When Sara was growing up, her "magic crayons" helped her escape the pain. Now as an adult and the world famous Art Angel, can they help her to find the life she's always dreamed of?

This story is dedicated to my Auntie Sara the Art Angel. Her beautiful creations both art and literary bring joy and love to all they touch. Yet as wonderful as they are, they are not the greatest gift she possesses. The greatest gift of all is the beautiful young woman herself. Auntie Sara you are a kind, generous, and gentle soul with so much love to give, and so many who want to give love back to you. You bring a smile to my face every time your pink wings hold me in a cuddle and I wanted to say thank you by coloring you your very own kitten tale. I hope you like it. I used my own magic crayons.

I would also like to thank Bill Hart for creating the Spells R Us universe where so much wonderful magic has been born and for allowing others the opportunity to play there, and of course special thanks to my cyber family who constantly shower this kitten with love and hugs and the encouragement to color. Without all of you, neither this story nor I would exist. Hugs and love to you all.

The day was coming to a close as night had fallen and a fire burned and crackled bathing the occupants of the house in cozy warmth and a golden glow. A young wife sits on the sofa snuggled next to her husband while their young daughter lays sleeping with her head in her mummy's lap. The woman gently caresses the sleeping angels face and smiles lovingly at her.

Today was her daughter's sixth birthday and the family is relaxing after the cake, prezzie and fun-filled day. The young woman is a lovely lady with mid-length chestnut brown hair and beautiful brown eyes. The husband is a handsome man with thick sandy locks and soft blue eyes. Their daughter is a beautiful little lady with long blonde hair, big blue eyes, and a heartbreaking smile just like her mother. She has a soft blue bow in her hair and a few freckles on her face, albeit some of those are faux freckles, remnants of cake and icing. She's wearing a lovely light blue party dress, white leggings, and before she slipped them off to snuggle, white Mary Janes.

The young mother groans as she hates to leave this cozy snugglefest, but the aftermath of the birthday blowout requires her attention just as the little girl needs to be cleaned up and put to bed. The husband gallantly offers to spare his beloved the clean up duties allowing her to properly send little sleeping beauty off to dreamland. The young woman can't believe her ears, as this is the same man who won't pick up his dirty socks, yet is now willing to take on the dining room disaster. When she inquires into his motives further she finds out there's an ulterior one as he's trying to get into her good graces so he can get into something else of hers. She laughs and tells him he must REALLY be horny tonight. Giggling, she says it's a deal and then picks up their little one and holds her close.

She watches her baby sleep, then looks over at her husband and asks him if he thinks she had a good time at her party. He laughs and then gently reminds her of just how much fun their little angel had today. She had her two cousins over and the three girls ran, played and giggled all day. She had both aunties there to spoil her terribly. She had all the cake and ice cream she could eat. She got more gifts than her room can hold and she had her mother and father here to share it all with. What more could a little girl ask for and how could she be any happier?

The young woman knew her other half was right and tears welled in her eyes. Her husband came over and put an arm around both his girls and asked his wife what the water works were for. She sighed softly, saying that she just wanted to be sure their little girl was happy and felt loved. The young man kissed his wife and then his sleeping daughter and said softly that their little angel was a very happy girl and no child was more loved.

The lovely lass smiled, as she knew she'd done her very best to be the kind of mummy that her little girl deserved and her husband was right. Their daughter's days had been pretty much love and fun-filled, at least for as long as she had been in their life. Even though their time as a family had been barely a year she couldn't imagine life without this little imp in her arms or the man who held her. She kissed her soul mate and then sent the brave knight off to attack the dining room dragon while she carried Sleeping Beauty off to bed.

The little one could really have used a bath, but it was a kid's holiday, so she gave her a reprieve and just stopped by the bathroom to pick up a warm wash rag and wipe off a layer or two of cake and icing from the girl's hands and face.

Mummy carried her daughter into the little princess's bedroom and it was indeed a royal chamber with a pink and white canopy bed, lace curtains, and angels around the room in a border to watch over the sleeping little one. One special dolly sat on a pillow waiting for her mummy, while stuffed babies overflowed from her bed and toy box. Bookshelves were lined with fairy tales, and then there was the princess's throne as her daddy called it. That was her desk by the window where she did her coloring. The drawers were full of art supplies like colored sprinkles and stickers and poster paint. Of course her true treasure was her coloring books and crayons and the little crayon cherub as mummy sometimes called her, had the biggest collection of those that any junior artist could dream of.

This kid went with crayons like peanut butter went with jelly and the combination of both was always sweet. Many a night the either or both of her parents would come into check on the little one and find her asleep face down on the coloring book, a crayon still clutched in hand.

Her walls were filled with her artwork and the best pieces of the collection hung proudly on the refrigerator in the kitchen, also known as, the Children's Arts museum. One very special picture had been framed by mummy and sat on the young woman's nightstand. She wouldn't trade that art treasure for any so called masterpiece hanging in the "Louvre".

The loving mother sat her baby down gently and then fetched one of the new jammies she had gotten her daughter for her birthday. Little angels adorned the pink cotton pajamas and she smiled as she remembered how excited the birthday girl had been when she'd gotten them today.

Gently she removed the little ones tights and wiggled her out of the dress. She really didn't want to wake her as her angel was sleeping like one, and she might have made it too, but the warm washcloth tickled the girl's button nose and a pair of big blue eyes opened and she sleepy smiled at her mummy and hugged her.

The young woman pulled her baby close and rocked her, hoping to send her back to slumber land but the mother rarely got off that easy when it was her daughter's bed time, as the child never liked to go to bed until mummy told her a story and then snuggled with her until she was fast asleep. Tonight would be no different and the sleepy child began begging for her story immediately.

The young mother would sometimes grab one of her child's fairy tale books off the shelf and read her a cherished story that mother's had put their babies asleep for ages, and other times her mother would make up a story special for her baby. Mummy was a wonderful storyteller and she had a muse, or moose, as the children often called it, that whispered original and magical stories which were enjoyed by children and adults alike.

The young woman asked her princess what story she would like tonight and the cherub smiled big. Mummy rolled her eyes and giggled, as she knew the answer long before a sleepy little voice begged, "Magic Crayons Mummy! Can you tell me Magic Crayons, puhleeeeeeeeeeeze."

The lovely storyteller sighed, wondering why is it was that kids seem to pick one story that they want to hear over and over again? The little one knew the story word for word and if mummy missed as so much as syllable, the child was quick to correct her.

The imp snuggled up against her storyteller, and her big eyes begging for the story. The young mother pulled her baby close and granted her wish. She kissed her little angel and then started the story. This particular tale held a very special place in her heart, just like her daughter did.

Magic Crayons was a tale that the muse had whispered to the young woman not long after her daughter came into her life. It was a delightful little story about a sad and lonely young woman who, with the help of a wizard and magic crayons, released the little girl within her and gave her the family and the fairy tale life she had always dreamed of.

It was the kind of short and sweet happily ever after that all little girls love to hear, but there was another story, a true one, one from which this fairy tale had once come. Now, neither mother nor daughter were aware of true story, as it had been lost in a wave that gently rippled through reality one day, changing life as we know it, forever. However, I pass this story on to you to keep, as its message is far too important to not be known. In parts, it reads like a fairy tale, and in others, a horror story, but I assure it's as real as the mother who holds her daughter and tells her the fairy tale version. I give you Magic Crayons.

Chapter One: I am Sara

Once upon a time there was a very beautiful lady named Sara. She had long blonde hair and big blue eyes and loved to wear bows in her hair. She loved pretty clothes too and her closets were full of colorful long skirts and flowing silk blouses.

Sara lived in a magical place called England and even though she didn't have a castle, she had a pretty little cottage fit for a princess. It was a warm and cozy little place full of all her favorite things, but the most wonderful thing of all was her room where she did her big girl coloring.

See, this lady really loved to color and she had everything any girl could ever want or need to make pretty pictures. She had a huge desk and a tall chair for the not so tall girl to reach it. She had shelves and boxes and drawers full of the greatest coloring things in the whole world and she really knew how to make them work magic. She would take a blank piece of paper, spread it across her desk and then start coloring on it with her pens and paints. By the time she was finished her creations were so beautiful and realistic that they would nearly jump off the paper.

Oh by far, she was the best big girl artist in the whole world and once people found out how good she was they all wanted her to color for them. Long ago she been named the Art Angel, and now that she'd become famous; the whole world wanted her divine creations.

The Art Angel had been making magic for a few years now, and had lots of money to show for her efforts. She was a beautiful woman, still young at 29, with a wonderful talent, a beautiful home, plenty of money, and had just come back from the best holiday of her life visiting Canada and New Zealand, so...she should be very happy right? Well...sometimes she was, like when she felt the magic in her fingers, and her naked toes wiggled happily while she worked or when she talked to her special friends Prue and Jenna on the internet. Yes, those were happy times, but there were also the very sad ones where she cried and cried.

Today was not a happy day as she frowned at her latest drawing. She crumpled it up and threw it at the rubbish bin, now overflowing with past failed efforts. She glanced at the calendar and counted the days to her next deadline and then sighed at the mountain of work she had left to do before then.

Unfortunately, that's the problem with being the best there is. Everyone wants you to do work for them and they expect it all to be angel perfect and they all want theirs done first and best. And Sara felt that everything she created HAD to be the best, because anything less wasn't good enough. Well, even for an Angel, perfection day in and day out is a tall order, and she would spend long hours day and night doing her big girl coloring, rarely ever taking a break and never taking a genuine holiday until this last one. It's no wonder she would get sad. She was so tired and overworked, yet her sadness went far beyond even that.

Maybe it was because she was lonely. She did live all alone in her cottage and no one came to visit her. She rarely ever left, preferring to have her supplies and such delivered. Now, it wasn't that Sara didn't like people, on the contrary, she was a loving, generous woman, and the few people like Prue and Jenna that she'd let get close, she loved with all her heart.

The problem was that she was AFRAID to be around people, AFRAID to get close, AFRAID to be hurt, and that was because she had been hurt very badly when she was growing up. The boys in her village teased and beat her. The girls laughed at her and shunned her. Her father hated her because of who she could never be, and then beat her for what she was.

Her mother had loved her. In the end, she'd proved that, but for so many years she had been afraid to show it, and the pain from that, had been equal to the worst beatings Sara had ever taken.

Why were so many people so mean to Sara? Well the answer to that question is also the answer of why Sara is sad most of all, and we find it the day she was born.

Sara had been born a girl stuck inside the body of a boy. How did that happen? Well … maybe an angel goofed and accidentally put Sara's spirit in the body of baby boy instead of a baby girl, or maybe the stork was flying and drinking and you know how dangerous that is, or perhaps it was even wizard's work. HOW this girl came to be born in a boy's body may never be known, but regardless, it happened and poor Sara was stuck.

The little girl inside Sara knew right off what was wrong, and she tried to tell her parents even before she could speak. She would reach for the girl baby toys and push away any boy baby ones. She would cry for little girl clothes and strip off the boy baby clothes any time she got the chance.

When she was finally old enough to talk she told her parents that she was really a little girl inside and her name was Sara. Sara's father did not believe her and became very angry. He shouted she was a boy, and for her to never say such lies again. When the toddler's frustration reduced her to tears, her father took off his belt and beat her until she screamed lies, and said she was a boy. From then on, Sara knew it wasn't safe to come out around her father, and she did her best to play make believe she was a boy whenever he was home.

When she told her mother that she was really a little girl named Sara, the woman was reduced to tears. She loved her young son very much but truth be known, she had really hoped for a daughter and in fact the old woman in the village who was said to know these things, came to her while she was pregnant and told her she would have a daughter. Her prediction had made the young mother-to-be so happy and she immediately selected a name: Sara. She knew her husband desperately wanted a son but she also knew what a blessing a daughter would be and was sure the little girl would soon be the apple of her father's eye.

When the child finally did come, everyone was surprised to find it was boy, save for her husband, who said he somehow knew all along. Now some three years later her son stood before her telling her that "he" was really a girl and "her" name was Sara. The child couldn't have possibly known about Sara, as her husband had forbidden her to ever speak that name in his presence again.

Sara, seeing her mummy cry, began crying herself, saying she was sorry and that she didn't want to make her mummy cry. The young woman gathered up her crying child, be it truly boy or girl, and held Sara close. She really didn't know what to believe. Everything she saw said she was holding her son, but everything she felt in her heart said otherwise. She rocked Sara until both their tears stopped and then finally came to a decision. She told Sara she did believe in her, but that for now, Daddy would not. The welts on the girl's legs and back served as a painful reminder of his disbelief. So Sara's existence was to be their secret for now, and then later they would find a way to make Daddy and everyone else believe.

Sara was so happy that her mummy believed in her and loved her, and mummy was just as happy to see her child finally enjoying him or herself. For the almost three years, Sara lived a relatively happy life. Each morning Daddy would head off to work and then Sara would come out to play. Sara had no brothers, sisters or friends as the nearest house was quite a way but she had mummy and she had her crayons. Sara's mother was an excellent seamstress and she was able to piece together a few small dresses for Sara, mostly bits of material too small to use for her own clothes. Sara would shimmy into one of her little dresses minutes after Daddy left and her whole face would light up. She wasn't allowed to play outside in the dress, just in case the rare visitor would come but she had full run of the house. The young mother had also managed to make her a rag doll that Sara named Maggie and she would carry her baby with her while she tagged after Mummy. She loved to sweep the floors and fold daddy's shirts and help Mummy make bread and pies.

She loved doing all those things, but perhaps her favorite thing of all to do was color. She could lie on the floor next to Mummy and color for hours at a time. With those vibrant magical sticks she could create new worlds where Sara didn't have to hide at all. In her colored pictures, Sara was a beautiful little girl, who played outside and had lots of friends and a daddy who loved her. Each day she made new masterpieces that absolutely astounded her mother. Not even school age yet, and obviously she was a gifted artist.

Crayons became Sara's best friend, and one that could go with her places that her dress and dolly couldn't go, because about four o'clock each day, the dress would come off, the dolly would be put away and Sara had to hide within the boy's body as daddy was always home by 5. Crayons, paper and coloring books however, were things even a boy could play with, so her father thought nothing of it as his "son" would lie outside on a lazy summer evening and color until the sun went down, or sit by the warm fire and quietly color as the winter winds howled at the window. Sara had to be very careful what she colored when daddy was home, but at least through those crayons and her days with mummy, the little girl lived.

Sadly, Sara's little world came crashing down on both her and her mother shortly before her sixth birthday. Sara's father came home from work early one day and slipped into the house without Sara or her mother hearing him. Not seeing his wife or son downstairs, and being afternoon, he assumed that they were up in the boy's room, perhaps napping. Quietly, he ascended the stairs and then slowly pushed the door open to his son's room. Instead of finding his boy asleep snuggled with his mother, he found his "little girl" in a blue and white dress, with her hair in pigtails, dolly in her arm and handing a colored picture to her smiling mummy.

At that point things became a painful blur for Sara: her father hollering, her mother screaming and herself crying. Her father angrily snatched the coloring from her hand and then got even madder as it was a picture of a mother holding her little girl, and Sara had scrawled "TO MUMMY - I LOVE YOU - SARA" under the finished toddler masterpiece.

Sara's father then got madder than she'd ever seen him and he started shouting things at her mummy that Sara couldn't understand, but they must have been very bad because finally her mummy just sat on the bed and cried. Sara tried to go to mummy, but daddy grabbed her and started smacking her. He ripped her dress off and then started tearing her room apart. He found Sara's other dresses and the few girl toys she had. He gathered up everything, even Maggie and all of her coloring books and crayons.

He nearly broke Sara's arm as the small half-naked child stumbled while being dragged down the steps. Sara's mother pleaded with her husband to stop, but he was too enraged to listen. He pulled Sara into the kitchen and in front of the wood stove. He opened the door and then one by one began tossing all of Sara's prized possessions in.

Sara screamed, "No Daddy pleeeeeeeease!", as she watched them catch fire, but Daddy wasn't listening and he wasn't stopping.

Tears filled Sara's eyes, as she watched the fire claim her clothes, her toys and even Maggie, her dolly. Then went her coloring books and crayons until all that remained was the picture she had just colored for her mummy. Her father shook his head and pointed to the colored pictures of the little girl snuggled in her mother's arms. "You are not this little girl and you never will be. You are a BOY and its time you start acting like one. Now say goodbye to 'Sara'."

Sara watched in horror as her father threw the picture into the fire. The fire blackened, then enveloped the paper, leaving it ashes, just like Sara's father had left her life in ashes.

Sara's father beat her hard that night and repeatedly, but the pain inflicted on her boy's body wasn't much felt so much after the first go round. Sara, like her picture that been destroyed earlier, curled up within, and her world seem to go black that night.

The next morning after her father had left for work she went to her mummy, hoping that maybe mummy could make everything better, but she quickly found out it wasn't the same any more. Mummy said she didn't believe in Sara, and that she wouldn't play make believe with her any more. She said it was time for her to start acting like boy, as she'd be starting school in just a few weeks.

Sara turned away from her mummy and ran up to her room crying. Sara couldn't have known that the pain she felt in hearing those words was equal to that which her mother felt in having to say them. Her mother still believed, but she knew it was a matter of survival now. Not just the two of them surviving her husband's rage, but of Sara surviving in the outside world. It broke her heart and her child's spirit, but Sara was going to have to be a boy, even if she wasn't one.

Sara passed the next few weeks before school in a mindless daze. She was so alone and not even with coloring book or crayons to keep her company. She spent of the time sitting on her bed and wondering what school would be like, and if Sara would ever have the chance to really go.

Sara started school with a glimmer of hope and bit of excitement. It was the first time she'd ever got to be around "other girls" and she found them as beautiful as all the ones in her coloring books. She loved their cute dresses, their long hair, the games they played, and the loving way their parents would hug and kiss them when they dropped them off or picked them up from school.

Sara was a girl, and she wanted all those things too, but whenever she wandered over to play with the other girls they would shoo her away and say she was "icky" and for her to go play with the "other boys."

Sara wasn't an "other boys" and she didn't want to do the things the boys did, so for the first few days she sat all alone at recess. Finally, Sara couldn't take it anymore. She was a little girl too and it wasn't fair she couldn't play. She knew she could get into trouble but she was too mad to care. She marched over to where the girl's played and told them she wasn't a boy and that she was really a little girl like them and her name was Sara.

The girls stopped playing immediately and then started giggling at what they thought was a silly boy. They called her a liar and said her name wasn't Sara, but the ugly boy's name her father had given her. They pointed to the short "back and sides" hair cut she wore and said that was a boys cut because girls have long pretty hair. They teased her about her trousers and shirt and asked her where her pretty dress was. They told her she was a silly icky boy and always would be. Tears filled Sara's eyes, as even her own "sisters" didn't believe in her. Sara turned and ran back up to the school as the girls began chanting her new nickname. "Sissy Sara, Sissy Sara, Sissy Sara!"

The teacher caught a sobbing Sara running into the classroom and hugged her tightly. She asked Sara if she was hurt and the small child just shook her head and continued to cry. Again she asked what was wrong and this time Sara finally broke. Her story poured out of her like the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks.

The teacher sat quietly until Sara was spent and then rocked the child in her arms. Her own tears mixing with the Sara's. Sara's story was incredible but it did make some sense. Like any good teacher she was quick to notice the children who were different and she'd noticed sad Sara from the first day. She had noted that Sara didn't seem to pair up well at all with the boys and seemed to want to hang near where the girls played. At first she attributed that to her shyness, and perhaps some curiosity about girls but now she knew it was for a totally different reason. That also cast a new light on her coloring work. The only time Sara ever seemed to light up was when she had passed out the coloring books, paper and crayons. Sara was by far the best young artist in her class, but it was her choice of subject matter that had puzzled the teacher. Sara would always pick the coloring books that most of the little girls liked. Her pictures were always those of little girls, and puppies and kittens and anything she drew free hand seemed to fall into the same realm.

The teacher didn't really believe that Sara was a girl any more than her classmates did, but she did have compassion for the obviously troubled boy. She told Sara everything would be all right and that she was going to try and help fix things. Little Sara thought maybe her teacher was a sorceress and could use magic to give her the little girl body she'd been denied.

When school let out that day and her mummy came to get her she was so excited. She didn't tell mummy what had happened, as she wanted it all to be a surprise. Well, Sara's surprise came that night but it wasn't at all what she'd hoped for. Shortly after Sara had been put to bed, her teacher paid a call to her parents and told them the whole story. She suggested that they consider counseling to help their son work through his identity crisis. Sara's mother said little more than thank you to the young woman for coming and her father smiled and said he would see the problem was taken care of.

After the woman left, he was true to his word. He woke Sara up and beat her royally, saying if she ever spoke a word of this nonsense again to anyone, he would cast her out into the woods where she'd never see her mother again and the animals would surely eat her. A bloodied and bruised Sara cowered on her bed, begging her father to stop and promising she would be good and never tell anyone ever again.

Long after her father had left, Sara sat trembling and looking out her window, wondering if maybe she wouldn't be better off being eaten by the animals in the forest. She drifted off to sleep that night knowing she could never trust anyone again with the truth, and wishing the angels would come for her so she wouldn't have to face the next morning.

When Sara was growing up, her "magic crayons" helped her escape the pain. Now as an adult and the world famous Art Angel, can they help her to find the life she's always dreamed of?

The angels didn't come but the next morning did. Sara knew what she had to do if she wanted to save herself more beatings. She went to school and told her teacher she was sorry for making up tales and that she knew she was really a boy. Her teacher wasn't overly convinced and the students hardly forgiving. Sara's story had spread all over the school and she was taunted with chants of "Sissy Sara" every time she walked out on the playground. The boys started bullying her and knocking her down calling her a "Poof", and the girls just giggled and made faces at her. Sara ended up sitting alone on the playground with the only true best friends she'd ever known: her imagination and her magic crayons.

When Sara returned home that day her father was waiting for her. He'd decided it was time to take a firm hand in his son's education, hoping to mold the boy into the young man he'd always dreamed of having. He spent the evening teaching his "son" about sports and how to fight back against the bullies who sorted her out at school. Sara hated sports, and hated fighting, and she hated that her father made her do these things, but nonetheless she couldn't hate him. He was still her father, and despite all that he'd done to her, she still wanted his love, so if only for him, she tried to be the best boy she could be. Yet within her heart, she held a child's hope that one day her parents might see she really was their daughter and love her all the same.

So each morning Sara went to primary school and suffered through the teasing, the beatings, the aloneness, and the pain of watching other little girls do and have all the things she was denied.

Each afternoon she would come home and change into play clothes and wait for daddy to come home and give her those terrible boy lessons, which no matter how hard she tried, she was horrible at.

The late evenings and the nights though belonged to Sara. No matter what the weather, she would always manage to slip away to the barn and play up in the hayloft. It was a very special place for Sara because that is where she kept her crayons, colored pencils and paper she'd nicked from school and smuggled past her mummy. It was also a very safe place as she always sat by the window and could see her father coming long before he could get to the barn. She kept all her supplies well hid; knowing her father would beat her badly if he found out she had crayons at home and was drawing girly pictures again.

She still colored during recess at school but she was very careful to let no one see what she was coloring, save for the few times the boys took her papers from her and beat her up for drawing "Sissy Sara" pictures. She also never brought home anything from school she ever colored, as her father would see to it that she received the same fate.

But up in the safety of loft, she used her crayons and her imagination to create worlds where Sara could play again and be a real little girl. With the help of her magic crayons she was a super hero, a fairy tale princess, and even a beautiful pink-winged angel. It was these stolen moments each day that helped the little girl hold onto life when everything and everyone else around refused to believe she even existed.

Sara's life continued pretty much the same all the way through primary school. She never lost the tag of "Sissy Sara", and as a result was never accepted by the boys or the girls there. At home her mother watched in pained silence as Sara's father continued trying to make a boy out of her, and with every failed effort by Sara, her father got angrier and Sara withdrew that much more. Thankfully she had her sanctuary in the loft, as she needed it more and more as time went on. She colored by moonlight and lantern and she colored in the winters until her fingers were too cold to grip the crayon.

Sara's little girl spirit seemed frozen in time as it never aged a day, but her boy's body continued to grow, as did her artistic talent. By the time she was twelve, colored pens and pencils replaced crayons, and sketchpads replaced coloring books. The little girl still colored her fairy tale princesses and unicorns, but she also added sketches of young girls who were blossoming into womanhood, a womanhood little Sara was never going to know. She loved to melt into those pictures, living the lives of the characters she created, but then her father's voice would call her in and she'd return to the hell that was her real life.

Occasionally her father would ask her why she spent so much time in the loft, and Sara would lie saying she was reading or studying or just playing games. She wasn't sure if her father really believed, and several times she returned to her sanctuary to find her father had been up there rummaging around, but obviously he'd never found anything. If he had, she'd being wearing bruises and welts as proof of his discovery.

Sara's life outside her coloring held little joy for her and no chances to be a girl but then one late August afternoon that changed. The thirteen-year-old was walking along the road by the house. It was one of her rare trips out but a necessary one as her mother had sent her to the neighbors to borrow some flour.

Sara was walking down the road, half lost in thought about the school year to come, wondering if "Sissy Sara" would fair any better in college than she did primary school, when she spied an old suitcase lying in the weeds. Wondering what treasures the brown leather bag might hold she pulled it from the weeds and then undid the straps. When she opened it, her big blues eyes lit up and she grinned from ear to ear. The suitcase obviously had belonged to a woman as it was packed full of pretty dresses, blouses, and skirts.

Sara reached in and gently stroked the soft material and sighed dreamily. It was the first time she'd really held a dress since the beating her father had given her for wearing one. She was tempted to look through the whole lot right where she stood but it was far too dangerous, so she closed the suitcase and hid it in the weeds. She would take her mother's flour to her and then try to slip back for it that evening after her "boy lessons" were done.

The sun was just setting as Sara slipped away to retrieve her buried in the weeds treasure. She made quick time back to the roadside, as she couldn't risk her father calling for her and her not answering. Her heart was pounding and her breath ragged, part from her sprint and part from the excitement of the forbidden fruit the suitcase held.

Sara checked the road, making sure it was deserted, before pulling the suitcase back out of the weeds and properly exploring its contents. There were well over a dozen dress and skirt/blouse outfits. Sara's hands trembled as she held each one up to her, pushing the soft silky material across her body and imagining what it would be like to wear it and have the body to fill it out properly. It was intoxicating and soon she found herself holding a dress close to her and dancing in the tall grass.

The clothes were a few years out of style, and a few sizes too big for the slender shapeless girl, but to Sara they were beautiful magical gowns and she wanted them all. Sadly, she knew that was impossible. She still bore the scars both mental and physical from the beating her father gave her the last time he'd caught her in a dress. With tears welling in her eyes, she neatly folded the clothes and placed them back in the suitcase. The last outfit she packed was her favorite: a long patchwork scrunch skirt, and a beautiful crá¨me colored silk peasants blouse.

She said goodbye to her treasures and slowly shut the suitcase. She tried to get up to leave, as she knew she needed to hurry back, but she couldn't move. Her hands trembled as they returned to the suitcase and reopened it. This was stupid and she knew it. It would be father-assisted suicide if she was caught, but death of another kind if she left without it. Sara took a deep breath, pulled the skirt and blouse to her chest and then scurried back home to hide it in the loft along with her other treasures.

For the first few evenings, Sara just took out the clothes and held them close, not daring to put them on for fear her father would catch her. She'd lay on her stomach, her treasures by her side, and make sketches by moon or lantern light. It wasn't long though before her need to wear that outfit overruled her fear and good sense.

Sara's spirit seem to soar the moment she slipped into the silky blouse and flowing skirt. It was food and freedom to a soul starving for both. Away from the window overlooking the house she was a barefoot princess spinning and twirling and dancing on air. Once she finally settled down to draw, she found even her artistic talent drew life from her attire. The sketches she made while dressed in those clothes were the best she had ever created. Sara hadn't felt that happy or alive since she was a toddler. She felt like was going to die when her father's voice called her in for the night. It was as if taking off that outfit and putting away her sketchpads were cutting off her oxygen and she couldn't breathe again until she returned. It was so hard for her to "hold her breath" all day but knowing what awaited her at night gave her the courage to do so.

School started a few weeks after Sara had found her new clothes, and just as she feared, "Sissy Sara" was outed there as well and college was as lonely and painful as primary school had been. Her father was pushing her even harder to be the young man she wasn't spiritually, and was barely physically. She was still a short, skinny, pale- skinned boy with big blue eyes and blonde hair far better suited for a girl. Despite all her father's boy training she couldn't play a sport, she couldn't heave an axe, and she wouldn't fire a gun.

Sara thought she could almost see defeat in her father's eyes after refusing to fire his rifle. She had every reason to expect another good beating, but instead he just turned and walked away, muttering to himself something about how he'd been cheated.

Sara naturally assumed he meant cheated from having the son he'd always wanted, which was half right but little did she know the other half of the story. Sara even contemplated trying to go to her father again, and tell him whom she truly was. Surely by now, with all her miserable failures at trying to be a boy, he could see she was really a girl, and then maybe he might finally be able to accept her as his daughter. Her mother had believed once before and she was sure she could convince of the truth once again. In fact, there were times that Sara thought maybe her mother still did believe. She had never said that in words, but Sara thought she saw it in her eyes when she'd come in from the barn. It was almost as if her mother knew what she was doing up there and was glad she at least had that.

Several times Sara had half worked up the courage to tell her father, but lost it each time she saw the big man and his perennial scowl. Unfortunately for Sara she never got the chance to bring it to him, as he came to her and the results cost Sara her home and very nearly her life.

It was Indian summer and the breeze blew warm and sweet that evening. The sun was nearly gone and Sara was half way to heaven as was she dressed in her skirt and blouse, and sketching a lovely scene. Perhaps it was the combination of the comfortable clothes, the gentle breeze and the long hard day but Sara did the unthinkable, she feel asleep.

An hour or so later, Sara's father yelled for her, but she didn't answer. Her father wasn't one to yell twice so when Sara failed to show he went up to the loft to get her.

Sara awoke to angry shouting and a sharp pain in her side. The shouts were from her furious father, and the pain was from his boot as he kicked hard in the ribs. Sara tried to move, tried to speak, but she never got the chance to do either, as a crashing right hand came down and everything went black.

When Sara awoke she was laying in the backyard outside the house. Her father was towering over her, screaming and punching her. Just as before, she couldn't move as the big man had her pinned down. She tried to talk, to cry out and beg him to stop, but all she could do was choke from the blood filling her mouth. She knew this was it. Her father wasn't going to stop this time and then mercifully she lost consciousness again, sure that the next face she saw over her would be an angel.

In the early hours of the morning, an angel did wake Sara, an earth angel of sorts, her mother. She helped Sara find her feet, but they didn't do her much good, as she stumbled badly and fell again. Sara hurt everywhere. Breathing brought tears to her eyes. Even the cool drink of water her mother gave her, burned her cracked lips. As she finally began to come around, she could see the damage as well as feel it. Her beautiful outfit was in shreds and stained in her own dried blood. Her father hadn't killed her, but it was a miracle he hadn't.

Sara's mother helped her over to barn and then told her to sit and rest for a moment, as she would return shortly. Sara lapsed in and out of consciousness until her mother returned. When she did, she handed Sara a bag with some clothes, food and what was left of her treasured art materials in it. Even though she was still half-dazed Sara would never forget her mother's words. "I know somehow you really are my Sara. I have always known, but I was too afraid of your father to stand up to him and say so and I was too afraid of what the world would do to you, if you said so. I was wrong and I should never have let him hurt you, but I swear to you he will never lay a hand on you again. Honey, I don't know if you can, but I hope someday you can forgive me."

Sara hugged her mother tightly as tears flowed freely. Finally, her mother broke the embrace and then handed Sara a small pouch. When Sara opened it she founded a few pounds and shillings that her mother had squirreled away. She told Sara this was all she had to give her but she hoped it would be enough for her to start a new life. She kissed Sara and gave her these final words. "Run Sara, and don't come back, because they'll be nothing here for you to come back to."

Sara felt like she had just found her mother again and didn't want to leave. She begged her mother to come with her, but the woman refused saying she had unfinished business with her husband. She kissed Sara one last time and said she needed to get back inside should Sara's father wake up.

Sara watched her mother walk back up toward the house, and then just before entering, she turned and blew Sara a kiss. Sara smiled and waved as she watched her mother disappear. Sighing heavily, she grabbed her bag and headed for the woods. She wasn't able to run but she did walk until exhaustion claimed her. As she drifted off to sleep beneath the moonlight, she wondered if her mother's words were true. Would there ever be anything to go back home for?

When Sara was growing up, her "magic crayons" helped her escape the pain. Now as an adult and the world famous Art Angel, can they help her to find the life she's always dreamed of?

Sara woke the next morning, feeling as bad if not worse than she did the night before. It still hurt to breathe and walking was a slow painful process but she continued on. She by bypassed the main village as her mother had told her to and then rejoined the road a short distance later. Sara's mother knew there was no more life in the village for Sara then there was at their house. She needed a fresh start in a new place.

Her third day out she caught a ride from a friendly old man. When he asked Sara where she was heading she in turn asked him his destination. When he said London, she said it was hers as well. The next day Sara arrived in the big city, and as she walked the streets she marveled at the many shops and crowds of people. With all her heart, she hoped she could fulfill her mother's last wish and find a new life, a life for Sara.

Sara was fourteen, homeless, hungry, and near penniless by the time she arrived in London. It was fall and with winter just around the corner, survival on the city streets became the country girls main concern.

Her first winter was a rough one, and she nearly froze to death, but she quickly learned her lessons from the other street-smart urchins. One of the most important rules for street survival was to use whatever talent you got to survive. When Sara couldn't find hard work or handouts, she turned to her artistic talents to get by on. She became a street artist, making quick sketches of people and scenes, for whatever they'd give her. Sometimes her fingers were so cold she could barely hold her pencils but her winters in the loft had help toughen her to the cold, and by the grace of the Goddess and her own right hand, she survived her first London winter on the street.

When spring came, London seemed to be alive with young people, and Sara would sit on a bench and smile wistfully as the young girls would pass, daydreaming that she could be just like them. Sadly, Sara wasn't able to be just like them, but she was getting closer. Her blonde hair had grown out over the winter and was now shoulder length. With her short, slender body and long hair she was often taken for a young girl from the back, and her spirit would soar with each "bird whistle" she received.

Things got a little better for Sara her first summer in London, as she was able to pick up a few small jobs and by the time fall came again, she had her own flat. It was small and she could barely afford the rent, food or heat, but it was far better than another winter on the streets again.

She was even able to purchase a little second hand women's clothing. With her long hair, sun glasses, and baggy clothes, sales clerks routinely called her miss and assumed she was just another poor teen girl, probably on her own and up against it.

Sara didn't have the courage to wear the dresses and skirts out in public. She continued to play boy drag at her odd jobs, quietly going about her work, making friends with no one. Her experiences at school made being around people uncomfortable and being friends with them impossible. Save for work and going out and doing her street art for extra money on the weekends, Sara rarely ever left her flat.

Being at home though wasn't so bad for Sara as she would spread her wings and fly within the safe confines. She'd lounge in the finest feminine wear the thrift stores had to offer, dancing, singing, sketching and praying for a miracle that would somehow give her the body to match her spirit.

Sara's life pretty much continued the same for the next few years. She bounced from job to job doing what work she could find, and along with her street art, continued to pay the bills each week. She thought about her parents quite often and several times was tempted to defy her mothers orders and go back home at least to see her, but inside she knew she wasn't ready to face that. Maybe someday, maybe never, but definitely not yet.

Sara was nearly twenty before she took her next bold step literally, as she began making brief forays into the outside world dressed as a woman. She started first at night, but then switched to days as she was nearly accosted several times by some gents who were quite sure of her femininity and were extremely interested in fancying a bit.

At first she thought all eyes were on her, and at times she was right, but not for the reasons she feared. It wasn't long before she realized people were taking her for exactly what she appeared to be, and that was a pretty young woman, a bit on the "Twiggy" side, but a lovely lass none the less.

Even with most people's acceptance as a young woman, she still only went out in full dress occasionally and of course, never to work, as her legal papers were still with her horrible boys name. Her life was still far from perfect, just as her body was, and at times the loneliness was almost unbearable, but still was more alive now then she'd ever been before.

She had come quite a ways from the scared and beaten teen that nearly froze to death on the streets of London that first winter. At twenty- two she had the best job and best flat she'd ever had, an impressive wardrobe of semi-current second hand ladies fashions, and was now out and about as Sara more than ever. She was dressing exclusively as a woman on weekends, which meant she was now in femme when she picked up extra dollars doing her street art. It wasn't long before she became known on the London streets as Sara or more commonly by the heavenly nickname a satisfied customer once bestowed upon her, Sara the Art Angel.

Fate which up until now hadn't been particularly kind to Sara, finally smiled on her in the beautiful green eyes of a lovely auburn-haired woman named Jenna. It was a warm sunny Saturday afternoon in London, which meant Sara was out in full dress and searching for perspective customers who'd pay pounds to be immortalized by the hardly-famous but very talented Art Angel.

Sara knew her best money often came from the tourists. Anyone on holiday usually had money to spend and were normally spent a great deal of it on souvenirs and mementos. What could be better for them than a sketch done in front of Buckingham Palace with a Beefeater, or perhaps sitting astride the lions at Trafalgar Square?

Tourists were also easy to spot as they always had cameras dangling from their necks, shopping bags full of t-shirts and miniatures, maps poking out of their pockets and that wide-eyed look on their faces as they pointed at every building and double-decker bus they saw.

Sara was scanning Trafalgar Square when through a wave of pigeons came a young couple that caught her eye and stole her heart. They had none of the usual tourist trappings, so a sale was far from guaranteed, but the image they cut was so beautiful that she just had to capture it on paper.

The young woman was tall, maybe about 5'8 and slender. Long auburn hair cascaded down her back and her emerald green eyes were gazing up lovingly into those of the man who owned the arm she was clutching. She was wearing a silk dress that flowed over her womanly curves and showcased her long lovely legs.

The young man was very tall and very handsome. By Sara's guess he had to be 6'5 or better as he towered over many of the men that passed by. He was extremely well built with broad shoulders and a chest that was barely restrained by the button down shirt he wore. He had dark blonde hair, soft blue eyes and a gentle, loving smile that spoke the love he felt for the woman on his arm.

Sara sighed at the picture they cut. She was pretty sure they weren't locals but they didn't seem like the typical tourist either. She pondered it a few seconds and then smiled, "Newlyweds!" If there were ever a couple that looked like they were on a honeymoon it was these too.

Sara smiled and then began feverishly sketching them as they approached her. The woman took her eyes off her Lord long enough to look at the lion statues and Sara used that as her opportunity to approach them.

Introducing herself as Sara, she showed them the preliminary sketch she had started and asked them if they would be interesting in having a proper one done. She assured them it wouldn't take long and if they weren't satisfied with it, they didn't even have to pay.

The big man in a voice too soft for such a giant smiled and asked her how much. Sara returned his smile and said, "That's up to you sir. If you like what I do and want to keep it, then it's your for whatever you think is fair."

The young woman looked up and smiled hopefully at the big man. He chuckled and returned her smile and then told Sara to go ahead and do her best. Sara smiled brightly and then directed them over the lions saying it would make for a lovely sketch.

Over the next twenty minutes Sara and the young couple chatted while the Art Angel worked her magic. During their casual conversation, Sara discovered her original suspicions weren't too far from the truth. Jenna and Rick were from Canada, and while not newlyweds, they were on a delayed honeymoon of sorts, having not had a proper one when they were married two years ago. They were spending three days in London, and two more in Scotland before returning home. Sara could see they were enjoying themselves in London, but when they spoke of their upcoming visit to Scotland there was a magical sparkle in their eyes that Sara didn't miss.

Jenna and Rick asked a few questions of Sara too, and she gladly pointed out to them all the "can't miss sites" to see while they were in London. However, she was a bit "sketchy" and nervous on any questions about her person, a fact Jenna seemed to carefully note as she watched the young artist closely.

Twenty minutes after she started, Sara had completed her work, and was pleased to see the approving smiles both Jenna and Rick gave her when they saw it. Rick reached into his pocket and began thumbing through his pound notes when Jenna stretched up and whispered in his ear. Rick smiled and nodded, then kissed his princess. He turned to Sara and said that Jenna would pay her, as he needed to make a quick dash over to the chemist across the way. He complimented Sara on her beauty and her talent before leaving the two women alone.

Jenna watched her love leave and then sighed before turning her attentions back to Sara. Sara smiled and said Rick seemed like a wonderful man and the pair made such a lovely couple. Jenna blushed; thanking Sara for the compliment and saying her soul mate had completed her in ways she'd never dreamed possible just a few years ago.

Sara could see how happy Jenna was, but she did note a hint of pain behind Jenna's loving smile, perhaps pain from previous love lost, but a pain and sadness nonetheless. At least was Jenna was happy now, and Sara hoped the future held even more happiness for the friendly young couple who thought her work was worth paying for.

Expecting Jenna then to offer Sara a few pound notes for her efforts, the young woman was a bit surprised when Jenna asked her if she would care for a spot of tea and a bit of conversation, as her husband would be quite some time at the chemist.

Normally Sara would have just taken her money and graciously declined such an invitation, as her fear of getting too close to others made tea and conversation with anyone, let alone a woman she'd just met, completely out of the question. Yet, there was something about this soft-spoken young woman that seemed to reach out and connect with Sara at a level that no one else ever had. Surprising herself, Sara agreed to accept the invitation and directed Jenna toward a café across the street from the chemist shop Rick had went in to.

Jenna ordered two teas with a plate of biscuits and then got straight to the heart of the matter. Jenna made sure her next words were out of ear shot of any of the other customers and then shocked Sara as she told her that she knew Sara wasn't like most girls, that she'd been born different.
Sara's sky blue eyes went wide with fear and her hand trembled. She'd been found out and her instincts said run. She wasn't even worried about the few pounds she'd earned. She was chastising herself for being stupid enough to accept the invitation and was preparing to run before Rick could return with a police office in tow. She rose from her chair when Jenna reached out, grabbing her hand and begging her not to leave. Sara's instincts still said run and she would have had it not been for Jena's next words.

She told Sara she knew she was different, because incredibly she was different than most girls too. Like Sara, she had been cursed at birth, a girl born in a boy's body.

Sara couldn't believe her ears or her eyes as she eased back down into her chair. Here was this beautiful woman married to this beautiful man and telling her that she was just like her? Jenna saw the look of disbelief in Sara's eyes but assured her she was telling the truth. She then added that if Sara would stay, she'd try to explain things to her, maybe even help Sara if she could.

Sara agreed to listen which made Jenna smile and begin her story. Over the next twenty minutes, tears welled in both woman's eyes and at times Sara nodded knowingly as parts of Jenna's tale were also her own.

Like Sara, Jenna knew she was a girl even before she could speak the words to say so. Like Sara, she'd wanted the toys and clothes that all the other little girls wanted, and like Sara, she'd gotten only stolen moments to have those things. Jenna was the baby of the family and the only "boy" her parent's had been blessed with, as Jenna's three older siblings were all girls.

While Sara had her special moments with her mother, Jenna had hers with her big sister's as they would often dress her up in their old clothes and let her play games as the little sister. Sadly, for both of them, those moments ended about the time they both entered school, but fortunately for Jenna, without the physical and emotional abuse that Sara had suffered.

Both were social outcasts growing up. They were pushed off toward the boys, longed to be with the girls, and accepted by neither. Their paths seemed all too similar to Sara, until Jenna entered high school and then things changed in ways Sara never dreamed possible.

Jenna came to her parents when she was 15 and told them how she felt. While she wasn't sure if they truly believed she was a girl trapped in a boy's body, they knew SHE believed it and that she was in terrible pain so they had to help. Jenna's parents took her into the big city where she had to take tests, give blood and tell her story to strangers. She was scared they wouldn't believe her, but in the end they did! She cried and cried when they told her she was a girl, a real girl, only one born with a birth defect. She was something they called a transsexual.

Jenna told Sara that at the time she didn't understand all the technical terms but it's what they call girls like her and Sara who are born with boys bodies and since then she's learned that there are LOTS of girls out there just like them.

Sara asked her if they told her WHY girls like themselves were born this way, with this defect, but Jenna shook her head sadly and said the doctors weren't sure why it happens and they didn't have a magical cure for it either, BUT, they did have a treatment. Jenna then smiled and waved her arms across herself, signaling the body she now possessed was the result of said treatment.

Jenna, with Sara hanging on every word, went on to describe in detail the process she had went through to become the woman who was now sitting across the table from her. Jenna said the doctors started giving her hormones, magic pills that made her body more like a girls, and along with her parents support and a lot of help from her sisters, she began living full time as girl when she 16. She really had to work hard to learn how to be a teenage girl, as she didn't have the advantage of growing into the role.

Starting school as a girl after attending it as a boy the year before was tough too, but she was already used to being an outcast, so being popular was never important to her anyway. Jenna's emerald green eyes misted in remembrance when she said there had been one person she'd been popular with in high school. He was a tall, handsome boy who escorted her to the senior prom. She finished then by adding that after she turned 18 and graduated, she had an operation to fix some of the things that the pills couldn't. Jenna's eyes drifted downward toward her lap, silently gesturing to the area that pills alone couldn't fix.

Sara blushed and then smiled knowingly. Her mind was filled with a thousand questions but a 6'5 big one came to the forefront. She asked Jenna if Rick knew she had lived as a boy and then felt stupid for even asking. Jenna smiled and told her Rick not only knew, but he'd been with her through much of the ordeal as they'd gone to high school together.

Of course, he had been her dream date to the senior prom, as they had been in love long before she had the ability to share it physically with him. He'd been a patient and loving rock for her through it all, and two years after her surgery he made her the happiest woman in the world by marrying her.

Sara sighed and said Rick sounded like the perfect man. Jenna smiled lovingly and said she didn't know if he was perfect, but he was perfect for her.

Sara's next question brought a sad sigh from Jenna, as she asked if after her surgeries could Jenna bear children. Jenna shook her head and said no, but then smiled and said a woman doesn't have to be mother, to be a mummy, and that in two days, her and Rick were going to be the proud parents of a newborn baby girl.

Sara's mouth fell open and her eyes went wide at Jenna's confession. Jenna seeing the look of confusion on Sara's face, giggled and squeezed her hand, assuring her it was neither magic nor kidnapping that was going to give her a child. It was adoption and their new daughter would be waiting for them in Scotland, the day after tomorrow. They'd already had a name for her, Rebecca, and when Jenna said it, Sara could hear the love in the new mother's voice.

Of course this explained the sparkle Sara had noticed in Rick and Jenna's eye when they spoke of Scotland. Sara reached across the table and hugged her new friend, tears of joy welling in her eyes as she congratulated her on becoming a mummy.

Sara was genuinely happy for Jenna, glad that her family had supported her, and that she'd been able to have medicine and surgeries to make her body more like other girls. She was so happy that Jenna had found a wonderful man like Rick and they were able to have a family, but she also felt pangs of jealousy as she knew those things would never happen for her.

Jenna saw the pained expression on Sara's face and sensed her new friends feelings. Jenna squeezed Sara's hand and then said words to her that she could scarcely believe she was hearing. "Sara, you're young and really pretty and well... if you think that you might be interested, I know you could do what I've done. In fact, I'd be willing to help you. That is, if you'd let me", offered Jenna.

Sara's head was spinning. It was all too much. In the course of an hour, she meets this beautiful woman from Canada, who just happens to have suffered the same curse she has, AND this woman is offering to help her fight it.

Jenna could see the frightened and confused look in Sara's face and tried to calm her. "Sara, I know we just met and this is a lot to take in, and normally I wouldn't have been so forward, but when I met you I just knew I couldn't let you leave without trying to reach you."

Sara relaxed a bit and smiled softly as she thanked Jenna for sharing her story and educating her about their condition but she didn't know how Jenna could possibly help her, as she could barely help herself right now.

Jenna winked, and realized that she at least had captured the scared kitten's interest. She then pulled out a business card and scribbled some numbers on the back. She handed the card and a ten-pound note to Sara and added, "This is one of Rick's business cards. It has his office number and our home number on the front. On the back I've written the hotel we're staying at, along with the room and phone number there. We leave for Scotland tomorrow afternoon, so please say you'll come to our hotel tonight and meet us for dinner. If you would be more comfortable we can have dinner in the room, we usually do anyway. That will give me a chance to pass on some more information that might help you and you a chance to ask any questions you'd like of either me or Rick. So, puhleeeeeze say you'll come Sara. I promise you won't regret it."

Sara was mulling the offer over when she saw Rick crossing the street and heading straight for her. Sara leaned over and whispered to Jenna. "Are you sure Rick won't mind?"

Jenna laughed, "Are you kidding? It was HIS idea to invite you to dinner."

Sara giggled. "You're right. He is perfect."

Jenna then pushed for a commitment. "So how bout it Sara? Please say you'll come."
Sara sighed and then started. "Well, I'll say I'll think about it, okay? I mean it's just that I ummm..."

Jenna squeezed Sara's hand, realizing just how much and how fast this had to be for her. "Sara, it's okay. I'll understand if you don't come, but at least consider calling me in Canada. You can call collect and don't worry about the hour. I don't expect Rick or I to be getting much sleep with a newborn in the house."

Sara and Jenna laughed and then shared hugs as Rick walked up grinning ear to ear. Rick and Jenna quickly exchanged silent glances that said Jenna's mission had at least been partially successful. Sara thanked Jenna for the tea and conversation, and then thanked them both for the ten-pound note and the dinner invite. Jenna slipped easily under Rick's arm and said she was more than welcome and Rick added he hoped she'd come. Sara made no further promises but did extend congratulations on their new daughter before spreading her art angel wings and flying for home.

Sara returned to her flat straight away and plopped down on her bed to sort things out. She was frightened, excited, curious, hopeful, overwhelmed and yet happier than she could remember being since she was an innocent five year old. She was a naíve little girl then, and she couldn't help but wonder if she was just as naíve now. She hadn't trusted anyone since her teacher in primary school and she still had a few scars to remind her how well that fared. She wouldn't even consider going to the local pub with her co-workers the few times they'd offered and she'd known them for almost two years. Yet today she meets a pair of Canadian tourists in Trafalgar Square, and she's contemplating have dinner with them in their hotel room! Of course, that isn't even the half of it. The wife, this beautiful auburn-haired goddess, says she was a girl born in a boy's body just like Sara was and tells her tales of medical magic she'd never dreamed possible. Then most incredible of all, she actually wants to help Sara find this magic too.

Sara's fear and lack of trust had been well founded by a life where her every effort at reaching out to others ended in pain, both emotional and physical. Her head said to take the ten-pound note gratefully, but to throw away that business card and forget she'd ever met Rick and Jenna.

Her heart though said otherwise. It told her to trust this beautiful princess and the handsome prince. It told her that if anyone on this earth understood how she felt, Jenna did. It also told her that if there was any chance, any chance at all, that there was magic out there that could help her, she couldn't walk away from that chance. She'd never forgive herself if she did.

Sara rocked on her bed, clutching a stuffed baby she'd rescued from the rubbish bin one night, and letting the war between head and heart rage within her. Reaching into her skirt pocket she pulled out Rick's business card and the ten-pound note Jenna had wrapped around it. As Sara slid the car out from the money, her eyes went wide, as within the ten-pound note, Jenna had hidden a hundred-pound note. Sara had never seen a hundred-pound note let alone be the owner of one. Obviously, Jenna was intent on helping Sara regardless of her accepting their dinner invite or calling her.

Tears fell from Sara's eyes at the heartfelt gesture by this incredibly generous and loving woman. There was no doubt now what Sara had to do. She had to meet Rick and Jenna for dinner, if only to return the note. There was no doubt she needed the money. The way she lived proved that. She also needed help and Jenna sounded like she was someone who could offer it to her, but she couldn't accept pure charity. It wasn't that she was too proud to; on the contrary, she survived that first winter on the charity of those who offered her food and lodging when she had none, but this was different and she knew it.

Sara took a deep breath and then got up off her bed. She walked over to her closet with a look of resolution and she picked out the best outfit she had before drawing a bath. Tonight she was going to face her fears, her new friends and hopefully change her destiny. Like any other woman, she wanted to look good doing it.

Sara arrived that night about seven and was greeted by a warm welcome and hugs from both her new friends. Sara immediately tried to take care of business first and handed Jenna the hundred-pound note back, but the young woman gently asked her to hold it until they'd finished talking. After that, if Sara still felt the same way, she'd accept it back. Sara reluctantly agreed, but knowing full well she would not be walking out with that note in her pocket.

Dinner was an absolute feast that night, and the best meal Sara had eaten since coming to London. After dinner, they relaxed and Sara opened up and told her life story. Wine and tears flowed till nearly midnight, as her heartbreaking tale of pain and sorrow touched Rick and Jenna deeply.

Jenna hugged Sara tightly and then getting the nod from her husband, took the lead and began trying to help Sara by teaching her how she could help herself. Jenna gave a couple of books on the transsexual condition to Sara saying that they'd been invaluable to her on her own journey and would help educate Sara on the birth defect they shared. She also told her this is one journey you simply can't walk alone and that Sara was going to have to learn to trust at least a few people. Finding a knowledgeable doctor was absolutely essential, as she would need his assistance to get the magic pills, the life giving hormones she would have to have for the rest of her life.

Money was an issue too. Jenna said she thought the National Health Insurance in England might pay for some of Sara's medical expenses, possibly even the surgery, but she was still going to need money and a lot more than she was making now. That's when Rick and Jenna showed her how they thought she could do it.

Rick told Sara that in her own words, "making the most of what you got" is one of the prime rules of surviving on the street. No doubt it had saved Sara from freezing to death and starving in London her first year there, and had kept her going ever since, but it was obvious to both him and Jenna she really wasn't making the most of the one thing she had most of all.

Rick's comments baited Sara and she had no choice but to bite, as she asked Rick what he was talking about. The handsome young man gave his beloved a conspirator's wink and then reeled his catch in. "Sara, neither Jenna nor I are art experts, but we both know enough to recognize real talent when we see it, and you my dear are truly gifted. That sketch you did of us at Trafalgar Square was absolutely brilliant. Sara, you have a gift and you need to make the most of it, and you'll never do that just drawing street sketches for pound notes."

Jenna nodded in agreement and then added. "Especially when with just a bit of training and the right exposure, you could be making thousands of dollars!"

Sara went positively pale, unable to believe what she was hearing. Having never heard praise before she struggled to accept it. "Thank you, but...but...I'm not really very good at all. No one would pay any REAL money for anything I could ever do."

Jenna put her arm around Sara and smiled lovingly at her. "Sara you really ARE that good, only you don't know it. No one ever truly believed in you and what you could do, so how could you learn to believe in yourself? You never got the love and support a child needs growing up, and that's almost as bad as being born in the wrong body."

Rick reached out and took Sara's hand. "We'd like to help you become the woman and the artist that it is your destiny to become if you'll let us help you."

Sara was overwhelmed having never known this kind of support before. She stammered helplessly. "I...I...just don't know what to say."

Jenna hugged her tightly, "Just say yes, you silly goose. It's either that or will have to drag you off to Canada with us and hire you as Rebecca's nanny."

Sara giggled at the second option Jenna had offered her, but then saw the glances between soul mates and knew if she wasn't careful she'd been in need of her passport tomorrow.

Before she could answer, Rick finally put the icing on the cake. "We assumed you'd prefer to stay here, so we took the liberty of looking up an art school after we left you. Fortunately we were able to show someone that sketch you made for us and they were very impressed. So much so, they'd like you to bring some other examples of your work and meet with them Monday. Jenna has all the information you'll need on where to go and who to see, so are we a go then?"

Sara was hardly "a go" as she began firing "buts and how's" back at her twin benefactors. "But...I didn't even finish college, and how am I going to pay for art school, and...and...what about...well I mean...me being a girl in a boy's body? I don't think there going to wants someone like me once they find that out."

Jenna shook her head and sighed. "Oh yea of little faith. First of all this is an art school and not a university. It doesn't matter if you haven't graduated college. They're interested in helping you harness you artistic ability, not the theory of probability. Secondly, we were told there are several financial scholarships available for students in need, which means you needn't worry about the money, and as for transsexual issue, Sara they're not worried about what's between your legs, just the creative genius between your ears and the magic in your right hand."

Rick then finally came full circle as he added. "The scholarship takes care of the tuition but you'll need a few supplies to get you started and that's where the hundred-pound note comes in. As I see it, it's not charity, it's an investment into the art world."

In a single day, these two people had been kinder to Sara than anyone else save for her mother had in 22 years. A very simple one-word question came to her mind and that one word said it all. "Why?"

Jenna hugged her tight. "Why? Because everyone deserves a fair chance in life and people like us rarely get it. From the moment we're born we're in the hole so to speak, and then most of us spend the rest of our lives trying to climb out of it. If those of who get out don't reach back down and help those who are still struggling to find their way, then who will? We're not offering you charity Sara, just a helping hand. You've still got to be willing to take it and pull yourself up."

Sara looked at Jenna and Rick and then said, "Thank you, thank you for everything", before her tears overwhelmed her.

Jenna hugged Sara while Rick poured three glasses of wine and then proposed a toast. "To Life!"

Jenna and Sara raised their glasses to meet his and then joined in the toast. The sentiment was fitting for all three of them, as Rick and Jenna were one day away from adding a new life to their own that would change both their lives forever, and for Sara, she was about to embark upon a new life that had one thing her old one never had, hope.

A bit too much wine and Jenna's stubborn insistence, kept Sara there over night. The next day Sara went with her two new guardian angels to the airport to see them off for Scotland. She promised to stay in regular contact with both of them and to report her progress at the art school and on the transsexual front. Jenna told her she had better stay in contact or she'd find herself learning the words to the Canadian National Anthem. Sara gave them last hugs, including an extra one for their new daughter Rebecca, and then stayed until their plane disappeared into the western sky.

When Sara was growing up, her "magic crayons" helped her escape the pain. Now as an adult and the world famous Art Angel, can they help her to find the life she's always dreamed of?

The next day was Monday, and it was the first day of a new life for Sara. A frightened young woman sat in the admissions office of the art school, nervously clutching her best artwork and wondering how Jenna and Rick had ever talked her into this. She was sure once these people saw her toddler-like crayon scrawls, they would chastise her for wasting their valuable time. They'd laugh at the "boy" who dares to dress like a girl and say "his" name is Sara.

Two hours later however, Sara was floating down the front steps of the school and grinning from ear to ear. They didn't shake their heads in disgust or laugh at her, on the contrary they said she was GOOD, with the potential to be better than good, and they wanted to help her realize that. She told them about her financial situation, and they offered her a six months full scholarship, which could extend for the entire three years if she stayed with the program (three years instead of the usual two since she could go nights only). Best of all, they welcomed her as SARA, and not a silly boy in a dress. That afternoon she said a prayer of thanks to the Goddess for bringing Rick and Jenna into her life and then broke the hundred-pound note to buy her school supplies.

Tuesday she took another big step by contacting the local hospital and seeking help for her condition. A counselor there put her on to a therapist and a medical doctor who had experience in dealing with her birth defect. She told Sara that she would need the assistance of both if she wished to pursue her dream. Sara tried to make appointments straight away but as it so often for what people call non-emergency situations, the wait is dreadfully long and it would be months before Sara got in to see either.

That weekend she sent a letter to Jenna and Rick reporting her progress and asking about little Rebecca. She knew she could call them, and collect if she needed, but she couldn't stand the way her voice sounded over the phone. Jenna didn't push the issue and was more than glad to write. Two weeks after Sara sent her letter she received one back congratulating her on how well she was doing and positively gushing over their tiny miracle they had been blessed with. Jenna even included a snap of the little darling, the first of many more to come.

Once Sara started art school, her schedule pretty much remained unchanged for the next three years. She was up by dawn to go to her job where she still worked as a boy. She'd return home, change into Sara mode, and then head off for class at the art school. When she finally returned home, she stayed up half the night for her "home schooling." Home schooling involved studying for her college equivalency test, (even though she didn't have to have a college diploma to go to art school she felt it was something she needed to do), reading every bit of fact and fiction she could find on the transsexual condition, and learning the fine art of womanhood 101.

Three months after starting her journey in earnest, she met with the psychiatrist and shortly there after the medical doctor. It was difficult for her to open up to strangers, and men at that, but she knew her only chance to be the best woman she could be was with their help.

With Jenna's long-distance support she found the courage to pour out her story to her therapist. After the third visit he confirmed what Sara always knew, that being she was a girl inside, and wrote her a prescription for hormones. It wasn't long before the magic pills had Sara "busting out" all over and she couldn't have been happier. For three years, she continued to give blood to her doctor and her story to her therapist.

At 25, Sara was a long way from the lost child who came to London over ten years ago. She had just graduated top of her class at the art school, and her combination of acquired skill and Goddess-given talent was sure to translate into a very lucrative career. Her lack of education would no longer be a roadblock to that career, as she'd passed her college equivalency exams a few weeks ago and the diploma sat proudly by her art desk as proof.

Nearly three years of hormones, and regular care packages from Jenna, (full of cakes, cookies and brownies) had combined to transform an emaciated boy's body into a slender but shapely feminine one. From the books she read, from watching other women and by pure trial and error, she'd improved her hairstyling and make up skills. With her long blonde hair styled attractively, her sky blues eyes accentuated, and wearing her favorite long skirt and silk blouse, Sara was becoming what all transgender girls aspire to be, just another pretty young woman.

Two months before graduation, she'd taken another big step in her journey to womanhood. She went to court and stood before God, Queen and country and asked them to legally recognize her now as Sara. Long live the princess! It was granted without objection and now her identification as well as both diplomas stated her proper name proudly.

Her doctor and her therapist were more than pleased with her progress, and said they would recommend her for gender reassignment as soon as she completed the required "life test". In accordance with the Harry Benjamin standard for transition, a candidate must live fully in the roll of his or her new gender for at least two years before they would be considered for the surgery. With the exception of her job, Sara was living exclusively as female, and that last bit of charade was about to change.

Sara had never given her co-workers the impression she was a footballer, and over the last two years the effects of the hormones, the occasional traces of last nights makeup, and the fact that she finished third place in the "Best Looking Girl in the Factory" contest said she wasn't fooling anyone. When her name change came through she had no choice but to inform the main office which of course removed what little doubt might be left.

Completely transitioning on this job was not an option for Sara as she was anxious to get employment putting her art skills to use. Her factory job was a lousy, low paying position, where every night that she walked to her car she wondered when a few of her work mates might be waiting for her to play, "Pound the Poof". Sara had begun interviewing "en femme" for a new job as soon as her name change was legal.
Sara had no more framed her art school diploma then a job in the art sector opened up for her immediately. It was an entry-level position in the design sector of an advertising agency. Basically, Sara would sit in a little cubicle all day getting work orders to draw advertisements for anything from dog food to hair spray. Her creative talents would hardly be challenged or utilized here, but it was a job doing what she loved best, "coloring", and she knew she had to start somewhere. It was also important because it was Sara's first real job AS Sara, which meant she was now officially living the life test, and the dream of gender reassignment surgery was one step closer to becoming a reality.

Sara had made incredible strides in getting closer to her dream, but when it came to getting close to people, she was still a scared child afraid to let anyone in. Her therapist strongly urged Sara to join some transgender support groups, saying it would be a safe place for her to reach out and make friends, friends who obviously would understand how she felt. Sara acknowledged her therapist's suggestion, but never sought out friendship through any of the groups. She had acquaintances through work and school but the only two FRIENDS she had were thousands of miles away in Canada.

There were times though when she would get so lonely that she'd be tempted to reach out to others, but each time anyone tried to get close, Sara would pull back. The memories of what she endured at the hands of her classmates and her father still haunted her. It was still so hard for her to trust others, or believe they could really want to be friends with her. She had braved so much to get where she was now at, but the thought of going with her some mates down to the local pub was still terrifying, and she was still no closer to being able to pick up the phone and call Jenna.

For Sara, there just didn't seem to be a safe and comfortable way for her to make and interact with friends. Fortunately, the Goddess smiled on her and countless other souls like Sara as she waved her hand and created a place where people could connect to other people all over the world, and never have to leave the safety of their home, show their faces, or speak a single word. This magical place was called the Internet and it brought Sara another step closer to her true destiny.

A week after Sara graduated she received a huge crate postmarked from Canada. She tore into the box like a small child on Christmas morning. Her eyes went wide in disbelief as there beneath the packing material she found a new computer and printer. Sara had acquired a few basic computer skills when she had to work with them occasionally at the art school, and thought they could be fun toys to play games on but she couldn't imagine why on earth Jenna and Rick would send her one.

Sara opened the enclosed card and smiled as she read it, "Congratulations on graduating art school, getting your college diploma, and for becoming the young woman we knew you had the potential to be. We are so proud of you and so happy for you, but... we still worry about you being alone. There is a big beautiful world out there Sara and we want you to be able to get out and see it. We think this computer will not only be a useful tool for you artwork, but a safe way for the Art Angel to spread her wings and fly. Please let us know when you get the package. We know you'll have questions and we'll do our best to answer them. Love Rick and Jenna"

Sara plopped down on her bed, overwhelmed by the love and generosity of these two wonderful people, and cried tears of joy. Getting up her courage, she finally did something she had no choice but to do it. She went down to the corner and for the first time rung up her very special friends.

Jenna cried tears of joy when she heard Sara's voice. Rick chatted with her for a while and then for the first time she got to hear the happy voice of her "niece" Becky, as she'd been bestowed auntie status by Rick and Jenna. Sara still wasn't comfortable talking on the phone, but it was so good to hear the voice of people who meant so much to her. Sara gave Rick and Jenna her heartfelt thanks for such a wonderful gift, but not without lightly scolding them for spending so much money. Her Canadian caregivers took both gracefully and then got to the business of explaining to her what a magical gift she had at her fingertips.

Sara sat in stunned amazement as they explained to her that once she got the computer set up and connected into a phone line she could explore a place called the Internet. From this magical cyberspace she could explore wonders past and present, find information on almost anything imaginable AND safely "chat" (or at least the typing equivalent) with people all over the world and never have to leave her house or let them hear her actual voice.

Rick and Jenna were not trying to make it easier for Sara to be a recluse; on the contrary they were doing the only thing they could do to get her to reach out. In other words, if they couldn't get Sara to go out to the world, they found a way to bring the world in to Sara. As an added incentive to Sara they explained to her that once she got the printer and scanner hooked up, she could send and receive almost anything in just a few minutes, including being able to share her artwork with others.

Sara had safe access to the world at the press of a key or the click of a mouse. That was more than enough allure to get her to do something she thought she might never do, have a phone line installed. Once that was done she devoted an entire weekend to going over the manuals and getting a crash course in computer operations and Internet surfing. Within a week she was taking baby steps onto the World Wide Web, downloading pictures and stories, and chatting with Jenna and Rick. Artangel_007 was soon a frequent cyberspace flyer and her world would never be the same.

With Sara's new job and her home computer, her life changed once again. At work, she was the quiet well-dressed blonde who ate lunch alone in her cubicle and kept her bosses pleased with the excellent product sketches she created. The work was structured, confining, and at a skill level she had long before spending three years in art school. Yet, the schooling hadn't been a waste. She had improved her skills, but most of all without that diploma, she'd never gotten past the receptionist to apply for the job. No, it wasn't the kind of same creative magic a little girl used to make with her crayons, but it paid the bills and left her nights free.

Sara nights were the true magic now in her life. Once home, she'd slip off her shoes and gravitate between her art desk and the computer desk. Both were places were her spirit roamed free and the Art Angel spread her wings. She'd sit at her art desk, hair up in a ponytail, bare toes wiggling and create some of the same beautiful pictures she had escaped into twenty years ago. She would spend hours creating heartwarming scenes of little girls playing, of fairy tale princesses, and of lovely young women living the life she was still trying to create. Only now, she was 25 and not 5. Fine art tools had replaced crayons and coloring books, and what was once a toddler's scribbling was now the creative genius of a true master. Of course Sara never shared this work with anyone, as not only was it too personal, but still lacking faith in her abilities, she never dreamed she could give away an Art Angel original creation, let alone sell it.

When she wasn't lost in her art, she was flying free on her computer. She spent most of her time browsing through the world's great art, reading more transsexual literature from the enormous library of fact and fiction she found, and of course chatting with Rick and Jenna almost every night. She loved hearing about Jenna and Rick's everyday life and the exploits of their toddling daughter Becky. Jenna and Rick loved being able to check in daily with their English Art Angel and were glad to hear how well she was doing at work, but were still quite concerned about her lack of socialization with others. Jenna frequented several transgender chatrooms and did her best to convince Sara to join her there and perhaps make a few friends in the "cybersafe" environment. Reluctantly, she tagged along with Jenna but rarely ever typed in more than the obligatory "hello" and "goodbye".

Despite the fact that Sara was technically safe on her side of the computer screen she still played the chatroom wallflower. Not only was she reluctant to open up and share her feelings with the others, she was also convinced she had nothing meaningful to contribute to most conversations. Her body may have developed into a woman's over the last few years, but when it came to self-esteem and trust, she was still very much the frightened and abused child.

Jenna was well aware of the frightened and loved starved child within Sara. She knew that even though both women were the same age chronologically, the physical and mental abuse Sara endured had left her more of a child emotionally. As a result Jenna had assumed the role of big sister almost from day one, and when the pair entered a chatroom it was like big sister taking little sister to the playground. Jenna would give Sara constant reassurances through private chats and when it was time to leave, she'd take Sara's hand in cyberspace and both would log off together.

Jenna's favorite chatroom was a place called Crystals. It was a very safe place filled with a lot of loving people and warm hugs. She had grown quite close to several of the regulars there and it was fast becoming a second home for her. If there was ever a transgender chatroom that Sara might feel comfortable in, this had to be it.

Sara began tagging along with Jenna over to Crystals a few evenings a week. The regulars there welcomed the Art Angel with warm hugs and cuddles. Sara acknowledged that it seemed like a safe place and everyone was very friendly but nonetheless, she was still afraid to spread her wings and fly. Just as she did before, she made few comments save to speak when spoken directly to, and the usual "hello and goodbye".
While Sara wasn't very active in Crystal's chatroom, the story archives there were another matter all together. Sara was the proverbial "kid in a candy store" the first time she browsed through the huge selection of transgender offerings. She was often awake half the night, escaping into stories the way she would escape into her own artwork. It wasn't long before Sara became particularly enamored with the offerings of one author, Prudence Walker. After experiencing, as reading doesn't seem to say quite enough, one of her stories she got on line with Jenna and was positively gushing about the magic this author weaved.

Jenna chuckled from her side of the computer and then sent a smiley face and the symbol for love over to Sara. She told Sara that she; along with most of the literate population of the world were fans of Prue Walker's work. Jenna went on to tell Sara the unofficial biography of Prue Walker.

Prue Walker was a kiwi, no...not the bird nor the fruit, but a native of New Zealand. Despite being a young woman in her mid-twenties, Prue wrote with the passion, power and presence of a much more experienced writer. Opening one of her books was like opening a door to another world. You didn't read a Prue story. You lived it. She combined painstaking research, life experience (both her own and those of others who share with her), and her Goddess-given talent to create storylines and characters which generated such empathy from the reader that it seems impossible to believe it's fiction. You might say it's simply, "Too good NOT to be true."

Another reason why Prue's stories were so popular was that they seemed to have something for everyone, so if you believe that variety is truly the spice of life, then you'll find her work to be of exceptional good taste. She would weave a unique brand of fiction, intertwined with fact, and chock full of humor, love, romance, drama, suspense, science fiction, and of course, "Prue Puns", that would satisfy the hunger of most any reader.

Most of her offerings could be found in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section, and bookstores around the world struggled to keep up with public demand. Several of her traditional SciFi novels were Pulitzer Prize winners but it was her short stories and novels in the transgender gender genre that held a special place in her heart. They became barrier-breaking works, as she was one of the first prime time authors to be able to bring the TG condition into recognition of mainstream society.

Before Prue Walker came along, transgender fiction books were usually only found in pornographic book stores, or gathering dust on a bottom shelf in the darkened corner of a more traditional one. Most people were too embarrassed to even read the back cover let alone take one up to the counter and have to face the sales person when they bought it. It was of common opinion that such works were of the same quality as a pornographic movie and of interest only to sexual deviants and the like.

It didn't take Prue Walker long to shatter that myth as she opened the eyes and the hearts of the world once the world opened her first collection of transgender themed stories. Many people seeing the latest Prue Walker offering in the new arrivals section, snatched it up and purchased it without realizing it was TG fiction. Yet once opening it, they found it to be of the same quality they had come to expect from all Prue Productions, and couldn't put it down until it was finished.

Prue's transgender offerings had great educational value. Not only did they teach the world that TG fiction can be well written literature, but most importantly it showed that transgender men and women had the same wants, needs and desires of most all men and woman. Pure and simple, they were just men and women born with a physical birth defect. It was a message the TG community had been trying in vain for years to send to the rest of the world, and now with Prue's help was finally being delivered.

Her TG stories were a great testament to her incredible empathy, as Prue could do something most TG thought wasn't possible. Just as you can't really know what it's like being blind until you lose your sight, most TG didn't believe a GG (genetic girl) could possibly understand what it's like to be transgender, but then along came Prue. She was a genetic girl who seemed to not only understand the pain and frustration of being transgender, but had real compassion for those so afflicted.

One of the reasons perhaps for the level of empathy she had was that she shared one of their deepest sorrows. She too was unable to bear children, and felt the same void within her heart and her life that her gender challenged sisters did. She cried tears for them and with them.

With all her heart she wished she could wave a magic wand and right these tragic wrongs, but sadly she couldn't, so her and her muse created new worlds where her magic was strong and transgender folk could find "happily ever afters" in a can of magic spray or in a drop of magic goo. Prue had become so admired and loved by the TG community that she had been given honorary TG sister status, an honor never before bestowed upon any genetic girl.

So...it was no surprise to Jenna that Sara had been captivated by Prue's magic. She was delighted that Sara had found something and someone else to bring a little joy in her life. Sara was so smitten with Prue's magic that she did something totally out of character for the painfully shy woman. She actually emailed Prue a letter full of glowing compliments about several of her stories. Then, incredibly she included a small sketch she had done of a particular scene from one of the tales that had really touched her.

For most people, emailing an author comments was little more than an after thought, a way to say thanks for the effort, but for Sara reaching out like that and sharing not only her thoughts but her artwork as well, was positively terrifying. In fact, she very nearly deleted the letter and picture, before taking a deep breath and sending it.

Half way round the world in New Zealand, Prue Walker checked her email and smiled when she saw she'd received comments. For an author, there is no greater feeling than knowing something you created reached a person deep enough that they would take the time to write you about it. Obviously you hope those comments are positive ones, but even when they aren't they're still appreciated by the writer because it allows him or her to see and feel things from the readers perspective.

Prue was delighted to hear how deeply she had touched Sara and how much the young woman had enjoyed her work. Sara wrote mostly of Prue's stories, only briefly mentioning her own situation, but Prue's talent was in her empathy, and between the lines of Sara's letter she sensed a lonely and frightened young woman. Of course many TG girl's had those qualities in spades, but she felt them deeply within Sara's words.

When she opened the file containing Sara's sketch she realized something else about her as well. Sara was quite the gifted artist. The scene she had created was not only beautifully drawn, but seemed to capture the very essence of what Prue had written. The young author was deeply touched by what Sara had sent her and responded immediately, thanking her for her comments and praising her artwork. Late that night, Sara checked her mail and was shocked to find that Prue Walker had responded to her letter, and so soon as well. She trembled as she clicked the mouse to open it, fearing she would find a note chastising her for bothering Ms. Walker and for having the audacity to send her some childish crayon drawings and calling them artwork. Of course there was no logical reason for her to think she would find either of those things in the message, but when you've reached out to others and been hurt as badly as Sara had, fear overrules logic.

Sara took a deep breath and then began reading Prue's reply. Slowly a smile turned at the corners of her mouth and her eyes went wide as she could hardly believe what she was reading. Not only had a world famous author wrote Sara back, (a miracle in and of itself), but she said she appreciated Sara's comments AND, she loved, not just liked, but LOVED her artwork and hoped see more. With Sara still reeling from that, she nearly fell out of her chair when Prue closed the letter by extending her an invitation to join her "chatfriends" list so they could talk online. Sara shook her head in disbelief and then her eyes filled with tears of joy. A pair of kindred spirits connected that night as Sara now had another very special friend in her life.

When Sara was growing up, her "magic crayons" helped her escape the pain. Now as an adult and the world famous Art Angel, can they help her to find the life she's always dreamed of?

As soon as Sara got home from work that evening she was online with Jenna filling her in on the incredible events of the night before. Jenna's eyes filled with tears of joy as Sara's had earlier. She was so glad that Sara had connected with Prue, and not just because she had made a friend, but because Prue was a very special one indeed. Since Prue was a genetic girl, making her a goddess in the eyes of most TG girls, being able to connect with her would do wonders for Sara's self esteem as a woman, and since Prue was a creative genius like Sara, her praise of the talented young artists work might give Sara some much needed confidence in her own magical gift.

Sara was excited about talking to Prue online, but obviously nervous about meeting her one on one or in Crystal's chatroom. Jenna, already a long time chat partner with Prue, came to the rescue by contacting Prue when she came online late that night and then setting up a three way conference, so that "big sister" could be there while "little sister" got to play with her new friend.

The first meeting went exceptional well and soon the three musketeers late night rendezvous became a regular occurrence. Sara seemed to blossom with Jenna and Prue in the cyber world and at times became positively animated during those long chats that often lasted well into Sara's early morning. Like any other close girlfriends, the three of them would share the details, intimate and otherwise, of their day-to-day lives.

Jenna being the only mother of the three would send regular snaps and updates of Becky and her latest adventure, along with recipes for tasty culinary delights and occasionally, juicy bits on last nights stork hunting with hubby Rick.

Prue would contribute her own recipes, both for kitchen tasty treats, as well as those appropriate for stork hunts. Of course, she would always fill Sara and Jenna in on her latest literary project, often asking for their input when her muse had somehow whispered her into a corner.

Sara would keep them both "abreast" of her still developing feminine attributes, her progress toward sexual reassignment surgery, and the day-to-day drudgery of designing advertisements for laxatives and silver polish. It was boring beyond belief but it kept a roof over her head and put food in the cupboard.

Jenna and Prue were obviously glad that Sara was employed. Finding a work environment that is TG friendly can be almost impossible for the gender challenged, but they also agreed that Sara had far too much artistic talent to be wasting it by making commercial doodles all day. Sara freely admitted her displeasure at such passionless and confining work, but she didn't know what else to do. Despite the fact her self-confidence had grown greatly under Jenna and Prue's praise, she still didn't have the courage to share her original creations with others, nor did she believe anyone would actually pay money for them. In her eyes she was still just a little girl with crayons, who could hustle a few pounds now and then as a street artist.

Sara sister's didn't want her to do anything so bold as quit her job and become the starving artist, but they did want the Art Angel to have more of an opportunity to spread her wings and share her gift with the world. They also knew that it would be up to the two of them to find a way to get Sara's work out to the public as there was no way she had the confidence to go round to art galleries and promote herself.

It was Prue who found the solution, and it had been there under their pretty little noses all along. Sara could work for Prue as an illustrator on her Internet stories. She'd been toying with the idea for quite some time about doing cover art for her stories and then adding a few picture inserts as well. The picture on the cover of a paper back novel has lured many a reader in for a closer look, and Prue saw no reason why that same enticement couldn't work just as well in cyberspace. She also liked the idea of mixing in a few pictures with her story, especially when there was a visual like a breathtaking view or a gorgeous dress where even Prue's magic muse couldn't find the words to do it true justice. It was kind of the idea about a picture being worth a thousand words sometimes.

Prue pitched her idea to Sara and then before the skittish English lass could find an avenue of escape, her sister's cut off every exit. Prue told her that it was just a part time job, so it wouldn't interfere with her regular job. She then added that while Sara wouldn't get rich from it, it would be extra money to salt way toward her surgery, as she might become a blue-haired old lady before the NHS finally paid for it. Prue pointed out with a giggle that Sara would have a very understanding boss.

Jenna brought up another important point for Sara by stating that she would have the chance to reach thousands, possibly even millions of people with her creations and never have to leave her loft. Prue said that she would have to acknowledge Sara's work in her credits, but for her privacy she could list a nickname if she preferred.

If those sound arguments hadn't persuaded her, Prue's final plea did. She simply asked her to work with her, combining their talents to produce creations that could educate, entertain, and make some peoples worlds a little less dark. Sara accepted without another word and the Art Angel was finally given the chance to spread her wings cyber-worldwide.

The late night conferences soon became workshops where Prue and Sara would collaborate on storyline and art. The three girls still enjoyed their usual fun discussions, but at times Jenna would sit back silently and just let the two girls "color".

Shortly after Sara's 26th birthday and about three months after she began collaborating with Prue, the Art Angel made her debut as the heavenly illustrator for the next Prue Production and the results were of course divine. Prue's mailbox was normally filled with enthusiastic comments whenever she posted a new story, but this time she was sharing the spotlight as her readers were heaping words of glowing praise for the work of her gifted illustrator, mysteriously known only as the Art Angel. Prue happily forwarded each of those comments on to Sara, and again, happy tears flowed freely as she read each one in stunned disbelief.

After their first smashing success, they began immediately collaborating on their next labor of love. Prue even went back and pulled some of her previously posted stories off the websites, and then had Sara do cover art and inserts before reposting them. The results were equally incredible as people were rereading the old favorites and enjoying the added magic that Sara's artistic talents were adding.

After two new releases, several successful re-releases, and tons of fan mail for the Art Angel, Prue felt it was time to move Sara up to the big leagues. She asked her to do the cover art and inserts for her next hardbound novel. That meant that Sara's artwork and Prue's reputation would be on display in bookstores all over the world. Thousands had clicked on the story sites to read Prue's TG fiction, but her hardbound novels reached millions and that meant the WORLD would be judging Sara's work and Prue's judgment. That would be enough to scare most any professional illustrator, let alone a glorified crayon wielder, as Sara still considered herself.

Sara was sure she wasn't ready. Prue and Jenna had no doubt she was. Sara's sisters double-teamed her once again and the Art Angel reluctantly agreed to step into the worldwide spotlight with Prue. Sara took a few weeks off work to focus all her energies on the project, but she wasn't strapped for money as Prue sent her a check equal to several MONTHS wages from her regular job. Sara balked when she received the check, telling Prue she must have made a mistake. Prue giggled, and said, "Welcome to the big leagues kid!"

To be sure Sara didn't have to worry about interrupting her creative impulses in order to search for food, Jenna sent her a Canadian special care package chock full of candies, cookies, and countless other delicious delights. When Sara protested, Jenna giggled, and said, "Job perks!"

With her art supplies and cupboard well-stocked Sara set out on her biggest challenge to date. For nearly two weeks, she buried her waste bin in failed efforts. Finally she broke down in frustration during one of the late night conferences and cried. "I'm sorry Prue. I've let you down. I've worked as hard as I can, and I can't create anything."

Jenna sent her hugs and Prue sent her wisdom. She calmly typed, "You haven't let me down. I know you're working as hard as you can, and that's the problem hon. Stop working, stop trying and just be the little girl and her magic crayons. Just relax, have fun and color. Trust me on this, I know what I'm talking about."

Sara took the hugs and the sage advice of her fellow magic weaver. She took an extended brownie break and then grabbed her "big girl" crayons and started having fun. True to Prue's prediction, the muse guided Sara's right hand and the next day she began sending Prue and Jenna her initial sketches for approval.

Prue's latest literary offering, illustrations by the Art Angel, hit the shelves three months later. Prue and Jenna were sure it would be well received. Sara of course feared the worse, preparing the public to burn Prue in effigy and Sara's artwork in reality. Yet none of them were prepared for the tidal wave that ensued when the Art Angel made her big splash.

The critics gave Prue's "The Hugglebugs Collection" rave reviews and she quickly climbed to her customary position atop the fiction bestsellers, but it was the powerful and passionate creations of her new illustrator that had the literary and art world in an uproar. The Literary Review proclaimed, "The Art Angel's divine intervention gave Prue Walker's novel wings and it soared to the heavens." Art World magazine said, "Say 'halo' to a fresh new talent. Prue Walker's got a true Art Angel on her shoulder."

The Art Angel was quickly atop everyone's "Who's New / Who's Hot" list. Prue's publisher was being hammered by not only praise for the mysterious Art Angel, but requests to find out if they had exclusive rights to her.

Of course everything was forwarded to Prue in New Zealand, who promised she'd pass it on to the Art Angel, but flatly refused to divulge the true identity of her amazing new illustrator to anyone. Prue, true to her word gladly stuffed Sara's mailbox, with every magazine review, glowing comment, and request for her services.

At first Sara couldn't believe it, couldn't believe that anyone could think anything she created was really all that good, but Prue kept overloading her inbox with offers and compliments until she had no choice but to believe it. The little girl, who had felt invisible, unloved and unwanted by the world, suddenly realized that she was known, loved and very much wanted now, even if it was only for her crayon magic.

The three musketeers spent night after night wading through offers from authors wanting the Art Angel to bless their books with her cover art, and the demand for her services didn't stop there. Numerous publishing companies were trying to get an Art Angel in their pocket and willing to pay top dollar to do it. Individuals were even throwing out big bucks to be immortalized by the winged wonder.

Incredible as it seemed, the world wanted to be touched by an angel, an art angel that is, and they were willing to pay dearly for it. Several of the offers for single jobs would net her more money for a few weeks work then she could make in six months on her regular job, and the publishing companies who offered her exclusive long term contracts were talking six figures yearly. With the world believing in her artistic abilities, and Prue and Jenna believing in HER, Sara found the courage to take another bold step. She gave notice at the advertising agency and decided to become a full-time Art Angel.

Sara may not have been a Rhodes Scholar but she was smart enough to realize that none of this would have been possible without the help of Prue and Jenna, and she was going to need their help now more than ever if she was going to make this work. As always Prue and Jenna offered their help freely as the three sat down in conference and hammered out the details for Art Angel Inc.

So far the true identity of the Art Angel was unknown and at least for now it was agreed to keep it that way. There were times when a walk to the market was too overwhelming for the excessively shy Sara. There was no way she would be able to handle being under siege from people contacting her by phone, mail and even at her personal residence should her true identity be divulged.

Jenna and Prue agreed to handle all Sara's dealings with the public. They would field all her offers, and then forward them on to Sara for her consideration. If she accepted one, she would do the work and then have it sent special courier to either Prue or Jenna who would forward it on to the customer. Payment would be made out to Art Angel Inc. and deposited into a business account that Sara could draw from as needed and without fear of exposure. With so much misdirection, not even Nancy Drew could find out the true identity of the Art Angel.

It was also agreed that Sara was not going to be the exclusive property of anyone. She had already spent the last few years being told how, what and when to draw and she could never create in that type of atmosphere. She'd already discovered in working with Prue that it couldn't BE WORK, it had to be free and fun or it simply wasn't any good. That little girl within her couldn't use her magic crayons under any other conditions.

It was agreed then that anyone who wanted the Art Angel would have to give her some "creative license" in what she would create. The final decision of what she could do had to be in Sara's coloring hand and that was not negotiable.

Sara also assured Prue that if anyone had exclusive rights to the Art Angel it was her two adopted sisters, and that Prue's work both on the Internet and outside came first beyond any other commitment she would accept.

After everything was agreed upon, Prue called the family solicitor in to draw up proper legal documents and Art Angel Inc. was soon in business. As Sara turned the page on another chapter in her life, she couldn't help but wonder if the Art Angel was really going to fly or was she going to crash and burn as just another one hit wonder.

It didn't take long before Sara found out she was going to be soaring to the heavens, as with each work she turned out, her popularity grew and so did the requests for her services. By the time her 27th birthday rolled around, she had completed a half dozen more projects for Prue, did the cover art for several other authors, was currently working on the illustrations on a series of children's books, and had enough work waiting to keep her busy for a year.

The Art Angel was fast becoming the world's most popular illustrator and while Prue and Jenna were very proud of her, they were also concerned for her as well. She hadn't taken a holiday since Art Angel Inc. had begun. Even when she moved from her flat in London to her country cottage outside Derby, she barely missed more than a day or two getting settled before she was back at her art desk again.

It wasn't as though she couldn't afford to take a break. She was making more than enough money to live comfortably on and had few expenses. Waiting for the NHS to cover her SRS was no longer a problem now. With her bank account she could have her operation as soon as she could find a clinic with an open date. She would definitely be resting for a while after that one, but pain-filled days of self-dilating and learning how to pee again isn't anyone's idea of a proper holiday.

The real reason why Sara hadn't taken any real time off since becoming Art Angel to the world was because of heart problems. The problem being, her heart was just too big and she was terrible at saying no people. Her life had been so full of denials and disappointments; she hated to disappoint anyone else. The children's book series she was working on was a perfect example of that. She really didn't have the time to take on this project, and she was doing it for free, but the proceeds from the sale of the books were being donated to a fund for orphans, and Sara practically being an orphan, couldn't refuse.

Prue and Jenna greatly admired this young woman who as child was given so little, and yet now was able to give of herself so freely, but even angels need time off and they put together a plan to make sure the Art Angel was grounded for awhile.

Telling themselves it was for Sara's own good, they started lightening her work load by contacting some of her clients and postponing a few of her commitments. Since the best is worth waiting for and the Art Angel was the best, most grudgingly agreed to wait until she was available.

Then the pair lovingly applied a little pressure, also known as nagging, on Sara about getting her surgery date set. When she said she wasn't sure where she should go to have it done, Prue grinned from ear to ear and immediately set her up in New Zealand at one of the most prominent SRS clinics in the world. Originally Sara figured to have her surgery in London, and both Jenna and Prue planned to come over for it, as this was one flight they wouldn't let the Art Angel take solo. Moving everything to New Zealand allowed Prue to play hostess and she couldn't be happier. When the three of them meet at the airport it would be a momentous occasion. Sara hadn't seen Jenna in almost six years, and neither had ever seen Prue before. Happy tears and warm hugs would definitely be the order of the day.

Once Sara was finally committed to a surgery date, Prue then eased her into a much-needed holiday. She invited Sara, Jenna, Rick and little Becky to come to New Zealand two weeks prior to Sara's surgery. It would give the Three Musketeers a chance to get out and enjoy Prue's homeland while Sara was still physically able. Prue could set up the itinerary such that they could see some of her countries beautiful sights but avoid those likely to have the big crowds so Sara would feel more at ease. Jenna, Rick and Becky could stay at least until Sara was safely out of surgery. Then after they returned home big sister Prue would get to play Mummy as she could personally supervise Sara's recovery at her home. Sara wouldn't be picking up a crayon until Prue said she could.

Prue pitched her plan first to Jenna and Rick who said they would be absolutely thrilled to come to New Zealand and they knew little Becky would love to be able to finally hug her "Auntie" Prue. The title of Auntie might be honorary, but the love that Prue felt for her "niece" was as true as it comes. Prue had really taken a shine to the bright-eyed little imp who'd help to fill the empty void within her. Jenna who seemed to have a loaded camera in her pocket at all times emailed Becky shots regularly, and Prue was constantly the little princess gifts almost every time the post went out. One of Becky's most cherished snuggle partners was the sheep stuffie that Prue had sent her shortly after Jenna and Rick had picked Becky up in Scotland. Now 5, Becky was becoming quite the little chatterbox and Prue gladly ran up her long distance bill just to hear her favorite pixie tell her about today's adventure.

With Jenna and company on board, Prue then turned her attentions to Sara. Sara of course tried her best to wiggle off the hook by saying she still had so much work to finish up before her surgery, that it would be all she could do to get there a few days early. This holiday for Sara was mandatory, and as Star Trek's the Borg was so fond of saying, "resistance is futile". Prue shamelessly cheated by playing the Becky card. She knew "Auntie Sara" was also quite attached to the strawberry blonde princess, and couldn't resist the chance to share a coloring book with her. The little girl within Sara was true creative genius behind the Art Angel, and Prue knew she couldn't resist a chance to have another little girl to play with. Sara relented and was quickly assimilated into the program. She purchased her plane ticket the next day without further fuss.

With a week to go, Prue was making final preparations for guests at "Chez Walker", while Jenna, Rick and Sara were packing suitcases and Becky was asking her parents each day, "Are we going yet?" All systems were go and then a little thing, actually a very little thing that couldn't be bigger, came along and changed plans and lives forever.

That "little thing" happened to be one Cathleen Elizabeth and the newborn baby girl's emergence into Rick, Jenna, and Becky's life couldn't have been bigger. Rick and Jenna after being blessed with Becky knew they had more than enough love in their hearts to share with another child, and also they didn't want Becky to be an only child if they could help it. Becky was never want for attention from either of them or her extended family, but nothing can replace the joy and sometimes aggravation of having a kid brother or sister to tag along and play with.

The proud parent's had put their names back on the waiting list before Becky's second birthday, and for the last three years they had done exactly that, wait. To Rick and Jenna along with most couples waiting to get children, the adoption system seems to be one of the greatest injustice in the world. On one side you have all these childless couples and single parents with so much love to give, and on the other side you have all the orphans who need that love and a good safe home, yet so often each grows old or grows up without ever being able to reach the other.

Being considered for adopting a child is nothing short of going through a modern day Spanish Inquisition and the smallest blemish on a couple's background often is enough to make them unsuitable parents in the eyes of many adoption agencies. Rick and Jenna were loving, healthy and relatively wealthy but as far as most agencies were concerned, Jenna being a post-op transsexual was a blemish the size of Texas. As a result, the couple hadn't gotten past a first interview for nearly six months.

A lot of couples faced with such an obstacle might just have given up but Rick was a stubborn Scotsman and after what Jenna had been through to become the woman she was, "giving up" wasn't in her vocabulary. Fortunately for them and for Becky they found an agency whose heart and mind was a bit more open and truly understood that a mummy's ability to love has nothing to do with her ability to be a mother or a natural born woman.

Kim at "Play Place International" had been an earth angel with them and it was she who was able to locate Becky in Scotland and unite her with Rick and Jenna. When they called her two years later hoping for a second immaculate conception, she said she'd do the best she could, but as with all stork hunts, it takes a lot of persistence and a lot of luck to catch one.

One week before Jenna and Rick were set to leave for New Zealand, Kim's persistence became their good luck as she called and happily congratulated them on being parents to a newborn baby girl. The latest addition to the family was currently at a foster facility in Dallas, Texas. Kim said their new daughter and all the legal papers would be ready in a week. She was flying in personally to handle everything herself and couldn't wait to see them again. Rick had to say thank you, as Jenna was too busy crying happy tears at the moment and would thank her properly when she saw her next.

That evening Jenna was online sharing the wonderful news with Sara and Prue who couldn't be happier for the two-time mother. As ecstatic as both Jenna and Rick were, they were disappointed that they'd have to miss their holiday with Prue and Sara, and as happy as Becky was to be getting a new sister, she too would be broken-hearted about not getting the chance to be spoiled by twin aunties.

Prue sat drumming her fingers on her computer desk as Sara and Jenna chatted and then her muse whispered softly in her ear, and the pretty pixie interrupted with an idea to save the day. It wasn't an original one, but Prue plagiarized it proudly. If the mountain can't come to Mohammed, then Mohammed goes to the mountain. New Zealand translation: If Jenna and family can't come to meet Sara and Prue, Sara and Prue will go to Canada and meet them. The only downside was that Prue's hubby couldn't get away for the holiday, so that meant Prue had to be sure they're were plenty of frozen, "hubby-friendly" dinners in the freezer, so her beloved wouldn't starve to death until her return.

In no time at all Prue had the new flight plan in order. Sara and her would each fly over and baby-sit Becky while Rick and Jenna flew down to Texas and pick up their new daughter (Cathleen Elizabeth). It would make the trip a little easier for them without a toddler in tow and it would give Prue and Sara a chance to spoil Becky rotten without parental intervention. When Rick, Jenna and Cathleen returned, Prue and Sara would still have at least week to spend with them before they had to return to New Zealand for Sara's surgery.

The only thing that needed to be done was some rearranging of airline tickets and for Prue to buy some new luggage, which of course made her happy, as any excuse to shop was always a good one. Sara had no more anxieties about going to Jenna's than she did Prue's. Rick and Jenna had a beautiful home nestled in the woods outside of Vancouver, British Columbia, or "God's country" as Rick called it, so Sara didn't have to worry about crowds. She wouldn't get a whole lot of quiet with Becky and a new baby around, but she would find a peace being with her "family", that she could find no place else.

When Sara was growing up, her "magic crayons" helped her escape the pain. Now as an adult and the world famous Art Angel, can they help her to find the life she's always dreamed of?

Two days later, flight plans were rearranged and two musketeers were aboard Air Canada flights to rendezvous with the third and her family in Vancouver. Sara arrived first and was greeted by happy tears and hugs from Jenna, a big Canadian bear hug from Rick, and kisses, hugs and squeals of "Auntie Sara, Auntie Sara!" by her little niece Becky. Sara held the little one close and then finished ruining her make up when Becky presented her with a crayon coloring of an angel that she'd made special just for her. Sara praised her junior crayon cherub and told it was the best Art Angel picture she'd ever seen and in her eyes it was.

Jenna and Rick heaped heavy praise on Sara, telling her how wonderful she looked, hardly the same young woman they'd met at Trafalgar Square. Sara still didn't take compliments well, blushing and pooh- pooing their kind words, but then adding that none of it would ever have been possible without them. More hugs and tears ensued before Rick pointed out they might want to save a few for Prue as her flight was arriving in less than an hour. The foursome then finally headed over toward Prue's gate with Becky insisting upon holding Auntie Sara's hand for the walk over.

They waited impatiently as the travelers from Prue's flight cleared customs and then a petite brunette pixie with shoulder-length brown hair, beautiful brown eyes and the kind of smile that lights up a room, came walking toward them. Jenna and Sara's eyes filled with tears and Becky's went wide as her smile matched her aunties. The little one declared herself Prue's official welcoming committee, and quickly closed the distance between her and Prue, running with her arms wide open and squealing, "Auntie Prue, Auntie Prue!"

The cute Kiwi kneeled down and then happily scooped up the wiggling, giggling bundle and hugged her tightly. As Sara had been before, Prue was rewarded with tiny toddler kisses and warm hugs from her little niece. Prue accepted them gratefully and rocked the happy child in her arms. She carried her over to meet the rest of the family she had grown to love so much.

Sara looked at her special friend through misting eyes. She was even more beautiful than the picture she had shared with her. There was a love and magic in Prue's smile that matched what flowed from her writing hand. The bond she'd shared with her through cyberspace didn't lose anything in the conversion to reality. She couldn't wait to finally to give Prue a proper huggle.

Prue looked into her welcoming party's eyes, and the woman whose muse had gave her the words to write countless best sellers, suddenly deserted her. She was speechless, but at a time like this, words only get in the way of hugs, so the five-some joined in a single and silent loving hugfest that spoke volumes.

After tissues if not tears were fully exhausted, they headed out toward Rick and Jenna's car with Prue and Sara each getting one of Becky's hands on the way. Prue and Sara sat in the back with Becky while Rick drove and they chatted on the way to "God's country". It took some thirty minutes to get there, but the drive was nearly as good as the destination as both Prue and Sara marveled over the breathtaking greenery.

Once they pulled into the drive leading to Rick and Jenna's home, they clearly understood why it was referred to as God's country. When Prue and Sara stepped out, a beautiful two-story cabin nestled among tall trees greeted them. Tall mountains rose to blue skies in the distance and the fresh crisp air lightly scented with pine welcomed them to the promised land.

Once inside, Sara and Prue found the house to be truly befitting of the surrounding real estate. It was as beautiful and as warm and cozy as those who lived there. Jenna had dinner already prepared and just waiting to be warmed up when they got home. It was a fabulous stew with homemade biscuits followed by a Jenna specialty, pineapple upside down cake.

The afternoon and a good part of the evening were spent sitting round the fireplace talking, crying, laughing and hugging with Becky lap jumping back and forth between aunties. When the little princess finally became sleeping beauty she had four people to tuck her in that night.

With Rick and Jenna having a mid-morning flight to Dallas the next day, and Prue and Sara suffering jet lag, everyone decided to call it a night early. Jenna had two lovely guests rooms prepared for Prue and Sara, and Prue was almost asleep as soon as she hit the pillow. Sara though was a bit more restless, and tossed and turned for a while before tiptoeing across the hall to see if Prue was still awake.

When Prue heard Sara's voice outside her door she knew something was amiss and invited her in immediately. Sara came in head down and shuffling from foot to foot like a nervous child. When Prue asked what was troubling her, she sighed and said she was having a bit of an anxiety attack. She attributed it to the long trip and the emotional stress of the day's events. She said it was nothing, but "nothing" doesn't make a person go pale and tremble. Prue smiled lovingly at her friend, who looked far more like a frightened love-starved waif, then the beautiful young woman the world knew as the Art Angel. Reaching out she took Sara's trembling hand and pulled her in for a cuddle. Sara clung to her like a limpet and Prue began rocking her and humming a little tune, the very same one she had used to help put Becky to sleep just a few hours earlier. The magic was as good now as it was before, and in no time at all Sara was half way to dream land. Prue eased her back into the bed, kissing her on the forehead and then pulling the duvet over both of them. A few minutes later Prue was following Sara's trail to dreamland.

When Jenna made her middle of the night check on Becky she also checked on her guests and was surprised to see Sara's bed empty, but thinking perhaps she was in the bathroom, she then peeked in on Prue. She smiled lovingly as the moonlight bathed a snuggling Sara in Prue's arms. Jenna backed away quietly, knowing she would never forget that beautiful sight, but slightly disappointed that she didn't have a camera in her robe pocket.

The next morning Prue and Sara awoke to the smell of pancakes on the griddle and fresh maple syrup. Sara stretched and sleepy smiled up at Prue before the realization of having fallen asleep in Prue's bed made her blush with embarrassment. Prue noticed the rosy glow in Sara's cheeks and promptly popped her with a pillow, saying last one down for pancakes does the dishes. Sara perked up immediately, firing a goose down volley of her own before both girls were giggling and scampering toward the kitchen.

The race ended in a tie so Prue agreed to wash while Sara would dry. Breakfast was every bit as delicious as dinner, and Becky amazed by both her aunties being a bottomless pit for mummy's pancakes. Once tummies were full, Prue and Sara shooed Jenna out of her kitchen so they could take care of the dishes while she had a little mummy time with Becky before her and Rick and Jenna headed out.

Sara and Prue watched from the kitchen as Jenna rocked Becky in her arms telling her to be a good girl for her aunties and that when she and Daddy returned she'd need a lot of help from her with Becky's new baby sister. Becky promised solemnly that she would TRY to be good, but when you're five, sometimes trying is about as close as it gets. She also told Jenna she was all ready to help her take care of Cathleen, because big sisters are supposed to look out for their little ones. It was a beautiful mummy/daughter moment and touched both Prue and Sara deeply. Sara glanced over and saw the tears in Prue's eyes and knew they came from a heart that ached to have a Becky of her own. Sara's heart ached too but not so much to have a Becky as it was to BE a Becky. Save for the night she left home, she hadn't known a loving mother's touch since she was five and the little girl within her still cried for a lap to sit on and arms to hold her.

Rick returned after packing the car to steal Becky away for a house- wide airplane ride that had the girls, big and little, laughing and giggling the whole time. Finally Becky's airplane ride had to end so her parent's could begin. Jenna and Rick thanked Prue and Sara for staying with Becky and that they'd be back in three days with a new niece for them to spoil. After the third time Jenna went over the emergency numbers, Ricky unceremoniously hoisted her over his shoulder and carried her out to car. She still managed to wave and blow kisses until he loaded her in the car. Prue held Becky as she continued to wave at her parent's car until it disappeared into the trees.

For the next three days Princess Becky held court, and Sara and Prue were her more than willing subjects. Her little majesty had the court art angel to color with all day long and the royal storyteller to give her bedtime stories fit for a princess. All three took turns in the

kitchen with Prue making her famous spaghetti, Sara her extra cheesy macaroni and cheese, and Becky topping them both by making the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches either woman had ever tested. Tea parties, Disney movies, hide and seek, and "chase the naked toddler cause it's bath time", kept all three girls on the go.

Prue loved playing mother hen and made up her mind that when she got back to New Zealand, her hubby were going to get one of their own chicks one way or the other. Sara was having the time of her life too. Being with Becky really brought out the child within the woman and she enjoyed the play every bit as much as her niece. It didn't take Prue's empathic skills for her to sense how happy Sara was sprawled out on Becky's bed coloring with her, or sipping imaginary tea while asking the bear on the right if she took one lump or two. It wasn't just an adult trying to humor and entertain a child, it was two little princesses' having a royal blast. Sara even napped when Becky did, and Prue found herself tucking both girls in with a kiss and a lullaby.

Jenna and Rick phoned half a dozen times over the three days to check in, send hugs and to tell them all what a beautiful baby Cathleen was. The last phone call was by far the best as they said all the papers were signed and they'd be home with Cathleen the next day.

Prue, Sara, and Becky were watching the Little Mermaid when they heard Rick and Jenna's car pulling in. Becky squealed, "Mummy and Daddy home!" and then scampered out the door to meet her parent's car. Sara and Prue followed the bouncing toddler, giving her first hugs on her parents before they moved in to get hugs and see the new bundle of joy.

Cathleen Elizabeth was a beautiful baby and the family resemblance was uncanny. She had strawberry blonde locks the color of Becky's and emerald green eyes to match both mother and sister. When the little one smiled, it was Rick's gentle smile she flashed. Everyone took turns holding Cathleen and fawning over her. Even Becky, with a little help from Mummy got to hold her baby sister. Cathleen stared up at her big sister while Becky chatted away telling her all the games they were going to play and then in a moment that brought tears to all their eyes, Cathleen reached out and took Becky's hand for the first time. The bond that was forged there told all that whenever little sister reached out for big sister's hand, big sister would be there to take it and never let go.

The rest of day was spent getting Cathleen settled into the nursery and giving Becky three days worth of catching up on cuddles. Prue and Sara pushed for all the details of Rick and Jenna's excursion to Dallas, but save for meeting Kim, picking up Cathleen and finding an electronics store called Fry's that had a miserable time. No sooner than they'd stepped off the plane, Jenna came down with a terrible sinus condition. She'd never had allergies before in Canada but she sneezed and wheezed the entire time in Dallas. By the end of the first night she had a sinus headache of migraine proportions. Yet, no sooner than they'd left Texas airspace the headache stopped and her sinuses cleared. As far as she could figure, she must be allergic to Texas, so as far as she was concerned she hoped she never set foot in the Lone Star state again.

The next seven days were fun and hug-filled blurs. Jenna shared childcare duties with Prue and Sara knowing how much it meant to both of them and how long it would be before either would get the chance again. Prue could barely keep her hands off Cathleen, while Sara continued to be Becky's playmate, making sure her niece didn't feel slighted by all the attention her little sister was getting.

Jenna continued to do her best to push Sara and Prue into the next dress size by her delicious dinners and decadent desserts. The three musketeers found some quality time to soak in the hot tub and share stories. Rick took Sara and Prue on a proper hike through God's country and when they returned neither doubted that this was the place where the big guy's mail was delivered. In two words, it was "breathtakingly beautiful." He also serenaded the ladies with some spirited guitar play that had Becky and Sara dancing a jig, while Prue and Jenna were lighting up the room with camera flashes.
All to soon, Sara and Prue were packing up for their flight to New Zealand and sniffling at the tearful goodbyes about to come. Jenna pulled her two sisters into the kitchen and then produced a pair of tiny gift-wrapped boxes. Handing one to each, she smiled through welling tears and said it was just a little something special for two very special people. Sara and Prue hugged Jenna saying she shouldn't have before each opening their gifts. Pink wrapping gave way to jewelry boxes and when the girls opened them, each pulled out a beautiful gold chain with a charm on it.

Prue's eyes went wide before misting, as there on the gold chain was a brooch with two little bugs, closely resembling ladybugs, hugging each other. Prue recognized them immediately as "Hugglebugs", an exact replica of her little nanite creations that were the star of one of her latest literary smashes, "The Hugglebugs Tales". Prue hugged Jenna tightly, tears leaking from her eyes, as she thanked her.

Sara's hand trembled as there cupped within it was a tiny two-tone golden angel. The body of the angel was white gold, while her wings were pink gold. One of her hands was over her heart while the other clutched a tiny crayon. The Art Angel closed her hand on her golden twin and then held it against her heart. Like Prue's charm, it was a specially made token of love from Jenna, and for Sara it was the most precious thing she'd ever been given. Sara wrapped her arms around Jenna as Prue had earlier and hugged her tightly.

When Sara broke the embrace she looked over at Prue and winked. Prue winked back and then turned the tables on Jenna by producing a small gift-wrapped box of her own and saying it was from her and Sara. Jenna rolled her eyes as she'd been bested at her own game and carefully opened her surprise. Amazingly, like Prue and Sara before her, she pulled out a gold necklace with a charm on it. Jenna's charm was a white gold heart shaped locket. When she opened it, her eyes went wide and then filled with tears, as looking back at her were pictures of Becky and Cathleen. Jenna looked at Prue and Sara and opened her arms, signaling she needed a group hug. The trio held each other tightly until Jenna reluctantly broke the union. Wiping her eyes she looked at Prue and Sara, "How in the world did you DO this? I haven't had time to get a single photo of Cathleen developed yet."

Prue winked at Sara, her co-conspirator, and then turned to Jenna and answered her in a single word, "Walgreen's".

Jenna gave her a puzzled glance and then Sara gave her the rest of the story. "When we went into Vancouver for that little shopping expedition, Prue slipped over to the chemist while we were looking at clothes and had them make the locket snaps at their one-hour photo department."

Prue smiled and nodded, "The picture of Becky was a copy of one you'd emailed me. The one of Cathleen was taken from a roll I shot this week."

Jenna laughed, "I can't believe we all ended up with gold chains and charms."

Sara giggled, "Well we are the three musketeers."

In unison they gave the rally cry, "All for one and one for all!" and then met in another group hug before it was finally time to say goodbye. Jenna decided to stay home with Becky and Cathleen rather than to drag them through a trek to the airport. Rick happily agreed to play chauffeur for the two lovely ladies and began loading their bags into the car. Last hugs and kisses were gotten all around before Prue and Sara reluctantly headed for the car. Sara's hand reached over to take Prue's as the pair watched Jenna, Becky and Cathleen slowly disappear behind them. Three hours later they were leaving "God's country" and heading to the Goddess' summer home in New Zealand for Sara's surgical appointment with womanhood.

When Sara was growing up, her "magic crayons" helped her escape the pain. Now as an adult and the world famous Art Angel, can they help her to find the life she's always dreamed of?

Prue had spent a good amount of time on the flight over, reassuring Sara that she needn't be nervous around her husband. Prue quipped that as long as she kept him fed and there were sports on the tele, they'd probably never even know he was there. Sara relaxed a bit and giggled, as Prue could make her smile when no one else could, but she still kept a firm hold on Prue's hand for most of the flight.

Prue's husband was there to greet them at the airport. He was tall and well built with the body of a footballer. He had sandy brown wavy hair, a healthy tan, and beautiful blue eyes. He was gorgeous, gracious and gallant with a warm, magical smile that complimented Prue's and immediately put Sara at ease. She could easily see why Prue or any woman would be attracted to him.

About an hour after arriving they were pulling into Prue's palace. Like Jenna and Rick's place, it was secluded and nestled on the edge of unspoiled wilderness. Also like its Canadian counterpart, it was as warm and cozy as its owners. Sara's favorite place in the house was the beautiful sunroom where Prue's muse lived. Countless best sellers had been conceived in that room during her long hours at the keyboard. Sara could feel the magic in the room the moment she stepped in it, and almost instantly her own muse was tempting her to take out her sketch pad as it whispered in her ear. Sara smiled; hoping her muse and Prue's might get the chance to combine forces during her stay at Chez Walker.

Neither Prue nor Sara was much up for going out their first night in, so they knocked up a little dinner, and called it an early night. Prue got Sara settled into their guest room and then reminded her she was right down the hall should she need anything in the night. Sara had slept in Prue's bed from the first night at Jenna's and Prue knew how comforting that was for her especially with being away from home and facing surgery. Sara did love being close to Prue, especially at night when the memories of the beatings and the fear returned to her in nightmares. Snuggled in Prue's arms, the little girl within Sara slept like an angel, and the bad dreams couldn't chase her there. However, Prue was home with her hubby now, and after being apart from each other for over a week, Sara had no intentions of interrupting their nocturnal reunion.

Prue tucked Sara in, kissed her on the forehead, and then slipped out, leaving the door open just a crack so she could listen for Sara's cry should the nightmares come for her. Prue shuffled down toward her bedroom, smiling as she realized she'd just put a grown woman to bed, the same as if Sara was her own small child. Yes, she knew Sara was nearly thirty and a professional illustrator, but the more time she spent with her, the harder it was getting for Prue to think of her as anything else other than a little girl and her magic crayons. Realizing she'd better hurry on to bed or hubby was liable to start without her, Prue picked up her pace, and dropped her nightgown when she entered the bedroom.

Somewhere around three in the morning, long after the medals had been awarded for the bedroom Olympics, Prue sat straight up in bed, sensing something more than hearing it. Wiggling away from hubby's embrace, she slipped out of bed, muttering "Sara" to her sleeping soul mate as she grabbed her robe and headed for the guest room.

Prue's heart melted as she pushed open the door to find Sara's crying and rolling in bed as she pleaded for her father to stop hitting her. Prue quickly joined Sara in bed and immediately pulled in her close, rocking her and cooing softly. Sara held on tight, tears streaming down her cheeks, still begging her father to stop. Prue stroked her head and held her until finally the nightmare had passed and once again Sara slept soundly. Prue stayed with her until almost dawn before returning to her bed. Hubby was awake when she returned and she immediately filled him on Sara's rough night. Prue couldn't help wonder how many nights Sara spent reliving things in nightmares, no child should have experienced in real life. Her empathy for Sara and for all her TG sisters overwhelmed Prue as her own tears flowed free, and the comforter, now sought comfort in the arms of her beloved.

At breakfast, Sara was sunshine and smiles again as she helped Prue prepare the meal, obviously not remembering what she'd went through and shared with Prue the night before. In Prue's eyes this was one situation where ignorance was truly bliss or at least mercy.

After breakfast, Prue and Sara headed back into Christchurch, for Sara's initial meeting with the SR surgeon. It would be the first of several appointments over the next four days that would keep the girls on the run until Sara was admitted for her surgery. Sara was poked, prodded, examined and grilled over the same questions she'd been answering since her first psychiatrist appointment. Sara was obviously nervous, but she didn't really resent having to jump through all the hoops again as she knew the staff was just doing their duty. This was truly a point of no return for Sara and they had to be sure that she was sure. Sara had no doubts about the surgery making her body better, but she wasn't so sure that any surgery could truly heal the broken spirit within.

Prue was Sara's source of strength and reassurance through the entire pre-surgery ordeal. She was either in the room with Sara, or just outside the door and always had a smile and hug when Sara needed it most.

With days being devoted to hospital hopping, Prue did her best to be sure Sara's afternoons and evenings were fun and relaxing. Spring had the countryside in full bloom, and Prue took Sara out on long afternoon walks to admire Mother Nature's magic New Zealand style. The girls usually pooled their efforts to make some international dinners and hubby was more than satisfied with the combination cuisine. Sara and Prue spent most of their evenings in the sunroom chatting online with Jenna, kicking around story and art ideas, and of course discussing Sara's impending surgery.

At night, Prue slept a mother's sleep, keeping her ears alert for Sara's cry. Two more times over the next three nights Prue entered Sara's room to find she was having a replay of the first nights horror. As before, Prue rocked and held her until Sara returned to peaceful sleep. When Prue returned to the bedroom she discussed Sara's frequent nightmares with her husband. He pointed to Sara's impending surgery as the most likely cause of her frequent night terrors, and logically deduced that once the operation had passed so should her frequent nightmares. Prue snuggled with him and acknowledged he was probably right, but as Sara had before, she too wondered if any surgery this young woman had could truly calm the frightened child within.

Sara passed all her tests and was admitted for surgery. That night she was alone for the first time since she'd left England, but Prue promised to be there bright and early to see her before they prepped her for surgery. Sara sat alone in her room, waiting for the affects to kick in from the sedative the nurse had just given her. Understandably she was frightened by the prospect of major surgery, but in reality a greater fear gripped her that night, the fear that Prue's smiling face wouldn't return to see her in the morning.

Sara knew her fears were unfounded, as wild horses or wild sheep couldn't keep Prue away from that hospital, yet she couldn't stop worrying. She loved Rick, Jenna and their kids so much. They were family to her, the family she'd never had, but with Prue it went even deeper. Like with Jenna she had grown close to her during those long internet chats they shared, but being with her at Jenna's house and now as a guest in Prue's home, had touched her deeper than she dreamed possible. That perky New Zealand pixie had a way to reach the little girl within Sara like no one else had save for her birth mother. One look at Prue's smile and the child within the young woman felt safe and warm and loved. Sara knew Prue would make a wonderful mother one day and she hoped that her friend would make good her promise to seek a child through adoption. In the meantime, the little angel within the Art Angel would savor every moment she could with Prue and hold onto the memories for when she returned to her lonely life in England.

The sedative finally did its job and Sara drifted off to sleep. That night she wasn't running from her father or the schoolboys who beat her regularly in her dreams. She was walking down a crowded corridor, a corridor lined with small shops. The people around her were chatting with each other and carrying bags heavy laden with the fruits of their shopping labors. She was obviously inside a mall, but one totally unfamiliar to her. Of course, she hadn't been shopping in London for quite sometime, and her fear of people made her anything but a mall rat.

She stopped and looked in a shop window. There was a lovely display of perfumed soaps and bath oils there and she was tempted to go in and purchase some, as she loved a good soak. As she stood their admiring the shop's wares she noted her reflection in the glass. At least she wasn't stark naked in public as some people often dream. Actually she was dressed nicely her in favorite skirt and blouse combo, but she was also wearing a lovely blue jacket with black striping that she'd never seen before. At least her dream weaver had good fashion sense she chuckled in her sleep.

Sara walked further down the corridor and then turned right onto another one. Suddenly the crowds were gone but the corridor was hardly quiet as she heard babies crying. She wanted to look for them but her feet kept heading down the winding corridor. When she reached the end of it, she saw a shop that drew her toward it. It seemed to be horribly out of place for a 21st century shopping mall. The dark wood exterior, the carvings and the stained glass in the door seemed more at place among the shops from the tiny village close to her childhood home.

Sara walked to the door and then looked above it. There was a sign there but she couldn't quite make it out. Compelled to investigate this strange place she gently pushed the door open and was startled as a bell above her announced her entry.

The bell also woke Sara from her slumbers and she found the smiling face of Prue gazing down at her. Sara sleepy smiled back which netted her a kiss and a "Kiwi Kuddle" for her efforts. Memories of last nights dream slipped away as the two women discussed Sara's surgery. Prue promised she would be right there in the waiting room, and then stayed with Sara until the nurses finally shooed the surrogate mother away.

Sara got another quick visit from the surgeon, a last chance to turn tail and run with the family jewels intact, but Sara had no desire to run, especially from the truth. Shortly after the doctor left, her favorite needle pusher returned with drugs that quickly sent Sara back to slumberland.

Sara's dream returned to her just as before. She walked the mall corridor, stopped to admire the soaps and her reflection, and then turned the corner to find herself alone with the sound of crying babies and then eventually across from that same shop again. Hoping this time she'd fare better, she headed straight for it. She reached for the door knob and then stopped to see if she could get a better look at the sign above the door, but the fog that obscured it had only dissipated enough to make a single letter. An upper case "S" in Old English script greeted her but nothing more. Hoping perhaps the next time she'd visit she'd get the rest of the signs message, she pushed open the door to enter. The bell above her chimed, not startling her this time, nor waking her either.

Sara stepped inside the shop and found the interior much like that of the exterior, as it was almost an exact replica of the little curiosity shops in her old village. It was a bit dusty, dimly lit, and had shelves overflowing with a wide assortment of books, antiques, and assorted bric-a-brac. Sara smiled as she admired the selection and then her attention was drawn to back of the store where the shopkeepers counter stood. A man, an older man, obviously the proprietor smiled at her from behind the counter. He had white hair a bit thin on the top and soft blue eyes that sparkled even in the dim light. Sara smiled back, about to comment on what a magical little place he had, when the old man stepped out from behind the counter wearing what appeared to be a long blue coat or possibly a cloak.

The man waved and then spoke, but Sara never heard him as another voice, faint at first, but getting steadily stronger, stole her attention as it spirited her away from the man and his shop. "Sara...Sara... this is Doctor Browning."

Sara eyes squinted open as she could barely make out the smiling face of her SR surgeon. "The operation was a complete success dear. You're going to be fine. You have a friend here waiting to see you. I'll send her in but she can only stay for a moment. Now get plenty of rest, and I'll look in on you later."
Sara managed a groggy thank you or at least she hoped she did, as the surgeon's face left to be replaced by a soft touch and a smile she'd been longing to see. Prue kissed Sara's forehead and squeezed her hand. "Hey kiddo, Doctor says everything went really well but I've got bad news and I've got good news for you."

Even with one wing in la la land, Sara knew by the grin on Prue's face she had a post-surgery one-liner ready. Sara found enough strength to answer the call. "Okay doc, give it to me straight."

Prue giggled, "The bad news is I'm afraid you'll have to sit to pee for the rest of your life. The good news is I'm afraid you'll have to sit to pee for the rest of your life."

Sara rolled her eyes, managing a giggle, and then quipped. "I need some morphine, the pain is already starting."

Prue laughed and hugged Sara, her face turning more serious. "Hey, I just want you to know I love you and I'm proud of you and I'll be taking you home as soon as they'll let me."

Sara sleepy smiled and said, "Thanks Mummy", before sleep reclaimed her. Prue watched Sara sleep, touched by the sentiment of her friends last words, and then kissed her little angel on the forehead before slipping away to let her rest.

Sara didn't return to the dream that night, or any other during her seven-day stay at the hospital. She did remember enough of the dream to share it with Prue, who said it was interesting, but didn't know if it was symbolic of some past/future event or just bad hospital food.

Jenna couldn't be there in person, but between phone calls and Prue laptop, the three musketeers continued to correspond during Sara's convalescence in the hospital.

Prue pulled longer shifts in Sara's room then most of the nurses on staff and had a better bedside manner as well. The pair mostly just talked, with Prue permitting the Art Angel limited periods to spread her wings via her sketchpad and pencils. Prue's presence there made a noticeable difference as Sara perked up every morning and stayed upbeat until the head nurse had to finally shoo the persistent pixie away and usually long after visiting hours were over.

One week to the day that Sara entered the hospital, she was remanded in to Prue's very protective custody and sentenced to a period of no less than four weeks extreme pampering at Chez Walker. Sara made no motions for appeal or for early parole but did hope she might get an extended stay for good behavior.

When Sara was growing up, her "magic crayons" helped her escape the pain. Now as an adult and the world famous Art Angel, can they help her to find the life she's always dreamed of?

Painkillers and bed rest had been the order of the day for Sara while she recovered in the hospital but once home with Prue the real rehabilitation began. Sara went through the blood, sweat, tears, and dilations that all transgender women have to endure after their surgery, but at least she didn't have to go through it alone as Prue was there with cool cloths, kind words, warm hugs, and the occasional kick in the rump when Sara needed that too.

As much as Sara appreciated Prue's help, Prue loved being able to give it. Playing Mother Hen to Sara during her stay was food for Prue's starving maternal instinct. Even hubby who was usually too glued to the tele or too busy raiding the refrigerator noticed the change in his beloved. When he called her on it she commented it was just nice to have someone around to look after. She didn't have to say anymore, the sparkle in her eyes said the rest.

As Sara got stronger, she and Prue began taking walks again, enjoying the beautiful spring weather and talking. Sometimes Prue would pitch story ideas to Sara and she'd suggest possible cover art and inserts for them. Other times they'd talk about Jenna and her family and how they each hoped to be part of something that beautiful one day. Occasionally, each would open up and share stories and dreams from their past, things they never offered over the Internet because no words on a screen could convey their true meaning.

Prue knew that Sara had endured things no child should have growing up. Hearing the fear in Sara's voice as she talked about the beatings she took from her father and her school mates, and seeing the pain in her eyes as she spoke of the nights she prayed to wake up a real little girl or not at all, broke Prue's heart. The tears that ran down Sara's face belonged mostly to a frightened and abused child who just wanted the one thing all children need and she never got enough of, someone to love them. As Prue listened during their daily walks, her hand reached out to comfort the young woman at her side and her spirit reached out to hold the frightened child within her.

Among the dreams discussed was Sara's "mall hop" through the twilight zone. Sara had told Jenna about it as well and originally she concurred with Prue's diagnosis about Sara's pre-hospital jitters and the quality of the cuisine there, but that theory had been blown out of the water, as Sara had been midnight mall strolling again, at least half a dozen times over the last few weeks. Sadly for Sara she seemed to be stuck in a dream loop as she woke up each time the little shopkeeper started to speak. Jenna and Prue sifted through the details of Sara's dream, looking for buried treasure and hidden meanings but couldn't come up with much to tell her. They concluded that it was obviously significant because it was a recurring dream, and the most likely reason it stopped where it did each time was that Sara wasn't quite ready for what comes next, but when she would be ready or what "next" was, was anyone's guess.

Sara hadn't really been scared by the dream. The old man and his little shop seemed friendly enough and even the crowds of people in the mall that normally would terrify her, didn't seem to bother her at all. She'd had so many bad dreams in her life, she prayed this one would end a happy one, but she knew that as long as Prue was close by, she could handle anything in all realities.

During the course of the passing weeks, Sara not only became more comfortable with the changes to her body and physically stronger, but she seemed more at ease, confident and emotionally stronger. Part of that came from the sense of physical completeness she now had and the knowledge she'd finished a long journey successfully, but most of it came from Prue's presence. She had given Sara things she had desperately needed, love, support and security and like a seed given soil, water and light, she was growing and thriving.

Sara's progress had come so far by the end of the month that she was up and about most of the day shadowing Prue and sharing the house duties. So pleased with Sara's speedy recovery, Prue gave her the green light to start working at her sketches and colors again, although her hours and activities were still heavily monitored by "mummy". Prue knew that as long as Sara didn't overdo it, her sketching and painting were as therapeutic and necessary for her recovery as her daily dilations, and infinitely more pleasurable (at least for now).

Prue loved sneaking peeks of the Art Angel at work. At first she did most of her creations from her bed and Prue's heart would melt whenever she'd walk in and find the Art Angel was a sleeping angel with the colored pencil still in her hand and the sketch book laying open by her side. Prue would marvel at the masterpiece Sara had been creating, while she gently took the pencil from her hand and pulled the duvet up over her.

Once Sara was up and about more, Prue set up an artist desk in the sunroom near her computer one. The first time Sara saw it, she went wide-eyed and squealed like a little girl on Christmas morning, which tickled Prue to no end. They both enjoyed making magic side-by-side during the day or whenever the muse whispered. For Sara, the muse often whispered in the middle of the night, and as any good artist knows: when the moose talks, you listen no matter what the hour.

Prue had gotten in the habit of making Jenna "rounds" at night, checking in on Sara same as Jenna did Becky and Cathleen. Whenever Prue found Sara's bed empty, she slipped quietly over to the sunroom. Most every time she found her missing child playing with her muse. Sara would be sitting at her art desk, coloring away feverishly in her nightgown while legs swung back and forth and bare toes wiggled above empty house slippers. The child within Sara was never more visible than she was at moments like that, and as Jenna had lamented before, Prue wished too that she had a camera in her robe pocket.

Six weeks later and with the surgeon's seal of approval Sara was pronounced healthy enough to resume her normal daily duties as long as she continued to follow her post-surgery routine and didn't overdo it. She was told she could go home at any time now. Sara knew that meant she was free to go back to Derby, but England would never be home for her after spending the last six weeks in New Zealand with Prue and her hubby. She had lived nearly thirty years in England, but she'd never knew what a true home was until she'd stayed here. Her cottage in Derby was a hiding place from the rest of the world, a prison cell she willingly had locked herself into. Granted it was a pretty prison and with the Internet she had a lovely picture window to the rest of the world, but it was a prison nonetheless.

Of course, she wasn't the same woman who left Derby almost two months ago, not physically or emotionally. Perhaps this surgery that physically completed her would make a real difference in her life there. Perhaps the courage and the joy she'd found here with Prue would return with her to England and she no longer would be trapped in a life of solitary confinement. The only thing she was sure of was that she'd miss both Prue and her hubby almost more than she could bear.

Sara wasn't the only one agonizing about the impending parting. Prue's heart was aching too. She knew Sara was physically healed enough to go home and back to work, but emotionally was another matter. Yes, she had responded well to the safe and loving environment that Prue had created. Yes, she had grown in strength, courage and confidence, but in Prue's eyes, the Art Angel was still a wobbling baby cherub and not near ready to fly solo. The thought of Sara returning to her empty house and barricading herself inside again broke Prue's heart.

Prue worried about Sara leaving not only for her friend's best benefit, but also for her own as well. She had always had great empathy for all women who suffered from the transgender birth defect like Sara did. She'd also had a great respect for her ability to survive her horrific childhood and admiration for her tremendous ability to create, but something incredible happened over these last two months. Her feelings for Sara were more than just empathy, respect and admiration. That frightened little girl who escaped into the fantasy world her crayons created, had stolen Prue's heart. Prue cared deeply for the young woman who housed the spirit of the child and who struggled to protect it from a world that had beat them both down at every turn. Yes, Sara was a grown woman and the world famous Art Angel, but she was also that little girl who cried to be loved and Prue's heart had heard and answered that cry. Sara had filled that empty spot in Prue's life and heart that only a child could, and thought of releasing her now was as painful and impossible as if she was tossing her own five-year-old onto the street.

Prue had poured out her feeling about Sara to hubby one night, as she knew Sara's departure was impending. Hubby held his beloved, stroking her hair, and comforting the frustrated "mother" as best he could. He knew somehow Sara had touched a place deep in his wife's heart, temporarily filling the void in the barren woman's life, because he too had saw and felt the little girl within the young woman. Sara carried a childlike innocence and vulnerability that had brought out his protective paternal instinct too.

Despite the fact that physically and mentally Sara was a young woman almost the same age as Prue, in her heart and soul, in the place that defines who we truly are, she was still a little girl. He'd seen it in Sara's soft blue eyes whenever she was with Prue, and he's seen Prue's recognition of it every time she reached for Sara's hand or hugged her. He didn't begin to understand how it was possible, but there was no denying its existence.

He also didn't know what to do about it though. Like Prue, if he could reach into the pages of one her best selling novels and borrow a little "Hugglebugs" or "Polymer Magic", he'd surely use it to release the child within the woman, but her muse magic didn't have the power to make happily ever afters in the real world.

They could invite Sara to extend her stay a while longer, but that would only be delaying the inevitable, eventually making the parting that more difficult for all of them.

He even thought about asking Prue how she felt about Sara moving in permanently. He knew Sara had next to nothing to go back to in England and he was sure the anonymous Art Angel could work just as well if not better here. She would have a place to call home and a "family" to look after her. Prue could continue to watch over and help both the little girl and the young woman grow. He was completely in favorite of the idea but there were problems with that as well. One, Sara would have to be comfortable with the idea and two; there was their "other" planned adoption to consider. Having been around Jenna and her children, not to mention Sara, had really kicked Prue's maternal instinct into overdrive and she really wanted to, needed to, adopt her own child. He was sure that as much as Prue loved the child within Sara, she wanted her own little girl to dress in ribbons and bows, and to take to the park to watch play, and grow up one day and hopefully give her grandkids to spoil. Hubby himself had to admit, he'd love to have a little footballer to teach sports too, or a precious little girl to be the apple of his eye, and Sara couldn't do any of those things.

So if Sara was to move in, the sixty-four dollar question becomes what happens when they do adopt the little boy or little girl who can give them all of those things? He didn't believe for a minute that the love either one of them felt for Sara would fade away when a "new" child was brought home, but things undoubtedly would change. It would be quite understandable for Sara to feel rather awkward then and she'd probably leave rather than intrude upon what she'd saw as a true family unit.

Hubby held Prue most of the night, discussing the Sara situation in great detail, giving her his support no matter how she wanted to proceed and most of all, reminding Prue of the many reasons why she married this incredibly beautiful man. When the next morning finally came Prue knew what she wanted to do.

Prue waited until after breakfast to make her pitch to Sara. Sara listened quietly as her friend, sister and mummy offered her a place in her home, to match the one Sara already had in her heart. Sara was tempted by the idea of working side by side with Prue in her sunroom, and touched deeply when Prue added that the invitation was just as much from hubby as it was from her. It was no obligation and no commitment on Sara's part. They just want her to stay as long as she wanted to be there because they loved her.

It was an offer that welcomed both the young woman and the little girl. It was a chance to have a home instead of a lonely prison in Derby, and it was a chance to be with the person she loved and needed most of all. Prue was standing there with her arms wide open, how could she not step into them?

The little girl was ready to pounce into mummy's arms. The young woman wanted to take her friends hand and step into her embrace, yet neither could move as both were paralyzed by the ghosts of pain and suffering past. The damage from a lifetime of being told she was sick and wrong and never good enough couldn't be repaired in six weeks. With Jenna and Prue's help Sara's self esteem had risen greatly, but for the little girl who had been almost a stranger to love or acceptance, the leap into Prue's arms was too great.

Yes, Prue was offering her love, but after all she'd been through could she really believe that she was worthy of anyone's love? If she'd been worth loving, her father wouldn't have looked at her with hate in his eyes and beaten her black and blue with his razor strap. If she'd been worth loving, her mother would have came with her rather then send her off on her own. If she'd been worth loving the other kids wouldn't have teased and shunned and beat her up. After being unloved for so long and by so many how could she EVER believe she was worth being loved, especially by someone as wonderful as Prue?

In her mind Prue was the most wonderful woman in the world, and deserving of a little girl and friend, far better than Sara could ever be. It was one thing to be her Internet friend and to have a holiday at her house for awhile, but to LIVE with Prue and her husband was just taking unfair advantage of their kindness and sympathy. No, she'd been living a fantasy life these past two months, one never meant for the likes of her and if she's was one tenth the person Jenna and Prue keep telling her she was, she'd head back to England straight away and let Prue and her husband get on with their lives. She also knew she'd better do it soon because if she stayed much longer she'd not be strong enough to do the right thing and leave.

Sara couldn't look Prue in the eyes as she shook her head, thanking her for the kind offer but saying she couldn't accept and that she really needed to get back to England. Tears welled in Prue's eyes as she saw someone very important to her slipping away and she didn't want to let go. She started again, this time a bit more emphatic, asking, no begging her to think it over and telling her there was no reason she needed to leave immediately. Sara's blue eyes were brimming with tears when she raised her head to met Prue's gaze. It was all she could do to say she was sorry before turning and running to her bedroom.

Sara stayed in her room until late afternoon, Prue stopped by the outside several times, tempted to come in when she heard Sara crying but knowing this was something Sara had to work out on her own. Sara finally came out of her room around dinnertime and went looking for Prue. She had a pretty good idea of where she'd find her and sure enough the petite pixie was in her sunroom, seated at the computer and staring into a blank screen. When she sensed Sara's presence she looked up and forced a weak smile. Sara could see her beautiful brown eyes were red rimmed from crying just as her own blue ones undoubtedly were.

Sara took a deep breath and started to speak but Prue cut her off. "Look I'm really sorry Sara. I...I didn't mean to upset you. It's just that I...I mean hubby and me that is, we both really love you and well...having you here these past two months has really been wonderful, wonderful in ways you'd probably think I was crazy if I told you, and we'd really like you to stay with us, but I understand England's your home and you wanna get back there."

Sara reached out and took Prue's hand and held it lovingly as she spoke. "Prue I do love you and I think your husband is a wonderful man. He's been ever so kind the whole time I've been here. And Prue... these past two months have been the best of my life. They've been wonderful for me in ways YOU'D think I was crazy if I told you, and I do wish I could stay, with all my heart I do, but I just can't. I've gotta get back to England. It's where I belong."

Prue nodded knowingly. "I can understand you wanting to get back to your home."

Sara shook her head and sighed. "Prue, England's not my home. It's where I live, work and I guess belong, but it will never be home because home is where the heart is, and my heart will always be here with you."

Prue pulled Sara into her embrace and held her tight as both woman's tears flowed freely. She didn't really understand Sara's decision but she had to respect it and hope that when Sara was finally ready to come home she knew that Prue would be there waiting for her with open arms.

Three days later Prue was driving Sara into Christchurch to catch her return flight. After their discussion in the sunroom, Prue hadn't pushed the issue any more but had hoped against hope that Sara might still change her mind. As they pulled into the airport terminal it seemed pretty unlikely she would.

They checked Sara's bags and then killed the next twenty minutes making idle chatter, both reluctant to make that final walk to the check in gate, hoping against hope that some last minute divine intervention would change the inevitable. When the conversation and the twenty minutes ran out they knew their luck had went with it and it was time for the big goodbye.

Prue held Sara in her arms, comforting both the child and the woman. Sara had tried to be strong for both her and Prue but faced with possibility of never seeing her friend or mummy again was too much for her and she broke down in sobs. Prue held her, rocking the woman/child and cooing softly as she had during so many of Sara's nightmares. Tears streaming down her own cheeks as she too wondered if she'd ever hold Sara in her arms again.

Finally it was time and Sara pulled away from her. Each choking back tears they exchanged "I love yous" and then Sara went through the gate. She stopped one time and looked back to find Prue smiling and waving at her. Sara returned both the smile and wave before disappearing into the swelling crowd. Prue stayed at that gate until Sara's flight had departed. She couldn't leave as long as there was any chance Sara might come running back to her.

Prue returned home and fired off an email to Jenna letting her know that the Art Angel had her wings. She then sought out her hubby's strong arms and cuddled quietly with him, praying the heavenly angels would watch over her little English angel.

At 30,000 feet the English Angel was in clear view of the heavenly ones, as Sara watched out her window until New Zealand and home disappeared below the clouds. Another round of tears finally exhausted her, and she fell into a fitful sleep. She drifted in and out of old nightmares and even revisited her magical mall hop but just as before, it all faded away from her before the old man spoke a word.

When Sara was growing up, her "magic crayons" helped her escape the pain. Now as an adult and the world famous Art Angel, can they help her to find the life she's always dreamed of?

Sara's cottage in Derby never seemed more empty and alone than it did the moment she returned. There was a cold and darkness now that neither a roaring fire nor bright sunlight could chase away. She dropped her bags to the floor, closed the prison door behind her and then went to her bed for another good cry. For the first time in two months, she knew no one would hear her cry and come through the door to hold her.

Sara chastised herself for carrying on so. She'd spent almost her entire existence alone and she'd survived, but now surviving wasn't enough any more. She'd tasted life, first at Jenna’s and then at Prue's, and the pain of going back to her previous existence was almost unbearable. It's been said that ignorance is bliss, and while Sara's ignorance of being loved and wanted was hardly bliss, the pain of losing those things almost made her wish she'd never known them.

Realizing if she carried on this way, the delivery boy who brought her groceries might well find her dead; Sara retreated in to the only safe place she knew, her artwork.

After sending off a quick email to Prue and Jenna letting them know she'd arrived safely, the Art Angel spread her wings and flew straight into a backlog of work two months old. The crayon magic was as good as always and before long she was lost in the worlds she sketched and painted, to busy focusing on trying not to disappoint her fans and customers, to give in to the pain she felt being separated from Prue.

The Three Musketeers resumed their nightly conferences, each now with a better visual of the person and the world on the other side of the screens. Each did their best to try and put things back right again as none of them really wanted to drag the other down with how bad they missed each other. Jenna kept Sara and Prue well supplied in photos as usual, and with the addition of Cathleen, the "snap-happy" mummy was sending them double the number of snaps and had twice as many cute toddler tales to tell.

Prue followed Sara's lead and dove muse first into writing a new TG novel. Carversion was the name of her latest science fiction/fantasy effort and like all Prue productions it was another "too real to be fiction" story chock full of fun, love, romance, drama, and mystery, sprinkled generously with puns and as always ending happily. Prue gave the girls a quick peek under the hood of Carversion, and both their motors purred contently. The Art Angel inspired by the sampling spread her wings and offered Prue a few inspired suggestions for cover art. Prue sent hugs and smiley faces to the Art Angel signaling her approval.

Prue announced that she was also working on a second project, a joint operation with hubby. Shortly after Sara left, they decided to contact their solicitor and have him begin searching for reputable adoption agencies in the hope that soon Chez Walker would have the pitter- patter of little feet. Sara and Jenna sent cyber hugs and wishes for their success. Jenna sent Prue the email address for Kim at Playland International, her own two children proof positive at the wonders this woman could work.
Sara was genuinely happy for Prue and her husband. She knew from personal experience that they'd be wonderful parents, and any kid growing up in that household would never want for love. Somewhere deep within Sara the little girl smiled that some lucky child would have a home, but then the smile faded away and tears fell as with all her heart she wished she could be that lucky child.

Sara never shared the little girls desires with Prue or Jenna, as she knew it would only make them sad and for her, misery didn't want company. She just continued to throw herself into her work, making no mention of the little girl's feeling toward Prue, save for the occasional "Yes mummy" when Prue would get onto her about her post- surgery care or not sleeping enough. It was offered as gentle teasing by Sara, and taken as such by Prue, but within both of them that single word touched a place in their hearts where the true meaning couldn't be denied.

Nearly six months had passed since Sara had returned from Chez Walker. She had managed to bury herself in her work and the Art Angel was once again making the world a more beautiful place by her original creations. She'd healed completely from her surgery and was now as fully functional as medical science had the ability to make her. She had reached the mountaintop physically, and while it did give her a sense of satisfaction, her heart and soul still ached for a life makeover that no surgeon's knife could give.

Not a day went by that she didn't think of her two months of life with Prue and it had taken all her strength to keep from calling her and crying I want to come home. Each time she lovingly caressed her golden angel she was reminded of Jenna and how wonderful life can be when you have a family to share it with. With each snap of Becky and Cathleen the Canadian shutterbug sent, the little girl within saw kindred spirits and wanted to play with them.

Her restlessness during the day translated into fitful sleep at night. Often she'd awake to find her self curled up in the corner of the room, trembling terribly and tears still fresh on her cheeks. Very seldom was she ever able to remember more than a snippet of the dream that put here. Sometimes she was back in primary school and all the other little girls were laughing at her, and other times she could hear the crack of her father's razor strap as he came up the steps to her room. The magical mall hop dream however had seemed to desert her as she'd not traveled its corridors for months, but when she received a special parcel from Prue, all that changed.

Sara's birthday was just round the corner and Prue wasn't about to let it pass without a proper gift. When the parcel arrived and Sara opened it to find a beautiful wrapped box from Prue, the young woman immediately went online to tell her friend that shouldn't have, but the little girl inside was bouncing to get her little hands on that paper and rip it to shreds.

The young woman and little girl combined forces to anxiously tear past the wrap and then slowly opened the box that remained. When Sara pushed back the paper she smiled brightly, for there within was a beautiful blue jacket. She immediately slipped it on and then purred, as the soft wool material was comfortable and snuggly warm. Sara moved over to the mirror, turning this way and that admiring the cut and color as well as the feel.

As she continued to look at the jacket in the mirror she was swept by a wave of déjá  vu. Checking the tag, she noted it was made in New Zealand. Perhaps she'd seen it, or one like it, in a catalogue, advertisement or a store window while she was visiting Prue. After a few moments, she dismissed WHERE she'd seen it as unimportant, and just concentrated on thanking Prue the wonderful gift she'd given her.

That night Sara returned to the magic mall hop dream, and while she didn't get any closer to solving the mystery of the shop owner, she did solve the mystery of her new blue jacket. When she awoke that morning and remembered the dream, she remembered where she'd seen that jacket before. She had been wearing one similar to it along with her best skirt and blouse as she walked through mall. The only difference between the jacket Prue had sent and the one she graced her imaginary mall in was the black stripes. Prue's didn't have it, her other one did, but still the resemblance seemed just too uncanny to be coincidence.

As soon as Prue came online, Sara thanked her again for the jacket but then asked her why she'd chosen it as her gift. The screen remained blank for nearly a minute before Prue answered but when she did, she told Sara that she'd went to bed one night desperately trying to come up with a proper gift for her. While she slept she dreamed she was shopping in a department store and then like the red sea parting, suddenly all the racks gave way to a single one that held no other clothing save for a smart blue jacket. As soon as she saw it in the dream she knew it was the perfect gift for Sara. The next day she went shopping at the mall and unbelievably she found the exact jacket she dreamed of and in Sara's size.

Sara listened to Prue's tale in stunned disbelief and then told her own as she informed Prue that the jacket she'd sent her was not only the same one in Prue's dream but aside from the missing black striping, the same one in her own mall hop dream. Prue was as shocked as she was and assured Sara that she hadn't even remembered her wearing a jacket in the dream, let alone its color and style.

When Jenna came on shortly thereafter, they both relayed the story to her and asked for her take on it. Jenna had firmly subscribed to the theory that Sara's dream had been stopped at the same place each time because she wasn't ready yet for what came next. While Jenna didn't have any more idea than they did on how Prue nearly picked Sara's dream jacket, she did think it fitted into her original hypothesis. Sara already had the blouse and skirt she wore in the dream, but she didn't have the jacket. If Jenna's theory were correct, Sara would finally be able to move forward in the dream because now she was properly dressed. As for the black stripes, she was as puzzled to their significance as they were. Ultimately it was just a matter of Sara's next mall dream and seeing if she'd finally get to the end.

Three nights later the dream returned, everything preceding the same as always until she entered the shop. For the first time since she'd had the dream something changed, a very big change, for their beside the little old man she'd grown to know so well stood someone else she also knew well.

She followed him out from behind the counter and suddenly Sara found herself not twenty feet from her own mother. She smiled at Sara and walked toward her. Sara was frozen and speechless. It was unmistakably her mother, but not the tired frightened woman that had ran Sara away from the house, but the loving young mother who made Sara her first dress and believed in her. Sara noticed as she grew closer that she was carrying something with her. When she realized what it was her eyes begin to fill with tears, for there in her mother's arms was Sara's rag doll Maggie. It was the doll Sara's mother had lovingly made for her and sadly it was the same one Sara's father burned before her very eyes.

When Sara's mother reached her, she offered the doll to her daughter. Sara reached out and took it, clutching it to her chest; she rocked the only baby she'd ever called her own. Sara's mother then wrapped arms around her and held her tight. She kissed Sara on the forehead and then whispered softly in her ear. "It's time to go home Sara. It's time to go home."

Sara looked into her mother's eyes. She had so many questions she needed to ask her yet she was unable to move or speak a word. Her mother then released her and headed back toward the old man at the counter. When she reached him, he smiled and nodded. Sara thought she heard her mother say thank you to the shopkeeper and then suddenly a ball of white light enveloped the woman and she was gone.

Sara awoke to find herself standing in the middle of her bedroom, clutching a small pillow to her chest, as if it were the doll she'd been holding in the dream, and her mother's words still crystal clear in her mind. "It's time to go home Sara. It's time to go home."

Sara still half-dazed from her dream state, gently sat the small pillow down as if it were her long lost dolly and then shuffled into the bathroom to dash a bit of cold water in her face. By the time she returned to her bedroom she'd succeeded in chasing away the sleep from her mind, but the dream and her mother's presence in it haunted her.

She plopped down on her bed and tried to sort the lot of it out in her head. "Every time the dream had been the same right down to the last detail, so why did it change now? And what a change! My mother? What on earth is my mother doing in my dream? It's been fifteen years since I've seen her and now suddenly she appears in a dream, looking like she did when she used to say I was her little girl? And how could she tell me it's time to come home? Her last words to me were to not come back as there'd been nothing to come back too! If I go back to that place my father's liable to finish the job he started the night I left!"

Sara shook her head and sighed. She didn't know what it all meant, but she did know what to do next and that was to seek out the two people who'd been through it with her since the beginning. This was clearly a job for the Three Musketeers.

Fortunately for Sara it was the weekend and both Jenna and Prue were online when she logged in. She immediately called a conference and spent the next twenty minutes typing the details of last night's dream. The three then began trying to discern the significance of Sara's mother's sudden appearance, and the true meaning of her message.

Jenna still believed the blue jacket that Sara had seen in her dream (strips or no stripes) and then later Prue sent her was some sort of catalyst to her mother's appearance, as if for some strange reason it was all part of the plot, but she still had no clue as to what the connection between them was.

Prue's theory as to why Sara's mother appeared to her as she did when Sara was a small child seemed sound reasoning to all of them. Pure and simple, it represented the time when the little girl was loved and accepted by her mother. She was a warm, friendly face that Sara would welcome and trust. Obviously her mother desperately needed her daughter's trust when she delivered her message.

As for the true meaning of that message, Jenna and Prue reluctantly agreed the most logical answer was the simplest: Sara really was being summoned home. Sara wasn't any more thrilled with that conclusion than her two friends were. They knew all to well what Sara had endured during her fourteen years there and none of them wanted to see a replay of the final act, but for Sara's mother to call her home, she clearly had to have a reason.

The next hour was spent trying to discern what that reason might be. Prue suggested that perhaps her father had finally come round and realized how wrong he'd been and he wanted to welcome his child home. Sara was ready to dismiss that idea almost as soon as YIM displayed it, but both Jenna and Prue reminded her of the stories that Sara's TG sisters had shared with them about returning home and finding absence had truly made the heart grow fonder, and their family more accepting and tolerant. Granted that was the exception rather than the rule, and Sara's father definitely didn't sound much like the exception, but she should consider all possibilities.

Sara acknowledged it was possible and then sought the more probable. Jenna didn't wish to be harbinger of bad news, but she felt compelled to share a dark possibility with Sara. She wondered if her mother's message to come home could have been triggered by the illness or possibly even near death of either of Sara's parents. It might be the last chance for any of them to try and put things right.

Sara pondered that possibility carefully. Over the last fifteen years she'd thought about some solicitor tracking her down one day to let her know her parents had passed on or were dying. She wasn't sure how she'd feel about it all. That night her mother helped her to escape she showed Sara that she did believe in her and really did care about her. If Sara could, she'd like to go back to at least show her mother that she'd taken advantage of that chance and made a decent life for herself.

As far as Sara's father was concerned, she had but one thing to say to him and that was a question that had haunted her long before she'd left: How could any parent ever be able to hate their own child? She didn't expect to him to be able to answer that, but there was almost a sense of self-satisfaction just in the asking.

As she considered the significance of that alternative, Prue raised another. Perhaps it didn't matter what Sara would find there or how well she'd be received. Maybe it was all a matter of closure. Perhaps she needed to return one last time if nothing more than to properly end this chapter, put the ghosts to rest and truly get on with her life.
For Sara that was probably the best argument of all. Sara had been running all her life. She'd run into the worlds she colored as a little girl to escape the pain and cruelty of the real one. She had run from her house that night to escape the abuse that was destined to kill her. She'd been running for fifteen years from the memories and the nightmares that haunted her. She'd run from anyone who ever tried to get close to her save for Jenna and Prue, and when Prue reached out to get closer to her than anyone in her life ever had, she ran from her too. She'd been running from everything and everyone, including her own destiny.

By the time the conference finally ended Sara knew she had to go back. It didn't really have anything to do with the dream or the fact her mother had appeared in it. It was about doing what Sara needed to do to make things right with her. Perhaps if she went back to where the running started she could finally make it stop.

Jenna and Prue had to support her decision because in their hearts they knew it was the right one. They could only hope that doing the right thing wouldn't end up going terribly wrong for Sara, and they both prayed the angels would watch over their Art Angel and keep her safe from demons past.

Sara did decide however to wait a few weeks before making the trip. One, she had the cover art for Prue's Carversion to finish and two, she was curious to see if the dream would return again. She was anxious to see if her mother would return and perhaps this time tell her more. She was also sure this wasn't the ending of the dream, as somehow she knew the old man behind the counter still had a role to play yet. It was a mystery worthy of a Prue production and like all Prue's tales, she could only hope it had a happy ending.

Two weeks later the cover art for Prue's Carversion was complete and Jenna and Prue quickly christened it another divine creation by the Art Angel. THE dream hadn't return to her with or without an appearance from her mother. Perhaps the next move was up to her and ready or not she was making it.

That night during conference she set up her itinerary with Jenna and Prue. It would take a good 8 hours to get to the village from her home in Derby, and her parents house was about ten minutes from there. If she left by dawn, she could make it there by early afternoon. She really wanted to get there before her father came home from work. IF she were going to be welcomed by either of them, it would definitely be by her mother. Hopefully she'd get the chance to talk to her mother, tell her about the life she's made for herself and most of all to say thanks for giving her that chance to go find it.

With her father, it would be touch and go. If he so much as threatened to lay a heavy touch on her, she was going to be ready to go. By getting there before he got home, she hoped to get an idea from her mother if her father had changed at all.

She had no reason to expect it to go well, and she'd probably be back on the road again before sunset. After the long drive there and the emotionally exhausting reunion, she really wouldn't be up to the long drive back, so she'd probably stop at inn for the night and then return to Derby the next morning.
In the most unlikely of possibilities, that is should things go fairy tale well, she might end up spending a few days there, in which case she'd get word back to Jenna and Prue as soon as she returned.

Considering Sara's father's track record for abuse, and the emotional magnitude of the journey that Sara was about to embark upon, neither Jenna nor Prue liked the idea of Sara being cut off from them for the duration. The obvious solution was for Sara to carry a cell phone with her.

However, they both knew all to well how Sara felt about telephones. Even though both Jenna and Prue knew Sara's voice quite well from their face to face meetings, she still never talked to them over the phone or for that matter have a phone in her house. In the past Jenna and Prue had accepted her choice without argument, but this was one time they had to clip the Art Angel's wings.

Both Prue and Jenna said it was just too dangerous for any young woman to be traveling alone on the road these days without a phone. It wasn't just about what transpires at her parent's house but what could happen to her on the drive there or back. It wasn't safe and if one or both of them had to fly in to ride with her because she wouldn't carry a bloody cell phone, then they'd do it.

Sara rolled her eyes and shook her head at the comments. She knew they said them because deserve or not, they loved her and she also knew they full well meant it too. Sighing in defeat, she agreed to get a cell phone and to give one of them a call from wherever she was spending the night. With a little more prodding she reluctantly agreed to call them any time in between if she needed them.

Later that day Sara made one of her rare excursions into town and secured a cell phone, hoping the only time she'd need to use it was to let Prue or Jenna the motel she was spending the night at. Anything more than that was too much to hope for, anything worse was too scary to think about it.

Shortly before dawn Sara stepped out of her cottage looking rather smart. She decided that if she was going to face her parents, she was going to face them looking her best. She'd pulled her golden blonde hair up into a ponytail, holding it in place with her favorite bow, and brought out her sky blue eyes with the help of Max Factor. Her choice for attire was no choice at all, as she easily selected her favorite skirt/blouse combo and tall black leather boots. It was unseasonably cool for early fall and Sara picked up the wool jacket that Prue had sent her as she walked out the door.

The garage housed the perfect car for the pink winged Art Angel, a BMW-Z4 convertible in of course, metallic pink. Sara didn't go out for a spin often but when she did, she enjoyed making "Pinky" purr.

Sitting in her car letting the engine warm, she reached up and caressed the golden angel that Jenna gave her. The token of her friends love stayed close to heart and gave her a connection to Jenna far better than any she'd get from the new cell phone sitting in her purse.

Prue's blue jacket was draped over her shoulders, offering her Prue like warm hugs on the cold morning. She had brought the jacket with her for warmth and for style as it played well off her skirt and hair bow. Lost for the moment was the role her jacket had played in her dream, but in time it would prove to be invaluable in Sara finding her ultimate destiny.

When Sara was growing up, her "magic crayons" helped her escape the pain. Now as an adult and the world famous Art Angel, can they help her to find the life she's always dreamed of?

Sara spent the next seven plus hours driving winding roads as her mind wandered back through time, painfully remembering the many events that led to her leaving in the first place. A couple of times, she was tempted to turn around and go back, but she knew she'd passed the point of no return once she pulled out of her garage.

A few hours from the village, she thought of something she hadn't even considered before. What if they didn't live there anymore? It was possible her parents could have packed up and moved off but not likely. Her father was like most of the people who lived in the village and nearby. They were born here, lived here and then died here. She dismissed that possibility shortly after considering. No, her parents were going to be there, dead or alive, but they'd be there. She knew it.

She decided to not dwell on the possibility of either or both of them being dead. It wasn't something she fancied and she'd deal with it when she got there should that be the case.

When she was about twenty miles from the village she begin wondering what she might find there. She pretty much expected to find things had changed very little since she was 14. Her village was one of those sleepy little ones, where time seems to stand still, and progress passes over without stopping in to change anyone's life. Son's followed their father's into the same work, and young girls eventually took their mother's places. Sara could never have survived there, as she had to change to live and they would rather die than change.

As Sara rolled her BMW into the outskirts of the village it was quite clear her original suspicions were spot on. Save for her classmates replacing their parents at the shops and their kids replacing them in school it was the village she avoided on her way to London. At least on her return she could go right down the main street. She had no reason to stop now any more than she did when she left, so she cruised through without stopping, but she smiled when people gave her the same long looks they'd always gave when an outsider happened past.

Ten minutes later she was pulling up to the gravel road that led back to her parent's house. From there it was maybe 500 feet to the house and barn. She drove a little way in and then pulled the car to the side of the road. Grabbing her coat and bag, she decided to park and walk from there. She really wasn't sure why she needed to do that. Maybe she wanted a little more time to compose herself. Maybe she wanted to slip up quietly so she could go up to the loft and revisit her old sanctuary first. Maybe it was because she'd left this place walking and something within her said she needed to return to it that. Regardless of the reasons why, Sara began walking.

Weeds had sprung up through the patchy areas in the gravel and Sara shook her head as she struggled along the uneven road in her boots. Her father would never let the road go this long without putting more gravel down. For the first time she was really beginning to wonder if her father had taken sick or if parent's had moved.
When the road finally gave way to where the house and barn should be, Sara's heart sank, as she knew if her parents were still there, they weren't living. All that remained of the house was a broken down chimney and scattered pieces of brick and charred wood. From the way Mother Nature had already reclaimed a good portion of what once was Sara's home, it was obvious the fire that had destroyed the house was many years past.

The barn had faired better being obviously spared from the fire, but the doors were off the hinges and the wind had taken out rotten boards giving the sides an almost picket fence look. There'd be no trips up to her old sanctuary as most of the roof had fallen in and a giant sunroof had replaced her beloved loft.

Sara stood looking at what was once her old home and wondering what to do now. Obviously her parents weren't living here but that didn't necessarily mean they weren't living somewhere else. They might have sold the place before the fire, or just let it go afterwards, and moved into town. She could go down the road and ask a neighbor or back into town and ask after her parents there. She had several options but leaving without answers wasn't one of them. She couldn't just turn round and leave, she'd come to far for that and besides that would be running. She was 14 and frightened for her life when she ran from here before. She was almost 30 now and while she was still scared of many things, this wasn't going to be one of them.

When Sara returned to the car, she was tempted to call Prue or Jenna, but undoubtedly they would have questions for which she had no answers. Deciding it would be best to wait until she had a few answers to give them, she turned the car around and headed back toward the road. When she got to the main road she had to choose between chatting up a neighbor and heading into town. Neighbors were few and far between out here and not always the most hospitable people to strangers. Despite the fact Sara had lived here for 14 years, she'd been gone for over 15, and she carried little resemblance to the beaten youth who fled from here in the wee hours of the morning. In the truest sense of the word, Sara was a stranger here and she could expect to be treated like one.

Rubbing her golden angel for good luck, Sara turned Pinky back the way she'd came and headed toward town and hopefully the answers she sought. Minutes later she was rolling into the village and trying to figure out the best place to find answers and the best way to go about it. When she turned a corner and saw the Grey Lion pub, she knew she'd found the place. It was the village's main watering hole and the closest thing to information central they had. Everyone stopped in there from time to time, and if Sara stayed around a few more hours, she'd probably meet her father going in for a pint after work.

Now that she knew where to go, how to go was the next question. She really didn't think it would be too healthy to walk in there and say, "Surprise! It's me Sissy Sara and I've come to visit me parents on 'oliday." She could only imagine the welcoming committee that would greet her then. Obviously, her best way of coming out of this with the information she wanted and all of her teeth, was to play the role of the young woman from out of town, and pray no one recognized her.

Sara pulled into the lot behind the Grey Lion and then headed round front to the door. Just as she reached for the handle another hand grabbed it first and Sara whirled round to see a pair of older man smiling at her. Each tipped their hat and said hello as one held the door open. Sara returned their smile, albeit nervously, then thanked them both as she entered. She'd only taken a quick look but she hadn't recognized either. Of course the most important thing here was that they would not recognize her and on that account, so far so good.

Sara smiled as she looked around. She loved warm and cozy places, and small village pubs like the Grey Lion with their decor and fireplaces were very much that. The pub seemed quieter and a bit emptier than she usually remembered, but a quick look to the wall clock quickly reminded her why. It was half two now. The lunch crowd had gone and it was too early for the tea crowd. Actually that worked in Sara's favor because the least number of people she saw, the better the odds she wouldn't be recognized.

Sara walked over to the bar and pulled up a stool. Like any pubgoer she knew the best source of information in the house was always the barkeep. He was everyone's best friend and if anyone could tell Sara where to find her parents or what had happened to their house, he was the man.

When Sara sat down the barkeep had his back turned to her drawing a few pints. She noted he seemed to be a fairly young man with thick black hair and a stocky build. That struck her as rather odd because Thomas Collins, or "Tubby Collins" as most of the locals called him was the owner of the Grey Lion when she'd left. He was a heavyset man, hence the Tubby moniker, and completely bald save for a few thinning bits in the back. Sara hadn't known him very well, but sadly she had known his son Tom Jr. all too well. Tommy was one of the mates who would routinely use Sara's face to see if he could break his fist. Good ol' Tommy was always up for a good game of "Pound the Poof".

Sara's thoughts were still drifting back from the painful memories of her school days when the barkeep finally turned to serve his pints and Sara nearly fell off the stool. There six feet from here was the aforementioned Thomas Collins Jr. Sara closed her eyes and sighed, silently chastising herself for not realizing who that was sooner. Nearly all businesses here are family owned, passed down from father to son. If she'd been using her head, she'd known straight away who that HAD to be.

Of all the people she didn't want to run into, Tommy Collins was definitely top five material and if she had the sense God gave a goose, she'd turn tail and run before he waited on her. Of course, if Sara had any sense at all, she probably wouldn't have came back here in the first place, so as the saying goes, "In for a penny, In for a pound", Sara stayed her ground and hoped she wouldn't be buried beneath it.

Tommy served his pints and then immediately turned his attentions to Sara. As soon as he saw the fresh-faced young blonde, he smiled until his fangs were showing and then walked up to her, leaning over the bar a bit too close as he spoke, "Well 'ello then. And 'ow are you today love?"

By the hungry look in his eyes and the fact he called her "love" instead of "Sissy Sara", she could say with extreme certainty he'd not recognized her yet.

Sara forced up a restrained but pleasant smile and exchanged brief pleasantries before Tommy was on the attack again. "You must be new round 'ere. Me name's Thomas Collins and I own the Grey Lion. It's always a pleasure to welcome a new customer, specially one as pretty as the likes of you."

Sara held her smile but her breakfast was another matter. She couldn't believe that the same boy, who used to beat her up, was now a sleazy letch trying to chat her up. She politely said thank you and offered nothing else.

When Sara didn't give her name in return, he pushed a bit more directly. "Well then what can I get you to drink Miss...Miss?"

Sara had no intentions of giving her last name, and even "Sara" might be a bit dangerous. Realizing she could hesitate barely a second she glanced down and noticed the golden cherub on her chain. Raising her gaze to meet his she answered him. "I'll have a ginger pop and please just call me Angel, most everyone else does."

Inside she was giggling. She really hadn't lied. Most of the world did know her as Angel or more accurately Art Angel. As pleased as she was with her quick response, Thomas seemed to like it even more so. Quickly noting her left hand was devoid of a wedding ring, he took the liberty of taking it in his own and then bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss. "Angel...the perfect name for a true 'eavenly body", he drooled as he broke the kiss and then went to fetch her drink.

Sara's breakfast threatened her again as she wondered where this guy gets this stuff, because if he's paying for these lines he getting cheated. By the time he'd returned with her ginger pop and a fresh application of his aftershave, Sara knew she needed to turn the tables a bit and start asking the questions instead of him.

Sara thanked him for the drink and before he could ask her what her sign was, she went after the task at hand. "Mr. Collins is it?"

"Please Angel call me Tommy", he quickly corrected.

Sara nodded and started again. "Tommy, are you familiar with the property about 5 miles south of town? There's an old barn and the remains of a burned out farmhouse there."

Tommy smiled hungrily and leaned a little closer. "Sure love, everyone knows the ol' Briton place, been vacant for years."

Tommy stopped, noticing a hint of uneasiness in Sara's eyes. "Say... you're not thinking of buying that ol' parcel of brush and bad luck are you?"

For Sara, her next question was her moment of truth, and all she could do when she asked was hope she could handle the truth. "Well possibly, but I'd really just like to talk to the owners, the Briton's is it? I don't suppose you could tell me where I can find them?"

The barkeep chuckled. "Aye, I could tell you where to find 'em, but you'll be not be talking to 'em this side of the pearly gates. The three of 'em, 'usband, wife, and son all went up with the 'ouse."

Sara sighed heavily. A small part of her had already known they were dead the moment she saw the place, but she needed confirmation and now she had it. The young woman felt regret for the passing of two lives. The little girl felt grief for the woman who had been her mummy in the beginning, and the mother who sent her away to save her life in the end. She even felt sadness for her father. Granted, he was never a daddy to her but he was still her birth father and for that she felt she owed him something.

As she was reflecting on the official passing of her parent's she remembered Tommy had said the "son", meaning her, had died in the fire as well. Feeling the need to get more information on her own untimely demise she questioned her new friend further. "That's really sad Tommy. Has it been a long time since it happened?"

The barkeep rubbed his three-day-old beard as he thought. "Hmmm... let's see now. Be fifteen years come the start of school this fall."

Sara nodded knowingly. The timing of the fire corresponded almost exactly to when she had left. The house probably burnt down at night and before anyone else had learned she'd ran off. Naturally the townsfolk assumed she'd died with her parents, which solved that mystery, but another teased at her. "Forgive me for being so curious, but I am big fan of all those real life police and fire dramas on the tele. I was wondering... did they ever find out what caused the fire?"

Tommy looked from side to side, and then lowered his voice as he spoke. "Well Angel, the paper said it was the cook stove what done it, but ‘tween you and me darlin’, that's not the 'alf of it."

Sara smiled and leaned a little closer. "Oh? Do tell."

Tommy took a deep breath and then told the true tale as he'd heard it. "Well first of all of you 'ave to know the family, and what a sad lot they were. The wife was a scared liddle thing. 'ardly ever left the 'ouse and when she come into town, barely spoke a word to anyone." The 'usband 'e was a mean ol' sot and crazy as a loon 'e was too. Whenever 'e would 'ave a pint too many e'd rave to me Dad bout 'ow 'e meet an 'onest to goodness wizard once, whose sold 'im a magic potion to make sure 'is first born was a boy."

Tommy started chuckling as he shook his head. "Well love if that's true either the wizard cheated 'em or 'e was lousy at making potions, cause is son was the poorest excuse for a boy I've ever seen and just as crazy as 'is ol man. First day of primary school the liddle poof tries to play with the girls and when they told 'em to bug off 'e comes out and says 'e's a liddle girl too and e's real name is Sara! Can you imagine that?"

Sara didn't have to imagine it. She'd live it. Tommy paused but a moment and then continued. "Well after that everyone just started calling 'im "Sissy Sara". Sick liddle bugger wouldn't even try to play sports like the rest of the boys. He'd just sit under a tree drawin and colorin things, usually "girly" things. I know that for a fact, seen some of 'is 'andywork when me and my mates would steal 'is sketch pad and knock 'im around a bit. We never really 'urt 'im all that bad, not as bad as 'is 'ol man did."

Tommy paused again, giving Sara a chance to gracefully bail out of the story if it was getting a bit rough for her, but when she just stared at him with those sky blue eyes of hers, he continued. "Like I was sayin, Sissy Sara's ol man took the strap to 'im somethin terrible. You could see the bruises and welts when e'd come into school. Guess 'is 'ol man thought 'e could beat the bloody poof right out of 'em or kill the boy trying. Can't say I blame 'is ol man though, I'd do the same to me own if he turned that way."

Sara then said a quick silent prayer hoping that Tommy was sterile as another father like hers the world didn't need and then Tommy smiled and offered, "Well anyway, that's when we get to good part love."

Tommy did the quick side-to-side glance and then continued. "See me uncle Percy was up there when they were going through the place looking for the bodies and 'e saw some right strange things 'e did. Seems they found what was left of the 'usband's body layin in 'is bed, but... a chunk of 'is 'ead was missin. Fireman said some of the falling boards probably cracked 'is skull open, but Percy said it looked more like someone blew 'alf 'is 'ead off with a shotgun. When they found the wife she was curled up on the floor in another bedroom and me uncle says the door lock was set from the INSIDE, which seemed a bit queer to 'im. And you know... they never found the son's body at all but they just assumed 'e was in there somewhere and wrote the whole thing up as an accident, but I don't think that's the way it happened at all."

Sara didn't believe it was an accident either and she was forming her own conclusions as Tommy continued with his. "See, I don't think Sissy Sara died in that fire at all."

Sara's eyes went wide as she wondered where Tommy might be running with his theory. "No love, I'd lay me last twenty quid that the son was already dead and buried before the 'ouse ever went up. I think the 'ol man finally beat the little poof to death, hid the body somewhere and then told the wife e'd run off or somethin. I think the wife musta found the boy or figured it out and then went over the edge. She waited till the bloody bastard went to sleep, and then shot 'im. After that she set the fire so no one would know the truth and then with no reason left to live, she locked 'erself in the other bedroom and waited to die."

The amateur Ellery Queen looked rather pleased with himself when he finished and smiled complacently at Sara. "So Angel, whatcha think of that?"

Sara was thinking plenty about "that", and the truth she knew that was weaved through the barkeeps fiction. Her mother had killed her father, set the house to burn and took her own life. Sara was sure of it now and as she remembered her mother's last words, telling her not to come back as there would be nothing to come back to, she realized her mother had already decided what to do before Sara ever left.

Sara sighed heavily and then smiled at the barkeep. "I'll tell ya what I think of that Tommy. I think I've seen that movie on the tele a few weeks ago, but I think I like your version better."

Sara then pulled out a few pound notes and dropped them on the bar in front of the stunned barkeep. Tommy frowned disappointedly. "What? You don't believe me then?"

Sara stood up from the stool and then pondered her answer. "Well, I won't say that completely, but... let's just say that if I were you I don't think I'd bet me last twenty quid on the boy being dead and buried before the fire."

Sara then grabbed her coat and started walking toward the door, letting her last comment hang heavy in the air. It was bait and Tommy bit. "Wait a minute Angel, what makes you so sure of that?"

Sara stopped at the door, turned and smiled knowingly. "Let's just call it women's intuition Tommy and leave it at that, okay?"

Sara winked sending the man nearly into a spasm and then slipped away without another word. Once back to her car, she sat trembling for ten minutes before she had the strength to drive. She couldn't believe she'd walked into the Grey Lion, went face to face with Tommy Collins, and not only hadn't he recognized her, he was definitely tried to chat her up.

Of course there were heavier thoughts on her mind than passing as a genetic girl in her old village, but those were going to have to wait until she'd put some distance between her and her past.

She checked her watch and noticed it was half three. Originally she'd planned to spend the night in a motel and make the drive back in the morning, but if she drove straight through now she could be back in Derby before midnight. She'd be exhausted by the time she got there, but save for Prue or Jenna's house, she'd rather be in her little cottage than any place else. Five minutes later the village was nothing but a speck in her rear view mirror and a painful memory.

Sara had a long drive ahead of her and a lot to think about it. She knew she should probably call Prue and Jenna but there was no way that was going to be a short conversation. As soon as she started talking to them, they'd pick up her mood immediately and then start asking lots of questions and worrying more than they probably already were. No, she'd just wait until she got home and then chat with them in conference as always. Sure she'd get spanked for not checking in, but they'd forgive her. She couldn't understand why they did, but she knew they would. And... if she waited until she got home perhaps she'd have a few things sorted out and be able to answer some of the questions they were sure to have.
Over the next four hours Sara pushed little Pinky past the speed limit and reflected on the implications of today's events. Her parents were dead, not just dead to her as in not a part of her life, but dead to the world and she was positive her mother had killed her father. She tried to sort out her feelings about that but it was too soon and she was too numb. She did realize her mother truly did love her after all. She may not have been able to protect her as she was growing up, but in the end, she gave her own life to be sure Sara's father never laid a hand on her child again. If that isn't love what is?

Her thoughts then turned to what Tommy had said about her father. She knew first hand and by backhand just how mean he could be, but she never thought he was crazy, or at least delusional enough to believe in fairy tale wizards. Sara had read a wealth of information on the possible reasons why a person is born transgender, but nowhere had she read it was because of a wizard's potion gone wrong. Sara decided to attribute her father's ravings more to the pints he'd consumed than any distorted version of reality he might have.

She also thought about THE dream. Had the sole purpose of her dream been for her to return home and face her parents or face the truth about their deaths? She had thought there was more to it before she'd returned and she still felt the same way. She didn't know if her mother's purpose in this dream was fulfilled or not, but she couldn't shake the feeling that the smiling old man behind the counter still had that role to play. Only time and sleep would solve that mystery.

She also wondered if she'd gotten the one thing that her, Prue and Jenna thought was the main reason for her returning: closure. Would the fears and demons that had haunted her since childhood go to rest now that she found out her parents had been put to rest? Did she really face her fears without getting the chance to face her parents, or will she keep on running scared? Like solving the mystery of the dream, only time would say if she'd found closure.

Prue and Jenna weaved in and out of her mind too and each time she thought of them, she lovingly caressed the golden angel or stroked the soft material of her jacket. They'd been her friends and family since she'd left home and now they were truly the only family she had left in this world.

Before she'd made this trip, she had never really understood why Jenna and Rick reached out to her that day at Trafalgar Square, or why Prue helped make the Art Angel a household word. Most of all she couldn't understand why Prue and her husband would want her to live with them, but now she was starting to. Somehow, someway, even as screwed up as she was, she must be worth loving. Her birth mother had loved her enough to die for her. Jenna had loved her enough to reach out to her and help to be the best woman she could be, and then there was Prue. She believed in the little girl enough to give her the courage and the chance to share her crayon magic with the world. She cared for the young woman enough to hold her hand through major surgery and she loved both the big girl and the little girl enough to give them a place in her heart and offer them one in her home.

Sara hadn't accepted that place in Prue's home even though she wanted to with all her heart, and with Prue and her husband trying to adopt, she probably never would, but at least now she knew she was worthy of that love and that place. The little girl within Sara would forever long to live in the real world and be Prue and hubby's very own. The big girl knew that would never be, but now perhaps she could help the little girl understand it wasn't her fault that she couldn't. Until now the little girl had always thought her prayers weren't answered because she wasn't good enough, or special enough or worth loving, but now the big girl knew better. Maybe if the little girl couldn't live in this world and be Prue's own, she could help the big girl be the best Auntie Sara she could be for the one that did and for both of Jenna's kids. It wouldn't give her back her lost childhood, but it might make those kids childhood a little brighter and just maybe it would ease the pain in her own broken heart.

As night began to fall and the lights from the next big city appeared in the horizon, Sara still didn't know if she'd found this "closure" she'd come to find, but she had found some personal truths and a peace that she'd never known before. She couldn't wait to get back home and share what she'd learn with Jenna and Prue.

When Sara was growing up, her "magic crayons" helped her escape the pain. Now as an adult and the world famous Art Angel, can they help her to find the life she's always dreamed of?

Unfortunately she was going to have to do just that, as a red light on her dashboard came on signaling she had an engine problem. Sara sighed and then slowed down to look for the next exit and hopefully a petrol station. She loved driving Pink but she didn't know much about her maintenance and as a result she'd never so much as changed a tire, let alone looked under the bonnet.

By the time she'd found the next exit, steam was beginning to come out from under the bonnet and she slowed the BMW to a crawl. While she didn't see a petrol station anywhere, she did see the well-lit parking lot of what appeared to be a small shopping center, and headed straight for it.

Sara shut the motor off as she entered the lot and let the car coast into an open space beneath a lamppost. Sara sat and watched as the car was blowing steam and whistling like a boiling teakettle. She clicked her nails on the steering wheel as she tried to figure out what to do next.

Obviously she had a motor problem and obviously she had no idea how to fix it. She also wasn't exactly sure where she was at, and aside from this shopping center she didn't see any other businesses, so taking off on foot to find a mechanic or a petrol station wasn't really an option. She did have her cell phone but whom was she going to call? She could call Prue or Jenna. That could offer her some moral support, but roadside assistance would be beyond their means. Calling the operator wouldn't do much good either. She couldn't tell her where she was or who she wanted to talk to. Seemed like the best thing for Sara to do was to go into the shopping center and find out where she was, and then try to get the number for the nearest mechanic.

Sara pulled down the makeup mirror and was fishing for war paint in her purse when tapping at her side window startled her. Sara looked up quickly, half expecting to see Jack the Ripper licking his lips, but was pleasantly surprised to see the smiling face of a pretty young woman instead.

She waved at Sara and then rolled her hand in the crank maneuver, signaling Sara to roll down the window. Sara complied, sensing nothing dangerous from the beautiful blonde. "Hi, looks like you're having some car trouble there. Is there anything I can do to help?" offered the friendly face.

Sara smiled back relieved. "To tell you the truth, yes. I would be ever so grateful if you might have the number of a mechanic I could call."

The tall and slender jean clad blonde nodded. "Yeah, I can do that for you if you want, but their gonna nick you 50 quid to show up and another 50 to pop your bonnet."

Sara shrugged her shoulders and sighed, resigning herself to being at least a hundred quid poorer. Her new friend winked a heavily lashed blue eye and smiled. "Look I know a thing or two about cars. I was the only girl among five kids so I've always been something of a tomboy. If you don't mind I could take a look at it for you. Might save you a few quid."

Sara was deeply touched by the kindness of this stranger and beamed a bright smile back at her. "Oh wow, that would be great! Thank you." Then realizing her manners quickly added. "I'm sorry I haven't even told you my name. I'm Sara, Sara Briton."

"Janet, Janet Davenport, nice to meet you", her new friend returned with a smile and a wave. "Well Sara, what you say we pop the bonnet and have look see then, eh?"

Sara nodded and then quickly joined Janet outside the car, as the pair of blondes went to inspect the damage. Janet rolled her eyes and chuckled a bit. "I love the BMW-Z4 but I'd have to have in a metallic blue, because pink's never been a good color on me."

Sara laughed' as the comment seemed fitting from a self-proclaimed tomboy. Janet popped the bonnet and began poking around beneath it while Sara stood beside her. She felt blessed to have met such a kind woman and thankful to have Prue's warm jacket as the night air had a definite cold bite to it.

While Janet tinkered and Sara looked on helplessly, the two women began chatting. Normally Sara would have been as forthcoming as a clam, but already she was making a new start. Sara told Janet she had been visiting her childhood home and was returning to Derby where she worked as an artist, keeping her secret identity as the Art Angel though still a secret.

Janet confessed she was a professional photographer, who had just opened a shop there in town, which made the two practically sister's by profession. The conversation quickly turned to shop talk as both women began sharing their passion for art in general.

Sara was having such a wonderful time chatting with Janet she was almost disappointed when little miss mechanic said she'd found the problem and could fix it for her straight away. A clamp had come loose on a radiator hose and she'd lost all her coolant. When Janet pointed to the source of the problem, Sara leaned up against the car, reaching forward to brace herself as she looked down in. After seeing the dangling hose dripping coolant she pulled back and then gasped in horror as she'd gotten grease and oil across the front of her beautiful blue jacket.

Janet winced and shook her head. "Ouch...that bites. You're gonna have a devil of time getting that stain out if it."

Sara frowned, nearly on the verge of tears. "I can't believe I just did that. This jacket is really special. It was a gift from someone who means more to me than anyone else in the world and now I've ruined it."

Janet smiled compassionately. "I'm really sorry Sara. I should have told you about mechanics rule number one: Never ever get near the motor if you have anything nice on."
Sara sighed dejectedly. "It's okay Janet. Maybe when I get back to Derby I can try and get it cleaned then."

Janet shook her head sadly and then walked over to her truck and opened the tailgate. Sitting in the bed was a large toolbox, a tripod for a camera and a couple of five-gallon containers. Janet started fishing through toolbox and smiled triumphantly when she found the screwdriver she was looking for. Grabbing one of the containers, she walked back to Sara and her beloved little Pinky.

She really felt bad about Sara's jacket, especially since it meant so much to her. Suddenly Janet's blue eyes lit up and smiled started turning at the corners of her mouth. Snapping her fingers, she had a thought that might save the day or more accurately Sara's jacket. "Sara, I just thought of something. It won't take me 5 minutes to reconnect the hose, but you'll have to wait until the engine cools down before we fill the radiator back up or you might crack the head, and that's definitely not good. So, you're going to have about an hour to kill while you wait. Well...there's one of those quickie dry cleaners inside the mini-mall. Since the stain's still fresh, they might be able to save your jacket for you."

Sara's eyes lit up immediately. "Oh wow, that would be great! Would you ummm... want to go in with me? We could get a cup of coffee or sandwich while we wait. It's on me, that's the least I can do."

Janet sighed sadly. "I really wish I could, but I've got a big shoot in about thirty minutes, so I can't stay, but I'll fix the hose and then leave you with the antifreeze. All you'll have to do is pour it in until it's full, twist on the cap and you'll be ready to roll."

Janet replaced the hose and then showed Sara where to pour the coolant and how to make sure the cap was secure. She even gave her directions in the mall to find the dry cleaners. She couldn't remember the name of the place but she told her it was past the Bath and Body Works, right at the pet shop and then down the corridor to the last shop on the right.

Sara offered Janet a good number of pound notes for her help, saying she'd been out at least a hundred quid anyway. Janet refused the notes, but said she except hugs instead and gave Sara a warm embrace and a wish for luck before heading off to her shoot.

Sara waved at the good Samaritan and kindred art spirit until her taillights disappeared into the distance. Locking up Pinky, she headed for the mall entrance; hoping Janet's shoot went well and the dry cleaners could work magic.

Sara pushed open the entrance doors to reveal a mall interior bustling with activity. In the past she would have made a hasty retreat, as the thought of being lost in a sea of shoppers would have been terrifying, but now she had a confidence. A confidence that came from the belief that she was a good person, worthy of love and friendship. It had given her the courage to be comfortable in the presence of another woman and as a result she had made a new friend, Janet. Now she would find out if this newfound confidence would allow her to take the next step, literally, and carry her through corridors packed with bargain hunters looking for a good sale.

Sara took a deep breath and into the breach she went. With each baby step her confidence and comfort grew. The young woman kept her head up, no longer afraid to meet the gaze of a passing stranger. The little girl within sensed the young woman's confidence and felt it was safe enough to make her presence known so she peeked out in Sara's smile.

By the time Sara had reached the end of the first corridor she was feeling pretty good. Her first solo mall hop in years wasn't exactly a walk in the park, but it hadn't been a walk through hell either. She was tempted to get on the cell phone right then and there and call Prue or Jenna. When she told them she was inside a crowded mall and not climbing the walls, she knew they would be so proud of her. Knowing her friends would be proud of her meant a great deal to the young woman, but to the child who lives to make her parents and family proud, it meant everything.

Sara might had made that call if she hadn't seen something first that caught her eye. There across the corridor sat the Bath and Body Works, her first landmark on the journey to the dry cleaners. She quickly weaved her way through the crowd until she was in front of the sweet smelling store. Sara enjoyed a good soak as much as any woman and just had to stop and check out the displays in store's front window.

As she daydreamed about being up to her neck in bathwater scented with this weeks special: Plumeria, she caught sight of her reflection in the glass, and wave of déjá  vu swept over her. She was in a town that she still didn't know the name of and in a mall she couldn't have seen or even been in and yet she was absolutely sure she'd lived this exact moment in time before. Her mind searched her memories and every possible solution reality had to offer but it wasn't until she ventured outside reality that she found the answer. She was living THE dream. She'd BEEN living it from the moment she'd stepped into the mall, but she hadn't realized until now.

Sara began to tremble at the thought of her dream and reality becoming a single entity. It didn't seem possible but yet as she took a second long look in the glass, her reflection was a mirror image of the one she'd dreamed so many times before. Everything was the same: the display in the window, her skirt blouse combo, her tall black boots, even the blue jacket Prue had given her.

Sara eyes suddenly grew wide as she noted the black grease and oil stains that ran up the sleeve and across the front of her jacket. In her dream she thought it was black striping on her blue jacket, and when Prue had sent her a jacket in real life it had been a perfect match to her dream one in every detail save for the striping. Now she realized it wasn't striping at all, but the reflection of the oil and grease stains in the glass.

Sara trembled, but not so much from fear as it was from excitement and anticipation, the excitement one feels about truly living a dream and the anticipation of following that dream in reality to the place she hadn't been able to follow it to in her subconscious: it's conclusion.
Sara paused for a moment and thought about her next move, literally. Up until now she had ambled naively down the corridor in search of her dry cleaners, unaware of the significance of each step she took. Suddenly she felt as though the corridor ahead of her was a minefield. She was afraid if she took a wrong step, a wrong turn or did anything different than she did in the dream the magic she just encountered might blow up in her face and she'd miss her chance to live the dream to it conclusion.

The old Sara might have become so paralyzed by her fear that she'd been unable to move for fear of failure, but this was the new Sara, and she had the faith in herself she could succeed. Sara took a deep breath and tried to calmly think about the events that had brought her here.

Basically she had been on autopilot from the moment she'd stepped in the mall. She was just trying to follow Janet's directions to get to the dry cleaners when she stumbled onto Bath and Body Works. A smile slowly turned at Sara's lips and her fear subsided as she'd reasoned it out. It was elementary my dear Briton. If blindly following Janet's directions had gotten her half way there, then why change her plans just because she was no longer blind? The best thing she could do now was to do what she had set out to do when she got here, find the dry cleaners and with any luck she'd find the rest of her dream.

Sara left the sweet scented soap seller and started down the corridor again. Janet had told her to continue past Bath and Body Works until she came to the next junction. At that point she was to make a right at a pet shop and continue down that corridor until she reached the last shop on the right and that would be the dry cleaners.

Sara walked down the main corridor until she came to the junction that Janet mentioned. The traffic had thinned out considerably at this end of the mall and when she gazed right she was greeted by the cute kitten logo of Kuddle Kitten's Pet Shop. Sara was beginning to feel like Nancy Drew tracking clues on a mystery, as she quickly walked toward the next one she had.

Once Sara entered the next corridor she found it now, just as she had found it before, devoid of all traffic. As Sara passed Kuddle Kittens, she heard the meows and cries of several kittens hoping to adopt her as an owner. Suddenly another piece fell in place. In her dream she thought she'd heard babies cry, and in reality she had, but now she realized those cries came from furry four legged babies and not the two-legged human variety she'd originally thought. Once again reality had sharpened Sara's perception of events that had drifted in and out of shadows while in her dream state.

Sara was tempted to answer the cries of the kitten's but knowing now wasn't the best time to adopt, she resisted that urge to look just as she had in her dreams and continued down the corridor in search of the last shop.

As soon as she passed Kuddle Kittens she felt the same draw pulling her down the corridor as she had in her dream. It was almost as though once she'd made it this far, the forces that had lead her here were now bringing her in on their own power. Sara continued walking alone, passing quite a few shops but unable to browse their store windows as she had eyes only for the last one.

When Sara reached her final destination, the dry cleaners was nowhere to be found but a more familiar sight stood waiting for her. The dark wood front with its finally detailed carvings and stained glass window in the door looked as out of place in this modern mall setting as it had in her dream.

Sara stepped up to the front door and then looked up to read the sign above. The clouds that had obscured all but the "S" in the shop's name had been chased away by reality and Sara could read it plainly now. She giggled at the trendy sounding name for the very old looking shop. The sign was beautifully printed in old English script and read: Spells 'R' Us.

The beautiful blonde placed her slender fingers around the doorknob and hesitated before turning it. She wondered if her mother would be in there waiting for her. Whether she was alive or a ghost that was a pretty frightening prospect for Sara. If she was going to run this was her last chance to do it. Sara took a breath and then smiled confidently. She had stopped running when she chose to return to her childhood home and she wasn't going to start again now. Whispering under her breath, "In for a penny, in for a pound", she turned the knob and entered. A bell above her chimed and announced another customer had entered the shop.

When Sara was growing up, her "magic crayons" helped her escape the pain. Now as an adult and the world famous Art Angel, can they help her to find the life she's always dreamed of?

Sara stepped inside and glanced around. As it had been before, the lighting was soft and the atmosphere warm and cozy just like the old village shops. Shelves packed with antiques, bobbles, bangles, and assorted other items filled her vision.

Slowly she turned her attentions toward the back of the store and there before her was the counter she remembered and the smiling old man with his sparkling blue eyes, but her heart fell as her mother was not there to greet her. Sara sighed but did not give up hope that her mother would yet appear because she had a distinct feeling that in a place like this anything was possible.

The old man waved and then stepped out from behind the counter and as before he was dressed in blue, but seeing his outfit in person gave her a clearer view and changed her original perception. Sara smiled as she realized he wasn't wearing a long coat or a cloak, he was actually wearing what appeared to be a tattered blue bathrobe. Somehow the odd attire for a shopkeeper seemed appropriate for the little old man who was probably as odd as the little shop he ran.

Sara acknowledged his wave with one of her own and then she realized that from this point on she was venturing past the point her dreams had taken her. She tried to steady herself for whatever came next, and that be the gentle voice of the Spells 'R' Us shopkeeper.

"Hello Sara, or would you prefer I call you by your more famous title, Art Angel?" the smiling old man said with a wink.

Sara stood dumbfounded. He didn't just know her name was Sara, but he knew her professional name and NO ONE save Prue and Jenna's family knew that. Sara's big sky blue eyes looked pleadingly at the shopkeeper and her voice stammered. "How...how can you possibly...I mean...I mean...no...nobody knows...that I'm the Art Angel except...except..."

The old man smiled knowingly as he finished her sentence. "Except Prue and Jenna?"

Sara's mouth fell open and her eyes went wide. "But...but...how? How could...could you know?" She stammered again.

He shook his head and sighed. The look on his face said he'd had this conversation with other customer's countless times. He then pointed above Sara's head, directing her attention to a sign. It read, "Because I'm the Wizard, That's How".

This time it was Sara who shook her head, only for her it was in total disbelief. It seemed as if the sign had been put there for the very purpose of answering her specific question, and obviously before she had even asked it. If that wasn't enough to nearly knock the young woman on her bum, then the fact the sign proclaimed the old man to be a wizard certainly was.

When Sara turned back around to face the shopkeeper she found that he had quietly closed the distance between them and was poised to catch her should she have fainted. She didn't but her knees were wobbling as she asked for confirmation. "You're a wizard? I mean the real thing? You know... an honest to goodness spell slinging sorcerer? Like Merlin in Camelot?"

The self-proclaimed wizard smiled and nodded. "Yes, all those things you just said and probably a few more, although I'd like to think I'm a little more approachable than Merlin. Granted, he's good, but all the popularity he got on the Camelot job went straight to his pointed hat. Sometimes he can be such a royal pompous..."

The old man stopped and then covered his mouth. "Sorry about that Sara, it's just if I get started on Merlin, well you know."

Sara giggled. Wizard or not, this old man had a charm that disarmed her as well as any magic spell could. She couldn't help but like him and somehow she just knew she could trust him but questions were forming within her fast and furious and she was terribly in need of answers. "Excuse me sir, or Wizard if you prefer."

"Please just call me Wiz. We keep it pretty informal around here. I'm not stuck on all the pomp and circumstance like an unnamed wizard we won't mention." He rolled his eyes tongue in cheek as he said it, eliciting another giggle from Sara, which made his eyes sparkle all the more and then added. "However, I do kind of like that name you called me...spell-slinging sorcerer? It's got some pizzazz to it don't you think?"

Sara nodded and grinned as she could see the Wiz was imagining his new name up in lights. She really hated to intrude but she did have questions and some pretty big ones at that. Meekly she asked, "Ummm... Mr. Wiz, I have so many questions."

The wizard smiled and then offered his arm to Sara who took it graciously. "Yes, I know you do and you are entitled to some answers and so much more, but I wouldn't be much of a gentleman if I didn't offer you a seat and a drink. Come Sara, we'll sit and talk and I'll do my best to answer all your questions."

Sara followed the wizard's lead up to the counter. As she walked she admired his wares. His little shop was one of those places that if you can't find what you're looking for here, it probably doesn't exist. Her eyes caught a shelf on the wall with beautiful porcelain dolls that made the little girl within long to get her hands on them. Another shelf contained musical snow globes with miniature characters that looked too life-like to be an artist's creation.

When they reached the glass counter, Sara noticed assorted paraphernalia usually associated with witchcraft, like books with pentagrams and corked bottles no doubt filled with potions. The Wiz led her behind the counter to a small white table where a pitcher of cold water and two glasses awaited them. Gallant as ever, he pulled the chair out for Sara and pushed it back underneath as she sat down.

He first poured her a glass of water and then himself before finally sitting down and explaining a few things to Sara. "Normally, I don't sit down much during business hours. Things are usually kind of brisk around here. People find there way in, sometimes thinking about what they want and I try to help them find what they need. It's usually a quick sale and they're gone, but this isn't so much a sale situation as it is a refund or replacement."

The Wiz saw the puzzled expression on Sara's face and realized his explanation had probably muddied the waters more than cleared them. Immediately he apologized. "Forgive me Sara, I'm chattering on here and you have questions. Please, ask me a few and I'll see if I can answer them for you."

Sara smiled and then sighed as she tried to pick one of many on her mind. "I've been here before, but it was in a dream, actually several dreams and they were almost identical every time. Am I like clairvoyant or something?"

The old man shrugged his shoulders. "You might be, I don't know, but those dreams you had were totally my doing. Normally I don't "advertise" like that, but once again your situation was different than most. Since you are such a recluse there wasn't much chance of you strolling by of your own free will, so I had to manipulate your subconscious and reality a bit to get you not only here but to your parents place as well."

Sara's eyes went wide when the wizard mentioned her old family home. "You mean you were behind that too?"

The wizard nodded. "Well... that was kind of a joint project actually. Your mother and I sort of made that happen, but I assure you it was absolutely essential that you went to your childhood home before coming here."

Sara wasn't sure why the trip there was so essential but she was more concerned about the wizard mentioning her mother and how they'd teamed forces, especially since she'd been dead for fifteen years. "My mother? Well, I'm sure you know my mothers been dead for a long time, but she did appear in the "advertisement" you sent me, and she told me it was time to go home. I thought maybe... maybe she'd be here."

The old man could see tears welling in Sara's eyes and he reached across the table and took her hand gently in his. "No child, I'm afraid she's not here, or at least not in a form that would allow her to communicate with you, but she did come to me some time ago and alert me to your situation. Up until then I had no idea your father had misused the potion I sold him."

Sara's eyes went wide again. "My father! You knew my father?"

No sooner than she'd said the words they triggered a memory recently stored and her conversation earlier that day with Tommy at the Grey Lion had came back to her. He'd mentioned her drunken father carrying on about meeting a wizard, but she hadn't really believed it, at least until now.

The wizard sighed sadly. "Yes child I knew your father. He came into my shop like they all do, and I tried to help him but I had no idea it would turn out like this. I hope in time you can find it within your heart to forgive me."

Sara didn't really know what the wizard had done wrong or why he seemed to need her forgiveness but the pain in his eyes told her his words and his regret were from the heart. The wizard squeezed Sara's hand. "Child I know you don't understand, so I think the best thing way for me to answer your questions is just start from the beginning. You need know the whole truth before you make a decision that could change your life forever."

The wizard had Sara's full attention as he began. "This shop and I tend to relocate quite often. I'd like to think that wherever there is a need for my talents I am there. It just so happens that about thirty years ago I came to your village and I set up shop just past the chemist at the south end of town."

Sara raised her eyebrow as the only thing that had ever been past the chemist's shop was an open lot, but considering what she'd experienced already this evening, she wasn't about to doubt the wizard's word.

Sara continued to listen as the wizard told his tale. "Your father came into my shop and immediately I sensed his need. He was desperate to have a son to carry on the family name and to mold into his own image. It's not an uncommon condition among men, but with your father it had become an obsession and I sought to help him. I sold him a potion that would call forth the angels to deliver a boy when your mother and him created their next child, but before handing it over I told him there was one rule. Under no circumstances could he give this potion to his wife if she was already with child. At that point the angel's have already delivered the true spirit of the child and should that child be female, the results of the mother taking the potion then would be disastrous for the child. At the time, your mother was nearly eight months pregnant, I never dreamed she'd take the potion."

Sara's eyes widened as she looked in the wizard's face and considered his words; both seemed to hold truth. She knew she had been that unborn child and her being born transgender was obviously the disastrous effect the wizard spoke of but that raised a dark question she was almost afraid to ask.

"I understand what you're saying I think, but what I don't understand is why would my mother take this potion if she knew she was already pregnant? I mean, she told me she had wanted a girl all along and that she'd even named me Sara. I can't believe my mother would have done something like that." Sara voice trailed off as tears welled in her eyes.

The wizard's own eyes were a mist as Sara's hurt and his regret threatened to overwhelm him. "Sara, your mother didn't take the potion of her own free will. Your father gave it to her, probably mixed in with a drink of water, as it is both colorless and tasteless."

The old man squeezed Sara's hand. "She didn't know Sara. You have to believe that. She didn't know."
Sara believed her mother didn't know. She remembered those early years and how happy she was to have Sara, but it was the other half of the truth she found almost unbearable to accept and she looked to the wizard to somehow tell her it wasn't so. "How could my father knowingly do that? I know how badly he wanted a son. I saw the disappointment and disgust in his face every time he looked at me. I heard it in his voice and his words every time he cursed me for being such a pitiful excuse for a boy. I felt it every time the back of his hand caught my mouth or his razor strap cut into my flesh."

Sara paused trying to keep from breaking down into sobs. The old man patted her hand and she found her voice again. "I...I tried to tell him when I was little. I tried to tell him I was really Sara. All these years I thought it was my fault that I couldn't make him believe, and when I decided to come back... I was stupid enough to hope that if he saw me now as a woman, he might believe, and maybe...just maybe even love me..."

Sara's lifetime of hurt and pain then vented itself as anger and her body trembled as it poured from her. "But that bastard could never love me! No man could be capable of love and do what he did to my mother and to me. All this time he knew! When I told him I was really Sara, deep down inside he HAD to know it was the truth. It was bad enough that he could do this, but once he knew I was really a girl, how could he keep on punishing me for not being a boy? What kind of man could play Russian roulette with his unborn child's life and then make it a living hell until he almost killed her?"

Sara knew the answers to her questions burned in the fire right along with her father, but perhaps it was just as important emotionally for her to voice them as it was to have them answered. The wizard however did his best to give her what answers he could. "Sara you're father was a very sick man, far sicker than I had realized, but that's what obsession does to you. It's like a cancer that eats the soul and blinds the mind and if for one minute I'd believed he was that far gone, I never would have sold him the potion."

Suddenly the old man looked smaller and older to Sara, as he dropped his head in defeat. Sighing heavily he raised his gaze to meet Sara's once again and this time with a weak smile. "Sara, people who believe in wizards tend to buy into all the fairy tales and think we are these all knowing, all powerful beings who never make mistakes. I'm sorry but that's the description of someone much higher up the corporate ladder than your run of the mill wizard. Actually we're not so different than you mortals. Yes we live longer, and as a result we've acquired a great deal of knowledge that has made it possible to do things which seems like magic to most humans, but with that ability comes great responsibility. A wizard is responsible for the magic he sets forth on this world as even the smallest act changes reality in some way. Sara I sold your father that potion to help ease his fear of never having a son and I stand by that decision, but I failed you and your mother by not following up your father and being sure he did not misuse it. As a result, your parent's lost their lives, and you never had the one you were entitled to. As a wizard, that was my responsibility and I failed to honor it. I know you blame your father Sara, but this never would have been possible without me. Thirty years of pain and suffering have resulted from my magic and I owe you at least your own life, if not that of your parents. Sadly I cannot do anything for your parents, but perhaps I can repay the debt I have to you and am willing to do so with my own life be that your choice."
The wizard's words both shocked and touched Sara deeply. His remorse over the pain and suffering he felt Sara suffered at his fault, was so great he was willing to die for it at her request. Tears welled in Sara's eyes and her heart broke, as she knew all to well the wizard's feelings. She had spent most of her life blaming herself nearly to the point of suicide for something that wasn't her fault and the wise wizard was doing the very same thing. She wasn't going to do that anymore and she wouldn't allow him either.

Getting up from her chair she went over and hugged the wizard as her words poured from her like her tears. "No...I...I don't want your life and... and it's not your fault for what my father did. I mean you're just...just trying to help people, so please stop blaming yourself. You might be an expert on magic, but I'm an expert on self-blame, and I'm telling you to let it go. What's done is done and you don't owe me anything. In fact by bringing me here and telling me the truth you've helped me more than you can know."

The wizard was touched by the incredible compassion this girl had shown him, especially considering how little she was given as a child. Seeing the tears streaming down Sara's face and realizing he had a few of his own, he reached into his robe pocket and offered her a silk handkerchief which she took gratefully and then produced one for himself.

After sharing warm hugs and wiping tears, Sara returned to her seat and the wizard started once again. "Thank you Sara, you are a kind and compassionate soul. An unsatisfied customer would not be as understanding as you and they would have purchased the product of their own free will. You were but an innocent bystander who suffered as a result of a man's obsession and a wizard's negligence. That is why when your mother's spirit came to me, we had to bring you here and try to make things right."

Sara blushed at the wizard's kind words but they'd also put a question or two in her mind. "And I thank you for helping to make them right by telling me the truth, but there's a few things I don't understand. If you and my mother wanted me to come here, why did she tell me in the dream that it was time to go home? I mean there was nothing but a burned out farmhouse waiting for me. Why not just lead me straight here?"

The wizard smiled. "Because... the journey was as important as your final destination. From the day your mother sent you away to save your life, you have been searching to find one. When you came to London you were too afraid and too badly beaten to trust others and you nearly froze to death that first winter, but you survived and you learned at least how to exist if not truly live. It wasn't until you met Jenna and Rick, that you opened up and let someone else in. It was then the healing began and young woman started living instead of existing. When Prue came along she opened up the young woman's world more and then touched a part of you that hadn't been touched by another living soul since you were five years old. Sara, she reached that little girl with her magic crayons that lives within you; the little girl who never got the chance to grow up and is the true inspiration behind the Art Angel. Prue and Jenna believed in you and loved you when you didn't have the confidence to believe in or love yourself. They believed in all of you, the talented young woman as well as the lonely little girl, and the time you spent with them was closest thing you've ever had to a family and a true home. Yet, when Prue reached out to you and offered you that permanent place in her home to go with the one you already had in her heart, you ran away. You ran away because you still didn't believe you were worthy of being loved. Deep inside you still felt that what had went wrong at your childhood home was somehow your fault, and until you stopped running from the ghosts of your past and faced the truth, you would never be able to fully embrace life or love. That is why we had to lead you back to where it all began. You needed to go there and experience what you did first hand so you could discover that you were loved and are person worth loving. Had I brought you straight here and told you all of it, you might not have believed me, and you might not have quit running. This Sara is why I told you the journey was as important as the destination."

Sara sighed and then smiled warmly. The wizard was right and she knew it. Prue and Jenna had saved her life and they loved her for all that she was but until she had made this journey to her parent's house and discovered the truth, she had been too afraid to reach out an embrace life. She couldn't wait until she got back to Derby and started really living life. She was never going to be the bell of the social scene but she was through being a prisoner in her castle, and as soon as she got back she was going to telephone, not computer conference, but telephone Prue and Jenna to say she loved them.

Sara reached across the table and took the wizard's hand. "Thank you, thank you for all that you have done. Whatever you may have felt you owed me, please consider it paid in full, and now that I have reached the end of this journey, I guess I should follow my mother's words because it's time to go home."

Sara released the wizard's hand and then stood up to leave but the wizard quickly reclaimed her hand. "Sara, you have come a long way, but hardly to end of the journey. Please child sit down until I've finished, you may find that home isn't Derby after all."

Sara gave the wizard a puzzled look, but did as she was asked and took her seat. The wizard took a drink and so did Sara before he started once again. "Sara, you are a beautiful young woman who has a good life ahead of yourself because you aren't afraid to love, nor afraid to be loved now. You have a career that brings joy to yourself and joy to all who experience your gift. You have Prue and Jenna who love you as a sister, and just this evening you made a new friend in Janet. If this is what you want more than anything else then you will have it and indeed your home lies in Derby, but I ask you to consider something, something that would change your home and your destiny."

When Sara was growing up, her "magic crayons" helped her escape the pain. Now as an adult and the world famous Art Angel, can they help her to find the life she's always dreamed of?

Sara's eyes went wide. Just when she thought the magic was over, it seems as though the wizard still had a trick up his sleeve, and with his last words she knew it was a big one. She settled herself in and once again the wizard began.

"Sara, as you know, women don't become women overnight. It's a long, beautiful, exciting, and sometimes painful journey from being a little girl to a teenager and then into a young woman. Like your recent experience Sara, the journey to womanhood is as important as achieving it. Sadly, transsexuals often miss that journey and have to start their lives as grown women, with none of the learned lessons genetic girls have to draw on. I liken this to building a house and trying to start construction on the second floor. Without a proper foundation below you, it's bound to fall."

Sara nodded her agreement and offered her own opinion. "You are right. Most transsexuals aren't able to start living their lives as female until their twenties or thirties and for many it's even older. We miss so much. We spend the rest of our life trying to play catch up with our genetic sisters and mourning what we've never had and never will have, while we try to make the most of what we got. There's not a one of us who wouldn't die to have had the chance to get to womanhood the old fashion way."

The wizard smiled as Sara had left him the opening he was looking for. "Sara what if I told you that you could get to womanhood as you put it, "the old fashion way" and you really wouldn't have to die to get there, or then again I guess maybe you would?"

Sara did her best impression of a deer caught in the headlights, as she had no idea of what the wizard was talking about, let alone being able to answer him intelligently.

The wizard seeing her doe-eyed helplessness smiled warmly and offered her his hand and with it the promise of clarification. "Come with me Sara, these old bones don't take to sitting so long. Let's you and I take a little walk around the store and I'll explain."

Sara took his hand as she rose from her seat and then released it to take the arm he had so gallantly offered. The pair stepped out from behind the counter and then began walking down the aisles, passing by shelves filled with anything from bubble gum cards to bazookas. Sara browsed a bit as they walked but stayed silent and waited for the wizard's lead. It didn't take long for him to give it.

"Sara, all women have a little girl within them, just as all men have a little boy, and it's staying touch with that part of their personality that is the true secret to staying young."

Sara smiled and nodded her understanding, but still not sure where the wizard was leading her, but nonetheless she continued walking and listening.

"But...since most transsexuals have a child within them that never got to live or at least live the life of a child in their correct gender, that part of their personality is often more dynamic than someone born without that defect. It's why a recently transitioned 40-year-old TS woman might go through a stage where she tries to dress and act like she's 16. Sure she was 16 once, but she was never a 16-year-old girl and that part of her still wants to go to the junior prom."

Sara stopped as they reached the end of one aisle and reflected on the wizard's words. "That makes sense. It kind of goes back to what you said earlier about trying to build a house and starting with the second floor. It's pretty hard to do without going back to lay the foundation."

The wizard winked and then smiled, as he directed her around the corner and up the next aisle. "That's spot on Sara! And it's exactly what I'd like to offer you, a chance to lay a proper foundation."

"Proper foundation?" Sara queried.

The wizard nodded and then continued as they walked. "Sara the child within you is stronger than the one within most transsexuals. I believe that's because you weren't only denied a girlhood, you were denied a childhood. Sara, I want you to think back to when you were five and your father came home from work early. He found you in your dress with your dolly and coloring books and he went over the edge. He hurt you physically as he drug you down those steps, but then he hurt you emotionally as he made you watch while he burned your clothes, your coloring book, even your dolly. What life the little girl had in the outside world ended that day and she retreated deep within you. From that point on she only came forth through first your colorings and then later your drawings and paintings. You were nearly twenty before you were really able to embrace being a girl, and by then you were stepping into a young woman's world, but that little five-year- old girl within you hadn't aged a day. She wanted out, and you wanted to let her out, but there was no mummy there to love and protect her or no other children to play with. You were living a lonely life barely safe for a young woman let alone a small child, so she stayed five and she stayed within you and continued to do the only thing she could do."

"Color with magic crayons?" Sara finished for him, finally picking up where the wizard had been slowly leading her.

"Yes child, color with magic crayons. The young woman met Jenna and went on to art school. She met Prue, eventually became the world famous Art Angel, and having her SRS. The little girl tagged along with the young woman, and she too connected with Jenna and Prue but instead of being their sister as the young woman had, she was more like a niece to Jenna and..."

"And a daughter to Prue." Again Sara finished the wizard's sentence.

It was as if he was reading the very feelings from her heart and tears welled in her eyes as she said Prue's name. Memories of their tearful goodbye the day she left New Zealand as fresh in her mind as it was then.

The wizard stopped now as they'd came full circle and were once again in front of the counter. He turned to face Sara and then took her hands in his. "Sara, that little girl continued to live within you only making her presence known in your art work until you went to Jenna and Rick's house and met Becky. The little girl within you had a chance for the first time in her life to play with another little girl and she wasn't about to pass it up. Now think child, think how much fun you had playing with Becky. You were in a safe, loving environment for the first time since you were five and with your mother. Your true spirit had a chance to come out and it wasn't a 28-year-old woman trying to amuse her niece by playing hopscotch or dolly's with her, it was one five year old connecting with another. And when you returned to New Zealand with Prue, it was the little girl who held her mummy's hand on the plane, and cuddled with her while they watched videos. Yes the young woman was there and she found some inner peace by having SRS, but it was the girl who found something even more precious. She found a mummy to love her after being without one for almost 25 years, but when this mummy offered her a home, the young woman took the little girl away because she couldn't accept that either of them was worthy of such love. Well she was wrong then and now you know it."

The pain and the truth in the wizard's words were too much for Sara. The tears that had started to well earlier in her eyes now fell in sobs and the wizard wrapped his arms around her and rocked the "little girl" in his arms.

The wizard held her until the worst of it passed and she was finally able to speak. "I'm sorry...forgive me... I've no reason to carry on so. What you said is true...all of it, but...but... what difference does it make now? It's over and done. Prue and her husband are finally trying to adopt. They deserve a REAL little girl to call their own."

The wizard smiled and winked. "I couldn't agree more Sara. So... how would you like to be that REAL little girl?"

Sara's eye went wide and suddenly the room started to spin, as she felt her knees buckle. The wizard showed incredible speed and agility for a man his apparent age as he caught Sara and then held her until she came back round.

He sighed and shook his head. "I've got to remember to be sure I have them sitting down when I spring the big one on them. If you knew the number of women I've had faint on me, you'd understand."

Sara smiled and nodded but she was still lost in the wizard's last question. Almost afraid to ask him to repeat his question for fear she would find out she'd misunderstood, she meekly offered, "Did you ask me if I'd like to be a real little girl?"

The wizard chuckled lightly. "Yes child I did, although as I see it you're already a real little girl and always have been. It's just the body that's been a miss and I can fix that straight away."

Before Sara could say another word, the wizard put up his finger and asked her patience for just a moment while he secured something for her from inside the glass counter. When Sara gazed down she was shocked to see that the original displays she'd seen before had now changed and the wizard was pulling out a box gift wrapped in pink paper with little angels on it.

He smiled as he pushed it toward her. "This is a little gift from your mother and I."

Sara's fingers trembled as she removed the bow and tore back the paper to reveal more pink, only this time on a gift box. Smiling nervously at the wizard she then lifted the top off and her eyes went wide as there before her were three old friends: a box of crayons, her favorite coloring book and Maggie, the only dolly she ever had.

Tears welled in Sara's eyes as she ran her fingers across the cover of her coloring book, and then they fell freely as she lifted Maggie out of the box and held her to chest, rocking the doll in her arms just as she had so long ago.

The wizard gave Sara time for her tearful reunion; waiting for her to ask the questions he knew would come.

Sara clutched Maggie in her arm and wiped the tears away with the handkerchief the wizard had given her. "How...how is this possible? I watched them burn as my father threw them into fire. How?"

The wizard smiled softly and then pointed to the same sign above the door he'd shown Sara earlier. Sara turned and looked up at the sign and its message still applied. "Because I'm The Wizard, That's How".

Sara giggled and held Maggie tightly. She really didn't care how he'd done it. She was just glad to have her prized possessions back in her possession once again.

The wizard smiled noting he could really see the little girl with the young woman when she held Maggie in her arms. He waited for Sara's next question and she didn't disappoint him. "Thank you so much for bringing these things back to me, no matter how you did it, but I keep thinking about well... what you said earlier, about being a REAL little girl and I was wondering exactly what you meant."

The wizard reached into the box and pulled out the coloring book and crayons. "Sara I meant exactly what I said. I have the power to give you a real little girl's body and it's a package deal because with that body I'm going to throw in a wonderful home in New Zealand, complete with the best mummy and daddy a little girl could ever want, AND it's absolutely free of charge. As I said before Sara, I have a debt to you and I intend to make good on it."

The water works threaten to start again as Sara was being offered the one thing the little girl within her had went to bed praying for every night of her life. She wanted to scream YES so loud that they heard her all the way back to the Bath and Body Works, but then she realized she was being selfish. She was being her father. She was letting her obsession for what she wanted blind her to how it would affect others. Yes, this is what she wanted but what about Prue? Was it fair to her to have a bundle of joy fall from the sky and into her lap without her consent?

Sara looked at the wizard and shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry but... but it's not fair to Prue. I can't just think of what I want."

The wizard reached across the counter offering his hand to Sara and once again she took it. His words were tougher to Sara but in order for her to understand, they needed to be. "Sara, you ARE only thinking of what you want. You're thinking about how much YOU love Prue, and how much YOU need her and how unfair it is for YOU to just suddenly become her daughter."

The wizard shook his head and sighed. "Child you need to think about what Prue wants, and if you search your heart then you will know that she loves you and needs you every bit as much as you need her. And there would be nothing more unfair to her than if you DIDN'T become her daughter. Sara, don't you realize she has ached to be a mummy for as long as you have ached to have one? The joy, the security, the love you felt as she held you in her arms was wonderful for her to give as it was for you to receive. You fill that void in her life the same as she fills the void in your own. Sara, if you can't trust your own feelings, then trust me. I have done my homework on this. She wants this as much as you do, but you have to decide. You can keep the good life you now have. You're a beautiful young woman who is the world famous Art Angel. You have a lovely home with two wonderful sisters in Prue and Jenna, two cute little nieces to play auntie to, and a bright future ahead of you on the second story of your home. Or... you can lay the foundation and give the little girl the childhood she never got to have. You'll have Jenna for an auntie, Prue for your mother, and two little cousins to play a junior version of the Three Musketeers with. You'll have to go through everything that every other little girl goes through growing up, from scraped knees to first kisses to senior prom's, and they'll be no Art Angel, just a little girl and her magic crayons. Sara when it's all said and done, it really comes down to one thing. You have to determine whose life this is. Is it the young woman's or the little girl's? The choice is yours."

Sara trembled as she looked into the wizard's eyes. "Do I have to make the choice right now? I think I know what I want, but...but... I need a little time and I'd still like to talk to Prue, that is if it's permitted."

The wizard nodded. "No Sara you don't have to make the choice immediately and yes you may talk to Prue about this. Because she has such empathy especially with you, you needn't worry about her not believing you, because she will. She'll sense the truth in your words."

Sara reached across the counter and hugged the old man, who smiled and hugged her back. When she finally released the embrace the wizard drew her attention back to her coloring book and crayons. "Sara, I know you are probably expecting some kind of magic potion to take with you, but you are already in possession of a magic stronger than any I conjure up. These crayons and this coloring book have always been magic in your hands and they will be again. If you want the little girl to have her chance at life then she will find it in the pages of this book."

Sara looked at the coloring book and then back up at the wizard giving him a puzzled stare. "You mean I'm just supposed to color in the book and that's the magic?"

The wizard chuckled. "It's always been your true magic. Why should it be any different now? All you have to do is look through the book and find the picture you want to color. There will be one that stands out, there always is. Just start coloring and the special magic will take care of all the rest; however, as with all wizard wonders there is always that one rule. You have 24 hours to think this over and make your decision. If you decide to be the little girl you will have to color in the book before that time runs out. After the 24 hours, the book and the crayons will no longer have the special magic, just the normal kind that Auntie Sara could still share while coloring with her nieces if she was so inclined. Now child, do you understand everything?"

Sara took a deep breath. "No, I think I could live a thousand years and not understand all of this, but I do understand your directions and the choices that I have."

Sara paused then asked the wizard one final question. "How can I possibly repay you for all that you've done?"

The wizard came round the counter and opened his arms. "I told you already that it is I who owed you, but I would ask you for two things. One, listen to your heart it will help you choose wisely and two, would you have one more hug left for a foolish ol' wizard?"

The young woman smiled and fell into the wizard's arms, giving him his hug and adding a kiss at no extra charge. She held the hug tightly until happy tears ran down her cheeks. Reluctantly the wizard finally broke the embrace, handing her a fresh handkerchief and then with a smile and a wink he said, "Now child, it's time to be off. You've still a long drive ahead of you and a great deal of thinking. Besides, that was my last dry handkerchief. If you start crying again we're both liable to drown."

Sara giggled as she wiped her eyes and then headed for the door. Just as she grabbed the knob she turned back toward the wizard and said thank you. The wizard nodded and acknowledged her responding with, "you're welcome" and then waved as the chime sounded and Sara walked out the door.

The wizard went to his handkerchief and wiped a tear from his eye and looked upward. "You can rest easy now dear. She'll be fine. We've seen to it."

When Sara was growing up, her "magic crayons" helped her escape the pain. Now as an adult and the world famous Art Angel, can they help her to find the life she's always dreamed of?

Sara headed back toward the meowing kitties at Kuddle Kittens, carrying her gift box and deeply lost in thought. Had she stopped and turned around she would have noticed that the Spells 'R' Us shop she had just left had been replaced by it normal occupant, Bob's Dry Cleaners.

Sara approached the pet shop but this time she just had to stop briefly and admire the cute kittens. The little girl within giggled as the young woman wiggled her fingers into the cage and the kitten's attacked them playfully. Sara decided she had to have a kitten in her life no matter what life she'll chose to live. She was either going to get one for her cottage at Derby or she'd pester mummy and daddy until they got her one.

Reluctantly she tore herself away from her furry friends and then headed back to the main mall corridor. The activity had decreased dramatically and she quickly realized why as the warning message came over the loud speaker instructing shoppers to make their final purchases as the mall was closing in five minutes.

Sara quickened her pace, passing by Bath and Body Works, although wishing she had time to pick up a bottle of the Plumeria that smelled so delightful. Of course that would have presented yet another dilemma, as she really didn't know whether she should purchase the shower gel or the children's bubble bath.

Sara finally made her way bout out doors she'd came through earlier and spied her pink BMW waiting patiently for her. Again, everything she encountered now seemed to have a dual meeting. Would she be keeping Pinky, her beloved BMW, or would she be trading her in for a battery powered Barbie jeep?

As Sara approached her car she noticed two things, first a note sticking on her windshield and then the absence of the anti-freeze container. When she read the note it explained the second thing she noticed. "Hi Sara, the photo shoot ended up being cancelled. Came back by to see if you got going all right. Filled your radiator for you and took the empty back with me. Really sorry about your jacket. Hope you were able to get it cleaned. Call me sometime. We can share artwork. Love, Janet."

Sara smiled lovingly. She really liked Janet and she was so happy that she had the self-confidence now to reach out and make a friend like that. She would really like to stay in touch with her, but that seemed rather doubtful should she chose to be a Kiwi toddler.

Janet's comment about her jacket reminded her that she never had found her way to the dry cleaners, but as she looked down the front expecting to see a well-set stain she was surprised to see her beautiful blue jacket clean and stripe free again. She giggled, as she knew this had to be the wizard's work. She was sure he would say it was another one of those things he'd included at no charge.
Sara said a little prayer for the wizard who helped her life, regardless of which one she chose to live, and she also said a prayer for her mother, hoping she was now resting at peace.

Sara fired up Pinky and she purred like the kittens she'd played with in the mall. A few minutes later she was back on the road and three hours from Derby. She reached into her purse and pulled out the cell phone. When she turned it on she noticed she had half a dozen messages from Prue and Jenna. Sara had left the phone on the silent setting and had never heard it ring. She was going to just wait until she got into Derby, but decided to go ahead and make a quick call to let them know she was all right before they had her majesty's secret service out looking for her.

Sara decided to ring Prue, not wanting to disturb Jenna should she be trying to put the girls down for the night. Prue answered on the second ring, a mother's concern heavy in her voice. "Sara? Are you all right? I was expecting to hear from you hours ago. Jenna and I were really getting worried."

Sara chuckled. "Yes mummy, sorry I worried you, but I'm fine and I should be home in about three hours. I'll call you then."

Prue smiled a world away at the term of endearment her friend and "daughter" shared with her. "You're coming home then? I'm sorry Sara. I was hoping things would go better."

Sara sighed warmly. "Prue, things did go well. In fact they couldn't have went better, and I have something to share with you that could change both our lives, but I can't talk about it now. I'll call you on the cell phone as soon as I get settled in, and if you chat with Jenna let her know I'm fine and on my way home."

Sara was greeted by a few seconds of silence as her words had stunned Prue. Finally she found her voice. "Change both our lives? Okay hon, this I got to hear, but I'd say things have already changed if you're willing to talk to me on the cell phone instead of the computer. Giggle! I'll call Jenna when I ring off and I'll be waiting for your call. Drive careful now. I love you."

Sara returned her "I love you" then rung off. She placed the phone back in her purse and then stole a quick glance at the special passenger riding across from her. No matter what life she chose, Maggie would always occupy a special place there.

Sara spent the next three hours trying to stay focused on the road ahead of her, not wanting to have a careless traffic accident take the choice out of her hands, but it was almost impossible as she considered the pros and cons of two life's like weights on the scales of justice.

By the time she pulled into her driveway, the only thing she had succeeded in doing was giving herself a mild headache for her efforts, and as she walked up toward the house she had a more pressing matter to deal with, at least pressing on her bladder as she needed to go the loo straight away.
Once the call to mother nature was answered, she put the kettle on for tea and prepared to call Prue. The wizard had been spot on about everything else and if he said Prue would believe her then she had no reason to doubt him. In fact, Sara knew if there were any TWO people in this world who would believe her it, it was the same two who had always believed in her, Prue and Jenna.

Sara poured her self a cuppa; then punched in Prue's number. Prue's soft voice answered and warmed Sara like the Earl Grey tea in her cup. Sara was trying to find the words to start her on her incredible story, when Prue asked if she'd like to conference call along with Jenna. She made it quite clear that if Sara wanted to talk privately with her they could, but Jenna was standing by at her phone should she like to conference.

Sara thought for a moment. What she had to say wouldn't potentially impact Jenna's life as much as it did Prue's, but it did mean the difference between her being Sara's sister and her unofficial auntie. Without Jenna she might still be a street artist and ignorant of her own birth defect. Without Jenna sending her that computer and opening her eyes to the world of TG fiction, she might never have met Prue. Sara smiled as she realized that she wouldn't dream of having this conversation now without Jenna.

A couple of minutes later, the Three Musketeers were reunited for the first time on the phone line, but the magic was still just as special. Jenna and Prue listened patiently while Sara gave them a warning that what she was about to tell them was almost too incredible to believe, but that it was all true and that she could only pray they would believe her and hopefully help her make the biggest decision of not only her life but one that could impact Prue's as well.

Prue and Jenna solemnly promised they would believe her and be there to help her anyway they could. Sara thanked them both and then began. For the next hour she held the floor, only stopping when the emotion of the moment overcame her. Jenna and Prue then spoke up to offer kind words or reassurance and comfort until Sara was able to resume again.

When Sara got to the part where she entered her mall she stopped and then added. "From this point on, things get really unbelievable. All I ask is that you let me finish before calling the folks in the white coats and having me carted off."

That elicited a pair of giggles from Jenna and Prue, along with promises by both they would wait until she was finished, and reassurances they had no intentions of having her tossed in the looney bin.

Sara took a deep breath then, and walked her friends through the mall and into meet the wizard. When she finally finished the tale she was in tears, as so were Prue and Jenna. Once they were able to speak, Prue and Jenna told Sara the words she so desperately needed to hear. "We believe you Sara. As incredible as it all seems, we do believe you Sara."

More tears and soft words were exchanged before Jenna offered to ring off now, as she considered the decision that Sara had to make really was between her and Prue. Both Prue and Jenna however would have none of that and both begged her to stay saying they needed her input and most of all they needed her presence. Jenna was touched to the point of more tears and agreed to stay as the threesome discussed Sara's impending decision.

As Sara had on the way home, Prue and Jenna raised the pro's and con's of each choice, but it was obvious that Prue was prejudiced in her heart and mind, as for her it was no choice at all. She wanted her daughter to come home and she made that fact quite clear to Sara, but in the end she also made it quite clear that the final decision was Sara's and she would support her choice whatever it would be.

Jenna pretty much concurred with Prue, saying she was kind of partial to having a little niece to spoil and she knew Becky and Cathleen would be thrilled to death to get a new cousin, but ultimately Sara had to follow her heart.

Finally all the words were said. It was simply a matter of Sara making the choice and she had little more than a half a day to do it. Prue and Jenna finally rang off saying their prayers were with her and that they would be by the phone and the computer should she need them.

Sara sent them both loads of hugs and love before finally saying good- bye. When she put down the phone she collapsed on her bed and cried until sheer exhaustion and eventually sleep claimed her.

That night she dreamed. She didn't return to the mall, but instead she hopped back and forth between dreams. In one dream she was a young woman at a party, a party for the Art Angel. She was receiving an award for excellence in art and both Prue and Jenna were there leading the cheers. In the other dream she was a little girl at a party, a birthday party for her. She was receiving birthday gifts and both Prue and Jenna were there singing Happy Birthday along with everyone else. In both dreams she was happy, but in only one did she feel truly at home. When she awoke the next morning, she had made her decision. She picked up the coloring book and the crayons from the box and sat them on her art desk.

When Sara was growing up, her "magic crayons" helped her escape the pain. Now as an adult and the world famous Art Angel, can they help her to find the life she's always dreamed of?

Sara went to her purse and pulled out her cell phone to inform Prue she was going to be a mother, but then stopped before she hit send. A thought crossed her mind. If she did this and it worked, then somehow the magic would transform her and alter reality to bring her to Prue, perhaps making it seem as though she had always been there. She really wasn't sure on how that part would work, but on the other hand, if she called Prue and told her to expect a delivery and for some reason the magic didn't work then both of them suffer terribly. Sara didn't want to put Prue through any unnecessary pain and decided to fly solo, hoping she'd appreciate a surprise package.

Sara started over to her art desk, but then made a quick detour to her bed to reclaim Maggie. She carried her beloved doll with her over to the desk and then set up next to the coloring book and crayons. She hoped that by having Maggie close to her, the magic that would take little Sara to Prue would be kind enough to bring her dolly along as well.

Sara kissed Maggie, promising her a new home, and then turned her attention to the color book. She lovingly caressed the cover, and smiled at the beautiful angel that graced it. Coloring books and crayons had provided an escape from a world to painful for a child to live in and created ones that allowed her to survive, she could only hope that there truly was enough special magic in these to carry her all the way home.

Sara opened the book, and like all little girls, she looked for that special picture that would call to her to color it. When she found it, her eyes filled with tears. It was the picture of the young mother holding her beautiful little girl in her arms. It was the very same picture that Sara had colored for her mother the day her father came home early, and it was the same picture he had forced her to watch to burn in the fire.

She wiped her eyes and said a little prayer to the wizard for giving her back that picture and then pulled out her crayons to color. When she was five she had done her very best to color her mummy just as she saw her, and this time it would be no different. Sara picked up a brown crayon as her thoughts filled with a vision of Prue's beautiful brunette locks. When she touched it to the paper, her fingers tingled and then a warm wave seemed to run through her body. It kind of tickled and made Sara giggle as she worked to color in Prue's hair without going outside the lines.

Each time Sara picked up another crayon and put it to paper she received the same tingle and warm wave that resulted in tickles and giggles. By the fourth or fifth crayon, her legs were swinging back and forth, her tongue was sticking out as she worked on the hard parts, and the lines seemed to be getting harder and harder to stay within.

Like most artists she was so into the picture she was coloring that she became almost oblivious to the changes both around her and to her. The décor of her art studio was changing drastically, as it began looking more and more like a room fit for a tiny princess with pink, white and soft seeming to be spilling over everything. Sara herself was definitely shrinking, but the art desk she sat at seemed to be shrinking right along with her. She still had her long blonde hair and big blue eyes, but a cute button nose, freckles and a rounded child's face now joined them. Sara's skirt and blouse combo had joined to form a little girl's pink dress, trimmed in white lace and with a bow tied neatly in the back. Her tall Italian boots had gone walking and left a pair of white "Mary Janes" in their place to catch the wiggling toes that hovered now above them.

By the time Sara put down her last crayon and declared her masterpiece finished, the magic seemed to have finished its work on Sara and her room. She was the five-year-old girl her true spirit had always been only now she had the body, the room, and no doubt the life she'd been denied before.

Sara smiled at the picture and then looked over at Maggie who thankfully had made the trip with her. "Maggie, I don't think are in Derby anymore."

The sound of Sara's new voice made her giggle and she pushed her chair back and ran over to the mirror that hung on her wardrobe door. The image that greeted her fit easily into the four-foot tall mirror and made her smile. The realization that this image was her own brought tears of joy to her eyes.

When the tears finally left Sara only the joy remained and she began spinning in circles, giggling as the dress flared out with each pirouette. She then began exploring the room instinctively knowing it was hers. The bed, the dressers, the bookshelves, even the door knob on the closed door that led to the rest of the house, all seemed too tall or too big, but yet somehow they were just the right size.

Sara wandered back to her art desk, now perfectly suited for a junior art angel, and then carefully tore the crayon-colored page out of her coloring book. She walked to the door and reached up for the doorknob with her free hand, but stopped just short of touching it.

So far the wizard had been as good as his word, and she was sure that door would lead to Prue, her mummy now, and the young woman would be waiting with arms wide open to gather up her little blessing and hold her tight. She was totally grateful to the wizard for all that he'd done, but she was troubled by one thing, that being she even remembered the wizard at all, let alone the events of her previous life.

It almost seemed as though the crayon magic had turned her inside out. She was the little girl on the outside, but the young woman and her memories with sharing the inside with her. The wizard had said that the magic would change reality to accommodate her choice, but perhaps she was outside the loop so to speak. Sara wasn't sure if she liked that idea or not. A part of her liked being able to recall some of the pleasant memories she had of the life before, and yet by the same token, there were painful memories she still carried that no small child should have. She also wondered whether Prue and Jenna were inside or outside the loop with her.

Realizing there was only one way to find out, she twisted the doorknob and pulled the door toward her revealing a hallway that she knew would lead her to her mummy and the answer.

Prue was sitting in her sunroom, staring at the computer and tapping on the case to her cell phone. She sighed heavily. "C'mon Sara, please give me a call. You know how I feel about this but I'll accept whatever you choose as long as it makes you happy. So puhleeeeeze just let me know if you've made your choice", the young woman begged.

Sara had been standing in the doorway unnoticed by Prue when she had made her plea. Sara stepped forward with tears in her eyes and a child's voice greeted Prue. "I've made my choice, mummy."

Prue whirled around in her chair and saw a beautiful little girl, HER little girl, holding a coloring and smiling through tears. Prue instantly knew it was Sara, and if she'd had any doubts, the tiny golden angel dangling from the child's necklace would have removed them.

Prue opened her arms and cried, "Sara!"

Sara nodded and answered her with "Mummy!" and then ran straight into those open arms. Prue gathered her up and held her close, tears streaming from her eyes as she held Sara tightly and rocked.

There were so many things she wanted to say to Sara, but all she could do was continue to hold her and say. "my baby, my baby, my baby."

Prue finally released the embrace, but kept Sara firmly seated on her lap, also known as the princess throne. She looked into Sara's blue eyes and asked her the one question she had to ask. "Sara, are you happy?"

Prue's words that Sara had overheard when she came in and this question removed any doubt that Prue was outside the new reality loop just as she was, but it really didn't matter because the answer was still the same.

Sara looked up at Prue and smiled. "Yes mummy, I've never been so happy and I love you with all my heart."

Prue smiled back lovingly and laid the child's head against breast as she gushed, "And I love you with all my heart too, Sara."

At that moment life imitated art, or at least the artwork that Sara still held in her hand, because as soon as Prue and Sara's real life picture matched the one Sara had colored, a second gentle wave rippled through reality and the memory of a life before drifted away from the mother and daughter to be replaced by new one's that each needed to fulfill their destinies.

Sara smiled up at Prue. "Mummy I colored this picture for you with my magic crayons. It's you and me. See!"

The young mother smiled and lovingly kissed her daughter on the forehead, as she admired her little angel's latest creation. "It's beautiful honey. I love it. Just like I love you."

She then rewarded her little girls efforts with hugs and kisses that pleased the little hug monster to no end, and she in turn offered her mother the greatest thanks any child could when she smiled and said, "I love you too mummy."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Back in the birthday girl's bedroom, the mother finally finished her daughter's favorite fairy tale with a happily ever after and then peeked over at her princess. The little girl was now a sleeping beauty and the young woman smiled happily.

Carefully she eased the child's head off her lap and down onto her pillow. The loving mother then placed the little girls cherished dolly into her arms and the sleeping angel drew it close.

The young woman pulled the duvet up around her daughter, tucking her in snuggly and then planting a kiss on her forehead before quietly tiptoeing back to the doorway. She hesitated there for a moment, although she could spend all night watching her little girl sleep.

"Goodnight my little angel", she sighed lovingly and then clicked off the light as she headed out into the hallway.

When she came to the arch leading into the dining room she took a deep breath and then ventured a look. Her eyes went wide as no signs of the birthday bash remained anywhere. The room positively sparkled in clean brilliance, and even a hint of lemon was still fragrant from the furniture polish her husband had recently applied.

The young wife little out a low whistle as she shook her head and laughed. "Like I said before, hubby must REALLY be horny tonight."

She then turned toward the bedroom and thought to herself. "Bless his little heart, guess I'm going to have pay up my end of the deal."

Then a hungry smile turned at the corners of her mouth. "Oh what the hell, for a job like that he deserves a tip. I must just have to bust out something from the Victoria Secret's collection."

That thought made her giggle as slipped into the bedroom to find hubby there waiting impatiently for payment. He smiled up at her. "You get the birthday girl down all right?"

The young wife smiled and nodded as she sat down on the edge of the bed, absentmindedly toying with the special brooch her sister had once given her and her mind drifting back to the daughter she'd just put down. Hubby slipped over for a bedroom appetizer as he nibbled on his wife's neck. She smiled at him and gave him a light peck on the cheek and then returned to her thoughts.

The frustrated lover slipped his arm around his obviously distracted wife and asked her what was troubling her. The young woman sighed as her brown eyes looked deep into hubby's blue ones. "Honey, do you ever think much about the adoption? You know, how it all happened and everything?"

The young father's thoughts now joined those of his wife's. "I don't know, not really. I mean it's been almost a year now and well it just seems like she's always been ours. It's like all that before stuff never happened."

Tears welled in the young woman's eyes as spoke passionately. "But it did happen! I mean we wouldn't even have her now if that poor woman hadn't died in that fire. I just keep thinking what was on her mind as she saved her child's life by getting her out that window, but then knowing she was never going to see her again as there was no way for her to save her own life."

The husband pulled his wife in close and held her much as he did his daughter. "I'll tell you what she was thinking. I bet you she was praying that someone would take good care of her little girl since she couldn't. I'm sure she was hoping that her child would be protected and nurtured and loved by those who raise her, and of course she had to hope that her little girl could heal from the loss and be able to love her new parent's as she had her former."

The young woman wiped her eyes and looked pleadingly at the man who held her. "We both love her and she has to know that, but...but... do you ever wonder if she well... really loves us back? You know I mean considering we weren't her birth parents."

The husband and father then directed his wife's attention to the framed picture on the nightstand. "Honey, you look at that picture and you tell me".

The young woman lifted her brown eyes toward the picture on the nightstand and her heart melted as there encased in glass was a crayon colored page from a coloring book. A young mother held her daughter lovingly in her arms for a cuddle. The artist had signed it in pink crayon and the dedication read. "TO MUMMY, I LOVE YOU, SARA"

The loving husband kissed his wife and smiled at her. "Do you need anymore proof of how much Sara loves you, Prue?"

The beautiful brunette dried her eyes and smiles. "No my love, I have all that I need."

The happy and still horny husband hugged his wife tightly and then grinned. "Well... speaking of love and needs. You know, there is still a matter of payment for my services rendered earlier this evening."

Prue rolled her eyes and giggled. "Well, I was thinking you might have performed those services 'pro bono', but by the tent in your shorts I guess it must be 'pro boner'."

Hubby groaned, as he switched off the light and laughed at the Princess of Pun. "I'll show YOU pro boner".

Prue giggled and then squealed as obviously hubby was already making his point. Sounds of lips meeting each other followed, and then Prue suddenly interrupted proceedings. "Honey, will you remind me to ask Jenna tomorrow what time they leave for their return flight to Vancouver? Oh, and I've got to call Janet too and be sure she makes doubles on all of Sara's birthday pictures. Oh...oh and don't forget we promised to get Sara a kitten when we come back from holiday."

Hubby groaned. "Okay Prue, I'll remember, but can we stay just a bit more focused here?"

Prue said nothing but shortly thereafter a moan escaped hubby's lips. "Woah.... now that's what I called focused."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Wizard stood gazing into his crystal ball making sure he didn't make the same mistake twice as he checked in on Sara. He smiled happily as he saw the little girl clutching Maggie and having dreams of angels, coloring books and magic crayons.

Dedication and Thanks

This story is dedicated to my Auntie Sara the Art Angel. Her beautiful creations both art and literary bring joy and love to all they touch. Yet as wonderful as they are, they are not the greatest gift she possesses. The greatest gift of all is the beautiful young woman herself. Auntie Sara you are a kind, generous, and gentle soul with so much love to give, and so many who want to give love back to you. You bring a smile to my face every time your pink wings hold me in a cuddle and I wanted to say thank you by coloring you your very own kitten tale. I hope you like it. I used my magic crayons.

I would also like to thank Bill Hart for creating the Spells 'r' Us universe where so much wonderful magic has been born and for allowing others the opportunity to play there and of course, special thanks to my cyber family and friends who constantly shower this kitten with love, hugs and encouragement to color. Without all of you, neither this story nor I would exist. Hugs and love to you all.