Moonstone - Chapter 22
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Gwen took a step back to look at Duncan.  "So that's what you look like."

"More or less," Duncan replied.  "I had to shrink a bit to fit Donna's clothes."

Gwen giggled.  "They don't really suit you.  Change back."

Donna happily complied.  Her clothes were rather more comfortable in her proper shape.

"Much better," Gwen murmured, and pulled Donna into a tight hug.

Donna sighed happily.  She didn't get enough hugs when she was female.  Sidney was very touchy-feely with Duncan, and would hug or grope him at the slightest provocation, or none at all.  But she barely touched Donna anymore.

Donna was snapped out of her reverie when Gwen's tongue wriggled its way between her lips.  She shrugged free of Gwen's hug, and took a step back.  "What was that?" she panted.

Gwen prowled up to her again, and Donna took another involuntary step back.  "Tell me you didn't like it, and I'll stop."

Donna tried to answer, but she couldn't truthfully say she didn't.  What she should have said was 'it was nice, but...'  By the time she'd figured out what to say, her mouth was full of Gwen's tongue again.  To her surprise, she was already returning the kiss.

Pressed up against the back wall of the club, Gwen's hands exploring under her coat, Donna was having a hard time remembering why she should object at all.  It felt so good.  Gwen knew just how to tease her.  Her nipples were hard, yearning for more.

The Moon hid its face behind a scudding cloud.  As darkness closed around them, Donna thought, 'how appropriate'.  Then she slid her hands under Gwen's coat, exploring her curves and making Gwen moan against her lips.

When Gwen's hand found its way into her panties, Donna froze.  The little part of her that was still trying to object got fed up with trying to talk sense into the rest of her, and acted.  If her sensitive bits smoothed away, it figured, Gwen would have to stop...  The image in mind naturally led to another, and what started out as simple changes radiated out and changed her whole body.

Gwen frowned.  She'd felt Donna stiffen, and now her tongue couldn't find its way back into Donna's mouth.  Her lips were hard and unyielding.  So were her breasts, and the nipple that she'd been teasing had smoothed away into nothing.  Most surprising of all, the hand inside Donna's panties found nothing but smooth flatness between Donna's legs.  A quick squeeze confirmed that she'd gone as hard as...  a mannequin?

After a few moments Gwen continued her teasing, as she was pretty sure Donna could still feel her touch.  "Come on, Donna.  Come back to me."

Donna would have shuddered and moaned if she could move.  Her body was hard plastic, and unable to flex under her control as the bunny plush had.  She was quite stuck.  She tried changing back when Gwen asked, but her transfiguration into plastic had taken all her power.  The cloud-hidden Moon was not about to supply it, either.  Panic started to set in, and her inability to hyperventilate made it worse.  Donna tried to focus on the Moon, to draw power from it.  But Gwen's hand had found its way between her legs again, and the pleasure of that touch washed the thought from her mind.  She could do nothing but feel, and soon that was all she wanted to do.

Kate emerged into the tiny puddle of light cast by the fixture over the back door.  Alerted by Gwen's murmuring voice she turned to the two figures up against the wall. "Having fun, you two?" she asked with a grin.

Gwen startled, pulling away from Donna's inert form.  "I... we..."

Kate laughed.  "Get a room.  Wait, is that Donna?"  She stepped closer.  "What happened to her?"

"She... uh, she turned into a mannequin."

Kate whistled softly.  "Hot...  You kept on making out?"

"From what she told me earlier, she can still feel everything...  I was hoping to tease her into changing back."

"You know Donna's actually a guy, right?"

"She showed me, yeah.  I like her better like this, though."

Kate shook her head. "I didn't know you leaned that way."

"There's just something about her..."

Rowan cleared her throat.  "Why is my favourite dancer a mannequin?"

"I..." Gwen started.  "I may have gotten a bit frisky with her.  I think she panicked.  I can't get her to change back."

Rowan sighed.  "I hope she's not stuck for the next week."

Kate grinned. "If she is, can we put her on display up front?  Put her in a Blue Vixen t-shirt, she'll draw lots of customers."

"What?"

"No!"

"Well then," Kate asked, "what can we do?"

"We could try the Moonstone, I guess.  Do either of you know where it is?"

"I think she was carrying it," ventured Gwen.

They looked around by the door, but it wasn't until the Moon returned from behind the clouds that there was enough light to find Donna's black bag.  Rowan lifted out the Moonstone's box.

"You should leave, Gwen.  We don't want you changing back to the form your clothes remember."

Gwen squeaked with alarm, but didn't retreat..  "I want to know if she's OK.  Can't I stand behind the box, or something?"

"Don't open the box," came a raspy voice from near the wall.  Everyone turned to look as Donna took an unsteady step toward Rowan.  "I won't risk Gwen's recovery."

Rowan tucked the box back into its carrying bag.  "Good.  That's settled."  She handed the bag to Donna.  "Shall I leave you two alone now?"

"Yes," said Gwen, at the same time Donna said "No!"

Rowan looked at Gwen sharply, who withered under that gaze.  "Is there a problem?" she asked Donna.

Donna tugged her coat around herself more tightly.  "No.  I just... can't trust myself around her.  I don't want to do something I'll regret."

Gwen's eyes sparkled with relief and mischief.  "Like what?"

"Like turn you into a mannequin and let Kate put you on display."

Gwen laughed, then gave Donna a careful, chaste-ish hug under Rowan's watchful eyes.  "This isn't over," she whispered into Donna's ear.  Then she stepped away.  "Will I see you tomorrow night?"

Donna shook her head.  "Monday's going to be a big day for me.  I hope.  Job interview."

"Congratulations," said Kate.  Gwen looked like she was about to cry.

"Will you be back?" asked Rowan.

Donna nodded.  "I'll probably skip a few days while the girls have fun with their new assets.  Even if it does go well, I'll be back Friday."

"Excellent.  Goodnight."

Donna waved to the three women, and scuttled off to her car before the scene with Gwen got any more uncomfortable.

Once she was home, Donna tested her abilities by changing back into Duncan under her own power, rather than using the Moonstone.  He grinned, patted himself down to make sure that everything was in the right place, then snuggled into bed beside his wife.


Sunday, Duncan was a bundle of nerves.  He did everything he could think of to prepare for the interview - printing off a few spare copies of his resume, making sure his clothes were clean and ready.  He studied the company's website, but it only listed a handful of products, with very little to say about company philosophy.

The best thing he could do was to make sure he got a good night's sleep.  Switching from club time to regular time made that something of a trial, and his nerves wouldn't stop jangling.  He couldn't forget the disastrous interview he'd had the last time out.  Eventually he settled on counting powers of two in his head, to calm himself and regain confidence in his access to his skills.  While mentally calculating 2 times 131,072 he fell asleep.

The interview itself was almost an anticlimax.  There were a few penetrating questions probing his technical skills, but Duncan handled those with ease.  The ones pertaining to music theory were a bit more of a stretch, and made him thankful for the piano lessons of his youth.  The rest of the discussion felt more like friendly chat than an actual interview.

At the end they handed him a few sheets of paper with some programming questions on them, and left him to complete the exercise.  That part was even more fun, as Duncan hadn't really had a good challenge in that area in months.  He was a little disappointed when it was finished, but at least the linked-list question had proven interesting.

And then nothing.  Duncan had hoped to hear back from them fairly quickly, but by Thursday his hopes were starting to dim again.  He made a good show of it, and took the time to send off a few more resumes, but his heart wasn't really in it.

Friday morning, Sidney woke up to see Donna getting dressed in their bedroom.  "Already?"

Donna nodded.  "The Moon sets soon, and I need to dance tonight.  I've wasted a good chunk of the month already.  Plus I'll be turning into Duncan as the new Moon approaches."

"Yay!"

"Not so much... that means I lose a lot of dancing time."

Sidney shrugged.  "You did well last week.  We'll manage.  Though I guess Courtney won't get much of a birthday this year."

At least the kids were excited to see Auntie Donna again.

After dinner was done, Donna pulled on her coat and headed toward the door.  Sidney caught up to her as she was opening it. "Back to the club, then?"

Donna sighed softly.  "Yeah.  I really thought that was the one.  Ah well.  Between unemployment insurance and the club, we'll get by.  Especially if the full Moon nights keep on like they have."

"Wait, you're still collecting...  But you have a job!"

"Duncan doesn't.  He's the one getting the payments."

"That's not right."

"I know.  But what can I do?  We're only just breaking even with both.  And if you were the one working instead of me, I'd still be able to collect.  It's not that different, is it?"

Sidney hugged her husband delicately, then skittered back again.  "Try not to let it get you down."

Donna flashed her an impish grin.  "Tonight should distract me, at least."

Sidney laughed.  "Don't get too distracted, mister."

The first thing Donna encountered when she entered the green room was a speeding Gwen.  The younger dancer glommed onto her and hugged her as if her life depended on it.  "You're back!"

Donna's first reflex was to disentangle herself from Gwen, but she seemed to be part octopus, and always managed to get her arms around Donna again.  So she relented, and returned the hug.  When Gwen started kissing her, though, she turned her face away.

"Gwen, everyone's staring!" she hissed.

"Don't care.  I haven't seen you for almost a week!"

Kate wandered closer, and gave them both a grin.  "You two make a lovely couple.  Don't mind our cheering."  Then more softly to Donna, "At least you got her away from the mirror."

"Mirror?"

"Can you blame me?" Gwen responded. "You made me gorgeous.  I can't stop looking at myself.  It's weird, but..."

"Very weird," interjected Kate.  "You were never like that before.  And your face is exactly the same."

"You keep telling me that.  I don't believe it."

Donna shook her head.  "What did I do to you?"

"No idea, but I feel amazing.  C'mon, let's dance!"  Gwen dragged Donna up onto the stage despite Donna's protests that she wasn't ready, and Heather's complaints that it wasn't their turn.  

Donna was still in her street clothes when she hit the stage.  The crowd laughed, and Donna played up her 'reluctance' to be on stage.  Gwen and Donna put on more of a slapstick routine than a dance.  Gwen would steal a piece of Donna's clothing, Donna would chase her, Gwen would kiss and make up, then steal another.  The DJ, Leo, got into the act, throwing in a little Yakkity Sax for the chases, drum hits when Donna stamped her feet, and otherwise having fun with it all.

Finally, Donna was down to just her bra and panties.  Gwen pulled her own top off, and tossed it to the stage entrance where the rest of Donna's clothes had gone.  Then she pointed at Donna, clearly indicating that it was her turn.  Donna looked out over the audience, feigning reluctance.  The cheers and calls of 'take it off' nearly deafened her, and she lost her top with a grin.

They danced for a couple of songs after that, and the crowd was quite appreciative with their tips.  Donna made sure a large tip ended up on Leo's station afterward, too.  He grinned at her with a twinkle in his eye.  "We have got to do that again.  But warn a guy next time."

"No promises," said Donna as Gwen pulled her away.

That set the tone for the night.  Gwen and Donna danced whenever they could sneak onto the stage, and cuddled in the change room or just about anywhere else the rest of the time.  Heather eventually gave up on getting them to follow her schedule, and soon enough headed home.

Donna tried to keep Gwen from slipping her any tongue while kissing her.  Her determination crumbled under the other dancer's enthusiasm.  Her attempts to keep Gwen from fondling her breasts didn't last much longer.  She had to bat Gwen's hands away from her panties more than a few times.  That line, at least, she managed to maintain.

Gwen sat in Donna's lap as they played a common hand for the Crazy 8s game that ended the night.  Luck was with them, and they were the clean-up act at the end of the night.  Donna led Gwen through a topless tango that left the crowd whistling and both of them panting from more than just the exertion.

Back in the safety of the green room, Gwen whispered into Donna's ear, "After a dance like that, are you really sure you want to stop me?"  She teased her nails along the inside of Donna's thigh, and Donna moaned.

"I can't.  I just...  I told you, I'm married."

"So?"  Gwen grinned, inching her fingers further up Donna's leg.

Donna finally managed to wriggle out of Gwen's grasp.  "I take my vows seriously.  I won't cross that line.  And I know you won't stop at third base."

Gwen didn't even look ashamed.  "Not unless you stop me."

Donna sighed softly.  "Plus, I'm not sure you're in your right mind just now."

Gwen shrugged.  "Have you never been so crazy in love that you just can't stop?"

"Oh, I have.  I still remember my first few weeks with Sidney, a decade ago.  It was a lot like you and me now."

"I can tell you want this."

Donna whined softly in frustration.  "I do.  But... I can't.  Not and live with myself."

The next time Gwen's hand got too close to her panties, Donna slithered away from her, and made a break for her car.

Saturday was much the same, though at least this time Leo was prepared for Gwen dragging a street-clothed Donna up onto the stage.

Halfway through the evening, Donna got a little frustrated with Gwen's continuing attempts to get into her panties.  "What do I need, a chastity belt?"

Gwen just giggled.  "Just don't turn yourself into a mannequin again."

"I should get rid of my bits, though.  That'd stop you."

"Nah.  Besides, how would you pee?"

Donna shrugged.  "Magic.  You don't need to breathe when your head is a breast, either."

"Cool.  I have to try that."

Donna laughed.  "You're insane.  And insatiable."

"How would you know? You've never even tried to satiate me."

Donna thwapped Gwen's hand away from her panties a bit harder that time.

Donna kept working Sunday and Monday, despite the smaller crowds.  The last quarter Moon was Sunday morning, so she knew her time as Donna was coming to an end.  She wanted to get in as many dances as she could, as many tips as she could.  And, truth be told, as many cuddles with Gwen as she could, saving them up against the drought to come.

Tuesday was 'Arabian Nights' night.  Or at least, it was supposed to be.  Donna used the Moonstone to re-establish her form just before lunch, so she'd still be quite female by dance time.  She was somewhat surprised that when she got to the club, nobody's breasts seemed to have shrunk at all.  The one exception was Liana, who just didn't fill her breasts that night.

Kate, Neysa the bellydancer, Donna and Gwen were the only ones wearing silks.  Rowan despaired of all the silks she'd stocked, and Donna talked her into letting a few go cheap.  She used those to reward the best tippers when she danced.

Donna couldn't help but snoop a little.  With Gwen as her accomplice, she examined each of the dancers at least somewhat covertly - none of them paid much mind when Donna and Gwen were snogging nearby.  They all had silver on - mostly rings, but a few had bracelets or necklaces as well.

Donna even went as far to ask a few of the girls how long they planned to wear silver.  Eventually, Jenna admitted that there was a betting pool going as to who would keep their breasts the longest.  Donna had to laugh.  Later, though, she couldn't help but feel a little down.

Gwen noticed the mood shift, and stopped groping Donna for a bit.  "What's wrong?"

"I make most of my money full Moon night.  The tips I get for enhancing all the others are going to plummet if they keep using silver.  Normally, they'd be changing back about now."  She frowned, and looked Gwen over.  "How are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"I noticed you're not quite so hooked on your own reflection."

"Yeah.  That's... well, it's sitll there, but it's manageable now."

"It'll go away tomorrow, then."  Donna swallowed softly before going on.  "How do you feel about me?"

"Ah, I see...  I don't feel as wild and crazy about you as I did on Friday.  You might have noticed I haven't tried to get into your panties once tonight."

Donna grinned.  "There has been distinctly less slapping.  Thanks.  But, uh, what about the rest of it?"

"I'm still here, aren't I?  You gave me back my legs, my dancing...  I fell for you before you kissed me under the Moon, not after."

Donna sighed with relief.  "To be honest, I was worried you'd claw my face off once you were back in your right mind."

"I'd far rather kiss your face off," Gwen giggled, and proceeded to try to do just that.

Later, at the night-ending Crazy 8s game, Gwen watched with amazement as Donna deliberately misplayed their hand.  They lost, of course, and were stuck cleaning up after the other girls left.

Once they were alone, Gwen asked, "What was that about?  I didn't figure you were the domestic type."

Donna laughed wryly as she helped Gwen tidy up the green room.  "I manage, even as Duncan.  I just didn't want our time together to end."

"I'll see you tomorrow night, won't...  I won't, will I.  Why not?"

Donna shook her head.  "The new Moon is coming.  Without silver, I'll change toward my 'normal' form.  Duncan.  I used to stay Donna all month, but I really really wanted that interview to go well."

"I'm sorry.  Except I'm not.  I'm going to miss you while you're gone.  Come by as Duncan?"

Donna sighed.  "I don't think Sidney would go for that."

"This must be pretty weird for her."

"Yeah.  I thought she'd gotten used to it, gotten used to Donna.  But the last month, she's been... distant.  Not with Duncan, just with me like this."

"Why?"

Donna shrugged.  "I don't know.  I screwed up last month, and got stuck as a catgirl instead of Donna or Duncan.  That was a mess."

"Oh?"

"Valentine's Day.  I was stuck as a catgirl all day.  Honestly, she seemed OK with that.  Not happy, exactly, but accepting.  I even talked her into making love that night."

Gwen grinned salaciously.  "Do tell."

Donna blushed.  "I shouldn't.  Let's just say there was a strap-on involved, and I didn't wear it."

Gwen laughed.  "Sounds like she got used to the idea of you being female."

"That's what I thought.  We had an amazing time.  And the next day... she wouldn't touch me.  Kittygirls need touch, and I wasn't getting any.  Well, a bit from the kids, but that's not the same thing."

"Aww, you  poor thing."  Gwen hugged Donna tightly, and Donna clutched her like a lifeline.

"I don't want to give up being Donna at least some of the time, but it was starting to really take a toll.  Being stuck as Duncan means it's not so bad, but when I have to go back to dancing...  I'm sorry, I shouldn't drip on you like this."

Gwen shushed Donna softly.  "It's OK.  I'll take what I can get."

"Thank you."

The next day, Duncan got a call from the company he'd interviewed with.  They had paperwork for him to sign, and how soon could he start?  Duncan drove over there straight away, signed everything he needed to, and said he was available right now, if need be.  

To say that Duncan was thrilled would be an understatement.  He was employed again!  Sidney and Duncan danced a little jig in the kitchen, and swept both Victor and Courtney up into a hug.

"So," asked Sidney, "When do you start?"

"Monday.  They needed a little time to get my office set up."

"You get an office instead of a cubicle?  Nice."

Duncan grinned and nodded.  "It's a step up in that regard.  A small step down in salary, though.  About what I was making before the last two raises at the old place.  Way better benefits, though, so it's pretty close."

"Great!"  Sidney leaned in close to whisper, "So does that mean I can buy the dollhouse for you-know-who?"

Duncan nodded absently.  "Sure.  I think we've really turned the corner, now."

Friday night, as Duncan looked over the array of parts for the dollhouse, he began to regret his decision.  It was like building a complicated piece of IKEA furniture, except the directions were nearly unusable.  Part-way through he had to get out his drill - some of the holes just weren't lined up right no matter what he tried.

Shortly after midnight, Duncan finished the job.  Satisfied in a job well done, he stood back to examine the result.  It looked good.

The dollhouse stood nearly as tall as four year old Courtney.  It was three stories, scaled to fit her Barbie dolls.  It was fairly shallow, though - the depth of a typical bookshelf that its assembly had somewhat resembled.

For a moment, Duncan imagined what it would be like to live in such a house.  Then he laughed, and looked around.  He'd take his real house.  Sure, the carpets were a little worn, but they were a huge improvement over glossy, printed-on rugs.  And the view out his windows far surpassed what the dolls would see - Courtney's messy bedroom.

Sidney helped duncan cover the dollhouse with a bedsheet, and put a ribbon atop it.  There was no way to wrap it with paper.

"That's quite the dollhouse."

"I know," Sidney gushed.  "She's going to love it!"

"Uh, how much was it, anyway?"

Sidney told him, and Duncan paled a bit.  "You do know that I'm not likely to see my first paycheque for a month, right?"

"I know, but..."

"And employment insurance will stop the day I start..."

"I know but..."

"And the line of credit is still maxxed out?"

"I know, but I just wanted this birthday to be special, not a disappointment."

Duncan sighed.  "I know.  But her grandparents are going to spoil her silly tomorrow - it's not like she'll be short of presents."

"Wait until she sees this tomorrow.  You'll see."

In the morning, Duncan had to admit that Sidney was right.  Courtney was so thrilled with her new dollhouse that she could barely contain herself.

"Totally worth it," he murmured to himself.

"Told you," said Sidney.


Sunday night Duncan set his alarm clock for the first time in many months.  While he knew he'd come to dread its clarion call soon enough, this night the reassuring act of setting the clock made him smile.

The first week at Duncan's new job passed in a blur.  There was so much new information to absorb.  There were new tools, including an unfamiliar repository system to learn.  Better yet, there was an entire project's code base to familiarize himself with.  His boss gave him a smallish piece to work on at the start, but that part sat spiderlike in the middle of much of the rest.  Duncan was having the time of his life.

So it was with a faint sense of regret that Duncan opened the Moonstone's box Friday night.  Donna's favourite dancing bra and panties hung awkwardly off his frame, but they didn't stay loose and empty for long.

Once he could do her bra up, Donna sauntered over to the mirror.  He reached out and touched her reflection.  Who was this woman in the mirror, really?  Was this someone he wanted to be?

Donna shook his head.  It's not like he needed to decide tonight.  Besides, there was dancing to do.

Later, as Gwen playfully stole Donna's street clothes on stage, Duncan's worries faded from her mind.  This was such fun.  Why should she ever give it up?