Terry poked at his lukewarm ramen noodles morosely.  He used to subsist on them just fine, but that was before Lisa.  Her cooking had spoiled him for packaged food of any description.  But she was off on some kind of family retreat for a month, and he’d just have to make do.

He was just settling in with a book when a whirl of sparkling light entered the room, coalescing into a kindly looking older woman in a long green dress.  “Terry Varner?”

“Uh, yes, that’s me.  How’d you get in here?”

“Fairy godmother,” she sang, waving what Terry had assumed was a conductor’s baton.  The sparkles trailing from it suggested otherwise, now that he saw them.

“I have a fairy godmother?” he asked in wonder.

“Oh no, I’m not yours.  Bippity!”  She tapped him on the head with her wand, and he felt a tingling race through is body.  What was once short dark hair suddenly flumped around him in long golden waves.

“What?”

“Boppity!” called out the woman, spinning more sparkles around Terry’s body.  A shining corset closed around him as his T-shirt vanished.  It cinched itself tight, and suddenly he possessed the prettiest cleavage he’d ever seen.  Terry stood up, stumbling from the weight of the long skirt growing from the corset.  

“What are you doing?”

“Boo!”  She shot a beam of sparkles straight at Terry’s heart.  They scattered away, transmuted by their passage into a rainbow of pastel colours that danced through his apartment, touching everything he owned.  The living room furniture became less decrepit, and a lovely shade of pale green.  The bare floor acquired a finely woven lilac and teal carpet.  Sparkling comets dove into the hall closet, and more raced into his bedroom.  Terry chased after the latter in time to watch the formation of an enormous four-poster bed draped in sheer fabric.  More of the magic was corsucating through his wardrobe, turning the plain IKEA furniture into a fanciful confection of carved wood.

Throwing open the wardrobe revealed rows of gorgeous shoes, and a rack full of ballgowns, instead of the usual sneakers, shorts and shirts.

“Holy...  Why are you doing this?”

“You signed for it!” called the fairy godmother from the other room.

Terry raced back out.  “What are you talking about?”

She was already disappearing in a whirl of sparkles.

Terry cursed, and imagined he could hear her tut-tutting on the breeze.  

A minute later, before Terry could really settle into a good panic, there was a polite tapping at the door.  Terry sighed, and went to see who it was.  A man in a sharply pressed grey suit and chauffeur’s cap was standing there.  “Your limo is ready, Miss.”

“Limo?” asked Terry weakly.

“Yes, to the gala.  It’s all been arranged.  Come along.”

Before Terry knew what was happening he was outside in the hallway, locking the door and putting the keys back in his purse (he idly noted it perfectly matched his ice blue dress) as if he’d always done it.  He followed the chauffeur down to a shining white stretch limousine, and accepted a hand into the back.

A flute of sparkling champagne was sitting next to him, and he took a careful sip from it.  Dry and tart, with more complex flavours than he’d ever noticed before.  Sipping it slowly settled his nerves, and he took a deep breath.  Right.  The world might not make much sense right now, but hopefully there’d be answers at the other end of the ride.

Instead of answers, Terry found a spectacular ballroom full of impeccably dressed people, who accepted his announcement into their midst without fuss.  Another glass of champagne appeared in his hand to replace the one he’d drained on the ride, and he sipped it carefully as numerous male guests approached him and engaged in small talk.

Terry found most of them boorish, as they paid more attention to his gown than to his face.  A taller gentleman with a touch of grey to his temples came to his rescue, shooing off his “swains” with the slightest of gestures.

Terry smiled his thanks.  The older man introduced himself simply as Jared, and escorted Terry around the ball, introducing her to everyone and sharing quiet anecdotes about them as they promenaded on.

Jared also proved to be a sublime ballroom dancer, and soon had Terry dancing as if heels and skirts were second nature.  A firm guiding hand on Terry’s shoulder blade plus an occasional whispered instruction was all it took, and Terry wondered at the skill on display.

Terry lost track of time, of everything but the dance and Jared’s strong arms.

When the orchestra took a break, Jared settled Terry at a table, and summoned a waiter with water and yet more champagne.  “Are you alright, Miss Terry?”

Terry giggled softly.  “More than.  Thank you, that was lovely.”  A sip of water helped clear her parched throat.

“I daresay I have not made you any less attractive to the bachelors here, though they do know to keep their distance.  If any have caught your eye, I’ll summon them over.”

“And cast me aside just like that?”  Terry flashed a winning smile.

Jared chuckled warmly.  “Ah, my dear, I am quite happy to be the oldest bachelor at the ball.  Most of my so-called peers are so tiresome.”

“Am I so tiresome?”

Jared laughed then, an expression more genuine than Terry had come to expect from such a controlled gentleman.  “Touché, my dear.  Well scored.  Your company is not yet tiresome.”

Terry grinned.  “Good.  I shall try to keep it that way.”

They talked, then, about everything under the sun.  Terry had been taught a love of classics while being homeschooled, and read voraciously then and ever since.  He kept up on even the most esoteric topics, except when Jared diverted off into disquisitions on classical composers.

As time had passed, several others had gathered at the table, contributing their own wit and repartee to the proceedings.  Jared seemed to be in his element, including each person present in the conversation and giving them the opportunity to shine, yet always ready with an anecdote or tangential diversion when conversation slowed.

Terry felt a little like she’d stumbled into a live version of a particularly engaging episode of Quite Interesting, though Jared was substantially better looking than Steven Fry ever had been.

It was so engaging that she didn’t even realize that the rest of the event had shut down around them, until the lights started going out.  The others had drifted away one by one, leaving her alone with Jared.

Terry yawned as another tier of lights went off.  She covered her mouth demurely.  “Sorry.  What time is it?”

“Past your bedtime, it would appear.  It would be my privilege to escort you wherever you would like to go.  Your place. My place...”

Terry was suddenly wide awake.  “Are you propositioning me?  Mr. Confirmed Bachelor?”

“You’ve been delightful company,” claimed Jared with a charming smile.  “I’m willing to make an exception for you.”

“I have a girlfriend!” protested Terry.

“Ah!  Well then.  I do apologize for my presumption.  If I may ask...”

Terry nodded.  “Go ahead.”

“You’ve seemed more interested in the men here than the women.  Did you even notice them?”

Terry rolled her eyes, then frowned.  “Oh.  Wow.  So I’m still straight?”

“Still?  I would have thought a girlfriend indicated otherwise.”

“I was a guy up until a few hours ago!”

Jared’s eyes widened only a trifle.  “I see.  That would explain why we got along so well.”

Terry started to laugh.  “That’s your take-away from this?”  His laughing turned hysterical, then turned into a crying jag.  “What am I going to do?”

“Go home.  Sleep.  Then figure it out.”

“But all my ID is invalid.  Can’t even drive to work, never mind what my boss might say.”

Jared chuckled softly.  “It’ll look better in the morning, trust me.  Come on now, my car is waiting.”

Terry followed docilely, mind spinning too fast to engage with Jared’s ongoing banter.  Soon she was standing in front of her apartment building, managing a smile as she waved to Jared’s departing car.  It was only as she was walking up to her apartment that she processed that while Jared’s town car wasn’t flashy on the outside, the inside was far more tastefully luxurious than the earlier stretch limo had been.

Terry was dreading struggling with the zipper of her dress, but it peeled down with the slightest of touches, almost as if by magic.  She shook her head ruefully, chuckling softly at her flight of fancy, then set the dress carefully on the laundry rack that had replaced her old ratty hamper.

The new bed was impossibly comfortable, and Terry was asleep moments after her head touched the pillow.

*** *** ***

The tapping at Terry’s door sounded familiar.  She stumbled out of bed and faced her wardrobe.  “I don’t even know what to wear.”

The wardrobe opened of its own accord, and a plain yellow sundress tumbled out.  It was a simple dress, unlike the floor-length confection from last night.  Terry picked it up, and slipped it on.  It fit perfectly.

The tapping recurred, and Terry rushed to open the door.

“Good morning Miss Terry,” stated the sharp-dressed man standing outside the door.  “I understand you are in need of a notary.”

Terry blinked as she processed that.  “For?”

“Verification of identity, of course.  To show that you are still Terry Varner, despite your recent alteration.”

“Oh!  That would be helpful,” said Terry with a grateful smile, gesturing for the gentleman to enter.  “But how can you know who I was?”

“I have my ways.”  He pulled two sheets of paper from his briefcase, and set them on the glass table beside the door.  Yesterday, it had been a garage sale rescue.

Terry signed where indicated, and soon had a very formal looking letter in her hands that unequivocally stated that she was indeed Terry Varner.  She thanked the notary, and asked what she should do next.

“I’d suggest dropping by the DMV at your earliest convenience, they’ll issue you a temporary license in your new gender.  If you will be like this for more than a few weeks, I’d suggest paying for a new permanent card.”

“For more than... I have no idea how this happened!” protested Terry.  “I’d go back if I could, but...”

“Ah.  Then I’d definitely suggest the new card.  Good day, Miss.”

Terry showed him out, and sighed once the door was closed.  “Great.  Like I have time for the DMV.”  Driving to work on the wrong licence seemed like a worse idea, so she texted her boss for permission to be in a bit late to deal with “some paperwork”.

She found a reply after getting out of her longer than expected shower.  She had the bank time to spare, and there were no active fires, so she was free to arrive when she needed to.  Terry texted her thanks, and requested a private meeting whenever he had a chance.

Terry didn’t feel the sundress was appropriate for work, so she returned to her new wardrobe, and told it she needed something more professional.  The white blouse and dark skirt that jumped into her hands made an eyebrow rise.  “So you are magic.  Thank you.  Should I do something about makeup?”

Terry caught motion in the corner of her eye, and turned toward the vanity that had recently been a simple desk.  The mirror over the vanity was glowing softly.   She obediently sat in front of it while makeup brushes danced, powdering her face with this, touching up her brows with that... when it stopped and she opened her eyes once more, she gasped softly.  “It’s lovely.  Subtle, and professional.  Well done.”

Thus girded, Terry went out to do battle with the DMV.  They didn’t stand a chance.

Supplied with her letter and a temporary license, security issued her a temporary pass in her name, and let her into the building.

Terry had been working on her latest presentation for an hour when she heard the familiar cadence of her boss’ shoes outside her door.  She turned to face him just as the door opened.  “Hi Mr Ross.  Thanks for being understanding about the paperwork, I had some identity issues to deal with.”

Mr. Ross blinked at the woman in Terry’s office.  He squinted at her, comparing the face to Terry’s familiar one and finding enough of a match that he nodded slowly.  “I see.  This is a little sudden.  Some advance warning would have been nice.”

“Don’t I know it.  Someone’s fairy godmother decided I should be female, and...”  Terry shrugged.  “Make the best of it, right?”

“If you say so.  Are you okay?”

Terry shrugged again.  “Decent enough.  As long as you’re not going to toss me out on my ass for being the wrong gender.”

“God no!  I can’t afford to lose you, the demo of Bialatech’s latest prototype is next Monday.  Will you have it ready?”

Terry grinned.  “Have I ever let you down?”

Mr. Ross smiled back.  “Never.”  He looked her over.  “Going to do the presentation like this?  We could use a pretty face for the team.”

“Really?” asked Terry excitedly.  “Sure!  I’d love to.”

“Excellent.  Carry on.”

And that was that.  Lunch break was noisier than usual as the members of Terry’s team plied her with questions.  Terry waved off any comments about being brave, and glared at Garth after a comment about sleeping her way to the top.  “A, I would never.  B, that’s way out of line.  C, despite that, I’m not going to report you to HR.  I don’t want to be ‘that girl’.  Just keep everything the same, okay?”

It took a few more days for the novelty of Terry’s new appearance to wear off, but soon things were back to normal.  The presentation went off without a hitch, and Terry got praise for how well she managed the demo.

Terry kept busy at work, and kept to herself at home.  She worked steadily through her latest stack of books from the library, and found a cookbook partway down the stack, with a note in it from Lisa.  “Something different for you to study.  No more eating ramen for you, some of your favourites are among these pages.  Love you, hope you’re having fun.  Lisa.”

Terry hugged the book to her chest.  “Love you too, Lisa, wherever you are.”  She could swear she felt the dress hug her back.  Her clothing tended to be the most lively near the magic wardrobe, but sometimes moved a little at other times, so it seemed plausible.

That night, buoyed by a lovely dinner she’d cooked for herself, Terry danced into the bedroom and stood before the wardrobe.  “Something is up with you.”  Her dress went very still.  Terry ran a finger down the dress’ seam.  “And you don’t want me to know what it is.”  That got a gentle shiver from the dress, and another soft hug.  “Fine.  You’ve steered me right so far.  I shan’t pry.”

That got her a much more distinct hug, and Terry purred.  “Oh yeah.  Keep doing that and I’ll keep your secrets happily.”

*** *** ***

Terry’s relationship with the wardrobe changed after that.  Instead of just presenting a single dress to her, it would hold out several, and let her choose.  The vanity also changed its stance, offering up brushes and tints, but more and more it would let Terry do her own makeup.  The mirror would glow brightly when Terry thanked it for its help, cheering her up.

Before Terry realized it, the month of Lisa’s retreat was drawing to a close.  As the day approached, she fretted about what Lisa would think of her.  Telling the wardrobe her fears always made her feel better, the hugs from her dress seemed to say “you have nothing to fear.”

The day before Lisa was supposed to return, Terry found an engraved invitation sitting on the table by her door.  She wondered how it had arrived, but had become sufficiently inured to magical happenings that she assumed it was more of the same.

The note was an invitation to another gala, the following night.  A handwritten addendum said simply, “Transportation has been arranged – J”

Terry was giddy with excitement, and pestered the wardrobe repeatedly for ideas of what to wear.  She tried on a dozen different dresses, piling up her discards on the laundry rack.  She finally got to see its magic in action as several dresses vanished in a spray of sparkles to make room for more.  “Neat trick.  I bet that saves a bundle on dry cleaning.”

That got yet another snuggle from the dress she was trying on, and Terry hugged it back.  “Okay.  You’re the happiest dress of the lot, I’m going to keep you.”  All the other dresses vanished, and the wardrobe presented a pair of translucent blue shoes that matched the dress perfectly.

“Glass slippers, really?” asked Terry.  She picked them up and chuckled.  They didn’t feel like glass, more like some kind of slightly stretchy lucite.  They were also remarkably comfortable, and she made sure to thank the wardrobe once more before sitting at the vanity.  “Okay, sweetie.  I’m used to the daytime look, but I’m going to need help for this.”  She patted the brushes, feeling them tremble with excitement.  “Oh, you’re looking forward to this too?  Wonderful.  Show me.”

Terry closed her eyes as the brushes worked.  It took much longer than usual, but she waited patiently.  Once they stopped, she opened her eyes to see herself transformed.  “Oh, I look like an elven princess.”  Terry raised a hand to touch her face, but a brush interposed itself.  It waggled at her like an admonishing finger.

“No touching.  Got it.  I’d hate to ruin art like this, you’re amazing.  Thank you so much.  Don’t wait up!” Terry giggled.

This time she was ready for the tapping at the door, and followed the uniformed chauffeur to a familiar looking understated town car.  Terry smiled hugely to see who was waiting inside.  “Jared!  I’m so sorry I didn’t write to thank you for sending the notary, he was so helpful.  But I had no idea how to contact you.”

Jared chuckled warmly.  “I know, it’s fine.  You needed time to settle in.  You’ve bounced back a long way from the crying woman I last saw.  How do you feel?”

“Fantastic.  Never better.  Will there be dancing tonight?” she asked eagerly.

“After certain formalities are dealt with, yes.”

Jared would not be drawn out on the details of the formalities, and distracted Terry with other topics instead.

Soon they were at a different site than the last gala, it looked more like some kind of grand estate.  “Where are we?” asked Terry.

“Soon.” Jared offered her his arm, and escorted her through up the stairs to a grand entrance, then on into a ballroom.  There were only a handful of people there, and Terry recognized all of them.  

The older couple were Lisa’s parents, looking far finer than he’d ever recalled seeing them.  Beside them was an older woman Terry recognized instantly.  “You!  You did this to me!”

Jared patted her arm.  “Has it truly been so bad?”

Terry nodded to him.  “Honestly?  No.  It has been wonderful.”  She turned to face the woman, and made a passable attempt at a curtsey.  “Thank you for your gift.”

The fairy godmother smiled.  “Oh!  What a delightful young woman you’ve become.”  She looked up at Jared then her brow wrinkled.  “Ah.  Right.  The apology.”

“Accepted,” said Terry without hesitation.

“I do think you should hear hear Telemachia out first,” chuckled Jared.  He released Terry’s arm, bowed, and departed for the ballroom.

Terry watched him go, then turned back to face Telemachia.  The old woman pulled out a brightly coloured rectangle, and held it out to Terry.  “Do you recognize this?”

“Yes, Lisa had me sign it.  She said it was a card for her great-aunt Telema... oh.”

“Indeed.  Was it your idea to sign it as you did?”  She flipped the card open, and read from it.  “May all your wishes come true, Terry.”

“I had no idea what to say, and asked Lisa for a suggestion.  Did I do something wrong?”

Telemachia fanned the card out, showing that there were two pages of text between the cover and the inner leaf where Terry had signed.  Terry’s eyes widened as she read through it all.  “This is a contract, an agreement to transformation.  Scamp.  Lisa set this up?”

“I believed you had requested the change of your own free will.  Lisa offered herself up as payment in a way that... well, you seem to have enjoyed, so...  I really am dreadfully sorry.”

Terry smiled at her.  “It’s fine, Mrs. Telemachia.”

“Just Telemachia is fine, I don’t use human titles.”

Terry blinked at that, then peered more closely at her ears.  Her complex hairdo mostly covered the fact that they were distinctly pointed.  “Ah.  So many questions, but the important one is... what about Lisa?”

“Her transformation is bound up in yours.  I can change both of you back to normal, or leave you both as you are.  Because of her subterfuge, Lisa has no say.  It is entirely up to you.”

“But where is..” Terry began to protest.  She stopped, and ran a hand down the front of her dress, feeling it hug her tight in response.  “Right.  The magic wardrobe is intelligent, because it’s her?”

“Everything my magic touched in your apartment, save for you,” agreed Telemachia.  “She doesn’t care for these events, but they’re mandatory for family.  This way she can attend... as your dress.”

Terry chuckled, and patted her hip.  “Hell of a way to get out of a dance.”  She glanced over at the ballroom, and a small smile teased at her lips.  “I enjoyed the last one.  I’d like to stay this way at least a while longer.  This isn’t a one-time can only change back today deal, is it?”

Telemachia shook her head.  “No.  I’m family as well, so I’ll be at the monthly events.”

Terry nodded slowly, then went to a knee in front of Telemachia.  “Then I choose to stay as I am, for at least the next month.”

Telemachia clapped her hands sharply.  “Then it is done.  Enjoy your body.  You may find this month slightly more troublesome than last, as you are now fertile, with all that implies.”

Terry’s eyes widened slightly.  “Ah?  So a period, be careful about not getting pregnant...  Oh my goodness.  I could be a mother?  What would become of Lisa?”

Telemachia’s eyes twinkled.  “Maternity gowns.”

Terry hugged her arms around Lisa.  “Oh, sweetie.  I hope you like being my dresses, you’re going to be like this for...”  Her breath caught, and she turned to Lisa’s parents.  “Oh!  You must think I’m terrible to consider keeping her like this.”

They chuckled softly.  “She was always impetuous,” said Lisa’s mother.  “You aren’t the first she has done this to.  You are taking it remarkably well.  Just last month, she said she thought you were the one.  I suppose she was right.”

Terry sighed.  “I should like to hear her voice again.”

Lisa’s parents turned to Telemachia.  “Didn’t you give her the amulet?”

“I was instructed only to do so if she was in great distress.  Miss Terry was in tears briefly, but before I could reach out to her the matter was resolved.”

“May I speak to her now, please?” asked Terry.

Telemachia held out her hands, and in them was cupped a simple teardrop cabochon on a silver chain.  “Be warned, it is more than it seems.  The mental communion can be used to do more than simply converse.”

Terry accepted it, and peered down at it in her hands.  “Sharing senses?”  At Telemachia’s nod and gesture she went on.  “More than that... we could exchange places?”

“But only if the wearer of the amulet wills it so.”

“And if I traded places with her, it would be her will...  I see.”  Terry slipped the amulet around her neck.  “Scamp.  Would you really have done it?”

A voice giggled in Terry’s ear.  “Just for long enough to tease you.”

Terry giggled back.  “I don’t think I trust you quite enough, yet.  I guess you’ll just have to get used to being my dresses.”

“Oh dear, such a tragedy,” Lisa said with a teasing lilt to her voice.  “Spending all day snuggled around you.  You do know that the toy you liked the most was magic-made too, right?”

Terry blushed brightly.  “You felt that, too?”

Lisa’s laugh tinkled in Terry’s ears.  “Every bit.  Whoof!  You really went to town with it.  I bet Telemachia could give Jared a dragon cock like that one, if you asked nicely.”

“Lisa!”

“Oh, don’t worry.  Nobody else can hear me.”

Terry glanced up at Telemachia, whose eyes were sparkling with mischief.  “I suspect that’s not entirely true.”

Lisa giggled again.  “Oh, Telly knows all about my kinks.  I have no secrets from her.”

Terry rolled her eyes.  “Thank you, Telemachia.  This is a fine gift.  I will treat Lisa as she wishes to be treated.  The scamp.”

Telemachia smiled openly.  “Excellent.  She’ll enjoy the dance, then.  Ta ta!”  She vanished in a spiral of sparkles.

Terry looked over to Lisa’s parents.  “And you’re really okay with this?”

“Love comes in many forms,” said Lisa’s mother with a secret smile to her husband.  “As long as she is happy, we shall be as well, you have nothing to fear.”

Terry darted forward, and hugged Lisa’s mother tight.  “Thank you!  This has been the strangest, most wonderful month of my life, and I don’t want it to end.”

She got a gentle return hug.  “As long as you are bound to our daughter, we will treat you like part of our family.  An adoptive daughter, perhaps?”

Terry’s eyes were suddenly moist.  “You’d...  I would love to have parents again.  But...  I feel like I’m taking her away.”

“Oh, sweetie.  She already took herself away.  We rarely saw her, she attended these events but hated them, and left as soon as she was allowed.”

“They always insisted that I look for a good husband,” grumbled Lisa from the amulet.  “You saw what most of the prospects are like.”

“So you’d rather be a dress?” asked Terry, curiously.  “That seems extreme.”

“I was trying to freak my parents out.  Didn’t work.  Then you went dancing with Jared.  Go find him.  I want more of that.”

“Pushy dress,” giggled Terry.  “Thank you, Mr and Mrs. Iverre.”

“So formal,” said Mrs. Iverre with a smile. “Go have fun.”

Terry did so.  The dancing was just as sublime as last time, with less initial stumbling on her part.  Lisa apparently knew the dances well, and murmured upcoming changes to Terry so that Jared wouldn’t have to.  She also suggested that Terry could give her partial control, enough to leak muscle memory.

Terry clucked at her dress.  “I thought you didn’t want to dance, Lisa.”

Jared raised an eyebrow.  “What was that about Lisa?”

Terry waggled her eyebrows back at him.  “She’s my dress.  Her way of meeting the family obligation without being forced to deal with boorish suitors.”

“They’re far from it, you know.  Despite your early impressions.”  Jared led her off the floor as the dance ended, and a few of said suitors gathered around, eager to talk.

“Perhaps because I am not heir to anything of note,” mused Terry.  “But that suggests Lisa is.  Are you going to tell me, or do I have to tickle it out of her later?”

“You really don’t know who she is?”

Terry shook her head.  “She just said her family was well-off.  This is their estate, isn’t it?”

Jared nodded solemnly.  “Their wealth is not primarily mundane, so they are not well known in those circles.  Their ties to the fae, however...”

“Magic,” breathed Terry, eyes wide.  “Subtle enough that it’s little more than rumour.”

“Just so.”

“Ah.  I feel like I’m out of my depth, here.”

Jared shook his head.  “Nonsense.  The depth of the waters do not matter when one can swim.”

“Does that make you the lifeguard?”

“Do you need one?”

Terry conceded the point, and let Jared draw the discussion to other topics.

Once again, the party closed down around them as they were deep in discussion.  Terry smiled when she realized.  “Still not tiresome?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“Offer a girl a ride home?” Terry asked with a smile.

“It would be churlish to do any less.”  Jared stood, and offered Terry his arm.

Terry took it, and did not let go for the entire car ride, or afterward.  Jared followed her to her apartment, smiling at her bemusedly.  Once they were inside, he commented lightly, “Last time you were in tears.”

“I’ve gotten my bearings since then.  In no small part thanks to you.  Is your offer still open?”

Jared took a moment to realize what Terry meant.  “Very much so.  But what of Lisa?”

Terry drew Jared toward her bedroom, and once there touched her hand to the wardrobe.  “Give me a sign, Lise.”

Terry’s dress vanished in sparkles, leaving behind a tight-fitted blue satin teddy with a scaly texture.  Jared’s eyes went comically wide upon seeing it.

“I think she approves,” purred Terry.  “Pity about her other idea.”

“Hm?  What was that?”

“She suggested I ask Telemachia to give you a dragon cock.”

Jared laughed loudly at the suggestion.  “No need to call her for that.”

Terry raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

Instead of answering, Jared stripped off his jacket, then his shirt, laying them on the clothing rack neatly.  Hidden by the shirt was a blue cord that ran around his neck, and dangling from that cord was a golden ring.  Jared freed the ring, and slipped it over a finger.  The digit that emerged was tipped with a dark claw, and covered in fine blue scales.

“And that works on any body part?” asked Terry, openly awed.

“It does indeed.”

Terry stepped back, letting the bed trip her into tumbling onto her back.  “Show me.”

*** *** ***

Terry lay panting beside an equally exhausted Jared.  “That was fantastic.  It felt so real, especially when you...”

“That’s because it is,” chuckled Jared.

Terry sat bolt upright.  “I’m not on the pill yet.  I could get pregnant!”

“No you can’t.  Humans can’t catch from dragons.”

Terry sighed with relief.  “Oh, good.”  Then she slitted her eyes, studying her lover.  “You can’t catch human diseases, either?”

Jared studied her in turn.  “No,” he sighed at last.  “We can’t.  You are far too perceptive.”

Terry touched the ring where it was still nestled around Jared’s shaft.  The ring not only had a scaly pattern to it, it had a serpentine head as well.  “This changes you back and forth?”

Jared nodded.  “It is easier if one can pass as human.  Telemachia’s father made it for me, in return for a century of service to the family.  I stayed on, afterward.”

“More than a century old, hm?  You don’t look it.  And no, I shan’t pry.  It doesn’t matter.”

“Truly?” asked Jared, wonderingly.  “You will never cease to amaze me.”

“Show me.”

“Pardon?”

“What you really look like.  Show me.”

Jared slipped off the ring, and turned it in his hand.  “Dragons are large.  Bigger than this room.”

Terry frowned at the ring.  “It seems too small to manage that.”

A few deft twists later, the ring was the size of a hula hoop.  “It changes size?”

“In more ways than one.  With it, I can become as big as a house, or as small as a mouse.  But this puts me near my natural size.”  He slipped his hand through one side, and from the other emerged a great blue-scaled claw, big enough to span the entire bed with its splayed talons.

Terry brushed a hand over those scales, a look of wonder in her eyes.  “Oh, I must see you at full size one day.  Soon.  But for now... turn it over, please?”

Puzzled, Jared reversed his foreclaw so that the “palm” was facing up.  He huffed with surprise when Terry hopped up into his claw, then pulled those talons closed around her body, wrapping herself from breasts to knees in his scaly digits.

“What are you doing?” he whispered, voice tight with concern.

“I am not scared of you,” declared Terry.  “I see the terror in your eyes, and feel the trembling in your muscles.  But you will not hurt me.  Close your grip tighter.”

Jared did so carefully, then at Terry’s urging put more and more strength into his grip, until she finally moaned and he let her go.  “Are you okay?” he asked worriedly.

Terry panted for breath, but nodded.  “God, you must give the most incredible backrubs.”

Jared withdrew the claw as he started to laugh. “I suppose I could at that.”

Terry stared through the shining loop left behind.  “What would happen if I stepped through that now?”

Jared grasped the ring, closing it to its original size with a twist.  “You would have become a hand-sized dragon.  It works both ways.”

“And if I was a dragon, could you get me pregnant?”

Jared went stone-still then, staring at Terry.  “You...  You don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Then tell me,” murmured Terry softly.  “What is scaring you?”

“Dragons... they aren’t like humans.”  Jared glared at Terry when she rolled her eyes.  “In more ways than the obvious.  When it comes to mating, the instincts are so very strong.  It’s not lovemaking, it’s little more than rape.”

Terry snorted, drawing another glare from Jared.  “It’s not rape if I consent.”

“But don’t you see?  You can’t.  Female dragons in heat aren’t sentient.  They become as animals, until after the eggs are laid.”

“And they recover, afterward?” asked Terry.

“Yes.  But the gestation period is most of a year.  You’d be no better than an animal for a year.”

Terry smiled at him.  “Seems a small price to pay.  Are baby dragons cute?”

Jared’s eyes shone.  “Not like baby mammals, but...  Yes.  Especially before their wings grow in.”

“You want this.  More than you’ve ever wanted anything.”

“I am the last of the blue dragons,” said Jared softly.  “I never expected... and...”  He closed his hand about the ring, clutching it tight.  “Dragons aren’t interfertile among colours.  Blue with blue, green with green, and so on.  The others in the family all become green dragons.”

“I’m not part of the family,” said Terry softly, holding out her hand.  “Let me try.”

Jared’s hands shook as he expanded the ring to bracelet size.  Terry watched as he slid it over her proffered hand.  She flexed the claw that emerged.  “Oh, so pretty...  Oh no, it’s white.  We’re not...  Jared?”

Jared was staring at the claw with enormous eyes.  “Whites are a legend.  A myth.”

“Why?”

He clutched her claw in his hands, turning it this way and that so it caught the light, pearlescent scales shimmering and throwing off rainbows.  “They are all colours, and can breed with any colour.”

“Yes.”

“What?” cried Jared.  “You can’t.”

Terry trailed a clawtip down his chest, drawing a delightful shudder from Jared.  “I think you just said we can.”

“But...  What I would do to you as a dragon.  It’s unconscionable,” groaned Jared, looking away from her.

Terry put a clawtip to Jared’s chin and used it to draw his gaze back to her.  She shook her head.  “Not if I consent ahead of time.  If I step through this ring, become your dragonwife, knowing what will happen...  Then it isn’t.”

“You can’t know what it’s like.”

Terry grinned at him languidly.  “Being fucked by a dragon cock?  Kinda do.  And the idea of you in your full magnificence doing that to me?  Oh hell yes.”

“You’re insane,” whispered Jared, amazed.

“Just madly in love with you.  And... fascinated by the idea.  Maybe I will hate it, afterward.  But I don’t think so.”  Terry interlaced her talons with the fingers of Jared’s hand, then slid the ring from one arm to the other, changing his fingers to talons, still intertwined with her fingers.   “Reach out and take what is before you.”

“I will... but not here.”

Terry’s eyebrows lifted.  “Then where?”

“My place.  Where I can ask properly.”

“Oh!”  Terry’s eyes sparkled.  “Yes.  I should get dressed...”  The remains of her lingerie shimmered, and were replaced by a tight bodysuit of pearlescent white scales.  “Thank you, Lisa.”

“Eee,” squealed the amulet.  “Dragon babies!  Go!”

Hand in hand, they returned to Jared’s car, and before long arrived at a plain looking stone house on the outskirts of town.  Jared led Terry to a large elevator made of what appeared to be stone.  They descended deep into the earth, and the doors opened to reveal an enormous natural cavern, large enough that Terry could not see the roof or the far side of it.  “This is your lair?”

“I’ve been remiss on decorating it.  My treasures are mostly works of art, and I keep them above.  I don’t spend much time in my natural form.  Didn’t.”  Jared fidgeted with the ring, then expanded it so it was tall enough to step through, and even larger on the far side.  “Are you ready?”

Terry finally let go of his hand.  “Yes.”

Jared strode through the ring, letting it fall to the ground behind him.  What emerged was a towering figure of a dragon.  His forelegs were longer than Terry was tall, and his body was bigger than an elephant’s.  Adding the long sinuous neck and longer tail, he must have been over fifty feet long.

Terry stared up at him.  The scaled, horny muzzle had nothing of humanity in it... save the eyes.  The sparkling blue eyes were unchanged.  “God, Jared, you’re more magnificent than I imagined.  Can you talk like this?”

“Poorly,” rumbled Jared.  He lowered his head to place it on the ground in front of Terry.  Even then, his eyes were level with her chest.

Terry stepped closer, brushing a hand along a fang as large as her forearm.  “You could eat me in a single bite.”

“Never.”  It sounded like a groan.

Terry leaned forward and kissed the bony ridge between Jared’s enormous eyes.  “I know.”

She took a few steps back, eyes raking along his serpentine body.  “I feel unworthy.”

Jared chuckle echoed through the chamber.  “As do I.”

A silence fell between them, finally broken by Terry.  “Ask, already.”

Jared’s laugh boomed like thunder.  “As you wish.”  He crouched over his forelegs and brought his head to be level with Terry’s.  “Terry Varner d’Iverre, will you consent to the arduous duty of becoming my...”  He hesitated, recalling Terry’s earlier phrase, “My dragonwife?  You will be mother to a new blue dragonflight, and treasured beyond measure.”

“Treasure, you say?”

Jared narrowed his eyes at her, then smiled toothily at Terry’s guileless expression.  “A dragon’s hoard of book await my wife to be.”

“Oooh!  You know me well.  I accept on one condition.”

“And that is?”

“While I am indisposed, and unable to read for myself, will you read to me?”

“Of course, whether or not you understand me.”

Terry threw her arms around the blue dragon’s head.  They didn’t quite reach, so Jared wriggled his neck forward so she could close her hug there.  “Then yes.  I accept your proposal, the good and the bad.”

Lisa’s squeal of glee was near supersonic.  A moment later, Telemachia appeared, and congratulated them.

Terry hugged her enthusiastically, then fretted about Lisa once more.  Telemachia told her that once she was with child the enchantment binding them would break, and that she would be able to restore Lisa then.

“She won’t be rid of me that easily,” disagreed Lisa.

“Whyever not?”

“Because your magic only works if you have the subject’s agreement.  And I will not consent.  I want to be right here for all the little dragon babies!”

Terry sighed happily.  “Good.  I’d miss you.”

Terry’s life was quite interesting from then on...