Tim was a reporter with an attitude. Smart yet likable with a plan to get ahead in the news paper Business. What he needed now was that big story that would separate him for the pack of other reporters he worked with. What a got was a story to big to print, and at a price he wasn't really ready to pay.

~o~O~o~

My goal was to be a reporter, but sitting behind a desk making someone elses bad copy into good copy wasn’t getting it done. My boss had had offered me two different assignments, that I had promptly turned down. One was to cover a woman's health march, while the other was about as bad, a P.E.T.A rally.

I suspected I wouldn't get away with turning down the third one quite so easily. A new school up state bragged they could make a lady out of anybody. When they were called on to make good on that claim, the person in question had just up and vanished. The boss, whom the staff had nicknamed Freddy, had tried to get a reporter in below the radar so to speak. So far every girl that had set foot on the place had come back empty handed.

When, apparently off-offhandedly, he asked if I would consider going, I didn't even bother to answer. After all, I'm a guy!

The story wouldn't just up and go away and the more calls the boss got about it, the more he tried to slip someone in. Every female in the place had tried, and some more than once, but none of them made it past the front door.

When Freddy called me to his office with that look on his face I knew it wasn't a good thing. "So why can't I get a female reporter past the front door," he huffed as he closed the door.

"Maybe you haven't sent the right person yet," I shot back.

"You're always welcome to take a crack at it," he smiled. "In fact, you get in and get the scoop on this place and I'll make you the lead reporter and give you a raise to boot."

"How much?" I said, pretending to consider his offer.

Looking puzzled, he asked, "How much what?"

"The raise!" I shot back.

"What?! You really think you can do this? Come on, Tim, they would have to make you gain weight to look anything like a lady," he blustered.

I stood and headed for the door. "You're the one that made the offer."

"Wait … sit down … Really, Tim, you're so small and thin I doubt they would even try, don't you think?"

"You never know about this type of thing, and we'll never know till we get somebody in," I countered.

He rubbed his chin, "You think you can do it?"

I smiled. "Maybe … Maybe not... but for the lead reporter's job and a raise I might give it a try … "Of course, that's assuming the paper will pick up the tab as well. These schools are not cheap," I added.

"You get your foot in the door, get enrolled, and I'll pass it by the powers that be. If they say yes, then you’re on," he sputtered.

"For how long?" I asked.

"However long it takes to get the story," he added.

I left his office with a lot on my mind. I had spent a few hours checking up on the school, and I already knew they didn't accept women, but I wasn't about to tell anybody that. After all, any of them could have found out if they had really tried. I had no real need or wish to become a lady.

Furthermore, the only thing I did want was my chance to get ahead at work. Becoming a female or a lady wasn't part of my get ahead plan. True, I knew I needed to break a big story for my long term plans to work, however I didn't see this as a big story.

That night after work, Cheryl, one of the female reporters that I actually got along with, stopped by my place.

"Got a minute?" she asked as I opened the door.

"Sure! Come in." I smiled as she placed her purse on the table and took a seat.

She asked me, "So did Freddy try to get you to take the school story?"

"Yes but I haven't given him an answer as of yet. What makes you ask?"

"One male reporter has already tried it, and he just up and vanished, so you might want to keep that in mind," Cheryl said.

"Really ?" I tried to sound as if I didn't already know.

Cheryl continued, “He enrolled and came and went pretty much as he pleased for about a month, Then he was ready to break the story and told his boss so. He hasn't been seen or heard from since."

" I'll keep that in mind … if I decide to take on the story," I answered.

"It would be easy enough to pass you off as a female, and according to what I can find out, that's what they really do." Cheryl stopped to take a breath.

" What?" I tried to still sound dumb.

"You didn't know?" she smiled.

"Well, not really," I sputtered.

"That's why none of the female reporters can even get in. They make men into women, or ladies, as the ad says. You’re thin, and not too tall, so I could easily see you being made over into a female." She smiled real big.

"If, and again I say … if I decide to take on the story, you can bet I will bail out long before that ever happens," I warned.

"Well, if you do, I hope you get the goods on these people and find out what happened to the other reporter."

I had to give a lot of thought to what I was about to do. True, I had a small frame for a man, and granted, I was thin, weight wise. More to the point, with my long hair that I kept in a ponytail most of the time, I had been mistaken for a female more than once. Worse than all of that, I already knew Cheryl was right. I could very easily be made over into a female. My mother and sister had done that very thing years ago on Halloween.

Even the people who knew me well didn't have a clue who I was that night. It had been an odd feeling to see people whom you knew, not have a clue who you were. To be rather blunt about it, it scared me, and I’d vowed to never do it again. It was as if Tim could walk off the planet and never be missed.

I called my sister over that weekend and we talked about what I was about to do. She reminded me that I was much younger then, and puberty had pretty well taken its toll on me now. There was some comfort in what she said, and I knew she was right, still, I just had that feeling that things were about to change for me and in a big way.

Mom offered the same advice and even made light of the whole idea. "Well, I guess I could get used to the idea of having two daughters," she laughed.

"Dad would roll over in his grave if he knew." I tried to laugh a little with her.

I must have struck a nerve with that comment, as Mom's laughter subsided a bit.

"I guess it's okay to tell you now," she started. "Your dad was the nicest woman I ever met."

My eyes went wide. "WHAT?!!"

"You and Candy never got to see it, but I used to dress your dad up like a woman all the time, " Mom answered.

" Really?" I shot back.

Mom continued, "One summer he took vacation while you two were at camp, and played the part for the whole two weeks."

" I never knew," I all but whispered to mom.

"It was like a game between your dad and I, and he was always willing to do whatever to make me happy. He wasn't just my husband, he was the best friend I ever had," she added.

She was on the edge of crying, so I ended the conversation there.

Dad had passed away some ten years before. Till this day there hadn't been another man for my mom. She had commented many times that men like my dad came along once in a lifetime. After all this time, she still loved him.

I went straight to Freddy's office Monday morning. "I'll be taking on the story about the school. I suggest you get together with the powers that be and get them off their wallets. I expect to be the lead reporter very soon and you promised me a raise, too," I reminded Freddy.

He looked shocked and then grinned as he asked me if I had a plan.

"I do, but you don't really need to know it right now. I have the number to your private line, so put a recorder on it, and soon. I'll call in as soon as I get my foot in the door," I answered.

"What about the other stories you’re working on?" he asked.

"Give them to whoever wants them. I'll call you soon," I said as I walked out the door.

I called Mom and Sis as I headed for the school. I told them both I might drop out of sight for a while. They had my work number and my cell, so staying in touch wasn't a problem. I told them it would be best to let me call them and to just leave a message at work if they really needed to talk to me. They both told me to have fun, not many men got to see how women really live, much less become one, even for a short time.

Kathy's finishing school was the proper name of the place. As I talked into my recorder, I parked my car right out front and walked in like I owned the place.

"Can I help you?" the lady at the counter asked.

"Yes, I would like to enroll," I announced with some bravado.

"The full course?" she asked, looking me straight in the eye.

"Yes, please," I replied. She picked up the phone and spoke to someone. Ms. Kathy was my first guess.

"Take a seat and fill out this paper work, and do try to be honest," she asserted.

It seemed rather mundane as I looked it over. My real name was first on the list, and then a female name if I had picked one. How long I wanted to stay was next, and the full course was six months so I checked that box. Cash or charge was pretty well up the list and I marked the charge card slot and gave them my company credit card number to use. My size, weight, age, all went in the appropriate slot.

I was ready to sign when a stunning blond walked up. She stuck out her hand. "I'm Kathy."

"Tim Slater," I said as I stuck out my hand.

"Finished?" she asked.

I signed my name and said yes as I handed her the papers.

"Are you married?" she asked as we made our way to her office.

"No," I replied in a quick breath.

"A girlfriend then?" she asked.

"Yes, but I don't get to see her often. She travels quite a bit," I answered.

"Do you live together?" she asked, keeping the questions lighthearted as she spoke.

"When she's in town," I smiled as I took the seat she offered.

"Most men who come to us, come for a reason. To please the wife or girlfriend, to maybe learn a little bit about the softer side of life," Kathy told me.

"Brandy and I talked about it, but she doesn't know I'm here. She'll be gone for quite some time since she is setting up a new office overseas. I wanted to surprise her as it was," I added.

"I see," she smiled.

"So how far are you willing to go to please her?" she asked.

"I hadn't really thought about that. I don't really want to become a female, if that's what you’re asking," I said.

"Think you could live as one 24/7?" she asked bluntly.

"I'm not sure but, I would like to give it a try," I added.

"Come with me." She stood and opened the door.

We walked to the far end of the building and went down three flights of stairs. "This is where we start," she announced as I looked at what appeared to be a mold factory. A young girl walked up and Kathy told me she would get me started, and to stop by her office on my way out. "Sure," I smiled as she walked away.

"Take off all your clothes," the girl announced flatly. Her name tag said her name was Cindy.

"Why?" I shot back.

"Don't start with me," she spoke rather annoyed, "We need a cast of your body for the mold process and you have to be nude to do it."

I stripped off my clothes and she folded them neatly, placed them on a hanger and tagged them with my name.

"Face first," she pointed at the plaster mold, " and leave your face out of it. We only need the neck down." I stepped up to the mold which had the rough outline of a human body. The mold started to tip over face first and I felt myself sink into the white plaster.

Once it came back upright I turned over and the process was started again. I was measured from tip to toe and in ways I had never considered. Then I was taken to a shower that was so hot you could literally see the steam boiling in the room. Before I stepped in I was sprayed down with something that loosened the plaster from my skin. So far, I was alone and that was okay by me.

Chapter 2

It wasn't the normal type of shower at all. As soon as I walked in, the water started to hit me from every direction. Water sprayed up as well as it did down and the steam was so thick I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face.

I heard a voice. "Move to your left!"

I moved that way and found a door that led to yet another shower. It wasn't as hot and steaming as the other shower, and I was given soap and sponge to clean up with, along with some shampoo and conditioner for my hair.

As soon as I started to wash, it was as if I felt something crawling on my skin. I washed my hair then added the conditioner and started to rinse. When I opened my eyes I was shocked beyond belief. There wasn't a single strand of my body hair left. I was as smooth as the day I was born, even around my penis and butt. I was so... mad but who could I fuss at? I was still alone.

"Move to your left," the voice came again.

I found a door that led into the dressing area and I found my clothes, as well as towels to dry off with.

I laid out the shirt and pants, then realized they weren't really mine. They were the same color, but that was about it. My socks and underwear were gone, replaced by panties and pantyhose. I slipped on the panties just as the door on the other side of the room opened.

Cindy came in and announced we were moving on to phase two. I pushed my manhood down between my legs and tried to put on the pantyhose. Cindy helped, or I would have still been there, they were so tight. The black dress slacks fit me well, but I could tell they were made in a female cut, and they were a bit tight. The shirt was actually a blouse, and Cindy stopped me before I actually got it on.

She had a corset in the sack with the rest of my clothes, and it had to go on first. This wasn't something to look sexy, it was real, and very well made. When Cindy pulled the lacing in the back, it almost cut me in half. I wanted to say something, but this was for a story and I wasn't about to mess up my big break.

"Bring your blouse!" She smiled as she opened the door and took me down the hall.

I walked slowly this time taking notice of where I was.

We walked only a few feet before she opened a door and all but pushed me in. The room had the look of a beauty salon, overstuffed chairs, hair cutting aprons and driers lined one wall. Mirrors on both sides and that horrid smell only a woman's salon can have.

Cindy offered me a chair and told me to take off the pantyhose. "You can put them back on later. You need the practice, anyway," she added.

Two other girls came in but I didn't get their names and they spoke very little as they started to work.

Cindy started on my hair and cut quite a bit more than I would have liked at the time, then put it up in curlers. While One girl started on my hands and the other started on my toenails, she applied some sort of smelly liquid to each roller.

Acrylic nails were added to my fingers, making them look long and slim while my toenails were trimmed and painted in a soft red color. When the acrylic nails were done, Cindy moved me to sit under a dryer. My head was full of rollers and I was starting to get very nervous.

Cindy examined my ears, then came at me with a piercing gun. She pierced each ear twice, leaving me with diamond studs in each hole.

The girl working on my hands started to paint my nails to match my painted toes. Cindy started on my makeup. The dryer over my head was rather loud but I could hear her as she told me with each step just what she was doing and why.

Then she offered me a glass of water which I gladly took and tried to relax a bit.

I fell asleep for what I figured was just a minute or two. When I woke, I was rather surprised to feel the weight of breasts hanging from my chest.

Cindy was taking the rollers out and brushing my hair when I came to my senses. When she turned the chair so I could see full in the mirror, I all but went into shock. I now boasted the same cut and style as my girlfriend. The makeup looked all too natural, and the mounds holding the cape away from my body looked and felt all too real.

Cindy pulled the cape away and said it was time to get dressed. My hands went straight to my breasts. Not to feel them, but to hide them.

"A natural reflex," Cindy said as she handed me a bra to put on.

The breasts looked so real it was unbelievable. I struggled a bit with the bra, but got it on. The pantyhose were next.

The blouse was a snug fit and the buttons were on the wrong side, so it took me a minute to get it closed. I pulled the black dress slacks up to my now defined waist and tucked in the tail of the blouse. A gold chain belt Cindy handed me fit just right, and then I saw the shoes next to the chair. There were several boxes, and Cindy took the shoes from the top box and told me to put them on.

I started to protest but the high heels weren't overly high and I figured I could manage to walk in them, so I held my tongue.

She took my wallet, pocket change, and other stuff and put that in the empty shoe box.

I stood and walked around the room a few times and Cindy gave me lesson one on walking in high heels.

"Keep your back straight, head up, chest out, and … " on she went.

The other boxes, according to Cindy had shoes in them as well, but they also had the makeup she had used as well as other stuff I would need. She placed in all in a big shopping bag and escorted me back to Ms. Kathy's office.

"Oh my!" Kathy smiled as she offered me a seat. "Don't you look like the cat's meow," she smiled.

"Thanks, I think," was my simple reply.

"You look very good as a female. You shouldn't have any trouble at all finishing the course. Have you picked a name, female I mean?" Kathy said to me.

"Penny was the name my mom had picked if I had been born a female," I replied with my head down.

"Then Penny it is," Kathy replied. "I have a shopping list for you, and most of it is female things you'll need for the school.

“There are two simple rules I would like you keep in mind. One, is after today, or until you’re told otherwise, you never wear pants to school, " Kathy informed me.

" And two?" I questioned.

"Class starts at 9:30 sharp, not 9:31 or 32. If you're late or miss a class ,we look at that as a drop out. Which means you forfeit the money you paid us. And if you want to finish your time here, you have to start all over from scratch," she said.

I could tell she knew I understood as I looked her in the eye.

She handed me a folder and said I was through for the day and should go home and try to adjust to the new me, as it were. Instructions for my first class were in the folder, along with the shopping list that I had to attend to today. I took the folder and the shopping bag and headed for my car as quickly as I could.

Today I was glad I lived on a dead end street, and my closest neighbor was almost two miles away. I parked my car and took in the folder and the shopping bag. There was little or no chance I would be seen by someone that knew me as Tim, so I took my time. After all, I wearing high heels, and walking took on a whole new meaning, especially with my arms full of stuff.

I called Freddy first and let him know I was in. He carried on like he had won the lotto and I waited till he calmed down before I told him about what had already happened.

"They did what?!!!!" he all but yelled.

"Oh yes," I replied, " I could pass for my own sister even as we speak. That being the case, don't expect to see me around the office any time soon."

He sent a messenger to my house with the picture of the reporter that had vanished, along with all the info we had on him.

I called Mom and Sis and told them pretty much the same story. My sister insisted on coming over. I went through all the shoe boxes and recovered all my identification.

I also read through the folder while I waited for Sis to show up. The breasts I now had were attached with glue, and not coming off any time soon. My body hair would come back in time, but not before I had finished my time at school. I had indeed gotten a perm, so my new hair style was here to stay for a while. And the nails weren't coming off any time soon either. In short, I was stuck looking like this for the time being.

When my sister arrived, she all but went into shock herself. "My soul! You are some kind of pretty!" She smiled as she walked around me. "And what a figure, I'm jealous already."

"Don't be!" I quipped. "The corset I have on is cutting me in half."

Sis said," Well, you don't need to be nervous. Nobody will believe you're a man, looking like that."

"Yes,...well the school did boast that they can make a lady out of anybody. Right now I would say I'm still a man in all sorts of ways, " I countered back at her.

"What about that shopping list?" she asked.

I gave her the list and we headed for the mall. I was still quite nervous about being seen as a female. My sister told me more than once, not a chance, that is, that anybody would make me as a man. I had to buy stockings and pantyhose first. Then panties and bras came next. Perfume was up on the list, and Sis thought the fragrance White Shoulders would really smell great on me.

Last, but not least, I had to buy shoes. 4, 5 and 6 inch heels, to be exact. Either pumps or sandals were okay. It took some doing to find them, as we had to hit several shoe stores. I tried on each pair for fit, but I didn't try to walk in any of them.

Sis and I were both pretty well exhausted by the time we got back to my place. I took in all the stuff we had bought and she went home.

I went through the rest of the boxes I had gotten at the school and found a school girl’s uniform. The note attached said this was what I was to be wearing the next day for class.

After the late news, I undressed for bed … all but the corset!

The knot Cindy had tied wasn't coming out, and I was making a mess of the strings, so I just gave up. It took some doing to get comfortable, what with my torso being cut in half and breasts that I wasn't at all used to, but I did finally drift off to sleep.

Getting dressed the next morning was a bit easier. The uniform was all stretch fabric, so all I really had to do was pull it on. The pantyhose were still a bit of a pain, and with long nails, even more so. I put on the same shoes I had worn home and headed for the school, wanting to make sure I arrived early

I brushed my hair as I drove, and much to my surprise, the makeup from the day before was intact. I looked over the parking lot as I parked my car. I saw only three other cars and a big empty parking lot. It didn't seem like they were doing a booming business.

Cindy met me at the door and took me to what looked like a classroom. It was full of people sitting at over-sized desks. I took a quick count. Seven rows of seven, and every desk was occupied. There were 49 people, including me.

Cindy went to the lectern and gave us an overview of the film we were about to watch. Grooming, posture, and speech were covered in this film and they were a must for a lady. The room light went dim and the screen behind her flickered to life.

The narrator’s voice filled the room and I was drawn in right away. It was as if time stopped. It took me a second or two to realize the voice was Ms. Kathy's. I felt my body straighten up in the chair as she talked about posture.

Chapter 3

I wondered if my makeup and hair actually looked as good as I thought as she talked about good grooming. I wasn't the only one that took out their brush and started to make sure. Nor was I the only one that took a compact mirror and checked their makeup again.

The more she spoke, the more I began to see the patterns she pointed out. I made a mental note to use the same patterns when class was over. Almost as a side note to the part on posture, figures and body types were covered. Keeping my body trim and waist under control became as real priority.

When the room lights came up Cindy announced it was time for lunch.

It took me a minute or two to get back to reality. I followed the crowd to the cafeteria and looked at each face with a long stare. None of them looked anything like the missing reporter.

The food was served in small, and still smaller portions, and I was sure I would be hungry again soon. Even with what little I did eat I felt full, and I passed that off to the corset being so tight. We were all dressed the same, so I supposed they were all wearing a corset the same as I was. Thirty minutes later we were back in the classroom and ready for the next video.

This video Cindy started, was about manners.

Again the room lights dimmed and the screen came to life, and once again I was drawn in. Good manners were covered in every detail. Then it moved on to how to walk, how to hold our arms, how to carry a purse or clutch bag. How to sit in a dress, how to get in and out of a car and not show the world your assets. I saw so many things I had done wrong already, and made more mental notes not to do them again.

‘How could I have not noticed such obvious things?’ I asked myself. ‘After all I am a reporter, a person who is suppose to see what other people take for granted.’ The room lights came up as the video stopped.

Cindy took me by the arm as a steady stream of staff entered the room and each took a pupil in hand.

"Dismissed!" She all but yelled.

I followed Cindy down the hall and I admit, I was still caught up the videos I had seen. The room where Cindy dropped me off looked like a mini theater. I took the seat she offered and she started to quiz me on the stuff I had just seen.

"You understand now why you must wear the corset and keep your body weight in check?"

"Yes, of course." I replied with my voice up an octave or two.

"There is another video to watch today, but you get to see this one alone." Cindy got up and left me, closing the door, and it sounded as if she had locked it as well.

A nude male body flashed on the screen then as Ms. Kathy's voice started.

The male anatomy was talked about in every detail. Then the picture began to change. The male body started to grow breasts. The penis shrank and the muscles softened. The body hair was removed in time lapse. The hips spread and waist became more defined. The face showed signs of being reshaped, as if by plastic surgery. The eyebrows thinned out and the hair on the head became fuller, then took on a female style. It was awesome to watch this person on the screen change from complete male to complete female.

Cindy came back just as the video stopped. She asked me to sign some papers, and before I regained my senses I had signed them. I hadn't read them, so heaven only knew what I had signed.

I left that day with a wardrobe bag and the very real feeling that I was a female trapped in this male body.

I was halfway home before I felt like me again, and that was when it hit me. I dialed the phone, and when Freddy answered I immediately said "Brainwashing … I'm telling you Freddy, they are doing brainwashing!"

"No way!" he countered.

"Yes way!" I shot back, “Today when I first left there, if you had asked me, I would have told you without question that I really wanted to be a girl or woman."

"What about the missing reporter?" he asked.

"Well, I did see a good number of the students this time, but nobody that fit his description."

"So what do you think, you want to pull the plug on this now?" he asked.

"I should probably say yes, but not right now. Right now we have no story, and no proof as to just what they're doing." I stated.

"Well, stay in touch. You miss a call and I'm sending in the troops," he answered.

"Will do," I said as I hung up the phone. I needed help, and someone I could trust. My sister would fit the bill, and she was off from work for a while. If they were trying to brainwash me, I needed someone to watch over me and stop me from going over the edge.

"I'm in a catch 22, Sis. I need to finish the course, and to do that I'll be subjecting myself to their brainwashing. I need you to come live with me for a while to watch me and make sure I don't do anything stupid," I told on the phone after I got home.

"Like letting yourself be made over into a female?" she scoffed.

"Exactly," I replied.

"I doubt that will ever happen, but okay" she said, "There's entirely too much man in you for them to make you into a woman"

I opened the wardrobe bag and hung the clothes in a closet I had cleaned out just for this purpose. I found a cassette tape and player at the bottom of the bag and played it before I went to bed that night.

It seemed odd as I listened. It was like elevator music, but it never stopped. It was like one very long song on both sides. I slept well that night and the pain I felt from the corset just seemed to disappear.

The next morning I got the corset off and took a shower. I fixed my hair and did my makeup, then put on the uniform and changed shoes for some reason. The 4 inch heels seem to make my legs look better, so I wore them. I was already at school by the time my brain kicked in and realized my feet were killing me.

’Why in the world did I wear these shoes?’ I questioned myself.

We watched the same group of tapes again, and once again I was drawn in. I tried not to be, and reminded myself that I had already seen them. Still, I was just as caught up as the first time. I had all the same feelings as before only stronger, and this time I was home several hours before my brain kicked in again.

Sis had moved in while I was at school and I was so very glad to see her. She didn't even notice the transition when my brain kicked in and my voice settled back down to normal. I pointed out these things and gave her even more to watch for. I had taken off the corset that morning, but now it was on again and tighter than before.

I saw only slight changes in the way I moved, walked and talked, but they were changes nonetheless. Sis explained it away, saying it was all very normal. I was dressed like a girl and my mind was copying what I saw other girls do. She didn't know how right she was. I made her promise not to let me harm the man I was, and she agreed.

For the first month, the first day of school repeated itself over and over again. I was becoming more and more at ease being thought of as well as seen as a woman.

Sometimes my brain wouldn't kick in till the early morning just before I was getting ready for school. Sis had noticed this and reminded me often who I was and why I was doing this.

On the first day of the second month, for a few minutes before I got dressed, my brain kicked in. I stepped out of the shower and noticed the new shape my body had taken on. I stepped on the scale and saw I had lost almost twenty pounds. Again, I looked in the mirror and the reflection looked very female. Something wasn't right but I couldn't place it and then the brainwashing took over again.

At school that day, the first two videos were skipped. We went straight to the morph from man to woman.

Cindy asked me straight out if I was ready to start. My mind screamed, wanting to say no, but my mouth said “Yes,” in a very feminine voice. We took the elevator to what looked like a clinic in the basement of the building, where I was placed in a room and a doctor came in. At least, he said he was a doctor.

"So you're ready to start the change?" he asked in a soft voice.

"Yes," I replied again in a voice that wasn't my own. I undressed without hesitation when he asked, and got a full checkup.
I put on the hospital type gown he offered and then was taken by wheelchair to an operating theater. I all but jumped on the bed and threw my feet in the stirrups like I was ready to go. I couldn't believe I had just done that, but there I was, about to have who knew what done to my anatomy.

The doctor lowered my gown and removed the fake breasts first. He likewise tented it over my knees so I couldn't see what he doing down below.

I expected a shot or to be knocked out and wake up in who knows what condition. Never happened. The doctor carefully made a cut just above my navel. He used a tool of some kind to insert the breast implants, and I watched in fascination as the saline filled and formed my breasts. It should have hurt like hell, but all I felt was joy. The others had been fake, but I knew that, these puppies were mine and I was right proud. Then he closed the cut with two small stitches.

He worked between my legs for quite some time and I never felt a single pain of any kind. I was wide awake and even spoke to him.

I arrived home that day right on time, and Sis never noticed the change in me. I called Freddy every day just like I was supposed to, and he never caught on either.

As the second month continued on, I became fully immersed in the idea that I was a lady. My walk changed, as did the way I talked. I spent an hour every day doing exercises that would keep my waist in check. I ate like a bird, yet felt full all the time.

I never left the house without wearing the corset, and eventually I couldn't even get it tight enough anymore. Both sides now met in the back, so that meant I now had a natural 21 inch waist line. My 32 C cup bust seemed small, but I didn't really think too much about it. My hips had swelled to match, at 32 inches, so I felt good about myself all in all. At least now I had a genuine feminine figure.

For brief moments, my brain would kick in and Tim would be astounded to see me in the mirror. I had long since started to sit when I peed, and during one of those moments I noticed my balls were gone. My penis, or what was left of it looked very small like a uncooked sausage.

I had a rash, or what looked like a rash, from head to toe. I would learn later that it wasn't a rash.

During the third month of school, we started going out quite a bit. We hit all the big parties in town and always dressed to the nines. I had learned to dance from the female point of view. I followed, he led. I had even gotten brave about showing some cleavage from time to time. And my gowns were getting shorter with each party I attended.

I started to enjoy teasing a man from time to time. I would let them have a peek at my breasts, or maybe leave a little gap between my legs while I was sitting in just the right direction. In short, I was starting to enjoy being a woman.

Those brief moments of being Tim were getting shorter and shorter all the time. My shaving routine had almost stopped, as the hair just seemed to quit coming back. By now, even my crotch was devoid of hair. I feared all hope for ever being Tim again was gone. And when Sis moved out, I was all but sure of it.

Chapter 4

During the fifth month, I spent many hours giving some shrink the intimate details of Tim's life. I did manage to not give myself away as being undercover so to speak, so I could get the goods on the school. I spilled my guts to this person, whose name I couldn't even recall at the time.

Then one day, I was told it was time. For what, I had no clue but I seemed ready for whatever it was.

On the first day of the last month, I walked into the school and was taken straight to the basement clinic. I was given a checkup just like previous time and told I was in great health. The doctor told me straight up that I was about to begin my new life as a real woman. I just smiled and said thanks.

Moments later the lights went out and that was the last thing I remembered.

I awoke at home and felt refreshed and ready to take on the day. The school had planned a week long trip to the beach somewhere, and I was already packed and ready to go. I parked and locked my car at the airport and took the shuttle to the terminal. The rest of the group was there and it was then I noticed how different we all looked.

For a split second, Tim kicked in and I saw these people as men.

Two I knew right off. One was the missing reporter, whose name tag said ‘Cindy’. The other was a friend from school that I had known for years. How I spotted them that quick was beyond me, but for a second or two I knew it was them.

Then our boarding call was announced, and just that quick, I was back to being the girl they had programmed me to be. I had to pay attention and concentrate, but I did hear the flight attendant announce this was a shuttle flight to Miami.

We had boarded in Atlanta. I wasn't that far gone, I knew I lived just outside Douglasville, Georgia. We got off in Miami and were taken by taxi to our motel.

I checked in and discovered that I was sharing a room with Cindy. She had been with me from day one, so this didn't upset me at all. I had another brief Tim moment as I unpacked. There were three summer dresses, one cocktail dress with shoes and a handbag. And the rest of it was one bikini after another. It was only 7 AM, so Cindy said we should hit the beach early if wanted to leave with a good tan.

I jumped in the shower paying no attention to what looked like a vagina between my legs. I just considered it normal. After all, I was a girl.

The bikinis came in two styles, small, and smaller. Cindy talked me into wearing the smallest one in the bunch. The triangle top just covered my rather large nipples, and the teardrop shaped bottom covered very little and nothing. My butt was fully exposed and only a thin string kept it on.

All week long I had flashbacks of Tim. Some were very strong, while others I barely noticed. Cindy and I had a heck of a time keeping the men at bay, and some were mere boys. While she never said so, I felt like Cindy knew who she really was. Maybe like me, she was having flashbacks, or it might have been something else all together. Either way she didn't have a clue why we were there and I didn't either.

Our bodies became more and more tanned by the day, and it hit me walking from the beach. I had seen everybody but Kathy. With the week almost gone, I knew it would be back to the bricks when I got home.

As Cindy and I came in from the beach on the last day, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. It was Kathy. She was sitting at a table with a man, and he was looking through our private folders from the school.

That didn't seem right. ‘Why is a man from south Florida interested in her business, or our private information?’

Penny wasn't nearly as assertive Tim, but I would have to take this up with her, once we were home, that is.

Our flight landed right on time and we were told to meet back at the school. I drove to the school, but something didn't seem right. In a flash of Tim, I realized this wasn't my car, I had the keys, and it was parked in the same space, but something wasn't right.

At school, we assembled in the gym. Ms. Vicki's had a graduation of sorts and we were all given our diplomas, as well as a plain white envelope. I opened it as soon as I was in the car and found it had all new IDs.

I was now officially a female, right down to my birth certificate. Credit cards and all now listed my name as Penny, and my license to drive said female, and Penny as well. The address on my license was wrong, but I drove there anyway. It was a high-rise apartment, and I found the key to my place in my purse.

It was a plush apartment and all the clothes I had collected in school were there. The lingerie was a bit updated, but the rest of it was mine. I had a flash and remembered that I worked for the paper, and that I was suppose to call Freddy, so I did.

I told him I was Penny, back from my vacation and ready to go to work.

He blew me off, telling me he had no knowledge of a Penny working for the paper, and if I wanted a job, to check with the employment office.

Tim's anger rose to the top and so did his memory.

I called my mom and asked to come over. Candy, my sister was there when I got there, and she told Mom that it looked like me, but she wasn't sure.

"Right now I'm not sure of myself, but for some reason I want to say my name is Tim," I said.

Mom's eyes lit up and Candy's did to. A moment later it was gone as she hammered me with questions about Tim. I got enough of them right for her to realize it was me. She was still pissed that I had thrown her out of the house, but she was willing to help me.

An on-line search revealed a shrink that said he could reverse any form of brainwashing. His last appointment for the day was open and I was welcome to come by. Dr. Beech asked lots of crazy question like how long I had been Penny.

When I answered that I had always been Penny, he asked, "How long were you Tim?"

I answered, “I don't know. Twenty five, maybe twenty six years." His questions sparked a conflict in my mind that was like starting a fire. I couldn't be both Penny and Tim, but I had told him just that. I passed out several seconds later and came too at home with Mom and Sis.

I was hungry as bear and had stomach cramps like I had never known. My head felt like it was on fire and ready to explode at any time.

"Who are you?" Sis asked, as she gave me some coffee.

"Your brother, Penny … I mean Tim … you know who I am,' I said.

She said, "Sure I know who you are, but do you?".

"Of course I do. My name is Tim … I live at 2300 Grandville St. in a house I custom built. I work for the paper, My boss is Freddy the nerd. and my girlfriend's name is Brandy." I was a bit irritated.

Sis helped me off the couch and pointed to the mirror. I looked at this stunning girl, and watched as my hand flew to my face. I passed out again. My mind went into overload and I guess I slept through the night on Mom's couch.

I bolted from the couch the next morning as I heard Mom and Sis talking at the kitchen table. I knew the instant I woke up who I was and where I was. I likewise knew what had happened to me, but I was unclear as to why.

"I'm a girl now," I looked at Sis as I took the coffee.

"Very much so, I'm afraid to say," she replied.

"But you are very pretty," Mom injected.

"Thank you, Mom, I'll try to keep that in mind.”

You were suppose to stop this before it happened, Sis!" I stated.

" How could I. You kicked me out?" she countered.

" You're right I did. I remember that now." I said.

Mom passed me the morning paper and I thought I knew why. Sure enough there was my byline, and a picture of me in the inset.

"If this person sitting at my table is Tim, then who is this, and who wrote the column?" Mom asked.

"That's a good question, Mom and I think I know the right person to ask, " I replied.

Freddy blew me off again as a prank call. It made me mad, and then I had to laugh as well. How could he believe I was Tim? He was sitting at his desk looking right across the hall at the person he thought was me. It would take more than a phone call to settle this matter.

Over breakfast Mom and Sis pounded me with questions again, only this time I got them all right. I even told Mom about a tiny tattoo Sis had gotten years ago. She had never told Mom, and that was the last question Sis bothered to ask. She now knew I was her brother even if I didn't look much like it.

Mom agreed. Only her Tim would tell on his sister so easily. I didn't eat much. The fact that I was stuck being a girl had sunk in. I didn't want to become fat right away either, if you know what I mean.

I took the car that I now knew wasn't mine and went to the apartment that I knew wasn't mine either. I took a long hot shower and drank in my body as I did.

My breasts were plenty big enough, and my hips were too. My waist was very small and I had no clue as to how I had done that. My nipples got hard as rocks as soon as the water hit them. It was a good feeling that traveled to my vagina. My vagina looked like something in a picture book, perfect was the word that came to mind. There wasn't a single hair on my body anywhere. I had loved it when Brandy had shaved her private parts. Now I was in the same boat and the feel was just the same.

My tan was easy to see, and all in all I would say I was one hot looking babe. Or at least that's what Tim would have said.

I had seen more than a few women use their looks to get most anything they wanted. I now had those looks and I wanted the truth. I wanted to know why my life had been stolen, and who was living it. I knew all too well how it had been done. It was the why that really bother me.

I headed for the bedroom to get dressed and all the things I had been taught about being a lady just seemed to kick in. I was still Tim my brain wasn't spinning in neutral while my body went on without me.

I found my panty drawer and started to put on the first pair I grabbed. Then I thought about it for a minute. I laid a white bra and panty set out on the bed. Then I looked high and low for some pantyhose but never found any. I had a ton of garter belts and stockings galore, but no pantyhose. I found a short white skirt and matching top trimmed with pink piping at the seams. It had a western look to it, yet was rather dressy too.

I found the bottom of the closet lined with shoes, all of them all high heels, some higher than others, but I don’t think any of them were under three inches. I took my time and thought about how I wanted to look. I wasn’t just throwing something on like Tim often did.

Freddy was single and never went home from work till he stopped by his favorite watering hole. He probably knew the name of every girl that came in the place and had slept with a few. He was always eager to meet a new face and tonight, that would be me.

If I could get him alone for just a few minutes, I figured I could prove to him that I was the real Tim, and the person in the office was not really me. I figured if he could resist the new me he was a much stronger man than I thought. And I had plans to make sure that didn't happen either.

I picked an off white garter belt and closed it around my waist. Next were the darkest tan stockings I could find and with my natural tan my legs looked great right off. With the stocking in place, I put on the half cup bra I had laid out and felt it pull my breasts up and to the center of my chest. A white lace trimmed camisole was next and I put on the blouse after that. I left the two top buttons open.

Chapter 5

I slipped on the white high heeled pumps that I had taken from the closet, and they were really high. Five to six inches at least. Either way they were hard to walk in.

I paused to do my makeup and used a little more than normal since I was going to a rather dimly lit bar. I wanted to make sure Freddie noticed me, even if it meant that everybody in the place did as well. I styled my hair with a blow dryer and with the fresh perm it all but fell into place. I checked myself in the mirror and I looked like a woman on the prowl.

After a little more looking, I found a white leather mini skirt I knew would start Freddie's motor. With the tail of my blouse tucked in, I zipped the skirt closed. A gold chain belt presented itself and with my gold necklace and anklet it looked like it belonged. The skirt wasn't so short as to show the tops of my stockings while I was standing, but sitting would be another story. I changed to the matching hand bag and checked my look one more time before I left.

I used my cell phone to see if Freddie had left work, and he had, so I knew where to find him.

It was strictly a country bar as far as music was concerned, but the city folk sure seemed to flock to it. And as far as Freddie was concerned, most of the beautiful people showed up there sooner or later.

It took a good half hour to make the drive, and I admit I was a bit nervous. My body was all female, but now my mind was two people at the same time. Tim, the real me, and Penny, the me they had trained Tim to be. I hoped there was enough Penny left in me to pull this off.

I parked my car and locked it, leaving my purse behind. I had my identification and enough money for a drink or two stuffed into the top of my stockings. I saw the normal crowd when I walked in but only the men seemed to notice me.

I took the seat at the bar that Tim would have normally taken and Freddie took the bait before I could even order a drink.

"Fred Wilson," he stuck out his hand as he looked at the bar keep.

" Penny," I said as I shook his hand lightly.

"Her drinks are on me," he announced.

"Scotch on the rocks," Tim's normal drink was what I ordered.

"You should never drink alone," Freddie continued as he offered to find us a booth.

" I seldom drink," I replied as we moved to a booth, "And I'm seldom alone unless I plan it that way." He smiled then took the opposite side of the booth as we waited for our drinks.

"Come here often?" I asked, just to see what he would say.

" It's on my way home from work, so almost every night. I don't recall ever seeing you here," he continued, " Are you new in town?"

"You might say that," I smiled, knowing it was on his way home unless he found a willing female to keep him company. We drank and made small talk and then work came up as his next subject.

"I'm the chief editor for the paper." he boasted with a smile.

"Is that so?" I replied.

"I used to do some writing myself," I smiled as his eyes lit up.

"Really?" he looked me over close. "The style section?" he guessed.

" Not hardly," I smiled. "Investigative is more to my liking."

"Are you any good?" he asked.

"I have broken more than one or two stories. Why? Do you have a job opening?" I asked.

"I do have this guy that seems to be falling on his face lately. He's a good man and damn fine writer, but something changed a while back and he's never been the same," Freddie replied.

"Could it be a woman?" I smiled, "Is he married?"

" Tim? No way! He's got more guts than to give in for a woman!" Freddie replied.

"Well, you said something changed," I replied.

" True.. But if it were a woman I would know. He's like a brother to me most of the time and we’ve share a lot of secrets," Freddie confided," But if he had a woman, believe me I would know it."

" Does he know you that well?" I asked.

" Sure!" he shot back.

"Then why not talk to him, like a brother?" I innocently asked.

Freddie answered, " He's always busy, no time to hang out or talk, but his work has really gone downhill lately."

"Maybe that because it's not Tim!" I shot the bullet.

"What?! Of course it's Tim, I know the guy when I see him," Freddie said.

"Then why don't you recognize me?" I shot back.

"Believe me lady! If I knew you before tonight, I would," Freddie said defensively.

"How about the night we took the owner's twins out to eat?" I questioned.

"Holy Shit! … who told you that?" His eyes got big as quarters.

"Nobody … I'm the person you used to know as Tim, and the person in the office is an impostor," I announced.

I could tell he was about to bolt. "Think about it Freddie. Who besides you and Tim knew you dated the twins?" I said.

"Then what was your last big story?"

"Do you mean the booking ring where I got busted by the cops, or Ms. Kathy's?" I answered.

"What the hell are you doing?! If the cops catch on to this, they'll take us both to jail!" he exclaimed.

He believed me. That was a start.

"You know how this town treats cross-dressers," he added.

" It's really not a problem," I shot back, "I have the ID I need to prove that I'm Penny, and I would say I'm dressed appropriately."

"Let's get the hell out of here," he shot back.

"Oh no! You leave first. I'm not going to become your next conquest story.

Meet me at the 7-Eleven at Market Street. Leave now and give me ten minutes to catch up," I ordered.

"Okay, but if this is some cock and bull story." he blustered..

"It's not. Now go!" I interrupted.

He left. I finished my drink then left a few minutes later. He was nervous as a cat when I told him to follow me to my apartment. Once we were inside, I told him how I had been brainwashed, and that I actually was now a female. It had been done against my will, but done nonetheless.

He told me how I called in one day out of the blue and just quit. He’d called me two weeks later and I came back. Or whoever it was that was replacing me.

"He looks just like you in every detail," Freddie added.

"Well, he's not me, and if you ask him enough questions, I'm sure you can find that out on your own. Then you'll really believe that the Tim you once knew is really me," I said.

"Tomorrow is Friday, and you can bet I'll know the truth before he gets his paycheck," Freddie fumed.

I slept well that night as the first steps to getting my life back had been taken. I still had a long way to go, but I would get it back sooner or later.

The next morning I looked myself over in the mirror again. The corset had shaped my body into a rather curvy figure. My hips were ample and my skin over all was smooth as silk. My breasts were a modest B cup, and for my body size I guess they were okay.

I decided a doctor’s visit was in order. I went to our family doctor and acted like it was my first visit. I got a full checkup, which included an x-ray of my breasts. Doctor Brown told me she thought it was rather odd that I had gotten breast implants, but never filled them. They were easy to see on the x-ray as she pointed them out.

“I had second thoughts after the operation,” I told her thinking quickly, “but I would like to have another cup size now.” I reasoned that the original saline had been removed once my natural breast had started to grow.

She got a bottle of saline and a rather big needle and filled each breast from the tube that lay just under the skin above my navel. Right before my eyes my breasts grew a full cup size. The skin was tight and it stretched my nipples a bit, but now I felt very confident. I had the assets to get anything I wanted.

My B-flat bras would never hold them now, so my next stop was a shop at the mall where I got several new bras.

The doctor had told me my ovaries and tubes seemed to be working order and my uterus showed no signs of cancer, nor did my breasts. I had done some checking up and most sex-change patients don't get all the right plumbing. This would make it even harder to re-establish myself as Tim.

I called to make sure the new Tim was at work and rode by my old house. My door key still fit. I used the master code to turn off the alarm. I was very careful not to touch anything as I looked around. I looked for anything that would tell me who this person was who had assumed my life. I found nothing and less than nothing.

It was time to call in a few favors. That meant I had to deal with some people who I would rather not let know what had happened to me, but so be it. I called an old F.B.I. man, retired now, but one of the best people I knew at breaking into a place.

I dressed modestly for the meeting, and told him what I needed and where to get it.

"And why should I do this for you?" he questioned me.

"Tim could have blown your cover years ago, and because you basically owe him one," I answered.

"You're not Tim!" Jimmy shot back.

"Not the Tim you knew but, it is his file you want, so if you want to maintain your cover.. " I hinted.

"I'll get it," he sighed, " And by the way, tell Tim when you see him again, that the school is nothing more than an elaborate set up to hide wanted mob figures.

"Wow! What do you mean by that?" I replied in one breath.

"Are all reporters dense?!" he replied with some sarcasm,

" The men who go to this so-called school never come back, and if they do, well it's some mob related person taking on their life."

"And just how do they do this?" I asked.

"Do I have to spell it out for you in black and white?" he asked.

"Please do!" I gave him some of his sarcasm back.

He continued, "Okay, think of it this way. If you were wanted by the law, what better way to hide than to take on the life of somebody who isn't. There is a report that makes me believe they might even be giving some of them a sex-change."

"Really?" I shot back, "Go on."

" Right now we're tracking three of these so-called girls, but so far we haven't found out anything. What I really suspect is that the men who go in, come out as women.

Then the wanted person is given the life of the man that once was. My boss says it's a crazy idea, and won't let me run with it." he complained.

"Tell you what. You get Tim's file and I'll convince your boss to let you run with that idea as you say, " I promised.

"Right, and the area 51 scandal is all about aliens," he replied sarcastically.

"You want to break this case or not?" I said.

"You know I do!" he shot back.

"Then get me that file and keep your mouth closed till I contact you again," I ordered.

He wasn't happy when he left, but he promised me I would have the file by the time the sun came up.

The mob wasn't something I had figured into my plan. I had all the evidence I needed to take back my old life. However, if some mob figure was living my old life, the last thing I needed was some mob boss looking for me. Far better to give what I knew to the F.B.I. and let them do it for me. At least that way I could get what was really mine, and I'd still be clean as far as the mob was concerned.

Now my plan had to change a little and the contents of Tim's folder might just tell the tale.

I was exhausted by the time I got home and slept even better than I had in a long time. As I slept, I remembered some of the things that had happened to me over the last six months and that I was stuck being a female. I awoke around six in the morning to my doorbell going off. I didn't even think to grab a house coat I just got up and went to the door.

A big manila folder had been slid under the door. I opened the door and looked, but nobody was at the door now.

I spent the whole day reading through the papers in the folder. It covered every detail of my change from Tim to Penny right down to and including the new organs that now filled my lower abdomen. My breasts had originally been a C cup, but after the hormones kicked in and my real breasts started to grow the saline had been removed.

Chapter 6

I had already put some of it back and now I knew I could easily be a D or Double D cup if I chose too. The doctor noted that I should be able to have a period once the ovaries and natural hormones kicked in. And my pelvis had been fixed to allow for childbirth should I decide later to have one. All in all, they hadn't missed a trick. I was as much a woman as any woman natural born.

Around two, the phone rang and some man on the other end told me if I didn't show up for work today, not to bother coming back. I didn't have a clue who he was, or what the hell he was talking about. The caller ID said it was a bar, so I had to check this out.

"Be here by three," his voice boomed, "I'm not covering your shift again."

" Okay," I replied in a bit of a questioning voice.

I had taken a shower earlier in the day so I slipped on a skirt and blouse, found the closest thing I had to some flats for shoes and took off. For some reason I knew just where the bar was. I drove right to it.

Much to my shock it was a topless bar and I walked in to find Cindy dancing on the main stage. She was headed for the steps to come off stage as the song ended, and pointed me to the back room behind the bar.

I looked around as I went and saw several girls I knew, and all from the school. Cindy got there almost the same time I did and pointed out my locker.

" Get changed and hurry! You’re on the main stage in three minutes."

I looked in the locker and found a G-string and top that I seemed to think at the time were mine. I changed and was being announced by the time I headed out of the room.

As the music blasted, I bounced and shuffled my body across the stage. I tried to look around the place to see who else I knew. There were only three men in the place and they were busy making love to their beer bottles, so I just ignored them.

My second song was more up-beat, and baring my breasts seem to be no big deal at the time. I left the stage after that and the next dancer took my place. I went back to the locker room and found Cindy there crying.

"Are you okay?" I asked in a concerned voice.

"This is not me," she spoke through her tears.

I know I tried to console her.

"No, you don't!" she cried even more."

I'm not a woman, and damn sure not a stripper," she added almost sounding mad.

" Well," I chose my words carefully, " you certainly look like a woman."

"I know," her voice broke again, "but this is all wrong. I just know it."

I thought it was a sure sign that her brainwashing hadn't really taken or at the very least it was wearing off.

I offered to let Cindy stay the night at my place after our shift was over. It took some doing to go back out on stage as the bar began to fill with men, but I managed to do okay.

I had also managed to calm Cindy down and she did at least as well as I did for the rest of the night.

By the time we headed for home, I had several hundred dollars in my purse and Cindy did as well. We both mused that this was the easiest money we had ever made.

"Show a man a little skin and he will sooner or later show you his wallet." She smiled as she counted her money again.

The next morning I took her to Doctor Beech's office. She had already told me she knew she was a man once upon a time. How she had become a woman was the part she couldn't remember. In just a few seconds, the good doctor broke her brainwashing just the same as he had mine.

Charles, now Cindy, was devastated as his memories came flooding back. Granted I had been plenty mad when I figured out what had happened, but that was small time compared to the way Cindy acted. She was ready to kill Ms. Kathy and suffer the punishment later.

I finally did manage to get her calm again and we checked to see if her life as Charles had been assumed by someone else the same as mine had. Of course, it had been, and that person looked just like the real thing.

I let Cindy in on my plan to get my life back and she readily agreed to come aboard.

Jimmy was our next stop and he wasn't all too thrilled when he found I needed him to break into the same place again.

"Confirmation," I told him, " Doing it once to me, might get them a slap on the wrist. Twice is the starting point of a pattern. A pattern that your boss won’t be able to ignore."

He saw the light in my reasoning and that night he got Cindy's folder.

Her folder read much like mine. Breast and female organ implants, and that rash we both had noticed. That had been the hair removal process.

Needless to say we would never have need of a razor. Save the hair on our heads, there wasn't a single strand anywhere to be found, and never would be according to our files.

Cindy and I both realized that so long as we thought of ourselves as women, our brains seemed to function well, as did our bodies. After lots of tears and laughter, we conceded that we were stuck being women, but at least we were pretty and knew all too well how to get anything we wanted.

Together we went to the county courthouse and started to gather all the information we could on Ms. Kathy and her so-called school. Her past was very traceable and in just a few hours we knew more than we really needed to.

She had well known connections to the mob. In fact, we suspected she was one of us, in a manner of speaking. Once a man, now a woman, but a woman in hiding, and not just from her past. If she was who Cindy and I thought she was, then she was wanted by the law as well.

"Fingerprints,” Cindy stated firmly.

"What do you mean?" I looked at her rather blankly.

"Well ,you might can change a man into a woman, or even a woman into a man, but the fingerprints never change," Cindy said.

"True," I replied," but just how would we get them? It's not like we can walk up and ask for them."

"True," Cindy smiled," but she does come to the bar every Friday night. I know, I have served her more than a few drinks," she added.

"Okay, so Friday night we steal her glass and give it to Jimmy and see what he comes up with, " I suggested.

By the time we got back to my apartment, there were several messages on my machine. One was from Freddy, who had been questioning the person who was passing himself off as me.

"Whoever he is, one thing is for sure,” he spoke rather quietly into the phone, “he isn't Tim.”

Cindy confided in me that her boss had figured out as well, the person pretending to be him really wasn't. Knowing something and proving it in a court of law is an altogether different thing. We needed evidence, and lots of it.

I called Jimmy and made a date with him for Friday at the club. Fingerprints don't lie, and that was a good place to start.

Jimmy was stunned to see Cindy and me on stage, and topless to boot. We pointed out the lady in question as soon as she arrived.

"We’ll get her glass with her fingerprints on it, and you find out who she or he really is," I told him.

" And what is this suppose to prove?" he asked?.

"Well, if she's really a she, then maybe nothing. However if she was once a he like us, then maybe you can make an arrest."

"She's a wanted mob person," Cindy spat," I just know it."

Cindy served her her first drink, When Kathy was finished with her first drink, she took the glass very carefully so as to not mess up the prints. A dance or two later she passed it to Jimmy and he made a beeline to the door.

For the rest of the night it was as if Kathy was taking a special interest Cindy and me. She watched every move we made, and stayed till the last call was given. Normally she was gone by midnight.

Cindy and I took the back way out and found Kathy waiting at my car. "I don't know what you two are up to, but you are up to something. I gave you both a good life and a way to earn more money than you ever would have. Think about that before you mess it up trying to get what you think is your old life back. You might find out who I really am, but then the whole world will know who you once were. Is it really worth it?"

She walked away confident in the fact she had stopped any further looking into her past.

Between us, we had almost two thousand dollars as we counted our earnings for the night.

"She was right, in a way,"

Cindy spoke in a hushed tone, "It would take me all month to make what I did tonight."

" You're right, but look what it cost us." I spoke in a harsh tone. "In a year I could send my daughter to college, fully paid and have some left over," she stated.

"True, but your daughter will never call you Daddy again. Can you live with that?" I added.

"It will be hard," she spoke in a softer tone, "but I wasn't the best daddy to begin with. At least this way I can provide for her much better than I was doing."

I didn't take that conversation any further, as it was turning out to be a bit personal. I knew Chuck had a drinking problem, and his marriage was on the skids as it was. He had been caught cheating on his wife, and she’d suggested the school.

She had wanted to teach him a lesson and to stop his womanizing ways. She had done that, well enough, but I wasn't so sure she knew the real cost.

His job at the tabloid style paper had just been enough to support them. Now he had some real money in his hands, and he was thinking like he should have been from the start. Supporting your family should always come first.

She spent the night with me and we hoped for a call from Jimmy before we had to go to work again. I think we both just wanted the truth. In our case it would mean a lot, even if we didn't get our old jobs back. That wasn't really the issue.

Our number one question was, ”Why?” I knew as well as she did, that the lives we once had were gone forever, yet we had everything we needed to make new ones. The question was, could we live with the idea that while our lives had been taken and then replaced with new ones that neither of us had wanted, we could do better than we had been doing?

So long as I didn't dwell on the fact that I had once been a man known as Tim, the brainwashing worked the way it was supposed to. Acting like a girl came easy, and I felt like one as well.

Yet I had been so busy trying to solve this mystery that having sex as a female had never crossed my mind as yet. I

I was thinking like a man for a change, and getting my life back to some sort of normal was first on the list. I missed my home, and the privacy it afforded me. I also missed my job and friends at the paper.

Mom and Sis had accepted the fact that I was now a female, much as it pained them to.

Sis and I spoke almost every day, and she knew that I was all female now. "Had your period yet?" she asked.

"No and I hope I don't, or not any time soon," I replied.

"Well, you have all the right plumbing, so don't be alarmed if you do," she advised.

" I'll keep that in mind," I replied with a smile.

" You still sound nervous," she told me.

"Well, I guess I am a bit. It's not an easy thing to do, you know, once you remember who you really were," I added.

"Well, only a select few know the truth, and I doubt anybody will spill the beans. Relax, “she added, "You look as much a female as anybody I know, and I doubt anybody would think different, the way you look now.’

She was right. I was nervous for no good reason. I had just hung up the phone when it rang, and much to my delight it was Jimmy.

Chapter 7

"Good news, I hope," as he started to make some small talk.

"Well yes in a way," he added. "I take it you got a match of some kind on the prints, " I prompted.

"Yes," he replied with what I thought was a smile.

"And?" I questioned.

"Well" he paused.

"Come on Jimmy, just spit it out!" I said impatiently.

"Well she is who she says she is. Ms Kathy that is."

"And?" I questioned yet again.

"I'm still not sure but we have no records of her more than seven years back," Jimmy replied.

" So what does that mean?" I asked.

" It means I have to do some more checking, " he replied,

"She may be a protected witness."

" Or maybe she just has a good lawyer," I added.

"Could be," he said in a quiet tone.

"Call me back when you have it done, I just know she's running from the law for some reason, or at the very least hiding from it," I replied.

Cindy and I weren't pleased with what we knew so far. Jimmy was a good man, and if there was any dirt to be found he would find it sooner or later. In the meantime we decided to keep working at the bar and saving our money.

For starters, we needed the money, and second, we needed the distraction to keep us sane. We both had enough information to take our lives back, but what about all the other people that had been through the school? If they were all law abiding people like me and Cindy, then a lot of hoods had taken their places.

I was sure Jimmy had stopped long enough to have that thought as well. He was hard-nosed when it came to the mob or hoods in general, so I knew he wouldn't just walk away from what he knew.

A week passed before Jimmy called again. This time he asked for a meeting with me, and Cindy as well. I gave him a cross street and told him to park and wait till he saw my car.

I went by Mom's place and got the keys to the hunting lodge and tried not to tell her too much. When I turned from 152 onto 99,, Jimmy fell in behind us. He followed us to the lodge and we went inside to talk.

"Coffee?" I asked as I started a pot to brew.

"Sure," Jimmy spoke rather softly and very out of character for him.

Both Cindy and I had skipped breakfast.

Cindy spoke next, "Mind if I cook us something?"

"Help yourself," I replied.

Jimmy took a seat at the table, while Cindy started on breakfast. As soon as the coffee was ready, we all sat at the table with eggs, ham, fresh biscuits and coffee.

"So why the in person meeting?" I asked.

"This is big," Jimmy started, "bigger than all of us ever imagined."

"How so?" Cindy asked.

" Ms. Kathy is C.I.A." Jimmy said.

"That's not good!" I sputtered.

"It gets worse." he frowned.

"Really?" Cindy chimed in, "how much worse than what happened to us can it get?"

Jimmy explained, "I can't give you a lot of details but let’s just say that Ms. Kathy is part of our spy program."

"And?" I asked in stern tone. A knock at the front door stopped his reply.

I answered the door with Jimmy behind me and Cindy well hidden in the back bedroom. Jimmy had one hand on his pistol and there was a loaded shotgun behind the door and well within my reach.

Ms. Kathy, Cindy's wife and kids, Freddy and the man who had taken my place, were all on the porch. Two other men were there as well, but I didn't know them on sight.

"Can we come in?" Kathy spoke first.

"Depends," I replied as I took the shotgun in hand.

"On?"she asked.

"What you have in mind?" I replied as I moved the gun into view.

"Clarification," she smiled as she backed away from the door.

I stepped away from the door to allow them in and they all took a seat in the living room. Cindy came in from the back and stood with me and Jimmy.

"I take it you two want some answers," Kathy started.

"To say the least !"Cindy spoke up as she looked at her wife and daughter.

"Since you already know that I work for the feds, thanks to Jimmy here, I'll get right to it.

"I knew before you two ever got in the door that each of you were reporters. What I do is not for public consumption, so I had to make sure you never got to print any story of any kind, so we put you through the school like we would anybody else that needed it.

“It's my job to keep our spy agency healthy, and to do that, from time to time we need to re-create our agent’s history and make it very traceable. I can't tell you much beyond that. However, since you two seem hell bent on having your lives back, we, the agency that is, have decided to oblige you."

Kathy looked at Charles' wife, "Mary, … meet Cindy your ex-husband Charles.

And Penny, meet the man that replaced you for a while as Tim. His name, at least for now, is Jeff."

Cindy, Mary, and a stunned Lola all took a few minutes to hug and cry and then went to the kitchen for a few private moments.

Jeff shook my hand and thanked me for not blowing his cover.

Kathy continued, "Jeff will be moving on now, so your house, as well as your old job, assuming Fred here will take you on as a female, are all yours."

I looked at Freddy. "Hell yes!" came his reply.

"The thing is," Kathy spoke again," you can't ever tell this story."

"What?!" Freddy's eyes went wide.

Kathy ignored Freddy as she continued, "Tim, you'll get a million dollars from the agency, 20k a month till it's paid out. That is, if you agree to the terms I have just laid out."

"And what about Cindy?" I asked, "She has another daughter, and a son as well."

"They will be taken care of in the same way as you will be, so long as the story is never told," Kathy assured me.

"This afternoon Tim and Charles will die as far as the world is concerned. Two John Doe bodies will be found, and later Id will be established as you two, and it will never be questioned. According to the news you two were missing for quite some time, and now, with two bodies, dead of course, your cases will be laid to rest.

The rest is up to you and Cindy. Keep silent, and live a good life or speak and maybe not live at all," Kathy informed me.

" That sounds like a threat," I spoke calmly.

"What the agency might do if you two talk is out of my hands, but rest assured they will protect me and the system such as it is." she replied.

Back from the kitchen, Cindy agreed to the deal. The money was more than enough to put her kids through college and still live a good life. I wasn't going to mess up the works for Cindy, so I agreed as well. I did get permission to write this story in fiction form, and of course, I had to change all the names and dates and so on.

What you choose to believe is up to you, but according to Kathy this happens several times a day now.

The end.