Article 91105 of alt.sex.stories:
From: an236635@anon.penet.fi (Sapphire)
Subject: TG: Joe Bates (ch 21) Adjustments
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 1995 20:27:42 GMT

			      Chapter 21
			     Adjustments

	As Joe drove to Linda's house, he passed the building which
housed the local office of the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Seeing the sign made him think of all the paperwork Dr. Krell's
attorney had given him. He needed to take a letter he was given by
Dr. Krell, along with his old operator's license, and obtain a
replacement, one which properly showed his changed status.

	He had already passed the entrance when he decided to stop in,
and get it over with. He quickly turned around and pulled into the
parking lot. There were only three other cars there, maybe they
wouldn't be so busy now. He wondered what might be said when they
read the letter; what they would think. Nothing he could do about
that, he decided.

	He removed the manila envelope from his bag and looked through
it till he found a smaller envelope containing the letter. He took
it out and read it. It was on Dr. Krell's letterhead and was
really quite short, only two paragraphs, but it said a lot. He
read the first sentence. "I have examined Joel Bates and have
determined from the results of that examination that her body is
anatomically female, and that all legal records should reflect that
status." Joe could feel a rush of blood come to his cheeks as he
read those words. It made everything which had happened seem so
permanent. It was also perhaps, the only place he had seen himself
referred to, in writing as a "she," and it put a lump in his throat
when he read it. He carefully folded the paper and put it back
into the envelope.

	Joe opened the small bag he carried and removed his billfold.
He found his driver's license and looked at it. A male image
stared back from the photograph under the laminated plastic. It was
his
old male face. When he thought of his appearance, that face was
still how he thought of himself in his mind's eye, but he knew that
wasn't really the way he looked anymore. He ran his hand along his
soft cheek, feeling its smoothness, and brushed his fingers through
the hair of the wig which now covered his ears. No, he certainly
wasn't like that anymore.

	He placed his things back in the purse. Then, with very weak
knees, he got out of the car and entered the building. He found
that there was only one other person there doing business, a young
mother with two small children. She was not in line, but was
sitting in the seats along the wall, probably waiting for her
paperwork, or something, Joe thought. He went to the counter where
a middle aged woman was standing. He was glad it wouldn't be a man
who waited on him. That might be even more embarrassing.

	"Can I help you?" the lady asked.

	"Yes. I need to change my driver's license." Joe said
nervously. He opened his purse, and nervously retrieved his old
certificate.

	"Just married?" the woman asked, a big smile forming on her
face.

	"No, not really." He handed her his license, and then took
the envelope containing the letter from Dr. Krell.

	The woman looked at the old certificate, looked at Joe, then
back at the certificate. She had a confused look as Joe handed her
the paper. She opened it and read it, then again looked at Joe
very carefully.

	"My goodness," she remarked,"this is most unusual."

	"Yes, ma'am," Joe said simply. He didn't know what to say
anyway, and decided that as little as possible might be the best.

	"I've read about this kind of thing," the lady went on. "But
you're the first person I've actually seen who's had that opera-
tion."

	She thinks I've had a "sex-change" operation, Joe thought to
himself. Then he considered it. Maybe just let her think whatever
she wants. He said nothing.

	The woman looked at Joe carefully, at his face, and then
lower, at his figure. She reread the paper, and then looked at
the photograph on his license. Finally she spoke.

	"Honey, that doctor sure did a fantastic job on you. I only
wish I looked that good."

	"Thank you."

	"I'll have to check the book on this." The woman reached
under the counter and pulled out her dog-eared copy of the
regulations.

	She went to the index, and then started thumbing through the
book, reading a paragraph here, and another there. Finally, she
looked back up at Joe, who was so nervous he was almost shaking
visibly.

	"I can't find anything that says I can't do it, so why not?
I can see that you're a woman. There is no reason the state
shouldn't correct your certificate," she said, winking.

	Joe felt relief spreading throughout his body.

	"Please come over here, hon," the woman said, pointing to the
Polaroid camera that would take his new picture.

	In a few minutes he had his picture taken, filled out the
form, and paid the fee. Then he went to the seats by the wall to
wait for the new certificate to be prepared. He sat next to
the woman, who he decided was probably close to his age, maybe a
bit younger. He smiled at her. She smiled back, but her main
concern was the two year old boy by her side, who seemed to want to
do nothing but squirm around.

	Finally, the woman behind the counter called his name, and Joe
went up to retrieve his new driver's license. The woman had a big
smile on her face as she handed it to Joe. "Welcome to the
sorority, darling. I know it took guts to do what you've done, and
I just want you to know I'm behind you."

	"Thanks. I really appreciate that," Joe said, flashing her a
smile.

	Great, Joe thought. She probably had just recently watched a
segment of Donahue, or maybe even read some article in the "National
Enquirer," and now she thinks that I'm like one of the characters on
that show. Oh well, at least she's not some kind of female
redneck, he decided. He walked out of the DMV office with his new
license in his hand, and a big smile on his face.

	Joe got in his RX-7 and drove to Linda's, relieved that one
major hurdle had been overcome. It was three in the afternoon when
Joe drove up the driveway. He hadn't eaten since breakfast, and he
was getting hungry. He was a little surprised to see Linda's car
sitting in the garage. He took his bag from the car, carried it
into the house and put it in his room. Linda was nowhere to be
found, so he went to the glass doors and looked out at the pool.
He found her there, asleep on a lounge, an open book lying across
her chest. Joe opened the sliding doors and went over to the
sleeping woman. She heard the clicking of Joe's heels as walked
alongside the pool and she opened her eyes.

	"Hi, Joe. You're finally back, I see. I was expecting you
yesterday."

	"We had to stay over until this morning. Another person, a
line boy, was also affected by this thing. We only found out about
him yesterday, and Jay flew him over in the afternoon. They
weren't finished till this morning."

	"There's another guy changed like you are? My God, have they
found out what's causing this yet?"

	"Well, this guy, his name is Tim, he was probably with us when
he got it," Joe explained. "He was watching as we calibrated the
transmitters."

	"And so now he's become female too?" Linda looked amazed.

	"Yeah. So it seems."

	"You look very nice in that outfit, Joe. It's hard to believe
that its really you."

	"Yeah. I know. I've been told that." He smiled thinly.

	"Are you finished for the day?" Linda asked.

	"I don't have to go in till the morning. They have the
transmitters set up in a sort of containment cage, and tomorrow
we'll be trying them out."

	"On you?" Linda asked, showing concern.

	"No, not yet anyway. I really don't know what the actual
agenda is going to be."

	"If you're done for the day, why don't you get into something
more comfortable, and then come out here with me for a while?"

	"Ok. I guess I can do that. But I have to find something to
eat, first."

	"You go change clothes, and I'll fix something. What would
you like?"

	"Oh, I don't know. Do you have any tuna salad?"

	"I think I can make some." Linda got up and walked into the
house. She was wearing her black one-piece swimsuit, and Joe
walked behind her, watching her movements as she walked.

	As Linda prepared the sandwiches, Joe went back to his room.
He opened his bag and removed all the clothes inside. He took the
dirty underwear and piled it on the dresser. He would hand wash
those things later, he decided. The other clothes he either piled
up to put in the laundry, or hung them on hangers in the closet.

	He went back to the dresser and, from his underwear drawer he
pulled out the lime green swimsuit Linda had given him. He held up
the little green bottom, placing his fingers in the stretchy waist
band. It was still difficult to accept that things like this
actually fit him now. He looked at the bra-like top. He knew that
it fit him even better than it did Linda, and she knew it too. That's
why she told him she didn't want it back after she had loaned it to
him last Saturday. He shrugged his shoulders, and tossed the two
pieces on the bed.

	Joe took off the gray suit and satin blouse, then stood there,
looking at himself in the mirror over the dresser. Although it had
been five days since he had awaked to find himself like this, it was
still difficult to believe his own reflection. The feeling was as
if he was inside some one else's body. As he gazed at his
reflection, he found he just couldn't resist running his hands
along the profile of those soft breasts, and then down, feeling the
slickness of the satin slip covering his hips. He could feel the
very pronounced hump of his protruding hipbones. He wasn't
sure... could it be it felt a little more evident than the last time
he had examined this part of his anatomy. Could it be that he was
still subtly changing? Possible... but he hoped not.

	He thought about what Mike said that morning, about how he
felt that his breasts might still be developing; getting larger.
He touched his breasts, enjoying the feel of the slick softness.
Unlike Mike, Joe considered that his new breasts were quite big
enough, and it didn't seem that there were getting any bigger. His
touch, as well as the thoughts that were going through his mind,
made his nipples harden. He could feel them, even through the
thin, seamless cups of the little black bra he was wearing. He
liked the sensation. Of all the changes his body had undergone,
his new breasts, and these sensitive nipples, were probably the
most noticeable difference.

	Joe stepped out of the slip, and removed his bra. His breasts
always felt cool right after they were exposed to open air. He
couldn't remember his chest ever feeling like that when he removed
his T-shirt. Probably his skin was just more sensitive now. He
started to pull down the tiny black G-string. Looking at the tiny
underwear caused smile to appear on his face. There was hardly
anything to it... the black nylon barely even covered his closely
trimmed pubic hair. He slowly pulled it down his hips, watching
himself in the mirror as he did so. He inspected the narrow
triangle of soft, dark blond hair, trying to decide if he should
trim it so that it wouldn't peek out from the hi-cut legs of the
suit bottom. Joe could feel some stubble, but decided that it
would probably be ok, at least for now.

	He went over to the bed and picked up the little suit bottom,
then carefully stepped into it and pulled it up his hips. Joe
found that just doing that gave him a strangely erotic feeling.
The snug fit of the stretch fabric always seemed to emphasize the
amazing change his anatomy had undergone, and he was finding that
he actually liked the soft, rounded sleekness that accompanied this
new gender.

	If, before the change, you had asked Joe which part of his
body had been most important to him sexually, he likely would
have said it was his penis. But now that it was no longer there,
he discovered that he didn't really miss it, at least not for
sexual purposes anyway. These new genitalia were, he decided, a
quite suitable replacement for what had been taken from him, even
if they did take some getting used to.

	He did miss the convenience of male parts when it was time to
urinate, though. For simplifying the task of taking a pee, he had
quickly found that having that penis dangling down there had been
quite handy. That, and maybe the fact that the (almost identical)
sensation of an erection was now also accompanied by the uncomfort-
able feeling of wetting his underpants. Those were the only things
about his changed body that he didn't find to be at least as good
as before. Much of the time, he didn't even think about having a
vagina. It was so tucked away, down there between his legs, not
really visible without a mirror. You almost had to touch it to
know it was even there, most of the time anyway, when it wasn't
uncomfortably wet from excitement.

	He remembered last evening, watching Tim; how the changed
young man had been confused by his own body after his brain had
been dulled by alcohol. He closed his eyes... it was really
true... if you couldn't see what you looked like... and if nothing
was touching you down there, the sensations of female genitalia
really were not that much different. When he really thought about
it, it did feel was somewhat as if his penis was being gently
pulled down, sort of tucked in between his legs. Since it now felt
like that all the time, he had become used to it. He couldn't even
tell, there was no sensation that his balls were no longer there.
Of course, that change was likely to make itself known once a
month.

	He looked at himself as he slowly ran his hand along the gap
between his legs, tracing his fingers along the narrow crotch strip
of the swimsuit. What he had become, under that sleek suit bottom,
looked and felt pretty good. Sometimes... (he thought about Jay,
and what they had done the other evening)... being stuck like this
might even be interesting.

	Joe looked at himself in the mirror again. He put the
swimsuit top on, and then wondered if he should remove the wig. It
was hot, but he was getting used to the feeling. It might feel
cooler without it, but as he checked his appearance, he knew he
liked the way the longer hair made him look. I'll leave it on, he
decided. I probably won't be getting in the pool anyway. He went
to the bathroom and got a beach towel, then went to the kitchen.
Wearing only the bikini, he felt self conscious as he walked
through the house, so he wrapped the towel around his hips like a
sarong.

	Linda was standing at the counter, scooping tuna onto slices
of bread, and then adding a leaf of lettuce to each sandwich. She
made one for Joe, and one for herself, adding a handful of chips to
each plate before bringing them to the table. There was already a
pitcher of iced tea on the table, and Joe poured a glass for Linda
and then one for himself. They sat across the small table from
each other.

	"Well, how did it go, Joe? Have they come up with anything
yet?"

	"I don't really think so. I think they're just trying to get
us to accept the situation the best we can."

	"You mean they still don't have any idea what caused it?"

	"Well, I think we have some idea about that, but just knowing
that is a long way from knowing how to correct it."

	"So then what?"

	"I don't know. I guess I better get used to wearing your
clothes." Joe grinned, and snapped one of the shoulder straps of
the swimsuit.

	"But, how can you stand it?" Linda asked. "I mean you look
ok, and I know you're healthy, and all that... but... I mean...
you're a man. How can you stand it, having to go around looking
like a woman?"

	"I guess I could ask you the same question, couldn't I?"

	"Yeah, but I was always like this, I didn't have a choice."

	"Choice? What do you mean by choice?" Joe objected. "I don't
have any more choice about this than you do. I certainly didn't
ask for this to happen, and I sure am not trying to keep from
changing back."

	Linda was silent minute or two as she thought about what was
said.

	"I'm sorry Joe. I shouldn't have said that. I just don't know
what to think about this. I just want it to be the way it used to
be."

	"I know. I do too. I just don't know when, or if, that will
ever be possible. Until then, I guess I'm stuck like this."

	"I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. I just don't know
what to do to help you."

	"You are helping me." Joe said. "You have helped me a lot
already, just by being around and teaching me how to live with the
changes. I'm sorry I can't be what you need. Sometimes I think it
might be worse for you than for me, in some ways."

	"I don't see how that could be. You have to live day and
night with that body."

	"Yeah, but it is MY body. I realize it looks different, a lot
different, and believe me, I KNOW that. But its still mine."

	"But, you're a man. How can you stand it? Having to go
around looking like that... like a woman," Linda questioned.

	"But that's just it. I more than just look like a woman. I
guess I actually am a woman. Hell, sometimes I believe I'm even
beginning to think like a woman, if that's possible. Believe me,
it's weird... and I know I can't explain it."

	"But... what about us? How do you feel about me?"

	"I don't know... I mean... Look at me... Hell, I'm wearing
this swimsuit... it's yours... and it fits me." Joe said. "Things
just can't be the same between us with me looking like this."

	"What are they doing... What do they do at this clinic? Can't
they operate... can't they perform surgery, make you a male again?"

	"Yeah, they could probably do some things to make me look more
masculine than I do, but Dr. Krell says that it wouldn't make me a
real male, not like I was anyway, and also, if they did do
something, and then found some way to really change me back, I'd be
stuck. I don't know what I'd look like if they tried to change me
back after cutting on me, some kind of mutilated freak, probably.
I don't want to try that, at least not yet." Joe explained
carefully.

	"So you're going to stay that way, looking like this?" Linda
asked.

	"I just came from the Department of Motor Vehicles, I'm now
legally female. I even have a new driver's license."

	"Really?" Linda was amazed. "They gave you that? Just for
asking?"

	"Well, I do have a letter from the clinic, from Dr. Krell,
and it is all I need to change my records, or at least all my
civilian ones, anyway."

	"So you're a woman now?" Linda asked, looking at him from
across the table.

	"I think I've been one since last Friday, but I signed the
papers yesterday."

	Linda just sat there silently, looking at what the man she
loved had become. She didn't know what to do, or even what to
think about the whole thing. Finally, she spoke again. "So what
should we do?"

	"What do you want to do?"

	"I don't know. How do you feel about me? Do you still want
to stay here, with me? I... ah... I mean... do you still like
women? And how do you feel about men?"

	"Do I still like women? "Yes, I guess I do. I mean, I can
feel myself changing... changing in all kinds of ways. I don't
know what I'll want to do or what I'll feel like wanting next.
This whole female thing... I think now I can understand why a guy
can't figure women out. Hell, I guess I am one, and I know I can't
figure myself out."

	"What can I do?" Linda asked. "How can I help?"

	"Just be here for me. Don't push me away... not yet anyway."

	"I won't do that." Linda said. "I would never do that."

	"Why not?" Joe answered. "I mean, what if turns out I'll be
like this for the rest of my life? That's entirely possible, you
know, maybe even probable. What then? How do YOU feel about
women? And what about men? I know you like men. Won't you
want... won't you need a man once in a while? I know I can't be
one for you now, damn it. Maybe I might even want to find one of
my own." He looked at her and grinned.

	"Are you serious?" Linda wasn't sure what to think, but it
was becoming obvious that anything might be possible.

	"Hey, I really don't know, but until I know what's happening
to me, I can't rule anything out." Joe didn't want his new
feelings to come as a shock to her. He still loved her, but he
knew his feelings were changing quickly, and he didn't know what
would happen.

	"Well... " Linda said. Then she was silent as she considered
it all. It was hard for her to accept Joe looking like this, but
to think that he might actually want to be with a man... that was
really hard to swallow.

	When they finished eating, Linda got up and went back out to
the pool. Joe quickly washed the plates, and then went to the pool
and stretched out next to her. Linda looked at him, and reached
her arm out, placing it on his shoulder. "Whatever happens, I'll
understand."

	Joe looked into her eyes, and could feel the tears welling in
his own as he rubbed her arm with his hand. "Linda, I don't know
what's going to become of all this, but whatever does happen, it's
not your fault. You've been fantastic throughout all this. I
don't know if I can ever really be a man again. It doesn't look
too promising to me. But no matter what, I know I'll always love
you. I just don't know how I'll be able to express it."

	"Well, if we can't be lovers, at least we can be best friends,
can't we?" Linda smiled.

	"At least." Joe answered, a big grin forming. "But maybe we
can still try to be lovers too." He winked.

	"Yeah. I'd like that." Linda got her finger under the
shoulder strap of Joe's top, and teasingly pulled it away from his
shoulder.

	"Do you?" Joe asked her. "Do you really want that?"

	"Of course." Linda said. "I said I do, and I do."

	"Are you... do you think we're lesbians?" Joe asked, hoping
the question wouldn't offend her.

	"I don't know. I guess I was wondering that myself. I mean,
I never even considered playing around with another woman. I
mean... you're not... I mean we're... Oh, you know. Maybe you
really are a woman now, and maybe you even feel like one, but I
still think of you as you used to be, no matter what you look like
now. Maybe we can't have heterosexual sexual relations anymore,
and because of that some people might think we're acting like
lesbians. I don't know, and I don't even care. I only know I
still like being with you, in every way." Linda tried to explain.

	"Yeah. Same for me. The feelings I've been having, I've
never had them, never even considered things like this before. But
when I was told that I might be this way for the rest of my life...
I mean, well... we're both young, and that could a long time... "
He didn't know how to put into words, the confusing thoughts going
through his mind.

	"Let's just let it happen... see how it works out. Ok?"

	"Not much else we can do, as I see it." Joe said. He leaned
back on the lounge and scratched an itch where the suit was
starting to irritate the light stubble beginning to form at his
bikini line.

	Linda saw what he was doing, and grinned. "Does it itch?"

	"Yeah. I guess I'll have to clean it up with the razor again.
It sure grows out fast. I guess didn't realize it would itch like
this."

	"I told you to keep it trimmed, or it would do that," Linda
admonished, with a grin. "Either let it grow out, or keep it
shaved."

	Joe looked over at her. "I guess I'm starting to get used to
this, at least a little... but it's so different... "

	"I'm amazed at how you've adapted. Less than a week, and
you're acting almost like you've been a woman all your life."

	"Maybe that's what it looks like," Joe objected, "but it seems
a lot different from this side." He grinned.

	"What is it like, really? I mean... which way is better...
being a male, or female?"

	He looked into her eyes. He could tell she really wanted to
know. He thought about it. He had been thinking about that
question, too... for days.

	"Thirty years ago, when I was born, I was a boy and of course,
I was raised a boy... an only child. When I discovered girls, the
difference between them and me, I was impressed. They had such
soft, curvy bodies, they smelled good, and they wore such sexy
clothes; I really thought that girls were neat." Joe stared into
space as he thought and spoke. "When I was... Oh... seventeen, I
finally had sex for the first time. It was pretty good, too. I
couldn't believe somebody else's body could make mine feel that
good. But we were dumb kids, and I got her pregnant. She gave the
baby up. I don't know any more about it." Joe could feel the
tears welling.

	"Please go on." Linda begged. This was the first Joe had ever
told her of this part of his past.

	"Well, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I really thought
that some day, maybe with you, I'd get another chance, a chance to
REALLY be a father. Now it looks like that will never happen.
That makes me a little sad, I guess."

	"What happened to the girl? Did you love her?"

	"Hey, I was seventeen. Yeah, I thought I loved her, but I
don't know... If I really did, I guess I would have tried to find
her later. We broke up, and I think she moved away. I never even
thought about it again until they asked me about it the other day.
It's in my military records. I didn't even know it was there."

	"So that's what you miss most about being a male?" Linda
continued, "the ability to become a father?"

	"Gee, I don't really know how to answer the question." Joe
considered. "What do you want to know, the physical difference, or
the way it's starting to change the way I think?"

	"I have plenty of time," Linda said. "Tell me all of it."

	"Well, you can see the way I look, and you know what it's like
to be a woman. What do you want to know?"

	"I don't know. You woke up the other day with your body
changed to female. It must feel different. It sure looks
different."

	"Yeah... sure. It does feel different, but not as much
different as you might imagine. Usually, the only things that feel
different are these boobs. I can almost always feel them, either
bouncing around whenever I walk, or brushing against things, or
when my nipples get hard. I didn't realize you could feel that.
It feels pretty good, I think." Joe grinned as he spoke.

	"My skin... my whole body feels a lot more sensitive. I think
the nerves must be closer to the surface, or something. It feels
different, but I'm pretty well getting used to that now. I don't
notice it very much anymore. I'm more sensitive to temperature
changes. I think I get cold easier and at a higher temperature."
Joe thought some more.

	"I can usually tell I'm a little shorter, too. It's not
really that much, but I think its all from my body. My legs are
probably almost the same length, because mostly I can tell the
difference when I'm sitting. I feel weaker too. I know I'm
not nearly as strong as before. My butt feels like it's bigger.
I know it doesn't look that big, but... I guess it's my hips, or
maybe it's just that now I'm smaller on top, my shoulders that is."
He grinned, and cupped his breasts with his hands.

	"And of course, this... " He moved his hand down to the tiny
bulge at his crotch. "This is a lot different. Especially
different looking. It doesn't feel nearly as different as it
looks. In fact, a lot of the time it really doesn't feel any
different, except when it gets wet. Of course, sometimes that's
pretty often, and sometimes not at all. Just whenever something
gets me excited." He looked at her and grinned a devilish grin.

	"And who... what, gets you excited?" Linda asked. "Males, or
females?"

	"Women, for sure. Sometimes just like before, it seems,
except for the physical difference of course. I can tell it's
changing though. It takes longer to get me going. You know what
I mean?"

	"Yeah, maybe I do. What about orgasm? I know you've had one
now, how does it compare to before?"

	Joe thought about the difference in the way he experienced
climax since the change. "Yeah, it sure was different, a lot
different. It was hard to say it was a whole lot better, maybe a
little, but mostly just different." It depends. It's a lot
different. It takes longer, not much longer, so far, anyway, but
then, I guess it lasts longer too. And I suppose it's neat not
having to worry about having an erection. I was just starting to
notice it was taking me longer to recover after one of our
sessions. I guess I was starting to get old." He grinned. "But
now, I guess I won't have to worry about that anymore."

	"Don't you ever wonder what it would be like to make it with
a guy, now that you can probably do that?"

	Joe was silent for a moment, considering what he should say.
"Yeah, I guess I do wonder what it would be like. How is it?" he
asked her, wanting to get the questions way from him.

	"Oh, you know... you've made it with me. You've seen how it
makes me feel. I guess it's pretty good. I don't know what to
say," Linda said, her embarrassment showing.

	"And what do you think it's like to make love to a woman... as
a man, that is?" Joe continued, giving her a dose of her own
medicine.

	"I've always wondered about that. I guess everybody does. I
mean, what's the guy feeling, what's he thinking? You know."

	"Yeah, I do know." Joe said. "He's usually thinking that this
person he's with... her body feels fantastic... her vagina like
warm silk... her breasts like little warm pillows... or maybe big
warm pillows... " He laughed.

	"I wish I could change like you did, but maybe only for a
day." Linda said quickly. "I think it would be very interesting."

	"Yeah, I wish you could, too, " Joe teased. "I'd probably let
you go to bed with me on the first date. I'd show YOU just how
good it can feel to be a man."

	"I'd like that," Linda said, touching Joe's arm again.

	They continued to lounge by the pool, taking in the sun,
making small talk and just enjoying each others company for another
half hour. Then, Linda got up, and started to go inside. Joe
followed her and they both went to their own rooms to change.

	Joe changed out of the swimsuit, choosing a light top with
white shorts. He put the black underwear back on, but then
exchanged those for more conservative colors when he saw how easily
the outline of his underwear could be seen through the thin fabric.
As he deftly slipped into the skin toned seamless underwire, he
realized that he had come a long way since that first morning, only
a few days ago. Now, he didn't even have to think about it as he
snapped the little plastic clasp between the cups. The normal
everyday tasks of being a woman were quickly becoming standard
practice.

	Joe went out to the family living area and sat on the couch.
He started thumbing through the magazines on the table. He hadn't
paid it much attention before, but now he noticed that Linda's
taste in reading material ran from "Vogue" to "Architectural
Digest." When he looked at the small pile of magazines, he
realized that before, he would disinterestedly have thumbed through
the one, and completely ignored the other. He had shown little
interest in fashion, especially clothing, when he was male. Now,
although he hardly a could be considered wild about things like
that, he found he did have a mild interest.

	He picked up the "Vogue," examining the face of the model on
the cover. She was beautiful, maybe early twenties, with very
smooth skin and makeup just right. Joe noticed things like that
now. Before, she just would have been pretty, and he might have
tried to imagine what she looked like without the little silk top
she wore. Now, he found he looked at the details, her makeup,
hair, and even the clothes, before he looked at the model. His
priorities were changing.

	Joe started thumbing through the pages, pausing with new
interest to check out the many ads for cosmetics and underwear. He
came to an article on birth control methods. He thought about the
tape he had seen at the clinic, and about the short briefing on the
subject of feminine hygiene they had been given. With considerable
interest, he read the article. It discussed the different types,
the reliability, ease of use, and drawbacks of each type. He read
the three paragraphs about the diaphragm three times. That, he
decided is probably what he should ask Dr. Krell about. He knew,
from the things Dr. Krell had already said, that they would be
discouraged from using chemical means like the pill. Since what
had happened to them seemed to be unique, the doctors didn't want
any foreign substances introduced into their systems. He agreed
with that. Of course, when he had been told about it, he really
didn't put birth control very high on his list of priorities. At
that time, he was more interested in finding a way to change back
to male than going to bed with one. But the first time he had been
alone with a guy, and his pal Jay at that, they had been intimate.
He wasn't pushed into it, either. He had initiated it, or at least
something inside him did. He hadn't felt completely in control as
it was happening, and he wasn't sure if something like that would
happen again. But if it did, he wanted to be prepared. He had
enough things to get accustomed to; he didn't need to add pregnancy
to the list.

	Linda came into the room and walked over to the couch. She
stood behind it and started rubbing Joe's shoulders, as she had
done many times before. Joe was engrossed in the article, and kept
reading. Linda became curious about what Joe found so interesting
and also started reading. When she saw the subject of the article,
she spoke.

	"Birth control?" She exclaimed. "I thought you were just
telling me one of the things you miss most is not being able to be
a father."

	"Yeah, but I'm SURE not ready to be a mother."

	"Well, you know how to keep that from happening, just keep
your knees together," Linda teased, "or just sleep with me." She
grinned. "I don't think you'll have to worry about me making you
a mother."

	"I guess that is a benefit, isn't it?" Joe smiled.

	He put the magazine on the table, and using all the strength
his body could muster, struggled to pull Linda over the back of the
couch, and into his arms. She willingly helped him along, or he
wouldn't have been able to do it. He was still a little bigger and
stronger than Linda, but not much. Their lips met, and they kissed
for a long time. As they embraced, Joe could feel his own breasts
press against Linda's. He found the sensation strangely pleasur-
able, and wondered if Linda felt the same way. He moved his chest
around, so that he was sure she felt his softness.

	"I don't know if I'll ever get used to having these things,"
Joe said, as their long kiss came to an end.

	"Don't you like it? You look so nice. You really have a good
figure, you know."

	"Yeah, I guess it's ok, and I have to admit it feels pretty
good." He bent down slightly, again rubbing his breasts on hers.
"But... I don't know... It just feels funny, like I'm swollen
there, or something," Joe said, trying to describe the way his new
body shape was interpreted by his old body image.

	"You'll get used to it." Linda advised. "I feel that way too,
just before my period."

	"Gee, I hope that's not going to happen very soon. I think I
have enough to worry about."

	"If you really are a woman, I'm afraid it goes with the
territory. But, I think you'll find it really isn't all that bad."

	"But blood coming out of me? It's a little hard to accept."

	"I had the same concern when I was a kid. I think I was
twelve, when I had mine for the first time," Linda confided.

	"What was it like, being a little girl and all?"

	"What do you mean, what was it like? How do I answer that?"

	"You were a little girl, and I'll bet your mom helped you
learn about girl things. I was a boy, and now, I have to learn all
the things, all the stuff you had years to learn. It scares me."

	"I'll help," Linda said, "but just what do you want to know?"

	"I don't know. I mean, what was it like, when you got your
first period?"

	Linda closed her eyes, and was silent. She appeared to be
thinking deeply. Finally she spoke. "My mom told me what was going
to happen. I guess I thought that blood would just start gushing
out. I was really worried, I even thought I might bleed to death
or something. She bought me some sanitary pads, and I carried one
in my purse for months. I wanted to be ready. Then, one day, I
felt kind of funny, I thought I had a tummy ache, or gas, or
something. I never guessed it could be that. But when I went to
the restroom, there was a little brown stain on my underwear.
There was no gushing blood or anything like that, just a little
spot. I didn't even realize what it was at first. My mom saw it
when she did the laundry, and asked me about it. That's what my
first time was like." She looked at him and smiled.

	"How long did it take before it came on full strength?"

	"I don't know. It was spotty at first, I didn't even have one
every month, but finally, after maybe six or eight months, it
started to get more regular, and the flow a little heavier. It
never does just 'gush out' though. But I guess that can happen.
I use tampons most of the time. They're much more convenient.
Try them when your time comes. It won't be so bad, don't worry
about it," Linda explained with a grin. She had begun to talk to
Joe more like a big sister. Joe didn't mind though, he was only
interested in what she was saying.

	Joe and Linda continued talking, with Joe asking questions,
and Linda trying her best to answer each one. By all his ques-
tions, Joe was trying to learn, in a short time, the things he
figured he would need if he was going to spend the rest of his life
with this new body. Finally evening came, and they went to their
respective rooms to prepare for bed. Joe removed his makeup, took
off the hairpiece, and then showered, remembering to trim up his
bikini line while in the shower.

	When he came back into his room, Linda was already there,
lying in his bed, wearing a satin sleep shirt. Joe was nude, still
drying himself with a towel. He dropped the towel, and joined
Linda on the bed. They embraced, and then lay back caressing and
feeling each other all over. Joe found being with her still
enjoyable. She certainly knew what made his new parts feel good.
But it seemed that something was missing, and he couldn't describe
what was missing. He just did the best he could, reciprocating,
taking turns, and doing to Linda all the things that she did to
him. Then they both fell asleep, as usual, in each other's arms.

Article 91106 of alt.sex.stories:
From: an236635@anon.penet.fi (Sapphire)
Subject: TG: Joe Bates (ch 22) The Cage
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 1995 20:28:13 GMT

			      Chapter 22
			       The Cage

	It was still dark when Joe woke up. He glanced over at the
glowing red display of the clock radio. Five o'clock, it said. He
had another hour and a half until he had to get up, but he wasn't
tired. It had been only about nine when he went to bed and he
wasn't used to going to bed that early, even if he didn't actually
sleep for quite some time after he got there. Joe looked down at
the floor next to the bed, and in the dim light he could see
Linda's undies laying on the floor next to the bed. He grinned.
It was just like old times, only now, if his had been lying there
too, it would have been hard to tell them apart.

	Joe turned slightly so he could see Linda, who was in bed
right next to him. In the dim light, he could see the outline of
her bosom under the sheet. It rhythmically rose and fell as she
softly breathed. She was still asleep, and her face had a
contented look. What was she dreaming? If she was, what could it
be about. Him? Them? The way they had been? Or as they were
now?

	Pulling the sheet down slightly, he unintentionally bared his
chest. He smiled when presented with this evidence of his own new
femaleness. It should probably seem very different with his body
changed like this... to look so feminine, and yet... he was already
starting to accept it as normal. In only a week he could hardly
remember being any other way. Nevertheless, it was still difficult
to accept the possibility of having to live the rest of his life
this way. To look down and see his body as it was, so completely
feminized, with these new bumps and bulges, was still new. Joe
found it difficult to keep from exploring his new shape as he lay
there in the dim light. With one finger he slowly and gently began
circling the dark outline of his right nipple, and watched as the
sensitive tissue changed from a soft full cone to a hard little
point. He could even feel it happen. He enjoyed the strangely
pleasing sensation. Mostly, he realized, he was beginning to like
the things that had happened to his body... the way it changed, and
was still changing. It seemed so much more sensitive and flexible
now, completely different from when it was masculine.

	Even with the many problems the changes might possibly cause
him, and the many things he still had to get accustomed to, Joe was
finding that it was often quite enjoyable being female. The very
slowly subsiding level of testosterone in his bloodstream was
accompanied by an increasing feeling of personal well being that he
really liked. Until recently, he hadn't even been aware of the
underlying sexual tension that was part of being male. The new and
pleasant sensations he was experiencing also helped hide the fact
that as his male hormone levels decreased, so did his upper body
strength. But since it was so subtle, he couldn't really feel that
it was happening. As Dr. Krell had suspected, Joe was also
beginning to experience a change in his libido, a lessening, as it
slowly adapted to the feminine pattern. Like it or not, he was
still changing, still becoming more and more female, inside and
out. But even lying here in bed, with his fiance next to him, he
knew that he missed being male less every day.

	Joe looked over at Linda again. He wondered what she really
thought of him now. He was certain that she had enjoyed the
intimacy with him when he was a guy. They had made love many
times, and she had obviously been satisfied. But last night, it
wasn't he who had initiated their little romp. Sure, he had
enjoyed it. Linda instinctively knew how to make him feel good,
but it just wasn't the same anymore. There was no way it could be.
When Linda touched him, his old, as well as his many new, sensitive
areas, he wasn't sure how to react, and would just lie back and let
it happen. He enjoyed the spectacular feel of her fingers and
tongue.

	But when it was his turn to reciprocate, to return the
pleasure she had given him, it was then the differences became most
obvious. As Linda began to move around to his now more knowledge-
able touch, Joe found himself still wanting to satisfy her in the
old familiar way, as he had so many times before. Though he no
longer actually had his penis, he found he that he still longed to
get between her soft legs to enter her, and he could sense that she
wanted that too. But of course that was not possible now. No
matter what they did, no matter what he might try, he could no
longer function as a man. Sure, they could still give each other
pleasure, no doubt about that, but there was something missing.
Joe could feel it, and he suspected Linda did too. He wished he
could just close his eyes, and once more just be a guy again when
he opened them, even if it was only for a few hours. Perhaps,
especially if only for a few hours.

	Joe moved his touch lower, to the soft hair on his now quite
prominent pubic mound. With the palm of his hand, which had also
become noticeably smaller since the change, he cupped his entire
crotch, what the drawings at the clinic called his "vulva."
Although usually it felt little different from before the change,
whenever he touched this now very different part of himself, the
new sleekness in the area where his male parts should be still felt
very strange.

	His fingertips went between his legs, all the way to the
crease of his buttocks. The feeling was still foreign to him.
There was now nothing to get in the way, as if his penis had
somehow been retracted; sort of pulled up inside him. He could
still feel his scrotum, all the nerves were the same, but it was
now split down the middle to within an inch of his anus. His
testicles were apparently gone. They had metamorphosed into
ovaries and were relocated much farther up, deeper inside his body.
He couldn't see or feel them at all.

	As he felt the softness between his legs, Joe wondered if his
legs were now farther apart than before. It sure seemed like it.
Perhaps it was just that his hand was smaller now, or the new shape
of his crotch that made it seem that way. He thought back to that
first morning, his first steps with his body changed. Then, it had
seemed quite different. He could kind of feel his hips moving when
he walked. But he didn't really notice it anymore. Maybe his butt
was a little rounder and softer now, but he was sure his hips were
not really any wider. He thought about when he had attempted to wear
some of his old pants, they were actually baggy on him, and he knew
his waist was much smaller. Maybe, along with the other noticeable
changes to his pelvis, his hip joints could be a little further
apart. He had recently read that was to allow room for the birth
canal. He felt a flush come to his cheeks as he considered that
possibility, and worked to get those thoughts out of his mind. He
didn't want to consider that aspect of being female right now.

	Joe tightened the muscles of his crotch. Whenever he did
that, he could tell that there was now something very different
down there. The muscles which had become his vaginal sphincter
were probably located a bit differently from when they had to
support his penis, and they certainly felt different when he flexed
them, but even that change felt exotically pleasant.

	He slowly ran a finger along the moist tissues of his new sex,
feeling the touch with nerves that were strangely familiar. The
anatomy he touched to cause these feelings was still new, and as
always, he explored his changed genitalia with as much caution as
curiosity. Gentle probing quickly caused his labia to swell and
part slightly, and he carefully used two fingers to spread the
sensitive opening even more. He placed the tip of his finger into
the rapidly moistening orifice and slowly drew it along the entire
length. As he reached the top his finger brushed against his
clitoris. He pinched it gently with his finger tips, still in awe
at how this tiny nub of tissue could feel so much like his penis.
To his touch it was smaller than a pea, but it seemed as big as his
penis when there was nothing touching it. Oh, if only it really
was, he would love to bury it between Linda's thighs, maybe just
once more. But it appeared that was not to be. The only vaginal
lips his little penis could get between now would have to be his
own. Joe fell asleep enjoying his own gentle touch... dreaming
unusual dreams... dreams that included Linda, and... Jay.

	*************************

	The radio blasted away in song, and Joe reached over and
turned it off quickly. The night had passed too quickly, it seemed,
and he just wanted to sleep, maybe till noon.

	Linda had heard the radio too, and she quickly stirred, rolled
over and opened her eyes. When she saw Joe, who had tried to pull
the sheet over his head, she smiled and reached under the sheet and
started to tickle him. Although his body was now very sensitive to
such things, Joe tried his best to ignore her. Finally she moved
her hand up and pinched his breast. That jolted Joe alert, and he
grabbed Linda, taking both her breasts in his hands, but then just
fondled them lovingly. Linda smiled, and planted a kiss lightly on
his forehead as she sat up in bed. She pulled the sheet off and
got out of bed, quietly going directly to her own room.

	Joe lay there a bit longer, trying to get awake. Then he
slowly got out of bed, and went into the bathroom. While he sat
there relieving himself, he habitually rubbed his face, feeling for
stubble. The smooth softness of his skin reminded him that his
beard was no longer a concern, so he felt his underarms instead.
Since he had shaved his underarms and legs last night, he found
smooth skin there too.

	Joe brushed his teeth and examined his face. He had washed it
in the shower and his skin was completely free of makeup. He
carefully felt the softness of his complexion. He still found it
fascinating to see himself in the mirror, and as usual, he found it
difficult to avoid staring at his new appearance. He examined the
much softer facial skin, looking for signs of wrinkles, he was
thirty years old, remember, but found none. Joe knew that before
the change his male features were already beginning to develop
creases around the corners of his eyes, those distinguished "crows'
feet" lines that he figured were caused by squinting into the sun.
He looked at his face now. The new softness of his skin, the new
suppleness, had caused all evidence of wrinkles to vanish. He
thought he looked much younger than his thirty years, even for a
woman. He wondered why it was, and decided that maybe it was
because his feminine characteristics were still developing. He
looked lower, at his now slightly smaller, softer, and completely
hairless body.

	Looking at his breasts... his chest, he decided his boobs
really weren't all that large but they were well formed, and more
like that of a reasonably developed girl of sixteen or eighteen,
and not a thirty year old woman. He examined his pink nipples.
Could it be that maybe they were a tiny bit bigger and fuller this
morning? Was he still changing? He shook his breasts and watched
as they bobbed back and forth like a young girl's. His nipples
responded to the stimulation by stiffening to little points. He
felt quite pleased. Maybe he couldn't be the man he was anymore,
but it was obvious, even to him, that he could be a quite attrac-
tive woman. Maybe it wasn't so bad. Of course, this new feminini-
ty of his was only about a week old. Time and gravity had not yet
had time to act on those new curves.

	Without the wig, Joe carefully washed his face again, and then
applied some makeup, being careful to put very little on. Today,
he would be going back to work, to be seen by people who only knew
him as a man. If they had to see him this way, he wanted their
first impression of him as he was now to be a good one. His
shaking hands gave away the nervousness he was feeling as he
thought about going to work.

	Joe went back into the bedroom and saw the pile of underwear
on the dresser. He realized he still had some time, so he took it
into the bathroom sink and, using the soap Linda had given him for
the purpose, he carefully washed out the dainty things by hand.
When he finished washing, and gently wrung them out, he carefully
hung them on the glass doors of the shower. He stepped back,
eyeing the colorful assortment of panties and bras. Would he ever
get used to the fact that this stuff was his... the kind of clothes
he would now be wearing every day, maybe for the rest of his life?

	Again going back to the bedroom, he opened his underwear
drawer. He selected some light blue nylon briefs, and a white,
seamless cup underwire. He quickly slipped his underwear on,
enjoying the satiny feel, and then went to the walk-in closet and
examined his selection of clothes, trying to decide what to wear
for his first day back, his first as a woman. He held up each one
of the small assortment of blouses and skirts, dissatisfied with
all of them. He was eyeing the light gray suit again, he liked the
way he looked in that, when Linda came up behind him. She was
wearing a satin robe, and she put her arms around Joe's waist,
hugging him gently.

	"What are you going to wear today?"

	"I don't know," Joe said. "I just can't decide."

	"Let's see... " Linda said, quickly taking charge.

	Linda selected a light cotton blouse and a blue A-line skirt.
She held them together, looking at the match, and at Joe's
reaction. "What do you think about this? It's simple and
conservative, just what you like, and I think you'd look good
wearing it."

	Joe wasn't sure. The light cotton blouse was so sheer and
feminine, he was concerned at how he would look in it. But then,
he had decided that he would be accepting his new femininity.
Maybe he should wear it. He took the hangers from Linda, and went
back to the bedroom. Linda went to his drawer, and selected the
slip they had purchased a few days ago. Joe was already starting
to put on the blouse, he would not have thought about a slip.

	"Put this on first," Linda said. "It'll help cover the
sheerness of the blouse."

	Joe pulled his arm out of the blouse and pulled the slip over
his head. He then put the blouse back on and buttoned it,
smoothing it over his curves. Then he removed the skirt from the
hanger and started to step into it.

	"Aren't you going to wear hose?" Linda asked with a slight
grin. It was quite apparent that Joe was nervous, and was forget-
ting the basics of dressing as a woman.

	"Oh, yeah." Joe lay the skirt on the bed, and took the
pantyhose that Linda had selected and held out for him. He sat on
the edge of the bed, and struggled into them.

	"Most of this isn't too bad, I guess, but I don't know who
thought these things up," Joe said. "I didn't like them before,
and I hate them now that I've worn them."

	"Probably invented by a man," Linda said matter-of-factly.

	"I don't think so." Joe said. "I don't think guys like them as
much as women do. At least I don't... didn't."

	Joe finally got the pantyhose on and adjusted to be as
comfortable as he could get them. He pulled the skirt over his
hips, and Linda helped zip and button the closure located at his
back. Joe wondered why women's clothes always seemed to have the
closure in the back, where it could hardly be reached. Linda
showed him a little trick to help him get the zipper closed by
himself.

	"Draw in your tummy a little," she said.

	When he complied, Linda tugged the waistband of the skirt,
causing it to spin around to the side. From there, the zipper and
button could easily be seen and worked with. When Joe saw it, she
spun the skirt back, careful to get it centered on Joe's backbone.
Joe then reached down for the mid-heeled pumps, and again sat on
the bed as he slipped into them. He stood, and walked over to the
mirror. He smiled when he saw what he looked like. Linda had
selected well, and the person he saw staring back was a sophisti-
cated, professional woman... one with very short hair. He reached
over to the table, grabbed the wig, and put it on. He adjusted it
on his head, and started to brush it into position. He would be
glad when his own hair would grow long enough that he could
dispense with the sweaty hairpiece. But for now, he knew he looked
much better with it on. Looking in the mirror, he was pleased with
his appearance. The skirt and blouse fit well, and together they
accented his figure exactly as he liked. He cupped his breasts in
his hands and squeezed them, as if he still didn't believe they
were really a part of him.

	Linda watched what he was doing with interest. "Still kind of
different, huh?" she asked, a big grin on her face.

	"Can you believe that I really look like this?"

	"I think you are quite attractive," Linda said simply.

	"Yeah... for a girl, maybe I am, but it's a little hard when
you've been a guy all your life... to suddenly be going around
looking like this."

	"Well, I think you're doing great."

	"But... do you really like me this way? I think you need a
man... not a girl friend."

	"Don't you worry about me," Linda said. "I'll be ok no matter
what you look like."

	"But how... don't you miss it the old way... I mean... wouldn't
it be better for you if I looked like a guy?"

	"Yeah, of course I do... so go ahead, then... be a guy... just
for me." Linda seemed to be irritated by what Joe was saying.

	"Sorry." Joe said. "I don't mean to feel sorry for myself.
There are just so many things. I can't figure out what I want. I
don't just know what to do." He stuttered.

	"Don't worry about it," Linda said calmly. "I'll help you.
If we find we can't make it together, let's worry about that if it
becomes a problem. I don't have any problems now, do you?"

	"No. No, of course not." Joe said.

	"Ok, then." Linda said finally. "Now, brush that hair again.
You'll want to look your best today."

	As he made the final checks to his appearance, and adjusted
his pantyhose for the third time, Joe realized it was time to get
to work. He found his little handbag, and checked that it
contained his wallet, and the few cosmetics that he might need. He
added a few sheets of Kleenex. Linda made him apply a little dab
of perfume. At first he objected, but then decided that she knew
best... that there was no reason not to make the best impression he
could.

	Joe went into the kitchen and fixed some breakfast cereal. He
wasn't in a hurry to get to work this morning. As he slowly ate,
and sipped some orange juice, he thumbed through the magazines
which had arrived over the last few days. All were Linda's... his
mail was still going to his apartment. He hoped he could remember
to stop there after work to check his mail, since he hadn't been
there in a few days.

	He finished breakfast, and put the bowl and glass into the
dishwasher. Joe gathered up his things, and went outside. As he
walked across the drive to his car, he noticed all the dust on it.
He would need to wash it soon. He liked a clean car.

	Getting in the car, Joe quickly noticed the restricted
movement that the somewhat tight knee-length skirt imposed. He
hiked the skirt up above his knees, and when he saw his exposed,
nylon covered upper legs, he smiled as he thought of his first ride
with Karen... and how she had done the same thing. Maybe it wasn't
very ladylike, but the freedom of movement and the wonderful
coolness caused him to keep it that way.

	Joe slowly drove to work, his heart pounding harder the closer
he got to the place where he was sure Dave and he would be the main
topic of conversation.

	He pulled into the parking lot, pulling his skirt to a more
modest position before he drove past the guard shack. Parking the
car, he screwed up his courage, and, not without some difficulty,
got out. It had almost been a week since he had waked to find
himself like this, but he had never been more nervous or self
conscious about his changed appearance than right now. He
awkwardly retrieved his badge from his bag, and clipped it to his
blouse. When he did that, he saw his male picture staring back at
him from the white badge. He wondered if the guard would notice.
Of course, the guard would know about him, he decided. Everybody
would know about him.

	He walked up to the gate guard, and started to walk past as
usual. The guard, not recognizing him, looked carefully at his
name tag.

	"Good morning... Joe? Joe Bates? Er... Mr. Ms. Bates... er
yeah sure... please go ahead." The guard stuttered awkwardly. He
obviously had heard about what had happened, but didn't recognize
Joe until he saw his badge. Joe smiled pleasantly at the guard,
and walked past. He was just as nervous and embarrassed as the
guard.

	The Honeybone facility was large enough that a stranger could
walk down most of the corridors without anyone taking notice. Joe
even passed people he knew on a first name basis and they didn't
give him a glance. Of course, many of the men he passed would turn
around and check him out, not because they recognized who he was,
but because they did that to any attractive woman they passed. But
Joe never noticed that. He was not yet used to being considered a
sex object by his former peers.

	He finally arrived at the Certification Section offices. Even
the short walk was causing his feet to ache. By now he could walk
quite well in the two inch heels, but his feet were not used to
walking for any distance in such uncomfortable shoes. He passed
Jim Matheney's office and went directly to his own desk. It was
still early, and no one else was in the other offices yet. Jim was
probably around somewhere. He usually seemed to get to work as
early as six a.m.

	Joe sat and thumbed through the pile of mail on his desk.
It had been a week since he had been there, and he always received
a number of trade magazines and sales brochures every day. Nothing
in the pile was very interesting. It would have been difficult to
concentrate anyway, with his heart pounding like a jackhammer. He
just sat there waiting nervously; wondering who would be the first
to arrive, the first to see him as he was now.

	Then he began to experience another familiar sensation, he had
to pee. Oh God. Now what? Should he use the ladies' restroom?
He certainly couldn't use the more familiar men's room anymore.
But the ladies room? What if somebody he knew was in there? What
if they recognized him? His heart pounded harder as he considered
the possibilities. Then again, he decided, he couldn't avoid such
things forever. For now, it seemed he needed to go every couple of
hours at least. Besides, he was dressed like a woman. Hell, he
was better looking than almost all the secretaries at Honeybone.
He picked up his handbag from the desk top. If they doubted him,
he could always show them his drivers license, or maybe the letter
from Dr. Krell. He grinned. What is there to be afraid of, a
bunch of women? Yeah, he was, but then he really did have to pee.

	He slowly got up and walked out and down the hall to the
ladies room. When he got to the door, he took a deep breath, and
walked in. Of course, he had never been inside the ladies' room at
work before, and his first instinct was to check if anyone else was
in there with him. No feet were visible under the stall doors, the
coast was clear. He looked around the attractive room. He found
that, as usual, the ladies' room was much better appointed than the
austere men's room on the other side of the wall. Nothing over
there like this. There were flowers, attractive wall coverings,
and a very comfortable looking couch. He wondered who would want
to sit in the ladies room. Was it for when it was crowded, and you
had to wait for a stall? It was so different from the men's room,
which was made so functional by the usual row of urinals along the
wall. None of those here, even if he had been able to use one.

	Joe picked a stall and went inside, feeling a slight relief as
he closed the door and latched it. He then went through the still
awkward (for him) ritual of unzipping the tight skirt so he could
get his pantyhose down. Oh, if he only had a fly, not to mention
a cock, right now. With the skirt, pantyhose, and panties around
his knees, he sat and found the relief he needed. Just as he
pulled some tissue from the roll, he heard someone enter, and that
made a lump form in his throat. Remaining absolutely still, he
waited until the invader entered a stall before he made a sound.
He finished up, dressed, and quickly left the stall, pausing only
a moment to quickly rinse his hands and wipe them on the hand
towel. Then he left the restroom.

	Back out in the hallway, Joe was glad to find no one else
around, and quickly walked back to Certification, heels clicking on
the polished tile as he walked. When he went in, Jim was now in
his office, sitting at his desk. Jim looked up, and couldn't hide
his obvious surprise when he saw Joe.

	"Hi, Joe. Welcome back." Jim said. "My, you're looking
pretty good." He said the last as if he wasn't really sure he
should, but trying to hide his nervousness.

	"Good morning, Jim. And thanks for the compliment. Linda
picked this stuff out for me. I'm still having a little trouble
getting used to this," Joe said honestly.

	"You're doing great, if you ask me. I know I'd have a lot
more trouble," Jim said, smiling, still trying to make small talk
to break the tension they both felt.

	"It's a little difficult, but it does seem to be getting
easier as time goes by."

	"Sit down, let's talk about what we plan to do," Jim said,
pointing to one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

	Joe sat, and was quickly aware that his skirt went above
his knees as he did so, and that if he happened to part his legs
even slightly, Jim would have a direct view up his short skirt. He
tried to keep his knees together, but to remember doing that was
still foreign to him and he often forgot, only to be reminded of
his oversight when he noticed Jim trying not to look and finding it
impossible. He smiled a knowing smile at his boss, and tried to
demurely fold his legs over to one side.

	"I don't know about this damn skirt," Joe said with embarrass-
ment. "Sometimes it's really a pain wearing stuff like this."

	"I must say, you do look rather good in it. Sorry if I'm
staring, but you know how it is."

	"Don't worry about it. I understand." Joe knew he would have
done the same thing.

	"Well, anyway, let's see... " Jim said, trying to get back to
the subject at hand. "Dr. Krell should be here within an hour or
two, and I think he will want to see the 'cage.' I believe he's
getting some animals, some monkeys or cats or dogs or something,
and wants to try them in there. We've got the transmitters set up,
and there are three spectrum analyzer probes in there too. If we
can make it happen again, we'll at least know what it took to cause
it."

	"Yeah. Dr. Krell said he had no idea what it would take to
cause cell reversion like this, much less reverse the effect. If
you ask me, it looks like we're stuck like this," Joe said, looking
directly at Jim as he spoke.

	"What do you plan to do then?"

	"What can I do?" Joe grinned somewhat sarcastically. "I've
got a big expense report for these new clothes partially filled
out. You should see some of the stuff I bought." His grin changed
to sexy. He realized that he was having to fight a tendency to
flirt with his friendly boss, and was embarrassed by the thought.

	"No problem... anything you need... anything you want... I've
been told to do whatever's necessary," Jim said, almost
apologetically.

	"I'll tell you what... " Joe considered what he was asking.
"How about getting that line boy, Tim, on the payroll. He's a
student, and he's sure going to need the money. I think he's
taking aeronautical engineering. How about an engineering intern
position, or something like that?"

	Jim rubbed his chin with his hand as he considered it. "Yeah,
I think I could get that approved. Does Tim really want a job
here?"

	"I think he was hoping to get on here after graduation. He's
very sharp, and he was absolutely nuts about aviation. He still
is." Joe wanted to make sure that Jim and everybody else realized
that even though they had changed a lot, they were still as capable
of doing their jobs as always.

	Just then Dave came to the doorway to Jim's office. The
somewhat plump guy had, as usual, hidden his new curves under a
loose fitting jumpsuit. Joe wondered how many of them Dave had
bought. Besides the light gray one he wore today, he had seen Dave
in a yellow, light blue, dark blue, and a green one. The shoes
Dave wore, while surely women's, were probably the most androgynous
he could find. It seemed that Dave refused to enjoy any of the
more interesting aspects of his new femininity the way the others
had. I wonder how things are going around Dave's house these
days, Joe thought. Of the four of them, only Dave was married, and
his wife Cindy had been very dependent on her husband. That, and
their young kids, were obviously making this all very difficult for
Dave.

	"Morning Dave." Jim said. "How's it going?"

	"Hi, Dave. Have a seat," Joe said, pointing to the chair next
to him.

	"Good morning," Dave said. "What have you got going for
today?"

	"As I was just telling Joe, we have the transmitters set up in
an RF cage, and we have some probes in there to record what we do,
just in case we can duplicate what happened the other day," Jim
repeated.

	"Who's going to volunteer to be in the cage?" Dave asked.

	"Good question," Jim said, smiling, "but, at least at first,
Dr. Krell says he has some animal specimens to try. I don't know
if he has any human volunteers for later."

	"If we can get it to work in reverse, I want to be the first
to try it," Dave insisted.

	"Don't worry, when that happens, you'll probably be the first
to know," Jim answered. "Are you having any problems?"

	Dave looked at Jim. "Well, my family life is in the dumper,
and my sex life... Damn it, I'm not a lesbian, and Cindy isn't one
either. Problems? What do you think?" The irritation showed
through as Dave spoke the words.

	"If it's physically possible to change you back, we'll do it.
Don't worry," Jim assured him.

	"Damn right you will," Dave said, trying to make his feminine
voice sound as menacing as he could.

	Suddenly the doorway to the small office filled with the still
large figure of Mike. Mike, who now preferred to be called
Michelle, had obviously been on another shopping spree last night.
Michelle, whose body had become hardly noticeably smaller when it
feminized, was now wearing a form fitting pants suit that empha-
sized her developing figure. As Joe looked at Michelle, he decided
that indeed, as she had mentioned, her body probably was still
changing, and her bustline was surely more developed than even the
day before. When Joe first saw Mike right after the change, he had
hardly any breast development. But now, he was almost as well
endowed as Joe. Mike/Michelle was a large woman, but was now
becoming quite attractive. The muscle building steroids he had
been taking at the time of the change appeared to have slowed
Mike's transition to femininity, but they sure didn't stop it.

	"Hi, Mike," Jim said. "Come on in."

	Mike greeted them and entered the room and leaned against the
wall. There were only two seats besides the one behind the desk.

	"Looks like you're getting accustomed," Jim said, looking at
Mike/Michelle.

	"Yeah," Michelle said. "If this is the way it's going to be,
I guess I better try to adapt."

	Mike must be going through the same feelings as I am, Joe
thought.

	"Don't give up yet," Jim said. "We've only begun to try to
get you guys changed back."

	But if it doesn't happen soon, you may find that nobody will
want to go back. Joe thought to himself.

	"I was just telling Joe about the setup we have in the RF
cage," Jim went on. "We have both transmitters set up, and we have
recorders and signal analyzers. Whatever we try, if something
works, we'll know what kind of signal caused it."

	"Who is going to try it first?" Mike/Michelle asked.

	"No humans, I think. Dr. Krell is arranging for some lab
animals to use," Jim said. "If he can get results that way, then
he'll try it with people."

	"Will it work on animals just like people?" Mike/Michelle
wondered aloud.

	"I don't know," Jim answered. "We'll have to leave that up to
them to find out. We can only supply the hardware and data
acquisition expertise."

	"Even if this thing can't be made to change us back, I think
Honeybone might find that there could be a demand for what it can
do," Joe said.

	"What do you mean?" Jim asked.

	"Damn it Jim, look at us. Look at Mike there, his genetic
makeup has been altered, maybe permanently, and look at the
results. I doubt if you could tell him, or me for that matter,
from someone who was born female. It's that complete. And it's
not only that. I certainly had no desire to have my gender
changed. I liked being a guy just fine. But now that I'm like
this, as time goes on, and I get used to the idea, it doesn't seem
so bad at all. I don't know if I feel like that because of
something that has happened to my brain, or what, but that's the
way it is," Joe said.

	"What are you getting at?" Jim questioned.

	"While we were at the clinic in San Diego, I met a few of the
people who go there for treatment, gender related problems mostly,
I'd guess. I think they all want to be the opposite sex, even if
it means painful surgery. And they even know going in that the
results are only so-so, nothing like what happened to us. If there
was a machine, a booth or something to go into, have your chromo-
somes modified, and then just wake up in the morning, I think you
could name your price. I tell you, if this thing does turn out to
be 'reversible' it will absolutely revolutionize the way we think
about sex."

	"You really think so?" Jim asked. "I wouldn't think anybody
would want to mess with their genes like that."

	"I don't know, but I bet if you tried this side of the fence
for a while, you'd change some of your feelings about women. That
I'd be willing to bet," Joe said confidently. "I know it's
certainly had a big effect on my point of view." He grinned as he
said the last.

	"Hey, I like women, and I think I treat them fairly, too," Jim
objected.

	"Yeah, but you don't really know what it's like to BE one," Joe
retorted.

	"Well, maybe not," Jim replied, "but I don't really have any
desire to find out either."

	Just then the phone rang. Jim picked it up. "Certification.
Jim Matheney. Yea. Please send hi... er, her here, 428. Ok. I'll
send somebody out to escort her." He hung up.

	"Your friend Tim Werner is at the gate," Jim said. "Would
one of you go out and sign him in?"

	"I'll get him," Dave said, getting up and walking out.

	In a moment, Jim spoke. "Dave seems kind of depressed,
doesn't he?"

	"Yeah," Joe answered. "I think having a family is a real
problem when something like this happens. It's tough enough when
you don't."

	"I sure hope we can get you guys changed back," Jim said. "I
don't care if this thing is commercially useful. It's supposed to
be a navigation system, for heaven's sake."

	"But if it can do what it appears it can do, that will be
insignificant," Joe said. "I really think you might have a very
useful medical tool here."

	"We'll see," Jim said. "As soon as Dave gets back, I want to
take you all down to the lab. I don't expect Dr. Krell for another
hour. He's flying in this morning."

	Soon, Dave walked back into the office followed by an
attractive young woman whom Joe recognized as the line boy Tim
Werner.

	"Hi, Tim," Joe said. "You know Jim here, and Mike, I
believe."

	"Hi," Tim said shyly.

	Tim was wearing one of the t-shirts and a pair of jeans he
bought yesterday. The clothes were much more casual than what the
others were wearing, but they looked good on Tim's attractive form.

	"Would you... er, folks want to go over to the lab, and see
the RF cage?" Jim asked.

	"Sure. Let's go," Dave said quickly.

	They all followed Jim down one hall, and then another, until
they came to some double doors. Jim opened them and they all went
inside. There, they found a large room filled with benches loaded
with power supplies and test equipment. On one end of the room was
a large cage-like room made of a tight mesh screen. It was not all
screen, some areas were aluminum sheets where connectors were
mounted so that cables could pass through the screen. There was a
wide door so that hardware could be brought into the cage. Through
the screen could be seen the bright yellow cases which held the
transmitters. There were a couple of stools and a work bench in
there, too. Otherwise, the room was empty. Outside, at another
workbench, were located three closed circuit TV monitors, two
spectrum analyzers, and a large strip chart recorder.

	"Well, whatever we do in there, we should have a record of
it," Joe said.

	"That's the idea," Jim said. "If we can cause something to
happen, we will want to know exactly what it took to do it. This
should let us know. And it should be safe enough, at least on this
side of the cage."

	"As soon as it's ready to try, I volunteer to be the first to
try it," Dave said loudly. "As I see it, I've got nothing to
lose."

	"If this thing can cause the type of chromosome change which
it has apparently already done, then who knows what else it can do.
It could easily cause really strange, even fatal, defects," Jim
said. "We'll have to take it slow. I don't want to belittle what
has happened to any of you, but at least you are all alive, and as
far as we can tell, completely healthy. We want to keep it that
way."

	"I'd rather try anything than have to live like this," Dave
said obstinately.

	"If we can prove that it won't cause more harm than good,
you'll get your chance to try it. You have my word," Jim said.

	"What will we try first?" Joe asked. "To repeat what happened
to us, or something else?"

	"Well, I'm leaving it up to Dr. Krell's people, but I would
like to verify that it absolutely was this hardware which caused
the problem, and not something else, God knows what," Jim answered.

	"Try it with a human? You want to make another guy look like
a female?" Tim asked.

	"I don't know." Jim answered. "I'd hope something can be done
with animals, monkeys or something like that. I don't know,
though. That's up to the medics."

	"I'll bet he could get all the volunteers he wants," Joe said.
He thought about some of the patients he met at the clinic, and how
they reacted when they found out what had happened to him and the
others.

	"We'll find out what he wants to do real soon." Jim replied.
"Let's go back to the desk and wait for Dr. Krell's people. I have
some paperwork for you folks, too."

	They obediently followed Jim back up the hallway, anxious to
find out what Dr. Krell was planning to do.

Article 91098 of alt.sex.stories:
From: an236635@anon.penet.fi (Sapphire)
Subject: TG: Joe Bates ( ch 23) Experiments
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 1995 20:28:32 GMT

			      Chapter 23
			     Experiments

	"Joe, could you escort Dr. Krell and whoever he has with him
into the building?" Jim asked.

	"Sure," Joe replied. He quickly left the room and walked back
to the entrance.

	By now Joe was at home enough with his new physique and the
feel of his clothes that he sometimes forgot, if only for just a
moment, that his appearance had changed significantly. As he
traveled the familiar hallways, he absent-mindedly attempted to
move along with the long, easy stride he always used. When he did,
he felt the restricting hem of the skirt at his knees. He looked
down, and was instantly reminded that some things were quite
different now. He could feel the slight bounce of his breasts
moving, and hear the gentle rustle of his pantyhose when his thighs
sometimes rubbed together as he walked. Joe placed his hand on his
hip just to feel the satin slickness of the slip against his
stockings. He liked the sensation and kept his hand there, letting
it gently brush the side his leg as he walked. There were so many
interesting things about being this way... wearing clothes like
these... always some new feeling or sensation to experience. To be
like this forever wouldn't be so bad at all, he thought.

	When he arrived at the entrance, Joe recognized Dr. Krell,
Karen Simpson, and two other people, both men, probably doctors or
lab technicians. He didn't recognize either of them. Dr. Krell
smiled in recognition when he spotted Joe. Karen raised her hand
in greeting.

	"Good morning, Dr. Krell," Joe said. "Hi, Karen," He added.

	"Good morning," Dr. Krell repeated. "How are you doing this
fine day, Joe?"

	"Just fine, I guess," Joe said, smiling.

	"You're certainly looking good," Karen said.

	"Thanks. You are too." Joe said.

	They all signed the log, and Dr. Krell introduced the other
two men. "Joe Bates, I'd like you to meet Dr. John Schwab and Dr.
Richard Roberts. Besides their talents, they're associates of
mine. John is into genetics research, and Dick's specialty is
urology, and they're both very interested in what's happened here.
If it turns out our research continues very long, I'm sure we'll
have others wanting to get involved on it too."

	"I've heard all about you," Dr. Schwab said, holding out his
hand to Joe.

	Somewhat embarrassed, Joe shook his hand, and then took the
hand of Dr. Roberts.

	"I've got to talk with you," the big, friendly looking guy
said. "What has happened to you is almost unbelievable. I can
hardly believe my eyes."

	"Well believe me, nobody's having a harder time believing I'm
like this than I am myself."

	"If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the others. Jim
Matheney, he's our Certification Manager and my boss. I guess he's
your primary contact here at Honeybone."

	"This is quite an impressive complex," Dr. Roberts said.
"I've always wanted to see how avionics are designed."

	"Do you have an interest in aviation?" Joe asked.

	"Yeah, I guess I do," Dr. Roberts said. "I've got my commer-
cial ticket, and a five year old A-36 Bonanza."

	"That's a pretty good plane," Joe commented.

	"I guess you get all kinds of interesting hardware around
here," the doctor said.

	"Well, sometimes we get a new airframe to use, but usually we
have to use our test aircraft, and they're hardly new," Joe said.
"But we do work with the latest in avionics, of course."

	"I have King gear in mine," Dr. Roberts said. "I have to
admit, except for the DME, I haven't had any real trouble with any
of it yet."

	They arrived at the Certification Section offices, and Joe led
them into Jim's office, where the others were waiting. He
introduced them to each other, noting that the two new doctors
carefully eyed Mike, Dave, and Tim as they were introduced.

	"All of you were together when this happened?" Dr. Schwab
asked, looking at Mike.

	"Well, we were pretty near each other for some of the time."
Mike answered. "Three of us were in the Lear, and Tim here, came
over to fuel us and stayed around to watch us calibrate. I guess
that's really the only time we were actually together for any
length of time."

	"And this GPS transmitter, was it on all the time?" Dr.
Roberts asked.

	"Once we turn it on, it stays on all the time. We were really
close to the 'A.' The 'B' was located at the other side of the
airport. Joe and I were the only ones really close to that one
while it was turned on," Mike explained.

	"What kinds of power do those transmitters operate at?" Dr.
Roberts queried.

	"Well, it's adjustable over a considerable range," Mike said.
"I've got records of the settings used last Thursday, or any other
day, for that matter."

	"So this thing has been used before?" Dr. Roberts asked.

	"Oh, sure. We've been testing receivers for more than a
month," Joe chimed in.

	"But you've only now had a problem?" the doctor asked.

	"If there was anything happening to me before last week, I
certainly didn't realize it," Joe said. "Friday morning came as a
complete surprise, that's for sure," he added.

	"Same here," Dave said.

	"Likewise," Mike added. "In fact, when I first realized
something strange was happening... that I was changing, or
whatever... I hadn't really changed very much yet, but I could feel
something, like an itch or something, before I could see any
change. Actually, I'm pretty sure I'm still changing, but it's
happening slower now."

	"Yeah. Same here," Tim said. "When I got home Thursday night,
I felt really terrible. I couldn't sleep, my chest felt so
strange, and I had a really bad upset stomach. I was just lying
there in bed when I first realized that something really peculiar
was happening. First, I just had to go to the bathroom really bad.
I went to pee and that's when I saw that my cock... er, my penis
was shrinking or something... anyway, it was really hard to go...
to pee with it pulled in like that, but it felt like I really had
to, so I did. Afterwards, I went back to bed, but I could still
feel it... it was sort of tingling and felt really strange, like it
was trying to pull up further inside me. It continued that way
until it was completely gone, it feels like it's up inside...
changed to the way it is now. I guess I can still feel it there
when I think about it. But I suppose I am sort of getting used to
it this way."

	Tim started to touch himself, but then he realized everyone
was watching and stopped, looked embarrassed, but then continued
speaking.

	"I really didn't know what the hell was going on. I mean it
couldn't be real, maybe I was just dreaming. I didn't realize I
was... I guess... turning into a girl until I got up again, early
in the morning, and saw just what I looked like in the mirror. Of
course, even then I didn't completely realize what had happened.
My boobs hadn't grown that much by then, and I guess I didn't
realize the full extent of what had happened to me until sometime
the next morning... I mean... it's easy to look and see what's
happened now, but I'm telling you there is no way to prepare
yourself for something like this. I mean, I never heard of
anything like it before." His soft voice rose and fell as he
described what it was like to watch his body undergo the changes
that had affected each of them.

	As Joe listened to Tim describe what had happened to him,
he decided that maybe it was better to go through the change like
he did, sleeping through the whole thing. He didn't even know that
anything had happened until he woke up. Actually to see it
happening and to feel it. No wonder Tim hid in his apartment for
days rather than face other people the way he was. How do you
explain something like that happening to you?

	The doctors listened to Tim's story with interest.

	"I've read your file." Dr. Schwab said. "But your description
of the experience really brings out the trauma. I'm not sure what
has happened exactly, and I'm certainly amazed that something like
this could happen overnight, much less at all."

	"As long as you guys can figure a way to get us back, I don't
care if you can explain it or not," Dave said.

	"Why don't we go and look over the test cage?" Jim suggested.
"We have everything that was used on Thursday set up, and we're
ready for whatever experiments you might want to try."

	"Good idea." Dr. Krell answered, and looked at Joe to lead
them to the lab.

	Joe looked at the little doctor. "Follow me," he said.

	He led them down the hall and opened the double doors, holding
them open while the others went inside.

	"It's larger than I thought it would be," Dr. Schwab ex-
claimed. "We could try a number of experiments at the same time
with this much room."

	"How will we know how much power to use at this close range?"
Dr. Roberts wondered aloud.

	"I suggest we start with very low power, then increase it in
small increments, never exceeding the settings used outdoors. The
whole system can take full transmitter power, but maybe it wouldn't
be a good idea to use it all, no matter if we get the desired
results or not. It's really close quarters for that much power,
and I doubt that it would help anyway," Jim suggested. He was
always concerned about safety, since he was responsible for safety
in the lab.

	"We will defer to your judgment on that, Mr. Matheney," Dr.
Krell said.

	"Please call me Jim, Doctor."

	"Sure Jim, and of course, please feel free to call me Ben,"
Dr. Krell said, smiling.

	"I'll try to remember that," Jim said. He was very serious
about work, but liked informality among professionals during
operations like this. Of course, there had never been operations
like this before.

	"What do you have planned?" Mike asked, his curiosity hard to
contain.

	"Well, now that we know what we have to work with I think we
have room for primates. I thought we would have to use mice, but
this is much better. We could even use human volunteers, when we
get to that point," Dr. Roberts said.

	"I volunteer for that whenever you want to try it," Dave
chimed in.

	"I'm afraid that we would need a control subject for the first
attempt," Dr. Roberts said. "But you will probably get your chance
too." He smiled.

	"It can't be too soon," Dave said.

	The men looked over the equipment, and at the lab in general,
appearing to be concerned about the size of the unused space. They
murmured to themselves, and then walked over to where Jim and Joe
were standing and watching.

	"I think this will be enough room," Dr. Krell said. "We'll
need room for some cages, if we are to bring some lab animals in.
I think we can have some of what we need here by this afternoon,
tomorrow for sure."

	"What will we need to do today?" Joe asked. He was curious
what they would be doing.

	"Well, I think these two gentlemen would like to interview
each of you," Dr. Krell said. "Perhaps you could come over to
Hillcrest, to my office there, for a while this morning?"

	"Sure. I can do that," Joe said. Oh damn, more hospital, he
thought. He was anxious to see what they would be doing in the
lab, not answering questions, or getting examined.

	"I think we need to get to a telephone," Dr. Krell said.

	"Right here," Jim said. "This desk and this phone are
available for your use. Please make yourself at home."

	Dr. Krell sat down and picked up the handset. Dr. Roberts
walked over to Joe and the others. "Do you all think you could
meet me over at Hillcrest in about two hours?" he asked. "It
shouldn't take very long, but I do have some things... some
questions to ask. I think it would be best to do that over there."

	"A couple of hours? Sure," Dave responded. "Will we be
coming back here then?" He was impatient with the seemingly slow
progress.

	"I don't think there will be any need for that," Dr. Roberts
said. "Maybe tomorrow afternoon, but not before. We have a lot of
setting up to do in here till then. There is no reason for any of
you to get involved with that. We'll have a number of assistants
taking care of it."

	Joe was hoping to get some "hands on" of the equipment
himself, but he was beginning to see that the plan was to sort of
let them "be involved," but probably not use their expertise. They
were now simply part of the experiment, as far as the doctors were
concerned.

	They went back to the offices, and Joe went directly to his
desk. Karen was with them and Tim, since he had no where else to
go, followed Joe and Dave. Joe looked at Karen, trying to tell if
she had any idea of what was happening. "So what now?" he asked.
"Do we just sit and wait till they call us?"

	"I suppose that's all there is to do," Karen said. "Of
course, it's only about an hour and forty-five minutes till you
need to be at Hillcrest."

	"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that," Joe replied. "I
wonder what that's going to be about?"

	"I'm not sure, really," Karen surmised. "But I overheard the
discussion, and I think they are still trying to determine the full
extent of the changes your chromosomes have undergone. They can't
understand how this could have happened in such a short period. It's
starting to become obvious
that it isn't really over
yet, since you all seem to be still changing, at least a little,
don't you agree?"

	Joe looked at Karen. "I didn't know it was that obvious. How
can you tell?"

	Karen smiled. "I'm not sure really. Mike, of course, is the
most noticeable; it's easy to see that he's still developing. Joe,
you and Tim, I guess it's different. It's not so physical, but
more in the way you act and the way you talk. I can tell you both
becoming more familiar with what has happened."

	"I guess I am getting a little used to it." Joe said. "But
it's more than that, I can't explain it. It's like my brain is
changed or something. Hell, I think I'm even beginning to like
being like this, like it's the way I'm supposed to be. Until a
couple of days ago, all I could do was think about figuring out how
to get back, try to hold on to my masculinity, I guess. Now, I
don't care about that anymore. I guess it's taken over my head or
something. I can't really explain it."

	"Yeah. I think it's the same for me, at least a little," Tim
said. "At first I hated this, but I guess I'm beginning to accept
it all now."

	"How about you, Dave?" Karen asked.

	"Is it really important how I feel?" Dave said sullenly. "I
can't just decide that I'm going to be a girl, even if I happen to
look like one, or whatever."

	"Even you can't change what's happened," Karen said. "If you
try to go against your feelings, it will just make you unhappy and
hard to be around, and won't change a thing. I'm speaking from
personal experience."

	Just then, Jim Matheney walked from his office and came over
to Tim. "Can you come with me for a few minutes?" he asked.

	"Sure," Tim answered, and followed Jim back to his office.
Jim closed the door.

	"This has all just got to be temporary," Dave said. "Even if
I would get used to this, I still have to change back."

	"Maybe you do," Joe said. "But before that, why don't you try
to lighten up?" He tried to cheer up his pal, who seemed to be
depressed.

	"What do you want me to do, Joe?" Dave asked. "Buy a bunch of
dresses, or something?"

	"Hey, I don't know what you want, but you must have something
you'd like to try, I mean, I know you're curious. Why don't you
kick back a little, and try to enjoy what has happened, rather than
fight it all the way. Like Karen said, you've become a Sad Sack,
and it isn't helping you, or your family. Whatever happens
tomorrow, why don't you try to enjoy today?" Joe tried to sum up
what he had wanted to say to Dave for some time.

	Dave grinned at his friend. "I'm sorry if I've become a pain
in the ass. You know that's not the way I am."

	"Yeah, I know that," Joe replied, grinning. "That's why I've
put up with it till now."

	"So what should I do?" Dave asked.

	"What would you like to do? How do you feel about yourself?"

	"I don't know, exactly." Dave answered. "I guess I'm having
some of the same feelings you are, I don't know. It's hard to know
what I feel like."

	Joe knew what his friend meant. Even if he was starting to
accept himself the way he was, Joe also experienced the strange
paradox. Sure, he looked like a female now, and he was even
beginning to like how he looked, as well as the feminine feelings
he was experiencing. At least that's what he figured they were.
He didn't really know what it was supposed to feel like to be
female, he only knew what HE felt like. But even though he liked
it a lot, he still felt like he was male, deep inside. There was
just no way he could change his past. Until a week ago, everything
he did, his every thought, was naturally from the male perspective.
That was hard and maybe impossible to change. The sensation was
sometimes as if his changed body was somehow not really his, that
he was inside somebody else, even though he knew that was not the
case. Sometimes, he still felt pretty much like a guy, and
sometimes the new feeling of femininity almost overwhelmed him.

	Karen Simpson joined them. "It looks like they won't need you
guys here today. When you leave for Hillcrest, let me know. I
need to go over there, too."

	Joe looked at Dave. "Are we ready to go over there?"

	"Yeah, I guess so, not that I'm looking forward to getting
prodded and poked again."

	"I don't think there will be much of that." Karen said. "Then
again, I don't know what Dr. Roberts might have on his mind."

	"Let's go find Mike." Joe said. I guess Tim is getting a job
offer, he thought. "We can wait for Tim. I'll try to track Mike
down."

	Joe went out in the hallway. He wondered where the big woman
might be. Mike was with them in the lab, and came back out with
them, but then he was suddenly gone. He looked into the offices
and cubicles along the way as he toured the hallways. When he came
to the word processing area, he could see Mike's new hairpiece over
the top of the partition. What was he doing in here, he thought?
He went over to Mike, who was talking with an
attractive young woman, Melody Meyers, whom he recognized as having
gone out with Mike in the past. Mike must have seen her in the
hall, and is trying to explain. Joe thought. It was hard. Yeah,
sure, it's still me. Joe had gone through the same thing with
Linda. It was impossible not to be embarrassed to have to try to
explain to your girl friend that something like this had happened
to you. First they didn't believe it, and then if you could
convince them, they felt sorry for you and wanted to help. At
least that's the way it had been for him and Linda. He didn't
really know the extent of the relationship that Mike had with
Melody.

	Mike saw him when he turned the corner.

	"Hi Joe. Here, Mel, see, this is Joe Bates. You know him.
He's had the same thing happen, too," Mike explained to a wide eyed
Melody.

	"Oh, God. I heard the rumors that something like this had
happened, but I thought it was a strange joke. But I see it's
really true," Melody said, leaning back in her swivel chair.

	"Yeah, I guess it's really true," Joe said, smiling at the
attractive young woman. He didn't really know her, but he had
often noticed her in the hall. She was easily one of the best
looking girls in word processing, and he always noticed the good
looking girls. As he eyed her, he realized that they were probably
almost the same size now. Even their figures were very similar.
Hell, they could probably share clothes.

	"Well, I'm sorry for you both, and the others too," Melody
said. "Are you having problems, or anything?"

	Joe looked at her. "I don't know about the others, but I
guess I'm getting used to it, the best I can anyway. It's a heck
of a change to wake up looking like this." He smiled.

	"I just can't believe it." Melody said. "You both look so
natural. You look just like real women. That skirt looks
positively marvelous on you, Joe."

	"We've been told that we more than LOOK like 'real' women,"
Joe added. "I think we have all the required parts, inside and
out. It certainly feels like we do anyway." He grinned at Melody
as he rubbed his hand along the soft curve of his right breast.
Even though he looked, and now felt, quite female, he still had a
weakness for pretty girls. Perhaps not like before. It was much
more subtle now. But it was making for strange conversation. He
tried to change the subject.

	"We're going to go over to Hillcrest now," Joe told Mike.
"Are you ready?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Mike said. He looked back at Melody.
"I'll call you tonight, all right?" he asked. "We can talk about
it."

	"Ok. Sure," Melody answered. "Good luck. You too, Joe."

	"Thanks," Joe said as he turned, and began to walk away. He
was aware that the other women were looking at him and Mike as they
walked passed them. He understood their curiosity, and smiled at
them as he passed. So these are my new peers. He thought to
himself. I think this will take some time.

	When Joe and Mike arrived back at Joe's desk, Tim was sitting
in the chair beside it. He was obviously pleased about something.
He and Dave were engaged in conversation, and Dave continued to
speak as Joe arrived at his desk and sat down.

	"Yeah, but I'll be willing to bet that over the course of your
entire life, you'll find your earning power reduced. I don't care
who you end up working for," Dave said.

	Dave was giving the young man, who, like him, was now a young
woman, his opinion of life as a female. Tim obviously did not
completely agree with his older friend.

	"I think it depends on the individual," Tim objected. "If I'm
qualified to do the same work, I should earn the same income."

	"Let me know when you arrive on earth," Dave said sarcastical-
ly.

	"Joe, what's your opinion?" Tim asked. "Dave thinks that our
lifetime earning power will be reduced if we decide to stay this
way."

	"Hell, I don't have any idea." Joe said. "I suppose women do
earn less, on the average than men, but I think there are many
reasons for that. I'm not sure that all those reasons would ever
apply to us, considering our unusual backgrounds."

	"Well, let's get going," Karen said as she came walking down
the hall, and saw them all together.

	"Do you want to ride with me?" Joe asked her. "No need to
take both cars, is there?" He didn't mind company on the short
drive to the hospital.

	"Ok. I'll be glad to," Karen said. "I don't know if we'll
need to come back here or not, but it's more or less on the way
anyway, isn't it."

	"No problem." Joe replied as they walked down the hall.

	They got in his car and buckled in. Joe drove to the hospital
and didn't say a word. Karen spoke first. "I was listening to
them discuss your problem. I don't think they have any idea as to
what has happened to you guys, or what to do about it."

	"Do you think that means we're stuck like this?"

	"It's hard to say." Karen looked over at Joe. "Would you
mind?"

	Joe grinned. It must really be obvious that he was beginning
to enjoy his new gender. "I don't know how I should answer that.
Sure, it seems to be getting easier each day. I have to admit, I
guess I'm starting to like it. But I really haven't experienced
everything yet, have I?" He gave Karen a questioning look.

	"You are more female than I will ever be. I'd give anything
to have what you were given by accident."

	"And I wish I could give it all to you," Joe said honestly.
"I guess I'm getting used to it, maybe even starting to like it,
but I really hadn't figured I'd be spending my whole life as a
girl... a woman. Maybe I'm just starting to realize what it all
might mean."

	"Joe, it's hard to change your gender, even when that's what
you want more than anything else in the world. I am impressed at
how your dealing with this all. All of you are simply amazing in
how well you're handling it," Karen said, the admiration in her
voice showing through.

	"If it was as hard as the first day, I know I wouldn't be
taking it this well," Joe admitted. "But something, some chemical
or hormonal change or something is affecting me, my head. That's
actually making it all pretty easy. I'm actually starting to like
it now. I really can't explain what I mean."

	"When I started hormone therapy I noticed a feeling like that,
too," Karen said. "I thought I wanted to be female more than
anything else, but when I started therapy, in a few months I KNEW
I was female. I felt like a woman, even before I started to look
like one. Of course, after the surgery, the feelings really kicked
in. I guess you got both barrels at once." She grinned.

	"I don't know," Joe said. "But right now, I don't know if I
could even handle being a man anymore. It just feels too good this
way."

	"Yeah. Yeah, it does, doesn't it," Karen said with a knowing
smile.

	They arrived at Hillcrest Hospital and Joe drove into the
parking area. They quickly walked the short distance to the office
that Dr. Krell maintained there. Karen went to her desk, and Joe
sat in one of the seats nearby. Soon the others followed,
taking seats next to Joe.

	"I wonder what they want now?" Tim asked.

	"I don't have any idea," Joe said. "But I guess the more
doctors we have working with us the faster we'll find the answer."

	"Yeah, but what will it be?" Dave asked, speaking to no one in
particular.

	They were sitting only about fifteen minutes when Joe heard
his name called. He went up to the window, where Karen was
standing, talking with the nurse, or receptionist, whom she
obviously knew quite well.

	"Joe, Karen will take you to one of the examination rooms,"
the nurse said.

	Karen began walking down the hall, and Joe followed. When she
came to a door, she knocked, and when there was no answer, she
opened it and motioned for Joe to go inside. "Go in and have a
seat. I don't think this will take very long."

	"What's going on?"

	"Well, I think Dr. Roberts would like to examine you himself,"
Karen said. "I don't think it will be much, or take long." She
closed the door behind Joe, and he was alone in the room.

	Great, he thought. Another examination. Since he had
undergone the change a week ago, Joe felt he had undergone more
physical examinations than he could remember. And they were very
different from what he was used to. It was bad enough to have to get
used to his new body, without persons prodding and probing it in
areas he was just learning he had. He looked around the small
room. The examination table was there, a little partition to
undress behind, and a door, probably a small room for a toilet. He
wondered if he should undress. Karen hadn't told him to, and he
certainly didn't want to go through the process if he didn't have
to. He just sat there, waiting for orders.

	A quick knock on the door was followed by Dr. Roberts poking
his head in. He handed Joe a small plastic container. "There is
a restroom in there," he said, pointing to the door at the back of
the room. "Please fill this cup, and then remove your clothing.
There is a gown on the hook. I'll be with you in a few minutes."
He closed the door behind him.

	Joe looked down at the little plastic cup in his hand. Sure,
fill this, he thought. Easy for you to say.

	After almost a week of living with it, Joe was familiar with
urinating with his feminized genitalia. Feels like peeing with
your butt, he thought to himself the first time he did it. He had
never attempted to aim the urine stream as it came out. When he
first realized that he couldn't go as he always had, from a
standing position, he had automatically adapted what he considered
was the female, sitting, position. Of course it worked, you didn't
have to do anything but sit there and let it happen. But now, he
had to pee into this tiny cup. How would he do that? He went into
the small restroom. There was a stool in there, a sink, and a
mirror, nothing else. He would have to get the skirt and the
pantyhose off. Maybe he should he undress first.

	Joe went back out into the examination room, and looked behind
the dressing curtain. There were hangers for his clothes. He put
the cup on a little stand and began to unbutton his blouse. He
slipped it off, carefully placed it on a hanger, then kicked off
his shoes. As Linda had showed him, he spun the skirt around to
the side, and then easily unzipped it. He stepped out of the
little skirt and then pulled the slip over his head. He felt the
chill of the room as he stood wearing only the bra, panty hose and
panties. Joe carefully removed the sheer hose, being careful not
to snag it with his fingernails. A quick flick on the clasp
between his breasts and his bra lay with the hose. He then pulled
the panties down his legs, examining the short, matted hair which
covered his greatly changed genitalia. His appearance was all
still new to him, and every time he saw himself, the way he was
now, he just had to look. He tossed his underpants with the bra,
and slowly ran his hand between his legs, feeling the damp hair,
enjoying his own touch. No time for fooling around now, he thought
to himself.

	Joe took the short hospital gown and put his arms through the
sleeves, and attempted to tie the little strings behind his back.
Luckily, there were also small velcro tabs, and he satisfied
himself with rubbing two of those together, which at least kept the
little gown from opening in back and falling off, not that it
covered much but his boobs anyway. Joe found that his butt was
exposed, and though the fabric covered his front, if he happened to
sit down, his bottom would certainly be exposed. What the heck, he
decided, they're going to be looking at all that stuff anyway. He
picked up the plastic cup, went into the restroom, and from habit,
shut the door.

	Joe eyed the cup, and went over to the toilet. He stood in
front of the stool like a guy, holding the cup below his crotch.
No, I don't think so, he considered, and spread his legs apart,
attempting to straddle the stool. Holding that position, he
positioned the cup between his legs, in the approximate spot he
guessed the pee would come out. He wasn't exactly sure where that
spot was, however. He tried to relax his muscles, in an attempt to
start the urine flow. Nothing would come. He was just too
nervous. He tried to think about something else, but it was almost
impossible. What a strange position for a guy to be in he
thought, and started to giggle. Jay would probably die laughing if
he could see him like this.

	Holding the cup with one hand, Joe rubbed the area around his
clitoris. Although the tissues which were now his clitoris still
felt amazingly similar to the tip of his penis, though much more
sensitive, it had none of the sensations his penis had when he used
that to pee. Now of course, his urinary opening was located much
farther down, sort of between what had become the inner lips of his
vaginal area. To Joe, it still felt somewhat like the shaft of his
penis, or maybe his scrotum. It was hard to be definite, the nerves
in the area seemed to sort of blend. Sometimes now, he
could feel a slight burning sensation from there as he urinated,
and he could tell that was where the pee was coming from.

	Using the fingers of one hand, Joe separated the folds which
formed the lips of his vulva, attempting to expose the opening of
his urethra. He rubbed around the area where he figured it would
be, and could feel the little bump with his finger near the bottom
of his pubic bone. He could certainly tell when he touched the
right spot. Keeping his lips spread apart as well as he could, he
held the cup to his crotch, and again tried to relax. This time he
felt the urine start to come, and was ready to reposition the cup
if his guess was wrong. As the warm flow arrived, it trickled into
the cup, over his fingers, and to his dismay, a small amount even
ran down his leg. He carefully moved his fingers around in an
attempt to get it all to go only into the cup.

	Joe finally captured about half a cup full, and decided that
it was probably enough. His bladder was empty, in any case. He put
the cup down, grabbed some toilet paper and quickly wiped the
wetness from his hands and legs. After carefully drying off, he
threw the wet tissue into the toilet in disgust. There just had to
be a better way to do this. Women couldn't possibly have this much
difficulty doing this, could they? He would ask Linda, if he could
think of a way to bring up the subject. All cleaned up, Joe took
the cup back out and placed it on the work stand. He then sat
on the edge of the examination table, to wait for the embarrassment
which he knew was to come.

	He had been sitting for about ten minutes, at least it seemed
that long, when there was a knock on the door. Before Joe could
answer, Dr. Roberts poked his head in.

	"Are you ready to go?" Dr. Roberts asked.

	"Ready as I'll ever be." Joe replied. He wasn't looking
forward to any of this.

	Dr. Roberts entered the room, and went over to the stand. He
looked at the sample, then turned and looked at Joe. He had a
little device with a light on the end that Joe recognized was used
to examine ears and eyes. He came over to where Joe was now
standing next to the examination table. "Dr. Krell and Dr. Schwab
will be here soon. Just relax."

	"That's easier to say than do," Joe said, smiling nervously.

	"Yeah, I guess it is," Dr. Roberts said. "I imagine it is a
little hard to get used to all this."

	"That's sure an understatement."

	Dr. Roberts took the light, and peered into Joe's eyes,
shining the light into his pupils. Joe wondered what he was
looking for, and asked.

	"Oh, nothing really." Dr. Roberts answered. It's just routine
when checking on a patient to check the eyes. I guess you might
say they're sort of a window to the brain."

	"Oh yeah? And how does my brain look?"

	"Do you think there's a problem with it?" Dr. Roberts asked,
grinning.

	"I don't know." Joe said truthfully. "I know there sure have
been some strange thoughts in there the last few days."

	"I'll bet," Dr. Roberts replied. "I guess this must be hard
to take. I mean, I haven't seen you any other way, and you look
perfectly normal to me, but of course, you are actually a man. At
least, you were." He smiled.

	"Yeah. I really was. Now, I don't know what I am. Some-
times, I still feel like I'm still a guy. Believe it or not, I can
actually forget what I look like now," Joe went on. "But just
moving around, or have something touch me, then it's all back
again. Of course, I guess it isn't really that bad though.
Actually, sometimes, maybe even most of the time lately, I guess I
like being this way. Is that weird? I don't know if my brain is
changing, too, but it's starting to feel sort of normal, even good.
Do you have any idea what I'm trying to say?" He looked at the
doctor, who had a puzzled look on his face.

	"Well, I'm trying to understand. As far as I know, there have
never been any other cases like yours. You guys are writing new
chapters in the books," Dr. Roberts said.

	There was another quick knock, and Dr.'s Krell and Schwab came
in followed by Karen, who was now wearing a white nursing outfit.
Dr. Krell was talking with Dr. Schwab.

	"Yes, and the hormone levels are different each time we
check," Dr. Krell said. Dr. Schwab only rubbed his chin thought-
fully.

	Dr. Krell greeted everyone, and then looked at Joe. "Joe,
would you remove that gown for a moment and show these doctors just
what has happened to you?"

	Feeling a flush come to his face, Joe reached behind his back,
and pulled the velcro apart, letting the little gown slip down his
arms. He lay it on the table, and stood naked in front of the
three doctors and Karen.

	"There seems to be normal skeletal and breast development,"
Dr. Schwab said. "And you say this all occurred overnight?"

	"That's what was reported," Dr. Krell answered. "One of the
others, Mike, seemed to develop secondary characteristics much more
slowly."

	They were talking about him and his condition as if he wasn't
even in the room. Joe wondered if there was a reason for acting in
this detached way. He had noticed it before. When two or more of
them would get into a discussion, they seemed to ignore him, even
if he was there and could hear everything being said. It was a
strange, somewhat degrading thing for him to experience, as if they
felt he was incapable of comprehending what was they were talking
about.

	"You can put the gown back on," Dr. Krell said, "and then
please lie down on the table."

	Joe quickly pulled the gown over his shoulders, and hopped up
on the table. Karen helped him get into position, and covered him
with a sheet.

	Joe saw Dr. Roberts go to the cabinet and watched him retrieve
a dreaded speculum. The doctor held the metal ends in his surgical
gloved hands to warm them.

	Joe waited in expectation for what was to happen.

	In a moment he felt the sheet being pulled back, exposing his
bottom. He felt someone touching him, examining his external
genitalia. Dr. Krell began talking.

	"As you see, there appears to be scar tissue surrounding the
clitoris. It seems to be more exposed than is typical. From
questioning, I discovered that he was subjected to circumcision as
an infant. That is perhaps the source of the scar tissue."

	As he was heard Dr. Krell speak, Joe could feel someone
examining that part of his body. Then he felt his lips being spread
apart. He wondered if Dr. Krell would notice the change in his
hymen. If he did, he wasn't saying anything.

	Joe heard a metallic clicking sound, and then felt the strange
sensation of something being inserted into his crotch. Unlike the
last time, it went in easily, and wasn't really uncomfortable like
before. When he felt the device spread his vaginal opening, he did
feel some minor discomfort, but it wasn't bad, and he tried to take
his mind off of it by listening to what they were saying.

	"Amazing. It all appears perfectly normal." He heard Dr.
Roberts say. "There is normal distention of the cervix, and the
upper vagina is fully developed. Have you performed a CAT scan?"

	"Certainly," Dr. Krell answered. "Completely normal in
appearance... for a biological female."

	"Have any of them experienced menses?"

	"No. Not yet, but I expect it to happen."

	The speculum collapsed and was withdrawn. Joe had to fight
the urge to reach over the sheet and rub his crotch. Dr. Krell
spoke to him again. "You can clean up and get dressed now, Joe."

	The doctors left the room. Karen stayed and helped Joe,
taking the sheet away. As soon as she did, Joe put his legs down
and spun around, sitting on the edge of the table.

	"You can wipe off with these," Karen said. She didn't leave
the room, but watched as Joe wiped the traces of K-Y jelly from his
genitalia. Having someone watch him do something so personal was
embarrassing, and Joe wondered why Karen was doing it. He quickly
finished, and went over to his clothes to dress.

	"I was watching when they examined you," Karen said. "You
really are female, aren't you?"

	"What did you think? That they were making it all up?" Joe
replied. "Of course I am. I thought you watched the last time."

	"I was there, but I didn't really look that closely. Now I
know you better, and know more about you. I guess the real facts
of just what has happened to you guys just hit home."

	Joe looked at the big friendly nurse and grinned. "It hit
home for me last Friday. I guess I'm getting used to it now."

	Joe pulled his underwear up, and put the bra back on. His
firm breasts didn't really need the support, but he somehow felt
better with it on. He could now put it on without even thinking
about it. Much had changed in only a few days. Joe sat in a
chair, and pulled the pantyhose on, then the slip, and then he put
the outerwear on. When he was dressed, he looked in the mirror,
and straightened his hair. Throughout it all, Karen watched in
silence. When Joe was ready to leave the room, she spoke.

	"You are so attractive, I find it hard to believe you were a
guy," she said. "I wish something like that could have happened to
me. I have to admit, I'm feeling a little jealous of you."

	"But you're a woman now, too," Joe said, referring to Karen's
gender reassignment surgery. "And you're certainly good looking.
What is there about me to be for you to be jealous about?"

	"I may look like a woman, but you ARE one. You heard Dr.
Krell. He expects that you'll menstruate. I'll never be able to
do that." Karen lamented.

	"Well, I don't know if I would be envious of that," Joe said.
Of course, even as he spoke the words, he knew that the ability to
become a mother was an important part of being female. That
element of his condition was only recently becoming something he
could bear to think about.

	"Just don't ever forget how lucky you are, Joe Bates," Karen
said, and went out the door.

	Before he went out Joe looked at himself in the mirror one
last time, and thought about what Karen said. He adjusted the
hairpiece, and wondered about Karen. He had never seen her act this
way. Apparently, she was not as happy with her situation as she
appeared. He felt sorry for her. Maybe his changed body didn't
match his brain either, but he was finding that he was enjoying it
more every day. Maybe his brain had changed too, and the only
things about him that were still masculine were his memories. He
knew one thing, he sure wouldn't want to change his body back to
male surgically, that was certain. In fact, he didn't know if he
would want to go back, no matter how easily, or completely the
doctors might make it.

	Joe went into the waiting area and took a seat. Apparently,
each of the others had been called too, and were in the examination
rooms. He had been the first. He sat there about five minutes,
before Mike came out and took a seat next to him.

	At first Mike didn't say anything, but then he looked at Joe
and asked, "Did you have to pee into a cup?"

	Joe looked at Mike and grinned. "It was a bitch, wasn't it?"

	Mike asked, "How are we supposed to do that now?"

	"Don't ask me. I'm going to ask Linda about it, if I can
figure a way to bring it up."

	"There must be an easier way. I mean, the damn stuff seems
to come out all over," Mike went on. He had apparently tried
something like Joe did. Both former men were quickly learning how
to live with a feminized body.

	Soon all the others came out too, and when they were all out
there, Karen came out. Dr. Krell followed her. He spoke. "We are
finished with you. Thank you for your patience. I'll see you all
at nine tomorrow, at Honeybone."

	Karen looked at Joe. "I'll call you tonight. I have to stay
and work this afternoon."
"But your car is over at Honeybone," Joe retorted.

	"I know. Dr. Krell will drop me off to pick it up later."

	They all left the hospital. Joe wondered if he should return
to Honeybone, or if he should go home. He decided to go home,
stopping at his apartment before going to Linda's.

	Joe drove to his apartment. He parked in the lot, and went up
the walk, stopping at his stuffed mailbox before going to his door.
He got his key from his small handbag, and went inside.

	It had been days since he had last been there, and he felt a
certain familiarity when he entered the room. He put the stack of
bills, magazines and junk mail on the table, and went to set the
thermostat to a more comfortable temperature. He had turned it up
when he left, and it was very stuffy now.

	Joe went to his bedroom, looking, seeing all the things of his
male world. He realized that even though he was starting to get
accustomed to his situation, he was beginning to miss the more
carefree life of a single male. He wanted to find Jay and play a
game of racquetball. Sure he could still do that, but it was
different now. Maybe, after the other night, a lot different.

	Stepping into his walk-in closet, Joe saw the clothes hanging
there. Clothes he might never wear again. Along with the change
he had experienced, he was now an inch or two shorter although he
hadn't measured, and of course, his shape was very different. His
trim, muscular, masculine body had metamorphosed to a feminine
softness. It was still trim, but during the last week Joe had
acquired the light layer of fat under his skin that makes females
so soft. That, his changed skeletal structure, his hips were a bit
wider, his shoulders narrower, and a still decreasing upper body
muscle mass, made him look much different now. If he even tried,
his male clothing would just hang on him.

	Suddenly Joe was overcome with emotion. He wasn't sure what
caused it. He just felt a flush come to his face, and tears well
in his eyes. He went over to his bed, lay down, and put his arms
over his eyes. What was happening to him? He could tell that
something, hormones or the changes in his brain, he didn't know,
was making him feel more emotional now. He had noticed it often,
it was often very difficult to avoid tears now, usually for what he
considered were the most trivial things. It must be part of being
female, he considered. At home alone now, he had no reason to hide
his emotions, and he began to sob. The tears ran down his face,
and he knew that he was messing up his face. Too bad, he thought,
I'm just going to let this one go, and not even try to stop it.
Was this what it was to be like from now on, breaking into tears
for the smallest things? He didn't know if he would ever really
get used to acting like this. He wished he could go to sleep, and
wake up with his male body, and brain, again. Maybe for just a
day. Yeah, that would be great. He'd call Jay, they'd maybe go
flying for an hour, and then go to the club and play a few games.
Yeah. He just wanted to sweat, to feel like a guy again. He rubbed
his hand across the softness of his breasts. Sure, it was kind of
interesting, even fun sometimes, being a girl, but he knew that
still, down deep, he was still really a guy. He realized that he
longed to do things like a guy again. Maybe he really should call
Jay. Jay always had an idea. Some of them were even pretty good.

	Joe looked at the time. It was almost three thirty. Jay
would still be at his office, probably. He reached for the phone
and picked up the handset. Should he dial? He lingered for a
moment, then dialed the number for Jay's office. His secretary
answered, and he asked for Jay, using his own name when the
secretary asked who was calling. Jay's secretary knew Joe as a
man, but she didn't recognize his feminine voice. Too bad, Joe
thought, she might as well get used to it, if this was how it was
going to be from now on. Finally, Jay came to the phone.

	"Hi Joe. What can I do for you?" he asked cheerfully.

	"God, Jay, I'm sorry to be calling you at work." Joe said,
sniffling and rubbing his nose with his hand. "I just had to talk
with you... with somebody."

	"What's the matter, Joe?" Jay asked. He could tell that
something was wrong. It sounded like Joe was crying. His friend's
now soft, feminine voice was more husky than normal.

	"I don't know. I don't know. I'm just getting so tired of
all this female stuff all day long," Joe answered. "I just have to
get back on some familiar ground. I didn't know what to do, so I
called you."

	Jay wondered what was happening with his best buddy. He
seemed to be handling it all so well.

	"What do you want me to do, Joe?" He asked.

	"When will you be getting through for the day?" Joe asked. "I
was wondering if you'd want to get some hood time?"

	Joe was Jay's instructor, and Jay was working on his instru-
ment ticket.

	"Fly? Well, yeah, I guess I could get away, maybe in an
hour," Jay answered. "Where are you? I'll pick you up."

	"I'm at my apartment now." Joe said. "But I have to go change
clothes at Linda's. None of the stuff here will fit me anymore."

	"Ok. I'll pick you up at Linda's. Say, in little over an
hour?"

	"Ok. I'll be ready. Thanks Jay. Thanks a lot."

	"No problem Joe... for you... anytime. In an hour." He hung
up the phone.

	Joe hung up the handset. He had done it. He was meeting Jay,
and they would go flying. That would take his mind off all this.
Or would it? He thought about Jay, how they had been together only
a few nights ago. They had slept together... made love... it
wasn't... it couldn't ever be like it was before. He could even
tell by the way Jay talked to him... sort of gentle or something.
Jay would never have acted like that before. And why did he insist on
picking Joe up? He had never done that before. They had always
driven their own cars to the airport. Now, Jay wanted to come over
and pick him up. He hadn't thought about it while on the phone,
but it seemed a little strange now, as he thought about it. Joe
bent his knees, and in doing so saw his shiny, hairless, hose
covered legs, and the short little skirt he was wearing. Could he
really blame Jay for treating him like a girl? Wasn't that really
what he really was now?

Article 91103 of alt.sex.stories:
From: an236635@anon.penet.fi (Sapphire)
Subject: TG: Joe Bates ( ch 24) Jay
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 1995 20:28:57 GMT

			      Chapter 24
				 Jay

	Joe wondered what he should wear to meet Jay. He didn't know
why exactly, but he felt a strange indescribable feeling whenever
he thought about his pal. He didn't know what was causing it, but
knew he was abnormally anxious to meet him again.

	Going to the bedroom closet, Joe looked at the male clothes
hanging there. He went back out and opened a dresser drawer.
There he found his undershorts and t-shirts. These t-shirts could
still be worn, he decided. They might be a little big now, but he
had noticed that Linda liked them too large when she wore them.
Most girls seemed to wear them that way. He began looking through
the assortment, the many logos, some displaying airplanes,
airshows, or automobiles on the front or back. He picked a few he
liked the best, the ones he thought would still look ok now, and
tucked four of them under his arm. He slid the drawer closed as he
considered trying to find some jeans. Nope, he decided, none of
these, they were his male pants, and they wouldn't fit his now
maybe only a little smaller, but definitely softer and rounder
shape. He rubbed his butt with his hands. It felt like it was
probably still changing, getting a little softer each day. If he
was ever going to wear jeans again, like almost everything else, he
would have to get some new ones. Or maybe borrow some from Linda
to try on.

	Joe looked around his bedroom. The feeling he got from seeing
the familiar room made him wonder if he should move from Linda's
and return home. He still liked Linda, and she seemed to still
like him, but it was easy to tell their relationship was changing.
He now no longer thought of her as his fiance, that was fairly
impossible now, but rather more like a friend, maybe a best friend
and confidant, and, strange as it may seem, sort of like a big
sister, even if they were practically the same age. With the
changes he was going through, and the things he had to adapt to, he
needed someone to help, to explain the way things worked, sometimes
even the proper way to dress or act. Linda did that. She seemed
to love doing it. Their new relationship sometimes seemed awkward,
but he couldn't imagine anyone else who could make learning the
things he had to learn any easier. It was embarrassing sometimes,
though, for both of them. But it did make them close, in a
different kind of way than before, as Linda introduced Joe to the
trials and pleasures of being female.

	Walking into the living area, Joe gathered up the pile of mail
that he had collected. He stopped in the kitchen and decided to
check his refrigerator. It had been some days since he had been
home, and he had left rather suddenly. A quick peek and he decided
that all was ok. He usually never kept much in there anyway.
Plenty of beer though, and that stuff wouldn't spoil. He thought
about it, and realized that he didn't really think he liked the
taste of it anymore. Was his enjoyment of a cool brew also a
victim of these new hormones coursing through his veins? What was
next? Of course, that he already knew. He could tell by the way
his heart seemed to flutter as he was on the phone with Jay, what
another difference was. It embarrassed him to think it could
happen, but he now knew for sure, he actually found himself feeling
excited as he thought about meeting Jay. Jay, his best friend, his
college roommate, drinking buddy, and car hobby pal. He had always
considered Jay his best friend, but he never before found himself
feeling like this. Many things concerning his body had changed,
changed a lot in some ways, but Joe still knew when he was being
sexually aroused. There were differences, of course. An
'erection' no longer showed now, and he was quite familiar with the
uncomfortable feel of wet underwear that now often accompanied
excitement. It was difficult to accept that even thinking about
his pal Jay sometimes made that happen, but it was undeniably true.

	He made a fist with his hand and rubbed it along the front of
the short skirt he was wearing, feeling the slight bump of his
pubic bone and, below that, the hollow area where his male parts
should have been. Like it or not, what had happened was real, and
when he stopped to consider it all, it really wasn't so strange,
his body had changed, probably now even his guts were female, and
his brain was simply trying to catch up, reacting to the chemicals
his changed organs were sending it. The only things about him
still male were his memories. Apparently, he had no more control
over these new feelings and desires than he did the changes in his
shape. Truly a strange predicament to be in.

	Joe took one last look around the apartment, then took the
clothes and mail, which made quite a handful, and went to his car.
With such a load, he found it impossible to lock the door, so he
went to the car and came back. As he was locking his door, a woman
who lived a few doors down from him came down the walk. She saw
Joe locking the door, and looked him over carefully. Who was this
woman coming out of Joe's apartment, she wondered? She was passing
friends with Joe, at least Joe the male. Though she was happily
married, she had often watched the attractive guy who lived next to
her washing or tinkering with his car. What a hunk, she had
thought. She had seen Linda around Joe's apartment quite often,
and figured that they were probably getting serious. She hadn't
seen Joe all week, and now here's this girl coming out of his
apartment. It wasn't Linda, but someone younger, and also quite
good looking. She felt a slight trace of envy as she walked toward
the young woman.

	"Hi," she said innocently. "Is Joe back?"

	Joe eyed the woman suspiciously. He knew her. Her name was
Kathy Baker. She was lived two doors down and was married to an
accountant. Joe had always considered her attractive and thought
she always showed an unusual interest in him whenever they met in
casual conversation. Now, of course, it was obvious that she
didn't even recognize him. She probably thought he was one of his
girlfriends. What to do?

	"No, he's not here," Joe lied. "He's on a trip for the
company, and he asked me to watch his place."

	What else could he say? He just wasn't prepared to explain
what had happened to this woman. It wasn't her business anyway.
Of course, she was probably just trying to be friendly. She'd
probably find out the truth soon enough if he stayed this way.

	The woman smiled and continued on, suspecting nothing. Joe,
his heart pounding like a hammer, walked to his car and awkwardly
got in. He saw Kathy again, still watching him. She was sitting
in her car, getting ready to drive away, when she saw that the
woman who had been in Joe's apartment also had his sports car. Joe
smiled at her and started his engine. He left the parking lot and
drove to Linda's house.

	When Joe arrived at Linda's, her car was not in the drive. He
looked at his wristwatch. Four thirty, Linda probably wouldn't be
home for at least an hour. Just as well. He preferred to be alone
as he tried to find something to wear to go flying with Jay. What
a strange paradox. He felt he wanted to do familiar 'guy' things
with his pal, but at the same time, for some unexplained reason, he
also wanted Jay to find him attractive. It was a weird feeling,
and he couldn't completely understand why he felt this way.

	Joe took his things straight to his room. He piled the mail
on the bed, and put the t-shirts on the dresser. When he did that,
he saw his reflection in the dresser mirror. He couldn't help
looking, and it took a second to realize that the attractive woman
on the other side of the glass was his own reflection. He rubbed
his hand across his chest, squeezing the softness of his left boob.
Would there ever be time when he became accustomed to all this?

	He flopped on the bed, and pulled his shoes off. Boy, that
feels good, he thought. But this pantyhose is just plain hot. He
tried to pull them down from under the short skirt, and then
decided maybe it would be best if he took that off first. He stood
up, unbuttoned and then unzipped the skirt, and stepped out of it.
Still wearing the full slip, he pulled it up his hips a little,
then reached under it and tucked his thumbs into the waistband of
the hose and pulled them down, leaving the panties on and relishing
the exquisite coolness as he removed the hose. I sure wouldn't
have thought something so sheer could be so hot, he thought as he
rubbed his hands along the smooth bare skin of his upper thighs.

	Joe carefully hung the skirt on its hanger, then pulled the
slip over his head. He unbuttoned his blouse and took it off,
putting it on the same hanger as the skirt, then put them both in
his closet.

	Wearing only bra and panties made Joe feel strangely sexy. He
didn't know why, but now, sometimes, right after he undressed and
almost naked, wearing only underwear usually, Joe felt weird, kind
of voluptuous or something. His changed body, his breasts, not
that he was really that big or anything, he sometimes just felt so,
so female, so fertile. It was, of course, feeling he had never
experienced before the change, and right now it felt so good it
actually made his skin tingle.

	Joe went to the dresser to pick out a T-shirt. As he walked,
he could felt his bladder remind him it was full. He went into the
bathroom and, as he sat there, he looked up and saw the underwear
hanging on the shower door. It was dry, and ready to put away.
When he finished, he gathered up the dainty things and took them
back into the bedroom. As he did, he examined each item as he
folded it and placed it in the drawer. Holding up the black thong
bikini, he was again amazed at how tiny it was. It was hard to
accept that something like this even fit him. It took some getting
used to the feel of having that narrow strap in the crack of your
butt, but it sure did look sexy. Joe was tempted to try it on
again. Black will show through under a T-shirt, he thought, but
not a black T-shirt.

	He went over to the pile of shirts he brought from his
apartment. One of them had a picture of an SR-71 on the back. He
bought it at an airshow in California last summer. And it was
solid BLACK. No problem with show through wearing this. He held
it up in front of him. Yeah, it was a little big now, but it would
be ok. He decided to put it on.

	Joe located the little bra that matched the bikini. He
unhooked the one he was wearing and quickly put the black one on.
He liked the way it looked and felt. Like the panty, it was shiny
black, made of nylon, lycra-spandex, or some slick fabric like
that, with no decoration but a tiny pearl between the cups. It was
slightly stretchy, and it fit his new shape perfectly. He removed
his panties and stepped into the tiny black thong. He pulled it to
his hips, adjusting the waist so that everything fit smoothly.
There wasn't much to it, but it covered everything that needed to
be covered. It felt a little strange to wear, because it touched
places that weren't usually touched, but it sure looked sexy as
hell. He almost hated to get dressed.

	Taking the black T-shirt, Joe pulled it over his head. He
looked down and grinned when he saw the way his breasts distorted
the drawing of the SR-71. Never thought it would look like this
when I bought it, he thought.

	He didn't have jeans, so Joe looked at the small assortment of
shorts he and Linda had bought. Before, he almost never wore
shorts when flying. Now, he didn't even have any long pants.
Unless he wore a skirt or the pants suit, he'd have to wear
something chosen from this stack. He had worn the white ones
before, and besides, black underwear might show through, the green,
no, dark gray, yeah, excellent. He pulled them on, tucked the
T-shirt in, studied his reflection in the mirror, and then pulled
it back out. It looked ok, he thought, casual, not too feminine,
but it didn't hide the fact that he was now a girl. He finished by
putting on some white sport socks and then his new Reeboks.

	Joe went back into the bathroom and started to brush his
hairpiece. It'll sure be better when I don't need this anymore, he
thought as he preened the short hair into place. When he thought
about it, the wig felt like a hot, snug fitting cap. He still wore
a trace of lipstick from earlier, and he decided to wipe it off.
He wanted to look as natural as possible, and found that a damp
washcloth worked pretty well to remove lipstick and mascara. When
he was done, he decided to try a little of the perfume Linda had
left on the sink. Joe daubed a bit behind each ear, not really
knowing how it should be done, but guessing what might work. He
just knew he liked the way it made him smell.

	All finished, Joe found his flight bag. He noticed the small
handbag laying on the bed, and wondered if he should take it too.
He didn't want to. He looked inside the bag. It contained his
keys, his license, and his cash, and credit cards. He really
needed to take it, but where? Seeing the flight bag, he put the
handbag inside. He took the flight bag into the living room and
sat on the couch. If Jay was running on time, he would be here
soon.

	Suddenly, Joe started to feel apprehensive again. What causes
me to feel this way, he wondered? Was it his friend Jay? Could
that be what was making his knees weak and his pulse rise? Why
should Jay cause this? They were just going flying, Jay was his
student, and besides, I asked him, he thought. Nothing about any
of this to be nervous about. They had flown together maybe
hundreds of times. Yeah, but I didn't have tits then, Joe
considered.

	Joe sat reading yesterday's newspaper for maybe fifteen
minutes when he heard the sound of Jay's Porsche in the drive. He
went over to meet him at the door. It was so strange, so formal,
to be picked up like this. He would have preferred to meet Jay at
the plane like always. This seemed more like a date or something.
He wondered if that's what Jay had in mind. Surely not, Joe didn't
feel ready for that, even if he might have to stay this way
forever.

	Jay rang the bell, and smiled when he saw Joe open the door.
Jay had obviously changed clothes too, and was wearing a sport
shirt and jeans. He looked at Joe, and grinned broadly.

	"You look great, Joe," he said approvingly. Joe looked at his
pal, whom he thought seemed to be acting strangely.

	"Thanks, Jay. You do too."

	"Are you all ready to go?"

	"Sure. All I had to do was change clothes. I brought this
T-shirt from my apartment. It still looks ok, don't you think?"

	"Yeah, it looks great," Jay said with a strange admiration in
his voice.

	The way Jay looked at him, and spoke to him, made Joe feel
self-conscious. He couldn't understand why Jay was acting this
way, and he didn't know how to ask him about it.

	Carrying his flight bag, Joe locked the door, and followed Jay
to his car. He felt awkward when Jay unlocked his side, opened the
door, and held it open for him. He put his bag behind the seat,
and then climbed in. It was quickly becoming obvious that Jay was
treating him the way he treated women. Joe wanted to object, but
decided to hold his tongue. He couldn't deny looking like a girl.
He figured that he probably felt, or was beginning to feel like a
girl, too. And it was possible, maybe even likely, that he would
have to be a girl, maybe for the rest of his life. Perhaps he
should try to get used to being treated like this. It may seem
strange, but then, it was kind of nice, too. What could it hurt?
Jay seemed to love doing it. He wondered if he had acted the same
way around women. If he did, he hadn't realized it. Of course,
now he was seeing it from a completely different perspective.
Maybe something he had read somewhere was really true, anatomy is
destiny.

	Joe fastened his seat belt as Jay strapped into the left seat.
They drove quickly to the airport and pulled into the parking area.
They walked the hundred yards to Jay's Mooney, and Jay unlocked the
door. When Jay hopped off the wing, Joe crawled up on it and
dropped his flight bag on the back seat. The bag really wasn't
heavy, but Joe noticed that carrying it required noticeably more
effort to lift than it used to. Just another result of the damn
feminization his body had undergone, he realized. He really hadn't
lost much height with the change, and therefore was probably
somewhat taller than average for a female. He hoped he wouldn't
continue to lose muscle mass, but it was probably unrealistic to
expect to remain strong as before, considering all that had
occurred.

	"Where do you want to go?" Jay asked.

	"Do you have a preference?"

	"You're the one who wanted to fly," Jay said grinning, "you
pick where."

	"I'm sorry Jay, I hope I didn't push too hard," Joe said
softly. "I just want to get away from all the female stuff for a
while. I thought maybe if we went flying, it might be more like
before."

	"Joe, you know I'll help you however I can," Jay said, looking
into Joe's eyes. "But I really don't see how it can ever be like
before. Not after the things we've done."

	Standing close to Jay, behind the wing of the plane, Joe
looked into his eyes.

	"Are you sorry it happened?" Joe asked.

	"Absolutely not," Jay responded quickly. "But I don't see how
I can treat someone I've slept with, had sex with, for god's sake,
how can we just go back to acting like old buddies after that?"

	"Jay, I don't care what I'm like on the outside, I'm still the
same person I was a week ago. I know there are differences, a lot
of them. I'm sure I'm more aware of them than anybody. I don't
even know all the things that have happened, and maybe are still
happening, but I do know it's still me here. Maybe I do look like
a girl, and I may even try to act like one sometimes, but I still
feel like a guy most of the time. I guess maybe my sexual
preferences are changing. Hell, I know they are. Joe lowered his
eyes, feeling embarrassment. But I still have a need to be treated
like a guy, at least sometimes. That's all I'm asking from you."

	"Damn it, Joe, look at you," Jay said. "How could I treat you
like a man? You're just too damn beautiful."

	"Can't you just try to forget what I look like? At least just
once in a while, pretend that nothing has happened." Joe knew,
even as he spoke the words, that they sounded ridiculous.

	"Give me a break, Joe," Jay protested, grinning. "Maybe you
can forget, but I'm still male, and for me, I think that's just
about impossible. Too many things keep reminding me." He pointed
to the noticeable bulge in his pants.

	Joe felt a warm flush come to his reddening face. He wasn't
used to causing that kind of reaction in his friend, and he found
it quite embarrassing. He wished he could just go somewhere and
hide until the feeling went away. It wasn't Jay's fault. He knew
he would have done the same thing himself. He sometimes did even
now, slightly different of course, when confronted by his own
reflection in the mirror.

	Joe smiled coyly at Jay. "Just keep that thing away from me,"
he said grinning, trying not to stare at Jay's crotch.

	He didn't know why he was so embarrassed, but he was. There
was no way either of them could forget that some things were very
different now.

	"Let's go to Tucson," Joe said quickly, in an attempt to
change the subject.

	Tucson was about one hundred nautical miles from their home
base. It was an easy hop in the Mooney. Almost too easy. They
could fly there, shoot a couple of instrument approaches, and be
back in a couple of hours. It would still be daylight when they
got back.

	Together, they walked to the Thunderbird office. Thunderbird
was one of two FBO's which served the Deer Valley airport, and was
where Tim worked, at least before the change. They went inside,
and Joe was suddenly aware that all eyes were on him. He recog-
nized most of the people there, and he just knew that they
recognized him. He was sure that the news of what had happened had
reached Thunderbird, especially since Tim had stopped showing up at
work so suddenly and uncharacteristically.

	Joe was relieved when they retreated to the seclusion of the
Planning Room. They had both made the Tucson trip many times
before, and neither really needed to do much planning, but Jay was
building hood time for his instrument ticket, and Joe insisted that
they follow all procedures, as if they were going one thousand
miles, rather than a hundred. Jay went through the motions of
checking the weather. As usual, it was severe clear, and then he
filled out a flight plan. Joe passed the time looking at the wall
chart, hoping Jay would finish quickly and they could get in the
air. When Jay finished, he filed on the computer at the end of the
room, and then went over to Joe.

	"Are you ready?" He asked.

	"Is it safe to fly?" Joe teased.

	"Yeah, as soon as I stop at the head," Jay answered.

	Joe thought a moment. No doubt about it, he had better do the
same. He no longer had the endurance he had before the change, and
it was better to be safe than sorry. He followed Jay down the
hall, but stopped when he turned and entered the men's restroom.
Joe continued on to the next door, and went inside.

	Even after almost a week, it still made him feel like an
invader each time he went inside a public ladies' room. He just
couldn't shake the feeling he didn't belong there. It didn't
matter how he looked, or that it would certainly raise more
eyebrows if had followed Jay into the men's room, going in here
just didn't seem right. Joe walked in timidly, and looked around.
The place was empty. He entered a stall, closed the door, and
quickly emptied his bladder. He finished, and went to the sink to
wash up. While there, he carefully examined his hair and appear-
ance. He was trying to develop the habit of doing that whenever he
had the opportunity. It was difficult for a guy, especially one
who usually gave little thought to such things as he had, to place
the same emphasis on looking nice that most women displayed.

	With one last look, and a quick straightening of his clothing,
Joe went back out into the hallway. Jay was waiting for him. It
seemed to Joe that his pal now often looked at him with a mixture
of admiration, humor, and perhaps curiosity. It embarrassed Joe
whenever he did that, and he was doing it now.

	Joe followed Jay out the door, glad to be back out on the
empty parking ramp. When they were away from the buildings, Joe
walked alongside Jay.

	"Why do you look at me that way?" Joe asked.

	"What do you mean?"

	"I think you know, that shit-eating grin, those cow eyes. I
think you know what I'm talking about," Joe countered, grinning.
He was serious, but didn't want Jay to take it the wrong way.

	"I do that?" Jay asked incredulously, teasing, but with a huge
grin that was evidence he knew what Joe meant.

	"Yeah, you do, and you know it too," Joe went on, trying his
best not to let his voice sound like a whining woman.

	"Why do I do it? Why do I look at you in a different way than
I used to? Is that the question?" Without waiting for an answer,
Jay continued. "Could it be because my best friend, my college
buddy, my roommate, partner in womanizing, one of the best
practical jokers I know, the best practical mechanic I know, one of
the best pilots, except for me, of course, that I know, this macho
guy, suddenly calls and tells me he's been transformed into one of
the finest looking women I've ever seen. And it doesn't even seem
to faze him. Frankly Joe, I'm impressed. I just don't see how you
do it. I think if it happened to me, I'd either spend the whole
day at home playing with myself, or else I'd jump off a bridge."

	Joe grinned. "Of course, I haven't tried the bridge yet, but
I can tell you this, you'd probably get tired of staying home."

	"Joe, we've been friends a long time, what is it now, eleven,
twelve years? We have about the same interests. We both like
cars, airplanes, and even the same taste in women, at least we
did," Jay said, chuckling as he spoke that last sentence.

	"What are you getting at?" Joe asked.

	"I think we get along pretty well together. We always have.
I like you. I'm sure you like me too, or you wouldn't have
tolerated my constant bugging you for help with my car. But now,
with what has happened, with you like that, I don't know for sure,
but I think my feelings for you are changing. I think maybe, damn
it Joe, I don't even know how if I can say it. I, I think I might
even be falling for you, like, like you were a real woman. Is that
a kick in the head, or what?" Jay seemed relieved after he
finished speaking.
Joe felt a flush come to his face as he listened to Jay. It
really didn't come as a surprise though. It only confirmed what he
had suspected. Jay no longer thought of him as just his "buddy."
It was obvious by the way he looked and acted that he considered
Joe a "real" woman, and felt he had to treat him as such. That's
why he was so uncharacteristically polite, sometimes even conde-
scending, and why he was always grinning, and acting awkward around
him.

	"You're 'falling' for me?" Joe asked. "Just what are you
trying to say, Jay?" He tried to act as if it was all a surprise.
He seldom saw his friend at such a loss for words.

	"Damn it Joe, I don't know. Maybe it sounds crazy to you.
But I can't help it, I really think you make a pretty nice woman.
I hope you don't take that as an insult, because it isn't meant to
be," Jay tried awkwardly to explain.

	"Well, considering that my chances on getting changed back
don't look all that great, maybe it's a good thing, that you think
I make a pretty nice girl, that is."

	"Is that what they're telling you?"

	"I'm sure that they don't even know for sure what caused it
yet," Joe responded. "And even less about how to change us back."

	"So what do you plan to do about it?"

	"I don't have a lot of options, as far as I can tell. I'm
just trying to make the best of what I've got."

	"And doing pretty well it seems," Jay complimented. "Most of
the time it's hard for me to remember that you weren't born like
that."

	"I guess I am getting accustomed to my body being like this,"
Joe said. "But I don't know if I'll ever get used to the way I get
treated because of the way I look."

	"How's that?" Jay asked, "Do you mean bad, or good?"

	"Oh, I guess it's mostly good," Joe answered. "I haven't
really found any real discrimination so far. Of course, it's only
been a week, and I haven't been around that many strangers."

	They were getting near the plane, and Joe was slightly ahead
of Jay as they walked toward it.

	"Well, I still think you look gorgeous," Jay said. "You think
like a man, but you're more attractive than any woman I know. What
more could a guy ask for?"

	"I don't know about thinking like a man," Joe countered. "And
I don't really think I'm all that good looking, either." He grinned
shyly.

	"You don't?" Jay asked. "Why not? I think you're fantastic
looking."

	"Do you really?" Joe considered the feminizing of his body.
Sure it was erotically interesting to be changed overnight, and
then wake up looking like this, especially at first, and he
certainly liked the sensations from his now softer, thinner, more
sensitive skin. He didn't consider himself ugly, but he really
didn't think he was all that beautiful either.

	"Don't you?" Jay asked. "I don't know if I'd want to stay
that way, but I wouldn't mind spending a day looking like that,"
Jay volunteered. "I think it would be interesting to see how the
other half lives."

	"Oh yeah? I guess I am one of the 'other half' now, and I can
say this, it's not all that special."

	"You told me you liked it, and you can't tell me you haven't
played with those boobs."

	"Ok, Ok, I do kind of enjoy it sometimes," Joe admitted.
"Some of the things about being like this aren't all that bad." He
grinned mischievously.

	"Not all that bad? It hasn't even been a week, and you've
already been in the sack with a guy," Jay teased.

	"And I'm really sorry about that, Jay," Joe blurted. "I
shouldn't have come on so strong the other night. I hope you're
not too mad. I guess I did take advantage of you."

	"Take advantage of me? Hey I'm a big guy. I can take care of
myself." Jay grinned.

	"Maybe so, but I think I moved a little fast."

	"Move like that anytime you like, old pal," Jay commended.
"It was probably the best sex I've ever experienced."

	Joe looked at Jay with a frown. "So you think maybe all girls
should have to spend some time as a guy before they become women."

	"If they turn out like you, I think it'd be a good idea," Jay
agreed. "Maybe you can make the equipment that did it to you
available to everybody," he suggested, probably half joking.

	"If only a way can be found to make it all work both ways,"
Joe added. "Then we would really have something."

	"Now that you've been a woman for a while, if you could change
back and forth, which way do you think you would stay most of the
time?" Jay asked hypothetically.

	Joe looked at his pal. "I was male for thirty years. I
experienced about all that was possible to do, as a man. On the
other hand, I've been only been like this for a week, less than a
week even. It's too early to know. I probably experienced most of
the things a guy could experience. Now I've been changed like
this. There are still a lot of things about this female stuff that
I haven't even begun to consider yet. And I might add, it scares
me to death when I do."

	"Oh?" Jay said. "And what are they?"

	"Well, you know about as well as anybody what my body is like
now," Joe explained. "I guess it's pretty well completely changed.
You know as well as I that its all female now, right down to the
chromosomes." He held his hand out. "Look at me. There's no way
to describe the feeling of finding that even my hands are smaller.
They look pretty much the same, but they're smaller, thinner,
feminine. I'm that way all over. In some ways I feel the same as
always, but when I really look at myself, I can tell that I'm
softer, weaker, different in all kinds of ways. On top of that,
the doctors say it's highly probable that I'll, well, experience
menstrual cycles. I'll probably have periods now. Can you believe
it? And of course, if I have periods, I can probably conceive. I
could get pregnant, Jay. Pregnant! Me! I wouldn't know how to be
mother to a baby! What would I ever do if something like that
happened?" He put his hand on Jay's shoulder, squeezing it, as if
asking for reassurance.

	"Why are you so worried about getting pregnant?" Jay asked.
"You know there are things that can prevent that."

	"Yeah, I know, but I also know how I felt the other night,
when we were together. I've ever felt that way before," Joe
explained. "I don't know if I could have controlled myself. If
you hadn't known about those condoms in my shaving kit, I'm sure I
would have wanted you to do it anyway. I know I couldn't have
stopped you if you had really wanted to do it. Heck, I wanted it
even more than you did, I think."

	"But it was good, wasn't it?" Jay asked with a smile.

	Joe smiled. "Sure. I was disappointed at first. I really
don't know if a real woman feels what I feel. I would guess they
do, but there really isn't much feeling after you're in there. It
sure feels great as it goes in though." He smiled as he recalled
the sensation. "I can't even describe it, it's so good, so
different, especially the second time, it kind of hurt the first
time, but then, after you were inside me, I really could hardly
feel a thing till you started moving around. No offense." Joe
squeezed Jay's shoulder again, winking seductively.

	"You mean you could feel more with your penis?" Jay asked.
"Does it feel better now, or was it better before?"

	"I don't know, it's hard to compare. It's really surprising
just how similar it does feel, most of the time anyway," Joe said.
"In some ways, it feels better now, but in others, maybe not as
good. I guess I really don't know how to answer you."

	"But which do you like better?" Jay persisted. "I've always
wondered who got more out of sex, men or women. You're the first
person who might be able to answer that."

	Joe grinned. "If real women feel the same thing I do, if they
tell you they don't like receiving oral sex, they've got to be
lying through their teeth."

	"How do you know that?" Jay asked, genuinely surprised. "We
never did that."

	Joe didn't say anything, just smiled knowingly. He would just
let Jay wonder about it. If he was going to live as a woman, he'd
have to develop his own version of the feminine mystique.

	Jay looked around. They were at least a hundred yards from
the line office, and there was no one else around. They had
reached the Mooney, and were standing behind the tail, out of sight
of the office, with its big picture window. Jay bent down slightly
and planted a kiss on Joe's lips. It happened so suddenly, so
unexpectedly, that it took Joe completely by surprise. After
realized what was happening, he relaxed slightly, and let nature
take its course. It was a feeling he couldn't describe. Excite-
ment, mixed with fear, and concern that they might be seen. Still,
Joe felt a strangely pleasant feeling overtake him. In the arms of
a man, his pal Jay, Joe just let his body melt, and loved the way
it made him feel.

	After an indeterminate time, Jay released him, and Joe was
again aware of what was going on around him. He pulled his shirt
down, and straightened his hair. Jay watched him with that cow
eyed look that before had irritated Joe, but now, it didn't concern
him at all.

	"Why did you do that?" Joe asked, still recovering.

	"Did you like it?"

	"Why did you do it?"

	"Why not? I wanted to, and I thought you might, too. Now I
know, you did."

	Joe smiled, embarrassed. He was at a loss for words. The way
he had responded to his friend's advance proved, to both of them,
that he was no longer the old Joe Bates. Of course, he had already
suspected it himself, but he didn't really want to admit it, at
least not yet, and certainly not to others. And not to Jay.

	"Jay, I don't know what to say, I guess I'm going to need some
time. I can't figure out what's going on in my head. Sure, I
guess my body knows what it likes, it really does feel good when
you touch me, but I just can't get caught up in the physical aspect
of all this so quickly," Joe said finally, after thinking it over
for a moment.

	Jay kept his arm around Joe, with his hand rubbing his back,
feeling the strap of his bra. He just looked into Joe's eyes,
saying nothing.

	"We better get going, don't you think?" Joe continued. He
didn't know what to do. He hadn't expected Jay to react like this.

	"Uh, yeah, I guess so," Jay said, as if not really listening.

	"Don't worry, Jay," Joe said. "We'll work this out. I'm just
not ready to be somebody's girlfriend. Not yet, if ever. But if
I ever do, you'll be the first to know." He grinned at Jay, who
looked lost in thought.

	After the quick walk-around, they climbed aboard and Jay went
through the checklist. When the engine was running, Jay called
clearance delivery, and copied the transmission. Cleared as filed.
They received clearance to the runway and after a quick runup, they
were on their way. Joe worked the radios as Jay proceeded on
course. The little Mooney climbed swiftly to the ten thousand feet
they had requested. That altitude would keep them out of some of
the thermal activity which caused the ride to be uncomfortably
rough when flying low in the desert. It would be cooler on the
return trip, and they could request a lower altitude.

	Before long, they needed to begin descent to Tucson. The
Mooney was fairly slick, and it was hard to descend without
overcooling the engine. Jay's plane didn't have the speed brakes
which made later models easier to fly in the terminal area. They
shot three ILS approaches, and then canceled their flight plan, and
went over to Ryan Airport to practice NDB non-precision approaches.

	When they finished that, they landed at Ryan, and refiled for
the IFR return trip to Deer Valley. After another uneventful
flight, they landed and taxied to the parking ramp. Throughout the
flight, Jay had hardly spoken to Joe, except things relating to the
flight, or to make some comment about something they saw on the
ground. After the engine was silent, Jay turned to Joe.

	"Would it offend you if I asked you over to the Airport Inn
for a drink? I promise I won't try to make a pass, or anything,"
he said, teasing.

	"Sure, I think that would be ok," Joe said stiffly. He didn't
know how to react with Jay anymore.

	They took their bags and drove to the bar just on the other
side of the road from the airport. Joe, Jay, and lots of other
pilots who flew from Deer Valley made it a regular stop after
flying, and it was often the scene of some fantastic hanger flying.

	As they drove up, Joe was glad to see there were only two
other cars in the lot. He didn't recognize either of them. He was
embarrassed to have to explain his situation to people he knew,
people who wouldn't know what had happened to him and the others,
but he wasn't going to hide and hope it would all go away. That
probably wasn't going to happen. Besides, his mood had changed
again, and he wasn't feeling so bad right now. Something, the
hormones, something was giving him an emotional roller coaster
ride, and the highs sometimes felt as good as the lows felt bad.

	Joe followed Jay into the dimly lit bar. It took a while till
their eyes adjusted from the setting sunlight, but by the time they
sat down at a table, Joe could see the pictures, propellers, and
other airplane stuff which festooned the walls of the cozy little
place. It was definitely a pilots' hangout.

	The waitress came over immediately and waited on them. Joe
recognized her, but it was obvious that she didn't recognize him.
As he ordered, he wondered if he should tell her who he was. He
decided against it, primarily because he thought she wouldn't
believe such a claim anyway.

	Joe, remembering the change in his tolerance for alcohol,
ordered rum and coke with ice. That would wet his whistle, and the
ice would dilute the drink if he nursed it for a while.

	The drinks came, and Jay paid for them against Joe's objec-
tions. When the waitress left, he looked at Joe, and then started
to speak. "So you don't think you're ready to get involved, huh?"
Jay asked

	"Jay, it's me here. Joe," Joe said. "How can you expect me
to want to 'get involved', or what ever you want to call it,
already. Hell, I don't even know if I'll be staying like this very
long. I can't make decisions about stuff like that now. I don't
even know what I want, and I sure don't want to get mixed up with
somebody else right now. I have enough to worry about with Linda."
He took a long gulp of his rum and coke.

	"Do you still think of Linda that way?" Jay asked. He was
surprised to see Joe, who looked for all the world like an attrac-
tive young woman, practically gulp her drink.

	"What do you mean by that 'THAT WAY'? Just because this has
happened to me, I haven't just started over from scratch. As I've
said before, I'm still me in here." He took another big swallow.
He was hot and thirsty, and the cool drink tasted exceptionally
good.

	"But Joe, I've seen you, what you look like naked, and how you
act. I've even seen what turns you on. Don't tell me you haven't
changed, and changed a lot."

	"I'm not saying that. Sure I've changed, and I'm still
changing. I don't know when it'll stop. But I still have my
memory, I still enjoy the things I always have. Maybe it's a
little different, maybe a lot different in some ways."

	"I guess I know you feel about guys. Has your interest in
women changed, too?"

	"Changed? Yeah, I guess some of my interests have changed.
I still like girls though, for what it's worth." Joe grinned. "I
still think they're interesting to look at, too. But maybe I'm
starting to see them in a different way now. For obvious reasons
I guess. It's hard to describe, at first, it was just like always,
except for the physical differences, and that was really strange.
But more recently, in the last couple of days especially, other
things have happened, my attitude, I don't know, maybe my brain,
the way I think, it's really kid of hard to describe. Maybe I
really am going to turn into a woman before this is all over." He
downed the contents, and stared into his empty glass.

	"Do you sleep with Linda?" Jay asked bluntly.

	"Is that really any of your business?" Joe snapped, but with
a smile.

	"No, of course not. But I am your friend, and you know how I
feel about you. Maybe it would help to talk about it."

	Joe looked into Jay's eyes. "Yeah, we still sleep together
sometimes," He admitted. "But that's changing too, I mean besides
the obvious. Linda's been really helpful through all this, really
open minded, to say the least. At first, it was really a blast,
you wouldn't believe what we did together, but now, it's not really
like that anymore. I don't know what's going on, but I just don't
find it all as interesting as at first."

	"Maybe you're just not cut out to be a lesbian," Jay said,
trying to help.

	"Is that what I am with her now? Lesbian?"

	"I don't know, Joe. With what you've gone through, I don't
see how any of the normal terms could apply. You have to discover
what it is, and then do what's right for you. To hell with what
anybody else thinks."

	"Right. I agree. But I haven't a clue what I want. That's
the problem. I hope that I can level off somewhere soon, so I can
figure out how to live like this. I can't stay on this pendulum
for the rest of my life."

	"And if you decide that you need me, I'll be here," Jay said,
taking Joe's hand and squeezing it.

	They looked at each other across the little table. Jay took
Joe's hand, and Joe didn't pull it away. They didn't speak, but
said it all with their eyes.

	"Thanks. I really mean that, Jay," Joe said. He could feel
the tears well in his eyes, as his new emotions took over his
personality again.

	"Damn it. I can't stand this damn crying all the time," He
said. "But it seems I just can't stop it."

	Jay looked at his friend. It was strange seeing his buddy,
this person with such a knock-out body, and believe that he was the
same person he had known for so long. It really was Joe, he could
tell from their conversations, but It was also plain that Joe was
undergoing changes, not just physical, that was obvious, but in his
personality, his emotions. Look at him, or her actually, sitting
there, trying to hold back tears. The Joe he known before had
never been like that. It must be hard to have something take you
over your whole life, he thought.

	"What's the problem?" Jay asked.

	"Nothing, nothing, I just get like this sometimes," Joe said,
trying to force a grin. "Maybe it's some kind of female thing."

	"Amazing. What's it like, really, Joe? What's it like to be
female? It seems simply amazing for something like this to happen,
so completely, even your emotions, your personality, amazing," Jay
just said over and over.

	"Like I've already said. It's not as different as you
probably think it is. Sometimes, I can even forget that it
happened, for a little while anyway."

	"But that body, how do you get any sleep?" Jay continued,
speaking in an awed whisper, and displaying a slight grin.

	"Hey, it's just me." Joe replied. "Sure, it takes a little
getting used to, and I still want to look at myself when I catch my
reflection in the mirror in the bathroom, but you do get used to
it, I mean, what about you? Your bod is interesting too, don't you
think?" He teased.

	"Not like yours. Forgive me, but you have the firmest tits I
think I've ever seen."

	The comment about his body made Joe blush. He arched his
back, causing his chest to become more prominent. He looked at
Jay, grinning provocatively. "Yeah, they are kinda nice, aren't
they," he drawled, chuckling. "And they feel so good too," he
said, seductively cupping one of the soft mounds with the open palm
of his hand. Joe felt his inhibitions free up as even the tiny bit
of alcohol he had consumed reached his brain. He could see Jay was
watching everything he did, and that his actions were affecting his
old friend. It was interesting to see the new power the changes in
his body gave him. Joe didn't realize it, but he was reacting like
some young girls did when they reached adolescence and discovered
the power of sexual attraction. He found it exciting to watch
Jay's reaction to his flirtatious teasing.

	Jay watched Joe carefully. His friend had only consumed half
of his drink, but it was obviously causing him to act strangely.
Amazing. Before, Joe, who really never did drink a lot, could
still have easily handled three of these rum and cokes without any
obvious effect.

	"Are you feeling all right, Joe?" Jay asked.

	"Yeah. I'm feeling great!" Joe exclaimed. "It doesn't take
much for a buzz anymore." He raised his hand to attract the
waitress.

	"You better not have any more. I don't want to be accused of
taking advantage of you." Jay teased.

	"I know you wouldn't do that," Joe said. "But I do have one
thing I want you to promise me."

	"And what is that?"

	"Promise me, if we ever get together again, you know, in bed,
that you'll never do anything without using something, protection,
you know," Joe rambled.

	"Yeah, I know. And don't worry about it," Jay said. "I
always carry something with me, just in case."

	"Just in case?" Joe asked, smiling demurely. "In case of
what?"

	"You never know," Jay said. "You never know."

	"Yeah. That's right. I tell you, when it hits me, I don't
think I can control it, I mean, I always thought sex drive was
strongest for the male, but now I don't know, when I start to feel
a certain way, I almost think my body has a mind of its own. I
don't think I could control it if I wanted too. It's that strong."

	The waitress came to their table. Joe asked for another rum
and coke. He looked at Jay.

	"And give this handsome guy another one too," Joe said.

	When the Waitress left Jay spoke to him. "Don't you think you
better slow down?"

	"I've only had one so far," Joe answered. "I'll be careful.
And besides, you're driving."

	Jay didn't want to sound like a worrier, but he didn't know
what to expect from his friend. He sometimes acted so different
now.

	"Just be careful," Jay said.

	The waitress brought the next round. Joe immediately took a
long draw from the sweet drink. Jay paid again, but this time Joe
let him without saying a word.

	Downing the last glass so quickly made Joe realize that he
needed to pee. That observation reminded him of his new anatomy,
and what he would need to do to relieve the pressure.

	"God, I gotta pee," Joe said, snickering. "What a pain in the
ass."

	He got up, and walked straight to the ladies room. The drink
had removed some of the inhibitions he normally had. He really
hadn't had that much, and he wasn't really drunk, but his apprehen-
sions were now in the background, and it felt pretty good to him.

	Entering the small ladies room, Joe looked around. Except for
the waitress, there were probably no other women in the place, and
he was alone. From habit, he looked around for a urinal, and then,
feeling for his penis, he touched his new anatomy. For some
reason, it struck him as funny, and he started to laugh softly.
Going to one of the two stalls, he went inside and pulled his
shorts down. He looked down at his panties, rubbing the slick
fabric which covered the changes of his groin. It was all so
strange, and so funny. He laughed some more.

	Finally, the humor was overtaken by the need to urinate, and
he lowered his sexy little undies, and sat. When he finished, he
pulled his panties up, and again felt the strange sensation of the
strap riding in the crack of his butt. He pulled up his shorts,
and then went back out to the table.

	"Sometime, I've just got to show you what I'm wearing
underneath these clothes," Joe said to a surprised Jay.

	"Oh, yeah?" Jay asked. "What is it?"

	"You have to see 'em," Joe said. "Words won't do it justice."

	"You've got my curiosity piqued now, Joe," Jay said. "When do
I get to see?" He went along with his friend's seemingly wandering
talk. Joe was obviously feeling his drink.

	"Sometime," Joe said, "But not now, not here. Sometime."

	"Have you ever peed in one of those little cups?" Joe
continued. "You know, at the doctor's office."

	What was he getting at? Jay wondered. "Yeah, I guess I have."

	"Well, You didn't have to do it the way I did today," Joe
said. "You should have seen me. It probably looked like a monkey
fucking a football."

	Jay had to laugh. He could imagine Joe filling a specimen cup
with his new anatomy. Poor guy. He was probably just venting some
of his frustrations. He was just so darn beautiful, how could he
stand it?

	"I think I better take you home," Jay said. "You gotta be at
work tomorrow."

	"It's probably still daylight," Joe objected. "And besides
they don't need me there. They're gonna try stuff on gerbils, or
monkeys, or something tomorrow. They don't need me."

	"I think I better get you home," Jay repeated. He didn't know
what Joe might do if they continued drinking.

	"Yeah. I guess I'm getting a little blitzed. I'm really a
cheap drunk now, aren't I?" He laughed.

	"Don't worry about it," Jay said. "But we better get you
home."

	They finished their drinks, and went outside. It was not yet
completely dark, but it would be soon. They drove straight to
Linda's house.

Article 91107 of alt.sex.stories:
From: an236635@anon.penet.fi (Sapphire)
Subject: TG: Joe Bates (ch 25) Hair Dresser
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 1995 20:29:34 GMT

			      Chapter 25
			     Hair Dresser

	Linda's car was in the drive when Joe and Jay pulled in. Joe
had consumed two drinks with Jay, and he was certainly feeling the
effects. Jay worried that Linda would be irritated with him, as if
it was his fault that Joe had gotten the buzz which lowered his
inhibitions and made him talk about anything which came to his
head. Apparently, a great many things were passing through Joe's
head this evening. He seemed to constantly talk about something or
another during the drive to Linda's.

	They went inside where Linda was sitting on the lounge
watching the news on TV. "Hello, Joe. And you too, Jay. What
have you two been up too?"

	"We went flying," Joe said. "I just had to get away for a
while."

	"And I had better be going," Jay said, edging toward the door.

	"Aww, come on Jay, stick around a while," Joe asked. He
didn't want his friend to leave. He liked being around Jay.

	"No, I better be going," Jay repeated. His new feelings for
his pal were difficult enough to deal with, without being around
Linda, too.

	Joe could sense Jay was uncomfortable. He decided to let his
friend go. If Jay did have new feelings for him, he didn't want
Linda to find out. Not yet, anyway. Things were already confusing
enough.

	Jay left, leaving Joe alone with Linda. She came over to
where he was seated, and started massaging his neck. It felt good,
but Joe was becoming uncomfortable being around her, with touching
her. He wasn't sure why, but it was a strange thing to deal with.
He just didn't know how to handle it.

	Joe leaned back, and looked up at Linda. She smiled lovingly
as she looked into his eyes.

	"Linda, am I, are we, ah, er, becoming lesbians?"

	She looked at him. "Do you feel like one?" she asked,
smiling.

	"I don't know," Joe said. Although he was still feeling the
effects of the drinks, he had still had trouble talking about his
new feelings. "I realize that I can't be a man. I just don't look
like a man anymore, and I guess I don't feel like one either, at
least not the way I should, when I'm with you. I think I'm still
changing, still turning more female, and I really don't know when
it will stop, or what I can do about it."

	"So, You don't like to be around me?" Linda asked.

	"No, no, it isn't that," Joe answered, taking her hand. "I
like to be around you, hell, I NEED to be around you. Who else
could help me deal with all this?"

	"I don't know what we are, Joe Bates. If you think you're,
we're both, lesbians, then I guess that's what we are. Does it
matter to you?"

	"Linda, I'm a guy, at least I was a guy. To me, you're a good
looking woman. You still are. But look at me. I don't look
anything like I used to. Maybe I'm a woman, maybe I just look like
one, but whatever I am, I just don't understand what you see in me
anymore."

	"Joe, to me you're the guy I love." Linda said. "I don't
what's going to happen to us, but I know I'll stay with you as long
as you want me to. Sure, I wish you still had your male body.
God, I hope you can get it back, but if you can't, I think I can
handle it, if you want to. But I guess I'll understand if you
don't."

	"Look at us," Joe said. "We look like two women, I mean, I
guess we ARE two women."

	"But if they change you back, it can be like it was, can't
it?"

	"If that happens, I still want to get married. That is, if you
still say yes." Joe smiled.

	"I'm ready as soon as you can arrange it." Linda assured him,
tousling the hair of his hairpiece.

	Joe reached up, quickly but carefully pulled the wig off, and
tossed it on the low table in front of them. "This darn thing is
hot and irritating. I guess I look better with it, but I sure wish
I didn't need it."

	Linda started to run her fingers through Joe's natural hair.
It was slightly damp with perspiration, and it smelled faintly of
the perfume he had put on earlier. Joe leaned back and enjoyed her
gentle touch. With his body feminized as it was, everything that
touched it felt different now, usually more sensuous. He still
hadn't adjusted to the heightened sense of touch.

	"Why don't you have your hair done?" Linda asked. "You don't
need to wear that wig."

	"What do you mean? My hair isn't long enough yet, is it?"

	"Well, it could be a little longer," Linda agreed, pulling his
hair down in front, like bangs. "But I think there might be some
kind of style that would work with the length you've got."

	"Do you really think so?" Joe couldn't wait to do without the
wig.

	"Do you want me to call Sally?" Linda asked. Sally was
Linda's hairdresser.

	"Will you have to tell her about me?"

	"Not if you don't want her to know. I doubt if she would
believe it anyway. I can tell her you are your sister, from St.
Louis or somewhere, if that's what you want."

	"Yes. I do. I don't want everybody knowing about this yet.
Not until I'm sure we can't be changed back."

	Linda sat next to Joe, and picked up the cordless phone
beside the lounge and punched in a number. "Sally, this is Linda
Mitchell. Hi. Yeah, I'm fine. No, I have someone here whom I'd
like you to see. He, She needs her hair done. It's very short; a
friend cut it for her and she hates it. Yes. I think that would
be ok. Just a minute." Linda looked at Joe. "Can you go
tomorrow?"

	"I don't have to come in to work till noon, at the earliest."

	"Really?" Linda went back to the phone. "Sally, she's free
tomorrow morning. Yes. Great. I'll tell her. Her name is Joel.
Joel Bates. Yeah, she's Joe's sister, from St. Louis. Yes. I
think they are twins, fraternal twins."

	Joe cringed as he listened to the story Linda was concocting.
He hoped her lie didn't come back to haunt him. Twin sister huh?
Well, He did look a lot like his own twin sister, if he had one.

	Linda finished the call and hung up. Joe got up from the
couch. He started to go to his room.

	"Oh, that reminds me." Linda said. "I was in Bullock's over
lunch, and I found this fantastic dress. I just knew it would be
right for you. I know you'll like it. I put it on your bed."

	Great, Joe thought. Now my girl friend is buying me dresses
she just knows would be RIGHT for me.

	Joe went to his room, Linda following close behind. On the
bed lay the dress. It was a twill cotton shirtdress with a notch
collar surplice top. It had a pleated knee-length straight skirt,
and it was an olive color. There was a wide, fabric covered,
matching color belt with a gold buckle. Linda was right, as
usual. He liked it immediately.

	"You've got to try it on," Linda insisted. "If it doesn't fit,
or you if don't like it, I'll return it tomorrow. I think it's a
little big for me, but it's probably just your size."

	Joe picked it up by the hanger and looked it over.

	"Come on Joe, try it on. I just know it'll look great on
you."

	As Linda watched, Joe pulled the T-shirt over his head. The
thin fabric of his bra's seamless cups did nothing to hide the
little points of his erect nipples. He absent-mindedly rubbed his
hand across his breasts, and then looked down at them. He saw
Linda watching, and it made him blush.

	She smiled when she saw he was embarrassed. "How is it Joe,
are you getting used to all this?" she asked sympathetically.

	He looked at her and smiled. "I guess I'll live."

	"I see you changed clothes when you came from work." Linda
looked at the bra and panties laying on the bed. It was obvious
that they had been previously worn. "Underwear too?"

	"Yeah." Joe said. How could he explain this? "I just wanted
to. I don't know why."

	"Sure." Linda said. "Wear whatever makes you feel good."

	Joe unbuttoned the gray shorts and slipped out of them. When
Linda saw he wore the black thong bikini, her grin got wider.
"God, Joe, you are so attractive. I don't blame you for wanting to
wear things like that."

	"What do you mean? You wear stuff like this, too." The
panties tickled where they touched him, and he idly scratched his
pubic area as he spoke.

	"You've never seen me in thong back undies." Linda denied. "I
think they make my hips look too big. They look absolutely great
on you, though."

	"I didn't ask to be this way." Joe said. "But I'm going to
try to make the best of what I have left."

	"Well, I really wish you were still male," Linda said, "but
you do make a great looking woman."

	Yeah, Joe thought. That's what everybody thinks. His best
friend, and now, his fiance. Could it happen that Linda and Jay
might change places in his life?

	"I'm trying my best. But I've got to say, it's a little weird
when your girl friend, your fiance, buys dresses for you."

	"I'm sorry. I just thought you would like it. I know you
need clothes for work if they don't get you changed back soon."

	"Don't be sorry. I really like the dress. You have excellent
taste. That's only one of the reasons I love you. But I still
have to get accustomed to wearing this stuff." Joe removed the
dress from the hanger, and pulled it over his head.

	Without the extra hair of the wig, his head went through the
neck opening very easily. Joe smoothed the pleats around his hips,
and arranged the collar around his neck. The dress was the fullest
he had ever worn till now, and it felt a bit strange. He went to
the dresser mirror, and liked what he saw.

	The new dress was perfect. It fit like it was made just for
his new shape. He even liked the neckline. The color was exactly
right for him, too. He critically examined his short hair. Yeah,
it did seem a little longer now. Maybe he really could get by
without the wig. He would go to Sally's tomorrow. Joe discovered
what most natural women know. A new dress worked wonders, and
helped to make him feel good about his appearance.

	Linda watched as Joe looked at his image in the mirror. It
was obvious to her that he was becoming more familiar with the
changes that had taken place. When he first came to her with his
problem, he was embarrassed, awkward, and almost afraid to touch
the parts of his body that had changed the most. Now, he acted
much more naturally. He adjusted the collar, and tugged at the
bodice to make it fit his shape. It was only when he saw her
looking that he showed any sign of embarrassment.

	"It is getting easier, isn't it?" Linda said.

	Joe looked at her. He didn't know how to answer. It was
true, it was getting easier. He had to admit that he did like
being able to wear clothes like those he had on. As he continued
to get used to the way his body had changed, he found that it
wasn't so bad either. Of course, having these new hormones working
you over helped a lot in that area.

	"Yes. It is, sometimes," Joe admitted. "But I don't know if
I really want it to be so easy. I don't know if I want to give up
my manhood. I mean I guess it's already gone, but if I can get it
back, I think I should want it back, shouldn't I?"

	"Only you can answer that," Linda said. "Nobody else, not me,
not the doctors, nobody but you can decide that."

	"I don't know if I can make an intelligent decision about
this. I change my mind as often as my clothes."

	"Some say that's a woman's right," Linda said, laughing.

	"So now I have womens' rights too?"

	"I'd say you've earned them, wouldn't you?"

	Joe just looked at her and smiled. "Do you want me like this,
or the way I was?"

	Linda looked at her fingernails. Then she looked back at him.
"Joe, don't worry about what I like, or what I want," she said, the
smile leaving her face as she spoke. "You do what's right for you.
I'll want you however you are."

	Joe turned and looked in the mirror. By now, he had grown
accustomed to how he looked with the wig. His short hair looked
strange, and sort of exotic. He touched his cheek, feeling the
softness. His hand then went to his breast. He cupped it, as if
estimating its weight, then squeezed it slightly. The hand then
continued lower, and he carefully felt his pubic area through the
dress.

	"I really do look like a girl, don't I?" Joe said, turning to
look at Linda. "I just checked, and I guess I feel like one now
too. I don't have any choice in the matter, but that's what I am.
If tomorrow, next month, or next year they tell me I can go back,
then I'll have a difficult decision to make. Till then I guess
this person in the mirror is what I am."

	"And I'll help you." Linda said. "However you want to handle
it, I'll help you."

	"Should I wear this tomorrow? Can I wear it to get a hair
cut?"

	"You can if you want to. It'll probably take less than an
hour."

	Joe thought about Sally's, all the women just sitting around,
talking, gossiping, about god knows what. If they even suspected
that he was really a guy, a rooster in the hen-house, he could
imagine the disturbance it would create. Of course, there is no
way he would be detected, he may not always know precisely how to
act like a woman, but nobody could ever get him confused with a
man. Not unless he told them. And even then it's doubtful they'd
believe him.

	Joe unbuckled and unbuttoned the dress, pulled it over his
head and placed it back on the hanger. He had never thought of
himself as a clothes horse, but now he found himself hoping
tomorrow would get here, just so he could wear the dress. So many
things are so different, he thought to himself.

	He reluctantly hung the dress in the closet, and then gathered
his underwear from the bed. He took it into the bathroom, and
piled it on the sink. He would hand wash it before he went to bed
as Linda had taught him.

	Linda was watching him carefully, and when he came back into
the bedroom, she spoke. "I think you're going to be all right, Joe
Bates."

	"Yeah." Joe agreed. "I'm really great at washing panties,
aren't I," he said, with a little sarcasm showing.

	"What's that about? Do you have a problem all of a sudden?"

	"No. Not all of a sudden," Joe said. "I just thought about
what I could be doing besides washing out underwear, that's all."

	"Hey. We all have our little details." Linda said. "You're not
above them, and there's no reason to feel sorry for yourself. You
say you've had genetic damage. Well, then it could probably be a
lot worse, you know. You could be dependent on me, or somebody
else to feed you, or dress you, you could be a vegetable, or
something. I think you are all damn lucky all you lost was your
precious manhood."

	Joe was surprised at Linda's reaction to his slight bitching.
But she was right. It could be a lot worse.

	Joe put his shorts and T-shirt back on. Linda went to the
kitchen, and when he finished dressing, he joined her.

	"Are you hungry?" Linda asked.

	"Oh, I guess I could eat something." Joe answered.

	"I was just going to have some watermelon." Linda said. "But
we could grill some chicken breasts if you want more than that."

	"No." Joe answered. "If I'm going to be a girl, I guess I
should get used to eating like a bird." He grinned.

	They sat at the little counter, sharing little chunks of
watermelon that Linda had cut up earlier and placed in the
refrigerator to cool. They made small talk, with Joe asking Linda
how her day went, and then explaining what was happening at
Honeybone.

	"So when will they experiment on humans?" Linda asked.

	"I don't know." Joe answered. "I guess it depends on what
happens with whatever else they try."

	"Who will be the first of you four to try it?" She continued.
"Would you want to be the first?"

	Right now I don't know if I would ever want to try it, he
thought to himself.

	"I don't know who would be the first." He answered. "Dave has
already volunteered. He can't wait to be changed back."

	"I'll just have to get over to talk to Cindy." Linda said.
"Dave must be driving her crazy."

	"He certainly isn't all that pleased with the situation." Joe
said. "I guess I felt like he does right after it happened, but
now it's different, I guess I'm just starting to get used to it or
something."

	"If I were changed into a guy, I don't think I could ever get
used to it." Linda mused. "I might like it, but I think I'd miss
being inside my own body."

	"But that's not how it feels at all." Joe said. "It still
feels like I'm in my regular body. Sure, there are differences,
having boobs, not having a penis, and those cause some things to
feel different, and it's harder to do some things, but usually I
really don't feel that much different than before. At least not
physically"

	"What do you mean, not physically?" Linda asked. "I would
think that would be the biggest difference."

	"At first, it seemed like it was, but you begin to get used to
that, sort of," Joe explained. "But later, I think it just really
started a couple days ago. Something else happened; I don't know, I
guess I started thinking differently, seeing the world different-
ly."

	"Seeing the world differently?" Linda repeated. "How do you
see the world now, compared to before?"

	"Well, now that I've been going around, looking like this, "
Joe put both hands on his chest under his breasts, pushing them up.
"I guess I've been given a new perspective to see life. Things
that I've always taken for granted, they're either changed, some a
little, some a lot, or else they're probably gone completely to me.
Maybe I'll get used to it, practically everything about this seems
to get easier with each passing day, but I have had to learn how to
cope with so many different things, new desires, I don't even know
what I'm talking about some times."

	"What are the new desires?" Linda asked immediately. "Do you
like men, or are you talking about something else?"

	"I have to admit," Joe continued. "Being with a guy has
crossed my mind, more than once."

	"What about me, about us?" Linda questioned.

	Joe looked at her.

	"I don't know." He said. "But I do know I don't feel like I
did a week ago. I just don't see how I could. Hell, I'm only
human."

	"What's going to happen, Joe?" Linda asked.

	"I wish I knew." He replied. "Whatever is happening to me, to
my head, it has me going up and down. Sometimes I don't think I've
ever been happier in my life, and then, in just a matter of
seconds, I'm crying out of control. I don't know what causes it,
maybe it's normal for a woman. I don't know how a woman is
supposed to feel. I only know how I feel."

	"Do you want to stay like that?" Linda asked. "Do you want to
stay a woman?"

	"I can't answer that." Joe said. "If I answer the way I feel,
I'd have to change what I say every few minutes. There are a lot
of interesting things about being like this, I've started to love
the clothes, can you believe it, me? But then, I think about my
plans, "

	"What plans?" Linda asked.

	"You know, Us." Joe explained. "One week ago, I thought I'd
be getting married, we'd have a few kids, maybe, eventually, but
now, "

	"Does it have to be so different?" Linda wondered.

	"Different?" Joe said. "Come on Linda. Sure, maybe we could
still live together, maybe we can sleep together, but that won't
make it like it was. Maybe I can still make you come, but I damn
sure can't make you pregnant."

	"We could adopt," Linda said simply.

	"Do you really think they'd let two WOMEN adopt?" Joe said
sarcastically.

	"We could try, couldn't we?" Linda asked.

	"Linda, I've already turned in the paperwork, I'm legally
female now," Joe reminded her. "And even if they somehow let us
marry anyway, you probably wouldn't be happy with me. You're a
normal, healthy woman. You'd want to be with a man, eventually.
Hell, I might want to too."

	"So what should we do?" Linda wondered aloud.

	"I don't know." Joe said. "But we don't have to rush
anything, at least not for a while. Give them a chance to examine
what has happened, and maybe they can get us back."
They finished eating, and Joe cleaned up the dishes. Then he
went to his room. It was after ten, and the things that had
happened that day had left him tired. Linda came to his room.

	"Are you going to bed?" She asked.

	"Yeah," Joe said. "I'll shower, and then I think I'll turn in."

	Linda went to her room, and Joe went to his bathroom, closing
the door. He undressed, and started the shower running. As he was
soaping down, he felt his legs. Noticing stubble, he got the shave
cream and razor, and shaved his legs, underarms, and then carefully
trimmed his pubic area.

	If I ever do change back, I think I'd still want to keep my
legs and armpits shaved, he thought to himself as he used the
razor. I wonder why men don't do this. Probably because they're
pretty hairy all over, he remembered. Last week, before this
happened to him, his chest, and even his arms, had been covered
with much coarser hair. That had all fallen out. He found it on
his bedsheets, and now, except for his head, crotch, legs and
underarms, the hair that remained was much shorter, finer, almost
down-like. He liked the feel of his smooth, practically hairless
body now that it was feminized.

	After finishing up, Joe stepped out of the shower and dried
with a large bath towel. As he rubbed the towel over his breasts,
and then the still somewhat unfamiliar, delicate area between his
legs, he thought about how much had changed in only a week. He was
starting to get accustomed to seeing his trim, sexy form in the
mirror as he carefully washed his face. He brushed his short hair,
trying to imagine ways to make it look as feminine as possible. He
wondered what Sally could do with it.

	Joe finished by brushing his teeth, and then, almost as an
afterthought, powdered his body with the scented bath powder.

	When he finished, he ran water into the sink, and added some
soap. He hand washed the nylons he had worn that day, and then
started on his underwear. When he was about to drop the black
thong into the soapy water, Joe noticed the faint white mark of
vaginal discharge on the black cotton crotch lining. He smiled as
he thought of how it got there. Being around his friend Jay often
made him feel funny, and when that happened he soon felt his
underpants become wet. The new excitement had left its mark.
Would it be followed one of these days by the blood of menstrual
flow as the nurse at the clinic had advised them? He carefully
washed all trace of stain from the little panties.

	After Joe draped the hose and underwear over the handle of the
shower door, he went out into the bedroom. He hadn't put any
clothes on, and he was wondering if he should wear something when
Linda came into his room again. She had showered too, and now wore
a pink silk, or satin night shirt.

	She looked at him, standing naked.

	"Would you like something to wear to bed?" Linda asked, seeing
Joe's somewhat embarrassed look.

	"I don't know." He said. "So you think I should?" Before he
had been changed, Joe always slept in the nude.

	"It's really up to you." Linda said. "When I'm by myself, I
usually like to wear something," she confided.

	"I'll see what I have." Joe said. "I don't think I have much
but a T-shirt though."

	"Would you like to borrow something from me?" Linda asked,
smiling. She wanted to help, but she didn't want to offend him.

	"What do you suggest?" Joe asked. He found it embarrassing
for him to borrow clothes from Linda, especially since they now
sometimes fit him better than they did her.

	"I'm sure I have another shirt like this." She said. "Or I
think I have some pajamas."

	"I'll try the shirt." Joe said. The air conditioner had come
on, and it was making him feel cold. The chilled air made his
nipples change from soft full cones to points that looked stiff as
rocks. He cupped his breasts in his hands, not liking the
sensation when they bounced as he followed Linda to her room.

	Linda looked through her lingerie drawer and came up with a
light blue, satin night shirt. It had a stretchy, fitted bodice,
with no decoration but a small bow at the neckline. It had short
sleeves, and below the breasts, was made to fit very loosely. She
handed it to Joe.

	"Try this." She said.

	Joe took the satiny garment and pulled it over his head. It
smelled lightly of Linda's perfume. When it was on, he looked down
at himself. The little satin shirt came to just below his crotch.
It covered everything that needed to be covered, and it felt
amazingly warm. His breasts were outlined by the soft, fluid
fabric. He could feel the fabric rubbing against his hardening
nipples as his breasts swayed gently back and forth with his every
move. Why does everything women wear have to look and to feel so
damn erotic, he thought?

	"I think I like it." Joe said, grinning sheepishly.

	"It looks nice on you." Linda said. "But then, everything
looks nice on you." She mockingly put her hands up in disgust.

	Joe went back into his own bedroom, and Linda followed.

	"Do you mind if I sleep in here?" Linda asked.

	"No, it's all right with me." Joe said. "I was thinking of
reading for a while though."

	"That's OK with me." Linda said.

	Joe pulled back the spread and sheet, then turned off the room
light at the switch, leaving on only the lamp at the night stand.
Linda crawled into bed, and Joe followed, and as he did, he noticed
that she wore white cotton panties under the night shirt. She had
never worn underpants to bed since they had been sleeping together
regularly, and he wondered why she did so now.

	"What's with the underwear?" He questioned.

	"I think I'm going to start my period soon." Linda said. "I
decided to wear a pad, just in case."

	"How do you know that?" Joe asked. He was very curious, since
it was likely that the same thing was going to happen to him
eventually.

	"Well, it's coming up on the time," she continued. "And I'm
starting to get cramps, just a little."

	"What do cramps feel like?" Joe asked. "Where do you feel them?"

	"I don't know." Linda said. "They hurt, well not hurt
exactly, not yet, more like just a dull ache in my lower abdomen.
My breasts feel full too, I'm guess I'm starting to retain water,
you'll know what it feels like when it happens."

	"I just don't want to get blood all over everything." Joe
said. "I have this fear that I'm going to wake up one of these
mornings, oozing blood." He grinned.

	"I don't know what's going to happen with you." Linda
considered. "You may not be like the average girl, but if you are,
you'll probably just spot lightly at first. You'll likely have
plenty of warning your first time. Don't spend any time worrying
about it, Joe, It probably won't be that bad."

	"I hope you're right." Joe said warily.

	He pulled the sheet up to just below his satin covered breasts
and retrieved the book that Karen had suggested he read. Linda was
content to lie awake, watching him read.

	Sitting half erect in bed, with two pillows propping him up
comfortably, Joe resumed reading where he had left off days ago.
He quickly became immersed in the explanation of genetics, chromo-
somes, and sexual differentiation and characteristics, which was
the subject of the text. As he read on, and learned about the very
things which he was told had been affected in his own body, he
would sometimes touch himself, feeling a breast, nipple, or hip
bone. He forgot that Linda was lying at his side, watching him in
silent amusement.

	After she lay silent for maybe a half hour, she just had to speak.

	"What's that book about?" She asked after she watched Joe feel
his protruding hip bone as he read.

	"Well, it's a medical text, actually." Joe told her. "It's a
little hard to follow, but it explains the difference between the
sexes, from a genetic, or chromosome level. It covers some of the
abnormalities which are known to exist, and gets into why they
happen."

	"Is there anything about what happened to you?" Linda asked.

	"No, not so far anyway." Joe said. "Everything so far has
been about genetic abnormalities which exist from birth. I think
maybe we're the first this has happened to."

	"It must really be interesting, the way it holds your
attention." Linda said, rubbing Joe's arm.

	"It is interesting." Joe said. "I've always been fascinated
with genetics. I just never thought I'd have such a strong reason
to get more interested."

	"Joe," Linda said, trying to get his full attention. "Joe,
if you ever want to be with somebody else, a guy or whatever, if
you want to know what it's like, don't worry, I'd understand."

	Joe looked at her. He felt warmth come to his face as he
blushed. He reached down and took her hand in his own.After a long
moment of silence, he
began to speak. "I appreciate that," he said, smiling. He wondered
if he
should tell her about Jay. Then he decided it was best not to.

	"The truth is," Joe continued slowly, trying to find the words
he wanted to use. "I really don't know what I want anymore. Here
I am, my body seems to be all screwed up, my penis feels like it
pulled up inside me. It's still all there, even if it looks the size
of a pencil eraser. And my chest, well you can see what's happened
to it, but overall I don't feel like I'm missing anything, I'm all
still here, just re-arranged a little bit." He grinned at his
description of what happened to his body.

	"If it so happens that I look female, and I must agree that I
do, then maybe that's what I am. I don't know, I don't really feel
like I'm female, I don't even know what a female is supposed to
feel like." He went on. "All I feel like is me. And I know that
for the last few days, my feelings, my desires, they've been
wondering all over the place."

	"Do I want to be with a man? Hell, the idea of it scares me
to death, and yet, look at me. If I'm going to have to be this way
the rest of my life, maybe I should consider it. I know that guys,
men seem different to me now, I can't explain it, maybe because
they act different around me too, I don't know."

	"When I think of what my life might be like if I have to stay
this way, Sometimes it all seems like a dream, sometimes a good
dream, sometimes a more like a nightmare." Joe went on. "If I'm
going to start living as a woman, then I'm pretty sure I don't want
to live as a lesbian. I don't think that's what I am now, even
with you. I still feel like a guy, a strange looking one maybe, I
agree, but I just can't think of us as two women, not yet anyway,
but that's probably changing. I can't look at myself in the mirror
much longer without seeing the female I guess I've become, looking
back."

	"You can see it, too," Joe said to Linda. "A few days ago,
last week, I wouldn't have worn this, (He pulled at the stretchy
fabric of the sleepshirt bodice.) I would have been too embar-
rassed. But now, I think even my mind, my brain, is changing,
accepting, this new perception of who I am, I suspect even that
might still be changing. Do you have any idea what it's like to
have that happen?"

	"I couldn't imagine." Linda said.

	"Well, of everything that has happened so far, it's been the
most difficult part. " Joe answered his own question. "My body,
I guess I can get used to that, some of what's happened is even
kind of fun, I admit, I'm a little concerned about getting periods,
getting pregnant, stuff like that. But I guess I've resigned
myself, and some of it all is kind of interesting. You probably
don't even know how fantastic it feels to have your sense of touch
heightened like this, it's all you've ever known."

	"Yeah. It doesn't seem so special to me." Linda agreed.

	Joe put the book on the night stand. He switched off the
lamp, and reached for Linda in the dark. When she felt his
advances, she reached out for him, and they hugged each other
tightly. In only a few minutes, they fell asleep in each other's
arms.

Article 91104 of alt.sex.stories:
From: an236635@anon.penet.fi (Sapphire)
Subject: TG: Joe Bates (ch 26)
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 1995 20:29:50 GMT

			      Chapter 26

	Joe stirred as he heard the raucous buzz of the clock radio.
Linda reached over and turned it off, leaving the radio playing
softly. She had set the alarm. Joe hadn't even bothered, since
today, he had no need to be up till nine, and then to go to the
hairdresser. He wouldn't have any problem being up in time for
that. Linda needed to be up sooner, and she got up almost
immediately after the alarm. She left the room, going straight to
her own without saying a word, thinking Joe was still asleep.

	Another day, Joe thought. What was it now, Thursday?
Tomorrow he would be like this a week already. He had long since
given up the hope that he might wake up somehow miraculously
changed back. If anything, he was still changing; continuing to
look and feel a bit softer and even more feminine each day.

	Joe raised his arms above his head and stretched. Then he
made what was becoming his regular morning inspection, checking for
differences, new changes, and anything else that may have occurred
as he slept. Joe knew he was still undergoing the strange
metamorphosis, but the things happening now were very subtle,
nothing really definite. Each day, he felt his body get just a
little softer as it proceeded to develop the thin layer of fat
under his skin that made female skin feel so different, softer and
smoother than a male's. At the same time, Joe's shoulder muscles,
chest, and arms continued to reduce slowly in overall mass and
strength. He was also just beginning to detect some extra flesh
starting to form at his hips and buttocks. Although all this was
happening very slowly, Joe could tell. As he lay there, he thought
about the few remaining traces of his masculinity slowly slipping
away.

	Joe tugged at the night shirt borrowed from Linda, raising the
bottom hem up to his waist, and then carefully felt between his
legs. Every day it seemed, the bump of his pubic bone became a
little more pronounced. It was definitely more prominent than
before the change, and now that area felt strange to his touch,
with his penis, or clitoris actually, seeming to be a bit further
down than he remembered it just yesterday. I guess my pelvis is
changing too, he decided, hoping that his hips wouldn't get much
bigger than they already were. He flexed the muscles in his
crotch, the ones used to stop the flow of urine when he peed. As
he did, he could sense some of the internal differences too. It
was really only then that he could detect the presence of his
vaginal sphincter. Usually, except when he bathed, he practically
avoided touching himself down there, as if this most female part of
his body would simply change back to the way it was if he would
just ignore it.

	It sure didn't seem to be happening that way, however. It all
felt so weird to his touch. His balls were completely gone, and
his penis wasn't like it had been either. His cock didn't stick
out at all now, and he couldn't even use it to urinate, much less
for sex, but at least he could still feel it, sort of. But his
testicles just simply weren't there anymore, replaced only by
small, sensitive folds of skin. This skin felt much like his
scrotum, but it was divided down the center. Normally, the
slit-like opening it formed remained fairly closed, mostly hiding
what little actually remained of his penis, and it completely
concealed his much changed urethral opening as well as the new
opening that had formed slightly below that. Joe slowly ran his
finger along the soft, delicate folds, and when it felt ready,
adequately lubricated by the slippery secretions that always seemed
to be there, he gently separated the sensitive tissues and
cautiously placed the second finger of his right hand inside this
new, somewhat mysterious body cavity.

	It was amazing how much the feel of his changed genitalia
reminded him of Linda's. God, how can I even dare think I'm still
a guy, he wondered. Though he still had some of the sensation of
having his penis, it was obvious that he didn't really possess that
organ anymore. Nevertheless, it was still difficult to accept the
idea of having fully functioning female organs. Joe closed his
eyes and clenched his teeth as he explored himself with his finger.

	He flexed his crotch muscles again, feeling them gently
contract on his finger. It was a most unusual feeling, most of the
time, he couldn't even tell there was a vagina down there, but with
his finger inside it, there could be absolutely no doubt. But
almost all the feeling was on outside, in the skin folds, and
around the vaginal opening, which itself seemed to be less than an
inch from his anal orifice. He slowly withdrew his finger and then
gently rubbed his clitoris with the slippery lubricant. Doing that
felt so good, and more familiar, very much like he was rubbing the
bottom of his penis near the head, but much more intense. Though
it was quite small, his clitoris felt much more exposed, more
obvious to his touch, than Linda's. The minor surgical procedure
which had relieved him of his foreskin as an infant now served to
expose the tissues that had become his clitoris to an almost
painful degree. If he was gentle and careful, the sensations he
received when he touched there could be almost exquisite.

	Joe had to restrain the urge to move his hips as he slowly,
gently caressed the tiny bundle of nerves, and soon Joe felt the
little folds engorge, creating a sensation somewhat like an
erection, but causing his genital folds to open like petals of a
flower and secrete even more of their clear slippery fluid, as if
they were preparing for the entrance of something, anything. Just
as the other night with Jay, Joe was finding the urge for
penetration to be nearly irresistible. He had always considered
his sex drive to be quite strong, but the feelings he was now
experiencing made a simple "hard on" seem almost trivial. Maybe he
didn't have his penis anymore, but now the feeling of stimulation
involved practically his whole body.

	Not knowing what to do to relieve the almost overwhelming
demand for penetration and release, Joe continued the slow, gentle
manipulation, creating a large wet spot on the bedsheets with his
juices, until he silently exploded in orgasm. It was one of the
most intense he had ever experienced. He was amazed that when it
was over he still had the urge to continue, so he bravely put two
fingers inside himself, careful to avoid any direct contact with
his clitoris, which was now far too sensitive to touch. With his
other hand, he felt under the satin night gown and massaged one of
his breasts, feeling the nipple harden almost as soon as it was
touched. Whatever else may happen, Joe thought, it will all be
worth it just to have experienced this.

	Another climax followed almost immediately after the first,
and then Joe reluctantly stopped masturbating. He placed the palm
of his right hand tightly over his wet, sticky vulva and pressed it
as hard as he could. Though he desperately yearned to have
something inside there, he was afraid to experiment with anything
he might have available. A hard penis was exactly what was needed
right now, he thought to himself, but there were simply none of
those around. Of course, I guess that's the basic problem, isn't
it, he mused. He considered Linda, and how could she resign herself
to living with him as he was now, like this? Surely all this must
feel the same for her, too.

	As he lay there, his breathing returning to normal, he thought
about the many times he had made love as a male, the last year or
so exclusively with Linda. Joe was coming to realize that the
methods he had used, the way he went about making love, was so
wrong, far too ham-fisted for Linda or any of his other partners to
enjoy the full satisfaction of being with him. It was probably too
late now, but if he ever did really get his penis back, the things
he learned by having his body feminized like this could serve to
make him an extraordinary male lover. Slower, gentler, softer, now
he knew. But of course, it was probably too late now.

	As Joe lay in bed, still recovering from his self stimulation
experience, Linda was dressing for work. With only her slip on,
she came into Joe's room to see if he was awake.

	"I'm going to put some coffee on," she said when she saw his
eyes were open. "Would you like some?"

	Even though they were both apparently women now, Joe thought,
Linda was still instinctively wanting to wait on him. "Thanks," he
said, hoping she couldn't tell what he had just done. "If you want
to finish dressing, I'll make the coffee."

	"Would you?" Linda returned, genuinely surprised. "You dear.
But you really don't have to get up for a while do you?"

	"I'm not sleepy. I think I'll get up and get ready. I can
read until it's time to go to over to Sally's."

	Wearing only the nightshirt, Joe started to walk to the
kitchen. He would start the coffee, and then brush his teeth and
dress while it perked. As he walked down the hall, he felt the
jiggle of his breasts as he walked. The stretchy nylon bodice of
the little nightgown clung tightly to his curves, but offered no
support. His firm new breasts exhibited almost no sag, but without
the support of a bra, they did bounce and sway with every movement.
It didn't hurt really, except maybe if he attempted to run or jump,
and even that didn't actually cause pain, just felt slightly
uncomfortable. In any case, it felt very strange having his chest
moving around like that. Joe had already become accustomed to the
more secure feel wearing a bra provided. He placed his arm across
both breasts, preventing them from bouncing as he entered the
kitchen.

	After putting the coffee on, Joe went back into his room. In
the bathroom he examined his face in the mirror. Taking a
washcloth and a little of the facial soap that Linda had provided,
Joe gently scrubbed the remaining sleep from his eyes. He brushed
his teeth, and then, taking a hairbrush, he attempted to brush his
own hair into an acceptable shape.

	This would be his first time in public without the wig since
Karen had given it to him. He was a little apprehensive about
doing it, but if he could leave the hot hairpiece at home, it would
be worth it. He wondered what Sally would say about his masculine
haircut. Linda had already told her that a "friend" in St. Louis
had cut it this way, and she (he) didn't like it. He would have to
format any story on that premise. Just as well, he thought.

	He brushed his hair the best he could, bringing it down a bit
lower in front than he ever had when he was male. Maybe it didn't
look all that bad, he concluded. It seemed that his hair was
getting softer too, at least the bit that had grown out in the last
week. He was glad the hair on his head hadn't all come out like
that on his chest and elsewhere. Being like this was strange
enough; to be completely bald would have really topped it all off.

	When he was finished, it was time to dress. He couldn't wait
to wear the new dress Linda had bought, but still had to decide
what to wear with it. He glanced over at the shower door, seeing
the underwear hanging there. He had already worn the little black
set yesterday evening after work. He loved the way it made him
look and feel. Today, alone around all the women at Sally's, he
wanted to feel as good about himself as he possibly could. Just
maybe the little black bra and thong bikini would help. He knew it
was hard to forget what he was wearing when he had that on. The
little undies fit so snugly that they kept him intimately aware of
his changed anatomy whenever he moved his legs. At first, he
always wanted to reach back and tug at it, since it felt like it
was always riding up, but he was now accustomed to that feeling
too. With that in mind, he decided to wear it again. Maybe, the
next time he was in the mall, he would stop at Victoria' Secret and
get another set like it, this time maybe in a different color.
Like Linda said, if makes you feel good, wear it.

	Crossing his arms in front of him, Joe pulled the light blue
night shirt over his head. He pulled the black bikini from the
shower door and slipped it on. He was unable to resist feeling the
slick fabric between his legs. The sleek feeling of his crotch,
without the familiar bulge of male genitalia, still felt so
strange; just like the first time he touched there that first
morning.

	As Joe put the matching bra on, he thought it felt a little
tighter, the cups a little fuller than just yesterday. "Are these
boobs still getting bigger, or did this underwear just shrink a
little when I washed it?" he wondered.

	After he had the underwear on, he went back out to the
bedroom. Joe got the dress from the closet, but before he started
to remove it from the hanger he looked at the time. It was two
hours before he needed to dress for the hair appointment. He
wanted to wear the dress, but he decided to wait to put it on. He
found the gray shorts, and the black T-shirt he wore last night,
and quickly slipped those on. It would be easier to kill the time
wearing this than the dress.

	Deciding to remain barefoot, Joe went to the kitchen, where
Linda was already preparing a bowl of cold cereal for herself. Joe
didn't want any of that, and the coffee wasn't quite finished
perking yet.

	"Your hair looks OK that way," Linda complimented.

	"Do you really think so? It sure is a lot cooler like this.
I just wish my own hair was as long as the wig."

	"Don't worry, it'll grow out soon enough," Linda consoled him.

	They both had resigned themselves that this is how it would
be, Joe thought.

	Joe watched Linda as she sat eating her cereal. She was
looking at some papers, and didn't notice him looking. She was
very pretty, he thought. A natural beauty, and he found he was
seeing her in a different way, not as a man sees a woman, or even as
another woman would, but in another way, a way he couldn't describe
if he had to. Maybe it was the female hormones, maybe it was male
hormones, or actually the lack of male hormones, that was making
him feel this way, to see her this way. He didn't know. But as he
sat there, gazing, he felt an admiration for her he had never
realized. He didn't know what to think about it.

	"You're all right, you know that?" Joe said simply.

	Linda looked over at him curiously, and smiled. "Why did you
say that?" she asked quietly.

	"I don't know. I just thought I should tell you. I really do
appreciate everything you're doing, everything you've done already.
I don't know what I'd do without you."

	Linda stopped eating and looked at Joe. She wondered what was
on his mind; what had made him say those words. She could tell he
was under a lot of stress what with all that had taken place, but
she was amazed at how all this had changed Joe. She had always
loved him, almost from the first. She loved his intelligence, his
somewhat carefree, curious spirit, his zest for life, as well as
his handsome good looks. He always seemed to enjoy whatever he was
doing, always trying to learn more, to experience fully anything he
attempted. But, like a lot of guys his age, maybe most of them,
she thought he had always seemed to be of the opinion that women
were somehow inferior to men in some ways. Sure, he liked them,
maybe he even loved them, but, it had always seemed, to her anyway,
they were not really to be considered as equals. She wondered how
he felt about women's equality now. Apparently, he seemed to
regard what had happened to him with an attitude which ranged from
angry irritation, to stoic acceptance, to actual pride. As he did
with most everything he ever attempted, Joe had approached it all
as a learning experience.

	It was really amazing to consider what had occurred. If she
could have wished it, it couldn't have been any better introduction
for a male to experience what being a woman was like.
Unfortunately, this wasn't something she had actually wished on
him, rather it was more a bizarre industrial accident, and
apparently it had changed the man she loved into someone she was
still trying to understand. Although he was obviously quite
feminine looking and sounding, almost to a fault, she actually
envied his almost perfect shape, he would sometimes talk and act
just like before. It was very strange when he did that. This
person, this gorgeous woman, talking, moving, and acting just like
the man he really was. But sometimes now, especially since he
returned from San Diego, he was different. He was more quiet,
reserved maybe, sometimes almost cold around her.

	When he first came to her, he was afraid, confused, and
obviously out of place in what his body had become. Linda had
tried her best to help him, to make him comfortable with what had
happened to his body. Although she had never been intimate with a
woman before, she tried to let on as if nothing had changed, as if
she had no problem relating to Joe's new femininity. Strangely, as
she did that, she found herself actually enjoying it. She
surprised them both with the sexual intensity that she showed.
Although the intimacy of the relationship between them was changed,
she was found that Joe's timidity caused by the changes in his body
required her to become the aggressor, and she loved the experience,
and she even liked Joe's new feminine softness too. That confused
her. Even before Joe posed the question, she had already begun to
wonder about her sexual orientation. She never even considered
homosexuality an option before, and even now, she never actually
thought about her relationship with Joe that way, but she had to
admit, she really liked intimacy with him the way he was now. She
liked the feeling of being in charge. The last few days, she found
herself starting to wonder what life would have been like had she
been born male instead. Joe seemed to adapt to femininity so
easily. What might it be like for her to have a male physique, to
be able to give him pleasure he had formerly given her? It wasn't
that she was unhappy with her femininity, far from it, but if it
turned out that Joe would have to stay as he was now, she would
consider volunteering for the change. She would never voice such
a thought, not yet anyway, but if such an opportunity ever
presented itself, it now looked like almost anything might be
possible.

	"I love you, Joe Bates," was all she said.

	Linda finished eating, and put her bowl in the dishwasher.
Joe had poured the coffee when it was ready, and they both sat
there, slowly sipping at their coffee. Linda finished first, and
went to her room for a final check of her appearance and came out
carrying her leather briefcase. She went to wear Joe was sitting
and kissed him on the forehead.

	"Good luck at the hairdresser," she said, as she walked to the
door.

	"Thanks. Have a good day."

	When Linda left, Joe went back to his room. Almost two hours
before I need to get ready for Sally's, he thought. He made the
bed, then lay on top of the spread, taking the book he had been
reading last night and started to read. In a few minutes, he was
again engrossed in the subject matter.

	It seemed like hardly any time had passed when Joe looked at
the clock and saw it was time to dress for the hair appointment.
He felt the strange nervousness start to overtake him again. It
was scary to go alone to Sally's. It seemed to Joe that a beauty
shop would be one of women's private places. And he'd be there all
by himself.

	He got up from the bed, and pulled the T-shirt off. He
unbuttoned and unzipped the shorts and pulled them off. He went to
the closet and retrieved the hanger holding the new dress. He
liked the way it looked, and couldn't wait to wear it. He took it
out and laid it on the bed while he got a slip from the dresser.
As he was pulling the full slip over his head, he remembered his
pantyhose. He found some he thought would look right with the
olive colored dress, and reluctantly slipped them on. Although he
actually enjoyed wearing most of these new feminine things, he
really hated pantyhose. From the way Linda talked about them, he
figured she did too. There was a lot not to like. Although his
legs looked and felt great in them, pantyhose were hot, and
sometimes, when he walked, the darn things would droop down making
the crotch a few inches lower than it should be. If I'll have to
wear stuff like this forever, he thought, I'll have to check out
other alternatives.

	With the pantyhose and slip on, he carefully removed the dress
from the hanger, and pulled it over his head, placing his thin arms
in the short sleeves. He buttoned up the few open buttons in front
and went to the dresser mirror to admire himself. The dress fit
well, flattering his still developing form. Using his hand, he
brushed his hair around, trying to look as feminine as he could.
No problem, he thought. My hair might be a little short, but I
sure don't look like a guy anymore.

	He found his black pumps, and was slipping them on when
he remembered his little purse was in his flight bag. He got it out.
He knew he'd have to carry it to Sally's. Any "regular" woman
would have one with her.

	With that, he was ready. He had a few minutes, but he decided
to drive over now, rather than wait till the last minute. He
walked out to his car, feeling good about himself, knowing he was
well dressed and quite passable. When he got in the car, he had a
bit of difficulty working the clutch wearing heels, just like he
did that morning. Although he had become fairly adept at walking
in heels, it was still easier to drive barefoot.

	It was only a short trip to Sally's, and as he pulled into the
drive, he thought it might be possible his heart was making more
noise than the engine in his car. He stopped the engine, slipped
the seat belt off, and then slipped his little heels back on.
Taking a deep breath, he bravely walked inside.

	There were four women customers in the shop, along with two
beauticians besides Sally. Joe sat on one of the cushioned
chairs in the waiting area. Sally saw him enter and, as soon she
could, came over to where he was seated.

	"Might you be Joel?" she asked, pronouncing his name Jo-ell,
perhaps thinking it was more feminine that way.

	"Yes," Joe said, smiling at her, and hoping she didn't
recognize him. He had been here once, before all this happened, to
pick up Linda.

	If she recognized him, she certainly didn't let on. And Linda
had told her that Joel was Joe's sister, so some resemblance would
be understandable.

	"I'll be able to get to you real soon," Sally said. "Make
yourself comfortable. There's coffee over there, and some reading
material." She pointed to the stack of magazines on the low table.

	Joe smiled at her, and went to the stack of magazines. They
were all women's interest magazines, and some were about hair
styling. Joe took the one on top, which was Cosmopolitan. He had
already reached the conclusion that Cosmo was roughly the female
equivalent of Playboy. Strangely, it always seemed to have a woman
in a low cut dress on the cover. It had always caught his eye,
even before this had happened. He looked at this month's cover.
Yep, as usual, there was a young woman wearing a skin tight blue
Spandex number with her cleavage prominently displayed. Joe
grinned as he looked at it. The sexy picture just didn't hold the
same pizzazz anymore. He realized he was just as interested in the
dress as what was in it.

	As Joe thumbed through the pages, he read the ads with
interest. Tampons, mini-pads, maxi-pads, hygiene products, women
were bombarded with accessories for the female body and genitals.
As he read an ad about a special soap, made just for the "outer
vaginal area," it made him wonder if he might have a problem in
that area. Then he remembered, as a guy he actually liked the smell
of a normal, healthy woman. It was an unbelievable turn-on. Why
should a woman want to mask that with some artificial flowery
scent? Probably because they don't know that guy's aren't offended
by their natural scent, and then become especially self-conscious
when they read stuff like this.

	He read an article about a sponge used for birth control. It
was apparently placed inside the vagina, and it contained a
spermicide which killed the little buggers before they could get to
where they could do the job. This sponge thing wasn't prescription
either. He wondered what it felt like, if it could be felt at all.
He thought maybe, if he got to a drug store, wherever they sell
stuff like this, he'd get some. He didn't know when the
opportunity would present itself to bring the subject of
contraception up to Dr. Krell, but if the possibility of
intercourse ever occurred again, he wanted to be prepared.

	Joe was just finishing the magazine when Sally came over to
him. "Are you ready?" she asked, offering a friendly smile.

	"Yes, I guess I am."

	"Follow me, please," Sally said, turning and walking away.

	They walked to the back of the shop, where there were chairs
placed in front of small sinks, placed to allow easy shampooing the
head.

	"That's sure a lovely dress," Sally said. "It's just your
color."

	"Thank you. It's new."

	Sally placed a towel around Joe's shoulders, and then had him
sit back, with his head over the sink. She sprayed his hair with
warm water. It felt great. As she massaged the shampoo into his
hair, she began to speak.

	"Linda tells me a friend cut your hair like this?"

	"Yes, yes she did." Joe lied. "I was wanting to try something
different, but guess I don't like it like this."

	"How did you have it before?" Sally asked.

	Joe wondered how to answer. He looked around, there were
pictures of different styles on the walls. He finally found a
picture of a dark blond woman, who looked a little like he did now,
and whose hair style he liked.

	"It was sort of like that," he said, pointing to the picture.
"A little shorter in front, though."

	"And you didn't like that?" Sally exclaimed. "Girl, it'll be
a year before I can get your hair like that again."

	"I don't need it to look like that. Just make it look as good
as you can."

	"Do you have any idea as to what you would like?" Sally
continued.

	"Any suggestions?" Joe countered, having no idea what to say.

	Sally went to a large book, thumbed through it, and then
presented a page for his comment.

	"I think you have about enough length to try this. It might
be a little short, but I think it would work."

	"Let's try it." Joe had no desire to drag it out, and he did
kind of like the sort of page-boy cut she offered. Besides, the
length of his hair probably offered few other possibilities.

	When his hair was washed, Sally led him over to a chair
somewhat like a barber chair, but apparently not as adjustable.
Sally placed a silky drape over him and fastened it around his
neck. Then she brushed his hair. She walked around Joe and then
took scissors and snipped a few hairs, then she took out a spray
can of stuff. She sprayed a little of whatever it was, and combed
his hair some more.

	"This won't take long," Sally said. "You have very easy to
work hair, and this style is very simple."

	She was finished in an amazingly short time, and then swung
the chair around so that Joe could get a good look. He had already
been watching in the mirror on the other wall, so he knew that is
hair wasn't changed much, but that it was made to look quite
feminine. There would certainly be no need to wear the wig
anymore.

	"I like it," Joe complimented. "You did a fine job."

	"Well, it's a little too short to do much with," Sally
apologized. "You come back in a month, and then I can make it a
little better."

	Joe smiled. "Thanks a lot. Thanks for the quick service."

	"You tell Linda hello for me." Sally said, as she took Joe's
credit card.

	"I will."

	"Linda says you're from St. Louis?"

	"Yes. I'm staying with Linda. I think I like the Phoenix
area."

	"Well, welcome to the desert, we're glad to have you."

	"Thanks." Joe said again. "Thanks for everything."

	"Oh, by the way," Sally said. "Do you have any of this
styling spray?"

	Joe didn't, of course. He took the plastic spray bottle from
her hand and looked at it. NEXUS MAXXISTYLER. He probably better
take some. "No, I don't think I have any of that," he admitted
truthfully.

	"Do you want me to add it onto your card?"

	"Yeah, I think that would be best." Joe didn't have any idea
what this stuff would cost, and he figured he only had about
twenty-five dollars in the little
handbag.

	"I'll tear up the old ticket, and re-figure it."

	When she was done, Joe signed the ticket, retrieved his card,
and, saying his goodbyes, went out the door. He touched his new
hairdo. It was quite stiff, not at all soft like he thought it
would be. He liked softer styles, not the heavily moussed styles
which were the current fashion. He'd have to be careful not to
mess this up.

	As he started his engine, he glanced at the clock in the dash.
It was only ten thirty. The whole hair thing had taken less than
an hour. He always thought that women spent the afternoon in
places like that. Of course, he thought, most of them don't have
hair like this either.

	He had been planning to go to work after lunch. They had said
there wouldn't be much going on in the morning, and probably there
would be nothing at all for him to do. What could he do to kill a
few hours, he wondered?

	He remembered the ad in the magazine, the one for the
contraceptive sponge. Maybe he could look for some of those. He
knew if he ever found himself alone with a guy, Jay, or maybe even
somebody else, he wanted to have something to use. He didn't want
to trust the guy to have a condom, and he didn't want to carry some
of those himself. With Jay, he could explain it, but with a
stranger, he didn't want to think about it. He wondered if he, or
the other guy could tell when it was in there. He grinned, what
did he mean, the other guy? He was thinking about getting something
to stick in a vagina, HIS vagina. And yet he was still thinking
about himself as one of the guys. Old habits were sure hard to
break.

	As he drove along, he came to the large food and drug
supermarket where he usually shopped. He figured that the personal
products aisle had those sponges. He had bought condoms there
before, and remembered seeing the display for them when they first
came on the market. Who would have thought that now he would be
thinking about some of them for his own use?

	Joe parked his car the way he always did when he went to a
large parking area, he parked about mid-lot, away from the other
cars, the owners of which all seemed to love bashing their doors
into his thin-skinned RX-7. The difference now was that it was
much more work walking the distance in these heels than the
relatively comfortable men's shoes he had always worn.

	He went into the store and went straight for the personal
hygiene shelves. There, among tampons, maxi-pads, and of course
condoms, he found just what he was after.

	The package in his hand said Today's Sponge. There were only
three in the box, and it cost four dollars and seventy-five cents.
Wow! He hadn't really thought much about price, he just figured
they would cost about as much as a rubber. All this sex stuff is
expensive for a woman, he thought.

	He looked at the box a moment, and read what little there was
on the back. It mainly said the directions were inside. Then he
decided to buy them. He looked around at the other things on
display, mostly feminine hygiene products, and wondered if he
should get something else, too. He decided that he would try to
get Linda to help him with that. Early on, he had impulsively
purchased a box of panty-liners. He still had them, so if anything
did "sneak up" on him, he was covered. Having a female body was
significantly more complex than being male, he was starting to
realize.

	He carried the box up to the counter, and when he saw that
there were only two checkouts working, and that both were staffed
by young men, boys actually, he almost decided to put it back on
the shelf and leave. Then, as he thought a little more, he screwed
up his courage, and went toward the counter. There was nothing to
be embarrassed about, was there? It was no different now than
buying condoms before. He remembered his first time for doing
that, and just how nerve wracking it was, and was hard put to
suppress a grin as he walked to the young man behind the counter.

	The checkout boy eyed Joe with a combination of male curiosity
and teenage lust. Though it was Joe's first time to be the object
of teenage male hormones, he knew immediately that the young man on
the other side of the counter had already undressed him with his
mind. Joe, rather than look embarrassed to be the object such an
obvious inspection, decided to play it to the hilt. He looked down
at the collar of his dress, and when he saw that it was open
slightly, he decided to pay for the purchase with a credit card.

	When the young man saw what this very attractive,
sophisticated, older woman of maybe twenty-five with a fantastic
bod was buying, it really made his hormones go into turbo mode.
Joe could see that the young fellow had trouble keeping those
curious eyes off his chest, and that it even took the lad two
passes to enter the box of contraceptives into the pricing scanner.
He hadn't realized how easy it was, how obvious, to tell when a
male was out of his mind with desire. Of course, when you're
seventeen, it doesn't really take that much, he remembered. The
young man tore the sales slip from the register, and gave it and
the card back to Joe for him to write his name and phone number.

	Joe casually bent over to sign the ticket, being careful that
the top of his dress was open and in view of the sales boy. There
must be some law against this, he thought, keeping his face down to
prevent the young man from seeing the grin on his face. He could
see that he was giving him a good view of cleavage, and even a good
view of his black bra. It was evident the kid was in voyeur
heaven. The bulge in the crotch of his jeans appeared to be in
danger of ripping out. Joe found his own heart begin to beat a
little faster as he realized he, too, was enjoying the little
flirting session. It was so amazing. Men, especially young men,
were so easy. They seemed to be almost totally visually oriented,
and apparently, he now had the ability to make most of them act
like this. He was amazed at the extent of his new power.

	He slowly finished signing, did his best to put on a straight
face, and then stood erect, pushing his chest out and smiling as he
looked the young man straight in the eye. The young man didn't
make eye contact however, as he was still eyeing Joe's boobs. Joe
had noticed that now even Jay sometimes seemed to stare at his
chest when they spoke. Joe wondered if that happened to most
women, and guessed that it probably did. He knew he was probably
guilty of doing it too, at least sometimes. Although he found it
somewhat embarrassing, he realized that it was actually sort of an
unspoken compliment.

	"Thank you for shopping Medex," the young man blurted, having
said it so often that luckily, he could say it without thinking.

	"Thanks a lot," Joe said smiling, speaking softly and demurely
while picking up the package. He knew his voice (which though
still changing, still held just a trace of male huskiness) now
sounded rather sexy whenever he spoke softly. At least that's what
Jay had told him the other night. He thought it might be just the
thing to top off this little display. It all made him feel
absolutely wicked as hell. Being ogled could be as much fun as
being the ogler, he decided. I didn't ask to look like this, he
thought, but I don't see why I can't have a little fun with it.

	Leaving the store, Joe drove the short distance back to
Linda's and took the package to his room. Curious about how to use
the sponge, he couldn't resist opening the package to read the
instructions. He looked at one still inside the wrapper. It was
round, sort of like a little pillow, and it had a little loop on
it, probably there to pull it back out. It seemed pretty large,
but he knew that there was more room in there than it seemed. He
was surprised to find that the instructions recommended that a
condom still be used with the sponge. He had been hoping that with
the sponge, he could experience what intercourse felt like without
the guy's penis sheathed inside a condom. He wasn't sure why he
felt that way exactly, but he knew the screwing with a rubber felt
much different for the guy, and he thought it might feel different
now too. Would finding out be worth the slightly increased risk of
pregnancy? That was hard to say. The whole idea of getting
pregnant was still so foreign that he couldn't even imagine it.

	He took a couple of the sponges and placed them in his shaving
kit, the place he used to keep a couple of condoms. That seemed a
little ironic when he considered it. The last one he left in the
box, which he placed in the cabinet under the sink in his bathroom.
He didn't know what he might need it for, but it wouldn't hurt
anything there, and he doubted Linda would find it.

	After one last check in the mirror, admiring his new hair, he
gathered up his little handbag and went to his car.

	It was almost lunch time and he decided to stop and catch a
bite to eat before reporting for work. One quick burger at Wendy's
was enough, and he finished it quickly, having to continually
remind himself that people would notice now if he ate his food as
quickly as he usually did.

	When he finished his lunch he drove to Honeybone. He parked
his car, and, as he walked to the security checkpoint, he saw the
gate guard was watching him approach. Joe wondered if the man
recognized him, or if he watched all the women that closely. Damn
likely he did, Joe figured.

	When he presented his badge to the guard, the man cleared him
through with only a wide grin and a friendly wave. Yeah, the man
had recognized him, Joe figured. Probably they all did. He was
glad that everyone had been so understanding about what had
happened. He thought it would be much different. So far though,
everyone at work was very nice to him and the others. He couldn't
vouch for the others, but up to now he couldn't say he had experienced
any teasing or persecution. He was glad of that. As difficult as
it was to get accustomed to looking so female, it would have been
much harder if they also had to endure all the other guys teasing
and discrimination. Of course, it was all still new, and the whole
idea was just so outlandish, so unbelievable, that there was more
curiosity than anything else.

	Joe walked the maze of halls to his desk in the Certification
Department, his mid-heeled pumps clicking on the polished terrazzo
in the main hallways. He passed other employees, some of whom he
recognized, but none that he knew well. They didn't seem to
recognize him. When he reached his work area, there was no one
else around. He wondered where they might be, and decided that it
was likely they were in the lab. He went back down the hall and
entered the double doors of the lab.

	Inside the lab he recognized his boss, Jim Matheney, Dr.
Krell, Dr. Roberts, and Karen. There were three or four others
also, but he didn't recognize any of them. Dave, Mike, or Tim were
not there.

	"Good afternoon, Joe," Jim called across the room to him as
soon as he saw who he was.

	"Hi," Joe responded, waving to them, they had all turned when
Jim spoke.

	"Your hair looks pretty good," Karen said as she came over to
him.

	"Yeah. Linda suggested I try it. I went to someone she
suggested. It sure feels cooler than the wig," Joe said, grinning.

	"You're looking good, Joe," Jim said, habitually shaking his
hand when he reached him.

	"Thanks, Jim." Joe said. "Where are the others?" He had
expected Dave and Mike to be there.

	"Well, Dave was here this morning," Jim answered, "but he left
after about an hour. I don't think things are going as fast as he
would like. These folks are pretty methodical, and they don't ever
get rushed."

	"Do you know where Dave went?" Joe wondered.

	"No, unless he went back home," Jim continued. "If you have
anything else you need to do, feel free to come and go as you
please. They don't seem to need much help from us, and I'll give
'em anything they might need."

	"Thanks," Joe said, "but I think I'll stay a while anyway.
What's going on?"

	"Right now they're just setting up the cages and getting the
computers working," Karen answered. She pointed at the row of
cages designed to hold small animals across one wall.

	At a desk nearby, two men were working on a personal computer,
hooking up the monitor and printer. It was probably used for
record keeping, and perhaps for typing reports. It was plain these
people were in it for the long haul.

	Joe walked over to where the men were working. One looked up
at him, smiled, and said hello. He obviously had no idea who Joe
was.

	Dr. Krell came over to where Joe was standing. He greeted Joe
with his usual friendly warmth.

	"What do you think?" the little man asked smiling. "Will this
do it?"

	"I hope so," Joe answered. "What are you planning to put in
the cages?"

	"We have been able to obtain five Rhesus Monkeys," Dr. Krell
answered. "I think we should try some experiments with primates
first, don't you?"

	"You're the doctor."

	"Why, that's right, isn't it," Dr. Krell answered, as if he
just realized it. The man obviously had a sense of humor.

	Joe looked around at everything. It was obvious that it would
probably be another day at least before they were ready to try
anything. Somehow, he had thought that they would just be ready
immediately, but when he considered what they were actually trying
to do, the scientific approach was absolutely required here. It
was his first experience with biological testing.

	Just then, there was a page over the intercom for Jim
Matheney. Jim went to a nearby phone, and punched in a number. He
listened and spoke for a minute, looking over at Joe now and then.
He hung up, and came over to Joe.

	"That was Mr. Peterson," Jim said. "He found out about what
happened, and he wants to know all about it."

	Mr. "Pete" Peterson was the President of Honeybone. His
office was in Minneapolis. Joe had met the man only once, and was
surprised at how much interest he had shown in the many facets of
the big corporation he headed.

	"Is he coming here?" Joe asked. He wondered if the man would
want to meet him.

	"Well, actually, he wants you to come there," Jim answered.
"Do you have any problem with that?"

	"Problem? Why should I?" Joe didn't relish the idea of being
the subject of discussion and being put on display, but considering
what had happened, it was probably inevitable.

	"Well then, how about taking the Cessna up to Minneapolis
tomorrow?" Jim asked. "I don't think you'll have to be gone more
than two days."

	"All of us?" Joe asked.

	"Well, he only asked for one, but I guess it wouldn't hurt for
all of you to go. Well, no, maybe just you. Perhaps we better
keep Dave and Mike here in case they might need one of you for
something."

	Yeah, Joe thought. Heaven only knows what they might need any
of them for. But he shook his head in agreement. "Ok. If Mr.
Peterson wants to see me, I'll go. Can I take someone with me?"

	"I suppose so. Just who did you have in mind?"

	"Well, I don't know if he'll be able to get away," Joe
responded. "But I'd like my friend Jay to come along. He's an
attorney, and since I don't know what Mr. Peterson really wants,
I'd like Jay to be there to help me answer any questions."

	"So you feel you need legal representation?" Jim asked,
obviously concerned.

	"Don't worry." Joe said, a grin forming on his face. "I don't
plan on any legal action, or anything like that. As long as the
Company continues to help us with this mess."

	"Don't you worry about that. They only want to help you guys
back. I honestly believe they have no plans to exploit any of
you."

	"Well, I hope you're right. I really do. But I'll feel
better if Jay goes along anyway. Besides, he's my instrument
student, and I can help him get some multi time."

	"Well I guess it'll be OK, Joe. Just don't mess everything up
by coming across as too threatening."

	"Have I been any trouble so far?" Joe asked. "I'm the one
who's lost my balls. Remember?"

	"Ok. Ok. You're probably right." Jim laid his hand on and
squeezed Joe's shoulder. "If it happened to me, I'd probably want
legal representation present when I talked to the Man."

	Jim called the hanger, and scheduled the plane for tomorrow
morning. He told the scheduler to plan for an 0600 takeoff. Joe
calculated in his head, and figured he could get the 421 into
Minneapolis before noon.

	When Jim hung up, Joe looked at his boss. He had just thought
of another problem. "If you really don't care, I think I'll leave
now. If I have to go into cold country, I'll have to get some warm
clothes that fit."

	"Sure. No problem. And don't forget to turn in your expense
reports. Everything you need will be covered. Get some nice
stuff."

	"Don't worry, I will," Joe said, smiling as he gathered up his
stuff to leave.

	He thought he'd call Jay at work from Linda's, and then go on
another shopping spree. Although the early spring in Phoenix was
quite warm, it was still cool in Minnesota, and he hoped he could
find some clothes like he needed. He wondered if he could get
Linda to help him pick out some clothes. She made it all seem so
easy, almost fun. He never cared much about buying clothes when he
was getting men's things, but it was different now. So many
options, textures, colors, and styles. He had to admit, he
actually looked forward to shopping for clothes now.

	As he walked out to his car, he felt the afternoon sun in his
face, and felt another one of those good feelings rush through his
body. He didn't know what caused them, maybe the new hormones or
something, he just knew that he had only felt them within the last
week, never before. It was an unusual feeling, and it made him
wonder if "real" women felt it. If they did, they probably didn't
even recognize it, he considered. Just like he had never really
noticed the sexual tension he had as a male, until it disappeared
along with his testicles.

	Joe drove into the drive at Linda's and went in to make some
phone calls. He had plenty left to do today to get ready for
tomorrow.

Article 91117 of alt.sex.stories:
From: an236635@anon.penet.fi (Sapphire)
Subject: TG: Joe Bates ( ch 27)
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 1995 20:30:10 GMT

			      Chapter 27

	When Joe arrived back at Linda's there was no one home. Linda
was still at work. He wanted to call Jay and find out if he could
travel to Minneapolis with him tomorrow. He'd also need to go
shopping, since so far he had nothing but warm weather clothes. It
was still chilly in Minnesota, and Joe would need something to keep
warm.

	Joe went straight into his room and kicked off his shoes.
Now, he hardly noticed walking with the heeled pumps, but when he
took them off it felt very good. He rubbed his tired feet through
the nylon of his pantyhose.

	He lay back on the bed and grabbed the phone, punched in Jay's
number at work, and waited for his secretary to answer. When she
did, Joe asked for Jay and was immediately put through.

	"Hello. What can I do for you, Joe?" Jay asked cheerfully.
It was plain that he was glad to hear from his friend.

	"What are you doing tomorrow, pal? Can you get away for a
couple of days?"

	"I might. It's been a little light around here this week.
What do you have on your mind?"

	"I just came from work," Joe explained. "I have to go to see
the President of Honeybone tomorrow. He's in Minneapolis. I'd
like you to come along if you can."

	"Is this professional? Or do you just want company?"

	"Well, I would like you to help with advice if I need it. Of
course, who knows what else might happen." Joe spoke the last
sentence as seductively as he could.

	"Oh yeah?" Jay answered in mock excitement. "I can hardly
wait." Although he was teasing, obviously he really was looking
forward to seeing Joe.

	As he thought this, Joe began to feel the little tingle he
often had as he thought about Jay. "Be at the hanger at 0600
tomorrow. I think we can make Minneapolis well before noon. We'll
have the 425, you can get some turbine multi time."

	"Do I need to take anything along?"

	"Well, bring enough clothes for two days. I don't think
you'll need any of your attorney stuff. If we have any questions
in that area, I think you'll have time to work it out."

	"Ok." Jay said enthusiastically. "What are you doing this
evening?"

	"I just have to go shopping. It's still kind of cold there,
and I don't have any warm clothes that fit."

	"I was going to invite you to racquetball after work. Just a
game of three sets."

	"Yeah, I know I ought to do that, too," Joe replied. "I think
my butt is still getting bigger."

	"It looks pretty nice to me," Jay complimented.

	"No. I mean it," Joe went on. "I really do think my hips and
my butt are getting bigger. God, I really don't want to have big
hips and a huge butt."

	"Joe, your butt is fantastic looking. It's got a long way to
go before it's too big. Trust me on that."

	"You don't have to feel it."

	"But I will if you want me to," Jay teased.

	"Aww, cut it out," Joe whined. "If you'll just stop teasing
me, maybe I'll actually let you sometime."

	"Promises, Promises. You probably tell that to all the guys."

	"No, only two or three. I usually just do it myself."

	"I'll bet you do at that," Jay mused.

	"Anyway, I don't know If I can make it tonight," Joe said,
changing the topic back to the original. "Maybe we can do
something tomorrow, at the Radisson Plaza. Just bring your clothes
and your racket."

	"Ok, I'll do that. It's a lot more fun playing with you now.
The scenery's sure better, and now I know I'll win too."

	The last statement was probably true, Joe thought. It bugged
him to know that he was no longer capable of the level of play
required to beat Jay at will. Hell, he'd probably be even worse
now than last time. He didn't know what made his play so mediocre
now. Sure, he probably wasn't as strong, but why did he have to be
so slow too? It seemed his only ploy could be to distract Jay by
getting in front of him and then trying to do something provoca-
tive. Maybe it might be cheating, but now it was the only chance
he had.

	Joe wondered if the Phoenix area department stores, which he
knew were now filled with summer things, would even have what he
needed to buy. He guessed that he could probably find a jacket,
and maybe a suitable coat, but what about a cool weather dress, or
pants? Maybe what he had on would do in a pinch, but it really did
look a bit sunny. Of course, everybody there would know he was
from the Southwest anyway, and no matter what he could get, it
would probably look different from the local style in Minnesota,
whatever that was. Suddenly he realized he was becoming much more
fashion conscious than he had ever been before. Was this part of
being a girl too?

	He swung his watch around on his wrist and checked the time.
It was three in the afternoon. Only two days ago his new watch fit
rather tightly on his wrist. Now it felt a little loose, just more
evidence that he was still changing, all over. He wondered what
he'd end up like, how he'd look, when it all stopped, assuming that
it had to, eventually. It just had to. Didn't it?

	Feeling restless, Joe went out into the sunken living area.
As he dropped into one of the overstuffed chairs, he noticed the TV
Guide on the table, next to the remote control. He reached down
and gathered both of them to him, and then tucked his slick nylon
covered legs under him. When he did, he could again detect the
increased flexibility the change had given his body. It was weird,
the feeling was like he had just somehow become younger, more
flexible, over night.

	Joe punched on the TV, and then started paging through the TV
Guide. Afternoons were soap operas or Ophra Winfrey. Joe turned
the channel to Ophra, and when the commercial spot finished, Joe
found himself watching a show about transsexual couples. Although
he knew the subject was a popular one with Ophra, Donahue, and
Geraldo, Joe now had a much greater interest in the subject.

	One of Ophra's guests was a postoperative male to female who
was still living with his/her ex-wife. Seeing them made Joe think
about Dave. This guy-turned-girl appeared to be in her mid
thirties, and was actually quite attractive. Her 'wife' was
probably about the same age, and was rather plain looking.
Although they were not with them on the show, this unusual couple
said they had two children, the result of their ten years of
marriage before the father decided to seek help for his lifelong
gender identity problem, help which had eventually changed him into
a quite attractive woman, probably even better looking than his
former wife.

	Joe began to think about his talk with Linda last night. How
would she react in a situation like this? Sure, Linda was
certainly prettier than this woman, but Joe also knew that Linda
thought she wasn't as good looking as he had become.

	The interview/discussion was amazingly frank, with the couple
discussing such intimate things as their former and current sex
lives. Each said that, although things had changed 'somewhat',
they both still enjoyed satisfying sex. It made Joe wonder about
the woman. Was she really happy living with this man she had
married, who could now be nothing but her lesbian lover? Joe
thought about what Karen had revealed to him about how sex felt
since her operation. Maybe this ex-guy was as sexually satisfied
as he/she could be, but his wife, Joe couldn't help but wonder if
she was truly happy now. Then again, maybe she really was a
lesbian, and Joe couldn't even imagine what that was like. When he
was with Linda, even now, he still thought of them as man and
woman, even if what they did together now might seem homosexual to
an outsider. Homosexuality had to be a state of mind, he thought,
not the physical appearance of the body.

	The interesting television show made the time pass quickly,
and before long it was four o'clock. Soon, Linda would be pulling
into the drive. Joe knew she'd probably look forward to going
shopping. She always did. Before, he had hated it, and whenever
she suggested a trip to one of the malls, Joe would try to beg off,
and usually succeeded. Now, the thought of spending the evening
looking at clothes seemed far less dreadful.

	Joe looked down and straightened his dress. Only a week, and
he was amazed how natural it felt to dress like this, even to look
like this. Had he unknowingly been a closet transsexual all along?
He didn't think so. While he had always considered the whole idea
of a person changing gender intriguing, he had never considered it
something he would ever want to do. But in only a week, and here
he was, wearing this dress, not to mention the things under the
dress, and it all felt as natural as the way it fit his new shape.
And even the new shape was feeling more natural every day, too, he
mused.

	Soon Joe heard Linda's car pull into the drive. She came in
and seemed surprised to see Joe home already. "Hi," she said,
leaning over the back of his chair and giving Joe a peck on his
cheek. "Home already?"

	"Yeah. There's not much happening that they need me for, and
I have to get ready to go to Minneapolis tomorrow."

	"Minneapolis? What for?"

	"The president of Honeybone wants to see me. I can only guess
what it's about." Joe grinned thinly.

	Linda walked around to the front of his chair. She looked at
him, and made a face like a big sister seeing a younger sibling
wearing makeup for the first time.

	"What's wrong?" Joe asked.

	"Nothing." Linda replied. "I was just looking at your hair.
It looks pretty good. Still a little short, but acceptable."

	"It only took Sally fifteen or twenty minutes for her to cut
it like this." Joe said. "So you think it'll be OK?"

	"Oh yeah," Linda said. "It will be much better when it grows
out some more, but it's not that bad now. Actually, except for the
lighter color, you remind me of Maggie O'Connell, that woman on
Northern Exposure."

	"Not that bad? What are you trying to tell me?" Joe hadn't
seen the TV show Northern Exposure, so he didn't know who the zany
but attractive female bush pilot O'Connell was.

	Linda giggled. "Don't worry about it, Joe. It really is OK."

	"You don't spread much confidence when you make that face."
Joe objected.

	"God, Joe, don't forget, I'm still trying to get accustomed to
the idea of you looking like that. The hair is only a minor part."

	"You're telling me."

	Linda went to him, and gently brushed her hand along his
cheek. She would never have done that before, Joe thought. The
relationship is changing for her too.

	"What do you have planned for this evening?" Joe asked
suddenly, breaking the short silence.

	"Oh, I don't know, nothing I guess."

	"How would you like to go shopping with me? I have to get
some warm clothes for Minneapolis tomorrow."

	"Sure," Linda said immediately. "That would be fun."

	"Now why did I just know you'd say that?"

	"When do you want to go?"

	"Any time. We can get a bite when we're done."

	"Yeah," Linda agreed. "Let's see, you'll need a coat, maybe
a jacket, some sweaters, the selection probably won't be too good
right now." She thought as she spoke.

	"Where should we go?" Joe knew Linda loved to shop, or even
just talk about shopping.

	"If we leave soon, we'll have time to check the stores at
Woodland," Linda said enthusiastically. She was serious and didn't
realize that Joe was finding it all slightly hilarious.

	"Then I guess we had better go."

	"Do you have everything you need?"
"I don't know. I think my underwear's clean, what else do I
need?"

	Linda realized that Joe was teasing her. Her face reddened
slightly when she saw he was grinning. "Do you want me to go, or
not?" she asked, acting offended.

	"Sure I do. Of course I want you to go."

	"Well let's go, then. I don't know about you, but I'm
famished."

	"Just let me get my purse," Joe exclaimed, stopping for a
second when he realized what he said. He was beginning to get
accustomed to carrying it with him.

	Joe went to his room and picked up the bag. He came back out
and saw that Linda stood by the door holding hers, looking very
ready to go. Joe wondered why she was so anxious to go shopping,
but decided that she was probably always like that about shopping,
he had just never noticed it before.

	They buckled into Joe's RX-7 and drove to the mall. In a way
it seemed familiar, Linda, his girl, sitting next to him while he
drove. But in reality it was quite different. Now they looked
like, and in a sense were, just two women going shopping.

	They quickly arrived at the mall, and Joe parked where he
usually did, away from most of the other cars, and the door dings
which went with them. As they walked side by side into the store,
Joe had to resist the habit of reaching out for Linda's hand.

	When it came to shopping, Linda was the expert and Joe decided
that his best move would be to follow her lead. She had good
taste, and she knew what he needed better than he did himself.
There was no reason to do anything else but walk along with her and
try to act as much like a natural lady as he possibly could.

	They walked into Bullocks first. Linda went straight to the
department that sold coats. Surprisingly, there was still a fair
selection, and they were on sale.

	Linda removed a gray herringbone topcoat from the rack. She
handed it to Joe and he looked it like it was some kind of foreign
object.

	"Go ahead, try it on," Linda suggested.

	Joe swung the coat over his shoulders while putting his arms in
the sleeves. The coat went to above his knees, and the silky
taffeta lining felt so sensuous. He had almost forgotten that all
this was going to be a treat for the senses, a lot more than just
trying to buy some clothes.

	The coat fit quite well, and Joe liked the look just fine. He
figured he'd just buy it, but Linda wouldn't let it end that
easily. She had other ideas.

	She took a very dark blue long length coat from the rack and
gave it to Joe, who dutifully tried it on. He liked the gray one
better and he told her so. Linda put the coat back and selected
another.

	After four tries, Joe started to take coats from the rack
himself. He had given up on the idea of getting it all over
quickly, and he liked the gray one, but remembered where it was
while he acted like he wanted to try others on. He wasn't paying
particular attention to what he was choosing to try on, and some of
his selections raised Linda's eyebrows.

	"Do you really like that color?" Linda asked incredulously.

	He was wearing a bright green, a color that even he could tell
didn't go with his skin tones. He grinned sheepishly and put it
back on the rack. Linda shot him a strange look.

	When they had exhausted all possible choices, it seemed to Joe
like it must have been at least twenty coats, Linda wanted to go to
another store. Joe went back to the herringbone top. He tried it
on again. Again he liked the feeling of the lining.

	"Don't you like this?" Joe asked. He liked it best of all of
them, but he trusted Linda's opinion and wouldn't buy it unless she
agreed with his selection.

	"Well, I guess it's not too bad." Linda said grudgingly.
"Yeah, if you like it, maybe you should get it."

	"I don't want it if you don't think it's absolutely right."
Joe objected.

	"No, I think it's very nice."

	Women, Joe thought. Am I destined to be like that too?

	They took the coat to the sales desk. The woman who had been
helping them while they were trying on the whole rack accepted
Joe's credit card and they walked out carrying a large package.

	Next, Joe needed a dress. On the way, Linda noticed some
sweaters on a rack on the back wall of a department that sold
blouses. Joe decided that she must have the eyes of an eagle.

	One of the sweaters was quite attractive, and they both liked
it. Joe thought it looked a little small, but Linda thought it
would fit him. She insisted that they go into the dressing room
and try it on.

	Since Joe was still wearing the olive dress, to try on the
sweater he'd have to take that off completely. He wished he had
changed to shorts and a blouse before he left. Linda went in the
compartment with him, and watched as he took the dress off.
Standing in his slip, Joe slipped the pullover sweater on.

	"There, see. That's not too bad." Linda said.

	Joe looked down at his chest. The woolen top fit a lot looser
than he had thought, but it did emphasize his bustline somewhat.
He pulled the lower edge down, which made the front appear even
more snug fitting.

	"Don't do that," Linda admonished. It's supposed to fit kind
of loose, sort of bulky.

	"I know that," Joe objected. "I was just checking if it looked
too tight."

	"Dolly Parton you're not." Linda teased. "It's not too
tight."

	"Hey, these things are still growing," Joe objected.

	"Yeah, sure," Linda said sarcastically. "You don't have to
rub it in."

	"Rub it in?" Joe asked. What did she mean? "Oh, I get it.
Now you're jealous of my boobs."

	"Well, they are a little hard to compete with. I don't think
I've been that firm since seventh grade."

	"Hey, I can't help it. I didn't ask to be this way any more
than you did."

	"I know. I know," Linda said. "It's just that when I see
you, the way you look, that figure, it's hard to not feel just a
little inferior."

	"Don't forget, when I had a choice, I chose you." Joe told
her. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. For me, all this is new,
it's just a week old. In some ways, both physical and mental, I'm
probably more like an adolescent than a mature woman."

	"That's not helping, Joe." Linda said with a frown.

	"I think I'll buy this." Joe said, trying to get off the
subject of his new body parts.

	"Its ok. It looks and I think it fits you fine," Linda
agreed. "What else did you have in mind?"

	"I was hoping you'd tell me," Joe said, grinning. "I think I
should get a more casual jacket, too. I won't be dressed up all
the time. And some longer pants. Maybe even some jeans. I want
something to wear besides shorts and dresses."

	"Ok. I guess you're right." Linda agreed. "Let's go
downstairs."

	The casual misses' things were on the lower level of the same
store. Linda knew where everything was. Joe followed her down and
the first things they came to were jackets.

	Linda pulled a jade colored poplin jacket with a stand up
collar and a contrasting sort of hot pink liner and trim. It was
nice, looking rather like a ski-jacket, but without the shiny
nylon. Joe tried it on, and as he walked to the mirror, he spotted
a suede leather bomber jacket. It reminded him of his leather A2
jacket at his apartment. That had been his favorite jacket, and he
realized it was probably way too big now.

	Joe tried the poplin jacket on, and it fit just fine. He
decided to buy it immediately, but also wandered over to the rack
where the leathers were.

	Taking the poplin jacket off and handing it to Linda, he
pulled the suede jacket and tried it on. It was too small, and he
removed it and checked the size. It said Juniors 11. He wondered
what size he wore by that measurement. His male size had been 40
regular but, of course that was before his shoulders got like this,
and of course, the boobs. He looked at Linda for advice. She
grinned knowingly, and pulled another two sizes larger. Joe tried
it on. It was much better, but still didn't fit just right.

	"I really would like a jacket like this," Joe said. "But I
want it to fit just right."

	"Don't rush it," Linda advised. "You have plenty of time."

	"Yeah," Joe agreed, realizing what she meant.

	Joe paid for the poplin jacket, and they continued down the
broad aisles toward the misses clothes.

	It still seemed terribly strange for Joe to be buying clothes
for himself in an area so obviously set up for young women. Of
course, Linda didn't give him any time for introspection. She
pulled some jeans from the rack and held them up to Joe's waist,
trying to judge length. "Your legs are actually quite long," she
said.

	"Yeah, but I think they were longer," Joe said
matter-of-factly. "But it's my upper body that seems to have
changed the most." With one major exception, he thought to
himself.

	"Well, I think you should try these on," Linda said. "We'll
start with this length."

	Joe went into the dressing room. Now he'd have to remove his
dress and his slip. The little cubicle was too small for Linda to
accompany him and she waited outside the door. Joe removed his
outer clothes and the slip. He tried on the Levis and was amazed
how snug they fit his butt. Compared to his male jeans, they were
tight around his now softer buns, and he could feel them riding
into his crotch. The feeling was strange but not unpleasant. The
length seemed OK to him too, but he figured Linda better check
that. He didn't have a shirt to put on, but Linda was in the
little secluded hallway to the cubes, not in the main store, and
fortunately there was a mirror there too. What the heck, he
thought, and opened the door and went out wearing only the jeans
and bra.

	Linda grinned when she saw him. The Levis fit his still
developing feminine figure acceptably, but she thought the leg
length should be a bit longer.

	"Wait a second." Linda said.

	She looked at the size numbers on the jeans he wore, and went
back out into the store. In only seconds, she returned with
another pair. Everything was the same but the length and Joe
thought they fit OK. For now, anyway.

	"What about my butt?" Joe asked. "I think it's still getting
bigger. Won't these be too tight in a few days?"

	"I don't know," Linda said. "I can only fit you now. If
you're still developing, maybe you should to wait till you stop.
That's up to you."

	"No. I'll take these anyway," Joe decided. "I'll wait a few
days before I get some more."

	Joe found a table with some turtleneck tops. He stopped and
looked them over. Linda watched him hold one up to his chest. "Go
ahead. Get it if you want it," she said. "You'll always be able
to wear something like that, especially for layering."

	Joe took a couple in colors he liked.

	Nearby, they came to exercise clothes. Joe had always liked
that area when he passed through this store with Linda. Now, he
looked for a different reason. Sure, he still liked the way the
shiny, snug fitting spandex looked, but he knew he liked the way it
felt too. He looked at each item carefully.

	"Do you think there's something you need from here?" Linda
asked. "I thought you had some workout gear."
"I have one, but I just want to look at what they've got. I
might find something else I want."

	Joe came upon a short terrycloth robe. It only went to below
his butt, designed as a cover-up for going to the locker room, or
maybe with a swimsuit. He decided to buy that too.

	"You're going to clean out the store," Linda teased. Usually,
Joe just followed her disinterestedly, if he even went along at
all. But now he was filling as many bags as they both could carry.

	"If I'm going to be like this, I'm going to get what I want,
and dress like I want."

	"I can't argue with that," Linda agreed.

	They both had their arms full as they staggered out of
Bullocks. As they walked down the mall walkway, they came to the
Victoria's Secret. Joe immediately lugged his many packages
inside, while Linda followed obediently close behind. "Something
you need here, too?" she asked.

	"Yeah, I think so," Joe said, somewhat embarrassed by what he
was after. He might look a lot like a woman now, and his
interests were certainly changing, but it was still difficult to
admit to Linda that he actually liked to buy, to wear, things like
the stuff they sold here.

	"What are you looking for?" she asked. "Something to wear to
bed?"

	"Yeah, I guess I could use something," Joe agreed. He did
need to get some pajamas, or something like that.

	Linda went to the rack with the flowery night shirts and the
lacy satins. Joe liked the silky satins, but he wanted plain
solids, without lace. Victoria's wasn't the best place to find
things like that.

	He finally agreed to a cotton knit boxer pajama set, decorated
with delicate rose print and matching satin piping. It was a bit
more feminine looking than he would have hoped, but he did like it.
Linda found a matching knee length robe and talked him into that
too.

	When he finally had the night clothes out of the way, Joe
tried to nonchalantly wonder over to the sexier panties and bras.
He idly picked at them, checking the size, and when he found a
panty he thought would fit him, he held it up. "I think this would
fit. Do you like it?" He felt weird, as if he was now trying to
dress to please Linda.

	"Sure. But do you?" Linda asked, smiling.
"Yeah, I do. I think I'll get some of this stuff too. I do
kind of like it."

	He selected a few things, but Joe couldn't find the kind of
thong back panties he was wearing. Maybe he'd have to get them when
he went back to San Diego. No problem though, he did find some
other treasures to bring home.

	When they left Victoria's they were loaded with as much as
they could carry. Joe had never been on such a massive clothes
shopping trip before. But mostly, with only a few exceptions, he
had actually needed the things he had purchased this evening.

	They took their packages to the car, and then went for
something to eat before returning home.

	As they sat at their table eating, Linda began to speak. "Do
you want to stay like that, Joe?"

	Joe just looked at her and smiled. "The idea does seem to get
more attractive every day, but I don't know. For now at least, I
don't have any choice."

	"You just look like you're so happy, I can't imagine you going
back any more. Does that seem strange to you?"

	"I don't know. I don't know what I want. I really don't even
know what I am now. If I do stay like this, I guess maybe it
wouldn't be all that bad."

	"Do they have that equipment set up at your job yet?" Linda
asked. "Can it do what it did to you, to somebody else?"

	"That's one of the things they want to find out, I think. I
don't think anybody really knows that."

	"What do you think it would do to a woman?" Linda said
quickly, as if afraid to ask the question.

	"I don't know," Joe answered, curious as to what she was
driving at. "Why, what did you have in mind?"

	"Oh, nothing really, I was just wondering what would happen if
I were to accidentally get zapped by that thing somehow. You know,
would I suddenly grow muscles, get a hairy chest, stuff like that."
She asked, nervously speaking with short, clipped words.

	"Is that what you want?" Joe asked in surprise.

	"How would you feel about it?" Linda countered.

	"Oh, man. I'd have to think about that one."

	"Think about it, then," Linda said. "If you're going to stay
like that, and if that thing will reverse me like it did you, then
I want to do it."

	Joe realized that she was being quite serious. He hadn't
expected Linda say anything like this. "OK. I'll think it over.
But I hope you realize what you're saying."

	"Joe, I've been thinking about it. For days now. If you have
to stay like that, and we can't stay together like this, then I'm
willing to try anything."

	"But if it can change you, Linda, it should be able to change
me, too."

	"If Doctor Krell called you, right now, and said 'Get over
here, we've figured out how to change you back' would you run right
over?"

	Joe stared ahead as he thought it over. She was right. He
didn't know what he'd do. A few days ago the decision would have
been easy, but now, whatever was happening to him had changed the
whole perspective of what 'normal' was. Although he did long for
the familiar, old way, he certainly didn't look forward to losing
all this. And he also knew the longer it took, the harder it would
be to go back.

	"I don't know. I guess it's a good thing that he doesn't
call, because I don't know what I would do."

	"That's what I mean. I can see what's happening. It's
written all over your face. Joe, whatever has happened to you, it
has done more than change your body. I'm beginning to think it's
really changed you into a woman. And if it can do the reverse for
me, maybe we still have a chance together."

	"But what if we don't?" Joe asked. "What if we were to sneak
in the lab tonight, and turn the machine on you, and then found we
really couldn't stand each other? Then what? Do you really want
to spend the rest of your life as a man?"

	"Would that be so bad?" Linda asked. "Until this happened to
you, that was to be your fate."

	"But look at you," Joe responded. "You're a beautiful,
successful woman. Why would you want to voluntarily give that up
for what would probably be a genetic crap shoot? Who knows how it
would turn out? As you yourself told me, I was probably lucky that
all I lost was my masculinity."

	"I don't know, I think I'd make a pretty good man. Actually,
it looks pretty easy."
"Well, trust me, there is no comparison," Joe said. "But I
don't know how it could even work."

	"I guess we'd just repeat whatever happened to you guys."

	"No. That's not what I mean," Joe said. "For me, my
chromosomes were XY, and now they're changed, damaged to appear to
be XX. For you, or me for that matter, to change to XY, there has
to be something to create the Y chromosome. I don't know how that
would happen. If it didn't, heaven knows what it would do to you.
I think I'd let somebody else try it first," he added.

	"Then you don't think it's possible?"

	"Hey, I'm hardly the expert," Joe said, grinning. "I've only
started reading on the subject, and new things are being learned
every day. We should give them some time at the lab. Who knows
what's possible till we try? If it does work, hell, we can take
turns if we want. Or, be what we want, when we want."

	"I can just see that," Linda said, giggling. "Having a closet
with twice as many clothes, in two sizes."

	"Tell me about it!" Joe said. He knew what that was like.

	"What do you think could be caused by chromosome damage?"
Linda asked, genuinely interested in pursuing the subject further.

	"I don't know, almost anything, blindness, deafness, I guess
you could even grow an extra arm or leg."

	"That bad?" Linda responded. "I guess you're right, genes are
the programming of the body. So like you said, almost anything is
possible."

	"Maybe we could work on it, and create our own design." Joe
continued. His engineer's mind had started to run with the
possibilities of genetic re-engineering.

	"Our own design?" Linda asked innocently. "How do you mean?"

	"Well, if we could break the code, then we could figure out
which chromosomes do what. If we knew that we could shape
ourselves however we'd like. There would be no need to have only
two sexes. You could take your pick of the best parts of each. I
know what I'd like to rework if I could." Joe went on. He was on
a roll, and his imaginative mind had taken off.

	"What's that?" Linda asked curiously.

	"Well, why choose to be either all male of all female?" Joe
asked logically. "I can tell you from my personal experience that
there are some good things and some bad about both."

	"What would you keep?"

	"Well. You mean keep from what I look like now?" Joe
answered. "Or before."

	"Whatever," Linda asked again. "If you could choose, what
would you want to look like, male, female, or what?"

	"Gee, if I could choose, I know I'd keep the skin I have now.
I like the way it makes me feel; everything is much more sensitive
now. And maybe these boobs, they're kinda neat, once you get used
to them being there. But I wouldn't want them to be too big. The
way they are now would be OK, though."

	"Well, I guess so," Linda agreed. "I don't know how anybody
could ask for better breasts than yours. But what else?"

	Joe thought a second, then answered. "I guess I'd want to
keep my muscles, at least some of them. More than I have now,
anyway. I sure wish my arms were a little stronger."

	"That's all?"

	"Well, if it were possible, I wish I still had a penis, at
least sort of, I don't know," Joe stammered. "I mean, I am
starting to get used to being like this, and I guess I don't really
care that much about being able to have sex with a woman anymore,
but it would be useful to have a penis to pee with. Like this, a
zipper is useless. You don't really know what I mean, you've
always been like you are, but, maybe if it could be made retract-
able or something." Joe grinned.

	"A retractable penis? You'd want a retractable penis?"

	"If it were possible, yeah, why not? It might be the best of
both worlds."

	"I don't know," Linda considered. "I think if I had a penis,
I'd want it to be like all the other guys'."

	"I don't know, maybe I would, too, but keep an open mind," Joe
said, smiling widely as he watched Linda thinking about what she
wanted.

	They finished eating and Joe paid the bill. Joe and Linda
left the restaurant and drove home. They carried the packages into
Joe's room and opened them. Joe tried on some of the items for
Linda and she critiqued them and helped him with wearing them. Joe
found that he now loved to try on clothes, so unlike the way he was
only a week ago.

	Since he had to leave early in the morning, Joe began to
prepare his bag for the trip. Linda helped him decide what to
take, and when Joe packed his exercise wear and racquetball stuff,
she wondered why he was taking that.

	"Jay wants to play racquetball," Joe said matter-of-factly.

	"I thought you couldn't play that well anymore."

	"I can't," Joe said grinning. "But Jay likes it that way,
It's the only time he's been able to beat me."

	"How would you like to go to aerobics with me?" Linda asked.
"It wouldn't be so competitive."

	"OK, maybe I will sometime. After I get back."

	When his bags were all ready, Joe undressed and prepared to
shower. He went into the bathroom, removed his underwear and
washed it out by hand, then took a shower. When he finished, he
hung the wet lingerie on the glass shower door handles.

	Naked, Joe went back into his bedroom. He found the new
pajamas, and stepped into them. They fit perfectly, and he looked
at his image in the mirror. As usual, there was that attractive
woman looking back. Did he want to stay like this, or be a guy
again? On the surface, the choice was easy. It was fantastic to
look and feel like this. But should he? Was he destined to spend
the rest of his life as a woman, or return to male, the way he was
born?

	Linda, who had been in her own room showering too, soon came
back. She was wearing pajamas now, too, and as male looking as she
could find. She had tied her hair back, making it as short looking
as she could. Joe had to wonder if she was already trying to act
like a man just to please him.

	"You try to imagine me as a guy." Linda said with all
seriousness. "And I'll try my best to act like one."

	"You really don't have to do this," Joe said, grinning at her.
It was hardly possible to see Linda as a man just because of the
way she wore her hair, or clothes.

	"But I want to." Linda said. "I wish I could really be a guy
for you and if I ever get the chance, I'll change whatever I must
to do it."

	Joe took her into his arms. Maybe Linda wanted to act like a
man, but when he held her, there was no way she could hide her
trembling femininity. They wrapped their arms around each other
and just held on tightly. Maybe the feelings he had for her were
not the same as they had been, but he couldn't deny they each held
strong feelings for each other.

	"Let's go to bed," Joe said. "I have to get up pretty early."

	"Ok. Let me hold you as if I were a male. Try and forget
what I look like."

	They got into bed and Joe set the alarm for four AM. He
turned off the light and crawled under the sheet. When he did,
Linda came to him and wound her hand under his pajama shirt,
fondling his breasts. It was obvious from the way she acted that
she was trying to act like he had to her when he was male. Since
she knew what felt good, her touch made Joe's body respond. Not
knowing what she'd want him to do, Joe didn't reciprocate, but just
lay there and enjoyed what Linda did to him. Soon, her hand found
its way into his pajama bottoms and she began to gently stroke
between Joe's legs. Joe couldn't resist moving his hips in unison
with her knowledgeable touch, and soon felt his breath come in
gasps. Linda pulled the sheet away and quite forcefully pulled
Joe's bottoms down to his knees.

	Joe worked his feet out of the pajamas and then spread his
legs apart, giving in to whatever Linda wanted to do. She went
down and gently flicked her tongue along Joe's aching clitoris. He
put his hands on Linda's head and stroked her hair as she pleasured
him. Just as he began to feel the urge to have something inside
his vagina, Linda must have read his mind, because she reacted by
placing first one finger, and then another, slowly and gently into
his wet vaginal opening. As she worked on his clitoris with her
tongue, she slowly moved her fingers around, making Joe almost pass
out with pleasure. In what seemed like only moments, Joe felt a
now familiar warmth start at his pelvis and move outwards and
upwards. He placed his hands on his breasts, enjoying the feeling
from both sides. Joe's legs stiffened involuntarily and he could
feel his muscles rhythmically contracting on Linda's fingers.
Female orgasm involves your whole body, he thought, as he writhed
in pleasure.

	When the climax was complete, Joe wanted to hold Linda in his
arms. She willingly complied and began kissing him all over. When
she kissed his lips Joe could smell and even taste the scent of his
own genitalia on her lips. The familiar aroma didn't bother him,
but he suddenly remembered how erotic the same odor had been when
he was male. Now, however, it no longer had the same arousal
effect on him. Not that he needed it anyway.

	Joe held Linda and she held him. Whatever they considered
themselves now, there was no doubt that they could still make each
other happy. But would the world let them?

Article 91118 of alt.sex.stories:
From: an236635@anon.penet.fi (Sapphire)
Subject: TG: Joe Bates (ch 28)
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 1995 20:30:43 GMT

			      Chapter 28

	It seemed that Joe had just fallen asleep when the clock radio
sounded the alarm. He gently unwound himself from Linda's arms.
Another morning, another day.

	Looking at the glowing numbers on the radio, Joe saw they read
04:00. Four in the morning. God, it felt like he had just crawled
in the sack. He had to get up immediately though, since he had
promised a show time of six at the hanger.

	Without making his regular morning examination, Joe sat up and
put his legs over the side of the bed. His bare legs poked from
under the top of the new pajamas. The bottoms lay on the floor
next to the bed. He grinned when he thought about the way Linda
pulled them off of him last night. He had never had anyone
actually pull his pants off before. Of course, things were a lot
different now. Especially after what Linda told him last night.
He still didn't know how to take that.

	Joe didn't turn the light on, but used the glow of the clock
radio readout to walk into the bathroom. He closed the door before
turning on the light in that room, sparing Linda the glare in case
she happened to be awake. But, she gave no sign of that.

	As his eyes adjusted to the light, Joe looked at himself in
the mirror. The new hair cut was all mussed up, the styling stuff
causing it to stay the way it was rumpled by the pillow as he
slept. Before, he used nothing on his hair, and while it was
hardly ever really what could be called neat, it never looked like
this in the morning. He took his hair brush and carefully
straightened it, thankful that it practically fell back the way it
was yesterday. Maybe having this "girl" hair wouldn't be as hard
as he figured.

	As he raised his arms up to brush his hair, Joe could see
pubic hair peek from under the pajama top. Still look like a girl,
he thought to himself. Not a trace of his old genitals. With one
hand, he felt there. The fine pubic hair was stiff with the dried
secretions resulting from last night's excitement. He rubbed it
briskly with his fingers making it soft again and as he went lower
he touched wetness still there. Hmmm, I don't remember feeling
like this in the morning before, he thought.

	Joe had to pee so he sat on the toilet, relieved himself and
when he was through, wiped and carefully examined the tissue.
Everything looked normal. He worried that maybe his period had
begun, but the toilet paper was clear with not a trace of red or
brown. Must just be wetter than usual, he concluded. Some of this
female stuff is going to be nerve wracking.

	Joe got up and flushed; then unbuttoned the pajama top with
its tiny rose blossom print. He removed it and laid it on the
counter, then inspected his bare chest in the mirror. It seemed
that the growing curves still forming there looked slightly fuller
when he peered down on them than they appeared in the mirror.
Could it be his boobs actually were any bigger this morning? He
looked carefully. It was hard to tell, but they were certainly no
smaller. He stood at an angle to the mirror in an attempt to get
a profile view of his new shape. As he looked, it again dawned on
him that last week he didn't look at all like this. Only last
Thursday night his chest was broad and hairy, not curvy and soft.
It was so weird. Sometimes, these new breasts seemed like they
were somehow something foreign, and yet these little mounds of fat
or whatever they were, were part of him.

	Standing there, looking at his reflection, Joe couldn't resist
shaking his shoulders, causing all the new softness to bounce
around provocatively. He still found it a source of amazement how
flexible his chest had become in just a week. And his nipples,
seven days ago less than a twenty-five-cent piece in size, now they
were now larger than half dollars. While they were usually soft
pink cones, they could harden to stiff points for almost any
reason, and often did.

	Joe took a washcloth and wet it with warm water. He carefully
cleansed the folds and creases of his recessed genitals to remove
the wet discharge. Although he hadn't really thought it was
uncomfortable before, he was quite surprised at how much better he
felt afterward. He rinsed the washcloth in the sink.

	Standing naked, Joe carefully applied makeup. Not too much,
since he was still quite inexperienced at it and he felt that none
was better than too much. He finished with a little perfume,
putting some at what he thought were strategically correct
locations on his body. The smell reminded him of Linda, but he
realized that it now was probably his scent, too.

	Joe looked at the black underwear hanging on the shower door.
He was tempted to put it on again, but though he was hoping for the
opportunity to show it to Jay, he had already worn it two days
consecutively. Maybe he had better try something else. He took
the black bra and panties from the door and carried them into the
bedroom.

	Joe retrieved his bag from the floor and placed it on the bed.
He unzipped the side pouch that contained his underwear and placed
the little black set in with the rest. He then went to his drawer
and tried to decide which he wanted to wear today. It was so
different from before. Then, he wore white Jockey shorts every
day; he didn't have this assortment of colors, textures and styles.

	Joe chose the beige hi-leg brief. Nothing all that sexy
really, just normal everyday underwear, normal now that he was like
this anyway. Compared to the feeling of the thong panty, he
couldn't even tell he had this one on. Peering down at his body,
he rubbed the slick nylon between his legs. So soft, so smooth,

	For on top, he picked one of his two beige seamless cup front
hook bras. Although it was everyday wear too, the undecorated
sheer cups looked almost transparent enough to let the dark circles
of his areolae show through. Joe loved the way his boobs looked
whenever wore it.

	Feeling quite sexy with the underwear on, Joe went to the
closet to try to decide what to cover it with. Although they had
gone shopping last night to buy clothes for him to wear today, and
had left the mall loaded down with bags, they had completely
forgotten to buy a cool weather dress.

	Joe saw the olive green dress that Linda bought for him, the
one he wore yesterday, that would be the best, he thought. Hardly
anyone had seen him in it, it was reasonable for cool weather, and
it would probably be OK with his new coat. He took it off the
hanger and lay it on the bed.

	He got a chemise from the drawer and the silver-grey half
slip. Then he went back to the bathroom and retrieved the
pantyhose he wore yesterday. He sat on the bed and went through
the grunting and tugging process required to put them on. He hated
to wear them, but he did love the way his legs looked once they
were inside the Hanes Silk Reflections. He just hoped he wouldn't
have to pee very soon.

	Finally, he put the dress on, then went to the mirror. His
image pleased him. He went to the bathroom and used his hairbrush
to organize his hair. Not bad, not bad, he thought.

	Linda had helped to pack most of the things into his bag. Joe
wasn't even sure what all she had put in there. He was still using
the same military issue looking bag as before, if I'm going to stay
like this for a while, perhaps I'd better get some more feminine
luggage, he decided.

	Getting his shaving kit and checking that the few cosmetics he
used were in it, he then stuffed the kit into the bag too. He
found his black pumps, and his Reeboks. He started to put his
Reeboks into the bag, but changed his mind and stowed the pumps,
going to the drawer and getting the last pair of athletic socks to
wear. He put them on over the pantyhose. He decided to wear the
Reeboks to fly, having found it difficult to do that wearing the
pumps. There would be time to change when they arrived in
Minneapolis.

	When he was all dressed and packed, Joe looked at the time.
It was only four-fifteen. He still had forty-five minutes till he
had to be at the hanger. He wondered if he should eat something,
or if he should get something along the way. The trip north would
take three or four hours, he could fill the coffee pot on the
plane, maybe he could pick up a few doughnuts. Yeah, that's what
he'd do. He gathered up his flight bag, and remembered his hand
bag. Taking both in hand, he started out of the room. Before he
left, Linda spoke.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" she asked.

	"I thought you were still asleep. I'll see you tomorrow
night," Joe said, going to her.

	She put her arms out, and hugged him tightly. They kissed,
the same way they had done so many times before. For Joe, it
simply wasn't the same. He looked at Linda and smiled.

	Linda looked into his eyes. "I think you need to have your
ears pierced," Linda said matter-of-factly.

	"Why do you say that?"

	"Oh, I don't know. I just think it would look right on you,
that's all."

	"Gee, I don't know. Would it hurt?"

	"Hardly," Linda said, laughing. "Hey, what's the matter? Are
you afraid to try something that probably most thirteen year old
girls do?"

	"I'm not afraid. But remember, I was a guy, maybe I still
think like a guy, sometimes anyway, but all the external things
which made me a man have either disappeared, or I can tell they're
going fast. I just know I don't have the pain tolerance I did
before. Everything is just too darn sensitive now. I can't help
it."

	"It doesn't hurt that much." Linda said. "I had mine pierced
ten, no twelve years ago. I think I was seventeen."

	"We can talk about it when I get back." Joe wasn't looking
forward to it, however.

	"I'll look for some earrings for you this evening," Linda
replied. It seemed she really liked to buy female things for Joe.

	"See you tomorrow."

	"Call me when you get there," Linda said.

	"Ok. I will." One final hug and he gathered his things and
went out the door.

	Joe drove the distance to the airport, stopping at a doughnut
shop, and picking up dozen. Far too many for Jay and him, but
there would probably be a couple of mechanics on duty at the
hanger, and he knew they could inhale them.

	The sun was up in force when he drove into the lot at the
airport. He didn't see Jay's car yet. Five-forty-five. Plenty of
time. Jay was never late.

	Joe went in the gate. As he guessed, Bill and Rick, two
Honeybone Aircraft mechanics, were already there, and were sitting
in the break room. The 425 was already on the ramp. Joe knew they
had already topped the fuel, and probably even had the coffee urn
filled.

	Joe greeted them and they returned it pleasantly. They never
commented on his new status, probably too embarrassed to even
mention it. Joe had been friends with each of them before the
change, and it was initially awkward to be seen by someone he
previously knew looking the way he did now, even if he had already
become fairly used to the idea himself.

	Joe put his bags on the table, went to the coffee pot and
filled a cup. He could feel the eyes of the two young mechanics on
him as he walked to and from the pot. He didn't blame them, he
knew he was a curiosity.

	He took his cup and sat with them at the table. "So, anything
new with you guys?" Joe asked with a grin, trying to break the
tension. Bill and Rick broke into laughter. Joe joined them. It
was obvious that they had been uncomfortable, and his simple yet
obvious attempt at humor over the situation was all that was needed
to break the ice.

	"God, Joe, I really can't believe it's you," Rick said. "I
heard something had happened to all you guys, but it sounded like
a bunch of bullshit. I can see it's true."

	"Yeah, it's true all right. It's been a week now, and I'm
starting to get used to it a little bit, but it is different."

	"You sure do look like a woman." Bill said. "Sound like one
too. How far does it go?" he asked curiously.

	Joe grinned. "All the way, I guess. The doctors say even our
genes have been altered."

	"You mean, even your, I can see you got, er... breasts, but
what about, ah well, you know," Bill stammered.

	"Everything. Like I said, it'll take some getting used to.
For all of us."

	"What's it feel like?" Rick asked. It seemed everybody wanted
to know that.

	"Well," Joe said, trying to explain for the umpteenth time.
"It really isn't as different as you probably think. My muscle
strength is still changing, stuff like that, but otherwise I guess
I look more different from I feel. A few things that are a lot
different, of course." Joe grinned.

	"I guess so." Rick said. "Are you going to have to stay like
that?"

	"I don't really know. So far, they're trying to figure out
just how it happened. When they can do that, then maybe they can
find a way to change us back, if it's even possible."

	"Are Dave and Mike changed like that too?" Bill asked.

	"Yeah, they sure are. And Tim Werner, you know, the line boy
at Thunderbird, it happened to him too. I guess it has something
to do with the GPS tests. Tim was watching us calibrate the
transmitter boxes."

	"What's the Company doing about it?" Rick asked. "Do you
think it might affect us too?"

	"I don't know who else it might affect, but if you haven't
noticed anything yet, it probably hasn't done anything to you. So
far, the Company has been pretty helpful. I have to go see
Peterson this morning."

	"You sure don't act like you're pissed off, or anything." Bill
noted.

	"Well, at first I was, I guess. All I could think about was
to find a way to change back, but after a while, I don't know, that
doesn't seem as important now. I guess it's chemical, the
hormones, or something. I really don't know."

	"You mean you like to be like that. I mean you sure look
great and everything for a woman, but, I mean, you're a guy. Don't
you want your own body back?" Rick asked.

	"Yeah, I know it seems funny. It does to me too. But you
said I was a guy, and that's right, I WAS a guy. Now, I guess
maybe I'm somehow getting accustomed to the idea of being female.
I can't help it, but it just doesn't seem that bad anymore. This
IS my body. It's a little different, sure, but its still mine." He
shrugged his shoulders.

	"So you'd like to stay like that?" Bill asked. "How do you
feel about women?" He added.

	"I don't know, Bill. I don't really know. Women, of course,
my feelings ARE different. I still like them, but in a different
way, for sure. As you can imagine, I have to relate differently to
them now. I guess I'm starting to get that way with guys, too," he
added, grinning.

	"You're starting to like men?" Bill asked.

	"Well, I don't know about LIKING them. I just guess I'm
starting to see them in a different way. But don't worry, I won't
start chasing you around or anything," Joe said, smiling.

	"Man, this is sort of weird." Rick exclaimed. "You sure are,
er, ah, rather pretty, Joe. I hope you don't take that the wrong
way." He smiled as he said it.

	"Hey, I changed, but I didn't go blind. I know I look
different. I can tell you, I feel different, too. But it's still
me here. I still remember and know everything I did last week or
last month. I guess I just have to get used to wearing different
clothes." Joe grinned and pushed his chest out as he spoke the
last sentence.

	Rick's eyes went to Joe's breasts. "Damn, it's hard to
believe those little yellow transmitter boxes could cause that," he
said, ogling Joe's curves.

	Joe felt a little like he had in the pharmacy, with the young
check-out boy undressing him with his eyes. Again, he found he
sort of got a charge out of being the object of attention. Was it
just another normal "female" response coming out, he wondered to
himself? Was this what life around men was going to be like from
now on? Constant subtle, sometimes not so subtle, flirting?

	Joe sat up straight in the chair and unconsciously touched his
hair. He didn't say anything, but just smiled at the two guys. He
was still trying to think of something clever to say when the door
opened and Jay walked in. Joe's eyes brightened when he saw his
pal.

	"Good morning, everyone," Jay said. "Where's the coffee?"

	Joe pointed to the counter. Jay went to the pot and filled a
styrofoam cup. Then he came to the table where the others were
seated. "I feel like I just got to bed. I don't see how you guys
can get up this early every day."

	"You get used to it." Rick said.

	"When you finish the cup, call DUAT and check the weather,"
Joe said to Jay, suddenly going into flight instructor mode.

	"What airport At Minneapolis?" Jay asked.

	"St. Paul, actually." Joe answered. "Downtown Airport."

	Jay got up and went to the PC. After a few seconds trying to
figure out how to use it, he got the terminal program to auto-dial
the Direct User Access Terminal. He could use that to check the
enroute and terminal weather. He figured out the airport
identifier for St. Paul Downtown, Holman Field, STP. After typing
in a few numbers, Jay sat back and waited. Soon the printer
started churning out four pages of weather reports and NOTAMs. He
took the paper to the table and handed them to Joe.

	Joe looked at the weather carefully. Jay stood behind him,
looking over his shoulder. "I like your hair," Jay said.

	Joe looked back over his shoulder at Jay. He could tell he
meant it. "Thanks, I guess. It's still a little short, don't you
think?"

	"Looks OK to me." Jay said. He was obviously still in some
kind of awe of his changed friend.

	"It looks like we can make it," Joe advised. Plan a route for
best winds, not over, say, Flight Level 250."

	Jay went to his brief case and started to remove some charts.

	"Use the charts and flight manual in that Jepp case over
there." Joe said, pointing to the rack by the wall which held three
large, well worn cases. He planned to help Jay only if he asked
for it. The Turbo Prop Cessna was capable of better performance
than Jay's Mooney, but the procedures were essentially the same.

	Jay had both the Victor and Jet Route charts spread out on the
table by the time he had decided on a route. He presented it to
Joe, who had been observing him carefully. Joe looked at it, and
almost instantly accepted what he proposed. Joe had more flight
experience than Jay, but actually he didn't make that many cross
country trips either.

	"Go ahead and file it," Joe said. "Plan Takeoff for 1200Z."

	Bill and Rick had been watching them plan the flight.
Although they both were A&P mechanics, only Rick was a private
pilot too. Bill, although it was possible to get him in a plane if
you had to, didn't really like to fly at all, but he was a very
good mechanic. When they heard the proposed takeoff time, the two
mechanics went out to the plane leaving Joe and Jay alone.

	"Are we ready?" Joe asked.

	"I think so. I know I have everything I'd need for the
Mooney."

	"I think we're ready too. I want to stop off at the restroom
one last time."

	"Yeah, me too," Jay said, and followed Joe.

	Joe went into the ladies' room. Jay entered the men's. Jay
finished first and was waiting for Joe when he came out. "You
really are looking good today, Joe."

	"Thanks," Joe returned. "You are too." He smiled.

	Jay took his bag, his flight bag, and Joe's B-4 bag. When Joe
objected, Jay just pointed to the Jepp case. "You carry that," was
all he said.

	Joe picked up his flight bag and the Jepp case. It was all he
could carry to bring them. He had forgotten that he wasn't as
strong as before. He followed Jay to the plane, walking a few
paces behind his friend. Jay looked so big and strong carrying the
baggage. Joe couldn't remember thinking of Jay as particularly
strong before. He had always been slightly smaller than Joe. Not
anymore.

	The cabin door was open on the 425 and Rick was inside. The
doughnuts were in the box on a seat and Joe saw that the coffee
container was full. He hoped he wouldn't need to urinate on the
flight. There was a potty under one of the aft seats, but he
didn't want to go through the gymnastics required to get his skirt
up, his pantyhose and underwear down, and then squat on the little
commode, just to pee. Three or four hours had been no problem
before, but now, oh, for a zipper and cock, he thought, grinning
silently to himself.

	Rick squeezed passed Joe in the cabin, and Joe felt his right
breast brush against Rick's arm. Joe looked at Rick, and Rick
returned the glance, slightly embarrassed. Joe smiled and winked
at him, then felt the blood rush to his face. What was he doing?
Flirting with one of his former buddies? Rick just smiled and went
out.

	Joe placed his bags on the seat and went back out, too. The
mechanics always did a thorough job with preflight, but Joe always
performed his own quick walkaround. Jay followed him around the
plane. He had placed their bags at the rear of the cabin. As they
walked around the fair sized twin with its paint showing its age,
Joe pointed out the things he was looking for and checking.

	Joe found it very difficult to inspect the wheel wells while
wearing the skirt, so he asked Jay to look for any signs of leaks
or foreign objects. Jay checked under the wing as Joe stood at the
leading edge.

	When they satisfied themselves that there were no problems
with the airframe, Joe and Jay reboarded the aircraft. Company
regulations required that Joe fly from the left side since he was
the only company employee on the flight and was pilot in command
for insurance purposes. Since the Cessna was usually used for
avionics development it was configured a little different from a
typical mid-seventies small turboprop. On the left side there was
now a single large CRT called an EFIS display. It was driven by a
black box in the nose and could display all the information usually
found on the attitude director and horizontal situation indicator
found in most 425's. On the right, an extremely capable, but
conventional and reliable, previous generation HSI and ADI were
fitted. Jay would be well equipped to fly the aircraft cross
country IFR, even from the right side.

	As they were also required to do, Rick positioned himself at
the front of the aircraft, in clear view of the aircrew, so as to
stand fire guard while Joe started the noisy Garrett turbines. Joe
adjusted the headset to his head, trying not to muss his hair too
much. Jay was on intercom too, but he just watched as Joe went
through the starting engines checklist, reading off and performing
each line item as he got to it. Joe flew by the book, and while
flying wasn't his primary duty it was the one he enjoyed the most,
and he was pretty good at it.

	When the engines were started, Rick waved bye and went inside,
away from the incessant scream of turbines and props. The tower
wouldn't open for another two hours so Joe looked around to confirm
no other traffic around the aircraft, then began to taxi to the
runway. When they were ready to go, Joe made the take off, then
handed the plane over to Jay and made contact with Phoenix
departure. For the rest of the flight, Joe would handle the
radios, while Jay flew and navigated. The two had flown together
enough that they could anticipate what the other needed, and
therefore worked pretty well as a team.

	When they reached cruising altitude, Joe switched on the
autopilot. "How about a doughnut and some coffee?" he asked.

	"Sounds good to me," Jay agreed.

	Joe reached around and filled two styrofoam cups, handed one
to Jay, and placed the other in the cup holder beside his seat. He
pulled the box of doughnuts off the seat and placed it between the
crew seats.

	Jay selected a doughnut and watched as Joe did the same. He
grinned. "I'm surprised that you're eating those."

	"What do you mean?" Joe asked.

	"From the way you talked on the phone, I thought you were
going on a crash diet or something."

	"Oh, that. Yeah, maybe I should too. I swear my butt is
starting to get bigger already. I guess it's probably inevitable
if I'm going to be like this; that I get wider hips and all that.
But I don't want to be one of those women with big butts. God, I
really don't," Joe lamented.

	"Like I said, your butt looks pretty nice to me. I think you
have a long way to go before it's too big."

	"But I'm telling you, it's only been a week, and I'm sure that
I can tell it's getting bigger, and softer."

	Jay looked over at Joe as if trying to see his hips. He
looked into Joe's eyes. "Damn it Joe, I really don't see anything
wrong with you. It's probably just your imagination."

	"No, it's not. I know it's not my imagination. I'm sure I'm
still changing. My boobs are still getting bigger, my arms and
shoulders smaller, and my butt is getting bigger. I'm sure of it."

	Jay grinned and raised his eyebrows. "Boobs still getting
bigger, eh? I'd like to see that," he said teasingly.

	Joe looked at him and acted as if he was offended. "Cut it
out Jay," he said, trying to sound hurt. He felt this strange new
urge to flirt with guys beginning to affect how he acted. He still
liked to joke around with Jay but he didn't know exactly how to do
it and still maintain some level of decorum. When it came to
feelings about sex, Joe figured he still pretty much thought like
a guy even though his tastes were changing and now he really had no
choice but to argue the female point of view. It was a strange
position to be in, and he was still learning the rules.

	"I'm sorry." Jay said, trying to sound repentant. He really
wasn't sure if Joe was teasing or not. Although his old friend
acted and spoke pretty much like before the change, it was weird to
hear such words in the voice of the attractive woman he had become.

	Joe looked at Jay and smiled. "They're not that much bigger,
but I'm pretty sure they are still growing."

	"You'll have to let me judge that," Jay said jokingly.

	"Well, maybe you'll get a chance," Joe said seductively, "but
for now, I think we better keep our eyes on the sky."

	They flew on, sipping coffee and munching on doughnuts. In
the course of three hours, Joe downed three of them. When he and
Jay each took their third one, Jay looked at him. "If you're
really worried about the size of your butt, maybe you better lay
off those things."

	"Yeah, I know. But I'm getting hungry. I'm just unused to
eating like a bird. Do you really think it's getting bigger?"

	"It doesn't look any different to me, it looks fantastic. And
don't see how you do it. I think I'd go nuts if that happened to
me, but you seem to be adjusting so well."

	"I don't know. The longer I stay this way, the easier it
gets. At first, all I could think about was getting back. Now, I
worry more about why I don't seem to care anymore. I really think
it's even affected the way I think."

	"Well, I know it's affected the way I think about you. You're
practically all I can think about anymore. If I didn't know
better, I think I'd have to say I'm crazy about you. You, my best
buddy."

	Joe looked at his friend. He knew how Jay felt. He was
starting to feel the same way, and he was finding it very difficult
to think about a man, any man, the way he found himself thinking
about Jay. They had been close friends for a long time, ten years.
They were probably closer than brothers, and they had always shared
the same interests. Now, this new relationship that was beginning
to develop was hard for both of them to accept.

	"Yeah, I know, Who would have imagined it would work out like
this?" Joe looked ahead and smiled.

	"What should we do about it?"

	"Jay, I don't know, but let's not rush into anything. Why
don't we just let the chips fall where they will, and see what
happens? All this is still too new to me. I don't even want to
consider commitments now. Hell, I'm still living with Linda, for
God's sake."

	"I know you're right, but damn it, Joe, I think you should
know how you're making me feel."

	"Hey, I think I'm starting to feel the same way, and I have to
tell you, it's a strange feeling. Never in my life did I ever
think I'd think the thoughts I think now about a guy." Joe felt
himself blush, and he grinned as he said the words into the headset
microphone.

	When they were one hundred DME from the last enroute Vortac,
Joe requested a lower altitude. The kept the power up, and let the
Cessna speed increase as she descended. Before long, Minneapolis
center handed them to approach control. The approach and landing
were uneventful.

	When they taxied to parking, Joe shut the engines down and
secured the gustlock. He got up from his seat, and retrieved his
flight bag. He had placed his purse in it and he would need that
to check his hair and makeup. But first, he had to pee. He was
sure his bladder had been affected, become smaller, since it seemed
he had to go at least every three hours now, and it had been almost
four since they had left Phoenix. He hoped he could make the
restroom before an accident.

	"Tell these guys they can move the plane if they need to," Joe
said. "We'll be staying overnight, leaving sometime tomorrow. I
just have to go to the bathroom."

	"Well, get going, then," Jay said jokingly. "I'll take care
of things here."

	Joe took his flight bag left the aircraft and quickly walked
across the ramp to the lounge. As he walked, he could sense that
the eyes of every male on the ramp were watching him. It was a
strange, not totally unpleasant feeling, but one that he never had
before the change. Sometimes the planes he had flown and the
equipment installed in them would attract some attention when he
landed at an airport unfamiliar with Honeybone test aircraft, but
this was different. If he had just gotten out of the Concorde,
most of the male eyes would have still been on his butt as he
walked across the ramp. If they knew that the reason for his brisk
walk was because he was trying not to pee his pants, would they
still watch, he wondered to himself.

	In the restroom, he quickly relieved himself; then went to the
mirror to freshen up. Wearing the David Clark headset had pressed
his hair down, but it fell right back into place with a quick
brushing. It was not as difficult to keep his own hair organized
as it had been with the much longer length hair of the wig. Maybe
this wouldn't be so bad after all. Joe smiled at his reflection in
the mirror, quite pleased with his appearance.

	Joe went back out into the lounge area. Jay was seated in one
of the plush chairs, waiting for him. Joe returned the big grin
Jay had and walked over to the young woman at the counter.

	"There should be a car reservation for us," Joe announced.
"Joel Bates, Honeybone."

	"Yes, Ms. Bates," the woman said. "It's parked just around
the side of this hanger." She went to the rack of keys behind her
and selected one.

	"Here it is," she said, handing Joe the keys.

	Joe knew they had reservations at the Radisson Plaza Hotel
downtown. He wondered if they should check in there first, or go
straight to the Honeybone offices. It was not lunch time yet, but
if they did go directly to the office, they would get there about
one half hour before everyone would be at lunch. If they went to
the hotel, they could eat at one of the many restaurants at the
downtown complex and then go to Honeybone. He walked over to where
Jay was seated. "Do you want to check in and eat before we go to
Honeybone, or just go directly there?"

	"Hey, I'm following you," Jay replied. "I really don't care.
What time is your appointment?"

	"Well, I really don't have an appointment." Joe answered. "I
guess I could call."

	"Yeah, maybe you should." Jay agreed.

	Joe went back to the desk. "Is there a phone I can use for a
local call?"

	"Right over there," the woman answered with a smile, pointing
to the table next to the chair Jay was sitting in.

	"Thanks," Joe said, wearing a fooling grin.

	Joe went back over to the table and sat in the other chair.
He got his notepad from his flight bag and looked up a the phone
number. After he punched in the numbers and when the operator
answered, he asked for Mr. Peterson's secretary. In a moment, she
came on the line. "Mr. Peterson's office."

	"Hi. This is Joel Bates. I work for Honeybone Commercial
Avionics in Phoenix. I'm supposed to meet with Mr. Peterson today.
I've arrived and I'm at the airport."

	"Good morning Ms. Bates. Mr. Peterson is expecting you. Do
you need transportation from the airport?"

	"No, I have a rental car."

	He wondered why she called him "Ms." She couldn't see him.
Probably he even sounded like a woman on the phone, too.

	"Ok then, we'll be expecting you. Will you be right over?"

	"That's what I was calling about. I really don't know when
you're expecting me. I figured you had been told I would be there
in the afternoon, and I wondered if I should check into the hotel
first."

	"Well, I know that Mr. Peterson has two other people coming
after lunch to meet with you, but I'm sure you're welcome anytime.
I'm sure he's very anxious to meet you."

	"Well, I'll be there as soon as I can. I brought a friend
along. We may check into the hotel before we report in."

	"That will be fine. I'll advise Mr. Peterson you'll be in at
one."

	"See you then," Joe said. "Bye."

	"I'll be looking forward to meeting you." Joe heard the phone
click off.

	"Let's go and check into the hotel and grab a bite before we
go to see Peterson," Joe told Jay.

	"You're the boss, old buddy," Jay teased.

	Jay carried the big bags and Joe dragged the lighter ones to
the rental car. It was at the far end of the lot, and by the time
they arrived, Joe was almost dragging his and Jay's flight bag.
Jay had the much heavier clothes bags and was carrying them without
problem or complaint. Joe was embarrassed by the way he had to
carry the bags just to make it to the car.

	"You don't have any idea what this does to your ego," Joe
exclaimed when he saw Jay watch him struggle with the bags. "It
was all I could do to get them here. My arms just don't have any
strength anymore. And it's still getting worse."

	Jay grinned widely. "Yeah, but your boobs are getting
bigger."

	Joe could feel his face redden with embarrassment. Jay would
never let him live that one down. They put the bags in the trunk
and Joe drove the car to the hotel. He had been to the Honeybone
offices once before, to a project meeting with Jim. They had
stayed at the Radisson Plaza then too.

	The Radisson Plaza check-in went smoothly. The girl at the
desk asked Jay if they wanted adjoining rooms, and Jay answered
"Sure." The girl smiled at Jay and he smiled back. When they had
their bags in the room, Joe went back down and parked the car in
the underground parking garage.

	When he got back to the room, Joe opened his bag and took out
his shaving kit, placed it in the bathroom, and then hung up the
clothes Linda had packed for him. He was surprised to see she had
included one of her sexier chemises. It was soft, ivory colored
silk, with lace at the edges and around the low top. The straps
were very thin, more like little ribbons than straps. Joe had not
seen Linda wear it. Indeed it really didn't look like it had ever
been worn before. Why did she pack this, he wondered?

	He held it up to his body. It barely went to the widest part
of his hips. It's a little short for me, he thought. Then he saw
the matching silk bikini panties. He imagined how Linda would look
wearing this. Then he realized, she packed this for him. It was
for HIM to wear. Did she know about him and Jay? How could she?

	There was a knock at the door connecting Jay's room with his.
Joe dropped the silk chemise on his bag and went over to open the
door. He had figured Jay would be knocking before long.

	"Just thought I'd see how you were doing," Jay said with a big
grin.

	"I'm just fine, thank you," Joe said primly.

	"Where's a good place to eat?"

	"There are a few restaurants here in the hotel, and we're
connected to others by the skywalks you saw as we drove in. We can
get all over down town without even leaving the building."

	"Are you ready?" Jay asked, looking around.

	"Yeah." Joe answered. "I was just hanging up some of my
stuff."

	Jay saw the white chemise lying on top of the B-4 bag. "Is
THAT yours?" he asked, his eyes getting wide.

	"Quit snooping." Joe said, taking the dainty thing and
stuffing it back in the pouch.

	"Seriously. Do you wear that?"

	"I can if I want to, can't I?" Joe answered, going on the
defensive.

	"Sure, you can wear anything you want. I just have trouble
thinking you'd want to wear something that, frilly, sexy, not that
you wouldn't look great in it," Jay stammered.

	"I saw it for the first time myself, just now," Joe explained.
"Linda must have put it in my bag. I don't know why."

	"Does she know what we did?" Jay wondered aloud, sounding like
a little boy.

	"Man, how could she?" Joe answered quickly, sounding more sure
of himself than he really was. Why did she put it in his bag?

	"Can I see it on you?"

	"Well, I don't know if I want you to." Joe said demurely. He
had resigned himself to them getting together again on this trip.
Actually, he was looking forward to it, but the thought of parading
his new body in front of his pal wearing white silk, and lace,
well, a guy did have to have limits.

	"Why not? What could I see that I haven't seen already?"
Again, to Joe, Jay sounded like a little boy, this time begging
for something he desperately wanted.

	"If you've seen it all, why do you need to see it again?" It
was kind of fun watching a grown man beg.

	Jay looked at Joe, then pulled him to him, taking him in his
arms. With absolutely no embarrassment, he kissed Joe on the lips.
Joe felt his knees getting weak as he decided to let Jay do as he
wanted. He was surprised at how pleasant it was to kiss Jay. He
couldn't figure out what caused it, was it the feeling of strength
he could sense as Jay held him tightly? Was it something about the
changes in his upper body, with its smaller, weaker muscles and his
sensitive breasts, which were now pressed firmly to Jay's strong
chest? What caused his knees to want to buckle? He never felt
like that before the change with Linda, or any other woman. But
now, both times Jay had kissed him it had happened.

	Jay kissed for what seemed like a couple of minutes, then let
Joe stand erect. "Sorry, I just had to do that."

	"God, Jay, If you only knew how that feels," Joe said, trying
to regain his composure.

	"It feels pretty good to me."

	"Same here, but I'd rather you asked me, first."

	"Didn't you like it?"

	"Damn it Jay, Of course I did, it was great. My legs almost
gave out. I can't explain how it feels, but even so, please don't
do it anymore, without asking." Joe walked into the bathroom while
he spoke.

	"Well, I can hardly keep my hands off you. You remember how
it is, don't you?"

	"Do you really think it's any different now?" Joe asked.
"Other than that you're a guy, the urge is the same, maybe even
stronger now. Women have the same desires, I guess. Anyway, I
can't really speak for the way real women feel."

	"Then why don't we let our feelings come out? We've always
been pals, and now, I don't know how to explain it, you, you're,
damn it Joe, surely you realize you've changed into an extremely
sensual woman, to me anyway, you're absolutely gorgeous. And yet,
you think like a guy, I can talk to you." Jay was stammering
uncharacteristically.

	"Yeah, sure I know I've changed. Believe me, I'm sure it's
even more obvious to me than to you. But like I've said before,
it's still me here. I'm trying my damndest to adapt to looking
like this and feeling like this. Like you said, I think I'm doing
pretty good, most of the time anyway, but I just can't jump right
into this. I have to work it out at my own pace. Don't try to
rush me, ok?"

	Joe spoke as he brushed his hair, and straightened his dress.
He could sense that the crotch of his panties were wet again. It
was an uncomfortable feeling, but he was getting accustomed to it.
It too seemed to be one of the many things that went with being
female.

	Jay came to the open door of the bathroom. "Ok. I'll try to
slow down. Just chew me out when I get like that. I guess I just
can't help it."

	Joe looked over at Jay. He smiled. "We'll work this out. I
don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

	"Where do you want to eat?"

	"Just follow me."

	He went into the main room, and found his purse on the bed.
He got his new coat, and put it on. Even though the restaurant was
indoors, and they could probably go right from there to Honeybone,
there would be no reason to go to the room, and it was definitely
cool enough for the coat. Joe's more sensitive skin seemed to feel
the cold more easily now.

	They went down the elevator to the ground floor. There was a
little french style restaurant only a short walk from the elevator.
The maitre-de seated them at a large picture window that looked out
on an attractive shopping mall one floor below them.

	They ordered a light lunch and as they ate their salads, Joe
decided to ask Jay a question that had been on his mind. "Jay,
have you ever watched the TV show 'Northern Exposure'?"

	"Northern Exposure? Yeah, I think I've seen it a few times,
it comes on Monday nights I think. Doesn't it?"

	"I really don't know. I haven't seen it yet."

	"What's the question?" Jay asked, his curiosity was awakened.
Joe didn't watch television much. Why would he ask such a
question?

	"Well, Linda says I remind her of somebody on that show, a
woman. Someone named Maggie O'Connell, I think it was."

Article 91119 of alt.sex.stories:
From: an236635@anon.penet.fi (Sapphire)
Subject: TG: Joe Bates (ch 29)
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 1995 20:31:12 GMT

			      Chapter 29

	Jay looked at his buddy.

	"Yeah, Yeah, except for the hair, I guess maybe you do sort
of look like her." He exclaimed.

	"Do you think she's attractive?" Joe asked carefully.

	"Attractive, yeah, sure, absolutely. She's beautiful, almost
angelic looking, in maybe a quirky kind of way." Jay said,
laughing.

	"Quirky? Just what the hell does that mean?"

	"Oh, I don't know exactly. She acts kind of weird sometimes,
but then everyone on that show is a bit weird I guess. She is
beautiful, that's for sure." Jay was trying to choose his words
very carefully.

	"So you guys think I've started looking like some quirky woman
on a TV show, huh?" Joe asked, not expecting an answer.

	"Hey, I can't help it. You just do," Jay said, laughing.

	They finished their lunch and then went down to the garage.
They got in the rental car and Joe drove them to the Honeybone
offices. When they arrived, they walked into the reception area
and told the person behind the desk who they were. She cleared
them on down a long hallway to another reception area. This was
where Mr. Peterson's office was.

	Joe introduced himself to the young lady behind the desk.
"Hi. I'm Joe Bates. This is a friend, Jay Logan. We have a
meeting with Mr. Peterson."

	"Hello Ms. Bates, Mr. Logan," said the young woman, eyeing Joe
carefully. "Pleased to meet you. I'll tell Mr. Peterson you're
here." She punched some buttons and spoke softly into the tiny
headset she was wearing. "You can go right in."

	Joe again felt the burn of self-consciousness as he walked to
the office door. He was becoming quite accustomed to the way he
looked and felt now, but the feeling still hit him whenever he knew
he was going to be looked at carefully. He looked down at his
clothes and smoothed his skirt, carefully adjusted the collar and
checked his chest. The soft mounds there suddenly felt much bigger
than they were, and Joe could actually feel his nipples where they
rubbed against the bra. He hoped that they couldn't be seen, but
the relatively thick cloth of the dress hid everything well. His
appearance was attractive, but
dignified, he thought.

	Mr. Peterson was standing behind his desk when Joe entered.
He walked out from behind it and held his hand out to Joe. Joe
shook it and then introduced Jay.

	"Mr. Peterson, this is my friend Jay Logan. He's been a great
help to me so far. He's an attorney, but I hope you don't hold
that against him." Joe smiled.

	"Mr. Logan." Mr. Peterson shook Jay's hand and eyed him
warily. He obviously didn't know how to take him.

	"I hope we can work this problem out," Mr. Peterson said to
Jay directly.

	"I think we can." Jay could feel the tension in the air.

	"Jay has been my best friend for years," Joe said. "I hope
you aren't interpreting him as some kind of threat."

	"Joe, have they been treating you, all of you, acceptably? Is
there anything you need? Anything at all we can do?" Mr. Peterson
asked. He was obviously saying it "for the record."

	"Well, I think everything is going about as fast as it can."
Joe said.

	"You look quite, er, healthy, are you in any pain, or anything
like that?"

	"No. I think everything is OK. I've just changed a lot," Joe
said, smiling at the man.

	"They've told me what happened. Are you absolutely sure that
the GPS caused this?" Peterson asked.

	"We're not sure of anything yet," Joe said. "But I think
we'll find out."

	"I hope so," Mr. Peterson said as he walked back behind his
desk and sat. "Please be seated. I'd like to talk a few minutes."

	Joe sat in one of the overstuffed chairs. Jay sat next to
him.

	"So you just woke up one morning last week looking this way?"
Peterson asked. "Are sure you weren't taking hormones or anything
like that?"

	"Well, no, of course I wasn't, why would I do that? Most of
this happened overnight, but there are still changes taking place.
I can actually feel them."

	"And it doesn't hurt? There's no pain or other problem?"
Peterson asked. He was obviously very interested in Joe's health.

	"No. Absolutely nothing like that. Everything is much more,
er, sensitive, but there is no pain. It feels, I don't know, sort
of normal, I guess."

	"What about the others? I understand there are four of you,"
Peterson continued.

	"They've all experienced basically the same thing. Dave
Skinner is married. I think it's affected him even more than the
rest of us. It's a little hard to relate to a wife when you're
like this."

	"Just how extensive are the changes, if I might ask."

	"Extensive?" Joe looked at Peterson. "I think can say this,
the only thing still male are my memories, and maybe some of my
habits. They tell us that even our genes have been altered,
damaged is how it was described, and that's what has caused our
bodies to feminize."

	"Genetic damage?" Peterson asked. "In what way?"

	"Well, I'm not the expert here, but apparently our normal XY
chromosomes have been altered, they now appear XX, like female
genes. That's probably the reason our bodies have changed like
this, and changed so quickly." Joe explained the phenomenon the
best he could.

	"And do you anticipate that a way can be found to change you
back?"

	"I really don't know." Joe said. "I think they're still
trying to figure out how it occurred in the first place."

	"The truth now, Joe. What do you really want Honeybone to do
about this?" Peterson asked.

	"Mr. Peterson, for now anyway, I think everyone's doing all
that can be done." Joe had expected this question. He continued.
"Please just don't give up on this, or the project for that matter.
I think this can be worth much more valuable than a GPS system,
even if it isn't reversible, but especially if it is."

	Peterson looked at Joe. "Call me Pete. Just what exactly do
you mean by that, Joe?"

	"Well, the other day, when I was at a clinic in San Diego, I
met a few people who are having problems like I have now, but
they've been like this all their lives. They feel like they were
born with the wrong body and it gnaws at them constantly. Doctors
like Benjamin Krell attempt to help these people with therapy and
sometimes surgery. I guess it helps, but it's nothing like this.
This changes everything," Joe said. "For some people, I think this
could be a dream come true."

	"You said one of you were married, what's she, he, er, what's
ah, Dave Skinner, what's he doing about it?" Pete asked.

	"Well, right now, Dave still lives with his family. Three of
us have completed paperwork to legally change our gender, so I
guess you can refer to us as women. Dave didn't, since he was
married, he couldn't without getting a divorce, and I really don't
think he wants to do that if he can get back."

	"Do you prefer that I address you as a woman?" Pete asked.

	"You can do whatever you like," Joe said smiling, somewhat
embarrassed. "At first I wanted to deny what happened to me, But
now I guess I'm getting used to it."

	"Won't you have to readjust again if we can change you back?"
Pete wondered.

	"I guess I will, but I'm sure it'd be easier to get used to
being male again. I mean I've got thirty years' experience at
that." Joe said, smiling.

	"Don't take it the wrong way, Joe, I didn't know you before,
but you're quite attractive the way you are now," Pete said.

	"Thanks. I'm getting used to it, and I've got to admit,
sometimes it is kind of interesting to look like this."

	"But, let's not forget that what happened was caused by job
related genetic damage," Jay interrupted.

	Mr. Peterson looked at Jay. "Just what do you think we should
do, Mr. Logan?"

	"I just want to remind both of you that Honeybone is ultimate-
ly responsible for all job-related injuries, no matter how unusual
they might appear."

	"Do you feel that our friend Joe here is unusual?"

	"I have never heard of anything like this happening before,
have you?"

	"No, No, I guess I haven't," Peterson agreed.

	"Well, Pete, Mr. Bates here has been inflicted with some
serious problems," Jay said. "Think about it, and try to forget
what his body looks like now. While on the job, he was subjected
to radiation which permanently damaged his chromosomes, the basic
building blocks of his physical being. This injury has caused
significant changes to his body. He can no longer function as a
normal male. Technically, he's impotent now. In fact, the damage
has actually caused his male genitals to atrophy. Why, he can no
longer even urinate normally. Further, it has caused him to lose
weight and considerable strength. In almost every way, he is no
longer the normal, healthy man he was just a week ago."
"Jay, I don't... " Joe attempted to stop him. He certainly
didn't like to be referred to as impotent. Maybe everything was a
lot different now, but it seemed that impotence was hardly a proper
description of his affliction.

	"I'm not trying to threaten anyone," Jay continued. "But I
think we all must consider exactly what happened here. I feel
that's my responsibility to my best friend."

	"Yes, you're right of course." Peterson agreed. "If it can be
determined that Honeybone is responsible then we will do what we
must. But on the other hand, I must be sure that Honeybone is
responsible."

	"Mr. Peterson, Pete, I want you to understand that I'm not out
for my personal gain. I can't speak for the rest of the guys,
but I just hope that the Company doesn't desert us, either," Joe
said.

	"Joe, Joe, I don't think you've anything to worry about in
that respect. Honeybone is a people company, we're not about to
let any of you go, you're all far too valuable to lose anyway."
Peterson smiled.

	Hearing the president of the company say those words were
comforting to Joe. Although he wasn't particularly worried about
his job, he wasn't sure what that job would be now. With Peterson
on his side, he had less even less to be concerned about.

	"One thing, Joe, before you go back to Arizona, could I get
you to stop by at this clinic? I'd like some of our doctors to
examine you, a sort of second opinion, if you will."

	Oh great, Joe thought, another physical exam. He had been
subjected to four already in just a week. Would everybody in the
medical profession get to look at his changed body?

	Mr. Peterson gave Joe a paper which contained an address and
phone number. "I think I'll come down to Phoenix in a few days to
meet each of you personally and see what's going on for myself."

	"Is that all you wanted?" Joe asked. He was expecting more to
happen.

	"Do you have anything to add? I think I have to see all if it
for myself. The whole thing seems intriguing."

	"Yeah, I guess it is," Joe agreed.

	"It has been a pleasure to meet you, Joe," Pete said, "and you,
too, Jay. Don't worry, Honeybone will stand behind your friend,
and I appreciate your concern."

	They shook hands once more, and then Mr. Peterson escorted
them to the door of his office. "I'll be seeing you in a few
days," he said.

	Joe and Jay said goodbye to Mr. Peterson's secretary. It was
obvious that she was dying with curiosity. Joe just smiled at her
and walked on. Last week he might have asked her to dinner. Now,
he just followed Jay down the hall to the entrance.

	"Peterson's secretary is sure a looker, isn't she?" Jay said.

	"Yeah, I guess so." Joe agreed. He had paid as much attention
to what she was wearing as to her physical appearance.

	"You guess so?" Jay said, looking at Joe and grinning.
"What's wrong with your eyes, pal?"

	"It isn't the eyes, Jay. It's everything else, I guess. I'm
impotent now, remember?" Joe said, grinning. He could remember the
old feelings, but they just weren't the same anymore.

	"Yeah, yeah, I guess you can't help it, can you?" Jay looked
into Joe's eyes and smiled as if he understood.

	When they arrived at the front desk, Joe asked for a phone.
The receptionist pointed to the couch and the phone located at the
end table. Joe took a seat and opened the small sheet of paper.
He punched in the numbers, and waited for an answer.

	"Dr. Morgan's office," a feminine voice said cheerfully.

	"Hi. My name is Joe Bates," Joe said, not sure how to start
the conversation. "I was asked by Mr. Peterson of Honeybone to
give Dr. Morgan a call."

	"Oh, yes, Ms. Bates, Dr. Morgan can see you at ten tomorrow
morning."

	Joe looked at his wristwatch. It was only two in the after-
noon. They would have the entire afternoon with nothing particular
to do.

	"Ok. I'll see you then." Joe said, and then hung up. "Well,
now I have a doctor's appointment for ten tomorrow morning. Can
you stay another day?"

	"Why not? We maybe can have some fun on this trip." Jay
grinned deviously.

	"Yeah, I know what kind of fun you have in mind."

	"What? And you don't?"

	"Well, like it or not, I don't go around thinking with my
dick, at least not anymore," Joe said sarcastically.

	It was so true, although he did somewhat look forward to more
exploration of his new sexuality with Jay, somehow sex just didn't
control practically every waking thought as it did when testoster-
one had him in its fierce grip.

	"What do you want to do, then?" Jay asked.

	"I don't know, I think we should go back to the hotel. I
better call Linda like I promised. We can discuss what we want to
do after that."

	They drove back downtown to the Radisson. When they got to
their rooms, Joe closed the door between the rooms and called
Linda's office. "I'm here, and I'm still alive," Joe told her when
she came to the phone.

	"Will you be home tonight?"

	"No. They have me scheduled for another physical tomorrow
morning."

	"Another examination?" Linda asked. "Aren't you getting tired
of that?"

	"Sure. But I guess Peterson wants another opinion or
something. Really, everything is going ok, I guess."

	"You'll be staying overnight then?" Linda asked. "Jay too?"

	"Yeah. We're at the Radisson. It's a pretty nice place," Joe
answered.

	"Do you have separate rooms?"

	"Of course. Why do you ask a question like that?" Joe wasn't
going to bring up the interconnecting door.

	"Oh, I don't know, just wondering. I know you two were best
friends. I didn't know how you'd handle being together now, with
the way you've changed. I mean, I've seen the way he looks at
you."

	"And so you think we would want to sleep together?" Joe asked.
Linda was obviously much more observant than he gave her credit for
being.

	"Joe, it's your life. You've got to live it. I just want you
to know I'd understand if you want to see what it's like."
"What it's like? What are you talking about?" Joe asked
incredulously. He knew exactly what she meant. He wondered if he
should ask about the silk chemise. He decided against it.

	"If I could show you what being with a man is like, I would,
but I can't, at least not yet anyway. If you and Jay... Well, I
just want you to know I understand," Linda said haltingly.

	"And you think that's what I want?"

	"No. That's not what I mean, it's just that, I mean, I can
see what's happened to you, how you feel. It would be understand-
able for you to want to experience everything about being a woman.
I know you've got to be curious."

	This woman can read my mind, Joe thought. No wonder he had
always thought they were so right for each other.

	"Well, we've got separate rooms. If something happens between
us, maybe I'll tell you about it," Joe said, trying to make the
whole idea sound far fetched. He didn't know if it would be
prudent to tell her if anything did happen, but could he keep it a
secret even if he wanted to?

	Linda seemed satisfied with that. "I'll miss you tonight.
I've been getting used to having someone in my bed every night."

	"I'll miss you, too," Joe said, "but I'll be back tomorrow."

	"Bye," Linda said. "I love you Joe Bates."

	"See you tomorrow."

	Joe hung up the phone and stared at the mirror over the desk
across the room. What was happening to his life? Here he was,
sitting in a hotel room, wearing a dress, talking on the phone to
his girlfriend, his fiance, with his best friend waiting in the
next room. When would everything settle down? And what path would
it take? Was he really destined to start a new life as a woman,
maybe with Jay, or Linda, or somebody, maybe even some other male?
Is that what his life was to be? Would he have kids with Jay? He
tried to imagine what being a mother would be like. It was almost
impossible to picture. Sure, it was likely he was now physically
capable of conceiving and giving birth, but could he stand being a
mother to a newborn? He went to the television set and switched it
on in an attempt to get his mind off the whole concept.

	The low volume of the television must have been loud enough
for Jay to hear, because Joe had only lain back on his bed when
there was a knock on the connecting door.

	"It's not locked," Joe called.

	Jay came into the room. He saw his friend resting on the bed.

	"So, what are we going to do this afternoon?" Jay asked.
"What's the excitement in the Minneapolis area?"

	"I really don't know," Joe said. "I've only been here a few
times. I've been to this hotel, Honeybone, and shopping in the
stores around St. Paul."

	"Do you want to go looking around?" Jay asked. "Or we can
just stay in here the room if you like." He grinned.

	"Damn it, Jay. Is that really all you think about?" Joe
asked, laughing.

	"No. It's not all," Jay answered, a wicked grin on his face.
"But it's the only important thing."

	"Maybe you should try the machine, too. You might suddenly
find that there really is more to life."

	"Name two other things." Jay said, snickering.

	Joe looked at his pal. He knew there was no way he could
argue his point. The problem was that his sex drive was changing
along with his perspective of the whole idea. He knew he still
enjoyed sex, now with either a male or a female, but it seemed that
it took something to get him going now. His sex drive was no
longer running at fast idle all the time. The physical part
actually felt just as good this way too, he considered. Maybe the
mechanics were a little different now, and would take some getting
used to, but sex was still there when he wanted it. It just no
longer permeated every thought.

	"Ok. I guess it is pretty important," Joe conceded, not
wanting to argue.

	"I don't think I would want to try the machine, that's for
sure." Jay said. "I admit, I do have some curiosity about what it
would be like to have a body like that, but I think I'll pass on
actually trying it."

	Joe looked at him. "But you think it's OK for me though?"

	"Hey, I didn't make it happen to you, did I?"

	Jay was right, of course. It wasn't his fault that all this
had happened to Joe. Joe knew it too, but he just didn't like the
way Jay spoke about his situation, as if Joe had any choice in the
matter himself.

	"I'm sorry, Jay. Sometimes I guess I get a little short when
I think you're teasing. Of course what's happened to me is not
your fault. So what would you want to do today?"

	"You pick something; I'll follow you," Jay suggested.

	"Ok. Let's go look around in some of the stores for a while.
Then we can go to the gym and I'll whip your butt at racquetball."

	"You want to go shopping?" Jay asked, amazed. "Those hormones
are sure affecting your head, aren't they."

	Joe grinned a big grin. It was unusual for him to ask to go
looking in stores. He had never done that before, except maybe
grudgingly with Linda or some other girl friend. But now, he just
thought he'd like to see what the clothes looked like in the stores
in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. They were near some of the best
shopping in the city.

	"Hey, humor me, will you. Besides, you might even find that
it's kind of fun."

	"I doubt that. But if that's what you want to do, I don't
really mind."

	Joe got up and walked passed Jay as he went to the dresser.
He patted Jay on the butt as he walked past. He had never done
anything like that to any man before, but just felt the need, so he
did it. He turned and grinned at Jay. "Now, get out of here for
a few minutes while I change clothes."

	"Can I watch? I'll be on good behavior."

	"Get in your own room, and close the door behind you," Joe
said. "All that stuff can come later."

	Although he was as interested as Jay in exploring his newfound
femininity, it was still kind of embarrassing, and he wanted to
postpone it all as long as he could. Tonight would be soon enough.

	Joe removed his dress. Standing in his slip, Joe went to the
bag to look for something to wear. He found the new jeans and a
blouse. It was a bit casual, but he figured it would do for the
rest of the day. Maybe he could find something in one of the shops
around here. He wondered if Jay would mind shopping with him. Of
course not, he decided. Jay seemed to like just being around him.
What was it? Was he really that sexy, or whatever? He didn't
think so. Sure, he knew he looked female enough, all right, but
sexy? He didn't feel sexy. He was now getting used to the way he
looked and was no longer quickly driven to sexual excitement by
just ogling his own curves or his changed genitals. Along with his
acceptance of his new femininity, Joe was slowly beginning to think
like a woman, too.

	He removed the half slip and the pantyhose, stepped into the
jeans, and pulled them on. He noticed they fit him differently
from his male pants. They went well above his changing hip line.
He ran both hands along his hips, tracing their shape. What would
his body be like when this all stopped? When would it stop?
He took the blouse and put it on. Gazing down as he fiddled
with the (to him) backward buttons, he saw the noticeable cleavage
of his breasts. The blouse fit pretty well. Joe wondered if his
chest was really still getting bigger, like it seemed. Would this
shirt, this blouse, even fit him next week?

	Joe found his socks and Reeboks, and put them on again. He
went over to the mirror. With the jeans and blouse on, he was now
wearing the most masculine cloths he had, at least that still fit
him. They may be more masculine than the dress, but he still
didn't look like a guy, that was certain. He went to the bathroom
and brushed his hair again. He could feel the rough denim rubbing
his legs as he walked. It felt so much different from the slip
against his pantyhose. He realized he was starting to get
accustomed to the feel of feminine clothes.

	Joe was ready. He found his handbag and new poplin jacket,
put the jacket over his arm, and looked in the mirror again. Did
he look too masculine? Why was he worried about that? He decided
that everything was ok. Hell, he was really a guy anyway, wasn't
he?

	Joe figured Jay would have been knocking on the door by now,
but he wasn't. Surely he was ready to go by now too. He decided
to try a knock on the connecting door.

	"Are you ready, yet?" Joe called out.

	"Sure. I'm just waiting for you. Come on over."

	Joe opened the door and went inside. Jay was sprawled on his
bed watching a movie on the television. He was fully dressed and
grinned when he saw what Joe was wearing. "Well, you sure look
different."

	"Do you think this will be ok?" Joe asked apprehensively.

	"Sure. It looks great to me. I guess I've just never seen
you in jeans before, at least since you've been like this." Jay
grinned. "Turn around."

	Joe turned away from Jay, looking back at him as he remained
on the bed. "What's wrong?" Joe asked worriedly.

	"Not a thing. Not a thing. And your butt isn't too big at
all."

	Joe spun back around immediately. "Ok. Ok. Are you ready to
go, or do you just want to lay there and stare at my ass?" Joe
demanded, trying to sound irritated.

	Jay got off the bed, the grin never leaving his face. "Ok.
I'm ready. Where do you want to take me, anyway?"
"I just want to look in some of the shops. Maybe I can find
something I like that the stores back home don't have."

	"God, Joe, listen to yourself. You sound just like a woman."

	Joe looked straight into Jay's eyes. "I know it. And that
scares me to death," he said, smiling.

	They went out and walked down the hallway and took the
elevator to the floor where the sky walk was on. As they left the
building they were in, they entered the glass walled sky walk and
looked down on the traffic filled streets.

	Joe went to the side and looked out the windows. He put his
hand on the wooden railing. Jay placed his now larger hand on top
of Joe's. Joe looked down at it, then pulled his hand away.

	"I'm sorry. I just thought maybe you wouldn't mind." Jay
apologized.

	Joe looked at his friend. "I don't mind. It's just hard to
get used to the whole idea of all this."

	He smiled and put his hand on top of Jay's.

	They just stood there and gazed into each other's eyes.
Nothing was said, but a lot was communicated. Neither could
understand the new feelings that were coming over both of them.

	"Let's get going," Joe said.

	They walked along the wide, well lighted aisles, looking in
the shop windows. When they came to a shop selling women's clothes
Joe stopped and looked at the mannequins in the window.

	"Do you like that?" Joe asked Jay.

	"The important thing is do you like it, isn't it?"

	"Yeah, I guess it's all right. But I want your opinion."

	"Well, it's nice, I guess. Would it even fit you?"

	"Hey, I don't know. Every time I try something on, I'm always
surprised at what fits and how it looks on me. Actually, I think
it's kind of fun."

	"There's no doubt about it, your brain has become female, just
like you thought," Jay teased.

	Joe looked at his friend and grinned. "I think you might be
right." He walked into the store and Jay followed.

	The saleswoman was alone in the store when they came in. She
went right over to Joe and asked if she could be of assistance.

	"Yes, please," Joe replied, trying to sound as ladylike as he
could. "I would like to try on a dress like the black one in the
window."

	"You look like a ten," the woman said walking to the rack
along the wall. She took a hanger from the rack and went to the
back of the store. Joe didn't know if he should follow or what.

	"Was there something else?" she called when she noticed Joe
wasn't following.

	"No. I'll be right there," Joe walked along, and Jay
continued to follow. "Maybe you better wait out here," he told
Jay, winking.

	"Yeah, sure. I'm sure I'll find that will be great fun." Jay
said with mock sarcasm.

	In the fitting room, the sales woman stood by as Joe removed
his blouse and jeans. Joe could feel the flush come to his face as
he stood before this stranger wearing only bra and panties. But
she didn't seem to notice his embarrassment as she helped him try
the dress on.

	The dress fit Joe's shape perfectly. The fitted bodice traced
the outline of his trim but growing bustline. Joe went to the full
length mirror and looked at his reflection. The woman staring back
from the mirror was amazingly attractive. Forgetting for a moment
that the saleswoman was standing there, watching, Joe ran both hands
along his breasts and down his hips as if needing to prove that the
shapely body inside the dress was his. The sales woman was
surprised to see this attractive but shy young woman do that. She
said nothing but her surprise was evident. Joe didn't notice,
however, he was completely engrossed in his own appearance.

	"Perhaps your husband would like to see it too," The woman
said aloud, breaking the moment.

	Joe gave the woman a questioning look. Husband? Oh, yeah,
Jay. "Yes. You're right."

	Wearing the silky dress with athletic socks and no shoes, Joe
went back out into the shop. Jay was seated next to the fitting
room door and looked around when Joe came out. His look was that
of impressed surprise.

	"What do you think?" Joe asked.

	"It's you." Jay said it in a teasing way, but he obviously
meant it.

	"Yeah, I like it. I think I'll get it."

	He went back into the fitting room and the sales woman
followed. She brought a belt, and a scarf which she suggested that
Joe try with the dress. Joe looked at her suggestions and tried
them on. He agreed to purchase them also. He then removed the new
clothing and put his jeans and blouse back on.

	The sales woman took the purchases to the counter and looked
at Jay as she asked, "Will this be cash or charge?"

	Joe retrieved his charge card from his handbag and handed it
to the woman. He carried the hanger with the dress and the bag
with the accessories as he and Jay continued down the mall walkway.

	"Are you just going to buy everything you see?" Jay teased as
they walked along.

	"Not everything, but I've decided, If I want something, I'm
going to get it."

	"Hey, I don't blame you," Jay agreed. "You look good in this
stuff, and If you want to wear it, why not? I think Honeybone is
willing to cover it, and I guess you'll be needing stuff like this
if you're going to stay like you are."

	"Don't I know it. It seems I'm always finding something else
that I don't have and that I need."

	They went along the walkway, looking in the stores, and
stopping every now and then to let Joe examine something closely,
or to try it on. Usually, he ended up buying it and before long,
both of them were burdened with packages.

	"Do we have to go back to the rooms and unload, are will you
be finished soon?" Jay asked his friend.

	"I guess we have enough. For today anyway. Don't you just
love that white dress?"

	Jay looked at his pal. Joe seemed to be turning into a real
shopaholic. "Yeah, it's real nice."

	They slowly made the trek back to the hotel rooms. On the way
they discussed how they would spend the rest of the afternoon and
evening. Jay wanted to play racquetball, and Joe agreed. He
really didn't have any real urge to play, since he knew he felt he
was no longer competitive with his friend, but he did need the
exercise.

	Alone in his room, Joe changed clothes again, this time to
stretchy lycra exercise wear. The skin-tight garments felt great
to wear, and he liked the way he looked, but they were body
hugging, and he was too embarrassed to leave the room. Although
the running bra minimized his new breasts and stopped everything
from bouncing, he still pulled a contrasting crop-top over his
head. Next, he stepped into a pair of nylon running shorts. His
hair was still too short to really get into his eyes, but he
slipped on the matching head band anyway. Joe topped it all off
with the terry cloth cover-up.

	He took his new gym bag, with the new smaller racquet, and
placed it on the bed, then lay next to it to wait for Jay's knock
on the door.