Author's note: This story takes place in the same universe as my story A Plague of Changes though it is a stand alone tale.

Howard Bell frowned as he tore his eyes from the computer screen in front of him, tired of looking through reports and eager for the day to end. Fortunately, it almost was. Or at least it was almost time for him to go home from work and get some rest. And with the way he felt at the moment, he needed it.

"Time for a smoke break," Howard sighed as he got up from his desk and left his office.

After Howard had finished with a quick cigarette, he made his way back into the building, nearly running into Todd Haskins, one of the people who worked for Howard. Todd was fairly tall and thin, a far cry from the shorter, stocky man who had first come to work for Howard a year earlier. But that was before he'd caught the Bug.

"You all right?" Todd asked, looking a little concerned.

Nodding slightly, Howard responded, "Yeah. I'm just a bit tired."

This time, it was Todd's turn to nod. "I had some questions about the Murphy account..."

Howard managed to keep from letting out an exasperated sigh. That account seemed to have caused nothing but trouble for him and his department. If it wasn't so valuable for the company, he would have just said the hell with it. However, it was important and he couldn't just ignore it because it was troublesome.

"Mary has been working with Ian Matthews on the project," Howard told Todd thoughtfully. "She should be able to help get what you need for your part. If not, send me an E-mail reminder."

Todd gave a quick, "Thanks," then hurried back to his desk to get back to work. That just made Howard chuckle, as did it did nearly every time when the people who worked for him made a bit of a show that they were working, just because he was around.

Then with a, "Damn Murphy account," Howard went into the bathroom.

Once Howard had finished relieving himself, he washed his hands and looked up into the mirror above the sink. The reflection was that of a 36 year old man with a slightly receding hairline. And though it wasn't obvious from the image in the mirror, he stood 5 foot 10 and was beginning to get a bit heavier around the middle. It was a reflection that Howard was very familiar with. The reflection of Howard Bell, a low level manager for the company he worked for.

"Damn," Howard muttered as he splashed some water on his face.

He couldn't wait to get home and get some rest, especially not with the way he'd started to feel a bit tired over the last hour. It was as though the energy had just been slowly draining away from him. Obviously, he decided, the stress of dealing with the Murphy account was beginning to get to him.

With that, Howard turned and headed back to his office. Though it might be close to the end of the day, it wasn't over yet and he still had a lot of work to do.

When Howard finally returned home some time later, he quickly reheated some leftovers for dinner, feeling too tired for anything more. The weariness that he'd started to feel at work had only gotten a bit stronger, and he'd even started to feel some small aches in his muscles as well. While eating, Howard also realized that he just wasn't as hungry as normal either.

"So much for dinner," he muttered to himself as he dumped what was left of it into the garbage, not having the appetite to finish his meal.

A minute later, Howard sat down in his favorite recliner, giving a brief glance at the TV but not bothering to turn it on. Instead, he reached for the mystery novel that he'd been reading lately, curious to find out of his suspicions about the killer were correct. He smiled faintly, knowing that the book's author always had a knack of throwing in unexpected twists.

"The butler did it," Howard chuckled to himself, repeating the same joking phrase that he always said when he started reading a mystery novel.

Mysteries were Howard's favorite type of book, followed closely by true crime. He didn't think that anything could beat the enjoyment of trying to solve the mystery before it was actually spelled out. Something about putting together the pieces of a puzzle, deciphering all of the clues and figuring out 'whodunit' was always a bit of a thrill.

After several minutes though, Howard sighed and closed the book, unable to keep his concentration on it. He was feeling too tired... too ill, and seeming to grow even more so with every minute. The book would have to wait until he was better able to focus on it.

Howard grunted as he climbed out of the chair, staggering just slightly as he did so. At the moment, he decided that the best thing that he could do was to sleep it off and hope that he felt better in the morning. With no further hesitation, he started towards bed... and hopefully a good nights sleep.

When the alarm went off in the morning, Howard grunted and buried his head deeper into the pillow. However, that failed to silence the incessant beeping, forcing him to sit up and turn off the clock. For a moment, Howard just remained motionless, feeling even worse than he had the night before.

"Damn it," Howard grumbled as he strained to get to his feet.

It was a much more difficult task than it should have been, with every muscle in his body aching. He almost felt like he did when a half dozen guys had beaten the crap out of him back in college after a minor 'disagreement'... except that this was worse. Then Howard staggered towards the bathroom, never having imagined that it could seem so far away.

After splashing some cold water on his face in an attempt to help wake up, Howard looked up at his reflection and suddenly froze. He was instantly aware that something was wrong, though in his still half asleep state, it took several seconds to realize what it was. Then, Howard felt a cold chill shoot down his spine.

With a gulp, Howard squeaked out, "Oh shit..."

Howard's eyes widened as he stared into the mirror. There was no doubt that his hair was over an inch longer, as well as a little darker. The normal morning beard stubble was conspicuously absent and there was something else about his face that just seemed wrong, though he couldn't quite make out what it was.

"Shit," Howard repeated, tearing his eyes from his reflection and looking down at his body.

Again, there were noticeable changes. For one, most of his body hair seemed to be absent, and for another, his 'spare tire' almost looked as though it had deflated a little. His waist actually looked as though it was just a little thinner, though Howard knew that it could just be his imagination. However, after standing on the scale and seeing that he was 8 pounds lighter than he should be, Howard knew that it wasn't.

Then, Howard sat down on the toilet seat and stared at his hands in horror. At first, he'd thought that he just had the flu, or maybe food poisoning from the office cafeteria. But now...now Howard knew what was wrong with him. He had the Bug.

Suddenly, a thousand thoughts ran through Howard's mind, a thousand fears. He remembered everything he'd heard about the Bug... The Bug, officially known as Burke's Biomorphic Virus, had appeared out of nowhere several years back and had quickly spread over the entire world. Now, catching it was almost as common as catching the flu, and you could even get it more than once, though this was the first time that Howard had gone through it.

However, it was what the Bug did that send chills down Howard's spine. Somehow, the virus changed people. It worked differently every time, sometimes doing such minor things as changing eye or hair color, but other times it could get much... much more extreme. It could even make someone look like an entirely different person. And there was no telling what it would do until it did it.

After a steady stream of curses that lasted for nearly two minutes, Howard grunted and made his way to the other room. With a deep scowl, he picked up the phone and made a call that he really didn't want to.

"This is Howard," he told his supervisor on the other end. "I'm afraid that I won't be able to make it in today." Then almost as if on cue, Howard started coughing.

"Are you all right?" the voice of Theresa Sanchez asked from the phone.

Howard just nodded, even though she wouldn't be able to tell he had. A moment later, he gritted his teeth and said, "I've got the Bug..."

Theresa made some sympathetic noises, "The flu is going around..."

"No!" Howard said a bit more shortly than he should have. "I have THE Bug. Burke's."

There was a moment of silence before Theresa responded with an, "Oh." Then she said, "I'll let everyone know you won't be in for a couple days then and I'll have Brad cover for you."

"Thanks," Howard told her with a sigh.

Then in a sympathetic voice, Theresa told him, "I hope it works out all right."

Howard just nodded again, knowing exactly what she meant. He'd pretty much said the same thing to friends who'd caught the Bug when he offered his hopes that the virus didn't do anything too extreme to them. Unfortunately, this time it was his turn.

With another, "Thanks," Howard hung up the phone and made his way back to bed.

It was just after noon when Howard sat at the kitchen table, staring down at the jam and toast in front of him. He wasn't really hungry, especially as he felt a bit nauseous, but he told himself that he'd better eat something.

Howard had spent most of the morning slipping in and out of sleep, tossing uncomfortably and quickly waking to the cramps that permeated every muscle in his body. Even his bones hurt, feeling strangely as though they no longer quite fit his body right. But at the same time, as uncomfortable as it all was, Howard was relieved that it wasn't as painful as he would have expected.

Ever since climbing out of bed a short time earlier, Howard had made it a point not to look down at himself. No matter how tempted he was to check the damage, he knew that he didn't want to face that yet. For a short while at least, he wanted to pretend that he just had the flu. That he didn't have something so serious that it could have serious repercussions on his entire life... even on his very sense of self.

Taking a bite of the toast, Howard closed his eyes, trying not to think about how wrong his body felt. It wasn't just the aches and cramps, but something more as well. Something a lot deeper, that the aches might even be helping to mask. The fact that his shorts were hanging loosely about his waist when they were normally a good fit only served to confirm this to him.

When Howard had finished eating, he finally let out a sigh and exclaimed, "Time to see the damage." He winced as he said it, taking a deep breath before looking down at himself.

For several seconds, Howard carefully ran his eyes over his body, trying to retain some degree of emotional detachment. To pretend that it was happening to someone else. It gave him some illusion of being in control, of being more separated from the situation... but not much.

Howard's body was noticeably thinner, looking smaller all around. He let out a faint sigh of relief, having imagined it as having been much worse.

"Nothing wrong with losing a few pounds," Howard told himself with a forced smile, beginning to wonder for the first time if he might actually come out of this ahead of the game. After all, it was certainly known to happen. He'd even seen it a few times.

But then as he looked down at himself again, he felt the 'but'. As in, but that didn't explain why he'd lost all of his body hair. Or why all of his skin was now so soft and smooth. It was a question that wouldn't let him take much delight in just losing a little weight. Not when he was a firm believer in the most sacred of natural laws... Murphy's Law.

"Damn it," Howard spat as he got up, holding onto his shorts to keep them from sliding down as they were now inclined to.

A moment later, Howard went to the bathroom to relieve himself. That was what he told himself, though he knew that it was also because he wanted to take another look at his reflection. To see if there was anything more in his face that was different. It was a morbid curiosity, but it was something that he had to know.

The mirror showed little more than it had earlier that morning, though there were more changes. His hair was another inch longer, and his face seemed just a little more different as well. Howard wasn't sure exactly what it was, but his face looked a little... younger. A little... softer.

"What are you doing?" Howard quietly demanded of the strange virus that ran through his body.

Again, he silently thought about the Bug. About the strange Burke's virus that no one would have even imagined possible just six years earlier. The virus that still remained a near complete mystery, even after five and a half years. All there was were rumors and theories, though Howard suspected that the truth was in there somewhere. Not that did him or anyone else much good.

"You'd think that they'd have found a cure by now," Howard muttered, "Or at least a vaccine."

Then, just as Howard started to turn away from the mirror, he noticed something on the wall. One of the tiles had a crack in it. A crack, which was normally just below eye level, but was now just a tiny bit above it. A chill ran down Howard's spine at the sudden realization.

"Shit!" he cursed as he hurried to get his tape measure as fast as his shaky legs would carry him.

It only took Howard a minute to mark the top of his head against the wall and then to measure it. The results were what he suspected...what he feared. He had grown shorter by over an inch and a half. But even worse, by how recently the Bug had just started to hit him, Howard had a horrible feeling that he hadn't stopped shrinking.

After this, Howard sat down to brood and think about what that meant. There was a growing surety that he was going to be one of those to go through a rather extreme change. And there was absolutely nothing that he could do about it. However, he reminded himself that he was far from the first to deal with that problem.

"Get practical," Howard told himself firmly, hoping that it would help take his mind off of the changes. Or at least let him regain some feeling of control when he knew that he had none.

With that, Howard realized that there were going to be a number of problems for him if he underwent an extreme change. Though he didn't want to face it, there was little choice. And at the moment, he knew that he could at least do something to ease a few of those problems.

Several minutes later, Howard used the timer on his Polaroid camera to take a picture of himself. He grimaced at the sight of it but knew that it wasn't going to be the first. There were going to be more pictures before his change was completed. And between those and the picture of himself from several weeks ago, he knew that it would do a great deal for proving his identity after the Bug was finished with him.

"That should do it," Howard muttered, knowing as any manager did that proper documentation would go a long way towards covering his ass. His current situation was no different in that regard.

Once this was taken care of, Howard made his way back to the bed, knowing that at the moment it was the best place for him to be. And since he wasn't ready for more sleep, he occupied himself with reading his mystery novel and occasionally turning on TV to watch CNN. But still, the time crawled by at an agonizing pace.

By the time Howard was ready to go to bed early that night, he had not only taken several more pictures of himself, but had only gotten thinner and lost over another inch in height. He went to sleep in silent dread of what the morning would bring.

Howard stood in front of the wall mirror in his bedroom, staring at himself again in silent frustration. It was only midmorning, a short time after he had finally climbed out of bed. There were of course more changes during the night. Changes that he forced himself to confront immediately.

"Damn," Howard stated, his voice sounding off in his ears.

During the night, Howard had shrunk another 3 inches, making him feel tiny. Everything around him looked off... looked wrong. Of course, he knew that it wasn't his surroundings that were wrong, but himself. His altered size only made everything in his home seem that much larger.

The change in height was not the only thing that Howard noticed though. His whole body was smaller and thinner, showing little sign of muscle or even much fat. Howard's shorts, which had hung loose the day before now seemed almost ridiculously oversized. His hair seemed just a tiny bit darker than before, though it was definitely longer, now brushing against his shoulders.

Taking a deep breath, Howard bent forward and ran a hand across his face. "Is that me?" It didn't seem at all possible, though the face was staring right back at him from the mirror.

Even Howard's face had changed a little more, barely being recognizable at all as his own. It looked a lot younger for one thing... softer. And the features all seemed subtly different from even that, though it was hard for Howard to point them all out.

Then Howard gasped in realization, "I look like a teenager..."

However, he quickly revised his opinion to that of a late developing teen as his body showed no signs of puberty. Even his genitals were now completely clean of hair. Then, as he looked closer, Howard noticed that even his genitals were smaller. They looked small, even in proportion to his smaller size. Almost like they belonged on a child.

"Damn," Howard spat, as he turned away from the mirror, "I need a smoke."

It was only then that Howard realized that he hadn't had a cigarette for several days. Not since he'd left work the day before while suffering the first effects of the Bug. Obviously, he decided, all of the aches and pains of the virus had been a powerful distraction.

"Might be a good time to quit," Howard told himself thoughtfully.

Then with a sigh, Howard decided to consider that later. At the moment though, he wanted to take care of the picture while he was still thinking about it, and get something in his stomach. He still wasn't very hungry, but thought that it would be a good idea to at least have something to eat.

The day passed with agonizing slowness, with Howard fighting the growing feelings of helplessness that filled him. He was sure that he could feel himself getting smaller by the moment, as if he was just dwindling away. Though Howard knew that he was imagining it, or that he had to be since it was happening so slowly, that didn't make him feel any better. In fact, he woke from one nap after a nightmare where he had shriveled away to absolutely nothing.

"Oh God," Howard cried into his much smaller than normal hands, no longer feeling at all sure of himself. He couldn't help shaking in fear at what was happening to him. Though he tried to remain calm, reminding himself that almost everyone got the Bug sooner or later, it didn't do much good.

Once Howard had regained control of himself, he realized that there was something that he had to take care of. Something that he probably should have done earlier, and made him feel somewhat guilty that he had not even thought to do so until that moment. Then with a nervous gulp, Howard reached for the phone...

"Hi," Howard nervously said to his mother on the other end.

There was a moment of silence before his mom asked, "Who is this?"

Howard took a deep breath, silently cursing the fact that he hadn't thought about how much his voice had changed as well. "This is Howard," he finally blurted out, "I caught the Burke's virus."

"Howard?" she gasped half in surprise and half in disbelief.

"I've changed a little..." Howard joked weakly, looking down at himself. Then he sighed, "Make that a lot."

It took nearly a minute to fully convince his mother that it was indeed him and that it wasn't just some sort of joke, then some time more as he explained what changes his body had started to go through. Howard hated having to tell her the bad news, especially after his father had passed away just two years earlier, but he thought that she deserved to know right away. Of course, he also knew that he never would have heard the end of it if he hadn't called and told her.

In the end, Howard was thankful that he'd made the call. Telling someone else what had happened to him and sharing his fears made him feel as though a huge load had been lifted from him. And of course, his mother's comforting words made him feel just a little better as well, a little more confident that things would work out.

When Howard went to bed that night, little of that confidence remained. The changes had only continued and he knew that he faced yet more in his sleep. There was little telling with the virus would finish with him, but Howard doubted that there would be much recognizable about his body by that time. Still, there was nothing he could do but wait it out and hope for the best.

Morning brought little relief for Howard, though he was almost feeling Zen-like about the whole situation. The Bug was beyond his control and he had even come to accept this to some degree. He was so tired of the sickness and the changes that he just wanted it to get over with. One way or another.

The alterations to Howard's body during the night were of little surprise. He was smaller and thinner than before, looking even younger. Even looking like a teenager might be beyond him now. Though his hair had not really become much darker, it was definitely longer. His eyes however, formerly a grayish blue had darkened, becoming a dark brown that almost seemed black.

"A kid," Howard told himself grimly, "I'm turning into a kid." There was no longer any doubt of that. Not with the way he'd been changing.

Then Howard took a look at his crotch, frowning even more deeply. His testicles were... empty and the skin tight. It was as though they were pulling up inside his body. And there was the fact that his penis was extremely small, looking almost like a toddler's. For some reason, the sight sent a chill down Howard's spine.

With a grimace, Howard demanded of the virus, "Just get this over with already." There was no use fighting the inevitable so all he could do was hope that it would end soon.

Most of the day followed the same pattern as the ones before it, with Howard spending nearly all of his time resting in bed or leaning back in his now oversized recliner and reading from his latest novel. It had come to the point where the boredom was nearly as unbearable as the aches and uncertainty of his future.

Fortunately though, the aches and pains that had been tormenting him since it all began seemed to be receding. Even his appetite was beginning to return a little. These were welcome relieves for Howard, not just for the obvious reasons. It meant that the Bug was nearing the end of it's course. That soon, it would all be over... and he would be free to start dealing with the consequences.

Late in he afternoon, Howard stood once again in front of the mirror, doing what had almost become a habit for him and scrutinizing himself... looking for further changes. He felt somewhat grim as he took in the latest additions, calmly putting it all together. The clues had already been there, but now there was little doubt as to what was happening.

Howard scowled, feeling an almost clinical detachment as he once again looked at his crotch. There was no longer any sign of his testicles and what was left of his penis was ridiculously small. All that remained was little more than a nub. The final proof in Howard's mind, confirming what he'd been suspecting for more than half the day.

"Not just a kid," Howard finally said it aloud. "A girl."

Oddly enough, the words were something of a relief for Howard. He was almost surprised that he wasn't more shocked at that... more outraged. Perhaps, he considered, he had just burned out on those emotions. And it could have been that he'd been going over every worst possible situation in his mind since the changes had begun. Either way, knowing what was happening alleviated some of his fears.

With a sigh, Howard announced, "Tomorrow."

There was no doubt that it would all be over the next day. He was almost there already and there seemed little more for the virus to do. Even the symptoms were fading so he suspected that it could very well finish up sometime during the night. It was with a strange mixture of apprehension and anticipation that Howard went to bed, preparing himself for what the morning would bring.

Howard awoke to a nervous calm, capped with a faint sigh of relief. All it had taken was his first breath of morning air and he knew that it was done. For good or ill, the Bug had run it's course and was through with him. He remained absolutely motionless for several minutes, taking slow breaths and just savoring the absence of any aches or pains... even the minor ones, which had troubled him for several years.

Finally though, Howard reached down between his legs, his fingers nervously probing his crotch. As he had expected, there was no sign of his penis, only a female slit. Then, he pushed his covers aside and sat up, taking several deep breaths before bringing himself to look down at his finished body, specifically the point where his fingers still lingered.

"Interesting," was all that Howard could bring himself to say as he stared at the smooth and hairless vagina of a little girl.

After several minutes of just silently staring at himself, Howard turned and dropped his legs over the edge of the bed. It was still a little bit of a surprise at how much further away the ground seemed than normal. However, he didn't dwell on that as he hopped off of the bed and hurried to the mirror.

The reflection that met Howard in the mirror was what he had expected, being almost identical to what was there the night before. But that didn't make it any less amazing. Any less mesmerizing. Howard stared intently as it sank in that this was his face now. That this was the reflection he would see in the mirror from then on.

"Shit," Howard sighed, then gave a weak chuckle as he told himself, "Little girls shouldn't use such language."

A girl of approximately 9 or 10 years old stared back at Howard from the mirror. She had extremely dark brown hair that was almost black and dark eyes to go with it. Her face was rather cute, giving Howard the impression that she would one day grow up to be a real beauty. That was something that he was not looking forward to and decided not to think about just yet.

"One day at a time," Howard told himself as he tore his thoughts away from what he might one day become if the Bug didn't get to him again. With a faint smile, he decided to make that his new motto. "One day at a time..."

Several minutes later, Howard turned away from the mirror, realizing that for the first time in several days... he was hungry. Really hungry. With that, he halfway ran to the kitchen to get something to eat. As he did so, he was surprised at just how wide awake and energetic he felt for the morning. And that was without even a single cup of coffee.

"Well, I guess there are benefits to being young again," Howard told himself, realizing that he felt much better than he could ever remember feeling. Not only was he nearly bursting with energy, but he didn't feel any of the tiny aches and discomforts, which came with growing older. The ones he'd grown so used to that he didn't even usually notice. "Wow..." he gasped in amazement, "I feel so... alive." It was a strange realization for Howard, but true nonetheless.

Just then, Howard's stomach grumbled in reminder that it was still there and that it had not been properly filled in several days. He wasted no more time in pouring himself a bowl of Cheerios, which he quickly wolfed down. It also filled him up a lot quicker than was normal. Then, once Howard was finished eating, he took his morning pictures, the last he would need for the documentation of his changes.

A short time later, Howard leaned over the bathtub, watching it fill up with warm water. A faint smile formed as he thought of how nice it would feel to sink into, though he was not consciously aware of it. It had been several days since he had last taken a shower, since the morning before he had found himself infected with the Bug. There was no doubt that Howard was in desperate of it as well.

"Oh... yeah," Howard sighed when he climbed into the tub, smiling a little more openly. "That feels nice."

Howard just leaned back in the tub, soaking up the warmth from the water and marveling at just how much larger the tub seemed from normal. He had to admit that he rather enjoyed the extra room, as he no longer felt cramped in there. That was one of the reasons that he normally never bothered with a bath. Or at least the reason that he hadn't before the change.

Eventually, Howard sat up and reached for the soap and washcloth. He took his time as he washed up, carefully going over every inch of his body and studying it... familiarizing himself with the nearly alien form he now wore. There was little doubt in his mind that he was going to be wearing it for some time to come.

Then there was the thought that he might not necessarily be stuck as a child. With the Burke virus, Howard knew that in just another month or two, he might catch it again and get turned back into an adult... and a man. But then, he cut those thoughts short, knowing just how unlikely something like that would be. The fact was, he told himself, the only way he was probably going to become an adult again was the old fashioned way. With time.

With a wry smile, Howard reminded himself, "One day at a time."

Still, the peaceful bath proved a natural place for Howard to think about his situation. And by the time he climbed out of it, he was not only clean but inspired. He was filled with a calm determination and a sure knowledge of what he was going to need to take care of.

"First thing first," Howard stated as he looked down at his body, wrapped up with the towel he had used to dry himself with.

Not wanting to waste time, Howard went to the phone and made several calls. He called his supervisor Theresa and let her know what had happened to him as well as that he would not be in for another two days. Though he might no longer be sick from the Bug, he was still going to need the time to get things back together. Then Howard made a second call, this time to an old girlfriend whom he still remained on good terms with.

"Hello..." Howard started nervously, feeling extremely uncomfortable with this but knowing that it had to be done. "Patty?" He took a deep breath when he recognized Patty's voice on the other end, asking who it was. "This is Howard," he told her in embarrassment.

"Who?" Patty asked, sounding a bit confused.

Howard frowned, suspecting that she thought he was some kid playing a practical joke. "This is Howard," he repeated, trying to keep his voice calm and even, "Howard Bell." There was another pause where he was sure that he could feel the disbelief from the other end. "I came down with a case of Burke's."

Patty gasped, "Is that really you Howard?" Once he had assured her that it was, she exclaimed, "I'm so sorry. What... what did it do?"

Pausing for another moment to look down at himself, Howard told her, "Do you still have some clothes that Amber might have outgrown?"

Amber was Patty's daughter, an 11 and a half year old girl who was not too much larger than Howard was now. She would be a good source of the clothes that Howard was in desperate need of. Or at least enough to get him started.

"Yes, I..." Patty gasped in realization, "Oh dear..."

"Would you mind my borrowing some of them then?" Howard asked, trying to keep the embarrassment from his voice. "I'm afraid that my own clothes don't exactly fit anymore... and I thought that Amber was close to my size..."

"I've got a lot going on at work today," Patty started to say, then added, "But I'm sure I can make a quick stop at home and drop some things off for you..."

Howard thanked her, then told her, "I'll see you then." When he hung up the phone a moment later, he let out a faint sigh of relief and silently checked off the first item on his mental checklist.

It was nearly an hour later when the doorbell rang and Howard went to answer it, wearing nothing except one of his old shirts. However, at his current size, it fit him more like a dress. Then with a grimace, and mixed feelings of nervousness, embarrassment and relief, he answered the door.

"Oh my God!" Patty exclaimed from the doorway, one of her hands going to her mouth in surprise as she looked down at Howard. "I know you told me... I can't believe it."

Cringing faintly in embarrassment, Howard looked up at Patty and gave a forced though weak smile. She seemed so tall... At 5 foot 4, she had always been 6 inches shorter than him, though now it was more like the other way around. She was at least that much taller than him now, possibly as much as 8 inches. It was an extremely strange feeling for Howard to look up at her, but he tried not to show his discomfort... at least not too much.

"Thanks for coming," Howard told her, gesturing for the woman to come inside.

Patty quickly came inside, holding a garbage bag in one of her hands. She seemed a bit uncomfortable herself as she went by Howard, staring at him with pure amazement in her eyes. It was obvious that she wasn't too much more at ease with Howard than he was with her, which in an odd way gave him a faint sense of relief.

"This is really weird," Patty announced as she set the bag on the floor. "Sometimes I think that Burke's virus is God's idea of a joke."

"Tell me about it," Howard joked weakly, "You wouldn't believe how weird this is for me." Then he added, "At least when you caught the Bug, all you had to worry about was a little bit of weight."

"A little bit?" Patty gasped, her eyes going wider, "It made me gain nearly 20 pounds. You know how hard that was to get rid of?" She shook her head, then admitted, "I guess it would be a little easier than this..."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a minute as both of them just stared at each other, not sure of exactly what to say. Then Patty reached into the garbage bag and began pulling out clothes and setting them on the floor.

"I brought some of Amber's old clothes," Patty said, "But I'm afraid that a lot of her older stuff has already been given away." She looked apologetic at that, but then grinned as she added, "But I did bring a pair of her old shoes." And with that, she held a pair of pink sneakers up for Howard's inspection.

Though he winced at the girlie pink, he responded with a sincere, "Thank you. I really appreciate this."

Patty just shrugged it off. "What are friends for?"

For a moment, Howard regretted that their relationship hadn't worked out. But in the end, he suspected that it was for the best. Patty and him had gotten along great when they were together, though there was a noticeable lack of passion. Overall though, she made a far better friend than a girlfriend, and he was sure that she was of a similar opinion.

Then Patty looked down at her watch and frowned slightly. "Do you need me for anything else right now?"

"Not at the moment," Howard responded quietly, still staring at the clothes. He looked back up at her, remembering that she said it was busy at her office. "Now that I've got something to wear, I can manage everything else."

With an apologetic look, Patty gushed, "I really wish that I did have more time to help you out, but I've really got to get going. My desk is probably buried by now..."

"I understand," Howard told her with an honest chuckle, "Thanks again for the clothes. You have no idea how much I appreciate this..."

After several more apologies and good-byes, Patty hurried out the door, leaving Howard once again on his own. This time, with a small pile of clothes in front of him, which he returned to looking through. He was surprised to find that there were not only a couple pairs of socks included, but an unopened package of girl's underwear.

"Thank you Patty," Howard exclaimed with heartfelt gratitude.

It didn't take very long before Howard was fully dressed in his new clothes. The underwear was just a little big for him, though at least they were still quite wearable. Not at all like his old ones. The rest of the clothes were actually a better fit, even if he wasn't particularly thrilled with the girlie styles.

With a frown, Howard looked down at the pink shirt he was now wearing, clearly labeled with the words 'Girl Power' across the front. There hadn't been a lot of choice though as there had only been 3 shirts with the clothes. One of the others had said 'Princess' on it and was covered with hearts and unicorns, while the last shirt had been decorated with those old cartoon characters The Powerpuff Girls.

"At least it's something to wear," Howard told himself with a faint smile. That was a lot more than he could have said just a short while earlier.

Once Howard was sure that he was ready, including tying his hair back into a ponytail, he took a deep breath and stepped out the front door. A chill ran down his spine as he took the first step, as well as a growing fear. The outside world was suddenly a lot bigger and more dangerous than it had been for him before. Still, he refused to just sit inside and cower.

"I may look like a little girl," Howard hissed as he started walking again, "But I'll be damned if I act like one."

Just a short walk later, and Howard found himself at the nearest bus stop, and soon riding on the bus itself. He grimaced when the bus driver asked him where his 'mommy' was, but Howard had kept his cool and calmly pointed out that he was just a victim of the Bug. That quieted the bus driver down, as well as gave him sympathetic looks from the small number of other passengers.

Howard frowned as he looked out the bus window, then turned his attention to the newspaper that someone had left in the seat beside him. A moment later, he had picked the paper up and was reading through it. An article on the front page particularly caught his attention.

The article was on a pedophilia case that looked as though it might head up to the Supreme Court. Apparently, the 'model' of some pictures was a 33 year old former Penthouse model whom the Bug had changed into a 7 year old girl. And there was some question as to whether or not she and the photographer could be charged with pedophilia since she was an adult woman, albeit with a child's body. The situation seemed to be fairly controversial.

Just the week before, Howard knew that he would have just skipped past that story, though now it seemed a lot more relevant to his current situation. It also seemed to touch on him personally, on the question of whether he would be considered a child or an adult.

And for the first time, Howard was suddenly thankful for the anti-discrimination laws that were put into effect to protect victims of the Bug. For him, like so many others, it meant that he couldn't be fired from his job just because his body had changed. Not unless he was no longer capable of doing it, that was... or if some reasonable adjustments couldn't be made.

"Who ever would have thought I'd be thankful for that law," Howard muttered, knowing that he hadn't really given it a second thought before.

Howard was somewhat frustrated by the long bus ride, especially when he had a car sitting in his driveway. Unfortunately though, he knew that he wouldn't be able to reach the pedals or drive the car. That left him with public transportation, and a transfer to another bus. Fortunately though, he was able to make it to his destination with no more problems than being stared at and patronized because of his appearance.

Eventually, Howard looked up and muttered, "Finally here," reading the sign for the Department of Motor Vehicles.

He slowly made his way inside and stood in line, pulling out his own driver's license to stare at it while he waited. It certainly didn't do him much good anymore, which was why he was there. It didn't take long before he was directed to fill out some paperwork and then sent to an office where he faced a woman behind a desk.

The woman behind the desk was a black woman who looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties. A placard on the desk said that her name was Ms. Lee. And at the moment, she was reading through the pages of paperwork that Howard had filled out a short while earlier.

Finally, Ms. Lee looked at Howard, a sympathetic expression on her face, "We get a number of people who need new licenses because of the Burke's virus." She flipped through the papers, then continued, "I'll need to verify your identity before I can issue you a new one though."

"I understand," Howard responded quietly, feeling a bit unsettled though determined not to show it.

Then feeling a little more confident, Howard handed her a manila envelope that was filled with all of the pictures he'd taken during his transformation. He smiled faintly at the look of surprise on Ms. Lee's face when she looked at them.

"Wow," she chuckled as she flipped through the photos, "This will definitely help speed that up."

"I thought that it might," Howard told her, feeling relieved at having thought of it.

Ms. Lee just shook her head, still looking amused. "It would certainly make my job easier if everyone documented their changes like this." Then she looked up at Howard and sighed, "I wish that I'd thought of doing it. It certainly would have made getting my license changed a bit easier."

Howard blinked in faint surprise, "You had to go through this too?"

She just smiled a little self-consciously before admitting, "I used to be Asian."

Feeling a little more at ease with Ms. Lee after that admission, he admitted, "I don't know what good the license is going to do me though. I can't exactly reach the pedals of my car anymore."

"Oh," Ms. Lee responded with a nod, reaching into one of her desk drawers, "I might be able to help you a little with that." Howard was a bit unsure of what she meant until she handed him a business card, saying, "Give this company a call. They install adaptation packages into cars for people in your situation. They even do house calls for people who can't bring their cars in."

All Howard could do was stare at the small business card in surprise, as well as relief before responding, "Thanks."

Ms. Lee nodded, "We get a few people in who need help with special circumstances like yours, so I try to help send them in the right direction."

Smiling to himself, Howard decided that he wasn't going to badmouth the DMV ever again. At least not until the next time he got a hassle for a license renewal.

After this, things went quickly and a short time later, Howard left the building with a brand new driver's license clutched in his small hands. He smiled as he stared at it, noticing how much different it was from the old license. But then again, that was no surprise as people who'd been drastically altered like him received a special license.

The outside of Howard's new license had a blue border, showing that he had a special 'Burke's' license and was indeed an adult, in spite of his appearance. The license even had two sets of information on it, such as his real name and date of birth. However, it also included details on his current physical statistics and apparent age, even with a picture that looked like it had come from some elementary school yearbook.

But there was one other thing on the license, which Howard stared at specifically. He'd been a bit startled when Ms. Lee had pointed out the option and suggested that he use it. However, after brief consideration, he realized that it made a lot of sense. The name 'Howard' didn't exactly fit his new gender.

Ms. Lee had told him about 'alternames', which a lot of people who'd changed gender were starting to use. It was sort of a legalized nickname for his new gender, or an easy to do name change at the same time. Not only did the DMV put that onto his license in addition to his real name, but they sent paperwork to other agencies, and his bank, which would have his new 'altername' made official so that he could actually use either that or his real name to sign legal documents and even his checks.

Then, Howard read the altername he'd chosen off of his new license again and tested it aloud. "Hayley."

It sounded a little odd his ears, just as it had when he'd given it in Ms. Lee's office, though he knew that he'd get used to it. He already rather liked the name, as it was simple, non-presumptuous and not overused. After all, those were some of the reason's that he'd chosen it, though if he would have had more time to think about it, he might very well have chosen something else instead. But even though he rather liked the name, Howard doubted that he'd ever actually think of himself by that name. He'd been 'Howard' for far too long.

"Hayley," he repeated again before putting the license away and pulling out the business card Ms. Lee had given him instead.

After locating a nearby pay phone, Howard called the number on the card and made an appointment for later that afternoon. He was relieved to find out that he'd be able to have his car available for use again that soon. It was far better than he had hoped for.

With that completed, Howard checked off several more items on his mental checklist then looked down himself with a faint sigh. The very next thing he was going to have to do, Howard decided, was get some decent clothes. As appreciative as he was of Amber's hand-me-downs, he would rather have had something a little less... girlie.

Howard sighed and started on his way towards the store for some new clothes. He still wasn't used to the fact that everyone he walked past was much taller than him, making him feel incredibly small and insignificant. People didn't even seem to notice him and there were a number of times that they nearly bumped into him, mostly without even so much as an 'excuse me'.

One particularly obnoxious woman bent down with a smug 'know it all' expression and told Howard, "Little girls like you should not be out here alone." Then before Howard could even think of anything to say, she grabbed hold of his arm and started to drag him down the street announcing, "The police will get you home..."

Though Howard tried talking to the woman, she refused to listen, not even seeming to hear him. It was as if being in the body of a kid made him beneath her notice, except to boss him around. Howard was pissed and getting more so with every passing second as he struggle to get away.

Finally, on a sudden inspiration, Howard bent forward and bit the woman's hand. She howled in pain but let go of him, much to his relief.

"You nasty little girl!" the woman screamed at Howard.

He just jumped back, glaring up at her, "Shut the fuck up you stupid BITCH!"

Everyone in the street suddenly froze and stared at Howard in shock, obviously not expecting a 'little girl' to use such language. The woman just stood there with her mouth open, "Why I never..."

"NO," Howard spat, "you don't listen... or think either for that matter."

The woman grabbed at him again, her expression indicating and the way she was raising her hand indicating what she had in mind, "I'll teach you to mind your elders..."

However, Howard had absolutely no intention of being spanked by this stranger and jumped back, "You touch me again and I'll have you arrested for assault and battery lady, as well as attempted kidnapping."

"Kid..." some man off to the side started to get involved.

Howard held a hand out to indicate that the man should stay back, then snarled, "I'm 36 years old... not some damn kid." He glared at the surprised woman and then the people surrounding him, forcing himself to calm down. "You can't just go grabbing people off of the street and dragging them around."

Taking a hard glare at the obviously offended woman who looked as though she still wanted to throw him over her knee and give him a spanking, Howard snapped around and hurried away, trying to ignore the strange looks he was getting from the people on the street. And as he left her behind, Howard still got pleasure from the wish that she not only catch the Bug, but come out of it as an infant.

By the time Howard got to the store, he had almost put the incident with the mad woman out of his mind. Instead, he focused on what he was going to need from the store at the moment, and then on going to find it.

"Shoes, shirts, underwear..." Howard muttered to himself as he pushed the large cart in front of him.

Then he saw a man giving him a look, similar to what he'd gotten from a number of other people, including the mad lady on the street. It was a recognition that he was a cute kid, as well as curiosity as to what a 'little girl' was doing pushing a shopping cart on her own, without sign of any parent in sight.

Howard let out a sigh and thought about the driver's license that he'd put into a convenient pocket. After getting the 'kid treatment' and patronizing tone several times, he had found that showing people his license and proving that he was really an adult was a good way of getting them to leave him alone. However, afterwards they tended to treat him more as though he was handicapped than a kid, which was nearly as annoying.

Deciding to get ahead of the game, Howard made a faint show of pulling out his license and taking a look at it... making sure that the man who'd been watching him could see the blue band on the outside. Then he put it away, noticing the look on the man's face before he turned and left Howard alone. It almost brought a smile to Howard's lips.

The shopping took a little longer than Howard had expected, mostly because of the trouble getting the cashier to accept his credit card. In the end though, he managed to convince them that he was who he said he was, and he walked out of the store with several bags full of new clothes. And they were heavy enough to make Howard decide to take a taxi home instead of struggling through the bus again.

"Three things down," Howard told himself tiredly as he climbed into the waiting taxi, "and only a million more to do." He frowned, deciding that being turned into a girl was turning out to be a real pain. And somehow, he suspected that work wasn't going to be any better.

Howard stood in front of the mirror with a faint scowl, looking over his clothes and making several adjustments. Even though these clothes looked rather businesslike... or as much as he could get them without having them custom made, he still was not happy with his appearance. It just wasn't professional enough looking.

"Damn," Howard muttered, letting out a sigh of near defeat.

With a scowl, Howard tossed himself onto his bed, not aware that he looked as though he was pouting. His mind was filled with fears and worries as he confronted his first day back to work. All he could think of was how humiliated he'd be when everyone saw him like that, that they wouldn't take him seriously at all. It took every bit of willpower that he possessed to fight back the urge from calling in sick again.

"I have to get this over with," Howard told himself, knowing that he couldn't hide forever.

It had been two days since he'd woken up, completely transformed into a girl and with the Bug having finished it's work. Though he'd accomplished most of his necessary tasks during that day, he had still being doing more of them the day before. Though in fact, Howard knew that a large part of that was just him trying to get used to what he'd become, and in a way... hiding from it.

Taking a deep breath, Howard hopped back off the bed, still amazed at just how energetic he now felt first thing in the morning. He returned to the mirror, adjusting his hair again and making sure his ponytail was done up tight. Just the day before, he'd gone to the barber to get it cut short, but changed his mind at the last minute and only had it trimmed instead. Though he wasn't sure why, he found that he rather liked the feel of the long hair against his back. It made him feel a little more comfortable, reminding him somewhat of a security blanket, even if he wouldn't admit it to anyone else.

"All right then," Howard exclaimed, giving a forced smile as he turned and headed for the door, picking up his much larger seeming than normal briefcase on the way.

Howard paused in the driveway once he'd opened the car door and stared at the adaptation package that the company Ms. Lee referred him to had installed. Fortunately though, it was cheaper than he'd expected. The package looked something like child's car seat, which had been strapped in to position Howard to see out the window and reach the wheel with ease. Several extensions had been added to the pedals so that Howard was now capable of reaching those as well.

"Good thing I had an automatic," Howard chuckled, remembering how the people who'd installed it told him how much more difficult driving with a stick shift would be, not to mention more expensive. As it was, he'd already found that the package worked wonders and had returned full auto mobility to Howard. It was an incredible relief for him, as well as a large boost to his weakened sense of independence.

As Howard climbed up into his seat and positioned himself, he couldn't resist smiling faintly as he thought about what the people who saw him driving thought. He'd already gotten some funny looks just the day before, as well as being pulled over by a cop who thought it strange for a little girl to be driving. Fortunately, he had thought to get his new license before anything else.

A short while later, Howard stood in front of the doors to his office building, looking ahead of him with a nervous scowl. There was still a strong temptation to just turn around and leave, to call in sick. Taking more time to get used to his altered body was sounding more and more reasonable with every passing moment. However, Howard had never been one to run away from a challenge and wasn't about to start now.

Letting out a sigh, Howard reminded himself, "Just take it one day at a time."

With that, he stepped through the doors and faced the security desk. The guard who was sitting behind it gave Howard what had by that time become a familiar look. One of helpful patronization.

"Are you looking for your parents?" the security guard gently asked Howard.

Howard just rolled his eyes, getting more than a little tired of that reaction. He scowled as he held out both of his hands, one holding his security badge with the now outdated picture while the other revealed his new driver's license.

"I'm going to need an updated badge photo," Howard stated calmly, faintly amused by the expression on the guard's face.

Gulping in obvious embarrassment, the guard blurted out, "I'm sorry Mr. Bell," Then he added, "You'll need to go to the security office and get that taken care of today."

"Of course," Howard agreed as he walked on past, feeling just a tiny bit better.

When Howard made it to his area, he was quite aware of all the odd looks he was getting. He wasn't surprised though, knowing how odd the sight of a little girl carrying a briefcase through there was. The thought of just what had to be running through their minds even brought a faint smile to Howard's face. However, the butterflies in his stomach quickly made the smile fade away.

Finally, Howard decided to get it over with. He paused, surprising several people when he climbed onto one of the desks and stood up.

"Look everybody," Howard called out loudly, gesturing for everyone's attention, "This is me... Howard." He looked around, seeing that he had everyone's undivided attention. "Yes, I caught Burke's... so take a good look now and get it over with." With that, he spun around to give everyone a good look at him.

There were a lot of gasps and whispers from all around, but not quite as many as Howard had expected. He suspected that Theresa must have spread the word to expect something like this. In a way, it was a bit of a relief for Howard, though at the same time, he felt a little disappointed that he didn't create more of a stir. It was almost anticlimactic in a way.

Once Howard had finished answering all of the questions, he retreated to the safety of his office and collapsed into his chair. At the same time though, he was immediately struck by just how much larger both his chair and desk were than normal and knew that he'd have to adjust the heights a little bit. Or at the very least, sit on a phone book for the moment.

"I feel like a damn midget," Howard muttered as he tried getting himself back into the swing of things and at least catch up on what he missed while sick. "Or a little kid..."

Howard quickly discovered that even his computer keyboard now possessed certain size problems for him. His fingers were no longer long enough to use it in the manner that he was used to, leaving him with little choice but to go back to the old 'hunt and peck' method of typing. It was far too slow for his tastes, not to mention frustrating.

"Mental note," Howard finally exclaimed in exasperation, "Call I.T. and see about getting that voice control package installed." He'd been offered the package some months earlier but had turned it down, not seeing any need to talk to his computer. However, he knew very well that circumstances had changed.

After several hours, Howard had managed to go through a large amount of the papers on his desk, but he still had a bit to catch up on. The process of catching up had been slowed down though due to the fact that nearly everyone seemed to find some excuse to poke their head into his office. In spite of Howard's show upon first arriving, they were still filled with curiosity and he suspected they would be for awhile. Or at least until they got used to seeing a little girl in the manager's office.

Deciding to take a break, Howard hurried out of his office, feeling a little antsy and in need of some movement. He smiled faintly to himself, realizing that having the energy of a little kid had a downside as well. It made sitting for long periods of time quite a bit more difficult to do than before.

Almost as soon as Howard started moving towards the break room, he found himself face to face... or face to stomach with Bill Preston, a friend from another section.

"Wow..." Bill exclaimed as he looked down at Howard, the amazement obvious in his face. "I'd heard about you Howard, but..." He shook his head and said, "My mother in law got a similar treatment... Turned into a teenage girl."

"That's nice," Howard sighed, rolling his eyes slightly and wishing that he'd gotten off so easily.

"Um... so," Bill started, obviously as uncomfortable as Howard and a bit unsure of what to say, "Going out for a smoke?"

Howard just shook his head, giving a wry grin, "No. I figured that this was as good a time to quit as any."

"Yeah," Bill chuckled, weakly joking, "I guess you don't want to stunt your growth."

That nearly made Howard chuckle himself, "Yeah. I suppose that I'll have to cut out coffee as well."

Bill grinned at that, looking a little more comfortable with Howard now that they were talking. "Well, I can hear the nicotine calling me so I'll see you later." And with that, Bill continued towards the exit door.

With a slight smile, Howard continued towards the break room, pleased that at least some things hadn't really changed. It certainly made it easier to get along with all of the things that had.

Once Howard got to the break room and sat down, he mumbled, "Apple juice and gummy bears."

It hardly seemed the proper snack for a 36 year old man, even if he was in a child's body. However, he had decided to take his joke about cutting down on the coffee seriously. The reason though was not what he and Bill had joked about, but the fact he had tried some earlier that morning and found it far too bitter. Coffee was an acquired taste, and one which he had apparently lost. As a trade off though, Howard found that he seemed to have acquired a bit of a sweet tooth.

"Just what I need," Howard halfhearted joked to himself as he a gummy bear, "A sugar rush." He felt hyper enough as it was half the time.

Several minutes later, Howard sighed and got up, deciding that it was time to relieve himself. He cursed his 'tiny' bladder under his breath as he made his way towards the rest rooms, pausing once he was there to look back and forth between the men's and women's, unsure of which he should use. Of course his body was currently female, but he knew that his mind was still very well that of a man. Going into either restroom could provide embarrassment as well as possible problems with anyone inside.

"Damn it," Howard muttered to himself before hesitantly entering the women's room. "I hope no one thinks I'm a pervert."

At the same time, he blushed in embarrassment, halfway feeling like one. Fortunately though, no one else was inside... at least not that time.

When Howard finally returned to his office, he was almost immediately faced with Todd, who stood there with a folder in his hand and a nervous expression on his face. He looked down at Howard, obviously a bit unsure of how to deal with the situation. As much as it annoyed Howard, he already knew how to deal with it.

"What is it?" Howard asked a little sharply, having already found that it eased the situation if he took charge and reminded them who he really was inside.

Todd blinked in faint surprise but immediately recovered as his professionalism took over. "There's another problem with the Murphy account..." Howard managed not to give an audible groan as Todd started to give him details.

"All right," Howard told Bill, who was obviously uneasy, "calm down." He gave his best calm and assuring expression, hoping that it didn't look too ridiculous from his childish face, "Here's what we're going to do..."

Howard spent the next several minutes carefully explaining what he had in mind while Todd listened in rapt attention. When Howard finished, Todd gave him a smile of relief before rushing out the door to get to work on it, more than satisfied that Howard was indeed the same person inside. And at the same time, Howard smiled as well, feeling a little more sure of himself now that he was getting back into his normal routine and proving to still be capable.

It was nearly lunchtime when Howard was staring at his computer screen and absently tugging at his ponytail while he considered his options. The monitor in front of him showed several options available for the latest in personal self defense tools, specifically small stun guns and pepper spray. Ever since Howard had been accosted by the mad woman on the street several days earlier, he had been thinking about getting something of that sort. It was obvious that he was no longer quite as capable of taking care of himself as he once was, being much smaller and more vulnerable. Instead, he was going to need something to defend himself with and one of those would do nicely.

Then, not for the first time, Howard sighed, "Why couldn't I just have been turned into some sort of bodybuilder instead?" It certainly would have made things a whole lot easier. After a moment though, Howard reminded himself that it was no use in crying over spilled milk. The changes had happened, and like them or not, he would just have to deal with them. "If wishes were horses," Howard announced aloud, "We'd all have to watch where we stepped."

With a shrug, Howard hopped off of his chair and stretched his body, deciding that it was time to go out for another walk around. He was beginning to feel a bit antsy again and nearly any excuse to move around would be welcomed.

As Howard made his way down the hallway just a minute later, he carried a thick folder, which he was going to deliver to Theresa. Though he could have easily just had it delivered by someone else, it gave him the excuse he needed to go see her. Or more specifically, to let her see him. He hadn't seen his supervisor since coming to work that morning and thought that it would be easier if he got the first face to face meeting with her since his transformation out of the way. At the same time, Howard felt apprehensive about, as well as embarrassed and a bit worried, though he tried to keep those emotions under control.

Just then, a woman turned the corner in front of Howard and started walking down the hall towards him. It was Susan Shweitzer, a friend of his who worked in another section. She blinked upon noticing him, obviously still unsure about Howard's changes.

"Hi short stuff..." Susan said as she stopped by Howard, deciding to take the casual route.

Howard just winced at that, especially at the irony of the fact that Susan was only 5 foot 1 but now seemed rather tall in comparison. There was also the fact that she had just called him short stuff, something which he had called her once or twice before. She was obviously amused by the sudden turnabout and Howard suspected that he was going to hear that one for some time to come.

"At least I'll grow taller," Howard teased her back, "But you'll always be short."

Susan just laughed and stuck out her tongue. "I guess you've got me there... short stuff." They both shared a chuckle at that before Susan turned more serious. "How are you doing?"

That was a difficult a difficult question for Howard, but he did his best to answer it. "I'm not really sure yet." He frowned thoughtfully, "Physically, I feel fine, but... Let's just say that I'm adjusting... or at least trying to."

"Oh," Susan responded, looking a little uncomfortable again, as well as sympathetic. "I couldn't imagine going through what you have to be." She shook her head with a frown and sighed, "What kind of disease can do something like this?"

There was no response to that though as they both knew that question had been asked countless times since Burke's Biomorphic Virus had been discovered, and they still seemed no closer to a real answer. All they... or anybody really knew for sure was that its effects could be quite drastic on a person's life.

After several seconds of uncomfortable silence, Susan stared down at Howard intently for a moment before gently asking, "What's it like?"

Howard frowned, not sure how to answer that or if he even should. Then he leaned back against the wall and looked up at Susan, who quickly crouched down so that they could be on more even level.

"It's strange," he finally answered in a quiet voice that Susan could barely hear. Then in a slightly louder tone, he continued, "And scary."

"I'm sorry..." Susan started.

But Howard cut her off by holding up one hand slightly and stating a little more confidently, "Changing gender isn't all that different, except for having to sit down to take a leak." Then Howard looked up and gave a forced smile, "But I think that might change in a few years... when puberty kicks in again."

He shuddered at the thought of having periods, silently thankful that he had plenty of time to get used to the idea first. There was even a moment of flickering wonder of whether or not the new hormones in his body might make him start liking guys. He could still appreciate a nice woman's body, but he hadn't felt any real sexual stirring since his change. But he knew that this was something to worry about later.

"The hard part," he continued, staring down at his tiny hands, "is being a kid again. Being so small..." Howard took a deep breath, fighting back the tears of frustration that threatened to come. "Everything seems so huge... and I feel so small and helpless. Even normal things that I took for granted can be real hard. But I think that the worst thing is that everyone keeps treating me like a kid... like my opinion doesn't matter. I have a college degree, yet people assume that I'm too stupid to even cross the street on my own. Do you have any idea of how infuriating it is to be constantly patronized... even by people young enough to be my own kids?" There was both force and venom in Howard's voice as he finished this last.

All Susan could do for a moment was nod sympathetically. "I've got some idea," she finally told Howard, giving a weak smile. "I've gotten that a bit myself, both because I'm a woman and my height." She let out a sigh, fighting back the temptation to put a hand on Howard's shoulder, "I guess a lot of people just assume that anyone who's too short must be incapable."

After a moment, Howard chuckled and forced a smile. "At least it's not that bad around here." He had been nervous about coming in that morning because he had half expected to get that treatment. It was bad enough from strangers, but from people he'd worked with and even considered friends... Fortunately, his fears had been mostly unrealized. "Probably because everyone knows who I really am now." Then Howard grinned, "And it might have something to do with the fact that they know I still fill out their performance evaluations."

"It might at that," Susan laughed.

For the next several minutes, Howard and Susan continued to talk, with Howard feeling relieved by the normalcy of it all. And by the time he and Susan went their separate ways, he was in a better mood, as well as grateful his friend had not treated him much different than before. The feeling of normalcy was not only welcome... but almost necessary for maintaining his sanity.

Some hours later, Howard was sitting in his office and scowling as he held the phone to his ear. At the moment, it was taking nearly every ounce of willpower that he possessed to keep from screaming at the person on the other end, or do something else that could just as easily be taken as a temper tantrum.

"Look," Howard told the secretary on the phone, "I told you already, I need to talk to Ian Matthews..." Then he rolled his eyes, clenching his fists as she interrupted with the now familiar patronization. "Tell him that it's Hayley Bell," Howard insisted, interrupting the secretary in turn. "He knows me as Howard Bell from before I contracted Burke's..."

There was a moment of dead quiet before the secretary weakly responded, "Of course Mr... Ms... Bell." Her whole tone changed a bit at that point and Howard knew that she recognized his name.

Once Howard had gotten past the secretary, it only took a few minutes to take care of the business he needed to with Ian Matthews, setting the Murphy account back on track. At least for the moment. And before hanging up, Howard finished with, "...and remember, I'm going by the name Hayley now."

Almost as soon as Howard had put the phone down, he was startled with a voice asking, "Hayley?"

"Huh?" Howard nearly jumped in surprise to see Vic Charles, one of his workers standing at the door. The new 'altername' was still strange to hear.

"Interesting name," Vic commented noncommittally.

With a shrug, Howard muttered, "Well, Howard didn't exactly seem appropriate anymore."

"That's cool," Vic nodded, an amused smile beginning to form, "But maybe you shoulda called yourself Tinker."

Howard quickly glared at Vic, who just laughed in response. "I just needed your John Hancock," Vic announced, then added, "Or is that Jane Hancock?"

"Just give it," Howard grumbled as he took the paper Vic offered, quickly scanning it and seeing that it was in order before he started to sign it. He paused for a moment though, not sure exactly which name to use before deciding that he might as well get used to his new one.

Vic gave a quick thanks before ducking back out the door, leaving Howard to shake his head slightly and hope that he hadn't just gained a new nickname around the office. It was going to be hard enough to keep everyone's respect and he didn't need the added challenge of people calling him Tinker Bell behind his back. Or to his face for that matter. But on the other hand, he had to admit that it was almost amusing.

For a moment, Howard just closed his eyes, absently running his fingers through his soft hair as he thought and tried to let himself relax. There was a meeting he was scheduled for in just a short while and he had been dreading it all day. Howard cringed at the thought of facing the other managers in his new body, already feeling the humiliation.

"Damn," Howard muttered to himself.

Though Howard had already run into one or two of the other people who would be in the meeting, Howard knew that facing everyone together was an entirely different matter. It was not the same situation as dealing with those who worked for him. This was something else entirely different, and quite possibly lethal to his career.

"Damn," he repeated, still running his hands through his ponytail, finding it oddly soothing.

Howard had tried not to think about it during the day, but the meeting was the place where office politics could come into play. Just as in every office, there were some of the politics and infighting for position, and Howard's new situation left him with a new vulnerability. If he didn't convince everyone that he was still just as capable as always, it could and most likely would erode any respect and support for his position. And without that, he might as well just empty his desk.

Finally, Howard opened his eyes and announced, "Enough of this self pity."

With a snort, Howard started grabbing his presentation materials, still feeling nervous but even more determined. There was no way that he was going to cower like a scared little girl afraid of being bullied. That was a self fulfilling prophecy that he wanted nothing to do with. In spite of his body, he was still an adult inside and was damn well going to act like one.

Then, Howard reached back and pulled his ponytail tight, adjusted his clothes and smiled as confidently as he could. "Go knock them dead kid," he told himself as he started for the meeting.

Almost the second that Howard walked into the meeting room, he could feel all eyes locking on him. Of course, he knew that it was unusual to see what looked like a girl waking into a meeting like that, but it was the fact that the eyes seemed to be weighing him and finding him lacking that annoyed Howard. However, he refused to show any sign of what he felt, taking his seat and letting the meeting start.

"Maybe we should have brought a high chair for her," Greg Peters commented from the other side of the table with a smirk.

Howard frowned slightly in annoyance, having suspected that Greg would be the first person to start up. He and Greg had never really gotten along, especially since their offices often had to compete with each other for recourses and budget. And Howard suspected that Greg would really have liked to get someone a little more... favorable to him, into Howard's job.

Greg continued with several more snipes and comments during the first several presentations, even getting a few of the other's to snicker along with him. Though it was a little annoying, Howard just kept a casual expression and pretended that he didn't even hear Greg. It was obvious that Greg was trying to push his buttons, to get him to make some sort of reaction, and Howard wasn't about to let that happen.

When it was finally time for Howard's presentation, he stood up, ignoring yet another of Greg's barbs. He casually put his slides into the projector then pulled a chair up to give him a little more height advantage. Then he stood there, looking over the table and the faces that all faced towards him, a mixture of expressions visible.

"Hello," Howard announced, "I'm sure you've all noticed a few changes since my report last week."

Almost as if on cue, Greg asked, "Your diapers?"

"I've decided to change my hairstyle for one," Howard continued with a pleasant smile as if Greg hadn't spoken, earning a number of chuckles from around the room, "and I've started using the name Hayley for another."

Then Howard started to give his presentation, having to stop after several sentences as Greg's comments were getting not only more numerous, but more disruptive.

Finally, Howard decided that he'd had enough and gave a calm smile in Greg's direction, announcing, "Please use your indoor voice Mr. Peters." He made sure to use his most patronizing tone and was amazed by the reaction.

Greg suddenly paled at having what appeared to be a child patronizing him, while several of the other managers chuckled weakly while most just stared in surprise.

"What?" Greg started.

"Mr. Peters," Howard asked as calmly and pleasantly as he could, "Why are you wasting, not only my, but everyone else's time?" Greg was obviously surprised at this, and before he could say anything, Howard continued, "This is a place of business... not a school playground. If you wish to act like some gossiping little girl, please go do it elsewhere."

For a moment, Greg's expression paled as he started to get angry and everyone was looking back and forth between Greg and Howard. This particular reaction on Howard's part was a surprise to everyone and they were all waiting silently... wondering what was going to happen next.

Howard just continued to remain as calm, pleasant and in control as he could while finishing, "I gave you the courtesy of not interrupting your presentation and would appreciate that same courtesy in return."

There was a sudden tenseness around the room and Howard prepared himself for whatever might happen. However, Greg quickly looked around at the others and pushed himself back into his seat, seeming to sink down in his chair.

A single look around the table revealed the renewed respect in the eyes of those present. And after glancing at Greg, who was now silent in his seat, Howard allowed himself the faintest of smiles, knowing that he had won. However, he didn't waste time savoring it as he quickly returned to his presentation, not wanting to show any lapses in his professionalism.

By the time the presentation was over, Howard was smiling confidently to himself, no longer afraid of being intimidated by his now much larger peers. There was no longer even any fear of being pushed out of his position by the time the meeting was over as everyone was snickering quietly at Greg and making comments about gossiping little girls.

When the meeting ended and everyone was leaving, Chris McDonald told Howard, "Impressive presentation."

Several other people gave similar comments, congratulating Howard on his detailed presentation, though he knew that it wasn't the presentation they were really congratulating him about. Greg had been an annoyance to a number of other people in the building as well, and Howard was startled to realize that he'd just gone from potential victim to being a minor hero.

"However long that lasts," Howard chuckled to himself in amusement as he returned to his own office.

He couldn't keep the smile off his face though as he thought back to Greg and the look on the man's face when he realized that his plan had backfired and just how childish he had come off as. Rather ironic, Howard thought since he was the one with the child's body, but that only made it all the better.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur, with Howard finishing up what he needed to for the day. It was a little difficult as people kept sticking their heads in to congratulate him on the success of the meeting. It was obvious that word of what had happened had quickly spread around the building.

By the time Howard left for the day, he had lost his doubts about being able to do his job and maintain the respect of those he worked with. It wouldn't be as easy as it had been of course, but that didn't mean he couldn't and wouldn't do it. He even paused once he arrived as his car to turn and look back at the building, shaking his head slightly at how nervous he had been to go inside that morning.

Then Howard looked down at himself, sighing at the little girl's body that was still present. He then moved over to see his reflection in the rear view mirror, a cute little girl's face staring right back. It was still strange for him, but not quite as much as it had been at first. Still, Howard knew that it would take some time to really get used to his new self, but there was no doubt that he would. After all, he wasn't the first person that the Bug had done something like that to and he sure wouldn't be the last.

Suddenly, Howard chuckled to himself, "I don't think that this was what they mean when they talk about getting in touch with your inner child."

With that thought in mind, Howard started to wonder if maybe he should stop off at a playground on the way home from work. He smiled at the thought, thinking that it could definitely be an interesting way to get his exercise and burn off some of the energy that he'd been filled with all day. Perhaps he could even get in touch with his 'inner child' since he was already so much so with his outer one.

Still chuckling to himself, Howard climbed into the car and started to take off, deciding that whatever else happened, he was just going to take it one day at a time.