Synopsis: Lydia has encouraged her partner to cross dress at home when she was absent, with the intention of using hidden camera footage to blackmail him into obeying her desires. However, Peter had suspected she was up to something, and had made plans of his own...

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Peter entered the living room, and was immediately ordered by his partner: "Sit down and watch this."

Lydia turned on the TV, pressed Play on the DVD's remote control.

Peter cringed as images of him cleaning the house in a pink maid's dress flashed by.

A few minutes later, Lydia pressed Stop on the remote control, then with a malicious grin turned to her partner.

"Now, you will obey me, and complete without hesitation every task I set you, otherwise copies of this DVD will be sent to your workmates. Do you understand? Now, go upstairs and get changed. I'm expecting visitors in half an hour and you're going to be serving them."

Exactly half an hour later, the doorbell went, and Peter, now looking every inch a natural female, dressed in a long skirt, top and mid-length wig, opened the door and let in three of Lydia's workmates, while putting his finger to his mouth and whispering "Don't say anything - all will be revealed later."

He then went into the kitchen and prepared five mugs of tea, before carrying them into the lounge. He avoided the stares of his partner, who was expecting him to be dressed quite differently and serving cups of tea from their bone china set.

Lydia was seething, but before she could open her mouth, Peter looked at her, and calmly stated: "Lydia - no. Let me explain. Just because I'm an introvert and crossdress, it does NOT mean I'm a pushover, a willing slave to your desires, or too stupid to suspect when someone's playing games with me."

"Bu.."

"No buts - hear me out." He then retreived a small memo pad covered in scribbles from the tray, and studied it while continuing.
"You've known I was a crossdresser since before we moved in together, but as you had problems with the concept, I reluctantly agreed to stop to allow what I thought was our love to grow. So when, three months ago, you announced out of the blue that you were happy for me to resume, as long as you weren't around, I was suspicious. My curiosity as to your motives was only enhanced when I saw some of the outfits you were ordering for me.

"At first, I did dress up in those parody maid costumes while I did the housework, but they neither reflected the type of clothes I prefer to wear, nor the image I wish to project when dressed up. I was anxious to know what your intentions were, but knew I wouldn't be able to extract it from you directly. If you were planning anything for me resembling the stories that abound on the internet, I would need to find out quickly, before your plan could come to fruition."

"Bu..."

"But how? I could have placed my own cameras around the house, but they wouldn't reveal your thoughts, or your actions outside these four walls. Considering how little time you've spent here recently, supposedly on late night meetings or weekend conferences, they wouldn't have revealed much at all!

"Knowing how chatty you are, I figured you'd probably share your tales with your colleagues at work. But they'd be very unlikely to share them with the male side of me, so my only chance was to ramp up enough courage to take my female side into public and ask them as a female friend of a friend.

"So after using size guides on the 'net to help measure myself, I very nervously bought a basic outfit from the supermarket, and a wig from an online store; before taking the courage to go out in public - first around the block, then to the corner shop, and eventually into town.

"So for the past month, on Friday nights when you thought I was at The Rose & Crown with my workmates, I, or rather Petra, the name I prefer to call myself when dressed, was at The Old Bank."

Author's note: Rose & Crown - traditional type pub, popular haunt of "The lads"; Old Bank - trendy wine bar, more popular with females.

"Lydia, as I suspected, you really couldn't resist bragging about your plans for me when at the office, and it was the hot gossip amongst Julie, Claire and Kim here - even if they didn't quite believe your tales. After the third Friday, I took the precaution of taking a small voice recorder. See, although I'm naturally an introvert, I'm not stupid. I found out you were playing games with me, and I could be just as capable of playing games with you.

"I think Julie, Claire and Kim can confirm that I am quite presentable in public, and that until about 10 minutes ago, they never connected the shy, demure Petra with your supposed 'plaything' Peter. That DVD must have been compiled in the first week of your games, because I notice there's no footage from when I stopped wearing that ridiculous costume. Releasing it would be of little consequence to me - it is always Peter that turns up to work, and Petra who comes out to play at night. My job isn't public facing, I'm not committing adultery, I'm not breaking any laws, and Petra isn't doing anything which in the slightest way impacts upon my job.

"Relationships should be built on trust, respect and understanding. You have demonstrated none of that. Tomorrow I intend to give our landlord his one month's notice, and start moving out."

Turning away from Lydia and to the three girls, he said:

"Girls, I don't know what Lydia was planning to show you tonight - definitely not this! I'm sorry if you feel I've abused your trust over the past few weeks, but I hope you'll still allow Petra to join your social group on Fridays. I might not be able to make next week though, as I'll still be sorting myself out."

Kim seemed to recover faster than the others, then tenatively replied "I've got a spare room..."

"Are you sure, Kim, after what I've just told you? Under these clothes, I am still a man, and don't wish to either stop dressing, or dress full time."

"Yeah, I mean I don't have much money left after paying the bills, and I've got the extra room, so if you don't mind helping out..."

"If you're absolutely sure - you don't have to - and as you know, I am a little different to most people!"

"Yes, I'm sure. I take it you won't mind the others popping in from time to time?"

"No - you've got your life to live and I've got mine. Just make sure if you invite anyone else around while I'm in, that they're aware of both Peter and Petra - I don't want you losing any friendships over me."

"OK", then as a wide grin appeared on her face, "now get over here and sit down before you keel over!"

"Yes miss! Now," looking over towards Julie and Claire, "Can you come across first thing tomorrow morning and help us hash out some form of contract - make it all legal and above board."

Julie looked at Claire, then Kim, then Petra, before replying "Err...OK. Do you need a hand with moving your stuff?"

He thought for a minute, then nodded. "We'll take my clothes over tonight, but sort the rest out later. I'd prefer to have company when visiting here again, just in case SHE," casting a glance over towards Lydia, "plans any more surprises. But let's take our drinks upstairs and finish them there, so SHE can ponder her mistakes in private."

As they left the room, he said quietly to them, "Thanks again for all your support tonight - I didn't know what to expect, and you've made it a lot easier for me."

-oOo-

This is my first effort at writing fiction for 15+ years, so please be gentle with your criticisms :)
I've added a Creative Commons license to it, which gives you permission to post it elsewhere, rehash it into something that makes more sense, extend it (in either direction), write a prequel (the events leading up to this vignette) or even a sequel (moving into Kim's and beyond). Just remember to credit me with writing the original. If you do feel the need to extend it, bear in mind Peter/Petra will probably take a while to further his (platonic!) relationship with the girls before even thinking about more intimate relationships - especially given his experience with Lyria...

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Lydia liked being in control. No, scrub that.
Lydia loved being in control. Even that doesn't really do justice to her attitude.
Lydia simply had to be in control. In a nutshell, she was a control freak.

Whenever she was given a project at work, she had an instinctive feeling for how it was to be done. It had to be done her way - nobody else could possibly understand the requirements of the project, so any opinions they had were bound to be invalid, unless they were in complete agreement with hers.

She had applied for and been interviewed for several promotions at work, but had failed each time. It was all she could to do to avoid venting her spleen at the incompetent fools who had obviously chosen an inferior candidate for the post. In time, she eventually gave up applying, deciding after micro-analysing the questions they'd asked her at the interviews that they weren't asking the right questions - they were so high and mighty they didn't realise the nature of the job they were interviewing for.

As with her worklife, as with her social life. She'd noticed about a year ago that a group of three others in the office tended to stick together and socialise - so she'd carried out some careful espionage and discovered they all lived in the town. She thought it might be useful to get to know them better - see if they shared her motivation, desires, and interests - and also if they were potential competition in the promotions market.

But rent prices in the town were significantly higher than where she was currently living, so she'd have to share the costs with someone. Maybe she could scout out a suitable partner and move in with them...

Tonight was Friday. Normally, Lydia would be letting her hair down at a nearby pub, while her partner Peter was doing the same across town. The only difference (apart from class of venue) was that Lydia would be on her own, and Peter was with his workmates (or so she thought). Except that tonight she'd planned something quite different.

But all that careful, meticulous planning had just come crashing down on her like the proverbial ton of bricks. Peter had done the impossible - he'd moved out (or at least was in the process of doing so). He was going to end the tenancy agreement, which would mean she'd also have to move out. Somewhere different to Peter.

She couldn't decide which was the worst aspect - the fact that Peter was acting so bold and assertive instead of meek and submissive, the fact he was dressed up to the nines rather than in the cute little maid's dress she'd bought him when she first started putting The Plan into action, or the fact he'd been aided and abetted by her colleagues - who, working for her team, should be supporting her, not that pansy standing opposite.

What could possibly have gone wrong? Her world was crashing down on her and she was at a loss to explain how.

As the door closed and Peter left the house for the penultimate time (apparently he'd be returning tomorrow to collect the remainder of his belongings), Lydia briefly considered trying to woo him back, so The Plan could be put back on track. But then she realised he'd have Kim (at least) with him, and possibly the other two as well, so she wouldn't be allowed to plead and beg with him to return. Damn.

She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a large whiskey before ascending the stairs to look in Peter's room. Everything had been stripped out, apart from the furniture and that cute dress. Which, if The Plan had gone to plan, was what he would be wearing now and for the foreseeable future.

How had it gone so wrong? She sat down on the bed and thought back to the beginning...

Of course, she couldn't have just any man living with her. She had to find someone who would stay with her - who wouldn't up sticks and move on a whim. Someone who wouldn't dream of being unfaithful. Someone with a steady job, but who preferred to be controlled rather than be the controller. Someone she could mould to fit her ideal.

It was one Saturday evening when she first saw Peter. She'd taken a taxi into town and was sauntering around the pubs, looking for the ideal candidate. He was sitting on his own, staring at nothing in particular, holding a cola in his hand.

Good, she thought. He's OK looking but a loner, so he's not likely to go running off. He's a light drinker as well - that should make life easier. She ordered a wine for herself, sat across the table from him, and struck up a conversation. He seemed reluctant to join in at first, but as the bar was quite crowded, there weren't many spare places, and she took things slowly, he gradually accepted her and conversation started to flow more naturally.

Over the next few weeks, she continued to visit the same pub, and continued to chat with Peter. She discovered that he also commuted in, and was also unhappy at spending nearly half an hour each day sitting in a jam - it was almost quicker to walk upon reaching the edge of town than driving! So she started dropping hints that she was in the same situation, and perhaps they could share a flat in town. Nothing personal, purely platonic of course.

Eventually, serendipity came with the start of major gas works on the road they both used into town, trebling the journey time. They found a small two bedroom house on the other side of town, and eventually moved in together.

Lydia's initial hope was that he would fall head over heels in love with her, and therefore that would be the route to 'keeping' him. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to show much interest in her romantically, and preferred to spend the evenings either reading a book or sitting at his computer. Resolving to find out more about him so she could remedy this situation, she booked half a day off work, arrived home early, and started poking through his belongings, trying to build up a more complete picture of him.

She was disgusted when she discovered a black dress hiding in his wardrobe, with what appeared to be fake breasts in a bag underneath. Ugh! No wonder he was so quiet - he was a pervert who liked dressing up in women's clothing! OK, so he hadn't tried on any of her clothes, but it was bound to be only a matter of time. However, confronting him over it might persuade him to move out. No, she couldn't do that.

She decided instead to buy a lock for her bedroom door, so he couldn't "borrow" any of her clothes, even if he wanted to. But, she thought, that could also be the key to keeping him around. Maybe she could encourage his desires...
She didn't think she would ever get 'turned on' by a bloke in a dress, but if she allowed him to do it while she wasn't around... Hmm....

The following weekend, she made a great pretence of claiming she understood his needs and desires, and while she wasn't too happy with it herself, he was free to get 'dolled up' when she wasn't around. Maybe she could even buy him something else to wear...

Certainly over the next week, Peter seemed happier at night - especially on the days when she'd been at the office and he'd been at home. However, she quickly realised that it just wasn't fair that she wasn't deriving any pleasure from the experience. So the next time Peter was at the office and she was home, she logged onto his computer and browsed around. She saw a few sites on crossdressing that were bookmarked, and was disgusted by the images she saw - the ones that looked particularly convincing as women in particular horrified her. However, while browsing the story sites, she discovered tales of dominant women who'd forced their spouses to become "sissy maids". The more of these tales she read, the more attracted to the idea she was. All it would take would be a means of "persuading" him to stay around, and she could mould him into the perfect little "sissy maid", who would be only too eager to do exactly what she wanted. And the costumes would be so far removed from what ordinary women wore that he would always look like a bloke in a dress.

But how to do it? She logged off, and over the next few days began to formulate The Plan. Arriving home unexpectedly and taking photos could be one way - but as he was a slim man, he might possibly look fairly convincing, so that probably wouldn't work. On the other hand, if she set up a hidden video camera and failed to do any housework, then he'd have to do the cleaning and dusting while she was out... and if she "treated" him to a "sissy maid" dress, he would probably take the bait and do it while dressed up... After all, didn't all crossdressers have fantasies of being a subservient little maid?

What could possibly go wrong with the plan? Hidden cameras, a few weeks worth of footage, and she'd have plenty of material to convince him to stay and be her full time maid. Once he'd accepted his fate, she could then take great delight in persuading him to dump all his male clothes, so there would be no going back. He would have to stick around.

The initial stages of The Plan worked well - he seemed a little hesitant over the dress, but never mind - he'd come to accept it in time. She was sure he would wear it whenever he did the housework - this was such a brilliant idea of hers.

But she had a shock the next week when she next had a day off - although there was about an hour's footage of him in the dress, on all subsequent occasions he wasn't doing any housework - or wearing that cute little dress she'd bought him. By this time, there'd also been a glut of celebrity marriages splashed across all the magazine shelves. She wasn't ready to get married, and she doubted Peter would be very satisfying in bed, even if she could persuade him.

Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone. She revised The Plan, and decided she'd explore the area and "play the field". After all, she wasn't socialising with the locals any more - for some reason, soon after she'd started taking them to a different bar which she regarded as far superior to their original one, the locals started finding reasons to stop coming out. Oh well, their loss. So as she was now free to go where she wanted and spend as much time as she liked out, it would allow Peter more time, home alone, to indulge in his fantasies

Surely then - especially as she refused to do any housework - he'd clean and tidy up while wearing the dress. After all, it was every crossdresser's desire to play at being a "sissy maid", so therefore the reason he hadn't been doing so was because she wasn't giving him enough time to do it. What could possibly go wrong?

So she put her revised version of The Plan into effect, and waited a couple of weeks before reviewing the footage, certain there'd be plenty of juicy evidence for her to watch. Except there wasn't. Sure, Peter did do the housework, but in jeans and a T-shirt. This wasn't supposed to happen! Even worse, on Friday nights he'd come into the lounge late at night wearing his original dress, and crash out with a glass of wine for an hour or so. The final straw was in last Friday's footage - where after pouring the wine, he stared directly at the camera (how did he know where it was?) and offered up his glass in a "Cheers!" motion.

Right. That was enough. She hadn't got anywhere near as much footage as she wanted, but she'd have to confront him with the little she had. There was only a few minutes worth of usable material from the first tape, but it should be enough. She'd also invite over her local colleagues on the pretence of her birthday (it wasn't, but she'd been tight-lipped over the subject so they weren't to know).

Perfect. What could possibly go wrong?

Looking back over those events, Lydia winced at her extreme confidence. "What could possibly go wrong?" indeed. She thought her plans were foolproof. If only...

It turned out Peter wasn't as meek and as mild as she thought. He'd cottoned onto her scheme quite early, suspecting that the plant that had suddenly appeared on the bookshelf opposite the settee wasn't 'just' a plant. She hadn't thought that he would have read some of the "maid" stories, and not only wasn't attracted to the idea, but had also learned to be vigilant of his environment. He'd been suspicious of the dress and even more suspicious of the plant.

If only she'd acted sooner, instead of waiting around. Maybe then he wouldn't have had time to build up the confidence to take his alter ego out in public. She knew she was a chatterbox, but until then had thought it was a brilliant means of convincing others that The Plan was a brilliant idea, and they should consider doing it themselves. How she regretted that now - how badly it had backfired!

It turned out that her colleagues were now socialising at their original pub again, and had a new member in their group - "Petra" - who apparently worked for a different firm. She didn't think much of that at the time, except that now it turned out that "Petra" was actually Peter. So of course in sharing the office gossip (and infuriatingly dismissing The Plan as sheer fantasy) with "Petra", they'd actually been unintentionally pre-warning Peter of The Plan. Damn!

As if that wasn't bad enough, "Petra" had made such good friends with them that even when he revealed himself at the beginning of his monologue, they still supported him. And Kim (the little b*****d) had even offered to let him move in with her. Grrr!

So now Lydia was sitting on Peter's bed, clutching a glass of whiskey, finally starting to realise that (a) you can't plan for every eventuality, and (b) that maybe, just maybe, she needed to take a new outlook on life, and possibly try to listening to others.

But she was always right. Everything she did was for the best. Nobody else's opinion mattered.

But then again, reflecting over the events of the last hour again, maybe there were occasional times when other people's thoughts and opinions were worth examining...

Could other people's opinions possibly be more valuable than her own? She resolved to think about it again in the morning...

---

Author's note: I don't intend to write anything else from Lydia's point of view. I'll leave it as an exercise for your imaginations as to whether Lydia decides to at least attempt to turn over a new leaf - and if she does, whether she succeeds (at least partially - say to the extent of occasionally admitting that others may have a better idea than her).

Synopsis: I've been mulling over the possibility of writing a sequel to Petra's Outing and doing something for the Challenge, when I realised a perfect opportunity to set the challenge within the context of Petra. This is set "the morning after the night before", at Kim's flat.

N.B. Think of this as a cut scene from Petra: The Aftermath, the (as yet unwritten) sequel to Petra's Outing, taking place immediately after that story ends.

N.N.B. This is completely unedited - this is more-or-less a stream of conciousness. Gedit thinks it's spelled correctly, but whether it makes any grammatical sense or is properly punctuated is another matter entirely... :)

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Kim sauntered into her kitchen to find Peter alternating between munching on a slice of toast and humming.

"You've cheered up a lot!"

"I'm still apprehensive about going back to collect the remainder of my stuff, but I just had a silly daydream which has helped me slightly."

"Is that anything to do with that tune you're humming - I can't quite make it out..."

"Oh that - it's 'I Will Survive'"

"Very appropriate. So what was the dream?"

"Only if you promise faithfully that you won't kick me out for being certifiably insane!"

"It's that bad, is it?"

"This had better be good..."

"Promise?"

"OK."

"Picture the scene - my old place, in about an hour's time."

"Right...so when we're picking up the rest of your stuff?"

"Yes. I imagined Lydia might misinterpret my reappearance as wanting to move back in with her."

"After what she's done and what you said?"

"Well, she likes to be in control, so she thinks she can persuade me to return..."

"I think I can see where this is going..."

"Anyway, I imagined walking in, her trying to persuade me to stay, then somehow I transformed into Petra - but in a long sequinned dress."

"Riiiiggghhhht...."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you it was silly. And I stress, Petra in a sequinned dress - not a Gloria Gaynor clone!"

Kim unsuccessfully tried to suppress a giggle.

"Anyway, at that point, disco lights come on and I start singing the first few lines..."

At first I was afraid, I was petrified.
Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side
But I spent so many nights, thinking how you did me wrong:
I grew strong. I learned how to carry on.

"Apart from the ridiculous setting, that's actually pretty close to what happened with Petra. I'd only ever dressed in secret beforehand, and was afraid of anyone else finding out. Admittedly in those early days I wasn't very good at it - but one consequence of Lydia's apparent about-turn on my dressing was that because I hated that darn dress she gave me and the OTT makeup, I realised that if I was to break away from her I needed to find my own style - something I was comfortable with. Anyway, back to the song..."

And so you're back from outer space
I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face
I should have changed my stupid lock, I should have made you leave your key
If I had known for just one second you'd be back to bother me

Go on now, Go! Walk out the door,
Just turn around now, 'cause you're not welcome anymore

"OK, that section's a little removed from reality, but I can certainly imagine Lydia acting all distraught and upset. Heck, she probably will be - but just as I'm now making a fresh start, with the help of you, Claire and Julie; so she will have to make a fresh start, presumably with someone who won't have heard what happened last night. And since I'll be cancelling the rent standing order with Simon [Peter/Lydia's landlord] as soon as my computer's been set up over here, she'll have to move out as well."

"And after the way she's treated you, she won't be welcome here either!"

"Thanks Kim. I still can't quite believe you've agreed to take me in - after all, I'm not exactly who I claimed to be when socialising with you and your friends at the pub."

"Grrr. How many times do I have to tell you? After seeing what you did yesterday, I know Petra isn't an act. Petra is you. If anything, she's more you than Peter!"

"Wha...what do you mean?"

"Look, I'm not suggesting you become Petra full time or anything - but you've got to admit you socialise better as Petra than Peter. You said yourself that you can't really engage with other men in conversation because you're not interested in the things they talk about, like football, celebrities to lust over, the amount of cleavage women show, or even drinking yourself to oblivion. You always felt like an outsider. Now Petra, on the other hand..."

"OK, OK, I get the idea. Just allow me to think this through. I've only been Petra one night a week for a month or so - and as you know she's only got one outfit, if you exclude that darn dress we left behind last night."

"Sorry - but you've got to admit you enjoy being a girl - if only part-time! You certainly seemed to relax and join in with our inane conversations at the pub!"

"I suppose so - but give me time on this, OK? I dont' know how often I'll want to be Petra, let alone go full time!"

"Sorry - it's just that you're so natural as Petra it's hard to imagine you've had so little experience as her. Just take your time to settle in - this has been a tough time for you and a steep learning curve. Just take things at your own pace, and we'll only interfere if you ask us to."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you need help with shopping, or make-up, or even building up enough confidence to take Petra out in daylight."

"We?"

"Me, Claire and Julie. We're all here for you - well, a phone call away in the case of Claire and Julie. And before you ask, we know you want to keep our friendship strictly platonic, and we respect that. We need to take time to learn about each other - in your case, both Peter and Petra - before even thinking about taking it further. Now, enough of that - now where had we got up to in the song? Oh yes."

Go on now, Go! Walk out the door,
Just turn around now, 'cause you're not welcome anymore

"I think I know where this is going, but continue anyway..."

"Thanks again. Now, what's next..." (hums the last few bars) "...aha!"

Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with your lies
You think I'd crumble, you think I'd lay down and die
Oh no, not I, I will survive
as long as i know how to love
I know I will stay alive
I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give
and I'll survive, I will survive

"Well, that bit's certainly true enough - and a fitting retort to Lydia. I bet she thought I'd never pluck up the courage to escape, let alone destroy her blackmail plans."

It took all the strength I had not to fall apart
kept trying hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart
and I spent oh so many nights just feeling sorry for myself
I used to cry - Now I hold my head up high
and you see me - Somebody new
I'm not that chained up little person still in love with you
and so you felt like dropping in and just expect me to be free
now I'm saving all my loving for someone who will love me.

"It's amazing how well those lyrics fit...and quite ironic if you think about the original context of the woman kicking out her husband."

"And it wasn't exactly the reverse, either!"

"I suppose not - Petra is somebody new - she didn't really exist before Lydia started her little scheme. And, come to think of it, it was Petra that stood up to Lydia, not Peter. I never thought I'd have the confidence to stand up to her - I suppose I have been a bit of a wimp until now."

"So will we be seeing more of Petra?"

"I'd like to - but let's first see if I can keep some of that new-found confidence as me. Well, the Peter me, as well as the Petra me."

"You mean..."

"Yes, starting off in about an hour when we troop over there to collect the rest of my stuff."

"Oh, and just out of curiosity, how did your daydream finish?"

"If only real life was as simple as that..."

"Go on...stop teasing!"

"OK, as the music faded, I pointed at her and she disappeared in a puff of smoke."

"Very wicked witch-ish!"

"I suppose so...but even so, when you meet her at work, remember she is only human."

"Ha ha - you do realise I've got to go back to work with her tomorrow?"

"Yes - it will be difficult, but please don't do anything stupid. The last thing we need is for her to build up a case for Constructive Dismissal."

"Oh - good point. So when do you want to go over there?"

"Let's get this over and done with. Call the others and ask them to get here by 10."

"Half an hour?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry - you'll have us to support you. Mind if I tell them of your dream?"

"No - it's hardly private. Tell you what - we'll do it together just before setting off."

"OK - I'll go and phone them now."

"Oh, and you might need to warn them they'll be meeting Peter, not Petra."

"Of course - they might have forgotten she's only got one outfit, which is hardly suitable for lugging furniture around."

"Err..."

"What?"

"Since I'm not going to have to hide Petra any more..."

"Yes..."

"She's only got one outfit..."

"You'd like her to have some more?"

"Casuals - but..."

"Don't worry - we'll just pop in on the way back and grab some basics - you can try them on when we get back here."

"Thanks."

"Then when you've built up enough confidence to go out in daytime, we'll indoctrinate you in the world of shopping!"

Peter rolled his eyes.

"We'll take it slowly - but the fact you're asking in the first place..."

"Yeah, OK, I do enjoy being Petra - but please, one step at a time!"

"No problem - I promise we won't rush you, or force you to wear anything you're unhappy with."

"Thanks again - now go and phone the others, or it'll be lunchtime before we set off!"

Kim then left Peter munching on his (now cold) toast while she walked into the hall, now grinning and humming "I Will Survive" herself.