Altered Fates: What Are Friends For? free porn video

"Altered Fates: What are friends for?" - By Flyover State. Synopsis: Tiffany and Ryan are best friends. As young kids, the two girls meet Tyler, a kid new to the neighborhood. Now in high school, Tiffany and Tyler are dating. Ryan's love for Tiffany has grown more than sisterly, and she knows it won't be reciprocated. Follow Tyler, as Ryan brings her plan to fruition, and the aftermath of his choices thereafter. Multiple changes occur (other characters) age regression, gender. Caution: Very sensitive subjects, including rape, and abortion. ***** "It doesn't look like much." Ryan shrugged, dangling a medallion before her. It looked like a child's costume jewelry. There was a picture of an angel, or possibly a devil, with illegible writing around it. "Medallion of Zulo." She sat it on her desk, clasping her hands under her chin. She didn't know whether or not to believe the information she found regarding the relic. There was a good amount of information on it, and accounts of lives altered by it. Going to her closet, Ryan opened a trunk which contained clothes that she meant to donate to Goodwill, as she had out-grown them. These were clothes that she hadn't worn since early puberty. She grabbed a t-shirt which she could remember wearing in the 8th grade. Ryan was a late bloomer, and hadn't had many changes by that time in her life. She could remember the teasing easily, as it was but a few years ago. Ryan sighed, standing in front of her full-size mirror, taking in stock. At 5'1" and 97 lbs, she was a small girl. She had a decent face, but needed glasses and braces, she also never made herself up. Her body was decent, but thin, and she only wore average-fitting clothes. She had shoulder length brown hair, always tied in a ponytail. Ryan had gray eyes, covered by reasonable black-rimmed glasses. Overall, one word could be used to sum her up; average. Touching the shirt to the medallion, she put it around her neck, feeling the tell-tale jolt. She watched in awe as her body reverted back to almost pre-puberty over the course of 10 minutes. It took less time because it wasn't full change. She chose this as a test because even if she were seen, her mother might not notice. She lost two inches of height, and some femininity, and her hair lengthened slightly to the length she wore at the time. "Wow," she gasped, finally back to reality. She noticed her voice slightly more child-like. Ryan touched her arms, and face, and ran her hands over her new, but old, less feminine form. The braces were a little tight, but not too bad. She would be rid of the slight discomfort in twelve hours, or so. Ryan decided to do much of nothing of the rest of the day, preferring to check in on her two friends on Facebook. ### Tiffany, and Tyler. Ryan's two best, and only friends. They were a typical high school "power couple", a hot cheerleader, and the star wide receiver of the football team, as well as the power forward of the basketball team. They had all been friends for most of their lives. Tyler had moved to the neighborhood when they were in first grade. Ryan, and Tiffany were already friends, and Tyler was new, with no friends yet. Ryan, and Tiffany were on their way to school one day, and saw the new kid walking alone towards the bus stop. They tried to speak to him, but got nothing, as he was afraid of their cooties. Over time, they opened him up a little, and became his play friends, both girls not minding tossing a little ball. Tyler, however, would run if they mentioned dolls! As the three got older, Tyler drifted away. They were approaching an age that made it difficult and awkward if a boy was hanging out with girls all the time. He would always speak to the two, as they were his first friends, but he had to hang out with the guys, and they; the girls. Ryan really didn't care for hanging around the other girls. She only did so because of Tiffany, and found that she was largely ignored anyway. She was fine with that. ### By the 7th grade, most of the girls were starting to develop, including Tiffany, who was becoming quite the lady. Ryan herself, had very little in the way of development yet. The other girls let her know this daily. It was only Tiffany who got them to stop, at least when she was around. "You're just a late bloomer, Ryan," comforted Tiffany. "Don't let them get under your skin." Ryan sighed, looking at Tiffany. Tiffany was becoming a beautiful young woman, her figure was filling out. Ryan couldn't help but admire. "One day, you'll have this," Tiffany assured Ryan, gesturing to her developing body, then giving her a light hug. ### Ryan was becoming the weird girl, a far cry from her old bright, cheerful self. She seemed to have no friends, except Tiffany, which everyone assumed was a pity thing at this point. Unlike Ryan, Tiffany became popular, with both girls, for her fashion sense, and beauty, and with the guys, for the same reasons. Tiffany tried to get Ryan to be stylish, but Ryan didn't care. Her situation wasn't helped by the fact that her eyesight had grown bad, and now required glasses to see anything, or that she needed a fast-acting inhaler after being diagnosed with asthma, and the cherry on top - braces. "I'm beyond help, or caring for that matter," Ryan admitted. "You should enjoy your friends, these are supposed to be the best years of your life, right?" "OUR lives!" Tiffany exclaimed. "And they have only begun!" "Always the optimist," Ryan said. "That was once you too, what happened?" Ryan sighed, as usual. "Life." "I've been trying to get you out of your shell! You'll feel better prettied up." "Tiff, it's not that simple. For reasons. You also know I don't like the sheeple that swarm you." "Well, they aren't much of good friends," Tiffany admitted, "but they'll make good employees for us one day!" Both girls laughed. While Tiffany enjoyed her social ranking, her studies were still a top priority, and she never abandoned her best friend, much to the whispered ridicule of the student body. "Come 'ere!" Tiffany said, playfully, grabbing Ryan into a sisterly hug. "Love you!" "Love you more!" Ryan exclaimed, grabbing Tiffany. The girls playfully wrestled about, tumbling about the bed, giggling, laughing, and enjoying the moment, as they hadn't for a while. They ended with Ryan's smaller form above Tiffany, pinning Tiffany's arms down. Both were breathing heavily, looking each other in the eyes. Tiffany broke out in hysterical laughter, Ryan joining her, and rolling off. The girls wiped their tears of laughter, Ryan grabbing her inhaler, and taking a spray. "What do you think?" Tiffany asked Ryan. "About what?" "The future." Ryan thought, a bit. "Not sure what to think. I used to know what I wanted, but the only thing I'm sure of is that I want to be best friends with you forever." "Awwww, me too! BFF's!" ### Ryan was now in her senior year of highschool, along with her best friends, who reconnected, and started dating the previous summer. Ryan was certainly surprised when Tiffany dropped the ball that she and Tyler had started dating. Tiffany told her all about it. **** The previous summer, Tiffany had been hanging out at a pool party that Ryan decided not to go to, even though she was invited. Tiffany was a little upset, as she was getting fed up with Ryan's seeming need for attention. Tiffany loved her best friend dearly, but she would not spend this day consoling her, when there were other people's company to enjoy. There had been enough times that she chose hanging out with Ryan, to keep her from moping, but today would not be one of those days. The party had been held at the house of the quarterback for the highschool football team, only a few blocks away from Tiffany's neighborhood. Everyone was going to be there, except Ryan. Tiffany had an enjoyable time, checking out the guys, chatting with the girls, and taking in the sun, and music. Under her stylish sunglasses, Tiffany could see that a lot of guys were checking her out. There wasn't a guy who didn't look, including the captain, whose house they were at. Even if she considered him, he was dating the head cheerleader. The party wrapped up late, only then because of a noise complaint. Tiffany had put on her jacket that she brought for the purpose of covering up, still in bare bikini from the waist down. She began towards her neighborhood, beginning to feel a bit at unease, with it being after midnight. "Tiffany!" she heard a male voice call out. She turned to see Tyler jogging up to her. He gave her his old friendly smile saying, "Hey, it's been a while. Thought I might walk you home, considering the time, if you don't mind." "Thank you, Ty. I would feel much better if you do!" She smiled. "Ryan and I trained you to be a good gentleman, didn't we?" Tiffany joked. "Yeah, okay." Tyler smirked. "Well, then?" he held out his arm, and she accepted, intertwining hers with his. The two began to walk toward their neighborhoods arm-in-arm. They caught up on old times, and new. Tiffany noticed how nice Tyler's body had become. She could feel the sinewy parts of his body that were slightly pressed against hers as they walked. He had definitely grown into a fine specimen, Tiffany thought. He was the star wide receiver of the team, for a reason. His tall, athletic body was definitely doing something to her. Tall, dark and handsome would definitely describe Tyler. She liked him since they were young children, but as they grew apart, and grew up, she appreciated him a little differently. Tyler was also thinking about how hot Tiffany had become. He stole glances at her body, as the pair walked, looking at her shapely legs, and perfect ass. 'She is sooo bad,' Tyler thought to himself. He focused on walking, and tried to force away any thoughts about his old friend. It wasn't the same as before. 'As long as she doesn't say anything...' "Tyler?" Tiffany asked, breaking the silence. "Yeah?" Tyler answered too quickly, looking at her briefly, but turned his head straight quickly, embarrassed by his thoughts. "Aww. Are you nervous?" Tiffany playfully asked. "Why would I be?" Tyler smirked, gaining his sense of self back. Why *would* you be?" she asked rhetorically. "Mr. Popular, who turns down everyone that asks him out." "I guess word travels," Tyler replied. "Is there any reason for that?" Tiffany lightly asked. "Well, there are sports, and work, I really don't have the time a girl requires," Tyler candidly answered. "Besides, I know some of them just want to find out if the rumors are true about black guys." "Hmmm?" Tiffany commented semi-suggestively. "Aw, Tiffany, and here I was respecting you!" Tyler shook his head. He was beginning to feel more comfortable by the second, as if Tiffany was once again his old friend. No pressure. "Anyway, what about you? How're things on the dating front?" He shifted from himself, to her. "Well, what if I personally knew someone for you?" She swapped back to him. "Someone that liked what they saw today? Someone who's liked what they've seen for a long time, someone who isn't high maintenance, and someone whose intentions I trust?" "Ryan?" Tyler answered, laughing "Woof. Does she even like humans anymore? I feel like she's going to be a cat lady." "Hey, that's my friend!" Tiffany exclaimed defensively. "We're all cool. But, I'm good. Sorry." Ryan was short, thin, and kind of mousy. She also never even tried to be hot. Every girl he'd turned down was much hotter than her. Could Tiffany think that he'd pity-date Ryan? "Who said it was her?" Tiffany asked with a smile. "Now, I'm a little interested. Who is she?" "Well...," Tiffany trailed. "Hmmm. How do I describe her. Let's see... she's blonde, about 5'6", she's got a nice butt, and the bluest eyes you've ever looked into. I think she was wearing large shades at the party today." She looked at Tyler expectantly, who seemed to be still trying to figure the mystery woman out. Tiffany lowered the shades to her face, and traced her fingers along the striations in the middle of his chest. Tyler's eyes popped out of his head, "Oh. Oh...OH!!!" he realised. Tyler didn't know what to make of it. He stood in shock. "Are you serious?" "Would you turn her down?" "I..I wouldn't." Tiffany raised her arms around him, and kissed him. "Good! She's happy right now." ****** Back at Present, Tyler was having issues, namely he wanted a car of his own to take Tiffany to the senior prom. He'd been trying to save, but his short work hours due to his extracurricular activities made it extremely hard to save more than a few bucks at a time. His parents made sure that he put school and related activities before anything else. He understood their well-meaning, but times like this really tested him. He arrived at school with Tiffany and Ryan, the latter, while she was his good childhood friend, was around too much for he, and Tiffany's comfort, but Tiffany always cared about Ryan's feelings, and so would not alienate her too much. At this point, Tyler was only friends with Ryan, because with he and Tiffany's reconnection, Ryan seemed part of the package deal. They finally parted ways, with Tiffany and Tyler heading off in one direction, and Ryan another. "You know," Tyler began, "it feels like I'm dating Ryan too sometimes." Tiffany grabbed his hands, sighing. "Ryan will be Ryan. I hope she gets out of it soon. We've had our spats about it, but I love her." Tiffany smiled. "Yeah. I need to get one of the guys with her, or something. If she has someone else to bother, then, maybe..." "Good luck. She won't go for anyone, and I can't get her to wear anything not dumpy." *RING* "Damn. We get a little time, and we spend it talking about Ryan. Figures," Tyler said, disappointed. "Well, this" *SMOOTCH* "should make up for it." Tiffany gave him a quick kiss, he looked down at her, with his hand at the small of her back, bringing her in for another, longer kiss. "Yeah, it does," Tyler said with a goofy grin. The love-birds went about their school day as usual, meeting whenever possible for a quick kiss, and holding hands wherever possible. -- Tyler was shy as a younger kid, and hit the books strongly at his parent's insistence, but even after blooming into a fit handsome popular school sports star, his core personality didn't change. Luckily, being popular meant that no one was any wiser to his virgin status. Others would assume that there was no way that Ty was a virgin. Tiffany was also in a similar situation, she knew that others probably thought the couple banged like rabbits. It wasn't as if Tiffany minded if they had, but Tyler was still a little uptight. If only he would be a little more forward. Tiffany felt that the onus was on Tyler to make the first move. ### After school Tyler stood around talking to his pals, and watched as Tiffany and Ryan made their way to him. He waved his pals off, and met the girls, giving Tiffany a quick kiss. "What's up, babe?" Tiffany reached up, as if to kiss him back, but whispered sexily... "You are." She looked down toward his package. Tyler shook his head, chuckling. The three began walking home. Tiffany asked about the prom, and Tyler's expression went dull. A fact not lost on Tiffany, or Ryan. Tiffany asked him about it, if there were any problems, which he denied. She probed further if he was sure, and he assured her it was fine. "Just a small detail, is all." ### Later that day, after a workout, Tyler received a call from Ryan. Tyler answered reluctantly, "Yeah?" A call from Ryan was very unusual. "Hey, Tyler, whats' up?" "Just finishing a workout. Why?" Maybe it had something to do with Tiffany, or perhaps, finally wanting to get with a guy. He'd gladly help her out. "No, what's up with you today?" "What are you talking about?" "You were different than usual, something's up. Maybe related to prom?" Ryan stated. "How can you tell?" "What's the problem? You are taking Tiffany Glover, or have you forgotten?" "I want to have a car by then. It's really frustrating. I don't have much to save after my measly hours. My parents wont give me the money, either. Some bull about not respecting it if I don't buy it with my hard earned money. I'm tired of their old-fashioned ways. They are going to push me away with their crap. I'm not doing that to my kids!" "It's kept you on the straight and narrow, with future prospects in sports, and academic back-up. Sometimes it costs. Anyway, do you have some savings?" Ryan asked. "About $700." "Ouch." "Tell me about it. I need $1500 for the car. "What are you planning on getting for $1500?" "A BMW." Ryan laughed. "Really?" "It's $1500 down." That made more sense. "Imagine Tiffany and I arriving at the prom in MY BMW with vanity plates! Not only that but, B. M. W." "I can understand, I suppose. Gears started turning in Ryan's head. "I think I can help you out." "What? Really!? No way?" "I have the money." She explained that it came from saving up, and her mother chipping in on her prom expenses. Ryan's mother wanted her to have a grand prom. "I don't want to take away from you going to the prom, and I think it's too much to ask anyway," Tyler stated. "Since when have I been one for things like school dances?" Ryan dismissively said of the prom. "I can't go with the person I want to, and not like they'd take me anyways. Tiffany would enjoy running around in style, right?" "Who is the guy?" Tyler asked. Ryan was usually a slight annoyance, but she'd shown a different side of herself. He could use his powers of persuasion, or his clout with the student body to get the guy to take her out, he was sure, even should it cost him the money. "Uhm-um," Ryan answered. "I could talk to him." "They're taken, so it doesn't matter, and if I WERE going to prom, would I want a pity date?" "I'm Sorry." It's fine. Tiffany'll be happy, and you can do me a favor. "For this, anything," Tyler happily answered. "What are friends for?" Ryan told him that she would have to stop at his house after to fulfill the bargain, and only then would he know what she wanted. It was fine, he was glad, and thankful, it couldn't be too much for what she was doing for him. ### The next day, Tyler had an extra spring to his step. Tiffany could notice the change. When asked, Tyler gave Ryan a knowing look, commenting that there was great news. Tyler could not contain his happiness. A Lot of the senior students had decent to nice cars, given by their parents, but Tyler's parents made him suffer without one. His parents came from a hard life, and wanted him to never forget, or go soft'. He pleased them greatly, so he couldn't see the issue with them getting a car for him. He was a school sports star, as well as one of the few African-Americans in the school. Even if it wasn't fair, both made him susceptible to being scrutinized highly. He'd look "better" with a car, he figured, especially with the class-consciousness of his parents. ### It was now after school and the trio headed towards their neighborhood. It wasn't too far from the school, so they walked. Tiffany could drive, but she knew Tyler would not like being driven by her. He'd already discussed his feelings about the issue. Of course, Ryan would follow. The couple split after kissing at Tiffany's doorstep, and Tyler and Ryan walked around the corner to his house. Nobody would be home, a fact he was glad of. His parents knew Tiffany and Ryan, and knew he was dating Tiffany. They would get in his business if they saw Ryan alone in the house with him, and because he was a boy, he could not go to Ryan's house. They headed up his room. Neat and clean, Ryan noticed. She wouldn't have expected a boy's room to be meticulously kept. Probably a by-product of his parent's constant vigil. She really didn't understand his problem with it. Sure it might seem hard now, but she had to admit, they are turning him into the 'perfect' guy... He looked good, was very athletic, talented in academics, and even had Tiffany for a girlfriend. The future could be very bright for him, she mused. "So, what is it that I can do for you, Ryan?" he asked, unable to wipe the smile from his face. "Switch places with me for a week." She waited for his response. "What?" "Switch pl" "I heard that, you're kidding, right? This is a joke? You got my hopes up for nothing!" The smile he'd been bearing for the last 24 hours vanished. "No. I'm dead serious," Ryan said, pulling a medallion out. "This has the power to do it." Tyler looked at her incredulously, remarking, "They call you weird Ryan at school, and now I'm seeing why. Why don't you just go." He waved toward the door. "I knew you wouldn't believe it. But it's true. First, I'll login to my bank account to show you I have the money." Tyler couldn't believe he was letting her waste more of his time, but she might have the money. He allowed her to use his PC to login to her account, and she showed him her savings. "Now that I have your attention. I want to switch with you for the week." "Why?" "Because after finding out what this can do, I want to test it." "And exactly what does it do?" He felt stupid for asking, as obviously it was an old plastic toy. But he'd go with whatever make-believe that she came up with, if it would get him the money for the car. She explained everything that she read about the medallion; it could change a person's features to fit new clothes, it could change a person into the last wearer of the clothes in the exact state they were in at the time, and it could change two people into each other, if touched simultaneously. She told him how she'd tested it a little over a week ago, and became a younger version of herself by touching clothes she bagged up for Goodwill. "Okay," Tyler said. "And if this is even possible, why a guy, why me?" "It's the only way for me to get something new out of this. Even if I make myself more attractive, being a girl isn't new to me. I would like to experience being a guy for a bit, I want to know strength, height; things I don't have now. And as for why you, it's the same reason I can't make myself into a random beautiful girl; I need to exist. If I make myself into the guy version of me, I don't exist. Access to my money, family, house are gone, my identity is gone. If we switch, I get to experience being a guy, and you also take my place, leaving us both accounted for, and no new non-existent people." Ryan said, satisfied. Tyler sighed. "If I believed this, I suppose the reasoning isn't bad. So, all we have to do is touch hands while you hold it, and you'll transfer the money?" "Well yes, and no. I'll transfer the money the day before prom. If you get cold feet before then, the deal's off." Tyler rolled his eyes, then softened. "Sure. Whatever you believe, Ryan, but really, if you're letting me get the money, then thank you." "Okay. Ready?" Ryan excitedly asked. "Sure," Tyler said dismissively, wondering what she was up to, and what was the story about? Ryan put on the medallion, and touched Tyler's exposed arm. Both felt a jolt. "Did you feel that?" "Yeah." "That means it's working. In about 30 minutes we'll be each other. We should probably undress." "Okay. The story about the medallion, you coming over, in my room, talking about undressing? What's really the story, Ryan?" "It's not what you think. It's really going to happen. By the time it's over, we will know what each other's bodies look like anyway. Better yet, in 10 minutes when there are sure signs of changing, then let's do it." Tyler palmed his face. He couldn't believe her, money or not she was being strange, even for Ryan. But with the said money on the line, he didn't kick her out yet. He'd just have to convince her otherwise to transfer the money, after her hair-brained scheme failed. The two sat in silence for minutes that felt like hours, Ryan on Tyler's bed, having taken off her glasses, and himself on his gaming chair, checking out the Internet. "Tyler, look at me," Ryan said, breaking the silence. Tyler's eyes became wide, him mouthing, 'What the hell?' "Look at yourself." He looked towards a mirror on the wall, gasping. "It's really..." "As I said," Ryan said triumphantly. Both took off their clothes marvelling at the other's halfway transformed body. Ryan felt the tension in her muscles increase, as well as the size of them. She felt herself stretching to Tyler's height, her skin darkened to his medium brown, her jaw-line squared with a small patch of chin hair sprouting out. Her shoulder-length straight hair became his close cropped cut. She felt her clitoris becoming larger, and her outer labia increasing in size until they hung as Tyler's penis and scrotum. Ryan could see much clearer, and could feel the increased lung capacity of Tyler as she took in nice deep breaths. Tyler also felt a similar experience. Parts of his body constricted to unbelievable sizes, he lost most of his muscle mass, feeling the constant tension of being ripped leaving him. His skin felt smoother, he noticed, as he saw it lighten to Ryan's very fair Irish coloring. He noticed Ryan's breasts growing on his chest, a small b-cup with pert, pink nipples. He felt what seemed a ton of hair growing from his scalp, as the hair on his body faded away. He felt his face, his sharp features, giving way for her soft ones. Despite being so thin, Tyler could still feel certain parts of himself jiggling, it especially felt like his thighs and behind were fat. As he felt his penis sucking inward, he grabbed his crotch area as if to will it back, to no avail. His privates became exact copies of Ryan's, complete with her unshaven look. "Ohmigod ohmigod ohmigod!" Ryan said excitedly, bouncing up and down. Tyler looked at his old body, shouting, "Do not EVER do that again! What would people think!? Geez!" he exclaimed in Ryans tiny voice. Ryan cleared her throat. "Oh, yeah, sorry." She nervously laughed, noticing that Tyler kept wiping his eyes. "What's wrong?" Ryan asked. Tyler's voice seemed to resonate in her skull. "Uh, I can't, can't see." Tyler was also surprised at how his new voice sounded coming from himself. "Yeah, the glasses aren't a fashion statement," Ryan said, handing them to Tyler. "We should probably get dressed." Ryan couldn't help but linger her view on her old body, it made something stir in herself. Wearing that body, it seemed nothing special, but even the thin, lithe body, looked 'different' to her now, as if she could appreciate some innate quality of it. She turned away as they put on the clothes the other wore there. "So, how is it?" Ryan asked, proudly. "Well, I'd say it worked," Tyler answered, the voice startling him again. Ryan chuckled. "Well, use this opportunity for whatever you can. You know, you could get acquainted with female anatomy..." Ryan nudged Tyler, nearly knocking him over, not used to this newfound size and strength. Tyler turned red. "Seriously, it could help you, when you and Tiffany decide to... You'd understand perfectly what a woman needs to be sated." Tyler looked around nervously, thinking about what she was saying. "No way." "Sure. The first thing you're going to do when you get to my house is probably..." Ryan made suggestive motions with her hands. Tyler's face reddened, something he couldn't do before. "Will you cut it out! That would be like doing something with YOU!" "So, does that mean you're going to feel guilty every time you have to do something that involves touching the body you have? Stop being lame." Ryan grabbed the small hands of Tyler, forcing them towards his chest. "What are you doing?!" Tyler shouted. "There, you touched 'my' boobs," Ryan said, releasing her grip. "Good grief, you are really uptight about some things. No wonder you and Tiffany haven't done it." "That's none of your business, and why is she telling you these things?" "Hello, best friends? Girl talk?" Ryan said, in a tone that didn't match her new body. "Look, whatever." Tyler sighed. "Just mind how you act. I don't want people thinking certain things." He shook his head, "I really didn't think this would happen." "I know you didn't," Ryan admitted, "That's why it was easy to talk you into it. If you believed it would happen, you might not have even touched the medallion. Anyway, it's a rare chance to discover what being a girl is like. Besides, you might get addicted, and beg me never to change back! It's supposed to feel good," said Ryan with a smile. "So, you don't know? You've never done anything?" Tyler asked quizzically, knowing Ryan, that might be the truth. Ryan hunched her new broad shoulders. "Yeah. Sure," Tyler retorted as she handed him something. It was her inhaler. "On your person at all times!" "That's great! I also get your bad vision and bronchitis. We need to fill each other in on some details to get by for this week," Tyler surmised. The pair gave each other a rundown of their daily activities, people, and whatnot. Ryan warned Tyler that she wasn't seen as a personable girl, and that her mother would pester her about the prom and boys. She told Tyler to deal with her mother with non-committal answers, and keeping things as short as possible. Pretty much a boy treats their mother once they are teens. "Well, Ryan," Ryan said, "we need to call each other by the name we appear as, and I need to cut these braces out, now!" "Alright... Tyler." "And it's time for you to go home. Be seeing you at school tomorrow. Let me show you out." Ryan grabbed her phone, keys and inhaler. "Wrong phone," Tyler reminded her. ### Walking the short distance to her house, the new Ryan could feel more differences between her original body and this one. Everything felt alien; the space between her legs, the 'flapping' of her rear, the hair tickling her forehead, even the breasts constrained by the bra underneath her shirt. Ryan was thankful that the original Ryan dressed somewhat neutrally. Millions of thoughts were swimming through her head as she reached the house. "Hey, sweetie!" Ryan's Mom called as she stepped through the living room. "Oh, hey Ms.. Mom!" She waved, giving her mom a smile. Her mom looked like she'd seen a ghost, and just stared as she went upstairs looking for the room she assumed to be hers. She could tell easily, and the room wasn't much different from her old one, just less grand. She checked around the room; The colors were neutral, everything was neat, a 24 inch LCD TV, a PC, and a Nintendo DS. "So, this is it for the next week? I can do this," she said aloud. Ryan took off her clothes, once again, marvelling at the differences from her old body. She searched for sweats, which she easily found. As Tyler, she'd be out on a run in this May weather, or otherwise remaining active. Just because the old Ryan stayed in, didn't mean she had to keep on with it. She'd go out, then do any homework later. On the way down her mother called, "Ryan, dear, where are you going?" "Just out to get fresh air." "Are you feeling okay?" "Yeah....?" she answered unsuredly. Again, her mother looked at Ryan like she'd gone bat crazy. "Well, in that case, enjoy yourself sweetie!" "Thanks. I'll be in after a while." Ryan's mother couldn't believe this. Did someone replace her Ryan with an alien? She was lucky to get a grunt out of a passing Ryan, let alone a conversation! And she's going outside, not just to Tiffany's! ### Tyler kicked off his socks, and laid back in his gaming chair. Everything was so different. His body didn't force a waif to his walk, and his hands felt absolutely huge. There was that package between his legs, which might really take getting used to, but it seemed a bit easier to care for than the former bits. He went to the bathroom mirror, looking at himself, he took in the vast differences between his face and Ryan's. Tyler had a very masculine, broad face. Being African-American, meant there were more than the typical differences between male and female; everything was different, his features, his hair. He found the face a handsome, symmetrical one, and he knew that most of the female population did as well. As Ryan, he knew that some top-tier girls had asked Tyler out. He made a muscle with one of his arms, and flexed it. "Yes!" What to do!? I've got the power, strength, and energy for anything." A smile crept to his face. "Including Tiffany." He would have to wait until his father came home so he could borrow the car. "In the meantime, let's see what's so great about this XBOX One." He played until his father came home, deciding that he liked it. He told his father he wanted to work-out, and wished to use the car. He went back up, changing into suitable gear. "Get a good work-out in, son!" his father encouraged. He gave a thumbs up. "You know it." As he drove to the gym, he wondered about Tiffany. Perhaps he could go see her afterward, after he was all cleaned up. He had a great set, seeming to retain perfect form and technique. It also felt great not to run out of breath and rely on an inhaler. Tyler was so pumped, in spirit and in body, he looked in wonder as veins wrapped around muscles that he didn't even have 3 hours ago. Dressed in fresh clothes, Tyler learned an important lesson about male anatomy while washing off; testicles were VERY sensitive and even the lightest touch could cause excruciating pain, let alone a careless hit! "'So, THAT'S why men go down when they get hit! Nature must REALLY want us to protect these!' Tyler mused, while having a painful flashback. He called Tiffany, who was glad to hear from him. He told her that he had the car and wanted to know if she wanted to eat out. She agreed, he soon picked her up, and they were heading out to eat. ### *HUUUH HUUUH HUUH HUH* Ryan tried to breathe. She felt herself becoming lightheaded, apparently running required more oxygen than she could take in through restricted bronchial tubes. Luckily she had the inhaler, and took a blast. 'That's scary stuff, not being able to breathe!'This was becoming more trouble than it was worth, so she retired, and went home. "Ryan, that you?" her mother asked. "Yeah, Mom. Seems I can't run with my asthma," she said, still breathing heavily. She felt that she could not catch her breath, "I'm scared!" she said, breathing faster, her face showing true worry. Even if there was a way to fix it, it was some 10 hours away. "Honey, honey! Slow down! You're having an anxiety attack," her mother comforted, lightly wrapping her arms around Ryan's small frame. "Breathe deeply, sweetie, breathe calmly." After a few minutes, Ryan felt mostly normal. "Thanks, Mom. I really felt like I was going to...to.." Ryan had never felt like that in her old body. She attributed the anxiety to feeling such suffocation for the first time ever. "It's okay, now, Ryan. I love you," she said softly, stroking Ryan's hair. "I love you too." Truthfully, this woman was very important to Ryan right now. She knew what to do and what to say in that scary moment. The two shared a hug, then Ryan retired to her room for the rest of the night, mostly browsing the Internet, looking for any information about the medallion. ### Pulling up to Tiffany's driveway, Tyler said, "I had a great time with you tonight. You are stunning, as always!" He took her hands into his, kissing them softly, making his way up her arm. He noticed the way she arched her back, and turned to make her neck accessible. "I'd better stop." This woke Tiffany from her dream-like reverie. "I need to get the car home, but I'll definitely be thinking about you, Tiff." He kissed her one more time, on the lips, tasting her lip gloss. "I'll see you in the morning, babe." His privates had been engorged the whole night it seemed, and even now, just looking at her walk away sexily wasn't helping. 'It's so easy to be a guy!', Tyler thought. He felt powerful, it felt natural for him to fool around with Tiffany, it felt natural to be hard. Tiffany wasn't his best friend, she was his GIRLFRIEND, who wanted him badly. It was as good as he imagined, "Being any other guy would have been a waste!" He thought. Upon getting to his own home, he went to his room, and sat. He was empty-mindedly rubbing his erection. All of the sudden he recieve a text from Tiffany reading: 'Thinking about my sexy man while I'm in the tub luv Tif' Tyler imagined Tiffany's naked body lathered, with her working the soap on her firm breasts, and taught stomach. As Ryan, he'd seen Tiffany's nude body many times, as Tyler he wanted to do naughty things to her body. He knew about msaturbation, and definitely wanted to try it now. Imagining Tiffany, he shot a load into a wad of toilet paper. "Oh. My. Lord. Incredible." He gasped as it was all over. "This is only the first day..." ### The next morning, Ryan woke, croaking, "What a horri... that wasn't a dream!" First thing first, she had to relieve herself, sitting on the toilet, she relaxed and felt the stream leave her, noticing how uncontrolled it was compared to being a guy. She then pulled off the rest of her clothes, and got a shower. She admitted it felt very nice, feeling the curves of her body while in the shower, her body getting goosebumps, and nipples getting hard. Once she had finished, she wrapped a towel around her waist, and looked into the mirror, wiping away the steam. She tried to make muscles, but there were none to be made. She tried towel-drying her hair, but it would not get dry; she now understood why some girls would come to school with wet hair. Once again, holding up a pair of pants, Ryan couldn't believe how small they, and the panties she had put on were. This was not because they were sexy; the panties just plain white cotton, hugged her body tightly, and she could feel the edges digging into her skin. The pants; regular female-cut blue jeans, just in such a small size to fit Ryan's body. She finished the ensemble with more plain clothes, glad the original Ryan dressed so dumpy. Although, as Tyler, she appreciated the efforts of Tiffany to be prettied up. With that she put on her prescription glasses, glad that her vision improved ten-fold. Downstairs, she noted that her mother was gone, so she had a glass of orange juice, and left for school. Checking her phone, she saw a message from Tyler reading: 'Go ahead 2 school me an tif will cya there' Apparently he sent it while she was in the shower. She wondered what was going on and would ask him as soon as she saw them, "Making changes to my schedule, dammit!" she said aloud. No later than she made it to school she saw them in her car, making out. "No! I don't take rides from her, dammit!" Just as she walked to the car, they were getting out. "Ryan!" Tiffany greeted, giving her a sisterly hug. Ryan returned the hug, glaring at Tyler, who was standing behind Tiffany, rocking on his heels, looking everywhere but at Ryan. "So, what's this? We normally walk together, don't we?" Ryan asked. "I thought you already knew," Tiffany said. She turned to Tyler, "You said you told her!" "I did, she got a text," Tyler replied. "But you didn't discuss it?" Tiffany asked. "What's there to discuss, babe?" Tyler said, opening his palms. Looking at Ryan, he said, "Well, this is how it's going to be, Ryan. Tiff and I-" He pulled Tiffany close. "Will be riding to school, alone, from here on." "Oh...uh, okay," Ryan answered, surprised that she was hurt, but then she realized 'fine,;it's going to stay that way when we switch back!' The original Ryan had gotten in their way enough as it was. "You're not mad, are you?" Tiffany asked her. "Oh, no. I'm glad my friends are happy with each other! Well, it's late, so I'll be seeing you then!" She waved, then turned, with her false smile, becoming a scowl. She would find Tyler later. ### In the hallways, Ryan noticed people literally turning their noses at her, making remarks, and even shoving her out of their way. After the fifth or sixth person shoved her, she turned around and shoved back. It was a defensive tackle from the team, Brandon Whitmeyer. He was big, but from Ryan's new perspective, he was gargantuan. Ryan didn't care at the moment. "You dick! I'm tired of getting pushed, dammit!" "Whoa," Brandon said, raising his hands in front of himself, "calm down... Weird Ryan." "What was that?" Ryan was still very mad over Tyler, allowing it to cloud her judgement, adding, "You big dummy! You have the only fat girl on the cheering squad!" "And when I tell her you said that, she's gonna kick your ass. The girls ain't giving you no lee-way because you're Ty's pal, for whatever reason that is. He's taken now, they have no stake in being nice to you." "But, you do, bro," Tyler interrupted, walking towards the two, who had a group gathering around them, "You're my bud, and so is she. I'd hate for any of that to change, Brandon," he said confidently. "Yeah, just tell her to chill," Brandon said, walking away gruffly. The crowd dispersed, and Ryan followed Tyler until they had privacy in a corner by a vending machine. "What is up with you? You can't change how things go between Tiffany and myself! That's not your call!" Ryan said angrily, looking up to her old face. "Actually, it's how things are going between Tiffany and MYself," Tyler retorted, causing anger to rise from Ryan, "Look, she sees me as her boyfriend right now. I'm just playing the role, am I not supposed to talk to her at all?" Ryan sighed. Tyler continued, "I'll let you in on a secret...prom night is going to be the one. She's hinted at it." Ryan gasped. "If her boyfriend isn't doing what needs to be done, how is it going to happen then? You see, it needs to be this way. I'm building up the tension." "Funny. That's what I've been wanting to tell you for a while, RYAN!" Ryan blasted. "I don't ''know about this anymore. I don't know what anything is, and I almost died trying to jog!" "The deal's off, we can switch back after school." Tyler let it simmer in Ryan's brain. Ryan rubbed her forehead, picturing that BMW. "No, I can do this. Just don't mess anything up, and don't touch Tiffany!" "You know that should I turn a cold shoulder to Tiffany, that could ruin our relationship." "OUR relationship," Ryan interrupted. "And put a damper on anything you might want to do in the near future, but I will not touch her if that's what you want." "Dammit." Ryan shook her head. It was absolutely true. Ryan wished she had considered all the variables when she took this on. "Fine, but mark my words, do not do anything..." The bell rang for class. ### The rest of the day passed like a breeze. Ryan, like the old Ryan, found everything dull and uninteresting, with nothing to concern herself other than the school work itself. Perhaps that's why she got such good grades, every other facet of school life bored her. The same way she ignored everything, everything ignored her. She would absolutely go crazy in a week of this self-inflicted hell. On the other hand, Tyler was living it up, popular with everyone, a hot girlfriend at his lap, and well respected by all. ### Later that day, in her room, Ryan looked for things to do after browsing forums on her PC. She knew what she needed; a video game. She looked at the 3DS, and wrinkled her nose. She looked through the games folder of the PC, and only found the games that came with Windows. She went to install a torrent client but it bogged down the PC so much that she decided to check the specs. "What the hell? This thing can't even play Wow! All Ryan must have ever done was look at Facebook, and play Farmville!" She called Tyler. "What's up Ryan, FREAKIN NOOB!!!" "Excuse me?" Ryan asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "Oh, not you! This douche has infinite airstrikes, how can you do that?! BULL!" "Modded gamesaves, or console." "This is such BS!" Uh, uhh, uhhh, and... BOOM, headshot!" Tyler screamed. "You know, I never understood what was so great about this Modern Warfare, until now. Wait, what? Did that guy just call me a n*****?" "They call everybody that. And well, about that.." "Huh? YOU SCRUB. Dammit!!!" Tyler shouted at the TV. Ryan rolled her eyes. "I need my Xbox. I have absolutely nothing to do here." "You have a computer," Tyler said annoyed. "That is weaker than a smartphone. Dual core, with intergated graphics. I can't play anything! Let me get the Xbox, my PC there is enough to run anything at ultra, it has a Ryzen 3950X and an RTX 2080Ti" "Yeah, but I want Xbox Live." "And here you had all that trash to talk about 'stupid video games' not so long ago." "Things have changed. YEAH, YOU'RE THE N*****!" "Will you turn that OFF?!" "Anyway, let me get to you later about that, I want to finish this session." And he hung up. Ryan had a hard time telling if this was worth it. The old Ryan seemed to have a wonderful time being Tyler, while nothing seemed good for the new one. The old Ryan seemed to make her own life miserable, and now it was just as bad for the person filling in her shoes. She had been a nice, caring, happy, girly, girl, until junior high, nobody knew what changed. Now she just seemed miserable, until she became Tyler. They would have to have a good talk about this, it did affect her life now. Ryan got back on the internet, and browsed BMW forums, thinking about the car that she was going to get when she swapped back to her real body. "Only a few days of this crap. He's definitely making me earn this money the hard way.'" ### Ryan's mother called up saying that she wanted them to eat downstairs together for once. As Tyler she was used to it with his parents, so it was no big deal. There were place settings for two. It didn't seem that this was normal in their household because of the way Ryan was. Ryan sat down, and dug into the pot roast that was prepared. The pot roast was a most delicious part of a horrible day. "I haven't seen you smile like that in years," Ryan's mother said, smiling as she watched her daughter remind her of past days. "I've forgotten how pretty your smile was." "Well, I did have braces for a while!" Ryan joked, trying to keep it soft. Her mother giggled at the joke. "What's gotten into you?" "Eh, I just feel different?" Ryan offered. ### The next day at school as Ryan walked to her first class, she was tripped. Ryan sprawled to the floor, much to the laughter of the whole hallway. She picked herself up, "Who did this?" She saw someone standing smugly with their arms crossed. "You!" It was Brandon Whitmeyer's girlfriend, Carla. Ryan got in Carla's face, breathing heavily. A crowd formed. "Weird, Cryin', Ryan." *BAM* Ryan pushed Carla against the lockers, and began to swing strikes at her face, as a man would. Carla was not exactly fat as Ryan exaggerated prior, but she still had about 30 pounds and 3 inches on Ryan. Carla turned her face, and grasped at the hair of Ryan which caused Ryan to grab her own hair to keep it from being yanked more. Carla tossed the smaller Ryan against the lockers with a thud, with her glasses flying off, and Carla going down to scratch at Ryan. Ryan quickly rolled out of the way, and as Carla stumbled, Ryan mounted her and picked up change off of Carla's face, with Carla covering herself, until an RA finally came at all the commotion, and easily picked Ryan up off her. Ryan was now gasping for breath, reaching for the air. She pointed to her school bag that contained her inhaler. The RA laid Ryan down, keeping her head tilted and sprayed the inhaler in her throat. Despite themselves, everyone watching was impressed by Weird Ryan's fighting. Ryan was taken to the nurses office to recover, and Carla taken to the principal's office to get a story. It was soon Ryan's turn for her story. "I just get bullied all the time, because I don't fit in," she said weakly. "But that doesn't mean that I don't know to take care of myself. There is only so much we can take." The principal cleared his throat. "Well, luckily for you, what happens is determined by your disciplinary record, and obviously you have none, as well as a group of people confirming that Ms. Ames started it. Consider this a fair warning. I don't want to see you back in here, Ryan." "Thank you, principal. You won't." Ryan was allowed to sit in the nurse's office until the next class. Upon walking to class, she saw a group of people whispering to each other, as she came to pass them. One girl who she didn't know stepped out. 'Oh great!' She thought, 'Carla's friends?' "That was awesome!" The others joined in. "You totally destroyed her!" a guy said. "We had no idea you could fight like that!" a girl exclaimed. "They won't mess with you anymore, huh?" another girl stated. "You fought like a guy!" Ryan couldn't help but take a little delight in the ass-kissing. Until a guy started to hit on her. ### Ryan hadn't seen much of Tyler or Tiffany this day. It was fine, once they switched back, the old Ryan would also have to honor what had been done. "I'll have Tiffany all to myself." He wouldn't disclude Ryan from their lives, but she would have to take a back seat, as the new Tyler seemed to favor. "It's his own doing." Upon arriving home, Ryan's mother ran up and grabbed her tightly. "My sweetie, are you okay? I heard about school." Ryan laughed. "The only person to worry about is Carla. I rearranged her face pretty good, she's going to need a lot of make-up." She smirked smugly. "And you're proud of that?" her mother asked. "Sure. She forced my hand. Into her face," Ryan said with a small crooked smile. "I'm proud of you too." Truthfully, Ryan's mother didn't want to encourage this kind of thing, but Ryan seemed to be filled with a spunk that she hadn't had in a long time. She was glad that her daughter was becoming human again. She gave Ryan a kiss on the cheek, for the first time in years. "Ryan?" "Yes? "I know you haven't said anything about the prom, but are you still planning on not going?" "As far as I know." A truthful answer. Old Ryan would be back by then and new Ryan didn't want to answer for her. "Well, have you even asked anyone?" "No..." "Has anyone asked you?" her mother asked, hoping to get a yes on this, at the least. Highschool boys like anything that breathes(or not!), surely her Ryan was wanted by SOMEBODY? "Well, this guy was hitting on me after the fight," she said, giving her mother a ray of hope. Ryan's mother sighed with relief. "And?" Her mother mentally had her fingers crossed. Ryan shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, well, I was thinking." ### Ryan found herself at a 'Forever 21' with her mother. "Oh, G-d!" "I want to get some pictures with you directly after school tomorrow. I'll be dropping you off, and picking you up. I'm off of work. I want to get you a nice outfit, and have you styled. It's a one time thing, sweetie. It's all I ask, since I can't get you to go prom, with a beautiful dress, on the arm of a handsome guy. I hear Tiff is with Tyler. Shame you couldn't get him, he was always a good kid, and I hear he's all grown up, the big star player." Ryan blushed, visibly. Her mother noticed this. "You like him?" Ryan wasn't used to her skin actually being able to change colors. But the blushing was due to her mother talking about her old self. "No," she answered, "it's just weird hearing you talk about him. He's my friend after all." "But more so for Tiffany." She looked at her daughter to gage her reaction. Why did she not care about boys? Maybe she did like a boy; Tyler. She did notice Ryan shift uneasily at that mention. While Ryan's mother wanted to get pictures with her, her main focus was to get her daughter to actually go to school dressed up a little nicer than usual. Seemed that she was being pliable for the moment. They left the store with clothes that would accent Ryan's body, including a push-up bra, tight low-rise jeans, a thong, and a lace tank top, finished off with simple low-heeled sandals. "Time for the salon!" Ryan's mother piped. "Oh, fun!" Ryan said sarcastically. ### When they were done, Ryan's face and hair had been completely transformed. Her big expressive eyes were actually that once again, accented by greenish-blue eyeliner to accent her now black hair. Her brows trimmed into fine arches. Her small, but full lips had a glossy bright pink coat on them, her cheeks also accented with a pink blush. Her black hair; the front swept in uneven bangs with either side swept behind her ears, with the back portion straight, going to her neck. A dark, but feminine raven. Just subtle changes, that went a big way to change her appearance. ### The next morning Ryan's mother woke her. "Rise and shine, Ryan! It's really time for you to shine today. Go run a bath, make sure you shave everywhere, and get ready." "Everywhere?" "Yes, everywhere. It needs to be done for the underwear and pants. They aren't made for an unshaven lady. A girl your age should know this, but this is probably the first time you're getting into nice clothes that I recall. I also have to retouch everything done yesterday when you get finished." Ryan headed to her bathroom, her mother spoke again. "And darling, I'm so proud of you." In the tub, Ryan softly washed her body. She was now used to most of its differences from her old one. Ryan hadn't done any playing around, although she couldn't be for certain that Tyler was showing the same respect. She would talk to Tiffany today, and see how things were going, and hopefully that wasn't too far. The new Tyler wasn't completely trustworthy, after his handling of Ryan. Drying off, Ryan could feel her new smoothness, and it was strange to say the least. She'd never shaven below the neck as Tyler, or even as Ryan so far, and everything was hairy or fuzzy Not so, anymore. "The real Ryan better appreciate this! I'm probably doing more for her Mom than she ever does, and I'm just trying to be a decent kid." Ryan could tell that the old Ryan probably had a strained relationship at best with her mother, her mother was clinging tightly to the new one, since she actually tried not to be a joy-kill as old Ryan always seemed to want to do. "Ryan better do all she can to please this woman!" "Okay, there!" Ryan's mother slid the small gold hoop earrings through the holes in her ears, for the finishing touches, after she'd retouched Ryan's hair and face. "You're so beautiful, baby!" Mer mother cried. It had been almost 6 years since she'd seen her Ryan look this cute, this was a momentous occasion. She didn't understand Ryan's change of heart, but it was certainly welcome. Gail added the final touch by giving Ryan contact lenses. "Mom, stop it! I feel like a child! This is embarrassing me, and no one is even around!" Ryan exclaimed as her mom hugged her tightly. "I don't care! I have my beautiful baby back!" She kissed Ryan all over the face lightly, as one would do with their young child. Ryan had a laugh, and soon they were headed to drop Ryan off at school. "Remember, 'we're having pictures done right after school!" "Okay, Mom, see you then!" Ryan waved, as she turned toward the school. On Ryan's end, she didn't understand her mother swooning over her so much. Had the old Ryan dissolved their relationship so much that her mother would take anything she could get, so desperately? She wanted to play the role for the week, but the upbringing she had as Tyler, didn't allow her to act that way. She saw her mother's condition, and just wanted to help the best she could, being her mother's little girl. It might make things strange when the old Ryan gets her body back, and goes back to being 'Ryan', but Ryan would make her mother happy while she could. ### "Oh my God! Ryan Winters!? That's you?" "Uh, yeah. My Mom wants some photos right after school. She made me." This was a common conversation this day at school. After her fight yesterday, people were slightly more interested in her, and her new style, and nicer, brighter demeanor set it off. Ryan could notice the interested eyes of a few guys on her, she didn't need to be a girl that long to know these things. She could feel heads turn for another look, she could even see guys' eyes lingering at the small cleavage in her blouse, and tight crotch, and rear of her pants. "Ryan?" She knew this voice. "Hey, Tiffany," she greeted, then saw Tyler, his arm around her waist. "Hi Tyler." "Hey." He nodded. "Wow, you look great!" Tiffany gushed. Tyler nodded again, with raised eyebrows, agreeing. "Thank you." She smiled. For some reason, she was pleased, but also slightly embarrassed. "Mom wanted some photos directly after school." Tyler smirked, as Ryan looked down nervously, saying, "I need to borrow this guy for a sec." "Oh, sure!" Tiffany hoped that Ryan was asking about getting with one of Tyler's friends. Tyler followed Ryan back outside, to the smoker's congregation spot. There was nobody there, as class was about to start. Tyler began. "Pictures, huh?" Ryan sighed. "Yeah... I can't refuse her, she seems happy." Tyler shook his head. "She's always tried to get me to do stuff like that. You do know that this is about getting you a date? She'd been bugging you about that, right?" "Of course." "But you still want to please everyone," Tyler stated. "What are you saying?" Ryan demanded. "We've been friends forever, I know that you're pushed hard, and part of the result is the need to please people, like your mother." "YOUR mother. Look, I just can't be so cold about it like you." "It's not being cold; It's my lack of interest. I don't care about any of the stuff she wants, it's typical teenage suburban girl stuff. I forgot that dare anyone have their own opinion..." Tyler was getting visibly upset. "So is this why you traded with me?" "Some of the reasons, yes. There are a lot of things I like about this, more than I imagined admittedly. But nevermind that, how are you getting along?" Tyler stopped himself before getting too upset, and revealing anything. "It hasn't been the greatest experience." Ryan recounted some things that happened, and how she felt about it. Tyler just smiled like a cheshire cat. "So, have you played the fiddle?" "Heavens, no!" Ryan said red-faced just at the thought. "I wouldn't feel right, disrespecting your body like that." Both teens had been looking about the area for anyone coming to smoke, but as usual, the pre-class period was not a choice time. "You're wearing that body, it's yours. You should get something out of it." "Because you've been messing with Tiffany? Have you? What have you done?" Tyler put his finger up to his mouth, hushing Ryan. "She and I have only made out." "T. M. I," Ryan spelled aloud through clenched teeth. "This is something I totally didn't think about. You get all the fun with my girl, while I get nothing. Well, you're a girl, so you're probably feel gay kissing her," Ryan consoled herself aloud. "Yeah, it's not enjoyable at all. Just trying to keep up appearances." Ryan didn't see the crook form on the face of Tyler. "Why would I possibly want to do that?" "Yeah, and thanks for giving me my Xbox later today." "You are not getting my Xbox." Tyler laughed. ### As the school day progressed, Ryan found today much better than the previous days, all thanks to her fight, and new look. From this point of view, Ryan was amused at how the sheep flocked to her simply because of those two reasons. Now if only those pesky guys would stop trying at her all of the sudden! "Today wasn't as bad," Ryan thought, hopefully the old Ryan would use this to an advantage when she got her body back. The new Ryan thought about the role she was giving herself, but for everyone involved, it was worth the work. When she became Tyler again, the old Ryan would hopefully have better things to do with herself, than bother Tyler and Tiffany. ### There were four days left in the agreement. Ryan wouldn't be able to get much accomplished, but it would be a start to possibly run with. She couldn't understand what the old Ryan wanted out of life, or what made her tick, so there was no telling what the outcome would be. She imagined that the old Ryan might just try and remain 'Ryan' despite any work done to help her. Ryan came to school with more attention to her appearance for the next few days, and also tried to spend more time with her mother. This opened up people at school, just that quickly, and her mother loved the time she got to spend with Ryan now. Ryan still wouldn't commit to the prom, as old Ryan's plans didn't include it, and probably wouldn't change. ### Ryan's phone rang. "Tiffany?" "What's up? We have barely talked all week." Ryan searched for a non-committal answer. "Uh, busy with some of this, some of that." "Sounds like something Ty usually says." "Oh." This was exactly why they hadn't spoken; Ryan didn't have anything to speak to Tiffany about from this side. Except..."So, how are things with you and Tyler?" "Ohmigod. So amazing, Ryan!" she squealed. "I don't know what's changed, but he's different, more sexy. Just thinking about him right now, drives me crazy!" "Oh", Ryan affirmed. "Ryan, how can someone fall in love again, with the guy she already loves?" "Uh, what's so different?" Ryan asked suspiciously. "Just, like, everything," Tiffany sighed. Ryan could hear the loving contentment in that sigh. "It's like he's more spontaneous, and he gives me so much attention, and it's like his flirtation skills developed overnight. I don't know how to explain it. You know, I always liked him, I asked him out, but things had always been very slow. Sometimes, I wondered if he even liked me." "Of course I, he liked you," Ryan answered, almost forgetting her role. Unfortunately, she would be unable to explain anything. "I know, but I wasn't sure as friends, or as more? It seemed like we were just good friends who maybe kissed every blue moon, rather than a boyfriend, girlfriend relationship. I was considering breaking it off." Ryan was in shock. She thought that things were going well. She had no idea that Tiffany felt this way. "Oh, wow." "Ryan, I feel so wonderful. I wish you could feel what I feel!" 'What is he doing with her?,' Ryan thought to herself. "You know me, love isn't for me," she answered, trying to sound like Ryan. "But, I'm happy for you. Uhm, my Mom is calling for me, so I gotta run. I'll make sure I talk to you soon." "Ryan? That didn't sound like you at all. Is there something wrong?" Tiffany asked, concern marking her voice. "No, no, Tiff! I've just got a bit going on. I promise, we'll go out, or do something soon. Okay?" "That's definitely not like you. But sure! That'll be amazing!" Ryan laughed nervously. "Yeah. I gotta go." "Love ya, girlie!" Ryan hung up, confused, and angry. ### Friday, after school, Ryan walked home alone as had been the usual for the week. She could not keep a grin off her face for the entire day. Girls asked her if she had found a guy for prom, or a boyfriend. Ryan felt weird talking to the girls at that angle, but as with the role of a new Ryan, she managed - her conversation, being evasive half-lies. Nobody had seen Ryan like this, and the few who went to the same elementary couldn't remember Ryan not being the kill-joy loner who was around Tiffany so much. Now in her room, she lay across the bed planning out tomorrow. She would get up and go to Tyler immediately, change, claim the money, get the car, get ready, then surprise Tiffany by showing up in the car, and then taking her to the prom, then as far as she knew, something that she had been waiting for, building up to, would take place. ### Ryan spent most of the afternoon daydreaming about the prom. How amazing everything was going to be! Over the course of the week, she barely gave any attention to the fact that she had a different body than she was used to. After the first day, the acute awareness wore, and it just seemed normal. Life, on the other hand, would be constantly reminded that she was no longer Tyler at the moment. "Why have you alienated everyone? That's the hardest thing about being you. Nobody cares if I'm here, there, or anything. People are nasty to me, and your mother is taking anything I give her. This is hard. You never were like this before, what changed?" Despite having Ryan's body, the thought processes, and memories were Tyler's. She could not reach into the depths of her mind and find the reasons. Was she jealous, or upset about not maturing faster, or becoming the knock-out Tiffany was? That couldn't be it. Ryan could still be cute if she wanted to, maybe not HOT, but cute in that alternative way, like Amy Lee on the cover of 'Fallen' from Evanescence. Alternatively, she could use the medallion to become a perfect version of herself, or anything. Ryan's mother loved her, and though her father died before Tyler ever knew her, that hadn't affected her attitude then. They had a loving home and Ryan's mother wanted her company more than anything. The kids at school opened up to her fairly quickly with minimal effort, proving that she could have friends, even superficial ones. What could it be? The experience made her want to know these things about "herself", but tomorrow, Ryan would be Tyler again, and the old Ryan would be back in her own body. Still laying about, Ryan also thought about how her daily life became just like the old Ryan's. She knew on account from Tiffany that Ryan never did much, and somehow she also fell into the same slump, despite trying to change it. Perpetual boredom would be a part of Ryan's life no matter what, it seemed. There was something said to Ryan earlier that she now thought about. This would be the last chance to actually get acquainted with this body. She'd dealt with all the bad that came with it, but hadn't encountered any of the good. She hadn't been in the mood, and even now, this was more of a 'why not?' moment. Ryan had been slightly tempted, but she'd heard about how great it is supposed to be for women, and didn't want to get addicted, or who knows what. The fear of vices that Tyler's parents put into him were still strong, even now. 'Well, he IS enjoying the company of Tiffany everyday, a little too much', she thought, as she began to strip. She finally took stock of her body, it was nice, in that general way that all girls who are not overweight, are. She locked the door, just in case, and sat in the padded computer chair, with her legs spread. She looked down at her young, upturned breasts, and cupped them. She felt the nipples tense against her palms, as she now began to stroke them with her thumbs. She grabbed the computer mouse, and did an adult video search, watching some girls masturbate in front of a camera. She now found herself absently rubbing various parts of her body, from her flat, but supple stomach, to her recently shaven mound. She watched as a girl hefted her own breasts up and sucked her own nipple, and found herself wondering what it would be like to have her nipple sucked, they were far more sensitive than they'd been as Tyler. Ryan watched as another manipulated her genitals, and taking a cue, she made similar motions, gasping at the feelings. She grabbed at her own ass, reveling in it's soft, giving skin, moving back to her privates, she now had a sheen about her hands, from her juices. She lifted up a finger, and smelled, surprisingly, there was none. She'd heard the term 'smells like sex', and figured there would be a 'pussy smell'. Watching the videos, she furiously rubbed herself to orgasm. Small, cute gasps escaped her mouth, as she involuntarily trembled from the waves of pleasure that hit. Catching her breath, Ryan sat, still playing with a nipple, her juices lubricating her fingers. "Oh, God that was incredible!" she said, as she thought how much better it would be with a girl doing that to her, or what would a pen..."No!" She couldn't help but think of the pleasure that the girls appeared to be in as they got plowed. "This is getting to be a bit much." Now that she had come down, she realized that she made a mess on the chair. "It would be totally embarrassing for Ryan to come back and see this!" she said, while getting cleaning supplies, still naked. She cleaned the chair, took a shower. Walking out of the bathroom in just panties, she felt sexy. "Ryan's got a nice little body," she said. "I can only imagine what Tiffany looks like naked! I cannot wait to have my dick back." Climbing into her bed for the last time, Ryan lay, again thinking about tomorrow. She spent a while roaming her body with her hands, wondering how she avoided it all week. It was nice, but not nearly as nice as what was going to happen tomorrow. ### *YAWN!* Ryan stretched as she got up. Today was the day! She would go to Tyler's house, get changed back, and take care of all the necessary business related to the prom. Then after the prom, more intimate matters. She knew a little about what felt good, still wishing a little that she'd have spent a little more time on it. This morning, her breasts felt slightly tender as she quickly threw on a t-shirt and sweats. "Must have been a little rough," she thought. "Hey?" "What..?" Tyler groggily asked, answering his cell. "You know what day it is, I'm coming over right now, before anyone's parents are up." Tyler grunted. "Can't you wait until I get up?" Ryan gasped. "You can't be serious? I have a ton of stuff to do!" "I'm playing, geez, you're such a girl." Tyler chuckled. "Thanks to you. See you in five," Ryan said, hitting the end button. She felt that something was not quite right, as if she had bad food yesterday. "That damn Taco Bell, I guess this body can't stomach beef made out of sand!" She quietly left for Tyler's house, not bothering to use the restroom, wash up, or do anything that would create noise. As she approached her old house, she saw her old self slowly open the door, and usher her in. They tip-toed up the stairs, and into his room, closing the door behind them. "Alright, let's have it," Ryan said, wanting to see the medallion. Tyler produced it. "Good," Ryan answered. "You transferred the money to my account?" "Yesterday," Tyler said nodding. "It's been...interesting, but I can't wait to be myself again," Ryan said with a huge smile. "Yeah," Tyler agreed. "There are clothes around, so just touch the medallion to anything here, and you'll become me." "Become myself," Ryan corrected. "Yeah," Tyler agreed again. "So did you have any fun?" "Did I ever. People wanted to kick my ass for no good reason, everything was boring, and your mom was treating me like a baby. Oh, I almost died like twice. It was just great!" Tyler twisted his face. "Tell us how you really feel." Having touched the medallion to a random shirt, Ryan felt the tingle of the changes begin. "Aren't you going to do the same?" She asked, her changes slightly underway. She took off her clothes, as she would outgrow them in minutes. "Let me double-check this account transfer, then I will." Tyler answered. "Well, I wanted to ask you. Why have you been the way you were since Jr.High?" "What's that supposed to mean?" "You know. You've been 'different' since then, you finally seemed to hit your stride, when you became me." Tyler sighed. "There are a lot of things I really like about this. There are things that I want, that have evaded me forever, and thanks to this, I finally had them." "Popularity, looks, strength?" Ryan questioned, her body in the middle of transforming. "Among others." "You can use the medallion to give yourself looks, and strength, although at the risk of sounding narcissistic, I think I managed to make you look pretty good. All you have to do is run with it." "If only it were that simple." After nearly 20 minutes of conversation, the original Tyler finally looked up to see himself. Well almost himself. "Hey, you need to change back, Ryan. There are two of me right now!" Tyler said, happy to hear his own voice come from his mouth again. The doppelganger looked at him puzzled. As Tyler got up to get clothes, he realized something. It still felt empty between his legs. Clutching his...vagina, he said a bit loudly, "I still have a VJ!" His body quickly reverted back into Ryan's form. "What the hell?" Tyler, now again Ryan wondered aloud. "I touched the damn thing, why didn't it work!" "I...don't know," Ryan, still Tyler said. "There's only two things that keep you from changing; pregnancy, or period." "No way I'm pregnant! A period? Are you kidding me?" Ryan nearly shouted. She picked up the sweats, and the panties that were still wadded in them, and sure enough, they were spotted. "SSSSHHHH!" Tyler hushed. "Oh my God, I might have changed your normal period pattern, when I changed into a kid, then older again. I'm sorry." "So what's this mean?" Ryan asked, worry clear in her voice. "You're going to be a girl for another week." "NO! Today is the prom! Try it again! It's a mistake!" Ryan protested. "I'm getting my car, and I'm taking Tiffany to this dance, and we are going to do it!" "You have to calm down. You're in my room naked, and shouting, I'm sure you don't want to be discovered like this, and nor do I. Just relax." He laid a comforting hand on her small shoulder. Her naked form was very arousing to Tyler. "And put those clothes back on." "Just relax? This is senior prom. I didn't even get to go to junior. There is only ONE of these a lifetime! This was not worth it!" Ryan cried. Every reason she agreed to this was being taken away. "I'm sorry Ryan, I didn't realize it. At Least I hadn't used it too, then there'd be two of you. I don't know what I can do." "Don't go to prom." "What? Be reasonable," Tyler said. "You know it's going to look bad if Tiffany and I don't go." "So. With Ryan inside that body," Ryan pointed to her former form. "Why would that even be something that bothers you? I have been paying attention to the subtle things, and you are way too comfortable. If you go there is no way to know if you'll do it." "C'mon, Ryan. I have only been playing this role to make sure nothing's out of place." "Tiffany's told me alot. I didn't even do that kind of stuff." "Then I improved the relationship. I'll bet she says she likes everything I'm doing." Tyler smirked. He read her expression, and softened. "I'm really sorry about this, but there isn't anything that can be done about it. I'll take care of today's business the best I can. In the meantime, you have hygiene to attend to." Ryan got up and stormed out of the house, fuming. Tyler's words were not comforting at all. "Asshole!" she shouted. "He'd better not!" In reality there was nothing to stop him, but would he want to? He was originally a girl, so maybe everything he did was just for the role, and he was not actually interested in being with Tiffany. Then she remembered some of her own wandering thoughts last night. "Oh God!" She was in her room red-eyed, beating a pillow. "He's gonna do it!" Ryan sobbed herself to sleep. ### Watching Ryan storm down the street, Tyler was relieved. "I almost thought she was going to actually change back!" He planned this from the beginning, and just needed an opening to get the old Tyler to trade places. He also knew that Ryan's period should have started soon. When he was Ryan, he chose clothes that were last worn within a week before her period, so when the old Tyler changed into Ryan, her period would start near prom, before the agreement was over. He felt a little bad, but he needed this. Tyler busied himself with the plans the original Tyler laid out for the day. He told his parents that he saved the money for the car he wanted, and would require them to help him get it. Afterwards, he got a fresh haircut, and finished getting ready. Tyler's week had been much different from Ryan's. Tyler was having the time of his life. He had everything a highschool kid could want, including the perfect girlfriend. This was his motivation, as Ryan, he knew he loved Tiffany as more than friends, and he also knew that Tiffany would never love Ryan the way she wanted to be loved. It was a drain knowing that Tiffany was so close, yet so far away. Ryan lived for Tiffany, nothing else mattered. That was the reason that her zest for life had faded. Just being Ryan, a girl, meant that one most important thing would always elude her. Shedding her frail body to get Tiffany wasn't a big price to pay, infact she considered being a Tyler a bonus, and felt a little sorry for him. Tyler felt that the new Ryan was much better suited than himself in that part. In that short week, she bettered her social standing and the relationship with her mother, and much to everyone's surprise she managed to look pretty hot the other day. He would use this opportunity to make himself one with Tiffany, and then once the new Ryan was off of her period, he would begrudgingly give this body back to its original owner, only after having explained away the situation, or pretending it never happened. Tyler figured that Tiffany might spill the news to Ryan given her role as Tiffany's bestie. "What can she do, anyway?" Tyler thought aloud, shrugging his shoulders. ### Back at home, Ryan finally got up. Cursing, she administered care to herself, which she found repulsive. What could she do? Would anything make or convince either Tyler or Tiffany not to go to the prom? The medallion? Tyler had it, and she knew that he wouldn't let her have it. Ryan stayed in her room, the minutes on the clock counting down on her like Chinese Water Torture. She needed several inhalations of medicine, and she was a wreck. Once she noticed that it was time, she had to go, to be out of the house. What could she get into, on prom night, that didn't involve actually going to prom? Drinking...and pills. As Tyler she'd drank with the team once, but after the slight hang-over, that was enough. Drugs were an uncharted water, but if there was any time that she ever needed ' recreational relaxation' it was now. The captain would know where to score, but he'd be useless right now, at the prom, dancing with his girlfriend, like everyone else, like Tyler with Tiffany! She put on shoes, and a hoodie, and headed out. The not-so well-laid plan was to catch the metro, get off near a convenience store and hope someone would go in the store, then find a guy who knows a guy. ### Stepping off the bus, she breathed in the foul odors from this part of town. Ryan could hardly believe that this was the same city. This was the type of place that Tyler's parents were trying to shield him from. A place from which no good could come. There was a small corner store here, and shifty-looking people accompanying it. She was beginning to feel very self-conscious about being a small girl here, but reasoned that nobody would really be interested in her. "Hey? hey!" Ryan waved a younger guy over. He didn't appear to be penniless, so she imagined that he wouldn't run with the money. "Can you get me some drinks out of there?" "What's in it for me?" the guy asked, appraising Ryan. "I'll give you ten bucks." Ryan started walking, the man following her. "And if you help me score, even more." "I don't know. You could be PD. You don't look like anyone I've ever seen before, and you're definitely not from around. You stick out." "Do I look old enough to be a cop?" Ryan answered. "I dunno. Show me your titties." "What?" "Easiest cop check. So then?" He nodded noncommittally. The man's argument was actually pretty sound but Ryan had to wonder. "All that for some booze?" "My protection, and I may or may not know where to get a hit." "Okay, okay." Ryan looked around, getting closer to the man, pulling the shirt away from her chest. "I need to see the whole thing, cop." Ryan pulled the bra down. "Let me get a little touch." These tits were too nice and perky for him to resist. Ryan exasperatedly agreed. He guided her to the side of a building, and copped his feel. Ryan's nipples reacted, much to her surpise. "Okay, stop," Ryan said breathily. She was turned on, despite the situation. The man looked down at Ryan saying. "It was business, but I can't say it wasn't nice. Consider that payment for this, and we'll take care of that other matter after I come out. Any requests?" He asked, removing his arm. "I'm just trying to get smashed. Whatever does the job well," Ryan answered. Minutes later, Ryan's new pal emerged with a bag. "I've got you some Southern Comfort, and cherry Coke just in case, lightweight," he said, handing her the bag. "Follow me." Ryan followed him into an alley behind the store. She imagined this could be quite possibly the most idiotic thing she'd ever done. "Now, I have this," he said, handing Ryan a small bag with white powder. "The other coke." "I just wanted some E or some shrooms," Ryan said weakly. "But this will get you so much more messed-up. The high will be life- changing." His teeth gleamed like the fangs of a wolf. "I don't know." "It's on me. You just come back to ME when you want more, and I'll take care of you." "Free?" "Just this one time baby girl." He stuffed the bag into her hand. "Ask for Little J next time. Bus is in five minutes. Be good." "Sure." She walked out from the alley, noting that "Little J" disappeared into the darkness of the alley. Ryan knew that she would in- fact never be seeing "Little J" again. ### As Jay traversed the slums, he thought about his new friend. "She's about to learn that nothing is free." He could only imagine when she'd be coming back for more, and then when she ran out of money, what would she start doing for it? It seemed such a waste, she was young, cute, and definitely didn't come from the slums. "But that's business," he thought. There's a start-up cost, that free hit was the cost to start the franchise. ### Now again stepping off the bus, Ryan had the ingredients for a fun night. Everyone she knew would be at the prom. That wasn't going to stop her from getting wasted. She left her haul in a wooded area behind Tyler's house, she went in, checked with her mother, and said she'd be out a bit longer, just getting air. Ryan's mother trusted her, if nothing else she hadn't ever been a problem child. Reaching the woods, she rested against a tree trunk, and opened the bag. The trip to get the stash was interesting enough, but now was the time for the real fun. No prom. No car. No Tiffany. No sex tonight with Tiffany in the said car, after the prom. No problem. Ryan didn't know much about what she was doing, but she knew that the amount of powder to take should be small. So she took a small sip of the whiskey. "Better than the beer, from what I recall." She poured some of it out and mixed the cola with it, and enjoyed it slightly more. Starting to feel a buzz, she thought about the drugs she had. "Eh, why not?" She took out the bag, and placed a line on her hand. She'd only seen it done in movies, but she figured it couldn't be that hard to do drugs. She inhaled hard, sliding her hand across her nose. "OH SHIT!" she screamed, as her face went numb. "Yeah, that's it!" She looked around, breathing hard, resembling a rodent. "Yes, yes, yes! This is delicious!" She continued a bit more, until she began to feel uneasy. Was she just going to let Tyler have Tiffany while she did nothing about it? No! She felt like Superman, nobody could stop her tonight! She was going to that school, and getting Tiffany, NOW! ### "Ryan Winters? You didn't get a ticket," the committee member said. "So..." Ryan slurred. "I need Ti..Tiffany." "You're drunk!" another called out. "Get the police." "I am..goin in there anyways" Ryan pushed through the gym doors. The female doorman asked her male partner what he was going to do about it, to which he replied, "Nothing, I'm not getting sued!" His partner sighed. Stumbling through the darkened gym, Ryan saw the forms of Tyler and Tiffany in the very middle illuminated by a spotlight, with a banner reading "King and Queen" above. "Get back here!" voices called out, prompting the music to stop, and every single person to look at Ryan. "Hey, YOU!" a drunken, high Ryan called to Tyler. "You have MY girl, and MY body! I'm supposed to be up there, not YOU!!" she screamed, quickly approaching the two. "Ryan!" Tiffany said in an authoritative tone, then noticed. "Oh my God, you're drunk?" She could smell the alcohol from feet away. "Ryan, what are you doing?" Tyler demanded. "About to kick your ass!" Ryan answered. Tyler backed up slightly. "Better yet! Everyone!" All faces in the room turned to her. "I'm Ryan Winters, look at me!" She removed her hoodie, and shirt, revealing her naked torso to the school. They all let an audible gasp. "And I like girls, because I'm soooo gaaaay!" She turned to Tyler, looking wild- eyed, practically foaming. "This is MINE, NOT YOURS, RYAN!" With that she charged a stunned Tiffany, knocking her to the ground, and began to fondle her. Breaking from his stun, Tyler went to grab Ryan off her, but she punched him in the testicles, causing him to go down. "Please stop, Ryan!" Tiffany cried. "You don't know what you're doing!" Somebody please help!" Tiffany found that Ryan seemed much stronger than herself. She also found nobody willing to help, as they watched a drunk, naked girl assault the prom queen and king. Ryan felt her upper lip become warm, and her mouth become salty. Ryan reached her hand to face, seeing blood smeared across it. Tiffany used this moment to escape, with Ryan just falling over, crawling into a ball and crying, as the whole school looked on. "There she is, she's just ruined the prom!" The RA pointed, as a police officer shuffled through the gym. He located Ryan's hoodie, and retrieved it to cover her nakedness immediately, and as he did so, a bag with residue came out of the pocket. 'This just got a lot more difficult,' the officer thought. He checked her, and saw residue on her. He radioed that he would need an ambulance, and got Ryan's info from the school. The officer had a police hold put on Ryan when she was released from the hospital. ### The viral video of the week," the newswoman began. "At a Texas high school prom, a high, drunken student crashes the party, bares herself, and assaults classmates. She was later found to also have cocaine on her person. With the video clearly showing the events unfold, prosecutors want to go ahead with the case. The girl, whose name we can't say, because she's a minor, was an honors student, and had no prior record. She faces felony drug charges, and sexual assault, among others, and will be arraigned Tuesday." "And in other news..." ### Once Ryan awoke, she could not believe what she had done. Everything was surreal, she was in jail, facing charges that threatened to ruin everything. She spoke with her crying, worried mother, apologizing for what she had done. Ryan truly felt bad about that, because since they switched, her mother seemed to be happier with the new Ryan. Other than that, someone took a video, making the charges just that harder to fight. Even if Tiffany and Tyler didn't want anything to happen, they didn't have the say. Video and witness statements meant otherwise. How could she be so careless and reckless? She had borderline overdosed, and it could be a long time before she could be switched back. What did Tyler think about the news? This would affect him if they switched back. Surely he still wanted his original body, as Ryan back? Ryan found jail unpleasant to say the least. She was locked down when most of the other women were in the lounge area, due to her age. The walls were a dull shade of gray-blue, the bunks, toilet and sink, just enough to suffice. There was no way Ryan could have imagined in a million years that she would ever be in a place like this! ### At her arraignment a few days later, as she sat in a full court room, seeing her sobbing mother in the front row, she saw case after case arraigned, finally she was formally read the charges, which included two felonies, and a slew of class one misdemeanors. Ryan could do no more than shake her head, trying to be strong for her mother. It was her mother who broke down, wrenching Ryan's heart. She loved her own family, but putting Ryan's mother through this hurt just as much, for some reason, as if she had damaged her own family. Ryan's mother watched as her daughter stood at the podium in the oversized jumper, and shackles, standing calmly as the charges were read, looking so out of place. "These charges carry the possibility of prison, if you want, a court- appointed attorney will be provided free of charge, or you can get your own. What will you do?" Ryans heart raced. She tried to be stoic but failed. She was intimidated by the judge, the courtroom, and the setting. Her palms began to sweat, and she removed her glasses, which were wet with sweat. After taking deep breaths, she weakly croaked, "Court-appointed." Ryan's mother rose, proclaiming that she would hire an attorney, but Ryan shook her head no. There was no reason to waste money on a lawyer for such a tight-sealed case. It would take more than a fancy lawyer to keep her from at least being a felon. After that, the rest wouldn't matter anyway. "Very well, you will meet with Mr. Forester, your attorney, in the consultation area," the judge said, his air of authority absolute. As Ryan was led away, she looked at her mother's tear stained face, with her own watery eyes, mouthing 'I'm so sorry, I love you, Mom.' "I love you, baby," her mother windedly said. ### An hour or so later, Ryan's lawyer suggested that he would speak to prosecution on the matter of bond, and asked her what she wanted to do regarding a trial. He told her that she could have a jury trial, or waive trial, and plea which might be easier considering what he read about the case, upon getting her file. He mentioned that he could try and get a plea deal, if she wanted to go no contest, but that she should consider bond first, as it would give her some freedom before the verdict and sentencing. "So there's no way out of jail?" Ryan asked. "Prison, Ms. Winters." He looked up. "According to the file, this became a well-publicized event, the crimes also took place at a school zone, rather INSIDE the school, which sees harsher penalties. Obviously I will do what I can. You are an exemplary student, and have no priors, but that won't lessen the seriousness of these crimes. I'm sorry." "Oh my God!" Ryan cried. "My life is ruined!" "No, no!" Mr. Forester said, putting his hand on her small shoulder. "It's definitely a set-back, but you're still very young, and there will be plenty of opportunities for you, Ryan." Ryan knew he was trying to be kind, she sobbed, bringing her hands up to meet the lawyer's resting hand on her shoulder, and cried onto her shoulder. She never felt this weak, and vulnerable before. The lawyer soothingly rubbed Ryan's back. He may have been a court- appointed lawyer, but this was a very young, bright girl, whose life was just ruined. Breaking the calm, Mr. Forester told Ryan, "I need to know what you want to do." Ryan wiped her face, sadly replying, "No bond. Just get whatever deal you can, and let's be done with this today." Again, no reason to waste her mother's money, since in the end, it would change little to be free today, but serving a prison term in a month or two. She told him her reasoning, and asked him to share it with her mother after the result. "Are you sure, Ryan?" "No. But does it matter? I'm going to prison and I'll be a felon. I can't say that I could have fathomed this, but it is." Mr. Forester nodded, surprised at her grasp of reality for a young person. ### Ryan was brought back out to face the judge. I understand that you wish to forego a bond hearing, and trial, and you wish to plead no contest? Is this correct?" The judge asked, seeming to Ryan to be so much more than a man. This "man" controlled so many lives, including hers at the moment. "Yes, she does your Honor." "Ms. Winters, do you feel that you have been given adequate counsel to reach this decision?" Mr. Forester nodded to Ryan, who nervously answered, "Yes." Mr. Forester mouthed 'your Honor', to which Ryan followed, "Your Honor." "Very well," the judge acknowledged. "You will be presented with waivers to sign." The court proceeded with others as this was done. Mr. Forester spoke to prosecution, and made sure Ryan was up to knowledge on the proceedings, and likely outcomes. The judge continued. "Ms. Winters, the court acknowledges your right to waive trial. You have entered a plea of 'No Contest', and the court is going to find you guilty on the charges of class A drugs; less than a gram, assault, drug abuse, simple assault, public indecency and underage consumption. You will have a sentencing set for a week from today, and until such time are remanded to the custody of the Sheriff." Mr.Forester had gotten the charges reduced from a school zone, and also got the sexual assault to a minor reduced to assault, about as good as a court appointed lawyer could do. Ryan would still face prison, but the judge could be more lenient with the charges, as opposed to the original ones. A crestfallen Ryan, looked at her mother, who's expression was one of pure shock, as she drug herself to the prisoner's holding area, with her ankle chains seeming to screech like fingernails on a chalkboard. ### The incident had been the talk of the school, and the town. Everyone thought Ryan was strange for the most part, but nobody knew that she was into drugs, or that she REALLY wanted Tiffany. There had always been snide thoughts about the second fact, but it seemed confirmed now. Tiffany stuck up for her best friend, and Tyler usually had no comment, though he got grazed about going down so easily when Ryan attacked him. Tiffany didn't see it coming, was it because the time away from Ryan? Ryan had greatly changed in that last week, and it all seemed for the better. Tiffany racked her brains on ways that she could have prevented it. Now her best friend was a felon. What kind of future could Ryan make for herself? Tiffany forgave Ryan for what she had done, and wished that the charges could be dropped, and they could just talk it over, but that wasn't how real life worked. Tyler watched the limited coverage of the news. He was shocked to find all that Ryan had done. She single-handedly found a way to ruin her life in a day. Tyler had planned to switch back after Ryan's period, after he had a week to enjoy being with Tiffany. It would have been hard, but he would have had his greatest wish come true, to physically be one with Tiffany, as he could not were he still Ryan. ### Ryan was transported again to the court to face sentencing. She stood in front of the judge, in her orange jumper, awaiting her fate. "We continue the matter of the state vs Ryan Winters. Ms. Winters is being sentenced for the following-" The judge read her crimes. "Is there anything that you want the court to take into consideration, Ms. Winters?" the judge asked. Ryan could not read the judge, as the judge wanted. Her lawyer nodded, with Ryan speaking up. "Your Honor, I do not excuse the acts I committed, I can only apologize to Tiffany, Tyler, the people at school, and especially my Mom." Ryan sighed deeply. "I don't know what I was thinking; the very first time I've gone astray, and I've ruined my life just like that," she finished, matter-of-factly. The judge cleared his throat. "This case was open-close, literally, but I looked into you, Ms. Winters. You were an honors student, and your teachers admired your intelligence. In fact, they still do. For whatever reason you did this, your teachers and the adults in your life are not convinced that the young woman before me is someone to throw away," the judge appraised Ryan, gauging her. "Nor am I. There have been even younger people do worse things, you are not the first, and will not be the last, and in my years on the bench in juvenile, and adult court, I can read an individual well. As a human being, capable of compassion, a judge wants to see the good in every person before him or her, hoping that individual can make something of a lenient sentence." The judge's expression suddenly darkened. "...Until you see them again." That scared Ryan. As she could imagine there were many people who probably threw away chances with this judge, or any judge, and maybe he didn't have compassion anymore? Ryan started to breathe faster. She was going to 'big girls' jail but how long? "However, Ms. Winters, I truly feel that you are not one that I would see again. Your life will be changed, prison is not easy, nor is getting back on track after the fact. But I feel that you have a chance. It pains me that I must do this, but there are precedents that I cannot change." The court was in silence. "On the charge of class A drug possession, you are sentenced to two years incarceration at(texas womens), and a fine of $1000. On the charge of Assault, you are sentenced to one year year, 270 days suspended and a fine of $1000. On the charge of simple assault, the sentence of 6 months is suspended, and a fine of $250 plus court costs. On the charge of public indecency, the sentence of 3 months is suspended, and there will be a fine of $125 plus court costs. You will serve two years probation. The terms are concurrent, and begin effective immediately. You will receive credit for time served. It is so ordered." The judge banged his gavel. It was the shortest sentence possible, but that didn't stop the grim feeling of finality. Ryan walked away, fighting the urge to cry, run, or just do something more stupid than what landed her there. To everyone else she appeared emotionless. She looked at her sobbing mother, and looked again toward the door, fighting herself to stay strong. Anything more than walking would probably cause her to break. ### Tyler and Tiffany waited for word from Ryan's mother on what had happened at the sentencing. They weren't able to be within a distance of her due to circumstance, so they stayed in touch with Ryan's mother. Tyler, especially, seemed to want to know what was going on. Being the original Ryan, and being partly responsible for this, he was extra nice to Ryan's mother. However, that behavior was typical of the original Tyler, the good little boy scout. Tyler was relieved, it seemed like actually caring wouldn't look out of place for him. Tyler was too good to be true. "Two years, guys," Ryan's mother told them. "Oh my God, we're so sorry," Tiffany said, as she tearfully hugged the woman who was like an aunt to her. "So am I." She shook her head slowly. "I thought Ryan was doing better right before this happened. She was opening up to me, and I thought we were enjoying each other, like old times. I don't know where I went wrong." ### Prison, surprisingly, was different than Ryan imagined. There were still the washed-out, muted grays, and whites of the county jail, but the spaces were more open, and the cells were slightly more accomodating. Until Ryan was 18, she would be cellmates with another minor. Ryan and her bunkmate, as well as the few other minors would be allowed about the rec area for an hour, when the other women were locked up. As with jail, the food was bland, only good for maintaining sustenance. The other girls had other uses, like trading for favors, or commissary items or whatnot, but Ryan didn't participate in any bartering, preferring to be alone. The girls had their stories, and it was easy to tell that the others might be in and out for life. There were stories of lost, or taken babies, stabbings, bad boyfriends, theivery, drugs, prostitution and the such. Most of the girls looked beyond their age, while Ryan looked younger than her 17. Ryan didn't know if anyone knew her story, so she simply said it was drugs. While the others sat around playing cards, and watched TV, Ryan usually sat in a corner alone. The girls, while nice enough, weren't interesting, nor was anything they wanted to watch. She didn't stay in her cell simply for the space. Boring, just like everything else had been since the switch. ### "Ryan?" her cellmate asked. "Yeah?" "Why are you so closed off?" 'Girls' Ryan thought, saying. "Cause it's prison. There is just no point. I'm here to do this time, and that's it." "Why is that it? We're human, we all benefit from interaction. I don't wanna see you down all the time. It's not the end of the world." "You're wrong. It is the end of MY world; the one that matters to me. I knew what I wanted to do, what I wanted to be. I spent a whole childhood pleasing people, to make sure I could attain that goal, and things played out in this manner. It's over, Stephanie. I accept it, and bide my time, because I'm too chicken for suicide." Ryan's cellmate would not understand the certain truth behind her admission. "Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. I just..." Ryan was crying. "It really is over," she cried. "I'm in prison, rotting away, everyone's leaving me behind, I'll have nothing! Dammit! If only I never agreed!" "Agreed to what?" asked Shephanie. Ryan wiped her face, embarrassed for finally succumbing to the pain. "You wouldn't understand. You'll think I'm crazy. It's nothing. I did it, now I'm here, that's it." Stephanie let it rest. Ryan was different. She was friendly, and knowledgeable, but in a general way, but not in a personable way. She never had the talk sessions about outside life like the others, no talking about her kids, or her boyfriend. Even the 'tough' girls had their soft moments. Until this one moment Ryan was like a statue. And she would remain that way thereafter. ### Upon moving to the adult population at 18, Ryan could sense a big difference. While the same archetypes existed, these women were much more weathered and hardened. There were women involved with brutal crimes, that most of the minor girls could only imagine, many had multiple fraud, theft and drug charges with murderers or accomplices thrown in. In the general population there was more of a hierarchy within each cell block, similar to what she'd heard about the men's prison. With Ryan being new, fresh, small, and vulnerable looking, it got around that a few women wanted her. With 13 months left, it would be hard to avoid anyone. Ryan had a few fights over her chastity, and did a few short terms in the hole. Ryan had assumed that any fights would be easy because of her skills, but some of the women were much bigger, and had been through things Ryan could only imagine. They were vicious, with one pair jumping her and almost getting her. Ryan held them off, but not before taking a good beating, and having been molested during the fight. In her free time, Ryan thought about Tyler and Tiffany, among other things. The switch, the cause of all the problems she'd ever had. Why did the original Ryan want this switch? The original Ryan said being beautiful didn't matter, nor did being popular. Ryan knew that the original Ryan did enjoy these things after she became Tyler, but those things could have been easily fixed for the original Ryan by the medallion, or just by being friendly to others, instead of pushing them away, as she did. There was only one thing that Tyler had otherwise. 'She wanted Tiffany,' Ryan thought. How could she not see this? The 'one thing' that was mentioned, that the original Ryan said that she wanted, but could not be had by just using the medallion to make herself beautiful. From the original Ryan's meddling, forcing herself in-between them, to how easily the role of Tyler was usurped, and especially how fast the relationship between Tyler and Tiffany sped up after the switch. The original Ryan knew that she wouldn't be able to have Tiffany as long as she was a girl. Tyler was the perfect answer; he was a great physical specimen, and he already had Tiffany. The new Tyler could use his intimate knowledge to Tiffany to become the perfect partner, knowing first-hand all of her nuances. Then the final realization hit her. "she never tried to change back, she definitely knew I would change back into her." Ryan wanted to give some credibility, how were they to have known that the swap would have issues? 'Maybe my time in here is causing me to go crazy and be paranoid.' ### Two years came and gone. Ryan was now free from the constraints of prison life. She had the clothes she was picked up in, over two years ago, albeit a bit tighter due to gaining a few pounds from the poor diet. "Ryan, my baby, Oh my God!" Ryan's mother snatched her up, and hugged her as hard as she could. "Moooom, Asthma!" she playfully joked, with her mother loosening her hug slightly. "I'm happy to see you too." "Oh baby," Ryan's mom cried. The two embraced for a long time, both sobbing, before getting into the car, which was a newer car than before. Ryan had no luggage or baggage with her, so she just slid into the new Mini. Her reasoning for not bringing anything was to cut down on reminders of the whole ordeal. "How are you, baby?" Gail asked her daughter. "I'm here." Ryan tried to laugh. "I can see you without glass in-between us finally." "Why?" "I don't know." Ryan slouched her neck back, with her head hitting the seat back. "It was really stupid, I'm so sorry." "You don't have to apologize to me, honey. I wish I had been able to see this. I failed you." Gail shook her head. "No, you didn't! You were... are a great mom. I was just stupid. There was nothing to see, you've done everything you could. I failed." "Oh my God, Ryan... it's cost you so much. I'm so sorry, sweetie. If you want to talk.." "Mom, just let it go, please. We can move on from here. I made a costly mistake but I'm not a career criminal." She patted her mother's leg softly. "I know. I don't doubt you Ryan," Gail calmed. "It's going to be very hard, but I believe in you, and I love you, baby." "Thanks, Mom." Ryan leaned her head against her mother's free shoulder, tears stinging her eyes. Even though she reprised the role of Ryan for only a short time before the incident, she loved this woman. Gail's love for Ryan seemed much deeper than that of Tyler's parents to him, especially his father. Tyler was fine as long as he was being 'perfect'. Any deviation from his pre-planned life would be met with force. Since Tyler always did as expected he never faced force, but he was warned, just in case. Ryan figured 'yeah you can have them'. Although she was stung about having to go through that childhood, while the original Ryan took for granted the unconditional love of her mother, because she wanted to be a man, she couldn't have Tiffany, or whatever reason she justified. Ryan noticed they were heading in a different direction, she raised her head. "Where are we going?" "Home...oh, home is now in Colorado." Gail smiled. "Come again?" "Just wanted to get a fresh start. Thought I'd surprise you." The two continued through the huge expansive desert of Texas, thankful for the high speed limit. Upon reaching a rest stop, Ryan would have her first real meal in a long time. The two enjoyed Texas barbeque with all the trimmings, for what could be the last time ever. ### Having arrived in central Colorado, after an 18 hour trip, Ryan and Gail were beat. Ryan immediately noticed how pure the air seemed. She took in the house, it seemed a bit cozier than their previous house. Inside, she found most of the same furniture, and in her room she found everything placed perfectly. "Mom, I love it!" "I'm glad you do," Gail returned with a smile. "You should finish up your sleep. We've got things to talk about when we get up, sweetie." "Sure." After her mother went to retire, Ryan, on her second wind, stayed up a bit. She went to the porch, and sat on the stairs to the house, taking in the wonderful Colorado air, and looking at the moonlit sky, something she could only do through a slit of a window in jail for the last two years, she thought. Thinking of the old Ryan, she wondered why she did what she had. Everything pointed to her having planned this. If Ryan ever got the means to face Tyler about it, she would get answers. And what about him, did he still have the medallion, was he still Tyler, what was happening with him? Ryan assumed that Tyler and Tiffany were a just highschool item, and probably had nothing to do with each other by now. She thought of herself for a bit. She'd really gotten the short deal, and all she could do was live with it. This would be a time that she was glad to have been raised by James Walsh, a lesser 'man' would give up, not one who had previously given up much of their childhood for success. ### Awakening, Ryan took stock of herself in the now shared bathroom. Naturally, she had gotten used to her body over the course of the two years, it was her body, and she imagined that would be until she died. She wouldn't go as far as to say that she liked it, but it was hers, and she allowed it to give her much-needed pleasure at times. She was no longer embarrassed to do certain things, or see herself naked, as she had been at first. Compared to when she first went to jail, she remained the same 5'1", and instead of looking 14 at 17 years of age, she was now 19 and looked 16. Her hair was now lower-back length, with the tips black from her make- over the week of prom. Her face remained the same, except becoming a little rounder from the weight she gained from jail. It had the result of giving her a cuter look. She filled out pants and bras a bit better, and now had a slightly more prominent stomach arch. She would have to use any advantage her still slight body, little voice, and could-be-cute face could give her. She found her mother at the dining table sipping coffee. "G'morning," Ryan greeted. "Hi, Ryan, baby." "So, you wanted to talk?" Ryan asked, pulling a seat out for herself. "Yes." Gail pursed her lips. "You've got to get set-up with your probation officer today." "Okay." "So, what are you going to do with yourself?" Gail asked, concern marking her face. It looked as if she gained five years in the two that Ryan had been gone. "I'll have to enroll in a GED program, since school is not an option, and then hopefully community college is decent. In the mean-time, I'll start looking for a job, so that I'm not free-loading. It's the best I could come up with." "I like it. Well then, let's be on our way." In truth, it was a far cry from what Ryan had been on her way to. Ryan had a bright future, with excellent grades, and college bound. She would have been able to have any career she wanted. Ryan imagined the original Ryan as someone likely to be a paper pusher, but well-paid, and with easy but boring work. Of course, as Tyler, she expected nothing less than a stellar sports career, and millions. Neither would be possible, but she was still alive, so if nothing else, life had to be lived. ### Ryan took care of the necessary business regarding her release and the two shopped for clothes, with Ryan getting smart clothes, a more mature pair of glasses, and cosmetics. She felt mostly normal about it, but still thought about the fact that she never imagined any of this ever happening. Since Gail was free for two days, they'd finish up all business today, then use tomorrow to relax. It was a busy day, but Ryan took care of her obligations, clothes, and registering for classes. The next day, Ryan would have her hair styled along with her mother. Ryan's hair was styled shorter, and colored a slightly lighter brunette than her own, with slight 'natural' highlights. She went with a simple co-ed style low ponytail and swept bangs. She devised a look that would make her look trustworthy, girl-next-door, and wholesome, and was easy to maintain for her limited knowledge. Ryan and her mother enjoyed the rest of the day. They shopped, had ice cream, and generally did things that Ryan couldn't believe herself doing. The experience wasn't half-bad, and she needed anything after those two long years away. More importantly, her mother was enjoying herself with Ryan back, and doing these 'girl things' with her. For now, she relegated herself to this life. This somewhat normal life for a 19 year-old girl. ### Ryan filled out tons of job applications the rest of the week. She first had to get a license, and then spent some time perfecting bubbly handwriting. She retained Tyler's writing, which was sharp and small, so she developed a feminine style of larger, loopy letters. She made sure to fill out applications using her full name, Ryan Jessica Winters. Ryan was no fool, these were things shown to her as Tyler, by his status- concerned parents. As she knew, a 'Ryan Winters' could be a guy, and seeing the felony box marked, would probably get her application passed over. However, 'Ryan Jessica' who was 19 with cute, girly handwriting, would at least get a second glance despite the checked box. Being a charming person, and looking the harmless girl, she hoped would help any interviewers see past her conviction. Ryan turned in applications far and wide. As she expected, no one providing a liveable wage seemed to call her back. She finally caught a small break one night after her GED classes. Some of the girls from class invited her to a bar and grille for a night out. She hesitated, not really being comfortable in a social setting as a woman, but decided to, anyway. She didn't have to talk to any guys, so no big deal. Eat some wings, drink soda, and pretend to be a part of the conversation every so often. She didn't have to be the emo-introvert that the original Ryan was, she was her own person, and this was a small step towards that freedom. Arriving at the bar, Ryan found the atmosphere agreeable. The place seemed like your average Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, but with a familiar feel, as if everyone who came there knew each other, a small town charm. As she would come to find out, Don and Dot's was a family run place, and they needed help. Ryan enjoyed the rest of her food, and spoke to the girls, using the conversation as insight on what normal girls are like. These girls were quite different from the ones in prison. Everything was different, none of the same worries, the same vices, or living situations, and none were single mothers, or mothers at all for that matter. When asked about herself, she made evasive answers to anything more than basic questions. As dinner wrapped up, Ryan made her farewells, but told the girls she wanted to check on their help wanted sign. "Bye, Ryan!" each girl said, almost in unison. "Later. See you all tomorrow in class." ### "Excuse me." Ryan flashed a smile to the older gentleman coming out of the swing doors. "Yes, little lady?" he answered, a smile showing the lines on his face of millions of past smiles. "I saw that you guys had a help wanted sign up there. I know it's late, but is there anyone here I can speak to?" The man stuck out his hand. "Donald, nice to meet you." "Ryan!" she spoke up eagerly, shaking his hand, truly feeling how small her own hands were. "Well, I like that name, little missy!" "Thank you, sir!" Ryan smiled. Don cleared his throat. "Yes, the wife and I are looking for someone, but it's a general position, which includes a little of everything, even getting a little dirty here and there." He gestured to himself. He was the owner, and currently dirty from fixing a malfunctioning grease trap. "No, that's fine!" she said. "I don't mind. It's not all Barbie dolls and ponies here, sir." Don studied her, pursing his lips together, grunting. "You know, when I tell girls such as yourself that, the answer is less enthusiastic. I like your spirit, let's have a seat in the back office, follow me. The two walked through the kitchen, past a few employees, and into an office located in the rear. Don pulled out a chair for Ryan, telling her to "Please have a seat." Ryan complied, sitting open-legged, with her fingers intertwined, looking intently at Don, who began. "First impressions are very important, and you are a charming young lady, I must say." "Thank you, sir." "Ryan, so tell me about yourself." Ryan told him mostly everything she knew about the old Ryan, but changed things where necessary, when getting to current times. It was a hard decision to make, because it could ruin everything, and things seemed to be going well, but she needed to tell him that she was a felon. "A felony? What did you do?" Don asked carefully. "During senior year, I got depressed about certain things. I didn't go to prom, but what I did do was-" she looked down, "to get drunk and high, for the first and only time ever. I went to the school and caused a scene, and I was arrested in possession of the substance." "And what was the disposition?" "Um, I had to do two years in prison, sir. I'd never done anything like that before that day. It was a very hard and costly lesson." Ryan nervously rubbed her neck. She just wanted to crawl into a ball and die. She just knew this man was judging her harshly. Donald looked around, with strong consideration on his face. "I suppose we can't all be perfect. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" Honestly, she didn't know. The original plan was to be in the NBA or NFL by that time, as Tyler, and not a young woman whose prospects were looking dour. She told Don that she wasn't sure because of the legal issues, but was taking steps to improve the situation,and that up until that day she was an honors student. "Ya know, after decades in this business, you get to know people. I've got a good feeling about you, I've got to have a conversation with my wife, and she'll want to meet you. You're a charming young lady, and I'm sure she'll like you. Can you come back tomorrow afternoon, say threeish?" "Yes, sir. Thank you for giving me a chance." "Pleasure's all mine, Ms. Ryan." With that, Don showed her back out. ### As the weeks passed, Ryan came into her own. She took her GED Classes, in the early afternoon then then would head straight to work, at Don & Dot's. Now in more public settings, Ryan had to deal with male attention. She usually wore black tight stretch pants, as she noticed most girls at similar jobs do, but now on the other side, she knew that guys were constantly staring at her legs, rear, and even her crotch if the opportunity arrived. She knew the pants left little to the imagination, but she didn't think guys would be so lecherous, or open with their admiration. Or maybe, her experience as a guy made her more paranoid about what could be on their minds. At work, she was bright and cheery, acting the part. She didn't let anyone get too close, and as with school, shunned attempts made by others for friendship. Ryan wasn't interested in the things the other girls were. Keeping her feminine demeanor and looks up were more of a task, than a way of life. Socially, it was expected, and she felt the path of least resistance to be best. Just looking like any other girl made things easier, and kept any attention away from her. In class, Ryan became some of the loaner that the old Ryan had been in highschool. She shut down any attempts to be friends that were made, and that naturally stopped guys from trying to hit on her. Men were another problem altogether. Ryan didn't look bad, now that she put effort into her looks for her job's sake, and guys liked what they saw. She never tried to give off a flirty vibe with her service, but her bright smile warmed many male patrons up to her. She'd made the mistake of chiming in about sports a few times before she realized that it just made guys want to hit on her even more. That, and the fact that sports began to leave a bitter taste in her mouth, due to her past, made her drop it for good. ### Ryan also decided that no love life would be best. She was confused, and lonely. Having pushed men away, and unable to come on to women, Ryan was sexually frustrated. At times she masturbated, but even the videos she used to help, confused her. When a man was fondling the woman, she wanted those sensations on her body, when they cried out in joy, she wanted that, when the man laid into her, she wanted that. The emptiness that she felt after pleasuring herself sometimes made her cry afterward. However, nobody was any the wiser of Ryan's torment. ### A few years passed since Ryan began working at Don & Dot's. She completed her GED, a trade, and was going to a community college for a two-year degree. Everyone had a positive image of her, and no one could even begin to guess as to her past. Donald was glad he hired her on that hunch. She proved to be a great asset, and store manager. Don could tell that she kept a part of herself hidden, but she remained friendly and very likeable. Ryan always indulged her mother, who seemed to be having the greatest time with her daughter. The time with her mother was the only time that Ryan wasn't an act. Ryan wanted to give at least that to her mother, who'd been through so much between the old Ryan, and the new. The feeling of actual, unconditional love from her mother was one of the few great things that came with being Ryan. Unfortunately, the many things that weren't so great usually took their toll on her internally, as she had no outlets. From time to time, Ryan would think about Tyler, and what was happening with him. The answer could be a Facebook search away, if he even remained Tyler. What of Tiffany? Ryan maintained that she would never search for them, and to close that chapter of her life, but it was constantly at the back of her mind. She would eventually find out about the person that switched bodies with her.. ### It was SuperBowl Sunday, and as with the five previous years that Ryan worked at the bar, and all the years before her, Don & Dot's were having a SuperBowl party. many of the regulars would be there as well as many new visitors. Ryan knew it would be a hard, stressful night, but Don depended on her as usual, for her work ethic. There were a lot more orders, more cleaning, and more tending than usual, and Ryan kept busy. The game wrapped up, and customers, especially those who had work the next day were filing out quickly. Ryan stood at the swinging doors, watching the huge projector, her first opportunity all night. ### "And we stand here with the SuperBowl M.V.P., Tyler Walsh," the interviewer said. All the color left Ryan's face, and she dropped the beverage she had. She scrambled to clean up the mess so she could watch the interview. "Tyler, you had an amazing night, breaking a few records, and ultimately winning the SuperBowl. How do you feel?" The interviewer held the mic closer to Tyler. "Well, Steve, I'm very excited. We played a great game, and so did the Bengals. I'd like to congratulate them for making it past the first round of the playoffs. I couldn't have done with the team backing me, doing their jobs, so big ups to them. I'd like to thank the coaching staff, for having us prepared, and the fans, we do it for your guys, thank you, and I love you all. I thank the man upstairs, none of this is possible without him, and my parents, for never letting up, and showing me how to be a man, and last but not least, my beautiful wife, Tiffany, and our wonderful boys at home. Pack the bags, Tiff, we're celebrating!" ### Ryan stood with her mouth agape, she couldn't believe this! Not only was Tyler still Tyler, but he was rich, looked even better, was married to Tiffany, had kids, and a SuperBowl Champ and M.V.P. His whole existence was a slap in Ryan's face, and his achievements were a low-blow. Tyler had EVERYTHING that Ryan spent her life preparing for, yet she was the one putting in the hard hours, going to school, paying debts, and living an unfulfilled, mediocre life. It was not fair! Ryan quitely did the rest of work, getting the place cleaned, it would be the first time anyone ever saw a kink in Ryan's facade. While the rest were enjoying an employee after-hours after the clean up, Ryan told them she would be heading home. Her co-workers tried to get her to stay, citing that the bar always closed the day after SuperBowl, but she wouldn't have it. ### Over the next few weeks, Ryan began drinking to soothe the pain. She had sworn not to look into Tyler or Tiffany's life, yet still she found out. She counted on every possibility except this one; Tyler going on to have what seemed the perfect life. Ryan drank many nights, usually until she blacked out. She awoke many times with urine stains on herself, and pounding headaches. She also started to accept invitations out with her classmates on the weekends, playing drinking games, and getting black-out drunk in public. One particular night, while at a club, Ryan's friends told her that she needed to slow down, especially for someone who they never saw drink. She dismissed them, saying that she already had a mother. "Please, Ryan," one of them urged, pulling Ryan's arm into her own. "Let's get out of here, you're wasted." "No!" Ryan pulled away. "I decide when I'm wasted, and I ain't passed out yet. You know what? I've bought my own drinks every time. Maybe one of these guys that's been staring at my ass can buy my next one. Useless assholes!" "We're leaving, let's go, now," another demanded. Ryan looked at her with an open mouth. "What? You didn't just tell me what I was gonna do, did you?" Nikki, the friend, raised her hands in frustration, and told the rest. "We are out of here. At least Ryan didn't drive, so she's on her own." "Are you sure that's cool?" another asked. "It'll have to be, unless you want to fight her. She's grown, just like she said." With that, the others left. "Yeah, who needs ya..." Ryan sneered. Through her drunken haze, she began to case out guys. She wasn't attracted to anyone, regardless of their looks, but all they needed was to buy her drinks. She knew from her job that guys ate up any attention from a girl they received, even if it was waitress small-talk; This should be easy. Ryan stood at a table, alone, looking bored. This was the first time she wasn't surrounded by her partners, who were a natural defense against guys, as most guys only spoke to single women, unless they had a wing man for the others. It took no time for a man to zero in on a lone Ryan. "Hey, you buying?" asked Ryan. She evaluated the man as best she could through her drunken state, she supposed that he was okay, if she cared, but she didn't. "Who for?" "Me," Ryan answered, oblivious to his question. "And, who are you?" "Ryan." "Sure. And I'm Steve," he said, taking Ryan's hand, and rubbing the top of it, gauging her reaction. There was none, so he continued. "Say, Ryan, after we have a drink, you wanna join me and some friends at a party?" "I'll think about it..." "Steve." He finished. He ordered Ryan a drink, and a water for himself. Ryan downed her drink like a pro, but almost immediately excused herself, to be sick in the restroom. Ryan vomited into the toilet, holding onto it for dear life, her make-up ruined by her running eyes. Steve waited for her, promptly latching onto her as she passed. "We'll get you somewhere safe. You can sleep it off. Where is home?" Ryan didn't really care, it sounded good. Anything sounded better than having to stay awake much longer. She let Steve drive her to her townhome. Steve helped her to her door, after figuring out her keys. Steve figured out where the bedroom was, and led Ryan to it, helping her lay down. Ryan was asleep almost instantly. "Mmmm.." "Mmmmm." Ryan bit her bottom lip, breathing heavily. She was barely aware of herself, but something felt great, sparks of pleasure she'd never felt before shooting through her body. She could feel a thrusting sensation in her privates, which her body seemed to meet with it's own seemingly involuntary thrusts. Steve looked at Ryan's face, her eyes still closed, cute little gasps escaping her slightly open mouth. 'This was one for the ages' thought Steve, or rather Mark. 'This girl was wasted before I had to really spend much on her, she had her own place, lived alone, and she WAS a virgin. She even likes what I'm doing! She CAME!!' Mark groaned, as he climaxed to Ryan's involuntary orgasm. "I would love to do this again, Ryan. But I gotta go," Mark said to the sleeping Ryan. With that, he excused himself. Normally, Mark would use a condom, but upon finding that Ryan was a virgin, he figured, 'what's the worst that could happen to ME?' ### Ryan awoke the next morning, throbbing all over, from head to toe. It was Sunday, and post-football season she had Sunday off. "I didn't!" She couldn't remember a thing from last night, past getting to the bar. She checked herself, panicking. She defintely had sex. Who was the guy? Did they even use protection? Thoughts and questions swam in Ryan's head as she hurriedly cleansed herself, crying. She had no one to tell, what would anyone think if she told them that she lost her virginity to a stranger while drunk? Should she file a police report? Things flew a mile per minute in her brain. Ryan spent the rest of the day cursing her stupidity, and crying. She had amassed her own liquor cabinet, from which she began to take. As was her new way dealing with it, she drank these problems away this day. ### Waking up, nursing yet another hang-over, Ryan prepared for another day. "I have to see a doctor," she said aloud. Ryan skipped classes to make a trip to a walk-in clinic. "How may I help you?" the receptionist asked, with a professional smile. Ryan was as embarrassed as ever, answering, "Uhm, hi, uh yeah... if possible I need an STD test, and a... Morning After Pill." The receptionist asked Ryan serveral questions, including when was it that she had sex. After telling the date, Ryan was told that it was too late for the pill, as it was literally for the morning after. "Okay." "We can do a pregnancy test, or you can buy one OTC, but you'd want to wait until a missed period, give or take." The receptionist then gave Ryan a clipboard to fill out. Ryan looked around, at the others, wondering what kind of problems they might be dealing with, but her mind kept coming back to her own. None of those things could happen the first try! 'Yeah, no' Ryan thought. After the extremely embarrassing exam, Ryan went home, and sat around until her shift. It was the most embarrassing thing Ryan had done since being booked into jail. "What a dumbass," she kept repeating. "Lost my virginity, and I don't even remember if it was good," Ryan laughed to herself. Her laughing eventually became crying. "It's all his fault." Ryan looked at the partially empty bottle of vodka and decided. "Yeah. I need this. Thanks to TYLER, for giving me this dumpy body, and this crap life, then winning the Superbowl, and marrying Tiffany! Thank you, Tyler, or should I say Ryan!" With that, Ryan called in to work before she was too drunk to remember herself. ### The next few days, Ryan put on her face, going to class and work. The girls she went out with from class wouldn't speak to her, and she remembered how she acted with them. 'Oh well' Ryan thought, 'we aren't friends anyway.' In Ryan's opinion, they were only useful when she drank. She wasn't into anything that they were, and therefore didn't need their friendship. A few days had passed, and the clinic called with Ryan's results. She received a clean test, but still had a few weeks to wait for the other test. She stayed sober, thankful that there weren't any repercussions from this incident. Ryan didn't actually track her periods. She knew that a lot of women were 'in tune' with theirs, however, with a period literally marking her current existence, she made it a point to only deal with them as they came. She also didn't have an OB. As long as everything seemed normal 'down there', having a GP would suffice. However by this time more than a month had passed since the incident, and that meant at least 6 weeks since the last period. Ryan was very worried, over the last week, she'd had what seemed to be some classic signs; a bit of nausea at times, and slightly tender breasts, and her nipples remained hard, not out of arousal. Ryan knew what the case would be if she tested, however she knew sooner rather than later she needed to force herself to do so. The following Monday, after class, Ryan bought three different brands of store pregnancy tests. Between school and work, she used the time at home to drink plenty of water in preparation of the test. Since having been a girl, it seemed that when she had to go, she had to go, no holding back the urge, like when she was Tyler. Ryan tested herself three times, with the same results each time; she was pregnant. ### Ryan plopped herself onto her couch, speaking aloud - something she'd been doing more of lately, saying, "I can't do this. Who can I even talk to? I don't have any friends, and it would devastate Mom if I told her I got pregnant losing my virginity, and I didn't know who the father was, or if I was even a willing participant." Ryan rubbed her head, trying to will ideas out. Ryan felt similarly about telling Don or his wife. She also did not want their personal opinions to influence the decision. "I, I don't know," Ryan sighed. She was too emotionally drained to cry. Steeling herself, she put on her work clothes, and headed out, putting on the face of bright, cheery Ryan. ### Approximately three weeks had passed since Ryan learned that she was pregnant. She had tested a few times since then, showing that she was still pregnant, and her monthly visitor which had marked the beginning of her torments was still absent. While Ryan was undecided on what to do about it, she did stop drinking in the meantime. On the other hand, she hadn't made any appointments for a true screening, and prenatal care. Since Ryan wasn't drinking to relieve stress, it showed a bit to those who spent a lot of time around her. One day, Don called her into his office. "Ryan, looks like something's been bothering you for a while." "Sir?" "Everyone's noticed it. Your work, or your customer service hasn't changed, but you seem otherwise pained about something." "Oh, uh, there's nothing, sir. You know, some days are better than others, that's life." Ryan shrugged. "Ryan, cut it. We are concerned about you. I know you keep to yourself, but you've been with us for five years. Everyone looks up to you, you're a model employee, and you're intelligent. Dorothy and I couldn't be happier that you stayed longer than one paycheck. We've grown like family, as has the whole staff, and we care about our family, Ryan. That means you. You don't have to be perfect for everybody, no human is. You look worse for wear, and very tired, and your normal enthusiasm is gone." "I... don't know what to say." "Family helps one another get through things. We can't help you if you won't let us in. Not comfortable talking to me? Dorothy has an open ear, and so does everyone else here. We all have time for you, Ryan. I hope I'm not telling you anything you don't know." "Thank you, but I'll manage. I really do appreciate being in you guy's thoughts. It means a lot, truly. I really do want to cry on someone's shoulder and let loose, especially with what's going on, but I just, I can't. I just don't want to bother anyone, okay? It's just not comfortable for me. Believe me, sir, you are the first person I would talk with." A truthful statement as Ryan considered him a father figure. Don was rubbing his hands together, and nodding. "Ryan, that makes an old man glad to hear. That said, I'm sure you've got your reasons. Just remember what I said. Got it?" He stood, patting her lightly on the shoulder. Ryan smiled with tears running down her cheeks. "Clear," she said, hugging him tightly. "Love you, kid," Don said softly, rubbing Ryan's back. "If you'll excuse me, I have to sign for the frozen truck." With that, Ryan went back to work. Was she visibly unfolding? Don would say yes, but it seemed that Ryan didn't want help with whatever her problems. Getting in too deep could push her farther away. He would intervene only if her work performance decreased. ### Following her shift, two co-workers approached Ryan. There was Becca, and Emily, both 19 year old college students working while they earned degrees. They invited Ryan out, which she initially refused, but her resolve was no match for the girls' cute bubbliness, so she relented after hurting their feelings, but then apologizing. "No, no! I'm sorry. I promise it's not you guys. I know people are worried, but my best medicine is alone-time," Ryan explained. "But you don't have to be alone, whatever it is." Emily wrapped her arms around the slightly smaller Ryan. "Plllease." Ryan pushed away from Emily, laughing nervously. "Okay, we can hang out whenever we all have the same time off, but I'm warning you I'm boring." "That's fine, and we can hang out tomorrow," Becca said, with a sly grin. "Because Don gave us all off." Ryan shook her head. "That old fox." ### After her shower that night, Ryan thought about Becca, and Emily. She pushed away from Emily's hug, because she thought she might be turned on by the contact. Both girls were cute, but Ryan realized that wasn't the case. It felt sisterly, and living in her own body desensitized her to female flesh. There was no doubt that she physically enjoyed self- pleasure, and pretty much all sexual imagery, but she didn't know what she wanted, and refused to act until she understood herself. It was mental hell, but it was the way she processed things. As Tyler, her mind would never have been at odds with her body. When watching videos, she longed to be penetrated by something more than a finger or two, the most exciting thing was when a vagina was being spread to accommodate her male partner. Ryan believed that it had to be amazing, to feel the thrusting, to be filled... And then, she remembered what happened to her. The only blurry memories that she had of her experience; the feeling was incredible, she remembered waking up to his ministrations, and meeting his thrusts, and having the strongest orgasm that she'd experienced. Ryan's mind now began to think about the consequences of that drunken night. Her slightly full, and tingly breasts were a constant reminder of the things happening in her body. "I really don't know what I should do about this..." she thought aloud. "One day at a time for now," Ryan sighed, as she turned her lights off. ### Ryan arrived at the girl's campus apartment at school. She was dressed in a men's sized L.A Lakers home jersey, with a green fitted t-shirt underneath, skinny blue jeans, and multicolored DC skate shoes. She wore her hair down, and she was missing her usual glasses. "Hey guys," Ryan gave a slight wave. "Oh my God, Ryan, you look so... different!" "Eh. So, lead the way." Ryan curtsied. Ryan would do whatever they wanted for a while, then she'd retire at dark, when they undoubtedly planned to meet guys. Getting into the back seat of Becca's car, they headed for destinations unknown. "So, what do you wanna do?" Emily asked. "Hey, it's whatever you guys want to do. I'm along to enjoy the ride." "But we want you to have fun, too, Ryan!" Emily said. "I told you, I'm not fun. I'll have fun as long as you enjoy yourselves." Ryan put her palms out. "That's such a cop-out. What do you do out of work? I mean we only get to see 'customer service' Ryan, and I feel like we're getting that now! What about the real you? I don't think a boring person would've put together such a loud outfit!" "Hmmm." Ryan rubbed her chin. "I don't do anything when I'm not at work. No friends, no interests, nothing. It helps me put full effort into my job." "What kind of life is that?" Becca asked, taking her eyes off the road, briefly to meet Ryan's in the rearview. "You're a people person, and you're always very pretty, everybody likes you!" "They like what I show them. I do what I need to do to get by. I have been through hard times, and I don't feel completely right with my body." Ryan felt that she said enough. Most of everything she ever said was a half-truth, and she couldn't put her real feelings out there without someone thinking she was insane, but this little was the most she ever told anyone. "Self-consciousness issues?" Emily asked. "No. The fact that it's a woman's body." Both girls gasped. "I never would have thought! You're always so feminine. You want to be a man?" Becca asked. "Something like that. Current medical science can't give a suitable outcome, I would need... magic." Emily chimed in. "But why does that make you distance yourself from everyone?" "Because, I can put on the act for 8 to 12 hours at work and school, but after that, I have no interests in the things that I-" Ryan used finger-quotes, "should. The fashion, the TV, the music, even the things that interest you guys, I get nothing from. I used to like sports, and all sorts of things, then you find your body too weak and frail to allow you to enjoy the things you like..." Ryan actually started to tear. This was the first time she ever told anyone how she felt. She couldn't believe that she faltered so easily. "We're so sorry, Ryan. We had no idea." Ryan wiped her eyes, saying, "That was the point. I'm sorry I broke down. I just think it's easier to move along, than create a spectacle of myself by trying to dress or act like a guy. It's done with. Thank you, I've never told anyone, it felt liberating to share my pain for once." Ryan reached up and hugged the girls from the back seat. "Well, I'm glad that you got to. We'll be your pillars, and we won't say a word to anyone," Emily said. "So, then, I think we could go to the plaza down the road a bit, and just grab some soft pretzels and lemonade, for now? Sound good, all? "Sure," both Ryan, and Becca agreed. ### The girls hopped out of the car, going to Auntie Annie's for their refreshments, when they happened upon a shop that neither of the three remembered. "Spells R Us? Must be new," Becca stated. "You wanna check it out?" Emily asked. "Fine." As the trio walked in, a college-aged guy was walking out, smiling at the girls. Becca and Emily thought he was pretty cute. He was tall, athletic, and blonde. As he then saw Ryan behind them, he became as white as a ghost, and visibly shaken. He scurried off, and Ryan followed him with her eyes, both quickly looked ahead when they caught each other glancing... Walking into the store, Ryan felt something. She couldn't place it, but something was amiss. She looked ahead of her to Becca and Emily, who looked to be frozen still, like statues. "What. In..." "Ahhhh," a voice interrupted. The voice was a calming, wise one.. "That would be because time is flowing at two different rates for us, Ryan." "Huh?" She watched as the man walked towards her. Ryan noticed that he wore something that looked like a purple bathrobe, with the constellations sewn in. Ryan couldn't help but think that man looked like what she would imagine an old timey wizard would look like. "Wha...how?" The old man pointed to a sign. It read 'because I'm a Wizard.' The old man continued, "Yes I'm magical, and I know you believe in magic, because you have been touched by it." Ryan stood, wondering if this was in fact a dream. 'Am I dreaming?' he thought. "You know?" she asked. "I do," he simply answered. "What's that saying? Yes, home is where the heart is." "The..." "Yes," the old man answered, nodding. "It was...how can I ever thank you?" Ryan asked, close to tears for the second time this hour. "Just continue to be yourself." Ryan nodded, as she noticed everything come back into motion. "I'm not seeing anything, everybody good?" Emily asked. "Yeah," Becca answered. "You, Ryan?" "Uh..yeah." "Thank you for visiting, ladies, Ryan. Perhaps one day I have something that tickles your fancy." The man winked at Ryan. Somehow Ryan knew that it had been real, and she nodded, mouthing a thanks, and followed her co-workers. ### The outing finished with Ryan in a much better mood. While she didn't actively join in on some of her co-worker's conversation, they understood, as to keep things from being awkward. The three finished with a light lunch. Becca and Emily had more planned but after Ryan's revelation, they figured it best to cancel. Pulling back into their parking spot, the three got out, with Ryan beginning. "I'm sorry I messed up your plans, but you guys'll enjoy the rest of the day off better without me." She lightly hugged the two. "But thanks for everything, it means a lot that someone cares." She hugged them again, yet again feeling tears welling up. "I'm glad we could help, even if a little," Becca said. "You know where we live, and where we work," she laughed. "We'll always be here for you." "Thank you." ### The next day, Ryan had a sit-down with Donald. "Thought it would be best to speak with you in person." "I see, what's this about?" "Sir, I need to take leave. I..I'm not sure if I will be coming back." Ryan looked away. "Huh? This doesn't have anything to do with your day off, does it? I thought it would help you. The girls had already wanted to get to know you better." "Oh, no sir, as I told them, I appreciate everyone's concern, and they made me feel much better, but I discovered something; I need to return to Texas, it's important. I don't know what's going to happen after I get there. I'm sorry." "That doesn't sound good, Ryan. I'm worried," Don said, noting the wordage. "Honestly, I don't know if it is, or not. But I have to go, either way." "I understand. Dorothy and I were privileged to have you as long as we did. I will have nothing but glowing praise for any employer seeking reference, and of course, an open spot for you to return to if you need. I just want you to know that you're loved by all of us." Ryan hugged Donald to her. "Thank you for giving me a chance all those years ago. I love you guys too, you guys have been my family for the last five years, and I wouldn't leave if I didn't have such a big reason." "We know." He kissed her on the cheek. "I'll give everyone your regards, I know you, and I know you wouldn't want anyone gushing over you." Ryan smiled. "You have me down, sir." Donald had a small chuckle. "I'll get your remaining pay together, the sick and vacation you have, and you'll have a nice deposit coming in a few. I hope it helps you with your endeavor." "It will, thank you so much. I enjoyed everything, I'll miss you if I can't make it back. But I'll write if I can." "You do that. Goodbye Ryan." "Sir." "Family calls me Don, you know that. Professional till the end." Ryan smiled the same smile she flashed the day she met Donald. "Don." ### Having made the impromptu decision to leave quickly, Ryan left everything as is, because regardless she would be coming back home to plan out the rest of her actions, but for now just securing the medallion was the main goal. The drive was long and uneventful, when Ryan and her mother made this trip years ago, Ryan was comfortably sleeping the miles away. This time, as the driver, she watched the scenery change from state to state, from mountains, to plains lined with mountains, to plains. The monotony was broken up by the occasional meal stop. Ryan found herself in familiar territory, it was late, and she needed rest. She checked into a motel, took a shower, and slept. Waking on the stiff mattress, Ryan got ready for the day by getting an ensemble ready that would make her look like a co-ed. Ryan still looked like a teen, and she knew it made things easier when gaining the trust of others. Arriving near her old neighborhood, childhood memories began to flow through Ryan's brain. Memories of what she did as a child; what Tyler did as a child. It had been her that went through everything to attain what Tyler now had, it wasn't fair, but this medallion could solve that injustice, much as it had created it. She parked around the corner and walked to her old street. Suddenly she was self-conscious about whether or not anyone knew who she was. Ryan had transformed her looks and people's perception of her, but the unfounded worry gnawed at her. Looking at her old house, or rather Tyler's old house, Ryan saw items laid out in front, in the fashion of a yard sale. On a table laid the medallion of Zulo, bared for the world to see, all for a price of four dollars. She saw a woman and a little girl that appeared to be tending the sale, she noncommittally asked about the "trinket" and the woman told her it was old junk, but she saw the girl's eye grow wide. "You...you can't sell that!" the girl exclaimed, with trepidation in her voice. "Missy, I told you to behave!" the woman shot back. "Don't act out in front of our guests." Turning from the child, her cross look melted into a false smile."She's attached to that thing, but she'll get over it." "I HATE YOU!" Missy screamed, running away to the back yard. "Wow. Maybe I shouldn't," Ryan offered, knowing that she would. "Nonsense," the woman replied. "She'll live without it. Here." She handed Ryan the Seran-wrapped medallion, and received a $5 bill, of which Ryan told her to keep the change. Ryan knew that girl had been changed, the mother seemed much too harsh, and the girl's reaction told all. Someone else may have been convinced that it was a small childish squabble, but Ryan knew what the medallion could do. "Can I go talk to her?" Ryan asked. "I wouldn't waste my time. But you can try. She has a wild imagination." "Okay...I'll keep that in mind." With that, Ryan went to the rear of the house, the same yard that she used to toss the ball around as a child. She saw the girl near the edge of the yard crying. The slowly approached, kneeling down. "Missy, is it?" Missy sniffed. "You, what do you want?" Her beautiful features ruined by her petulant expression. "Hey, I just wanted to talk," Ryan said softly. "About what?" "The thing I bought." Missy piped up, about to speak, when Ryan cut her off. "I know what it is, and I'm willing to bet that you weren't always a little girl." "How do you know?" "Do you know who lived in this house before you?" "Ty Walsh, Mister Super Bowl himself!" Hearing her parise of Tyler sent a pang of darkness to her heart, which didn't go without notice. "Are you saying..?" "Yes, I was him. I know the power of the medallion." She told Missy an abbreviated version of her story, feeling much lifted, finally being able to confide in someone, the full story, to someone else. "Let's walk back to the front, we don't want to raise suspicion." Missy agreed, taking the hand offered to her. Seeing Missy's mother wearing an impatient look, she began. "Finally, you quit your whining." She turned to Ryan. "You're great with kids, a godsend." Again, her expression falsely softened. Ryan smiled. "You have a very charming daughter." "Ah...yes," the woman agreed. "Do you mind if I take her to get ice cream over at La Crema Dulce?" Ryan asked, remembering the summer hangout spot. "I feel bad about buying her trinket, just want to make it up!" "I couldn't encroach on your kindness anymore, miss." "It's no problem at all. It's just a few minutes away." Missy looked up, hugging one of Ryan's legs. "Please, Mom?" Ryan ruffled Missy's hair, resting her hand on Missy's shoulder. "Oh, well, in that case." She thinly smiled. "Just no longer than 40 minutes." "Gotcha." Ryan and Missy walked to the parlor, getting a Fudgecicle for herself, and treating Missy to a strawberry sundae. The two sat at an outside table with an umbrella over it, and Ryan began. "So, Missy, what's your story?" "My name is Matt, and I woke up like this one day. I thought I was dreaming, and my mom was treating me like I had been this way forever. When I knew this was real I asked her, and she told me that she used the medallion, and said it was because I was bad, which I'm not. My mom is crazy! She did this because she hates men!" "Sssshhhh!" Ryan looked around. She figured that being that young had an impact on her impulse control. "Sorry. She's gone on about how sorry men are, and how at the very least my father could have left her with a daughter, that she could raise into a 'right proper lady." "I'm sorry. This thing seems to hurt people wherever it goes. I can't believe she would do that, but I know what the opportunity does to people, and probably has over the centuries. I'll use it on you before I leave. Do you want to become your true self again?" "Really? You would?" Missy's pretty eyes lit up. "Of course. If you don't want to be a girl, you'll be miserable your whole life if you stay that way. I sure am." "But you're so nice, and cute!" "Because it's easier. I hate this more every time I have to do something that reminds me that I'm not Tyler." "Oh, I'm sorry." "No apology needed." Ryan laughed. "That's what you're supposed to think. So, about the medallion. The main problem is how your mom is going to treat you if you change back. You don't want her spiting you because you're not a girl anymore." "I'll go live with my dad. I have to call him to see if it's alright." "But why haven't you so far?" Ryan asked. "Mom wants the child support," Missy said, shaking her head. Ryan was amazed at the conversation she was having with this 6-year-old girl. "I will call him under a guise, you have a number?" Missy told her the number, and she called privately, walking further away from people. "Hello, Mr." Ryan looked at Missy, who whispered her last name. "Schuler. My name is..Nina Lee. I am calling on behalf of your son Matthew. I understand that his mother has custody?" "Yes," answered the voice on the phone. "Who are you with?" Ryan thought. "I have been contacted personally by Matthew, I am an outside entity. It appears that his mother has been repressive, and spiteful to him over the dissolving of your marriage, and that this has been for years." "That bitch," the voice spat. "Is Matt near?" "Afraid not. But he does want to know if arrangements can be made, so that he can move with you." "Of course! I have wanted my son with my new family the whole time! The courts have always favored Michelle." "I'm sorry to hear that you've been denied each other, but also relieved that you will have him," Ryan truthfully said. "I'll relay the message, and have him call you as soon as he can. Thanks for your time, Mr. Schuler." "Thank you, Ms. Lee." Ryan could hear the man choke up. He really did want his son. Ryan was glad to have helped out; Matt would get a loving family, and he'd be a boy again, as he should.'At least things work out for some.' She thought. "So, he said yeah?" Missy asked excitedly. Ryan smiled, getting tears. "Yes, Missy," she said, hugging the little girl. "Why are you crying?" Missy asked, wiping tears from Ryan's face. "Because I'm happy for you." The pair walked back toward the neighborhood, with Ryan telling Missy to get some clothes that she had worn last when she was still a boy, and to try and get away from her mother for a bit. She'd meet Missy in the back yard, and have her change. Presenting Missy back to her mother, Ryan said. "She was a perfect angel. I had fun. Maybe I'll have a daughter like her, of my own one day." "You're certainly good with them," Michelle commented. "Your mother must be proud of such a nice young lady." "I can only hope. Thank you. I must go now, it was a pleasure." ### Later that day, Missy was granted a respite from her mother's eye, and she met Ryan at the wooded area that Ryan once used to get drunk that fateful night. Ryan asked her if she put on the shirt at all, since changing. Satisfied, she put the shirt on the ground, and the medallion on top of it. Missy felt the jolt, and began to feel herself growing. She started to pull off now constricting clothes, and put on the clothes that she had brought out. Muscles now filled various parts of her body, hair, she grew taller, reaching about 6ft tall, her features became masculine, and she felt her nether region become complete. Ryan watched in amazement, and was taken back by the result. "Yes!" Matt said, in his smooth voice, looking about his body. He pulled the shirt up slightly, and crunched his abs, and made a muscle with his biceps. He was kind of showing off. Ryan was staring, she couldn't believe it, but her eyes were fixed on this boy. "This...is a 15 year old?" Tyler had been no slouch, but 'Wow' she thought. Matt smiled, noticing her reaction. "Yeah, this is Matt Schuler. I am so glad to be back!" He hugged Ryan, who pulled back. She looked embarrassed, so Matt apologized. "Thanks so much. I thought I was doomed to be a gi..." He thought about what he was saying. "I'm sorry!" "I know how you feel," Ryan smiled. "I'm glad that I helped you, some lucky girl would have been missing out with you gone." Ryan said, hoping it didn't come out too appreciatively. "You think so?" "You're a really handsome guy," she admitted. "no homo!" She laughed, to break the tension. "I can't think of you as a man," Matt said, as he went in close. Ryan could see his intention, and to her amazement, she kind of wanted to, but steeled herself. "No, Matt, we can't. Not like this. Besides, I'm 24. You have to think about what you're going to do when you walk back in that house." "Twenty four?" Matt asked shocked. "Wow, you look high school." "Matt!" Ryan chided. "I told you I'm the same age as Tyler!" "Yeah," Matt began, getting a serious look on his face. "I'm going in there, telling her that I'm going with Dad, and that she's not stopping me. I'm not a little kid that can be swayed by 'Mommy' any more. It's all I can do to keep from punching her head off." "Matt, PLEASE don't do anything stupid! I am a felon because of bad choices I made after being swapped. My life is limited, don't ruin yours or all this would have been a waste!" She found herself behind him, wrapping her arms around his body, leaning her head on his back. "I won't." "Look... my car is around the block. It's an orange Mazda 3. If you have an argument I'll be waiting. I'm at a motel for the night, and we can meet your father tomorrow." "Thank you, for all of this." Ryan released him. Going to her car, she watched apprehensively as he entered the front door. ### "Mom!" Matt called out. "Matt?" Michelle's eyes grew wide, as she came from the kitchen. "MATT!?" "Looks like your sorry ass son is back." Matt smiled cruelly. "Is there a reason I shouldn't strike you for what you did? I'll go to juvie, and then they'll send me to Dad, where I should have been the whole time," Matt spoke through hard breaths. "I'm sorry, Matthew." Michelle reached out, and her hand was smacked away. "Don't lie! You are so vile, and shouldn't call yourself a mother! You are sorry, but not for what you did to me, but as an individual." Matt punched a gaping hole in the wall next to him. Feeling power that he hadn't for a long time, he advanced on his mother. "Matthew! Please, I'm your mother!" Michelle scrambled back. "And I'm supposed to care?" "MATT!" a voice screamed. "Don't!" Ryan ran in-between the mother and son. "You? What are you doing here?" Michelle demanded. "Keeping you from getting killed, and Matt from ruining his life!" She said, her arm keeping Matt back. "Did you change him?" "Yes, I did. I know about the medallion. I know what it does. It ruins lives." "How dare you! This was none of your concern!" "Shut up!" Matt demanded. "She can't keep me off of you, if I really want to." "This house?" Ryan waved her arm "I used to live here. I was Tyler Walsh. My neighbor wanted to switch, promising money in exchange for a week. I have been stuck as her for 7 years, and my life has been miserable, and SHE's Mister SuperBowl MVP! I knew that Missy wasn't a girl, and after she told me everything, I knew I had to help. How could you do that? It isn't easy for someone who's grown up as a boy to be cast into a female body, your mind, and body will always be at odds, you never feel right." "Thank Ryan that I haven't touched you," Matt said sadly. "Dad has agreed to let me live with him. In fact, he's wanted it for a very long time. How could you? You smote me because Dad moved on, and you couldn't. You're pathetic. Don't look us up." He turned to Ryan. "I'm coming with you, we'll see my father tomorrow." He was already out the door. Ryan turned away slowly, following him. ### The next morning, Ryan and Matt had a breakfast of Burger King, and orange juice. Matt's father would be meeting them later, and then Ryan would drive back home with the medallion. "It's almost checkout time, go ahead and get to the car, and I'll be signing out. Your father will meet us at Walmart." Seeing a tall, handsome man step out of a Lexus IS350, Ryan assumed this was Matt's father. The man looked just like Matt, but an older, wiser version. Mr.Schuler hugged his son, asking "How are you, son?" "Great now, Dad." David looked at his son's companion. "And you are?" "Hi, Mr. Schuler. I'm Ryan. It was actually me that called you yesterday." Ryan offered her hand, which David shook lightly. "Nice to meet you. I would like to talk more about what's going on, Ms. Ryan." "Afraid I'm little more than a bystander that saw injustice, and acted. Matt really needs to be out of there, and now that he's old enough to make his own mind, hopefully you guys get to stay together. Matt's old enough for the courts to take his wishes into consideration." "You've gone out of your way for my son and I, how can I thank you?" David asked. "Just cherish each other," Ryan said. David spoke up. "You're a special person, Ms. Ryan. It's rare that anyone cares these days. Thank you so much. I'll never forget this. I have my boy back!" David said elated. "And I have a real family to go to." Matt said, nodding. "I guess this good-bye, Ryan?" "Yeah." She smiled sadly. The two hugged, and Ryan gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek, telling him, "Good luck!" "Do I get one from the pretty girl too?" David asked jokingly. Ryan obliged. Ryan watched as the father and son pulled away, to begin again, their family. "So," David asked his son, "who was she to you?" Matt looked thoughtfully. "Definitely a guardian angel." ### Back at home, Ryan felt good about mostly everything. She finally had the medallion, the thing that caused this whole mess in the first place, and she was also able to help Matt get out of a situation that could've mirrored her own. Ryan knew that the medallion had caused many more problems that she'd never be able to solve, but at least one injustice had been stopped. It was now time to formulate a plan. As old Ryan said, it was best if no unaccounted for people came into existence, so just becoming someone new was out of the question, and she didn't trust anyone to put the secret of the medallion in danger to ask to trade, and there was the fact that she'd already been given a body with health problems, but there were worse things than bad eyes and chronic asthma. Who knows what would be inherited with another change? Becoming a copy of another could harm their identity if anything happened, and Ryan wasn't out to ruin anyone's life. "Tyler," Ryan said aloud. They should switch back. As badly as Ryan wanted to let the past go, and start to truly live for herself, the disparity between their lives was too big for her to forget. Even had Ryan not been convicted of those felonies, would she have been able to attain what Tyler had? Sure, things could have been better, but what career choice could she have ever made that would allow her to live beyond the American dream as Tyler obviously did? The original Ryan was every bit as smart as Tyler, if not moreso, but being a small, average looking woman who hadn't made an effort to stand out, other than her grades, would not afford the same opportunities that Tyler had. It could have been better, but it wouldn't have been SuperBowl MVP, married to the childhood sweetheart, with the perfect children. Ryan didn't even want to count the metrics in which Tyler made her yearly salary. Hours? Minutes? Or seconds? At only 24, barring no major injuries that amount could be increased many-fold. "That life should be mine!" Ryan determined. Ryan had to find out where Tyler lived. Finally breaking her self- promise not to search for Tyler, she uncovered many things about Tyler's post-highschool life, and a wiki article on him, which also mentioned his wife Tiffany, who had an entry because she had been a pro cheerleader, then became a fashion model. According to the article she was away from working, caring for the two sons between Tyler and herself. Looking through the links, Ryan also found an article on none other than herself. The article stated that she was an outcast girl who had mental problems, which she mused could be considered true. It mentioned her case, the outcome, and said that it was reported that her mother moved from Dallas to avoid the public eye. "Mom." The article reminded her. "I haven't spoken to her in a few days." She made the call. "Hi, Mom." "Oh, hey, Ryan!" Gail enthusiastically answered. "How's my baby girl doing?" "Mom! Don't call me that! Ryan returned, she was embarrassed every time her mother called her that. Partially because of the childishness of the nickname, and mostly because she never felt like anyone's baby, or girl; she was at odds with the term. "But you know you'll always.." "Yes I will, because I love my Mom," Ryan said before Gail could get it out again. "I was just calling to see how you were doing. It's been a while." "It's been six days." "I know. But I think of you. You've been through so much." Gail laughed. "Who's the mother, and who's the daughter? You get embarrassed when I dote over you, yet you do the same. You don't have to constantly worry about me, nor aim to please me. Despite what happened, you persevered, and drugs and alcohol haven't become a part of your life again." Gail never suspected Ryan's new drinking issues. "I'm proud of what you've done despite that, and I have you back after those rough teen years." "Thank you, Mom. You had to sacrifice much because of what I did." "Sacrifice? We've never discussed it because I know you blame yourself. I really don't think there's anything I could say to convince you, especially because of the news. I promise this was 100% a choice. Life is more enjoyable here, and did we really have anything holding us back?" "Okay," Ryan answered, definitely not convinced. The two finished the brief conversation, before Gail excused herself, leaving Ryan to her thoughts. Ryan decided against telling her mother anything regarding her job, or plans. It would be more for Gail to worry about. Unbeknownst to Ryan, Gail was keeping a huge secret from her as well. There were now things that needed consideration. Her baby. Ryan was now approaching the end of the first trimester. She had still not sought care for her pregnancy. She had a very slight show by this time, and was beginning to have more of the uncomfortable symptoms; she felt 'stitches' in her pelvis, and her legs were retaining water. She looked down at her burgeoning body, realizing, "I can't have this baby. I can't love it, and I don't want to do this to the baby," Ryan said aloud. "Someone I don't know put this thing in me, and I will have to see that man's eyes, nose, or whatever else on this baby might resemble that bastard." She rubbed her stomach feeling the pouch, knowing the baby was likely resting and growing unaware of anything happening around him or her. "Also," Ryan's face darkened. "I can't use the medallion if I'm pregnant..." She felt like the worst scum on the planet, her singular goal meaning more than even this child's life to her. She sighed. "I am truly sorry, little one, but I can't give you the kind of life you should have; I can't be your mother. I couldn't be anyone's mother. I'm a man, these are things I should have never had to ever think about. A baby, INSIDE ME!" She slammed her fist hard on the counter, which further angered her. "God Dammit!" She shook her hand in pain. " I wish I could say I love you, but I'd be lying." Ryan wanted to have no misgivings about her situation. She made a grim appointment... ### Walking up to the nondescript building, Ryan knew all passing eyes were on her. The signage was minimal, but anyone around knew exactly what the place was, and what Ryan was likely to be doing there. A car even drove past, with a woman's voice yelling, "MURDERER!!" Shaking it off, Ryan walked in, the reception area sterile and white, as with any medical office. The middle-aged woman behind the counter asked Ryan her basic info, and had her fill out a clipboard. The questionnaire was a little more involved than usual, for obvious reasons. Ryan was the only person in the place this day, making her a little more comfortable. Finishing her paperwork, she went back up to the receptionist to hand it in. She was told that she would be seen soon. A nurse, she presumed, called her and took some vitals, and asked a few questions. The nurse, a young male of what Ryan believed was 'questionable' sexuality led her to an exam room. He asked a few health related questions about Ryan, and the baby, to which Ryan answered she didn't know about the baby's health. "The doctor will see you soon, Ryan," he said softly. Ryan sighed. Seemed like forever before the doctor finally made her appearance. She was an intelligent looking woman, with her red hair tied neatly behind her back, and piercing green eyes, and porcelain skin. "Ms. Winters? Hi, I'm Dr. O'Shanahan, nice to meet you." Ryan shook her hand, saying, "I wish that were the truth, but here we are." "Yes. I'm going to be asking you a few more questions, a mini- consultation if you will." Ryan nodded, the doctor continued. "So I understand that you don't have any information about the baby?" "Uhm, I don't." "And why are you considering this procedure?" "I believe I was raped." "Do you mind?" The doctor inquired. Ryan told her what she knew; she wasn't completely sure, but pretty certain. "You were a virgin, until then?" "Yes. I...just I was a fool, I'm paying for it, and this child is." "I understand, and why does that make you feel like this is the only way?" "Because I am not interested in a family, let alone a broken one. Doing this may not be fair to this child, you know, but I won't be the mother it should have." "And that's not my place to call, Ryan, I just have to evaluate your reasoning." The Doctor noted things that Ryan said, while looking at her demeanor. "So, you provide for yourself, and have your basic needs?" "Yes. If you're asking whether it's a question of my ability; sure I have the means, but nothing else." "What about support, like friends and family?" "I don't have friends, and I have not told my mother, or the few close to me. I would likely be talked out of this. What am I to do? I plan to disappear, even if I went through this, I'd leave this burden on someone else. Not fair to anyone, including this little one." Ryan explained. "You said that you drank heavily? What about after the tests?" "I haven't drank since." "Why is that?" the doctor probed. "It ruined my life, and I was unsure of what to do about this situation." "Okay, I understand, Ryan," the doctor began. "You estimate the pregnancy to be 10-to-11 weeks?" "I guess. It's been a while since I've had.. you know, and I'm showing," Ryan answered. The doctor asked Ryan to disrobe. She noted Ryan's condition. "Well, I'd agree you are with child, some definite signs, but we still need a test. We're going to do an ultrasound if it's positive." After the confirmation, Dr. O'Shanahan applied the gel to the stomach of Ryan, who was now laying on the bed. The various noises of Ryan's innards played on the monitor, and the monochrome shapes began to become visible organs, and bones. "And here we are." Ryan looked at the screen, seeing the shape of the little person on the screen. The equipment picked up the heartbeat, which the doctor notated to Ryan. Ryan could see the heart pulsating, pumping blood through the tiny body. "It's a person..." "Yes it is, Ryan." Ryan put her head back, looking straight up, and away from the monitor. Tears flowed freely from her eyes. "Look at you. You've done nothing. You're in me, I'm making you, the things happening to my body are for you. I...I can't hate you." Ryan looked to the doctor. "I can't do this." "And that is why we show you your baby," the doctor said nodding. "Since it's been noted that you haven't had prenatal care established, that should be your first priority. Do you need a referral?" ### Ryan left the office, and headed straight to her former job. Don's face lit with excitement, as did everyone else working at the moment. "Ryan!" "Hi, guys." She shared hugs with everyone, before asking Don for a moment, to which he agreed. Sitting in Don's office, he began. "It's great to see you!" "Likewise." Reading her vibe, he asked, cautiously, "What can I do for you?" "Sir. I told you that if I had something to talk about, I would come to you first." Don nodded. "Is that okay?" Again, Don nodded. Ryan continued. "I just left an abortion clinic," she stated flatly. Don's jaw could be picked up from the floor. "You did what?" Ryan stood, lifting her shirt. "I didn't do anything. I couldn't." Don exhaled deeply. "Thank God. But, why did you even consider that?" "I was raped. I don't know who the father is." "Oh my God, Ryan!" Don grabbed the now sobbing Ryan tightly. "I'm so sorry, girl. Did you make a police report?" Ryan told him the circumstances behind the assault, and that she couldn't even if she wanted. She owned her mistakes, but that didn't make anything any easier. "Is there anything we can do for you?" Don asked. Ryan shook her head. "Your job is waiting on you, you know that, right?" Ryan nodded in understanding. "Dorothy and I will do whatever we can to help you out. I know you're a kind of a loner, but please let us help you however we can." "Thank you. I can't come back, I won't be the same, and I don't want to mope around, and bring down morale. Being someone's mom isn't something that was supposed to happen to me." Don didn't know the true meaning of this statement. "Everyone here loves you, Ryan. You're not that dense. You need a job, you have a job; here. You have me and Dorothy, all the girls, the guys. We're your family, Ryan. You don't need to do this alone. We won't let you," Don stated. Ryan burst out crying, and Donald comforted her. He'd never witnessed Ryan so vulnerable, and he understood what they meant to each other. Ryan continued to sob for a while, and as she calmed down, Dorothy came from a bank run. She was informed of Ryan's situation, and the older couple convinced Ryan to return to her job after she took some more time for herself. "Thank you guys so much. I don't know where I'd be without you sometimes. Give me a day, I'll get prenatal care established, and I'll be back to work the day after." "Two weeks," Don stated. "But," Ryan started. "Two weeks." Ryan smiled, shaking her head. "Two weeks." ### Ryan had one more stop to make. "Mom." "My baby, I don't get to see you much anymore. I'm so glad!" Ryan smiled weakly, following Gail into the living room. As Gail turned around from locking the door, Ryan announced. "I'm pregnant." Gail's eyes lit up. "Ryan! That's gr..." She noticed her daughter's sullen expression, before questioning. "Ryan..? This isn't good news is it?" Ryan exhaled. "Mom. Will you believe everything I tell you?" "Yes, of course." "I'm Tyler. Tyler Walsh." Gail's look was of disbelief. "Do you remember how all of a sudden, *I* didn't act the same? That's why. Ryan switched places with me. I made a deal with her, and she was supposed to give me some money; she wanted to trade places, and she would give me money for the car that I wanted for that prom." Gail was still wearing a look of non-understanding. Ryan pulled out the medallion. "This is the Medallion of Zulo. It has the power to change people in various ways. One thing that it can do is switch two people. Ryan used it to swap us. Do you believe me?" "I don't know what I'm hearing." Ryan went to the hamper and grabbed a shirt that her mom left to wash, and touched the medallion to it, and then put it on. "The only things that stop this from working is, if a woman is mensing, or pregnant. Since I am the latter, it will not work on me. I will change, but I will revert back." Gail looked at Ryan. "Change into what?" "You." "Me?" "Yes, the last person to wear the garment, as you were." "As I am?" "Yes" Gail gasped. Ryan began to change in front of Gail, to her amazement. She began to breathe hard. "It hurts!" Ryan shouted, grabbing her chest, and coming to her knees. "My body!" Ryan said in her mother's voice, to the stunned Gail. She was looking at what appeared to be a copy of herself. But it was her daughter.. She saw the clone quickly change back into the form of Ryan. In doing this, she may have found out something that she wasn't supposed to. "Ryan?" "Mom?" she asked in her own voice. "What was that about? I had excruciating pain as you..." "Yes, I'm sick, you probably felt it, but without medication. I'll talk to you about it in a bit, but what did I just see?" "The power of the Medallion. I used it because I knew I would change back. I had to show you. When Ryan approached me, I didn't believe her either. She actually used that fact to get me to do it, she admitted as much." "So, you're really not Ryan?" Gail asked. "I..." "I am your daughter, and you are my Mom. I don't care who I was born as. I've hated almost everything about being Ryan, except you, Mom. You are a precious gift to me, and made this bearable, from that first day, when I went out running, and I didn't know the limitations of Ryan's body, and had that asthma attack, the warmth I felt from you, was unlike anything I ever felt from Tyler's parents." Gail realized it was all true. "So that's why you changed so much? I'm so sorry..." Ryan looked up to Gail, nodding. Gail wrapped Ryan in a hug with both women crying. "My feelings towards you won't change, you gave me my loving daughter back. You were all I could've ever asked for, baby." "Thank you, Mom," Ryan said, recovered from her emotions. "So then," Gail began. "The dance..?" Ryan explained that she was supposed to be back into her original body as Tyler that day to have the prom with Tiffany, but was stuck due to her period, and she'd in fact self-medicated, herself attacking Tyler and Tiffany was a result of her anger toward missing his girlfriend, his virginity, the car, drugs, and boose. "How could she?" Gail asked. "I'm pretty sure that she was in love with Tiffany," Ryan answered. Gail gasped again. "Tiffany and I both tried to get her with guys. In retrospect, she subtly told me in so many words. She told me that the person that she wanted was taken, and even if they weren't, that person wouldn't accept her anyway, so making herself beautiful with the medallion would be useless. She specifically never said, 'him', or 'he'. I had a long time to think about it. She also got super touchy-feely with Tiffany when she became Tyler. She wanted me specifically because I already had Tiffany. I was usurped." "I didn't see anything like that..I didn't know." "No one would have seen it, I didn't until it was too late." "I'm so sorry she took everything from you." "She gave me you," Ryan said, hugging her mom again. Gail smiled. "So your baby?" Ryan's expression turned dark again. She explained how she saw that Tyler was a SuperBowl MVP, was married to Tiffany, and how jealous rage built up in her. She told her mother how she began to drink to make the pain go away. She also told Gail how a guy took advantage of her, taking her virginity, and impregnating her. "I made the mistake that landed me in jail, and I made the mistake that gave me this baby. I...just, keep messing up." Ryan began to cry again. "Every turn I've made since becoming Ryan has been some huge life altering mistake! I just left an abortion clinic." Again, Gail gasped. "As I told you, I am pregnant, still." Ryan shook her head, rubbing her stomach. "With everything that's happened, I don't love myself, I'm just a dumpy woman, with a medicore life; I just exist. I tried to hate this baby, as much as I hate myself, but when I heard the heartbeat, and saw the tiny form, I couldn't do it. But I don't know how to be a mom; a true woman. I don't know what to do." "You'll know what to do. I have faith in you. You're a beautiful person, and you proved it again, by not doing what you were considering, especially despite everything. You have every reason to do it, but thank God you are who you are." Gail hugged her daughter tightly. "Mom, about what I felt when I became you. What's going on? That wasn't normal. How sick are you?" "I didn't know how or when to tell you, but it's cancer. Breast cancer, and it spread, I don't have long." Ryan's face wore a look of shock. "Mom!?" Gail closed her eyes, wiping tears away. "No, that can't happen! I need you!" Ryan cried. "Your grandchild needs you! I know it sounds selfish, but I can't do this without you." Ryan cried on her mother's leg. "I'm sorry." "No, no, no..." Ryan had a look of realization. "This medallion. We can cure you!" She'd been caught up in her feelings to such an extent that she didn't realize that the answer was in front of her to begin with. Calming down, Ryan told her mother more about the medallion, and how she went back to Texas to retrieve it. "I was going to have the abortion, and get my body and life back. But now, I'll cure you, and figure out the rest later." "Can you let it go?" Gail asked, rubbing her daughter's shoulder. "I don't know. I was groomed for everything that Tyler has now. I should be in the hills with the milions. I should have a beautiful family. He's got everything; I have nothing. I am only alive because I'm too chicken to kill myself, and it would hurt you to bury your child. I smile, I laugh everyday, I look like a happy, cute girl that's enjoying things as they come, but I've been dead inside ever since I went to prison. I know I can't have the same life as Tyler. I can't be what I was meant to be." "Maybe you were meant to be this way?" Gail questioned. Ryan looked quizzically. "I know, it sounds strange. But you gave Ryan the things she wanted, and shouldered many burdens since then, but I think you saved her life. You're a much stronger person than she was, the things that have happened haven't killed you. You've endured so much, and even in the face of this new situation, you're here, strong, and standing. I'm so sorry for what Ryan did to you, but I love you more than anything, and I know you can find happiness in your life. Let it go." "Mom." "Ryan." The two women shared a long hug. Ryan finally told her mother the complete truth. She inadvertently found out about her mother's cancer, and healing her with the medallion became the pressing matter. Ryan could figure out her own problems after that was done. Over the course of the next few days, Ryan and Gail used the medallion to change things about Gail's body. They'd gotten clothes, with Gail choosing the specific sizes of various garments, given the information they had. They'd created a younger, more vibrant Gail with an amazing trim figure. In the wake of her formerly grim diagnosis, Gail did decide to go lighter on the chest than she had been naturally, as a symbolic gesture. All the years of worry and toil seemed to be erased from Gail's face, her movement easy and light. "Ryan. I thought you were the best daughter ever." Gail began. "You were a caring, doting, and lovely young daughter, now you've given me the most precious gifts; a new lease on life, and the grandchild I want, and I get to have more time with you. I want to see you have happy moments in your life." Ryan smiled, happy for one of those rare moments since assuming this life. ### Ryan went back to work, and told everyone that she was expecting. Her co-workers gushed over the situation. She also got an OB-GYN, to watch her and the baby's health, and tracked milestones of the pregnancy. As time moved forward, so did the natural glow about her. One day, Ryan was mixing the secret recipe barbeque sauce, and Don just looked at her. Ryan for the first time ever, looked content; she was truly beautiful. Don snapped a picture with his cellphone. As Ryan's pregnancy progressed, she did become more uncomfortable, but she'd done some simple exercises to try to retain mobility, and allow her to do her job as long as possible. At the 18 week point, she and her mother went to see the gender. Ryan would be welcoming a little girl to the world. The pregnancy went smoothly, and Ryan worked hard as ever, until she was too cumbersome to wait on patrons. Many customers gave her larger tips throughout this time, for which she was thankful. Ryan had her home prepared and ready for the baby. Thanks to her frugality, buying the necessary things, while expensive, she was able to do with no help. That did not stop, however, her co-workers from having a baby shower for her. It took place after close on night, with everyone, even those who were off, coming in, and participating. Ryan was truly touched by the kindness, and thoughtfulness that everyone showed. She had many supplies, clothes, and giftcards to last for a while. "I don't know what to say," Ryan said. "Thank you, everybody. It means the world that you did this for me." She exhaled. "Um, I don't talk about things outside of work often, if at all, but I want you to know that you're all my family. I don't want to ruin this beautiful moment, but I've gone through things that have made me want to just stop. I truly hated myself. But when I see how others care about me, it helps me feel hopeful, like there's someone or something good out there. I truly want to thank you all, especially Becca and Emily." The two bounced happily as everyone clapped. Ryan gave hugs and more thanks to everyone. Becca, and Emily were last. "Thanks you guys," "Awww Ryan, I'm so happy for you!" Becca gushed. "You seem happier." Ryan smiled. "Thank you." "Yeah," Emily agreed." Giving Ryan a hug. "Maybe this little girl in here. "Ryan began, rubbing her stomach. "Is the reason that I'm a woman." "I'm glad you found your reason," Becca said, the three having a group hug. ### "PUSH!!!" Gail encouraged. "You're doing great!" Ryan breathed deeply with the strain of childbirth showing on her face. "Did I ever tell you, I HATE BEING A WOMAN!!!!" she exclaimed. Gail laughed, then so did Ryan, albeit laboriously. "You'll love it when you look into her eyes," Gail said, holding Ryan's hand. "Okay, the baby is crowning!" a nurse told Ryan. "One more hard push!" Ryan gritted her teeth. "ARRRGH!!!!!" She felt the pressure build up, and then it was gone. Ryan heard the crying of the baby, relieved in more ways than one. The delivery staff congratulated Ryan on the birth, and in minutes handed her, her baby. Ryan lowered her gown, placing the baby to her breast. The baby began to suckle, as Ryan looked on, with a content smile, looking at her perfect daughter. The chubby baby had a tuft of blonde hair, and her eyes were closed, with dressing from the birth on them. "Do you have a name for her?" the doctor asked, breaking the silence. "Maria Genesis Winters," Ryan answered. Gail patted her daughter's shoulder. "I love it." ### Back at home, Ryan had just finished changing Maria. She was holding Maria by the underarms, and gave her a zerber, with Maria cooing, laughing. A few days after coming home, Maria was able to open her eyes, revealing her bright gray eyes, matching Ryan's own. Gail showed Ryan pictures of herself when she was a child, and Maria, other than her blonde hair was a dead ringer for Ryan. "So, how do you feel?" Gail asked her daughter. "Like I have a purpose," Ryan answered, nuzzling her daughter. "Hey there!" She playfully said to Maria, who was all smiles. "That's great. I'm sorry that you went through what you did, but I'm so happy that you finally have a semblance of happiness in your life. You're a great Mommy." "Thank you so much, Mom, I learned a lot from you." Gail smiled. The women shared a hug. ### While still on maternity leave, Ryan was going to go to Don and Dot's to let everyone meet Maria. She looked in the mirror, as she held clothes up to herself. Maria was laying in her rocker, looking on quietly as her mom fiddled with clothes, and things. "Classic office lady," Ryan said, holding a white blouse to her chest. She got on a navy knee-length skirt, and tucked the blouse into it, noticing the small reminder of her pregnancy, her miniscule post baby bump. She was a little thicker in her womanly areas than usual, much as when she had been in prison, but as before she'd drop the weight quickly. "I look like a teacher," She said aloud, turning to Maria. "Can you say 'A'?" The baby smiled at her mother, who picked her up. "Maria, Mariaaa...," Ryan sang, the part of the so titled song by Carlos Santana. ### "Ryan!" Everyone gushed, as Ryan entered Don and Dot's. "How are you? Oh my God, she's so beautiful! Awww." "Say 'Hi' Maria." Becca came over. "She tho cewt," she said, tickling Maria, who loved it. After everyone met Maria, Ryan asked Don if they could speak in his office. "Sure, come in." They were soon seated, with Don remarking. "You look absolutely amazing, Ryan." "Thank you," she replied, looking at Maria. "I think I needed her as much as she needed me. Maybe more." She faced Maria to Don. "Can you say 'Uncle Don'?" Don playfully waved, and made a face, to which Maria laughed. "She's perfect, Ryan," Don said, nodding. "So, little lady, to what do I owe the pleasure?" "Thank you, sir. I just wanted her to meet the family." Don hugged Ryan. "Do you mind if we take some pictures?" "I'd love it." With that, Don called everyone to the floor, and everyone took pictures with Ryan, and Maria, and Ryan allowed Don and Dorothy to hold Maria, and have a picture with her as well. They finished with a picture of Don and Dororthy holding Maria, with Ryan smiling above them with her hands on their shoulders. As everyone disbursed, Don called Ryan over, telling her. "You truly are a beautiful young lady. You changed so while you were carrying this little girl. I was inspired to take this picture a while back," Don showed her the picture of herself working in the kitchen that he'd snapped. "There was something different; of all the years I've known you, this was a truly beautiful moment." "That's me?" Ryan was surprised. "I look happy." "You have been more so ever since. I'm sorry for what happened, but I'm glad that you have each other." Ryan was teary eyed. "I agree. Thank you so much." Don pointed to Maria, who grabbed the man's finger, as she told her. "You take care of your Mommy for me. Alright, little missy?" Maria smiled, cooing. ### Returning to work a few weeks later, Ryan was given a Monday-Friday schedule, and since she did a lot of administrative duties, she also had the earliest shift possible, all to help out with childcare. She thanked Don for the adjustments, who was in-turn thankful that Ryan stayed with them. Life was back to normal, except Ryan had purpose, her daughter Maria. Ryan's days were much busier; Maria kept her on her toes. She read to, and played with Maria as much as possible, and enjoyed every moment of it. There were of course, times where she wondered about the alternative of life, had she remained Tyler. She didn't dwell on it for long, infact Maria wouldn't let her. ### *Ring* The doorbell sounded. Ryan answered, and a woman stood before her. She was a very attractive blonde, maybe a half foot taller than Ryan, with what could be a very nice figure under her clothes, and she was nervous. "Um, Hi, Ryan?" she asked with what seemed to be more than a hint of weariness. "Yes, that's me," Ryan answered cautiously. "What are you selling?" "No, no no! Nothing like that. Uh, do you have a baby?" "Why are you asking if I have a baby?" Ryan demanded, closing the door to a slit. Maria was with her Grandmother this Saturday, but Ryan didn't want the stranger to see into her home. If there were ill intentions, she needed to know, so she could react accordingly. "I'm the father." "The what?" The woman breathed. "Nothing. I'll go. Sorry." "Come in," Ryan ordered. The woman did as told. "My daughter is with her Grandmother. But, I believe you, and I'll tell you why soon." "I'm so sorry I did that to you," the woman apologized. "Why are you a woman now?" Ryan asked, ignoring the apology. "There was some weird shop. I actually saw you go into it as I was leaving. This old guy sold me something, saying I could get all the sex I want. I woke up as a woman the next day." "I believe you. I was once a boy," Ryan stated, looking at the woman. "Although my circumstances were different. Do you know who the SuperBowl MVP was?" "Ty Walsh," she answered immediately. 'Naturally she knew,' Ryan thought, remembering that boy-turned-little girl Matt quickly answered this same question. "That was me. This is my neighbor's body. She was a childhood friend. We swapped bodies; she said she wanted to try being a man for a week, and would give me money in exchange for the swap. Turned out she wanted her best friend, who was also my girlfriend. I have been stuck as her since I was 17. I have been depressed ever since! Then I found out he got a Ring! Married MY girl! Made MY MILLIONS!" "I didn't know!" "Of course you didn't, idiot. That's also why I had a drinking problem when you met me. But, what you did know, was that I was drunk. I was a virgin. You raped me and got me pregnant." Anger rose from within Ryan. "You knew I was in no position to consent." "I'm sorry." "Why did you come here, other than to piss me off?" "I...I felt bad. I walk past here almost everyday, and then I started seeing your belly grow. I knew I made the ultimate mistake." "Why do you walk past here everyday?" "I'm a stripper. I walk to and from work." Ryan was taken aback. "Ever since I was changed, I have a high sex drive, and I'm easily manipulated; I'm being punished for what I did. In my mind, I know these things, but I can't prevent them. I have nothing now." "If you came for sympathy, I have none. My daughter will not know you. You're scum, and are getting what you deserve. Be glad you're not still a man, because had you dare shown your face, you'd be in jail, getting violated. Be thankful that you're a woman now, by the way, use protection unless you want to end up like me." With that, Ryan shut the door. Ryan slid down the door, eventually sitting on the floor, looking up towards the ceiling. She didn't want to be this mean to someone, even her assailant, but she couldn't forget and forgive every single thing that was done to her. When she saw the woman that 'Steve' had become, and the story, she did feel sympathy; Ryan was just an empathetic person. She had to stop herself from getting the medallion, and changing her back into him. He did afterall, think nothing of rape, and could do it again if given the equipment back. Unfortunately, Ryan's daughter Maria could look similar to that woman, and that memory would be burned into her head. ### Maria was now three years old. "Hey, let's brush our teeth!" Ryan urged. Maria showed her mom her teeth, after doing so. "I did it, Mommy!" "Good job on those pearly whites," Ryan said softly. "Now, grab your backpack, it's time to go to daycare!" "Yay! I like daycare, I get to play with all my friends, like Ariel, like Donovan, like Chin, and like Jayden." "And they like playing with you too. Do you like Mrs. Almanzar?" Ryan asked. "She's the bestest!" Maria beamed with excitement. Ryan hefted her daughter. "May I have a kiss from the princess?" With that, Maria gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. "And this side too?" *MWA* Sitting her back down, they walked to Ryan's car hand in hand. Ryan opened the door, allowing Maria to get in. Ryan fastened the child restraint, and the pair headed to daycare.She walked her daughter to her daycare room, where she was given a kiss, and departed. Ryan headed to work. ### Now at work, Ryan got the store ready for open, as she usually did. It was about 10:30, and the lunch crowd started to come in around 11:00. Everyone was ready, and the store was in working order. At this point, Ryan oversaw most things with the restaurant, and was paid accordingly. Unless comparing her life to what Tyler had achieved, she couldn't complain. She could always look toward her quickly growing daughter as inspiration to push forward. Ryan did ponder the next steps in her life. She loved her job, and came to love her co-workers, but she did have a degree, and no longer had to check the 'felon' box on an application, as the suitable time had passed. She imagined that she might even start out making less using her degree, but in the long run, it might be wise to get into her field of major. "Hey Ryan," her co-worker Emily said. "There is a customer asking for you, specifically. In the back. I think he may have come last night but you weren't in. He tipped well, I heard." "Okay. I'll take his order." Ryan stated, grabbing an apron, and pen. She didn't usually wait these days, but still did every so often. 'Must have a crush.' While Ryan wasn't full of herself, she knew that most people viewed her as a cute, bubbly young woman. That, as well as stretch pants that unintentionally showed her figure, all made a perfect storm for men to like her. Over the years, she did at times remain amazed at how some guys couldn't separate good customer service with flirting. Afterall, Ryan had been way too self-conscious to even think of flirting. Ryan approached the table, the man had a larger figure than most. With his back to her, all she could see was the fact that he wore a baseball cap, and leather jacket. "Hi, welcome to...." The man turned to face Ryan. Ryan's mouth dropped. "Tyler...." Tyler nodded. "Hi, Ryan. "Wh..what are you doing here?" "Having lunch." "Were you here yesterday?" "I like the food." Tyler smiled. Keeping her composure, she asked, "What can I get you?" "I'll have whatever you recommend," he answered. With that, Ryan put in an order, and came out as if Tyler was an ordinary customer. Once he headed out, she bussed his table, and found an average tip, but something inside the folded bills. It was an address, and a time. Ryan finished the work, and went to her car, and sat down alone. She never expected to see Tyler again, and there he was, plain as day. Why had he come to the restaurant? There was no coincidence; it was a small world, but not that small. Ryan had always imagined the various circumstances in which she'd meet Tyler again, and played them in her head constantly, however she was far more subdued when it finally happened. She didn't even know what she felt at the moment, as she sat in the car, looking blankly at the roof. Coming back to reality, she called her mother, asking if she could pick Maria up from daycare, and watch her until late in the evening, which was fine. ### After her shift, Ryan went home to make herself presentable, and to retrieve something that may be of use. She then went to the address provided, which was surprisingly, a 3-Star hotel, and to the room number provided. Ryan wondered if he was thrifty, as his tip wasn't the best either. She knocked lightly. Tyler answered. "Come in." Taking Tyler in, she noticed that he was very handsome, he'd shot up to maybe 6'7", and he was shredded in the tank top and sweats he wore, the sweats also outlined his package, and Ryan caught herself admiring him...her own body. "How are you?" Tyler began. "I've survived," Ryan answered flatly. "Ryan, I'm sorry." "Everyone is sorry for things that they've done to me," Ryan said, as Tyler looked on. "I want to know one thing first; did you plan it out?" Tyler looked at Ryan, answering. "Yes," he admitted. "But I was going to swap back after your period. I wanted to take Tiffany to the prom, and become one with her in a way that I couldn't as a girl." "So, the 'one thing' that you couldn't get by using the medallion, and making yourself beautiful, the person that wouldn't go with you; Tiffany. You were a lesian." "Yes, Tiffany. The reason that I became angsty; I had nothing but Tiffany, the only person that mattered was Tiffany, the only person that cared about me, in my eyes, was Tiffany, the only person that got me was Tiffany. As long as I was a girl, I would have to live with only being her friend. However, I wasn't a lesbian; I didn't want to sleep with women as a woman. Had Tiffany even been okay with it, I would have accepted her feelings and tried, but I was smaller than Tiffany, and didn't have the parts that would actually make me one with her. As a man, I have the parts that make her MINE. As a man, I am the one she looks to for protection, as a man, it is my progeny that the love of my life bears. Although I always wanted Tiffany, I was never sexually attracted to girls, until I got your body, then everything seemed to come together, and make perfect sense. As much as I'd seen Tiffany naked or scantily clad as Ryan, I never got a physical reaction, I could never sate myself, even thinking about her. I wanted a penis, and to feel myself get hard, not big, male-attention getting nipples," Tyler explained, then continued. "A lesbian relationship would not be a replacement. What were we to do? Scissor? Adopt children? As if!" Tyler seemed to be getting angry. "You speak of being a man as though you were born into it. Those things were mine to experience, not yours. So then, Why me?" Ryan asked. "Obviously, you already had her, and I knew how much she liked you. Even if I made myself into another guy to compete with you, I doubt it would've worked, and also, I would've had no identity, I couldn't appear from thin air, for all the reasons I told you back then," Tyler answered candidly. "Would you have been happy with just that week?" Ryan asked. "I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. But I would have given you your body back, either way, but, you went to prison. We were allowed no contact, you know that. I elected to live the life given to me." "That I worked for," Ryan sighed. "I have accepted every mistake I made. When I heard your plan, I should have walked away. But I figured I'd humor you because you had the money, and I wanted the car, which coincidentally, I never got." "I put the carrot out there, and I used the fact that the plan was crazy. If you knew the medallion actually worked, would you have agreed to become a girl? I knew you thought that it wouldn't work, but you'd try to convince me to give you the money anyway." He was right. She had those very thoughts at that time, he was a master manipulator, and as she once surmised, more cunning than she had been. "You played me well. And Tiffany," she added. Tyler sighed, then softened. "I never played Tiffany, I've always loved her, and there are no two ways about that fact, but I understand how you feel." "No. No, you don't. You were immediately comfortable at the top of the food chain, with all the work I put in, to give you this perfect life. I was given your dumpy average body, and a garbage life. I wanted to kill myself so often, I had nothing to live for, except being alive is better than being dead." Ryan said, anger rising. "I was then raped, and found out that Mom had cancer shortly after that! Literally nothing but bad news at every turn. And you know where I work. I love my job and the people I work with, but is it the millions you make? The millions that I should be making?" "Ryan..." Tyler moved to hug Ryan's small body. "I'm so sorry. I would take it all back if I could! Knowing you went to prison, I thought about you every day, I just couldn't reach out because of the scrutiny, and now that I know this...." "This has been hell! I've hated every moment! Then I saw you give your MVP interview!" Ryan cried, hitting Tyler's barrel chest. "Why did this happen? What did I do to deserve this?" Tyler rubbed the back of the sobbing Ryan, holding her tight. "You did nothing wrong. You asked if I would have been happy after that week; no I wouldn't. I would've wanted to kill myself like you did, but unlike you, I was selfish enough to have done it. I am not as strong as you, one raised by James Walsh would have to be strong. As Tyler, I became strong. I owe you everything that I am, including the fact that I'm still alive." Ryan wiped her tears. "I've put on an act much like I did that week at school. This has been a 10-year act. I would be dead if it weren't for Mom and Maria." "Who is Maria?" Tyler questioned, sitting Ryan on the couch. "My daughter, Maria Genesis Winters," Tyler gasped. "She is a product of the rape, but she is a blessing. Do you know what a genesis is?" Ryan asked Tyler. "The beginning," answered Tyler. "Maria made me into a woman, a Mommy. She is the beginning for me." Ryan's dark mood lightened a bit, speaking about her child. "She's three. It took that long for me to feel even a little like a woman." "Do you have a picture?" Tyler asked. Ryan obliged, showing him a picture from her phone. "She looks like you. She's beautiful, and so are you. For what it's worth, you are 10 times the woman I could've ever been. You guys look so happy together." "She is what keeps me going, and yes, I feel incredibly happy just thinking of her. She's with Mom right now." "Speaking of, how is she, you said she has cancer?" "I cured her," Ryan answered. "What?" Tyler asked, confused. "With this," Ryan pulled out the medallion, to Tyler's shock. His eyes grew wide, and Ryan could see the apprehension in his face. "I love my daughter more than I would love your millions. You owe her as much as you owe me. I was minutes away from having an abortion, and using this to take my life back. Then I saw her, in the ultrasound, and I couldn't do that to her, for anything," Ryan said, declaration in her voice. "Ryan..." Ryan wiped her face with her hand, sighing. "Is this all? We've aired everything out, and I feel.. I don't know what I feel. I need to get back, and pick Maria up from my Mom." "I didn't track you down soley for a conversation." Tyler pulled out a black leather folder, handing it to Ryan. Ryan looked inside, and seemed to study the contents for a bit, before looking up to Tyler, with her mouth agape. "As I said, I owe you everything that I am. Stocks, bonds, and $10,000 per month since I have been signed, and will continue, and the $118K from my Super Bowl bonus, and 2 million flat from my signing, and 2 million from my new endorsement deal. You will receive the cash for life, and I will raise it to $15,000 monthly, for Maria. I have guys to watch my investments, and I have them on yours. Learn stocks, take my guys advice, and prosper. By the way, I gave you an average tip, and met you here at this standard fare hotel because I didn't want to slap you in the face, anymore that I had already done so. I hope I made up for the tip." Tyler smiled. "Tyler!" Ryan cried hugging him. "Hey, there," He said. "It's the least that I could do, you earned it. Tiffany knows about it, and was onboard, and she says that she misses and loves you. May I take a picture of the picture of you and your daughter, Tiffany would love it." "I'll message it to you so it can be in full fidelity. Tell her I wish her well. I wish I could have closure with her, but I don't know if we could ever explain what happened." "For what it's worth, she was never upset. She only wished that there was something she could've done. I felt bad for everyone, including Gail. Even if I was going to take my life after changing back, I really did plan to give you your body back. I'm so sorry." Ryan looked at Tyler. "I told Mom what happened, and obviously she's seen the power of the medallion, and thanks to her, I let it go, and forgave you. She said that maybe what happened saved you, and now that we've spoken, I think she was right, and I wouldn't trade Maria and Mom for all the money in the world." "She was right. I thank you for everything, and I hope that I have shown at least some appreciation for everything that you went through. You're an amazing person, you could've blindsided me and switched us, and yet you didn't, without knowing that I was going to give this money to you. They really do mean everything to you." Ryan nodded as she wiped her tears. Tears of joy. "They do, and now, I can give Maria and Mom the lives they deserve. Thank you, Tyler." "No. Thank you, for being you. By the way, how did you get the medallion?" Tyler asked. "It was in your back yard, did you know?" "No, I lost it a few months after we switched. I wasn't surprised that it happened, based on what I know, but I am surprised to hear that it was in the yard." "Yeah, I had a hunch." Tyler nodded, hugging Ryan one last time. "Good-Bye, Ryan." "Tyler...." "What are friends for?" With that, Tyler stepped out. ### Ryan went to her mother's house to retrieve her child. "Mom. I met Tyler." "You did what?" "He found me and wanted to meet." She proceeded to tell Gail about the meeting, and the result of the said meeting. "That is a lot of money," Gaid commented. "It is, and I think the three of us need to go somewhere," Ryan said. "I've got the energy, now. I'm up for it." "What about you, Maria? New York City?" "Yeah! New York City, New York City!" Maria excitedly bounced. Ryan and Gail laughed. "It's a date." Upon seeing her home, Ryan noticed a strange car in her guest parking spot. She got out of her car, and got Maria undone, and looked at the car. I was a nice car; a black new BMW M4. Similar to the car she wanted all that time ago. She headed into her townhome, and saw an envelope on the floor dropped into the mail slot. She picked it up, and opened it. There was a key fob for a car, and a letter. 'One last thing, you never did get that BMW. Now you have one. Yours, Tyler' Ryan dropped to her knees, crying. "Mommy, please don't cry!" Maria exclaimed, her voice quivering, seeing her mom cry. Ryan hugged her daughter. "Baby, I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm crying right now because I'm happy!" Ryan smiled brightly, wiping her face. "See!!" "Yay! Mommy is happy!" Maria clapped happily. 'She's so innocent,' Ryan thought. 'Not a care in the world.' She shook her head, smiling. "I love you so much!" "And I love Mommy this much!" Maria spread her arms out as wide as she could. "And I love Maria THIS much!!!" Ryan did the same, before grabbing her daughter, in another hug, and kissing her on the forehead. ### Ryan continued to work at Don & Dot's, despite her added income. She finally felt like things were looking up. She wouldn't say that money alone could buy happiness, as her mother, and daughter showed her, but having it, made a lot of the things that'd happened to get to this point a lot easier to deal with. She remained pretty frugal, although, once her lease was up, she planned to find a house. On the last day at her townhome, Ryan was getting the last bits into a U-Haul, when she saw someone familiar. It was the blonde woman. She walked past, averting her eyes from Ryan. "Hey," Ryan called out. The woman stopped, looking at Ryan, who said. "yes, you." The woman walked over to Ryan. "You...called me?" Her demeanor, frail and mousy. Ryan looked the woman over, she still looked great, but she was weary. "I never got your name," Ryan stated. "Candi" "Your original name." "Mark. I'm sorry, I feel like I have to answer to...ugh Candi." "Come in." Ryan invited her into the empty home. "As you can see, I'm moving." Candi nodded. "Are you still stripping?" "Yes." "Why?" Ryan asked. "I can't do anything else. I don't KNOW how to do anything else. If I try to recall skills I had as Mark, they get muddled. I'm stuck stupid. And men tell me what to do, and I almost just do it. I want to die!" She began to cry. Ryan considered herself. She'd seen Candi walking to work numerous times, with a cloud of gloom over her head. Whomever had control of her, definitely left her downtrodden. Ryan hated this woman for what she'd done to her previously, but she couldn't let hate rule her, and despite herself, she did not like seeing the woman that Mark became being treated like this, Ryan imagined that she'd gone through the same torment that Mark inflicted, possibly a hundred fold. "Candi," Ryan began. "You did the unthinkable. You raped me, you got me pregnant." "I know, and I'm so sorry," Candi tearfully said. "I've heard that enough in my life," Ryan stated. "I should be glad to see you suffering; being abused, forced to have sex that you don't want. You're literally just a stupid whore, and that's all you are, and all you ever will be." Ryan exhaled, then calmed down. "Bigger than the punishment doled out by that old man, I imagine what you're going through walking to work, knowing the horrors you will be facing until the wee hours of the morning, unable to do anything about it, every single day. I should be sooo happy to witness this, but I'm not. I hate seeing this, even if it's you." Candi looked at Ryan, tears staining her make-up. "I'm going to help you." "What? How?" Candi asked. "I have the medallion that was used to change me. I will not change you back into Mark or a man. You will be a girl or woman, but with a free mind. If you mess this chance up, you don't even want to know what that old man could do, and even I could turn you into a baby, and sell you. Try me." Ryan bluffed, but she knew that Candi probably respected magic, since she'd been subject to it. "Thank you! I don't even care, just no more Candi." She cried, her eyes showing a brightness that hadn't been shown since her transformation. "I think you should be a child." "Huh?" Candi questioned. "Even if I take away your mental quirks, you have no ID. You'll be stripping or worse, because you'll have to work under the table. If you are a child, you have a chance to have identity established and records for yourself, even if a ward of the state. I'll make the choice yours. One choice, no do-overs," Ryan said. "I don't want this life, or even similar. I'll be a kid, I don't care." "Okay then, your last choice," Ryan began. "You have a pretty exaggerated shape, if I change you into a child version of yourself, you will be shaped like this when you grow up. Is that fine? Candi did have a very sexy body, seemingly made for the pleasure of others. Her breasts were gravity defying and huge, her stomach flat, her hips wide, and her butt; perfect half-heart shaped globes. Her face was classically beautiful, she was a true blonde bombshell. Mark was a good- looking guy, and his alter-ego was basically himself as a woman, but exaggerated. "I don't know. Maybe it's the magic, but I like my body. I don't mind if I look like this, I just want to be free of these shackles. Thank you so much, Ryan." Ryan took Candi to a store, where they found a dress made for pre-teens. Hopefully, no one previously tried it on. After buying the dress, and a few other things, they returned to the townhome, where Ryan used the medallion, having Candi wear it after having touched the medallion to the garment. She instructed her to wear it for an hour, to help with mental adjustments. "There," Ryan said, after having Candi take off the medallion, and putting it away. "How do you feel?" "I don't want to have sex! Oh my God, Ryan!" she cried. Candi found that she wasn't aroused, which she had been in a semi state since her transformation. She hugged Ryan out of pure happiness. Candi was around 10 years old, still very pretty, and just beginning puberty. Of course, she would grow to look the same bombshell she had been before, but as Ryan hoped, the medallion's mental changes overrode the magic that made Candi pliable. "Alright, Candi. We've got to get you to Child Protective Services, so you can get squared away." "Wait. I don't feel tied to that stupid name. I just got angry hearing it!" She said in her new child's voice. "Then what will you call yourself?" Ryan asked. "Whatever you choose," Candi said, looking at Ryan thoughtfully. "Jessica. My middle name. You will remember me, for better or for worse." "Thank you." "Don't thank me, yet," Ryan said seriously. "Your life is still going to be harder than it was originally. You have to survive being a child of the state, no family, no one to love you. You have your work cut out." "I don't care, you saved me from years of torment. I was slapped, beaten, humiliated, and no one had second thoughts about sexually assaulting me. People almost seemed to resent me, as if I were less than human, and the worse I was treated, the stronger my body reacted. It won't be harder than that." Ryan softened. "Look, Jessica, When I was Tyler, my father's big tenet was self-responsibility. Maybe to a fault. I've taken responsibility for my part of everything that's got me here. I shouldn't have taken the deal, I shouldn't have stormed the school, I shouldn't have made myself vulnerable to you." "You didn't deserve any of it." "Maybe. But my point to you is, don't blame others for your situation, and you may just survive." "Understood," she answered solemnly. Ryan told her mother that she was caught up in some business this evening, and would pick Maria up later. Ryan pulled up to a local police district. She told Jessica to tell them that she didn't know who her parents were and she'd been traveling alone, and surviving for years. It was a bad story, and the other concern that Ryan had was the fact that Jessica was extraordinarily beautiful, and blonde. The news media might make her into a national specticle, if they were so inclined. However, she should be untraceable. Ryan figured dental records wouldn't match, fingerprints could go either way, but she thought that Jessica definitely had Mark's DNA. Without Mark's parents directly testing, there would be no way they'd know her history. "I don't know what's going to happen to you when you walk in there. But I hope you make it out a better person." Jessica smiled sadly, as the reality of her situation unfolded in her mind. As Mark, she'd had a comfortable upbringing, was in college, and loved by his family. Spending the last few years as Candi was hell, and she could only wonder what Mark's family thought, grieving over their son who vanished without a trace. Jessica was now a 10 year old girl who was going to be a ward of the state, her life was going to be anything but comfortable. 'Why?' Jessica thought, 'Why did I do that to her?' Mark could've had any girl he wanted with his looks, but he had a vice, and was paying for it now. "I will. I know my apology doesn't mean anything to you, but I'm truly sorry. No matter what I go through, I'll think about everything that you've gone through and how you became the person that you are." Ryan weakly smiled. Jessica nodded, getting out of the car with her supply backpack that Ryan purchased for her, just in case. Jessica looked back at Ryan before walking to the building, and sitting next to it, leaning against the building. "I just need time to gather myself, then I'll head in," she told Ryan. Ryan drove off, parking around the corner, getting out of her car, and inconspicuously watched Jessica. She saw Jessica crying silently. Ryan had a pang in her heart. Though she seemed more mature and aware than a normal 10 year-old, she was still just that. Someone could take her, and she'd be able to do nothing about it, or worse. Ryan considered getting Jessica, and bringing her home, but she felt that in the end, tough 'love' would suit Jessica better. Ryan watched, until a woman came out from the building, comforting Jessica, and guided her in. ### Ryan sat in her office, going over the year's numbers. She had to figure out taxes, and various other things. She was interrupted by a server saying that someone wanted to speak about a job opportunity. "Sure, send them in," Ryan said. "This is Jessica," the server said to Ryan. Turning to the prospective employee, she then said, "This is Ryan, the owner." "Thank you, Melanie." Ryan looked Jessica over quickly. She was a very pretty blonde, well built, and smartly dressed, and if Ryan had to guess, she was about 18. But she knew, of course, Jessica's age. She stood up to shake Jessica's hand, who wore a surprised gasp on her face. "Hi Jessica. You look like you've seen a ghost," Ryan smiled. Jessica hugged Ryan, bursting out crying. "Hey, hey," Ryan calmed. "Small world, huh?" "Ryan, thank you. Thank you, thank you!" Jessica exclaimed. "So, I take it you're doing well?" Jessica wiped her eyes. "Yeah. I think so." "Well, you came for a job interview, so let's begin," Ryan said, becoming formal. Jessica straightened herself up. "I'm sorry. I didn't think I would ever see you again. I feel so many different things." Ryan smiled. Jessica certainly looked well. "So what are you doing these days?" "I'm just starting college." "What are you taking?" "Women's studies, with a minor in broadcasting. Full scholarship." Ryan clasped her hands. "Very good. So why did you decide here, at Don and Dot's?" "You've got great reviews on job aggregator sites. Many people in college like it here for many reasons. Pay is good, clientele, your incentives, the atmosphere. I was just eating with friends the other day, and I'd agree, and the food was good." Ryan positively shook her head. "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" "I would like to get into my field of study; either directly, or possible go to grad school, if I need to advance my degree to get where I want." Ryan liked what she heard. "A great man once told me, in this business, you learn to read people very quickly. In fact, you have to. I think you'll succeed. I know the path you were placed on was a tough one, you have done amazingly, and you're very beautiful and feminine. You are far more graceful than myself. You've made a great first impression and I am quite impressed with the young lady you've become, Jessica." Ryan gave Jessica a hug. "Thank you, so much." "You're welcome," Ryan finally accepted her thanks, as she'd proven herself. "I will offer you the position. You're read up on some of my incentives, but I'll go over everything in detail when I give you an orientation, and the purpose I offer what I do, is so that people that want to work here during school, can do just that; I like to promote upward mobility, and help in any way possible as well. When can you start?" "Is Monday fine? I'm moving into my apartment on campus. I'd like to have that done, please." "Sure, Jessica. Were you able to get two forms of ID?" "Yes, I have them." Jessica nodded. "Okay great." There was another knock on the door. "Excuse me." "Hey Mom." It was Maria, Ryan's daughter, now aged 12. She was a developing blonde beauty and also, as tall as her mother at her young age. Maria looked at the stranger, and did a double-take. Jessica had much the same reaction to seeing Maria. "Oh, Maria. This is our newest member, Jessica." "Hi..." Maria began. Jessica jumped up and hugged a surprised Maria tightly. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. Maria was too shocked to react. "Maria, you might be thinking that Jessica here, looks a lot like you. She's your cousin," Ryan stated. Maria backed off. "No way!!!" she said, excitedly. "It's like a mirror." Jessica looked at Maria, and then Ryan, who nodded. "Yes way!" she exclaimed, bringing her back into the hug. The two girls looked almost like twins. Jessica was based on Mark's original looks, but a very feminine clone of him. Maria looked almost exactly like Jessica, only a bit more pale, from Ryan, she had gray eyes, like Ryan, as opposed to Jessica's blue. Jessica was a very beautiful young woman, and though Ryan was worried about Maria looking like her assailant when she was pregnant, at the very least, he made Maria a very beautiful girl. Maria was crying. "I finally get to meet someone from my Dad's family! Did you know him?" "I..uh, yeah. I met him once. I was a kid," Jessica said, holding Maria. "I...I wish I could've met him, so I could tell him how much I love him," Maria said sadly, through tears. "I'm sure he knows how you feel, and is very proud of you. I know it," Jessica said crying. Ryan looked at the two, trying to keep her own composure. Shakily, she began. "Maria, I'm sorry, um can I have a minute with Jessica? I'm sure she wants to talk to you some more when we're done. Go grab something if you're hungry, we'll be quick." Stepping back slightly, Maria agreed. "Okay, Mom," she said, looking at Jessica, smiling. "It was nice to meet you, Jessica!" "You too, Maria, you're a special girl," Jessica said, wiping her face. Once Maria left, Jessica began to cry harder, and Ryan joined her. "She's so...perfect, and I..I," Jessica stammered. "I didn't get to be part of making her into the beautiful girl that she is." Jessica shook her head slowly, exhaling. "But I guess that's part of taking my responsibility, like you said all those years ago. I missed out on her, I was thinking about her, and you, and it was hard, dealing with some of the stuff I had to deal with; creepy fosters, and feeling less than insignificant," she said, disgust deep in her voice. "It's all my doing." Jessica then softened. "Despite me, and everything else, you did a great job, Ryan. I'm so sorry. How can I ever make it up?" "Well, she still needs you. You can still have a relationship with her. You're not Mark, you're Jessica, a responsible young woman; her cousin, who I believe has shown me that she can be in my daughter's life." "Thank you, I would love that very much. Thank you for everything." Ryan gave Jessica a hug, saying, "As ironic as it is, thank you, for her. She saved me when I was in a very dark place. I love her so much, and her innocence is special," Ryan said. "Well, then I'll see you Monday, 4PM, come dressed to work; your own pants, we provide the shirts." Jessica nodded. "If you're free now, I'm sure Maria probably wants to continue where you two left off." WIth that, Jessica left the office. Ryan walked to the door, staying the, looking at Jessica sit next to Maria, giving her a hug. Maria appeared to offer some of her food to Jessica, and the two began talking, and laughing as though they were good friends already. Satisfied, Ryan sat back down at her desk, to finish some things up, and then take Maria home. Sometimes, Maria stopped by on the way home from school to say 'hi' and this was one of those days. She'd bought Don & Dot's a few years ago when Don began to have heart problems. With Don's health declining faster than expected, they were burning through savings. Medical expenses were adding up far quicker than profit, and things were looking down for the future of Don & Dot's. Once the couple confided their worries in Ryan, she told them that she would see if she could buy the restaurant, and help with expenses. After checking with her financial advisors, she was told that she could feasibly buy the restaurant, so she did, taking a huge weight off the shoulders of the couple that owned it since the 1980's. Don and Dorothy were surprised by Ryan's ability to buy the restaurant, and she'd told them that she was made aware of a trust fund a few years back, and used some of those funds for the purchase. ### With the sale of Don & Dot's, the couple began to focus on their health. As Don was declining, he began to stay at the hospital, with water filling his lungs, his chances were decreasing. With Ryan being privy to this, there was one thing to do; use the medallion. Ryan visited the couple in Don's hospital room one night, as the pair was sleeping. Don was in his bed, and Dorothy in the chair, reclined. Ryan was going to give the pair younger bodies, but not overly young. She used the medallion to de-age the sleeping man about 20 years, and then using a dress, did the same to his wife. With the couple in their late 70's, they'd be late 50's and in better than average shape, and with better mobility, though neither was in bad shape for their age. They only sampled what they sold sparingly, and that was typically when a new item was added, or a supplier changed the recipe for their foodstuffs. Since Don was made younger, he would likely suffer the same illness within time. Unlike Gail, who'd been able to change her breasts, Don had the same heart. If his illness was heredity, it could show up in due time. If not, Don would be even luckier. ### The couple awoke both feeling better than ever. "Dotty. I...I feed GREAT!" "Donny, you look great!" his wife exclaimed. "Baby, so do you!" He said, jumping out of his bed. The couple went to the restroom where they took stock of themselves. They'd both appeared to be younger, with tighter skin, but still elderly, not helplessly elderly. "Dotty, what's going on?" "I dunno!" His wife answered. The nurses did their daily checks, finding Don's vitals much stronger than before. Everything had markedly improved. Later in the day, they did blood work, with every number, including oxygen count, coming back excellent. Don was advised to stay for two more days, and if nothing relapsed, he'd be free to go home and continue life with his loving wife. The day Don was released from the hospital, the staff threw a welcoming party for him. They closed a tad bit early, so Don wouldn't have to stay up too late. Vouchers were given to any customers who'd been inconvenienced, and the doors were closed. "For he's a jolly good fellow, and nobody can deny!!!" the crew finished. Everyone clapped, including Don and his wife. Everyone commented on how great the couple looked. "Thank you, everyone! I love you all so much! There is a reason that I hired each and every one of you, and you continue to show me that I was right when I did. I also know that the picks Ryan here," he patted her shoulder, "has made, are just as good! You are all great people, and those of you who will go on to other careers, will knock it out of the park, like you do here, every single night." The crowd clapped, with genuine enthusiasm for Don's words, as they knew them to be true. Many businesses would make their bosses give corporate spiel pep-talks, with empty words, by a person that was saying what was deemed necessary to say by someone above them. The employees, whether long or short term, knew they were cared about. "Maria, can you do the honors?" With that, Maria cut the cake, in Don's favorite flavor, butter creme, with German chocolate, and a coconut topping. She sat the slice in front of him, giving him, and Dorothy big hugs. "Love you so much Uncle Don, and Aunt Dot!" Everyone was soon enjoying dinner, desert, and the company of loved ones, and friends. Don made rounds with everyone thanking them for their support. "Okay, Maria, thanks for stopping to say 'Hi', baby!" Don told the girl, as he patted her head. Ryan walked to the two. "Maria, Jess is waiting on you, she'll take you home, so you can get to bed, okay?" Maria nodded. "Okay, bye, good night!" She waved as she headed out. Ryan looked on as Maria got into Jessica's car. The pair had become fast friends, and were almost inseparable. Whenever Jessica wasn't at school or work, she always made time to hang out with Maria whenever possible. Maria had great friends her age, but Jessica was also a good role model of how a young woman should carry herself, in Ryan's eyes. "Ryan," Don began. "She's a gem." "That, she is," Ryan agreed smiling. "When I saw your smile, the moment I met you, there was something, so honest, and pure. Though you had some rough times, little Maria brought out the best in you, and she's also an honest and pure girl. I knew that you would come to mean a lot to me, and you did. You're like the child we never had." "Thank you, sir." "How long has it been Ryan! Stop that!" Your daughter calls me Uncle Don, and we're her god-parents. I'm Don!" Ryan laughed. "I know..s..Don." Don looked at Ryan with a mock stern look. "Well, I'm glad to see that you feel better. You and Auntie look amazing." "We feel amazing," Don happily answered. "So, What will you guys do now?" "We were thinking, since we feel great, we could travel a bit. Your purchase affords us that ability since medical bills aren't piling up. But, you know, I wish I could say I was coming to my baby, but we all thought..." Don looked down. "But that night, I swear I could see an angel over me, and she looked like you. Then I woke up, practically healed." Ryan smiled, nodding. "I understand. I would be willing to give you back day to day operations, once you take some well needed time for yourselves. This IS your baby, afterall. I was doing a favor for the people I love most. You once told me that family helps family. You and Aunt Dot are in rare company in my heart, which includes my Mom and my daughter." "Thank you, kid! I love you so much!" "I love you too." Ryan hugged Don tightly, followed by Dorothy, who'd been listening to the conversation, wiping her eyes at the beautiful moment. ### Ryan soaked in the sun on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. She'd worn a bikini for the first time ever, and spent a lot of time working out and dieting to do so. She looked better than ever, almost like a fitness model. Ryan had always looked younger than she was, and now in her late 30's' she looked to be in her 20's, and in better shape than most 20 year olds. She was very toned, had veins on her lower abs, and had done lots of squats to get a lower body that instagram models would be jealous of. She had gone from accepting her body, to loving her body. Realizing that she also liked men, she began having sexual relationships with them. When she'd watched adult videos, she realized way back then that she wanted to be with a man. The imagery of mostly straight porn; watching a man and a woman, Ryan realized that she'd wanted those same things done to her, and that a man's touch would feel great, even making her feel like a woman. She also remember that though Mark inflicted a terrible deed, that it felt great for that brief moment she was aware. She would have discreet relations until her daughter was grown. Ryan didn't want to introduce a man to her daughter that was not her father. While Ryan felt bad that she wasn't giving her daughter the possible benefit of a father figure, she tried to fill-in using some of the thinhgs taught to her when she was Tyler, by his father. If nothing else, Tyler's father produced a well-rounded kid. After Maria was grown, Ryan would try dating. While Ryan wished she'd come to this realization eariler, she was still attractive, and would still be so, when Maria was grown in two short years. She had no shortage of attractive partners, and some of them even wanted more after getting to know her. Ryan only depended on her mother and daughter for her happiness, but perhaps the right gentleman, and even maybe having a another child, would be the icing on the cake in due time. Ryan reflected on the events in her life since Tyler became her benefactor. She and her daughter moved to an upper-class community, with Maria getting the best education possible. She paid her mother's house off, and bought her a luxury car. She'd gotten her old juvenile record sealed, with the help of Tyler's lawyers, and was able to get a Passport and visas from other countries, allowing her to take her daughter travelling. Her money was also making money. She was very well off, since Tyler paid her for the work she had originally put in to make him what he became. In the meantime, Ryan became health conscious, and even of her vanity. Now that a lot of weight was lifted from Ryan's shoulders, she could care about these things. It was tempting to use the medallion to achieve the results that she had, but raised as Tyler Walsh, by James Walsh, her drive and determination were much too strong to resort to using the medallion. As Tyler, she put in many hours at the gym to prepare for greatness, and her ethic hadn't changed. Being average was only a state of mind, and though it took a long time for her to understand, she did, and decided that she could be as great as she wanted to be. Pulling her prescription shades down, she looked over to the sunbathing forms of Gail, Maria, and Jessica. All of the women were extraordinarily beautiful. The relationship between Ryan and her mother only got stronger after Ryan confided her secrets to her mom. It never occured to Gail to treat her daughter any differently than she had been; afterall, according to Gail, she couldn't have asked for a better daughter. Gail was most certainly shocked when Ryan told her who Jessica actually was. Gail said she thought that the young woman looked uncannily like her granddaughter, but never imagined that Jessica was the 'father' of Maria. Upon finding out this bit, she did treat Jessica with some venom, but when she saw the woman interact with Maria, she couldn't stay mad forever. Gail could not see Jessica as the predator that Mark had been, and If Ryan forgave her, then so could Gail. These days, Gail was living her best life. Ryan considered Maria the best thing that ever happened to her. As Ryan raised Maria, she wanted to make sure that Maria knew that she was loved above all else. Ryan told her daughter that her father was killed in an accident before she was born, and that he was looking very much towards meeting her. Ryan told her daughter that she could be anything that she wanted to be, and that she would be supported by those who loved her, and to never be afraid to come to her when she needed to. This was in contrast to the rigid parenting that she grew up with as Tyler. Ryan proudly watched her daughter grow into the smart, confident young woman that she now was. Maria was now also a tall blonde beauty, much like Jessica. Ryan found it ironic that she had had to look up to her teen daughter. Glancing at Jessica, Ryan thought about the conversation they'd had. Ryan once asked Jessica exactly what she'd gone through back when she was changed. Jessica told her that she'd said that she was traveling with a woman that she didn't know, but wasn't her mother. She was examined, and found to be healthy, and a virgin. Ryan did see a story on Jessica at the time stating that they were seeking information on her. Jessica said that a surprising number of people came out of the woodwork to test for a DNA match, and it creeped her out because they had to know that she wasn't related to them. There were also an inordinate amount of adoption queries. Though Jessica was carefully placed with fosters, the parents themselves were checked, but not the other children. She'd been placed a few times with aggressive boys who'd try to come on to her, and it'd usually end up with a fight, and being re-homed. As she aged, there were even foster fathers who'd been a bit creepy. It was hell. Jessica had to think about the things that Ryan went through, they seemed bigger than that which Jessica did, she seemed to come out of it a good person. She'd saved Jessica herself, despite what she'd done to Ryan as a man. She threw herself into her studies, so that she could hopefully get a scholarship, and away from this life. As she rounded highschool, Jessica made many friends, surprisingly not with the cool kids. She became part of study groups, and was even given the chance to study abroad. Jessica became admired in the more mature highschool crowd. Having recently finished school with a high 3's GPA, she was beginning university soon. She was in a bachelor's program locally, then planned to transfer away. She also considered doing semesters abroad, as the exchange program she'd done in high school was a great experience. Throughout the years, one constant remained in Jessica's mind; Ryan and her child. As time passed, the thoughts of missing out on her child did gnaw at Jessica, but with a woman like Ryan as her mother, she could take solace in the fact that the child was well cared for, and loved. She also thought many times about Ryan. Because Mark met a drunken, angry Ryan, her assessment of Ryan was skewed. She thought that Ryan was just an easy target looking for action. When she saw that Ryan was a virgin, she had second thoughts, but she was in too far, and the excitement won out. She wished that she was a better person at that moment. Since becoming reacquainted with Ryan and their daughter Maria, Jessica tried to be the best friend that she could to Maria, and do as much with her as possible. It was hard knowing that the beautiful young girl that she was almost twinning with, was her daughter, and that she could not fulfill the role that she should've, but she had to blame only herself, but still thanked Ryan for the opportunity. There was a time where Ryan's mother treated Jessica badly, and it would make her cry as times. She asked Ryan why her mother hated her so much, to which Ryan told her that she told her mother who Jessica was. Jessica was shocked. Ryan told her that she didn't keep secrets from her mother. Jessica understood, and tried to continue on. Gail finally told Jessica that she forgave her, after seeing how genuinely good she was to her granddaughter, and in general, telling her that it might not be completely fair to judge her. Jessica thanked Gail, apologizing for her past mistakes. She owed a lot to Ryan, and she knew it. ### Ryan got up, and headed towards her room on the boat. She shuffled through her bags. "Ah," she said, as she lifted the medallion out. "Ryan." "Mom?" "Why do you have that?" Gail asked, as she quietly entered the room. "Come with me." Gail followed Ryan to the stern of the ship, where there was privacy. "I think it's time to lose this," She said, looking at the medallion. "Are you sure about that?" Gail questioned. "It's helped a lot." "It also hurts more than it helps, and it can only help if the current bearer is somewhat benevolent. Also, I'm lucky to have kept it without incident so long, it has a penchant for becoming lost at inopportune times, or ways. I don't want to have a break-in, and get swapped with the burglar, and go to prison in their stead, or heaven forbid, Maria gets harmed. If someone finds this thing washed up in 100 years, so be it. It always gets found, but it needs to be far, far away from us when it does," Ryan explained. She'd also used a new dress as the base for anyone who'd possibly find it. They'd become a young female version of themselves, if they weren't already, and they'd probably get minute changes if they were. Ryan didn't want Jessica to be copied, as she was the last one to wear the piece when she was de-aged. "I understand, baby. You don't want to give yourself a few years? You've done so much good with it for everyone else, and you haven't used it on yourself at all." "Technically, it was used on me. That's why I'm your daughter," Ryan laughed. "But I think I've done alright without it, it was a long road to go from hating myself, to accepting my body, then to loving my body, and I needed to do it the old fashioned way. I appreciate myself more, than if I would have used the medallion to make myself perfect. I'm not perfect, and that's fine!" Ryan looked at her mother, then at the medallion, and tossed it over the rear deck. As it landed in the clear blue water, Maria, and Jessica also made their way to the pair of Ryan and Gail, with Maria asking. "Mom, what was that?" Ryan smiled at her daughter. "It was a wishing rock." "Aww," Maria cooed. "What did you wish for?" Ryan brought Maria close, then Gail and Jessica, saying, "I think I just got it!" As she took a selfie of the group. ###END###