Vasily was plainly nervous, fidgeting in the back seat as they approached the glass and steel edifice that was CareGiver’s Orlando facility. The heat as they stepped out into the sun was an oppressive blast in the face even though it was still early in the day and He found himself adding to his nervous perspiration with genuine sweat as the foursome entered the building and strolled across the lobby to find Anne at her usual post.

Simon awoke slowly; her vision slowly focusing on ceiling tiles, the beeping of medical monitors an irritating background. It took a moment to register where she was and why. She could tell there was an IV in both arms and knew she was strapped down for her own safety but the inability to move her arms still brought a little wave of panic. A kind face moved into her field of vision.

“Are you awake, hon? Yep, I can see you are. Now don’t try to talk for a few minutes, I’ll get you unstrapped and get you something to drink, ok?” The face withdrew from her vision and she could feel her arms and legs being freed, then the headstrap came off and she could turn her head to watch as the bed was raised to a semi-sitting position. She still felt much too weak to raise her head and really look down at herself, so she lay patiently and allowed the woman to hold a cup to her lips, swallowing at the orange juice first tentatively, then greedily as she realized she was ravenously hungry.

The rush of sheer sensation at the feel of the fluid going down her throat made her cheeks heat as she recalled the intense pleasure of the first stages of her transformation. As soon as she had finished the cup of liquid she cleared her throat and asked, “How long have I been out?” The sound of her own voice surprised her, a clear although still somewhat ragged soprano.

The woman busied herself removing the IV’s from her arms as she replied. “About 36 hours. Things went very well and after a quick exam, we’ll let you get a shower. I’m told Vasily should be here in about an hour and I’m sure you want to have a chance to doll up a little, but first, you have to eat a little something, so you just lie there for a few more minutes, ok?”

Eating a little something turned out to mean wolfing down 2 full plates of deliciously greasy hash browns, eggs and sausages, barely even noticing as she was poked and prodded. After that, she felt strong enough to stand, although the hunger had not yet lost its edge. The staff had been through this many times by now, so they knew that one of the first things she would want to do was see herself. They were not disappointed. The look on her face as she realized that the woman in the hospital gown was her was a wonder to behold, something they never got tired of seeing.

“Oh my!” She breathed to herself as she touched her face. “I’m beautiful!” Indeed she was, a very slender almost white blonde of medium height, about 5’6”, full lips and strikingly huge deep blue eyes set in a face that could have been a model for Nordic beauty. Her shoulder length hair had grown and now hung straight to the small of her back, even though she could tell it desperately needed a wash. She took another moment to study her reflection in wonder before she turned and said “Ok, somebody mentioned a shower? I can smell myself and I don’t smell at all good. Oh, and would it be possible to get a quick trim after?”

Things moved rather quickly after that and soon she was out of the shower, smelling like strawberries and settling into a chair to get her hair trimmed up and a few other things. The trim was just that, a trim, as she didn’t want to lose any length, but she decided to just get her brows shaped and forego any makeup for now. She wanted Vasily to see her for the first time without any artifice.

Vasily was plainly nervous, fidgeting in the back seat as they approached the glass and steel edifice that was CareGiver’s Orlando facility. The heat as they stepped out into the sun was an oppressive blast in the face even though it was still early in the day and He found himself adding to his nervous perspiration with genuine sweat as the foursome entered the building and strolled across the lobby to find Anne at her usual post.

Sean strolled up to her desk and stood for a moment while Anne finished up a conversation she was having on the phone. They made light conversation for a few moments until it was time for Simon to make an appearance. Vasily was obviously beyond nervous, his hands grasping at each other like some kind of deranged octopus.

The door that Simon had disappeared through almost two days before opened and out strolled a very slender, absolutely flat chested woman, dressed neatly in a pair of airy summer shorts and T-shirt, her long almost white blonde hair falling loosely to frame a stunningly beautiful face and deep blue eyes that looked almost too large for her face. The door swung slowly shut behind her as the group studied her face and she stared straight into Vasily’s eyes, searching for some sign of recognition. Vasily had stopped moving and it took a moment for him to remember to breathe. When he finally did take a breath, it was to say just one word. “Simon?”

She spoke in a clear bell-like soprano. “No Vasily, not Simon anymore. I’ve taken another name now. I am Tania Chernova. I thought it was fitting.”

Whatever response she had hoped for or expected, he managed to surprise everyone by fainting dead away on the spot. Suddenly she was running toward him and the entire group gathered around him, shoving a pillow from one of the couches under his head and fanning him until he began to come around.

“What happened? Why am I on the floor?”

“Well, I think our dear little Tania shocked you enough to where you just fainted on us. I think I know why, but if you feel up to it, lets get you off the floor and you can tell everyone, because frankly I think I’m the only one here other than you two who knows the story.” Sean helped him up and over to a couch where he sat and sipped at the cup of water Anne had supplied. Tania sat beside him, leaning into his arm and studying his face.

He took a moment to regain his composure and began to speak. “Well, first of all I have to say her appearance was a massive shock, in a good way. I never imagined she would turn out so beautiful,” He hugged her to his side “but the name was the kicker. First of all, you may or may not know that I am named for my great grandfather, Vassili Zaitsev.”

With the exception of Sean and Tania, the others exchanged looks of mutual incomprehension. Charlie spoke first. “Well, I never knew your last name but is your great grandfather someone I should have known about?”

“Not unless you are a student of military history, no. Look, this is a story best told over drinks and food, and I can hear Tania’s stomach rumbling, so lets wait on the rest of it for a bit, huh?”

He heaved himself up from the couch and they left a plainly disgruntled Anne in their wake as the made for the exit. Sean took a moment to say goodbye to Anne and tell her to look it up before joining the exodus. None of them saw the look on her face as she found the story online, dabbing at her eyes as she read.

The ride back to Sarah’s house started off with a stop at a burger joint, where Tania got three large meals and demolished them before they were even halfway. Sean and Charlie clearly remembered what they had been like immediately after their own transformations so they weren’t surprised, but Vasily and Sarah were looking at her eat with something akin to awe in their eyes, wondering where she put it all. He managed to steal a fry but desisted in any further efforts along that line as she growled at him, a sound he found irresistibly sexy even while it was somewhat intimidating.

Sean phoned in a truly massive pizza order when they were about 10 minutes from the house and they made a quick stop to pick up more liquor, Vasily’s celebration having consumed most of their stocks. As they pulled in, the pizza delivery arrived and it took a few moments to sort things out and get everyone settled around the pool. Eating occupied another few minutes, by which time Eric had joined the group and they all settled back with their choice of drinks in hand while Tania continued to wolf down pizza.

Vasily took a deep sip of his drink and started again. “Ok, now I’ll explain. Like I said, I’m named after my great grandfather, Vassili Zaitsev. Back in the twentieth century, in World War Two, Russia was a very different place, and Hitler was determined to conquer what was then called the Soviet Union. One of the greatest battles in history was fought at a city called Stalingrad. Historians estimate 2 million people died there. Anyway, my great grandfather was a sniper in that battle. Military historians say he was the greatest sniper in recorded history, with over 400 confirmed kills to his credit.”

“During that time, there was another sniper, a woman who he met when he taught her the craft. She was incredibly brave and had a great hatred for the Germans, something they shared. She was very beautiful and they fell in love in the middle of all that death and destruction. One day, she was severely wounded on a mission to kill the German commander when the woman in front of her stepped on a land mine. He carried her back to a field hospital and left to go on another mission. They never saw each other again. He thought she had died and she thought he never wanted to see her again. He always spoke of her as the great love of his life, and even though he married and had children after the war, he never lost his love for her. Her injuries made her unable to bear children and she died alone.”

By the time he finished Tania was sitting in his lap with her arms around him and tears were running down both their faces. He pulled her back a little to look in her face, brushing the tears from her cheeks. “Tania, I love that you took her name, but I want better than that for us. I don’t care that I have to share you with others, I know you and I know you have more than enough love to go around. Will you marry me, let me make you Mrs. Tania Chernova-Zaitsev?”

She sniffled and burst out in a fresh bout of tears. “Yes.”

They drew into a deep kiss, oblivious to the others, tasting each others tears and happiness. As they broke the kiss reluctantly and sat there staring into each others eyes the expression on both faces was one of undiluted happiness.