Grace comes out of her closet and finds out exactly what she can look like, a pictures says a thousand words and Grace had many chapters to talk about. But too much grace can be disturbing for some.

Saturday, the day of the makeover, what more could happen after the last few days? Sue waited for Grace to come out for breakfast and then let her talk about the night out and she never heard about the kisses. The plan was for a slow morning then get ready and go up to the Manor early afternoon and stay for dinner with Kerry and Janet joining them. Sue potted around the house as Grace laid out several outfits trying to see what would work and what may be needed. Around 12 they stopped for lunch and then Grace asked about a suspender belt and stockings, did Sue still have one or where could they get one. Sue had gladly thrown them away over twenty years ago and had no reason to go buy them now unless the right man came along.

"Give me a few minutes I’ll see what I can find out" Sue said picking up her mobile, she got Kerry’s phone number out of her bag and called to see if she knew anywhere that still sold good ones.

Kerry gave her the address of her favourite lingerie store and told them to ask for Lisa and said they would see her and Grace at 6 pm tonight. Sue went back into the kitchen and told Grace they would be leaving half an hour earlier if she wanted one, that meant she had to get a move on. Grace had already packed her bag and had applied a basic makeup to allow Jacky to do her thing without having to undo everything. Grace wore the jeans, black high heels, waist cincher and a bright red top that seemed to hug her new breasts. The trip to the lingerie shop was in the opposite direction as the manor and would add an extra 30 minutes to the trip. Sue parked the car at the front door, a surprise given the amount of traffic on the road today.

As they entered the shop they could see a sales person behind the counter putting a sandwich down and wiping her face.

“Is Lisa working today?” asked Sue only to look directly at her name tag and feel very silly. “A friend of ours called Kerry said that I should ask for your special help” she said holding out her hand for Lisa to shake.

“How is she going I haven’t seen her for about seven weeks?” Lisa told her “I sold her a really nice corset and lots of silky things as well.”

Grace smiled and started to look around the shop while Sue kept talking to Lisa, “this is Grace, my son” Sue said nodding towards Grace. “She is interested in a suspender belt but do you have any of those corsets left?”

Grace heard the comment and came over as Lisa told Sue that the special was finished except for the display item and that was a size 28 and probably would not fit Grace.

“I am almost a size 32 so I suppose that leaves that out, doesn’t it?” said Grace hoping that she was wrong.

“Actually you may just fit in but as you grow it would get very tight, would you like to try it on?” asked Lisa turning to the front display and grabbing the dark plum corset knowing that Grace would say yes.

Lisa showed Grace through to the rear area and asked her to take off her jeans and top so she could be fitted properly and laced to see if it was too small. As Lisa pulled the cords tight, Grace gasped as the air was forced out of her lungs, but as her waist reduced the pain seemed to vanish as well. The image in the mirror changed each time the cords got pulled tighter but Grace was determined to have the item whatever the pain.

Lisa had brought a pair of stockings into the room and told Grace to sit down while she helped her slip the stockings on her feet, as Grace stood up and pulled them up her legs the feeling nearly made her scream. Lisa showed her how to clip on the top of the stockings and Grace felt the gentle tug against her legs as she stepped back into her shoes. Sue could tell that it was going to be another item for Grace’s wardrobe and asked Lisa how much it would cost her.

"This is the last one in store, you can have it for $40 but don’t tell Kerry.”

Grace said that she would wear it and no need to pack it, the suspender belt could wait and she would come back another day when they had time to shop. Lisa gave Grace one of the special discount cards for the next visit and hoped she had a great day. The car trip to the Manor was short but Grace was trying to come to terms with the corset and the lack of breathing space in her lungs. Sue could tell she was having both trouble and joy in the same breath but let her go as Sue remembered the joy she brought to a young man when she wore one on a date.

The Manor came into view as she drove into the driveway and parked the car at the front door, Jacky and Toni came out to meet them and help with their bags. Toni introduced Jacky to Grace and Sue.

“You sure have changed young lady” she said to Grace, “you must be having a ball.”

Jacky took Grace through to one of the bedrooms and showed her where everything could be found and told her to come through to the studio when she was ready. Sue put her bag on the front table and walked through to the studio where Jacky was finishing the camera set up, “I was thinking of a before and after set but she already looks great” said Jacky. Grace came out in just a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt, no wig and a clean face, what they didn’t see was the corset that held her waist so tight and the breast forms that filled the cups. Jacky got Grace to sit on a stool in front of a green backdrop, the camera was linked to Toni’s PC and the first round of shots took only a few minutes to be saved to hard disk for processing later.

Jacky took several minutes to find out what Grace liked in the way of colours and clothes before suggesting a gentle makeover with a couple of different wigs to let her see the differences. She started with a good coat of moisturiser and a little beard cover since Grace was fair-haired and had very little beard shadow for a guy. The foundation coat was light beige and Jacky only put enough on to cover the skin and give a smooth surface for the rest of the makeup. Jacky took a few more shots so that Grace could repeat the makeup in her own time.

Sue went for a walk around the grounds with Toni while Jacky did the eyes, Toni wanted to know what had happened after she and Kerry had left on Monday night. Sue went through the last few days and how Grace had to make the choice to either do it or forget it but half way was not an option in her mind. Sue told about her going shopping and getting earrings and nails within the first day, Toni was amazed at Grace’s courage and Sue’s commitment to her new daughter. Toni took Sue for the grand tour and explained the business venture they had been setting up and how it would work financially. Sue still had question about Graham being TG and over the next hour asked Toni about her own journey until Jacky called them inside to see the new girl.

Grace stood there with brunette hair down her back, a short leather skirt and skimpy red top with the corset showing though the top. Black vinyl thigh boots and black stockings made the legs jump out and grab your eyes. Grace’s face was radiant, the makeup was very minimal except for around her eyes, which seemed to sparkle, and the lips had a gloss that made them look very wet. Grace had put in a pair of gold hoop earrings and wore a necklace to finish off the nightclub look or was it more like the “Hooker Look”. The photos took about twenty minutes as Jacky made her stand, sit twirl and generally dance around while the shutter went mad. Jacky sent her back into the change rooms for her second set of clothes from the wide range they had collected since they started the venture.

Grace’s second set of clothes had a formal look, long blue gown and silk gloves, black shoes and a black medium length wig. Jacky made some minor changes to the makeup and jewellery, more gold and pearls then she was ready for more photos. Toni had created several backdrops for use with the green screen but they also had chosen several locations within the Manor that would make great scenes so Jacky took the tripod and let Grace explore the place. The long mirror in the hall gave a good effect with reflections and lighting, the large dining room had been set for dinner and with wine glass in hand the shots looked like a cocktail party setting.

The bedroom shot made Grace come alive as she danced around the large four poster bed and swung on the pole. Grace had chosen to do a lingerie set of shots as long as Sue was not present so Toni and Sue went to make some drinks while Grace changed into the corset, stockings and a blonde wig with red 5” heels that Jacky had found for her. Jacky increased the colour in her face and a darker eyeliner with much brighter lipstick and gloss coat, a touch-up around the edge of the breast forms to hide the slight differences in colour tone and it was hard to tell where the girl finished and silicone started.

Grace had been drinking wine during the afternoon and by now the effect was making her very giggly as Jacky asked for sensuous and sexy looks. Grace laid on the bed and laughed as Jacky snapped away, the bear skin rug and fireplace made fantastic backdrop as Grace played with her stocking straps while sucking her red polished finger nails and pouting her lips. Jacky threw her a black negligee and asked her to stand near the window with a glass of wine in her hand as she looked towards the driveway the light streamed through the black and outlined the hourglass figure. A few more photos near the four poster bed and they were done for this section of the shots.

Sue and Toni came back in with cups of coffee but Grace only wanted wine as she was having too much fun, she also thought that without the alcohol the photos would be less provocative and sensual. For the fourth set of shots Jacky had suggested the casual look that Grace had created herself, the jeans, boots and tight top with a shortish blonde wig that looked the same colour as Grace’s normal hair colour. Jacky chose the lounge setting with books, magazines and the coffee cups as the setting to a very confident girl. Jacky snapped a few dozens shots then asked Sue and Toni to join for group shots, just sitting and chatting while the camera went on auto mode, snapping every 20 seconds. The PC could sort out the colouring if the camera made a mistake but after 60 shots they would be guaranteed a few good ones.

Sue asked about the lingerie shots “you didn’t look like a loose woman did you?”

Jacky confirmed that the shots were tasteful and nothing shown that wasn’t in many fashion magazines. They talked about Grace and her clothes, her confidence and the big step of choosing to stay as Grace for the whole summer break until Uni went back in late February. The camera just kept snapping and recording the images but what it could not capture was the level of joy in Grace’s head, unless you looked carefully at the photos and saw the smile in her eyes, the flick of her hair, the way she crossed her legs. By the time they had finished it was close to six and Kerry and Janet were expected by seven so dinner had to be finished while Toni went to touch-up the images in Photoshop.

As Toni sat there looking at the 160 shots it became very obvious that Grace had a natural look as well as a photo shoot image that could be adjusted for the settings, formal, casual, lingerie. They all worked very well and the level of adjustments required by Toni was going to be minimal in many of them the slight imperfection was better left in as it showed the natural girl. She chose ten from each group and was very selective in the lingerie shots to protect the girl’s honour and put them into a power point slide show with titles and dates ready for previewing. As Toni made them blend, wipe, merge she added music from an instrumental CD and finally burnt it onto CD-R for her to take home. The copyright on the images would belong to Toni for selected marketing use but only as Grace agreed.

By the time Toni had rejoined the group Kerry and Janet had arrived and were talking to Sue and Grace about how much fun she was having since they last met, Kerry was slightly concerned at the speed of change in Grace but didn’t want to say anything negative to her. Janet talked with Sue while Toni came and turned on the video projection system and closed the drapes to black out the room. She asked them to be seated and quickly outlined the Manor and how they saw it evolving over the next few years. The idea that had started over a weekend with friends was just the start, Toni had decided to go part time at work and take some of the work on a contract basis. Jacky was always in and out of the house or even the town if country shoots came up so the flexibility to work around a B&B for a niche market along with the makeovers would provide several streams of income for them both.

“Enough about us, let me show you Grace in all of her glory” Toni said hitting the go button and killing the lights.

As the music rose and the title came up it was like seeing the start of a new life, Grace before the makeover was somehow still slightly feminine except the hair but as the images changed and the makeup went on the girl came out and so did the smile and sparkle. Each of the groups had a sub title and the music changed accordingly, the nightclub look, the formal, the sexy the casual, and then the group chatting over coffee. It finished with a stunning close-up that Jacky had done without Grace knowing it and the image said it all, “I am woman and I love myself.” As the image faded to black Toni brought up the lights slowly allowing everyone to adjust but fast enough to see Sue and Grace with tears rolling down their faces holding hands.

Grace just sat there the images told her that she was more than passable she could get away with any look she wanted. Her inner beauty came to the front and a gentleness that her mother could be proud of, Sue had known her son was different and now she saw why. They each took turns in hugging her and saying how natural and good she looked, Toni saying that very few models had the skin tone she had and the airbrush tool in Photoshop made most of them look like they did, it wasn’t natural.

Over dinner Grace was asked all of the normal questions like where to from here, what clothes do you like the most, what about Uni next year. Grace thanked Kerry for telling Sue about the lingerie shop and mentioned the corset she had bought and how good Lisa was with help and friendliness. Over dessert Toni talked about how the Manor was going to work and the things they had already put in place to allow them income and flexibility of work. It had become a project for both Jacky and Toni and they were looking forward to working together at last since they complimented each other in skills. Jacky had some modelling shoots to handle and would need to have the use of a good graphics artist to prepare the proofs and correct the skin tones etc so they had set up a high speed link and web site that could be used for proofing images. Toni had invested in a large format printer so she could handle A00 size, which was a decent poster format and one that could be used for small production runs or even banners if they got a vinyl feeder.

The niche makeover business was going to be harder to get going as locating the cliental would be the hurdle, the TG community did not advertise very openly and it would take much word of mouth to get started. The evening finished fairly early so Kerry and Janet decided to drive straight home, Jacky offered Sue and Grace a bed for the night and given the lateness and how much Grace had drunk they took up the offer. As Kerry left she asked about New Years Eve plans and said that she would send an invite around for their place.

The next morning Grace had to wear the cost of too much fun, the head hurt, the ears were super sensitive to noise, but most of all she felt silly for making a fool of herself. Sitting in the lounge she flicked through the slideshow again and paused at each one that drew her attention.

“Why did you stop at that one?” asked Toni.

Grace thought for a while and then decided that it was the eyes that made her stop and look, the eyes that captured her joy and sparkle for life. The clothes looked good on her but it was the eyes that pierced the viewer and held them as if locked on invisible retractor beams. Jacky came into the room as Grace was still staring at the one photo, it was daunting and beautiful at the same time, the glance of a young girl that could control so much with just her eyes. Jacky had seen the look through the camera lens but had to admit it was far better on the large screen.

Toni brought up the entire set of photos and selected each of them one by one as they talked about the colour, the pose, the message behind the image. For Grace it was a crash course in being critiqued as a model, which is something she had never thought about. Grace had done some media studies as an elective at Uni and from there she knew that some extras were not as presented, for example in the movie “Flash Dance”, Jennifer Beale had five stand-in dancers and two of them were actually males. Some body part actors could be used in male or female mode depending on the need and nobody was the wiser in the audience. The idea of actually doing real work was a distant joke she thought and left it on the shelf for Santa to look at. Toni had selected a few images that she wanted to use in advertising the Manor and showed them to Grace and Sue, the window shot was an absolute must as was the finger sucking on the bear skin rug, a tease shot that said come and take me.

Sue and Grace had packed their bags and were driving out of the Manor by eleven o’clock in the morning, Grace wanted to go out and not go home. Sue offered the option of going to the markets and buying fruit and veg as well as looking for Christmas presents which is what she had on her own calendar to do today. Grace just wanted to be out and about rather than cooped up at home so she agreed as they headed for the local markets. The stalls were mainly fruit and veg with stalls of handmade items scattered around the place but one that attracted Grace was the bedding stall, pink and frilly lace pillow cases and quilts. The owner showed her the sets of matching sheets and quickly Grace was asking for a price if she bought a complete set, and it would have to include the hanging mobile of the doll on a trapeze seat. It was more than she had thought it could cost but it did look very pretty and would make the spare room look so nice.

Sue could hear the money falling through the cracks in her credit card but she had been very frugal with their money over the years and had recently paid off her mortgage and was enjoying the extra $200 each week on little things. “Only if you take it as a Christmas present” she told Grace knowing that the sale was already concluded in Grace’s mind. The rest of the market was basically just like most of them and they quickly finished with the food bits and headed to the car again.

Christmas was always a lonely time for Sue as her family was over east and her friends all had families of their own so she was not looking forward to the time. They decided that Jen should work up to Christmas Eve and then come over for the three days. She would definitely bring some extra noise into the house and keep Grace busy, “why not, make sure she hasn’t made plans though” prompted Sue as they drove home.

The phone was ringing as they drove into the garage area, as they opened the door they heard the answering machine beep at the end of the message. Grace put her bags into the spare room along with the new quilt and sheets. Sue went to listen to the messages, one from a friend asking if she wanted to go to a movie tonight and one from Jen asking for a call back, she wanted to know about the makeover. Grace called Jen on her mobile and arranged for her to come over after work, Sue called her friend and said that the movies would be good fun and she would see her at 6:30 near the cinema. Sue unpacked her bag and put the food away, it had been a very interesting weekend and she had no doubts about Grace fitting in.

Jen arrived just after 6 with a large bag in her hand that looked like Santa’s sack, “these are for you if you want them” she said.

Grace pulled the bag apart and found several shoes, sneakers and a couple of handbags. “Where did they come from” she asked Jen.

“We always get trade samples and these are the wrong size for my staff, and they are your size.”
Grace slipped off her boots and put on each pair and by the end she had six pairs of new shoes and two handbags. Sue shouted goodbye as she left with the car and said that she would return around 9:30 food was in the fridge if they wanted anything.

“OK tell me about the makeover” said Jen “and I want to see the photos as well.”

Grace went to the DVD player in the lounge and put in the CD-R and turned the TV on hoping to see the slideshow just like Toni did. The DVD player brought up a message saying This media can not read please change for DVD or DVD/RW, it was an early model and was having trouble with the way Toni had saved the files.

“What about your computer, that should still read it” said Jen quickly.

Grace had a fairly wiz bang system with full video recording and sound editing facility as part of her media option last year but it was in the bedroom and the house rule was “no girls in the bedroom”. Grace decided that the rule applied to Graham and since she was now here the rule would be the opposite, No Boys in the Bedroom, she could agree to that.

As the computer started the slide show Grace told Jen all about Toni and Jacky’s plans for the Manor and how they loved their work and had the best options, at work or at home and still get paid. She talked about each slide as it came up and what had happened with each set of clothes until the lingerie set came up.

Jen pressed the pause button at the window shot, “that is so sexy” said Jen “where did you get the corset from, is it your mothers?”

Grace went to the dresser in the spare room and pulled out the corset and said “no, its all mine and brand new, do you like it?”

“I love it” said Jen, she held the garment to her body and stood in front of the mirror and turned side to side, “can I try it on, pretty pretty please?” she begged.

What could Grace do but say yes and offer the stockings as well, Jen had already taken off her shoes and top by the time Grace came back into her room with the stockings. Trying on your friends clothes and standing there half naked must be a girl thing thought Graham because Jen had stripped to just her pants forgetting that Grace was not actually a girl. Jen turned around for Grace to put the corset on from behind and lace it up, Grace wrapped it around her and started to thread the laces around the clips, tighter and tighter. The second run of tightening made Jen gasp just as Grace had so she told her to breath shallower and just try to relax, the pain would go down shortly. Jen had lifted her breasts into the cups and her nipples sat just on the line of lace, the corset was not too tight as she stood and turned in front of the mirror again and again lost in her thoughts.

“It was the last one in the shop” said Grace “but if you are really good I’ll let you borrow it one day.”

Jen kept the corset on while she watched the rest of the slide show on the computer screen but the window shot had been the best just behind the finger sucking on the rug. Having Jen sitting on her bed in just the corset and stockings was going to be a problem for Grace so she asked about food as a distraction.

“Put your clothes back on and come into the kitchen” said Grace heading out of the hot room.

Jen slipped on her heels and came out into the kitchen “wouldn’t you like me to stay like this instead?” she asked coming into the kitchen knowing full well that she had stirred up something.

“I am trying to find out who I am and that does not help” said Grace “Graham would not have to be asked twice but I’m confused”

Jen saw that the teasing was messing with Grace’s head and went back to get dressed without the corset.

“Sorry I shouldn’t have done that to you” said Jen putting her hand on Grace’s shoulder gently.

Grace turned to her and said “I am just getting confused, first the kiss and now this, it’s a big jump after two years of just being friends, why the sudden change?”

Jen sat down on a chair, “we get on really well but I haven’t had a close friend for years since she killed herself” Jen said just looking at Grace as tears welled up in her eyes and flowed down her face. “Linda and I would dress up, go out together and even go dancing sometimes, I have really missed her” and more tears just burst out.

Grace moved over and hugged Jen as she sobbed, and Grace could feel her chest heaving with pain as she stood there. Jen grabbed several tissues and wiped away the snot from her nose and face, tissues fell to the ground as she started again. This went on for nearly half an hour, her eyes looked red and puffy, her face was streaked as her makeup washed down her cheeks. Grace just stayed there and held Jen and at the end the whimper died down and Jen just sat there and quietly wiped her face.

“I haven’t had any time to grieve about her death or anyone to talk to either” she said “I was told not to talk about it but just put it to one side and finish my exams.”

Grace put the kettle on and Jen told her the entire story of how they had been friends since kindy class and then through high school as they found out about sex and boys and each other. The times they spent just talking about getting away from the small country town, about being free from the constant watching of people who knew each other’s most intimate details and would bring them up if chance arrived. Linda had obviously been more than just a friend for Jen and Grace understood the situation at the club on Friday night, it was the clothes that had triggered Jen.

They talked for ages and Grace pulled out some dip and crackers, some chips and coke, Jen just sat there and told her everything they had done as kids and how Linda’s death was due to the torment of being gay and not knowing who to talk to. Jen had been counselled by a family friend with good intentions but limited practical experience, “shut it down and get on with it” was the only advise that Jen heard. They were still talking when Sue’s car pulled into the driveway, Jen got up and went to the bathroom to make herself look better.

Sue had seen Jen’s car on the roadway and asked where she was, “just fixing her face, mum” said Grace without adding anything. It took several minutes to fix that much damage and Jen came out with a clean face and no makeup, but as she saw Sue she just started to cry again. She ran to Sue and buried herself in her arms and the sobbing started again, Sue had no idea what Graham had done to her but would find out as soon as she left. It was a few minutes before Jen calmed down and was able to say anything to Sue, then it all came out again, Sue just listened and gave her tissue after tissue until they had all gone. Jen left around 10:30 and Sue turned to Grace and asked what triggered the downpour in Jen, the corset and her teasing was mentioned.

“So who are you, Grace or Graham?” said Sue,

“I’m not sure anymore after tonight” offered Grace.

They went off to bed but since she had unanswered questions Grace was not going to find rest that easily and lay there churning things over in her mind. Graham loved the body of Jen, Grace loved having a friend, Graham enjoyed talking about clothes and girl stuff, Grace enjoyed being free to do anything she wanted, Graham was happy with his life but really enjoyed the clothes Grace had. Counting sheep didn’t work, counting new outfits and shoes worked better and she fell asleep in her baby dolls and breast forms, she had found a position that worked for her both physically and mentally. Jen had a good night’s sleep at last, her pain was real and it had been allowed to come out, the grieving had started after 24 months of shutting it all down and getting on with it.

Monday was Sue’s day at work but called in to say she would be late, “family issues” she said to her boss. She made breakfast for Grace and took it into her bedroom and woke her up and opened the blinds to let the sun in as only mothers do, children never open anything like curtains or blinds. Grace sat up in bed and slowly ate the breakfast of juice, cereal and some toast.

Sue asked how she had slept since last night was so traumatic and had left several questions still without answers that needed them. Grace was trying to put into words the logic that had worked last night but in the cold light of day it no longer worked, she enjoyed who she was and Graham enjoyed who he was but they were the same person and at times the same goals and feelings.

If “clothes maketh the man” then the opposite is also true “clothes maketh the woman” and Grace could talk about that after the makeover. Sue asked if Grace wanted to call it quits and return to normal,

“Definitely not, I am having too much fun” was the rapid response from Grace but Graham had been gagged a little.

“You can stop this at anytime you want to without any comment or criticism” said Sue, not knowing what pressure Grace was under.

Grace asked about how to handle Jen and her need too grieve but also not to make things complicated for her at the same time. Sue thought about the problem and suggested that they just be there for her and let her know she could talk at anytime to them. Sue went off to work felling much better and assured that Grace was going to be fine.

Grace took time to get ready, she had a bath instead of a shower, did her legs, then put the CD-R into the computer and followed the makeup hints from Jacky. The base, foundation, eyes, lips, and then she came to her hair. It wasn’t long enough for a girl but it was longer than she had been used to, it would take most of the summer break to grow out and be able to let her go without the wig. She took the wig off the Styrofoam head that Sue had given her and placed it on her head, sitting there with makeup and a wig on she could see the breasts that had been stuck on and suddenly wished they were really her own breasts. The body said female but the mind was confused, as she looked down to her pants she could only see the maleness as being the only sign of anything wrong in her body.

Would a quick cut with a knife do the job, if she did a good job the hospital would have to complete the work, it might not hurt so much. Grace snapped out of it and stood up even more confused as to who she was or what she was doing apart from knowing that she felt she had to follow through with it. Grace walked into her new wardrobe that was filling up with clothes, shoes and handbags, they were her clothes and not things she had taken from the op-shop bags her mum had put aside. She had underwear and skirts to wear and matching shoes that were modern, Christmas had come early for Grace, she must have been a very good girl that year. Grace chose a skirt and top from the rack that matched a pair of her shoes from last night’s delivery, she wanted to go and see Jen to thank her but also to see how she was going.

Driving up to the shopping centre she noticed the number of cars in the parking area was far more then last week. She had quite a walk to the entrance but the sound of heels on the footpath was a new one for her and she walked swinging her hips and stepping one leg in front of the other to make her skirt sway with her hips. The mall was packed with displays from schools and parents all milling around with little kids ready for a lunch time concert. Carols rang out through the PA system and Christmas was obviously coming to this little centre.

Jen saw Grace walking down the mall looking in windows, stopping to check out the specials racks out front of the stores, not a care in the world she thought. Jen also noticed that her own heart had picked up at the sight of her new friend; last night helped her in more ways than she could understand. She turned to one of the sales girls and said that she was going for lunch break early, the store was theirs and not to break it. She raced down the mall and attacked Grace with her hugs and kisses, “let’s have lunch” she said before Grace could say anything.

“Just what I was thinking of asking you” said Grace still shocked at being so visibly assaulted in public.

Jen suggested a little shop around the back that had tables facing outside the centre as well as into the mall, they could talk and get some fresh air as well. When they had ordered their lunch, Grace asked Jen how she was feeling after last night, was she OK about telling her everything.

Jen said “it was so much of a relief, I wish I had let it out earlier to someone, sorry it had to be you.” Grace told her to stop being silly and she was glad to be her sounding board and also give her the hugs she needed.

“We have talked about Christmas and if you have nothing better to do we would like you to stay over with us for the week” said Grace.

Jen had only agreed to dinner and suddenly it was for a week long stay over, “what about work.”
Grace thought about it then said “you can have the spare room all to your self and come and go as you need, no strings.”

Jen reached over the table and hugged Grace again, this was becoming quite nice thought Grace. The two girls talked about which bed they would have and could they have a slumber party, what about New Years Eve, did Grace have anything planned yet? It was only a few sleeps until Christmas day but Jen had to work all of them, she would be so tired she would probably sleep half the time at Grace’s house. Jen finished lunch and had to race back as it got busy over lunch but she totally loved spending time with Grace.

Grace came over for lunch each day that week to check on Jen, of course, but it was good to have somewhere to go and possibly to shop for more things. The budget she had was due to her grandfather’s estate and the trust fund that gave her enough for Uni fees, books and running a car. The shop next to Jen’s was one she had avoided all week due to the commotion over the credit card but on Friday she spotted the woman that said to come back in and ask for her so Grace decided to try it.

“Remember me?” she asked the woman behind the counter.

“Of course I do, did you like wearing the outfit?” she replied in a much better mood than last week. Grace asked about a style she saw in the window, white long dress with ragged hem in layers, it looked like cotton but had no shape or form to it. “You would need to have a good colour top to make it work, and by the way my name is Marg” she said.

Grace introduced herself properly and shook her hand, they would get on much better now she thought. Marg showed her some tops and belts then ushered her into the change rooms, “let me know when you have put them on.” Marg made some changes to the outfit until she was happy, Grace agreed the dress was very plain but could be worked by adding coloured layers around it. A scarf around her waist and hips, a wrap over her shoulders, some beads hanging from the belt and a bright top all came together to make a very chic chick outfit. When she had finished getting it right Grace asked Marg to cut the tags off as she would wear it home, or at least next door to show Jen. The old clothes were put in a bag for Grace to carry home. Jen saw Grace come into the store after the lunch time rush to take her to lunch she loved the new outfit and had to ask where she had bought it from.

By Saturday they had spent every lunch time together so Jen asked about going out for a drink after work if she promised to be good and not tease Grace like last weekend.

“Does that mean that you want my corset” she asked Jen,

“Only if you want to let me wear it?”

Grace had thought about wearing it but could not help but give in to Jen who was so infectious she made others so happy when she was around. Jen would come over after work and get changed at Grace’s place since she just happened to have the spare clothes in the car today. By five thirty Jen was sitting in the kitchen having a bite to eat with Grace and Sue.

“We are so looking forward to having you stay here” said Sue, Jen told her about the other Christmas days where she had been alone and how boring and depressing they had been for her.

She grabbed Grace’s hand and said that she was very happy to have Grace as a friend and really appreciated their help last weekend. Sue was staying home for the night but had planned to watch the first two parts of a trilogy that was coming to the cinemas next week and she would probably be still awake when they got home if Jen decided to sleep over. Grace and Jen vanished into her bedroom to get ready and Sue could hear plenty of giggling so assumed everything was fine, the house rules about girls in the bedroom seemed to be all wrong somehow.

Jen had brought over the same outfit as last weekend but wanted to wear the corset since Grace had offered. She stripped down to her pants and turned around so Grace could fit it properly to her front then turned around to let her do the laces up, Jen had no idea what that did to Grace. Jen was ready for the laces to go tight and found them only half as painful as last week. She pushed her chest up to sit in the cups and peak over the top of the lace trim, the laces got tighter and this time she had to gasp for breath. The hour glass figure was very attractive but so much pain she thought.

The girls didn’t go out until around nine as the party life was later rather than early on Saturday and Jen knew a few places that didn’t start until after 12, but she had to work at midday on Sunday. Grace said it was her turn to drive since Jen had driven him last week and Grace had chosen not to drink for a few weeks to help her lose weight. The club was just opening when they got there, it was early in the night so picking a table was just a matter of choosing where they wanted to sit. Jen went and got the first round of drinks and returned to the table as Grace was talking to a young guy about the group that was advertised for the night, she thought the guy was just making small talk until he asked for a dance later.

Jen interrupted with “sorry she’s mine” and the guy left rather disappointed that he had no chance with Grace.

“Why did you say that to him” asked Grace,

“Sorry, did you want to dance with him I can call him back” Jen said rather sarcastically. “I bet he would show you a really good time as well” she added just to push the point.

Grace had thought about her response to being chatted up but had missed the line when it happened, looking back on it she was flattered by the offer. The music started to ramp up and Jen was off dancing by herself as Grace sat and listened to the band, the young guy came back over to talk to Grace again.

“Are you really hers or can I have a dance?” he said to Grace.

“Maybe just one then” was all she could say.

Jen had seen the approach and just watched to see how Grace handled herself with a guy that was only interested in getting into her pants. Grace kept her distance and danced but as the music changed he tried to hold her a lot closer and Grace’s heart started to race, excitement or fear, the effect was the same. Jen waited to see if she would pull away or get closer, Grace danced for a while but made an excuse and went back to the table. Jen raced over and sat down with Grace, “why did you stop?” she asked Grace.

“I’m not sure about all of this yet, I would rather dance with you” was all Grace could say.

The rest of the night it was just Grace and Jen dancing together and by midnight they had danced, drunk and talked themselves horse. Grace drove home and Jen accepted the offer to sleep over, Sue was still awake and offered them Milo for bedtime. Jen went to the spare room and unpacked a pair of PJ’s then returned to the kitchen, Grace slipped into her baby dolls as the mugs of hot Milo were put on the table. Sue quickly asked about the night and then said goodnight and told them to keep the noise down if they were going to sit up and talk. Grace picked up her mug and told Jen to follow with hers, they went into the spare room as it was the furthest away from Sue’s room and hopped into bed with the pile of pillows against the wall.

They sat there drinking the hot chocolate and talking about the week and all the things they had done together since Jen found out about Grace, the lunches, the dancing and of course the shopping. Grace had never had a friend like Jen before, she was very bubbly and helped Grace come out of her shell more although tonight was a shock for her.

“OK lets talk about it” said Jen cutting to the chase as they say, “what were you thinking about dancing with him?’

Grace started at the beginning and said about not knowing who she was and that meant not knowing what she was, she needed labels to help make sense and keep everything in balance and suddenly the labels had all been moved or renamed. Confusion had brought with it a sense of experimentation to find the truth but that only showed more troubles for her. Jen waited until Grace had finished then told her about how she and Linda had been very good friends before they had started anything else, it just happened one day, we were enjoying a dance and we kissed but we both knew that something was different it was as if we had crossed a line. We both talked about it but she was my best friend and we enjoyed being together, it just kept happening and we had no problems with it. Linda had told another friend and it got out around the school playground but they just saw it as teenagers being silly until the taunts started and you know the rest of the story.

Grace put her arm around Jen to give her a cuddle and Jen snuggled down and into Grace’s side, they stayed there for a while just waiting, Grace didn’t want to leave and Jen didn’t want her to either. Sue woke up early in the morning and saw that Grace’s door was open and her bed was empty so she poked her head into the spare room. There lay the two girls snuggled up together still fast asleep, the cold mugs of Milo on the bedside cabinets only half drunk and teddy bear in the bed next to Jen. While they looked very peaceful Sue was still very concerned that anything else had happened to her daughter. Jen stirred as the door was closed so she got out of bed and put on a pair of jeans and top and went into the kitchen to see Sue.

“Hello sleepy head, I didn’t wake you did I?” asked Sue knowing that she probably had.

“No, it was time to get up anyway” replied Jen, “and before you ask, nothing happened last night I just had a case of the sulks again.”

That’s typical of Graham thought Sue, a girl like this and he is more concerned with her happiness, he had been brought up right. “Thankyou for being honest with me, dear” said Sue and leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

Grace slept for another hour so the two women had time to talk about Christmas and New Years Eve, the food and drinks, where they thought they could go without being mauled by drunks wanting to lick their tonsils out. They talked about decorating the tree that was part of Sue’s ritual each year and what Jen would like to do that would remind her of family back home. It was just like back home already she thought except she had a friend back that she loved. Grace came out wearing the denim skirt and t-shirt and Panda Eyes from not removing her makeup, obviously she had not checked in the mirror today. The two women laughed and asked if she was feeling alright today, Grace made noises and scratched her face.

“What do you mean?” she asked them.

Jen grabbed Grace and turned her around to face the hallway mirror, “so much for inner beauty” she told Grace and pushed her to the bathroom.

Grace surfaced several minutes later, showered, shaved, and made up with a daytime makeup style that looked much better. The three of them sat down for the breakfast that Sue had made, and chatted around the table until nearly eleven ‘clock when Jen had to get ready for work. As Jen left she kissed Grace gently on the lips and thanked her for being such a good friend, the blush from being kissed in front of her mother even came through the foundation and blusher.

Sue sat down and motioned for Grace to take a seat, “OK young girl or young man, we need to talk about this” stated Sue, she needed to get answers and he needed help sorting it all out in his head, or her head, whatever. They talked for over an hour about the same things that Jen and Grace had talked about last night, Sue accepted that nothing had happened but it was not good to be in that situation for either of them. Sue was very concerned that Grace was making huge leaps and Graham had very little future at this rate and Jen was a separate issue that just added to the confusion in Grace’s head. Grace thought she had made sense in her own mind and wanted to be Grace in love with Jen, but when it came out the words seemed to get mixed around, Graham could do whatever he wanted to later but this was Grace Period.

Sue was still concerned about them both but determined to keep talking with Grace and Grace promised to keep talking with her mum. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and Grace held a fashion show of the things she had purchased during the week, she had good taste and even Sue wouldn’t mind borrowing some of the gear, now that’s a change.

Kerry had made a separate section on her website for members by invite, it was called “Transscripts”, the double S being a play on words. It was a web-log or “blog” as it was known for any of the girls to write down their thoughts or ask for help, she had made a links page to other forums and help sites. Most of the girls looked daily and so did some of their partners, there was a calendar for them to put any special dates and Kerry had posted a Wednesday evening meal just for the girls and Grace had been invited to come along, usual place and time it said so Grace left comment about coming along and noticed that they would all be there, Toni and Kerry but also Sarah and Kate, who she had not met before. Kerry had also put a section together for partners or friends, this was not visible for the other girls and again only by special permissions on the user login. Grace asked for a login for Sue and one for Jen to be sent to their own email addresses on her behalf. The links always had interesting stuff like hair removal, electrolysis, surgery links, makeup techniques, clothing guides for web shopping and many links to bio’s of girls that had shared their stories.

Wednesday came around quickly and Grace was excited to be meeting the rest of the famous trio that Sue had told her about from work. Kerry had said to wear casual but smart so that meant a quick trip to the shops and help from Marg again. Grace needed a jacket that she could wear with jeans or a skirt and not be too heavy since the weather never really got cold. Marg was working behind the counter when Grace came in so she let her browse before going over to help.

“Something special today Grace” Marg asked.

“I need a coat or jacket that I can wear out but not hide my body” she said mischievously to Marg. By now Marg understood Grace’s sense of humour and simply went with it, she selected a cream cotton jacket that would sit just at hip level and it wasn’t expected to be buttoned up. It was last season’s winter stock so the price was marked for clearance.

“This is a good price, since you’ve spent so much here lately.”

“But I have so many years to catch up on and so little time to do it” returned Grace partly telling the truth. She had been thinking about the end of summer break and knew that only Grace or Graham would survive and the chance of both staying around was getting smaller each day.