do ten or eleven, but on TV, I think twelve would be pushing it. I think thirteen or fourteen is as young as we can do on TV."

Ms Crenshaw shrugged. "Ok. We can work with that. So - let's recap. I've offered an absurd amount of money as well as merchandise on the backend and I will work on a 'pay-for-play' accommodation. In return, John Foley agrees to (A) legally change his name to Bianca (aka Bebe) Foley, (B) sign a five year contract (C) live as a very well taken care of fourteen year old princess and (D) never disclose that she was a ever a man - TO ANYONE. Are we agreed?"

Everyone looked at John, who remained quiet and thoughtful.

"I'll add one more thing," The Disney Woman said when John took too long to respond. "We have several Disney Channel movies in development and I know that, once they see your work, the directors of these projects will be interested in you, too. How about I guarantee you at least one Disney Channel movie this season and I get you in to read for live-action Disney theatrical release films through the first two years of your contract. Does that sweeten the pot a bit?"

Again, John was pensive.

"What do you say, Bebe?" Ed asked.

"I guess I say... yes." John was hesitant, but the moment he said the word 'yes,' he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Marilyn felt it, too, but she worried about her son's future. "I hope you know what you're doing, honey."

John sat a bit taller. "I do, too, mom. I don't think I stand a chance of a career as a guy. I think I'm going to be Bebe for ever, now."

His mother nodded, but then she thought of something, "Wait a minute... I can't send a fourteen year child to live on her own in Los Angeles and I certainly can't just walk away from my job at Holy Cross. How is Bebe's guardianship going to work?"

"I could be her guardian," Ed said, with a smile.

"Well, I could, too. After all, we're sisters, right?" Rose offered.

"Actually," Ms Crenshaw interrupted, "I've already told you that the 'sister' thing isn't going to work. Maybe we could say that you're cousins who were raised as sisters or something like that, but actual sisters is just too easy to check on."

"So," Marilyn asked, "Can the kids do a joint custody guardianship?"

"Of course," Ms Crenshaw smiled and reached over and held John's hand. "We have lawyers who can take care of everything, princess. I'm sure you'll be very happy with your new mommy and daddy."

This was a bit different than the fantasy John had had at the doctor's office, but it was pretty odd that such a thing had come to pass.

The deal was made. John would, from here on out, be known as Bianca 'Bebe' Foley. His name would be listed in the cast as Bebe Foley. Guardianship of fourteen year old Bebe would fall to her cousin, who was more like a sister than a cousin, Rose, and family friend, Edward.

The retooling of 'Civil Disobedience' would feature Don Ferry's two children, both daughters, one seventeen years old and the other thirteen. Rather than the widower father and two daughters living with HIS mother, they would now be living with THE DECEASED WIFE'S mother to allow discussions of how the girls' mother was at their ages. The same actress who had been hired to play the father's mother would now play his mother-in-law.

The show would be on hiatus for two more weeks while the scripts could be adapted and other arrangements could be made. Then, Ed and Rose would travel to LA when needed. Most of Ed's character's screen time was with the 'work' cast, so he would be traveling more frequently. Rose and Bebe were considered to be part of the 'family' cast. The decision was made to put off filming a lot of the 'family' scenes until 'The Taming Of The Shrew' had finished its run so that John's prosthetics could be removed before filming began.

After meeting with Doctor Schwartz again, John began the hormone treatments which would allow his breasts to develop correctly. After speaking with the doctor, even Nancy agreed that this was the best choice for a normal life.

The Sunday of Labor Day weekend, the prosthetic breasts were removed and John was shocked by the amount his nipples had developed. The small protrusions were much bigger and browner than the nearly flat, beige things that had been there when the prosthetic breasts were applied, back in June. There was also a distinct swelling beneath them; 'Buds,' the doctor, and every woman in his life, called them.

When he put his dress back on after the fake breasts were taken off, he was surprised by a couple of things. He looked so much younger and less feminine without his 'B' cup breasts and his nipples were definitely visible against the thin material of the dress.

He looked so thin without breasts. Just a lanky little thing. His grownup make up looked foolish and Halloween-ish on this child in the mirror. Jan saw how odd he appeared and helped him. "For a while, honey, you should just stick to a little, simple eye makeup and, maybe just a little blush. Here is some baby-pink lip stick. That'll work much better for a girl your age. Ok?"

He nodded and accepted the lipstick, feeling very odd and very young, indeed.

Marilyn had come with him to the rehearsal area for the removal and she saw his surprise and embarrassment, especially at the way his newly developed nipples and buds peaked through the soft, sheer material of his dress. "Don't worry, baby," she whispered to him, "we'll go get a nice training bra, right away. Something with a little padding to give you a little more figure, if you want."

He hadn't been this embarrassed about the 'B' cup breasts since the first day he'd worn them. Now, he felt strange and little boyish without them. His thin arms, that looked feminine before, now looked childish. The breasts had defined him as a young woman. Now, the lack of them and the evidence of his natural breast just beginning, defined him as an insignificant child. A pretty little girl. Nothing more.

"Well, John," Ms Weldon said as they shook hands to say goodbye, "it has been a pretty amazing summer for you, hasn't it? From a little, regional Shakespeare production to a show on a major network."

"Not to mention some other pretty drastic changes," Marilyn laughed.

Ms Weldon giggled at that. "Are you ok with all of this, then, John?"

"I am, Ms Weldon. Thank you." He gave he another of those cute curtsies. "And thank you for everything you've done for me. Helping me find myself and a job. I'll owe you forever."

"Tell you what," the director smiled. "How about you give me a hug and we'll call it even."

"Sure." He hugged her hard and long, then kissed her cheek as they separated.

"Oh, my goodness, you smell good," Ms Weldon laughed, "but I miss those breasts, now, don't you? You look so young."

He nodded and looked a bit sad.

"Don't worry," Marilyn smiled, "they'll be back, soon enough! We're on our way to get Bebe her first training bra, now."

"Ooo," Ms Weldon smiled. "Are you excited? I can see that your mom is. The day she buys her first training bra is a big day for a little girl, Bebe. Take your time and pick out a very pretty one. Try to enjoy these feminine experiences."

"Yes, ma'am," another curtsy.

At the mall, Marilyn bought John several different styles of bras, and even found a couple of padded ones for special occasions. His eyes and smile beamed as he looked at himself in the mirror at the store, happy to have these, small trappings of femininity back. Just the little bit of support offered by the training bras made him look that much more like a girl and Marilyn could tell that he liked that. Not only that, but the sales lady, who was probably in her mid sixties, doted over him and told him how pretty and grownup the bras made him look. He relished every second of it, and because he was happy, Marilyn was happy, too.

A few days later, a car pulled up to the front door of their home in Worcester. The driver held the door for Rose who hustled to the door of the house to hug Marilyn and John. "Oh, I've missed you both, so much!"

"We've missed you, too, dear," Marilyn hugged her tightly.

"And look at you, with real little boobies of your own!" Rose teased. "Such a little lady!" John smiled and blushed. "Are you all set?" He was.

With tears all around, John kissed his mother goodbye and Rose carried his bag to the car.

Finally, he was on his way.

A new city.

A new name.

A new age.

A new high school.

A new sex.

A new relationship with Rose and Ed.

A new world.

THE END
 
 
For now.
 
 
Bebe will return soon in 'Bebe in LaLa Land'