Sophie fidgeted as the excitement of the crowd around her began to intensify. It wasn’t the first wedding that she’d attended- not by a long way- but it still brought with it a clutch of new feelings.

For starters, when Sophie had attended weddings in the past, she’d been dressed in a smart suit, a tie and lace-up shoes, a far cry from the smart pencil dress, high-heeled pumps and elegant hat she’d donned earlier in the day. She’d been sat with family during the last wedding, whereas during this wedding, she was sat between her two flatmates and best friends. The previous wedding had been in a church in London, whilst this wedding was in a Manchester hotel’s events room that had been specially decorated for the event. The most significant change between the two weddings, however, were the people who would be marrying each other. The previous wedding had been of Sophie’s cousin and his fiancée- and neither of them had been dressed like the two women who Sophie had been out with the previous night.

“Good god, my head…” Hayley moaned, taking several deep breaths to try to clear her pain-filled skull.

“Your fault for drinking so much,” Amy said with a snort of laughter.

“It was my first hen night,” Hayley shrugged.

“Yeah, it was mine too,” Sophie said with a smirk that widened as the younger woman rolled her eyes- an action that somehow made her headache even worse.

“I am never drinking spirits again...” Hayley moaned.

“Take it you’re not coming tae our wedding, then?” Paige asked from her seat in the row in front of the three flatmates.

“Aye,” Jessica said with a smug grin that disguised her own hangover. “Ever drank whisky out of a pint glass?” The four women all giggled as Hayley moaned even louder than she had before, though their giggles were soon silenced when the room was filled with loud music.

“Is- is this ‘Right Here, Right Now’ by Fatboy Slim?” Sophie asked.

“Shush,” Jessica ordered, silencing Sophie as the music segued between ‘Right Here, Right Now’, ‘House of Love’ by East 17, ‘Digital Love’ by Daft Punk and a couple of other tracks that Sophie didn’t recognise- not that she was paying attention to the music, of course, as within seconds of it starting, the doors at the rear of the room opened and two young women in elaborate dresses glided into the room.

“Wow,” Sophie breathed as she stared closely at the two brides and their gowns. Both of them lad tight, low-cut bodices and poofy, floor-length skirts- but that was where the resemblance to normal wedding dresses ended. Rather than the traditional white, both dresses were in a shade of blue- Zoe’s dress was in a dark blue colour, reminiscent of the traditional Blue de France, while Natalie’s was light blue, which Sophie immediately identified as the colour of the kit of Manchester City Football Club. Both women’s hair, make-up and nails had been primped to perfection, and Sophie marvelled at how effortlessly beautiful and feminine Natalie looked… When Sophie knew that she didn’t have a drop of oestrogen in her, much like Sophie herself. Natalie was clearly completely at ease with her feminine identity- and with every passing day, Sophie felt more and more comfortable with her own feminine identity.

Thanks to her job, Sophie wasn’t able to spend as much time with her family over Christmas as she’d liked, though what time she did spend with them was spent as James- which brought mixed feelings for Sophie. On the one hand, it was an opportunity to relax, to not care about her appearance or her demeanour, to not have to pretend to be someone she wasn’t. However, every second she spent as a woman made ‘Sophie’ more and more ‘real’ in her mind, to the point that she was no longer sure where ‘James’ ended and ‘Sophie’ began- and as a result, whilst she was with her family over Christmas, she wasn’t sure if ‘Sophie’ was her ‘real’ identity and she was only pretending to be ‘James’, a worry that grew stronger with every subsequent period of time she spent as ‘James’. Whilst with her family, she would constantly find herself questioning her behaviour, hoping that none of 'Sophie's mannerisms had accidentally shone through, that she would be the son her parents raised, but when Christmas ended and she went back to her flat, Sophie felt almost relieved to be regaining her identity as a girl.

All of the early discomfort that she’d associated with being ‘Sophie’ had vanished- she’d grown to enjoy wearing the clothes, the shoes and the make-up, and even enjoyed acting in a convincingly feminine manner. What Sophie had grown to enjoy the most about ‘her’ life, though, was the friendships that she’d made.

Sophie had quickly grown closer to Amy and Hayley than ‘James’ had to any of his friends from school, university or work. The three would spend their evenings gossiping about work, friends and family, planning girly nights out (or girly parties in), even exchanging fashion and beauty tips- something Sophie knew nothing about seven months earlier, but had quickly amassed a wealth of knowledge. It was Sophie herself who’d picked out the dress, hat and shoes she wore to the wedding (during a shopping trip with Amy and Hayley that had lasted over four hours), Sophie who’d applied her own make-up and nail polish, and it was even her who had recommended the eye shadow that Hayley was wearing.

However, as comfortable as Sophie was in her life, she still felt a twinge within her telling her not to get too comfortable- partly because ‘Sophie’ was still a secret to anyone who knew ‘James’, but also because her initial ‘contract’ with Rachel was to go undercover for six months- and those six months had expired a week earlier.

“So cool,” Amy sighed as the two brides danced hand-in-hand down the aisle, each followed by two bridesmaids (Natalie by her two younger sisters and Zoe by her older sister and Sophie’s friend and colleague Amelie). As the couple reached the makeshift altar- and the tall, elegantly dressed woman stood behind it- the music faded out to be replaced by the excited giggles of the crowd, and the even more excited giggling of the two brides.

“Dearly beloved,” Krystie- Zoe’s business partner and the ceremony’s minister- announced to the assembled crowd. “We are here to witness the ultimate declaration of love between these two people, both of whom I am privileged to call my friend. But we are not just here to witness it- we are here to celebrate it as well!” The two brides shrieked with excitement as everyone in the crowd suddenly rose from their seats and showered them with an avalanche of confetti and streamers.

“As you may have been able to tell from the quote-unquote wedding march, this isn’t going to be your normal wedding ceremony!” Krystie teased. “These two had that last week in France.”

“That wasn’t all they had!” Ellen teased, giggling as her sister replied by hurling a handful of streamers in her face.

“…That ceremony was more dignified than this one shall be!” Zoe reassured the crowd.

“That’s for certain,” Krystie said with a wide grin. “Because that first ceremony was conducted under the eyes of family and of god. This one, however, will be much more intimate- as it’ll be conducted under the eyes of friends.” Natalie and Zoe squeaked with excitement again as their friends all rose from their seats and surrounded them in a tight, intimate group hug.

“Zatalie! Zatalie!” The crowd chanted as they grew more and more energised.

“The couple have prepared special vows for each other,” Krystie- who was barely able to contain her own excitement- announced.

“Natalie,” Zoe began, clearing her throat and trying to regain her composure. “When I met you, I did not know what to think. You were a spirit that was free, you did not define yourself by what the world thought of you, and you showed me that there were no limits to how a person could live their life. From you I knew how to seize the day- but the thing I am most glad to have seized is you. And I promise that I will never, ever let you go, that I will never let you be unhappy, that I will never demand that you be anyone other than who you are- man or woman, the most amazing and generous person in the world.” The assembled crowd sighed happily as Zoe concluded her vows.

“Zoe, my perfect star,” Natalie whispered in an uncharacteristically emotional voice, “I never imagined that I would ever meet anyone as truly amazing as you. You are the most open-minded, warm-hearted and loving person in the entire world, and I am privileged to call myself both your husband AND your wife. I promise that I will always put you first, before everything else. Because there is nothing in this world that I love more than you, now or forever. Wherever you go, I will always be at your side, and wherever I go, I will always hold you in the centre of my heart and my soul.” More happy sighs filled the room, before Krystie cleared her throat to address the crowd.

“Natalie Naomi Briggs,” the tall blonde woman asked, “do you take Zoe to be your spouse, now and forever?”

“I do,” Natalie replied.

“Zoe Christelle Renou,” Krystie asked, “do you take Natalie to be your spouse, now and forever?”

“I do,” Zoe whispered.

“Then by the power vested in me by the Universal Life Church,” Krystie announced, “I hereby declare you married. …Yes, you may kiss!” The crowd cheered and showered the couple with yet more confetti and streamers as they exchanged a long, deep kiss.

After the kiss (which was photographed by virtually everyone present on their phones) the brides and their guests retreated to the side of the room while the hotel staff rearranged it for the next part of the ceremony. Numerous photos were taken of the brides, their families and their friends, before a table was set up at the side of the room for the two brides to climb on top of, bouquets in hand.

“I swear, if Ophelia fucking Love catches either of these,” Anna-Jade said, earning giggles from the eager women around her.

“I shall remind you that I am a married woman,” Ophelia- a close friend of the newlyweds- retorted from where she was stood at the other side of the room with the other ‘unavailable woman’. “And that is NOT my middle name.”

“Well I am NOT a married woman,” Amy said excitedly. “And with any luck, that WILL be my middle name!”

“Bring it on, ya slag!” Anna-Jade teased, bringing an evil grin to Amy’s face.

“Madames,” Zoe said in a stern, teacher-like voice, effortlessly silencing the women. “On trois. Ready? Un, deux, trois!”

Sophie watched with an excited grin as the bouquet flew into the gaggle of women, landing in the outstretched hand of her friend and colleague Annabelle- whose smug smile immediately earned the ire of her friends.

“Thanks, honeys!” Annabelle said with a polite curtsey, her calm Atlanta accent betraying a smidge of the excitement she felt at catching the bouquet.

“Okay, second time lucky for someone!” Natalie announced, exaggerating her naturally thick Manchester accent to contrast with Annabelle’s voice. “On THREE this time! One, two, three!” Again, Sophie watched as the bouquet flew over the crowd, but this time, she found herself instinctively reaching toward it herself. Time seemed to slow down for Sophie as the bouquet made its way into her outstretched hand, which instantly clamped closed around the stalks of the flowers.

“Oh- for god’s sake!” Amy groaned as Sophie found herself laughing triumphantly while holding the bouquet aloft. “Boo!”

“Boo yourself,” Sophie retorted, sticking her tongue out at the ginger woman and giggling excitedly.

“And she hasn’t even been looking for anyone,” Hayley playfully scoffed as Sophie’s cheeks began to redden.

“Neither’s Annabelle,” Abbey said with a smug grin as her American friend began to blush as well. “Maybe they’ll find romance with each other?”

“Sure, we’ve got an ordained minister here,” Anna-Jade teased. “May as well marry the two of them off now!”

“I’d rather not, honeys,” Annabelle said, before turning to Sophie with a warm smile on her face. “I prefer my lovers a bit more… masculine, hehe!” Sophie giggled at Annabelle’s teasing, even as her conscious mind tried to tell her that she’d just had her masculinity insulted. A normal man would, and maybe even should be mortally offended by such an accusation. And yet Sophie didn’t see it as an insult at all, but as a compliment- and that was how she took it.

“Thanks,” Sophie giggled. “And don’t worry about it Annabelle- even though you WOULD be girly enough for me, hehe!”

“You’re welcome, honey,” Annabelle replied. “And thank YOU, hehe!” Sophie giggled as she and Annabelle posed for photos with their bouquets, before rejoining the crowd as the happy couple were led to a large table piled high with presents- all of which were wrapped in shiny blue paper of numerous different shades.

Once everyone’s bellies were full and their excitement levels had dropped slightly, the two brides took to their feet, drawing the attention of the suddenly-silent room toward them.

“Ladies, and what few gentlemen are here today,” Natalie announced. “And Greg, wherever you’ve crawled off to.”

“Watch it,” Greg- Natalie’s brother- playfully retorted as the women in the room giggled.

“I’d like to thank you all for coming today,” Natalie said with a warm, genuine smile on her immaculately made-up face. “I would say that many of you don’t know what it means to me to be able to stand here today, like this, but the truth is, a good few of you do know what it’s like. I often dreamed about marrying the most amazing woman in the world. But marrying AS an amazing- even if I do say so myself- woman? Not that long ago, I thought that would be impossible. But I've learned to never say never! And looking out at all your faces, seeing all of you accepting me as the woman I am just makes this day all the more special. Even you, Greg." Natalie's brother rolled his eyes as he was single out once again. "Growing up," Natalie continued, "I had three major dreams: to see Man City win the premiership, to be able to live and work as a woman anytime I pleased, and to marry the most amazing girl in the world. And at the age of 25, I’ve accomplished all three of those goals. Well, I can’t really claim all the credit for the first one. And if I’m honest, I can’t claim it for the second one either, not with the endless love and support my friends have shown me over the last four years. And I definitely can’t claim any of the credit for the last one. Zoe, you aren’t just my wife, or my best friend, you are the other half of my soul. Without you, I simply wouldn’t exist. There needs to be a better word than ‘love’ for the way I feel about you. Though I think we can all agree that ‘love’ is the best word in the world.”

“Oui,” Zoe whispered, blinking back tears as she giggled at her wife’s speech.

“And my new dreams, obviously, are to see Man City win the Champions League, to become a proper ballerina in a proper production and to become a parent,” Natalie said, earning giggles from the rest of the room.

“I shall help you as always with the second,” Zoe said as she stood and linked fingers with her wife. “You may wait for the first. And wait even longer for the third!”

“Good things are worth waiting for,” Natalie said, giving her wife a long kiss before sitting down, taking extra care not to crease her ostentatious dress.

“Mes amies,” Zoe said with a wide, beaming smile. “Natalie has thanked you for coming today, but I would like to thank you for more- for being there for us for every day before today.”

As Zoe continued her speech, Sophie found herself tuning out as she focussed on the words that Natalie had said- specifically, that she should never say never. Sophie had occasionally entertained thoughts of getting married, but had never before imagined that she could be a bride herself. All that had changed over the previous six months. The unconditional acceptance that all of Natalie’s friends had shown her- someone who was legally, genetically, anatomically and chemically male- filled Sophie with a sense of optimism she hadn’t felt before.

It wasn’t until Sophie reminded herself that she’d never before wanted to be female that her sense of optimism began to fade. If Natalie was a ‘man in a dress’, then that applied even more so for Sophie. And yet, as Natalie and Zoe took to the floor for their first dance, Sophie couldn’t help but imagine herself on the dancefloor, wearing a beautiful bridal gown and dancing with her new wife…

“Penny for your thoughts?” Rachel whispered, giggling as she made Sophie jump with shock.

“Don’t do that!” Sophie hissed, making Rachel laugh even louder. “I just- I dunno. They look so happy together…”

“They just got married, they should!” Rachel giggled. “Can’t wait for my turn…”

“Set a date yet?” Sophie asked.

“Probably summer next year,” Rachel replied. “Though we can’t be too specific just yet, what with his sister’s job and all…”

“Funny thinking of ‘being a member of one of Britain’s biggest girl bands’ as a ‘job’,” Sophie retorted, making Rachel giggle again.

“A bit like your ‘job’?” Rachel asked, smiling as Sophie grimaced. “That’s something we’ll need to talk about soon, I guess. How long have you been working there now?”

“Six- six months,” Sophie says, taking a deep breath as the married couple’s dance ends and the dancefloor starts to fill with other couples. “Can we go somewhere- you know, somewhere else where we can talk without, you know, people who shouldn’t be listening?”

“Well- sure, I guess,” Rachel shrugged. “Pretty much everyone here is in the project, though, and those who aren’t are sympathetic to what we’re trying to achieve…”

“Yeah, it’s- it’s something else,” Sophie said as Rachel led her to a quiet, secluded corner of the vast room.

“So… What’s up?” Rachel asked. “The stuff you’ve compiled has been REALLY good, especially the pictures you were able to get! I don’t want to imagine how hard THEY must’ve been to take.”

“A bit, yeah,” Sophie chuckled.

“And you must be looking forward to getting back to being ‘James’, right?” Rachel asked with a giggle.

“…A bit, yeah,” Sophie said with a nervous, hasty laugh.

“Though I guess it’s up to you whether you’d rather wear a dress or a suit to my wedding, hehe!” Rachel giggled.

“Yeah,” Sophie said with a nervous chuckle as she tried to formulate in her mind the words she wanted to say to Rachel. However, as hard as she tried, she realised that she couldn’t describe her feelings in a way that could convince herself, let alone her friend. Sophie giggled in an attempt to stall, to give herself more time to think, but as she did so, the two women were interrupted by a sudden presence looming over them.

“There you are!” Danny chuckled as he greeted his fiancée with a gentle kiss. “Thought I saw you two wandering off. Ahem. Miss Harrison, might I trouble you for a dance?”

“As long as the person you rudely interrupted doesn’t mind?” Rachel replied, making her fiancé chuckle with embarrassment as Sophie internally cringed. However, she still had no idea what she wanted to say to Rachel, much less how to say it, and she wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth…

“Sure!” Sophie shrugged, making Rachel giggle as she took Danny’s hand and headed to the dancefloor, leaving the brown-haired girl alone with her thoughts.

As she sat alone in the corner, Sophie wondered what exactly she had wanted to say to Rachel. That she liked wearing dresses, heels and make-up? That she wasn’t ready to give up ‘Sophie’s life just yet? That she might even want to make ‘her’ a semi-permanent, or maybe even permanent arrangement? How would Rachel- or anyone else, for that matter- react to that? As Sophie glanced out over the room, however, she realised that the reaction she would get would almost certainly not be a negative one. There were countless people in the room who were genetically male, but were dressed similarly to Sophie, some of whom had gone the whole hog and taken hormones and even had surgery to make themselves female, and others- like Sophie herself and one of the brides- who were completely ‘unchanged’. In this room, unlike a lot of the rest of the world, there was no taboo concerning Sophie being who she wanted to be. She just wished she knew who it was she wanted to be…

Sophie let out a long sigh as she headed to the nearby toilets to relieve herself, only to run into an unexpected pair of faces when she exited the cubicle.

“Thought I recognised you slipping off!” Amy giggled. “I won’t hug, I’ll let you wash your hands first- no offence, hehe!”

“No offence taken!” Sophie giggled as she washed her hands with the floral-scented hand soap, before examining her reflection in the mirror.

“’Long-lasting make-up’ my arse, eh?” Hayley asked as she stood next to Sophie and touched up her lipstick.

“Ugh, tell me about it,” Sophie sighed, repairing her own mascara with expert brush strokes before touching up her own lipstick. “Have you checked into our room yet?”

“I’m sorting it after the reception,” Amy yelled from her cubicle. “Though I hope you’re not planning on ducking out early, Miss Connolly!”

“Oh- HELL no!” Sophie giggled. “Gonna take this opportunity to have as much fun as I can!” Because I don’t know when I’ll get another chance… Sophie thought to herself.

With her make-up repaired, Sophie headed back out into the hustle and bustle of the reception, a wide, confident grin on her face as her presence earned nothing but smiles from the other people she encountered- virtually all of whom were her friends. As she coolly strode around the room on her delicate heels, Sophie felt completely at ease with her identity, both how she felt inside and how she was being seen by her friends. Sophie couldn’t help but think about how much she’d miss all of the friends she’d made- not just Amy and Hayley, but all of them- once she went back to being ‘James’. It wasn’t long before Sophie found herself being drawn into one of the many conversations filling the room.

“…FINALLY done with it,” the unmistakable feminine voice of Nikki Phillips-Thomas said with a heavy sigh. “Those are eight months I do NOT want to repeat.”

“Sure, at least you can put it behind you now,” Anna-Jade shrugged.

“Yeah, I wish I could,” Nikki moaned. “I was hoping to get some extra work at Krystie & Zoe’s school- not going to happen now, what with criminal records and ‘working with children’ not being the best mix… Oh, hey Sophie! Didn’t see you there, hehe!”

“Hey girls- sorry, hey girlIES!” Sophie giggled.

“Heh, I don’t know how much fucking longer I’m gonna get away with being called ‘girl’,” Anna-Jade snorted. “Less than a year to the big three-oh…”

“Ah, you’ll always be one of the GIRLS,” Nikki teased. “Even if you will need to look for another job yourself…” Sophie bit her lip as she sensed another opportunity to gather information for her expose- even if it was on a topic she had covered many times during her talks with her colleagues.

“It’s hard to believe Masson can get away with that,” Sophie said. “Being forced by the EU not to discriminate against gender identity but still getting away with discriminating against age.”

“He’s got lawyers shooting out of his fucking arse,” Anna-Jade snorted. “He’ll exploit any loophole he thinks he can fucking well get away with. The only reason he couldn’t get away with girls like us is because of the stink that the first two transgendered stewardesses kicked up.”

“I was reading up about it a while ago,” Nikki interjected. “No other airline has a Trump-like ‘transgender ban’ either. The only reason Soixante-Trois is known as ‘the transgender airline’ is because of the media fuss surrounding those first two flight attendants."

"And 'cause he was launching grey route at the same time," Anna-Jade said. "Which pretty much only goes to mainly Muslim countries, where girls like us... Yeah."

"I've never met the man," Nikki sighed, "but I really get the impression that he only tolerates 'girls like us' because he reckons his profit margins would fall if he didn't.

“Is that your opinion as an ‘interested outsider’?” Sophie asked, sensing another interview opportunity.

“…Maybe,” Nikki giggled. “God, you know, I’ve never even flown with your airline? Probably won’t this year as the only place I’m planning to go is America and you guys don’t go transatlantic.”

“Yet,” Anna-Jade said with a smug grin. “You’re not wrong though, if Masson had hired those two stewardesses and not made a fuss about it things would be very different. I only found out about the airline thanks to the media interest, and Masson changing the uniform code to try to discourage transgendered applicants only ended up discouraging genetic girls. Serves the twat right if you ask me.”

“Are- are those two original stewardesses still working for the airline?” Sophie asked, her interest suddenly piquing.

“One of them left shortly after I started, about four years ago, ”Anna-Jade replied. “The other one left in 2015. Actually flew a few flights with her. Why do you want to know?”

“Oh- just interested,” Sophie nonchalantly shrugged. “Kinda, you know, want to know what I’m letting myself in for, heh.”

“Even though you’ve been working there for six months?” Nikki asked with a giggle. “Sounds like you should already know, hehe!”

“…It never hurts to know more than you’re supposed to know,” Sophie retorted, making her friends giggle. “Especially about the people responsible for your livelihood!”

“Oh- I agree there,” Anna-Jade chuckled. “I know I’d much rather rely on Josh Benedict than on Antoine fucking Masson though, that’s for sure! Is he here today? Don’t think I’ve seen him…”

“Mr. B junior is,” Nikki replied with a smirk. “Don’t tell him I called him that!” Sophie chuckled as Nikki and Anna-Jade continued their chat, though her attention was firmly on the story of the two original transgendered stewardesses. She’d always assumed that there had to have been a ‘first’ transgendered stewardess working at the airline, but Anna-Jade’s tale made it seem more ‘real’, and Sophie knew that an interview with either of the two women would be a perfect addition to her expose.

Secretly, though, Sophie was just happy that she had an excuse to stay as ‘Sophie’ for the next few months…

Afternoon quickly turned into evening, and evening quickly turned into night, and the party showed no sign of subsiding. Despite Sophie’s heels causing her feet to grow increasingly tired and painful, she kept dancing late into the night, mostly with her friends in a group, but as the music slowed, Sophie found herself in the unexpected situation of dancing with Natalie’s brother- the first time Sophie had ever danced with a man, and it was easy to tell that this was the case from the uncoordinated nature of the brown-haired woman’s dancing.

“Careful!” Greg chuckled as he placed his hands on Sophie’s hip to steady her.

“Sorry, sorry!” Sophie said, grimacing as she barely avoided treading on her dance partner’s toe. “I’ve just- I’m, umm, not used to dancing in heels… or with a man, heh.”

“It’s okay,” Greg said softly, placing Sophie’s hand on his shoulder. “Just let me lead, follow my- well, lead, I guess, heh. And try to relax.”

“I’ll try,” Sophie chuckled as she tried to ease the tension in her body and enjoy the experience, gradually getting into the swing of things as the 30 year old man gently steered her around the dancefloor.

“How long have you known my sib?” Greg asked, momentarily breaking Sophie’s concentration.

“Hmm?” the brown-haired woman asked. “Sorry, what?”

“How long have you known my sib?” Greg asked. “I’m guessing you met through work, right?”

“S- sib?” Sophie asked, her face scrunching up in confusion.

“As in ‘sibling’?” Greg clarified. “Can’t really say ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ as neither’s all that, you know, accurate. You know my sib through work, right?”

“Umm, yeah,” Sophie replied. “Well, up until she quit, anyway. No offence, but- umm, it’s Greg, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” the older man replied. “What’s up that I might take offence at?”

“Well- I’m sure you’ve guessed that I’m transgendered, right?” Sophie asked.

“I didn’t want to make assumptions, just because you work for the airline,” Greg replied.

“Well- and again, no offence…” Sophie said hesitantly. “You don’t- you don’t strike me as, you know… The ‘accepting’ type.”

“Oh- thanks, really, thanks,” Greg snorted.

“Sorry…” Sophie mumbled. “Bu it- it must’ve come as a surprise, you know? When Natalie- for the first time, I mean…”

“Maybe at first,” Greg replied as the song ended and he and Sophie headed to one of the tables lining the room. “I’ve had time to get used to it. It’s just part of who my sib is, it’s not ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Well, okay, to Nat, it’s ‘right’, but- you know, who am I to judge? They’re still my younger sibling, I’ll still take the piss out of them but I won’t stop loving them.”

“He’s not wrong about the piss-taking part,” Ellen interjected from the next table.

“…Damn right I’m not, button!” Greg teased, making his younger sister roll her eyes. “Now if you don’t mind, private conversation? I’m trying to prove to Sophie here how tolerant and accepting I am.”

“Of everyone except younger sisters,” Ellen said with a snort of laughter. “You do know Sophie’s not interested in men, right?”

“Doesn’t mean we can’t talk, right?” Greg shrugged.

“And you do know about her deep, dark secret, I assume?” Ellen asked, making Sophie cringe- she’d have expected her, of all people, to be more sensitive about things like that- and Sophie wasn’t the only person who thought so.

“Really?” Greg asked. “Here, of all place?”

“Her ‘deep dark secret’,” Ellen giggled, “that she’s a United fan!”

“Urgh,” Greg sneered, making a show of moving his drink away from Sophie as she rolled her eyes and Ellen laughed loudly. “No offence, but- urgh.”

“Our time will come again,” Sophie sighed, before giggling as she rose from her table to make way for Natalie, Greg and Ellen’s mother.

“I Hope you weren’t teasing that poor girl too much!” Mrs. Briggs admonished her children, who both giggled in response.

“United fan,” Ellen said, giggling even louder as her mother rolled her eyes.

“Just ignore them, love,” Mrs. Briggs said to Sophie, who smiled and nodded her head. “United fan or not, I’m glad my Natalie’s got such good friends around her down in London.”

“Thanks,” Sophie said with a soft chuckle. “City fan or not, I’m glad she’s my friend too.” Sophie smiled as she left the Briggs family to their discussion, but her smile soon faded as she was reminded of one thing- while Natalie’s family may not have had a problem with her living the life she wanted to live, there was no guarantee that Sophie’s would be so accepting- and it had suddenly turned into a very big ‘if’. Sophie’s friends may have been like family, but her family WAS family, and in Sophie’s mind, they were irreplaceable. If she had to choose between her life as Sophie and her life with her family, she wasn’t sure that she could choose the former over the latter.

Sophie wasn’t sure exactly when she’d got to bed following the party, but the first thing she was aware of on the Sunday morning was of a throbbing pain in her head, the fact that she was still wearing the dress she wore to the wedding, and that she was in a small double bed, sandwiched between her two flatmates.

“Amy!” Sophie whispered, nudging the ginger woman awake.

“Mmph,” Amy- who was clearly as hungover as Sophie, if not more so- grunted in response. “Leave me alone, Leanne...”

“…My name’s Sophie,” the brown-haired woman replied with a sigh. “And god knows what time it is right now but shuffle over, I need a piss.”

“Very elegant, very ladylike,” Amy moaned, sliding out of bed to reveal that she too was wearing the dress she wore to the wedding. As she let Sophie out of bed, however, her eyes bulged at an unexpected sight. “Umm, Soph…”

“What?” Sophie asked, before grimacing as she realised that she was sporting a very unsightly bulge in the front of her dress. “…Oh. Umm…”

“Relax!” Amy giggled. “Who HASN’T been there? Probably doesn’t help that you slept in such a tight dress, heh!”

“Though I did thankfully remember to remove my cache sex,” Sophie chuckled. “THAT would’ve hurt…”

“Ugh, tell me about it!” Amy chuckled. “Reminds me, I need to take my ‘chemical cache sex’, hehe!” Sophie smiled as the ginger woman took two vials of pills out of her handbag and headed into the hotel room’s en-suite bathroom. “Don’t worry, I’ll only be a few seconds, give you enough time to get into ‘position’ for your pee, hehe!”

“Thanks,” Sophie said as she examined herself in her mirror and sighed at her reflection. Every part of her body screamed 'attractive young woman' apart from the one part of her body that stood out the most, almost like it was trying to scream to the world 'this woman is not who she seems to be'... And Sophie was forced to admit to herself that she wasn't who she seemed to be- not to the passengers she dealt with on a daily basis, not to her managers, not even to her friends. Amy may have shrugged off the sight, but might not so easily shrug off the fact that 'Sophie' had been lying to her face for the previous six months. Sophie tried to comfort herself by reminding herself that ‘Sophie’ was only a temporary arrangement, that she was as much ‘James’ as she was ‘Sophie’ and that ‘James’ didn’t want anything happening to ‘his’ body, but Sophie’s self-consciousness only faded once the front of her dress was again smooth.

“There, much better!” Amy giggled as she emerged from the en-suite. “Ah, I see it’s much better for you too, hehe!”

“Yep!” Sophie said with a forced giggle- it was certainly better for ‘Sophie’, she thought to herself as she relieved herself.

“It’d be better if you kept quiet,” Hayley moaned as she slowly woke from her slumber. “Ugh, what time is it, anyway?”

“…Almost 10 o’clock!” Amy chuckled. “God… Good job we’re not at work today, hehe!”

“Us and the half of the company who are here today,” Hayley said with a snort of laughter. “Dunno if we’ve, you know, ‘marked’ ourselves or something.”

“You didn’t drink THAT much, did you?” Amy teased, giggling as Hayley replied by sticking her tongue out at her.

“No,” Hayley moaned, swinging her long legs out of bed to reveal that she, like Amy and Sophie, also slept in her dress. “Because, you know, Natalie and Zoe aren’t exactly popular with management, and we’re taking time off to go to their wedding…”

“It’s our time off,” Amy shrugged as she casually stepped out of her dress and sat down in front of the room’s mirror with her make-up bag. “We can do with it what we want.”

“Whoa, like stripping?” Sophie asked as she emerged from the en-suite, shielding her eyes from the sight of Amy’s underwear-clad body.

“Oh- stop being such a prude,” Amy snorted, before jumping to her feet and playfully wiggling her thong-covered backside at Sophie. “We’re all girls, right?”

“…Damn right we are!” Sophie giggled, before taking a deep breath and removing her own dress, posing in just her bra and panties with her hands on her hips.

“Sexy lady!” Amy giggled.

“Even if my bra is ‘surplus to requirements’?” Sophie asked as she cupped the padding within her bra.

“Still sexy,” Amy shrugged. “Not like mine’s any more ‘needed’ even after 12 months on hormones, heh. Being petite has its downsides too…”

“A cups can still be sexy,” Hayley suggested, before giggling and removing her dress. “MINUS A cups, on the other hand…”

“You’ll both be flooded with oestrogen before long,” Amy said with a confident smile. “Team ASH, HRT… FTW, hehe!”

“ASHHRTFTW!” Sophie and Hayley cheered simultaneously, even as Sophie felt herself internally cringe at having to lie to her two friends.

A short while later, with her body covered in a clingy top, a short black denim skirt and a pair of warm ribbed tights- a far cry from the designer dress she’d worn the previous day- Sophie and her two flatmates headed down to the reception area of the hotel, where they were surprised to discover a scrum of paparazzi waiting.

“Guess they must have found out some Angels were here,” Hayley shrugged.

“Guess again,” Rachel said, giggling as her and her fiancé’s sudden appearance startled the trio. “No, it turns out our Miss Briggs- sorry, our Mrs. Renou-Briggs seems to have caused a bit of a stir with the press.”

“Really?” Amy asked. “They’re here for Nat?”

“Yep,” Rachel said smugly. “She’s like this sort-of ‘liberal hero’, being gender fluid and, well, you heard the way she told Alana to stick her job, right?”

“Guessing it’s just reporters from the Mirror and the Independent, then?” Sophie asked.

“Oh for sure,” Danny chuckled. “The Mail and the Sun have already been told, and I quote, to ‘fuck off and don’t come back’.”

“A smart journalist, though, would try to get an exclusive interview with the new bride,” Rachel said with a knowing smirk that Sophie immediately picked up on.

“Maybe they already have?” Sophie replied with a smirk of her own. Following her departure from the airline, Sophie had made sure to engage Natalie in conversation every chance she got- though it wasn’t just her work Sophie discussed with Natalie, but her gender identity as well.

“Ah, we love our bigendered commie,” Amy said with a derisive snort of laughter. “Kinda wanted to say goodbye to them before we left, though I don’t fancy getting into the middle of that!”

“Don’t blame you,” Rachel chuckled. “I’ll pass on your love to them. We’re heading back to London now, want to get the pub open for tonight. Soph, you want a lift? Would take all of you, but, you know, kinda cramped in the car…”

“Wish I had a cousin who drove me everywhere,” Amy said with a mock pout.

“And had such good dress sense!” Hayley said, making Rachel giggle as she did a twirl in her short, tight black skirt.

“Ah,” the blonde woman chuckled. “Just ‘cause I’m the wrong side of thirty, doesn’t mean I can’t be fashionable, right?”

“Damn right!” Hayley chuckled. “Even if we had to persuade your cousin to get her legs out this morning!”

“Yep!” Amy laughed as she gestured toward hers and Hayley’s short skirts. “Saw her with a pair of jeans in her hands and, well, we needed to take action, hehe!”

“…I didn’t take much persuading,” Sophie said with a shy giggle as she did a playful twirl followed by a curtsey. “…And I’m okay for a lift, we came up together on the train, we can go back the same way.”

“ASHFTW!” Amy and Hayley simultaneously cheered, making Sophie cringe and Rachel and Danny giggle.

“Well- you three have fun,” Rachel chuckled.

“Think we can guarantee that’s gonna happen,” Danny said with a loud laugh as Sophie and her flatmates handed their room keys back and headed toward their waiting taxi with wide grins on their faces.

----------

“Thanks for the lift home,” Paige said as she slide onto the back seat of the modern car and linked fingers with her fiancée.

“Yeah, we really didn’t want to face another extra-long train ride,” Jessica concurred.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sarah replied. “We’re glad of the company, heh!”

“Really?” Paige asked. “I’d have thought you two’d wanna be all alone…”

“That’s why I’m glad of the company,” Sarah giggled. “Puts Nikki on her best behaviour and means no distractions from the road!”

“Aww,” Nikki said with a deep mock pout. “Aren’t I distracting enough just being sat next to you?”

“Course you are babe,” Sarah replied, making the couple of the back seat sigh happily as she leaned across to give Nikki a long, gentle kiss.

“Ah… Our turn next!” Paige sighed happily.

“Our turn next on this side of the Atlantic, anyway!” Jessica reminded her fiancée.

“Ah, of course!” Paige giggled. “Kinda surprised Alexa and Jenny weren’t here this weekend.”

“You can tell they weren’t by the fact that we’re not in alcohol-induced comas,” Sarah said, earning laughs from the other people in the car. “Think they’re too busy with uni. And they’re coming over next month anyway.”

“SO looking forward to that,” Jessica sighed happily. “Their wedding will be just gorgeous too, you know it will.”

“Thanks at least partly to who’s making the dresses!” Nikki teased her blushing wife.

“Thanks for doing ours as well,” Jessica said with a grin. “I can’t imagine how busy you must be with uni as well, but- thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Sarah said with a grin. “Just sad I didn’t have enough time to do Nat and Zoe’s, but I’ve only got so much time to work on other projects, you know?”

“And she’s been putting a LOT of effort into all four dresses,” Nikki interjected. “Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.”

“Just hope I’m good to fly by their wedding,” Paige sighed. “SRS at the end of April…”

“You SHOULD be okay,” Nikki replied. “Stitches will be out by then, you might want an extra cushion for take-off and landing though.”

“It’s more the fact that I’ll be taking three months’ sick leave to recover and jetting off to America in the middle of it,” Paige said. “Got no problem taking the leave as I’m entitled to it, I just don’t want to fly back and end up with Fat Tony’s boot lodged up my arse.”

“Fat Tony’s shining up his boot anyway because of our wedding,” Jessica sighed. “You saw the press interest for Zatalie, we’re expecting something similar.”

“Normally I couldn’t be happier about that,” Paige said. “But like I said, not if it means a face to face with Booty McBootface.”

“I can see how that wouldn’t be appealing,” Nikki said with a grimace. “Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to have the boss I’ve got.”

“He’s not got a private jet that he needs two stewardesses for, has he?” Paige asked, smirking as Nikki giggled in response.

“’Fraid not,” the twenty year old woman replied. “He’s a millionaire, not a billionaire. He might be looking to expand his business portfolio soon, though given how long it took to get the café off the ground…”

“Yeah, I think I’ve had enough ‘serving’ for one lifetime anyway,” Jessica sighed. “Couldn’t persuade him to open up an American office, could I? In, say, a city a short drive from DC…?”

“No harm in asking,” Nikki replied with a giggle. “Though I thought Fat Tony was looking at expanding to America as well?”

“That’s still some way off,” Jessica replied. “He was originally going to expand grey route to include places like Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, but as they’re mainly Muslim countries-“

“Say no more,” Nikki sighed. “Was talking to Anna-Jade about that last night. Real question is whether or not the land of Fat Donald would be any more tolerant of girls like us?”

“Hey!” Jessica protested. “Rip on Fat Donald all you want but leave the land out of it. He’ll be gone in a few years but America- the America I love- isn’t going anywhere.”

“…My apologies,” Nikki conceded. “Though you’re staying quiet on this whole topic, Paige?”

“I got drunk enough last night,” the Scottish girl replied, filling the car with laughter as it headed south toward London.

----------

“Ugh, SO good to be back home,” Sophie said with a heavy sigh as she and her flatmates wheeled their suitcases off of the train and onto the platform at Euston station.

“Stop being such a north-phobe,” Hayley teased with a giggle. “Though I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, heh. Even if we do have to be up at stupid o’clock tomorrow…”

“Aww,” Amy said with a mock pout. “You didn’t like snuggling up next to us last night?”

“I prefer snuggling up next to fit young men,” Hayley replied. “And no offence, Sophie, but you do NOT fit that bill!”

“No offence taken!” Sophie giggled, marvelling at how, once again, she genuinely didn’t take offence at the affront to her masculinity. “And I’m looking forward to my own bed too, heh. Where I’m hopefully NOT getting squished between you two!”

“Aww,” Amy pouted again. “You didn’t like having someone to cuddle?” Sophie giggled and let out a loud shriek as Amy suddenly gave her a tight hug.

“There’s a difference between a hug and- well, that!” Sophie replied, smirking as Amy giggled loudly.

“Though I’m not ‘too masculine’ for you, I trust?” Amy asked.

“You’re not masculine at all!” Sophie replied, laughing along with her flatmates as they climbed into a waiting taxi. “Neither of you are. ASHFTW!”

“ASHFTW!” Amy and Hayley cheered excitedly.

As the three girls would be working the following day, they all opted to get an early night, which Sophie in particular needed after the excitement of the weekend. As she climbed into her warm bed, with her slender body covered in a comfortable cotton vest and a matching pair of shorts, Sophie wondered how Natalie was spending her first full day of married life- and whether she was celebrating it as a bride, a groom, or both…

“Do you, Sophie Connelly,” the elderly priest asked, “take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do,” Sophie replied, smiling as she felt the skirts of her voluminous white dress rustle around her legs.

“And do you, James Connolly,” the priest asked, “take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do,” James replied as he stared deep into his bride’s eyes…

“Ugh,” Sophie grunted as she awoke with a sudden jerk. “Why- why am I dreaming about THAT?” As Sophie tried to get comfortable in her bed, she found that that wasn’t the only question on her mind. The most significant question was whether the dream was more about being a bride or a groom- but Sophie also tried futilely to recall the face of the woman she was ‘marrying’…

Sophie put all thoughts of the dream behind her as she got out of bed and got ready for the day, and before too long, she was stood in the employee area of Heathrow Airport, feeling the usual pull of her tight skirt on her legs and the strain on her ankles from her high-heeled shoes as she walked to the plane where she’d be working all day. Sophie had a lot to occupy her mind as she flew toward Geneva- the near-constant demands of the passengers, the latest part of her expose that needed writing up, the possibility of tracking down the original transgendered stewardesses and, most importantly, how she would explain to Rachel that she needed extra time to work on her expose. And yet, throughout the day, memories of the wedding dress came flooding back to Sophie- along with the occasional thought that she’d never previously enjoyed wearing her uniform as much as she did on that particular flight…

----------

“Well- here we go again,” Jessica giggled as she fastened the gold buttons of her blazer and balanced her blue pillbox hat on her head.

“I like to think of it as another bill paid,” Paige replied. “Though it is weird to be, you know, ‘back to normal’ after the weekend.”

“Yeah, god,” Jessica said with a tired chuckle. “Do you remember when this was an adventure, an opportunity to be the girls we always wanted to be?”

“Isn’t it still that way?” Paige asked.

“You tell me, Miss ‘SRS in 2 months’,” Jessica retorted, making her fiancée smirk. “I mean it’s, like, become everyday, you know?”

“Don’t tell me you’re getting bored with being a girl?” Paige teased.

“Bored? Never,” Jessica replied with a confident smirk. ”But, you know, it’s not something I need to aspire to anymore. It’s what I am, what I unquestionably am. I guess the wedding just drove that home for me, seeing Natalie in her dress…”

“I kinda get what you mean,” Paige said. “And god knows this isn’t the adventure it used to be.” Jessica smiled as Paige gestured to her tight, form-flattering uniform. “Guess I’ll just have to look forward to having the operation, to being a bride, and spending the rest of my life with the most gorgeous woman in the world, eh?”

“I know that works for me,” Jessica replied, checking that she and her fiancée were alone before giving the Scottish woman a gentle, loving kiss. “Have fun in Brussels. Reckon I’m gonna need a long, hot bath after Paris today…”

“Take care,” Paige whispered as she and Jessica left the locker room, only to be immediately approached by their manager.

“You two,” Alana said stoically. “Need a word before your flights.” Jessica and Paige both quietly gulped as they followed their manager to her office, where the older woman sat down behind her desk and let out a tired sigh.

“What- what’s up?” Jessica asked nervously.

“This won’t take long,” Alana said. “You’re not in any trouble. Yet. I want to make sure it stays that way, both for you and for the company. I’ve seen some of the photos from Natalie’s wedding.”

“It was a beautiful day,” Paige interjected, biting her lip as her manager frowned at the interruption.

“I’m sure it was,” Alana said. “And I’m sure yours will be as well. But we need to establish a few ground rules first, especially following what happened when the two of you got engaged. That generated a lot of publicity for the company, especially when the video went viral.”

“A lot of GOOD publicity,” Jessica reminded her manager.

“And a large chunk of bad publicity as well,” Alana retorted. “The airline had to do a lot of damage limitation following your engagement. Maybe you’ve forgotten that we also operate grey route, where your little ‘stunt’ would see you both get imprisoned or worse. And just because we don’t fly black route from London doesn’t mean it doesn’t still exist. Monsieur Masson had to personally intervene to keep the Paris to Moscow, St Petersburg and Sochi routes in place as that country also has laws that your little stunt would have broken.”

“Laws that are wrong,” Paige said defiantly.

“Not in Russia, they’re not,” Alana retorted. “Girls… The company would never dream of preventing you from getting married. Your personal lives are your own. But by dragging the company into it, you cause a lot of headaches for management. It’s no small miracle that you kept your promotion, and if it wasn’t for that stunt you pulled by sneaking through the employee area, you’d now be a supervisor too, Paige.”

“So what are you saying?” Paige asked, growing increasingly annoyed with her manager’s attitude.

“When you get married,” Alana said, “you must not reference the company in any way, shape or form during the wedding. That goes for you, your family and your guests. Understand?”

“Aye,” Paige replied stoically, before biting her lip with irritation.

“Like I said, you two aren’t in trouble NOW,” Alana clarified. “I just- I just felt I should lay down a few ground rules, stop any problems before they start.”

“Oh- sure, sure,” Jessica said, biting her lip and nodding in agreement.

“Just one thing,” Paige said, a smug grin creeping across her face. “You’re gonna have a hell of a time if Ellen and Amelie tie the knot.” Paige allowed herself an internal smile as her manager hung her head and sighed.

“One problem at a time,” Alana sighed. “Go on, don’t let me keep you from your flights.” Jessica and Paige both waved goodbye to their manager as they left the office, but once they were back in the corridor, they let out simultaneous heavy sighs.

“…We weren’t going to have a flight attendant ‘theme’ for the wedding anyway,” Jessica groaned.

“We WEREN’T,” Paige said, exchanging a sly grin with her fiancée, who giggled and sighed.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Jessica said. “Hell, I’m thinking it too. I’m also thinking ‘would it be worth it’?”

“Aye, that is the question,” Paige replied. “But you heard what she said- if Emperor Putin decrees something to be right, it must be right…”

“So glad I don’t do black route anymore,” Jessica sighed. “We- we’ll talk about this when we get home, Paige. And I DO want to talk about this as I assure you I’m just as pissed as you are.”

“Aye,” Paige sighed. “See you later, Jess.”

“See you later,” Jessica replied. “Oh, and before I go, on the topic of pissed, but in the British sense this time…”

“…Yes?” Paige asked.

“We might need to add Comrade Putin to the same category as your favourite orange-skinned president!” Jessica giggled.

“Like he isn’t already,” Paige retorted. “See you at home!” The two lovers both let out secret giggles as they made their way to their separate flights.

----------

“Honey, I’m home,” Amy said with a smirk as she walked through the front door of her flat and kicked off her heels, the noise of which roused Sophie from the nap she’d taken on the sofa. “That bad, eh? Always thought Switzerland was an easy one, myself.”

“Nah, today was okay,” Sophie mumbled as she rubbed her eyes. “It’s tomorrow, Paris that’s going to suck…”

“Ugh, Paris ALWAYS sucks,” Amy sighed as she sat down beside Sophie’s bare, immaculately pedicured feet. “I could tell you a few stories there, hehe!”

“You have,” Sophie reminded her flatmate, musing to herself that many of the stories may end up in print within the following few months.

“Trust me, there are plenty more where that came from!” Amy laughed, before smirking as Hayley emerged from her bedroom. “Ah, good EVENING, sunshine! Catching up on some sleep as well?”

“Something like that,” Hayley replied. “Guess it’s just weird getting back to reality… I was having a great dream too before you woke me up!”

“Yeah, go on, blame the ginge for everything,” Amy giggled. “What were you dreaming about?”

“Ugh…” Hayley moaned as she sat down opposite Amy and Sophie with her sheet still wrapped around her slender body. “This- this is gonna sound stupid.”

“No, go on,” Amy urged.

“I…” Hayley said with a grimace. “Was dreaming about… My wedding. Yeah, go on, laugh…”

“Why would I laugh about that?” Amy asked with a genuine smile on her face. “Doubt there’s a girl alive who wasn’t dreamt about that.”

“And if we laughed at you,” Sophie said softly, “you’d- you’d kinda have to laugh at me as well.”

“Ooh, have I gatecrashed TWO weddings?” Amy teased.

“It was this morning I dreamed about it,” Sophie sighed as she sat up. “Probably just, you know, remembering the weekend…”

“I have a different theory,” Amy said with a smug grin. “I think you were dreaming about how amazing it’d be to be a beautiful, blushing bride!” Sophie blushed as her friend teased her, which only increased Amy’s mirth, even though Sophie was wondering how her friend would react if she knew that she was dreaming about being a groom as well…

“God knows it’s not the first time I had that dream!” Hayley giggled. “Though before that, it was usually dreaming about being a schoolgirl, heh. Couldn't count the number of times I fantasised about wearing my sister's uniform.”

“Ugh, yep!” Amy sighed. “Think that was my first, you know, ‘dream’ too… Pretty much all the girls at my school wore skirts and tights every day, I was SO jealous all the way through school. Then I went to college, where they wore even shorter skirts…”

“Same here,” Hayley sighed. “Our uniform was a navy blue skirt and black tights… My first wage I got from here, I- I actually bought a skirt identical to the one we- well, THEY wore at school, heh.”

“Totally did the same,” Amy said, before turning to Sophie, who bit her lip and tried not to giggle.

“…I wear a uniform with a skirt every single day,” Sophie said. “Don’t really need to pretend I’m wearing another one!”

“Well- yeah, I guess,” Amy shrugged. “But we are SO having a school uniform party next chance we get!”

“Really?” Sophie asked incredulously, before forcing a smirk onto her face. “And not a ‘wedding dress’ party?”

“Oh, we’ll have one of those as well,” Amy said with a confident grin. “The question is whether it’ll be called ‘Amy’s wedding’, ‘Sophie’s wedding’ or ‘Hayley’s wedding’, hehe!”

“Hopefully the third one!” Hayley laughed. “Ahh… I already know where I’d want my wedding to be. The Nottingham Council House, in the centre of the city, on a hot July day. My dress would be strapless, by bridesmaids would wear pink, and my bouquet would be pink and white roses.”

“You put a lot of thought into it, then?” Sophie asked.

“And you haven’t?” Hayley retorted. “What were you dreaming about less than 24 hours ago?”

“Okay, okay,” Sophie giggled, trying to remember the details of her dream. “Mine would be in a church, my- my old church from home. My dress would be like Kate Middleton’s, long sleeves, a long, flowing train… Probably be asking too much to ask my dad to give me away though, heh.”

“Remember who you’re talking to?” Hayley asked. “Don’t even know where my dad is…”

“Ah- yeah…” Amy grimaced. “Guess I’m lucky that way, my dad’s already said he’d love to be able to give me away, Paige’s dad has said the same too, and you saw Natalie’s dad at the weekend… Some families really need to learn how to treat their daughters better.” Or at all, Sophie thought to herself.

“I’ve got to admit,” Sophie said softly, “growing up, I- I never expected to have a conversation like this with friends like you, heh.”

“Neither did I,” Hayley chuckled. “But I’m so, SO glad I am. You two are, like, the best friends I’ve ever had.”

“Aww,” Amy cooed. “Does that mean we’re first in line to be bridesmaids, then?”

“Hell yeah you are!” Hayley cheered. “As long as I get to be bridesmaid for both of you?”

“Well, duh!” Amy giggled, prompting a hug between the two young women, which only broke when they looked down at their third flatmate.

“…How about a pact,” Sophie suggested. “Whichever one of us gets married first gets to have the other two as their bridesmaids?”

“Oh, you are ON!” Amy giggled.

“Ditto!” Hayley squeaked excitedly. “And I KNOW you two will look GORGEOUS in pink, hehe!”

“ASHFTW?” Amy asked.

“ASHFTW!” Hayley and Sophie cheered, even as Sophie wondered whether nor she’d be able to uphold her part of the ‘pact’ she’d proposed. By the time either Amy or Hayley got married, ‘Sophie’ would almost certainly be ‘James’ again, and would have been ‘James’ for several months if not years. And yet, Sophie couldn’t hide her genuine excitement at the prospect of pulling on an elaborate pink bridesmaid’s dress…

The following morning, Sophie gripped the hand rests of her seat as she felt the familiar kick in the back of the plane reaching take-off thrust. Mere minutes later, the ‘fasten seatbelts’ light extinguished and Sophie and Hayley made their way to the kitchen at the rear of the plane to begin preparing refreshments for the passengers.

“You really wouldn’t think that London to Paris would be so bad,” Sophie sighed as she removed the restraints on her refreshments trolley. “With it being such a short flight, only eighty minutes.”

“I’m guessing they just see it as an excuse to ‘grab as much as they can when they can’,” Hayley sighed. “Given how expensive Soixante-Trois tickets can be, there are probably more millionaires out there than non-millionaires.”

“And all of them friends of Antoine Masson?” Sophie asked.

“Probably,” Hayley shrugged, before sighing as the call light illuminated. “Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Sophie sighed as she filled her trolley with hot water and wheeled it out into the cabin, quickly locating the thirsty passenger.

“Finally,” the middle-aged businessman grunted in his upper-class English accent.

“Good morning sir,” Sophie said in her sweetest, most feminine voice. “How can I help you today?”

“You can prevent me from dying of thirst,” the older businessman snorted. “Coffee. Black.”

“Coming right up, sir,” Sophie simpered, pouring the passenger’s drink and gently placing it onto his tray table.

“…Well?” The passenger asked with an angry, expectant look on his face.

“…Sir?” Sophie asked, confused by the man’s sudden confrontation.

“Aren’t you going to apologise?” The man asked, making Sophie’s anxiety levels rise. Those levels rose even further when all of the surrounding passengers- each one dressed as smartly as the thirsty man- nodded in agreement.

“I’m… Sorry?” Sophie replied, her confusion growing in line with her anxiety.

“Do you even know what you’re apologising for?” The businessman snorted.

“No… Sir?” Sophie replied, feeling her stomach start to churn as many of the other passengers began to giggle at her expense.

“I didn’t think so,” Sophie’s passenger scoffed. “That’s why you’re the one doing the serving and I’m the one being served. You can go now.”

“Thank you sir,” Sophie simpered, dragging her drinks trolley back toward the kitchen only to stop and turn around when she saw another call light illuminate, and another well-dressed passenger glare at her with disdainful eyes.

Almost twenty minutes later- with the plane ready to begin its descent- Sophie wheeled her drinks trolley back into the small kitchen area, where the nearly tearful girl was immediately greeted by a hug from her flatmate and her supervisor.

“Come on, sit down,” Hayley said softly to the brown-haired woman, whose face was noticeably paler than it had been at the start of the flight. “We heard some of the things that was said to you. How they keep getting away with it… Ugh. I dunno. I’ll do all the customer-facing stuff on the return flight.”

“Thanks,” Sophie whispered, taking a deep breath to calm herself down.

“Just a few more minutes until we land,” Carly- the flight’s supervisor- said reassuringly as she sat down next to Sophie. “Then a nice long layover, okay?”

“O- okay,” Sophie sighed. “Sorry…”

“You’re the last person who should be apologising,” Carly assured the troubled woman. “Hayley’s right, they shouldn’t be able to get away with it, but we all know why they do. I could probably fill a book with some of the things I’ve heard, heh.”

“Yeah,” Sophie- who had already compiled several of the petite woman’s anecdotes for her expose- said with a genuine snort of laughter. As the plane descended toward the French capital, Sophie mused on how she’d almost be able to fill her book with her own experiences, let alone everyone else’s- and how that hammered home the fact that her task, and with it, her time as a woman, was almost at an end.

As Carly and Hayley promised, Sophie remained in the kitchen area for the duration of the flight back to London, and after bidding farewell to the passengers as they disembarked at Heathrow, she let out a sigh of relief before helping her colleagues to tidy the plane ahead of its next flight.

“Feeling better?” Carly asked.

“A little,” Sophie replied with a tired smile. “Kinda feel sorry for Hayley, making her do all the hard work this flight…”

“You had enough of it during the morning,” Carly said softly. “More than enough. But one thing I forgot to say was that you were very professional dealing with those customers this morning. Wouldn’t have thought you had as little customer service experience as you say you have.”

“Thanks,” Sophie mumbled, blushing from her supervisor’s praise.

“Have you thought about mentoring a trainee, next recruitment round?” Carly asked. “I’m surprised you didn’t go for it this time, actually.”

“Oh, I- I don’t feel, you know…” Sophie mumbled, mentally completing her sentence with the phrase ‘like a real stewardess’, before realising that to all intents and purposes, she WAS a real stewardess. She did the same work, served the same passengers, earned the same wages and most certainly wore the same uniform as the other women, she just had an extra ‘side job’. Anybody looking in from the outside would look at Sophie and not suspect that she was at all different from the other girls, and while Sophie took some pride in how well she’d managed to integrate herself into her ‘role’, she also worried that she was in danger of ‘going native’- both in the job and in her ‘borrowed’ gender.

However, when Sophie returned home (with Hayley in tow), she was no less eager to change into a comfortable, warm pair of ribbed tights, a pink hoodie and a slouchy denim skirt and curl up on the sofa with her friends, a glass of wine in her hand and a chick flick on the TV.

The following morning, Sophie was equally eager to get out of bed early- despite it being her rest day- and change into a pair of pink tights and a skin-tight black leotard, before covering up with a form-fitting sweater dress and a pair of knee-high boots with a chunky 3” heel. Sophie didn’t have to dress up so much to go to her dance class- she didn’t even have to go to the dance class all- but she knew that as Amy (who was also on a rest day) was going, she’d be expected to as well- and she found that the more she tried to enjoy the class, the more she did enjoy it. And she couldn’t help but take pride in the fact that she knew she looked good in her dress and her boots.

“Hey Sophie!” The familiar, famous face of Stephanie Abbott greeted Sophie as she and Amy stepped out of their taxi. “LOVE those boots, hehe! Think I’ve only three or four pairs myself, heh!”

“Thanks!” Sophie giggled, doing a quick twirl to show the famous singer her footwear while musing on how, despite training as a journalist, ‘James’ had never interacted with anyone nearly as famous as Stephanie, much less considered them a friend. This feeling only increased as Sophie stripped down to her dancewear and tied her growing hair back, before watching as the other women at the class- famous and non-famous alike- did the same thing without even blinking at Sophie’s presence among them.

The same lack of concern persisted throughout the dance class itself, where, despite being a beginner in a class full of experienced dancers, Sophie’s clumsy steps received only encouragement and praise. Sophie tried to tell herself that studying ballet was mostly to help her posture and her deportment, but she enjoyed it more and more with every class she took- and didn’t see any reason why she shouldn’t enjoy it.

When the class ended an hour later, Sophie found herself feeling genuinely disappointed that she’d have to wait until Sunday before she could dance again- though she was relieved to find that she wasn’t the only person who felt that way.

“Hey, ballerina buddy!” Amy giggled as she sat down next to Sophie. "You looked REALLY good out there, hehe!"

"I've had, like, a dozen lessons over the space of six months," Sophie retorted. "Can't be THAT good."

"Maybe you're just naturally graceful and girly, hehe!" Amy teased. "God knows I wish I could be. I am SO jealous of the girls in there who can dance en pointe, you know? Like proper ballerinas, on the tips of their toes?"

"It looks painful!" Sophie laughed.

"But SO girly and SO gorgeous," Amy sighed. "Still, if I work at it and believe I can do it, I can get there. Heh, the fact that you and me are sat here dressed like this is proof enough that if you want something enough, eventually you can get it, right?"

"Damn right!" Sophie giggled.

"And no matter how painful it is," Amy said, "it can't be any more painful than a Paris flight, right?"

"Ugh, you are SO right there," Sophie sighed as she remembered the hellish morning she'd had the previous day.

"You know," Amy sighed, "I actually keep a diary of some of the very worst experiences I've had? Like, if I want to write a book?" Where's THIS information been over the last six months? Sophie thought to herself.

"...Ditto," Sophie said with a quiet giggle.

"Think everyone does," Amy shrugged. "Heh, I still have my diaries from when I was, like, fourteen, writing down outfit ideas I want to wear..."

"All of which you've eventually worn, right?" Sophie asked.

"One of which I'm wearing now!" Amy giggled. "There was a ballet recital at my school when I was about fifteen. Barely made it through that one, heh!"

"I can imagine," Sophie said.

"Of course," Amy sighed, "I haven't written down an outfit idea in there in AGES. Now it's all morons and what I want to do to them. Usually involving their heads and a toilet."

"Ugh, yep," Sophie sighed.

"Some days I wonder why no one in the company's ever thought of forming a union," Amy mused. "Like, there is an international union, but Soixante-Trois aren't bound to it, and anyone attempting to form one would probably be fired instantly. Not to mention that Mrs. Renou-Briggs would be the ideal person to chair it, and she doesn't work for the airline anymore."

"C'est la vie," Sophie shrugged, before pulling her dress and her boots back on and marvelling at how comfortable they truly were.

"I guess," Amy shrugged. "I'm gonna see you later on, okay? Arranged to meet up with my parents in London today."

"Oh- okay then," Sophie said, surprised by Amy's sudden announcement.

"What, worried you'll be lonely today?" Amy teased. Sophie smirked as she looked around the changing room at the other similarly-dressed women- all of whom she could call her friend.

"...Not really," Sophie smirked. "You get going, I'll see you later."

"See you!" Amy giggled, giving Sophie a tight hug before heading out of the dance studio and toward the nearest tube station.

A few minutes later, Sophie walked through the front door of her flat, dropped her handbag on the coffee table and flopped heavily onto her sofa. With Amy visiting with her parents all day and Hayley on a flight, she had the whole flat to herself for the first time in what seemed like forever. If she wanted, she could strip off all of her female clothes, scrub her face clean of make-up and spend the whole morning and afternoon relaxing as 'James'... And yet, faced with that possibility, she found it was the last thing she wanted to do.

After mulling over her options, Sophie decided that her solitude gave her the opportunity to do the one thing she hadn't done in a while but felt that she needed to. She got her phone out of her handbag, cleared her throat and dialled the number that had almost slipped off the bottom of her 'most recent numbers' list.

"Hello?" The middle-aged woman on the other end of the line said, answering the phone after three rings.

"Hi mum," Sophie replied in 'James's masculine voice.

"Well, it's about time!" Mrs. Connolly said with a snort of laughter. "Was beginning to think you'd forgotten who your parents were!"

"Yeah... Sorry," James grimaced. "Been so busy with work..."

"Oh, I understand, it's okay," Mrs. Connolly said. "The important thing is that you HAVE called. So tell me everything that's happening!"

"Can do!" James chuckled as he began filling his mother in on his life- though taking great care not to mention anything about 'Sophie'.

Throughout the forty-minute call, however, James grew more and more uncomfortable. He kept his voice masculine enough to fool his mother, but every time he glanced down and got a glimpse of the short hem of his dress, or his knees encased in pink nylon, or the nail polish on his hands, he was reminded that he was leading a double life. Not only was he lying to his friends, he was lying to his family as well- and worst of all, lying to himself. He had enough material for his expose to be a success. He could leave the airline that day and go back to being 'James' full-time and not have to worry anymore about misleading the people he cared about. And yet, all 'James' could think about was what he would be giving up if he left the life he'd come to love...

Just over an hour after the end of the call, Sophie coolly strolled through the front door of the modern pub, smiling as she saw the person she wanted to speak to stood behind the bar.

"Hi Sophie!" Rachel said with a grin. "What can I get for you?"

"A private chat, please?" Sophie asked, biting her lip as Rachel nodded knowingly.

"Can do," Rachel said quietly. "Danny, hold down the fort?"

"Sure thing babe," Danny said, giving his fiancée a kiss as she and Sophie headed up the stairs to the pub's private living room.

"I had a feeling you'd be coming to see me sooner or later," Rachel said with a smile. "It HAS been six months..."

"Yep," Sophie replied nervously.

"...And?" Rachel asked. "Do you have a nice, thick pile of scandal ready for me?"

"I do," Sophie replied, before gulping. "But... I- I need more time to work on the expose."

"You've had six months, how much more time do you need?" Rachel asked.

"I've found things out," Sophie said. "Things I need to, umm, investigate further." Things like ballet, like being a schoolgirl, like being a bridesmaid- or even a bride, Sophie thought to herself.

"Okay..." Rachel said.

"Like- like the original two stewardesses," Sophie said. "The first two transgendered stewardesses the airline hired. They should have a few stories to tell."

"Most of which have already been told to the press," Rachel retorted. "They were a pretty big deal in France when they were first hired."

"Please," Sophie said desperately. "Just give- just give me another six months. Please. I want- I want this to be perfect, okay?"

"Well- okay, I guess," Rachel shrugged. "Another six months means another six months wearing make-up, nail polish and dresses, though."

"I can live with that," Sophie said.

"I'll want to look over what you've got so far, though," Rachel said, shrugging as she showed Sophie out. "You're sure about this?"

"I'll be fine," Sophie said with a smile, happy to have got the reprieve she wanted. "And as for this-" Sophie gestured to her feminine attire- "like I said, I can live with it."

Sophie just wished she knew whether or not she could live without it...