A Day at Work, "Dressed"

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

General Audience (pg)

Publication:

Genre:

Crossdressing

Character Age:

Mature / Thirty+

TG Elements:

Other Keywords:

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement. I think, at that moment, Bobbie realized that this was more than just a job related thing for me. I was a bit unsure about how I should answer her so I just said, "Let's go do this and, after it's over, you and I can talk. Okay?"

A Day at Work,"Dressed"
By Catherine Linda Michel

Author's Note:I hesitated writing this story since it was preceded by another one about store detectives within the last month or so. While that one was fictional and a very fine tale, my story is true. It happened to me, just the way I have presented it here. I have taken a FEW small liberties with the story but, 99% of what is written here is the actual account of a time in my life. Of course the names have been changed to protect the not so innocent!LOL. If you are under 18, it shouldn't matter because there is no sexual content here whatsoever! LOLOL If you are offended by stories involving a male, cross dressing as a female, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING HERE ANYWAY??

Several years ago, I was employed at a Chain Department Store as a floorwalker (Store Detective). In the course of my duties, it was imperative that all the employees of the store be constantly alert and aware of what was going on in the store so they could alert me if they spotted someone they thought looked suspicious.

I became aware that the number of calls I was receiving from employees was decreasing and I thought it was because they were not paying enough attention to people in the store so I came up with a wild idea. I figured I'd come into the store in disguise one day, without warning any of the employees about it and see just how much _I_ could shoplift without anyone noticing me. I knew it would have to be a GREAT disguise since I was well known to everyone who worked there.

I considered and rejected several ideas before I hit on one that really appealed to me. Since I had been a cross-dresser for almost all my life, I thought this would be a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, as it were. If I could, somehow, figure out a way to come up with funds to finance a trip to a beauty salon, I could have them do a convincing job on my face so that I wouldn't be recognized! I knew it wouldn't be easy or cheap to disguise my male face so that it not only looked female but would be unrecognizable to all the people at the store.

I set my plan in motion the very next day by asking for a meeting with the Store Manager and one other Store Detective, my friend, Barb. I told Barb what I had in mind and she thought it just might work if I could find a way to come up with the funds that would be required. We met with the Manager and outlined the plan for him. He agreed that the employees weren't paying enough attention but was uncertain about whether I could pull this off. I had to be very careful since I REALLY wanted to do this. I mean how many of us C/Ds have dreamed of getting a makeover in a REAL salon? Plus, this would be a real coup for me if I could manage to pull this off without anyone recognizing me and would look very good in my records!

Anyway, I outlined the whole plan to, let's call him Jim, the Store Manager, and we came up with a way to do it. He would authorize an amount of money to me for the purpose of purchasing clothing, suitable for the plan, from the store, plus he would foot the bill for the makeover at a local salon. The deal was, if I managed to pull this off, I could not only keep everything I bought, but I would also get a big bonus in my next paycheck! If I failed, though, I had to repay every cent! Fair enough, I thought. If I get to plan this right, it'll be the bonus I'll be getting, AND some nice additions to my small wardrobe of female clothing!

I was walking on air when I left his office that day and I wasted no time in beginning to pick out an outfit to wear, you can bet on that! Barb helped me pick out some suitable things and before too long, we had the outer clothing all set: a sea green business-type suit, with a skirt and a beautiful ivory blouse with lots of lace. Barb kind of looked at me funny when I suggested some more, umm intimate wear for under the outfit but she did help me there as well and before long, I had matching panties and a bra, along with a slip to wear under the skirt and a very good girdle to help keep things in check as well as hose and some really nice high heeled half boots.

The plan was scheduled to take place on the next Saturday, a day off for me, and went as follows: I would enter the store, in my disguise. I would employ all the techniques for shoplifting that I had learned so I could spot shoplifters. Nothing would actually be taken from the store, however. Periodically I would go to the back of the store and, when no one was around, I would have to dump everything I had "stolen" into a large box. Jim would be in the area and would take the box to his office for inventory and pricing.

We figured I would need to spend at least two hours in the store so we arranged for four drops, one each half hour or so. That way I wouldn't have to carry around an oversized purse stuffed with stolen articles for very long. I had chosen, by the way, a VERY large woman's carry-all/purse to conceal all the things I figured I would be "stealing". Since I had been at the store as a floorwalker for almost two years, I knew the location of every 'high ticket' item in the store and just where to go to conceal them in my purse. I knew where all the security mirrors were and how to avoid them and I had the co-operation of the Store manager and Barb, who would be working on the Saturday I would be doing this. If anyone DID notice me or spot me doing anything suspicious, Barb would be the one they would notify and she already knew about the whole plan! It was perfect!

I used the rest of the week to make a mental list of the things I would attempt to 'steal' and, bright and early on that fateful Saturday morning, I was at the salon. They had been contacted by Jim and had been filled in on the whole plan. I had also visited the salon on the preceding Friday just before closing so they could select just the right makeup and things they would need to turn me into a convincing woman. I had found a great wig at a yard sale and, after a careful and thorough cleaning, I had left it with the people at the salon for styling.

I entered the Salon at about 9 AM and they whisked me into a chair immediately. I was the first appointment of the day and both they and I wanted to have the initial stages completed before any other customers came in. By 9:30 enough work had been done on my face that I looked at least, neutral. That is, I didn't look male anymore but I wasn't all the way to female yet either.

I can't even begin to recall all the things that were done to me, that morning or the colors and types of cosmetics they used but, by 10:00 that morning, I didn't recognize the person I saw in the mirror. My own hair was pretty short, though, and anyone who had looked close at all would have been able to tell that I was really male.

Nobody did, though and by the time they were done with my face, the wig was ready as well. They fitted the wig on my head and pinned it in place with what seemed to be about a hundred bobby pins. They also used some theatrical adhesive around the edges of it so it wouldn't slip and would look more natural. It was gorgeous! A medium brown color, longer than shoulder length and they had styled it so that there were waves and curls EVERYWHERE!

After they fitted the wig on me, I just couldn't help turning my head from side to side, just to feel that long, soft hair tickling my face and neck! When they were done with the wig and the makeup, I got out of the chair and went into the back room to change into the clothes I would be wearing. I had brought them in the night before so they could see them and work out the best colors to use for my makeup. I had also raided the jewelry counter at the store and had come up with matching earrings,(clip-type since I didn't think I could get away with piercing my ears at the store's expense) bracelets, and necklaces. I had also found a woman's style watch which matched the rest of the jewelry and several rings.

Well, I managed to get dressed, with Barb's help. She had come by the salon to see how things were going. In truth, I think she just wanted to see if I was going to look good, or like a bad joke! She was amazed by the transformation and kept saying, "I can't believe it! If I didn't know it was you, I would NEVER have recognized you!" Listening to her comments, I began to feel more and more confident that this was going to work!

Now, those of you who have read some of my other stories, know that this was not the first time I had done this. That is to say, this was not the first time I had been made over in a salon, but this WAS the first time I would be seen by all my friends AND co-workers and the idea here was to remain unrecognized by ANY of them! I knew that this wouldn't be easy to pull off but I was going to give it my absolute BEST shot.

When I was finally dressed, and almost ready to go, Barb pointed out that my nails weren't very female looking. I mentioned this to the women at the salon and they said that they could do a quick nail job on me but they wouldn't last more than a day or so. I told them that would be perfect since I didn't want to remain dressed like this any longer than I had to! Well, I HAD to tell them that! If I had given them the slightest indication that I was enjoying all this, it would have put me in danger of being unmasked as a cross dresser and, at that point in my life, I wasn't ready to "come out".

Anyway, they sat me back down and glued on some fake nails and painted them in a color to match the lipstick I was wearing. When they were done, I felt, well, I felt beautiful! There's no other way to put it and if you who are reading this are not a C/D, there's no way for me to explain to you the thrill that went through me when I saw myself in a full length mirror as I was ready to leave. From head to toe, and from the skin out, I was a woman! There was NOTHING of my male self in that mirror and I was in heaven!

By that time, Barb had left the salon and another female friend of mine, let's call her Bobbie, entered. She stood in the doorway for a few minutes looking around and, when she didn't seem to recognize me, I called out to her, but in a soft slightly higher than usual voice. She looked at me and, for a minute there was no hint of recognition in her eyes. Then she took a looooong close look at me and her eyes got REALLY wide and she exclaimed,

"OH MY GOD!!! IS THAT YOU.......?" She almost blurted out my male name and I held up a hand to shush het before she did. Fortunately, Bobbie is VERY quick on the uptake and she managed to turn the K sound that begins my name into a C...Cathy! She crossed the space between us and looked at me VERY intently and then said pretty much the same thing that Barb had said, earlier. Now, I had recruited Bobbie earlier on in this little scheme of mine, feeling that if a REAL woman was with me in the store, I would be less likely to be spotted by employees. She was to meet me at the salon and accompany me to, and through, the store while I did my "shoplifting" thing. She had been more than dubious about the success of my plan but had agreed to go along with me IF and only if, I looked presentable.

I did a slow pirouette for Bobbie so she could get the full impact of how I looked and then asked her,

"Well? Do I pass muster?"

She looked me up and down and from side to side and, shaking her head, she replied,

"I just don't believe it! If you hadn't spoken when I came in, I would have turned around and left! I thought I had the wrong salon." Then, with a grin slowly beginning to light up her face, she said, "This is gonna be FUN!!! Believe me, um, Cathy, YOU are gonna fool them ALL! They'll NEVER recognize you in that get-up." All the workers in the salon actually applauded me as I was leaving and complimented me on how good I looked. One older woman who had come in after the makeover and wig were done, even said, "She's lovely! I wish you could make ME look that good!"

If I hadn't been fully dressed at that point, I would have kissed that woman square on the mouth for that comment. She made my whole day with just that little remark by calling me "she"! I mean, I know that I wasn't beautiful. There is no amount of makeup that could make me look more than passable but, at that moment, I FELT beautiful and that was what mattered to me right then.

Bobbie was dressed pretty much the same way as I was. A business type suit in charcoal grey and medium heeled half boots. As we left the salon and I heard our heels clicking on the sidewalk outside, I felt, well, liberated is the best word, I guess. I knew that, to the world, thanks to the magic worked by the girls in the salon, I looked like a woman. The sound of those heels was like an affirmation of that fact.

Every step seemed to say, 'Look at me. I am WOMAN! ' Bobbie seemed to sense what I was feeling because she looked sideways at me and grinned. I could feel a breeze blowing softly under my skirt and tickling my hose clad legs, and the few looks we DID get from passersby seemed to be approving ones. To all the world, at that moment, we both appeared to be successful, well dressed women, fresh from the salon.

We got into Bobbie's car and she drove to the store which was about a mile from the salon. She parked in the lot and we sat there for a few minutes. I was shaking pretty badly from nervousness and she was giggling at me for being nervous. I lit a cigarette, a long, Benson and Hedges menthol with a white filter that I had purchased just for this impersonation. As I smoked, I could feel myself relaxing and when I saw the lipstick marks on that white filter, I smiled.

Bobbie looked at me, enjoying that cigarette and said in a bemused sounding voice,

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement. I think, at that moment, Bobbie realized that this was more than just a job related thing for me. I was a bit unsure about how I should answer her so I just said, "Let's go do this and, after it's over, you and I can talk. Okay?"

She nodded agreement and I put out my cigarette, checked in the mirror and refreshed my lipstick and we got out of the car. I tried my very best to maintain a ladylike composure as we crossed the lot headed for the front door of the store. I remembered everything I had ever learned about walking like a woman and how and where to hold my arms and hands and, as we reached the door, Bobbie leaned close to me and said,

"Relax. You look so natural that no one is going to think you are anything but what you appear to be."

I nodded my acceptance of her statement but I didn't try to speak, knowing that my voice would be a giveaway to anyone who heard it. I have never been able to master (or should that be, mistress?) a convincing feminine voice. We entered the store, grabbed a couple of shopping carts and went to work.

Inside of 10 minutes, I was shopping like a veteran! I am the type, usually, who knows what he wants, knows where it is in the store, goes in, grabs it, pays for it and leaves. I never take more than 15 minutes in even the busiest stores. Since this was a "secret mission' kind of a shopping trip, though, I slowed down and took my time. We had agreed, along with the store manager, that this would an hour to an hour and a half mission.

If Bobbie and I managed to get more stuff secreted in our purses then they would comfortably hold, we were to go to a back aisle and he would come out of the back room and relieve us of the "stolen" merchandise. Well, folks, let me tell you. Bobbie and I made 6 trips to that back aisle and each trip we had more things than the preceding one.

By the time the time limit had been reached, Bobbie and I were more worn out from the trips to the back aisle than we were from our "shopping". I was also pretty much a nervous wreck, even though I hadn't noticed anyone that seemed to recognize me. The constant feeling of always being "on stage" had worn me to a frazzle and I told Bobbie and Jim, the store manager that it was time for us to go.

As Bobbie and I left the store and the fresh outside air hit me in the face, and other areas, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then I reached in my purse and rummaged around, coming up with my cigarettes and lighter. I took out one of those long white menthols and lit it, taking a huge, mind clearing, nerve relaxing mouthful of fragrant smoke, deep into my lungs. Yeah, yeah, I know! Smoking is dangerous and hazardous to your health! Well, I NEEDED that smoke right then! If you've never smoked, you can't imagine what it felt like and if you DO smoke, well then you know what I am talking about.

I could feel the tension beginning to drain from my muscles and ligaments and nerves and, with every drag on that cigarette, I felt much more relaxed. By the time we got to Bobbie's car, I was almost feeling good again! Bobbie joined me in having yet another cigarette when we got into the car and we just sat there, relaxing in an almost afterglow.

After a few silent minutes went by, she started to giggle. Before long I was joining her and, in a matter of seconds we were laughing like a couple of fools inside that car! When one of us would start to calm down a little bit, the other one would start again and set both of us off in another fit of laughter.

All told, it took 15 minutes for us to calm down enough to say anything close to intelligible. We had to be careful, though because we were at that point where EVERYTHING struck us as funny! Finally Bobbie turned to me and said,

"Okay, CATHY. I think it's time for us to talk, don't you agree? I mean this whole thing was a BLAST and I can't remember when I have enjoyed a trip to this store, more, but what is all this," and she indicated my clothing and makeup, "about?"

"Okay, Bobbie." I replied. I did promise you an explanation but I think we'd better leave this parking lot and go somewhere a little less public. What I have to tell you may come as a bit of a shock." She tilted her head sideways a bit and gave me an inquisitive look but didn't say anything more. She just started the car, pulled out of the parking space and began to drive. I directed her to a quiet area of our town but she shook her head and said, "nope. I don't know about you, but _I_ am starved! I gotta eat something. Now you have a choice. You can sit in the car and get stared at by everyone who passes by or you can come in with me, have some lunch, and explain what you want, or need to explain, but _I_ am gonna eat!"

At that point, we had reached a fairly popular restaurant and she pulled into the lot and parked the car. I looked at her, a bit concerned, but at the same time, wondering if I could take this masquerade a step further. Bobbie didn't even look at me. She just got out of the car and started towards the restaurant. I made my decision quickly and hurried out of the car and caught up with her.

"Bobbie," I said, with more than a little concern in my voice, "if I get caught, or if anything happens and someone sees through my 'disguise,' we are both in the shit, you know that, right? I'll be damned if I am gonna let you just walk away from a situation so, know that if anything does happen, I am gonna claim that I lost a bet to you and this was my payment. Okay?"

Now, I had known Bobbie for many years, previous to that time and I knew she could be trusted. She was my best friend's wife and a VERY cool head so, while I felt somewhat stressed about continuing my masquerade in a restaurant setting, I knew that, if something DID go wrong, Bobbie would cover for me. She agreed to my plan and we entered the restaurant.

I told her, before we entered that she would have to do all the talking when we ordered and she agreed with me. So when we finally found a place to sit, a booth in the slightly darker back corner of the place, and the waitress came over to the booth, Bobbie did just that. She ordered for both of us and told the waitress that I had a sore throat and couldn't speak above a whisper. The waitress gave me a sympathetic look and said, "Don't worry, hon. I'll bring you some nice cool iced tea to soothe your throat, okay?"

I smiled my thanks and she left. Then, I began my explanation to Bobbie. I began by telling her about the perceived differences between TG/TV/CD/etc. She nodded at several points and seemed to be following what I was saying quite easily. I then began telling her about my earliest experiences with female clothing and getting caught, "dressed" by my mother. I continued with my forced visits to a psychologist and testosterone injections which were the standard "cure" at the time of my getting caught. Now, before you think my parents were monsters or something, I gotta tell you, they weren't When this happened, I was about 12 or 13. I had been experimenting for a couple of years and I really can't say what triggered my interest, initially. Anyway, the time frame I am talking about relates to about the late 50s, maybe 1958 or '59.

Attitudes towards my type of behavior were a LOT different from what they are today. Behavior like mine wasn't very well known and it was a FORBIDDEN subject. No one talked about it and, when it DID happen, it was hushed up faster than a CIA hit list. My parents loved me and they still do. They did what they thought was best for me and them and I don't blame them one bit. I wish it had been handled differently but, it wasn't. End of story.

Anyway, Bobbie sat silently, listening to my tale. I only stopped talking when the waitress brought our order to the table and, when she left, I continued. Bobbie continued listening, saying nothing but nodding her head at different points during my soliloquy. When I finished, our food had been eaten and we were finishing our beverages and having a cigarette. I looked at her and she seemed to be studying me, rather intently. I finally said,

"Well, say SOMETHING, Bobbie! I mean, I know you aren't going to laugh at me but just sitting there, staring at me, you're making me more nervous than I have been all day!"

Finally, Bobbie, without saying a word, stood up and motioned to me to follow her. I did and when I saw where she was leading me, I almost panicked! She was headed for the ladies room! I balked and whispered,

"NO WAY, Bobbie! I CAN'T go in there!" I was getting a little bit angry at her now. "I don't know what you are up to, but I have had all I can take! I have reached my limit for this day and I am going to the car. If you wanna go in there, go right ahead! I don't have to go and I WON'T enter that place! If I got caught in there, we could BOTH be arrested!"

I turned on my heel and began to storm off to the parking lot but Bobbie caught my elbow and, in a loud whisper said, okay, okay. I just wanted to see how far you were willing to go with this and how serious you are about this woman stuff. Here are the keys for the car. Pay the bill on your way out and wait for me in the car, okay? I DO have to go!"

She gave me a reassuring smile and entered the ladies room. I gathered what was left of my wits and sanity and went up to the cash register. I paid the bill and whispered when I was asked how our lunch was. I unlocked the car door and got in, remembering to smooth my skirt under me and to sit down first, THEN swing my legs in. I closed the door, rolled down the window and lit another cigarette.

I was somewhat puzzled by Bobbie's actions but I knew that she would explain when she got out to the car so I just sat there, thinking and smoking. By the time Bobbie came out of the restaurant, I was almost finished with my cigarette and, as I put it out in the car's ashtray, she climbed into the car. She just sat there for a minute and then she turned to me and said,

"Okay, CATHY, your secret is safe with me. I have actually done some reading on this subject and I DO know the differences between TG/TV/CD/etc. I just wanted to see if you were as sure of where YOU fit into all of that as you seem to be. You seem at home and more or less relaxed, dressed the way you are and your mannerisms, while not perfect, are adequate. So, you must have done this more than once."

I sat there, still unsure of what to think, and Bobbie continued, saying,

"Today was an eye opener for me, as I'm sure it was for you. It WAS a lot of fun and I appreciate you trusting me with all you have told me about yourself. I DO have to think more about this, though so how about I drop you off at your house and I can go home and cogitate."

"Okay, Bobbie." I replied. "I think _I_ need some time to myself as well. Listen, thanks a lot for doing this with me and for proving what I have always known about you. That you're a good friend and someone I can trust. You don't know how much it means to have been able to tell someone all about this "hobby" of mine."

She didn't say anything more until we were parked in the driveway of the house I shared with Barb, the other floorwalker. Then, Bobbie turned to me and took my hand, saying, yes, Cathy, I think I DO understand. A friend of mine, when I lived in New York City, had the same thing going on only he didn't have anyone to talk to about it and it finally drove him to try to do away with himself! I was called to the hospital and ended up talking to him most of that first night and for a lot of nights after that. He needed a friend, someone he could talk to about this, but he didn't think I could handle it. I wish he HAD known that I could handle it, but after that terrible night we talked a LOT, and when I moved away he was on his way to a happier life, with a woman I introduced him to, one who appreciated his 'differences'."

"I will be your friend through this and I won't tell George." George was her husband and my best friend. "That'll be up to you to do but I can tell you that I know how close the two of you are. You are more like brothers than best friends and I know that he will understand about this. You think about it and you can tell George about it in your own good time. The only other thing I WILL say is this. You and George have never had an argument in your whole lives. He trusts you and I know you trust him. Think about it and, in your own time, tell him."

"Okay, Bobbie." I replied, I'll do just that. But for now, I gotta get inside before any of the neighbors see me. Today has been stressful enough without my having to explain to them about this. Thanks for all the help and, Thanks, Bobbie for the ear. I know I talked it off but I really appreciate it. I'll call you and George soon, okay?"

"Okay, Cathy." She responded. I'll be talking to you soon then, right?"

"Right Bobbie. Take care."

She started the car and drove off, waving to me. I waved back and then realized that, with the car gone, I was in full view of whichever neighbor might be looking toward the house right now. I sprinted for the back door of the house and was halfway there when I realized, 'OH CRAP!!! I don't have my wallet! OR MY KEYS!!!!!' I had left them in the salon along with my male clothes! For a few seconds there I panicked. I ran through several scenarios in my mind, none of which were very appetizing and some of which involved getting the cooperation of one of my neighbors. That would have been VERY embarrassing and would have taken a LOT of talking. Talking I just didn't feel like having to do right now, if EVER.

I knew that Barb would be home after her shift at the store but that wouldn't be for another three hours. That wouldn't work either. Finally I remembered that, SOMETIMES, the basement door didn't lock properly. Muttering prayers and imprecations simultaneously I made my way to the basement door. I jiggled the latch but it didn't open. DAMN! I gave it a good shoulder block. It STILL didn't open! Finally, I drew back my leg and gave it the hardest kick I could, wearing those heels. It hurt but THE DOOR OPENED!!!

Thanking my lucky stars, I scurried through the door and closed it behind me, making sure it latched and locked properly this time. I paused, once safely inside and tried to get my breathing under some kind of control. Once I had accomplished that, I went up the stairs and entered the house proper. I was still shaky after what I considered an almost fatal close call and I grabbed my cigarettes and lighter and smoked a couple, one after another.

When I had calmed down enough that my hands stopped shaking, I went to the bathroom and began to climb out of all my feminine finery. I hung the clothes carefully on hangers and put the lingerie in the hamper. Then I began to draw a hot bath, planning to use it to simultaneously clean off the makeup and perfume scent, and to try to loosen my nerve tightened muscles. While the tub was filling, I wrapped a towel around my middle and hung the clothes in my closet.

The rest of the day was pretty much an anticlimax. I climbed out of the tub almost an hour after I had gotten into it, feeling much more relaxed and, unfortunately, looking like my old male self. I called the salon but there was no answer. I found out later that they had closed early that day because of a water problem which had caused some minor flooding in the salon.

By the time Barb got home, I was dressed in my normal clothing, watching television. Barb came into the house positively bubbling with enthusiasm! She told me that we had been so successful that it had taken the better part of two hours to total all of the merchandise that Bobbie and I had "shoplifted"! Then she dropped the bombshell on me.

Jim, the store manager was so impressed at what we had accomplished and so angry at the rest of the employees because they didn't see Bobbie and me doing what we had been doing, that he wanted me to reprise my role at meetings for the next three days! Three morning meetings and three meetings for the afternoon/evening employees! Three meetings because he wanted to make sure that he made his point to ALL of the people working at that store.

What he wanted to do was this. He was going to take a couple of pictures of me in my female guise and paste them onto a "wanted" poster kind of thing. They were very common between stores in the same chain and we got them all the time, warning us about possible shoplifting teams. Now, you might think that I was overjoyed about this. Well, I wasn't!

I mean, I was thrilled that I had been so successful in my plan but, at the same time, I was frightened, knowing that my makeup skills were nowhere NEAR what had been accomplished in the salon! There was NO way I would be able to do the job myself and be as convincing as I apparently had been.

I knew that, without help, I would never be able to fool anyone into thinking I was a real woman. Barb was no real help because she never wore any makeup beyond a little lipstick. I went into my room, totally convinced that there was no way for me to pull this off. What I didn't know, however, was that Barb knew what _I_ knew and, while I was sulking in my room, thinking that I was going to look like a fool to all the employees AND my boss, Barb was on the phone to Jim.

The following morning, Barb rousted me out of bed at 7 AM! I tried to say something intelligent but I'm sure it came out like, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT AT THIS UNGODLY HOUR!!!!!?????? Barb knew me, though so she paid no attention to my outburst. She knew that I am and have never been a 'morning' person.

So she just said, in a disgustingly pleasant voice, "come on, sleepyhead. Time to rise and shine. You've got a lot of work ahead of you today."

I grumbled back at her, "it doesn't matter HOW long I have to get ready, Barb! I will NEVER be able to even come close to what they did to me in the salon! It's no use. I'm just gonna look like some kind of drag queen at best!"

She just walked away from my door, saying,

"Well, why don't you get up, now that you're awake and we can talk about what we can do about this, okay?"

"Okay." I finally grumbled back at her. But I already KNOW that I can't do what the salon did!"

She didn't answer so I got up, shaved and had some breakfast. While we were eating, there was a knock on the front door. I looked at Barb but she looked back at me with a puzzled look on her face. I got up to see who it was. When I got to the door and opened it, I got the shock of my life. At the door was my boss, Jim, AND two of the women from the salon!!! They had a bunch of cases with them and were looking at me expectantly. I just stood there with my mouth half open, trying to find some words and Jim finally said, "well, are you going to make us stand out here on the front porch all morning or are you going to invite us in?"

I tried, again, to say something intelligent, but once again, words failed me. I stood there, making faces as if I were saying something but no words were coming out. I stood back from the door and the three of them entered. Jim settled himself at the breakfast table while the two women went into the living room with Barb. Jim began to talk to me, saying, look, you did a GREAT job for us yesterday. You and your friend managed to 'shoplift' almost 10,000 dollars worth of merchandise, right out from under the noses of people you work with every day! You proved your point and you made me realize that our employees really DO need to be more observant! You've got your bonus, plus the rest of what I promised you."

"Now," he continued, if you will do the rest of what I am sure Barb told you I have planned, I'll sweeten the pot. If you'll do all 9 of the meetings for me, the way I want it to go, I will triple your bonus AND give you a week off with pay. Plus, I will recommend to the higher-ups in the chain that we really DO need those security cameras and extra mirrors that you have been bugging me about for the past year."

Well, I was absolutely floored! I couldn't believe my ears. My boss, with whom I had never really gotten along, was offering me almost one thousand dollars in bonus money, PLUS some things that would make the floorwalker's jobs easier and make us more effective. I couldn't say anything. I was just too shocked.

He must have thought I was trying to get more out of him because his next words were, okay, I'll throw one more thing into the pot. If at ANY time you think that you want to test the employees, I will give you carte blanche. You can take anything you need from the store and I will authorize funds to pay for whatever you need to successfully pull off another masquerade, but THAT'S it! I can't do any more than that."

I started to answer, realizing that I had my dreams within my grasp. Just think about this for a second. My boss was not only virtually giving me permission to appear at the store, fully 'dressed', but he was also offering to PAY me to do it! I WANTED to say, "You have a DEAL" in the most joyous tone of voice I could muster but I knew that I didn't want to appear TOO anxious about this or he would suspect something other than my expressed interest in improving store security. I stopped myself from hugging him and, instead, I sat there, pretending to be unsure of whether I wanted to subject myself to the 'humiliation' of wearing dresses etc. to work.

I again, started to speak, having settled myself down to mere jubilation, but Jim stopped me, saying, "the women from the salon are here to do your makeup, again, and they will be for the next three mornings, at MY expense, not the store's. I know it had to be stressful for you yesterday and, if you will do this for the store, I will give you the next three days off, except for the time you spend at the store in your disguise."

Well, THAT decided me. I jumped at the opportunity that he was offering me! Tell me YOU wouldn't. Go ahead, try to convince me.

Anyway, the women from the salon, did their thing, once again making me look like I had the previous day. When they left, we made all the arrangements for them to come back the following two mornings and, also, for me to stop in at the salon for any "touch-up" work I might need over the next three days. You KNOW that I was walking on those clouds again as Barb and I left the house, headed for the store. The plan was for Barb and me to get to the store before any of the other employees arrived to start the day. I would be hidden behind the closed doors of the security office in the front of the store.

Jim would call an employee meeting at the front of the store and, when everyone was there, he would pass out the 'wanted' poster of me and ask them if they had seen anyone who looked like the picture, in the store the previous day. If they indicated that they hadn't seen me, then Jim would have Barb bring me out in handcuffs and stand with me behind several tables which contained all the merchandise that Bobbie and I had 'stolen'.

The tables were covered with sheets and the merchandise couldn't be seen until the sheets were removed. Barb and I arrived at the store in plenty of time, and Jim unlocked the front doors for us. We entered and began implementation of the 'plan' I sat in the front office, being nervous and smoking cigarette after cigarette. When the meeting was called and everyone had gathered at the front of the store, I listened while Jim talked to the employees about increasing their alertness and asking whether they had seen the person on the wanted poster.

They all indicated that they hadn't seen anyone that looked like the picture so Jim told them that not only had that person been in the store the previous day, but 'she' and an accomplice had stolen over 10,000 dollars worth of merchandise. He then told them that person had made a return trip to the store later the same evening and tried to do it again but was caught by Barb. Then he told Barb to 'bring her out' and Barb entered the office, put the cuffs on me and led me out, positioning me behind the tables.

Jim, paused for effect and then whipped the sheets off the tables loaded with merchandise. I could hear the gasps from all of the employees as their eyes took in the assortment of merchandise displayed on those tables and I heard a lot of way to goes" directed at Barb for "catching" me. Jim allowed all of them plenty of time to examine the merchandise and to get a good look at me. I just stood there, a look of boredom plastered on my face, trying not to meet any of their eyes. I prayed none of them would tumble to who I really was and none of them did.

Jim then asked them if they recognized me and they all said, "no". He looked at me and I slowly reached up with my cuffed hands and took off the wig! Then, in my normal voice, I told them all what Jim and Barb and I had done. I explained why we had done what we did and pleaded with them to be more alert in the future. This could have been an actual theft and they would have felt really bad when Jim would have had to ream them AND the floorwalkers out for allowing such a large theft to take place.

Now, I had thought that they might be angry with me for fooling them but the majority of the remarks I heard were very positive and more than a few were totally amazed that I had pulled this whole thing off. Jim then took over again and warned them all that what had happened at this meeting was TOP SECRET! If he found out that any of them had talked to any other employees about it before they had attended a like meeting, they would be fired! He wanted EVERY employee to have the same surprise and shock that they'd had. Then Jim dismissed the meeting and told everyone to get ready to open the store. Barb took the handcuffs off my wrists and we went back into the office. I was a nervous wreck and I just sat there for a few minutes, smoking one cigarette after another, trying to calm myself down.

Jim came in and was VERY enthusiastic about how the meeting had gone and told me that other than a meeting at noon, and one at 5 PM, the rest of the day was mine to do what I wanted. It occurred to me, right then that this meant that I would have to spend the next three days, either completely dressed as a woman or go through the hassle of re-doing everything three times a day! Tough choice, right? Well, I sat there for a few minutes and made my decision. This was a chance for me to REALLY find out how the "other side" lived and I jumped at it.

For the rest of that day and for the next two days, I just stayed "dressed". I visited the salon before each of the afternoon meetings for touch-ups and got up at 7 AM each morning to be made over by the women from the salon. Of course, I couldn't wear the same clothes three days in a row and I convinced Jim of that fact. He agreed to let me choose several outfits from the store and added them to my bonus! If I hadn't thought that it would freak Jim out, I would've kissed him!

So I spent three days, completely en femme and loved every minute of it. It took about two days after my last "public" appearance for the thrill to wear off, not to mention the perfume, and it was the experience of my life. I know that some of you out there will doubt my story but if you ever have the chance to check the records of arrests made in that store in the 6 month period following my masquerade, you will find that they were up by almost 75 percent.

Oh, by the way, I DID get my clothes and wallet and other things back from the salon!

THE END

My thanks go to Kim EM and Sephrena Miller for editing and checking over my shoulder, as it were!

A reboot of THE HOME THAT LOVE BUILT universe.

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

General Audience (pg)

Publication:

Fiction

Genre:

Character Age:

TG Universes & Series:

The Home that Love Built by Catherine Linda Michel

TG Themes:

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

I am reposting this original post from 2009. It did okay the first time and I got some really good stories which added to it in great ways... but I've always felt so much more could be done and written, so I'm re-opening

THE HOME THAT LOVE BUILT universe.

If you have a story you think will fit, please, please PLEASE consider writing it and submitting it for inclusion as I re-open this universe. The rules are simple yet they are crucial to maintaining the "reality" of this haven. Since it's original posting, there have been many, many new authors added to the illustrious ranks of the Top Shelf and I really hope for and want their additions. All the stories need to go through me before posting to make certain details remain constant and fit in with what I originally wrote and others added to the universe.

You will, obviously, need to read the stories already written to get a good solid idea of what exists, what might be needed and welcomed from you new authors. Please help me make this Home real, albeit fiction. Who knows...one of us might someday be in a position to really make it real and they might use some or all of the stories/ideas presented in print for a REAL HOME THAT LOVE BUILT. If you're interested, email me or message me at Top Shelf and I can give you names of key members already present.

All writing was and will be completely credited to the writers of any stories within the universe and will remain their intellectual properties. This whole universe is my fondest, most wished for “dream” that I have discussed with others and if I can't build it for real, I CAN help build it in fiction. Thank you in advance for considering adding your talents to those already written.

THE HOME THAT LOVE BUILT

A new universe from Catherine Linda Michel and many talented writers.

Consider this an introduction to my dream of a place where abused, impoverished, cast out T-girls could go to and be respected, helped, and loved. It's been my dream for many years of such a place, and I thought I'd write about it.

I will set the scene...the place, and it's purposes. I'll supply the initial players...the staff as it were. YOU supply the stories. Tell of how you'd feel about finding out there was such a place...what you'd do to get there...why you'd need such a place...what you might be able do to help out with such a place, once you got there.

You can use pure fiction, or your own experiences, or a mix of the two, to tell your story. My purpose is to supply, in fiction, a place I'd dearly love to build, in real life, but I'd like YOU, the readers, to fill the empty house and make it a true home.

Chapter: One.

It was just an old, rundown motel. Crumbling due to disuse and neglect, it sat sadly, as the border for a large parking lot full of potholes. It must have been quite a place in it's heyday, but now, after ten years closed, it was just another city demolition project. Well, it was until I saw it anyway.

Me? Oh, sorry. Let me introduce myself. I'm Cathilynn Michel. Yeah, that's right. THE Cathilynn Michel who won the 1 billion, 600 million dollar, record breaking jackpot, lottery drawing. Oh, you must have heard all about it. It was all over the news about the Transsexual who won the lottery, and how some people were all up in arms about it?

Well, anyway. After all the furor died down, and after I had made certain my family and friends were taken care of financially, I began working with a contractor friend who knew my dream, and had the skills and talents to find, renovate and build it. He had located this old motel, just off the main road and almost overgrown with various kinds of flora. When he first showed it to me, I looked at him like he was crazy, but he told me of it's history, and how well it was originally built. He said he could rebuild it to suit my needs. The cost? You don't wanna know...trust me.

Well, I had it appraised, I put in a bid, and I waited. For three long months, I waited! Finally I got a notice from the city asking me to appear in front of them with a business plan and proof of my ability to renovate the old dump...er, I mean, motel. I had anticipated this and had everything ready for them to look at. My costs, the available money, my business aims, community impact...That was a tough one. How would the community react to what I had in mind? A home for unwanted, abused T-girls?

Well, it was touch and go for a week or so, but the simple fact that I was underwriting the whole cost of everything seemed to make the difference and, finally, they granted all my permit requests, and it was off to the races! For weeks, heavy equipment tore up some parts of the old place, dug around some other parts, and generally made a mess, but soon, out of that mess, some order began to show itself.

Gradually, my vision began to take shape. 90 rooms, each bigger than a standard motel room, more like efficiency apartments, began to take shape.
The pool area, a singularly disgusting mess when we started, was dug out, expanded, and rebuilt, with warming pools around it, and a jacuzzi at each corner of the almost Olympic sized pool. Changing rooms with showers were built onto what used to be a dining room of some sort, and laundry facilities were added in to the whole scheme of a water based level. A retractable roof covered part of the pool area so natural sunlight could be let in.

I had wanted this for so long. A safe place for misused T-girls to come to and be safe, and respected, and loved. A place where they could continue their educations or learn trades. A place where they could take classes in all things female and feminine. A place where they could be safe. I had talked to other girls, friends of mine from my online excursions and writing, who had the same idea, but didn't have the means to make it real. Finally, I had those means, and I meant to make them count!

I had invested a quarter of the original winnings, once family and friends were taken care of, in safe, long term yield, stocks and bonds. I had set up a 20 year annuity with another quarter share. There was a set amount to be used in furnishings and other necessities, with a big chunk of money being readied for transportation costs, and other things like clothing and food.
Part of what I hoped to be able to do with this place was draw some of the girls who had talents, to help the ones we'd be rescuing. I also wanted to offer the girls training in whatever they wanted to study, via scholarships, which they would repay after graduating and finding jobs. Oh I know I was dreaming big, but what's the point of dreaming small?

After ten long months, the place was nearing completion. All the wiring, plumbing and all that stuff, was done to and mostly above code. The entire complex was fitted with sprinkler systems and fire escapes, and everything was tested and retested. I had wireless, high speed internet installed in the whole place, with safeguards to prevent outside snooping, and a state of the art security/surveillance system. Each apartment had it's own heat and air conditioning controls, as well as kitchenettes and bath facilities, and of course, there were main controls for the general areas.

I sat in my car, as the last workman finished his work on the new sign. THE HOME THAT LOVE BUILT, it would proclaim, in soft, pastel neon colors, when it was lit. My dream, my vision, my hope for the future of so many girls, finally real and ready to open. I cried softly while sitting there, envisioning the lives that would be changed, made better, I hoped, as they passed through this place. All the times my friends and I had talked about a place like this online, never really believing that one day, it would be real.

Oh sure, there were still the issues of staffing, rescue squads to be set up, transportation costs to be allowed for, and many other final details, but the base was now here, ready to begin it's mission. I had already contacted some of the ones who shared this dream with me. Hopefully they would throw in their lot with me and be my partners...equal partners.

So I sat there, crying for a bit, then dried my tears of joy, put my car in drive and drove into my parking spot. I used my new remote control to turn on the outside lights and light the new sign. I got out of the car, locked it up and entered my own little apartment, stopping before I went in and facing the sunset.
“It's ready, girls. Very soon the word will go out and I hope you will come to us for whatever help we can give you. Here, there will be respect, love, and help. No longer reviled, humiliated or beaten. Welcome, all of you...welcome.” I turned and went inside, to start the ball rolling.
I had phone calls to make and people to contact. The sun might be setting outside, but in my heart, the sun was rising on a bright future, filled with hope.

THE RULES.

NO SUPERHEROES

NO MAGIC.

NO SUPER SCIENCE.

NO FORCED PARTICIPATION OF RESIDENTS BY ANYONE! IN OTHER WORDS, NO FEMDOM.

What I need from anyone who wants to write in this universe is truth, reality or as close as fiction can get. Write your story as if it were YOU coming to this wonderful place. Use your real life story, or make one up, but I want real feelings, real hopes. Some of you will, no doubt want staff positions. They are available, although most of the everyday staffing will be filled by the residents of the home to help them pay for their stays, although NO one will be turned away for lack of means to pay. We will have to, of course, be somewhat selective since there are but 90 rooms to fill. Double occupancy of each apartment might be a possibility, if it proves necessary. The most needy, the ones most in danger, the most deserving will be given first shot at residency. Also, depending on the response to the writers stories, more rooms can be built on to add to the existing 90.

Custodial, culinary, security (I hope, although there probably should be a full staff member at the head of that), swim and exercise instructors, drivers, therapists, anyone with a health care background, day and night managers, all those and more. No doubt as time goes by, more positions will be suggested by you. not all staff need to be Trans. If you have a character who is friendly or in favor of Trans people, they would be welcome, but no 'tranny chasers."

Please understand, I WANT your input! I WANT your stories! I want you to get personally involved in something that, if it can't be done for real, at least we can do it virtually. Maybe, someday, when one of us DOES win a big lottery, they will use these stories as a sort of pattern to help set up a real place of love.

More will follow as it comes in, or as I think of it. For now, please submit all your stories to me FIRST, before posting them, so I can try to maintain timelines and continuity. You may email them to me at cathy_t_ 99 at Yahoo dot com for now. Later on I will try to set up a separate email address that will be strictly for stories written in this universe.

One final thing. I cannot do pdf. No matter what I do it just comes out looking like gibberish to me. Bear that in mind if you want to contribute a story? Thank you.

WELCOME, EVERYONE. Help me make this something wonderful, and full of love.

Huggles 'n love,

Catherine Linda Michel

P.S. I consider SARA'S STORY by myself, to be the best inkling to Cathilynns psyche...why she feels as she does and what she will go through to see that ALL the residents of The Home get what they need and want. I think it's the best story I've ever written but I will forewarn you...it's a tear jerker and very intense. If you dream of a place like this like I do, please consider writing a story for it.

Angels with Smudged Wings

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

500 < Short Story < 7500 words

Genre:

Character Age:

Mature / Thirty+

Permission:

Migrated from Classic BigCloset.

"This office, or rather this branch of Heaven, was designed as a way for folks like me to earn our wings, as it were. It’s a way for us to earn our way into Heaven proper."

Angels with Smudged Wings

By Catherine Linda Michel

Another assignment. I sighed as I took one final sip of the ambrosia and, setting the glass on the bar, I turned to leave the lounge. Seeing a friend, Mark as he entered the room, I paused to greet him, saying,

“How goes it Mark? You off today or do you have an assignment as well?”

“Nope, old pal”, he replied. “I’m off for the next two days. I did such a good job on my last job, they rewarded me with two full days off and a trip to the beach!”

“The Beach?” I responded with some surprise. “That’s usually reserved for the higher-ups, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but they said I did SO well on that last job that they were giving me a ‘special dispensation’ and allowing me to have FULL use of the Beach. Cool, huh? I can hardly wait to get there, I can tell you! Just think, while you are down there on the Earth working, I’ll be lazing on that beautiful white sand, checking out the babes instead of BEING checked out, for a change.”

“You lucky son of a bitch.” I retorted. “I’ve been trying to get a weekend there for AGES, it seems, but I always manage to fall just short of qualifying for it. Well, have fun you old bastard. Try not to have TOO much fun, okay? Don’t forget, come Monday morning it’s back into heels and skirts you know.”

“Argh!.” He groaned. “You just had to remind me, didn’t you? I get a whole weekend out of that crap and you go and throw a monkey into the wrench (Mark is famous for his mixed up metaphors). Thanks a LOT, old pal! I’ll remember that when YOU get a shot at the Beach!”

“Hey, what are friends for, Mark?” I replied and I grinned at him. “Seriously Mark, nice job on that last one. You really did go the extra mile on that job.”

“Thanks, Jerry. Well, I hadda show that guy that just because he liked the finer, softer things in life, like silk stockings and lace, that didn’t mean he was any less a person and certainly not a candidate for suicide. You know, it’s funny. When I first got posted here I had a completely different idea of what heaven was like.”

“Tell me about it, Mark! I figured I was headed for the ‘other place’, if you get my meaning. Then I get here and they tell me that I can’t qualify for full ‘membership’ until I complete a ‘few little tasks to prove my worthiness’. HAH! A few little tasks! This has GOT to have been the most trying time in my whole life, or maybe I should say, my afterlife.”

Just as I said that, a buzzer sounded, followed by a voice saying,

“Probie Jerry. Report to the interim office immediately. Your next assignment is waiting.”

“Well Mark, there’s my ‘master’s voice’ I gotta head out. You have a great time this weekend and don’t get used to that male body. Come Monday it’s back to boobs, butts and makeup.” I just had to get in one last shot at him.

“Don’t I know it, Jerry? I’m gonna take full advantage of the next two days though, you can bet on that! I’ll worry about Monday, on Monday. Til then, it’s bare chest and something swinging between my legs, and don’t you think for a minute that I won’t take advantage of THAT little fact either. Have a good time on your new assignment, my friend. Got any idea what it is yet?”

“Nope.” I replied. I’m sure that they’ll tell me all about it when I get to the office and I’d better scram. See ya!” and with that, I left the lounge, headed for the office.

On my way there, I mused on the circumstances that had led me here, to what was called, “The Interim Office Of Intervention And Prevention.” This office, or rather this branch of Heaven, was designed as a way for folks like me to earn our wings, as it were. It’s a way for us to earn our way into Heaven proper.

~

See, I was a closeted Crossdresser in life. I’d always been ashamed by my desires to experience my feminine side and had never let it go beyond the doors of my home. I’d lost two wives because of what I considered my ‘perversion’ and had never gotten any help in dealing with it, being too ashamed of it to admit it. Fortunately for me, my ex-wives hadn’t been vindictive about it and had settled for getting out of the marriage with just alimony, instead of ‘outing’ me to friends and co-workers.

I had let my disgust with what I thought I was, build and build until, one rainy day, I killed myself with a combination of pills. I knew that suicide was wrong, but I couldn’t live with being a pervert anymore. Had I known then what I know now, I never would have done it, but hindsight is always 20/20 isn’t it?

Anyway, I experienced all those things that the ‘life after death’ or ‘near death experience’ folks talk about: the long tunnel and the bright white light at the end and all of that. I remember seeing my body laying on the floor of my bedroom and the feeling of weightlessness as I floated above it, watching the paramedics try to bring me back to life, without success.

Then, I simply floated upwards until I found myself in, of all things, a waiting room of some sort! I was sitting there in my jockey shorts(since that’s what I slept in) and feeling more than a little bit embarrassed by being in such a public appearing place in nothing but my tighty whities. No one else seemed to be a bit put off by it though.

There were at least 5 others sitting there with me, all in more or less the same things except for one guy who was completely dressed as a female. We all kind of looked at one another and then looked away. I guess they were as embarrassed as I was, all except for the guy in the dress.

Looking back on it, I could see that, while he seemed a little unsure, he didn’t seem to be as embarrassed by his attire as I was by mine. In truth, he looked quite good, with makeup tastefully applied and not looking tarty or overdone at all. I remember thinking that if I had been able to look as good as he did, I wouldn’t have been as hesitant about going out in public dressed that way, as I had been.

So, there we all sat, waiting for who knows what. At periodic intervals a voice would come, seemingly from mid-air, calling out a name and one of us would get up and walk to a door, and leaving the room. I tried to get up and leave the room, but something kept me in my seat until, finally, my name was called. I rose, crossed the room and opened that door, closing it behind me.

I found myself in a comfortable office, with a pleasant looking woman who was seated behind a desk. Imagine my surprise when she rose from behind that desk and greeted me in a husky baritone voice,

“Well, welcome Mr. Jennings. My name is Jeremy and I’m here to offer you an opportunity. If you take it, you’ll be able to earn your way into Heaven. If you turn it down, well I’m afraid that you’ll have to leave us and take a rather lower destination, if you get my drift.”

Now, I hadn’t been a BAD sort of guy in my life. I hadn’t been religious or anything like it, but I hadn’t put down or made fun of those who were. Yes, I had taken some shortcuts in my working life, maybe stepping on a few people here and there on my way up the ladder, but it had just seemed the way to do things if you know what I mean. So, I guessed that, since I HAD done some things that could be considered as bad, and I HAD been a Crossdresser, that this was an alternative to going straight to ‘the other place’.

“You’re absolutely right, Jerry,” said the woman in her deep, male voice. Apparently she could read my mind as well. “This is where you will hopefully learn that crossdressing and many of the other so called ‘perversions’ are NOT bad things. You know, of course, that God is not an avenging terror as some would have you believe, right?”

“Well,” I replied, gulping a bit, “I’d never really thought about it, quite honestly. It wasn’t a part of my daily thinking and I guess if I thought about it at all, I’d have to say I was really one of those people who couldn’t quite grasp the idea of an all knowing, all seeing deity. I figured that what you did was your own free choice and the end of one’s life was, well, the end.” I looked up at her, (or was it him?) hoping I wasn’t saying anything that would end this confrontation badly for me.

She(he?) was smiling however, nodding occasionally and letting me have my say. When I ran down, or out of words anyway, she took my hand and led me to a comfortable looking chair opposite from her desk. Seating me there, she retreated behind the desk and sat down, never taking her eyes off me.

“Jerry.” She said. You don’t mind if I call you Jerry, do you? Good. Now Jerry, the reason you’re here is that, although you HAVE done a few bad things in your life, you never really caused any harm to anyone. The people you ‘stepped on’ as you put it, were not injured in any way by you moving past them on the ladder of success. In fact, you probably would have earned a spot in Heaven regardless of those few ‘indiscretions’ if not for your attitude toward your crossdressing and your eventual suicide.”

She paused to offer me something to drink and I asked for a Pepsiâ„¢, if one was available. She got me one along with a glass with ice in it and then continued.

“Now, this opportunity we are prepared to offer you is designed to accomplish several things. Number one, it’s offered to give you a better view on crossdressing and other things normally referred to as ‘perversions,’ such as Transexualism. If you can perform some ‘tasks’ for us, and help to keep some others from ending up as you did, you’ll earn your ‘wings’ as it were, and your way into Heaven proper. This is merely a ‘waystation, a stopping off place where, if you perform well and learn from this experience, you’ll be able to become a real Angel, and enjoy all that the title infers. If you don’t learn from this, or if you fail to perform up to our expectations, well…….I don’t think I need to tell you what awaits, do I?”

I sat there thinking very hard. Could I have been wrong in what I felt about being a crossdresser? Were all the things I’d heard and believed about people like me, and those who actually CHANGE their sex, have been wrong? Was this person talking to me a man or a woman? Did it matter? I was here, of that I was certain. This wasn’t some illusion or nightmare caused by my overdose of pills. I decided right then that it was to my best interests to take this proposition and worry about what it entailed later. The alternative was too frightening to contemplate, quite frankly.

“Yes it is, Jerry.” The woman said, reading my mind yet again. “ Quite frankly Jerry, this program is relatively new and untried. We’ve been forced to pass more than a few through here, on their way down, who didn’t deserve to go to that ‘other place’, but there seemed to be no alternative for us, as painful as it was for us. We hate to lose a good recruit you know, but there seemed to be no alternative…..until recently, that is.”

She got up from behind the desk and came around to perch on the front of it, looking at me very intently.

“Jerry. There HAVE been those who, for whatever reason DID deserve to go ‘down there.’ NOT because of what they were so much, as what they did along the way to understanding what they were. Those who descended to depths of depravity, torturing others or taking advantage of them, well, there was no saving them, I’m afraid. By taking the roads they chose, they sealed their final fates. Unfortunately, along with those who DID deserve their fates, many who DIDN’T deserve it were lost as well. So we came up with an idea. I’m sure it’ll be difficult for you to understand at first, although I hope you’ll come to understand later, the reasons for what you’ll be required to do.”

She began to pace back and forth in front of her desk, never taking her eyes from me.

“What we want you to do Jerry, what we NEED you to do, you and some others, is to go back to Earth, as our representatives and mentor those who are in the same straits as you were. We’ll identify those who are ready to take their own lives through frustration or shame, simply because they consider themselves ‘perverted’ or worthless because they don’t measure up to what society expects from them as men or women. We’ll send you to them to become their friends, their ‘guardian angels’ as it were. Your job will be to convince them to accept themselves for what they are and to make them understand that God doesn’t hate them for what they are.”

She stopped at that point and fixed me with a discerning stare.

“We don’t know if this is going to be successful or not, Jerry. We hope it will be. Every soul is special and every soul deserves every chance to have peace and understanding, and the chance to go where you will hopefully go when you’ve finished this task. We hope that you and the others who will follow you will be able to lead these poor tortured souls to an understanding and acceptance of their situations. We NEED you to do this Jerry, not only for yourself, but also for all those you might be able to save by being an example to them. Do you think you can do this? Do you want this chance, or do you want to simply give up on yourself the way you did down there? The choice is yours, Jerry. You decide, but you have to do it now. There is no leaving this room without making a choice.”

I sat there, astounded at what was being asked of me. I knew I didn’t want to go ‘down there’, but could I do for others what I wasn’t able to do for myself? Could I convince people who suffered from what’s called ‘gender dysphoria’ that they WEREN’T sick or perverted? Could I prevent others from taking the ‘easy way out’ as I had done? I knew one thing for sure though. I didn’t want to go to that ‘other place’ without a fight. If I ended up there it wasn’t going to be because I didn’t try my darndest to avoid it. Maybe my motives weren’t above reproach right then, but I knew I was going to try to do what they were asking of me.

“YES!” I almost screamed. “I’ll do it. I don’t know how successful I’m going to be at it, but if I fail it won’t be for a lack of trying. I mean, I don’t even understand why I was the way I was, but maybe by trying to help others, I’ll come to understand why I was that way and, if I can help others along the way, then I’ve GOT to try it, so yes, you have yourselves a recruit.”

“Good!” She shouted back at me. “That’s the answer I’d hoped you’d come up with. It won’t be easy Jerry. I won’t kid you about that. It’s going to be a long, hard row to hoe, but it’s a job that needs to be done and I have the feeling that you are going to be good at it. Thank you, Jerry. Thank you very much.”

She came over to me, pulled me up out of that chair and hugged me. Now that was a little bit unsettling for me as I STILL wasn’t certain of whether she was a she or a he, but I told myself that, if I was going to embrace this job fully, it shouldn’t matter what her outward appearance was, so I relaxed into the hug, even returning it a bit, and she whispered in my ear,

“That was the first step Jerry. If you’d refused my hug, or held back, you would have failed before you even started. I’m so glad you reacted the way you did. By the way, I am a female. I chose this voice to test applicants. You passed. Welcome to the corp. Your training will begin immediately. When you leave here there will be someone waiting for you. Go with them and trust them.”

She released me from the hug and stepped back, motioning to a door I hadn’t seen before. I was still a bit embarrassed by being in nothing more than my BVDsâ„¢, but it hadn’t seemed to make a difference to her, or to anyone else I’d seen so far, for that matter, so I walked to the door and opened it, closing it behind me.

~

Waiting outside that door was a good looking young woman who motioned for me to follow her. So I did. She led me down a confusing series of hallways to another door where she indicated to me that I should wait outside. She entered and, in a few minutes, she motioned me to come inside.

As I entered the room, I noted that was pretty much featureless. I looked at her and started to ask about that, but she motioned me to silence and turned to face one of the walls. In a pleasant voice she then began to speak.

“I have a new recruit, ready for orientation and uniforms. You wanna quit screwing around and help him or do I have to go to Beth and tell her you’re not co-operating again?”

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, as if I was watching David Copperfield or some other stage magician, a roomful of furniture began to shimmer into existence around us. Again I started to say something, but the woman motioned me to silence yet again. I held back my exclamation of wonder and remained silent.

Finally the room coalesced into what appeared to be the supply room of any military base you’d care to name. A wizened old man appeared along with the furnishings and he gave the woman a look of exasperation.

“You just don’t understand what it is to have a little fun with these newbies, Marci! This job is pretty darned dull and if I want to give them a little hazing, well who are you to say I can’t?”

Marci looked at me as if to say, what are ya gonna do with people like this and then she said, to the old man,

“Look, Zeb. I don’t like this part of things any more than you do, but we got a job to do here and your little tricks sometimes put new recruits off. Why don’tcha just do what you gotta do and leave the hazing for AFTER they settle in a little bit? Now, can we get Jerry here some stuff and get ON with it? Or do we gotta go through your little charade games again? Jeeze! If you keep this up, Beth’ll have BOTH our butts in a sling! You WANT that, or what?”

She stood there, tapping one high-heeled toe and waiting. Zeb finally said,

“Okay! Okay!! Darn it, woman, you just ain’t got a funny bone in your whole body. Sheesh! Um look, Marci? Don’t tell Beth, okay? We’ll just let this be our little secret, okay?”

Then he turned to me and said,

“Okay, newbie Jerry, what’s yer sizes?”

“My sizes? What do you mean?”

“I mean yer SIZES newbie! Geeze! Didn’t they tell ya nothin? Criminey sakes!”

He moved from behind a counter that had appeared somewhere in there when I wasn’t looking and produced a tape measure from his pocket.

“Now hold still, newbie Jerry. This ain’t gonna hurt, no matter how it looks.”

He began measuring me and the darndest thing happened! When he measured my chest, BREASTS grew there! He moved to my waist and it thinned, becoming MUCH smaller! The same thing happened when he measured my hips and along my inseam! Things CHANGED, becoming more feminine appearing as he went. By the time he was done, the only thing about me that hadn’t changed was my face and the hair on my head!

My hands, arms, legs, feet and everything else, changed as he measured and I was getting more than a little bit concerned, but Marci just stood there as if nothing unusual was going on, so I kept quiet and hoped that there’d be some kind of explanation forthcoming.

Somewhere in there, my jockeyâ„¢ shorts fell off my much smaller waist, momentarily handing up on my wider hips, but then they hit the ground and I stood there, in front of two strangers, completely naked and looking, for all the world, like a woman with short hair and a masculine face!

Marci finally spoke up, saying,

“Are you gonna tell him, or do I have to……again?”

Zeb breathed out a long suffering sounding sigh and said,

“Okay Marci. I’ll tell him. I don’t get to have ANY fun in this job at all. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother DOING it at all! Okay, recruit Jerry, listen up. Don’t bother yourself about the changes you see happening here. They’re only temporary for the purposes of getting you fitted with your uniforms and casual clothing, all of which will be supplied by me. When you finish your indoctrination, you’ll understand more, but for now, just relax.”

Well, his explanation didn’t comfort me much, but I figured I’d wait until later to ask Marci or someone else about it. I did want clarification on one point though, so I asked Zeb,

“Um…how long, exactly, is ‘temporary?’

“Well, it depends on a lot of things, but I’d say, oohh, not more than thirty years. Like I said, temporary. ‘Course, things might change depending on your assignments, but your normal measurements will always be roughly what they are right now. At least until you finish your job and move on.”

I guess I must have fainted at that point, because the next thing I remember is Zeb and Marci gently slapping my face as I lay on the floor.

“Zeb!” Said Marci. “You always carry things too darned far! I wish just once YOU’D find yourself in the situation that these recruits find themselves in! If this gets back to Beth, there’ll be ‘you know what’ to pay! Now help me get Jerry to his feet and let’s get this over with!”

Grumbling about not getting to have ANY fun again, Zeb complied and they managed to get me to a standing position again. I stood there, wavering somewhat, not really steady on my new, smaller, narrower feet and trying to adjust my balance wasn’t easy, but, supported and helped by Marci and Zeb, I finally managed it. I had about a million questions that I wanted to get answers to, but I didn’t trust my voice just then. I just stood there, trying to come to grips with the changes.

“Jerry? Jerry?” Marci was calling my name, but it didn’t register with me right away.

Finally she yelled in my ear,

“JERRY! SNAP OUT OF IT!”

Oh, I came to, all right. I came to, shaking and shivering and looking for the door OUT of here! I tried to break away from Marci and Zeb, but they were a lot stronger than they looked and I was unable to get free from their grips. Marci was talking to me and so was Zeb, but I don’t remember what they were saying. I only had one thought in my head and that was, “GET OUTTA HERE!”

Well, eventually, Marci and Zeb were able to calm me down and seated in a chair that appeared out of nowhere like everything else in this room had. I sat there, naked and FEMALE, for all intents and purposes, with my mind refusing to accept delivery on what my body was trying to tell it.

I remember saying something like,

“What? Where? Whaaaa? How? But I…? You…!” But it might have been much more incoherent than that!

Marci finally got through to me, saying,

“Look, Jerry. Don’t let this worry you. I know that sounds like a lot to ask of you right now, and I don’t blame you for being upset about all this, but just relax if you can. This will all be explained to you very shortly. Trust me, no one here means you any harm and this is all necessary so you can begin working on your task. Just keep that thought uppermost in your mind and all will be well, okay?”

Well, just then I didn’t FEEL like everything was going to be okay, but when I thought about for a few moments, I realized, remembered actually, where I was and what I was supposed to getting ready to do, and I calmed down a bit.

“Okay, Marci.” I managed to get out. “I’ll try. You know, this whole thing MIGHT have been a little easier to accept if someone had told me what was gonna happen! In case you’ve forgotten, this is all new to me, not to mention being just downright weird! Do you have ANY idea of just how I feel right now?”

“Actually Jerry, I DO know how you feel right now. You see, I’ve been through this very same process myself, and not that long ago. So just trust me when I tell you that this is all necessary and will be explained in its own time. I can’t say more than that.”

Well, I did calm down some and I got a bunch of clothing. Oh yeah, the uniform? Believe it or not, it consisted of heels, pantyhose, a micro-miniskirt, a tube top and a bra and thong set! Oh, and WINGS for crying out loud! WINGS! Not white wings, mind you, but slightly off white. Kind of a real pale gray actually, and seemingly grafted right onto my back at that! Sigh.

~

Well, from ‘costuming’ we went to a couple of other rooms where I got makeup and a lot of other things. They changed my face to make it more female and, when I got the chance to look in a mirror, I gotta admit, I looked hot! I looked even better after they made my hair grow out and styled it. What with nails and perfume and all that, I was pretty darned tired, I can tell you.

I mean, in the course of a very short period of time, I had been changed from the guy I WAS, into a hot looking woman! Marci stayed right with me, calming me down after each step. The last stop took care of my voice, changing it into something I’d expect to hear on some phone sex 1-900 line. I was on the verge of freaking out at each stop and with each change, but Marci kept reassuring me that all was well and all would be explained. I took her at her word, but I was still pretty darned shook up!

We stopped to get something to eat and I was very apprehensive about going in where there were other people, but Marci told me that this was nothing unusual and that everyone where we were going to eat had been through or was going through the same things as I was, so in we went. I was pleasantly surprised when I was told that I could eat anything I wanted and it wouldn’t affect my figure. I was also surprised to find that anything I could want, food wise, was available. I settled on prime rib with French fries and a small salad. I really never cared for rabbit food(salad), but this one was really good!

While we ate, I heard bits and pieces of conversations from other tables where there were people who were, as Marci told me, going through the very same things as I was. There were some who looked like they were all the way done and some who looked to be halfway through the process, and that put me a little more at ease. What I could hear was pretty much what I had been asking. A lot of confusion, even a little griping about the changes, but their escorts seemed to be saying the same things to them, that Marci was saying to me.

When we finished, I asked Marci how much more of this I was going to have to go through and she said there were only two stops left. I didn’t ask what they were for. I figured, what could be worse than what I’d already gone through? Heh. I shoulda asked.

The first stop was a room with just a chair in it. That’s all, a chair. Marci told me to sit down and relax. Yeah. Relax. Well, I tried. I sat down. I heard a voice, but I couldn’t tell what it was saying. I really don’t remember much about that room at all, except that when I came out, I was moving on those heels like I’d been born in them. I didn’t find anything unusual about it either. As a matter of fact, I suddenly wasn’t finding anything at all odd about the way I now looked or the fact that I was moving and sounding like I’d been born a sexy woman.

Our last stop was another of those plain rooms with just a chair in it. I sat down and heard that voice again. When I came out of that room, I had a complete knowledge of what was done to me, why it was done, and how to change it! I could even change back into me, the GUY me, I remembered, or into ANY other human form I could imagine! The only thing was that the form I now wore had become my primary form. In other words, I could change all I wanted, but I’d always have to return to the form I now had, eventually. Marci said this was done to make me understand the feeling of being trapped in a body I never wanted.

“See?” Said Marci. “I told you everything would be explained to you. I couldn’t say more than I did, because, well, that’s just the way THEY want it to be. I think it’s sort of a test to see if you can adjust to all the changes before they give you the final explanation. Now, there’s only one thing left. You are going to have to go through one more ‘indoctrination’ as it were. I CAN tell you about this one though. What this one will do is give you a full knowledge of what it means to be Transgendered. There’s more to it than you could know, and you HAVE to understand in order to help those we’ll be sending you to help. It also deals with the various types of TG like Transvestites, Crossdressers, and all the other permutations. You’ll also be given the ability to emulate all types of TG behavior so you’ll be able to identify with those you’ll be helping. Hang in there, Jerri, it’s almost over.”

Again, the plain room. (I wondered why we had to keep switching rooms for the different stages, but who was I to question Heaven, right?) I sat down and I don’t remember much past that action. When I stood up again, I had full knowledge of what it meant to be Transgendered as well as all the other permutations. It was scary for me to realize how wrong I had been, my whole life. How completely wrong my thoughts and feelings had made me feel about being a Crossdresser and how senseless it had been to take my own life. I knew now that I could and would help anyone I was assigned to, if they’d let me help. Oh I knew it wasn’t gonna be easy, but I also knew that I’d have all the back-up that Heaven could provide.

Next time. My First mission.

Desert Misstake

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

500 < Short Story < 7500 words

Genre:

Character Age:

Mature / Thirty+

TG Themes:

Other Keywords:

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

This is a work based on one of the most famous movies of all time. Those who have seen the movie will, no doubt, recognize some of the names and situations described. For those who haven't seen the movie, the title is at the end of this story.
If you enjoy the story, please comment. If you hate the story, please comment. This is the first of what I hope will be a series of stories from me that are complete before posting. Remember, comment, comment, comment. Thank you, in advance. A special thanks goes out to Grover and Ariel, whose help made this a better read. Thanks you two. You're the best of the best.

Desert Misstake

By Catherine Linda Michel

The scene: A hot, smoky nightclub, somewhere in a foreign desert setting. The night is sultry, the air is thick with intrigue, and Rikki's cafe is packed with the usual suspects. We open, hearing Rikki saying:

“I don't care, Sam! I said play it! If I could hear it then, I can hear it now! Play it!”

“Okay Rikki. You're the boss. You've always been the boss, but don't blame me if it gets you all emotional like it always does.”

Rikki leaned over to whisper into Sam's ear, so no one else could her what she said.

“Thanks, Sam. I've always been able to count on you to look after me, and to keep my secrets. You're a real, true friend, and I trust you with my life.”

“Thanks, boss. The trust you've placed in me will never be betrayed, believe that. So, here goes. I hope you can deal with this like you always have. In all the years we've been together, I've never been able to figure out what it is about this song that brings those emotions to life in you. I hope someday, you'll tell me the story behind it.”

“I will, Sam. Someday I will. Oh, by the way. Is that 'thing' set up for tonite? I have information that, you know who, will be here tonight, and this will be the best chance for our friends to get at him. Say, about 11PM. He and his no good pals ought to be good and drunk by then.”

Sam smiled at his boss and said, “It's all set up, Rickk...i.”

It was comforting to Rikki, that at least one other person knew her real secret, and would guard it, even to his death. At least she didn't have to pretend with Sam.

Sam began to play and Rikki stood quietly, listening to the song that reminded her of days, and a life, gone by. After a moment she began to sway back and forth in time to the tune Sam was playing, her eyes closed and a dreamy expression on her lovely face.

“May I have this dance, Miss Rikki?” Came a voice in her ear.

“You certainly may not, Chief Inspector. You know I never dance with my customers.” She replied, without opening her eyes.

“What is it about this song that fascinates you so, Miss Rikki, if I may be so bold as to ask? It seems that every time you hear it, you seem to be transported into a different place. A much nicer place, judging from the look on your pretty face.”

“You may ask, Louis, but you won't get an answer. It's a private thing for me. A remembrance of a time long past...a better time and a better place, and better people.”

The song ended, with tears beginning to fall from Rikki's lovely eyes, but she quickly dried them before they could ruin her perfect makeup. She turned to the Chief Inspector.

“Care for a belt from the bar, Louis? I hear we have the best liquor in the whole of this forsaken desert.”

“Well, ordinarily I don't drink on the job, but...if you insist. Wait just one moment, won't you please?”

“Certainly, Chief Inspector. We can't have you caught drinking on the job, now can we? She replied, with a trace of sarcasm in her voice.

The Inspector went to the bar and asked for a telephone. Upon receiving a nod from Rikki, the bartender offered a phone to the Inspector. Louis dialed a number, waited a few seconds and then said, in an officious sounding voice,”

“This is Chief Inspector Dreyfus. I am officially off duty for the next...let's say half hour. Please see that I am not disturbed at Rikki's place!” He put the phone on it's cradle, ending the short conversation and turned to Rikki.

“There!” He announced with satisfaction. “We must observe the conventions, must we not, Miss Rikki?”

“Oh, but of course, Chief Inspector.” She answered with the same mock civility apparent in the Inspector's voice. The conventions must be observed. After all, one must cover one's...What's that?”

A commotion near the entrance to the lounge had caught Rikki's attention in the midst of her tete-a-tete with the Inspector. She looked in that direction and saw several men in uniform arguing with her Maitre D, Michelle. She moved quickly in that direction and, as she neared the argument, she recognized one of the men as the new Military Attache to the Fatherland, Colonel Gruber.

“Here now, here now, what's all this ruckus?” Rikki asked her Maitre D.

“These gentlemen demanded entrance and the best table in the house, Miss Rikki. I was trying to explain to them that the table in question is always reserved in case...well, in case you know who happens in.”

Yes Michelle, I am quite aware of for whom that table is reserved. After all, I am the one who reserved it, am I not?” Rikki said, with a half grin on her face. “Let me show these gentlemen to an alternate table. I'm certain I can find something suitable for them.”

Rikki looked at the uniformed, self important sounding men and gestured into the club.

“If you will but follow me, Colonel, I will personally see that you and your friends receive a table suited to your obvious importance, along with the first drinks being on the house.”

She turned to walk away, but was stopped by the Colonel's hand gripping her upper arm. He leaned near to her ear and whispered.

“Do not overestimate your own importance, Fraulein Rikki. You remain in business only by reason of your seeming ambivalence toward either cause in this conflict.” He released her arm and she turned to him, a forced smile, on her lips only.

“Oh I quite comprehend upon which side of the bread my butter rests, Herr Colonel, but please do not grab me so crassly and with such force? You know how easily I bruise, do you not?”

“Ah yes I do, Fraulein Rikki. How could I forget, seeing as how I was the one responsible for your present...condition?” The Colonel replied, a sneer barely evident in his tone. “I expect results soon, my dear Rikki. If none are forthcoming soon, I'm afraid that our 'other option' might become a necessity. Do you understand me, Rikki?”

Rikki's fixed smile almost became a rictus, but she managed to maintain her reserve and, with a nod to the Colonel, she began to lead the men to a large table which was capable of accommodating them all, comfortably.

“Here you are, gentlemen. She said, her smile wavering, but not totally disappearing from her lovely face. Please be seated. Your complimentary drinks will be here shortly. Is there anything else I can do for you? And with that statement, she glared directly into the Colonel's eyes.

“Not for the present time Fraulein,” He replied. But if we think of anything, we will be certain to let you know exactly what it is. Until then, thank you for your hospitality. Rest assured, your co-operation is duly noted and appreciated by myself and my superiors.”

He turned to his companions and muttered something in a foreign language, at which they all chuckled and looked, pointedly, at Rikki's amazing figure, as she walked away from them. She heard them and understood what the Colonel had said, but gave no indication of her knowledge, continuing her slow, deliberate strut back toward the bar and the Chief Inspector.

The Chief Inspector had stayed at the bar, watching the interplay between Rikki and the uniformed 'invaders' with a carefully neutral expression upon his face.

As Rikki returned to the bar, he saw, upon her face, a look of disgust.

“Oh dear.” He whispered, sotto voce. “I sincerely hope that foreboding look on your pretty face is not meant for me? Surely I have done nothing to deserve such an unlovely frown?

Rikki sighed heavily and then tried on a small smile for the obsequious official.

“No, Louis. You've done nothing do deserve my displeasure. At least not tonight. No, it's those scum, masquerading as human beings, for whom my frown is intended. They make me sick, and I would rather not have them in my place, but what can I do? If I deny them entrance, they will simply trump up some charges against me and close me down. Would you be so kind as to arrest them for me, if I asked you nicely?” She asked him, with a mock simper.

“Ah, mademoiselle, if only I could. Well, I suppose I could, but I am afraid that it would be a matter of mere moments before I was looking at them from the wrong side of the bars. Like it or not, my fair Rikki, they have power and they do not hesitate to use it. I suggest we drown our mutual sorrows in something alcoholic.”

Rikki sighed again and, with a wan smile, stepped up to the bar with the Chief Inspector.

“A capital Idea, my dear Chief Inspector. We might as well attempt to numb our insides. Perhaps, if we imbibe enough of this excellent liquor, it will allow is to ignore the gentlemen who have attempted to darken an otherwise delightful evening. Marque? Two of the best for the illustrious Chief Inspector and myself, if you please.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The bartender quickly filled two decorative tumblers with a bottle he obtained from under the bar, as opposed to the dozens stacked behind it. When he was done, he returned the bottle to it's, apparently, secret hiding place. He placed the tumblers in front of Rikki and the Chief Inspector. They picked the drinks up and, turning slightly toward one another, raised their glasses in a sort of toast, glancing with distaste, out of the corners of their eyes, at the uniformed intruders.

“Here's looking at you, kid.” Rikki said.

“Here's to the most beautiful woman in all of Morocco.” The Chief Inspector replied, lifting his glass to Rikki.

At his words, a pained look came over Rikki's face, and she hesitated, with her drink halfway to her lips.

“Rikki!” cried the Chief Inspector. “What's wrong? Have I inadvertently said something to insult you?”

Rikki sighed heavily yet again and answered.

“No Louis. It is something you said, but not the way you said it. Will you forgive me if I retire to my apartment upstairs to regain my composure? I won't be more than a few moments?”

“But of course, my dear! Please take all the time you need. I shall await your return with bated breath and anxious heart...oh, and perhaps another drink or three?” He said, smiling.

“”Yes, of course Louis, of course. Marque? Until I return, the Chief Inspector's drinks are on the house, as well as those of the unwelcome guests over there. I will return as soon as I can. Please inform Michelle that he is in charge until my return?”

Receiving the bartender's affirmative nod, Rikki took her leave from the Chief Inspector and made her way to the stairs that led up to her apartments, above the lounge. She held her emotions in check until she reached her front door, flung it open and, with a heart wrenching sob, flung herself into the room beyond, slamming the door behind her.

She collapsed on her sumptuous bed, face down, sobbing as if there were no hope for her, and stayed there for several minutes, crying harder all the while. Finally she began to calm herself and rolled to her back, staring up at the ornate top of the bed.

Her mind drifted back to a time just one short year ago, when she had been visited by the very same Colonel Gruber, with an offer.

One year ago:

“Herr Rick," He had begun, "My superiors badly need information about the Resistance, and they believe you are the...person to obtain it for them. They have instructed me to 'recruit' you, as it were, with the promise of great rewards for the right information, that will help us crush their resistance to our, obviously better way of government. They are very aware that your club is often visited by these same resistance members, and they want you to 'chat them up,' I believe that was the term they used, and pass any information to them, through me, of course. What do you say,Rick? I know you have no allegiance to them, or to us, but surely you must be able to recognize that we will win in the end?"

Rick remembered looking straight into the Colonel's eyes and telling him, politely of course, to go to blazes and to take his whole corp of flunkies with him!

“What makes you think I'd ever side with the likes of you and your ilk, Colonel? Everything you stand for makes me want to throw up! You and your superiors only want to rule with an iron fist, with no personal freedom at all for the people. Oh sure, I make nice with the locals. It's good for business, but I'll never back you and your pals. I'll be cordial, but that's it! Got it?”

“Oh I 'get it' Rick. I was rather hoping you would see the wisdom in siding with us, without using means to force you to, but so be it.”

With that, he removed a small vial from his pocket and threw it directly at Rick, who tried to duck away from it, with no success. It hit him directly in his chest and promptly broke.

“What the hell was that, you no good son of a...”

That was as far as Rick got. Whatever was in that vial rendered him unconscious within mere seconds. He awoke some time later, strapped to a table in some room, with the Colonel and another man leering at him.

“Well Rick. Welcome back to the land of the living.” The Colonel said. “I have had you awakened to offer you one last chance to co-operate with us, of your own free will. Trust me when I say we have the means to force your co-operation, and actually, I am somewhat anxious to see it work upon you, my little banty rooster.”

“I told you before and I'll say it again, in case your hearing is not what it should be, you uniformed ass! I'll die before I ever co-operate with you or any of your bunch. Now do your worst, and be damned for it!” Rick spat back at the Colonel.

“Ah, Rick. If you only knew what is about to happen to you, I think you would sing an entirely different tune. Well, what will be, will be? Still no? Very well Rick. Doctor? He's all yours. I await your unveiling with great anticipation Rick. I believe you will see the wisdom in co-operation when you next awake.”

As the Colonel turned to leave, a gas surrounded Rick and, once again, he fell unconscious.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Rick awoke again, he struggled to get free, but he felt weaker than usual. He was strapped down so securely to the table upon which he was held prisoner, that he really could not accomplish much at all in the way of an escape attempt.

He busied himself with thoughts of what he was going to do to the Colonel, if and when he caught him alone, without his flunkies to back him up. Eventually, a door opened and the Colonel returned to the room, along with the doctor.

“Well, Rick! Once again, welcome back to the land of the living. I believe that you will see the error of your decision, once you see what has been done to you. Doctor? If you will? Let's show our reluctant friend the results of his rejection of my so-generous offer!

The table upon which Rick was help prisoner, began to tilt and continued to do so until he was standing upright. The Colonel walked over to a wall to a sheet covered piece of furniture.

“Are you ready for this Rick? I believe you will be quite shocked at what you are about to see, disheartened as well.”

Rick started to curse at the officious oaf that was smiling at him, but the very first words out of his mouth shocked him!

“You miserable excuse for...” What the hell? His voice sounded all wrong. Too high and soft. He tried again.

“Let me off this damned table...” Again, that voice so soft and feminine was issuing from his throat!? “What the hell have you done to me you ape!”

Ah Rick my...boy. I think you already know the answer to that rather crudely worded question, but, as you wish. Look at this then, Rikki!”

The Colonel ripped the sheet from where it was attached and looked intently, maliciously, at Rick, and there...in that mirror...was...no! It couldn't be! Rick looked again, aghast at what he saw reflected back to his horrified eyes, for there in that mirror was one of the most beautiful women Rick had ever laid eyes on!

“Doctor?” the Colonel said in a smug, self satisfied sounding voice. “ I believe we can release our reluctant guest. I doubt if he is in any shape to endanger either of us.”

The doctor began to loosen the straps that held Rick prisoner, and when he was done, Rick stood there, gazing into that mirror, a look of terror spreading over his now-beautiful face. He raised a hand to his face...hand too small...face too smooth...not possible! He took one more hard look at the impossible reflection in the mirror and fainted dead away.

When Rick woke again, he found himself in a different room and clothed in some kind of robe. The doctor and some other man were in front of him, smiling.

“Well, Rikki.” The doctor said. “You are awake finally. We were beginning to think you liked being under hypnosis. Now then. You are going to find that you are going to be unable to act like your old self much anymore. We have programmed your mind to accept being Rikki, and your movements, gestures, and even your emotions are going to amazingly close to those of a woman, born a woman. Unfortunately, we were unable to gain the information we believe you have, about the resistance. Apparently your mind is much stronger than we had anticipated. It is likely that your strong will is the only reason you survived the process of your transformation. Always before, it failed.”

He paused to chuckle.

“Frankly, we never expected you to turn out this beautiful, but that is to our advantage as well. A lovely woman always has an easier time getting information from a man, don't you agree? Well, no matter. We were forced to leave the rest of your mind as it was, since all our attempts to completely re-program it only led to what appeared to be the beginnings of a total shutdown of all of your mind. We couldn't have that now, could we?”

Just then, a door opened and the Colonel entered the room.

“Well! Good day Rikki! I trust the good doctor here has explained things to you. You are shaking your head,indicating no...or it is something else? You may speak freely, my dear. Oh doctor? Please release Rikki's bonds. I'm certain she won't try anything foolish.”

The doctor crossed the floor to Rikki and untied her from the chair, to which she had been bound. She, for that's what she was, now, gently rubbed her wrists and fingers, trying to regain some feeling in them.

“I'm terribly sorry about having you tied so tightly, Rikki, but it was necessary, until your re-programming was as complete as we dared to make it. Even in your present form, and may I say that it is a very lovely form, indeed, there was still a small chance that you might have tried something foolishly heroic. That time has passed now, and you will find it impossible to attempt to match strength with even the weakest of men.”

“You bastard! What, in God's name, have you done to me, and why?! Why not just kill me and have done with it?”

“Well, Rikki, we did consider that, but when we finally realized what a strong will you possess, we changed our plans just a bit. We were just going to send you back to the Cafe as the new owner, completely unaware of who you had been, but we came to the realization that you would serve our purposes much better as you are right now. You still remember who you really are, and you still have the knowledge you had. That will enable you to function as our mole much more easily. You still know who to contact, where to find them, and how to approach them...the resistance, that is, of course.”

He pulled up a chair and sat down very close to Rikki.

“You see, you need that knowledge so you know what information we will require. You'll find it just that much easier to re-make all the contacts you had, and to regain their trust. You will be able to tell anyone who you used to be, if you want that humiliation, and I don't suggest you do it. That is a good thing, Rikki, don't you agree? I mean, telling anyone that you used to be a man could be very embarrassing, I would think, and who would believe you anyway?”

“What makes you think I'm going to co-operate with you, even though you've somehow done this unspeakable thing to me? I still refuse to become your stool pigeon, and you can't make me betray any secrets.”

“Ah, but that is where you are very wrong,my dear Rikki. You see, we are the only ones who can return you to your former self, which we will do, if you're a good girl. Once you have helped us break the back of the resistance, we will transform you back to your old, male self, pay you handsomely, and arrange for your transportation to anywhere you wish to go.”

He paused to look at Rikki very intently.

“Please don't think you can act against us, my dear. If you try, we will simply leave you the way you are. You will never be the old, confident, brash, male Rick you once were. You will be forced to live out your life as a female. A fate which, I am certain, would be worse than death, for you. So you see,you have only one alternative, if you want to be a male again. Work with us, for us. Get the information we need, and everything can be put back the way it was, although I must say, the loss of your present beauty would be considered sacrilege by all men, everywhere.”

For a moment, Rikki did think about forcing them to kill her. She would rather be dead, than stuck in this unfamiliar and, to her, embarrassing form, but then a thought occurred to her. Suppose she played along with these bastards? She still had all her contacts in the resistance and could set these jerks up for them! After capturing them, they could be forced to re-transform Rikki back into Rick and the resistance would have a new technology to explore...the process itself, but who could she trust with the knowledge of who she really was? Then it came to her. Sam!

Of all the people, in all the world, Sam would believe she really was who she said she was, and would take that secret to his grave, If necessary, while helping her get back at these sons of the Fatherland! Oh yes,she thought to herself, I will have my vengeance on these invaders. She coughed a few times to let them know she'd heard what they'd said, and appeared to be considering her options. Finally, she looked at the Colonel and said,

“Okay, you son! I guess you win after all. I'll be your little spy and I'll get you your information, but if you cross me after I've done all that, I promise you, there isn't a place in the world where I won't find you, and take my revenge out of your miserable hides! Swear that you will return me to my real form and life when this is all done. Swear it, by all you hold holy and dear!”

The Colonel smiled and extended his hand to Rikki. Swallowing her distaste for even having to touch the pig, she allowed him to grasp her hand. I do so solemnly swear, Rikki. If you like, I will have it written down, and I will sign it in front of whatever witnesses you approve of. Of course what I'm signing will have to be kept from them, unless you want it known why I'm signing such a document.”

Knowing what she wanted to plan for these sons of the Fatherland, Rikki allowed herself to seem to be accepting of the deal. There followed a quick, but thorough briefing about how to contact them when she had information for them. Then she was allowed to stand and was led from the room by the doctor, who left her in yet another room which held what seemed to Rikki to be a complete female wardrobe, including things like makeup and jewelry.

“Don't worry my dear.” Came the Colonel's voice from the doorway. “You'll find that you know how to wear all the clothing and how to use the makeup. You'll also watch, and memorize everything females do. How they act, how they walk,their gestures and all of that, and incorporate those things into your new life. Why, you'll even learn how to flirt with men! Won't that be an exciting new thing to learn? He smiled, sardonically at Rikki. “Yes, my dear, you will learn all those things and more, and you will, at least act as if you were born to them. It is, after all, the only way to ensure that your secret remains safe, is it not?”

The Colonel started to leave,while chuckling to himself, but he stopped and turned back to Rikki.

“Oh, you are free to leave whenever you want. You may take any or all of the things here. Someone will help you carry them to a conveyance and then to the Club. Oh, by the way. You've been here for over two months! We have made arrangements for you to take over the Club, following poor Rick's tragic accident. Yes, Rikki. Rick is dead. Have a nice, new life!” And, with that, the Colonel walked away, whistling a merry little ditty, obviously very pleased with his own cleverness.

If Rikki was angry before, that last bit left her infuriated! She slammed clothes and everything else into some suitcases that had been left there for that purpose, and called for someone to help her carry them out. A couple of soldiers showed up almost immediately and, without a word to her, picked up the suitcases and indicated to her that she should follow them.

She followed them to a rather non-nondescript looking door which, when opened, led them into a short passageway and, eventually, to the street. Before they allowed her to see where she was, however, she was blindfolded and then led to a vehicle into which she was urged. She heard noises that indicated that the luggage had been loaded into a compartment in the vehicle, and then heard the vehicle start up, and felt it begin to move. She sat back and contemplated her fate.

Present day.

When Rikki came out of her dazed, emotional state, she quickly went into her bathroom to repair the damage to her makeup, and to change clothes. She wanted to be downstairs to witness her revenge.

Oh, she had passed information along to the invaders. Almost true information at that, but never quite what they wanted to hear. She blamed her failure to obtain the final proof they wanted, on the suspicious nature of the resistance. According to her, they still didn't trust her completely. The Colonel had no reason to doubt her, although he was getting more and more disappointed and frustrated by her seeming inability to find the one final bit he wanted.

In the meantime, she had really been passing information to the resistance about the invaders plans...real information about their troop movements and strength, their plans and their real purposes. She had gleaned all that information by doing exactly what they wanted her to do...except she did it to them, instead of to the resistance.

Tonight was the night. Her plan would come to fruition in this very Club. Her trusted and loyal friend, Sam had arranged everything, and she giggled with the anticipation of finally getting her old body and life back. All that remained was to make certain the invaders were good and drunk.

When she made her way downstairs, she found Chief inspector Dreyfus anxiously waiting for her.

“My dear, dear Miss Rikki! You were gone so long I had begun to worry about you! I was just about to come upstairs and check on you, but you look fine! Beautiful as ever...maybe even more so. You have a glow about you I've not seen before.”

“Oh Louis, I'm so sorry to have caused you any concern. It was just a 'woman thing,' you know? I'm fine now,so let's get back to the drinking, shall we?”

She took his arm and they re-entered the bar area. At the bar, she informed the bartender to continue providing the scum at the corner table with all the alcohol they wanted, at no charge. He looked at her, questioningly, but did as she asked. After all, she was the boss.

Rikki and the Chief Inspector continued their seeming attempt to get as drunk as they could, but Rikki, sly as ever, was pouring her drinks directly into a secret hole in the bar, which emptied into a basin behind the bar, so she actually drank much less than it appeared. Nonetheless, she continued her charade for the benefit of the crowd, the Inspector, and the sons at their table. She made certain that they saw her with many drinks, so they wouldn't have any reason to get suspicious.

Suddenly, right at Eleven o'clock, the main doors leading into the Club from outside, burst open to reveal several armed men wearing masks. The burst through the doors and began firing at the group of men wearing uniforms. They seemed to be leaving the Colonel for last though, carefully aiming their fire as accurately as they could.

In a matter of seconds it was all over. All the uniformed men, save for the Colonel were dead or dying. The Colonel himself was slightly wounded since there is no way to pick out one man in a crowd to not shoot at. His wound wasn't critical however, but he had lost his firearm sometime during the firefight and was looking very piteous, holding his wounded arm, trying to stop the bleeding.

The rest of the patrons of the Club were deathly silent for a few seconds after that, but broke into a loud babbling of noise once they realized it was all over. Some goggled at the dead and dying men. Some even went so far as to walk over to them and spit on them! Clearly they were not beloved to the people of the city.

Rikki walked away from the bar toward the wounded Colonel and, after a second or two, so did the Chief Inspector. Rikki approached the Colonel and stopped a pace away from him, while the other patrons backed off, giving her plenty of room. Looking him over with a contemptuous stare, she said, quietly.

“Well, well, Colonel. It appears that your plans have failed completely. You seem to be the only one of your cohorts left alive. I guess this means that I can take you up on our deal. Oh I wouldn't bluster too loudly Colonel. This room is filled with people who hate your guts. You wouldn't want all of them to know what you did to poor Rick, would you? As loved as he was, that would probably get you executed where you stand. So be a good boy and let's go find your precious doctor, and get me back to who I'm supposed to be, hmmm?”

“Our deal is off, you bitch!” The Colonel shouted. “You failed in every way, and there is not a chance in hell that you will ever be anything other than what you are now. In fact, I'm going to kill you!”

So saying, he reached down the outside of his pants leg apparently going for a hidden firearm, but as he began to bring it up into line to shoot Rikki, a shot came from behind her, hitting the Colonel squarely between his eyes, killing him instantly! Rikki turned to see Louis with his gun still pointed at the Colonel, and a smile slowly breaking onto his face.

Rikki screamed.

“Noooooooooo!! Louis, what have you done? He couldn't have killed me with that little peashooter he had hidden down his pants! You've ruined everything!!”

She pushed past Louis, crying and wailing at the top of her lungs, but Louis just continued smiling. He carefully put his gun away and then, finally acting like the officer of the law he was supposed to be, he yelled.

“Clear this room! There has been a terrible crime committed here and I intend to find out just who is responsible! Michelle! Get everyone out of here as quickly as you can. I don't want anyone trampling all over this crime scene...oh, and see that those weapons are secured, will you please? We don't want anyone who shouldn't have one, getting one, now do we? Oh, and have a drink sent over to me as soon as possible. I have the feeling this is going to be a long, thirsty crime investigation! Oh dear! I seem to have inadvertently dismissed all the witnesses. Oh well, no harm done then. Oh bartender...?”

Meanwhile Rikki had retreated to her apartments once again. Without the Colonel, she had no chance of ever finding that doctor again, and that meant she was stuck in this female form, most likely for the rest of her life! She was still bemoaning her fate when there came a knock on her door.

“Go away!” she cried. “I don't want to see anyone!”

“But Rikki, my dear,it is I, Chief Inspector Dreyfus!” Came the answer. “I'm afraid I must question you about the terrible thing that happened in your Cafe! I promise I will be brief and will bother you no longer than is absolutely necessary, but I must observe the customs, no?”

Rikki rushed to the door, intending to give Louis the tongue lashing of a lifetime, but as she opened the door, he pushed his way in and closed the door behind him!

“How dare you, Chief Inspector!” She screamed. “You ruined all my careful plans, and now you want to question me? This is all your fault, and I will never forgive you!”

“Calm down, my Cherie. I must tell you something very important and I need your silence while I do. Once I am finished, and if you wish it, I will leave this place and never bother you again. Please hear me out?”

Through her anger and grief, Rikki sensed something important was about to take place,so she allowed Louis to speak his peace.

“Very well, Louis, but make it quick and then leave my sight, forever!”

“As you wish, Mademoiselle. First of all allow me to tell you that I know of your secret. I have always known, almost from the start, who you really were, and as much as I wanted to disbelieve it, I could not. You were and are, too much like a certain gentleman of my acquaintance...Rick, by name. Yes, Rick. I know that is you inside that blindingly beautiful shell.”

“But...how...you couldn't...” Rikki sputtered.

“Calm, calm, my sweet. Let me further explain. You were too much like Rick. In your actions, your reactions, even to his favorite turns of phrase. Here's looking at you, indeed, Mademoiselle. There were too many coincidences for you to be anyone else but my old friend, Rick. Through careful investigation, which I am capable of when the cause is right, by the way, I learned that you, that is to say, Rick, was taken from this Club and spirited away by some unknown persons. Upon further investigation, and through calling in some very old, valuable promises, I found where you had been taken.”

Louis paused for a breath. “Say, you wouldn't happen to have any liquor up here, would you? Well never mind that. So! I staked the location out and found it was visited regularly by our late, unlamented friend, The Colonel. Through my own little spy network, I also finally learned the reason why Rick was taken and the means by which his co-operation was supposedly assured. Oh I do have my sources, little one.”

Rikki began to speak up, but Louis silenced her gently. “Let me finish, please? I played along for this last year, waiting for my chance to confront the Colonel, but it never came. He was always surrounded by his henchmen. In the meantime, I became more and more fascinated by you, Rikki, until the time came when I could no longer consciously remember that you were really Rick! In short, my Cherie, I fell helplessly and hopelessly in love with you! So charming, so smart, so intelligent were you, that I found myself thinking of ways to ensure that you would never have to be that feisty little man you once were!”

“When I learned of your plan for this evening, I arranged to be here the entire evening, and when all of the action happened, I knew what I had to do. You see, my dear, I knew that the Colonel's promise to return you to your old self was impossible. There was and is no counter agent. You were always going to have to be the beautiful Rikki. I couldn't tell you that before this evening because it would have ruined my plan for vengeance, though.”

“The Colonel and his minions have killed many, many friends of mine, for no other reason than he wanted them dead. That has always infuriated me, but I knew that if I took any overt action against him at all, I would join those lost souls very quickly. Your plan dovetailed with mine, perfectly. So, tonight ended a threat to us all, and satisfied my need for vengeance. I also hoped that I might seem somewhat the hero to you, for having saved your life from that little popgun the Colonel tried to use, but alas, it was not to be! I only hope, now, that you won't hate me. I knew that if I told you of what I knew, you would try to kill him yourself, and that would only have led to much more bloodshed and violence. Besides, I could not have you placing yourself at any more risk than that you were already in, up to your pretty neck.”

Rikki stopped him there and said,

“Do you mean to tell me that you knew all this time and never let on that you knew? How could you, Louis? I thought that at least we respected one another and, although we weren't friends, as such, I thought that, at least that respect would not allow you to keep such a thing from me!? I am so embarrassed I want to die!”

“Oh please, please don't say that!” He implored. Don't you see, Rikki? I wanted to spare you from all that! I thought...I thought...Oh I don't know anymore what I thought! I must have gone completely out of my mind! Falling in love with someone who isn't even a woman in her mind...I mean his mind...Damn! Please forgive me Rikki? I will go now and never bother you again, but I had to say my piece in the hope you would somehow understand and not hate me for it.”

“Wait, Louis. Don't go. All this has me completely baffled, and I need more answers than you've given me. Suppose, over the next few days, you go over all this again and again, until I can fully grasp what you are telling me. If all you said is true, then I have much for which to thank you. Say you will, please?”

Louis sighed, looked at Rikki, and said.

“Very well, my sweet. I will do as you ask, but tell me something, please. Why on earth did you ever come to this Godforsaken place at all?”

“I came for the waters.” Rikki replied shyly.

“But Rikki, this is a desert! There are no waters!”

Rikki smiled gently and said,

“I know. I was miss-informed.”

Louis goggled at her for a second and then broke into laughter at her pun.

“Rikki, my sweet. I have the idea that this is the start of a beautiful friendship. Let's go find a drink.”

THE END

The movie title is, of course, “Casablanca”, with Humphrey Bogart, Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Ingrid Bergman and many more movie stars of days gone by. I trust I've not stepped on any copyright toes by writing this.

First Kiss

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

500 < Short Story < 7500 words

Genre:

Crossdressing

Character Age:

College / Twenties

TG Elements:

Other Keywords:

Non-fiction

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

This is a true story. It happened to me many years ago in Germany while I was in the Military. The events are as they happened and the places described exist as I have described them. Only the names have been changed to protect anyone who still needs protection.

First Kiss

By Catherine Linda Michel

Many thanks to KimEM for her proofreading and editing skills.

It was 1969. The end of the sixties. You remember the sixties? Well, if you lived there, you might not. Viet Nam was at it's height, anti-war protests were running rampant here at home in the states, Psychedelic rock was still at it's peak and things were very, very difficult for TGs/TS's/TVs and C/Ds. Even with the "free love" that had run rampant, those groups didn't seem to get included in the "do your own thing" movement.

I had already gotten my "Greetings" letter from the President. I promptly entered the US Air Force in an attempt to comply with my obligation to serve my country while avoiding the possibility of getting my butt shot off in "Nam". If I had gone into the Army or the Marines it was a real possibility. I had been stationed stateside for about a year when I received orders sending me to Germany, a DREAM assignment! I had ALWAYS wanted to travel and see Europe and, now, my government was gonna send me there, FREE! Before you thumb your nose at me for "shirking" my responsibility by not wanting to get killed for my country, understand this. I wasn't a war protester or anything like it. I just knew that too many young American men were being killed and crippled in Viet Nam. Now, go ahead and think what you want, but I didn't want to be one of them.

Anyway, I had been a "closet" cross-dresser for many years but had never really had an opportunity to go out in public "dressed". I didn't really have that thought in my mind when I went to Germany. I had a wonderful time, the first year or so, and didn't give much thought to "dressing" at all. It wasn't a big thing with me (at that time, anyway) and being in the military it didn't seem a good idea to get caught dressed, so I didn't dress at all that first year.

Then I heard about Fasching, which is kind of like Mardi Gras except the whole country takes part. There are costume parties and drunken revels all over the place and everybody is everybody else's friend. The thought entered my mind that, if I was ever going to get out in public, dressed, now was the time and this was the perfect opportunity. I could get dressed up and go to parties without fear of being unmasked or worry about being "read". Even if I was, so what? It was a costume and I wouldn't be the only one out there. EVERYONE was wearing some kind of costume and there would be a LOT of other guys wearing women's clothes.

I spent quite a bit of time finding and buying clothing, shoes, makeup, and a good wig. I figured I'd have ONE good shot at this and I wanted to make it count. I actually had the wig styled and a corset fitted to me. I even found artificial nails and a nice dress that actually fit me-I didn't look bad at all. I planned this like an invasion. I left no stone unturned and no detail was too small to worry about. I bought earrings, bracelets, a necklace, and a watch that all matched and complimented my dress. I found shoes with a 3-inch spike heel and a purse that matched; I practiced walking on those shoes every chance I got.

The day Fasching began, I made an appointment at a salon to get "the works". Makeup and waxing and facial. I had my nails put on and polished and even got a pedicure. I wanted to look as good as I possibly could and I wanted EVERY experience I could get as far as looking and being treated like a woman. When I left that salon, I was dressed "to the nines". I looked every inch the lady and felt it. I was nervous as hell, I'll admit, but I had looked long and hard at the image I saw in the mirror in the salon and I couldn't see me at all. All I saw looking back at me from that mirror was a fairly attractive young woman (I was 23 at the time). I had already made reservations at a huge party that was being held in Wiesbaden, the closest large city to the base at which I was stationed, and had also made arrangements to meet several of my buddies at the party. We had a table reserved and I had shown them the outfit I would be wearing so they knew that I'd be dressed as a female. What they didn't know was that I was making this all out attack and I knew I was going to surprise them with how good I looked.

The party was being held at a large hall not far from the salon I had chosen. So, after finishing up there and accepting the compliments of the staff, I walked the two blocks to the party, enjoying the feelings of being outside and dressed completely as a woman. I loved the sound my high heels made on the pavement. I received a few looks and more than one whistle and was as high as a kite, on adrenaline, by the time I reached the hall. I had all my male clothes in a gym bag. I lost no time in checking the bag at the front door and then pulled out my ticket. Well, you might know, when I pulled out that ticket, everything else came out of the purse with it and went everywhere on the floor! I was frantically trying to pick everything up and not show much leg or be awkward about it. Between the unaccustomed length on my nails and the feeling of being off balance on those three-inch heels, I wasn't having a lot of luck.

I was beginning to perspire from the exertion and the embarrassment and I was very angry at my own clumsiness. From out of nowhere, a fairly good-looking young man rescued me from my predicament. He helped me pick up all the stuff that had spilled out of my purse and made sure that I had everything safely back in that purse before he turned to leave. I called him back and thanked him but he didn't seem to think he had done anything unusual. He did accept my thanks though and he left me after taking my hand and gently touching his lips to the back of it!

I was so taken aback by that, that I couldn't think or even breathe for a minute. I just stood there a bit numb and unsure about how I felt about what had just happened. A man had kissed my hand! The only thought I remember with any clarity was "Wow! I'm glad I had the hair waxed off my arms and hands!" If that guy had tumbled to the fact that I wasn't a real woman, I might have been in a little trouble when he kissed my hand and found hair!

A slight digression: Before I go any farther, I should tell you that I was then, and I am now, a heterosexual male. I have never considered any kind of sexual relationship or even a single encounter with another man. I love women and only women. I have nothing against other people satisfying their sexual appetites in whatever way brings them and their partner pleasure and I don't judge people in that respect. I say live and let live and that's all I have to say about that, as Mr. Gump would say. So, anyway, I was quite shocked and disconcerted when that guy kissed my hand but, when I recovered, I just wrote it off, got myself back together mentally and entered the hall.

I had never been in there before and the sheer size of the place took me by surprise. The ceiling must have been 20 feet over my head, the room itself must have been 60'x80' and every square inch of the place was decorated with ribbons and balloons and bows. A huge chandelier dominated the center of the room and it too was festooned with ribbons and the like. Everywhere I looked I saw people, hundreds of them it seemed, all in costume and the noise of all the conversations combined with the music that was playing, was almost too much to deal with.

I was so fascinated by all the activity and lights and noise that I just stood at the entrance for a few seconds trying to take it all in. Standing there, fully dressed and made up as a woman, and about to enter the biggest party I had ever seen was an amazing feeling! As I looked around, I spotted one of my friends and, taking a deep breath, I walked in his direction, swaying my hips and putting all I had into my impersonation. I tried not to overdo it though. A friend's wife had coached me in the ways of appearing to be a woman and she had told me that the easiest way to be "read" was to overdo anything.

"Just relax and try not to appear nervous or out of place", was what she had told me. "I've seen the dress and other stuff you will be wearing and I know what that salon can do. You'll be fine as long as you don't draw the 'wrong' kind of attention to yourself. Just don't try too hard and remember that you will look like any other woman out for a good time." Well, that's what she SAID! So I tried to appear as natural and relaxed as I could and as I approached my friend I saw his eyes and where they were looking.

He was focused on my legs and hadn't even looked up to see my face yet. I could see a smile on his face and it wasn't an amused smile. It was an interested smile. The kind I have seen before on the face of every man when he sees a good set of legs, or a nice figure, or a pretty face. I knew that my legs were good. Not great, but not bad either. It seems that most men who aren't overweight have fairly good legs when you shave off the hair and put stockings and heels on them. I don't know why that is, but check for yourself if you don't believe me.

Anyway, I knew that my legs looked pretty good and I stopped in front of him and just stood there waiting for his eyes to travel up to my face. He made a leisurely trip out of it, stopping briefly at my hips (padded) and my waist (cinched in by the corset) and my, ummm bosom (also padded and enhanced by heavy duty balloons filled with a mixture of unflavored gelatin and rice for the right bounce and sway). By the time he got as far as my neck, I could see that he was still interested in what he saw and when he reached my face, I saw no light of recognition in his eyes. I knew that I had him fooled and he knew me pretty well!

I was elated that my disguise was proving to be successful and, at the same time, I knew I had to be careful here. A little fun at his expense would be fine but there was a limit, a point beyond which I dared not go and I had to walk a fine line. If I went too far I might raise suspicion and that was something I did NOT want to do! So, for just a few seconds I met his gaze with my own eyes and had a slight smile on my painted lips but I said nothing.

He began to speak and said, "Well, hello there! My name is Al and I am very happy to meet you!"

I kept quiet for just a couple of seconds longer and then said, in my normal male voice, "Are you gonna keep looking at me like that or are you gonna buy a girl a drink?"

And I began to laugh. Not a mocking kind of laugh but an easy friendly kind of laugh so he would know that I wasn't laughing AT him, at least not in a bad way. His mouth fell open and he looked at me with his eyes beginning to bug out a bit. Then his eyes lit up and he began to laugh with me.

"Mike, you crazy son of a..." he started to yell, but I held up my hand to stop him and bent close to his ear.

I whispered, "Al, keep it down. It IS noisy in here but I don't want the rest of the bunch to hear you. Let's see if I can fool them like I did you. You don't want to be the only sucker I catch tonight, do ya?"

"Oh, MAN!" He burst out, "wait till they get a load of YOU! They are gonna crap a pile of mini bricks! This is gonna be TOO good! DAMN, man, YOU look GOOD! Shit, if you hadn't said anything, I NEVER would have recognized you! How the hell did you do that, anyway?" As he talked, his eyes were constantly in motion up and down my body and stopping occasionally when they reached my face.

"Al," I replied, "You don't even want to know what all went into all of this. I'll tell you some other time, though, if you really want to know. Right now, I need a drink and then I wanna see how many of the other guys I can fool. Wanna help me?"

Now, you gotta understand, Al was THE practical joker of our bunch. If a practical joke existed, Al would try it or already HAD tried it. He was ALWAYS pulling some kind of stunt to try to get our collective goats. I knew if I was able to enlist his help, tonight would be a night for me to remember for the rest of my life. It was already WAY more than I had ever thought it would be and if Al teamed with me, we would pull the ALL-TIME best practical joke on all the rest of our fiends.

I said, "Look, lets do this. You go over to the table where they are sitting and grab a couple of glasses and a bottle of bubbly. If they ask you where you are going, just point at me and smile like you have just met me and you are gonna pull the old, "get the girl drunk and spend the night with her" deal. Let's see how many of them fall for it and if they recognize me at all. If they don't tumble to who I really am, we can play it for laughs for a while and let them in on it after an hour or two. Are you game?"

Now, what was in my mind at that point was, I wanted to wander around this party hall with an escort, namely Al, so that I could get the absolute most out of the money and time I had spent putting this whole night together. I wanted EVERY experience I could get of being taken for and treated like a lady. What I DIDN'T want was what happened an hour or so later!

Al did his part. He went over to the table where our friends were and did his shtick with the leering look and the waggling eyebrows and all the guys at the table were looking at him like, "you lucky SOB!" He came back with the champagne and two glasses and poured one for each of us and we did the interlocked arms drink. You know the one. Where the guy and girl kind of wind their arms around each other's, drink in hand and then drink out of their own glass? I looked at Al and he looked at me and we never looked back at the table or our friends.

I knew they couldn't hear us talking from where they were and I said to him, "Okay, here's the plan. We walk away staying real close to each other. It's kinda dark in here and they won't be able to see us very well so they will probably think you are taking me away to some darker corner for some, well, you know. When we get far enough away from them that they can't see us at all, and with all these people in here that should be about 15 feet, then we can loosen up some and not pretend so hard. Besides, I don't wanna spend the night at that table with guys I know. I wanna get out and see all that's going on here, enjoy the party and just have some fun. Okay? So let's play this up a bit for their benefit and move away from here."

We finished our drinks and put the glasses and the bottle down on a nearby table. I told Al to take my hand, just till we got far enough away that our friends couldn't see us clearly. Then we could drop the game and wander around and see things and meet people. Well, old Al surprised me. He took my hand all right but then he put his other arm around my waist and DANCED me away from there! I was so surprised that all I could do was follow him! If I hadn't, he would have pulled me right out of my high heels!

We danced for a minute or two getting ever farther from our friends and, when we judged that they couldn't see us too well anymore, we let go of each other and walked towards the other end of the hall. There was music playing and people in costumes everywhere and Al and I were having a lot of fun just looking around. WHAT a party! There must have been 1200 people there in varying states of drunkenness and most of them were in costumes! There were Knights and Princesses, Cowboys and Indians, Kings and Queens, Zorros, well, you name it, it was probably there. We wandered around for about an hour and then we heard that there was a big costume contest judging going on in another room so we headed in that direction.

Now, all the time Al and I were wandering around, we were getting a drink here and a drink there and inside of that hour, we were both getting just a bit soused. Okay, we were well on the way to being hammered! We were on our way out of the main room when IT happened! I had seen a couple of guys I knew who were not part of our group of friends but were acquaintances of mine. One of them, Jim let's call him, was a real drunk. I mean a downright juice freak. I never saw him when he wasn't either drunk, getting drunk, or PLANNING on getting drunk. His girlfriend was with him and I had met her one other time when Jim and I were bowling on a team in a league. She was a German girl and very pretty and I could never figure what she saw in Jim but who can account for tastes, right?

Anyway, as Al and I passed their table, they were getting up to come out on the floor to dance when Jim caught sight of me! Al was about four steps ahead of me and wasn't paying attention to what was going on behind him. When Jim saw me, his eyes got this, well, evil look in them and he let go of his girlfriend's hand and grabbed mine! I heard him say something like, "I GOTTA kiss THIS BIG GIRL!" Well, the next thing I knew he planted a liplock on me right in front of God, his girlfriend and everybody else within seeing range!

I was so shocked that I didn't even react until about two seconds into it. I knew there were several things I COULD do. One would have been to deck him right there but that would have started a fight and I didn't want that! You haven't lived until you have been arrested by the German Politzei! They don't ask any questions, they just club everybody in range and sort it out later at the station house! I didn't NEED that! Nor did I need trying to explain to the Air Police, who would have been called to take the combatants back to base, that I was just trying to get this big palooka OFF of me and why I was dressed the way I was!

Another thing I could have done was to just push him off and exclaim in my best male voice that I didn't swing THAT way but that probably would have started a fight as well. I sure as hell wasn't enjoying his beer breath or the face full of whiskers he hadn't shaved that day and, as a kisser, he left a lot to be desired as well! I don't know. Maybe if I was a real girl, it might have been different. Maybe he thought that girls LIKED scratchy face kisses. Maybe his girl friend DID! All I knew was that I DIDN"T!!! Well, about that time, I felt a tongue trying to get into my mouth and I decided that I'd had ENOUGH!!

I pulled my face back from Jim's and grabbed a breath of semi fresh air, looked straight at his girlfriend and said, in my best girl voice, "What's the matter honey? Can't you satisfy your man? Is he so horny that you let him go around kissing any girl he sees?"

Well, that got him off of me! His face got red and then he got this guilty look on his face and he let me go! WHEW! WHAT a relief! I thought I was gonna have to go gargle with Drano or something to get the beer taste of his stinking breath off of me!

Unfortunately, it also brought me into DIRECT confrontation with, you guessed it! The GIRLFRIEND! For a second there, I thought SHE was gonna try to pound me into the floor but she gave me this look like, "I know you from somewhere" and turned on JIM! She gave him an open handed shot to the side of the face that I'll bet people all through the hall heard! She shouted a few choice phrases in German at him and stalked away! Jim went after her and I was SAVED!

I stood there for a few seconds, trying to get my head back on straight and Al came back. He said, "Hey, where the hell have you been? I got all the way into the room where they are having the costume contest and when I turned around, you weren't there!" He looked at me and I'm sure that I still had a shocked look on my face.

I know my makeup was smeared and I looked at Al and said, "Never MIND! I'll explain it to you later! Right now I gotta go to the bathroom!" I stalked away, headed for the bathroom, not really thinking about much of anything, just thoroughly angry and embarrassed!

When I finally found the bathrooms, I started to go into the men's room when Al grabbed my arm and said, "You want to start a riot! Or maybe you'd like to get groped by about 25 drunks! I think you better use the other one!"

"But, Al! I'm really a guy, you know? What if I go into the, gulp, Ladies room and I am found out? You wanna talk about a riot!?!? Man I'll get lynched!"

See, I hadn't thought about this problem! Go ahead, laugh! I did! Well, I either had to laugh, or cry, or go off the wall, or on it! Well, anyway, I finally mustered enough courage, after another two glasses of champagne, to go ahead and use the ladies room.

Friends, that was an experience I am not sure I want to repeat, EVER! It was like a cattle yard in there! Everywhere I looked there were women in various stages of dress, or undress and, after I took care of the most pressing business, sitting down, by the way, fighting for mirror space with all those females was, well, I can't even find the words to describe it.

Now, don't get me wrong. I was in the room where every guy would love to get a look into. Women EVERYWHERE and, as I stated, in various stages of undress! BUT I couldn't do a THING about it! It was my fondest dream and my worst nightmare all rolled into one! All that girl flesh and I couldn't react to it as I would have liked to! If I had... OH man, there would probably have been the biggest riot in the history of Wiesbaden! I probably wouldn't have gotten out of the stockade until I was 90! That's all assuming that all those women didn't just kill me on the spot!

So, I waited my turn at the mirrors, fixed my makeup as best I could, and got myself out of there with a whole skin, thank goodness! When I got out of there, Al was still waiting for me and we went ahead and watched the costume contest. I was well on my way to being drunk as a skunk and about halfway through the contest, I noticed that, sitting on the stage about 5 feet away from me, was my Commanding officer! I remember nudging Al and we had some kind of discussion. I don't recall, to this day, what we talked about but I DO remember sneaking up to the stage and tying my Commanding officer's shoelaces together!

After that, the evening was pretty much a blur. I remember finally getting back to where my friends were and sitting down. Al said it took them the better part of a half hour before they finally figured out who I was but I don't remember any of that. I know, though, that we all got pie-eyed that night and I vaguely remember going back to the base in a cab with three or four of my buddies.

I awoke the next morning, a Saturday with a relatively clear head. I never suffered from hangovers. I don't know why but I didn't question it, just accepted it and was grateful for it. I was, of course still dressed! I got off my bunk and wandered down the hall to the latrine with the idea of attending to the morning necessaries and washing the smeared makeup off my face, still in the dress, corset, heels, and wig. I didn't even think about walking down the hall in full drag, in an all male barracks. I had to go and THAT was my priority! Maybe I was still a little drunk. Okay, maybe I was still a LOT drunk!

Anyway, I was on a mission! Yeah, that's it! A relief mission! Okay, okay, stop groaning! Well, I walked into the latrine and took care of my immediate business, that of relieving myself of about two gallons of champagne. Then I DID notice the way I was still dressed! Well, nothing for it but to brazen it out. As I flushed the toilet, I heard someone come into the latrine and when I stepped out of the stall, there, in all his bleary, red-eyed glory was none other than JIM, my erstwhile Romeo from last night!

I stopped, he stopped, the whole world stopped for about ten seconds. He looked at me and I thought he was gonna swallow his whole face! His mouth opened wide enough to do it! Then he kinda gulped a couple of times and I couldn't help it, I started to laugh! His mouth was moving like he was trying to say something but no sound was coming out and I finally said, in my normal male voice:

"What a night, huh? Hooray for Fasching! And, oh yeah, JIM? The next time you wanna kiss me, SHAVE FIRST!"

And walked away swaying my butt as I did just to rub it in! I heard him slam open a stall door and I heard the sound of Jim, ridding himself of all he had drunk the night before, via the oral route!

AHHH, revenge! How sweet it was! I went back to my room and turned on the stereo and listened to some Moby Grape and some Quicksilver Messenger Service as I undressed. I took my time.

Oh, for the record. The worst part of this whole thing was being kissed by someone I outranked, even though I WAS out of uniform at the time! The best part? Well, I'd have to say that it was the experience of being in public, dressed, without a care in the world about being discovered or "read". That and of course the morning after revenge on Jim and the fact that I eventually ended up with his girlfriend! When she realized that it was ME, that night, she thought it was kind of "kinky" and we had a couple of interesting dates that I might write about sometime.

After I live this one down, that is!

The end

My thanks to Kim EM and Prudence Walker who both suggested I write this up and submit it. That is, they suggested I do that AFTER they stopped laughing and rolling around the floor holding their sides!

Halloween 2000

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

General Audience (pg)

Publication:

Fiction

Genre:

Character Age:

Mature / Thirty+

TG Themes:

TG Elements:

Other Keywords:

At Work

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

"We love you and if this is part of you, then we have to accept it. We don’t necessarily approve of it, but you are our friend/brother/son and we will always care." This, to me, was a revelation and, to not have to hide anymore was the most wonderful feeling in the world!

Halloween 2000

By Catherine Linda Michel

Author's Note: This is a repost of a story I originally wrote and posted way back in 2000. I've cleaned it up a little and decided to post it here. At the time I wrote this, I still thought I was just a cross dresser. It was only after many months of therapy and self realization that I finally realized that I was actually TG. I'm having real problems with "Transformers", but I didn't want my fans, (I have fans?) to go without a story so here it is.

I had been unemployed since the end of April and had been assigned by Social Services to work off my cash grant from Welfare at a Senior Citizen’s Day Care Facility. I found rather rapidly that I actually enjoyed being there and helping the residents. We would play games with them and keep them interested in life in general by coming up with projects for them to do. Not big projects, mind you, but small things that would test their memories and skills. Things, like I said, to keep them interested in life.

I couldn’t help making friends with them even though I knew I wouldn’t be there for long, or at least I hoped I wouldn’t. I wanted to find real work again and I had no thoughts of staying there any longer than I absolutely had to, but as the weeks went by, I found myself being drawn into their lives and I began to realize that maybe this was what I needed to be doing! Helping people through their golden years and just being a familiar friendly face to them.

I found out that there was going to be a big Halloween party, with all the residents and the workers encouraged to dress up, and I began to make my plans. There was a huge rummage sale at the very church in which the day care was located, and I went through it like my life depended on it! I took home 6 bags full of clothing that looked like it might fit, and several pairs of shoes and boots that looked brand new! When I got back home with the clothes, I spent about 2 or 3 hours trying them all on, from skirts and blouses to shorts and dresses. I was even fortunate enough to have located some items of lingerie, like slips and bras, and believe it or not, everything, or almost everything, fit!!

Then I tried the shoes and boots and, with the exception of one pair of knee high boots. They fit as well! I was elated, since with these clothes, I had effectively quintupled my "femme" wardrobe and I wasted no time getting everything into the washing machine so they would all be nice and clean, hanging in my closet, waiting for me to find the time and the courage to wear them.

Among the things I found, was a beautiful, long sleeved, red blouse that felt so silky I thought, at first, that it might be silk! It turned out to be artificial but, none the less, I knew that I was going to wear that blouse for Halloween! I also came up with a below the knee length, jeans skirt and a belt with a country look to it that went perfectly with the skirt. I had raided a box of stuff at the rummage sale that was marked "FREE", and had managed to come up with 8 or 9 purses that looked like they had hardly been used at all and, of course, I took them home with me as well.

With all those things, I knew that I was going to do it, this Halloween! I was going to go to work, fully dressed as a woman and I was going to do it with some style! I already had an entire box full of makeup and jewelry and a couple of decent wigs from past Halloweens and my occasional dress up sessions at home so I didn’t have to buy any of that stuff. I had also been growing my fingernails for the last month or so and they were beginning to reach a length where they could be shaped and painted like a real woman’s could. I had over a month til the party and I determined that I would keep growing my nails until then.

After getting all the clothing washed and dried, I carefully hung everything up or folded everything and stored all of it in my closet or dresser drawers. I had "come out" to all my friends and family over three months before this and I had no fears about someone finding women’s clothing in either place. To their credit, every single one of my friends and family had been, not only understanding about my crossdressing quirk, but were actually supportive and they all told me the same thing.

"We love you and if this is part of you, then we have to accept it. We don’t necessarily approve of it, but you are our friend/brother/son and we will always care."

This, to me, was a revelation and, to not have to hide anymore was the most wonderful feeling in the world! Through the internet, I had also made some very good friends in the TG community and I had even begun to write some stories, encouraged by them. The stories had been fairly well received and this was more "ego candy" for my femme side. This Halloween party would be a sort of test for me and my femme side, Cathy. If I could do this well, I thought, I would be another step closer to understanding and dealing with my crossdressing tendencies and why I seemed to need to do it.

I contacted a friend who is a Mary Kay cosmetics representative and made an appointment with her for a makeover for Halloween morning. I met with her and showed her what I would be wearing and also, the wig I would be using, since my own hair is fast running off the back of my head. What I have left is long enough, but my forehead has grown in the past few years and there isn’t enough hair left to cover all the balding spots anymore. She looked everything over and seemed to approve of my choices and we began making plans to put everything together so I could be as realistic looking as possible.

See, I didn’t want to be a clownish, heavily painted trampy looking female. I wanted to look as normal as I possibly could. I was going to make this party, and the day, as complete an experience as I could possibly have. I had to know if I could pass as a real woman!

I had been in therapy for the past few months for several things, one of them being my gender issues and I had arranged for my therapy appointment to be on the same afternoon as the party so that my therapist could see how serious I was about wanting to understand and deal with my crossdressing. I also knew that, by arranging things the way I had, I could prolong my experience and make a complete day of it.

As Halloween approached, I took every opportunity I could find to practice walking and moving around in the skirt and heels. I knew that, since I don’t wear heels and a skirt every day, I would need every bit of time I could find to appear comfortable in them. I also practiced with makeup, knowing that I would, at some point during the day, have to repair some of what I would be wearing. I painted and cleaned my nails several times each day so I would be able to do them properly without smudges or overprinting them and ending up with nail polish on my fingers.

The week before the party, I was as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs! I had planned everything as well as I knew how to and I hoped I hadn’t forgotten anything. This was going to be a critical day for me. Not only would I be spending all day as my femme self, but I would have to be particularly convincing while going to my therapy session. The last thing I needed was for someone to "read" me, while downtown. I mean, If I were going to be a caricature of a female, it wouldn’t matter if I were "read" or not. Since I was taking the, to me, daring step of trying to appear as real as I could, if I were "read", it would be disastrous both for my plans and for my mental well being.

The morning of Halloween, my friend arrived at my door at 830 A.M. to begin my makeover. She brought what looked like an oversized tackle box full of makeup and applicators, and well, a lot of things I had never seen before and had no clue about! She told me to sit down, close my eyes, and follow her instructions. Well, I am many things, but a fool is not one of them! I sat there with my eyes closed and followed orders! I can’t even begin to remember all of what she did, but an hour later, she told me to open my eyes and look in the mirror. When I did, I couldn’t believe what I saw.

There in that mirror, was a woman! Now, I am not handsome, and I didn’t expect a beauty to be looking back at me, and I was right. However, the person that was looking back at me was not male! Once the wig was in place and secured, I actually did look like a woman! I stammered my thanks.
She just smiled at me and said, "Have a great day....Cathy!" With that, she packed up her stuff and left me to finish dressing.

I struggled into the undergarments, a tight panty girdle, a long line bra, thigh high hose, a half slip, and a camisole. Then I stuffed the bra with a couple of heavy duty balloons filled with a mixture of water, gelatin, and birdseed and donned the blouse. I was right about that blouse. It felt heavenly as I struggled with the opposite side buttons! Soft and silky and lovely looking, with two attached long pieces of cloth for a tie at my neck. I pulled the skirt up to my waist and secured it, along with the belt and bent to put on my boots.

Those boots, brown and real leather, were about 1/4 of a size too small, but I had been wearing them for up to 4 hours every day in the hope that they would stretch out enough so I wouldn’t be crippled at the end of the day! They had been a gift from another worker at the day care who had bought them and found that the boots were too large for her. She had worn them twice and put them in a closet and forgotten them. When she learned of my plans for Halloween, she offered them to me saying, "If they fit you, use them for Halloween and keep them! I can’t wear them and it’s too late to try to return them to the store."

I stuttered my thanks and you can bet I still have those boots and will never give them away! They have 3 inch stacked wooden heels and are real leather! They must have cost her a fortune and I couldn’t believe my luck at having them given to me as a gift!

I put all the makeup I would need, according to my friend, in a black purse along with my wallet, my cigarettes, in a case, my lighter and my keys. I also threw in some tissues, some Q-tips and a brush for my wig. Then I grabbed a heavy black woman’s coat and put it on. I stopped at a mirror on the way out of the house to check one last time that everything was as perfect as I could make it, and slinging the purse over my shoulder, walked outside my house!

My only concern, at that point, was that one of the neighbors would see me coming out of the house and getting into my car. They, the neighbors, didn’t know yet about my crossdressing or my plans for this day. Fortunately, none of them were outside and I made it to my car without being seen.

From that point on, I no longer worried about being outside, fully dressed as a woman. The only thing I worried about, now, was driving in those high heels! They placed my feet at a completely different angle to the accelerator and brake pedals and the first few minutes were a bit shaky! I soon adjusted though, and managed the drive to the Day Care without incident.

Arriving there, I parked my car in the lot, grabbed my purse and walked to the Center. Walking toward the main doors I stopped and lit a cigarette. Pulling the smoke down deep into my lungs relaxed me a bit. As I walked towards the doors, my mind was going two hundred miles an hour, and the familiar action of smoking was a much needed tension reliever!

I stood outside the doors finishing my cigarette, and as I stood there a couple of the residents arrived at the center. They smiled at me and I nodded back at them but I saw no light of recognition in their eyes! A couple of the workers came down to meet the arriving residents and I got the same response from them! They didn’t recognize me either! All of a sudden, I began to relax. This was going to work for me! The workers and residents went inside and I finished my smoke and went inside, smiling.

Now I hadn’t worked on my walk very much, but those boots, slightly tight and with the three inch heels, forced me to take smaller steps and as a result, my walk was somewhat feminine. I didn’t try to emphasize the sway of my hips nor did I try to restrain it. I just went with what seemed to work and didn’t think about it anymore. I hung up my coat and slung my purse back onto my shoulder and walked into the day room where all the residents and workers would be.

As I entered I could see faces looking at me questioningly as if saying, "Who are you? You don’t belong here, do you?"

I went into the back room where the employee’s break area is and was greeted by the same kind of looks by my co-workers! Finally, after a couple of tense minutes, one of the women workers stepped close to me and looked at my face intently for a couple of seconds and then she lost it! She began to laugh so hard I thought she was going to fall down! The others looked from me to her, and back to me, wondering, I knew, what she was laughing at! When she finally recovered enough to choke out a few words, she said, "OH MY GOD!!! Don’t any of you recognize who this is???"

Well then they all began to look more closely at me and it wasn’t more than a couple more minutes before they all finally realized who I really was and that started the damndest session of laughter and admiring remarks that it has ever been my pleasure to be part of! Everyone was talking all at once, but the gist of it was that they couldn’t believe how good I looked! Now they were all in costumes as well, but none of them appeared to have gone to the time or trouble that I had. After a few minutes of that, it was time for me to clock in and begin work. I stashed my purse where the other women (OTHER WOMEN!) stored theirs, and walked out into the day room.

It took about 20 minutes for word to spread through the day room, and I felt a lot of curious eyes on me as I went about my business of getting coffee for people and socializing with them. What with those activities, and meeting people down by the main doors to escort them to the day room, I almost forgot the way I was dressed and felt very normal and comfortable! It wasn’t until my first smoke break until my clothing difference made itself known again.

When I went outside to light up, my boss was already out there, and she hadn’t seen me yet! I dug my smokes out of my purse and proceeded to light one. As I stood there smoking, she was looking at me very intently, as if trying to remember where she had seen me before! Finally I couldn’t stand it any longer and I started to laugh! Now, I have never been able to imitate a female voice, so my laugh came out in my normal male baritone/tenor, and when it did, she clapped both hands to her face. "Oh MY GOD!!! Mike! Is That really you?" And she was off into a laughing fit!

I joined in with her and before too long, she was asking me a hundred questions, it seemed. How did I do this, how long did it take, where did I get the nerve for it and a lot more came out of her mouth.

I tried to answer as many of her questions as I could without giving her the idea that I was actually enjoying the way I was dressed and that I had done it before, in private, hundreds of times! We stood there and talked for about 15 minutes, and as a joke, I tried to hold and smoke my cigarette the way I have seen women do it. I guess I must have done it well because I could see her eyes following my movements and she even said, "Look at you!!! Standing there smoking like that!!"

I shrugged it off, saying, "Hey, I’m only imitating what you are doing!" I laughed a bit to give her the impression that I was only putting her on. Little did she know that I was "going to school" on her! I was imitating her movements, trying to add to my repertoire of feminine movements! She seemed to buy my explanation, though, and when we finished our smokes, we went back inside together, our heels tapping on the hard tile floors. I was inwardly thrilled to hear those sounds and to feel the skirt brushing against my legs, but I tried not to let it show.

When we entered the break room area she dug into her purse for her compact and lipstick to freshen up, with a look at her, I did the same! She darned near got lipstick all over her face when she started laughing at me standing there with my compact open, freshening my lipstick and powdering my nose and chin! Oh what a feeling it was for me, though.

To be standing there with a real woman, putting on makeup in full view of her, with her knowing that I was really a guy was a kick I can’t even begin to describe! Well, the rest of the day went pretty much like that. Eventually, all of the employees and residents of the Day Care finally recognized me and I was subjected to comments like "How good you Look!" and, "Look how well she, I mean he, walks in those heels!" And, "You look lovely!"

It was a day full of "ego candy" for me and I was getting more and more confident with each passing moment. Strangely enough, I wasn’t feeling uncomfortable or "out of place" in the clothing I was wearing! It was almost as if I had forgotten that I was wearing a skirt and heels and makeup!

At lunch break, I went outside and smoked a couple of cigarettes with some of the other workers and all of them were marveling and commenting on how good I looked and how well I was carrying off what had to be a difficult costume to wear. "Costume!" I thought to myself. "If they only knew!"

After lunch, we all went back in and the "gals" and I freshened our makeup, which started a whole new round of laughing and compliments on how well I did it! The party itself began about 15 minutes after everyone was done with lunch and we took the wheelchair bound people down to the large hall first. I had no problems on the high heels, pushing the wheelchairs, and within about 15 minutes more, everyone was ready for the party to begin. We had spent the whole morning helping the clients get into their costumes and they were looking great! Everyone was smiling and having fun and then the band fired up and the party began.

We spent the better part of two hours at the party with the clients, having a marvelous time and everyone who could, was up dancing. Now, I don’t normally dance unless it’s a slow dance, and I like to be the one who leads, if you get my drift! From out of nowhere, one of the workers from another day care center that was there sharing the party with us, came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder! I turned around to see who it was and what they wanted, and found myself staring at a guy who was, obviously, asking me to dance!!!!!!

I was speechless! Hadn’t anyone clued this guy in on who I really was? I looked around at my co-workers and they were all studiously ignoring what was going on! Now I was on the horns of a real problem! If I went ahead and danced with this guy, then he would be embarrassed, and probably hate me for fooling him! If I turned him down, then he would still be embarrassed, because he would get kidded about not even being able to get a guy to dance with him, much less a woman! It seemed that no matter which way I went with this, he was going to come out a loser and I was going to have a problem with him in the future, as I was certain he would try to get back at me!

I thought about it for a few seconds, standing there with him looking at me, expectantly. Suddenly, I had a flash of inspiration and I leaned in and whispered in his ear. "Listen, Arnie. It’s me, Mike! Don’t let on that I have told you anything. I think the rest of the workers are trying to put one over on both of us, so how’s about we turn it around on them? Play along with me and we’ll give them a dance to remember! Otherwise, we are both going to be embarrassed and probably end up hating one another!"

His eyes got really big and he stepped back slightly to take a better look at me. Then, a look of recognition came into his eyes and he stepped back towards me and whispered, "Okay. Damn, Mike! I swear, I thought you were a woman! I’m sorry!" I whispered back, saying,

'No sweat, Arn. I appreciate the compliment! Now, if we are gonna do this, we gotta do it right, so just follow me and don’t worry!'

I started towards the front of the room where the band was set up, and got the attention of the bandleader. He came over to the edge of the bandstand and leaned down to hear what I was saying to him. I asked him to, at the end of the song they were presently playing, start a slow number and explained what Arn and I would be doing and why. His eyes lit up as he realized that I was a male and he understood what we were going to do! Then Arn and I walked to the center of the dance area and waited the few seconds it took to end the song the band was playing.

They started the next song and I looked at Arnie, who got my unspoken message. He and I took the standard pose for a guy and a girl for dancing but reversed! I took the lead role, and Arn followed as best he could! I peeked around and saw that everyone’s eyes were on us and so I played it up just a little more! I whispered to Arn, "Don’t lose it here, I’m gonna dip you!" and I chuckled a little bit.

I’ll give Arn a lot of credit, he took that dip like a man, or rather, like a woman! It went beautifully and everyone applauded us when the song ended! I walked over to the bandstand and asked for the microphone, and when the bandleader handed it to me, I said, "I know that all of you," and here I pointed at my coworkers, "put Arn up to asking me to dance! I’d like to thank you for that. He’s a great dancer, and I had fun!" With that, I handed the microphone back and did a curtsey to the entire hall!

Again, Arn followed my lead and he bowed to the hall full of people and then we joined hands and walked off the dance floor with our heads high! I caught a couple of admiring looks from the other employees and one or two shamefaced lookaways from one or two others. Arn and I walked over to those shamefaced ones and just stood there, hand in hand, looking at them.

Finally, I said to them, "I think you owe both Arn and me an apology, don’t you?'

Well, they both kind of stood there, not looking at either of us and Arn surprised me again by speaking up, saying, "No, Mike, they don’t owe us any apologies! If anything I owe them a thank you!" I looked at Arn, a bit puzzled, but didn’t say anything. He continued, “That was the most fun I have had dancing in a long time, and knowing that we were putting one over on these two made it just that much better!" And then Arn started to laugh!

He looked squarely at the two would-be jokesters and finished by saying, "I hope you learned something here, today! If you didn’t, see me after work, outside, and I’ll continue the lesson!" He held up a fist to emphasize what he had said!

I grabbed his fist and forced him to open it and said, with quite a bit of heat in my voice, "Look, Arn, there’s no need for that!" Pointing at his now open fist. "They’ve learned their lesson, I think. Now, let’s all shake hands and stay friends, okay? No hard feelings, you two," I finished and held out my hand.

They looked at one another, then at me and at Arn, and finally, they did shake hands with us!

I said, "Okay, then. That’s the end of it then!" and turned to walk away, but Arn had one more surprise for me! He put out his hand, stopping me from leaving and then he grabbed my hand again. He looked at me for a second or two and then finally said, "You just saved me from a real embarrassment and I owe you one! I would never have heard the end of it if you hadn’t stopped me from what I was trying to do and clued me in on who you really are!" And then, he hugged me!!!!!

Not a boy-girl hug, mind you, but a man to man kind of hug! When he let me go, I was a bit shaken and a little bit unsure of how to react, but I finally recovered and we parted company as better friends than when we had started the day.

Well, the rest of the party was sort of anti-climactic but fun, nonetheless. I got a lot more compliments on how good I looked and for how I had handled the Arn situation though, and I had a lot of fun at the party.

At around 2:30, it was time for me to leave, and I clicked my way back up the hallway to the break room, where I took a few minutes to freshen up my makeup. Then I grabbed my purse, went down and got my coat and headed out the door, lighting a cigarette as I went. Holding it delicately between my fingertips and taking a long drag on it, I tilted my head back and blew a long stream of smoke at the beautiful, sunny day and started to laugh a little bit!

"Oh!" I remember thinking, "I wish every CD/TV could have a day like I am having!"

I opened the door of my car and tossed my purse on the seat and slid in, remembering to sit down first, smoothing my skirt under me and then swung my legs in. I sat there for a minute, finishing my cigarette and savoring the events of the day so far. Curiously, there hadn’t been a single time during the whole day that I had felt even the slightest bit of sexual excitement, which usually accompanies the times I dress! Instead, I felt a sense of rightness, of contentment and I was as relaxed as I have ever been!

I looked into the rearview mirror and checked my makeup and then I started the car and drove home. I stopped on the way to pick up a couple of packs of cigarettes and got no real weird looks from anyone until I opened my mouth to ask for them. The woman at the service desk, where the cigarettes are kept, even asked, "Can I help you, Ma’am?"

I LOVED IT!!!!! When I did speak up to ask for my brand of smokes, her jaw dropped and she got the silliest look on her face and I started laughing! I paid for the smokes and left the store, still chuckling and went on home.

When I arrived there, I parked my car and visited the neighbors, figuring, "In for a penny, in for a pound!" To my absolute amazement, they loved my outfit, and at first, couldn’t believe that it was me! Then, when they finally accepted the fact that it was me, they kept commenting on how good I looked and acted!

I had three hours to kill before my therapy appointment and I used all of it visiting the neighbors and talking with them. I’m certain that none of them realized that, the way I looked right then, was the way I’d prefer to look every day!

When it came time for me to head downtown for my appointment, I didn’t even hesitate! I climbed back into the car and checked my makeup and drove downtown. I couldn’t find a parking place anywhere near the building my appointment was in so I had to park about 4 blocks away. Again, I didn’t even hesitate. I just parked, got out of the car and locked it, hoisted my purse onto my shoulder and began to walk the four blocks!

It was an incredible feeling, being out in broad daylight, fully dressed as a woman and not worrying about being "read"! I felt free and excited but, at the same time, calm and confident. As I walked towards the medical building, my heels clicking on the sidewalk, I felt totally in control and I don’t recall getting even one strange look from passers by! Maybe I did get looks and maybe I didn’t, I don’t honestly recall. What I do remember is that I didn’t seem to care if I got looks!

When I arrived at the medical building I still had a few minutes until my appointment, so I stood outside and smoked a cigarette, the same way as I had been doing all day, in the most feminine manner I could manage. When I finished, I went inside and rang for the elevator and waited while it took its sweet time getting to my floor. When it arrived, I got in, pushed the button for the proper floor and stood back and waited while it did its thing.

Arriving at the proper floor, I exited the elevator and walked over to the reception desk and presented my card to the receptionist, and waited for her response. She looked at the card, looked up at me, looked back at the card and said, "Thank you Mike. The therapist will be right with you. Why don’t you take a seat and wait out here?"

I took back my card, stuck it in my wallet which I then returned to my purse and found a comfortable chair to wait in. I made sure, once again, to sweep my skirt out from under me and sat down, as gracefully as I could. I found that I couldn’t cross my legs in the feminine manner. I’m sure I don’t have to explain why, but let’s just say that I tried, and it hurt! Nuff said?

I only had to wait for about 5 minutes until my therapist came out and called my name. I stood up and moved towards her and I could see a bit of confusion in her eyes until I spoke up saying, "Hi, it’s me!"

Then she got a funny kind of half smile on her face and escorted me to her office.

I won’t bore you with the details of what we discussed but I did tell her all about my day and all the feelings I had been experiencing and I noticed that she took about three times as many notes than she usually did!

When my session ended, I stood up and got ready to leave. My therapist asked me one final question, though,"How do you feel right now?"

"I feel great!" I told her. "I feel natural and complete and in control!"

She looked at for a minute more and then said, "Okay, session is over. See you next week at the same time?"

"You bet!" I replied. "Although I can’t guarantee that I’ll be dressed this way!" She chuckled a bit at that and then told me, "Well, you can if you want to, or need to. It makes no difference to me and it isn’t illegal!"

I left the building feeling like I was walking on air! I lit a smoke and enjoyed it while I walked back to my car and I played it up just a little bit, putting a little extra swing in my hips and enjoying the sound of my heels on the sidewalk.

It's tough to remember all of the things that make up a normal walk for a woman, when you are really a guy! There’s the hips thing, then there’s the arms and where they are held and used, while walking, and there’s the head up, shoulders back thing as well! I didn’t try to force anything, but I must have been fairly convincing because I again noticed no one looking at me as anything but what I appeared to be!

When I got back to my car, I unlocked it, got in, and headed home. I stopped at a Mickey D’s and grabbed some fast food for supper, and when I got home, my housemate/landlady was home with her little girl. She, my housemate, knows about my crossdressing and it doesn’t bother her and her little girl thinks it’s funny, so I wasn’t worried about them seeing me this way.

I sat with them and talked while I ate my Mickey D burgers and fries, telling them about my day. When I finished eating, I headed up to my room and fired up the computer so I could tell my internet friends about my wonderful day as well. At around 1 o’clock in the morning, I signed off the internet and went into the bathroom to wash up and get ready for bed. I slept that night in my long, lacy, black, silky nightgown and awoke in the morning before the alarm went off. Then I got dressed in my normal drab guy clothes and went to work.

All that day, I kept getting remarks and comments about how good I had looked and how well I had done. That was my Halloween for 2000 and It was definitely one I will always remember!

There is an aftermath to this as well. Thursday, when I went in to work, I found that the clients of the day care had circulated a petition to have me come back as Cathy for regular visits!!!! My immediate boss was all for it, saying that I had a better figure than SHE had, and if the clients wanted it and if I would do it, she didn’t see anything wrong with it!!!

The higher-ups nixed it, though. They said, "It wouldn’t be appropriate!" Oh well. I guess they are probably right about that but it sure was exciting to think that I had been THAT close to having permission to "dress" for work, whenever I wanted to, and who knows? Maybe in the not so distant future, they might just change their minds! I’ll be sure to let you all know when and if that ever happens.

Wrok

Headlights Girl on Amazon Kindle

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Organizational:

DopplerPress

Audience Rating:

Restricted Audience (r)

A hightech bodysuit allows Jimmy to experience being a Headlights Girl! It's fun, it's profitable and it's a complete change of lifestyle that anyone could enjoy - even you!

Headlights Girl by Catherine Linda Michel which has been available as a Lulu paperback is now on Amazon Kindle for $2.99. This is an excellent sci-fi bodysuit romp with wonderful characters and the kind of heart that Cathy is famous for.

Cathy has donated proceeds from sale of this book to the support of BigCloset TopShelf. Buy by clicking on the image above and BC will receive an additional 4+% of the purchase price. Thanks.

And don't forget to leave a review on Amazon for this excellent book.

Hugs,
Erin

Also from Cathy:

TG Themes:

Body Suits

Home That Love Built - Set up, first story, and Rules

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

General Audience (pg)

TG Universes & Series:

The Home that Love Built by Catherine Linda Michel

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

The Home That Love Built
A new universe from Catherine Linda Michel

Consider this an introduction to my dream of a place where abused, impoverished, cast out T-girls could go to and be respected, helped, and loved. It's been my dream for many years of such a place, and I thought I'd write about it.

I will set the scene...the place, and it's purposes. I'll supply the initial players...the staff as it were. YOU supply the stories. Tell of how you'd feel about finding out there was such a place...what you'd do to get there...why you'd need such a place...what you might be able do to help out with such a place, once you got there.

You can use pure fiction, or your own experiences, or a mix of the two, to tell your story. My purpose is to supply, in fiction, a place I'd dearly love to build, in real life, but I'd like YOU, the readers, to fill the empty house and make it a true home.

Chapter: One.

It was just an old, rundown motel. Crumbling due to disuse and neglect, it sat sadly, as the border for a large parking lot full of potholes. It must have been quite a place in it's heyday, but now, after ten years closed, it was just another city demolition project. Well, it was until I saw it anyway.

Me? Oh, sorry. Let me introduce myself. I'm Cathilynn Michel. Yeah, that's right. THE Cathilynn Michel who won the 480 million dollar, record breaking jackpot, lottery drawing. Oh, you must have heard all about it. It was all over the news about the Transsexual who won the lottery, and how some people were all up in arms about it?

Well, anyway. After all the furor died down, and after I had made certain my family and friends were taken care of financially, I began working with a contractor friend who knew my dream, and had the skills and talents to find, renovate and build it. He had located this old motel, just off the main road and almost overgrown with various kinds of flora. When he first showed it to me, I looked at him like he was crazy, but he told me of it's history, and how well it was originally built. He said he could rebuild it to suit my needs. The cost? You don't wanna know...trust me.

Well, I had it appraised, I put in a bid, and I waited. For three long months, I waited! Finally I got a notice from the city asking me to appear in front of them with a business plan and proof of my ability to renovate the old dump...er, I mean, motel. I had anticipated this and had everything ready for them to look at. My costs, the available money, my business aims, community impact...That was a tough one. How would the community react to what I had in mind? A home for unwanted, abused T-girls?

Well, it was touch and go for a week or so, but the simple fact that I was underwriting the whole cost of everything seemed to make the difference and, finally, they granted all my permit requests, and it was off to the races! For weeks, heavy equipment tore up some parts of the old place, dug around some other parts, and generally made a mess, but soon, out of that mess, some order began to show itself.

Gradually, my vision began to take shape. 30 rooms, each bigger than a standard motel room, more like efficiency apartments, began to take shape. The pool area, a singularly disgusting mess when we started, was dug out, expanded, and rebuilt, with warming pools around it, and a jacuzzi at each corner of the almost Olympic sized pool. Changing rooms with showers were built onto what used to be a dining room of some sort, and laundry facilities were added in to the whole scheme of a water based level. A retractable roof covered part of the pool area so natural sunlight could be let in.

I had wanted this for so long. A safe place for misused T-girls to come to and be safe, and respected, and loved. A place where they could continue their educations or learn trades. A place where they could take classes in all things female and feminine. A place where they could be safe. I had talked to other girls, friends of mine from my online excursions and writing, who had the same idea, but didn't have the means to make it real. Finally, I had those means, and I meant to make them count!

I had invested a quarter of the original winnings, once family and friends were taken care of, in safe, long term yield, stocks and bonds. I had set up a 20 year annuity with another quarter share. There was a set amount to be used in furnishings and other necessities, with a big chunk of money being readied for transportation costs, and other things like clothing and food.

Part of what I hoped to be able to do with this place was draw some of the girls who had talents, to help the ones we'd be rescuing. I also wanted to offer the girls training in whatever they wanted to study, via scholarships, which they would repay after graduating and finding jobs. Oh I know I was dreaming big, but what's the point of dreaming small?

After ten long months, the place was nearing completion. All the wiring, plumbing and all that stuff, was done to and mostly above code. The entire complex was fitted with sprinkler systems and fire escapes, and everything was tested and retested. I had wireless, high speed internet installed in the whole place, with safeguards to prevent outside snooping, and a state of the art security/surveillance system. Each apartment had it's own heat and air conditioning controls, as well as kitchenettes and bath facilities, and of course, there were main controls for the general areas.

I sat in my car, as the last workman finished his work on the new sign. THE HOME THAT LOVE BUILT, it would proclaim, in soft, pastel neon colors, when it was lit. My dream, my vision, my hope for the future of so many girls, finally real and ready to open. I cried softly while sitting there, envisioning the lives that would be changed, made better, I hoped, as they passed through this place. All the times my friends and I had talked about a place like this online, never really believing that one day, it would be real.

Oh sure, there were still the issues of staffing, rescue squads to be set up, transportation costs to be allowed for, and many other final details, but the base was now here, ready to begin it's mission. I had already contacted some of the ones who shared this dream with me. Hopefully they would throw in their lot with me and be my partners...equal partners.

So I sat there, crying for a bit, then dried my tears of joy, put my car in drive and drove into my parking spot. I used my new remote control to turn on the outside lights and light the new sign. I got out of the car, locked it up and entered my own little apartment, stopping before I went in and facing the sunset.

“It's ready, girls. Very soon the word will go out and I hope you will come to us for whatever help we can give you. Here, there will be respect, love, and help. No longer reviled, humiliated or beaten. Welcome, all of you...welcome.” I turned and went inside, to start the ball rolling.

I had phone calls to make and people to contact. The sun might be setting outside, but in my heart, the sun was rising on a bright future, filled with hope.

THE RULES.

NO MAGIC.
NO SUPER SCIENCE.
NO FORCED PARTICIPATION OF RESIDENTS BY ANYONE!

What I need from anyone who wants to write in this universe is truth, reality. Write your story as if it were YOU coming to this wonderful place. Use your real life story, or make one up, but I want real feelings, real hopes. Some of you will, no doubt want staff positions. They are available, although most of the everyday staffing will be filled by the residents of the home to help them pay for their stays, although NO one will be turned away for lack of means to pay. We will have to, of course, be somewhat selective since there are but 30 rooms to fill. Double occupancy of each apartment might be a possibility, if it proves necessary. The most needy, the ones most in danger, the most deserving will be given first shot at residency.

Custodial, culinary, security (I hope, although there probably should be a full staff member at the head of that), swim and exercise instructors, drivers, therapists, anyone with a health care background, day and night managers, all those and more. No doubt as time goes by, more positions will be suggested by you.

Please understand, I WANT your input! I WANT your stories! I want you to get personally involved in something that, if it can't be done for real, at least we can do it virtually. Maybe, someday, when one of us DOES win a big lottery, they will use these stories as a sort of pattern to help set up a real place of love.

More will follow as it comes in, or as I think of it. For now, please submit all your stories to me FIRST, before posting them, so I can try to maintain timelines and continuity. You may email them to me at Cathy_t_99 at Yahoo dot com for now. Later on I will try to set up a separate email address that will be strictly for stories written in this universe.

WELCOME, EVERYONE. Help me make this something wonderful, and full of love.

Huggles 'n love,
Catherine Linda Michel

Lessons Learned

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

General Audience (pg)

Contests:

Summer Romance 2010 Story Contest

Publication:

500 < Short Story < 7500 words

Genre:

Character Age:

Mature / Thirty+

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

I wrote this story and posted it, but unpubbed it because of the very real feelings and people involved. The story is true. I recently received permission from one of the people in the story to re-post it, so I'd like to enter it in the Summer Romance Story Contest. If it's deemed ineligible, I don't mind, but I wanted it here so others might learn from it. Thanks. Cathy.

LESSONS LEARNED

By Catherine Linda Michel

She sat on the edge of her bed, her head in her hands, crying as if she'd lost the best thing she'd ever had, and in so many ways, she had.

Several months before, Alice, a late life transitioner, had begun an online romance with another T-girl she'd known for three or four years. Everything had gone so wonderfully smooth, and Alice was beside herself with joy, head over heels in love.

Alice had always had immense respect for Janice's common sense and with her talent as a writer, as well as Jan's 10 year head start in transition, over Alice. Jan always had a way of getting Alice to look at things from a more 'real life' viewpoint, where Alice always looked at things from a fantasy point of view.

They'd even had a 'video date', which consisted of the two of them, using their webcams and communicating over an online phone service. They both dressed in their very best, prepared the same dinner, and watched a movie they both had on their hard drives. They had both, it seemed, had a wonderful time, and it seemed that this unique date had strengthened their growing relationship, and Alice was completely in love with Janice.

She'd bought an inexpensive, but expressive, twin heart necklace for Jan, hoping to place it lovingly around Jan's neck, when they finally got together in real life. Alice had sung to Jan, and read love poems to her, and Jan had seemed to have enjoyed being serenaded and thought of in such a loving way.

The two had planned to get together at a friend's home for a few days, for a first, face-to-face meeting, hoping that a neutral setting, and their growing love and respect for one another, would help solidify their feelings for one another, and really begin a lifelong partnership between them.

Alice had invested all her hopes and dreams in this relationship, hoping against hope that, this time, it would be right. That she'd finally found the one with which to share the rest of her life. So many times before, her hopes had been dashed, and her heart broken. She tried so hard to try to do everything right this time, and it seemed that her efforts were,indeed, bearing wonderful fruit.

Her transition and Real Life Test were going far better than she'd ever hoped for and, with this relationship, it seemed her life was finally going to be what she'd always hoped it would be...full of love, life, and joy. She, for maybe the first time in her life, was looking ahead to the rest of her life, certain in her belief that Janice was the one.

Through countless phone calls, and over their webcams, the two women solidified their feelings for one another, and words of love were spoken so tenderly and lovingly. Oh, how wonderful it was for Alice! She went through her daily, humdrum life in a dream of love, and planned for a long, loving future with Janice. She told all her friends, family, online family, and co-workers about Janice and how wonderful she felt, and they were all so happy for her. Life couldn't get any better than this, she thought.

Alice had always been a very impulsive sort of person, and she always threw herself into things head on, when she was interested in them. This was no different. She lived and breathed the love she felt in her heart, constantly. She did everything she could think of that seemed romantic, never realizing that it might overwhelm Janice, who, like Alice, had never been in such an intense relationship.

In fact, it was overwhelming Janice. She had begun the relationship in the hope of finding within her, the love and commitment it would take to sustain such a loving affair. She truly believed that she could do whatever it took to assure that she and Alice would form the lifetime partnership she believed she wanted, just as much as Alice did.

Yet in Janice's heart, doubts were growing, unknown to Alice. Jan's parents, who had all but disowned her when she began her transition, were in questionable health. Her Dad had numerous health problems, and her Mom had still not adjusted to her son becoming her daughter. Jan began to feel that, if her Mom found out that she was in a relationship with another T-girl, in effect, in a lesbian relationship, it would be too much for her Mom to handle. Jan was faced with a no win situation, and she wrestled with what she might have to do to resolve it.

She loved Alice, of that there was no doubt. She wanted a life partner, and had chosen Alice to be that partner, in the fervent hope that Alice would feel the same way. The courtship had gone so wonderfully smooth, and she knew that Alice loved her with all her heart, but despite that, she began to realize that she could not let herself desert her parents, who she truly loved and never wanted to hurt, even though they'd hurt her with their nonacceptance of her transition.

She agonized over which direction she had to go, and finally reached a heart wrenching decision. No matter how much she loved Alice, no matter how much she knew that Alice loved her, she would have to end it. She simply could not allow her actions to harm her parents any further. To her everlasting credit,she went directly to Alice, knowing that, although Alice would be heartbroken, maybe devastated by her decision, it was what she had to do for her own sanity, and for her parent's well-being.

She contacted Alice in the usual way, phoning her online. She tried her best to soften the blow, but she could tell that Alice was, indeed, heartbroken. Alice tried her best to not let it show, but Jan knew her too well, and knew that Alice was trying to be brave for her. It was, all around, a sad day for both of them, but Jan could do nothing else. Her duty, she firmly believed, lay with the ones who had brought her into this world, and in spite of their nonacceptance of her, Jan knew that two wrongs never make a right. She simply could not desert them, or subject them to even more disappointment in her and her life choices.

Alice did, indeed, try to be brave. She put up a good show of acceptance of Jan's decision, but inside, she died. When the two were done talking, after the phone had been hung up, she cried and couldn't seem to stop. All her dreams and hopes had just been destroyed, and could not believe, nor could her heart accept that everything she'd ever wanted had ended. She canceled plans with her friends. She canceled the meeting that she and Jan were going to have, and she cried, nearly non-stop, for all that night.

The next day, going to work was torture for Alice. She went through the entire day in a sort of haze, with tears in her eyes, threatening to overflow at any moment. Everyone knew something was dreadfully wrong, but they had no way of knowing what it was. It was no easier for Jan.

She spent a lot of time, regretting having ever started things with Alice, and regretting even more, the necessity of ending it. She'd wanted the same things that Alice did, and had hoped and prayed that they would live their lives and their love, together, but she knew where her duty was, and she could not bring herself to shirk it. Her sense of duty, and her love of God would have to sustain her, and she believed she knew that they could.

This story has no real end. It is still in flux. Janice and Alice are trying to change their relationship to one of close, trusted friendship. It won't be easy though. It will take work on both their parts, to try to put to rest the feelings they had, and might still have, for one another. With the help of their friends, and the strength of character they both have, they will win through this, and become the very best of friends.
As for their future...well, who knows.

We all know that true love never dies, and that time can change things. At the same time, we also know that duty and responsibility, however real, or self imposed they might be, are powerful things. Can these two star-crossed lovers ever find one another again, the way they both wanted? Probably not, but only time will tell.

In the meantime, friendship and respect must be their bywords. They both know that they made mistakes, and they have learned from them. You can't hurry love. You can't force it. You can't make it do what you want it to do. You can only accept it with an open heart, and hope for the future. You never know when it might find you, and you never know what might end it. All you can do is hope, and accept, and treasure every precious moment with the one you love.

Alice's final words to Jan about their breakup? What else could they be?

“As you wish.”

Luck Be A Lady

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Organizational:

Title Page

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Other Keywords:

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

My first thought was that I had stumbled on a scout craft of some kind from an invasion force and this little laptop type thing was their means of infiltrating the governments of the Earth! It made a kind of sense, the more I thought about it. I mean, there was the makeup kit, and the hair styler and now this thing which purported itself to be a body changing machine! It all pointed, in my mind, to some kind of alien invasion threat and, now I was getting worried!

Luck Be A Lady
By Catherine Linda Michel

Luck Be A Lady -1-

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Genre:

Character Age:

College / Twenties

TG Themes:

Body Suits

Other Keywords:

Permission:

Permission granted to post by author

My first thought was that I had stumbled on a scout craft of some kind from an invasion force and this little laptop type thing was their means of infiltrating the governments of the Earth! It made a kind of sense, the more I thought about it. I mean, there was the makeup kit, and the hair styler and now this thing which purported itself to be a body changing machine! It all pointed, in my mind, to some kind of alien invasion threat and, now I was getting worried!

Luck Be A Lady
Part 1
By Catherine Linda Michel

Author's Note: As always, there are a few people I must thank before going any further. Prue and Neri, my net angels and my two severest critics. I wish every one of you friends like these two. Jed and JRD and Steve Z. and heather and Virginia. KimEM for all your encouragement and help. finally, every one of you out there who made me feel so welcome as a newbie writer, and everyone who not only read and enjoyed my first story but who also took the time to write and tell me you enjoyed it. Thank you all very much. Now, without further ado,

What a place for that damned rental piece of junk to crap out! Out in the middle of the Nevada desert, at night! Why was I out in the middle of the desert? Well, it sure as hell wasn’t for a nice, peaceful tiptoe through the cacti, I can tell you that!

I was on my way to Los Angeles via the "scenic route," headed there for a job interview with some new delivery company and was low on money. My old car had given up the ghost about 400 miles back and I had rented this hunk of junk in some little backwater town I don’t even remember the name of, in the hopes that I could make it to L.A. without any more mishaps. Wrong again.

My luck. I’ll tell ya, if I inherited 400 acres of pumpkins, some SOB would cancel Halloween. That’s just how my life has been. Every time I catch a break, something happens and it gets screwed up.

Well, at least the car was only overheated. Overheated! In the middle of the night, in the middle of a very chilly desert! So, I lit a cigarette and sat back to wait for the car’s temperature to come down below molten.

I didn’t really have any kind of schedule to keep and the only reason I was angry was that it was just one more thing gone wrong in my life. Still, it was kind of nice way out there. Lots of stars in the sky and no smog anywhere. The air was a bit chilly but not bad enough to be really cold. I just sat there, smoking my cigarette and letting my anger slowly fade.

After a bit, I remembered that there had been a small service station back about 4 or 5 miles and I decided, after checking the radiator, that if I could get the car restarted I would turn around and go back to that little place and try to get some water or anti-freeze so I could continue my trip.

I tried to start the car about three times but it just wouldn’t kick over. I waited almost an hour and tried it one more time and, what do ya know, it started! I turned around and headed back toward that small station, taking it easy and with the car heater on high. I had heard somewhere that one could bleed heat away from the engine by doing that. I don’t know if it was true or not, but after several anxious minutes, the small station came into sight.

I pulled into the gravel covered front area of the station and parked near the one large pull up door. The place was completely dark except for the glow of a soda machine outside the building and I couldn’t detect any sign of habitation. I pounded on the door and shouted myself hoarse but there was no response. I walked all the way around the place, using a flashlight I found in the glove compartment and found what looked like a water spigot on the side of the building.

Rummaging around in a pile of trash, carefully in case of snakes, I found an empty oil can and after washing it out as best as I could, I used it to fill the radiator of the car and before too long, it was full again. I decided to let the car cool off some more and bought a soft drink from the machine. Taking my time drinking it and having another smoke.

I was looking up at the sky when I saw a bright streak of light flash across my line of sight. I followed it’s path with my eyes and watched it come closer and closer to where I was standing! I knew it! I knew it! My lousy luck was rearing it’s ugly head again! I find a place where I can rest a bit and get that damned car going again and I was gonna get killed by some hunk of space junk!

I ran around to the front of the building and jumped into the car but it wouldn’t start! After the second or third try with no sign of life from the car, I jumped back out and started running away from it and out into the desert. I figured that if that thing, whatever it was, hit the building, the gas pump and the tank connected to it would probably blow up and I tried to put as much distance between me and it as I could.

I hadn’t gone more than ten steps or so when that streak flashed over my head and a couple of seconds later, crashed into the desert with a tremendous amount of noise and light. I stopped running and watched in amazement as the thing actually slid along the ground and as it slid, it seemed to be turning towards me! It stopped about a hundred feet or so from me and for the first time I could see that this wasn’t some piece of a satellite or a meteor but an actual craft of some kind! It appeared to be circular in shape, what was left of it, and obviously, at least to me, not of earthly origin! I could hear crackling noises coming from it and I figured that it must be either fire burning inside the thing or the sounds metal makes as it cools from very high temperatures.

I just stood there for what seemed to me to be hours but was probably only a few minutes. I glanced at my watch and saw, by it’s weak glow that it was 1:30 in the morning. After a few more minutes I recovered my ability to walk without my knees giving away and began to walk around the, well, saucer.

It wasn’t very large, maybe 30 feet around and part of it was crushed from the impact into the unyielding desert ground. I couldn’t see any fire inside the thing and I cautiously went closer to it. Looking inside I could see some kind of light and, by that light, I could see two, umm, well, humanoid shapes. I watched for a few more seconds but I saw no motion from either shape and I decided to try to get in the craft to see if there was anything I could do for them. Hell, if nothing else, I might become the very first person to recover actual evidence of extra terrestrial life! Yeah! I would be famous, rich!

Looking around, I found a place where I could gain entry and I carefully climbed inside. The first form I came to was, undoubtedly not a human being! It was very thin and it’s head was like a lizard, with no hair at all on it. It’s skin looked grey when viewed in the weird green light that was emanating from inside the craft and it looked very, very dead. I made my way over to the other form I could see and, to my shock, it appeared to be human, and female! Unfortunately, it, or she, also was dead, an ugly gash in the side of her head was much too large and deep for life to still be remaining.

I pulled the flashlight out of my pocket and switched it on so I could see better and double checked both bodies. Neither was breathing and I couldn’t find a pulse on either of them. My mind was going in about 6 different directions at once trying to make some sense out of what was happening, and for a few minutes I did nothing more. I just stood there trying to calm down.

When I felt more in control of myself I started looking around the craft. I found a couple of small boxes which had what looked like computer discs in them. The discs were only about the size of a silver dollar and were gold colored. Searching around in the same area I also came up with what looked like a laptop computer with a tangle of wires attached to it. I put all that in a pile outside the ship and returned inside to see what else I could find.

I did find a couple of blankets or tarpaulins and I covered up the bodies with them. E.T.s or not, I figured they still deserved some respect in death. I looked around some more after that and found a couple of gun like things that I figured might be weapons and several metal squares which appeared to fit into them. I added them to the pile outside and went back inside again. The only other thing I could find was a kind of duffel bag that had some clothing in it. I found myself beginning to shiver and I recognized the signs of shock in myself so I went back outside and gathered my little pile of booty and headed back towards my car. I knew that I had to get myself calmed down or I would lose it and freak out without a doubt.

The immensity of what I had seen and discovered, was almost too much for me to comprehend and, once I got to my car, I stashed everything in the trunk and closed it.

I lit a cigarette and took a long drag, pulling the smoke deep into my lungs. I held it there for several seconds before breathing it slowly back out and I could feel myself starting to relax a bit. I just stood there by my car and finished my smoke and tried to get myself under control. I knew I should call somebody to come out here and recover this spaceship but I also knew that if I did, I would probably be spirited away with the ship and it’s deceased occupants to be interviewed and poked and examined and.........HOLD IT!!

Why did I have to do anything! SOMEONE must’ve seen this thing come down, even way out here in the middle of nowhere. Surely radar would have tracked it in it’s uncontrolled tumble from space and would probably be on the way to here right now! If I didn’t want to be taken away with the remains of the ship, I’d better get my ass in gear! Hey, I have seen movies of what the MIB do with people they find out have anything to do with UFOs!!

I got into the car and, with a prayer to the god of engines, I turned the ignition key. IT STARTED!!! I didn’t waste any time in getting out of there and back on the road. I just hoped that the car wouldn’t die on me again until I was a lot closer to civilization!

As I pulled back onto the road, I looked back towards the station and, way back there on the road I could see lights coming toward the place and the wreck. I didn’t see any flashing, police type lights but I didn’t feel like taking any more chances tonight and I put my foot down on the gas and roared away from there.

I kept watching the rearview mirror for any signs of pursuit but as I got further from the crash site, I began to relax a little bit. I didn’t see anything coming up on me from behind so I eased up on the gas a bit, trying to make sure the car didn’t overheat or throw a wheel or something. Hey, I was more than a little bit shook up and I have found that, in certain cases, paranoia can be a good thing!

I started thinking about what I was going to do with the stuff from that ship, and thoughts of a lot of money began running through my head. If I could get somewhere where I could figure out what all that stuff actually was, I could sell them for a BUNDLE of cash! Maybe even enough so I wouldn’t have to work ever again! Maybe my lousy luck was finally changing!

I had kept my lights turned off until I was quite a way away from the wrecked craft, figuring that if I turned them on, the people heading for it would see them and follow me, trying to catch up and find out what I knew about it. They’d also, no doubt search me and the car and they would find the stuff I had taken from the ship and I didn’t want that happening. That stuff could very well be my ticket to easy street if I could figure out what it was and what it did.

Fortunately, there was enough light coming from the moon that I could see well enough to drive a while without my lights. After I got far enough away from the crash site, and could no longer see any lights coming up from behind me, I turned on the headlights and boogied away from there as fast as that old clunker of a car could go. After a little bit, I slowed down, though, because I started thinking about my luck and the way it always went bad on me and the last thing I needed right now was a cop pulling me over for speeding. Also, I didn’t need that hunk of junk overheating on me again!

After about 50 miles or so had passed beneath the wheels of the car and nothing bad had happened, yet, I began looking for someplace to pull off the road and rest. I was still shaking a bit and was running low on cigarettes. Up ahead, I spotted what looked like the glow of lights, maybe a town or something so I headed towards it and, as I got closer, I saw that it was one of those all night convenience type store deals. Further ahead, I could see that I was coming into a small town so I relaxed just a bit and pulled off the road into the parking area of the convenience store and shut the engine off. I just sat there for a few seconds before getting out of the car and walking towards the main entrance doors.

There was a bored looking young guy, probably in his early 20s behind the counter, reading a newspaper. He looked up at me and smiled and said, "Well! Hi there mister! What can I do for ya? It sure gets boring out here at this time of the morning and you’re the first person to stop here in over an hour! I wonder, sometimes, why they bother to keep this place open all night, but, then again, if they didn’t, I’d be out of a job so I guess I should count my blessings, huh?"

I smiled back at him and said,

"I need something to drink and a couple of packs of Marlboro 100s. Where’s your pop cooler?"

He pointed toward the back of the store and I walked to the back. I grabbed a couple of Big Gulp Pepsis from the cooled and they were ICE cold! That’s the way I like my Pepsi and before you say anything, I hate coffee! The taste of the stuff just makes me gag so I get my caffeine from Pepsi, or Coke, or Royal Crown or any kind of cola. I also grabbed a couple of hamburgers from a display and stuck them into a microwave that was obviously there for the purpose of heating up the cold stuff that was in the display case and waited for the dinger to dang, letting me know that my nuked food was ready to be consumed.

While I waited for that, I grabbed a couple of small bags of potato chips. When the bell went off on the microwave, I took a few napkins and grabbed the now hot hamburgers and made my way back up to the front of the store where the kid had my cigarettes waiting on the counter.

I laid all the stuff on the counter and added a king sized Hershey bar and he totaled it all up. I paid him and he bagged everything but the burgers up and asked if there was anything else I needed. I said,

"No, that oughta do it," and headed for the door.

He said,

"Well, thanks for stoppin’ mister, and take it easy out there. I heard, on the radio, that there was some kind of crash back up the road. There’ll probably be cops and ambulances and things all over up there." "I’m not headed that way."

I replied.

"I’m headed towards California and hoping that old rent a wreck I’m driving will get me there before it explodes!" I chuckled a bit and the kid shook his head and chuckled a little too. I guess one doesn’t get a whole lot to laugh about at this hour in the morning on a lonely road working in an all night convenience store. I said adios and headed out the door.

As I walked towards the car I started thinking about finding someplace to hole up for a day or so and try to figure out what all that stuff from the crashed UFO might be or do. I sat down in the car and scarfed the burgers and chips, washing them down with the Pepsi and following that up with the Hershey bar. Now THAT’S my idea of a balanced meal! All the major food groups taken care of. Sugar, salt, caffeine and grease!

As I sat there thinking and digesting, I saw lights coming towards the store and, as I watched, a State Highway Patrol car pulled into the parking area and stopped. Two officers got out of the car and headed into the store, nodding at me as they went past. I nodded back but didn’t say anything to them. They went inside and I decided that I’d better get out of there before my luck went sour on me and those cops came back out and started asking me questions.

You gotta understand, knowing how my lousy luck works has made me more paranoid than your average person. I see bad luck in almost everything and NOW, with that stuff in my trunk, I didn’t figure that talking to a couple of cops was the best way to spend a few minutes.

I started the clunker and backed out of the parking space and headed back onto the road. I accelerated away easy and built up speed until I was just a few miles an hour under the limit. I was checking the rearview mirror every few seconds or so, just knowing that I was gonna see that Patrol car come screeching out of the lot after me with it’s lights flashing!

It didn’t, though and after a few miles had gone by I relaxed a bit and opened a pack of cigarettes and lit one up. Yeah, I know, cigarettes are bad for you, but when you have smoked as long as I have, NO cigarettes is worse. Drawing the smoke deep into my lungs and holding it there relaxed me a bit more and I put my mind back to the task of thinking.

I came to a crossroad and I decided to turn off the route I had been on. Like I said earlier, I wasn’t in a hurry, and I needed to find someplace to rest and examine the stuff I’d taken from the craft.

After several miles, I saw a sign advertising a motel and I thought that would be perfect. I was far enough from the crash and on a different road so that it wouldn’t look like I had come from that direction. When I found it, it was one of those places like "Joe’s Motel". It was a kind of a run down looking place and I thought it looked like a perfect place to hide out for a while and unwind a bit.

I pulled into the parking area and noticed that the "rooms" were behind the main office and cars there would be out of sight from the road. PERFECT, I thought and got out of the car and walked towards the door of the office.

It was dark inside and I knocked on the door and rang the bell a couple of times. Finally I heard a voice whining, "Okay, OKAY! Keep your shirt on, I’m acomin’! Ding danged tourists! Can’t let a man get his sleep! Always comin’ round in the middle of the dadblasted night!"

The door suddenly flew open and there stood an old guy who looked for all the world like Grandpa McCoy from the old show, "The Real McCoys" He was still muttering to himself as he flung open the door and he squinted at me and said,

"Whaddya want?! A room, I ‘spect! Doggone tourists always comin around in the middle of the night! WELL? C’mon in and register so I can give ya a key and get back to sleep!"

I had to chuckle at this crusty old man, partly because of who he reminded me of and the way he was acting, but partly because I was still a bit tense and chuckling at him was a bit of a release from that.

I followed him into the office where he turned on a light and shoved the registration book at me.

"Sign yer name in there and gimmie 25 bucks for the night! Checkout time is noon and if yer one minute late I get ta charge ya for another night! We ain’t got no kitchen but ya kin get breakfast at the diner across the road when it opens at 6 AM.!"

Well, I signed the register and handed him 25 dollars. He took the money and counted it twice and tossed a key on the counter. I picked it up and he gave me that squinty look again.

"It’s number 5, in the back! Park yer car around there and get on out of here so I can go back ta bed! There ain’t no bugs in there so if’n I find any after you check out I’ll know you brought ‘em in with ya! I got yer license plate number so I kin track ya down and make ya pay for a ‘sterminator! Now, get on out of here and let an old man go back ta sleep!"

He walked away, still muttering to himself, but stopped and turned to point a finger at me.

"Turn off that danged light when ya go and lock the door! And don’t make no dadratted noise drivin’ around back neither!"

With that, he turned back and left the room. Well, I turned off the light and locked the door behind me when I left and went back to my car. I drove around the back and found number 5 and parked in front of the room.

There were 10 rooms back there, all in one long building with, of course, 10 separate doors. Like I said before, the place looked kind of run down so I wasn’t expecting a Holiday Inn. I got a bit of a surprise when I unlocked #5 and entered, though.

I turned on the light and saw that it was a very neat two room suite with a separate bathroom! Everything was very clean and, although worn looking, everything was clean and smelled fresh washed. The bed was made up and there were fresh wrapped bars of soap and clean towels in the bathroom. There was a TV/VCR combo on a dresser at the foot of the bed and a remote on the night stand next to the bed. All in all, a neat, clean room which was the last thing I expected from the looks of the outside of this place.

I went back outside to the car and got my suitcase and the duffel bag from the trunk and took them inside and put them on the bed. Then I went back out and got the rest of the stuff I had recovered from the ship and took it inside as well. I dumped the whole load on the bed and locked the door to the room. I decided that I’d get a shower, catch a few hours of shuteye and then give the duffle bag and the other stuff the once over.

I looked at my watch and it said that it was 4 in the AM and I figured I’d lay low in this motel for a day or two. I stashed the stuff under the bed and went in for my shower. Then I laid down on the bed in just my jockey shorts, set the alarm on my watch for 11AM and crashed.

When the alarm went off, I cracked one eyelid and looked, blearily at my watch. 11 AM. Great. Wonderful. I felt like I hadn’t slept at all and my eyes were all gummed up with that stuff, whatever it is, that accumulates in your eyes when you sleep. I smacked my lips together a few times and decided to get up. I had to go give the old guy some more money anyway and I should probably try to find something to eat as well.

I grabbed my pants and a clean shirt, climbed into some clean socks and put my shoes on. Then I snatched my keys off the dresser where I had thrown then just a few hours before and headed out the door, locking it behind me.

I strolled up front to the office and noticed it was now open so I opened the door and went on in. I looked around and there, at a desk in the corner of the room, sat THE most gorgeous creature I had EVER laid eyes on.

She looked up at me and when I caught a glimpse of her eyes, well, let’s just say that I suddenly became a believer in love at first sight! I just wanted to stand there and drown in those eyes and when she spoke, I didn’t even hear what she said. I just stood there with my mouth slightly open, staring. I couldn’t breathe and I could feel strange things going on in my stomach, and lower! She spoke again in a slightly louder tone of voice and I finally realized that she was speaking to me!

She had a slightly amused look on her face and I figured that she must be used to the effect she was having on me, and for that matter, the effect she must have on all men if they are breathing! Long brunette hair swung around her face as she kind of tossed her head to clear the hair from in front of her eyes I finally found my tongue and made it work, sort of, and said,

"I’m sorry, I just woke up and I came up here to pay for an extra day and I was expecting to find the old guy and then I saw you and I, I, I........."

About there I ran out of air, and words, and just stood there with what MUST have been the dumbest look on my face that had ever been seen by anyone. She grinned at me, obviously enjoying my tied tongue and flustered behavior and then, she spoke again, saying,

"Hello! You must Mr. Butler. I found a note from grandpa that he had rented #5 out early this morning. He said that you might be in this morning. So you are going to stay for another night, Mr. Butler? How nice! We don’t get a lot of guests this time of year!"

She actually sounded happy that I was going to be staying! Well, I’m sure you can guess what part of me was doing the most thinking just then but I tried to get my body, my brain, and my mouth to co-operate and, in a few seconds I was able to regain control of most of my thought processes.

"Umm, look," I stammered. Can we start over? My name is William Butler but most everyone just calls me Bill. And you are.....?"

She smile at me again, this time a friendly smile instead of an amused one and answered,

"My name is Prudence Walker, but most everyone calls me Prue. I’m glad to meet you Mr. Bu..., I mean Bill."

Did that little slip mean that she wanted to consider me a friend? Man, I sure hoped so. This young woman was VERY pretty and, from the sound of it, very intelligent as well. She continued, saying,

"My grandfather owns this place and I help him out with the books and other paperwork. He CAN be a bit of a handful, as I think you may have noticed, but he is a dear and I love him very much."

Her face lit up as she talked about her grandpa and, if possible, it made her even prettier. I cast about in my mind for something else to say in order to continue talking to her and finally, came up with an idea.

"Well, why don’t I go ahead and pay you for the extra night and then maybe I could take you to lunch? I haven’t even had breakfast yet and I am starved. Is the place across the road any good?"

"Why, thank you, Bill, that’d be nice. I hate to eat alone and the place across the road is actually quite good. You get your money’s worth and the food is very good!"

My head was swimming a bit. This gorgeous gal was gonna have lunch with me, a guy she just met and knew nothing about! PHOOEY on my bad luck! By gosh, maybe it was changing for the better after all! I paid Prue for the room and, after she locked up the register, she called out,

"Grandpa, I’m going for lunch. I’ll be across the road at Higgens’."

The old man answered her from somewhere in the back part of the office,

"Okay Prudie. Bring me back somethin’. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!"

I chuckled a bit at the old man but made sure that Prue knew it wasn’t malicious laughter. The LAST thing I wanted to do right now, was to put her off in any way. Besides, I kinda liked the old guy’s spirit. I hope when I get to be that age, I have as much spunk.

We went across the road and into the little restaurant and found seats. We each grabbed a menu and, in just a little bit a waitress came over and asked us what we would like. I ordered a hot roast beef sandwich with a large Pepsi, and Prue ordered a burger and a salad, and coffee.

We sat and talked a bit before our orders arrived and she told me that she was divorced after a bad marriage and not much more about that. I found out that she was 25 and had no kids and that she lived in L.A. but was here in Nevada recovering from her divorce and just getting her life together.

I, in turn, told her about my heading for L.A. looking for work and a new start. We talked right through lunch and, to tell the truth, I don’t remember eating anything but, when I looked down at my plate, it was empty and I was full. Prue ate sparingly and managed to finish her salad and half of her burger along with about three cups of coffee. I asked her if she minded if I had a smoke and she responded by getting out her cigarettes and asking me for a light. I darn near ripped my pocket trying to get my lighter out too fast and lit both of our smokes and we just sat there enjoying the smoke and each other’s company.

When we were finished with our cigarettes, we got up and went to the register to pay for lunch. I started to pay for hers but she stopped me, saying,

"Hey, Bill, let’s call this one dutch treat. I don’t know you well enough to let you pay for my meals, yet. Maybe another time if you want to take me out for dinner or something like that, I’ll let you pay. Okay?"

Well, what was I gonna do? Make a scene right there? I let her pay for her lunch but I insisted on paying for her grandpa’s lunch which we picked up on the way out. She smiled at that and allowed me to pay.

We left the restaurant and walked back across the road and parted company at the front door of the office. I told her that I was still a bit tired, which I was, but I also wanted to take some time and look over the stuff stashed under the bed in my room. She said,

"Okay." and went inside the office, flashing me a quick smile which banished most of my tiredness.

I sort of floated back to my room and, once inside, I locked the door and began pulling things out from under the bed. The first thing I pulled out was that duffel bag. I heaved it up on the bed and opened it up. Reaching inside, cautiously, My fingers found.....clothes? Hmm, felt like silk or something like it. Smooth anyway.

I began pulling things out of it. Women’s clothes? Yep. Slips, Bras, Panties, Skirts, Blouses, Hose, Dresses, Shoes. In the bottom of the bag was a small compact looking thing with stuff written on it. I got out my handy dandy 12-in-one tool and found the magnifying glass. It said, UNIVERSAL MAKEUP KIT. Ooookay! Why not?

There was one other thing in the bag. It looked like a hair dryer but different, If that makes any sense. There was a small book, kind of like an instruction manual attached to it by some kind of plastic looking strap, and there was a standard looking power cord attached to the thing as well. I spent a few minutes sorting through the clothes and made neat piles of them, folding them as neatly as I knew how. Why? I dunno. It just seemed to be the thing to do with them, I guess.

I left the makeup kit alone for the time being and examined the hair dryer. It had different settings one could dial up but the titles of the settings were strange. Length? Style? Color? And then numbered settings under each main category up to 8. Oookay! Well, what the hell, I thought. I plugged the thing into a wall socket and set the length for shoulder, the style on #1 and the color to blonde, and turned it on.

Almost immediately, warn air started blowing out of the thing and I aimed it at my own hair. I watched in the mirror but other than my hair getting warm and flying around in the breeze, nothing seemed to be happening. My attention got distracted by something, I don’t remember what, but I looked away from the mirror for a minute or so enjoying the feeling of the warm air on my scalp.

All of a sudden, I felt something happening up there! I quickly turned my attention back to the mirror and saw my hair starting to grow! It got longer, and longer until it reached my shoulders and, as it grew, it got thicker and shinier and lighter in color until it was totally blonde! It was straight, without any curl or anything kind of like Mary Travers used to wear her hair in the early days of Peter, Paul and Mary.

I quickly shut the hair dryer thing off and set it down on the top of the dresser and began to pull on my hair, gently. It was definitely attached to my head and it felt a lot silkier and smoother than my hair had ever felt! I picked up the dryer again and looked at it more closely. On the bottom, there was a switch with two positions. One was labeled ‘nor’ and the other, ‘imp’. It was set on ‘imp’ so I switched it to nor and turned it back on, again blowing my hair around with the warm air. In just a few minutes, my hair regained it’s normal length, color and style! Well now, This thing could be worth some bucks! I should be able to sell it to some Hollywood salon for a real bundle of cash.

I played with it for about a half hour and turned my hair every color of the rainbow and every length including long enough to brush the floor! The style settings gave it curls or waves or whatever! WOW! Pretty cool, I thought and when I was finished playing with it, I returned my hair to it’s normal length, color and style. Okay.

I picked up the makeup kit. I’ll admit it. The hair dryer/styler was kind of fun and I wondered what this thing had in it. I opened it up expecting to see all kinds of colors of eye makeup and blush and like that, but looking in it, all I saw was a mirror and a series of buttons, each with a number!

Now, being one of those guys who NEVER reads the instructions, I pressed one to see what it might do. Nothing. Hmmm. Okay, there was one which said ‘on’. I pushed it. I could hear a small hum begin almost like an electrical noise like you hear sometimes if your TV isn’t working just exactly right. I shook it a little bit and the hum went away. Must be a little out of whack from the impact of the crash, I told myself. At least I hoped that was the case. I guessed I would know in a minute or two. If it blew my hand off, I would know I had been wrong!

I put the thing down and picked up the instruction manual! NOW, I would read it! According to what I read, this thing could duplicate or create ANY makeup style once that style had been input into it, kind of like entering data into a computer. To do that, it said, all one had to do was either slide a picture of the style into a small slot in the bottom of it, OR, use the thing like a camera and take a ‘picture’ of the style one wanted. I found the proper buttons to use to ‘take a picture of a style and turned on the TV.

I waited for an ad to come up with a good looking woman in it and when one did, I ‘took a picture’ of her. The kit buzzed and clicked and made little chuckling noises to itself almost like R2D2 talking for a couple of seconds and then stopped. A little ‘bing’ noise went off and then a button started flashing on and off. I pushed that button but nothing happened. I looked at the rows of buttons, trying to find one that would make this thing DO something and accidentally pushed the same button again but this time I was looking directly into the mirror built into the kit.

There was a small buzzing noise again, then a brief bright light washed over my face. Nothing unpleasant like shining a flashlight beam across your face in the daytime. You can tell it’s there but it isn’t blinding or anything. When the light went away, I looked into the mirror again and my face had makeup on it! I mean, everything that girl on the TV had on her face had been duplicated on mine!

Now, I’ll grant you, it didn’t look very good on my face but I looked at it closely in that mirror and EVERYTHING was there! Mascara, eyeliner, foundation and powder, blush, lipstick, the WORKS! WELL, NOW!! THIS really WAS something. Thoughts of opening my own salon were beginning to form in my mind! The hell with working for some two bit delivery company, carrying boxes and things! Instead of selling these things, I could USE them to make changes in just about anyone, it seemed!

For kicks, I picked up the hair dryer, turned it back on and tried to match my hair to what I had seen on the girl on TV. I had it in a matter of minutes and shut the dryer off again. Looking in the large mirror over the dresser, I looked at myself carefully. Everything looked just as it had on that girl in the ad except, of course it was on my head and face!

I thought this was a little weird too but for the next hour or so I played with those two things, giving myself at least two dozen makeovers in the process. It WAS kind of fun and a couple of times, I broke up laughing. I really looked ridiculous with long, styled hair and makeup!

Well, after I grew a little tired of that I put everything back the was it was on my head and face (there WAS a button to erase what the kit put on ones face). Then I got the rest of the stuff out from under the bed. The two things that looked like weapons, I put inside a dresser drawer and left alone. The last thing I wanted to do right now was to blow up the room I was sitting in and since these were alien weapons, I didn’t know WHAT they could do!

The last thing I had to check out was that thing that looked like a laptop computer. I picked it up and opened it. Now, I’m no computer expert by anyone’s definition but this thing looked pretty much like every other laptop computer I had ever seen, EXCEPT for that bundle of wires attached to it and the fact that there was no CD slot or anyplace to insert a computer disc anywhere on it. Instead there was a small slot located near the keys on the keyboard part of it that looked like it was designed to put a sliver dollar sized object into it.

I put it down on the bed and took a closer look at the tangle of wires. After a few minutes of untangling and straightening, I could see that the wires formed a kind of pattern. What it looked like, to me, was, there was a small round section with long wires leading from it, extending about 6 feet, give or take a few inches. Once I got them all untangled, I tried to step back and observe the wires from a dispationate point of view.

I let my mind go blank, sort of, and let my subconscious see the whole thing in as many ways as it could. I have found that sometimes, when I try too hard to think about something, I can’t come up with an answer. I have to actively stop thinking about it and let my subconscious mind work on it. Almost invariably, it will come up with an answer that makes sense.

After about 15 minutes of this led me to several possibilities. I quickly examined each of them and discarded all of them except one. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once said, through his most famous character creation, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, that, "When one has examined all the evidence and discarded the impossible, whatever is left, however improbable it may seem, must be the answer."

Now that may not be an accurate quote, but it does convey the message. So, that’s kind of what I did, and, however improbable it seemed to me, it looked like what one was supposed to do with those wires was, put the round part on one’s head and arrange the other wires downwards to the floor on all sides of one’s body. What their purpose was, though, I had NO idea.

On a hunch, I picked up one of the boxes of small disc-like things I had found with the laptop and examined one of the discs. It looked like a plain, gold colored, circle of some kind of metal. Looking at a little closer, it occurred to me that it was just about the right size to fit into the slot on the laptop! I picked up the laptop again and looked for some kind of ‘on’ switch or button, and, what do you know, I found one! It was similar to the ‘on/off’ buttons I had noticed on the makeup kit and the hair styler. I pressed it into the ‘on’ position and was rewarded by the monitor screen lighting up! Symbols appeared within seconds on the screen but they were not in English, or any other language I was familiar with.

I played with several buttons and, as luck would have it, I actually found one that translated the symbols into English! What appeared on the screen after that were instructions for operating the laptop! I followed the setup instructions and then I inserted the first disc into that small slot. It completely disappeared into the laptop and a couple of seconds later, new instructions appeared on the screen. I read through them carefully and slowly and, as I read, my mouth fell open from surprise!

According to what I was reading, the laptop was a portable form changer and the discs were various different body shapes! Now, I know how this must all sound to you, the reader. Fantastic would probably be the mildest word one could apply to this and yet, there it was! In my hands I held the means to change my body in any way available on those discs!

My first thought was that I had stumbled on a scout craft of some kind from an invasion force and this little laptop type thing was their means of infiltrating the governments of the Earth! It made a kind of sense, the more I thought about it. I mean, there was the makeup kit, and the hair styler and now this thing which purported itself to be a body changing machine! It all pointed, in my mind, to some kind of alien invasion threat and, now I was getting worried! My thoughts of selling this stuff off to the highest bidder were fast taking second place to thoughts about saving the Earth from invasion!

I had to get this stuff to the government, somehow! They would know what to do with it, but how was I gonna do that? I know enough about the government and their elite and top secret teams like the Men In Black or, the MIB, to know that they would probably hold me for questioning for God knows how long and I would still end up needing a job or worse, as an experimental test subject in some lab somewhere. They couldn’t let me go once they had me because they would consider me a security risk.

In order to get my thoughts out of that pattern, I decided to see if the form changer would actually do what it was supposed to do. Since I had been playing with makeup and hair styles most of the afternoon anyway, I decided to see if this thing could actually change my body to a female form. I figured, in for a penny, in for a pound and, after a brief search through the discs, I found one that had stored on it a very attractive female form. About 5’5" 115 lbs. And 36C, 24, 36 measurements.

I figured out how to arrange the wires about my body and how to store my own form on a blank disc. I was, after all, just experimenting with this thing. I didn’t want to be stuck with a different shape than the one I had gotten used to all of my life. I placed the round part of the wire harness on my head and found that it could be adjusted to fit.

According to the directions, the round part was supposed to rest right at one’s hairline and it didn’t matter if the trailing wires that hung from that part were too long or too short by a few inches, according to the instructions. So, I arranged the wire harness the way it was supposed to be, recorded my own form and then replaced that disc with the one I had selected for my test. I carefully placed the disc with my recording on it in a safe place and then, activated the program.

There was a brief moment of disorientation and then nothing. I wasn’t sure whether I should be disappointed or elated that it hadn’t worked! I reached up to remove the wire harness from my head and got one hell of a surprise! My HANDS! They weren’t my hands! I mean, they WERE my hands, I could feel with them and everything but they were different! They were much more slender and graceful looking than I ever remembered them being and my nails were long and oval shaped! The hair was gone from them and, as my unbelieving eyes followed up the arms attached to those hands I noticed that they, too, were hairless and nicely rounded, not muscular like they had been! They also seemed to bend differently than they ever had, seeming to be almost double jointed!

I was almost afraid to look anywhere else on my body. I knew that, judging from the differences in my hands and arms, the damned thing HAD worked and I wasn’t so sure anymore that I wanted to see what had happened to my body. I swallowed, hard, and looked down the front of my body, trying to prepare myself mentally for what I was sure I was going to see, but all the preparation in the world couldn’t prepare me for the sight of breasts sticking out of MY chest!

I guess I panicked for a few seconds because the next thing I remember, I was standing in front of the full length mirror on the back of the bathroom door, without the wire harness on me and gazing at the most gorgeous female body it had EVER been my pleasure to see, naked!

Perfect breasts were hanging from MY chest and below that, a slim tapered waist which gradually flared out to lovely child bearing hips. My legs were slender and beautifully shaped and my feet were absolutely tiny compared with my old large male feet. Between my legs was a smooth stretch of soft, curly hair and just the hint of what lay within that hair. There was no hair anywhere else on my body, including my armpits, except for my eyelashes which had grown incredibly long and full. Even my eyebrows were gone!

I must have stood there, looking in that mirror for ten minutes or so, turning this way and that, admiring what I saw there. Then, panic set back in and I ran back into the other room, found the wire harness, put it back on and grabbed the disc with my old recording on it. I quickly ran the program and, as before, there was that moment of disorientation and then nothing. I raised my arm into view and, with great relief, I saw my own hairy male arm!

I took off the wire harness, put on my jockey shorts and sat down on the bed and lit a cigarette. I just sat there, smoking until I finished that cigarette. I didn’t even think or try to. I just sat there, in shock I guess. Let’s face it, folks, I had just, in the course of a few hours, watched an alien spacecraft crash. I had recovered alien artifacts from that craft and then run like a thief in the night with the spoils I had looted from that craft and hidden myself in an out of the way motel. I had met a beautiful woman and had lunch with her and then I had radically changed my body using those alien machines! All in all, one hell of a 24 hour period and my brain was racing, trying to catch up with what had happened!

Copyright © 2000 By Catherine Linda Michel

To Be Continued!!!

Luck Be A Lady -2-

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Genre:

Character Age:

College / Twenties

TG Themes:

Body Suits

Other Keywords:

Permission:

Permission granted to post by author

"Sit down," I told her. "You are about to get a crash course in alien technology."

Luck Be A Lady
Part 2
By Catherine Linda Michel

I took a look at my watch and it read 3:30! I’d been messing around with that alien equipment for almost 4 hours! I sat and smoked another cigarette, trying to come to grips with the discoveries I had made that afternoon. I could feel the tension, slowly leaving my body as I drew the aromatic smoke deep into my lungs. Yeah, yeah, I know what everybody is saying about smoking but, when you have been smoking as long as I have, when you get tense, or stressed out, just the act of smoking calms you. I couldn’t remember EVER having been THIS tensed up and I NEEDED those cigarettes!

Anyway, I sat there finishing yet another smoke and thought, hard, about what I had found and what I was gonna do with it. The more I thought about it, the more I began to realize that there was NO way I could turn this stuff over to anyone BUT the Government! Even if it cost me everything I had left, there was no way I couldn’t let people in a position to do something about, what seemed to me to be, an imminent threat to the whole planet, know about this stuff. If there was, indeed, an alien invasion underway, I had to do everything I could to help stop it. I didn’t know whether I would regret it on a personal level or not, but I couldn’t just keep this stuff, could I?

Well, one thing was for sure. I wasn’t getting anything accomplished or decided, sitting there smoking. I had thought, earlier, I might invite Prue out for dinner that night but there was still time to do that. I finally decided to do a bit more experimenting with the alien machines to see what they could really do when used together. I got everything laid out on the bed, all the clothing and the equipment and began.

The first thing I did was to make a duplicate copy of the disc with my recording on it. If there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that my luck would ALWAYS screw things up if I gave it even half a chance and there was NO way I wanted to get trapped in a form that wasn’t my own! I took that second disc and wrapped it in a piece of cloth, then in plastic from one of my cigarette packs and stuck it in my wallet. At worst, it might get mistaken for the shape of a condom in there and no one would question that. Not with today’s attitudes about safe sex. The other disc with my recording on it went back into the dresser drawer, under some of my socks.

Then I went through all the discs that I had found.

There were, it turned out, 8 discs with recordings on them, all Female! I wondered about that but as long as I had the recordings of myself, there was NO chance that I wouldn’t be able to return to my own form so I re-inserted the disc I had tried before and arranged the wires around me. I took a deep breath and switched on the machine. Again I experienced that moment of disorientation and, when I lifted my arm, there was that smooth, hairless female arm again! I took a little more time examining this form than I did the last time and noticed that it was pretty much flawless with the exception of there being no hair on it anywhere but between my legs. I did notice that I had no problems moving around in this form, though. Sure my hips and butt moved a bit more, side to side and yes, the feeling of movement was different with things jiggling and moving around but, all in all, it wasn’t uncomfortable or awkward.

I walked back to the bed and picked up the hair dryer/styler and went back to the mirror. For about 20 minutes I tried every style and setting on that thing, finally deciding on a length down to the middle of my back and slightly wavy, and blonde for a color. Not platinum blonde but more like a strawberry blonde color. I walked back to the bed and picked up the makeup kit and went back to the mirror. I played with that thing for almost 30 minutes, trying many, many settings. I found that whatever setting I used, my eyelashes and eyebrows would fill in to match the makeup design I used. I was amazed at the combinations available on this thing. I hadn’t even touched half of the buttons that were available to be used and I had used up over a half hour and tried more than a dozen different looks!

I settled on a look that was, I thought, kind of average looking. Not a lot of color but what there was, made this new face of mine very pretty indeed! I gotta tell ya, my mind was telling me that this was WAY strange and I shouldn’t be liking it but, DAMN, I looked GOOD! I admired myself for a few minutes in that mirror and then the thought came to me, "Hey, you’ve tried on a new body, new hair, and makeup. You might as well complete the look and try on some of those clothes."

Now, I told you before that I had NEVER in my life had ANY desire or even curiosity about wearing women’s clothes, but somehow, in this situation, it seemed like the thing to do. I tried to rationalize further by saying to myself, "You shouldn’t walk around even here in the room, naked. What if someone came in? It’s bad enough that you look like your own wet dream but you SHOULD be wearing SOMETHING!"

So, back to the bed I went. I went through the piles of clothing and found a matching bra and panty set and tried those on. I won’t go into the sensations I felt but they WERE different, that’s for sure! The panties were no problem but that damn bra! What a pain in the ass THAT thing was! I couldn’t, for the life of me, get that damned thing attached in the back no matter how much I wiggled and stretched my arms around! I finally had to turn it around, attach the hooks in front of me and then, pull the cups around in front of me. From there it wasn’t too difficult to figure out how to settle my(?) breasts into the cups and get the straps up on my shoulders. I found a nice looking blouse and a skirt(?) To match it and put them on. Not a lot of trouble except for those damned backwards buttons on the blouse!

I found some earrings, bracelets and a necklace that looked like they matched and put them on as well. Once started, it seemed as if there was no stopping until I had completed fully completing a fully female look. When I finally had everything on that seemed necessary, I finally faced those shoes. There were several pairs of them but it seemed that only one pair was right for the way I thought I looked and that was a pair of pumps with a 3 inch heel on them. I wasn’t at all sure about walking in those things but I put them on and stood up, carefully.

To my complete surprise, I had absolutely no problem walking in those heels. As a matter of fact, it seemed totally natural and normal to me just then. I walked back to the mirror and just stood there, my mouth hanging open in amazement at the picture of total femininity I saw looking back at me. These machines were UNBELIEVABLE! I would have some heavy duty explaining to anyone who might have come to the door, who I was and why I was there, looking as I did, but that didn’t seem to matter just then. I was lost in that mirror for, it seemed a long time, just looking at the beautiful woman looking back at me.

I did a few poses and that tickled my funny bone so I started to laugh and stopped, COLD! I hadn’t spoken at all during any of my experimenting with these alien machines and hadn’t thought about my voice at all, until I laughed! Well, actually, it was more of a giggle. A high pitched, totally female, GIGGLE!

I HAD wondered a bit about what, if anything these things might do to my voice but, somehow, the reality of that high pitched giggle coming from my(?) lips, scared me more than anything else had, to that point. All of a sudden, all of my misgivings and doubts came back to me, full throttle, and smacked me right upside of my head. The spell that I had been under, looking like a beautiful woman, evaporated and all of a sudden I was just a guy in drag. Elaborate drag, I’ll admit but that was how it seemed to me right then and I stripped out of those clothes like they were on fire! I grabbed the makeup kit and erased that from my face. Then I took away the long, blonde hair and grabbed the disc with my recording on it and snapped it into the machine. I arranged the wires properly and switched on the laptop and in just a few seconds, I, the male me, was back, shaking.

I grabbed some of my clothes and climbed into them, then I began stashing things back away. The clothing went back into the duffel bag on top of the hair styler and the makeup kit and I actually remembered to grab those two weapons or whatever they were from the dresser drawer and stuck them into the bottom of the bag, as well. Then I hid the bag under the bed and pulled the blankets down to cover any space that might have been left between the bottom of them and the floor and, finally, sat down to have a real good shake session.

WHAT the hell had I been thinking? I mean, good grief! There I had been, parading around in a rented motel room like some kind of drag queen, not even thinking about what could have happened if, say, Prue had come to the door to see if I wanted to go to dinner! From fully changed and dressed, it took me 15 minutes to change completely back to myself and that would have been much too long for anyone to have waited outside the door, without some suspicion creeping into their thoughts. I was going to have to be a LOT more cautious about this whole thing if I wanted to keep this to myself. Hell, even if I was gonna turn this stuff over to someone from the government, I STILL had to be careful! It wouldn’t take much for someone to steal those things from me, if it became known that I had them and what they could do.

I finished off that pack of cigarettes and then decided to see if Prue wanted to go out to eat. Besides, I needed some fresh air! Cooped up in that room, playing with all those alien devices had given me both a case of the heebie-jeebies and an appetite! As I went out of the room, I double checked to make sure I had my wallet, smokes, lighter and keys. I made sure that the disc was safely in my wallet and that the door to the room locked behind me. It was warm outside but not oppressively so and I began to relax a bit more, just being out of that room. It didn’t hurt my attitude that I was going up to see a REAL, beautiful woman who seemed to have a bit of interest in me, either.

I noticed a nondescript black car, parked in front of the office and, for some reason, I hesitated about going up there. I found a place where I could watch the office door and not be seen, myself and just stood there, watching. In just a few minutes, a couple of men in black suits came out of the office and entered the car and left. I waited until the car was out of sight from the motel before I ventured out of my hiding place and continued on up towards the office. When I reached the door, I was just about to open it when it opened almost in my face. Prue came out of the office and she seemed to be in a hurry because she obviously didn’t see me at first. When she DID see me, she almost jumped backwards in seeming shock! She had a worried look on her face and she squeaked a little bit, kinda like an "eep!"

She grabbed me by the front of my shirt and practically dragged me into the office! She closed the door behind us and drew a curtain closed as well. I looked at her, partly in alarm and, sorry, partly with a little lust. Hey, so SUE me! A good looking woman practically drags me into a darkened room and slams and locks the door behind us, drawing the curtain closed as well? Well, anyway, that lust thing only lasted for about three seconds because when she turned around to face me, there was a look of anger on her face! I took a couple of steps backwards, away from her and tried a little smile, sorta trying to defuse whatever situation I had suddenly found myself in. I couldn’t imagine why she might be angry at me but I was about to find out because, when she was looking at me again, she started in on me!

"Okay, mister Butler, or whatever your name is! Just what the hell are you doing here?! Those men who just left were some sort of government agents and they were asking a lot of questions about strangers passing through this area! I didn’t say anything to them about you but you’d better give me a good reason why I shouldn’t call the police on you, right NOW! How DARE you come in here and bring trouble with you? My grandpa is old and he can’t take this kind of thing like he used to be able to and if he comes to any harm because of YOU, I’ll, I’ll...."

She kind of ran down, there, for a second and I jumped in before she could work up another head of steam.

"Whoaa there, Prue! I don’t know what you’re talking about here! Why don’t you sit down for a minute and calm down as well. THEN, you can try again only this time, tell me what happened and what you are talking about!

Well, she finally calmed down enough to begin making some sense and I got the full story out of her. Apparently, two men, claiming to be with some government agency, had entered the office and were asking about any strangers that might have come through in the last day or so. They had told her that the person they were looking for was armed and to be considered dangerous. Having had lunch with me and trusting her own perceptions, she hadn’t told them about me or the fact that I had just checked in the day before. She wanted the truth, however and I felt that since it looked like she was gonna get drawn into this thing whether I wanted it to happen or not, I gave it to her. Straight from the cuff, no lies, no fudging. I told her about the UFO and the stuff I had found. I also told her about my own indecision about turning the stuff over to anyone, figuring that I would undoubtedly be detained and possibly even arrested for having lifted that stuff from the ship. I needed to have some time to try to figure out what I should and shouldn’t do. She agreed with me on that point and, as we talked, I began to get the glimmer of an idea.

I hadn’t told Prue at that point, just what, exactly, those alien devices could do. Realizing that it would only be a matter of time until those supposed agents returned to search the place as I am sure they were going to do, with every small motel and hotel within a certain range, I knew that it would be to my benefit to get the hell out while the getting was good! Since they might just have a description of me and the car I was driving, I thought, "Maybe I can use that body changer to get out of here. At least far enough away that I could return to being myself without worrying about being spotted and arrested. To accomplish any of that, though, I was going to have to take Prue into my confidence and tell her everything, including what those devices could do. I also knew that it would damned near impossible to convince her without a demonstration. Even now, she was looking at me like I was some lunatic and I knew that it wouldn’t take much to sway her towards the opinion that I was, indeed, dangerous!

So, I told her that I would tell her the whole story, including what those devices could do but I extracted a promise from her that she would do nothing until I had demonstrated to her that I was telling the truth. I suggested that we go get something to eat and then come back to the motel where I would go to my room, accompanied by her, and show her what I was talking about. I told her that she could leave the door unlocked or even open it that would set her mind more at ease about me. So, I asked her to go across the street and grab us a couple of burgers and some fries and something to drink and I would meet her back at my room in about a half an hour.

She agreed to that although I could tell that she didn’t really believe me about UFOs and alien stuff. Can’t say I blamed her too much. I didn’t really believe it myself, yet, and I had already proven to myself that all this was real. I hurried back to my room and packed all my own stuff up in my own bag. Then I laid out the outfit I had tried on earlier and took the laptop, styler and makeup kit into the bathroom. Then I waited for Prue to show up with the eats. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and I opened it to find Prue there with a bag full of food. and two large soft drinks.

I asked her to check out the bathroom to make sure that there wasn’t anyone hiding there because, I told her, a different person from the one who went in there, would be coming out of there. She gave me another one of those looks that said, "You ARE nuts but I’ll play along with this until I find out what you’re REALLY up to," but she didn’t just pick up and run so I considered that a positive sign. We ate quickly and then I excused myself to go into the bathroom to begin my change. As I picked up those female clothes, she looked at me and said,

"You’re not one of those, are you? Because if you are, it’s ok. I just need to know before you go in there and change clothes so I’ll know what to expect when you come out."

I looked at her, a bit taken aback and replied,

"One of what?"

"A transvestite, of course, silly! You know, one of those guys who gets his kicks from wearing ladies clothes! There’s nothing wrong with it but don’t you think we should get to know each other a bit better before you start making confessions like that to me?"

I took the clothes into the bathroom and hung them on a hook on the back of the door and then went back out and sat down near Prue. I told her the complete story about what the alien devices could do and what I was planning to do with them. The only way I could get away from here was to leave as someone other than myself. I knew that if I tried to leave here as me, I would be followed and taken into custody by whoever those agents were connected with and I wasn’t about to risk that.

So, I told her, my plan was to leave as a woman, and stay that way until I felt I was safe from them. Then I could go back to being myself and into hiding somewhere so I could think this whole thing out and decide what I was going to do. I assured her that I WASN’T one of "those" and that if I didn’t think that this was the only way I could get out of here safely, I wouldn’t even THINK about wearing any other clothes than what I normally wore.

She told me that it really was okay if I wanted to "dress up" as she called it but she didn’t think I would make a very convincing woman. I asked her to just sit there and wait about 20 minutes and let me prove to her that what I had told her was the truth. Well, she finally agreed but she had this funny smile on her face. I went into the bathroom and closed the door and stripped my clothes off. Then, I began the process of changing myself.

I arranged the wires around me as I had before, made sure that the disc was inserted properly, and switched on the machine. A few seconds later, I gazed into the mirror at that, by now, familiar female figure. It was still a shock to see that totally different face and body and know that it was really me but I didn’t have time to waste. I used the styler to grow and arrange my hair the way it was the last time I had done this and then the makeup kit to finish out a totally female image.

Then I dressed, quickly, in the woman’s clothes and got ready to leave the bathroom to confront Prue. I opened the door and called out,

"Ready or not, here I come." in that unbelievably feminine sounding voice and stepped out. "Well, what do you think?" I asked her. "Will this be a good enough disguise?"

She just stared for a minute or two with her mouth partly open in amazement. I could see that she was clearly not believing what she was seeing and I didn’t say anything more than what I already had said. I remembered my own response to the first change I had done and I knew that hers must be a more pronounced reaction than mine had been since she hadn’t seen it happen. All she knew that an almost 6 foot tall fairly heavy man had gone into the bathroom and a 5’5" 115 lb, very attractive female had come out!

Still not speaking, she got up from the bed and walked around me, surveying every inch of my new appearance. Then she walked over to the bathroom door, opened it and stepped in. I could hear her pulling the shower curtain back and I knew that she was looking for me, or rather, the old me, the MALE me. She came out with the styler and makeup kit in her hands and finally found her voice.

"If you expect me to believe this, then you will have to show me. What are these things and what do they do? I have never seen anything like them and I can tell from looking at them that they weren’t made in THIS country. I’ve never seen materials like the ones they are constructed from and I don’t recognize the writing on them."

I walked over to her and gently took the items from her hands.

"Sit down," I told her. "You are about to get a crash course in alien technology"

In just a few minutes I had changed my hair color and style several times as well as the colors of the makeup I had on and I had her undivided attention! She wanted to try it on herself but I told her that I didn’t know if it would work unless there was a recording of her present appearance so that she could return to it. She seemed to accept that but she looked at me again and then said,

"Okay. Let’s say that I am buying this whole line of stuff you are trying to get me to believe and you DID get this stuff from an alien spaceship. How do you plan to get away from here? Hitchhike? If you drive that car away from here, they will still be suspicious and stop you and look for identification. You haven’t got any, other than what you have for William Butler. That’s gonna raise their suspicions and they’ll STILL take you into custody. Sooner or later they’ll figure out what that stuff is and what it does and then you’ll be in even deeper than you are already because you will be trapped in that shape unless they let you change back! THEN what would you do? Are you ready to live for however long THEY decide you have to, as a woman? I mean, this IS all almost unbelievable to me but I have seen the evidence with my own eyes and, somehow, I WANT to believe you! But you haven’t thought this thing through at all!"

Well, I knew she was right but what else could I do? I had to get out of here and I couldn’t do it as myself. I mean I didn’t like this masquerading as a female at all but it was the only form available to me other than my own. I also knew that I might very well be running out of time to get out. I expressed all this to Prue and she agreed with me but, said she had a better idea. Well, I was ready to listen to ANYTHING that might buy me some time to think and plan so I asked her what she had in mind.

I listened to Prue for about a half hour or so as she outlined what she thought I would have to do. She told me that she was planning to leave on a vacation for a couple of weeks and she could help me get out of here without those government men knowing where I had gone. So we put our plan together.

I was to change back to myself, pack up my stuff and leave in the car I had arrived in. Prue would follow in about an hour and pick me up, after I had abandoned the car and changed myself to this same female shape again. Then we would transfer all the stuff from my car to hers and drive off in her car looking for all the world like two women out for a drive. The only tricky part of the whole plan was gaining enough time to make the transfer of the stuff and my own change before those agents or whatever they were came nosing around. We decided that the easiest way to get everything done was to take all my own clothes and things out of my car and put them in her car’s trunk, except for what I would be wearing. Then we took one set of female clothes and put them in my car.

I made the change back to myself and got dressed and then packed the styler and the makeup kit into the front seat of my car. I retrieved the other disc with my recording on it and gave it to Prue for safekeeping, keeping the other one safely in my wallet. Then we made our final arrangements and I got in my car and headed away from the motel. Prue would pack up her things and meet me in a shopping center in the next town down the road. There, I would make the switch to the female form and change clothes, packing my male clothes that i was now wearing and putting them in a bag to hide them, I would meet Prue in the store, we would act as if we were two old friends who hadn’t seen each other for a long time and leave the shopping center in her car, thus throwing anyone trying to follow me off the trail and gaining time for us to get somewhere safe and make further plans.

As I drove off down that road I kept wondering if I was doing the right thing. I mean, here I had all this alien technology and knowledge of a possible alien invasion. Should I really be thinking about myself in all of this or should I bite the bullet, turn all this stuff over to the FBI or whoever and take my lumps, whatever they might be, to make sure that the world knew about the possible alien threat? The more I thought about it, though, the more convinced I became that the government already knew about what was going on with the aliens and turning this stuff and myself over to the agents would only bring me more trouble than I wanted.

After all, I did have a life that I wanted to be able to live and it didn’t involve being sequestered inside some secret safe house being babysat by government agents and having no more personal freedom to come and go as I pleased. It also became obvious to me that I would likely have to change my identity for quite awhile in order to be sure that I had thrown whoever might be looking for me off the scent. Like it or not, I was gonna NEED that alien stuff to make myself safe and secure again.

I drove for a couple of hours until the shopping center Prue had described to me came into view. It wasn’t a super mall or anything like that but it was quite large and there were a lot of cars in the parking area. I didn’t think I would have any problems hiding my nondescript clunker. I parked in a large group of cars that pretty much looked like the car I was driving and grabbed everything from the car. I locked the doors and headed into the center.

There were several stores inside that shopping center and we had chosen the SEARSâ„¢ store because it was the largest one there. There were lots of people coming and going and it would be easy to lose oneself in the crowd. I wandered around inside the store for awhile until I had the layout memorized as best as I could and then ducked into a ladies room when I knew it was unoccupied.

I locked the door behind me and made the change to the female form as fast as I could and changed clothes. I put my male clothes into a large shopping bag along with the alien devices and left the ladies room and began just wandering around the store. Prue and I had made plans to meet near the women’s shoe section so I kind of hovered near there until I saw Prue. Then I casually walked in her direction and, trying to make it look like an accident, I bumped lightly into Prue from behind. We both turned to face each other and we did one of those high pitched feminine squeals of joy that women do when they see someone they know but haven’t seen in awhile and then we went to a lunch counter and played it up for anyone who might be watching.

We ate and talked like two women would do and then, in loud enough voices to be overheard by anyone listening in said that we should go get a nice dinner and renew our pretended friendship. We gathered our bags, trying to look as much like two average female shoppers and left the shopping center. We threw everything into the trunk of Prue’s car and drove off and, as we left the parking out and pulled onto the main road, I threw the car keys to my old rental car into a small stream that ran alongside the road we were on. As we were driving away, I asked Prue where we were headed and she said that we were going to go to L.A. since she had friends and family there. Once there she felt confident that we could find me a good hiding place and a job until I could safely become me again.

Now I don’t know why this next thing didn’t dawn on me earlier but when it did, I just slumped back into the seat and started breathing heavily. What dawned on me was that I was gonna have to STAY looking like this until I was sure Bill Butler wasn’t being hunted by any agents anymore! I wasn’t at all sure that I wanted to live as a woman for any extended length of time and, Prue, noticing my distress asked me what was wrong.

I explained what I had just realized and she chuckled at that.

"Look", she said, "right now you look like any other woman in the world and NOTHING like William Butler. There isn’t a soul alive that could possibly ever recognize you for who you really are except for me and I am not going to tell anyone about it! So what if you have to live like a woman for a few days, or weeks or even months? Isn’t that better than being detained by some agency and spirited away to some secret lab and examined to a fare thee well? It won’t be forever, you know and I will be right there to help you all the way. You don’t think I’d go just this far and then abandon you, do you? This promises to be a real adventure for me and I wouldn’t miss what’s going to happen for the world! My life has been pretty boring up until I met you and I was getting sick of it. C’mon, William, loosen up a bit. This is going to be FUN!"

I pulled the sun visor down and looked into the makeup mirror built into it seeing that unfamiliar feminine visage staring back at me and said,

"I don’t know about that Prue. I have never, EVER in my life wanted to be a woman and now, because I followed my curiosity and explored and plundered that alien ship, I am gonna have to look like one, live like one, for who knows how long! I don’t know if I can do this! I don’t know the first thing about being female!"

"William, you have no worries about that part of it. I can teach you everything there is to know about being a woman!" She replied. "Besides, it isn’t like you have a choice about this. You told me that there are no male recordings on those discs, only female ones. So if you’re going to hide, it’s going to HAVE to be as a female. If you think about it, though, what better way for you to hide? No one would ever suspect that William Butler could be the same person as the one I am seeing right now. Look, Bill, just relax and don’t work yourself into a lather about this. I will be right with you through this and I won’t let you down, okay?"

Well, I wasn’t all that convinced but I didn’t feel like starting an argument with Prue right then. After all, she was my only way out of any of the problems that would undoubtedly arise and I wanted to stay on good terms with her. I did know one thing, though. I had very definite ideas about what I wanted to do with Prue and being a woman with her was NOT one of those ideas. For the time being, I just kind of slumped down in the car seat and shut my eyes, saying,

"Okay, Prue. I guess I have no other options at the present time but let me tell you something. This AIN’T gonna be easy for me and I don’t think I am EVER going to like looking or acting like a woman! I have been a guy for way too long and I like being a guy!
It’s natural and right for me. This feels way too wrong and weird."

Copyright © 2000 By Catherine Linda Michel

To Be Continued!!!

Luck Be A Lady -3-

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Genre:

Character Age:

College / Twenties

TG Themes:

Body Suits

Other Keywords:

Permission:

Permission granted to post by author

"Doesn’t that car look familiar, Prue?" I asked. She looked at it and thought for a moment and then said, You’re right, Bill! It looks like the same kind of car that was at my Grandfather’s motel! The one that those government people came in!" She was getting excited and, I think, a little bit scared thinking that, somehow, those agents had tracked us to this place. I tried to reassure her, and MYSELF in the process, but there were doubts in my mind as well. COULD they have tracked us here, somehow?

Luck Be A Lady
Part 3
By Catherine Linda Michel

We drove all the rest of that day and into the night until we couldn’t drive any more. We decided to call it a day and stopped at a cut rate motel. Prue pulled in and parked the car near the office and I went in and got us a room. When I came back out with the key, Prue followed me with the car, to the back area where our room was and we grabbed our bags and went inside. It was pretty much your standard motel room. Not nearly as nice as the rooms at the motel where Prue and I met, but clean, at least and, under the circumstances, as tired as we were, it would do. We unpacked what we would need and then we both showered. While Prue was in the shower, I called the office and asked them if there was anyplace nearby that delivered food. The clerk told me that there was a place just down the road that delivered and gave me the number. I called and ordered a pizza and some soft drinks and they said it would be about a half hour before they could get there. I said that’d be fine and gave them the room number and hung up as Prue was coming out of the shower.

Once again, I was struck by the beauty of this woman whom I had just met. Standing there, wrapped in a towel, her skin clean and glistening and devoid of makeup which, in my opinion, she didn’t need, she looked absolutely gorgeous! Feelings were making themselves known to me and it took me a few minutes to remember that, for now at least, there wasn’t a lot I could do about them. To the world at large, Prue and I were just two women traveling together. Never mind the inescapable fact that, inside this pretty blonde shell I was presently wearing, there beat the heart and soul of a real guy, and, at this moment, I wanted to take Prue into my arms and lavish kisses all over every part of her I could reach! I knew that to do that would be a mistake.

I had no real idea what Prue’s leanings might be, whether she was strictly AC or if she might swing both ways, but I knew that I didn’t swing both ways and I wasn’t by any means sure of how to proceed even if she WAS interested in another woman. I didn’t want to screw up the tenuous relationship we had begun to build and I felt that to push it with her would be a mistake. So, instead of sitting there watching her dry and brush her hair, I got up from the chair I was sitting in and went into the bathroom to get my own shower. I told Prue that I had ordered food and she said she’d take care of it if it got there before I was done showering. I laughed a bit at that. What made her think I would need a half hour to take a shower? Hell, I’d been taking showers all my life and 15 to 20 minutes was the MOST that I would need to get cleaned up!

I closed the door behind me and stripped out of the clothes I’d been wearing all day and tossed them in a pile in the corner of the bathroom. I turned the shower on and adjusted the temperature of the water, then I climbed in. I could say a lot here about how weird it felt, the different way I had to move, jiggling where there never had been any before but I won’t. What I WILL say is that it DID take me the half hour to finish my shower. As a matter of fact, it took longer than a half hour. The water beating down on my now very tender skin felt SO good and the sensation of my now smaller and more sensitive hands sliding over my temporary, brand new assets was too much for me and I’m afraid that I let myself get carried away a bit. So far did I get carried away that, when I heard Prue pounding on the bathroom door to tell me that the pizza was there, I got embarrassed when she finally said, "if you can tear yourself away from your fun, come on out and eat! I’ve been pounding on this door for the past 5 minutes and I’m not going to do it anymore!"

I turned off the now tepid water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my waist. I started to open the door but, when I happened to glance down, I realized that maybe I’d better wrap the towel around me a different way. Damn, this was going to take some getting used to! I certainly hoped that I wouldn’t have to continue this ridiculous masquerade for very much longer! I carefully re wrapped the towel around my whole body and left the bathroom. Prue gave me a quizzical smile when I entered the other room and I could feel myself beginning to blush. "SO, did we have fun in there, hmmmmm? She said with a smile on her face. "Oh, don’t worry about it, Bill. I KNEW that your first experience in a shower, with THAT body, would be a mind blower!" She began to giggle and I guess the ridiculousness of the whole situation just got to me at that point because I blew up! I mean I lost my temper and started yelling at her!

"OH you DID, huh? You know, this wasn’t MY idea!" I hollered, gesturing wildly and indicating the borrowed shape I was wearing. "Maybe we oughta give you MY shape and see how well YOU deal with looking like someone else! I don’t know why I listened to YOU in the first place! I mean what do I know about you? We just met at that broken down excuse for a motel that your Grandfather runs and here we are sharing a different motel room and, I, I....." At that point, I kind of came to my senses .and I began to cry! Now, you gotta understand, I don’t cry! I’m a guy, and DAMN IT, guys DON’T cry!

Now, I figured, at that point, that I had probably blown whatever connection that had been forming between me and Prue and she would leave me here to rot. I couldn’t have been more wrong! She looked at me with a bit of hurt in her eyes but, then, she leaned towards me, and took me in her arms and just held me, just letting me cry!. I must have cried for 5 solid minutes, the sheer hopelessness of what I was doing, masquerading as a female, trying to hide from what I believed were powerful government agencies, all boiling up inside me and making me do what I had NEVER done before, cry! Not just a quiet cry, either, but a sobbing, wracking, hiccupping non vocal cry that seemed to never want to stop!

Looking back at that night, I realize that all the years of running as fast as I could just to be able to stay in the same place, all my bad luck, the sheer hopelessness and ridiculousness of the situation I was in, the knowledge I believed I had of a alien invasion plot, all of that and more just came out of me all at once and, friend, I CRIED!! Prue just held me and rocked me and murmured words of encouragement in my ear until I finally began to run down. The great, gulping sobs gave way to a quieter kind of crying, a cleansing kind of crying and before too much longer, the tears began to slow and, finally, they stopped. For a few more minutes I just stayed where I was, sheltered in Prue’s embrace. It felt so good to just be held by someone that I didn’t want it to ever end, even though I knew it had to end. I raised my face from Prue’s now very soggy shoulder and looked into her eyes and began stammering out apologies for what I had said to her and how I had acted but she just put her finger against my lips, stopping me short.

"Shhh, shhhh, don’t talk", she whispered. "It’s all right, Bill, I understand. You’ve been fighting all your life to try to get SOMEWHERE, anywhere but you’ve had bad breaks and bad luck and maybe just bad timing, who knows? I can’t explain to you just what led me to come along with you and help you in all of this craziness but I’m here! I’m NOT going to leave you and I AM going to help you, all I can! I don’t know where all of this is going but I didn’t have anything better to do and, besides, you’re kind of cute! Especially now!"

I looked at her and angry words began to rise up in my throat again but then I noticed that she was smiling at me and I realized that she was trying to make ME smile, trying to gently shake me out of this self pitying mode I had, unwittingly fallen into. So..... I TICKLED her!

Yeah, that’s right, I TICKLED HER! I started tickling her and I didn’t quit until she was shrieking helplessly on the bed with me on top of her! Now, regardless of the form I was wearing, or maybe BECAUSE of it, I don’t know, I leaned over Prue and I kissed her. Her eyes snapped open and a look of confusion came into those lovely eyes. For a moment I thought, "Oh brother! I’ve blown it all sky high now!" I started to move off of Prue but she reached up and stopped me.

"Bill", she said, softly. "I know that you still feel like you are a guy and, inside, you still are. But, right now, and in this situation, you look like a woman and you know that this wouldn’t be right. When all of this is over and we are clear from all the doubt and the hiding and you can be YOU again, if you want to try that again, then, I won’t stop you." She traced a soft fingertip slowly down my face and continued to speak softly. "Now, come on, Bill. Get off me and let’s get some sleep. We’ll be in L.A. by tomorrow night and I know some people there that might be able to help us. OK?"

I looked down into those beautiful eyes and I could see that she wanted no part in any girl on girl action and, quite frankly, neither did I. That kiss was something that had happened on the spur of the moment. If I had thought about it before I did it, I wouldn’t have done it. The release of all those emotions and the flood of tears followed by being tenderly held by someone who was coming to be a person I cared very much for, had led me to do something that, ordinarily, I never would have done. I was glad that Prue seemed to understand and didn’t hold it against me and I got up off the bed and sat on the edge of it, facing away from Prue. I knew if I looked at her again I would start crying again.

In my whole life, no one had ever cared for me the way this lovely, intelligent woman seemed to and I didn’t know what do to about it or how to handle it. I only knew that if I messed this up, I would regret it for the rest of my life and I couldn’t face that. One doesn’t get a chance with a woman like Prue more than once in a lifetime. I could feel the bed moving and then, I could feel Prue’s soothing hands softly beginning to knead my shoulder muscles.

"C’mon, Bill", she whispered, "let’s get some sleep." She drew me back onto the bed and we laid down, not touching each other, the pizza completely forgotten.

Prue began to gently stroke my hair and I began to drift off. The next thing I knew, it was morning. I awoke spooned with Prue. You know what spooning is, don’t you? It’s when two people somehow, without waking up and without any sexual intent of any kind end up cuddled together front to back like two spoons in a drawer, in bed. That’s how I woke up and I can’t recall a single time in my life when I felt more secure, more cared about than I did that morning. The only regret I had was that, in this female shape I was wearing, I couldn’t take advantage of our position. Then again, maybe it was a good thing that I couldn’t take advantage of it. This growing thing between Prue and me was still too new and too fragile and almost any wrong move on my part or her’s, could jeopardize the whole thing. I didn’t want to risk that because I felt as if this relationship was something I had waited for all my life and I was going to do my DAMNDEST not to foul it up OR to let my rotten luck screw it up for me!

I gently disengaged myself from Prue, trying not to wake her up and I headed for the bathroom to clean up. I closed the door quietly and began running the water up to temperature. Grabbing a washcloth and a bar of soap, I began to lather the washcloth up and quickly scrubbed under my arms and, ummm other places. You know, what they call a PTA bath. That’s pits, tits, and ass for those of you unfamiliar with the terminology. I was just finishing up when the door opened and Prue entered, wearing nothing but what nature had blessed her with and, let me tell you, nature had been more than generous with Prue. Brains, beauty and heart all in one incredible package.

I found myself thinking, "No wonder I’m falling in love with her!" In LOVE with her? That was the first time I had ever put words to the feelings I had felt growing inside me! It frightened me and exhilarated me at the same time! Could it be true? Was I falling in love with this wonderful woman? That frozen moment ended and I heard Prue say, Well! You’re up early! Morning, sweetheart." I was at a loss for words at that point in time and all I could think of was that I was standing here in a bathroom with a gorgeous woman and both of us were naked! I began to blush and Prue began to giggle.

"Well what are you getting so embarrassed about, love? We’re both just girls here, right?"

THAT brought me out of my daze and I goggled at her, not understanding. "Maybe on the outside we’re both girls," I protested, "but INSIDE, I’m still all guy and you are turning me on woman!" We both started to laugh about that and I brushed past her headed back into the other room to get dressed. If a few moments, Prue joined me and we both dressed, without a lot of talking going on between us. I guess we were both lost in our thoughts, because I don’t remember much about actually getting dressed. All I do remember is that we were suddenly, it seemed, dressed and ready to leave. I used the makeup kit to fix my face although it didn’t seem to need much fixing. It seemed that, once one used this kit, it lasted for quite awhile. We took our stuff out to Prue’s car and went up to the office to check out.

As we pulled up in front of the motel office, I noticed a car parked across the road at a service station. I don’t know, to this day, why I took any notice of it at all, but I did and I’m glad I did. It was a nondescript looking black car of a make I couldn’t identify and there was no one anywhere near it. There was a gas filler hose sticking out of it and I called Prue’s attention to the car.

"Doesn’t that car look familiar, Prue?" I asked. She looked at it and thought for a moment and then said, You’re right, Bill! It looks like the same kind of car that was at my Grandfather’s motel! The one that those government people came in!" She was getting excited and, I think, a little bit scared thinking that, somehow, those agents had tracked us to this place. I tried to reassure her, and MYSELF in the process, but there were doubts in my mind as well. COULD they have tracked us here, somehow? Was it, indeed, even them? I asked Prue to go in and drop off the room key and I stayed outside to keep a watch on the car and anyone who might get into it. A moment after Prue entered the office, two men came out of the service station, removed the filler hose, got into the car and left. They didn’t seem to have looked at me or the car sitting here in front of the office in plain sight but I had a bad feeling.

Remembering the kind of technology that was available and realizing that these people, if they WERE "these people" would have access to all kinds of experimental stuff, I got out of Prue’s car and began checking the underside of the car for tracking devices. Under the back bumper, I found what looked like one of those little magnetic boxes that people use to hide a spare car key. When Prue came out of the office I asked her if she had put it there and she said that she knew nothing about it and hadn’t put it there! I pulled it off the car and ran across the street to the service station where a large tractor trailer had just pulled in. I walked around the back of the trailer and, seeing that no one was around, I bent over and stuck that little box under the back of the trailer. Then I ran back across the road and got into Prue’s car and we took off in a different direction than we had been headed when we stopped here the night before. I spent the next half hour or so watching behind us to see if we were being followed but I saw no other cars that resembled the one we had seen earlier. We drove for about another half hour and then took another side road that took us further away from where we had been and in yet a different direction.

I could see that we were going to have to be a LOT more careful in the future and we were going to have to check the car out on a regular basis! We might even have to switch cars, somehow in order to throw these people, whoever they were, off our trail! After another hour or so, we came across a little diner and decided to stop and get something to eat. Neither of us had eaten the night before and we were both ravenous! While we were there, another car pulled into the parking lot and a young girl got out. She couldn’t have been more than 17 or so and, after she got out of the car, she waved to the driver and the car left! She came into the diner and sat down at the counter. The waitress came over and asked her what she wanted and the girl put her hand into her pocket and pulled out some change. She counted it and ruefully told the waitress that she didn’t have enough money for much and just ordered a cup of coffee. When the coffee arrived, I could overhear the waitress asking the girl where she was headed with so little money on her and the answer was L.A.! She explained to the waitress that she was going out west to live with her Mom since her Dad had disowned her and threw her out!

I nudged Prue and she turned her head towards me indicating that she had been listening as well. We decided to mind our own business since we had enough problems of our own without adding those of a young girl who had problems. When we finished, we got up to leave and the girl got up from the counter and approached us. When she reached us, she introduced herself as Nerine and asked us where we were headed. I looked at Prue and almost said we were headed east to avoid getting entangled in more problems but Prue gave me a look that told me that she was going to be sympathetic to this young girl’s troubles! I decided to let Prue do the talking and I went over to the counter to pay our bill. As the waitress got my change, I looked over at Prue and the girl and I saw that Prue had her arm around the girl’s shoulders and seemed to be comforting her about something. I told the waitress to get up an order of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast to go and waited there while she went to prepare it. I knew, from the way Prue was acting, that we were gonna have a passenger on our trip to L.A. and, at first, I was kind of against it. I thought we had enough problems without involving ourselves in this girl’s troubles but, as I thought about it, I saw that it could work to our advantage!

Whoever was looking for us and tracking us was looking for two women or a man and a woman. The addition of another person just might help throw them off our track long enough for us to make it to L. A. and find Prue’s friends so we could hole up for awhile. In a few minutes, the waitress came back and handed me a closed styrofoam container of food and I paid for it. I also got a couple of coffees and a large Pepsi to go and rejoined Prue and Nerine. Prue looked up and saw me coming with the tray of food and smiled at me warmly, and introduced me to Nerine. "Nerine, this is my traveling companion, Billie Ruttledge. Billie, I hope you don’t mind but I have been talking to Nerine and she’s in need of a ride to L.A.! Since that’s where we’re going, I hoped you wouldn’t mind if she rides with us. You know, the road is no safe place for a young girl like Nerine, all alone the way she is. Nerine gave Prue a slightly dirty look at that "young girl" crack but didn’t say anything.

"Well, hello, Nerine," I replied. "It’s nice to meet you. I couldn’t help but overhear what you were saying to the waitress and I thought you might like something to go with that coffee you drank. I hope you like bacon, eggs and toast?"

Nerine took the food from me and smiled her thanks but didn’t say much at all. I figured she might be a bit shy and I didn’t really expect a response. We all walked back to the car and got in and Nerine dug into her food like she hadn’t eaten for a week! While she sat in the back seat and ate, Prue and I talked in quiet tones up front.

"OK, Prue," I began, "what was that "Billie Ruttledge stuff?"

"Well, BILLIE, I could hardly tell her your name was Bill, now could I? I had to come up with something fast, and that sounded close enough to your real name and yet feminine enough to use for a name to call you while you have to look like you do right now." She countered. Besides, I think it sounds kind of cute! Don’t you?

"Cute!" I snorted. "Just what I need right now, NOT!!! Well, I suppose you’re right about one thing, though. Calling me Bill in front of her might not be the smartest thing for either one of us right now. Who knows, she might just turn out to be a good cover for us. With whoever it is that’s after us looking for either two women or a man and a woman. Two women and a kid might just throw them off enough to let us slip out of the net they’re trying to throw around us!

Now, I imagine that you are probably wondering about my seeming total acceptance of having changed my body and face into a female’s. Well, to tell the truth, with all that had been happening, I really hadn’t had a lot of time to think about it much! Once Prue and I had finished our discussion of my new name, we pretty much settled into traveling more or less silently for awhile. Prue turned on the car radio and we just listened to it and watched the scenery going by.

Now that I had a little time to think, I began to feel the differences between this new body and my old one. Sitting there in that car seat, I could feel the lack of a familiar presence between my legs and the addition of two breasts hanging from my chest, not to mention the different feeling of the clothes I was wearing. Having never had any reason in my whole life to wear a bra, it felt very weird indeed to not only be wearing one but to have something with which to fill it. I mean, it felt tight around my upper body but it wasn’t an unpleasant tightness. It was more like an all day hug, I guess. Somewhat disconcerting at first but, over the past two days, I had been getting more and more used to it.

I hadn’t really noticed much of a difference between panties and my usual briefs except that the panties felt much more smooth and not as bulky. Prettier, too. Not that I was noticing pretty things! Well, ok, I guess I WAS noticing pretty clothes, although not in the way you might think. I mean, I was noticing them in the sense that I WAS for all intents and purposes a woman for now and it wouldn’t have looked right for me to NOT notice things like that. Prue was instructing me in a lot of things to make me a more believable female to anyone observing, casually. To anyone who was paying attention, I would have to say that as a woman, I still made a really good plumber! My mannerisms and movements were still much more male than they were female but I WAS trying and, although I hoped I wouldn’t have to keep this pretend thing up for very long, I DID realize that to pull it off I HAD to try my best to be more feminine. I gotta tell ya, though, it wasn’t easy! There are SO many differences between men and women that to list them all here would take more time than I have, or care to spend on it. From simple things like nuances of voice and language to that innately feminine gait that all women seem to have that AIN’T as easy to imitate as it might seem, even if one DOES have the hip structure that permits walking that way!

Anyway, I was sitting there in the passenger seat of Prue’s car, thinking about all that stuff when I felt a jolt as if someone had hit our car from behind! I looked back and there, in all it’s nondescript ugliness, was that black car!! Just then, it accelerated and struck the rear of our car again!

Copyright © 2000 By Catherine Linda Michel

To Be Continued!!!

Luck Be A Lady -4-

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Genre:

Character Age:

College / Twenties

TG Themes:

Body Suits

Other Keywords:

Permission:

Permission granted to post by author

"As far as an alien invasion goes, don’t you two think that if there was really a threat, the government would already know what’s going on? No doubt they just want to get you two out of the way and get hold of those devices so you don’t screw something up that they might have planned! You two are being suckers and I would bet that those guys chasing you are actually just herding you towards some kind of a trap!"

I looked at Neri in stunned disbelief for a few seconds. I had never considered what she had postulated and it set me back on my heels to think that this kid might be right! Prue chimed in just about then and added her two cents to what Neri had said. "She could be right you know, Bill..ie! What if she IS right? That would mean that we are just a couple of lab rats being put through our paces and we have no chance at all of getting away. At least we have no chance if we keep on doing what they drove us into!"

Luck Be A Lady
Part 4
By Catherine Linda Michel

I hollered at Prue to "HIT the GAS!!! only my holler came out as a high pitched scream! DAMN this female voice! Anyway, I guess Prue got the message because she put her foot to the floorboard. Now, her little 6 cylinder Dodge was great on gas mileage but short on power and that big, black, ugly car had no problem keeping up with us! It hammered the rear end of our car again and, just for a couple of seconds, I felt our car try to go sideways! Prue yanked hard on the steering wheel and managed to get the car straightened out again but, only barely. I heard a yell come from the back seat followed by some of the filthiest language I had EVER heard and I turned my head to see Neri trying to get her pants and blouse off! I yelled at her, "What the hell do you think you’re doing? Now is NOT the time to get naked!

She gave me a really nasty look and yelled back at me. "That SOB, whoever he is, made me spill my coffee all over me!!! PRUE!!", she screamed, "Stop this damn car so I can kick his ass, whoever the Blankety-blank he is!!!" I was hoping that Prue knew better than to stop the car and, she did! Her jaw was set and her face was twisted with anger and fear but she kept her foot on the floor and the car kept picking up speed. We careened around a left hand curve at about 75 miles per hour and Prue’s foot never lifted! She just hung on to the steering wheel like grim death and kept on going! The black car gained on us and rammed the rear end of our car AGAIN!! This time, though, Prue wasn’t able to keep the car on the straight and narrow and we went into a skid! I felt the car lift up onto it’s right side wheels and, just for a second or so I thought we were done for! I pictured our car rolling over and over off the road and out into the scrub brush and spindly trees that lined the road!

Somehow, Prue managed to get the car back down onto all four wheels and under control again! Just as soon as she had it straightened out, she floored the gas pedal again and we were off once more! I glanced behind us and that black car was also sideways in the road, seemingly half in the ditch!

We went around another curve and for a few seconds the black car was nowhere in sight. Prue kept her foot down and, once again we gained speed until we must have been doing over 90 MPH!! The engine was straining and I knew that it didn’t have much more to give us. I saw a side road about a mile or so ahead and screamed at Prue to slow down and take a hard right! She spiked the brakes and slewed almost sideways onto the side road and then she immediately put her foot down on the floor again. I snuck a look behind us and the black car was momentarily out of sight! I’d had NO idea that I was on the run with Mario Andretti!

We went around another curve and just as we did, I caught a quick glimpse of that black car as it sped right past the turnoff we had taken! I yelled at Prue to slow down a bit but she didn’t let up a bit!! I looked over at her and she was so intent on controlling the car, I doubt if she had even heard me! TERRIFIC!! Now we had another problem! If we kept going at this rate of speed, on this not- so-good road we had taken, we would be off the road in nothing flat! I hated to take the chance but I didn’t see any other way. I punched Prue fairly hard on her right arm and, when she turned her head, slightly towards me I again screamed at her to slow down a bit! We had temporarily lost that black car!!!

It finally dawned on her that I was trying to get her to take it a bit easier and lifted her right foot a bit. The car settled down, some, and I breathed a small sigh of relief! We had a little breathing room and I tried to come up with some kind of plan to take advantage of it! We flashed past a grassy area with trees about 50 yards off the road and I told Prue to stop, back up and head into those trees. I knew that the driver of that black car wouldn’t be too long figuring out that we had taken that turn off and would be right behind us again REAL soon!

I hoped that we had time to get our car into those trees and hidden from the road. Once the black car had gone past us, I reasoned, we would be able to get back to the main road and put some serious distance between us and it! Prue hit the brakes and slid to a halt. Then she slammed the car into reverse and backed it right off the road and into that small stand of trees! In just a few seconds, I figured that we were hidden from the road and I asked her to stop. She did, and we all just sat there for a minute or two, trying to get our heart rates down somewhere near what we laughingly called normal!

Another thought went through my mind and I grabbed the keys from the ignition and jumped out of the car. Prue yelled at me, "What the Hell do you think you’re doing??!!!" but I was already at the rear of the car, trying to get the trunk open. I had remembered those weapon looking things that I had found aboard the crashed UFO and I tore through the stuff in the trunk until I found them. I grabbed them and the small metal squares that I thought might be ammo clips or something and slammed the trunk lid closed. Then I jumped back into the car and handed the keys to Prue. She jammed them into the ignition and refired the engine. While we waited for the black car to go past looking for us, I tried to figure out how these strange looking weapons worked. At least I HOPED they were weapons! We’d look MIGHTY silly if I pointed one of these things at our tormentor(s) only to have it turn out to be some kind of interstellar squirt gun!! Not to mention that we would be well and truly caught if that happened.

I had managed to get one of the metal squares to fit into the smaller of the two, well, guns, I’ll call them. I looked carefully all over the outside of the gun and I spotted a small button that had two positions. One of the positions showed a small white circle with a line running diagonally through it and the other position showed just the white circle. I said a short prayer that I was right and that the circle with the line through it was the " Safe" position. I noticed that the selector was already set towards that circle with the line through it and I took a huge chance. I pointed the thing out the window of the car and pulled the trigger. NOTHING happened! Ok. So far, so good! I carefully brought my arm and the gun back through the window and took my finger off the trigger. Then I flipped the switch to the other position and again pointed it outside the window. I extended it out as far as I could reach, hoping that it the damned thing blew up, it might only take my right arm and not the whole car! I took a deep breath and pulled the trigger, aiming at a medium sized tree about 30 yards away.

There was a split second when nothing appeared to happen but then, the tree fell over!!! I looked carefully at the base of the tree where it had fallen and it appeared to have been sawed off as cleanly as it I had used a chainsaw on it! Cleaner, even!!! For a second or two I said nothing, too scared to speak, I guess but Prue let out a whoop that I was pretty sure her Grandfather had to have heard it!! Neri just shrieked and dove down behind the seat, seemingly trying to burrow underneath it! I, well, I was shaking just a bit! I was thinking, "ALL RIGHT!!! Now we’ve got a means of defending ourselves against that lunatic in the black car!!" I only thought that for a minute, though. Then, that thought was replaced by another and THAT one was, "OHHH SHHIT!! If I use this thing on that black car and it’s occupants, and hurt them or, worse, KILL them, we’ll NEVER be able to stop running!

I mean, right then, all they wanted to do, I hoped, was to stop us and take us into custody. If we hurt of killed them, they’d never rest until they had gotten us, one way or another! They’d KILL us if they had to!! I looked over at Prue and she looked back at me and I knew that she knew what I was thinking about. She reached over and touched me lightly on the arm and said, softly, "Bill, we HAVE to get away from here! If that means using that thing on them, well, that’s what we’ll have to do! Hopefully you’ll be able to use it so it doesn’t hurt or Kill them but just slows them down for awhile. Just then, I saw that black car, out of the corner of my eye, as it flashed past the place where we had taken refuge. It showed no signs of slowing down and seemed barely under control as it went thundering by! We waited a few minutes and there was no sign of it returning so Prue put our car in gear and we crept slowly back towards the road. When we were almost ready to get back underway, I took a quick glance in the direction that the black car had been going and I didn’t see it anywhere so we moved back onto the road and headed back towards the main road.

An idea struck me just then and I told Prue to stop the car for a minute. I got out and found a large tree close to the road and pointed that gun at it’s base. In just a couple of seconds, the tree fell over and, whether by dumb luck or whatever, it fell so that it completely blocked the road! There was no way for a car or anything short of a Tank to get through or around that tree and I ran back to the car and jumped in, triumphantly! By GOD!! Something had actually worked right for me for a change!! With a bit more luck, we would be out of here and that black car would be blocked from following us for quite awhile! Neri had gotten back up on the back seat and had buckled herself in so tightly I thought she was gonna cut herself off at the waist! She was giving both Prue and me looks that could easily kill if they continued for more than a few seconds!

I smiled at her, nervously and said, "Hey, Kid, it’s Ok! I don’t think they can get through there anytime soon and, by the time they do, we’ll be long gone! One hell of a ride, huh? She smiled at me but it was a smile that had absolutely NO humor in it. No, it was one of those smiles that said, "once we get out of this, you’ll wish that THEY had gotten you instead of ME!!!" It also said, at least to me it said, "I’m scared as hell but I’ll be damned if I let YOU know about it!" A tough kid, this Neri was turning out to be! Maybe she’d be useful to us after all and not just a kid getting a free ride to L.A.!

We made it back to the main road and took off in our original direction of travel. Prue kept it just a mile or two per hour under the speed limit so we wouldn’t have to worry too much about getting pulled over by some cop. We talked, while we drove and we had decided that we had to get rid of this car. It was too well known by those who were after us, well, after me, anyway. We weren’t sure just how we were going to change vehicles but we knew that we HAD to! I didn’t have much money left and all Prue had was a couple of hundred bucks in cash. She had her credit cards but if we used them, it would create a trial by which we could be traced. We knew that Neri was broke so we didn’t even ask her to contribute. Neri didn’t seem to have much to say, at any rate. She just sat back there and glared at me and Prue. I was beginning to worry a bit about her, thinking that she might just be too scared to talk but I was soon to be dissuaded of that notion! Prue and I discussed several different ways to change vehicles but it seemed that our best choice would be to steal one, leaving her car as a kind of exchange/trade in. Now, I had seen literally dozens of movies and TV shows that showed someone hot wiring a car but I had NO real idea of how to actually do it. The only other way that we came up with to acquire a different car was to use the body changing machine and try to find a less than scrupulous dealer who wouldn’t ask too many questions about who he was dealing with or why they wanted to acquire a car with as little fuss as possible.

That didn’t seem to be too likely a way to ger another car but it was the only other way we could come up with.

When Prue and I started talking about changing cars that way, Neri just, well, she...SNORTED! It was as if she was making fun of our plan! I turned to face her and said, with a bit of anger, "Look, kid! If you have any better ideas, you’re more than welcome to trot them out in front of us for consideration!" She sort of sneered at me and replied, "You two are almost funny, you’re so inept! If you want any help from ME, you’re gonna have to let me in on what the heck is going on here and who those guys are that are trying to get you!" I looked at Prue and she looked at me and we both laughed at almost the same time. I turned back to Neri and said, "Okay. Little girl, just what do you think you can do to help us? If you’ve got enough to offer, we just might let you in on our little secrets but what you’ve got, better be GOOD!"

Neri just grinned at me and said nothing for a couple of minutes. I could tell that she was weighing her options and trying to decide if we were worth her help and time. I was thinking the very same thoughts about her and the two of us just stared at each other for several minutes while Prue drove.

Finally, Neri sighed and began to speak. "Okay, I guess you two have me over a barrel, so to speak, at least temporarily. I’ll tell you some of what I can do and then you two gotta tell me what’s going on and why I should help you. The truth is, my Father, threw me out when I was 14. He said I was in his way and he didn’t want me around cramping his STYLE!! My mom died several years before that and I haven’t any other close relatives anywhere closer than New York City! I’m going to L.A. to get away from the life I was forced to lead in order to survive. With a little luck, I’ll be able to find a job there and put down some roots and live a good life. I’m not proud of some of the things I have had to do in order to make my own way in the world for the last 4 years but I did learn a lot of useful things. Things like how to hot wire almost any car and how to pick any lock or pocket. I managed to avoid having to sell my body on the street in order to eat, but only barely, by learning how to steal and be sneaky! I can get us almost any car you want with a minimum of fuss and in a VERY short time! Okay, you two, now it’s YOUR turn! Just what is going on with you? Who are those guys in the black car and WHY are they after you?"

Well, I was somewhat taken aback at Neri’s confession but I realized that, if she was telling the truth, she could, indeed be very helpful to Prue and me so I began telling her my story, just as I am telling you, the reader, now. I didn’t leave anything out and it took quite awhile before I was finished. When I WAS done, however, Neri just sat there in the back seat, not saying anything. She had a sort of disbelieving look on her face but I reminded her of that gun and what it could do. She didn’t have any answers for that and, slowly, the look of disbelief was replaced by one of wonder.

"You mean that you two are actually running from the Men In Black? That’s who’s chasing you? Holy s- t, Prue and Billie! That’s AWESOME!!! You’re telling me that you found some alien stuff in a spaceship and took it and they want it back and that you, Billie are actually a GUY???!?!???!!! You GOTTA show me how those machines work! Man, if they can do what you say they can, they’re worth a FORTUNE!!! As far as an alien invasion goes, don’t you two think that if there was really a threat, the government would already know what’s going on? No doubt they just want to get you two out of the way and get hold of those devices so you don’t screw something up that they might have planned! You two are being suckers and I would bet that those guys chasing you are actually just herding you towards some kind of a trap!"

I looked at Neri in stunned disbelief for a few seconds. I had never considered what she had postulated and it set me back on my heels to think that this kid might be right! Prue chimed in just about then and added her two cents to what Neri had said. "She could be right you know, Bill..ie! What if she IS right? That would mean that we are just a couple of lab rats being put through our paces and we have no chance at all of getting away. At least we have no chance if we keep on doing what they drove us into!" I just sat there, stunned! I didn’t even notice that Prue had called me Billie even though we had told Neri that I was really a man, disguised by the alien machines!

I sat there and didn’t say anything for a long time. Prue and Neri finally ran down, conversation wise and they, too were silent for a time. Finally I raised my head and said, "Okay! Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you two ARE right! If that’s true, then what the hell CAN we do? We’ve GOT to get to L.A. to get to Prue’s friends so they can help us hide! I don’t see any way around that! Maybe", I mused, half to myself, "We need to get there by a more circuitous route? We’ve been more of less on a straight line to L.A. and they’ve been on our heels all the way. What do you think, Prue? Should we go to L.A. via Omaha?" Prue looked over at me, briefly and seemed to be thinking hard.

Finally she said, "Well, Billie, it seems to me that if Neri IS right, it’s the only thing we CAN do! If we can find a phone somewhere safe, I can get hold of my friends in L.A. and they can wire us some money. Then we can just buy a car somewhere, maybe from someone who has one for sale in his front yard. Then we won’t have to steal one and we can we could even use the machines to disguise ourselves so they wouldn’t know who OR where we are! We could put some mud or something on the license plates so they would be hard to read and maybe we would be able to relax a little bit!" Prue seemed to be warming to Neri’s ideas and I had to admit that they definitely had some merit.

We DID need some time to wind down a little bit and not have to worry every minute that one of those black cars would turn up, behind us! We also had Neri to consider now and not just ourselves. I knew that Prue would agree with me that, no matter how competent Neri might be, she WAS just a kid of 17or 18 at the most and we had no right to put her in any more danger. Neri did look a lot younger than 18 but it was hard to say just how old she really was. She was slender but not skinny and had short brunette hair. Her complexion was pale but not sickly looking and she wore almost no makeup so she could be as young as 15 but I just couldn’t tell. She talked older than that but a hard life on the streets of any city can harden someone, especially someone like Neri who won’t sell her body. It’s the easiest way to make money on the street and knowing that Neri hadn’t taken that easy way out, made me respect her and what she had to say.

We finally decided that Neri was, very probably right and we made plans to get another car. We found a rest stop that had a phone and Prue made a couple of phone calls to arrange for her friends to send her some money. She didn’t exactly tell them what the money would be use for but, instead, told them that she was in a bit of trouble and needed a couple of thousand dollars so she could lay low for a few weeks. It surprised me that she was able to get that much money in so short a time but Prue didn’t seem a bit surprised. She made arrangements to pick up the money at the next large town on our new way which took us farther north than west. She and Neri made some plans to get some false I.D. and Prue told her friends that she would be using a different name to pick up the money. We found a small diner/truck stop and got some food and went back to the car and ate while we were driving to save some time. We kept to back roads as much as we could and made it into the town by nightfall.

Neri told us that she had to go out and find a place to get fake I.D.s and left without another word, leaving us to get a couple of rooms at another seedy motel. I took care of that part while Prue located the local FastCash place. Neri returned a couple of hours later, telling us that she had been successful and handed us each an I’D card that only required us to get a picture and put it in place and seal the plastic over it. We found one of those photo machines that took color photos and, after using the alien machines to change out appearances, we went there to get some pictures taken. We took some time to show Neri how the alien machines worked and how to use them but she seemed to be a quick study and, in a matter of minutes, she was showing US things that they could do!

It turned out that not only could those machines change one’s looks as per the instructions on the discs, but they could also mix and match those discs. In other words, one could take one of the discs and load it into the machine and STORE the information! Then one could take ANOTHER disc and put it in the place of the first one and actually choose different features from each disc and mix and match them to get a totally different look from what was on either disc! I showed both Prue and Neri how to make disc recordings of themselves so that, when this whole thing was over, they could go back to looking like their normal selves and they did that. They also made an additional copy of each of their discs, just as I had done with mine. We labeled them with a magic marker that Prue had in her purse so we wouldn’t get them mixed up and then I left them alone in the bathroom to complete their changes. Even though I was prepared to see different women coming out of that bathroom, I was absolutely FLOORED when they finally did come out!

Prue had turned herself into a cute blonde, about 5’4" tall and about 100 lbs. She changed her face considerably and used a lot more makeup than she usually did to complete the new look. Since I didn’t think I had been seen enough to be recognized yet, by the MIBs I retained the same body and face I had been wearing but I did opt for a lot more makeup via the makeup kit and I dressed a lot more revealingly than I had been. Neri played with the machines for a LONG time, in the bathroom of the motel room! I was getting a bit worried about her and was just about to go and check on her when the bathroom door opened and out walked the most incredible looking woman I had EVER seen! She was about 5’9" and built like the proverbial brick porta potty with LONG auburn hair. I mean, down to below her BUTT, long hair! Her face made almost every woman I had EVER seen, look like badly made up boys and her walk would be a wide open invitation in any city in the world! She looked to be about 25 or so and sexy as all hell! Prue caught me gaping at Neri and cleared her throat to get my attention.

"Hey, sweetie!", she called to me. "Remember, that’s just a kid inside that incredible package you are ogling there and, another thing, You are no loser in the looks department yourself, honey! Look at yourself in the mirror! You are a heartbreaker, Billie! You’re gonna be fighting the men off no matter where we go!"

She started to giggle at that and I couldn’t help myself, so did I. Pretty soon, all three of us were laughing so hard we could hardly breathe and we darn sure couldn’t talk! It was still very disconcerting to me to hear the sounds that were coming from MY mouth but I was slowly getting used to it. It was a whole different matter, however to look in the mirror and see this sexy young blonde staring back at me! I mean, I was still turning myself on and I knew that it was ME under all that femininity!

Well, anyway, after we wound down from our laughing jag, Neri announced that she also had a line on a couple of cars for us to look at tomorrow! She HAD been one busy girl during the time she had been gone and we told her how much we appreciated how much she had done for us so far. It got....well, kinda weird for a couple of minutes. With the three of us women hugging each other and feeling all that soft, warm, scented flesh pushing at me from two different directions at the same time but, somehow I managed to keep my cool. Don’t ask me how I did it because, to this day, I can’t remember exactly HOW I did it! I only know that I resisted the impulses that were telling me to ravish these two gorgeous specimens of the female persuasion. Maybe it was the lack of the equipment required to DO said ravishing that kept me on a more or less even keel!

At any rate, we managed to get some much needed sleep that night and, the next morning, we set out to finish the I.D.s, pick up Prue’s money, and go look at cars. We grabbed a quick breakfast at a local fast food place and ate while we drove again. We first stopped at the photo machine and got our pictures. Then, while Neri finished the I.D.s in the back seat, Prue drove to the FastCash place. Neri gave her the new I.D. and Prue entered the place. In just a very short time, she returned to the car with a fat envelope in her purse. I took a peek at what was in that envelope and, friends, I was SHOCKED! It looked, to me, that there was at least 3000 dollars in there and I didn’t count it! It coulda been more than that!

With that out of the way, we went looking for the cars that Neri had found out about. We pulled up in front of a place that Neri had directed us to and there were several cars parked out front. Some of them looked pretty bad and I was beginning to have some doubts about this information but Neri told me not to worry. She had a letter from someone she had met last night and she had been assured that whoever showed up with that letter would be able to get what they needed with NO questions asked so, in we went. There were three men inside the small office and, when we walked in, they all jumped to their feet like they had been electrocuted! If looks were sex, each one of us women and, yes, I AM including myself in that statement since I damn sure looked like one at the time, would have given birth in the next three minutes! Those guys just about fell all over themselves trying to meet every one of us and impress us! Inside, I was laughing but I didn’t want to show that. I had never experienced the kind of behavior that these guys were exhibiting and, while I didn’t necessarily welcome it, It WAS funny to watch them trying to cut one of us "out of the herd" as it were!

After a few minutes of that, Neri kind of took over and with the body and face she had given herself, she had those men practically eating out of her hand! It didn’t take too much longer for those guys to start offering her anything in the place or on the lot if she would just have dinner with any one of them! A half hour later, we left the place with three phone numbers, and a really nice Van! It had been modified and had a HUGE engine in it! In addition, there was room enough in the back for one or two people to actually lay down and nap! It had a great stereo system as well and was extremely clean, inside and out, and had a really stiff suspension system under it so it handled more like a sports car than a van! There was one other feature on the van that made me really glad we had gotten it. It had heavily tinted windows all around, except for, of course, the windshield! That meant that no one on the outside, could see inside unless they were directly in front of the van. A DEFINITE plus, in my opinion!

We transferred everything out of Prue’s car and even got a set of license plates from the manager of the place. We were also assured that Prue’s car would be hidden as only THEY could hide a car! They were going to keep it for a month, hidden in a warehouse miles away and then, they were going to paint it and change it as much as possible so we were assured that our link to Prue’s old car was broken. On our way out of town, we stopped at a chain food store and stocked up on various snacks and beverages and Prue and I got a couple of cartons of cigarettes each. We also did some clothes shopping since Prue didn’t have any clothes that would fit that incredible new body she had fitted herself out in and I didn’t have many either, just what had been in that duffle bag. Prue and Neri picked out underwear and outer clothes, shoes and hose, and makeup. I asked them about the makeup and they told me that they were going to teach me how to apply it because it would look strange, to anyone who might see us, if I NEVER put any on.

Then, they steered me to the fitting rooms and made me try on a lot of the clothes they had selected. It was strange being in a women’s fitting room and even stranger, to me, being there with two semi naked women with ALL of us trying on clothes! At one point, we were all giggling to beat the band and if you don’t think I felt weird about THAT, then you still don’t know ME! We each ended up with a couple of dresses, several skirts and matching tops, frilly and lacy underwear, (They told me that they weren’t going to let me get away with just plain stuff!), and several pairs of pantyhose and, what they called thigh highs, which were stockings with elastic around the tops so they stayed up on one’s legs without having to use a garter belt. We also visited the ummm, ladies hygiene section! I didn’t even want to go down that aisle but they made me do it, explaining to me, quietly, that if I was going to remain in disguise for very long, there were some things I would HAVE to learn and there was no time like the present!

I learned a lot ore in that aisle than I had in the whole rest of the store and, most of it was stuff I never WANTED to learn! They WERE right though. I had to know about periods and stuff because, as they said, if I remained in this borrowed form for very long, I was going to be experiencing them, like it or not! So, I got a quickie education in the ways of womanhood. We even bought a couple of purses for each of us, along with matching wallets and cigarette cases for both Prue and me! It was obvious to me that Prue and Neri were not going to let me get away with doing this disguise thing halfway!

We even got make overs at the cosmetics counter and, it was VERY weird, I gotta tell you, sitting there in a chair in a big store, having some woman I didn’t know put makeup on me! When we were done there, Prue and Neri headed for the jewelry department and I really had no choice but to go along with them. It seemed that, for this kind of shopping, THEY were in charge and I was just along for the ride. They bought several pieces of jewelry including several pairs of earrings and matching necklaces and bracelets.

When we were finally done with our shopping, we pushed two fully loaded shopping carts up to the registers and paid for everything. I don’t even want to tell you what the bill came to but it was WAY up there! By the time we were done there, we had put a sizable dent in that fat envelope of Prue’s, though! We loaded up the van with all of our stuff and got in. Prue and Neri seemed invigorated by our shopping but I was bushed! We headed out of town and turned the van northward.
Copyright © 2000 By Catherine Linda Michel

To Be Continued!!!

Luck Be A Lady -5-

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Genre:

Character Age:

College / Twenties

TG Themes:

Body Suits

Other Keywords:

Permission:

Permission granted to post by author

"You have a lot to learn about being a sexy woman, Billie and I intend to make sure that you learn everything you can so you can be convincing in that new body for as long as you have to wear it. The last thing we need right now is any more attention from the world in general and if you continue to act like a man in a female body, it’ll attract attention more than if you act like what you look like."

Luck Be A Lady
Part 5
By Catherine Linda Michel

We drove north for a couple of days. During that time, we kept a sharp eye on our backtrail for signs that we were being followed but we never saw anything that could have been our "friends" in the ugly black car. We stopped, the first night, at a rundown motel that had a rear parking area which was hidden from the main road and unpacked the van. Prue and I were pretty bushed but Neri was still full of nervous energy.

As we looked, somewhat distastefully, at the rooms we had been assigned, and decided who was going to sleep where, Neri came up with the idea of supper. I suggested that we find a pizza place that delivered but Prue pointed out that the motel was quite aways from any town and it was unlikely that we would be able to find a place that would deliver this far out. Neri suggested that Prue and I get the rooms straightened away while she took a short drive toward town in the hopes of finding someplace with take out food. As tired as we were, Prue and I thought that sounded like a good idea and Prue handed the van keys to Neri, warning her to be careful and to keep a low profile.

Neri gave an unladylike snort of disgust through her nose and said, somewhat sarcastically, "Well, DUH, Prue! What’d you think I was gonna do? Walk into some roadside diner with my top down and announce that I’m on the run from the Men In Black with some stolen alien hardware? Don’t worry!" She continued, "I’ll be cool! Sheeeesh!!! Some people!" Neri turned on her heel and stomped out the door, slamming it behind her.

I wondered out loud if it was a good idea to just give the keys to our only means of transportation to a kid we’d only met a couple of days before but Prue shushed me, saying, "Look, Billie, what choice do we have, really? It’s either trust her or risk going out ourselves. I don’t know about you but I don’t feel secure enough in this alien disguise to feel comfortable and besides, if it weren’t for Neri, we wouldn’t even HAVE that van! At any rate, it’s really academic now. She’s already left."

I looked away from Prue and toward the room’s window which looked out into the parking area and saw the van’s taillights disappearing around the corner of the building and realized that Prue was right. Even if I DIDN’T trust Neri, now was a bit too late to consider that. I sighed and began to unpack my travel bag.

Prue stopped me by saying, "Look, Billie. I don’t think you and I know each other well enough yet, to share a room, even with you looking like my sister. I think Neri and I should bunk in together and you can take the other room. It’s too soon and too weird for you and me to share a room, okay?

"Look, Prue, I’m tired and hungry," I replied, rather testily, "and I don’t really want to argue about this or even discuss it! How do you think I feel? I’ve been stuck inside this female body for three days now and I’m still weirded out by it. Every time I look into a mirror I’m still scared half out of my mind and shocked by what I see and when I move......? Well, what I feel is more than words can possibly explain! It’s different for you and Neri, you were BORN female and even though you both look considerably different from the way you used to, you’re STILL female! I was born a guy and regardless of how I look right now, I am STILL a guy! You can’t begin to imagine how I feel, stuck in this sexy looking female form, and I don’t have the words to try to make you understand. I’ll abide by your wishes for now but, don’t forget, I’m still BILL inside here and I’m scared too!"

I hoisted my travel bag to my shoulder and grabbed the key to the other room and walked out without a backward glance. Four steps toward the other room, a bit of remorse began to seep into my tired brain and I started to regret blowing up like that at Prue but, DAMN it! I was scared! I didn’t know where any of this was going to lead and I wasn’t even sure if I was doing the right thing by running away, let alone taking Prue with me and roping a young runaway into the chase with us. I was, as I stated earlier, tired and hungry and full of doubt about this whole thing.

I opened the other room, which was right next door to the one Prue and I had been in and tossed the travel bag onto the bed, belatedly realizing that the bag contained the alien devices! I scrambled to the bed and began pulling the clothes out of the bag, praying that I hadn’t damaged any of those devices! If I had broken the disguise machine, I would be STUCK in this female form for who knows how long, maybe for the rest of my life! I quickly set up the machine and ran a test. It powered up all right and sounded okay to me but I wasn’t sure and my tiredness and paranoia convinced me that I was hearing noises from it that I hadn’t heard before.

I shut it down, stashed it under the bed and ran back next door, bursting into the room to ask Prue to come and look at the machine! She shrieked and covered her partially nude form with her hands, or at least she tried to cover herself. Her hands were woefully inadequate to the task they were being asked to perform. Here and there, a tantalizing bit of flesh would show only to be covered up by a moving hand, leaving another bit uncovered. I skidded to a halt and began to blabber a mile a minute, not noticing at first, her state of dishabille but, as I began to run down, I did begin to see that she was mostly naked and, somehow, the alien machine began to recede to the back of my mind.

I stopped talking and just stared at her for a couple of seconds and she, seeing that it was just me that had come bursting into the room and not some half mad mugger or robber, stared back at me, her face getting more and more red as the seconds ticked past. She dropped her hands and planted her fists on her hips and began to read me the riot act but most of it went right in one ear and out the other. The awe-inspiring sight of Prue, mad as hell though she was, mostly nude, was enough to make me forget why I had come in here in the first place! She began to advance on me and I started backing up until I caught my heel on the doorjamb and went down backwards in a heap. I hit my elbow on the side of the door and smacked the back of my head on the cement sidewalk just outside the room. I lay there for a few seconds while flashes of light went off inside my head and pain shot up and down my arm.

I must have grayed out about then because the next thing I remember, I was being cradled in Prue’s arms, my head cradled in her lap and she was crying, over and over, "I’m sorry, Billie! Oh GOD, PLEASE be all right! Oh my GOD!"

I weakly waved my arm to let her know that I was okay, just groggy but that was a huge mistake. The arm I tried to wave was the one I had banged on the door frame and when I tried to move it, It felt as if an explosion had blown my arm off at the elbow joint! I screamed in agony and Prue jumped, thereby dislodging my head from its comfortable perch in her lap and bounced, AGAIN, on the cement! I know I blacked out, that time, because when I came to, I was laying on a bed and there was a cool damp cloth on my forehead. Prue was sitting in a chair near the bed and when I began to come back to consciousness, I groaned a bit. She jumped up off the chair and quickly came to my bedside.

"Are you okay. Billie?" She asked anxiously.

I thought about that question for what seemed to be an hour before I answered, "I think so. Do me a favor, though, willya? Tell the room to stop spinning around in circles and put a tourniquet on my arm to stop the bleeding? Holy cow, Prue! What did you hit me with? My head feels like it’s gonna explode and I can’t feel anything below my elbow!"

She laughed at me! Here I was, concussed and bleeding to death from my exploded arm and she was laughing!

"You IDIOT!" She shrieked. "Your arm is still there and it’s not bleeding! As for your head, You have a goose egg the size of a golf ball on the back of it but I don’t think there is any permanent damage. The way you went down, though, I was sure you had cracked it wide open but there was no sign of blood when I picked you up and put you on the bed."

Her laughter had died down to a giggle now and then and I tried to speak again but my head hurt so badly that all I could muster was a small moan. Prue continued talking to me and in a few minutes, the pain in my poor abused skull had receded to a mere pounding. She changed sides on the damp cloth a couple of times while she was talking to me and, to tell the truth, I don’t remember much of what she was saying. I think it was mostly soothing words of comfort but, as I said, I don’t remember much of it.

When I felt as though I speak without blowing the top of my head off, I began to apologize to her for bursting into the room and scaring her but she shushed me with a finger placed gently on my lips. She cradled my aching head in her arms and stroked my face gently with her cool, soft hands. I began to feel a little bit better and the pain started to go away a bit when, without warning, the door to the room burst open and Prue jumped, letting my head fall back to the pillow.

Pain ripped through my head, yet again, as it bounced off the pillows and I heard a voice yelling, "Dinner is served!" Prue turned toward the door and began to tear into Neri, who it was that had come bursting into the room, verbally. For a few minutes, there was verbal chaos with Prue and Neri screaming at one another and the more they screamed, the worse my head hurt! Finally, when I could stand it no more, I yelled, "SHUT UP!" Another mistake. Pain shot through my head, things got blurry and hazy and I blacked out again.

The next time I regained consciousness, I was being ministered to by both Prue and Neri and when they saw that I was returning to the land of the living, they both began to talk at the same time. After a few seconds of that, I weakly held up my good arm, palm out and whispered to them to please stop yelling. They instantly toned their voices down to whispers and I thought, "Well, THIS is cool. I got two good-looking women falling all over themselves trying to be nice to me. Maybe, when I feel a bit better, I can get one or both of them into bed with me and let nature take its course!"

I mused quietly to myself about this delightful possibility for a few minutes and was expecting to feel a bit of a response from, well, you know where, but there was nothing! Nothing, that is, except an unfamiliar dampness! Oh SHIT! I had forgotten! In my pain I had completely forgotten that, at the present time, there was nothing down there that would respond the way I was used to responding.

Instead, below my waist, and all over my body, in fact, I was packing the same equipment that both Prue and Neri were and that saddened me more than I can say. Once again, I surrendered to the pain which suddenly had a resurgence, and blacked out one more time.

My dreams were strange and confused, filled with images of changing bodies and crashing spaceships and ugly black cars filled with aliens. When I finally regained consciousness, I was laying on my back and, for a minute, I was very confused, my mind still partly in the realm of pain inspired nightmares. In a couple more minutes though, I came fully awake. The first thing I noticed was that I felt no pain whatsoever! It was as if I had never been injured at all. The second thing I noticed was that I wasn’t alone in the bed. I could feel the warmth of another body against mine and I opened my eyes to see the face of Prue! She was cuddled into my chest, near my armpit and was sound asleep, her mouth slightly open and her sweet-smelling breath gently washing over my upper body.

I gently disengaged myself from Prue and slid, ever so carefully, out of the bed, intending on heading into the bathroom to relieve a very stressed bladder, but when I got to the edge of the bed and started to sit up I got a shock in the form of two gigantic breasts bobbling around on MY chest! Now, by this time, I had sort of almost gotten used to having breasts and, to be totally truthful, I had almost forgotten they were there, but THESE! These were absolutely monstrous and when I moved and then stopped, it took a few seconds for them to come to rest! Their weight was unbelievable and I could feel the strain on my back. I stood up, gingerly and tried to establish some kind of equilibrium and almost fell on my face from the weight of those incredible breasts pulling me forward and down!

I finally managed to stand up, more or less straight when another thing came to my attention. I could feel a weight pulling down on my head from behind and when I turned to look to see what it was, I caught a glimpse of HAIR! I mean LOOONG BLONDE HAIR! Hanging from MY head! My mind began to blank out but I refused to pass out again. For one thing, it wouldn’t solve anything. For another, I knew that if I did pass out, I would wake up in a puddle of my own pee. The pressure on my bladder was almost more painful than the pain I remembered from my arm. MY ARM! I looked at my arm and I couldn’t find a mark on it. There was no pain from it either and it looked a bit softer and paler than I remembered. All these things were warring for attention with my tortured bladder and the bladder won. I staggered into the bathroom and sat down, almost immediately releasing the pressure and sighing in relief! I also noticed, once I had taken care of the most pressing problem, that I was naked.

Funny how, when faced with a plethora of differences and changes, one will forget or ignore all of them when one’s bladder is too full to hold one more drop. When I was finished, I wiped carefully and stood up, flushing the toilet. I tottered to the mirror and gazed with shock at the spectacle that greeted me within that looking glass! Staring back at me from the mirror was the most drop-dead gorgeous blonde I had EVER seen! Her body was something from a thousand men’s tortured sexual dreams and her face was, well, words can’t describe that face! Beautiful, sexy, desirable, didn’t even come close to describing that lovely, lovely face. Lips that were designed for kissing and murmuring sensuous words, eyes that a man could fall into and drown, a "to die for" little turned up nose and absolutely perfect pale skin all said one thing to anyone looking at it,.....SEX!

The body was enough to bring strong men to their knees in abject surrender to its perfection. High, proud, VERY large breasts atop a waist that looked almost too slim to support the weight of that incredible upper body, and a flat, almost muscular stomach. Hips that looked like they would be almost too wide to get through a door, although, I’m certain that most of my initial thoughts about this body were colored by my shock upon discovering that I was wearing it!

I guess my mind sort of went into overload at that point because, the next thing I remember, Prue was standing behind me kind of supporting me so I wouldn’t fall down. She gently walked me back to the bed and sat me down and waited until there was some light of intelligence in my eyes once again. I couldn’t speak and she sensed this and began to speak. She told me that the last time I had passed out, she and Neri had examined me a bit more carefully and had found that I had a fractured arm and the bump on my head had been growing at an alarming rate.

While Neri had watched over me, Prue had gone into my room and gotten the alien body changing machine, brought it back to this room and used it on me, reasoning that I would have had to go to a hospital, otherwise, to assure the healing of my injuries. They had both thought it better to try changing my shape in the hopes that by doing so, they could heal my injuries without having to resort to any medical facility. They had used the very first disc they had grabbed, reasoning that any shape change would accomplish their aims.

Unfortunately for me, the disc they had chosen contained the oh-so-delectable form I was now wearing. The long hair, Prue explained, was the result of Neri setting the hair device incorrectly and could be taken care of in very short order but they had decided that it could wait until I had awakened, reasoning that I needed rest more than anything. I finally recovered my wits enough to try to speak but the voice I heard when I tried was so sweet sounding and, well, downright sexy, that I only got out a few words before I shut myself up. Prue seemed almost as taken aback by that soft sensual sounding voice as I was and she fell silent as her eyes widened at it’s sound.

"WOW!" Prue exclaimed. "That’s SOME voice you have there, Billie! The last time I heard a voice like that it was on the other end of one of those sex talk lines that I dialed by mistake! You’d better be very careful when you speak from now on or you’ll have to buy a BIG stick to fend off the hordes of men that will be flocking around you every time you say anything!" I sat there, stunned by what I’d seen and heard and tried to figure out how to get out of this situation.

""Well, Prue," I began, "all that you say might be very true. God knows, this voice would take a lot of getting used to but, thank goodness I don’t have to. All we have to do is replay the disc we used to give me the other shape I had when I got hurt and I’ll be back to what we are, for the present, laughingly calling, normal, right?"

"Umm, Billie,"P rue said hesitantly, "there’s a slight problem with that. We tried to return you to the form you have been using but, when we did, the injuries reappeared! We decided that, with the way Neri looks, right now, and the other forms that are available on those discs, it would be better if you keep this shape for a while. We still don’t know WHY the injuries reappeared when we tried to switch you back but we can’t take the chance that changing you again will cause some other kind of harm. Even the change back to THIS form seemed to take longer than any other change has taken and we think that there may be some kind of limitations built into the machine that won’t let it perform more than a couple of changes within a certain time frame. So, for now, and until we find out more about the machine, you’d better get used to this form. You might have to wear it for just a day or two or maybe for a week or two. Until we know what we’re doing and why the machine was reluctant to change you more than twice in a short period of time, we can’t take any chances. I know this is gonna be tough for you, Bill," she continued, calling me by my real name for the first time since we had cooked up this hare-brained scheme. "And I know that you didn’t want to look like a woman in the first place so THIS form, with it’s blatant sexuality and sensuous voice will be doubly tough to deal with. Can you understand what happened and forgive Neri and me? We only wanted you to be all right and didn’t think about the consequences of choosing that particular disc. Well, we didn’t actually choose it, see, what happened was that when Neri came back with the food, you were unconscious and that bump was getting bigger and bigger and...."

Prue paused for breath and I held up a hand, palm outward to stop her from saying more. "Prue, hold it right there. In the first place, I DO understand what you and Neri felt you had to do. In the second place, I haven’t been all THAT uncomfortable in a female form. Oh, I’ll grant you that it did take some getting used to, and if I had my druthers, I’d just as soon be plain old Bill again but, given the circumstances we were in and still ARE in, I understood the necessity for sporting a "different" look. THIS," and I indicated the exaggerated feminine pulchritude I was currently wearing, "is WAAAAY beyond simple hiding. Prue, I CAN’T go out in public looking like THIS!! I won’t get 5 steps out the door of this motel and I’ll get raped or something! These, these,....," I sputtered, indicating my umm, breasts, "are ridiculous! I’ve never seen a woman with breasts this big who wasn’t displaying them on some stage with sexy music playing and about a hundred guys tripping over their tongues in front of her!"

"Plus," I continued, we don’t have any clothes that will even come close to fitting this body."

I was beginning to get a bit hysterical and I knew it but, somehow, I was unable to stop it from happening. My breathing was becoming fast and irregular and that increased the disconcerting motion of those gigantic, to me, breasts which only added to my growing panic! Prue must have sensed that I was on the verge of losing it because she stopped me from any further speculation about my form by grabbing me in a tight bear hug.

"Bill, Bill," she whispered in my ear. "Calm down. I KNOW that this is going to be a BIG adjustment for you to make but, for now, and until we find out more about that machine, we CAN’T change you again. Neri is out shopping for some clothing for you and she should be back in a little while. Why don’t you try to lay down and get some rest? You certainly could use some after what you’ve been through in the last few hours. If you want, I’ll lay down with you and hold you until you think you have calmed down enough to try to see the logic in this." Hmmm. Prue wanted to lie down with me? On the same bed? And Hold me? Well. No matter what shape I was in, my mind was still male enough to think THAT idea over VERY carefully.

After a few seconds of being held by the woman I was falling in love with, I decided that we certainly could lay down together. Why not, right? I mean, what could two women do in a bed? Ok, ok, I wasn’t thinking too clearly. Would you have been? Anyway, we laid down and in a few minutes, I began to feel a bit less panicky. My breathing resumed a more normal rhythm and my heart rate came down to almost normal. I was still confused and scared but I actually found myself getting drowsy! I never thought that I would want to fall asleep when lying in the same bed as Prue but there it was. After a few more minutes, I must have fallen into a light slumber because when I reopened my eyes, Neri was in the room talking with Prue.

I heard a little bit of what they were saying but it didn’t make a whole lot of sense and I dismissed what I thought I heard as the ramblings of a dream I must have been having. I heard something about jobs and a name, Brandi. Anyway, they were whispering and I couldn’t hear them clearly. Neri looked over at me on the bed and noticed that my eyes were sort of open and she nudged Prue who turned to look at me.

"Well, hello there, Sleeping Beauty!" Neri said. It’s about time you woke up. Do you know what time it is?"

I automatically looked at my wrist to see what time it was, only to remember, belatedly, that I wasn’t wearing a watch. I was absolutely naked under the sheet and blanket that covered me. I groaned a little bit and again I was struck by that sexy sounding voice I now possessed. Even groaning sounded sensual!

I sat up, with a little difficulty, clutching the covers to my chest and said, "No, Neri, I don’t! Why don’t you tell me?" I meant to sound a little bit sarcastic but that voice wouldn’t let me. It sounded more like I was inviting her to jump in bed with me and fool around! Sheesh! I couldn’t even SOUND mad! I tried, believe me, I tried. It came out sounding pouty and almost little girlish.

Neri giggled a bit at my consternation and then said, "Why, it’s almost 8 AM! You slept the whole night and you must be STARVED, since you didn’t eat last night. My stomach chose that exact moment to agree with her, even before I could get any words out of my mouth. It rumbled and grumbled but even THAT sounded different. Almost cute! Oh boy! This was NOT gonna be easy!

I finally managed to mumble out a "Yes, Neri, I am hungry as a matter of fact. Are you going to go get something to eat and bring it back here?"

"No, Billie, I’m not. You’re gonna get your butt out of that bed, shower, and get pretty so we can go out for breakfast! Prue and I decided that you have to start getting used to that body and the way it moves and there’s no time like the present so, up and at ‘em, woman! Cmon, c’mon, I went out and got you a few things to tide you over until we can figure out when it’s safe to change you back into that other body that we have clothes for. Until then, you’re gonna have to get used to looking like the sexiest woman in four states."

With that, she came over to the bed and, seeing that I had no intention of getting out of it, she grabbed the blanket and yanked it off me leaving me sitting there, totally nude! I automatically tried to cover myself but my now-slender, pale arms were woefully inadequate for the task they were being asked to perform. Finally, I just gave up and, feeling as embarrassed as I have ever been, I got up off the bed and, mustering what little dignity I had left, moved toward the bathroom. I had forgotten, though about the weight of those breasts and, when I turned sharply to stride angrily off, they kept swinging and nearly pulled me off balance. That caused me even more embarrassment and I actually began to tear up! I mean, I started to cry, standing right there in the middle of that motel room!

Neri and Prue must have realized that they might have pushed me too far because they were both at my side in a flash and I found myself enfolded in four arms and errm, other things. I really let go then, though. The tears came freely, accompanied by huge racking sobs that sounded like they were coming from the depths of a broken heart. Prue and Neri had all they could do to keep me from crumpling to the floor, sobbing my eyes out.

"I, I, ca..can...can’t d..do th..th..this," I sobbed.

"I c.can’t g..go out..side looking like, like, THIS! Oh God, girls, you gotta help me! We gotta find out what’s up. up with that, that, d..damn ma..ma..machine! Then, I just broke down completely. I could hardly breathe as the sobs racked my body and tore at my throat. Prue and Neri just held me as best as they could and rocked me back and forth as they eased me down onto the bed until I finally began to run down. I just laid there for a few minutes, gathering my strength before I attempted to try to get up on my feet again. Both Prue and Neri were murmuring encouragement and apologies for giggling at my plight.

They didn’t say anything else but they did help me to my feet and assisted me into the bathroom. Prue got the water running in the shower and Neri busied herself getting out bottles and soaps and towels. Once Prue determined that the water temperature was ok, she and Neri both gently guided me under the shower head admonishing me to hurry up because they were hungry as well and we had to get back on the road anyway, so the sooner we got going, the better. I stood there, under the pounding water, trying to think and letting it wash off the saltiness left from my crying jag.

I could feel the hot water beginning to relax me a bit and I started to feel a little bit better. I stood there, thinking and trying to come to grips with this radically different body I seemed to be stuck with for a while. Eventually, I felt recovered enough and, after thoroughly washing my hair, which seemed to take an hour, I rinsed off and shut off the water. I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a large fluffy towel that Neri had placed on the sink and began drying myself off. I guess it shows my state of mind that I didn’t even notice that the bathroom door was open and I was patting my skin dry and feeling almost good again. At least I WAS, until I heard Prue say, "Well, it looks like you are beginning to adjust. You’d better be careful, though or you’ll get yourself involved in something that’ll require you to take another shower!"

I blushed, realizing that I had been lingering with the towel in certain, umm, sensitive places. "I wasn’t, I, wasn’t, I, I....., Oh DAMN!" I retorted. "Prue! I was only drying myself off but it felt sort of, well, good and I was, um....! Hey! This isn’t easy on me, you know? This body seems to feel things a LOT more that the other one did. I mean, look at how I broke down a bit ago. I have never done that in that other body. Well, I DID cry that one time but not like I just did. I suddenly felt just hopeless and lost and it seemed right to just have a good cry. Oh, Prue! What’s happening to me? I’m beginning to feel, well, I don’t know, FEMININE! This is really weirding me out, Prue and I don’t know if I can handle it!"

She pulled me into a hug and tried to comfort me, saying, "It’s all right, Billie. I know what you’re trying not to say and I understand, I think. What’s happening is that you are in a more seductive body and it obviously has a higher libido than that other one did. You’re getting more and more emotional and that’s probably caused by the higher level of hormones being produced by this new body. It’s normal, for a body like that, I mean and you’re going to have to get used to it, at least until we figure out that machine. Now, c’mon and get dressed and we’ll get back on the road and get something for breakfast too. I’m really getting hungry and I’ll bet you could eat a horse! Not that you’ll be able to, in that body."

"What do you mean," I asked.

"Well, you are probably going to have a much smaller appetite in that body than you did before. From the look of it, that body doesn’t need very much food to sustain it. In fact, I envy you that small, flat tummy." Prue said, sounding a but jealous. "But, we can talk about this while you get dressed. Now c’mon, lets go!" She led me back into the bedroom area and started throwing clothes at me. "Now, don’t blame me for any of these. Neri picked them out and she is a lot younger than either of us so her idea of appropriate clothing is, well, let’s just say different.

I began looking at what Prue was throwing at me and it didn’t seem too bad to me. Jeans, a pink pullover and a plain cloth jacket. The underwear gave me a bit of a pause, though. The bra was very lacy and deeply cut between the cups and the panties were virtually non-existent. I slipped the panties up my legs, almost falling over until Prue grabbed me by the shoulder and steadied me. Then I attempted to put on the bra. Now I had some practice doing that but, in this body, it seemed harder to do, somehow. I guess it was those big breasts because I couldn’t get them to stay still long enough to umm, "seat" them in the cups, and every time I tried to hook the bra behind me, one or the other of them would slide a bit and be uncomfortable.

Finally, with a sigh of frustration, I turned to Prue and asked, "Would you help me with this damned thing, please?" She was standing there watching me and, from the look on her face, she was trying VERY hard not to laugh.

"It looks like you are gonna need some practice getting a halter around those, huh? Ok. Stand still and I’ll hook you up but I’m not gonna do this every time for you. You’re going to have to figure it out for yourself and deal with it as long as you are wearing this shape, Billie" She said, moving around behind me and grasping the hooks of the bra. She fastened it and then helped me settle my breasts in the cups. I immediately felt the load on my back decrease with the support of the bra. Once that was accomplished, I started to put on the jeans. It was a real struggle to get them on and I said to Prue, Neri must have gotten the wrong size! These don’t seem to fit at all." At that, Prue did start to giggle.

"No, Billie," she said, "those ARE the right size. It’s just that, like I said, Neri’s idea of what’s appropriate and yours or mine are somewhat different. They’ll fit all right but they’re going to look as if they are painted on and, by the way, if you haven’t looked closely at that top, you’re in for another little jolt."

"OH?" I panted, lying on my back and trying to pull those jeans up past my hips and butt. "What do you mean by that?"

"Never mind," she answered. You’ll se what I mean when you put it on." I finally managed to get the jeans on but I felt like I had just gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson.

"I don’t see what you mean," I said, somewhat puzzled. "It looks like a perfectly normal woman’s top to me. I pulled it over my head and into place, only to finally see what Prue had been trying not to tell me. The neckline wasn’t so much a neckline as it was a breastline. It showed waay more cleavage than I felt comfortable with. As a matter of fact, it was cut as deeply as the bra had been and almost showed the lacy edges of the bra. It did add a little more support for my breasts, though and even if I wasn’t very happy about the amount of flesh showing, I realized that this was all I had that would fit right now.

Then, came the topper. Prue handed me the shoes and I just looked at them. "You’ve GOT to be kidding." I groused. "These heels have got to be at least 4 inches and they’re as thin as a small carrot stick! How the hell am I gonna walk on these things?" Even worse, the toes of those shoes were open and the backs were just an arrangement of straps. "I’m gonna kill myself, falling off these things! I’m gonna KILL Neri when I get my hands on her!" I finally managed, with some help from Prue, to get those shoes on and, when I stood up, I wobbled for a second or two before I kind of settled down. Amazingly, I didn’t feel like I was going to fall off those damned things. Instead, I felt almost comfortable in them! I took a couple of steps and I seemed to be able to walk almost normally, if you can call an exaggerated wiggle of my hips and butt and short steps, normal.

Prue had to sit down on the bed and finally could hold it in no longer. She dissolved in laughter. I just stood there, hands on hips, glaring at her until she wound down. Wiping her eyes with the side of her hand, she said, still giggling, "Your jewelry and accessories are over there on the dresser." I walked, well, wiggled might be a better word, over to the dresser and found some bracelets, a necklace, earrings and a small very feminine watch. I slipped the bracelets on over my hands and managed to get the necklace over my mass of hair and settled around my neck. The small pendant nestled right in the valley between my breasts and I knew that it would draw attention to that place. I wasn’t too happy about that but I steeled my nerve and picked up the earrings.

I had to ask Prue to help me with them, as well, because they were for pierced ears and I’d never had to deal with that before. They were long and dangly and, when I turned my head from side to side, they banged into the sides of my neck or got tangled in my hair. What a pain! I finally got everything on and settled and Prue sat me down on the edge of the bed and applied the makeup machine to my face! I protested, saying.

"Is this really necessary, Prue? I mean, I don’t like this body as it is. If you go making me look pretty, I’m gonna have to carry a gun to keep the guys away! I am, er..was a guy... I know what guys think when they see a body like this!"

"Oh, just relax," Prue chided me. I’m only applying the bare minimum that a woman who looks like you would wear for everyday. Be happy this isn’t an evening or I’d be laying this stuff on with a vengeance! Now hold still and I’ll be done in a minute or two." Then I can do your fingernails and toenails. You can’t wear shoes like that without some color on your toenails and if they’re gonna be polished, you might as well have your fingernails the same color. It’s important for women to match things like this, Billie. When you’ve been one awhile longer you’ll come to understand that. Now hold still so I can get this right."

When Prue was finally done, I got up and looked at myself in the dresser mirror. OH MY GOD!!! I was a flippin’ knockout! This was worse than I had even imagined. The combination of the tight clothing, the makeup, the jewelry and that loong hair which had taken almost 15 minutes to dry, thanks to the hair dryer/changer machine, was overwhelmingly sexy. I just stood there, staring at my image while Prue bustled around, getting the last bits of our stuff packed and ready to go.

She handed me the jacket and my purse, which felt as though it had rocks in it. I opened it up and looked inside only to find a dizzying array of female stuff, most of which was a mystery to me. Prue grabbed her coat and purse and called to me from the door. "Hurry up, slowpoke! Let’s get this stuff into the van and be on our way. I slowly turned from the mirror and walked toward the door, grabbing a couple of small plastic bags full of clothes and things. I walked past Prue to the door and stopped, scared to death to go out. Prue put a hand in the center of my back and gave me a small push and I staggered out the door almost falling on my face.

I put the stuff I was carrying in the van and Prue went to knock on the door of the room next to the one we had just exited. The door opened and Neri came out, carrying her overnight bag and threw it in the van, giving me an appreciative glance as she went past me. "Not bad, Billie. Not bad at all" I have great taste in clothes, don’t I?"

"Remind me to talk to you about that later, Neri," I attempted to growl back at her. Unfortunately, my growl came out as more of a purr and the effect was completely lost on her. She smiled at me and said, "Don’t bother to thank me, Billie. The look of satisfaction on your face is enough for me. She walked past me and climbed in the side door of the van and I got into the passenger seat. I figured that Prue should drive since I knew I’d have trouble driving wearing those shoes.

Prue climbed in and as we all fastened our seat belts, she looked at me and said, "Don’t worry, Billie. Neri and I will help you all we can and we’ll be right with you all the time. We know that you haven’t had any experience at fending off over amorous men but we both have, haven’t we, Neri?

"That’s right Prue, and I pity the fool who tries to hit on our little sweetie here. We’ll cut him down so hard and so fast that he won’t know what hit him! No worries, Billie. We’ll protect you."

I dug into the purse I was carrying and finally found my cigarettes and a lighter. A cute feminine thing it was too. I missed my trusty old Zippo. I lit up and inhaled the fragrant smoke deep into my lungs, coughing a bit as I did so. I looked at the cigarette in surprise and dug the pack out again. Nope. They were my regular old Marlboro 100s all right. So why did I cough? All of a sudden, it came to me. I had been a smoker for quite a few years but that was in my old body! This new one had no experience at handling what I thought of as normal and was expressing it’s discomfort by making me cough.

Well, I had given up a lot in this new form but I was damned if I was gonna give up my smokes. I hung on like grim death and, by the time I finished that first smoke, I was no longer coughing. I looked at Prue and she was glancing my way with a look on her face that told me she understood.

She said, "I went through the same thing, remember? Right after we changed our bodies the first time. I lit a smoke and darn near coughed my lungs out! I’ve decided I’m gonna quit while I’m in this body and see if it carries over when I change back."

Somewhere between the time I had lit that cigarette and the time I finished it, we had pulled out onto the main road and were on our way. I hadn’t even noticed it until I looked back toward the front of the van and saw that we were moving. About a half hour after we left the motel, we came to a roadside diner where there were a lot of 18 wheelers parked. I had always believed that where the truckers eat, has got the best food. Those guys are on the road all the time and they get to know where the good eats are. We pulled into the parking lot and found a space near the door, luckily, and piled out of the van.

Walking toward the entrance to the diner, I started feeling uncomfortable again and I swear I could feel eyes watching us, more to the point, watching me! I slowed down and started to turn back toward the van but Prue and Neri each grabbed an elbow on me and propelled me to the entrance and into the diner. As we entered the place, it got very quiet for a few seconds and I could feel and see every set of male eyes turn towards us. I was as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs and I tried to stop and turn around and run back out, but Prue and Neri had a good grip on my elbows and they steered me to a table and sort of pushed me into a booth.

Neri sat down next to me, effectively blocking me from escaping from the booth and Prue sat down across from us in the other seat. There were menus already on the table, and I picked one up and opened it, partially to try to hide my face and partially to keep from having to look around at all the hungry male eyes that had tracked us all the way from the door to the booth. In the past three or four days, I had sort of gotten used to being looked at by men, but THIS, this was totally different! I felt like I was naked or something and I was very frightened. Having Prue and Neri there did help a little bit, but I knew that even they would be helpless if anything really serious happened.

Now, I know that the chances of a serious confrontation, right there in a crowded diner, in the middle of the morning, were very, very slim and, under any other circumstances, I would have scoffed at anyone who suggested that something like that COULD happen. These, however were NOT ordinary circumstances. Not for me they weren’t and I was about 4 seconds away from sheer panic when a waitress appeared at the table and asked if she could take out orders.

Prue and Neri ordered right away but I couldn’t make myself speak! I tried, but all that came out was a small mouse-like squeak. Prue sensed that I was close to panic and broke in, saying that I had a sore throat and ordered for me. Unfortunately, once we had given our orders to the waitress, the necessity of having an open menu disappeared and I was left with nothing to hide behind. Neri and Prue were trying to calm me down, saying that this was something I had better get used to, and that being stared at by men was a necessary by-product of being a beautiful woman.

It didn’t help much, but they kept talking to me, trying to get me thinking about something else and, by the time our orders arrived, I was a little bit less nervous. The smell of the food took part of my nervousness away as well because I found that I WAS ravenous. I attacked the food like I hadn’t eaten in two days which, if fact, I almost hadn’t.

Neri jabbed me in the ribs with her elbow, though and whispered at me in a very sharp tone that, "Ladies don’t eat like that, BILLIE!" emphasizing that feminine appellation in an apparent attempt to make me realize that I was shoveling food into my now-dainty mouth like a, you’ll pardon the comparison and the pun, truck driver! I stopped short at that and tried to continue in a more ladylike fashion and, to my surprise, I couldn’t finish what was on the plate!

It wasn’t a large order and I had looked at it, when it arrived at the table with a bit of disappointment. I knew I had been starved when I started to eat, but I only managed to eat about two thirds of what was there before I simply HAD to stop. I felt stuffed. I leaned back into the booth and stretched a bit, feeling a bit better now that my tummy was full and I reached into my purse for my cigarettes. I pulled them out, along with my lighter and shook one from the pack, which earned me a nasty look from Prue.

"What did I do NOW?" I asked, confused. "Ladies don’t shake cigarettes out of the pack like that, BILLIE!"

She said, quietly. "Give me that pack and I’ll show you how it should be done."

I handed the smokes to her and watched as she gently tapped the pack against her forefinger and gracefully extracted one from the pack, holding it loosely between the first two fingers of her hand. Then she flipped her hair back and lit the lighter, applying the flame to the end of the cigarette and, when it was lit she tossed her hair back with a shake of her head and exhaled a long plume of smoke toward the ceiling. I sat there, entranced by the extremely feminine way she had done that and I asked what I had done wrong, again.

She took me through the whole process again, insisting that I do it this time and instructed me every step of the way. I began to see what she was talking about and after one or two tries, I did it correctly. I watched her closely as she smoked that cigarette and tried to emulate every motion she made and I must have been successful because she smiled at me and gave me a little "well done" nod of her head.

"You have a lot to learn about being a sexy woman, Billie and I intend to make sure that you learn everything you can so you can be convincing in that new body for as long as you have to wear it. The last thing we need right now is any more attention from the world in general and if you continue to act like a man in a female body, it’ll attract attention more than if you act like what you look like."

I thought about what she said and, the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. The world is sort of used to seeing beautiful women and expected a truly beautiful woman to act in a certain way. Any deviation from that expected behavior would draw unwanted attention to us and I didn’t want that either. It was hard enough for me to be constantly stared at as a sex object by every male within sight range. To draw additional attention by acting in any other way but as a sexy woman could be disastrous for us, so I paid close attention to what Prue was saying. It didn’t seem odd to me, right then, to be giving up control of my own actions to a woman.

Later, looking back on that time, I questioned why I did that so easily but at that time, it seemed perfectly normal to do so. We finished our meal with both Prue and Neri coaching me on every aspect of my behavior. The cigarette helped me to concentrate on what they were telling me. It seemed to sink in faster than I would have thought it would, and before we got up from the booth I was acting more in harmony with my appearance. We walked to the register and paid for our food and then, Prue and Neri steered me towards the ladies room. I was prepared for this and I didn’t succumb to panic again, though. Having spent the last few days in a female form had inured me to the terrors of that "forbidden" sanctum of femininity.

We entered and did what we had to do, repaired our makeup, even though it really wasn’t necessary, thanks to the makeup kit, and left. As we exited the ladies room, I could, again feel every male eye on us but it didn’t seem to bother me so much now. I almost felt proud of the fact that all eyes were on us and I straightened up and pulled my shoulders back, showing off the incredible cleavage I was displaying! I pasted a smile on my face but I didn’t meet one single set of eyes with my own.

I hit the entrance door in stride, expecting it to push open easily as doors had always done for me in the past. Instead, I almost bounced off it and damn near fell down as I lost my balance on those heels I was wearing. Fortunately, Neri was close behind me and steadied me. She chuckled a bit at my expense and said, quietly, "That’s something else you’re gonna have to get used to, Billie. Apparently this new body isn’t even as strong as your last female form and everything is going to feel heavier and harder to move than before. Just take your time and try to remember that. Otherwise, you’re going to attract attention, the wrong kind of attention, from men. Unless," she continued, musingly, "that’s what you WANT to do! So help me, Billie, but I’m beginning to wonder about you. It seems you like being a female! Is that it, Billie? Do you secretly LIKE being seen as a sexy female? It’s okay, if you do, you know. I know I like it. I love it when I can get a guy to anything I want just by batting my eyelashes at him and acting helpless!"

She looked at me out of the corners of her eyes as she was saying all of that and I stopped in my tracks, almost tripping Prue up as she was following close behind me. I started to say something but decided against it, knowing that I would sound like a hysterical woman if I opened my mouth right then. I was angry at her for even suggesting what she had but I decided to wait until we were in the relative security of the van before I ripped her head off! We got into the van, Neri in the back and me in the passenger side again and, when Prue got behind the wheel she began to start the van but I stopped her.

I turned and fixed Neri with an angry gaze. "LOOK, little girl!" I said, seething inside. "I appreciate what you have done for us and I understand that all this," and I indicated my new sexy shape, "must be VERY amusing to you! So listen up, because I am only going to say this to you one time. If I have to repeat it, it will be accompanied by physical violence! I AM A MAN! I am not some sexy broad and I am NOT a joke for you to laugh at or ridicule! I am forced to wear this shape for awhile, for reasons which you are all too aware of and I will NOT tolerate you making fun of me because of it! In case it has slipped your mind, we are in the run from some pretty serious people! If you can’t appreciate the seriousness of our situation, I will be MORE than happy to return you to your original shape and drop you off in the next decent sized town we come to! Her face fell and I could see a bit of uncertainty in her eyes but I was mad and I continued. We’ll give you enough money so you can continue your original trip without worrying about whether or not you’ll make it to wherever you were intending to go, but there’ll be NO more making fun of my predicament! This is hard enough for me without you drawing my attention to every little supposed mistake I might make. You say you understand how I feel but how could you? You have NO clue about how I feel and you couldn’t unless you were undergoing the same thing! If you want to help us, that’s fine, and, like I said before, I appreciate what you have done so far but, there’ll be NO more having fun at my expense! Now, Is that clear enough for you?"

I turned around in my seat and fixed my eyes on the road without waiting for a response from her. In fact, I was already beginning to calm down from my anger high and felt a bit bad about reading Neri the riot act but I felt I had been justified in saying what I had said. This WAS hard for me! Being forced by circumstances to appear to be a female was tough enough but, being forced to appear as a blatantly sexy, stacked and beautiful female was too much for my poor male ego and I snapped on Neri. Sitting there, watching the road go by, I was already regretting what I had said but, there was no way to take it back and part of me didn’t want to take it back. Oh sure, I had been getting fond of Neri and she HAD helped us quite a bit but, that part of me that DIDN’T regret what I had said, wouldn’t let the other part of me, that admired Neri for her resourcefulness and nerve, back down. It must have been my male ego at war with my female body and I recognized that but couldn’t do anything about it.

Both Prue and Neri fell silent after my outburst and nothing was said for the next hour or so. Occasionally, I thought I caught a small sound from the back of the van, as if Neri were trying not to cry and that made me feel really lousy. I knew that what I had said had hurt her and, at the time I was saying it, part of me WANTED to hurt her! That thought scared me and I began trying to find some way to apologize to her for being so mean. I knew that no matter what I said from this point on, I would never be able to fully apologize to her but I hoped that I might be able to find some way to make her understand that I was feeling so vulnerable and frightened in this new body that It had overwhelmed what common sense I usually had and had caused me to say things that I ordinarily would NEVER have said. Neri broke the silence first, though.

She said, quietly, "Look, Bill. I guess I can understand that you thought I was laughing at you and making fun of you. I have to admit that it IS kind of amusing for me to watch a man trying to act like a sexy woman, but I never intended to make fun of you or anything like it. Maybe I did overreact back there when I asked you if you liked looking and acting like a gorgeous female and I guess I kinda owe you an apology for carrying things a bit too far. I know that it has to be really difficult for you, being a man and all, and being on the run has been tough on ALL our nerves. I’ll try not to do things like that anymore but you have to lighten up as well! Taking my head off does none of us ANY good and if we end up at each other’s throats, it’s only a matter of time before we find ourselves in deeper trouble than we are already in. I’ve been pretty much on my own for a long time and I’ve gotten used to being somewhat sarcastic and defensive. At times, those things have been the only things that have kept me sane. For what it’s worth, though, I’m sorry I made you feel humiliated or threatened."

I turned to Prue and asked her to pull the van over to the side of the road and she complied. When the van stopped moving, I unbuckled my seat belt and got out. I went back and opened the door and motioned to Neri to get out as well. She did, with a puzzled look on her face and stood facing me. I looked into her eyes and began to speak.

"Neri, it’s me that owes you the apology. I lost it back there and blew up at you because you were the closest one to me. God knows that we wouldn’t be as far as we are without your help and we owe you for that and more. I can be a prize ass, sometimes and, with all that’s happened to me this past 4 or 5 days, I have been on edge 24/7. Please, please," and at this point, I took both her hands in mine, "don’t let me drive you away from us! I’m so unsure of what I’m doing, and SO scared that I am not doing the right thing by running away, let alone roping you and Prue into this as well!"

At that point, I began to cry and I pulled Neri to me and hugged her, tight. Then she started to cry as well, and before I knew it, we were joined by Prue who was ALSO leaking from the eyes. It turned into a group hug, right there on the side of a road that I don’t even remember the number of and, for a few minutes no one said anything. We just stood there holding one another and crying.

Finally, Prue broke the sad mood by saying, "Thank God for that makeup kit! Otherwise, we’d all have to spend an hour at least, to repair the damage to our faces from all these tears!

Well, I started to giggle at that, and the next thing I knew, Neri started as well. In no time at all, we were standing there laughing so hard, we couldn’t maintain our grips on one another and we all had to sit down in the open doorways of the van, holding our sides. When I finally began to calm down a bit and my laughter was subsiding, I wiped my eyes and my face with the sleeve of the jacket I was wearing and smiled at both rue and Neri. Something happened there on the side of that nameless highway and I felt closer to them right then than I have ever felt to anyone in my whole life. I was so glad that Neri had accepted my apology and I now felt as though she and Prue DID understand what I was going through. I also felt like I understood that they were along on this ride because they WANTED to be and not because I had "roped" them into anything.

We all got back into the van and Prue and I both lit cigarettes. If you are not a smoker, I can’t explain how it feels to light up and inhale that fragrant smoke, or what it does to frazzled, jangled nerves but, trust me, I had NEVER needed a smoke more than I did at that particular time of my life and It helped me to calm down and begin to think again, instead of just reacting. I looked at Prue with an arched eyebrow, questioning without words the fact that she seemed to be picking up the habit of smoking again, but she just looked back at me and nodded, as if to say, "Yeah, I know I said I was gonna quit but I need one right now." I nodded back and she seemed to know that I understood and wasn’t going to take her to task about it.

She finished her smoke before I finished mine and tossed it out the window as she started the engine. I looked back at Neri and she was nodding, in the back seat, her eyes partly closed, humming a little tuneless tune to herself and looking more relaxed than I had ever seen her. We three became friends, there on that highway. I mean real friends. For the first time since this whole thing started, I began to have hope that, just maybe, we would see our way out of this mess and everything would be all right again. I knew one thing for sure. On the side of that road, a bond was forged between Neri, Prue and me. A bond that would see us through this thing, no matter what the final outcome. I could tell that Prue and Neri felt the same thing and a warm feeling began to fill me with love for both these remarkable, resourceful, intelligent, beautiful women. I knew, with two friends like them, I would be able to face whatever came our way and not flinch or falter. We had a common purpose now and a bond that wouldn’t let us fail. I also knew that it would be much easier for me to adjust to this body with them around to help me every step of the way.

Isn’t that always the way, though?

Adversity brings out the best and the worst in almost everyone and this was no exception. It had brought out the worst in me and then the best in all three of us. I looked over at Prue and said, simply, "Let’s go, Prue. There’s a hiding place out there waiting for us and a way out of this mess, and I now feel like we have a better than average chance of finding it! Point ‘er thataway, Prue. Third star to the right and straight on til morning! Prue pulled back onto the highway and accelerated up to 55 MPH. We rode in comparative silence for awhile until I detected a smell of smoke! I looked around, frantically to try to find the source of the smell but I couldn’t nail it down until Neri said, from the back seat, "Hey! Should there be smoke coming from the bag the machines are in?

To Be Continued!!!

Luck Be A Lady -6-

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Genre:

Character Age:

College / Twenties

TG Themes:

Body Suits

Other Keywords:

Permission:

Permission granted to post by author

I watched while Kim began to change and as he lost height, he gained other, ummm assets and his hair vanished. Then his whole body seemed to hesitate for a second or two before really beginning to change rapidly. As the change speeded up I could actually see the changes taking place and I just stood there, watching, absolutely amazed at what this little machine could do!

Luck Be A Lady
Part 6
By Catherine Linda Michel

Author's Note: I have to dedicate this part to all of you who cared enough to write and convince me that it was worth doing. You are ALL true friends and I thank you. This is also dedicated to a special person who is going through some trying times right now. I won’t mention her name but I wish her transformation could be as painless and quick as the one described herein.

12/14/2000 11:44:55 PM

Prue stomped hard on the brakes and swerved to the right side of the road in a hurry. Everything that was loose inside the van slid forward, and I heard a ‘clunk’ followed by Neri yelping in surprise, or pain, I couldn’t tell which. When we finally came to a halt, I jumped out and yanked open the sliding side door. Neri came pelting out of her seat like she was jet propelled and damn near knocked me down! By this time, the smoke was getting thick inside the van and I felt my way around until I found the bag I knew contained the alien machines and yanked it out of the van.

It slipped out of my grasp but I managed to catch it with my other hand before it hit the ground. I still wasn’t used to the new, longer nails. I gently dumped the contents of the bag onto the ground and quickly located the piece that seemed to be smoking. It was one of the magazine-like pieces that fit into one of the weapon-like devices. I wadded up the bag and picked up the magazine and gave it a toss as hard as I could. DAMN, I kept forgetting that I was now a girl, and I threw like one! The thing went about 30 feet, tumbled into a small depression in the ground and, as I grabbed Neri and threw her to the ground and followed her, it blew up!

The shock wave blew over us and, for a second, I was afraid that I hadn’t thrown that damn thing far enough. For a few minutes, I couldn’t hear anything at all but I immediately began checking myself and Neri for cuts. I didn’t find any, or rather, I didn’t find any that wouldn’t require removal of clothing to locate. I could see Neri’s mouth moving but there was no sound and I knew that my hearing might’ve been damaged. I hoped it was just temporary and I motioned to Neri that I couldn’t hear her. I could see that she was having the same problem as I was and I tried to calm her down even though I was on the verge of panic, myself!

A thought went through my mind and I thought, "PRUE!" My God, Prue! Was she ok? I couldn’t see her at all and I jumped up and ran around the front of the van to see if she was sprawled inside somewhere. I located her, slumped behind the steering wheel and although her eyes were closed, I could tell that she was breathing. I quickly checked her for injuries but I found none. Thank God! I backed away from the door and bumped into Neri who had, apparently, followed me. She and I managed to get Prue out of the van and onto the grassy shoulder of the road.

By the time we got her there, she was beginning to move a bit and she looked like she was waking up. We waited there with her until she opened her eyes and, when she did, a look of panic and fear flashed across her face and she began to struggle to sit up. I looked directly into her eyes, getting her attention and motioned for her to lay still. Her mouth moved but all I could hear was a low humming sound and a high pitched ringing noise, all at the same time. I could tell that she was having the same difficulties as Neri and I and I tried to make her understand that she should just lay there for a few minutes. I managed to get across to Neri that she should stay with Prue while I went to check on the alien machines to see if there was any damage to them and also, to the van itself. The smoke had pretty much cleared out of the van by that time and I could see a singed spot on the carpeting in the back area behind the seat that Neri had been sitting in, but no other apparent damage met my searching eyes. Turning my attention to the machines laying out on the grass, I began to check each one very carefully. I don’t mind telling you, I was scared out of my wits at that point. If anything had happened to the body changing machine, we would all be stuck in the forms we now wore and I did NOT want to spend the rest of my life as the voluptuous redhead I now was!

I didn’t see any damage anywhere on the machine but I couldn’t tell if there was any internal damage from heat or smoke, not to mention from being dumped on the ground! I carefully put the machine back in the van and went back to check the other machines. Again, there was no apparent damage to any of them but I could only check their appearances externally. We would have to wait until we were in a relatively safe place until we could check more thoroughly. Gathering everything up, I carefully placed it all in the van and, this time, I separated the weapons and magazines from the other devices.

By this time, my hearing was beginning to come back and I could hear Neri calling to me. I turned towards her and saw that Prue was sitting up and looked a lot better although both she and Neri looked shaken. I’m sure I must have looked the same to them and I knew that it was gonna take some serious brushing to straighten out the tangles in my new, longer hair! I stood up and walked over to where I had tossed the magazine. There was a 5 foot crater in the side of the road! Fortunately for us, the ground there was sandy and loose and the explosion had merely dug out that crater instead of spreading out. If it had spread out any at all, it probably would have killed us!

The bottom of the crater was smooth and glassy as if it had been blasted by some incredible heat source and I knew that if that thing had gone off in the van, we WOULD have died! All of a sudden, I lost contact with my lower body and fell on the ground. When I hit, I must’ve blacked out because the next thing I knew, I was laying on my back with Prue and Neri anxiously looking down at me. My first thought was that something had happened to my nervous system because I recalled losing the feeling in my lower body but, I could tell that there was feeling there now so I decided that it must have been because I was on the verge of fainting that I had felt numb. I struggled to sit up and managed to get partway there before Neri’s hands and arms caught me and helped me the rest of the way up. I felt a bit dizzy but, other than that, there were no other readily apparent effects and I slowly got to my feet. Our hearing was returning and I got across to the two of them that we needed to get the hell out of there quickly!

Fortunately, no other traffic had been anywhere near us when we swerved off the road and other cars going by after that, hadn’t bothered to stop and check on us. Evidently, no other traffic had been around when that bomb went off either although I knew it wouldn’t be very long before someone reported an explosion and the cops would come to investigate. We couldn’t afford to be there when authorities of ANY kind came around and, after making certain that nothing else was hot or seemingly in danger of catching fire, we stowed the devices safely in the back of the van and took off.

I warned Prue not to come screeching up off the shoulder of the road because that would leave tire tracks that could help someone identify our vehicle and she accelerated slowly and easily back onto the road. We took several turns that came up at random in the hopes of throwing off any pursuit and eventually ended up on a road that roughly paralleled the road we had been on. Prue and Neri were babbling a mile a minute about how close a call we’d had and I guess I must’ve blocked them out for a while because I lost track of what they were saying. I was too wrapped up in fear and worry about what we were doing, again.

I knew, now that I had to get Prue and Neri away from any more danger like that which we had just gone through. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to the two of them because of my interference in their lives! I had NO right to place them in such danger as we were now in and I was trying to think up a way to lose the two of them when Prue nudged me in the ribs. I jerked in the seat, trying to stand up while my seat belt was still buckled and looked over at Prue with fear in my eyes. She smiled at me and said, "Hey, Billie. It’s all right! We’re ok and nobody saw what happened back there. It was kind of exciting, wasn’t it?"

"EXCITING?" I almost screamed out. "It was damn near FATAL! This is all wrong, Prue. I have no right to involve the two of you any further in this mess! We could have been killed back there and it would’ve been all MY fault! I don’t want to hear any arguments, Prue, Neri. The very minute we get to the next decent sized town, I am dropping the two of you off and I am going on alone! If something happened to you two, I would just die!"

I was going to say more but one look at Prue’s face silenced me. She had gone from excited to angry in nothing flat! She directed the van into a rest area and parked it without saying a word. I tried to continue but she held up her hand and shook her head at me. For a minute she just sat there, not looking at me, apparently trying to gather her thoughts before speaking. When she DID speak, it was in a low controlled sounding tone.

"Ok, Billie." she began, "here’s the deal. Just WHO the hell do you think you are? Do you think I’m here because you forced me to come with you? I’m here because I WANT to be here and you’d better believe that If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be! Listen close, honey because I’m only going to say this once! I’m in this thing until the end, whatever that might turn out to be! You can’t get rid of me so easy, my dear and you just better get used to me being around! My life was boring and I was going nowhere when you showed up at my Grampa’s motel. Now I’m involved in the damndest adventure I have EVER heard of and I’ll be damned if you are gonna lose me until the end of it!"

Neri chimed in at about that time as well, saying, "Yeah, Billie! That goes for ME too! All I was headed for was a life on the streets in L.A. until the two of you decided to bring me along on this ride and now that I’ve seen what is going on, I’m gonna be stuck to you like a cockleburr! I just GOTTA see how this turns out so you can just forget any ideas you might have about trying to dump EITHER of us! Besides, you wouldn’t make it without us! You’d get caught in ten minutes! You might be smart about some things, Billie, but when it comes to street smarts, you have NONE! Now I don’t want to hear any more about this subject and I’m sure Prue feels the same way! We started this thing together and we’re gonna finish it the same way."

I opened my mouth to argue with them but Prue put a finger to my lips to silence me and said, "You know we’re right, Billie. Besides, if you try to dump us, the van and the money go with US! You’ll be stuck out here on the road with no money and no I.D. so just get used to the idea that we are in this together and for the long haul, ok?" She turned back toward the front of the van and started the engine again. She pulled out of the rest stop and we drove for awhile in silence. I was trying to think of SOME way to convince the two of them that I was right and that it would be better for them if I went on alone, but nothing was coming to mind.

Ok, maybe they were right, I told myself. Certainly three heads WERE better than one and Neri DID have a lot of ‘street smarts’, as she called them. Add to that the fact that Prue had quite a few contacts around the L.A. area so we would be able to find a place to hole up and think our next moves through, and it did make sense, I reasoned, that we three stay together. We three, we three, we happy three! There was one thing, though, that I WAS gonna do, at the very next opportunity and neither Prue nor Neri was going to talk me out of it! I was gonna change this body back to the original female form I had been wearing, the one we had I.D. for!

At least, in THAT body, I could walk into a place and not worry about getting raped! With this body, I felt like I was sex personified and every time I looked into a mirror I was shocked by the incredibly sensuous features of this well stacked body! I was even turning ME on in this body!

After a couple more hours of driving, Prue said, "Let’s find someplace to stop and eat. I don’t know about the two of you, but my tummy is growling at me and besides, I gotta pee."

Neri and I quickly agreed with Prue, on both counts and, after a few more miles went by, we spotted a roadside diner up ahead. It didn’t look like much but the promise of some food and a restroom was too much to pass it by and so we pulled into the parking lot. There weren’t very many other cars there and we had no problems finding a parking spot near the door. We got out of the van, locked the doors and entered the joint.

I had a bit less trouble, walking in this new body than I’d had before and I seemed to be adjusting to it. That scared me a bit but the restroom was beckoning to me in a loud voice so I decided to wait until we were inside it before I voiced these latest thoughts to Prue and Neri. It turned out that there were only two stalls in this ladies room so I, being a gentleman, let Prue and Neri go first. Well, I WAS a gentleman! Even if I didn’t exactly look like one at the moment. While they took care of business, we talked in low tones and I told them about feeling more comfortable in this form but that I wanted to try to change back as soon as possible.

When Neri came out of the stall, I quickly entered and took care of my own pressing business and Prue said, "Look, Billie. We don’t know if those things were damaged back there and we don’t know why we couldn’t change you back to the other form, back there at that motel! I think we should wait until a day or two have gone by and see if maybe that’ll do the trick. Neri or I can try the machine to do some minor changes to ourselves tonite when we stop to rest and we’ll see then whether the device is damaged or not. We won’t try anything like a full body change but just some little changes. That way we’ll see if there was any damage and won’t do any damage to ourselves. Now let’s not talk about it anymore. I’m hungry and I know the both of you are as well so let’s get ourselves together and get out there and order."

We finished up in the restroom and exited, finding a table in short order. As we sat down, I noticed that the only other customers in there were men and they were certainly giving us the once over! I squirmed a little bit in the booth but Neri kicked my leg, under the table and whispered, "Don’t look at them, Billie, and whatever you do, don’t SMILE at any of them! Just act like they aren’t there. We’ll order "to go" if you really feel nervous but I’d rather eat here than take a chance of spilling food on me in a moving vehicle. Now just relax and concentrate on what you want to order because here comes a waitress."

Sure enough, a waitress WAS moving in our direction and she had some menus in her hands. She stopped at the booth and said, in an interested sounding voice, "Well, HI, ladies! Sure is nice to see some women in here. All day long it’s been nothing but men, men, men! Sometimes I get so tired of them all trying to talk me into a date or a quick roll in the hay, if you know what I mean? Oh but, just listen to me! Why you-all don’t even know me and I’m talking a mile a minute about stuff like that! Listen, gals, you just take your time and when you’re ready to order, I’ll be back in nothing flat! Oh, by the way?" and here she leaned in close so she could whisper to us without anyone else hearing her. "Don’t order the special. It’s beef stew but I won’t guarantee that it’s beef and it don’t smell good at all."

She straightened up and turned to leave. I looked at Prue and Neri and, after the waitress was out of earshot, I began to giggle!

"You women DO have a little secret sorority all your own, don’t you?" I whispered to Prue. "She acted like we were old pals or something!" "Well, Billie, that’s just one of those little secrets that men never seem to catch onto."

Prue replied. "You ‘men’ just don’t seem to ‘get it’. You all have the same thoughts in your heads about women. Like we’re all just on this planet to serve you and be at your beck and call any old time you want! Now, I know that you are different, Billie but most men ARE like I just described. You are getting a rare chance here, Billie. You’re getting to find out what women are REALLY all about, from the inside, so to speak. Pay close attention, Billie and when you change back to your old self again, you’ll have a real advantage over almost every other guy on the planet. You’ll know just what women want and how they want it!"

She grinned at me and blushed just a bit. Neri snorted laughter, across the table from me. She wasn’t blushing, though. She had an almost predatory grin on her face and she was looking at me as if she had never seen me before.

"Maybe tonight, before we go to sleep," she said, "we’ll show you what we mean, Billie." She started to say ore but the waitress was headed our way again and she subsided with another of those strange grins. "Well, Ladies. Are you-all ready to order?

Prue spoke up, saying, "Yes, hon, we are." She and Neri ordered, staying with ‘safe’ food like salads and coffee. I ordered a Pepsi, a burger and some fries. I felt like living dangerously at that point and I WAS hungry but not for salad! Never been much of a "grazer". I have always been a dyed in the wool, meat eater and as I said earlier in this story, my idea of the four major food groups was sugar, salt, caffeine and grease!

After the waitress left to get our food, Prue scowled at me, saying, "You know, Billie, you have a figure to watch out for, now. You should think about ordering some food with real food value instead of that junk stuff."

"Now, look, Prue." I replied." Maybe right now I look like every guy’s wet dream but, inside, I’m still plain old Bill and I happen to like the kind of food I ordered. Besides, with those alien machines, I can just zap away any weight I might gain, right?"

Prue looked startled at that and, after a couple of seconds, she said, "You know, Billie, I hadn’t even considered that! I guess I’m so used to watching my weight and ordering food I don’t really like just to keep my shape that it’s second nature to me. Of course, you could be in trouble if the machines are damaged in any way, couldn’t you?"

My blood chilled in my veins when she said that and I whispered fiercely at her, "Don’t even joke about that, Prue! You might think this whole thing is a big adventure and fun but I’M the one stuck in a whole different sex right now! At least you and Neri are still female even if you do look a bit different than you used to. You have NO idea how I feel right now, Prue. Look at it this way. Suppose you and Neri had to masquerade as guys? You say that I have a great opportunity to find our how the "other half’ lives? Well, that may be very true but don’t forget that I am still a guy under all this," and I motioned at my lushly curved female body.

"I was born a guy and I have BEEN a guy all my life. This is DAMNED tough for me, Prue!"

I was going to say more but I spotted the waitress coming back with our food so I shut up. She placed the food on the table in front of us and gave us another one of those friendly smiles of her’s. "I sure hope you enjoy your lunch, gals." she said brightly. I watched close and I made the cook use real fresh stuff, not the stuff he usually uses, so everything oughtta be good."

She turned to me and continued. "I made the fries myself, honey and I made sure that the cook used the fresh ground beef for your burger. I sure hope everything will be ok. Now, you just enjoy your lunch gals and if there’s anything you-all need at all, why you just wave at me and I’ll make sure you get it, ok?"

I was amazed at the amount of attention she had paid to us and I guess it must’ve showed on my face because she smiled at me and continued talking. "Oh shoot, honey, you-all don’t have to thank me. After all, we gals gotta stick together, right? Now, don’t you worry about a thing, sweetie. Why, this here burger might just be the best one that no good cook has EVER made in this place! You just enjoy it and the rest of your food and, like I said, you call me if there’s anything else you need, ok?"

With that, she turned and walked away from the table, leaving me sitting there, a bit confused and somehow, ashamed of men! Prue and Neri didn’t say anything at all. they just dug into their salads. We ate in silence for quite awhile. I was lost in my thoughts and enjoying the burger and fries. I don’t know what Prue and Neri were thinking right then and I never asked them about it later. I only knew, at that point, that I had never had better service, or food, anywhere, ever in my life and I was thoroughly uncertain about how to react.

When we finished eating, Prue and I lit cigarettes and relaxed back into the seats of the booth. Neri excused herself and headed off to the ladies room again. I think she sensed that I needed to talk to Prue alone for a few minutes. After she left, I leaned close to Prue and asked her about the waitress’ attitude.

"It’s true, Prue, isn’t it? I mean, I said it earlier, as a joke, but you women really DO connect with each other, don’t you?"

She Looked at me for a few seconds and then she answered me saying, "Billie, You’re finding out a lot about women, aren’t you? I’ll tell you that, yes it IS true. Women have, for years been able to connect better with other women much easier than they can with men. Only a woman can know what another woman really means or wants, for that matter. Men DO connect but they are usually too afraid to seem gay to other men to let their real feelings show," she said with some disgust. "That’s why they hardly ever hug each other or cry. So, as a result of all the conditioning that men get from the moment they’re born, men can barely understand one another, never mind understanding what women are or what they want and need."

She fell silent for a few seconds then continued. "You thought I was making fun of you a bit ago when I said you had a real opportunity to find out about women, didn’t you? I wasn’t, Billie. Don’t you know by now that I’d NEVER make fun of you? We’ve been through a lot since we met a couple of days ago and I have grown to respect you as a man! Only a REAL man would be willing to masquerade as a fully functional woman, Billie, don’t you realize that? You’ve done as Neri and I asked without question through all of this and I KNOW that it must be humiliating for you to have to be a woman! You’ve been a really good sport about all of this and you’ve earned not only MY respect, but Neri’s as well. I promise you, Bill," she continued, using my real name for the first time in a long time, "When all of this is over, I just might show you how much I DO respect you. Maybe, before!"

I was really taken aback by her words. I’d had no idea about how she was feeling but, as she spoke, I listened. I mean I REALLY listened! Behind those words was something very real, something very important, to me. Prue respected me! This beautiful, capable, intelligent woman respected me! I couldn’t speak. My emotions were running through me at a breakneck pace and I felt like crying and laughing at the same time. I turned toward Prue and I asked her if it would be all right if I hugged her. "Of course it would be ok, you silly man!" she whispered to me. I just told you that women can do that and not have to worry about seeming strange or weird!"

I put my arms around Prue and hugged her as hard as I could. Something inside me broke loose and I DIDN’T feel strange about it at all. All of a sudden it seemed perfectly natural to be hugging another woman. ANOTHER WOMAN? Well, damn it, yes, another woman. Right then I was a woman as far as the rest of the world was concerned and I guess what broke loose in me was that ingrained behavior that Prue had been talking about. I only know that it felt right and it felt good to be in her arms, just then and I didn’t really care what anyone else thought about it. Looking back on that moment, I realize that, indeed it was the male ego, ingrained behavior that let go, then. It was also something else. It was, for the first time in my life, truly respecting a woman. Not just because she was good looking or stacked but because she was intelligent and capable! A revelation for me, I gotta tell ya. Oh I know that there are a lot of women out there who are just like that. Brilliant, self confident and good looking in the bargain, it’s just that I had never paid attention and had not seen them! One other thing came bursting into my mind right then also.

I had been agonizing over the fact that I might have to remain a woman if that machine was damaged and I couldn’t change back to me, the male me. All of a sudden, that didn’t seem to be so important anymore! I can’t explain it except that maybe, with Prue as an example, I suddenly realized that being a woman wasn’t the step down in status, the humiliation, that I had thought it would be! It was a real revelation for me and I needed time to work it all out so I let go of Prue and wiped a couple of tears from my eyes. "I think I need a trip to the ladies room, Prue." I said, sniffling a little bit. I got up from the booth and began to walk towards the restrooms and I saw Neri coming back. I smiled at her as we passed and gave her a discreet thank you in a whisper. She just smiled back at me, knowingly and continued to the booth where Prue now sat, alone. I continued to the ladies room and took a few private moments there to collect my thoughts.

I knew, now, that there was no way I was gonna let Prue get away from me or Neri either. They had both showed me a rare understanding and toughness of spirit and I knew that I would need both of them on my side if I was ever gonna see my way clear of the mess I had landed myself in. I washed my face and hands and exited the ladies room headed, back to the booth and my two friends.

When we got up to leave the place, I made sure that we left a healthy tip for the waitress. I was sure that, working in a place like this, she didn’t make too much either in pay or in tips. We each left her a five dollar tip, but when Neri and Prue weren’t looking, I slid a twenty under my plate. I owed her a lot more than money, but paying her back properly would have to wait until I had gotten myself out of this weird situation. We paid the bill at the register and left the diner, waving goodbye to Flo, our waitress and headed for the van. As we exited though, we were met by a man in a black suit and sunglasses!

He looked at the three of us and kind of grinned. Then his hand came out of his pocket and, in that hand, was a smaller version of what I recognized as one of the weapons that we had hidden in the van! I couldn’t find my voice and it seemed that Prue and Neri were in the same fix as I was. He just smiled at us and finally he said, "Well, ladies! You’ve led me a merry chase, haven’t you? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Matthews and I represent....well, never mind who I represent. The important thing is that I have finally caught up to you. Now, ladies, if you would be so kind as to precede me to your vehicle, we can get away from here and I can get back to my original case." His demeanor seemed to change a bit as he said that, and I detected a note of bitterness in his voice. He waved that little weapon at us and indicated that we should get in the back of the van.

Prue started off, followed by Neri and then me. I was still a bit unsteady on those heels, though and I stumbled backwards when my foot didn’t quite make it over one of those concrete dividers that you see in parking lots. I caught my heel and fell backwards, right into Matthews, knocking that weapon from his hand! He cursed and dove for it but was stopped by another man who had been coming towards the diner who picked up that weapon and trained it on Matthews!

Matthews looked at him with hatred in his eyes and started to spout something but the new man stopped him by waving that weapon at him and saying, "Well now, what have we here? Mister, what were you doing? Threatening these lovely ladies with this goofy looking thing? I gotta admit, I’ve never seen anything like this!" he indicated the weapon. "I don’t know what this thing is or what it does, but, from the look on your face, mister, it must be a deadly little thing so I suggest you back away from the ladies and start explaining yourself REAL quick!" Matthews started to bluster again, but this new man stopped him again, saying, "I don’t want to hear any threats or bullshit, mister! Now, you just calm down and tell me in a CIVIL tone what you’re doing with these ladies or I might just be tempted to pull the trigger on this thing just to see what it does to you!"

Matthews looked VERY frightened by that possibility and, with a visible effort, he forced himself to speak in a quieter tone of voice.

"Look, fella. My name is Matthews and I represent the United States of America. These three "ladies" are my prisoners. I’ve chased them across most of three states and I finally caught up to them, here at this dump," and he indicated the diner then. "They are, or were, in my custody and I was about to take them back to my supervisors for questioning, regarding theft of government property and flight to avoid arrest, as well as assault on a government official! If you know what’s good for you, you’ll hand that weapon back to me and let me get about my business without further involving yourself in this!" The new man listened to all of what Matthews had to say and then he looked at us.

He asked, then, "Well, ladies, is what this guy says, true? Are the three of you desperate criminals and guilty of all that this," and he looked hard at Matthews, "black suit says?"

I was still trying to find my voice when Neri spoke up, though.

"Mister," she began, "I don’t know who you are and I never met this guy, Matthews before in my life! We’re just three friends on a vacation drive to the coast, sightseeing along the way. However, if that’s his car over there," and she indicated a plain black sedan that was parked near our van, "then I HAVE seen him before! He tried to run us off the road a day or two ago! If you look at the front of his car, you’ll see the damage from that little run-in. Our car was so damaged that we had to rent this van to continue our trip! Why, he almost KILLED us!"

At that point, Neri let a couple of tears leak from her eyes and seemed to be getting hysterical. I looked at her in surprise but kept the look on my face from showing to this stranger. He seemed to be getting angry with Matthews and, suddenly, I knew what Neri was doing. She was working this new man for all she was worth! Actually flirting with him and playing on his male ego, trying to get him to feel like he was rescuing three "helpless" women!

Prue fell right into the act right about then and, when she nudged me, unseen by this new man, I tried to join in as well. For a few minutes there, all this new guy could hear, I’m sure, was the sound of three female voices, saying three different things, all at the same time. I had to give him credit, though. He just stood there, looking back and forth at the three of us, and seemingly trying to make sense out of all this female clamor.

Finally, he held up his hand, though, and shouted, "OK! Everybody hold it right there! Now, I don’t know who is telling the truth here but I sure don’t ever like to see a fella threatening three beautiful ladies with a gun, or whatever the hell this thing is! I’ll tell you what we’re gonna do. You, mister are gonna go over to your car with me and show me some I.D. You ladies are gonna come along so you don’t try to pull a fast one on me and we’ll get this thing straightened out real quick!"

He motioned us to move towards that black car and motioned for Matthews to do the same. He made sure that we stayed far enough away from Matthews, though, so he couldn’t grab one of us to use as a shield against that weapon. We were about halfway to the black car, when I heard a noise behind us and I turned around to see Pickles, our waitress, come running towards us! She was shouting something I couldn’t quite hear and pointing at the three of us women, though, and the new man turned his head to look at her.

Matthews chose that exact moment to try to jump the new guy, however, and the two of them went to the ground, struggling for control of that gun! I was about to jump in to help the new guy until I suddenly remembered, AGAIN, that I wasn’t Bill anymore! I was a woman and I would likely be more of a hindrance to the man than a help, so I backed off towards the van and I saw that Prue and Neri were doing the same thing. Pickles was yelling something that sounded like, "Get ‘im, Kim!" and I figured that the new guy’s name must be Kim. Brilliant of me, huh? Well, I wasn’t in the most reasonable state of mind right then and that was the most logic my brain could handle! Pickles herded Prue, Neri and me back towards our van and out of the way of any possible harm. She didn’t have to push me too hard, though! I didn’t want to be anywhere around that fight right then, especially when the thought crossed my mind that the weapon that they were fighting over could, POSSIBLY go off, with disastrous results for Kim, Matthews, us and the surrounding countryside!

All to soon, though, the struggle was over and Kim stood up, panting a bit, and stood over the unconscious form of Matthews. I was kind of surprised that he had managed to beat Matthews but I sure was glad of it! Pickles ran over to Kim and gave him a big hug, then turned to us and said, "This is my big brother, Kim, gals. Ain’t he a handsome son of a gun?" She turned back to Kim and continued, "These three beautiful gals were just in the diner, Kim and they left me the BIGGEST tip I ever got! I dunno what that other guy wanted, but I’ll bet you a dollar to a doughnut that he was up to no good! Why he coulda been trying to KIDNAP these three lovely gals for God knows what! Kim, you tie that fella up and I’ll go call the county Mounties to come and get that no good kidnapper!"

She turned and began to run back to the diner, but Prue called to her to stop and she did, looking at us with a puzzled look on her face.

"Pickles," Prue began, "please don’t do that. The last thing we want, right now, is to get tied up with the law in ANY form. Maybe we should tie Matthews up and stuff him into his car, then go to our van where we can explain why, ok?"

Well, Pickles just looked at the three of us and then back at her brother and back at us. Finally, it seemed that she came to a decision and said, "All right, girls, but you better have a damn good reason for all of this stuff or I’ll make that call anyway! Now, I’m inclined to trust you, for now, because you seemed so nice in the diner and because you left me that huge tip, but I’m a law abiding person and so is Kim there, so bear that in mind, ok?

We all nodded at Pickles and at Kim, who went over and grabbed hold of Matthew’s unconscious form, lifting it almost all the way off the ground! He carried Matthews over to that black car and took off his belt, using it to tie Matthews’ hands behind him. Then he searched Matthews’ pockets, coming up with a wallet, some change, and the keys for the car. Using the keys, Kim opened the trunk and, after a brief search, found some rope which he used to further incapacitate Matthews.

Then, Kim opened the back door of the car and pushed Matthews into the back seat, slamming the door behind him, and walked back across the parking lot to Pickles. He still had that weapon, which he had picked up off the ground where it had fallen during the fight, and he looked at it closely, for the first time. Then he looked at Prue, Neri and me and said,

"You heard what my sister said, ladies. Let’s step over to your vehicle and you better have a damn good explanation for us! I don’t mind playing the "White Knight", and coming to the rescue of some good looking women but I sure hope that fella isn’t some kind of law enforcement type! I’d be in a real pickle if he was!"

As we walked toward the van, I whispered to Prue, "What are we gonna tell these two? I sure hope you have a good story cooking in that head of yours because I am drawing an absolute blank!" Well, Billie, the only thing I CAN come up with is to tell them the truth! Anything else is going to only get us into more trouble and I think it’s about time we had someone else on OUR side! I have just about HAD it with having to hide all the time from people like Matthews there! Always running and hiding, never knowing who to trust. Well, all that is gonna end, right here! We are gonna tell these two the absolute truth, prove it to them if we have to, by showing them the devices and what they can do, and get SOMEONE else on our side! If you can come up with anything better than that in the time it takes to get to the van, I’m willing to listen to it. If not, well, then this is it for us. We lay it all on the line here and now and let the chips fall where they may. You game?"

I tried to find a flaw in Prue’s reasoning but, to tell the truth, I couldn’t. At least not in the limited time I had to think about it. Before I knew it we were in the van and Prue was spilling the whole story to these two relative strangers who had befriended us. I’ll give her credit, she DID make the story sound believable and she also left out the part about who and what I really was, or used to be. Pickles just sat there, her mouth open, through the whole story. Kim, on the other hand, was clearly not buying what Prue was trying to sell him! He snorted a couple of times, and laughed out loud a couple of others. He changed his tune, though, when Prue demonstrated the makeup device and the hair changer on him! A fully made up face and long blonde hair convinced him in short order and, after Prue had changed him back, he looked at us searchingly, for a few minutes before he spoke.

"Well, ladies." he began. "If I am to believe the three of you, and, from the looks of these machines, I have to, you ARE in a heap of trouble!" I’m just not sure what you expect me and Pickles to do about it. I mean, right now, there’s a GOVERNMENT agent of some kind, tied up in his car out there and I’m gonna be in trouble for THAT! Now, for me to be in some kind of trouble, is nothing new, but I’m really worried about Pickles! What are WE gonna do now?"

"Well, Kim," I replied, cutting Prue off, "It seems to me that you have a couple of choices here. You can just let us go and untie that agent after we’re gone. Maybe he’ll be understanding about being beaten up and robbed of his prisoners, but, somehow, I doubt that will happen! You could find a place to stash him for awhile, long enough for you and Pickles to pack up and move. Of course you’d both have to take on new identities and start all over somewhere else and that’d take a good sized pile of cash do accomplish.

You could leave with us, and help us get to the coast where we could set you up in new identities and jobs.

Quite frankly, Kim, as sorry as I am that you and your sister got involved in this, the last one seems to me to be your best shot. We have some experience at this new identity thing and we do have access to cash. In addition, I think I can guarantee that no one would ever know who you really are if that’s what you would want. I wish we had time to let you and Pickles think about this but we have to get back on the road. It’s only a matter of time before someone misses that agent out there and comes looking for him. Prue took Kim’s hand in hers and leaned in close to him.

"We ARE sorry to involve you and Pickles in all of this, Kim, but what else can we do now? You and she sort of involved yourselves and, as much as we all wish it had never happened, It DID happen and you and Pickles are in real danger, now! We’ll let you two have ten minutes to talk this out between you, but we can’t afford to give you more time than that! We HAVE to get going!"

Prue, Neri and I got out of the van and closed the doors, giving Kim and his sister the privacy they would certainly need to talk this out. I asked Prue to wait near the van while Neri and I went to check on Matthews. When we reached the car, I looked in the rear window and I could see his motionless form, still laying in the same position that Kim had left him in. I watched closely for a couple of minutes to make sure that he was breathing and, when I ascertained that he was, I took the car keys which Kim had left in the car door, and threw them into the underbrush bordering the parking lot.

Then I rolled all the car windows up almost all the way and locked all the doors. I figured, with luck, Matthews wouldn’t suffocate inside the car but he would be unable to follow us for quite awhile, even after he managed to free himself from the ropes. I checked his wallet for a spare set of keys, remembering that I used to keep a spare set in MY wallet for emergencies, like locking the keys in the car, and, sure enough, there they were! I took them out of his wallet and tossed them away as well. About then, I heard Prue call to Neri and I. We headed back over to the van and Kim and Pickles were standing outside it with grim expressions on their faces. I could tell that they had reached a decision and I waited, anxiously, for them to tell us what it was.

Kim cleared his throat and began to speak, saying, "Well, ladies, Pickles and I have decided that we are gonna have to go with you. There’s no way that either of us can stay here with people like our friend over there, tied up in his car, after us. Plus, if we DID stay, they’d eventually force one of us to tell them everything we know about the three of you! I only have a couple of questions for you. Number one, do we have time to stop by our place and grab a few things? Number two, can we stop by our bank and close out our accounts?"

I looked at Prue and Neri and got nods from both of them, so I went ahead and said to Kim and Pickles, "We can probably stop by your house for a few minutes to let you grab anything irreplaceable. Anything you might need in the way of clothes and the like, will have to be bought somewhere after we get back on the road. As far as your bank accounts are concerned, if you can get all your money using an ATM, fine. If not, well, like I said before, we have money enough and access to more if we really need it. Will that be good enough?"

"I guess it’ll have to be," Kim replied. I know that, if we’re going, we gotta go now. What about our cars?"

"Take what you need from them, Kim," Prue said, "but you’re going to have to leave them as well. I’m sorry, Kim and Pickles, but this is the way it’s got to be! We just don’t have the time to do more. Please understand that we don’t like this anymore than you do but we’re all in the same boat now, and we have to play this out to the end, for better or worse. Neri here is our expert in new I.D. papers and, as soon as we reach the next large city, she can get the two of you set up with new names and identities. We’ll use the machines to change both of you so you don’t look like yourselves. How much we change you will be up to you, but we can do a lot so don’t worry about that."

Kim and Pickles looked at each other and then back at us. They nodded, accepting the inevitable and then they went to their cars. In a few minutes, they came back, their arms loaded with things they couldn’t bear to leave behind. We all piled into the van and took off towards their apartment.

When we arrived there, they quickly went inside and, in a very few minutes, they came back out with more of their things. They were sensible about it, though and everything fit into the van. Pickles left a note on the door and, after checking with us, made a call on her cell phone to a friend. She just told her friend that both she and Kim had to leave suddenly and wouldn’t be back and that anything she wanted from the apartment, she could have. Pickles told her friend that she and Kim were going back east to live with their parents because they were ill and needed care. Then she said goodbye and hung up. There were tears in her eyes after that call and she explained that the friend she had just called had been a good friend for a long time and she would miss her a lot. I told Pickles that we understood that and that she had done a good job of covering her tracks. While we had waited for Kim and Pickles to get their stuff, we had gone over the van from bumper to bumper, looking for tracking devices but we hadn’t located any. We were puzzled and more than a little concerned about how Matthews had been able to find us but found no answers anywhere on the van.

Kim offered a possible explanation, after hearing about our unsuccessful search, though. "What if they have some way of tracking the devices themselves?" He postulated. "If they ARE from the government, they could have access to all kinds of secret stuff that we wouldn’t know anything about. It’s fairly certain that they know you have these things and they probably know about the aliens. If that’s true, maybe they even have more of these things and know how to track them, much like you can track radioactivity with a Geiger counter!"

I hadn’t even considered that possibility and I could tell, from the looks on Prue’s and Neri’s faces that they hadn’t either! If what Kim had theorized WAS true, we had almost no chance of staying hidden from the agents that were on our tails! Once again, my ROTTEN luck had reared it’s ugly head and bitten me in the ass, but this time, it was biting ALL of us! I sat in the passenger seat of that van, brooding over all the things that had happened to me in the last four days. I could hear Neri and Prue talking to Kim and Pickles but, somehow, I couldn’t make out the words. I was to lost in my own problems and trying to figure a way to make all this work. I couldn’t shake the feeling I had that, if we could just get to L.A. we could find a way to get ourselves free from all this madness.

To tell the truth, I don’t know why I felt that way but it HAD been my original goal to get to L.A. and I guess maybe I was stuck on that idea. Now that I had found Prue and Neri, and found out that Neri wanted to go to L.A. and Prue had contacts there, it seemed even more imperative to get there. Well, L.A. IS a huge city and there are millions of people there. It could be really easy to lose ourselves there until we could find an answer, a way out of this "Run For Your Life"/V parody we found ourselves involved in. As we rode along that lonely road, somewhere in Nevada, I found that I was making no progress at all in thinking this out. Maybe, I thought, the problem was that I was just thinking of myself, or by myself. Maybe I needed the input from Prue, Neri, Kim, and Pickles? As that thought bounced around inside my head, the conversation going on between the others became more clear and I began listening to what they were saying.

Apparently, Prue had asked Kim and Pickles to talk about themselves and they were giving her and Neri a thumbnail sketch of their lives. Kim had been in the service and had been trained as a computer specialist. He had served 8 years before deciding that the military wasn’t his cup of tea and taking a discharge at the end of his second hitch. Pickles had a bad marriage right out of high school and had been kind of soured on men ever since. She had bounced from job to job, landing the waitress job about 10 months ago.

Kim had located her after his discharge and they had found an apartment to share while they both tried to get their lives going once again. Their parents were still alive but there had been a falling out between them and their folks and they hadn’t talked in more than a year. Kim thought they were still living somewhere in West Virginia but they had moved a couple of times in the past three years and Kim didn’t seem sure of their present address.

They talked for quite awhile, about their past lives and ambitions and it seemed that the both of them were kind of adrift in life, much like Prue, Neri and I were. None of us really had a career goal in mind and were just sort of marking time, waiting for something to come along that would show us the direction to go in our lives. I guess the old phrase, "birds of a feather" was ringing true in this case because here we were. Five directionless people, heading for a city none of us, except Prue, knew a damn thing about, with only a vague idea of what we were going to do when we got there. Eventually the conversation turned to what we were going to do about the alien devices. Evidently, the M.I.B. or whoever they were, had a way to track or locate us.

Since there were no tracking devices anywhere on or in the van, the only logical conclusion was that they could track of locate the alien machines. Kim mentioned something about Geiger counters again and that started me thinking about shielding. Maybe we could somehow shield whatever emanations or radiation that might be coming from the devices? Something lined with lead which, as I recalled, seemed to block radiation pretty well. I spoke up, voicing my thoughts to the others and Kim said he thought that I was onto something. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to try something along those lines if we could find something large enough to store all the devices in but small enough to be transported. Lead tends to be fairly heavy and we had no idea how thick it would have to be to block whatever might be emanating from the devices.

Pickles spoke up just then, saying,

"Well, what about a small safe? I mean they make them things in all sizes. Maybe there’s one that we could fit into the van but would have enough shielding to stop the radiation or whatever and then those M.I.Bs wouldn’t be able to find us?" Conversation stopped for a minute as everyone looked at Pickles, except Prue. Pickles kind of looked from one of us to the others as if afraid she had spoken out of turn or said something dumb but Kim grabbed her and hugged her and said, "Sis! What a great idea! I always said you were a lot smarter than you gave yourself credit for and you just proved it. That little West Virginia accent of yours has always been something that you leaned on so people wouldn’t know how smart you really are but you never fooled me with it! Pickles looked pleased with herself and she hugged Kim back.

Neri spoke up then, saying,

"OK. That’s settled. All we gotta do is find a safe that’ll fit in the van but will be thick enough to block the M.I.B.s from detecting the machines. No problem! We oughta be able to pick one of those up at the next 7-11 that we come to!"

"Neri," I interjected. "Do I detect a little bit of sarcasm there? I realize that what Pickles came up with is a long shot but what other options do we have? We have to do something to get those agents off our trail! We haven’t had a real break from this whole thing in four days! If things keep on the way they have been going, we’ll be at each other’s throats before the end of another day and we can’t afford that!"

"Oh, I know that, Billie." Neri said. "It’s just that things were getting pretty grim there and I thought a little humor might help. Don’t you know by now that I don’t mean most of the things I say? It’s in my nature to try to lighten the mood whenever I can. I hate it when things get too dark and brooding. If that’s the way you want it, though, I’ll try to be serious for a bit. You do, of course, realize that we have to disguise Kim and Pickles before we do anything else, don’t you?"

Yeah. That thought had also been rattling around in my brain. It wouldn’t do to have anyone see Kim or Pickles as they presently were. It would give the M.I.Bs a trail to follow if people were able to describe them.

"You’re right, Neri," I replied. "I was trying not to think about that but we do have to fix them up so no one can connect them with us. Tell you what, let’s keep on driving until dinnertime and then we can eat, find rooms for the night and figure out what to do about Kim’s and Pickle’s appearances, ok? Prue? Do you agree with that?"

"That sounds good to me, Billie, Neri. We’re gonna need some privacy to do what we’ll have to do to their appearances in order to disguise them. We can talk it over while we eat. I’ll find a drive through somewhere so they won’t have to get out of the van. We also need to locate a big hardware store so we can pick up that safe you all were talking about."

We all seemed to be in agreement, including Kim and Pickles although they didn’t seem very enthusiastic about undergoing any changes from the alien machines. We spent the rest of the afternoon trying to convince them that there were no hazards, that we knew of, in allowing themselves to be disguised using those machines. By the time we were ready to think about supper, they were fairly well convinced though, and it didn’t hurt our case that Kim and Pickles knew that all three of us had already undergone changes from those devices. In MY case, though, they weren’t yet aware of just how much of a change could be affected.

We located a fast food place with a drive through and got some food, on the outskirts of a fairly large city. I don’t remember the name of it but the fast food place was located in a strip mall kind of place and there was also a pretty big hardware store there as well. Prue and I ate quickly and, while the others finished, we went to the hardware store to see what we could find.

Prue and I entered the store to find a brightly lit, spacious store. It looked like we might be in the right place to find a safe. We wandered the aisles for awhile but didn’t locate any, however. Finally, I noticed a set of stairs leading downward with a sign that said, Home Safety Equipment and an arrow pointing down the stairs. I called Prue’s attention to this and we descended the stairs to find a veritable cornucopia of hardware designed to keep one’s home secure. Everything from electronic home security systems to fire extinguishers to, WELL, what do you know? Safes!

There were several safes displayed there and a couple of them looked like they’d be perfect for our purposes. We looked them over carefully and I noticed that neither of them was lead lined. They WERE fireproof and both of them were large enough for all of the alien devices. About that time, a salesman walked over and asked if he could help us. I hemmed and hawed a couple of times but Prue jumped right in, saying, "Well, yes, I think you can. We’re looking for a safe about this size," and here she indicated the ones we had looked at, "only we need it to be lead lined. Is there anything like that available here?" The salesman looked a bit taken aback by what Prue asked him but, sensing a good sized sale, he shifted gears, mentally and went right on with his sales pitch.

"Well, that’s a rather unusual request but I assume you must have a reason for wanting such a thing and, to answer your question, yes, we do have a model that’s lead lined. It’s just a bit bigger than either of the two you indicated but it’s fireproof as well. We don’t have it on display because usually the only buyers for it we get are doctors or hospitals. I can show it to you if you like, though. Just follow me to the back" Prue and I followed him into the back area of the store where he showed us a safe that was about 18 inches square on the inside but about 22 inches square on the outside. He explained that the difference in the measurements was due to the thickness of the walls which included lead. It was very heavy, as you might imagine but I thought it would work perfectly and Prue, after considering it for a minute, agreed with me.

We made arrangements to have the safe brought out to a loading dock at the back of the store and, on the way out, I looked again at the two safes we had considered earlier. I stopped Prue and asked her, "Listen, what do you think about this? I think we should keep those weapon things, or at least the magazines for them, separate from the rest of the devices. We already had one burn and explode on us and I don’t want to risk any further damage to the machines, do you? My guess is that only the machines themselves might be emanating any kind of energy that could be tracked by anyone so if we put THEM is the lined safe and the magazines in this smaller one here, then I think we could breathe a little easier."

Prue agreed with me and we ended up buying both safes. I don’t want to tell you the price but it put another sizable dent in the large wad of money that Prue had gotten. I figured that it was money well spent if it got those damned agents off our trail, though and I know that Prue agreed with that, as well. We pulled the van around to the loading dock and, with some help, loaded the two safes into the van. It was a testament to the stiff suspension of that van that it didn’t settle more than an inch or so onto the springs after those two safes were in it, as heavy as they were. The salesman told us how to set the combinations on both of them and we thanked him and got back on the road. I wanted to put a lot of distance between us and that store before we stopped for the night and we made a change of direction as well, just to be on the safe side.

While we drove, Kim and Neri stowed the devices into the larger of the two safes. they padded the bottom and sides with clothing , set the combination and closed the safe, double checking and re-opening it just to make sure it worked properly. Then they carefully padded the remaining magazines for those weapons, including the small one we had taken from the agent at the diner and stowed them in the smaller safe. By the time we were a half hour down the road from the strip mall, both safes were packed and locked and I felt a LOT better.

We finally came across a Motel 6 kind of place and decided that it would be a good idea to hole up for the night. Prue and Neri went in and booked two rooms while Kim, Pickles and I waited out in the van. We had decided that one of us would sleep in the van to keep an eye on it while the rest of us used the rooms, and had stopped at a Radio Shack to pick up several FM walkie talkies and batteries. Kim volunteered to sleep in the van but we told him that he and Pickles would need to use one of the rooms so we could disguise them, so Neri volunteered to take the first night in the van.

Since she was going to go shopping for us for more clothing and personal care items as well as I.D.s for Kim and Pickles, this seemed to be the best way to work it and no one argued with the decision. I did insist that she take the small weapon we had taken from the agent out of the safe and insert the magazine in it. I was taking no more chances than I thought we absolutely had to take and I wanted her armed in case trouble came up. She agreed and left on her errands. The other four of us adjourned to one of the two adjoining rooms that Prue and Neri had gotten and sat down to discuss what we could do to disguise Kim and Pickles. I started things off, figuring that we had to let Kim and Pickles in on my little secret so they would know for sure just what was possible with the alien machines.

"Kim, Pickles," I began, "You know that Prue, Neri and I have already used the machines to change our appearances. What you DON’T know is just how much we, particularly I, have changed. You see, my real name is William Butler!" I paused there for a minute or two to let the two of them digest that bit of information. Then I continued.

We originally decided that the MIBs or whoever they are would be looking for me, the MALE me but they might not be expecting two females traveling together so we changed me into a pleasing but not too ostentatious female form. I got hurt, last night, though and, rather than risk taking me to a doctor or a hospital, Prue and Neri decided to change my form again in the hopes of repairing my injuries. In their hurry, though, they grabbed the first form they came to, the one I am wearing now. It wouldn’t have been my first choice and I’m not really comfortable like this but I have adjusted somewhat and it isn’t all that bad to look like this."

Well, Kim just flat didn’t believe what I had said, but Pickles had a look on her face that indicated acceptance of my words. I asked her about it and she said, "I thought there was something a bit strange about yo when I first set eyes on you back at the diner," she replied. You didn’t look very sure of yourself and a REAL woman, with a body and a face like yours, would have been much more relaxed and confident of herself. You didn’t seem very steady on those high heels either, that was my second clue." I sat there for a minute, stunned by what Pickles had said. If she could spot me as not ‘right’ in so short a time, maybe we needed to rethink this disguise thing.

Prue chimed in about there and said, "She’s right, Billie. Although you sure look like a beautiful woman, your moves and attitude are still male. I had hoped that a little time and experience in a female form would make you more feminine but I can see now that it’s gonna take some work to make you convincing as a woman. For now, though let’s leave that and settle on what we are gonna do to disguise Kim and Pickles here. Now, I don’t know if you’re gonna like this, Kim, but I feel like 5 women traveling together will draw a lot less suspicion than four women and a man and Neri and I talked about this and already picked out forms for you and Pickles."

Kim stood up and said,

If you think you’re gonna make ME into a woman, you’re sadly mistaken! I like being a guy and I don’t really want to do this disguise thing in the FIRST place. I mean, ok, a beard and mustache, or something like that, but THIS? Oh NO you don’t!"

Prue stood up as well and got right into Kim’s face, saying, "Look, Kim, there’s no point in discussing this. We don’t have time for arguing! Neri is already shopping for clothes to fit the forms we picked and will be back in a couple of hours with the clothes and I.D. papers matching the forms so GET over it! We’ll all know who you really are and we aren’t going to tease you about it. Look at Billie there. Do you think she, I mean he, would have chosen that form to wear if he had a choice in the matter? He’s doing it so we have a better chance of getting away from the people chasing us and the sooner you start thinking the same way, the better!"

Kim seemed a bit taken aback by Prue’s outburst and he just sat there, on the edge of the bed, looking at her without speaking for a few minutes. Finally, he said, "Look, Prue, I know what you are saying makes sense and I can’t really find any holes in your logic except that I don’t like the thought of looking and acting like a woman! I’ve always been a man and I don’t have the slightest idea of HOW to be like a woman and, to tell the truth, I never even THOUGHT of being one. I..." But here, I broke in, shouting at him! Kim, of all the pig headed, stubborn, inconsiderate things I have heard in my life, what you just said has GOT to be the dumbest thing I have EVER heard! Didn’t you hear what Prue said at ALL? My God, man, do you think for even one second that I would have chosen THIS shape to wear if it wasn’t absolutely necessary for our own good? I was born a man, TOO, in case you have forgotten who I really am! The LAST thing I ever dreamed of was looking like I do now but if I had retained my old looks, we would have been caught by now and we’d be in some super secret hideaway, run by the Government! We’d be the subjects of GOD knows what kind of experiments and questioning and, most likely, we’d never have our freedom again!"

Kim came up off the bed like he was gonna hit me or something and I backed off, realizing just how small and weak I was, in this body. His face began to turn red, a sure sign of either aggression or embarrassment and his fists balled up at his sides. I didn’t stop, though. Even though I was backing away from him, I continued to read him the riot act, ending with, "If that’s gonna be your attitude, we can just dump both you AND your sister right here and leave you to your own devices. How long do you think it’ll be before that guy we left tied up in his car gets free and comes looking for you? THINK, for Pete’s sake, Kim THINK!! You’ve thrown with us, by choice or by necessity and, having done that, you’ve gotta go with it for now, no matter WHAT comes from it. They’ll never let you get away, having done what you’ve done. You’re either in with us, or else you and Pickles are on your own. How long do you think you’ll last?"

I ran out of breath, then and I WAS a bit scared that Kim WAS gonna hit me but he didn’t, thank God! He stood there looking at me and Prue, then back to his sister and back to me and Prue and, finally, he heaved a huge sigh and sat down and put his face in his hands. He heaved another big sigh and then looked up at me from his seated position and said, "I...I’m sorry Billie. I guess the strain of the last few hours caught up with me and I lost it a bit there. I didn’t mean to threaten you. God knows I’d never hit a woman, I mean a man, I mean........well YOU know what I mean! I’m just worried about Pickles and me, is all. I mean, granted, we didn’t have GREAT lives back there but they were lives, nonetheless and to just pick up and walk away like we just had to, well.....it’s kinda scary, you know? Then, on top of being worried, now you tell me that you wanna turn me into a WOMAN! This is just freaking me out too much, you know?"

Pickles moved to Kim’s side and sat down next to him, putting her arms around him and hugging him.

"Kim," she murmured softly, "Come on, snap out of this. It won’t be so bad being a girl for awhile and, besides, you KNOW that Billie and Prue are right. We have kinda gotten thrown into the deep end of the pool here because of the way you jumped in and rescued these people from what you thought was a bad person. They ARE right, though. Whoever it is that’s after them will be looking for you and me, now and we’ll HAVE to disguise ourselves! Like Prue and Billie told us, too, all of us will know who you REALLY are and nobody will give you a hard time about it. At any rate, you HAVE to do this! I have NEVER had an adventure in my WHOLE life and I’m NOT gonna miss out on this one that’s been dumped in our laps, just because you think it’s some kind of bad thing to be a woman!"

Pickles folded her arms across her chest and GLARED at her brother. For a second or two, he met her stare but, gradually his eyes began to fall and before to long he was looking at the floor, unable to meet that glare of Pickles’. He didn’t say another word but I could tell that he had given in and I breathed a big sigh of relief. I kinda liked this big guy and I would have felt really bad if we’d had to leave him and his sister to the tender mercies of the MIB. We decided to show Kim and Pickles the options and got out the body changer machine. We ran through the options for them, showing them each form and letting them discuss the pros and cons of each form.

When they had decided on which forms to take, Prue spoke up, saying, "Okay, now Kim, this is painless and only takes a few minutes, but before we change you and Pickles, I want to take Billie here, and see if his first form is ready for him to be switched back into it. I know he isn’t happy in this sexy redhead’s body and I can’t really blame him. As you can see, he’s a walking advertisement for sex! I’m surprised that he hasn’t been hit on so hard that it’d leave bruises by now. Billie and I will take the machine to the other room and do the change and then we’ll come back here to take care of changing you and Pickles, ok? Besides, that’ll give you both some more time to talk and get ready."

Prue picked up the machine and turned to leave the room and I followed her. It didn’t seem so at the time, to me, but looking back, it was amazing how I had so easily surrendered control of most situations to her and Neri. I guess it just seemed logical to me, to do so and they always seemed to have an answer for every situation that came up. I knew they were extremely capable and intelligent women so I never questioned it, then. Looking back, I now know a lot of things I never even suspected, back then, but more of that as I continue with this story.

Prue and I entered the other room and closed and locked the door behind us. While Prue readied the machine, I used the bathroom and, when I returned to Prue she was all set. She turned the machine on and put the weird wire harness on my head, arranging the wires around my sexy body. Then she pressed the button that I knew would initiate the change. All of a sudden, I felt light headed and, before I could do anything, the world went black! When I came to, Prue was sitting on the floor next to me with a very worried look on her face.

"Billie, BILLIE!" She was saying, over and over.

"Are you ok? Come on Billie, wake up!" I moaned a little bit as my head began to clear a little bit and Prue looked very relieved that I was coming to.

"What happened?" I mumbled. "Did I trip on something?"

"No, Billie," Prue stated, but something DID happen. Something very strange and, well, kinda worrisome but................." Her voice trailed off and she stopped speaking, a puzzled and worried look readily apparent on her face. "Do you feel like you can stand up?" She asked me.

I dunno, Prue but I’ll try. Say, Prue, why don’t I feel any different than I did before? I mean, every time I have used this machine, I have always noticed differences right away so how come I don’t, now?" "Billie," Prue answered, "You’d better sit down. There was some kind of problem with the machine and you didn’t change back to your other female form. I don’t know, exactly, what DID happen but as long as you’re ok right now, that’s the important thing. Now here, sit down on the bed and I’ll explain what happened, or at least what I SAW!

I sat down and, as I did, I looked down at my body. Prue was right! I hadn’t changed at all! I was still this impossibly lovely redhead with the dynamite shape! THEN I started to worry! What had happened? Why didn’t I change back to my other form? A hundred questions collided inside my brain as I tried not to panic.

Then Prue began to speak, saying, "Well, Billie it was the strangest thing I have ever seen and, considering the events of the last few days, that’s saying a LOT! I started the machine and you began to change but, all of a sudden, you looked weird, different somehow from EITHER form, the one you’re in now and the one you had before! Then, you DID change back but the injuries were still there! You fainted, I guess from the pain of the injuries, and I was only BARELY able to catch you before you fell hard on the floor! I used the machine to change you back to this redhead form and then tried to revive you. You were out like a light for almost ten minutes and I was starting to REALLY worry! Are you sure you feel ok now?"

I hung my head and put my face in my hands, trying to rub out the last of the dizziness I had felt, with my fingers. For a few minutes I didn’t say anything. I was scared, I can tell you that for sure! I didn’t want to worry Prue any more, though so I told her that I was still a bit dizzy but otherwise, considering the shape I still wore, I was ok. While I sat there I ran through about a thousand thoughts in my head but I kept coming back to the most important one at the time. WHAT had gone wrong? Would I be STUCK in this body forever? Could I even change back to my old male body? What if I COULDN’T!?

Finally, I sat up straight and asked Prue the first question that I HAD to have an answer to. "Prue, I have to know! I gotta find out if I can even change back to my old body shape. Please get the disc with my recording on it, will you?" Bill," she answered, "I don’t know if that’s such a hot idea! I mean what if something else goes wrong and you get hurt? I could NEVER forgive myself if that happened and I don’t think it’s a good idea to try that at all, right now. Maybe later when you’ve recovered a bit more?"

"No, Prue!" I said, "I GOTTA know if I can change back to myself and I gotta know NOW! If I wait it’ll only make it worse on me so please just go get the disc. I’ll reset the machine and have it ready when you return. In a few minutes, Prue returned with a disc. It had the markings that we had used to identify it so my old form wouldn’t get lost or confused with the others. I put it into the machine and double checked that it was the right one and it was so I arranged the wires, sat down on the bed in case I fainted again and hit the on button. I felt that old almost familiar by now, slightly queasy feeling begin and then, like a flash it was over! I was Bill again! I shut the machine off and took the wires from around me and just sat there, relieved on too many levels to count. First, and foremost, the machine still worked properly. I had been afraid that all the jostling and bumping around it had received in the last few days might have damaged it.

Secondly, I was my old MALE self again! I hadn’t really thought about it in the last few days but, I had felt REALLY strange in a female body! Oh , I know. You’re sitting there thinking to yourself, "GEE, Bill! Ya think?, but it’s true. I mean, it hadn’t been a BAD feeling, being a woman, just very, very strange. Different ways of moving and doing the simplest things like using a bathroom, and the way long hair gets in the way, sometimes when you move were just a couple of the things that had seemed SO different, as a woman, from the way they felt as a man.

Well, I just sat there for a few minutes and then got up, marveling at the old familiar feeling of having something between my legs and feeling stronger than I had since using the machine for the very first time. Oh, I knew that I would have to change back to that female form but, at least now, I knew that I COULD change back into me! I grabbed Prue and planted a great big kiss on her! She resisted for a couple of seconds but then, she kind of melted into my embrace and we kissed for quite a little while! When I relaxed my hold on Prue’s body a little bit, she leaned her head away from me, just a little, and looked into my eyes, the most interesting look on her face. I was so happy with the knowledge that I could be me again, though, I didn’t really pay any attention to that look, at the time. I just leaned in and kissed her again!

She didn’t resist and, as a matter of fact, she helped! She put her arms around my neck and pulled me in as if she were trying to meld the two of us into one body! I knew, right then, that I had fallen in love with Prue and, from the way she was responding to that kiss, I was hoping and praying that she had maybe fallen for me too. Any further details of what went on in that room after that kiss are considered top secret and if you really have to ask what happened, well, you better check your own pulses. You know, to see if you are alive. Suffice it to say that we didn’t leave that room for almost two hours and nuff said. When we DID leave, I had changed back to the sex bomb body, feeling a LOT better about having to wear it now that I knew that I could change back to myself any time I wanted to. I almost began to appreciate the shape I was now wearing, with it’s sleek curves and smooth, hairless skin. Granted, it was a HUGE departure and VERY much different from my male form but I had worn it for a couple of days, now, and I was almost beginning to get used to it and to the way it moved.

No matter how hard I tried, for example, I couldn’t move in any other way but what I would describe as, well, sexy! Now, I assume that this was partly caused by the difference in the way this body was constructed but, looking back, once I got a little more familiar with the way it moved, it felt kinda good to move like that! I knew that if I were still male, and I saw this body walking around, I would have been immensely turned on by it and, somehow, knowing that, I felt, well, a bit turned on as a woman! It’s VERY hard to explain how I really felt. You’d really have to try it for yourself to understand all that I was thinking and feeling but, trust me, now that I knew there was a way back, it felt good to just relax and let that body sway and move, more than it had ever done before.

Prue noticed that I seemed a lot more relaxed and commented on it, saying, "Wow, Billie! You are really getting into the swing of this now, aren’t you? I mean, the way you are moving, you are gonna turn some male heads, you know. Aren’t you concerned about that?"

"No, Prue," I answered. "Oh, I’ll admit that I WAS concerned about that, before, but now that I know that this isn’t permanent, I feel a lot more relaxed and confident. So why shouldn’t I have a little fun with it? You and Neri will protect me from any hungry guys who come sniffing around, right? I said, jokingly. "Well, I don’t know, Billie." Prue riposted. The way you’re moving, now, it may take more than just Neri and me to keep the wolves from your door and that big smile on your face won’t help!" She said with a laugh. We May need to ARM ourselves to keep your virtue intact!" Then she started to laugh out loud and so did I. I guess it was just the release of a lot of built up tension of maybe it was more than that.

Maybe it had something to do with what Prue and I had shared back there in that room, I don’t know. All I did know, right then, was that I hadn’t felt that relaxed and confident since this whole thing had started. For the first time I felt like we might get out of this predicament and actually end up okay and, that alone, lifted my spirits a long way from where they had been. One thing I did know however, was that this wasn’t over by a long shot! There was a LOT more we would have to go through and I wasn’t kidding myself by thinking that any of it would be any easier than what we had already experienced.

I put my arm around Prue’s shoulders and pulled her a little closer to me as we walked back to the room where Kim Pickles were waiting. I said, to Prue, Oh, you can kid me all you want, but I know that you and Neri will look out for me while I have to look like this and you won’t let me get into any trouble, right?" She put her arm around my waist and leaned closer to whisper, Why SURE we will, Billie, you sexy thing, you! However, you and I better have a little talk about, umm, the birds and the bees and about how to assure that, if the worst does happen, you’ll be protected! And she began to laugh. The last thing we need right now is for you to get pregnant!"

"PREGNANT!!!??? Are you HIGH?? I shouted at her.

"There’s NO way on EARTH that I’ll ever get pregnant!

I mean, I’m a GUY under all this, remember?"

"Oh no you aren’t," she replied, somewhat heatedly. "Right now you are ALL woman, Billie and it CAN happen if you aren’t careful, and even if you ARE it can STILL happen. That’s one of the facts of life that women live with EVERY day of their lives and the sooner you understand and accept that it CAN happen, the better the chances of keeping it from happening, are!"

I fell silent, at that. This was something that I had NEVER considered! I mean, granted, I looked like a really sexy woman and I knew that women will get pregnant under the right circumstances but I had never thought, for a second that I would have to worry about that. I was not attracted to men in any way, shape, or form and I puzzled about what Prue was saying for the rest of the time it took us to reach the door of the other room. With my hand on the doorknob, I turned to Prue and said, quietly, "We gotta talk about this more, later. You just scared the you-know-what out of me with what you said and I need to know more. For now, let’s concentrate on getting Kim and Pickles squared away."

We entered the room and found Pickles and Kim talking quietly. Kim didn’t look exactly pleased about what was going to happen but at least he wasn’t openly angry of scared about it anymore. He seemed resigned to it and I thought I’d talk to him about it a bit more since I had just done some changing, myself. I wanted to reassure him that it wasn’t a permanent thing and that, eventually, he’d be able to return to his male body, none the worse for wear. I talked to him for about ten minutes while Prue talked with Pickles and then we proceeded with the planned changes.

Prue and Neri had decided that, for the sake of simplicity, we would only change Pickles’ face and hair, with maybe just a little enhancement of her body. Kim, on the other hand was going to get a complete make over and they had selected a very nice, very pretty body for him. It was about 5’ 5" in height and maybe 125 pounds, with light brown hair and a very cute face. I decided to kid Kim, just a very little bit and I actually squealed with delight when I saw the shape he would be wearing! "Oh, Kim, honey!" I giggled at him, "You’re gonna be a REAL cutie! Just look at that adorable face! Why you’re gonna be the target of a LOT of male attention in THAT body! We’re gonna have to keep a close eye on you to make sure some handsome guy doesn’t try to run off with you!"

His face fell and he began to get a scared look in his eyes as I said that so I quickly added, "Hey, Kim, I’m only kidding with ya a little bit. You know that this won’t be permanent and, after all this is over with, you and I’ll laugh ourselves stupid about it over a couple of beers, right? Now, c’mon, let’s get this over with. Neri should be back any time now with clothes and food and we still need to get a good night’s sleep.

"OK, Billie." She replied. "I guess we should get this over with and relieve Kim of the anticipation worries he’s been experiencing." We started with Pickles since she was going to be the easiest of the two as far as changes went. Prue lightened her hair, and changed her makeup, dramatically. Then, using the hair device, she lengthened Pickle’s hair until it was almost down to her waist and styled it so it had lots of curls.

Kim watched this whole process with some nervousness but, when assured by Pickles that it didn’t hurt at all, but rather tickled, Kim seemed to loosen up just a bit. When we were done with Pickles, she didn’t look anything like her old self. She looked younger and somehow taller and more slender. Prue said it was all the hair and the way it was styled that made her look different. Then we turned to Kim. "Now, Kim," Prue began, "you already know that this is necessary and that it doesn’t hurt. You also know that it isn’t permanent and we can change you back at any time, right? So, what I’d like you to do is just close your eyes and try to relax. It’ll be all done in just a very short time and then you can see the whole result at once instead of trying to follow it as it happens."

Kim swallowed, hard a couple of times, took a deep breath and stood in the center of the room. Then Prue arranged the wires around him and recorded his present form on a blank disc. When that was finished, she inserted the disc that she and Neri had selected for Kim’s new body and told Kim that she was starting the process. Kim nodded slightly to show that he had heard her and then Prue hit the activation button. I just stood there and quietly talked to Kim, giving him some verbal encouragement and support while Prue ran the machine, and in a few minutes, it was all over. I watched while Kim began to change and as he lost height, he gained other, ummm assets and his hair vanished. Then his whole body seemed to hesitate for a second or two before really beginning to change rapidly. As the change speeded up I could actually see the changes taking place and I just stood there, watching, absolutely amazed at what this little machine could do!

Kim’s height changed very quickly and he stabilized at 5’5". At the same time, his male genitalia swiftly drew up inside him, leaving only the smooth looking front of a woman. The outer lips appeared almost as if by magic, suddenly and fully formed and I knew that inside Kim, a whole new set of organs were speedily growing from what used to be. His waist shrank in on itself so quickly that he was forced to breathe out, suddenly almost as if someone had hit him in the stomach and, at the same time, his hips widened, his rear-end plumped out and his chest blossomed into two very normal looking but pleasantly shaped breasts. His face rearranged itself almost too fast to follow, losing it’s sharp male angles and softening as it reshaped into a very pretty but not spectacular female face. In just a couple of minutes, as Prue had promised, it was all over. Prue shut down the machine and I grabbed the hair device. Prue took the wire harness off Kim and I set the hair machine into operation. Prue had already preset it so all I had to do was turn it on and watch as Kim’s now bald head was covered by very soft looking and middle of the back length blonde hair grew out.

Kim’s crotch was also suddenly covered by a blonde patch of fine blonde hair and his eyebrows grew in to match, high and severely arched above his now almost cat like eyes. When the device was done, I turned it off and told Kim he could open his eyes. He slowly peeled his eyelids apart and, since he was facing the mirror, he got the full effect of the changes we had made to his form. I heard him gasp and then he seemed to stop breathing. I knew he was ok, though because his eyes were moving, following the new contours of his new body.

While he was doing that, the room phone began to ring and Prue answered it. I continued to talk to Kim, softly reassuring him that this WAS for the best and that it wouldn’t be for very long, only until we managed to find a hiding place big enough to pull in behind us so we could have time to think and plan. Kim seemed mesmerized by the image he now saw in the mirror and I remembered back to when I had first changed my form. I remembered the disbelief and the scary feelings that had assailed me and I tried to keep my voice even and pleasant to assuage Kim’s fears and shock.

He just stood there, looking at that new form for a few minutes more and then his hands began to explore the new curves and hollows, as if by their own volition. Finally, Kim spoke, saying, "Holy SHIT!!! You know, I really didn’t believe that you could actually do this! I mean, I guess I did believe but.....well, shit! You know what I mean!" He seemed a little put off by the fact that his male voice was issuing forth from that very pretty and well constructed female body but I told him that we had to do that last so we could get it to sort of match the body. It didn’t take long before his voice had changed to that of a mid 20s woman and we fine tuned it until it seemed to match his new appearance perfectly.

Then Prue went to work with the makeup machine and in a matter of just a couple of minutes, Kim’s face was subtly but perfectly made up. I told Kim that he wouldn’t have to worry about learning to apply all the makeup since, once the machine did it’s thing, it was pretty much indelible. Kim seemed a little put off by that and said, "But what about when I change back? I don’t wanna look like some kind of queer or something, wearing makeup!"

"Don’t worry." I told him, "as soon as you change back, we can remove the makeup with the same machine and you’ll never know it was even there. For now, the best advice I can give you is to relax and get used to the way that new body moves and feels. It won’t take long but it is a rather disconcerting thing at first. Kim began to walk around in the room, assisted by Pickles and myself.

At first he seemed really off balance but, as I had promised, it wasn’t more than a couple of minutes until he was walking as if he had been born female. Pickles was coaching him and I left the two of them alone for a bit and walked over to where Prue was still on the phone. I waited a few minutes and, while I did, I noticed that she looked very upset and her voice quavered just a bit. I didn’t catch what she was saying but, when she hung up, she turned to face me and began to cry, softly!

"What’s wrong, Prue? Who was that on the phone? " I asked anxiously.

"It was Neri." She replied, tears slowly making their way down her cheeks. She’s been ARRESTED!!!

Copyright © 2001 By Catherine Linda Michel

To Be Continued!!!

Luck Be A Lady -7-

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Serial Chapter

Genre:

Character Age:

College / Twenties

TG Themes:

Other Keywords:

Slightly edited. Re-post from another site. Incomplete and likely to remain that way.

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

Luck be a Lady

by: Catherine Linda Michel

Part 7

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, ARRESTED?!" I practically yelled in Prue’s direction. "How the HELL did she get arrested?" I admit it, I was losing it, BIG time! I mean, from finding two new friends to help in our quest to reach L.A. and to find some answers and safety, to total despair in less than three seconds flat is a hell of a long way to go in a HELL of a short time!

"She said that she got busted in some place where she was trying to find someone to help us with I.Ds!" Prue sobbed. "What are we going to do, Billie? We can’t just leave her there, in the clutches of some small time cops! She’s a tough kid, but sooner or later, they’ll break her down and she’ll HAVE to spill the whole story about us! Of course, they’ll NEVER believe her but it’s only a matter of time before those people who have been chasing us get word about her story and then all hell will be out for noon!" I was trying to think but I was coming up with nothing. My mind just couldn’t deal with this one more thing! I guess it was like that proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. My poor brain just fractured a bit and the only thing I could think about was that this whole game was over. We were done and would soon be caught and questioned by the M.I.B. types that had been dogging our heels for the last week or so.

Kim and Pickles, drawn by my tone of voice and Prue’s tears, converged on us, demanding to know what was going on. Prue filled them in while I descended into a black pit of anger/despair/disgust. I was getting to the point where it seemed that there wasn’t any use in running anymore and, somewhere in my mind, the thought of just giving up and surrendering to the government types began to grow.

I had wandered over to the motel bed and was sitting there figuring how to give myself up without involving Prue, Kim, and Pickles. I couldn’t see any way to avoid getting Neri busted along with me, though. She was already in jail and there was no way I could think of to get her out. I sat there, my head in my hands and that long, luxurious red hair spilling all around my face, and feeling like my miserable luck had finally caught up with me. The worst part was, this time it was gonna bite a friend in the ass, along with me!

I was sitting there wondering if I could at least get back to my own body before I turned myself in when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Prue’s other hand descending fast towards my face! Before I could react, it struck the side of my head with a sound that must have carried past the doorway and out into the hall! I fell backwards on the bed, the left side of my face burning as if it were on fire. My eyes teared up and, for a few seconds, all I could see was a blur. Gradually the blur began to clear up a bit and I could see Prue’s tear streaked face just a few inches from mine. She looked like a thundercloud, about to burst in my face and, in spite of myself, I drew back on the bed, suddenly all too aware of my female form and the fact that Prue was easily as strong as I was right then. I had never seen her this angry and it frightened me. I didn’t really know her, after all, and I had no real idea of what she might be capable. I only knew, right then, that she looked as angry and hurt as I have ever seen anyone look. Kim and Pickles made moves as if they were going to pull her back but she turned her furious face towards them and they stopped in their tracks and backed off a bit. Prue snapped her head back around, looking me in the eyes and then she lit into me verbally. "BILLIE! Are you just gonna sit there and drown in self pity or are you gonna get your head together and help me think of SOME way of getting Neri out of this mess? After all, it’s for YOU and the rest of us that she was out there trying to help us find a way out of this! She’s just a KID, for CHRIST’S sake and all you can do is sit there and snivel about your ‘bad luck??’ DAMN it, BILL", she shrieked at the top of her lungs, "snap OUT of it! We need you now!!" I couldn’t speak! I was so beaten down by what I considered my lousy luck and seemingly incapable of any thought beyond giving up. I had not only hung myself with my greed but I had also endangered four other people whose only faults were wanting to help me. Four people who had been fast becoming friends. Now, they would all hate me and it was all my fault! I turned over and buried my face in a pillow and began to cry.

Nothing that Prue said or did seemed to make any difference to me. I just sank deeper and deeper into self pity and guilt. Oh she screamed and slapped me a couple more times but to no avail. Somewhere in there, I remember hearing Kim and Pickles pleading with me as well but I didn’t hear what they were saying. I just buried my face deeper into that pillow and retreated from reality for awhile.

After some time, I became aware that it was quiet in the room. I lifted my face out of the pillow and looked around. I was all alone! I had never even heard anyone leave and I didn’t even know how long I had been alone. I got up and quickly searched the other rooms but there was no one there. All I found was a note, taped to the phone. It read:

"Billie. We have gone to try to get Neri out of the mess she is in. I don’t know if I ever want to see you again. I thought you were a MAN that I could depend on. Instead, you’re acting like some little airheaded girl! If you come to your senses, and read this, you can reach us on the mobile phone. The number is 555-1312 in case you’ve forgotten that as well! We have taken a cab to the police station to try to get Neri out and recover the van. In case you’ve forgotten, all of the alien equipment is in that van and we CAN’T have the cops finding that stuff! If we’re successful, we’ll return to the room, get you back into your old, male body, and leave you here to do whatever you think you should do. If you can’t get it together, then we’ll part company then. FOREVER!"

I sat there by the phone, reading that note and I began to get mad. Mad at Prue for talking to me that way, for slapping me, for not understanding that it WAS my fault that they were all in this mess with me! The trouble is, the longer I sat there, the more I began to get control of myself. Realizing that it WAS my fault, and knowing that I had to do SOMETHING about it, I went into the bathroom, washed my face and grabbed my purse and a jacket I found on the floor. I looked up the number of a cab company and called for a cab to pick me up at the motel in ten minutes. While I sat there waiting, I ran through what I considered to be my options. I could go down to the police station and turn myself in but that wouldn’t help Neri. I could just take off. There was still money in my purse. Enough to get me out of there and away from my friends before the M.I.B guys caught up with me That would give Prue and the rest time to get away but it still wouldn’t help Neri. Lots of thoughts went through my head in that ten minutes but it all kept coming back to this. Whatever I could think of, it would only help me, Prue, Kim and Pickles. Neri would still be stuck in jail. I finally gathered what was left of my dignity and courage and when the cab arrived, I told the driver to take me to the police station. I had no idea what I was going to do when I got there, but I knew I had to go there. If for no other reason, to try to comfort Neri and let her know that she wasn’t facing things alone.

On the way to the cop shop, I caught a glimpse of what looked like our van, headed in the opposite direction! I yelled at the cabbie to turn around and follow it and he pulled one of those screaming U-turns in the street and took off after the van. We followed it all the way back to the Motel and, as I paid the cabbie, I saw Prue and the rest get out of it, along with someone I didn’t recognize and enter the room we had been in before. The cabbie muttered something about "crazy dames" but I was too preoccupied to pay any attention to him. I just threw some money at him and took off running toward the room, as fast as those damned heels would let me.

I burst through the door to see Prue, Pickles and Kim talking with the stranger. He seemed to be explaining something, but when I came flying into the room, he quickly shut up and moved to the other side of the room. I looked at Prue and the rest but they seemed to be avoiding my eyes. I knew that they were disappointed with me and I had no idea how to make up for my flight into despair but I walked over to Prue and drew her aside. "Look, Prue." I said quietly. "I know you’re pissed at me and I understand why. I don’t have an explanation for what happened to me. Maybe I just finally let the ‘guilts’ get to me or maybe it was the hormones flowing through this sexy body, I don’t know! I only know that all of this IS my fault and I gotta try to help. Now what’s going on and who is this guy?"

She looked at me coldly. "Are you sure you want to try to help, BILLIE? The last thing we need right now is a panicky female like you seem to be, messing about and ruining anything we might come up with to get Neri out of jail!" When we arrived at the Police Station, they told us that unless we were family or her lawyers, we couldn’t talk to her until she had either gotten a lawyer or was released! We found out where she had been arrested and went down there and, with a little cash thrown around, were referred to this guy Henry, or "The Professor" as it seems he’s known as. We located the van just where Neri had left it and we went and picked him up and came back here. I swallowed hard and looked back at her, saying. "Okay, okay! I lost it. I admit it. I’ve been feeling really strange in this body and what happened to Neri just pushed some buttons I didn’t know I had! I’ll grant you that I should have been able to control my feelings but I couldn’t! All of a sudden it was like the whole world had crashed down on me and the only thing I could do was cry! Can you understand how strange that made me feel? I mean, all of my life, I’ve dealt with whatever rotten break that fate threw at me, always hoping that the light at the end of any tunnel I happened to see, wasn’t the headlight of an onrushing express train!"

I stopped for a minute to gather my thoughts and continued."Prue, I’m not USED to being a woman! I can’t deal with all the strange emotions and stuff that are going through me! You’ve had a lifetime to get used to them and learn how to handle them. I’ve only had a few days! To make matters worse, THIS body is much worse than the other one I was wearing! I’m not sure, but I think this body has a higher libido or something. I’ve felt out of sorts since you put me into it and, let me tell you, it hasn’t been fun. I can’t get used to being stared at by every guy that I pass, at least, I haven’t been able to get used to it in a day or two, and to make matters worse, I’ve found myself liking being looked at and looking back at them! Now, if you wanna be mad at me, fine. Go right ahead. Maybe I deserve it, and maybe I don’t but let’s set that aside for the moment and concentrate on getting Neri outta jail and ourselves outta this town!"

Prue glared at me for a minute or two and then she seemed to come to a decision. She turned to the stranger and introduced him as Henry. She told me that he had been talking to Neri when the bar they had been in was raided by the police. He had managed to sneak past the police lines and get away but everyone else in the bar had been arrested on charges of either prostitution, gambling, or underage drinking. Henry came over to us and said, Look, I don’t know what the hell is going on here but all I wanna do is get the hell outta town! This ‘Neri’ seems to be a friend of yours and I’m real sorry she’s in the slam but I don’t know what *I* can do to help her. I just deal in false identification stuff. They call me "The Professor" because I can make anybody into somebody else with my I.Ds. Listen, I got all my stuff in a bag in the van out there. This Neri was tryin’ to deal me down in price when the cops busted the joint and I just barely got outta there without gettin’ busted myself! If you want the stuff she was askin’ about, I can do it in about a half hour, right here in this room but you gotta pay me my full rate so I got some bread to split with. I ain’t hangin’ around here any longer than I gotta!"

Prue said,"Ok, Henry. Go ahead and do your thing. Give us some identification papers but I’ll show you the pictures of who they’ll be for besides the people in this room. One other thing, Henry. If I ever hear of you narking on us, I’ll find you, wherever you might be, and make you wish you’d never been born. You got it?"

Henry gulped a couple of times but, seeing the look in Prue’s eyes and hearing the tone of her voice must have convinced him that she was deadly serious, AND just plain deadly! He quickly went out to the van, accompanied by Kim and Pickles and was back inside in seconds. He found a place to work and began ‘doing his thing’ with a sheaf of paperwork. Kim and Pickles joined Prue and me on the other side of the room and we began to plot a way to get Neri out. We quickly discarded any ideas of using the alien stuff to change her looks inside the jail since we knew we’d be searched before being allowed to see her. We talked for about ten or fifteen minutes until Henry announced that he was ready for the pictures. Prue got the laptop and Henry got out a small Polaroid type camera and took quick snaps of all four of us. Then Prue sat down with him and showed him the rest of the pictures contained on the alien discs. I knew that we were taking a chance, showing Henry the pictures and the laptop but he didn’t seem to notice anything different about it. He fooled around for a couple of minutes, trying to get the camera the right distance from the screen of the laptop and then clicked shots of all the pictures Prue showed him. He then offered some advice for getting Neri out of jail. "Look, folks, I know that you don’t know me from Adam’s off ox, but I DO know about dealing with the law here. Chances are, your friend will be arraigned tonight in front of old Judge Reynolds at the courthouse downtown. Even if they bind her over for trial, they’ll have to set bail for her. She won’t be accused of any major crime, only something small like prostitution or gambling. If you can get down there and bail her out before they can check out her ID or prints you stand a good chance of getting outta here." I looked at Prue and she looked at me. Then we both looked at Kim and Pickles, astounded we hadn’t thought of this ourselves! Of course Neri would be allowed bail! Unless one was charged with a major crime, one was almost always allowed bail! I almost felt like kissing Henry, and Pickles DID kiss him! All of a sudden we had hope again!

If we could get Neri out on bail, we could change her looks, and those of whoever went to pay the bail. Then we could get out butts out of town with nobody, including the law, being the wiser! I felt like a real idiot for not thinking about this bail thing sooner but both Pickles and Kim told me that, in all the commotion, they hadn’t thought about it either. Now, the problem was, who was gonna go down there and post bond?

After a bit of conversation, we decided that it should be Prue, in her original form. She still had her real ID and, if she were questioned or any suspicion were raised, she would be totally legal as far as her identity was concerned. I raised a small objection about that, but was shouted down by the others. Hell, even HENRY shouted me down and he didn’t even know what we were talking about!

About 25 minutes later, Henry finished his work and presented us with identification for all the faces in the laptop as well as for the faces we were now wearing. The I.Ds were impressive in their simplicity. They looked, to my untrained eyes, absolutely real. They were even worn a bit as if they had been used for awhile. I asked him how he did that but he just smiled and said, with a grin, "Sorry, sweetheart. That’s a trade secret, ya know? Besides, you’re better off not known’ how I do this stuff. You oughtta just concentrate on looking’ pretty which you do VERY well, by the way." I actually blushed! I know I blushed because I could feel the heat in my cheeks! OMIGAWD, was this guy was HITTING on me? I heard Prue sputtering behind me, trying her best not to laugh out loud at me, but I was absolutely nonplused! I didn’t know WHAT to do. I think I just sort of smiled at Henry and turned and walked away but I believe I could have lit a cigarette just by touching it to my face!

I shot an angry look at Prue as I passed her and that was all it took. She burst into open laughter and Kim and Pickles joined in. That embarrassed me even more and I stalked into the bathroom and slammed the door. I looked into the mirror and took a really good look at the face and body I saw there. It made me angry to have to look like this but I had to admit that what I saw in that mirror WAS damned attractive. No, it was beautiful. That long lush red hair just spilled over my shoulders and down my back, framing an absolutely gorgeous face. I know, without a doubt, if I had ever seen that face and body while I was still Bill, I would have tried my damndest to get to know her. I took out the pack of cigarettes and my girly lighter, lit a smoke and just stood there, watching my self smoking, in the mirror. What amazed me was the naturally feminine way I was holding and smoking that cigarette!

I took puff after puff on that cigarette, wondering if I would EVER get used to looking like this and hoping I wouldn’t. I mean, it WAS a great disguise, don’t get me wrong. It just felt, well, wrong. Every time I looked in a mirror, I expected to see me. Plain old Bill Butler. Instead, I saw this goddess and it was so disconcerting that, for a moment, I would feel disoriented. Then, all the trouble I had caused myself and my friends would come rushing back in on me and I’d get depressed. But FAR worse than all that, standing there watching myself smoking and examining my reflection, I found myself actually admiring the sleek, sexy redhead that looked back at me! She stood there, mimicking my every move. A gorgeous sexy woman with a "come and get me if you dare to try" look on her face and I wasn’t TRYING to look that way!. It was just the way her, I mean my, I mean, SHIT! Yeah, it was MY face. Ok? Not the face I’d grown up looking at, but MY face! At least for awhile.

It WAS a great body, though. I mean, it was FAR more limber than I had ever been and much lighter too. If not for the heels that Prue insisted that I wear, I felt like I could have jumped 10 feet in the air. It was weaker, though. I had trouble just lifting things I used to be able to carry without a thought. And then there were the hormones. I was having some strange thoughts, in this body. Much more so than I’d had in the first form I had disguised myself in. In fact, just standing there, watching myself smoke and trying to calm down, I was turning myself on with the sexy moves that I didn’t even know I was doing, or COULD do! My nipples were hardening and there was a heat, ummmmm down below that was building with each passing second, each sexy move that this beautiful woman that was now me, was making in that mirror. I tossed my head just to se all that red hair float around my head and feel it brushing against my shoulders.

I seemed to feel things much more acutely, in this body. My emotions were almost out of my control and my thoughts were, well, let’s just say, different. I was looking at Prue and other women.......differently. I can’t describe exactly how or what I was feeling. I had and still have, no real understanding of what I was really feeling. All of a sudden a thought went through my mind, strictly unbidden and it scared the crap out of me when I realized what I had just thought. I need a MAN! As that thought percolated through the first several layers of concrete that must comprise my skull, trying to penetrate to some neural matter, I freaked again! Only for a second, but it was a REAL freakout! For just a few seconds I surrendered to that thought and was actually fantasizing about having a strong, handsome, well built stud lying on to of me! Penetrating me! The cigarette fell, almost unnoticed into the sink and my hand began to rub my groin area through the dress I was wearing. First gently, hesitantly and then with increasing vigor until I was almost lost in the sensations, and the thoughts in my mind were only about being possessed by that male image I had dreamed up.

I could hear someone moaning softly and my breathing was getting more and more ragged and then I realized it was ME moaning! I almost came out of it right then but the feelings from down below were too strong by then. I was lost in my fantasy and before too long, I was shuddering in what could only have been a female orgasm!!! The waves went through me again and again leaving me shuddering and hanging onto the sink with my other hand so I didn’t fall on the floor. Over and over the waves of emotion went through me and, when I finally got a little control back, I brought my hand up from my crotch and it was wet! So, for that matter were my crotch AND the insides of my legs! I could feel the juices slowly running down my pantyhose clad legs and THEN the shock set in. I had just ORGASMED as a WOMAN!!

Well, a LOT of thoughts tied to go through my brain at that point but none of them seemed to be making any headway past the shame I suddenly felt. I felt dirty and cheap and well, I guess used. Finally ONE thought penetrated my dazed brain and that one thought was, That was NICE!!! I mean, some part of my confused mind was telling me that the feelings I had just experienced were nice and it would be even better to do it again! I was trying to find my way out of that mental maze when I suddenly became aware of someone knocking on the bathroom door.

I heard Prue’s voice asking me if I was ok in there and would I please come out so we could begin planning. I swallowed a couple of times and, realizing that there was no way out of this short of taking a bath or a shower, I called out to her. "Ummm, Prue? Would you please come in here? I think I have a problem."

I unlocked the door and Prue eased her way in, looking at me with a somewhat concerned expression on her face. The minute she laid eyes on me, however, she knew what had happened and she rushed to me and hugged me tight.

"Oh, Billie." she crooned in my ear. "It finally happened, didn’t it? I wondered just how long it would be before you tried some experimentation but I don’t think that NOW is the time to be doing it, do you? I mean, we’ve got Neri to get out of jail and "The Professor" to get rid of and..."

I stopped her right there and said, in a voice that was quivering, "Prue! My God! What did I just do? How did that happen? I didn’t mean to do that! I was just standing here, smoking a cigarette and I happened to notice how sexy I looked in the mirror and the next thing I knew I was shaking all over and juices were running down my leg! Did I do what I think I did? Omygawd, Prue! What happened?" Yeah, you guessed it, I was losing it again. Well, it seemed to be my day for losing it but can you blame me?

I mean, there I was, a normal(?) guy in his thirties, on the run with several new friends from some secret government agency goons, standing shivering in a motel bathroom having just fingered and rubbed his(?) way to his(?) first female orgasm AND I had liked it! HELL, I had LOVED it! And I wanted MORE! Prue couldn’t keep me from sinking to the floor in shock, amazement, fear, shame and, yet, wonderment! Was I going to want more of that? Was it ok to WANT more of it? Was I turning gay or something? Worse, at least to part of my mind, was I beginning to LIKE being female? The room seemed to get a bit grey and then faded out completely.

When the lights came back on I was lying on a bed with what turned out to be a cool washcloth on my forehead. The room was quiet and I noticed that I was under the covers wearing nothing at all. I laid there for a few minutes, trying to remember how I got here but nothing was coming to mind. Then, like a lightning bolt out of the blue, it hit me! I remembered what I had done in the bathroom and the thoughts that had gone through my mind at the time! I started to groan a little bit, the memories becoming clearer and clearer and Pickles must have heard me because she came over to the bed, sat down on the edge of it close to me, and took my hand in hers. "Are you feeling any better, Billie?" She asked me in a concerned sounding voice. "You passed out in the bathroom and Kim, Prue and I had to carry you to the bed. Prue said there had been some kind of an accident and she had undressed you before we got in there. Prue told us about how you were feeling about having dragged all of us into the mess you’re in and that you had probably just let it all get to you too much and fainted. Anyway, we put you in the bed here and I’ve been watching you since they all left." "Left?" I croaked out. "Where’d they go?" "Well hon, Prue and Kim took the Professor to the bus station and then were gonna go bail Neri out of jail. They asked me to stay here and keep an eye on you so you wouldn’t be alone when you woke up and, of course, I said sure!"

She babbled on for another few minutes about how they were going to get Neri out and then come back here and change her and all that but I wasn’t really listening. I was too ashamed of myself. I just wanted to sink through the bed and the ground beneath it and never have to deal with ANY of this stuff again, EVER! How could I have done what I had done? I felt my face starting to redden again and I guess Pickles noticed it too because she said, "Look Billie, I don’t give a rat’s patoot about who or what you used to be. I really only know you as the good looking redhead you are now. Oh sure, I know you are really a guy under all the sexy girlflesh and maybe you’re feeling ashamed or something about it. Well, sweetie, you can CAN the macho bullshit! I don’t mean to be insensitive, hon, but what you are right now is all that concerns me. We got problems and we need you to help solve them. You ain’t gonna get anywhere feeling sorry for yourself or blaming yourself for dragging us into the stink with you. >From what Prue has told me, she WANTED to come with you and she doesn’t blame you one whit! As for Kim and me? Shucks honey, me and Kim ain’t had this much excitement in our whole lives. Well, I ain’t, anyhow. Kim was in the army and stuff but I’ve just been a quiet country gal tryin’ to get through life with as few problems as possible."

She paused for breath and then continued. "Shoot, Billie. This is excitin’! I mean, one minute I’m just another truck stop waitress in a dead end job in a dead end town and, the next minute there’s fightin’ and runnin’ around and secret agents and ALIENS for God’s sake! Not to mention watchin’ my brother get turned into a honest to God woman right in front of my eyes! You couldn’t PAY me to go back to that damn truck stop and the dull life I was havin’. So you see hon, this ain’t your fault at all. Me and Kim NEEDED something to break us outta the rut our lives have been in. Oh, shoot, I KNOW there’s some danger but it’s worth it. So you just quit blamin’ yourself for any of this mess and concentrate on gettin’ your mind right, ok? Heck, darlin’ who knows? After all this is over with, we might all get to go on Jerry Springer’s show!" And then she laughed. "Now you just lay there for a bit and get your strength back, hon. I gotta see to all this stuff the Prue and Kim left here. They didn’t wanna take all that alien foororaw with ‘em to the copshop. They thought it might be bad if they were caught with it."

For a minute I thought she was laughing at me but, as she continued to giggle, it slowly dawned on me that she wasn’t laughing at me. She was laughing with excitement and joy! I sank back on the bed, trying to sort out everything I had experienced that day and all that had gone on through the last few days. I tried to look at things from Prue’s point of view and from Kin and Pickles’ as well. I realized that she was right. Prue HAD volunteered to come with me that first day! Kim and Pickles had involved themselves and had ALSO volunteered to come along. I hadn’t talked anybody into anything! I just laid there in amazement.

In just a very few minutes this seemingly simple country girl had, somehow, put everything in focus for me. Well, most of it anyway. There WAS still the bathroom thing I had to deal with, but everything else just seemed to fall into place and made sense! My ego had caused me to try to blame everything on myself and my supposed "bad luck". As this seeming catharsis or epiphany or whatever it was, was going on in my head, a thought began to niggle it’s way to the front of my brain. Fooforaw? Alien stuff? They’d left all the alien equipment here?

I bolted straight upright in the bed, causing the covers to slide off my umm prominent chest. "PICKLES!" I shouted. You mean to tell me that they went off without any means of protecting themselves if they got caught?" I was, of course, thinking of the ray guns or whatever you wanna call them. I knew the power of the one that I had used and I knew that it could have gotten Prue and Kim out of ANY trouble they might run into, if they had to use it. Of course it MIGHT cause more trouble than it solved but, with the body changing stuff, we could have slipped out of almost any problem.

I jumped out of bed, completely forgetting that I was stark staring naked under those blankets and ran over to where Pickles was standing, looking at me in a somewhat embarrassed way. As I ran, I suddenly felt all the extra flesh swaying and jiggling and I stopped dead in my tracks. Well, most of me stopped. Some things took a few seconds to come to a complete halt and, is that space of time it filtered into my brain that I was in a motel room, in the nude, wearing a sexy female body, with a more of less complete stranger!

It took me a couple of minutes of frantic movement to convince myself that I just didn’t have enough hands to cover up all that I needed to cover up and I stopped trying, frustrated. Pickles just stared at me. I stared at Pickles. Suddenly the whole thing seemed SO ridiculous that I started to giggle. Then Pickles began to giggle as well and the next minute we were both ROARING with laughter! I was TRYING to be serious but, somehow I just couldn’t. I laughed so hard I couldn’t stand up and had to sit down in a chair to catch my breath. Pickles just supported herself against a wall and we both continued to laugh until we finally ran down.

Gasping for breath, I said "Ok. Ok. I know how this looks but I REALLY wasn’t gonna attack you! Well, that did it. We both dissolved into helpless laughter again and it took several minutes before either one of us could speak intelligently or intelligibly. Pickles staggered over to the bed and grabbed one of the blankets and handed it to me, wordlessly. I think she knew that if she had said ANYTHING, we would both be helpless in our mirth again. I tried to thank her for the blanket but I couldn’t speak. I was too breathless. I just gave her a thankful look and wrapped the blanket around me, covering my, as Radar O’Reilly would have said, nudidity since it was making me breathe funny. Finally I felt I had enough control to talk again and I began to tell her what I had been feeling. I left nothing out, practically telling her my whole life story before I was done. I finished by telling her what I had done in the bathroom, although I know my face was as red as a beet while I was telling her. Her expression changed from one of intense concentration, listening to what I was saying, to one of understanding and well, compassion is the only way I can describe it.

She rushed to me, the hilarity of but a moment before seemingly forgotten, and wrapped me in a fierce bear hug, murmuring calming words of understanding. "Oh, Billie, honey! No WONDER you fainted! Hell, the first time *I* experienced an orgasm I thought I was gonna die, but WHAT a way to go! I can just imagine what it must have felt like to you, being that you’re really a man and all! Tell me, hon, was it THAT much different from what you remember feeling when it happened to you as a man?"

I stood there for a bit, snuggled in Pickles’ reassuring hug, contemplating what she had just asked me. Did I have an answer? If I DID have an answer was I man or woman enough to tell her? Was it different? Was it better? How DID I feel about it? All those questions and more ran through my brain in about 3 nanoseconds. When I finally DID answer her, I’m sure it wasn’t the answer she was looking for. "Pickles, I honestly don’t know. I don’t remember much of it after those first waves of pleasure began running through this body. I can tell you that it WAS different, but I can’t really tell you HOW it was different except to say that it felt like my whole body was involved in it as opposed to just one specific area. I also know that I felt like it would never end and I didn’t want it to! Then, I’m afraid, everything got a bit fuzzy and the next thing I can remember, I awoke on that bed over there, naked and VERY confused."

I paused to think a bit and then continued. "I mean, I AM a guy, after all. What I did in the bathroom has left me feeling very ashamed and yet, strangely turned on and wanting more, but too ashamed of what I had just done to even THINK about doing it again. It was........different, and I’m afraid that you’re gonna have to be satisfied with that answer until I can think clearly again. Right now, though, I need to get dressed and take a look at what Prue and Kim left here."

I gently and reluctantly removed myself from Pickles’ hug and went in search of clothing. The clothes I HAD been wearing were pretty much ruined. Well, they at least needed a GOOD washing. I dug around in the duffle bag of clothing that I had found on the alien ship and the pile of stuff that we had bought and, with Pickles’ help, found some things that more or less looked like they fit and went together. Then, with a little help from Pickles again, I used the makeup machine to "fix" my face. Even though the alien makeup was all but indelible, the wear and tear *I* had put it through did fade it and smudge it a bit.

Pickles seemed pleased at the effect of the denim mini-skirt and crop top we had found for me to wear and she DID help with the makeup, suggesting different colors and the like. When I looked into a mirror again, I was amazed yet again, by the vision that greeted me. I want you, the reader to do me a favor. Look in any mirror you might have handy. Notice the face that you have worn all your life. Now, imagine that the face you normally see, the one you’re used to, has ben suddenly replaced by the face and body of the most gorgeous display of beauty, of the OPPOSITE sex, that you have ever seen. That’s how I felt EVERY time I looked in a mirror.

Absolutely freaked out, but turned on by the beauty displayed there at the same time. God, I wanted to screw myself! I DID notice, though that I did seem to be getting used to it. I had worn this body and face for three days now and small things were beginning to make themselves known to me. I was having less trouble moving the way a body like that should move and I didn’t seem to mind it at all. In fact, I kind of ......posed, there in that mirror, pursing my lips and making kissy faces at it! Then I giggled! I mean, a full fledged, feminine, "delighted with what I see," giggle! The only shoes I had to wear were the ones that went with the other outfit I had been wearing but they were black 4 inch heels so they looked okay with what I now had on.

The skirt WAS a bit short but, DAMN, I had great legs! I was actually beginning to get used to wearing this body and even being a bit, dare I say it, a bit proud of the glamorous looking woman who smiled back at me. I sighed and, of what THAT did to those plump protrusions on my chest! I was standing there, admiring myself when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pickles looking at me with a funny look on her face. I turned to her and asked her what was wrong. "Oh, nothing, I guess." She replied. "It’s just that, well, seeing you gazing at yourself in that mirror kind of made me wonder if you’re beginning to LIKE looking like that! I mean, you were moving and posing like a woman natural born and the look in your eyes was.....well, blissful, I guess. Maybe I’m wrong, but I hardly think I am. Is what I’m saying making any sense to you, Billie? Am I right? I don’t wanna embarrass you any more than you already were but I just gotta know." God knows, *I*’d be ecstatic if what *I* saw in the mirror looked like you do. "I dunno, Pickles." I replied. "I think I AM becoming more at home in here. I’ll grant you that it IS a beautiful body and face. It’s still a shock every time I see it in a mirror but not as big a shock as it was the first time I saw it, and each successive time, it seems to be less of a shock. I mean, I STILL want my old body back. I was born a man and I can’t wait until I am one again, but if I HAVE to wear a woman’s form, there are a LOT worse than this one." She nodded at my answer, seemingly satisfied with my answer. Then we attacked the pile of things that Prue and Kim had left in the room. They had left EVERYTHING that I had recovered from that wrecked UFO, taking nothing with them that could cause them any problems if something went wrong. Even the gun taken from that MIB guy was here. Since there was nothing more that Pickles and I could do, I spent some time reading the "instruction manuals" that accompanied each piece of equipment. I even tried to do some searching on that laptop that was, in reality a body changing device. I found a section marked; WARNING! INJURIES TO BORROWED FORMS! In reading over that section, I found that injuries sustained to a borrowed form were pretty much unhealable. Once someone wearing a borrowed form was injured, the only way out was to take a different form. Someone ELSE could switch into the injured form and it would heal very rapidly but if the original wearer tried to get back into it, the body would return to it’s injured state. "Earth" medicine would have little or no effect on injuries to borrowed forms. "Well," I thought to myself, "THAT sucks!" That means that I can never return to that less noticeable blonde woman’s form that I had originally been wearing.

It also meant that I was gonna have to be a little more careful of getting hurt while wearing these forms since injuries prohibited one from ever using the same form again. There WAS something very interesting further on in the manual, though. I found a section entitled; AVOIDANCE OR PARTIAL INVULNERABILITY TO INJURY. Basically it said that one could avoid being hurt if one used a certain setting on the "laptop" while switching into a body.

This setting allowed one to shrug off injuries that would harm, even cripple someone, under normal circumstances! There WAS a penalty to pay for this, though. That was, that if one were subjected to an injury, while in a borrowed form, while the wounds/bruises would not only not appear, but the impact from any such injury would be almost unfelt, the injury would, after 30 minutes of time as measured on Earth, LOCK the person into the form he or she then was wearing and would render the body switching machine ineffective ever after. Fortunately, we had not known about this when I had first hurt myself while wearing that blonde form. Had we known and had we used that particular function, I would have been uninjured but locked into that form for the rest of my life!

Oboy! I sat there thinking about what I had just read and realizing that I had better read through this whole manual. I guess what they say about "when all else fails, read the instructions" isn’t just a guideline! Pickles was busy watching something on the Television so I did read through the whole manual. There were actually very few other surprises, though. The only other one I found that disturbed me had to do with how much time one spent wearing a "borrowed" form.

It said that if one wore a form for more than 2 weeks straight, switching to another form would be difficult, if not impossible. Apparently, if one wore a form for that long, it kind of "set" the mind into the form, making it extremely painful at the very least to change again. Death was also a possibility, in extreme cases, such as having worn the form for more than 30 consecutive days. Well, I thought, this is interesting and something I need to make the rest aware of. After all, it’d be their choice to make about staying in their borrowed forms or changing them or even returning to their old forms. Great! Just one MORE problem to add to everything else! I was lost in reading the other manuals and didn’t notice time as it passed. When the door burst open and Prue, Kim and Neri walked in, I was taken totally by surprise and damn near jumped out of my skin! I jumped up and ran to Neri, having no problems running in those heels, I noticed. I grabbed Neri and hugged her tightly, telling her how glad I was to see her and apologizing for having left her in such a spot. She gently disengaged herself and, holding me at arms length, looked at me intently.

"Listen, Billie, I’m just fine. There was never any real cause for alarm. This was just one more arrest for me. It’s not the first and, the way things are going, it probably won’t be the last. What worries ME is, are YOU okay? Prue told me about you "losing it" and kinda retreating from reality for a little while. You LOOK okay, but, are you, really? I know how hard all of this has been on you, especially being sort of forced to wear a woman’s body for almost a week now." She looked so concerned, standing there looking at me intently. It was difficult to remember that this mature looking and sounding woman was really just a 17 year old wearing a disguise, albeit a damned GOOD one. I couldn’t meet her gaze for long, though. I was too ashamed of having been so selfish and egotistical as to have believed that everything had been my fault. I know that my face was slowly coloring again and, Neri, seeing that, said, in a joking tone of voice, "Oho! Look here everyone! Our little sexpot is blushing! How pretty it makes her look, too. Oh, Prue, isn’t our little girl precious? You better watch it, little one! If any guys see you blushing like that you’ll have to fight ‘em off with a big stick, or do you want to do that? Maybe you’re thinking about that very thing, huh? Maybe thinking that it might not be so bad to have a bunch of hunky guys paying some attention to the sexy little redhead you are now? Well, Prue, what do you think? Should we take our little sex bomb here, out for an evening on the town and let her meet some cute men?"

The more she talked, the redder I got and I could actually feel the heat in my cheeks. I knew she was teasing me and, somehow, I felt like giving a little bit back to her. I looked up from the floor and gazed right into her eyes and said, in a kind of bemused tone of voice, "You know Prue, she might be right! Maybe it IS time I got more familiar with this body and what it can do. I might have to wear it for a long time, at least until we reach somewhere we can feel safe and I certainly could use a good time out on the town. I think that, after what I’ve been through today, I might be able to handle going out for a few drinks and maybe even some harmless flirting with some, as Neri calls ‘em, "hunky guys! I AM a woman right now and it seems totally normal to me. Besides, I don’t plan on being a monk, or should I say Nun?"

I looked at Prue and then, back at Neri. I gave them the sweetest smile I could muster and turned on my heel and walked slowly away from Neri, giving it all the feminine sway I could muster. Damned if I was gonna let them get my goat this time! I walked as sexily as I could, over to the bed, sat down and crossed my legs at the knees, just like a woman would. I kept that smile on my face as I looked back at Prue and Neri. They were still standing where they had been, shocked looks playing over their faces.

Prue looked at me and asked,

"Bill," pointedly using my real name. "Are you all right? This doesn’t seem like you! Is that body starting to get to you? Maybe we’d better give get you back in your old form as soon as possible. I knew this might be a mistake. We should’ve chosen a less blatantly sexy female form for you to wear. Neri, get the machine! This has gone far enough. I can’t stand to see Bill acting this way. He’s a MAN for God’s sake and he shouldn’t be forced to wear a woman’s body just so he can be safe from these government goons! No wonder he lost it earlier!"

Prue’s voice kept rising in pitch and getting louder until I couldn’t take it anymore and I started to giggle again. Finally I just burst out laughing and slowly collapsed backwards onto the bed. I was laying there holding my sides and laughing so hard I could hardly breathe. Neri must have caught on because she began to laugh as well and soon she was as helpless from laughter as I was. Prue’s face got redder and redder until I thought she was gonna blow up like an overstressed pressure cooker.

After a few minutes I calmed down enough to talk again and I said, "Prue, chill out. I was just trying to get the two of you going and it looks like I was successful. I’ve never seen you so concerned and IN CHARGE! "Neri, GET THE MACHINE!!!" As I said that, the laughter welled up in me again and I collapsed backward on the bed again. Prue sputtered, trying to say something but being unsuccessful at getting the words out. She advanced on the bed and stood there glaring at me. I couldn’t help it. At that point EVERYTHING seemed funny to me and I began to make incomprehensible noises, trying to talk and laugh at the same time.

The look on Prue’s face was priceless and, every time I looked up at her towering over me, it just got funnier. Finally, Prue jumped onto the bed with me and began tickling me! As helpless as I had been before, I truly WAS helpless now! Her fingers were everywhere on my body and all I could do was laugh and quiver while she had her way with me. I was shrieking with laughter and trying to beg her to stop. She had an almost evil grin on her face and she was saying, "So!" You were trying to mess with my head, eh Billie! Well, let’s see how you handle having your BODY messed with!" Her assault on my poor laughter tortured body continued, finding every single place I was ticklish and there seemed to be a LOT of them. Finally, I was able to beg her to stop, telling her, "P...P......Prue! Pleeease s..s...s..stop! Omygawd, PRUE, I’m gonna pee my PANTS!!! EEEEK!!" I pleaded with her, but to no avail She just kept it up until I actually DID pee my pants! Well, it FELT like I peed my pants. There was something else, though. Something I had felt only once before, not that long ago, in the bathroom! All of a sudden, Prue’s tickling slowed and became something different. She changed to almost caressing motions all over my body, soothing me and exciting me at the same time! Finally, She stopped, looking me squarely in the eyes. Something passed between us right then, I still don’t know what it was, for certain. I DO know that, at that exact moment, our relationship changed. From being just two friends, we had suddenly become something else. What that was, I didn’t know then but I could tell that Prue was feeling the same things I was. Her expression changed and she got this "faraway" look in her eyes. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Finally, I ventured, kinda timidly, "Um, Prue? Do you think you could let me up, please? I’ve REALLY gotta pee."

She moved slightly and I slid out from underneath her. There were a million questions going through my head but the main thing was I DID have to go! I scurried to the bathroom, shut the door, skinned down my panties and hiked my little skirt and squatted on the toilet seat and let go. When I was finished, I just sat there for a few minutes more, thinking. Trying to sort out all that had happened that day. I knew that something had changed between Prue and me and I hoped that it meant what I thought it might mean.

I had been falling in love with Prue from the first time I had set eyes on her and I had hoped that, someday, she might feel the same way about me, but I was a woman right then! Was Prue falling for Bill, or Billie? Was Prue bisexual, or a lesbian, or maybe she was just as confused as I knew *I* was at that moment. When she was caressing me, just a few minutes before, was she caressing Billie, or was she somehow, seeing me as my real, male self?

A shiver ran through my body as I sat there thinking. Finally, I finished my toilette and dressed. I gave my appearance a quick glance in the bathroom mirror and opened the door, re-entering the room proper. Neri, Prue, Kim and Pickles all looked in my direction when I entered but I kept my cool, for once. Maybe that day had taught me something. The old Bill would have tried to bluster his way past any lingering embarrassment over what had happened, but Billie just sauntered over to all of them, outwardly as cool as a cucumber.

I looked at Prue, then at Neri and cleared my throat before speaking.

"Okay, you two. What’s the plan? Have you come up with anything or is it gonna be all u to me again? They both looked at me like I was from Mars." (No pun intended)

"Well, Billie," Prue began, "we WERE waiting until we were sure you had your head back together before we talked about any plans. Are you sure you are ok now? Because if you are, we DO have to make SOME plans. My thought is we forget all this back roads running around and hit the main highway straight into L.A. the fastest way."

All of a sudden, everyone was trying to talk at the same time. It seemed that each of us had a different plan and no two were exactly the same. At the same time, everyone seemed to be pointedly ignoring, or at least not mentioning, anything about what had gone between me and Prue on that day. I could see a speculative look in Neri’s eyes, but she too, said nothing about it We didn’t have time to discuss that anyway. It was too urgent to get back on the road and away from the trouble that this town had brought us. At least now we had identification for every form contained in that alien laptop and would not have to take quite as many risks in the future..

I paced while the others planned, trying to figure out why I felt differently in this body than I had yesterday. It seemed that I was getting USED to it and that was making me uncomfortable. Not concerned, mind you, just concerned that I might get TOO used to it. With every hour that went by, I felt more at ease in this female form. My mind seemed to be almost at war with itself. One side wanting to get back to being just plain Bill and the other side beginning to appreciate the benefits and differences between Bill and Billie.

As I paced back and forth across the room, the others talking and planning, I could feel the hips swaying back and forth, the subtle body motions needed to maintain balance, the heavy breasts swinging and bouncing ever so gently in their confining bra and the legs lightly brushing against one another. It’s a totally different way of moving, a kind of a sexy feeling for a former man, such as myself, and there’s no way to explain it sufficiently to someone who hasn’t had the chance to experience it. Even the hands and arms move differently, with the arms held slightly higher and the wrists slightly bending, to avoid brushing against the hips when they swing back and forth. Then too, there’s the lack of pockets, someplace to put one’s hands, so one tends to rest the hands and arms by placing them on the wide hips thus presenting a totally feminine posture to anyone looking on.

At one point, I looked back toward the rest and noticed them watching me. Neri had a knowing look on her face while Prue looked a bit worried. Kim was actually studying me and Pickles had a big grin on her face. When they saw me looking at them, they all fell back into their argument/discussion. I stayed out of it because I really had no ideas or even thoughts about what to do next. It seemed that every time we changed plans, or directions, or whatever, the MIBs only needed a comparatively short time to get wise to us and be right on our butts once again. Maybe Kim had the right idea about the MIBs having a way to track those alien machines.

I decided that I might as well do SOMETHING while the others planned so I sat down with that laptop and opened the files, beginning to read. I was looking for anything that might tell me if there even WAS a way to track the machines. About halfway through examination I noticed a listing of the components. I called up that list and began tracing each one of them. Lo and behold, I found one that didn’t quite seem to fit! I quickly got out the manual and compared what was written there with the list shown on the screen and there WAS one component listed that the manual didn’t mention.

Further reading and comparison between the list on the screen and the list in the manual showed that the additional component was an "add-on" that was required for ANY alien equipment brought to a different planet. Now the question was, could we remove that tracking device? I called Kim over and when he, now she, came over, I explained what I’d found. Kim was immediately interested and began looking over what I showed her. Kim called up a schematic on the laptop and began searching through it to find the tracker. Then she shut down the laptop and turned it over, examining the back of it. She asked if we had a tool kit and I replied that there was one in the van, along with a small one I kept handy just in case. It was in my luggage.

I got the small one out while Neri went out to the van to retrieve the other one. When we brought them to Kim, she waved us away and set to work taking the back off the laptop. I was, I think, justifiably concerned about Kim doing that. What if she screwed it up somehow and we couldn’t return to our original forms. I definitely didn’t want to be stuck forever in that sexy redheaded female body, regardless of how much at home I was beginning to feel, in it. I didn’t want to get in the way, though so I stood back and let Kim do her thing. Before very long at all, she had the back off that laptop and was gazing into it’s guts.

She was mumbling to herself and referring back to the printed schematic constantly. I could see that part of the problem would be that the printing was in an alien language. The only thing to go by was that there was one more component listed in the schematic on the screen than there was in the printed one in the manual. I finally couldn’t take it any longer and I stepped toward the door, intending to go outside and have a cigarette in an attempt to calm down and cool off. I grabbed my purse,(MY PURSE!) from the couch near the door and grabbed my smokes and lighter from it. I opened the door and stepped outside, lighting a cigarette as I went.

I closed the door behind me and found a place where I could try to enjoy my smoke without being concerned about being seen by anyone. I was still uncomfortable enough in that form that I didn’t want to have to deal with being stared at by some horny male passer-by. It’s funny. Even being in a completely different form than the one I was born in, I still felt that need to smoke. Yet, as I stood there, smoking that cigarette, I couldn’t help but notice how much differently I was doing it. Instead of leaning against the wall with a hand in my pocket and the other hand negligently hanging down at my side, holding the cigarette, I had one arm crossed in front of my body, under my breasts, supporting the other arm which was bent at the elbow and holding the cigarette up near my face, with the cigarette delicately held between the first two fingertips.

When I exhaled, instead of just blowing the smoke out in any old direction, I tilted my head back slightly and blew the smoke upwards, away from my face. It seemed very odd and yet, very natural to be doing it that way even though I knew that it was a very feminine way to smoke a cigarette. I wondered about that but, having read what I’d read about the machine, I was beginning to understand that it was part of an acclimatization process, designed to make it easier for the wearer of any of the forms to appear to be naturally, what they were perceived to be. I finished that smoke and lit another, enjoying the outside air after having been cooped up in that room for awhile, especially after what had gone on inside that room today. I thought about a lot of things, not the least of which was, would it be SO bad if I WAS trapped in this body for the rest of my life? Granted, it WOULD take some serious adjustments in my lifestyle, but then, what was so hot about my old life anyway? I wasn’t what you might call a screaming success with women, having had only about 6 or 7 dates within the last year. None of them went anywhere, most of them were your standard "one night stands’. The body I was now wearing was designed to be admired and desired. Granted, it would be desired by MEN, but it would be interesting to be the chased for a change instead of being the chaser. Sort of "seeing how the other half lives" if you will.

That last thought brought me up short as what was left of my maleness came bubbling up inside me and made me choke on that last lung full of smoke. What the HELL was I thinking? It HAD to be that damned acclimatization thing working on me again. Man was it insidious! I was gonna have to watch it a lot closer or, before I knew it, I’d be going out on dates with guys and liking it! I crushed out that cigarette and stepped back inside the motel room, breathing a little raggedly.

It appeared that some kind of decision had been decided upon by the other four because there was no more arguing going on. Kim was still working at that laptop but the rest were just kind of sitting around in various stages of relaxation. Prue must have noticed the look of consternation on my face because she immediately got up and crossed the room to stand in front of me, asking, "Billie, are you ok? You look as if you’ve just seen a ghost or something!" She looked at me searchingly as if she could read on my face, what was in my mind.

"OH, Prue," I began. "I wish I knew what was going on inside me right now. While you were gone I read those manuals that came with the machines and found out that there is something included in them that makes the wearer of these forms comfortable with being inside them. Maybe that’s what’s been happening to me these past few days. Since you and Neri put me inside this body, I have been feeling strange and out of sorts and VERY emotional! Prue, could it be the hormones rushing through this body that are playing merry hell with my thinking? I mean, I’ve been having these flashes where I find myself thinking that it wouldn’t be so bad to have to live in this body for the rest of my life. I’ve also been having thoughts about, well, men and what it’d be like to date and, umm...so forth."

I paused for breath and to gather my thoughts, then continued.

"It’s scaring the hell out of me, Prue! Half the time I don’t even think about looking like I do right now, anymore! It’s getting more and more comfortable, to me, to be in this body but I don’t WANT to be a woman! Damn it, Prue, how the HELL can I be a woman if I’m in love with you? You want a MAN, right? You don’t want a woman. You’re not a lesbian, Oh GOD, Prue.....!"

At that point, I broke down, crying, something else I’d been doing a lot more of in the last few days. Prue grabbed me and held me in her arms, trying to calm me down but that only seemed to make the tears come harder and faster. I don’t know how long I stood there, cradled in Prue’s arms, crying. It must have been for a few minutes at least but it seemed as though the tears would never stop. When they did finally begin to slow a bit, I snuffled a couple of times, gently disengaged myself from Prue’s arms and ran into the bathroom, closing the door behind myself. It seemed like I was spending a LOT of time in that bathroom, lately!

I stood in front of the mirror, rinsing my face with cold water and trying to get myself under SOME kind of control. I was SO embarrassed to have broken down in front of Prue, again! What was she gonna think of me? When I felt as if I had control of my emotions again, I turned and left the bathroom, only to almost run right over Prue, who was standing right outside the door. She grabbed my hands and led me to the bed where she made me sit down. She sat down beside me and began to speak, saying, "Oh, Billie, I am SO sorry I raged at you earlier! I should have realized that it HAD to be the unaccustomed hormones in your body that were making you act the way you have been. I’ve been such a bitch to you and you’re only doing your best to get us out of this nightmare. Now, look. I don’t know if I love you. I haven’t known you for very long, you know. I DO know that I DO respect you. You’ve been willing to submerge your masculinity to try to protect Neri and me and I DO have, umm, other feelings for you, rolling around inside me. I don’t know for sure what they are right now but I think I COULD love you, given time." She paused for breath and then continued. "Look, Billie, let’s just put this on a back burner for now and concentrate on getting to L.A. Once we get there and find a place to hole up, THEN we’ll have time to switch you back into your male body and maybe explore these feelings." She grabbed me and hugged me again.

"I DO want you to know that I admire your guts for doing what you’re doing and I gotta thank you for including me on this adventure. You have to admit, that this whole thing HAS been exciting! I mean, sure we stand a chance of getting caught and held, maybe forever, by some nebulous secret agency but when in your life have you EVER had such a wild adventure? Every DAY has brought something new and different!" I looked at Prue and her face was positively aglow with excitement. My GOD, she looked lovely just then! I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her and I almost did. Until, that is, I remembered the form I was in and thought about how strange it would look. Then I thought again and the thought was, "What the HELL! These people in this room are in the same boat that I’m in! They are ALL in different bodies than the ones they were born into, except for Pickles." So I DID grab Prue and I kissed the hell out of her! We were both breathing kinda raggedly when I backed off of that kiss a little bit. I recognized what I felt as feminine arousal in myself but I didn’t find it strange. I just found it, well, arousing! Prue had a faraway look on her face with just a little bit of puzzlement thrown in. I wondered if she felt as turned on as I did but I didn’t ask her. I just let her go and stood up.

I straightened my clothes, turned to the others and said, "Okay! What are we sitting around here for? Let’s get our asses in gear! What’s the plan?" Kim, Neri and Pickles just looked at me for a moment and then they all rushed me and grabbed me into a group hug! I heard, "Way to go, Billie!" and That’s the way to be!" and a lot of other complimentary things, all babbled at me in a confusion of voices. Somewhere in there Prue joined the hug and it became a sort of an affirmation of our mission and our growing friendship. When we broke the hug there wasn’t a dry eye in the bunch but they were tears of happiness and hope. Somehow, I knew, at that very moment, that, no matter HOW this thing turned out, I would ALWAYS be friends with these people and they would always be MY friends! Somehow, that made all that we had gone through and everything we WOULD be going through, seem not so insurmountable.

We all sat down and, after calming a bit, they told me what they had come up with for a plan. Kim had been successful in removing the tracker from the laptop and was busy trying to come up with a power source for it so it could be used to throw the MIB types off our trail. She also had an idea for removing the trackers from all the rest of the alien gear! Now that WAS good news! We decided to stay one more night, with Kim working on the trackers, Prue, Pickles and I going out for provisions and clothing and things and Neri staying with Kim to keep an eye on things.

When Prue, Pickles and I left, we took one of those alien weapons with us and left one with Neri along with the rest of the equipment. We were all through taking chances and if any of us ran into trouble, we were going to be prepared to shoot our way out of it if necessary. We made plans to meet somewhere in case Neri and Kim had to get out of the room in a hurry. We also packed everything up just in case they DID have to move without warning. None of the stuff was so heavy that Neri and Kim couldn’t carry it for short distances. Everything heavy went back into the van. Finally, we arranged for check in calls on the half hour. If either group failed to make the check in call, the other group would head for the rendezvous point, post haste. Kim would continue to work on the alien gear, one piece at a time to remove any tracking devices she found.

She checked the weapon we were taking with us and found it free of tracking devices. We all hugged quickly and then, Prue, Pickles and I left. We headed for the local K-Mart where I knew we could find just about everything we would need, food, drink and clothing. We ran into no problems driving across town and in a surprisingly short amount of time, we were pulling into the parking lot of the local Chain Discount Store. Pickles and I had compiled a list of things we thought we would need while Prue drove so when we parked the van, we were ready to conduct a lightning raid, so to speak.

Prue led the way inside where we grabbed a couple of shopping carts and separated. Pickles and Prue went for the clothing sections while I headed for the groceries. Along the way, I passed the stationary and I grabbed some pads of paper, some pens and pencils and assorted other items that I thought might come in handy. From there I went directly to the food area and loaded the cart with canned and dried food. I also grabbed a couple of cases of soft drinks and some juice boxes, as well as several bags of assorted candy.

On the way back to the front of the store, I passed by the sporting goods and detoured to take a quick look around. I found some fishing line, heavy stuff and grabbed several spools of it. I also picked up a couple of pairs of binoculars and some hunting knives that looked rugged and well made. I looked greedily at the rifles and shotguns but I knew that there would be a waiting period before we could pick them up so I reluctantly, passed them by. A Coleman stove, fuel for it, a couple of lanterns and some flashlights with batteries completed my selections and I headed for the registers to wait for Prue and Pickles.

While I was waiting for them, I decided to make a quick foray into the shoe department to see if I could find some more suitable footwear. The four inch heels I was wearing looked good on me but were VERY impractical for anything but attracting attention to myself. I found some very durable looking sport shoes and some really nice boots and, before long, I had two pairs of each. MUCH better, I thought! At least I would be able to run and maneuver in those new shoes MUCH better than I could in those CFM pumps that Neri had gotten for me.

By the time I was done in that department, it was pretty much time to meet Prue and Pickles so I hurried up to the registers where I found them waiting for me. All in all, from start to finish, we were in the store for a bit less than an hour, a new record for three women shopping, I believe! Prue and Pickles had a couple of carts full of clothing and I was starting to worry about finding space for everything, in the van. I shouldn’t have worried though because by the time we packed everything away, there was still plenty of room for all 5 of us plus the alien gear. We had checked in, while we were in the store and everything back at the motel was okay. We called again when we got out to the van and had everything put away and no change in the status quo was reported. We got in and drove back to the motel, stopping at a fast food joint to get some hot food. We called in once more before we got back to the motel and Neri said that there had been a car kind of moving slowly around the parking lot, but it didn’t look like the ugly black machines that our pursuers drove. It still concerned me, though and I told Neri to keep a sharp eye out for that car and if it showed up again, to call us and then get herself and Kim out of there in a hurry!

I relayed the news to Prue and Pickles and they seemed as worried as I was. Sometimes, reflexive paranoia is a GOOD thing. I hoped I was wrong and my suspicions would be unfounded but, better safe than sorry, I’ve always believed. The closer we got to the motel, the more worried I got but, nothing seemed wrong or out of place when we got there and Neri greeted us at the door of the room. She grabbed the bags of food and quickly opened them, sharing out the food to everyone. We ate quickly and packed up the alien machines preparatory to a quick getaway. Then we took them out to the van and stowed them inside the safe except for two of the weapons. From here on out, we were NOT gonna be unarmed.

Kim took a couple of the batteries I had bought and wired them, somehow, to the tracking device. We left the motel and drove to a truck stop where she planted it under a tractor trailer that was idling in the parking lot and we got out keisters the hell outta Dodge! That specially built van was a dream to ride in and it had power to spare. In no time at all we were on the interstate and headed west. We had decided that our best bet was to head directly to L.A. and hope that the tracking device would throw the MIBs off our trail. If nothing else, we could, I felt, either outrun their vehicles or use the weapons to make sure they never followed us again! Ok, Ok, I was feeling a bit bloodthirsty, but I’d had all I could stand from those bozos and I was sick and tired of being hunted! We were all agreed that, if it came down to it, we would destroy the machines AND ourselves before we would let them fall into the hands of our pursuers.

We had fueled up before hitting the interstate so we were good for a long run and Prue had the van humming along at just under the speed limit. I guess the day had been pretty tiring on all of us because, before too long, Kim, Pickles and Neri were fast asleep and I was beginning to nod off myself. I had a flash of guilt because I thought, "Prue must be as tired as we are." I looked over at her and asked her but she said she was fine and would wake one of us before she felt too sleepy to drive. I gave her a big smile and leaned over to kiss her softly on the cheek. She smiled back and patted my face telling me, "It’s been a rough day on all of us Billie, but maybe harder on you than on anyone. You’ve been through a LOT today so you just get some sleep. We’re gonna need you bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow and for the next couple of days if we’re gonna make it to L.A. unscathed and undetected. So just sit back, close your eyes and try to get some sleep Billie, okay? Don’t worry, I’ll be fine for a stint behind this wheel.

"Okay, Prue." I murmured as I sank back into the comfortable seat and closed my eyes. You be sure to wake me if you need a break though, all right?" "You got it, Billie." She replied. "Now, GET SOME SLEEP!!!" She thundered.

"Ma’am, yes! Yes’m! Aye aye, sir! You got it! Sleeping now! See? My eyes are shut and I’m snoring! ZZZzzzZZZzzz!" I shot back at her, jokingly. Prue aimed a half hearted swat at my head, missing by about two feet and said, in a long suffering tone, "Quit being a smartass, Billie. I’ll pull right over, ark this van and give you the spanking you seem to be begging for!"

"Ooooh! Kinky!" I shot back, but I settled into the soft cushions and closed my eyes. "Seriously, Prue, you’re one in a million and I’m glad you decided to join me on this mad dash to the coast. Night, m’luv." I must have dropped off almost the instant I closed my eyes because I don’t remember anything else until a bump woke me and I slowly pried my eyes open to see a sickly looking dawn. I rubbed the goopy stuff from the corners of my eyes and tried to focus my thoughts AND my vision. Pickles was driving so I assumed that we must have stopped sometime during the night to switch drivers. If we HADN’T stopped, I wished I’d been awake to see the driver exchange! Pickles must have noticed me moving because she asked me if I wanted some coffee.

"Coffee?" I replied. "No thanks, Pickles but I’d KILL for a Pepsi!" I dug in my purse for a cigarette and lit up, rolling down the window so the smoke could escape. One or two coughs into that cigarette and I was beginning to feel almost human again. I set the smoke in an ashtray and looked back at the others to see how they were doing. Kim was stirring and I called back at her, softly.

"Hey Kim. Reach in the cooler and grab me a Pepsi, wouldja?" Kim obliged me and I popped the top, taking a long drink from the ice cold can. AHHHHHH! I’ll tell ya, folks, I feel sorry for those who drink coffee. There’s nothing like a big mouthful of fizzy Pepsi to get a jump start on a day. I finished my smoke and the Pepsi at almost the same time. I tossed the butt out the window and placed the empty can in a bag behind the seat.

"You ready to take a break, Pickles? If there’s a rest stop anywhere near here, you can just pull in and I’ll take over driving. As soon as I find a bathroom, that is. She thought for a second or two and then said, "Okay, Billie. There should be a rest stop coming up in the next few miles and, to tell the truth, I COULD use a break. I took over for Prue about an hour or so after you fell asleep and I’ve been driving steady since then. Actually *I* could use a bathroom myself! A few miles down the road, there it was, a rest stop. Pickles eased the van into a parking spot and we raced each other to the bathroom, locking the doors of the van behind us. Pickles beat me to the bathroom but only because she was more used to running as a woman than I was. It was a bit disconcerting to have all that wiggling, jiggling and swaying going on and I got a bit distracted.

We finished our business in there and were coming out when a car pulled into the parking lot!

Luck Be A Lady Continued

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Serial Chapter

Genre:

Character Age:

Mature / Thirty+

TG Themes:

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

FROM THE AUTHOR: This takes the place of a chapter that never should have happened. It's what SHOULD have happened instead of what I originally wrote and posted. It makes more sense and helps me tie it into the SUITED series

What am I trying to do with all this? I've always felt guilty about leaving these two stories unfinished. Back when I wrote them, there were quite a few people who really liked them and were upset that they never were finished. I recently had a brainstorm and figured out a way to complete both of them and tie them together, which was my original plan anyway. Here's a link to the beginning of the story: https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book/10959/luck-be-lady

LUCK BE A LADY CONTINUES.

“Oh terrific!” I muttered. “More strangers to deal with. With my freaking luck it'll be a bunch of sex maniacs looking for easy scores.”

“Oh relax Ms. Worry Wart.” Prue whispered to me. “This is a rest stop on a highway and it probably gets used like we are using it, quite a bit. Just chill out, act normal and when we're done in here, head for the van and don't look at whoever it is.”

We hurried and finished our business and exited the rest room as a group. Heading back toward the van I could see two guys and two girls standing by their car and stretching while lighting cigarettes. We nodded to them as we passed them and got into the van, closed the doors and hightailed it out of there.

“Whew!” I breathed a sigh of relief as we hit the road again. “That was almost too much for me after the smoke and explosion and stuff. Kim, have you discovered anything else in that alien software?”

“Just relax honey. I'm working on this as fast as I can! I think I might nave found some kind of translation thing that would help a lot in trying to decipher this alien gibberish. Some of it is in english, but most is in these weird squiggles and things that pass for language to whoever or whatever these aliens are. Gimme a bit more time to see it I can get it to work and I might be able to find out a lot more than we already have.”

“Fine!” I mumbled. I'll just sit here and fume quietly while you play Freecell or whatever on that alien thing!”

I sat back feeling out of sorts and exhausted by the events of this day and, for that matter, this whole damned week! Trapped in a dynamite female form. Being forced almost, to behave and gesture like a woman by the disguise unit and it's infernal programming! I sure hoped Kim and Prue could find out how the thing worked. Maybe it would tell us how to get out of the shitstorm we were in and out of this damned centerfold guise I was wearing.

I must've fallen asleep because I was jerked awake by Prue and Kim shouting, “EUREKA!!” and squealing with smiles on their faces.

“What? What happened? Where are we? What are you two all excited about?” I yelled!

“We got it! We got it!” Screamed Kim. Prue and I broke the code and managed to get to the translation software! We're gonna go through what's here and see what there is about the disguise kits and other stuff! Oboy! This is gonna be interesting!”

With that, she and Prue practically buried their noses in the small screen of the alien laptop thing and got to work learning what they could from it.

They didn't say much for the next half hour or so except to ask Neri to find a place to pull off the road and park for a bit. Apparently they'd found something that required closed reading which was difficult in the van while it was moving.

I fretted and wondered while Kim and Prue worked their way through the stuff they'd found, waiting somewhat impatiently for them to tell us something, anything!

Finally Kim looked at me and, with an unreadable expression on her face told me...:
“Well honey. We have found out that we were right about the bit about trying to return to a previously injured form too soon. It does say that, after sufficient time, you can return to your old form once it's had time to heal. Until then, you're stuck in what you have now.”

“Well, that's just swell!” I said disgustedly. “We kinda already knew that!”

Wait hon. There's a lot more here, although it's a bit jumbled. It seems that someone else found that space craft after you left it and they found some stuff you missed! Apparently there were some, what this calls, armored survival suits that whoever it was took and escaped with before the authorities got there! That means that someone else knows about this stuff, the kits and all maybe not, but maybe they found more info than what's on this laptop thing! We gotta find them!”

“Prue, Kim, just how the hell are we gonna find whoever this is? We don't know who it is or where they might be? Jeeze, we haven't even gotten to L.A. to whoever your friends are!”

“I don't know how we're gonna do that hon, but it's more than we knew before. Maybe my friends will know more about it.”

“All right then. Let's put this damned van into overdrive and get to your friends in L.A.! I'm sick and tired of having to sneak around trying to avoid the idiots who are trying to stop us Prue!”

“I think you're right hon. Kim? Pickle? Neri? You agree?”

Neri spoke up. "Hell yes I agree! It 's about time we took charge of what happens to us instead of just pussy footing around and running scared! Lets get this showonthe damn road!"

All three of them looked at me and just gave me a thumbs up andnods of agreement so we loaded up in the van and left twin strips of rubber on the road. Finally! No more sneaking around! We were taking as straight a shot at getting to L.A., hoping we could make it and not get sidetracked and forced to take back roads and 'shortcuts' to keep from being found and stopped.

FROM THE AUTHOR. If you were an original fan of this story and Transformers (Sort Of) now titled Suited For Adventure and Suited For Danger, please let me know via your comments that I should even attempt this. YOUR comments will make the decision for me.

My Transition Poem

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

General Audience (pg)

Genre:

Transitioning

Character Age:

Senior / Sixty+

Other Keywords:

Verse

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

I haven't posted anything for awhile and I decided to resurrect this oldie that I wrote when I started my transition, almost two years ago. I hope you enjoy it and I think it speaks to each of us attempting to travel the transition road, unsure of what will happen to us, but ever hopeful.

MY TRANSITION POEM.

Of all of the times in my long lonesome life,
full of anger and sadness and worry and strife,

the now, this moment, holds, it seems,
my hopes, my prayers, my choices, my dreams.

I stand on the threshold of change and renewal,
and I must be bold, and follow new rules.

The past is the past and I bid it adieu,
I welcome the changes, I'll embrace the new.

Filled with fears and with dread, but regardless of strife,
filled with hope and with wonder, I'll begin my new life.

With the help of my friends, both far and so near,
Their love and their caring will assure that those fears,

will vanish like fog, no more strife, no more tears,
and my life, will be filled with their hugs, and their love,

I'll embrace the new me, no longer a hawk, now a dove.

From Cathy: Yes, I know that the last few lines sorta ruin the meter, but I was writing what I felt and, even though those last three lines ruin the meter, they say what I felt, and still feel.

Not a story...a lament to a lost love.

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

General Audience (pg)

Publication:

Verse, Poetry, Lyric

Genre:

Romance

TG Themes:

TG Elements:

CAUTION

Other Keywords:

Tissue alert

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

This is a tribute, a remembrance, a lament...to the best man I ever knew, the best human being, my secret love.

He was taken from us...from me, several years ago, but he still lives in my heart and my memories. He knew how I felt, but we could never let on to anyone else. He never did.

I really don't care how any of this is taken by anyone, but as emotional as I have been for the last few days, I HAD to get this out of me for my sanity's sake.

To Mikey, my secret love, my hero, my heart.

I'm missing you tonite...
lying here looking up at the stars.

I miss the times we had
and all the good and bad...

I know there's a reason you had to go
but what it is I don't know.

you left me here alone
how was I supposed to go on
how can I live with the pain
knowing we'll never meet again.

we laughed and played and did great things
and never gave a thought
to how short our times were
or how soon they would end.

you made me feel important
and like I mattered.

you were my hero, my rock
upon your mighty shoulders waves of gloom crashed uselessly
never standing a chance of breaking you...or us.

The phone rang...it was bad
I rushed to your side...but you were gone.

I never had the chance to say goodbye
or even, see you later.
that great light, your life, was gone in an instant
and left me here, broken and spent
knowing that I would never hear your voice again
or see your beautiful face.

I'd never be held in your arms
sheltered from a cruel uncaring world
by your strength and love.

it's unfair of me to rail at fate
or curse whatever god took you from me
but, lying here alone and remembering...

I'm missing you tonite...and always will.

your Cathy...forever.

FROM THE AUTHOR:

I am NOT despondent, nor am I considering anything dumb or drastic.

My heart still aches as I sit here, holding the hat and jacket he always wore, given to me after his passing, by his wife...who knew how I felt.

I don't plan to be shuffling off this mortal coil anytime soon, but then again, neither did he.

If you love someone, TELL THEM!!!!!! You never, never know when you might never get the chance again.

These included songs say what I need to say better than I ever could.

One More Day by Diamond Rio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuE1XJ_uqOs

Last night I had a crazy dream
A wish was granted just for me
It could be for anything
I didn't ask for money
Or a mansion in Malibu
I simply wished for one more day with you
One more day, one more time
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied
But then again, I know what it would do
Leave me wishing still for one more day with you
One more day
First thing I'd do is pray for time to crawl
I'd unplug the telephone and keep the TV off
I'd hold you every second
Say a million I love you's
That's what I'd do with one more day with you
One more day, one more time
One more sunset maybe I'd be satisfied
But then again I know what it would do
Leave me wishing still for…
One more day, one more time
One more sunset maybe I'd be satisfied
But then again I know what it would do
Leave me wishing still for one more day
Leave me wishing still for one more day
Leave me wishing still for one more day with you
One more day (one more day)

Not a Day Goes By
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYzVVr4z70o
Song By Lonestar

Got a picture of you I carry in my heart
Close my eyes to see it when the world gets dark
Got a memory of you I carry in my soul
I wrap it close around me when the nights get cold
If you asked me how I'm doin' I'd say just fine
But the truth is baby, if you could read my mind

Not a day goes by that I don't think of you
After all this time you're still with me it's true
Somehow you remain locked so deep inside
Baby, baby, oh baby, not a day goes by

I still wait for the phone in the middle of the night
Thinkin' you might call me if your dreams don't turn out right
And it still amazes me that I lie here in the dark
Wishin' you were next to me, with your head against my heart
If you asked me how I'm doing I'd say just fine
But the truth is baby, if you could read my mind

Not a day goes by that I don't think of you
After all this time you're still with me it's true
Somehow you remain locked so deep inside
Baby, baby, oh baby, not a day goes by

Minutes turn to hours, and the hours to days
Seems it's been forever that I've felt this way

Not a day goes by that I don't think of you
After all this time you're still with me it's true
Somehow you remain locked so deep inside
Baby, baby, oh baby, not a day goes by
That I don't think of you

Sara's Story - A Home That Love Built Story

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Organizational:

Title Page

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

TG Universes & Series:

The Home that Love Built by Catherine Linda Michel

Taxonomy upgrade extras:

From Cathy. This story is darker and more emotional for me, than anything I've ever written. I cried when it came to me, I cried as I wrote it, I cried when I posted it, and I'll cry at every comment, hit or vote.

A Home That Love Built Story

Sara's Story
Rededication

Sara's Story Justice or Vengeance Chapter 1

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Caution:

Audience Rating:

Adult Oriented (r21/a)

Publication:

500 < Short Story < 7500 words

Genre:

Transgender

TG Universes & Series:

The Home that Love Built by Catherine Linda Michel

TG Themes:

Crime / Punishment

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

Author's foreword: This is not going to be an easy or comforting story for me to write. Sara's Story exhausted me, mentally and emotionally. When it was done I tried my hand at a couple of short-shorts, but they weren't what I needed them to be. For those who aren't familiar with Sara's Story, it's here: http://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/fiction/59942/saras-story-home...

There is more than enough cruelty in the world and the so-called authorities don't seem to be able to make a dent in the violence, hampered as they are by outmoded and unenforceable laws. There is a need, however unfortunate it might seem, for a force to begin to try to set things right, even if they must circumvent the “laws” by whatever means necessary.

I am including an “Extreme Violence” warning for this story as it will be quite violent in content and language. If your particular “triggers” are tripped by such things, please skip over this story. It was and is something that has finally tipped me over a mental block against violence and retribution, at least in story form. This may be too much for Top Shelf and I will fully understand if the admins either stipulate no comments, or decide to not even keep it available for reading... but I have to write it... Sara won't let me NOT write it.

The setting: A pleasant town somewhere in the United States... location doesn't really matter.
The particular place: A place called “The Home That Love Built.”
The situation: A gang attacked and caused the ultimate death of a young T-girl named “Sara” before she could reach the sanctuary of The Home.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sara's Story... Retribution at any cost?

Well, things did get very busy following the terrible events that happened to a poor girl who tried to come to The Home, but sadly, was too late. She died with me at her side, knowing that she was finally loved and cherished, and was buried as she wished to be... dressed to the nines and looking as lovely as any 16 year old could ever have hoped to be.

Her family, particularly her father, tried their damndest to interfere with Sara's interment and tombstone, but Sam, my lawyer, stood firm and, backed by the court, he blocked their every ploy to interfere.

In the days following Sara's burial things picked up at the Home with new girls checking in, other girls leaving for their new lives either in the work force or to school, sponsored and paid for by The Home. I had scheduled a meeting with the Mayor and the Chief of Police regarding the gangs and the South Side Bastards who were responsible for Sara'a beating, rape and eventual death.

I was forceful, but diplomatic as I talked to the two leading politicians of our city, letting them know that if something wasn't done and soon, I would take it upon myself and some... lets say unsavory people who society mostly frowns upon, but who owed me and Sam favors that one way or another, the SSB would have justice rained down upon them. Okay, I soft pedaled some of that, but the idea I gave them was, if they wouldn't do anything about it, I would!

As for myself and my own tenuous hold on health... well let's just say that I did what the doctors demanded of me. I took an anti-smoking drug, cut back on my cigarettes and delegated a lot more responsibility to Irene, Sandra and a couple others for the day-to-day running of the Home. I took some time to de-stress, visiting with the new residents of The Home and re-visiting some of the older ones, especially those who were transitioning back into mainstream society.

I can't tell you how much it made my time after Sara easier. It eased my mind and made my re-dedication to the reasons for the existence of the home that much clearer for me. Sam was invaluable as both my lawyer and my close dear friend. Whenever I needed something from him he was there almost before I could put down the phone and he always made sure I followed the doctors demands for my health.

However... deep inside me there was a raging fire that no amount of comfort could quell. I wanted the sons of bitches who'd done what they did to Sara to face justice in whatever way it could come to them. I wasn't convinced that the Police or the Mayor would or even could follow through with what they'd promised me, so I put out some feelers within the “community” asking for help with the task I'd promised Sara I'd do.

For some days there was no response from any of the “sources” that supposedly existed to bypass the inadequate means the Police had to deal with such things. Then, finally... a response!

“To the person who posted the need for a cleansing, I will contact you within the next week at a time and place of my choosing. If you are serious and willing to meet my price, I can and will solve your problems.”

This missive came in an anonymous envelope which appeared, as if by magic, at the front desk of the Home. No return address, no names, no nothing to let anyone know who it was from or where it came from. I was, of course, somewhat apprehensive about dealing with someone who seemed to be so secretive, so I called Sam and discussed it with him as a private lunch.

“ I don't know about this kind of thing Cathilynn. It could lead to more trouble than you or I can handle if anything illegal comes down behind it. It smacks of some kind of vigilante for hire type of deal and that's always a risky proposition. Keeping your name and the name of The Home out of it is paramount in my opinion and, if this person is caught, well... all hell could bust loose, sinking both you and me as well as The Home. You've put a lot into The Home, not just in personal wealth, but in emotional health. I'd hate to see the whole thing come crashing down on you and all the residents and staff, as well as on me as your legal representative.”

“I know all that Sam, and I appreciate your worry, but these sons of bitches need to be brought to justice somehow and I doubt the cops can do what needs to be done. They're too hamstrung by the law itself and the rules of evidence. We know who did this, as a group anyway, and they can't be allowed to think they got away with what they did, not only to Sara, but God only knows how many other crimes they've committed. Look, I'm not contracting murder here Sam. If I can just find someone who can collect enough evidence against this gang to bring them down, that'll be enough for me to feel like I've kept my promises to Sara!”

We threw the topic back and forth for over two hours over lunch and really came to no real conclusion, except that if I was to contact the mysterious person who'd left the note...Sam insisted that he accompany me to whatever meeting would be set up. If he wouldn't be allowed to come with me, then there could be no deal made. I agreed with Sam, not only for my own personal safety, but feeling very uneasy about something that could ruin not only myself, but The Home itself and all it was supposed to represent.

At the same time there was a burning need in me that demanded justice for not only Sara, but for every poor abused, abandoned or disadvantaged trans person out there. Violence, I believed was always the last resort for the uneducated or bigoted ones in the world to “solve” their perceived wrong things in their worldview, however twisted that view might actually be to decent people. Thus totally feeling ambivalent in the extreme, Sam and I decided to wait for the contact information that had been promised in the brief message. I hoped and prayed that whatever action was proposed by this mysterious person, would satisfy my need for closure and bring a measure of justice to the bastards who had so cruelly tortured and killed Sara, without bringing ruin on my dream that gave birth to The Home That Love Built.

As promised, the answer to the note came exactly one week later.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the author: It's up to you, the readers whether this story should continue or be tossed out as too extreme and forgotten as a failed effort. I can only say that it's going to be very violent and will run afoul of the notion/belief that death is never a solution for someone who has, by their actions, forfeited their breathing privileges.

Sara's Story Justice or Vengeance Chapter 4

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

General Audience (pg)

Publication:

Novel Chapter

Character Age:

TG Universes & Series:

The Home that Love Built by Catherine Linda Michel

TG Themes:

Crime / Punishment

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

The scene: The Home That Love Built.
The players: Cathilynn and Sam.

“I just don't know Sam.” Cathilynn said confusedly. “I mean, Sara deserves justice for what was done to her, and I DO want those who are responsible to be punished, but how far is TOO far? Do I want them dead? Do I want them punished under the law? Is the law capable of doing what needs to be done? Oh Sam! I am SO torn about all this!”

“Cath, speaking as a lawyer, I want to see the law brought down on those gang bastards, but I don't think the law has enough hard evidence to charge any of them, or to even arrest them at this point. As much as I hate the thought of going outside the law, I really believe it's the only way to end the threat the gang represents, and the only way they'll be truly punished.”

“So we wait to see if that mysterious contact gets in touch and just turn them loose on the gang with no oversight or controls? Sam, I am so uncomfortable with that thought. This Home was built by love. It was built to try to address some of the injustices that happen to Trans kids and adults, but it's primary reason is love. To give free rein to some mysterious person or persons to bring hellfire and brimstone down on some wannabe gangsters goes against everything this Home and, for that matter, I believe in.”

“Cathilynn. You understand that I cannot be a part of this, don't you? I'd be risking my career and by association, this Home and you if it ever got out that I knew about this and did nothing to stop it. I've been your friend since we were both in school and I've been by your side every step of the way while you fought to make the Home reality. Your courage and belief in what's right is just one of the many things that has kept me right where I am and even if this goes a bad way, I will not waver from my personal commitment to you.”

“I know, Sam. You standing right with me all the way through school and my eventual transition has made who I am and what the home has become, so much easier for me.”

“Ah Cathy. Things might have been so different for us, but we both know that neither of us is what the other desires. I've accepted that we can't ever be more than the friends we are, but sometimes... sometimes I can't help but wish and wonder, 'what if,' you know?”

“Yes Sam, I DO know, but we've been all over that ground. If I could ever give my heart to a man, you'd be the one, but we're off the subject here. Lets go get some lunch and talk more about this other matter, shall we?”

“Like the man said in that movie, 'As you wish.' Cathy.”

Meanwhile, across town:

Brett is talking with David on the phone.

“So you understand, David. You have to figure a way for us to spy on the gang, either electronically or in person, without them knowing about it. We have to get some proof, even if it wouldn't stand up in court.”

“Yeah Brett. I got it, okay? Have I ever let you down? I can get in and out of their hideout and they'll never know I was there, but you gotta figure out someway to get them distracted. All I need is five or ten minutes to wire that dump so they won't even be able to fart without us knowing about it. I already have a plan to wire their cars with trackers and transmitters, so all I need to finish up is to plant cameras and mikes in their hideout. Don't you worry about it. You got hold of Sonya, right?”

“Yeah. She'll be coming in within the next hour or so. She's been briefed and knows the situation. Her martial arts and weapons know-how will be critical to our success. I've made initial contact with this Cathilynn person... anonymously of course, and I don't think she'll want what we might have to do. 'Number one' thinks we might want to go the favor route instead of getting paid for this job. That way there's no paper trail or money trail for the authorities to follow.”

“Listen Brett... with what those punks did to that kid, I'd be inclined to do this job for free. Anyone who'd do that to a poor kid like this Sara, deserves no mercy as far as I'm concerned. I'm in for whatever we gotta do to bring them down.”

“Okay David. I knew you'd feel that way. To tell you the truth, I pretty much feel the same way, and I know that Sonya will love doing her thing on those punks. One other thing... we gotta make sure that another gang doesn't move into the SSB turf once we're taken them out of circulation. I know for a fact that there is at least one other gang who wants the SSB turf... the Northsiders.”

“Yeah Brett. I already got eyes and ears on their place and vehicles. I also have taps on their computers and phones. Don't ask me how. It's better you don't know everything about how I do my wizardry. Makes you guys appreciate me more. I got a feeling that, once they see what happens to the SSBs, they'll stay away from anything that has to do with that Home or anyone who goes to it. I'm gonna plant some warnings on their computers once the job is done.”

“Okay David. Good job as always. I have things to do. Stay in touch.”

Brett then went to his meeting with Cathilynn.

She met with Brett alone, without Sam. Sam was standing by his phone and could reach Cathilynn inside of two minutes if he had to, but he knew that this was something she had to do for and by herself. He didn't like it, but he knew that Cathilynn needed this.

Brett used some electronics to disguise his voice and wore all black clothing including a head mask. They met in an out of the way place, both staying in their own cars.

“Okay lady,” Brett said. “Here's the deal. We take care of the gang by whatever way we see fit. This gives you some deniability. Most of the time we get paid, and paid very well to do what we do and we are damned good at it. Sometimes though, we trade favors. A job for a favor. Never anything illegal though, and you always have the option of saying no, but that would still leave you owing a favor, understand?”

“Yes, I get it. I don't like this at all, but I can't see another way. Sara was... special to me. She touched my heart and took a piece of it with her when she died, killed by those animals! I don't want to know who you are and I don't want to know what you are going to do with those bastards. As for your payment...I choose the favor option. If and when you need my favor, whoever you send should say; 'The SSB is gone. It's time to repay.' That way I'll know it's your group that is asking for the favor.”

“Consider our business complete then. We won't contact you again.” and Brett drove away. Cathilynn just sat there in her car for several minutes, too frightened and disgusted with herself for what she'd just done. Then she called Sam to let him know she was okay.

“Sam, it's done. I'm okay, but I need you to stay with me tonight. I don't want to be alone after what I just did.”

“Cathy, you have but to ask. I've stayed at your side all these years and I'll be damned if I'll waver from there now. I'll meet you back at The Home. Go straight there, okay?”

“Okay Sam... thank you.” She hung up and began to drive home, trying not to break down and cry.

TBC

From the author. This story is very difficult for me to write. I beg you readers to bear with me while I try to make it interesting and appropriate. As I'm sure you know, the Cathilynn character is closely based on myself and I find vengeance an easy concept to imagine, but very difficult to jibe with the character of Cathilynn, and very difficult to write. I asked for some assistance, but after an initial response, nothing was forthcoming, so finally decided to try it alone.

I'll try to do my best and I don't want to disappoint you readers, but I might do just that. Maybe I should have never started this part of Sara's Story, but having begun, I will do my best to finish it. Thank you to all of you who messaged and commented, both on the original story and on this sequel. You are the only reason I write at all.

Catherine Linda Michel

Sara's Story Justice or Vengeance Chapter 2

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Caution:

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

500 < Short Story < 7500 words

Genre:

Character Age:

TG Universes & Series:

The Home that Love Built by Catherine Linda Michel

TG Themes:

Crime / Punishment

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

My thanks to all who commented on the subject of whether or not this story should be written. Your responses have convinced me that I have to write it. There is no violence or TG in this chapter, but there will be in future chapters. The keywords and categories cover the entire story but are not germane in every chapter.

Sara's Story. Justice or Vengeance. Chapter 2

The scene: A nondescript hotel room.

The players: A large man, obscured in the shadows of the room, and an ordinary looking man dressed in normal, mostly clean clothing.

“So Brett, what do you think? Is this Cathilynn going to go for our solution?” Asked the concealed man.

“I'm not sure, number 1. She seems to be a very moral person, but she is almost obsessed with hatred for the SSB. Knowing what was done to the girl, I'm anxious to deal some justice to those sons of bitches. Besides, they have been getting into running drugs and other more serious crimes. They need to be taken down, and taken down hard.”

“You understand, Brett, that if we take this contract, we can't allow any of the gang to escape. That could get very messy, very quickly.”

Brett sighed and said, “I know. I'm also not certain if we are going to get paid for this job. In truth, having seen what they are, and what they've done, I'd almost be willing to do it for free. The cops seem handcuffed. They can't make any inroads trying to get some real, hard evidence against the gang. It's said they've tried getting someone inside the gang, but have never gotten any closer than one meet with a member... then, nothing.

“That's true, Brett. I've had some feelers out and, while I know what they're doing, I can't get any info either... at least any that I could take to the cops.” Changing the subject, “number 1 then asked. “What more do we know about this Cathilynn?”

“Well sir, we know that she won a huge lottery jackpot and almost built that home of hers by hand, fighting the city council and public opinion all the way. She's doing good, much needed work, but she's always very cautious about anything that would reflect badly on herself or the home. She has some very talented and committed people working there and they seem very loyal to her and the home. She is not hurting for money and could probably easily pay a large fee for what we can do, but I think charging her would be a bad move on our part.”

”Oh? What makes you think that Brett?”

“With all due respect, sir... any large amount of money withdrawn form her account might point the authorities straight back to us, and her. If we do this pro bono, so to speak, then there's no cash trail to follow and she, her home, and thus us, would be in the clear as far as the authorities would be able to tell.”

“What about the “other” way of payment then? Could this Cathilynn or her home be useful to us in the future?” Number 1 asked.

“I think that is a distinct possibility, sir. Her contacts, as well as the home itself could be a way to funnel people we come across who would need a place like that home. I know of at least two who we have helped who have no way to repay us, but who accepted the “Favor” that we might ask of them in the future, and are in need of a place to go where they would be out of the public eye and helped.”

“Hmmm. Those are good thoughts Brett. Sort of killing two birds and all that. We certainly aren't in any desperate need of ready money, and we can always use another person who owes us a favor if we need it. Let me think about it for a day or two. Contact Sonya and David and have them ready to go if we need them. If we get this contract, it'll be more of task than you can accomplish all by yourself.”

“I agree sir, and there's no one other than those two I'd want at my back on a job like this one. Sonya's martial arts and weapons training and David's electronic wizardry are perfect for a job this size. We also have to remember.... this Cathilynn is one tough gal. What she went through during the incident with Sara could easily have put her in the hospital with a stroke or worse. That lawyer friend of hers is no pushover either. He's smart and totally loyal to Cathilynn. Apparently they were best friends in school and he stuck by her during her transition and has, ever since. He's reported to be a real bulldog in court and has several judges who seem to be his friends and who listen to him.”

“That could be a problem, Brett. Do you think he'll stay out of this job, with the exception of protecting Cathilynn and the home?”

“I can't say for sure sir, but I do know that he is very protective about her and the home, so he could become a stumbling block if we get caught doing what we're probably going to have to do to bring this gang down. We'll have to keep a close eye on him throughout our operation. I do think, however, that his loyalty to Cathilynn will cause him to...shall we say, close one eye to most, if not everything we'll have to do.”

“You and your team will be prepared to do whatever is necessary to make certain this gang will never again be a threat...including disposals, Brett?”

“Don't worry sir. We've dealt with much worse threats than this gang of wannabe bad guys. Most of them have records anyway, although none of them have ever been formally charged of arrested. They won't be missed when and if they suddenly come up... missing.”

“All right, Brett. The details are up to you and your team. If we do take this job, I know you and they will be as professional as you have always been. Please don't make me have to get any of you out of jail or worse?”

“Don't worry sir. We've dealt with worse before. I'm not being egotistic or overconfident that this will be a cakewalk, but with Sonya and David backing any play I make. I can see no problems with getting out cleanly and with no more than a minor fuss arising after we're done.”

“Okay Brett. We'll set up a meet with this Cathilynn person and hammer out details. I think it's a good thing we'll be doing. One of my friends has a daughter who used to be his son and I know what he and his kid went through. It would have been much easier for them both if a place like this Home That Love Built had been there for them to help. You know,” as he heaved a sigh, “things would be so much better in this world if everyone would just mind their own damn business and let others do the same.”

“I agree, sir. Still, that isn't gonna happen anytime soon, and in the meantime, we still have jobs that have to be done, like them or not.”

Brett left the room and drove to another hotel, where he checked in under a false name, one of many he kept IDs. for. He made contact with the other two he'd chosen for his team and made plans to contact Cathilynn about dispensing justice to a group of more or less worthless so-called human beings who had by their actions, forfeited their breathing privileges. The before action kick he usually got, seemed to be missing and was replaced by the feeling that he was going to be righting some very wrong things and making the world just that much a better place for those who just wanted to live their lives and be safe from persecution and bigotry.

TBC

Sara's Story Justice or Vengeance Chapter 3

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Caution:

CAUTION: Language

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Character Age:

TG Universes & Series:

The Home that Love Built by Catherine Linda Michel

TG Elements:

CAUTION

Other Keywords:

Offensive lauguage

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

Sara's Story. Justice or Vengeance? Chapter 3

Scene: The SSB (South Side Bastards) Hangout.

The players. Big Tom: Gang leader.
Little Tom: Big Tom's brother
Feet: Runner and purse snatch expert. Very fast.
Mooch: Burglar and thief.
Big Butch: Gang enforcer.
Pretty Boy: Pimp and drug pusher.
All the gang members are involved in drugs, prostitution, and violence.

Big Tom: “Okay you fools. Listen up. I called ya here ta let ya know that we might have to cool it for awhile. The cops are gettin too close to our operations and I don't want nobody gettin busted. We all got too much ta lose if any one of us gets popped by the fuzz. Besides, I hear that there are some straights gettin all worked up over that fag we busted up.”

Little Tom...laughing: “What? You mean those homos with that Home or whatever they call it? What are they gonna do? Fag us to death?”

Mooch: “Good one LT(Little Tom)! Fag us to death! Don't make me laugh! They ain't nothin but a bunch of wannabe pussies. Maybe they just need some real men to teach 'em what goes and what don't go. They wanna be girls? I say we teach 'em what a woman is supposed to be.”

Big Butch: “Shaddup you little wimp! We need ta steer clear of that place! That bitch who owns the joint has got more money than she can shake a freakin stick at! She's also a tough bitch from all I hear. Plus, she's got that lawyer suckin up to her, followin her around like some kinda lap dog, and he don't lose in court! I hear some judges are even his buds! We can't get on her or his bad sides, get me?”

Pretty Boy: I dunno BB. There are some pretty good lookin pretend broads in that home of theirs. I could use some of them babes on the street, making us some big time bread, you feel me? Some guys dig that sort of shit, ya know, and they'll pay plenty to score a fag like them.”

Big Tom: Shaddup, alla you! I said we stay clear of that joint AND everybody who's got anything to do with it, and that's what we're gonna do! Any of you pull any shit with that joint OR the fags in it, you'll answer to me. Got it!? Now. What about the rest of our shit? Drugs and hookers doin ok? Mooch, nice job on that store. Nobody got a good look at ya and you got clean away. Feet? You gotta be more careful! That broad you snatched that purse from last week is a friend of a friend of a judge!”

Big Butch: “Yeah and don't forget that little northside wimp we caught and beat the crap outta. That'll teach those northies to stay the hell outta our hood. Man, I'll never forget the way his face crunched when I stomped it. What a kick!”

Big Tom: “Yeah, but don't get too cocky there Butch. You coulda left a bootprint on that fag punk's face or body. That kinda shit could get you and us in the middle of some real shit!”

Butch: “Don't sweat it BT! I burned those boots after I stole a new pair. I also threw what was left of 'em in the garbage dump. The cops could search that stinkin dump til their feet and hands fall off and they'd never find what was left of those kicks.”

BT: “You better be right Butch! After that fag bitch we played with, she, he, whatever, died! We shoulda just killed her right then. Nobody to lead the cops to us then. As it is, we gotta watch that Nancy fag and his/her parents. She's the one who found the bitch and called the ambulance and also pointed a finger at us. Far as I'm concerned, one less pervert in the world, nobody's gonna care except the rest of them weirdos at that home, but let's be more careful. We got too much money comin in from our other things, and we don't wanna risk any of that by bein busted for killin some pretend bitch. If it ever happens again, whoever does it better make damn sure the body never gets found. Hear me?”

Pretty Boy: “I hear ya boss, and I know the rest of these meatheads get the point as well. For me though, I wish I had some of them pretend pussies on the payroll. Maybe we could snatch a couple of 'em and make 'em disappear, workin at one of our other hoods? Nobody'd find 'em once the Doc got his hands on 'em. A little plastic surgery and they'd be real money earners.”

BT: I TOLD you! Stay the fuck away from that home and everybody in it! If push comes to shove, I got a guy who does great work, makin people and places disappear. When he gets done with a place, there ain't nothin left but pieces of people and places that nobody'd be able to identify. So, until I say somethin... STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM THAT HOME!! YOU GET ME?”

Butch: “Okay, that's it then. We got business to do and money to make. Let's get the hell outta here and get it done!”

Author's note: There are many other gang members, but I concentrated on the main leaders. The total gang numbers at around 20 or so, depending on how well they do at the gang's businesses. Potential members “make their bones” by committing some illegal act or helping full members do things. For the record, this gang HAS committed murder before, but no one ever officially connected the gang to the deaths and the Police had to let them go due to insufficient evidence.

TBC

Sara's Story Justice or Vengeance Chapter 5

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Caution:

CAUTION: Violence

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Novel Chapter

Character Age:

TG Universes & Series:

The Home that Love Built by Catherine Linda Michel

TG Themes:

Crime / Punishment

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

SARA'S STORY JUSTICE OR VENGEANCE. By Catherine Linda Michel

CHAPTER 5

A couple of weeks went by and there seemed to be no change in the gang's activities. They were still up to their no-good actions and Cathy was going through different moods, seemingly daily. One day she wanted the whole gang dead and gone, while on other days she dreaded being the one behind whatever vengeance was awaiting them.

Morally, she knew that deadly vengeance was wrong except for the worst of crimes and, for the most part, she was torn, knowing that her actions might indeed lead to the deaths of whichever gang members were directly involved in Sara's beating, rape and death... but then, they HAD killed Sara and murder deserved the worst kind of retribution, or so she thought.

Sara had become more than just one more trans person seeking solace and help. She had become, in Cathilyn's mind, a surrogate child. The experiences in the hospital and the burial had gone deep into Cathilyn's mind and soul. Sara had forgiven the ones who caused her death, and her family's seeming uncaring attitudes...Cathilyn had not.

Sam had been a rock for Cathilyn. He had been at her side, even though he had a full schedule of legal duties. He had postponed some of his less pressing cases and given responsibility for some others, only handling the most serious cases on his docket, but had devoted the majority of his time to Cathilyn and The Home, knowing that he was much more needed by her side than almost anything else.

Was Sam in love with Cathilyn? This question had been in both Sam's and Cathilyn's minds from time to time although neither had confided or expressed any such thoughts to one another. Why? Perhaps Sam was too wrapped up in legal matters, or maybe that he was afraid that by telling Cathilyn would ruin their close friendship. For Cathilyn, while she believed that Sam was a true and trusted friend, she had never really allowed herself to contemplate any such possibility of romantic feelings toward Sam or any other male.

Beside that, Cathilyn and Sam had a long history of friends. Sam had been one of the very few who had stood with her while she transitioned, helping her with all the myriad of paperwork that accompanies such a major change in one's life. He had gone with her when she had her final surgeries and had become the primary legal representative for The Home. While Sam was a bit younger than Cathilyn, there was an attraction between them although neither of them recognized consciously what it might be. It was easier and much fewer mental calisthenics were involved to name it anything other than friendship, deep though it might be.

Meanwhile, Brett, David and Sonya were working to find the best way to bring the gang to justice. Elimination of the gang members was certainly an option, but maybe not the best way, since it might bring too much attention to The Home and Cathilyn. To disrupt the good work that was being done at The Home would not do anyone any good, and to besmirch Cathilyn's hard won reputation would be just as bad.

Nevertheless, something HAD to be done. Beside their responsibility in Sara's death, they had been involved in so many other illegal deeds for which they had not been arrested or punished and they were becoming a force for bad things in the neighborhood and the town itself. They weren't the only gang in town, but they were, without a doubt, the worst and the other gangs were constantly warring to supplant the SSBs to take over their territory. Sooner or later, open warfare would break out among the gangs and that would be very bad for all concerned.

David had managed to bug the gang's headquarters, a rundown home that had slipped through the cracks and the city government and the banks had lost track of it, despite concerned citizen's complaints about the disreputable home and grounds around it. The police knew about it, of course, but lacking any real, provable evidence, there was little more that they could do, save to try to keep close eyes open for anything that could enable them to arrest anyone.

David had many hours of recordings from the gang hangout indicating who might have been directly involved in Sara's beating, and had put names to at least 5 who had participated in the attack. He had briefed both Brett and Sonya about their identities and plans were in the works to bring real proof to the police, but any information David managed to gather was questionable at best and not really enough to build a case against those responsible.

“I'll tell you, Brett,” David said, “these guys are as sneaky and close mouthed about this as any I've ever come up against. I mean, yes, we could sweat some of them and get the info we need to bring them down, but it wouldn't stand up in any court. I think we're gonna have to consider just relieving them of their breathing privileges. I know you hate having that option, but I don't see any other real way to end their threat or bring this gang down.

“Yeah, I know David.” Brett replied. “I hate the idea of having to kill any of them although God knows, some of them deserve killing. I had hoped we would be able to get this job done without that happening, but as you say, we don't seem to be able to get what we need to do this any other way. Sonya, do you have any other ideas about this?”

“No Brett. Although I must admit, the crimes they've been suspected of committing justify eliminations, what they did to that poor kid puts them firmly in my book as not needed on this earth. Crimes against adults are one thing, but to pick on, beat and rape a kid who was only trying to get somewhere to get help is beyond my ability to think any of them deserve mercy. If you want, I can begin picking them off one by one.”

“Sonya, you have always been one who prefers the simpler ways of eliminating problems.” Brett remarked. “In this case though, I have begun to come around to your solution for some of these wastes of space. I'll run it past number 1 and see if he agrees. If he does, maybe we can get this job done with a minimum number of casualties and break up the rest of the gang. You do realize though that we are going to have to send a strong message to the rest of the gangs in this city that, if you mess with Cathilyn or The Home, they won't like the consequences. Otherwise, the minute the SSB's are out of power, the others will want to move in and take over what's left.”

“So maybe we'll have to send a strong enough warning to all of them then.” Said Sonya. “If they know that The Home and all of it's residents, staff are under a strict, enforced ban on interference it might even help those who are LGBT and keep them safer than they might otherwise be. You know, I'll never understand why those who are “gender variant” come under such hatred and distrust. They are just folks trying to live their lives as best as they can.”

“I agree, Sonya” David said. “So Brett, I guess you have to go to number 1 and present our findings and conclusions and I think you oughta do it ASAP. These gang members seem to be untouchable any other way. Even if we scare them, they'll just bunker up and prepare for a fight, making it harder for us to do what needs to be done. God! I hate this kind of job!”

“So do Sonya and I, David, but in some cases, there is no other way to get it done. If the law won't or can't solve things, then it falls to people like us to set the record straight and make things right again, or to obtain justice for someone who never hurt anyone. Okay guys. I'm off to see number 1 and get his thoughts and/or approval for our plan.” Brett finally said.

He went immediately to his secure phone and made arrangements to meet him and hopefully get the okay to begin their mission. He knew that it wouldn't be an easy sell, but didn't see any other way to solve the situation. The gang could not be allowed to think they had committed murder and rape without any reprisals. Fortunately, all the planning and the actual taking of this job had been accomplished with almost no connection to The Home or Cathilyn, or at least nothing that could be proved in court. Certainly there would be questions and the inevitable death of Sara would throw The Home under some suspicion but nothing that could be proved.

A few nights later.

Having obtained information that identified the ringleaders of the assault on Sara beyond any possible doubt, Sonya waited in ambush. She knew that one of the ones directly responsible would be in a certain area at a certain time and had scoped out a couple of likely ambush spots where she would be able to take care of business without drawing unnecessary attention from citizens or the police.

FROM THE AUTHOR. This is, undoubtedly, the toughest thing I have ever tried to write. Some of it is going to fly directly in the face of what I feel is right or moral. I've tried my hardest to divorce my own personal feelings about some of what will follow and try to write what would probably follow. Please don't flame me or take me to task over what might be anathema to some of you. Bear in mind that Cathilyn's hurt over Sara's death is, in a larger sense, my own, as Sara's story touched me emotionally more than I ever thought it would. Never has anything I wrote touched me so deeply. So if I get a bit bloodthirsty seeming in future chapters, it's the voice within me, screaming for vengeance agaInst people who would regard Trans people as targets for whatever violence they deem right in their deluded excuses for minds.

Sara's Story Chapter 1 - A Home That Love Built Story

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Serial Chapter

Genre:

Character Age:

Teenage or High School

TG Universes & Series:

The Home that Love Built by Catherine Linda Michel

Other Keywords:

and hard for me to write.

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

From Cathy. This story is darker and more emotional for me, than anything I've ever written. I cried when it came to me, I cried as I wrote it, I cried when I posted it, and I'll cry at every comment, hit or vote.

A Home That Love Built Story

Sara's Story
Rededication

My alarm clock showed the time to be 3AM when I looked at it, blearily. Why was I looking at my clock at that hour? Well, the damn phone woke me up.

“Hello?” I mumbled into the phone. “Who is this?”

“Is this Cathilynn, the owner of The Home That Love Built?” The voice asked me.

“Yes, yes, it is. Now who is this calling me at this ungodly time of the morning?”

“We have a teen here in the hospital. This is Head nurse, Natalie Colm calling. I know what your place is all about, and I think you need to get here ASAP. This kid is in a bad way. I can't give you any details on the phone, but I can say that this is serious, and it concerns you and what your Home is all about.”

“Okay, okay.” I mumbled, still half asleep, but waking up quickly. “Give me a few minutes to dress and put on my face. I'll be there in about a half hour, is that fast enough?”

“I guess it'll have to be, but this kid is really hurt badly. The doctors are working on...um, her, as we speak and it doesn't look good”

Well, that was all I had to hear. I came to full wakefulness in less time than it takes to say it, jumped out of bed, told the nurse I'd be there as quick as I could, hung up the phone and began scrambling around, getting dressed. I hit the intercom to Irene's quarters and when she answered I told her to get up and get dressed. We had an emergency!

“Meet me in the parking lot in ten minutes. We need to get to the hospital fast!”

“I'll be there, Cathy. Any idea how bad this is?”

“No, hon. All the nurse would tell me was to get there as fast as I can. I have a feeling I'm going to need you with me, so hurry, okay hon?”

“I''m on my way, Cathy.” and she cut the intercom link.

By the time I got to the parking area, Irene already had a car started and was warming it up.

“You are amazing, hon! I said, as I climbed into the passenger side of the car. How did you beat me here?”

“If I told you that, I'd be giving up my reputation as a psychic, now wouldn't I? She said, with a small grin.

“One of these days, Irene, I'm going to figure out how you always know what's happening before I do, but I got the jump on you this time, since I got the call first.”

“I was already up, Cathy. I had the feeling, all last night, that something was going to happen. When you paged me, I was already dressed, with the car keys in my hand.”

I buckled my seat belt, sighing. “Someday, Irene...someday.”

“You'll only give yourself a headache trying to figure me out, Cathy. Just accept that, sometimes. I just know when something is gonna happen.” She said with a grin. “It'll be easier on you. You have enough headaches trying to run this place all by yourself, even though you know you have me, Sandra, and a couple others to help you. We need more people though, and you know it. Maybe you should start interviewing help soon.”

“I know, Irene, I know. It's just that I want to try to reserve enough positions for the girls who will come here when they have nowhere else to go. They are the ones who need to feel useful.” I sighed, as we careened through the darkened streets, headed for the hospital.

“If I hire someone off the street, that will be one more position I can't fill with someone who needs it to help them recover. WATCH THAT TRUCK!!” I screamed, as a delivery truck trundled slowly out of a parking lot.

Irene swerved around the truck, horn blaring. “Damned fool!!” She spat. “ Where in the hell do these people get their drivers licenses, from the Sears spring catalog?”

“Easy hon.” I said quietly. “We need to get to the hospital in one piece, okay? It won't do this kid any good if we end up as patients.”

The rest of the short drive went well. Somehow, Irene had the knack of making it through all the traffic lights while they were still green. We arrived in the emergency room parking lot, found a space for the car, and rushed inside.

I went to the admissions desk and asked for Head nurse Colm, and they paged her. When she called back, there was a brief conversation with the desk girl, who then turned to me and said, “Natalie said for you to wait here. She'll be down as soon as she can. Seems like it's a busy night. Two traffic accidents, a beating, two babies being born, and an assault. The cops have been in and out of here since 8PM last night. Please have a seat in the waiting area, and I'll call you as soon as Natalie can get away to talk with you, okay?”

“There's nothing more you can tell us right now?” I pleaded with the receptionist.

“I know who you are, and I have an idea about why Natalie called you, but I really can't say any more than I have. I'm so sorry. I know who you are and I know about your Home. I think it's wonderful, what you're doing for people. In my opinion, it's none too soon. I have a TG friend, and she talks endlessly about your place and what you're trying to do. She is doing well, and her family and friends have stuck with her, but she feels for those who have no one. Hey! Do you need anyone out there? She's ready to graduate from college, with a degree in nursing. She's really good, and I know she'll be applying here, but if you need her more, I'm sure she'd love to work at the Home!”

“I don't know, hon.” I said. “Right now I'm too worried about this situation right here to think about anything else. Maybe when I know more about what Natalie wants, although I have a strong feeling that it's about a girl who's been abused or something like that. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here at this time of the morning, right?” I was trying to get a bit more info from her, but she just shook her head and told me I'd have to wait for Natalie, because she didn't want to tell me anything that might not be right.

I thanked her, and said I'd think about her friend when things settled down. Irene and I went to the waiting area, but I couldn't sit down. I was too worked up and worried about the kid Natalie had mentioned on the phone. I paced back and forth until Irene almost forced me to sit down.

“You're gonna worry yourself into a stroke or something,Cathy! Sit down and have a soda or some coffee, or something. There's no sense in getting all worked up over something you don't know enough about yet, is there?”

“I can't help it, Irene. You know how angry I get when a TG kid is hurt or abused by people who don't know better! It's bad enough when the hurt person is an adult, but when it's a kid! OOOhhh! I get SO mad!”

“I know hon, I know, but you have to calm down. Until Natalie gets here and tells us what's going on, you'll only get loud and disturb the whole place, if I know you. Now please just sit down?”

Irene's words, and her obvious worry about me, finally penetrated my consciousness, and I sat next to her, giving her a one armed hug.

“I know you worry about me, honey. I'm sorry, but being awakened at this hour for what has to be bad news just frustrates me! Can you forgive me for being such a bitch?”

“Cathy...if you didn't bitch about everything that doesn't go exactly your way, I would think you were sick or something. I know it's just your way of working through your frustrations, and, usually, I ignore it, but in this case, I'm worried about your blood pressure. You KNOW what the doctors have said!”

“Look, I know it's bad for your health, but why don't you go outside and have a smoke. You're trying to quit, I know, but it always seems to help you calm down. Just don't tell the doctor I told you to smoke, okay?”

“Maybe you're right, Irene. I do seem to need a smoke. Will you promise to come out and tell me the second Natalie gets here?”

“No. I'm gonna keep you in the dark and worrying more and more, you dope! Of course I'll come out and get you! Sheesh!”

I got up and hugged Irene. I knew she cared about me and was only trying to help me de-stress as much as possible. I went outside and fired up a cigarette. Before any of you say anything, yes, I'm a smoker. I've tried to quit, but nothing seems to work. I have cut way down, and I only have one when I'm really worked up, worried or stressed.

I was halfway through my smoke, when the doors whooshed open, and Irene and Natalie came out,looking for me. I crushed out my cigarette in the ashtray, and turned to them, asking,

“Natalie! Finally! What's going on? Who is this kid you called me about? What's her story?”

FROM CATHY: There's much more to come folks. I'm posting this as a serial, but it's complete. No more unfinished stuff from me...I promise.

Sara's Story Chapter 2 - A Home That Love Built Story

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Serial Chapter

Genre:

Character Age:

Teenage or High School

TG Universes & Series:

The Home that Love Built by Catherine Linda Michel

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

Chapter Two. Sara's Story. A Home That Love Built Story by Catherine Linda Michel.

From before: “Natalie! Finally! What's going on? Who is this kid you called me about? What's her story?”

“We'd better go inside, to the nurses lounge, Ma'am. I really don't want other ears to hear what I have to say.”

Intrigued, Irene and I followed Natalie to an area that contained a few tables and chairs and assorted vending machines. When we got there, she looked back out at the hallway that led to the room and then, locked the door!

“What's the deal, Natalie? Why lock the door?” I asked.

“Look. The kid I called you about? I found your card with the address of the Home, your name, and phone number on it. I know about your place and what you do. I might not agree with the why of what you're doing, I do think you're doing a lot of good, but that's neither here or there. This kid, she was beaten, raped and stabbed several times. It's a miracle she's alive at all. The doctors are still working on her, trying to get her stable enough so they can schedule further surgery!”

I slumped down into a chair, unable to believe what Natalie had just said, and momentarily too shocked to speak. Irene sat next to me, taking my hands in hers.

“Go on Natalie.” she said.

“We don't have much to go on as far as who did this to this kid. She, and I'm going to refer to her as she, although she has small, shrunken male genitals and what clothes were left after the attack were female, is in severely critical condition. We haven't been able to get anything from her about her name or anything else. No purse, and no I.D. on her either.” Natalie continued.

“I heard one of the cops say that it looks, to him, to be the work of the South Side Bastards gang. It fits their M.O. according to him, and she was found in an alley in their 'hood', with gang signs all over the place, including one carved into her stomach! We've had victims of their violence in here before, and I agree with the cop. I called you, because there's no one else TO call. Without an I.D. I don't know who she is, who her parents are, or anything other than she only has a 20 percent chance of coming through this alive according to the surgeons.”

I just sat there, seething with anger for whoever had done this, and pity for this poor unknown child.

“What can I do?” I finally managed to say. “If it's a question of money, I'll make sure her medical bills are paid, regardless of the cost. Is she conscious at all?”

“Not yet.” Natalie replied. “She'll be in extreme ICU once the doctors have repaired the most major damage and gotten her cleaned up. We've done a rape kit on her already, so that's out of the way. The reason I called you at all was the word I've heard on the street about you. You're regarded as some kind of expert with kids like this, and we're going to need all the help we can get to identify her attackers. We took her fingerprints and will soon know who she is, I hope. Can you stay available so that, when and if she regains consciousness, you can comfort her and try to get her to talk about what happened?”

“Of COURSE I will!” I cried. “Anything I can do to help this poor child, I will do. I, or one of my trusted friends at the Home, will be on 24 hour call. We can be here in a matter of minutes. Please, is there anything else I can do for her? Does she need blood? May I see her?”

“Not for awhile, I'm afraid. She'll be watched 24/7 by skilled nurses until she either regains consciousness, or dies, whichever comes first. I feel horrible for this kid, but dressing the way she did in gang territory was asking for it, if you want my opinion. Maybe she will have a different story to tell when she wakes up, if she does, but until then, I have to assume that she let herself get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's happened before,and until this gang is arrested and put away, it'll happen again.” Natalie said, regretfully, shaking her head.

“Please don't misunderstand me,” she continued, “I sympathize with the transgendered. To feel like you're trapped in the wrong body must be hell, and I'm not passing judgement on any of you or them. I just think that, if one is TG, one HAS to be way more careful when out in public. It's obvious to me that, once this gang found out she wasn't a real woman, they did more damage to her than they might have otherwise. Anyway, if you or someone from your home can stay here, or be here, within minutes, that will be a big help, and thank you so much for coming in so quickly. I'll keep you well posted on her condition.”

“Whatever you need, Natalie, whatever she needs, you and she have it. My word on it. I'll be available 24/7 and either I, or Irene, or Sandra will be here before you hang up the phone. I'm going back to the Home to set a few things up financially to help this poor child. Irene, would you be so kind as to stay here until I call you? I'd really like for someone to be here all the time, at least for the next 24 hours, in case she wakes up.”

“Of course I will, Cathy! When you get back to the Home, wake Sandra and bring her up to date. She can relieve me here at lunchtime. You go back and do what you have to do, and then get some sleep! That's an order!” Irene said with a small grin at me, to let me know that the 'order' thing was her way of being concerned for me.

I left the hospital, driving straight back to the home, where I woke Sandra and told her what was going on. She promised to relieve Irene at noon, and I went to my office to make a few phone calls. I got hold of the hospital administrator and guaranteed the child's medical treatment. Then I contacted my lawyer and asked him to work with the cops to find our the child's name and family. I ordered flowers and some stuffies to be delivered to ICU, to be held for her until she could have them and I put some other less pressing matters aside after dealing with one or two that couldn't wait. Then I lay down on the couch in my office and tried to nap. I didn't think I'd be able to, but within seconds of my head hitting the couch pillows, I was out like a light.

I was awakened by a call from my lawyer, telling me that the child had been identified and her family notified of what had happened to her. From what he said, it didn't seem as if the family was very concerned, but they were going to the hospital to check on the child, probably after lunch.

I took a quick shower, threw on my face and some clothes, and drove back to the hospital, calling Irene to let her know I was on the way over and that the family of the child would probably be there shortly. By the time I got there, there was an argument going on between Natalie and a man who was identified to me as the child's father. He was raging about his 'perverted' son and saying that was the reason for the attack! I actually heard him say that it would be better if the child died, than to have his family living in shame!

I started toward him to give him a piece of my mind, but Irene held me back, turning me away from the argument.

“This isn't the time, Cathy! She whispered fiercely to me. “Let him rage. He's only embarrassing himself, and could very well get violent if you confront him! Let the doctors and hospital security handle it, please?

While I was seething in rage over the behavior of the father, I knew Irene was right. If there was going to be trouble here, it would be much better if HE was the cause of it, instead of me. Shortly after that, security arrived and escorted the father to a private office. That was the last I saw of him that day. Natalie told Irene that she had managed to get the child's name out of his bigot of a father. Shawn Jackson was the child's name, but in his tirade, the father had blurted out another name. Sara. That's the name he said that his little perverted bastard of a son was calling himself!

Sara's Story Chapter 3 - A Home That Love Built Story

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Serial Chapter

Genre:

Character Age:

Teenage or High School

TG Universes & Series:

The Home that Love Built by Catherine Linda Michel

TG Themes:

Caught with Consequences

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

Chapter Three-Sara's Story. A Home That Love Built Story by Catherine Linda Michel

From Before: Shawn Jackson was the child's name, but in his tirade, the father had blurted out another name. Sara. That's the name he said that his little perverted freak of a son was calling himself!

The father, Jerry Jackson, ranted and raved and was eventually escorted from the hospital by security and the cops, who arrived shortly after Jerry was taken into the private office. He was still shouting about his pervert of a son,and I wanted, more than ever, to shut him up, via a knee to his groin, but Irene restrained me again.

“Cathy! Come on! Being pissed off at that jerk is right, but if you do anything to him, even yelling at him, it'll look bad for The Home! Just let him go. He'll get his sooner or later. What we need to do is protect that child and we can't do that by attacking his asshole of a father. Come on now, let's go find Natalie and see if there's been any change in Sara's condition, okay?

As badly as I wanted to do some physical damage to Jerry, I knew Irene was right. She was thinking with her brain, not her guts, the way I was doing. She took me by the hand and led me back into the hospital and, finding Natalie, we found that Sara'd had a rough night, and was again in surgery, this time to repair some ruptured blood vessels damaged in the attack.

I decided to let Irene go get some rest, and took over the watch until Sandra arrived after lunch. I sat outside ICU, waiting for them to bring Sara back from surgery, alternately planning some kind of revenge against Sara's father, helping the cops find the gang members responsible for the attack, and planning for Sara's future, if she had one. I knew the odds were against her, but I prayed, and I pleaded, and fidgited until Sandra showed up.

“Cathy!” she greeted me. “How's the kid?”

“No changes except she's back in surgery. I'm waiting here til they bring her back. Oh
God, Sandy! This poor child! She's been through so much in her young life, and now there's a better than even chance she'll die here! She's never had a chance to be who she is and now she might never have the chance to be who she could be! Is it any wonder why I built the Home? Kids like this need love and understanding and help, not bigotry, hatred and violence! And that...man! Oohhh, I'd love to re-educate him in a way he wouldn't soon forget! I, I, oh my!”

“What's wrong Cathy? You look a bit odd. Are you alright? Cathy? CATHY!”

I only heard my name the first time Sandra said it. She told me later she'd called me several times, but I never heard her. I had, apparently passed out from the stress. When I next remember anything, I was lying on a bed, being attended to by a doctor and a nurse.

“What happened? Where am I? What's going on?” I pleaded.

“Just relax, Catherine.” the doctor said. “It appears you had a fainting spell, but you are okay now. Your blood pressure was through the roof, and you came close to having a stroke. I'm going to insist you stay with us for a few days, while we get you set up on some medications that will help get that pressure down. I'm also going to prescribe an anti smoking drug for you. It's fairly potent, and might cause a few really spectacular dreams for the first two weeks or so.”

“But, doctor.” I whined. “I have a place to run, people to deal with, things that must be done! Can't we postpone some of these things until I at least find out about Sara, and get her set up at the Home, once she's free from here?”

“Absolutely not, Catherine! Your condition has gone on too long already! If things continue the way they have been, you are risking a major stroke or possible death! I won't have that happening to you! Not on MY watch! Do you understand?”

“Cathy.” Irene broke in. “Sandy and I, along with a few others, can run the Home just fine for awhile. You need to take some time for you! We do not want to lose you! There's still so much that has to be done, so many lives to help, we need you, and we need you healthy! Please, do as the doctor asks? For us...for all the ones, like us, to come?”

“Sigh. Very well, Irene. I will leave the daily running of the Home to you and Sandra for now. You know what needs to be done, but I insist that, since I have to stay here, that I be kept in the know as concerns Sara. In fact, if it's possible, I want to be placed in the same room she is in, when she's released from ICU. If those things can be done, I will stay and not cause trouble. Doctor?”

“I believe we can do most of that, Catherine, but you need to know that there is every chance that Sara will not make it. She has regained consciousness sporadically, but we've not been able to get much information from her. She's in a lot of pain, despite massive doses of pain killers.”

“Then please let me go to her? She needs to know that someone who isn't an employee of the hospital, gives a damn about her!” I pleaded. Doctor? Do this for me, or I'll sign myself out AMA, I swear I will!”

Just then, a nurse came bursting in.

“Doctor! Doctor! Your patient in ICU is awake!”

“You mean Sara?” he asked.

“Yes, I do! She's awake! She's in some pain, but she's calling for you!” said the nurse, excitedly.

“Catherine, Ladies. If you will pardon me, duty calls.” and the Doctor turned to leave the room.

“Hold on just one second there Doc!” I yelled. I have to go with you! I refuse to lay here while there's any chance I might be able to help Sara! I'm no shrink, but I do know what needs to be said to her. Please, Doc?”

“You understand that, while talking with her, you will be required to wear full antibiotic gear? We can't take any risks with infections, as vulnerable as she is right now.!”

“I understand, Doctor! Whatever you want, I'll do, but I must be with her!”

“Very well, Catherine. I'll be watching both you and her, very closely. If there is ANY sign that either of you are in distress, I will end your visiting privileges immediately, understood? Very well. Nurse? Please take Catherine to get fitted with a full suit, and then bring her to ICU three. Use a wheelchair! No arguments Catherine!”

“You'll get none from me doctor. Nurse? Let's go! Irene? Sandra? Get back to the Home and make sure things are good there. It looks like I'm going to be occupied for the next day or three, or more, depending. Nurse? What are you doing standing there? Get that damned chair and let's get this show on the road!”

I was whisked away to an elevator which deposited us on some other floor. Well that's what they are supposed to do, right? Anyway, in some room, they put me into this ridiculous looking outfit that had it's own oxygen supply, and was sealed against the outside. Ugly thing it was, but it could have been a fuschia Santa Claus suit, for all I cared. It was going to get me in to talk with Sara, if she could talk.
Back to the elevator we went and up another floor, where we rushed to ICU three. I pushed the nurse to hurry, and we were cornering on two wheels once or twice. She was out of breath by the time we reached ICU three, and I stood up from the chair, thanking her for all her help. I knocked on the door and the Doctor looked up, recognized me, and motioned me in. He was separated from Sara by a glass wall, using what are called 'Waldoes' to administer drugs and things to Sara. When I entered the room, there was a whoosh of air that went by me. Then the door closed, and I heard pumps start. Soon, the inner door opened and I walked slowly in for my first sight of poor Sara.

She looked horrible, with tubes and wires sticking out of her everywhere. She was pale as a ghost, and was only breathing shallowly. She was awake though, so I went to her bedside.

“Sara, honey, can you hear me? I'm Cathilynn, from The Home That Love Built, and I've come to see you.”

For a moment there was no response, but then Sara slowly, painfully, turned her head enough to see me in my 'space suit.'

“Hi sweetheart.” I said quietly.

Then, against all odds, she spoke.

“I was coming to try to get into the Home when I was attacked. I was at my wits end and had nowhere else to turn. I knew you would help me when I got there. I'm so glad to see you. Miss Cathilynn? I hurt so bad. Those gang bangers really did a job on me. The only thing that doesn't hurt is my hair, and the only reason that doesn't hurt is because they shaved me.” She tried to giggle, but I could tell how much it hurt her to do that.

“I really screwed up, Miss Cathilynn. I'm so sorry!”

“No, no, sweetie.” I said. “You did nothing wrong! It was those pretend bad guys who did this to you, but you're going to be okay. The best doctors in the City are looking after you, and...”

She reached out, even though I could tell it cost her a lot, and took my hand.

“Miss Cathilynn, I know I'm not gonna make it...not this time. I feel all busted up inside, and I hurt so bad.”

“Oh no, honey.” I cried. You're going to recover in time, and you'll come to live with me at the Home! We'll get you all fixed up, and give you a place to live, work to do, school to atend...”

“Again she stopped me, squeezing my hand, weakly.

“Oh Miss Cathy, that all sounds so wonderful, but I can feel myself getting weaker. I need to ask you some things though, privately?”

I looked at the doctor and he nodded. I heard a click, and I could no longer hear hear him or the sounds he had been making.

“Okay, Sweetheart. We're all alone now. Go ahead and ask what you want. I promise I'll stay quiet and let you talk, okay?”

She smiled weakly up at me and asked me to do some things, if she didn't make it. I tried to smile through my tears, but it was so hard! This dear, sweet girl thought she knew she would die, and she wanted ME to make sure she was taken care of properly...after.

“Miss Cathy? If I don't make it, would you make sure I am laid to rest, pretty? I mean all dressed up in a lovely gown, with makeup and jewelry and fancy underwear and all? I never had the chance to wear anything pretty, but I want to go to heaven, beautiful. Will you do that for me?”

“Of course I will honey, but let's not talk of dieing, okay?” I tried not to sob, but it was difficult. I had a huge lump in my throat.

“But I have to Miss Cathy. If I don't tell somebody, my dad will bury me as Shawn, in a suit, as a boy. I'm not a boy, Miss Cathy...I never was.” Her breathing was getting weaker, and her voice was fading.

“After he threw me out, I lived on the street, eating whatever I could get by begging, looking through dumpsters, and even stealing when I had to. I had finally decided to try to get to you and your Home, because I was getting sick a lot, and couldn't afford medicine and stuff. I thought maybe you'd let me stay for a little while, til I got batter, and I could do stuff for you to pay you back.”

“Honey,” I said, When you get through this, you can come and live with me for as long as you want. You don't have to pay anything back. We want you there with us, and even though we barely know you, we love you already. Please, please sweetheart, fight to stay with us? Don't give up. We'll be right here, waiting to welcome you into our family. I should go now and let you rest, but I'll be here whenever you need to talk. Don't give up honey, okay?”

“I'll try really hard Miss Cathy, but the stuff I asked you about? Will you do that for me...in case?”

Swallowing that damned lump in my throat hurt like hell, but I did it.

“I promise, sweetie. I promise that you will be taken care of either way. If it hurts too much, and you just run out of strength, then know that I will do all you asked and more. These doctors here will take good care of you though, so let's look forward to you coming home with me, okay?”

She smiled a sweet, sad smile at me and then fell unconscious. For just a minute I thought she was gone, but she continued to breathe. I looked over at the doctor and he indicated she was just unconscious, not...dead.

Stumbled out of the ICU room, bawling my eyes out inside that damned suit and screaming,

“Someone get out of this damned thing before I drown myself!!”

Finally, with help, I got out of that suit and was carried to a room where they placed me on a bed, with orders to stay there and get some rest. I was completely exhausted and was asleep, or fainted on the bed the moment they put me on it. When I woke up, Irene was there, sitting in a chair by the bed, holding my hand. I jerked upright, frightened I'd missed something, but Irene smiled and said.

“Sara is still hanging in there. The doctors say that your talk with her seemed to do her some good, and she seems stronger this morning. I would have woke you up to tell you sooner, but you needed some serious rest.”

“Oh thank God she's still alive. She needs to live, Irene, you know? She never really had a chance at anything before, and she just can't die now! She's GOT to live!” I cried.

“Whether she lives or dies is up to the doctors and God now, Cathy. If she's strong enough, if she wants it bad enough, then she's got a chance, I think. You however, cannot wear yourself down the way you have over the last few months. Get some more rest. Sandra will bring up some food for you in a bit, and the doctors have promised to let us know if Sara wakes up again.”

“I know, Irene. I know. I have to back off some, but it's so difficult to slow down when there's still so much to be done, and now, with Sara, I have to be strong for her too. Maybe after this is all over, and we have Sara safely back at the Home with us, I can slack off some and take some time off, but not til then. Not now. She needs me, she needs US, to help her be strong and live through this! I'll be damned if I'll quit on her, even at the risk of my own health!”

Irene just shook her head at me and tsk, tsked me.

“Somehow, I knew that was exactly what you were going to say. Sigh, okay,Cathy, I'll go along with you on this, but as soon as it's over, one way or the other, you take some time to get healthy again! I didn't live through all the shit I went through, only to lose you so soon after I've finally found a home, and people who love me.”

We hugged and cried for a bit and I nodded off again for a few minutes. When I woke up again, Sandra was there by my bedside, with a tray of food.

Sara's Story Chapter 4 - A Home That Love Built Story

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Serial Chapter

Genre:

Character Age:

Teenage or High School

TG Universes & Series:

The Home that Love Built by Catherine Linda Michel

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

Sara's Story. Chapter Four. A Home That Love Built Story, by Catherine Linda Michel

“Hi Cathy.” She said tenderly, as I woke. “I'm under orders from a doctor, a nurse, and Irene. I'm to see that you ea everything on this tray, and then lay down for a nap, unless a call from ICU comes in, asking for you, so please help me out here? Eat everything, like a good girl, so you can regain some strength?”

Despite the situation, I had to smile at Sandra's pleading. She was one of the very first to come to live at the home and had been simply indispensable since her very first day. Her story, like so many others, had led her to come to me while the Home was still being built. She'd lost everything. Wife, family, job, reputation, even the pension she had been working toward. All she had left was her Social Security check each month. No savings either. Everything had been taken by her ex and her divorce lawyer.

Sandra is a tender, sweet soul, with a huge heart, and she's a fast learner as well. She serves as a bookkeeper/accountant/major domo, and oversees many more projects that are still in the works. I love her dearly, and so do all the rest of the residents of the Home.

I really wasn't very hungry, but I did as she asked. I ate everything on the tray and then, to get her goat a bit, I bit off one of the tines of the plastic fork and pretended to chew it up.

“A bit chewy, and somewhat flavorless, but what can I expect from hospital food, right?” I smirked at her, trying to get her to giggle.

“Cathy! My goodness! You shouldn't try to eat that thing... oh you! She giggled. “Alright you kidder, you! Spit that back out, although I'll admit that the plastic silverware probably has more nutrition value in it than most of what passes for food in a hospital. Well, that, at least, tells me that you're feeling better.”

“Well Sandy, I know that I'm not in really good shape right now, what with all the hubbub with Sara, and things that need done at the Home, so I need to eat and rest some until this is over. After we have Sara with us at the Home, and on the road to recovery, I can slow down and recuperate a bit. I think I will try for some rest until...”

CATHERINE MICHEL! PLEASE REPORT TO ICU THREE. CATHERINE MICHEL! PLEASE REPORT TO ICU THREE! A voice on the public address system said.

Sandra helped me up and accompanied me to the room where I climbed into that damned suit again. I could see Sara was awake, and I wanted to hurry getting that damned thing on, but there's a way to do it right and, if one doesn't, on has to start all over again, wasting valuable time. Finally suited up and disinfected, I went through the airlock doors and then, to Sara's side. I thought she looked tired, and her face was covered with a sheen from perspiration. I smiled at her and took her hand.

“Hi again, sweetheart.” I said. “Are you feeling any better?”

“Hi miss Cathilynn. I'm kinda numb. I can feel some parts of me, but others are just not there, you know?”

Her breathing was harsh and ragged, and I feared tiring her. I'd been told, on the way into ICU, that she had refused a breathing tube since she'd regained consciousness.

“Honey.” I asked. “Don't you think you should have them put in that breathing tube? It sounds like you're having a tough time breathing on your own.”

“I know it would be easier, Miss Cathilynn, but then I couldn't talk to you. Besides, I have enough tubes and wires going into me. One more, especially that one, would leave me unable to communicate at all, and I need to talk, especially with you. I had hoped they'd call you instead of my folks, while they were bringing me to the hospital. I had your card in my pocket and had left all my other identification in a ditch, in a plastic bag, covered with some stones. I knew my father would pitch a bitch if they called him here, especially with the way I was dressed.”

She paused to try to get her breath and cough, and then continued.

“I knew about your place, but I was dumb. I figured my family would come around and want me back after they saw I was serious about being a girl. They didn't though, and I wandered the streets, like I said, for over a year or so. Finally, I found one of your cards, and I was at my wits end. I thought I'd try to get there and stay until I got healthy again.”

“Oh honey! I wish you had come to the Home sooner. That's the reason we're there, to help kids like you...adults too. Well, what's done is done. As soon as you're out of here, we'll take you with us an you can live with us as long as you like.”

“That's nice, Miss Cathilynn.” she yawned. “I think maybe I'm gonna nap a little bit. Can we talk more when I wake up?”

“We can talk all you want, sweetie, but I think you're right. A nap right now will help you regain some strength. When you wake up, and when you want to talk more, you just have them call me and I'll be here quicker than you can say my name.”

I leaned over and gently kissed her forehead, through the plexiglass face mask of the suit, and she squeezed my hand and then her eyes closed and her hand went limp. I quickly checked her breathing, but she was just asleep again. I went outside the ICU, shed the suit, and went back to the room I'd been in. I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs for a smoke. My eyes were watering, and I was sobbing quietly, and I wanted, more than anything, to just lay down and sleep for a week, but I had things to do. I heard someone coming up behind me and turned to see Sandra looking worried.

“Cathy? Don't you think you should get some rest? You've been under a lot of stress the last day or two, and I know the doctors want you to rest.”

“Sandy, I know all that, but I need a smoke, and I need to contact my lawyer about getting legal custody over Sara. I need to check with the police to see if they've made any headway in arresting whoever was responsible for that kid's beating and rape. I can't do that from my room, so I'm going out for a smoke, and to use my cell phone. You can come with me if you want, but I'm going.”

Sandra objected, but she went outside with me and stayed by my side while I smoked and talked. My lawyer told me that papers were in the works and all they lacked was the signature of Sara's parents. A friendly Judge had already agreed to transfer custody to me as soon as the papers were signed. The cops had no real leads, since Sara had been unable to identify anyone, other than gang colors. The cops were trying to do something with forensics evidence, but the rain, dirt and other factors had made almost impossible to gather anything useful at all, except for the rape kit that had been done when Sara was admitted to the E.R.

I slumped down onto a bench and just breathed deeply between drags on my cigarette, Sandra at my side.

“The doctors want me to quit these things, you know, Sandy? I've tried so many times, but I always start again. I always thought I was strong, but these little cylinders are stronger than I am.” I began to sob.

“I know I have to stay alive as long as I can, so I, and all of us, can help more kids like Sara, and adults like you and Irene, and I know I came close today to cashing in my chips. Maybe this time the doctors will give me something strong enough that I can break this nasty habit. I hope so.” and I broke down, sobbing.

Sandra moved closer tome and put her arms around me, hugging me tightly.

“We'll all help you Cathy, you know that, but in the end, it's all up to you. You have to decide to WANT to quit and you have to decide whether it's more important to help the Home and people, than it is to take whatever solace you find in those cigarettes. Right now, do what you have to do to de-stress, but after this is all over, I think it'll be time for all of us to re-examine our lives and what we want to do.
Finish your smoke and lets go back inside. It's getting chilly out here anyway. Come on, hon.”

She helped me up and held me as we went back inside. I was still crying, and Sandra knew that I was at a breaking point again. She took me to my room, made me lay down, and sat by the bed, holding my hand until I finally dropped off into a troubled sleep.

Sara's Story Chapter 5 - A Home That Love Built Story

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Serial Chapter

Genre:

Character Age:

Teenage or High School

TG Universes & Series:

The Home that Love Built by Catherine Linda Michel

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

FROM THE AUTHOR: This will be the Penultimate chapter of Sara's Story. It may take a day or two for me to post the final chapter. This story has been very emotionally charged, and difficult for me to write. I'm not happy about the story, but as someone else said, it's a story that needs to be written. It's my misfortune to have been the one selected to write it. I'm probably not the best one to have been chosen,but as I said, I didn't choose to write this story...IT chose me, so I've done my very best to tell it. I wish it WAS only a story, but I know in my heart, that, somewhere in the world, there is a child in exactly the circumstances that Sara is in. I only hope that someone is there for him or her, as someone is for Sara, in this story. In writing this story, I have shed untold tears for those who are victimized and misunderstood. For those who are ostracized by those who are supposed to love them.

Sara's Story. Chapter Five. A Home That Love Built Story, by Catherine Linda Michel

I stayed in the hospital for the next three days, having as much contact with Sara as they would allow me. At first, it seemed like she was gaining strength, and it helped me to de-stress a bit when I saw that, but the third day, as I readied myself to go in and talk with her, the doctor called me aside.

“Catherine.” he began. “Sara is going downhill. We've done all we can do for her, but the severity of the beating, she got damaged her inside too much. If she doesn't show any improvement by tomorrow, well, All I can say is, we're all glad you've been here for her. We'll still monitor her, of course, and she won't lack for anything, but as far as surgeries go, she's gotten all we can do. Her kidneys are shutting down, her pancreas has almost quit as well, and her back is broken in three places. If, by some miracle she does survive, she'll likely end up a paraplegic, or worse.”

He sighed, and rubbed the sides of his nose, pinching it a bit.

“Most of the doctors don't think she'll make it through the weekend and, quite frankly, even if she does, there's no real hope for a full recovery. I know what she's asked you to do for her. Have you made any arrangements regarding her requests?”

I sat down, my strength drained from me as if a tap had been opened and left that way. I couldn't think, and tears were spilling from my eyes.

“”No doctor, I haven't.” I replied. “Things have been so up in the air, and I don't have legal custody yet, so even if I made plans, her family might fight me on them. If I get custody before she...goes, you may be sure that I will carry out her hopes and wishes. O God! Why her? Such a sweet, young child with her life all ahead of her!”

Just then, my phone began to ring. For a moment I didn't know what the sound was. The doctor gently took my hand and told me it was my phone, but I'd have to leave the hospital to answer it. I took the phone from my purse and looked at it. The number that was flashing was my lawyer's. I shut the phone off and put it back in my purse.

“That was my lawyer. Hopefully he's got some news for me, but I'll wait to call him until after I've seen Sara. Please give me a few minutes to compose myself, and then help me into the Clean suit?”

“Of course, Catherine. Take your time, and get yourself straightened out. When you're ready, you can go in and see Sara.”

I went into a nearby ladies room, still crying. I sat down in one of the stalls and tried to calm myself down. It wouldn't do for Sara to see me with my face all puffy and red-eyed from crying. After a few minutes, I managed to calm down enough so I stopped crying. I got up, went to the sink and splashed some cold water on my face. Then I wet some paper towels and, wetting them, I held them against my closed eyes, to help relieve the swellings under my eyes. My heart was breaking, but I knew I had to be strong for Sara, so I took a few deep breaths, straightened my clothing, dried my face and left the ladies room.

The doctor was waiting for me, and he helped me into the clean suit. I nodded my thanks and opened the airlock door, stepping in and closing it behind me, just like so many times before. I waited til the room cycled the air and a green light came on, then I stepped into the ICU room and went straight to Sara's bedside, where I took her hand in my gloved one, and just held it gently until she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at me.

“Oh, hi Miss Cathilynn. It's good to see you again. You've been so kind to me through all this, and I wish I had a way to repay you.”

“Honey,” I said, “There's nothing to repay. It's been my pleasure to be here for you. Everyone needs someone when they're down and hurting, and it's part of what I do at the Home, but being here with you hasn't been a burden or anything like it. I'm glad I could do it. You've even taught me some things that will help me run the Home better, so I'm the one who is indebted, not you.”

“Really Miss Cathilynn? What could I ever teach you? You're so with it, and it's like you've got it all together. I'm just a dumb kid who didn't know enough to get myself someplace where I'd be safe. I alienated my family and friends, and was too proud to go to your place when I should have. Then, when I finally decided to go, it was too late, and that gang caught me and did ... those things to me.” She began to cry.

“Oh honey! Please don't cry! What happened wasn't your fault. It was the fault of some wannabee tough guys who haven't enough courage among them to anything alone. It always takes 5 or 6 or more before they get any guts, and then it's just dumb guts. Pack mentality. THEY'RE the ones at fault, not you, sweetheart! Trust me, sweetie. I will find a way to make them pay for what they did to you!”

I avoided any references to her family, feeling that this was not the time to bring them up. It would only make her feel worse. Instead, I spoke of how she was loved by me, and Irene, and Sandra, and how wonderful it would to have her with us at the Home when she got better. She listened to me with a kind of sad smile on her face, and she stopped me, saying:

“Miss Cathilynn, that sounds so wonderful. I wish I'd come to you sooner...but I didn't. Miss Cathilynn? Lean closer to me so I can whisper?”

“Of course, honey!” and I leaned down so she could whisper to me.

Miss Cathilynn, don't tell the doctors, but I know I'm not going to make it through this. I know I'm all busted up inside, and I can't feel my legs. I can feel myself getting weaker and weaker. Sometimes I can barely open my eyes at all, even when I know you're here, holding my hand. It's getting hard for me to concentrate and I sleep an awful lot. I can tell that I'm not getting better, and I wanted to thank you for seeing me through this, before it got too late and I couldn't talk any more.”

She smiled that little smile again and continued. “Thank you for listening to me about my wishes ... when I go, you know? Even if you can't do it for me, it makes it a little easier for me that you listened and said you would do those things for me.”

“Honey, what I said I'd do, I will do. If I have to move heaven and earth, I will see that what you wanted will be done. Don't you fret anymore about that, okay? I promise!”

“Thanks Miss Cathilynn. I knew you would, but it's nice to hear you say it, and I believe you. I think you better go now. I can feel myself getting sleepy again. Miss Cathilynn?”

“Yes sweetheart?”

“I love you. Thank you so much for everything, okay?”

“Oh God, sweetie, I love you too! Please fight hard to stay with us, but know that, if you do leave us, you will never be forgotten. Not by me, or anyone else! You'll always have a place in my heart.”

She smiled at me again and squeezed my hand, and then she closed her eyes. Again, I checked her breathing and she was still breathing. God! Every time she did that I was scared that it would be the last time! I waited until she relaxed her hand in mine, then I let the ICU. I shed the Clean suit and left it on the floor where it fell. I didn't care about the suit. Just then I didn't care about anything but Sara. I steeled myself and went downstairs, outside, and immediately called my lawyer.

When he answered, I said, shakily: “This is Cathilynn. I hope you have some good news for me. I could use it right now.”

“I do, Catherine. I finally got the custody papers signed. All that remains is for you to sign them. I can take them to the Judge this afternoon and he will approve them on the spot. That poor kid's family wanted nothing more to do with her! They signed away their rights to their daughter with no more emotion than if they were flushing a goldfish down the toilet! People like that shouldn't be allowed to have kids at all, if you ask me! Yeah! I know that's unprofessional of me, but this case has gotten to me as well. How are you holding up? Are you okay? Is there anything I can bring you? Anything else I can do?”

“No Sam, there isn't. Just get those papers to me ASAP and get them to the Judge. I have to make some arrangements and I can do most of that on the phone once we get off this call. I'll be on the fourth floor, in the ICU waiting room. How soon can you get here?”

“How does 20 minutes sound, Catherine? I want this whole business over and done with myself. How is Sara doing? Any improvement?”

“No Sam.” I sighed. “The doctors have told me that she doesn't have much of a chance at all. Even Sara believes she's going to die, even though I keep telling her she won't. I have to see this through, no matter how much it takes out of me, and I will, but after...Sam, I need some time off. I'm going to turn things over to Irene and Sandra for awhile and look after myself better. There are more Saras out there, and I want to be around to help as many of them as I can. God willing, there won't be any more like this time, but I'm afraid there will be. While I'm on vacation, will you keep your hand in at the Home? I know that Irene and Sandra believe they can handle everything, but your legal knowledge and toughness will be needed too.”

“You know I will, Catherine. The Home is too important for a lot of people, and I will never let you down.”

“Thank you, Sam. That makes me feel a little better. Now, get yourself down here with those papers. I'll be waiting.”

“You got it Catherine. I'll be there shortly. Get some rest, okay? You know I care about you.”

“I know, Sam. When this is all over, one way or another, I'll take that time off. Now hang up. I've got other calls to make.”

“See you shortly, Catherine.” and he hung up.

I took a cigarette out of my purse and lit it, dialing a number while I did.

“Hello?” Came a voice from the phone. “This is the McHahon Funeral Home. How may we help you?”

“This is Cathilynn Michel, and I might have to schedule a funeral in the next day or so. I'll need prices on a casket and all the rest. Will you work up a precis and have someone fax it to --- ----? That's The Home That Love Built. It will be for a 16 year old child, and some special things will need to be done. My staff and I will handle most of it though.”

“Of course, Cathilynn. We can get something together for you this afternoon if you like. It will all be subject to the special things you mentioned, and what they are, but we can certainly accommodate you. Please accept our sympathies and be assured that we will help you in any way we can.”

“Thank you.” I said, and hung up.

I sat there for a few minutes finishing my cigarette, and thinking. Then I called Irene, and asked her to find the prettiest gown in Sara's size that she could find and buy it, as well as some matching jewelry, still hoping against hope that Sara would survive this ordeal and be able to wear the dress when we welcomed her to the Home, but knowing that we might be dressing her in it for her funeral.

I crushed out my cigarette, hoping it would be one of the last ones I'd smoke. I went back inside the hospital and up to the Fourth floor ICU waiting room. Sandra was still there, and as I walked in and collapsed into a chair, she came over and sat beside me, taking my hands in hers.

“Cathy, how are you holding up? This has been very difficult for you...for all of us, and you've shown a lot of strength, but I'm very worried about you. You look very pale and weak. Are you alright?”

“Yes, Sandra. I'm okay for now. I talked with Sara awhile ago and toe doctors told me that she hasn't much of a chance at survival at all. Even Sara believes she's going to die. Why, Sandy? Why would God take such a sweet soul from us, while there are so many rotten bastards who deserve to be taken?”

“No one knows God's will, honey. I know you've always been an agnostic, but you've changed over the last year or so. I think you're becoming a believer, and that isn't a bad thing. I've always believe that God had a hand in my life. After all, he led me to you and the Home, didn't he?”

“I don't know what it was that brought you here, Sandy. I only know that I'm so glad you came. You've been a huge help to me and all the residents at the Home. I don't know how we could ever have done so much if you hadn't been there to help. As for me becoming a believer ... well, a lot has happened over the last couple of years that I have no explanation for. Me winning the lottery, you and Irene coming to stay at the Home, so much that it does make me wonder if there isn't some divine power helping things along...but then, along comes a sweet, innocent child like Sara, who is in danger of losing her life because of some lowlife sons of bitches who were trying to prove some mythical manhood, bullshit ideals they have, and I can't help but doubt.”

Sandra looked me in the eyes and said,

“I know, honey, I know. I have faith and, maybe someday, you will too, that God knows what he's doing, and never does anything without a reason. It's not for us to judge. Only to accept and believe. Oh, here's Sam!”

Sam came over to where I was sitting and handed me a sheaf of papers. Another man came into the room and Sam said, “This man is a notary public. He can witness all the papers and notarize them for us. Sandra and I will sign as witnesses and then I can take the papers straight to the Judge who has promised he'd rule the minute he got them and looked them over. It'll be done today, Cathilynn. I promise.”

I looked through the papers briefly, and they looked good to me, so I signed where I was supposed to. The notary then put his stamp on them, after Sandra and Sam signed as witnesses, and signed them himself. Sam gathered everything up and, standing to leave, he took my hand in his.

“It's done Cathilynn. You will have full parental rights as concern's Sara. I'm going to leave now, but you call me if you need anything...anything at all, you hear me?”

“I will, Sam. Thank you so much for everything. I think I need to lay down for awhile. I'll call you if anything happens with Sara, okay?”

“Okay Cathilynn. See that you get some rest. As soon as the Judge signs these papers I'll personally take them to the Court Clerk's office and push them through. Sandra? You stay with her and make sure she gets some rest, please?”

“I will Sam, and thank you from me too.”

Sam left and I felt...well I don't know how I felt. Better, a little bit, because some vital stuff was either done, or being done, but very sad that some of that stuff was being done in the event that Sara didn't live through this whole thing.

FROM THE AUTHOR: Please say a prayer for children everywhere, tonight before you go to sleep? Ask whatever Deity you pray to, to bring tolerance and understanding to a world that is tragically short of those commodities?

Catherine Linda Michel

Sara's Story Chapter 6 - The Final Chapter - A Home That Love Built Story

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

Final Chapter

Genre:

Character Age:

Teenage or High School

TG Universes & Series:

The Home that Love Built by Catherine Linda Michel

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

Sara's Story. Chapter 6 The Final Chapter. A Home That Love Built Story by Catherine Linda Michel

Sandra led me to the room I'd been using and sat me down on the bed.

“Cathilynn, you need to take the doctor's, Sam's, Irene's and my advice seriously. You need to rest, because you have worn yourself to a frazzle over building the Home, staffing it, doing every little thing yourself, and now with Sara's situation. You simply cannot burn your candle at both ends. Too soon, it burns out, and we, all of us, need you. There is so much work yet to be done, and there are other children out there, in similar situations to Sara's. You know we can't help all of them, but so many others won't get help, if you work yourself into a breakdown, or worse!”

“Sandra, I know all that, okay?” I replied, tiredly. “I've already told you and everyone that I will take some time off after this is all over. I've agreed to the medications the doctors want me to get, so I can quit smoking, and I've delegated some things to you and Irene, but I have to see this through, whatever way it ends. Sara needs me right now, and I will not let her down! However much time she has left, or if she survives this, she's going to need me, and you and Irene to help her get her life back together. I just feel like this is something I have to do. Once I started it, I knew I had to see it through to whatever end awaits.”

I laid back on the bed.

“When I think of the miserable life Sara has had, it makes me ashamed of how easy mine has been. I was pretty much accepted as Cathilynn from the moment I started my real life test. Sara has never been accepted by anyone, not even her own family, and her father, that sanctimonious son of a bitch, yelling about what a freak she is and that she'd be better off dead so the family isn't embarrassed by her, pissed me off so badly, I wanted to castrate him right there in the emergency room!”

“Calm down, Cathilynn.” Sandra quietly reminded me. “You are not alone in your thoughts, okay? Irene and I, and most of the hospital staff agree with you about Sara's father. Remember, once Sam gets those papers through the court, Sara's father is no longer in the picture at all. Sara will be your legal responsibility, your ward, if you will. He can no longer hurt her, and if he tries, you can have him arrested. Now you lay back and get some rest. I'm going to the ladies room, and then to the cafeteria. Should I bring something back for you?”

“No honey.” I said. “I'm not really hungry, and I don't have to go potty, so I'll just lay here and try to calm down. Go ahead and do your thing. I'll be okay.”

Sandra nodded at me, let go of my hand and walked to the door, shutting it behind her, leaving me alone with my thoughts and emotions. Even though my fondest hope was that Sara would survive, I think I knew, even then, that it wasn't to be. I would be with her every second I could, or was allowed to be by the doctors, right to the end, if it came.

I must have fallen asleep, because it was a few hours later when I felt someone gently shaking me awake. It was Irene.

“Cathilynn, how are you feeling?” She asked.

“A little better, Irene, I think. Where's Sandra?”

“She had to go back to the Home. There were a couple of things that needed attention, but don't worry. Nothing serious is happening. Just some routine things, is all. I came up when she left, so you wouldn't be alone here.”

“Thanks Irene. I really appreciate all that you and Sandra are doing to help me ans Sara. Is there any further word about Sara?”

“I've heard nothing new since I've been here,Cathilynn. They know where you are, and Im certain they'd come and inform you if anything was happening. I think you need to take advantage of this “down time” and get all the rest you can.”

“I know you're right Irene, but It's so hard to relax when Sara might be dying up there. Do you know if the things I asked the funeral home about have been done?”

“Yes, they have, Cathilynn.” Irene said, taking my hand. “Everything is in order, just in case it's needed. I also had word from Sam that everything on his end is done, as well, so you can rest your mind on those scores.”

“Thanks honey.” I said. “Listen, I have to get up. I need to go check on Sara. I feel a bit better, and somehow, just seeing Sara laying there, helps me remember what I wanted to do when I began building the Home. Also, if she wakes up again, I want her to be able to see me immediately. Maybe it will give her strength. Right now, anything positive that can happen for her, adds to her chance for survival. You can come with me if you like.”

“I think this is something you have to do, alone, Cathilynn. Give me your phone though. I can check in with Sandra and Sam while you are up there.”

I handed Irene my cell phone and left the room. When I arrived at ICU three, I saw that a couple of doctors were working on Sara, using those bio suits to keep the risk of any infection to an absolute minimum. It looked like they were removing some of the tubes and wires from her and that frightened me. I waited anxiously until they finally finished and came out, shedding their suits.

“Doctor!” I said. “What's going on? Why are you removing stuff from her?”

“Cathilynn, we were going to get you up here as soon as we were done. I'm so sorry. I know how much Sara has come to mean to you, but there is nothing more we can do for her. Too many of her internal organs were damaged in the attack, and she isn't strong enough for any more surgeries. Her bleeding is stopped, but I'm afraid her time is short. You can go in if you want to. You won't need the suit, since any infection that might happen, won't make any difference, now.”

I sagged against the wall.

“There's no hope for her?”

“None Cathilynn. I hate this as much as anyone, but sometimes the best we can do for a patient, just isn't enough. I didn't see any purpose in keeping her tied to the countless pieces of equipment that no longer can do anything for her. She's free from everything except blood pressure and pain relief medications. She isn't in any pain, but is very weak. She wants to see you, so go ahead in. Alarms will go off if anything changes, so someone will be very near, with whatever is needed for her comfort in her last hours. Once again, Cathilynn, I am so sorry we couldn't save her. She was just too damaged and not in the best of health to begin with.”

I tried to swallow a huge lump that had appeared in my throat, but it didn't work. I felt like I was going to faint, but I steeled myself, and walked into the ICU room, and taking Sara's hands in mine. She opened her eyes the instant she felt me holding her hands, looked up at me and smiled a sweet, sad smile. In a weak, but clear voice, she said,

“Hi Miss Cathilynn. I'm so glad you're here. I was so afraid I'd be gone before I got to see you one last time. Please don't cry, Miss Cathilynn. It's better that I go to be with God. My whole life, everyone seemed to hate me, and I was never happy. I had no real friends except one, and she is the one who found me and called the ambulance. I'm not angry at anyone, even the gang that attacked me, not even my father. It's too late for anger, or hatred. Is everything set for after, Miss Cathilynn?”

“Yes, sweetheart, everything is set. You are now my ward, free from your family. I've made all the arrangements you asked me for.” I began to cry. “I want you to know that I love you honey. I wish, with all my heart, that we had more time together, but I know that it's not to be. I don't think anyone has ever touched me so deeply as you have sweetie, and I will never, never forget you.”

“Don't cry, Miss Cathilynn, please don't cry. I'll always be with you, no matter if I'm here or in heaven. You've been kinder to me than anyone else in my whole life, and I'm glad we met, even if it was this way. I know now that my life would have been wonderful with you at your place, and even though I'm sad I'll never get that wonderful life, someone finally loved me...you.” and she squeezed my hands.

I couldn't speak, I just tried to smile through my tears, and nodded at Sara.

“Miss Cathilynn? I have to go now. Please don't let them try to bring me back, okay? It's time, and God is calling me. I don't want to go, but I have to. Will you forgive me?”

“Oh Sara! My sweet Sara! There's nothing to forgive! I know you have to go, and I will miss you, every day of my life. I will never forget you, or what was done to you. I swear to you that those responsible will pay for what they did.”

“She smiled up at me again. Thank you Miss Cathilynn, for everything. I love you.”

She closed her eyes and took a couple of breaths, then she just relaxed and her breathing slowed and stopped. The alarms went off and people came rushing into the room. They tried to move me away from Sara, but I hung on with a supernatural strength.

“NO!” I screamed at them. Get away from her! She's gone and she made me promise to not let you try to bring her back! Just get away from us! Leave me and my daughter alone!!”

I felt a gentle pair of hands, urging me to let go, and a voice saying,

“Cathilynn. You have to let go now. We aren't going to try to resuscitate her. Please let go?”

I looked up to see one of the ICU doctors, his concerned face streaked with tears. I finally let go of Sara's hands and broke down completely in tears.

“She went peacefully, Cathilynn. She wasn't in pain, and the one person who meant anything to her, was with her, you. She's in a better place now, and we aren't going to take her peace away from her. Nurse? Would you please accompany Cathilynn to room 203 and stay with her? We need to complete Sara's records, and it will be easier if Cathilynn doesn't have to hear or see what we have to do.”

“Of course, doctor. Please, Cathilynn? Come with me? You need to lay down. I'll stay right with you until you fall asleep, or someone comes to take my place with you. We won't leave you alone, okay? Please honey, come with me?”

I was numb, and shaking with grief. I allowed myself to be led to my room, not noticing anything at all. I remember laying down on the bed and shaking with sobs, and the nurse trying to comfort me, but then, nothing.

When I woke, it was 26 hours later, and Irene, Sandra, and Sam were at my side, talking quietly.

“What are you all doing here?” I asked groggily, as they fell silent “Oh, never mind. Help me off this bed. I need to go see Sara.”

Sam sat on the edge of the bed.

“Cathilynn, they won't let you see her. They're doing an autopsy and when they're done, Sara will be transported to the Funeral Home. Everything has been arranged, and you will be allowed to see to Sara's final arrangements. That won't be until tomorrow though, and we all want you to just stay here and recuperate a bit. You've been through too much stress over the last three days, and according to the doctors, are in danger yourself.”

Sam leaned close to me and kissed me on my cheek. I threw my arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder.

“Oh Sam! She's gone! She died while I was holding her hands! She's gone!” was all I could say. I was crying so hard, my body literally shook.

“I know hon, I know.” he replied. You did everything you could do for her, and in the end, you made it easier for her to let go. She knew she was too badly hurt to live, but you being there for her, made her last time easier for her. I know that you're shattered right now, and you need rest, so please, let Irene, Sandra and I handle things until we can all go with you go finish things for Sara, at the Funeral Home?”

“Oh Sam. How could this happen? How could a sweet child like Sara come to this kind of an end? It isn't fair! It's just not fair!”

“Cathilynn, I know it's not fair. So much in life and death isn't fair. All we can do is our best, and hope that things work out. You did everything that could have been done for Sara under the circumstances. No one could have done more, please know that.”

I remember very little of the next 24 hours. I know some doctors attended me at some point.
I faintly remember Irene, Sandra and Sam at one time or another, talking to me, although I don't know what they said. Nothing seemed real, and it was all like a bad, bad dream. I kept trying to talk with Sara, but I couldn't get any answers, or even words, out of her. When I finally became aware again, it was Saturday...two days after Sara had died. I sat up in bed suddenly, knowing I needed to be somewhere. Irene was at my side instantly, calming me and letting me know that everything was okay.

“How can everything be okay Irene?! Sara's dead, and I have to get to the funeral home! There are things Sara wanted and I have to see to them!”

“Cathy, it's okay. The funeral isn't until tomorrow. Everything else is taken care of. You would have been awakened later today if you hadn't come out of it by then. You have been catatonic for over 24 hours. That's twice in as many days, Cathy. That's too much and too often. The doctors have said that you are not to try to do anything for awhile. We can take you to the Funeral Home in the morning, so that you can oversee everything for Sara and her last requests.”

“But Irene! The Home! Is everything alright there? There are things I need to see to, and I can't do them from here! Please Irene, get me out of here! Please?”

“Honey, everything at the Home is under control. There are no emergencies or problems that you need to deal with, because Sandra, Sam and I have everything covered. The only thing you need to do right now, is to rest. If you insist on doing as you have been doing, the doctors will sedate you and force you to rest! Now lay back, breathe deeply and try to release the stress you have put yourself through, and please don't worry about anything. I will see to it that you get to the Funeral Home in plenty of time to take care of Sara's last wishes, and that's the ONLY thing you will do. Consider this bed your home until tomorrow morning. I'll bring you a change of clothes, both for doing Sara's makeup, and for the funeral, later. They have showers here, so you can clean up before going there, okay? Honey, Sara is waiting for you, and I know that, no matter what anyone says, you will insist on doing what you promised, so please don't worry.”

She hugged me tightly and stroked my hair, while I cried. My poor little girl. Her life stolen from her by some alleged human beings. She would never have a boyfriend, or a sleepover with her girlfriends. There would be no prom for her, no marriage, no life at all. Nothing but a resting place in the ground and a marker to show she had ever been alive at all. I would see that she would never be forgotten. The world would know that there was once a beautiful little soul named Sara.

I fell into a restful sleep, awakened the next morning early, by Irene. True to her words, she had brought me two changes of clothes. She took me for a shower, and stayed with me while I washed, then took me back to my room and helped me change into some sweat pants and a top. My doctor was called and he, against his best judgement, signed me out temporarily, extracting a promise from me and from Irene that I would come back the following morning for further treatment. We left the hospital and went directly to the Funeral Home, where we were met by the director, who showed us to their preparation room, expressed his sympathies and then left us alone with Sara.

For the next hour, we dressed Sara in a pale blue ball gown, and a lovely set of panties, bra, garter belt, and stockings, finished up by a pair of 4 inch, blue heels that matched the gown perfectly. Then we worked on her face and hair until she looked like an angel, sleeping peacefully until called by some higher power. We had to use a wig because her hair had been shaved, partly by the gang, and partly by the doctors, so we had a medium length brunette wig from the Home. It just would have touched her shoulders if she had been standing. We secured it with some medical glue so it wouldn't slip of fall off before burial, then we did her nails with some nails and permanent glue, painting them a delicate pink, to match her lipstick. When we were done, Irene left me alone with Sara so I could
say my goodbyes privately.

I stood by her side, taking her cold hand in mine and promised her once again, that I would find and see punished, those who had taken her life.

“Sara sweetheart, they will be found and punished, I promise you. You are the closest thing I have ever had to a daughter, and I love you. You will never be forgotten, and there will be a plaque above the welcome room of the Home, dedicated to you and your fight for life. I...?

I was interrupted by a female voice.

“Um...are you Cathilynn? The one who has the Home out on Pomfret road?” she asked.

Angry at being interrupted, I spun around angrily, finding myself facing an older teen girl, possibly 17 or 18.

“Who are you and what do you want?! How dare you interrupt me at a time like this?!”

“I'm sorry.” she cried. “I'm Nancy Howard. I was Sara's friend. I was the one who found her and called the ambulance. I was too afraid to come to the hospital because of what I am. I thought I'd be made fun of and stuff, you know? I went there today anyway, only to have them tell me that Sara had died, and was at this Funeral Home and the funeral was today. This nurse, um, Natalie, told me about Sara's fight for life and your part in it. I just wanted to come here to pay my respects to Sara, my friend, and to thank you for being there for her. She and I were alike in so many ways, except that my family accepts me.”

She stopped to wipe some tears from her eyes, then continued.

“I only went to the hospital today because I wanted to check on Sara. I thought she'd be okay after healing up, and I was gonna take her to your Home to see if she could stay there for awhile. She couldn't go home, you know. Her parents hated her and threw her out over a year ago. Sara would never come to stay at my house except on the really coldest nights in winter. The rest of the time she lived on the streets or in the occasional shelter. I don't know why she did that. My Mom and Dad would have let her stay with us, if she had wanted to, but no matter how many times I asked her to stay, she always went back to the streets.”

Nancy began to sob, sitting down on one of the stair steps.

“I wanted her to come and stay with us! I begged her I don't know how many times! Now she's gone, and I feel so bad that I didn't force her to come live with me! She was my friend, and I loved her, but she would never let me do anything for her!”

I crossed the room and sat next to Nancy, taking her into my arms, no longer angry, but saddened instead.

“Honey, from the brief time I had with Sara, she struck me as a stubborn girl, with a mind that, once it was made up, just wouldn't change, no matter what. I don't know why she couldn't take you up on your offer, but it must have been the same reasons she had for not coming to me sooner. We'll never know for sure honey, but you did your best for her, and I know she cared for you a lot. She spoke of you, even though you never called the hospital to find you how she was.”

“But I DID call, Cathilynn! I did! They wouldn't tell me anything because I wasn't family! I tried to tell them that I was her only friend but they still wouldn't tell me anything. My dad even tried, but got the same answer. The only reason they told me anything about her today, was I guess so I would know where her funeral was going to be!”

“I'm so sorry, honey.” I told her. “I never knew that anyone had called or stopped by to check on Sara, no one told me. I think maybe they knew I was under a lot of stress and that would only add to it. It doesn't excuse what they did, but it's done, and you came here to say goodbye. I'll step away so you can have some privacy. You let me know when you're done, okay? I'll be right over there. I pointed to a far corner of the room, then I walked away to wait.

Nancy went close to the coffin and I saw her take Sara's hand in hers. I could hear her talking to Sara, but I couldn't make out any words. She was still crying, and her posture told me that she was heartbroken. I waited until she motioned that she was done, and I quickly crossed the room to hug her.

“Honey, I know Sara would want you to stay for the funeral, will you please? It would help me too, knowing that she has at least one more friend here to say goodbye.”

“O...okay, Cathilynn. I will. I'm so sorry I let her down!”

“No honey. You didn't let her down, society did...her parents did, but not you. You did all you could, all she would let you do, for her.” A thought struck me. “Honey, do you have a job? Are you going to high school or college?”

“No Cathilynn. I graduated from high school last year, but my grades weren't high enough for any scholarships, and my folks can't afford for me to go to college. I tried to find work, but no one wants to hire a girl like me. You know, a Transsexual?”

“Nancy, after all this is over, I want you to come see me at the Home. I think I have an idea that will net you both a job, and a college. I have to talk to a couple of people, but I think I can work it out for you. It's the least I can do for Sara's only real friend, and I think she would want me to do something for you, okay?”

“Oh Cathilynn! Do you mean it? I'd given up hope, thinking I'd never amount to anything, never leave this town, always be a burden on my family! OH thank you, thank you, thank you, and thank you again for being there for Sara. She deserved a lot better than she ever got. I'll leave you with her now, but I'll wait upstairs for you. Okay?”

“You bet honey. Find a couple of women, one is Irene, the other is Sandra. They'll be with the group from the Home. Tell them that we talked and I want you to wait with them.”

Nancy nodded her head and went back upstairs, leaving me alone one last time with Sara. I went to the side of her coffin and took her hand one last time.

“Sara, sweetheart. Your life will not have been wasted. Your memory will live on in the form of a scholarship for girls like you and me. Additionally, I promise that I will find and help as many girls like us that I can find. Your memory will be with me always, as close as my soul. When I close my eyes, I will see you. Not as you are, not as I saw you in the hospital, but as I believe you were in life. Full of hope for the future. I love you,my precious little girl. I always will.”

I left the prep area and went back upstairs where Irene and the rest of my friends from the Home were waiting. Irene and I found a place for me to change clothes for the funeral, and then we rejoined the few people who were there. Sara's mother and father never showed... just as well.

The service only lasted a little while, since there was no one but me and Nancy to deliver any kind of eulogies for Sara. The procession to the Cemetery was short and the interment was over quickly. Sandra gave me some flowers to put on the casket as it was lowered into the ground, and then it was over. A minister said a few words. I wanted to say something but I was too choked up to say anything. There was a little reception we held at the Home, but after that, it was just me, Irene, Sandra Sam, and Nancy, sharing what little we knew about Sara. I finally stood and offered a toast to Sara's memory.

“I offer this toast to you all, and to the world at large. Sara Jackson was buried today, but her memory will never die. At this moment, I rededicate myself to the dream that built this lace. I will not rest until justice punishes those who took Sara from us, and I thank whatever fate that brought us to her when she needed us. This Home That Love Built, this dream of so many others, will never close it's doors to anyone TG, for any reason. It's name will always be formally known as The Home That Love Built, but it's new, unofficial name will be, The Sara Home! So let it be written, so let it be done.”

I raised my glass, joined by Irene, Sandra, Sam, Nancy, and other residents. We all stood, clinked glasses and each one rededicated him or herself to the Home and it's reason for being. Then things kind of wound down. I stopped everyone for just a minute more, saying:

“I have a date with a doctor tomorrow morning. Sam, would you do me the honor of taking me there? Irene and Sandra are going to have their hands full, running this place until I get back.”

“I will indeed, Miss Cathilynn.” Sam said. I've been your friend since we were in grade school, and I'll be your friend until death do us part. I'm honored to know you, my dear, and proud of your courage. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning. Good night ladies. Sweet dreams to you all, and better days for all of us.” He then raised his eyes to the ceiling and said: Goodnight Sara. Rest easy and know that we all loved you.”

With a tear in his eye, he hugged each of us and went out the door.

I looked around at the other girls.

I think we all should get some sleep. I have the feeling that it's going to get very busy around here, so we need to be at our best. Thank you all for all that you did for Sara and for me. I promise I'm going to be around for a long time, and will take much better care of myself. Fate chose well when it sent you to the Home to help make a dream, real. Good night ladies. As Sam said, sweet dreams to you all, and better days for all of us. I love you all.”

Turning to go to my room, I took Nancy by the hand. Will you please come with me and tell me more about Sara? I want to know everything there is to know about her and her life, and I think you need to talk as well. I want to know all about you too, honey. After all, if you're going to work here an go to school, we need to be friends, don't you think?”

Nancy looked up at me and smiled.

“I agree Miss Cathilynn. I'd be pleased to talk about Sara and to tell you about me and my family. Shall we go?”

We linked arms and walked off dow the hall. Tomorrow would be a new day and there would be more Sara's to come. I vowed to save every one of them that I could, and I knew that every resident, every worker, everyone who had anything to do with the Home would do their utmost to do the same thing.

The End

FROM THE AUTHOR: So ends Sara's story. I have shed untold tears in it's writing, but I found a new dedication within myself as well. I can't do much, but like Cathilynn said, I will do my utmost to help however many Sara's I can find. Each night, before I go to sleep, I will pray for all the girls who have no one who have lost everything, and I will offer prayers for all those who have been taken before their times, by violence and hatred. I hope my little story made you think. I hope it made you glad for whatever you have.

Thank you for reading, thank you for commenting. I invested a lot of my own emotions in the writing of Sara's story, and it's gratifying to know that I touched some of you with it as well.

Sweet dreams to you all, and better days to us all as well.

All my love and hopes,
Catherine Linda Michel

Sara's Story. A Home That Love Built story. Repost.

Author:

Catherine Linda Michel

Audience Rating:

Mature Subjects (pg15)

Publication:

17,500 < Novella < 40,000 words

Genre:

Character Age:

Teenage or High School

TG Universes & Series:

The Home that Love Built by Catherine Linda Michel

Other Keywords:

Permission:

Posted by author(s)

This is a story about a place that is my dream. A place where down and out TG human beings can come to and know that they will be safe and loved, and helped. There are many stories written in this universe, and I urge you to read them all. They are all very well written by accomplished TG authors.

This story IS sad and it cost me a lot emotionally, but the story chose me to write it and I had to. Maybe to remind us that bad things DO happen to good people. It may make you cry, it may make you angry... or it might motivate you to do whatever you can to help someone less well off than you are. If it engenders any of those things than it is a story that HAD to be written, as much as it hurt me to write it.

I'm re-posting it because... well, I guess because I feel that people need to BE reminded that things like this DO happen and because it behooves every one of us to do whatever we can, no matter how small it might seem, to help someone who is need of help. It might just be that, whatever you can do, it might make the difference between hope and despair for someone.

That said, I present to you, Sara's Story. A repost of a Home That Love Built story.

A Home That Love Built Story

Sara's Story
Rededication
By Catherine Linda Michel

My alarm clock showed the time to be 3AM when I looked at it, blearily. Why was I looking at my clock at that hour? Well, the damn phone woke me up.

“Hello?” I mumbled into the phone. “Who is this?”

“Is this Cathilynn, the owner of The Home That Love Built?” The voice asked me.

“Yes, yes, it is. Now who is this calling me at this ungodly time of the morning?”

“We have a teen here in the hospital. This is Head nurse, Natalie Colm calling. I know what your place is all about, and I think you need to get here ASAP. This kid is in a bad way. I can't give you any details on the phone, but I can say that this is serious, and it concerns you and what your Home is all about.”

“Okay, okay.” I mumbled, still half asleep, but waking up quickly. “Give me a few minutes to dress and put on my face. I'll be there in about a half hour, is that fast enough?”

“I guess it'll have to be, but this kid is really hurt badly. The doctors are working on...um, her, as we speak and it doesn't look good”

Well, that was all I had to hear. I came to full wakefulness in less time than it takes to say it, jumped out of bed, told the nurse I'd be there as quick as I could, hung up the phone and began scrambling around, getting dressed. I hit the intercom to Irene's quarters and when she answered I told her to get up and get dressed. We had an emergency!

“Meet me in the parking lot in ten minutes. We need to get to the hospital fast!”

“I'll be there, Cathy. Any idea how bad this is?”

“No, hon. All the nurse would tell me was to get there as fast as I can. I have a feeling I'm going to need you with me, so hurry, okay hon?”

“I''m on my way, Cathy.” and she cut the intercom link.

By the time I got to the parking area, Irene already had a car started and was warming it up.

“You are amazing, hon! I said, as I climbed into the passenger side of the car. How did you beat me here?”

“If I told you that, I'd be giving up my reputation as a psychic, now wouldn't I? She said, with a small grin.

“One of these days, Irene, I'm going to figure out how you always know what's happening before I do, but I got the jump on you this time, since I got the call first.”

“I was already up, Cathy. I had the feeling, all last night, that something was going to happen. When you paged me, I was already dressed, with the car keys in my hand.”

I buckled my seat belt, sighing. “Someday, Irene...someday.”

“You'll only give yourself a headache trying to figure me out, Cathy. Just accept that, sometimes. I just know when something is gonna happen.” She said with a grin. “It'll be easier on you. You have enough headaches trying to run this place all by yourself, even though you know you have me, Sandra, and a couple others to help you. We need more people though, and you know it. Maybe you should start interviewing help soon.”

“I know, Irene, I know. It's just that I want to try to reserve enough positions for the girls who will come here when they have nowhere else to go. They are the ones who need to feel useful.” I sighed, as we careened through the darkened streets, headed for the hospital.
“If I hire someone off the street, that will be one more position I can't fill with someone who needs it to help them recover. WATCH THAT TRUCK!!” I screamed, as a delivery truck trundled slowly out of a parking lot.

Irene swerved around the truck, horn blaring. “Damned fool!!” She spat. “ Where in the hell do these people get their drivers licenses, from the Sears spring catalog?”

“Easy hon.” I said quietly. “We need to get to the hospital in one piece, okay? It won't do this kid any good if we end up as patients.”

The rest of the short drive went well. Somehow, Irene had the knack of making it through all the traffic lights while they were still green. We arrived in the emergency room parking lot, found a space for the car, and rushed inside.

I went to the admissions desk and asked for Head nurse Colm, and they paged her. When she called back, there was a brief conversation with the desk girl, who then turned to me and said,

“Natalie said for you to wait here. She'll be down as soon as she can. Seems like it's a busy night. Two traffic accidents, a beating, two babies being born, and an assault. The cops have been in and out of here since 8PM last night. Please have a seat in the waiting area, and I'll call you as soon as Natalie can get away to talk with you, okay?”