If you ever get a chance to study abroad, then see if you can take a year off, a sabbatical, to explore the country. Or the continent. I did it, and it was the best year of my life. As it was for my best friend.

Can your best friend be someone of the opposite gender? Yes, Cara was a girl, but she was very much like me. Same interests, same believes, same urge to explore. We only met in our first year at the University of Leuven in Belgium. At first we hooked up, just because we were both Americans, but soon we realized how we shared the same interests, and we started studying together. And going out. And travel.

Did we sleep together? I won't deny we tried it once or twice. More to scratch an itch, than trying to be lovers. And we were perfectly happy with that. Oh, by now you probably think how stupid I am? Because Cara is simply gorgeous. A natural beauty, who knows how to dress, but is perfectly at ease as well in jeans and tshirt like myself.

We've seen quite a bit already of this part of Europe, Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Cologne, you name it. But we wanted more, and that's how we decided to take the year off before our senior year. A whole year, including two full summers.

We traveled through France, Portugal, Spain, Monaco, Italy, Greece, and then back through Austria and Switzerland, where we finally ran out of money, with about four months left. Bad planning, you say? Maybe. But we didn't anticipate that early on my backpack would get stolen. With more than half of my money inside. I only had a pouch left, that I was wearing on my body, with my passport and emergency money, and the clothes I had on.

I don't want you to think we didn't have fun because of that. As a matter of fact, we had a blast, doing things we had never planned for. Odd jobs. Making money, just so we could move on to the next city. The next country. We slept in much cheaper places, often in the same bed. But in a way we experienced these foreign cultures much more intense, than we would have as regular tourists.

Now, you may ask, what about all your stuff, the clothes you lost? Well, obviously we had to be careful with money, so I bought a cheap backpack that I used to relieve some of Cara's load, and slowly her stuff that I carried became mine. Yes, if I couldn't wear my one pair of jeans or my tshirt, I wore something of hers. And since she brought mostly skirts, and I couldn't fit in her jeans, I dressed more often as Samantha than as Samuel. But I was Sam either way.

At first it was a bit awkward, but I wasn't very tall to start with, and without a haircut for many months, but continously having to shave everywhere else, I started looking more and more like a girl anyway. Cara taught me how to do makeup and how to change up my hair in different ways, even work on my voice a bit, and it became more and more natural.

It actually came in handy even as we landed jobs as waitresses, and with a bit of flirting we got quite some good tips. That's when I started wearing bra's as well. A nice pair of breasts brings in extra money, such is reality, we found. We found a day job as well in a salon, where I very quickly became an expert in makeup. Cara was trained on a laser hair removal machine, and she practiced on me. Soon my skin was as smooth as hers, I would never have to worry about shaving again.

In these three months in Italy we made some good friends, and when one learned I wasn't a real girl, she brought me one night a pair of very realistic breast forms, that she glued on my chest. They had been her brother's, who was trans, and no longer needed them after his surgery. And likewise she glued a prosthetic between my legs and I had my own womanhood. The glue lasted for six months during which I was a girl 24/7. But as I said before, it was even better for tips.

During these six months I had also my first sexual experience as a girl. As a woman I should say. It was in Greece, where Cara was extremely popular. She dated multiple guys and one night by accident two at the same time. So I ended up with one. Add a wine garden to that with free refills, once you were inside and had purchased a glass, and in my heels I wasn't as stable as I had learned to be.

So when I stumbled and my date caught me in his arms, we were kissing and making out in a quiet hidden corner in the garden. I lost my female virginity and although my pussy was made out of silicone, I did experience my first female orgasm that night. And the six nights after.

It was weird when the glue finally lost its strength and my breasts came off. I was Samuel again for a few days, although I couldn't get my voice back to normal. I guess normal was much higher for me now. Plus I couldn't stop swaying my hips while walking.

Since then I've used short term glue, when there was a chance for a date, or just held the breast forms in my bra. Until we ended up in Switzerland in the home of the widow Frau Baumgartner. She was in need for a man in the house, to do yard and some maintenance work. Cara was taught all kind of needle work, and although the pay wasn't great for either of us, it did come with free meals and a bed to sleep.

Still, after almost four weeks, it was time to move on, the widow was driving us both crazy. The one thing we had on our list of things to do though was going to the top of one of the mountains there. A cable car would take us most of the way, but it was very expensive and wouldn't leave enough money for the train to Zurich. The next day however the cable car would be half price, and we saw that as a sign that it was time.

Cara needed her BFF, so early in the morning I became Samantha again, and we sneaked out of the house before Frau B. would wake up. We had one of the earliest cars up, but halfway we got out to do a two hour hike. We could see the peak of the mountain and it was simply magnificent. When we took the next leg up it felt unreal, how high we were, the solid ground thousand feet below us. And when we finally reached we found it was another hike to the top.

It was like a fairytale, walking on steep paths, through narrow tunnels, until finally we reached the top, and right there was a magnificent ancient building, hosting a hotel and restaurant. The view was breathtaking, on all sides. I'd be okay with never leaving here again.

As it was lunch time, we decided to have a bite in the restaurant. It was glorious. And busy. And they clearly had a problem. I could see only one waitress. It took at least fifteen minutes before she got close enough that I could tell how pretty she was, in a gorgeous uniform. But her face was full of unhappiness. My guess was that at least one waitress didn't show up, maybe two.

I made my decision. I smiled at Cara and told her I was going to help. I walked by the waitress and pulled a notebook and a pen from her pocket. She looked stunned at me, but by then I'd reached a table with a group that had become rather rowdy by now. They wanted me to know how long they'd be waiting, but I cut them short by saying that drinks were on the house for their inconvenience.

From then on things went better and better. I noticed Cara waiting at another table and I saw the original waitress now with a smile on her face. Thank goodness they had enough people in the kitchen, and soon I carried orders to the tables. People quickly forgot their original troubles and with good food, free drinks and a stunning view it was soon all smiles again at every table.

With most of the crowd eventually gone, the single waitress, Heidi I saw on her name tag, came to me, pulled me into her, and kissed me full on the mouth. Our kiss sizzled in seconds and her tongue went deep in my mouth, as I tried to get a grip on her. When she finally pulled back I could only look in awe at her beauty. I was in love.

Cara received a kiss too, but nothing as severe as mine had been, and Heidi winked at me as she did so. Soon after we were sitting in the kitchen with food in front of us, and Heidi's father talking to us. He owned both hotel and restaurant and offered us a job on the spot for the next two months. Food and room included, right here on the top.

It took only one look in Cara's eyes and we accepted. The job paid enough to build us some momentum and it would still give us enough time to finish our European tour through Germany and Luxembourg, back to Belgium, just in time for school to start.

Apparently a waiter and waitress had decided not to show up today, as they were moving south, where her mom lived, to get married. In two months the busy season would be over, and their son would be back from an armed service stint.

Cara explained that we needed to go down the mountain to empty out at Frau B. and officially end our rent there. Herr Blumenthal gave us a badge that would allow us in the cable car for free, and told us to go right away and be back before the dinner crowd.

Heidi again kissed me, telling me to come back soon. Frau B. was very disappointed, but she understood as well. She looked curious at me, assuming I was another friend of Cara. While we packed our stuff Cara glued my breasts back on my chest, saying that she hoped that the heat that Heidi and I were producing would not dissolve the glue. Then she went on asking if she should remove the prosthesis between my legs, which I had kept ever since I got it, so that I could get some action again. But I shook my head, somehow I knew that Heidi would not be interested in that piece of me.

Back on top of the Alp Heidi took us to her room, where we would stay until another room would open up, which could be awhile as it was high season. That's where we got our uniform as well, similar to what Heidi was wearing, with a corset like body, which put our breasts on display. She was slightly embarrassed when she asked me if I was okay with a name change for while we were there. She had two name tags, beautifully crafted, one with Gretchen, the other with Lorelei. I really liked Lorelei, so I took that tag. But no way was Cara going to be Gretchen, so she got a standard tag that she could write her name on.

And just like that we were employed and handling the evening crowd. Because of my new name people assumed I'd speak the language, but I picked up enough to soon be handling that quite well. It was a pleasure to know that the kitchen produced good food, seeing contented faces, up to the last spoon of dessert.

There were two groups of people. The ones that had to return by cable car, before the system shut off, and the ones remaining in the hotel. The latter hung around, drinking coffee, beer, wine and liquor, until a magnificent sunset stopped everything. It was impossible to ignore, and I found myself outside on one of the terraces, too stunned to move. Could there be anything more beautiful?

I got my answer right away, when Heidi stood beside me, her hand grabbing mine, our fingers intertwined, she was simply perfect in the setting sun. I gave a slight pull and suddenly we were one unit, shoulder to shoulder, breast to breast, hip to hip. And with a small move in her neck, her head dropped on my shoulder, her hair in mine. And then she purred.

It was a sound of absolute contentment and I couldn't agree more. We stood there until the sun was gone, and suddenly people around us started moving again. I heard someone call for Heidi and we both walked back, still hand in hand, until orders for new rounds of drinks got us busy again.

Somehow I was still in a haze. I would happily pay to work here and see that sunset every night. But doing it with Heidi brought butterflies in my belly and the sensation was uncomparable to anything I'd ever experienced.

With only the bar left open, our night was finally done. The three of us went to Heidi's room, where we took off our uniforms and took our turns for a shower. In just our nighties we looked at the bed situation. Heidi's bed was big enough for the three of us, but Cara took a single mattress that was on the floor. Which meant Heidi and I cuddled together under her blanket.

I wish I had enough energy left to make love to her, but with her arm wrapped around me we fell asleep in seconds. I had a very hot dream in which we kissed each other from head to toe, and when I woke up the kiss was real. Her tongue was in my mouth, and I let her take me. She tasted wonderful, even after a night of sleep. I stroked my fingers down her body and she shivered in anticipation. I squeezed her nipple and she almost came. When Cara yawned loudly it was all over at once.

It took a few days before a small room became available, good for one person, and Cara took it right away. Let the lovebirds have their privacy, she said.

With our chance to get more intimate, it didn't take long for Heidi to realize I wasn't exactly what I had said I was. My breasts didn't feel realistic enough, and neither did my pussy. So I explained the whole situation and told her I was sorry, ready to be thrown out of her bed.

But she reacted totally different. It was like a light had switched on in her head, in her face. She looked even more beautiful. With her beauty she could get any guy I figured, and probably every girl as well. And she had indeed tried both. But neither had been satisfying. Heidi had started to believe it was all her fault and that she simply was asexual.

None of that I had noticed, she was sexy and knew exactly what to do in bed. But I was in essence transgender and that seemed to be what Heidi needed. We talked a lot about it. I was not someone who had wanted to be female all his life. I had taken on a female role out of necessity, out of a lack of funds, out of an incredible friendship, and slowly out of a desire to be desired. As a female I had had sex with men, and totally be comfortable with it, not feeling gay at all. But also as a female the sex with Heidi was incredible, and still it didn't feel gay.

Heidi suddenly wanted to know what my manhood looked like, and if it still was in working order. Cara always carried a small bottle of dissolvent, and a few hours later we looked at my significantly shrunken dick. I guess it should have worried me that it was so small now, especially in front of my lover. But we both seemed more practical about it. I was still a woman with a small penis, or perhaps a large clit.

Heidi tried to get some life in it, through kissing, licking and sucking. But not until she started fingering me at the same time, did it start to react. Apparently I needed penetration by now, like most women would.

It took a few days and a male enhancing pill to get a bit of an orgasm, while I penetrated Heidi, but neither of us was impressed. And that's how the two of us ended up at a doctor with some gender crossing experience. She suggested to harvest my sperm to be used potentially at a later time. That took a good week after which a surgical procedure locked me back up, but leaving a much more realistic vagina in place. And given the sudden extra amount of fun we had, both Heidi and I knew it was the right decision.

Things had changed. For the good. It was no longer she and I. It was us. We.

We made the decision that we belonged together. We needed me to be female. We wanted to get married. But we also wanted me to finish my studies. And that would help her family business.

I had already started to help out more and more with the hotel side. First as an extra help, cleaning rooms. Then at the front desk. And for some reason I understood the computer system better than anyone else, and soon my responsibilities went farther, including book keeping and event planning. Heidi's father loved me already as a daughter and couldn't be more happy that it would be official in less than a year, when same sex marriages would be legal. Not one person here seemed to think that Heidi should marry a guy.

Cara was doing good too, taking more tasks on in running the restaurant. She also was treated as a daughter. And that became reality as well, once Heidi's brother, Karl, came back from his army stint. It was love at first sight, and I had to chuckle at Cara's behavior, seen how she had reacted to me and Heidi. The cool thing? Cara and Karl would get married before we'd leave.

We had stayed longer than planned and went by train straight back to Belgium and our school, with promises that Karl and Heidi would visit often. It was trouble though to find a room, as we were basically too late. So we'd stay once more in a cheap hotel, while trying to resolve that, as we started our last year.

I also tried to find a doctor. One that could help me with my transition before I'd go back to Switzerland, to Heidi. When I found her, it was like finding the mother I never had as an orphan. Her name was Irma and she was interested in all that had happened and cried with me when I explained how both Cara and I had found true love. And soon after, we moved into her home, and she treated us both like her daughters.

Irma helped me setting the plan for my transition, which included hormones, and a series of surgeries. The fact that I had lived as a woman for more than a year already, and that I had my name changed officially to Lorelei, helped in getting approvals from insurance and also from the University. But Irma officially adopting me, even though technically I was already a grown-up, gave me a sense of family I had never experienced before.

Funny enough, it was Cara who needed the medical services of my new mother before I did. The diagnosis was simple though. She was pregnant. And Karl, who happened to visit the weekend after she found out, could not have been happier. And I cried when they both asked me to be godmother to their child.

I cried more often, my body affected by the hormones, my emotions up and down. But it was all good, I had my eyes on the bigger picture, the prize of my love in the Alps. And Irma was such a help as her experience with these things explained all these new feelings that I had. But nothing was better than when my very own breasts started growing from my chest.

The year went so fast, despite Cara growing big with twins, and myself going through a number of unpleasant surgeries. My final surgery was a few weeks before graduation, which I would experience as complete a woman as possible. Irma and Heidi were cheering for me, while Karl kept an uneasy eye at Cara, who seemed ready to deliver during the ceremony. Thank goodness all went well, and two days later we were on our way back to Switzerland.

Irma came as well, she would not let Cara travel without a doctor close by. And she'd stay long enough to see me get married. What we didn't expect was her falling in love with Max, Heidi's father. Or Heidi confessing she'd used some of my sperm and was also pregnant now. This started more and more to look like a good old fashioned soap opera.

The twins were born the second day we were back on the mountain. And Irma delivered them, because the regular doctor could not make it in time, as the cable cars were closed during the night. Both girls and their mom were healthy, but we did have a casualty. Karl passed out during the delivery. Men!

I'd never had fantasies about getting married, as a guy it never seemed like a big deal. Buy a nice suit, or even rent one, and maybe get a haircut. But we'd expect the woman to go all out, salon, spa, beautiful white dress, high heels and sexy lingerie.

As a woman, marrying another woman, double all of that. We each had an idea of our perfect wedding dress, and what goes under it and with it. But experiencing it, as a woman, I have to say, I never felt so beautiful. And seeing Heidi in her dress got my juices running. She was perfect! Especially knowing that a new life was growing in her, that was also part of me, simply had me overcome with emotion.

I had only one request for our wedding, or maybe it was a demand. I wanted our vows and "first" kiss to happen during the sunset, on top of our mountain. No one really argued, like it would simply go without saying. I gained a father, as Heidi gained a mother, and I gained a brother and my best friend was now my sister. I gained a home, a family business, a place where our kids could grow and we'd all be happy. And sometimes... just sometimes, I thank the thief who stole my backpack, and put me on this path of happiness.