Soixante-Trois Airlines, Part 10 free porn video

"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 d?sol?, je ne parle pas Anglais." "Comment puis-je vous aider, mademoiselle?," Rachel asked, imperceptibly biting her lip. "Caf? 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 R?veillon..." "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 w