Biochemistry 4: The Funeral free porn video

BIOCHEMISTRY 4: THE FUNERAL By JRD Sam and James were at the mansion of Elaine having a simple get together. This was one of the things that Sam liked so much about being with Elaine. Despite all the trappings of wealth that Elaine had, she was really just a simple girl at heart. Many of the "wealthy elite" that Sam had to deal with maintained a rigid "air of civility", a wall of class distinction, between themselves and their servants, but Elaine was really just one of the girls. Oh, everyone may have been rather formal and proper when referring to Elaine, never using her name alone and always using such titles as "Mistress" and "ma'am", but Elaine always fought to make sure that her servants all knew that she cared as much, if not more, about them as she did herself. Perhaps this came about due to their mutual origins. Every person in the house had come to this household because they had benefited in some way from Elaine's mastery of biochemistry. There were a few genetic born women in the household, but most were born male. As men they had been failures, ranging from exploitive assholes to those who engaged in outright abuse of their spouses. Elaine had found out and used her biochemical concoctions to transform the men into beautiful, well-endowed she-males. These were the same concoctions Elaine, a diagnosed transsexual, had used on her own body in order to get the body she should've been born with had she been born a woman. Having to live the life of a woman, including all the discrimination and potential abuses, all the men learned their lessons and reformed. After a minimum of three months (more if it took longer to learn their lessons), Elaine changed most of them back, but about forty percent decided that they preferred the life of women and chose not to change back. However, the original version of the substance Elaine used, which she called Aggressive Protein Strings (APS) had a defect. As long as the person kept getting new doses of APS, they were fine, but as soon as they stopped the part of their body most saturated with APS, usually the breasts, but often the testicles and penis, would swell as their body started producing new Strings of its own. The transformees would wind up with breasts that averaged around an F cup or a dick that ranged in length from eighteen inches up to three feet in length. Feeling that they wouldn't be able to get jobs in the private sector, they were put to work in Elaine's mansion as part of her household staff. Elaine, with Sam's help, later solved that defect and came up with a way to reduce the swelling of the tissues, but the new "girls" were happy where they were, many of them not even bothering to reduce their enlarged bodies. Sam was one of those transformees. In point of fact, Samuel Nevada's actions towards women were amongst the least heinous of the household. He was a womanizer and a bit of a sexist, but open and honest about it. He never had anything more than one night stands with women, but made it clear from the start that he was not interested in any kind of long term relationship. He never led women on, never tried to convince them that they'd be "the one", and never made any pretense of who or what he was. Normally, Elaine wouldn't have even bothered, but she had been told in a dream that if she transformed Sam and helped him confront the woman within, Sam would one day lead her to that which she desired most, true love. Normally, Elaine wasn't much of a mystic, but the dream had been so convincing, and she did want true love more than anything else, so she took a chance and transformed Samuel into a she-male. From the start, he was unlike any other transformee. He was kinder, gentler, and more feminine than others had been, and earned the instant respect and love of most of the staff. However, he was also plagued with nightmares; nightmares he never remembered upon awakening. Finally, with Elaine's help, he confronted his inner demons, discovering a past he thought buried. As a child, Samuel was a bi-sexual transsexual. After his mother had died, his abusive father had discovered him dressed as a girl, making love with his gay boyfriend. After Samuel's boyfriend left, his father confronted and eventually raped him. His father then forced him to dress in his dead mother's clothes and be a replacement for the wife he had lost. Eventually, Sam's sister had come home from college and discovered what was going on. She had yanked him out of the house, had their father prosecuted, and, with the help of his other sisters, placed Samuel into therapy. But everybody else had assumed that Sam's crossdressing had been forced upon him by his father, and believed that Sam's protestations to the contrary were the result of an abused child defending his abuser. Sam eventually started agreeing with them, at first just to get them to leave him alone, but then because their insistence had practically hypnotized him into believing them. And thus, Sam's true, feminine self was buried. After confronting his inner self, Samuel renamed himself Samantha and came to know himself for the woman she was. Sam later discovered that his transsexuality changed his brain's chemical make-up in a way that allowed Elaine's APS system to bond without the resultant swelling. Although Elaine didn't know it, she shared Sam's advantage, but was sure that if she ever stopped getting daily doses of her system, she would revert back to manhood, a result that occurred rarely but was possible. Sam helped Elaine discover the truth about her system, allowing Elaine to create the chemical means to reverse the swelling effect. Elaine returned the favor by granting Sam a wish. If it was within her power to do so, Elaine would do anything Sam asked for. Sam later bargained the wish and won, getting three wishes and the rest of her college education in law school paid for. Sam used her first wish years later. As a practicing lawyer, Elaine had asked her to accompany her lab assistant to a convention to act as legal assistance in case the need arose. Sam's specialty was criminal law, but she would do in a pinch. There, Sam met James Smith, an up and coming young businessman, and fell in love. But James expressed a reluctance to involve himself with a she-male, so Sam never told him the truth of who she physically was, instead using a wish to get the operation to have her male genitals transformed into their female counterparts. After the operation, another defect of the APS system was discovered. Sam's genitals had been saturated, and, after their removal, the APS's rebuilt her penis and testicles, making them even larger than before. Sam and Elaine tried many other methods, but every time her genitals grew back larger than before. Meanwhile, James was growing impatient. Sam had confessed to him that she was no virgin and James eventually gave her an ultimatum: Have sex with him or it was over. Sam felt that she'd lose him any way she went and ran off in tears. She returned to Elaine. Elaine, unable to grant Sam's wish, had returned it to her, and Sam used it, asking Elaine to use her system to transform James into a she-male. Elaine agreed, using a new version that would allow either Sam or herself to change James back and forth between his male and she-male forms. The original intent was to teach him some lessons about what he had done, and make him subservient to them for any time he wanted to spend as a man. But James learned his lesson, somehow gaining control of his changes, able to change back and forth between Jack and his alter ego, Tracie, at will. When Sam confronted him, revealing her transsexuality, he realized how he had hurt her, and fell in love all over again, proposing before the night was over. Their union should've started a life of happiness, but at their wedding, James' sexist father, Jack, made an ass of himself, insulting Sam, Elaine, and most of their friends with his behavior. James went to Elaine and made a deal to transform him into a she-male. Four months later, James and Sam invited his parents on a cruise, ostensibly to celebrate the anniversary of their engagement. Before the cruise, they had Jack kidnapped and filled him full of a new version of APS that would slowly cause him to transform into a teenaged, big busted female; the transformation proceeding a little further every time he orgasmed outside his wife without first bringing her to orgasm. But Jack refused to learn his lesson, refusing to allow himself or anyone else to gain pleasure from his change. Despite this, his wife, Melissa, a very old-fashioned woman, refused to leave him, so Sam used her second wish to see if Elaine could succeed where she and James had failed. Elaine, who had fallen in love with Melissa, succeeded by proposing, convincing her to leave Jack and come to live with her as wife and lover. Melissa accepted, so they transformed Jack back, and she left him. One year later, Jack returned, wanting to talk to Melissa. Elaine reluctantly agreed and brought Jack back to the mansion where the two of them lived together. With the help of a truth serum Elaine had devised, Melissa found out that Jack had degenerated to a near suicidal depression. Jack admitted that he needed Melissa's strength. His near-abusive selfishness had been nothing more than an attempt to leech her strength by belittling her. Melissa was shocked by his revelations, and didn't want him to die, but was unwilling to give up the life of love she had found with Elaine and her staff. So she made Jack an offer: Return to being his teenaged she-male alter ego, Jacqueline, and she'd allow him to come live with her as her daughter. Jack felt he had no choice and accepted. Despite this, Jack realized after less than a day that he was happier as Jacqueline, and resolved to make a better try at his new life. Over the next year, Jacqueline did her best to acclimate to her new life, and for the most part, did a wonderful job. Her one continuing problem was Elaine. Elaine, resenting the presence of the person who had once been Jack, was, at best, cold and indifferent to Jacqueline, but Jacqueline refused to give up in trying to be nice. On the anniversary of Jacqueline's re-birth, she attempted to engage Elaine in conversation, and broached the subject of Elaine's creation and discovered the flaw that made it impossible for Elaine to rid herself of her penis and get the vagina she always wanted. Jacqueline gave Elaine the key to getting that vagina by suggesting that she get herself both a vagina and a penis, something that Elaine, despite her genius, had never considered. Elaine created the new formula that would allow her to become a hermaphrodite, and Jacqueline volunteered to be the first to use it. After giving her the new medicine, Melissa explained to Elaine that Jacqueline had volunteered because she wanted Elaine, as Melissa's wife, to accept her as daughter, just as Melissa had. Elaine realized how she had been behaving, and when Jackie awoke, Elaine and she finally became mother and daughter, just as Jackie wanted. After Jackie and her "brother", James, had tested her new vagina in action, they revealed to the rest of their family that the males in their family had a defect in their physiological make-up and tended to die early. Elaine immediately went to work trying to discover why, and to cure both Jackie and James. A month later, Sam met up with a friend from her youth, Janine, who was now an obstetrician, and restored their old friendship. Shortly thereafter, Sam revealed that she knew Elaine, who Janine knew of as a mysterious, somewhat reclusive benefactor to all of the free clinics and non-profit hospitals in town. Janine, being a bit of a headstrong meddler, followed Sam to Elaine's. There, due to a slip in conversation, Janine found out about Jackie and Elaine's past and was told about the Smith family medical problem. When Jackie pointed out that, although the females of the family seemed immune, the one woman who had not gotten married and produced a bunch of kids had also died early, Janine suggested that the solution had something to do with pregnancy. A little over a month later, after Janine had formed an attachment with Linda, Elaine's head of staff, they discovered that the solution lay in breast milk, and a week later, Elaine came up with a solution to James and Jacqueline's problem. James, due to his relative youth, would be able to eliminate the problem simply by drinking unhomogenized, human milk. Jackie, who was internally a 65 year old man, needed more drastic measures. Elaine used a special mixture that would both start Jackie's breasts lactating, and allow Jackie to absorb the needed elements from the milk she was making. Jackie's only problem was that the mix had some side effects. Her breasts swelled up to E cup; her sex drive was pushed into overdrive, and she had to experience wild, and sometimes dramatic, mood swings. And that was only a month ago. Sam and James were spending some free time with Elizabeth, Susan, Melissa, Elaine, and Linda. Janine was due later, but for now, they were all satisfied with friendly conversation, soft music, and social dancing. Linda was dancing with Sam, Elaine was dancing with James, and Melissa was patiently waiting for the next song to start, so the dance partners would switch. But it was right in the middle of the song that they heard the door open and soon saw Janine walk in. Linda immediately disentangled from Sam and went over to her lover. As Linda and Janine kissed, Sam faked an upset look and said, "Well, I suppose I just get left out in the cold now." Melissa stood, saying, "I think I can keep you company." However, before Sam and Melissa could pair off, Janine said, "Wait a second, girls, there's something I've got to talk with Sam about." James and Elaine separated a bit, but didn't leave each others' arms. Sam asked, "What about?" "I think this better be private, hun. You can tell who you want to after you hear what I have to say." "Okay." The two went off to another, more private room and Sam asked, "Okay, what's up?" "Sam, a private investigator came to my office today looking for Sam Nevada." Sam shrugged. "So? So somebody didn't get my name change when I married. You could've given him my business address." "I'm not so sure about that. You see, he wasn't looking for Miss Samantha Nevada. He was looking for Mister Samuel Nevada." Sam froze. Samuel Nevada, the name she used to go by. Her male name. A name that brought up memories of years of abuse. A name that she was forced to go by yet was never really her. It was a name she had rid herself of years previously when she realized that she was really a woman inside. And, although she never voiced it, it was a name she privately hoped never to have to hear again. Janine waited patiently until Sam tentatively asked, "Did he say what he was there for?" "He said that your father is very sick and isn't expected to live much longer. He said your family has been searching for you ever since your dad took ill, and now he was forced into trying to contact anyone who knew you in hopes of finding you. Your family wants you to come home for the funeral. He said that your sisters want to try to reconcile and repair any problems, so you all can be a real family again." Sam just stood there for a few seconds before saying, "I hope the bastard suffers and dies in pain." "Sam?" "As far as I'm concerned, my family doesn't exist anymore. They weren't there when I needed them, and wouldn't believe me when I tried to tell them who I was. If this guy comes back, tell him that for all you know Samuel Nevada is dead. He is to me." "Are you sure?" Sam curtly said, "I'm sure," and turned and left the room. She returned to the parlor, finding that everybody was waiting for her. James asked, "Are you okay, hun?" "Yeah, but I think I'm going to have to bow out. I'm feeling a little drained." "I'll drive you home." "No need. You stay here and spend time with the others." "I'm not going to be happy knowing you're at home alone." Sam seemed on the verge of saying something, but then shook her head and said, "Fine. I'm too tired to argue." The two got their stuff together, said some quick good-byes, and went out to the car. On the way home, James asked, "What's really wrong, Sam?" "I told you, I'm tired." "Sam, you know I can feel-" Sam interrupted, snapping, "Can't you keep your damn psychic nose out of my business?!" James recoiled as if struck. Sam softened and put her hand on his. "I'm sorry, James. I know you're just trying to be supportive, but this is something I've got to deal with on my own." James wasn't sure he agreed with her, but if she refused to open up, there wasn't much he could do. He turned his hand over and laced his fingers with hers. "You know I'm here if you need me?" She said, "I know," and they drove the rest of the way home in silence. ************ ONE WEEK LATER... Sam and James went into Elaine's mansion. Sam complained, "Can't I just wait in the car?" "I told you, hun. I have no idea how long this is going to take. I can't stop you if you do decide to wait in the car, but I'd feel much better if you would wait inside." "Alright, quit nagging. I'll wait for you to get finished." Sam went to wait in the parlor for James to finish his business. A few minutes after she sat down, Susie and Elizabeth came into the room, giggling like schoolgirls. Susie saw her and called out, "Sam! Haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?" As noncommittally as she could, Sam replied, "Fine." But Susie detected something wrong. She asked, "Sam, what's up?" "Nothing." Susie sat beside Sam on the couch. "Come on. I could always read you like a book. Something's upsetting you. Now tell your best friend what's wrong." Sam stood and walked away. "Nothing! Just leave me alone!" Susie followed her and put her hand comfortingly on Sam's shoulder. "Sam-" Sam's next reaction surprised them all. She yelled, "I said leave me alone!" and backhanded Susie. In another room, James was talking to Elaine. Janine, Jacqueline, and Melissa were all there, listening in. "I don't know what's wrong. Ever since that night, Sam has been getting more and more... edgy about anything. The other day, she went ballistic on a delivery man who handed her the clipboard upside-down. She told me about her father's impending death, but she won't open up." Elaine said, "I don't know what to tell you. Janine, do you have any idea what's going wrong?" "I can only say what you've already figured out, that her father's death is hitting her harder than she wants to admit. But she wants to believe otherwise, and until she can face it, there's not much we can do." On the other side of the room, Jackie held a pillow and rocked a bit on the couch. Only Melissa noticed it, though. Elaine asked Janine, "Would a confrontation work? Force her to face this?" "I have no idea. It might work, but it may force her deeper into her problems. Psychotherapy just isn't my forte. I think we need a professional to consult with." Just then, Linda threw open the door and said, "Elizabeth and Sam just got into a fight!" Linda, James, Elaine, and Janine bolted down the hall. Melissa walked over to Jackie and asked, "What's wrong, dear?" Without pulling out of the pillow, Jackie said, "I know what's wrong with Sam." Melissa sat beside her adopted daughter on the couch. "Why didn't you say anything?" "Because it's not Jacqueline who knows what's wrong; it's Jack." Jackie dropped the pillow, wrapped her arms around Melissa and buried her face in Melissa's blouse. Sobbing, Jackie said, "Oh, mom, I'm so afraid if I let him out, he'll take over and I'll be that mean, old man again." Melissa held her daughter as comfortingly as she could. "Oh, Jacqueline, I understand, but you have nothing to worry about." Jackie sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I don't?" "No. Jack was never a strong man. You're a strong, beautiful girl. Just remember the love you give and have been given, and there's no way that you could ever revert to that selfish man." "Are you sure?" "Jackie, if Jack were as scared of this as you are, he never would've even considered it. He'd crawl up in a little hole and not even worry about anyone else. But you want to help. That's the difference between you two, and that's why you will never be him again." "Thanks, mom." Melissa stood. "Come on. Your sister-in-law needs you." James, Elaine, and Janine ran into the parlor. Actually, it hadn't been a real fight. After Sam had struck Susie, Elizabeth had responded by knocking Sam down. Now Elizabeth stood between Susie and the now prone Samantha. Susie was trying to calm her wife down, but Elizabeth was too irate. She yelled, "Don't you ever, EVER strike my wife again! If you ever... If I ever think you're going to, I'll break every bone in your body!" James went to his wife's side, prepared to protect her, even against Elizabeth, who was physically strong enough to snap both Sam and James at the same time. Thankfully, it wasn't necessary. Sam broke down in tears, saying, "I'm sorry, Susie. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry." James took his wife in his arms and held her as she cried her eyes out. After a little while, she looked up at James and asked, "Oh, god, what's wrong with me?" James whispered, "I don't know." From the door, they heard, "I do." They turned and saw Jackie and Melissa waiting there. As soon as she was sure that everyone knew she was there, Jackie walked over and knelt beside Sam. She took Samantha's hand and softly said, "Samantha, you, James, and I all share a burden. We are all the children of abusers. James was able to mostly get out from under that. Not entirely, or Tracie wouldn't be a part of our lives. But you and me? Our abuse was burned into us. It marred us, became a dark shadow in our souls." Sam tried to object, but Jackie didn't let her speak. "I know you want to deny it, but I also know you can't, because I've been doing the same thing. Sam, you and I have both been using our womanhood to hide from our past. You may have been destined to be a woman, but it's also a shield. Now, the specter of your past has come back and threatens to tear you apart. Sam, you need help. Professional help, I think." Sam sobbed. "Help me, please." Elaine bent down and placed her hand on Sam's arm. "We will, Sam. We'll get you whatever help you need, and I think I know just the professional to contact." ************ TWO DAYS LATER... Elaine stepped into the office of Doctor Jane Sloane and was immediately greeted with a firm handshake. The doctor said, "Miss Elaine, it's so good to meet you. You're well known and well thought of everywhere in the medical community." The doctor returned to her place behind her desk, waving at a chair on the other side. Elaine sat down, looking the office over in detail. "Now what can I do for you?" "Doctor Sloane, I have need of your services. I have a friend I have been working with who is having troubles dealing with the death of her father. She was abused as a child, and she thought she had left that behind when she transitioned from male to female, but recently she discovered that her father was dying and her family has requested that... 'he' return to attempt a familial reconciliation." "Not to interrupt, but am I to assume from the way you have phrased that, that your friend has not informed her family as to the nature of her changes?" "No, she has not. She also has no intention of informing them. She feels that she was ignored and abandoned by her family. However, since learning of her father's sickness and her resultant decision not to go back, she has become moody, irritable, and easily prone to anger. She needs help dealing with her inner strife and I'd like you to be the one to help her." Doctor Sloane sat back in her chair. "Miss Elaine, I appreciate the vote of confidence, but it sounds like your friend would be better served by a doctor with more experience in dealing with abuse and its effects. I could do that in a pinch, but my own specialty is Gender Identity Disorders. If your friend wishes counseling in how best to brief her family, that I could do, but it sounds like your friend's problems go deeper than that. If you want, I could recommend one of my colleagues who are more familiar with the issues at hand." "Actually, I would like to keep this to as few people as possible. There are aspects of her life and transition that I need to be sure will be kept private. I know you're a doctor I can trust. If you think you can't help her after talking with her I'll accept whomever you recommend, but I'd like you to at least try." "If you'd like, but may I ask why you want me? I've never met you before today." "Not quite true, doctor. We have met before. It's been almost two decades now. You helped me to resolve some deep issues and become the woman I really was." "You don't seem familiar. Are you sure you aren't thinking of another doctor?" "I'm sure. Doctor, do you remember someone named Nathan Mallone?" "Name sounds familiar... Now I recall. She was one of my first patients. I treated her for about two years before she disappeared. Something of a tragic case." "Tragic, why?" "I'm afraid I can't discuss that. Even after all this time, any details pertaining to her case are covered by doctor-patient confidentiality." "Doctor, I could tell you the truth, but you'd never believe it. I think a demonstration is required. Is there a transsexual you know who has just started hormone therapy, perhaps who also has a high testosterone level that will interfere with the female hormones they will be taking?" "Yes, but why?" "I have a treatment that will accelerate their transition by years. They'll need to set aside 24 hours, but I can help him physically change into the woman she was meant to be." Doctor Sloane considered it, then said, "Miss Elaine, if it weren't for your history of philanthropy and medical advances, I'd probably demand a little more information from you, but I'm willing to give you a shot. I'll contact my patient and arrange a meeting." "Please hurry. Speed is of the essence." The doctor did move quickly and later that evening, Elaine was back in the office. Doctor Sloane introduced her to Ashley, once Tyrone, Spears. Ashley seemed exactly what Elaine had asked for. She was 6'3" tall, with wide shoulders and classically male features. She was dressed in a simple blouse and skirt combo with a C cup that came from breastforms. She looked every bit a man in drag, and Elaine had a brief moment of nostalgia about her own days pre-APS. As soon as they met, Ashley said, "The doctor tells me you have something to help me with my transition? I hope you can help. The endocrinologist says I'll probably need surgery to remove my testicles before I'll gain any significant effect from the hormones." Elaine smiled. "Trust me. Before you know it, even you won't recognize the woman in the mirror. Now before we start, I do have a question, namely what are you aiming for? Some who transition just want the female shape, breasts, buttocks, and curves, and they know they won't be getting the sexual reassignment surgery. Are you one of these? Do you wish to retain your current genitalia?" Very quickly, Ashley said, "NO! I want to get rid of them. I'd... do it myself if I thought I could do it safely. Can you still help?" "Of course. I just need to know so that I give you the right stuff. Don't want to get rid of something you want to keep." Elaine got her bag and pulled out two bottles. After checking the labels, she put one back. She opened the one she kept and sniffed it. She said, "Yup, this is the right one. Hope you like the taste of oranges," as she handed it to Ashley. As the transsexual downed the mix, Elaine said, "Lie down on the couch. It's got a sedative. You'll sleep the night away as the solution acts." Ashley went over to the couch and lay down, asleep in seconds. Doctor Sloane asked, "Want to tell me now what this is all about?" "In the morning, after I've given her the other solution. Then you'll find my story believable." ************ THE NEXT DAY... Elaine and Doctor Sloane were waiting when Ashley awoke. The transsexual sat up and yawned. Only seconds later, her eyes snapped down and she started pressing the fabric of her skirt into her crotch. "It's gone!" she said ecstatically. As if to prove it to herself, she rubbed her hand over the flat, relatively speaking, space where her penis used to be. Finally, she lifted her skirt and slip and looked. Her panties weren't see-through, but there was clearly no male bulge within them. She said, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" jumped up, and threw her arms around Elaine's neck, hugging her in gratitude. Elaine hugged her back and said, "And it's not over yet." "It isn't?" "Nope. You'll need to remove those breastforms cause in five minutes you won't have space for them in your bra." "Seriously?" Elaine went to her bag. "Seriously." Ashley quickly unbuttoned the top of her blouse and yanked the breastforms out of her bra. Elaine returned and handed her the other bottle. Eager for the results, she greedily poured the contents down her throat. She handed the empty back and asked, "How long-" She stopped in mid-sentence, interrupted by the tingling in her body and chest. She looked down and watched in amazement as her chest grew, expanding to fill her bra and then some. When the tingling stopped, she cautiously lifted her hands to her bosom, almost afraid to touch them and risk making them disappear into the nothing they apparently grew from. She then looked up and said, "They're real." Elaine nodded. "You've now got the body you would've had if you were born female. Perhaps a bit taller, but face, waist, hips, arms, and legs are all now more feminine." Ashley looked around. "Is there a mirror around?" Doctor Sloane pointed to a door. "In my bathroom." Ashley ran in to get a good look at her new self. After a few seconds, she stepped out, twirled in place and said, "I'm beautiful. All I need is a new hairstyle to fit the new me." Elaine told her, "Hold off on a full salon trip. A side effect of the mixture is that your hair will grow out at a rate of one to two inches a day for the next two weeks. It'll destroy a good perm in short order." "Thanks." Doctor Sloane said, "Miss Spears, I'd like you to make an appointment with my secretary for a thorough exam." "Okay, doc." Elaine said, "Miss Spears, be careful. You now have a vagina. Treat it with care, otherwise you might get yeast infections, vaginal problems, or other such problems. If you have a close female friend you could confide in, ask her to instruct you in proper hygiene. If you don't, I'm sure Doctor Sloane can recommend someone." "I'll do that. And Miss Elaine?" "Yes?" Tears of joy came to Ashley's eyes. "Thank you." "Glad to be of service." Ashley left with a smile on her face. After she was gone, Doctor Sloane said, "That was quite amazing, Miss Mallone." Elaine smiled. "So you've figured out who I am. But for the record, I dropped the Mallone a long time ago." "Yes, the falling out you had with your family, and it wasn't hard to figure out who you were after your interest in Nathan Mallone and seeing that demonstration. So whatever happened to you?" "It's a long story, but the issue at hand is my friend. She needs help, and she, like me, has used my solutions to enact her change to her current self. If that came up as an issue in therapy, it might be hard to prove, and once done, it might be too much temptation to reveal it to the world. I know I can trust you, and for someone who deals in scientific secrets, that is trust hard earned." "And since I know you didn't have an abusive childhood, I can assume you're not speaking of yourself without admitting it." "No, I was never one to do that anyways." "No, you weren't. So who is my patient?" "A woman named Samantha Smith." "I've got an open block of time tomorrow at 2." "She'll be there." Elaine turned to leave, but then stopped and turned back. "Doctor, yesterday you called my case tragic. May I ask why?" "Because you were always too focused on the physical. It's not unusual amongst transsexuals. It's aside effect of being born in a body so physically at odds with their internal gender. But with you it was even more extreme. Perhaps it was because of your background in the physical sciences; maybe it was because your physical body seemed so resistant to giving up it's masculine shape. Whatever it was, you were too focused on the physical. It wasn't enough to just know you were a woman, you had to remake your body entirely. It drove you to great things, but it also kept you from accepting who you were for who you were. I don't know yet if that has changed, but I would like to talk to you about it." "I'll consider it, but right now, my first priority is my friend." "Understandable. May I ask you a question?" "Certainly." "Do you have a version of your mixture for female to male transsexuals?" "Not a mix specifically for them, but I can modify the existing mix for use by them. However, I do not have a mixture to change their genitalia. Growing a penis is easy enough, but closing off the vagina and growing a set of testicles, even simulated ones like Miss Spears' new simulated uterus, is a little trickier." "Simulated uterus? Can she get pregnant?" "Not without aid. She doesn't have ovaries, doesn't make eggs, and won't have periods. I am working on a way to create a viable endometrium so a zygote could be implanted and grow naturally. I should work out the final details within a week or two." "Amazing. One more thing." "Yes?" "Could you use the same formula you used on Ashley on a genetic woman? Take a plain woman and give her a beautiful body?" "With a few modifications. Why?" "Could you... use it on me?" "Why?" "I've always felt too plain. I'd like to know, even if only for a day, what being a physical beauty is like." "I could do that, but there's something you should know. My Aggressive Protein Strings, APS for short, require male hormones to work. In the case of a male to female transsexual, those hormones are already present, but in the case of a female to male, or a woman benefiting from the male to female, those hormones need to be added. Capsules of slow release hormones of my own devising can be placed into your arms. After 24 hours, you'll take my APS's and get new capsules. 24 hours after that, you'll need new capsules, but after that, you'll have your new body." "Okay." "Stop by my labs tomorrow after you get done at work. You do realize, though, that you're doing what you said I did. You're focusing too much on the physical." "Yeah, I know, but that's between me and my therapist." ************ TWO WEEKS LATER... Sam and Doctor Sloane, now looking like she stepped right out of a modeling show, stepped from Elaine's office. Sam felt much more comfortable at Elaine's mansion, so the doctor made a special exception and agreed to home visits for their twice weekly counseling session. As they walked, Janine stepped up and said, "I've got some news." Sam asked, "What is it?" Janine seemed hesitant, but eventually leaned over and whispered her news in the doctor's ear. The doctor said, "Go ahead. She needs to know." "Sam, your father... died last night. The funeral is planned for this next Sunday." Sam had cringed a bit at hearing of her father, but smiled a bit and said, "Thanks, Janine." After her friend had left, Sam said, "I hate that most of all. Everybody's treating me like a damn China doll, afraid I'm going to break down for the slightest reason." "It's because they love you and want to protect you." "I know, but it still gets on my nerves." "I'll talk to them about it. Do you know what you're going to do about your father's funeral?" "What's there to do?" "Are you going to go or not?" "I hadn't planned on it." "Time for some blunt honesty, Samantha. You've made some miraculous gains over the last couple weeks, but there's only so far we can go until you make a direct confrontation of your past. A live confrontation with your father would've been best, but that's no longer possible. You need to go to this funeral and face your past." "I... I'm not ready." "Yes, Sam, you are, particularly with your husband there to support you." "Is this really necessary?" "I believe so. We might be able to put this off, but facing a tombstone or urn full of ashes just won't have the same impact." Sam was hesitant, contemplating her next move. Finally, the doctor said, "Sam, it would take some juggling, but if you need extra help, I could go with you to the funeral." Sam made a decision and said, "No, that won't be necessary. If I'm going to do this, then it should just be me and James." "But you will do it?" Samantha gave her a weak smile. "I always did look good in black." ************ NEXT SATURDAY, ON THE FLIGHT "HOME"... Sam stared out the window, James in the seat beside her. They held hands as they flew over the countryside in Elaine's private jet. Finally, James said, "Penny for your thoughts." "Just reminiscing about the past." "Understandable. Remembering good or bad?" "A little of both, I think. Good times with mom and my sisters. Bad with dad." "Were there any good times with your father?" "A few. But dad was always an angry man. I think I disappointed him. I was never interested in sports or cars or other "manly" pursuits. The one exception, the one thing we had in common, was fishing." "I didn't know you fished." "I haven't since I was eleven years old. Dad refused to get a fishing license that year, telling me it was time for me to get interested in "grown-up" things. I was so angry at him. It was the one thing that I enjoyed doing with him, but he just threw it away. I felt like he didn't care about me or what I wanted. He was going to make me into something I didn't want to be, and damn what I wanted." "So what about the good times with your sisters? What'd you do? Dress up in their clothes?" "No, my sisters never did anything like that, not that I would've been averse. No, my first crossdressing came later with Janine and the girls." Sam gave a brief chuckle. "What was that for?" "Just remembering something. When dad found out I was hanging out with a bunch of girls, he couldn't be happier and encouraged me to keep it up. I guess he thought I was blossoming early." "So what did you and your mom and sisters do together?" "Family stuff. Played games, chatted, talked about... a lot of stuff. I particularly liked Sunday night game night." "What'd you do then?" "Played games. Mostly card games or Monopoly. Monopoly was one of the few board games we could all play at the same time. Most of the others were 2 to 4 players, so my three sisters, mom, and I couldn't play them without someone sitting out." "What about your dad? Didn't he participate?" "Not usually." "So what game did you like to play?" "No contest. Monopoly. It was always a contest between me and Elspeth to win. That was why nobody but us two really liked the game, but they played it for our sake." "You've never told me about your siblings. Who were they?" "There's my eldest sister, Amanda, my next oldest, Elspeth, and the youngest of the three, Kate." "So what do they do for a living?" "Amanda's a stockbroker. Elspeth is a blind sculptress." "A blind sculptress?" Sam nodded. "She lost her site in college when she got a hold of some bad home-made alcohol. I'm not sure what Kate does. She was still in college when I left to attend college out of state." "Didn't you keep in contact? At least until you encountered Mistress Elaine?" "No. I suppose I should've, but I blamed them for not being there for me. Originally, I thought it was for not saving me from dad, but after I broke through my therapy, I realized it was because they refused to believe me when I told them I was really Samantha." "So are you going to tell them now? Reveal who you are?" "I don't know. I really don't. Part of me wants to, wants to run back to them, but part of me wants to just walk away, getting this all over as fast as possible." "Is that going to fulfill your requirement for whatever it is you're supposed to do here?" Sam lifted the armrest between their seats and cuddled up under James's arm. "I don't know. I'll worry about that," Sam yawned, "when I get to it." "You sound tired. Why don't you take a nap? I'll wake you when we get close to landing." Sam felt her eyes getting heavy but said, "You know I don't sleep on..." and fell asleep before she could finish her sentence. ************ SAM'S DREAM... She was only fourteen years old. She was still physically male, and only barely realizing how different that was from what should've been. She stood at the window watching her lover, Andros, drive away to college. Before he was out of sight, she heard, "So my son is a little, cock-sucking faggot who likes to dress up like a girl!" She spun around. "DAD!" "Good thing I decided to come home early or I never would've learned what kind of a sick person you were." "It's not like that. You don't understand." "You're standing there in a dress and a wig, and you're going to tell me you're not sick?" "You don't understand. I feel more comfortable like this. I... I... need this!" Sam still believed in her father. Despite all he had done, she still believed in him. She thought that if he knew what she was going through, he'd forgive her. She was wrong. He leapt across the room and grabbed her by the arm. "So you NEED to be a girl?! Well, let's treat you like the slutty little bitch you are!" Sam tried to pull away from her father, but he was too strong. He pulled a chair over and forced her over it. He still held her arm, keeping it bent behind her back to hold her in place. She turned her head and begged, "Please, daddy, don't." He backhanded her with his free hand. "Shut up!" He reached under the hem of her skirt and yanked her panties down. He put his dick to her ass. As he pushed into her, she was glad Andros had serviced her earlier. She was still slippery and still stretched out enough so her father caused her no physical pain when he shoved into her. He shoved in and out, finally letting go of her arm but grabbing her hips and violently plowing her ass until he sprayed in her, howling like an animal. They both stayed still for a while until he grew soft inside her, sliding out. He suddenly said, "Come on," and dragged her down the hall. Her panties hadn't been pulled down very far, but she stumbled as she tried to pull them up. He just yanked her upright and continued down the hall. He went into his room and threw her to the floor. He told her, "Your mother's clothes are still in the closet. Get dressed in a house frock. You want to dress like a girl? You'll do the jobs of a girl!" Sam wanted to run away, but he stood there watching. She slowly removed her good dress, and carefully laid it on the end of the bed. She walked over to the closet and got out one of her mom's house dresses. She got into it and was then forced to do house cleaning for the rest of the day, her father hovering over her like a vulture. At the end of the day, he forced her into one of her mother's nightgowns and raped her once more. After he fell asleep, she managed to slide out of his grasp, out of the bed, and ran back to her room. She threw on some sweats, got out a bag and started throwing clothes into it. She had no idea what she was going to do next, but she had to get out of the house. She didn't bother folding the clothes, and wound up unfolding quite a few. As she stuffed clothes, she decided she'd go to Janine's; she'd know what to do; Janine would protect her. She took her bag and snuck back down the hall. She stopped briefly outside the door, making sure he was still asleep, but before she could move on, she heard a strange sound coming from her father's room. She then made a mistake. She went into the room to see what was going on. She was amazed to find her father sobbing into his pillow, whimpering her dead mother's name. If she had been an adult, she'd realize her first plan, getting out of there, was the best plan. She could contact the authorities and get her father the help he needed. But she was only fourteen and had grown up on the farm. She remembered that her mother had told her that her father loved them, but had some problems. She knew only that her father wouldn't make it without someone to serve as his wife. With a tear in her eye, she dragged her bag of clothes back to her room. She returned to her father's room and slid back into bed with him. She shed tears as he stopped whimpering and gripped her and fondled her in a sexual way, as she would every time he would do this. She would never sleep in her own room again, but would never think of this as her room. She would wear her mother's clothes more often than not, but would never think of them as her clothes. She would spend the next two years thinking that if she just did this or that, she could make her father well, but it would never happen. ************ ON THE PLANE... James shook Sam awake. "Are you okay, hun? You were whimpering." "I was dreaming about... about when my father first raped me." James hugged her to him. "It's okay. The dream... The nightmare is over." Tears leaked from Sam's eyes. "James, I think it was my fault." "What are you talking about?" "The years after mom died. I could've run away, but I didn't. I caught my father whimpering in his sleep and felt sorry for him. I should've run away, but I didn't. It's my fault the rest of the years happened." "No, it wasn't! Sam, you were a little girl who still thought she was a little boy. You were too young to know what you were doing. Your father raped and abused you. Nothing you did could justify that." Sam snuggled up closer to James and cried and whimpered as he held and stroked her. She fell asleep like that. James wasn't sure about letting her risk another bad dream, but she just seemed so worn out. ************ SAM'S OTHER DREAM... She was sixteen. For two years, she had lived a life of terror. At home, she served as wife and homemaker to her father. At school, she was forced to dodge her friends' questions and interest, although that didn't happen much anymore. At first, she had avoided them to avoid the shame, but now it was just a matter of habit. Occasionally her friends would ask about her life, but she pushed them away. She was at home, doing the dishes, once more in her mother's clothes. Her father came in and sat down, leering at her from behind. She knew what was coming next, so she sped up. If she could finish the dishes and go hide before he asked for sex, then she could avoid his carnal urges. Unfortunately, it was not to be, not tonight. "Sammie, come here." She cringed briefly before allowing the dish she was holding to slip back into the water. She choked back the tears and turned to face her father. His legs were parted and he had unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. "Time for a little mouth music." Sam stoically walked over to him and knelt between his knees. She carefully pulled his dick out of his pants and began to suck him. Her movements were rote, mechanical, but he didn't seem to care. She was getting him close when she heard the door open and a voice call out, "Surprise, guess who's home?" It took Sam a second to identify the voice as that of her eldest sister, Amanda, but by that time Amanda had already moved to where she could see everything. "Oh, my god!" Sam was too ashamed to even pull off of him, and was only vaguely aware of her sister crossing the room and knocking their father over. Sam felt herself yanked to her feet and dragged from the room to a car outside. Amanda drove her to the police. Sam remembered being made to ask a bunch of embarrassing questions. At some point she was given boys' sweats. She was reluctant to give up the dress she was wearing, but HER dress was at home in the back of her closet. Nobody believed her when she told them about wanting to be in a dress. When they got her stripped down, they wouldn't even let her keep her panties, breastforms, and bra, putting her in the sweats without underwear. She dreamed of a passage of time, finding herself in the therapist's waiting area. When the door finally opened, the dream stopped being a memory and became a real nightmare. Instead of a door, she was being dragged towards a giant mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. She tried to run away, but was dragged towards the mouth by her sister who was saying, "Don't worry, Samuel. He's here to HELP." ************ IN THE PLANE... Sam bolted out of sleep, screaming, the word "help" echoing in her ears. She felt James wrap his arms around her, saying, "It's okay, Sam. I'm here." Sam collapsed into his arms, sobbing. "Don't let me go, James. Don't let me go." "I won't. I won't, Sam." The pilot, Jenny, came from the cockpit. She didn't interrupt as Sam cried while saying, "It was terrible. He was going to get me, eat me alive." "It's okay, Sam. The nightmare's over." After a few seconds, Jenny asked, "Are you going to be okay, Sam?" Sam straightened, but didn't pull out of James's arms. "Yeah. Thanks, Jen." "Okay, because we're about to start landing. If you need the time, I can come up with an excuse to circle the airport once or twice." "Thanks, but I'll be ready." Jenny returned to the pilot's seat, and Sam and James buckled in. James refused to let go of her hand as the plane touched down. Disembarking was a rather sedate time. Nothing much happened until that night in the hotel room. James came out of the bedroom and saw Sam on the balcony. He didn't need an empathic sense to tell that she was shivering, so he grabbed a coat, walked out to the balcony, and draped it around her shoulders. She responded by saying, "Thanks. I forgot how cold it could get in the Midwest." James wrapped his arms around her and Sam snuggled up to him. They just stood there for a while before James asked, "What are you thinking about?" She nodded towards the countryside visible in the distance. "It's out there, the Nevada family farm." "You ready for this?" "I have to be. Funeral's tomorrow." "Sam, if you're really not ready for this, we'll leave and work something else out." "No. The doctor was right. I need to see my father, in person, so to speak, one last time." Together they just watched the night until it was time to go to bed. ************ AT THE FUNERAL... James, in his best black suit with black turtleneck underneath, opened the car door for his wife. Sam, wearing a just below the knee black dress, carefully stepped out of the car and took his hand. They walked to the outdoor seating and sat close to the front. No coffin was anywhere to be seen, but that wasn't unexpected. It was a weird family custom that the coffin was brought out at the end of the funeral and kept closed as it was loaded into the hearse for the trip to the cemetery. Sam looked around, trying to figure if she could arrange to sneak into the house to see her father's body. She was still thinking when a woman with black hair the same color as Sam's stepped up and said, "Hi, my name is Amanda Nevada." James, on the aisle, said, "I'm James Smith, and this is my wife, Samantha." "Pleased to meet you, although I suppose we could've met under better circumstances." Sam said, "A funeral isn't very conducive to good times." "I suppose not." Amanda looked around and Sam asked, "Looking for someone?" "Hoping to see a certain face. I guess it was too much to hope for." She turned back to them. "So how did you know my father?" "I'm a lawyer. I had some dealings with him a while back." "And you decided to attend his funeral?" Misrepresenting the truth, Sam replied, "Actually I was sent here." "Oh, your firm felt it needed to send someone?" "Something like that." At that point, another woman with the "Nevada black" hair, who was obviously blind and swinging a cane, stepped up and asked, "Amanda, who are you speaking to?" Amanda turned to her. "Elspeth, this is James and Samantha Smith. Samantha is from a law firm who had some dealings with dad a while back." Elspeth extended her hand. "Pleased to meet you." James took it and kissed it, saying, "A true pleasure." Sam said, "Likewise." Elspeth said, "Excuse me, but have we met before? Your voice sounds familiar, but I'm not quite placing it." "I... don't recall having any business or legal dealings with you, but maybe we met in passing." "Maybe." Amanda seemed about to say something, but Elspeth went on before she could. "I know this is a strange request, but could I feel your face? I use my sense of feeling to help... get a feel for the people I deal with." Sam was more than a bit hesitant. "I... don't-" "Please, I know it's a strange request, but I cannot shake this feeling that I know you." Sam considered it. James gave her hand a comforting squeeze to let her know that he was there no matter what she decided. Finally, she said, "I guess it's okay." She stood up and went to the aisle to let Elspeth feel her face. As her sister gently ran her fingers over her face, Sam was still trying to decide whether or not she wanted Elspeth to discover who she was. She was still trying to make a decision when Elspeth suddenly pulled her fingers back. "S... Sammy? Is that you?" Amanda asked, "Elspeth, what is it?" Elspeth was too stunned to speak. Figuring, however, that her sister would eventually get it together, Sam decided to let the cat out of the bag. She turned her head just a bit and looked at her eldest sister out of the corner of her eye. "So, Amanda, still buying up Park Place and Boardwalk, even at the expense of holding on to lesser properties?" Amanda gave Sam a curious look, wondering how this stranger knew about her flaw in a game she hadn't played in a couple decades. Finally, everything came together, and she went wide-eyed. "Samuel?! What happened to you?" Amanda started to fall back and, perhaps, would've if James hadn't popped to his feet and caught her, steadying her on her feet. Seeing her sister nearly collapse, the last Nevada sister came rushing over. "Amanda, what's wrong?" Before either Amanda or Elspeth could say a thing, Sam said, "Hey, Kate, don't you recognize me?" Kate was always a little spoiled and resultantly a bit dense. She just looked at Sam and shook her head. "I don't-" Elspeth finally found her voice, saying, "It's our little brother, Samuel." Sam, already on edge, grew angry at being referred to in the masculine. When Kate finished looking her over and asked, "Oh my god, Sam, what'd dad do to you?" she exploded. Sam yelled, "Damn it! Wake up and smell the coffee!" Everyone turned to look at them, and Sam felt James's hand on her arm, supportive yet also warning. She dropped her voice, but was no less irate. "Look at me! Do you think dad's abuse caused me to grow these?!" Sam cupped her breasts and gently shook them. "Dad didn't put me in this dress; I put me in this dress. Dad didn't apply my make-up this morning; I did. This is who I am; this is who I want to be." Kate tried to defend them. "But the therapist said-" "The therapist be hanged! He didn't listen to me any more than you did. So listen to me now! Dad only put me in mom's clothes. He didn't put me in women's clothes in the first place; that was my choice! I had been wearing dresses since I was twelve. Dad didn't start raping me until after mom died when I was FOURTEEN! What's more, I didn't lose my rear virginity to dad. I lost it to my MALE lover; a lover I had been with for two years prior to mom's death; a lover I would've run away with if I could've. For two years dad tortured me by making me pretend to be mom. Then for two years, you and that damned therapist tortured me by making me pretend to be a boy when I knew otherwise. I tried to tell you otherwise, but you didn't listen, preferring to accept the word of that therapist. You wanted to believe that I was a normal boy. You wanted-" Suddenly Elspeth, who was closest, threw her arms around Sam and pulled her into a tight embrace. She said into Sam's ear, "We're sorry, Samantha. We just wanted you to be well. We should've listened to you, but we were so afraid that dad had hurt you permanently. We're sorry." Part of Sam wanted to keep ranting at her sisters, but she found that nearly impossible from within Elspeth's loving, tight hug. Slowly, she let go of her anger and her arms slowly returned Elspeth's embrace. She felt Amanda join the hug and, shortly thereafter, Kate joined in, too. The sisters stood there and hugged for a while, crying freely. After a while, the foursome disentangled and stepped apart, but only to arms' length. Sam wiped the tears from her eyes. "I missed you girls." Amanda said, "We missed you, too." Kate said, "This is kind of freaky. I came here for a funeral, and wind up meeting my new little sister." Sam said, "Oh, Kate, you haven't met my husband." She turned and pulled James a little closer. "Kate, meet James Smith, my husband." "Husband? Legally married and all that?" Sam raised her left hand, back out, and wiggled her wedding band and engagement ring with her thumb. "Legally married and all that." Kate went a little buggy. "Holy crap, will you look at that!" She grabbed Sam's hand and pulled it close to get a better look at it. "Sis, is that a diamond or a golf ball?" "Oh, it's not that big." "Bigger than mine is." Kate held her own hand out. On the ring finger was a pair of rings like Sam's, although much less ornate, and the diamond was far smaller. Sam told her, "It's beautiful. I just wish I could've been there for the wedding." "I wish you could've been there, too. Ironic, isn't it? The two youngest Nevada girls got married first." Sam asked, "So how about it? You two headed to the altar any time soon?" Amanda said, "Not me. I'm too busy with my job." Elspeth said, "I'm not even close. Guys don't like to go out with damaged goods." Amanda reproachingly said, "Elspeth." "Come on. It's true. Guys aren't into blind girls." Sam said, "Elspeth, don't sell yourself short. You're a beautiful girl. Any guy who doesn't see that is a fool. Right, James?" Sam turned to her husband and noticed that he wasn't paying any attention to her or her sisters. He was instead scanning the small crowd around them. Sam asked. "James, are you okay? What's wrong?" James looked around for a bit longer before saying, "Nothing, I guess." He didn't want to worry Sam, but right after her outburst, James had sensed someone in the crowd taking an inordinately high notice of them. Interest that had stuck around even after the crowd's interest had faded. He had been scanning the crowd, looking to see if he could find whoever had the unusual interest, but so far had seen nothing. When he turned back to Sam, she said, "I was asking for the male perspective on Elspeth. Do you think she's attractive, even knowing she's blind?" Knowing what Elspeth needed to hear, James was honest and totally blunt with her. "Blind shmind. You're a beautiful woman, and if you got Sam's permission, I'd take you somewhere and do you right now." Elspeth blushed furiously and Kate and Amanda seemed shocked, but Sam could tell that Elspeth was secretly pleased by James's words. Before they could continue, a man dressed in priest's robes stepped up. "Ladies, just a warning, the funeral is scheduled to start in fifteen minutes." Amanda said, "Thank you, father. We'll be ready." After the priest had left, Kate, with a touch of melancholy, said, "I almost forgot why we were here." Amanda said, "I guess we should take our place. Sam, would you please join us in the front row as a family member?" "I'd like that, but there's something I've got to ask. I know it flouts family tradition, but I need to see dad; confront him face to face one last time. Would it be too much of an imposition if you snuck me in so I could see him?" Amanda said, "I think we can do that. Unless there are any objections?" Amanda looked to her sisters for confirmation. While she looked around, James heard a voice saying, "No, don't let her go in there." He looked around, trying to pinpoint the source, but no one was there. The sound hadn't come from any of the girls, but there was nobody else within speaking distance. It was strange, but the voice had the same feel as the empathic impressions he got from others, but although it bordered on it, his psychic ability wasn't telepathic. Never before had he ever received speech, just strong emotions. He shook it off as his own worries about Sam and kept silent. As soon as he did that though, he felt a wave of something bordering on despair. The girls all nodded their agreement and they went into the house. When they got outside the room where the coffin was being held, Sam said, "Thank you all for being there for me, but I've got to do this part alone." When Sam said that, the voice came back, almost yelling, "NO! Not alone! Do not let her go into that room alone!" James shook his head, attributing it to his own worries again, but the voice grew insistent. "NOT ALONE!" The voice was so insistent James found himself asking, "Are you sure, Sam?" despite knowing that his wife did feel that she needed to do this. "Yeah, James, I do." The feelings from Sam warred with the insistent need of the strange voice, but his wife's need won out. "Okay, but if you need me, call." "I will." As Sam walked into the room, James heard, "Keep your senses focused on her. Be ready to move." James shook his head. He didn't know where this voice was coming from, but it was getting damned annoying. Inside, the coffin was placed prominently on a bier in the center of the room. Sam walked up to it and opened the lid. She saw her father, much older and more haggard but still the same basic man. A tear came to her eye which she quickly brushed away. She all but whispered, "Hello, daddy, your littlest has come home. I guess I look a lot different than the last time you saw me. Or maybe more like the last time than I thought. Well, daddy, guess what? This is the real me. After many years and a lot of pain and suffering, I finally realized that. Now that I'm here, part of me wishes you were still here, so I could just ask you, why? I loved you, daddy. Even after all the 'grow up and be a man' speeches and all the trying to make me into something I wasn't, I still believed in you. And even after the... rape, I still just wanted you to accept me. Now, I guess I'll never know." Sam reached up and closed the coffin. "Good-bye, daddy." As soon as the lid was closed, Sam felt a hand clasped over her mouth and a strange smell besieged her nostrils. She didn't even have time to fight as blackness overtook her. At that exact moment, James felt a strange, malicious intent emanate from around Sam