Tales Of The Wand

#15 – Who's Who

by JMD

"Hey, Cousin," Anne said as Lisa came in the front door carrying two cups of coffee.

Lisa stood in the open doorway for a moment, taking in the sight of her cousin sitting on the couch with her feet up on the coffee table.  Then, she used her hip to close the door.  "Hi, Rachel," she said.

Anne's face fell.  "How did you know?"

Lisa moved over to the little table by the door.  "Well, first," she said, sitting down one of the cups, "Anne isn't really a latex leggings kind of girl."  She took her purse off her shoulder and set it on the table.  "Second," she went on, retrieving the cup and moving on into the room, "if she was, I'm pretty sure she'd wear underwear with them."

Rachel looked down at the tell-tale folds between her legs.  "Not tonight," she grinned up at Lisa.

"Apparently not," Lisa sighed.  "So, where is she?" she asked, eyeing the leggings carefully.

But to her surprise, Rachel reached up with both hands, each giving one of her breasts a little bounce.  "Keeping the girls in line," she answered.

Lisa noted the black bra visible through the sheer white top the girl was wearing.  She couldn't help but smile.  "Well, what do you know," she said softly.  "You CAN go home again."

Rachel looked confused.  "Huh?"

"Never mind," Lisa said, turning to go toward the kitchen.  "So, what are you two got planned for tonight?" she asked over her shoulder.

Rachel got up and followed her.  "We’re going to work on getting Anne’s groove back," she told Lisa.

Lisa stopped in the middle of the kitchen and turned back with a confused expression.  "Her groove?"

“Eight months is a long time, Lisa.”

Lisa considered that.  “It is,” she agreed.  “But I thought the two of you had pretty much taken care of all that.”

Rachel leaned against the kitchen door frame.  “The physical part, sure.  And it’s been fun.  A lot of fun, actually.”  She sighed happily.  “A LOT of fun.”

“But…?” Lisa prodded.

“BUT as much fun as it’s been,” Rachel explained, “we both knew that it wasn’t forever.  Sooner or later, my mom is going to force me to go back to school.  In fact, I’m surprised she hasn’t already.”

Lisa just nodded, deciding to keep it to herself that Rachel’s mom had already called once.  Chris had been forced to lie to her, though.  After all, it wasn’t like he could tell his aunt that her daughter was in his backyard blowing around naked in the wind, could he?

“Anyway,” Rachel went on, “when I’m gone, Anne will need to find her fun somewhere else.  Right?”

“I guess so,” Lisa said, continuing across the room to set the cups on the counter.  “So, how does you being her ... and her being your bra ... help her with that?"

"We're going to go to this club downtown.  When we get there, I'll pick out someone and make the first moves.  Around nine or so, I'll excuse myself to the bathroom.  Then, Anne changes back, I become the bra, and it's up to her to seal the deal."

Lisa turned and leaned against the counter as Rachel grinned back.  "I see," she said.  "And how are you planning to accomplish that?  Because if you think you’re taking the wand with…”

Rachel stopped her with an upheld hand.  “Not a problem,” she explained.  “Already set up.  We turned me into the exact same bra before turning me into Anne.  I’ll turn back just before she changes back into herself.”

“And Anne was okay with all this?” Lisa asked.

“Not at first,” the young woman admitted with a smile, “but I can be pretty persuasive when I set my mind to it.”

Lisa considered.  “Uh-huh,” she commented.  “You do realize that you're going to be stuck as a bra until someone uses the wand to get you back to normal, right?"

"And?"

Lisa raised an eyebrow at her.  "You don't mind being folded over a chair while Anne has sex with this guy?"

"Well, of course I mind,” the girl protested.  Before Lisa could say anything, she added, “If Anne takes the time to fold me over a chair, she’s doing it wrong.  I expect to be hanging from the ceiling fan."

Lisa just shook her head.  "Okay.  Well, you girls have fun," she said, turning back to the counter.

"You want to come with?" Rachel asked.

"I don't think so," Lisa said, putting the cups into the microwave.

"You sure?" Rachel said behind her.  "You're the one that suggested I needed underwear."

Lisa turned to see the girl waving the wand back and forth.  She smiled.  "No thanks," she grinned.  "It looks a little... uh...”  She glanced down at the skin-tight latex covering the younger woman’s legs.  “…cramped in there."

"Your loss."  Rachel turned the wand around and presented the safe end to Lisa.  After the older woman took it, she turned and left.  "Don't wait up," she shouted as she went out the door.

Lisa just stood and stared at the empty kitchen doorway for a bit.  With a shake of her head, she turned and pressed the “one-minute” button on the microwave.  She waited until it beeped that it was done.  Putting the wand under her arm, she removed both cups and headed back into the living room.  Going over to her favorite chair, she carefully set one of the cups down on the table next to it.  Taking the wand from under her arm, she placed it next to the cup before setting the other cup on the other side of the table next to Chris’s chair.  

She glanced at the clock over the mantle.  “Just enough time,” she commented to herself, heading for her bedroom.  

She came out a moment later carrying Chris’s robe.  Going back to his chair, she folded it over the arm.  Then, hiking up her skirt, she slid her panties down her legs and kicked them off.  She picked them up and dropped them in the chair.  Smoothing out her skirt, she moved over and sat in her own chair, picking up her coffee and taking a sip.

A moment later, a flash came from beside her and her naked husband appeared sitting in his chair.  Without a word, he stood and put on the robe.  Sitting, he picked up his own coffee and sampled it.  “Ah,” he breathed, “just right.”

“Of course,” his wife told him.

“You do know what I like,” he smiled, saluting his wife with his cup.  She returned the gesture.  “Thanks for today, Sweetie,” he added, adjusting his position in the chair.  “I really needed it.  All the chaos around here lately has really made it hard to concentrate on my next book.”

She cocked a doubtful eyebrow at him.  “And being my underpants helps with that?”

He shrugged in reply.  “Hard to explain,” he went on.  “But yeah, it does.”

“How?”

He gave her another shrug.  “Not sure, really.  Might have to do with the fact that I’m under your clothes.  So, there’s no outside stimulation to get in the way.”

“None?”

“Well, I can still hear some if it’s close by.  But mostly, it’s just me and my thoughts to keep me occupied.”

“Ahh,” she nodded, lifting her cup to her lips.  “And here I thought you just wanted to spend the day pressed up against my hoo-haw?” she added before taking a sip.

He smiled.  “I didn’t say it didn’t have its perks.”

She made a soft derisive sound into her cup.  “Still seems like a boring way to spend the day if you ask me,” she said before taking a sip.

“Well,” he teased in a playful tone, “if it’s excitement you’re after, maybe you should have taken Rachel up on her offer.”

Lisa practically choked on her coffee.  “Seriously?” she asked, dripping sarcasm.  He gave her a shrug and a smile.  “My god!” she spat out.  “You should have seen those things.  I would have spent the whole night crammed into…”  She shuddered.  “No thank you.”

“Tight, huh?”

“No,” she countered.  “Body paint is tight.  This went WAY beyond that.”

He considered that.  “Hmmm.  Doesn’t seem like Anne’s style.”

“No,” Lisa agreed.  “It doesn’t.”  She thought about it for a moment.  “Do you think she’s okay?”

“Who?” he asked.  “Anne?”

“Yeah.”

He cocked his head at her.  “What do you mean?”

Well,” she explained, sitting forward, “you said it yourself.  Since Rachel got here, things have been kind of…”  She tapered off.

“Wild?” he offered.

“Wild?” she repeated.  “That’s putting it mildly.  The people of Sodom and Gomorrah would have been scandalized by some of the stuff those two have been up to.”

Chris smiled at the comment.  “Maybe,” he admitted, “but I don’t think Anne will let things go too far.”

“Really?” she scoffed.  “Did you hear what they’re doing tonight?”

“I did,” he nodded.  “But remember.  Just because Rachel sets her up with someone doesn’t mean Anne has to go through with it.”

Lisa looked doubtful.  “I don’t think Rachel will be too happy about it if she doesn’t.”

“No doubt,” he agreed, sipping his coffee.  “But… and I’m sure Anne realized this before she agreed to go along with her…  there’s really not a lot a bra will be able to do about it, is there?”

Lisa looked like she wanted to argue her point but couldn’t think of how.  Instead, she sat back in the chair in a huff.

“Relax, Honey,” Chris comforted.  “Anne’s fine.  She’s just making up for lost time.”

“Huh?”

He cocked his brow at her.  “Have you forgotten our week on the mantle?” he asked her.  She just curled her lip at him in reply.  “And why did Anne turn us into erotica?”

The lip curled more.  “Because she wasn’t getting any,” she replied sarcastically.

He gave her a thumbs up.  “And, as has been pointed out before, eight months is a long time,” he added.  “So, you can’t blame her for going a bit wild, can you?”

Lisa shrugged in defeat.  “I guess not,” she conceded.

“And it’s not like you can really criticize,” he added.

“I beg your pardon,” she said, sitting forward.

“Well, you have to admit,” he explained, “we’ve been doing some pretty wild things ourselves.”

“Well, maybe,” Lisa admitted defensively.  “But at least we’re…”  She stopped there.

He smiled.  “You were going to say ‘careful’, weren’t you?”

“Maybe.”

His smile widened.  “So careful that you ended up as a helium balloon at a science fiction convention, as I recall.”

“Okay, okay.”  She flopped back in her chair.  “You win.  Anne’s just doing what I would do if I was in her place.”

He settled back into his chair, picking up his cup.  “Not surprising when you consider her history.”  He took a sip, then turned to his wife.  “So, you want to tell me what’s REALLY bothering you?”

“What do…”  A knowing look from Chris stopped her protest.  After a second, she sighed and sat back in her chair.  “Fine,” she admitted with a huff.  “If you must know, I’d have to say it’s something about that history that’s got me…”  She stopped, not able to find the right word.

Chris let it go.  Instead, he asked, “Yours or Anne’s?”

She looked up at the question.  “What?”

“History,” he explained.  “Yours or Anne’s?”

“Is there a difference?” she countered.

He nodded.  “Point taken.”

She took a little more time to get her thoughts together, appreciating the fact that Chris waited patiently to let her do so.  Finally, she was ready.  “Okay,” she opened, “I’m going to tell you something I’ve never told anyone else… ever.  Only one other person…  Well, I guess two now, because Anne exists and…”

“History.”  

“Exactly.”  She smiled.  “Actually, the fact that she knew about what I’m about to tell you is how she convinced me that she wasn’t just an imitation of me that you created from my bra that first night.”

He considered that.  “Ah.  So, Cindy Kirkland?”

Her eyes grew wide.  “How did you know that?” she asked with a touch of accusation in her voice.  

“Easy,” he said calmly.  “I might have just been a pair of panties at the time, but I could still hear you and Anne talking.  I heard her mention the name.”

Lisa immediately calmed down.  “Oh.  And you never wondered?”

“Of course I wondered,” he answered.  “But it seemed to be something you wanted to keep to yourself, so I left it alone.  I figured if you ever decided to share it with me, you would.”  He waited a moment before adding, “So…?”  He waited for almost a minute without pushing.

Finally, she let out a sigh and turned to him.  “Okay.”  She took another breath, before beginning.  “You have to understand, I wasn’t always the all-knowing person I am today.”

“Got it.”  At her narrowed eyes, he swallowed.  “Sorry.  Go on.”

She gave him another sharp look.  “Anyway,” she went on, “I had never been outside of that small town I grew up in before I went to college.  So, I was really out of my element when I got there.  Luckily, there was someone there to show me the ropes.”

“Ah.”

“Exactly,” she smiled.  “We were in the same dorm.  Cindy was a couple of years ahead of me, but she immediately noticed how lost I was, and took me under her wing.”

“Sounds like a good person.”

“Oh, she was.  She showed me around campus.  And around the local area.  She even let me tag along on a few of her trips to the coast on the weekends.”  She paused for a moment.  “And she taught me how to party.”

“Party?”

“Oh, yeah,” she grinned.  “Cindy loved to party.  And before long, so did I.”

“I see.”

“I’m sure you do.  It’s a pretty common story.  Small town girl moves to the big city and goes a little wild.”

“How wild?”

“I could probably show Rachel a thing or two.”

“Whoa.”

“Yeah.”  She smiled.  “God, if I had had the wand back then…”  She whistled sharply.  “As it was, I didn’t need it to get into trouble.  Luckily, I had someone to keep an eye out so that I didn’t go TOO far.  She always knew when to rein me in.”

“And you always listened?”

“Pretty much.  And when I didn’t, she would insist.”  Another pause.  “And when Cindy insisted… trust me… you listened.”

“That’s…”

“At least, I did,” she cut him off.  “And then, I didn’t.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh, indeed.”

“What happened?”

She took a moment before answering.  “Billy happened.”

“Billy?”

“Billy Freeman.  My first serious boyfriend.”

“How serious?”

“Well, I didn’t marry him…”

“Fair…”

“...but I would have… probably.”

“Oh.”

She smiled.  “Jealous?”

“A little, yeah.”

“Well, don’t worry.  You won’t be after you hear the rest of this.”  

“Uh-oh.”

“Stop with the uh-oh’s.”

“Sorry.”  It was his turn to pause.  “So, you defied Cindy over this Freeman guy?”

“I did.  Apparently they had a history from before college.  Same high school or something.  Never got the full story.  But she warned me not to trust him.”  She took yet another pause.  “Don’t guess I have to tell you she was right?”

“Not really, no.”

“I thought I was his one and only.  Found out at homecoming that wasn’t the case.  Went to surprise him after the game at his dorm.  Only he didn’t answer my knock.  They did.”

“They?”

“Twins.”  She made a face.  “Triplets, actually.  They thought it was their sister at the door.  Apparently, she was running late.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah,” she agreed.  “Another good reason I didn’t have the wand back then.  They never would have found out what happened to the four of them.”

“What DID happen to them?”

She sighed heavily.  “Nothing.  I just went back to my dorm and cried all night.  And most of the next day, for that matter.  It wasn’t till Cindy knocked on my door the next afternoon that I even got out of bed.  She was worried because I had missed my classes that day.  I didn’t even have to tell her what had happened.  One look and she knew.”

“What did she do?”

“What does any bestie do for their friend that just found out that their guy is a creep?  She took me out to get drunk.”

He laughed.  “Sounds like a good friend to have.”

“Oh, she was.  Even put all the drinks I had on her tab.  And listened to me rant on and on all night about how I was done with men.  Who needs them anyway?  That’s what I told her as she practically had to carry me back to my room that night.”  She took a second for that sink in.  “And that’s when I kissed her.”

It was his turn to spit into his coffee.  “I’m sorry.  Did you say you kissed her?”

“DId I forget to mention that Cindy was gay?”

“I think you might have, yeah.”

She smiled.  “Well, she was.  And at that point, I decided I was, too.”

“So… what happened?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure.”

“Okay…”

“I remember the kiss.  And dragging her into the room.  After that, it gets a bit fuzzy.  I just remember waking up in the bed beside her the next morning.”

“Uh… I’m honestly not sure what to say here.”

“Well, that pretty much sums up my own reaction at the time.”

“And Cindy?”

“Was awake and looking down at me.”  Her voice took on a deeper register.  “Feel better there, Sunshine?”

Chris had to stop himself from laughing.  At her darkened expression, he just smiled with a shrug.  “Sorry.  But I think I would have liked her.”

Her face softened.  “You would have.  The two of you are a lot alike actually.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” she nodded with a slight smile.  “Both of you refuse to take serious situations seriously.”  Before he could respond, she stopped him.  “It’s okay.  You’re not in trouble.”  She smiled at his obvious relief.  “She was right to handle it the way she did.”

“And how was that?”

“With understanding and caring.  I mean, from my point of view, I’d taken advantage of her friendship.  But she assured me that if she hadn’t wanted anything to happen, it wouldn’t have.  And when I asked where we went from here, she was ready for me.”  She again assumed her impersonation of her friend.  “Depends on you.  Are you suddenly a lesbian?”

“And you said?”

“I didn’t say anything,” she admitted.  “I didn’t know how to say what I felt without hurting her.  But she just smiled at me.”  Back to her Cindy voice.  “Don’t sweat it, Lee.  Do you think you’re the first betrayed woman to give the other team a try?  We’re good.”

“And were you?”

“I think so.  Seemed to be anyway.  We continued to party together.  And she continued to watch out for me, though I never really got that serious with anyone again.”  She smiled at him.  “At least, not until I met this up-and-coming science fiction writer at the bookstore I was working at in my junior year.  By then, she had graduated and moved on and wasn’t around to warn me about that one.”

“Shame.”

“Indeed.  If she had, I might have avoided all the madness that my life has become.  I certainly wouldn’t have ended up an erotic sculpture on the mantelpiece for a week.”

“Or a plastic Halloween pumpkin.  Or a convention balloon.  Or my favorite… a little pink nightie.”

“Hmmm.”  She thought about it for a second.  “But I also wouldn’t have a husband that I love dearly… and get to wear on a regular basis.  Not to mention a new cousin that I’ve grown rather fond of.  So…”  

He nodded at that.  “Okay.  Everything seems to have worked out.  So, what’s the issue?”

She took her time answering.  “Anne and Rachel.  Their relationship.”

“Yeah, what about…  Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“The night with Cindy.”

She tapped the side of her nose.  “I’ve always figured it was just a drunken night of indiscretion on my part.  Now, I’m wondering…  Was I wrong?  And does it even matter if I was?  I mean, I’m happy with my life.  I really am.  But I can’t stop thinking…”

“What if?”

“Yeah.”

He gave it some thought.  “Well, in a regular household, that one might go unanswered.”  He reached over and picked up the wand.  “Good thing we don’t live in a regular household, huh?”

“So, what exactly are you suggesting?  That I turn you into a woman and…”

“Screw me thoroughly.”

She cocked a brow at him.  “I’m not sure ‘screw” would be the appropriate term here.” 

“So, what?  Ravish?”

She just stared at him.  “Remember what I said about serious situations?”

“And I’m totally being serious.  Look, Lisa, I know you.  You’re going to stress over this until you know for sure.  I’m offering to help with that.”  He paused for a moment.  “And I have to admit, I’m a little curious myself.”

She arched her eyebrow.  “Really?”

“What can I say?  I’m a writer.  Comes with the territory.”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, think about it this way.  If nothing else, you can give me pointers for future reference.”  He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

She couldn’t stop herself from laughing.  “You, sir, are totally insane.”  She gave it some thought.  “What if, later, I want my turn to see how the other half lives?”

“Hey, one bridge at a time.”  He held the wand out to her.  “Are we doing this?”

She stood up and took it from him.  “I guess we are.”  She reached the tip toward him.  “Say goodbye to Little Christopher.”  And she tapped him on the head.

~~~~~   ~~~~~   ~~~~~

As was usually the case after a night of lovemaking, Lisa was the first awake.  Also, as usual, she laid quietly for a bit looking into the face of her husband as he slept beside her.  Only this time, the face wasn’t the one she was used to looking at.  

After a moment, she realized that wasn’t entirely true.  Sure, the face beside her was that of a woman, but it didn’t take much imagination to see Chris there.  Though softer, the basic features were the same.  She even had the small scar bisecting her left eyebrow that Chris had gotten as a child from standing too close to his dad on the driving range.

She laid there a bit longer listening to her husband’s… wife’s?… Chris’s soft snoring before bending forward to give her a soft peck of the lips.  Again, she got a peek at Chris inside the woman as she got the same half smile in response to the kiss before Chris settled back into a deep sleep.

Quietly, she eased out of bed, making sure to pull the blanket back over her partner.  Then, pulling on her robe, she headed off to the kitchen to make breakfast.  As she started the coffee maker, she thought back over the previous evening.  Fun as it was, did it really give her the answer she’d been looking for?  She wasn’t sure, honestly.  One thing she was sure about, though.  Chris was the best thing that had ever happened to her.  The fact that he would do this for her…

“Lisa!  Good!  You’re up!”

She turned to see her cousin rushing into the kitchen, still tying the sash on her robe.  At least, she thought it was her cousin.  “That you this time?” she asked with a smile.

“What?” the other woman said in confusion.  “Oh.  Yeah.  It’s me.”

“Good to know,” Lisa said, turning back to the coffee.  “I take it Rachel’s still a bra then?”  Not waiting for an answer, she continued to tease.  “You know, I’m planning a load of delicates later.  I’d be happy to toss her in if you’d like.”

“Huh?  No… Well, maybe.  But listen…”

Again, Lisa cut her off.  “Honestly, I’m glad to see you didn’t go home with whatever guy she picked out for you.”

Anne bit her lip.  “Yeah.  About that…”

Lisa narrowed her eyes on her.  “You didn’t go home with him, did you?”

“I did not.”

“Good…”

“We came here.”  She watched her cousin’s jaw drop.  “And he’s a she.”

“Anne…”

“What was I supposed to do?  She found out her flight was canceled at the last minute.  And I couldn’t let her go to a motel.  I mean, considering…”

Lisa waited, but couldn’t take it for more than a few seconds.  “Considering?”

“Considering who…”

“Who?”

“OH MY GOD!  I can’t believe it.  Lisa?”

The voice from across the room caused Anne to wince, and Lisa’s jaw to drop even further.  She knew that voice.  But it couldn’t be… could it?  She looked past her cousin to see the woman standing in the kitchen doorway.  

“Cindy?”

Anne barely had enough time to get out of the way as the woman rushed over and took Lisa into a great big hug.  She swung her around and, completely catching her off guard, planted a big kiss right on her lips.  With a loud smack, she pulled back, holding Lisa out so she could get a good look at her.  “Well, I guess it makes sense now?”

Lisa shared a look with Anne.  “It does?”

“Yup.”  Throwing one arm around Lisa’s shoulder, Cindy used the other to pull Anne into her.  “When I saw this one in that bar last night… Well, at first, I thought she was you.  Once I got closer, though, I could see the subtle differences.”

“DIfferences?”

“Taller, for one.  And, of course…”  With her hands still around their shoulders, she reached down and used her index finger to tap on each woman’s breast.  “...a bit more up top.  But the clincher was this girl’s attitude.  Even at your wildest, you were never that forward, Lee.”

“Forward?” Lisa questioned, giving Anne a look.  Her cousin silently mouthed the words “Not me” back to her.

If Cindy noticed the exchange, she didn’t show it.  “I’ll say.  She started flirting with me right away.  Honestly, it was a bit off putting.  But then, you went to the bathroom and it’s like you came out as an entirely different person.  Apologizing and all.”

“Yeah,” Anne said.  “Weird, huh?”

Cindy shrugged.  “I’ve seen weirder.  Though, I have to say you surprised me with the offer to sleep here after you found out my flight had gotten canceled.  But now that I know you’re related to my girl here, I can see it.”  She pulled Lisa into another hug.  “So, sisters?”

“Cousins,” both answered. 

“Well, the family resemblance is uncanny.  Any more where you…  come… from?”  

As her voice trailed off, she stared passed the two of them.  Sharing a look, they turned to see Chris striding into the kitchen wearing just a pair of boxer shorts.  Without giving them any notice, she went to the cabinet and pulled out a coffee cup.  Going to the pot, she poured herself a cup.  

It was Anne’s turn for her jaw to drop.  She stared at her cousin’s husband… wife?... Chris for a second before turning to look at Lisa, who had dropped her head into her hand with a sigh.  She turned to see how Cindy was taking it, not really surprised to see her… well, Lisa’s… college friend quietly appraising the more-than-half naked woman with a nod.

“Not bad.”

With another sigh, Lisa raised her head back up.  “CHRIS!”  Her husband… she was still her husband… stopped with her cup almost to her lips.  “We have company,” she told her.

Looking up, she noticed Cindy for the first time.  She started to say hello, but caught a look from her wife, who nodded toward her chest.  Confused, she looked down, taking in the sight of her naked breasts.  Head shooting back up, she placed her cup on the counter.  “Uh, excuse me,” she said before quickly exiting the room.

“So,” Cindy said from behind them, “who was that?”

Without answering, Lisa headed after her husband.  “Anne, take care of breakfast.  I’ll be back in a minute.”

The two remaining women stood for a bit staring after her before turning to each other.  Anne forced a smile onto her face.  “So, how do you like your eggs?”

~~~~~   ~~~~~   ~~~~~

Lisa found Chris in their bedroom looking uncomfortable.  “Who is that?” she asked in a whisper.

“That,” Lisa answered in a normal tone, “believe it or not, is Cindy Kirkland.”

Chris's eyes widened.  “And she’s here because…”

“She’s here because your cousin decided to set her up with my cousin.”

“Really?”  Chris looked out toward the kitchen.  “What are the odds?”

“Apparently pretty good.  What are we going to do?  How am I going to explain…”  She waved her hands at her husband’s body.  “...this?”

“How should I know?”  She saw her wife at a loss for words.  “Okay.  Okay.  I don’t suppose you’d be okay with letting her believe you’re a lesbian?”

“After what happened in college?”

“Right.”  She gave it some more thought.  “How long before I turn back into me?”

Lisa checked the clock.  “A little over an hour.”

“That’s too long.”  Again, she went into thought.  “Okay, I might have an idea.  Has she seen Rachel yet?”

“Not really.”  At her confused look, she explained.  “She’s met her as Anne for a bit.  Then, she would have seen her holding up Anne’s boobs.  But never as herself.”

“Okay.  And where is she now?”

Lisa shrugged.  “Hanging from the ceiling fan in Anne’s room?”

“What?”

Lisa started to explain, but decided against it.  “Never mind.  She should still be a bra somewhere in Anne’s room.”

“Good.  Here’s what we’re going to do.”  She grabbed the wand from the table beside the bed.  “First, turn me back into me.  Then, go to Anne’s room and find Rachel.  Turn her into a copy of female me and explain what’s going on.  Tell her she’s my twin sister.  Okay?”

Lisa looked dubious.  “Couldn’t I just leave you like this and turn her into regular you?”

She cocked her head at her.  “Do you really want your friend’s impression of your husband coming from Rachel?  Besides, how long is Cindy going to be here?  I’m going to change back in an hour, remember?”

“Guess you have a point.  Do you really think this will work?”

“You got a better idea?”  When she didn’t get a response, she handed off the wand.  “Then, it’s going to have to.  Hit me.”  A tap of the wand later and Chris was Chris again.  “Okay, you go find Rachel.  I’ll get dressed and run interference.  But don’t take forever.”  

She was almost to the door when he called out.  “Hey!  Don’t forget to tell Rachel that her name is Christine now.”  At his wife’s confused look, he added, “You called me by name.”

“I did?”  Before he could reply, she nodded.  “Of course, I did.  Got it.”

Stopping at the door just long enough to make sure the coast was clear, Lisa quickly crossed over to the hall that led to Anne’s room.  With a quick scan, she noted the suitcase by the closet that she figured belonged to Cindy.  A second later, she spotted the black lace bra.  She couldn’t help but smile at the sight of it hanging neatly over the back of the chair at Anne’s vanity.  

Rushing over, she snatched it up and tossed it onto the unmade bed.  Wasting no time, she used the wand on it, and a copy of her husband’s female form lay face down on the bed.  As the newly created woman rolled over, Lisa’s jaw dropped.  “You’re naked!” she hissed.  “Why are you naked?”

Rachel looked at her like she was an idiot.  “Of course, I’m naked.  We only had one set of clothes between us.  Besides, we always turn back naked.  What’s wrong with you?”  Just then, she caught her reflection in the vanity mirror.  “And why am I a blonde?”

Lisa shook her head.  “Sorry.  It’s been a crazy morning.”

“Okay.  And…”

“And we don’t have a lot of time, so listen up.”

~~~~~   ~~~~~   ~~~~~

Chris stopped before reentering the kitchen to collect himself.  With a slight exhale, he stepped through the door.  Anne stood at the stove cooking eggs, while Cindy was setting the table in the breakfast nook.  “Morning, Anne,” he said, getting their attention.  “Lisa tells me we’ve got a guest this morning.”

Anne turned in confusion, but quickly took up the ruse.  “We do.  Cindy, this is… Lisa’s husband.”

Chris crossed the room, offering his hand.  “Nice meet you, Cindy.  I’m Chris.”

With a suspicious expression, she took his hand.  “Chris?” she repeated.

After an awkward shake, he released her hand.  “That’s right.”  She continued to look at him oddly.  “Problem?”

“Not sure,” she admitted.  “Weren’t you a woman just a few minutes ago?”

He shared a confused look with Anne who, not sure what she was supposed to say, just gave him a shrug accompanied by a half smile.  After a moment, he acted like he GOT it.  “Ah,” he said with a nod, “you must have met my sister.”

Playing along, Anne replied, “Oh, she sure did.”

He gave her another confused look, then let out a heavy sigh.  “She did it again, didn’t she?”  He turned back to Cindy.  “I’m sorry about that.  Chris seems to believe that clothes are optional in the mornings.”

“Only the mornings?” Cindy smiled.  “Shame.  From what I saw, she should consider expanding the practice.”  Before anyone could comment, she went on.  “Your sister, you say?”

“Twin, actually.”

“Also named Chris?”

“What can I say,” he smiled.  “Lazy parents.  She’s Christine.  I’m Christopher.  It can be a bit confusing till you get used to it.”

“You got that right,” Anne commented.

“Well, that explains why Lisa was in such a hurry when she stuck her head in to tell me about our guest.  I figure my sister is getting quite the earful about now.”

“Yes,” Cindy agreed.  “Our little Lee can be quite the fireball, can’t she?”

Chris looked confused.  “Our?”

Anne took the lead.  “Yeah,” she explained, bringing the eggs to the table.  “I didn’t know it at the time, but apparently Lisa and Cindy knew each other from before.”

“Oh?”

“Yes,” Cindy smiled.  “We went to school…”

“College,” Lisa corrected, coming into the kitchen.  “School sounds too tame.”  She turned to the fully clothed Rachel that followed her into the room.  “Alright, young lady.  You’re on.”

Rachel approached Cindy shyly.  “Hi.”

“Hello.”

“I’m sorry I flashed my boobs earlier.”

“Don’t be,” the older woman told her.  “Their nice boobs.  They should get out more.”

Before Rachel could say anything, Lisa cut her off.  “Alright, Cindy.  Don’t encourage her.  She’s enough of a handful already.”

Cindy looked the woman before her in the eyes.  “Yeah,” she nodded, taking in the mischievousness she saw there.  “I bet she is.”  She turned back to the rest of the room.  “So, how do you keep it straight?  Can’t be easy with two people named Chris in the house.”

“It’s only been an issue recently,” Chris explained.  “Sis is only staying with us for a bit.”

Lisa took it up.  “But if I have to call one over the other, I usually go with He-Chris or She-Chris.”

“Which doesn’t really help most of the time,” Anne put in.  “Breakfast is ready.  Let’s eat.”

“Sounds good to me,” Cindy commented, moving to the table.  “I was supposed to eat on the flight, so I skipped dinner last night.”  She pulled out a chair.  “Here ya go, Lee.  Sit next to me so we can catch up.”

“Screw that,” She-Chris said, sitting across from them.  “I want to hear about when you and Lisa were in school.”

“College,” Lisa corrected again.

“Was she as big of a stick in the mud back then, too?”

“Well, actually…”

“Cindy.”  There was a touch of warning in Lisa’s tone.

“There was that time we snuck into the pool behind the Catholic church…”

“Tell me more,” both versions of Chris said together.

“Oh god,” Lisa said, her head dropping.  

But soon, she was joining in, adding her own observations to Cindy’s story.  As they ate, more stories were told, and everyone was having a great time until Cindy looked up at the clock.  “Oh, shit.  I’ve got to get it in gear.  My make-up flight is in a couple of hours, and I still have to get dressed and call a cab.”

“Nonsense,” Chris told her.  “We’ll drive you to the airport.”

“Absolutely,” Lisa agreed.  “It’ll give you time to grab a shower if you want.  I know I could use one.”

“Is that an offer?”

The other three people at the table turned to wait for her reply.  “Another time perhaps,” was all she said.

“Shame.”

“Come on, you.  I’ll show you where everything is.”

“You two take off,” Chris said, gathering the plates.  “The ladies and I will take care of cleaning up.”

Linking her arm through Lisa’s, Cindy guided her out of the kitchen.  “Nice job, Lee.  Almost makes me want to find a man of my own.”

Lisa cocked her eyes at her.  “Really?”

“If he’ll do dishes, I’d consider it,” she admitted, as they entered Anne’s bedroom.  “Of course, I’d have to find some way to make ‘him’ into ‘her’ before bedtime.”  

Luckily, she picked that moment to release Lisa’s arm, so she didn’t notice the other woman stopping dead in her tracks.

Going straight to her suitcase, Cindy tossed it up onto the bed.  Opening it, she started pulling out toiletries.  “Seriously, Lee,” she commented, “are you happy?”

“Why wouldn’t I be happy?” Lisa asked, sitting at Anne’s vanity.  “Chris is fantastic.”

“That’s He-Chris, right?” she teased, pulling clothes out of her case.

“Yes, He-Chris,” Lisa smiled.  She watched as Cindy picked up her clothes from beside the bed.  “So, you and Anne?”

“Jealous?”  Cindy stopped her reply with a raised hand.  “Relax.  We didn’t do anything but share a bed.  No hanky panky.”

“Really?”

“Really.”  She went through her clothes, then looked back down to the floor.  “Like I said, I only approached her last night because I thought she was you.  I’m not ‘on the prowl’ anymore.  My girlfriend wouldn’t like it.”

“Ah,” Lisa nodded.  “So, serious?”

“Could be,” she answered, dropping down to look under the bed.  “We’ll see.”  She stood back up and looked around some more.  “Dammit.”

“Problem?”

“Maybe.  I can’t seem to find my bra.”

Lisa almost fell out of her chair.  “Your bra?” she asked nervously.  

“Yeah.  I thought I dropped it on the floor with my other stuff, but it’s not here.”

Lisa swallowed, looking around.  “What did it look like?”

“Matches these.”  She opened her robe, showing off her black lace panties.  Closing it back, she moved to the other side of the bed.  Finding nothing, she turned back to Lisa.  “I honestly don’t know where…”  She stopped as she caught sight of her friend.  “Lee?  You okay?”  Before she got an answer, her face brightened.  “Ah, there you are.”  She moved over to the dresser and picked up the bra that was lying there.  

Lisa held her breath as she checked out the bra her friend picked up.  It was clearly different from the one she’d found earlier.  “Sure that’s it?”

“Yup.  It’s custom made.”  She dropped it with her other clothes, missing Lisa’s sigh.  “Now, are you okay?  You looked like you were going to faint earlier.”

Lisa patted her chest.  “Just a little heartburn from breakfast.  I’m fine now.”

“Sure?”

“Pretty much,” Lisa told her.  “I’ll be better after a shower.  Come on, I’ll show you where you can get yours.”  Cindy followed her across the hall.  “Here ya go.  Take your time.  I know I’m going to.”

As soon as Cindy closed the door, she took off for the kitchen.  She found Chris and Rachel at the sink, while Anne was wiping down the table.  She rushed over to her cousin.  “Quick.  Where did you put Rachel when you got undressed last night.”

“Huh?”

“Your bra.  Where?”

Anne looked over where Chris and Rachel had stopped what they were doing to watch the exchange.  “Uh, right where you found her.”

“Again, where?”

Seeing the seriousness in Lisa’s eyes, she swallowed before answering.  “On my vanity chair?”

The relief in Lisa was obvious.  “Thank you,” she said.  And without another word, she turned and headed out of the kitchen.

Everyone watched as she went, before passing looks back and forth.  “What the hell was that all about?” Rachel asked.

~~~~~   ~~~~~   ~~~~~

When it was time to take Cindy to the airport, Anne begged off.  “Me and.. um… She-Chris should really work on getting a few things straightened out around here.  Don’t you agree, Chris?”

“But…”  At Anne’s pointed look, she relented.  “I guess the sooner we get started, the quicker it’ll be done.”

“Oh,” Cindy whined.  “Are you sure you can’t come with us?  I mean, we did share a bed last night, after all.”

Anne actually blushed.  “Ummm…”

Cindy laughed.  “Relax, Red.  I’m just screwing with you.”

“Again?” Rachel cut in with a grin.

“Nothing happened,” Anne and Lisa chided her in unison.

Cindy looked between the two of them.  “Nicely done.  Did you rehearse that?”  She turned to the female Chris.  “You’re a real troublemaker, aren’t you?”  Before Rachel could say anything, she glanced at her watch.  “Well, whoever’s going, we need to get moving.”  She walked up to Anne.  “Thank you for the bed, Sweetie.”  She reached in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.  Pulling back, she looked her compassionately in the eye.  “Whatever it is, I hope you work it out.”

Anne looked thoughtful for a minute, then nodded.  “I’m gonna do my best.”

“Do better than that.”  She turned to Rachel.  “It was nice to meet you.  Try to stay out of trouble.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

Cindy smiled.  “That’s the spirit.”  Picking up her suitcase, she turned to her old friend.  “Ready when you are.”

Chris reached to take the case.  “May I?”

“Nope.”  

Lisa and Anne smiled.  “Could have told you that,” Lisa commented.  “Let’s go.”

At the airport, Chris opened the trunk and stepped back to allow Cindy to get the suitcase herself.  “How about that?” she said as she did so.  “He can be taught.”

“Just have to have the right teacher,” he told her, smiling at his wife standing on the curb next to the car.  

“Ain’t that the truth,” she agreed before leaning in to give him a hug.  “It was nice to meet you, Chris.”  Pulling back, she added, “Both of you.”  Giving him a wink, she turned to Lisa.  “Walk me to my gate?”

“Of course,” her friend replied.  The two locked arms and headed into the airport.  Chris watched them go before getting into the car to wait for Lisa to return.

As they crossed the lobby, Lisa pulled CIndy tighter.  “I can’t tell you how happy I am that Anne ran into you,” she told her.  “Believe it or not, you’ve been on my mind a lot the last few weeks.”

“Really?  Missing the old days?”

Lisa laughed.  “Always.  But this was more to do with some stuff that’s been bothering me lately.”

“Nothing serious, I hope.”

She thought before she answered.  “A little, maybe.  But I’m pretty lucky.  I’ve got a husband that will do whatever it takes to help me through it.”

Cindy nodded.  “And did he do that?  Whatever it took?”

Lisa waggled her brow at her.  “And then some.”

“Ooh.  Sounds nice.”

“It was.”

“So, you’re good, then?”

Lisa shrugged.  “Still got some things to think about.  But yeah.  I’m good.”

“Good,” Cindy said.  “You’ll be able to help your cousin, then.”

Lisa stopped dead, dropping her arm from her friend.  “Anne?”  Cindy stopped and turned back to her with a nod.  “What’s wrong with Anne?”

“I’ve got no idea.  But, trust me.  Something’s really bothering that lady.  I don’t know if she got a phone call when she went to the bathroom last night or what.  But the person that came back to me at the bar was not the same one that left me there.  I tried to get her to open up to me about it, but she just wouldn’t do it.  Maybe you’ll have better luck.”

Lisa took a moment to take it in.  “She’d been going through some stuff a while back, but I was told she’d worked it out.”

“She told you that?”

“Actually, I got it from Rachel.” 

“Who’s Rachel?”

“Uh…”  Lisa took a second to recover.  “A friend of Anne’s.”

“Well, apparently she was wrong,” Cindy commented.

“I guess so,” Lisa agreed.  “I’ll talk to Anne when we get back home.”

“You do that.  And while you’re at it, keep an eye on that sister-in-law of yours.  She’s a pistol.”

“Trust me.  She’s more than a pistol.  She’s a submachine gun.”

Cindy laughed at the comment.  “With a full magazine,” she added.  “That’s some household you’ve got there, Lee.”

“True,” Lisa smiled.  “But it’s mine.  And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“Good.  I’m glad you’re happy.”  A flight announcement came over the intercom.  “Well, that’s me.  So, let’s say our goodbyes here.”  She sat the suitcase down and pulled Lisa into a tight hug.  “Ooh, it was so good to see you.  Let’s not wait so long before we do it again.”

“Let’s not,” Lisa agreed.  She let her friend turn the hug into a kiss on the lips.  “You have my number,” she added as they pulled apart.  

Cindy picked her case back up.  “I do,” she confirmed.  “And you can count on a call VERY soon.  There’s so much more about your life I want to hear about,” she added as she turned to go.  

“Really?” Lisa called after her.  “Like?”

Cindy stopped and looked back over her shoulder.  “Like how the two Chrises ended up with identical scars, for one.”  At Lisa’s stunned expression, she reached up and scratched at her eyebrow with her pinkie.  “I’ll be seeing you, Sunshine.”  Before Lisa couldn’t reply, she turned and walked into the gateway.

Lisa stood and stared for several seconds before she turned and walked out of the airport.  At the car, she turned back to look at the entrance.  She felt around behind her and opened the car door.  She was still staring back as she slid into her seat and reached for the safety belt.  She made several attempts to attach it without looking at what she was doing.

From his side of the car, Chris had watched the entire display.  After the fourth or fifth miss, he reached over and took the belt from her and clicked it into place.  

This finally got Lisa to turn away from the window.  She looked from her husband’s concerned face down to the attached connection.  “Thanks,” she said with a crooked smile.

“No problem,” he told her.  She didn’t answer, instead turning back to the window.  “But I guess I could be wrong about that.”  Again, she offered no reply.  “Am I  Is there a problem?”

Without turning to look at him, Lisa sighed, “I don’t know.  Maybe.”

~~~~~   ~~~~~   ~~~~~

"Hey, Cousin," Anne said as Lisa came in the front door.  “Cindy make her flight okay?”

Lisa stood in the open doorway for a moment, taking in the sight of her cousin sitting on the couch with her feet up on the coffee table.  Then, she used her hip to close the door.  "She did," she said, turning back to take in the cutoff shorts and t-shirt her cousin was wearing.  “No latex today?”

“Hell no!”  Anne's face showed her disgust.  "Did you see them?”

“I did,” Lisa nodded, placing her purse on the table by the door.  “Saw pretty much everything actually.”  She moved over to her favorite chair.  “I take it she didn’t clear it with you beforehand?”

“She did not,” Anne said, taking her feet off the table and sitting up straight.  “Little  Miss Pain-In- My-Butt waited until after she’d bra’d me yesterday to spring that little surprise on me.”  She cocked her eyebrow as Lisa let out a little laugh.  “You think that’s funny?”

“Not that,” Lisa told her with a smile.  “I’m just wondering how many other families have a reason to use bra as a verb.”

Anne smiled back.  “True.”

“So, no more latex?”

“Ever,” Anne confirmed.  “Especially after the experience of trying to squeeze my butt into it in an extremely narrow bathroom booth in a downtown bar.”

It was Lisa’s time to show disgust.  “Oooh.  I hadn’t considered that.”  She thought for a second.  “Do you think Rachel did?”  Anne just cocked another brow at her.  “Right.  Of course, she did.”  She looked around the room for a second.  “So, where is Little Miss Pain?”

Anne’s smile returned.  “Working her way back to herself.”

Lisa waited for more, but didn’t get it.  “As?” she finally prompted.

Anne’s smile widened as she reached into the pocket of her shorts.  Without a word, she pulled something out and tossed it to her cousin.  Catching it, Lisa stared at the smooth oval-shaped stone in her hand.  Anne, meantime, put her feet back up on the table.

“A rock?” Lisa commented.  “Why…”  She stopped, taking a closer look at it.  “Wait.  Is this Stony?”

“It is,” Anne replied.

“You turned her into the pet rock we had as a kid?”

Anne’s smile faded.  “No,” she sighed with a little bit of sadness.  “I turned her into the pet rock YOU had as a kid.”

Lisa eyed her carefully for a bit.  “You know,” she started slowly, “it was good to see Cindy again.”

Anne couldn’t help but smile, but it still seemed off somehow.  “Yeah.  It really was.”

“I think she’s on to us, though.”

Anne let out a little laugh like Lisa had before.  “It’s Cindy,” she commented.  “Of course, she’s on to us.  She doesn’t miss much.”

Lisa nodded in agreement.  “She sure doesn’t.”  She waited a beat before adding, “For instance, she noticed that something was really bothering you.”  Anne didn’t answer, but didn’t turn away.  “Care to share?”

Anne took a deep breath, but didn’t answer right away.  Finally, she seemed to collect herself.  “It’s just…”  She stopped, frustrated.  “I’ve just been…”  Again, she stopped.  “Dammit!  I want to talk to you about this, but however I say it, it sounds like I’m ungrateful.  I mean, you didn’t have to do anything for me, but you did.  You could have just turned me back into a bra and gone on with your life without another thought about me.”

Lisa considered her answer.  “First,” she started, “no, I couldn’t have.  We’ve already had that conversation.  Second, should we be having THIS one with her…”  She held up the stone in her hand.  “...listening.  I mean, I know she doesn’t have ears, but…’

Anne reached out and took it from her.  “It’s fine.  She already knows.”

Lisa couldn’t hide her shock.  “You told her.”

“Of course not.”

“Then…”

“She figured it out for herself.”

Shock turned to confusion.  “How?”

“Hey, she’s wild and crazy.  But not stupid.”

“I didn’t…”

Anne cut her off.  “It was mostly my fault.  I opened up to her that first night about some of what was bothering me.  Not much.  Just enough.  Then, when you pulled that little twelve hour waiting game of yours, she suggested you’d made us into your underwear.  My reaction to that might have been a little TOO suggestive.”

“That still seems…”

“But,” Anne cut her off again, “the kicker was your panic attack this morning when Cindy misplaced her bra.  After that, her brain went into Sherlock-mode.  After you guys left, she just came out and asked me if I’d been ‘born a bra’.”

“And…”

Anne shrugged.  “At that point, I didn’t see any reason to deny it.”

“Oh, really?  How about the fact that she knows that she can create people with the wand?”

“That would suck.”

“Damn right it…”

“That’s what she said,” Anne cut in.  “‘That would suck.  They wouldn’t have any past.  They wouldn’t know who they are.’”  She gave another little laugh.  “No, she’s not stupid at all.”

Lisa just stared at her.

“After I explained that you couldn’t turn them back without trapping them as whatever, she agreed to never use the wand that way.”  She shrugged.  “I think we’re safe.”

Lisa nodded.  “Okay.”  She watched Anne slip Rachel back into her pocket.  “”They wouldn’t know who they are’?”  Anne smiled with a shrug.  “Why haven’t you said anything?”

“See previous statement about feeling ungrateful.”

“So, you’ve been living in misery just so you wouldn’t hurt my… our feelings?”

“Pretty much,” Anne admitted.  “But it’s more than not knowing who I am.  I’ve been doing your old job four days a week.  I’ve been living in your house…”  She paused, then went on.  “...with you and YOUR husband.”

Lisa’s eyes widened in understanding.  “Oh, shit.  That night.  The night Rachel came to stay.  It was more than a bad date that caused you to use the wand on us, wasn’t it?  It was because…”  She stopped there.

Anne finished for her.  “...I came home horny as fuck to find YOU here screwing the shit out of the love of MY life.”  She cut Lisa off before she could comment.  “I know.  I know that’s not what was happening.  Still…”  She watched as Lisa processed what she’d told her.  “Where is Chris anyway?”

The question seemed to catch Lisa by surprise.  “Oh.  After what Cindy said to me at the airport, I asked him to give us a little time, so he went to get some coffee.” 

“Ah.”

“Anne…” Lisa started.  “God, I’m such an idiot.  I should have known that it wouldn’t be that easy for you to just become someone else.  I mean, if it had been me…  Shit, I guess, technically, it was me.  But…”

“Easy, Lisa,” Anne cautioned.  “Don’t blow a fuse trying to sort it out.  It wasn’t your job to create a life for me.  I was supposed to do that.”  She sighed.  “I guess I wasn’t too eager to give up the one I already had.”

“So, how do we fix this?”

“Again, not your job.”

“So?”

Anne took a breath.  “I’ve already taken step one.”  At Lisa’s raised eyebrow, she went on.  “I quit the job at the bookstore three weeks ago.”

Lisa looked confused.  “So, where have you been going on those days?”

Anne took TWO breaths this time.  “I’ve been looking for another job.”  She took a third breath.  “And a place to live.”

“A place…”  Lisa stopped to take her own breath.  “You’re leaving.”

“I think it’s time,” was Anne's simple reply.

“But…”  Lisa stopped again, but this time she sighed.  “Okay, I guess you’re right.  It’s just…”  She smiled before going on.  “I’ve enjoyed having you here.”

Anne nodded.  “And I’ve enjoyed being here.”  She paused for effect.  “Which, obviously, is part of the problem.  If I don’t start taking steps to make changes now, I might never do it.”

Lisa nodded slowly.  “So…”  Again, she sighed.  “Have you found a place yet?  Can you afford it?”

“I’ve been living here with you guys rent-free for almost a year,”  Anne answered.  “I’m pretty set.  And I’ve got a couple of prospects,” Anne answered, “but nothing definite yet.”

“Uh, local?”

Anne smiled.  “Don’t worry.  This might not be my house anymore, but I still consider this area my home.  I’m actually looking at apartments near the university.”  At Lisa’s raised eyebrow, she added.  “I’m thinking about getting that art degree you gave up when you met Chris.”

Lisa returned the smile, though her own seemed a bit sad .  “Taking the road not taken?”

“Oh, don’t beat yourself up.  You wanted to go on that book tour with Chris.  You’d have gotten back to it eventually.”

“Maybe,” Lisa consented.  “Though it’s been how many years now?”

“A few,” Anne admitted.  “Still, it seems like as good a spot as any for me to start.”  Her own smile morphed into a grin.  “You have to admit, I seem to have an eye for it.”

Lisa let out a soft laugh.  “Speaking as the art in question, it would be rather hard to deny that one.”  Her smile faded a bit as she nodded toward the pocket holding Rachel.  “Is she going with you?”

Anne looked down and gave her pocket a little pat.  “SHE is going back to school.”  Looking back up, she clarified.  “Her mom called while you were out and is coming to pick her up tomorrow.”

“Ah.”  Lisa waited for a moment, then added, “She could always transfer, you know.”

“I don’t think that’ll be happening.”  Before Lisa could say anything, she cut her off.  “Oh, don’t get me wrong.  We had a blast together, and I’ll always have a spot in my heart for what she did for me at a time when I really needed it.  But there were never any delusions about this being a long term relationship.”

“You sure?”

Anne eyed her for a moment.  “Okay,” she said, sitting forward.  “My turn.  Why did Chris have boobs and, I assume, a vagina this morning?”

Lisa swallowed, but didn’t reply.

“Let me guess.  Me and Rachel.”

“Maybe,” Lisa hedged.

Anne sat back on the couch.  “Maybe, my ass!”

“Okay, fine.  I admit it.  Your relationship had me wondering…  if… if…”

“If you’re night with Cindy way back when really happened because you’d had enough booze to put a shipload of sailors under the table?”

“Well,” Lisa defended herself, “why wouldn’t I wonder?  I mean, you two have been going at it for weeks now.”

“Yeah, but…”

“But what?  You’re telling me you didn’t…”  

“...get her off?”

“YEAH!”

“I did.”  

“SEE?”

“As sex toys.”  Lisa seemed to not have an answer for that one.  “I’ve been dildos and vibrators of every variety, including vibrating panties.  I’ve been a riding sex machine.  Hell, I even tried it as a man once.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.  Rachel seems to like it.  But no thanks.  Not for me.”  She sat forward again.  “But listen carefully.  At no time did we have sex as two women.”

“Never?”

“Never.”  She seemed to consider something.  “Well, there was that one time I offered to do it without using the wand.  But that was just to get her to stop trying to figure out what you turned us into.  I’d have done anything to stop that.  But even then, nothing happened.  It just gave her new ideas to explore.”  She shook her head.  “What a waste of time.  I could have told her that she would never guess what you did.  Hell, I DID tell her.”

“Did you figure it out?” Lisa asked with a curious tone.

Anne smiled.  “I knew you were going to put us on display, and probably out back.  But as what?  Honestly, I didn’t worry about it too much.”  The smile widened.  “Have to give it to you.  Whirligigs?  That was just inspired.”

Lisa returned her smile.  “Guess you’re not the only one with an eye for art.”

“Guess not.”  She got serious again.  “But back to your issues.  Trust me on this, Lisa.  We’re straight.”  Her cousin was quiet for a bit.  “What?”

“Last night...  I enjoyed it.”

“Of course you did.  You were with Chris.”

“That seems too simple an explanation.”

“Really?  Then tell me this.  Did he go down on you?”

Lisa smiled.  “He did.”

“And you obviously enjoyed it.”

The smile widened.  “I did.”

“And did you reciprocate?”

That brought her up short.  “What?”

“Did you go down on him?  Uh, her?  Whatever?”

“Umm…”

“Why not?”

“Uh…  He didn’t ask me to.”

“That’s a cop out, and you know it.  Chris has never asked you to do anything during sex.  You just do it.  So, why didn’t you this time?”  Lisa didn’t answer.  “Because you didn’t want to.  It wasn’t your thing.”

“I’ve gone down on Chris before,” Lisa insisted.

“As a man, yeah.  Hell, I’ve gone down on Rachel that way.  Proves my point.  We’re straight.  We like men.”  She waited before adding, "And there's nothing wrong with that."

“So, why do I feel like there should be?”

“Because you… we… worry too much sometimes.  It’s who we are.”  She stood up.  “Are we good?”

Lisa curled her lip.  “No,” she replied, “but we will be… I think.”

“Well, I’m going to let you work on that by yourself.”  She headed for the hallway.  “I’ve had no sleep since before I changed into a bra yesterday.  I plan to take advantage of Rachel being inanimate and sleep the afternoon away.”  She stopped and turned back.  “Oh, the wand is on the mantle, by the way.  Figure you need that to get Chris back to himself.”  She gave her a wink.  “Unless you prefer him as a her, that is.”

“Ha ha!” Lisa quipped.  “Enjoy your nap.”

“Intend to.”  

A few seconds later, the distinct sound of her door closing was heard.  Immediately after, the front door opened.  Chris peeked inside.  “Need more time?”

Lisa smiled.  “Definitely,” she said, getting up, “but we’re done for now.”

“Okay.”  He shouldered the door open and came in, his hands holding two cups of coffee.  Using his hip, he closed it.  “So, more to consider, I take it.”

“More than I realized, actually.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Not till I’ve had time to think.”

“Fair enough.”  He handed her a cup.  “I really need to work on my book anyway.”

“So,” she said, moving over to the mantle, “you want to wait until later to fix your wand situation?”  She picked it up from where Anne had left it.

“Depends,” he answered.  “If you can come up with something that leaves me able to write, we can do it now.”

“Oh,” she cooed, sitting her cup by her chair, “I think I’ve got just the thing.”

He sat his own cup down.  “Then, hit me, sweetheart.”  He held his arms out, and a moment later felt the wand tap him on the forehead.  Looking down, he took in his new form.  “Uh, sweetheart, I said I had to work today.”

“What’s wrong?  Can’t write as a woman?”

“I could, but I’m not sure that’s what you had in mind.”

“Don’t worry.  I promise not to bother you the whole time you’re like this.”

“Okay,” he wondered, “what am I missing?”

“Nothing.  I told you that I had a lot to think about.”

“And…?”

“AND,” she stated, “I’ve been told by someone I trust that there is a really good way to block out outside distractions so one can be alone with their thoughts.”

“Ah, I see.”  He held out for the wand.  

Handing it over, Lisa said, “A couple of restrictions.  Nothing smaller than bikini.”

“What are you wearing now?”

“Why?”

“Well, it would be a shame if I made you the same and wore the wrong ones.  You could end up spending the day in the hamper.”

“Good point.  Hipster.  Pink.”

He gave her a thumbs up.  “Anything else?”

“Just that you’re welcome to borrow my clothes.   But if you do, please, wear a skirt.”

“Got it.”

“I think that’s it.”  She held her arms out as he had before.  “Hit me.”

He reached forward with the wand, but stopped before touching her.  “Wait a minute.”

She cocked an eyebrow.  “What?”

He eyed her suspiciously.  “You sure this isn’t just some way to spend the day pressed up against MY hoo-haw?”

She smiled back.  “I didn’t say it didn’t have its perks.”