Mark walked back into his house and had to pour himself a glass of whisky to steady his nerves. It had been over six years since he last saw Diane, but she still took his breath away every time he saw her. Out of all the mistakes Mark had made in his life, breaking up with Diane was the biggest. Mark had been confused about his feelings while being at school. It had always been him and his mum since his dad walked out on them when he was still a baby. He’d always liked the way girl’s dressed and had been sneaking into his mother’s room and wearing her clothes since he was seven. They had been too big to start with, but now he could wear any of his mother’s clothes and did all the time.

    He’d been sat watching a movie with Diane one Saturday afternoon just over six years ago when there was a scene with a man pretending to be a girl. Mark started to worry at the way Diane was giggling and making fun of him. Mark had started to doubt whether or not she would be understanding about him and his dressing up. His feelings had led to him breaking up with her and them not speaking to each other for the past six years. Trouble was, Mark had never stopped having feelings for Diane, and seeing her again after all this time just brought home how stupid he’d been to not trust her more with his secret. Chances were they would have broken up and not spoke for six years anyway, but on the other hand she might have been more understanding about it and they could have still been together now.

    Mark had never dated anyone since Diane; he just didn’t trust falling in love with another girl and have them treat him like a freak if they found out about his dressing.

    Once Mark had finished his drink he made his way up stairs once he’d made sure all the doors were locked. He then went to his room and set to work attaching his breast forms and then transforming himself into Sophie his female persona. Mark set to work adding a little lip stick, and then he took the long brunette wig off the wig stand and then slipped it on over his short brown hair and looked in the mirror and saw Sophie staring back at him.

     “I wonder what Diane would say if she could see you now Mark?” Sophie said in her breathy female sounding voice.

    Sophie wandered into her mum’s bedroom and walked over to the wardrobe and opened the doors before selecting a dress to wear. Once she had the dress she wanted, she closed the wardrobe doors again and let out a sigh as she turned and looked at the empty bed his mother once slept in. Mark had spent many a cold night, and nights after waking from a nightmare in that bed cuddled up to her. His mother had found out about Sophie not long after she’d found out about the cancer.

    Mark had been worried his mother wouldn’t understand, but she’d asked to meet with her new daughter. Mark had spent some time trying to do the best job he could with his makeup before nervously walking into the living room where his mother was sat waiting.

     “You look just like me at your age.” His mother had said as she got up and made him do a quick twirl for her to get a better look at him. “I can’t keep calling you Mark while you’re dressed like that.” She added as she led him over to the sofa and helped him to take a seat, watching as he brushed his skirt under him just like a lady would.

     “I’ve played around with a couple of different girls names, but I’ve not felt like this version of me suited any of them.” Mark had explained. “Does none of this bother you at all mum?” He asked as he looked down at himself in a blouse, pencil skirt, pantyhose and heels.

     “You’re still my child sweetie, and it’s not like you’re hurting anyone is it? Now what were these names you’ve been playing around with?” His mother asked.

     “Maria was one of them, and Marcy was another.” Mark said with a pained look, not really liking either of them.

     “I can’t see you as either of them dear.” His mum had said with a shake of her head. “I was going to call you Sophie if you’d been born a girl.” She added with a smile.

     “Sophie? Sophie...” Mark said it, trying it on for size. “I like that name very much mum.” Mark smiled as he looked at his mother.

     “Then Sophie it is.” His mother said as she held her arms open to give her new daughter a hug.

    From that day to the day his mother died in the hospital, Sally had loved both her son Mark and her daughter Sophie when she came to visit for the day. Sally had helped Sophie find a look that worked for her and then helped her learn how to put makeup on better. She taught him everything she could on how to be a better looking woman when he was dressed as Sophie.

     “I miss you mum.” Sophie said once she was dressed and she’d put on her shoes. Then she got up off the bed and left her mums bedroom and returned back down stairs to get a glass of wine before she went to her computer room to do a little shopping on eBay.

    Sophie wasn’t looking for anything special, just a bargain or two. Sophie liked the way she left lipstick marks on the glass she was drinking from when she put it back down on the coaster next to her monitor. She loved being able to buy things this way, even if she did end up with the odd piece of crap. Sophie found it was a twenty four hour a day shopping centre buying from eBay.

    It wasn’t long before Sophie had brought a number of items. She’d brought herself some more underwear that was a steal at the price the seller had it up on eBay for. Mark wasn’t short of money since his mum had left him a nice nest egg in the form of a life insurance policy, not that any amount of money could replace his mother, but it did mean that he could work from home as an accountant for a small group of companies he’d built up over the past couple of years. It also meant that he could remain dressed as Sophie when the mood took him.

    Happy with her shopping for one night, Sophie shut down the computer and then went to bed. It was now nearly three in the morning, but that was yet another joy to doing your shopping online, you weren’t stuck doing it nine to five. Sophie cleaned off the makeup and put the wig back on its stand before slipping on a nightgown and then slipped into bed to get some sleep.

    Diane woke and fired up her laptop to check on her eBay sales before she went to see if her mum was awake. Diane saw that she’d sold a number of the bra and panty sets she’d brought from an auction at the start of the week. She was beginning to think she was selling them too cheap with how fast they were going, but that was the nature of selling on eBay. Diane loaded up her little portable laptop printer with postal labels and then started printing out the addresses to send the items out to when she noticed an address here in Derby that was just over the back of her own house. Then she realised that it was Mark’s address, but not his name.

     “Sophie Clarke? I wonder if Mark found himself a wife.” Diane said to herself as she held the A4 sheet with all the details printed on it. Diane already knew that Mark didn’t have any other family that would have the same last name of Clarke, so it must be a wife, or a girlfriend that was hoping to one day be calling herself Mrs Clark.

    Diane finished printing out the labels and then went to see if her mum was awake. Helen was sat up in bed and smiled when she saw Diane enter her room after knocking.

     “Morning sweetie. How did you sleep?” Helen asked.

     “I slept just fine mum. How did you sleep, any pain?” Diane asked as she walked over to the bed and sat down on it.

     “A little, but right now I really need to pee.” Helen said with some pain in her voice.

     “Why didn’t you shout me mum?” Diane asked as she jumped up and then helped her mum limp to the bathroom down the hall.

     “I don’t want to be a constant pain to you.” Helen said as they made their way to the bathroom.

     “Mum, you fed, clothed and raised me for seventeen years. I can look after you for eight weeks or so.” Diane said with her hands on her hips once she’d got her mum sat on the toilet.

     “I still have one good arm and leg.” Her mum said with a smile as she waved her good arm in the air.

     “True, but it doesn’t help when you have to be able to cut up your food does it, and if you were able to look after yourself, then please explain the reason for you not going to the toilet sooner?” Diane asked looking smug as she leaned against the doorframe with her arms folded across her chest.

     “Point taken.” Helen said looking sheepish just before she informed Diane that she’d finished and was ready to get back off the toilet now.

    Diane giggled as she helped her mum get cleaned up so they could make their way down stairs to sort out some breakfast. “Mum? Did mark settle down and get married?” Diane asked once she had her mum sat at the kitchen table.

     “No! Mark’s not had a girlfriend since... To tell you the truth, I’ve never seen him with a girl since you and he were together.” Helen said after giving it some thought.

     “What, never?” Diane asked looking puzzled. “Did Sally his mum never say anything about him seeing a girl?” Diane asked looking shocked this time.

     “No, never.” Helen said after giving it some more thought. “Does this mean you’re interested in seeing him again?” Helen asked looking a little excited that her daughter and Mark might get back together.

     “He broke up with me remember mum.” Diane whined. “I never wanted to break up in the first place.” She pointed out to her mother. “I just wondered if he ever found someone else, or if he broke up with me for someone else.”

    Helen suddenly stopped smiling when she remembered what had happened all those years ago. She’d always hoped to see the two of them get back together, and with Diane asking such personal questions about Make had got her hopes up.

    Diane decided she needed to do some more research into this new woman in Mark’s life, so she set to work sorting out breakfast, and let the subject of Mark Clarke’s love life drop. Diane soon had some toast done and a pot of tea made for them both.

    Once breakfast was out the way and her mum was finished and cleaned up, Diane settled her mother in the living room with the TV and a glass of juice before she went up to her room to see if she could find out some more about this Sophie Clarke.

    Diane tried a Google search for the name, but that just brought up a mass of variations on the names Sophie, and Clarke. She sat looking at the sheet with the postal address and other details when she saw the eBay user name and did a search using that. That worked much better and Diane soon found herself on a number of different sites that dealt with Transgender issues and stories. It didn’t take much for Diane to work out who this Sophie was, but she knew she needed to find out more about this secret side to the man she once loved.

Chapter Two: Finding Sophie

    Over the next couple of days Diane looked at some of the stories Mark had wrote under the pen name of Sophie89. Eighty-nine being the year her and Mark was born. Diane made up a fake email account using a hotmail address so she could start and email Sophie89 to tell her how much she liked her stories, and to start building a friendship. She sent an email saying how much she liked one of the stories and waited to get an email back thanking her.

    Mark had woken and made himself a cup of tea while he made a list of things he needed to get from the shop later in the day. He was just about to call Helen and see if she needed anything when he remembered Diane being back home, so he decided against calling Helen, just in case Diane answered the phone. Mark wasn’t ready for more angry conversation with her just yet.

    Once his drink was made, Mark decided to check his email and Sophie’s email while he drank it. There was a couple of work related emails he needed to reply to later, but nothing that he needed to sort out right away. He then logged into Sophie’s account to see if any of her online friends had emailed her.

    This account had more emails in it, some spam, but also a lot from her friends. Mark had met up with some of the girl’s that had emailed her. They had talked Mark into letting Sophie out on the odd weekend while they met up for different transgender get-together’s. Sophie had had a lot of fun and done it a number of times since. Mark still wasn’t brave enough to just dress as Sophie and go out in the daytime. He would pack Sophie up in a suitcase and then book a room at the hotel where the get-together was happening, and then become Sophie once he was there.

    The thing that caught Mark’s eye about the emails though was one with a name of a short story he’d wrote after being nagged by another girl Sophie knew, had pushed him into giving it a go. Mark clicked on the email and then read what the person had written. It was from a girl called Dominique, who liked her stories. She had some nice things to say about her stories, and wanted to ask some questions about how she’d come to realise how she was the way she was.

    It was rare for Sophie to get emails thanking her for her story writing, so he was happy to send a reply thanking this Dominique, and also offering to talk when ever this new girl to the scene needed to. Mark had learned that talking about how he felt was a good thing, and Mark wasn’t going to turn his back on someone just working out they have a softer side.

    Mark sent a reply and then went to get changed so he could go out. This meant removing the breast forms and putting on his male clothes, as he’d spend all weekend dressed as Sophie chatting online with other girls like him. He spent a lot of time using msn and going to the different chat rooms he’d found for Sophie to spend her time.

    Diane sent out the things Mark had brought from her on the Monday morning. She also looked at the other items he’d brought using the same account, and everything pointed at him being Transgendered in some way. She was just on her way back from the post office when she saw mark walking the other way.

    Mark stopped dead in his tracks looking worried as he looked around for someplace to duck out of Diane’s way, but it was too late as she’d already seen him and was looking at him like a lioness would a meal. Mark looked even more worried as Diane started walking towards him again with a friendly smile on her face.

     “Hello Mark. I’m sorry for acting like such a cow to you Friday night. Mum told me about everything you’ve done for her since my dad passed.” Diane said trying to show Mark she wanted to be friends with him.

     “Hi Diane.” Mark smiled back, not knowing what else to say off the top of his head. “How is your mum doing?” He suddenly added, wanting to make the conversation last as long as he could. It had been so long since he saw Diane smile like this, when he saw her he normally just got a scowl as she stormed back into the house.

     “She’s doing fine, but she doesn’t like being looked after very much.” Diane giggled. “I was sorry to hear about your mum. How are you doing?” Diane asked looking genuine. Sally had been like a second mum to Diane while they were growing up.

     “Thanks Diane, but it was a relief in the end as she was in a lot of pain and it was hard seeing her suffer.” Mark said as he wiped away a tear.

     “I’m sorry Mark; I didn’t mean to upset you.” Diane said as she reached out and took hold of his hand. “Do you have time for a coffee?” She asked on the spur of the moment.

     “I’d like that a lot.” Mark said with a smile.

    The two of them were soon sat in a cafe with a mug of coffee each. As they talked about what they’d been doing since they last spoke. It wasn’t long before they got onto the subject of ex lovers.

     “Are you seeing anyone at the minute?” Diane asked.

     “No, I’ve been too busy looking after my mum, or I was.” Mark said as his face dropped when he realised that his mum was gone now, and he had no real reason for not having a girlfriend now. “What about you? Do you have a boyfriend, or husband?” Mark asked trying to shift the talk away from him and back to Diane.

     “No one at the minute. I’ve been too busy running my own business.” Diane said with a proud look on her face.

     “Running your own business? Doing what?” Mark asked looking just as impressed as Diane just had.

    Diane thought about lying to him, but then she remembered that her mum could drop her in it, so she told the truth. “I buy things in bulk from bankruptcy auctions and then sell it on eBay.”

    Mark wanted to say that he liked buying things on eBay, but stopped himself just in time, when he remembered that it was Sophie that liked to buy things on eBay, and he didn’t want to try and explain why he was using a girl’s name for his eBay nickname. So instead he said. “I’ve never used eBay, but I know people that do.”

     “I bet you do.” Diane thought to herself as she sipped her coffee. “As a seller on eBay, I should encourage you to give it a go.” Diane said with a smile.

     “I still like to go into the shops and buy my things.” Mark lied with a convincing smile.

     “Mum was telling me you do quite well with your own little business.” Diane said as she remembered her mum telling her about the accountancy business Mark had started so he could work from home while looking after his mum.

     “Who does your accounts for you at the minute?” Mark asked with a grin, returning the favour for her little comment about the buying things from eBay.

     “An old college friend has been doing them, but I may be looking for someone new to do them if I decide to move back to Derby full-time.” Diane said to see how Mark might react to her staying after her mother was back on her feet again.

     “You’re thinking of stopping here in Derby?” Mark asked a little too excitedly just before he remembered the reason for them breaking up in the first place.

     “I’m thinking about it, but I need to ask you something before I give it any serious thought though Mark.” Diana asked as she looked mark in the eyes across the table they were sat at.

     “What might that be?” mark asked.

     “Why did you break up with me all those years ago? I thought we were so good together.” Diana asked with some pain in her voice.

    Mark wasn’t sure how to answer her question, and not let his secret out, so he had to lie once again. “I just thought we were both too young to think about settling down.”

    Diane still knew Mark well enough to see when he was lying, but she couldn’t say so without him finding out she knew more than she was letting on, but she still wanted to get to the truth behind the reason he thought it better they break off the relationship. “How did that work out for you?” Diane asked instead of all the things she wanted to ask.

     “I’m still single, so what do you think.” Mark said with a sigh.

     “Do you ever regret that choice you made?” Diane asked with a little bit of anger in her voice.

     “Yes, even more so now I see you again.” Mark said before he could stop himself from blabbing it out.

    Diane’s eyes went wide as she heard him say that. “So he still likes girls then.” She thought to herself. “It’s never too late to fix some mistakes you know.” Diane smiled as she finished off her coffee before getting up from the table to return home and see how her mum was doing. “Join me and mum for dinner tonight. Be there at seven sharp.” Diana ordered him just before she left the cafe.

    Mark finished his drink and then left the cafe himself to get his errands sorted out so he could go home and get ready for his dinner date with Diane and Helen. He grabbed a couple of bottles of wine while he was out to take with him later, and then he returned home to get some work done.

    Diane returned home and made sure her mum was alright before she went to see what else she’d sold on eBay before checking the new hotmail account she’d opened for Dominique. Diane smiled when she saw that Mark, or Sophie as it was, had left her an email in response to the one she’d left about the stories he’d wrote.

    Sophie was happy to find a new friend as it turned out, and she also gave a list of some chatrooms Sophie liked to go to, and she also explained to Diane how to start up a windows live account and then add her as a friend.

    Diane was shocked to see just how friendly Mark was as Sophie, so she was soon signing up for a window live account and then she added Sophie as a friend and waited for a response. She knew it would take some time to get a reply to her request because Mark was still out shopping. She was eager to start chatting and see if she could get to the bottom of why they broke up, and find out just what sort of a transgendered person Mark was.

    It was a couple of hours later while Diane was listing some new items on eBay when she saw a message pop up on her screen telling her that Sophie89 had excepted her request to be friends. Diane was soon chatting with Sophie about her past and how she first realised she was a crossdresser and Diane found out that’s what Mark was.

    Not wanting to tip Mark off as to who she really was, Diane said she was a young man who was also a crossdresser and he was looking to make some online friends to talk to about his hobby. She didn’t want to scare mark off, so she never asked about girlfriends to start with, she just kept it simple getting to know Sophie stuff.

    They talked until Sophie said she had to go and get ready to leave for a dinner date, and Diane realised she needed to go and sort out said dinner.

    Mark arrived just before seven with the two bottles of wine and a smile when he saw a smiling Diane answer the door. “Please come in.”

     “I hope I’m not too early?” Mark said as he entered the house. “I’ve also brought some wine to go with the dinner.” Mark added holding up the two bottles. One red, and one white.

     “That’s so sweet of you, but mum won’t be happy.” Diane pouted.

     “Why’s that?” Mark asked looking puzzled as he made his way into the kitchen, so he could place the wine in the fridge until dinner was ready.

     “She won’t be able to have any with us due to the pain medication they have her on.” Diane reminded him.

     “Oh god, I’d forgotten all about that.” Mark said looking shocked that he could forget such a thing after all the pain medication his own mum had been on in the end.

     “It’s a good job I came home then to look after her.” Diane giggled as she playfully slapped Mark on the arm.

     “It is a good job you came home.” Mark said with a grin. Then he cursed himself for speaking what he was thinking again, but there was just something about looking at Diane that made him remember all the good times they use to have together.

    Mark found out that Diane had become quite a good cook while she’d lived away from home, and he really enjoyed the meal she’d cooked for them all. Diane grilled Mark while they ate, trying to find out some more details about what he’d done over the past six years. She found out little snippets from him, but most the time he managed to twist the talk back to being about her, saying he hadn’t done anything as interesting as she had. It was gone midnight when Mark finally left Diane and Helen’s. He was smiling all the way home.

    Mark had started dressing as Sophie more and more while he worked on his client’s accounts. He knew he just liked the clothes and wasn’t interested in having a sex change or even taking hormones so he could grow his own breasts. He just liked the feel of the clothes and the way a skirt brushed around his stocking clad legs.

    He had been confused when he broke things off with Diane; he wasn’t sure if he was gay because of his feeling about dressing like a girl, or if he wanted to be a girl full-time. It was only after he got online and found others like him, that he finally realised who he was and what he wanted out of life, but by then Diane was dating other men and having a good time of it according to her parents.

    Mark was sat working on a set of accounts one Wednesday afternoon. He’d just finished chatting with Dominique while he ate his lunch, he was dressed in a skirt and blouse with full makeup and wig, when there was a knock at his front door. He just ignored it, thinking the person would realise he was out and go away, but they just kept knocking. They did finally get the message and go away though. Then his phone rang and he answered it, not thinking that the person who’d just been knocking could now be calling him instead.

     “Hello? Mark speaking.” He answered when he didn’t recognise the number.

     “Hi Mark. Why aren’t you answering your door if you’re home?” Diane’s voice asked on the other end.

     “Oh... I have the phone on divert at the minute as I’m waiting for a call from a client about some numbers I need from him.” Mark lied as he tried to tip toe to the front window without letting his heels make any sound on the marble floor in the hallway.

     “That’s odd.” Diane said sounding puzzled by something he’d just said. “I thought I could hear music playing, and I thought I saw a woman in the kitchen when I looked across from my bedroom window just before I left the house to come round.” Diane added.

    Diane hadn’t seen anything truth be told, but she had just been speaking to Sophie online and found out that Mark was dressed at the minute. She was hoping to catch him dressed as Sophie so he could see that she wasn’t bothered by it. Diane was eager to see just what he did look like dressed.

     “I must have left the radio on when I came out.” Mark lied some more. “As for a woman being in the house, I think you must have been looking at the wrong house.” He chuckled nervously. Even he thought that was a lame excuse for the woman she thought she saw in Mark’s house.

    Diane felt like pointing out that she knew which house was his, and she’d seen a woman stood in the kitchen at the sink, but she didn’t want to make him feel any more nervous than he already sounded. “Well they do all look the same.” Diane giggled. “What time will you be back home again?” She asked.

     “I’ll be a couple of hours yet. Did you want me for something?” Mark asked.

     “I was just wondering if you wanted to have a coffee and chat.” Diane said sounding a little disappointed.

     “I can give you a call when I get back.” Mark offered.

     “Okay. Chat to you later then.” Diane said before ending the call and making her way home again. She’d been sat on the small wall that ran across the end of Mark’s garden while she spoke with him.

    Mark had been watching her from the front living room window, and was still watching her walk up the road towards her own house. Mark fell on the sofa and let out a sigh once she’d gone.

     “That was way to close.” He said to himself.

    Mark finished working on the accounts he was doing, and then he went up to take a shower and get changed into some male clothes, so he could call Diane and invite her back around for a coffee and a chat.

    That was the first of several times Diane nearly caught Mark dressed as Sophie, but each time he lied his way out of it, thinking he’d fooled her.

    Over the next eight weeks Diane got to know more and more about Mark’s female persona Sophie, while she pretended to be a fellow crossdresser called Dominique. She finally felt ready to try and get Sophie to talk about the reason for them breaking up.

    Sophie had been talking to a couple of girls about a get-together they had been planning when they had to leave due to them needing to be up early for work, so Sophie moved their chat to windows live so they could just talk between the two of them. Diane asked if Sophie had ever been in love with a girl, or told one about her secret.

    Dominique: Have you ever told a girlfriend about this side of you?

    Sophie89: No, I’ve never had the nerves to tell a girl about Sophie.

    Dominique: So you’ve never come close to telling anyone about your crossdressing? Not even a close friend?

    Sophie89: There was one girl I came close to telling, but I found out she just wouldn’t understand, so I never told her.

    Dominique: How old were the two of you when this happened?

    Sophie89: We were both just seventeen. I thought she’d be more understanding about it, but then we watched a movie and she laughed at a crossdresser in the film, and I just knew she’d never understand why I had to dress myself. *sigh*

    Diane was just staring at the screen on her laptop as she read the reason for Mark breaking up with her. Diane couldn’t even remember the film they had been watching, but she was angry that Mark had done something over a movie they had decided to watch.

    Sophie89: Dominique? Have you fallen asleep? LOL

    Dominique: Sorry Sophie, but I have to be up early in the morning, so I better call it a night and head off to bed.

    Diane was just too angry with Mark to keep talking to him right now. She said goodnight and then logged off before she started storming around the house as she thought of all the things she’d like to do to Mark for being so stupid, and not trusting her with his secret over a silly film and how she had acted while they watched it.

Chapter Three: Getting Revenge

    Diane had wanted to slap Mark across the face when she next saw him, but she took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself as she planned out her revenge on him for not trusting her. She’d even kept up the fake ID of Dominique so she could find out the details for the get-together Mark had planned. Her plan was to force Mark into telling her about Sophie, so she could then let him see that she wasn’t bothered with how he liked to dress, she just wanted to be with him. She made up another hotmail account with another name, and then she sent a message to him.

    Mark was chatting with some friends online when he saw that he’d got some email for Sophie, so he opened it expecting it to be junk, or someone new saying something about his writing. What Mark read left him feeling worried, but he thought it might just be a prank.

    The email was from someone calling themselves darkfairy89, and it said that they knew who she really was, and that she’d be in touch soon with more proof, but Sophie was free to email them back to talk about what they knew about her. Mark thought it was just someone playing a poor joke and deleted it before going back to chatting with Sophie’s friends.

    Even though Mark tried to blank the strange email, he was still worried as to whether it was a real threat or not. He was going to get a drink a little later in the day when he saw an envelope on the matt just inside the front door, so he walked over expecting it to be junk, but he looked worried when he saw the name wrote on the front of it. The single word just said ‘Sophie’

     “Oh crap.” Mark said as he held the envelope in his shaking hands.

    He ripped the envelope open and then pulled out a piece of paper with news paper letters pasted onto it. Mark thought it looked like a ransom note more than a blackmail letter. The letter said the same thing as the email did, but it also said that they wanted a sum of money or they would out him to his friends and neighbours. Mark wasn’t sure what to do about this now that he knew the person doing this really did know all about his secret.

    Mark ran back to his computer and checked his deleted email folder and found the email from darkfairy89 and then moved it back to Sophie’s inbox so he could reply to it. He wanted to know why this person wanted to hurt him so much. The email was soon on its way to darkfairy89. It was an hour later when Mark got a reply to his email.

    Hello Sophie, or do you prefer Mark?

    My goal isn’t to hurt you in anyway, not unless you don’t do as I ask. The first thing I need you to do is pay me for my time. I need you to put one thousand pounds in an envelope and then tape the envelope under a seat in the local park.

    Mark went on to read the details about which park bench it was and at what time he was to leave it there the next day. He thought about not doing as this person asked, but for the sake of a thousand pounds he didn’t think it was worth the risk. Mark just never thought about the person wanting more once he made this payment.

    Diane felt bad when she got an email back saying that Mark would do as she’d asked and leave the money under the bench in the park. She was hoping that Mark would think it best to come clean with her and her mum, rather than pay the blackmailer.

    She followed Mark to the park the next day, and then watched as he placed the envelope under the bench before walking away. She thought he might hang around trying to see who it was blackmailing him, but he just rushed away and then got on a bus that would take him past the end of his road.

    Once he had been gone for some time, she made her way over to the bench and sat down while she threw bread out on the pond for the ducks to eat. Once she thought no one was looking, she reached under the bench and removed the envelope and slipped it into her purse before making her way back to the car park where her car was parked, and then home again. She felt nervous all the way home, like someone would pounce on her any minute and slap her in handcuffs for blackmailing Mark. None of that happened though, and she was soon parking her car on the drive at her mum’s house and going inside.

    Diane was back in her bedroom at home before she’d dare open the envelope and count the money. She counted out one thousand pounds and smiled as she got ready for the next step in her plan. She launched the hotmail account for darkfairy89 and sent Sophie an email thanking her for the money, and explaining that she would be in touch with her soon.

    Now Diane had the money she needed, the next step was to book the hotel room at the same hotel Mark would be stopped at when he met up with his friends for the weekend get-together Sophie had planned while Diane was pretending to be Dominique. Dominique had become part of the group now, and all the girls spoke freely in front of her about their meeting up and having some fun checking out the trans-friendly night life. They had even tried to get her to join them, but she said she wasn’t ready to come out to the world just yet.

    Diane’s plan was to force Mark to meet her while dressed as Sophie, so he would see that she wasn’t bothered about his hobby. The thing with the blackmail was just a little bit of revenge for not trusting her in the first place.

    The meeting Mark had planned with his online friends, or Sophie had planned, was going to happen just after Helen had her casts removed, so Diane knew that her mum would be fine to look after herself while Diane went away with an old friend, or that’s what Diane had told her mum when she said she’d be going away for the bank holiday weekend.

    Mark was shocked when he read the email that darkfairy89 sent him explaining about how they knew he was planning a get-together with some friends in Manchester at a transgender weekend a hotel had a couple of times a year. The thing that worried Mark the most, were the instructions for him to dress as Sophie and then meet darkfairy89 for a dinner date. He quickly sent an email back explaining that he may like to dress like a woman, but that didn’t mean he’d do other things, and if that was the sort of thing they were hoping for, then they may as well tell everyone his secret, because it wasn’t going to happen with him. Mark was still having visions of some big hairy man trying to have his way with him while he was dressed as Sophie.

    He soon got an email back saying that all they wanted was a meal and a chance to spend some time with Sophie. Mark sent another email asking why they were doing this to him, again, but he never got a reply, so he took that to mean he wasn’t going to find out unless he went to the dinner date and met the person doing all this.

    Mark got all his things packed and ready to leave on the Friday morning and then checked Sophie’s email before he left, he found another one from darkfairy89 saying that they were looking forward to meeting her Saturday night for dinner. He still wasn’t sure he wanted to meet this person and give them anymore power over him, but he also wanted to meet them and find out just who they were. He’d just shut down his computer as the doorbell chimed to let him know his taxi had arrived. Mark was soon sat on a train with Sophie packed in a case next to him making their way up to Manchester.

    Diane was driving up to Manchester so she didn’t risk meeting Mark on her way up there. She hadn’t said anything to Mark about her trip away, and she’d also managed to stop her mother from saying anything to Mark about it as well, just in case he put two and two together. The plan had seemed like a good idea at the time, but as the days ticked away, she had started to doubt it, and now she was worried that Mark would see darkfairy89 was her and never speak to her again. Part of her just needed to meet this woman Mark found pleasure in becoming, and the more time she’d spent talking to her online, the more real Sophie seemed to become to her.

    Diane left first thing on the Friday morning after sending one last email to Sophie. She was at the hotel where the meeting was going to happen by lunchtime. She booked in and then ordered room service so she didn’t risk bumping into Mark and letting the cat out of the bag before the meal tomorrow night. She was hoping that being in a restaurant full of people would stop Mark, or Sophie as it would be; from overreacting when he found out it was her doing the blackmailing.

    The whole idea of blackmailing Mark and setting up the meeting here at a hotel was based on one of the short stories she’d read on Sophie’s story page. She thought Mark/Sophie would get a little kick out of doing it for real. All of Sophie’s stories had happy endings, she just hoped this little adventure had a happy ending as well.

    Diane unpacked her things; she’d spent a small fortune on a new dress, heels and underwear, so she looked her best for the meal the next night. Diane had also booked an appointment with a hairdresser for the Saturday afternoon so she looked her best from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Getting out of the hotel and back again was going to be the fun part, and Diane hoped she didn’t bump into Mark or Sophie when she did, not that she’d know if she did bump into Sophie, as she still had no idea what Mark looked like when dressed as her. As Dominique she’d asked Sophie for a couple of pictures, but Sophie had said she’d send her some pictures when she did the same. Diane had thought about it, but them decided against risking it this close to the big weekend.

    She got out her laptop and checked up on her eBay items, and also listed some new stuff she’d brought from an auction she’d found near her mum’s house. Once she’d done that, she went to the story site called Bigcloset Topshelf; this was the site where she’d first found Sophie’s stories when she did a search for her name a couple of months ago. Diane had now read them all of Sophies stories a couple of times, and wondered just how much Mark wished to be like the main characters in the stories. This was one of many answers she hoped to get tomorrow night, or sometime soon after. She was also going to point out that using the same nickname on eBay as the one you write stories under, wasn’t the smartest move he could make.

    Time seemed to slow right down for Diane as she kept looking at the time, and she started to worry more and more about what she was doing to Mark, but a small part of her felt he deserved all this for not trusting her when they were just seventeen. So she went back to reading her book and settle down for a long boring night in her room.

     Mark arrived in Manchester and dragged his heavy case off the train. It had wheels, but it was still a large heavy thing to pull around. He found a taxi and told the driver where he wanted to go once the case was in the trunk of the car. The driver gave Mark a knowing look, so Mark thought the driver must know what was going off at the hotel.

    He found himself wondering if the taxi driver also liked to dress in his spare time. Mark only wondered because he seemed to be looking at Mark and trying to picture how good Mark might look once in female mode.

    Mark was nervous anyway, but the sudden thought of what this man might also be thinking suddenly had him thinking about what could happen tomorrow night with his would be blackmailer. Mark had thought about backing out and calling the persons bluff, but part of him wanted to be brave and face them down and put a face to them. The fact the person wanted to meet over dinner at the hotel restaurant helped Mark feel better about the meeting. He didn’t think they would want a room full of witnesses if they wanted to hurt him, and he didn’t get the vibe that this person wanted anything more than dinner and a talk.

    The taxi was soon pulling up outside the hotel and Mark got out after paying the fare. The driver helped with his case and then told him to have a good time with a smile and a wink. Mark knew right away that the man driving the taxi also liked to explore his feminine side. He wondered if he might see the driver or a female version of him at some point over the long weekend.

    Mark got checked in and then made his way up to his room, so he could take a soak in a nice hot bubble bath before he set to work bringing Sophie out.

    An hour after checking in, Mark was stood in his hotel room wearing nothing but a silk bathrobe sporting freshly shaven legs. It never took him long to remove his body hair due to him never having much to begin with. He’d always been teased growing up about his size and the lack of body hair he sported, but Mark had always been glad of it.

    He looked down at Sophie lay out on the bed, well the items that would soon have him looking like a woman called Sophie. He slipped out of the bathrobe and set to work. The first thing he did was attach his breast forms. Unlike the stories he wrote, Mark didn’t use special makeup to hide the edges, he just wore clothes that didn’t show the edges. Things like blouses and dresses with higher bust lines were Sophie’s normal choice. Sophie wasn’t the sort of girl to let it all hang out, she liked to look tasteful.

    Once he had the breast forms glued on, he then set to work tucking away the last part that made him look like Mark. He was soon tucking and wearing a gaff. Then he set to work on his makeup and adding some press on nails. The nails weren’t very long, due to Sophie not being very skilled at doing things wearing long nails.

    His face was soon made up and with each new step Mark vanished, leaving a very short haired woman sat at the vanity in the hotel room. Next came the wig, which was the brunette one Mark had spent a lot of money on. It was made from real hair and matched his own hair perfectly. Once it was on, Mark looked in the mirror and saw Sophie looking back at him.

     “Hi Sophie.” Mark giggled in a breathy whisper, trying to sound more like a girl. He didn’t have the deepest of voices to begin with, so he sounded quite convincing when he tried hard enough. He lost the feminine sound though if he raised his voice too much.

    Mark, or more to the point Sophie, got up from the vanity and then set to work getting dressed. Sophie had brought a couple of waist clinchers from a seller on eBay, and she wanted to get used to wearing them ready for the dinner date the next night. Sophie wanted to look her best for the date, even if she was being forced to do it all.

    Once Sophie had the waist clincher in place, she then picked up the purple cocktail dress she was going to wear tonight and stepped in to it. Sophie loved the feel of the dress sliding up her nylon covered legs, she’d put all her underwear on before she started her makeup. There was something very sexy about being sat at the vanity wearing nothing but her underwear that Sophie couldn’t resist.

    With the dress on and looking much better now she had the waist clincher pulling her waist in more, Sophie sat on the edge of the bed and slipped on the purple sandals she’d found to go with the dress of the same colour. She added a couple of rings, and a necklace that once belonged to her mother, and had been given to her this last Christmas. Mark’s mother knew that he’d get all her things when she was gone anyway, but she thought it a little more special if she gave it to him before that time came. Mark had sobbed in his mother’s arms on that Christmas morning, but now she smiled when she thought about the amazing woman that raised him, and her, for there was no sign of Mark in the room at the minute, just a pretty looking woman in a purple dress.

    Sophie had arranged to meet a couple of the other girls for dinner down in the restaurant before they went to a club that catered to girls like them. Sophie soon had her purse loaded up with all the things a girl might need on a night out, then she left her hotel room looking a little nervous, as she made her way down to the bar where she said she’d meet her friends. She’d done this sort of weekend a number of times now, so she wasn’t too nervous, and she passed quite well, or so her friends had told her on more than one occasion.

    Once in the bar Sophie ordered a drink and then found an empty table so she could wait for her friends to arrive. They slowly all turned up and they complemented each other on how good they looked before making their way into the restaurant for their meal.

    Sophie found herself looking around the room, just like she’d sat in the bar doing. She was wondering if the blackmailer was already here at the hotel watching her, or maybe taking photos of her for yet more blackmailing further down the line. She was soon being dragged into a debate about which one of her friends looked like they had lost the most weight since she last saw them, and the rest of the night was just a fun filled blur.

Chapter Four: When Worlds Collide

    Sophie was sat in her room the next evening looking nervously at her wrist watch, partly waiting for the hands to reach the correct time for her to make her way down to the restaurant, and partly hoping the time would never come. She was having serious second thoughts about what she was about to do, but she’d spent a big chunk of the previous night convincing the other girls that she was meeting up with an old friend who she’d told about this side of her, and she wanted the first meeting to be a private affair. Sophie might have laughed if she knew just how close to the truth that lie really was.

    Seeing that it was now time to head down to the restaurant, Sophie took one last look in the mirror before leaving the room. She was wearing a sexy little evening dress that was a little more revealing than the things she normally wore. Sophie had brought a body stocking to help hide the edges on the breast forms. Lucky the forms she used were some of the more expensive ones on the market and the skin tone was close to her own, so under the black body stocking they looked like real breasts.

    The evening dress was floor length and Sophie would have been tripping over it if not for the four inch heels she had on. Sophie had been wearing these heels for the better part of a month trying to get used to walking in them, just so she could wear them for this weekend. That was before someone decided to blackmail her though.

    Sophie had a little clutch bag that was just big enough to hold her makeup and hotel key card, and her ladies wallet. Clutching the small purse just in front of her, Sophie left the safety of her room and made her way down to the ground floor where the restaurant was located.

    The person doing the blackmailing had given Sophie instructions, so once she was down in the restaurant she told the person greeting everyone what she’d been told to say.

     “Hello. I have a reservation under the name Sophie Clarke.” Sophie said in her best female sounding voice. It was a breathy whisper, but the waiter smiled and then led her to a very private area far enough away from the other tables to allow her and her blackmailer to talk in private.

     “Would you care to order a drink while you wait for your guest to join you?” The waiter asked after helping Sophie take her seat.

     “Yes, I’ll have a white wine please.” Sophie smiled up at the waiter in thanks for helping her take her seat.

    Sophie would have liked to have been facing the other way, but her blackmailer had given orders that she take the seat facing away from the entrance to the restaurant. She did turn to look at the entrance a couple of times, but it was hard to keep doing while wearing the waist clincher, so she soon gave up and just waited for her tormenter to arrive.

    The waiter was soon back with her drink. “I’ll show your guest over as soon as they arrive.” The man said with a smile just before he left to serve one of the other tables he was in charge of.

     “Please do that.” Sophie said sarcastically under her breath so the waiter couldn’t hear her say it. “Feel free to walk them out of the hotel, and my life.” She added just before picking up her wine and taking a sip from it.

    Sophie had to smile though when she saw the lipstick mark on the glass, and then looked at her slender looking hand with the frosted pink nail polish on the long claws she was now sporting. She’d gone for longer nails tonight, hoping that if the blackmailer saw she’d taken some pride in how she looked, they may leave her alone after tonight.

    They were supposed to meet at seven, but it was ten past now, and the person still hadn’t turned up. Sophie was beginning to worry that this was just another trick to waste her time. Sophie was just about to flag the waiter down and order something to eat when she felt a hand on her shoulder, just before a hot breath was at her ear and a female voice spoke to her.

     “Hello Sophie. I’m so glad to see you decided to come.” The voice said in her ear.

    Sophie suddenly found herself frozen in place, unable to even turn and look this woman in the eyes. Sophie had been so worked up thinking it was going to be a man that was blackmailing her, that the thought it could be a woman never really entered her mind. She couldn’t work out why a woman would want to sit and have a meal with her.

    Diane had spent the better part of her Saturday having her hair and nails done ready for her big date with Sophie. She wanted to look more stunning for her than she’d ever looked for anyone in her life. She’d slipped on a pair of dark sunglasses when she returned to the hotel after the makeover, just in case Sophie or Mark was in the lobby, but she never noticed him, or a woman that looked like a female version of him.

    Once back in her room, Diane had set to work getting ready for the dinner date. She slipped on the new underwear she’d brought, then she got out the pure white evening dress she’d brought using some of the money she’d blackmailed Mark into giving her. Then she added the shoes which had peep holes at the end so she could show off the newly painted toe nails she now had. Diane had had her legs waxed, so she didn’t bother with any stockings.

    It was just after seven when Diane left her room and made her way down to finally meet this woman that had driven her and Mark apart all those years ago.

    Diane had picked the table she wanted for her dinner date with Sophie, so she knew where to look the minute she stepped into the room. A waiter came over and asked if she was meeting someone.

     “Yes I’m part of the Sophie Clarke party, but I can see her sat over there.” Diane said in a lowered voice. “If you don’t mind I’d like to surprise her, so I’ll make my own way over there.” Diane told the man.

     “As you wish ma’am. Would you care for a drink to be brought over in a little while?” The man asked with a smile.

     “Yes, I’ll have a white wine please.” Diane smiled back.

     “As you wish. I’ll have it brought over to you right away.” The man said just before he went to sort out the drink order.

    Diane was suddenly very nervous about doing this. She’d basically blackmailed a friend who she hoped to form more than a friendly relationship with, and he was now dressed as a woman sat waiting to find out that she was the person doing the blackmailing. Diane thought that because she never planned to actually go through with any of the things she said she’d do though, that everything was going to be okay. Taking a couple of deep breaths, she made her way over to the table and placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder sat at the table and then leaned down to whisper in her ear.

     “Hello Sophie. I’m so glad to see you decided to come.” Diane breathed into Sophie’s ear. Diane felt Sophie go ridged, but she never made an effort to turn and look at her. “Do you mind if I join you?” Diane asked not making any effort to move from just behind Sophie.

     “You’re the one in control, so you can do as you want.” Sophie said still not looking around to see the woman’s face. Sophie did think she knew the voice from someplace though.

    Diane was masking her voice slightly so Sophie wouldn’t work out it was her until she either looked around and saw her, or Diane finally stepped from behind her and took the seat facing her at the table. When she saw that Sophie wasn’t going to turn and look at her, Diane let out a sigh and then stepped around and took the seat facing Sophie.

     “Hello Sophie. Surprise!” Diane said trying to lighten the mood.

    Sophie just sat with her mouth hanging open as she looked at Diane across the table from her. Of all the people Sophie could have expected to be her blackmailer, Diane was the last. Sophie had so many thoughts and questions going through her mind that she couldn’t speak to start with, but she settled on the angry thought of ‘why’.

     “Diane? It’s been you blackmailing me all this time?” Sophie finally got out. “Why do you want to hurt me so much, and when did you find out about Sophie?” She asked close to tears at the hurt she was feeling.

     “I never would have done any of them things I told you I’d do Sophie.” Diane said like it would make everything alright between them.

     “I didn’t know any of that did I? What if I’d gone to the police about it all?” Sophie asked.

     “I just knew you wouldn’t want to get the police involved, as that would out you quicker than if I had been telling the truth about exposing you.” Diane pointed out.

    Sophie was just about to launch into Diane again when a waiter came over with Diane’s wine, so she had to wait for the waiter to leave again before carrying on.

     “Are you ready to order yet?” The waiter asked with a friendly smile as he looked at the two women, not realising that one was really a man.

     “Can we have a little longer please?” Diane asked when she saw that Sophie wasn’t even going to take her eyes off her to look at the waiter, never mind answer him.

     “No problem ma’am, just raise your hand when you’re ready.” The waiter smiled again just before walking away.

     “You look very beautiful by the way Sophie.” Diane smiled, trying to throw Sophie off guard with a compliment.

     “You’re not looking to bad yourself Diane.” Sophie said after taking a couple of deep breaths to calm herself before she blew her top. “But it still doesn’t make what you did to me alright.” She added with anger in her voice.

     “I’m sorry for worrying you, but you had it coming after I found out why you broke up with me.” Diane pointed out, pretty much cancelling out the apology she’d just offered.

     “How can you know so much about me?” Sophie asked looking confused. “And why didn’t you let me know that you knew instead of doing all the blackmail and extortion?”

    Diane looked at Sophie in more detail for a couple of seconds as Sophie looked ready to stand up and leave. “I’ll explain everything to you Sophie, but only if you give me your word that you won’t leave until I’ve explained, and we can have a nice meal together?” Diane knew that Mark lived by his word, and she hoped that went for Sophie as well.

     “Okay, I promise not to leave until we’ve had our meal, and you’ve explained the reason for all this foolishness.” Sophie frowned as she relaxed into her chair again, before taking a long sip from her glass of wine.

     “Thank you for that Sophie.” Diane smiled.

    Sophie found herself smiling back as she liked to hear Diane call her by that name, but she was soon looking angry again though when she thought about all the trouble that had brought them to this point. “You better start explaining then Diane.” Sophie said looking very serious. “How did you find out about me being this way?” Sophie asked looking down at herself.

     “You brought something from me on eBay. At first I thought it was a girlfriend or wife, but my mum soon pointed out that as far as she knew, you weren’t seeing anyone.” Diane explained.

     “I’m normally more careful where I buy my items from on eBay, and only buy from sellers far away from where I live.” Sophie said.

     “My seller details still show the Essex address I was living at before I returned home to look after mother.” Diane pointed out.

     “That still doesn’t explain how you found out about all this though, and the details you had on me, or the Sophie me that is.”

     “Well it was a little dumb using the same name for your eBay account, as well as the one you write your stories under.” Diane giggled. “I do like your stories by the way.” She added.

     “You’ve read my stories as well?” Sophie asked looking shocked now.

     “Yes silly, we’ve talked about all this on windows live.” Diane pointed out.

     “We have?” Sophie asked looking puzzled. “Dominique?” Sophie whispered after thinking for a couple of minutes about who she’d been speaking to. Dominique was the only new person she’d been speaking to lately.

     “Guilty.” Diane said with a cheeky smile and a little wave. “Sorry about all the lie’s I’ve told you, but I was hoping to force you into revealing yourself to me before things went on to long.” Diane sighed.

     “So why did you blackmail me?” Sophie finally asked as she looked at Diane across the table.

     “I wish I hadn’t now, but at the time I did that I was just so angry with you for not telling me about this side of you when we were seventeen.” Diane explained looking hurt that Mark hadn’t trusted her. “You just gave up on us over the way I acted to some silly film we were watching.” Diane added as she threw her hands in the air.

     “I was confused about a lot of things back then, but I later found out that I was just interested in wearing female clothes, nothing more.” Sophie said, as she looked down at the table, ashamed of what she’d done all those years ago.

    Diane had already found out about Mark not wanting a sex change or anything like that, but she did think he looked good when dressed as Sophie. “I hope this shows you that I’m not bothered by this side of you.” Diane said as she reached across the table and went to take hold of Sophie’s hand.

    Sophie pulled away before Diane could take hold of it though. “I can’t just forget what you did to me Diane, not even after what I did to you six years ago.” Sophie pointed out looking hurt still. “I’ve been worried sick about everyone I’ve passed on the street since you started your little game, and what about the money you took from me?” Sophie asked with anger in her voice.

     “I’m sorry about that, but I used most of it booking the hotel room and then buying this dress and the makeover I had done, so I’d look as good as you do.” Diane explained, she hoped Sophie would soften up a bit and forgive her. “We better see about ordering some food, or they will kick us back out again.” Diane added when she saw the waiter looking in their direction. She waved him over before Sophie could argue with her about it.

    They both gave the waiter their orders and then watched him walk away again before Sophie spoke. “I’m still in shock over all this Diane, so I’m not sure what I’m feeling at the minute.” Sophie said as she tried to sort out her feelings. Part of her was glad Diane finally knew about Sophie, but another part felt hurt and betrayed over all the blackmail and lying Diane had done to get her here.

    The waiter finally returned with their starter, which Sophie was glad about, this gave her a reason to not talk to Diane while they ate. Sophie used this time to sort out what she was feeling for Diane.

    Diane could see Sophie looking at her, and not in a good way, this just made Diane feel even worse for going through with the blackmail, and then spending most the money. She found herself wondering if Mark and Sophie would ever talk to her again after this meal.

     “If I wrote you a check for the thousand pounds, would that make everything alright again?” Diane finally asked.

     “It’s not just about the money Diane. What about the worry and hate you've made me go through with your plan?” Sophie asked in an angry whisper. “I can’t just forgive you for that.”

    Diane felt a pang of pain in her chest when Sophie said those words to her. She wondered if this was going to be the first and last meal they had together. “I don’t hate you Sophie, I never did.” Diane pleaded with her. “Yes I was angry, but only because you never gave me a chance, and all because of some silly film we just happened to find on the TV.” She tried to explain. “I can’t even remember what the film was now.” Diane added with frustration.

     “The film was called Tootsie.” Sophie reminded her. “It starred Dustin Hoffman.” Sophie added.

     “I remember it now, and I seem to remember also that it’s a comedy as well, so what else would I do but laugh at it?” Diane asked in her own defence.

     “It was the way you laughed and made fun of him trying to play a woman that upset me.” Sophie said in a whisper.

     “You have to admit that Dustin Hoffman did make an ugly looking woman though, but that doesn’t mean I’d have been the same way about you.” Diane argued. “You look so natural, and very pretty dressed like this. I think you look prettier than me.” She added with a pout.

    Sophie was starting to soften to Diane’s charm, but part of her was still angry at what she’d done. So just before she smiled at Diane, she remembered what had brought them to this point and she just scowled at her instead. “You still could have just come and talked to me about it, and let me know that you knew about Sophie.”

     “I tried to give you a number of chances to let me know about Sophie.” Diane said with pleading in her voice. “Why do you think I called round to see you all those times while you were dressed like this?” She pointed out.

    Sophie had to think for a couple of seconds before she realised that Diane had come to his house on more than one occasion while he was dressed as Sophie, and he could have very easily opened the door and just let her in, but he’d been to scared of her laughing and then leaving his life again. “I don’t know why I never told you, other than the fact I was scared you’d hate me once you knew.” Sophie said as she played with the food on her plate, not feeling very hungry.

     “I don’t hate you, but I am upset you didn’t trust me enough to talk to me about it.” Diane said in a calming voice as she looked at her friend across the table.

     “Sorry.” Sophie said just before she started nibbling her food again.

    Diane tried to strike up some normal conversation while they ate the rest of their meal, but Sophie looked lost in thought, not that Diane could blame her for being distracted after finding out the person blackmailing you just happens to be your ex-girlfriend.

    The meal was soon over, and Sophie had clammed up. The waiter brought the bill over and Diane grabbed it before Sophie had a chance. She soon had the meal charged to her room.

     “What do I owe you for my half of the meal?” Sophie asked once the waiter had left again.

     “Nothing Sophie, this was my treat, and apology for worrying you.” Diane smiled. “I am sorry for the way I went about all this.” She added.

     “I’m sure you are, and I thank you for the meal.” Sophie said as she got up from the table and turned to leave, but she stopped and looked back over at Diane. “But I don’t think I could be with someone that’s willing to do what you did, just to get a date.” Sophie added just before she turned and walked out the restaurant.

    Diane sat and watched the woman that just so happened to be the boy she loved, walk out the room with all the grace of a catwalk model. She couldn’t help but notice some of the men in the room check Sophie out as she left as well. Some of the men earning themselves a poke, and clip round the back of their heads from a partner for looking a little too hard. She couldn’t bring herself to laugh though, because the person she loved more than anything in the world had just walked away from her. Fighting back the tears over the stupid scheme she’d come up with to get some revenge on Mark, and also meet Sophie, Diane left the table and made it up to her room before she broke down in sobs of tears.

    Sophie walked back to her room, still feeling angry and hurt at what Diane had done to him. Trouble was he also found himself loving her for it at the same time, but it still didn’t make what she’d done right. Blackmailing someone for any reason was wrong, and Mark knew what he had to do, so he got his phone out his, or Sophie’s purse and made a call.

    Diane must have cried herself to sleep because she was suddenly woken to the sound of someone knocking on her hotel room door. She sat up groggily and saw that she was still dressed in the white evening dress and even had her heels on still. She slid off the bed and looked in the mirror at the mess her hair and makeup was in. “Just a minute!” She called out as she tried to make it look a little better, but gave up after a couple of seconds.

    The person on the other side of the door knocked again a little louder this time, not happy by the sounds of it, to be kept waiting.

    Diane finally opened the door and then looked worried when she saw a police man and a police woman stood there looking at her. “Is something wrong officer?” Diane asked.

     “Are you Miss Diane Wilson?” The male officer asked after looking at something on a small note pad he was holding.

     “Yes I am, is something wrong?” Diane looked even more worried now.

     “May we come in and have a quick chat with you Miss Wilson?” He asked as he stepped into the room before Diane could give him an answer.

     “Please come in.” Diane said with a slight sarcastic edge to her voice as she watched the two officers enter her hotel room. “What’s all this about?” She asked once the door was closed.

     “There have been some charges made against you Miss.” The male officer explained. “We need you to come down to the station and answer some questions.” He added as he got out a set of handcuffs.

    Diane looked worried when she saw the cuffs come out and tried to step away from the man, but the female officer soon had hold of her and they slipped the cuffs on her wrists.

     “What are the charges?” Diane asked in a shaky voice as she tried to tug the cuffs apart holding her wrists behind her back.

     “Obtaining money through deception, and blackmail.” The officer told her as they led her from the room.

    Diane was too shocked to speak. Mark had reported her to the police, and she was now going to prison for what she’d done. She was softy crying again as she was led down the hallway to the elevators. Diane was in a daze and didn’t notice that they had got off on another floor, and not the lobby. She only realised this when the two officers stopped in front of another room and knocked on the door. Diane looked shocked when she saw who opened the door to them.

     “Sorry to bother you Miss, but is this the lady that’s been blackmailing you?” The male officer asked.

     “Yes that’s her officer.” Sophie said looking angrily at Diane.

     “Sophie! Mark! Please don’t do this to me.” Diane pleaded with him as she started sobbing again. “My life will be over if you have me arrested.” She added through the sobs.

     “I’m not sure if you realise this Miss Wilson, but you have been arrested.” The man said.

    A fact that Diane knew only too well by the feel of the handcuffs holding her arms behind her back as she stood looking at Mark still dressed as Sophie right in front of her.

     “Take her away and throw the book at her.” Sophie said as she looked Diane in the eyes.

     “What book would that be then Sophie?” Another male voice asked from just behind Diane, but when she turned to look, all she saw was the female office, that’s when Diane realised that she’d never spoken all the time she’d been with her. It was the male officer that had been doing all the talking.

    Diane turned to look at Sophie again, just to find her stood grinning at her. “Not very nice to think your life has been destroyed is it?” Sophie asked looking smug with herself.

     “What... But what’s? What’s going on?” Diane asked as she looked at the two officers now giggling as the female looking officer removed the cuffs and then handed Diane her room’s key card.

     “You could say we just punked you.” The female officer said, but Diane could tell from the voice that she was actually a man, but she sure looked convincing as a woman. “Sorry we scared you, but you had it coming after what you did to our good friend Sophie here. The female looking officer added as she pointed a finger in Diane’s face.

     “Thanks guys, I owe you one.” Sophie said with a smile as she stepped aside and let a confused looking Diane into her room. She entered quickly, before someone changed their mind and really did arrest her.

     “Buy us a drink later and we’ll call it even.” The male officer said as he wrapped an arm around the female officer and wandered off down the hallway.

     “Who were they?” Diane finally asked as she turned to look at Sophie for an answer. “And why do they look like real police officers?”

     “Because they are real police officers.” Sophie pointed out as she led Diane over to the bed and helped her take a seat before sitting down next to her. “They’re here at the fancy dress party being held down in one of the function rooms. I remembered what they were coming as, and asked them to help me teach you a lesson.” Sophie explained.

    The two officers were a gay couple that Sophie had met on another one of her weekend getaways and become friends with. Even thought they were a gay couple, one of them was also a crossdresser and that was why they were a male and female police officer at the party. Sophie explained to Diane.

     “Oh I see.” Diane said as she hung her head in shame. “What do we do now then Sophie?” She added as she looked up into Sophie’s eyes.

     “I do this and hope you don’t slap me.” Sophie grinned as she leaned in and kissed Diane on the lips.

    Diane wrapped her arms around Sophie’s neck and pulled her closer to her. Both of them suddenly remembered just how good this felt. Diane found it different to kiss another person wearing lipstick, but at the same time it felt so good to be kissing these lips again. Even though Diane had dated other men, and had some good times, this felt like the place she wanted to be. Mark, or Sophie was the one she most wanted to be with, and she wasn’t going to let him or her get away again.

     “I love you Diane, I always have.” Sophie spoke the words, but it was Mark’s voice she heard. “I’m sorry I never gave you a chance before.” He added with a sad smile. “Letting you get away from me was the dumbest thing I ever did.” Sophie said just before kissing Diane again.

     “I love you just as much, and I don’t care what you like to dress like.” Diane said in a breathy voice as she tried to get her breathing under control after the kiss.

     “Do you feel like going down to the party and I can let you meet some of the girls you’ve spoke with online?” Sophie asked.

     “I thought you said it was a fancy dress party? What would we be going as?” Diane asked looking puzzled.

     “How about a couple of lesbian super models?” Sophie asked with a grin.

     “I like the sound of that.” Diane purred just before she stole another kiss from her.

    Sophie got cleaned up and freshened up her makeup before walking with Diane back to her room so she could do something with her face and hair. Sophie offered some help and they were soon ready to go down and show off their new relationship to all the others at the party.

     “How did you know my room number to send the two officers up to?” Diane asked as they made their way down to the function room.

     “I saw you write it down when you charged the meal to your room.” Sophie said in a matter of fact way.

     “Who’s a clever girl then?” Diane said with a grin.

     “Me, some of the time.” Sophie grinned back.

    They were soon down at the party, and Sophie walked Diane around the room introducing her to the girls she’d spoken to online. Diane got a telling off from some of them for lying about who she really was, and she got told off for what she’d done to Sophie. But they all smiled when they saw how happy the two of them looked together. Sophie found the two officers and brought them that drink they asked for in payment.

    It was just after two in the morning when Sophie and Diane left the party to return to their rooms, or room as it turned out to be when Diane said she wanted to make up for lost time with Mark, or Sophie as it turned out to be, but there was one little part that still belonged to Mark.

    Diane booked out of her room the next morning and spent the rest of her time in Mark’s room with him and Sophie. They went shopping together, which was a new thing for Sophie to do, as she’d never been out in the daytime before, but Diane had talked her into it, and it turned out to be a fun day out. They met up with some of the others in the evening for a farewell dinner before they all went home the next day.

    Mark got all of his and Sophie’s things packed away, but instead of getting a taxi to the train station, he loaded it all into the trunk of Diane’s car and got a lift home with her this time.

     “What do you think we should tell my mum about all this?” Diane asked as she drove the car down the motorway, glad of the company.

     “We tell her the truth.” Mark said as he looked over at Diane and smiled. “I’m sick of hiding Sophie in the closet. I just hope she’ll be understanding about it all.” He added.

     “My mum loves you too much to let a simple little thing like your love of female clothes to get in the way.” Diane giggled.

Epilogue

    Diane had been right about her mother. Mark and Diane had sat in her mother’s living room and explained everything to her, and the only thing Helen asked for, was a chance to meet Sophie for herself. Diane had gone with Mark back to his place, and helped him become Sophie, so they could then walk back to her mum’s house.

    Mark had found it strange to be walking the same route he’d done thousands of times before, but to be doing it dressed as Sophie, and listening to the clicking sound of her heels on the pavement felt wonderful.

    Helen had fallen in love with Sophie, just as she already loved Mark, and after that Sophie had many a night out with the two of them.

    Mark finally asked Diane to marry him, and she said yes, or more to the point she screamed it in the middle of a posh restaurant. They were married soon after and Diane moved into Mark’s house with him. They had a gateway put in so they could go from their house to Diane’s mums more easily.

    Diane had a surprise for Mark the next time they went to a trans get-together when she’d set up for another marriage ceremony, but this time it was Sophie in the wedding dress and Diane in the suit. Diane had even sorted out for some of the other girls Sophie knew from online chats to play her bridesmaids.

    Mark couldn’t be happier to have been more wrong about Diane in the end. Not only did she understand about his need to dress, but she joined in with him, and helped to bring out the best in Sophie. They had lots of adventures together, but they're stories for another time.

    The one other thing Diane did make Sophie do, was to change her eBay nickname.

The End

    Authors Note: I’d like to thank you all for taking the time to read this little story. Please let me know if you liked it, and also if you’d be interested in reading some more adventures that Sophie/Mark and Diane had together. Also please tick the good story button as well, as I do like Kudos very much.

    Hugs, Love, and Happy Reading.

    SaraUK

Edited and Posted by SamanthaK