Danny recoiled. Pearl had told him he was a girl because he could see the pink mist around the lamppost, and now he was seeing pink mist again, around a letter that hadn't been there moments before. He wasn't a girl! At least the last time he'd stood to piss he wasn't. He snuck a hand down to check and felt the familiar bulge and was reassured till he looked in the mirror and saw the made-up face, hair, and shoulders of a person who looked disturbingly like Cristina Aguilera, definitely a girl. What the hell was going on!? He tried once again to change his face back to a more masculine look by reaching for the makeup remover. Blinkswitch! He found himself with a piece of paper in his hand and the opened envelope on the vanity. Glancing in the mirror and seeing no further feminization, he decided not to push things and read:

Dear Danielle,
Or maybe it's still Danny. Pearl said she couldn't predict the speed of the process. I told her she was crazy, that there was no way my brother was a girl. She said to write this anyway. While I know I've said teasingly a number of times that I wish you were my sister, I really hope you never read this. If you are, three things: 1) Don't think badly of Pearl; it will be hard at times, but she really is a force for good. 2) Go about things as you always have despite how you look. If you get the reaction you expect, it will most likely be from Valerie. Don't worry; she'll come around. 3) MOST IMPORTANT: When you get the urge to return to Vaginia, CALL ME FIRST; call my cell. Don't call me till then, there's no point.
Love you no matter what (or who), Penny
PS - You might want to pick a different name than Danielle or variations as it'll help keep things separate - for awhile, anyway. I've always liked Monica.

Danny was more confused than before. First Pearl, and now Penny saying he was a girl!!?? Suddenly the urge to get out of his sister's room was overwhelming. He broke for the corridor and ran to his own room; maybe leaving Penny's room would wake him up from what was surely the worst nightmare of his life. (*Are you suuuure you want to wake up?* whispered Danni in his mind.) He skidded to a halt facing away from his own full length mirror, which was on the back of his quite ordinary closet's door. He closed his eyes and turned to face the mirror hoping against hope that he would see Danny not Danni (*Monique,* she whispered in his mind, *not Danni.* She agreed with Penny about the name, and Monica was nice, but just a tad too ordinary. She would NOT, she thought to herself, be ordinary!) He opened his eyes and cringed; there was Dann ... Monique staring back at him.

As previously noted, Danny was one of the most level headed teenagers around. He had disciplined himself to be that way, and that self training stood him in good stead now, as he pushed Monique into the mental background. He didn't know about trusting Pearl, but he did trust his sister. The two had a bond that, had he ever thought in that direction, Danny would have recognized as being much more like the girls he knew had with their sisters than the boys he knew had with theirs. He would follow Penny's advice and let the chips fall where they would. He had a baseball game that afternoon and he wouldn't miss it just because he happened to look like a female pop star from the neck up! He figured he should be freaking out now, but decided there was no point at the moment to considering why he wasn't. *Damnit, Penny, you had better be right about things!* he thought as he got into his uniform - thankful to note that it was still HIS underwear and HIS uniform and HIS shoes he was getting into.

As he left his room, his curls fell across his eyes and he brushed then aside with his hand, thinking that the hair would be annoying on the ball field. Blinkswitch! Monique entered Penny's room and quickly rearranged their hair back into the retro updo of earlier. Blinkswitch! Danny continued down the hallway and down the stairs. He stopped in the kitchen and started to make himself a PB&J sandwich for ball game energy. Blinkswitch! Monique prepared a quick grilled chicken salad with light vinaigrette dressing and ate. Blinkswitch! Danny exited the house, got his bike from the garage and pedaled to the ballpark. So solidly had Monique sprayed the updo in place that he didn't notice his hair and forgot about his face as thoughts of the upcoming game became paramount.

He arrived at the ballpark, swung off his bike, and bent over to lock it into the stand. He straightened up just as one of his teammates wheeled his bike into the rack. Mike Miller stared at Danny. Danny began mentally slipping into martial arts mode, as Mike and he were rivals for the shortstop position Danny currently held and had never been friends. If this whole sissy thing was going to blow up on him, it would be now, from Mike.

"New hair look Sweet." commented Mike, and he wasn't sneering. "I like the red; it suits you." This was said in a normal, perhaps even complimentary tone of voice!

An amazed Danny just decided to go with the flow. "Yeah, I decided I'd been in a rut lately, and my sister left some of this red hair coloring in the bathroom when she went off to college."

As he said this, another teammate, Marty Hanson, joined them. "Hey Danny, like the updo, but isn't it a little formal for a ball game?" he asked, in a friendly questioning way.

*This just keeps getting weirder!* thought Danny as the three boys began walking toward their dugout. *Neither Mike or Marty seems to think there is anything wrong with how I look.* He mentally threw up his hands and just kept going with the flow. "Keeps the hair out of my eyes." he answered Marty, and then, "Who's pitching for The Cougars today?" The three boys continued to the dugout discussing the upcoming game as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

As they reached the dugout they were greeted by Christy Sharp, one of the three girls on the team. "Hiya Mike. Marty, don't you EVER wash that shirt? Ewe, and use some deodorant!" She wrinkled up her nose as she turned to Danny. "Wow, Danny, going retro on us, I see. The pearls are a nice touch; they for good luck?"

*Go with the flow!* he thought. "Yeah, I'm betting we win by at least two runs." he said fingering the two pearls.

Christy gave his face a closer look. "Nice makeup, too. You've been practicing." She suddenly smiled. "Hey, can you come over early next Saturday and fix my hair like that for the team the party? I'll talk to the other girls; we can have a pre-party party and make it a retro theme!"

"Damnit, Sweet!" Mike exclaimed, completely ignoring Christy's reference to 'the other girls' that seemed to include Danny, "You have all the luck with the ladies. WE" - He indicated the rest of the male members of the team with a sweep of his arm. - "don't get invited to spend extra time with them."

"Yeah", echoed Marty, still in a joking manner. "Why you when there are more studly men like us around?"

*Go for it!* thought Danny. "Well, Hell, you losers," he said in their same joking friendly manner while patting his hair with one hand and doing a sweep to indicate his made-up face with the other, "if you took a little trouble to look good for them, maybe they would."

Christy laughed. "Danny's right, you two. He shows he appreciates what we go through, and he does it better than us sometimes! And you, Hanson, for God's sake take a shower every once in awhile!" She punched Marty in the shoulder to show she was only kidding ... maybe. "Come on, you guys, let's play ball!"

In the third inning, the Cougars first baseman hit a hard line drive to left field. Danny made a leaping catch and whirled to throw the ball to first and the Aardvarks were rewarded with a classic double play. In the fifth, he hit a home run over the fence, making the day of a five year old boy on the street behind right field who caught it and who had been waiting patiently (well, patiently for a five year old) for just such an opportunity. As he rounded second, he thought to himself that whatever had happened to him hadn't affected his playing ... so far. However, as he headed for home, he glanced into the stands and saw his girlfriend, Valerie, just seating herself. He saw her look up and notice him, and instead of seeing the look of pleasure that seeing her boyfriend completing the trip around the bases from a home run that he would expect, he saw a look of shock and horror develop. *Oh oh!* he thought as he crossed the plate and high fived the rest of the team as he entered the dugout, *Danger, Will Robinson!"

The Aardvarks won by two runs, but it was in the 11th inning. The story of the two pearls had made the rounds, and as they were leaving, Johnny Ferrell, another teammate, slapped Danny on the butt and exclaimed loud enough for everyone to hear, "Hell, Sweet, if two pearls works, wear nine more for just nine regular innings next game. I'm beat!" There was a chorus of assent to that, and Danny cringed inwardly, knowing that a baseball superstition had just been born and that that meant pearls in his future regardless of what happened with his new situation.

He was passing a large old Oak on his way to the bike rack when that thought crossed his mind, followed by "Youccch!" as a hand snaked out from behind it and pulled him back.

"What on Earth are you doing, Danny? Why does my boyfriend have girlie hair and why is he wearing makeup?" Valerie stepped back and took a closer look at her rapidly reddening boyfriend. "Although I have to admit you're a 1960's prom dream from the neck up, not a drag queen look at all. What happened? Did you lose some kind of bet? I'm surprised Coach Benson let you play like that. How could you do this to me? I'll be the laughing stock of the junior class. I ... I... Oh, talk to me Danny. Should I start writing your name with an "i" instead of a "y"? What IS going on?" Finally wound down, she stopped and waited for a reply.

Danny answered in order. "Whatever happened, Val, it didn't happen on Earth. A woman - at least she looked like a woman - named Pearl in a place called Vaginia is responsible, I think, with possible help from Penny. Thanks for the prom queen comment; I'll take it as a compliment. I didn't lose a bet, although being nosy probably has a lot to do with it; curiosity feminizes the cat rather than kills him in this case. As far as Coach Benson, he and the team have just taken my look in stride. Christy even asked me to come early to the team party next week to help her and Shelly and Babs have looks like mine, so the party will be a retro theme for us girls' ..." he looked at the ground as he realized that he'd just included HIMself as HERself with the three other girls. "... and Mike and Marty even acted envious of me for it. So I don't think you have to worry about being a laughing stock. And, actually, it started out as Danni with an "i" but now it's Monique."

"Monique?" Val was starting to become more intrigued than angry. "'Us girls', including you? And what the hell kind of campy name for a country is Vaginia?"

Danny tried to explain. "Look, Val, I seem to be fighting some kind of battle for my manhood here. Danni is too close to Danny. It's easier to keep the girl in me at bay with a different name. Penny suggested Monica. SHE picked Monique. I know Vaginia sounds like a bad joke, but that's what Pearl called the place where we were. And I don't know whether Christy considered me a girl today; I don't think so, but if not, she certainly didn't see anything wrong with me being a partially feminine male." He looked pleadingly at her. "Come over, Val. Give me a couple hours to tidy up the house. I'll fix a nice dinner for us; I know there are some chicken breasts in the freezer and I can make Chicken parmesan, some garlic breadsticks, and a salad. We can relax, and I'll try to explain more and show you what happened.

Val was gobsmacked. Tidy? Danny never used words like tidy. Hell, as far as she knew he never did any housework. And his cooking heretofore had been limited to burgers and brats on the grill. She sighed. "Ok, 'Monique' she said, trying and almost succeeding in keeping the sarcasm out of her voice. "If I can sneak into the liquor cabinet, I'll bring a bottle of wine. I know Danny doesn't drink, but I think you may, and I know that I sure as Hell will want to!" And with that, she turned and started walking toward her car. When she looked back, she could tell it was Monique walking toward her boyfriend's bike. Danny never walked like THAT.

As Danny walked through the front door, he glanced into the mirror that he had rarely used himself, but that Penny had used religiously to check herself before leaving the house. He stopped dead in his tracks, reached in her pocket for a lipstick that hadn't been there before, and freshened her lips. As Monique entered the kitchen, she automatically grabbed Danny's mother's pink hostess apron that had been hanging on the back of the door and slipped it on over Danny's gray T-shirt, effortlessly tying a neat, perfectly symmetrical, bow in the back. Her red hair was down and hanging to the bottom of her shoulder blades in spiral curls, and there were three pearls on the gold chain around her neck.

To be continued.

BotC: Home front - Eve of Seduction

When Monique said she would tidy, she TIDIED!! By the time Monique faded, Danny was exhausted. He felt like he should be drenched in sweat, but while there were a few spots of marinara sauce on his mom's apron, he felt fresh. Half afraid, he looked in the bathroom mirror but while his hair and makeup were immaculate and as they had been since his look in what he thought of as the Penny mirror and he still sported the gold chain necklace with now three pearls, there was no Monique usurpation this time. The house was spotless, the dinner was all prepared, the table set - just as his mom did it when she had her girlfriends over for tea and bridge he noted - and Monique's voice whispered in his mind that the chicken parmesan was due out of the oven in half an hour, approximately ten minutes after Valerie was due to arrive.

Danny went to his room to change out of his baseball clothes; he reached for his clean (almost) jeans and original Saturday Night Live cast T-shirt. *Val deserves better.* whispered monique in his mind - minor blinkswitch: he was putting on a nice polo shirt, pastel mint green, and a pair of matching Dockers along with tan canvas deck shoes that he knew he hadn't had that morning; he knew he certainly hadn't had a pastel mint polo shirt ... nor the pastel blue, pink, and yellow ones that had been hanging with it. He did note that despite the changes in his hair length and style and makeup, nothing more than hair and makeup, what Pearl had done, had been done to feminize him. It was a good thing at the time that he didn't know that Dockers didn't normally come in pastel mint green ... well, at least not Dockers for Him.

Val did. Other than his much longer hair, it was the first thing she noticed. *I wonder if he realizes he's wearing Dockers for Her.* She thought and also wondered where he had gotten them and the matching top - she didn't even think the word "shirt". The outfit did look good on him, she realized; the mint green matched well with his red hair. Only the lack of a feminine figure indicated that this was her boyfriend and not her girlfriend. What she said was, "Danny?"

Danny nodded.

"Danny, I love your outfit; the color suits your new look!"

Danny blushed as he looked at Val. It suddenly seemed as if there was a split screen in his mind. Val was a stunning 5' 6" blonde, nicely proportioned, and would have looked beautiful in a gunny sack, but tonight she had dressed to the nines and in one part of the Danique mind screen a critique was occurring as her image scrolled from top to bottom, *Fabulous hair and her makeup is immaculate! I wonder how she blends her eye shadow? And the dress is adorable, 'Sweet 16', I'll have to ask where she bought it. Killer SHOES!* The other part? Well, Danny was not your typical sexist teen male. In fact the girls all liked him because he was not overly macho while still being masculine. So only 75% of the time spent scanning the image was spent focusing on the chest area - which was admittedly impressive - and the overall impression registered as only two words, *WOW!* and *HOT!* What came out in words was first, in Danny's normal voice, "WOW!", accompanied by a look that was a mixture of lust, awe, and incipient love. This was followed by, "You look fabulous! You have GOT to tell me where you got those SHOES!" in Monique's voice, but, after a pause, "so I can tell my sister" in an embarrassed Danny's voice.

To add to her confusion, while all this was being said, she was being Monique hugged and air kiss kissed. The hug extended and gradually became a very Danny hug followed by a not so air kiss. Val was surprised that she was not repulsed by the taste of lipstick on her boyfriend's lips, and in fact found it quite pleasant as the taste of their lipsticks blended. *What the hell is happening to Danny?*, she wondered. *Hell, what is happening to me? I'm enjoying being kissed by a boy who looks like a beautiful girl from the neck up, yet made two fantastic plays in the ball game this afternoon, one who wants to know where I bought my 'high heeled Girl Shoes' - thinking Of the song by the Chenille Sisters - but whose kiss is making me feel all tingly as it usually does. Am I going to end up a lesbian if I stick this out?* At which point she pulled back away from the embrace and said in frustration, "Danny. Monique. Whoever. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!

Danny put up his hands in a warding gesture. "Please, Val, let's eat first, and then I'll tell and show you all I know. I set out wine glasses and there is a corkscrew on the table; would you open and pour? I know I'll love being surprised by what you brought."

Val surrendered. "All right, Danny, it's your show " ... And, under her breath, "... yours and Monique's."

Danny shyly glanced down and then looked at her through his long mascaraed eyelashes. "Thank you." he said in a small shy voice as he turned toward the kitchen.

*My god,* thought Val as she watched him (?) enter the kitchen, taking down and putting on the pink apron as if 'she' did it every day. *He was flirting with me to get his own way, but like a girl; Monique was flirting with me, but I bet Danny never even realized it.* She did as asked and opened and poured the wine. *This should be a most interesting evening!*

As she finished pouring the wine, an upscale white zinfadel, she heard Danny's voice from the kitchen. "Make yourself comfortable dear, I'll serve in about five minutes. The lettuce needs to breath a bit and the breadsticks need another few minutes."

Val just shook her head as she heard the words that would have sounded at home coming from her mother's mouth just before meal time. She used the time to do a quick tour of the house. She had been to Danny's house before when he had been left home alone, and the house she was viewing was totally at odds with what she remembered from those times - a typical testosterone imbued scene of domestic carnage. This was her grandmother's house, for gods sake. That grand lady's house, like this one, was immaculate; there was a place for everything and everything was in it's place, and there was very definitely a woman's touch present. Danny's mother didn't keep house this well, she thought as she returned to the table, noting the nicely arranged fresh flowers in a crystal vase forming a centerpiece. She shook her head as Danny, beaming as only a proud housewife and hostess could, served the salad.

The conversation during the meal was a strange mixture. Val and Danny excitedly discussed the play in the afternoon's ball game, while she and ... she assumed ... Monique discussed the new fall fashions that were beginning to appear in the stores. Finally the last of the food was consumed, and they both sat back with their glasses filled with the last of the wine. It was time for business. Val girded her mental loins and started. "Danny, do you realize how bizarre - not necessarily bad, just bizarre - how DIFFERENT this evening has been? Who ARE you and what have you done with my adorable slob of a boyfriend?"

"You didn't like the food?" Danny asked with a crushed look on his face. "Was the chicken overdone? I know I ..."

"STOP!" yelled Val, then noticing the stricken look on her boyfriend's exquisitely feminine face, she took pity on him (?) and in a softer voice said, "No, honey, everything was fine, excellent, Martha Stewart couldn't have done a better job. My GRANDMOTHER couldn't have done a better job, and she makes Martha look like a short order cook in a greasy spoon diner. That's the point!" She leaned forward across the table grabbing his hand. "Think DANNY," she emphasized HIS name. Remember the last time I ate here when your folks were gone?"

Danny nodded.

"What did we eat and how did you fix it?"

He considered. "Brat's, kraut, fries, and you had beer. I cooked on the grill ... on the patio."

"Where did we eat it?"

"Trays, in front of the TV." There was a look of dawning comprehension on his face.

"What did you do before my arrival?"

"Penny's girlie magazines were on the couch, and I tossed them behind it. I straightened up the day's newspaper and threw out an empty pretzel bag that was on the Lazy Boy. I picked up the damp towels in the bathroom, pitched them into the bathtub, pulled the shower curtain closed, and swabbed some Old Spice in my pits. (He was sounding more and more like the old danny, thought Val.) Then I started the grill, washed my hands, closed the doors to my room and Penny's and my folk's rooms, and watched the tube till you arrived!"

"Did you clean, tidy, those rooms before closing the doors?"

"Uh, no, it was because they were messy that I closed the doors. I, uh, don't think I even considered cleaning them, just that you might be pissed if you saw them messy." Danny confessed, clearly a bit embarrassed.

Guy embarrassed, not girl 'the chicken was a little overdone' embarrassed noted Val thankfully. "That's my Danny! Now think about this afternoon." There was an urgency in her voice. "Had you ever set a table like this before? Cooked a meal like this before? Worn an apron before and tied the strings in a perfect bow in the back?"

Danny shook his head no.

"But I bet you've seen them done, either by your mother, or by other women" - she emphasized 'women' - "perhaps on TV!"

The dam burst. "OHMYGAWD, I've been acting like a girl!" he exclaimed.

"No, Danny," Val looked him in the eyes. (those big long lashed innocent looking lusciously feminine eyes that one could get lost in!) She shook herself and continued. "Not a girl. A woman. A woman preparing a special meal and evening for the person she loves. Preparing an experience that will say 'Here's what you can expect if you claim and keep me!' I looked in your bedroom, Danny; the bed was made! That in itself was amazing, but I bet you those satin sheets hadn't been on it yesterday. Penny's?" She didn't wait for a response. "Crimmeny, you have scented candles set out and there's a Ravel CD in the player! If this conversation we are having now hadn't occurred, you would be seducing me right now, wouldn't you, AS A WOMAN WOULD! Those are Dockers for Her you've got on Danny; what are you wearing underneath? I bet it's not boxers or tighty whities. I bet it's Vickie's Secret's best. Right? The kind of undies a WOMAN wants her lover to see, right, MONIQUE!?"

But Monique was gone. Danny just sat there with a stunned look on his face, and val knew she'd guessed right. It was still a perfectly made up face under a woman's hairstyle, but Monique had fled (But not for good, Val thought, and was startled to realize she was glad of that.) Danny was home. He began to sob.

Val got up and came around the table. She hugged her boyfriend from behind. "Hush, sweetie." She put her finger to his lips to stop the sobbing. "Danny ... Monique ... don't. Call me crazy, but whatever you were trying to do has worked. Call me insane, but I find this all incredibly attractive. I suspected I loved you before today; I know I love you now! This has been a fantastic evening so far, and I know it's going to get even better, so much better than the wham, bam, and not even thank you ma'am that followed the beer and brats that last time. Come on, my boy," she pulled him up, "work your feminine wiles on me. Explanations can wait. I've never ... slept ... on satin sheets.

Danny ... and Monique ... smiled.

To be continued (If, and this is a big if, there is a sex scene, you're gonna have to wait till next episode for it :-)