The decision was made to pay the ransom, a clean one million of federal money. Marked of course. It showed up soon in the possession of an orphanage, which was close to bankruptcy, the money being donated anonymously. It saved their place and for once the government made a wise decision and let them keep the money. Soon after that the men were released, exactly one month after their disappearance.

I was one of these ten men.

I woke up in my bed with an incredible urge to pee. I ran to the bathroom and sat down like I always do in the morning as I tend to spray around the toilet right after I wake up. After I relieved myself I went to brush my teeth and when I looked in the mirror for the first time I gasped. What I saw was not my usual face or my body even. I'm one of these guys that started balding on top of their head already at early age, but I now had a huge amount of hair, long, down to my shoulders. As much as I was missing hair on my head I had hair all over my body. But now, not one hair was visible, anywhere on my body. Not under my arms, not on my belly or legs, not in my crotch area. And nothing on my chin either. In fact, as I felt my face, I don't think I've ever been so smooth. The look on my face was different as well, it almost looked like my face was made up and it gave me a distinct cuteness, as in girl cute. The last thing I noticed was my chest, again no hair, but very pronounced nipples on two soft mounds, not very big but I had definitely breasts. And when I grabbed one in my hand to feel the softness I saw bright red fingernails, perfectly manicured had I been a girl.

This was probably the moment where I started panicking. What the heck happened, this is more than a practical joke by my wife. In a rush I picked up the bedroom phone and dialed 9-1-1. A lady answered immediately, saying please state your emergency. And I started saying, hello, but when I heard my own voice I knew thing were even worse than I already thought. My voice was clearly female, confirmed by the operator saying, yes Ma'am, how can I help? Before I could say anything else I heard a gasp and then she said, AJ, is that you? Now that was awkward as I definitely had no idea who she was, but then my scientist brain kicked in, of course, based on the number that calls her computer screen has probably all my info at her fingertips. So all I replied was, yes, it's me.

I could hear the urgency in her voice when she said, help is on the way, are you in any pain? No, not at all, I replied, I feel quite good actually, but somebody played some trick on me and I look like a girl. And I sound like one too, I added. Okay, she answered, let me ask you one question, what happened eeehhh, yesterday, before you went to bed? Yesterday? I started concentrating, I came back from work, stopped at the mall and when I got back to my car... I can't remember, oh my God, was I in an accident?

No, she answers, no accident, but you can't remember anything else? You've been gone for a month. A month, I cry, where was I for a month? It feels like just yesterday. But I realize she's right. People don't change into a girl overnight, but could it be done in a month? AJ, I hear her urging me, stay with me now, you said you look like a girl? Like a complete girl? I glanced back in the mirror and said, if it wasn't for my dick I would. And suddenly realizing what I had said I started apologizing, but she said, don't worry. By the way, help is at your driveway, can you open the door? Geez no, I said, I'm naked! Wait, I have a bathrobe, is that okay? Of course hon, she said, put that on and go open the door please, if you can keep the line open, so I know you're okay. Thanks I said, and I dressed in the robe, feeling the material brush against my breast, my nipple as well as my penis growing from the slight contact. My skin is clearly very sensitive.

I ran downstairs, immediately aware of the bouncing on my chest and the hair on my head. When I opened the door I saw an ambulance on the driveway and a police car at the curb as well as a black SUV. A medic from the ambulance was there first and she pushed me softly back inside, saying let's get you out of this cold. Her first check were my vitals which seemed okay but then she asked me to lay back on the sofa and she checked under my robe in the crotch area. Thinking this was quite odd I started asking what she was doing, when she cursed between her teeth. I looked at her in shock but she glanced aside to a man in a black suit that had entered my home and she shook her head. He disappeared upstairs after that. Hey, I said, who's that, why is he in my home? He's a detective, she answered, your home is a crime scene now. What, I said, why? You disappeared 30 days ago, without a trace, and after paying ransom you wake up in your own bed. There have to be traces of someone returning you back home.

I was in shock. I missed thirty days from my life, my wife and kids must have gone crazy. Why, I asked again, why did you check me down there and why did you curse? She hesitated, then said, a ransom was demanded which wasn't taken seriously, then a pair of testicles was delivered as proof. Preliminary DNA tests showed it could have been yours and I just checked. I suddenly panicked, pulled the robe fully away and felt my crotch. Right where I have always felt my  balls between my legs was now smooth skin, not one sign there was ever anything else. That's when I passed out.

I woke up in the hospital this time with my wife next to my bed. She was crying and I grabbed her hand to sooth her. But she pulled away at the sight of my bright fingernails. I felt hurt a bit but I understood, I don't quite look like the man she married. Luckily a nurse showed up and the awkward moment passed. They performed all kind of tests on me, took a gallon or so of blood and I had to lay still in a giant machine. Eventually a doctor showed up at my bed, he tried to smile but it looked more like a frown. He told me I was actually quite healthy but due to the lack of testicles my testosterone levels were almost non existent. It did not explain the amount of female sex hormones in my body though and the only conclusion was that there was some implant in my body that added these hormones in my system. And they could not determine where the source was located. Long story short, yes I was healthy, had I been a woman...

The prognosis was that I would get more feminine, my breasts would grow, my hips widen, my skin would soften even more. They may be able to slow the process down by adding male hormones in the mix, but it could be a dangerous mix due to the implant. He suggested I prepare for full womanhood.

I was released from the hospital and my wife drove me home. That night we went to bed together and I felt a deep urge to have sex. I sucked on her nipples, something I know will make her wet, then I went in my favorite position with my tongue in her snatch and I made her even more wet. But my dick was hard and long and I needed relief. For a moment I was confused, without balls I thought there would be nothing there, but I loaded deep in her, our breasts pressed together and in just a few seconds I had her cumming and I came as well, shooting something deep in her belly. It was very satisfying and even a relief, knowing that my male part still works, and quite well.

After I pulled out we both laid back, resting. Then I realized she was crying. I hoped it was happiness like I was feeling but I was wrong. She did not feel right about it, she felt like she was making out with a girl and that's not how she was raised.  I even smelled different, no more strong semen smell but a sweetness, I actually smelled very much like her. Yes, she still loved me and she was sorry for me, but it would never happen again. Months later our divorce would be finalized, no counseling could stop that. Until then I would sleep in the guest room.

I couldn't easily go back to work but the government decided to pay me a similar salary that we were used to. In return I had to allow them to perform tests on me and I was expected to go through counseling, three times a week. Two days later I went to my first session and for the first time I got a look at my fellow abductees. They looked very much like me, clearly with curves that shouldn't be on a male body and we tried to hide them with oversized clothing. But our faces were all free of stubble or any blemishes for that matter with very girly cheekbones. There was nine of us, two blacks, an Asian, one who looked very Hispanic and the rest of us white.  My guess we were all between 25 and 40 years old. The counselor was a rather young woman in a lab coat, maybe in her early thirties. She was looking at the empty spot next to me but decided to start the session. We all had to introduce ourselves, only use our first names, and tell about our hobbies, favorite sports, actors, tv shows, etc. To me it seemed like they were still trying to figure out if there were any commonalities between us that would explain why we were abducted. When it was my turn I introduced myself and started sharing my favorite movies when the door opened and a black woman walked in. She was wearing tight jeans and sneakers and a top that didn't do much to hide her well endowed chest. My mouth dropped open, she was clearly my type I realized, although I had never been with a black woman in my life. She said, sorry I'm late, and she sat right beside me on the empty chair. 

Only then it occurred to us that she was number ten, one of us, but clearly much farther on the road to womanhood. He explained he had come by bus, using the public transportation, which is not very well developed in our county. But his car was stolen when he was abducted. He had been in his car already when he realized that he needed something from the trunk. The abduction took place with his door open, the trunk open and the motor running. It probably didn't take long before someone simply got in and drove it away. And that's why the insurance company is giving him hard time on the theft, not willing to pay for a new car. The fact that he was abducted didn't matter to them, he had basically handed his car over to the thief.

I remember now that I read in the newspaper about the fact that originally the police thought there were nine victims but when they received ten sets of testicles they realized there must have been one more victim. But no report was filed for another missing person. And when we all returned it took a while before they realized he was number ten. He was telling this matter of factly and I felt sorry for him for not having anyone around to help him through these difficult times. When the counselor asked if one of us could at least give him a lift back home everyone sort of looked at the two other black guys. But as they remained quiet I said it would be my pleasure to take him home. He gave me a thankful nod and it gave me a good feeling on the inside.

The counselor had us all give our first names again for the newcomer named Patrick. Then I was reminded it was still my turn to talk about my hobbies and stuff. When naming my favorite sports teams as Cavs and Indians but also the Browns some booing was heard. Where we live there is plenty of teams to pick from, like Pittsburgh, Buffalo and even Philadelphia but with Cleveland it was assumed I clearly had no clue about sports. I didn't care, I've heard it all before. But I have always wondered if that's the reason why I don't make friends easily.

Next was Pat as he liked to be called. His voice had an accent, like he was from the Carribean. One of his hobbies was his game room and I hoped I would get to see that if I dropped him off at home. He finished with also naming the Browns as his favorite team, smiling at me, and I gave him a high five. From that moment on the two of us were considered a team that could be joked on, but for us it was the start of a great friendship.

All further discussions were aimed at trying to find something that was common between all of us. About half of us were in a permanent relationship although I expected to drop out of that group soon, as I explained the hesitation my wife had towards my new body shape. The group was very supportive, none of them had experienced yet a bad side effect like that. As a matter of fact one guy joked, his wife was quite happy with his enhanced libido. Somehow he was more capable now in satisfying his wife then before the abduction. And no longer worrying about getting her pregnant he finished his story. After that everyone started chiming in that they were more active sexually, unexpectedly of course, with many confessions of masturbation, to ease the urge.

Suddenly our counselor was writing notes like crazy and asking questions trying to figure out how hard we were during these periods, how long it would last, if our fantasies were still concentrated on women, and so on. The more we talked about this, the more I realized how strange it was indeed. After castration it was not uncommon to get hard still but that was generally linked to male hormones still active in the body. And we had none of that, the expectation had been soft, non functional genitals. We all were supposed to report to the hospital the next day for further tests on this very topic.

We finally wrapped up and Pat and I walked to my car. It turned out he practically lived between my home and the hospital so giving him a lift would be easy. Until he had a new car I would pick him up and drop him off. He invited me in when we reached his place and we ended up in his basement real quickly. A pool table, a dartboard and fussball alongside a gorgeous tropical bar set with nice leather seats in front of a 100 inch monster flat screen. To watch the Browns together he said. His fridge held my favorite beer and before long we were joking and chatting like we'd been friends forever. We played pool and it was close enough of a game to keep our interest. It got late and I suddenly realized my family must be getting worried, so I started getting ready to leave. One more thing, Pat said, although this may be a bit girly. He grabbed a tape measure and started measuring my bust size, my waist, my hips, my neck, the length of my legs and even the size of my feet. He wrote it all down in a notebook and showed me his own measurements and how they were changing, in the few days since we had returned. One last set of numbers were the size of his dick and while not thick it had actually grown slightly longer. You can do these measurements at your own home he joked, just text them to me.

I left, promising to be there way in time the next day to go to the hospital. I had a smile on my face all the way driving home.

Things became more of a routine over the next few weeks. I spent more and more time at Pat's place, even on days we had no meetings. He had no one else to talk to and help him through the transition. His friends pretty much dropped him as he was becoming more female. He figured they'd be back once his transformation was complete, but for different reasons. Together it was much easier to handle our situation and it helped me tremendously as my life at home became more complicated. I still picked him up even though he got himself a new car, after the insurance finally paid up. It was just more fun to go together. We did our measurements every day and I was amazed to "see" my body change even though it didn't feel like. The pattern of change matched his although some weeks behind his scheme. I had stayed overnight as well a few times after some heavy drinking sessions as we got more and more comfortable with each other. He showed me more girly stuff, like makeup and blow dryers, plus his wardrobe that got more and more female. Simply because male pants just wouldn't fit over his curves and he was not the type to hide under baggy clothes like I was still doing.

And then one morning, I was quite early to pick him up so we could have some breakfast together, he opened the door and he was wearing a skirt. And of course very fashionable, nothing baggy, a form fitting black leather skirt with a tight black turtleneck sweater on top of it. With stockings and heels. My mouth dropped open at the sight of him and I suddenly realized he was no longer considering himself male. She laughed at my expression and confirmed indeed, from now on I will go by Patra, but you can still call me Pat, how convenient. The reason was simple she said, her body seemed to have reached its final dimensions and her genitals were starting to shrink. She could feel that it would soon be over and her mind had made the switch already. And I'm not sure if she wanted to prove a point, but she looked at the tent in my pants and she dropped on her knees and pulled my dick out of its confinement and took it in her mouth. I couldn't move, I was simply stunned. This guy who had quickly turned into my best friend was dressed to kill and I liked it. She was good, licking and sucking, and I couldn't hold back. I came with a loud moan and she eagerly swallowed my cum, or whatever you call it when you have no balls. She licked me clean and put my member back in my pants. Then she stood up and kissed me full on the mouth. Her tongue entered my mouth and I simply gave in, not able to resist this beauty. I tasted my own juices and it was sweet, not bad at all. Finally she pulled away and said, Breakfast?

When we reached the counseling session the reaction was very similar. Everyone was in awe and deep in thought about themselves for a while. Is that ahead of us in just a few weeks? The counselor smiled, it seems I'm no longer the only woman here, who's next? And she looked around at each of us. She had a lot of questions for Pat, about her mental decision that she was a woman now as well as her physical condition. When Pat explained that her genitals were shrinking everyone became very quiet. The counselor opened up with a warm smile and a hug for Pat and she said that she could help with any female issue or question that anyone may have. But reality was finally setting in for all of us. Pat was asked to stay behind after the session and so did I. The counselor took all her measurements and came to the same conclusion. She actually joked that she would die to have Pats shape. We went through a lot of feminine stuff but there was not much she could teach Pat that she didn't know yet. I learned a lot though and I found that I was truly interested where in the past I would have probably be bored. My mind was clearly adapting to my bodily changes as well. There were some legal matters though and when we walked out Patra was officially now a woman as well, with papers to change her drivers license and passport and a bunch of other things.

We drove to her home and I finally was able to ask a very tough question. Would this change anything between us?

We were no longer two guys having fun together. She's a woman now and I'm a married man.

Her answer was simple: Are you?

We reached her place and rather than going to the basement like we normally do, she took me to her bedroom, saying she had something for me. Take your clothes off, she said, and when I hesitated just a bit she laughed, don't worry, since this morning there's nothing I haven't seen yet. She was right and I was naked in a few seconds. She handed me a beautifully wrapped gift and I carefully opened it, finding a gorgeous set of lingerie. This would have looked amazing on my wife but she simply said, for you. She helped me with the bra, my hands were shaking, and it was a perfect fit. I was not surprised, she had been measuring my chest every day for the past couple of weeks. Next were the panties and she showed me how to tuck away my penis. She went to her closet and came out with a leather skirt, very much like she was wearing, but it was my size, again a perfect fit. I couldn't believe the feeling of the material on my skin and when I looked in the mirror I couldn't believe how I looked either. I was a woman, just like her.

She gave me a simple top that went well with the skirt, showing quite some cleavage. Then she did my hair and some simple makeup. I registered everything she did, knowing I would be doing this for the rest of my life. I was grateful to have her as my friend, how would I have been able to figure this all out by myself? I figured we would be playing some pool, I couldn't wait to see how much different it would be while wearing a tight skirt. But she asked me for a favor first. I'm officially a woman now, she said, but there's still a bit of a man in me, and looking at you I'm horny as hell and I need some relief. I didn't let her finish. I felt like a woman myself now and here is a person that I know I love that needed help. I pushed her back on her bed and pushed her skirt up high enough for me to reach for her member, sticking out from under her lingerie. And without a second thought I took it in my mouth. I tried to remember what she had done to me this morning and started to mimic that. I heard her moan and she grew in my mouth. The taste was sweet, definitely female. The smell was intoxicating thanks to the leather skirt, and I felt myself getting horny as well. I kissed and licked her inner thigh in between and when I inhaled her dick deeply she came. A loud moan escaped and she bucked violently but I held on to her until she calmed down. Nothing spilled, it tasted like nectar and I was not going to waste any of it. I tucked her member back in, straightened her skirt and crawled on top of her, eager to kiss her. We shared her taste for minutes while rubbing each other's skirt. She realized how hard I had gotten and gave me my second blow job of the day.

Afterwards we played pool and it was indeed quite different. She gave me some of her heels and it took me a bit to get used to but it definitely improved my game. By the end of the night you couldn't tell I hadn't walked in heels for life. I decided to stay for the night, I sent a quick message to my wife who really didn't care anymore. But she would definitely freak out even more if she would see me right now.

I headed for the guest room but Patra took my hand and guided me to her room. I didn't protest, I knew I loved her and she loved me. We stripped down to just our lingerie and went to bed where we cuddled up. No sex was needed, but a lot needed to be discussed. We talked about me first, would I be going back to baggy pants? That was actually very simple, no way! Something had changed in my mind, maybe she shortcut the process, because physically we knew I was a few weeks behind her. But mentally I had accepted I was a woman and I was proud of it. But practically there were some problems, I needed more clothing. Maybe I could use some of her earlier stuff but she was much curvier than I would probably ever be. My wife was also a problem, seeing me dressed as a woman would be the last straw for sure, she wouldn't want me in the house anymore. 

And that brought the discussion to us, are we friends who happen to share the bed, or are we lovers. And if we're lovers, how long will that last? When does the transformation end? It was highly unlikely that our penis would disappear and change to a vagina. Surgery was probably needed. Would we both do it? Or would one of us keep a last bit of maleness? Would that help in our relationship? Or would our minds change even more and we desired a real man in our lives, what would happen to us then? We finally fell asleep. Tomorrow would be a different world...