The seventeen year old boy stared at his reflection in the mirror and let out a long, tired sigh. It was a day he'd been planning for for weeks, and now that it was finally here, he felt nervous.

He was also excited, of course- it was Halloween, and he was heading to his first proper Halloween party with his older brother, his first proper 'adult' party. His costume, however, was very different to the one his brother was wearing. Greg had opted for a 'Dexter' inspired costume of plain clothing spattered with theatrical blood. Matthew's costume was much more elaborate... And not something Greg would EVER be seen wearing regardless of the date.

From birth, Matthew had always been different from his older brother. Greg was a typical 'lad'. He loved football, beer and loose women, worked in a pub and spent most of his time telling inappropriate jokes and/or farting a lot. Matthew also liked football and inappropriate jokes and had developed a taste for beer despite his youth, and whilst his sex life (and his flatulence) wasn't as prolific as his brother, he was just as attracted to women... He just also harboured a secret desire to be a woman.

From an early age, Matthew had been obsessed with girls. With their clothes, their make-up, their jewellery- especially their sparkling, beautiful jewellery- Matthew had dreamed about what it would be like to wake up one day as a girl, to be able to get up, pull on a skirt or a dress and go about his- or rather, her- day without a care in the world. However, Matthew was also smart enough to realise that it would never be as simple as that. If he lived in a more upper class part of the world, he might have been able to get away with such an 'eccentricity', but he didn't. He lived in Openshaw, one of the roughest parts of Manchester, and if he suddenly presented himself to the world as a girl, his neighbourhood would likely have a conniption. His mother and his two younger sisters likely would as well. But that would be nothing compared to his brother's rage.

Greg and Matthew's father had left the household in 2001, when the former was fourteen and the latter was just eight years old, and as much as Matthew had come to see Greg as his only role model, the reverse had also been true. As much as Greg enjoyed teasing his younger brother, he loved spending time with him, teaching him all the things he felt the younger boy should know- all about football, beer and loose women. Matthew paid attention throughout these 'lessons', but secretly, he was planning his own 'learning'. After discovering the internet at the age of twelve, Matthew began secretly researching everything to do with femininity. He read online magazines and blogs, watched videos on fashion and make-up tutorials and even began to practise feminine mannerisms, such as adjusting his walk, his body language and even his speech. From a purely practical standpoint, Matthew felt perfectly equipped to become a woman. He just lacked one thing- the support of his family. But all that was about to change, and Matthew was about to find out whether it would be for the better or the worse.

"Matt!" Greg bellowed from the living room. "Get a fucking move on, all the beer'll be gone!"

"Alright, keep your hair on!" Matthew replied as he applied the finishing touches to his costume. "Alright... Here goes." Matthew took several deep breaths before opening his bedroom door and slowly descending the stairs, his legs wobbling on the footwear he was unaccustomed to wearing.

"Took you long enough," Greg snorted as Matthew opened the living room door. "Come on, we'll- WHAT THE FUCK!?"

"What?" Matthew shrugged as he posed in his costume, one hand on his hip and the other clutching a multi-coloured feather duster. "You did say it was a costume party, right?" Matthew smiled nervously as he let Greg and the rest of his family take in the sight of the costume, even as internally, he felt his legs start to tremble.

The trembling wasn't helped by the 3 inch stiletto heels that Matthew was barely balancing on, nor the ripped fishnet tights that offered very little protection from the cold October air. Matthew had no doubt, though, that his brother's biggest problem was the tiny black dress covering his torso and his thighs, or the lace trim on the dress, or the fact that he'd used padding to fill the front of the dress, or the fact that he was wearing as much 'regular' make-up as he was stage make-up...

"You want to swap costumes with him or something?" Ellen- Matthew and Greg's younger sister- asked with a giggle, which made Matthew grin, though he couldn't be sure whether the giggling was at Greg's expense or his.

"Get changed," Greg said, taking several breaths to calm himself.

"Why?" Matthew asked. "This costume cost me a lot of money."

"You do know we're going to a pub, right?" Greg asked. "A pub with a lot of guys around my age?"

"Yes...?" Matthew replied, triggering a long groan of frustration from his brother.

"And you're going as a fucking French maid!" Greg snapped.

"Greg! Watch your language around your sisters!" Mrs. Briggs chastised her older son, who growled in frustration.

"ZOMBIE French maid," Matthew said. "Check out the make-up here, here and here." Matthew smirked as he pointed to the deathly pale colour he'd smeared his face with, as well as the bruises and lesions he'd painted onto his body.

"So are you trying to get the shit beaten out of you?" Greg snarled. "Either get changed or you're not coming."

"Huh, guess I'm not coming then," Matthew shrugged, flopping down on the sofa next to his sister.

"Ugh, Matt- you've been on about going to this party for weeks," Greg sighed. "You wouldn't shut up about it, and now that it's finally here, you decide you're going to ruin it for yourself."

"How am I ruining it by dressing like this?" Matthew asked.

"Look," Greg said. "I'm not opposed to the occasional bit of cross-dressing in the name of fun. I went out in drag for my friend's hen night last year, remember?"

"I remember," Ellen snorted. "That image is burned onto my retinas, you looked like a gorilla in a dress!"

"And that's my point," Greg said. "Matt, you- you actually look like you could be a girl."

"Thanks," Matthew replied with a smug smile.

"That's not something to be proud of," Greg spat. "Especially not when I've told my friends I'm bringing along my brother, they're going to expect, well, a man!"

"Last time I checked, I still have a cock," Matthew replied.

"Matthew!" The boys' mother snapped, before sighing. "Matthew... Why HAVE you dressed like that tonight? There are a million things you could've gone as."

"I wanted to be a zombie French maid," Matthew shrugged. "I can't explain why, I just know that this is what I wanted to go as."

"Where did you even get the costume?" Ellen asked.

"At a fancy dress store, where d'you think?" Matthew replied. "Thing about only being 5' 7" is you have a lot of choice come Halloween."

"And out of all the things in there, that's what you chose?" Greg asked.

"It looked the most fun," Matthew shrugged, as internally, he sighed. Of all the questions that was being asked, the one he most wanted to answer was being deliberately avoided- whether or not he enjoyed wearing female clothing.

Matthew had tried numerous times to come out to his family in different ways. From asking his mother if she'd have preferred to have three daughters and one son instead of two of each, to what she would've named him had he been born a girl, but on each occasion, the topic was quickly dismissed, as though the very concept was offensive to his mother. No one had ever delved into why Matthew had asked such questions, and now that he had forced the issue in the most upfront way possible... Nothing had changed.

After Greg left, Matthew let out a long, tired sigh, before slinking back to his bedroom to remove his make-up and his costume, groaning as he stared at his plain, boyish features in his mirror. He was disappointed that he wouldn't be attending the party, but he was much more disappointed that his time in his costume had come to an end.

Matthew had read up about transgender issues on the internet and was familiar with virtually every aspect of it, and while he had no intention of ever taking any hormone pills or undergoing any surgeries, he'd always hoped that one day, he'd be able to leave the house dressed as a girl with his head held high, and with the full support of his family. On the cold Halloween night, however, that dream seemed further away than ever...

"Knock knock?" Matthew heard his youngest sister call from outside his bedroom, snapping him out of his daydream. "Still got your costume on?"

"Umm, no, not anymore," Matthew replied. "You can come in, Sash."

"Thanks," the thirteen year old girl said as she entered the room and sat on the edge of her brother's bed. "Greg was REALLY pissed off with you."

"Yeah, I got that, thanks," Matthew replied, before letting out a long sigh. "Sorry, Sash. Didn't mean it like that."

"S'okay," Sasha shrugged. "Matt- why DID you wear that costume? I mean, you must've had loads to pick from, you go as something you know would really piss him off?"

"I-" Matthew replied, before letting another, longer sigh and flopping back onto his bed. "I just thought it'd be fun. Just a laugh, you know?" Internally, Matthew kicked himself for his cowardice. The very question he'd wanted to be asked, by the person he knew would be most receptive to the answer, and he couldn't bring himself to admit the truth.

"If you say so," Sasha said.

"And that's supposed to mean?" Matthew snorted.

"I've seen guys dress up as girls for 'a laugh'," Sasha said. "Hell, even Greg has, like he said just now. Like Ell said, he looked like a right knob. And like Greg said, you- you didn't. You really looked like you could, you know, be 'real'. I mean, like 'real' as a girl, that sort-of, umm, thing..."

"Umm- okay," Matthew replied, wondering whether or not he should thank his sister for what was obviously intended as a compliment.

"Matt? Sash? You in here?" Ellen asked as she climbed the stairs and poked her head around her brother's bedroom door. "Is it 'Matt' as in 'Matthew' or, I dunno, 'Nat' like 'Natalie' or 'Natasha'?"

"It's Matthew, mouth," the seventeen year old boy scoffed as Ellen plopped down next to their sister on his bed.

"Pity," Ellen said. "Would've been nice to outnumber boys in this household for once."

"What d'you call mum, then?" Matthew asked.

"Referee, most days," Sasha quipped, making her sister giggle. "Do- d'you reckon Greg'll, you know, get over it?"

"He'll be too pissed tonight not to," Ellen snorted. "He'll be fine, he'll just write it off as another one of Matt's practical jokes."

"Which is what it was, right?" Sasha asked hesitantly.

"Umm, sure, yeah!" Matthew shrugged. "Didn't really want to go to that party anyway, Greg's mates are all knobs."

"Well- yes, true," Ellen said. "Even the fit ones. If that's the best you boys have to offer it almost makes me wish I were a lesbian."

"Lovely," Matthew snorted. "Look, honestly, I'm fine, okay? It were a practical joke that bombed, don't worry about me, okay?"

"Well- okay," Sasha said, though her voice and her demeanour made it clear that she was far from convinced. "If- if you want to, you know, talk..."

"Let me get back to you on that," Matthew sighed. "MUCH later."

"Okay, okay!" Ellen scoffed. "Come on, Sash, let's leave 'Natalie' to her sulk..." Matthew rolled his eyes as his sisters left the room, before laying back onto his bed and letting out a long, pained moan.

The following morning, Matthew headed to college wearing his trademark black jeans and well-worn Manchester City F.C. hoodie like nothing had happened the night before. Matthew hadn't had the opportunity to talk to his brother after his return from his party, but knew what his response would be- the same as his mother's and his sisters' response, which was no response at all. Not a word was said over breakfast about his choice of costume, and when Matthew arrived at college, no one there even knew about the costume.

Matthew was desperate to tell someone, anyone about it, even if just to gauge their reaction, but he knew that of the few friends he had, none of them would understand. Matthew could talk to his friends about football, about television, even about girls, but he could never talk about the one girl he fantasised about the most- himself.

A month passed, and the memory of Matthew's Halloween costume seemed to fade from the Briggs household as they looked forward to their next major celebration. November 30th was Matthew's birthday, and that year, it wasn't just any birthday, but his eighteenth.

On the morning of his eighteenth birthday, Matthew was woken up by his mother, his brother and his sisters crowding into his bedroom, singing 'Happy Birthday to You' and showering him with cards and presents. Presents that included a new football shirt, DVDs, video games and clothes- a new pair of jeans, two new sweatshirts and three t-shirts, all of which were very obviously from the menswear section of the shops they were bought from. Matthew was genuinely grateful for all of his gifts, but as he headed to college, he wished that one of the presents, just one of them, could've been a new dress, or a skirt, or a make-up set, or anything feminine. Any sign that could reassure him that he didn't have to hide anymore.

"Hey Briggsy!" Dave, Matthew's closest college friend, cheered as Matthew sat down for lunch at his usual table. "Happy birthday, mate!"

"When you gonna get our beers in, then?" Josh- another of Matthew's friends- teased.

"Not wasting time then, are you?" Matthew snorted, making his friends laugh.

"Not our fault you're the first to turn eighteen," Josh retorted. "That's the rule- if you're eighteen first, you get the beers in."

"Who made up this 'rule'?" Matthew complained, earning sniggers from his friends.

"Seriously mate," Dave said. "What you got planned for the weekend?"

"Nothing much," Matthew shrugged. "Greg'll probably try to drag me out with his mates again."

"Oh yeah, you never said what happened at Halloween," Josh said. "You were looking forward to it, then nothing happened?"

"I just didn't want to go out with HIS mates," I said. "...Much rather have gone with you two."

"Ah, you soft bastard!" Dave laughed, giving the birthday boy a rough, but still playful shove and reminding him why he'd never be able to truly open up to his friends- at least, not about what he most wanted to tell them.

When Matthew arrived home, he played the part of the birthday boy to perfection, wolfing down the special dinner of sausages, chips and gravy that his mother always made him on his birthday, followed by a large helping of apple tart and custard and- as it was a special birthday- a glass of sparkling wine. Matthew forced a smile on his face when his father dropped round to give him his presents and spend over an hour talking about football with him and Greg (though that didn't come too hard to Matthew), and eventually headed to bed just after 10pm feeling tired and frustrated.

As he headed up the stairs, Matthew wondered if he'd have felt better if he'd never dressed up in the first place, if he'd buried his desires deep down in a hole where he would never have had to think about them ever again. It wasn't like Matthew hated being a boy- not having to worry about his appearance, eating whatever he wanted and talking about cars and football all appealed to him. But so did putting on make-up, wearing short skirts and dangly earrings and talking about clothes and celebrities. Matthew dreamed of playing for Manchester City and scoring the winning goal at Wembley Stadium, but he also dreamed of being a ballerina and dancing on a stage- but most of all, Matthew dreamed of having someone to share his desires with.

When Matthew entered his bedroom, though, he recoiled in surprise as he discovered a large, unopened pile of presents on his bed, wrapped in pink wrapping paper- and his two pyjama-clad sisters sat on the bed next to them.

"...Am I going to have to throw you out of my room again?" Matthew snorted, earning eye rolls from both girls.

"If you do, we're taking these with us!" Ellen replied with a smug grin.

"Even if they wouldn't fit us," Sasha said with a giggle.

"What- what do you mean?" Matthew asked. "What's going on?"

"Matt, stop being soft in the head," Ellen snorted. "We know what's going on. We've known since your tantrum at Halloween what's going on!"

"Well- we think we do, anyway," Sasha said cautiously.

"Again, what. Is. Going. On?" Matthew growled.

"Okay, cut to the chase, we got you more presents," Ellen said with a sigh. "We thought- we thought that you might like these more than some of what else you got."

"If we're wrong, just tell us, and we won't speak of this again," Sasha said, handing Matthew a present that obviously contained an item of clothing.

"Okay..." Matthew said, his jaw dropping as he read the label.

'To Natalie,' the label read. 'From your sisters on your eighteenth birthday.'

"Open it," Sasha whispered emotionally. Natalie carefully tore the wrapping paper open, and started to tremble with anxiety as he discovered it contained a short denim skirt that was obviously in his size.

"Wh- what?" Matthew asked.

"I told you he wouldn't," Sasha whispered to her sister with a sigh.

"Matt," Ellen said softly. "Or Nat. Whatever. We told you at Halloween that your costume wasn't just- well, wasn't just you being a dumb boy, but that- that it looked like you have, you know, 'more' to you."

"Like I said, if we're wrong, we'll take it all back," Sasha said. "Unless, of course, you- you don't want us to?" Matthew bit his lip as he stared at the item of clothing in his hand. Unlike his rough jeans, the denim of the skirt was lighter and softer, and the mere feel of it against his fingers sent tingles of excitement through his body. What it would feel like against his legs, he could only dream- except he didn't have to dream, not any more. All he had to do was accept the gift, and he would have his very first skirt that was 100% his.

Matthew paused as he stared at his sisters, waiting for some sign that they were playing a practical joke on him, but all he saw in their eyes was sincerity. A tear trickled down Matthew's cheek as he finally concluded that his birthday wish might be coming true after all.

"...You two are the best sisters ever," Matthew whispered, giggling as Ellen and Sasha jumped off the bed and gave him a tight group hug.

"You never know," Ellen chuckled. "You might end up being the best sister ever too!"

"Hey!" Sasha protested, earning a stuck-out tongue from Ellen and a girlish giggle from Matthew.

"We'll keep the clothes in our rooms, but you can come and get them any time you want," Ellen said, ignoring her younger sister's rolled eyes. "Obviously we won't tell mum about this, or Greg, and definitely not dad. Well- unless you want us to, anyway."

"Ah- umm..." Matthew mumbled. If he wanted to tell his brother and his mother about 'Natalie', it had suddenly become a lot easier to do so. Three against two was a much less daunting prospect than one against four, but if it went badly, the price would still be far too high. If forced to choose between 'male and with the full love and support of family', or 'can choose gender but homeless and unloved', Matthew would choose the former. He was forced to admit to himself, however, that his sisters had proved that 'Natalie' would always have at least some love and support whenever and wherever 'she' needed it.

"We can keep it to ourselves for now," Sasha said with a supportive smile. "Is this- is this, you know, the birthday you always dreamed of?"

"Heh, you have NO idea," Matthew giggled as he was handed another present, which he opened to reveal a lace-trimmed girl's t-shirt.

By the time Matthew had unwrapped all of his presents, his head was almost spinning from the euphoria he felt. The clothes were all obviously second-hand- both of his sisters relying on pocket money for their income- but that didn't matter to him at all. He was the proud owner of 2 skirts, 2 girlish tops, 1 casual dress and even a pair of scruffy ballet flats. Neither Ellen nor Sasha would be caught dead wearing such cheap clothing, but Matthew couldn't wait to change into it- even though she suspected she'd never be able to wear it beyond her bedroom door.

"If you ever want any underwear, let us know and we'll get it for you," Sasha offered.

"By which she means 'give us the money and we'll buy it'," Ellen clarified. "You are NOT borrowing any of ours!"

"Ew, like I'd ever!" Matthew teased, giggling as Ellen snorted and roll her eyes at him. "But thanks. I appreciate it. Does- does that offer apply to, umm, jewellery and make-up too?"

"'Course," Ellen shrugged. "Why, seen anything you like the look of?"

"Just- um, just those," Matthew said with a nervous chuckle as he playfully brushed the long, dangly earrings hanging from his sister's earlobes. "Kinda always wondered what they'd feel like, heh."

"Well if you can wait 25 days for Christmas, maybe you'll find out," Ellen said with a soft smile, before giving her brother another tight hug. "But I am glad you, you know, liked the gifts."

"And we won't tell anyone until you're ready, we promise," Sasha said, hugging Matthew after Ellen. "Happy birthday, 'sis'!"

"Thanks," Matthew whispered, smiling and revelling in the feeling of 'her' new clothing as Ellen and Sasha closed the door behind them.

The following day was a Wednesday, which meant that Matthew attended college just as he did the day before. However, the melancholy he'd felt the previous day had vanished, replaced by a new sense of optimism.

During the first few weeks of December, Matthew took his sisters up on their offer and amassed a small collection of a few pairs of panties, a couple of pairs of black tights and one bra that he wore for at least a small period of time every night in the run-up to Christmas.

On Christmas Day, Matthew woke up early and headed downstairs to find a large pile of presents in his usual spot on the sofa, alongside piles for his sisters that the two girls were swiftly tearing into. The smiles on their faces were enough to assure Matthew that he could expect an extra pile of presents from them later in the day, though he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something they weren't telling him.

"Ah, merry Christmas!" the teenagers' mother said with a grin as she exchanged a hug with the eighteen year old boy.

"Merry Christmas mum!" Matthew chuckled. "Greg here yet?"

"He's texted, he'll be here in a few minutes," Mrs. Briggs replied. "I hope you're better at waiting to open your presents than your sisters are!" Depends on what they are, Matthew thought to himself.

"As long as he's not TOO long," Matthew chuckled, feeling one of his presents and imagining that the clothing within was a new skirt rather than the jeans or sweatshirt it would inevitably turn out to be.

Matthew's brother arrived a short while later, and the five people in the house wasted no time in opening their presents. Matthew opted to open the presents he knew to be clothing first, to get the inevitable disappointment out of the way, but when he opened the first present, he received the shock of his young life.

"Wh- what?" Matthew stammered as he pulled the patterned, knee-length black skirt out of its wrapper. "Am- have I- umm, who- who is this meant to be for?" Time seemed to stop as Matthew's family looked at him, before his mother spoke up.

"It's for you, Matt," Mrs. Briggs said softly with a kind, supportive look in her eyes.

"Wh- what?" Matthew asked, his face tingling and his hands quickly turning to ice.

"You'd really trust her to keep a secret?" Sasha chuckled, laughing harder as her sister- the 'her' she was speaking about- elbowed her in the ribs.

"...Yeah, I told mum," Ellen said, recoiling as Matthew shot an angry glare at her. "What? I didn't just go straight downstairs and blab everything to her, ask Sash if you don't believe me."

"...We told her a few days after your birthday," Sasha confessed. "We saw how happy- well, how happy THAT made you, and we explained it to mum calmly, and she came up with this idea."

"To nearly make me wet myself and give me a heart attack?" Matthew asked, grimacing as his mother's facial expression suddenly hardened.

"You could say 'thank you'," Mrs. Briggs chastised.

"...Thank you," Matthew mumbled. "I- I don't know what to say other than that, heh."

"Well THAT makes a nice change, for starters!" Mrs. Briggs chuckled. "But Sasha's right. What's important is that you do what makes you happy. Yes, it came as a shock. But I'd rather have a happy son who wears a dress than a miserable son who wears trousers."

"...Greg?" Matthew asked his brother, who had remained silent throughout the gift giving.

"Well let's face it, the signs were kinda obvious," Greg sighed. "Halloween was kind of a giveaway, looking back at it. But mum's right. It's about what you want."

"Just as long as I'm not seen out in public with you, right?" Matthew snorted, before withering again under another stern stare from his mother.

"Your brother is making an effort," Mrs. Briggs said sternly.

"Yep, so did I on Halloween," Matthew said. "I was bricking it coming downstairs in that costume. And then my worst fears came true." Matthew bit his lip as his brother stared at the floor with a guilty look on his face.

"Yeah, I was a bit of a knob about it," Greg sighed. "But you would probably have had the shit kicked out of you in that costume. But, yes, that says more about my friends than it does about you. If you want to go outside as, well, THAT... I'll stand by you."

"So will we," Sasha said.

"Especially when you go for this," Ellen said, handing Matthew a small envelope.

"What's this?" Matthew asked, his voice and hands still trembling from the shock.

"Do you want to maybe try opening it?" Ellen snorted. Gingerly, the eighteen year old boy opened the envelope to find a card detailing an appointment at a local piercing parlour... And a pair of long, ostentatious dangly earrings.

"...Perfect," Matthew said, a wide smile spreading across his face as he realised that not only did he no longer have to hide who he truly was- or rather, who she truly was- but that she'd always have the love and support of her family no matter what.

Seventeen months later, Natalie followed her brother out of the Etihad stadium in Manchester with a wide grin on her face. Her beloved Manchester City FC had just beaten their local rivals 1-0 and taken a step closer to their first league title in 44 years, but what made her the most happy was that she was able to enjoy the game dressed in a knee-length denim skirt and a girlish t-shirt, with her face fully made up and, of course, dangly earrings hanging from her lobes. And all throughout the day, Greg had said nothing critical, but had only been supportive of his newest sister.

"So what d'you reckon then?" Greg asked Natalie as they headed toward the bus stop. "Premier League this year, Champions League next year?"

"Gotta be," Natalie replied confidently. "That'd be part 2 of 3."

"What are parts one and two?" Greg asked, confused by his sister's unexpected statement.

"Part 1 is obvious, right?" Natalie snorted.

"...Yeah, in hindsight- yeah," Greg chuckled. "What's part 3?"

"Find someone who'll love me for who I am," Natalie whispered. "Not holding out too much hope for THAT one, heh."

"Don't be so unsure," Greg shrugged. "Though mum'd probably say you should get a job before trying to find yourself a girlfriend."

"Like she hasn't a million times already," Natalie scoffed. "Dunno many jobs that'll allow me to dress like this in the workplace, though."

"I dunno," Greg shrugged. "You're good at languages, right? Maybe be a translator, like, a phone translator, can wear what you want then. Or if you really like uniforms, a stewardess maybe?"

"I dunno," Natalie sighed.

"Well, whatever happens, I'll stand by you," Greg said with a smirk. "'Cause nobody knows the way it's gonna be, right?"

"Right," The nineteen year old girl replied, smiling as she thought toward the future, and the possibilities it'd bring…

Tyler tried not to squirm as he headed home from school on the chilly January morning, even though he knew what was waiting for him when he got there. It had been no ordinary Tuesday at school- then again, few days were 'ordinary' for the sixteen year old boy.

Tyler had been born on the third of January 1993, the third child of his parents. His oldest brother, Lincoln, had been the envy of everyone at his school- a running back for the successful school football team, who dated and ultimately married the captain of the cheerleading squad. His second oldest brother, Harrison, had been on the school wrestling team and won many competitions- and had also dated and was engaged to the captain of the cheerleading squad from his school year. Both of the boys were lauded by their father as 'real men', successful sportsmen who earned an honest living working for the same truck dealership that he did. Tyler, on the other hand, didn't get that same praise from his father.

Tyler might not have been as tall or as strong as his brothers- though at 5' 10", he stood above average height for his age- and it's not that he wasn't athletic, winning medals for the school's swim team. Where Tyler failed to measure up in his father's eyes was that he wasn't as 'overtly' masculine as his brothers, not asserting himself, not engaging in the outdoor activities his brothers loved like fishing, hunting and shooting and not following the sports they loved like Football or NASCAR.

Whilst Tyler didn't like the ridicule he faced from his father and his brothers, he endured it and kept his feelings bottled up, as he knew that he could never reveal the real reason for his 'different' behaviour- that all his life, he'd longed to be a girl.

Every time Tyler went to swim practice and pulled on his speedo, he would envy the girls in the other locker room, stretching their clingy one-piece suits over their bodies. He'd envy them at the end of practice as they dried their long hair, put their jewellery back on, reapplied their make-up, changed back into the skirts or shorts they wore to the pool... Tyler had on very rare occasions secretly worn some of his mother's dresses, but only for minutes at a time, such was his fear of being discovered even when he knew he was completely alone in the house.

Tyler occasionally wondered what would happen if his family ever found out about his secret, but those thoughts never ended with him being accepted by his family. Occasionally, they ended with him not even being alive anymore. He knew his father would never accept him, nor would his brothers, and his mother would blindly follow along with the other men of the family. However, Tyler held out hope that his younger sister Monroe, who was three years younger than him and very headstrong, would at least offer some sympathy.

However, if Tyler was to get sympathy and acceptance from his family, it would certainly not be on that particular cold Tuesday. This was because the date was the 20th of January 2009, and 630 miles north-east of his hometown, an event had taken place that made many Americans excited- and many others, such as his family, furious.

Earlier that day, Tyler and the rest of his class had watched intently at the events that were taking place on the screen in front of them.

"I, Barack Hussein Obama," the tall, dark-skinned man had said, "do solemnly swear that I will execute the office of president of the United States faithfully, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States. So help me God."

Tyler knew he was witnessing history. He suspected that life in America was about to change. But his life would not change for the better.

Even before he reached the front door of his modest family home, Tyler could hear the yelling coming from within.

"...Going to shit!" the angry voice of Tyler's father yelled. "This whole country's going to down the crapper the next four years, you mark my words!" How, exactly? Tyler thought to himself, knowing better than to voice his question, especially when he saw who was sat on the opposite side of the room.

"You said it, son," the gruff voice of Tyler's father's father snarled. "I never thought I'd live to see the day they let someone like THAT into the White House! What next, a queer president? A Mexican president?"

"Don't get yourself too worked up, Bill," Tyler's mother said in a soothing voice as she handed the nearly 80 year old man a glass of whiskey.

"'Worked up'?" Tyler's grandfather spat. "We'll see how 'worked up' you get when that nig-"

"Grandpa," Harrison said nervously, gesturing with his eyes toward the corner of the room where the youngest member of the Cope family was sat with a nervous look on her 12 year old face.

"...It's her I'm most worried about," Tyler's grandfather grumbled as he drank his whiskey and let out a long, angry growl. "You know what these goddamn Muslims are like..."

As the men of the family offered their criticism of their country's new commander-in-chief, Tyler sat back and tried to drown out the noise. It didn't matter to him whether the president was Obama or McCain- from his limited perspective, nothing would change. He would still be trapped in a body that didn't belong to him, he'd still wear the same drab, male jeans and sweaters to school, and he'd still be surrounded by a family that would never accept him even if he was ever able to become the woman he longed to be.

In the months following the inauguration, life in the Cope household slowly returned to normal, as Tyler knew it inevitably would. His father and brothers returned to their work, he and his sister returned to their schoolwork and the goings-on in Washington felt further and further away with every passing day. However, that didn't stop Tyler's life from feeling increasingly stressful, especially as he started to be less of a boy, and more of a man- something his family, particularly his father, was quick to pick up on.

"Put it into drive," Tyler's father said calmly as the nervous teenager gripped the steering wheel with his left hand and tentatively shifted the gear lever with his other. "Stop being so goddamn delicate with it, it's not going to bite you!"

"S- sorry," Tyler replied.

"I get that you're nervous," Tyler's father said. "But you ain't gonna get anywhere in life if you don't know how to drive a car! Now, slowly push down on the gas, just enough to get us moving." Tyler took a deep breath as he pushed down on the accelerator pedal, letting out a gentle yelp as the car slowly moved forward.

"That's it," the older man said encouragingly. "Now, just a little more pressure, so we're not crawling along like a goddamn old woman..." Tyler applied more pressure to the pedal, chuckling as the car increased its speed, and his father nodded approvingly.

"Is this- is it fast enough?" Tyler asked.

"For now," Mr. Cope replied. "No need to go speeding off like some lunatic but you need to learn to drive to the limit, which is 30 miles per hour, not 13. We'll get you up to speed the next couple of lessons, first you just need to get used to handling the car."

"Did it take Lincoln and Harrison long to get the hang of it?" Tyler asked.

"Don't worry about them," Tyler's father advised. "Just learn to drive at your own rate, in your own time."

"O-okay," Tyler replied, though he knew deep down that his father's wish for him to be his own person was not sincere- as was proved when they returned to the driveway and the older man immediately reached over to pop open the hood of the car. Tyler internally groaned- this was a part of the lesson he'd been desperate to avoid.

"Okay," Tyler's father said as he leaned over the engine bay. "This is a bit different from the trucks you'll be working on when you start work at the dealership, but the basic stuff's the same so it's a good place to start." Tyler's heart sank as he exited the car and walked around to where his father was stood. It had been made clear to Tyler from a young age that he would work at the same place his father did when he grew up, just as his brothers had done when they'd left high school. Tyler had tried to protest that he didn't want to be a mechanic on many occasions when he was younger, but he had quickly learned that any such protests were futile- he was going to be a mechanic and that was that, and this was lesson number one.

Forty-five minutes later, it was all Tyler could do not to sprint into the kitchen to wash off the grease, oil and dirt that had accumulated on his hands and underneath his fingernails throughout his 'lesson'. More than anything, Tyler hated being dirty, especially when it came to his hands. His father and brothers had gone through their lives with perpetually grimy hands, both from their work and their outdoor hobbies, and with every speck of dirt that landed on Tyler's hands, he felt himself sliding further and further away from his dreams of being a woman- and closer and closer to the nightmare of being a man just like his brothers.

"Better get used to it now, your hands are gonna get a LOT dirtier than that when you start work!" Tyler's father scoffed as his son plunged his hands into a sink full of hot, soapy water. "So stop acting like a goddamn woman, for Christ's sake!"

"...Sorry, dad," Tyler mumbled, removing his still-dirty hands from the water and heading upstairs to his bedroom, where he let out a long, pained sigh.

As he laid on his bed, trying not to touch anything in his bedroom with his dirty hands, Tyler thought about the girls in his class and how they'd also have started to learn to drive, the only difference being that they wouldn't be expected to learn how to take an engine apart and put it back together, and they could object to getting their hands dirty without worrying about being disowned by their families.

And, most importantly, they could live their lives as women, they could go to school wearing skirts and make-up and daydream about kissing boys, and no one would bat an eyelid. Whereas if Tyler did even a tiny fraction of that...

Several weeks (and several lessons from his father) later, Tyler passed his driving test on his first attempt, and eventually the summer holidays rolled around at the end of June. However, unlike his classmates, who were all eager to make the most of their new-found freedom (and driving licences), Tyler was dreading the summer holidays, and it took a mere three days from the start of the summer break for his fears to be realised.

"Welcome to your new home, son!" Tyler's father said, giving his youngest son a pat on the back as he led him into the loud, busy garage. Tyler forced a smile on his face as he stared down at the loose, drab overalls that were covering his skinny body. If he closed his eyes, he could picture his body being covered by a bikini, or a loose summer dress, or a short, tight skirt and a crop top... But every time he opened his eyes, he was forced back to reality, and he knew that the overalls were just the tip of the iceberg.

"Didn't realise we were hiring sissies now," a familiar voice snorted from the back of the garage, a voice that made Tyler bristle.

"Harrison, don't talk about your brother like that," the boys' father chastised. "Any Cope who picks up a wrench and gets their hands dirty is a man in my eyes, and yours too!" Whether I like it or not, Tyler thought to himself.

"Oh come on, pa," Lincoln moaned as he wiped his hands on an oily rag, before tossing it to his youngest brother and grimacing as Tyler flinched. "...Seriously?"

"You two were just as green your first days," Tyler's father said, taking a deep breath to calm himself- and Tyler was sure that it was he, and not his brothers, that was the source of their father's frustration, just as he'd always been.

Tyler's relationship with his brother's had been much like it was with his father, with one notable difference- Tyler's father took his parental responsibilities seriously, while his brothers felt no sense of responsibility toward the young man whatsoever. For all his young life, Tyler had been mercilessly teased by Lincoln and Harrison, had to endure their endless and often cruel practical jokes, and even suffered the occasional beating at their hands, all under the pretense of 'toughening him up', trying to make him into the 'real men' that they were. Tyler never complained to his parents- his father would simply side with his brothers and encourage the torment, while his mother would defer to her husband, leaving Tyler right back at square one- alongside two tall, muscular men who thought nothing of using him for football or wrestling practice. And as Lincoln's throwing of the rag had shown, Tyler wouldn't even be able to escape from the same treatment in what he'd assumed would be a professional environment.

"What next, we gonna expect Monroe to start here in a few years?" Lincoln snorted.

"No you ain't, and you know why!" The frustrated patriarch snarled. "Now get your brother settled in here, he's gonna be here a long time!" Tyler could tell from the looks on his brother's faces that neither of them were thrilled by the prospect- though their reluctance paled in comparison to the dread that Tyler felt as he entered the workplace's break room.

It was a room he was familiar with from his previous, mercifully brief visits to the dealership with his father and his brothers, and every time he set foot inside the room, it was like he lost a part of his soul.

The first thing Tyler always noticed about the room was the smell- the unmistakable cocktail of engine oil, body odour and tobacco, which felt like acid against Tyler's young skin. Piles of hunting and used car magazines littered the two tables, while the small radio seemed to be perpetually tuned to the local sports station- though that at least drowned out the noise of the other men's conversations, the topics of which rotated between sport, vehicles and their sexual conquests with absolutely no deviation. Tyler braced himself for the inevitable questions about himself, his life and his sports preferences that he would be obliged to (untruthfully) answer, when the unexpected happened- and suddenly, the room didn't seem so bad to the sixteen year old boy.

"Jack!" Lincoln yelled, attracting the attention of a young man who looked no older than eighteen himself. "Get your butt here! This is Tyler, my little 'brother'. He's new here, so he needs someone to show him the ropes, and that ain't gonna be me."

"Hi," Jack said, extending his hand for Tyler to shake and nearly making the young man's knees buckle. Jack was quite unlike the rough, grizzled men that usually inhabited the room- while tall and muscular, he clearly took care with his appearance- his short brown hair was styled rather than the crew cuts or straggly messes of the other employees, his face was clean shaven and he actually appeared to be wearing deodorant, the smell of which filled Tyler's nostrils and made his heart beat faster.

"H- hi," Tyler said nervously, giving the young man a loose handshake that made his older brother snort derisively.

"Jesus, you call that a fuckin' handshake," Lincoln scoffed before heading back out to the work area and leaving the two young men alone in the room, which was quickly filled with an awkward silence.

"So..." Jack said, smirking at Tyler's continued attention. "You- you're the boss's son, then?"

"Yep!" Tyler said, barely suppressing a breathless giggle. "Well, third son, I'm guessing you know Lincoln and Harrison?"

"...Yeah," Jack said with a derisive snort that forced a giggle out of Tyler's mouth. "They like- well, THAT at home too?"

"Ugh, all the time," Tyler dramatically sighed. "Lincoln probably more 'cause he's the oldest, you know. You got any brothers?"

"Nah," Jack replied. "Two little sisters, though, and trust me, they can be almost as bad!"

"Doubt it," Tyler sighed, unconsciously pouting at the young man.

"Well- umm, yeah..." Jack chuckled, trying not to blush at Tyler's pout. "Anyway, I'm- I'm supposed to be showing you round, heh..."

"I'm in no rush," Tyler chuckled. "Dunno if you can tell, but I ain't exactly thrilled to be here."

"I could kinda tell," Jack chuckled. "Pressure from the old man?"

"'Pressure' doesn't even begin to describe it," Tyler snorted. "Pa decided I'd be working here from the day I was born."

"It ain't all bad," Jack shrugged, escorting Tyler toward the door. "And some of the folk here are friendly enough."

"Yeah," Tyler said, biting his lip as he tried to read the signals Jack was giving off- or whether or not he was giving off any signals at all. Tyler knew that as bad as his life was, if he followed his instincts, it could get infinitely worse very quickly. But it wasn't going to get any better if he did nothing at all...

Tyler took a deep breath, leaned into Jack as he went to open the door, and gave him a kiss on his lips. A short, soft, gentle kiss that stunned the older boy into silence.

As Tyler broke the kiss and saw the surprise in Jack's eyes, a million worst case scenarios played in his mind. Jack could assault him for even daring to threaten his masculinity. Or worse, he could tell his brothers, and the beating would get even harsher. Or he could tell his father. Or Jack's father. Or his grandfather. Or the kids at school, ensuring that Tyler took a beating every day for the rest of his time at school. Or every day for the rest of his life...

What Jack did next, however, surprised Tyler almost as much as his kiss had surprised Jack.

Jack kissed Tyler back.

"Oh- uh-" Tyler gasped as Jack broke the kiss, both boys' cheeks having turned a deep shade of red.

"...Yeah, that's another thing about me," Jack said, biting his lip and giggling. "I mean, I saw you, and I didn't want to assume-"

"So you let me do the assuming?" Tyler asked, before giggling himself. "It's okay, ho- honey, hehe!"

"Dad's always on at me to find a girlfriend, god knows what he'd do if he found out," Jack sighed.

"Yeah, I know the feeling there too," Tyler chuckled. "But your secret's safe with me!"

"Same here," Jack said softly. "Though you- you might want to sit down before you go out there, hehe!" Tyler blushed and giggled as he stared down at his overalls, and the telltale bulge in the front- though it was the bulge in Jack's overalls that interested Tyler more.

"Maybe working here won't be SO bad after all..." Tyler mused aloud.

Over the next few weekends, Tyler went into his job with a smile on his face, not because of the work, but because he knew Jack would be there. Every day that Tyler worked at the dealership, he would find a way to be alone with Jack, which always ended in a make-out session. During the sixth weekend they worked together, Tyler and Jack made love for the first time in the staff bathroom. The lovemaking was hurried and lacking in romance, but that didn't matter to Tyler. All that mattered was that he and Jack had expressed their love to each other in the most intimate way possible. And yet, every time the two young men made love, or kissed, or even spent time together, Tyler felt guilty. He had shared his body with Jack, and shared many of his most intimate thoughts, but there was one secret that he didn't dare tell his boyfriend, and as the months wore on, the stress of keeping the secret began to show on Tyler's young face.

"Hey," Jack said as Tyler entered the break room and, after checking to make sure they were alone, greeted the young man with a long kiss on his lips.

"Hey yourself," Tyler replied with a grin, before sighing. "Is it just me, or does this time, you know, in here, get shorter and shorter every week?"

"I know what you mean," Jack sighed. "Sometimes I just wish we could, you know, sit down and talk and not have to worry about anyone walking in on us. We don't even have to be, you know, physical, just having the chance to talk... That'd be a dream."

"You don't know how right you are," Tyler sighed as he gave his boyfriend another gentle kiss. "There's so much I just want to, umm, say to you, so much I've wanted to say for a long time..."

"I know," Jack sighed, making Tyler momentarily panic as he wondered just how Jack would know about his secret- before his rational mind concluded that there was no way Jack could know.

"You don't know," Tyler whispered. "I wish you did, but- but you really, really don't."

"T- Tyler?" Jack asked softly. "What- what are you saying? Is- is there something I should know?"

"I-" Tyler said, before feeling his vocal chords seize. As much as he desperately wanted to tell Jack his secret, his fear overwhelmed him. Secretly being a gay man was one thing. But secretly being a woman? That was something else entirely. As much as Tyler knew Jack liked him, there was no guarantee that the older boy would accept him as 'her'. From Tyler's perspective, Jack thought he had a clandestine boyfriend. What Tyler wanted to say would completely shatter that view.

"Tyler, come on, you know you can tell me anything," Jack said, gently stroking the younger boy's cheek. "Anything. I promise."

"I- I want to be a woman," Tyler mumbled in a voice Jack could barely even hear, let alone understand.

"I- I'm sorry?" Jack asked.

"I said-" Tyler hissed, before frowning and feeling his entire body tense up. "I- I wish I was a girl. I'm sorry..." Tyler felt his heart race as Jack paused to process the information he'd just received.

"...Why are you sorry?" Jack asked with a warm smile on his face.

"Well, because- umm..." Tyler stammered.

"Because...?" Jack asked in a teasing voice. "Did- did you think I'd be offended? Or that I'd, I dunno, kick your ass or something?"

"Something like that," Tyler mumbled.

"Ty, look at me," Jack said, gently taking the younger man's head in his hands. "I'm a gay man in a very, VERY heterosexual world. I know what it's like to not fit in, trust me."

"But- but would you, you know, be a gay guy if I, umm, started being, you know, girly?" Tyler asked.

"Only one way to find out," Jack shrugged.

"Yeah, like THAT's an option," Tyler snorted, before hastily jumping back from his secret boyfriend as the break room door opened and the younger of his two older brothers walked in.

"...You ever gonna do any damned work here?" Harrison snorted as he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, before leaving the two teenagers in peace.

"Okay, point taken," Jack sighed. "But- but there's got to be something you can do, right?"

"I wish," Tyler sighed. "I really, really do. I told you I'm on the school swim team, right?"

"Yeah," Jack replied.

"I get to wear my speedos to the pool, the girls get to wear their skin-tight one-pieces," Tyler explained. "And I hate it. All of it."

"So quit the team, then," Jack shrugged, chuckling as Tyler gave him a playful shove.

"That ain't gonna solve the REAL problem," Tyler sighed. "But it's okay, I guess."

"If you say so," Jack said softly. "But you never know, I mean, it's Christmas in a few weeks, your birthday a few days after... Figure you're due a Christmas miracle, right?"

"I stopped believing in Santa a long time ago," Tyler sighed as he and Jack left the break room and headed to work.

On Christmas Day 2009, Tyler opened his presents and found them to be nearly identical to the presents he had received in 2008. He received clothes- boys’ clothes, naturally- hunting and fishing books, auto repair manuals and Atlanta Falcons memorabilia. The following day, Tyler went into work, where, as always, he greeted Jack with a discreet kiss in the hope that it would help him out of his funk. However, it wasn't just Jack's kiss that awaited him on that particular Saturday.

"Looks like Santa might be real after all," Jack said as he handed Tyler a brightly-coloured package that Tyler could instantly tell contained an item of clothing.

"This had better not be a Braves jersey," Tyler joked.

"All I'll say," Jack teased, "is that you might want to open that at home, when you're alone."

Tyler did as he was told by his boyfriend, and later that night, opened the gift and almost wept at what was inside. There, in his hands, was a brand-new, plain blue one-piece swimsuit, identical to the ones worn by the girls on his swim team. It wasn't long before Tyler was living his dream and relishing the sensation of the clingy fabric as he stretched it over his slender frame- an action he would repeat many times over the next few months.

Jack's gift helped to bring the secret couple even closer together throughout the first half of 2010, and as winter slowly changed into spring and eventually summer once again, Tyler found himself actually looking forward to the end of his junior year of high school so that he could spend more time at his father's dealership. He still hated the work, of course, as well as the atmosphere (both metaphorical and literal) within the place, and all of his co-workers too- all but one, who made the whole experience not just bearable but almost enjoyable.

It was on a warm Saturday at the end of July, however, when all that would change.

"Hey you," Jack said as Tyler entered the break room and, after checking to confirm they were alone, gave the young man a gentle kiss. "Didn't think I'd see you this weekend, thought you and your family were off on vacation?"

"Ugh, we're heading out Monday," Tyler sighed.

"...And I take it you're not exactly thrilled by the idea?" Jack asked with a smirk.

"Heading to Orlando again for what must be the fifteenth year in a row," Tyler snorted. "They just opened the Harry Potter thing at Universal Studios and my sister's a big fan, so she asked to go there."

"...Could be cool, I guess?" Jack shrugged. "Never read the books but I've seen the first couple of films."

"Hmm," Tyler replied. "'Cept my dad calls Harry Potter 'gay and British', then corrects himself and says 'they're both the same thing', so we're going to Disney World again."

"Meh, nothing wrong with Disney, I guess," Jack shrugged.

"I guess," Tyler sighed. "'Cept we're sat next to the busiest airport in the whole world, and we only ever go to Florida. I want to see the world, you know? Hell, if everyone IS gay in England, I'll buy a one-way ticket when I can, heh."

"Think your dad might be exaggerating a little there," Jack giggled. "Though I get what you mean about travelling. I've made it my life's goal to visit all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and Guam, before I'm 30."

"How far have you got?" Tyler asked.

"Umm... Four," Jack replied with a giggle. "And yes, before you ask, the other three are South Caroline, Alabama and Florida."

"Gotta start somewhere," Tyler shrugged.

"How 'bout you?" Jack asked. "Where'd you REALLY like to go? Other than 'gay England', anyway?" Tyler bit his lip as he thought long and hard about his answer.

"...Anywhere where I can be the person I feel like I truly am, deep down inside," the seventeen year old boy replied. "Anywhere I can be a woman and not face ridicule or anger from other people just because I can't be what others say I must be."

"Think you might be waiting a while for that place to be real," Jack sighed. "Anywhere in the meantime?"

"Eh, Paris, I guess," Tyler shrugged.

"The most romantic city in the world?" Jack asked, grinning as his boyfriend giggled in reply. "Maybe we'll go together one day."

"I'd love that," Tyler whispered.

"Hell," Jack shrugged. "Maybe you can blow this place off, get a job as a stewardess and get paid to fly back and forth to Paris!"

"I'd love that even more," Tyler giggled, leaning in to give Jack, a long, intimate kiss- so long and so intimate that both boys failed to notice the break room door opening.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Harrison yelled, his face quickly turning red at the sight of the two young men's embrace. "Dad! Lincoln! Get in here!" Tyler felt himself freeze to the spot as his older brother approached, looming over him like an angry bear. Before he had time to react, he felt a ball of pain explode in his abdomen as his brother's fist hit home, sending him crashing to the floor as Harrison turned his attention to Jack, effortlessly pinning the young man to the wall with his strong arms.

"What's all the goddamned yelling about?" Tyler's father snapped as he and his eldest son entered the break room. "...The fuck is this?"

"I came in here and found these two little faggots kissing each other, that's what!" Harrison snarled.

"What?" Mr. Cope snapped, before turning to his youngest son. "Is this true?" Tyler felt all resistance drain from his body as his father fixed him with the same angry stare he'd used all throughout his childhood. All Tyler could do was meekly nod, close his eyes and await the inevitable.

"I should've known," Lincoln spat. "What do we do with this one, pa?" Tyler shivered as his father and brothers' anger turned toward his no longer secret boyfriend.

"Consider yourself fired, you little queer," Mr. Cope spat in Jack's face. "I don't ever want to see you in this- no, scratch that, I don't ever want to see you in this TOWN again. Boys, take him outside and let him know why it'd be REAL bad idea to come back here."

"With pleasure," Harrison growled as he and Lincoln frog marched Jack out of the room and out of Tyler's life.

"As for you, you little fag," Tyler's father growled at his youngest son, who was still curled up in the foetal position on the floor. "Pick your ass up. We're going home. And if you want to still have a home to go to, you need to think real long and hard about what just happened!"

The next few hours passed in a blur for Tyler. One by one, his family members returned to the house, first his brothers, whose bloodstained knuckles made Tyler feel physically sick, then his sister, his grandfather and even aunts and uncles that Tyler hadn't seen in years showed up to pass judgement on him. Tyler's father and grandfather would punctuate their anger with sharp whacks from the latter's cane, punishment that only intensified when Tyler's brothers ransacked his bedroom and discovered his Christmas gift from Jack.

Tyler's punishment only ended when the family all went to bed, though Tyler was unable to get even a second of sleep that night as every worst case scenario played in his mind. He wondered whether or not he'd be able to return to school after the summer break, or whether or not he'd have a family, or a home- or even if he'd be alive after the summer...

Eventually, the morning sun poked through Tyler's curtains, and before it rose high in the sky, his father entered the room uninvited and pulled the covers off of the young man's bed.

"Get up," the older man said in a gruff voice that barely concealed his anger. "Get dressed. We're going to church."

"I- umm, I don't feel like-" Tyler feebly whimpered.

"After the embarrassment you caused me yesterday, do you think I give a SHIT what you feel like?" The young man's father hissed, his face mere inches from his son's. Tyler simply shook his head in response, and minutes later, the family, all dressed in their best clothes, drove in silence to their local Baptist church.

All throughout the service, the family neither spoke about or even hinted at the events of the previous day, and when the congregation was dismissed, Tyler felt a sense of relief, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he could return home and get on with his life like nothing had happened. However, when he went to stand up and leave, he was roughly shoved back into his seat by his father, the older man's angry stare telling him in no uncertain terms that he was to remain seated until told otherwise.

"Pastor?" Tyler's father called after the priest as he began to head back to his office. "Can we speak with you please? I private?"

"Of course," the minister replied. A gesture from Tyler's father quickly brought the young man to his feet, and seconds later he was sat in front of the man of god trying not to shrink into his chair as his father filled him in on the events of the previous day.

"I see," the pastor said, leaning back in his chair as he processed the information. "Tyler, is what your father says true?"

"...Yes," Tyler meekly mumbled in reply.

"Is- isn't there something we can do about this?" Tyler's father asked. "I figured you'd be the best person to ask, please- please tell me we're not the first family to have had this problem?"

"Well, as I'm sure you're aware, it isn't illegal to be gay, or to dress up in women's clothing," the pastor said, momentarily lifting Tyler's spirits as he hoped that maybe, just maybe, the minister would take his side.

"But what about, you know, the big guy?" Tyler's father asked. "Your boss?"

"Well, Tyler has to find his own relationship with the lord," the pastor said, before his facial expression darkened, sending the young man sinking back into his chair. "But the bible is very clear about homosexuality AND pretending to be a woman when you're not. However, this isn't a situation that can't be fixed. You asked me earlier if you were the first family that this has happened to. Let me reassure you that you're not, and there is a place I know that can help Tyler with his problem."

"What, you mean, cure him of being g- g-" Tyler's father said, stammering as he tried and failed to say the final word of his sentence.

"It has had countless successes in the past," the pastor said with a reassuring smile. "I'm confident that if Tyler listens to the counsellors there and does as he's told, he'll be another one."

"Well- well how soon can he go?" Tyler's father asked as his son's mind began to spin, terrified at the prospect of heading to an unfamiliar place where he could all but guarantee that everyone there would be judging him.

"I can give them a call, see if there are any free spaces today?" The pastor asked, causing Tyler to start to hyperventilate. Sensing his son's distress, Tyler's father turned to him, making no effort to disguise the fury in his eyes.

"If you ever want to come back home," Mr. Cope hissed, "you WILL go to this place, you WILL thank the pastor for trying to help you and you WILL be straight when you leave there. Am I clear?" Tyler meekly nodded as the pastor took his cellphone from his pocket and began speaking into it.

Later that afternoon, after briefly stopping at home to pack a bag with clean clothes and underwear, Tyler tried not to fidget on the back seat of his father's car as he was driven to a small complex in the outskirts of Atlanta. Tyler remained silent as he and his father walked up to the front door, where they were met by a thin, well-dressed man in his early thirties.

"Ah, you must be Tyler," the young man said. "My name's Graham Williams, I'm the manager of this facility. Please, come on in."

"Thank you," Tyler's father replied in a gruff voice. "Will you be able to cure Tyler of this- this thing?"

"That is what we do here," Graham replied in a calm, comforting voice. "And we have a very high success rate. In fact, just last month I was invited to the wedding of a boy who came here a few years ago, who wasn't much older than Tyler is now."

"So how long will it take before Tyler's- well, normal?" Mr. Cope asked.

"That depends on Tyler," Graham replied, making the young man shiver. "All I can say is it'll take as long as it takes, but we will do everything we can to help Tyler get back on the right path."

"Well it'd better not take too long, given how much I'm paying for this," Mr. Cope growled as he placed Tyler's bags into the room that had been reserved for him.

"I have your contact details," Graham said as he shook the older man's hand. "Feel free to call any time you need an update, our opening hours are in the brochure."

"Oh don't worry, you'll be hearing from me soon," Tyler's father said, glaring at his son before leaving without even saying goodbye to the young boy. Tyler shivered again as Graham closed the door, before sitting down on the room's plain single bed and gesturing to Tyler to join him.

"Umm... Hello," Tyler said nervously as he sat down next to the older man.

"Hello, Tyler," Graham replied with a smile. "I know this must be scary for you, but trust me when I say we- by which I mean both the staff here and your family- only have your best interests in mind."

"O- okay," Tyler replied.

"First, I think it's fair that you know a little bit about me, before I know a bit more about you," Graham said. "I'm 36 years old, and for the last 12 years I've been helping confused young men and boys like you. For the 24 years before that... I was as confused as you are right now."

"You- you mean you were-" Tyler asked.

"I am ashamed to say that yes, I had some incorrect thoughts during my early years," Graham said quietly. "But that is a part of my past, where it belongs. Now, I only want to help people, people like you, Tyler."

"O- okay," Tyler stammered as Graham fixed Tyler with a kind, almost loving gaze.

"I can see you're still nervous," Graham said in a soft, soothing voice. "That's okay, it really is. Why don't you tell me a little about yourself? Take your time, I don't need to be anywhere else right now."

"Well, umm," Tyler mumbled. "I'm, umm, seventeen, I- I've, umm, been in love with a boy for the last year-"

"Ah," Graham interrupted gently. "I just need to correct you on how you said that, when you said you were 'in love'. Tell me, have you ever been in love before?"

"Umm, well- no..." Tyler was forced to admit.

"I thought not, but that's okay," Graham said, before smiling again. "I know, you probably think what you felt for this boy was 'love', like you've seen on TV or in movies, but answer me this question- in all those TV shows and movies, were any of those characters ever 'in love' with someone the same sex as them?" Tyler racked his brain, desperate for an example, but could only think of one.

"...Brokeback Mountain?" Tyler replied.

"Have you ever seen the film?" Graham asked, smiling as Tyler shook his head. "That's okay, you're not the first boy to come in here and try to use that as an example. Well, let me just say that that film doesn't end well for the two guys. Unless you count 'died young', 'divorced and estranged from family' or 'addicted to Mexican male prostitutes' a happy ending, 'cause I sure don't."

"...Oh," Tyler replied.

"Can you think of any same sex couples whose story ended happily?" Graham asked.

"...No," Tyler was again forced to admit.

"And there's a reason for that," Graham said. "Gays can't get married. Without marriage, the union can't be recognised by God, and without God, there isn't really any 'love'."

"Umm, okay," Tyler replied.

"I can see you're not convinced," Graham said with a chuckle. "But that's okay. Like I said to your father, you won't be cured overnight. But you WILL be cured, Tyler. I promise." Tyler bit his lip and nodded, before grimacing at the knowledge of how angry his father would be if he didn't mention the other reason for his stay at the facility.

"There's, umm, something else," Tyler mumbled. "I- I like, umm, wearing women's clothing..." Tyler felt his whole body start to tremble as Graham nodded silently, carefully considering his response.

"Okay," Graham replied. "How long have you had these feelings?"

"As long as I can remember," Tyler replied. "I- I get jealous of the other girls, I want to be like them-"

"Okay, just need to interrupt you again," Graham said softly. "When you said 'other' girls. Do you see any girls in the room with us?"

"Well- no..." Tyler mumbled.

"That was the right answer," Graham said with a smile. "I mean, sure, you can wear a dress, or even have surgery to make you look like a girl on the outside, but a boy is what God made you, and you can't change what you are on the inside. Have you done genetics in high school biology?"

"Umm, a little," Tyler replied. "I- I know the difference between, you know, XX and XY..."

"And that can't be changed by any medicine or surgery," Graham said. "Have you ever seen a film called 'Boys Don't Cry’, which was released about ten years ago?" Graham waited for Tyler to shake his head before continuing. "That film was actually about a girl who thought she was a boy, but it still applies to your situation. She started a relationship with another girl, and when the rest of the town found out, she- the girl who thought she was a boy- was beaten to death by them."

"Oh my god," Tyler whispered.

"I know, right?" Graham said. "And the worst thing is, that film was based on a real life story. A story that's repeated far, far too often. I personally think that violence is never the answer, I say only God should be allowed to pass judgement, but the fact is that people who think they're the opposite sex and try to act like it more often than not face violence like that. Do you want to face violence like that, Tyler?"

"No," Tyler said, shaking his head as fear began to grip his body.

"I don't want that for you either," Graham said. "I want you to lead a happy, successful life. I want to be loved by your friends and family, and to have a family of your own that you love just as much. But that isn't going to happen unless you make some changes." Graham paused as his iPad beeped to inform him of a new message. "I think they're ready for us downstairs. Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone."

"Umm, okay," Tyler said, his knees quivering as he stood up to follow the older man.

Graham led Tyler downstairs to a large meeting room in which around a dozen boys were sat, all of whom appeared to be the same age as Tyler. What alarmed the young man the most, though, was the coffin that had been placed at the front of the room- and the fact that his photograph had been placed beside it.

"Boys, I'd like you all to meet Tyler," Graham announced as he sat Tyler down in front of the coffin, facing the stares of the young men.

"Hello, Tyler," the teenagers said in a monotone that unnerved the newcomer.

"Tyler was born in January 1993," Graham announced. "But sadly passed away in early 2015 after years of living on the streets and fighting addiction." Tyler felt his whole body tense up as the young men all regarded him with judgemental stares. "I wish I could say that he has been passed into God's tender care, but the truth is, he rejected God and his teachings, and as such now faces eternal damnation, all because he made one wrong choice- he chose to be attracted to boys instead of girls." Tyler closed his eyes and tried not to show any emotion as the older man continued his 'eulogy'.

"Tyler was born into a loving family," Graham said. "A loving mother and father, two older brothers who looked out for him and a younger sister who looked up to him. But at the age of sixteen, when boys should be focussing on school, or working up the courage to ask a girl to the prom, Tyler instead chose to be attracted to a young boy who worked with him. They concealed their relationship, which was the beginning of the end for Tyler. After the relationship inevitably ended, Tyler began seeking sexual encounters with any other gay men he could find, and soon became infected with HIV, gonorrhoea and many other sexually transmitted diseases. These men also introduced him to illegal drugs, his addiction to which caused him to lose his job, his home and his family, and at the far, far too young age of 22, his life. His rejection of his family, his rejection of God cost him his life and his soul." Tyler opened his eyes as Graham finished speaking, before tensing up again as the older man placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Of course, none of this needs to happen," Graham said, flashing a reassuring smile at Tyler. "We are here to help Tyler turn back to God, back to his family and away from the life he has chosen, aren't we, boys?"

"Yes we are," the young men replied as one.

"So together, we will pledge to help Tyler," Graham announced. "Now as this is his first day here, he won't know the words to the pledge, so together, we will help him take this first step. Ready?" The boys all nodded, waiting for Graham's lead.

"I pledge to turn away from evil, and toward God," Graham and the boys said as one, before staring at Tyler expectantly. Tyler felt himself squirm as prepared to repeat the words that had been said to him, before a memory suddenly flashed into his mind- a memory of a Saturday that he'd spent working with Jack, when they'd been able to talk freely.

"There ain't nothing wrong with who or what we are, Tyler," Jack had said firmly. "Don't ever let anyone tell you any different, even if a million, a billion people say you're wrong, you promise me you'll always remember that you ain't wrong for being who you are, right?"

"...Right," Tyler replied. "I- I promise."

Back in the present day, Tyler tried to draw strength from his promise to his boyfriend, but his resolve began to falter. He could ignore what a billion strangers would say, but if even one of those billion strangers was his father, or his mother, or one of his sisters, it was another story. Tyler began to wonder whether or not he shouldn’t just capitulate, surrender to Graham's teaching.

His life would be easier in the long-term if he did- sure, it'd take his family a long time to trust him again, but they'd eventually come around, and he was sure he could learn to be attracted to women, to give up on his dream of ever living as a woman, or seeing the world, or travelling to Paris, or doing anything with his life other than being a grease monkey...

"Promise me you'll always remember that you ain't wrong for being who you are," Jack's voice repeated in Tyler's mind. "Promise me you'll always remember. Promise me. Promise me." Tyler opened his eyes and looked into the faces of the expectant young men in front of him.

"I promise," Tyler began, "to turn away from evil, and toward God." Tyler took a deep breath, before mentally adding the word 'suckers' to the end of his sentence.

"...Close enough," Graham said, before leading the teenagers in the next line of the pledge. "I pledge that I will dedicate my time to getting better, and that I will help others along the path back to God." Tyler dutifully repeated the line, though with just as little sincerity as the first sentence.

For the next three weeks, Tyler performed the tasks he was assigned to help him 'recover', though before every task, he remembered the promise he'd made to Jack. Even as he was forced to repeat prayers dozens of times in a row, as he was coerced into watching images of scantily-clad women, he remembered his promise. Even when he was fed food laced with ipecac and forced to vomit when showed a photograph of Jack, he remembered his promise.

Tyler's promise even helped him to fool a polygraph test he was made to take before he could leave the complex, and mere hours afterward, he was being driven to the family home in the back of his father's car.

"I hope my money hasn't gone to waste on this place?" Tyler's father asked as he drove his son back to their home. "If you ain't anything other than 100% straight now, I'm turnin' this car round and-"

"I am fully cured," Tyler lied with a cold, confident smile. "Graham's set up weekly sessions for me on Skype, just to check in on me."

"Good," Tyler's father said, before sighing. "It- it'll be good to have you back home, Tyler. Graham said it's important that you know that. I want all three of my sons under my roof again." And no mention of your daughter, Tyler thought to himself, mentally repeating his promise to Jack as his father continued talking. "Hell, now that you're cured, maybe you'll find a girlfriend before the summer's out?"

"Maybe," Tyler replied with a chuckle that disguised his determination to follow through with his promise to Jack.

"And don't worry about Jack," the young man's father said. "You'll never, EVER see him again." We'll see, Tyler thought to himself as he headed back home.

Over the following months, Tyler played the part of the dutiful son, graduating from high school and going to work full-time for his father's dealership. He kept up his Skype appointments with Graham, but as they grew less and less frequent, he tried his hardest to block the memory of his time at the complex from his mind, convincing himself that it was just a bad dream. He dated girls, but never entered into any serious relationships and certainly never had sex with any girls. He saved up his money, and in the autumn of 2014, without any warning, he bought a one-way ticket to Paris to attend a job interview he'd secured for himself after his final meeting with Jack had become stuck in his mind, and after he'd read an article on the internet about an airline who had been forced to employ transgendered stewardesses by EU regulations. Emboldened by his promise to Jack, Tyler made the announcement to his family in the minutes before his taxi arrived to take him to the airport, knowing full well that he would need a quick exit.

"If you do this," Tyler's father hissed angrily while his mother said a silent prayer, "you will never, NEVER be welcome in this house again!"

"That's fine with me," Tyler spat back. "Because I never was in the first place." Without looking back, Tyler took his bags out to the waiting taxi, and before long, he was on a plane heading eastward to his new life in Europe. First, though, he had to deal with the small matter of his interview.

"Your qualifications are certainly adequate, Monsieur Cope," the interviewer, an older man named Robert Marotte, said in his refined Parisian accent. "But we have many applicants to be a stewardess with Soixante-Trois Airlines. What can you bring that they cannot?" Tyler took a deep breath before answering, his promise to Jack still fresh in his mind over four years after it was made.

"I'm from the south," Tyler explained. "And if there's one thing we know about, it's hospitality. Ain't nowhere in the world more friendly." Or at least, that's the way it should be, Tyler thought sadly to himself. "I'm guessing you don't have many stewardesses from the south working for you?"

"We had an American girl in our last intake in August," M Marotte explained. "I think she was from the south, a city called Baltimore, I believe?" Despite himself, Tyler was forced to let out a quiet chuckle.

"Trust me, Baltimore ain't the south," Tyler replied.

"Well, 'southern belle' or not, I'm sure the two of you will become friends," M Marotte said as he extended a hand for Tyler to shake, a hand Tyler graciously accepted. "I would like to formally extend an offer of employment with Soixante-Trois Airlines, monsieur- or should I say, mademoiselle Cope. Though that does raise one final question- what name shall I put on your contract of employment?" Tyler bit his lip, before smiling at the 'southern belle' comment the interviewer had said.

"Call me Annabelle, honey," the new hire said with a confident smile as she remembered her promise to Jack- and swore that she would do everything within her power to become the woman she always dreamed of being.

"Happy birthday dear Robbie..." The modest crowd cheered as the blond-haired boy cringed. "Happy birthday to you!" Robbie grinned widely as he leaned down and blew out the sixteen candles on his plain chocolate cake, before grimacing as he braced himself for the inevitable.

Robbie had always had mixed feelings about his birthday being at the start of August. On the one hand, it meant he was younger than virtually everyone in her school year, but on the other hand, it also meant that his birthday was guaranteed to fall in the school holidays. But on the other hand again, it also meant that he was never alone on his birthday, even when he wanted to be...

"Happy birthday then, you little shit!" Robbie's brother Jack, 6 and a half years his senior, said teasingly as he gave Robbie a tight hug, which tightened each time the teenager protested.

"Sixteen at last!" Danny, another of Robbie's brothers, this time eight years his senior, teased. "Finally gonna get your leg over then?"

"Don't be so thick," Shaun, Robbie's oldest brother at over 10 years his senior, scoffed. "Rob's already shagged loads of girls, haven't you Rob?"

"Boys!" The for young men's mother scolded, making the three older boys laugh and roll their eyes while their younger brother blushed. "Robbie will get a girlfriend when he's good and ready. Besides, he's starting sixth form in a month's time, there'll be plenty of time to get a girlfriend then, won't there?"

"Yeah," Robbie nervously chuckled, even though deep down, he was hiding a secret that he would never dare reveal, not to his brothers and especially not to his mother.

For as long as he could remember, Robbie had liked girls, but not in the same way as his brothers. While they were obsessed with getting with every girl they saw, Robbie was obsessed with trying to be every girl he saw. At school, he would fantasise about wearing the short grey skirts and black tights preferred by the girls in his class. When out shopping, he would fantasise about wearing the thick make-up, fake tan and fancy jewellery favoured by the older teenaged girls he saw. And he always, always wished he could grow his hair longer than the short, fashionable cut forced upon him by his mother. And yet, as much as he ached to be able to be a girl, even if it was for only one day, Robbie knew that such wishes were in vain. His mother wouldn't understand, and his brothers would never, ever accept him as their sister instead of their brother.

There were even days, though, when Robbie worried that his brothers wouldn't even accept him as that. For all his life, his brothers had been a team, while he had been the outsider in the family. This feeling was only amplified by the fact that Shaun, Danny and Jack were full brothers to each other, but only half-brothers to him. Their mother had met their father in the early eighties, married and had three boys, only to separate at the end of that decade. In 1992, their mother met another man, married him the following year and gave birth to Robbie two years later. However, by the turn of the millennium, she had separated once again, leaving Robbie to be raised alone by his mother-- and by three older brothers who he believed saw him as a constant reminder of why their father isn't in their life as much as they'd like. Robbie barely saw his father either- he certainly wasn't at his sixteenth birthday party, having only sent along a card with a twenty pound note inside, though from what Robbie inferred from stories told by his brothers, he was lucky to even get that. His mother and brothers had been far more generous, though- Robbie received over £200 in cash from the four of them combined, as well as tickets to the Community Shield match at Wembley that Sunday, a pile of DVDs and clothes, lots of clothes. Clothes that included new designer shirts, a pair of fashionable jeans, three new t-shirts, a pair of smart black shoes and absolutely nothing any teenaged girl would ever even dream of wearing.

"Thank you," Robbie forced himself to say as it dawned on him that for the sixteenth year in a row, he was facing the prospect of hiding the girl he truly was inside. "Thank you all so much for this, this has been the best birthday yet!" Because there isn't much competition, Robbie self-pityingly thought to himself.

"So what d'you reckon for Sunday, then?" Jack asked. "How much are United going to beat Man Shitty by, then?"

"Oh, at least 2 goals, probably 3," Robbie replied with a genuine smile- one of the few things he and his brothers could agree on was that Manchester United were indisputably the best football team in England. It was just a pity for Robbie that they could rarely agree on anything else...

That Sunday, Robbie and his brothers travelled to Wembley stadium, where after a long, tense game, their beloved United ran out 3-2 winners over their local rivals. After the match, the four brothers headed to a nearby bar, where the sixteen-year-old boy listened intently to his brothers' dissection of the game, nodding in agreement when he was expected to and laughing at the unflattering descriptions of the opposition's players. However, as hard as he tried- and he did genuinely try his hardest, both for his brothers' sake and his own- he was simply unable to enjoy the day out, instead fixating on what could have been had he been born a girl. 'She' would've been out shopping with 'her' girlfriends, or going to a beauty salon for a makeover, or on a romantic date with 'her' boyfriend...

Robbie consoled himself with the knowledge that he would soon be heading back to his home, which his brothers had all moved out of years earlier. The following day, Robbie's mother would be at work, meaning he would be home alone, which meant he could do the one thing that always eased his stress- trying on his mother's clothes.

It was something Robbie did rarely, never more than once a month at the most, and he never wore anything that would 'give the game away' such as underwear or make-up, but the mere act of pulling on one of his mother's skirts made Robbie feel stronger in a way even he couldn't explain, as though it was his destiny to wear the skirt. And every time the time came for him to remove the skirt, he suddenly felt like he was 3 inches tall. But for that one brief moment, Robbie could forget all his troubles and not just pretend, but believe that he didn't have to be a son or a brother.

However, when Robbie returned home, he discovered that even that simple pleasure was going to be denied to him.

"Hi Robbie!" The sixteen-year-old boy's mother said with a grin as he walked through the front door. "Good match?"

"Umm, yeah," Robbie replied. "United won 3-2, that was the most important thing."

"Heh," Robbie's mother chuckled. "Did you enjoy your drink at the pub with your brothers after?" The middle-aged woman smiled sympathetically and gave her son a hug as the young boy remained silent, his defeated body language telling her all she needed to know. "It's okay, I know how hard that is for you." You don't know the half of it, Robbie thought to himself. "Sometimes I just wish they'd leave you alone and let you be the person you REALLY want to be." You REALLLY don't know the half of it, Robbie thought to himself with a self-pitying sigh. Though at least, Robbie thought to himself, there was something that could be done about that.

"What- what time are you heading out to work tomorrow?" Robbie asked.

"I'm not," the young man's mother replied with a smug smile that didn't falter as his whole body slumped. "Got the whole of next week off. And the week after that, too!"

"Wh- why?" Robbie asked, trying desperately to hide the disappointment in his voice.

"One last birthday present," Robbie's mother said with a smile. "Me, and you, and two weeks... In Paris!"

"P- Paris!?" Robbie asked disbelievingly.

"Paris!" Robbie's mother giggled. "I thought, well, you worked so hard on your GCSEs, you deserved a break from everything. Especially your brothers, heh!" Okay, can't argue with THAT, Robbie thought to himself. "So, we're going off to France for two weeks, figured we'd see the sights, the Eiffel Tower, maybe Disneyland... Oh, come on, you've always said you wanted to see Paris, didn't you? And it'll give you a good head start on your French A Level, won't it?"

"Well- yes," Robbie replied, even though all he could think about was how two weeks in France was two weeks in which he'd never get to express his feminine side, not even for a second. "We going by plane or train?"

"Train," Robbie's mother replied. "Got to be at St Pancras by 12:30pm tomorrow. And don't worry, I've already packed two suitcases for you. All you need to do is relax and enjoy the holiday. And I have a feeling it might just be the best holiday you ever have!" Fat chance of that, Robbie thought to himself as he forced a smile on his face and headed up to his bedroom, sighing at the sight of the two large suitcases parked outside it. Robbie let out a tired sigh as he entered the room and crashed down on his bed, grabbing his laptop in the hope that it'd take his mind off of his malaise.

While occasionally wearing his mother's clothes offered a great deal of relief for Robbie, it wasn't a solution he could call on on a day to day basis- it needed careful planning, care when putting everything back to ensure it was exactly as it had been left, and most importantly, it needed his mother to be out of the house when it happened. The internet, however, was a solution that Robbie could access whenever he needed it, and after his return from Wembley, he needed it more than ever.

Of course, his mother's parental controls meant that 'adult' websites were blocked to him, but Robbie had long since learned to make the most of what was available to him, particularly from his favourite website- eBay.

Robbie opened up the auction website on his laptop and immediately started browsing the women's fashion pages, imagining his young body sliding into the many skirts on dresses that were on sale, before browsing to the lingerie pages and fantasising about clipping one of the bras on sale behind his back, or relishing the feeling of one of the skimpy thongs sliding between his buttocks or the feeling of rolling a soft pair of tights up his legs. Within minutes, though, Robbie had browsed to his favourite part of eBay- the costumes listings. Robbie gazed over pages of French Maid costumes, Hooters uniforms, Showgirl costumes and his favourite of all- Playboy Bunny costumes. He swore to himself that when he was older, and earning his own money, he would somehow buy every costume he found on the site. Even if he only wore each costume once each, merely owning them and having the ability to wear them whenever he wanted would make his life infinitely more bearable.

The following morning, Robbie woke early and dragged both of his suitcases out to the waiting taxi, and after a short train ride to London, he and his mother were on the much longer train ride to Paris. As Robbie gazed out of the window at the Kent countryside, all he could think about was how each mile away from home was another mile away from being the girl he wanted to be. As the train emerged from the French side of the Channel Tunnel, Robbie told himself that there was no sense in sulking, that he had always wanted to visit Paris and the two weeks may well turn out to be the best holiday he'd ever had. However, as he quickly reminded himself, there was only one thing that would make the holiday the best ever- and that simply wasn't going to happen.

"Here we are!" Robbie's mother said with a smile as she and her son dragged their cases into the modest twin room that would be their home for the next twelve days. "Sorry I couldn't get up separate rooms, but I did have to save money somewhere, heh!"

"It- it's great," Robbie mumbled in reply. "Really, you've gone to a lot of trouble, I- thank you. Really, this-- this is great." Robbie smiled confusedly as a knowing look spread across his mother's face.

"Why don't you get unpacked," Robbie's mother said. Nodding and trying to suppress a sigh, Robbie dumped one of his suitcases on the bed, though when he opened it, his facial expression immediately changed to one of confusion.

"Umm... Mum?" Robbie said as he gazed at the suitcase's contents.

"Yes...?" Robbie's mother replied with a smug grin.

"I think- I think you may have packed the wrong case..." Robbie mumbled as his mother stood next to him and looked into the suitcase.

"Are you sure?" Robbie's mother asked as she reached into the suitcase and pulled out a floaty, light blue summer dress. "Are you really, really sure?"

"M-mum?" Robbie asked.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice?" Robbie's mother asked.

"Notice?" Robbie asked, his voice increasing in pitch with every word he said.

"Sometimes, when I came home," Robbie's mother explained, "I'd head up to my bedroom to get changed and I'd notice that a few things were 'off'. A dress wouldn't be hung the way I'd hung it, or one of my skirts would be creased. I didn't think anything of it at first, then I noticed that every time it happened, it was a time when you'd be left at home alone." the sixteen year old boy felt tears form in his eyes as his face started to burn with embarrassment.

"I- I'm sorry..." Robbie meekly mumbled.

"No- no, god," Robbie's mother sighed, wrapping the reluctant teenager in a tight hug. "I- I just- heh. I dunno. That's why I brought that suitcase, I- I figured that I could, you know, surprise you, and if I was wrong, the other suitcase has all your 'boy clothes' in it, so no harm done..."

"So- so you're not angry?" Robbie asked hopefully.

"Why would I be angry?" The young man's mother replied. "Okay, maybe you did wear my clothes without permission, but you had to have a reason, I mean, you didn't- I mean, you did it because you... You always wanted to be a girl, right?" Robbie gulped before answering. This was a make or break moment, he could either deny his mother's suspicions, dismiss them as misguided and spend the holiday in his boring boy clothes, or he could confirm them, and finally get to present HERself to her mother the way SHE always wanted to- and from what the older woman was saying, Robbie inferred that the clothes weren't just for the holiday, if he so wished.

"...Yes," Robbie whispered, tears flowing freely from his eyes as his mother hugged him again.

"Oh god, Robbie," the young man's mother sighed. "You know, you COULD have told me this earlier..."

"I didn't know what you'd say," Robbie mumbled.

"I'd have said 'I'm lucky to have such a great daughter'," Robbie's mother replied. "But- but I get what you're saying. You did a very, very brave thing telling me. And if you don't want to wear any of the clothes in this suitcase on your holiday, then that's fine, but they'll always be there when you get home, if you need them. And if you're worrying about your brothers, don't. You have to live your life the way YOU want. You're not there to be bossed around by them. If they say anything, I'll back you up. Always."

"Th- thanks," Robbie sniffled, before steeling himself. "And- and I want- I want to wear the clothes in this suitcase on this holiday."

"I thought you might," Robbie's mother said with a proud smile. "So go ahead, pick out an outfit!" Robbie grinned as he went through the suitcase's contents, pulling out several dresses, skirts and tops, as well as girl's underwear and even a one-piece swimsuit in his size. At the bottom of the suitcase was a small carrier bag, the contents of which he immediately recognised.

"I- I've never worn make-up before," Robbie stammered as he picked through the tubes of mascara and lipstick that were in the bag.

"Okay," Robbie's mother said. "I didn't know for sure, but that's okay, anything you want to know, I'm happy to teach you. Heh, I'd always hoped one day that I'd get to teach my daughter how to properly apply make-up... After you came along, fourth boy of four, that didn't seem possible. Thank you for making my dream a reality." Despite himself, Robbie let out a snort of laughter at his mother's statement- he was so focussed on his own dream coming true that it had never occurred to him that his mother might have wanted a daughter. Any doubt Robbie had in his mother's sincerity evaporated when she sat down next to him in front of the hotel room's mirror and talked him through how to properly apply every item of make-up in his bag, and within a few minutes, Robbie had grasped the basics.

"Beautiful," Robbie's mother said as she stared at her son's made-up face for the first time. "I'm not just saying that Robbie, you really would make a beautiful girl."

"Thanks," Robbie giggled nervously.

"So what do you say?" Robbie's mother asked. "Want to take that beautiful face onto the streets of Paris?" Robbie froze as his mother asked what was a simple question- playing with make-up in the privacy of a hotel room was one thing, but heading out in public? That was another ball game entirely.

"Umm, I-" Robbie stammered. "I, umm, I'd need to shave my legs first, I mean, and, umm, I'd need-"

"Tell you what," Robbie's mother said, calming her child down. "We'll spend this first day in the hotel room. We'll get your legs shaved, and your arms if you want, I'll teach you anything you want to know about how to pass as a woman, then tomorrow, if you feel up to it, we'll go out and explore Paris as mother and daughter. Deal?"

"D- deal," Robbie said with a smile. "But..."

"But...?" Robbie's mother asked.

"I- umm, you can't call me, you know, 'Robbie' when my face looks like this, right?" Robbie asked.

"Well-no, I suppose I can't," Robbie's mother mused. "We could say it's short for 'Roberta'?"

"What kind of sixteen-year-old girl's called 'Roberta'?" The teenager asked.

"Okay," Robbie's mother said, frowning at her child's indignance. "How about 'Robin'?"

"Still sounds like it could be a boy's name," the teenager shrugged.

"I've got it!" Robbie's mother said with a grin. "How about we just drop the 'R' entirely?"

"What, 'Obbie'?" The teenager asked.

"How about 'Abbey'?" The teenager's mother asked, standing back with a grin as her child considered the suggested name.

"Abbey," the teenager whispered, a smile creeping across her scarlet-coloured lips. "Abbey... I- I like it. 'Abbey Watkins'... It, you know, sounds nice."

"Nice to meet you, Abbey Watkins!" The teenager's mother said with a grin.

"Nice to meet you too!" Abbey replied with a smile as she felt her whole body start to relax.

As promised, the rest of the day was spent in the hotel room preparing Abbey for her 'debut'. Every hair was shaved clean off of her legs, arms and torso, she applied and reapplied her make-up over and over until she could do it with her eyes closed, and she even practised walking in the 2" wedge heeled sandals her mother had brought her for the holiday.

Abbey barely slept that night, she was so excited about her grand day out the following day. Her alarm went off at 7am, but she was awake a long time beforehand, going back and forth through her new outfits, trying to decide which one to wear on her big day.

Eventually, after much discussion with her mother, Abbey settled on a cute lace-fringed white tank top and a short denim skirt, along with her new wedge-heeled sandals. Under the skirt, she wore a comfortable (but tight enough to discourage any 'unwanted movement') pair of panties and a bra padded just enough to give her chest an appropriate 'shape' for a sixteen year old girl, and her face was made up just as immaculately as it had been the previous night. With her hair styled by her mother, Abbey looked just like any other sixteen-year-old girl walking through the streets of the French capital- and she had never, ever been happier. And, much to her surprise, her mother was happier than she'd ever looked in her life.

"Thank you SO much for all this," Abbey whispered as she tried not to cry and ruin her mascara.

"Thank YOU," Abbey's mother replied with a proud smile. "Now come on, Paris awaits! And who knows, maybe you'll catch the attention of some handsome French boy? Umm, assuming- assuming you do, you know, 'prefer' boys... Right?"

"Only the ones who 'prefer' me," Abbey replied with a confident smile.

"Which is every boy with a pulse and a brain cell," Abbey's mother retorted, making her daughter giggle.

"Guess I can afford to be picky, then!" Abbey said, smiling as she and her mother set out to explore the vast city.

Abbey spent every remaining second of her Paris trip in 'girl mode', never leaving her hotel room without a full face of make-up and wearing a cute skirt or dress. Even when she was asleep, Abbey was in 'girl mode', thanks to the nightdress that her mother bought on their first day in Paris. And yet, Abbey couldn't help but feel sad, especially as her holiday was drawing to an end. On their final day in Paris, Abbey openly wept tears of despair as she was forced to return her clothes to her suitcase, scrub her face clean of make-up and pull on the boring, plain jeans and t-shirt she had worn when she arrived in France.

"Oh- oh god, Abbey..." The distraught teenager's mother sighed as she wrapped her child in a loving hug.

"No," Abbey sobbed, before letting out a quiet wail of pain. "Not 'Abbey', just 'Robbie'..."

"To me, you'll always be Abbey," the boy's mother reassured her son. "And anytime you want to be Abbey at home, you just say the word, okay?"

"And what if Sean, Danny or Jack choose that moment to drop round?" Robbie sniffled.

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Robbie's mother replied. "And no matter what they say, I promise I will be on your side, okay?"

"O- okay," Robbie sighed.

"Rob- no, not Robbie, Abbey," Robbie's mother defiantly said. "You've been happier the last two weeks than I've ever, ever seen you. And it's not just 'cause we're in Paris, we could've gone to Margate and if you'd had the clothes you wore on this holiday you'd have been happy."

"...Probably," Robbie shrugged.

"Definitely," Robbie's mother said. "so if you ever decide you want to, you know..."

"...What?" Robbie asked.

"If you want to, you know, make it a permanent arrangement?" Robbie's mother asked.

"What, you mean, like, have a sex change" Robbie asked. "Isn't that a bit, you know, extreme?"

"Is wanting to be happy in your own skin 'extreme'?" Robbie's mother retorted, smiling as her child offered no answer. "Whatever you decide, I will support you. Always. I promise."

"Thanks, mum," Robbie said softly as he packed away 'Abbey's clothes for the long train ride home.

However, the clothes didn't remain in the suitcase for long. Within minutes of arriving back in Basildon, 'Robbie' had become 'Abbey' once again and stayed that way for the rest of the summer holiday- but only while at home, and only when their mother was the only one in the house. Out in public, the teenager presented as 'Robbie'. When they returned to school in September, it was as 'Robbie'. When they got a job after completing their A-levels, it was as 'Robbie'. The last three birthdays of their teenage years were celebrated as 'Robbie', along with the Christmases of 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. However, on each of those occasions, their mother ensured that 'Abbey' had just as many, if not more presents to open than 'Robbie'- and she knew deep down that 'Abbey' appreciated her presents far more than 'Robbie' ever could.

By the start of 2015, 'Robbie' was just a face 'Abbey' wore when out in public. She considered 'Abbey' to be her 'real' persona, as did her mother, while her brothers remained blissfully unaware of their youngest sibling's double life. However, Abbey was determined that before the end of the year, 'Robbie' would become a thing of her past- and at the end of January, she arranged a job interview that she hoped would ensure just that.

Abbey took a deep breath as she once again walked through the streets of the city where 'she' had been reborn. However, instead of her floaty tops, denim skirts and wedge sandals, she wore a plain black pencil skirt, semi-opaque black tights, a smart white blouse and court shoes with a 2.5" heel. The look made her look far older than her nineteen and a half years, but she hoped that instead of 'old', the men she was in Paris to meet would look at her and think 'professional'.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle Watkins," the middle-aged man said, shaking Abbey's hand as she sat down opposite him. "Je m'appelle Robert Marotte, et bienvenue a Soixante-Trois Industries."

"Merci," Abbey replied with a nervous smile as the interview began.

24 hours later, Abbey was sat beside her mother on their sofa as her brothers stared at her in disbelief.

"What," Shaun scoffed. "Is this- is this some kind of sick joke?"

"Do I look like I'm laughing?" Abbey's mother snapped back at her youngest son, while supportively gripping her daughter's hand.

"So what, you approve of HIM running off to Paris to play at being a poof?" Danny sneered.

"SHE is making a career for herself," Abbey's mother growled. "Which is more than could ever have been said for you!"

"Can- can I speak?" Abbey asked in her practised feminine voice, feeling her body shake as her brothers laughed and sneered at the sound of the new voice coming out of her mouth.

"Not anymore, you can't," Jack snorted, earning laughs from his brothers that quickly stopped following a stern gaze from their mother- and from their new sister as well.

"This isn't just who I always wanted to be," Abbey explained. "This is who I've always been, right from the start. This isn't a sudden change. This has been me for the last 3 and a half years."

"Then why is this the first we're hearing about it?" Shaun asked.

"Really?" Abbey sneered. "After the way you've spoken to me today, you really need to ask that question?" The 19-year-old girl paused as her brothers fell silent, unable to respond to her.

"It still isn't right," Danny mumbled.

"That's not your choice to make," Abbey said defiantly. "It's mine. I'm going to Paris. I'm going to be a flight attendant. You can either like it or lump it."

"And it you don't like it," Abbey's mother said in a voice just below a shout, "then you ain't welcome in this house anymore!" Abbey bit her scarlet-coloured lip as her brothers paused, before sighing and leaving the house together. Abbey let out a pained sigh as she slumped back onto the sofa, softly weeping as her mother wrapped her arms around her.

"I- I'm sorry, mum," Abbey sobbed.

"Shh, shh," Abbey's mother said. "They'll come round. If I have to smack some sense into them, I will. If you should be apologising for anything, it's flying off to Paris just as I've got used to having a daughter!"

"Heh," Abbey sighed. "I- I'm sorry about that..."

"I was joking, Abbey!" Abbey's mother chuckled. "Of course you should find your own way, you're an adult now, you're a grown WOMAN. And it's only right that you'd find work in Paris, I mean, that's where it all began, right?"

"Heh, yeah," Abbey chuckled. "So you- you don't mind, you know, being alone...?"

"Alone?" Abbey's mother scoffed. "The way your brothers go through girlfriends I'll probably be neck deep in grandchildren by this time next year!"

"Heh," Abbey giggled, hugging her mother one more time and not wanting to let go, knowing that it would be one of their last hugs for a long time.

The following day, Abbey's mother went with her daughter to St Pancras station to see her off, both women weeping only as the train pulled away. Within hours, Abbey was pulling on her new uniform for the first time. While the regulation underwear excited Abbey, particularly the lacy corset, she felt the fitted blue pencil skirt and blazer was a little plain for her tastes. It was no Playboy Bunny uniform, but it would more than do for now, especially as if what Abbey had heard was true, she would be far from the only 'alternative' girl wearing the uniform at the airline.

Abbey had only barely taken her seat in the seminar hall, ready to begin her training, when her thoughts were interrupted by a gentle American accent behind her.

"Hi," the American girl, who was blonde like Abbey, said as she extended a hand for the Englishwoman to shake. "You must be Abbey. I'm Jessica Tyler, I'll be your mentor!"

"Hi!" Abbey replied as she fidgeted in her tight skirt. "I'm really, REALLY nervous..."

"Don't be," Jessica said with a warm smile. "Go into this with the attitude that you CAN, and you WILL. There isn't a single problem you're not able to rise above."

"Too right," Abbey whispered to herself. "And I'm not done rising yet-- not by a long way!"

"Mr. Tyler, your resume is very impressive," Robert Marotte, chief recruitment officer for Soixante-Trois airlines, said to the young American man sitting opposite him. "Two years working for Belman airways in America, fluent in English, French & German, conversational in Russian and Arabic, you could choose any airline you want. Why do you want to work for Soixante-Trois?"

"I love the whole concept of the service Soixante-Trois offers," Jesse Tyler responded in his clipped Baltimore accent. "My prior employers were budget airlines, Soixante-Trois evokes memories of, appropriately, 1963's Pan Am airways, a true boutique airline, making mass transit into an experience rather than a chore. Someone's holiday can begin the minute they set foot in the airport rather than when they arrive at their destination."

"And I assume that you are aware of the 'conditions' involved in working for Soixante-Trois?" M Marotte continued carefully, maintaining eye contact with his interviewee to ensure his point was conveyed.

"I am, yes," Jesse continued with a smile. "I will be honest and say that that was another reason I wished to work for Soixante-Trois." M Marotte simply smirked tiredly.

"You will be expected to follow the dress code and conditions of behaviour detailed in your welcome pack from the very start of your employment," the French interviewer stated firmly. "I trust that this will not be a problem?"

"It won't," Jesse said, trying to control his excited shaking as the interview neared its conclusion.

"Then I am very happy to offer you a position with our organisation," M Marotte said with a warm smile, standing and extending his hand to his new employee.

"Thank you, thank- obviously, I accept!" Jesse said excitedly, rising and shaking his new employer's hand.

"Welcome to Soixante-Trois airlines," M Marotte said, pausing for effect, "Mademoiselle Tyler."

Jesse took a deep breath as he dragged his travel suitcase up the front stairs of the plain, yet still somehow classic, Parisian apartment building. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the plain metal button labelled '9'.

"Bonjour?" A very feminine, very French voice answered over the intercom. "Qu'est-ce?"

"Je suis Jesse Tyler," Jesse replied in fluent but heavily-accented French.

"Oh, our new American best friend," the French woman said excitedly. "Please, come on up!" With a wide smile on his face, Jesse picked up his suitcase and entered the building, climbing the stairs, only to be greeted halfway up by a vision of pure beauty.

"Hallo," the woman, who had a German accent instead of a French one, addressed Jesse. "You must be Jesse. I'm Elsa, Elsa Krause." Elsa extended her hand, which Jesse happily shook, his jaw dropping at the sight of the young woman.

She was at least 5' 11"- or would have been if she'd been wearing flats instead of 3" wedges- and had the kind of long, silky blonde hair normally only seen in very expensive fashion magazines. Flawless make-up accentuated her slight (but not overly) tanned skin, and she was slim. Skinny, even. Her pink tank top accentuated her small, yet perfectly formed breasts, and her black miniskirt exposed what seemed like miles of smooth, toned legs.

"H-hi," Jesse said, momentarily taken aback by the vision in front of him. "Yes, I'm Jesse Tyler, please to meet you."

"Come on," Elsa said with a smirk, grabbing Jesse's hand. "I'll introduce you to the others!"

"Okay," Jesse said, his nerves calmed by Elsa's seemingly unconditional friendliness. "Are there many others?"

"Three others," Elsa explained as the two of them quickly skipped up the stairs. "Two of them also work for Soixante-Trois, three if you include me. The other will be starting there next year after she finishes college."

"...And..." Jesse began hesitatingly, causing Elsa to stop momentarily.

"...And?" Elsa asked, hoping to tease the rest of Jesse's sentence out of him.

"Are they all, you know, 'girls'?" Jesse asked, emphasising the final word of his sentence.

"'Girls'?" Elsa asked with a raised eyebrow. "Yes. Do they all have vaginas? Not quite." Jesse breathed a sigh of relief as he and his new friend reached the door to their apartment and opened it. Immediately, Jesse was overwhelmed by the strong, sweet scent of the multitude of perfumes the apartment contained. Jesse had never set foot in a place as unashamedly feminine as his new home, and his heart began to race at the prospect of his new life there.

"Girls, meet Jesse Tyler," Elsa announced to the three other women in the apartment, placing her hands on the young American's shoulders.

"He's okay, I guess," one of the women, a young English girl in black leggings and a clingy t-shirt dress said dismissively. "I really want to meet the real HER, though." Jesse grinned coyly as he realised that for the first time in his life, he was in a place where not only would he be accepted for who he really wanted to be, but who he really wanted to be was actively encouraged.

"Yeah," one of the other women, the same Frenchwoman he spoke to over the intercom, concurred. "The apartment is FILLES SEULEMENT."

"I hope you have something sexy and slinky in that suitcase," Elsa said to a Jesse, whose grin had turned into nervous laughter. "It looks like you're getting your make-over now!"

"I'm sure I can find something," Jesse said, softening his voice to sound convincingly feminine, much to the delight of his four new flat mates. Elsa clapped and giggled with glee, before grabbing Jesse's hand and leading him up to her room.

"Okay," Elsa said, shutting the door and sitting on the edge of her bed. "Off with those nasty BOY clothes. Now."

"Umm," Jesse hesitated, "are you sure-"

"It's nothing I haven't seen before," Elsa said reassuringly. "Including attached to my own body." Jesse breathed a sigh of relief at Elsa's revelation, and carefully began stripping off his clothes until he was left in only his jockey shorts.

"Good good," Elsa said, staring at Jesse's slender, almost androgynous frame. "Not a single trace of body hair anywhere, I love it when all the hard work's been already done. Those too," Elsa continued, referring to Jesse's shorts. Blushing slightly, Jesse pulled them off and tossed them on the pile of his discarded clothes. Nodding, Elsa presented Jesse with a stretchy piece of skin-coloured fabric.

"This will keep you 'under control'," Elsa said, motioning to Jesse to step into it as he would a pair of panties. Jesse obliged, giggling a little as the thin thong-like strap of the garment nestled between his buttocks. His giggles soon turned to winces, though, as Elsa began tightening straps either side of the garment.

"I know, I know, it sucks at first," Elsa comforted Jesse as she made the final adjustments to the garment. "The prices we girls pay for beauty, eh?"

"Is this-" Jesse began, carefully, "is this brand new?"

"Of course," Elsa said warmly. "All yours, courtesy of Soixante-Trois airlines. You'll be issued a few more on your first day so you'll always have a clean one for work. And play, if you so choose. Now, pick me out your sexiest lingerie!" Smiling widely, Jesse reached into his suitcase and withdrew a clean, lace-edged black bra and thong set. Elsa chuckled as Jesse held the garments up in front of him before carefully stepping into the thong, pulling it tight against his new flattened crotch, and pulled the bra on, clipping it behind him with obvious practised ease. Elsa gave a playful wolf whistle as Jesse reached into his bag for a pair of breast forms, securely inserting them into the bra cups.

"I believe you Americans say 'hubba-hubba'?" Elsa teased as she reached into her dresser for a tape measure.

"Thanks," Jesse said, raising his arms and allowing Elsa to measure his waist. "It's so good, finally meeting a group of people I can, you know, 'express myself' with."

"74cm," Elsa said with regret in her voice. "That's going to have to come down, I'm afraid."

"I'm already dieting and exercising," Jesse said, but to no avail as Elsa reached into the top of her chest of drawers.

"I mean it's going to have to come down now," Elsa clarified, holding out a black waist cincher which Jesse, mock sighing, stepped into.

"The price we girls pay for beauty, eh?" Jesse smirked, echoing Elsa's earlier words as he fastened the garment up at the front.

"You said it sister," the German girl replied, tightening the cincher's laces despite Jesse's gasps. When she was done, Jesse sat himself down on Elsa's bed to reach into his suitcase, impressing himself with how feminine his mannerisms had already become.

"Reaching into there for a pair of sexy stockings, I hope?" Elsa teased the transforming young American.

"Of course," Jesse said, dangling said sheer black nylons in front of him before sliding them up his legs, clipping them to the garters dangling from the bottom of his corset.

"Make-up time!" Elsa said enthusiastically, directing Jesse into the seat in front of her dresser's tall mirrors. Almost immediately, the bubbly German woman set about Jesse's face with concealer, foundation, mascara, eyeliner, blush and numerous subtle eye shadows. When she came to apply his lipstick, though, Jesse suddenly put up a hand to stop her.

"You- you do know red lipstick is part of the dress code, right?" Elsa asked, confused by her new friend's sudden change of heart.

"I know, it's just-" Jesse began shyly, "I always, kinda, put it on last. Kinda like a symbolic thing, you know?" Elsa beamed warmly at Jesse's confession, putting the lipstick back in its tube and reaching into her closet.

"Last it is," Elsa said, withdrawing a tightly-woven hairnet and long, blonde wig from her closet. "You'll be expected to wear wigs and hairnets until your own hair grows out long enough," she explained as she fitted the hairpiece to Jesse.

"I know," Jesse said, admiring his increasingly-girly look in Elsa's mirror.

"AND red nail polish," Elsa said playfully as she pulled a small, deep red bottle out of her dresser drawer. Grinning, Jesse held out his hands, fingers splayed to make Elsa's job all the easier.

"So," Elsa said as she coloured Jesse's fingernails with the same red shade that was on her own, "what made you want to come to Soixante-Trois? Or is that an obvious answer, given that I'm currently painting your nails?"

"Mostly this," Jesse confessed. "I'd worked for an American airline for a couple of years and just dreamed of going into work one day wearing a female uniform. I mean, it's the same job, who'd care, right? And then I read about Soixante-Trois and the whole EU Supreme Court thing, and it was just like it was meant to be."

"Have you been dressing long?" Elsa said, finishing her work on Jesse's left hand and moving onto his right.

"Since I was a teenager," Jesse confessed. "I think when I hit puberty a switch in me flipped the wrong way, I found myself obsessed with girls but I was obsessed with being one of them, rather than being with one of them, if you get what I mean."

"Sounds to me like that switch flipped exactly the right way," Elsa said with a smirk as she gently laid Jesse's fingers in front of a warm-feeling light to dry.

"How about yourself?" Jesse asked boldly. "If you don't mind me asking, of course."

"Not at all," Elsa said, fussing with Jesse's wig a little more. "I've known I was born the wrong gender for as long as I can remember. I used to work as a drag queen or burlesque performer in Berlin, then I applied for the job with Soixante-Trois. Under the new EU regulations they couldn't refuse me on the grounds of my birth gender, so here I am!"

"Ooh," Jesse smiled, "does this mean I have you to thank for my new job?"

"You have a bunch of socialists in Brussels to thank," Elsa clarified with a warm smile as she checked the dryness of Jesse's nails, and finding them to be to her satisfaction, standing him up and leading him back to his suitcase. "Now, I believe you promised me 'sexy and slinky'?"

"You demanded it, if I recall rightly," Jesse said with a smirk as he reached into his suitcase and withdrew a short, black satin cocktail dress.

"Wow," Elsa mouthed approvingly. "Such a shame you're 10cm shorter than me, what a friendship we could have had swapping clothes!" Jesse simply smiled as he stepped into the dress, holding his new hair away from his back as Elsa zipped the garment closed.

"Just long enough to cover the stocking tops," Elsa observed. "I most definitely approve!" Jesse grinned as he withdrew a pair of black, patent leather pumps from his suitcase and slipped them on his feet, smiling at the feel of the 4" stiletto heels combining with his corset to radically alter his posture. After clipping a gold bracelet around his wrist, pulling on a dainty silver necklace and spraying on his favourite perfume, Jesse pulled a small, dark blue tube out of a side pocket of his case and grinned widely at his new German friend.

"Always save the best for last," Jesse said, sitting in front of Elsa's mirror and liberally coating and recoating his lips with the deep red shade contained within the tube. When he was satisfied that his look was complete, he stood up, turned to face Elsa and extended his hand.

"Pleased to meet you," the grinning American woman said. "My name is Jessica Tyler."

"You knew her as Jesse Tyler, plain American boy," Elsa announced in her best movie trailer voice. "Now prepare yourself to meet the newest, hottest stewardess for Soixante-Trois airline... Miss! Jessica! Tyler!"

With one hand on her constrained waist, Jessica purposefully strode down the stairs into the apartment's living room, earning herself gasps of awe and approving whistles from her three new flat mates.

"Hi," Jessica said in her well-practised feminine voice, "I'm Jessica, and if you'll have me, I'd like to be your new flat mate!" The Frenchwoman who greeted Jesse earlier stepped forward with a huge smile on her face and air kissed the young American woman.

"Bienvenue," the woman said, ushering Jessica to the sofa and pouring her and her flat mates a glass of wine each.

"Salut!" Jessica said, clinking her glass against those of her 4 new friends.

"Allow me to introduce everyone," the French woman said as the women all sat themselves down on the flat's sofas. "My name is Marie Renou and I've worked for Soixante-Trois for three years! You've already met Elsa, who'll be helping you during your orientation week. This young lady to my left," Marie gestured toward the Englishwoman, still wearing her t-shirt dress and leggings, "is Natalie Briggs. She-"

"Can speak for herself," Natalie said, interrupting cheekily whilst sipping her wine. "I'm 21, I'm from England and I've worked for Soixante-Trois pour six mots. I'm also the one with whom you'll be sharing a room!"

"And, um," Jessica said cautiously, "you're okay with my, um, 'status'?"

"Given that we both share the same 'status', I should hope so," Natalie replied. "And yes, you may compliment me on not being able to tell."

"I will," Jessica retorted, "provided that the feeling's mutual!" Natalie simply beamed a smile at her new room-mate as Marie continued her introduction.

"And this young lady," Marie said, gesturing at the youngest member of the group, "is my little sister Zoe."

"One of these days, she'll stop using the word 'little'," Zoe told Jessica in her refined Nice accent. "I'm 19, and when I turn 20 in 3 months I'll be starting with Soixante-Trois too!"

"It's so lovely to meet you all," Jessica said with genuine feeling in her voice. "I guess I should properly introduce myself too. I'm 22, I'm originally from Baltimore, and the thrill of working for Soixante-Trois was just too much for me to pass up. So, here I am!"

The five girls chatted away into the small hours, sharing stories about their pasts and their hopes for the future. It was almost 12:30am when Natalie escorted Jessica up to their room, both girls almost collapsing on their beds the second they closed the door.

"Thanks for bringing the rest of my cases in," Jessica said to her new room-mate as she took off her shoes, dress and corset and placed them beside the two large suitcases, both of which were packed with feminine items of clothing.

"You're welcome," Natalie responded, stripping off her dress and leggings and diving underneath her sheets in just her bra and panties. "Don't be too long, I have to be up at 6 tomorrow to fly to Glasgow."

"You, um, usually get by on five hours sleep?" Jessica asked her new friend incredulously as she carefully removed her wig and hairnet, placing both on the mannequin head Elsa had generously provided.

"Oh relax," Natalie commanded sleepily, "it's not like I'm flying the plane."

"Okay, I'll not be too long," Jessica reassured her new friend, pulling on a plain cotton nightie and stripping off her lingerie. "Guess I'd better get used to having these on all day," Jessica commented whilst cupping her new breasts.

"Yeah, well I wouldn't recommend sleeping in the cache sex," Natalie joked as she watched her new friend dive underneath the covers of her new bed. "It really doesn't react well with early morning stiffness."

"Thanks for the heads up," Jessica grinned as she flicked off her nightlight. "Good night, Natalie."

"Good night, Jessica," the Englishwoman replied in her best Waltons-esque voice. "And Jessica?"

"Yeah?" the American woman asked her new friend.

"It is good to have you here," Natalie said sincerely. "And not just because between you, me and Elsa, we outnumber the cis girls 3-2, and not just because you're from a country where the first language is sort-of English, and not just because you're probably going to be working the same routes as me. It's good to have someone who'll, you know, be a real best friend."

"I'm looking forward to it too," Jessica confessed with a smile.

"G'night, Jessica," Natalie said as she clicked off her light.

Jessica slept soundly in her bed, her previous flight attendant experience eliminating any jetlag so that she was fully refreshed when Natalie gently shook her awake just before 7am.

"Jess!" Natalie whispered to her slowly waking friend. "You don't mind being called 'Jess', do you?"

"Only if you don't mind being called 'Nat'," Jessica quipped as she rubbed her eyes awake. "Are you going- whoa," Jessica said as she took in the view before her. Gone was 'casual Natalie', with her t-shirt dress, leggings and modest make-up, replaced by a vision of beauty Jessica thought impossible from a person who was genetically male. Her shoulder-length brown curls had been tied into a formal, yet playful French pleat. Her eyes looked out from behind smokey eye make-up and her plump lips and long fingernails were as red as Jessica had ever been able to make her own. A formal, knee-length black dress covered her figure, which had obviously been taken in several inches by a waist cincher, and her legs were encased in barely-black stockings with a very straight vertical seam running up their rear. 4" stiletto heels completed her look. The young Englishwoman would undoubtedly turn the heads of every man she walked past that day, including, much to Jessica's surprise, hers.

"Glad you approve," Natalie said with a wide, red grin. "And this isn't even the uniform, this is just what we have to wear getting to and from work. Regretting your career choice yet?"

"Not a chance," Jessica said with a smile as Natalie slowly twirled, showing off her full look.

"Good," Natalie said with a smile. "I'm heading out now, just wanted to say bye before I left. And yes, you can borrow this dress any time you want!" Jessica grinned as Natalie closed the bedroom door behind her, leaving the American woman to excitedly reflect on her upcoming first day at work.

Jessica only slept another hour before Elsa let herself into her room and playfully shook her new American friend awake.

"Come on, sleepyhead!" Elsa said with a wide grin on her face. "Only two days before the big day, we need to get your wardrobe complete!"

"Do you not see the two massive suitcases at the foot of my bed?" Jessica asked, trying to stretch herself awake for the second time in as many hours.

"Your WORK wardrobe," Elsa said with a tinge of smugness in her voice. "Soixante-Trois dictate our uniform right down to the underwear, and you need some!"

"Thank god for the clothing budget," Jessica said as she swung her smooth, bare legs out of bed and, grabbing her cosmetics bag, followed Elsa to the apartment's bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, Jessica stepped out of the bathroom with one towel covering her hair and one tied under her armpits, covering her entire torso down to her thighs. Her soft, hairless skin was glistening from its much-needed shower, and her face was made up to the high standard it had been the previous night- with the notable exception of her lips.

"Still 'saving the best for last', huh?" Elsa joked as Jessica skipped back into her room to get dressed. "In case you're wondering, Natalie and Marie both have flights so they've gone out early, and Zoe's a teenager so she won't be up until about 3 in the afternoon, so you've got me to yourself for the whole day!"

"I heard that!" Zoe indignantly cried from her room as Elsa and Jessica giggled at the teenager's expense. "You think you could go shopping without me?"

"You don't have any money," Elsa reminded the young French student.

"Then you're buying!" Zoe cheekily retorted as she emerged from her room, wearing a plain cotton nightie and running her hands through her short, black pixie-like hair, not even remotely phased at the sight of the semi-naked Jessica in front of her.

"Guess we're a trio today then," Elsa said resignedly as Zoe skipped up the stairs into the freshly-vacated bathroom.

"I don't mind," Jessica called as she shut the door to her bedroom and began to get dressed. "Gives me a chance to get to know her better." Jessica took a deep breath as she pulled the cache sex up her legs, wincing as she tightened it as tight as Elsa had the previous night.

"She's good kid really," Elsa said as Jessica pulled on a fresh bra and panty set, making sure her breast forms were secure and invisible inside the bra. "Just a bit too eager to join the company at times."

"Can you lace me in?" Jessica called to Elsa as she fastened the waist cincher around her torso. "If I'm going to be wearing this day in, day out, I may as well get used to it."

"Sure," Elsa said, entering Jessica's room and pulling the laces of the foundation garment tight. "You want a hand with your cache sex too?"

"Already done," Jessica said proudly. "Can't rely on 'mom' dressing me for the rest of my life, right?"

"Aww, I'm a mommy now!" Elsa said with mock pride in her voice as she tied Jessica's laces into a bow, allowing the young American woman to pick out her outfit for the day. Elsa nodded approvingly as Jessica picked a black, ruffled miniskirt and off-white tank top out of her still-packed suitcase.

"Very sexy," Elsa said approvingly, slightly jealous that her own choice of a light blue sundress would be overshadowed by the newcomer. "No hose?"

"No, I really wanted to wear these-" Jessica withdrew a strappy pair of 4"-heeled wedge sandals from her suitcase- "today."

"You will be in the dreams of every Parisian man tonight!" Elsa stated confidently as Jessica strapped the sandals onto her ankles. After helping her with her wig, Elsa took the lipstick that Jessica had worn the previous night and handed it to her in a mock-ceremonious fashion.

"Saving the best for last," Elsa said as Jessica pulled the top of the lipstick, grinning as the wet, red cylinder spiralled out of its housing.

"If there's anything better than lipstick," Jessica said as she applied layer after layer of the cosmetic to her mouth, "I don't want to know about it!" After checking that the red nail polish on her finger- and toenails was blemish-free, and grabbing her favourite handbag, Jessica presented herself to her new friend for inspection.

"Ready whenever you are!" Jessica said with a twinge of nerves in her voice, only to be interrupted by the sound of a toilet flushing. "Whenever Zoe is, then." Both Elsa and Jessica giggled as they exited the American woman's room just in time to see Zoe emerge from the bathroom, towels wrapped around her in the exact same manner as Jessica's had been just a few minutes earlier. Rolling her eyes, Zoe retreated into her room, emerging a few minutes later wearing a very short, tight pair of black hot pants and a light blue short-sleeved shirt.

"Ready?" Elsa asked Zoe, who nodded her agreement whilst beaming a wide, happy smile at her two friends and soon-to-be colleagues. Before the trio left the apartment, however, Jessica's phone bleeped to inform its owner of a new text message.

"It's from Natalie," Jessica said with mock exasperation as she looked at the text message and sighed in frustration. "It- it can't be right to be this desperate to go to work, right?" The young American woman asked as she showed her phone to her colleagues, on which was a selfie of Natalie posing, one hand on hip, in her full uniform- a tight, royal blue pencil skirt under which Jessica could just make up the faintest of suspender bumps, a shiny black satin blouse underneath a closely-fitted jacket the same shade of blue as the skirt, 4" stiletto heels in the same colour as the skirt & jacket, a blue necktie covering up what little Adams Apple the Englishwoman had, and last, but definitely not least, a royal blue pillbox hat completing her vintage stewardess look. In her two years of working alongside flight attendants, Jessica had never seen any of them look as stunning as Natalie did in that one photograph.

"Just wait a couple of weeks and that'll be you," Elsa told Jessica with reassuring confidence.

"Then you can send photos to me to make me jealous," Zoe said whilst secretly checking her own phone for any messages.

"That can be arranged!" Jessica retorted as Elsa led the three of them out of the apartment and into the many boutiques of the French capital.

The shopping trip lasted several hours, and all three women were exhausted when they returned to the apartment, several shopping bags on each arm. In addition to the several lacey bras and thongs Jessica would be expected to wear for work, she also picked up several sexy formal outfits- similar to the one Natalie had worn when she woke Jessica that morning- for the commute to work, along with numerous different cosmetics perfumes to add to her quickly-growing collection. Jessica's clothing budget of 750 euros had quickly vanished, with Jessica dipping into her limited savings and credit cards for her final few purchases. Elsa and Zoe hadn't exactly been slouches whilst shopping, either- both of them picked up at least one set of lingerie, clothing, cosmetics and perfumes each as well.

The three women had just finished a light supper when they were interrupted by Natalie's return.

"Hi honeys, I'm home!" The English stewardess announced as she stepped into the apartment, kicking off her heels and emphatically crashing on the sofa between Jessica and Zoe. Jessica was amazed by how fresh Natalie seemed, despite the fact that she'd been on the go for almost 12 hours in the late August heat. She was wearing the same figure-hugging black dress she was when she'd left the apartment that morning, but as far as Jessica (or anyone else) could tell, it may just as well have been fresh on. Her stockings still shone with the look of a brand-new pair- even the seams were still perfectly straight- and her make-up and nails were still perfectly immaculate.

"Welcome back from bonny Scotland," Jessica congratulated her room-mate, pouring them both a glass of wine.

"I hope my photos sent you into a jealous rage," Natalie said candidly as she sipped her wine. "I don't mind you having a shopping trip whilst some of us have to work for a living, really I don't."

"If it's any consolation," Elsa began with a giggle, "she'll be working her little butt off for the next few months!"

"Oh yes," Natalie teased with a wicked grin on her scarlet lips, "one more day of freedom then it's off to probation! Excited yet?"

"Am I?" Jessica breathed ecstatically. "Already got my outfits picked out for the first five days!" Natalie smiled a proud smile at her new friend's enthusiasm.

"Well don't forget," Natalie advised, "underneath those outfits you'll be wearing ridiculously sexist- and, yes, ridiculously sexy- bits of lace that barely qualify as lingerie, let alone underwear, so make sure you have on at least SOMETHING comfortable. Speaking of which, if I don't get into something comfortable in the next 30 seconds I think my legs will fall off."

"Is it really that bad?" Jessica asked, slightly worried by Natalie's theatrics.

"You saw the lingerie you'll be- for want of a better word- wearing all day," Zoe reminded Jessica with a knowing smile.

"Natalie likes to exaggerate," Elsa reassured the young American woman as she poured another glass of wine. "You get used to it very quickly, at least if you get a sensible amount of sleep!"

"I heard that," Natalie yelled from her room before emerging wearing a glittery, clingy white t-shirt and a flared pink tartan mini-skirt. Her once-tight French Plait was gone, her curls loosely falling over her head and her gold studs replaced by long, dangly silver earrings that Jessica couldn't help but notice.

"Love the earrings," Jessica said as Natalie grinned widely, once again parking herself between Jessica and Zoe before tucking her smooth, bare legs underneath her.

"Thanks," Natalie beamed, playfully tossing her hair back to give her fellow flat mates a better view of her extravagant jewellery. "I do have a confession to make," the young Englishwoman said, pausing for effect, "I really, really love dangly earrings!"

"What is it with some T-girls and 'things'?" Zoe mused aloud to mild disapproving stares from her housemates. "I mean, you have your earrings, you have your lipstick, Marie tells me works with a T-girl who always wears leotards."

"Earrings, lipstick and leotards are all cute, sexy and feminine," Jessica explained to her young French friend.

"Care to weigh in on this, Elsa?" Natalie teased, making a point of playing with her earrings. "What's your 'thing'?"

"Very, very well-endowed boys," Elsa said with a wicked smile on her scarlet lips as her housemates giggled approvingly.

"You at work tomorrow?" Jessica asked Natalie as the English woman helped her put away her new lingerie.

"Yep, Glasgow again," Natalie faux-sighed as she held one of Jessica's new black lace bra and thong sets against her body. "Ready for 16 hours straight in this?"

"Given that it's what I've literally dreamed about since I was 12, I'd say so, yeah!" Jessica excitedly replied as she took the dainty undergarments from Natalie and put it away in her drawers.

"I know the feeling," Natalie confessed as Jessica packed away the last of her new purchases. "The first few weeks I worked for Soixante-Trois my heart literally fluttered every time I pulled on the lingerie and the uniform. Actually made it hard to do my job at times, I was that excited."

"...And what happened afterwards?" Jessica asked with slight concern in her voice.

"It started to become normal," Natalie explained. "Everyday, almost mundane. I mean yes, it was still sexy, it was still so enjoyable to have the lace and the satin against my body, but it was almost like I was wearing boy clothes at times."

"You kind-of sound like you needed a holiday," Jessica said softly, sitting on the edge of her bed as Natalie stripped off her clothes and pulled on a plain pink nightie. "Not just from work, but from being a girl."

"That's what I did," the Englishwoman explained, climbing underneath her bedcovers. "I took a week off, went back to Manchester, back to being Matthew, didn't even wear so much as any foundation for a whole seven days."

"...And?" Jessica asked, enthralled by Natalie's story.

"By the end of the seven days I'd have happily gnawed both of my legs off to be able to wear a thong again," Natalie said with a wide grin on her face. Jessica giggled as Natalie cuddled her bedclothes close to her supple body. "This life is a dream, Jessica, a dream come true. I mean yeah, it's hard work, but it's worth it. So worth it."

"You're kinda preaching to the choir here," Jessica chuckled as she stripped off her own top and skirt, pulling on a short, pale nightie and climbing into her own bed.

"I know," Natalie said with a smile. "But there's every chance you'll have an 'episode' like I did. If you do, I'll be here for you. So will Elsa and the girls. And if you're really good, we'll even be here for Jesse!"

"Jesse has gone on a long, long vacation and won't be back for a very, very long time," Jessica explained as she snapped off her nightlight. "G'night, Natalie."

"Night, Jessica," Natalie said with a warm smile, snapping off her own nightlight.

"This dress is far too sexy for one woman," Natalie said loudly, waking Jessica from her slumber. When the American woman opened her eyes, she breathed deeply at the sight of her English friend in her commuting attire, especially as said attire was Jessica's own clothes.

"You do know I'll make a point of wearing one of your skirts to the salon today, right?" Jessica asked Natalie as the Englishwoman did a twirl for her, showing off the slinky, tight, thin-strapped knee-length black garment. Natalie's hair and make-up was as expertly sculpted as it was the previous day, and Jessica was almost in awe at the amount of credible-looking cleavage Natalie was happily displaying out of the top of the dress.

"I would expect nothing less," Natalie said, turning to leave the room, showing off the arrow-straight seams on the back of her stockings.

"And I expect you to tell me how you made such convincing cleavage," Jessica demanded.

"It's like you Americans say," Natalie explained with a knowing smirk, "duct tape, duct tape and more duct tape. ALL of which is coming off the second I get into my uniform." Jessica grinned as Natalie departed. In less than 24 hours, she'd be donning her own smart, sexy outfit and travelling to her first day of work in exactly the same manner as Natalie.

Jessica was still awake 45 minutes later when Elsa, wearing a loose, short sundress, entered her room to get her up and ready for the day ahead.

"Last day of freedom!" Elsa giggled as Jessica swung her soft, smooth legs out from underneath her bedclothes.

"You'd think I was getting married or something," Jessica quipped as she padded into the apartment's bathroom to get herself ready for the day ahead.

"Nah," Elsa said with a soft snort, "husbands aren't nearly as much fun as this job! Don't forget- minimal make-up. Let the beauticians do their thing."

"I haven't forgotten," Jessica shouted from underneath a warm shower. "Did you say the company owns this salon?"

"This one, another one in Berlin and I think at least one more somewhere else in France," Elsa confirmed. "As well as sports centres, hotels, nightclubs, bars... Antoine Masson didn't get a four billion euro fortune by sitting on his ass all day."

"I'm surprised he hasn't expanded into America yet," Jessica mused aloud.

"Maybe sometime soon," Elsa replied as Jessica finished her shower and headed into her bedroom. After applying a light foundation and pulling on her cache sex, wig, breast forms and (on Elsa's recommendation) a pale blue bikini, Jessica pulled a floaty, translucent white short-sleeved blouse out of her wardrobe and buttoned it around her svelte frame, before deliberately reaching into Natalie's wardrobe and pulling out a tight black miniskirt, grinning wickedly as she slid the clingy garment up her hips. After slipping on a pair of 3" heeled black stilettos, Jessica sat down in front of her mirror and liberally applied her favourite red lipstick, despite Elsa's orders not to. Ready to face the world, Jessica grabbed her handbag and exited her room to be immediately greeted by Elsa rolling her eyes.

"What did I say about the make-up?" Elsa sighed before smiling at her new American friend. "In all seriousness though, you look DAMNED sexy. Work would approve if you went in looking like that, in fact. Well, if you were fully made-up and wearing hose, anyway."

"Really?" Jessica asked. "The skirt isn't too short?"

"Maybe a little," Elsa conceded. "But the point is that they want their girls looking smart and sexy on the way into work, so that EVERYBODY knows you're a Soixante-Trois stewardess. You hit that look perfectly." Jessica grinned as Elsa beckoned her out of the apartment.

"Are we not waiting for Marie or Zoe?" Jessica asked as the two of them headed out of the apartment block to the nearest tram stop, attracting the attention of virtually every man along the way.

"Marie's just back from a long night flight," Elsa explained. "You'll have to get used to that- the first night we were all there as we were all desperate to say hi to our new best friend! But with different shift patterns... That's not always gonna happen."

"And let me guess, Zoe's a teenager so doesn't get up before 1pm most days?" Jessica joked, making Elsa giggle.

"Yes, but believe it or not she actually has a job to go to this afternoon," Elsa explained. "Our little Zoe is in fact a classically trained ballerina and teaches dance to pre-teens five nights a week." Jessica nodded at the information, impressed by the information.

"If she's that good at it why does she want to work for Soixante-Trois?" Jessica asked bluntly.

"Because for most productions she auditioned for there were about thirty girls going for one part," Elsa answered equally bluntly. "She gets more money from teaching anyway, and unless you're one of the very top prima ballerinas in France, you're not going to earn as much money as you do with Soixante-Trois."

Upon their arrival at the beauty salon, Elsa and Jessica were immediately ushered into private spa rooms where every pore of their bikini-clad bodies was drenched in cleansing spring water. Jessica had felt particularly self-conscious about removing her breast forms in front of the spa worker, but Elsa had reassured her that Soixante-Trois employees regularly used the salon for treatments, and as such Jessica wasn't even close to the first T-girl they'd had through their doors. The revelation that at least one of the beauty therapists who would be treating Jessica was also a T-girl- but Jessica would almost certainly not be able to tell which- succeeded in completely easing the young American woman's mind.

After the spa, both women were treated to soothing Swedish massages, followed by an American-style bikini wax. After a light lunch, the girls were both treated to full facials, followed by eyebrow shaping and expert make-up application. A professional manicure and pedicure was the last item on the list, a full five hours after both women had arrived at the salon. Once her nails had dried, Jessica was ushered in front of a full-length mirror by both Elsa and their beauty therapists.

"So," Elsa teased as Jessica admired the view in the mirror, "how do you like the new-look you?" Jessica beamed a wide smile as she futilely inspected her look for even the tiniest blemish.

"When can I book my next appointment?" She asked to Elsa and the beauticians’ delight.

The girls arrived home just after 5pm, just in time to pass Zoe as she was heading out.

"And now you're going to the spa without me," Zoe sighed. "I expect to be treated like a princess when I start in November!"

"Don't worry, you will be," Elsa promised as Jessica greeted the teenager with a brief hug.

"I would ask why you're wearing pink tights when it's still boiling hot outside," Jessica teased, "but fortunately I've already been informed about your 'side job'." Zoe rolled her eyes in mock-frustration at her new friend.

"It's just easier this way," Zoe explained, "rather than change at the studio all I have to do it take my dress off and I'm ready to begin."

"Oh, I get that," Jessica said, worried slightly that she'd offended the young Frenchwoman. "It's just that... Any chance you could give me a lesson some time?" Zoe chuckled warmly at Jessica's question.

"Buy yourself a leotard and a pair of pink tights, then we'll talk," Zoe said with a grin. "We still on for the club tonight?" Zoe asked Elsa, who nodded in response.

"Though it was supposed to be a surprise for Jessica here, remember?" Elsa replied, causing Zoe to grimace with embarrassment.

"Sorry," Zoe said, gripping her dance bag tighter.

"It's okay," Jessica said, before turning to Elsa. "I'm being treated to a night out as well, then?"

"It was meant to be a surprise," Elsa said apologetically. "Marie's idea, actually- she thought it'd be fun to show you what she gets up to most evenings." Jessica's curiosity was piqued, but Elsa refused to answer any further questions until the girls had had the opportunity to change for the night.

Later that evening, after dinner, Jessica grinned as she stared in the mirror at the sexy woman staring back at her. Her professionally-applied nails and make-up were still immaculate and her wig was indistinguishable from real hair. Remembering Natalie's trick from earlier, Jessica had tightly duct-taped her chest to create- with the aid of her falsies- realistic cleavage, poking out from the top of her slinky, short black dress. A waist cincher had taken her waist in and given her a figure any woman would die for, and sheer black stockings combined with 5" stiletto pumps enhanced her legs and ensured that whatever club the girls went into, all the eyes would be on her. Jessica was all ready to hit the town, but one thing was missing. The young American smiled as she heard the front door of the apartment slam closed- the missing element had arrived.

"I'm here, I'm here," Natalie breathlessly panted as she skipped into the bedroom, taking off her heels and dress and untying her hair. The hurried Englishwoman grinned as Jessica handed her the hair straighteners that had been warming up on the dresser for the past 30 minutes.

"Thank you," Natalie whispered as she quickly set about straightening her naturally-curly locks. "You are an absolute lifesaver!"

"I don't get why you're straightening your hair," Jessica mused as she observed her room-mate prepare herself for the night's fun.

"It's naturally curly," Natalie explained as she methodically pressed her hair straight. "Call me a stereotypical T-girl but I associate 'artificial' with 'sexy', so straight it goes!" Jessica watched, almost awestruck, as Natalie finished treating her hair and immediately set about enhancing her 'professional' make-up to sexy new heights. Natalie's eyes were enhanced by thick eyeliner and dark eye shadow, and topped off with ludicrously thick fake eyelashes. She then proceeded to apply her darkest red lipstick and reapply a coat of dark crimson polish to her fingernails, before giggling excitedly as she put a ludicrously long, dangly earring in each lobe. After swapping her sheer black stockings for a pair of nude fishnet stockings, Natalie enhanced her cleavage just as Jessica had earlier, before pulling on a tight strapless bra and a slinky black halter neck mini-dress, finishing off her look with a pair of black sling back heels just as high as Jessica's.

"NOW I'm ready," the Englishwoman said to her new friend, grinning confidently as she picked up her handbag.

"You are GORGEOUS," Jessica enthused as the two women exited their bedroom, to be greeted by an equally dolled-up Elsa.

"You sound surprised," Natalie retorted, childishly playing with her hair and earrings as they waited for the final member of their 'gang'.

"It's not that, it's just-" Jessica began, making sure to choose her words carefully. "I always thought you were, you know, more of a 'T-tomboy'." Natalie laughed out loud at Jessica's suggestion before quickly clamping a hand over her agape mouth.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Natalie said, quickly giving her friend a quick hug to ease any hurt feelings the American girl may have had. "I just don't know what could have given you that idea. I mean yes, I don't dress up all the time, but on a night out like this? Even if I'm not going to let any of them near me, it doesn't mean I don't want every guy's eyes on me tonight!"

"AND girl's eyes," Zoe joked as she descended the stairs into the lounge. Like Elsa, Jessica and Natalie, she had dressed up especially for the night. Her strapless black dress accentuated her flawless figure, and her long, slender legs were enhanced by a pair of shiny nude tights and the 5" stiletto pumps attached to her feet. Her tight ballerina's bun had been left tied, but loosened into a less severe, more playful updo, and her make-up and black nail polish completed a look that all three of her flat mates agreed was a match for any fashion model.

"So you say the company owns this club as well?" Jessica asked as bouncers ushered the four women into the loud, energy-filled building.

"As well as three others in Paris alone!" Elsa yelled.

"Filles!" The four women heard a familiar French voice call from the bar.

"Marie!" Jessica said, hurrying over to her new friend as fast as her heels could carry her. "I didn't know you'd be here too!"

"It's a double celebration!" Elsa explained. "We're not just celebrating your new job, but also Soixante-Trois's newest supervisor!" Jessica gasped at the news.

"You never told me you were a supervisor!" Jessica said. "Does this mean that you'll be bossing me around, then?"

"No, no no," Marie said, blushing from the unexpected attention. "You'll be on blue route: I'll be working black route and grey route only."

"Wait," Jessica said, silencing the other girls before they could explain. "I know this- black is north-east Europe, Moscow and surrounding, grey is the Middle-East, Dubai and Qatar, right?"

"Somebody's been doing her homework!" Marie said with a grin.

"Swot!" Natalie joked, giving Jessica a playful cuddle from behind. "So are we going to get any drinks in or what?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Elsa beamed. "Miss Tyler here can test-drive her new employee discount!" As the other girls cheered, Jessica rolled her eyes, removing her credit card from her purse and ordering the first round of drinks.

Jessica woke up on the morning of her first day with her nerves jangling. She wouldn't be doing any ACTUAL work for a week- until after her orientation was complete- but it was still her first day in her new job, and that was a situation that was stressful for anyone. After quietly showering and applying her make-up, Jessica headed back into her room- careful not to disturb the still-sleeping Natalie- and changed into her outfit for the morning. Soixante-Trois had a strict dress code even for employees commuting to and from their place of work, and even on her first day, Jessica was expected to follow it to the letter.

After pulling on her wig, cache sex, a brand-new bra and thong set, a waist cincher and a pair of dark, seamed stockings, Jessica reached into her suitcase and withdrew a frilly white sleeveless blouse, fastening it around her svelte form, and stepped into a below-the-knee black pencil skirt, finishing her look with a pair of 4" heeled stiletto pumps- and of course, her favourite scarlet lipstick!

"Hey," Jessica said with an evil smirk as she poked her slumbering English room-mate. "Hey, Nat, wake up!"

"Urgh, what?" Natalie asked, her eyes slowly crawling over Jessica's form. "...Wow."

"Thanks," Jessica said smugly. "Pity I don't get to wear it for more than an hour!"

"Oh don't worry," Natalie laughed tiredly. "The uniform will more than make up for that. See you later, Jess."

"See you tonight, Nat!" Jessica said, doing a twirl for Natalie before departing the bedroom.

"Swit swoo!" Elsa exclaimed as Jessica stepped into the apartment's lounge.

"And you too!" Jessica enthused as she caught sight of the German girl in her formal little black dress, stockings and skyscraper heels. "Do you really need such high heels? You're already taller than most boys..."

"I need the BOYS to know who's in charge," Elsa laughed. "And besides, I don't date anyone shorter than 6' 3". They just don't have what I need!" Jessica giggled as Elsa led the two of them onto a nearby tram and to the busy international airport that would soon become her second home. Upon arrival at the airport, Elsa quickly guided Jessica into the spacious employee lounge, where they located the American girl's locker.

"Good, it's all here," Elsa said with a smile. "You'll only be working blue route for now, but as part of your probation period you'll be expected to sit on one flight of every colour route, so you've had all four uniforms provided for you."

"Even grey route?" Jessica asked, inspecting the uniforms. "I thought because they were Muslim countries..."

"Istanbul is covered in grey route," Elsa explained with a smile. "Turkey's a member of the council of Europe, so you've got a day of sweating in the Turkish heat whilst wearing an ankle-length hobble skirt, tight bodysuit and knee-high boots ahead of you!" A wide grin crept over Jessica's lips at the mention of the uniform.

"Bring it on!" Jessica said, withdrawing a uniform from the locker that was identical to the one she'd seen in Natalie's text message two days earlier.

"Ooh, someone's been doing their reading," Elsa laughed as she withdrew her own blue uniform.

"The blue uniform is the default one," Jessica recited from the employee handbook. "To be worn at all times when not flying on any other route or when undertaking learning or development activities, including probation."

"Looks like someone's after a fast track to a promotion!" Elsa teased as Jessica stripped off her blouse, skirt and shoes and replaced them with the black satin blouse, extra-tight pencil skirt, royal blue stilettos and fitted blazer that made up the Soixante-Trois uniform.

"I want to work for this company as long as possible," Jessica sighed. "Every second I'm in these clothes is a dream come true. God knows if I did this in some states in the US I'd be lynched..."

"It's hardly any better in Europe," Elsa sighed as she and Jessica tied each other's neck scarves. "Thank god those in charge of the EU saw some sense."

"Is it true that management deliberately made the uniform as sexist as possible to DETER transgendered people from applying for the stewardess role?" Jessica asked.

"It is!" Elsa laughed. "After that Thai airline started hiring transsexual stewardesses in 2011- and because Soixante-Trois only hire female flight attendants- the managers thought that if they clamped down and made the dress code as strict as possible, and introduced the commuting dress code too, it'd actually prevent genetic males from applying. Have a guess what percentage of applicants nowadays are T-girls?"

"Umm... 30%?" Jessica guessed, to which Elsa happily shook her head.

"Try 82%," Elsa said proudly. "We're the future, Jessica!"

"I just wish people would look past genetics once in a while and see us for the girls we really are..." Jessica mused.

"I hear you there," Elsa sighed as she pulled on her classic pillbox hat. "'Fraid you'll have to wait a bit longer for this!" Elsa joked, pointing at her headwear.

"I've waited long enough for this amazing opportunity," Jessica laughed. "I can wait another week." Giggling as she fixed her hat, Elsa grabbed Jessica's hand and led her back out into the employee lounge, which was already heaving with glamorous stewardesses.

After having her photographs taken for her company ID, Jessica followed Elsa into the large seminar room, where she sat down in one of the plush seats, smirking a little at how something as simple as sitting suddenly became a whole different prospect due to the tightness of her skirt and the restriction her corset was putting on her waist.

"One of these days, we'll get uniforms that are actually PRACTICAL," Elsa quipped as she lowered herself into the chair next to Jessica, smoothing her own tight skirt with obvious practised ease. Jessica chuckled briefly before scanning the room, taking in the view of her new colleagues, each dressed in the same blue uniform as her. There were thirty women- no doubt fifteen new recruits and fifteen mentors- of all ethnicities sat behind the room's clean, expensive desks. It was only when Jessica glanced behind her, however, that her eyes began to widen.

Jessica had no idea how she hadn't seen the woman earlier but was sure she hadn't, as there was no way she would have been able to forget such an image of beauty. Her skin was pale, almost porcelain white, contrasting starkly with her dark eye make-up and crimson lips, and making her jet-black bobbed hair stand out all the more. Her face was slender, all her features from her nose to her forehead almost classically feminine. Her hands were long and slim, the red tips on her fingers exaggerating their daintiness. And- almost to put a punctuation mark on her beauty- her eyes were dramatically different colours, the emerald green of her right eye contrasting sharply with the sapphire blue of her left. Jessica found herself both deeply attracted to and deeply envious of the woman, and immediately made a mental note to seek her out at the end of the seminar.

What Jessica had no idea of knowing was that the woman she found herself enthralled by was equally as obsessed with her.

"Good morning, bonjour, gutten morgen," the Frenchwoman- who Jessica estimated to be in her early 30s- said from the front of the room. "On behalf of Soixante-Trois airlines, I'd like to welcome you, our newest family members, to the best job you will ever have! Over the course of this week, you will get an idea of what it means to be a Soixante-Trois stewardess, what will be expected of you, and all the benefits on offer to you whilst working for this great company."

Jessica listened intently throughout the whole lecture as Clarice- the manager- explained the history of the company, the basic standards of behaviour, and the vast employee benefits available to Jessica and her new colleagues. About forty minutes into the lecture, however, Clarice's demeanour noticeably changed.

"As I'm sure many of you are aware," the manager explained, "two years ago Soixante-Trois was forced by the European supreme court to start allowing transgendered stewardesses- those who had been born male- to serve on our airlines. As such, it should come as no surprise to you some of the new employees hired today were born male. There are additional standards of behaviour that apply to the male-born stewardesses, so they- and their mentors- will need to stay for the next twenty minutes. The rest of you are free to leave, but be back here promptly after lunch."

Jessica felt self-conscious as she remained in her seat, but Elsa's comforting presence on her left reassured her- and she was far from the only new hire still seated in the seminar hall. Jessica did become startled, however, when she heard a light gasp come from behind her. Cautiously turning around, Jessica stared into the shocked face of the dark-haired girl who had enthralled her earlier- and she, just like Jessica, was still sat in her chair.

"You're kidding," Jessica and the dark-haired girl simultaneously breathed.

Paige Robertson stared at the blonde-haired girl in shock. This amazing girl, this goddess, was a T-girl, like her? Paige had to double-check that the woman wasn't wearing the uniform's hat and was indeed one of the new recruits, so convinced was she that the girl was a genetic female. Her hair was a classic platinum blonde, her eyes were the most beautiful shade of blue and her features- whilst androgynous- had all the hallmarks of a classic model or movie star. Paige was even sure she'd earlier heard the girl speak in an American accent. If Paige had been asked to describe the perfect woman, it would have looked a lot like the blonde girl, so when Paige found out that the perfect woman was born a man... Her mind was blown.

Neither girl was able to fully concentrate during the remainder of the briefing, which mostly covered etiquette and the importance of maintaining a female persona at all times whilst at work or travelling to and from work- things both girls knew perfectly well anyway. After the seminar was over, Jessica and Paige immediately sought each other out in the employee lounge.

"Hi," the American girl said, sitting down next to the raven-haired beauty. "Hi, um, I'm Jessica, Jessica Tyler." Jessica exchanged an uneasy handshake with her new colleague.

"Paige," the dark-haired girl replied in a soft Scottish accent. "Paige Robertson."

"Th-that's a beautiful accent," Jessica said, desperately trying to not let her nerves get the better of her. "What part of Scotland are you from?"

"Dumbarton," Paige replied, also trying desperately to get her own nerves under control. "A-are you American?" Jessica giggled goofily at Paige's question.

"Guilty as charged!" Jessica exclaimed. "I'm from Baltimore, Maryland." An awkward silence fell between the two girls as they desperately tried to think of something to say to the other.

"I can't believe how tight these skirts are," Paige complained.

"Yeah," Jessica said. Twenty seconds of awkward silence passed before the new stewardesses were interrupted by the return of their mentors.

"Hey Paige!" Stacey, Paige's English mentor, called. "Time to go back in, no rest for the wicked!"

"Aye," Paige said, relieved to be free of the awkward tension between herself and Jessica, but at the same time, disappointed that she wouldn't get to know the blonde girl any better.

"You seemed to be getting on well with Jessica," Stacey teased.

"Well... I dunno," Paige mumbled.

"Oh come on," Stacey sighed. "You're clearly into her, and she's clearly into you! You wouldn't be the first workplace romance in this place, believe me!" Paige remained silent, but what Stacey said resonated with her. She DID fancy Jessica, and a lot, but she was a T-girl, like Paige- and that greatly confused the Scottish girl.

"Did I see you chatting to the wee Scottish girl?" Elsa teased Jessica as they headed back to the seminar room.

"Maybe a bit," Jessica muttered.

"Oh come on," Elsa laughed. "I've only known you two days and already I can tell you've got a crush on her!"

"No I haven't," Jessica retorted, but deep down, she knew that it wasn't true- she DID fancy Paige. In fact, Paige was probably the most beautiful woman Jessica had ever seen- which made it all the more confusing when she found out that she was a T-girl, just like her. Jessica preferred to identify as female for the majority of her life, but when it came to sex, she considered herself 100% male, and preferred the company of anatomic girls. And yet, here she was, obsessed with a T-girl just like herself.

The rest of the day passed in a haze for both Jessica and Paige. Both girls had hoped to avoid any further awkward encounters before leaving, but fate would have other ideas. After Jessica had hung up her uniform and changed back into her commuting outfit, she waited patiently outside the public toilet for Elsa when Paige walked up, stopping dead in her tracks at the sight of the American girl. Jessica could barely suppress a gasp when she saw Paige in her civilian clothes- in her short grey dress, black pantyhose and stiletto heels, she was every bit as beautiful and feminine as she had been in her stewardess uniform. For Paige, the sight of Jessica's sexy body in her blouse and slender pencil skirt made her heart flutter.

"Hey," Paige said to Jessica as stoically as she could.

"Hi," Jessica said. "I like your dress."

"Thanks," Paige muttered. Fifteen awkward seconds passed before Jessica took a deep breath and steadied her nerves, before asking the question that would change her life.

"My housemates are throwing me a party on Saturday night," Jessica said. "Would-would you like to come?" Paige inwardly gasped as the woman she'd been unable to get out of her mind invited HER to a party.

"Umm, sure, sure!" Paige enthused. "Can I have your, um, address please?"

"Of course!" Jessica said, making a note of her address on the Scottish girl's smartphone. "I'll see you on Saturday, Paige."

"See you then, Jessica!" Paige stammered, wandering off, desperately trying to catch her breath.

Jessica remained quiet on the tram ride back to her apartment as she tried to process everything that had happened that day. Under normal circumstances, all the info she'd had dumped on her by her employer would be a lot to take in, but Jessica found herself unable to go 45 seconds without thinking about Paige. It was a huge relief to Jessica when she finally arrived home and crashed on the sofa next to Natalie, who was dressed casually in a loose tank top and denim hot pants.

"Before you make any more 'T-tomboy' remarks," Natalie warned, "I remind you that it's my day off, I can wear what I want, AND I had my nails done this afternoon." Jessica giggled as Natalie showed her her freshly-manicured and polished fingernails.

"Very pretty," Jessica cooed. "But... It's not that."

"Information overload on your first day?" Natalie asked. "Been there, done that, got the pencil skirt. It'll sink in, trust me."

"Excuse me?" Jessica said with mock hurt. "I've been a stewardess- well, okay, a steward- for 2 years now, I know what I'm doing. It's... I met a girl during orientation."

"Ooh," Natalie cooed happily. "The company does pride itself on hiring the sexiest girls- and boys! I hope she knows already that you're trans, right?"

"Yeah," Jessica sighed.

"Good," Natalie replied. "That's the sort of thing you don't-"

"...And so is she," Jessica interrupted.

"Okay," Natalie said, nodding. "Didn't realise that was your thing, but if it makes you go doo-lally with desire, you go for it!"

"That's the point, it's not 'my thing'," Jessica sighed. "I've only been attracted to cis girls in the past. And yet... There's something about Paige that just drives me crazy."

"What does it matter if she's cis or trans?" Natalie asked, laughing at Jessica's predicament. "You're sat there, someone who society says should be a red-blooded All-American boy, dressed in a pencil skirt, stockings and stiletto heels. If you really like this girl, it shouldn't matter if she's genetically female or not."

"I know, it's just-" Jessica sighed, before Natalie cut her off with a wave.

"It's just nothing," Natalie laughed. "It's just you trying to rationalise in your brain whether or not you can fancy someone who your conscious brain seems to think you shouldn't. If she's really THAT hot, just go for it. Who knows? She might ultimately transition, then if you want to be like husband and wife, you can be that too!"

"You're right," Jessica sighed.

"...And for the record, she'd leave you less breathless if you took off that damned corset!" Natalie laughed.

"And say goodbye to this figure?" Jessica joked. "I don't think so, girlfriend!" Natalie and Jessica shared a girlish giggle as they whiled away the night gossiping with each other and, when they returned home, their other flat mates.

The next few days passed for Jessica in a daze. As an experienced flight attendant, she had most of the knowledge she was being taught by her supervisors and by Elsa, but she immersed herself in the learning so as to take her mind off of Paige, who was sat in every single seminar in the same seat she had been on that first day, directly behind Jessica, where the American girl could feel her eyes on the back of her neck.

Soon enough, Saturday came, bringing with it the party Elsa had insisted on throwing for Jessica. The American stewardess had made a special effort for the party, wearing her slinkiest black cocktail dress and shiniest hold-up stockings. her waist was taken in by a new, tighter waist cincher she'd bought earlier that day, and her cleavage was enhanced to its fullest using Natalie's tried and tested duct tape trick. With 5" stiletto heels on her feet and her blonde wig secured in place, Jessica looked and felt like a goddess, but she knew she'd turn to jelly as soon as she saw Paige.

Meanwhile, in her own apartment, Paige was riddled with anxiety and nerves over the upcoming party. She was dressed in a tiny black minidress with long lacy sleeves over dark pantyhose and her own 5" stiletto heels, and like Jessica, she'd enhanced her figure and cleavage with shapewear and other tricks, but unlike Jessica, she was terrified.

"I'm not going to tell you that you need to do this," Hiromi, Paige's room-mate, told her, "but you always regret the things you DON'T do more than the things you DO do."

"I know," Paige sighed. "I just- I just don't want to be this damned confused any more..."

"Then go for it!" Hiromi laughed in her light Japanese accent. "When I first arrived in Paris I never thought I could be with another T-girl, or another boy for that matter, but I took the plunge, and it's the best decision I ever made! The only way you'll know if it's right for you is if you TRY."

"Okay," Paige said with fake confidence. "I'll go along for a couple of drinks, if something happens, it happens, if it doesn't, it doesn't. Let's do this."

"That's my girl!" Hiromi laughed, grabbing Paige's hand and leading the reluctant girl out of the apartment.

After hearing the doorbell ring, Natalie- dressed in her own colourful dress, sheer black pantyhose, stiletto heels and of course, ostentatious earrings- answered the door to two cheerful young women, one unmistakably Japanese, the other deathly pale-skinned despite her raven black hair. Immediately- and not just because of her strikingly mismatched eyes- Natalie recognised the Caucasian girl as being the same girl Jessica hadn't shut up about throughout the week.

"You must be here for young Miss Tyler," Natalie teased. "Please, come on in!"

"Thanks," Hiromi said giddily, making her way to the drinks table.

"Good to hear another Brit," Paige said with a nervous smile. "Even if you are English!"

"Aye, that be true," Natalie laughed in an unconvincing Scottish accent. "Glasgow, right?"

"Aye," Paige said proudly. "Well, Dumbarton, so close enough. Manchester, right?"

"Yep," Natalie said with equal pride.

Jessica watched with envy as Natalie chatted to the woman shed been obsessed with for the past week. Whilst she trusted that Natalie wouldn't 'make a move' until Jessica had had a chance to at least try, it still made her uneasy. Jessica actually breathed a sigh of relief when Natalie headed away from Paige and towards her.

"I like that girl!" Natalie teased. "I can see why you're so hung up on her, she passes almost as well as you do!" Jessica- lacking the energy to deal with Natalie's usual sense of humour- laughed an insincere laugh and strode confidently toward Paige.

"Hi," Jessica said happily. "Glad you could make it!"

"Yeah," Paige said nervously, awed by Jessica's enhanced beauty. "I love your place!"

"Thanks," Jessica said, desperately searching for a conversation topic as another awkward silence fell between the two girls.

"Is- is there somewhere private we could go to talk?" Paige asked, making Jessica heart race.

"Su-sure, we can go into my bedroom," Jessica said, immediately grimacing at how 'forward' she sounded. "I didn't- I didn't mean it like-"

"That's okay," Paige said, interrupting. "Bedroom sounds good." Inwardly, Paige grimaced at how 'easy' she was making herself sound in front of the girl she couldn't get out of her mind.

Once both girls were in the tiny bedroom- both praying that they hadn’t been spotted- the two sat down on Jessica's bed, their bodies mere inches away from each other. An awkward silence filled the room for almost a minute, before both girls spoke at once.

"I th-" Jessica began.

"Jess-" Paige said simultaneously, before both girls broke down in a fit of giggles.

"You first," Paige said with a warm smile.

"No, you go," Jessica said, her heart fluttering at the sight of the Scottish girl's grin.

"No, really," Paige said. "All I was going to say was your name, I didn't actually have any idea how to finish that sent-"

"I like you," Jessica said, stopping Paige's sentence dead in its tracks. "I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. There, I've said it. I don't expect you to feel the same way, but I had to say it because-"

"I think you're gorgeous," Paige interrupted Jessica's ramble. "You're like a classic Hollywood movie star, in any decade you would be one of the most beautiful women in the world, it's just... I don't normally go with T-girls..."

"Me either," Jessica said, her emotions scrambled by Paige's confession. "I mean, I know we are both women, both inside and outside, but..."

"There's always going to be a part of you that says 'there's something not right about this'," Paige said.

"Exactly," Jessica whispered with a twinge of sadness in her voice. "I mean, I'm not even out to my parents yet, this would never work..."

"Me either," Paige moaned. Gingerly, Paige inched her expertly-manicured fingers toward Jessica's and intertwined them, looking deeply into the American girl's eyes.

"You have such amazing eyes," Jessica said, making Paige blush and turn her head away.

"Nah, they look stupid," Paige replied.

"No, they look exotic," Jessica said, gently turning the Scottish girl's head to look into her eyes. A brief pause fell over the room as Jessica and Paige gazed into each other's eyes, before they both leaned forward at the same time, gently pressing their lips together. The kiss only lasted for a brief second but it sent both girls' minds into a frenzy and their hearts into overdrive.

"I-" Jessica stuttered.

"We-" Paige said in a quivering voice. Both girls looked into each other's eyes again, before launching themselves at each other, kissing each other as deeply as either girl had ever been kissed. The second kiss lasted mere seconds, but for both Jessica and Paige, it felt like time had stopped as they felt each other's taste enter their mouths, their tongues touching and their saliva intermingling.

"God, I wish I wasn't wearing this cache sex," Jessica complained, eliciting giggles from Paige.

"We could always, you know, take it off?" Paige said with a devilish twinkle in her eyes.

"I'm... Not the kind of girl who does that on a first date," Jessica giggled.

"So, then?" Paige asked.

"So... What?" Jessica replied.

"Do you want, maybe, go out on a date with me?" Paige asked, her heart fluttering with every word.

"I'd love that," Jessica replied, before kissing Paige deeply one more time.

"You know, they're gonna realise we're in here," Paige sighed. "Reckon we should go out there one at a time?"

"I've got a date with the most gorgeous girl in Paris," Jessica said, making Paige laugh with embarrassment. "I don't want to keep that a secret!" Paige and Jessica both grinned devilish grin as they stood up, hand in hand, and exited the bedroom to the awed gasps of the other partygoers...

"So, when did you first know that you were, well, 'Paige'?" Jessica asked her date, who simply smiled a shy smile in response.

"Since I was about ten," the Scottish girl responded. "I'd go to school and all I could think about were the girls in their uniforms, and about wearing them. Then I went to secondary school and literally EVERY girl there wore tiny pleated skirts and black tights that just seemed to make their legs shine. I've been obsessed with black nylons ever since."

"Well, they do make YOUR legs shine sexily," Jessica said with a wide, red smile as she reached under the small table and stealthily stroked Paige's dark, hosed thigh.

"I swore to myself that one day," Paige continued, grinning at Jessica's touch, "I'd be in a position where every day of my life, I could wear what I want and be what I want. Then I heard about Soixante-Trois and here I am, living my dream at twenty years old."

"Tell me about it," Jessica gushed. "Did you used to be a stewarde- I mean, 'flight attendant' before joining S-T?"

"Nah," Paige said, shaking her head. "Used to be a lifeguard at a local leisure centre."

"Oh?" Jessica asked. "Wearing shorts, or a sexy bikini or tight red one-piece?"

"Shorts, sadly," Paige sighed over-dramatically. "Doesn't mean I don't own several bikinis or tight red one-pieces, though!"

"Maybe I could get to see you in one of them one day?" Jessica asked, making the Scottish girl giggle and blush.

"Maybe," Paige said. "It's getting kinda late, I've got my first flight tomorrow..."

"Me too," Jessica sighed. "Where are you going?"

"Home!" Paige laughed. "Well, Glasgow, anyway. Hoping I don't run into anyone I know, thank god I'm only observing and not, you know, stewardessing. You?"

"Dublin," Jessica said. "Half my family's originally from Ireland so it's kinda a homecoming for me too. Will you be on blue route?" Paige sadly shook her head.

"Black tights enthusiast, black route stewardess," Paige sighed. "Think everyone does a blue route as their first flight."

"That sucks," Jessica moaned sadly. "We'll hardly get to see each other..."

"Then how about we make the most of every second we get together?" Paige asked, squeezing Jessica's hand.

"You got it," Jessica said. "But this is date number one. THAT doesn't happen until date number three."

"So what, we kissed BEFORE our first date?" Paige asked with a cheeky grin on her face.

"Okay, this is date number two," Jessica retorted.

"I'm looking forward to 'three' already," Paige sighed. "I never thought I could feel like this about another 'girl like me'."

"I know exactly how you feel," Jessica breathed, before the two girls leaned together and gave each other a subtle kiss, out of view of the rest of the small restaurant. "We should get going."

"I know," Paige said sadly, standing and straightening her little black dress as Jessica did the same.

"You know," Jessica said, linked her red-tipped fingers with Paige's as they walked out of the restaurant, "when I joined the company, I expected a career, an opportunity to be the person I always wanted to be... I certainly didn't expect to get an awesome girlfriend in the mix!"

"So are we officially girlfriends now?" Paige giggled. "I've never actually been someone's girlfriend before..."

"Nor have I," Jessica said as they boarded the tram. "Thanks for sharing this new experience with me!"

"No, thank YOU," Paige said, giving Jessica a long, deep kiss.

"God, I am going to go through lipsticks SO fast going out with you," Jessica joked, getting out a tube of her favourite lipstick and touching up her lips with it. Paige slyly bit her lip, waiting for Jessica to finish, before cheekily snatching the tube from her hands and touching up her own lips with the cosmetic.

"Oh my god," Jessica said with shock. "You did NOT just do that!"

"I let you share my lipstick, it's only fair I share yours," Paige laughed.

"And when exactly did I share your lipstick?" Jessica asked.

"When I did this," Paige answered, pressing her lips firmly against Jessica's, allowing the freshly-applied lipstick to mingle with Jessica's own. The girls sat together, passionately kissing for at least twenty seconds, before their mouths separated.

"Fine," Jessica sighed, touching up her lipstick yet again. "Just DON'T do that again!" Paige giggled and grabbed Jessica's hand as they rode off together into the warm Parisian night...

"And what time do you call this?" Natalie joked as Jessica stepped through the front door of their apartment, kicking off her skyscraper heels and collapsing next to the Englishwoman on the sofa.

"You're still up," Jessica retorted to her leggings and t-shirt dress-clad friend.

"Worried sick about you," Natalie joked, earning herself a playful shove from Jessica. "Good first date?"

"We agreed it was our second date," Jessica said smugly. "So if you ever come home and there's a bra on the handle to our bedroom-"

"Got it, got it," Natalie said. "So, reckon you'll go all the way with her? Wherever that destination is, anyway?"

"I've never felt this way about anyone before," Jessica sighed dreamily. "Male or female, trans or cis. You know, I never before believed in 'love at first sight', but with Paige..."

"Aww..." Natalie cooed. "No 'love at first sight', even after growing up on a diet of Hollywood movies and vomit-inducing American teen shows?"

"Oh shut up," Jessica retorted, making the Englishwoman giggle. "I'd best get to bed, got my first flight tomorrow..."

"Oh yes," Natalie said, beaming widely. "Dublin, right?"

"Yep," Jessica replied. "Will you be on this flight?"

"Nah," Natalie replied. "Day off tomorrow, then a week of flying back and forth to Zurich. Elsa will be there, though, so you won't be amongst strangers. Just don't let her get started on the time she was on that same flight with Jamie-Lee Burke and the Angels!"

"Who?" Jessica asked, confused by Natalie's reference.

"Eh, not important," Natalie replied. "You get some sleep, and don't spend all night dreaming about your girlfriend!"

"I won't," Jessica giggled as she happily strode into her bedroom, exchanging her dress and stockings for a comfortable nightie and relaxing into her comfortable bed.

"Good morning, sunshine," Jessica cooed to Natalie, waking the Englishwoman from her slumber.

"Morning, gorgeous," Natalie replied with a tired smirk. "Love the dress."

"Thanks," Jessica replied, twirling to allow Natalie see every inch of the square-necked, knee-length dark blue garment she'd chosen for her commute to work.

"Vent at the back might be a little high," Natalie advised, "but as long as you can't see your stocking tops you'll be fine. Enjoy Ireland!"

"I will!" Jessica replied, striding out of the bedroom in her high heels to be greeted by Elsa, who was wearing a similar, albeit tighter, dress to her own.

"Good morning, American beauty!" Elsa teased, grabbing Jessica's hand. "Ready for your first flight?"

"HARDLY my first flight," Jessica said smugly.

"Oh, I think you'll find there's still a LOT to learn," Elsa teased as she led Jessica out of the apartment and to the airport.

Jessica arrived at the airport and immediately went into the changing room where, as before, she quickly stripped down to her lingerie alongside Elsa. As she reached into her locker to retrieve her uniform, however, her eyes were drawn to her mirror, which afforded her a full view of the lingerie-clad body of the woman she'd been on a date with just hours before.

"Paige?" Jessica asked, attracting the attention of the fair-skinned woman.

"Jessica?" Paige asked, her heart beating faster at the sight of the scantily-clad stewardess. "Oh my god! I didn't realise your flight was now, I thought it was later!"

"Same here!" Jessica said, giving the Scottish girl a cautious hug.

"Come on," Stacey- Paige's mentor- admonished the two stewardesses. "You're on the company's time, remember?"

"Sorry," Paige cringed. "Sorry Jess, I- I'll see you later, okay?"

"Of course," Jessica replied.

"She IS gorgeous," Elsa said quietly to her new friend as she put on her skirt and blouse. "But you need to be careful. Soixante-Trois doesn't have any rules against employees dating each other, but you can't, you know, 'fraternise' on company time. That hug you just gave her was pushing it, especially as you were both in your undies!"

"I know, I read the handbook," Jessica sighed. "It's just- being around her is just electric..."

"Well thank god you're on separate routes!" Elsa laughed. "Last thing we need is you two joining the mile-high club when you're supposed to be serving drinks..."

"Yeah," Jessica muttered as she tried- and failed- to take her eyes off of Paige coolly stepping into her skirt and blouse.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the aeroplane's tannoy announced, "this is Captain Michael Hanley, and I'd like to welcome you all on board this non-stop flight from Paris to Dublin. Total flight time will be one hour and forty-five minutes. I'll hand you over now to Amelie, your head stewardess for this flight, who will be doing your safety briefing in both English and French."

"Hello, bonjour," the tall French woman- who was dressed identically to Jessica, only her uniform included a pillbox hat and gold lapel badges- announced.

"Hope you're paying attention," Elsa said.

"Of course," Jessica replied. And she did pay attention, taking in every second of the briefing, until right at the end when Amelie turned to face the young American woman.

"And I'd like to welcome two new members of the Soixante-Trois family aboard their first flight," Amelie announced smugly. "Say hello to Jessica and Karla, they won't be serving you on this flight, but both may serve you on a Soixante-Trois blue route very soon!" Blushing slightly, Jessica and Karla stood up and dipped a curtsey, much to the delight of the plane's occupants.

"Your first flight too?" The tall, dark-haired woman asked Jessica in a European accent she couldn't quite place.

"Yeah," Jessica said, nervously smoothing her skirt. "First for Soixante-Trois, anyway. I'm Jessica."

"Karla," the rookie stewardess said, lightly shaking Jessica's hand. "Are- are you, you know, 'qualified' to be on grey route?"

"That's the most politically correct way I've ever heard anyone ask that question!" Jessica giggled. "And to answer your question, no, no I'm not."

"Me neither," Karla replied, making Jessica smile happily. "Such a shame, those head-dresses look so gorgeous!" Jessica giggled again as the plane took off, Karla gushing over the beauty of the uniforms they would be wearing over the coming weeks...

Jessica discovered that was Elsa had said earlier in the day was true- her first flight was a learning experience in many ways. Whilst she was familiar with the role a flight attendant should play, for a Soixante-Trois stewardess, the role had several subtle differences. For starters, the vast majority of the passengers were middle-aged businessmen who thought nothing of physical contact with the girls, up to and including patting their backsides or stroking their stocking-covered legs. The comments they were making were also deeply, deeply sexist- implying that the stewardesses- some of whom had degree-level education- were airheads, bimbos, or even prostitutes. Several of the passengers even flat-out propositioned the girls.

"As long as you're not verbally abused, assaulted or touched inappropriately, you can't complain," Elsa explained with a twinge of sadness in her voice. "These people paid a lot of money for their flights, and Soixante-Trois operates a very firm 'the customer is always right' policy, so unless they grab your boobs or under your skirt, you're fair game, I'm afraid." Jessica nodded, though she inwardly shivered at the thought of being treated like a piece of meat by several dozen strangers. At the airline she'd previously worked for, she obviously hadn't had this kind of treatment, but many of her female co-workers had- and the customers who subjected them to that treatment were never allowed to fly on their planes again.

Jessica sighed as she changed out of her uniform and pulled her dress back on. Whilst the thought of wearing a sexy uniform for hours on end had been an understandably appealing prospect, the thought of being groped by sweaty businessman most definitely hadn't been. Jessica had been offered a lift home by Elsa and her boyfriend, who was a pilot for Soixante-Trois, but he wouldn't return for another ninety minutes, and with Elsa busy catching up on paperwork, Paige not due back for hours and Karla heading home (and therefore unavailable to compare notes), Jessica decided she'd be better off gathering her thoughts at her home. After sending Elsa a text message explaining that she'd make her own way home, Jessica hopped on the next tram, breathing a sigh of relief when she finally set foot in her apartment.

"Nat?" Jessica called, surprised to find the apartment's lights on but no one in the lounge. "Marie? Zoe?" Shrugging, Jessica poured herself a glass of wine and kicked her heels off. When she opened the door to her bedroom, however, she got the surprise of her life.

"Aah!" Natalie cried in shock as she heard the door open. "Jessica!? You weren't meant to be home for another two hours!" Jessica stared in shock at the sight of the naked T-girl underneath her bed clothes- but what shocked Jessica the most was what- or rather, who- was underneath Natalie.

"...Zoe!?" Jessica asked incredulously. Jessica watched with wide eyes as Zoe- also completely naked- slid out from underneath Natalie, gathering up her clothes and running back to her own bedroom without saying a word.

"Umm..." Jessica said, sitting down on the side of her bed.

"We're both adults," Natalie complained, pulling her bra and thong back on. "And you still haven't explained why you're back early?"

"Really?" Jessica asked. "I'M the one who has explaining to do?" Natalie looked taken aback by Jessica's sudden retort.

"Um, yeah," Natalie replied, before sighing heavily. "No. Maybe. Okay, no..." Natalie pulled her t-shirt dress over her slender frame and slumped down heavily next to Jessica.

"Zoe and I have been seeing each other for months," Natalie confessed. "We can't tell Marie because despite the fact that she lives with 3 T-girls and will manage countless others in her job, she's openly stated that she wouldn't approve of her little sister dating someone other than a 100% heterosexual cisgendered guy."

"...Which is an utterly STUPID attitude," Jessica said, earning a nod from Natalie. "Hell, she thinks me and Paige will make the cutest couple ever!"

"Oh she's absolutely fine with OTHER transgendered people dating," Natalie explained. "Just as long as it doesn't directly affect her own family."

"Jeez," Jessica sighed. "Obviously I'll keep it under my hat."

"When you earn your hat, anyway," Natalie teased, before smiling and shaking her head. "Sorry, that was a little- is 'below the belt' an appropriate phrase for 'us' girls to use?"

"It wasn't, and I don't really know if it's appropriate," Jessica said, making the two women giggle.

"On that note, how was Dublin?" Natalie asked.

"Dublin was beautiful," Jessica said.

"...But?" Natalie asked, sensing the hesitation in Jessica's voice.

"The flight... Less so," Jessica said.

"Let me guess," Natalie said with a devilish grin. "The thought of fat middle-aged men mentally undressing you and barely restraining themselves from physically undressing you isn't all that appealing?" Jessica nodded, making Natalie chuckle. "Believe me, been there, done that. On my first flight some creep slapped my arse every time I walked past him. It was all I could do not to pour hot coffee in his crotch." Jessica giggled, before sighing.

"How do you get past that?" Jessica asked.

"Everyone's got their own coping strategy," Natalie answered. "I like to think of the looks on the slimeballs' faces if they DID get to see me naked!"

"Do- do you suppose some of them treat us that way purely BECAUSE we're transgendered?" Jessica asked. "Like, because we chose this gender, we're supposed to enjoy it more?"

"Probably," Natalie replied, shaking her head. "Almost certainly, but... It's just a sad fact of life that most people prefer the women they encounter to have vaginas. Me? I'm perfectly happy being a girl with a fully-functional penis."

"...That you like to stick in other girls?" Jessica teased.

"Now that WAS below the belt!" Natalie laughed. "But... You're not entirely wrong!" Natalie and Jessica both giggled loudly, before being interrupted by the text message alert from Jessica's phone.

"Probably Elsa," the American girl mumbled, before smiling widely at the alert on her phone's screen.

"Not Elsa then?" Natalie asked. "Let me guess- a pale-skinned, dark-haired Scottish girl?"

"Absolutely," Jessica replied. "Just home from Glasgow."

"At least you have a girlfriend you're allowed to boast about," Natalie sighed.

"I'll ask Paige if she'd be up for double-dating," Jessica joked while compiling a reply to Paige's text message.

"Actually," Natalie said, "if you could do that I'd be really grateful. It's actually kinda cool that you discovered about me and Zoe- well, obviously not the WAY you discovered about us, but still- we've got a 'confidante', you know?"

"I promise I'll keep my lips sealed," Jessica said with a friendly smile.

"The amount of lipstick you wear, I don't doubt it!" Natalie laughed, dodging the pillow that Jessica threw at her immediately afterward.

After speaking to Zoe and promising her silence, the three women ate dinner and turned in for an early night. It was Jessica's turn to fly to Glasgow the following day, but Paige would be starting the first of her black route flights to St Petersburg, so would be up a lot earlier, and Jessica had every intention of being at the airport to bid her new girlfriend farewell.

"Oh, hi Jessica," Marie said, exiting her bedroom to discover the underwear-clad American woman coming out of the bathroom. "Why are you up so early? I thought you were flying to Glasgow today, that flight doesn't leave for ages..."

"Yeah, well," Jessica began hesitantly, "I just thought, you know, I'd go in early, and-"

"See your new girlfriend off?" Marie asked. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea, people are already gossiping about your half-naked hug yesterday..."

"Only two other people saw us!" Jessica complained. "Elsa and Stacey!"

"And that's why it's just gossip and nothing official," Marie said, before sighing. "Jessica, I'm not going to tell you who you should and shouldn't see, but you've just started a new job for a very demanding company. You have the potential to go far in it. Try to keep your mind focussed, okay?"

"Okay," Jessica sighed.

"This job isn't one that really lends itself to a stable private life," Marie advised further. "Especially not as your girlfriend will be getting up at ridiculous hours most days."

"I know," Jessica replied. "Believe it or not, I didn't get this job just so I could find a girlfriend. It's just, from the first second I saw Paige..."

"Hehe, believe me, I understand," Marie giggled. "Had a few crushes on some the pilots when I started myself. And, as I'm sure you're aware, Elsa's currently dating one herself- and it's not her first!" Jessica chuckled as Marie entered the apartment's bathroom, before remembering the 'incident' she walked in on the previous night.

"Did you say that Zoe was starting for Soixante-Trois in November?" The American girl asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Marie replied from the shower.

"Ever worry that she might hook up with someone when she starts for the company?" Jessica asked in as delicate a voice as she could manage. "I mean, I've got a baby sister, I know if she hooked up with someone I didn't approve of..."

"She's an adult- technically," Marie replied. "I trust that she can make her own decisions."

"Even if those decisions including dating a T-girl?" Jessica asked, silently hoping that she hadn't just given away her two new friends.

"Never gonna happen!" Marie laughed. "Zoe only likes REAL boys! No offence intended, of course."

"None taken," Jessica laughed. "Can't really call myself a 'real boy' when I'm about to lace myself into my corset and put on an extra-thick layer of make-up, can I?"

"Hehe," Marie giggled, exiting the bathroom with two towels wrapped around her body. "If you're up I might as well drive you to the airport. Do you need a hand with your corset?"

"Please," Jessica replied, smiling at her new friend's help.

"I think Natalie wanted to get ready with you this morning," Marie explained. "Think she was looking forward to it, you know, the first time you'd be getting ready together?"

"We're going to be on mostly the same flights anyway," Jessica grunted as Marie laced her into her corset. "

"I know," Marie said. "Maybe she's just excited at having another native English speaker in the flat. Or Paige isn't the only girl you've caught the eye of!"

"I don't think I'm her 'type'," Jessica laughed as she laced Marie into her corset.

"I remember you saying the same thing about Paige," Marie retorted, laughing as she and Jessica continued to get dressed.

Jessica arrived at the airport a short time later, dressed in a very elegant grey pencil dress and stiletto heels, alongside an equally-smart Marie. Much to Jessica's disappointment, when she entered the locker room, her Scottish crush was nowhere to be seen.

"She's probably already changed," Marie explained as she stripped off her dress. "Come on! You're on company property, that means you have to wear your uniform..." Jessica smiled as she allowed Marie to unzip her dress, casually changing into her uniform. The American girl had just zipped up her freshly-cleaned, extra-tight pencil skirt when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Jessica?" The Scottish voice called, bringing a smile to Jessica's crimson lips and making her heart beat faster. "I thought you were flying to Glasgow today?"

"I am," Jessica replied, turning around and drinking in the sight of Paige in her jet black pencil dress and stockings. "I just thought I'd get here early, to, you know..."

"Stare at me in my lingerie again?" Paige teased, making both Jessica and Marie giggle girlishly. "Are you sure that's such a good idea in these cache sexes?"

"Just as long as we don't hug again," Jessica laughed. "Don't need the headache of a reprimand before I've even started this job!" Paige giggled excitedly as she strode over to her own locker, opposite Jessica's, and stripped off her clothes, making a show of every motion for her new girlfriend.

"I suppose there's nothing about 'looking' in the company handbook," Marie laughed as Paige bent over to take her shoes out of her locker, giving Jessica a perfect view of the strap of her lacy white thong firmly lodged between her buttocks. Jessica smiled as Paige slowly pulled on the uniform required of stewardesses on the black route- a black pencil skirt, just as tight as the one Jessica was wearing, followed by a long-sleeved white blouse, a pair of black high-heeled shoes with a thin ankle strap, and a fitted black peplum jacket. Paige finished by pulling on her neckerchief, followed by a pair of pristine white gloves, covering her expertly-manicured fingers.

"Russia, here I come!" Paige smiled at Jessica before following Marie to her flight.

"Do svidanya, comrade!" Jessica teased.

"See you later," Paige said with a wink. "Lyubovnik!"

"We're not lovers yet," Jessica whispered after Paige left. "Yet..."

Jessica returned to the apartment several hours later to discover Natalie stood there in a tight pencil skirt and sleeveless blouse, tapping one stiletto-shod foot on the ground and staring at Jessica accusingly.

"First you walk in on me when I'm having sex," Natalie said coldly. "Then you skip out on me and DON'T help me get ready in the morning?"

"Blame Paige," Jessica said smugly. "SHE'S the one who had to go and fly all the way to St Petersburg this morning..." Much to Jessica's relief, Natalie simply giggled at the excuse.

"I intend to, next time I see her," Natalie joked, kicking off her heels and collapsing dramatically on her sofa. "Whenever that is."

"I don't even know when I'M next gonna see her," Jessica complained. "Got Moscow myself tomorrow and Madrid the day after..."

"At least you have the weekend free," Natalie said, handing a freshly-poured glass of wine to the very grateful American girl. "Zoë will be in bed all day Saturday whilst I'm halfway over the Alps..."

"Where is Zoe tonight, anyway?" Jessica asked.

"Still out teaching," Natalie explained. "She won't be back before Elsa, and we can't let Elsa know as she'll let Marie know..."

"You know," Jessica said smugly, "Marie IS under the impression that Zoe only dates 'real boys', right?"

"Pfft, whatever 'real boy' means anyway," Natalie snorted. "The sooner we get rid of this silly gender divide the better."

"That's deep, coming from you," Jessica teased.

"It is, isn't it?" Natalie smiled. "So to compensate for that, how about an evening of reality TV? I know they probably don't have the Angels in America, but you're not in America anymore, so prepare yourself for THE best reality show of all time!"

"Ugh, do I have to?" Jessica moaned as Natalie switched on the TiVo box.

"YES," the Englishwoman said firmly, grinning as the opening bars of the Robbie Williams song 'Angels' blared from the television...

The following morning, Jessica awoke extra early again, but this time, it was her turn to don the white lingerie, jet black stockings, white gloves and black skirt of Soixante-Trois's black route. Much to her disappointment, though, as she changed, there was no sign of Paige. Jessica took her seat on the plane with a professional smile on her face, determined to take Marie's advice and concentrate on her work.

"Penny for your thoughts?" The towering stewardess in the seat next to Jessica asked.

"Just... Missing someone, that's all," Jessica replied. "I'm Jessica, Jessica Tyler."

"Katarzyna," the elegant blonde woman replied, femininely shaking Jessica's hand despite her hand dwarfing Jessica's own. "Katarzyna Kaczmarek, but you can call me 'Kat' if you'd prefer. You're American, right?"

"Yeah," Jessica replied. "And I'm guessing by your name that you're Polish, right?"

"You got me," Kat jokingly replied, holding up her hands in mock-surrender. "Not that you couldn't already tell, but no, I won't be on grey route at any point in the near future."

"You can't help your bone structure," Jessica said diplomatically, even though she had already deduced that Kat was a T-girl like herself. "If it makes you feel any better, I won't be on grey route either..."

"Ugh, no it doesn't," Kat moaned. "I sometimes think I'm the only obvious T-girl in this company, first that tiny Scottish T-girl from yesterday, now you..." Jessica's heart skipped a beat at the Polish girl's mention of a 'tiny Scottish T-girl'.

"Do- do you mean Paige?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah," Kat replied. "Or maybe should I say 'aye'?" Kat giggled at her own joke, making Jessica force out an insincere laugh of her own. "I was certain she was cis, no one born male can be that cute. And those eyes!"

"Did- did she say anything yesterday?" Jessica asked, earning a quizzical stare from Kat. "About, you know, if she was seeing anyone?"

"I didn't ask," Kat replied. "Why, are you interested in her?"

"'Interested' as in 'already dating' her," Jessica replied, earning a delighted gasp from her Polish colleague.

"You go girl!" Kat said, giving Jessica's hand a playful squeeze. "That is how they say it in America, right?"

"Yep!" Jessica replied happily.

"Are you also black route, then?" Kat asked.

"No," Jessica sighed sadly. "Blue route..."

"Oh, that sucks," Kat said. "Hey, if you're already seeing each other- which is damned quick, if you don't mind me saying so- why did you ask if she said anything yesterday?"

"I don't mind you saying so, I've thought that PLENTY over the last few days," Jessica replied. "And... God, I don't know. I just can't get her out of my head, and I was wondering if she felt the same way. It's silly, I know..."

"Would it help if I said that she seemed distracted all throughout yesterday's flight, even if she wasn't?" Kat asked.

"More than you'd know," Jessica sighed as Marie confidently strode to the front of the plane to begin their safety briefing.

Jessica and Marie arrived back at the apartment late that evening, deeply exhausted following their long flights.

"Anything else you want to know?" Marie asked as she and Jessica collapsed onto the sofa in their slinky pencil dresses, wine glasses in hand.

"Not really," Jessica replied. "Doesn't seem all that different to blue route, doesn't seem all that different from when I was working for Belman in the States."

"There are subtle differences between the routes," Marie explained. "Nothing you need to worry about until you reach supervisor level. Grey route is very different, but again, you won't have to worry about that."

"I still think it's kinda weird that there's this law that states the company has to hire transgendered stewardesses but can't fly them on this particular route," Jessica mused.

"Welcome to international politics," Marie sighed. "It's not that the company HAS to hire transgendered stewardesses, it's more that they can't NOT hire them purely because they're transgendered. And as for grey route... If you want to be imprisoned for a stupid amount of time and/or brutally executed just for being who you are, that's your business."

"Touché," Jessica replied.

Jessica woke up the following morning excited about her upcoming flight, but with a touch of fatigue from her long flights the previous day.

"At LAST," Natalie sighed as she rose with her American room-mate. "Thought we'd never 'synchronise'."

"Be honest," Jessica teased as the two girls headed to the bathroom, "you just want someone who'll tie your corset less tightly than Elsa or Marie, right?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Natalie replied with a smirk as she waited for Jessica to finish showering. "You know, the first day I started here, I mentioned how I'd never worn a corset before and I was excited about it. They're meant to be tied to 26 inches or less, so naturally Elsa delighted in taking mine down to 22 inches."

"God, how could you breathe?" Jessica asked incredulously.

"Through a straw," Natalie joked as she swapped places with Jessica in the shower.

After the girls had showered and applied their make-up for the day, they helped each other dress- Natalie in the standard black underwear of blue route, Jessica in white underwear similar to the lingerie she had worn the previous day, albeit with nude stockings instead of black. After their brief chat, both girls made a point of tying the other's corset as tight as it would go- much to the other's chagrin.

"THIS is 22 inches?" Jessica complained as she wriggled around, trying to get comfortable in the constrictive garment.

"If it makes you feel any better," Natalie said, taking regular albeit shallow breaths, "you got me down to 20 inches. Fancy letting me out a little?"

"Sure," Jessica laughed, giggling as Natalie breathed a sigh of relief as her waist expanded.

"I mean," Natalie moaned as she loosened Jessica's corset, "it's still not exactly 'comfortable', but at least it isn't 'torture' either."

"I hear that," Jessica laughed as she zipped herself into a tight knee-length pencil skirt and a short-sleeved lacy top, whilst Natalie pulled on a knee-length sheath dress. After pulling on their stiletto heels- and Jessica reapplied her red lipstick- the two women exited the apartment, heading to work with smiles on their faces.

Aside from the colour of the jacket and the skirt, Jessica found the red route uniform little different from the other two uniforms she'd already worn. The only real difference was the short-sleeved blouse, which Jessica was thankful for, given the heat of the Spanish sun she'd be flying into. Jessica had just taken her seat on the flight when she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Jessica?" the oriental voice called. The American girl looked up into the familiar face of Hiromi, Paige's room-mate, who- with the exception of her red pillbox hat- was dressed identically to Jessica.

"I didn't know you'd be on this flight!" Jessica said happily, exchanging air kisses with the Japanese T-girl.

"I didn't know YOU'D be on this flight!" Hiromi squeaked. "OMG, I'm going to have to tell Paige this when I get home, she hasn't stopped talking about you since you met!" Jessica's heart fluttered at the mention of Paige's obsession with her.

"Really?" Jessica asked expectantly.

"Seriously," Hiromi replied. "She thinks you're absolutely GORGEOUS. Is actually thinking of asking for a transfer to blue route just so she can be around you more." Jessica had to stop her hands from shaking as Hiromi spilled the beans about her new girlfriend. "Anyway, got to go, duty calls!"

"Catch you later, Hiromi," Jessica breathed. Any chance she had of paying attention to the flight to Madrid went out the window, even as she stood and gave the customary curtsey to the passengers. All that was on Jessica's mind was Paige, even as she returned to Paris. Unable to contain herself any longer, as soon as Jessica entered the locker room to change from her uniform back into her own skirt and top, she switched her phone back on and composed a text message to Paige, reminding the Scottish girl just how much she was missing her. When she didn't receive an immediate reply, Jessica changed back into her 'commuting clothes' and took the first tram back to her apartment, but couldn't help herself from checking her phone every ten seconds for a reply. It was only when she was getting ready for bed at 9:30pm that the new message alert on her phone bleeped. Jessica almost knocked the phone off the table in her rush to read what the message said, and sighed happily as she saw that it was from Paige.

'Hey Jessica,' Paige's message read. 'Miss you too... Heard you were on the same flight as Hiromi? Small world! One day left before the weekend, see you in 'class' tomorrow! xxxxx' Jessica smiled- she'd feared that Paige would be on her way to and from Eastern Europe again, so the knowledge that she'd be around her for an entire day filled Jessica's body with excitement.

"How was Madrid?" Natalie asked Jessica as the two women climbed into bed.

"Hot," Jessica replied.

"Kinda glad I started in February," Natalie mused. "Went to Lisbon for my red route flight, it was actually quite nice, warm without being hot."

"I'm back in the seminar hall tomorrow," Jessica said.

"...And?" Natalie asked expectantly.

"'And' what?" Jessica replied.

"...And is your wee lady friend going to be there too?" Natalie teased, giggling as Jessica audibly rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Paige will be there," Jessica sighed. "I don't spend every waking second thinking about her, you know."

"Just most of them?" Natalie laughed.

"You're the one who brought her up!" Jessica complained.

"Just make sure you tie the cache sex extra tight tomorrow," Natalie giggled. "Night, Jess."

"Night, Nat," Jessica replied, turning off her light.

"Synchronised again," Natalie laughed as Jessica's alarm clock went off. "Though this time, I'm going in the shower first!" Jessica bolted out of bed to try to catch the laughing Englishwoman, but to no avail. After both girls had showered, made themselves up and dressed in sexy long pencil skirts and blouses, they made the short journey together to the airport, where they both changed into their blue uniforms.

"I'm probably not supposed to do this," Natalie said as she pulled her hat out of her locker, "and you'll get one of your own next week anyway, but what are friends for?" Much to Jessica's delight, Natalie reached forward and delicately placed the coveted hat on Jessica's head, balancing it for a perfect fit.

"Strike a sexy pose, I'll take a picture!" Natalie said, and Jessica was only too happy to oblige.

"Can you forward that to me?" Jessica asked, returning the hat to its rightful owner.

"Sure," Natalie said, tapping a few commands into her phone before stashing it in her locker. "No sexting it to your girlfriend during class!"

"No promises," Jessica said, sticking her tongue out at her English colleague.

"Where is Paige, anyway?" Natalie asked.

"Probably getting in later," Jessica sighed. "'Class' isn't until 9:30..."

"You do know, only a swot gets in early to study before class?" A familiar Scottish voice called from behind Jessica, causing the American woman's heart to pump harder than it had in a very long time.

"So that's where we are now?" Jessica asked the sexily-dressed Paige. "Calling your girlfriend names?" Mindful of the fact that she couldn't be seen 'fraternising' on work time, Paige simply smiled at Jessica.

"Hell, I'm in this early too," Paige giggled. "'Team swot' forever!" Jessica and Paige laughed together as Paige stripped out of her tight dress, exposing her lingerie-clad body to the increasingly-excited American woman.

"Paige, before I have go," Natalie asked. "Settle an argument for me. The Angels: best thing on TV or overrated bimbos?"

"Six absolute GODDESSES," Paige said smugly, making Jessica sigh and roll her eyes.

"I'll let you off saying that because of how sexy your accent is when you say 'goddesses'," Jessica laughed.

"'Gawwwww-desses'!" Natalie chuckled as she left the two girlfriends alone in the locker room. Before too long, Paige was dressed in the same tight blue uniform as Jessica, and the two confidently strode side-by-side into the seminar room, their high heels clicking on the floor in perfect sync.

"See you at lunch?" Paige asked as she took her usual seat behind Jessica.

"Of course," Jessica replied, miming a kiss at Paige, who happily reciprocated.

The seminar was long and dull, covering things all the stewardesses already knew perfectly well- safety briefings, customer service, behavioural codes whilst on layover in foreign airports. Lunch couldn't come quickly enough for Jessica and Paige, who found themselves alone at a table in the vast staff canteen.

"I really missed you yesterday," Jessica confessed.

"I know," Paige sighed. "Was on a flight to Athens. Absolutely boiled to death down there, tempted to take my stockings off and see if anyone would notice!"

"I was in Madrid," Jessica said. "I can see why red route's so popular, especially if you have to stay overnight."

"Yeah, well I'll stick to black route, thank you very much!" Paige joked. "I burn to a crisp if I'm left out in the sun for more than 30 seconds!"

"Yeah, but you'll be away all day..." Jessica whined, making Paige smile sadly.

"I'll just have to get promoted quickly then, so I can pick a different route!" The Scottish girl joked, making Jessica smile sadly.

"I just need to freshen up before heading back," Jessica announced, standing up from the dinner table.

"Me too," Paige said hastily, following Jessica to the posh company restroom. Both women went about their 'business', emerging from the stalls to find one other occupant. After washing their hands, they waited for the other woman to leave, before launching themselves at each other, kissing deeply, their tongues probing each other's mouths and their hands exploring each other's bodies.

"Fuck, I missed you," Paige panted as the two women broke their embrace.

"Fuck, I NEED you," Jessica said, passionately kissing the dark-haired woman once more.

"We can't do this too often," Paige moaned. "If someone came in and saw us, that'd be our careers GONE..."

"Then we have to do it more often OUTSIDE of work," Jessica said, reaching into her handbag for her lipstick.

"No argument here," Paige sighed. "Are... Are you doing anything tonight?"

"Are you?" Jessica asked as she finished applying the deep red colour to her lips.

"I'm free to do whatever YOU want," Paige replied, fishing around her own handbag for her lipstick.

"Here," Jessica said, handing her lipstick tube to Paige with a wide, red smile on her lips.

"I thought you thought red lipstick was the best thing in the world?" Paige teased as she touched up her own lips.

"I did," Jessica said, her smile still firmly attached to her face. "Now... Maybe the SECOND best thing!" Paige giggled as she handed the lipstick back to Jessica and the two women elegantly strode back to the seminar room.

After a long day of learning, the two women eagerly changed back into their street clothes, and were about to make plans for the night when they were interrupted by the returning Natalie.

"Hey Natalie, my fellow 'Sky Angel'," Paige said, shooting a smug smile at Jessica.

"How was Switzerland?" Jessica asked as she slipped her feet into her 'street' stilettos.

"Very... Swiss," Natalie joked as she took off her hat and began to undress. "It's the weekend for you two now, enjoy it while it lasts as you're not going to get another free weekend for a very long time! Got anything planned?"

"We've not worked anything out yet," Jessica replied.

"We don't really know anywhere in Paris," Paige explained.

"I can recommend somewhere," Natalie said smugly. "IF..." Jessica rolled her eyes and nodded her head, making Natalie giggle excitedly.

"'If' what?" Paige asked.

Two hours later, the three women, still wearing their smart commuting clothes, were sat around a table in a posh restaurant, along with Zoe, who was herself wearing a very short, tight black dress.

"We need to double-date more often," Jessica said with a smile.

"We need to DATE more often," Zoe laughed as she linked fingers with Natalie under the table.

"No argument here," Natalie sighed, giving Zoe a quick, affectionate kiss. Not to be outdone, Jessica and Paige immediately linked their fingers and softly kissed each other on the lips.

"So, Zoe," Paige asked. "Jessica tells me that you're a ballet teacher, right?"

"Yep!" Zoe replied happily. "Been dancing since I was 4, teaching since I was 14. It pays shit though, hence why I'm joining Soixante-Trois in November."

"I always wanted to be a ballerina," Paige sighed. "Always wanted to be able to dance on the tips of my toes like all the pros did. For obvious reasons, that's a dream that never came true..."

"Doesn't mean it CAN'T come true," Zoe teased.

"I'm a bit old for it, aren't I?" Paige asked.

"You're never too old to try something new," Zoe said with a warm smile.

"Says the 19 year old!" Natalie joked.

"I'm not wrong though, am I?" Zoe asked.

"Absolutely not," Jessica advised. "Hell, I'm 22 and I'm trying living full-time as a woman, that's something new."

"And you're doing a BRILLIANT job of it," Paige purred, giving Jessica another soft kiss.

"Right back at you, babe," Jessica purred back.

"If we're trying new things, I don't suppose there's any chance I could get a ballet lesson, could I?" Paige asked Zoe.

"Don't, I've already tried," Jessica laughed.

"As have I, MULTIPLE times," Natalie chuckled, making the French teenager roll her eyes.

"I can't very well teach it properly in a crowded living room," Zoe sighed. "But, like I said to these two, get yourself a leotard and a pair of pink tights, THEN we'll talk."

"Think I can persuade the company that a leotard should be covered by the clothing budget?" Paige asked, making the entire table laugh.

Less than an hour later, the four women arrived back at Jessica's apartment, still laughing and smiling following their successful double date.

"We'll go into the kitchen for a bit," Natalie said, shooting Jessica a knowing smile as she led Zoe into the apartment's small cooking area. Jessica nodded, her heart pumping and her hands shaking.

"Hey Paige," Jessica said. "Got something I want to show you..." Nervously, the two women entered Jessica & Natalie's bedroom, where, after checking that the door was locked, they flung themselves at each other, kissing as deeply as they had ever been kissed.

"I want you," Paige panted as she pulled off Jessica's skirt and top. "I want you now!"

"I need you," Jessica panted as she freed Paige from her dress. "I need your body!" Once both girls were down to just their underwear, they collapsed onto Jessica's bed, still locked in a passionate embrace. It didn't take long for the girls' wandering hands to find their way to each other's thongs and cache sexes...

Half an hour later, the two women laid together in Jessica's bed, their make-up smeared and their bodies drenched in post-coital sweat.

"Now THAT," Paige panted, "we HAVE to do more often." Jessica smiled and gave her new lover a long, deep kiss on the lips, savouring every molecule of Paige's taste.

"Are you done swapping saliva in there?" Natalie asked, knocking on the bedroom door.

"Yeah, 'cause saliva's the only bodily fluid we swapped..." Paige joked, earning herself a stern stare from Jessica.

"Elsa's out of town, I'll sleep in her bed," Natalie laughed. "Even though there ISN'T a bra on the door handle..."

"We're not going to get to do this as often as we want," Jessica sighed, cuddling Paige close to her. "We've both got room-mates, we're both going to be working incompatible hours..."

"Hey," Paige whispered, gently cradling Jessica's cheek in her hand. "We'll make it work, okay?" Jessica smiled and kissed Paige again, a kiss that quickly turned into much, much more for the lustful young women...

"...And the emergency exits can be found here, here and here," Marie announced in English and in French as all four stewardesses on board the luxurious aeroplane performed the hand and arm gestures.

"If you need anything at all, our expert team of stewardesses will be only too happy to oblige," Marie continued. "Your stewardesses for this flight are Chloe," Marie gestured to a petite dark-haired girl, who bobbed a quick curtsey, "Sara," Marie gestured to a tall girl- over 6 feet tall in stocking feet- who bobbed a curtsey of her own, "and Paige." Paige grinned a wide grin and bobbed her own curtsey, stabilising her black pillbox hat as she straightened her legs.

"Take off will be in five minutes," Marie continued. "Flight duration will be 3 hours and 50 minutes. Again, I'd like to thank you for choosing Soixante-Trois airlines, and I hope you all have a comfortable and enjoyable flight to Moscow!" With wide grins, the four stewardesses all took their seats at the back of the aircraft, crossing their nylon-covered legs as they fastened their seatbelts.

"Nervous?" Marie asked the Scottish girl in the seat next to her.

"Maybe a little," Paige confessed, wriggling subtly in her seat.

"Your fidgeting says more than 'maybe a little'!" Marie laughed, making the normally pale girl blush.

"That's... Not why I'm fidgeting," Paige said quietly.

"I'm listening..." Marie said. "You know, I AM your supervisor, if something's wrong, you need to tell me..."

"It's just my thong," Paige whispered.

"Are you really telling me you've never worn a thong before?" Marie asked with a chuckle.

"Oh, I've worn plenty of thongs before," Paige said. "Normally I prefer them to regular panties, just... After what I did with Jessica last night, it's kinda rubbing a 'sensitive area'."

"Oh my god, you little slut!" Marie teased, keeping a wide grin on her face to let Paige know she wasn't 100% serious about her insult. "You know, you can wear pantyhose and a bodysuit instead of stockings and a thong, provided you wear a slip under your skirt so the panty line of the bodysuit doesn't show. It'll also be warmer in winter."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Paige said as she struggled to find a comfortable seating position. "Never thought I'd be looking forward to spending 4 hours on my feet in heels... Still, at least Jess is having the same 'problem'!" Marie and Paige shared a giggle as the aeroplane thundered down the runway for the start of its long journey east...

"Is your chair not comfortable?" Natalie asked the fidgeting Jessica as their London-bound plane accelerated down the runway.

"It's not my chair so much as my th- you know what, never mind," Jessica sighed, straightening her skirt and her hat as the thrust of the jet engine forced her back into her seat.

"Ooh, 'Jessica and Paige, sitting in a tree, F-U-C-" Natalie teased in a sing-song voice, before being cut off by her American room-mate.

"Enough," Jessica said sharply.

"Try to keep her out of your head for the next hour and a quarter," Natalie advised as the 'fasten seatbelts' light extinguished. "It's show time!" Smiling, Jessica rose from her chair and- as elegantly as her tight skirt would allow- followed Natalie into the rear of the plane where the two girls began preparing hot drinks and light snacks for their 175 passengers.

"You can take your hat off back here," Natalie advised, removing her own hat and jacket as she switched on the boilers on the beverage carts. "Just make you have them on when you're ready to serve the passengers!"

"I know, I was awake during last week's flights!" Jessica giggled, opening a bottle of white wine. Almost immediately as she'd set out the glasses, the 'call light' flashed on the kitchen's wall panel.

"This is not a drill," Natalie joked, moving to put her hat and jacket back on when Jessica stopped her.

"My first flight, I'll deal with this," the American girl said confidently.

"Go get 'em!" Natalie said, giving Jessica a playful pat on the backside. Taking as deep a breath as her corset would allow, Jessica pushed the heavy beverage cart out into the plane, quickly locating the blue light above the customer who had summoned her.

"Good morning sir, bonjour monsieur," Jessica said to the middle-aged businessman. "How can I help you today?"

"Coffee, black," the smartly-dressed man replied in a French accent. "You're American, right?"

"Yes, sir, though I speak fluent French," Jessica replied as she prepared the man's drink.

"And I speak fluent English," the man replied. "I wouldn't be flying to London if I didn't. Are you a 'real' girl, or one of those travesties this company hires now?" Jessica's knowledge of French assured her that the man was using the French translation of 'transvestite', rather than the English meaning of the word 'travesty'.

"I'm sorry sir," Jessica said as she placed the piping-hot drink on the man's tray table, "but I'm not allowed to answer personal questions whilst on duty."

"This isn't a personal question," the man insisted. "It's a professional one. Do you have a penis?"

"I'm sorry sir, but that IS a personal question," Jessica repeated.

"Who is your supervisor?" The man asked in a curt voice.

"Helena," Jessica answered, confident that her supervisor would back her position.

"HELENA!" The man barked. Almost immediately, the petite woman minced over to where Jessica was stood.

"How may I help you, sir?" Helena asked in her thick French accent.

"This idiot girl- even if she is a girl- forgot to put cream in my coffee!" Jessica's jaw dropped as the man blatantly lied about his grievance.

"I am so sorry sir," Jessica simpered, suppressing her anger. "I thought you asked for black coffee?"

"Well then you need to listen more carefully, don't you?" The angry man spat.

"I am terribly sorry, sir," Helena said, pouring cream into the man's beverage. "It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't," the passenger replied, turning his attention to the drink.

"Jessica, can I speak to you in private, please?" Helena asked. Jessica nodded, her body wracked with nerves as she followed her supervisor into the rear of the plane.

"I swear he asked-" Jessica began, before Helena held up her hand, silencing the American girl.

"He asked you if you had a penis, right?" Helena asked with a smile. Surprised, Jessica nodded, making Helena smile.

"Get used to that," the French girl sighed. "We get bigots on every flight, some of them take delight in tormenting us, but they pay their air fare, we have to put up with them. We've only got a short flight today, just stay back here and prepare the drinks until we come into land."

"...But I really want to be out there dealing with people," Jessica whined.

"And you WILL," Helena said with a friendly smile. "So your first flight hit some, as you say, 'turbulence'? Your second will be smooth all the way, as will your third, fourth and fifth." Jessica nodded, though her smiled belied her dented confidence.

"Thank you for flying Soixante-Trois airlines," the deep voice of the French pilot announced as the aeroplane touched down. "And whether it's for business or pleasure, enjoy your stay in London, and we hope to fly with you again soon!"

"Keep smiling," Natalie reminded Jessica as the two women bid farewell to their passengers as they disembarked the plane.

"The guy who gave me trouble's already gone," Jessica muttered in reply.

"Yes, but today's co-pilot is Jacques Lacroix," Natalie said.

"I know, I was at the pre-flight briefing," Jessica replied.

"True," Natalie said as the girls headed back into the cabin. "But he wasn't within arm's reach of you then..."

Jessica and Natalie had barely begun putting all the seats back into their default position when they were interrupted by a sickly smooth French voice from the front of the cabin.

"Mademoiselles," the co-pilot cooed to the two young stewardesses.

"Hi, Jacques," Natalie sighed as the tall young man confidently strode towards her.

"Mademoiselle Briggs," Jacques cooed. "You are back on home soil, no? Seems a shame to spend all this time working... Maybe I could treat you to lunch in the staff canteen?"

"We get a meal allowance," Natalie said, avoiding eye contact with the Frenchman. "You'd be treating me to something that's already been paid for anyway."

"I'd be treating you to the company of Soixante-Trois's finest co-pilot," Jacques purred. "And you may of course bring along your friend for company, Mademoiselle...?" Jacques locked eyes with Jessica, who despite herself, blushed from the attention.

"Tyler," Jessica said meekly. "Jessica Tyler."

"Oh, an American!" Jacques said. "Tell me, Mademoiselle Tyler, how are you enjoying Europe?"

"It's nice," Jessica replied. "Met some nice people, made some new friends."

"Anybody ESPECIALLY nice?" Jacques asked, flashing Jessica his slyest grin.

"I have a girlfriend," Jessica said firmly, sensing the tone behind Jacques's voice. Almost immediately as Jessica finished speaking, Natalie grimaced.

"Noo..." Natalie whispered.

"Well then," Jacques said, "you'll have to invite her to dinner as well, yes?"

"There's something you should perhaps know about me AND my girlfriend," Jessica said confidently.

"No!" Natalie squeaked just a second too late.

"Paige and I... we weren't born female," Jessica said, ignoring Natalie's warning.

"So," Jacques said, "you wear these clothes because you enjoy wearing them? To you, they are more than just a uniform, but a fantasy?"

"In America they have a thing called the fifth amendment," Natalie said, clamping a hand over Jessica's mouth and leading her to the plane's exit. "Jessica's exercising that now. Bye!" Despite Jessica's protests, Natalie didn't release her mouth until they'd reached the bottom of the plane's steps, where the English girl led her American colleague into the staff toilets.

"What the- you- bit of an overreaction?" Jessica complained.

"That MAN is a hypnotist," Natalie spat as she rearranged her uniform. "He almost certainly knew in advance that you were a T-girl and was mentally undressing you and mentally bending you into every shape under the sun." Jessica grimaced at the revelation.

"He- he goes for T-girls, then?" Jessica asked.

"He goes for ANY girls," Natalie sighed. "He's a firm believer in 'any hole's a goal'. And he's smart, too. Knows that if he 'forces the issue' with any girls he'll be out on his arse or thrown in prison faster than you can say 'sacre bleu'. So he works his quote-unquote charm, gets into girls' brains... Then gets into their pants, dumps them once he's got the notch on his bedpost and moves onto the next unassuming woman."

"Were- were you-" Jessica asked, making Natalie laugh.

"HELL no," Natalie replied. "I'm very proud of being a misandrist. Marie, though... And Elsa... Hence why I didn't want to see you fall into the same trap."

"Thanks," Jessica giggled as she touched up her make-up, "but as I told Jacques, I'm taken."

"...And immediately the pervert's thinking of a threesome," Natalie sighed, before turning her back to Jessica. "Are my seams straight?"

"Yep," Jessica replied, before turning her back to Natalie. "Mine?"

"Left's a little crooked," Natalie replied. "Want me to get it?"

"No, I'm fine," Jessica said, hiking up her skirt and correcting her hosiery. "Better?"

"Perfect," Natalie giggled. "Got a couple of hours before the return flight, not really enough time to see any of London, but plenty of time for lunch!"

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Jessica said. "Wonder how Paige is getting on in Moscow..."

"Nostrovia!" The four stewardesses said in the small staff cafeteria at Domodedovo airport.

"So, Paige, how did you like your first flight?" Sara asked in her rich Dutch accent.

"Good," Paige replied. "A bit tiring, but good."

"Just think of it this way," Chloe giggled. "One more rest day than blue route!"

"That's funny," Marie teased, "I could've sworn someone just got promoted to mentor AND requested blue route as her secondary?"

"To get away from my twin!" Chloe giggled.

"You have a twin sister?" Paige asked, making Chloe nod.

"Indeed," Chloe said. "Of course, she wasn't ALWAYS a twin sister..."

"I've got two older sisters," Paige mused. "7 years and 4 years older than me. I always felt like the odd one out as a boy, even though my dad always made time for me."

"Were you and your sisters close?" Marie asked. Paige sadly shook her head.

"Not like you and Zoe," Paige sighed, before turning her attention to Chloe. "And nowhere near as close as you and your sister must be."

"When you share a womb for nine months, you can't help but be close," Chloe mused. "Have you called home since you started?"

"Not yet," Paige sighed. "I've been deliberately putting it off, thinking that if I didn't acknowledge that part of my life, it'd make this life more real..."

"This life IS real," Sara interjected. "I've lived it for nine months now, and if anything, my old life before is the thing that wasn't real."

"Wait," Paige said as a realisation dawned on her. "So you're- you're trans too?"

"We've just been on a flight together for three hours!" Sara laughed. "Didn't you notice I was 186cm and had a very wide chest?"

"This is a company that hires supermodels as stewardesses," Paige giggled. "Seeing someone as tall as you doesn't mean anything! I mean, I live with a T-girl and two genetic girls, and both genetic girls are taller than me and Hiromi!"

"God, you're lucky, being so petite," Sara laughed. "I'm guessing you didn't get the 'are you really a girl' question during the flight?"

"Are- are the customers allowed to ask us that?" Paige asked.

"Good to see someone paid attention last week!" Marie giggled. "And yes, they are allowed to ask, but we're under no obligation to answer. Just say 'I'm not allowed to answer personal questions whilst on duty'. It's not technically true, but most people will get the hint."

"And shut their mouths!" Chloe said.

"IF you're lucky..." Sara sighed. "Was on a flight back in July- on my birthday, no less- and I got pestered by the same asshole all the way to Stockholm. Made it even worse as he ordered a drink every time so by the time we arrived he was drunk out of his skull."

"Ugh," Paige spat. "Can't stand drunks. Don't even drink alcohol myself."

"You're from Glasgow and you don't drink?" Chloe asked, giggling at Paige's confession.

"I'm from NEAR Glasgow," Paige corrected. "And being teetotal is hardly the most unstereotypical thing about me!" All four girls giggled as they finished their meals and headed back to the plane, ready for a long flight back to Paris...

"Bienvenue a Paris!" Natalie laughed as she and Jessica descended the plane's steps into the cool air of Charles de Gaulle airport.

"Allons enfants!" Jessica sighed happily, her first full day of work finally done. After a very quick debriefing- during which Helena diplomatically avoided mentioning Jessica's 'incident'- the weary stewardesses returned to the locker room where they exchanged their restrictive uniforms for their relatively comfortable pencil dresses. Before heading back to her apartment, however, Jessica paused to gaze at the arrivals boards- an action whose meaning wasn't lost on Natalie.

"She won't get home for another two hours," Natalie sighed. "Then she'll have the debrief, then she'll have to change, then she'll be too exhausted to do anything other than crash on the sofa. AND she'll have to be up early tomorrow as well. You've got days coming up soon where you're both free, surely?"

"Not for another nine days," Jessica moaned, taking Natalie's hint and following the English girl back to the tram stop.

"Ouch," Natalie grimaced. "Didn't realise it was THAT bad... Is Paige doing any night flights?"

"Don't think so, just loads of inconvenient day ones," Jessica replied.

"You really, truly are hung up on her, aren't you?" Natalie asked. "And the sex...?"

"I've never had sex with someone who had a penis before," Jessica said. "Now... It's all I can think about. It's not guys, or even 'chicks with dicks', it's just... her."

"And here I was thinking 'love at first sight' was dead!" Natalie joked as the two women boarded the tram. "I'm sleeping in our room- OUR room- tonight, so try not to have too many sex dreams, we've got a long day tomorrow!"

"No promises," Jessica said, poking her tongue out at her English friend.

Immediately as Jessica arrived back at her apartment, she kicked off her heels and eased out of her dress and stockings, pulling on a plain white t-shirt and denim miniskirt over her bra, thong & corset. Taking a deep breath, the American girl reached into her dresser drawer, retrieving her brand-new smartphone. After a moment's hesitation, she pushed a button on her speed-dial and cleared her throat.

"Hi mom," Jesse said in his masculine Baltimore accent. "It's Jesse."

"Jesse!" Mrs Tyler said. "So glad you called! It's been almost two weeks since you moved to France!"

"Yeah, I know," Jesse replied. "I've just been so busy with work..."

"Working hard, I hope?" Mrs Tyler asked.

"Of course, you know me!" Jesse laughed. "Only got back from London a couple of hours ago, in fact."

"Very fancy!" Mrs Tyler cooed. "What time is it there?"

"Just after 5:30," Jesse replied. "So I'm guessing mid-morning where you are?"

"I hope you're not planning on keeping European time when you come back to visit," Mrs Tyler joked, making Jesse laugh in an inadvertently effeminate way. "Have you made any nice friends in Paris? Dare I hope you've found yourself a girlfriend?"

"Yes, and yes I have," Jesse said proudly.

"Oh, Jesse, that's wonderful!" Mrs Tyler gushed. "I hope you two are taking it slow? What's her name?"

"Yes, we're taking it slow," Jesse lied. "Her name is Paige, she's twenty years old, Scottish and started on the same day as me."

"Oh, an office romance?" Mrs Tyler replied. "Well, as 'office' as it gets when your office is 30 000 feet in the air, anyway! Or however many meters that is, heh."

"Not quite," Jesse sighed. "Paige, she- she's on a different route to me so we don't really get to see each other that much."

"Oh that's sad," Mrs Tyler replied. "Still, a good looking boy like you will have his pick of any girl in Paris!"

"Yeah, but there's only one girl I want right now," Jesse said.

"Well you just make sure you take care of yourself," Jesse's mom said firmly. "I've got to go now, promised your father I'd pick up some groceries. I'll pass your love on to him, Aaron and Hayley. Don't leave it two weeks before your next call!"

"I won't," Jesse laughed. "Love you, mom."

"I love you too, son," Mrs Tyler replied, disconnecting the call. Jesse took a deep breath and stepped out the bedroom, elegantly sitting down next to Natalie on the sofa.

"No wine to celebrate a successful first day?" Jessica asked the English girl, who rolled her eyes and giggled as she headed into the apartment's kitchen.

In her bedroom, Paige sighed as she slipped out of her smart top and tight pencil skirt, collapsing onto her bed in just her lingerie. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her smartphone out of her handbag and tapped a long number on the screen.

"Zero zero, four four, one three eight nine..." Paige mumbled to herself. Paige took a deep breath as the phone was answered after just two rings.

"Hello?" The gruff Scottish voice asked.

"Hi dad," Paul replied in his deep, masculine voice.

"Paul!" Mr. Robertson said. "About time you called. How's Paris treating you?"

"Aye, it's good," Paul said, feeling self-conscious about using his 'real' voice even though no one else was around. "Made some good friends..."

"...And?" Paul's father teased. "I know that voice, young man. Have you found yourself a wee French girl?"

"Wee French girl? No," Paul replied. "Wee American girl? Maybe..."

"Oh, that's fantastic!" Paul's father said. "Let me guess: 10 stone overweight but perfect teeth?"

"Dad," Paul admonished his father. "Enough stereotyping for one day... Though her teeth ARE pretty amazing, aye!"

"Tell me about her!" Mr. Robertson chuckled. "Is she off to Eastern Europe with you on a daily basis?"

"No," Paul sighed. "She's doing the core routes, think she's actually doing Paris to Glasgow at some point next week."

"I'll have to keep an eye out then, for a... blonde?" Mr. Robertson asked.

"Yes, blonde," Paul laughed. "Blonde hair, blue eyes, about five foot seven..."

"Does she work for Air France like you?" Mr. Robertson asked, sending Paul into a momentary panic- obviously he hadn't told his parents who he was REALLY working for. Seeing no other alternative, Paul emulated his lover and fibbed to his parent.

"Aye," Paul replied.

"Does she know about your 'hobby' yet?" Mr. Robertson asked with a devious laugh.

"No, and I'm hoping my 'dark secret' stays that way," Paul laughed. "Dunno how I'm supposed to explain THAT to an American supermodel..."

"You never know," Paul's dad laughed. "If she's the same age as you, she might be into it too..."

"Well... we'll see," Paul laughed as he heard a door open in the apartment. "I think my roommate's just come home so I'll have to go. Give my love to mum!"

"Will do," Mr. Robertson said. "Talk to you soon, son." Paige clicked her phone off just in time as Hiromi walked through the bedroom door, shocked by the sight of the pale-skinned girl in just her intimates.

"You know that's supposed to be UNDER wear, right?" Hiromi giggled as she changed out of her black pencil dress into a looser shirt dress.

"Yes, yes," Paige sighed in her feminine Scottish twang, before exchanging her stockings for sheer black tights and pulling on a long-sleeved dark blue playsuit. "Just been on the phone, that's all."

"In your underwear?" Hiromi teased. "Let me guess... A certain blonde-haired American girl?"

"No, it was my dad," Paige said, before grimacing. "I mean, I don't normally call my dad in my undies, I just hadn't changed, I wanted to get it over and done with..."

"Oh relax," Hiromi laughed. "The first call home is always tough. Especially for me as Tokyo's seven hours ahead of Paris so it's always the middle of the night when I get the chance to call! Did you tell your dad about Jessica?"

"Aye, and of course he wants to meet her," Paige sighed. "It's just a shame he wouldn't be so eager to meet Paige..."

Paige woke up the following morning just before 5:30am, quickly showering and applying her make-up to allow her flat mates access to the bathroom. Remembering Marie's advice from the previous day, Paige eschewed the recommended bra, thong and stockings, instead rolling a pair of black tights up her legs and pulling on a stretchy white bodysuit over her corseted torso- a decision that didn't go uncommented on.

"Are you cold?" Hiromi asked as she attached her clear stockings to her red garter belt.

"No," Paige said. "Just- Don't want to wear a thong, it's still a little 'sensitive' down there."

"And the cache sex isn't causing a problem?" Hiromi giggled.

"I've loosened it a little," Paige said with a sly grin. "Figure that between the tights and the ridiculously snug bodysuit, I've got enough 'control' down there."

"Just make sure you don't run into Jessica before the flight!" Hiromi laughed.

"Aye," Paige sighed, pulling on a half-slip, a sleek black pencil skirt and a long-sleeved white blouse over her bodysuit, before slipping her feet into her favourite black stilettos and grabbing her handbag.

"Hi!" Marie said to Paige and Hiromi as the raven-haired girls arrived at the staff locker room. "Ready for Moscow and Madrid?"

"Si, senorita!" Hiromi giggled.

"Da, comrade!" Paige joked as she stripped out of her skirt and blouse, pulling on the tight skirt and blouse of her uniform.

"Still 'sensitive'?" Marie joked upon seeing Paige's bodysuit & slip. "I thought Scots were supposed to be accustomed to the cold?"

"I am," Paige laughed. "So to answer your first question: yes. And in case you're wondering: yes, I do plan on 'getting used to it'."

"You and Jess really are planning on taking things seriously, aren't you?" Marie asked with a warm smile on her face.

"I've genuinely, honestly never met anyone like her before," Paige sighed as she tied her neck scarf and gently put on her hat. "I never thought another T-girl could make me FEEL the way I do..."

"If it's any consolation, the feeling's mutual," Marie giggled, before hastily correcting herself. "Um, between you and Jess, not between-"

"I get it," Paige interrupted. "And yes, it is good to know! On another topic, is it Chloe and Sara again today?"

"Yep," Marie answered. "Same girls all week, though different flight crew. I'll warn you now: steer clear of the co-pilot."

"Oh?" Paige asked as she followed her supervisor out to the waiting jumbo jet.

"Thank you for flying Soixante-Trois airlines," the deep voice of the French pilot announced over the aeroplane's PA system. "And whether it's for business or pleasure, enjoy your stay in Moscow, and we hope to fly with you again soon!"

"Oh god," Marie muttered to Paige after the girls helped all the passengers off the aeroplane. "Don't make eye contact..."

"Now," Jacques cooed as he caught sight of Paige tidying up the plane after the long flight. "Skin that pale can only come from Ireland, surely?"

"Scotland, actually," Paige said, remembering and trying to adhere to Marie's warnings.

"Ah," Jacques said. "The land of the brave of heart! Tell me, have you ever visited Loch Lomond?"

"I actually come from a few miles away from it," Paige said, hoping futilely that it would end the conversation.

"I should have guessed," Jacques joked. "The most beautiful girl in Europe from the most beautiful scenery in Europe. I once spent a weekend camping on the shores of Loch Lomond, me and my belle."

"So... You're taken, then?" Paige asked.

"Merde!" Marie whispered in frustration as Paige's attempts to end the conversation only backfired harder.

"Alas non," Jacques sighed. "My belles, they-"

"They get sick of the slime you pour out of your mouth," Marie hissed at the co-pilot. "Come on, Paige."

"Paige?" Jacques asked with an excited grin. "So you are the lover of Jessica, the American girl, yes? I can see why two such beautiful creatures would naturally be attracted to each other."

"Goodbye, Jacques," Marie spat. "Try not to trip over your own tongue on the way down the stairs."

"So..." Paige said, confused by Marie's reaction. "He tries it on with EVERY stewardess? What if I'd told him I wasn't genetic?"

"He'd already be thinking about making you more 'sensitive'," Marie sighed. "I believe you say in English, 'anything that moves'?"

"Ugh," Paige spat. "Thinks he's god's gift to women, pity we girls didn't keep the receipt..." Marie giggled as she and her Scottish colleague headed toward the small dining hall, hoping to take their mind off the French co-pilot with a helping of hearty Russian cuisine.

After returning to Paris, Paige let her weary, warm body relax in the locker room for several minutes before stripping out of her uniform and slip, remaining in just her bodysuit and tights. After her colleagues had left, she prepared to change back into her street clothes when she was interrupted by a noise behind her.

"Hello?" Paige asked nervously. "Who's there? Jacques, if that's you I swear I'll-"

"No one QUITE as sleazy," Jessica said with a wide grin on her face.

"Jess!" Paige shouted excitedly, before checking to see if anyone heard her. After being assured that the two were alone, Paige rushed up to Jessica- who was still wearing her blue route uniform- and kissed her deeply.

"God, I've missed you," Jessica moaned, gently rubbing Paige's crotch.

"It's only been two days," Paige giggled. "And as much as I love the gesture, I AM kind wearing a cache sex..."

"Sorry," Jessica said, blushing as she stopped 'stimulating' the Scottish girl. "For what it's worth... I know what you mean, and you weren't even touching me!"

"Glad to know I have that effect on you," Paige laughed. "Where were you today?"

"London, again," Jessica said. "So, you've met Monsieur Lacroix, then?"

"Jacques? That sleazy prick," Paige moaned as she pulled her commuting skirt, blouse and heels back on. "Wondering if I have to check my locker for hidden cameras!"

"I'm pretty sure if there were hidden cameras, we'd have just killed him with what we just did!" Jessica laughed, giving Paige another kiss. "What's with the leotard? Did you wear that on the flight?"

"Aye," Paige said, watching intently as Jessica stripped down to her underwear. "It's an alternative to the- well, what you're wearing!" Jessica giggled as she wiggled her thong-covered backside at Paige.

"Don't think that's an option for blue route," Jessica sighed. "It's thong or bust for us!"

"Lucky for me!" Paige giggled, grabbing Jessica's buttock and giving it a playful squeeze. "Where are you tomorrow?"

"Geneva," Jessica sighed. "You?"

"In bed all day," Paige said sadly. "Then Helsinki three days in a row after that."

"Well, at least the bodysuit will keep you warm," Jessica laughed as she pulled on her dress and stilettos. "Especially as I'm not!" Jessica paused and gave Paige another long, deep kiss.

"Got, I'm already getting withdrawal symptoms," Paige moaned.

"It's just another eight days," Jessica said. "Then we can have the whole day to ourselves, do what we want with each other... Or TO each other..." Paige giggled wickedly as she headed out of the airport with Jessica, both girls desperately fighting their instincts to grab the other girl's hand...

A week passed, during which all the new starters- Jessica and Paige included- grew more comfortable with their duties. As their first simultaneous day off approached, Jessica and Paige remained in touch via text messaging, but on the night before the much-anticipated day, Jessica got the surprise of her life as Elsa returned to the apartment with an announcement.

"I'm back from my homeland!" The statuesque German girl flamboyantly yelled, much to the delight of the other four girls. "And I believe Miss Tyler has completed her first week, AND has a rest day tomorrow? You know what that means..."

"Ooh, yes," Natalie said excitedly. "Hope you've been working on your bikini body, Jess!"

"Why?" Jessica asked, aghast that her private day with Paige was suddenly being hijacked. "What's happening?"

"What's happening," Elsa giggled, "is this!" Much to Jessica's surprise, Elsa unfurled what at first glance appeared to be the American flag, but was in fact a one-piece swimsuit with the stars and stripes printed on it.

"It's kind-of a tradition for some Soixante-Trois apartments," Natalie explained. "We all have swimsuits made in our national colours and spend the day at a local company-owned leisure centre. We've got full private use of the pool AND all the facilities for pretty much the whole day at the company's expense."

"It sounds amazing," Jessica said, holding the swimsuit- and its in-built falsies- up in front of her body. "But... I kind-of had plans. You know, um, with Paige."

"Oh," Elsa said disappointedly. "Tell you what... Come along for an hour and see if you like it. You never know- you may have more fun than you thought..."

"Okay," Jessica said, trying her best to sound grateful for Elsa's gift.

"Now come on and show us that maillot!" Zoe laughed, making Jessica giggle happily as she headed into her bedroom to change into the brand-new garment.

The following day, Jessica woke early, showering and applying a light-layer of make-up (that would inevitably get trashed in the pool) before pulling on her new swimsuit. Much to Jessica's relief, in addition to inbuilt falsies, it had an inbuilt cache sex, and was very tight around the torso, enhancing her figure even without the use of a corset.

"Sexy Yankee girl!" Natalie giggled, showing off her figure in her own Union Jack swimsuit.

"Thanks," Jessica sighed.

"Still disappointed about Paige?" Natalie asked as the two girls threw light dresses over their colourful swimsuits and pulled high-heeled wedges onto their feet.

"A bit," Jessica sighed. "That reminds me, got to text her that I'll be a little delayed today..."

"Well do that and let's get moving!" Natalie laughed. "Pool awaits!"

At the leisure centre, Jessica tried her best to relax and enjoy the morning. The pool was huge- as was the fancy water slide that Natalie repeatedly made use of- and the other facilities, such as the sauna and private hot tubs, were extremely plush and exclusive.

"Having fun?" Elsa asked, swimming up to Jessica and showing off her black, red and gold swimsuit.

"A bit," Jessica said, forcing a smile onto her red lips. "This is gonna sound silly, but... I kinda wish I wasn't the only American here. I think I've seen a Canadian flag, but... It's just not the same."

"Though would I be right in thinking that it's a British flag you're keeping an eye out for?" Elsa asked. "Apart from Amy and Carly over there, I mean."

"Benedict Arnold would be proud," Jessica laughed.

"You're not a traitor for following your heart," Elsa said softly, looking over Jessica's shoulder. "And you never know..." Jessica followed Elsa's gaze, and her jaw dropped as she found herself staring into the mismatched eyes of the Scottish girl she desired, who was herself wearing a clingy one-piece swimsuit emblazoned with the blue and white of the Scottish flag.

"Hey you," Jessica said, swimming over to Paige, who slowly lowered herself into the pool. "Is that technically the correct flag you're wearing?"

"It will be next month, god willing," Paige laughed, wrapping her arms around Jessica's neck. "You... You look different without your wig."

"Ugh, tell me about it," Jessica sighed. "Can't wait for my hair to grow out..."

"I said 'different'," Paige giggled. "Not 'unsexy'!" Jessica giggled and leaned in to kiss Paige, when they were interrupted by a loud whistle from the sound of the pool.

"Hey!" The lifeguard yelled from her high stool. "Pas de baisers!" Blushing with embarrassment, Jessica and Paige swam back to where Elsa and Natalie were relaxing with wide grins on their faces.

"You got bollocked..." Natalie teased in a sing-song voice. "AND you're wearing the wrong swimsuit..."

"Give it a month," Paige retorted. "Alex Salmond and the rest of Scotland will show the rest of you exactly where you can shove your-"

"Girls!" Elsa interrupted. "Let's not get bogged down with politicals, we're here to have fun!"

"Sorry," Paige and Natalie both mumbled, though this contrition didn't stop both girls from sticking their tongues out at each other before Elsa continued talking.

"Didn't I tell you you'd have fun?" Elsa laughed. "Have you checked out the rest of the facility yet, Paige? They've got an ice rink, a sauna..."

"...Tanning beds," Natalie interrupted, earning herself big splashes of water from the other three girls- and another blast of the whistle from the increasingly-agitated lifeguard.

"They also have private hot tub rooms," Elsa said with a smirk. "I've booked one for the day for when my boyfriend gets here, but he's going to be at least another ninety minutes, so..." Jessica and Paige gazed at each other excitedly as Elsa slipped the rubber wristband with the key off her wrist and handed it to the two girls.

"Thanks," both girls said as they hastily climbed out of the pool.

"Was that such a good idea?" Natalie asked.

"It'll let them get 'it' out of their bodies," Elsa argued.

"And leave them wanting 'it' all the more..." Natalie retorted.

After entering the private hot tub room and locking the door, Jessica and Paige flung themselves at each other like wild animals, embracing deeply as they gave in to their primal urges. Soon, both girls had released each other from their swimsuits and had entered the bubbling hot tub, where both soon found themselves stimulating each other to the point of orgasm and beyond.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh," Jessica sighed as she stretched her post-coital body in the warm water of the hot tub. "You... You are the most perfect girl in the world, Paige."

"God, you're beautiful even WITH short hair and no make-up," Paige giggled as she gave Jessica a long kiss, stretching her own naked body along the length of the American girl's.

"This is going to sound so weird," Jessica said quietly. "I mean, we've only known each other a month, we're both from different countries, I know, but-"

"I think I love you too," Paige whispered. Jessica's heart fluttered as the Scottish girl leaned in to her and gave her another long, deep kiss.

Just over forty-five minutes later, the two girls- exhausted from their sexual exploits- returned to the pool where their friends were waiting. As Jessica lowered herself into the pool next to Elsa and Natalie, however, she couldn't help but giggle at her friends' shocked expressions.

"What?" Jessica asked in a mock Scottish accent as she caressed the blue and white material of the swimsuit that she was wearing. "Have you no' seen a wee blonde Jock before?"

"Why howdy, partners," Paige said in an unconvincing Texan accent as she swam over to her flat mates, Stacey, Sydney and Hiromi. "Have y'all got five bucks I can borrow for the vending machine?" Much to Paige's relief, the three girls immediately broke out in fits of laughter at Paige's brazenness. The Scottish gazed back at the blonde girl in her swimsuit and mouthed a kiss- a gesture that Jessica eagerly reciprocated. Sure, they might be separated for another few days after the party, but when they did get together again, it would be truly electrifying.

Jessica stepped off the plane and onto the tarmac at Charles De Gaulle airport with an ache in her feet from standing in high heels all day, and an ache in her head from dealing with needy, insulting passengers all day. She longed for nothing more than to strip out of her painful shoes, her tight skirt and her restrictive corset and lay in a warm bath for the next 24 hours, but as she changed back into her sleek black dress to head home, she knew that wasn't an option.

As sore and tired as Jessica was, however, she was also elated. Not just because of the five days off she had coming up, not just because Paige also had the same five days off, and not just because of the party she had waiting for her at her apartment.

"That was it!" Rachel, Jessica's English supervisor, cheered as she stripped out of her own blue uniform. "Final flight in probation... You are now officially a full-time Soixante-Trois stewardess! How does it feel?"

"It feels GOOD," Jessica said. "Can't wait to start taking on more responsibilities!"

"Heh, most people just look forward to the party!" Rachel retorted.

"Oh, I can't wait for that either!" Jessica giggled.

"Is that because you like dressing up as a princess," Rachel teased, "or because a certain dark-haired Scottish colleague of ours will also be there?"

"I don't know what you could possibly mean," Jessica retorted with a sly grin.

"Oh, you know as long as you keep 'it' off company property, the big bosses don't have a problem with employees, you know, 'doing it'," Rachel said. "And you've been pining for Paige all week..."

"I was not 'pining'," Jessica argued as she exchanged her blue work shoes for her own black designer stilettos. "It's just- I barely get to see her, what with her flying back and forth to Moscow most days... Most days when I'm NOT at work, too..."

"Aww," Rachel cooed. "And you make such a cute couple, too..."

"Is this the 'special relationship' between Scotland and the USA we're talking about?" Natalie interjected in her distinctive Manchester accent.

"Ah, if it isn't the sarky Salforder," Rachel teased. "I wondered where you'd got to..."

"First, it's Openshaw, not Salford," Natalie retorted as she slid her supple body out of her uniform and into her black pencil dress. "Second, if you must know, I was submitting my mentor application."

"Oh my god, that's so cool!" Jessica cooed. "Reckon you'll get it? Which route did you apply for as your secondary?"

"Red," Natalie said with a grin. "Figure I could get a nice tan for Christmas..."

"As long as you don't mind going back home to Coronation Street with bikini tan lines!" Rachel teased.

"Oh whatever," Natalie snorted. "I once went back there in full femme mode and stayed that way for four whole days, and no one batted an eyelid. They know who I am, and they know that if they don't accept me, that's their problem."

"What happened at the end of the four days?" Jessica asked.

"I came back to Paris," Natalie replied with a cheeky smile. "Now come on, Cinderella, your ball awaits!" Jessica giggled happily as she followed Natalie onto the tram and back to their fancy uptown apartment. There, they stripped down to their underwear and helped each other into the elaborate costumes that had been provided for them.

"Why are we having THIS theme for the party again?" Jessica asked as she stepped into the long, flowing blue dress and pulled on the matching opera length gloves.

"You're an American living in Paris, this is something else that's American and living in Paris," Natalie explained as Jessica helped her into her voluminous golden dress. "Can you pass me my wig?"

"Your real hair's long enough, surely?" Jessica asked.

"Not even close," Natalie replied, scraping her natural, shoulder-length brown curls back before pulling on the long brown wig. Natalie promptly returned the favour for Jessica, placing the long blonde wig (which had been pre-tied into a formal updo) on her head and securing the blue headband on Jessica's head.

"Beautiful," Natalie gushed as Jessica gently adjusted the hairpiece. "Though you could probably do with showing off a bit more of your tits." Natalie giggled as Jessica blew a very un-princess like raspberry at her, before exchanging her ostentatious dangly earrings for a more elegant fake gold pair.

"Well?" Natalie asked, posing for Jessica and playfully swishing the petticoats of her dress. "Am I, or am I not, the Belle of the ball?"

"A true British princess," Jessica cooed. "Though you could probably do with showing off a bit more of your tits." Natalie giggled as she briefly pulled down the top of her dress, exposing more of her décolletage.

"Who's Elsa coming as again?" Jessica enquired as she pulled on her uncomfortable high-heeled glass shoes.

"You need to ask?" Natalie joked. "Let it go, let it go..."

"Well, the name fits, if nothing else," Jessica laughed as she touched up her make-up one final time. "Ready, Princess Belle?"

"Ready and willing, Princess Cinderella!" Natalie replied, grabbing Jessica's gloved hand and leading the girl into the already bustling living area.

"Presenting Princess Cinderella!" Natalie announced in her poshest British accent as Jessica swished around the room to awed sighs and loud applause.

"No question who will have all the eyes of the princes on them tonight," Elsa- who was indeed wearing the costume of her namesake- joked.

"Though I'm betting it's one of the other princesses she'd prefer!" Zoe, who was wearing a red wig and an Ariel costume, laughed.

"You really didn't need to go to so much trouble," Jessica said to Elsa, who responded by giving the American girl a quick hug.

"Of COURSE I did!" Elsa laughed. "You're out of probation! You're one of us now!"

"You should've seen the party she threw me," Natalie laughed. "I've still got the 'rock chick' costume- denim shorts, fishnet tights, a corset-style top..."

"And about half a ton of make-up," Elsa teased, making both girls giggle happily. "Disney princesses are much more elegant, much more civilised."

"Are you arguing that Jessica is more civilised than I am?" Natalie pouted with her hands on her constrained waist.

"Are you arguing that she's NOT?" Elsa retorted, making herself, Natalie and Jessica giggle again.

"Do I need to ask what MY theme will be when I pass probation?" Zoe asked.

"You need not ask," Elsa laughed. "There's a reason I skipped that theme for your birthday last month!"

"I'd best get my tutu ordered, then," Jessica teased, earning giggles from all of her friends.

"I bet when you first became a 'flight attendant'," Natalie said, using her fingers to make air-quotes, "you never thought you'd be celebrating working for a company this way!"

"I never EVER thought I'd wear anything like this in any social setting EVER," Jessica laughed, playing with her swishy skirt.

"Also," a familiar Scottish voice teased from behind Jessica, "I bet you never thought you'd catch the eye of ANOTHER princess?" Her heart beating faster, Jessica turned around to face Paige, who was dressed in a flawless Snow White costume that perfectly matched her jet black hair and pale skin.

"Especially not the most beautiful princess here," Jessica said, wrapping her arms around Paige's neck and giving her a long, heartfelt kiss.

"I would say 'get a room', but knowing you two, you probably would!" Natalie teased.

"It's been nine days since we last so much as saw each other," Paige retorted. "Give me a break!"

"Ah yes, and how is Mother Russia?" Natalie asked.

"COLD," Paige moaned, cuddling herself closer to Jessica. "Wondering why I put in for Black route now..."

"Well, you're out of probation now, ask for a transfer," Natalie said matter-of-factly.

"With Blue route already oversubscribed?" Paige sighed. "Fat chance of that happening..."

"If you don't ask, you don't get..." Elsa teased as she made her way to the refreshments table.

For the next four hours all the princesses in the apartment laughed, drank and danced the night away. Jessica and Paige delighted everyone in the room by waltzing together to 'A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes', ending with another long, deep kiss.

That night, Jessica and Paige engaged in a marathon lovemaking session, and when they were exhausted of all their energy, they fell asleep in each other's arms, sharing the sole pillow on Jessica's single bed. The following morning, when they woke up, neither girl wanted to let the other one go.

"Morning, Jess," Paige whispered, kissing Jessica underneath her ear.

"Morning, Paige," Jessica mumbled, giving Paige a long kiss on her lips. "So... What do you want to do today?"

"Stay in bed," Paige giggled, giving Jessica yet another kiss.

"Ugh, wish I could," Jessica moaned. "Promised my parents I'd call them today..."

"Yeah, but we're what, six hours ahead?" Paige argued. "They won't get up for ages, so nor should we..."

"I know, it's just-" Jessica sighed. "We've only got these five days, we shouldn't waste them..."

"Sex with you isn't what I'd call a waste of time!" Paige retorted, cuddling Jessica closer.

"Oh, I agree wholeheartedly," Jessica said, "It’s just-" Jessica's word were interrupted when her bedroom door opened and Natalie poked her immaculately made-up face around the door, causing the American girl to panic and push Paige's head underneath the bedcovers.

"Jess?" Natalie asked as the American girl feigned waking up. "I'm off now, Dublin's not going to fly to itself."

"Mmph," Jessica moaned tiredly. "See you, Natalie..."

"See you, Jessica," Natalie said with a cheeky grin. "See you too Paige, no need to respond, I can tell you've got your mouth full!" Natalie laughed heartily as she closed the bedroom door just in time to avoid the pillow Jessica threw at her.

"I could, you know, 'fill my mouth' if you wanted," Paige teased, greedily kissing Jessica's neck.

"I think I've actually maxed out," Jessica laughed. "And that was our only pillow..."

"I don't want to get up..." Paige moaned, tightening her cuddle around Jessica's body.

"Tell you what," Jessica giggled, "How about I 'fill my mouth', then we get up?" Paige grinned a wicked grin as Jessica ducked her head under the covers.

"Deal..." Paige laughed as the covers around her waist began to twitch...

After getting up, the two girls showered separately before applying their make-up and dressing for the day, Jessica opting for a grey sweater dress with a wide belt, whilst Paige plumped for a knee-length pencil skirt and a tight red jumper. Both girls also wore black tights, to defend their hairless legs from the cold November air.

"Hello, Miss Black Nylons," Jessica giggled, stroking Paige's legs as the Scottish girl crashed next to her on the sofa. "So, to repeat my earlier question... What do you want to do today?"

"Honestly?" Paige sighed. "Today, if I wasn't with you... I'd have had a day as Paul." Jessica smiled sadly as her girlfriend continued talking.

"Ever since I moved to France," Paige continued, "I haven't had a single 24 hour period in which I HAVEN'T been in 'Paige mode'."

"I know, I'm the same," Jessica sighed. "I mean, there have been times when I've wanted to, but I've also been at work, so it's either put up with a thong in my ass and a corset around my waist or get fired..."

"Or wear a bodysuit and a half-slip," Paige giggled. "I mean yes, obviously I love all this. Living, working as Paige... It's an absolute dream come true, but... I kinda want to wake up."

"You never thought about transitioning?" Jessica asked. "Taking hormones, going legally female?"

"All the time," Paige sighed. "But I know it's a one-way street, and... I'm a coward, Jess. I don't want to go down it just yet."

"I know EXACTLY how you feel," Jessica sighed. "When I was fifteen, if you've given me a pill and said 'take this, it'll turn you into a girl', I'd have swallowed it without hesitation, but now... It's a really, REALLY big step."

"You know Hiromi, my room-mate?" Paige asked Jessica, who nodded in response. "She started oestrogen last month. She hasn't been in boy mode in MONTHS, don't think she even owns any boy clothes anymore."

"I would say 'I envy her'," Jessica said, "but I know that if I wanted, I could take that first step any time I wanted. Paige... You said that if it wasn't for me you'd be in 'boy mode'..."

"Aye," Paige sighed. "I mean- it's just that I, you know... I love Jessica, and I know you love Paige... I'm just not convinced you'd love Paul as much... And I don't know whether or not I'd love Jesse..." Jessica cuddled her upset girlfriend close to her as she bared her soul.

"Then how about we make a pact," Jessica said confidently. "Whenever we're together, we'll always be girlfriend and girlfriend, not boyfriend and girlfriend or boyfriend and boyfriend?"

"What if one of us leaves the company?" Paige asked coldly. "What if one of us decided that they didn't want to be a girl anymore?"

"I'm happy to cross that bridge when we come to it," Jessica said. "Right now, all I care about is that I want to spend the day with my sexy Scottish GIRLfriend!"

"Anything you want, amazing American GIRLfriend!" Paige said, though at the back of her mind, there was still a lingering doubt- both about her relationship with Jessica and about herself...

The girls stayed on the sofa for the rest of the afternoon before returning to Paige's apartment for the Scottish girl's end of probation party. Predictably, the party had a theme of 'all things Scotland', so in the privacy of Paige's bedroom, the two girls exchanged their fashionable street clothes for frilly, puffy-sleeved blouses, long kilts that were coloured in the red, blue and green of the Robertson tartan and cute tam caps that matched their skirts.

"You do know a kilt is technically boy's clothing, right?" Jessica teased Paige as the Scottish girl helped pin her kilt together.

"Aye, that's why we're also wearing the underwear and the make-up!" Paige giggled. "You know... I really, REALLY didn't want this theme for my party..."

"Oh?" Jessica asked with surprise. "Are you not a proud Scottish lady through and through? You nearly cried when the 'No' campaign won the referendum..."

"Oh, don't get me wrong," Paige said. "I love my country, it's just..."

"You don't want to be so easily defined..." Jessica interrupted.

"EXACTLY that," Paige said with a smile on her scarlet lips. "Maybe we really are soul mates, heh..."

"Ever worn a kilt before?" Jessica asked as she playfully swished the tartan fabric around her nylon-clad legs.

"A few times," Paige sighed. "Nowhere near as much as I'd have liked, though!" Jessica giggled and gave Paige a quick kiss, before leading the girl out of her bedroom to a rapturous round of applause, led by Paige's housemate Stacey.

"Ladies and gentlemen, but most importantly, ladies," Stacey announced in her light Yorkshire accent, "as of today, wee Miss Robertson is a fully-fledged Soixante-Trois stewardess- and that deserves celebrating! Hit the music!" On cue, the stereo started blaring out traditional Scottish folk music, making Paige cringe as the assembled guests began dancing- or at least, attempting to dance- traditional highland jigs to the music. Jessica, meanwhile, sought out Paige's Japanese room-mate.

"Is that whiskey?" Jessica asked Hiromi, who was holding a glass of orangey-brown liquid.

"Aye," Hiromi giggled in an unconvincing Scottish accent. "Care for a wee dram?"

"I'll pass," Jessica laughed. "Hiromi... Paige tells me that you've started taking oestrogen, is that correct?"

"Yeah," Hiromi said, reverting back to her natural Tokyo accent. "Why, would you like some?"

"No, it's not that- well, it kinda is, it just-" Jessica stammered.

"Let me guess," Hiromi said. "You're not sure whether or not you want to transition, and you want to speak with someone to work it through?" Hiromi laughed before continuing. "That's exactly how I was before seeing my counsellor. The company actually provides a counsellor specifically for this reason, I can give you her email if you'd like?"

"Here I was thinking it was only Paige who could read my mind," Jessica said, making the Japanese girl laugh. "That email would be great, please."

"She has a long waiting list," Hiromi said as she emailed Jessica the contact details of her counsellor. "But if you mention that you work for the company, she should set you up fairly quickly."

"You are an absolute Angel," Jessica said with a warm smile.

"Which one?" Hiromi giggled. "I always saw myself as a Japanese Mary Carter..."

"Oh god, please don't start," Jessica sighed, drinking her whiskey and joining in the traditional dancing with her girlfriend.

Hours later, after the party had died down, Jessica and Paige- both of whom had consumed a generous amount of alcohol- retired to Paige's room, where they quickly stripped each other of their clothes and dived beneath Paige's sheets, making love to each other over and over again until they fell asleep in each other's arms, both utterly drained but utterly exhilarated.

The following morning, Jessica awoke before Paige and stared down at the sleeping Scottish girl- but her thoughts were more focussed on the counsellor Hiromi had recommended to her than on Paige. Whilst Jessica had lived full-time as a woman for three successful months, she still considered herself to be a man who preferred to be a woman rather than a woman trapped in the body of a man. There were days when she wanted nothing more than to strip her feminine finery from her body and return to her old life as Jesse- but as her life as a woman became more and more established, she found that 'Jessica' was becoming much more 'real' than Jesse ever was- and that if she returned to life as Jesse, it would be like she was a woman pretending to be a man, rather than the man pretending to be a woman that she thought she was.

Like Paige, Jessica had previously thought on more than one occasion about starting the transitioning process and taking feminising hormones, but also like Paige, Jessica found that she lacked the courage. Her main hurdle was- like many transgendered people her age- her parents, who had no idea about the double life their child was living- something Jessica intended to keep them in the dark about for as long as possible.

Jessica sighed as she gently unwrapped the slumbering Scottish girl's arms from around her waist and slid out bed, quietly heading to the shower. Paige's room-mates were all at work, meaning that the two girls had the apartment all to themselves, but Jessica was restless, eager to explore the possibilities that could be opened up by Hiromi's counsellor.

Paige rolled over in bed, the light streaming through the windows slowly bringing her back to awakeness. As she stretched out her left arm, she became aware that Jessica was not in bed with her, briefly startling and confusing her. After semi-consciously pulling on her cache sex, followed by a black thong and a matching bra (into which she stuffed her falsies), Paige stepped out of the bedroom, catching Jessica just as she exited the bathroom with her body and her short blonde hair wrapped in two large, fluffy towels.

"Morning sexy," Paige teased. "My bed not good enough for you or something?"

"Just wanted to get in the shower first," Jessica said, blushing slightly. "Think your housemates have used all the hot water, sorry!"

"Typical," Paige giggled, pausing as she headed to the shower. "You know, for a PERSON who insists they're not transitioning, you look a hell of a lot like you're hiding breasts underneath that towel..."

"Says the PERSON actually wearing breast forms and a bra!" Jessica teased. "Any reason you needed boobs for the long walk from your bedroom to the shower?" Paige giggled as she cupped her breasts, only just realising that she was 'wearing' them.

"Heh, I didn't even notice," Paige sighed. "Just become second nature to me, get up, put on the cache sex, put on the tits..."

"Paige..." Jessica said cautiously. "I know what we said yesterday morning, but..."

"You want to meet Paul, just once?" Paige asked cautiously.

"Yeah..." Jessica whispered. "Just one time, Paul and Jesse..."

"Do you even have any 'boy clothes' here?" Paige giggled, making Jessica blush and shake her head.

"Just the dress I wore here yesterday," Jessica said.

"BOY clothes!" Paige laughed, making Jessica blush a deeper shade of red. "You're only an inch taller than me, I've got some jeans that should fit you and a couple of t-shirts that I already know from experience don't fit over breast forms!"

"Thanks," Jessica said, heading into the bathroom. "Which drawer's yours?"

"The one with boy clothes!" Paige laughed. "Hiromi's thrown all her boy clothes out... Mine are slowly going the same way, heh." Jessica laughed as she picked out a pair of the jeans Paige mentioned, turning them over in her hand. Even though they were male jeans, they still had a decidedly slim, feminine cut- the denim was soft against Jessica's smooth hands and even smelled of the same perfume Paige wore. After pulling on a clean thong- in lieu of any male underwear- Jessica slid the jeans up her legs and pulled on one of the plain grey t-shirts from Paige's drawer, finding it a tight but otherwise comfortable fit. Sitting down in front of the mirror, Jessica slicked her short hair back, exposing her make-up free face, and marvelled at how utterly WRONG she looked.

Sighing, Jesse stood up and exited the bedroom, coming face-to-face with the same pale-skinned face he'd seen in his bed and in his dreams for the past few months- only the face was noticeably different when 'freed' of make-up. It still had the same delicate, almost cute bone structure, but it was unashamedly male. If it weren't for his distinctive mismatched eyes, Jesse wouldn't have recognised the young man as the woman he loved. The plain white t-shirt and long cargo shorts were a far cry from the delicate skirts and tops that were Paige's trademark look.

"This... Feels wrong," Jesse said, tentatively approaching Paul.

"I know what you mean," Paul said, still using 'Paige's voice. "I'm actually still wearing my cache sex, heh."

"I'm wearing a thong," Jesse giggled as the two men sat down on the sofa next to each other. An awkward silence filled the room as the two men took random fleeting looks at each other.

"The question is," Paul asked quietly, "are you still attracted to me?"

"I still LOVE you," Jesse said, grabbing Paul's hand. "But... I'm not as attracted to you as I am to Paige."

"I feel the same way," Paul confessed, linking his fingers with Jesse's. Nervously, the two boys leaned in to each other and shared a single, brief kiss, before looking into each other's eyes with a look of sadness and regret.

"Jesse..." Paul whispered. "What we have... Is it- is it just a physical thing? Because if it is, that's okay, sex with you-"

"I LOVE you," Jesse said firmly. "I literally can't get you out of my thoughts. But... When I see you, I'll only ever see Paige." Paul closed his eyes and nodded, before unlinking his fingers from Jesse's and walking toward his bedroom.

"Wait right there," the Scottish boy ordered Jesse, who dutifully complied. Less than fifteen minutes later, Paige stepped out of her bedroom in all her feminine glory- her hair was brushed out into its familiar jet-black bob, her face was fully made-up, her nails painted a deep crimson and her shorts and t-shirt were replaced by a short black dress and her favourite make of black tights. Giggling happily, Paige plopped down next to Jesse, giving the American boy a long, loving kiss.

"Now THAT's better," Jesse said, returning Paige's kiss.

"Do you know, it's actually better for me too," Paige giggled. "I mean, I'm no homophobe, but a guy and a girl... Just feels more RIGHT, even if I have to be the girl!"

"HAVE to be the girl?" Jesse teased.

"You know what I mean!" Paige sighed. "Jesse or Jessica... I love you too." Jesse smiled a happy smile, before standing up and entering Paige's bedroom. Minutes later, Jessica exited the room wearing a full face of make-up, red nail polish and her sweater dress and tights from the previous day.

"I'm no homophobe either," Jessica said smugly. "Girl and a girl feels most right of all!" Paige giggled as she kissed her girlfriend, a long, deep kiss that seemed to last for hours.

"Paige..." Jessica began hesitantly. "Last night, last night I talked to Hiromi. She gave me the contact details for the counsellor she's been seeing-"

"Ugh, you'll not get in there for ages," Paige moaned, semi-consciously stroking Jessica's nylon-covered thigh.

"I know, I know," Jessica sighed. "It's just, I- we-"

"You want me to contact her as well?" Paige asked, making Jessica giggle and nod. "I've been thinking about it for ages, even if I'm not going to transition, it's something I need to discuss. Okay, you've given me the kick up my arse I need!"

"And it is a very, very nice ASS," Jessica giggled, giving Paige another kiss. "So, what shall we do for the rest of the day? AFTER writing that email, that is."

"We're sexy, well-to-do young women in the centre of Paris," Paige said smugly. "What SHAN'T we do?" Jessica and Paige laughed and kissed each other once again, happy that their relationship was stronger than ever...

Four days later, Jessica's alarm clock woke her at 7:30am, and for the first time since she started working for Soixante-Trois airlines, she found herself deeply unwilling to get up and go to work- and not just because of the girl around whom Jessica's arms were wrapped.

"Morning, gorgeous," Jessica said, waking Paige with a soft kiss on the forehead.

"Morning, sexy," Paige lazily sighed. "Can't believe we have to go back to work already..."

"We've both got holidays booked," Jessica said. "Okay, yes, in February, but still..."

"Three months during which we'll barely see each other," Paige moaned, unwrapping herself from Jessica's embrace and heading into the apartment's shower. Jessica barely had the time to compose herself when Natalie entered the room and sat down on her bed to put on her corset and stockings.

"Maidin mhaith!" Natalie joked. "Looking forward to Dublin again? Assuming you remember how to be a stewardess, what with your five days off..."

"Felt like it was barely five minutes," Jessica moaned, stretching her tired muscles before helping Natalie to tie her corset. "Time flies..."

"I believe that phrase ends with 'when you're having sex'," Natalie giggled, only laughing harder as Jessica put extra force into lacing in her waist. "On a purely selfish note, I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again..."

"Why oh why are you so reluctant to tell Marie about you and Zoe?" Jessica sighed.

"You know why," Natalie replied. "It's mainly because I kinda want to still be able to actually see her..."

"Marie is not going to kick you out because you two are an item," Jessica said. "Zoe's twenty, she can make her own decisions about who she sees."

"Yeah," Natalie sighed. "But it's kinda been going on a REALLY long time behind her back... Marie's NOT going to be happy about that." Jessica paused to think of a reply, but was interrupted when Paige returned to the room, her slim body wrapped in a thick, fluffy towel.

"Talk in a bit," Jessica said, quickly skipping up to the shower.

"Talking about anything interesting?" Paige asked as Natalie helped to tie her corset.

"Sex," Natalie said, giggling as Paige did a double-take.

"You and Zoe still at it?" Paige asked.

"No more than you and Jessica," Natalie replied, making Paige giggle.

"That's still a hell of a lot," Paige said.

"Oh believe me, I heard," Natalie chuckled. "But truthfully... All this sneaking around is kinda getting to me, and I think Zoe's feeling the same... It doesn't help that she's miserable because she's got her last ballet class in a few days, she's really going to miss those kids."

"Can't stand kids myself," Paige muttered.

"I've got two younger sisters, I can't afford to hate kids!" Natalie joked.

"How did they react when their big brother became their big sister?" Paige asked.

"By asking me for make-up and fashion tips!" Natalie giggled. "I say 'younger', they're nineteen and seventeen so it's not like they're little kids. And besides, it's not like I'm transitioning or anything, I'm still their brother, I'm just also sometimes their sister too."

"You never felt like making 'Natalie' a, you know, 'permanent fixture'?" Paige asked.

"Sometimes," Natalie sighed. "But I've got the best of both worlds. I can pass as a woman, but I can go back to being a man any time I want. I have a healthy sex life with a sexy twenty year old woman whose body has been made HYPER-flexible following fifteen years of ballet, and I work in a job that allows me to 'indulge' my desire to, you know, 'be Natalie'. Why would I want to change anything?"

"It's just..." Paige sighed as she finished dressing in a tight black pencil dress, "when you're, you know, 'being Matthew'... Don't you yearn to 'be Natalie'."

"No," Natalie explained. "Because I only 'be Matthew' when I want to 'be Matthew'."

"But what if you were in the position where you never wanted to 'be Matthew' ever again?" Paige asked, making Natalie pause as she tied her stilettos to her feet.

"No point in worrying about 'what if's," Natalie said. "I've got the freedom to choose. Personally, I find that a HELL of a lot better than having to actually make a choice."

"If you weren't English, I'd envy you," Paige giggled, before greeting Jessica with a kiss as she returned to the bedroom to get dressed.

An hour later, all three women had changed from their chic pencil dresses into the blue- or in Paige’s case black- uniforms that they would be greeting passengers with all day. As the three girls prepared to board their respective planes, Jessica and Paige stared at each other with a sense of regret.

"Can't believe I'm not going to see you for six days," Paige sighed. "All I want to do is just kiss you, right here, right now..."

"Yeah, as an official mentor I'd be obliged to report that," Natalie said with a sympathetic voice.

"Would you though?" Paige asked.

"Probably not," Natalie chuckled. "But you never know who's watching... Probably best if you kept each other at arm's length, at least for now."

"'Never know who's watching'," Jessica moaned. "Like a certain perverted co-pilot..."

"Christ, don't remind me," Paige moaned as she perched her black pillbox hat on her head. "Guess who's flying with him all the way to St Petersburg today..."

"Dosvidanye," Natalie quipped as she and Jessica waved goodbye to their Scottish colleague and headed to their own Ireland-bound aeroplane.

"Jess," Natalie said as the girls began their pre-flight cabin checks, "earlier today... Paige was asking me about transitioning, going full-time as a girl..."

"Yes..." Jessica asked, prompting Natalie to continue after a brief pause.

"I, um, I just wondered if she's spoken to you about this," Natalie said. "Seems like the kind of thing you'd discuss with a lover, changing your gender..."

"It is," Jessica confessed. "And we're both booked in to see a counsellor about it sometime in the coming few months."

"Well at least you're going about it properly," Natalie said. "Heard a few horror stories from Elsa about T-girls who used to work for the company who self-diagnosed as transsexual and self-medicated with oestrogen. NOT pretty."

"I dunno if I'll be taking oestrogen," Jessica said. "At least... Not yet anyway. I still haven't told my parents about 'Jessica' and I've been living as her for three months..."

"It IS the hardest step," Natalie said. "Are your parents... Are they liberal? Or are they, you know, 'Jesuslanders'?"

"They both voted for Obama," Jessica mused. "Then again, Maryland's been a blue state for as long as I've been alive..."

"That's one hurdle cleared before you even start," Natalie laughed.

"Yeah," Jessica giggled. "Only 999 999 more to go after that..."

Jessica quickly settled back into her routine, but as the days passed, she found herself pining more and more for her Scottish love. After four days of flying back and forth between Paris and Dublin, Jessica was thankful for a day off, but as she woke up and found herself alone in bed, she once again became miserable.

"Enjoy your lazy day, lazy girl," Natalie teased as she entered the bedroom before changing into a smart black pencil dress.

"You're the one who wanted the promotion," Jessica sighed. "Sorry you didn't get red route..."

"I'll live," Natalie shrugged. "It's not like black route's ALL bad. If I'm lucky I'll get to gossip with your girlfriend about your sex life..."

"Don't you dare," Jessica giggled, throwing a pillow at the laughing Englishwoman.

"Seriously though," Natalie said. "I can see that frown on your face... I'm going to be on the same flight as Paige today, to Helsinki. We'll be back just after 10:30pm."

"...And?" Jessica asked.

"...And, just because you have to be up early tomorrow for work doesn't mean you can't enjoy every second of your day off, no matter how late..."

"Okay..." Jessica said, not fully following Natalie's thinking.

"Just... DO wait up for me, okay?" Natalie sighed before leaving the room and leaving the American girl to her thoughts.

"Hyvää huomenta!" Natalie called to Paige as she entered the vast locker room at Charles de Gaulle airport.

"Okay," Paige said with confusion. "Do you, um, need some cough syrup?"

"You're flying to Finland," Natalie giggled as she pulled off her dress and changed into her black uniform. "Least you could do is learn some Finnish..."

"I'm having a hard enough time with French," Paige sighed. "Can you unzip me?"

"Sure," Natalie said, freeing the Scottish girl from her tight-fitting dress. "You never studied it at school?"

"Spent most of my time in school daydreaming about girls," Paige laughed.

"Being with one or just being one?" Natalie asked.

"Both," Paige said. "But mostly the latter. Can't tell you what I'd give to just be able to go back in time to when I was five and just say to my parents 'I AM A GIRL'..."

"You're barely twenty," Natalie said. "You've got ages left to be a woman. A damned sexy one, too, even if you're the only person who could go to Finland and leave with MORE of a tan!"

"Oh hush, you," Paige laughed as the two girls finished dressing in their uniforms, perching their pillbox hats atop their heads.

"You've got tomorrow free," Natalie said as she and Paige strolled toward their Finland-bound aeroplane. "Got anything planned for tomorrow?"

"Um, sleeping, drinking coffee," Paige said. "Why, are you making me a better offer, teaching me Finnish, maybe?"

"You don't need to be anywhere?" Natalie enquired further.

"Other than bed, no," Paige said, making Natalie grin smugly. "What have you got planned?"

Much later that night, after a return flight that was delayed for over an hour, Natalie opened the door to her apartment to discover it shrouded in darkness.

"Dammit, Jess," Natalie sighed. "What part of 'DO wait up' don't you understand?"

"She's obviously in bed," Paige said, following Natalie into the apartment. "She's got to be up early tomorrow, she's not going to be up for anything..."

"Then MAKE her up for it!" Natalie urged. "You know there's not going to be anyone else coming into the bedroom..."

"And then I'll miss her all the more tomorrow..." Paige complained.

"Oh for god's sake," Natalie moaned, before forcibly spinning Paige around and walking her to the bedroom door and practically shoving her into the room.

"Mmph?" Jessica moaned as the noise from the door caused her to stir. "Nat? Is that you?"

"Shh," Paige urged, smiling wickedly as she realised there was no way to back out of Natalie's plan. Quickly stripping down to just her bra and thong, Paige slid under the covers, giggling at Jessica's sudden alarm.

"Do I even SOUND English?" Paige laughed as she wrapped her arms around Jessica's svelte body.

"...Paige?" Jessica whispered. "What are you doing here? I have to be up in five hours..."

"Five hours are better than none," Paige said, giving Jessica a long, soft kiss.

"I'm, um, not really 'up' to anything, I'm really tired..." Jessica said.

"You're 'up' for cuddling though, aren't you?" Paige asked.

"Well, yeah, but-" Jessica said before Paige placed a perfectly-manicured finger on Jessica's lips.

"Just get to sleep, gorgeous," Paige said, giving Jessica another kiss and cuddling her warm body close to her own.

When Paige awoke the following morning, Jessica had already left for work, leaving the Scottish girl alone in her bed.

"This can't go on," Paige moaned as she threw back the covers and padded through to the living room where Natalie was asleep on the sofa.

"Wake up, Natalie," Paige yelled.

"Ugh, what time is it?" Natalie yawned.

"About 9:30, why?" Paige asked.

"It's Zoe's last day at the dance studio," Natalie explained. "Wanted to surprise her when she came back but she's probably not even up yet."

"What did you have in mind?" Paige asked, her grin widening with Natalie's.

"Two questions: do you have your credit card with you, and do you know Jessica's size?" Natalie asked.

"Yes and yes," Paige replied. "What DO you have in mind?" Natalie chuckled a deep, evil chuckle as she got off her sofa and headed to the shower, wanting to dress as quickly as possible to enact her plan.

Zoe sighed as she trudged up the stairs to her apartment following her last ever lesson as a ballet instructor. She should have been happy- she was going to a high-paying, high-glamour career that a lot of people would give their right arm for, but she was going to miss teaching, and whilst she'd undoubtedly get opportunities during her free time, she was going to miss dancing as well. Zoe stared down at her flimsy dance skirt and her pink tights and wondered when she would ever get the chance to wear them again.

As Zoe opened her front door, however, all her questions were answered.

"Mademoiselle Renou?" Natalie asked in a flawless French accent. "We are ready for our lesson, s'il vous plait."

"Oh dieu!" Zoe gasped as she stared at the unusual, but highly welcome sight in front of her. There, dressed in the same soft pink tights, black leotards and satin ballet slippers as the girls she'd just left, were Natalie, Jessica and Paige, all gripping the side of the sofa as though it were a proper barre.

"You girls..." Zoe breathed as her leotard-clad friends giggled.

"We couldn't let you get away without one final lesson," Paige explained. "This was all Natalie's idea."

"You are PERFECT," Zoe said, giving Natalie a slow kiss on the lips.

"Be careful," Jessica whispered. "Marie's in her room getting changed." Zoe's eyes went wide as she released Natalie, who looked at the French girl through sad eyes.

"One day," Natalie whispered to her illicit lover.

"This is perfection!" Zoe giggled, sitting down in her chair. "I love you all so, so much!" Zoe stared at the three girls with confusion when they didn't move from their 'barre'.

"Um... We're ready for our lesson?" Paige teased.

"What, really?" Zoe asked, still giggling at the sight of her lover and her friends.

"You said when we first met," Jessica replied, "'buy a leotard and a pair of pink tights'..." Zoe laughed harder and rolled her eyes before stretching her tired feet and popping a CD in the apartment's stereo.

"Girls, I hope you're warmed up," Zoe said in her best teacher's voice. "And plie..." The three girls all giggled uncontrollably as they lowered and raised themselves in time with the music. The 'lesson' came to an abrupt end less than fifteen minutes later when Marie stepped out of her bedroom and doubled over with laughter at the sight of the four girls in their dancewear.

"Laugh all you want," Natalie said smugly. "YOU'RE the odd one out here..."

"Sometimes that's not a bad thing!" Marie chuckled as she lowered herself elegantly onto the sofa. "I quit ballet at fifteen for a reason..."

"Yeah, that reason being that I was only nine but I was still so much better than you!" Zoe teased her older sister, who rolled her eyes in response.

"You're meant to be preparing for your final interview tomorrow!" Marie scolded Zoe, who took the opportunity to roll her eyes right back at her sister.

"The final interview's a formality, you said so yourself!" Zoe sighed. "Just an opportunity for management to get to know the new employee better."

"Still, people DO fail the interview," Marie said.

"Fine," Zoe sighed, before heading into the bedroom her sister had only just left.

"You three DO look so cute, though!" Marie giggled. "First time being ballerinas?"

"Unless you count wearing an old pair of my mum's tights under a swimming costume, yeah," Paige laughed as she snuggled next to Jessica on their sofa. "This stuff's so much better. AND sexier!" Jessica let out a small yelp as Paige reached a hand down the back of her leotard, before giggling and stroking the Scottish girl's soft thigh.

"Doubt I've really got the 'physique' to be a real ballerina, though," Jessica sighed.

"If you're referring to your genetics, need I remind you that Jamie-Lee-" Natalie said, before being interrupted by a moan from Jessica.

"Don't talk about Jamie-Lee Burke, please!" Jessica complained. "Any more reality TV and my brain will melt!"

"Then how about the girl who won Miss Continental this September just gone?" Natalie asked. "Can send you a few YouTube videos of her if you'd like."

"It'd make a refreshing change from the Angels!" Jessica laughed.

"What are you two doing tomorrow?" Marie asked the American woman and her Scottish girlfriend. "Apart from NOT watching the Angels, that is!"

"Dunno yet," Paige said. "Thought we might go with Zoe for some moral support, but we get so little time off together..."

"Good job I've got YOU an interview then, isn't it?" Marie said with a smug smile, causing Paige to frown in confusion.

"Why would I need a job?" Paige asked. "I've already got a job..."

"Oui, on black route," Marie said. "Where you're miserable at being away from Jessica AND having difficulty learning the languages... So how'd you like to be moved to blue route?"

"More than anything," Paige sighed. "Pity that's not going to happen..."

"Very true," Marie said. "You'd need, say, a letter of recommendation AND a 3-month report from one of your current supervisors... Much like this letter I have in my hand, right here!" Paige gasped as Marie pulled a small envelope out of a pocket in her dress. Jessica's heart began to race as she realised what this meant for her still-fledgling relationship with Paige.

"Do- are you serious?" Paige said.

"They do this for couples all the time," Natalie laughed.

"Indeed," Marie said. "Obviously couldn't do it whilst you were in probation, but you passed it with flying colours, so..."

"Oh my god, thank you so much!" Jessica exclaimed.

"Thank you, thank you!" Paige gasped. "I don't know how I can ever repay you?"

"By working hard and enjoying your job," Marie laughed. "You'll still have to follow the 'no fraternisation at work' rule but now that you can fraternise as much as you want OUTSIDE of work, I trust that won't be any problem?"

"None at all," Jessica said, giving Paige a slow, soft kiss on the lips, much to the delight of Natalie and Marie.

"Like Natalie said," Marie continued, "they do this for couples all the time. Believe it or not, you're not the first pair of stewardesses to fall head over heels for each other..."

"Are we the first to have both been T-girls?" Jessica asked.

"Does it matter?" Marie replied with a chuckle.

"Not at all," Paige said, returning Jessica's earlier kiss.

Jessica, Paige and Natalie stayed in their dancewear for the rest of the evening, with Jessica and Paige even going to bed together whilst still wearing their leotards- which they playfully stripped each other of once they were under Jessica's bed covers.

When Jessica and Paige awoke the following morning, instead of clinging to each other for as long as they could, they were eager to get out of bed and enjoy their day, safe in the knowledge that with Paige's transfer, there would be plenty more days together for them to enjoy. Both girls dressed in smart pencil dresses and dark stockings, similar outfits to what they wore when they travelled to work. The girls exited the bedroom to allow Natalie to change, who emerged minutes later also wearing a smart dress.

"Is Marie at work today?" Paige asked as the three girls waited for the fourth member of their 'gang'.

"Yeah," Natalie said. "Sweating it out all the way to Doha and back."

"And you didn't even get to say 'sabah el kheir' to her before she left..." Paige laughed. "Pity she won't be here today for her baby sister..."

"That's why we're here," Jessica said, smiling with pride as Zoe exited her bedroom dressed in a chic, knee-length pencil dress with seamed hose and extra-high stiletto heels. Her waist had clearly been constrained by a corset, and her hair and make-up were as immaculate as any Soixante-Trois stewardess.

"And here she is," Natalie said, making Zoe scowl as she recorded the French girl on her camera phone. "The world's most beautiful stewardess!" Natalie laughed as Jessica and Paige both coughed in disagreement.

"Arguing for yourselves or each other?" Natalie asked as she pointed her phone at the couple.

"Each other, obviously," Jessica giggled, giving Paige a quick kiss on her scarlet lips.

"When I have my blue route interview next week, I'd better not get the same treatment!" Paige scolded Natalie, who only laughed harder.

"No," Natalie said. "This is only for my zenzational Zoe!" Zoe giggled as Natalie leaned in to give her a long, loving kiss.

"Remember," Jessica warned, "once we get on company property, no kissy-kissy..."

"We'll just have to get it out of our system now then," Paige giggled, giving her American girlfriend several rapid-fire kisses, prompting Natalie and Zoe to pepper each other with fast kisses. Once the girls had got the kisses out of their systems (and repaired their lipstick), they headed out into the chilly Parisian morning, quickly finding themselves stepping into the main entrance of the head office of Soixante-Trois airlines- a familiar sensation for Natalie, Jessica and Paige, but one that left Zoe a bundle of nerves.

"Remember!" Natalie whispered to her girlfriend whilst surreptitiously grabbing her hand. "This IS a formality. You are Zoe Christelle Renou. You are AMAZING. You are PERFECT. Knock 'em dead." Zoe looked deep into Natalie's eyes before smiling, nodding and confidently striding off to where her interviewers were waiting.

"Welcome to Soixante-Trois airlines, Mademoiselle Renou," Robert Marotte said to an almost giddy Zoe. "I trust you'll provide us with as many excellent years of service as your sister!"

"I know I will!" Zoe said confidently, loosely shaking M Marotte's hand. "I'll see you in four days' time!" M Marotte smiled warmly at the twenty year old woman as he ushered her out of his office and back into the reception area of the office where her friends were waiting for her.

"I believe they say in English, 'come fly with me'?" Zoe said, making all four women giggle excitedly. "Now what SHALL I do with this clothing budget advance...?" All four women laughed even harder as they stepped back out into the cold November air.

Four days later, Jessica and Paige stood next to each other in the locker room at Charles De Gaulle airport, smiling and checking out each other's figure as they changed into their identical blue uniforms.

"This is so amazing," Paige gushed as she zipped up her tight blue skirt. "I should've done this from the start..."

"Don't worry about the past," Jessica said. "We've got all of the future ahead of us. Now..." Jessica grinned as she picked up the blue pillbox hat that the company had made especially for Paige. "I believe this is yours?" Paige grinned and giggled as Jessica placed the hat atop her head, completing her uniform ahead of their flight to London.

"So cool," Zoe sighed as she zipped up her own blue pencil skirt and pulled on the fitted jacket that she'd waited so long to wear. "I would say I'm so envious of you girls... But here I am in my own uniform. MY own uniform!"

"You knock 'em dead in training, Zoe!" Jessica giggled.

"Ready?" Natalie asked Zoe as she pulled on her own blue pillbox hat.

"Ready, Mademoiselle Obi-Wan!" Zoe giggled as Natalie led her to the seminar room. With time to kill before their flight, Jessica and Paige followed the new mentor and her new protégé to the room where they had first met three months earlier, and smiled as the raw recruits took their seats.

"I remember our first day," Paige sighed happily as she watched Natalie guide Zoe through the mountain of paperwork she'd been given. "Even if I did spend most of it staring at the back of your head!"

"Good times," Jessica replied, before she was interrupted by a cough from behind.

"Excuse me, hon," an unmistakable Atlanta drawl called. Jessica smiled at hearing another American accent for the first time in what felt like forever, but when she turned around to address the owner of the accent, her jaw dropped- and much to her dismay, so did Paige's.

The American girl who'd asked Jessica to move was a picture of stunning beauty like any Soixante-Trois stewardess, but most annoyingly, she seemed to be like Jessica in every way- only better. Her long, blonde hair was both longer and blonder than her own, her blue eyes were bluer, her legs were longer and more slender, and she stood a clear three inches taller than the girl from Baltimore.

"Thanks, Jessica!" The Atlantan girl giggled as she strode into the seminar room, taking her seat next to her mentor.

"Who was THAT?" Paige asked, making Jessica's skin crawl with jealousy.

"Never mind," Jessica said. "Come on. London calling!" Jessica and Paige strode off to their plane, grinning at the sound of their high heels clicking on the polished airport floor, but their grins soon vanished when they saw Jacques Lacroix heading in their direction.

"Ah, mademoiselle Jessica, mademoiselle Paige," Jacques oozed, smoothing his tight uniform over his toned body. "Soixante-Trois's most beautiful couple! I understand you are accompanying me to London today, no?"

"We're accompanying our passengers to London," Paige said. "You just happen to be an unfortunate side-effect."

"Side-effect, or maybe 'bit on the side'?" Jacques giggled. "Blue certainly suits a beautiful Scottish girl like yourself."

"A beautiful, TAKEN Scottish girl," Jessica said as she led Paige past Jacques. "Go- go perv over the new recruits!"

"Where did you think I was going?" Jacques laughed. "I shall see you later, eight kilometres in the sky!" Jacques smirked a sleazy, slimy smirk as he waved Jessica and Paige off.

Jessica took a deep breath as she and Paige boarded the plane together. The flight was only an hour and a quarter, and when they returned to Paris, they would have the rest of day to spend with each other, and many, many more days on top of that. Jacques was a minor inconvenience, an obstacle to be steered around. But the new girl, the Atlanta native... Jessica saw the way Paige looked at her, and she didn't like it, not one bit.

Nor did she like the fact that she was looking at her in the exact same way...

"Ladies and gentlemen," the posh English accent announced over the airplane’s tannoy, "I'd like to thank you for flying Soixante-Trois airlines, and on behalf of the company, I'd like to wish you all a safe stay in Paris and a very Merry Christmas!"

"Joyeux Noel!" Jessica said to the passengers as they disembarked the plane, barely giving the attractive young stewardess in her tight blue skirt and high-heeled shoes a second look as they stepped out into the cold December air. Once all the passengers were safely disembarked, Jessica marched her tired body to the flight debriefing, before changing from her uniform back into her slinky- but warm- long-sleeved pencil dress. The flight from Munich had been long and demanding, but as Jessica stepped through the door of her apartment, she had a smile on her face.

The brightly-decorated Christmas tree added a festive air to the small dwelling, and the smell of freshly baked mince pies made Jessica's stomach rumble, but what lit up the apartment the most for the young American woman was the dark-haired Scottish girl in the plaid dress that greeted her with a long, deep kiss the second she returned home.

"How was Germany?" Paige asked as she and Jessica collapsed heavily onto the apartment's sofa. "Run into Elsa at all?"

"Nah," Jessica sighed. "I was in Munich, she's moved to Berlin... Kinda miss the crazy girl."

"She seemed like real fun," Paige said. "But with her gone, we get her room all to ourselves... And her double bed..." Jessica smiled wickedly and gave her lover another kiss.

"Has Hiromi adjusted to life without you yet?" Jessica laughed.

"Already moved on," Paige giggled. "Remember Karla, the other black-haired girl from our training group?"

"What, does that bedroom have a 'your hair must be darker than this shade to enter' sign outside it or something?" Jessica teased, making Paige giggle some more.

"What they do is up to them," Paige laughs. "What we do is up to us... And I may or may not be wearing that body stocking you got me last month underneath this dress..." Grinning evilly, Paige grabbed Jessica's hand and slowly guided it underneath the short hem of her dress, leading it ever upwards...

"Hi guys!" A thick Northern-Irish accent called from the front door, interrupting the two lovers before their hearts had even had a chance to beat faster.

"Hi Anna-Jade," Jessica said to the ginger-haired woman. "How was Dublin?"

"Wet and cold!" Anna-Jade replied as she sat down in a chair opposite Jessica and Paige. "How was Munich?"

"Also wet, also cold," Jessica said, laughing along with her two newest housemates. "I know I shouldn't, but I envy Zoe... 71 degree weather three days before Christmas..."

"That's 21 Celsius for those of us in the developed world," Paige said, earning herself a playful shove from her lover.

"Sure, you'll get onto red route before you know it," Anna-Jade laughed. "Do I smell mince pies?"

"They're just cooling," Paige said. "Help yourself whenever you want."

"You are an absolute star," Anna-Jade beamed. "I knew I picked the right apartment to move into!"

"Just don't eat too many," Jessica teased, "or you'll need a winch to get into your corset!" Jessica and Paige giggled as Anna-Jade blew them a playful raspberry before disappearing into the kitchen to tuck into the sweet treats Paige had made.

"Speaking of corsets," Jessica whispered, "I've been DYING to get out of mine all day..." Paige grinned wickedly as she and her lover skipped up to their bedroom, where before too long, Jessica's corset had found its way to the floor, along with Paige's body stocking and every other item of clothing the girls were wearing...

After a hearty meal, Jessica, Paige, Anna-Jade and Natalie (who had recently returned from her flight to Amsterdam) amused themselves by watching seasonal television programmes whilst waiting for their two other flat mates to return from their journey to Qatar. Marie and Zoe eventually returned to the apartment just before 9pm, but it was immediately apparent from the younger woman's face that all was not well.

"Zoe?" Natalie asked as she stared at the pale, sweat-drenched face of her secret lover. "You okay?"

"Non," Zoe muttered, before running into her bedroom to get changed.

"She was throwing up for the entire last hour of the flight," Marie sighed as she sat down with her four flat mates.

"Is she not used to the warm weather?" Anna-Jade asked, her concern for her newest friend plastered over her face.

"We grew up in Nice, on the Riviera," Marie shrugged. "It gets a lot hotter there in summer than it was in Doha today."

"Maybe she just picked up a bug..." Paige mused, glancing over at Natalie and not being surprised to find the English girl lost in her own thoughts.

"Well she'll need to shake it off quick," Marie said sternly. "Getting cover on grey route over Christmas is damned near impossible. And don't any of you say you'll do it!"

"Prison time from a backwards country just for being who I am?" Anna-Jade snorted. "Screw them AND their laws!"

"Has she got any Istanbul flights coming up?" Jessica asked. "I'll happily do those..."

"Nope," Marie sighed. "Dubai and Abu Dhabi now until the new year..."

"She's been in there a while," Natalie sighed, staring at the door behind which his lover rested. "Someone should go and check on her..."

"Oh give me a break, I've only just sat down," Marie moaned. "She's twenty, she can take care of herself..."

"FINE then," Natalie flounced in a playful, overdramatic fashion. "I'll go and check on her."

"You were the one who suggested it," Paige teased, though as Natalie waked past the Scottish girl, she mouthed a silent 'thank you'. If Zoe was as ill as Marie had hinted, the last thing Natalie needed to do was rouse suspicions about the true nature of their relationship.

"Zoe?" Natalie whispered as she entered the darkened room. "Zo, you okay?"

"Natalie...?" Zoe moaned from underneath her bed covers. "I'm sick..."

"I know, I know," Natalie said, sitting on the edge of Zoe's bed and gently stroking the shivering girl's hair. "Do- do you want me to get you anything?"

"Just stay, please..." Zoe moaned.

"You know if I stay in here too long, Marie will get suspicious," Natalie sighed. "Zo... Are- are you having difficulty, you know, at work?" Zoe moaned a low, pained moan and coughed repeatedly before answering Natalie's question.

"All I ever wanted to be was a stewardess, like Marie," Zoe groaned. "She makes it look so easy, so glamorous... So do all of you... But it's hard, it's painful..."

"You used to spend most of your days balancing on the ends of your toes," Natalie reminded the former ballerina with a chuckle.

"Ballet was a walk on the park compared to this," Zoe sighed. "I hate people..."

"You used to be a TEACHER," Natalie laughed. "Kinda have to deal with people in that job!"

"I taught KIDS," Zoe retorted. "Kids who pay attention to every word, kids who aren't fat woman-hating shits who grab your ass every time you walk past them in a skirt designed to superglue your knees together..."

"Blue and black route skirts aren't exactly loose, you know..." Natalie said.

"Exactly my point," Zoe moaned, before rolling over and retching into her nearby bucket.

"Have you told Marie about this?" Natalie asked in her softest voice.

"And admit to my sister that I'm a failure?" Zoe said, her eyes welling with tears.

"No one thinks you're a failure, least of all Marie," Natalie said, stroking Zoe's hair as the French girl threw up one more time. "I still lo-" Natalie froze as she heard the bedroom door open, before looking up to see Marie stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the light from the living room.

"How is she?" Marie asked, making Natalie breathe an inwardly sigh of relief as she realised that the older woman hadn't heard her incomplete declaration of love for Zoe.

"Still able to speak for herself," Zoe moaned. "Barely."

"You know you can't afford to take too much time off sick whilst you're on probation," Marie cautioned her younger sister, who tiredly rolled her eyes in response.

"I can't afford to throw up on passengers either," Zoe whispered.

"We can sit you in the back of the plane, away from the passengers," Marie said, but all Zoe could do was moan.

"It's still a seven hour flight," the ill girl said, rolling over in her bed to disguise her tears from her sister.

"Marie," Natalie said quietly. "She's clearly not up for a flight and won't be for a while."

"I'm thinking of her career," Marie hissed back.

"Try thinking of HER for once," Natalie retorted, shaking her head as she left the two sisters alone in their room.

"How is she?" Paige asked as Natalie collapsed down on the sofa with a long, loud sigh.

"REALLY sick," Natalie replied. "And she's only going to get worse with Marie bollocking her..."

"I'm sure she's told me before she once danced when she had the flu," Jessica said. "Doing pirouettes with a blocked head is surely worse than being on a flight?"

"For seven hours?” Natalie sighed, shaking her head.

"You're worrying too much about her," Paige advised. "I mean, we all know how much you love her, do you think you're being a bit overprotective?" An awkward silence fell over the room as Paige finished her sentence.

"Um," Anna-Jade said, "I, um, I didn't know that you loved her..."

"Well thank you very much Miss Robertson!" Natalie snapped at the dark-haired Scottish girl, who grimaced as she realised her faux pas. "Yes, Zoe and I have been seeing each other for almost six months. And no, Marie doesn't know, and yes, I'd prefer if it stayed that way."

"You want me to lie to a supervisor?" Anna-Jade asked with a panicked voice.

"This has nothing to do with work," Natalie said. "Who I see and who Zoe sees is none of the company's business, or any of Marie's business."

"But still," Anna-Jade asked, "how have you kept it a secret for so long? I mean, you live under the same roof as Marie..."

"It's not been easy," Natalie sighed. "And I've not been able to see her nearly as much as I'd have liked..."

"I had no idea Zoe went for T-girls," Anna-Jade mused as the information started to sink in.

"Hey, don't forget that unlike you, I'm NOT transitioning and I have no intention of doing," Natalie told the ginger-haired girl. "In bed, I'm 100% male. Everywhere else... I am what I am."

"And you two have known all this time?" Anna-Jade asked Jessica and Paige, who nodded in response.

"Even been on double dates with them," Paige said. "Something that's much more fun when there are no men getting in the way!" Jessica and Paige giggled, but quickly stopped when Marie stepped out of her room. Natalie looked over at Anna-Jade, worried that her secret would soon be revealed, but when it became clear that the Irish girl would hold her tongue, Natalie relaxed.

"Well, she's not going into work on Wednesday," Marie sighed. "Don't know how she expects to progress in her career if she keeps taking sick days..."

"This is only her second since she started," Paige argued. "Okay, it's two in six weeks, but if you're too ill to work, you're too ill to work, right?" A stern glare from Marie silenced Paige, and to escape the awkward silence, the rest of the apartment quickly decided to turn in for an early night.

The following morning, as their alarm went off at 7am, Jessica wrapped her arms around Paige, burying her face in the Scottish girl's jet-black hair.

"Please don't go..." Jessica moaned. "Tell them you've caught Zoe's flu or something..."

"Yeah, like I'd get away with that with Marie in the flat," Paige giggled, unwrapping herself from Jessica's embrace. "Can you lace me in, please?"

"As if you need to ask," Jessica laughed, wrapping a tight corset around Paige's already-slim waist and gently tightening the laces as the two lovers talked.

"Do you think Anna-Jade will spill?" Paige asked. "You know, about Nat and Zoe?"

"No way," Jessica said, tying Paige's corset laces into a bow before watching, enthralled, as Paige applied her make-up, transforming her from the androgynous creature she'd been through the night into the vision of femininity Jessica had fallen in love with.

"Did you say you're doing London today?" Jessica asked as Paige pulled on her padded bra and black stockings with the ease of someone who'd worn women's undergarments all their life.

"Yep," Paige said with a smile. "Easy one today and tomorrow, then Berlin on Christmas Day..."

"Ugh," Jessica moaned. "Can't believe we both have to work on the 25th..."

"It IS the busiest time of the year for travel," Paige giggled. "You're lucky you've got today off..."

"That'll be spent ferrying buckets of puke between Zoe's room and the bathroom," Jessica moaned. "Who're you on with today?" Jessica frowned as Paige hesitated before answering.

"It's Annabelle, isn't it?" Jessica asked, moaning as Paige nodded.

"I don't get why you don't like her," Paige mused. "I mean, you're both American, right? You're both T-girls, and she seems friendly enough..."

"Trust me," Jessica said. "That girl is a black widow. She knows what she wants, and she knows EXACTLY how to get it."

"Well then," Paige said, pulling on her slinky pencil dress and high heeled pumps, "lucky for you that you've already got everything you want, right?" Paige gave Jessica a long, lingering kiss before departing, leaving the blonde American girl to stew as thoughts of Paige's colleague for the flight flooded her mind.

Ever since she'd first met Annabelle during the most recent training period, Jessica had disliked the girl, as she was everything Jessica was- only better. Jessica had tried to persuade herself that her feelings were mere jealousy, that she should rise above it, but everything Annabelle said or did infuriated Jessica, from her attention-grabbing supermodel's strut to her flawless 'Southern Belle' accent that left men- and some women- weak at the knees. Jessica was a beauty, to be sure... But Annabelle was a beauty QUEEN, to whom Jessica would always be first alternative.

Sighing with frustration, Jessica rose from her bed and, after a quick shower, dressed in a plain red jumper and tight black skirt before knocking on Zoe's door.

"Zoe?" Jessica asked. "You awake?"

"Come in," Zoe moaned, wincing from the light that flooded into the room as Jessica opened the door.

"Feeling any better?" Jessica asked softly.

"Not really," Zoe moaned. "Not throwing up any more..."

"Well that's something, at least!" Jessica joked, sitting on the edge of Zoe's bed. "You do look a little better."

"I really..." Zoe sighed. "...Really don't want to go back to work tomorrow..."

"Is it really THAT bad?" Jessica asked.

"The hours are long, the passengers are morons, and the uniform..." Zoe moaned. "You wouldn't get it. I know that to girls like you, it's a dream to be able to be who you want to be AND get paid for it, but to me... A skirt is just a skirt, you know?"

"I do kinda get it," Jessica said sympathetically. "Natalie did tell me there'd be days when the 'novelty would wear off'... Guess it's worse when the novelty was never there to begin with. Especially when your previous job saw you wearing skin-tight leotards all day!"

"I would give anything to just pull on a leotard and teach a class right now," Zoe sighed. "But, I've got this job now, might as well make the most of it..."

"Do you need me to bring you anything?" Jessica asked. "Water, I can make you some soup if you'd like..."

"Water would be good, please," Zoe croaked. "Where's Paige off to today?"

"London," Jessica said.

"Lucky her," Zoe sighed.

"What, cold, rainy and dismal English weather?" Jessica giggled, handing Zoe her water.

"No, there and back in a few hours," Zoe moaned.

"Yeah, less time in the air," Jessica chuckled. "Especially considering who she's flying with..."

"Jacques?" Zoe asked.

"Worse," Jessica sighed.

"If you need anything at all, our expert team of stewardesses will be only too happy to oblige," Rachel announced to the seated passengers. "Your stewardesses for this flight are Paige," Paige bobbed a quick curtsey as Rachel gestured to her, "Eleanor," the petite ginger-haired Irish girl bobbed a curtsey at her supervisor's mention, "and Annabelle." With a wide grin on her face, the tall, blonde American woman bobbed a curtsey, acknowledging the wolf whistles her slender frame received.

"Take off will be in five minutes," Rachel continued. "Flight duration will be 1 hour and 10 minutes. Again, I'd like to thank you for choosing Soixante-Trois airlines, and I hope you all have a comfortable and enjoyable flight to my hometown of London!" Rachel grinned as she finished her pre-flight checks and took her seat next to Eleanor, whilst Paige sat down next to Annabelle.

"Not often you get four girls who all have English as their first language on a flight, even to Britain," Eleanor mused.

"Paige's first language is English?" Rachel teased, making the Scottish girl stick her tongue out at her.

"Now girls, no need to be nasty," Annabelle said in her soft Southern voice as the plane taxied along the runway. "Paige's accent is just darling, wouldn't you agree?"

"An Englishwoman, an Irishwoman and a Scottish woman all get on a plane, and the American woman tries to broker peace between them all," Eleanor giggled. The four girls exchanged jokes as the plane rose through the clouds, with Eleanor and Rachel teasing Paige whilst Annabelle watched with detached amusement.

"Showtime, girls!" Rachel said as the 'fasten seatbelts' light extinguished. Paige smoothed her skirt as she stood up and followed Annabelle into the plane's galley, whilst Eleanor and Rachel started seeing to their passengers.

"Can you get the water boiling?" Paige asked as she prepared her drinks trolley.

"Sure, sweetheart," Annabelle replied. Paige giggled nervously at the use of the overfamiliar term as she watched Annabelle perform her tasks with the same cool detachment with which she interacted with her colleagues.

"Annabelle..." Paige asked hesitantly.

"What is it, honey?" Annabelle asked, making Paige giggle nervously again.

"It's-" Paige stammered. "It's nothing that can't wait. Looks like I'm up," Paige pointed a red-tipped finger at the call light in the galley, before pushing her trolley out to the waiting passenger.

"How can I help you, sir?" Paige asked the smartly-dressed gentleman.

"Well for starters, you could get that pretty American girl instead," the man snorted in a Midlands accent. "No offence, but you are a little 'obvious'.

"I don't know what you mean, sir," Paige said, making an extra effort to feminise her voice and her face.

"Look, everyone knows that this airline hires trannies," the man sighed. "I wouldn't be on the plane if I had a problem with it, but I'd prefer not to be served by... Well, by you." Paige smiled a sweet smile and nodded- it was far from the first time she'd been 'made' on a flight, but this would be the first time she would be rejected in favour of ANOTHER T-girl...

"Of course, sir," Paige said. "If you would prefer Annabelle to serve your drinks, I'll go and fetch her immediately."

"Thank you," the Englishman said politely, returning to his reading as Paige pushed her trolley back into the galley.

"Turns out you've got an admirer," Paige giggled, taking off her jacket and hat. "Looks like I'll be doing the brewing today."

"Sure thing, honey," Annabelle said, putting her own hat back on her head and pushing Paige's trolley out into the plane with a wiggle in her hips- hips Paige found herself paying a LOT of attention to as they disappeared into the fuselage of the plane.

On the return flight to Paris, Paige spent the entirety of the flight in the kitchen, realising that it wasn't her that the passengers REALLY wanted to see pushing the trolley- and Paige didn't blame them one bit. As she arrived back at the apartment, Paige greeted Jessica with a long kiss, as always... But try as she might, she could shake Annabelle out of her mind.

"How's Zoe?" Paige asked in an effort to distract herself and stop thinking about the aloof American girl.

"A LITTLE better," Jessica sighed. "She spent most of the afternoon on the sofa watching Nickelodeon UK, now she's back in bed... She's stopped throwing up, which is something."

"Tell Natalie she can borrow my nurse's uniform if she wants," Paige joked, giggling along with Jessica. "What's for dinner?"

"A guest!" Jessica said.

"Are we FINALLY going to meet Anna-Jade's new boyfriend?" Paige asked.

"'Finally', yes," Jessica giggled. "I'm just hoping he's all she makes him out to be... I'm guessing he won't mind coming into a house with four T-girls if he's dating one." Jessica paused, steeling herself before asking her next question.

"...How was the flight?" The American woman asked in a quiet voice.

"Okay," Paige sighed. "Got 'made' again..."

"Oh for god's sake, how can anyone 'make' you?" Jessica asked, giving Paige a kiss on her forehead.

"Think they were just playing the odds," Paige sighed. "Rachel's obviously never going to be a T-girl, nor's Ellie, and Annabelle..."

"What about Annabelle?" Jessica asked suspiciously.

"Umm, nothing," Paige sighed. "Need some help in the kitchen?"

"I've got it in hand," Jessica said. "What about Annabelle?"

"Just- just forget it, okay?" Paige said defensively. "I mis-spoke... You have to admit, she is more feminine than me..."

"Can you check in on Zoe, see if she wants any dinner?" Jessica asked, returning to the kitchen with a frown on her face.

"Sure," Paige whispered in near-shock at Jessica's outburst.

Before long, Natalie had returned from her flight to Zurich and helped Paige set the folding dining table for their evening meal. Zoe was still unable to face solid food, and Marie hadn't returned from her flight to St Petersburg, so the table was set for 5 places- but Natalie kept a space saved just in case Zoe changed her mind.

"So," Natalie- who had changed into a casual long-sleeved minidress- asked. "Who d'you reckon Anna-Jade's fella is?"

"You're expecting me to know?" Paige giggled. "Didn't even know she was seeing anyone until about two weeks ago..."

"She WASN'T," Natalie laughed. "Those hormones they started her on must work fast..."

"Pretty sure that's not how they work," Jessica giggled. "What's keeping her so long?" As if on cue, the front door to the apartment opened, revealing Anna-Jade and her boyfriend- whose identity caused the jaws of everyone present to drop.

"Jessica, Natalie, Paige," Anna-Jade said in a giddy voice. "Allow me to introduce my boyfriend. This is-"

"Jacques Lacroix," Jessica said in a dull, unimpressed voice as Natalie and Paige leaned forward onto the table, resting their faces in the palms of their hands.

"Mademoiselles," Jacques cooed in his trademark oily voice. "What a pleasure to finally see the inside of your apartment!"

"Do- do you all know each other?" Anna-Jade asked, bemused by the reactions of her housemates.

"I've flown with these three lovely ladies several times," Jacques oozed, his accent making Anna-Jade giggle uncontrollably.

"Careful now, you'll make me jealous!" the Irish girl teased. "Isn't Zoe joining us?"

"She's still laid up," Natalie said as she began to dish up the meal Jessica had prepared.

"And here I was, promised an evening in the company of five beautiful women," Jacques sighed, before giving Anna-Jade a light kiss. "Four beautiful women is enough for Jacques."

"Not what I heard," Jessica mumbled under her breath.

"Did you say something, Jessica?" Anna-Jade asked, growing increasingly confused- and concerned- by her housemates' hostility toward her boyfriend.

"Only that the food's getting cold," Jessica replied. "Go on, get stuck in!"

"Did you cook this?" Anna-Jade asked, breathing in the aroma of the food. "I can barely microwave a packet of soup..."

"How lucky for you that you have a gourmet chef for a boyfriend!" Jacques teased, making Anna-Jade giggle once again.

"Airline pilot, Olympic-level skier, now a gourmet chef- is there anything you can't do?" Anna-Jade asked.

"Is there any ONE he WON'T do?" Paige whispered under her breath, making Jessica giggle whilst taking a sip of her wine.

"I can also do the Heimlich, if you need," Jacques offered as Jessica cleared her throat.

"No, no, I'm fine," Jessica croaked.

"Are you sure?" Jacques asked. "Any time you need me to wrap my hands around your body-"

"I'm REALLY fine," Jessica said, taking a deep breath and wincing at the quizzical, borderline offended stare Anna-Jade shot in her direction. For the next half-hour, Jacques regaled the women of the apartment with tales of his adventures and of his supposed physical prowess, impressing Anna-Jade whilst revolting the other three girls. After Jacques excused himself to use the toilet, the Irish girl turned to her flat mates with a look of fury in her eyes.

"What is WITH you three?" Anna-Jade hissed at the three women.

"Nothing's 'with' us," Natalie replied. "Your oil slick of a boyfriend, on the other hand..."

"Don't. Even. Give me. That," Anna-Jade spat. "Just because I'm into men and you're all into girls- or T-girls, or whatever-"

"'Men' isn't the problem," Paige said. "Jacques, on the other hand, is."

"I guarantee," Jessica said. "If you go into the locker room on any day- ANY day- and pick ten stewardesses at random, Jacques will have tried it on with all of them and will probably have bedded at least one, maybe two."

"Hands up anyone at the table who Jacques has tried it on with?" Natalie said, making Anna-Jade's face fall as her hand rose along with Jessica and Paige's.

"Well- I'm just lucky," Anna-Jade said, the confidence draining from her voice. "I'm the one he REALLY wants..."

"For the next month," Jessica said, before wincing under another withering stare from her ginger-haired flatmate. "Anna... We just don't want to see you get hurt. If you stay with Jacques... He WILL hurt you."

"Ah, the envy, I know it so well," Jacques said, sitting down next to Anna-Jade and giving the upset girl a kiss.

"We're REALLY not envious," Jessica said, linking her fingers with Paige on the table for Jacques to see.

"And you know I've told you where you can shove it more than once," Natalie said.

"Indeed," Jacques replied with a smug voice. "I wonder if Marie would want to know what you've been 'shoving' into her sister?" Natalie's face fell, before screwing into an angry scowl directed straight at Anna-Jade.

"You know-" Natalie hissed. "I actually RECOMMENDED you as a flatmate to the other girls?"

"I- I'm sorry, okay?" Anna-Jade said. "I thought I could trust him... I DO trust him."

"And I thought I could trust YOU!" Natalie shouted. Within seconds, the dinner table had descended into a three-way slanging match between Jacques, Anna-Jade and Natalie, leaving the other two girls tired and nonplussed.

"Merry Christmas, Paige," Jessica sighed.

"Joyeux Noel," Paige sighed in return. "Voulez-vous coucher?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Jessica giggled. Silently, Paige and Jessica slipped off to their bedroom, quickly climbing under their bedsheets as the argument in the living room blazed on.

"Putain de merde," Zoe moaned as she stepped out of her room, her illness-induced headache only exacerbated by the noise of the argument. "What are you arg- oh dieu, what the fuck is HE doing here?"

"Ah, Mademoiselle Renou," Jacques oozed. "Or should I say, Mademoiselle Briggs's 'bit on the side'?" Zoe grunted and her face fell as Jacques stared at her with a smug, triumphant grin.

"Va te faire foutre," Zoe spat at the co-pilot, before going back into her room.

"Well, this was delightful," Natalie sighed, standing up from the table. "We should do this again some time. Preferably when hell freezes over."

"How did that connard find out about us?" Zoe moaned as her English lover entered her bedroom.

"Anna-Jade found out," Natalie sighed apologetically. "She blabbed to 'le connard'..."

"Ugh," Zoe moaned. "I mean, I like Anna-Jade, but..."

"Just... Just get some sleep, get yourself better," Natalie said, gently stroking her lover's hair as she laid back on her pillow. "I'm on the sofa tonight so I'll have to wait for Anna-Jade and 'le connard' to get to bed first..."

Much to Natalie's relief, when she returned to the lounge, Anna-Jade and Jacques were nowhere to be found. Natalie sighed as she removed her earrings and her dress and lowered herself onto the sofa, quickly falling into a deep sleep. Less than an hour later, however, Natalie was woken by a repeated shaking of her temporary bed sheets. The English girl opened her tired eyes, staring into the face of Marie, who was holding a blindingly bright smartphone screen in her face.

"What bloody time is it?" Natalie asked as she tried to focus on the phone's screen.

"Time for you to explain this,” Marie said in a dark, angry voice.

"Can it wait until morning?" Natalie sighed, not even bothering to read Marie's message.

"'Marie'," the older woman read from her screen, translating from French to English. "'You might be interested to know that your sister and Natalie Briggs are having regular sex.' Is there truth to this?"

"Yes," Natalie mumbled. "Now- and I mean this in the nicest, most respectful way possible- please fuck off and let me get some sleep."

"Not until you explain this!" Marie snarled, whipping Natalie's sheet off of her.

"What's to explain?" Natalie sighed. "You yourself said: Zoe's twenty, she can take care of herself, that means she can make her own choices."

"Zoe!" Marie barked. "Get out here!" With a deep frown on her face, Zoe stumbled out of her room.

"Ce qui la baise, Marie?" Zoe moaned. "I am trying to sleep..."

"How long have you and Natalie been an item?" Marie asked, her eyes full of fury. Zoe reeled in shock, before a nod from Natalie made her realise that there was no sense in lying.

"Since about a month after she moved in," Zoe said candidly. "Amazed it took you this long to figure it out, in truth."

"Why was I not told about this?" Marie demanded.

"When did you ever consult with me about any of your boyfriends?" Zoe asked, returning to her room.

"Oh non non non," Marie said. "You DON'T turn your back on me!"

"And why not?" Zoe snapped. "Because you're my big sister? My supervisor?"

"Because you lied to me," Marie said, her voice full of hurt. "We're supposed to be able to tell each other anything!"

"Would you have approved if I'd told you about me and Natalie?" Zoe asked.

"Would it have made a difference?" Marie countered, making Zoe shake her head in response. "Then where was the danger in telling me?"

"Now be honest," Natalie said. "Am I REALLY the partner you'd have picked for your baby sister?"

"I wouldn't have presumed to pick for her," Marie said, smiling at Zoe. "She's twenty, she can take care of herself. What I'm most upset is that you went behind my back. No- I'm upset that you feel you HAD to go behind my back."

"Can I sleep in with Zoe tonight then instead of out here on the sofa?" Natalie asked with her trademark cheeky grin.

"One step at a time," Marie said, following her sister into their bedroom and shutting the door.

The following morning, Natalie woke up feeling renewed, after first convincing herself that Marie's 'acceptance' hadn't been just a dream. She entered the sisters' bedroom, allowing Marie to lace her into her corset, before barging into her and Anna-Jade's bedroom, abruptly waking the Irish girl and her French boyfriend.

"Morning Jacques, you grease-stained little fuck!" Natalie said in her natural, masculine Manchester accent. "You'll be happy to hear that Marie got your text message. Maybe not as happy to hear that Zoe and I now have her blessing and will officially be a public couple from now on." Natalie pulled on a black dress and a pair of stilettos for her commute, before leaving the bedroom without another word.

"You- you actually sent the message?" Anna-Jade asked her boyfriend incredulously.

"You heard the way she talked to me last night," Jacques shrugged, before wrapping his arms back around the ginger-haired girl, who found herself involuntarily squirming underneath Jacques's touch.

"Seriously, call in sick," Paige moaned as Jessica pulled a tight, smart top over her corset-enhanced figure and zipped up a smart pencil skirt around her legs.

"Deja vu, any?" Jessica giggled. "You didn't yesterday, so I'm not today!"

"Ugh, fine," Paige sighed, collapsing back onto her bed. "Just- just have fun in Ireland, okay?"

"Sure I will," Jessica said, before giving Paige a kiss and heading to the living room, where she was greeted by Natalie, Anna-Jade and Marie.

"Zoe's still sick," Marie told the three stewardesses with a tired sigh. "So it's just you three blue routers today!"

"What happened to all the worry about her career?" Natalie teased in her regular feminine voice, earning a chuckle from Marie.

"She's sick," Marie said. "That means she's not well enough to work. That's just the way it is."

"Looks like it's the three amigoettes today then," Jessica giggled, leading Natalie and Anna-Jade out of the apartment to the nearby tram stop.

Jessica had a smile on her face as she stripped off her top and skirt and wiggled into her regulation blue uniform, savouring the sensation of the soft fabric caressing her body as though it were the first time she had ever worn it. Jessica's face turned into a frown, however, when she went to leave the locker room and ran straight into Annabelle.

"Hey honey," Annabelle said in her sweet Southern accent, barely giving Jessica a second look as she passed her.

"'Hey honey'," Jessica mocked once she was sure Annabelle was out of earshot.

"What IS your problem with her?" Anna-Jade asked Jessica as they headed to their flight. "Between her and Jacques, I'm beginning to think the only person you get on with at this company is Paige..."

"Ugh, she's just so phoney," Jessica spat. "All this 'sweetie' and 'honey' and this fake shyness... I bet you she entered beauty pageants when she was younger."

"Umm, you DO know she's, well, 'like us', right?" Anna-Jade asked. "Would kinda make it hard for her to win any beauty pageants... Is she even transitioning?"

"Haven't asked, don't know, don't care," Jessica replied.

"I'm sure if you get to know her a little better you'll become best of friends," Anna-Jade said with a warm smile. "I mean, you're the only Americans on blue route, kinda sad that you don't like her."

"She knows how to get in touch with me," Jessica sighed as the two stewardesses boarded their airplane and began their pre-flight checks.

"Morning, sleepyhead!" Paige laughed as Zoe stumbled out of her bedroom wrapped in her bed sheet, her normally full, luscious brown hair hanging lankly off her head.

"My head is full of gunk, not sleep," Zoe moaned, collapsing on the sofa, still wrapped in her sheet.

"How about your stomach?" Paige asked. "Can do some breakfast if you're feeling up to it..."

"Some coffee would be good, please," Zoe sighed, sitting up to watch Paige disappear into the kitchen. As the Scottish girl returned with her beverage, Zoe couldn't help but stare at the overtly feminine figure Paige was presenting with her dark, hosed legs and flared knee-length dress.

"Paige..." Zoe asked, her strength returning with every sip of the hot brown liquid, "why do you always, you know, be a girl on your days off? Jessica isn't around, it's just me and Marie, there's no need to... Well..."

"Because I AM a girl," Paige giggled. "Have you never asked Natalie this before?"

"Oh yeah, plenty," Zoe replied. "I kinda get it with her, she's always had this 'rebel' in her..." Paige couldn't help but giggle as Zoe smiled at the thought of her no-longer secret lover. "But with you and Jessica... Neither of you are having a sex change, neither of you ever lived as a girl before starting for the company..."

"Neither of us are having a sex change YET," Paige corrected Zoe, making the French girl's eyes go wide.

"You- you're thinking about it?" Zoe asked.

"Jess and I are booked in to see a counsellor," Paige said. "We want to do this properly, make sure it's what we REALLY want... Then again, neither of us have even told our parents yet about, well, 'Paige and Jess'."

"They might be more accepting than you think," Zoe said. "I mean, I thought my sister would hate the thought of me going out with a 'special' girl..." Zoe curled up in a coughing fit as a drop of coffee went down the wrong way, prompting Paige to rush over to the ailing French girl.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Zoe croaked in a hoarse voice. "Just give me a sec..."

"God, you really haven't had it easy, have you?" Paige sighed, frowning as Zoe shook her head.

"What did you say you did before working for the airline?" Zoe asked the pale Scottish girl.

"Lifeguard at a pool, why?" Paige said.

"Ever miss it?" Zoe asked.

"A few times," Paige said, before a warm smile spread across her face. "I know what'll make you feel better..."

"Where are you going?" Zoe asked as Paige disappeared into her bedroom, only to re-emerge moments later with her black hair slicked back on her head and her body wrapped in the soft pink tights and black leotard she'd bought the previous month as part of hers, Jessica's and Natalie's surprise for Zoe following her last day of work as a dance instructor. Zoe giggled as Paige gracelessly pirouetted across the floor, before lowering herself into an almost full split in front of the French girl's sofa.

"Oh dieu," Zoe giggled as Paige attempted- and failed- to pull off the ballet steps she'd seen Zoe dance dozens of times.

"I'm not sure what hurts most," Zoe laughed. "My chest or watching you dance!"

"instruct me then, if I'm THAT bad," Paige retorted, making Zoe smile as she gathered her sheet and returned to her room, emerging later dressed in the pink dancing gear she'd worn for many months before starting work for Soixante-Trois airlines. For the next sixty minutes, she put Paige through her paces, teaching her as though she was one of her thirteen-year old students, and at the end of the hour, Zoe felt reinvigorated.

"Better?" Paige asked, collapsing down on the sofa in her dancewear.

"A bit," Zoe laughed. "Miss my students more than ever now..."

"Is it really too late to go back?" Paige asked.

"The pay cut would be HUGE," Zoe sighed.

"But you'd be HAPPY," Paige argued. Zoe opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by the front door of the apartment opening.

"I'm back," Marie announced, carrying several bags of groceries. "Most places were sold out, but I've got all we need for le reveillon, Paige, can you-" Marie paused, her jaw dropping with shock when she saw Paige and Zoe sat on the sofa in their dancewear.

"...Should I ask?" Marie asked, sighing when Zoe and Paige burst into a fit of giggles. Before long, Jessica, Natalie and Anna-Jade had returned from their flights and changed into their poshest dresses for the reveillon, the traditional French pre-Christmas dinner. Paige's and Marie's cooking was appreciated by all six girls, who ate with gusto before returning to their bedrooms for one final Christmas tradition before turning in for the night.

"Joyeux Noel!" Marie and Zoe yelled down their telephone, wide smiles on both faces.

"Marie! Zoe!" The girls' mother exclaimed. "Joyeux Noel!"

"How's dad, was he at work today?" Marie asked in French, relieved to finally be speaking her native language.

"He's fine," Mrs. Renou replied. "Should be back for la reveillon soon, I'll make sure he calls you back. Such a shame you both have to work tomorrow, were you both at work today?"

"No, Marie was on a free day, I was ill again," Zoe said.

"Oh Zoe," Mrs. Renou sighed. "You never used to get so ill when you were a child..."

"I think my body just needs time to adjust," Zoe laughed.

"Your body needs time at home, with the love and care of your parents!" Mrs. Renou retorted. "Do either of you have boyfriends yet?" Zoe's eyes went wide as she looked at her sister, who simply shrugged her shoulders.

"No, no boyfriends," Marie said, putting an unintentional emphasis on 'boy'.

"Well as long as you're both happy and you're both taking care of each other, that's all that matters!"

"Always," Marie said, smiling warmly at her younger sister.

"Hi ma!" Natalie yelled into the phone. "Merry Christmas!"

"Matthew!" Mrs. Briggs replied. "So good to hear your voice, even if it is THAT voice!"

"Well, if you insist," Natalie laughed, coughing and returning to her natural masculine voice. "Though this is one of your Christmas presents, okay?"

"Fine," Mrs. Briggs laughed. "How's life in Paris?"

"Going really, really well," Natalie said. "I'm just calling to wish you Merry Christmas and to say that I have a girlfriend. My love to dad and the girls, bye!"

"Wait!" Mrs. Briggs yelled, making Natalie smirk evilly. "You have a girlfriend? But I thought..."

"Thought what?" Natalie asked with fake innocence.

"Thought that you were, you know, gay..." Natalie's mother replied.

"What, as in a lesbian?" Natalie asked, making her mother snort with frustration.

"Well, but-" Mrs. Briggs stuttered. "Is she, you know, a girl 'like you'?"

"She works for the same airline I do," Natalie replied, knowing full well that she wasn't truly answering her mother's question.

"Does she have, you know..." Mrs. Briggs asked.

"I'm not answering unless you ACTUALLY ask it," Natalie said smugly.

"Does she have lady parts?" Mrs. Briggs asked, audibly distressed at having to word her question in that manner.

"Yes, yes, she does," Natalie laughed. "Would it really matter if she didn't?"

"Well-" Mrs. Briggs replied, before sighing. "As long as you're happy and you're living comfortably that's all that matters I guess, no matter how you choose to dress yourself. Merry Christmas Matthew, Natalie or whatever you choose to call yourself."

"Merry Christmas ma," Natalie laughed. "Love you, my love to Ellen and Sasha."

"I love you too," Mrs. Briggs said before hanging up the phone. Natalie rested her body back on her bed with a contented sigh, before looking sadly at the ginger-haired girl on the adjacent bed.

"Your mum's awesome," Anna-Jade sighed sadly.

"Are you not going to at least call?" Natalie asked softly, wincing as Anna-Jade shook her head.

"No point," the Irish girl mumbled. "When I spoke to them last month to tell them I was transitioning... Disaster doesn't even begin to cover it."

"You're still their child," Natalie said. "Whether son or daughter... They should love you for who they are, not who they think you should be."

"If only it was that easy," Anna-Jade moaned. "As far as they're concerned, I lived life as a man for almost 26 years, so why can't I handle it for another 26?"

"What crap," Natalie snorted. "Um, no offence..."

"Believe me, I'd go a lot stronger than 'crap'," Anna-Jade chuckled. "They're devout Catholics so they actually believe I can be 'cured' through prayer, actually suggested that when I called them..."

"As a devout atheist, you know my opinion there," Natalie replied.

"All too well," Anna-Jade sighed, picking up her phone and looking at it wistfully.

"Oh for nothing's sake, just call them!" Natalie said.

"...Maybe at the new year," Anna-Jade sighed, placing her phone back on her bedside table.

"Hi Mom!" Jessica said into her phone in her natural masculine voice. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas Jesse!" Mrs. Tyler said into the phone. "What time is it over there?"

"Just gone 9pm," Jessica replied. "Can't stay on long, working tomorrow..."

"Oh no," Mrs. Tyler moaned. "They make you work Christmas Day?"

"Well, people need to fly home on Christmas Day," Jessica laughed. "You know how busy airports are on Thanksgiving, same thing over here, but at Christmas."

"Well, you just take care," Mrs. Tyler said. "Now, when are you coming home to see us? And when you come, are you going to bring that girlfriend of yours?"

"I'll come home soon, I promise," Jessica laughed. "As for Paige..." Jessica and Paige both grinned as the American girl switched the speakerphone on on the handset.

"Hello Mrs. Tyler!" Paige said into the phone.

"Is that Paige?" Jessica's mother asks. "You'd better be taking good care of my son!" Paige smiled as she looked into the fully made-up eyes of her lover.

"Aye, very good care," Paige said. "Um, how's the weather where you are?"

"Cold and wet," Mrs. Tyler replied. "I suppose you must get a lot of White Christmases in Scotland!"

"Not as many as we'd like," Paige laughed. "Umm..." Sensing that the conversation was going awkwardly, Jessica interjected.

"How are Aaron and Hayley?" Jessica asked of her younger siblings.

"They're doing well," Mrs. Tyler replied. "Hayley's settling in well at High School, Aaron's made the school soccer team three years in a row. Oh, sorry Paige, school FOOTBALL team."

"No, I don't mind, not a big football or soccer or whatever fan anyway!" Paige giggled.

"Next time I'm in Germany I'll see if I can pick him up a world cup souvenir," Jessica laughed.

"I'll let you go now, don't want to waste your money on the phone bill," Mrs. Tyler said. "Merry Christmas, I love you, and please, come home soon!"

"I will, I promise," Jessica said. "I love you, Merry Christmas!" Jessica smiled as she clicked off her telephone, before gripping Paige's hand for support as she dialled a long, international number on hers.

"Hello?" A middle-aged Scottish voice called over the phone's speaker.

"Hi mum!" Paige said in her own natural masculine voice. "Merry Christmas!"

"Paul!" Mrs. Robertson cooed with delight. "About time you called!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Paige laughed, taking extra care not to accidentally slip into her feminine voice. "Is dad there?"

"Aye," Mrs. Robertson replied. "So are Nina and Trisha, only one person missing this Christmas..."

"I'm sorry, but you know I have to work tomorrow..." Paige sighed.

"I know, I know," Paige's mother laughed. "I don't mind you missing Christmas so much as long as you come home at some point in the next few weeks! They do give you time off in your job, right?"

"Yes," Paige grimaced, "though I kinda promised Jessica I'd go and visit her parents with her..."

"Oh that's okay," Mrs. Robertson said. "She can come and visit your parents with you! I hope she's treating you well, not distracting you from your work..."

"Aye, everything's great on the Jessica front!" Paige said as Jessica silently giggled next to her.

"And I hope you're both spoiling each other for Christmas!" Mrs. Robertson laughed. "Has she found out about your 'dark secret' yet?" Paige cringed, whilst Jessica's eyes went wide at the mention of Paige's 'dark secret'.

"Umm, no," Paige said hesitantly, making her mother laugh almost uncontrollably.

"Oh no," Mrs. Robertson giggled. "She's there, isn't she?"

"Umm, hi Mrs. Robertson," Jessica said, chuckling at how much more comfortable she felt when speaking in her feminine voice. "No, Pai- Paul hasn't told me about he-his dark secret..."

"It's NOTHING, really..." Paige sighed as the two most important women in her life teased her about her secret.

"'Nothing' that dominated every birthday and Christmas over the space of about ten years!" Mrs. Robertson laughed as Paige grew more and more embarrassed.

"My credit's running low," Paige lied to spare herself further embarrassment. "Merry Christmas, love to you, dad, Nina and Trisha."

"Our love to you too," Mrs. Robertson said. "Fly safe!" Paige clicked off her phone and cringed as Jessica stared intently at her.

"I'm assuming the 'dark secret' ISN'T the fact that you're sat here wearing a pair of shiny pantyhose and a dress," Jessica giggled, making Paige moan frustratedly.

"It- it's nothing, okay? It's silly..." Paige sighed.

"If it's something you enjoy, I want to enjoy it too!" Jessica laughed.

"You wouldn't, trust me," Paige laughed, before turning around as Jessica grabbed both of her hands.

"Want to know a secret?" Jessica giggled. "Not a 'dark' one, but still a secret anyway?"

"Go on," Paige replied.

"I phoned your parents and found out all about your 'dark secret'," Jessica explained, handing Paige a carefully-wrapped present. Smiling excitedly, Paige opened the gift, finding inside it an officially licensed Harry Potter school uniform, complete with skirt, wand and Gryffindor tie.

"Merrado Christmasium," Jessica laughed.

"That's not how they say it in the books," Paige giggled, waving the wand around as though she were casting spells.

"I know, I've read them," Jessica said, tying the tie around Paige's neck. "Maybe not once a year, every year like you, but that's not to say I don't know my way around a few spells..."

"Ever since I read Philosopher's Stone I've been obsessed," Paige laughed. "Used to be the only thing that could keep my mind off of being a girl, I used to pretend I was Ron Weasley's little brother... Then over the years I started pretending I was Ginny Weasley's twin sister... Even wrote fan fiction of it once, that's how sad I am..."

"It's not sad at all!" Jessica giggled, giving Paige a tight hug. "Though don't the Weasleys have ginger hair rather than black hair?"

"Aye," Paige giggled embarrassedly. "That's um, kinda another 'dark secret'... Pain in the arse when I was working as a lifeguard, I'd have to re-dye it every week..."

"Lucky for you, I find pale skin and dark hair to be the sexiest combination in existence!" Jessica laughed, wrapping her arms around Paige's neck and giving her a long, deep kiss.

After the six girls in the apartment had exchanged their presents- most of Paige's being Harry Potter themed after Jessica revealed that she'd shared her 'dark secret' with the other four women- before retiring to bed ahead of a full day's work. As Paige and Jessica laid in bed, their bodies glistening following an intense lovemaking session, their thoughts were on their families back home, and the daughters their parents didn't know they had.

"You- you were planning on going home to Scotland during your leave in February, weren't you?" Jessica asked her lover as the two girls cuddled up together.

"Originally," Paige said. "I'd much rather go to America. I've never been there before, the weather's bound to be better-"

"Don't count on it," Jessica interrupted.

"And..." Paige sighed. "If I go to Scotland, I'd have to go back as Paul, if I go to America... You'd be taking me home as your girlfriend, I'd actually be expected to 'be Paige'. I know that sounds daft..."

"It's why I want us to go to Scotland!" Jessica giggled. "And it's why I haven't been home once since I moved to France..."

"Sounds like when we talk to that counsellor next month, there's only going to be one outcome," Paige sighed.

"You don't sound too happy about that," Jessica mused.

"Oh no, it's-" Paige stammered, before taking a deep breath. "I- I can live without being a girl. It'd be difficult. It'd hurt, but... I reckon I could go back to the way I was. I CAN'T live without my family."

"I know how you feel," Jessica sighed, cuddling Paige tighter. "I WANT to be a woman... But I don't NEED to be. But... But... Why should we deny ourselves what we want?"

"Christmas is a time for giving," Paige sighed. "A time for getting, a time for forgiving and for forgetting..."

"Umm, what are you trying to say?" Jessica asked.

"Oh- nothing, just a song lyric," Paige sighed. "But maybe I'm trying to say we shouldn't deny ourselves what we truly want? Natalie and Zoe certainly haven't, and I always dreamed that one day I'd walk into my parents' home as Paige and be accepted as their daughter..."

"Walk in, or fly in on a broomstick?" Jessica teased, prompting Paige to give her a playful dig in the ribs.

"Get some sleep," Paige laughed. "Let's just get tomorrow over and done with, THEN we can think about who's taking who home as which gender..."

The following morning, all six smartly-dressed women arrived at Charles De Gaulle airport with smiles on their faces, ready for the challenge ahead.

"Tell me," Jessica asked as she swapped her tight pencil dress- a Christmas gift from Marie- for her tight blue uniform, "how come Annabelle gets today off and we-"

"One more word about Annabelle and I'm setting up a swear box!" Natalie laughed, removing her dangly Christmas tree earrings (a gift from Jessica) and replacing them with the regulation gold studs.

"Maybe I should be jealous about Annabelle?" Paige teased as she pulled on her blue pencil skirt and swapped her Christmas tree-patterned tights (a gift from Zoe) for her uniform seamed black stockings.

"No jealousy!" Zoe insisted, taking as deep a breath as her corset would allow before pulling on her uniform white bodysuit and removing her ballerina-themed charm bracelet (her Christmas gift from Anna-Jade).

"Maybe I'll ask Annabelle when I fly with her today?" Anna-Jade giggled, touching up her nails with a bottle of red polish she'd received from Natalie for Christmas.

"Enough gossip!" Marie giggled, fixing her hair with one of the decorative clips Paige had bought her for Christmas. "Girls, we have a job to do. Zo... Are you sure you're okay to fly?"

"I'll be fine," Zoe said with a smile on her face as she zipped herself into her ankle-length grey hobble skirt. "Abu Dhabi, here I come!" All six girls cheered as they left the locker room, with Paige, Jessica, Marie and Anna-Jade heading straight to their flights whilst Natalie and Zoe lingered behind, eventually heading to one of the staff toilets.

"This is SUCH a bad idea," Zoe giggled as she shut the door behind her. "We can't even 'do' anything, it'd take ages to get this bodysuit and skirt off and on again..."

"No, but we can do THIS," Natalie said, kissing Zoe deeply. "Merry Christmas, beautiful." Natalie and Zoe kissed again, even deeper, but broke off when they heard a loud cough from behind them. Both girls gasped as they looked up, straight into the accusing eyes of Rachel- Natalie's supervisor...

Jessica took a deep breath as she tried to relax in the aeroplane’s plush, comfortable seats- though the discomfort her clothes were causing and the stares she was receiving from the other passengers weren’t making the task of relaxing any easier. Next to her, her Scottish lover was suffering from the same levels of discomfort as she fidgeted in her seat.

“Feel like everyone’s staring,” Paige whispered to Jessica as the aeroplane’s safety briefing continued in both English and French.

“Oh whatever, let them stare,” Jessica snorted. “There’s nothing any of them can do.”

"Ladies and gentlemen," Rachel announced to the assembled passengers, "your stewardesses for today are Carly, Michelle and Saskia." Paige and Jessica stared at the three young women- all of whom they knew well- as they bobbed curtseys.

"Take off will be in five minutes," Rachel continued. "Flight duration will be 1 hour and 45 minutes. Again, I'd like to thank you for choosing Soixante-Trois airlines, and I hope you all have a comfortable and enjoyable flight to Glasgow!"

Jessica took a deep breath as the aeroplane roared down the runway at take-off thrust, its wheels quickly losing contact with the runway before being folded up into its undercarriage. As she stared at her faint reflection in the plane’s window, she sighed. Her hair was slicked back into a masculine style, her face was devoid of make-up and her smart trousers and jumper felt… wrong.

“Cheer up,” Paige chastised her lover. “Two hours, we’ll be in Glasgow, we can check into our hotel and you can be the ‘real’ you. I’m stuck like this for the whole week…” Jessica stared at Paige as she gestured at her own outwardly-masculine appearance. Despite being 5' 6", having a very slender frame and long, jet-black hair, there was no mistaking Paige for anything other than male.

“Can I get you two gentlemen anything from the trolley?” Rachel asked as she pushed her refreshment trolley up to where her two colleagues were sat.

“No, thank you,” Paige replied in a blunt, almost rude voice. Rachel took no offence as she pushed her trolley to the next row, though Jessica couldn’t help but wince at the hostility in Paige’s voice.

“Bit harsh, maybe?” Jessica asked her lover. “It’s not like she can say anything other than ‘gentlemen’…”

“It’s not that,” Paige said, making Jessica sigh sadly.

“And it’s not like she had any choice when it came to Natalie or Zoe either…” Jessica mumbled as she stared out at the receding French landscape.

“…Your stewardesses for today are Katarzyna,”Marie said in her sophisticated French accent, “Alice and Zoe. On behalf of Soixante-Trois airlines, I’d like to thank you for flying with us, and we hope you have an enjoyable flight to Moscow!” Zoe bobbed a curtsey before sitting back down in her seat, her cheeks burning with embarrassment as her sister sat down next to her.

“Smile, for god’s sake,” Marie chastised Zoe. “For someone so used to performing on stage…” Zoe forced a smile onto her face, though inside she was still fuming. Ever since she and Natalie had been discovered kissing in the airport’s locker room, her working life had been hell. As she was still in probation, she’d been handed a final written warning, and was informed that any further infractions of any kind- no matter how minor- would result in instant dismissal. Zoe had expected this to last to the end of her probation period, but when she learned that the warning would last for a full twelve months, Zoe seriously began reconsidering her career with Soixante-Trois airlines.

Natalie hadn’t got off lightly either- her hard-earned promotion had been stripped from her and she found herself on a first written warning, but her job didn’t hang on the knife-edge that Zoe’s did. As the ‘fasten seatbelts’ sign extinguished, the twenty year old French woman stood up, straightened her tight black skirt and followed her sister into the aeroplane’s kitchen where she began boiling kettles and preparing food.

“PLEASE can I stay in the kitchen for the flight?” Zoe begged Marie, who simply sighed in response.

“You’re still on probation,” Marie reminded her sister. “You still need to record the actual service experience if you’re going to pass… I’m sorry, Zoe.” Zoe’s face fell, but she forced her earlier smile back on her face as she pushed her trolley back out into the aeroplane’s fuselage, inwardly grimacing at the stares her nylon-covered legs were attracting from the mostly male, mostly Russian passengers. It was going to be a long, long flight.

“Welcome to Glasgow!” Paige beamed as she led Jessica out into the main concourse of Glasgow airport.

“I’ve been here dozens of times before!” Jessica giggled. “Not beyond those doors, though…”

“Then come on,” Paige urged. “I’ve got a city to show you… And you’ve got a woman to become!” Jessica smiled widely as Paige led her out into the cold Scottish air, and took in the sights and sounds of the historic city on the taxi ride to their city centre hotel.

“Do you need a second to change?” Paige giggled as the couple checked into their room.

“I have been LITERALLY itching to get out of these clothes since before we left Paris,” Jessica laughed, dumping her case on their double bed. “If it takes me a second it’ll be because I took my time!” Paige laughed loudly as she sat on the edge of the bed, watching enthralled as Jessica stripped off her trousers and jumper, before pulling on her cache sex, her breast form-enhanced bra and her waist cincher. The American girl continued her transformation by applying a full face of make-up- light pink eyeshadow, thick eye liner and mascara and a foundation to match her tanned skin.

“Always save the best for last,” Jessica giggled as she placed a tube of her favourite red lipstick on the table next to her mirror. Her make-up nearly complete, the American woman rolled a pair of dark stockings up her legs, fastening them to the garters hanging from her waist cincher, before pulling on a stretchy knee-length black dress that showed off her enhanced curves and even displayed a little cleavage. After slipping her feet into a pair of low heeled shoes- mindful that she was taller than her ‘boy’friend even in stocking feet- Jessica coated and re-coated her lips with her favourite cosmetic, before turning and presenting herself to Paige.

“The most beautiful girl in Scotland,” Paige cooed, giving Jessica a long kiss on her lips. “Just wish I could, you know, ‘be the second most beautiful girl’…” Paige sighed as she patted her second suitcase, the one containing her own feminine clothing that wouldn’t be opened until the couple reached America.

“…Then do that,” Jessica said. “Get dressed as Paige, now.”

“If only it was that easy,” Paige sighed, shaking her head.

“You know what the counsellor said when we saw them,” Jessica said. Paige nodded, remembering the words of the woman she and Jessica consulted with mere days before boarding their flight to Scotland.

“As you might imagine,” the counsellor- a friendly Belgian woman in her early fifties- had said, “I get a lot of girls through my door in the same situation as the two of you, though the two of you being in a couple IS a rarity. My main concern, before issuing any diagnosis of gender dysphoria or approving of any official transition, is whether or not this is what you both truly want- or whether or not you feel obliged to make the transition to please your partner.”

“Of course,” Jessica replied, smiling as she looked into Paige’s eyes.

“I’ve read both your histories,” the counsellor continued. “You’ve both gone into detail about how you’ve had cross-gendered thoughts from an early age, and you’re both fully settled into living life- both work and personal- as women, but I’m concerned about how you haven’t yet told anyone outside your close circle of friends- particularly your parents. Before you say anything: yes, I understand that this is a big step. The BIGGEST step, in fact, but it is one that needs to be taken before any ‘formal’ transition can begin. You can’t simply say ‘I want to be a woman forever, except when I’m at home’.”

“But how do we tell someone who raised us as a boy for twenty years ‘I would rather be a woman’?” Paige asked, frustrated at the ‘roadblock’ that had been placed in front of her.

“First, you need to make sure that this is what you truly want,” The counsellor explained. “Yes, obviously you CAN change your mind at a later date, but you need to be sure that you WON’T change your mind at any point during the foreseeable future.”

“I won’t,” Paige said confidently. The counsellor nodded, before continuing her advice about coming out- notes both Paige and Jessica eagerly wrote down in their notepads.

Paige lazily fingered her notepad with her free hand, before ringing the doorbell of her parents’ small suburban house.

“Paul!” Paige’s mother beamed, greeting her son with a long, tight hug. “And you must be Jessica!”

“Yes,” Jessica said with a giggle. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Robertson.”

“Call me Caroline,” Mrs. Robertson laughed as she ushered the couple- and their cases- into her house. “What have you g- got planned for the week?”

“I’m going to show Jessica around Glasgow,” Paige explained. “Maybe take a trip up to Loch Lomond… It’s not exactly picnic weather but we can still have a look around.”

“As long as you’re here for when your sisters come round on Thursday,” Caroline said. “It’s been months since they’ve seen you, I know they’re eager to catch up, you’ve changed so much since you moved to Paris!”

“I certainly have,” Paige laughed as she sat down in her usual spot on her parents’ sofa.

Natalie groaned as she opened her apartment door, her feet tired from being in high heels all day. Her demotion had seen her being moved onto only doing black route flights, and their duration was a far cry from the comparatively short blue route flights she was used to. Even worse was the fact that Zoe was never on the same flight as her, so she saw her even less than she did when she WAS a mentor. Natalie’s sole con solation was that as their relationship was no longer secret, they could share a bed- which they did every night they were both in the apartment, and would be doing that night.

“Hello?” Natalie asked, looking around the unusually dark apartment. “Marie? Zoe? Anna-Jade? Anyone home? What’s with the game of Lights Out?” Sighing, Natalie snapped on the living room light, discovering Anna-Jade curled up on the sofa in a pair of skinny jeans and a baggy sweatshirt, her face buried in a cushion and her long, flame-coloured hair spread wildly around her.

“Anna-Jade?” Natalie asked. “You okay?”

“Leave me alone,” Anna-Jade moaned. “And turn the lights off…”

“Yeah, I’m not going to do that,” Natalie said, straightening her tight dress as she sat next to the stricken Irishwoman. “Can’t really afford to trip over anything in these heels… What’s happened, is it the hormones, is it Jacques?”

“I don’t even want to hear that twat’s name!” Anna-Jade sobbed, burying her face further into her cushion.

“Thought as much,” Natalie sighed. “I’m not going to say ‘I told you so’, I like my face the shape it currently is…” Natalie paused as Anna-Jade let out a small giggle. “Was that a laugh?”

“No,” Anna-Jade mumbled. “Okay, yes… God knows it’s not your face I want to ‘re-shape’…”

“What did ‘le connard’ do?” Natalie asked.

“Remember at my birthday last month,” Anna-Jade sighed, turning to face her flat mate. “Remember how he said I was the only girl for him, now and forever?”

“Yeah, I thought I caught a strong smell of bullshit coming from his mouth when he said that,” Natalie replied.

“And he dumped me by text!” Anna-Jade wailed, showing Natalie the offending text message before hurling her smartphone onto a nearby chair. “By fucking text! I was on a plane with the cunt not 48 hours ago!”

“Okay, you’re kinda getting a bit Anglo-Saxon here,” Natalie chuckled.

“Hilarious,” Anna-Jade snorted. “Managed to get myself leave today, tomorrow and the day after, can’t really face going into work right now…”

“Perfect,” Natalie said with a wide smile. “I’m off tomorrow, Zoe’s working all day, how about you and me go to Disneyland?”

“Seriously? Disneyland?” Anna-Jade asked.

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” Natalie chuckled. “Besides, it’s almost a year since you and I started for Soixante-Trois, we’ve got to celebrate that somehow, right?”

“Well, I guess,” Anna-Jade sighed.

“And in truth… I kinda need it too,” Natalie said. “I hardly see Zoe these days, I’ve got management breathing up my arse at work, this place is going to be dead the next two weeks with Jessica and Paige gone… Need a day to just kick back and go ‘fuck it- I’m having some fun’, you know?”

“Alright, I’m in!” Anna-Jade said, smiling for the first time since her separation from Jacques.

“Uggh,” Paige moaned loudly as she collapsed back on her bed, tired from a four hour long conversation with her mother. “Now I know why I haven’t been home in months…”

“Aww, I like your mum!” Jessica giggled as she put away hers and Paige’s clothing for the week. “I honestly, really think that if you DID come out-“

“Let’s not go down that route just yet,” Paige said, interrupting her American lover.

“You’re going to have to eventually,” Jessica said softly, squeezing her lover’s hand for support.

“Can- can I at least get Thursday out of the way first?” Paige asked. “So I don’t have to do it in front of my sisters…”

“Of course,” Jessica whispered, giving Paige a quick kiss on her lips. “And you know that no matter what happens, I’ll ALWAYS love and support you.”

“I love you too,” Paige whispered. “I NEED you… But I need my family too… You heard how bad Anna-Jade’s coming out was…”

“But you heard how GOOD Natalie’s was,” Jessica said. “And Clara’s, and Karla’s…”

“It’s still a crapshoot,” Paige sighed. “Can- can I just cross this bridge when I come to it?”

“Of course,” Jessica said, giving Paige another soft, lingering kiss. “Now come on, let’s get downstairs, whatever it is your mom’s cooking smells DELICIOUS!”

“She IS the best cook in the whole of Scotland,” Paige giggled happily as she followed Jessica down to the dining room, where they were joined shortly afterwards by Paige’s father upon his return from work.

“Who’s this dark-haired stranger?” The grey-haired man asked upon seeing Paige, before breaking down into a fit of chuckles and giving his child a big hug. “Good to see you again son. Finally able to drag yourself away from Paris?”

“Finally able to get a week’s leave at the same time as Jessica!” Paige laughed, as her father turned his attention to the young blonde woman.

“Ahh yes,” Mr. Robertson said with a broad grin. “We FINALLY get to meet the mysterious Jessica!”

“It’s good to meet you too, Mr. Robertson,” Jessica said, shaking the older man’s hand.

“Call me Malcolm, for god’s sake!” Paige’s father laughed, before taking his seat at the dinner table. “Are you both in town for long?”

“Not long,” Paige said, pouring water for Jessica, her father and herself. “Just a week, then we’re off to American to see Jessica’s parents.”

“That’s hardly any time at all,” Malcolm grumbled. “…But it IS good to have you back.”

“It’s good to BE back,” Paige laughed as her mother brought through a large bowl full of a delicious-smelling casserole that all four people eagerly tucked into.

“Yeah, I’m having fun,” Jessica said into her phone as Paige helped her mother with the washing-up. “Not nearly as cold as I thought it would be!”

“Try going to Helsinki for a day, THEN you’ll know what cold is,” Natalie laughed. “Has Paige told her parents yet?”

“Not yet…” Jessica sighed as she stared back at her Scottish lover. “Think she’s waiting for the right time…”

“Remind her she’s only got a week,” Natalie said. “Speaking of time running out, I’ll let you get off and not run up her parents’ phone bill.”

“Okay,” Jessica said. “Is Anna-Jade going to be okay?”

“Eh, hopefully,” Natalie sighed. “I know I shouldn’t say this… But it kinda reminds me why I’m glad I never started HRT…”

“Thanks for that,” Jessica snorted.

“You’ll be fine,” Natalie laughed. “You’re not going out with ‘le connard’… Talk soon, Jess.”

“See you later, Nat,” Jessica said as she hung up the phone. Natalie sighed as she crashed down on the sofa next to Zoe, the former ballerina immediately wrapping her arms around Natalie’s slim waist.

“Are they having fun in Scotland?” Zoe asked.

“Yeah, from what I can tell,” Natalie sighed. “I don’t envy them- coming out to two sets of parents, one after the other… One set was bad enough.”

“Speaking of,” Zoe giggled. “When am I going to meet YOUR parents?”

“When am I going to meet YOURS?” Natalie retorted with a chuckle. “They live closer…”

“Actually, I Googled it a while ago,” Zoe laughed. “Manchester’s something like 100km closer to Paris than Nice… That means it’s your turn first!”

“Yeah,” Natalie said, “but if we go to Nice, you can show me round the Riviera, Monte Carlo… If I show you round Manchester all you’ll get are some old houses and a few canals…”

“And Old Trafford,” Zoe retorted. “Manchester Cathedral, the Imperial War Museum, the Beatles Museum…”

“That’s in Liverpool!” Natalie snorted.

“You wanted to see Monte Carlo,” Zoe retorted. “That’s NOT in Nice…”

“Okay, okay,” Natalie laughed. “Manchester first, then. Though I’m NOT showing you Old Trafford. You can see the City of Manchester Stadium, home to a PROPER football team!” Natalie giggled happily as Zoe stuck her tongue out at her, before snuggling closer into her slender body.

“This of course assumes we’ll ever be ALLOWED any leave ever again…” Zoe sighed self-pityingly.

Jessica shivered as she pulled on her royal blue overcoat to shelter her body from the cold Scottish air. Her choice of a short black dress with thick black tights was chic, but wholly impractical, as were her choice of flat ballerina pumps- though as she strolled around the shore of Loch Lomond with Paige, her parents and her sisters, she was thankful that she’d left her heels at home.

“So Jess,” Nina, Paige’s older sister, asked the American girl. “How long have you been working for Air France?”

“Six months,” Jessica replied, conscious of the need to maintain Paige’s ‘cover story’. “Started at the same time as P- Paul. Same training group.”

“Let me guess,” Trisha, Paige’s other older sister, said. “Your eyes met across of the room and it was love at first sight…”

“Something like that, yeah,” Jessica laughed.

“God, sometimes I wish I was an air stewardess,” Trisha joked. “Wearing glamorous uniforms, perfect hair and make-up, jetting off to exotic locations…”

“I only really work in central locations,” Jessica said. “Nowhere really ‘exotic’…”

“You live in Paris!” Nina laughed. “Doesn’t get any more exotic than that! Just a pity Paul’s too much of a BOY to appreciate that!” Paige chuckled under her sisters’ good-natured teasing, but inside, she was being eaten up. For twenty years, she’d been the odd one out in the family, the only boy in a family of girls. Her sisters had teased her mercilessly whilst growing up, and kept her isolated from their games, their gossip… All Paige had ever wanted was to be accepted as a girl by the two women, and the ease with which they’d accepted Jessica was almost painful for Paige to watch.

“I like Paris,” Paige interjected, only for her sisters to laugh in her face.

“GIRL talk time!” Trisha giggled. “You can have Jessica back when we’re done with her!”

“Unless, of course, you want to join in the girl talk AS a girl?” Nina teased. Paige opened her mouth, ready to reply, but couldn’t force out the words she’d longed to say for most of her young life.

“Ah, let the women talk, son,” Malcolm said, giving Paige a hearty slap on the back. “Have you been following Rangers’ season?”

“Umm, at times,” Paige said. “French TV doesn’t really cover Scottish football that much…”

“Reckon it’ll be our year to get back to the Premiership, where we belong?” Malcolm asked Paige, who simply shrugged her shoulders in response.

“It’d be nice, I guess…” Paige replied.

“Hearts are hardly going to be a pushover, though,” Malcolm continued. As the talk of football continued, Paige felt herself falling deeper and deeper into a black hole. Every now and again, she’d catch snippets of Jessica’s conversation with her sisters, their discussion of fashion, hair, make-up contrasting with her father’s talk of football and rugby. The discussion- and Paige’s sisters’ teasing of her- continued over lunch and on the walk back to the family cars, and with every word, Paige’s tolerance of the situation grew smaller and smaller. She was more certain than ever that she was a woman- and it was almost unbearable.

“Hey Jess,” Trisha said as they reached their cars. “Want to ride home with us? Still need to find out which nail polishes to get for the summer…”

“I’m a stewardess, not a beautician!” Jessica giggled.

“Close enough,” Nina laughed. “Paul- you can ride home with mum and dad. No BOYS allowed in this car!” As Paige’s sisters teased her, something in her head finally snapped.

“That’s it!” Paige shouted, stunning her family into silence. “I- I can’t take it anymore. Mum, dad, Nina, Trisha… There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Are- are you sure you want to do this now?” Jessica asked Paige, gripping her hand for support.

“It’s now or never,” Paige whispered. “Guys… For the last six months, I- I-“

“You’ve not been working for Air France,” Paige’s mother said with a smile. “You’ve ACTUALLY been working for Soixante-Trois airlines and living life as a woman?”

“Uhh-“ Paige spluttered, stunned into near-silence.

“…And now you’ve decided that you’d rather live life as a woman full-time?” Nina asked with a warm smile on her face.

“I- but- but- how?” Paige asked.

“Son, we know how to use Facebook,” Malcolm said with a warm, fatherly smile. “When we looked up ‘Jessica Tyler’, saw that she worked for Soixante-Trois and had on her page photos of a very pretty young dark-haired woman… It didn’t take long to put two and two together.”

“You- you don’t mind?” Paige asked, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

“Why would we mind?” Caroline laughed. “It’s your life. You should live it the way YOU want. You’re an adult, you can make your own decisions, and whatever decisions you make, know that we’ll ALWAYS love and support you.”

“Oh my god,” Paige blubbed as she was drawn into a group hug with her family and Jessica. “But what about grandchildren, keeping the family name going…?"

“Don’t worry about problems that don’t exist!” Malcolm laughed. “There are thousands of Robertsons in Scotland, no one’s going to miss one, and as for grandchildren, that’s what your sisters are for!”

“Oh, so we’re walking wombs now are we?” Nina joked.

“What’s important is that YOU do what YOU want, just as your mother said,” Malcolm said, embracing his new daughter. “Now let’s get you home, I want to properly meet ‘Paige’!” Paige laughed as she and Jessica got into her parents’ car.

“Why ‘Paige’ and not ‘Paula’ or ‘Pauline’?” Caroline asked her new daughter as they drove off.

“I don’t want to sound like a middle-aged woman!” Paige laughed, still barely able to believe her luck at how easily she was accepted. “Are- are you sure you’re REALLY okay with this?”

“Whether you’re our son or our daughter, you’re our child, and that’s all that matters,” Malcolm said.

“Even if I go through the transition process?” Paige asked cautiously. “If I start to take oestrogen, have surgery…”

“If that’s what you TRULY want, we’ll support you every step of the way,” Caroline said.

“Have you spoken to YOUR parents yet about this, Jessica?” Malcolm asked, stunning the American woman into silence.

“Umm, uh-“ Jessica said. “Pa-Paige, did you tell them?”

“It wasn’t too hard to figure out,” Caroline giggled. “But only because we knew what we were looking for! You really are a very beautiful woman. BOTH of you are.”

“You haven’t even seen ‘Paige’ yet,” Paige giggled.

“Not in the flesh,” Malcolm replied. “But I know, as a father, that ALL my daughters are beautiful. All THREE of them.” Paige giggled as yet more tears seeped from the corners of her eyes, and when she arrived home, Jessica, Nina and Trisha ushered her straight up to her room, where she stripped out of her jeans and sweatshirt before changing into the clothes that had become so familiar for her over the previous six months. After pulling on her cache sex, bra and thong, Paige was sat down in front of a mirror whilst the three women went to work applying her make-up- subtle foundation that highlighted her pale skin, followed by a light eye shadow and blood-red lipstick. After her nails were painted a matching red colour, Paige reached into her second travel case and pulled out the outfit she’s had planned ever since she decided that she was going to come out.

Paige began by pulling on a pair of thick black tights, before wrapping a short tartan skirt around her waist, followed by a tight black top and a pale red cardigan to protect her slender body from the cold. After brushing her jet-black hair out into a perfect feminine bob, Paige pulled on a pair of high-heeled knee-high boots and stood before the three delighted women.

“Unlucky, Nina,” Trisha joked. “Now you’re the THIRD prettiest girl in the family!”

“Oh- get to,” Nina replied as Jessica pulled out her phone. "We're identical twins, you fucking halfwit!"

“Let me get a photo,” Jessica said. “The three sisters, together at last…”

“This photo should have been taken ten years ago,” Paige sighed sadly as she and her sisters smiled for the camera. Paige had a wide grin on her face as she slowly descended the stairs into her parents’ living room, a grin that quickly turned to tears as she saw the wide smiles on the middle-aged couple’s face.

“Beautiful,” Malcolm said as he stood up and gave his new daughter a long, loving hug.

“I just- I just wish you’d told us about the real you earlier,” Caroline said, openly crying tears of her own.

“So do I,” Paige sniffled.

“Nina! Trisha!” Malcolm yelled happily. “Come on, I want to get the first-ever photo of my three daughters together!”

“Umm, I kinda already got one…” Jessica grimaced, holding up her phone.

“Well then for god’s sake, email it to me!” Malcolm laughed. “Got so much to do over the next few days, got to get new family portraits done, you’ve got to get your name changed by deed poll…”

“This- this is all going so fast,” Paige laughed, sitting down on the sofa with her nylon-covered knees pressed firmly together.

“But- but it IS what you want, isn’t it?” Jessica asked, sitting down next to Paige and giving the dark-haired girl a tight hug.

“More than anything,” Paige sighed. “It’s just, now that it’s real, it just seems, heh, unreal I guess…”

“Well it IS real,” Caroline said, sitting down on the other side of Paige. “If you want to be Paige for the rest of your life, then that’s what you’ll be, and there’s nothing anyone else can do to stop you!”

“Thank you,” Paige sniffled. “Thank you all so much…”

“Feeling any better?” Natalie asked Anna-Jade as the two women tucked into a light lunch in one of Disneyland Paris’s many restaurants.

“A little,” Anna-Jade confessed. “Still want to rip that-“

“Whoa!” Natalie laughed. “This is Disneyland, remember? Children present!”

“Sorry,” Anna-Jade laughed. “Can’t believe I’ve lived in Paris a year and this is the first time I’ve ever been here…”

“Well it IS apparently the most magical place on Earth…” Natalie giggled.

“What, Paris or Disneyland?” Anna-Jade asked, making both girls giggle.

“It’s double magic, then,” Natalie laughed.

“To tell the truth, though…” Anna-Jade sighed. “…I do miss home. I’ve only been back to Derry once since moving to Paris, and THAT trip ended badly…”

“I remember you saying,” Natalie said softly.

“And now thanks to ‘le conn-‘” Anna-Jade was interrupted by Natalie playfully placing a hand over her mouth.

“Whoa, most of the kids in here are French, they’ll understand what that means,” Natalie laughs. “Though obviously I agree with you 100%.”

“Thanks to ‘le C’,” Anna-Jade said, correcting herself, “…I just want to get out of Paris as soon as possible.”

“You- you’re not thinking of quitting, are you?” Natalie asked cautiously, breathing a sigh of relief when Anna-Jade shook her head.

“No,” Anna-Jade whispered. “I love everything about this job. Well… Everything EXCEPT ‘le C’!” Anna-Jade giggled loudly with Natalie, smiling as she felt truly happy for the first time since her separation.

“That includes your super-awesome housemates, I hope?” Natalie asked.

“Of course!” Anna-Jade giggled. “Can’t wait for Zoe’s ‘out of probation’ party, I’ve never been a ballerina before!”

“If she passes probation,” Natalie sighed as she finished off her drink.

Eight kilometres above the surface of the Earth, Zoe straightened her stockings before pushing her fully-laden drinks trolley into the fuselage of the aeroplane, inwardly grimacing as she felt the gaze of every man on the plane rush toward her perfectly-tined dancer’s legs.

“May I offer you a drink?” Zoe asked an overweight, middle-aged businessman, who smiled a grin of pure lust as he stared at Zoe’s body.

“What would you recommend?” The businessman asked in a thick Finnish accent.

“I really wouldn’t want to tell you what your tastes are,” Zoe said, forcing out a giggle. Besides, Zoe thought, if I had my way it’d go on your face rather than down your throat…

“Oh, I think you know what my tastes are,” The man said.

“Would you like to see the menu?” Zoe asked, desperately trying not to roll her eyes at the man’s crude attempts to flirt with her.

“That’s not all I’d like to see,” the man said. “I own two hotels in Helsinki, you know. And I can tell from your walk that you’re not one of ‘those’ girls…” Zoe smiled sweetly at the businessman as she recognised the inadvertent ‘out’ he’d given her.

“I’m sorry sir,” Zoe said, “but I’m not allowed to answer personal questions whilst on duty.”

“But you can surely at least say ‘yes’ or ‘no’?” The man snorted. “Are you a ‘real’ girl or not?”

“I’m sorry sir,” Zoe repeated with an innocent-sounding laugh, “but I’m not allowed to answer personal questions whilst on duty.”

“Coffee, black,” The businessman grunted.

“Will there be anything else, sir?” Zoe asked as she served the man- who was suddenly disinterested in her body- his beverage.

“No. Go,” The man bluntly said. Zoe let out a loud laugh as she returned to the aeroplane’s kitchen area and removed her tight hat. For any woman- especially one as young and as good-looking as Zoe- being mistaken for a transsexual would be a grave insult. For Zoe, however, it was an opportunity to have so, so much fun. Maybe she’d enjoy working for Soixante-Trois Airlines after all…

“This has been the best visit ever,” Malcolm said as he gave Paige a long, tight hug. “Don’t leave it six months before the next one!”

“I won’t, I promise,” Paige sniffled.

“And that applies to BOTH of you!” Caroline laughed as she hugged Jessica.

“You’ll always have a home waiting for you in Dumbarton,” Malcolm said. “Both of you. Now go on, you’ll miss your train!”

“And good luck with your parents, Jessica!” Caroline shouted after the two women as they headed toward the long train that would ferry them to London ahead of their flight to Baltimore.

“One down, one to go,” Jessica whispered as she and Paige took their seats.

“I still can’t believe how well that went,” Paige sniffed. “First thing when I get back to Paris, I’m booking an appointment with the counsellor. I want to get started on oestrogen IMMEDIATELY.”

“Are you sure you’re ready to take that step?” Jessica asked.

“Positive,” Paige said. “’Paul’ is a thing of the past from now on, it’s girl or bust!”

“God, I love you SO much,” Jessica laughed, giving her lover a tight hug as the train bore them both south into England and the vast airport at Heathrow- a venue familiar to both women from their work, but today would be the first day they’d ever board flights from the airport as passengers… And, more crucially, it would be the first time they boarded their flights as women.

“May I see your passport, please?” The check-in agent asked Paige as she stepped up to the desk, her loose dress flowing about her nylon-covered legs and her high heels clicking on the floor with every step she took. Paige smiled as she handed over the document, her smile only growing more confident as the agent scrunched up her nose at the information in the passport.

“I’m a pre-operative transsexual,” Paige explained confidently. “I haven’t had the chance to update all my documentation yet.”

“Of course,” the agent said with a smile. “Enjoy your flight, MISS Robertson.” Jessica took a deep breath as she approached the desk and handed over her own passport.

“The same,” Jessica said, her legs wobbling with nerves as the agent scrutinised the passport photo.

“Enjoy your flight, Miss Tyler,” The agent said with the same professional smile with which she’d addressed Paige.

“God, that was scary,” Jessica giggled as she followed Paige to the departure lounge.

“Why?” Paige laughed. “What are they gonna do, arrest us for wearing dresses and lipstick?”

“No, it’s just- I dunno,” Jessica sighed. “Just thought that as we were flying transatlantic… God, I’m not looking forward to the TSA heading back…”

“This is your first time back to America in six months,” Paige laughed. “I’d have thought you’d be looking forward to it a little more?”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m DYING to get back to America,” Jessica said. “It’s what I have to do when I get there, THAT’S the terrifying part…”

“Welcome back, slacker!” Rachel greeted Anna-Jade as the ginger-haired girl entered the locker room at Charles De Gaulle airport with a confident grin on her face.

“Hey, the leave was there to be taken, so I took it!” Anna-Jade laughed as she stripped out of her pencil dress and changed into her tight blue uniform.

“Well, I just hope you’re feeling better,” Rachel sighed. “God knows you’re hardly the first heart I’ve had to mend after Jacques got his hands on it…”

“Seriously, I can mend it fine myself,” Anna-Jade laughed. “Just want to get into the flight, you know? Concentrate on work so I don’t have to concentrate on ‘le connard’…”

“Hehe, just don’t say THAT on the plane!” Rachel giggled as she zipped up her tight blue skirt. “Are my seams straight?”

“Perfect,” Anna-Jade cooed. “Mine?”

“Ready for a short hop to Berlin!” Rachel laughed, grabbing her bag and leading Anna-Jade out to the pre-flight briefing. When the two girls entered the aeroplane, however, their stomachs sank as they saw the other members of the crew for the flight.

“Ah, Mademoiselle Houghton,” Jacques oozed as he saw Anna-Jade board the plane. “It is just as I say: women cannot tear themselves away from me!”

“There’s SOMETHING I want to damn well ‘tear away’ from you…” Anna-Jade hissed as she took her seat and listened to the pilot address the crew. After the briefing finished, Anna-Jade breathed a sigh of relief as Jacques took his seat in the cockpit next to the pilot, and, more importantly, out of sight of her.

“I am SO sorry,” Rachel said as she and Anna-Jade began their pre-flight checks. “I had NO idea it would be him flying, if it was, I’d have pulled strings to get you on a different flight, I’d have-“

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault,” Anna-Jade sighed. “Besides, as you said, I’m hardly the only person he’s mistreated. Doubt you’d find any combination of crew without some kind of grudge against him…”

“He really needs taking down a peg or two,” Rachel spat, causing a sly grin to form on Anna-Jade’s face.

“Put ideas in my head, why don’t you?” The Irish woman said as a plan began to formulate in her mind…

“On behalf of Virgin Atlantic,” the glamorous flight attendant announced, “I’d like to thank you for flying with us, and we hope you enjoy your stay in New York City!”

“Ahh,” Jessica laughed as she set foot on home soil for the first time in over six months. “Breathe it in Paige, AMERICAN air!”

“I can feel my waistline expanding already,” Paige laughed.

“Oh come on,” Jessica giggled. “My teeth didn’t all fall out the first time I set foot in England, did they?” Paige and Jessica giggled as they approached the immigration desk, encountering the same quizzical stares but ultimate acceptance as they presented their male passports to the agent behind the desk. Once they were cleared to enter the United States of America, the two women hailed the nearest taxi- Paige giggling excitedly as she saw the iconic yellow car pull up next to them- and headed off to their pre-booked hotel, where Jessica sighed sadly as she opened her briefcase.

“You know,” Paige whispered as she encircled Jessica’s corseted waist from behind, “You don’t HAVE to do it the way you planned…”

“No,” Jessica moaned. “Can’t spring it on them, got to do it one step at a time.” Jessica sat down in front of the mirror and slowly removed her make-up, frowning as she wiped the last of her scarlet lipstick from her mouth. After brushing her short, feminine hairstyle back into a more masculine look, she removed her dress and her underwear, sighing sadly as she stared at her naked reflection in the mirror.

Paige watched with a sad look on her face as Jessica pulled on a pair of jockey shorts, followed by a pair of smart black trousers and a thick blue shirt. As a man, Jessica certainly wasn’t unattractive, but Paige couldn’t help but note that the American girl was much better looking AS a girl- if only because of the ‘glow’ Jessica gave off when she was a woman, a glow that was missing from the masculine figure that took Paige’s hand as they left the hotel lobby.

Just under five hours later, long after sunset, Jessica and Paige pulled up outside a large suburban house in Western Baltimore.

“Do you need some time?” Paige asked her lover, who took several deep breaths to compose herself.

“No,” Jessica said, before letting out a snort of laughter. “Why should I? It’s my home, after all, the place where I should feel safest and most loved…” Paige linked her fingers with Jessica, momentarily stopping the American girl’s hands from shaking. “Let’s do this.” Jessica took another deep breath, stepping out of the car as Paige elegantly slid out of the passenger seat.

“Jesse!” Mr. Tyler said happily as he answered the front door, greeting his son with a hearty handshake. “And you must be Paige! Come in, come in!”

“Thanks dad,” Jessica said as she dragged hers and Paige’s cases into the house.

“Jesse!” Mrs. Tyler said, giving her son a tight, motherly hug. “You look SO well… Paris must agree with you, you’ve lost so much weight!”

“Thanks mom!” Jessica laughed. “Mom, you’ve probably guessed… But this is Paige.”

“Hello Mrs. Tyler,” Paige said, trying to soften her naturally-strong Scottish accent. “It’s nice to meet you… You have a lovely home.”

“It’s nice to finally meet YOU!” Mrs. Tyler said, shaking Paige’s hand. “We’ve heard so much about you, you’re all Jesse can talk about in his emails!”

“Where are Aaron and Hayley?” Jessica asked.

“In bed,” Jessica’s mother laughed. “Which is where we all should be!”

“We got a lot of sleep on the plane,” Paige laughed. “Actually we’d normally be getting up at about this time…”

“Well, for the next week you’ll be running American time,” Mr. Tyler laughed. “Your room’s just as you left it, son.”

“Thanks,” Jessica said. “Actually… A bit more sleep would be good right now!”

“Go on then, get some sleep,” Mrs. Tyler said. “We’ll still be here in the morning!”

“Okay,” Jessica said, before giving her mother another long, loving hug. “I have really, really missed both you guys…”

“Bed!” Mr. Tyler ordered with a smile. “We’ll talk tomorrow!” Paige and Jessica both giggled excitedly as they skipped up the stairs to Jessica’s old bedroom, and within minutes they were huddled together under the bedsheets in their nightwear- Paige in a short baby doll, Jessica in a pair of plain shorts.

Both girls were awake before their alarm went off the following morning, though neither was in any hurry to get out of bed.

“Morning, sexy,” Paige giggled, kissing Jessica on her bare lips.

“Morning beautiful,” Jessica said, reciprocating Paige’s kiss. “How’d you enjoy your first night in America?”

“It was perfect,” Paige giggled. “Though that’s got more to do with WHO than WHERE!” Jessica giggled happily, before sighing as she saw the smart trousers and shirt that was laid out on her chair, waiting for her to pull them over her body.

“Tell them,” Paige urged her blonde lover. “Tell them today. After breakfast.”

“I- can I just have one day with them?” Jessica asked. “One day just to be with my parents as their son, before I become their daughter?”

“Of course,” Paige whispered, encircling Jessica’s waist from behind and kissing her gently on the neck. “But the more you put it off, the harder it’ll be…”

“One day,” Jessica whispered. “Then I’ll tell them tonight, I promise.”

“They won’t reject you, you know,” Paige said, holding Jessica tighter. “They OBVIOUSLY love you, and nothing will change that, certainly not the clothes you wear!”

“I hope you’re right,” Jessica sighed, before dressing in the masculine clothing and heading down to breakfast, hand-in-hand with Paige- who was, as always, dressed in a knee-length black dress, shiny black tights and tiny black ballerina pumps.

“Hey Jesse!” Hayley- Jessica’s 14 year old sister- said, jumping up to give her brother a tight hug.

“Hey Jesse,” Aaron- Jessica’s 17 year old brother- also said, giving Jessica a quick, awkward man hug.

“Aaron, Hayley, this is Paige,” Jessica said, giggling as the two teenagers awkwardly shook Paige’s hand. Before long, the two teenagers had departed for school, leaving Jessica and Paige alone with Jessica’s parents.

“So, what’ve you kids got planned for today?” Mr. Tyler asked.

“I was planning on showing Paige around DC,” Jessica said.

“I’ve always wanted to visit America,” Paige explained. “See all the historic buildings like the White House, the Lincoln Memorial…”

“DC it is, then!” Mr. Tyler laughed. “Got the whole week off work so anywhere you want to go, just ask.”

“Umm, we HAVE rented a car,” Jessica laughed.

“What, I’m not allowed to spend time with my firstborn son?” Mr. Tyler laughed. “Get in the car, we’ll see DC today, Philadelphia tomorrow.”

“Well, okay then,” Jessica said, gripping Paige’s hand for support as they headed out to Mr. Tyler’s car. The four adults spent the next five hours touring around the historic capital of the United States- Paige insisting on having her photo taken in front of every building and monument that she even vaguely recognised. Paige laughed heartily every time Jessica’s parents told her an anecdote from Jessica’s past, and while Jessica pretended to cringe with embarrassment, her primary feeling was one of anxiety, as she knew that every second she spent in Washington DC was a second closer to the time when she’d inevitably have to tell her parents the truth about her life.

As the sun started to set, Jessica’s father directed the group toward a restaurant for dinner- which the four people greatly needed after a long day.

“This place looks good,” Mr. Tyler said as the group entered the small eatery. “They do PROPER cheeseburgers here. None of that processed crap… Fancy that, Jesse? Need to get some meat back on your bones!”

“Umm, I’ll be okay with something lighter,” Jessica said.

“Are you sure?” Mrs. Tyler asked. “You ARE a lot thinner than when you left America, are you sure you’re eating right in Europe?”

“You are feeding him, right?” Mr. Tyler jokingly asked Paige.

“It’s not that,” Jessica said, interrupting the conversation. “Mom, dad… There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Are- are you sure you want to do this now?” Paige asked Jessica, who sighed and nodded.

“If I don’t do it now I never will,” Jessica sighed.

“What is it, son?” Mr. Tyler asked, concern etched onto his face.

“Are you sick?” Mrs. Tyler asked. “Are you and Paige getting married, is she pregnant, is she-“

“It’s nothing to do with Paige,” Jessica said firmly. “It’s everything to do with me. Mom… Dad… For the last six months I HAVEN’T been working for Air France.”

“Then- then who have you been working for?” Mr. Tyler asked. Jessica gulped as her legs turned to jelly and all the colour drained from her face.

“For the last six months I’ve been living life as a woman,” Jessica explained. “I’ve been working as a stewardess- yes, a stewardess- for Soixante-Trois airlines. All my life I’ve wanted to be a woman… And I intend to undergo a sex change and live life permanently that way.” Jessica briefly stopped breathing as time seemed to stand still in the restaurant.

“Well… Okay,” Mr. Tyler said, the concern on his face replaced by a look of pure shock.

“Obviously you’re an adult,” Mrs. Tyler said, taking several deep breaths to compose herself. “It’s your choice to live life the way you want… But are you absolutely, one hundred per cent sure that this is what you want?”

“I’ve had six months to think about it,” Jessica whispered. “This IS what I want.”

“What WE want,” Paige said, placing her hand on top of Jessica’s.

“So you’re- you-“ Mr. Tyler stuttered.

“Aye,” Paige said, nodding in response.

“I don’t want Aaron or Hayley knowing about this,” Mrs. Tyler said firmly. “Not until they’re ready to understand. How you live your life is up to you, but as parents, we have a duty to protect our children against things that might harm them.”

“How is me becoming their sister going to cause them harm?” Jessica asked.

“You know how hard you had it in High School,” Mr. Tyler said. “Do you want to expose them to that?”

“Aaron graduates next year anyway,” Jessica retorted. “And it’s not like I’m going to be picking them up every day, I live in France for god’s sake…”

“You’re NOT to tell them,” Mrs. Tyler said. “And whenever you’re under our roof, you’ll be their brother, NOT their sister, you understand?”

“Obviously they’ve already met you,” Mr. Tyler said, addressing Paige. “But as far as they’re concerned, you’ll have always been a woman.”

“As far as we’re concerned, that’s what we BOTH are,” Paige said, gripping Jessica’s hand supportively. After a very quick meal, the four people drove back to Baltimore in complete silence, arriving to find Aaron and Hayley already home, watching television.

“Hey guys,” Mrs. Tyler said to her younger two children. “Your BROTHER and his girlfriend are back from DC!"

“Hey Jesse,” Aaron said, barely turning his attention away from the show he was watching.

“Hey Aaron, hey Hayley,” Jessica said, before taking a deep breath. “There’s something I want to tell both of you.”

“NO!” Mr. Tyler barked, momentarily stunning Jessica into silence.

“It’s now or never,” Jessica said defiantly.

“’Never’ suits me perfectly fine!” Mrs. Tyler hissed.

“Aaron, Hayley…” Jessica said, ignoring his parents. “…For the last six months I’ve been living life as a woman. I am going to be undergoing a sex change, and will be living the rest of my life as a woman from now on.” Jessica felt her legs start to wobble as her younger siblings looked at her with looks of pure shock, whilst her parents stared at her with barely-contained fury.

“Really?” Hayley asked, to which Jessica nodded. “That’s so cool! I’m going to have a big sister!”

“Yeah, it’s cool,” Aaron said. “So what, are you and Paige lesbians then?”

“I guess so,” Jessica laughed, relieved at her siblings’ unconditional acceptance.

“Aaron, Hayley,” Mrs. Tyler said, “what Jesse REALLY means is that he’s confused, and doesn’t know what he wants from life.”

“SHE doesn’t sound confused,” Aaron retorted. “SHE wouldn’t have lived as a woman for six months if SHE wasn’t sure what SHE wanted.”

“Aaron Lewis Tyler, go to your room!” Mrs. Tyler ordered, angered by her younger- and now only- son’s defiance. Silently, Aaron complied, but not before beaming a supportive smile at his new sister.

“Hayley, honey,” Mrs. Tyler continued. “You have to understand that when Jesse says that he-“

“She,” Hayley said, interrupting her mother. “We did this in social studies in school, you address transgendered people with the pronouns of their chosen gender, not their birth gender.”

“Go. To. Your. Room,” Mrs. Tyler hissed. Hayley also complied, but gave her new sister a quick, yet tight hug before heading up the stairs to her bedroom.

“I hope you’re happy now,” Mrs. Tyler sighed at her oldest child. “Look what you did…”

“All I did was tell them the truth,” Jessica retorted. “You always taught me growing up about the importance of honesty…”

“Not when that ‘honesty’ harms other, especially not your brother and sister!” My Tyler yelled.

“They weren’t harmed!” Jessica shouted. “You heard Hayley, they study transgender issues at school, they know that this isn’t anything to be ashamed of!”

“I never said I was ashamed of you,” Mr. Tyler retorted.

“I think it would be best if you found yourselves somewhere else to stay for the rest of your visit,” Mrs. Tyler said coldly.

“Wh- what?” Jessica yelled. “You’re kicking me out for telling the truth about who I am?”

“You can stay here tonight,” Mrs. Tyler said. “But I want you gone tomorrow morning before Aaron or Hayley get up.” Realising that this was an argument they couldn’t win, Jessica and Paige simply nodded and headed up to their bedroom. Immediately after shutting their door, Jessica broken down in floods of tears, burying her face in Paige’s shoulder.

“Damn it!” Jessica wailed. “Damn it all! Why- why couldn’t I have just been BORN a girl? Why can’t they just love me for who I am?”

“I love you,” Paige sighed as she embraced her stricken girlfriend. “And I always will…”

“I love you too,” Jessica sniffled as she cried herself out on Paige’s shoulder. The two women headed to bed shortly afterwards, to exhausted for anything other than sleep, and when Paige was woken by her alarm the following day, she discovered Jessica already awake and sitting upright in bed, staring at two chairs- on one was the same outfit she’d worn yesterday, on the right was a short black skirt, a tight red jumper and a pair of high heeled shoes- one of the outfits Jessica had worn whilst in Scotland.

“Oh god,” Paige sighed as she realised Jessica’s dilemma.

“If I greet them AS their daughter…” Jessica sighed. “But then, it might just drive them further away…”

“Your parents need to learn that Jesse no longer exists,” Paige whispered as she encircled Jessica’s slender waist from behind.

“But he DOES,” Jessica sighed. “To them, anyway… He existed for 22 years…”

“In the PAST,” Paige urged, but Jessica simply shook her head.

“I- I’m sorry, Paige…” Jesse sighed, before pulling on the same trousers and shirt he’d worn the previous day. Paige sighed sadly as she watched her lover dress himself, before pulling on the same dress she’d worn the previous day. “I- I know you wanted to see America…”

“You want to head back to France as soon as possible?” Paige asked quietly. Jessica nodded, blinking back tears. “It’s okay. America’s not going anywhere… We’ll come back some other time.”

“Thank you,” Jesse whispered. “I love you, Paige.”

“I love you, JESSICA,” Paige whispered. Fifteen minutes later, the two lovers walked down to the house’s living room, carrying their tightly-packed suitcases.

“We’re going now,” Jesse said to his parents, who simply sat in silence, staring at the couple disapprovingly. “I’ll keep in touch… I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“Goodbye, SON,” Mr. Tyler said coldly as Paige and Jesse departed. Before long, the couple had reached John F Kennedy airport in New York, where they booked onto the first available flight back to Paris. Jesse sighed as he watched Paige have to explain herself at the passport desk, whilst he himself passed through without incident, unlike his arrival into the United States.

The aeroplane touched down on the runway at Charles De Gaulle airport just as the first slivers of sunlight poked their head above the horizon, and as Jesse and Paige headed out into the concourse, they stared at all the people milling around the vast area- many of whom they recognised as colleagues en route to their next flight.

“Do- do you want to go and say hi…?” Paige asked.

“Dressed like this?” Jesse sighed. “Let’s just go home…” Paige nodded sadly as she and Jesse headed to the nearest tram stop, soon arriving back at their apartment where they sat down together on their sofa.

“’Filles seulement’,” Jesse sighed.

“Girls…?” Paige asked.

“Girls only,” Jesse laughed. “That’s what I was told when I first set foot in this place, dressed basically identically to how I am now.”

“Do you want to… You know… ‘Dress’ now?” Paige asked.

“…I don’t know,” Jesse sighed. “I just want some sleep, clear my head…”

“Okay,” Paige sighed, kissing Jesse on his lips as he headed up to their bedroom, where he collapsed loudly onto their large double bed. After Paige’s perfect, almost magical coming out, Jesse had allowed himself to hope that maybe- just maybe- he’d receive the same treatment from his family. As Jesse sobbed into his pillow, he realised that he would never be able to live the perfect life that Paige had been granted. If he wanted the love and approval of his family, he needed to be Jesse, but if he wanted to live the life he wanted, the life he’d worked hard to establish over the last six months, it meant leaving his family in the past.

And yet, Jesse realised that his dilemma was entirely his fault. If he hadn’t ignored his parents’ wishes and kept his ‘true self’ hidden from his siblings, he may yet have left America with the best of both worlds- but that was a road that could no longer be travelled down.

Jesse soon fell asleep, tired from his journey, and when he awake, he found himself staring into a face he felt he recognised, but wasn’t quite ‘right’. After blinking twice to adjust his sight to the low light levels, Jesse realised that he was looking at Natalie- or rather, with her face devoid of make-up and her body covered in a man’s pair of jeans and a plain blue hoodie, Natalie’s male alter ego Matthew.

“Paige told your coming out didn’t go according to plan,” Matthew said in his natural masculine voice.

“Try ‘disaster’,” Jesse sighed. “My parents… Didn’t quite accept me but it was clear that they’d at least tolerate me, but they asked me to keep ‘Jessica’ from my brother and sister…”

“Oh, let me guess:” Matthew said sarcastically. “’Protecting them from something that isn’t going to cause them even the remotest bit of harm’?”

“Exactly,” Jesse sighed. “So, I told them anyway, my parents went ballistic and I’m back in Paris four days earlier than I’d planned…”

“Dressed in trousers rather than a skirt, I notice,” Matthew said. “Are- are you going to, you know, stop ‘being Jessica’…?”

“I don’t know,” Jesse whispered.

“Well if ‘Jessica’ leaves, that means there’ll be another mentor spot available…” Matthew teased in a voice that had more than a little trace of ‘Natalie’s voice in it.

“…Seriously?” Jesse asked, his mood suddenly perking up.

“Yep,” Matthew giggled. “Marie told me yesterday. I’ll try not to be TOO green with envy…”

“…Sorry,” Jesse giggled, elements of ‘Jessica’ unconsciously seeping into his voice.

“There’ll be a confirmation email waiting for you,” Matthew explained, handing Jesse his iPad. “Obviously you can’t go into coaching as a mentor if you’re wearing trousers…”

“Thanks, Nat,” Jesse laughed.

“’Nat’ or ‘Matt’?” Matthew joked.

“NATALIE,” Jesse laughed.

“Damn right it is,” Natalie laughed in her feminine voice. “See you later Jes- is it Jesse or Jessica?”

“Jessica,” the American girl replied with a feminine giggle. “For now, anyway…” Jessica switched on her iPad and opened her emails, looking for the confirmation email, when she saw that her old email account- the one in Jesse’s name- had an unread message in it. Jessica’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the name of the sender: ‘Aaron Tyler’.

‘Hey Jesse,’ the email read. ‘Or should I say Jessica? Mum and dad will flip if they find I’ve emailed you… Just wanted you to know that boy or girl, brother or sister, you’ll always be my big ‘sibling’, and I’ll always love you and support you in any way I can. Same goes for Hayley.’ Jessica clinked back tears as she read the email and composed her reply.

‘Hey Aaron,’ Jessica replied. ‘Thanks for your email- means a lot to me to know that I have at least SOME family left. Any time you want to come to Paris and don’t mind staying in a cramped apartment with six girls (don’t worry, you won’t have to pretend to be a girl yourself), just let me know. My love you, Hayley and the old folks, your sister, Jessica.’ Jessica smiled as she sent the email, and after reading the email from her work confirming her promotion- and that she’d be working Red Route in addition to Blue Route- she switched off her iPad and stripped out of her trousers and shirt, smiling as she pulled on her cache sex, followed by her corset, bra, thong and stockings, and finally a short black skirt and a tight, cleavage-baring grey top. Jessica smiled as she tied her hair back and applied most of her make-up, before letting her hair down and liberally coating her mouth over and over with her favourite blood-red lipstick. Jessica stared at her reflection in the mirror and smiled a deep crimson smile- regardless of what her parents though, she WAS Jessica Rachael Tyler, sexy and- as her promotion had confirmed- successful stewardess. She had family who loved her, she had friends who genuinely cared for her, and she had a partner whom she loved with her whole heart.

“There’s my amazing love!” Paige squeaked happily as she jumped off the sofa and greeted Jessica with a long kiss, their two lipsticks mingling together. “You know, we’ve still got five days of leave left… We could always spend all of it in bed?”

“Tempting!” Jessica laughed. “But… I want to show Jessica off to the world! And besides, we need to get you your ‘special’ pills, don’t we?”

“You mean OUR special pills, right?” Paige asked, making Jessica sigh. “Jess… You- you DO still want to transition, don’t you?”

“I… I need to think about it a little more,” Jessica mumbled.

“Is it because of your family?” Paige asked.

“Yeah,” Jessica whispered with a nod. “I just- I don’t want to slam that door shut until I KNOW I’ll be welcomed through the ‘other one’…” Paige smiled a sad smile and gave Jessica another long, slow kiss.

“You take as much time as you need,” Paige said. “No matter what, I’ll ALWAYS love you.”

Five days later, the day before they were due to return to work, Jessica and Paige stood in their apartment’s kitchen with Anna-Jade and the visiting Elsa watching on intently. In her right hand, Paige held a glass of water, and in her left hand, she held two small pills- one containing a dose of an anti-androgen to block testosterone production in her body, and one that contained a strong dose of oestrogen. With her hands shaking nervously, Paige placed the two tablets on her tongue and washed them down with a gulp of water.

“Yay!” Anna-Jade giggled, standing up and giving Paige a long, tight hug. “I’m so proud of you, ‘sister’!”

“Thanks, thank you all!” Paige laughed. “First pill of many…”

“Before you know it, you too could have a body like mine,” Elsa giggled, also giving Paige a tight hug. Whilst she appreciated the attention, Paige couldn’t help but feel sad as she stared back at Jessica, whose smile clearly belied the fact that she didn’t have any pills of her own- and whilst that was by choice, Paige’s mind was filled with worry- she’d always imagined that she and Jessica would take every step of their transition together, but now Paige was a step ahead… And Paige wondered if there were other ways in which she and Jessica would be ‘separated’.

Paige didn’t have long to worry about that, however, as she- along with Jessica and Anna-Jade- was ushered back to her bedroom by Elsa, where four highly ostentatious costumes were waiting for them.

“I promised Zoe a special party for passing probation,” Elsa announced grandly, “and I’m not going to let a little thing like living in another country cause me to break my promise!” Jessica and Paige both gasped excitedly as they were handed their costumes. As the party was for Zoe, a former ballerina, Elsa had had tutus made for all the girls who would be attending the party- but rather than just attach a flat skirt to a leotard, Elsa had gone the whole hog. Her costumes had bejewelled, laced-in bodices, multi-layered flowing skirts, pink tights, sparkling tiaras and- even though the girls were warned NOT to try dancing in them- authentic pointe shoes, fitted precisely using the measuring kit Natalie had ‘borrowed’ from Zoe’s room a few weeks earlier. All four girls felt like princesses as they swept into the living room area with their thick stage make-up and their hair tied back into tight buns, but they all paled in comparison to Zoe when she emerged from her bedroom.

The former ballerina was dressed in a precise replica of the White Swan costume from Swan Lake, right down to the feathery white head dress and her own almost-new pointe shoes. All the other partygoers watched in awe as Zoe danced the famous dance of the dying swan- a routine she’d performed countless times before and that came to her as naturally as walking down a flight of stairs. As Zoe completed the routine, the entire apartment broke into a round of applause, which only increased as Natalie- dressed in her own ostentatious tutu- presented Zoe with a bouquet of flowers and a kiss on the cheek.

“Merci, merci beaucoup!” Zoe squeaked as she cradled her sweet-smelling flowers. “Feels so good to be back on my toes…”

“Well, don’t get TOO used to it,” Marie giggled. “You’ll be back on your HEELS before too long…”

“Don’t remind me!” Zoe laughed, before going to get a drink with her sister and her lover.

“So jealous,” Paige breathed as she watched Zoe elegantly skip away. “She really is SO talented…”

“So are you!” Jessica giggled, giving her lover a quick cuddle.

“I’ve GOT to get her to give us less- oh, no, you are fucking kidding me…” Anna-Jade said, directing the girls’ attention to the figure in the front door of the apartment. “What the fuck is he doing here?” Elsa, Jessica and Paige all sighed with frustration as they took in the highly masculine image of Jacques Lacroix, dressed in a male ballet dancer’s costume with a frilled shirt that showed off his chiselled physique and a pair of opaque white tights that contained a VERY large bulge.

“Mademoiselles,” Jacques oozed as he approached the four women.

“Jacques,” Anna-Jade spat. “Three pairs of Jacques’s socks…”

“ONLY three?” Elsa giggled. “My my, the ‘little boy’ certainly has grown…”

“Ah, I hear the regret in your voices,” Jacques snorted. “But Jacques has moved on, and so must you…” The four girls watched, their jaws agape, as Jacques introduced his new girlfriend to them.

“…Annabelle,” Jessica whispered at the tall blonde girl who swept into the room in her tutu, dancing a couple of steps en pointe before leaning into Jacques’s waiting embrace.

“Hey, honeys,” Annabelle cooed as she coolly strode past the girls arm-in-arm with Jacques.

“Meh, they deserve each other,” Jessica spat after the new couple passed out of earshot.

“Whoa, that’s a bit harsh,” Paige said. “I know you don’t like Annabelle, but to say that she deserves JACQUES?”

“You should hate her more than anyone,” Jessica retorted. “For all you know, she stole him off you…”

“She’s welcome to him,” Anna-Jade snorted. “God, I’d just love one day, ONE DAY to take that smug prick down a peg or two…”

“…Why don’t we?” Jessica mused, earning quizzical stares from her friends.

“Umm, how, exactly?” Anna-Jade asked. “Can’t really prank him at work without getting SEVERELY bollocked…”

“Then we’ll prank him OUTSIDE work,” Jessica said confidently. “Elsa and Paige will help, won’t you?”

“Humiliate ‘le connard’? Hell yeah!” Elsa laughed.

“And you know Natalie and Zoe will be ‘in’ too,” Paige laughed. “Reckon we might be able to get a few supervisors on side too, I know for a fact Rachel hates him, so does Stacey…”

“Okay then!” Anna-Jade laughed. “Hey, we should give ourselves a name, like, you know, the Hardy Boys, only it’s the Hardy Girls…”

“As long as it doesn’t have the word ‘Angel’ in the name!” Jessica laughed.

“’Reservoir Bitches’ is also out!” Paige laughed.

“Isn’t it obvious what our name should be?” Elsa giggled, playing with her voluminous costume. “The Tutu Project!”

“Tutu Project for the win!” Anna-Jade giggled as she played with her own tutu. The four girls quickly recruited Natalie, Zoe and Rachel to their ‘cause’, and as the party wound down and Jessica headed to bed with Paige, the American girl felt revitalised- which her Scottish lover almost immediately picked up on as they snuggled together under the covers.

“You seem… Happy,” Paige laughed. “Almost like, I dunno, you’ve been ‘recharged’ or something…”

“I FEEL recharged,” Jessica said. “It took me a while to realise, but it doesn’t matter about Annabelle, or hormones, or even my parents. I am the master of my own destiny. I’m going to live life the way I want to. And I’m NOT going to let anything get the better of me.”

“You’re telling me you’re going to rise above even Jacques?” Paige giggled.

“Well… Almost anything,” Jessica laughed as she gave Paige a long, lingering kiss, both girls quickly disappearing beneath the bed covers…

Jessica grinned a wide, scarlet grin as she stepped into the employee training area at Charles De Gaulle airport, her tight blue skirt and high heeled shoes feeling like badges of honour as she approached the nervous-looking teenaged girl who was sat in the exact same seat she was sat in a mere six months earlier.

“Hi,” Jessica said, barely suppressing her excitement as she extended a perfectly-manicured hand to the blonde girl. “You must be Abbey. I’m Jessica Tyler, I’ll be your mentor!”

“Hi!” Abbey replied in her thick Essex accent. “I’m really, REALLY nervous…”

“Don’t be,” Jessica said warmly. “Go into this with the attitude that you CAN, and you WILL. There isn’t a single problem you’re not able to rise above.” Abbey and Jessica giggled as they watched the rest of the seminar room fill up. Jessica’s smile faded, however, when she saw the last new mentor enter the room with her protégé in tow.

“Hi honey,” Annabelle said sweetly to Jessica as she took her seat on the front row. Annabelle, a mentor? After she’d presumably only passed probation herself a few days ago? The thought was unthinkable to Jessica, and just underlined her belief that whatever she had, Annabelle had, and had more of. Sure, Jessica would try to rise above it… But it would be a hell of an obstacle to try to overcome.

“Exhausted yet?” Jessica asked Abbey, smiling as the two women returned to the locker room at Charles De Gaulle airport.

“Almost,” Abbey replied, returning Jessica’s smile. “It’s harder work than I expected, though I suppose it would be harder on red, black or grey route…”

“Ehh, red’s not TOO bad,” Jessica replied. “You do get to build up a nice tan!” The two young women giggled as they removed their iconic pillbox hats, followed by their tight blue uniforms, placing them on the coat rack to be cleaned before their next flight. Mere minutes later, both women had changed back into their black pencil dresses ready for their journey back to their respective homes.

“Got anything exciting planned for tonight?” Jessica asked her nineteen year old charge. “Hot date with that young man I saw you holding hands with, maybe…?”

“Need to email my counsellor back,” Abbey replied. “Might be FINALLY prescribed oestrogen…”

“I remember you saying they wouldn’t prescribe it to you in England,” Jessica whispered.

“Stupid NHS,” Abbey spat, before allowing the smile to return to her face. “In happier news, though, you know what’s coming up in a few weeks, right?”

“Um, other than my birthday?” Jessica giggled.

“Oh, it’s your birthday?” Abbey asked. “So cool… Mine’s not until August. Almost as good as that is, I’m sure you’re aware, the seventh annual Miss-“

“Oh no,” Jessica sighed, interrupting the young woman. “Don’t tell me you’ve entered THAT?”

“Oh come on, it’ll be fun!” Abbey pleaded. “You of all people-“

“No- no,” Jessica said, once again interrupting Abbey. “Just because I’m American, don’t assume I automatically approve of things like that!”

“Oh yes,” Abbey laughed. “I almost forgot, the only girl who works for Soixante-Trois who doesn’t even watch The Angels!”

“If you ever catch me anywhere near a reality TV show, shoot me!” Jessica laughed.

“Another American stereotype…” Abbey giggled, earning a stern stare from her mentor.

“…And the same goes for beauty pageants!” Jessica insisted as the two women headed to the nearest tram stop. As she arrived home, Jessica let out a loud sigh as she collapsed down on the plush sofa, kicking off her heels and relaxing as much as her restrictive corset and tight dress would allow.

“Hi honeys, she’s home!” Natalie shouted, laughing hard as Jessica blew a raspberry at her. “Well I say ‘honeys’, in reality it’s just me here right now.”

“Thought Zoe was off today as well?” Jessica asked.

“Oh, she is,” Natalie sighed. “It’s just that she’d rather spend the day wearing a leotard and pointe shoes and dancing at her old studio than spend the day wearing nothing and, well, quote-unquote dancing with me!”

“She teaching part-time again?” Jessica asked.

“Nope,” Natalie explained. “Practising for her talent routine at the seventh annual-“

“Goddddd,” Jessica moaned. “Not you too…”

“Well, no, not ME,” Natalie laughed, sitting down next to the frustrated American woman. “But Zoe… She’s always loved performing, you know that. And ever since we got bollocked in December… She’s wanted to find a way back into the good books of the head honchos, the Miss Soixante-Trois pageant is the ideal opportunity for that.”

“Why on Earth does a company like this even HAVE a beauty pageant?” Jessica asked.

“Ugh,” Natalie spat. “Officially, it’s to ‘empower our female employees’. Unofficially, it’s because Antoine Masson is as much a pervert as he is a billionaire and the thought of several women in their twenties parading around in swimsuits gives him that, you know, ‘funny feeling’.”

“Even when some of these women aren’t ‘technically’ women?” Jessica asked, a smile creeping onto her face.

“Well, there’s nothing he can really do about that,” Natalie said. “Thank you EU Supreme Court…”

“Did you enter last year?” Jessica asked the English girl.

“Nah,” Natalie said. “I mean, I’m not going to begrudge Zo for wanting to enter, she loves the limelight and all, but… It IS a bit too silly even for my tastes.”

“Damn right!” Jessica giggled.

“Elsa entered, though,” Natalie continued. “So did Anna-Jade, but I don’t think she enjoyed it all that much. Marie entered in 2012, actually finished runner-up. I know for a fact Rachel’s entering this year, so are Chloe and Clara, and Annabelle…” Jessica’s ears pricked up at the mention of the Atlanta native- something Natalie couldn’t help but comment on.

“Ah, thought that might interest you,” Natalie chuckles. “Yep, she told me she was entering when we went to Moscow yesterday.”

“…She’s black route now?” Jessica asked. “Thought she’d got red route as her secondary when she got promoted?”

“Think she’s doing all three,” Natalie sighed. “Though no prizes for guessing who was sat in the co-pilot’s seat yesterday… AND who’ll be sat on the judging panel for the pageant.”

“Um, hello?” Jessica asked sarcastically. “Conflict of interest, maybe?”

“It’s not what you know, it’s always been WHO you know,” Natalie sighed, before returning to the apartment’s small kitchen to prepare their dinner. Soon, the girls returned to the apartment- first Zoe, followed by Anna-Jade and finally Paige, who greeted her American lover with a long kiss.

“How was Berlin?” Jessica asked as she snuggled up next to Paige on the sofa.

“How was London?” Paige giggled, linking her slender, smooth fingers with Jessica’s.

“Same as always,” Jessica sighed happily. “Abbey’s still struggling a little, but I reckon she’ll have got the hang of it within a few weeks.”

“Ah, can’t say as I envy you,” Paige laughed. “Having to take responsibility for another employee in addition to your own work…”

“Normally I’d advise you to apply to be a mentor yourself,” Jessica laughed. “But you do kinda have a lot on your plate right now… Or should I say ‘in your medicine cabinet’?”

“And you know what I’ll say to you there,” Paige sighed as her thoughts turned to the hormone tablets that were sat in her drawer in the bathroom.

“No regrets?” Jessica asked her dark-haired lover.

“None,” Paige whispered with a smile. And she meant it- ever since she started hormone replacement therapy ten weeks earlier, she’d felt like a whole new woman. At first, the changes had been scary- her mood would unexpectedly change at a moment’s notice, she’d find herself getting emotional over the smallest things… And she found herself less and less interested in sex with Jessica. As her body began to adapt to her new chemistry, however, Paige began to enjoy every day more and more. For the first time in her life, she began to feel right in herself- as though the first twenty and a half years of her life were a draft copy, a rehearsal, and only with oestrogen flowing through her veins did she feel like her life was complete.

The physical changes were taking longer, much to Paige’s frustration- her breasts hadn’t grown in any noticeable way, though they had grown increasingly sensitive since she began taking oestrogen. Her waist hadn’t significantly narrowed, nor had her hips widened, and what little facial hair she had still grew- though laser removal treatments were taking care of that.

Paige found herself frequently frustrated with many aspects of her ‘transformation’, but a near-constant source of support was Anna-Jade. The Irish girl had begun her own transition six months earlier, had already taken all the steps Paige was taking and was on hand to help her every time she ‘stumbled’ on her journey. But as much as Paige appreciated Anna-Jade’s constant support… She really wished that it was Jessica who was helping her on her journey.

As Jessica stared at the dark-haired Scottish girl snuggled up next to her, she felt both a twinge of sadness and a twinge of regret. Unlike Paige, her encounter with her parents had shaken her commitment to transitioning, rather than reinforced it. She’d spoken to her counsellor since returning from America, but every time she tried to reconcile her desire to live life as a female with her need for her family’s approval, she hit a mental roadblock. Jessica saw how happy and content Paige was ever since she’d started taking oestrogen, and she wanted that contentment in her life, but at the same time, she heard how Paige called her family every week without fail, how they happily referred to her as ‘daughter’ and ‘our little girl’… And Jessica knew that she would never receive the same level of love and acceptance from her own family.

“So then,” Paige asked with a giggle. “Are you going to enter it?”

“Hmm?” Jessica muttered as she was abruptly snapped out of her daydream. “Oh, the pageant? HELL no! You know I hate everything like that…”

“But you’re the most gorgeous girl in the world,” Paige laughed, rubbing her nylon-covered leg against Jessica’s. “You’d knock ‘em dead…”

“There’s a talent round,” Jessica argued. “I don’t HAVE any talent…”

“You can play the piano, can’t you?” Anna-Jade said as she sat down on the sofa opposite the couple.

“I haven’t practised in ages!” Jessica moaned. “And besides, I’m NOT entering the pageant. I’m busy enough with work, I’ve got Abbey’s end of probation party to plan for… And besides, Zoe’s entering, it just wouldn’t feel right.”

“Because you know you’d beat her, right?” Paige laughed.

“No,” Jessica argued. “Well- maybe. If you’re so enthusiastic about this damned pageant, why don’t YOU enter?”

“Because I’m not tall, blonde and gorgeous,” Paige replied, slipping her hand into the back pocket of Jessica’s skirt. “Seriously, you’d be a shoo-in for at least the top 3.”

“And you’d beat Annabelle hands down!” Anna-Jade laughed, making Jessica squirm at the mention of the Atlanta native.

“So basically,” Jessica sighed, “the only way I’m going to get you off my back about this is to just enter and have done with it?”

“Yes!” Anna-Jade and Paige said simultaneously.

“FINE then,” Jessica sighed, making her two companions cheer and applaud. “But I’m not taking it seriously and I’m NOT playing to win. Zoe wants it more, she can have it.”

“You won’t regret this,” Anna-Jade said with a smile.

“I already am,” Jessica sighed as the Irish girl began detailing the steps they would take to turn Jessica from a glamorous stewardess into a bona fide beauty queen.

Over the next two weeks leading up to the pageant, Jessica found herself devoting every second of her free time to practising for the show. When she wasn’t flying back and forth between Paris and when felt like every city in Western Europe, or advising and assessing Abbey in the final days of her probation, Jessica would receive instruction from Paige and Anna-Jade on how to improve her deportment, the proper facial expressions and body language to use on stage… Much of what Jessica ‘learned’ she already knew- she’d had a lifetime of practice of walking in heels, how to fix her own hair and make-up, how to walk in a long, floor-length dress… But every feminine mannerism she’d perfected for use in her everyday life seemingly had to be exaggerated when up on her stage. Her hips had to sway more, her lips had to pout more, her walk had to be more feminine, with one foot placed directly in front of the other with every step… And Jessica felt more and more ridiculous with every single ‘training session’.

What Jessica didn’t realise, however, was that Zoe was struggling just as much with her own preparation for the pageant. Even though she had been born female, she would have to exaggerate her own femininity just as much as Jessica would, and whilst Zoe was used to performing on stage, the performance she would have to give was a far cry from the performing she had done in the past.

“Turn,” Natalie advised Zoe as Marie watched approvingly. “Smile for the judges!” Zoe turned her head and forced a wide smile onto her lips, before swishing her long, flowing dress in front of her and striding away from her sister and her lover.

“You’re gonna need to make the smile more convincing than that,” Marie said in a sympathetic voice. “They’re absolute sticklers for perfectionism, pick up on every tiny thing, no matter how silly you think it is.”

“Can we run through my talent routine again?” Zoe asked as she stripped off her gown and reached for her pointe shoes.

“We’ve run through it a hundred times, you already know it back to front!” Marie laughed. “Put your dress back on, we’ll run through the catwalk section again. Only two days to go until the big day…”

“Okay,” Zoe moaned, pulling her dress back on. “Still can’t believe Jess entered too…”

“You’ve not got anything to worry about from her,” Natalie assured her lover. “You’re a hundred times more beautiful and talented than she is. Besides, she isn’t even taking it seriously… She might actually help you by being in the competition.”

“Yeah, right…” Zoe sighed. “Where’s my maillot gone?”

“Natalie…” Marie asked accusingly.

“What?” Natalie pleaded with mock-innocence. “Just because I’m not in the pageant, doesn’t mean I can’t ‘enjoy the benefits’.”

“You’ll stretch it!” Zoe moaned as Natalie lifted her top to show Zoe the stretchy material.

“It’s a black neoprene swimsuit,” Natalie argued. “You’ve got plenty more, and if you’d just let me borrow one of your ballet leotards once in a while…”

“Something wrong with your own ballet leotards?” Zoe asked, smiling as Natalie encircled her tiny waist from behind.

“They’re not YOURS,” Natalie said, cuddling Zoe’s body close to her.

“Get a room,” Marie playfully admonished the two lovers. “And Natalie, take off Zoe’s swimsuit.”

“Can do!” Natalie laughed, pulling off her top and skirt.

“Not here!” Marie hissed, before bursting into fits of laughter. “Go into your room!”

“Can also do!” Natalie laughed, taking Zoe by the hand and leading her away from the sighing Marie. The couple returned ten minutes later, causing Marie to shake her head with frustration as she saw that Zoe was wearing her pageant swimsuit… And Natalie was wearing the dress Zoe had worn mere minutes earlier. Worst of all- from Marie’s perspective- was that both young women were covered in a fine sheen of sweat.

“What?” Zoe asked with a shrug. “It helps me relax, helps me concentrate…”

“Jess isn’t the only one not taking this seriously,” Marie mumbled as her sister reached for her pointe shoes.

“…What?” Zoe asked again, tying the satin dancing shoes to her feet.

“And you don’t need to practice your dancing!” Marie said in an exasperated voice.

“I’ve hardly had any chance to dance over the last six months!” Zoe argued.

“Babe,” Natalie said softly. “Over the last two weeks, you’ve hardly done anything besides dance…”

“So I missed dancing!” Zoe sighed, her own voice filled with exasperation. “Get off my back, both of you!”

“Zoe…” Marie whispered, slowly approaching her agitated sister. “Please, tell me what’s wrong…”

“Ugh,” Zoe moaned, slumping into the nearest chair. “I- I should never have quit teaching… It’s going to be two years before I can apply for a promotion thanks to this fucking warning, all of our passengers are morons...” Zoe sighed and let out a solitary tear as Natalie and Marie sat either side of her, giving the distraught girl a comforting cuddle.

“This is gonna sound silly…” Zoe sighed. “But… I kinda wish I was, you know, a T-girl, like you, or Jessica, or Paige or Anna-Jade.”

“Believe me, it’s really not a lot of fun at times,” Natalie said.

“But most of the time, it is,” Zoe replied. “I step on a plane wearing a uniform and it’s just, you know, nothing… You pull on the skirt and the high heels and it’s a lifelong dream.”

“You could always try living as a boy for a few days,” Natalie joked, earning herself a playful elbow from her lover.

“Eww,” Zoe said, scrunching up her nose. “No thank you!”

“Well,” Marie said, “What’s your lifelong dream?”

“That,” Zoe sighed, pointing at the pointe shoes tied to her feet. “Remember the day I got my first pair?”

“How could I forget?” Marie laughed. “You wouldn’t take them off for days… You should go back to teaching.”

“It’s about half what I get paid now,” Zoe moaned. “And I’ve already checked, none of the local schools are hiring…”

“Then go to university,” Natalie advised. “Get a degree- I know you’re smart enough- get a teaching qualification, I know you’d be a great primary school teacher. Or whatever the French equivalent of primary school is. Or we could always move back to England and you could teach French…”

“Yeah, as if mama and papa will agree to that!” Marie laughed. “Although if you DID leave the company, you’d lose all the company benefits… The pension, the staff discount… The parties…” Zoe smiled at the mention of the party.

“I guarantee Jessica put more effort into the party tomorrow than she put into the pageant,” Natalie reassured her lover. “So work hard today, party hard tomorrow, win hard on Tuesday!”

“Party hard AFTER your flight to St Petersburg!” Marie joked, making Zoe laugh out loud. “Now run through your routine again!” Zoe grinned a wide, genuine grin as she stood up and elegantly rose onto pointe, flawlessly performing the dance routine that she herself had choreographed for the performance. The following day, Zoe would fly to St Petersburg with a smile on her face, despite her uniform being as uncomfortable and the passengers being as obnoxious as ever. When she returned to her Paris apartment, she discovered that the party was already in full swing- and that her flat mates had become almost unrecognisable.

“This feels so stupid,” Paige complained as she stripped down to her bra and thong, holding her arms out either side of her body. “The emergency exits are located here…”

“Oh hilarious,” Jessica mock-laughed. “And stop complaining about feeling stupid, remember what I’m going to be doing tomorrow?”

“Turning 23?” Paige asked, prompting her American lover to stick her tongue out at her. “Okay, let’s get this over with…” Paige grimaced as Jessica raised her gun and pointed it straight at Paige’s face. Jessica pulled the trigger… And Paige winced as a steady stream of fake tan covered her naturally pale body from top to bottom. Once Jessica was done, Paige stepped off the sheet that had been erected in the apartment’s bathroom and walked over the mirror, where her jaw dropped at the sight of her reflection.

“…I’m fucking orange!” Paige gasped. “You’ve turned me fucking orange! Give me that gun!” Jessica giggled as she passed Paige the spray-tan gun, before standing on the sheet, allowing the dark-haired girl to coat her with the same thick, dark spray tan.

“I hope this will all come off before tomorrow…” Jessica mumbled.

“Don’t tell me you’re finally taking it seriously?” Paige asked.

“NO,” Jessica argued. “…Maybe a little.”

“You know they don’t publish the full standings, right?” Paige asked. “Just the top three… You’ll never know for certain whether or not you beat her.”

“I’m not too fussed about beating her,” Jessica confessed, before sighing. “I just don’t want her to beat me…”

“How could she?” Paige asked, giving Jessica a soft kiss on her lips. “I mean… Look at you!”

“Look at HER,” Jessica sighed. “She’s the one who got the fastest promotion ever, the one who’s still somehow with Jacques two months on…”

“Should I be jealous or something?” Paige asked. “And in the last six months, have you tried to get to know her even ONCE?” Paige winced as Jessica suddenly whipped around to face her with a look of pure irritation on her face.

“Should I be the jealous one?” Jessica asked. Paige opened her mouth as if to respond, but no words left her mouth and she stood in front of Jessica slack-jawed. The awkward silence was thankfully broken a few moments later when Natalie entered the room, dressed only in her bra and thong, and took Jessica’s place on the sheet.

“Awight then!” Natalie said in a mock Essex accent. “Tango me!” Paige sighed as Jessica exited the bathroom, leaving her to spray-tan Natalie in relative peace.

“Trouble in paradise?” Natalie asked in her native Manchester accent.

“Do not fucking ask…” Paige sighed. “Annabelle. AGAIN.” Within moments, Natalie had been covered in a liberal layer of fake tan, and minutes later Anna-Jade and Marie took their places in front of the spray nozzle, with Zoe the last to receive the ‘treatment’ immediately upon her return from Russia. Once the girls were all suitably tanned, they returned to their rooms to apply their make-up for the party- and there was a lot of it. Thick foundation almost threatened to disguise their new tans, whilst thick eyeliner, neon pink eye shadow and long, heavy false eyelashes enhanced their eyes far beyond what their regular work make-up could ever accomplish. The girls plucked and reshaped their eyebrows to perfection, before applying multiple layers of hot pink lip gloss to their mouths. With their make-up done, next came their nails- long, fake acrylic nails that extended over an inch beyond their fingertips, making delicate use of their fingers virtually impossible. Their jewellery was next- Natalie had taken charge of arranging the girls’ jewellery for the party, so all six of them wore long, gaudy earrings that pulled on their earlobes, as well as cheap sparkly necklaces and tacky plastic bracelets. The girls’ dresses were next- tight white dresses that were easily a size too small for them and barely contained their breasts and their backsides, and finally came the girls’ shoes- white stilettos with a 6.5” platform heel that all six women struggled to walk in at first, requiring additional practice before emerging from their rooms and congregating in the living room of the apartment. Anna-Jade, Natalie and Zoe had all donned bright platinum blonde wigs for the party, and all six girls had bottles of WKD in their hands.

“Girls,” Jessica announced in a near-authentic South-Eastern English accent, “what is the only way?”

“Essex!” The six girls all cheered in unison as they drank their drinks, waiting for the guests to arrive.

Within half an hour, the apartment was teeming with over twenty men and women, all of whom had adhered to the ‘Essex boy/girl’ dress code- especially Abbey, for whom the party was being thrown.

“OMG!” Abbey yelled in Jessica’s ear as she emerged from the bathroom, clad in her own white dress, white stilettos and thick fake tan. “This is totes amazeballs!”

“Glad you approve!” Jessica replied. “Thank Natalie- she’s the one who came up with the idea, did a lot of the hard work for it… She should have been your mentor, not me.”

“I’ll deffo thank her!” Abbey said, before grabbing a brightly-coloured alcoholic beverage from a nearby table and mingling with the rest of the crowd. Jessica smiled as she watched her ‘pupil’ dance away, before turning to get herself a drink, only to bump into a tall figure that was dressed identically to herself.

“Oh, jeez, sorry,” Jessica said. “Are you okay… Annabelle?” Much to Jessica’s irritation, the blonde Southerner simply smiled her usual sweet, smug smile.

“That’s okay, sweetie,” Annabelle said, before an awkward silence hung between the two American women. “I love your party, got a Canadian-themed one planned for Sarah this Saturday…”

“Your- your trainee was Canadian?” Jessica asked.

“Uh-huh,” Annabelle confirmed. “’Scuse me, honey…” Jessica seethed with anger as Annabelle brushed past her- anger that her Scottish lover immediately picked up on.

“Oh god,” Paige sighed as she approached Jessica. “I’ve already seen her here, don’t tell me you had a run-in?”

“Uh-huh,” Jessica said, mocking Annabelle’s Georgia accent. “’Scuse me, honey’… Gah. Did you know she got a Canadian trainee? Probably the only one from North America in the whole training group and she gets her instead of me…”

“But you an Abbey got on really well!” Paige retorted. “Besides, everyone knows you’re a huge Europhile, so do management… Maybe they knew you’d be comfortable with a Brit but she might not be…”

“AND she’s organised a party for her trainee on Saturday,” Jessica spat. “Know any other parties, birthday parties that are happening on that date?”

“How could she have known that it was your party that date when you never speak to her?” Paige pleaded.

“Take her side, why don’t you?” Jessica snapped, before sighing and burying her face in her hands. “Oh god, Paige… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”

“And they said the oestrogen would cause mood swings,” Paige mumbled, sniffing away a solitary tear.

“Can- can we talk in private?” Jessica asked, her stomach knotting at the sight of her lover being upset- and the knowledge that it was she who made Paige upset.

“Sure,” Paige whispered, following Jessica into their bedroom. “Jess…”

“Ever since you started taking oestrogen, it’s like you’ve become a whole new person,” Jessica said.

“Um, yeah, that’s kinda the idea!” Paige chuckled nervously. “…Thanks?”

“I didn’t mean it as a compliment,” Jessica said coldly. “You’re different… You’re… You’re not the woman I fell in love with.”

“I’m more the woman you fell in love with than ever!” Paige said, more tears beginning to form in her heavily made-up eyes. “Just because your family haven’t accepted you yet, don’t take it out on me!”

“You leave my family out of this!” Jessica snapped.

“Don’t you shout at me!” Paige snapped back, before taking a deep breath and calming her nerves. “You’ve changed too, and not for the better. I- I can’t handle this constant jealousy. Why don’t you just TALK to her, for Christ’s sake?”

“We’re never on the same flights,” Jessica muttered. “They don’t put two people from the same nationality on the same flight unless they’re French or from the country they’re flying to, you know that!”

“Then talk to her some other time!” Paige yelled. “She out there right fucking now, what’s stopping you!?”

“Because I’d rather be with you!” Jessica yelled, before withering under Paige’s angry glare.

“Well I’d rather NOT be with you,” Paige spat, storming out of the bedroom and leaving Jessica alone in the dark.

Jessica took several deep breaths, but even this wasn’t enough to prevent her eyes from flooding with tears. The blonde girl doubled over in pain, her stomach churning as the adrenaline caused by the fight thinned in her blood. For weeks, she’d feared growing apart from Paige… Now it seemed as though their relationship had been terminated. Paige wasn’t Jessica’s first girlfriend, but she was the one Jessica had been with the longest, and the only woman with whom she had fallen in love at first sight. Jessica’s attraction to the Scottish girl had been so overwhelming that she’d never stopped to consider whether or not they were truly compatible. Now Jessica had an answer to that question- and it wasn’t the answer she was hoping for.

Jessica remained in the darkened room for ten minutes, composing herself before fixing her make-up and returning to the party, only to find that Paige was nowhere to be seen- and much to Jessica’s fear, neither was Annabelle.

“Hey,” Natalie said cautiously to Jessica. “You- you okay?”

“No,” Jessica sighed. “Where- where’s Paige?”

“She went home with Hiromi,” Natalie explained. “Said she needed a few days away… Jess, what happened?”

“Where’s Annabelle?” Jessica asked in an angry tone.

“She left at the same time as Paige,” Natalie whispered, bringing a look of pure fury to the American girl’s face.

“Of course she fucking did,” Jessica sighed. “Nat… I’m going to head to bed now. Need to clear my head. Can you…”

“Sure,” Natalie whispered, staring at the American girl with a sympathetic eye before returning to the party, which was still in full swing despite the departures.

“Soooo, Abbey,” Zoe asked, “gonna get your application in for mentor for August?”

“God, I dunno, maybe,” Abbey sighed. “Jess was such a great mentor… It’ll be hard to follow in her footsteps!” Zoe giggled, before spotting Natalie out of the corner of her eye and excusing herself.

“I hate her,” Zoe whispered to her lover as she stumbled over to her, wobbling on her extra-high heels.

“You’re also really drunk, “ Natalie said, wrapping an arm around Zoe’s waist to support her. “And Abbey!? Why, exactly?”

“Ugh, she’s so phoney,” Zoe complained.

“She’s from Essex, what did you expect?” Natalie laughed. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that she was one of the first 19 year olds to be hired after they lowered the minimum age limit, would it?”

“No,” Zoe spat, before rolling her eyes. “Maybe… Ugh. I just hate everything to do with this job…”

“Get some sleep,” Natalie advised the inebriated young woman. “A- you’ll feel better in the morning, B- you’ll need it ahead of tomorrow night!”

“Okay,” Zoe mumbled, before stumbling toward hers & Natalie’s room, where she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

The party dispersed shortly afterwards as many of the partygoers- including two of the apartment’s residents- had early flights. Zoe was already asleep by the time Natalie stripped off her dress, wig and heels and climbed into bed next to her, but the frown on her slumbering face made Natalie sigh sadly. When she’d signed up for Soixante-Trois Airlines, she’d expected a life filled with glamour, excitement and adventure- everything she’d dreamed of ever since she was a boy. She’d grown up idolising the flight attendants she saw in old movies and on TV shows, and whilst it wasn’t the only ‘service’ uniform she’d grown up wishing she could wear- she’d ‘experimented’ with French maid’s dresses and playboy bunny costumes numerous times in her youth- the classic tight skirt of the flight attendant was the only one that was within her grasp, thanks to Soixante-Trois Airlines cowing to the demands of the EU supreme court. Not just being able to live life as a woman, but being obliged to live and work as not just a woman, but a sexy, glamorous woman was a dream come true for Natalie… A dream that only improved when she moved in with Marie and met Zoe for the first time. ‘Ballerina’ was another fantasy of Natalie’s, but it was always one that Natalie felt was beyond her reach, so when Zoe accepted Natalie’s romantic advances, Natalie’s dream come true improved in ways she could never have imagined. But then something completely unexpected happened- Natalie fell in love with Zoe. Madly, deeply, head over heels in love with the French girl. And to see Zoe hurting… It broke Natalie’s heart.

“I love you,” Natalie whispered in Zoe’s hear, before wrapping her arms around the sleeping girl’s waist and quickly falling into her own deep sleep.

Jessica awoke on the morning of her 23rd birthday and rolled over in bed, momentarily confused by Paige’s absence, but as her head cleared, the events of the previous night came rushing back, causing Jessica to lay back on her pillow and let out a long, silent scream.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Natalie said to Jessica as the American girl padded down the stairs into the kitchen. “Oh, sorry- happy birthday!”

“Not really,” Jessica moaned.

“You and Paige are NOT finished!” Natalie assured Jessica. “You’ve just had a ‘blip’, that’s all…”

“Hell of a big ‘blip’,” Jessica sighed. “Where’s Zoe, she still in bed?”

“Yeah,” Natalie sighed. “She had a hell of a lot to drink last night… Damn Essex drinks, they’re so sweet-tasting you can’t even tell they’re alcoholic most of the time. Marie and Anna-Jade have already left, they’ve got flights today, obviously Zoe and I have got the day off to prepare for tonight…”

“Ugh,” Jessica moaned. “That’s my ‘support team’ all gone, then- I can hardly ask Paige to help… Whatever. I didn’t want to be in this stupid pageant anyway, I’ll just call in and say I’ve got the flu or something. I’ve got the next couple of days off as well anyway…”

“For your birthday?” Natalie asked, sighing as Jessica nodded. “Well, if you want… It WOULD be a shame to let all the preparation go to waste, you spent all that money on your swimsuit, your dress…”

“Like I can’t use a swimsuit,” Jessica laughed. “Or a long, fancy dress…”

“Well, it’s up to you, I guess,” Natalie said. “I won’t be the one to point out that you’d be conceding defeat to you-know-who…”

“No- just- no,” Jessica hissed. “Don’t play the ‘Annabelle card’ unless you’re willing to back it up.”

“Fine,” Natalie conceded. “What have you got planned for today? Other than opening presents, that is?”

“I’m going to go and see Paige,” Jessica said firmly.

“Eesh,” Natalie grimaced. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea?”

“Nope,” Jessica said, finishing her coffee and standing up. “But I’m going to anyway.” Jessica immediately headed for the bathroom, barely stopping to acknowledge Zoe’s ‘bon anniversaire’. Jessica thrust herself under the shower, washing away the memories- and the fake tan- of the previous night, before dressing for the day. Even though she wasn’t at work, Jessica still laced herself into one of her tight underbust corsets, before pulling on a plain black bra and thong set and applying a light layer of make-up. Rather than clip a pair of stockings to her corset, Jessica instead went bare-legged, pulling on a soft, casual grey miniskirt and a loose blue top. As always, Jessica left her lipstick until last, but as she reached into her dresser drawer for one of her multiple scarlet lipsticks, she paused, before staring over at Paige’s side of the dresser. In what had become almost a tradition, the two lovers would sit side by side as they applied their make-up (when they were on flights on the same day, anyway), both leaving their lipstick until last so they could ‘blot’ their lipstick on each other’s lips. Jessica had to blink back tears as she reached into Paige’s drawer for one of her scarlet lipsticks, sighing happily as she twirled the wet, red tube out of its holder and applied it to her own lips over and over again.

“I’m heading out now,” Jessica announced to Natalie and Zoe, not even waiting for their response before leaving the apartment and heading to the nearest tram stop. Within minutes, Jessica found herself outside the front door of Paige’s old apartment, the place where she’d lived when she’d first moved to Paris nine long months ago.

“This is a bad idea,” Jessica whispered to herself, before knocking on the door. Much to Jessica’s relief, it wasn’t Paige herself who answered, but Hiromi- the Japanese transgendered girl who used to be Paige’s room-mate.

“Jessica?” Hiromi asked. “Are- are you here for Paige? Because she’s not here…”

“Where’s she gone?” Jessica asked.

“Work,” Hiromi said nervously. “She swapped a shift… I’m sorry, Jessica. She- she said that she needed some time to herself.”

“Well,” Jessica said, simultaneously relieved and disappointed by Paige’s absence, “if you do see her, please tell her-“ Jessica paused as she saw an unexpected figure in the background that caused bile to rise in her throat. There, exiting the bedroom that used to be Paige’s, was the unmistakable figure of Annabelle Cope.

“…Never mind,” Jessica said, turning her back on the Japanese girl and heading straight back to the tram to her apartment.

It was just a coincidence… Jessica tried to persuade herself. Annabelle being in Paige’s apartment- it was just a coincidence, surely? Annabelle didn’t even like Paige, COULDN’T even like Paige- she was seeing Jacques Lacroix, though that wasn’t exactly a relationship that had ‘long term’ written all over it…

“Didn’t go well, then?” Natalie asked Jessica as the American girl returned home, all but slamming the front door behind her.

“Guess who was there?” Jessica asked.

“What, Annabelle?” Natalie said. “She’s been living with Hiromi for months now.”

“I thought that girl from Luxembourg, um, Karla was her room-mate?” Jessica asked, confused and frustrated that Natalie would know information that she herself didn’t.

“She moved to Berlin a few months ago,” Natalie explained.

“Yeah,” Zoe confirmed. “Annabelle moved in in February.” Jessica screwed her face up in frustration at the revelation that Zoe also knew about Annabelle’s living arrangements.

“It would’ve been nice if I’d been told this before I went over there,” Jessica moaned.

“If you hadn’t stormed out the way you did, I’m sure it would have come up,” Natalie shrugged, before sighing as Jessica slumped backward on the chair, her figure that of an utterly defeated woman. “Oh, cheer up…”

“It IS your birthday,” Zoe giggled, before reaching into a nearby closet and pulling out an armful of presents.

“Oh- thanks guys,” Jessica sighed happily. “You really didn’t need to go to all this trouble…”

“It’s your first birthday as Jessica, isn’t it?” Natalie asked. “You spoiled the hell out of me for mine last November, seems only fair to return the favour!”

“It’s also my worst birthday ever so far,” Jessica moaned.

“Then get opening!” Zoe laughed, shaking a present in the American girl’s face. “Presents make the world better!” Jessica giggled as she tore open the brightly-coloured wrapping paper, sighing happily at every present she received from the two lovers. For her previous birthday, her 22nd, Jessica had received all the presents she, as Jesse, was supposed to want- pairs of jeans, men’s toiletry sets containing aftershave, deodorants… When all she really wanted was skirts, lingerie, perfume, cosmetics… All of which were contained in the packages Natalie and Zoe handed her. And yet, Jessica still felt sad. Her previous birthday had been spent in her family home in Baltimore- not only was her 23rd birthday her first spent as Jessica, it was also her first spent away from her family home, and with the way she’d burned her bridges with her family in February, it would also be the first birthday where she had no contact with her family whatsoever. As much as Jessica appreciated her girly gifts, she’d trade them all just to have the acceptance and love of her family… Or one more night with Paige.

“Thank you both so, so much,” Jessica gushed as she sat amongst a pile of presents and discarded wrapping paper.

“Still the worst birthday ever?” Zoe asked with a laugh.

“…In fairness, my others were REALLY good,” Jessica giggled.

“More importantly,” Zoe probed, “Are you still pulling out of the pageant tonight?” Jessica met Zoe’s intense stare and couldn’t help but giggle, despite her emotional turmoil.

“No,” Jessica laughed, prompting cheers from her room-mates.

“You’d better start getting ready, then,” Natalie advised. “Show’s at 7pm…” Jessica smiled as she headed to her bedroom, her arms filled with her new cosmetics, and set about the task of transforming herself from a glamorous stewardess to a fully-fledged beauty queen…

Paige let out a long sigh as she stepped into the locker room at Charles De Gaulle airport, fresh from a return flight to Glasgow. Her feet hurt from standing in her high heels all day, her back hurt from where she’d had to tie her own corset and her chest hurt from where her falsies had rubbed against her throughout the flight. What hurt most, however, was Paige’s heart.

Unlike Jessica, Paige had never had any prior serious relationships. She’d never held any attraction to men, and the only attraction she felt toward women was toward the exotic attire they would wear… But then, on her first day of work for Soixante-Trois, she met Jessica, and her world turned upside-down. The feelings that Paige had for Jessica were new, intense and exciting, and over the prior nine months, Paige had eagerly explored every aspect of her relationship with Jessica, both physical and emotional. She’d even introduced the American girl to her parents- and earned their approval- but at the back of Paige’s mind had always been a niggling doubt, a feeling that what the two of them had was little more than a physical attraction pretending to be true love- and the argument they’d had the previous night had just cemented that doubt in Paige’s mind.

After changing back into the pencil dress she’d borrowed from Hiromi for her commute, Paige headed to the nearby tram stop for her journey home. Once on board, Paige pulled her phone out of her bag and checked for any new messages, before opening a new message for Jessica.

‘Hi Jess,’ Paige typed. ‘Hope you’re having a happy birthday… Can we talk about last night, please? P.’ Paige’s thumb hovered over the ‘send’ button as she read and re-read the message over and over again, ensuring that it was perfect, that it wasn’t too conciliatory but at the same time not too aloof. As she went to push the ‘send’ button Paige looked up, staring at the Parisian scenery rushing by, and realised immediately that she was on the wrong tram- she’d instinctively got onto the tram going to Jessica’s apartment rather than the one to her old- or rather, her current- apartment.

Paige paused, unsure of what to do- it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle to hop off the tram at the next stop, head back to the airport and get on the ‘right’ tram- it’d only cost Paige about 20 minutes to correct her mistake. However, Paige reasoned that there had to have been a reason why she subconsciously got on the tram to Jessica’s apartment- maybe deep down, she really wanted to see Jessica?

As the tram pulled up to the second stop after the airport, Paige made up her mind. She deleted the text message and put her phone back into her bag, and as the tram pulled up to the stop nearest Jessica’s apartment, Paige stood up confidently, straightened her dress and strode out of the packed carriage, heading straight for the front door where she let herself in with her key.

“Hello?” Paige called. “Jess? Nat? Zoe?” Paige switched the living room light on, and her attention was immediately drawn to a note, written in English, on the coffee table.

‘Marie/Anna-Jade,’ the note read. ‘Gone to pageant. Not left a meal so you’ll need to get takeaway. Back later.’ Paige bristled at the implication that she’d been so easily forgotten by the rest of the household, that they’d continued with their lives as though she’d never been a part of them. Paige tried her hardest to put such negative thoughts to the back of her mind, however- she’d not given the women any indication that she would be back at any point today, and all five women were still her friends… Even Jessica. ESPECIALLY Jessica. Taking a deep breath, Paige climbed the stairs into the room that was hers and Jessica’s bedroom, gingerly opening the door and staring into the darkened room. It was just as she’d left it the previous night- clothes and underwear strewn all over the floor, make-up littering the top of the dresser… What was out of the ordinary, however, was a note pinned to one of the pillows on the bed- Paige’s pillow- with the letter ‘P’ written on it.

‘I don’t know if you’ll ever read this message,’ the note read. ‘But just on the off-chance that you do come back and I’m out, I just want you to know how sorry I am for last night. I love you, Paige. I always will. Talk soon. J.’ Tears began to well in Paige’s eyes as she read the message, and she immediately knew what she had to do. Without any further hesitation, Paige scooped up her bag and her keys and- taking care to lock the front door behind her- headed straight back to the nearest tram stop.

Jessica breathed a nervous, shallow breath as she waited backstage with thirteen other young women, each one- including Jessica herself- dressed in the iconic Soixante-Trois uniform that they wore day in, day out in their working lives.

“Eeee!” Abbey squeaked, barely able to keep herself from bouncing up and down with excitement. “This is so cool!”

“Yeah,” Jessica said, forcing an enthusiastic smile on her face when all she felt in reality was a mixture of nerves and a disbelief of the situation in which she found herself. The one consolation Jessica had was that the pageant wasn’t going to be a huge event- out of an employee pool of nearly 200 women (including woman ‘like Jessica’), only fourteen had entered the pageant, most of whom had, like Jessica and Abbey, only worked for the company for less than a year. The venue wasn’t even that big, either- a conference room in one of Soixante-Trois's hotels that little larger than the average bar, with just enough room for a stage and seating for 30 guests (most of whom were middle-aged businessmen- undoubtedly friends of Antoine Masson, the owner of Soixante-Trois Airlines).

“Madames et monsieurs,” the emcee- a man in his thirties who Jessica recognised as one of Soixante-Trois’s regular pilots- announced. “I would like to welcome you all to the seventh annual Miss Soixante-Trois beauty pageant!” On cue, modern-sounding music started playing, and the fourteen contestants strode out on stage in formation, placing one hand on their hip before turning and smiling for the assembled crowd.

“These fourteen young women,” the emcee continued, “will tonight compete for your votes. There will be four ‘rounds’- the uniform round, the swimwear round, the evening wear round and the talent competition. Our expert panel of judges will give each girl a score from one to ten, which will make up 50% of their overall score. The rest, madames et monsieurs, is up to you! Simply vote for your favourite using the voting slips you were given at reception, and the winner will take away the grand prize of 6300 Euros and, more importantly, the title of Miss Soixante-Trois 2015!” 6300 Euros? Jessica thought to herself. Wish I’d known that a little earlier…

“Now,” the emcee announced, “let’s meet the girls!” Jessica kept her smile fixed on her face as the fourteen women introduced themselves one by one. As they had lined up in alphabetical order by surname, Jessica was the second to last girl to step forward, and her face was almost cracking under the pressure of her forced smile when she finally got to speak.

“Hi,” Jessica said in her refined Maryland accent. “I’m Jessica Tyler, I’m twenty-three years old- today- I’m from Baltimore in the United States, and I hope you’ll pick me for Miss Soixante-Trois 2015!” Jessica kept her smile fixed on her face as she stepped back, though she felt her cheeks start to burn as some of the other women glanced in her direction, clearly disapproving of her playing the ‘birthday card’ so early in the competition.

“Hi,” Abbey said, stepping forward. “I’m Abbey Watkins, I’m nineteen years old- last August- I’m from Basildon in England, and I hope that you’ll agree with me that for Miss Soixante-Trois 2015, the only way IS Essex!” Abbey stepped back, shooting a smug smile at her mentor as the emcee stepped forward again.

“I’m sure you’ll agree,” the young man announced, “fourteen beautiful and intelligent young women! Next, you’ll see all of them in- well, pretending to be in- their natural habitat- eight kilometres above the surface of the Earth in an aeroplane! And when I say ‘eight kilometres’, I of course mean ‘five miles’, Annabelle and Jessica.” Jessica giggled bashfully as the emcee teased her, even though she was fully comfortable with the use of the metric system. Jessica followed the rest of the girls backstage- with Abbey again bringing up the rear- as they waited to step in front of the crowd again, this time individually.

“Happy birthday to you…” Abbey teased her mentor.

“Oh- shut up,” Jessica sighed.

“Oh come on, it IS a bit blatant, isn’t it?” Abbey asked.

“Well excuse me for being conceived in August!” Jessica retorted.

“Keep it quiet back there!” Zoe laughed from her position two spaces in front of Jessica. “What do you Americans say, ‘eyes on the prize’?” Jessica laughed as she waited to take her turn in front of the crowd- a wait that took almost twenty minutes, during which she fidgeted impatiently. Once again, she was regretting her decision to enter the pageant, and as she stepped out on stage, stage fright threatened to make her freeze dead on the spot. Jessica took a deep breath and made her way to the front of the stage, smiling and turning for the assembled crowd.

“The emergency exits are located here,” the emcee announced as Jessica mimed the arm gestures that had become second nature to her even before she started working for Soixante-Trois Airlines. “Here, and here. In the event of a water landing, please reach underneath your seats for a lifejacket, which can be inflated using the valve here. The lifejacket contains a light and a whistle.” Jessica finished her ‘safety briefing’, before bobbing a curtsey and walking backstage, allowing Abbey to take her place on the stage.

“This way, Miss Tyler,” one of the backstage helpers said, quickly escorting Jessica to the changing room where many of the other girls were in various stages of undress. Taking care not to stare at the semi-naked bodies of the other girls, Jessica stripped off her uniform, hanging it up with the usual level of care it warranted- she would have to wear it ‘for real’ in a week- before taking her tight blue one-piece swimsuit off of its coat hanger and stretching it over her body. The swimsuit round wasn’t nearly as ‘involved’ as the uniform round- simply ‘modelling’ the garment for the assembled crowd- and the eveningwear round was the same way, though Jessica did find herself having fun as she swished the long, flowing dress around herself, before heading backstage to the changing room once again, where she discovered Natalie lacing Zoe into her wide, ostentatious tutu.

“How are you going to get that out of the door?” Jessica laughed as she sat down. Unlike Zoe, she didn’t need to change for her ‘talent round’, so she took the opportunity to relax ahead of her performance.

“Oh whatever,” Zoe moaned, tying her well-worn pointe shoes to her feet. “I’ve done this a million times before, remember? Just try not to forget your words!” Jessica stuck her tongue out at the French ballerina as she leaned back in her seat.

“Where is everyone, anyway?” Jessica asked, staring around at the relatively deserted changing room.

“In the bar,” Natalie explained. “The show’s being broadcast live on the web, they hooked up a laptop to the big screen in there. I’m heading there now, once I’ve finished building Zoe’s costume!"

“It does look like a feat of engineering,” Jessica said, laughing as Zoe stuck her tongue back out at her.

“Admit it,” Zoe said. “You’re just jealous!”

“What girl wouldn’t be?” Jessica asked, making Zoe laugh. “I take it, Natalie, that you’ll end up wearing this costume before the week is over?”

“’Week’?” Natalie laughed. “Try ‘night’!” Natalie laughed harder as Zoe gave her a playful elbow in the ribs, before leading Jessica to the bar, where her fellow contestants were watching the big screen- on which was footage of Annabelle, singing ‘Stand By Your Man’ in a perfectly convincing feminine voice.

“Ugh,” Jessica spat as she watched the tall blonde girl sing. “Could she be any more obvious, what with her boyfriend on the judging panel?”

“It IS a bit sickening, agreed,” Natalie said. “What song are you playing on the piano again?”

“It’s a bit of Jupiter,” Jessica explained. “By Holst, you know, the planets?”

“Good choice,” Natalie nodded. “European composer, should go down well…” Natalie’s voice trailed off as she stared over Jessica’s shoulder. Jessica followed Natalie’s gaze, and gasped as she found herself staring into the mismatched eyes of the woman who was, up until the previous night, her lover.

“P-Paige?” Jessica whispered as the Scottish girl slowly approached her, only to turn around and leave before she reached Jessica’s table.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Natalie said, leaving Jessica alone with her thoughts. Thirty minutes passed, during which eight more women (including Zoe) took their turn on stage, each one earning a rapturous round of applause.

“Miss Tyler?” The same backstage helper from before called. Jessica gulped nervously as she stood up and straightened her dress, before following the helper back to the stage.

“We don’t have an actual piano to hand,” the helper explained. “We’ve managed to find a keyboard, hopefully it should be enough-“

“Can I change the song I want to play?” Jessica asked, interrupting the young man. “Actually, can I change my talent section altogether?”

“Seconds before your performance?” The helper asked incredulously. “Umm, as long as it’s something that doesn’t require any props, I suppose so…”

“I want to sing a song,” Jessica announced.

“You’ll have to do it without background music,” the helper said. “Are you sure?” Jessica nodded and told the helper exactly what she had planned, before waiting alone as the helper relayed those instructions to the emcee.

“In a change to the billed performance,” the emcee eventually announced, “please welcome back to the stage Miss Jessica Tyler, who will sing for your votes!” Jessica strode out on stage and took her place in front of the microphone that had been provided for her.

“Thank you,” Jessica said. “I was going to play the piano for you, but unfortunately, I hurt two fingers before the pageant, so I won’t be able to do that, I’m afraid.” As lies go, it was a small, harmless one, but Jessica still felt uneasy about fibbing to the assembled crowd. “Instead, I’d like to sing you a song… This is for my best friend. Paige… I hope you’re listening.” Jessica cleared her throat, before closing her eyes and singing a song she'd listened to over and over again ever since her childhood.

"You and me," Jessica sang.

"We used to be together
Everyday together always...
I really feel
That I'm losing my best friend
I can't believe
This could be the end
It looks as though you're letting go
And if it's real
Well I don't want to know

Don't speak
I know just what you're saying
So please stop explaining
Don't tell me ‘cause it hurts
Don't speak
I know what you're thinking
I don't need your reasons
Don't tell me ‘cause it hurts..."

Jessica bobbed a curtsey as the crowd applauded her singing, before heading backstage to a similar reception from her fellow contestants.

“That’s it!” Natalie laughed. “All done now…”

“Did you speak to Paige?” Jessica asked the English woman as she collapsed back down in her seat, before changing from her dress back into her familiar blue uniform.

“…I couldn’t find her,” Natalie mumbled. “Think she must have left the club altogether… I’m sorry, Jess. I have sent her a text, asked her to get in touch.”

“With me or with you?” Jessica asked.

“Whoever she’d be more comfortable speaking to,” Natalie answered. “There’s going to be an intermission whilst they tally up the scores, everybody’s going to head to the bar whilst we wait.”

“Okay,” Jessica said, waiting for Zoe to pull her evening dress back on before following her and Natalie back to the bar, where, to Jessica’s irritation, all the contestants were sat around a long table… With Annabelle at the head of the table.

“Jess! Zoe!” Rachel yelled, holding out two chairs for the young women. “Come on!” Jessica smiled as she sat down in the chair, elegantly smoothing her dress beneath her. Seconds later, Abbey- the only contestant missing from the table- sat down at the opposite end of the table to Annabelle.

“A toast!” Rachel announced. “To the Miss Soixante-Trois class of 2015!”

“Salut!” All fourteen women said, raising their champagne-filled glasses.

“How are they going to announce the winners again?” Abbey asked.

“Top 3, in reverse order,” Rachel said. “I think I know who the winner’s likely to be, eh, Miss Wynette?” Annabelle blushed bashfully, but remained silent as Rachel teased her.

“Though Miss Stefani surely stands a chance?” Zoe said, making Jessica giggle nervously.

“Well,” Rachel said, “whoever wins, they’ll certainly be a deserving winner!” The fourteen girls all clinked their glasses as they congratulated each other on their performances- Zoe’s ballet routine getting special attention- before they were invited back onto the stage. Jessica couldn’t help but note, however, that Annabelle didn’t say a single word during the ‘toast’, instead simply smiling and remaining silent…

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the emcee announced. “I’m sure you’ll agree that tonight has been great entertainment, and that any one of the fourteen women on my left would make a fantastic Miss Soixante-Trois. However, only one can take away the crown for the next twelve months, and the time has come to find out who that woman will be. I will announce the top three, in reverse order. In third place…” Jessica smiled for the crowd as the emcee paused for dramatic effect. Jessica didn’t hold any illusions that she would get anywhere near the top three- the other girls had put much more effort into the pageant than she herself had. Plus, she’d changed her ‘talent show’ song at the last minute. Jessica willed the emcee to hurry up so that she could go home and try to enjoy the rest of her birthday- even though she wouldn’t be spending it with the woman she really wanted to spend it with…

“…The birthday girl herself, Jessica Tyler!” The emcee announced, causing Jessica’s jaw to drop like a stone.

“Oh- my- god!” Jessica squeaked, blinking in disbelief as she was handed a bouquet of flowers and a bronze-coloured sash was placed on her shoulders. Third!? Jessica thought to herself, still barely able to comprehend what was happening. Out of the fourteen women, she’d placed third, meaning that the judges and the audience had collectively thought that she was a superior beauty queen to eleven of the other women. Jessica quickly realised that it also meant that they’d judged to be inferior to two of the other girls, but that didn’t matter to Jessica- right up until she looked down the line of applauding women, and stared straight into the face of Annabelle, who smiled smugly at Jessica. Oh, you cow, you know you’ve won, don’t you…? Jessica thought to herself as she struggled to keep the smile on her face.

“And the runner-up,” the emcee continued, again pausing for dramatic effect. Annabelle, by any chance? Jessica thought to herself.

“…Mademoiselle Brigitte Levesque!” Jessica applauded as a bouquet of flowers and a silver sash was presented to the woman wearing the grey route uniform, but inside, she was seething- if Brigitte had placed second, there was no doubt now in her mind who would win the pageant.

“And the winner,” the emcee said, “winning two first-class return tickets on any Soixante-Trois flight of their choice, a cheque for six thousand, three hundred euros and the right to call themselves Miss Soixante-Trois Airlines 2015 is…” here it comes, thought Jessica as the emcee paused for what felt like an eternity.

“…Rachel Harrison!” The emcee yelled. Far on her left, Rachel- Jessica’s most frequent supervisor on her flights- squeaked incoherently, literally bouncing up and down with delight as her pillbox hat was replaced by a jewelled tiara, and a gold sash was draped over her shoulders that read ‘Miss Soixante-Trois 2015’. Much to Jessica’s surprise, though, Annabelle’s facial expression didn’t change- her face wasn’t one of shock, disappointment or surprise, instead wearing the same smug-looking smile she had worn throughout the pageant. Jessica- along with Brigitte and Rachel- was called to the middle of the stage to have their photographs taken, and it was only as Jessica stood with the two other girls, a wide smile plastered on her face, that she realised that she had actually beaten Annabelle- despite the other girl’s boyfriend being on the panel, Jessica had had the edge.

“Do I get to keep the sash?” Jessica asked, making everyone left on the stage laugh out loud.

Upon her return to the changing room, Jessica received a rapturous round of applause from all the other contestants whom she had beaten.

“Well done, mademoiselle troisieme!” Zoe giggled, giving Jessica a long hug. “Honestly, if I can’t win, I’m glad it’s you.”

“I only came third!” Jessica laughed as she carefully removed her sash, handing it to Natalie as she changed from her uniform back into her ‘regular’ clothes.

“You know why Rachel won, don’t you?” Natalie laughed. “Not that she isn’t a deserving winner, but…”

“Umm… No?” Zoe asked. “I did wonder why she, as a supervisor who’s been for the company six years, had entered today…”

“Oh come on,” Natalie laughed. “Any coincidence a LONDON native just became the unofficial face of the airline? Someone from LONDON, who grew up near, say, HEATHROW…?”

“…Surely not?” Zoe asked.

“Heathrow is the busiest airport in Europe,” Natalie said. “If they put in that third runway… It’s no wonder Masson wants a piece of that action. So get brushing up on your English, girls. Especially you, Jessica.” Natalie giggled as Jessica stuck her tongue out, before frowning as the American girl’s expression grew sombre.

“Have you heard back from Paige?” Jessica asked, sighing sadly as Natalie shook her head.

“I sent her another message after you got the third,” Natalie said, draping Jessica’s sash back over her shoulders. “Still nothing.”

“She’ll talk to you soon,” Zoe whispered. “She HAS to.”

“Hope you’re right,” Jessica said as she grabbed her bag and headed out of the changing room.

“Congratulations, honey,” Annabelle said to Jessica as she left, causing Jessica to turn around, surprise etched onto her face.

"Thanks, Annabelle," Jessica said, a genuine smile creeping onto her face.

"You thought she'd 'bought' it, didn't you?" Natalie accused her American friend.

"No," Jessica replied. "Maybe... Just thankful 'le connard' behaved himself..." Almost as if on cue, the three women rounded a corner in the labyrinthine hotel and found themselves face to face with Jacques Lacroix.

"Ah, mademoiselles," Jacques oozed. "Congratulations on your third place, mademoiselle Tyler. Commiserations, mademoiselle Renou- know that I of course gave you top marks."

"Votre approbation me remplit de honte," Zoe retorted, making Natalie and Jessica snigger uncontrollably.

"You may be interested to learn," Jacques continued, unfettered by Zoe's insult, "That there is an additional prize for those who finished in the top three: a date with Jacques Lacroix, Soixante-Trois's most handsome and sophisticated co-pilot! You may choose your date, time and place."

"Hell, when it freezes over," Jessica said, pushing her way past Jacques.

"Oh?" Jacques asked. "It was my understanding that you were newly single, no? Is that not why you sang that song?"

"It's our understanding that you're NOT single!" Natalie retorted on Jessica's behalf.

"Mademoiselle Cope and I have a... understanding," Jacques replied.

"Manger de la merde, Jacques," Zoe spat as she led Jessica away from the oily co-pilot.

"How- how does Annabelle put up with him?" Jessica wondered aloud.

"Oh?" Natalie laughed. "It wasn't that long ago that you said that they were perfect for each other..."

"Yeah, well things change, okay?" Jessica asked. "Can we just go home?"

"Sure," Natalie said. "And me and Zoe are on flights tomorrow, so no surprise party, I promise. Not tonight, anyway!" Jessica half-sighed, half-laughed at Natalie's irrepressible attitude as the three women made their way to the nearest tram stop, soon finding themselves at the door to their apartment.

"See?" Natalie asked as she let the three of them in, dumping their cases (which contained their clothing for the pageant) in the entranceway. "No surprise party, Zoe and I are heading to bed. Good night, well done, and happy birthday!" Natalie gave Jessica a brief hug, much to the surprise of the American girl, before leading Zoe into their bedroom. A quick check of the clock revealed to Jessica that it was after 11pm, and whilst she was tired, she was in no mood to go to bed herself- especially as she no longer had anyone with which to share it. Sighing, Jessica pulled her phone out of her bag, and a smile immediately leapt onto her face when she saw two Facebook notifications on her screen- 'Aaron Tyler posted on your wall', and 'Hayley Tyler posted on your wall'. Jessica smiled even wider as she opened up Facebook and read the messages that had been left.

'Happy birthday to the best big sister in the world!' Aaron's message read. 'Hope you come back to America soon.'

'Happy birthday super sister!' Hayley's message read. 'I still miss you every day... Get back to America soon, and bring Paige with you!' Jessica's face fell at the mention of the woman she still loved dearly, but she maintained her composure long enough to leave 'likes' on both posts, before heading up the short staircase to hers and Paige's bedroom, where she snapped on the light and gasped in shock. There, sat on her bed, in the dark, was the same woman for whom Jessica had pined mere seconds earlier.

"Hi Jess," Paige said hesitantly. "Happy birthday..."

"Hi Paige," Jessica replied. "Pai-"

"Jes-" Paige said at the same time as Jessica, causing both girls to giggle.

"You first," Jessica sighed.

"I... I was only going to say 'Jessica'," Paige laughed. "Didn't really have any idea how to continue that sentence..."

"Deja vu?" Jessica giggled. "The first time we were alone in this bedroom- well, not THIS bedroom, but-"

"I don't want us to be finished," Paige said. "We had a fight. It was bound to happen eventually... I'm sorry for what I said, and the way I said it."

"I'm sorry too," Jessica said. "I was jealous and stupid... And extra-stupid. You're the best thing in my life."

"Even better than your new career as a beauty queen?" Paige laughed, pointing at Jessica's sash.

"I'm pretty sure they were pity votes," Jessica laughed. "Paige..."

"...Yes?" Paige asked, before giggling. "Still no idea how to finish that sentence?"

"All I want to do right now is kiss you," Jessica whispered. Paige smiled and leaned in toward Jessica, kissing her deeply on her scarlet lips. Both women closed their eyes as they savoured each other's taste as though it was the first and last time they would ever experience it, and soon their hands were exploring each other's bodies, stripping off each other's clothes as they collapsed on their bed. A fine sheen of sweat covered their naked forms, and soon they found themselves lost in an orgasmic haze...

Jessica shivered as the first rays of sunlight woke her from her slumber. As she turned her head, she smiled at the sight of Paige's sleeping face, her slow, rhythmic breaths belying the intensity of the previous night's lovemaking session. Jessica leaned into Paige's face and slowly kissed her on her lips, rousing her from her sleep.

"Morning, beautiful," Jessica said, grinning as Paige sleepily giggled at her.

"Morning, gorgeous," Paige replied. "I really, really don't want to get up today..."

"Then don't," Jessica whispered. "Just- just stay here with me. Please?"

"...Okay," Paige said, kissing Jessica deeply before cuddling her naked body close to that of her lover. "Will- can, you know, can we 'pick up from where we left off'? I really, really like this..."

"I LOVE you," Jessica whispered. "And yes, if you want- you want to move back in... I'd like that."

"I love you too," Paige sighed. "Are the others on flights today?"

"Umm," Jessica mumbled, furrowing her brow. "Natalie and Zoe, yes; Marie, I think so; Anna-Jade, I don't think so." Paige sighed as she buried her face into Jessica's shoulder.

"...I should get up," Paige moaned. "I need to go back to Hiromi's..."

"No," Jessica said firmly. "Seriously, please?"

"...I need to get your birthday presents!" Paige giggled, making Jessica laugh happily before kissing the American girl deeply yet again. Soon, the two women were once again locked in a passionate embrace, and soon, they would bring each other to the point of orgasm and beyond...

Anna-Jade had just finished her breakfast, and was loading the dishwasher when she heard the door to Jessica's bedroom open. The Irish woman nearly dropped the plates she was holding, such was her rush to intercept her flat mates, and when she saw not one, but two figures emerge from the small bedroom, she had to restrain herself from letting out a cheer of joy.

"Oh, thank GOD!" Anna-Jade yelled, greeting Jessica and Paige with a tight hug each. "Knew you couldn't stay away from each other for long!"

"Best birthday present ever," Jessica giggled, kissing Paige on her lips.

"Oh, speaking of..." Anna-Jade said, handing Jessica a small, tightly-wrapped gift.

"Oh, thanks, Anna-Jade!" Jessica said, tearing off the wrapping paper to reveal a small photograph album- the first few pages of which had already been filled with pictures taken of all six of the apartment's residents at the various parties they had held.

"Perfect," Jessica said, giving Anna-Jade another tight hug.

"Have you heard from your family at all?" Paige asked, sighing as Jessica shook her head.

"Got Facebook messages from Aaron and Hayley," Jessica replied. "Nothing from my parents..."

"They WILL accept you as their daughter," Paige said.

"Speaking of," Anna-Jade said, placing a small bottle of tablets on the kitchen table. "You kinda forgot these during your 'temporary absence'."

"You absolute lifesaver," Paige said, popping the top off the bottle and swallowing one of the small oestrogen pills. "Getting a little girlier every day..."

"How about you, Jess?" Anna-Jade asked.

"...I'm still thinking about it," Jessica sighed as the three women collapsed down on the apartment's sofas.

"Well don't think too long," Paige chuckled. "I don't want to get too far ahead of you..."

"I really, really need to sort things out with my parents first," Jessica said, linking her fingers with Paige. "After that... Believe me when I say that I want oestrogen... I just don't think I'm ready for it. Not yet, anyway. In the meantime... Can we just enjoy our break?"

"Of course we can," Paige laughed, cuddling Jessica close to her.

"And congratulations on your promotion to mentor!" Anna-Jade said, making Paige laugh. "Have you seen the assignments yet of who you'll get on Monday?"

"Umm, not yet," Paige said. "It's only five days away, I should probably get on and introduce myself at some point..."

"I've got a 24 year old woman from Bristol," Anna-Jade said. "You've got a nineteen year old from Melbourne."

"Both T-girls?" Paige asked.

"Of course!" Anna-Jade giggled. "Big intake this time, 21 new starters..."

"Ooh," Jessica said. "Natalie may be right, then..."

"It'd make a nice change," Anna-Jade laughed. "And right about what?"

"Right about Soixante-Trois opening a hub at Heathrow..." Jessica said with a knowing smile.

Over the following five days, Jessica helped Anna-Jade and Paige as they prepared Claire and Isabella- their respective 'pupils'- for life as a Soixante-Trois stewardess. Even though she was technically working through her hard-earned annual leave, Jessica didn't mind, as every second she spent with Paige was, in her eyes, a second well-spent.

Jessica's birthday party on the Friday night was a subdued affair- the only attendees were the apartment's residents, as well as Abbey, Claire and Isabella- but the intimate nature of the celebration suited Jessica perfectly, as it reminded her that no matter how far away her 'real' family was- and whatever attitude they held toward her- her 'adopted family' would always stand by her no matter what.

Jessica strode into work on Monday morning with a smile on her face, and the woman she loved walking in step mere inches to her left. Her feet still hurt from her heels, and her corset was still uncomfortable, but none of that mattered as she changed into her tight blue uniform.

"You have fun, 'Miss Mentor'!" Jessica giggled to Paige as the Scottish girl walked into the seminar room where the two had met nine long months beforehand. Paige's promotion meant that she would have to work black route, in addition to blue route, and with Jessica often working red route in addition to blue route, the two wouldn't get many free days together- but every free night they had would be spent in each other's arms. Their relationship had been tested, certainly, but it had passed the test with flying colours.

Jessica's smile didn't even fade as she saw Annabelle coolly stride into the seminar room, inevitably to become a mentor for the second quarter in a row. Whilst Jessica had the option of becoming a mentor once again, she had opted not to take on another 'pupil' from the May intake. Annabelle taking two 'pupil's in a row- especially considering that it was only six months since she herself started for the company- could only mean that she was being groomed for a supervisor role. Even that, however, couldn't lower Jessica's mood- she'd had her 'win' over Annabelle, even if it was just in a silly beauty pageant. The cards had been stacked against Jessica, but she came out on top.

...Or rather, third from top, as Jessica discovered when she entered the pre-flight briefing to discover that her supervisor for the day was none other than Miss Soixante-Trois herself.

"Good morning," Rachel announced with a smile. "Before I begin the briefing, please allow me to say what a pleasure it is to have Miss Soixante-Trois Airlines on this flight- oh wait, I almost forgot- that's me!" Jessica forced a chuckle out of her mouth as Rachel posed for the audience in the same manner as she had six days earlier during the beauty pageant.

"And the third-placed Miss Soixante-Trois!" Eleanor- another of the flight's stewardesses and one of Jessica's friends from her training group- shouted, making the room chuckle. Jessica couldn't help but blush as Eleanor drew attention to her, and smiled widely as she observed that the applause for her third place was louder than the applause for Rachel's first place...

"Anyway," Rachel said. "Before I begin the briefing, allow me to settle your fears about the rumours you may have heard about the company opening a small hub at Heathrow... They ARE true. It will open in September, and yes, they will be looking for stewardesses- and supervisors- to move over to London to staff those flights. As with when Berlin opened, preference will be given to those who speak English natively, so if you're interested, now is the time to speak up!"

Jessica made a mental note to investigate the application process upon her return from Dublin, but whilst she was excited by the prospect of possibly moving to London, she only knew one thing for certain- she'd never live anywhere without Paige.

Jessica breathed a sigh of relief as she peeled her clingy blue skirt from her glistering, nylon-covered legs and carefully placed it in the locker to be washed ahead of the following day’s flight. After stripping off the rest of her uniform and changing back into her tight, chic pencil dress, Jessica elegantly lowered herself onto the bench in front of her locker and took her smartphone from her handbag, switching it on to check her messages. Ordinarily, Jessica would have headed straight home after a long flight, but today was different, as there was someone- and something- that she was waiting for.

“Young people nowadays, always staring at their phones,” Jessica heard a familiar voice from the North of England teases, snapping her out of her ‘trance’.

“You’re six months younger than I am,” Jessica retorted, making Natalie giggle as she changed out of her tight black uniform. “How was Warsaw?”

“Surprisingly warm for this time of year,” Natalie sighed as she illicitly loosened her corset before pulling on her own black pencil dress. “Have the- have the ‘final scores’ been published yet?” Natalie sighed as Jessica sadly shook her head.

“God, I don’t know why I’m so nervous about this,” the American girl moaned. “I mean, it’s not like they’re going to separate me and Paige, right?”

“Never in a million years,” Natalie said confidently. “Management can be bastards sometimes, but they’re not THAT bastardly…”

“I hope you’re not speaking ill of your superiors, Miss Briggs,” Rachel teased, making her presence known not just to Natalie and Jessica but to the several dozen other stewardesses who had gathered in the locker room.

“Are- are they up?” Carly- one of Jessica & Natalie’s English colleagues- asked. Rachel smiled a smug smile before nodding, sending a wave of excitement and anticipation through the locker room.

“Follow me,” Rachel said, elegantly turning on her heel and leading the group of young women to the nearby seminar room.

“That’s the smile of someone who’s just been promoted to senior supervisor,” Natalie whispered to Jessica, making the American girl chuckle. Natalie had never had much respect for ‘superiors’- and the more they rubbed their ‘superiority’ in Natalie’s face, the more they demanded Natalie’s respect, the less likely they were to get it. Such a defiant attitude wasn’t without cost, however, as the English girl was about to discover.

“Hey,” Jessica whispered to her Scottish lover as they encountered each other just outside the seminar room.

“Hey you,” Paige said nervously, fighting her instincts to leap into Jessica’s arms and greet her with a long, deep kiss. “Excited yet?”

“A little,” Jessica said, giggling as Paige flicked her jet-black bob out of her eyes and straightened her short black dress. In the six months since Paige had started taking hormone replacement therapy, her body had dramatically changed- her already slender waist was now even narrower, whilst her hips and backside had subtly widened to give the impression of an hourglass shape even when she wasn’t wearing a corset. Her breasts had grown slowly, but enough to require her to wear a bra in her everyday life and more than enough to create noticeable cleavage. Her porcelain-white skin had softened, and even her face appeared more feminine… But it was the effect on her personality that had been the most striking.

Before taking oestrogen, Paige’s typical attitude could have been best described as ‘fiery’. She was cheeky, often hot-tempered and always up for a laugh, but since taking oestrogen, she had become more mellow, more submissive… Almost as if she had found herself immersed in femininity, but rather than fight it, she’d allowed herself to become drowned in it until no trace of ‘Paul’- the man she used to be- remained. Jessica, of course, loved Paige and supported her through her transition… But she often found herself missing the Paige she used to know, the one she’d met almost twelve months beforehand.

“I don’t even know why I’m here,” Zoe sighed, sliding up to her flatmates in her own short black dress and chic over-the-knee black boots. “I’m never going to get picked…”

“I told you,” Natalie said, “if they pick me, they’ll have to pick you too!”

“IF they pick you,” Zoe said, fighting the same urges with regard to Natalie that Paige fought with regard to Jessica- the same urges that landed both Natalie and Zoe with formal written warnings that would remain on their employment records for months to come.

“Where’s Anna-Jade?” Paige asked.

“Still somewhere over England,” Jessica sighed. “I know she wanted this more than anyone, such a pity she’s not here. Have you seen Abbey? I don’t remember her being on a shift today…”

“Didn’t you hear?” Paige laughed. “She didn’t even apply, opted to become a mentor for the next batch of new recruits instead.”

“And she’s on leave all week,” Natalie said. “Gone back to England to see her family… Think this Monday just gone was her first birthday ‘as Abbey’.”

“Huh, good for her,” Jessica said as she mused over her damaged relationship with her own family.

“Okay, girls!” Rachel beamed, playfully dangling a key in front of her face before using it to unlock the seminar room. “One at a time, no pushing…” Jessica took a deep breath as she stepped into the room and looked at one of the many pieces of paper that had been stuck to the wall, the top of which read ‘London Hub- confirmed transfers’.

“Oh god,” Paige squeaked. “This is so exciting!” Shaking nervously, Paige scanned the same page as Jessica, desperately looking for their names.

“Well, that was fun,” Natalie sighed, turning her back on the printout that she and Zoe were reading. “Fun thing about having a surname that begins with a ‘B’- you don’t have to wait long for disappointment.”

“Oh- Natalie,” Zoe cooed, having also not found her name on the printout. “At least we get to stay together…”

“Yeah,” Natalie sighed. “SOME of us do…”

“Stewardesses- blue and red route,” Paige said excitedly. “Jessica Rachael Tyler! You did it, Jess!” Jessica let out a genuine smile as Paige excitedly squeezed her shoulders, before scanning the column next to the one that contained her name.

“Stewardesses- blue route,” Jessica said with a proud smile. “Paige Robertson.” Jessica had to restrain herself from giving Paige a tight hug on the spot, but Paige wasn’t done looking at the list.

“Look a few names above mine,” Paige giggled. “Anna-Jade Houghton.”

“She got in!” Jessica laughed. “That’s so cool… I- I can’t see Natalie’s or Zoe’s name anywhere on this list…” Paige sighed as Jessica’s face fell. Jessica scanned the printout one more time in the futile hope that she’d missed their names the first time around, but it was pointless- she had to resign herself to the fact that she, Paige and Anna-Jade would soon move to England, while Natalie and Zoe would remain behind in France.

“Come on, let’s go home, or do you want to wait for Anna-Jade?” Paige asked.

“She won’t be back for hours,” Jessica replied. “I’m sure she won’t waste any time in finding out the good news, though!”

“Very true!” Paige laughed as she left the busy airport with her lover, waiting until they were out of sight of the vast building before linking fingers with her American lover and giving her a long, deep kiss. Whilst Jessica had a smile on her scarlet lips all the way home, inside she was unhappy. She’d grown to love both Natalie and Zoe as close friends, and the thought of not seeing them every day was one Jessica was struggling to accept. What annoyed Jessica the most, however- even though it was something she had mentally prepared herself for- was the name at the top of the list that contained her own name, and that name was ‘Annabelle Cope’. To Jessica, the fact that Annabelle had been transferred to the London hub whilst Natalie hadn’t was nothing short of a personal insult.

“Hi girls!” Marie beamed as Jessica and Paige arrived back in the apartment. “So, am I going to have to advertise for new room-mates?”

“A few,” Jessica said with a sad smile.

“…You kinda won’t have to advertise for a new sister, though,” Paige sighed. “Are Natalie and Zoe back yet?”

“No,” Marie said solemnly. “I should confess- I already knew that you two and Anna-Jade were accepted, Rachel texted me earlier… Such a pity about Natalie and Zoe, but they did kinda bring it on themselves…”

“It’s a stupid reason to punish someone,” Jessica spat. “What they did didn’t hurt anyone…”

“Rules are rules,” Marie shrugged. “And you two have managed to follow it without a problem…”

“It’s still a stupid rule,” Jessica sighed, before heading up to her bedroom to change.

“…I think she’s a bit upset about Natalie and Zoe,” Paige sighed, following her lover into their bedroom, emerging a few minutes later in a short, patterned playsuit that highlighted her naturally pale skin, with the exception of the skin on her legs, which was, as ever, covered with a pair of black tights. Paige had just begun to cook dinner when she heard the front door of the apartment open. She hurried out of the kitchen with a smile on her face, expecting to see Anna-Jade, but her face fell when she saw the stoic faces of Natalie and Zoe staring at her.

“H-hi Natalie, hi Zoe,” Paige said quietly. “I’ve got dinner on the go, are you hungry?”

“We ate out,” Zoe sighed, peeling off her boots and collapsing next to her sister on the sofa.

“Aww,” Marie cooed, giving Zoe a playful hug. “Come on, look on the bright side at least- you get to live with your big sister for a few more years!”

“You said something about a ‘bright’ side?” Zoe retorted, making Marie snort with laughter.

“You’d have missed me if you had moved to London,” Marie said. “I know I’d have really missed you.”

“Thanks,” Zoe whispered, forcing a smile on her lips despite wanting to scream in frustration. Everything that had happened in Zoe’s career as a stewardess seemed as though it was designed to anger her. Even before she joined, the company had seemingly set out to frustrate her, by having a minimum application age of twenty years- and then subsequently lowering the minimum age to nineteen for the hiring round AFTER Zoe had started. Zoe had been promised glamour on grey route, when in fact all she got was a tight, restrictive uniform in boiling hot climates and an aeroplane full of lecherous men undressing her with every step. Zoe had hoped that her forced transfer onto black route would reduce her frustration, but much to her dismay, it only got worse, as the Arab businessmen were replaced by Eastern European businessmen, each of whom seemingly had a taste for twenty year old women with dancer’s physiques wearing tight clothing. Zoe would have given anything for a change in career… But the only other thing she knew how to do was dance, or teach children how to dance, and there was no demand for that anywhere in Paris. Zoe’s only choices were a job that made her miserable or unemployment, and both options had more negatives than positives in her mind.

After a filling dinner, the five young women returned to their sofa to await the return of the last member of their ‘gang’, with Natalie standing by the apartment’s stereo in preparation.

“Hi everyone,” Anna-Jade’s familiar Ulster twang announced as she walked through the front door. “Sorry, I’m late, I-“ Anna-Jade paused as the apartment was suddenly filled with the sound of music- a song that the Irish woman instantly recognised as one of her father’s favourites.

“’London Calling’,” Anna-Jade laughed. “Really funny, guys…” The Irish woman smiled sadly as she looked around at her flatmates, feeling especially sad as she saw Natalie and Zoe smiling at her and obviously trying hard to feel happy for her transfer despite their obvious disappointment.

“You deserve it,” Zoe said in a soft, quiet voice. “You really wanted the transfer, more than anything…”

“Thanks, Zoe,” Anna-Jade replied, giving the French girl a quick hug.

“And if London doesn’t work out, you’ll always have a home with us,” Marie said, also giving Anna-Jade a hug. “That applies to all of you.”

“And you’ll always be welcome to stay with us in London,” Jessica said. “That also applies to all of you.” After a long group hug, the six women sat down to watch television in silence before heading to bed- with Jessica, Paige and Anna-Jade taking extra time to pack some of their belongings away ahead of their relocation to England.

“I know I should feel bad for Natalie and Zoe,” Paige said as she cuddled Jessica’s body close to her under their light bed sheets. “I- I’m just so excited about London!”

“I know how you feel,” Jessica said, giving her lover a gentle kiss on the forehead. “It’s a whole new adventure… Kinda the reason I moved to Europe in the first place, to experience new cultures… I will miss Paris, though, waking up every morning, seeing the Eiffel Tower on the way to work…”

“It’ll make it a bit weird when we come back here on romantic weekends,” Paige giggles. “Knowing that we lived here for a year… I’m going to miss Paris too, but I can’t wait to live somewhere where I can actually speak the language!”

“Yeah, it must be nice to know you’ll be closer to home,” Jessica said with a smile, making Paige hold her even closer.

“For god’s sake, just call your parents!” Paige sighed. “I hate to see you like this, pining away for your family… It’s been six months, I’m sure they want to hear from you, and I know your brother and sister will…”

“I don’t even know who will be calling them,” Jessica sighed. “Whether it’ll be Jesse or Jessica…”

“You DO know,” Paige said, gently taking her lover’s face in her hands. “You’ve known all along…”

“…I know,” Jessica whispered. “It’s just… I can’t face up to it, not yet…”

“However long it takes you, I’ll be there for you every step of the way,” Paige said, giving Jessica a gentle kiss, which quickly turned into a deep, passionate kiss, which quickly turned into much, much more…

Jessica moaned as her alarm clock woke her from her slumber, turning her head only to be confronted with a mop of messy, jet-black hair.

“Morning, sexy,” Jessica whispered, giving Paige a long, soft kiss on her soft, pale neck.

“Morning, beautiful,” Paige whispered, returning Jessica’s kiss. “Where you off to today?”

“London, believe it nor not,” Jessica giggled. “Enjoy your day off. Try to get at least SOME packing done…” Paige giggled as Jessica slowly unwrapped herself from her embrace, patting the American girl hard on her backside as she slowly sashayed toward the apartment’s shower. Before long, Jessica had dressed in a chic sleeveless blouse and a tight black pencil skirt, and only stopped long enough to give Paige a goodbye kiss before sexily wiggling out of the bedroom, leaving Paige alone with her thoughts. Even though she hadn’t started taking oestrogen- despite Paige’s urging and a confirmation from her counsellor that she could start whenever she wanted- Jessica was still the most beautiful woman that Paige had ever seen, and Paige loved her a little more every day. The fact remained, though, that whenever they made love, it was in a very ‘male’ way- a way that would no longer be possible if- or rather, when- Jessica started taking the same hormone treatments as Paige.

There was also no telling whether or not Jessica would react as well to oestrogen as Paige had. Whilst it had been two and a half months since their big fight and temporary separation, the fallout from it was still ringing in Paige’s ears. The one thing that Paige liked the least about Jessica was her natural tendency toward jealous, paranoid behaviour, and Paige worried that if Jessica’s personality changed upon taking oestrogen- much like Paige’s herself had- the change might not be for the better.

The sound of movement from Paige’s other flatmates eventually persuaded the Scottish girl to get out of bed, and after showering and taking her hormone tablets, she dressed for the day in a loose, long-legged backless jumpsuit. Paige’s day was taken up with packing all of her and Jessica’s possessions away ahead of the big move to London.

Jessica, meanwhile, was several thousand feet in the air en route to the British capital, pushing her drinks trolley up the aeroplane’s aisle despite the difficulty caused by her high-heeled shoes.

“How can I help you, sir?” Jessica asked in her deliberately saccharine ‘customer service voice’.

“Coffee, black,” the serious-sounding businessman demanded without even looking at the American girl.

“Certainly, sir,” Jessica said, pouring out the hot drink and delicately laying it on the customer’s tray. “Will there be anything else, sir?”

“Did I ask for anything else?” The middle-aged man snorted. “That’s a ‘no’. You can go now.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jessica said, bobbing a quick curtsey before returning to the kitchen with her trolley. Due to the short duration of the flight, Jessica wasn’t needed again before the aeroplane touched down at Heathrow Airport, but as she stood with the other stewardesses bidding her passengers farewell, she felt a sense of inner peace that was missing from her personal life.

Ever since she was thirteen years old, it had been Jessica’s dream to one day live and work full-time as a woman in a foreign country, and that was a ‘mission’ in which Jessica had been 100% successful. Every time she pulled on the tight blue skirt, applied the regulation make-up or balanced the blue pillbox hat on her head, Jessica felt like not just a woman, but a beautiful, glamorous woman, and every stare she got from her passengers just reinforced that fact. Sure, the passengers could be rude or obnoxious- as was proven in the morning’s flight- but every job that involved dealing with members of the public ran that risk, and she knew that she’d rather face the public as a sexy stewardess than as a non-descript male ‘flight attendant’, especially with the promotion prospects Jessica’s managers had promised.

As happy as Jessica felt about her professional life, however, her private life was a constant source of turmoil. Jessica had initially planned to work for Soixante-Trois for six months and then ‘play it by ear’ with regard to whether to return to America as a man or continue living in France as a woman. She’d expected to move into a flat with three French women, immerse herself in femininity and then return to her old life, happy that she’d had the experience she’d always craved, but the deeper Jessica dived into her feminine life, the harder it became for her to give it up. Jessica had never expected that six months in, she would seriously be considering taking hormone replacements and transitioning to live permanently as a woman- and she’d certainly never expected to fall in love on her first day at work.

Part of what excited Jessica so much about her relationship with Paige was how they would take turns being ‘the woman’ when it came to lovemaking, but as Paige’s hormones began to take hold, Jessica found herself being ‘the woman’ less and less, and this greatly disappointed her. When she and Paige first made love, it was deeply passionate, like both their bodies were burning with lust… But twelve months later, the passion had significantly dimmed, to the point where their lovemaking was almost routine. Jessica still loved Paige… But she wasn’t sure that she was in love with Paige any more.

“Last flight over and done with,” Natalie teased Jessica as the American woman returned to the locker room at Charles de Gaulle airport. “Well, last flight as a Parisian, anyway…”

“I am going to miss this city,” Jessica confessed as she changed back into the blouse and skirt she’d worn earlier in the day. “Only really going to London for Paige…”

“Lucky girl,” Natalie giggled, touching up her lipstick as she changed back into the sleek pencil dress she’d worn earlier.

“Nah, I’m the lucky one,” Jessica laughed. “I’m really going to miss you, Zoe and Marie, though… Know who you’re getting in to replace me and Paige yet?”

“We think it’ll be the twins,” Natalie replied. “Not 100% sure yet.”

“Chloe and Clara?” Jessica asked. “Which one’s the T-girl again?”

“The one who’s 5 inches taller than her sister,” Natalie laughed.

“You know what I mean,” Jessica sighed. “Suppose that’s what I’ll miss as well, there’s only, like, a couple dozen of us going to London, gonna miss seeing all the faces heading into work each day.”

“Meh, you can always ogle the Virgin Atlantic stewardesses if Paige isn’t around,” Natalie chuckled.

“…Or the stewards,” Jessica whispered, making Natalie coo with surprise.

“Oh myyyyy,” Natalie said, altering her voice into a near-perfect imitation of the actor George Takei. “Is somebody missing being the ‘girl’ in the relationship?”

“Yes, yes, thanks for that,” Jessica sighed. “I knew this would happen once one or more of us started taking hormones, I just…”

“…Miss being the ‘girl’ in the relationship?” Natalie asked, her voice returning to its natural northern accent. “I guess it’s only natural, can’t really understand it myself but that doesn’t give me any right to criticise…”

“’Can’t understand wanting to be the girl’, says the woman touching up her mascara and putting on a pair of earrings the size of chandeliers,” Jessica teased.

“I’ve told you a million times,” Natalie sighed. “Everywhere APART from the bedroom, I’m a girl. I like that arrangement, Zoe likes that arrangement, it’s a win-win for everyone.”

“And Zoe’s never wanted to be the ‘boy’?” Jessica asked.

“Eww, why would she?” Natalie asked, making the two women laugh as they left the locker room. Before long, they arrived back at their apartment, laughing as they discovered their two lovers in an unexpected situation.

“Ignore them,” Zoe commanded as Paige stretched out her leg in front of her. “Extend…”

“Oui, Mademoiselle Renou,” Paige replied, before bringing her leg- and the pale pink tights that were covering it- back underneath her slender, leotard-covered body.

“If I’d know there was a lesson going on, I’d have worn my leotard to work,” Natalie joked, giving Zoe a brief kiss before heading to her bedroom to change.

“We’re only about twenty minutes into the lesson,” Paige said, straightening her leotard. “Plenty of time for you to join us…”

“Maybe next time,” Jessica giggled, giving Paige a gentle kiss before changing into a casual t-shirt and denim mini skirt.

“When are Marie and Anna-Jade getting back?” Natalie asked, emerging from her bedroom in a short red dress.

“Later on, around 9 o’clock,” Paige answered as she continued her ‘ballet lesson’. “Apartment’s ours for one last evening… Can you deliver ballet lessons by Skype?”

“I’m sure you’ll find a teacher in London if you’re THAT desperate for lessons,” Zoe giggled. “But you’re right, we should do something, you know, celebrate our last night together…”

“A double date?” Jessica asked to the approval of the apartment. “Sounds good to me. Don’t really feel like cooking, though…”

“We’ll be practically living on takeaways when we get to London,” Paige laughed. “Might as well start now…”

“Besides,” Zoe said. “We won’t have any time to cook, we’ve got to get ready for our ‘date’, we’ve got to fix our make-up, do our hair, pick out our best dresses…”

“You’d never be able to tell which of the four of us was the only one born female,” Natalie giggled.

“And I will take THAT as a compliment!” Zoe replied as she corrected Paige’s posture. Just over an hour and a half later, the four women had changed from their casual clothes and their dancewear into their slinkiest, most feminine little black dresses and were sat around the apartment’s small kitchen table enjoying their last meal as a foursome. As always, Jessica was wearing her deepest red lipstick, Paige was wearing her shiniest black tights and Natalie was wearing her dangliest, most extravagant earrings. Zoe, however, had outdone all three of her friends by adopting all three of their ‘quirks’- her lips were an even deeper red than Jessica’s, her tights were a darker black than Paige’s and her earrings were just as ostentatious as Natalie’s.

“Maybe we should have skipped the dresses and just worn leotards to dinner,” Paige joked as Zoe pouted her thick, scarlet lips. “Then all four of us could have had our ‘trademarks’.”

“I’m not a T-girl, I don’t have a ‘trademark’,” Zoe giggled.

“So you just decide to steal all of ours instead,” Natalie teased her lover, who smiled bashfully. “Though looking at you, Paige, almost makes me want to start hormones myself…”

“What about me?” Paige asked.

“I think Miss Briggs is complimenting the way your body filled out your leotard,” Jessica said, earning a girlish giggle from her lover. “And it did look REALLY good.” Paige giggled harder as she linked her fingers with Jessica’s under the table and gave the American girl a soft, slow kiss.

“We- we should finish packing soon,” Paige whispered, lowering the mood of the table. “We’ve got an early start tomorrow…”

“…As this is the last chance we’re going to get,” Natalie whispered, breaking the silence at the table. “…I suppose there’s no chance of an actual foursome, is there?” The four women all laughed at Natalie’s joke, but inside, they were all sad as they realised that it was indeed the last chance they would have to spend time in each other’s company.

The following morning, all six inhabitants of the apartment were awake early to see Jessica, Paige and Anna-Jade off. Even though it was Natalie’s day off, she donned her usual ‘commuting attire’ of a slinky pencil dress and high heels so that she could accompany her three departing friends to the airport, and smiled sadly as the three of them- along with the other twenty-odd stewardesses who would be moving to London- changed into their blue uniforms before posing for publicity photographs, giving brief soundbite-style interviews for British and French television and, eventually, boarding the aeroplane that would ferry them to their new lives. Natalie blinked tears out of her eyes as she watched the aeroplane roar down the runway and take off- even though she’d only known Jessica, Paige and Anna-Jade for little more than a year, they’d quickly become three of the best friends she’d ever had, and she would always treasure the memories of her life with them.

“Ladies and… Ladies,” Rachel announced to the aeroplane’s passengers with a giggle. “I would like to welcome you to a very special Soixante-Trois Airlines flight from Paris to London. I know, I know, all of you are well aware of the following briefing- or at least, you should be- but rules are rules!” Jessica smiled as the 27 year old Englishwoman ran through the safety briefing with which she- and all the other stewardesses on the aeroplane- was intimately familiar. Her smile faded, however, as Rachel introduced the other three stewardesses for the flight- the last of whom was Jessica’s fallow American, Annabelle Cope.

“God, this is so exciting,” Paige laughed. “All of the fun and none of the responsibilities of actually being a stewardess…” Jessica grimaced as Paige reached for the ‘call service button’, sighing quietly as a familiar blue-skirted figure minced up to their seats mere seconds later.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” Annabelle asked in her soft, refined Atlanta accent that made Jessica’s skin crawl.

“Cappuccino, two sugars, please,” Paige ordered.

“Certainly, ma’am,” Annabelle replied, providing Paige with her hot beverage. “Anything for you, ma’am?”

“No, thanks,” Jessica replied, taking care- that she noted her own passengers rarely took- to be as polite as possible.

“You’ve not had anything to drink since breakfast,” Paige remarked as Annabelle (and her drinks trolley) walked away. “You’ll be parched by the time we get to London.”

“Give me a sip of your coffee then,” Jessica said, making the Scottish girl giggle.

“Stop it,” Paige laughed. “Don’t want to get in trouble before we’ve even landed at our new home…” Jessica smiled as she stared out of the window as the coastline of France receded behind her, to replaced by the familiar shape of the Southern English coast. A short while later, the landing gear extended and the aeroplane touched down at London’s bustling Heathrow Airport- a place Jessica had been many times, but this time, it was different. This time, it was for keeps.

“Excited yet?” Anna-Jade giggled to Jessica and Paige as she grabbed her cases from the carousel and headed toward the brand-new Soixante-trois Airlines staff area.

“A little,” Jessica said as she and Paige grabbed their own cases. “Don’t even know who I’ll be living with yet, beyond Paige, of course…”

“Ah, well, good news!” Anna-Jade squeaked.

“Oh- you?” Paige asked. “Awesome! Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”

“Only found out myself on the flight,” Anna-Jade replied. “Don’t think the company themselves finalised the housing plan until a couple of days ago, Rachel told me on the plane that it’ll be the four of us.”

“The four of us?” Jessica asked. “So who’s the fou- oh god, not Rachel…”

“What’s wrong with Rachel?” Paige asked. “Okay, she’s a bit much at times, but that’s only during work hours, I’m sure she’ll be fine once we’re outside of work hours.”

“And besides,” Anna-Jade said, pointing Jessica’s gaze in the direction of Annabelle. “It could’ve been much, much worse…” Jessica snorted in agreement as the three women headed to the tiny locker room that had been provided for their company’s use. At Charles de Gaulle Airport, Soixante-Trois Airlines was one of the primary flight providers, but at Heathrow they would be just another one of many companies providing flights into and out of Europe’s busiest airport, so their facilities were severely scaled back as a result. The locker room would not fit twenty-four women at the same time, so Jessica, Paige and Anna-Jade had to wait over half an hour in their uniforms before there was enough space in the locker room for them to change back to their smart dresses, and when the three of them emerged, they found their fourth flatmate waiting for them.

“Hello housemates, this is Davina!” Rachel giggled. “That’s a ‘Big Brother’ joke, Jessica.”

“Jessica doesn’t watch reality TV,” Anna-Jade laughed. “Doubt she’d even get an American Big Brother reference…”

“And you’d be right,” Jessica said as the four women dragged their cases toward a waiting black cab.

“You’ll just have to leave the room whenever we watch TOWIE, then,” Rachel said to her American flatmate.

“Or The Angels,” Paige giggled. “Or Made in Chelsea…”

“Enough,” Jessica moaned, smoothing her dress beneath her as she sat down in the back seat of the cab. A short while later, the four women found themselves standing outside an old-looking building closer to the centre of London, which was to be their new home for the foreseeable future.

“I’ve only got one key for now,” Rachel explained as she unlocked the front door. “I’ll get three more cut tomorrow after the briefing.”

“How many bedrooms are there?” Anna-Jade asked.

“Two,” Rachel replied. “’Fraid you’re going to be sharing with me for the foreseeable future! The room, that is, NOT the bed!” Anna-Jade, Jessica and Paige all giggled as they entered their new home, taking a long look at their small living room and kitchen before dropping their bags in their bedrooms. The flat was fully furnished- which at least partially justified the high rent costs they’d all be paying- and all the fittings were clean and modern, a far cry from the old-fashioned styling of their former home in Paris.

“Don’t take too much time unpacking,” Rachel laughed. “Tonight’s Friday night, and I fancy a night out on the town…”

“I bet,” Paige giggled. “I really want to get settled in first, though, also need to call my parents…”

“Oh, okay,” Rachel said with obvious disappointment in her voice.

“Maybe tomorrow night?” Anna-Jade asked. “Tomorrow’s still a Saturday…”

“We’ve got briefings on Sunday morning, though,” Rachel complained.

“We’ve got briefings TOMORROW morning,” Jessica argued. “Paige is right, we should get settled in tonight, THEN we can all go out on the town.” Paige smiled as her American lover wrapped an arm around her slender waist, and she found herself unconsciously leaning into Jessica’s embrace- an act that made Jessica feel oddly uncomfortable.

“Okay, okay,” Rachel sighed. “We’ll unpack tonight, then go out tomorrow night. But mark my words, we ARE having a Friday night out sooner rather than later.” Jessica, Paige and Anna-Jade all giggled as they headed to their new bedrooms to unpack, feeling simultaneously excited and anxious about their new lives in London, whilst also feeling sad for the lives they left behind in Paris.

Meanwhile, in the French capital, Natalie nervously fidgeted on the sofa as she awaited the arrival of their newest flatmates- but in her mind she was sure that they wouldn’t even come close to filling the hole left by Jessica, Paige and Anna-Jade.

“Oh, relax,” Marie chastised her English flatmate. “They’ll be here soon, and you know both of them, you’ve worked with them plenty of times…”

“Yes, yes, I know,” Natalie sighed.

“And it could be worse,” Zoe giggled. “They could both be genetic girls…” Natalie allowed herself a small chuckle, but her train of thought was soon interrupted by the buzzing of the apartment’s intercom.

“This is it,” Marie giggled excitedly. Less than a minute later, two 23 year old women walked through the front door of the apartment and were greeted by enthusiastic air kisses from Natalie, Marie and Zoe.

“Bonjour!” Marie said to her two new flatmates. “I assume you know everyone already- this is my little sister Zoe, this is Natalie, and yes, the rumours are true, they ARE lovers…”

“Bonjour!” The shorter of the two dark-haired women said with a smile. “As you already know, je suis Chloe Michel, and this young women is my younger sister Clara!”

“Younger by a whole six minutes!” Clara giggled, giving tight, friendly hugs to all of her new flatmates before smoothing her straight blue dress and sitting down next to Zoe on the sofa.

“I can’t imagine what it must be like, sharing a womb with someone for a whole nine months,” Zoe said as she poured all five women a glass of wine each.

“Especially as we can barely stand to share a bedroom now!” Chloe giggled.

“I imagine it must have been weirder when your twin brother announces one day that he’s really your twin sister, deep inside,” Natalie said, creating an awkward silence in the apartment. “Sorry, sorry if that was a sensitive subject… When I came out to my sisters they were really supportive, and you two seem so close…”

“It’s okay,” Clara said, the smile returning to her scarlet lips. “I… Never really needed to come out to Chloe. We shared everything since we were young, toys, friends, clothes…”

“So you’d just wear one of Chloe’s dresses and not think anything of it?” Zoe asked.

“Exactly,” Clara replied. “My parents would always ‘correct’ me whenever I did- not as a punishment, just as an attempt to ‘educate’ me that I was a boy and Chloe was a girl, we were two different people, even if we didn’t see it that way. Then when we turned thirteen, puberty hit us both, and it became very obvious that yes, we were two different people.”

“Are- are you transitioning?” Zoe asked, enthralled by Clara’s story.

“Been on hormones for four months,” Clara said with a proud smile. “My parents were unhappy at first, but I’m 23, I’m not a kid any more, it’s my body and I’ll do what I want with it.”

“It’s just a shame we’re not quite as ‘identical’ as we were when we were kids,” Chloe laughed.

“I’d love to hear more about your story,” Zoe sighed, turning to face Clara with a wide grin on her face.

“Yeah, I think you two are going to settle in here just fine,” Marie giggled.

“Zoe,” Chloe asked cautiously, “are you- are you the one who used to be a ballet dancer?”

“Indeed I am,” Zoe said with a proud smile. “As much as I wish it wasn’t a case of ‘used to be’…”

“When we were younger, around eight years old,” Chloe said, “I used to take ballet… Except when I didn’t want to and I sent Clara along instead in my leotard!” Zoe gasped excitedly as Clara blushed at the childhood story.

“Let me guess- you want lessons, right?” Zoe asked the transgendered twin, who nodded happily. “That might be arranged…” The five women all giggled happily as Chloe and Clara continued regaling the flat with tales of their childhood, though Natalie couldn’t help but fidget uncomfortably as Zoe became totally enthralled by the twins’ stories…

“Hi mum!” Paige said into her mobile phone as she sat down on her wide double bed.

“Paige!” The middle-aged Scottish woman cooed. “How are you? Are you all settled in in your new flat?”

“Aye,” Paige replied. “Just about all unpacked, obviously I’m still living with Jessica.”

“Good!” Paige’s mother said. “You two girls seem so happy together… Is it just you in the flat?”

“No, Anna-Jade moved with us, the Irish girl I told you about,” Paige replied. “We’ve got a new flatmate as well, an English girl called Rachel who’s one of our supervisors.”

“Ah, so you’ve completely left France behind?” Mrs Robertson asked. “We can’t wait to come and visit you now that you live somewhere we can go where you don’t need a passport!”

“Even though England SHOULD be somewhere you need a passport to visit,” Paige chuckled. “Sorry, sorry, I know, no politics during our calls…”

“I’m sure it’ll happen within your lifetime,” Paige’s mother said in a warm tone. “I’d best let you get on with unpacking. My love to Jessica, and don’t spend too much time sightseeing!”

“Eh, you see the Eiffel Tower once, you see it a million times,” Paige laughed. “I’m sure London will be the same. Give my love to dad and Nina and Trisha.”

“Will do,” Paige’s mother said. “You take care, girl!”

“Talk later,” Paige said with a smile as she disconnected the call.

“You are SO lucky,” Jessica sighed as Paige laid down next to her on the bed. “Your parents are so cool…”

“…You should call your parents,” Paige said. “Let them know you’re now in London… See if they want to, you know, visit…”

“…There’s no point,” Jessica sighed. “Think I’ve burned my bridges there…”

“With your PARENTS?” Paige asked incredulously. “You never ‘burn those bridges’, and it’s been six months, I’m sure they’ll want to hear from you… I know Aaron and Hayley will.”

“I’ll message them on Facebook,” Jessica sighed. “Think they’re on holiday this week anyway.”

“Anywhere nice?” Paige asked.

“We used to go to Cancun when I was younger,” Jessica said. “That’s in Mexico, by the way.”

“Thanks, I was wondering,” Paige laughed. “Next holiday we get, we should go back to America.”

“You wouldn’t want to go back to Scotland?” Jessica asked.

“I can go there whenever I want,” Paige replied. “Just hop on a train… Or a plane, heh. And you owe me a weekend in New York!”

“Okay,” Jessica giggled. “New York it is! We should get some sleep, got an early morning tomorrow…”

“Unless you fancy going out on the town with Rachel?” Paige giggled.

“…Maybe next week,” Jessica said, giving Paige a kiss before standing up and getting ready for bed. Deep down, she wanted more than anything to call her parents and tell them the news about her move, but ever since her disastrous homecoming the previous February, her parents had refused to so much as acknowledge her existence- and Jessica found herself shouldering the majority of the blame. She’d been politely asked not to reveal ‘Jessica’s existence to her brother or sister, and the first opportunity Jessica had, she ignored her parents’ request. Whilst her brother and sister weren’t in any way ‘damaged’ or ‘corrupted’ by Jessica’s revelation, the fact remained that she had defied her parents’ wishes, which Jessica felt was even worse than living her life as a woman.

“Hey,” Jessica said at Anna-Jade as she passed the red-haired woman upon leaving the flat’s small bathroom. “Hey, Anna-Jade…”

“What’s up?” Anna-Jade replied.

“Have… Have you called your parents since you moved?” Jessica asked, cringing as the Irishwoman sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Where’s the point?” Anna-Jade sighed. “They made it clear that I’m dead to them, so fuck them.”

“It’s just-“ Jessica said, before sighing sadly. “Never mind…”

“Jess…” Anna-Jade sighed. “Are you thinking about calling your parents?”

“…Maybe,” Jessica mumbled. “I need to just set things right with them somehow, I can’t leave things the way they were…”

“Is that why you haven’t started HRT yet?” Anna-Jade asked.

“Partly,” Jessica sighed. “It- gah, I dunno.”

“Sleep on it,” Anna-Jade advised. “You’ve had a long day, get some sleep. Or some sex, whatever works for you!”

“Hehe,” Jessica giggled as she returned to her bedroom, stripping off her clothes and diving under her bed sheets with Paige. As intense as the lovemaking session was, however, it only served to drive home to Jessica the size of her dilemma as Paige fell asleep wrapped in Jessica’s arms and snuggled up against her chest, very much the ‘girl’ to Jessica’s ‘boy’.

“Mmm,” Paige dreamily moaned as she felt the soft lace of her thong slowly nestle between her soft, round buttocks. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get bored of this feeling…”

“Glad you approve,” Jessica said, giving Paige a long, soft kiss on her neck before putting on her own make-up and underwear. Soon, both girls- along with Anna-Jade and Rachel- were dressed in smart black dresses, ready for their first-ever commute from their apartment to Soixante-Trois Airlines’s small office near Heathrow airport.

“This is so exciting,” Rachel squeaked as the four women entered the office and made their way to the seminar room. “It’s like, we’re here at the beginning of something big, you know? First Paris, then Berlin, now London… Where next, I wonder?”

“Glasgow,” Paige said, making the women all laugh.

“Moscow’s more likely,” Rachel said as she ushered Jessica, Paige and Anna-Jade into their seats. “Monsieur Masson has been talking to President Putin a lot, I reckon black route may see some serious expansion some time soon…”

“Ugh, Putin,” Anna-Jade spat. “I’m sure he of all people would love T-girl stewardesses on his flights…”

“He’s a very good friend of the company,” Rachel said in a tone that sounded almost as though she was disciplining Anna-Jade. “He’s part of the reason the company has a black route in the first place, and I’m sure he’d be more receptive to expanding that business if the stewardesses were more positive about that prospect.” Anna-Jade remained silent as Rachel fixed her with a firm stare, before heading to the front of the room with the other supervisors and the manager of the London hub.

“I’d like to start by welcoming you all to London,” the manager- a young woman in her mid-thirties- announced. “I’m sure all of you are eager to get on with your jobs, but first there are a few changes that you’ll need to get used to, so for today and tomorrow, you’ll be undergoing intensive retraining. Don’t worry, it won’t be anything too severe- once you’re in the air everything will be pretty much the same, but there are a few things you’ll need to know about Heathrow itself.” Jessica, Paige and Anna-Jade all nodded as they took their notepads out of their handbags and began jotting down everything that they were told, eventually leaving the seminar room just after 3pm with their heads buzzing and their notepads full of information to quickly digest.

“Okay,” Anna-Jade laughed as she put her notepad away. “I dare anyone to NOT need a drink after that!”

“Think someone’s coming to take you up on that dare,” Paige laughed as Rachel quickly approached the group.

“Hope you got all of that!” Rachel giggled. “You three have a lot of homework tonight…”

“We three have a lot of DRINKING tonight!” Anna-Jade giggled. “I Googled a wine bar near our flat that looks like it could be good, we’re on our way there now if you want to join us?”

“Um, okay,” Rachel said. “Don’t let me tell you how to do your job even though that’s MY job…”

“…Only during office hours,” Anna-Jade retorted as the four women left the office, feeling a sense of smug satisfaction as Rachel followed the trio to the wine bar, where the women stayed until late into the evening.

“I am hitting the hay,” Rachel laughed as she slipped her feet out of her stiletto heels and stretched her sore feet. “That is how Americans put it, right?”

“Normally I just say ‘going to bed’,” Jessica retorted, slipping her own stilettos off her tired feet and heading into her bedroom hand-in-hand with Paige, leaving Anna-Jade and Rachel alone in the small living room.

“Umm, I’m going to head to bed too,” Anna-Jade said.

“Wait,” Rachel said, before grimacing at her overly authoritative tone. “Anna… Do you mind being called Anna?”

“I prefer ‘Anna-Jade’,” the Irish girl said.

“Anna-Jade,” Rachel said. “I- I’m sorry I was a bit hard on you at work, but I AM your supervisor, I need to make sure you adhere to company policies…”

“Even regarding Vladimir ‘Don’t-put-it-in-there’?” Anna-Jade replied, making Rachel laugh.

“Hey, I’ve got no love for the guy, but if it gets us all raises…” Rachel giggled.

“Now THAT I can agree with!” Anna-Jade laughed as she and her new room-mate got ready for bed.

The four women were up early again the following day- despite it being a Sunday- and had smiles on their faces as they returned to Soixante-Trois Airlines’s posh London office for the second day of their retraining. Once again, Jessica, Paige and Anna-Jade filled their notepads with information about their new workplace, including safety information, details about the facilities they were permitted to use and the duty rosters for the first week’s flights. The final part of the briefing, however, took a turn that none of the stewardesses were expecting, but which excited a great many of them.

“As you know,” the manager announced. “Tomorrow will be the official launch party for the new hub. All employees will be expected to attend in full uniform. Entertainment will be provided by the new British girl band Out of Heaven, and also in attendance will be the famous modelling group ‘The Angels’.” Paige- who had always been a fan of the modelling group in question- giggled excitedly as the received the news, giggling even harder as she looked to her side and saw Jessica stealthily rolling her eyes.

“Furthermore,” the manager continued, “as part of our efforts to increase publicity for the new hub, we have been in communication with the same production company who make The Angels’ reality TV show, and I can confirm that Soixante-Trois Airlines- more specifically, the London hub- will itself be a the subject of a new reality TV show, to be broadcast in 2016.” The manager smiled as most of the young women in the room gasped excitedly at the news that they were to become TV stars. Jessica, however, was dismayed by the news. She’d always hated reality television, and to suddenly find out that she was going to become a part of it filled her with a sense of utter dread.

As Jessica surveyed the room, she was unsurprised to find that most of the other women were all excited by the prospect- including, to her dismay, Paige and Anna-Jade- but when Jessica’s face glanced over at Annabelle, she was surprised to discover that the other American woman’s facial expression wasn’t one of excitement, but one of sheer terror.

After her own excitement had died down, Paige also scanned the crowd, looking at her colleagues’ reactions, and also picked up on the normally stoic Annabelle’s look of fear. As the stewardesses all filed out of the small seminar room, Paige spotted Annabelle heading into the small ladies’ toilets and followed her in there, trying not to gagp at the sight of the normally-cool woman almost hyperventilating.

“An-Annabelle?” Paige asked. “Are you okay?” Paige’s look of concern only grew as the tall, blonde woman turned around, her usual cool smile having returned to her face.

“Sure, honey,” Annabelle said in her soft Southern accent, though her trembling hands betrayed her obvious nerves. When it became clear that Annabelle wasn’t going to speak any further, Paige washed her hands- to give the impression that she hadn’t entered the restroom solely to speak to Annabelle- and walked back into the office foyer, where she was immediately greeted by her lover.

“Did- did you just go in there to talk to Annabelle?” Jessica asked as she left the office with Paige, Anna-Jade and Rachel.

“No,” Paige lied, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief as Jessica nodded, accepting her untruth. “How exciting is this, though? Our own reality TV show!”

“I know!” Rachel squeaked excitedly. “They’re even thinking of calling it ‘Sky Angels’…”

“Ugh,” Jessica spat. “I mean, yes, I get why it makes sense from a marketing standpoint, but- I trust we will be able to opt out of this if we want?”

“Of course,” Rachel said. “But you saw the rosters, you’re going to be with me on the first flight back to Paris on Monday, and I happen to know for the fact that there’ll be more than one celebrity on that flight as well… Plenty of opportunity to get yourself some screen time!”

“Yeah,” Anna-Jade laughed. “And you never know, you may end up being THE superstar, Miss ‘Third place in a beauty pageant’…”

“Just-“ Jessica said, before groaning. “Ugh, wish they’d told me about this before advertising the London hub, I thought I joined this company to be a stewardess…”

“Don’t turn down an amazing opportunity when it’s handed to you on a plate!” Rachel urged.

“Yeah,” Anna-Jade said. “I mean, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’ll earn us more money if nothing else…”

“And did I see you unpacking a Cinderella dress from your luggage?” Rachel teased her American colleague. “You’ll never go to the ball if you don’t try…”

“Okay, okay,” Jessica sighed, her will worn down by her colleagues’ constant needling.

“On a more serious note,” Anna-Jade sighed, “maybe, just maybe if I DO become nationally famous… My parents…” The four women remained silent as Anna-Jade silently mused on her relationship with her parents, which made Jessica especially contemplative. If Jessica did become a reality TV star, her parents would doubtlessly disapprove of her even more than they already did, but her sister was fourteen years old- probably the age at which fame would be most celebrated. If Jessica became a reality TV star, her sister would see her as even more of a hero- or rather, a heroine- than she already was. However, if Jessica did choose to transition, she didn’t want every last detail of it being made public record. In fact, she didn’t want ANY detail of any part of her private life being made public record…

Jessica and Paige woke early on the morning of the launch party and approached the day with very different attitudes. Whilst Jessica was determined to get through the day as quickly as possible, Paige was more excited than she had been in a long time. The last time the Scottish girl had been so excited was immediately before her first day of work for Soixante-Trois Airlines, when she had shed her ‘Paul’ persona for the last time. As with that first day, her hands trembled as brushed out her shoulder-length hair, applied her elegant make-up and pulled on her skimpy underwear, and her knees quivered as she stepped into her slinky black pencil dress and stepped her feet into her stiletto heels. That first, magical day almost twelve months ago marked the start of Paige’s new life as a stewardess, and more importantly, her new life as a woman. This day, Paige hoped, would mark the first day of her new life as a celebrity, someone to whom people would look for inspiration… And to whom they would look for opportunities to increase her fame.

Jessica, meanwhile, had no smile on her face as she brushed her hair, put on her make-up- including her favourite red lipstick- pulled on her underwear, a smart, ruffles sleeveless blouse, her favourite pencil skirt and her favourite stilettos. As she arrived at her new workplace, however, she forced a professional smile on her face- just as she did every time she had any interaction with a passenger on one of her flights- but internally, she was dreading the day ahead. As Jessica saw Annabelle coolly stride into the employee area, however, Jessica became confident that she wouldn’t be the only one who wouldn’t enjoy the day’s events.

Even though the launch event wouldn’t begin until noon, all the stewardesses and their supervisors were at the airport early because of the limited space in which to change into their uniforms, meaning that once again, many of the stewardesses had to wait a long time in their uniforms as their colleagues got changed. Jessica was one of the first to get changed, meaning that she found herself alone in her blue skirt suit as Paige, Anna-Jade and Rachel all entered the tiny locker room to change. After taking a deep breath- as deep a breath as her corset would allow, anyway- Jessica coolly strode over to where Annabelle was sat by herself, checking her phone for any new messages.

“Um, hi, Annabelle,” Jessica said, elegantly smoothing her tight skirt as she sat down next to the Atlanta native.

“Hi honey,” Annabelle replied, giving Jessica a brief, sweet smile before returning her attention to her phone.

“Messaging Jacques?” Jessica asked with a nervous chuckle, before grimacing as Annabelle’s usually friendly face suddenly soured.

“If you want that ‘man’, you’re welcome to him,” Annabelle replied, before putting her phone away and heading into the locker room to change, leaving Jessica sat by herself in a state of near-shock, which she was snapped out of a few seconds later by the returning Rachel.

“Hey,” Rachel said with a smile as she sat down next to Jessica, smoothing her own tight uniform just as Jessica had. “Ready to be a superstar?”

“No,” Jessica moaned. “Have- have you talked to Annabelle recently?”

“Umm, not outside work,” Rachel replied. “She’s not the most talkative person in the world, you know!”

“Trust me, I know,” Jessica laughed. “Just… I think ‘Project Tutu’ might have a new member, that’s all…”

“On the off-chance we ever get back to Paris to confront ‘le connard’,” Rachel laughed. “Another advantage of being on the other side of the Channel!” Jessica smiled as Anna-Jade and Paige also returned, dressed in blue uniforms that were identical to Jessica’s own.

“I hope you two are ready to be superstars!” Rachel said, earning nods and giggles from Paige and Anna-Jade.

“One step at a time,” Anna-Jade laughed as she steadied her blue pillbox hat. “Are the Angels going to be bringing any male models to the launch?” The Irishwoman laughed as her three colleagues playfully ‘booed’ her, but mere minutes later all four of them donned professional smiles as they- along with all their colleagues- stepped out into a roped-off area of the airport. Also stood in their ‘section’ were five more young women, all of whom wore the same iconic blue uniforms but were most definitely not stewardesses, and six other women who wore the same uniform but in a golden colour instead of the usual blue. All of the ‘real’ stewardesses- even Jessica and Annabelle- giggled excitedly as the six golden women introduced themselves, before introducing the real guest of honour- Antoine Masson, the chairman and CEO of Soixante-Trois Airlines.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Monsieur Masson announced. “When my father founded Soixante-Trois Industries fifty-two years ago, he would never have imagined that his son would one day stand in the busiest transport hub in the whole of Europe surrounded by many beautiful women, all of whom were at least twenty years his junior! But nonetheless, here I stand. Soixante-Trois Airlines represents a commitment to true customer service, a belief that your holiday should begin before you arrive at your destination, that just because you have to fly three hours to a business meeting, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t fly in the lap of luxury. The beautiful young women attending to your needs and the skilled young men flying your planes are committed to giving you the flying experience that you deserve, as am I. People of London… Come fly with me!” As Monsieur Masson spread his arms wide, the five ‘stewardesses’ immediately burst into song, singing the old Frank Sinatra classic ‘Come Fly With Me’.

For the next hour, whilst the band entertained the assembled crowd with their singing, the assembled stewardesses (and the six ‘golden stewardesses’) posed for photographs for the press and for Soixante-Trois Airlines’s publicity material. It didn’t come as any surprise to Jessica that Rachel- who had won the ‘Miss Soixante-Trois Airlines’ beauty pageant a few months earlier- was the one employee at the centre of the media’s attention, though all of the stewardesses took their turn having their photograph taken with the celebrities.

After the ‘photoshoot’ was finished, all the women, stewardesses and celebrities alike, were handed tall glasses of champagne that they eagerly drank. Even though she’d been on her feet- in her heels- for hours, Paige still felt excited to be in the presence of the women she’d known from television, and took every opportunity she could get to try to engage them in conversation. Jessica, however, was less eager, choosing instead to keep to herself around the edge of the ‘section’. One figure, though, had no intention of letting Jessica fade into the background.

“Hi,” one of the gold-coloured women- whose nametag read ‘Jamie’ said as she approached Jessica. “You’re… Jessica, right?”

“That’s what the tag says!” Jessica said. “Um, sorry, that sounded a bit cattier than I intended…”

“It’s okay,” Jamie giggled. “That’s such a cool accent, what part of America are you from?”

“Baltimore,” Jessica replied. “Been working for the company for a year now- in Paris, obviously.”

“Do you miss home?” Jamie asked, her eagerness to get to know Jessica plainly apparent.

“Bits of it,” Jessica laughed, before letting out a slow sigh. “I’m sorry, I- I know you’re trying to be friendly, but… I really, really want… Not to be famous. Sorry…”

“Ugh, trust me, it can be a pain at times,” Jamie laughed. “Especially as some days it feels like I’m only famous for being transgendered…”

“You- seriously?” Jessica asked, surveying Jamie’s body for any clue that she was anything other than fully female, and finding nothing.

“Yes, and thank you!” Jamie giggled.

“Um, thank you too, I guess!” Jessica said, making Jamie giggle bashfully.

“I… Didn’t want to ask,” Jamie said, adjusting her gold-coloured pillbox hat. “I mean, yes, I know the company has the reputation of hiring mostly transgendered stewardesses, I was told that something like 60% of the girls here are transitioning…”

“…And some aren’t,” Jessica sighed.

“Really?” Jamie asked. “Umm, feel free to say ‘yes’, but do you mind me asking why not?”

“Ugh, it… It’s complicated,” Jessica sighed. “Something I’d rather not go into with a stranger- no offence.”

“None taken,” Jamie said softly.

“And now, I’m expected to be some sort of ‘real stewardess of London’ as well,” Jessica moaned.

“You know, you CAN opt out of the TV show,” Jamie said. “Though if you don’t mind a bit of friendly advice… Don’t ignore a great opportunity like this when it’s thrust into your hands, because odds are you’ll never get another one.”

“I know, I know,” Jessica sighed. “It’s- it’s just my family, I kinda had a bad coming out, that’s why I’m not transitioning yet, and if I go on TV ‘flaunting my femininity’…”

“Ah, that sucks,” Jamie said. “I take it your family are back in America?”

“Yeah,” Jessica replied. “They said they disapproved because of my brother and sister, who are 17 and 14, but really I think they’re just ashamed of having a child who’s transgendered…”

“My first coming out wasn’t exactly perfect,” Jamie said with a warm smile. “But eventually, my parents came round, now they’re probably my biggest fans. And, more importantly, I had friends who stood by me every step of the way- and so do you.” Jessica smiled as she gazed around the room at her colleagues- or rather, her friends who just happened to work for the same company as her. Anna-Jade, Rachel and even Annabelle were people Jessica could talk to and share her hopes and her worries. Natalie, Zoe and Marie were only ever a phone call away and would always be there for Jessica… And then there was Paige. As much as she was Jessica’s lover, she was also her best friend, and even if the relationship did eventually end, their friendship never would. Jessica was so hung up on the family that had rejected her that she hadn’t realised that she’d become a part of a new family, all of whom she loved unconditionally, and who loved her just as much.

“Thanks,” Jessica said, beaming a genuine smile at Jamie.

“Just call me ‘the wise woman of London’,” Jamie giggled before mingling with the rest of the crowd.

“Oh my god!” Paige excitedly squeaked as she approached Jessica. “What were you and Jamie talking about?”

“…Opportunities,” Jessica said. “Friendship… Sometimes it helps to look at some things from a different perspective, you know?”

“Well it’s good to see you smiling again,” Paige said. “Also, I may… Might have put us on the waiting list for beginner ballet lessons…” Jessica laughed as Paige broke the unexpected news to her.

“It won’t be the same without Zoe teaching us,” Jessica laughed. “But I guess it’s a good way to stare at your butt in skin-tight lycra. And we’ll make new friends too… Can never have too many friends!”

“Very true,” Paige happily sighed. “And your butt’s much cuter in lycra!” Jessica giggled girlishly as the ‘party’ continued late into the afternoon, before the stewardesses were finally allowed to change back into their ‘regular’ clothes and return home.

That night, Jessica and Paige climbed into bed together locked in a passionate embrace, and thoroughly explored every inch of each other's body before falling asleep, still wrapped in each other’s arms. Jessica found it almost impossible to tear her away from Paige’s embrace the following morning, but she had a job to do, and she was determined to do it to the best of her abilities.

When the ‘call light’ went on in the aeroplane, Jessica was the first to reply to it, wearing a professional smile that quickly became genuine when she realised who it was who had called her.

“Mocha latte, one sugar, please,” Jamie said, smiling happily as she recognised the stewardess who was serving her. Jessica quickly and expertly prepared Jamie’s drink, her smile growing ever wider as she served it to her.

“Thank you,” Jamie said politely, taking a sip of her drink.

“No, thank you,” Jessica whispered, before returning to the rear compartment of the aeroplane, smiling for the TV cameras that were recording the flight.

“Was that a smirk I saw, miss ‘I hate reality TV’?” Rachel teased Jessica as the two women began preparing light snacks for the passengers.

“Oh, I still hate reality TV,” Jessica said. “Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy my job, and it DEFINITELY doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy my life with my friends!”

Jessica smiled for the passengers as they disembarked the plane, stretching their tired muscles after the long flight from Madrid.

“Thank you for flying with Soixante-Trois Airlines,” Jessica gushed in her practised overly-saccharine ‘stewardess’s voice’. “Enjoy your stay in London!”

“I live here, you dumb valley girl,” one of the passengers snorted as he passed Jessica with a backward glance.

“That’s the west coast, you moron,” Jessica whispered under her breath, out of earshot of any of her passengers. After the last passenger disembarked, Jessica breathed a sigh of relief before heading back into the plane with her colleagues, only to frown again when she realised that whilst the passengers had all disembarked, there were still people other than the plane crew onboard.

“Don’t mind us,” the cameraman said as Jessica and her colleagues carried out their post-flight checks. “Just carry on as normal. Would anyone be willing to do a couple of interviews after you’ve disembarked?” Jessica continued her work and ignored the request, confident that one of her colleagues would ‘take the bullet’ for her.

“Jess?” Rachel asked, making the American girl silently curse. “I have to send off the debrief to head office in Paris so if you do the piece to camera, we can ride home together, right?”

“Sure!” Jessica said. Whilst Rachel was Jessica’s friend, she was also her supervisor, and it had been strongly implied to Jessica in the past that disagreeing with a superior in front of the camera crew would be seen very negatively by management.

Thirty minutes later, as her colleagues change from their uniforms back into their commuting attire, Jessica found herself sat in front of a camera in a roped-off part of Heathrow airport, still wearing the tight red pencil skirt, matching high heels and pillbox hat she’d worn on the flights to and from Spain.

“I’m so glad we’ve finally got the chance to talk,” the interviewer said as she set up her camera. “We’ve got loads of interview footage from Brits but none yet from any, you know, foreigners…”

“What about Annabelle?” Jessica asked.

“The other American girl?” The interviewer replied. “Can’t get a word out of her, even when we’re in the air. Okay, we’re just about ready. Can you just tell us a little about yourself to start, please?”

“Of course,” Jessica said. “My name is Jessica Tyler, I’m twenty-three years old and I’m originally from Baltimore, Maryland.”

“How long have you been working for Soixante-Trois Airlines?” The interviewer asked.

“One year, three months,” Jessica replied. “Before that I used to work for a local airline in the US.”

“How does it compare, working for Soixante-Trois instead of that airline?” The interviewer asked.

“It’s… It’s harder work,” Jessica said with a forced smile. “But it is fulfilling, and it’s such a thrill to visit all the exotic European destinations!”

“You were in Madrid today, is that right?” The interviewer asked, continuing after Jessica gave a confirming nod. “It must be enjoyable to get to visit such a warm city in the middle of November!”

“It’s definitely a perk of the job!” Jessica giggled.

“Can you tell us a little about yourself outside of work?” The interviewer asked, causing Jessica to bristle. “Any hobbies, I know you’re in a relationship with a fellow stewardess, could you tell us a little about the effect that has on your job and what effect working together has on your relationship?”

“I- I’d prefer not to comment there,” Jessica stuttered. “I’m not comfortable talking about that… And before you ask, I won’t be comfortable talking about my transition either. Please, please just ask me about work.”

“Well, okay,” the interviewer said. “But the people watching will want to know a little more about the people behind the uniforms, that’s all, so even just a little bit of information-“

“I’d prefer not to,” Jessica interrupted in as polite a manner as she could.

“Okay,” the interviewer said, clearly taken aback by Jessica’s reluctance. Fifteen minutes later, after the interview reached its natural conclusion, Jessica stepped away from the camera and headed to the locker room area, where Rachel was sat typing on her laptop.

“Done already?” The blonde supervisor asked Jessica as the American girl peeled off her tight uniform. “I was in there 45 minutes on Tuesday…”

“Did they ask you any personal questions on Tuesday?” Jessica asked.

“A few,” Rachel shrugged. “About my family, my older sisters… Nothing really intrusive. Why, what did they ask you?”

“About me and Paige,” Jessica sighed. “How our relationship affects our work and vice versa.”

“The answer there is surely ‘not at all either way’?” Rachel asked.

“It is,” Jessica said, “but I felt it was a bit TOO personal, so I took the fifth.”

“The fifth?” Rachel asked, confused. “Oh, um, that means ‘refused to answer’, right? Dunno why, it’s not THAT personal a question…”

“Yeah, well I’d prefer to live my private life in PRIVATE,” Jessica said firmly as she straightened her tan-coloured stockings and pulled on the slinky black dress she’d worn to work. “You’ll be happy to hear I took the fifth when they asked me about the uniform, too…”

“Really?” Rachel giggled. “This from the girl who wore the tightest possible corset and shortest possible strapless dress when we went out clubbing last Friday?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I love wearing the clothes,” Jessica said. “I love living as a woman way more than I ever did living as a man… But surely you have to admit that these uniforms ARE impractical?”

“They’re mandated by management,” Rachel said, before chuckling. “And DON’T call me Shirley.”

“Isn’t it bad luck or something for a stewardess to quote that film?” Jessica asked, making Rachel giggle even more. “Also, how many of the managers who imposed this uniform do you suppose have ever had to wear it and work in it?”

“Zero, probably,” Rachel sighed. “Hell, I agree with you, it’s just- ours is not to question why…”

“God, you’re just full of quotes today!” Jessica chuckled, making Rachel almost double over with giggles.

“Well quote me on this,” Rachel said with a wide grin. “Let’s go out tonight and get wasted!”

“You know,” Jessica giggled as she followed her supervisor out of the locker room, “you go out every Friday and you STILL haven’t run into any of the Angels… If you’re that desperate to be introduced to them, you could always just call up the agency and ask...”

“And look desperate? No thank you,” Rachel giggled. The two girls wasted no time in heading to the nearest tube station and getting the first underground train home, stepping through the front door just after 8:30pm. As Jessica entered the apartment’s living room, though, she was greeted with a long hug from her Scottish lover- though the look on Paige’s face made Jessica realise immediately that something was very, very wrong.

“P-Paige?” Jessica asked, shocked to see that Paige had recently been crying. “What is it?”

“Jess…” Paige sobbed, before hugging the American girl again.

“Th-there’s been an attack,” Anna-Jade whispered, her voice quivering with fear. “A terrorist attack.”

“What?” Jessica asked in a state of near-panic. “Where?”

“…Paris,” Paige whispered. The colour drained from Jessica’s face as she sat down next to Paige on the sofa and watched the images on the TV screen- images of places Jessica knew well in a city where she’d lived for over a year.

“They say there was an attack at the football game,” Anna-Jade whispered. “And at a theatre in town, too…” Without saying another word, Jessica reached into her handbag and pulled out her smartphone, quickly navigating to the telephone number of the apartment in which she used to live.

“Come on,” Jessica whispered. “Pick up…”

“Who are you calling?” Anna-Jade asked.

“Natalie,” Jessica whispered. “Well- the whole flat, really…” Jessica took a deep breath as the phone on the other end of the line was answered by an unfamiliar French voice.

“Bonsoir?” The feminine voice asked. “C’est Chloe…”

“Je suis Jessica Tyler,” Jessica replied. “Je vivais avec Natalie Zoé et Marie, je peux parler à l'un d'entre eux, s'il vous plaît?”

“Oh, Jessica, yes!” Chloe said, immediately switching from her native French tongue to flawless English. “All three are on flights right now, I’m here by myself… I take it you heard what’s been happening?”

“Are you safe, where you are?” Jessica asked.

“We’ve not heard anything around here, but I’m not leaving the apartment…” Chloe replied. “Natalie and Zoe are due back in less than half an hour but I don’t know if they’ll be allowed to leave the airport, Marie and Clara too…”

“They’ll be allowed to turn their phone on, surely?” Jessica asked.

“I- I think so,” Chloe stammered. “I- I should call them, I’ll let them know you called, Jessica.”

“Thanks,” Jessica whispered as Chloe clicked off her phone.

“Any news?” Paige asked.

“They’ll call me if they hear anything,” Jessica said as she turned her attention back to the horrifying images on the TV. “I- I can’t believe this is happening…”

“It’s like something from a nightmare,” Anna-Jade moaned. "I remember growing up, my parents used to tell me about The Troubles, but I always thought things like that were just a part of history..."

“I remember the London attacks from ten years ago like it was yesterday,” Paige sighed. “It was just a couple of days after my 11th birthday, I was still excited, London has just won the Olympic bid, then our head teacher comes into class and announces there’s a special assembly, and then we get the news broken to us. Of course, to us, London was some faraway place down south, but it was still terrifying…” Paige sighed sadly as Jessica held her tighter, whilst the television continued to broadcast the images none of the girls wanted to see.

Less than twenty minutes later, Jessica’s phone rang, startling the American girl and causing her to almost drop the phone in her scramble to answer it. Whilst Jessica recognised that the call was coming from a Paris number, she didn’t recognise the actual number itself, causing her to take a deep breath as she tapped the ‘answer’ button.

“He- hello?” Jessica asked.

“Jess?” A familiar Manchester accent responded.

“Nat, thank god,” Jessica breathed. “Where are you and Zoe? Are you okay?”

“We’re fine, we’re fine,” Natalie said. “We’re holed up at the airport, the company’s putting us up overnight, they don’t want us to travel, for obvious reasons…”

“As long as you’re both safe,” Jessica sighed.

“Okay, okay, keep your hair on, mum,” Natalie said, making Jessica chuckle. “Speaking of, me and Zoe need to call our parents, let them know we’re okay… I’ll talk to you soon, Jess. Assuming all returns to normal I think we might be on the same flight on Tuesday, so I’ll see you then, okay?”

“What?” Jessica asked with a chuckle. “You’re telling me they re-promoted you and you’re back on blue route?”

“As if they’d keep me down for long,” Natalie laughed. “I’ll get off now before my phone bill makes me do a month of overtime…”

“Sorry, sorry,” Jessica said. “Talk soon, Nat.”

“See you round, Jess,” Natalie said, before clicking off the phone.

“Thank god,” Paige sighed. “Doubt I’d have been able to sleep if we hadn’t heard…”

“I’m still not sure I will,” Rachel- who’d abandoned her plans for a night out the second she’d heard the news of the terrorist attack- sighed. “I should probably call my mum, even though she knows I live in London now she’ll be worried sick…”

“Same here,” Paige sighed as she and Rachel retreated to their bedrooms, leaving Jessica and Anna-Jade alone in the living room.

“You- you’re not going to call your parents?” Jessica asked her Irish friend.

“Hardly any point,” Anna-Jade sighed. “They made their opinion of me very clear earlier in the year. They know my number if they want to call me. How about you?”

“The same,” Jessica sighed. “Besides, it’s… Just after 4pm where they are, they’re probably still at work.” Anna-Jade nodded as she twirled her phone around in her hand, before shoving it back in her handbag. The two women turned their attention back to the television and were rejoined minutes later by Paige and Rachel, who joined Jessica and Anna-Jade in front of the television for the rest of the night before heading to bed just after 10:30pm.

“I really, really don’t want to go in tomorrow,” Paige moaned as she and Jessica snuggled together underneath the warm blankets.

“I kinda wish I was,” Jessica moaned. “Help me keep my mind off of things…”

“You know there’ll be cameras everywhere tomorrow,” Paige sighed. “Desperate to get our reaction to the news, ask us about friends in Paris…”

“Okay, then I’m glad I’m not going in,” Jessica said, making Paige snort with laughter. “So you’ve suddenly decided you don’t want to be a reality TV star after all?”

“Reality TV suddenly seems a lot less important than it did twelve hours ago,” Paige sighed. “You know, I got another one of our ‘things’ from Amazon last night… Doesn’t really seem appropriate to use it now, does it?”

“It’ll keep,” Jessica said. “Assuming it’s not edible body paint again?”

“No, nothing like THAT again,” Paige giggled as Jessica gave her a long kiss.

“Get some sleep,” Jessica whispered, clicking off the light and sighing as Paige’s body relaxed next to hers. Neither girl had managed to get to sleep, however, when Jessica’s phone rang yet again less than half an hour later. Jessica rubbed the fatigue out of her eyes before clicking on her nightlight and staring at the caller ID- this time, it was a number she immediately recognised.

“…Mom?” Jessica asked, still using her feminine voice despite the identity of the person to whom she was speaking.

“Jesse, oh thank god,” Mrs. Tyler sighed as she heard her oldest child’s voice. “Paris has been all over the news this afternoon, where are you? Are you safe? I’m sorry, I know it must be late where you are, but I had to call…”

“We’re fine,” Jessica replied. “We don’t even live in Paris anymore…”

“Wh-what?” Mrs. Tyler asked, an air of anger creeping into her voice. “When did this happen?”

“About three months ago,” Jessica replied. “The carline opened a hub in London, we got reassigned…”

“And you didn’t think to tell me?” Jessica’s mother shouted.

“The last time we spoke, you didn’t seem very interested in ‘Jessica’s life,” the American girl said in a cold voice.

“That doesn’t mean I don’t want you to be safe!” Mrs. Tyler wailed. “No matter what you, well, ‘choose’ for your life…”

“Well- I am safe,” Jessica said. “I have to go now, it’s late, I’m in bed… Give my love to Aaron and Hayley, and dad…”

“I will,” Mrs. Tyler. “I- I love you, Jesse…”

“Jessica,” the American girl replied. “My name is Jessica.”

“I- I love you, Je- Jess…” Mrs. Tyler said, trying but failing to call her child by her chosen name.

“I love you too, mom,” Jessica sighed. “I’ll let you go, don’t want to run up your bill too much.”

“Talk soon,” Mrs. Tyler said before hanging up the phone.

“Still in denial?” Paige asked as Jessica returned her phone to her nightstand.

“Ugh, I- I dunno,” Jessica moaned. “I’m utterly knackered, can we please get some sleep?”

“’Knackered’?” Paige giggled.

“You and your dialect must be rubbing off on me,” Jessica chuckled.

“You do know that ‘rubbing off’ has another meaning in my dialect, right?” Paige said with a smile.

“Yeah… Mine too,” Jessica giggled, giving her Scottish lover a long, deep kiss. “Get some sleep, beautiful.” Paige smiled and rested her head on her pillow, but her thoughts soon turned back to her friends in Paris, and the fear they must be feeling. Paige slept very little during the night, moaning as her alarm woke her at 6am for her morning flight to Berlin. After Paige showered, she padded back to her bedroom- where her American lover was still asleep- and touched up her nail polish before popping the top off of the small vials of pills she’d been prescribed nine months earlier.

“You’d better not be the reason I couldn’t sleep last night, you little bastards,” Paige grumbled, before taking one pill from each vial and swallowing it with a gulp of water. As Paige stared at her naked form in the mirror, she mused on how much she’d changed since she started hormone therapy nine months earlier. Her body had changed dramatically- her waist had narrowed to the point where her work-mandated corset barely needed to be tightened each morning, her hips and backside had widened and her breasts had a noticeable shape and size- somewhere between an A and a B cup- to them. Whilst she still wore a padded bra to give herself the necessary ‘shape’ at work, outside of work she now wore a bra as a necessity, rather than a fashion choice. Paige was also much, much happier in herself- the conflict that she’d felt all throughout her life no longer existed now that she was chemically female, the way she’d always felt she should be. Her parents had accepted her for who she wanted to be, as had her sisters, her employers and, most importantly, her lover. Paige just wished that Jessica could resolve her own conflict and accept herself for who she was…

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the pilot announced in his refined English accent, “we are currently cruising at a height of 28 000 feet, or 8 kilometres. Refreshments are now available from any of our beautiful and hard-working flight attendants, so please feel free to avail yourself of their services. We will be arriving in Berlin in just under ninety minutes. Thank you for your attention.”

Paige smiled as she straightened her tight blue skirt and rebalanced her blue pillbox hat, before pushing her refreshments trolley out into the aisle of the plane to the passenger who had summoned her.

“Ah,” the passenger- a blonde German man in his early thirties- said. “The pilot wasn’t wrong when he said beautiful and hard-working.”

“Thank you, sir,” Paige simpered in her sweetest possible voice. “What can I get for you?”

“Black coffee, two sugars, please,” the man replied. “In one of those cups with a lid, I don’t want it spilling all over my suit!”

“Certainly, sir,” Paige said, pouring the businessman his drink and expertly placing it on his tray table. “Will there be anything else, sir?”

“I would say ‘your phone number’ but I’m guessing that would be ‘no’?” The German man chuckled.

“I’m afraid I’m not allowed to fraternise with passengers, sir,” Paige replied, making her customer laugh even louder.

“How can you laugh at a time like this?” The passenger seated two seats behind the German man- a gruff Englishman in his fifties with a thick moustache- snorted. “Need I remind you that people lost their lives last night?”

“No, you don’t need to remind me,” the German man. “What happened in Paris was a tragedy, but life goes on.”

“Not for those 130 people, it doesn’t!” The Englishman snapped.

“Nor does it for the several hundred who die each day in Iraq and Syria,” the German man retorted, silencing the Englishman. “Forgive me if I’m wrong, but if we give in to fear, if we compromise, aren’t we letting the terrorists win? Take this young woman here, for example.” Paige bristled as her passenger gestured toward her slender body. “You know about the quote-unquote girls this airline hires. Something that ISIL sees as utterly-“

“Sirs, please, you’re disturbing the other passengers,” Paige whispered, silencing the two businessmen. With no other passengers needing refreshments, Paige retreated to the rear compartment of the plane, inadvertently scowling as she passed the camera that had been set up in the small work area.

“Hey, Annabelle,” Paige said to her American colleague.

“Hey, honey,” Annabelle replied, before returning to her work preparing fruit and sandwiches for the passengers. Realising that she wasn’t going to get any further conversation out of the blonde woman, Paige refilled the coffee machine on her trolley and also remained silent, determined not to give the camera people any useable footage from the flight.

“Ugh,” Zoe moaned as she and Natalie left Charles De Gaulle airport after their impromptu ‘sleepover’. “Can’t believe this has happened AGAIN…”

“The important thing is that we’re all safe,” Marie said, catching up to her sister and her lover. “We should call mama when we get home, let her know we’re back safe…”

“I should call my mum as well,” Natalie sighed as the three women- who were soon joined by their flat mate Clara- made their way to the nearest tram stop and headed back to their home as fast as they possibly could.

“Oh, dieu merci,” Chloe exclaimed as the four women walked through the front door of the flat, before giving her twin sister a tight hug.

“Stop panicking so much,” Clara laughed, slipping off her stiletto heels and sitting down on the sofa. “What’s for lunch?”

“Don’t tell me not to panic,” Chloe sighed, giving Clara a playful shove as the other three women dropped into their chairs. “Mum’s called three times this morning already, wanting to know when you’ll be back…”

“Okay, okay,” Clara said. “Let’s go to our room, we’ll call her from there…”

“I hope everyone from my class is okay,” Zoe mumbled. “They’d have just finished by 8pm…”

“The same class you haven’t taught in over a year?” Marie asked her younger sister.

“They sent me a card for my birthday last month,” Zoe shrugged. “And besides, I taught some of those girls for years…”

“You’ve come so far over the last few months,” Marie sighed. “Made so much progress since your warning at the New Year, don’t slip back now…”

“Wishing I was still a dance teacher isn’t ‘slipping backwards’,” Zoe angrily retorted.

“Ladies,” Natalie said, silencing the two sisters. “I’m sure your mother will also want to know that you’re home safe and sound.”

“…Fine,” Marie said, slipping off her shoes and heading into her bedroom with Zoe in tow. Left alone in the living room, Natalie untied her long brown hair and let it fall loosely around her face, before slipping off her own stiletto heels and pulling her phone out of her handbag. After lazily fiddling with the phone for a few seconds, she unlocked the screen and hit one of the numbers on her speed dial.

“Hello?” The middle-aged woman asked upon answering the phone.

“Hi mum,” Natalie said in her natural, masculine voice.

“Matthew!” Natalie’s mother gushed. “Are you back home yet?”

“Just got in a few minutes ago,” Natalie sighed. “Unsurprisingly, all flights have been cancelled today…”

“Well as long as you’re safe, that’s the important thing,” Mrs. Briggs said. “How’s your French girl?”

“Zoe?” Natalie asked. “She’s a bit rattled, but she’s okay. How are Ellen and Sasha?”

“They were worried,” Mrs. Briggs replied. “But happy to know that their big brother-slash-sister was okay. I’ll let them know you called, they’ve both gone to the Arndale to do their Christmas shopping today… At least I hope they’re Christmas shopping, you know teenage girls…”

“Better than most,” Natalie replied, making her mother snort with laughter. “Give them my love, I’ll try to get over sometime before Christmas. And yes, I’ll bring Zoe too!”

“Make sure you do,” Mrs. Briggs said. “I’ll let you get off, don’t want to complete drain your phone bill. I love you, Matthew. And yes, I love you too, Natalie.”

“Thanks,” Natalie said with a smile. “Love you too.” Natalie smiled as the line disconnected, before heading into her bedroom and changing into a comfortable pair of leggings and a t-shirt dress.

“Bonjour mama!” Marie and Zoe said simultaneously into Marie’s mobile phone.

“Marie!” the girls’ mother exclaimed. “Zoe! Are you both home? Are you both safe?”

“We’re both back, yes,” Marie answered. “Got home a few minutes ago, Natalie and Clara too.”

“Please tell me you’re not going out again tonight?” Mme Renou asked.

“No,” Zoe sighed. “But I’m on a flight to Warsaw first thing tomorrow morning, and Marie’s off to Dubai on Monday.”

“Ugh,” Mme Renou spat. “Can’t believe your company are still flying to the Middle East after what happened yesterday…”

“The UAE is hardly the same thing as Islamic State,” Marie retorted.

“It’s still much too far from France for my liking,” the girls’ mother said. “Though in saying that, sometimes I wish you HAD moved to London when you had the chance…”

“I’d be no safer in London than I am in Paris,” Zoe said.

“But you would be in Nice!” Mme Renou said. “Just- just make sure you both keep safe, please? Whatever country you fly to…”

“We will, mama,” Marie said.

“Our love to you and papa!” Zoe cooed, before Marie clicked off the phone. Sighing heavily, Zoe sprawled out on the bed and began stretching her limbs.

“Must you do that now?” Marie asked, grimacing at the sight of her younger sister stretching her leg at an almost 180 degree angle to normal.

“It helps me calm down,” Zoe retorted. “You should try it some time.”

“I prefer my hips to stay in their sockets, thank you very much,” Marie retorted, making the girls giggle as they tried to relax.

“And you? Stay outside,” Paige giggled to the camera that followed her and her colleagues through Heathrow airport to their tiny locker room. As soon as the door to the room was closed, Paige let out a long, tired sigh and slid into a nearby chair, before peeling off her uniform and watching as Annabelle elegantly unzipped her tight blue skirt.

“A-are you okay, Annabelle?” Paige asked the tall American girl.

“Sure, honey,” Annabelle replied, barely pausing as she unbuttoned her shiny black blouse.

“It- it’s just that you’ve been even quieter than normal today,” Paige said. “Have- have you spoken to your old housemates? In Paris, I mean…”

“Uh-huh,” Annabelle replied, before straightening her stockings and pulling on the slinky black dress she’d worn to the airport.

“Okay,” Paige said. “Well- If you need to talk, just do so. There’s nothing wrong with expressing your feelings, especially to friends, and I do consider us to be friends... You don’t lose anything by opening up.” Annabelle paused briefly, before turning her back to Paige.

“Can you zip me up please, honey?” Annabelle asked, holding her long blonde hair out of the way of her zip. Sighing, Paige zipped Annabelle into her form-fitting dress, before pulling on her own black pencil skirt and sleeveless blouse. Paige watched Annabelle as she started to leave the locker room, before gasping as she pause and turned around, flashing a wide, genuine smile.

“Thanks, Paige,” Annabelle said, before leaving the Scottish girl alone in the locker room.

“Guten abend!” Jessica laughed, greeting Paige with a long, deep kiss as she entered the apartment and slipped off her high-heeled shoes.

“Aye, ja, whatever,” Paige said as she crashed on the sofa, crossing one stockinged leg over the other. “Hi, Anna-Jade.”

“Hi Paige,” Anna-Jade replied. “Hiromi called while you were in the air, wanted you to know that her and the girls are back home…”

“Thanks,” Paige said. “It’s weird, you know? Something like yesterday happens, and people carry on as normal, but then again, as someone said today, they have to, otherwise it means that ‘they’ win…”

“You got that right,” Anna-Jade sighed. “Rachel’s gone to her parents’ for the weekend so it’s just the three of us tonight, anyone for takeout?”

“Damn right!” Paige said, the smile returning to her face. “Actually… Before we order, I just want to make a call, if I can.”

“Your folks?” Anna-Jade asked. “Sure, be my guest.”

“Not them,” Paige said. “Actually, I’d kinda like ALL of us to make the call… Jess! Can you come here a sec?”

“Sure,” Jessica said, sitting down next to Paige and giving the Scottish girl’s free hand a squeeze. “Who you calling?”

“Home,” Paige said. “Doesn’t seem fair that your phone is the only one getting international charges…”

“You don’t get international charges for calling Scotland from London though, do you?” Jessica asked.

“I’m not calling THAT home,” Paige said, switching on the speakerphone on her handset and placing it on the coffee table between the three women.

“Bonsoir?” The unmistakable soft voice of Zoe spoke from the phone.

“Hi Zoe!” Jessica, Paige and Anna-Jade all said simultaneously.

“Mes filles!” Zoe called excitedly. “Oh, sorry, sorry, been so long since I last spoke English… I’ll go and get Natalie and my sister!”

“Okay,” Jessica said, before turning and smiling at her Scottish lover.

“You’re welcome,” Paige said. “Been too long since the six of us last sat around and gossiped…”

“Hello!” Natalie yelled down the phone, startling the three London-based women and making them laugh.

“Bonsoir!” Marie giggled into the phone. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“You owe it to the fact that we really miss you girls,” Paige said. “The six of us haven’t said around and gossiped since we moved to London… I missed that, and yesterday particularly made me think about all the great times I had in Paris…”

“Your fault for leaving,” Natalie retorted, making the girls all laugh. “Though it’s nice to be able to speak English in this apartment and not get four angry Frenchwomen shouting at me…”

“Speaking of, where are our replacements?” Anna-Jade asked. “The twins, you said?”

“Chloe and Clara, yeah,” Marie replied. “Gone to their parents’ for the night… They’re native Parisians so yesterday had them pretty rattled. Clara particularly, though she is of course hiding it. Reckons that the airline would be a target because of its ‘hiring policy’, I tried to explain that if that was the case, it’d already, well, you know…” All six girls nodded, leading to an awkward silence in the conversation.

“Ooh, Zoe,” Paige said, breaking the tension. “You’ll be happy to hear that Jessica and I are on the waiting list for a ballet adult beginner’s class!”

“Magnifique!” Zoe giggled. “Of course, your teacher won’t be as good as I am, even after a year working elsewhere…”

“Don’t encourage her, please,” Marie sighed, making her sister giggle even louder. “You girls working tomorrow?”

“Jess and Paige are, I’m not,” Anna-Jade replied.

“Same here,” Marie said. “Well, Zoe and Natalie are working, it’s my day off… Whose phone are we on?”

“Mine,” Paige replied.

“This call must me costing you a fortune,” Marie sighed. “What if- whenever the six of us are free in an evening, we all get on Skype and chat, just like the old times, okay?”

“Deal,” Jessica said. “Tell you what- I’ll go and get my laptop now!” All six girls giggled excitedly as Paige ended the call, only for the conversation to resume a few minutes later on Jessica’s and Marie’s laptops and last until late into the evening.

As the girls prepared for bed, their moods were significantly better than they had been earlier in the day. The gossip session had reminded them that no matter what, life did indeed go on, and there were things in the world that were worth looking forward to.

As Jessica gently lowered her delicate nightie over her head and threw back her bed sheets, ready for a good night’s sleep, she was startled by the sudden sound of her phone ringing.

“Is that Marie again?” Paige asked as she brushed her shoulder-length black hair.

“They’d surely be in bed now too,” Jessica sighed as she checked the caller ID on her phone. “It’s my mom again.”

“Say ‘hi’ from me,” Paige said, making Jessica giggle as she answered the phone.

“Hi mom,” The American girl said. “Yes, I’m still home and safe…”

“Yes, yes, I know,” Mrs. Tyler said. “It’s just… Last night was the first time we’d spoken in ages, and… I want us to speak more.”

“If by ‘more’ you mean ‘nightly’ then I hope dad got a raise,” Jessica laughed. “Last time I checked, international calls to Europe weren’t cheap…”

“I see your sense of humour didn’t change with your gender,” Mrs. Tyler said, making Jessica giggle.

“So… You accept that you now have TWO daughters?” Jessica asked with obvious hope in her voice.

“It- it’s not easy,” Mrs. Tyler said, making Jessica sigh. “What you’re doing- what you- what you ‘are’, it’s not normal.”

“Define ‘normal’,” Jessica retorted.

“Touché,” Mrs. Tyler conceded. “Anyway, I just- I just wanted to call to invite you and Paige over. For Christmas, I mean… If the two of you can get leave, even if it’s only for a couple of days, we’d love to see you again.”

“When you say ‘the two of us’-“ Jessica asked.

“I mean ‘Jessica and Paige’,” Mrs. Tyler clarified. “It’ll be easier to accept that I have another daughter if I can meet her face to face. Properly, I mean.”

“What’s she asking?” Paige asked, only to be shushed by her American lover.

“We’ll think about it,” Jessica replied. “Paige’s parents have also asked us to spend Christmas with them-“

“No they haven’t,” Paige interrupted, earning a stern glare from Jessica.

“We’ll get back to you soon,” Jessica said.

“Well don’t keep us hanging for too long,” Mrs. Tyler sighed. “It’s bad enough I won’t have my whole family with me for a second Thanksgiving in a row, I refuse to allow it to happen for two Christmases in a row!”

“We’ll let you know soon, I promise,” Jessica said. “I- I love you, mom.”

“I love you too… Jessica,” Mrs. Tyler said, before ending the call.

“Why’d you lie to your mum?” Paige asked as she climbed underneath the warm sheets. “I’d LOVE to spend Christmas in America, you know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know,” Jessica sighed as she climbed into bed and cuddled her body close to Paige’s. “It’s just… I don’t know if I can handle the stress of all of it, not yet, anyway.”

“Well- ugh,” Paige spat, before grabbing her own phone from her nightstand.

“What are you doing?” Jessica asked.

“Saving your arse,” Paige replied as she keyed a number into her phone.

“Hello?” The warm, gruff voice of Paige’s father said on the other end of Paige’s call.

“Hi dad!” Paige said with as much enthusiasm as her tired body could muster.

“Paige!” Mr. Robertson said with clear delight in his voice. “Why are you calling this late? Don’t you have to fly to some exotic European resort tomorrow?”

“Aye, Berlin again, the most exotic of them all,” Paige said, making her father chuckle. “We’ve just been speaking to Jessica’s parents… It’s about Christmas.” Jessica’s eyes widened and a smile crept on her face as she realised Paige’s plan- if the Robertsons found out about Jessica’s parents’ offer, they’d feel obliged to make a similar offer, and give Jessica an excuse to not go back to America for Christmas.

“Let me guess-“ Paige’s father said. “They want you to go over to America for Christmas? Sorry, ‘the holidays’?”

“Got it in one,” Paige said.

“Well that sounds amazing!” Mr. Robertson gushed, making Paige’s smile falter. “You’ve been going on about visiting America for years now, and your holiday there in February got cut short, so it’d be fantastic if you got to go again!”

“Well- okay then!” Paige giggled. “Talk soon, dad.”

“Well?” Jessica asked as Paige clicked off her phone.

“Well, you probably needn’t brush up on your Scots,” Paige said, making Jessica moan. “Oh come on, surely you want to go and see your parents again? From what I heard, your mum WAS ready to accept you as Jessica, right?”

“Sounded like there were a LOT of conditions attached,” Jessica moaned. “Come on, get some sleep babe, we can think about this tomorrow…”

“Sure thing, gorgeous,” Paige said, wrapping her arms around Jessica’s slender body and quickly falling into a deep sleep.

Alone in her bedroom, Anna-Jade stared at her phone with a desperate longing. Hearing Jessica speak to her parents had reignited the hope in her heart that maybe, just maybe, her parents would be willing to ‘forgive’ her. It had been over twelve months since Anna-Jade had started taking oestrogen, and in that time, she hadn’t exchanged a single word with her parents. For all they knew, she still lived in Paris. For all they knew, she could be dead…

Anna-Jade took a deep breath, before unlocking her phone and typing in the eleven digits that made up the telephone number of her family home. The Irish girl hesitated before pressing ‘call’- it was after 10:30pm, there was no guarantee that her parents would still be awake… And even less guarantee that they’d be willing to listen to what she had to say.

“Now or never,” Anna-Jade whispered, before pressing the ‘call’ button. The phone was answered on the third ring, causing Anna-Jade’s breath to catch in her mouth as she heard the voice she hadn’t heard in over a year.

“Hello?” Anna-Jade’s mother asked with an air of anger in her voice. “Who is this?”

“Hi mum,” the nervous Irishwoman replied. “It’s An-“ Anna-Jade paused, tears in her eyes, as she heard the unmistakable sound of a telephone being slammed down on the receiver. Anna-Jade’s mother hadn’t even allowed her to say four words, and hadn’t even dignified her with a response before rejecting her just as cruelly as she’d done so many months ago.

“You-“ Anna-Jade whispered between tearful sniffles. “You don’t fucking well deserve to call yourself a parent…” Anna-Jade rested her head on her pillow and sobbed herself to sleep, trying to remember that even if her biological family had rejected her, she had friends less than ten feet away who would always be her ‘true’ family.

Jessica grunted as Paige tightened her corset, tying the laces into a bow once her waist had been tightened to the regulation 26 inches.

“You know,” the Scottish girl informed her lover, “if you’d only take oestrogen, your waist would naturally narrow…”

“You know,” Jessica retorted, “if our uniform regulations weren’t written by a bunch of misogynistic pricks, I wouldn’t need a narrower waist?”

“We both knew the uniform regulations before signing up,” Paige sighed, before pulling on a smart sleeveless blouse and a tight black pencil skirt. “You have to admit, it WAS part of the appeal…”

“It was when I only thought I’d be working for the company for six months,” Jessica sighed, pulling on her own slinky pencil dress before coating her lips in her favourite blood-red lipstick.

“I agree the corsets are kinda impractical,” Paige sighed. “But let’s face it, all we do all day is serve drinks, I’ve done hundreds of flights, not a single emergency beyond having to mop up some clumsy moron’s crotch. When I was working at the pool I’d have at least one emergency each week…”

“If I get clumsy today, will you mop up MY crotch?” Jessica asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, making Paige giggle and give her a long, deep kiss.

“Come on,” Paige sighed. “These cities won’t fly to themselves…” Jessica smiled as she took Paige’s hand and followed her out of the small flat, soon arriving at Heathrow airport for her flight to Rome.

Several hours later, the girls returned from the flights, tired from the day’s efforts and from spending the whole day in their restrictive- yet highly feminine- clothing. Jessica had a wide smile on her face as she peeled her red skirt off of her nylon-covered legs, even though she knew she’d be pulling straight back on less than twelve hours later. Her smile faded, however, when she left the locker room to find a TV camera pointed straight at her face.

“Can you give us a few words please, Jessica?” The interviewer to whom Jessica had spoken two days earlier asked. “It’s been less than 48 hours since the attacks in Paris, how does it feel for things to get back to normal?” Jessica stared at the camera and suddenly felt a wave of panic wash over her, which slowly made way for a feeling of pure anger. Who the hell were these people to delve into Jessica’s personal, private feelings?

“I- I’m not willing to comment now,” Jessica muttered, brusquely pushing past the film crew in her desperation to return home. The tube ride home felt longer than ever for the American girl, but as she opened the front door and looked into the smiling face of her Scottish lover, all her anxieties vanished. Jessica surprised Paige with a long, deep kiss, but the Scottish girl soon reciprocated, and within seconds the two women had retreated to their bedroom and were eagerly undressing each other.

“So,” Jessica asked with a look of pure lust in her eyes, “what was this ‘thing’ you got from Amazon?” Paige smiled wickedly as the two women fell into bed, locked in each other’s arms…

Zoe sighed as she peeled off her tight black skirt and slinky black slip, exposing the sheer black tights and white bodysuit underneath. There wasn’t a single second during her flights between Paris and Warsaw when the Frenchwoman didn’t wish she was somewhere, anywhere else. Unlike Jessica and Paige, Zoe had zero problems with the uniform- her years of ballet had given her such good posture and such a slender frame that she barely noticed her mandatory corset, and the combination of the bodysuit and tights helped Zoe to pretend- even if it was just for a few seconds- that she was back in her dance studio, dealing with eager teenagers instead of on an aeroplane, dealing with obnoxious businessmen.

The only satisfaction Zoe got from her job was when one of the passengers would closely examine Zoe’s body to try to determine whether or not she, like 70% of Soixante-Trois Airlines’s staff, was transgendered. An internal smile always spread over Zoe’s face as she saw the suspicion in the passengers’ eyes- a suspicion she was always willing to ‘confirm’. There were rules written into the employee guidelines stating that all transgendered employees were to make every effort to be as feminine as possible so that it would be impossible for passengers to ‘read’ them. There were, however, no such rules that applied to cisgender employees- and that was a loophole Zoe exploited to the fullest. Zoe had been called before a supervisor- including her own sister- more than once after reports from passengers that she was acting in an overly masculine manner, and every time, Zoe pointed out the loophole that means that she would be exempt from punishment, even with the written warning still on her record. Zoe knew that it couldn’t last forever- nothing in her life ever did- but was determined to enjoy it while she could.

Zoe giggled as she walked through the front door of her apartment and saw Natalie and Clara sat on the sofa, their legs spread and their postures slouched in as un-feminine a manner as they could manage.

“Alright, love?” Natalie teased in a voice even deeper than her natural male voice.

“Stop that,” Zoe mumbled, blushing as she slipped off her stilettos and sat down on the sofa, keeping her knees elegantly pressed together.

“What?” Clara laughed. “The only girl who works for Soixante-Trois who actually wishes that she was transgendered…”

“I don’t ‘wish’ I was transgendered,” Zoe retorted. “I love being a girl. I just also love messing with people’s heads!”

“And she wonders why she never wins employee of the month,” Marie sighed as she sat down on her sofa, glass of wine in hand. Zoe sighed as her older sister slowly allowed her own legs to spread apart in the same manner as Natalie and Clara.

“It’s pretty impressive that I’m more effeminate than you, and I’ve never taken a microgram of oestrogen,” Natalie said, making Zoe groan and hurl a cushion at the Englishwoman.

“If you hate the job so much, why do you persist with it?” Clara asked.

“Because there’s nothing else that I’m good at that pays as well,” Zoe sighed. “It’s either ‘be miserable and eat’ or ‘do what I love and starve’.”

“What you love being ‘teaching ballet’, right?” Clara asked.

“Any form of dance, but mainly ballet, yes,” Zoe said. “Why?” Zoe rolled her eyes before giggling uncontrollably as the other three women simultaneously stripped off their dresses and the dark tights they were wearing, revealing the same baby pink tights and black leotards that made up Zoe’s work uniform for many years.

“I’ve even asked mama to send my old pointe shoes up from Nice,” Marie said smugly as she, Natalie and Clara lined up behind the sofa like ballet students at a barre. “Mademoiselle Renou? We are ready for our lesson now.”

“You quit ballet because you hated it,” Zoe reminded her sister.

“Yes,” Marie said as she tied her hair into a tight bun. “But you hate being a stewardess and you still do it, so I can put up with a little dancing every now and again…”

“Best big sister ever!” Zoe giggled, giving Marie a hug before changing into her own ballet uniform and leading the three women in a very informal, almost chaotic ‘lesson’.

As Monday morning dawned over London and Paris, life was slowly returning to normal, both for the employees of Soixante-Trois Airlines and the rest of the population of the two cities. For the second morning in a row, Jessica stood in the locker room at Heathrow airport and zipped up her tight red skirt, before slipping her feet into the pointed-toe red stilettos and balancing her matching pillbox hat on top of her ex-pertly-styled blonde hair. Jessica would soon be in an aeroplane high over Europe, but her mind was still distracted by her mother’s offer.

Following her ‘homecoming’ in February, Jessica had honestly believed that she’d burnt her bridges with her family forever. They hadn’t tolerated her choice to live her life as ‘Jessica’, and she had refused to compromise and return to life as ‘Jesse’, so she’d walked away. And yet, not a single day passed when she hadn’t thought about her parents, or her younger brother or sister. Aaron- Jessica’s brother- would turn eighteen in a matter of weeks, but Jessica hadn’t bought any presents for him as she felt that she would never be allowed to give them to him. The phone call from her mother had caught Jessica completely by surprise, and she was determined that she wouldn’t ruin her second chance in the same way as her coming out in February.

Jessica was able to control her anxieties on the flights to and from Rome and performed her duties with her usual professional attitude, but the second she disembarked the plane back at Heathrow Airport, she headed to an office that had been specially set aside for her use. After sitting down- taking extra care due to the tightness of her skirt- Jessica switched her mobile phone back on and dialled a number that had been provided for her shortly after she moved to London.

“Hello?” The person on the other end of the line- a kind-sounding middle aged woman- asked.

“Hi, is that Dr Finlay?” Jessica asked. “It’s Jessica, Jessica Tyler.”

“Ah yes, Jessica, right on time!” Dr Finlay said. “How was Italy?”

“Nice and warm,” Jessica giggled. “Thanks for agreeing to me calling so late…”

“Not a problem at all,” Dr Finlay replied. “I know you and your colleagues work strange hours, and your company pays me well for my time! I would begin by asking how you’re feeling, though I follow the news and I know you still have friends living in Paris… Are they all okay?”

“They’re fine, thanks,” Jessica said. “A little rattled, though.”

“And yourself?” Dr Finlay asked.

“…Also rattled,” Jessica sighed. “It’s not like London HASN’T been the victim of a terrorist attack in the past.”

“I can understand how you must be nervous too, given your choice of profession,” Dr Finlay said. “Feel free to refuse to answer if you feel this question is too personal, but do you have many memories of 9/11?”

“…Some,” Jessica said. “I was nine at the time, I remember the principal of my school coming into our class and telling us…” Jessica trailed off as she realised that her tale was very familiar to one she’d heard a few hours before.

“Jessica?” Dr Finlay asked.

“Sorry,” Jessica said. “It’s just- Paige told the exact same story about how she found out about the 7/7 bombings. Of all the things that bring us together, I’d kinda hoped that wouldn’t be on the list…”

“How is your relationship with Paige?” Dr Finlay asked.

“Same as always,” Jessica said with a smile. “No complaints, I’m perfectly happy with her. Though…”

“Go on,” Dr Finlay encouraged.

“On Friday night, just after we heard the news…”Jessica said hesitantly. “I got a call from my parents.”

“What did they have to say?” Dr Finlay asked.

“They just wanted assurance that I was okay,” Jessica sighed. “They didn’t know I’d moved to London, still thought I lived in Paris, they were worried sick…”

“So are you and your mother back on speaking terms?” Dr Finlay asked.

“I think so,” Jessica replied. “I hope so… They invited me and Paige over to Baltimore for Christmas. ‘Jessica’ and Paige, that is.”

“Do you want to go?” Dr Finlay asked.

“I…” Jessica said, before trailing off. “I don’t know. I think so, I mean- they’re my parents, I want to have a relationship with them, and I’d love to see my brother and sister, but I want to see them as Jessica… I don’t want to hide who I am.”

“And do your parents feel the same way?” The counsellor asked.

“…I hope so,” Jessica sighed. “I mean, they called me, they spoke to ‘Jessica’, they called me ‘Jessica’ down the phone… But when they see ‘Jessica’…”

“Obviously the decision has to be yours,” Dr Finlay advised. “But all I’ll say is that you shouldn’t waste an opportunity like this, as you never know when you’ll get another one.”

“…I know,” Jessica sighed.

Thirty minutes later, Jessica left the small office, tired from her day’s work and the conversation with her counsellor. The topic of Jessica’s transition had also been raised, but was immediately shut down by the American girl, who didn’t want to make any decisions about her transition until she’d had the chance to talk to her parents face to face one more time.

As Jessica rounded the corner to the locker room, she groaned when she saw the familiar sight of the interviewer and her camera crew waiting outside the room.

“No, thank you,” Jessica said, not even turning to look at the interviewer before entering the locker room and changing back into the smart blouse and pencil skirt she’d worn to the airport. Jessica rolled her eyes as she exited the locker room to discover that the camera crew were still there, despite there being no other flights due back for well over an hour.

“Still no,” Jessica sighed, before heading straight for the nearest tube stop and going home.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Paige said, greeting Jessica with a long kiss as the American girl stepped through the front door. “I’d watch out if I were you… Rachel’s kinda on the warpath.” Jessica sighed before entering the living room, where her English flat mate and supervisor was waiting with an upset look on her face.

“Jessica,” Rachel sighed as the American girl sat down on the sofa.

“We’re not at work,” Jessica retorted. “Whatever it is, tell me there.”

“It’s about the documentary,” Rachel said.

“Oh,” Jessica said. “Well, then don’t bother telling me at all!” Jessica snorted derisively as Rachel’s frown deepened.

“It’s bad enough you won’t let them film here,” Rachel sighed. “But by refusing to talk to them after flights you’re jeopardising not just your part in the show, but your friends’ as well.”

“Look- Rachel,” Jessica sighed. “I’m not going to put myself up on screen for people to point at and laugh. And don’t tell me that won’t happen, I’ve seen enough crap reality TV to know what the reaction would be. I’ll happily be in the background, give a few words here and there, but I’m not going to let them turn me into something you find in those crap supermarket magazines!”

“You’d still be just the same old Jessica,” Rachel said, barely controlling her anger. “They don’t want some over the top fancy celebrity, they want the real you! Just say what you feel, it doesn’t have to be a fight…”

“Thanks, but no thanks,” Jessica said, switching on the TV and silencing her flat mate. The air in the apartment remained tense for the rest of the evening, with Rachel and Jessica barely acknowledging each other’s existence before they both went to bed just after 10pm.

“You know,” Paige said as she removed her make-up, “picking a fight with our flat mate isn’t really my idea of a relaxing evening…”

“Sorry,” Jessica sighed. “I- I’m just so pissed with this whole ‘documentary’ thing… I’ve got enough going on in my life as it is.”

“Hope I’m not being counted in there,” Paige said, making Jessica giggle.

“No, no,” the American girl laughed. “Just my mom, my transitioning, now what’s happened in Paris…”

“It HAS been ages since our last holiday,” Paige said. “It’d be good to get away somewhere. Though on the topic of the second thing you said…” Jessica smile as Paige rattled her vial of oestrogen pills at her.

“I need to sort the first thing on that list before I think about that,” Jessica said, before groaning as Paige forced her phone into her hands.

“Then sort it now,” Paige said. “You know we’re going to go to America for Christmas anyway, right?”

“WRONG,” Jessica said, putting her phone down on her nightstand. “Can we just get some sleep, please?”

“We can do that other ‘bed thing’ that begins with S as well if you’d like?” Paige said, climbing into bed and cuddling herself close to Jessica. “I cleaned those ‘things’ we used last night while you were out…”

“…Maybe tomorrow,” Jessica said, giving Paige a long kiss on the lips. “I had a long day today. And my thong was REALLY uncomfortable this morning…”

Paige smiled as the alarm on Jessica’s phone went off, causing the American girl to slide her smooth, hairless body out of bed and pad to the shower to get ready for the day ahead. Paige relaxed back in bed as Jessica cleansed herself, before returning to the bedroom to get dressed.

“That’s right, you just relax,” Jessica sighed as she pulled on her black bra and thong. “I’ll just work for a living…”

“And you’ll be thinking of me tomorrow when it’s your turn to sleep in, right?” Paige giggled.

“You know I always think of you,” Jessica said, making Paige coo happily as the two young lovers shared a soft kiss. “Though today it’ll mostly be envy at you sleeping in, not having to wear a corset or stilettos all day…”

“Whereas I’ll be envious that you ARE wearing a corset and stilettos all day,” Paige chuckled. “You know you love it really…”

“Yes, yes, I do,” Jessica sighed. “And I love you too…” Paige giggled as Jessica leaned in for another kiss, before allowing the Scottish girl to lace her corset.

“Love you too,” Paige whispered, smiling happily as Jessica ritually applied her lipstick. “See you later, sexy!” Jessica giggled as she left her small bedroom, before her smile faded as she came across Rachel leaving her bedroom with Anna-Jade in tow.

“Morning, Rachel, morning, Anna-Jade,” Jessica said in a quiet, awkward voice.

“Hi Jessica,” Rachel said, her demeanour telling her that she was still upset with Jessica following the previous night’s argument.

“Hi Jess,” Anna-Jade said. “You doing Paris today?”

“Yeah,” Jessica said. “You?”

“Dublin,” Anna-Jade said with a smile. “Quote-unquote homecoming for me…”

“Anna-Jade…” Jessica whispered as the three women headed to the nearest tube stop. “Have- have you heard from your parents since Friday?”

“No,” the flame-haired woman moaned. “I tried calling them Saturday night, but they slammed the phone down before I’d said five words…”

“Wh- what kind of quote-unquote parent would do that to their child?” Jessica asked. “Especially after what happened on Friday night…”

“Useless parents, that’s who,” Anna-Jade spat.

“Have you tried going through an intermediary?” Jessica asked. “Like an aunt, an uncle, that sort of thing?”

“My whole family’s disowned me,” Anna-Jade sighed. “Don’t think there a single person in the whole of Northern Ireland who’ll stick up for me…”

“Have you tried asking the Angels?” Rachel said. “One of them’s from Northern Ireland…”

“What are they going to do?” Anna-Jade asked. “It’s not like she personally knows everyone in Northern Ireland. Hell, they don’t even know me…”

“Okay, just trying to help,” Rachel said, taken aback by Anna-Jade’s negative response to her suggestion.

“Do you have any friends in Ireland who you can reach out to?” Jessica asked.

“Not one,” Anna-Jade sighed. “Cut all ties when I moved to Paris… I mean, yes, I don’t regret my decision, I- I just couldn’t live life as Anthony for one second more, just- gah…”

“Believe me, I understand,” Jessica said in a soft, comforting voice. “Guess I’m one of the lucky ones, my parents reached out to me…”

“Don’t waste the opportunity,” Anna-Jade advised her American friend. “You never know when, or even if you’ll get another.” Jessica nodded, silently contemplating her decision en route to the airport.

“God, it doesn’t feel like three months,” Natalie sighed as she strode into the tiny locker room of Heathrow airport and gave Jessica a friendly, feminine hug. “Why has it taken this long for us to see each other again?”

“You know why,” Jessica said, making Natalie sigh and laugh as she made kissing faces at the English girl.

“It’s just good to be back in England again,” Natalie laughed. “Thought I’d be speaking French and Russian for the rest of my life…”

“Well, welcome home,” Jessica giggled. “On a more serious note, have you lost weight?”

“Yep!” Natalie giggled, doing a twirl for Jessica in her tight uniform. “Now got a natural 26 inch waist. Though I of course still wear the corset- need to attach the stockings to something, after all!”

“And still oestrogen-free?” Jessica asked.

“100% oestrogen-free,” Natalie boasted. “Question is… Can the same be said of you?”

“Yes,” Jessica sighed.

“Even though you’re serious about transitioning?” Natalie asked.

“I haven’t so much as touched a piece of male clothing in months,” Jessica said. “Got rid of the last of ‘Jesse’s clothes ages ago. I now own more body stockings than socks, heh.”

“Mmm, bet Paige is happy with that arrangement!” Natalie laughed.

“When she isn’t ‘borrowing’ the body stockings, anyway,” Jessica laughed.

“And she’s kept up her hormones since February?” Natalie asked.

“Every day for the last nine months,” Jessica sighed.

“You don’t sound too happy about that…” The Englishwoman said.

“It’s kinda made our sex life a little… Lop-sided,” Jessica said.

“Ah, because you, you know, ‘work’ and she doesn’t?” Natalie asked.

“Exactly that,” Jessica said. “I mean, yes, we both take our ‘turns’, but when I’m, you know, ‘the girl’, Paige needs, you know, ‘help’…”

“I’m pretty sure the cameras and microphones can’t hear us in here,” Natalie laughed, watching as Jessica wiggled into her uniform’s tight blue skirt.

“I’m not taking any chances,” Jessica moaned. “I’d prefer they couldn’t hear me at all…” Jessica and Natalie fell silent as the door to the locker room opened and Annabelle coolly strode in and began to change into her blue uniform.

“Afternoon, Daisy Duke,” Natalie said, making Jessica internally snigger.

“Hey, honeys,” Annabelle said, before turning back to her changing. With their private conversation no longer private, Jessica and Natalie remained silent as the two American women changed into their uniforms, before heading out to the waiting aeroplane to begin their pre-flight checks.

Less than two hours later, Jessica felt a twinge of nostalgia as she strode into the vast locker room of Charles De Gaulle airport for the first time in what felt to her like decades. It was just as she remembered it, right down to the pattern of dents in the locker doors. Only one thing was different- the name on the front of Jessica’s locker now read Denise.

“Bienvenue à la maison,” Natalie teased the American woman as she stripped off her blue uniform.

“Eh, there are times I still wish it was,” Jessica said, grunting as she sat down, the tightness of her skirt forcing her knees together.

“Oh come on,” Natalie giggled. “Surely you love London, the history, the new bits like the Shard… The lack of automatic weapons…”

“Nat…” Jessica whispered. “Did- did Friday really leave you that rattled?”

“…It’s just not something you ever expect to happen, not where you live,” Natalie sighed. “You think of Islamic terrorism as something only happens in the Middle East, then it comes here… Ugh, never mind. The more we talk about it, the more we make it ‘legitimate’. If we ignore it, hopefully it’ll go away…”

“Not 100% sure it works that way,” Jessica sighed. “But I’m more than happy to stop talking about it!” Natalie chuckled as she stepped into her sleek black dress and allowed Jessica to zip her shut.

“You got plans with Paige tonight?” Natalie asked.

“Meh, dinner and Netflix,” Jessica shrugged. “It’s Paige’s free day, she offered to cook…”

“Scottish cuisine, yum!” Natalie laughed. “Hope you’ve got an extra-tight corset in your wardrobe at home!”

“I’ll tell Paige you said that,” Jessica said, making Natalie laugh even louder. “How about you and Zoe?”

“Dinner, then my weekly ballet lesson,” Natalie said with a smug smile. “How d’you think I got my waist down to 26 inches? That woman is a godsend in rooms other than the bedroom!”

“Ahh, give my love to her when you see her,” Jessica sighed. “I really have missed the two of you, and Marie… And Elsa, come to think of it.”

“We’ve missed you too, the two of you and Anna-Jade,” Natalie said. “Me and Zoe have applied for a transfer to London again in the next hiring round, though given that that’s next week, I reckon we’d have heard by now if we were going to get it…”

“Well- we’ll always have the airspace between London and Paris!” Jessica laughed, giving Natalie a friendly hug as the Englishwoman departed. Jessica sighed as she watched Natalie go- she’d envied the dark-haired girl’s carefree, laid-back attitude since the day she’d met her, and even after she started co-habiting with Paige, she missed the nights when she and Natalie would lay awake in their single beds gossiping about nonsense. It was rare for Jessica to ever laugh herself to sleep, but Natalie had made her do that on many occasions, and whilst she loved Paige and thought of her as her soulmate, there were times when she thought of Natalie as an even better friend than the Scottish girl.

Jessica returned to the locker room and tidied up her uniform, straightening her skirt and hat and touching up her lipstick, before jumping with shock when she looked in the mirror and saw Annabelle sitting behind her, staring into space.

“Whoa, An-Annabelle?” Jessica asked. “How long have you been there?”

“Sorry if I startled you, honey,” Annabelle said, before resuming her silent, unfocussed stare.

“Were- were you listening to me and Natalie?” Jessica asked, sitting down next to Annabelle.

“Oh no, I wasn’t eavesdropping,” Annabelle said.

“You- you look upset,” Jessica said, her mind conflicted at the sight of Annabelle’s thousand-yard stare. On the one hand, Jessica had spent most of the past twelve months envying, disliking, and on occasion, even hating Annabelle. She was standoffish, aloof and rude… But the more Jessica got to know the Southern girl, the more she realised that what she perceived as aloofness was in fact a powerful case of shyness. Annabelle didn’t need to be an enemy to Jessica, she didn’t even need to be a rival… And if last Friday had taught Jessica anything, it was that the more friends you have and the closer you keep them, the better.

“I- I’m fine, really,” Annabelle said, though the quiver in her voice betrayed the fact that she was far from ‘fine’.

“Are you sure?” Jessica asked. “Because, you know, there’s nothing wrong with expressing your feelings, or opening up to a friend…” Annabelle chuckled as Jessica echoed Paige’s words to her from several days earlier.

“I- Ugh, it’s my parents…” Annabelle sighed.

“Go- go on,” Jessica said, slightly shocked at Annabelle’s sudden openness.

“They called me on Friday night,” Annabelle said. “It was the first time we’d spoken in over a year, since I’d moved to France…”

“My parents called me too,” Jessica whispered. “We hadn’t spoken since February… For me, it was a case of them rather having an alive transgendered child than a dead child.”

“Same for me,” Annabelle said. “I’ve always been the black sheep- got two older brothers, one younger sister, I always related more to her than to my brothers but my parents always tried to push me into being what they thought I should be, always tried to make me take up a sport… Didn’t matter which one, just so long as I was a jock.”

“My parents were happy to let me forge my own path,” Jessica replied. “I always loved travelling, languages, they encouraged me when I became a- male- flight attendant in the North-East. When I came out, they said they didn’t want me to ‘expose’ it to my younger brother and sister… But that was just BS.”

“How old are your brother and sister?” Annabelle asked.

“Seventeen and fifteen, respectively,” Jessica replied.

“I’m sure I knew ‘what’ I was when I was fifteen,” Annabelle mumbled. “Wore my first dress when I was thirteen, kissed my first guy at sixteen, went, you know, ‘all the way’ with a guy at eighteen…”

“When did your parents find out?” Jessica asked.

“…I think they always knew subconsciously,” Annabelle sighed. “They just didn’t want to accept it… I came out as gay after my first, you know, ‘time’… They actually recommended a ‘conversion therapy’ course for me, you know, ‘pray the gay away’…”

“Ugh,” Jessica spat.

“Yeah, that’s what I said,” Annabelle chuckled. “Thank god I was eighteen, they couldn’t force me to go… I introduced ‘Annabelle’ to them just before I moved to France… Then didn’t speak to them again until Friday night. The way they shouted at me, even brandished a cross at me the last time I saw them…” Jessica bit her lip as she saw a tear start to form in the corner of the normally-stoic girl’s eye.

“It’s okay, you don’t need to carry on if you don’t want to,” Jessica whispered. “We need to get going soon anyway, London awaits!” Jessica smiled as Annabelle giggled, wiping her solitary tear away with her long, slender finger.

“Thanks, Jessica,” Annabelle said.

“’Jessica’ and not ‘honey’?” Jessica asked, making Annabelle laugh out loud.

“Okay, okay,” Annabelle laughed. “Why’d it take us this long to talk, anyway?”

“Because you were so shy,” Jessica said, making the taller girl snort with laughter. “And I was envious of you…”

“Envious of little old me?” Annabelle asked.

“Well,” Jessica sighed. “You’re taller, you’re blonder, your eyes are bluer, you even sound more American than me, you actually have the guts to transition…”

“Which one of us came third in the beauty pageant again?” Annabelle asked, making Jessica snort with laughter. “And besides, I’m not transitioning, not really…”

“Wh- what do you mean?” Jessica asked. “I could’ve sworn I heard that you were taking oestrogen…”

“I was,” Annabelle said. “Took it for a month, but I- I was scared, I stopped taking it…”

“…I never even started in the first place,” Jessica mumbled. “Too scared as well… Paige has been on it for nine months, she’s loved every second of it…”

“Let me guess- supportive parents?” Annabelle asked.

“Best parents I’ve ever known,” Jessica sighed. “So weird, they’re from this tiny village in Western Scotland, you’d think they’d be all rural and old-fashioned…”

“Whereas we’re from big, modern metropolitan American cities,” Annabelle laughed.

“Well, we now live in a big, modern metropolitan English city,” Jessica sighed. “Time we were getting back to it…” Annabelle smiled as she followed her countrywoman back to the aeroplane, and they were soon back in the sky, touching down at London’s Heathrow airport later that evening.

“We’re going to have to catch dinner sometime,” Jessica said to Annabelle as the two women changed out of their uniform. “Get to know each other, ‘compare notes’…”

“I’d like that,” Annabelle said with a shy smile. “As long as Monsieur Lacroix ISN’T one of the things you want ‘notes’ about…”

“No, the less I think of ‘le connard’ the better!” Jessica said, making Annabelle giggle.

“I’ll catch you on Facebook sometime,” Annabelle said once she’d changed back into her smart pencil dress, before opening the door to the locker room and sighing. “Honey, you may want to take the back door out of this room…”

“There isn’t a back door,” Jessica said, before she also exited the locker room and sighed as a TV camera was pointed straight in her face. Stood next to the camera were the same interviewer who had been pestering Jessica all week, and stood next to her was Rachel, with a tired, disappointed look on her face.

“…No thank you,” Jessica said, pushing past the camera.

“Jessica- wait,” Rachel sighed. “Can- can I have a word in private, please?”

“See you later, honey,” Annabelle said, before smiling and rolling her eyes at her use of the familiar term. “See you, Jessica.”

“Bye, Annabelle,” Jessica said, before following Rachel into a nearby office.

“Jess-“ Rachel said, only to be immediately interrupted by her flat mate.

“You can’t order me to do that interview,” Jessica said firmly. “You said quite clearly that I can opt out of anything to do with the show up to and including not appearing in the show at all, and right now that’s looking like a really appealing idea.”

“Jessica!” Rachel snapped, silencing the American girl. “You’re right, I can’t force you to be on the show, but what I can do is ASK you. You know they want to pick a flat to film the home lives of the stewardesses, and you know how Paige, Anna-Jade and I have volunteered.”

“Yes,” Jessica said, “and I’d rather they didn’t film me at home. You knew that all along.”

“I’ll cut to the chase,” Rachel sighed. “The producers would rather it be our flat that gets recorded for the show. So would management, actually, what with us and the pageant… They want us to be the ‘faces’ of the show, and by extension, the company itself.”

“Too bad,” Jessica said bluntly.

“They’re willing to give you a raise,” Rachel said. “You’ll be earning them extra money, it’s only fair they share some of that with you.”

“Not interested,” Jessica said.

“If you’re not they’ll happily swap you out of the flat for someone who is interested,” Rachel said.

“You wouldn’t dare split up me and Paige,” Jessica said.

“Do you want to put that to the test?” Rachel asked. “This isn’t me speaking, Jess, it’s my superiors. They’re offering a carrot as well as a stick. I know which one I’d rather pick. What will it take to get you to take part?” Jessica opened her mouth to retort, but before she could speak, memories of the day she’d had came flooding back to her. Reuniting with old friends, making new friends… And potentially jeopardising her friendship with Rachel. With her family on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, friends were all that Jessica had…

“There is one thing…” Jessica said to the expectant Rachel.

Six days later, Jessica returned to her apartment with a smile on her face that she maintained despite the presence of a small TV camera in her home. Jessica giggled as Paige- seemingly oblivious to the camera- ran over to her and gave her a kiss, before leading her to the sofa.

“Can’t sit down, they’ll be here soon,” Jessica said with a tinge of excitement in her voice. “How’s dinner coming?”

“It’s fine,” Paige said. “Thought I’d treat them to some ‘Scottish cuisine’ after what you said last week…” Jessica giggled, before breathing excitedly as the doorbell rang.

“Hey Annabelle!” Jessica said to her countrywoman, before greeting her with air kisses and leading her into the living room.

“Hi Annabelle!” Anna-Jade said, straightening her posh knee-length dress as she also greeted the American woman with air kisses.

“Hey hon- Anna-Jade,” Annabelle said, giggling as she sat down next to the flame-haired girl on their sofa. “The food smells delicious…”

“You’re very welcome, Annabelle!” Paige giggled.

“She hasn’t tasted it yet!” Rachel laughed, making the Scottish girl roll her eyes. Jessica giggled at the scene, before taking a deep, nervous breath as the doorbell rang one last time.

“This is it,” Jessica said, opening the door to reveal the smiling, immaculately-made up faces of Natalie and Zoe. “Welcome to London, girls!”

“Thank you, thank you!” Zoe said, giggling excitedly as Jessica ushered her and her lover into the apartment’s small living room, which would double as a dining room for the night’s meal.

“I can’t believe we actually got chosen to move here,” Natalie said. “So cool that we’re all together again…”

“Marie was a bit broken up about it,” Zoe said to Jessica as she and her lover sat down. “But I’m twenty-one, I can’t live under my big sister’s shadow for my whole life.”

“But you like living under MY shadow, right?” Natalie asked, making Zoe giggle.

“Among other parts of you, yes,” Zoe replied.

“And this way, the two of you might get on the documentary as well,” Rachel said. “Pity you didn’t get to mentor anyone this time out, though.”

“Eh, Jess and Annabelle are better at mentoring than me anyway,” Natalie said, making Rachel laugh.

“When Jessica isn’t taking two weeks off over Christmas to jet off to America, anyway!” Rachel teased Jessica, who simply blushed in response.

“Nat can deputise for me then,” Jessica shrugged. “I’ve got a feeling my probie’s going to be seeing as much of her as she is of me, anyway…”

“More importantly,” Zoe said, “what about this ballet class you say you’ve signed up for?”

“YOU surely don’t need refresher classes, do you?” Anna-Jade asked you young Frenchwoman.

“No,” Zoe confirmed. “I was just wondering if they were hiring, that was all!”

“Concentrate on the job you’ve got, first!” Rachel said, making Zoe roll her eyes.

“Looks like I won’t be missing my big sister after all!” Zoe said, prompting a big laugh from everyone as Paige and Jessica emerged from the kitchen bearing piping-hot plates of rich, stodgy food that the seven women eagerly tucked into.

Even though her private life was being recorded for a TV show, even though she’d given interviews to the documentary makers in which she’d revealed personal information that she’d have otherwise never have dreamed of giving, Jessica was truly happy for the first time in a long while. Her ‘rivalry’ with Annabelle was at an end, all of her friends were now close by, and her relationship with her parents was finally on the mend. Her relationship with Paige was stronger than ever, and her life was almost complete… All that was missing was oestrogen- the first physical step en route to her dream of being a woman- but Jessica was prepared to wait until the New Year, after she’d visited her parents and was satisfied that oestrogen was what she truly wanted.

But for now, in her home, surrounded by the people she loved and the clothes that she’d dreamed about wearing for almost her entire childhood, Jessica was content, and ready for whatever challenges life would throw at her… And life wasn’t done throwing challenges at her just yet.

“Everyone’s staring at me again,” Jessica moaned, relaxing back into her chair.

“Staring at US,” Paige said. “And let them stare. Nothing they can do about it, they can hardly throw us off the plane now, can they?”

“God knows there are people who’d want to,” Jessica replied. “America may have legalized gay marriage, but that doesn’t mean everyone in America agrees with the Supreme Court.”

“It’s still the land of the free,” Paige retorted. “And I for one am glad to be going back there. Will be nice to see it before Donald Fart gets his hands on it, anyway…” Jessica giggled and straightened her sheer black pantyhose underneath her slender black skirt, before gripping her armrests for support as the vast jet plane thundered down the runway at Heathrow Airport, bearing the American girl back to her homeland for the first time in ten months.

Natalie smirked as she rummaged through her jewellery box, carefully examining every ostentatious earring she came across before returning it to the box, infuriating her lover more and more with every passing second.

“Mon dieu,” Zoe moaned as she tied her hair into a playful updo. “You’re going to the cinema, no one will be able to see your earrings anyway!”

“We’re going with celebrities,” Natalie retorted. “That means that there’ll be paparazzi there, and that means that EVERYONE will see my earrings. I need to make just the right impression…”

“You’re wearing a short, low-cut dress and fishnet stockings in the middle of winter,” Zoe chuckled. “Impression made!”

“And 6 inch platform stilettos,” Natalie reminded her lover. “Opportunities like this don’t come along every day…” Natalie laughed as she pulled a pair of long silver earrings from her jewellery box and pushed them into her earlobes, giggling happily at the feeling of the mental gently brushing her neck and making a soft rustling sound with every step she took.

“Gorgeous and girly,” Zoe giggled as Natalie did an elegant twirl for her. “Want to borrow my lipstick?”

“You know I do,” Natalie said with a smile, taking Zoe’s still-warm lipstick and applying layer after layer of it to her own mouth. “Mmm… second hand kisses!”

“Now how about a first hand kiss?” Zoe giggled, kissing Natalie deeply and letting their blood-red lipstick mingle.

“We’ll have to leave it at one,” Natalie sighed. “Don't want 'him' getting excited, not when I'm wearing a cache. Now come on, Luke Skywalker awaits!” Zoe giggled as she followed Natalie down to the flat’s living room, where their flatmate Annabelle was waiting for them, herself dressed in an elegant knee-length grey dress, sheer black stockings and stiletto heels just as high as Natalie’s. Not long later, the three women found themselves outside a small cinema in Highbury where they were greeted by a small gaggle of paparazzi, and the disapproving face of their supervisor.

“Very… Ostentatious, Natalie,” Rachel sighed as Natalie pulled several effeminate poses for the photographers, who obliged her by taking pictures of her even though the Mancunian girl wasn’t the person they were really interested in.

“So,” Natalie said, ignoring Rachel’s thinly-veiled insult. “Are the Angels here yet?”

“Some of them, yes,” Rachel replied. “Annabelle, you’re looking very elegant tonight!”

“Thanks, honey,” Annabelle said in a quiet voice as she coolly strode past Rachel into the cinema.

“Zoe… Hi,” Rachel said, barely making eye contact with the French girl as they stepped out of the cold and into the warmth of the cinema’s foyer. Once inside, Natalie and Zoe made a beeline for the refreshments table, where the French girl surprised her lover by letting out a long, exhausted sigh.

“…Hope you’re not going to be yawning all through the movie,” Natalie laughed. “If you do, try to synchronise it with whenever Chewbacca’s talking, that way no one will notice.”

“Funny woman,” Zoe retorted. “It’s- it’s Rachel. We’re not even at work and still she’s bossing us around… It’s like, ever since she moved to London she went from good boss to boss from hell!”

“Don’t let her wind you up,” Natalie said. “You’re exhausted because you’re treading on eggshells because of that stupid written warning. It’ll be gone in a few weeks, so try to relax. Especially here, when there’s nothing Rachel can do.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Zoe sighed. “There are a lot of kids here- like, kids less than sixteen years…”

“Must be the Angels’ younger brothers and sisters,” Natalie shrugged. “Wish I’d known in advance, I’d have tried to cadge tickets for my sisters, they’d have loved something like this.”

“Hey girlies!” Anna-Jade laughed as she approached Natalie and Zoe from behind, startling the young couple. “Can you believe all the names that are here? I’ve, like, spent the last 20 minutes chatting to Mary Carter, talking about growing up in Northern Ireland…”

“Cool,” Zoe chuckled. “Hey… is she the best friend of Krystie Fullerton?”

“I think so,” Anna-Jade shrugged. “Think I’ve seen her here too, why?”

“No reason,” Zoe mumbled as she grabbed her refreshments and disappeared into the crowd.

“Odd,” Anna-Jade said.

“She’s been like that for a while,” Natalie sighed. “Ever since we moved to London. Dunno if she’s just missing France.”

“You and I both know it’s tough living in a country where they speak a foreign language,” Anna-Jade sighed. “Though she at least has the advantage of not having to live as a ‘foreign gender’!”

“Really?” Natalie giggled. “Over a year on hormones and you still consider being female to be ‘foreign’?”

“Not anymore!” Anna-Jade said with an excited laugh. “God, it’s so weird to look around at all these celebrities knowing that in a few months’ time, we’ll be celebrities ourselves…”

“Bit of an exaggeration,” Natalie chuckled. “One, it’s just a crappy fly-on-the-wall show; two, there’s no guarantee anyone will even watch it, and three- most importantly- we all know who the REAL stars of that show will be.”

“Ah, the happy couple,” Anna-Jade laughed. “Reckon they’ll have landed in America by now?”

“Should’ve done,” Natalie said as her thoughts turned to her friends, who had indeed just touched down at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

“God, feels so good to stretch my legs,” Paige moaned as she stepped out into the airport’s crowded terminal.

“Every flight we do you always complain that your feet are killing you at the end,” Jessica teased.

“Hence why I’m wearing my flats!” Paige giggled as she showed Jessica the small footwear at the end of her nylon-covered legs. “Miracles might happen soon and we’ll be allowed to wear them when on a flight…”

“That WILL take a miracle,” Jessica sighed as she drank down the sight of Paige discreetly adjusting her trademark black tights underneath her loose, knee-length black dress. It had been ten months since the Scottish girl had started taking oestrogen, and Jessica found that she had difficulty remembering the girl that Paige used to be, the girl with whom Jessica fell in love. The Scottish girl’s waist was now so narrow that she could get away with not wearing a corset at work, whilst her hips had widened and her chest swollen to give her the type of feminine figure any young woman would die for. Her alabaster skin had softened, and even though Jessica knew it was impossible, even Paige’s bone structure seemed to have become more feminine, especially her teardrop-shaped face. Every part of Paige’s body made Jessica lustful… And also envious.

Despite the fact that they had both felt transgender ‘urges’ from a young age, and despite the fact that they both starting living and working as a woman full-time, Jessica had yet to start hormone replacement therapy, and every day that Paige became more feminine was a day that Jessica felt like she was being left behind. The main obstacle in Jessica’s mind that was preventing her from starting to transition was, and always been, her relationship with her parents. Jessica had returned to America in the hope of reconciling with her parents and if not getting their blessing to transition, at least getting their acknowledgement that she was an independent woman who was capable of making her own decisions- and, of course, their love.

“When are your parents picking us up?” Paige asked her lover as they took a seat in one of the airport’s many eateries.

“Umm, first thing tomorrow morning,” Jessica said as she was snapped out of her deep thought. “Gonna be a hell of a thing, them showing up and seeing me like this…”

“They need to know that the son they thought they had is gone,” Paige said, gently squeezing her lover’s hand. “They have a daughter now. It’s up to them to accept it. After what happened in November, they know that they can’t afford to lose you.”

“I know, I know,” Jessica sighed. “Let’s- let’s check into our hotel, okay?”

“Okay,” Paige whispered, boldly linking her fingers with Jessica’s as they walked through the airport.

“Okay,” Natalie announced, a wide grin plastered on her face as she exited the London cinema. “I wouldn’t say that was the best film of all time, but it’s certainly in the top one.”

“I liked the woman whose head looked like a walnut,” Annabelle said quietly as she looked around for her other flatmate. “Honey, where’s your girlfriend gone?” With a confused look on her face, Natalie looked around for Zoe, momentarily panicking before spotting her casually chatting with another, younger dark-haired girl.

“Hey! Zo!” Natalie called, immediately summoning the French girl and her new friend.

“Hey, Natalie!” Zoe chuckled, giving her lover a long kiss on her lips. “Natalie, Annabelle, I’d like you to meet Nikki, she’s been giving me a few tips on how to ‘pass’ as a woman!”

“Umm, hi Nikki,” Natalie said, exchanging air kisses with the young woman. “It’s kind of you to help Zoe to ‘pass’, but, um… You DO know that she’s genetically female, right?”

“Uh- really?” Nikki replied, causing Zoe to blush with embarrassment.

“Doesn’t mean I don’t need ‘tips’,” Zoe mumbled.

“Uh, yeah, it kinda does!” Natalie sighed, escorting Zoe and Annabelle away from their new friend and toward their waiting taxi.

“Zoe, honey,” Annabelle asked, confusion etched on her young face. “Why… Why would you be jealous of us T-girls?”

“Ugh,” Zoe spat. “It’s… Never mind, it’s silly…”

“Do- do you wish you were a man?” Annabelle asked.

“Ugh, no way!” Zoe retorted. “I ADORE being a girl. I just… Envy you girls and your ‘adventure’.”

“Trust me, honey,” Annabelle replied, “if anyone should be envious it’s us, of you.”

“You’d be saying that ten times louder if you knew how flexible she is,” Natalie laughed, making Zoe glare at her. “I’m not wrong, though. You’ve been given by birth something every one of us would kill for. We’d happily give up the ‘adventure’ just to be, well, you.”

“Even you, Miss ‘I don’t need hormones’?” Zoe asked her lover.

“I’m wearing a dress, aren’t I?” Natalie asked. “I’m wearing stockings, make-up, you referred to me as ‘Miss’… Besides, I happen to know for a fact your obsession with us T-girls only came about as a coping mechanism when at work.”

“That’s not-“ Zoe retorted, before sighing. “That’s most ENTIRELY true. But… It is mostly true.”

“Oh honey,” Annabelle cooed. “You still having problems at work?”

“…Bits of it,” Zoe said. “But I have a feeling everything should be okay soon.” Zoe joined in her friends’ smiles as the black taxi ferried the three women back to their modest flat, though her smile was more due to the fact that she knew something that Natalie and Annabelle didn’t.

Paige laid awake in her comfortable hotel bed, cursing her jet lag as the first traces of dawn began to filter through the window. She’d been excited to return to America- a place she’d always loved- but was mindful of how hers & Jessica’s earlier holiday had ended, and that whilst they’d get the chance to sightsee, the holiday was more about the American girl than it was about her.

“Mmph,” Jessica moaned as she stirred, her tired voice betraying the masculinity she tried so desperately to hide. “Paige? What time is it?”

“6:30,” Paige replied. “Or, as my body likes to call it, 11:30…”

“It’s only five hours, you’ll adjust soon,” Jessica moaned, taking several deep breaths to try to shake the ‘boy’ out of her voice. “My folks will be here just after 9, try to get back to sleep.

“Isn’t it already your brother’s birthday, though?” Paige asked. “He’ll be up opening his presents, surely he’d want a phone call from his big sister?”

“He’s eighteen and it’s Christmas in two days,” Jessica retorted. “…And I don’t really want to talk to him until I’ve had the chance to talk to mom and dad first, don’t want them to feel I’m ‘going behind their backs’ again.” Paige sighed as she gave Jessica a tight cuddle, making the American girl smile as she felt two small, soft mounds of flesh press into her back.

“Just think,” Paige whispered. “You might be coming home- well, back to England- with two of these yourself…”

“Only if everything goes perfectly, which it won’t,” Jessica snorted. “And only if I choose to stay in America for ten months!” Paige and Jessica giggled, before sharing a long, lazy kiss.

“If…” Jessica whispered. “If I do, you know, ‘take the first step’, it’ll mean that our sex life will be VERY different, you know that, right?”

“Aye,” Paige replied. “But that just means that it’ll be the same for you that it currently is for me, right?”

“More like the same for you that it currently is for me,” Jessica chuckled. “Especially when it comes to ‘receipt’…”

“I can get used to ‘non-organic’ sex,” Paige laughed, giving Jessica another kiss. “Especially if it’s you that’s ‘giving’! Speaking of which, it IS Christmas in two days, the season for ‘giving’…”

“Oh give me a break, I only just woke up,” Jessica moaned.

“And you want me to get more sleep,” Paige retorted. “And we are on holiday…” Jessica rolled her eyes at Paige’s advances, before giggling as the Scottish girl pulled the sheets over their heads and turned out the lights, their hands soon exploring each other's most sensitive areas...

“…Our stewardesses for this flight are Carly,” Rachel said, smiling as the tiny English girl bobbed a curtsey for the plane’s passengers. “Amy… And Zoe.” Rachel’s smile slipped briefly as Zoe bobbed a curtsey much clumsier than either Carly’s or Amy’s, before standing with her knees noticeably apart. “Flight time to Berlin will be one hour and fifty minutes, thank you for choosing to fly with Soixante-Trois Airlines, and we hope you enjoy your flight!” Rachel rebalanced her blue pillbox hat before sitting down next to Zoe and shooting the French girl a highly disapproving look.

“Every. Single. Flight,” Rachel hissed just loud enough for Zoe to hear. “Need I remind you that your written warning hasn’t expired yet? And the way you’re going, it never will!”

“I don’t know what you could possibly be talking about,” Zoe retorted.

“This- this juvenile obsession with pretending to be transgendered,” Rachel whispered. “You’re standing like a slouch when you and I both know you’re a classically trained ballerina, you’ve probably got the best posture of anyone who works for the company!”

“I haven’t danced in months,” Zoe shrugged.

“Bollocks,” Rachel snorted. “I saw your Facebook page, you’re giving lessons to Natalie and Paige in your free time.”

“Language?” Zoe retorted, further infuriating her supervisor.

“You want to talk about being offended?” Rachel asked. “How do you think Jessica or Paige feel about what you’re doing? I’m sure they think it’s hilarious that you’re trivialising them like this!”

“I’m not ‘trivialising’ anyone?” Zoe hissed, before closing her eyes and silently cursing as the ‘fasten seatbelts’ light extinguished and the four stewardesses retreated to the rear compartment of the plane.

“You’re staying in the kitchen this flight,” Rachel told Zoe. “For your own good!”

“Fine,” Zoe replied, straightening her tight skirt before removing her hat and jacket and preparing the passengers’ refreshments for the flight.

“How do I look?” Jessica asked Paige as she finished applying her favourite scarlet lipstick to her mouth.

“They invented the word ‘beautiful’ just for you,” Paige said, kissing Jessica deeply and giggling as their lipsticks began to mingle together. Reluctantly, Jessica broke away from the kiss and admired her reflection in the hotel room’s full-length mirror. Her face was immaculately made-up and framed by her shoulder-length, platinum blonde hair, and her girdle and padded bra had given her a figure just as feminine as Paige’s- or even a ‘natural’ girl. On top of her ‘figure’, she wore a tight red turtleneck sweater, a short, tight black miniskirt, nearly opaque black tights and a pair of low-heeled ankle booties. Jessica looked just like any other 23 year old woman, and yet she still felt uneasy. Her parents would undoubtedly see the man she was underneath, the boy they raised- and Jessica had her doubts that her parents would ever be able to look past that boy.

Even though she would never admit it, Jessica was also intimidated by Paige’s presence, and how effortlessly she seemed to slip into the female role. In contrast to Jessica’s overtly feminine look, Paige was dressed much more relaxedly, in a pair of tight, butt hugging jeans, a long-sleeved, low-cut black top and black ballerina flats. Paige wasn’t even wearing as much make-up as Jessica, and yet the American girl still felt she looked more feminine, especially when Paige flashed her trademark toothy grin.

“Ready?” Paige asked, linking her slender fingers with Jessica’s.

“No,” Jessica moaned, earning a sad sigh from her lover. “But it’s now or never… I just got a text from mom, she’s waiting downstairs.”

“Remember- I’ll always love you, no matter what,” Paige whispered to Jessica, sharing another quick kiss with her before the couple grabbed their suitcases and headed downstairs. Jessica’s breath caught in her mouth as she spotted her mother sitting in the foyer waiting for her. The middle-aged woman didn’t look angry, or anxious, or even happy that her oldest child was back on home soil for the first time in almost a year. Her face betrayed no emotion, but Jessica knew her well enough to know that she was just anxious as she was- even if there was no way that the older woman would ever show it. Jessica attempted to control her breathing as she approached her mother, but she was still on the verge of hyperventilating and her knees almost buckled in terror as the older woman caught sight of her daughter and cautiously approached her.

“Hi… Mom,” Jessica said in her now-natural ‘female voice’, catching the older woman by surprise.

“Hello, Paige,” Mrs. Tyler said, before turning her attention to her daughter. “Hello… Jessica. It’s good to finally meet, um, ‘you’.” Nervously, Mrs. Tyler held out her arms, prompting Jessica to do the same, and soon, the two women had embraced each other in a gentle, uneasy hug.

“How are Aaron and Hayley?” Jessica asked. “Is- is Aaron enjoying his birthday?”

“Yep,” Mrs. Tyler laughed. “All of his relatives spoiled him rotten. It’s an important birthday, his eighteenth, he’s finally becoming a man…” Jessica paused as her mother trailed off- even if it hadn’t been intended as such, what Mrs. Tyler said HAD come across as a slight at Jessica’s expense, and the transgendered girl had no idea how to respond to it.

“Is he going out with his friends tonight?” Paige asked, attempting to defuse the tension. “Or at the weekend?”

“Most of his friends have gone away for the festive season,” Mrs. Tyler responded, thankful for the question. “He’ll be going to a party with his friends over New Year’s.”

“Don’t forget that the drinking age here is 21, not 18,” Jessica said, making Paige giggle.

“Aye, I remember that from my last visit,” the only-just-turned 21 year old Scottish woman replied.

“Your brother and sister are eager to see you both,” Mrs. Tyler said. “They tell me you’ve been keeping in touch over Facebook?”

“Yeah,” Jessica said. “Though it’s still going to be strange seeing them- well, ‘as Jessica’…”

“There’s still time to change,” Mrs. Tyler said in a gentle voice. “Go in as ‘Jesse’, then change to ‘Jessica’ later, if you want?”

“No,” Jessica said firmly. “This is who I am now. This is who I was always meant to be.” The American girl winced at a look of pure disappointment flashed across her mother’s face, but no more words were said as the couple got into Mrs. Tyler’s car, and soon the three women were making their way back to Jessica’s childhood home.

Zoe breathed a sigh of relief as the aeroplane touched down in Berlin, and forced a smile on her face as she waved goodbye to the passengers as they disembarked. When she turned back into the plane to perform her post-flight checks, however, her smile disappeared as she saw Rachel scowling at her.

“I stayed in the kitchen,” Zoe snorted. “Like a good little woman. Happy?”

“I’m not going to be happy until you start taking this job seriously,” Rachel said in a dark voice.

“I do take this job seriously,” Zoe shrugged. “It’s just you that I don’t take seriously.” Zoe winced as the words involuntarily left her mouth, though as she heard the blonde-haired supervisor gasp she allowed herself a mischievous grin.

“Zoe!” Rachel snapped. “I am your supervisor!”

“And don’t you know it?” Zoe retorted, her smirk widening as Amy and Carly watched on in horror.

“Do you even want to keep this job?” Rachel asked, her anger reaching boiling point.

“Seeing as I’m starting a new job in January, I could take or leave it,” Zoe shrugged.

“You- you what?” Rachel asked. “Why is this the first I’m hearing about this?”

“Because let’s face it,” Zoe laughed. “As much as you may yell ‘I am your supervisor’, you’re not actually that important, are you?”

“You are on thin ice, Zoe,” Rachel hissed. “Thin ice!”

“It’s not that I dislike you as a person,” Zoe said. “I’m sure if we met socially we’d get on great, but you get those gold buttons on your blazer and you turn into a nightmare, not just at work, but at home as well. The way you swanned around the celebrities last night… It made me cringe. And I’m not the only one. Zoe had hoped that Rachel would take some time to reflect on the home truths that she was hearing, but much to the French girl’s dismay, Rachel only got angrier and angrier.

“When we get back to London,” Rachel snarled, “you, me and a manager are going to have a talk.”

“Looking forward to it already,” Zoe laughed as Rachel disappeared into the plane’s first-class section.

“Zoe…” Carly whispered as she approached the French girl. “Why are you doing this?”

“What ‘this’?” Zoe asked. “Irritating Rachel, quitting the job, pretending to be trans?”

“All of it,” Carly asked. “I mean, okay, you’ve got a new job, but- why take this job in the first place if you hate it so much?”

“…Because of my sister,” Zoe sighed. “She’s six years older than me and she always made the job seem so glamorous, so exciting, get to visit new and exotic places… Here I am, stuck in Berlin on a cold afternoon wearing a stupid corset, a stupid tight skirt and these stupid heels…”

“Yeah, the uniform sucks, you don’t need to tell me,” Carly replied.

“I tried to put myself in the mind of the trans girls,” Zoe explained. “How it’d be a dream for them to be able to work in a uniform like this. Tried to ‘appreciate’ it like they do… Like a coping mechanism. I think I got a bit too much ‘into it’, though, just playfully teasing customers at first, but after every flight that blonde witch…”

“Whoa,” Carly laughed. “A bit harsh?”

“…Maybe,” Zoe sighed. “I don’t WANT to hate her, but- ugh. I’ll just be happier when I never have to wear this uniform again!”

“I’m sure there’s a trans girl out there who’ll ‘appreciate’ it more than you do!” Carly laughed. “Where will you go, what will you do?”

“Back to my old job!” Zoe laughed. “One of the celebrities Rachel sucked up to last night just so happens to run a dance studio specialising in ballet, and she’s expanding and looking for a new teacher to share the workload, so…”

“Oh my god, that’s so cool!” Carly gushed. “Rachel will be so jealous that you get to work for an Angel…”

“WITH an Angel,” Zoe laughed. “And yes… That’s something else I’m looking forward to telling her when we get back to London!”

“Aaron?” Mrs. Tyler asked as she walked through her front door. “Hayley? You home?”

“Hi mom,” Hayley- Jessica’s fifteen year old sister- said, before gasping at the sight of the person she’d known for her whole life as her brother. “Hi Jessica!”

“Hi Hayley!” Jessica said, giving her younger sister a tight hug.

“You look-“ Hayley stammered. “You look- wow!”

“Thanks!” Jessica giggled. “I LOVE your dress!” Hayley giggled as she did a twirl in her smart, knee-length dress, but Jessica could see in the teenager’s eyes that her presence was making her uneasy.

“Where’s Aaron?” Mrs. Tyler asked.

“Yeah, where is the birthday boy?” Jessica asked, wincing as she saw the effect her ‘female voice’ had on Hayley.

“Picking up Lizzie,” Hayley sighed. “He said he’d be back soon.”

“Lizzie’s his new girlfriend, right?” Jessica asked.

“Yes,” Mrs. Tyler replied. “As you would know if you came back home more often!”

“Hey, I’m here now, aren’t I?” Jessica replied, making her mother and sister smile. “Is dad here?”

“He’s at work,” Mrs. Tyler replied. “He’ll be back later today. You two should go and get unpacked…”

“I’ll give you a hand,” Hayley offered, helping Jessica and Paige carry their suitcases up the stairs to Jessica’s childhood bedroom. Jessica winced as she entered the bedroom where she grew up- unlike her bedroom in London, or her old bedroom in Paris, there wasn’t a trace of femininity anywhere in the room. The room wasn’t masculine- her small bookshelf was filled with her old childhood books about geography and American history, and the posters on her wall were of beautiful landscapes, rather than cars or sports stars.

“So, Hayley,” Paige asked, breaking the awkward silence that filled the room as the three women packed away the couple’s clothes. “Jess tells me that you’re in tenth grade now, is that right?”

“Yeah,” Hayley replied, leading to another awkward silence.

“Hayley-“ Jessica whispered, only to be interrupted by the teenager.

“Jess,” Hayley said. “Wh- why did- I mean- just- why?”

“Why are you asking ‘why’?” Jessica asked. “You’ve seen photos of ‘Jessica’ on Facebook for the last ten months, you could’ve asked me ‘why’ anytime since then.”

“That was different,” Hayley mumbled. “This is, you know, ‘in the flesh’, seeing you like that… It- it just seems wrong, you know?”

“You want to know ‘why’?” Jessica asked, anger seeping into her voice. “Imagine waking up every morning and feeling an urge, a ‘pull’ that’s tearing you apart. You know your life must take one direction, but everyone else says you have to take another, but no matter how hard you try, you can’t shake the feeling that the direction you’ve chosen is wrong.”

“It was the same for me,” Paige interjected as she linked fingers with her American lover. “Every morning I’d go to school, or to work, and it- it was like an insult, like the world was deliberately tormenting me by making me a boy when everyone else got to be a girl.”

“So… It’s like, an addiction?” Hayley asked, making Paige sigh while Jessica rolled her eyes.

“It’s not an addiction,” Jessica said. “It’s not a fetish, either.”

“I never said it was,” Hayley said defensively. “But, well, you know how people, the public, I mean, view crossdressers…”

“I’m not a-“ Jessica snapped, before taking a deep breath. “Like I said, this isn’t a fetish. This isn’t something I’m doing just for fun. It’s something I’m doing because it’s the only way my life feels, well, ‘right’.”

“The way I see it,” Paige said, “I’m not a boy pretending to be a girl, I’m a girl who used to pretend to be a boy.”

“So… You’ve not had any regrets since you ‘changed’?” Hayley asked.

“None,” Paige said confidently.

“…Jess?” Hayley asked.

“None,” Jessica said, though both Paige and Hayley could tell immediately that the American girl wasn’t being entirely truthful. “Well… No regrets in myself. The only regret is what happened with you guys, with family. And this- what we’re doing now- isn’t helping.” Jessica felt guilty about ‘telling off’ her younger sister, but the whole reason she’d returned to America was to reconcile with her family- and she refused to compromise.

“…Sorry,” Hayley mumbled. Jessica sighed and smiled happily, before giving Hayley a tight, sisterly hug.

“And are you really telling me you never wanted a big sister when you were younger?” Jessica asked, making the fifteen year old girl laugh.

“Well… Yeah, all the time,” Hayley chuckled.

“I’ve got two,” Paige laughed. “Trust me, you’re not missing out!” The three young women all chuckled as they finished unpacking and headed down the stairs into the living room, where Jessica’s nerves once again got the better of her as she saw her brother and his girlfriend sat on the couch. Jessica winced as Aaron’s eyes went wide at the sight of her, and her nerves only increased as the young man stood up and slowly approached her.

“Welcome home, sis,” Aaron said, giving Jessica a cautious, but genuine, hug.

“Th- thanks,” Jessica whispered. “Um, happy birthday, Aaron!”

“Thanks,” the eighteen year old boy replied. “Jess, this is Lizzie, my girlfriend, Lizzie, this is Jessica… My sister.”

“Hi,” Lizzie said with a broad grin. “Aaron talks so much about you, it’s nice to finally meet you!”

“All good things, I hope?” Jessica giggled as she gave Lizzie a quick hug. “Aaron, you remember Paige, right?”

“Of course!” Aaron laughed as he gave Paige a hug. “Lizzie, this is my sister’s partner Paige, who has the single best accent in the world!”

“Bit of an exaggeration,” Paige said in her thick Glaswegian accent, making the room laugh as she gave Lizzie a girlish hug.

“Not going to ask me ‘why’?” Jessica asked her brother as she sat down, causing Hayley to cringe.

“It’s none of my business,” Aaron shrugged. “You’ve got to live your life the way you want. I’d rather have a sister than no sibling at all.”

“Hey!” Hayley snorted. “TWO sisters?” Jessica smiled as the room erupted into laughter once again- even though her initial coming out to her brother and sister in February had been successful, it had also been whilst she was dressed as ‘Jesse’. Telling her siblings that she was transgendered was a very different prospect from shoving it in their faces, but it had gone better than Jessica had dared hope. However, there was one member of Jessica’s family to whom she hadn’t yet ‘presented’ herself- her father, who would return home from work soon, and would undoubtedly be surprised by the sight of his firstborn son sat on his couch wearing a short skirt…

Despite herself, Zoe actually felt nervous as the aeroplane touched down at London’s Heathrow airport. Following her confrontation with Rachel in Berlin, Zoe had again found herself relegated to the kitchen for the flight home, but she was confident that it would be the last time she would ever set foot on an aeroplane as anything other than a paying passenger.

“Don’t bother with the post-flight checks,” Rachel said to Zoe in a dark voice after the last passenger had disembarked. “Go to the office and wait for me there.”

“Yes ma’am,” Zoe sarcastically responded, earning disapproving looks from not just Rachel, but Carly and Amy as well. Zoe made a point of holding her head high as she strode through the corridors of the airport until she reached the small office that had been reserved for the use of Soixante-Trois Airlines’s senior management- one of whom was waiting inside for her.

“Hello Zoe,” Alana- Zoe and Rachel's manager- said in a dark voice as Zoe entered the office and sat down, smoothing her tight blue skirt underneath her. An awkward silence followed, as Alana typed out a letter on her laptop.

“I’m not leaving this office with a job, am I?” Zoe asked.

“We have to wait for Rachel,” Alana replied. “I’d prefer not to speak off the record.”

“If it saves you any time,” Zoe said, “I’m quite happy to just quit now.”

“I thought your new job doesn’t start until the second week in January?” Alana asked. “Seems like a waste when this is something we can work through, we can put you on flights where you have no customer contact, I can shuffle the roster and keep you and Rachel on separate flights if you think that might help?”

“Is it really worth it?” Zoe asked, before taking a deep breath as Rachel walked through the door and sat down next to Alana.

“Now that we’re all here,” Alana said in a formal voice, “we’ll get started. Zoe, I’ve had it brought to my attention that in recent weeks, your behaviour has been below the standard expected of a Soixante-Trois stewardess, and that you have had more than one falling out with a superior.” Zoe frowned as Rachel smirked at Alana’s use of the word ‘superior’, but she reminded herself that Rachel’s ‘superiority’ wouldn’t last much longer- and the sooner it ended, the happier Zoe would be.

“I’ll ask again,” Zoe said in as calm a voice as she could manage. “Am I leaving this office with a job?”

“We need to review all the available material before making a decision,” Rachel said.

“You need to perform a character assassination before firing me,” Zoe snorted, her voice darkening. “I’ll save you the bother. Let me know where I can turn in my ID.”

“Whoa, Zoe, let’s not be hasty,” Alana said, clearly shocked by Zoe’s actions. “We weren’t definitely going to dismiss you, we were going to let you put your point of view across, let us know if there was anything we could do in your last few weeks working for us. Also, we need to consider the documentary as well- you’re in a lot of the footage that’s already been filmed.”

“I appreciate that,” Zoe said, “but my mind is made up.”

“In that case,” Alana sighed, “thank you for your fourteen months of service.” Zoe smiled as the three women stood up and she shook both Rachel’s and Alana’s hand, before her now-former supervisor escorted her out of the office.

“I’ll take your ID and uniform,” Rachel said, her voice filed not with anger, but with disappointment. “You know, you could’ve been a great stewardess, if only you’d taken the job seriously.”

“Oh, I take the job seriously, it’s the company that I don’t,” Zoe chuckled. “Antoine Masson is a misogynistic, transphobic pervert whose mind is stuck in the sixties.”

“Be careful what you’re saying,” Rachel cautioned.

“What are you going to do, fucking fire me?” Zoe laughed. “We wear uniforms that make it virtually impossible to do our job, all because Masson believes women are only good for being ogled at. Why else do you think he keeps slime like Jacques Lacroix on the payroll? How many other companies do you know that hold an annual beauty pageant?”

“That you participated in!” Rachel reminded the French girl.

“Only as an excuse to dance on stage,” Zoe retorted as she stepped into the locker room and stripped off her uniform for the last time, sighing happily as she loosened her corset. “I’m surprised Masson doesn’t make us- sorry, YOU- dress up as playboy bunnies on flights.”

“Do you need a lift home?” Rachel asked Zoe, having lost the strength to argue with the French girl.

“Please,” Zoe said, before sighing. “Rachel… I would’ve liked us to be friends. Maybe now that you AREN’T my superior, you might be able to actually treat me as an equal?”

“…Let’s just get you home,” Rachel sighed as the two women, having changed into their formal pencil dresses, strode through the crowded airport. “Have you told your sister about your new job yet?”

“She’s next on the list,” Zoe sighed, wondering how her sister will react to the news that she’d thrown away what was, very early on, a promising career…

Jessica took several deep, nervous breaths as she heard the unmistakable hum of her father’s BMW pull up in the driveway, only calming down as Paige gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

“It’ll be okay,” Paige whispered. “He knows what to expect, he’s seen the photographs of you, it WON’T be a shock to him.”

“Nonetheless, I’d best go talk to him,” Jessica’s mother said, leaving the living room in silence.

“He WILL be okay about it,” Aaron reassured his new sister. “There’s nothing he can do about it either way, is there?”

“Other than disown me,” Jessica moaned. “Or disinherit me, or kick me out on the street…”

“If he was going to do any of those things, he wouldn’t have let you in the house in the first place,” Hayley said, before wincing at her choice of words. “Umm, well, um, you know what I mean…”

“Thanks, Hayley,” Jessica whispered, before standing up and smoothing her skirt as her parents walked into the room. “Hi dad! It’s me, um, Jessica…”

“Hello, Jess- Jessica,” Mr. Tyler said in a stoic voice as he cautiously approached the young woman, before giving her a gentle handshake and sitting down next to his wife. “Did you have a good flight from London?”

“Umm, yes…” Jessica said, taken aback by her father’s lack of reaction. “Dad, is- isn’t there- isn’t there anything you want to say to me? Or ask me?”

“…Are you still enjoying your job?” Mr. Tyler asked after a brief pause.

“Well, um, yes,” Jessica replied. “They’re expanding the London hub to cover Eastern Europe in May, so with luck I’ll be covering all three routes…”

“Good,” Mr. Tyler said, forcing a proud smile onto his face. “I’m glad you’re making a success of your career. Aaron, have you told your bro… have you told Jess- Jessica yet about your college application yet?”

“I’ve, um, been accepted to NYU,” Aaron said, making both Jessica and Paige gasp excitedly. “Majoring in American History.”

“We’re taking a trip up to New York tomorrow to celebrate,” Mrs. Tyler said. “The two of you are welcome to join us, of course.”

“New York? Yes please!” Paige said excitedly, making the room giggle.

“Paige is a bit of an America fangirl,” Jessica explained. “She lives in one of the most scenic places in the world but she’s obsessed with bright lights and big cities, heh.”

“You see one blade of grass, you’ve seen them all,” Paige laughed. “But Times Square, the Empire State Building, Central Park…”

“Trafalgar Square, the Shard, Hyde Park?” Lizzie asked, before blushing. “Sorry, sorry… I’m kinda a Britain fangirl, I lived in London for a year when I was eight, I’ve always wanted to go back for a vacation, see how much it’s changed, how much has stayed the same.”

“If we ever have any space at the apartment, you’re welcome to stay with us,” Jessica offered, her smile widening as the atmosphere in the room started to relax.

“She means ‘the flat’,” Paige said, prompting another mass chuckle as the family whiled away the evening with talk of work, university and school.

Zoe kicked off her heels the second she returned to the apartment and sighed loudly as she unzipped her dress, unclipped her stockings and collapsed heavily onto the apartment’s sofa. Even though she had a new job to start the following month, she was now officially unemployed… And she was not looking forward to breaking the news to her sister. After taking a deep breath, Zoe reached into her bag for her phone and dialled the number for the Parisian flat where she used to live, smiling as it was answered after the second ring.

“Guten Abend Zoe!” Marie chuckled. “How was Berlin?”

“Cold, grey and German,” Zoe laughed. “Marie…” Zoe paused, leading to an awkward silence.

“…Zoe…?” Marie asked with a chuckle. “What’s up? Getting sick of London and want to come back to Paris? Can’t say I blame you. It’s a pity you’ll be at work tomorrow and the 25th, this will be the first Christmas we’ll spend apart.”

“Yeah, that’s the thing,” Zoe said with a grimace. “I, um, kinda… Kinda won’t be at work.”

“Umm, how on Earth did you swing that?” Marie asked.

“…By quitting,” Zoe said, leading to a long pause. “Umm… Marie?”

“You QUIT!?” Marie yelled. “What- who- what the fuck, Zoe!?”

“I’ve got another job,” Zoe said. “I’m going to be teaching ballet again, here in London. It’s what I love doing, it’s what I’m good at.”

“Does it pay as well as Soixante-Trois?” Marie asked.

“Well… No,” Zoe answered. “But it’s not far off, maybe a 15% pay drop, 20% at most.”

“And that’s enough to make you abandon a promising career?” Marie snorted.

“Just because you’re good at it, it doesn’t mean that I will be!” Zoe snapped. “I’ve had this damned written warning hanging over my head for a year now, I’ve had Rachel constantly breathing down my neck… Let’s face it, I was a terrible stewardess.”

“You weren’t terrible,” Marie said, before letting out a long sigh. “If this is what you really want…”

“It is,” Zoe said, her voice suddenly turning meek. “Marie, I- I really need your support. Please.”

“…You’re a fool for throwing away such a great opportunity,” Marie sighed.

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’, then,” Zoe sighed. “Joyeux Noel, Marie.” Zoe clicked off her phone and tossed it back in her bag, before letting out a long, frustrated yell. The smile only returned to her face fifteen minutes later when Natalie entered the apartment and, upon seeing Zoe’s state of undress, immediately kicked off her own heels, unzipped her tight pencil dress and unclipped her stockings.

“So, are we going for a ‘can’t be arsed’ dress code tonight?” Natalie giggled as she gave Zoe a quick kiss. “Because if I untie the cache sex, the way you look now, it’s kinda gonna show through the dress!”

“Then untie it,” Zoe said, stepping out of her dress and her stockings and roughly shoving her lover into their bedroom.

“Umm, okay,” Natalie laughed. “Sex before dinner… I could get used to this!”

“Good,” Zoe said, forcing her tongue down Natalie's throat as she hastily pulled the clingy dress off of the English girl's body.

Thirty minutes later, both women laid in bed panting heavily, their make-up smeared and their naked bodies covered in a fine sheen of sweat.

“Yeah,” Natalie gasped. “I could DEFINITELY get used to this! I can’t be arsed to cook, Annabelle won’t be back for hours, let’s just get a takeaway. Hope you’re hungry!”

“Ravenous,” Zoe said with a wicked grin on her lips as she grabbed Natalie’s wrist, preventing her from reaching for her phone. Zoe wrapped her arms around Natalie’s neck and kissed her deeply, her tongue exploring every corner of Natalie’s mouth as the Englishwoman feebly tried to resist.

“Ugh, anymore and I’m going to be asleep until the New Year,” Natalie laughed, unwrapping Zoe’s arms from around her. “We need to save our energy, we both have work tomorrow!”

“Nope,” Zoe said with a lustful smile as she kissed Natalie again.

“Um, what?” Natalie asked. “What do you mean, ‘nope’?”

“I am officially unemployed,” Zoe said, her smile changing from ‘lustful’ to ‘smug’. “You and I are no longer colleagues.”

“Um, uh- Seriously?” Natalie asked. “How did this happen? What happened? Are you okay?”

“Relax!” Zoe giggled. “I’ve got a new job, I start it in January. I’m going to be teaching ballet again, this time at Krystie Fullerton’s new school.”

“Wh- when did that happen?” Natalie asked.

“A couple of weeks ago,” Zoe said. “I introduced myself to her after we moved to London, we got talking, turns out I’m WAY more qualified than her, she was expanding, needed an additional teacher… It just fit. So I handed in my notice, and today we decided to cut my notice period short.”

“Why am I only hearing about this now?” Natalie asked, barely restraining her anger.

“…I thought you’d be happy for me,” Zoe said.

“I AM,” Natalie sighed. “Zoe, I love you, I really do, but- but- you only ever think about yourself!”

“So I’m selfish, am I?” Zoe hissed.

“No- I didn’t mean-“ Natalie stammered.

“Well I’ll be selfLESS for once and let you sleep in the bed alone tonight!” Zoe snapped, grabbing her suitcase and packing it full of clothes.

“Wait- Zoe!” Natalie yelled. “What are you doing? Where do you think you’re going?”

“Home!” Zoe yelled, pulling on a pair of tight jeans, a baggy sweater and her favourite long brown boots. “Goodbye, MATTHEW!” Natalie bit her lip to prevent her from yelling at Zoe as the French girl left the apartment, before sighing heavily. Natalie had noticed how, over the last few weeks, Zoe had become more and more ‘erratic’, but she never imagined that she’d simply abandon her job, and she was deeply hurt by Zoe’s use of her birth name. However, despite herself, Natalie still loved the young Frenchwoman, and spent the whole night pining for her return…

As Christmas Eve dawned on either side of the Atlantic, none of the employees (and former employees) or Soixante-Trois Airlines were feeling particularly festive. Even Paige and Jessica were feeling tense, despite the latter girl’s reconciliation with her family the previous day. The American girl sighed as her alarm clock woke her from a fitful sleep- though she was unsurprised to find Paige already awake and getting dressed.

“Ah, good to see that they’re back,” Jessica giggled as Paige pulled a pair of opaque black tights up her legs.

“Just felt like a break from them yesterday,” Paige laughed, before pulling on a smart burgundy turtleneck sweater and a knee-length black pencil skirt.

“A break from black nylons?” Jessica giggled. “Are you sure you’re the real Paige Robertson?”

“In the flesh,” Paige laughed, giving Jessica a soft kiss. “Ready for today? Our big family outing to the Big Apple…”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Jessica moaned.

“Oh come on,” Paige said, sitting Jessica up and giving her a gentle cuddle. “Your family ARE making an effort, you know? It could’ve been much, much worse- I mean, just look at Anna-Jade, the way her quote-unquote family have treated her.”

“I know, I know,” Jessica sighed.

“You- you’re not having second thoughts, are you?” Paige asked. “About transitioning?”

“I didn’t,” Jessica confessed, “right up until I saw dad yesterday. The look in his eyes, it- Ugh, never mind. Come on, let’s get ready, don’t want to keep the family waiting…”

“No, tell me, please,” Paige said. “This should be a happy time, especially for you.”

“I just- I just missing their son,” Jessica sighed. “I had a good life here, as Jesse. Coming back, it just reminds me of everything I’ve given up to be Jessica. My dad and I used to do loads of things together- we used to go fishing, go to ball games, hell, it was even him who taught me to drive. I had so many good memories as Jesse… Why d’you think I wanted to spend Christmas with your parents, in Scotland?”

“It’s not exactly been easy for me either,” Paige said. “Okay, I had more support from my family, I’ll grant you that, but I had loads of great memories as ‘Paul’. When I was younger my dad would take me to Ibrox every month, he taught me to play golf… And you know what? There’s no reason I can’t do any of those things now that I’m wearing a skirt. There’s no reason you can’t make new, even happier memories with your dad either.”

“You’re right,” Jessica said, a genuine smile creeping across her face. “Got to get ready first, though!” Paige watched with a proud smile as Jessica dressed for the day in a pair of cute patterned tights, followed by a short, long-sleeved navy blue dress that perfectly complemented her shoulder-length blonde hair and deep blue eyes.

“Beautiful,” Paige said, giving Jessica a kiss just before the American girl finished her look by, as always, applying a liberal layer of bright red lipstick. The two women were greeted in the family living room by wide smiles from Jessica’s parents and siblings- even though her father’s smile looked very forced.

“Good morning, you two!” Mrs. Tyler beamed. “Hope you’re ready for your big New York adventure!”

“I have literally dreamed about this,” Paige giggled.

“Good,” Mr. Tyler said. “Aaron and I will take a look around the campus- well, the outside of it, anyway- whilst you four girls enjoy the sights and sounds!” Jessica forced a smile onto her face as her father led her brother into one car, whilst she, Paige and Hayley got into her mother’s car. Jessica COULD make new memories with her father as his daughter… or his father could simply turn all of his attention his one remaining male offspring instead.

The sound of her mobile phone ringing startled Anna-Jade, distracting her from the television programme she was watching and causing her to nearly fumble the phone as she rushed to answer it.

“Hello?” The Irishwoman asked.

“Hi, Anna-Jade? It’s Alana,” the unmistakable voice of Anna-Jade’s manager replied. “Everyone who was due in today has come in, so we won’t be needing you today after all. Thanks for agreeing to be on standby though, especially today of all days- hope you have a great Christmas Eve!”

“Thanks,” Anna-Jade replied with a smile. “Will do!” Anna-Jade’s smile faded, however, as she clicked off her phone. With Rachel at work and Jessica and Paige in America, she had the entire flat to herself, which just served to remind her of how alone she was- and that it would be the second Christmas in a row that she was estranged from her parents. Anna-Jade hesitated before putting her phone away- every part of her wanted to sit back and enjoy her Christmas Eve, as Alana had advised, but an even larger part of her wanted to try, once again, to call her parents, to finally reconcile with them. She’d seen Jessica’s Facebook photos detailing her ‘Christmas miracle’, but every time she dared to believe that the same could happen for her, another part of her brain reminded her that her parents wouldn’t even acknowledge her existence. Every time Anna-Jade had called her parents, the phone had been cruelly slammed down, leaving the Irishwoman feeling worse than ever.

Anna-Jade agonised for several minutes over whether or not to call her parents, before finally deciding that if she didn’t, she always be troubled by the possibility of what would happen. With her manicured thumb trembling, she dialled the number for her childhood home in Londonderry, and let out a small gasp as the phone was answered after the second ring.

“Hello?” The unmistakable voice of Anna-Jade’s father asked.

“Hi dad,” Anna-Jade said in a small, timid voice. “Merry Chri-“

“Don’t ever call this number again!” Mr. Houghton yelled, before loudly slamming the phone down, leaving Anna-Jade sat on the sofa in a state of shock.

“…Stmas…” Anna-Jade whispered, her body shaking with raw emotion. “Merry fucking Christmas you fat, bigoted, bastarding bollocks, shitfaced worthless lump of fucking old-fashioned closed-minded fucking twat!” Anna-Jade hurled her phone onto a nearby cushion, before hurling herself onto the sofa, tears flowing freely from her eyes as she struggled to control her scrambled emotions.

“God, get a grip, Anna-Jade,” the Irishwoman whispered to herself as she finally got her tears under control. “You’re 26, for Christ’s sake, you’re a woman, not a girl… And most DEFINITELY not a man or a boy!” Anna-Jade stared at her slender body, clad in its tight grey bodysuit, dark translucent tights and short denim skirt, and smiled. Everything about the clothes she wore felt right. Her long, scarlet fingernails felt right. Her cascading ginger hair felt right. And most of all, the oestrogen that had flooded her body for over a year felt not just right, but perfect. Anna-Jade wasn’t just passable, she was cute- possibly even beautiful. She’d never had any trouble catching the attention of single men, even if her ‘status’ kept her love life to a minimum. And yet, her parents refused to accept her, refused to believe that was she was doing was good for her in any way, shape or form.

A beep from Anna-Jade’s phone brought the Irishwoman’s attention back to reality. For a brief second, she dared to believe that it was a voicemail from her parents, apologising for what they said and wishing her a merry Christmas.

“Don’t be so fucking stupid,” Anna-Jade whispered to herself as she peered at the notification, which was from Facebook, and read ‘Mary Carter sent you a friend request’. “Who the fuck’s Mary Carter?” Anna-Jade racked her brains, trying to think of anyone she knew by that name, before suddenly realising exactly who ‘Mary Carter’ was- and more importantly, how famous she was, especially in her native Northern Ireland.

“Oh sh-“ Anna-Jade gasped. “YOU’RE sending ME a request?” Hastily, Anna-Jade opened her Facebook app and accepted the friend request, before spending the next five minutes agonising over what message to send to the famous young woman.

‘Hi,’ Anna-Jade ultimately typed, grimacing at the simplicity of the message as she sent it.

‘Hiya,’ Mary almost immediately replied with a smiling emoticon. ‘Was great to meet a fellow Ulster girl the other night!’

‘Likewise,’ Anna-Jade replied with a smiley of her own.

‘Not at work today then?’ Mary asked. ‘Not jetting to anywhere sunny and glamorous?’

‘I’m off to Dublin tomorrow if that counts,’ Anna-Jade replied, giggling as she earned a sticking-out tongue smiley in response. ‘Take it you’re not wowing and crowds on any red carpets today then?’

‘Lol no,’ Mary replied. ‘Just watching hubby play with our daughter.’

‘You’re not spending Christmas at home, then?’ Anna-Jade asked.

‘I’ve lived in London for five years,’ Mary replied. ‘This really is home now. Besides, hubby’s parents all live in London, and it’s not like I don’t get back to Belfast at other times of the year. How about you, you say you’re from Derry, right?’

‘Yeah,’ Anna-Jade replied. ‘But me and my parents… You know I’m trans, right?’

‘Rachel did tell me, yes,’ Mary typed. ‘And it doesn’t matter to me one way or the other.’ Anna-Jade smiled, and conveyed her happiness with a smiley, before typing her next message.

‘It does matter to my parents, though,’ Anna-Jade typed with a loud sigh. ‘I haven’t spoken to them since I came out, they refuse to acknowledge that I’m their child.’

‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ Mary replied. ‘People who abandon their offspring like that don’t deserve to be parents. If Kristina-Leigh told me that she wanted to be a boy I wouldn’t hate her, I’d give her a big hug and praise her for being so brave.’

‘In fairness, it’s not like I’m a little kid,’ Anna-Jade typed. ‘I’m 27 next month, most people I know who are my age have families of their own.’

‘Still though, you shouldn’t be alone at Christmas, of all times,’ Mary typed. ‘Do you have any other family, any brothers or sisters?’

‘One older brother, one younger sister,’ Anna-Jade replied. ‘Neither of them have spoken to me since I came out either.’

‘Your younger sister’s name wouldn’t be Michelle by any chance, would it?’ Mary typed, making Anna-Jade recoil in shock.

‘Umm… How on Earth did you know that?’ Anna-Jade typed.

‘Lol,’ Mary replied with a smiley. ‘Used to know a girl called Michelle Houghton from Derry, back when I was doing gymnastics competitions. Me and you may have even met before!’

‘Heh,’ Anna-Jade replied. ‘Yeah, she all but spat in my face after I came out. Doubt she’d be willing to see me again.’

‘You never know until you ask,’ Mary typed. ‘I’ve actually got her on my friends list, I’ll have a word, see if I can’t ‘re-introduce’ the two of you.’

‘Really, there’s no need to go to any trouble on my behalf,’ Anna-Jade typed.

‘It’s fine,’ Mary typed with a smiley. ‘Always got told as a kid that a good deed is better than any physical present. Leave it with me- I’ll message you back when I hear anything.’

‘Thanks,’ Anna-Jade typed. ‘Merry Christmas!’ The flame-haired Irishwoman smiled as she set her phone back down beside her, before laying back on the sofa and taking a deep breath. Her encounter with her parents had taught her not to get her hopes up, but she couldn’t help but feel that she may have a family Christmas after all…

“How may I help you, miss?” Rachel asked, forcing a professional smile on her face as she attended to her passenger, who simply stared at her uncomprehendingly.

“Excuse-moi?” Zoe asked, internally giggling as she saw Rachel’s frustration increase. “Je suis désolé, je ne parle pas Anglais."

“Comment puis-je vous aider, mademoiselle?,” Rachel asked, imperceptibly biting her lip.

“Café au lait, s’il vous plait,” Zoe requested, grinning as her former supervisor placed the rich, hot beverage on her tray table.

“Ce sera tout, mademoiselle?,” Rachel asked.

“Oui, oui,” Zoe said, dismissing Rachel with a wave. The ticket for the flight to Paris may have cost more than twice that of a budget airline, but to Zoe, the opportunity to have Rachel wait on her hand and foot was worth every penny.

After the plane landed at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport- which had been Zoe’s ‘second home’ for so long, Zoe disembarked along with the other passengers, pausing briefly to mouth ‘sorry’ to Rachel as she walked past her.

After collecting her suitcase, Zoe headed to the tram stop, the same one she’d used to travel home every day for over a year, and soon found herself stood outside her old home. After taking a deep breath, Zoe knocked on the door, and smiled as she was greeted by the disapproving face of her sister.

“Come on in,” Marie sighed, giving her sister a tight hug. “’Miss Unemployed’…”

“Temporarily unemployed,” Zoe corrected the older woman. “I should have done this a long time ago, back when I was first having trouble at work…”

“Back when you didn’t have another job to go to?” Marie asked, making Zoe snort dismissively as she collapsed onto the apartment’s plush sofa. “And are leotards and pointe shoes really that much better than tight skirts and high heels?”

“Infinitely better,” Zoe laughed.

“How long will you be in Paris?” Marie asked.

“Don’t know,” Zoe sighed. “Might see if I can get a flight down to Nice, would be nice to spend Christmas with mum and dad, even if I won’t get there in time for le Réveillon…”

“Wait, you’re not going back to London?” Marie asked. “What- have you and Natalie had a falling out?”

“Ugh…” Zoe moaned, slumping down and resting her head on the back of the sofa. “I- I kinda destroy everything I touch…” Marie sighed and gave her younger sister another tight hug, before handing her the apartment’s phone.

“Call her,” Marie urged Zoe. “You don’t destroy everything you touch, you just… Crack it a little. Nothing that can’t be repaired by saying ‘I’m sorry’.” Zoe sighed as she took the phone from Marie and dialled the number for her London home.

“Hello?” Natalie’s voice answered.

“Hi Nat,” Zoe answered in English.

“Zoe,” Natalie sighed happily. “Thank god, where are you?”

“…In Paris,” Zoe mumbled. “Nat, I just wanted to say I’m so-“

“Wait, what,” Natalie said, interrupting the young Frenchwoman. “Paris? What the hell are you doing there?”

“I- I just needed to get away,” Zoe said, recoiling from Natalie’s anger. “I’m so sorry, so sorry I said what I did, Natalie, Natalie, Natalie.”

“That doesn’t make what you said suck any less,” Natalie replied. “Nor does it excuse you skipping the country.”

“France is my home!” Zoe pleaded. “Where else in England would I have gone?”

“…Fine,” Natalie sighed. “Do you know when you’ll be back?”

“Not until after Christmas,” Zoe said, wincing as Natalie groaned disapprovingly.

“Fine, I’ll just leave all your presents under the tree until February, or whenever you feel like returning,” Natalie sighed. “Nice to know you take this relationship seriously.”

“I do take it seriously!” Zoe pleaded.

“I’ll believe you when you tell that to me face to face,” Natalie sighed. “See you after Christmas, Zoe.” Zoe shed a solitary tear as Natalie ended the call, before curling up into a ball on the sofa and moaning softly. Marie was wrong- her relationship with Natalie was much, much more than simply ‘cracked’- and it was all Zoe’s fault.

“This is so cool,” Hayley gushed as the beautician coated her fingernails with the same deep red colour as Jessica’s, Paige’s and her mother’s fingernails.

“Actually enjoying having an older sister, then?” Jessica asked the fifteen year old girl.

“A soon-to-be-famous older sister, too?” Paige teased.

“I guess,” Hayley sighed, making Jessica frown. “Though you always used to hate reality TV?”

“Oh, trust me, she still does,” Paige said, giggling as Jessica groaned.

“It…” Hayley said, before sighing. “I just don’t want to be known at school as the sister of a transsexual. You know what school’s like, the assholes there will cling onto ANYTHING…”

“Aye, it’s no different in Britain,” Paige sighed sympathetically.

“I can’t be something I’m not,” Jessica said in a quiet yet defiant voice. “I’m sorry if this causes trouble for you, I really am, but- but you have to understand what it’s like for me.”

“I know, I know,” Hayley sighed. “Just- you never gave any hint of it when we were growing up.”

“I learned to hide my emotions,” Jessica said, bringing a look of shame to her mother’s face.

“You always kid seem kinda… distant,” Hayley whispered. “Like, there was a part of your life you didn’t want anyone to see. Guess we’re all seeing it now, heh!”

“Jessica,” Mrs. Tyler said in a small, timid voice. “Were- were you really that unhappy when you were a b- when you were a child?”

“I wasn’t miserable, as such,” Jessica shrugged. “But I was never truly happy, never truly content… I always had this nagging feeling at the back of my mind, always knew there was something wrong. And then I figured out what was wrong… And that just made it worse.”

“I wish you’d told us sooner,” Jessica’s mother sighed.

“After the way you reacted in February?” Jessica asked. “Would it have made a difference?”

“What’s important is that everything’s out in the open now,” Paige interjected. “If you ever need to speak to anyone, I can give you my parents’ phone number-“

“I know how to handle my own daughter, thank you,” Mrs. Tyler said, silencing the Scottish girl.

“But does dad?” Jessica asked, frowning as Mrs. Tyler remained silent, unable to answer her daughter. “He hasn’t said five words to me since I’ve been back home.”

“He… He took it pretty hard,” Hayley whispered as the four women (and their fresh manicures) stepped out into the cold New York air.

“You know, you were nearly named Calvin junior, after your dad?” Mrs. Tyler said. “When he learned that you’d changed, you’d rejected being a man… It was like you were rejecting him.”

“That was never my intention,” Jessica whispered. “This is my life, not his. I love him just as much as his daughter as I did as his son. I just… I just don’t feel that the feeling’s mutual.”

“It IS your life,” Mrs. Tyler said. “But your father and I spent almost two decades of our lives raising you. At first, it felt- it felt like you were throwing that back in our faces.”

“I’d never, ever do that!” Jessica retorted, tears welling in her eyes. “I’ll happily tell anyone who’ll listen that I had a good childhood, a GREAT childhood, and you two were great parents, just- I wish I’d been your daughter rather than your son. This isn’t a decision I’ve taken lightly, I’ve literally been agonising over it for the past five years-“

“Then why haven’t you started hormone pills?” Hayley asked, silencing her older sister. “If you were that committed, like you say you are, then why haven’t you started taking oestrogen, like Paige?”

“Because…” Jessica said, before closing her eyes and silently cursing. “Because I needed to know that I had your support. That I had your approval… that I had your love.”

“You’ll ALWAYS have that,” Mrs. Tyler said, embracing her daughter. “You don’t need our approval. You’ve proved that you’re a strong, smart independent woman. As for support… I promise that, male or female, you’ll always have a home under our roof.”

“…Thank you,” Jessica whispered, slowly crying into her mother’s shoulder.

“And if you feel that it’s us who are stopping you from taking your pills,” Mrs. Tyler said, “if you need ‘permission’ to start taking them, you have it.”

“…But what about dad?” Jessica asked.

“You can ask him when you get home,” Mrs. Tyler said. “All I will say is that last month, we had the fear- however slight- that we’d lost you. We’re never running that risk ever again.” Jessica smiled as the four women walked down the streets of the vast metropolis. From that point onward, every step she took down the crowded sidewalk would feel like a step closer to the person she always wanted to be- and she was taking those steps side-by-side with the people who mattered most to her. Most of them, anyway…

Anna-Jade sighed as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She’d spent the last forty-five minutes on her hair and make-up, experimenting with every shade of eye shadow and lipstick she owned, tying and retying her hair into various styles and updos before eventually settling on her preferred loose ponytail. She’d had half her wardrobe out, looking for the perfect outfit to replace her bodysuit and skirt, eventually settling on a dark red turtleneck top with a small cut-out front, showing off what little cleavage she had (which she’d naturally enhanced with her last comfortable push-up bra). Her jean skirt had made way for a chic knee-length leather skirt, her comfortable tights had been replaced by dark fishnets, and her ballet flats had been replaced by a pair of tight, high-heeled knee-high boots.

The last time Anna-Jade had been to a Christmas party of any description, her name had been ‘Anthony’ and she’d worn a smart shirt and a pair of trousers… And had felt utterly out of place mingling with the other men. As her taxi pulled up outside the vast residence that would host her first Christmas party as Anna-Jade, the Irishwoman once again felt out of place, but for entirely different reasons.

“Hi,” Anna-Jade said to the tall dark-haired man standing by the door. “I, um, I’m here… Mary invited me?”

“Oh, you must be Anna-Jade,” the tall man said. “I’m Dan, Mary’s husband, please, come on in!” Anna-Jade smiled nervously as she stepped into the mansion’s reception area, though her nerves lessened as she saw the blonde-haired woman she’d talked to over Facebook waving her over.

“Hiya!” Mary giggled, greeting Anna-Jade with air kisses. “You’ve already met my other half Dan, this little treasure here,” Mary beamed with pride as she gestured to a small infant in a car seat next to her, “is Kristina-Leigh. Say hi to the nice lady, Kristina-Leigh!” Anna-Jade giggled as the tiny toddler laughed and waved.

“Sure, this is nerve-wracking,” Anna-Jade laughed. “When you said you’d get back to me, I thought you meant ‘send me a message back’ or ‘call me’, not ‘invite me to a celebrity party’… Nearly had a panic attack when you said it was a gift exchange, I didn’t have any time to go and get anything…”

“Ah, sure, you’re fine,” Mary replied. “There are other ‘guests’ here. Besides, I can’t show off the single, sexy guys to you over the phone, can I?”

“You really didn’t need to go to so much trouble,” Anna-Jade sighed. “Though have- have you heard from Michelle?”

“I have,” Mary said. “And yes, I brought up the fact that you and I are friends… She wasn’t happy, at least at first.”

“Typical her,” Anna-Jade spat.

“BUT!” Mary said. “But, I did give her your phone number, and I’ve got her number to give to you.” Anna-Jade smiled as she copied the mobile phone number from the screen of Mary’s expensive smartphone. “I think she wants to catch up, to at least speak to you again… Feel free to tell me to butt out if it’s none of my business, but why did you and she-“

“Butt out, no offence,” Anna-Jade said, making Mary giggle.

“Okay, okay,” Mary laughed.

“Though I am really, really grateful,” Anna-Jade said. “Pun not intended, but you really are like a guardian angel, heh. Dunno how I’ll ever be able to repay you for this…”

“Promise you’ll hang out with us more?” Mary asked, before sighing. “Our agent, our manager Joshua, he- he’s kinda hoping to ‘integrate’ you and your friends into our ‘extended family’ before your reality show’s broadcast next year…”

“Ah, so is this a work-mandated friendship?” Anna-Jade asked, her voice tinged with disappointment.

“I hope it doesn’t stay that way,” Mary sighed. “The downsides of a celebrity lifestyle, heh. Not that I’m calling you a phoney, if anything, I’M the phoney.”

“I hope it becomes a real friendship too,” Anna-Jade said, smiling as she and Mary shared a giggle. “And I know several people who’d be happy with the idea of a celebrity friendship, even if it is ‘work-mandated’ at first!”

“We wouldn’t be the first, either,” Mary laughed. “My best friend’s going into business with one of your now ex-colleagues.”

“What, Zoe?” Anna-Jade asked. “I heard about that, yeah…”

“Ah, you guys are going to fit in fine,” Mary said with a warm smile. “Now, I believe I promised you ‘single, sexy guys’… My hubby’s best friend’s a 6’ 1”, super-athletic personal trainer who’s EXTREMELY shy around women and has gone on record as saying that he’d be open to a relationship with a transgendered girl. Oh, and he hasn’t been laid in months.”

“Sounds right up my alley,” Anna-Jade said with a cheeky smile.

“At least go on a few dates with him before letting him anywhere near your ‘alley’!” Mary quipped, making Anna-Jade almost double over with laughter.

An hour later, Anna-Jade left the mansion with a tingle in her body. In addition to her sister’s telephone number, she’d also gained the phone number of Paul- the man Mary had introduced her to- and Facebook friend requests from several more of the celebrities she’d mingled with. As she arrived back at her apartment, however, Anna-Jade’s euphoria was quickly replaced by a feeling of dread. Getting her sister’s telephone number had been the easy part… The hard part- actually calling the number- was still to come.

Anna-Jade stared at her phone for almost ten minutes in the vain hope that her sister- who’d been given Anna-Jade’s number by Mary- would call, before ultimately deciding to take matters into her own hands. The Irishwoman’s thumb began to shake as she keyed the telephone number into her phone, and she paused before pressing ‘call’- if her sisters reacted to her the way her father did, then she truly would be alone…

The phone rang six times before finally being answered, making Anna-Jade’s teeth chatter with nerves.

“Hello, ANTHONY,” the angry-sounding voice- which sounded almost identical to Anna-Jade’s own- spat down the phone, making the flame-haired girl wince.

“It’s ‘Anna-Jade’,” the Irishwoman retorted. “It has been for the past eighteen fucking months.”

“That’s the sort of name an Essex chav calls her three year old,” Anna-Jade’s sister snorted. “Why did you call, anyway?”

“Well I was kinda hoping to wish you a merry Christmas, but I can tell that’s not going to fucking well happen,” Anna-Jade sighed.

“Merry Christmas, ‘Anna-Jade’,” the indignant voice on the other end of the Irishwoman’s phone said in a deeply sarcastic tone.

“Honestly, Michelle,” Anna-Jade sighed. “What the hell does it matter to you what I call myself?”

“Because-“ Michelle snapped, before sighing. “Because I miss having a big brother, someone I could talk to, someone I could confide in…”

“Michelle…” Anna-Jade sighed. “I’ve not got anywhere. Just because I’m your sister now instead of your brother, it doesn’t mean we can’t talk the way we used to- why do you think I’ve called you now? Certainly not to absolve any fucking ‘sin’ or anything!”

“You know…” Michelle says hesitantly. “You know I still pray for you, right? Pray that you’ll find your way back to the person you’re supposed to be. So do mum and dad.”

“Your prayers obviously worked,” Anna-Jade said. “Because I AM the person I’m supposed to be."

"The person you're supposed to be is the person you were born as!" Michelle snapped, before sighing. "But you'll never agree with that, will you?"

"The person I'm supposed to be is the person I've always been on the inside," Anna-Jade said in a calm, quiet voice. "And like it or not, that person's name is Anna-Jade. Come on, you're 25, you're not some closed-minded old fart. You've heard of Jamie-Lee Burke, right?"

"I wouldn't say I was a fan," Michelle replied. "Just tell me- just tell me why?"

"Because every day of my life," Anna-Jade replied, "I've had this voice in the back of my head, yelling at me that something was wrong- wrong with me. Every day, that voice has just got louder and louder until eventually it's deafening and it's all I can hear."

"What 'voice'?" Michelle asked. "Whose voice?"

"Anna-Jade's voice," the flame-haired woman replied. "I could either devote my life to ignoring it and end up driving myself mad or into the bottom of a bottle, or I could speak with that voice. If I'd ended up pissed out of my brain, you'd have supported me as I rehabbed, wouldn't you?"

"Well, of course," Michelle replied.

"And if I'd ended up depressed, or having suicidal thoughts, or on drugs, or gone barmy..." Anna-Jade said. "Even if I was gay, you wouldn't have abandoned me. So why can't you support me becoming the woman I always wanted to be?" Anna-Jade bit her lip as all she heard from the other end of the phone was silence.

"I- I don't know," Michelle mumbled after almost twenty seconds.

"When you find out, give me a call," Anna-Jade said, her voice devoid of anger. "You've got my number. Merry Christmas, Michelle."

"Merry Christmas, Ann- Ant- ugh. Just- just merry Christmas," Michelle replied, before ending the call. Anna-Jade smoothed the soft leather material of her skirt before laying back on the sofa, staring at her red-tipped toes as she wiggled them back and forth.

"Feet off the sofa," Rachel chuckled as she walked through the apartment's front door less than an hour later. "Why you all dressed up, anyway? That's a hell of an expensive skirt to just lounge around in!"

"Oh, just been to the Angels' gift exchange, that's all," Anna-Jade said, smirking as a brief look of pure jealousy washed across Rachel's face. "I'll tell you all about it if you put the kettle on?"

"No, no no no," Rachel joked as she moved Anna-Jade's legs and sat down beside the Irishwoman. "I'VE been working all day, dealing with some truly awkward customers. YOU put the kettle on!"

"Fine," Anna-Jade chuckled. "And do my ears deceive me, or did I just hear the straight-laced ultra-corporate Rachel Harrison complain about a customer?"

"On this one, solitary occasion, yes you did," Rachel laughed as she stretched her tired legs on the sofa.

The rich, filling nature of the Tylers' Christmas Eve meal did nothing to help Paige's tiredness, but the Scottish girl knew she had to stay awake and alert, if only for her lover's sake. The family had returned from their day trip to New York less than an hour earlier, and in that time, Jessica had barely spoken- and hadn't exchanged a single word with her father, who could barely bring himself to even look at the 23 year old woman.

"That was a delicious meal, Mrs. Tyler," Paige said, making the middle-aged American woman smile.

"Thank you, Paige," Jessica's mother replied. "Would you like to call your parents in Scotland? I'm sure they'll want to hear from you on Christmas Eve."

"It'll be gone 2am there by now," Paige said. "Thanks for the offer, though- may I call them tomorrow?"

"Of course," Mrs. Tyler said. "We don't mind a few extra dollars on our phone bill, do we, Calvin?"

"Hmm?" Jessica's father grunted, having been snapped out of a near trance-like state. "No, please, be my guest."

"Thanks, Mr. Tyler," Paige said, before noticing Jessica squirm under the gaze of the older man. "Umm, I'll give you a hand with the washing-up, Mrs. Tyler..." Jessica squirmed again as Paige left the room, not even giving her the chance to object, which left her alone in the lounge with her father.

"So," Jessica mumbled. "So, um, this is Christmas..."

"Yes, it is," Calvin replied.

"Did you- did you once tell me that was the first record you ever bought?" Jessica asked. "The John Lennon song, I mean..."

"That was your Uncle Frank," Calvin said, leading to another awkward silence.

"Dad, I-" Jessica said, before stammering as her father looked straight at her. "I need- I need to know that you're okay with this. With me, I mean, with this whole thing, with who I am, with what I'm doing, what I want to become-"

"You're babbling," Calvin said, silencing his daughter. "And in truth? No, I'm not okay. This change of yours- it's a lot to sink in, it's a lot for me to try to accept."

"You've had ten months to accept it," Jessica said. "Ten months in which I haven't worn a single male item of clothing, not one. Ten months in which I wore make up every single day, even on days when I wasn't at work. Ten months in which I forgot what it was like to ever be a boy."

"But did you really, though?" Calvin asked. "Did you really forget?"

"...No," Jessica sighed.

"During those ten months," Calvin said. "I kept hoping, every single day, that you'd call to tell us that you'd given up on this fantasy of being a woman."

"It is NOT a-" Jessica snapped, only for her father to continue uninterrupted.

"I kept hoping to hear you say that you were coming home," Calvin said. "But with every day that passed, I knew that that was less and less likely. Then the Paris attacks happened, and I didn't know whether you were alive or dead."

"Surely an alive daughter is better than a dead son?" Jessica asked.

"I kept telling myself the same thing," Calvin said. "But seeing you here, dressed like that... It's like my son IS dead. The boy I watched grow up for 23 years is gone and there's this strange woman sat in his place, and I'm supposed to carry on like nothing's happened."

"But a part of you had to have known, surely?" Jessica asked.

"Genuinely didn't have a clue," Calvin sighed. "I know your mother and your brother and sister can accept this without question, but I- I just can't. I'm sorry, Jessica."

"If you can't accept it without question, then ask your questions!" Jessica pleaded. "Anything, just ask!"

"Are you also gay?" Calvin asked, momentarily stunning Jessica before she remembered that she had permitted her father to ask her 'anything'.

"In as much as I am a lesbian, yes," Jessica said, making her father grimace.

"Do you miss being a man?" Calvin asked.

"Sometimes," Jessica whispered. "There are some bits I miss... But it's mostly this, mostly just family that I miss."

"Do you wish that you'd been born a girl?" Calvin asked, dreading the answer.

"Constantly," Jessica said. "This isn't about me simply wanting to be 'different'. It's about me wanting to be a woman, a woman I've always wanted to be."

"And, I guess this is the $64 000 question," Calvin sighed. "Would you ever consider going back to being a man?"

"Never," Jessica said confidently. "Even after I leave Soixante-Trois for another job, it'll be as Jessica, not Jesse. These last sixteen months... It's like I finally know who I really am."

"Okay then," Calvin said in a resigned, defeated voice. "I guess that given the choice between wearing a skirt and wearing a badge that read 'Trump 2016', I know which one I'd prefer you to wear!" Jessica giggled at her father's political joke as the older man himself started to relax.

"I heard laughter," Mrs. Tyler said as she re-entered the room. "Dare I hope...?"

"I'm just catching up with our daughter," Calvin said, his voice wavering as he said the word 'daughter' before filling with pride. "We have a lot to talk about..."

"Joyeux Noel!" Mme Renou cheered as her youngest daughter strode down the stairs into the vast living room.

"Joyeux Noel, mama, papa," Zoe sighed as she slumped down onto the sofa.

"Joyeux Noel," M Renou said with a chuckle as he gave his daughter a kiss. "Don't wait for us, start opening your presents!"

"Thanks," Zoe sighed happily as she tore open her presents, the fanciest of which was, by far, a new iPhone 6S.

"You really didn't need to go to so much trouble," Zoe said. "You didn't even know whether or not I was going to be home for Christmas..."

"Well you ARE home, and that's the important thing," Zoe's mother said, giving the 21 year old woman another hug. "I suppose you'll have plenty more presents waiting for you back home in London?"

"Assuming I ever go back," Zoe sighed.

"What about your new job?" Zoe's father asked. "When you told us about it you sounded so excited, going back to doing what you love- teaching, especially getting to work with a British celebrity."

"Yeah, but..." Zoe whined.

"No buts!" M Renou said in a stern voice. "You've already thrown one career away, don't throw this one away before it's even had a chance to start!"

"Your father and I can't support you forever," Zoe's mother said, making the young woman shrink into her dressing gown.

"I... I kinda had a falling out with Natalie," Zoe mumbled.

"Natalie?" Zoe's father asked. "The girl who's actually a boy but who lives as a girl, the one you've been seeing?"

"Yeah," Zoe sighed. "I- I called her Matthew, her 'male' name, her old name... It's probably the worst thing I could have ever said to her." Zoe's mother sat down next to the tearful young woman and placed a comforting arm on her shoulder as she began to slowly weep.

"Let it all out," Mme Renou said as Zoe blubbed. "No one should cry on Christmas Day. But your father's right, you will have to go back to London at some point, especially if your new friend is counting on you."

"Have you spoken to Natalie since your fight?" M Renou asked, his heart wrenching at the sight of his daughter crying.

"Yes," Zoe whispered. "And it just triggered another fight... Papa, I really love her, but I- I just ruin everything I come into contact with, my job, my relationship..."

"You're not going to solve anything by running a thousand kilometres back home," M Renou said, softening his voice as much as he could. "Tonight, we're getting you another present- a ticket for a one-way flight back to London."

"Can- can I just stay here for one more night, please?" Zoe pleaded. "I just- I just want to spend Christmas night with you, mama, papa, please?"

"No," Mme Renou said sternly. "It's time you started accepting responsibility for your actions. Starting with repairing your relationship with Natalie."

"When I first told you I was going out with someone transgendered, you weren't very happy," Zoe reminded her mother.

"And then I saw how happy she makes you," Zoe's mother replied. "Frankly I don't care what gender she chooses to be. As long as she puts a smile on your face, that's the only important thing."

"You said you truly loved her," M Renou said. "If you want this relationship of yours to be truly equal, you need to fight for her as much as you expect her to fight for you." Zoe nodded, before sighing and slouching back onto the sofa. Her parents were, of course, correct...

"Merry Christmas!" Anna-Jade and Rachel both yelled into the Irishwoman's mobile phone as they switched them back on following their return flight to London from Amsterdam.

"Merry Christmas!" Jessica and Paige yelled down their phone.

"Hope your stockings were nice and full this morning," Paige giggled, causing Jessica to give her a playful shove.

"They were," Rachel said as she adjusted her seamed hosiery.

"We got plenty of presents too!" Anna-Jade laughed, making her supervisor chuckle and roll her eyes. "Got plenty waiting for you two as well, when you get back from America, anyway."

"So," Rachel asked, "how did the big reconciliation go?"

"Better than I could have hoped for," Jessica sighed happily. "Eventually, anyway... My parents took a LOT of convincing."

"You'll have to let me know what you said," Anna-Jade sighed.

"Oh god, Anna-Jade..." Paige said with a sad voice. "Did- did you try to talk to your folks again?"

"Tried, yes, failed, yes," the Irishwoman moaned.

"I'll, um, I'll get the tube home," Rachel whispered, recognising the sensitivity of the situation.

"And at Christmas, too," Jessica sighed. "I'm so, so sorry, Anna-Jade..."

"I did get a 'consolation prize', though," Anna-Jade said. "I'm on speaking terms with my sister again, which is something, I guess."

"That's great!" Paige said. "What, did you just call her, or did she call you?"

"Long story," Anna-Jade chuckled as she remembered her brush with celebrity. "I'll not waste your parents' phone bill, got to get changed, get home... Rachel's off to her parents' for Christmas dinner so it'll be just me and Annabelle."

"What about Natalie and Zoe?" Paige asked. "Have they gone to Paris to have Christmas with Marie?"

"Another long story," Anna-Jade sighed. "I'll let you go know, you two take care and get yourselves home in one piece!"

"Will do," Jessica chuckled. "Merry Christmas, Anna-Jade." Jessica smiled as she clicked off the phone, before straightening her smart black dress, her translucent black tights and touching up her blood red lipstick.

"Are you off the phone?" Jessica's father called from the living room.

"Yes, dad," Jessica replied.

"Good," Calvin said. "We were able to find the Queen's speech online for Paige, whenever she wants to watch it."

"Thank you Mr. Tyler," Paige responded as she and Jessica walked down the stairs, "but it's okay really, I came to America to experience America... Do you have, like, a President's speech on Christmas Day?"

"Nope!" Calvin said. "Besides, I kinda want to watch it myself, see what all the fuss is about. Couldn't hurt to learn a bit more about your culture, especially seeing as you're going out with my daughter." Jessica grinned wide as her father addressed her once again as his daughter, his own smile widening every time he used the term 'daughter'.

Zoe had a frown on her face as she was all but frog marched through the concourse at Nice Cote d'Azur airport by her parents.

"Please let me just stay for one more day," Zoe pleaded. "I promise I'll get on a flight first thing tomorrow morning, please?"

"You and I both know you'll beg for another day just as you're doing now," M. Renou sighed.

"Normally, we'd love for you to stay a little longer," Zoe's mother said, "but not right now, not when you're unsettled in your life at home. You need to sort your problems out, rather than running away from them."

"I know, I know," Zoe sighed as she rummaged in her handbag for her boarding pass.

"On the bright side," M Renou said, "at least you'll be getting on a flight and can sit back and enjoy it, which is more than your sister can say about her Christmas Day!"

"I guess," Zoe sighed as she lazily gazed around the airport, looking at the passengers and their families as they prepared to board their flights. One face, however, caught Zoe's eye- an androgynous-looking dark haired man, who looked VERY familiar to the young Frenchwoman.

"...Natalie?" Zoe whispered as her eyes met the dark haired man, whose eyes flickered with the same recognition as her own. "Natalie!" Zoe dropped her bags at her parents' feet and took off running toward her lover, her short, loose dress fluttering around her legs as she ran into Natalie's embrace. "Natalie..." Zoe whispered as she rested her head on her lover's flat chest.

"Well, 'Matthew'," Natalie said, making Zoe grimace as waves of guilt swept through her body.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," Zoe whispered. "I'm the most selfish, immature person in the world..."

"Trust me, all is forgiven," Natalie said, kissing Zoe softly on her forehead. "I love you FAR too much to hold something like that against you. So what if you want to quit a couple of days earlier than planned, god knows if I ever find another job, on my last day I'd probably force the entire company into insolvency!"

"...I was still a bit of a bitch, though," Zoe giggled, before grimacing again as her parents approached her. "Nat- Matthew, you remember my parents, right?"

"Ah, Monsieur et Madame Renou," Natalie said in flawless, barely-accented French. "It's a pleasure to meet you again."

"Likewise," M Renou said. "Even if this is the first time we've met 'Mister' Briggs!"

"Yeah..." Natalie grimaced. "I kinda came here in a hurry, didn't want any arguments about my passport. Only got away with the name 'Natalie' being on there by saying it was for a bet."

"Zoe's lucky to have someone as forgiving as you," Mme Renou said as she exchanged air-kisses with the Englishwoman.

"I'm lucky to have someone as wonderful as your daughter," Natalie laughed. "She's kind, funny, exceptionally beautiful, and perfectly okay with me wearing nothing but women's clothing for months at a time!" Natalie giggled as Zoe blushed from the compliments she was being paid. "I mean it, Zo. Yes, you're hot-headed at times, but that just makes me love you all the more."

"I love you too," Zoe whispered. "What are you even doing here, anyway? Did you two know about this?"

"Natalie sent a text to Marie, who called us," Mme Renou said with a smug grin. "She explained she was on her way to Nice, we figured we'd meet her at the airport."

"I sort-of conned Anna-Jade into doing my shift for me today," Natalie explained. "Some things are more important than work."

"Thank you," Zoe whispered as she, her parents and her lover returned to her home, where Zoe and Natalie immediately jumped into bed, not wanting to waste any time making up after their fight.

The following morning, both Natalie and Zoe smiled as they sat together on their flight back to Heathrow from Nice. Natalie had shed the jeans and sweatshirt that she'd worn when she flew to Nice, and was instead dressed in a tight grey miniskirt, black tights and a cleavage-baring black top. Her long brown hair fell loosely around her shoulders, her face was immaculately made-up and her ears were, of course, populated by long, dangly earrings.

"Some people are staring," Zoe whispered as she discreetly rubbed her own hosed leg against Natalie's. "Do you care?"

"Nope," Natalie whispered in her preferred feminine voice. "Feels so good to be wearing a thong again..."

"You wore a thong underneath your jeans last night," Zoe reminded her lover, who smiled an evil smile. "Kinda weird knowing I don't ever have to wear a thong again if I don't want to..."

"But you still will, right?" Natalie asked. "Do girls get the same, well, 'fun' from it that, um, 'not-genetic' girls do?"

"Meh, sometimes," Zoe shrugged. "Natalie... Was it offensive? I mean, on flights, when I used to pretend to be transgendered..."

"...I didn't think so," Natalie said in a stoic voice that made Zoe cringe.

"But some people did, right?" Zoe asked.

"You were born the way everyone wished they were," Natalie said. "Everyone including me. I'd have given anything to have been born XX instead of XY, but I have to settle for that I've got."

"But you- you actually get to enjoy this," Zoe said. "The feeling of dressing up the way you always wanted, getting to become the person you always wanted..."

"Just because I can, it doesn't mean that you can't," Natalie said. "Nothing stopping you from getting the same little sparks of joy I get every time I pull on a thong, or pull on a pair of tights over soft, smooth skin, or apply make-up... And before you say 'to me, that's every day', it's every day for me too, or at least it has been for over two years. Doesn't mean I can't enjoy it as much as I did the first time." Zoe sighed, before smiling as she stroked the soft, thin fabric of the tights covering her slender thighs.

"Allow yourself to enjoy it, and you will," Natalie said. "Same applies for the tights and the leotards you're going to be spending hours in each day from now onwards. You don't know what I'd give to have a body as flexible and athletic as yours..."

"You'll just have to settle for unlimited 'visiting rights'!" Zoe giggled, giving Natalie a kiss and smiling as she felt their lipsticks mingle together.

"You NEED to come back soon," Mrs. Tyler said as she gave Jessica a long, tender hug, before sharing a hug with Paige. "You too!"

"Oh, trust me, I'd live in America if I had the chance," Paige giggled.

"Jess- Jessica," Mr. Tyler said, supportively holding his daughter's hand in his. "You're one hundred percent sure that this is what you want to do?"

"One million percent," Jessica said. "The second I get back to London, I'm emailing my counsellor and requesting a prescription for oestrogen tablets."

"I feel guilty, in a way," Calvin sighed. "Almost as though I was holding you back- the exact opposite of what a parent SHOULD do for their child, whatever gender they want to be."

"You have nothing to feel guilty about," Jessica said, giving her father a long hug, which the middle-aged man awkwardly reciprocated. "I have your support now, that's all that matters."

"And you'll never lose it," Calvin whispered, before releasing Jessica and allowing Hayley to give her a long hug.

"See you round, sis!" Hayley giggled, before Aaron gave Jessica a quick, awkward hug.

"Yeah, see you, Jessica," Aaron said.

"If you get the chance, get over to London over summer break," Jessica said. "We'll always have space for you."

"You AND Lizzie!" Paige said, making Aaron chuckle as he gave the Scottish girl a hug. "As long as you don't mind sharing a flat with a load of ultra-girly girls, anyway!"

"I'll think about it," Aaron chuckled.

"And I promise I'll be back soon," Jessica said as she and Paige picked up their hand luggage and headed toward their departure lounge. "I love you, ALL of you. I'm so glad you can love Jessica as much as you loved Jesse."

"You're our child," Mrs. Tyler said with a proud smile. "That's all that's needed for us to love you." Jessica wiped a tear from her eyes, before linking her fingers with Paige’s and heading to their plane. Soon, they were high above the Atlantic Ocean, heading back to their adopted hometown of London.

The sound of her phone ringing almost caused Anna-Jade to swear in shock, but her shock was soon replaced with surprise when she saw the identity of the person who was calling her.

"Michelle!" Anna-Jade said with a happy chuckle. "Happy Boxing Day!"

"And you, Anna-Jade!" Michelle said cautiously. "Sure, it still feels so weird saying that name..."

"How was Christmas?" Anna-Jade asked. "Did- did you talk to mum and dad?"

"I spent yesterday round there," Michelle replied.

"And- and did- did they-" Anna-Jade stammered.

"They didn't ask about you, no," Michelle whispered. "I mentioned that I'd spoken to you, but they immediately changed the topic... Anna-Jade, I'm so, so sorry, I tried, I-"

"You did more than I could've expected you to this time last week," Anna-Jade sighed. "Guess it's gonna take a bit longer than I'd hoped after all."

"Maybe when you become a national celebrity, that'll get their attention," Michelle chuckled. "Already seen you in the background of some of the Angels' photos from Christmas Eve. I LOVE that leather skirt!"

"Thanks," Anna-Jade giggled. "Maybe if you're ever in London, I'll show you where I got it?"

"Maybe if you're ever in Derry, you can tell me then," Michelle replied. "Any time you want to come home... You're always welcome at mine. I've cleared it with Jonny and he's okay with it."

"Who the fuck's Jonny when he's at home?" Anna-Jade asked.

"My fiancé," Michelle replied with a smug grin. "Got a little bit more for Christmas than I was expecting!"

"Oh, Michelle, congratulations!" Anna-Jade giggled. "Would it be presumptive to ask if you've got any bridesmaids yet?"

"It's gonna be a Catholic wedding in a Catholic church," Michelle said. "A transgender bridesmaid would cause the priest to have a stroke..."

"It would if I was still a boy and about 20 years younger," Anna-Jade said, making Michelle gasp, before laughing hard.

"Are you sure you're becoming a woman and not Frankie fucking Boyle?" Michelle asked. "...I'll think about it. I want you there at the wedding, Anna-Jade. In a bridesmaid's dress? ...As I said, I'll think about it. I've got to go now, Jonny's promised me a massage and I am NOT saying no to one of those! Take care of yourself, Anna-Jade."

"You too, Michelle," Anna-Jade sighed, before clicking off her phone. Twenty minutes later, she welcomed Jessica and Paige back to their flat with long, tight hugs, which the three woman also shared with Natalie and Zoe once they arrived (having first taken the time to unpack at their flat). After they were joined by Rachel and Annabelle- and the obligatory camera crew- the women celebrated their successful 'reunion' by opening up a bottle of wine, which was quickly followed by a second bottle.

"That's so cool about you and your folks," Natalie said to Jessica, who giggled in response.

"Even cooler about you and oestrogen!" Zoe interjected. "That is way too long overdue!"

"Thanks," Jessica sighed. "It's like- it's like I can finally put that last remnants of 'Jesse' behind me and look forward to the rest of my life as 'Jessica'. Always looking forward, never backward."

"That's my girl!" Paige laughed as she gave Jessica a tight cuddle.

"Even if it does mean I'll be 26 by the time I finally get my SRS," Jessica sighed.

"Sure, I'm 27 next month and I've still got a cock," Anna-Jade sighed. "One I want shot of ASAP!"

"And you will be shot of it once you've worked for the company for three years," Rachel said. "You have my personal guarantee. It sucks about your parents, though..."

"Eh, I've got my little sister back, that's a start for now," Anna-Jade shrugged. "If my parents take a little longer, I'll just have to wait for the bigoted old shites to open their minds, won't I?"

"Sometimes I think the only reason you swear so much is to make me panic that you'll do so on a flight," Rachel said.

"Oh, fuck off," Anna-Jade good-naturedly chuckled, making the room laugh.

"It'd be pretty immature if that was the reason, though," Zoe said, looking at Rachel with apologetic eyes.

"'Immature' is just another word for 'needs to grow up'," Rachel said. "Anyone can grow up and stop being immature if they work at it hard enough. And I'm confident that all six women in this room ARE the hardest working people I've ever known."

"Except for when I can't be arsed," Natalie giggled.

"How about you, Annabelle?" Jessica asked her fellow American. "Good Christmas?" Annabelle smiled sweetly, even as she remembered staring at her phone all throughout Christmas Day, waiting futilely for her parents or one of her siblings to call.

"It was fine, honey," Annabelle said, trying to disguise the pain in her voice. "Glad to have my sisters all back now, though!"

"Glad to BE back!" Paige giggled. "So, Zo, when you opening your school?"

"It's not 'my' school," Zoe sighed. "It'll be open first week in January, when the kids go back to school."

"You know yet which classes you'll be teaching?" Rachel asked.

"The advanced classes, mostly," Zoe said. "The girls who already have their pointe shoes. I'll be putting them through their paces, keeping them on their toes..."

"Literally!" Paige giggled. "Not got room for any beginners in your classes, then?"

"Well..." Zoe giggled. "I may have asked for a favour from Krystie- my new boss- before I signed up..."

Ten days later, Zoe giggled excitedly as she stood in the middle of the spacious dance studio, dressed in her beloved pale pink tights, jet black leotard, custom pointe shoes and flimsy black ballet skirt. Just as Natalie had advised, she adored every sensation the clothes created as they clung to her body- even if those feelings were mainly of comfort and of an intense sense of belonging. What made Zoe giggle the most, however, was the sight of the six people in front of her.

"I feel utterly ridiculous," Rachel sighed as she adjusted her baby pink leotard. "I'm 28, for Christ's sake, I feel like a four year old girl going to her first dance lesson..."

"I still can't believe this actually is your first ever dance lesson," Natalie said as she adjusted her breast forms inside her own matte black leotard. "And sorry about the 'miscommunication' about the uniforms. That was Zoe's idea!" Rachel sighed as she stared at the other five women at the barre, each dressed in black leotards of varying styles. Rachel should have been furious about sticking out like a sore thumb... But chose instead to take the prank as it was intended, as a harmless bit of fun. If Zoe could mature- or at least try to mature- then so could she.

Natalie smiled as she adjusted the ribbons on her soft ballet shoes. With their shifts, it'd be almost impossible for all seven women to be taught ballet by Zoe at the same time, but that didn't mean that Natalie couldn't support her French lover at every available opportunity. Natalie had always prided herself on being carefree and independent, but her falling out with Zoe had proved just how much she needed the Frenchwoman in her life. If Zoe needed her support, then she would have it without question. Especially if it meant stretching skin-tight lycra across her body.

"We'll begin with a few warm-up stretches," Zoe announced. "I know, I know, you came here to dance, but you have to learn to walk before you can run. Or dance en pointe. Sorry Annabelle, but at least this way, you won't risk breaking your ankle or worse!" Annabelle blushed as she was reminded of the time she showed up to a costume party wearing a tutu and pointe shoes, and danced en pointe despite her virtually non-existent ballet training. If her parents had seen her dressed the way she was then- or even the way she was in Zoe's class- they'd have disowned her forever. But Annabelle knew deep down that blood relations weren't what made people truly family.

Anna-Jade felt the same way as Annabelle, even though she'd finally began to reconcile with her blood relatives. Her parents had given her life, but by denying the existence of Anna-Jade, they were also threatening to take it away. Anna-Jade had no intention of letting them do so, and had every intention of showing up to her sister's wedding wearing the bridesmaid's dress that was rightfully hers, whether her parents approved or not.

Anna-Jade smile grew even wider as the lesson ended and her new boyfriend Paul approached her, firmly squeezing her soft left buttock in his hand even as she tried to pull a knee-length skirt over her soft long-sleeved leotard. Her parents would undoubtedly approve of him even less than the bridesmaid's dress...

After changing into her long-sleeved minidress, Paige watched with pride as Jessica pulled on her own black denim skirt and long-sleeved top, before reaching into her dance bag for two small vials of pills.

Jessica smiled nervously as she popped the tops off of the vials and rolled the two pills around in her hand. For ten years, she'd dreamed of being a woman to the extent that it had occupied her every waking thought on more than one occasion. She'd watched as her friends and her lover had taken the plunge and started their treatments whilst she'd been left behind, growing increasingly frustrated and depressed at her masculine body. But all that was about to change. Jessica put the two pills on her tongue and washed it down with a swig from her bottle of water. All of her friends cheered as she showed them her empty mouth, symbolising her successful first step toward becoming the woman she always wanted to be.

"I'm so proud of you," Paige whispered as she gave Jessica a long, slow kiss on her lips. "I love you so much."

"I couldn't have done any of this without you," Jessica whispered. "I love you too." As the first drops of the oestrogen began to disperse through Jessica's blood, she found herself daydreaming about the potential her future held- of having SRS and becoming an anatomical woman, of advancing in her career, of becoming a professional, a homeowner... And of becoming a bride. Jessica owed everything she'd accomplished- both personally and professionally- to Paige, and she adored the Scottish girl with all her heart. And yet, Jessica couldn't help but feel that once the oestrogen began to dominate her body, her feelings toward Paige would change...

“Thank you, please fly with us again!” Jessica said, a wide smile on her scarlet lips as she waved the hundred-plus passengers off the aeroplane. Most of the men and women simply ignored the American girl, tired as they were from their flight, but a few acknowledged her with a smile, making Jessica giggle happily. Once all the passengers has disembarked, Jessica returned to the aeroplane, straightening her tight red skirt and elegant pillbox hat before performing her post-flight checks.

“Ugh, I am sweating like a pig,” Abbey complained as she adjusted her own skirt.

“Well, if you will tighten your corset as far as it’ll go…” Jessica teased.

“Well, if my counsellor will refuse to give me oestrogen,” Abbey retorted. “Never mind the fact that I’ve been living as a woman full-time for over a year, never mind the fact that I’m always female when I’m ‘with’ my boyfriend…”

“Never mind the fact that your wardrobe at home contains more latex than cotton,” Jessica teased. “Never mind the fact that when you ‘boyfriend’, it’s only been in the singular for the past month…”

“So I like sex,” Abbey shrugged. “With as many men as possible. Sometimes at the same time. I’m not hurting anyone, it’s not a crime…”

“But your counsellor may see it as a fetish,” Jessica said. “I will admit, when you were my probie a year ago, I had no idea you were such a- such a-“

“’Slut’?” Abbey asked. “It’s okay if you want to say it if it’s what you’re thinking. Hell, it’s what I’M thinking, heh!”

“The word I was looking for was ‘adventurer’,” Jessica said with a devious smile.

“Monogamy doesn’t suit everyone,” Abbey said with a devious smile of her own. “I’m 20, I’m not ready to settle down yet, I want to explore what life has to offer!”

“Then surely you can afford to wait a little before starting oestrogen?” Jessica asked, making Abbey sigh sadly.

“I would say ‘it’s easy for you to say’, but I know for a fact that it isn’t,” the Englishwoman said as Jessica sighed sadly. “Is oestrogen really worth it?”

“Totally,” Jessica whispered, pausing briefly as she felt the blood flow through her veins- the blood that carried the precious female hormone to every corner of her body.

Following her return from America, Jessica had made an appointment with her counsellor, during which she explained what had happened, went into detail about her reconciliation with her family, and made an immediate request for oestrogen. Three days later, Jessica took her first hormone tablet, and didn’t look back. Whilst six weeks wasn’t enough time to produce any physical changes- certainly not on the scale of Paige or Anna-Jade, who had been taking oestrogen for a year and over a year respectively- it enough to make Jessica feel happier, more settled in herself. Before oestrogen, Jessica had been permanently confused, unsure of herself and worried at what the future might bring. Oestrogen was like the final piece of the puzzle, the solution to all of Jessica’s problems. Her anxieties had been replaced by excitement at what the future would bring- and Jessica woke up every morning feeling happier than she had the previous day.

“See what I mean?” Jessica asked, tugging at the over-tightened laces of Abbey’s corset as the two women changed in the cramped locker room. “If there’d been any turbulence on that plane you’d have snapped in half!”

“Oh- whatever,” Abbey sighed, loosening the laces of her corset and breathing a sigh of relief.

“It can’t make it easy to do your job, either,” Jessica said. “Not that any part of these uniforms are designed with that in mind…”

“Yeah, well, that’s an argument for another time,” Abbey sighed. “Sucks that you had to work yesterday, on Valentine’s Day…”

“I’ll live,” Jessica shrugged. “I’ve always got tonight, anyway…” Jessica smiled happily as she hung up her red uniform and slithered into her slinky black pencil dress, before heading to the nearest tube station with Abbey. After bidding the Englishwoman farewell at her tube stop, Jessica hopped off the underground train and walked the short distance to her flat, her smile widening with every step she took in her high-heeled stilettos. As Jessica opened the door to her apartment, the reason for her widening smile finally came into view.

“Hey,” Paige said, wrapping her slender, pale arms around Jessica’s neck and giving the American girl a long, deep kiss.

“Hey,” Jessica said, kissing Paige again and allowing her lipstick to mingle with the colour on the Scottish girl’s lips. “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

“Happy close-enough-to-Valentine’s-Day-that-it-makes-no-difference,” Paige responded. “Dinner’s cooking, should be ready in about twenty minutes. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go and slip into something a lot LESS comfortable…” Jessica giggled as she watched Paige step into their bedroom, emerging fifteen minutes later wearing a scandalously tight black strapless dress that showed off her already-enviable cleavage and virtually every inch of her slender legs, which were, of course, encased in dark tights and ‘topped’ with 5” heeled black stilettos.

“You know,” Jessica said, giving Paige another kiss, “I’m going to get indigestion now, rushing to eat my dinner so I can get to ‘dessert’.”

“I, um, didn’t make any ‘dessert’,” Paige said.

“Yeah… You kinda did,” Jessica giggled, playing with the top of Paige’s dress. The Scottish girl smiled devilishly as she served herself and Jessica each a plateful of hot, rich-smelling food.

Mere minutes later, after the plates- and half a bottle of wine- had been consumed, the two women hastily retreated to their bedroom, their bodies entwined in a passionate embrace. It wasn’t long before the two women’s dresses had found their way to the floor and the women themselves had dived underneath their bed covers, their clinch growing ever tighter…

Jessica moaned as the alarm on her lover’s phone chimed, signalling the start of another day.

“Ah, quit groaning,” Paige sighed, kissing Jessica on her bare shoulder. “You’re not the one who has to get up today…”

“I know, I know,” Jessica sighed, smiling happily at the sight of her lover as she pulled on her bra, thong, corset and stockings. “And the sight IS worth waking up early…” Paige smiled as she playfully wiggled her pert backside for her American lover.

“Make sure you get up before the party tonight,” Paige warned. “You know Rachel will go ballistic if everything isn’t 100% perfect…”

“It’ll all get done,” Jessica laughed. “Provided Anna-Jade can pry herself off of Mr. Kennedy at some point before the evening!”

“A 6’ 1” fitness fanatic with no qualms about dating a T-girl?” Paige asked. “I’m surprised Anna-Jade hasn’t had herself surgically grafted to him yet!” Jessica giggled as Paige pulled on a pristine, sleeveless white blouse, one of her favourite slinky black pencil skirts and a pair of torturously high stiletto heels.

“Mmm,” Jessica moaned, gently caressing Paige’s soft, hairless arm. “Come back to bed...”

“Tonight, I will,” Paige said, kissing Jessica one final time before leaving the flat alongside her flatmate and supervisor.

“You were actually able to tear yourself away from Jessica, then?” Rachel asked.

“As if you’d have given me the choice,” Paige snorted, making Rachel laugh.

“Her ‘girl juice’ isn’t having, you know, an ‘effect’ on things in the bedroom, then?” Rachel asked. “Umm, feel free to say ‘no comment’ if I’m prying, I’ve just always wondered how girls like you and Jess-“

“No comment,” Paige said, whilst flashing Rachel a smile that made it clear that she was VERY satisfied with her relationship with Jessica- even if Paige herself wasn’t fully convinced that this was the case.

From the very first second that she’d started taking oestrogen, Paige was sure that she was making the right decision. Every physical female characteristic that she gained made her feel more complete as a person, and it seemed to Paige that every additional characteristic made Jessica more and more attracted to her. After ten months on oestrogen, Paige truly felt as though she’d been female for her whole life, and when Jessica began her course of hormones, Paige was excited to be able to share the American woman’s journey with her.

However, as Jessica herself began developing female characteristics- no matter how slight- Paige found herself feeling wary, especially when it came to making love. She’d always been attracted to Jessica physically, but a major part of Paige’s attraction to Jessica had stemmed from the fact that the American girl was a physically male person presenting as a woman. The ‘pretense’ added an extra layer of excitement to their lovemaking that Paige felt was slowly disappearing with every oestrogen tablet Jessica took. Sure, she still loved her for who she was- but Paige felt that she wasn’t as in love with Jessica as she was before the American girl began her hormone treatments.

Paige put all concerns about her relationship out of her head as she stepped into the main concourse of Heathrow airport, quickly heading to the Soixante-Trois Airlines locker room to change into her standard blue uniform. Rather than report to an aeroplane, however, Paige followed Rachel down the corridor to a small meeting room, where Paige took a seat alongside a nervous-looking brown-haired woman who was dressed identically to herself- with the obvious exception of Paige’s blue pillbox hat.

“Hi,” Paige said to the young woman. “You must be Rhianna. I’m Paige, Paige Robertson.”

“Hi,” the brown-haired woman replied, sharing a limp, feminine handshake with Paige. “Hi, yeah, I’m Rhianna Ferguson.”

“Good to finally be mentoring a fellow Scot!” Paige giggled. “What part of the country are you from?”

“Dalkeith,” Rhianna replied. “I’m guessing you’re a bit further west than me?”

“Aye, Dumbarton,” Paige said, sharing a giggle as Rachel watched on with a smile on her face.

“Aww,” the blonde supervisor cooed. “I knew you two would get along! And to answer the ‘inevitable question’ you both have… Yes. BOTH of you.”

“Really?” Rhianna asked as she examined Paige’s body. “H- how long, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Pretty much a year to the day since I started oestrogen,” Paige said. “You?”

“Only started two weeks ago,” Rhianna sighed. “I’ve only been living full-time since my nineteenth birthday last August.”

“Well, you still look great,” Paige said with a warm smile. “And you’re only going to look even greater!” The two Scottish women and Rachel shared a laugh as the room slowly started to fill with bodies, two of which belonged to Natalie and Annabelle, who took their seats next to the young woman who would be under their care for the next three months.

“Hello,” Natalie said with a cheerful voice to her ‘charge’, a slender, dark-skinned woman with straight, jet-black hair tied back into a tight ponytail.

“Hello,” the woman replied with a thick Birmingham accent. “I’m Tanisha, Tanisha Grey.”

“Natalie Briggs,” Natalie replied. “I also answer to ‘Nat’ or, if I’m feeling rebellious… Matthew.” Tanisha giggled at Natalie’s openness, which helped to ease the tension she was feeling that was associated with the first day of a new job.

“I prefer ‘Tanisha’,” the dark-skinned girl said. “Much prefer it to ‘Thomas’.”

“Wise girl,” Natalie giggled. “So… How long?”

“Two years,” Tanisha said with a proud grin. “Took my first oestrogen pill on my eighteenth birthday. Was looking forward to SRS next year…”

“’Fraid you’ll have to wait until 2019 for that,” Natalie sighed. “The company will only authorise three months off to recover once you’ve worked for them for three years. Unless you fancy quitting and reapplying once you’re ‘done’…”

“HELL no,” Tanisha laughed. “Nerve-wracking enough getting the job the first time around!” Natalie and Tanisha giggled loudly, earning a stern stare from Rachel, as Annabelle sat down next to her designated girl.

“Hey honey,” Annabelle said in her trademark sweet voice.

“Oh- hi,” the olive-skinned girl replied in a light Portuguese accent. “I- I’m Rosita.”

“Annabelle, Annabelle Cope,” the American girl replied, exchanging air kisses with Rosita. “Nervous?”

“Yes,” Rosita confessed. “Only been learning English for a year.”

“Well your English is very good, honey,” Annabelle said, making the Portuguese girl smile happily as the manager arrived to begin the presentation for the new employees and their mentors.

Eight hours later, the six women- Paige, Natalie, Annabelle, Rhianna, Tanisha and Rosita- exited the briefing room and returned to the locker room to remove their uniforms from their tired bodies.

“Regretting it yet?” Natalie asked the three new girls, who all giggled tiredly.

“It was a LOT to take in,” Rhianna sighed. “I’m glad we’re not expected to do it for real for the first few weeks.”

“Ah, you’ll be fine,” Paige laughed. “It’s a lot of hard work, but you do get to visit some really beautiful locations.”

“And make really great friends!” Annabelle said in a shy voice.

“And meet hunky pilots?” Tanisha asked, giggling as Rhianna playfully whipped her blouse at her. “What? I can’t be the only one thinking it, right?”

“Calm down!” Rachel giggled as she entered the locker room and removed her jacket and skirt. “Don’t want to be disciplined on your first day, do you?

“Depends on what these three are into, I guess,” Natalie shrugged, making Rachel roll her eyes.

“Well, anyway,” Rachel giggled, “you’ve worked hard today, it’s only fair that you get to enjoy yourself tonight, so fix your make-up, girls- I can guarantee a hunky pilot or two at tonight’s party!” The seven women all giggled excited as they repaired their make-up and pulled on the smart, feminine clothing they’d worn on the journey to work. A short while later, they arrived back at Rachel & Paige’s small apartment, which was already filled with several young men and women having a good time.

“Ah, welcome newbies!” Jessica said, greeting all seven women with air kisses- and giving Paige a special greeting by way of a kiss on her lips. “And welcome ‘oldbies’ as well, I guess!”

“Call ME old…” Paige said, before giggling and returning Jessica’s kiss.

“Okay, okay,” Rachel laughed. “No TV cameras here tonight, save it for the bedroom!”

“Trust me, we ARE,” Jessica laughed. “I did invite some of the Angels along but they were all busy, I’m afraid. Well, unless you count Zoe, who’ll be here in about an hour.”

“Can’t believe that, out of all of us, SHE’S going to be the one spending all her time with celebrities…” Rachel spat.

“Stop acting all jealous,” Paige ordered Rachel, who rolled her eyes in response. “Besides, Zoe’s spending all her time with pubescent teenaged girls rather than celebrities.”

“…except on Wednesday mornings,” Rachel snorted.

“Wednesday mornings that you’re more than welcome to attend too,” Jessica reminded Rachel. “I’ll be thinking of you tomorrow, trying to cram information into your students’ heads whilst I’m dancing around with half of one of Britain’s biggest girl bands…”

“You’d better be thinking of me as well,” Paige said, giving her lover a playful shove before heading toward the drinks table with Rhianna.

“Was that the ‘Angel ballet lesson’ you were talking about?” Rhianna asked. “How’d you manage to get into that?”

“Long story,” Paige giggled. “I could always put in a good word for you with the teacher, if you’d like?”

“Maybe once I’m out of probation,” Rhianna giggled. “Think my brain will explode if I try to learn more than one thing at a time, hehe! And more to the point, I’ve got almost twenty years of girlhood to catch up on…”

“Now THAT’s something I know all too well,” Paige sighed. “So, then, seen any hunky pilots you like the look of?”

“One or two,” Rhianna said. “I’m not just going to ‘open wide’ for any old guy, though!”

“Atta girl!” Paige giggled as the two women began to mingle with the packed crowd.

“Brings back memories, doesn’t it?” Natalie giggled as she dragged Tanisha to the sofa where Abbey and Anna-Jade were sat. “It was this time last year for you, Abbey, this time two years ago for me and Anna-Jade…”

“Sure, it hardly feels like two years,” Anna-Jade sighed.

“The job’s THAT enjoyable, then?” Tanisha asked. “Beyond, you know, spending all day wearing a sexy uniform…”

“That’s one of the highlights,” Abbey said. “But you do get to see a lot of beautiful locations, the pay’s great, there are parties, like, every week…”

“Yeah, it IS hard work,” Natalie said. “But it is a dream job for anyone who’s, you know, a ‘girl like us’. Even if you HAVE been transitioning long enough to get your gender recognition certificate…”

“Really?” Abbey asked, her interest piqued. “You’ve been on oestrogen for two years?”

“27 months, to be precise,” Tanisha said with a proud smile. “Got my certificate last month. Would’ve gone for SRS this summer, but I’ve been unemployed for six months… Birmingham’s not the easiest place in the world for a T-girl to find work.”

“Could be worse,” Jessica said as she wedged herself between Abbey and Natalie. “Could be Birmingham, Alabama…”

“Yeah, I remember THAT episode of Top Gear…” Natalie mused. “Still, you’ll never find a more diverse city than London, heh.”

“I dunno, Paris isn’t bad,” Anna-Jade said. “And the scenery’s beautiful, the people are friendly…"

“Oh god,” Jessica moaned as she looked toward the front door of the flat. “Speaking of ‘friendly people from Paris’…”

“What?” Anna-Jade asked, before her stomach sank at the sight of the figure in the front door. “What the fuck is that piece of shit doing here!?”

“Don’t come over here, don’t come over here…” Abbey whispered as the figure approached their sofa.

“Oh- god, Abbey, you didn’t…” Jessica moaned.

“Only once,” Abbey whispered. “Okay, twice…” the young Englishwoman cringed as the man stood in front of the five women, a smile on his face and a glass of wine in his hands.

“Hello, Jacques,” Anna-Jade said, her voice dripping with bile. “Has France finally come its senses and kicked your sorry arse out?”

“Ah, Mademoiselle Houghton,” Jacques said in his trademark oily voice. “Such a pleasure to see you again. And Abigail! Truly, this is a meeting of the Jacques fan club.”

“It’s ‘Abbey’, not ‘Abigail’,” Abbey growled.

“And it’s the ‘Jacques Lacroix can fuck off’ club, not ‘fan club’,” Anna-Jade spat.

“Don’t worry, Anna-Jade usually adds as man swear words as possible to every sentence she says,” Natalie advised Tanisha, before gesturing toward Jacques with her middle finger. “And this slime ball seems to have made it his life’s goal to hump his way through every stewardess who’s ever worked for Soixante-Trois.”

“Not EVERY stewardess, Mademoiselle Briggs,” Jacques said as he gave the giggling Tanisha a kiss on her hand. “Only those who are truly beautiful.”

“I’m flattered,” Tanisha giggled. “But I’m also very aware of your reputation.” The other girls on the sofa all laughed as, without warning, Tanisha flicked Jacques on his bottom lip, causing him to momentarily lose his composure.

“Your loss,” Jacques oozed, his oily confidence returning. “It just means more Jacques for everyone else.” Tanisha giggled as Jacques walked away, quickly finding his next ‘target’.

“Ah, Mademoiselle Cope,” Jacques said, his voice sending a shiver down Annabelle’s spine. “Truly, you look more beautiful with every passing day. Both beautiful and wise, to have such a delicate and precious flower as your pupil.” Annabelle struggled to retain her calm demeanour as Jacques took Rosita’s hand and kissed it, in much the same way he had kissed Tanisha’s.

“Oh, you are Jacques Lacroix,” Rosita said. “Annabelle has told me a lot about you.” Jacques smiled at Rosita, but his smile quickly wavered as Rosita snatched her hand away from him.

“That’s your cue to leave, honey,” Annabelle said to Jacques with a sweet, albeit insincere, smile.

“He is even more disgusting than I thought,” Rosita said. “Thank you for warning me.” Annabelle sighed as she remembered how Jacques had first seduced her, how he had treated her like a princess- and how he had cruelly rid himself of her when some other woman caught his eye. As the American woman scanned the apartment, her gaze caught sight of where Jessica was sat with her friends. Despite her natural aversion to crowds, the sincerity began to return to Annabelle’s smile.

“Honey,” Annabelle said as she led Rosita toward Jessica’s group. “How’d you feel about wearing a tutu?”

The party lasted until late into the evening, by which point the girls were all tired from a combination of alcohol, a long day at work, and racking their brains over how to teach Jacques- who they learned had been promoted to full pilot and moved to London full-time- the lesson he so badly needed.

“It’s going to take ages to wash the oil off of everything Jacques touched,” Jessica shuddered as she eased out of her slinky black dress and climbed into bed.

“What’s he even doing in London?” Paige asked. “Actually, never mind, I don’t want to know. I’m just as happy to forget that he ever existed!”

“Yeah,” Jessica laughed. “Well, as long as everyone’s been warned about him, I guess there’s no harm, after all, he’s a sleazebag, not a rapist. And I know that there’s only one person I want to share my bed with, and it’s DEFINITELY not him!” Paige giggled as she joined Jessica under the sheets and kissed her deeply, before the two young women cuddled their bodies close together and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

For the second morning in a row, Jessica moaned as the alarm on Paige’s phone woke her from her slumber, though her moans quickly turned into sighs when she saw that the phone was mere inches from her ear, and was being held by Paige’s immaculately-manicured hand.

“Morning, beautiful,” Paige- who was already dressed in her pencil dress, hose and heels- giggled, before giving Jessica a quick kiss.

“Morning,” Jessica dreamily sighed. “Have fun with the newbies.”

“Have fun prancing around in skin-tight lycra all morning!” Paige giggled. “Are you sure that isn’t the REAL reason you didn’t sign up to be a mentor this time?”

“It’s not the ONLY one, that’s all I say,” Jessica said, letting out a small giggle. “See you later, babe.” The American woman smiled as Paige left the small bedroom, before getting up and running herself a long, hot shower. After drying her platinum blonde hair, she reached into the bathroom cupboard for two small vials of pills with her name on, and stared at the small tablets she removed from the vials.

“Delicious,” Jessica said with a wide grin, before putting the tablets on her tongue and swallowing them with a gulp of water.

After wrapping a towel around her (still flat) chest and another one around her hair, she padded back to her bedroom, where she applied her make-up and pulled on a clean padded bra and control thong, followed by a pair of soft pink tights and a black tank leotard. After covering up with a tight khaki top, a black miniskirt and a pair of knee-high stiletto heeled boots, Jessica returned to the living room, where she giggled at the sight of Anna-Jade’s lower legs covered in the exact same colour tights as her own.

“Ready?” Jessica asked her Irish flatmate.

“First lesson in three weeks,” Anna-Jade replied. “Can’t wait!”

“Same here!” Jessica giggled.

“Really?” Anna-Jade asked. “Because I remember someone saying before her first lesson ‘I feel silly, this is ridiculous’."

“…And I did feel silly,” Jessica laughed. “But then two things happened.”

“Go on…” Anna-Jade said.

“One, I realised I was with friends,” Jessica said. “Hell, I’m only really doing this to support Zoe. Though learning to dance and wearing a skin-tight leotard is a hell of a bonus!”

“…And two?” Anna-Jade asked.

“Two,” Jessica giggled, before rushing into the bathroom and producing her vial of pills.

“Should’ve guessed,” Anna-Jade giggled, producing her own pill bottle from her handbag and rattling it in time with Jessica’s. “The ultimate cure for when you’re feeling self-conscious! You know who’s joining us this morning?”

“Just Abbey, I think,” Jessica said. “Well, and the obvious person, of course…”

Zoe giggled excitedly as Jessica, Anna-Jade and Abbey strode through the front door of her dance studio and greeted her with tight hugs and air kisses.

“Mes filles!” Zoe said. “Just the three of you today?”

“Yep,” Anna-Jade said. “It’s new recruit season so you won’t be seeing the others for a while, I’m afraid.”

“So you’ll just have to settle for us,” Jessica said. “Well, and all the celebrities, of course!” Jessica smiled as she scanned the posh, clean reception area for faces that she’d known for months from the reality TV she was forced to watch by her flatmates, but who had quickly become good (albeit not especially close) friends. However, one of the faces that she was expecting to see was conspicuous by her absence.

“Where’s Jamie?” The American girl asked, prompting a shrug from Zoe.

“Not here,” Zoe replied. “Think her fiancé’s back in hospital. Why?”

“Oh… Nothing really,” Jessica said as she and her friends headed to the changing room to get ready for their lesson.

Secretly, however, Jessica was bitterly disappointed about the famous transwoman’s absence. Despite her fame, Jamie had always found time to respond to Jessica whenever the American girl had emailed her with questions and concerns over her transition, and had been a strong source of support when she’d started taking oestrogen- a source that Jessica had hoped she’d be able to share with Abbey. Even though it had been nine months since Abbey had stopped being her responsibility, Jessica still thought of the Englishwoman as a surrogate younger sister, and felt a pang of guilt every time Abbey talked about her longing for oestrogen, when Jessica herself had requested and been granted the hormone treatment without any real difficulty.

At the end of the lesson, Jessica pulled her skirt and her top back on and stretched her tired muscles, before coolly striding over to where Zoe was preparing for the rest of the day’s lessons.

“Still enjoying it?” Jessica asked the Frenchwoman, who giggled in response.

“I could ask the same about you,” Zoe replied. “But yes, I’m really loving this. No regrets.”

“I’m glad,” Jessica laughed. “And yes, I’m still loving flying all over the world, seeing all the sights you don’t get to see anymore…”

“If I want to see sights, I simply ask Krystie for a holiday,” Zoe giggled. “Why were you asking about Jamie, anyway? Don’t tell me you’re having regrets that aren’t related to work…”

“No, none at all,” Jessica said. “The only regret I have as regards oestrogen is not starting it earlier. It- it’s Abbey.”

“Ah,” Zoe whispered.

“Is she settling in well at your place?” Jessica asked. “Rooming with Annabelle must be an experience for her…”

“They get on fine,” Zoe shrugged. “Though obviously, Annabelle isn’t very ‘open’… Doesn’t Abbey have a work counsellor she can talk to?”

“Yes, but I don’t know that she goes very often,” Jessica replied. “It’d be much better for her to have another T-girl to talk to, someone she doesn’t work with. Aren’t there usually two other T-girls at this lesson?”

“Usually,” Zoe replied. “But Stephanie- the singer- is busy rehearsing for her tour, and Nikki’s at home caring for her fiancée, think she had her, erm, whatever the English for dents de sagesse is, removed.”

“Damn,” Jessica moaned.

“They’ll probably be back next week,” Zoe said. “Pity you didn’t decide to be a mentor this time round- you make such a great ‘big sister’. Though if you did, you’d probably make Abbey jealous, hehe!”

“Did I just hear my name mentioned?” Abbey asked, approaching the two women with a short, tight sweater dress covering her own dancewear. “Great lesson today, by the way!”

“Merci,” Zoe laughed.

“Abbey,” Jessica whispered, “when- when was the last time you went to see a counsellor? You know, a transgender specialist?”

“…It may have been a while,” Abbey mumbled.

“How long?” Jessica asked with a long sigh.

“…A few months,” Abbey said, making Jessica groan.

“So they haven’t been denying you oestrogen as such, you just haven’t asked?” Jessica asked.

“Oh- don’t look at me like that,” Abbey sighed. “I’ve had a lot on, I’ve been busy at work, I’ve had to move to a different country…”

“You’ve been busy complaining about not being prescribed oestrogen,” Jessica sighed. “Abbey- I’m not disappointed in you, I’m really not, I- I’m just concerned. What’ve you got planned for the rest of the day?”

“Just relaxing,” Abbey said. “Maybe abusing my credit card a bit online.”

“Fancy abusing it at some real shops?” Jessica asked, making the Englishwoman smile.

“Retail therapy instead of ‘proper’ therapy?” Abbey asked.

“Meh, it’s still therapy, isn’t it?” Jessica asked, giggling with Abbey as they left the dance studio and headed into the retail centre of London.

In the small lounge area at Heathrow airport, Paige, Natalie and Annabelle all relaxed after their second morning looking after their new colleagues.

“I love newbie season,” Natalie giggled as she leaned back in her chair. “And not just because we effectively get a week off, hehe!”

“A week off in which you’re supposed to be passing your alleged wisdom onto the next wave of employees, Miss Briggs,” Rachel teased.

“Less of the ‘alleged’, please,” Natalie retorted, making Rachel laugh. “The company wouldn’t make such a flagrant mistake as picking an inexperienced or inappropriate mentor, would it?”

“No, of course not,” Rachel retorted with a laugh. “Annabelle, you getting along well with Rosita? I figured that as you were both quiet people, you’d ‘click’. Hope I was right?”

“Yeah, she’s nice,” Annabelle said. “Can’t believe she’s a T-girl too…”

“The company only hires T-girls if they can pass,” Paige remarked. “I mean, REALLY pass. I’ll admit, when I applied, I thought there was no way they’d ever actually hire me.” Natalie and Annabelle nodded in agreement as they heard their own stories reflected in Paige’s words, before the mood of the group lightened considerably with the arrival of Rhianna, Tanisha and Rosita.

“Hey, honeys!” Natalie laughed, making Annabelle roll her eyes at the use of her ‘catchphrase’. “Go on, show us those shiny new IDs!” The three new employees all giggled shyly as they held up the new laminated cards for the other four women to see.

“You’re one of us now,” Rachel said with a proud grin.

“One of us… One of us…”Natalie and Paige playfully chanted, before a stern stare from the supervisor silenced them.

“It’s all starting to seem so real,” Tanisha laughed. “I know that must sound silly…”

“Nah, we’ve all been there, had our ‘first day’s,” Paige said. “Even Rachel, even though her first day was, like, a millennium ago…”

“I’m 28, you cheeky little so and so!” Rachel retorted as the other girls laughed. “Still remember my first day like it was yesterday, though obviously, there WERE fewer employees back then, fewer destinations that the company flew to-“

“-And no transgendered stewardesses,” Natalie finished Rachel’s sentence for her.

“And no fancy parties either,” Rachel continued, laughing off Natalie’s interruption. “Hope you three weren’t too hung over this morning?”

“No, hardly drank anything last night,” Tanisha said.

“Or me,” Rosita concurred.

“No drink,” Rhianna said with a wicked grin, “but I may or may not have met a cute guy…”

“Ooh,” Paige, Natalie, Annabelle and Rachel cooed excitedly, before their excitement suddenly changed to concern.

“This guy…” Rachel asked cautiously, “What- what was his name, Rhianna?”

“Pierre,” Rhianna answered, causing the other women to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Honey,” Annabelle asked, her own tone still one of caution, “did he look anything like this?” Annabelle held up her smartphone for the Scottish girl to see, who nodded happily.

“Aye,” Rhianna said. “That’s him. Do you know him, Annabelle?”

“EVERYONE knows him, honey,” Annabelle sighed. “That ‘man’s name isn’t Pierre, it’s Jacques Lacroix.”

“What- no…” Rhianna gasped. “But- but he seemed so nice, so gentle…”

“Yeah, he does at first,” Annabelle spat. “Then he sees another girl he likes the look of and you suddenly cease to exist. No matter how devoted you were to him…”

“Trust me,” Natalie said. “You’ll really be doing yourself a favour if you broke it off with Jacques now. I mean, he’s already lied to you about his name, for god’s sake!”

“I- I dunno,” Rhianna said. “You don’t know what he’s like when you’re alone with him…”

“Yeah, I do, honey,” Annabelle said.

“So do I,” Rachel whispered. “So does half of Paris.”

“Rhi,” Tanisha said. “You heard the stories.”

“Rumours,” Rhianna retorted. “I heard the RUMOURS about him. Can- can we just eat, please?” The other six women nodded as they headed to the food counter to collect their meals, but their concern for Rhianna, specifically her fledgling relationship, was obvious.

Abbey giggled as she paraded in front of Jessica in her tiny designer black dress, making sure to show off every inch of her smooth, bare legs to anyone else who might be watching.

“Gorgeous,” Jessica gushed. “No man will be able to resist you!”

“How would you know?” Abbey teased. “You’re a WOMAN! Me, on the other hand…” Jessica smiled sadly as Abbey let out a long sigh, before returning to the changing room to try on another dress.

“The more you bring it up, the more I’m going to pry,” Jessica reminded her English friend. “Whole point of this shopping trip is to help you feel better, it’s going to take more than just a few new dresses to do that!”

“Yeah, I know,” Abbey moaned. “I’ll have to get a couple of new skirts as well!” Jessica giggled, though her determination to help her friend didn’t waver.

“Sounds like a plan,” Jessica said. “But you’ll feel better putting something IN your body rather than ON it.”

“So… You want me to pick up a guy as well?” Abbey asked, making the American woman roll her eyes.

“You KNOW what I mean,” Jessica said.

“Two guys?” Abbey retorted, making Jessica laugh uncontrollably. “Because that’s not as much fun as it seems at first…”

“Two PILLS,” Jessica said, before playfully wolf whistling as Abbey stepped out of the changing room in a flared, strapless dress made from opaque black chiffon.

“I told you,” Abbey said. “My counsellor rejected my request for oestrogen. No sense in flogging a dead horse.”

“And how along ago was this rejection>” Jessica asked, grimacing as Abbey turned her head away in shame and mumbled in response.

“Didn’t quite get that, Miss Watkins?” Jessica pressed further.

“Year and a half,” Abbey mumbled more coherently. “Just after I’d started living full-time. Stupid woman called it a ‘fetish’.”

“If it was days after you’d started, maybe she didn’t have the evidence she needed,” Jessica shrugged.

“Oh, she had evidence,” Abbey snorted. “The fact that my wardrobe was full of costumes and PVC leotards instead of dresses like this, the fact that I was wearing five times as much make-up as I am now…”

“Exactly,” Jessica said, confusing Abbey. “That was then, this is now. Now, you’ve lived and worked full-time as a woman- a PROFESSIONAL woman- for over a year.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t still have the costumes, though,” Abbey sighed.

“I’ve got a damned Cinderella dress in my wardrobe at home!” Jessica laughed.

“You don’t regularly wear it, though,” Abbey retorted. “Doubt any counsellor would look favourably at me regularly wearing my playboy bunny costume.”

“It wouldn’t be an immediate deal-breaker either,” Jessica said. “When you change out of the bunny costume, you pull a skirt back on, don’t you?”

“Well- yes,” Abbey sighed. “Okay, okay, I’ll see my counsellor again…”

“I wouldn’t recommend that,” Jessica said with a smug smile.

“Seriously?” Abbey asked.

“You clearly don’t like the woman,” Jessica said. “I’d recommend you see MY counsellor. She’s smart. Seriously smart, and she’ll hear everything you have to say and look at things objectively. Even if her daughter is one of the girls at our regular ballet class, heh!”

“Ah, keeping it in the family,” Abbey laughed.

“And playboy bunny?” Jessica asked as Abbey scooped up her purchases. “Seriously?”

“I always wanted to be a playboy bunny,” Abbey sighed. “Well, between wanting to be a lingerie model, Las Vegas showgirl and stewardess, anyway.”

“Meh, just means I know what we’re doing for your next three birthdays!” Jessica giggled.

After paying for her purchases, Abbey- under the strict eye of Jessica- called the number the American girl provided for her counsellor, who agreed to let Abbey sit in on one of the group sessions that Jessica regularly attended. Satisfied with the English girl’s actions, Jessica invited Abbey back to her apartment for a late lunch, only to discover that they weren’t alone.

“Umm… Hey, girls!” Jessica said, entering her home to discover Paige, Annabelle, Natalie, Tanisha and Rosita sat on the sofa in their smart commuting dresses.

“Hey, Darcey Bussell!” Natalie giggled, her upbeat mood a sharp contrast to the dour expressions of the other four women.

“Hey,” Jessica whispered, sitting down next to Paige and giving the Scottish woman a long kiss. “Umm… Who’s died?”

“My probie’s self-respect,” Paige sighed, resting her head on Jessica’s shoulder. “Guess who she hooked up with last night?”

“Oh, you have to be kidding,” Abbey moaned. “’Le connard’? Seriously? You didn’t warn her about him?”

“I warned her about Jacques Lacroix,” Paige sighed. “I didn’t warn her about ‘Pierre LeFleche’.”

“He’s using pseudonyms to pick up girls?” Abbey spat. “The rapist…”

“It’s despicable, I agree,” Natalie said. “That’s why you’re looking at the two newest members of the Tutu Project!”

“As long as we get to wear actual tutus!” Tanisha giggled.

“Everyone in this room has undoubtedly dreamed of wearing gorgeous, girly costumes at one point or another,” Jessica said, sharing a knowing smile with Abbey. “I can guarantee you that yes, there will be actual tutus involved!” All seven girls giggled excitedly as they began to discuss ideas on how to execute the ‘Tutu Project’, a discussion that was eagerly joined by Anna-Jade upon her return from her boyfriend’s house and by Rachel and Zoe upon their return from their places of work.

After a filling takeout meal, Jessica headed into the kitchen to clear away the dishes when she was unexpectedly joined by Annabelle, who was wearing a concerned expression on her face.

“What’s up, Annabelle?” Jessica asked the woman who she used to see as a bitter rival, but who had quickly become one of her closest friends.

“Honey…” Annabelle whispered. “About Jacques…”

“What- what is it?” Jessica asked. “You- you don’t still miss him, do you?”

“I wish I didn’t,” Annabelle moaned, prompting Jessica to give her a big hug. “I mean, he’s a real, you know, b-word, but when he is with you, he really is devoted to you…”

“Until someone else comes along,” Jessica spat.

“Exactly,” Annabelle said. “The man is scum… But- but he’s well-connected scum.”

“’Well-connected’?” Jessica asked.

“He’s Antoine Masson’s nephew,” Annabelle said, causing Jessica to groan with frustration. “Or second cousin, I’m not quite sure. Either way, they’re related… Whatever Jacques wants, Jacques gets.”

“Including a steady stream of attractive young stewardesses,” Jessica spat. “Easy to tell that he’s related to Masson.”

“And he’s vindictive too,” Annabelle said.

“I remember,” Jessica nodded. “Natalie and Zoe used to be together in secret, behind Zoe’s sister’s back… Jacques blew that wide open simply because Natalie talked to him in a way he didn’t like.”

“Sounds like Jacques,” Annabelle snorted. “So I’m not sure this ‘Tutu Project’ is such a good idea. If Jacques wants revenge, and he will…”

“We can’t simply let him screw his way through every stewardess employed by the company,” Jessica pleaded. “You know that Paige’s probie will be in this apartment in a few weeks’ time, curled up in a ball, crying her eyes out because this ‘perfect gentleman’ chucked her once he got bored of her.”

“All I’m saying is that we need to be careful,” Annabelle said.

“And we will,” Jessica said. “And when we’re done with Jacques, so will he. I guarantee it.” Annabelle smiled an uneasy smile as she and Jessica grabbed a bottle of wine before rejoining their friends in the lounge, but deep down, she knew that by going up against Jacques, she was risking a lot to gain the revenge she so badly craved.

The following morning, the eight young women from both flats coolly strode into Heathrow airport dressed in their smart commuting attire of tight dresses and pencil skirts- all apart from Zoe, however, who looked smug and comfortable in her black leggings, short denim skirt, dark pink hoodie and pink sneakers.

“One of us is not like the others,” Natalie mused, earning a playful shove from her French lover.

“Hey,” Rachel said, before rolling her eyes at Zoe’s defiant grin. “Don’t make me call security and have you escorted out…”

“As if you would,” Zoe giggled, sticking her tongue out at her former supervisor. “You all have fun in Madrid. And Berlin. And your classroom!”

“We will!” Jessica said.

“She is so lucky,” Abbey sighed as she watched Zoe leave. “Doing her dream job…”

“So,” Rachel teased, “are you telling me that being a Soixante-Trois stewardess ISN’T your dream job?”

“Well… One of them, anyway!” Abbey giggled.

“Imagine our Abbey wearing a strapless satin leotard, a pair of ears and a fuzzy tail on her bottom,” Jessica teased, making Abbey blush.

“I think it’s Abbey herself who’s most excited by that thought!” Natalie laughed as she and the other women changed into their uniforms for the day ahead.

“Well, there IS a Playboy Club in London,” Rachel said.

“Yeah, spot the immediate problem there?” Abbey retorted.

“Says the woman- the WOMAN- pulling on a tight pencil skirt and a pair of high heels,” Paige said. “The same EU regulations that means that Soixante-Trois had to hire you have surely got to apply to the Playboy Club too?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Abbey shrugged. “In the meantime, though, we’re all off to sunny Spain!”

“Some of you are, anyway,” Rachel sighed. “I’m sure you’ll be thinking of Anna-Jade and I as we brave a wet, cold afternoon in Berlin, whilst you two are scorching hot in Madrid…”

“Hardly ‘scorching’, it is only February,” Jessica laughed as she zipped up her tight red skirt. “It’ll be hotter in the ‘classroom’…”

“We’re showing the newbies around planes today,” Natalie laughed. “Planes that ALL of us will be spending most of today onboard, so no one really has a right to complain about being colder than anyone else, do they?”

“Right,” Paige giggled. “And besides, who cares if we’re not warm today? We’ll always be HOT!”

“Hell yeah!” Anna-Jade cheered as she balanced her blue pillbox hat atop her head and followed her colleagues out of the locker room.

After they’d finished dressing, Natalie, Paige and Annabelle headed toward the small conference room where Rhianna, Tanisha and Rosita were waiting for them, their uniforms smartly pressed and- with one exception- their faces covered in wide smiles. Paige frowned in confusion as she sat down next to Rhianna- the only one of the ‘newbies’ not to be smiling.

“Hey,” Paige said to the younger Scottish woman. “You okay? Jacques behaving himself?”

“I don’t get why you’re all so down on him,” Rhianna retorted. “Have you ever actually tried to get to know him, like, really get to know him?”

“Nah, I have trouble walking in heels when the floor’s covered in slime,” Paige said, making Rhianna snort derisively. “Okay, fine, let’s- let’s just leave our private lives in private, okay? Concentrate on our work?”

“Fine with me,” Rhianna said, turning to face the front of the small room where the women’s manager was ready to begin the day’s presentation.

All throughout the day, Paige noted the Rhianna behaved strangely around not just her, but the other women as well- even the other newbies, with whom Rhianna had quickly made friends. Eventually, 5pm rolled around and the women were preparing to change out of their uniforms, but before they could do so, they were intercepted at the entrance of the locker room by Rachel.

“Hey girls,” Rachel said in a quiet, almost sombre voice. “I- I just need a word before you go in and change. Not you, Rhianna- you go and get ready for home.” Rhianna nodded with a guilty look on her face as Rachel led the other women to a nearby office, where the still-uniformed Anna-Jade was waiting for them.

“What’s up?” Natalie asked the blonde supervisor. “Has ‘le connard’-“

“We’re not to refer to him by that ‘name’ ever again,” Rachel sighed. “Nor are we to have any contact with Jacques that isn’t strictly professional. This has come down from Antoine Masson himself.”

“Oh- what?” Paige asked, her face a mixture of confusion and anger.

“Jacques has complained that we’re quote-unquote bullying him,” Rachel explained.

“Rhianna,” Paige spat.

“I can’t say for certain, but yep, that’d be my guess too,” Rachel sighed. “Believe me when I say I really don’t want to be telling you off about this- I want to see him taken down just as badly as you do.”

“I doubt it,” Anna-Jade mumbled.

“Four months after I started,” Rachel retorted. “He’d joined the company at about the same time, we got talking to each other, one thing led to another… Three weeks. That’s how long it lasted. Three weeks then he kicked me to the side and wrapped his face around some other tart. I’d never, ever felt so used. So yes. I want revenge. And now, I can’t get it.”

“How did Rhianna find out, anyway?” Natalie asked.

“Me,” Rosita whispered in a small, ashamed voice. “I- I may have told her…”

“Oh- Rosita…” Paige sighed.

“We’re room-mates,” the Portuguese girl mumbled. “I- I don’t like keeping things from people.”

“Well, what’s done is done,” Rachel said. “And frankly, I prefer people who are too honest to people who are bare-faced liars. So I think we can all forgive Rosita, right?”

“Right,” Natalie said, giving Rosita a gentle hug, followed by the other girls.

“…Right,” Anna-Jade said last of all, before joining in the group hug.

“Rhianna, on the other hand…” Paige said.

“Rhianna too,” Rachel said, shooting a stern stare at Paige.

“…Rhianna too,” Paige sighed.

“So, I guess that’s that, then,” Anna-Jade sighed. “The Tutu Project: Dead as a fucking dodo.”

“And le co- Jacques will continue to screw his way through all of Soixante-Trois’s stewardesses,” Natalie spat.

“Oh, I never said the Tutu Project was dead,” Rachel said.

“You just called us all in here for a bollocking,” Anna-Jade said. “Kinda easy to infer that yes, it IS dead.”

“I called you in here because I was told to,” Rachel said. “That doesn’t mean I agree with management.”

“How are we meant to carry out the Tutu Project if we’re not allowed to have non-professional contact with Jacques?” Paige asked.

“We’re not allowed to have contact with him,” Rachel said with a smug smile. “That doesn’t mean that he’s not allowed to have contact with us…” The women listened intently as Rachel detailed her plan, before leaving the office fifteen minutes later desperately trying to disguise their excitement. Rachel hung around the office for another hour and a half, waiting for Jessica and Abbey’s return from Spain, before filling them in on the plan and accompanying them on their journey back home.

“It’s a bold plan, Rachel,” Jessica said as she stepped through her front door and immediately grabbed her iPad, opening up the Amazon app.

“You sound surprised,” Rachel giggled. “Need I remind you that I know him just as well as anyone else?”

“It’s just- I never expected to be buying THIS,” Jessica said. “And I never expected you, of all people, to be recommending it to me!”

“Just because I have ambition, doesn’t mean I’m a total square,” Rachel retorted. “And besides, how do you know that I don’t already own anything like this?”

“I’ll let my imagination rest there,” Jessica snorted. “Okay, ordered. Should get here on Saturday.”

“And who doesn’t love Amazon Prime?” Rachel asked with a chuckle. “Saturday evening it is, then!” Jessica smiled as she went into the kitchen and prepared dinner for the flat, though as she went to bed later that night, she was nervous- Rachel’s plan had every chance of backfiring on the girls, and she dreaded the consequences if they did.

When Jessica arrived at Heathrow airport the following day with the other girls, she was greeted by a stern look on the face of her intended ‘target’- and her nerves quickly turned into outright fear.

“Mademoiselles,” Jacques said in a smug voice. “I understand that you feel I am to be taught a lesson, yes?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Rachel replied.

“Ah, Mademoiselle Harrison,” Jacques oozed. “When will you learn your place in this company, as well as in life?”

“And what ‘place’ is that?” Rachel asked.

“Underneath me,” Jacques whispered, causing Rachel’s face to turn red with rage. “I shall overlook your bullying for now, as I am a generous, kind man.” Jacques paused briefly as Natalie snorted with derisive laughter.

“I shall overlook that too, Mademoiselle Briggs,” Jacques continued. “Your ‘Tutu Project’ will not succeed. I will not be tricked by a group of bimbos such as yourselves, and you will not keep the wise women of Soixante-Trois from enjoying everything that Jacques has to offer.”

“I assume ‘wise’ means something different in French to what it means in English,” Anna-Jade spat, quivering with fury as Jacques laughed in her face.

“It means ‘knowing when you are beaten’,” Jacques oozed. “’Knowing to play for the winning team’. Mademoiselle Grey?” the women’s jaws all dropped as, with a guilty look on her face, Tanisha stepped forward from the group and linked her fingers with the French pilot.

“…Sorry,” Tanisha shrugged as she walked away hand-in-hand with Jacques, leaving the other women stood in the middle of the concourse, their mouths agape.

What Jacques didn’t see, however, were the women exchanging fist bumps and high-fives once he was out of sight.

Later that evening, after a long day at work, Paige, Rachel, Natalie, Annabelle and Rosita all returned to Natalie and Annabelle’s flat, sighing heavily as they crashed onto the plush sofas.

“So, Rosita,” Natalie teased. “Regretting taking this job yet?”

“Not at all,” Rosita giggled as she slipped off her high-heeled shoes and stared at her dark red toenails through her translucent stockings. “It really is a dream that’s true.”

“Glad to hear it,” Rachel said. “You’ve worked hard this week… It’s only fair that you get the opportunity to play hard as well!”

“Oh- I don’t know,” Rosita said hesitantly. “I’m not really into clubs…”

“Flaunt that sexy body!” Natalie said, making Rosita club. “Besides, after this week, I think we could all use the opportunity to unwind.”

“Definitely,” Rachel said. “We’ll not stay out long, just a few drinks. Just enough for, well, you know.” The other four women all smiled and nodded in agreement, before heading into Natalie’s bedroom to change into tiny black dresses for their night out.

“Thank you for lending me this dress, Natalie,” Rosita said as she squeezed herself into the tight, strapless garment. “I do love strapless dresses…”

“It’s my pleasure,” Natalie giggled as she pushed her dangliest, most frivolous earrings through her earlobes.

“I just wish Rhianna and Tanisha could come out with us tonight,” Rosita sighed.

“You know why they can’t,” Paige said, straightening her opaque black tights. “But don’t worry about it too much… I’m sure everything’s going to work out just fine.”

“Exactly,” Rachel said. “So just relax and enjoy the weekend. I know for a fact that I will!” Rosita smiled, before adjusting her dress and following the other women out to their waiting taxis. After picking up Jessica, Anna-Jade and Abbey from the other apartment and Zoe from her place of work, the two taxis headed into the centre of London, depositing the nine excited young women outside a loud, packed nightclub.

“To a successful first week!” Rachel toasted, clinking her glass (which had been filled with an expensive cocktail) with the other seven women’s glasses.

“And to all the weeks to come!” Natalie laughed. “Especially if the production company decide to record our training sessions…”

“Sadly, if one of the newbies vetoes, that means we can’t record them at all,” Rachel sighed.

“Not me this time!” Rosita said, prompting a mass giggle.

“I never doubted you for a second,” Paige laughed, giving Rosita a quick hug. “So, take a look out at all the hunky English guys. Sure, they may be English, but there’s got to be a couple who take your fancy, right?”

“And there’s bound to be a couple of open-minded guys out there who fancy a gorgeous olive-skinned 22 year old, regardless of her genetics, right?” Abbey asked.

“Right!” Rosita giggled, sipping her drink.

“Unless, of course, you’d prefer a girl…” Jessica laughed, cuddling Paige’s cinched waist close to her.

“No, no no no,” Rosita chuckled. “My mouth is ‘Man Only’!”

“At least kiss them first!” Natalie said, making Rosita blush as she realised her double entendre.

“Aww, don’t be shy, honey!” Annabelle said. “You can’t really afford to be shy when you’re up in the air, serving hundreds of passengers…”

“And she knows better than anyone!” Jessica said, giving Annabelle a quick cuddle and making the taller American girl blush herself.

“So, guy or girl,” Natalie said, wrapping her arms around Zoe’s waist, “get out there and take your pick!”

“I know for a fact that’s where I’m going now!” Abbey said, coolly striding onto the dancefloor and flirting with the first guy she saw.

“Same here,” Annabelle said confidently. Shrugging her shoulders, Rosita followed the two blonde women onto the dancefloor, with Rachel bringing up the rear, and soon, the four women were bumping and grinding the night away.

After a mere thirty minutes, however, Abbey’s cheerful mood vanished when she saw a familiar figure stride into the club, accompanied by two equally familiar women.

“Rachel,” Abbey whispered, dragging the 28 year old woman away from the man she’d had her eye on.

“What’s up?” Rachel asked. “I’m kinda busy here…” Rachel’s frown at Abbey’s interruption deepened when she followed the young woman’s eye line and found herself staring straight into the smug face of Jacques Lacroix.

“Ah,” Jacques said as he approached the two women, with Rhianna hanging off one arm and Tanisha hanging off the other. “Is this a nightclub, or is it the Jacques Lacroix fan club?”

“Go away Jacques,” Rachel spat. “We’re not supposed to have contact outside of work, remember?”

“Oh,” Jacques cooed, his smile growing more and more smug with every word he spoke. “But you are not allowed to contact me. There is nothing stopping me from speaking to you, if I so wish.”

“Wish off, Jacques,” Abbey snorted, making the French pilot laugh.

“Ah, see the jealousy in her eyes, girls?” Jacques asked, making Rhianna and Tanisha giggle excitedly.

“I see you’ve dropped the pretense and just decided to date two girls at once,” Rachel spat. “You okay with being ‘number two’, Tanisha?”

“There is more than enough of Jacques to go around,” Jacques said, interrupting the dark-skinned girl before she could speak. “They do not mind, so neither do I.” Rachel shook with anger as Tanisha and Rhianna both flashed sweet, smug smiles at her before heading onto the dancefloor to dance with Jacques.

“I take it we’re leaving?” Abbey asked.

“I’ll get the girls from upstairs, you get Annabelle and Rosita,” Rachel said. Abbey nodded as she rounded up her two friends, and soon the nine women were on their way back home for an early night.

The following morning, all of the women (apart from Zoe and Rosita) woke up early for their shifts at work, which they conducted with their usual high level of professionalism. Upon their return from their various European destinations, however, they changed into their commuting attire as fast as possible before returning to Jessica’s apartment, where Zoe and Rosita were waiting with several boxes that had been delivered from Amazon.

“Is everything here?” Jessica asked.

“I’ve checked and double-checked,” Zoe said. “Everything we need is here. I kinda got some… Odd looks from the delivery man when he brought it.”

“I don’t doubt it!” Rachel laughed as she looked at what was contained in her box.

“Soo…” Natalie asked. “I take it we’re not changing here?”

“I sure as hell am not,” Zoe laughed as she showed Natalie the contents of her box.

“What- why the fuck exactly did you buy THOSE!?” Anna-Jade asked the French girl.

“I’ll tell you when we get home,” Zoe said with a giggle. “It’s just gone 7pm… They should be back by now.”

“Then it’s show time, girls!” Rachel said. “If you want to back out, now’s your last chance. I won’t lie, there’s still a chance this could go REALLY badly… But there’s also the chance that it could go REALLY well.”

“I’m going nowhere,” Annabelle said. “Rosita, honey, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to, Jacques ain’t never done anything to you…”

“I’m going nowhere either,” Rosita said, confidently snatching her box from Annabelle’s hands and making the American girl grin widely.

“Then it IS show time!” Rachel giggled as she led the women (and their boxes) into two waiting taxis.

Tanisha smiled as she strode into her modest bedroom, her slender, dark-skinned body clad in a tiny, translucent baby doll. She smiled wickedly at the sight of Rhianna laid on the bed wearing a similar piece of lingerie, and of Jacques laid next to her, wearing nothing but a long, oriental-patterned kimono.

"This gonna be your first threesome, Jacques?" Tanisha asked.

"Ah-ah-ah," Rhianna teased. "You mean 'ménage a trois', right?"

"Pardon," Tanisha giggled in as accurate a French accent as her feminine voice could manage.

"A gentleman never kisses and tells," Jacques oozed, kissing Rhianna on her lips before doing the same to Tanisha. "Mademoiselles, for tonight, Jacques is yours for to do with as you please."

"I was really hoping you'd say that," Tanisha said, before reaching into her nightstand and producing a pair of hot pink, fur-lined handcuffs.

"Oh-ho-ho," Jacques giggled as Tanisha waved the handcuffs in front of him. "You desire a captive audience?"

"You ARE ours, aren't you?" Rhianna cooed in Jacques's ear. "To do with as we please?"

"And this-" Tanisha said, gesturing to her lingerie- "isn't coming off until these go on." Jacques smiled a lustful smile as he held his hands against the bed post, smiling as Tanisha crawled up his body and wrapped one cuff around his left wrist.

"Do you want this, Jacques?" Rhianna whispered in Jacques's ear.

"My desire knows no bounds," Jacques oozed.

"Then ask for it," Tanisha ordered. "Beg for it!"

"I beg you," Jacques whispered. "Cuff me." Tanisha smiled wickedly as she attached the second cuff to his right wrist, leaving Jacques tethered to the bedpost.

"Now," Tanisha cooed as she stood at the end of the bed. "The REAL fun can begin."

"Girls!" Rhianna yelled, startling her captive lover. "You can come in now!"

"Qua-" Jacques blurted, his eyes going wide as nine feminine figures barged into the small bedroom, crowding round the double bed.

The nine unexpected guests were each wearing very different outfits, but they were similar enough to evoke a theme- a theme that caused Jacques's blood to run cold. Jessica, Natalie, Paige, Anna-Jade, Annabelle, Rosita and Rachel were all wearing skin-tight black latex catsuits, extra-high platform stilettos and were each carrying what could only be described as weapons including whips and riding crops- weapons they took delight in whacking down into the sheets mere inches from Jacques's vulnerable body. Zoe was also clad in a catsuit, but instead of the platform stilettos worn by her friends, on her feet she had a pair of knee-high ballet boots that forced her feet- one of which she rested on the pillow in full view of Jacques's terrified eyes- into an en pointe position.

Abbey's costume, however, was the most extravagant of them all. Instead of a catsuit, she wore a skin-tight, bright red leotard with a scanty thong back, matching latex stockings, a pair of bicep-length latex gloves in the same colour and clear plastic platform stilettos with a suicidally high 8 inch heel.

"Try not to fall over," Jessica whispered to Abbey as the Englishwoman leaned in close to Jacques's terrified face.

"You are not supposed to have contact with me," Jacques said in a bold, albeit scared voice. "If my uncle-"

"Oh, hush," Rhianna cooed, silencing Jacques with a carefully-manicured finger on his lips. "They're here because I invited them here."

"YOU!" Jacques yelled. "You- you are-"

"You're dumped," Rhianna spat at Jacques, causing the Frenchman to frown in frustration. "I want you out of my life as soon as possible, you disgusting, greasy pervert!"

"Then unlock me and I'll go," Jacques said.

"And go crying straight to your uncle," Rachel spat. "Right before conning another poor, innocent girl into climbing into your bed."

"We intend to make sure that you never, ever treat another woman the way you treated us," Anna-Jade growled at her ex-lover.

"And how, exactly, do you intend to do that?" Jacques asked. "Revenge porn is illegal in the UK. If you touch me without my consent, it would be just as if I touched you without your consent. And I am not a rapist."

"No, that's true," Natalie shrugged. "You're a disgusting, filthy, oily slime ball who treats women like they're garbage, but you do at least ask for permission first."

"So unlock me," Jacques said. "And I'll forget this ever happened."

"Possibly the only mature thing you've ever said in your entire life," Rachel snorted. "I'd almost be tempted to believe that you’ve learned your lesson." Jacques yelped as Rachel brought her riding crop down onto the sheets mere inches from his inner thigh. "Almost."

"Then torture me," Jacques spat. "I dare you. A month from now, you'll all be in prison! This is unlawful imprisonment!"

"Is it?" Natalie asked as she rested a laptop on the foot of the bed, on which was a video of the events that had just transpired in the bedroom.

"I beg you, cuff me," the video image of Jacques said.

"Girls," Rachel said, "you might want to turn up the heat in here, Jacques has gone awfully pale..."

"My uncle will believe me!" Jacques pleaded, his confidence wavering.

"You want your uncle to see you laid on the bed like this, surrounded by nine dominatrixes?" Jessica asked.

"Um, uh-" Jacques stammered. "You can't touch me! You can't lay a finger on me!"

"Ew, why would we want to?" Annabelle asked. "Trust me, honeys, he can make three inches look huge!"

"That's a lie!" Jacques yelled, straining against his bonds before laying back down on the bed, defeated. "What do you want from me?"

"Huh, turns out he's deaf as well as ugly," Anna-Jade snorted. "What was I you said, anyone?"

"You said," Rachel answered, "And I quote, 'we intend to make sure that you never, ever treat another woman the way you treated us'."

"And I won't," Jacques pleaded. "I promise!"

"And we believe you," Paige said.

"Then let me go!" Jacques yelled. "Please!"

"I wasn't finished," Paige laughed. "We believe that you say you won't. You may even believe it yourself, for a couple of days, anyway. And then, some poor girl will take your fancy, and the old Jacques will come slithering back like the bad smell that he is."

"He won't," Jacques said, tears of desperation starting to form in his eyes.

"Ooh, here come the waterworks," Abbey giggled. "Nat, are you getting this?"

"Every last drop," Natalie giggled as she held her smartphone up to Jacques's tear-stained face.

"I'm sure every girl will want to date a crybaby," Rachel laughed.

"I am transgender!" Jacques yelled, startling the room into silence. "I am like you- like most of you. Always, I dreamed of being a girl, but I couldn't, so I became who I am today. I am as much a victim as you all are. Surely, you would not treat a sister like this?"

"One," Rachel snapped, slamming her riding crop into the bed again to emphasise her point. "Even if we believed you were transgender- which we don't- it doesn't make you a 'sister'. The way you've treated us- and all the other girls you discarded- means that we will NEVER view you as a 'sister'."

"Two," Natalie giggled. "You are giving us SO much great footage. I wonder what would happen if Uncle Antoine saw this 'confession', hmm? Might reassign you to, I dunno, being a stewardess just like us?"

"Spending all day in an uncomfortable corset, a tight skirt and high heels," Jessica laughed. "Fending off the advances of disgusting, slimy pilots..."

"Okay," Jacques blubbed. "You win. You've won, I lost, I'm a loser, I swear, I promise, the old Jacques is dead. I'll never treat another woman like an object. I promise."

"Now THAT's what sincerity sounds like!" Paige giggled.

"Now- please, please let me go..." Jacques sniffled.

"Hmm... Okay," Rachel said, causing Jacques to cry tears of joy. "But..."

"What 'but'?" Jacques asked angrily, once again straining against his bonds. "Let me go! Please!"

"It seems a shame that we're all dressed up, and you're just laid there in that robe," Abbey giggled, holding up an item of clothing that made Jacques shiver.

"No, no, please-" Jacques begged.

"What's the matter, Jacques?" Natalie asked. "I thought you said you were transgender? Surely you'd love to wear something like this?" Jacques sniffed back tears as the garment was brought closer for him to examine closely. It was a short, patterned taffeta dress with a matching hat and a shepherd's crook- and would be a perfect fit for Jacques.

"Repeat after me," Rachel cooed. "Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep..."

"Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep," Jacques whispered.

"And doesn't know where to find them," Rachel continued.

"And doesn't know where to find them," Jacques sniffled.

"Good," Tanisha giggled, unlocking Jacques's handcuffs, much to the French pilot's relief.

"What's to stop me from simply leaving now?" Jacques snorted. "You've unlocked me, I could just go..."

"Not past us, you can't," Anna-Jade said as she, Paige and Jessica formed a human shield in front of the bedroom door.

"Unless you fancy forcing your way past us," Paige said. "A grown man using physical force on three women, all captured on video... Yeah, Uncle Antoine's gonna LOVE that."

"Then I'll wait," Jacques said, crossing his arms. "I am NOT wearing that dress."

"Fair enough," Rachel said. "Natalie, do you have Antoine Masson's email address? Better yet, are you logged onto YouTube on your phone?"

"I am indeed," Natalie laughed.

"Wait!" Jacques said, stopping Natalie before breaking down into another flood of tears. "Give- give me the dress..."

Five minutes later, Jacques stood in front of the camera, the dress barely covering his modesty as he nervously played with the shepherd's crook in his hand.

"On three, Jacques," Natalie ordered. "One, two three..."

"Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep, and doesn't know where to find them," Jacques said in a shaky voice. "Leave them alone, and they'll come home, wagging their tails behind them." Jacques hesitantly turned his back to the camera and wiggled his bottom toward Natalie, prompting wolf whistles and howls of laughter from the assembled crowd. "Please, please that must be enough!"

"...Yeah, alright," Rachel said. "Get dressed, and get lost. And don't even think of trying to turn us in to Uncle Antoine, not unless you want the entire world to what a cute Little Bo Peep you make!" Jacques nodded hastily, almost tripping over his own feet to return to the bedroom to change out of his dress and back into his street clothes. Mere minutes later, he ran out of the apartment, not once looking back at his eleven tormentors.

“Mission: accomplished,” Rachel said with a smug smile as she twirled her smartphone in her gloved hand.

“D’you reckon he’ll be alright?” Annabelle asked as she stretched her body in the tight latex and sat down on Tanisha’s sofa.

“Never mind him,” Paige snorted. “Will you be alright, Rhianna?”

“Plenty more fish in the sea,” Rhianna laughed. “Hopefully they won’t be as poisonous as that jerk… I knew from the look in his eyes when I suggested the threesome that he was no good.”

“Better to find that out now than later on,” Anna-Jade said. “Take it from someone who knows!”

“More than one person,” Rachel sighed. “God, I can’t wait to get out of this thing… Do you girls REALLY fantasise about wearing stuff like this?” The other women in the room all giggled bashfully as every pair of eyes slowly turned toward where Abbey was sat.

“…What?” Abbey asked.

“You need to ask?” Jessica giggled.

“Okay, fine,” the young Essex native said. “So we have different ideas of ‘fun’. Heh, wish my counsellor could see me now, I’d NEVER get prescribed oestrogen…”

“Don’t see why not,” Rachel said. “You’re EASILY the hottest of us here tonight!”

“I’m hotter,” Rosita said, unzipping the front of her catsuit and fanning herself with a nearby magazine. “Can we please get changed now?”

“Seconded,” Zoe said, beginning the lengthy task of unlacing her torturous boots. "These things aren't nearly as much fun as I thought they'd be..."

“Thirded!” Rachel said. “But…” Rachel smiled as the other women- who were all already in a state of undress- moaned.

“But…?” Paige asked.

“…Can we get a selfie first?” Rachel asked. “In the dominatrix gear?”

“You read my mind,” Natalie giggled as she zipped up her catsuit and posed behind Rachel, quickly (or, in Zoe’s case, slowly) followed the rest of the women.

“Can we get copies of this photo?” Anna-Jade asked.

“Of course,” Rachel said. “Planning on starting a scrapbook?”

“Planning on giving my dad a fucking heart attack,” Anna-Jade said, making all the women laugh as Rachel took the photo.

Two days later, on Monday morning, all eleven conspirators of the Tutu Project, including Zoe (in her civilian clothing and- much to her relief- flat shoes), coolly strode into the main concourse of Heathrow Airport, making a point of checking their smartphones the second they saw the familiar sight of Jacques Lacroix emerge from one of the airport’s many coffee shops.

“I still reckon he’ll find a way to drop us in it,” Jessica sighed.

“Nah,” Rachel said. “Men like that are cowards. All mouth, no trousers.”

“Literally, in Jacques’s case, on Saturday night!” Natalie said, making the women all laugh. “Come on, Tanisha, I’ll buy you a coffee before we head to ‘class’. Our favourite mole deserves a reward!”

“Definitely!” Paige giggled, before wrapping a comforting arm around her own ‘student’s shoulders. “And I think Rhianna deserves a treat too.”

“You’ll get no argument from me,” Rachel said with a warm smile.

Six and a half hours later, upon their return from Paris, Jessica and Abbey stripped off their blue uniforms and changed back into the smart pencil dresses they’d worn on their journey to work. After a short trip on the tube, the two blonde women found themselves stood outside the office of Dr Beverly Phillips, the counsellor who had provided Jessica with immeasurable help over the previous months.

“Ready?” Jessica asked.

“Ready!” Abbey replied confidently, before striding up the stairs and into the large office, where they were greeted by the middle-aged woman herself.

“Hello, Jessica!” Dr Phillips said with a warm smile.

“Hi, Beverly,” Jessica replied. “Dr Beverly Phillips, I’d like you to meet Abbey Watkins, the girl I was telling you about.”

“Hello, Abbey,” Dr Phillips said, greeting Abbey with a light, feminine handshake. “It’s nice to meet you, Jessica’s told me a lot about you already but I’d like to get to know you a bit better. Jessica says you’ve been transitioning for almost a year and a half, is that right?”

“Umm, yeah,” Abbey replied, taken aback by Dr Phillips’s openness. “What exactly would you like to know?” Jessica smiled as Abbey sat down next to the counsellor and began to fill her in about her past, both as Abbey and in the years leading up to her decision to transition.

Four days later, Jessica- accompanied by her friends- watched with pride as Abbey produced two pills from two separate vials and placed them in the palm of her hand, before swallowing them with a gulp of water.

"Yes!" Jessica giggled, giving Abbey a tight hug. "I'm SO proud of you!" Abbey giggled as she returned Jessica's hug, before being swamped in a seeming tidal wave of femininity. Everyone present was happy that Abbey had finally taken the first step toward being a woman, especially the woman who had taken so long to start her own oestrogen program.

After the guests had left, Jessica gave Paige a long, deep kiss before returning to her bedroom and retrieving a small ring box, inside which was a gold ring with a simple diamond inset in the top.

"Soon, Paige," Jessica whispered. "Soon... We will be each other's wife."

“You know,” Paige said as she settled into her plush airline seat, “I kinda wish more people were staring. I mean, come on, just look at us! We’re hot!”

“We ARE,” Jessica giggled. “But I’m quite happy for you to be the only person staring at me right now.” Jessica smiled as she fixed her gaze on her lover’s porcelain legs and her slender, feminine figure encased in its tight grey pencil dress. Paige had been taking oestrogen for fifteen months- ten more than Jessica herself- and with every passing dad, she grew more and more beautiful in Jessica’s eyes. Her dress was immaculate, her make-up was perfect and even her jewellery was beautiful- with one exception. Paige wore no ring on the third finger of her left hand- something Jessica was determined to correct over the course of their week-long holiday in America.

Paige grinned lustfully as she saw Jessica fidget in her seat, clearly trying to get comfortable in her short, tight skirt and clingy thong bodysuit. Even though the American girl had been taking hormones for less than half a year, it was still long enough to have an effect on her body. Her skin had softened, her waist had narrowed and her hips had widened, and even though her chest was still flat- especially compared to Paige’s own- it was still sensitive enough to ensure that their lovemaking sessions ended with both girls gasping for breath.

And yet, Paige felt uneasy. With every oestrogen tablet Jessica took, the American girl grew more and more confident, more and more certain about their future… But Paige grew more and more uncertain. The start of their relationship had been a brand-new experience for both girls. The very notion of making love to another transgendered girl had been subversive, exciting- but as the months grew on their relationship became more stable… And as the oestrogen began to affect Jessica’s sexual ‘function’ in bed, Paige found that the relationship grew less and less exciting. Paige was certain that the spark was still there- she just had to find a way to reignite the fires of their passion, and she was sure that their holiday in America would provide the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Natalie smiled as she watched the jumbo jet taxi down the runway, bearing her friends westward toward America. Between Natalie’s work as a mentor and Zoe’s new job as a dance teacher, it had been ages since she and the French girl had had a holiday away- something Natalie was determined to correct in the coming summer months.

“No rest for the wicked,” Anna-Jade giggled, gently patting Natalie on the shoulder.

“So we’re ‘wicked’ now, are we?” Natalie asked.

“When were we ever NOT?” Anna-Jade asked, making Natalie giggle as she adjusted her blue pillbox hat. “Now come on, Berlin isn’t going to fly to itself!” Anna-Jade and Natalie smiled as they coolly strode through the crowded terminal of Heathrow airport, their stiletto heels clicking in time with each other.

Abbey smiled as she waved at her two friends, before heading to the tiny locker room where she exchanged her smart blouse and pencil skirt for her tight blue uniform. The blonde Essex native grinned as she adjusted her tiny thong, remembering the passionate night of lovemaking she’d shared with her lover the previous night- and the two hard-earned hormone pills she’d swallowed earlier in the morning. After tying her hair into a tight French plait, Abbey touched up her eye shadow and lipstick before straightening the seams on her stockings and balancing her blue pillbox hat on top of her head. With her look complete, the 20 year old stewardess coolly strode toward the Soixante-Trois Airlines employee lounge, where she was greeted by a playful wolf whistle from her supervisor.

“Looking hot, Abbey!” Rachel giggled as Abbey did a slow twirl in her uniform. “I’m betting Karl agrees?”

“Safe bet,” Abbey said as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “Thanks for setting me up with him!”

“Ah, anything for a fellow tutu conspirator!” Rachel said, making Abbey giggle even louder. Before long, the two women were also in the air, catering to their passengers’ demands as they flew toward Paris.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Jessica and Paige stretched their tired limbs as they disembarked from the jumbo jet, before linking their fingers as they walked through the packed airport.

“Let them stare,” Paige giggled. “Nothing they can do about it, right?”

“Not in any northern state, anyway,” Jessica sighed.

“God, every time we come back here,” Paige said. “You’d have thought you’d be a bit more excited about returning home!”

“Says the woman who’s been to Scotland all of once in the last twelve months!” Jessica retorted.

“Excuse me?” Paige snorted with mock offence in her voice. “I go to Scotland loads, thank you very much!”

“And how many of those times are for work?” Jessica asked.

“…All but one,” the dark-haired Scottish woman conceded with a giggle. “But come on, it’s America! Who WOULDN’T be excited to visit here?”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Jessica laughed.

“And you’ve got to be happy that you’ll be home for your birthday, right?” Paige probed further.

“…Definitely,” Jessica laughed. “Especially as this year, for the first year EVER, I know I’m finally going to get what I want.” Jessica gave Paige a slow, soft kiss on her lips, smiling at the knowledge that the highlight of her birthday won’t be receiving a gift, but rather giving one- namely, the sparkling diamond ring hidden away in her hand luggage…

Natalie sighed loudly as she removed her tired feet from her blue stiletto heels, stretching her toes to try to restore her circulation.

“Why is it,” Natalie mused aloud, “that the sexiest-looking shoes are also the ones that function the worst as actual shoes?”

“Especially twenty-five thousand feet above the ground,” Anna-Jade moaned as she stretched her own tired feet. “Then again, the same could be said for underwear. And any type of clothing, come to think of it.”

“Yeah, well,” Natalie sighed. “We knew the uniform code before we signed up, I guess.”

“I don’t know about you,” Anna-Jade giggled, “but I signed up BECAUSE of the uniform code! Ryanair uniforms never looked like this, heh!”

“Ryanair wouldn’t let us wear ANY type of skirts,” Natalie laughed. “Certainly not me, anyway. You, on the other hand, miss ‘gender recognition certificate’…”

“Nat, if you want to transition, just do so,” Anna-Jade sighed.

“No, no,” Natalie sighed. “I’m quite fine with being a testosterone-filled woman. And I like sex too much.”

“Yeah…” Anna-Jade grimaced. “I haven’t heard for definite, but I’m sensing that Jess and Paige’s love life isn’t exactly smooth right now…”

“Female intuition?” Natalie asked with a devilish grin on her face.

“What else?” Anna-Jade shrugged, making the Englishwoman laugh. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to head to the gym!”

“Enjoy your exercise,” Natalie chuckled.

“Oh, I’m not going there to work out,” Anna-Jade giggled. “I’m more interested in the hunky guy who manages the gym!”

“Exactly,” Natalie said. “Enjoy your ‘exercise’!” Anna-Jade giggled excitedly as she left Natalie alone in the locker room, and soon found herself in the arms of her tall, handsome lover, whilst Natalie returned home to be greeted by a passionate embrace from her lover and former colleague.

On both side of the Atlantic Ocean, the employees of Soixante-Trois Airlines enjoyed a relaxing night’s sleep, blissfully unaware of just how hectic their week would be.

“Morning, sexy,” Jessica whispered in Paige’s ear as the first light of the day filtered through the curtains in their hotel room.

“Mmm, mornin’ darlin’,” Paige giggled in her best approximation of an American accent.

“Texas is about 1500 miles west of here,” Jessica giggled. “And didn’ae ye say ye’d never dae an accent ‘gain?”

“That goes both ways,” Paige retorted, giggling as Jessica playfully poked her tongue out at her. “Though I don’t know about you, but I could quite easily stay in bed all day…”

“We’re working on British time!” Jessica laughed as she padded toward the shower. “My body thinks it’s like, 11am already.”

“That’s… Not why I want to stay in bed,” Paige teased, slipping off her silky nightie and encircling Jessica’s slender waist from behind. The American girl giggled as she felt Paige press her chest into her back.

“Mmm…” Jessica dreamily moaned. “So, so tempting… But my folks are kinda expecting us before 9…”

“We’re on holiday,” Paige reminded her lover. “Aren’t we supposed to ‘enjoy’ it?”

“Trust me, there’ll be plenty of time to ‘enjoy’ each other,” Jessica giggled, unclasping Paige’s hands and giving each a loving kiss. “First- shower!” Paige sighed as Jessica entered the shower- her attempt to add ‘spark’ back to their relationship would obviously have to wait…

----------

“Your stewardesses for today are Carly,” Samantha announced to the packed aeroplane as the tiny blonde girl bobbed a curtsey. “Natalie, and Anna-Jade. Flight time today will be one hour and forty minutes, please enjoy your flight.”

“It’s been AGES since I last went to Switzerland,” Natalie laughed as she fastened her seatbelt.

“Yeah, the London hub’s expanding fast,” Samantha chuckled. “So fast, in fact, that they might be looking at hiring more supervisors soon…”

“You’re THAT desperate for competition?” Anna-Jade asked, making Samantha giggle harder.

“Well…” Samantha teased. “When our documentary goes out, I’m expecting a call or twelve from TV producers across the country… Reckon you two could put in a good word for me with Joshua Benedict?”

“I’ve never even met the man,” Anna-Jade chuckled. “And besides, I think Rachel Harrison’s forced herself to the front of the queue…”

“That would not surprise me in the slightest,” Samantha laughed. “She is coming up on thirty, isn’t she?”

“Think she was 28 last November, yeah,” Natalie said. “Not that she’d ever admit it, of course…”

“Hate the ‘twenty-nine or under’ age limit this company has,” Anna-Jade whispered. “You’d think if the company could hire, you know, people like me and Natalie, they could also hire people born before 1987…”

“This company’s lawyers earn their money,” Samantha sighed. “And obviously, it’s kinda best if you didn’t criticise the company whilst on a flight…”

“Lips- sealed,” Anna-Jade giggled as the ‘fasten seatbelts’ light extinguished and the four stewardesses set about their work. Within minutes, the young, blue-suited women were busy serving their passengers with food and drink, keeping them happy all throughout their long journey.

As the aeroplane began to descend, Natalie and Anna-Jade packed away their kitchen equipment and prepared to return to their seats for landing. Just before they left the kitchen area, however, the call light illuminated, making the two women sigh.

“There’s always fucking one,” Anna-Jade chuckled. “I’ve got this.” Anna-Jade rebalanced her hat on her head and straightened her skirt, before adopting her sweetest smile and approaching the customer who had summoned her, who turned out to be a very smart-looking forty year old man in an expensive looking suit.

“Finally,” the man grunted in a very light French accent. “What is the reason for your delay?”

“I am sorry we kept you waiting, sir,” Anna-Jade said, trying not to visibly bristle at the man’s confrontational attitude. “How may I be of service?”

“By answering my question, you stupid girl,” the man snorted. “Assuming you even ARE a girl.”

“We were packing away our kitchen equipment,” Anna-Jade said, trying her hardest to keep her smile fixed to her face.

“So I can’t even get a drink now?” the man snorted.

“I’m afraid all of our food and drink-preparing equipment is switched off to prepare for landing,” Anna-Jade said.

“Well, aren’t you utterly useless?” The business man spat in a condescending tone. “I’ve been flying with this airline for ten years and I have never encountered such shoddy service.”

“I do apologise, sir,” Anna-Jade said as she felt her eye begin to twitch, “but we did announce-“

“I don’t care about your announcements, you stupid girl,” the passenger snorted. “I only care about having a cup of coffee. Or is one cup of coffee too high for you to count?”

“There will be plenty of cafes at Zurich airport, sir,” Anna-Jade said, shifting her balance as the plane began to descend and the ‘fasten seatbelts’ light illuminated. “Sir, if you will excuse me, I need to return to my seat-“

“No you are NOT excused,” the passenger said, causing Anna-Jade to fidget awkwardly.

“Look, mate, let the poor girl sit down-“ A passenger from the row behind- an Englishman in his early fifties- attempted to say, only for the younger man to cut him off.

“I will not!” The Frenchman spat. “She isn’t even really a ‘girl’, are you?”

“I’m not allowed to answer personal questions whilst on duty-“ Anna-Jade hesitantly said as she felt the gaze of every passenger on the aeroplane fall onto her.

“It’s not a ‘personal question’,” the passenger scoffed. “Now answer me!”

“Sir,” Samantha called, slowly making her way up the aisle to where Anna-Jade was stood. “I am Anna-Jade’s supervisor, is there anything I can help with?”

“Yes!” The man shouted. “I want this worthless bitch fired now!”

“Sir, I assure you that I will speak to Anna-Jade once the plane has landed,” Samantha said in a calm voice. “But she must return to her seat as the plane is preparing to land.”

“So what?” The passenger snorted. “Let her break her neck, see if I care! I’m a passenger, that means she does as I say!”

“Anna-Jade,” Samantha whispered, “go and sit down.” Anna-Jade nodded, grateful to have been bailed out of the awkward situation, and tried to block out the angry shouting of the French passenger as she sat down next to Natalie. Both girls remained silent as the plane landed at Zurich airport, but Anna-Jade’s cheeks burned red with shame as she waited in the kitchen for all the passengers to disembark.

Once the plane was empty, Samantha returned to the kitchen area, where she sat down opposite Anna-Jade, who was blinking tears out of her eyes.

“Here,” Samantha whispered, handing the Irishwoman an unopened packet of tissues. “Looks like you need those…”

“Thanks,” Anna-Jade sniffled. “Fucking oestrogen, you’d have thought I’d be used to passengers like him by now…”

“He was obviously making trouble,” Samantha sighed. “But it’s weird, he HAS been a regular passenger for ten years… Dunno what could’ve made him just ‘snap’ like that.”

“He’s never had a problem with T-girls before?” Anna-Jade asked.

“Not that I remember,” Samantha sighed. “It’s… It’s probably best if you stayed back here on the return flight.”

“Heh,” Anna-Jade chuckled. “Spent all my life wishing I was a woman, now my dreams are realised- I’m being told to ‘stay in the kitchen’.” Samantha smiled as she led Anna-Jade off the plane, but all the while she was racking her brains as to why a previously good customer would suddenly become belligerent…

----------

“Jessica! Paige!” Jessica’s mother beamed at the sight of the two young women on her doorstep. “Come in, come in!”

“Hi mom,” Jessica giggled, greeting her mother with air kisses. “So good to be home… Are Aaron and Hayley here?”

“Already at school,” Mrs. Tyler replied. “All you’ve got to entertain you is me, I’m afraid!”

“It’s just great to be here,” Paige said with a happy smile. “Thank you for letting us stay again.”

“Nonsense,” Jessica’s mother laughed. “You’re practically part of the family now!” And soon, you’ll be able to drop the ‘practically’ part, Jessica thought to herself as she and Paige took their suitcases upstairs to unpack.

A short while later, all three women relaxed on the house’s plush sofa as Jessica caught her mother up on their lives, their work and their impending appearance on British television- which made Jessica’s mother excited and nervous in equal measure.

“I’m not sure how I’m going to feel about having a daughter who’s a big star,” Mrs. Tyler chuckled.

“Hardly a ‘big star’,” Jessica laughed. “It’ll be six episodes at most, late at night on a channel no one watches…”

“On a channel YOU don’t watch, anyway,” Paige giggled. “My sisters can’t wait for the show to go out, they’re desperate to dine out on my fame, heh!”

“I doubt Aaron and Hayley are going to be THAT excited,” Jessica laughed.

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” Mrs. Tyler teased. “Hayley’s been looking forward to your visit for weeks, she really wants to show off her famous, successful sister to her friends!”

“Even though said sister was her brother for most of her life?” Jessica asked, bringing an awkward silence to the room.

“Last I checked, this was America,” Mrs. Tyler said. “The land of the free, freedom to live life however you want.”

“In 48 out of 50 states, anyway,” Jessica moaned.

“Yeah, well Maryland is one of the 48,” Mrs. Tyler said, gently squeezing her daughter’s hand. “So don’t worry about what they’re doing down south. I’ve accepted the fact that my son is now my daughter, so has your father. And you SHOULD be proud of all you’ve accomplished in your life. You’re successful, you have great friends, and you are very, very beautiful.”

“…Thanks,” Jessica giggled, wiping a tear away from her eye.

“Now, you didn’t come all this way just to cry,” Mrs. Tyler. “You came to have fun and, most importantly of all, relax!”

“I dunno,” Paige said as all three women giggled excitedly. “I’d kinda put ‘fun’ above ‘relax’!”

----------

“Looks like YOU’RE up,” Anna-Jade said to Natalie as the call light illuminated in the aeroplane’s small kitchen area.

“Yep,” Natalie said, forcing a smile on her face as she pushed her drinks trolley into the plane’s narrow aisle. As she approached the passenger, however, her smile began to droop- the person who had summoned her was the exact same man who had bullied Anna-Jade on their outbound flight.

“Would you like a drink, sir?” Natalie asked in her sweetest possible voice. And where would you like it pouring, she thought to herself.

“Coffee,” the man said, barely acknowledging Natalie with a glance.

“How would you like it, sir?” Natalie asked.

“In a cup, you stupid girl!” The man barked, momentarily startling the Englishwoman and all the passengers in his immediate vicinity.

“Would you like any cream or sugar in it?” Natalie asked, her smile not wavering. If you want to play, Natalie thought to herself, I’m more than game.

“Did I ask for cream or sugar?” The passenger retorted in a sarcastic voice.

“Very good, sir,” Natalie simpered, biting her tongue out of sight of the passenger as she poured his drink. The middle-aged man stared at his drink with disdain, before gingerly taking a sip of it.

“Disgusting,” the passenger snapped, before spitting his mouthful of coffee onto the front of Natalie’s skirt. “What do you call this?”

“I call it ‘coffee’, sir,” Natalie replied, grimacing as her anger and frustration got the better of her.

“Is that supposed to be a joke!?” The belligerent passenger bellowed, alarming his nearby passengers. “I WANT TO SEE YOUR SUPERVISOR NOW!”

“I want you to fucking well shut up now,” the passenger behind the Frenchman- an elderly man with a Scottish accent- snorted. “That’s clearly not going to happen either.”

“I want a stewardess who didn’t have ‘her’ brain removed at the same time as ‘her’ dick!” The French passenger yelled, glaring at Natalie as the Englishwoman defiantly held his gaze.

“If you have a problem with transsexuals, you picked the wrong airline,” the elderly Scottish man laughed. “And the wrong fucking century, too!”

“Is there a problem, sir?” Samantha asked as she approached the commotion.

“Yes,” the Frenchman snorted. “All of your so-called stewardesses are useless, brainless, dickless airheads who wouldn’t know coffee if they pissed it!”

“Natalie, please wait for me in the kitchen,” Samantha instructed.

“No, ‘Natalie’, if that is your real name,” the Frenchman shouted, “you will stand here and learn just what a worthless excuse of a human being you really are!”

“And god knows you’d know a thing or two about that,” the elderly Scottish passenger scoffed, causing the Frenchman to fume with anger as the passengers surrounding him all laughed.

“Look what you did, you smug bitch!” The Frenchman bellowed at Natalie.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask that you keep your voice down,” Samantha said in a calm, soothing voice. “You’re upsetting the other passengers.”

“I WILL SHOUT AS LOUD AS I WANT!” The passenger yelled. “I AM A CUSTOMER, AND THE CUSTOMER! IS! ALWAYS! RIGHT!”

“I’m a customer too,” the Scottish passenger said. “And I want him thrown off the plane whilst in-flight. And as the customer is apparently always right…”

“Mind your own fucking business, you old bastard!” The Frenchman yelled, and despite her professionalism, Natalie couldn’t help but smirk, as she knew that the belligerent customer had finally crossed a line he shouldn’t cross.

“Sir,” Samantha said, “We do not tolerate passengers verbally abusing other passengers. I’m going to have to ask you to come with me to the rear section.”

“I have flown on this airline for ten years!” The Frenchman protested. “I own you!”

“Sir, please come with me,” Samantha repeated, earning a round of applause as the belligerent customer stood up and followed her.

After the plane landed in London, Natalie and Anna-Jade took their regular places alongside Samantha and Carly at the exit, bidding farewell to their customers as they disembarked (and presenting the elderly passenger who came to Natalie’s ‘rescue’ with a bottle of wine as a token of their esteem). The belligerent passenger was the last to disembark, glowering silently at both Natalie and Anna-Jade before heading back into the packed airport.

“Ugh,” Samantha spat as she closed the plane door and began checking and cleaning the cabin. “I hate telling off passengers like that… I wouldn’t be surprised if we all get complaints against us.”

“They wouldn’t be upheld, surely?” Natalie asked.

“They wouldn’t on a budget airline,” Anna-Jade said sombrely. “On Ryanair, anyone kicking up a stink gets banned for life. Passengers need them more than they need passengers. On an airline like this, though…”

“Well- we’ll just see for now,” Samantha sighed. “I’ll have a word with Rachel and Alana, get you two shifted to red route for the next week or so.”

“Customer abuses us and we get to go to Malaga instead of Switzerland?” Natalie asked. “I need to provoke people more often!”

“You’re lucky I know your sense of humour!” Samantha said as all four women giggled, pleased to have put the unpleasant series of flights behind them for the time being.

----------

“Aww,” Hayley- Jessica’s sixteen year old sister- sighed as Jessica showed her a series of photographs on her smartphone. “That party looked SO cool…”

“Yeah,” Jessica giggled. “We always go all out for special occasions like birthdays or work anniversaries.”

“Especially now that we’re unofficial Angels!” Paige interjected. “Having friends in high places with deep, deep purses…”

“SO jealous,” Hayley laughed.

“And yet you’ve chosen to spend your birthday here,” Mrs. Tyler said with a warm smile.

“Jess actually shares her birthday with the leader of the Angels,” Paige said before Jessica had a chance to speak. “She’s the one who lives in the house where all the parties take place, the one who pays for most of them…”

“Didn’t want to overshadow her?” Aaron- Jessica’s eighteen year old brother- joked.

“More like ‘didn’t want to be overshadowed’!” Mrs. Tyler laughed as Jessica started to blush.

“More like ‘I wanted to be with the people I love’,” Jessica said softly as she took Paige’s hand in her own.

“Oh my god,” Paige gasped as she suddenly remembered something she’d forgotten. “Have you seen the Star Trek party yet? The boss of the agency is a massive trekkie so we all wore 1960s miniskirts for his birthday in March…” Jessica smiled as Paige showed Hayley the photographs from the party, followed by virtually every other photograph she’d taken over the past five months. The one positive aspect Jessica had taken from her disastrous first coming out to her family was how fond they were of Paige, and how fond Paige was of them, which made Jessica confident that Paige’s transition to becoming an official member of the family would be seamless.

Several hours later, after the jet-lagged Paige finally ran out of energy and retired to bed, Jessica took Hayley into the house’s kitchen, where the two young women were able to talk privately.

“Your girlfriend is SO cool,” Hayley sighed. “It’s really hard to imagine that she was ever a boy…”

“In a very real way, she never was,” Jessica mused. “Nor was I, I guess.”

“I guess…” Hayley said. “It’s still kinda weird, you know? Seeing you wearing a skirt, knowing that you’re taking hormones, that the brother I knew is gone…”

“Trust me, it’s a change for the better,” Jessica laughed.

“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” Hayley said. “I don’t see it as losing a brother, I see it as gaining a sister, someone I can swap fashion and make-up tips with… Hell, with Paige, it’s like I’ve gained two sisters, heh!”

“You know…” Jessica said hesitantly. “Not long from now, she might be your sister for real- well, sister-in-law, anyway…”

“What- are you and Paige getting married?” Hayley asked.

“Ehh… Not officially,” Jessica said with a smile. “Not yet, anyway. I’m going to propose on my birthday. I’ve got it all planned out- when we’re in New York on Thursday, we’re going to visit the Empire State Building. Paige has ALWAYS wanted to go there, she absolutely loves New York… I’m going to go to the top of the building- not get down on one knee, obviously, as I’ll be wearing pantyhose- and ask her to marry me against the backdrop of the city she loves.”

“Aww, that sounds SO romantic,” Hayley gushed.

“And we’ll be married in Scotland,” Jessica said with a dreamy look on her face. “Paige’s hometown is just down the road from Loch Lomond, so we’ll get married on the shore of the loch during summer. We’ll both wear strapless white dresses, Paige’s sisters will be her maids of honour, you’ll be mine, and our first dance will be to ‘Love is All Around’ by Wet Wet Wet.”

“You sounds like you’ve got this all worked out,” Hayley chuckled. “And maid of honour! I’m well, you know, honoured!”

“Who else would I choose?” Jessica giggled. “And don’t worry, we’ll wait until at least 2018 so you can join in the bachelorette party… Legal drinking age in Britain is eighteen, after all!”

“Hehe!” Hayley giggled. “This is SO amazing, I’m SO happy for you guy- for you GIRLS, hehe!” Jessica giggled excitedly as she gave her sister a quick hug, before heading upstairs to her bedroom, where her Scottish lover was laid in bed, her face scrubbed clean of make-up but no less beautiful in Jessica’s eyes.

“Hey you,” Jessica whispered, gently waking Paige with a soft kiss.

“Hey me,” Paige said with a dreamy smile. “Come on, get into bed while I still have the energy, hehe!”

“I’m not sure I do myself, heh!” Jessica giggled, stripping off her dress and climbing under the sheets, where she cuddled her body close to Paige’s.

“I’m sure our salon appointment can wait a bit tomorrow morning, then!” Paige laughed, giving Jessica a long, deep kiss.

“Hmm, I guess,” Jessica said with a smile. “You know, my family REALLY like you, especially Hayley.”

“Yeah, they’re cool,” Paige said. “It’s Hayley’s sister I REALLY like, though!”

“We oughta go and visit your folks at some point-” Jessica said, only to be suddenly silenced by Paige’s immaculately-manicured finger on her lips.

“Talk later,” Paige purred. “Sex now!” Jessica smiled as hers and Paige’s bodies grew ever closer and were soon tightly entwined…

----------

“Another day, another- well, euro, I guess,” Anna-Jade said, stretching her body as she and Rachel emerged from their twin bedroom. “Hopefully without the verbal abuse of yesterday…”

“Yeah, I heard about that,” Rachel grimaced. “Don’t let him get to you, just rise above it. You won’t be seeing him again.”

“Yes, yes, I know the normal fucking platitudes,” Anna-Jade sighed.

“Then try listening to them for once!” Rachel chuckled. “And enjoy your Spanish holiday, I’ll be thinking of you whilst I’m freezing up in Glasgow…”

“Hardly a holiday, but now that I have permission from a supervisor…” Anna-Jade teased as the two women left the apartment and headed to their workplace.

A short while later, both women were in the air, ready to attend to the needs of their passengers as they flew to their respective destinations.

“Hi Rosita!” Anna-Jade giggled as she entered the kitchen area of the aeroplane and removed her hat and blazer. “Well done on passing probation… You’re not sick of us all yet, then?”

“I love every bit of it,” Rosita replied, posing in her red uniform as Anna-Jade applauded. “I’m actually going to Porto next week, might catch up with my family…”

“You’ll only get more work as the weather gets hotter,” Anna-Jade chuckled. “Never understood why Brits waited until it got really hot at home before going abroad to somewhere even hotter…”

“Did someone mention being hot?” Natalie teased as she entered the kitchen area.

“I think that’s a contractual requirement,” Anna-Jade laughed as she pulled her hat and blazer back on and did a twirl for her delighted colleagues. “Whoops, looks like we’ve got a thirsty passenger already…”

“Want me to get it?” Natalie asked.

“Nah,” Anna-Jade laughed as she released the drinks trolley from its housing. “After being stuck in the kitchen all yesterday I need to stretch my legs!”

“And very nice legs they are too,” Natalie giggled. “I’ll get the next one.” Anna-Jade giggled and playfully popped her right leg backward toward Natalie, before heading out into the fuselage of the plane. As she approached her passenger, though, her face dropped like a stone.

There, in the seat bearing the light that indicated he was the one who had called for assistance, was the same obnoxious French businessman who had made Anna-Jade’s life a misery less than 24 hours earlier. Anna-Jade took a deep breath to compose herself, before addressing the passenger- the previous, he’d had to be escorted to the rear section of the plane because of his behaviour, so Anna-Jade reckoned that as long as she remained professional and didn’t give him a reason to complain, he wouldn’t.

“How may I help you, sir?” Anna-Jade asked, unconsciously trying to disguise her broad Northern Irish accent in an attempt to fool the passenger that she was a different person.

“You can help me by jumping out of the plane with a parachute,” the Frenchman snorted, before fixing Anna-Jade with a stare. “I’m waiting?”

“Would you like something to drink, sir?” Anna-Jade asked, ignoring the passenger’s thinly-veiled insult.

“No, I’d like you to jump out of the plane,” the passenger repeated with a sincere voice.

“I’m afraid we’re not allowed to depressurise the plane whilst it’s in-flight,” Anna-Jade said, grimacing as the passenger’s expression suddenly changed from ‘sincere’ to ‘furious’.

“GET ME YOUR SUPERVISOR!” The passenger bellowed. “RIGHT NOW!” Startled by the sudden transformation of the gentleman, Anna-Jade turned to walk away, only to be stopped by yet another bellow from the agitated passenger. “Did I give you permission to leave?”

“You- you asked me to get me-“ Anna-Jade stammered.

“I didn’t say leave!” The passenger yelled. “Now get your supervisor!”

“…How am I supposed to fetch her when I’m not allowed to leave?” Anna-Jade asked.

“Are you getting smart with me?” The passenger asked, causing the Irish stewardess’s panic levels to rise. “I’ll tell you what: you can leave, as long as you tell me whether or not you have a penis underneath that skirt.”

“I’m afraid I’m not allowed to answer personal questions whilst on duty,” Anna-Jade said.

“Then you’ll just to find a way to get your supervisor without moving, won’t you?” The passenger said, folding his arms with a smug smile on his face. Two minutes passed as Anna-Jade grew more and more uncomfortable with the passenger’s stare, before breathing a sigh of relief when her supervisor arrived.

“How may I help you?” Lisa- Anna-Jade’s supervisor- asked.

“This useless whore is refusing me service!” The passenger snapped. “I asked her for a cup of coffee and she will not give it to me!”

“He also asked her to jump out of the plane,” another passenger- a middle-aged Englishwoman- said. “In fact, he’s been disturbing everyone in this part of the plane with his behaviour.”

“I can only apologise,” the Frenchman said, his demeanour immediately calming. “I am merely exasperated by the shoddy customer service of this stewardess!”

“Anna-Jade, please wait for me in the kitchen,” Lisa said, making Anna-Jade’s cheeks burn with shame as she dragged her drinks trolley back to the kitchen area, where she let out a long, frustrated groan.

“Guess who’s back?” Anna-Jade asked Natalie and Rosita, who groaned in frustration.

“You ARE kidding me, right?” Natalie asked.

“Nope,” Anna-Jade sighed. “Just as arseholish as ever, seems to have learned his lesson from yesterday as well as he’s all lovey-dovey to the other passengers.”

“But he can rant and yell and you?” Rosita asked.

“We’re replaceable- customers aren’t, especially regular ones,” Natalie sighed. “Unless he physically lays a hand on us, there’s nothing we can do. Though, obviously, verbally abusing other passengers is a no-no.”

“And we just stand there and take it,” Anna-Jade sighed as Lisa entered the small kitchen area.

“…He’s putting in a formal complaint,” Lisa said, making Anna-Jade groan even louder.

“He’s the fucking menace out there, not me!” The angry Irishwoman hissed.

“I know that,” Lisa sighed. “But there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Isn’t it a hell of a coincidence that he flew to Zurich yesterday, but Malaga today?” Natalie asked. “You’d almost think he was keeping tabs on us just so he can harass us…”

“How would he even know that you were on this plane?” Lisa asked. “Duty rosters aren’t publicly available.”

“It- you know what, fuck it,” Anna-Jade sighed. “I’ll stay in here for the rest of the flight.”

“When the light goes on,” Natalie asked, “do you want me to go out there, take my lumps and get my complaint as well?”

“…Rosita and I will deal with passengers for the rest of the flight,” Lisa sighed. “Typical this would happen on the longest flight we do…”

“I’m not apologising, it’s not my fault,” Anna-Jade said.

“I know, I know,” Lisa sighed. “Just- stay out of sight, and try to calm down, okay? Don’t want any passengers hearing that ‘choice language’ of yours…” Anna-Jade nodded and sighed, watching in frustration as Rosita pushed her drinks trolley out into the aeroplane aisle, only to return two minutes later on the verge of tears.

“Oh- god, Rosita…” Anna-Jade sighed, giving the Portuguese girl a tight hug. “What IS this guy’s problem?”

“I have no idea,” Lisa sighed as she entered the kitchen area. “He’s fine with me, it’s just you three…”

“Damn transphobes,” Natalie spat.

“This company’s been employing transgendered stewardesses for three years,” Lisa said, shaking her head. “Why would it be a problem now? Just- I’ll deal with him myself for the rest of the flight. You three, just… Just keep out of his way when you’re doing your job, alright?” Natalie, Anna-Jade and Rosita all nodded, though they knew that every time they stepped out into the plane for the rest of the two hour and fifty minute flight, they’d have the eyes of the entire plane on them…

----------

“That was AMAZING,” Paige laughed as she left the beauty salon, her pale skin and jet-black hair tingling from the numerous treatments she’d received. “Kinda wish I could just go back in there and get pampered again, hehe!”

“It WAS fun,” Jessica giggled. “You like it, Hayley?”

“SO cool,” Hayley laughed as she examined her professional manicure. “Who do you suppose thought of the idea of painting fingernails different colours?”

“Whoever it was, they deserve a statue,” Paige giggled, playfully fanning herself with her own red-tipped fingers. “One of the absolute best things about working for Soixante-Trois is that we get discounted treatments at their salons in London and Paris!”

“Paige gets a bikini wax, like, every month!” Jessica laughed. “Even in winter!”

“I don’t see you complaining, do I?” Paige laughed as she linked her fingers with Jessica. “This holiday has been SO amazing so far… I’d love to be able to live in America, you know, after leaving Soixante-Trois…”

“Really?” Jessica asked. “You wouldn’t miss Scotland?”

“No more than you miss this place most days!” Paige giggled.

“Jess has always talked about wanting to live in Scotland, actually,” Hayley said, making Jessica wince.

“Really?” Paige asked with a chuckle. “Why’d you want to live there, there’s nothing there!”

“Well, um,” Jessica said. “It’s just, you know, I associate ‘Scotland’ with ‘beautiful’…”

“Aww!” Paige cooed, giving Jessica a quick kiss. “Well I associate ‘America’ with ‘awesome’. Want to swap nationalities?”

“…I’ll pass, thanks!” Jessica giggled. Besides, Jessica thought to herself, when we get married, we’ll both be able to take dual nationalities… The American girl forced herself to remain optimistic about her relationship- and her pending engagement, even as Paige’s increasingly flighty behaviour sewed seeds of doubt in her mind.

----------

Natalie sighed as she dragged her tired body toward the dance studio where her lover worked, grinning as she saw the excited teenaged girls leaving the modern building in their dark blue leotards.

“Hi honey, I’m home!” The Englishwoman laughed, greeting Zoe with a gentle kiss.

“Bonsoir,” Zoe giggled. “How was sunny Spain?”

“Spain was as gorgeous as ever,” Natalie replied. “The flight to and from Spain, though…”

“Ugh, AGAIN?” Zoe moaned.

“Same guy, too,” Natalie sighed. “Almost like he’s stalking me and Anna-Jade… He brutalised poor Rosita, as well…”

“The Portuguese girl?” Zoe asked. “She’s, um, the least offensive person I know!”

“She is,” Natalie sighed. “But this obnoxious cu- Ugh, never mind. Can we just get home, please?”

“Sure,” Zoe sighed. “Krystie? Can you handle Ashley’s ‘extended tuition’, please?”

“Sure,” Krystie- Zoe’s business partner- responded.

“Can I get a little of this ‘extended tuition’?” Natalie asked. “We did leave you all alone this morning…”

“Only if you’re wearing a tutu under that dress,” Zoe giggled, before a wave of realisation swept across her face. “Tutu…”

“If you have one, I’ll happily change into it,” Natalie laughed as her hand drifted toward Zoe’s lycra-covered backside.

“No, no- tutu,” Zoe said. “What links you, Anna-Jade and Rosita?”

“Umm… Our genetics?” Natalie asked.

“You were all part of Project Tutu,” Zoe sighed as the two women got into her car. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this is ‘le connard’s attempt at revenge…”

“Ugh, another reason to loathe that guy,” Natalie sighed. “Reckon we should release the video?”

“No, then he’d have nothing to lose,” Zoe sighed. “And you don’t have any proof. Yet.”

“We’ll have to get some then, won’t we?” Natalie asked as the two women drove back to their compact London flat.

----------

Anna-Jade’s hands shook as she headed into the small office, where Rachel waited with a sympathetic look on her face. Neither woman had slept particularly well during the night after Anna-Jade’s return from Malaga- Anna-Jade had been too worried about the fallout of her impending complaint, whilst Rachel had been fretting about how she would deal with the complaint. The fact that both women shared a bedroom only compounded their insomnia.

“Hi, Anna-Jade,” Rachel sighed. “We both know why you’re here, so let’s just get down to it.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Anna-Jade mumbled.

“I’ve read the details of the complaint,” Rachel said. “You’re being cited for unprofessional behaviour and refusal of service.”

“All of which is bullshit,” Anna-Jade snorted.

“Yep,” Rachel said. “As corroborated by statements from Lisa and from other passengers. However…”

“Ugh, just put me out of misery now,” Anna-Jade moaned.

“…The customer IS a regular,” Rachel sighed. “And a family friend’s of Antoine Masson’s. We have to be seen to be taking this complaint seriously, even if it is, as you say, utter bullshit.”

“Shall I clear out my locker?” Anna-Jade asked.

“You’re getting a first written warning,” Rachel said, cringing with every word that left her lips. “And it’s on your record that you’re not to fly on any flight that the complainant will be on.”

“Even if he’s the one who seems to be stalking us?” Anna-Jade asked.

“Off the record?” Rachel asked. “I did think it was a bit convenient that he booked a return ticket to Malaga an hour after your duty shifts were changed.”

“Oh, the motherfucker,” Anna-Jade spat. “How did he know?”

“Jacques,” Rachel said in a dark voice. “He’s an employee, he has access to the duty rosters.”

“I thought his silence was too good to be true,” Anna-Jade spat. “Well he’s not beating me again.”

“Nor me,” Rachel said. “I’ve swapped your shifts again, you’ve got today off. If our friend wants to hassle you today, he’s in for a big surprise. You and I will both fly to Rome tomorrow, along with Natalie and Rhianna.”

“Oh- tomorrow?” Anna-Jade asked. “And Rome? So we have to be up extra-early?”

“…And miss the party tonight, yep,” Rachel whispered. “I don’t like it either, I’ve been looking forward to Charlotte’s party for weeks, but I want to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. Knowing Jacques, he won’t rest until we’re ALL sacked.” Anna-Jade sighed as she nodded, knowing that if she was going to fight this, it would have to be by following Rachel’s plan.

“Enjoy your day off,” Rachel sighed as Anna-Jade left the office. “Oh, and can you text Jess for me, tell her happy birthday?” Anna-Jade nodded, the smile slowly returning to her face as she thought of her friend and flatmate.

----------

“Happy birthday to you…” Paige whispered tunefully into Jessica’s ear, waking her from her slumber.

“Mmm…” The American girl dreamily moaned. “Yes, yes it is, hehe!” Jessica and Paige exchanged a long, slow kiss, which quickly turned into an intense lovemaking session that left both girls breathless but very, very much awake.

“Just so you’re aware,” Paige giggled as she cuddled Jessica’s body close to hers, “that WASN’T your main birthday present, hehe!”

“Good,” Jessica said. “Even though YOU’RE the one who’s been going on about New York all month…”

“I truly could never get tired of that city,” Paige sighed dreamily.

“I have a feeling that today’s trip will be extra-special,” Jessica whispered as she and Paige shared yet another passionate embrace.

Twenty minutes later, the two women walked down to the living room hand-in-hand, where Jessica gasped at the sight that greeted her.

“Happy birthday!” Jessica’s mother, father, brother and sister yelled simultaneously, directing Jessica’s attention to the numerous pink balloons and brightly-coloured gifts on the sofa.

“Oh my god, you guys!” Jessica squeaked, giving each member of her family a tight hug.

“Come on, open them quick!” Hayley pleaded. “Some of us have school!”

“And, more importantly, some of us have a road trip to New York!” Jessica’s father chuckled. Jessica’s squeaks of excitement got higher and higher pitched as her excitement levels rose, and she tore the wrapping paper off of her first present, sighing happily at the beautiful strapless blue dress contained within. Each subsequent present only made Jessica happier and happier, whether it was clothing, cosmetics or jewellery.

“And this last one,” Mr. Tyler said as he handed Jessica a flat, rectangular package, “we keep here. But we figured it was as much a present to you as it was to all of us.” Jessica smiled quizzically as she tore open the wrapping paper, before tears started to form in her eyes.

The final gift was a painting of her family, similar to one that had hung over her fireplace when she was a child. The only difference was that in the original painting, Jessica and her brother had worn smart suits, whilst Hayley was the only one wearing a dress. In the new painting, however, the image of Jessica is not only wearing a dress, but also make-up, nail polish and has her long, blonde hair flowing over her shoulders… And it will be the image of her that will take pride of place in the Tyler’s living room, a clear demonstration that they have accepted that their eldest child is ‘Jessica’ and not ‘Jesse’.

“It’s perfect,” Jessica sniffled. “Thank you so, so much!”

“No, thank YOU for being such a good daughter,” Mrs. Tyler whispered, tears forming in her own eyes as she embraced the birthday girl.

----------

“Evening, tiger,” Natalie said as Abbey walked through the flat’s front door and dramatically collapsed in a heap on the sofa. “That good, eh?”

“I swear,” Abbey moaned, her voice muffled by the cushion in which her face was buried, “some of the absolute arseholes we have to deal with…”

“Go on,” Natalie said, genuinely interested by Abbey’s tale.

“40 year old French guy, looks completely innocuous,” Abbey whined. “Made me remake his coffee seven. Fucking. Times. Then finally spat it all over my skirt.”

“Interesting…” Natalie mused. “Who else was on your flight?”

“Lucy, Tasha and Eleanor,” Abbey replied.

“Tasha’s a T-girl too,” Natalie said. “And he was okay with her?”

“Perfectly polite,” Abbey sighed. “It’s like he was just victimising me…”

“I think you need a long, hard… Party, hehe!” Natalie giggled.

“Sounds AWESOME,” Abbey sighed. “But in truth… I’m far too exhausted to party. Really not in the mood for the other ‘long, hard’ thing either…”

“Abbey Watkins isn’t in the mood for sex,” Natalie tutted. “This arsehole has DEFINITELY crossed a line. It’s time we assemble the Avengers.”

“Only if we get to wear the costumes from that superhero party at the start of the month!” Abbey retorted, making Natalie giggled as she grabbed her iPad and opened up a new chat window with her friends.

----------

“Every time I come back here, I love it a bit more,” Paige giggled as she, Jessica and Jessica’s parents strolled down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue.

“Hey,” Jessica giggled with mock-hurt, “whose birthday treat is this again?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Paige giggled.

“Well maybe we can come back for your birthday, Paige,” Mrs. Tyler said with a warm grin. “When was your birthday again?”

“Umm… July 5th,” Paige replied, her naturally-pale cheeks reddening as her American companions all chuckled. “I didn’t choose it or anything…”

“Well, as long as you don’t mind also celebrating a country breaking away from Britain the day before,” Mr. Tyler said, making Paige giggle.

“Believe me,” Paige laughed. “I am all for countries declaring independence from the rest of Britain!”

“…And here are,” Jessica said with a warm grin and she and her lover stood beneath the iconic 102-stprey skyscraper that dominated New York’s skyline for over 85 years. A short while later, the four travellers were stood on the 86th storey observation deck, gazing in awe at the sprawling city beneath them. Jessica heart began to beat faster and her legs began to quiver as she reached into her handbag for the ring she’d kept on her person ever since her arrival in America.

“This is incredible,” Paige gasped. “One off the bucket list, heh. One off the TOP of the bucket list.”

“I can think of another thing to come off that list,” Jessica whispered as she turned Paige to face her and took the Scottish girl’s hands in her own. “Paige, from the very second I set eyes on you, I knew that I would never love anyone the way I love you. Your beauty is surpassed only by your kindness. You’re not just my lover, you’re my best friend, and I treasure every day I spend with you.”

“J-Jess?” Paige asked, shocked by her lover’s sudden change in behaviour.

“Paige Campbell Robertson,” Jessica whispered, producing the ring box and earning gasps from everyone on the observation deck, “will you marry me?”

“J-Jess?” Paige asked, her mismatched eyes widening as shock filled her body.

“P-Paige?” Jess asked as tension caused her body to freeze to the spot. Just say yes, Paige, Jessica thought. Please, say yes…

“I- I’m sorry,” Paige mumbled, causing the adrenaline to drain from Jessica’s body. “I- I need a moment. Excuse me…” Jessica watched in horror as Paige disappeared back into the vast skyscraper.

“Paige?” Jessica whispered as tears began to form in her eyes. It didn’t take long for her to break down in floods of tears, bawling her eyes out as her mother comforted her with a long, tight hug.

----------

The drive from New York back to Baltimore was conducted in deathly silence. After Jessica found Paige in a ladies’ restroom, she’d attempted to talk things through with the Scottish girl, only to be instantly rebuffed with a feeble promise of talking once the two women arrived back home. When they eventually returned to the family home, though, all Jessica wanted to do was run into her bedroom, lock the door and spend the rest of the evening crying into her pillow- which is precisely what she did.

“Jessica?” Mrs. Tyler asked, gently knocking on her distraught daughter’s door. “Jessica? Are you coming down? We- we still have a reservation for dinner…”

“I’m not going,” Jessica sobbed.

“Jessica…” Mrs. Tyler sighed. “Can- can I please come in?” Jessica moaned as she got off her bed and unlocked the door, sighing as her mother gave her another tight hug.

“Wh-where’s Paige?” Jessica asked.

“Downstairs,” Jessica’s mother said. “She- she’s still shell-shocked, I don’t think she was expecting the proposal at all… Jessica, you should go and talk to her.”

“How can I when she obviously doesn’t love me?” Jessica blubbed, prompting another hug from her mother.

“Just talk to her,” Mrs. Tyler whispered. Anxiously, Jessica nodded and released herself from her mother’s embrace, heading downstairs with her mascara still streaked across her face. The American girl shuddered with shame as she walked into her lounge to be greeted by sympathetic stares from her father, mother and brother, before entering the kitchen, where her Scottish lover was waiting for her.

“Hey Paige,” Jessica whispered, taking a seat opposite the dark-haired girl- whose own trashed make-up betrayed the fact that she had also been crying.

“Hey Jess,” Paige whispered. “It- it looks like there’s a big hoo-ha in England, I’ve been bombarded with Facebook messages from Natalie about a plan they’re cooking up…”

“Paige,” Jessica whispered firmly. “We- we need to talk about what happened, what happened earlier today at the Empire State Building.”

“I know,” Paige sniffled, tears forming in her eyes again. “Jess, you-“

“I want to speak first,” Jessica mumbled. “Paige… I love you. I’m IN love with you. I want to marry you… I want us to be together forever.”

“Jessica,” Paige said as a solitary tear trickled down her cheek. “I- I do love you… But…”

“No,” Jessica moaned. “Please, no buts…”

“But I’m only twenty-one,” Paige sighed. “I- I want to have fun, see the world…”

“I want to do those things too,” Jessica said, gripping Paige’s hand in hers. “With you.”

“Jess…” Paige whispered.

“Even if we don’t get married immediately, we can still do those things,” Jessica pleaded. “Paige, I’ve never been sure of anything in my life. I want to be with you forever. Are you honestly telling me you don’t feel the same way?”

“Jess…” Paige whispered. “It’s- it’s not you, it’s me… Marriage, even getting engaged… It’s a big step, it’s one I’m not sure I’m ready to make yet… I’m only 21, for Christ’s sake!”

“We know people who got engaged when they were just eighteen,” Jessica retorted.

“Jessica,” Paige sighed. “When I’m ready... I- I just can’t commit right now… And neither should you.”

“What- what do you mean?” Jessica stammered.

“You’ve only been on oestrogen for four months, Jess,” Paige said. “Take it from someone who’s been on it over a year- you are going to change. A LOT. These feelings you have right now… There’s no guarantee you’ll still feel that may a year from now.”

“…Are you saying that you’ll feel differently?” Jessica asked, a wave of panic sweeping over her. “Are you telling me that you feel differently about us now?”

“You- you’re not the woman I originally fell in love with,” Paige whispered, causing Jessica’s insides to churn. “I’m not the woman who originally fell in love with you.”

“But I do still love you,” Jessica moaned.

“And I love you too,” Paige whispered. “But- but we need more time.”

“…Okay,” Jessica whispered, her chest gripped with a pain she had never felt before.

“I’m NOT breaking up with you, Jess,” Paige whispered. “I want us to be together. All those things we talked about… I want us to do them together too. I just- I just can’t commit to marriage. Not just yet.”

“I understand,” Jessica mumbled.

“Ask me again in a year,” Paige said.

“Will 22 really be that different from 21?” Jessica asked.

“We’ll find out in a year,” Paige whispered, squeezing Jessica’s hand supportively. “Meanwhile, your parents have promised us a big, fancy birthday dinner… And your make-up looks like shit, hehe!”

“Look who’s talking!” Jessica laughed, wiping some of Paige’s smeared mascara off of her face with her finger. “Paige… I’m not going to lie. I AM disappointed, I AM upset…”

“Would you rather I accepted the proposal because I felt I had to?” The Scottish girl asked.

“No, of course not,” Jessica replied. “I want you to want to marry me… If you need time, then I guess I’ll have to give you that time. But- God, this sounds dumb…”

“No, go on,” Paige said softly.

“If you want me to wait a year…” Jessica said hesitantly. “You have to wait a year as well. Don’t tell me you need to wait and then propose yourself, I- I just don’t think I’d be able to handle that.”

“Okay,” Paige whispered. “I promise.”

“Thank you,” Jessica whispered. “I- I love you, Paige.”

“I love you, Jessica,” Paige said in a quiet, mournful voice.

----------

Dawn broke on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, bringing with it a sense of trepidation. Jessica’s birthday meal had progressed smoothly following her talk with Paige, though when both women went to bed that night, the usual ‘spark’ between them, the usual atmosphere that caused the two women to end almost every night in each other's arms was conspicuous by its absence.

In London, Anna-Jade impromptu day off had helped her to calm down following her encounters with the nightmare customer, but as she and Rachel got dressed ahead of their working day, Anna-Jade feared that matters would only go from bad to worse.

“Don’t look so anxious,” Rachel advised the Irishwoman as she zipper up her tight pencil dress. “What’s done is done, you’ll be on a flight with me today so nothing’ll happen. I promise you.”

“Easy to say,” Anna-Jade snorted. “You heard what Natalie said in the group chat last night- the exact same thing you said in my hearing yesterday.”

“I agree, it’s no coincidence,” Rachel said. “Book look at it this way- I’m a member of Project Tutu- well, too, hehe! If he comes after me… Then we’ll have our proof.”

“Are you really willing to risk your career to prove this?” Anna-Jade asked. “You, of all people?”

“I’m certainly not willing to risk YOUR career,” Rachel snorted. “Besides, if he DOES go at me? I reckon Natalie’s plan will work and we won’t see Mr. Obnoxious ever again.”

“Assuming the plan doesn’t get us into even DEEPER trouble,” Anna-Jade sighed as the two women left the apartment and headed to the airport. A short while later, the two women, accompanied by Natalie and Carly, were high above the English Channel on an aeroplane bound for Berlin.

“Bad news,” Rachel sighed as she entered the kitchen area of the aeroplane. “Guess who’s on board?”

“Oh- what?” Anna-Jade hissed. “You are motherfucking kidding me…”

“I checked the passenger list this morning after we arrived,” Rachel said in a dark voice. “He definitely wasn’t there then.”

“That guy must be made of money to keep buying last-minute tickets,” Natalie snorted. “Then again, if he is a friend of Masson’s…” All four stewardesses groaned as the call light illuminated on the side panel of the kitchen.

“Ah, speak of the literal devil,” Anna-Jade sighed, straightening her hat and skirt and preparing to push the drinks trolley into the aeroplane’s aisle.

“I’VE got this,” Rachel said, fastening the gold buttons on her blazer and straightening her hat, before pushing the trolley into the narrow aisle. The blonde supervisor returned eight minutes later, the scowl on her face (and large coffee stain on her skirt) a dead giveaway of how her interaction with the customer went down.

“Ladies,” Rachel said, taking several deep breaths to calm herself. “We are taking this motherfucker DOWN.”

----------

“I know this may not have been the birthday you were hoping for,” Mrs. Tyler said as she gave Jessica a tight hug, “but you’ll have plenty more of them- ALL of them you’ll celebrate as the woman you were destined to be.”

“Thanks,” Jessica sniffed, before receiving a silent, awkward hug from her father. “We’ll be back before the end of the year, I promise.”

“You’d better be,” Jessica’s father chuckled. “And Paige? Any time you want to celebrate the fourth of July- and the fifth- with us, you’re more than welcome.”

“Thanks, Mr. Tyler,” Paige laughed, giving the middle-aged American man a tight hug.

“Have a safe flight!” Mrs. Tyler yelled after the taxi that bore her Jessica and Paige back to Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

“Ahhhh…” Jessica moaned as she allowed her tired body to relax onto the back seat of the taxi. “I SO can’t wait to get back to London.”

“I dunno,” Paige retorted. “Every time I come here it gets harder and harder to leave… Though this time, yeah… Jess, I- I really am sorry, but-“

“We’ve said all we need to say to each other,” Jessica said in a cold, quiet voice. “Let’s- let’s just get home, okay?”

“Okay,” Paige whispered, outwardly projecting a look of confidence when in reality, her insides were just as shredded as Jessica’s.

The proposal had caught Paige completely off-guard. She’d not harboured thoughts of marriage at any point during the 21 months that she and Jessica had been dating, so when Jessica presented her with the (admittedly very beautiful) ring, Paige’s first instinct had been to panic. Paige had always lived her life at supersonic speed, bouncing between jobs- her job immediately prior to joining Soixante-Trois, where she worked as a lifeguard, had lasted only four months, but was still by far and away her longest period of employment, so from Paige’s perspective, spending two years in the same job felt like being stuck in a rut- and Paige fretted that the same thing could be said of her relationship.

Paige’s relationship with Jessica was her first serious, long-term relationship- in fact, it was her first relationship of any description. Paige had had flings and one night stands before, but never anyone who could be described as a ‘girlfriend’. When she looked into Jessica’s lagoon blue eyes on the first day they met, though, Paige knew that Jessica would something much, much more than a simple fling- but if she’d been told that Jessica would propose to her before she turned 22, Paige would probably have run a mile. Whilst the thought of making a commitment appealed to Jessica, Paige’s emotion… Was fear.

Fear of her carefree, youthful life slipping away before her very eyes, fear of her fun adventures being replaced by bills and ironing boards and mortgages. When Paige had started her oestrogen treatments, it had revitalised her, helped her feel truly young again- it had even re-energised her relationship with Jessica. However, the proposal seemed to have sucked all the life out of the relationship- and both Paige and Jessica were worried that it was now damaged beyond repair…

----------

“I’m sorry, Rachel,” Alana said with a sympathetic sigh. “We have to uphold the complaint, it’s- we literally have no other choice.”

“Urgh,” Rachel moaned, leaning her head back onto the office chair’s plush headrest. “I know, I know, just- you surely can see that the guy’s a troublemaker, right? That he’s deliberately persecuting me and my girls?”

“I also know WHY,” Alana said in a much darker voice. “I don’t know what it is you did to Lacroix- and I’m not denying for one second that he had it coming- but you had to have known that you were starting a war- and with Masson on his side, it’s a war you simply can’t win.”

“So we’re going to have to accept the fact that we’re going to be harassed?” Rachel asked. “He is deliberately buying tickets he knows that we’ll be on, just to mess with us!”

“That certainly what it looks like,” Alana sighed. “But he’s entitled to fly on any flight he wants. You know that we believe that the customer is always right, especially one who pumps as much money into the company as he does.”

“And that gives him the right to be a bully?” Rachel asked.

“He’s not crossed any lines,” Alana shrugged. “Skirted close to them, yes, but he’s not laid a finger on you or any of the other girls, OR verbally abused any of the other passengers, not since that one time earlier in the week, anyway. Unless he does… He’s untouchable, I’m afraid.” Rachel nodded, before letting out a heavy sigh.

“Well, thanks anyway, Alana,” Rachel said.

“Don’t take it too hard, Rachel,” Alana said. “Masson WILL recognise what you and the girls are worth once the reality show goes out, this WILL all be forgotten soon.” Rachel sighed again, before nodding and leaving the room, where Natalie, Anna-Jade and Abbey and Rhianna (freshly returned from Barcelona) were waiting for her.

“Any news?” Natalie asked.

“None good,” Rachel sighed. “The plan, therefore, is a go. Spread the word. We move tomorrow.”

----------

The following morning, at the same time the aeroplane containing Jessica and Paige was touching down, Rachel, Anna-Jade, Tanisha and Abbey were striding coolly through Heathrow airport to the aeroplane that they would be assigned to.

"Are we ready, girls?" Rachel asked.

"Is every, you know, 'thing' in place?" Abbey asked.

"All ready and waiting," Rachel said. "Remember- I'll go first, then Abbey, then- if we need her- Tanisha."

"And you'd better hope for his sake that we don't need me!" Tanisha giggled.

"Are we even sure he'll be on the plane?" Anna-Jade asked.

"All four of us on one place?" Rachel retorted. "He'll be here. He won't stop until he's completed his 'mission'... So neither will we."

"Just feel kinda bad dragging Tanisha into it," Abbey shrugged. "Only just out of probation..."

"He'd have come after me sooner or later, if what you say is true," Tanisha shrugged. "I don't mind being 'bait'."

"I'm going to put in a good word with management," Rachel said with a warm smile. "Make sure you're top of the list for being a mentor in August!" Tanisha giggled as the four women boarded their plane and prepared for their pre-flight checks. Before long, the packed jumbo jet was in the air, heading west toward Dublin, and the four stewardesses were huddled together in the kitchen, waiting for the call light to illuminate on the wall panel.

"Come on..." Anna-Jade mumbled, before allowing herself a quiet cheer as the light illuminated. With a defiant smirk, Rachel straightened her skirt and her hat and pushed the drinks trolley out into the aisle, where, as she predicted, the passenger who had made her and her friends' lives hell was waiting.

"How may I help you, sir?" Rachel asked in her sweetest voice.

"As if you could," the passenger snorted. "Every flight I'm on, I see you or one of your equally useless travesties trying and failing to do even the simplest tasks. What you can do for me is admit just how useless you are!"

"...Would you not like a drink?" Rachel asked.

"No!" The man snapped. "I want you to tell this aeroplane how useless you are, you stupid girl!"

"Excuse me?" A middle-aged woman with a refined London accent said, leaving her seat to approach the gentleman. "May I have a word?"

"If the word is to tell this bitch to do her job properly, then by all means," the man said, smiling smugly at Rachel.

"Well this- I won't even repeat the word you just used- happens to be my very intelligent and very beautiful daughter," the middle-aged woman said, bringing a smile to Rachel's face and completely erasing the one on the face of her customer.

"You- your-" the passenger stammered.

"And I feel she is owed an apology for the way you've been treating her and her friends," Rachel's mother continued.

"...I'm sorry," the customer mumbled, cowed by the firm but polite demeanour of Rachel's mother. "I- I'm not thirsty."

"Please call if you need anything else," Rachel said. Really, Rachel thought to herself as she pulled her trolley back to the kitchen, please do...

"Kinda almost forget for a second that we have real customers as well as him," Anna-Jade asked as she grabbed two wine glasses from a cupboard and prepared to head out into the body of the plane. "How's it going?"

"One down," Rachel said smugly. "Our friend's learning a thing or two about humility, but-" Rachel grinned as the same call light that had summoned her illuminated once again.

"Miss Watkins will be happy to give him a second lesson," Abbey said, straightening her hat and pulling her trolley into the aeroplane aisle toward the passenger that had made her flight two days earlier a total misery.

"How may I help you, sir?" Abbey asked, grinning internally as the passenger briefly scanned his surroundings before answering.

"Aren't you the same bimbo who couldn't make a cup of coffee correctly on Thursday?" The passenger asked, and it was all Abbey could do to not jump up and down with excitement at the insults that were being thrown her way.

"Would you like a cup of coffee now, sir?" Abbey asked.

"No, because you wouldn't know coffee if someone came up and pissed it in your face, you stupid whore!" The passenger yelled.

"Oi!" A loud, thick Essex accent yelled from two rows behind the belligerent passenger. "How dare you call my daughter a whore!" Abbey had to bite her lip to prevent herself from laughing as she saw the colour drain from the Frenchman's face.

"Your- I- I'm sorry," the passenger mumbled.

"Louder!" Abbey's mother screeched, prompting sniggers from many of the passengers surrounding the cringing Frenchman.

"I'm sorry," the passenger said. "I- I'm not thirsty."

"Please call if you need anything else," Abbey said, retreating to the kitchen where she shared an excited high-five with her supervisor.

"Wow," Rachel giggled. "Your mum can YELL!"

"Yep!" Abbey squeaked. "You're up next, Tanisha!"

"Nah," the dark-skinned girl laughed in her thick Birmingham accent. "He'd learned his lesson, he wouldn't-" Tanisha's sentence was cut short when the call light illuminated for a third time. "Are my seams straight?"

"Straight as an arrow," Rachel said with pride as Tanisha balanced her blue pillbox hat atop her smooth, jet black hair. "Go get him." Tanisha smirked as she pushed the trolley into the aisle, stopping next to the passenger who had harassed Rachel and Abbey.

"Can I help you, sir?" Tanisha asked, prompting a smirk from the belligerent passenger.

"What kind of accent is that?" The obnoxious Frenchman spat. "You sound like you're brain-damaged. Can you pour water out of a jug, or is that too much for your tiny brain?"

"Mate," the English passenger in the seat next to the Frenchman whispered. "Give up while you're behind!"

"The only thing that should be 'given up' is this useless bitch and her job!" The Frenchman snorted.

"HOW DARE YOU!" A loud, angry West Indian accent bellowed from the front or the plane. The belligerent passenger watched in horror as a large, elderly dark-skinned woman rose from her seat and stormed toward him. "HOW DARE YOU TALK TO MY GRANDDAUGHTER LIKE THAT!"

"Your gr- gr- gr-" The Frenchman stammered.

"YOU APOLOGISE TO HER RIGHT NOW!" Tanisha's grandmother bellowed, her mouth mere inches from the terrified man's face. "APOLOGISE BEFORE I MAKE YOU!"

"I- I- I need the toilet," the no longer belligerent passenger whimpered, rising from his seat and scurrying to the tiny toilet as fast as his legs could carry him.

"You go about your work, Tanisha," the young stewardess's grandmother said with pride as she received a round of applause from the entire aeroplane.

"Mission: accomplished," Tanisha said with pride as she returned to a hero's welcome in the aeroplane's kitchen.

"Yeah," Abbey sighed. "We're all going to get written up, though."

"How?" Rachel asked. "We didn't do anything, our families did. And given that they're going to submit three separate reports of our new best friend disrupting their flight... I reckon we won't be seeing him for a long time."

"And if we do," Tanisha said with a grin, "he's going to be checking every aisle carefully in case we have a family member stashed aboard!"

"So yes," Rachel giggled. "Mission very much accomplished!"

----------

"You know," Alana sighed as Rachel sat down in her plush chair, coolly crossing one leg over the other, "I really could come down on you like a ton of bricks. Planting your family on board to catch him out like that? That could have backfired on you VERY badly."

"What 'planting'?" Rachel asked with fake innocence. "Abbey, Tanisha and I were merely treating our families to a weekend in Dublin. My mum's always wanted to see me at work, this seemed like the perfect opportunity."

"You've cost the company a valuable repeat customer," Alana sighed. "You know he actually flew back with Ryanair? It's not funny, Rachel."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you were in my position," Rachel retorted. "And does this company really have no loyalty to the women who work hard every day in difficult situations and even more difficult uniforms?"

"Stewardesses are replaceable, customers aren't," Alana said, bringing a deep, dark frown to Rachel's face. "Just- just go home, Rachel. We can't punish you or any of your 'gang' for this as no complaint was issued. But off the record? I wouldn't apply for any promotions anytime soon if I were you. And even further off the record, there's no guarantee that Lacroix will stop here."

"And even further off the record," Rachel spat. "You seem to have forgotten what it's like for those of us who actually go up there day in, day out."

"GO HOME," Alana urged. "I'll see you on Monday." Rachel nodded and left the office, squirming as her corset and her skirt felt tighter than ever. Rachel had spent her life toeing the company line, saying the right things, sucking up to the right people to get ahead in her career. In the space of a week, she had gone from being one of the company's hottest management prospects to effectively blackballed- and yet, Rachel didn't feel as miserable as she thought she should. She felt almost happy- and that happiness was reinforced when she stepped into the locker room to be greeted by the smiling faces of Abbey, Anna-Jade and Tanisha- who weren't just her colleagues, but were truly her friends.

"Well, that was a disaster," Rachel sighed.

"Have we- you know- got complaints?" Tanisha asked.

"Nope," Rachel said as she stripped off her uniform. "But we can forget about any promotions anytime soon."

"Ugh," Anna-Jade spat. "All because that greaseball was sucking up to Masson. I guess it's true what they say: Money CAN buy you anything." Rachel sighed as she stared at her underwear-clad reflection in the mirror, barely able to look at herself thanks to her acute sense of shame.

"Not anymore," Rachel said, loosening the laces of her corset before removing the restrictive garment and taking a deep breath.

"Umm, Rachel, you know you could get in BIG trouble for that, right?" Abbey asked.

"I don't care anymore," Rachel scoffed. "Who honestly thought that corsets were appropriate work attire for flight attendants, anyway? I'll tell you: an out of touch, borderline perverted MAN who feels that all women are good for is being ogled. Well I say Antoine Masson is long overdue an attitude adjustment. And I'm going to be the one to give it to him." Rachel smiled with pride as one by one, Anna-Jade, Abbey and Tanisha all removed their corsets, stuffing them in their overnight bags before stepping into their commuting dresses, giggling at the way their 'unenhanced' figures filled out their dresses as they strode toward the tube station to return to their respective homes.

----------

"Whoa, let me get this straight," Jessica asked as she and her friends shared a bottle of wine. "Rachel Harrison broke the rules?"

"Yep," Rachel said with a proud smile.

"On an unrelated topic, did you two fly through the Bermuda Triangle on your way home?" Natalie asked, earning a playful shove from Rachel.

"It's taken me a while to learn," Rachel said, "but I finally realise that friends are more important than a career. And I wouldn't trade any of you guys for anything."

"Anyway," Zoe asked, "how was America? Did you enjoy your adventure in New York?" Jessica forced a smile on her face as she locked eyes with Paige- who, Jessica noted to herself, was also wearing an obviously fake smile.

"It was okay," the American girl said. "I've been there lots of times..."

"...Paige?" Zoe asked.

"It was fun, yeah," the Scottish girl said.

"Did you get everything you wanted in New York?" Anna-Jade asked.

"...More or less," Paige said, again locking eyes with her American lover.

"I- I'm just glad to be back among friends," Jessica said. "Like Rachel said, all of us in this room, I really do believe we'll ALWAYS be friends."

"Always!" The other women toasted, clinking their glasses with each other.

"Always?" Jessica whispered to Paige, who smiled and clinked her glass with Jessica's.

"Always," Paige whispered in return.

If only, Jessica thought to herself. If only you truly meant that...

“Now this is showing confidence in your series,” Natalie sighed as she poured out tall glasses of sparkling wine for her seven friends. “Broadcasting the premiere episode at half past ten on a Monday evening.”

“They couldn’t even have put it on last Monday, when it was a bank holiday,” Rachel sighed.

“Let’s- let’s just try to enjoy it, okay?” Anna-Jade asked. “The eight of us are about to become TV stars. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.” The eight women watched with excitement as the familiar opening bars of 'Learn to Fly' by the Foo Fighters filled the room, and images of Heathrow Airport and Soixante-Trois-branded aeroplanes appeared on the screen, before being replaced by a wide shot of all the stewardesses who work at the London hub.

“Good job you’ve got a big TV,” Natalie snorted. “Doubt I’d have been able to pick myself out on our 40” screen.”

“Shush,” Rachel admonished her brown-haired friend.

“Every day, on average, two hundred thousand people pass through Heathrow Airport on their way to and from destinations all around the world,” the show’s narrator announced.

“Seriously?” Paige sighed. “A regional news anchor? They couldn’t have got David Tennant or someone to do the voiceover?”

“Shush!” Rachel hissed, before blushing as the narration ended and her face appeared on screen.

“It’s a great place to work,” Rachel’s image said with a proud smile. “You meet all kinds of new people, get to travel to loads of different locations…”

“Best job I’ve ever had,” the soft Glaswegian twang of Paige said on-screen, causing the pale-skinned woman’s cheeks to redden with embarrassment.

“Berst jorb I’ve ever hard,” Natalie laughed, making a poor impersonation of Paige’s accent.

“Get to- shut it, you!” Paige snorted, hitting the Mancunian woman with a nearby cushion. The eight women watched with anticipation as more of their friends and colleagues were interviewed, and scenes of the stewardesses in their working environment were shown.

After the second commercial break, the women grew increasingly fatigued from the combination of their late night, a long day at work and, most importantly, the fact that none of them had appeared on-screen in over fifteen minutes. Their excitement levels would suddenly rise, however, when the programme moved onto its next ‘feature’.

“Anna-Jade Houghton has been working for Soixante-Trois Airlines since February 2014,” the narrator announced, making the Irishwoman’s deep blue eyes widen as her friends all cheered. “She was born in Londonderry in 1989, and for the first 25 years of her life, she lived as a man named Anthony.”

“I’ve always been a woman, deep down inside,” Anna-Jade’s image explained on the screen, causing the Irishwoman to cringe and bury her face in her hands. “Northern Ireland isn’t exactly the easiest place in the world to be transgender, or any kind of LGBT.”

“So did you have a hard childhood?” The interviewer asked.

“I wouldn’t say so,” Anna-Jade answered. “The hardest thing was having to hide who I really was from my friends and my family.”

“And your family didn’t approve of who you really were?” The interviewer asked.

“Nope,” Anna-Jade sighed. “They’re all devout Catholics… I mean, I believe in God, of course, but I don’t believe he’d torture people by forcing them to live their lives in ways they shouldn’t.”

“So you’re saying that living as a man would be like torture for you?” The interviewer probed further.

“It was,” Anna-Jade said. “By the end it was like I was going to burst out of my own skin. I started transitioning not long after starting for Soixante-Trois, and after a few weeks on oestrogen I was so relaxed, so happy… I really was a completely new person, a better person.”

“What attracted you to start working for Soixante-Trois?” The interviewer asked. “If you wished to transition, there are any number of jobs you could have had.”

“You’d have thought,” Anna-Jade replied. “But the truth is, people like me still face discrimination everywhere we go. Soixante-Trois is the only company I know that actually assists women with their transition, offers them medical care and access to psychotherapists, even gives three months’ paid sick leave to get and recover from SRS. I’ve always wanted to see the world, meet new people, and I had a knack for learning foreign languages at school. Plus, the uniform’s definitely a perk!” In the flat, Anna-Jade cringed even harder as her on-screen image stood up and did a very professional-looking twirl in her tight blue uniform.

“Is it over yet?” Anna-Jade wailed as her friends all beamed excitedly.

“Nearly,” Rachel replied with a smug grin.

“If there was one thing you could say to your parents,” the interviewer asked, “the people who rejected you, what would that be?”

“That’s a tough one,” Anna-Jade’s image replied. “What I’d say- and this applied to anyone with a transgendered child- is that we don’t need you to judge us, or even try to understand us- we just need you to love us.”

“It’s over,” Rachel said with a sympathetic sigh as Anna-Jade emerged from behind her arms.

“That last thing you said,” Jessica sighed. “Don’t think there’s a single person in our position who wouldn’t agree with you.”

“Even those of us who had it REALLY lucky with our parents,” Paige whispered as the show ended mere minutes later with clips of Anna-Jade and many other women hard at work.

“And that,” Rachel announced as she clicked off the television, “as they say in show business, is a wrap!”

“’Show business’,” Natalie snorted. “At least you got your fucking face on screen…”

“There’ll always be next week,” Rachel reassured her disappointed friend.

“When even fewer people tune in,” Natalie sighed. “Still, at least one of us got her fifteen minutes, eh, Anna-Jade?”

“Already regretting every fucking second of those fifteen minutes,” the red-haired woman sighed as a knock came from the apartment door.

“Two guesses?” Rachel asked Anna-Jade as they opened the apartment door and came face-to-face with their boyfriends.

“Can I have your autograph?” Danny- Rachel’s boyfriend- asked, making the blonde woman sigh. “Oh come on, I’ve got a celebrity girlfriend, that’s something you show off!”

“Your sister’s in a girl band, you daft bastard,” Rachel replied, before sighing and greeting Danny with a kiss. “Come on, give me a lift to your place and I’ll give you that autograph you want. Behave yourself and it might not be the only thing I do with my hands tonight…”

“We should get going too,” Natalie announced as she led Zoe, Abbey and Annabelle out of the flat and into their waiting taxi. “Us ‘common people’…”

“See ya,” Anna-Jade giggled, before turning to her tall, blond boyfriend. “And as for you… Can I get you an autograph? Or perhaps, something else?”

“That sounds great,” Paul- Anna-Jade’s boyfriend- said with a shy smile. “The autograph as well as the, um, other thing…”

“Ah, stop being so coy!” Anna-Jade giggled as she led her boyfriend to her bedroom, where her smart black dress quickly found its way to the floor alongside Paul’s jeans and polo shirt, and their two bodies ended the night locked together in a passionate embrace…

“She could at least have hung a bra on the doorknob,” Jessica laughed as she walked past Anna-Jade’s bedroom, having exchanged her own slinky black dress for a comfortable cotton nightie.

“Would be more appropriate than a sock,” Paige giggled as she fiddled with her phone.

“You expecting a call?” Jessica asked.

“You mean you AREN’T?” Paige retorted, smiling as her phone started to ring. “On cue…”

“I’m going to get into bed,” Jessica said, giving her lover a brief kiss. “Some of us have to work tomorrow…”

“I’ll be there in a bit, babe,” Paige said, before answering her phone. “Hi, mum or dad!”

“Oh, so you’re not too famous that you can still call us ‘mum and dad’?” Paige’s father asked, making the Scottish girl giggle.

“I was on-screen for all of ten seconds,” Paige laughed.

“More than most people get,” Mr. Robertson said. “Didn’t see Jessica on-screen, though.”

“No, um, she’ll probably be next week,” Paige mumbled.

“Paige,” Mr. Robertson sighed. “Please tell me you two aren’t falling out again.”

“We’re not ‘falling out’, we were never ‘falling out’,” Paige sighed. “We just- look, it’s late, okay? Can I just get to bed, please?”

“That’s a tone of voice I‘d hoped ‘Paige’ hadn’t inherited from ‘Paul’,” Mr. Robertson chastised. “You go to bed, Paige. And while you’re there, hopefully you’ll remember exactly what’s most important in your life.”

“I will,” Paige said in a tired, monotone voice. “Bye, dad. My love to mum and the girls.” Paige sighed as she ended the call and entered her bedroom, where Jessica was already asleep in bed. Ever since their return from America three months earlier, their relationship- which used to be the strongest of all their friends- had been strained, and Paige felt that it was all her fault.

Jessica’s proposal had caught Paige completely by surprise. As much as she loved Jessica, and as much as she knew Jessica loved her, Paige had never once harboured thoughts of marriage. At the time of the proposal, Paige was only 21, which in her eyes was far too young to make a commitment like marriage.

And yet, every day since her return from America, Paige found herself regretting her decision to reject Jessica’s proposal. She may have felt that she was too young to make the commitment of marriage, but she also knew, deep down, that she would never love anyone the way she loved the blonde American girl.

When Paige told her parents about the proposal, they were ecstatic, especially her father- neither of Paige’s sisters were married, despite both of them being thirty years old, and the prospect of walking one of his daughters down the aisle made the middle-aged Scottish man very excited. He genuinely didn’t care that the daughter in question used to be his son- all that mattered was that he would be with his child on the happiest day of her life.

When Paige’s parents found out that she had rejected the proposal, however, their excitement quickly turned to disappointment, and in every contact Paige had had with her parents since the rejection, they’d urged her to reconsider the proposal- and even though Paige and Jessica had agreed not to even discuss marriage until a year had passed, the topic was still like an elephant in the room whenever Jessica and Paige spent any time together- even as Paige climbed into bed next to the slumbering Jessica, she could feel the tension between the two of them.

When Paige woke up the following morning, Jessica was already awake and dressed in the smart white blouse and black pencil skirt that she would be wearing to work, the skirt’s tight fit enhancing the developing curves that Jessica had earned after eight months of hormone replacement therapy.

“Mmm,” Paige said with a smile as she watched Jessica apply her favourite red lipstick. “Morning, sexy!”

“Morning,” Jessica said with a scarlet smile. “Sorry if I woke you, but SOME of us have to work today…”

“Don’t wake Anna-Jade whatever you do, she’ll claw your eyes out,” Paige laughed. “Have you heard from your parents about last night?”

“Not yet,” Jessica sighed. “Can’t call them now as it’s 1 in the morning where they are… I’ll give them a call when I get back from Paris. Unless…”

“…Unless?” Paige asked. “Will they let you call America from the work phones in Paris?”

“Doubt it,” Jessica sighed. “Though… Around lunchtime, you could give them a call-“

“Ehh,” Paige grimaced. “Might- maybe it’d be best if the call came from you.”

“They do think of you as part of the family, you know,” Jessica whispered.

“Can- can we have this conversation some other time?” Paige asked, making Jessica sigh sadly.

“Sure,” Jessica mumbled, before leaning in to give the Scottish girl a gentle kiss. “See you later, Paige.”

“See you, Jess,” Paige whispered, paying close attention to the American girl’s hips and backside as she left the bedroom. “See you…”

Even though she took care to be as quiet as possible, the sound of Jessica leaving the flat caused Anna-Jade to stir, though her initial irritation at being woken so early was tempered when she found herself wrapped in the strong arms of her boyfriend- and felt the tingling in her backside that reminded her of the previous night's 'activities'. The flame-haired Irishwoman made a van effort to try to get back to sleep, but her excitement about her brush with fame the previous night- not to mention Paul’s warm breath on her bare shoulder- meant that she was wide awake and eager to start her day less than twenty minutes after she woke up.

“Fucking Jessica,” Anna-Jade whispered, before reaching behind her and gently tapping Paul on the cheek. “Come on, wake up! Got my adoring public to see today…”

“I’M your adoring public,” Paul mumbled as he woke up and tightened his grip on the giggling Anna-Jade.

“Sure, you were my adoring PUBIC last night,” Anna-Jade said, making Paul laugh. “But there’s no way I’m getting back to sleep now. Come on, up and at ‘em!”

“Yes ma’am!” Paul laughed as he watched Anna-Jade wrestle free of his grip and pull on her underwear for the day.

“Come on,” Anna-Jade laughed as she pulled on a plain black bra and thong set. “You can stare harder that that…”

“Trust me, I don’t think ‘harder’ is physically possible right now,” Paul chuckled. “God, you are so gorgeous… It’s just- it’s just inconceivable, you know? That there was a time when you weren’t a sexy woman…”

“High praise indeed, coming from someone who once had a chance with Jamie-Lee Burke!” Anna-Jade chuckled as she pulled on a pair of translucent black tights, followed by a light, knee-length purple sweater dress and shiny leather knee-high boots.

“You’re WAY hotter than she is,” Paul said, encircling Anna-Jade’s waist from behind once she was fully dressed and made up. “Seriously, I mean it.”

“Trust me, I can feel that you mean it!” Anna-Jade giggled. “Just wish it was that easy for everyone else…”

“Your family?” Paul asked, sighing as Anna-Jade nodded. “I suppose in a way it can’t be easy for them, I mean, they only ever knew Anthony, right?”

“Right,” Anna-Jade sighed. “But you yourself said, I don’t fucking well look like an ‘Anthony’ anymore. This isn’t my family using the ‘eyes of the past’, they’re not using their fucking eyes at all.” Paul sighed sadly as he tightened his embrace on his emotional girlfriend.

“My parents like you,” Paul mumbled, making Anna-Jade giggle.

“And I like them,” Anna-Jade laughed. “Now come on, get your pants on, I wanna be taken out for breakfast like a REAL celebrity!”

“Yes ma’am,” Paul laughed. “Though I may need some help getting my pants on…"

"Ah, where would you be without me?" Anna-Jade giggled as she slowly sank to her knees in front of her naked boyfriend...

Paige smiled as she heard the front door of the flat slam, signifying that Anna-Jade and her boyfriend had left, and that more importantly, Paige had the flat all to herself for the first time in a very long while.

After taking a long shower, Paige took her time getting ready for the day, carefully applying a full layer of make-up (even though she had no plans to go out), followed by repainting her fingernails and toenails with the company-mandated blood red nail polish. After brushing out her shoulder-length jet black hair, Paige pulled on a skimpy lace bra and thong set, followed by a pair of her favourite opaque black tights, a very short butt-hugging grey miniskirt and a clingy long-sleeved striped top. Once she’d adjusted her top, Paige admired her figure in the bedroom’s full-length mirror.

Eighteen months of oestrogen tablets had been more than enough to reverse the effects of the previous twenty years of testosterone ‘poisoning’- at a skinny 5’ 6”, ‘Paul’ had never been the world’s most masculine man, but Paige cut a feminine figure any woman would die for. Her waist was narrow (helped by two years of corset training), her porcelain skin was smooth and baby soft, her hips and bottom were shapely and her breasts, while small, were pronounced just enough to catch the attention of any lustful man. Paige, of course, had no intentions of showing her figure to anyone other than her American lover, but with every day that passed, she grew more and more flattered by the attention that was being paid to her- especially by attractive young men.

When she was ‘Paul’, Paige had never considered herself to be ‘gay’. She was as attracted to the women she saw as she was attracted to the idea of becoming like the women, but when she entered into a relationship with another genetically- and more importantly, anatomically- male person, it opened her eyes to a new realm of possibilities… And as Jessica’s sexual capacity diminished due to her own oestrogen treatments, it left Paige feeling frustrated. All of a sudden, the men she’d ignored started to look attractive as potential sexual partners, and as hard as Paige tried to concentrate on her strong emotional bond with Jessica, she couldn’t help but feel that she was missing out in a very significant way.

Paige only had a few minutes alone with her thoughts, however, before she was interrupted by a loud knock from the flat’s front door.

“Ugh, I swear if this is another breakfast pizza…” Paige moaned, but when she opened the door, her eyes went wide at the sight that greeted her.

“Surprise!” The two identical-looking ginger-haired women yelled, instantly putting Paige on the defensive.

“What- what the fuck are you two doing here?” Paige asked.

“Is that any way to greet your sisters after they came hundreds of miles just to see you?” Nina asked.

“And are you really going to keep us out in the cold?” Trisha added, making Paige sigh.

“…Come in,” Paige sighed, ushering her sisters into the flat where they immediately took a seat on the sofa.

“Where’s Jessica?” Nina asked. “Or any of your other flat mates, I thought you lived with three other women?”

“Jessica’s at work, the other two are out with their boyfriends,” Paige explained. “Seriously, why have you come to London?”

“To see our baby sister!” Trisha laughed, pulling the reluctant Paige into the space between herself and her twin.

“Our FAMOUS baby sister!” Nina giggled excitedly. “Best job I’ve ever had…”

“Eight seconds on a reality show no one saw doesn’t make me ‘famous’,” Paige protested.

“We saw it,” Trisha shrugged. “Unless, of course, we’re ‘no one’…”

“…Thanks,” Paige sighed, her sigh growing louder as her sisters squeezed her body between them. “I spoke to mum and dad last night, they didn’t mention that you were coming down- did you stay overnight in London?”

“Got an overnight bus,” Nina explained.

“We actually had this planned for a while,” Trisha giggled. “When we knew your show was bring broadcast yesterday.”

“But what if I’d not been on the show?” Paige asked. “I was barely on there as it is…”

“Lucky then that your sisters were more confident than you are!” Nina giggled.

“Did we catch you on the way out or something?” Trisha asked. “That’s a lot of make-up for just sitting around the house…”

“…I like wearing make-up,” Paige mumbled.

“At least it’s your own make-up and not ours,” Nina laughed. “How much of it did you used to nick when we were kids?”

“None,” Paige retorted. “I never nicked your make-up, honestly. None of your clothes, either, they’d never have fit me growing up…”

“That voice sounds more ‘disappointed’ than ‘innocent’,” Trisha said. “Almost like she wishes she’d been able to go on fancy spa days and for makeovers with her big sisters…”

“Well, duh,” Paige said, making the twins laugh.

“Well given that you’re BOTH already wearing more make-up than a clown,” Nina snorted, “how about a shopping spree instead? Our baby sister can show us where she got that skirt.”

“Or we could just nick HER clothes, seeing as she didn’t so it to us!” Trisha laughed, getting off the sofa and rushing into Paige’s bedroom before the black-haired girl has the chance to protest.

“Oh- get to-“ Paige spat as she followed her sister.

“What’s she got?” Nina asked between uncontrollable giggles. “Anything that’ll fit us?”

“My, my, Paige!” Trisha laughed. “You own a LOT of corsets! No wonder you’re figure’s so great…”

“Ah, I wanna try one!” Nina said, making Paige groan as Trisha wrapped the restrictive garment around Nina’s waist, on top of her dress.

“If you damage that, you’re fucking paying for it,” Paige growled.

“We’re not damaging it!” Trisha retorted. “Hardly seems fair that you get to wear sexy stuff like this when the two of us, who have been women for thirty years, don’t.”

“Nothing’s stopping you,” Paige shrugged, making her sisters exchange a knowing grin.

“Very true,” Nina said, grabbing another corset from Paige’s drawer. “Trisha, arms up!” Trisha laughed as Nina wrapped the corset around her waist and began lacing it shut.

“Be careful with the laces!” Paige urged.

“We told you, we won’t damage it,” Trisha laughed.

“It’s your guts I’m more worried about, but okay,” Paige said, making her sisters laugh again- an action they immediately regretted, thanks to their restrictive garments.

“Fuck me,” Nina groaned as she clutched her aching waist. “Paige, how do you do anything in these things, let alone on a plane?”

“You get used to them,” Paige shrugged. “Antoine Masson cares more about my T&A than the fact that I have an up-to-date first aid certificate. Don’t think he realises that flight attendants do actual work.”

“Well, better you than me,” Trisha laughed as she loosened the laces of Nina’s corset. “Though going by your drawer, you look like you’re keeping your options open. Either that, or you just get off on dressing up as a Playboy Bunny…”

“Which is definitely possible, and understandable!” Nina giggled.

“Oh- that was for a friend’s 21st,” Paige sighed.

“Then why do you have two bunny costumes?” Trisha asked.

“…One of them is Jessica’s,” Paige answered, immediately lowering the tone of the room.

“Aye, I actually remember seeing a photo of that on Facebook, now that I come to think of it,” Nina mumbled.

“Paige…” Trisha sighed as she sat down on Paige’s bed, wincing at the bite of Paige’s corset on her waist. “What ARE you gonna do about your relationship?”

“If I was 22 and someone I adored proposed to me on the top of the Empire State Building-“ Nina mused, before being interrupted by her younger sister.

“No,” Paige said firmly. “We’re not talking about this. I’m too young to bet married.”

“Aye, that sounds convincing,” Trisha snorted.

“Didn’t you say you were taking me- sorry, I was taking you two on a shopping trip?” Paige asked.

“Okay, okay,” Nina sighed, holding her hands up in mock surrender. “Get some shoes on, then we’ll go…”

“Shoes that have AT LEAST a three inch heel!” Trisha ordered her younger sister, who rolled her eyes in mock frustration before pulling on a pair of stilettos and following the twins out of the bedroom. Before she left, though, Paige glanced one last time at her nightstand, which she knew still contained the diamond ring she’d rejected months earlier, and as she did, she winced at the twinge of regret that filled her body.

“Relaxed yet?” Paul asked Anna-Jade as they strolled hand-in-hand through the historic streets of Westminster. “We’ve been on the street for hours, seen thousands of people, not one of them’s recognised you yet…”

“’Cause I’m wearing big sunglasses and I’ve got my fucking hair down, that’s why,” Anna-Jade sighed.

“You sound almost disappointed,” Paul laughed.

“Well- shit,” Anna-Jade sighed. “I guess I kinda am… You don’t put yourself on national TV if you want to hide away in a corner.”

“Well, that’s certainly true,” Paul laughed. “Sometimes wish I’d had my face blurred when they showed me on the Angels… So if you didn’t do the show for the fame, um, why, um, exactly?”

“It- ugh, this’ll sound silly…” Anna-Jade sighed.

“No, go on,” Paul gently urged his girlfriend.

“I… I kinda hoped it’d help me reconnect with my family,” Anna-Jade said. “I know how stupid that must sound…”

“No, not at all,” Paul said. “I know how much they mean to you, how much it hurt when they- well…”

“Yeah,” Anna-Jade whispered. “Thought that if I showed the world, they’d pay attention too… Haven’t even heard from my sister yet, not so much as a text.”

“…Then why don’t you call her?” Paul asked. “You two are on speaking terms, right?”

“Well- I guess…” Anna-Jade muttered. “But what would I say? How would I even start the conversation, ‘hey Michelle, it’s me, your sister who used to be your brother and is now a TV star. In more than one sense of the world.’?”

“Sisters shouldn’t need a reason to call each other, should they?” Paul asked, making Anna-Jade frown.

“Can I least wait until I get home before calling her?” The flame-haired Irishwoman pouted.

“Of course,” Paul said, wrapping a strong arm around Anna-Jade’s slender waist. “And yes, we’ll have lunch first.” Anna-Jade giggled as Paul led her toward a nearby café, though her nerves at talking to her sister prevented her from eating much, and by the time they arrived back at their flat, her hands were literally shaking with nerves.

“It’ll be fine,” Paul whispered as he handed Anna-Jade her phone. “It’s just your sister, I don’t know why you’re this nervous, you’ve called her before, right?”

“It’s not who I’m talking to,” Anna-Jade explained, “It’s what I’m asking her that’s the thing.”

“…You’re going to ask her if your parents watched, right?” Paul asked, sighing as Anna-Jade tearfully nodded.

“I shouldn’t, I know I shouldn’t,” Anna-Jade sobbed. “I should know by now that they’ll never accept me for who I am, but every time something like this happens, I always get this hope, you know? This tiny glimmer of hope deep inside that maybe, just maybe, they’ll finally see the light and accept me as their daughter, just like Jessica’s parents did… Every time, though, that hope just gets snuffed out. It’s not fucking fair! It’s not!”

“You’re right, it’s not,” Paul said, giving Anna-Jade a long, comforting hug. “You’re an amazing, talented, beautiful woman and any family would be lucky to have you as their daughter.”

“Guess I’m the unlucky one then,” Anna-Jade sighed. “To have such shitty, pig-headed parents.”

“You can’t choose your family,” Paul sighed.

“True,” Anna-Jade sighed as she dialled her sister’s number. “But I can choose how I behave toward them. Hi, Michelle!”

“Hi AJ,” Michelle replied. “Not too famous that you can’t talk to us little people, then?”

“Ah, you saw it, then?” Anna-Jade asked.

“You pushed it enough on your Facebook, for Christ’s sake,” Michelle retorted. “Didn’t realise you were going to be the big star of it.”

“Neither did I,” Anna-Jade laughed. “Michelle… Did- did-“

“I know what you’re going to ask,” Michelle sighed. “And to answer your question… I’m 99% sure they didn’t.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Anna-Jade whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

“AJ, you knew it wouldn’t simply be a case of-“ Michelle began.

“Anna-Jade,” Anna-Jade stated firmly. “My name isn’t ‘AJ’, it’s Anna-Jade.”

“Isn’t that what ‘AJ’ stands for?” Michelle asked.

“You tell me, you’re the one using that name,” Anna-Jade retorted. “You tell me whether it stands for ‘Anna-Jade’ or ‘Anthony James’.”

“I- I don’t know,” Michelle sighed.

“I didn’t think so,” Anna-Jade spat.

“AJ- Anna-Jade,” Michelle sighed. “I am trying. Really, I am, but I’ve had 25 years of having it drilled into me that this whole LGBT thing- it’s just wrong.”

“’Drilled in’,” Anna-Jade snorted. “Drilled in no doubt by a bunch of men who, ironically enough, spend their whole lives wearing dresses and ‘drilling’ pre-pubescent boys.”

“You were never sexually abused by any of the priests we had growing up,” Michelle sighed. “You can’t blame the church for-“

“I don’t want to get into this,” Anna-Jade sighed. “You know my stance on the church, I know yours, let’s just leave it at that, okay?”

“That’s probably for the best,” Michelle sighed. “I’m on my lunch break at the moment, got to get back to work. But AJ- Anna-Jade… I meant what I said at Christmas. Anytime you want to come over to visit… You’re always welcome.”

“Thanks,” Anna-Jade sighed. “See you, Michelle.”

“Bye,” Michelle said, before ending the call and leaving her sister blinking tears out of her eyes.

“God, Anna-Jade…” Paul sighed, wrapping his arms around his distraught girlfriend.

“Every time,” Anna-Jade moaned. “Every time I get my fucking hopes up… Now even Michelle feels like she’s slid backwards, the one member of my family I thought I could fucking well talk to…”

“Let’s- let’s just stay in for the rest of the day, okay?” Paul asked. “You put your feet up, I’ll make us some popcorn, we’ll just spend the day on the sofa watching Netflix. How does that sound?”

“It’s not exactly a Spanish beach, but it’ll do,” Anna-Jade sighed.

“You’re the one who insisted on a ‘staycation’,” Paul reminded his girlfriend, who responded by chuckling and hitting him with a cushion.

“Just- just go make popcorn,” Anna-Jade laughed. “And Paul? Thanks for everything you’ve done.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” Paul laughed. “I’m your boyfriend. You’re my woman. It’s what I’m supposed to do.”

“Are you implying that sitting on my arse and being treated like a princess is what I’m supposed to do?” Anna-Jade asked. “Because I could definitely get behind that!” Anna-Jade laughed at Paul’s coy smile as he headed into the kitchen to prepare their snacks, but inside, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to distract herself from her family worries forever…

Jessica breathed a long sigh of relief as she removed her blue pillbox hat, stepped out of her tight skirt and kicked off her stiletto heels. When she’d first pulled on the uniform, two years earlier, it had been a source of excitement for her, but with every passing day, the uniform had grown more and more irritating- though Jessica couldn’t say for sure that it wasn’t her deteriorating relationship with Paige (who, of course, wore an identical uniform at work) that was the source of her frustration.

“6pm,” Jessica said, looking at her phone. “Lunchtime back home.” Jessica took a deep breath as she dialled the long, international number for her childhood home in America, and grinned widely as the phone was answered after the third ring.

“Hello?” Jessica’s mother asked.

“Hi mom!” Jessica said with a happy grin.

“Jessica!” Mrs. Tyler beamed. “So good to hear from you! And yes, before you ask, we did watch it… I take it they’re saving your story for a future episode?”

“I dunno,” Jessica laughed. “We’re pretty sure there won’t be a second series, so… Maybe, I guess.”

“Still, at least we saw Paige on-screen,” Mrs. Tyler said. “You should’ve heard Hayley when she saw Paige, that girl actually whooped!”

“Heh,” Jessica replied, leading to an awkward silence.

“Jessica…” Mrs. Tyler sighed.

“I- I don’t really want to talk about our relationship, not now,” Jessica sighed. “Whatever happens, happens.”

“Whatever happens is what you make happen,” Mrs. Tyler retorted. “You can’t simply sit back and watch your relationship crumble. You and Paige are meant to be together, you know you are. So what if you get engaged later rather than sooner?”

“So what if I don’t get engaged at all?” Jessica snorted.

“Do NOT talk like that!” Mrs. Tyler ordered, immediately silencing her offspring with a tone of voice the American girl learned to fear when she was younger.

“…Sorry, mom,” Jessica mumbled.

“Jessica…” Mrs. Tyler sighed. “All relationships have their setbacks. God knows your dad and I haven’t always had a smooth ride. The big question is: do you still love Paige?”

“Well- yes, of course,” Jessica replied.

“And does Paige still love you?” Mrs. Tyler asked.

“I- I don’t know,” Jessica sighed. “I think so.”

“You need to find out for sure,” Mrs. Tyler said. “Though deep down, I think you already know. Jessica… Even before we found out about you and Paige’s- well, your ‘status’, we always thought that she was perfect for you. You were always fascinated with Europe growing up, and going out with an Eng- with a Bri- a Scottish girl… You two couldn’t be any more suited.”

“I guess,” Jessica sighed. “I’ve got to go, don’t want a huge bill waiting for me when I get home… Talk soon, mom. My love to dad, Aaron and Hayley.”

“Talk soon, Jessica,” Mrs. Tyler said, before ending the call. Jessica let out a long sigh as she put her phone back in her handbag, before pulling on the blouse, skirt and stilettos she’d worn to the airport. As she strode through the main concourse, however, the smile returned to Jessica’s face when she saw three very familiar figures stood outside the tube station.

“Didn’t I tell you she’d be dressed the most stylish out of all of us?” Nina asked with a smug grin.

“We have to dress stylishly on the way to and from work,” Paige retorted. “You’ve read our employee handbook…”

“Aye,” Trisha giggled. “Doesn’t stop Jessica from being a hundred times sexier than you are, though!”

“Hi Nina, Hi Trisha,” Jessica said, laughing at how tired the twins were already making her feel on top of her long working day.

“Hi Jessica!” Nina and Trisha said simultaneously, barely suppressing their giggles.

“What are you two doing in London?” Jessica asked.

“Good question,” Paige replied, before playfully sticking her tongue out at her sisters, who responded with mock offence.

“Is that anyway to talk to your sisters?” Nina asked. “I oughta complain to your supervisor!”

“The same supervisor whose bed you’re sleeping in tonight?” Paige asked, making her sisters giggle again. “Yeah… ‘Fraid we’ve got some houseguests tonight, Jess.”

“I don’t mind,” Jessica said with a warm grin. “As long as you don’t mind Aaron and Hayley stopping over next summer…”

“I’d mind them less than these two, that’s for sure,” Paige said.

“Shocked and appalled,” Trisha said in an overdramatic voice. “Fortunately, the shopping trip just about compensates for the RIDICULOUS amount of abuse we’ve taken today.”

“Ooh, what’d you get?” Jessica asked, giggling as the three Scottish women opened their shopping bags for Jessica to see.

“And I may have got one or two… ‘Other’ things,” Paige whispered to Jessica, making the American girl giggle even louder as she got on the tube home- though the wise words of her mother rang in her ears all the way home.

After an energetic evening meal and a relaxing night on the sofa, the four women headed to bed. Anna-Jade and Rachel had stayed at their boyfriends’ places for the night so that Nina and Trisha could have their beds, whilst Jessica and Paige climbed into their queen-sized bed and both let out long, tired sighs.

“Your sisters are exhausting,” Jessica said, making the Scottish girl laugh.

“Try growing up with them for 20 years,” Paige snorted. “I pity the poor bastards who marry them, because they will be marrying THEM. You get one, you get the other.”

“Meh, I guess that’s part of the territory with twins,” Jessica mused.

“I used to call them ‘Fred and George’ growing up,” Paige laughed. “Of course, I was always ‘Ginny’, not that I could tell my parents that…”

“You ever wish you had?” Jessica asked. “I mean, you’re always hearing stories about boys who come out to their parents when they’re young and get to live their lives as girls, go to school as girls…”

“Aye, sometimes,” Paige mused. “It’s not all skirts, netball and cheerleading, though. For starters, girls can’t get oestrogen until they’re sixteen, and you remember me telling you about that Laura White girl, who got kidnapped by her dad just before we started for Soixante-Trois?”

“Yeah, that’d probably be my parents’ reaction,” Jessica sighed. “You remember me telling you about so-called ‘conversion therapy’? I think Annabelle was actually forced to go to one of those places once.”

“Jesus…” Paige sighed. “No wonder she’s so quiet all the time.”

“I mean, it’s kinda why I love Europe so much,” Jessica mused. “Don’t get me wrong, I love America, I love the very idea of America, but you can’t call yourself ‘the land of the free’ when you’re also ‘Jesusland’.”

“Enough politics,” Paige said, snapping off her light and silencing her lover with a long, passionate kiss.

Even as their saliva intermingled, though, Jessica couldn’t help but observe that her attempt at a serious conversation with Paige had been derailed once again by sex, and she began to wonder whether or not Paige was right- whether she was too young for marriage, or, indeed, any form of adult relationship…

As she got dressed for work the following morning alongside her Scottish lover, Jessica made no effort to resume the ‘serious’ conversation she’d tried to have with Paige the previous night, knowing that any attempt would be futile- as proved after she pulled on the black pencil dress she planned to wear to work and Paige grabbed her nylon-covered thigh.

“I wish I didn’t have to go back to work today…” Paige moaned. “When I find out who’s off sick, I’ll make them REALLY ill…”

“Which flight are you doing?” Jessica asked as she applied layer after layer of her favourite red lipstick.

“It’s blue route, that’s all I know,” Paige sighed. “Fred and George up yet?”

“Think I heard them leave half an hour ago,” Jessica replied. “They must have an early train or something.”

“Right,” Paige said. “Heh, three months ago I’d actually feel guilty about working on a Wednesday, about not being there for Zoe… Think now she feels like more a part of The Angels than she does, well, the ‘Sky Angels’.”

“She’s enjoying her career, you can’t say fairer than that,” Jessica said, before a wicked grin swept across her face. “And is it really ‘guilt’ you felt, or disappointment at not being able to pull on a pair of pink tights and a leotard?”

“Ah, you know me so well,” Paige giggled, ‘rewarding’ Jessica with a long, soft kiss. “Now come on, don’t want to be late!”

“Yeah,” Jessica laughed, though internally, she wished that, deep down, she knew Paige as well as the Scottish girl was implying.

“Morning,” Paul whispered, waking Anna-Jade with gentle nibbles on her bare, soft neck.

“Stop that,” Anna-Jade giggled. “You’re lucky you’re hot, or I’d break your teeth…”

“Yeah, well you said you wanted to get up early today, remember?” Paul asked, bringing a tired smile to Anna-Jade’s face.

“Ah, yes, yes I did,” the Irishwoman giggled, before padding over to her overnight bag and withdrawing from it a pair of soft pink tights and a stretchy, long-sleeved black leotard.

45 minutes later, with the skin-tight garments stretched over her body and her ginger hair tied into a tight bun, Anna-Jade walked through the front door of the Krystie Fullerton School of Dance hand-in-hand with her boyfriend, and immediately cringed when she was greeted with cheers and applause from the other similarly-clothed young women.

“I’ll leave you to your adoring public,” Paul laughed, giving Anna-Jade a long kiss on the lips. “I know when I’m not welcome.”

“It’s not you, Paul, it’s every MAN!” Krystie- the school’s owner- laughed as she and Zoe walked toward Anna-Jade.

“Ah, so good to see you here again!” Zoe giggled as she greeted her friend and former colleague with a hug. “Even if I did see you on Monday night, and not just at your flat!”

“Ehh… This was a fucking mistake, wasn’t it?” Anna-Jade laughed as the other women gathered around her. “I mean for crying out loud, all of you are ACTUALLY famous…”

“You’ve been on TV most recently,” one of the women retorted with a smug grin.

“Can I have your autograph?” One of the other women asked, making Anna-Jade roll her eyes.

“AFTER we dance,” Zoe ordered, silencing the crowd as she led them into the dance studio. “But it IS good to see you again, Anna-Jade. Thought you’d given up dancing when you stopped coming to lessons last month.”

“Just some awkward shifts,” Anna-Jade shrugged. “That, and… It’s kinda not a priority for me right now. Um, no offence…”

“None taken,” Zoe shrugged. “Just glad you can make it, I was missing having a familiar face here. Now against the barre, miss!”

“Yes ma’am!” Anna-Jade giggled, taking her place at the barre as Krystie and Zoe got the lesson started.

After changing into their form-fitting blue uniforms, Jessica and Paige strode through the small employee area of Heathrow Airport to the Soixante-Trois flight assignment board, where Rachel was waiting with a wide, knowing grin on her face.

“Okay,” Paige sighed. “Where do you want me today?”

“Well, lucky you, you get to fly with me today!” Rachel giggled.

“…I asked ‘where’, not ‘who’,” Paige said, making Rachel playfully roll her eyes at her defiance, before giggling once again.

“Well,” Rachel laughed. “Even luckier for you, you get to go home today!”

“Go home?” Paige asked. “You mean I’m not needed for cover after all- oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no…” Paige bit her lip to keep herself from swearing as Rachel’s evil-sounding laugh grew louder and louder.

Sixty minutes later, Paige winced as the call light illuminated in the rear compartment of the aeroplane. After straightening her hat and her skirt, Paige pushed her drinks trolley out into the narrow aisle, her cheeks flushing a bright red as she approached the two identical ginger-haired women who were waiting for her.

“How can I help you, ma’am?” Paige asked in her sickeningly sweet ‘work voice’.

“You call this service?” Nina snorted with mock offence. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for my drink?”

“We’re about to die of thirst here!” Trisha chipped in, making Paige bite her tongue to keep herself from retorting.

“I do apologise, ma’am,” Paige said. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“And what’s with the ‘ma’am’s?” Nina asked. “Do we look like old women to you?” Old hags, maybe, Paige thought to herself.

“I’m sorry, I’m not allowed to make personal comments whilst on duty,” Paige replied. “What would you like to drink?”

“Do you have any whiskey?” Trisha asked, earning a stern stare from her twin. “What? The drinks are complementary with these seats.”

“Certainly, MISS,” Paige replied, presenting her sister with her requested drink.

“That was my drink!” Nina protested. “You were meant to give that drink to me!”

“Oh, shut it, you,” Trisha laughed. “We ain’t breaking her. You may go now, girl!”

“Thank you, MA’AM,” Paige giggled, bobbing a quick curtsey before returning to the rear of the plane with her trolley, though she was only able to rest her tired feet for thirty seconds before the call light illuminated again- and when Paige poked her head around the curtain, she was unsurprised to find that the light was coming from the seat immediately next to her previous call.

“This is gonna be a long flight,” Paige muttered to herself as she once again straightened her hat and her skirt and pushed her trolley into the aisle of the plane…

Anna-Jade stretched her tired calf muscles as the dance lesson reached its conclusion, before heading back to the changing room with the other women.

“You know,” Zoe said, “you ARE looking good out there, at the barre… Wouldn’t be surprised if I see pointe shoes in your near future!”

“Sure, my feet take enough punishment from the shoes I have to wear at work,” Anna-Jade snorted as she untied her bun and pulled on a long-sleeved black minidress to cover up her dancewear. “Zoe… How- how did your parents react when they found out that- well, that you and Natalie, a transgendered girl-“

“They were happy for me,” Zoe shrugged. “Maybe it’s because they don’t see Natalie as a real woman because she’s not taking oestrogen, I don’t know. Why, are you thinking about your parents again?”

“Yeah,” Anna-Jade sighed. “Because of the show… Thought they might’ve watched, I know my sister did, but-“ Anna-Jade bit her lip as tears formed in the corners of her eyes, prompting Zoe to lean in and give her distraught friend a long, tight hug.

“Your parents don’t deserve such an amazing daughter like you,” Zoe whispered. “And we- not just me and Natalie, or Jessica and Paige, but all of us- WE’RE your family.”

“You’re more of a family than my so-called ‘real’ family ever were,” Anna-Jade sniffled, before hearing a loud ‘aww’ from the reception area outside the changing room.

“I think that will be the family’s first ‘niece’,” Zoe giggled, leading Anna-Jade back to the reception area where she saw Mary- her friend and fellow Northern Irishwoman- stood holding the hand of her tiny, blonde, dancewear-clad daughter.

“Hi, Kristina-Leigh! And Kristina-Leigh’s mum,” one of the women laughed, earning a stuck-out tongue from the heavily-pregnant Mary.

“Sure, this little one had better be the next Darcey Bussell when she’s older, for all the abuse I’m taking,” Mary laughed.

“Will you settle for ‘the next Krystie Fullerton’?” Krystie herself asked as she took the toddler’s hand and led her into the dance studio.

“I know how many piercings you have,” Mary retorted. “And I would NOT.” The room laughed as Mary followed her daughter into the dance studio, causing Anna-Jade to take a deep breath as she nervously followed her.

“H- hi Mary,” Anna-Jade whispered, barely loud enough for her friend to hear her.

“Who- oh, hi Anna-Jade!” Mary beamed as she saw her countrywoman walking beside her. “Long time no see, seems like ages since you were last at one of these lessons!”

“I could say the same for you, but for obvious reasons!” Anna-Jade giggled, pointing at Mary’s swollen belly.

“Ah, yes!” Mary giggled. “Just three weeks to go…”

“Do- do you know, yet? I mean-“ Anna-Jade stammered.

“Another girl,” Mary said with pride. “Already picked out her name- Natasha Emerald.”

“’Emerald’?” Anna-Jade asked as she and Mary took their seats at the side of the dance studio.

“Sure, my first one’s not even got a trace of an Irish accent,” Mary sighed. “Her dad’s English, her godparents are all English… Her regular babysitter’s Irish but even that isn’t enough.”

“That’s what you get for giving birth in England,” Anna-Jade teased, making Mary roll her eyes.

“Don’t make me laugh, for crying out loud,” Mary sighed. “Natasha’s squeezing my bladder enough as it is… Anyway, why are we talking about my bodily fluids and not the start of your media career?”

“Ugh,” Anna-Jade spat, making Mary try not to laugh again. “Beginning to regret ever agreeing to appear on that fu- on that show.”

“Sure, you never know where it’ll lead,” Mary said. “I mean, I started out as a model, I always wanted to be famous, but I never thought I’d ever get half a million followers on Instagram. And that’s the lowest of all the Angels!”

“Think I’ve got eighty followers on my Instagram,” Anna-Jade mumbled.

“Well, I can do something about that,” Mary said with a smug grin, before taking out her phone and taking a selfie of herself and Anna-Jade. “That’ll get you a few hundred from Norn Iron if nothing else, heh!”

“Yeah,” Anna-Jade laughed. “Not the ones I really want, though…”

“…Your parents?” Mary asked, sensing Anna-Jade’s distress.

“Yeah,” Anna-Jade sighed. “I really should stop getting my hopes up like this…”

“Or your parents could pull their heads out of their backsides and accept and love their daughter,” Mary retorted.

“Yeah, ‘cause that’ll really happen,” Anna-Jade snorted. “You know my family’s Catholic, right?”

“You know mine are too, right?” Mary retorted. “That little treasure dancing there was conceived out of wedlock, and only because our contraception failed. AND I married someone baptised as Church of England- which my daughter was baptised into as well. AND one of my bridesmaids was transgendered, and TWO of her godparents are transgendered. My parents didn’t so much as blink at any of that. Don’t get me wrong, I still love God… I just don’t need some MAN to tell me what to do with my, well, you know.”

“You’re lucky,” Anna-Jade mumbled. “About your parents, I mean.”

“Maybe,” Mary shrugged. “And I don’t know whether my parents accept this or just tolerate it. All I know is that they know that I’m an adult, I’m my own person. They have to let me make my own decisions. Well, they do if they want to keep seeing their grandchildren, anyway!”

“Heh,” Anna-Jade laughed. “That’ll never work with my folks, for obvious reasons…”

“You might not have given them any grandchildren,” Mary said, “but they can’t ignore the fact that they have a daughter, and even though you’re an adult, that doesn’t make you any less their child.”

“Try telling them that,” Anna-Jade snorted.

“It’s not MY place to tell them,” Mary said with a knowing smile, making Anna-Jade sigh and roll her eyes.

“I know, I know,” Anna-Jade moaned. “But I can’t call them, they’d just hang up on me… Ugh. Guess there’s only one way to solve THIS one…”

“I guess there is,” Mary said sympathetically as her attention returned to her dancing daughter.

Ninety minutes later, having changed from her dancewear into a loose, comfortable dress and black tights, Anna-Jade strode into the departure lounge at Gatwick airport with an overnight bag in one hand, and her boyfriend’s large, strong hand in the other.

“Thanks for doing this,” Anna-Jade said. “Sure, people will probably think we’re eloping, sneaking off like this…”

“How many times do I have to say it,” Paul laughed. “You’re my girlfriend. Whatever you need, just ask. Wherever you need it either, for that matter. And you clearly do NEED this.”

“Thank you,” Anna-Jade whispered.

Three hours, one flight, one train ride and one taxi ride later, Anna-Jade found herself shaking with nerves as she stood outside the small, terraced Londonderry house.

“God,” Anna-Jade sighed. “I don’t know if I can do this…”

“You came all this way,” Paul said, tightening his grip on Anna-Jade’s hand. “I’m not going to tell you that you can back out of this, because you know as well as I do that if you don’t do this, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

“But what if they slam the door in my face?” Anna-Jade wailed.

“What if they don’t?” Paul asked, making Anna-Jade sigh yet again.

“You’re right,” the flame-haired Irishwoman sighed, before knocking on the door.

“Just a second,” the young, thickly-accented Irishwoman said from inside the house. “Hang on, I can’t exactly move fast…” Anna-Jade forced her mouth into a wide smile as the door flung open to reveal her younger sister’s shocked face.

“Hi Michelle!” Anna-Jade said nervously. “You did say ‘always welcome’…”

“I’m already regretting that,” Michelle sighed, before smiling and giving her sister a long, tight hug. “…It IS good to see you, AJ.”

“What did we say about using ‘AJ’?” Anna-Jade asked, making Michelle laugh.

“Ahh… Sorry… ANNA-JADE,” Michelle said, making both women giggle excitedly. “And this is…?”

“Ah, yes,” Anna-Jade giggled. “This is Paul, my boyfriend, Paul, this is Michelle, the sister you’ve heard so much about!”

“Nice to meet you,” Michelle said, greeting the shy young man with a handshake. “Jonny’s not home yet, but he will be soon. Come on in!” Anna-Jade and Paul both smiled as they dragged their suitcases into the house, before relaxing into the plush sofa.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Michelle laughed as she gently lowered herself into her armchair. “I’ve invited you into my home, don’t think I’m gonna wait on you hand and foot!”

“You heard the woman, Paul,” Anna-Jade giggled as her boyfriend tiredly stood up. “Kitchen in the back?”

“Yep,” Michelle said with a smug grin, before sighing. “AJ- Anna-Jade… I know why you’ve come. I mean, let’s face it, it’s bloody obvious.”

“I know,” Anna-Jade sighed. “I just- I just figure if I’m here in person, then mum and dad can’t ignore me. Can’t slam the phone down on someone if you’re staring them in the face… Especially if they’ve got family, um, maybe backing them up?”

“Oh, no, no, no,” Michelle sighed. “I’m not fighting your battles for you!”

“I’m not fucking asking you to,” Anna-Jade said. “I just want a bit of back up, that’s all… You were always the favourite growing up, anyway, mum and dad think the sun shines out of your arse…”

“Hardly!” Michelle snorted.

“Oh please,” Anna-Jade laughed. “You’re daddy’s little girl, the one who got all the best princess toys for her birthdays, who had all the fanciest parties, who got chauffeured all over the country to gymnastics competitions…”

“…The one who got pregnant out of wedlock,” Michelle said, letting out a small chuckle as Anna-Jade’s jaw dropped.

“…What?” Anna-Jade asked.

“Due in April,” Michelle said with a smug grin. “Dad was NOT happy when he found out!”

“Michelle…” Anna-Jade whispered, before jumping up and giving her sister a long, tight hug. “Congratulations! This is so cool!”

“Thanks!” Michelle giggled excitedly. “It’s fucking terrifying, though…”

“Can imagine…” Anna-Jade sighed. “You know Mary Carter’s pregnant again, right? Due later this month?”

“Yep, I follow her Facebook,” Michelle laughed. “AND her Instagram… Didn’t take you long to become a Hollywood luvvie, did it?”

“Oh- it was one selfie, that’s all,” Anna-Jade sighed. “Probably won’t help my case with dad, though…”

“And now you know that I won’t, either,” Michelle said, making Anna-Jade sigh loudly.

“Dad didn’t reject you outright for being pregnant though, did he?” Anna-Jade asked.

“Well- no,” Michelle said. “He didn’t seem that upset either that we were using contraceptives…”

“Sounds almost like he’s picking and choosing which parts of his religion to follow,” Anna-Jade mused.

“Sure, who doesn’t?” Michelle asked.

“Very true,” Anna-Jade sighed. “It sucks if that’s the case, though- means he hates me simply for being who I am, can’t blame it on him just being religious…”

“Religion’s never an excuse for bigotry,” Michelle said. “I go to church every Sunday, doesn’t mean I see you as the spawn of the devil.”

“You did when we were growing up,” Anna-Jade said, making Michelle double over in a fit of giggles.

“If I knew then what I know now…” Michelle mused. “…I probably still would. But at least we’d have been able to swap clothes!”

“Heh,” Anna-Jade laughed as Paul returned with three mugs of hot tea. “Bit hard to do that by phone or Facebook, but I’m willing to give it a go if you are… I actually brought that leather skirt you liked, you know, as a gift, but if you’re not going to be able to fit in it for-“

“Many thanks,” Michelle said with a smug grin. “Where are you staying tonight?”

“In a hotel in the town centre,” Paul replied.

“We’re going to- well, you know- tomorrow afternoon,” Anna-Jade mumbled. “Maybe catch mum first before dad gets home from work.”

“I’ll see if I can get the afternoon off work,” Michelle said, making Anna-Jade nearly cry with happiness.

“So- so you will-“ Anna-Jade asked.

“Of course I will,” Michelle said. “And not just for that skirt! Anna-Jade… It’s obvious just from five minutes talking to you and looking at you that ‘Anthony’ is gone and won’t be coming back. You- you’re so at ease, I mean, I was expecting to see my brother in drag, pretending to be a woman, but- but that’s obviously just not the case. If you want to be my sister… Then I want you to be my sister.”

“Thank you so much!” Anna-Jade sobbed, giving her sister another tight hug as the tears flowed freely.

Paige bit her lip to keep herself from grimacing as she changed from her blue uniform back into her slinky pencil dress. The flight back to London from Glasgow had been much quieter- as her sisters had obviously remained in Scotland- but all throughout the flight she’d felt her supervisor’s eyes bore into the back of her skull, as if to say ‘I got you, and there’s nothing you can do about it’.

“Oh, come on,” Rachel pleaded. “If you were in my position, there’s no way you WOULDN’T do that!”

“Your sisters aren’t fu- aren’t evil,” Paige retorted.

“I dunno, they have their moments,” Rachel shrugged. “And you handled it well, very professionally… You know it’s promotion time coming up soon, I know for a fact you’re looking at a supervisor role, you and Jess.”

“…Maybe,” Paige shrugged. “When I started here I didn’t imagine it would become a fully-fledged career.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, you’re really good at your job,” Rachel said. “Good enough that you need the occasional ‘humbling’, heh!”

“I’m quite happy not being humbled,” Paige said, making Rachel giggle again.

“Well, perhaps,” Rachel laughed as she buttoned her smart white blouse and smoothed her tight black pencil skirt.

“Really?” Paige asked as she examined her supervisor’s figure. “You’re leaving your corset on? What happened to ‘freeing the waist’ after a flight?”

“You’re not the only one with promotion aspirations,” Rachel said with a smile as she slipped her feet into her black high heels and strode through the corridors of Heathrow Airport to her manager’s office.

“Hello, Rachel,” Alana- Rachel’s boss- said as the young blonde woman sat down opposite her. “Good day in Scotland?”

“Aye,” Rachel said with a giggle. “Have you had a chance to review my expression of interest yet?”

“I have,” Alana said, before letting out a long sigh. “Rachel… Ordinarily, I’d be on your side here, you’re a great worker, you’re the face of our reality show and all your evidence you’ve submitted points to you being ideal for the manager’s job, but-“

“’But’,” Rachel sighed.

“Rachel…” Alana groaned. “These last twelve months, I don’t know what’s got into you, but- but you’ve turned into a teenager. I told you after the incidents with Monsieur Durand that your odds of promotion weren’t good, I’d have thought that would inspire you to knuckle down and work harder, instead you’ve turned- you’ve all but turned into Zoe Renou.”

“Bit harsh, don’t you think?” Rachel asked. “I don’t pretend to be transgendered to annoy customers, I actually take this job seriously-“

“You violate the dress code virtually every day you go home,” Alana retorted. “Obviously we can’t prove it, but still-“

“Seriously?” Rachel asked. “I’m being denied a promotion because I don’t like wearing a corset to and from work?”

“You agreed to the dress code when you signed your contract of employment,” Alana said. “If you defy that, who knows what else you’ll defy? And besides, the dress code is enforced for a very good reason.”

“That reason being ‘Antoine Masson gets his rocks off watching women try to do work in the most impractical clothing of all time’,” Rachel scoffed, making her manager sit back in her chair with a frown on her face. “Alana- you’ve worn the uniform, you know how difficult it is to do the job in it, it needs reforming, and soon!”

“The T-girls don’t complain about the corsets, or the stilettos,” Alana shrugged.

“Not in public, they don’t,” Rachel argued. “Believe me when I say that none of them habitually wear corsets or stilettos or even stockings and suspenders when they’re at home.”

“Rachel,” Alana sighed. “This isn’t a discussion we can have. The dress code is mandatory. You know why, and you know that it isn’t going to change. So your best bet is to accept it, or start looking for work elsewhere.”

“…Fine,” Rachel said in a dark stoic voice. “See you round, Alana.”

“Don’t do anything we’ll both end up regretting, Rachel,” Alana said as the blonde woman left her office. With a determined stride, Rachel headed straight for the nearest ladies’ toilet, where she took her make-up bag out of her handbag and began methodically stripping her face of every trace of cosmetics, before untying her French braid and letting her long, straight blonde hair fall about her face.

“Gorgeous,” Rachel said with a smug grin before heading to the tube stop that would ferry her to her home.

Hours later, after Rachel and Paige had left the airport, Jessica and Annabelle strode into the cramped locker room and breathed a sigh of relief as they removed their uniforms and pulled their own black pencil dresses back on.

“How long has it been since we were last on the same flight?” Jessica asked her countrywoman.

“I dunno, honey,” Annabelle replied. “Gotta be at least two months.”

“Guess they felt that Lisbon needed two Americans today, heh,” Jessica mused. “And, of course, that their show needed none, not that I’m complaining, heh!”

“You said it,” Annabelle laughed. “I was terrified on Monday...”

“No offence, but you definitely looked it,” Jessica said. “Not as terrified as Paige looked when she saw that she was going to be on a flight with her sisters, heh!”

“Ahh, wish I’d been on THAT flight,” Annabelle giggled. “Paige is so lucky that her family accepts her…”

“Yeah…” Jessica said, grimacing as she remembered Annabelle’s tales of her own rejection by her family.

“She’s also lucky to have you, honey,” Annabelle muttered. “Same goes the other way round.”

“Oh- really?” Jessica asked. “Even YOU are gonna comment on my relationship?”

“Sorry, honey,” Annabelle mumbled. “But since your birthday, the two of you… It breaks my heart watching the two of you.”

“…I know,” Jessica sighed. “Kinda wish the show had made more of a fuss of our relationship now, heh.”

“There’s still five more episodes,” Annabelle said.

“Assuming Anna-Jade doesn’t hog all the screen time,” Jessica said, making Annabelle giggle.

“Like I said, five more episodes,” Annabelle giggled, before leaving Jessica alone in the locker room with her thoughts.

“Yeah, everybody else wants me and Paige to stay together,” Jessica mused as she pulled on her black stilettos and sighed as the shiny black material of the shoes reminded her of her lover’s silky, jet-black hair- hair that would already be asleep in bed when Jessica returned home. “Pity it’s not up to them…”

“Your sister’s awesome,” Paul said to Anna-Jade as they relaxed into the comfortable hotel bed. “So’s her fiancé. I take it we’ll be coming over for the wedding?”

“Ehh…” Anna-Jade sighed. “I mean obviously, yes, I want to, but… Ugh. It all depends on tomorrow, I guess. Get some sleep, babe- we’re gonna need all the energy we can spare…” Paul gave Anna-Jade a tight cuddle as they slowly closed their eyes, but even he found it difficult to sleep as Anna-jade’s body was so tense, and when the two of them got up the following morning, neither of them felt rested or relaxed.

“Ugh,” the Irishwoman spat as her phone’s alarm went off and she swung her smooth, hairless legs out of bed. “Why did we agree to go in the afternoon, again?”

“We can go earlier if you want,” Paul said. “It’s your trip, after all.”

“It’s your holiday too,” Anna-Jade reminded her boyfriend. “You wanted to see where I grew up, I promised to show you around Derry…”

“It’s up to you,” Paul said. “But this is the reason we came out here, and the longer you get to talk to your mum…” Anna-Jade close her eyes and took a deep breath- she instinctively knew that Paul was right.

An hour later, for the second time in as many days, Anna-Jade’s hands trembled as she raised them to knock on the door in front of her. Unlike her sister, with whom Anna-Jade had talked a lot before reconciling, she’d had no contact with her mother since beginning her transition- none beyond the angry slam of a telephone, anyway.

“Just a minute,” a voice called from the inside of the house, a voice that Anna-Jade instantly identified as belonging to her mother. “I swear, if this is for number eighteen again…” Anna-Jade’s mother’s voice stopped, and her jaw dropped with shock as she opened the door to see her child stood on the doorstep.

“H- hi mum,” Anna-Jade said, her knees shaking with terror as her mother slowly studied her body. “I- I’ve come home- I mean, I’ve come to see you…” Anna-Jade beamed her widest, sweetest smile, but it wasn’t enough to keep her mother’s face from screwing up in a look of pure disgust, before slamming the door in the distraught young woman’s face.

“M- mum?” Anna-Jade sobbed, before breaking down in floods of tears. Sensing his girlfriend’s obvious distress, Paul wrapped Anna-Jade in a tight, loving hug and allowed her to cry her eyes into his shoulder, gently rocking her as her throat grew hoarse from her sobs.

“This was such a fucking bad idea,” Anna-Jade moaned a short while later, after the couple had found a café.

“I- I’m sorry,” Paul sighed. “I shouldn’t have pressured you into going there early, we should’ve waited for Michelle.”

“No, I’m the one who knocked on the door,” Anna-Jade sighed. “I should’ve known it’d go badly, sure, dad’s terrible but mum’s just as bad…”

“Transphobic?” Paul asked.

“Trans, homo, you name it, they hate it,” Anna-Jade sighed. “Afraid they’ll fucking ‘catch gay’ or something…”

“Ugh,” Paul spat. “I’ll never understand that sort of attitude. I mean, I consider myself to be 100% straight. Just because my current girlfriend happens to be transgendered, that doesn’t change anything.”

“Thanks for the use of the word ‘current’,” Anna-Jade snorted, making Paul wince. “But I do get what you’re saying. Thing is, though, you never knew ‘Anthony’.”

“Did ‘Anthony’ ever REALLY exist?” Paul asked, making his girlfriend sigh.

“…I guess not, not really,” Anna-Jade said.

“Anna-Jade?” Michelle asked, making her way through the café to the table where the couple were sat. “I heard what happened, I got off work as soon as I could…”

“Thanks,” Anna-Jade mumbled, giving her sister a long, tight hug before turning to her boyfriend. “You let her know, I guess?”

“Sent her a text,” Paul said. “Figured you needed all the support you could get.”

“Serious, hold onto this one,” Michelle advised her sister, making Paul blush. “And not just ‘cause he’s 6’ 1” and got the body of a Greek god!”

“I intend to,” Anna-Jade laughed as she and her sister sat down. “God knows I’m not getting my family back anytime soon…”

“Bollocks you aren’t,” Michelle said. “You wanted me to go and help you then you went without me? Doesn’t sound like a recipe for success to me…”

“I know,” Anna-Jade sighed. “I just- I just didn’t want to wait any longer… Now I’ve only made things worse.”

“It’s not damaged beyond all repair,” Michelle said defiantly. “Drink your coffee and fix your make-up. We’re going back.”

“I- I don’t know-“ Anna-Jade mumbled.

“I want to have a good relationship with my sister,” Michelle said. “Gonna have a hard time doing that if our parents have their heads stuck up their arses. And this time, I’ll be there, and I’ll be 100% on your side. I promise.”

“So will I,” Paul stated. “It’ll be 3 on 1. Your mum will HAVE to back down.”

“Well… Okay,” Anna-Jade sighed, finishing her coffee before heading to the ladies’ toilet with Michelle to fix her damaged eye make-up.

Half an hour later, the trio returned to Anna-Jade’s parents’ house, only this time, Anna-Jade and Paul stood out of sight whilst allowing Michelle to knock on the door.

“I’m coming,” Mrs. Houghton said, with an air of frustration in her voice that made Anna-Jade wince. “This had better not be- oh, hello Michelle! What are you doing here?”

“I got the afternoon off work,” Michelle said with a grin. “Thought I’d drop in to say hi.”

“Well that makes a nice change,” Mrs. Houghton laughed. “Though I guess you can’t exact go down the pub with your friends in your condition! Come on in, I’ll make you a drink.”

“I brought some friends too,” Michelle said defiantly, gesturing to Anna-Jade and Paul to come out of their hiding spot.

“What- why did you bring that THING back here!?” Mrs. Houghton spat, bringing tears back to Anna-Jade’s eyes.

“By ‘that thing’, so you mean my sister and your daughter?” Michelle asked.

“That is no child of mine!” Mrs. Houghton snarled. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, associating with that?”

“This- this was a bad idea,” Anna-Jade mumbled. “We should go…”

“You’re damned right you should go!” Mrs. Houghton snarled. “Go back to your filth, or whatever the hell it is that you do!”

“You mean her professional career as an aviation worker?” Michelle asked. “Because- funny thing- she actually earns more money than me. Or more money than you or dad ever did.”

“Why are you standing up for that?” Mrs. Houghton asked incredulously.

“Because Anna-Jade has never wanted anything other than my love,” Michelle explained. “Sorry- OUR love. And all you’ve done is insult her.”

“Standing there dressed like that is an insult to me!” Mrs. Houghton snarled.

“But it isn’t!” Michelle retorted. “It has nothing to do with you or dad! Anna-Jade has made the rational decision that she is incapable of living life as a man.”

“When I was- when I was, umm, ‘Anthony’,” Anna-Jade said in a shaky voice, “I was miserable all the time. I was obsessed with being a woman, it occupied every single second of my thoughts, and being a man… It made me miserable. So miserable… Sometimes I actually did think about killing myself.” Anna-Jade tried not to smirk as her mother gasped at the revelation- there was a chance that she might ‘win’ after all…

“Then I became Anna-Jade,” the Irishwoman continued. “I’ve been taking hormone replacement tablets for almost two years. I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I’ve got friends, a career, a boyfriend I’ve been with for almost a year… All- all I want is for you to be happy for me, and accept me as your daughter.”

“Is that REALLY too much to ask for?” Michelle asked.

“How am I meant to accept you when you’re parading around like THAT?” Mrs. Houghton asked incredulously, causing both Anna-Jade and Michelle to frown.

“Umm, mum, don’t know how to tell you this, but Anna-Jade’s dressed more conservatively than I am,” Michelle snorted, pointing at her own short black skirt and Anna-Jade’s knee-length grey pencil skirt.

“It’s not right,” Mrs. Houghton said, shaking her head. “It just isn’t. And it never will be.”

“Then you have to ask yourself the big question,” Michelle said. “Would you rather have a transgendered child, a child who was so depressed they’re suicidal, or no child at all? Because those are your only three options.” Mrs. Houghton paused as the ultimatum was put to her, and Anna-Jade felt a twinge of hope in her chest as she could see that the middle-aged woman was deep in thought.

“…No child at all,” Mrs. Houghton said in a cold voice, bringing tears back to Anna-Jade’s eyes. “Your supposed ‘sister’ made that decision the second it pulled on a skirt.”

“Then I guess that’s that,” Michelle sighed. “Come on, let’s go.”

“What- wait!” Mrs. Houghton shouted in confusion. “Where d’you think you’re going, Michelle?”

“I’m going with my family,” Michelle said. “You just said you’d rather have no child than one who doesn’t meet up to your standards. That tells me what type of mother you really are. And that’s NOT how I’m going to raise my baby.”

“YOU GET YOUR SORRY ARSE BACK HERE NOW AND APOLOGISE FOR THAT!” Mrs. Houghton screeched, her tone of voice making both sisters wince.

“Would you really rather have had Anthony kill himself than live the way SHE is?” Michelle asked.

“I did not raise you to talk back to me!” Mrs. Houghton snapped.

“No, you apparently raised me to be a bigot,” Michelle countered. “Well I’ve got news for you, mum. It’s not the seventies anymore, it’ 2016. People can legally change their gender if they want. It’s not like Anna-Jade just woke up one day and suddenly pulled on a skirt, you heard her, she’s been tormented by this all her life. She’s seen doctors, psychiatrists, all of them have supported her and recommended that she lives life the only way she knows how. So I’ll ask again. Would you rather have had Anthony kill himself than live the way SHE is?”

“Anthony DID kill himself,” Mrs. Houghton spat, before slamming the door in her children’s faces.

“Don’t ever expect to see your grandchild!” Michelle snarled, before giving her sister a long, tight hug. “And I mean that, Anna-Jade, I really do. Did- did you really mean what you said, about the suicide thing?”

“I did,” Anna-Jade sniffled. “Once or twice, anyway.”

“So… What do we do now?” Paul asked. “Do we wait for your dad, I know you said you have a brother too…”

“Dad will be just the same as mum,” Michelle sighed. “Joe… I dunno. We could try if you want?"

“It’s not like I was ever that close to him,” Anna-Jade sighed. “He’s quite a bit older than me and Chell.”

“Well, it’s up to you,” Michelle shrugged. “He may have watched you on Monday, you never know…”

“You- you know what?” Anna-Jade asked. “I’ve had enough defeats for one day. I’ve had enough defeats for one fucking lifetime. I- I just want to go back to London.”

“Okay,” Michelle whispered. “Well you’re welcome back anytime. In fact, you know what? You’d better be back for the wedding, ‘cause I want my sister to be one of my bridesmaids.”

“You- what?” Anna-Jade gasped. “You’re serious?”

“Damn right I am,” Michelle said with a proud grin. “And don’t worry about getting time off, the wedding won’t be for at least another year.”

“What- after the baby’s born?” Anna-Jade asked.

“You live your life the way you want, I’ll live it the way I want,” Michelle said. “Family stick up for each other. They’re fucking well supposed to, anyway. And I’m glad I’ve got my big sister looking out for me.”

“Always,” Anna-Jade sniffled as she gave Michelle a long, tight hug. “Though make sure you make up with mum as well.”

“Even after all she said?” Michelle asked.

“If I felt that you and her didn’t speak because of me… That’d make me more miserable than anything,” Anna-Jade said.

“…Never mind anyone else, YOU’RE the most Christian person I know,” Michelle sighed, exchanging another long, loving hug with her sister. “You take care, okay? And you, big guy- you take care of my sister or I swear-“

“I will, I promise,” Paul said, before exchanging an awkward hug with Michelle.

“Now go on,” Michelle giggled. “Your adoring public awaits!” Anna-Jade grinned as she and Paul headed toward the railway station that led back to Belfast Airport, though inside, she felt empty. She’d had in her mind the dream of a reconciliation with her parents, a blissful, perfect life in which she could live as their daughter, just as she’s always wanted, but that dream was shattered into a million pieces- and worse yet, she’d dragged her sister down with her.

As she and Paul strode through George Best Airport, though, her resolve strengthened when she saw a group of young women- barely older than eighteen- staring at her and Paul with wide, excited grins.

“Which one, d’you suppose?” Paul asked.

“What d’you mean?” Anna-Jade asked.

“Me for the Angels, or you for the Sky Angels?” Paul asked, making Anna-Jade roll her eyes even as the group approached her.

“Um, excuse me?” One of the young women asked in a strong Northern Irish accent. “Are- were you on that Sky Angels show on Monday?” Anna-Jade beamed a smug grin at her boyfriend before responding to her fans.

“Yep, that’s me!” Anna-Jade giggled.

“Oh my god!” The girl squeaked. “I thought I recognised you from Mary Carter’s post! Can- can we get a selfie with you?”

“Of course!” Anna-Jade said, giggling excitedly as the girls surrounded her for the selfie. “Sure, seems like I was recognised for both the Angels AND the Sky Angels!”

“Looks that way,” Paul laughed, wrapping an arm around Anna-Jade’s slender waist as the group of girls walked away. “Come on, ‘Angel’, before you get pestered for any more selfies!” Anna-Jade grinned as she walked toward the departure lounge- clearly, there were plenty of people in her homeland who loved her for who she was, and who wanted to see her succeed. Anna-Jade resolved that if she had to succeed despite her parents, she would- and when they came crawling back to her, she wouldn’t reject them as viciously as they’d rejected her.

Paige stretched her tired muscles as she returned through the front door of her London flat, before kicking off her stiletto heels, removing her skirt, top and corset and relaxing into the sofa, dressed in just her underwear.

“Comfortable?” Jessica asked from the kitchen doorway, startling the Scottish girl.

“Jeez- how long have you been back there?” Paige asked.

“Got back about an hour ago,” Jessica said. “How was Rome? You didn’t do the whole flight dressed like that, I hope…”

“Give it a few months and Masson will probably make us,” Paige chuckled, before getting up and wrapping her arms around Jessica’s slender waist. “I bet I know someone who wouldn’t mind me walking around everywhere in a bra and a thong…” Paige giggled loudly as she pressed her scarlet lips against Jessica’s, but her mood quickly fell when she didn’t feel the usual level of ‘reciprocation’ from her lover.

“Jess,” Paige whispered. “What- what’s wrong?”

“Paige…” Jessica whispered. “We- we need to talk.”

“No,” Paige gasped, panic levels rising in her body. “No, no, we definitely do NOT need to talk!”

“Paige,” Jessica said. “I- I’m not breaking up with you. Believe me, that’s the last thing I want. But we- you and I- we need to sit down and talk to each other. I want to make my feelings for you clear, I don’t want there to be any secrets between us.”

“I can make my feelings for you VERY clear,” Paige said, reaching underneath the hem of Jessica's short skirt. “Actions speak louder than words.”

“Yes, they do,” Jessica said, removing Paige’s exploring hand. “And yes, every part of me is telling me to take you right here, right now… But I want to know, will we feel the same way five years from now? Or ten?”

“All I know is how I feel now,” Paige said, replacing her hand.

“And that’s what frustrates me,” Jessica sighed. “I love you, Paige, I ADORE you… I’m IN love with you, and that hasn’t changed from the second I met you… But it is LOVE, and not just lust. I- I don’t know that you feel the same way.”

“It is possible to both love someone and lust over them, you know,” Paige said. “I’ve felt both for you for the last two years, and… I don’t think I’ll ever stop. Is that what you wanted to hear, Jess?”

“Is it the truth?” Jessica asked, earning a frown from her lover.

“Do you really need to ask?” Paige retorted, before kissing Jessica deeply, and feeling her body begin to melt as Jessica’s tongue probed deep into her mouth.

Twenty minutes later, the two young women relaxed onto the top of their bed, their soft, glistening bodies pressed tightly against each other. Paige had a wide grin on her face as she closed her eyes and tried to get her breath back, but Jessica was still unsatisfied. Their relationship had started as a purely physical thing, but Jessica wanted so much more- and despite Paige’s words, her actions during their lovemaking had all but proved in Jessica’s eyes that to Paige, their relationship hadn’t evolved to the stage that Jessica had hoped. And as Paige herself had said, actions speak louder than words…

The following day, all the women who had watched the television show at Jessica and Paige’s flat on Monday evening (with the obvious exception of Zoe) strode into Heathrow Airport with cool, inscrutable smiles on their faces, though many of them felt an inner turmoil they struggled to hide. Jessica’s worries about her relationship, Anna-Jade’s worries about her family and Rachel’s worries about her career preyed heavily on the minds throughout their flights to and from their exotic European locations, though all women were perfectly professional in all their dealings with their customers.

Following their return, however, the women’s tiredness was evident in their eyes as they changed back from their uniforms into their smart commuting attire.

“Ugh…” Anna-Jade moaned as Annabelle loosened the laces of her corset. “That feels so much better, honey…”

“You’re welcome, ANNA-JADE,” Annabelle said, grinning at the use of her unintended catchphrase. “How was home?”

“Don’t ask,” Anna-Jade moaned.

“That bad, huh?” Annabelle asked. “Well we’ll always be your family when you need us, honey.”

“Thanks, Annabelle,” Anna-Jade sighed. “You going out tonight?”

“…I was never much of an ‘out’ person to begin with,” Annabelle giggled shyly. “Paul’s playing videogames with the MEN, so that’s a sight and smell I don’t need… fancy a chick flick marathon at your place?”

“Sounds perfect,” Annabelle said with a smile. “Unless you want to spend all evening looking at bridesmaid dresses, of course…”

“Fuck me, news travels fast,” Anna-Jade laughed.

“You told Natalie, Natalie told me. And everyone,” Annabelle laughed. “I think it’s sweet that your sister asked you to be a bridesmaid. Shows how good she really is.”

“Yeah, Michelle’s great,” Anna-Jade sighed as she zipped up her skirt and slipped her feet into her black stilettos. “I’ll see you at your place, okay?”

“Sure, honey,” Annabelle said with a grin, before reaching into her handbag for her phone. After making sure that she was alone, Annabelle took a deep breath and pressed the speed dial button for a number she’d entered into her phone a long time before, but had never worked up the courage to dial. After three rings, the phone was answered, causing Annabelle to barely suppress a gasp.

“Hello?” The voice on the other end- a voice that was almost identical to Annabelle’s own- asked.

“Hi Monroe,” Annabelle said softly.

“Who is this?” Monroe asked, causing Annabelle to take another deep breath.

“…It’s the sibling you used to know as ‘Tyler’,” Annabelle replied. “Annabelle. Annabelle Cope. Nice to make your acquaintance.”

“…Why are you calling?” Monroe asked. “It’s been almost two years… If dad knew you’d called me he’d freak out!”

“I’m calling because I want to have a little sister again,” Annabelle said. “…And I was wondering whether or not you wanted to have a big sister. Are you still at UCLA?”

“Yeah, in my junior year,” Monroe replied. “Are you still in Paris?”

“I moved to London last year,” Annabelle replied. “Monroe… Can I take it from the fact that you haven’t hung up on me yet, that you’d, you know, want to talk to me more?”

“…I did miss you,” Monroe confessed. “Well, I missed Tyler, anyway.”

“Tyler’s gone for good,” Annabelle said firmly. “But you don’t have to miss Annabelle, if you’d like…”

“And you seriously chose the name ‘Annabelle’ for yourself?” Monroe asked, making her sister giggle.

“I’m just a good old-fashioned Southern belle in a big, modern city, honey,” Annabelle said, deliberately exaggerating her natural Atlanta accent. “Had to make that clear somehow.”

“If you insist,” Monroe laughed. “Are you calling on your cell? From London? This can’t be cheap…”

“It’s worth it, though,” Annabelle said with a warm smile.

“Well anyway, I’ll save your money and call you on Skype when you get home, okay?” Monroe asked.

“I’d like that,” Annabelle said. “And Monroe? Thanks for, you know, accepting me.”

“Least I could do for my big sister,” Monroe said, before hanging up the phone and leaving Annabelle with a wide, satisfied smile on her face.

Half an hour after Annabelle left the locker room, Jessica and Rachel coolly strode into the cramped room, both breathing sighs of relief as they removed their red hats and jackets.

“That was a LONG week,” Rachel sighed as she unbuttoned her blouse.

“Made longer by you taking the long route back to the locker room and fishing for autograph hunters,” Jessica said, making her supervisor giggle.

“Hey, you only get fifteen minutes,” Rachel shrugged. “Better make the most of them!” Jessica nodded and smiled at her supervisor, before playfully wolf whistling as Rachel stripped down to her underwear.

“Hot mama!” Jessica teased. “Seriously, I LOVE that bodysuit, where did you get it?”

“From my sexy and, more importantly, devoted boyfriend!” Rachel giggled, playfully fiddling with the thong rear of the lacy red garment. “I can Google the details for you, find a catalogue link when I get home if you’d like.”

“Nah, I’ve actually already got one,” Jessica giggled. “Well, Paige does, anyway.”

“Ah,” Rachel said, the joviality vanishing from her voice. “You know, you two-“

“Please, please just don’t,” Jessica sighed. “I really have had it up to here with people commenting on our relationship, especially people who live with us!”

“Jeez, sorry,” Rachel said, taken back by the American woman’s sudden hostility. “But if it’s such a sensitive subject… Ehh, you know what? Never mind. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and show this bodysuit- and what’s underneath it- to my boyfriend. Don’t wait up, hehe!”

“Rach,” Jessica said, stopping the Englishwoman in her tracks. “I- I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped.”

“You’re stressed out, you lashed out, everyone does from time to time,” Rachel shrugged.

“…Any advice on how to cope with the stress>” Jessica asked with a sigh. “I tried talking to her, but-“

“Action speaks louder than words,” Rachel said. “Particularly the ‘action’ I plan on getting with Danny tonight, and that I recommend you get with Paige. Best stress relief I’ve ever known…”

“But that’s the whole problem,” Jessica sighed. “I want our relationship to be more than just a physical thing, you know?”

“Oh, I get it,” Rachel said. “I’m slowly working on Danny, moulding him into something better than the piece of rough that he currently is… Doesn’t mean I’m not enjoying the physical side of it a LOT, though! And if Paige… Meh. She’s your girlfriend. You know her better than I do, you know what your relationship needs too. But take it from me- don’t concentrate on what the relationship needs at the expense of what it already has.”

“’Want what you have’ rather than ‘have what you want’?” Jessica asked.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Rachel shrugged. “Now I really have got to get going. See you tomorrow, Jess!”

“See you, Rach,” Jessica said, waving at the blonde woman as she left and thinking carefully about what she said.

Just as she had done the previous day, Paige stepped through the front door of her flat and stretched her tired muscles, before kicking off her heels and unzipping her clingy pencil dress. When she went to sit down on the sofa, however, she got a surprise.

There, laid out on the sofa wearing nothing but a very skimpy black teddy, an expensive pair of sheer stockings and an excessive amount of make-up, was Jessica- and it was very clear from her facial expression what she had in mind.

"...Jess?" Paige asked. "What are- is that my tedd-" Paige was silenced by her lover suddenly jumping up and forcing her tongue as deep into Paige's mouth as it would go, startling the Scottish girl.

"Enough words," Jessica said, before unclipping Paige's bra and allowing it to fall to the ground.

Half an hour later, the two lovers laid across each other in their bed, their minds and bodies completely drained following their marathon lovemaking session. As Jessica felt the tingles in her body subside, she mused on what Rachel had said earlier- to enjoy her relationship for what it was. If Jessica had to wait for Paige to get to the point that she herself had reached, that was fine- as long as she still had the Scottish girl, that was all that mattered.

Paige, however, couldn't get over how uncharacteristic Jessica's behaviour had been, from wearing her lingerie to silently seducing her. Whilst Paige had obviously enjoyed the lovemaking session, Jessica's behaviour had troubled her- it was almost like the American woman was no longer the woman Paige fell in love with- and she was only beginning to realise just how in love with Jessica she was, and how much of a mistake she'd made in America in May. Paige prayed that it was a mistake that she could correct- though with Jessica acting strangely, she worried that their relationship would be permanently damaged.

The following morning, Natalie's and Zoe's alarms sounded, making both women giggle as they switched them off before rolling over in bed and smiling at each other.

"Vive le weekend," Natalie whispered, making her French lover giggle.

"Le weekend," Zoe giggled. "So good to have you free on a Saturday for once... Just wish I wasn't so worried about all our friends, what with Jessica and Paige, and Anna-Jade and her family..."

"...And whether or not we'll be on the next episode of Sky Angels?" Natalie giggled. "I know, I'm worried too, especially about Jess and Paige. But you know what? I reckon they'll be okay. They truly love each other, and a wise man once said 'all you need is love'."

"Love is all you need," Zoe dreamily sighed. "So where shall we-" Zoe's thought was interrupted by the sound of her phone beeping to alert her of a new text message, followed mere seconds later by Natalie's text message alert beeping.

"It's from Jordan," Natalie said. "That agent guys who's liaising between us and Joshua Benedict's agency. Wants us who aren't at work today at the agency for 1030. Yours?"

"From Krystie, saying the same thing," Zoe said in a hushed tone.

"Ehh," Natalie sighed. "I have a bad feeling about this..."

“Happy birthday dear Rachel…” The assembled crowd sang as the birthday girl cringed behind her voluminous blonde hair, “happy birthday to you… To you… To you… To you to you to you… To you… To you… To you to you to you!” Rachel giggled at the crowd’s use of the tune of Cyndi Lauper’s hit ‘Girl Just Wanna Have Fun’ to extend her embarrassment further, before brushing her hair out of her face and blowing out the 29 candles that had been placed on her cake- which was, of course, shaped exactly like the hat she and all her friends wore as part of their uniform.

“Oh my god, thank you all so much!” Rachel squeaked.

“Speech!” Natalie yelled, laughing as Rachel replied with a stern glare and a middle finger.

“Oh, alright then…” Rachel laughed. “Thank you all so much for coming, it really means a lot to know that I have such great friends- no, such a great FAMILY.”

“I think that’s my cue for the next song,” Stuart- the party’s DJ- said with a chuckle, making everyone present cheer as the opening bars of Sister Sledge’s ‘We are Family’ filled the room.

“Happy birthday, babe,” Danny- Rachel’s boyfriend- said, giving her a long kiss as he led her to one of the many sofas in the vast room. “Hope you like the party… Kinda had to pull a few strings, owe a few favours to get Charlotte to lend us her house for the night, especially as there was another party here two days ago.”

“It’s perfect,” Rachel giggled, returning her boyfriend’s kiss. “Even if I am wearing the most ridiculous costume of all time.” Danny giggled as Rachel gestured to her slender body, which was wrapped in a pair of shiny nude tights, leg warmers, trainers, a ridiculously tight black leotard and a ridiculously baggy grey sweater. Her face was made-up with bright, multi-coloured make-up, her usual gold studs had been replaced by huge, tacky plastic earrings and her hair had been primped so much it stuck out several inches from her head in a perfect recreation of a 1980s hairstyle.

“I think you look hot,” Danny said with a grin. “Besides, every other girl in the room is wearing the same thing, right?” Rachel smiled as she glanced round the room at all her friends- Jessica, Paige, Natalie, Zoe, Anna-Jade, Annabelle, Abbey and many more- all of whom were wearing the same tights, the same leotard and the same ridiculous cosmetics as her.

“…I guess,” Rachel sighed. “God knows it’s no worse than what I usually wear to work, heh.”

“That’s the… Spirit? I guess?” Danny giggled. “Babe… What’s up? It’s your birthday, enjoy being the centre of attention!”

“It’s the last birthday of my twenties,” Rachel snorted. “365 days from now, I’ll be thirty. THIRTY. I don’t wanna be thirty!”

“Rachel…” Danny laughed. “Okay, your driving licence says ‘twenty-nine’ but trust me, you look, like, nineteen. Especially in that make-up and that leotard!”

“Yeah…” Rachel sighed. “But you don’t know the employee rules for Soixante-Trois. ‘Thirty’ also means ‘no longer a stewardess’.”

“They can’t do that, surely?” Danny asked. “That’s discrimination of age, and besides, you’re the face of the Sky Angels, aren’t you?”

“The show that got dropped like a bad smell?” Rachel snorted. “That only showed three out of the six shows that were filmed?”

“O… Kay…” Danny grimaced. “But you’re still one of the most experienced stewardesses of them all, they can’t just fire you for turning thirty, can they?”

“Oh, they won’t fire me,” Rachel says. “Usually we get reassigned to different roles, either in management or the front desk… And god knows THAT won’t happen either. Still, at least when I go, it means that there’ll be a supervisor position up for grabs, and I know that’ll go into deserving hands.”

“I dunno,” Danny sighed as he stared across the room to where a blonde American woman and a raven-haired Scottish woman were dancing with each other. “Reckon there might be some competition for the role.”

“I hope not,” Rachel sighed. “That’s the last thing they need right now…”

Jessica had a wide grin on her bright red lips as she danced with her lover, giggling as their leotard-clad bodies came into contact with each other. After eleven months on oestrogen, she filled out her leotard well- her hips and backside were considerably shapelier than they were when she helped to celebrate Rachel’s 28th birthday, and her breasts had even started to grow to somewhere between an A and a B cup. Jessica still wore a padded bra to give her extra shape whilst at work, of course, but even without it, her body convincingly passed for female… But was still nowhere near as convincing as Paige’s body.

Paige’s body had been under the influence of oestrogen for twenty-one months, and from the outside, it was impossible to tell that it had ever not been. Paige didn’t need to wear a padded bra at work. She didn’t even need to wear a corset to give her the hourglass shape that the company demanded from its employees. Her skin was soft and smooth, her legs were long and slender, and her face- which had always had a feminine shape- just completed the ‘illusion’. The only concession Paige made to her old life was the cache sex she wore underneath her leotard- though she had already investigated having the surgery to render that unnecessary. The only things stopping Paige from going ahead and booking the surgery was the possibility that she might be promoted by the company- and the effect it would have on her relationship.

True to their word, neither Jessica nor Paige had discussed marriage, or even getting engaged, in the six months since Jessica’s disastrous first proposal in New York. Both women carried on with their relationship as though nothing had happened, though the strain it was causing was obvious- not just to Jessica and Paige, but to their friends as well. As much as they tried to put on brave faces in public, Jessica and Paige knew that their relationship was hanging by a thread- and they knew that everyone else knew as well.

“Ugh,” Natalie spat as she snuggled up to Zoe on one of the room’s many sofas. “Breaks my heart…”

“Aww,” Zoe cooed. “They’ll be okay. They fell in love at first sight, did they not? That’s powerful. More powerful than anything. And I should know!” Natalie giggled wickedly as Zoe gently stroked the stretchy material of her costume. “…Are you wearing my leotard AGAIN?”

“…And here I was thinking this was a partnership,” Natalie pouted with mock-offence, before giggling and giving Zoe a long, soft kiss. “Besides, you own about a hundred, you can spare one, right?”

“This is the fifth one this month,” Zoe snorted. “And you don’t know what YOU’LL be getting tomorrow, Miss Nearly Birthday Girl!” Natalie giggled yet again as Zoe reciprocated her kiss. “I am surprised that you didn’t want a big, fancy party of your own…”

“They did actually offer me one,” Natalie said. “Was going to have a ‘Manchester’ theme. So pictures of Coronation Street, lots of Oasis playing… And a huge mural featuring the likes of Alex Ferguson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney…”

“Ugh,” Zoe spat. “Well, apart from Cantona, of course.”

“They’d actually designed it, too,” Natalie laughed. “Were about to send it to the printers and everything.”

“So you thought,” Zoe giggled, “’I’ll have a proper Manchester-themed birthday… By going home to Manchester’?”

“You know me so well,” Natalie laughed, giving Zoe a long, slow kiss as the party continued to heave in front of them.

By 11pm, the party had all but dissipated as the women returned to their homes ahead of a full day at work, or a full day of travelling.

“Goddd,” Paige giggled as she peeled the skin-tight leotard from her glistening body. “Never thought I’d ever NOT like a pair of tights, heh! Think my legs have suffocated…”

“They look healthy to me,” Jessica cooed, making Paige giggle even harder before throwing the sweat-stained hose at the American girl. “And it could be worse, Rachel originally wanted a ‘Pride and Prejudice’ theme for her party instead of ‘eighties’, so you could’ve been stood here for an hour removing about fifty underskirts and a hundred corsets.”

“Are there any girl costumes that don’t involve leotards, tights or corsets?” Paige asked.

“I hope not,” Jessica replied, earning the loudest giggle yet from her Scottish lover. “God, the last two years I can’t even begin to count the number of different costume parties I’ve been to. Before I started for the company, only dressing up I’d ever do was Halloween… And even then I never wore the costumes I REALLY wanted. I was always a zombie, or a mummy, whilst all the girls in my class dressed up as witches or cats or [s**t] like that.”

“I never even dressed up for Halloween,” Paige sighed. “20 years as a man and all I have from that life are regrets. But I’m now 27 months as a woman, 21 on oestrogen, and zero regrets. You?”

“Well-“ Jessica began, hesitating as she recalled the one regret she had about her life as a woman- her actions on top of the Empire State Building over six months earlier. “…No. No regrets.” Paige smiled as she and Jessica shared a long, deep kiss before collapsing into bed together, though she could immediately tell that Jessica was lying, and she knew exactly what the American girl was thinking of as well.

As she tried to get to sleep, Paige found her imagining- not for the first time- how different her life would be if she had accepted Jessica’s proposal. The tension would be gone from her relationship, but in its place would be a different type of tension.

Paige unquestioningly adored Jessica. She was in love with her in a way she never thought possible, but even despite this, Paige never thought that Jessica was perfect. The American girl had a level of obsession that Paige couldn’t imagine, and often couldn’t tolerate. For Jessica, everything had to be perfect all the time. She had set routines for doing EVERYTHING, which drove Paige just as mad as her own disorganised way of life drove Jessica. Paige loved chaos and noise- her idea of a perfect night out is hitting as many clubs as possible and drinking until she could barely stand, whilst Jessica much preferred to stay in, snuggle up on the sofa with a single bottle of wine and her Netflix account. Paige had been born in a quiet town near Loch Lomond, whilst Jessica had grown up in a big, sprawling American city, and the Scottish girl had always thought that they’d both been born into each other’s lives by mistake.

…And yet, Paige still adored every single part of Jessica. During Rachel’s party, ‘Opposites Attract’ by Paula Abdul had played, and Paige mused on how appropriate it was for their relationship. If she had accepted Jessica’s proposal, she knew that she’d be forced to spend every free moment going over every nanosecond of the ceremony in meticulous detail, from the accent of the person performing the ceremony to the exact number of beads on their wedding dresses- possibly even the exact number of atoms in the beads. It would’ve driven Paige mad… But wouldn’t have stopped her from loving Jessica. If anything, she’d have loved the American girl even more- if such a thing was possible.

Jessica blinked twice as she woke up to shake the tiredness out of her eyes and to focus on Paige’s slumbering face for as long as she can, before she too was woken by the loud alarm clock. The peaceful look on Paige’s face only lasted mere seconds, however, before her nose twitched and her smile was replaced by a tired, frustrated frown.

“Morning, beautiful,” Jessica whispered, kissing Paige on her lips.

“Morning, sexy,” Paige giggled. “You take the shower first- I don’t fly until later.”

“Oh, aye!” Jessica said in an unconvincing Scottish accent. “Happy St Andrews Day, bonny lass!”

“Don’t- really, just don’t,” Paige giggled. “Burns’ Night was bad enough, heh!”

“You’ve got to be looking forward to Glasgow today, though?” Jessica asked. “Will you be seeing your parents while you’re there, or your sisters?”

“Sadly no, and thank god, no, in that order,” Paige giggled. “Kinda wish I was going to Malaga with you…”

“I wish that too,” Jessica whispered. “I’ll, um, I’ll go shower-“

“Yeah,” Paige whispered as Jessica headed into the apartment’s small bathroom, where she let out a long, tired sigh.

When she’d first been told that the daily lives of her and her colleagues would be recorded for a reality TV show, Jessica had been horrified. All her life, she had hated merely watching shows such as Jersey Shore, The Only Way is Essex or The Angels, and suddenly become the potential star of one made the American girl’s blood run cold. However, she tolerated the intrusion of the cameras into her life, and by the end of filming, she had even grown to enjoy it, all because of one thing- Paige.

Unlike Jessica, Paige couldn’t get enough reality TV. She could easily name all the ‘stars’ of each show in the order in which they joined, and even owned some of the shows’ merchandise. And whilst Jessica might not have loved the shows, she did love Paige, and she did love Paige’s infectious enthusiasm for the filming. Once filming had ended, Paige- and many of the other girls- spent the months leading up to the broadcast in a state of near-frenzy about their brush with fame. Jessica, however, was only mildly amused, and in many ways was hoping that she wouldn’t appear on-screen- though all that changed on the day of her 24th birthday, when Paige rejected her proposal.

All of a sudden, the reality show had gone from a source of mild amusement to Jessica, to the potential solution to all her relationship problems. If the show had shown her and Paige in a loving relationship with each other, it’d show the world- and more importantly, themselves- that they were destined to be together. But that didn’t happen. In fact, not only were Jessica and Paige’s relationship not featured- despite them both being interviewed about it- but neither girl appeared in the episodes at all beyond a ten second soundbite each at the start of an episode. Jessica held out hope that the three remaining episodes of the show- which had been pre-empted- would contain the missing scenes, but as time wore on and the episodes proved to be less and less likely to be broadcast, Jessica’s hope diminished, and with it, her belief that she could repair her relationship to where it had been before the proposal.

Jessica resolved to do the only thing she could do- to love Paige, and make sure that the Scottish girl knew just how much she loved her.

“Ready?” Paige asked as she stood before Jessica in her form-fitting, knee-length black dress.

“Always,” Jessica said confidently, before leaning in to give Paige a long, deep kiss, making the Scottish girl moan with pleasure as she gently caressed her growing breasts.

At the airport, both girls paid close attention to each other as they changed into their uniforms- red for Jessica, blue for Paige- and both wished that they could just have had that one morning in bed together, free of stress or worry. However, both girls had work to do, and no matter how much of a struggle it would be, they had to push their relationship worries to the back of their mind as they set about serving the passengers who were flying with Soixante-Trois Airlines.

“Bon anniversaire…” Zoe whispered in the sleeping Natalie’s ear, making the northern girl smile as she slowly woke up. “Annabelle and Abbey have already gone out, the flat is all ours and our train to Manchester isn’t for another hour…”

“Yeah…” Natalie said dreamily. “…But we should probably get up. If I have less than twenty minutes to get ready, I’ll have to go up as ‘Matthew’, and today is NATALIE’s birthday!”

“Damn right,” Zoe giggled, giving her lover a kiss before skipping toward their shower.

An hour later, the two women were stood in the main concourse of London Euston Station, both dressed in warm sweaters, short, tight skirts, thick black tights and warm, padded ankle booties. Zoe giggled as Natalie firmly pressed her slender fingers into the French girl’s buttocks, before reciprocating the action and making Natalie giggle. The two women’s laughter only grew louder and more self-confident as passers-by regarded their public displays of affection with dark, disapproving stares.

“D’you reckon they’d be any happier if I told them I had a penis?” Natalie asked, making Zoe snort with laughter.

“Only one way to know for sure,” Zoe replied, making Natalie laugh. “I’m really looking forward to seeing your parents again. Will your sisters be there too?”

“Hopefully,” Natalie answered. “And no, they haven’t signed up for ballet class yet. Their brother is more of a ballerina than they are, heh.”

“Their SISTER,” Zoe corrected the Mancunian woman.

“Most of the time, anyway,” Natalie shrugged as the two women boarded their train. “And ‘Matthew’ isn’t THAT bad, is he?”

“Bits of him,” Zoe giggled as she gave Natalie’s thigh a gentle squeeze. “Dieu… I don’t know how you do it, Natalie.”

“How I do… What?” Natalie asked. “Pull on tights? You’re a ballet teacher, I’d have thought that was the first thing-“

“You know what I mean,” Zoe sighed. “You see girls like Jessica, Paige and Abbey, the way they feel and stress about their girl lives, but you- you-“

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Natalie said, letting out a tired laugh. “And I do feel for them, I really do. They’re my friends. Heh, they are like sisters to me, all of them. Yes, even Rachel. She’s the bossy older sister I’m glad I never had!”

“Remind me of that,” Zoe snorted, remembering her childhood with her bossy older sister. “But what I’m- ugh, this is a bad question, especially for your birthday…”

“No, you can ask me anything, you know that,” Natalie said softly.

“…Do you think you’ll always be Natalie?” Zoe asked. “Because I know I’ve asked this before, but you always changed the subject, and- I mean, I love you, I love Natalie, but I love Matthew… I love YOU, Natalie AND Matthew.”

“I don’t know,” Natalie said, interrupting her lover. “I genuinely don’t. I’m just taking it one day at a time, that’s all.”

“Does the same apply to us, to me and you?” Zoe asked. “Because I think about us a lot, where we’re going…”

“No…” Natalie whispered, giving her lover a gentle cuddle. “Me and you… You are the single most perfect woman in the world. You laugh at my jokes, we love the same things, you’ve been a dancer for almost twenty years so physically, you can’t get any hotter, and that accent...”

“Merci,” Zoe giggled.

“…And most importantly,” Natalie said, “You don’t mind the fact that your boyfriend spends all of his or her time dressed in the same clothing as you. Except when I steal your leotards, obviously.”

“You ARE the most perfect lover ever,” Zoe laughed. “When I used to be a dancer- an actual dancer, not just a teacher- I saw one of the male dancers. You would think he would be sensitive, cultured, that he would, ugh, what’s the word… Appreciate his woman. But he was like a rugby player.”

“I’ve played rugby before,” Natalie shrugged.

“You’re 1.7 metres and the body of a toothpick,” Zoe retorted. “Which is much better. All women should have a man who she can share his make-up and who steals her leotards, hehe!” Natalie giggled and gave her lover a soft kiss as the train left the station, ferrying them toward the north…

“Thank you for flying with Soixante-Trois Airlines!” Rachel said as the passengers disembarked. “Enjoy your stay, we hope to see you again soon!” The second the final passenger left the plane, Rachel returned to the interior of the plane and let out a long, tired sigh.

“You okay?” Paige asked as she began the task of clearing the plane, ready for its next flight.

“I think I overdid the cake last night,” Rachel moaned as she took several deep breaths. “Or overdid this damned corset this morning…”

“Why didn’t you just take the week off?” Paige asked. “I hate working either side of my birthday.”

“Not that easy for supervisors,” Rachel sighed. “Only one of us can be off at a time, and I didn’t get in fast enough.”

“Well, at least you’ll know for next time…” Paige said, trailing off as she realised that for Rachel, there wouldn’t be a ‘next time’. “…Ah.”

“Yes, ‘ah’,” Rachel sighed. “That’s also why I need to work as many hours as possible, need to suck up as hard as I can to management to get a plumb assignment. Knowing them they’ll be just as happy to have me scrubbing the [f**king] toilets.”

“Or worse yet, alphabetising Jacques Lacroix’s jockstraps or something,” Paige snorted, making Rachel shudder at the thought.

“Think I need to shower after that thought,” Rachel laughed. “Though at least he IS keeping his distance after the tutu project, heh. Anyway, why are we wasting time talking about that turd? It’s St Andrews Day and you’re a Scottish girl in Scotland, go and relax, see if you can meet up with your parents or something, we’re not due to head back to London for several hours.”

“Ehh… I’ll be seeing my parents at Christmas, anyway,” Paige replied. “Besides, all they’d want to talk about is- well, you know…”

“All the more reason to go and talk to them, I’d have thought,” Rachel retorted.

“Seriously, not right now,” Paige sighed.

“Not ever?” Rachel asked, making the Scottish girl sigh loudly.

“The future… I don’t want to think about it. I just want to focus on right now, you know?” Paige replied.

“Yeah,” Rachel mumbled. “I know that feeling. And then, before you know it, you’re twenty-nine and having to face all the tough decisions you put off earlier in your life.” Paige remained silent as Rachel signed off on the flight, before following her and the rest of the cabin crew to the small employee lounge at Glasgow Airport, where she tried her hardest to avoid thinking about the many issues that were plaguing her life…

“Happy birthday!” Natalie yelled, startling her mother as she opened her door.

“Get- you daft little sod,” Natalie’s mother snorted in her thick Manchester accent, giving her daughter a playful whack with the magazine she was holding. “And happy birthday. Come on in, your sisters are both here. Both took the day off especially to see you. Both of you.”

“Thank you, Madame Briggs,” Zoe said shyly as she followed Natalie into the small terraced house.

After dropping off their overnight bags, Natalie and Zoe headed into the cramped living room, where Zoe couldn’t help but giggle as Natalie practically launched herself at her two younger sisters, wrapping both of them in tight hugs. Even though she’d met them before, Zoe always marvelled at how much the two young women resembled Natalie, especially when none of them looked like Natalie’s older brother. What entertained Zoe the most, though, was that both of Natalie’s sisters wore dangly, ostentatious earrings in their lobes- just like their sister.

“Like them?” Ellen- the older of Natalie’s two sisters- said, playfully tossing her hair around to give Natalie a better view of her earrings. “I was going to give them to you for your birthday, but I figured I owed myself a treat for putting up with you for all these years!”

“Shocked and appalled,” Natalie said, holding her hand to her chest in mock-offence before bursting out in a loud fit of laughter. “Seriously though, presents, now.”

“Keep your knickers on,” Ellen teased her older sister.

“It won’t be as much as the last few years as this one STILL hasn’t got a job,” Mrs. Briggs said, making Ellen cringe with embarrassment.

“I’ve got interviews lined up,” Ellen mumbled. “Reckon I’ll have something within the next… Oh, three months?”

“Ah, so I’ll get crap Christmas presents too?” Natalie asked, giggling as her mother gave her a playful slap on the back of the head.

“Not my fault I’ve got a massive student debt, blame the bloody Tories for that,” Ellen snorted.

“And no politics when we have guests!” Mrs. Briggs chastised her daughter. “You should’ve thought about getting a career BEFORE starting your degree, not after you graduated!”

“Yes, mum,” Ellen sighed as her sisters giggled.

“This must have been a fun house when you were all growing up!” Zoe said, barely suppressing a giggle of her own.

“Try ‘madhouse’,” Mrs. Briggs snorted. “Still, I suppose in a way it helped… We were so used to it that when Matthew came down the stairs in a dress and asked to be called ‘Natalie’ we barely even blinked.”

“You’ve got to admit,” Natalie said with a smug grin, “’Natalie’ is a much better daughter than ‘Matthew’ was a son.”

“’Matthew’ wasn’t THAT bad,” Mrs. Briggs said as she went into kitchen to prepare drinks for the four young women. “Okay, he was a little shit most of the time, but he was MY little shit.”

“And I always will be,” Natalie said with a smug smile that made even her mother snort with laughter. “Now seriously, come on, presents!”

“We’re not going to wait for dad or Greg, then?” Sasha- Natalie’s youngest sister- asked in a quiet, timid voice.

“I’ll open their presents when they get here,” Natalie said with a laugh. “Come on… we carted them all the way from London…”

“Giving us all the wrapping paper to deal with?” Mrs. Briggs asked. “Consider THAT one of your presents by itself! …Go on, then.” Natalie giggled excitedly as Zoe and her sisters handed her several piles of gifts that she eagerly unwrapped.

Once she had finished unwrapping, Natalie let out a long, satisfied sigh, before staring happily at the large pile of presents to her right. In addition to the usual clothes and make-up sets, she also (despite what Ellen had earlier said) received several pairs of earrings, along with other jewellery including a silver bracelet and a slender choker. However, ‘Matthew’ had also received gifts for ‘his’ birthday, including men’s clothes and toiletries, and several football DVDs- and Natalie was as grateful for these gifts as she was for her earrings. Natalie’s favourite gifts were a pair of Manchester City football shirts- one a men’s shirt with ‘M Briggs 24’ on the back, the other a women’s shirt in a near-identical size with ‘N Briggs 24’ on the back.

“We told the sports shop we were buying them for twins,” Sasha said smugly. “Which, in a way, I guess we were!”

“I’m bigendered, not schizophrenic!” Natalie laughed, making her youngest sister blush. “I am really, really grateful, though. Not just for the gifts, but for all of you. Thank you all so, so much.”

“How long can you stay up here?” Ellen asked.

“Only tonight,” Natalie sighed. “I’ve got the whole week off work but Zoe could only get tonight.”

“I did tell Natalie she could stay up here without me,” Zoe said in a quiet, embarrassed voice.

“Noooo,” Mrs. Briggs replied. “That’s just not right, you’re a couple, you should go everywhere together!”

“Where do you work, Zoe?” Sasha asked. “I know Natalie told me you don’t work for your airline anymore…”

“I left work there almost a year ago!” Zoe giggled. “I teach advanced ballet, like I did before I started working for Soixante-Trois.”

“Didn’t you see the photo on my Facebook of me in a tutu and pointe shoes?” Natalie asked her sister, who blushed yet again. “Probably never going to dance on stage, but it’s something off the bucket list, at least.”

“Have you put on any shows, Zoe?” Mrs. Briggs asked.

“From our school?” Zoe replied. “A few. The usual, like Swan Lake and Cinderella, but Krystie and I have choreographed our own one from the beginning that we call ‘La Soixante-Troisieme Papillon’ that we’re actually performing next week.”

“…Sixty-third butterfly?” Ellen asked, earning a smile from the Frenchwoman.

“Ooh, vous parlez français?” Zoe asked. “La plupart des filles de ma classe ne savent pas ce que cela signifie papillon!”

“Je ne suis pas couramment, mais je reçois par,” Ellen replied. “Mais j'ai un A à GCSE. Essayé d' aller à l'université.”

“My girls have always had a gift for languages,” Mrs. Briggs said with pride in her voice. “Part of the reason we’re a proud ‘remain’ household.”

“Ah-ah-ah,” Natalie said smugly. “What did we say about talking politics when we had guests?”

“…Go and take your bags upstairs, you little pest,” Mrs. Briggs laughed, making Natalie giggle even harder as she hauled hers and Zoe’s suitcases up to the room where they’d be staying for the night.

“Thank you for letting us stay,” Zoe said quietly after Natalie left.

“Like I said, you’re practically family!” Mrs. Briggs replied.

“And I don’t mind sleeping on the sofa for one night, I really don’t,” Ellen said with a mock sigh, before laughing as mother gave her a playful whack with a cushion.

“It’s just…” Zoe said with a grimace. “I know some families who would not accept having a transgendered child. Some of my students’ families, in fact.”

“Umm… Is Natalie REALLY transgendered?” Sasha asked quietly. “I mean, I remember reading about that singer who said she was taking hormones, but wasn’t, then was, and Natalie’s never, umm…”

“She’s changed her legal name to ‘Natalie’,” Zoe said. “She came here wearing a skirt, and make-up… She seems transgendered to me.”

“Whatever makes her happy, makes us happy,” Mrs. Briggs said firmly, letting Zoe know that she’d just been told all she needed to know.

“Of course,” Zoe said with a laugh. “But more importantly… The two of you never studied ballet?” Zoe giggled smugly as Ellen and Sasha blushed and the girls’ mother laughed, letting Zoe know that for all their differences, she was just as accepted as ‘Natalie’ was.

Paige let out a long sigh as she and Rachel opened the front door of their empty flat, before kicking off her heels and flopping heavily onto the sofa.

“One would almost think you didn’t love your homeland,” Rachel teased the black-haired girl. “And on St Andrew’s Day, too…”

“I’m just glad I didn’t come back to the smell of haggis cooking,” Paige retorted, making Rachel laugh. “It’s rank enough as it is without Jessica trying- and failing- to cook it.”

“Aww,” Rachel cooed as she headed to her bedroom to change from her dress into a comfortable pair of jeans and a sweater. “I kinda liked it back in January… And you have to admit, it WAS a nice gesture from her.”

“I guess,” Paige sighed.

“And was no different than your attempt to celebrate the fourth of July!” Rachel reminded the Scottish girl, who smiled at the memory.

“Aye, true,” Paige laughed. “You staying here tonight, then?” Paige and Rachel both laughed as a knock came from the apartment’s front door. “Guess that answers that question, then…” Rachel giggled as she skipped over the front door, where she exchanged a long kiss with her tired-looking boyfriend.

“Hey, stud!” Rachel giggled, giving Danny another kiss.

“Hey, babe!” The dark-haired young man replied. “Sorry, I would’ve been here earlier, but got caught up at work…”

“You’ve only been in the job a month,” Rachel snorted. “But you’re already complaining about it? Can I just remind you that this IS your dream job?”

“Technically,” Danny shrugged as he led Rachel out to his car.

“What ‘technically’?” Rachel teased. “What did you say to Jonathan again, ‘my dream job is sitting around in jeans all day updating Facebook’?”

“I should’ve specified MY Facebook,” Danny retorted. “Before he put me in charge of, like, fifty social media accounts. He’s even got me updating Pinterest, for crying out loud.”

“Let me know if you see any good brownie recipes,” Rachel teased.

“And besides,” Danny retorted, “all you’ve done for the last two months is complain about YOUR job!”

“I’ve been there five and a half years, I’m entitled,” Rachel moaned.

“True,” Danny replied. “But from what I understand, before we met, you were practically a management mouthpiece- uhh, no offence, um, love you?”

“Nah, I was,” Rachel sighed. “If I still was, maybe I wouldn’t hate it as much…”

“Jobs come and go, but friendships last forever?” Danny asked, grimacing as Rachel nodded. “On the flipside, though, you can’t eat friendships.”

“You sound like my mum,” Rachel snorted, making her boyfriend grimace yet again.

“I’ll, um, I’ll concentrate on the road,” Danny mumbled.

A couple of hours later, back at the girls’ apartment, Paige smiled as the front door opened and her American lover stepped through.

“Hi honey, you’re home!” Paige giggled in a phony American accent.

“Hey,” Jessica said in a tired voice, giving her lover a kiss before heading to the bedroom to get changed. “How was Glasgow?”

“Cold and wet, same as always,” Paige giggled. “Would’ve given anything to swap flights with you today.”

“You’re on for red flights next week, aren’t you?” Jessica asked. “Might even get a tan in December, heh.”

“’Tan’, aye,” Paige laughed, before letting out a long sigh as Jessica emerged from their bedroom wearing a short tartan dress and a Tam o' shanter.

“Didn’t think I wouldn’t do something, did you?” Jessica asked as she did a twirl in her dress.

“Kinda HOPED you wouldn’t,” Paige mumbled, earning a sigh and a frown from her American lover.

“Paige…” Jessica moaned.

“Seriously, have I even celebrated St Andrew’s Day the last two years?” Paige asked. “Burns Night was bad enough…”

“…I’m trying to make an effort, you know?” Jessica sighed. “I love you, and I love the fact that you’re Scottish, that it’s a part of you, and I- I just want to celebrate, well, YOU, you know?”

“It’s not that I’m not grateful,” Paige sighed. “It’s just- gah. It’s a bit too much, you know?”

“And your party on the fourth of July wasn’t?” Jessica asked, earning an angry stare from Paige.

“Let’s- let’s just get some sleep, we’ve both got work tomorrow,” Paige said, removing her make-up before changing into a pair of warm pink pyjamas and climbing into bed, where she rolled over and quickly fell asleep. Jessica followed the Scottish girl mere minutes later, and let out a long, exasperated sigh as she tried vainly to get comfortable.

As a child, Jessica had only ever received one piece of relationship advice from her parents- and that was to never go to bed on an argument. As Jessica stared at the back of Paige’s head in the gloom of their bedroom, she silently cursed at herself for ignoring that advice- and cursed at Paige too for forcing the situation to happen. It seemed to Jessica that every time she tried to make an extra effort, Paige just threw it back in her face, and in the six months since she rejected her proposal, Jessica found the Scottish girl more and more frustrating with every passing day. She still loved her, of course- but on occasion, she found herself not liking her.

When Jessica’s alarm woke her the following morning, Paige was already awake and in the shower, leaving Jessica to sigh loudly as she waited for her return.

“Hey,” Paige whispered as she returned to the bedroom, a towel wrapped around her chest and another wrapped around her jet-black hair.

“Hey,” Jessica whispered, before taking a deep breath. “Paige, I-“

“I want to go first,” Paige said, silencing the American girl and making her bite her lip in frustration. “I’m sorry I overreacted yesterday. It was a nice gesture, I just, I-“

“I’m sorry too,” Jessica mumbled. “I know I go overboard at times, but it- it’s just because I want to be part of your life. Actually… Ugh, this sounds selfish, but- but I want to be the most important part of your life, you know? Because that’s what you are to me.”

“You are,” Paige whispered, before removing both her towels and crawling into bed next to Jessica to give her a long, deep kiss, before exciting Jessica by slipping a hand under her nightdress...

“Thank you,” Jessica whispered, before grabbing Paige’s towels and heading toward the apartment’s small shower.

“Ah-ah,” Paige giggled, reaching into their shared wardrobe. “Before you go…” Jessica sighed as Paige- with a massive, excited grin on her face- retrieved two large pink boxes from the bottom of the wardrobe.

“Ah, December 1st, how could I forget?” Jessica laughed as Paige eagerly tore into her big pink package. "I never really had an Advent Calendar when I was younger... A few of my friends did, though. Guess if I had the promise of a piece of chocolate every morning, it'd have made getting up in December a little easier!"

“Aye,” Paige giggled. “Though I never had an advent calendar like THIS growing up! A different piece of make-up behind each door… Gonna be hard not to open it all at once, hehe!”

“And all branded with the images of ‘The Angels’ too,” Jessica laughed as she carefully opened her own package. “Still, if they want to give me a month’s supply of free make-up, I ain’t gonna complain.” Jessica smiled as she and Paige simultaneously opened the first window on their advent calendars, finding behind it a small eyeliner pencil. As Paige immediately started to apply the cosmetic, however, Jessica felt a twinge of sadness, which quickly moved through guilt before settling on frustration. Once again, Paige had avoided engaging in a mature, emotional conversation by focussing on something frivolous- in this case, the Advent Calendar, and once again, it left Jessica feeling deeply insecure about her relationship.

“Did you send one to Hayley in the end?” Paige asked.

“Hmm?” Jessica replied, having been lost in thought. “Oh, umm, yeah, cost a fortune to ship over to the States but it should be there already. Hope she likes it…”

“She’s a sixteen year old girl, she’ll like it,” Paige giggled. “Can’t wait to go over there again…” Both Paige and Jessica bit their lip as the painful memories of their last visit to America came to them.

“I’ll, umm, I’ll, umm, shower…” Jessica mumbled.

“Yeah,” Paige whispered, laying back on their bed and letting out a long, frustrated moan as Jessica left.

A short while later, Jessica (in her red uniform) and Paige (in her blue uniform) strode through the corridors of Heathrow Airport toward the planes that would take them to distant lands. Even though they would spend the day hundreds of miles apart, they were constantly together in their thoughts, and spent the day counting down the seconds until they could be together again.

Rachel moaned softly as she felt a gentle breeze in her face, waking her from her dreamless slumber.

“Mmm,” the blonde woman mumbled, before opening her eyes and letting out a long sigh. “…You arsehole.”

“What?” Danny pleaded as he stopped blowing on Rachel’s nose. “It’s hardly fair that you get to sleep in today, but I don’t…”

“You’re spending the morning taking photographs of women in skin-tight lycra,” Rachel retorted.

“One, you’re not one of them,” Danny retorted, making Rachel giggle. “Two, one of them is my sister, and three… I’d much rather take photos of you NOT wearing skin-tight lycra. Or anything else, for that matter.”

“I’ve told you a million times,” Rachel sighed. “I’m not having sexy photos of me on the internet. That’s a quick way to get really, REALLY fired.”

“…Even though you’ve spent the last few weeks moaning about your job?” Danny asked, grimacing as Rachel pulled the bedcovers over her head and let out a long, frustrated scream. “Umm, sorry…”

“No, you’ve got a point, ANNOYINGLY,” Rachel moaned. “If Zoe was back today I’d probably have gone with you this morning. She’s gonna love me pestering her for advice, given how much we’ve fallen out in the past…”

“That was professional,” Danny replied. “Never stopped you from being friends with her. And you can come along to ballet anyway if you want, I always feel self-conscious going into that place by myself…”

“Nah, I’d be the only ‘fly girl’ there,” Rachel sighed, before rolling over in bed. “You have fun though. Give my love to your sister.”

“…Can do,” Danny sighed, giving Rachel a gentle kiss before leaving her alone in his apartment.

The young blonde woman only stayed in bed another half hour, though, thanks to her boyfriend’s words resonating in her ears. She’d devoted her life to her career, sacrificed a social life, several friendships and even her relationship with her family to advance her career, and she found herself at the end of her twenties with virtually nothing to show for it- not even the career she’d devoted so much of her life to, all thanks to being on the wrong side of the phrase ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’. If she’d turned in the ‘tutu project’ when she’d had the chance, she would be on a fast-track to management, possibly even an executive position. She’d have money and influence… But she’d be alone, hated by the women she’d come to regard as sisters- and to Rachel, that was far too high a price to pay.

“Ugh,” Rachel spat as she carefully stepped around the piles of dirty clothes on the bedroom floor. “Seriously, Danny, get a maid… Or better yet, BECOME one.” After a quick shower, Rachel grinned as she left her face totally make-up free, before dressing in a comfortable pair of leggings and a warm pink hoodie. The blonde woman had no doubt that her transgendered friends would be aghast at seeing her look so plain, so ordinary, but Rachel didn’t care- she dressed up so often for work that she felt she’d earned the right to be a total slob for one day. Before switching on the television, Rachel grabbed her phone and began to type into it.

“Mmph,” Natalie moaned as the sound of Prokofiev's 'Cinderella' filled her ears and woke her from her slumber. “Seriously? Who’s calling at this time?”

“Ignore it,” Zoe mumbled, pulling a pillow over her head.

“They’ve been ringing for almost twenty seconds,” Natalie sighed as the music continued to pierce her tired skull. “Whoever it is really wants to talk to you.”

“They’re not ringing, it’s a text,” Zoe mumbled, earning a confused stare from her lover. “Can you just get back to sleep, please?”

“…It’s almost 8:30,” Natalie sighed. “Should probably get up anyway, I do want to say goodbye to Sasha before we head back to London.”

“Okay,” Zoe said, snuggling into her sheets before moaning as Natalie forcefully pulled the sheets off her cold, naked body.

“WE want to say goodbye to Sasha before heading back to London,” Natalie said, giggling as Zoe sighed before getting dressed.

Twenty minutes later, both women were fully made-up, wearing ostentatious, dangly earrings and dressed in knee-length denim pencil skirts, thick black tights and warm turtleneck sweaters. With tired sighs, they dragged their suitcases (which were filled with Natalie’s birthday presents) downstairs, where Natalie smiled at the sight of her nineteen year old youngest sister sat on the sofa in her work uniform… And the sight of her twenty-one year old ‘middle’ sister sprawled out on the sofa, still asleep.

“Morning, Sasha!” Natalie bellowed, causing Ellen to slowly stir. “Sorry… Think I startled you more than I did Ellen, hehe!”

“Heh,” Sasha quietly giggled. “Are you- are you heading back to London now?”

“Yeah,” Natalie sighed. “Couldn’t go without saying goodbye, though. TO BOTH OF YOU!”

“Bye, Natalie,” Ellen mumbled into her thick duvet.

“Thanks for the Advent Calendar, by the way,” Sasha said with a shy grin.

“You are welcome,” Zoe giggled. “Though I know Natalie told me you don’t like the Angels, we thought you would like a make-up Advent Calendar anyway!”

“Yeah,” Sasha said, before nervously biting her lip. “Actually, to tell you the truth… I do love the Angels.”

“I knew it,” Ellen sighed into her pillow, making Sasha cringe.

“I’m sorry,” Sasha mumbled.

“Don’t apologise to her, for god’s sake!” Natalie laughed as she gave Ellen a playful shove. “Just means you have good taste in television. Especially if you watched our show as well!”

“Of course,” Sasha giggled. “I, um, I should get going, don’t want to be late.”

“Bye, Sasha,” Ellen mumbled, earning a shove from both of her sisters that nearly sent her tumbling off of the sofa.

“How’s your French, Sasha?” Zoe asked the teenaged girl, who blushed in response.

“…Got an A at GCSE, a B at A-Level, not enough to get into uni,” Sasha replied. “Why?”

“I think,” Natalie giggled, “that my lover thinks that a love of the Angels, skill in a second language and a solid work ethic work might make you the perfect flight attendant! Though you will be required to get your legs out more than once every four years.” Sasha blushed as Natalie gestured to the teenaged girl’s thick trousers and her own tight skirt.

“I… I dunno,” Sasha giggled. “I’ll, um I’ll see you at Christmas, okay?”

“Sure,” Natalie said, giving her sister a tight hug as she departed. “Any anytime you’re in London, you’re welcome to stay with us. As long as you wear a skirt or a dress!”

“Or a leotard!” Zoe giggled as she gave Sasha a quick hug.

After bidding farewell to Natalie’s mother and her still-sleeping sister, the two women got in a taxi to Manchester’s Piccadilly station, and were soon en route back to their home in the nation’s capital.

“…So NOW can you tell me who that text was from?” Natalie asked as Zoe played with her phone, a smug smile spreading across her face.

Several hours later, Rachel took a deep breath as she stepped through the front door of the Krystie Fullerton School of Dance, trying not to look too conspicuous as several teen and pre-teen girls filed past her, all of them dressed in the same pink tights and royal blue leotards. Seconds later, their two teachers followed, both of whom grinned as they saw Rachel waiting for her.

“Hey, Rach!” Krystie- Zoe’s boss- giggled as she headed into her office. “You head off, Zoe, I’ll finish up here.”

“You have the tutu ready for Priya’s birthday tomorrow?” Zoe asked.

“I’ll sort it, it’s fine,” Krystie said. “Just go, for god’s sake!”

“Well, fine, if it’s like that…” Zoe said, playfully sticking her tongue out at the tall blonde woman before heading with Rachel to her car. “I love your look, Rachel! A mix of ‘not trying’ and ‘not caring’!”

“Correct on both,” Rachel laughed as she gestured to the leggings and hoodie that she hadn’t changed out of since getting up. “Figured I’m owed a day of zero effort every now and again.”

“Absolutely!” Zoe giggled. “And you’ll say ‘who knows more about zero effort than Zoe’, correct?”

“Not at all,” Rachel replied. “More like ‘who knows more about doing a job they hate then Zoe’.”

“…Ah,” Zoe said. “Is it really THAT bad now?”

“When you were on your warning,” Rachel sighed, “management tried to do everything to force you out of the job. Giving you all grey route in summer, lots of black route in winter…”

“And it worked,” Zoe mumbled. “Even despite you and Alana trying to persuade me to stay. Is she doing the same to you?”

“No, but I reckon she will,” Rachel sighed. “I’ve been told ‘promotion is not an option’, and I’m thirty next year, which means no more customer-facing work for me… They can’t demote me so I reckon I’ll be the highest-paid toilet scrubber in England, heh.”

“Ageist assholes,” Zoe spat. “Marie's 28 in a couple of weeks, but she’s already looking at management. But she has always had her nose in assholes.”

“Charming,” Rachel said, making Zoe laugh. “Is it the job, though, or is it me?”

“Ah,” Zoe said. “What you really mean by that is ‘is it the job, or is Zoe lazy?’”

“…Maybe,” Rachel mumbled.

“It IS the job,” Zoe said. “I love every second of teaching dance. Not just, because I tell off girls who do not try hard enough!”

“Is that why that one girl had a bandage above her eye?” Rachel teased Zoe, who sighed sadly.

“Poor Ashley,” Zoe said quietly. “That is a longer story. But I love teaching dance because dance is my passion. What is your passion?”

“…Succeeding,” Rachel confessed. “It doesn’t really matter what I do, as long as I’m the best at it.”

“Ah, a very ‘Rachel’ answer!” Zoe teased. “But I am not the best dancer in the world, or even the best dance teacher. There is always someone better than me, or than you. What you do is more important than how well you do it.”

“If you say so,” Rachel sighed as she pulled up outside Zoe’s flat. “See you later, Zoe.” After bidding farewell to her French friend, Rachel headed back to her boyfriend’s apartment, finding it in total darkness. When she switched on the light, however, Rachel got the shock of her life when her boyfriend leapt up from the sofa, startling her with a loud yell.

“Wha-who-“ Rachel stammered, before screwing her face up in a look of pure fury directed at the laughing young man. “Fuck's sake, Danny! NOT funny!”

“What?” Danny pleaded. “You should’ve seen the look on your face!”

“Yes,” Rachel growled. “The look that said ‘oh my god is this a rapist or a robber and am I going to get killed’. Seriously, I should thump you for that!”

“Oh- okay, I’m sorry,” Danny sighed. “For what it’s worth, I did the same thing to Stephanie a few weeks ago, she didn’t see the funny side either…”

“Should’ve learned something from that,” Rachel snarled, giving Danny a firm punch in his ribs as she sat down on his sofa. “Wine. Now.”

“What do I look like, a stewardess?” Danny retorted, giggling as Rachel hurled a cushion at him. “For what it’s worth, you look really, really sexy dressed like that.”

“You’re not sweet-talking your way out of THIS one,” Rachel retorted.

“No, really, I mean it,” Danny said, returning with Rachel’s drink.

“I’m wearing my slobbiest clothes and zero make-up,” Rachel snorted. “If you’re going to compliment my appearance you literally could not have chosen a worse appearance to compliment.”

“No, I’ve chosen the best one to compliment,” Danny said. “Because this isn’t ‘Rachel the superstar’ or ‘Rachel the sexy stewardess’, this is ‘Rachel- just Rachel’ sat on my sofa right now. And I think you look beautiful. And besides, it’s not like I’m not a total slob myself…” Despite herself, Rachel smiled as she stroked the coarse stubble on her boyfriend’s cheek.

“…Arsehole,” Rachel giggled as Danny gently kissed her hand.

“Forgive me?” Danny pleaded with wide, puppy-dog eyes.

“Hmm…” Rachel mused. “I’ll let you know AFTER you sleep on this sofa for the night!”

“Deal,” Danny giggled, leaning in to give Rachel a gentle kiss before the two spent the rest of the night cuddling on the sofa- which, as promised, is where Danny remained until the following morning.

Jessica stretched her tired muscles as she stepped through the front door of her apartment, before kicking off her heels and dropping onto the sofa with a long sigh. Jessica was only seated for mere seconds, however, when she heard the bedroom door open behind her and caught a glimpse of Paige standing in the doorway, wearing nothing but a sheer black babydoll, a tiny thong and a lustful smile.

Without saying a single word, Jessica strode up to Paige and kissed her deeply, allowing the Scottish girl’s body to melt into her arms as they retreated into their bedroom together, where they spent the night in a passionate embrace only broken by the two girls nearly passing out through exhaustion.

As she woke up the following morning, Jessica let out a sigh of frustration as she discovered Paige’s sleeping form still cuddled up against her own. Once again, she had needed to have a long, serious talk about the relationship, about their feelings and their emotions, and once again, that talk had been dismissed in favour of yet another marathon lovemaking session. Obviously, it wasn’t that Jessica disliked having sex with Paige, but every time they avoided discussing their relationship, it just confirmed in Jessica’s mind that all they had was a physical relationship- a relationship that Jessica knew couldn’t last.

“Wake up,” Jessica giggling, gently shaking Paige until the dark-haired girl stirred.

“Mmm…” Paige dreamily moaned. “Do I have to? It’s our first day off together in ages…”

“So we shouldn’t waste it,” Jessica whispered.

“I wouldn’t call rubbing our naked bodies against each other ‘wasting’ anything,” Paige giggled, before letting out a long sigh. “But that’s not what you’re thinking of, is it?”

“We DO need to talk about our relationship,” Jessica whispered, taking Paige’s hands in her own.

“No we don’t,” Paige pleaded, before letting out another long sigh. “…Okay, maybe we do. But I’m not UNhappy, Jessica. I like us. I LOVE us, and I love you. Why can’t we be happy with what we’ve got right here?”

“I AM happy,” Jessica whispered, increasing her grip on Paige’s hands. “I love us, and I love you. But I want more. No, not just more- I want EVERYTHING. I want us to have everything, together.”

“I- I-“ Paige stammered, trying and failing to think of a response to what Jessica said. “Isn’t it enough for you that I love you, Jessica?” The American girl remained silent, biting her lip as she tried to think of a response to Paige’s question.

“That’s what I figured,” Paige sighed as she swung her legs out of bed and headed toward the shower. As the hot water cleansed her body, it was all Paige could do not to scream in frustration at her situation.

When she'd first got together with Jessica, it had been a step into the unknown- much like her decision to move to Paris to live and work as a woman, or the first time she'd ever dressed as a woman... Or even the first time she'd handled a pair of women's tights. Paige was an adventurer, someone desperately seeking something new, something different... And over time, Jessica had gone from being that new, different experience to being something known, something familiar... Something that didn't excite Paige as much as she used to.

And yet, Paige didn't stop loving Jessica. She COULDN'T stop loving her, even if she tried. Every time she flew to a different, exotic destination, it was Jessica she looked forward to returning to. Every time she made plans to go out, to go somewhere on holiday, they were never just for herself, they were for herself and Jessica... And every time Paige found herself looking at another woman- or even another man- she was filled with a sense of pure guilt, which almost made her resent her love for Jessica- and to a lesser extent, made her resent Jessica herself. Paige's life would've been so much easier if Jessica had never come into it... But it would've been so much emptier as well.

"You are one fucking messed up girl," Anna-Jade said softly as Paige confessed her stresses to her over the breakfast table.

"Thanks for the helpful advice," Paige snorted.

"If it's relationship advice you want, you've REALLY come to the wrong place," Anna-Jade laughed.

"...Thought you and Paul were doing okay?" Paige said, before laughing. "God, so weird to call another person 'Paul' knowing that I'll never be called that myself again..."

"Tell me about it," Anna-Jade laughed. "Sometimes I hear someone say 'Anthony' and it's all I can not to respond. And for the record, me and 'Mr. Kennedy' are doing okay. Doesn't help that I'm at work all week, but then again, he will be in January, all those people joining gyms for the New Year..."

"...So you've booked a holiday in February?" Paige asked, making the Irishwoman giggle.

"Got a week in Australia booked," Anna-Jade said with a smug smile. "Wanted somewhere far away from anywhere served by Soixante fucking Trois, heh!"

"Think you've done that, heh!" Paige giggled.

"Question is," Anna-Jade said, "when and where are you and Jessica going on your next holiday?" Anna-Jade smiled sadly as Paige dramatically dropped her head onto the table and let out a long, soft moan.

"Nowhere and never, probably," Paige sighed.

"Paige..." Anna-Jade whispered. "Do- do you want to split up with Jess?"

"No, of course not," Paige instantly replied. "I LOVE her. I just- I just wish- gah, I don't know what I wish... Ever since she proposed, everything's just gone weird between us, I wish I could just go back to the way things were, you know? Back when what we had was something-"

"Something new?" Anna-Jade interrupted. "Nothing stays new forever. Are you telling me you'd rather have a different sexual partner every year?"

"Bite me," Paige retorted, making the Irishwoman laugh.

"Like I said, I'm the last person to ask about relationship advice," Anna-Jade said. "All I will say is that you can't go on like this. But knowing you... You probably will."

"Thanks," Paige sarcastically moaned, before heading back to her bedroom to get dressed. When she arrived, she found Jessica already dressed and pulling on a coat and a pair of leather knee-high boots.

"Going somewhere?" The Scottish girl asked her American lover, trying to disguise the accusatory tone to her voice.

"Natalie texted," Jessica explained. "Said Zoe's going to be busy all day so wanted to know if we wanted to meet up for coffee."

"Okay..." Paige said hesitantly. "Gimme a sec to get ready, text me the place and we'll meet up."

"We could go together, you know," Jessica said, inwardly screaming at the awkwardness between herself and her lover.

"Nah, it's okay," Paige replied. "I was- I was just talking to Anna-Jade."

"Okay..." Jessica replied. "That's not unusual, you know, we DO live with her..."

"I mean, I- I was-" Paige stammered, before sighing. "Wondered if she was going to go for the supervisor role opening up in February."

"...Okay," Jessica mumbled, immediately seeing through Paige's lie. "I thought she'd booked in for her SRS next summer? Can't get promoted then take 3 months off sick, can you?"

"Well, it's her decision," Paige sighed as she pulled a bra, a thong and a pair of shiny black tights out of her underwear drawer. "Honestly, you get going, you know me, I'll be aged getting ready, heh."

"And miss watching you pull your tights on? Nuh-uh," Jessica retorted, making Paige giggle.

"You've seen me pull my tights on hundreds of times!" Paige laughed as she playfully flicked the hosiery in Jessica's face.

"Doesn't mean I love it any less than the first time I saw it," Jessica whispered, making Paige pause and take a deep breath. "I'll- I'll um, I'll get going, I'll text you-"

"Yeah, see you in a bit," Paige whispered, giving Jessica an awkward kiss as the American girl left.

After hearing Jessica bare her soul about the condition of her relationship with Paige, Natalie let out a long, frustrated sigh that attracted the attention of several nearby patrons in the packed coffee shop.

"Honestly, Jessica, 'fucked up' doesn't begin to cover it," Natalie sighed.

"Thanks," Jessica replied sarcastically. "Any advice? I mean, you've got the most stable relationship out of any of our friends... How do you do it?"

"I take one day at a time," Natalie shrugged.

"Tried that," Jessica sighed. "You just can't 'switch off' your anxiety, you know?"

"Your only other option is talking to Paige," Natalie said. "I mean REALLY talking, heart-to-heart."

"Tried that too," Jessica moaned. "I really, really can't afford to lose her. I just- I just wish I could travel back in time..."

"Back to when you proposed?" Natalie asked.

"Back to when we first met," Jessica sighed. "Hell, back to when I was born, maybe persuade the doctor who circumcised me to do a slightly more 'thorough' job..."

"Glad I'm not having the sausage sandwich," Natalie said, making Jessica snort with laughter. "Seriously, though, you can't go on like this. And I DO want to walk down the aisle behind you one day, wearing a maid of honour's dress..."

"Yeah, well you'll be waiting a while for that," Jessica sighed. "Besides, Hayley- my sister- would be my maid of honour."

"Thought she was only sixteen?" Natalie replied.

"By the time I eventually get married, she'll probably be thirty," Jessica moaned.

"For what it's worth..." Natalie grimaced, "I kinda know the feeling. I didn't want to tell you this- I didn't want to add to your burdens, like- but if it hadn't been for your proposal... I'd probably have popped the question to Zoe by now."

"Thanks," Jessica snorted.

"Sorry," Natalie mumbled. "But, you know, Zoe's even younger than Paige, ever since she quit work for the company she's been more eager to 'explore' as well... That, and she can contort her body into the shape of a pretzel, and there's no way I'm jeopardising being with THAT."

"Aww, so sweet!" Jessica giggled, making Natalie smile smugly. Their smiles were short-lived, however, as Paige approached their table, greeting her American lover with a kiss before sitting down.

"...Did I interrupt anything?" Paige asked, acutely aware of the awkwardness she brought to the table.

"Natalie was telling me her favourite flavour of pretzel," Jessica said, making the English girl giggle yet again as the topic of conversation moved away from Natalie & Zoe's relationship- and stayed as far away from Jessica & Paige's relationship as possible.

Rachel took a deep breath as she straightened the red pillbox hat atop her head, before gripping the armrests of her chair, ready for take-off.

"You uncomfortable, honey?" Annabelle whispered as Rachel fidgeted in her seat.

"Yes," Rachel sighed. "Basically every time I pull on this uniform... Had to lace my corset extra-tight today, think I overdid the birthday cake, heh."

"S'pose it couldn't help that we just went somewhere warm, too," Annabelle quipped.

"Oh trust me," Rachel snorted. "Malaga in winter is nothing compared to Abu Dhabi. Especially in summer, with those damned grey route uniforms... I swear I was wringing sweat out of my bodysuit every time I took it off."

"You know," Annabelle said softly, "I used to be sad that I couldn't do grey route, but the more I wear this uniform... The more I hate it, you know? I want to be a woman, not a Barbie doll..."

"To some people, they're the same thing," Rachel spat as the aeroplane thundered down the runway, bearing its crew and passengers back north toward London.

A short while later, the 'fasten seatbelts' light extinguished, and Rachel tried to breathe easily as she and Annabelle headed to the plane's cramped kitchen to prepare refreshments for their passengers.

"Do you want me to do all the heavy lifting, honey?" Annabelle asked, making her supervisor sigh.

"No, I've got be seen to be out there," Rachel replied, pointing to the gold buttons on her blazer and the brooch on her lapel that marked her as the most senior stewardess on the flight. "Guess you'll figure this out soon yourself, heh!"

"I dunno..." Annabelle said in a coy voice.

"Oh come on," Rachel teased. "You were made a mentor after three months, you've got to be in line for a supervisor role, right?"

"...Reckon I'll be jumping ahead in line if I do," Annabelle replied. "I got off to such a bad start with Jessica... Don't want to make it any worse."

"Jessica knows these positions are competed for fairly," Rachel.

"Just as long as the interview doesn't have a swimsuit round," Annabelle said, making Rachel groan.

"Trust me, they don't," the blonde Englishwoman laughed. "At least, they never used to... Antoine Masson, the man who portrays himself as 'progressive' and 'future-thinking' by offering transgendered women equal opportunities in his company... Before dressing them like this and encouraging them- sorry, encouraging US to demean ourselves in stupid beauty pageants." Rachel's train of thought was interrupted when the call light in the kitchen illuminated.

"You okay to get this?" Annabelle asked, making Rachel fidget as she tried to adjust her tight underwear.

"I got this," Rachel said with a smile as she pushed her drinks trolley into the aisle and toward the illuminated call light. "How may I help you, sir?"

"Just a cup of coffee, please, milk, no sugar," the passenger politely responded.

"Coming right up, sir," Rachel said in her sweetest possible voice, only realising after she'd finished talking that, due to her naturally soft voice, she was bordering on falsetto. After stealthily clearing her throat, she poured the passenger's drink and delicately placed it on his tray table, an act that caused her to fidget to try to lessen the 'bite' of her underwear on her waist.

"Is there anything else, sir?" Rachel asked as light turbulence caused her to be unsteady on her high heeled shoes.

"No..." The passenger said, closely examining Rachel's body. "You- you're not allowed to tell me whether or not you're, you know, one of those ladyboys, are you?" Rachel bit her lip to keep herself from grinning- in the past, she'd had to discipline Zoe for pretending that she was transgendered, and at the time, she'd never understood why Zoe would have done such a thing. Now, however...

"I'm sorry, sir," Rachel said in her sweetest, highest-pitched voice, "but I'm not allowed to answer personal questions whilst on duty." Rachel couldn't prevent herself from grinning as she bobbed a curtsey to the passenger, before returning to the kitchen and letting out a long, tired laugh.

"Something funny, honey?" Annabelle asked as Rachel tossed her hat onto a counter.

"Annabelle..." Rachel began. "Do you- do you, you know, get 'identified' all that often?"

"...Not as much as I used to," Annabelle replied. "Ever since I started hormones again six months ago, anyway..."

"Well I just got 'identified'," Rachel giggled, making Annabelle stare at her in confusion.

"Umm, honey..." The tall American girl mumbled. "You ARE a woman. I mean, you've always been a woman, since birth, right?"

"And THAT's what's funny," Rachel giggled, before pulling her hat back on and pulling a few 'fashion model' poses to the delight of Annabelle and the other two stewardesses who were serving the flight.

Despite herself, Rachel couldn't stop grinning all the way back to London, even after she was summoned into her manager's office and confronted by a deep frown from the older woman.

"Rachel..." Alana sighed. "Why, exactly, did you feel the need to pretend to be transgendered on the Malaga flight?"

"I didn't pretend anything," Rachel protested. "My corset was just a little tight, that's all. Now, if I didn't have to wear it, then-"

"You know why that's part of the uniform," Alana said firmly.

"Don't I ever," Rachel snorted. "Wonder if I ever get rich enough to start my own airline, I'd get away with filling it with six foot tall surfers with washboard abs, 3% body fat and wearing nothing but speedos..."

"Well I'll tell you this much," Alana scoffed. "You won't get that rich by having that attitude!"

"But I would if my attitude was that of a misogynistic pervert?" Rachel retorted, making Alana's jaw drop in shock. "Or by inheriting it all from my father... All along, I thought that Masson was France's answer to Richard Branson, now I see that he's actually France's answer to Donald Trump!"

"Get out," Alana growled, barely able to keep her temper in check. "I'll call you back in once I've decided what I'm going to do with you."

"I'll save you the bother," Rachel said, removing her hat and placing it on Alana's desk. "I, Rachel Elizabeth Harrison, quit."

"Fine," Alana spat. "Make sure to turn in your uniform before you leave."

"Oh trust me," Rachel laughed. "I don't ever want to even SEE this quote-unquote uniform again! But..."

"'But' what?" Alana asked.

"Before I go, I really want to know..." Rachel began. "Why ARE you so blind to what is obvious chauvinism? I mean, you did this job, you endured this uniform, the constant 'comments'... Why are you taking their side over ours?"

"I shouldn't have to take sides," Alana said. "We should all be on the side of the passenger, and of management. But if you must know, it's because I believe in this company, and I believe that it really is the best place in the world to work."

"...You're fucking one of the pilots, right?" Rachel asked, before groaning loudly. "No... Not Jacques, surely?" Rachel’s face fell as Alana bit her lip, her face a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"Jacques Lacroix is a sensitive and gentle man," Alana said as Rachel buried her face in her hands. "He doesn't deserve any of the reputation that YOU have given him!" I know a video that'd change your mind, Rachel thought to herself.

"Goodbye, Alana," Rachel sighed as she returned to the locker area, where she methodically removed every trace of her make-up, before removing her corset and dropping it on the locker-room floor.

After changing back into the dress she wore to the airport- complete with a pair of flat shoes, rather than her heels- Rachel sent a series of text messages summoning all her friends to her flat, where she broke the news about her new employment situation.

"...Okay then," Natalie said, taking a deep breath. "And here I was thinking that 29 was too early for a mid-life crisis..."

"Am I wrong, though?" Rachel asked, smiling smugly as everyone present was forced to nod in agreement. "When I started for the company five years ago, we- sorry, THEY were no different than any other airline. There was a sense of family, even. But now... It's like we're some kind of harem to them."

"Hope you're not blaming this on us T-girls," Anna-Jade said cautiously. "I know the current dress code only came in to try to deter transgendered applicants..."

"A decision that shows how out of touch management really are," Rachel retorted.

"Hard to argue with that," Jessica sighed. "I still can't believe you quit, though..."

"Yeah," Natalie concurred. "If you're going to take down the management of the company- something I can totally get behind, by the way- you're going to have a hard time doing that from OUTSIDE the company. What are you going to do now, anyway? This close to Christmas, the job market's hardly booming."

"Can answer both questions at the same time," Rachel said with a smug grin. "Over five years I've accumulated enough dirt to give the company a LOT of headaches. I intend to do just that."

"The company we all still work for?" Paige retorted, making Rachel bite her lip. "I mean, I've got no love of the uniform or the shitty treatment, but I'd prefer it if management didn't have any more excuses to kick us, you know?"

"That's my point exactly, what you just said," Rachel said. "'You've got no love for the uniform'."

"Yeah..." Paige said. "It's a tight, impractical pain in the arse."

"Coming from someone who, like all but two people in this room, dreamed her whole life of being able to work in a uniform like that," Natalie said, catching onto Rachel's train of thought.

"Exactly," Rachel said with a smug grin. "Those two people you mentioned being the only two people to get sick of wearing the uniform and quit, and are also the only two people to have been female our entire lives."

"Now to be fair, I never had a problem with the uniform," Zoe said. "I mean, where I work now, I wear skin-tight lycra and a tiny skirt."

"Even grey route uniform?" Rachel asked, making Zoe sigh and nod.

"Yes, grey route uniform was horrible," Zoe replied.

"And being treated like a piece of meat by the passengers AND management?" Rachel asked.

"...You were the one who did that more than anyone else," Zoe retorted.

"And we all knew what we were signing up for," Jessica said. "Okay, for you, they changed the rules after you started, but still-"

"Did you really know what you were signing up for, though?" Rachel asked. "Okay, I can't understand what it's like to be transgendered. I won't pretend to. But stop me if I'm wrong: you all heard or read about Soixante-Trois and thought 'here's a company that will enable me to live and work as a woman'."

"...That was part of the appeal, aye," Paige conceded.

"Then you saw the dress code," Rachel continued, "and thought 'this is a dream come true', right?"

"It seemed a bit extreme," Abbey mumbled. "Then again, 'extreme' isn't always bad..."

"...Until you do it for up to twelve hours a day, right?" Rachel asked.

"...Okay," Abbey sighed. "I will admit I've got into the habit of 'un-corseting' the second I get home."

"Sometimes," Paige mumbled, "I do just like to chill on the sofa wearing a pair of leggings and a long t-shirt. I mean, I've been on hormones 21 months, as you can see." Paige pointed to the two small but growing mounds on her otherwise slender chest. "But some days I don't even want to wear a bra. Heh, if you'd told me I'd be saying that when I was sixteen..."

"That's because you've grown as a woman," Rachel said with a proud smile. "You don't need clothes to prove to the world that you're a woman. You already are one, at least in your brain."

"What about girls like Natalie?" Paige asked, making the Mancunian woman frown in confusion. "Girls who aren't, you know, 'chemical'?"

"Jess," Natalie asked, "What was I wearing the first time we met?"

"...A pair of leggings and a long t-shirt," Jessica said with a laugh.

"At one point, you actually called me a 'T-tomboy' if I recall correctly," Natalie said, lowering her voice to its natural male pitch by the end of her sentence.

"And I've been apologising about it ever since," Jessica sighed. "Okay, Rachel, whatever help you need, we'll provide it."

"Just tell me anything you see that proves my point," Rachel shrugs. "God knows all of us should already have enough dirt for a book each, heh."

"Isn't this all a bit immature, you know?" Abbey asked. "I mean, dishing dirt on the company like some kind of poor Loose Women parody?"

"I don't know about you," Natalie said, her voice raising back to her preferred feminine pitch, "but there's nothing 'loose' about me!"

"And besides," Anna-Jade interjected, "the company are the ones being immature. Person who designed the dress code was probably some fucking pervert who jacked off at the thought of transgendered girls dressing up like fucking Barbie."

"And probably played on your dreams when you were younger to lure you in," Rachel said. "But you're not some teenager desperate to pull on skirts and dance in front of mirrors like Britney Spears. You're all adults, you've grown as people as well as women. And it's about time you were treated as the grown-ups you are."

"Hear hear!" The women all cheered.

"So... Are we doing the tutu project again, then?" Annabelle asked, bringing smiles to the faces of the other seven women.

"Tutu Project 2017!" Rachel toasted.

"Tutu Project 2017!" The other women all cheered, clinking their full wine glasses together.

As they got ready for bed, Rachel's words resonated in both Jessica's and Paige's ears. When both women had started working for Soixante-Trois, they viewed it as a short-term form of wish fulfilment, rather than a chance at a career- a chance to live life the way they'd always dreamed. If someone had told either woman that they would still be working for Soixante-Trois over two years later, and would be deep into a course of hormone replacement therapy, neither of them would have believed it.

And yet, as she removed her earrings and brushed out her hair, Paige realised that what had been a fantasy was not just reality, but her only reality. What was once miraculous was now everyday- and she was okay with that. And as she climbed into bed with her American lover, she realised that she was okay with Jessica, too.

"You know," Paige said as she snuggled next to Jessica, "with Rachel quitting, it means there's two supervisor slots up for grabs in February..."

"...Thinking we could get a double promotion?" Jessica asked Paige, who giggled in response.

"No reason why not," Paige said. "We're two of the most professional in the whole airline, they'd be stupid not to at least consider us."

"...When did we become a couple who discussed our career in bed?" Jessica giggled as she gently played with Paige's hair.

"You heard Rachel," Paige shrugged. "We ARE adults, we ARE grown-ups... We don't pull on the uniform to get a thrill anymore, we do it to get paid."

"So how, exactly, do we get a 'thrill'?" Jessica asked, giggling as Paige wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled them both under the bedsheets...

Jessica fell asleep with a smile on her face, her lover in her arms and a fine sheen of sweat covering her whole body. But most importantly from her perspective, she fell asleep safe in the knowledge that while it may have its ups and downs, just like her career, her relationship with Paige was going to last a long, long time.

“Please all give a round of applause to our newest in-flight supervisors,” Alana announced to the assembled crowd of stewardesses. “Miss Jessica Tyler!” Jessica blushed as she stepped out in front of the cheering crowd, nervously fiddling with the brand-new gold buttons on her blazer.

“And,” Alana continued as Jessica anxiously bit her lip, “Miss Carly Powell!” Jessica smiled as the blonde Englishwoman stood alongside her and eagerly waved to the crowd. Jessica’s smile faltered, however, as she remembered that several of the other girls in the crowd had been vying for the two positions that she and Carly had filled- not least the black haired Scottish girl stood at the front of the group, whose blue and green eyes seemed to bore into Jessica’s skull like a laser beam.

“I promise to be firm, but fairly cruel,” Jessica said, earning chuckles from many of the faces in the crowd.

“Our new dynamic duo will be in training for the next two weeks to get them up to speed on supervisor duties,” Alana announced. “But rest assured, they’ll be bossing all of you about before too long… Especially those of you who started earlier in the month!”

“Looking forward to it already,” A familiar Mancunian accent called from the crowd, earning chuckles from all present.

“Hush you,” Jessica said to yet more giggles. “You’re meant to be setting a good example, anyway."

“We ALL are,” Alana said. “So back to work, all of you!” Jessica smiles as she and Carly followed their new line manager back to her office.

“Didn’t realise that you were an Avengers fan,” Carly said to the American girl. “I would’ve made the ‘prima nocta’ joke, but let’s face it, I think we all know who’s got a monopoly on THAT.”

“I dunno,” Jessica mused. “He’s been behaving himself a lot more as of late.” Especially since he was videoed dancing around in a Little Bo Peep costume, Jessica thought to herself.

“Ladies, keep the discussion work-appropriate, please,” Alana said, silencing the two blonde women as they sat down and began taking notes on their many new responsibilities.

----------

“Unlucky, girl,” Anna-Jade sighed as she gave Paige a gentle pat on the shoulder. “Sure, there’s always next time, you know how fast this place goes through employees.”

“AND we’re supposedly going to be expanding services here soon,” Abbey interjected. “If this third runway gets built…”

“Thanks, guys,” Paige said with a long, heavy sigh. Like many of her colleagues, she’d applied for the two supervisor positions. She’d cited multiple references in her application, her good relations with her colleagues, her familiarity with every aspect of her duties and the fact that she’d gone from barely conversational in French to fluent in the space of under two years… But the fact that she had taken two days’ sick leave- while Jessica and Carly hadn’t taken any in the course of their employment- meant that Paige had been passed over.

The worst part for the Scottish girl, however, wasn’t the fact that her lover would now outrank her- it was that she was unable to control her jealousy of Jessica. Like the American girl, Paige had only signed up with Soixante-Trois as a short-term thing, a brief ‘adventure’ in the world of femininity that she never imagined becoming a permanent thing. And yet, unlike many of the colleagues she’d worked with over the previous two and a half years who had moved on, she found herself wanting more from her life- both in a personal sense and a professional sense. The two years of hormone replacement therapy- which had made her body unrecognisable to anyone who had known her as ‘Paul’- had gone a long way toward her personal change, but Paige couldn’t help but think of her rejection by the company as the beginning of the end of her career- much like her rejection of Jessica’s proposal nine months earlier appeared to be the beginning of the end of her relationship.

Whilst Paige still adored the American girl, she’d found themselves growing more and more distant. As much as she loved Jessica, Paige felt that- at the age of 22- she simply wasn’t ready to commit herself to a permanent relationship in the way that Jessica wanted, and whilst Jessica had kept her promise and not made a second proposal, Paige’s rejection coloured every second that the two spent together, hanging over them like a black cloud.

Exactly two weeks prior to the announcement of Jessica’s promotion had been Valentine’s Day, and the close group of friends- including those no longer working for Soixante-Trois Airlines- had celebrated with a ‘quadruple date’ at a local Chinese restaurant. Jessica and Paige celebrated their love alongside Natalie and Zoe, Anna-Jade and her boyfriend Paul and Rachel and her boyfriend Danny. All throughout the meal, however, Paige couldn’t help but observe that whilst the other couples were totally at ease with each other, she and Jessica seemed tense throughout the night, even when they returned home and spent the night wrapped in each other’s arms.

Paige wanted to be with Jessica, and she was sure that Jessica wanted to be with her- she just wished that that was enough…

“Well, we’d better get going,” Abbey said, snapping Paige out of her reverie. “Your sister isn’t going to teach herself how to be a stewardess, Nat!”

“Well let’s face facts, neither is anyone else!” Natalie laughed, her laughter intensifying as their group was approached by a petite brown-haired woman, fidgeting in her brand-new blue pencil skirt and matching high-heeled shoes.

“You can stop laughing,” Ellen snorted at her sister.

“Never,” Natalie giggled. “I’ll be honest, when mum called to say that my sister was applying to join the airline, I genuinely didn’t think she meant you!”

“Yes, you’ve said that EVERY DAY since I started!” Ellen sighed. “Honestly, I don’t get why you’re so surprised? I DID say I was attending interviews, keeping my options open, I have a degree, I speak excellent French...”

“You have the work ethic of Dave Lister,” Natalie countered.

“Look who’s talking!” Ellen spat.

“I have a great work ethic,” Natalie retorted. “I just hate stupid and arbitrary rules, that’s all. Now go on, get to your classroom, make sure your pencils are all sharpened, listen to what Miss Watkins teaches you!”

“Jerk,” Ellen retorted, before snorting with genuine laughter as she and Abbey headed toward the small conference room where she was learning all about life as a Soixante-Trois Airlines stewardess.

“…Honestly,” Anna-Jade sighed. “I’m glad I don’t live in your house because the words ‘fucking nightmare’ come immediately to mind. Almost lucky that you didn’t a supervisor position either…”

“That was never going to happen,” Natalie sighed. “Not thanks to one particularly stupid and arbitrary rule. And I wouldn’t have been able to supervise a flight for her anyway, like Jess can’t supervise any of Paige’s flights.” Paige bit her lip as she was reminded of Jessica’s promotion (and her own lack of one). “I really want to be on her first flight, though…”

“Sure, you are just CRUEL,” Anna-Jade snorted.

“I’m her big sister AND her big brother,” Natalie said with a smug grin. “That’s a lot of cruelty for one person to keep up!” Natalie smirked as Paige and Anna-Jade- both of whom had older siblings- giggled at her joke, though she was troubled by the confused look on her other companion’s face. “…Something up, Annabelle?”

“Yeah,” the American woman sighed. “Who’s ‘Dave Lister’, honeys?”

A few hours later, the stewardesses of Soixante-Trois Airlines were hard at work, either learning about their new responsibilities or carrying out said responsibilities several thousand feet above the surface of the Earth. However, as busy as they were, and as far apart as they were, neither Jessica nor Paige stopped thinking about each other- though their thoughts weren’t just about how much they were looking forward to seeing each other again.

As she took down page after page of notes about her new role, Jessica found herself repeatedly staring over at Carly and wishing that it was Paige sat next to her, as it had seemingly been since the very first second they met. Every time Jessica thought about Paige she felt guilty that she had earned the supervisor position when Paige hadn’t. They may have had the same amount of experience with the company, and Jessica may have had more overall experience as a flight attendant, but she would always lag behind Paige in the one area that Jessica cared about the most- she would always have less experience as a woman. Paige began transitioning before Jessica, and as far as the American girl was concerned, that entitled Paige to the supervisor position before her.

Meanwhile, as she served the passengers on board the aeroplane en route to and from Berlin, Paige couldn’t tear her thoughts away from the American girl she’d shared her life- all of her life as a woman- with for the past two and a half years. Paige felt increasingly jealous of Jessica, and the more jealous she felt, the more guilty Paige felt. It wasn’t Jessica’s fault that Paige didn’t get the supervisor job- there were two to go for, after all, so it’s not like they were going head-to-head, and Jessica was more experienced in the job, she was the more popular one with management, so in Paige’s mind, she more than deserved the promotion.

She just wished that subconsciously, she didn’t resent Jessica so much for ‘beating’ her…

----------

“Seriously, my head is about to explode,” Carly laughed as she and Jessica left the office where they had been studying and headed to the locker room to change out of their blue uniforms. Even though she hadn’t been performing the tasks she was accustomed to doing whilst wearing her uniform, Jessica was no less tired than usual, though for once, it was more a case of mental and emotional tiredness than physical exhaustion.

“I think I’ll actually be more nervous on my first supervisor flight than I was on my first, you know, ‘normal’ flight!” Carly laughed.

“Yeah,” Jessica chuckled as she unzipped her tight blue skirt, stepping out of it with a long sigh.

“Jess… You okay?” Carly asked. “You’re kinda distracted… Is- is it, you know, Paige?”

“No,” Jessica retorted, before letting out another long sigh. “Yes…”

“It’s not like you’re gonna be bossing her around,” Carly said. “Alana wouldn’t put you in that position, no one in management would.”

“They’ve never really approved of our relationship,” Jessica said. “For all their talk of equality…”

“There’s nothing they can do about it, as long as you keep it outside the airport,” Carly shrugged.

“It’s not them I’m really worried about, though,” Jessica sighed as she slithered into her tight black pencil dress and headed toward the nearest tube station, ready for the long commute back to her- or rather, her and Paige’s- home.

----------

“I suppose the one good thing about skirts this tight,” Natalie said as she eased out of her uniform, “is that it makes it hard for the kind of perverts we regularly deal with to get a hand up there. Though trust me, that doesn’t stop all of them from trying.”

“Are you TRYING to make me quit?” Ellen asked her sister as she exchanged her brand-new blue uniform for a smart white blouse and knee-length black pencil skirt. “And why, exactly, do we have to be dressed up on the way to and from work, again?”

“Because we’re representing the company from the second we step out of our front door to the second we step back through it,” Natalie, Abbey and Paige responded in a robotic monotone.

“And besides,” Natalie said as she stepped into a slender pencil dress, “it’s not like we don’t get a generous clothing and make-up budget for exactly this reason. Ell, zip me up, please?”

“Gone from trying to scare me into quitting to trying to creep me into quitting,” Ellen mumbled as she fastened Natalie’s zip. “I really doubt I’ll ever get used to this…”

“Hey!“ Abbey protested. “Nat’s as much one of the girls as any of us.”

“Not for the first seventeen years of my life, she wasn’t,” Ellen sighed. “But I guess you’re right, she is now…”

“To be fair, the clues WERE there,” Natalie laughed. “Remember Halloween 2010?”

“How can I forget?” Ellen snorted. “Thought Greg- our brother’s- jaw was going to fall off when you walked down the stairs dressed as a zombie French Maid, clutching that feather duster in your hand…”

“I still have that costume,” Natalie said proudly. “And that feather duster, though most of the time I don’t clutch it in my hand anymore…”

“And that’s enough of THAT conversation,” Ellen said, making Natalie and Abbey giggle. “What we doing tonight? Night in, or heading to that pub your friend runs?”

“Night in, probably,” Abbey replied.

“Zoe’s got her advanced class tonight,” Natalie explained. “They usually overrun a little and she’s usually exhausted by the end of it. As bad as pervy businessmen are I’ll take them any day of the week over a room filled with thirty-odd teenagers.”

“Speaking of which,” Abbey giggled. “When ARE we going to get young- YOUNG Miss Briggs along to a Thursday morning lesson? As the potential future sister-in-law of one of the teachers, she’s bound to be welcomed into the class, surely?”

“Hell will freeze over before you EVER see me in a skin-tight leotard,” Ellen retorted, making her mentor and her sister giggle.

“And besides, Ellen doesn’t really like the Angels anyway,” Natalie clarified. “That’s the other sister, the younger, more sensible sister’s thing!”

“Not to mention OLD Miss Briggs!” Ellen said with a smug grin as Natalie gasped in pretend shock.

“From my own sister…” Natalie spat. “Paige, we’re heading off now, you okay to get home by yourself? You’ve been kinda quiet…”

“Huh?” Paige asked. “Oh, um, aye, I’ll be fine. Annabelle will be back in a bit, I’ll go home with her."

“You sure?” Natalie asked. “You’ve been really quiet today, I really hope everything’s okay…”

“I’m fine,” Paige retorted. “I- just a little disappointed about the supervisor thing, that’s all. I’ll be alright.”

“If you’re sure,” Natalie mumbled. “See you tomorrow, Paige.”

“See you, girls,” Paige said, forcing a smile on her face that evaporated the second the three women left.

Consciously, she knew that what everyone was telling her was right. There was no reason whatsoever why the change in their professional circumstances should affect her relationship with Jessica. Paige knew she loved the American girl, and she knew that Jessica loved her.

And yet, as Paige stepped through the front door of her flat and was greeted by a long, deep kiss from her lover, she didn’t feel the ‘spark’ she did the first time she kissed Jessica. It was like a black cloud had descended over their relationship… And Paige was sure Jessica felt it as well.

After an evening of relaxing in front of the television, the four flat mates all headed to bed, where Jessica and Paige watched each other with happy smiles as they took turns in front of their dresser removing their jewellery and make-up and brushing their hair.

“So,” Jessica asked as she brushed the knots out of her golden blonde hair, “what d’you make of Natalie’s sister, now you’ve had a chance to get to know her better?”

“I like her,” Paige mumbled. “She’s just like another Natalie. For better AND worse!”

“Yeah,” Jessica laughed. “Alana literally went ‘Oh god not another Briggs’ when she saw her for her interview. She’s apparently really bright, though, and very enthusiastic about the job.”

“Just like another Natalie,” Paige laughed. “Though as someone with two older sisters, I feel REALLY sorry that she’ll have to work with Nat…”

“Nat’ll be professional whilst on a flight,” Jessica said with a grin.

“Let me guess- you’ll make sure of it?” Paige asked, making Jessica frown despite the light-hearted tone of her voice. “Umm, you and, um, all the other supervisors… Reckon- you know, d’you think your sister will ever follow in your footsteps?”

“What, Hayley?” Jessica asked. “Doubt it, she’s not the Europhile I am. Besides, she’s planning on going to college after high school.”

“NYU, like your brother?” Paige asked.

“Umm, think she’s got her heart set on University of Minnesota,” Jessica said. “They’re one of the top colleges for law.”

“And she doesn’t fancy taking to the skies after uni?” Paige asked.

“Nah, she’ll probably just go into practising law,” Jessica mused. “By the time she graduates I’ll be thirty anyway, not like I’ll get to boss her around on a flight even if I wanted to. Not like I could do that anyway, heh.”

“Yep,” Paige said in a dark voice that made Jessica wince.

“Oh- god, Paige,” Jessica sighed as she climbed into bed and wrapped her arms around the Scottish girl’s slender waist. “I- I’m sorry…”

“Nothing for YOU to be sorry about,” Paige sighed. “You’re a better stewardess than I am, that’s all…”

“Bullshit,” Jessica snorted.

“Umm, you WERE already a stewardess before you started work for 63,” Paige retorted. “Well, not stewardess, but- ugh, you know what I mean…”

“I do,” Jessica said. “And trust me, working for Belman is LOADS different from working for 63. So as far as I’m concerned, me and you are equal. It’s just that stupid sick leave you took…”

“Ugh,” Paige spat.

“And it’s not like there isn’t a positive side,” Jessica mused. “I mean, without the commitment of being a supervisor, you can put in for your SRS now- that’s why Anna-Jade didn’t apply, after all- and you can look forward to getting that gender certificate too, you can apply for that any day now…”

“Thanks, not really helping,” Paige grumbled, before letting out a long, tired sigh. “Get some sleep, babe. We’ve both got a long day tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Jessica sighed, admitting defeat. “Night, babe.”

“Night,” Paige whispered, exchanging a soft kiss with her lover before quickly falling asleep in each other’s arms.

Paige awoke the following morning to discover that Jessica was already awake and in the middle of getting dressed. As she had done countless times in the past, Paige watched with a dreamy smile as Jessica clipped her dark, seamed stockings to her suspenders and arranged her small, fledgling breasts within her lacy bra. As hard as Paige tried to concentrate on the sight before her, though, the memory of the previous night’s discussion- and the stress it caused- wouldn’t go away.

“Second day of dominating,” Paige teased, chuckling as Jessica stuck her tongue out at her.

“Don’t laugh, I still have my Project Tutu quote-unquote uniform somewhere,” Jessica giggled as she tied her hair back into a tight French pleat. “Jeez… I remember when this used to be a wig, heh.”

“The wig was never as nice to run your fingers through,” Paige chuckled. “And are you mentioning the PT uniform because you secretly want to wear it again?” It’s the one way I wouldn’t mind you being ‘dominant’, Paige thought to herself.

“I doubt management would allow me to wear THAT on a flight, hehe!” Jessica giggled, making Paige frown at the missed meaning behind her words.

“Doesn’t mean you can’t wear it at other times,” Paige said in a low, sultry voice. “And besides, give Masson enough time and he’ll probably have us all wearing nothing but lingerie on flights. And even that’s only because most of us are still pre-op…”

“Don’t say that in front of Alana, whatever you do!” Jessica laughed.

“Erm, yes, I do already know that, thank you,” Paige laughed as she slid her slender body out of bed and took headed toward the shower. “No need to tell me how to do every tiny bit of my job, you know…” Jessica bit her lip as Paige walked past her- she hadn’t intended to come across as bossy, and she knew all too well how badly Paige reacted to people trying to assert authority over her. Instead of arguing further- and inevitably making things worse- Jessica instead pulled on the long-sleeved blouse and tight pencil skirt she’d chosen to wear for the day, before sitting down on the edge of her bed, her knees pressed tightly together, and waiting for her lover’s return.

“…Sorry,” Jessica mumbled as Paige returned from the shower with a towel wrapped around her long, jet-black hair, and another wrapped around her chest.

“…Maybe we oughta set up a safe word, for when you’re getting a bit TOO dominant!” Paige giggled, kissing Jessica on her lips before sitting down to apply her make-up.

Jessica watched with a relaxed, satisfied smile on her face as Paige transformed herself from the cute girl who had shared her bed the previous night, into the sexy, glamorous stewardess she’d fallen in love with two and a half years earlier. Together, the two women elegantly sashayed toward the nearest tube stop, which ferried them to their workplace.

“Paige…” Jessica mumbled as she changed into her tight blue uniform. “I hope- ugh. I’m sorry if this- this whole promotion ‘thing’ is driving us further apart. I know, I just know that no matter what, I do NOT want to lose you. Not for anything or anyone else.”

“I feel the same,” Paige whispered. “And I’m sorry too, sorry I got so jealous of those things.” Jessica giggled as Paige fiddled with the gold-coloured buttons on the front of her blazer.

“You’ll get some of your own soon, I know you will,” Jessica said in a soft, caring voice. “Hell, you’ll get a different kind of ‘button’ long before I will…”

“We’re seriously calling it THAT?” Paige giggled. “Would’ve thought ‘buttonhole’ would be more appropriate…”

“Depends on what you plan on putting in it,” Jessica giggled, before carefully looking around the small locker room. Once she was satisfied that she and Paige were alone, she leaned forward and gave the Scottish girl a brief, but still tender kiss on her lips that made both women giggle like naughty schoolgirls.

“Shouldn’t you tell yourself off for doing that?” Paige teased. “Discipline yourself or something?”

“Cheeky,” Jessica teased as she and her Scottish lover headed to their respective workplaces for the day.

----------

“Hi Jessica,” Alana said with a smile as she ushered the American girl into her office. “Thanks for getting here early, the sooner we get going, the longer lunch we can have!”

“Read my mind,” Carly giggled. “There was SO much to take in yesterday.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to consolidate what you’ve learned before we turn you loose,” Alana chuckled. “You’ll be shadowing supervisors on flights starting next week to get a feel of what the role entails.”

“Good,” Jessica said. “Always preferred, you know, ‘hands-on’ stuff.”

“Yeah, me too,” Alana said. “Obviously the theory’s still important to. And when it comes to ‘hands on’, don’t worry, we won’t put you on any of Paige’s flights, even during consolidation.”

“Thanks,” Jessica chuckled. “THAT would’ve been awkwardness I don’t need right now!”

“The company really doesn’t need it either,” Alana said with a smile. “Obviously, we can’t tell you who to get together with, but it’s no trouble to keep you apart on flights. You might get called on to supervise one of your flat mates though, I trust that won’t be too awkward?”

“Shouldn’t be,” Jessica said. “Anna-Jade and Annabelle are both cool.”

“When Anna-Jade isn’t swearing every other word, anyway,” Carly interjected, making the other two women giggle.

“She never does it on flights, though,” Alana says. “So we can left her off there.”

“The relationship rule does make a lot of sense, though,” Carly mused. “Think it extends to ex-partners as well, doesn’t it?”

“Where possible,” Alana answered.

“Unless your name is Jacques Lacroix,” Jessica said with a snort of laughter. “Then it, like, isn’t possible.” Jessica let out a nervous laugh, before biting her lip as Alana fixed her with a dark, disapproving glare.

“That sort of talk needs to stop now,” Alana said firmly. “It is ENTIRELY unprofessional.”

“Well- yes, out in public, sure,” Jessica said, taken aback by Alana’s sudden hostility. “But- but behind closed doors…?”

“Jacques Lacroix is a kind and sensitive man,” Alana said. “And he is the great-nephew of the founder of this company. He is NOT to be spoken of in those terms.” But it’s okay to say ‘oh god not another Briggs’ when you saw Natalie’s sister on the interview list? Jessica thought to herself.

“Understood,” Jessica whispered.

“Good,” Alana said as both Jessica and Carly fidgeted awkwardly in their seats. “Don’t want you doing a ‘Rachel Harrison’ on only your second day in the job now, do we?”

“No,” Jessica said quietly as Alana prepared her and Carly’s learning for the day.

----------

“Feeling better today, then?” Natalie asked as she removed her hat and blazer and began boiling the kettles in the aeroplane’s cramped kitchen.

“Aye,” Paige said with a grin. “Doing Dublin instead of Berlin also really helps, heh. But to answer what your question inevitably was, yes, me and Jessica have sat down, talked it over and sorted it out.”

“GOOD,” Natalie said. “You know, to the best of my knowledge, you and Jess are the longest-lived relationship between any two Soixante-Trois employees?”

“Only because Zoe quit,” Paige retorted, making Natalie giggle. “You know, I’ve heard that she’s supposed to be a really strict teacher? But she messed around at work, like ALL the time, and she’s going out with you…”

“Must be a French thing,” Natalie shrugged. “And do NOT tell Zoe I said that! Unless, of course, you want to bitch about something about America that you don’t like.”

“Hardly a fair trade, I love everything about America,” the Scottish girl giggled. “Hoping to go back in the summer, maybe visit the west coast, or Disney World, or Universal Studios. Or Hollywood. ESPECIALLY Hollywood!”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Natalie laughed. “God bless America, heh. It’s not even like I hate France, I mean, Zoe’s said her parents might even be able to get us tickets to go and watch the Monaco Grand Prix in May.”

“Umm… Aren’t France and Monaco separate countries?” Paige asked.

“Good point,” Natalie said, triggering a fit of giggles that was only silenced by the kitchen’s call light illuminating. “And it’s good about you and Jess. I want to be a bridesmaid someday soon!”

“…Yeah,” Paige grimaced, making Natalie frown and sigh.

“…God,” Natalie moaned. “S-sorry, Paige, I-“

“Don’t want to keep the passenger waiting,” Paige said, making Natalie nod as she pushed her drinks trolley into the plane’s aisle. “Or Jessica…”

----------

“Again, mind- blown,” Carly laughed as she and Jessica returned to the locker room to change out of their blue uniforms. “I’m sure I’ll get it all once we’re actually, you know, doing it, like you said.”

“Yeah,” Jessica mused, taking a deep breath as she loosened the laces on her corset. “Ugh, SO much better…”

“Umm, you know I should report you for that?” Carly asked as she slithered her own corseted body into the tight grey pencil dress she wore to work. “I won’t do, obviously, but- and I really don’t want to cause offence- but, umm…”

“Aren’t we T-girls supposed to enjoy tight lingerie?” Jessica asked. “When I’m wearing it to have sex with Paige, then yes, I guess, but not during a long working day… You’ve surely got to agree with me?”

“Oh- 100%, yeah,” Carly said with a snort of laughter. “But you heard Alana, I don’t want to end up ‘doing a Rachel’, I need this job too much… Can’t believe Rachel quit, anyway. You know what she’s doing now?”

“Umm, yeah, think she’s managing a bar in the city centre,” Jessica said. “Don’t think she’s making as much but she definitely seems happier. She doesn’t have to wear a uniform, either…”

“Meh, I can live without the corset, but I DEFINITELY couldn’t live without the rest of the uniform!” Carly giggled, before a quizzical look fell over her face. “Is- does that surprise you, Jess? That, you know, a ‘from birth’ woman could like wearing a sexy uniform?”

“…I dunno,” Jessica laughed. “I guess in a way it does make some sense, heh. I mean, I spent all my life wishing I was a beautiful woman, soo…”

“Exactly,” Carly said with a grin. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a beautiful MAN waiting at home for me, hehe!”

“Enjoy,” Jessica laughed with a wink as Carly sashayed out of the locker room, leaving the American girl alone with her thoughts.

Jessica sighed as she checked the time on her phone- 4:45pm, a full two and a half hours before Paige was due back from Ireland. With Alana’s words ringing in her ears, Jessica headed to the nearest tube stop, but instead of heading home, she headed further into the city centre, eventually finding herself stood outside the front entrance of a modern, posh-looking bar. Jessica took a deep breath as she entered the establishment- it wasn’t the sort of English pub that she’d seen examples of on TV, or heard about from her friends, but it was still a bar, and she was still dressed in a tight skirt, seamed stockings and stiletto heels, and she knew all too well how excited men could get at such a sight.

Fortunately for Jessica, however, the first face she saw when she entered the bar wasn’t that of a lust-filled patron, but was instead the friendly face of the young man stood behind the bar.

“Evenin’ darlin’,” Danny said in a London accent that was far stronger than his natural speaking voice. "What can I get ya?”

“Your girlfriend,” Jessica said with a snort of laughter that made Danny chuckle.

“Doubt she’ll fit in a pint glass,” Danny laughed, before poking his head through the door at the end of the bar. “Rach! You got a visitor!” Jessica smiled as she heard the familiar sound of a person running down a flight of stairs, and her smile only grew wider as she saw Rachel emerge from the door wearing work clothes that were a far cry from the smart apparel Jessica was wearing.

Rather than a pencil skirt- or any kind of skirt- Rachel was wearing a pair of tatty dark blue jeans, and instead of a tight blouse or top, Rachel wore a loose long-sleeved top that nonetheless managed to flatter her slender figure. Aside from a touch of mascara, her face was make up-free, and her hair had been tied into a very loose, casual ponytail.

“Hey, Jess!” Rachel giggled. “I understand congratulations are in order?”

“Thanks,” Jessica said with a bashful grin. “And you- you, umm, you look, you know, nice?”

“Told you,” Danny said, earning a playful eye roll from his girlfriend.

“I look- and feel- comfortable,” Rachel said. “Have had more than enough of being Antoine Masson’s own personal Barbie doll.”

“Seems strange hearing that from the woman who won a beauty pageant just two years ago,” Jessica teased, earning another longer eye roll from Rachel.

“That should’ve been my first clue,” the blonde Englishwoman snorted. “Still, I’m in a place now where I can be happy. And, you know, nothing lasts forever anyway…” I hope you’re only thinking about work there, Jessica thought to herself.

“My parents weren’t exactly happy,” Rachel continued. “Exchanging a higher-paid job for a lower one, even if here, I actually get to be in charge. Well, apart from when the bar’s owner comes in and yells ‘Sam and Rebecca’ at me in Danny in an accent that’s half Nigeria, half jet engine.”

“Whatever ‘Sam and Rebecca’ means, anyway,” Danny interjects.

“Cheers re-runs were all my mom watched when she was growing up,” Jessica laughed.

“But anyway, that’s enough about me,” Rachel laughed as she stepped out from behind the bar and gave her American friend a gentle hug. “You’re here for a reason, after all! Take a seat, Danny will bring over some drinks in a bit.”

“Thanks,” Jessica laughed as she sat down, elegantly sweeping her skirt underneath her before crossing one leg over the other, whilst Rachel casually plopped down into the seat next to her.

“So let me guess- the whole supervisor ‘thing’ is a bit overwhelming, at least to begin with?” Rachel asked.

“A little,” Jessica shrugged. “I mean, I get the whole ‘theory’ thing, the, you know, mechanical side of it, and obviously customer service I’m good at…”

“But…?” Rachel asked.

“Ugh,” Jessica spat. “It’s- it’s, you know, the whole ‘bossy’ bit. You know, I nearly got my ass kicked by Alana today just for badmouthing ‘le connard’. In private.”

“Ugh, Jess, trust me, you are preaching to the choir here,” Rachel sighed. “’Fraid that’s going to be a big part of this job, it’s 20% customer service, 80% kissing the ass of anyone even remotely related to the Masson dynasty. You don’t mind it at first because of the money, and the seniority, but they SERIOUSLY hate people who think for themselves. They want good little worker drones, preferably ones with good looking faces.”

“Heh,” Jessica chuckled. “If my dad was here, he’d probably accuse you of being a communist. And he voted democrat the last seven elections in a row!”

“Well, if wanting more respect and more rights for Soixante-Trois employees makes me a communist, then just call me comrade Harrison,” Rachel laughed. “You know, the other day, I actually called up Joshua- the owner of the bar- and ran a few ideas by him? And not just that, but Danny pitched in an idea he had as well, for a St Patrick’s Day celebration. Joshua LOVED the ideas, actually thanked us for our hard work and gave us a free rein to put them into practice.”

“Well…” Jessica said. “In fairness, you ARE the manager of this bar, it’s kinda your job to come up with ideas.”

“It isn’t Danny’s job, and Joshua paid as much attention to him as he did to me,” Rachel shrugged. “Doubt any other employer would be happy with me working on ‘Project Tutu 2017’ in quiet times at work, either. Or gossiping with friends, heh!”

“How is the project going, anyway?” Jessica asked.

“SLOWLY,” Rachel sighed. “Beginning to think the whole thing was a stupid idea, anyway. I mean, yes, Zoe’s contributed all she can to it, but even that isn’t much, and everyone else I know still works for the company so has to be careful. Annabelle and Paige have only helped a little, Anna-Jade doesn’t want to jeopardise her three months’ sick leave for her operation, Natalie and Abbey don’t want to drag Nat’s sister into it, Tanisha, Rhianna and Rosita haven’t been working with the company long enough to generate any scandal, and now you’re ‘the authority’. And I’ve now got a good job with an employer I can respect and who can respect me… Yeah.”

“I always did think you were being overambitious,” Jessica mumbled. “Trying to take down Antoine Masson himself…”

“Remember you said that, next time you’re sat there fidgeting in your corset and your thong,” Rachel retorted. “Anyway, I can’t stick around, I do have actual work to do, people are about to get off work… It was good seeing, you, Jess. Give my love to Paige.”

“I will,” Jessica said, silently cursing the Englishwoman as her corset and her thong suddenly became very uncomfortable.

On the tube ride back to her flat, Jessica found herself lost in thought as she contemplated Alana and Rachel’s advice to her. When she’d received the promotion, she’d promised herself that it meant that nothing would change. She’d still be the same old Jessica, she’d have the same relationship with her friends- and most crucially of all, with Paige- she’d just be better paid, that’s all. However, Jessica couldn’t help but notice how much Rachel had changed. When she worked for Soixante-Trois, she was one of the bossiest people Jessica had ever met, both at work and in their home lives. The Rachel that Jessica spoke to in the bar couldn’t have been more different from the old, bossy Rachel, the Rachel who reported Natalie and Zoe for the most trivial of ‘offences’, and wouldn’t have hesitated to report Jessica and Paige for the same. As she walked through the front door of her flat, Jessica shuddered at the thought of having to report her friends to management, especially as she knew that if she was faced with a colleague breaking the rules, she’d have no choice but to report them…

“Hi, honey,” Annabelle said in her quiet Southern accent as Jessica dropped her handbag in her bedroom and slipped her tired, aching feet out of her stilettos.

“Hey, Annabelle,” Jessica replied. “Glad to see you’re settling in well.”

“Thanks,” Annabelle replied. “It helps that Anna-Jade spends most of her time at her boyfriend’s place, so I have the room to myself.”

“I guess,” Jessica shrugged.

“Good day at work, honey?” Annabelle asked. “You’re back later than yesterday…”

“I dropped in to see Rachel on the way back,” Jessica explained.

“Getting some tips on how to boss everyone around?” Annabelle asked, making Jessica grimace.

“Getting tips on how NOT to,” Jessica sighed. “I mean, it’s not like I don’t WANT the promotion, but, you know?”

“You don’t to stop being ‘plain ol’ Jess’?” Annabelle asked, smiling as Jessica sighed and nodded.

“I just want to go there and do my job,” Jessica sighed. “It was so much easier two years ago. It will almost like a game back then. Come to work, do a job I had plenty of experience doing and could do in my sleep with the added advantage that I’m getting paid to dress up as a woman.”

“Ah-ah-ah,” Annabelle said, wagging her finger at her fellow countrywoman. “Not ‘dress up as a woman’, ‘BE a woman’.”

“I stand corrected,” Jessica giggled, before sighing yet again. “Now, though, you know, the whole ‘novelty’ of it has worn off. This damn corset’s more of a pain than a thrill, and now I’m not only expected to whip people I work with- my FRIENDS- into shape, I’m expected to bow down and worship anyone with the surname ‘Masson’.”

“I think everyone who works for the company is expected to do THAT, honey,” Annabelle said with a snort of laughter. “That’s why I wish I could help out Rachel’s new Tutu Project more, but, well, I can’t afford anything being traced back to me…”

“Ugh, I- I’m sorry,” Jessica sighed. “Don’t mean to be such a bitch… I- I’m just a little frustrated, being overloaded by info from work and now Rachel… Just- just ignore me, okay?”

“How can I listen and help if I ignore you, honey?” Annabelle asked, earning a genuine smile from Jessica. “Now if your corset’s such a pain, go and get changed! I’ll get dinner on, Paige will be back in a bit. Nurse Annabelle orders to spend the evening resting, relaxing and most importantly of all, having fun!”

“’Nurse’ Annabelle?” Jessica teased. “Does the job come with a uniform…?”

“Maybe,” Annabelle giggled. “And no, you may NOT borrow it!”

Jessica giggled as she headed into her bedroom, where- taking inspiration from the friend she’d visited earlier in the afternoon- she removed all of her tight, sexy lingerie, replacing it with a comfortable cotton thong bodysuit, before pulling on a slouchy sky blue hoodie and a pair of tight, tattered jeans, before removing all of her make-up and letting her long blonde hair cascade messily over her shoulders.

When Paige returned to the apartment later in the evening- still wearing her smart commuting attire- she nearly gasped with shock when she saw the dressed-down Jessica, though her shock was soon replaced with a warm, happy feeling when the American girl greeted her with a long, deep kiss. Before long, Paige had also removed all of her make-up and lingerie and changed into a very plain black denim skirt, a clingy grey top and a pair of her favourite brand of thick black tights. The two women spent the rest of the night cuddled together on the sofa, hardly saying a word to each other, before heading to bed, where they spent the second night in a row wrapped in each other’s arms.

Jessica moaned softly as her alarm woke her the following morning, before easing her slender body out of bed and staring at her dark-haired lover, who was still asleep, with her covers wrapped tightly around her. As Jessica stared closer at Paige, though, she began to see something more in her face- the faint traces of a smile…

“You can stop looking so damned smug,” Jessica snorted as Paige awoke with a giggle. “One person goes off sick…”

“Wonder what’d happen if I called in sick?” Paige mused. “Has that ever happened before? The person on sick call calls in sick themselves…”

“Umm… How would I know?” Jessica asked. “Just ‘cause I’m a supervisor now, doesn’t mean I memorised everything about the company…”

“I- I was just, you know, making conversation… Ugh,” Paige sighed. “Hurry up and get showered and dressed, okay?”

“…Sorry,” Jessica mumbled, before sighing and leaning in to give her lover a slow, soft kiss. “No more fights, okay?”

“I’d hardly call this a ‘fight’,” Paige giggled. “But you’ve got a deal.”

“Good,” Jessica said, eliciting a giggle from the Scottish girl as she left the bedroom to shower.

As she always did, Paige watched enthralled as Jessica covered her face and body in the thick make-up and tight, sexy clothing she wore to work, before bidding her farewell with another gentle kiss. Once Jessica had left, Paige rolled over in bed and tried to get back to sleep, but her thoughts were occupied with the ‘fight’ she and Jessica had had. Paige knew that she and Jessica needed to have a long, intimate talk about their relationship, but she also knew that with Jessica busy at work learning the responsibilities of her new role, such opportunities to talk would be few and far between. Paige was able to reassure herself with the fact that she at least was free from any added work responsibilities- so when it eventually came time for the couple to talk, she’d be able to work around Jessica without any problems.

Paige had just about drifted back off to sleep when her phone began ringing, jerking her back to alertness and putting a grimace of pure frustration on her face.

“Nooooo…” Paige moaned, her scowl only getting deeper when she checked the caller ID to reveal that it was indeed work who was calling her. Paige took a deep breath, before pushing the ‘answer’ button on her phone. “Hello?”

“Hi Paige,” Alana said. “’Fraid we’re going to have to ask you to come in today. How soon can you be here?”

“Umm… About an hour,” Paige sighed, throwing her covers back and shivering in the chilly March air. “Where am I headed today, then?”

“Oh, you’re not needed on a flight,” Alana replied, making Paige frown in confusion. “Change into your blue uniform when you arrive, then come and see me in my office.”

“Umm… Okay…” Paige said with a grimace. Was she in trouble? Had someone seen her kiss with Jessica earlier in the week? Was another friend or relative of Jacques Lacroix causing trouble for her and her friends?

Paige ran through every worst case scenario in her mind throughout her journey to Heathrow airport, as she changed into her restrictive blue uniform and as she walked the short distance from the locker room to Alana’s office, the clicking of her heels on the hard floor acting almost like a metronome to her fearful thoughts. When Paige opened the office door, she was unsurprised to see another blue-clad stewardess sat opposite Alana- though she was surprised to learn that not only was it not her lover, it was someone she’d never seen before, not even in the most recent group of trainees.

“Paige, please sit down,” Alana said, gesturing to the seat next to the mousey-haired new stewardess. “I’ve called you in today as I need you to act as a mentor to Amelie here. She’ll be joining the airline as a stewardess, effective immediately.”

“Umm, okay…” Paige said with confusion in her voice. “Why- why didn’t she join the other trainees in their group?”

“Because she only passed the relevant tests a couple of days ago,” Alana explained. “Too late to join the rest of the group.”

“So why didn’t she wait until the May intake?” Paige asked, bristling as Amelie rolled her eyes at her question. Much to Paige’s surprise, though, Alana didn’t pay any attention to the young woman’s petulance- in fact, it was almost as though Alana were afraid of her…

“Because her full name is Amelie Masson,” Alana explained, causing Paige’s eyes to go wider than they have ever done. “She is the second youngest child of the owner and CEO of Soixante-Trois Industries. And as such, you are to treat her like royalty. Understood?”

“Uh-understood,” Paige stammered.

“You are to give her one on one instruction in this job,” Alana explained. “We want her to be fully skilled as a Soixante-Trois stewardess by the start of May. Understood?”

“Understood,” Paige whispered. “Why- why me, though?”

“You were our third choice for the supervisor job,” Alana explained. “That makes you the most senior among your grade of stewardess.” Paige’s eyes once again widened at the news- it was bad enough to miss out on the supervisor job, but to learn that she’d only just missed out…

“Umm, okay,” Paige mumbled.

“I won’t keep you any further,” Alana said. “Thank you for choosing to work with us, Mademoiselle Masson.” Paige frowned in confusion as Amelie snorted at Alana’s simpering, before leading the young woman back to the locker room.

“Umm, I- I’m Paige,” the Scottish girl said in a nervous voice, feeling as afraid of offending the young woman as Alana clearly was.

“I know,” Amelie snorted in a refined Parisian accent. “I can read your name badge.”

“Umm, sorry…” Paige mumbled. “I- uh, um…”

“You have a question? Ask it,” Amelie said in a clipped voice.

“I- I gotta know…” Paige mumbled.

“No, I did NOT used to be a boy,” Amelie spat, interrupting Paige before she could finish her sentence and making the Scottish girl grimace. “Why my father insists on hiring pretend women, I have no idea.”

“I’m fairly sure your father doesn’t have a choice,” Paige retorted, trying her hardest to keep her anger in check. “The EU says that you can’t discriminate based on-“

“Ah, yes, the EU,” Amelie snorted. “Well you Brits won’t have to worry about THAT anymore, will you?” Paige clenched her fists to try to keep her in check- like most of her fellow Scots, she’d actually voted to remain in the EU, though it was an insult she was willing to let slide, especially considering who she was talking to.

“I guess not,” Paige said in a cold, quiet voice. “The question I was ACTUALLY going to ask is why you chose to work for us when your father’s one of the richest men in France?”

“And the answer is: that it’s none of your business,” Amelie retorted with a smug grin. “Sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong, how very, very…” Don’t say it, Paige thought to herself. Do NOT say it… “…English.”

“Who the fuck are you calling English!?” Paige snapped, startling the younger woman. “Actually, let me rephrase my earlier question: why did you choose to work for us when your attitude stinks and you’re probably going to bankrupt your dad with your shitty customer service skills? And before you say ‘I’ll have your job for this’, I’ll save you the bother- if I have to babysit spoiled, obnoxious little brats like you as part of my job, then you’re fucking welcome to it!” Paige took several deep breaths as the adrenaline surged through her veins, but as the adrenaline began to thin, she found herself starting to shake. Nice going, Paige, the Scottish girl thought to herself. Off to the dole queue with you… Much to Paige’s surprise, however, Amelie’s reaction changed from one of shock to a genuine smile.

“Bon,” Amelie said, letting out a quick giggle that seemed to Paige to be totally out of character with her earlier aloof attitude.

“Uhh… Uh?” Paige stammered.

“’Treat me like royalty’,” Amelie scoffed. “I’ve spent my whole life surrounded by brown-nosed assholes like Alana, too afraid of who my father is to treat me like a real human being.”

“Umm… Okay?” Paige mumbled, still struggling to believe the sudden change in attitude of the young woman before her.

“You asked why I would want to work with you,” Amelie said. “And it is a good question. My father asked the same thing, heh. You see, I have two older brothers and two sisters- one older, one younger- and my father pays for all of our education. I went to the most expensive school in Paris, so did my brothers and sisters, and next year I will go to the most expensive university in France.”

“Umm, okay?” Paige repeated. “I mean, no offence- unless you want me to offend- gah, I don’t even know WHAT to say now!”

“I am sorry,” Amelie said softly. “I wanted to know whether- whether you would bow down and lick my shoes if I asked, like some of the assholes who work for my father. I am glad you didn’t, I am glad you spoke freely, and I hope you know you can speak freely to me.”

“Alright then!” Paige laughed. “I wanted to say that your father’s so rich, paying for the best schools for his children would be the least he can do, right?”

“Of course,” Amelie said. “But he also wants a ‘favour’ from us. He wants us to work for his company for a year to ‘earn’ our education, just as he worked for his father when he was my age.”

“Okay,” Paige mused. “Doesn’t sound TOO unreasonable…”

“It is probably the most reasonable about him,” Amelie snorted, once again confusing Paige. “My father is the biggest asshole of them all.”

“Uhh- pretty sure I’m not allowed to agree with that,” Paige said with a chuckle of laughter.

“And that is why he is an asshole,” Amelie said with a snort of laughter. “He treats women like pets, he always has. He’s been married five times, my mother was his third wife. He was 32 when they married, she was 21. Just a girl, no older than me. She was a model, a supermodel. Then her looks went, and so did her marriage. Within six months he'd married again, to a stewardess, of all things! Then he got bored of her, and married again. Not to mention the affairs... If he hadn’t had a snip I’d probably have another four brothers and sisters by now…”

“Speaking of- speaking of, umm, ‘snip’,” Paige said cautiously, “what you- what you said about, you know, ‘pretend women’…”

“It always offended me,” Amelie spat. “I spent my whole life watching my father treat my gender like second class citizens, treat his staff like us like dollies he could dress up for his own amusement, throw my mother to one side the second he found a younger woman... The thought that a MAN could actually want this… It revolts me.”

“Right…” Paige said, her face falling.

“Every time I think about a man pretending to be a woman, it makes me angry,” Amelie spat. “Makes me think of everything me and my mother went through, like it was some kind of big joke. Like that MAN is saying ‘look how we treated you, now we’re going to pretend to be you’, prancing around in a skirt like it’s all a big game to them.”

“…It’s not a big game to me,” Paige mumbled, causing Amelie’s eyes to go as wide as dinner plates. “It may have been at first, but now, I- I couldn’t live my life any other way. I don’t want to. I want to be free to feel how I want to, free to express my emotions, to make myself beautiful, to feel beautiful and have others tell me that I’m beautiful…”

“Y- you?” Amelie gasped.

“Me,” Paige said softly. “And to answer your next question, pretty much my whole life. I’m 22 now, 23 in July, and I always, ALWAYS envied the way women got to live their lives. I have two older sisters, and growing up all I wanted to be was their sister. Well, that or a wizard, anyway…”

“Ohh,” Amelie giggled, her eyes lighting up. “Wingardium leviosa?”

“You said it!” Paige replied with a girlish giggle as Amelie let out a sad sigh.

“I judged you too quick, did I not?” The French girl asked. “Trans girls…”

“I see myself as ‘girl’ first, ‘trans’ second,” Paige said. “Most of the trans girls I know are the same way. We just want to be ordinary girls, like- well, like you, if you weren’t the daughter of a billionaire!”

“Even if it means being treated as a dolly by that billionaire?” Amelie asked.

“…Gotta earn a living somehow,” Paige shrugged. “Your father may have his faults but he’s generous when it comes to wages, at least.”

“Does it make it worth wearing shit like this?” Amelie asked, before letting out a snort of laughter. “For you, it probably does…”

“The uniform sucks,” Paige said, making Amelie snort with laughter yet again. “I mean yes, it was a fantasy to wear something like this when I was growing up, but when you’re actually trying to work, to serve passengers… High heels, a corset and a skirt this tight are fine for dressing up in, maybe going to a party, but when you’re actually trying to work… I swear whoever designed these uniforms only did it to get their rocks off, heh.”

“That’s exactly what they were designed for,” Amelie said with a smug grin. “And exactly why my father was so angry when I said I wanted to do my year of work as a stewardess.”

“Because he only views us as brainless dollies who only serve drinks all day,” Paige snorted.

“And because he knows that you are ogled all day by his friends and by his male staff,” Amelie said. “I have a cousin called Jacques who would boast to my brothers about how many stewardesses he slept with.”

“Oh, god, yes, we know Jacques,” Paige said with an exasperated laugh.

“The greasy asshole,” Amelie spat. “I’ve heard he works out of London now instead of Paris, that’s why I came to work at this hub. Would love to see him boast to my brothers about trying to seduce me…”

“You like the thought of Jacques getting his comeuppance, then?” Paige asked, giggling as Amelie enthusiastically nodded. “I know someone who has a video you might want to watch…”

“If you have one of my father as well, that’d make it perfect!” Amelie giggled.

“…One step at a time,” Paige said. “Though I know someone who used to work for this company who you are DEFINITELY going to have to meet! In the meantime, though, I still have a job to do. You sure you want to be a stewardess?”

“Gotta earn a living somehow!” Amelie laughed. “And I will NOT accept handouts from my father all my life. And it’ll be good experience… I always wanted to be a pilot. As in, a proper airline pilot.”

“That’s a good ambition,” Paige said. “And there’s no reason why you can’t.”

“Tell that to my father,” Amelie snorted. “No problem buying me a helicopter for my birthday, but if I want to learn how to fly it…”

“…I’ll try not to go TOO green with envy,” Paige giggled as she led her latest ‘charge’ to a nearby empty office, where she began instructing the young woman in the skills she would need to be a Soixante-Trois Airlines stewardess.

----------

“…And that’s day three over!” Alana laughed as Carly and Jessica sat back in their chairs and let out simultaneous, overdramatic sighs of relief. “Yes, yes, very funny, girls. Again, I want to apologise that I couldn’t be here this morning, but something immediate and urgent came up that I couldn’t really delegate to someone else.”

“It’s alright,” Carly shrugged. “It’s kinda nice to know that you have actual work to do as well as just bossing us around all day.”

“I’ll ignore that,” Alana chuckled as she ushered the two women out of her office. “Go on, go home and relax. Jess, before you go, can I have a quick word?”

“Umm, okay,” Jessica said hesitantly as Carly left her alone in the office with their manager.

“Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble,” Alana laughed. “It’s actually about why I was elsewhere all morning… We’ve taken on a new hire today.”

“Outside the usual hiring period?” Jessica asked.

“When you’re Antoine Masson’s daughter, there is no usual hiring period,” Alana sighed. “I’ve assigned Paige as her mentor. She’s the most senior member of staff who isn’t a supervisor or already assigned a trainee.”

“Sensible choice,” Jessica shrugged. “Paige has always done a good job in the past.”

“Well in this case ‘good’ has to be ‘perfect’, as if it isn’t, we all answer to Antoine Masson himself,” Alana said.

“…Understood,” Jessica whispered. “Where- where will she be staying?”

“In one of Monsieur Masson’s apartments in the city centre,” Alana answered. “I’m glad you brought that up, as it brings me to why I want to speak to you- she’s a nineteen year old girl, so obviously she won’t want to rattle around a huge apartment by herself every evening. She’ll want to hang out with friends, which means Paige’s friends, which means you and your social group.”

“If you want me to introduce her to the Angels, I’ll try,” Jessica said. “We’ve not really been, you know, in their orbit for a while though…”

“It’s more you, Anna-Jade, Annabelle etc. who I’m thinking of, the ones who work for us.” Alana said. “Or more specifically, the ones who worked for us, past tense.”

“Zoe and Rachel,” Jessica whispered.

“Any employee will be on their best behaviour around Amelie,” Alana said. “Those two will go out of their way to be on their worst behaviour. We can’t have her reporting back to her father the kind of things they’re likely to say. And I’m sure Rachel’s working on some kind of project to dish the dirt or something. She’s the absolute last person I want talking to Amelie.”

“Got it,” Jessica said.

“I hope so,” Alana sighed, “because if I find that Amelie’s been talking to Rachel, or Zoe, or anyone inappropriate, I’ll hold you as responsible as Paige.”

“Okay,” Jessica said- though imperceptibly, the American woman bristled at Alana’s threat. As much as Jessica loved Paige, she knew how flighty the Scottish woman could be- and she was not about to let herself get punished for something that wasn’t her fault.

----------

“She sounds fucking COOL,” Anna-Jade said as Paige poured her and Annabelle a tall glass of wine.

“She is,” Paige giggled. “I was expecting some sort of stuck-up, snobbish cow… And that’s exactly what I got, heh. Then again, if I was nineteen and I’d spent my whole life being raised to think that I was a princess, I’d probably go around giving people secret tests of character too…”

“And being desperate to rebel against the ‘king’,” Anna-Jade said.

“I kinda get that it’s more loyalty to the ‘queen’. One of them, anyway,” Paige mused. “I would’ve invited her round for a drink but she’s busy unpacking tonight. Her flat’s bigger than this place AND Nat and Zoe’s place put together.”

“Ugh,” Anna-Jade spat. “I mean, these two flats are also owned by Masson! Well, his company anyway. AND we’re being gouged for rent…”

“All hail the king,” Paige snorted sarcastically. “Come on Annabelle, you’ve got to have an opinion, right?”

“Huh? Sorry, honey,” Annabelle mumbled. “She sounds nice. I don’t like what you said about what she said about us T-girls, though.”

“I was gonna say,” Anna-Jade sighed. “As cool as she sounds, that’s not something we can just ignore, especially if we’re going to end up having to, you know, entertain her, babysit her…”

“She’d probably never even met a transgendered person before me,” Paige shrugged. “Her only knowledge of TG issues will probably be from her father complaining about having to hire quote-unquote pretend women.”

“I thought you said she hates her father?” Annabelle asked, eliciting a tired shrug from Paige.

“Maybe her only knowledge of TG issues is from her mother, I dunno,” Paige sighed. “All I know is that all she needs is a little education to adjust her attitude.”

“By which you mean proper education,” Anna-Jade said, “and not the way we ‘educated’ le connard?” The Irishwoman smirked as her comment caused Annabelle to snort into her wine in a very unladylike manner.

“Yes,” Paige giggled. “But I am NOT dressing up in a cap, a gown, a pair of thigh-high boots and swinging a cane around everywhere!”

“Not in public, anyway,” Anna-Jade teased, giggling wickedly as Paige stuck her tongue out at her. “Think that’s the problem with a lot of transphobes, all they need is a little education, just to meet a few of us, then they’ll see that we really are just ordinary girls.”

“You said it, honey,” Annabelle sighed. “I had a boyfriend back in the States, he thought he’d ‘learn’ by reading a website full of forced feminisation stories.”

“Yikes!” Paige grimaced.

“Yeah,” Annabelle sighed. “Thought the best way to turn me on would be to make me walk around in a French Maid costume with a feather duster sticking… Well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be holding it in my hands.”

“Did he last hours or minutes before you dumped him?” Anna-Jade asked, earning another snort of laughter from the tall American woman.

“SECONDS,” Annabelle said confidently, earning a cheer from the other two women. “If any MAN wants to be with me he needs to romance me properly. Treat me like a true lady.”

“Hear-fucking-hear!” Anna-Jade laughed as Paige poured the women a second glass of wine.

The three women continued gossiping about their new ‘colleague’ for the next fifteen minutes before they were joined by their remaining flat mate, who as always greeted Paige with a long kiss before snuggling next to her on the sofa.

“Have you heard the news?” Paige asked her American lover, who was interrupted by Anna-Jade before she could respond.

“She’s ‘the management’, of course she’s fucking heard,” Anna-Jade laughed, making Jessica roll her eyes. “I am still allowed to say fuck in your presence, right?”

“Fuck off, Anna-Jade,” Jessica giggled, sticking a tongue out at the laughing Irishwoman. “And if the ‘news’ you’re talking about is Amelie Masson, then yes, I have heard the news. Alana called me back to explain the situation after our ‘lesson’ today, that’s why I’m back late.”

“I can wait to introduce you to her,” Paige said with a grin. “I reckon you two will get on GREAT.”

“She’s apparently a ‘rebel princess’,” Annabelle said quietly. “Resents her father for the way he treated her mother.”

“Ehh,” Jessica grimaced. “Okay, if you say so… All I know is that we are to treat her with a LOT of respect.”

“Might want to dial that back,” Paige mused. “She hates brown-nosers.”

“Okay,” Jessica said with a nod. “But still, make sure you’re on your best behaviour around her. We don’t want her to report back to her father and tell him that we’re all a bunch of unprofessional jerks or something.”

“Umm, didn’t you hear what I just said?” Paige retorted. “Amelie. Hates. Brown-nosers. If we tiptoe around her and kiss her feet, THAT would be more likely to get us reported to her dad! Honestly, Jess, when you meet her, you’ll see.” Jessica bristled as Paige snorted at her- though she wasn’t sure whether her frustration was at Paige’s disrespect, or jealousy at how much Paige liked the French girl.

“Fucking hell, Jess,” Anna-Jade said with a snort of laughter. “We only just got rid of Rachel, last thing we need is another one!”

“On the subject of Rachel,” Jessica said, ignoring her friends’ slights, “do NOT introduce Amelie to her. That’s the last thing we need right now.”

“…Who exactly is ‘we’, Jess?” Paige asked, making Jessica frown. “Please, PLEASE tell me this promotion hasn’t gone to your head.”

“No, of course it hasn’t,” Jessica said, trying her hardest not to snap at her lover. “It’s- ugh. You know what? Never mind. I- I’m going to go change, need to get out of this damned corset…” Paige bit her lip as Jessica stood up and headed into their bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

“…I should probably go and talk to her…” Paige mumbled.

“Ya think?” Anna-Jade snorted as Paige followed Jessica into the bedroom, where she grimaced at the sight of the American girl curled up on their bed, softly crying into her pillow.

“J-Jess?” Paige mumbled hesitantly. “Are- are you- look, I- I’m sorry, okay?”

“Okay,” Jessica mumbled into her pillow. “Seems that all we do nowadays is piss each other off and apologise to each other…”

“Don’t say that,” Paige sighed as she sat down next to Jessica and gently cradled the distraught girl’s head in her lap. “I LOVE you, Jessica. I always have, you know I always have.”

“I’ve always loved you too,” Jessica whispered. “Ugh, I wish I’d never been promoted… Some days I wish I’d never even come to work for Soixante-Trois…”

“Even- even if it means that we’d never have met?” Paige asked.

“…We- you and me- we’re the one thing I’ve never regretted,” Jessica said, smiling as Paige stroked her silky blonde hair.

“And if you’d never worked for Soixante-Trois, you wouldn’t be sat here now in stockings and a skirt,” Paige reminded her lover.

“That’s true,” Jessica laughed.

“And so we argue sometimes,” Paige sighed. “What couples don’t? Doesn’t mean we love each other any less, right?”

“I guess,” Jessica moaned.

“Don’t guess,” Paige said. “Know.”

“But I DON’T know,” Jessica said with a loud sigh. “Sometimes, I- I feel like we just need some time apart, you know? Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and all…”

“No!” Paige said, tears forming in her eyes. “No, just- no! If something needs working out, we work it out together, okay? And this ‘Amelie’ thing is nothing, absolutely nothing. We’ll get past it and go back to being THE single cutest couple in London, okay?”

“…And my promotion ‘going to my head’?” Jessica asked.

“You’re still the same old Jessica,” Paige said. “The same woman I fell in love with. You just have different coloured buttons on your work blazer, that’s all.”

“Thanks,” Jessica whispered.

“Now go on, get changed,” Paige advised her lover. “You’ve been in that corset long enough… And I could tell you a thing or two I learned today about the reason behind the dress code…” Jessica giggled as Paige all but shoved her toward her wardrobe, where she eased her lithe body out of her tight skirt and lingerie, before pulling on a warm, comfortable pair of leggings and a loose sweater dress as the Scottish girl watched on, drinking in every tiny feature of Jessica’s body as it was put on display.

As they had for the previous several nights, Jessica and Paige spent the evening cuddled together on the sofa- much to their friends’ relief- before heading to bed where they relaxed into each other’s arms, mentally and physically exhausted from the day’s efforts, and not wanting to let the other go.

“You gonna be mentoring Amelie again tomorrow?” Jessica asked, wincing at the frown her question elicited from Paige. “Not jealous, not criticising…”

“Yes, yes I am,” Paige said, stifling a yawn. “Gonna be mentoring her one on one for the next few weeks. I’ve even been pulled from flights, they’re taking it this seriously. And DON’T say ‘well obviously, she’s royalty’. Why are you so interested, anyway? You’ll get to meet her eventually.”

“…Alana,” Jessica sighed. “I was trying to say earlier this evening, she has gone SUPER psycho about this whole thing. Actually mentioned Rachel and Zoe by name on the list of ‘people Amelie should not meet’. She’s said that both of us will be up on disciplinary if that happens.”

“Umm… Aren’t you being a little paranoid, Jess?” Paige asked. “No, no, it’s not you… It’s Alana who’s being paranoid. AND unreasonable. Bet you she’s never even talked to Amelie beyond introducing me to her this morning. Alana actually seemed scared of the girl. Then again, Alana’s got the brownest nose out of all of us, heh.”

“You said it,” Jessica laughed, eliciting a giggle from Paige as she gently kissed the nape of her neck. “But there’s no reason to, you know, push it or anything…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Paige sighed, before rolling over and returning Jessica’s earlier kiss. “Get some sleep, ‘boss’!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Jessica giggled as she closed her eyes and tried her hardest to put her latest disagreement with Paige behind her and tried to get to sleep…

The stewardesses of Soixante-Trois Airlines all had confident smiles on their faces as they headed into Heathrow Airport the following morning, ready for a full day of work, whether that work involved learning, teaching or serving passengers as they flew back and forth between London and the rest of Europe. By the end of the day, however, the confident smiles had replaced by tired grins, and as the women reconvened, there was only one thing on their minds.

“Drink?” Anna-Jade asked Natalie as they changed from their blue uniforms into the smart pencil dresses they wore to work.

“Dddddddddrink!” Natalie laughed. “I am SO looking forward to having tomorrow off, actually getting to spend some time with Zoe…”

“Shall we invite her out tonight?” Anna-Jade asked.

“She’s got her class tonight,” Natalie sighed. “The important one, the really good teenagers. You know, like the recital we went to in December?”

“Fair enough,” Anna-Jade shrugged. “Are we at least going to wait for your sister?” Natalie paused briefly as she heard footsteps outside the locker room, only speaking again once she’d heard the locker room door open and close.

“Ugh, do we have to bring Ellen along?” Natalie moaned, barely suppressing a giggle.

“Ugh, do we have to bring NATALIE along?” Ellen spat, making her older sister burst into a fit of laughter.

“Yeah, this is going to be fun,” Abbey snorted sarcastically as she changed out of her uniform. “Bring her along where, anyway? We going clubbing tonight?”

“You can if you want, I’ve got another flight tomorrow morning,” Anna-Jade sighed.

“Also, Anna-Jade’s 28 so her idea of ‘clubbing’ is probably not what you’re thinking of,” Natalie said, laughing as the Irishwoman gave her a playful punch in the arm. “See, Ellen? It’s not just you I pick on!”

“We ARE going for a drink, though,” Anna-Jade said, smiling as Annabelle made her way through the packed locker room to join the group. “Annabelle, drink?”

“Honey, you read my mind!” Annabelle replied, earning giggles from her friends.

“Shall we wait for Paige and Jess, then head to Rachel’s bar?” Abbey asked, frowning as Anna-Jade and Annabelle grimaced at her suggestion. “…What?”

“Paige has got a newbie, a trainee,” Anna-Jade replied.

“Huh,” Abbey said. “I’ve not seen her in the conference room…”

“That’s because she- she kinda has a ‘special’ trainee,” Anna-Jade says.

“Are you saying that my little sister isn’t special?” Natalie asked, giving Ellen a playful hug that made the 21 year woman moan.

“If you say ‘special’ as in ‘special needs’ I’ll thump you,” Ellen snorted as her sister laughed even harder. “What’s so ‘special’ about Paige’s trainee anyway?”

“Her surname is ‘Masson’,” Annabelle replied, instantly silencing her friends’ laughter, and silencing many of the other conversations going on around them.

“…Ah,” Natalie mumbled.

“Yeah,” Anna-Jade said with a grimace. “We’ve actually been ordered NOT to introduce her to Rachel.”

“…Or Zoe,” Annabelle mumbled, making Natalie groan in frustration.

“She’s family!” Natalie whined. “No, I’m not taking that. Besides, this Masson girl will want to speak to someone her own nationality, surely?”

“All we know is what Jess told us,” Anna-Jade said.

“Ugh, fucking Jess,” Natalie spat. “Less than a week in the job and she’s already gone Nazi on everyone…”

“Now be fair,” Annabelle retorted. “She’s only telling us what Alana told her, and-“ Annabelle paused abruptly and the entire locker room fell silent as the door to the locker room opened to reveal Paige stood next to her trainee, who immediately began to shrink back as she saw the eyes of everyone in the locker room turn to stare directly at her.

Amelie let out a slight shiver, before taking as deep a breath as her restrictive clothing would let her and confidently striding into the locker room toward where Paige’s group of friends were stood. With a genuine smile, she extended her hand to the other five women.

“Good evening,” Amelie said politely as the other women shook her hand. “My name is Amelie Masson. I am pleased to meet you.”

“L-Likewise,” Natalie stammered. “I, um, I’m Natalie, this is my sister Ellen, this is Abbey, Anna-Jade, Annabelle…”

“We’ve got a lot of ‘A’s in our little group,” Paige joked, making Amelie laugh.

“I am happy to be the fourth ‘A’,” Amelie said with a laugh. “So… What do- what do you all do after work? You must have, uh, boites de nuit in London?”

“My kind of girl!” Ellen said with a giggle. “Yes we do, and yes we are.”

“Excellent,” Amelie said as she stripped off her tight blue uniform, changing into the smart blouse and pencil skirt she wore when commuting to the airport. “Would you mind if- if I joined you?”

“Be our guest!” Abbey said with a laugh.

“Huh,” Natalie said as she regarded Amelie’s lingerie-clad body. “I suppose the uniform rules truly do apply to everyone.” Paige bit her lip and grimaced as the young Frenchwoman blushed while pulling on her blouse.

“Careful, Natalie,” Anna-Jade said. “Don’t want her feeling TOO uncomfortable.”

“They’re just teasing, Amelie,” Paige hastily said, trying to calm the French girl’s nerves. “Just, you know, banter…”

“…Banter?” Amelie asked.

“Just joking around,” Natalie explained. “I- I didn’t mean anything by it, honestly. It’s just- it’s just that everyone agrees that the uniform regulations suck, and with you being the boss’s daughter, you know…”

“I wouldn’t break the code even if I could,” Amelie said with a smug grin. “And I probably could if I wanted to. My father was outraged when he learned I would be wearing this uniform.”

“Let me guess: the uniform’s good enough for us dollies but not for his princess?” Anna-Jade snorted.

“Exactly, Anna-Jade,” Amelie said. “Hopefully by wearing this uniform I will persuade my father that he needs a better attitude. I might even enter his silly beauty pageant as well, to see what his face looks like!”

“Oh, it is such a pity we can’t introduce you to Rachel,” Abbey said, before grimacing as several angry pairs of eyes turned to face her. “…Sorry.”

“Who is ‘Rachel’?” Amelie asked.

“Umm, no one you need to worry about,” Paige said.

“No,” Amelie said firmly. “This ‘Rachel’ person is obviously important somehow, who is she?”

“She- umm,” Paige stammered.

“She- she’s just a friend of ours,” Annabelle said hastily. “She, uh- she’s VERY feminist, very opposed to these uniforms, thinks they’re offensive…”

“Now I only want to meet her more,” Amelie said firmly. “Does she work here?”

“No,” Ellen replied. “Think she manages a bar somewhere…”

“Perfect!” Amelie said. “Then we shall go there for a drink before going to the boite de nuit.” Paige felt her chest tense up as Amelie spoke- if she introduced Amelie to Rachel, she’d be going against Jessica’s wishes and potentially getting them both in a lot of trouble- then again, she wasn’t the one who brought Rachel’s name up, that was Abbey, and it was Amelie herself who insisted on going to the bar, and Paige had been ordered to ‘treat her like a princess’- and part of that meant doing whatever she wanted…

“Um, we, um, we should get going,” Paige said, gently leading Amelie toward the locker room exit. “Give the others a bit more space…”

“Good idea,” Abbey said, internally kicking herself for letting slip about Rachel as she followed the rest of the group out of the locker room. “We’ll, um, Facebook you? To let you know where we’re going?”

“Sure,” Paige whispered, before letting out a pained groan as she led Amelie back to where her taxi home was waiting.

“What is the problem with this ‘Rachel’ woman?” Amelie asked. “Why wouldn’t I be allowed to meet her? You can tell me now, surely?”

“Ehh,” Paige grimaced, nervously scratching her head.

“Paige!” Amelie snapped. “I am sick of people tiptoeing around me because of who my father is!”

"She..." Paige grimaced, before letting out a long sigh. "Ugh. You know when we were introduced, right? By Alana?"

"The biggest kiss-ass in London?" Amelie asked, making Paige snort with laughter.

"Yeah, her," Paige sighed. "She- she wants us, all the girls I mean, to, well... 'Protect' you."

"'Protect' me?" Amelie asked. "From what?"

"From any thoughts that aren't 'Antoine Masson is a wonderful human being'," Paige sighed. "Rachel, she- she quit the company a while ago, after getting into a big argument with Alana. And now, she's... She's kinda writing an exposé on the company, wants to show the world just how behind the times it all is... Alana actually threatened us- not just me, but my partner Jessica too- with disciplinary action if we didn't keep you away from Rachel."

"Huh," Amelie said as she mused on the information she'd been told. "...Didn't she also say that you were to do everything I told you to do?"

"...I think she kinda implied it, rather than said it..." Paige mumbled.

"'Treat me like a princess', that's what she said," Amelie said with a smug grin. "That means I ask, and you get, right? Well I am asking to be introduced to Rachel."

"And if- if Alana punishes me?" Paige asked. "I mean, I know this is ridiculous, even threatening to punish me for this, but you know how irrational this company-"

"I'll say it was my idea," Amelie said smugly as she got into her waiting taxi and fastened her seatbelt. "She wouldn't dare punish me, right?"

"Yeah..." Paige said with a nervous grin as she waved Amelie's taxi away. "Remind me to introduce you to the concept of a whipping boy sometime..."

----------

"She doesn't seem THAT bad," Natalie mused as she, Anna-Jade, Annabelle, Abbey and Ellen sat around a table at Rachel's bar, dressed in skimpy clubbing attire ahead of what promised to be a long, fun night out.

"I dunno, honeys," Annabelle mused. "I told you what Paige said about her attitude toward trans people..."

"She's nineteen," Ellen shrugged. "We're just going to have to change her attitude, aren't we? God knows I had my own ideas about trans people..."

"And then your brother walked down the stairs in a dress and high heels, right?" Anna-Jade asked.

"Looking better than Ellen herself EVER did, I might add!" Natalie laughed, her laugher only intensifying as Ellen rolled her eyes.

"In your fucking dreams," Ellen snorted at her sister. "Seriously, though, when I was younger, I'd look at crossdressers and transsexuals and think they were freaks... But you're all really cool. Well, apart from Natalie, of course."

"Like you know what 'cool' is anyway," Natalie snorted at her sister.

"You're, like, just ordinary girls," Ellen continued, ignoring her sister's slight.

"I'll take that as the compliment I assume it was!" Anna-Jade giggled.

"Seriously," Ellen said. "Being here with you... It doesn't feel any different than when I went out clubbing with my friends- my girl, you know, birth girl friends, back in Manchester."

"Except down here, you're actually in a civilized world!" Abbey said smugly.

"I beg your fucking pardon?" Natalie and Ellen said simultaneously, making the blonde woman blush and bite her lip.

"'Civilized'!?" Natalie snorted. "Coming from someone from ESSEX?"

"The only civilization from Essex comes shrink-wrapped and covered in three layers of fake tan!" Ellen snorted, making Abbey roll her eyes.

"Is the only time you two agree when you're ganging up on someone else?" Abbey asked the two sisters.

"Basically, yeah," Natalie said, earning snorts of laughter from the other girls at the table. "Ellen, has Abbey told you which football team she follows yet?"

"Oh, god no," Ellen sighed. "Not-"

"Shut up," Abbey spat.

"And she's never actually been to Manchester!" Natalie laughed. "Much like every other United supporter."

"Shut. Up," Abbey growled, breathing a sigh of relief as a familiar figure approached their table.

"Ladies," Rachel said with a grin. "Glad you're enjoying the ambience. Going on later to a club, I take it?"

"Maybe even more than one," Natalie said with a grin. "Depends on when our final two members get here."

"Jess and Paige?" Rachel asked.

"...Final THREE members, then," Annabelle said with a knowing grin, looking over Rachel's shoulder to where two young women had just entered the bar, dressing in fancy clubbing attire just like the other women at the table.

"Another newbie?" Rachel asked as Paige and Amelie approached her. "Hi, welcome to Wings Bar, I'm Rachel, the manager, hope you enjoy your stay tonight- though knowing these girls, you won't be here long before hitting the clubs!"

"You are Rachel?" Amelie asked as she greeted the older woman with air kisses. "I hoped I'd meet you. I am Amelie, Amelie Masson."

"Mas- Masson?" Rachel stammered. "Um, I, uh-"

"Ugh," Amelie spat. "You do not even work for my father anymore and the mention of his name makes your tongue tie in a knot!"

"I- I'm sorry, force of habit," Rachel said. "You- you're Antoine Masson's daughter?"

"Oui," Amelie said smugly. "My father wants me to do work experience for his company before paying for my university, so I have come to London to be a stewardess for him."

"Umm..." Rachel grimaced. "No offence, but you chose probably the worst possible part of Soixante-Trois to do work experience. Unless you like being dressed up like a Barbie doll and ogled by sweaty, middle-aged fat guys."

"I hate it," Amelie said bluntly. "I've only done it two days and already I hate it."

"Umm..." Rachel mused. "Then why- why don't you ask your father for a different assignment? I'm sure he-"

"Because hopefully seeing his daughter wearing the uniform will make my father realise that his employees are more than just Barbie dolls," Amelie said, bringing a wide, confident smile to Rachel's face.

"You and I are going to have to sit down one day for a long chat," Rachel giggled as Paige and Amelie took their seats next to their friends. "I'll be right over with your drinks in a bit. On the house, of course."

"Ugh, NO," Amelie spat. "No 'on the house'. I will pay for the drinks. I can afford it, of course."

"From now on, I am taking a billionaire's daughter with me every time I go drinking!" Ellen announced, making Amelie snort with laughter.

"As long as there is something in it for me!" Amelie retorted. "I am very looking forward to tonight, just getting to be a young woman, with other young women..."

"Even 'young women' who weren't always women?" Anna-Jade asked, bringing grimaces to the faces of everyone else at the table- not least Amelie herself.

"...Paige told you what I said," Amelie whispered. "Yes, I had... Ideas. Thoughts about what a transgendered woman was. I was wrong, I see that now, and I apologise for what I said. Before Paige I had met no transgendered women. I see that you are no different from me or any other nature-born girl."

"What if I were to tell you that I'm still chemically male?" Natalie asked. "Paige, Anna-Jade, Abbey and Annabelle all take hormones. I don't. The only thing I have in my veins is testosterone. Does that make me any less a girl?"

"Nat..." Paige hissed.

"Paige, it is okay," Amelie whispered. "Natalie, your life is yours to live. It is not my concern what you do."

"But do you think I'm a girl, like the others?" Natalie asked. "Like you, even?"

"I- uh-" Amelie stammered.

"Ignore my sister," Ellen laughed, giving Amelie's shoulder a supportive squeeze. "She's basically the biggest arsehole in the world."

"...Natalie is your sister?" Amelie asked.

"Yep," Ellen said. "Used to be my brother. Occasionally is my brother when she feels like it. But mostly? My sister."

"Then that is good enough for me," Amelie said, earning a smile from Natalie. "Again, I apologise for any offence I may have caused."

"Have you ever had to apologise before for anything?" Anna-Jade asked.

"...Not really," Amelie said with a snort of laughter. "I could push someone on their face, and they would apologise to me..."

"I dunno about you girls, but I like her already!" Anna-Jade cheered. "To the newest member of Tutu Project 2017!"

"Cheers!" The seven women toasted.

"Tutu... Project?" Amelie asked Paige.

"Long story," the Scottish woman laughed. "You can ask Rachel about it some other time. Tonight? We drink and party!"

"Cheers!" The seven women toasted again.

As was promised, the seven women all drank and partied the night away at various clubs, where they were joined by Jessica and many other friends from the airline. Eventually, though, the women returned to their apartments to rest- though as she got ready for bed, Paige couldn't help but notice the pensive look on her lover's face.

"You okay, Jess?" Paige asked as Jessica slipped into a knee-length, silky nightie.

"...You took Amelie to see Rachel, didn't you?" Jessica asked.

"Ugh," Paige moaned, covering her face with a pillow and screaming in frustration. "...Okay, yes, yes I did, but only because she asked. Jess- can- can we please leave work actually at work?"

"Okay, okay," Jessica said. "I'm sorry I brought it up. I just thought it was weird you wanted to meet me at the club rather than for pre-drinks."

"I did that to protect you," Paige whispered. "That way, you don't know-" Paige grunted in surprise as Jessica silenced her with a long, tender kiss, before closing her eyes and surrendering to her lover's embrace.

"Get some sleep," Jessica whispered. "Long day of nothing tomorrow. For both of us, hehe!"

"I'm sure we'll find something to do," Paige giggled, returning Jessica's kiss before falling asleep in the American girl's embrace.

Jessica groaned in pain as her phone buzzed, waking her from a dreamless sleep, but as the fog of her hangover cleared from her head, the American girl realised that it wasn't her alarm waking her, but notification of a new voicemail.

"Mmph," Jessica grunted as she rolled over to unlock her phone, waking her Scottish lover in the process.

"Ugh..." Paige moaned. "What time is it? I haven't been THIS hungover in years..."

"7:45," Jessica sighed. "Who the fuck's calling at this time?"

"Your parents, maybe?" Paige asked as Jessica held her phone to her ear, her eyes immediately widening as she listened to the message. "...Jess?"

"Fuck," Jessica whispered. "We- we should get up now, Paige."

"Why, exactly?" The Scottish girl asked. "Who was it?"

----------

"I gave you ONE job!" Alana snapped at Jessica and Paige, who tried their hardest not to hang their heads in shame as they were admonished by their manager. "One! Job! Do NOT introduce Amelie to people like Rachel! And what do you do?"

"It- it was my fault," Paige whispered. "Jessica didn't even know-"

"I don't care about your opinion!" Alana spat, making Paige bristle inside her tight blue uniform. "Clearly the two of you can't be trusted with a task this important. I can't tell you how disappointed I am in the two of you."

"Am- am I demoted?" Jessica whispered.

"I should demote you," Alana snorted. "But we need supervisors urgently and it'd be too costly to train up someone else. But one more screw-up, Jessica, just one. More. And as for you, Paige, consider yourself on a verbal warning for this."

"But- but Amelie actually asked to meet Rach-" Paige pleaded.

"I'm happy to make it a written warning," Alana said, silencing the Scottish woman. "I've already assigned Amelie to someone else. Someone actually responsible."

"I understand," Paige whispered as Alana sat down at her desk, her head in her hands.

"Antoine Masson trusted me with his daughter. His DAUGHTER," Alana moaned. "And thanks to the two of you, he'll probably never trust me with anything important ever again. Just- just get out. Now!" Jessica and Paige both nodded and left the office, returning to the locker room, where Paige let out a long, frustrated scream.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Paige screeched, startling her American lover. "Do you think that fucking woman could get any more fascist?"

"P-Paige?" Jessica asked.

"Punishing us for taking Amelie to a fucking bar, for fuck's sake!" Paige spat. "When it was Amelie's idea! Alana's so far up Antoine Masson's arse she can't conceive that someone else might not want to be. Ugh, she makes me sick... I am SO telling Rachel about this."

"How- how will that make things any better?" Jessica asked as she exchanged her uniform for her preferred blouse and pencil skirt.

"You- you can't possibly be taking Alana's side!?" Paige snorted. "Jesus Christ, Jessica, leave some room for the shite to come out..."

"Uh- what?" Jessica retorted. "I'm not taking anyone's 'side', but the fact remains that if you hadn't taken Amelie to the bar-"

"You ARE taking her side!" Paige scoffed. "Look at us, Jessica! Two grown women who just got called to the fucking headteacher's office! Called in, forced to change into uniforms for less than twenty minutes? Does this sound like any other company to you?"

"...They pay our wages," Jessica mumbled meekly.

"So would a fucking circus," Paige snorted. "I don't know about you but I am SO looking for another job, starting immediately."

"Fine, then," Jessica sighed. "Try to actually follow instructions in that one..."

"Oh- fuck you, you stuck up bitch!" Paige screeched, taking Jessica by surprise. "You know, ever since you got that promotion you've been so far up your OWN arse!"

"What?" Jessica retorted. "We wouldn't be here if you'd just kept your head down and not tried to turn Amelie into some kind of rebel princess type thing!"

"Blame it on me, then!?" Paige retorted.

"I got punished because of you!" Jessica spat. "All you! Your actions, your fault! Try accepting some fucking responsibility instead of blaming everyone else!"

"You know what?" Paige growled. "I don't have to fucking take this anymore. Maybe as well as a new job I should look for a new girlfriend too!"

"Maybe you should!" Jessica shrieked after Paige as she left the locker room, slamming the door behind her.

Almost immediately, Jessica slumped down onto the bench in the locker room and began to bawl her eyes out as her heart felt like it had been ripped in half. Her relationship with Paige had been the foundation of her entire life, around which everything had been built- her career, her life in London, even her transition. They'd fought before, but the fights had never been this vicious, this personal...

Jessica's tears only stopped fifteen minutes later when her phone beeped to inform her of a new text message. Jessica's heart began to beat faster when she saw that the message was from Paige- but once she'd read the message, her tears started anew.

'Jess,' the message read. 'I'm sorry for some of the things I said. I didn't need to be so personal. But you have changed. You're not the same girl I met in Paris two and a half years ago. I'm not even sure you're the same girl I fell in love with. I'm sorry, Jess. I think we need some time and some space. I've already asked Amelie if I can move in with her in the meantime. Alana can't stop us from talking outside of work hours. I still love you. But I need to know if I want to be with you. Love, Paige.'

Jessica wept as the words tore her already broken heart into shreds. She couldn’t imagine her life without Paige in it, even if it was just in the short term- but the fight had been vicious, even sour- and Jessica wondered whether or not Paige had a point, whether or not she really had changed. However, Jessica knew that both she and Paige HAD changed in a very fundamental way. Neither of them were the same girl that started work for Soixante-Trois Airlines in august 2014. They’d both changed physically, emotionally and mentally- but all throughout the change, Paige had been the one constant in Jessica’s life. Whenever she was stressed, or upset, or frightened about the changes in her life, Paige has been there for Jessica… But not Paige was the source of the stress in her life. And yet, as angry as Jessica got, she couldn’t find it within herself to feel anything other than unconditional love for the Scottish girl.

“However long you need, Paige,” Jessica whispered to herself. “But please, please don’t take too long…”

----------

“Thanks for this,” Paige sighed as she dropped her travel suitcase in the entranceway of Amelie’s vast London flat.

“Anything for a friend,” Amelie said softly. “Are- are you sure you are okay?”

“No,” Paige moaned, sighing as Amelie gave her a gentle hug. “But- but I need to know if it’s what I still want. Next time I talk to Jess she’ll probably tell me off for going behind Alana’s back and still talking to you.”

“Do not talk like that,” Amelie moaned. “I will talk to Alana on Monday and make her understand. But you should talk to Jessica as soon as possible.”

“…Give it some time,” Paige sighed. “I- I need to know what I still want, first.”

“But surely you already know?” Amelie asked the Scottish girl, who simply sighed in response.

Amelie was, of course, right- Paige still loved Jessica, but the arguments they’d had, the fights they’d had had caused Paige to question whether the relationship was really what was best for her- and best for Jessica. Paige couldn’t help but feel that if she’d just accepted Jessica’s proposal the previous May, all the stress and all the bickering she’d endured in their relationship wouldn’t have happened. But Paige was forced to accept that she couldn’t turn back the clock and undo the mistakes of the past, she could only look to the future- and the terrifying prospect that her future might not include Jessica.

After taking her suitcase into one of Amelie’s spare rooms, Paige collapsed on the big, plush bed and let out a long groan of frustration before unpacking her bags. As she placed her underwear into one of Amelie’s drawers, though, her fingers lingered on a pair of black tights that contained a solid, cube-shaped box hidden in one of the toes. Paige sighed as she opened the box, revealing the beautiful, glistening diamond ring inside- the ring she’d intended to give Jessica on her upcoming 25th birthday.

“God, Jess…” Paige moaned as tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “Please… Please wait for me…”