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SCRAMBLED SOULS -- Part 5 By Julia Manchester

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Denise gazed out the sliding glass door and took in the vista with a mixture of satisfaction and longing. The tops of the conifer trees fell away before her revealing the small settlement nestled near the banks of the Columbia River. It wasn’t the original Columbia River – that one was back on Earth and was much mightier than the modest body of water that flowed alongside the settlement – but the colonists had decided to use names from their home on Earth to describe the natural features of New America.

Nearly six weeks had passed since Denise, the onetime Dennis McNeil, had become Mrs. Kenneth Mills, a ceremony that took place on the very first Thanksgiving Day on New America, and the new bride was terribly anxious for her husband to return from his mission of exploration. He’d set out with two Explorer Teams just days after their wedding, and the young wife had been left alone to furnish and decorate their new home. Not that Denise had actually moved the furniture. In her original body it would have been simple enough – there really wasn’t all that much to move – but her present form was far too weak for that.

‘That’s what husbands are for anyway,’ she mused, except that her husband was off traipsing around the planet, collecting bugs, or whatever it was he did.

In Ken’s absence Denise had recruited Kyle Ellis, Jerrud Sadler, and her own masculinized mother, who now called himself Patrick O’Shea. Pat had actually built the house for them and seemed to be trying to make amends for the horrible way he had treated their feminized father. Pat had built a “deluxe” home for Ken and Denise on the same road on which his home was located, with the same type of walkout lower level he fabricated for himself.

Denise’s father, now a 20 year old woman, and easily the most gorgeous babe on the planet, had recruited Kyla Ellis, Kyle’s twin, Joy Taylor, Kyle’s girlfriend, and Linda McNeil, Denise’s sister, to help with the cleaning and painting. The five females had been toiling away for several days, and though they weren’t finished the end of the road was in sight.

They couldn’t possibly finish tonight, though, so Denise decided to call it quits. Her gaze fell upon the Jacuzzi her mother had constructed by lining an old metal cargo container with a smooth, plastic finish, and she had an inspiration. The deck outside the sliding doors was private enough – her mother was her only neighbor, and his home was easily 300 meters away, on the far side of a stand of conifers.

“Okay ladies, that’s enough for today,” she announced in her girlish voice. “It’s time to relax in the hot tub.”

“I didn’t bring my suit,” her younger sister piped up, “and I doubt if any of yours will fit me,” she added with an envious look.

Denise turned towards Linda. Her sister once had a very nice figure, for a sixteen year old girl, but she had been inserted into the body of a gangly twelve year old girl whose modest curves were a mere hint of how she would eventually develop.

“That’s okay, we’ll just use our birthday suits,” Denise replied with a grin.

“You mean, NAKED?” Linda blurted out, shocked that her former brother, now sister, would suggest such a thing.

“Why not? Joy asked. There are no men around.”

Joy immediately noticed the expressions of embarrassment on the faces of Danielle, Denise, and Kyla, with Kyla’s face turning crimson.

“Well, I mean, we’re all girls now, since . . .” Her voice trailed off and she wished she had never opened her big mouth. It was just too easy to forget that three of the five women had once been men. After nearly four months as women their actions, gestures, and mannerisms had become completely feminine and indistinguishable from any other women.

“Yeah, we know,” Danielle acknowledged, giving Joy a hug. “It’s just us girls.”

“I’ll get the Jacuzzi going,” Denise told the others as she stepped out on to the deck.

Meanwhile the others began to undress.

“I never thought I’d wear this coverall again,” Linda remarked. “I was so sick of it after wearing it for nearly a week straight after we landed.”

“Me too,” Joy agreed, “but they sure come in handy for painting and cleaning.”

“That’s for sure,” Kyla said. “Without this I’d have to wear some of my nice stuff, and I would hate to ruin any of my outfits.”

“You hated having to wear those clothes when you first got here,” Danielle reminded her, and Kyla nodded.

“I did,” she admitted. “I guess I just didn’t understand how important it is for a girl to look good.”

“There were a lot of things we didn’t understand, at first,” Denise observed, “but we learned pretty quickly.”

After removing their shoes and socks the women stood, unzipped their coveralls, and shrugged out of the hot garments. One by one they removed their bras and squirmed out of their panties and moved quickly out to the hot tub. Denise returned carrying drinks for everyone, and she thought it was comical to see a parade of young women tiptoe nervously out on the deck, each with one hand across their breasts and the other covering their pubis, but after getting towels for everyone she did the same thing, glancing nervously about as she hurried to the relative safety of the tub. She couldn’t help herself – It was just one more instinctively feminine reaction that reminded her how much she had changed in a few short months.

“This feels wonderful!” Joy exclaimed as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back against the edge of the Jacuzzi.

“Mmm, yes,” Kyla agreed, feeling the warm water swirling around her tired body. A slight whiff of chlorine percolated up from the bubbling cauldron and mingled with the scents of wild flowers as five tired women leaned back and extended their legs towards the center of the circular tub.

Overhead, the garnet heavens darkened to a violet hue in the east, and the first stars appeared against the dark canvas of the night sky. Beneath them the valley was deep in dusk and the pinpoints of light from the settlement seemed to mirror the lights from above, though a low lying fog softened their brilliance with misty halos. The air was warm and still, and the chattering of nocturnal critters was a muted accompaniment to their conversation.

Denise smiled to herself as she listened to the other girls, but her amusement was partly due to a most peculiar sight. The frothy water in the Jacuzzi was at the perfect height to partially expose four pairs of breasts, and the movement of the water made them bob up and down. Linda, whose breasts were still quite small, was the only girl without bouncing boobs. Danielle’s D cups were the largest and most active, but Denise’s C cups weren’t that much smaller. Kyla’s were just a bit smaller – somewhere between a B and a C, and Joy’s were a full A or a small B, but very feminine. The sight of all those floating mammaries, her own included, struck Denise as hilarious, and she tried to imagine how she would have reacted to such a sight before they left Earth, when she was still a male, and she knew the visage would have caused a physical reaction of which she was no longer capable. She quickly discarded that thought and tuned in to what the girls were discussing.

“How is the basketball team doing?” Danielle asked, addressing her question to Joy and Kyla.

Great, so far,” Joy replied. “Kyle and Jerrud’s team, the Rockets, won their first two games, but they still have to play the other two teams, then there will be two more rounds.”

“How do you girls like cheering?” Danielle asked, adding, “I hear that the Rockets are the only team with cheerleaders.”

“We love it,” Joy answered, looking at Kyla and getting a nod of agreement. “It’s fun, and it’s good exercise.”

“There is another group of girls getting ready to cheer for one of the other teams,” Kyla told them.

“Yeah, but they’re getting a late start. We call ourselves the Rockettes,” Joy added, eliciting a round of giggles and laughter from the others.

“Well I haven’t been to any of the games yet, but I hear they’re becoming quite an attraction,” Danielle noted. “I guess it isn’t surprising since it’s the only spectator sport on the planet.”

“We’ve had two or three hundred people show up for our games so far,” Joy told her, “and the attendance seems to get better with every game.”

“I’ll bet the boys just come to watch you in those sexy uniforms,” Linda remarked. “They wouldn’t miss a chance to see you bouncing around in those red halters and transparent skirts.”

“Transparent skirts?” Danielle asked.

“They’re not transparent,” Kyla replied, shooting a look at Linda.

“Well, they’re so sheer you can actually see their red panties underneath,” Linda told her father with the self-righteous expression of a tattletale.

“Linda, they’re not that sheer. You can’t tell the color of our panties through the skirts,” Kyla argued.

“Can too,” Linda shot back. “Besides, even if you can’t they can sure see them when you do those flips.”

“Now Linda, I’m sure the uniforms are fine,” Danielle told her daughter.

“Besides, cheerleaders’ uniforms are supposed to be, ah, flashy,” Denise added, trying to help calm the waters.

“How are things going over at the hospital?” Danielle asked her oldest daughter as Kyla and Linda exchanged glares.

“Pretty good, actually,” Denise replied. “The accident rate is way down, and we haven’t had any exotic diseases or poison cases lately. I guess we’re all getting used to our new planet.”

“And bodies,” Danielle added.

“We are busy though,” Denise told the others. “We’ve had a dozen births in the past two months, and there are another two dozen women we expect will give birth in the next few months. The hospital is becoming one large maternity ward.”

“That’s a lot of babies,” Linda remarked.

“Yeah, and there’s more. Since we’ve been on New America over 60 women have become pregnant, and almost half of them are former males.”
____________________

That bit of news shocked everyone, and when it began to get around to the other colonists it was the subject of numerous conversations. Two weeks later, at the meeting of the Planetary Council, as they had taken to calling themselves, Norma Packard, formerly Norm but now a seventeen year old girl, raised the news in connection with a motion to dispense with the Reproductive Duties clause of the Charter. By that time they had 14 births, and there were a total of 58 pregnant females in the colony, and Norma reported that Dr. Van Werkom was beginning to be concerned about the ability of the hospital staff to care for a large number of infants.

“Our birth rate is very healthy right now, and so I propose that we suspend implementation of the R-D clause for a year and monitor the situation. In the meantime any woman that gives birth, and the father of the child, may receive credit for any children they produce against their quota if we find it necessary to reintroduce the R-D requirement,” she offered.

The measure was approved unanimously, with even Patrick O’Shea agreeing.
____________________

Danielle’s Class wasn’t large – just five students – but she enjoyed teaching them. Her students sometimes had trouble concentrating on her lectures, as opposed to her lovely feminine form, but the former man cut them a little slack on that point. She could still remember what it was like to be a man, and even she still marveled at her own reflection occasionally. Besides, she was becoming accustomed to having men stare and walk into furniture or closed doors. Anyway, this was a good group of young men and they tried not to stare too much.

She was packing up her material and shutting down her laptop after finishing another class when she sensed someone standing in the doorway of the classroom. Before she could look up she heard a familiar voice.

“Hi Danielle,” Pat said softly.

Danielle looked up at her former wife and felt a sense of dread. She had not fully recovered from the humiliation he had inflicted on her during the debate in the election for the Planetary Council, and after that episode she had miscarried the child she inherited due to the stress and humiliation. Shortly after that Pat had let their marriage lapse by not reaffirming their vows, as required for all “reversed” couples.

Since that time Danielle’s daughters had told her that Pat had come to realize the pain and anguish he had caused. No doubt a good part of his enlightenment was due to Karen Ellis, who had shamed the former woman by telling Pat that Danielle was pregnant, and pointing out that he had been incredibly self-centered, callous and cruel to his spouse.

Danielle had avoided Pat since the night of the debate, only seeing him at public events such as Denise’s wedding. Once or twice she thought he wanted to talk with her, but she managed to escape by leaving or retreating into the ladies room. This time there was no avenue of retreat.

“What do you want?” Danielle asked coldly.

Pat cringed as if he’d been punched. “I – I just want to talk, for a minute, if you don’t mind,” he said, holding his hands up in a gesture of peace, or perhaps as a shield.

“Why would you want to talk with me?” Danielle asked frostily. “I’m one of the ones who were involved in the plan for the colony that was such a ‘dismal failure,’ and I ‘lack the courage to do what it takes to assure our survival.’”

“Damn, what a memory you have,” Pat groaned. “Look, Danielle, I wish I had never said those things. It was heartless and cruel, and . . . and there is no excuse for what I did – Can we go somewhere and talk for a minute?”

Danielle stared at her former wife for a moment, trying to decide what he was up to. The pain ran deep, and she was justifiably suspicious, but he seemed sincerely contrite and she decided to hear him out. She couldn’t avoid Pat forever anyway – the colony was too small.

“Okay,” she sighed as she slung her purse over her shoulder and picked up her laptop. “I could use a cup of coffee.”

“Great,” Pat smiled and stepped aside to let Danielle go first.

It was a short walk to the “Big Drip,” a coffeehouse started by an enterprising couple who shared a passion for the drink. They had recently opened the doors, and their little shop was just one of a growing number of businesses that had begun to pop up after the introduction of the currency-based economy. The coffeehouse was basically a storefront operation with booths separated by well-tended planters containing some of the more pleasing local plants. They had a dozen different varieties of the bean drink, along with a limited menu of homemade snacks, but Danielle thought the location was perfect for a meeting with Pat, and she wasn’t interested in anything but a mug of “Navy” coffee, which was strong, with a pinch of salt added to the pot. Pat paid for the coffee and Danielle headed toward a booth in the back of the restaurant, away from the few patrons that were there.

As she walked to the booth Danielle was all too aware that the short skirt of her suit exposed a lot leg and framed her heart-shaped bottom. She had been forced to wear what she could find at the clothing exchange, and she discovered that most of the “practical” clothing was snatched up as quickly as it arrived. She also had a limited selection due to her measurements – There weren’t too many women with a 36DD bust, 24 inch waist, and 36 inch hips. She just knew that Pat was enjoying the view – just like every other male with a pulse – and a quick glance to one side confirmed her suspicion. Well, she wasn’t about to let him sweet talk her into his bed, if that was what he had in mind. Her former marriage was behind her and she didn’t intend to revisit her relationship with Pat.

“Okay, what did you want to talk about?” Danielle asked in a businesslike tone as they sat down.

Pat was silent for a moment as he considered Danielle’s tone. He knew he had treated her terribly and he didn’t expect her to be friendly, so he had rehearsed what he would say to her if she gave him the chance, but it took him a moment to work up his courage.

“Well, a lot of the decisions facing the Council are, well, technical in nature, and we – the Council – have been considering the appointment of a technical advisor to sort through the stuff we don’t understand. The technical adviser would then explain it to us in terms we can understand so we can make informed decisions,” he told her.

“Anyway, we need someone to help us out, and, well, I got to thinking about when we were married and how you used to be able to explain things to me so I would understand, and I thought . . .”

“You want me to be the technical adviser for the Council?” Danielle asked with an incredulous expression on her pretty face.

“Well, yes.”

“Boy, is this ironic,” Danielle quipped bitterly. “During the debate you as much as accused me of failing in my duty for not anticipating the effects of the nova, even though I didn’t work on the PC routing program or design the hardware. Now you want me to just forget everything and come and help you. Why the hell should I?”

“Because it’s not for me, it’s for the good of the colony,” Pat replied, “For everyone.

“Look, I already told you I wish I’d never said any of those things. I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am, or how badly I feel about the way I treated you. I don’t blame you if you can’t forgive me, but this isn’t for me.”

“Whose idea was this?” Danielle asked suspiciously.

“It was my idea – Like I told you I remembered how you used to explain things to me, and I couldn’t think of anyone more qualified to help us.”

“Why didn’t Larry come to me about this?”

“Because I asked him to let me ask you,” Pat confided. “I wanted to see you – to explain, and to apologize.”

“Well, you’ve got balls, I’ll give you that much,” Danielle told him, looking him straight in the eye -- Then winced when she realized what she had said. Pat looked stunned by her comment, but he managed to control his emotions and remain silent.

“I’ll think about it,” she concluded as she started to rise from her seat.

“Look, Danielle, there is no excuse for what I did – I know that now, and I’m not trying to fabricate one, but I’d like to explain something before you leave. Just hear me out and if you still can’t forgive me I promise I’ll never bother you again,” Pat pleaded.

Danielle looked at her former wife for a moment, then sighed heavily and sat back down.

“Alright, but I don’t have a lot of time. I have to pick up Vic and Dani from school in a half hour.”

“This won’t take long,” Pat assured her.

“Okay, explain it to me,” Danielle told him, not softening her tone.

“Yeah. Well, when we first landed and I found myself in this body I was terrified of everything. I was desperate to get my own body back –“

“You weren’t the only one,” Danielle interrupted.

“I know, and when I found out you had become a woman and the kids had all been changed it was like my whole world fell apart. My husband and my children were my whole life, and without my family I had nothing. Then, when it was obvious there was no way to switch back I really panicked. It seemed that the only thing I could do was try to switch roles with you, be a good provider, and keep the family together.

“But it seemed that you were trying to hold on to the past. You continued to try to be the ‘man’ of the house, and when I tried to get, ah, intimate you acted like I was trying to rape you, and I could see you were afraid of me.

“That hurt me . . . deeply. I had always trusted you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to trust me, and I felt that you couldn’t accept me anymore.

“Back on Earth I always followed your lead. I was raised to believe that there can be only one leader in a family. My parents taught me that the man is the head of the family and that a good wife supports her man and submits to him, and I did that through 24 years of marriage and three children. But when I became the man, and you the woman, you weren’t willing to give me the same thing I gave you all those years.

“That hurt too, and I became convinced you didn’t or couldn’t love me the way I loved you.

“I didn’t know you were pregnant – you kept that from me too – and when you began to argue for a repeal of the Reproductive Duties clause in the Charter I was convinced that you would never accept a feminine role, or be happy as a wife and mother.

“I was also convinced at the time that the colony was in serious trouble and that we needed the Reproductive Duties clause to survive, so I had to oppose you, and I had to make it clear to everyone that survival was the only option. So I went after you, and I’m deeply ashamed.”

Danielle was silent for a long time after Pat finished his explanation, recalling those first few, terrible days after most of the colonists had found themselves inserted in the wrong bodies. She remembered the terror, the forlorn hope of somehow finding a way to unscrew the mess, and the terrible sense of loss and fear. She had tried to keep herself busy to keep from thinking about her situation, and she had, indeed, been afraid of Pat. Finding out that she was pregnant had just about driven her mad, and she could see where her decision to keep that news from Pat contributed to the mess. He didn’t know what she was going through because she was too ashamed to tell her former wife that her formerly masculine husband was knocked up. She had shut him out through fear and shame, and she hadn’t given him a chance to help her.

Why had she done that?

The only thing that made sense now was that she had still been too “macho,” too proud to accept help when she needed it the most, and the strain of dealing with her pregnancy alone probably made her a bit crazy. Then, after she miscarried, she was practically catatonic and it took Karen, Denise, and Linda to bring her out of it.

She suddenly realized that she was as much to blame as Pat for the whole situation. She hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him about her pregnancy, and she HAD been trying to hold on to her masculinity. “Patty” had been a wonderful wife, and “Dan” had been very willing to accept her deference and respect, but when the situation was reversed Danielle had been unable to trust or defer to Pat. She had been trying to hold on to her role as a husband and father with the body of a gorgeous 20 year old chick, and it hadn’t worked.

With the benefit of hindsight Danielle now saw she had behaving in an absurd manner. Denise had accepted her new form with grace, as had Kyla and lots of other former males. She recalled Denise telling the girls that former males accounted for nearly half of the new pregnancies, and she was honest enough with herself to admit that at least part of her opposition to the Reproductive Duties clause was her own fear of becoming pregnant and being relegated to the role of mother. Even now she viewed her teaching career as a way of avoiding full time motherhood, though there was no way to avoid it entirely with Vic and Dani reduced to pre-teenage children.

“I guess I owe you an apology too,” Danielle admitted to her former spouse, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, trying not to ruin her makeup.

Pat let out her breath with an audible sound. “No, that’s not why I wanted to explain,” he told her. “I just wanted you to understand how I felt – How I still feel. Maybe we can at least be friends now, I don’t know, but I hope so.”

“That would be nice,” Danielle agreed, and for the first time she smiled at Pat.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The problem with living in a tropical paradise was the lack of seasons, Kyla mused. Without seasons there was nothing to remind the people in charge that school wasn’t supposed to be a year-round occupation. How could there be summer vacation when it was always summer?

When they left Earth Kyla Ellis, who was then known as “Keith,” had been looking forward to his traditional three month break from classes. It had been early May on Earth. Of course Kyla expected to make up for the time lost between the date of their arrival and the date the school was able to begin classes, but that was only about six weeks and they had been going continuously for four and a half months now. It was WAY past time for a break, but the powers that be had decided school on New America would go all year long.

It just wasn’t fair. She knew the colony needed skilled talent, but a few crummy months of summer vacation wouldn’t hurt, would it? After all, the students needed some time off to “recharge their batteries.” They had been through a lot too – not just the adults – and she felt as though she had been robbed of her free time.

Going to school during the summer in a tropical climate wasn’t exactly fun, either, despite the relaxed dress code. It was awfully warm, though the school was air conditioned, and Kyla felt beads of sweat form just walking to and from class. About the only good thing was that classes ended early, around 11:30, and the homework wasn’t too bad.

The early schedule also gave her time to hang out at the beach with her friends, and she usually got her homework done by two or three. After that she got into her suit, grabbed her beach bag and went to the shore. She and Joy, Wendy, Amy, and Marilyn usually hung out together, watching the boys or talking about them while they lay on their towels or walked down the beach.

Fortunately the geniuses who knew about biology had finally examined the sea creatures of their new home, and found very few to be threatening. Most of them were in very deep water, and they had developed anti-toxins for ones like the critter that bit Ken Mills, so the shoreline was deemed safe for swimming and other forms of recreation. Kyla enjoyed the “other forms of recreation” more than swimming; one form in particular, and she and Jerrud had done it several times since that first night.

She wouldn’t have believed it possible, but after the night Jerrud took her cherry Kyla found herself thinking about him all the time. She loved to watch him play basketball or listen to his voice, and remembering the feeling of his strong arms holding her was enough to make her heart beat faster and her knees feel weak. She was only really happy when he was around, and when he was she gravitated to him like a planet circling a star. It was doubly strange when she considered that they had been basketball buddies back on Earth, kidding each other, trading good natured insults, and checking out babes they came across. Now SHE was HIS babe, and she enjoyed it – a lot. It just felt “right” to her, and since the moment she had awakened in her sister’s body her feelings had become more and more important in the decisions she made.

Once in a while she wondered if inheriting her sister’s oversexed body had affected her thought processes. After all, back on Earth her sister had been boy crazy too, and she had packed what Keith had considered a ridiculous wardrobe for colonizing a planet. The new girl understood a lot better now.

It didn’t make any difference anyway, she realized. Regardless of whether her body had affected her thinking there was nothing she could do about it, and she liked who and what she was now. It had been hard at first, but once she learned to just “go with the flow” it became much easier.

She felt perfectly normal now, and so did most of the other girls who had once been boys. They had all adapted pretty well, and some were married and pregnant. Becoming Jerrud’s wife would have once been too bizarre to consider, but now Kyla dreamed about it, and the idea of having Jerrud’s babies didn’t frighten her in the least. Babies were so cute – The only reason she didn’t want one now was her desire to have fun.

Kyla shut down her laptop and pulled her sleeveless, white top over her head. In one smooth motion she tossed it on her bed and unbuttoned her tight little shorts and wiggled out of them, kicking them to one side. She reached behind her back and removed her bra with a practiced ease acquired in the past four months, then she turned towards her dresser, pausing a moment to examine her reflection in the mirror. Her hair had lightened to a golden blonde from all the time in the sun, and her carefully nursed tan was magnificent, with no tan lines except for two triangular shaped patches surrounding her large areoles.

She was developing a very nice figure, and her growing breasts rode firm and high on her chest, while her thin waist broadened to delightfully feminine hips and a delicately curved bottom that moved in ways that drove boys crazy when she walked. Her legs were graceful and long, and her small feet were dainty and feminine.

Kyla was proud of her appearance now, and she posed for a moment, then grinned to herself and retrieved her bikini from the dresser. The entire suit had less fabric than she wore when she was Keith, and the entire top was nothing more than two little triangles of shiny pink material connected by mere strings. The bottom was a thong, with a patch of fabric that barely covered her Venus mound, and nothing to conceal her bottom. A wispy, short beach robe and straw colored sandals completed her outfit, and Kyla took a moment to remove the scrunchy from her hair and brush it out before she grabbed her purse and the beach bag containing her towel and sun tan lotion.

The girls were waiting for her at their usual rendezvous, an area atop a small dune just back from the water’s edge. Kyla spread her towel next to Joy and plopped down on it to remove her sun tan lotion from her bag. She listened to the latest gossip as she spread the high tech sun block over her arms and legs.

Off in the distance Kyla could see a group of guys working on some type of boat, and that Jerrud was one of them. When she asked what they were doing Marilyn told her they were building a sailboat.

“Cool. Anyone want to go down there?” Kyla asked, but none of the girls wanted to move, so she finished spreading the lotion on herself and headed down the small dune towards the boys by herself. Her route took her behind the dune, where she paused for a moment and reached beneath the tiny cups of her suit to pinch her nipples to make them stand out. She glanced down at herself and saw her large, feminine nipples expand, them she pushed her boobs together to emphasize her growing cleavage. Satisfied with what she saw, Kyla sashayed over to the boys.

Jerrud saw Kyla coming as soon as she emerged from the far side of the dune, and his eyes soaked up every movement of her sexy little promenade as she approached. He loved the way her hips swiveled and her boobs bounced as she made her way across the white sand. He smiled when she drew near, and jumped down from the boat.

Hi gorgeous,” he greeted his former buddy, now girlfriend, and Kyla smiled up at him and gave him a quick kiss as he slipped his arm around her waist and walked her toward the boat.

“So this is what all the secrecy was about?”

“Yup. This is my new love,” he told her mischievously. “I’ve spent the best part of two weeks scrounging parts, welding – and cursing,” he added, “and now she’s finally ready to sail.”

“Exactly what is it?” Kyla asked.

Jerrud looked at her with a stunned expression. “Do you mean to tell me you’ve never seen a catamaran?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen pictures of them, but I’m not sure this is anything like the pictures,” Kyla teased.

“Well, for your information, this is a real catamaran. Its length is six meters, its beam is 3 meters, and the mast is seven meters tall. It has a main and a jib – those are the sails – and it can carry up to six passengers.”

“It is a pretty shade of blue,” Kyla noted, and Jerrud rolled his eyes.

“Women!” He sighed. “I’ve created an engineering masterpiece and all can say is it’s a pretty color.”

Clay Hunter and Bob Marshall laughed at Jerrud’s theatrics, and went about the business of raising the mast and securing the stays. Jerrud had recruited them to help with the last phase of construction, promising them free use of the boat whenever they wanted it. Bob had helped fabricate the sails, and had even managed to construct a few life vests. Clay, who was a carpenter by trade, had constructed the tiller and dagger boards out of a local hardwood the colonists called cha-cha wood.

“How did you manage to make it?” Kyla asked, impressed by the amount of work that went into the project.

“Well, the pontoons are aluminum drums, welded together, with prows that I formed from scrap aluminum. The mast and boom are made from the crosspieces of the old temporary shelters, and the rest is pieces of aluminum pipe and nylon line. The sails are taylor – light and strong – that I scrounged from the tents the medical team was going to use if we couldn’t construct a hospital.”

“Well, it looks impressive, but does it work?” Kyla asked.

“Oh ye of little faith,” Jerrud replied with more confidence than he felt.

“That’s what we’re about to find out,” Bob laughed.

“You’re going out – now?”

“As soon as my trusty crew gets the sails rigged,” Jerrud confirmed. “Would you like to come along?”

“I don’t know. It looks kinda flimsy.”

“It’s not flimsy, it’s lightweight – for speed,” Jerrud retorted.

“If you say so, but it doesn’t look safe to me,” Kyla teased.

“Well, if you’re that scared – Clay do we have enough life vests for one more passenger?” Jerrud asked his friend.

“Yeah, I think so,” Clay replied.

“Well?” Jerrud asked.

“Okay, but I’ve never been on a sailboat before.”

“Don’t worry, I have. All you have to do is sit and enjoy the ride,” he assured her.

Jerrud had Kyla sit in the center of the rubberized canvas platform that stretched between the pontoons, just behind the mast. The boom was just above her head, and Jerrud warned her to keep her head down to avoid the boom when it swung. Meanwhile the guys pushed the boat into the shallows, and Kyla immediately felt the homemade craft begin to rock gently in the small waves near the shore. When Bob and Clay hopped aboard Jerrud lowered the twin dagger boards while the other boys raised the sails.

The sails were pure white, and Kyla noticed a large blue “K” near the top of the mainsail. “What’s that for?” She asked.

Jerrud grinned at her. “The name of this fair craft is the “Kyla Ann,” he informed her.

“You named it after me?” Kyla was surprised, and not a little embarrassed.

“Yes my lady. I couldn’t think of a better name for such a beautiful creation,” Jerrud replied gallantly, and with a bit too much dramatic flare.

Kyla laughed hysterically. “You are a nut – and a natural ham!” She exclaimed, to the general agreement of Clay and Bob, but Jerrud grinned at her and she smiled back.

A few meters from shore the sails caught the wind, and the Kyla Ann began to move briskly out into the surf.

“I’ll be damned – It works! It really works!” Clay whooped as Jerrud let the bow fall off the wind a bit.

“So far so good,” Jerrud agreed, looking straight at Kyla.

The catamaran picked up speed as Bob hauled in on the mainsail and Clay trimmed the jib, and Kyla felt the boat begin to tip. She grabbed the nearest hand hold and looked about with concern. Were they going to tip over? If they did would her life vest save her from drowning. They were already too far out for her to swim back to shore.

Then she noticed Jerrud smiling broadly. “Relax babe, this is normal. She’s just heeling a little in the wind. All sailboats do it when the sails are full. I won’t let her go too far,” he assured her.

“You’d better not. This isn’t the America’s Cup,” Bob reminded him.

“I know, I know,” Jerrud affirmed. “This is just a shakedown cruise. I won’t push it too hard.”

Kyla eased her death grip on the hand hold and turned her body sidewise to see where they were headed, and also to give Jerrud a very nice look at her profile and her cute legs. The weather was gorgeous, and the sun was halfway to the western horizon, still bright and yellow, but closing in on early evening.

A million points of dazzling light sparkled from the crests of the small waves, and the whistle of wind in the rigging and the gurgle of salt water flowing past the pontoons were the only sounds. In the distance they saw some of the curious local birds diving into the water for their dinner, but there was nothing else on the ocean save the small islands near the horizon.

Jerrud changed their heading and they skimmed along parallel to the beach about a kilometer out from the shore, and Kyla was enchanted by the beauty of their new home. The series of dunes began with the low, three to five meter variety near the shore, with each successive rank higher and further back. Vegetation was visible on the further ones, growing progressively denser with the hills surrounding the settlement completely covered with conifers.

The mouth of the Columbia River spewed colder water containing fine silt into the tropical sea. The river water appeared darker than the crystal clear ocean, but it dissipated 500 meters offshore, disappearing into the azure blue. Kyla luxuriated in the warm zephyrs that propelled their small craft, and she was impressed with Jerrud’s ability to handle a boat that had never tasted salt water or a sea breeze. The gentle movement of the craft was hypnotic, and after a time she was lulled into a relaxed lethargy. When Jerrud finally headed toward the beach she hated to see the voyage end.
____________________

Karen Ellis knocked on the door, and when Danielle opened it she could tell Karen was pretty beat.

“C’mon in Karen. The kids are playing in the back. Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?”

“Tea sounds wonderful,” Karen replied.

“Come sit down. You look like you’ve been on your feet all day.”

“I have,” Karen admitted. “We had two births today, and one was premature, along with the usual problems.”

“Is he – she – “

“He’s okay now, but it was touch and go for awhile, and it was a tough delivery. The mother is one of the kids that wound up in an adult body – She used to be a four year old boy, and I don’t think she really understands what happened, even now.”

“What a tragedy!” Danielle exclaimed.

“Yeah, but fortunately she’s the only one who was pregnant. Jack already inserted contraceptive implants in the others like her, so we shouldn’t have to worry about that anymore.

“How are things going with you?”

“Pretty good really,” Danielle replied with a smile. “Today Vic built a secret hideout out of a blanket, and he and Dani have been holed up in his makeshift tent all afternoon, giggling and laughing. I just checked up on them a few minutes ago.”

“It’s amazing how well those two get along,” Karen laughed.

“It really is,” Danielle agreed, “but what is even more amazing is the way those two have adapted. Vic has become a typical little boy and Dani is now the model of a traditional little miss. Vic is very protective of her, and never misses a chance to show off, and she seems to love the attention, and she seems content to follow him from one adventure to another. It’s almost as if they’re soul mates – fated to be together. It wouldn’t surprise me if they get married again when they grow up.”

“Could be they’ll do it again,” Karen agreed. “But if they do Dani would be the bride.”

“Yeah, well, that wouldn’t be a ‘first’ around here,” Danielle noted.

“Speaking of which, I hear Pat came to see you the other day,” Karen said.

“Yeah, he apologized for the way he acted after we landed,” Danielle informed her friend.

“Was he sincere?”

“I think so. He explained how he felt, and I have to admit that I didn’t help things at all. I shut him out and tried to remain the husband in our marriage, which of course was ridiculous.”

“Maybe it was partly your fault too, but he was suffering from an acute case of testosterone poisoning when we arrived,” Karen noted.

Danielle laughed at her phrase. “I guess we all acted a little crazy,” she allowed, referring to her own behavior.

“So, what now?” Karen asked.

“Well, Pat wants me to go to the dance with him,” Danielle confided.

“What are you going to do?”

“I told him I would think about it,” Danielle replied.

“What about Larry? I thought he would have asked you by now,” Karen observed, but Danielle shook her head.

“Larry is a great guy, but we’re just friends,” she told Karen, adding: “I think he’s really interested in another woman anyway.”

“And who would that be?” Karen asked.

“You.”

“Me?” Karen asked, stunned by the suggestion.

“Yeah, you, Karen. He thinks you’re the greatest thing God ever made. You should hear the way he talks about you.”

“He – He’s never said anything. We – He just talks about all the projects he has going and asks me about the hospital staff,” Karen told Danielle.

“I didn’t say he’s a smooth talker or a romantic,” Danielle pointed out, “but he does have a thing for you. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he asks you to the dance.”
____________________

It was a birthday celebration of sorts for Linda McNeil. Her body had just turned thirteen, though she herself had actually turned seventeen three months ago. In honor of the occasion she was being allowed to attend the dance, though her parents refused to allow her to go with a boy.

“There will be plenty of boys there for you to dance with,” her father told her while helping her with her hair.

“That’s right,” her mother agreed, looking over their shoulders into the mirror and straightening his tie.

Linda hated being treated like a little kid, but she knew better than to argue with both of her parents. She was not only being allowed to go to the dance, but her father was actually allowing her to wear high heels. Her modest dress had just a bit more curve on the bust due to a little strategic padding she had added to her AA bra, and she had chosen the perfect Taylar stockings – ones that were just short enough to show their tops a bit when she twirled on the dance floor.

When her father finished helping her with her hair Linda spritzed on a little cologne and left the room, getting a hug from her father and an approving nod of the head from her mother. It appeared that her mom and dad were getting back together, which pleased Linda, though it did lead to some strange situations. The other day, for instance, she had gone to the basketball game with her mom and dad, though she sat apart from them with some of her friends. When she pointed out her parents to Lisa Jenson, Lisa remarked that her father was quite handsome, and Linda had to tell her that her father was the one wearing the yellow sun dress.

“Oh wow. She’s gorgeous,” Lisa replied.

Linda just nodded. She was getting used to having a father with the body of a centerfold, but sometimes it was hard on her. Wherever her father went heads turned, and though Linda was pretty she knew she would never be drop dead gorgeous like her dad. Once in a while she felt a little jealous.

Tonight her now twenty year old father was wearing a low cut, sleeveless black dress, taylar stockings, and black sandals with four inch heels. Her shiny black dress revealed a fair amount of her voluptuous breasts, hugged her tiny waist, and stopped four inches short of her knees. Her luxurious golden mane of hair surrounded her beautiful face like a halo, and Linda just knew that every male past puberty would stare in wonder, while every woman in the colony would secretly resent her father.

Danielle picked up her little black clutch purse and sat at Linda’s vanity. She looked into the mirror and began to apply a touch of blush to her cheeks with expert strokes. She was very aware that Pat was looking at her with interest, and the presence of her former wife made her nervous.

They were entering a new phase of their relationship tonight, and Danielle was apprehensive. She had met with Pat several times since their discussion in her classroom, and they had gone out for coffee, to the basketball game, and over to Denise’s house to tell her they had talked things over and decided to forget the past. But this was the first time they had gone anywhere as a “couple.” The formal dance was a real date, and Danielle was very nervous.

She and Pat had been married for almost twenty-five years back on Earth, but they were both very different people now. Back on Earth Pat had been a petite, feminine and affectionate girl who deferred to Dan in all things. She was passive, submissive; a follower not a leader. She was domestic and fiercely devoted to Dan and the children. At the same time she was a fragile girl who needed protection, not to mention help lifting carrying heavy items and opening jars or reaching items on the top shelf. The new Pat was the exact opposite. He was tall and strong, ambitious and aggressive, a man’s man. About the only similarity between the petite girl and the tall man was his concern for his family. Pat had tried to keep in touch with the kids even after their breakup, despite the fact that the kids wanted nothing to do with him, at first.

Danielle knew that she had changed as much as Pat, if not more. On Earth, Dan had been fairly tall, reasonably handsome, and driven to be the best engineer he could possibly be. He was enough of a self-starter to start his own business and to provide a comfortable living for his family. He had always been confident and self-assured; a guy who knew what he wanted and went after it without being too pushy or obnoxious. He had been the dominant male in their relationship, and as Danielle looked back on it she realized that Dan had had assumed his leadership was natural. He made the major decisions at home just like he did with his business, and it seemed perfectly normal. It wasn’t that he was tyrant or uncaring – Not in the least. He had always taken into account the needs and feelings of his family, but at the end of the day his word had been law.

Danielle knew that those days were past. She was no longer the dominant male – No longer male at all. She now occupied a sexy but weak female body that was not yet twenty-one years old. She was nearly ten inches shorter than her former wife – maybe six or seven in heels – and now she was the one who needed help lifting and carrying. She had lost all of her old aggressiveness since awakening to her new reality, and her confidence had evaporated with her strength. Now she was the one who was vulnerable and needed protection, which was a new and terrifying realization.

Discovering she was pregnant had been a terrible shock, and then the miscarriage had affected her deeply. Since that time she had dealt with men’s stares, menstrual cycles, and a feeling that she was somehow diminished, not only in the eyes of others but in her own estimation too. It had taken her months to recover a portion of that self-esteem, but even with her teaching position she was far from the strong, confident person who married Pat.

In fact, at that moment she was very nervous, and her hand shook just a little as she uncapped her lipstick and applied a high gloss cranberry shade to her pouting lips. After all she and Pat had been through Danielle wanted everything to go well that night, but maybe not too well. She was afraid of having sex with Pat, even though she knew that Pat would expect it of her if they were to remain together. Why shouldn’t he? It was normal and natural for a husband to make love to his wife, wasn’t it? Hadn’t she made love to Pat hundreds of times back on Earth, impregnating her three times?

But the next time would be different, Danielle reminded herself. The next time SHE would be the one on the bottom, spreading her legs to receive her man. She would never again grow erect and control the rite of union. The next time SHE would be the submissive one, dominated and controlled by her spouse, and if a pregnancy resulted she would carry the child and give birth. It was a frightful prospect, especially after her inherited pregnancy and miscarriage. Nothing in her previous life had prepared her for being a wife and mother, though she had gained a lot of insight in the past four and one half months.

One thing she had noticed was that, like the other gender-reversed colonists, her “orientation” had gradually changed since awakening as a female. Perhaps it was because of the female hormones circulating through her body, or perhaps it was because she had the same equipment as the other females, but women had ceased to interest her sexually shortly after their arrival. Maybe it was because opposites attract, or because humans are imbued with an innate desire to propagate the species, but over a period of time Danielle had begun to notice men, especially the handsome ones like Pat, and her interest had grown over time. She found herself noticing little things about them that had never interested her before. Lately, as her memories of being male dimmed slightly, she found herself increasingly puzzled by men. Their actions seemed increasingly curious, yet her attraction to them grew stronger over time.

Danielle was so lost in thought that she did not see Pat approach her from behind. She was startled when her former spouse put his hands on her bare shoulders and kissed her cheek.

“Don’t be nervous,” he told, seemingly reading her mind. “I promise you, we’ll have a lot of fun tonight.”

Danielle turned and looked up at her former wife. “I know,” she replied, bringing a smile to her lips. “I was just thinking . . .”

“You engineers think too much,” Pat scolded her playfully. “It’s time to have some fun.”

And that’s just what they did. Practically the entire colony was crowded into the Community Center, which had been configured into a gigantic dance floor with tables placed around the perimeter. The music consisted of a wide variety from Earth, ranging from waltzes to popular tunes – At least songs that had been popular nearly sixteen years before. A large buffet table had been prepared along one wall, and a bar offering various intoxicants was set on a right angle to one wall, allowing for patrons to order from either side.

Pat walked into the Community Center, looking very handsome in his new black suit, but few people noticed him; they were practically mesmerized by the lovely girl that was attached to his arm. Danielle moved gracefully, even in her four inch heels, but her pretty smile belied her nervousness. She hadn’t considered that most of the colony was unaware that she and Pat had talked things out, but the look of surprise on the faces of many people she knew reminded her they were unaware of the rapprochement between her and Pat. Her former spouse seemed aware of the situation also, and he remarked, “I think we took a lot of people by surprise just now.”

“Uh huh,” Danielle agreed, smiling to cover her jumpy nerves.

“This is my fault,” Pat whispered. “Just ignore them for now, and I’ll explain that I’ve been an ass and have finally come to my senses.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Danielle told him. “I told you, this was as much my fault as mine.”

“No it wasn’t,” Pat disagreed. “Besides, I think it’s time I started acting like the man I’ve become.”

“Just don’t do anything – “

“Stupid?” Pat asked, grinning down at his pretty date. “Nothing I do tonight could match the stupidity of the way I treated you at the debate. No, I think this is the smartest move I’ve made since I got here.”

“Pat –“

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Pat’s voice boomed over the buzzing of the milling crowd, and instantly all eyes turned towards him.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he repeated, “I have an announcement to make.”

“Pat, please don’t –“

“As most of you know I ran against this lovely woman for a seat on the Council, and during the debate I said quite a few things of which I am now deeply ashamed. I unfairly accused my former spouse of being partly responsible for the mess we found ourselves in when we arrived, and I also accused her of being unable to deal with the new reality we faced.

“I was wrong; completely wrong on both counts. She was no more responsible for what happened than anyone here, and though I was unaware at the time, she was pregnant, and coping far better than most people would in her circumstances.

“I have offered her my heartfelt apologies and she has graciously accepted them and agreed to accompany me here tonight. I now wish to apologize to all of you for acting like an ass, and tell you how privileged I feel to be escorting such a beautiful and courageous girl.”

Danielle held her breath, and for a moment there was nothing but silence. Then someone in the back of the room began to clap, and soon everyone there was applauding Pat’s impromptu speech. Several people came up and greeted them warmly, and Danielle was hugged by several of the women.

“I wish all men were as brave as your Pat,” one of the women told her, and she heard one man tell Pat, “It’s good to see you finally came to your senses.”

“When I blow it, I really blow it,” Pat replied with a sheepish grin. “Fortunately Danielle is smarter than I am – She was right about the Reproductive Duties Clause too.”

By the time Larry and Karen came over Danielle was standing a little straighter and her smile was as genuine as the Hope Diamond. She also had a newfound respect for Pat, mixed in with a budding affection for her former wife. It had taken guts to do what he did, and in making a public admission he had not only wiped the slate clean but praised her feminized husband’s courage.

Pat and Danielle sat with Larry and Karen and little Norma (formerly Norm) Packard and Sam (formerly Sarah) Wallace, two other members of the Council. A few tables over Danielle saw Kyla Ellis sitting with Jerrud Sadler, and a group of their teenage friends, and she allowed Linda to join them, with the admonition that she was to have no alcohol.

Pat, Larry, and Sam went for drinks, and Karen and Norma grilled Danielle about Pat’s sudden announcement. Danielle told them it was a complete surprise to her, and Norma remarked that he might as well have proposed, because it was obvious that he was hopelessly in love, and Karen agreed.

“I really told him off after the debate,” she confided. “I think some of what I said actually stuck.”

“He’s not that dumb – for a man,” Norma quipped, and when Karen turned to look at the former male they all began laughing hysterically.

After they had finished a couple of drinks Pat asked Danielle to dance. It was a slow number, and Danielle was feeling pretty good so she agreed. It was awkward at first, not only because of her high heeled sandals, but she wasn’t sure where to put her hands, and she felt very nervous dancing backward. But Pat was a good dancer, and he kept talking to Danielle to keep her at ease, and soon she settled in to her new role. When she finally did relax Danielle found that she enjoyed dancing. She was naturally light on her feet, and with her inhibitions lowered by a few drinks she began to put some sway in her hips and some style in her step. When the song ended and the next one began Pat looked at her questioningly, and she smiled and nodded her consent for another dance.

A soft, slow ballad followed the second number, and when the music began Pat didn’t even bother to ask. He just took her in his arms and began guiding her slowly around the dance floor. Somewhere during that song Danielle laid her head on Pat’s broad shoulder and just let him guide her along. He pulled her a little closer and when he wrapped his arm around her waist Danielle felt a wonderful warmth and sense of security. She could smell his aftershave, and the scent was intoxicating, so different from her own perfume. At the end of the number he continued to hold her, and she didn’t mind at all. She was perfectly content, and she was actually disappointed when Pat turned her towards their table.

The rest of the evening was wonderful, and Danielle found herself truly enjoying herself for the first time since she’d awakened on the new world. She smiled frequently as she participated in the pleasant conversation at the table, and she and Pat danced several times. Her companions noticed that she had a delightfully infectious, girlish laugh – Something they had never heard before.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Larry Taylor strolled out of the “White House,” which some clown had actually painted white, and stretched his stiff limbs. He had put in another twelve hour day and the sun was getting low on the horizon. He was used to the long hours now, and the news he’d received that day made him believe that it might actually have been worth the effort.

The preliminary reports on their first harvest were in, and the yields were better than he’s hoped. The colony would probably have an adequate supply of wheat, barley, corn, oats, and soy beans.
The vegetable crop was doing well, in general, with some notable exceptions, and even the production of chickens, turkeys, geese, and ducks was coming along nicely. Sugar beet, cocoa, coffee, and fruit looked pretty good too, and even the first cattle were maturing normally. In short, the colony would not starve.

The housing report had been good too, with over seventy percent of the colonists now in permanent homes. Most of the ones still waiting were singles, and they were still living in dormitories, but hopefully not for long.

The initial road network had been completed, though they were mostly used by bicycles for the present, and Ken Mills’ Explorer Teams had discovered deposits of iron, copper, aluminum, several minerals, and quite a few natural wonders.

But the best news of the day was personal. Karen had accepted his proposal, and despite his exhaustion he was feeling great. They had been dating since the night of the dance, and after a period of initial awkward shyness they had really hit it off. He’d borrowed Jerrud’s boat for a sail with her, taken her for long moonlight walks when she could find the time, and generally spent every free moment with her. It wasn’t easy since she was also busy at the hospital, but they had found enough time to fall in love.

Larry and Karen were united by more than their attraction for each other. They were both dedicated to serving the colonists, and each in their own way had worked tirelessly to help the colony survive. Each had willingly taken on far more responsibility than they had bargained for, or that anyone had a right to expect of them, and each admired the other for their commitment.

For his part, Larry had told Karen he would gladly accept Kyle, Kyla, and little Jeff as his own, and Karen was grateful for that. She was mindful that Kyle needed a man’s guidance, and eventually so would Jeff, her former husband who was now regressed to a little boy. She could handle Kyla, but Kyle was already taller and stronger than she and, ironically, her formerly ultra-feminine daughter turned son was beginning to develop a masculine arrogance that worried Karen. She knew Larry could keep her new son in line and act as a civilizing influence.

Larry was considering whether he had enough energy to walk the one and half kilometer distance up the valley to Karen’s home when a strange vehicle that looked like a summer sausage on six wheels pulled up in front of the White House. It was driven by Matt Jarvis, one of the council members and head of the transportation project.

“Hi boss, need a lift?” Matt asked.

“What the hell . . .” Larry exclaimed as he examined the strange vehicle. “What is this thing?” He asked.

“This is the future,” Matt replied with a grin. “It’s the new all-purpose personal transport vehicle we’ve developed for the colony. In other words, it’s the new family car for New America.”

Larry stepped closer and Matt opened the driver door and got out. “It’s hydrogen-electric, with six wheel drive, an extremely high ground clearance for off road travel, and – it’s a convertible,” he smirked as he reached in and adjusted something Larry couldn’t see.

Suddenly the roof of the sausage split down the length and each side slowly curled down into the side, revealing six seats and a storage area behind the last row of seats. The instrument panel looked like something from an aircraft, but most of the controls looked familiar. The large knobby tires were nearly a full meter high, which gave the vehicle plenty of ground clearance, but the wheels were set quite wide for protection against rollovers. The garish red paint scheme made the vehicle look even more like a sausage.

“Do you think people will actually want car like this?” He asked.

“Sure,” Matt replied. “First of all, it’s the only type of vehicle I’ll be making, so it’s this or nothing. Second, these things are very practical. They can get to places our roads haven’t reached yet, and they have front and rear winches,” he pointed as he spoke, “to pull them out of ditches and mud. They use a hydrogen motor – hydrogen is plentiful and clean to burn – to produce electricity for the independent wheel motors. They can also turn on a dime and go from zero to forty in about ten minutes,” he added with a chuckle.

“I like it,” Larry commented. “It’s as homely as a hound, but I like it.”

“Good, because it’s all your,” Matt told him.

“Mine?” Larry turned to face his friend with a look of surprise.

“Yeah, it’s our prototype. I figure we can turn out about a dozen a month when we get organized – maybe more if we figure ways to streamline the production a bit. The guys figured you’re the person who needs it the most, so they decided to give it to you. You’ll note the white number one painted on the front and rear.”

“I appreciate the thought, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to get the first one,” Larry replied.

“Don’t feel too privileged,” Matt told him. “Remember, this is a prototype. We were actually looking for someone dumb enough to be the guinea pig. If you get killed driving it we’ll analyze the problem and make the next one better,” he quipped, bringing a smile to Larry’s face.

“The things I do for the colony,” he responded, moved by the gesture.

“Hop in and I’ll give you a quick lesson, then you can drop me off at my place,” Matt ordered.
____________________

Father Sean Callaghan had been in a moral dilemma since arriving on New America. The tenets of her faith excluded women from serving as priests, but the failure of the routing program had placed Sean Callaghan’s personality – his soul – in the body of a twenty-two year old woman. The other part of the dilemma was that SHE was the only priest on New America.

Before embarking on the voyage to the new world Father Callaghan had been invested as a bishop and appointed Prelate of New America – In effect the highest church authority on the new planet. Now, after much praying and soul searching, she had decided to resign the priesthood, though she hadn’t told anyone of her decision.

For the past six months she had been training two young men to replace her, Brian McCarthy and Paul Shepherd – an appropriate name for a priest she thought. Brian was 27 and Paul was 21, and both were devout believers and excellent candidates. Brian was the more mature of the two, and Sean had decided to ordain him and invest him as the new Bishop and Prelate of New America. Brian could ordain Paul when he felt the younger man was ready for the responsibility. The fact that Brian’s original name had been Bridgett didn’t pose a problem, not anymore.

Accordingly Father Callaghan made all of the necessary preparations and informed Brian, Paul, and her flock of Brian’s impending ordination, though she still withheld the news of her decision to resign, or to invest Brian as bishop and Prelate. She also made plans for herself, for after the ordination, and set to work on those in secret.

On the day of the ordination about one fourth of the colonists were gathered in the park at the center of town. Most were members of the church, but there were others in attendance also; dignitaries, friends, and those who were just plain curious. Father Callaghan appeared in her white vestments, with her mitre and crosier and ring, the symbols of her office. Her ring was heavily taped, since her fingers were far more delicate than the ones to which it had been fitted.

When Brian appeared before her he prostrated himself in the traditional manner, recited his vows, and was ordained according to the ancient rite. Then, after Brian received the applause of the assemblage, Sean announced that she was investing Brian as the new bishop and Prelate of New America. The announcement was met with shock and stunned silence, and Sean then explained that her decision was based upon her faith and the teachings of the Church. She then proceeded with the second, more elaborate ceremony.

After the investiture, Sean handed him her ring, mitre, and crosier, and asked everyone to wait for a few minutes. She then walked over to a small tent that had been set up a few yards away and disappeared inside. The crowd was confused, as was Bishop McCarthy, but they remained in their seats, and the bishop sat down to wait for his predecessor’s return.

When Father Callaghan emerged from the tent a few minutes later she was wearing a navy blue jumper that was hemmed a few inches below her knees, together with a white, long sleeve button down blouse, and her legs were covered with dark stockings. She also wore plain black, low heeled shoes, and she carried a black book, a large crucifix on a silver chain, and a bundle of folded material that matched her jumper.

She walked over to the newly ordained bishop, and to everyone’s surprise she knelt before him. Bishop McCarthy appeared to be as surprised as everyone else, but Father Callaghan soon made her intentions clear.

“Your eminence, I humbly ask your permission to be relieved of my priestly vows, and that I be allowed to vow to serve God in a way more acceptable to his teachings; according to the passage I have marked,” she intoned, handing the book to Bishop McCarthy.

The puzzled prelate opened the book to the page she had marked, and a look of genuine surprise came over him.

“Are you certain this is what you desire?” He asked, and Sean Callaghan nodded.

Bishop McCarthy granted Sean Callaghan’s request, and after relieving her of her priestly vow, he presided as she took the name of Sister Mary Callaghan and willingly took the vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty, which made her the first Catholic nun on New America.

When she had made her vows Bishop McCarthy draped the crucifix around her neck, and she kissed his ring and unfolded the piece of navy blue fabric, revealing it to be a nun’s veil. She fit the veil over her head, and it covered most of her hair, leaving a small portion in front uncovered, and it hung down to the middle of her back. A single white stripe adorned the front of the veil.

“Thank you, your eminence,” Sister Mary Callaghan said humbly.

“No, thank you, sister,” Bishop McCarthy replied. “I hope you will be happy, but before you go please explain why you decided to do this.”

Sister Callaghan looked up at her bishop, and then lowered her eyes. “Since I was a boy I knew I wanted to serve the lord. I truly believe in what the Church stands for, and all the good it can do. I have always accepted the Church’s teachings and now, for me, that acceptance means that I can no longer be a priest. But there are many ways to serve the lord, and since I can no longer fulfill my original vows I decided, after much meditation and prayer, that I can continue to serve Him as a nun.”

“What will you do now?” The bishop asked.

“With your permission I will found my Order as the Sisters of the New World, and I will dedicate myself to caring for the sick of our colony. I’m sure the hospital staff can use all the help they can get.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea, sister,” Bishop McCarthy replied with a smile.

And so did the colonists.
____________________

Denise had discovered the secret that sailors’ wives had known since man first put to sea. The long separations were painful and lonely, but the homecomings were wonderful. When Ken walked through the door he scooped her up in his powerful arms and kissed her so passionately that his bride could barely breathe. She returned his kiss with equal passion, pausing only to speak his name as he carried her to their bedroom.

She had known he was coming, thanks to a call from Larry who told her Ken was alright and heading home, so she had a few minutes to get out of her casual clothes, fix her hair, and put on a nice sun dress and heels. When he burst through the door Denise noticed how tanned he was, and that he seemed more muscular than when he’d set out on his mission weeks ago. He really did look good in his uniform, she thought; so tall and handsome. Her heart rate accelerated just seeing him in the doorway, and she felt herself responding to his mere presence in a very feminine way.

Ken took one look at his beautiful bride and swept her off her feet. She was gorgeous in her revealing yellow sun dress, and he simply couldn’t control himself. She seemed as light as a child as he carried her to their bed, but she was no child – the soft domes of her breast and her hourglass figure were anything but childlike, as was the look she gave him through her loving eyes. He set her down on the bed gently, and removed his uniform tunic, revealing his muscular chest and broad, tanned shoulders, and Denise responded by slipping the straps of her dress down her shoulders and wiggling herself out of the light yellow garment.

Ken saw that his wife was bra-less, wearing only a white thong, light tan taylar stockings, and her white heels, and in seconds he had removed his trousers and shoes and socks, and joined her in their bed. He straddled Denise on his hands and knees, kissing her lips, and Denise threw her arms around his waist and tried to pull him down onto herself, but Ken held himself above her and began caressing her with one hand, sliding his fingers down her chest to her softly domed breasts. Denise shivered at his touch, and when he lightly caressed one nipple she shuddered and felt both her nipples become hard and erect. She was growing hot and damp, and she parted her legs and flexed her knees, inviting Ken to take her.

Her husband smiled down at her and lowered his head to gently kiss her breasts and tease her nipples, and Denise moaned softly and let her man work his magic. She became completely passive and responded to his caresses and kisses meekly, letting her new feminine nature control her reactions. It was all still new and wonderful to her, and the hardness of her husband’s muscular body pressing against her softness was fabulous. Her moans grew louder as Ken continued, and a sense of deep need began to dominate her emotions.

When Ken finally entered her, Denise was more than ready, she was practically desperate, and when she felt the velvety hardness of his magnificent shaft moving within her she wrapped her legs around his waist and moaned loudly. She clung to her man as he invaded her inner sanctum, and her hips and pelvis moved to his rhythm. A sudden pulsing contraction shook her entire body, and she gasped as Ken’s pace accelerated.

“Oh yes, honey! Yes!” She cried, as another bolt of electricity surged through her. Then an even more powerful bolt struck her and pushed her completely over the edge. Her body shook uncontrollably and when she regained her senses she felt totally drained, but completely satisfied. The happy wife sighed softly and smiled up at her man, feeling him moving inside of her. She felt wonderful and completely fulfilled, and she kissed Ken’s chest and hugged him as tightly as her thin, womanly arms allowed.

Suddenly Ken grabbed her and rolled over, pulling her on top of him, without withdrawing from her. Denise found herself looking down at her husband, but his eyes were fixed on her breasts, which hung from her chest like ripe grapefruit, and he held her in a position where he was able to kiss her engorged nipples. Denise’s back arched, and she savored the feeling as her nipples grew even harder and her breasts seemed to inflate a bit, becoming firmer even as they hung beneath her.

Ken lowered his wife onto his hardened phallus and pushed her into a sitting position. Denise saw what he had in mind and began to move up and down on his large axis as he played with her boobs. She felt herself growing aroused again, and her movements became more rapid as her eyes grew wide and her mouth formed a perfect “O.” Soon she was bouncing up and down and crying with delight, moving herself over Ken to allow for maximum penetration. Finally she screamed in delight and let the tidal wave of pleasure overwhelm her.

Nearly two hours later Ken Mills watched as his wife returned from the bathroom after her shower. She was dressed in a short, slinky little translucent robe, high heel sandals, and a loving smile. Ken opened his arms and she came to him immediately, nestling into his arms submissively with a sigh.

“Do you like what I did with the house?” Denise asked.

“It’s beautiful,” Ken replied, “and so are you.” He stood up and carried Denise out on the deck while she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in her husband’s chest.

“Your mother was very generous in giving us this place,” Ken remarked as he lowered Denise’s sandal clad feet gently to the deck and supported her until she regained her balance.

“Yeah, she’s been trying very hard to assume the father’s role with the family, and dad has finally come around. He’s begun to accept the fact that he’s a woman now,” she told her spouse.

“I’m glad.” Ken confided. “None of us can go back to the way things were.”

“Some of us wouldn’t go back if we could,” Denise told him, smiling up at her husband and wrapping an arm around his waist. “Welcome home, honey,” she added softly.
____________________

Kyla didn’t mind taking the special mandatory female curriculum required for all girls, but the hygiene portion was silly. After six menstrual periods she didn’t need anyone to tell her how to deal with the symptoms, and as far as the sex-ed portion of the course, well, she knew exactly what went where – from experience.

The cooking, baking, child care and sewing classes were necessary and even fun, she conceded, and it was a lot easier than the mandatory male curriculum, which included mechanics, woodworking, plumbing and electrical training. It was a heck of a lot simpler to bake a cake than clean out a clogged drain or replace a toilet seal.

Kyla met Jerrud as soon as classes were done, and the two of them headed right for the beach and the Kyla Ann. Normally they took the boat out alone and explored the craggy coastline around the mouth of the Columbia River, but today Jerrud had agreed to take a family out to the islands for a picnic. He had gotten several paying customers lately, and though it could hardly qualify as a real job the extra money came in handy.

The couple stopped at a small concession stand near the beach known as the Tradewinds to buy some soft drinks and snacks. The stand was another recent addition to the landscape, and was constructed out of the native version of bamboo, with a small plasticrete patio and a few mismatched tables for the patrons. Jerrud and Kyla didn’t stop for long, though. They got their orders “to go” and continued on to the makeshift pier Jerrud had constructed to dock the Kyla Ann.

The pier was constructed on wooden pilings Jerrud had laboriously sunk into the sea bottom using a power auger and a sledge hammer. The five sets of pilings extended about fifteen meters out into the water and supported wooden runners to which he had nailed wooden planks, forming a deck-like walkway. The thick pilings extended about one and a half meters above the deck, and the Kyla Ann was tied fore and aft to two of the pilings. A small wooden shack had been constructed near the shoreline where Jerrud kept the lifejackets, extra line, and whatever else he needed for the boat.

Kyla walked to the end of the pier and looked around while Jerrud got the boat ready to sail. As she looked down the coast she marveled at the changes that had occurred in just a couple of months. There were perhaps a hundred people walking up the beach or sunning themselves, and quite a few more were in the water. Two young boys paddled small canoe-like vessels, one with a trident, looking for fish. There were two larger boats out on the water, further out from shore, but the Kyla Ann was still the queen of the fleet, she thought proudly.

A few minutes later Jerrud’s customers showed up, and Kyla saw that they were a young couple that looked no older than 16 or 17. The male’s name was Pete Evers, and Kyla recalled seeing him about though she had never met him. He was a tall kid who treated his companion with courtly manners. His wife, June Evers, was a tiny little thing who had a very cute smile and long red hair that she had pulled back in a bouncy ponytail. She couldn’t have been more than five feet tall at the most, while her husband was easily over six feet tall. Pete carried a small backpack containing a picnic lunch and a few drinks, and after the introductions were complete Kyla helped June on with her life jacket and the two women hopped on the boat while Pete helped Jerrud cast off.

Their destination was the small group of islands near the horizon that Kyla first saw when she was with the other teens on the dune. They were about ten kilometers out and invisible from sea level. Jerrud had been out to the islands once with Clay and Bob, during their explorations, but Kyla had never been more than a couple of kilometers out from the shore and had never seen them up close. The southwest wind obliged Jerrud to tack the boat on the way over, but it was a pleasant trip with a moderate breeze and swells that were over a meter high. The boat rose and fell delightfully, and Kyla felt as if she were on a roller coaster as the boat climbed the deep, blue peaks before racing down the slopes to the watery valleys between the swells. June and Pete enjoyed the sensation, and June screamed with delight when the bottom seemed to fall out on the downward legs of their undulating ride.

A few kilometers out they spied the tops of the trees on the islands, and when they were about two kilometers out they were able to make out some of the passages between the individual islands. There were far more of the small dots of land than Kyla had imagined; from shore they appeared to be a few larger masses of land. Up close she could see that most of the islands were no more than a few acres of land, though some were larger and many smaller. The sandy beaches were marred only by a line of driftwood and flotsam that revealed the high tide mark, and above the surf line grasses and few shrubs and trees held the soil down against the prevailing westerly winds. Most of the islands were slightly domed, gradually rising to a height of ten meters or so near their center, but a few were as high as twenty meters above sea level.

Sea birds circled the boat as Jerrud beached it on the shore of one of the larger islands, near a waterlogged tree stump. Pete helped June off the boat, and Jerrud put his arms around Kyla’s waist and lifted her like she weighed nothing at all and set her gently on the warm sand. The girls removed their life jackets and retrieved the snacks while the guys pulled the boat higher on to the beach. Jerrud secured the Kyla Ann to the stump with a line, and Kyla looked back towards the coastline. From that distance she could see the tree covered hills near the settlement, but the lower dunes along the coast were below the horizon.

Jerrud came up behind Kyla and slipped his arm around her. She turned towards him and he bent down and kissed her softly. “Come with me babe. There’s something I want to show you,” he told her.

“What is it?” Kyla asked, looking up at her guy as the wind blew a few strands of hair across her face.

“You’ll see,” he replied, taking her hand and waving at June and Pete as they went in another direction.

Kyla went with him, and Jerrud led her to the center of the island where she saw a small pool of water and a stream that led from the pool to the far side of the island. The pool contained fresh water that seemed to bubble up from somewhere deep in the ground, and was surrounded by the most beautiful flowers Kyla had ever seen. There were several varieties, and their blossoms were red, yellow, pink, and even a soft, pastel blue. Green ferns were intermixed with the flowers, and there were also small, plants with white, bell shaped blossoms. The fragrance was incredible, and the scene was enough to take Kyla’s breath away. She stood still, drinking in the vista and inhaling the sweet scent as the sound of the waves breaking on the shore and the shrill cries of sea birds completed the idyllic scene.

“It’s beautiful!” She exclaimed.

“Yeah, it is.” Jerrud replied. “When I saw it I knew I had to bring you here,” he added as he bent down and kissed her again.

Jerrud led Kyla over to the smooth, rocky edge of the pool, and they sat on the damp surface while they looked down into the clear water. Near the center of the pool the water actually rose several inches as it bubbled up from deep below the surface and spread to the edges. The water was cool, but not cold, and so crystal clear that they could see the surface of the rocky sides several meters below the surface. The stream was formed by eons of erosion that had worn the lip of the rock in one area, and the water flowed over the smooth depression to form a small stream that snaked its way to the ocean.

As Kyla sat looking at the wondrous scene Jerrud slipped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. She turned to him with a sparkling smile and threw her arms around his neck. She did not object when Jerrud pulled the strings of her halter top bikini, freeing her developing breast from their confinement. When he cupped one breast and gently stroked her nipple she bent her head against his and kissed him passionately. A moment later Jerrud removed her suit top completely, and lifted her up and carried her a few feet away to a sandy clearing. When he set her on her feet she looked up into his eyes and silently pushed her suit bottom to the ground.

Jerrud observed the youthful form of the girl who had once been his friend and couldn’t help noticing how she was blossoming. He had never seen her form in full daylight, and he marveled at her perfection. Her breasts had inflated since the first time he had seen them and her hips had broadened a bit, but her waist was as narrow as ever. Her long curving legs were beginning to show the dimensions that turned a man’s eyes and her cute face was becoming beautiful. Her shy, innocent eyes sparkled with love, and her pouty lips simply begged to be kissed. He took her into his arms and eased her down to the warm sand gently, as if he were afraid she would break from rough treatment.

Kyla felt the warm sand against her back and bottom, and somewhere inside she knew her hair would be a mess when Jerrud finished with her, but she didn’t care. The fact such a feminine thought was the first thing that popped into her mind would have brought a smile to her lips if she hadn’t already been smiling up at the handsome guy who was about to make love to her. She admired Jerrud’s hard body, his broad muscular shoulders, his strong arms, his taut waist and muscled legs. When Jerrud set her down she had scrutinized him as much as he had surveyed her, and she was in awe of his masculinity. She loved his chiseled masculine face and his loving, deep blue eyes, but she most loved the way he treated her. His kindness and loving care for her told her far more about Jerrud as a man than anything else. She was hopelessly in love with him and had been for some time. This would not be the first time they made love – far from it, but she wanted this time to be special. She wanted to find a way to show him how much she loved him, and as Jerrud removed his swim trunks an idea occurred to her.

Nearly an hour later Jerrud carried his girl back to the pool. Kyla held the halves of her tiny swimsuit in one hand with both of her arms wrapped around her man. She was positively glowing from their lovemaking, and somewhat pleased with herself for taking the initiative at one point. Back when she was male she had often heard other guys talk about oral sex in crude terms, but Keith had been a virgin and had no experience in such matters. Kyla was neither a virgin, nor inexperienced – now. She had completely surprised Jerrud when, after he had taken her the first time, she crawled between his legs and “gone down” on him.

Jerrud had asked her if she really wanted to do it, and her only response had been a brief smile before she bent her head and began. She had wanted to do something very special for the guy she loved, and she found out it wasn’t bad, really. In fact she got a charge out of her ability to arouse Jerrud and send him to new heights, but she never considered that what she was doing was also the ultimate act of submission. That thought occurred to her only as Jerrud carried her back to the pool, but even then it didn’t concern her at all. Kyla knew the facts of life, and she knew that one of the parties in any relationship was dominant and one subservient and she also knew which role the female usually played. Perhaps the idea of being meek and docile would have bothered her former male self, but for some reason it just felt “right” to the girl in Jerrud’s arms.

Jerrud carried Kyla right into the pool and waded out until the water was waist deep before setting her on her feet. Kyla gasped at the coolness of the water, but quickly became acclimated to it and began to rinse the sand from herself with a lot of willing help from Jerrud. She bent low to rinse her hair and in so doing gave Jerrud a magnificent view of the way her breasts formed into rounded mounds when gravity shaped them. Her still engorged nipples stood out from her swinging boobs, and her rounded bottom looked magnificent, causing Jerrud to grow erect again. He cursed himself mentally for bringing Pete and June with him. He would have loved nothing better than to make love again to the sexy girl in the pool with him, but the Evers would soon come looking for them, and the sun would also be setting, so he resisted his impulses and rinsed off.

When Jerrud and Kyla finally made their way back to the boat the Evers were nowhere to be found. Kyla asked if they should go looking for the couple, but Jerrud shook his head and they waited on the shore. Pete and June finally appeared about twenty minutes later, and Kyla recognized the look of a woman who had recently had sex. Her eyes were sparkling, and she cuddled close to Pete as they walked towards the boat. Kyla and Jerrud shared an amused look and Kyla leaned towards her man.

“You have to promise to bring me back here alone, sometime when we can stay longer,” she told him, and he grinned down at her. “It’s a promise,” he replied.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The announcement that Pat had proposed to Danielle, and that she had accepted, came as almost no surprise to anyone after Pat’s public apology at the dance. Karen noticed that Danielle now had a smile on her face wherever she went, and her wardrobe also underwent a subtle transformation. Instead of slacks and business suits Danielle began to favor short skirts and sundresses, and when asked about the change she invariably replied that dresses and skirts were cooler. Of course they were cooler, but the ones she wore seemed more revealing, a little sexier than those worn by many other women in the colony. Karen never pressed her on the subject because she was very happy for her friend, and she was also glad Danielle had begun to embrace her femininity.

Besides, she was in no position to criticize. Ever since Larry began showing interest in her she had also begun to wear the same styles – skirts and dresses she hadn’t worn in fifteen years, since before she married Jeff. Of course she was now nearly as young as she had been back then, and she didn’t look out of place wearing an occasional miniskirt or very short shorts, or a dress with a plunging neckline. In quieter moments Karen admitted that it was fun to dress to please a man, and she realized that she was no different than Danielle.

Well, perhaps she wasn’t quite as gorgeous as Danielle, but Karen figured she could hold her own against most of the women on New America. Danielle was in a class by herself, and Karen really didn’t begrudge the former middle-aged man his newfound beauty, especially now that she had Larry.

Pat and Danielle decided to hold their wedding in the same setting their daughter had married Ken, and in fact Pat asked Ken to be his best man. Danielle asked Karen to be her Maid Of Honor, and she also asked Denise, Kyla, and Linda to be bridesmaids. Pat asked Jerrud, Larry, and Kyle to balance out the girls as groomsmen.

By that time the colony had developed enough small businesses that Danielle was able to have a real bridal gown and veil made, and the girls actually wore matching dresses. The guys were spared the need to wear tuxedos since there were none to be had, but they managed to find enough black suits and bow ties to make them appear more formal – and uncomfortable. The growing economy meant that Danielle was also able to order a large wedding cake and hire a band for the reception, and Pat was able to secure a large supply of local booze.

On the day of the wedding the ladies met inside the new church, which was adjacent to the park, and set about preparing for the ceremony. Danielle was wearing the same engagement ring she had given Pat many years ago, and she carried the wedding ring her former bride had given her to return during the service. Pat had kept his old wedding band for her, and it was undoubtedly in Ken’s pocket Danielle told herself, remembering how she had badgered her own best man to safeguard the simple gold band intended for her bride. It was ironic that she would now wear that same band and make the same vows Pat had once pledged, but Danielle couldn’t dwell on that; there was too much to do.

The girls were in the church basement, and a couple of tables and chairs had been set up to use as makeshift vanities. Danielle unzipped her skirt and stepped out of it, then unbuttoned her white blouse and removed that too. She unfastened her bra and replaced it with a daring, lacy strapless bra that revealed a vast amount of her generous cleavage. Then she sat down and removed her taylar stockings and panties, replacing her panties with a tiny white thong that matched her bra. Next she fastened a matching garterbelt around her wait and threaded the garters through her thong. She sat down and slowly and carefully rolled a pair of pure white taylar stockings up her sculpted legs and fastened them to the garters.

The design of the dress would not allow for a slip so Danielle sat down in front of a mirror and began to fix her makeup. After nearly eight months of putting on her own makeup she was an expert, and in a few minutes she was satisfied with the results. As she put her compact and lipstick into the tiny clutch purse that matched her dress she saw the blue and white garter that Pat had given her. It was the same garter she had removed from Pat’s then shapely legs over twenty years before, and tonight, at the reception Pat would do the same to her.

That did give her pause. Danielle knew very well that removing the bride’s garter in public was a symbolic deflowering of the bride by the groom, and despite all of her resolve to accept her new role as a wife Danielle was truly anxious about surrendering her virginity. Eight short months as a woman had not completely erased Danielle’s masculine upbringing. It wasn’t Pat – she couldn’t use that excuse anymore. Pat had been wonderful to her in the past few months, and Danielle wanted everything to go well, she really did. She was just concerned that, when the time came, she would freeze up or, worse yet, panic. But she kept her fears to herself and put on a brave front as the girls helped her into her dress.

And what a dress it was! The strapless white lace confection hugged her marvelous curves to perfection, and the hemline was one of the new “ascending hemline” styles that just touched the floor in back and rose in a series of soft curling pleats to a few inches above her knees in front. Her legs would be on display with every step she took, yet the back of the dress would mimic an old fashioned dress with a train. When Denise and Linda finished draping the dress over Danielle, Karen zipped it up and Danielle stepped into her pure white high heel sandals while the four attendants stood back and admired the bride.

“Whew!” Kyla whistled. “If that doesn’t excite your new hubby he’s beyond hope.”

Danielle laughed nervously. “I don’t think that will be a problem,” she replied. “I just hope this dress doesn’t cause a scandal.”

“I don’t think it will,” Karen reassured her, “but who cares if it does? The only ones who would be upset are the other women, and most of them will keep their mouths shut.”

“It’s a cinch the guys won’t mind a bit,” Linda said with a girlish giggle.

Kyla pointed out that Danielle was blushing from their comments, and Karen retorted that Danielle was a just another blushing bride. When Danielle turned towards her friend Karen winked at her and handed her a diamond pendant to wear. “Here, take this, but you have to give it back after the reception.”

“What is this for?” Danielle asked.

“Well, every bride must wear something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue,” Karen replied, adding, “It’s just for luck, kid – Now what about the rest of the rhyme?”

“Well, I have something old – Pat’s old garter, and it’s also blue. The dress and veil are new. Does that sound okay?”

“Sounds good to me,” Karen agreed. “”Now, let’s get that veil on you and get this show on the road.”

The veil consisted of a golden circlet that the girls pinned to Danielle’s hair, with sheer, wispy fabric that covered her eyes without impairing her vision. When Karen finished pinning it to her hair with bobby pins she stepped back and had Danielle turn around.

“Perfect,” she proclaimed, and the others agreed.

There was no one to give the bride away. The only man Danielle would have chosen for the job was Larry, but when she found out that Pat had asked him to be one of his groomsmen she decided to walk down the aisle alone. When the recorded music began Danielle and the other girls were clustered together near a small tent behind the assembled guests, and one by one the girls processed down the makeshift aisle. They all carried bouquets of flowers that were smaller versions of the bridal bouquet Kyla had made from some of the beautiful flowers she had discovered near the pool on the island.

As each bridesmaid reached the front she turned to the left and formed a line that corresponded with the groomsmen on the other side of the aisle. Finally, when Karen had joined the others, someone switched music and Danielle began to process slowly towards the front. Her knees felt weak and her heart was pounding as she made her way to the altar. Her heels clicked softly on the smooth flagstone walk but the sound was all but drowned out by the music.

Pat stood near the altar looking at his new bride and former husband as Danielle came down the aisle. When he saw her dress Pat was more than a little excited. She was beautiful, and the veil that obscured her eyes with innocent modesty seemed to conflict with the ascending hemline of her dress, which provided a great view of her shapely legs, including the garter, with each step she took. The strapless gown also revealed a tantalizing amount of her magnificent cleavage, and Pat was glad everyone was looking at Danielle since that allowed him to make a quick adjustment without anyone noticing.

The service seemed to move very quickly for the both Pat and Danielle, and after the exchange of vows and rings, and the pronouncement of union by Bishop McCarthy, Pat took his bride into his arms and kissed her with restrained passion. Danielle returned his kiss fervently and smiled up at the tall, handsome man who had once been her wife. “It seems to be we’ve done this before,” she whispered as her spouse ended the kiss reluctantly.

“Yes, but you weren’t wearing a dress and heels the first time,” he replied softly, adding, “You look much prettier than I did back on Earth.”

Danielle blushed and looked down at her bouquet as Bishop McCarthy presented the new couple to the congregation. A moment later Mr. and Mrs. Patrick O’Shea made their way down the aisle together. Danielle clung to her new husband’s arm, grateful for the support, and Pat looked supremely proud to have her on his arm. When the bridesmaids and groomsmen joined them Danielle found herself in the center of the wedding party, being hugged by the women and kissed by the men. After the guests filed past to offer congratulations and best wishes on the way to the formal reception the bridal party joined the others at the community center.

A nice dinner had been prepared by one of the new restaurants, and as Danielle and Pat sat at the bridal table with the wedding party the guests occasionally clinked silverware against their glasses, forcing the bride and groom to stand and smooch in public. The first time Pat kissed her Danielle pulled away after a perfunctory touch of the lips. She was embarrassed to kiss her new husband in public, but this did not satisfy the guests, and when they continued to make noise Pat stood and took Danielle in his arms and performed a tonsillectomy in front of half of the colony.
The cheers that arose from the assemblage were deafening, and Danielle blushed furiously as she resumed her seat. Pat had really kissed her and she felt it all the way down to her toes, which was evident to everyone at the reception.

After the dinner the band began serenading the guests and Pat took Danielle’s hand and led her to the middle of the dance floor for the first dance. Danielle was a little nervous dancing in her gown and heels, but Pat was a good dancer and easy to follow. He held her firmly yet moved her with a light touch as he gazed down at his new bride. She looked up at him and was captivated by his eyes, and before she knew it the dance was over. As Pat took her arm and led her back to the table Danielle realized she had responded automatically when Pat held her and guided her around the dance floor.

Everything went well after that, and Danielle danced with all of the guys in the wedding party, and a few other guests too. But then Larry made an announcement, calling all of the single men to gather at one end of the dance floor. At first Danielle didn’t understand what was happening, then someone brought a high stool to the middle of the floor and Larry announced that the groom would now remove the bride’s garter and toss it to the single guys.

Danielle blushed again as she was led to the stool by Pat and lifted up onto the high seat. She looked up at Pat, who was grinning, and reluctantly pulled the hem of her dress up just a bit to give him access to her blue garter. The whistles and catcalls that greeted the exposition of her shapely legs were mortifying, and she hissed at Pat to get it over with quickly. But he took his sweet time and slowly slid the garter down her leg while the band played “The Stripper.”

Everyone but Danielle was having a great time as Pat removed her high heel sandal to slide the garter down over her dainty foot. He carefully replaced her shoe then turned around and held the garter over his head to the cheers of the crowd. Danielle remembered doing the same thing to Pat at their first wedding so she couldn’t complain, but it felt very different when she was the one exposing her thighs and being ceremoniously deflowered in front of an audience. She was forced to sit and watch as Pat turned his back and tossed her garter over his head to a group of hyper-aggressive males who scrambled to catch it.

After that it was her turn to toss her bouquet to the single women, and dozens of them gathered on the floor where the men had recently stood. Danielle had watched Pat turn his back to the men and toss the garter over his shoulder but she realized that a similar move on her part was likely to cause her breasts to pop right out of her strapless dress, so she faced the girls and threw her bouquet with a very girlish, underhand toss. When she let go of the bouquet the girls reached for it and stood on their toes, hoping to gain a slight advantage, but there was none of the jumping and pushing that marked the men’s efforts, and when Kyla caught the bouquet it was with a very awkward and artless movement. In effect she held both arms out in front of her and simply trapped it against her chest.

After all the cake was eaten and the last toast raised Pat touched Danielle’s hand and motioned her to lean close to him. “I think we should go – quietly,” he told her.

Danielle looked around the room and saw that many people were dancing, while others were seated in groups, talking, laughing, and drinking. “Okay,” she agreed, “but I’ll need to change first. I don’t want to walk all the way home in my wedding gown.”

“You won’t have to,” Pat replied. Just grab your purse and come with me.”

“Yes, sir,” Danielle replied with a smile and a mocking salute.

“I think I’m going to like being married,” Pat quipped, and Danielle punched him in the arm. But she reached for her purse with her other hand and looked up at her husband expectantly.

At Pat’s signal Danielle got up from the table and took his hand as he led her to a side door. Then, without a wave or a farewell they left the building. When they stepped outside Danielle saw the sausage shaped profile of a PTV – Personal Transport Vehicle – and turned to Pat. “Did you borrow this from Larry?” She asked.

“No, I got lucky,” Pat replied. “When they decided to draw for half of the first month’s production I tossed my name in and I won a chance to buy it.”

“You bought – How could you afford –“

“The business is doing pretty well,” Pat replied with a grin.

“Wow! I never thought it was going that well,” Danielle remarked.

“Well, I will need something to stay competitive, but we’ll talk about that later,” Pat told her.

Pat pressed a button on his remote device and Danielle heard the whine of a small electric motor as the door slid backward into the hull and a single step descended to assist access to the high slung vehicle. Pat held out a hand as Danielle grabbed a support bar with her other hand and put one high heeled sandal on the narrow step. She tried to pull herself up into the PTV, but the narrow step was not made for high heels and she turned to Pat and told him she would have to remove her shoes first.

“No you don’t,” he replied as he picked her up and, holding her nearly at arms length, gently deposited her in the passenger seat.

“Thank you, kind sir,” Danielle said as she gathered her dress and canted her legs to one side in a classically feminine manner. She smiled down at Pat, who bowed. “My pleasure, Mrs. O’Shea,” he replied with a wide grin.

While Danielle fastened her seat belt Pat walked around to the driver’s side and hopped up behind the controls. He glanced over at his new bride and his eyes fixed on her soft, smooth thighs which were exposed by the ascending hemline of her wedding gown. Her manicured hands rested in her lap, and her magnificent cleavage strained the strapless dress in a remarkable defiance of gravity. He wanted to take her right there, but he also wanted the first time to be perfect, and he had special plans for their wedding night.

The large PTV moved with surprising agility as Pat drove it away from the Community Center and up the road to his, and now their home. When he reached the front door he stopped and carried his bride from the vehicle and over the threshold, into the spacious living room. He set Danielle down, and she reached up and removed her veil, which she had worn since the ceremony, and set it on a small table. Meanwhile Pat shrugged out of his suit coat and pulled off his tie, tossing the coat and tie on a chair. He turned to his new bride and drew her to him and kissed her passionately. She seemed so small and weak, so soft and sexy, and when she lifted her head up to meet his lips he slowly lowered the zipper of her dress. When it was beneath her bust the dress began to slide down, exposing her strapless bra and most of her voluptuous breasts.

“Just a moment,” Danielle whispered as she backed away and finished what her husband had begun. She lowered the zipper all the way and slid the dress down over her feminine hips until she was able to step out of it. When she did Pat saw her tiny white panties and lacy garter belt and became fully aroused. Once again he restrained himself, and watched as Danielle carefully folded her dress over the same chair he had draped his coat and tie. As she did the sight of her perfect heart shaped bottom and her shapely legs perched on high heels struck him as a vision of heaven, and he knew it was a sight he would never forget.

When Danielle turned around she couldn’t help noticing her new husband’s “interest,” and she realized there was no going back now. She just hoped she would be able to go through with it. When Pat picked her up she buried her face between his neck and shoulder. Her new husband believed she was merely shy, and she was, but Pat was not aware of the turmoil going on inside.

The next thing Danielle knew Pat had laid her on his large comfortable bed and unfastened his trousers. He gazed at her as he removed the remainder of his clothing, and she returned his stare timidly. Danielle reached behind herself and, with practiced ease, removed her bra. Though the temperature was perfect Danielle felt a sudden chill and her nipples rose from her breasts in magnificent relief. She resisted an instinct to conceal herself with her arms, and instead moved her hands to the thin waistband of her tiny thong. Lifting her bottom slightly, she eased her panties over her hips, leaving her garter belt and stockings in place. When her thong was past her hips she bent her knees and lifted her feet off the bed to remove the lacy garment. When that was accomplished she turned her hips slightly towards Pat, one knee slightly bent, laying on her other in an alluring pose. She looked up at her new husband and steeled her nerves.

Pat had been transformed into a handsome man; Danielle knew that. But seeing his taut muscular body naked for the first time was intimidating. Danielle suddenly realized that her former wife was now more muscular, more powerful, and better endowed than she had ever been – even when she was a young man. Pat looked extremely virile, and his hard work had further developed the physique he had inherited. It was hard for Danielle to believe that the man who gazed down at her had once been her shy, feminine wife. Pat was indisputably masculine now; Even the scent that reached Danielle’s nostrils was masculine, and for some reason that excited the beautiful woman on the bed.

As her new husband settled himself beside her Danielle felt her heart begin to pound and her breathing slow. She was unaware that she was looking at Pat with lidded eyes or that her mouth was slightly opened in silent invitation, but she did know that her breasts felt taut and firm, and that a growing need had taken hold of her. Pat looked massive compared to her, and the deep seated fear she felt since she first realized she was female returned. Danielle fought it down and forced herself to relax, and this time she was aided by the native instincts of her new body. Despite her fears her new body was reacting to the presence of a male beside her, and she began to exhibit all the signs of feminine sexual response to an attractive male.

When Pat reached out and brushed his fingers over the contours of her breasts Danielle sighed and her back arched slightly. She savored the light gentle touch, and felt her nipples become even more erect. She felt a gentleness in his touch that was exciting and reassuring at the same time. He cupped her breast softly and kneaded it, sending more delicious feelings through his new wife, and Danielle reached up tentatively and touched the side of his face with one small, dainty hand. He smiled down at her and lowered himself to kiss her tenderly, and Danielle responded eagerly, sensing a glowing warmth in the pit of her stomach. She felt Pat’s hard chest pressing down against her supple breasts, and marveled at the way her body seemed to conform to his. Her softness was the perfect complement to his muscular form and for some reason the sensation felt . . . right, natural, and wonderful.

Pat held the kiss for an eternity and Danielle felt the faintest hint of stubble against her own smooth skin, but she actually enjoyed the sensation. The scent of his aftershave was faint, but noticeable, and it mingled with the sweeter bouquet of her perfume to create a unique fragrance. She moved both hands to Pat’s muscular shoulders and explored the highly defined physique of her new husband with a growing sense of pride. ‘He really is a hunk,’ she considered in the moments when she wasn’t distracted by his exquisite touch.

A chill went through her as he kissed the base of her neck, and she pressed the side of her face against him as he burrowed his head in the sensitive spot between her collarbone and her ear. At the same time she felt the warmth in her midsection begin to grow, spreading out to her extremities as it grew warmer. She was bewildered – How could something that sent a chill through her also make her feel warmer? It was a mystery she could not resolve, and after a moment she was distracted by another wonderful sensation. Somewhere in the process Danielle decided it didn’t matter. What did matter were the amazing feelings Pat was creating in her.

Pat forced himself to go slow and easy, even though his new masculine instincts were telling him to have his way with his woman right NOW. But he couldn’t do that. He hadn’t yet forgotten what it was like for a woman and how the little things – the gentle touches and caresses – were more than mere prelude to the act of penetration but the golden key to unlocking a woman’s passions. He also remembered enough of his former life to know exactly where to touch, to kiss, and to caress. When Danielle responded as he knew she must he felt an amazing sense of satisfaction and power. On their first wedding night Dan had been the aggressor, and Pat remembered lying submissively beneath him. It had been great, but it could have been better. Dan had tried hard to please his wife and had certainly succeeded, but he didn’t know, he couldn’t know the secret places and particular treatments to drive his wife wild. Only a woman could possibly know those intimate details – Until now.

Danielle felt Pat’s hands gliding along her body, outlining her form and spreading a wonderful electric sensation through her whole being. His feather-light touch and soft, lingering kisses ignited her passions and she felt herself moving, responding to his touch automatically. He seemed to know exactly what to do, and she felt herself falling under his control as he continued. Her breasts ached with desire, and her soft empty space grew moist. Her nipples stood at full attention, and her legs seemed to part of their own accord. Her back arched and her knees were flexed to receive her man, and mere sexual desire had been supplanted by an overpowering need for fulfillment. She was completely unaware that Pat was virtually controlling her every move, not to mention her passions, with his skillful touch. All Danielle knew was that he had enkindled a burning desire in her that was rapidly becoming a conflagration.

Pat knew Danielle was ready for him, but he continued to caress her in ways he knew would excite her even more. He wanted her needy, he wanted her desperate, and only then would he take her the way he had planned. Her body shook with delight as the first convulsion came, and after short time he continued. She began calling out to him, calling his name as she lost all control of her own body.

Danielle never dreamed she would so dependent on her Pat for fulfillment, or that she would be so desperate to feel her man inside her, but that was what happened. She didn’t understand it at all, but her emotions and her needs overrode all reason and she heard herself begging Pat to take her. When her husband finally mounted her she cried out in joy and searched for his engorged penis with her hands, frantically trying to insert that magnificent staff in her soft void. She was shameless and wanton in her need, and positioned her own body to allow complete access to her innermost regions. When she felt the tip of Pat’s stud teasing her labia she moaned and tried to raise herself up to meet it. A moment later she felt Pat’s sizeable stud force its way into her, and after a brief moment of pain she marveled at the sensation of her vaginal canal being dilated by the monster.

“Oh, honey, you’re so big – and it feels so good!” She cried as Pat drove into her. She felt him going deeper and deeper, amazed that there was still more, and she felt her vaginal muscles contracting around his phallus. She was well lubricated by her own fluids but the friction of his movements set off a convulsion that made her scream with joy. She shuddered as her whole body seemed to pulse with sexual energy, and when Pat drove down again she clung to him, trying to maintain their union. But his strength was far greater than hers, and Pat’s masculine needs had finally asserted themselves to the exclusion of all else. He forced her down as he rose up and impaled her again. That one act drove home the simple truth that Pat was in charge now, and Danielle had no choice but to submit to him.

She did not care at that point. Pat had lifted her to the pinnacle of excitement, and she felt as if she had just crested the peak on a roller coaster, and the thrill was enough to take her breath away.

Then, suddenly, she felt a cataclysmic explosion deep within her, and she screamed and lost all control. Her body writhed and shuddered beneath Pat, and she felt his member expand even more and inject her with his warm serum. She moaned as every nerve in her body seemed to overload, and she felt tears come to her eyes. She had never known she could feel like that, and she never felt so completely fulfilled and gloriously happy.

Pat felt supremely powerful as he pumped his seed into the beautiful, petite woman beneath him. Unlike his new wife he had already experienced sex in his new gender, but it was never anything like this. Danielle was incredibly responsive to his touch, and none of the women he had been with since becoming a man excited him half as much as the gorgeous creature he had married. The feeling was so magnificent he was able to manage three repeat performances.

The next morning Danielle’s eyes opened slowly, but when she was fully conscious she was aware that she was sleeping on a damp spot, and she sighed softly as she realized that it was something she would have to get used to. Besides, it seemed a small price to pay for an experience like she’d had the previous night. Still, it wasn’t very comfortable, and she slipped silently out of the bed and walked across the room to where her bags had been left, prior to the wedding. She opened one of them without a sound, not wishing to disturb her new husband, and withdrew a filmy little dressing gown she had purchased for just this occasion.

She tiptoed to the bathroom and after scrubbing the remnants of makeup off her face she started the water for a shower. As the warm water cascaded over her Danielle felt absolutely wonderful. Her fears that she would be unable to make love to Pat – Or, more accurately, that she would not be able to endure Pat making love to her – had been unfounded. It turned out that her instincts were as feminine as her body now, and she had reacted like any other female, although perhaps more vocally.

She blushed as she recalled some of the things she had said in the heat of passion, but at the same time she shivered when she remembered the sensations Pat had created in her. Just the thought of her new husband’s penis penetrating her new vagina and drilling her to the depths of her soul caused her nipples to grow erect again, despite the warmth of the water. She thought of her handsome husband as she soaped herself, and Danielle nearly came again as she finished.

Danielle leaned towards the mirror in the bathroom, clad only in a tiny pair of panties, her short, transparent gown, and a pair of mules, as she finished her makeup. Her hair was down and framed her gorgeous face like a golden aura, and when she finished her makeup she was positively stunning. She sensed that something very profound had occurred the previous evening, and it wasn’t merely the loss of her feminine virginity. It was hard to put her finger on it, and she felt it more than knew it, but she was a far different woman than the one who entered the bedroom in the arms of her former wife.

CHAPTER TWENTY

The southerly breeze was refreshing in the noon sun, and Dani wandered along the base of the dune, gathering a bundle of reddish-orange wildflowers. She was wearing her cute, new one piece swimsuit, a pair of floppy sandals, and straw hat with a wide brim. Meanwhile Vic was playing at the water’s edge, building a sand castle just out of reach of the moderate surf. The young boy was wearing nothing but a pair of swim trunks, and he seemed unusually intent on his project though, every so often, he glanced over at Dani as if he was checking up on her.

Mrs. Danielle O’Shea, Mrs. Denise Mills, and Miss Linda McNeil reclined nearby on three chaise lounges, strategically placed at the crest of a small mound of sand from where they could keep an eye on both of the children. They were sunning themselves and gossiping as they enjoyed a family outing, minus the men. Pat was working, as usual, and Ken was off on another of his expeditions, checking for mineral deposits a few hundred miles to the north.

Linda had just observed that she and Dani were the last of the McNeils, the only ones who still retained the surname of the family of five that landed on New America some ten months before.

“You won’t be a McNeil forever, and neither will Dani,” Denise observed.

“I know, but it’s weird all the same,” Linda replied. “I expected to lose my maiden name when I got married, but I never dreamed it would happen to my brother – not to mention my father.”

“Well, don’t let it bother you,” Danielle told her daughter. “I rather enjoy being Mrs. O’Shea, if you know what I mean,” she added with a wink.

“Oooo, that sounds like mom is keeping you satisfied,” Linda giggled. “How is it?”

“That’s none of your business, young lady,” Danielle replied, but her stern words were accompanied by a smile, and after a moment she sighed. “It’s fantastic – of course he had a great teacher,” she added.

“The important thing is that you’re happy,” Denise noted.

“What about you?” Linda asked her sister.

“Oh, I have no complaints at all,” Denise replied with a smile. “Ken is a good man, kind and gentle, and though I hate it when he leaves on his little expeditions the homecomings are great!”

“Is it that different – I mean, from when you were a man? Linda asked.

Denise thought about the question for a moment then answered. “Yeah, it’s a lot different. It was really scary at first, letting someone else take control, but I knew Ken loved me and I trusted him completely.

“Then I discovered something else,” she continued. “I think – and this only a theory – that since Ken was once a woman himself he knows exactly what a woman needs, if you know what I mean.”

“I’ve thought the same thing myself,” Danielle piped up, and when the others turned to look at her she blushed furiously. “Well, it’s true,” she said defensively.

Before Linda could ask her for details Denise sat up and pointed. “Look at that,” she told the others, and Danielle and Linda turned towards the beach to see Dani walking over to Vic with the bunch of wildflowers she had picked. When she got to the sand castle she offered the flowers to her friend, and Vic smiled at her and took them. He looked at them for a moment and said something the women couldn’t hear. Then he scooped out some sand from the top of his castle and carefully put the flowers in the center of the roof of his palace.

He smiled at Dani again and she sat down beside him and they continued working on the project together.

Those two are amazing,” Danielle noted. “They were deeply in love when they were married; so much so that Vicky willingly came along to New America when Dan gave her the chance to back out and stay on Earth. Now, look at them. It doesn’t seem to make a bit of difference that they both changed sex, or that they’re now small children.”

“It really is remarkable,” Denise agreed. “Those two love each other just as much now as they did before, and Dani practically worships Vic. I wouldn’t be surprised if they got married again when they’re older.”

“Me either,” Danielle agreed.

“Well, I have to get back. I need to get those two changed for Vic’s birthday party, and I want to get dinner on the table before all those kids come over.”

“How do you like being a housewife?” Linda asked.

“Actually, I enjoy it,” Danielle replied. “Pat always kept a neat home for me when she was my wife, and I don’t mind doing the same for him now that our roles are reversed.”

“That surprises me,” Linda told her.

“It shouldn’t really,” Danielle replied. “When your mother was MY wife she was an old fashioned girl. She was content to let me make the important decisions, and she deferred to my judgment. That seemed to work pretty well, but then I was the man back then and full of confidence. Of course it was easy for me to like that arrangement because I was calling the shots. But, now that I’m a woman – after everything I’ve been through – I don’t have the same attitude anymore. I tried to fake it, as you know, but it just didn’t work. It finally occurred to me that the system we had on Earth worked pretty well – why fight it?

“Because you used to be a guy – You were accustomed to making the decisions, and you’re the one with the education,” Linda reminded her.

“Education gives knowledge, but not necessarily wisdom, as I’ve proven all too clearly since coming to New America,” Danielle replied. “Besides, I’m not the man anymore – He is.”

“But –“

“I have different needs now, and a whole new perspective,” Danielle continued. “I don’t have a fraction of the self confidence I used to have, and I need a sense of security. I need to feel loved, and on this planet I need someone to take care of me and the children. We wouldn’t last three days out there.” She gestured towards the hills. “How could I expect Pat to look after me – us – while telling him what to do and how to do it? It just wouldn’t work, and I wouldn’t want to try to boss him around anyway. Being in charge just isn’t important to me anymore.”

“But you’re not out in the hills.”

“True, but I also don’t feel any need to be the dominant partner or act as the protector – Can you imagine how ludicrous that would be?

“I like it when Pat takes control. He’s become a real man in these past nine months, with a real man’s outlook and attitudes, and I like that too because I can enjoy being a woman – his woman – and that’s all I want to be now.”

“I know what you mean,” Denise agreed. “I feel the same way about Ken – And remember Linda, if it wasn’t for Ken I would have drowned. Like it or not girls – women – need a man on this planet. Our little piece of civilization is just an oasis. It’s still a dangerous world and strength does count here.”

“I think you two have changed more than just physically,” Linda remarked.

“I know we have,” Danielle replied with a smile, “and I kind of like the way things have turned out.”

“When are you going back to work?” Denise asked.

“I’m not,” Danielle replied.

“Why not?”

“Well, I think my students know about as much as I can teach them. Besides, my baby needs me.”

“Dani is a little kid, but she’s not a baby. I could look after her –“

“I didn’t mean Dani,” Danielle said, interrupting Denise. “I meant the newest O’Shea.”

“You’re pregnant!” Linda squealed, and Danielle nodded her head, smiling broadly.

“That’s wonderful!” Linda said, hugging her feminine father.

“Are you sure?” Denise asked. “You should come in for tests.”

“I’m sure because my period is three weeks late and I’ve been nauseous every morning for the past week,” Danielle told her.

“Sounds like you’re pregnant alright,” Linda said, adding: “Wow, this is going to take some getting used to. My father is actually pregnant by my mother!”

Danielle laughed. “It IS strange, isn’t it? But I’m beginning to get used to the idea.”

“Have you told mom, er, Pat yet?”

“No, and to keep things simple why don’t you just call him ‘dad?’”

“Okay, but I can’t get used to calling you ‘mom.’ You’re only a year or two older than me now,” Denise pointed out.

“’Danielle’ is fine,” Danielle told them, “but Dani and Vic both call me ‘mom’ and I don’t mind. In a few months I really will be a mother.”

“You’re really happy about this, aren’t you.”

Danielle nodded her head. “Yeah, I am. Back on Earth Pat used to tell me that being a mother was the most fulfilling thing in the world. I don’t know if he would say the same thing today, but I believe it is – for a woman. I just hope I can be as good of a mother to my babies as she was to you.”

“Babies? Are you planning on having more than one?” Denise asked.

“You never know,” Danielle replied with a smile. “It depends on what Pat wants, of course, but I wouldn’t mind two or three.”

“You sound an awful lot like, ah, ‘dad,’ when he was a woman,” Denise noted, and Danielle smiled at her.

“I guess I’m an old fashioned girl too,” she confessed.
____________________

Danielle leaned back in the beautiful native wood rocking chair Pat had purchased from one of the new craft stores that were cropping up, and gazed contentedly out the sliding glass doors at the southwestern horizon, where an incredible display of stars formed the backdrop for both of New America’s moons. Sensing the time was right she shifted her newborn son to her other breast and used a clean diaper to dry the nipple the baby had just vacated. Patrick O’Shea, Jr. was two weeks old and the only male heir (so far) of his father. He was also the darling of his mother.

The new mother felt her baby root around momentarily before latching onto her nipple to continue his 3:00 AM feeding. She felt her milk begin to flow and, eventually, the pressure of the milk in left breast began to ease.

The former man had discovered that nursing her baby was a sublime experience. When little Pat was at her breast she felt peaceful and serene, and knowing that she was nourishing her child in a way only a mother could only increased the already powerful bond she felt with her infant. The helpless baby occasionally stopped and stared at her with his big blue eyes showing absolute trust in her, and the sight of his innocent face melted her heart. Occasionally he would coo contentedly, and Danielle would speak to him softly and lovingly. She knew her baby recognized her voice, and though his eyes couldn’t always track her yet his reactions told her he knew his mother. Every so often a small smile lit his face and Danielle could feel tears of joy welling at the corners of her eyes.

A beautiful bouquet of flowers from Jerrud’s island sat in a vase, infusing the room with a wonderful fragrance, and Danielle enjoyed the sight and scent of the display. The only sounds she could hear were the baby’s suckling and the soft chimes of the clock announcing it was 3:30. The house was dark except for a small lamp that cast a dim glow. Down in the valley a few pinpoints of light were visible from the colony, and one or two lights were barely visible on the hill across the valley, where a few homes had begun to spring up lately.

The new mother actually enjoyed the peace and solitude of the early morning feedings, and she usually rocked her baby until the first glow of morning outlined the trees on the hills up the valley. At that moment she let her mind drift as she gently rocked her baby and sang to him ever so softly . . .

Danielle couldn’t believe how lucky she was. Her pregnancy had gone without complications, and even the two small stretch marks she had to show for it were practically invisible. She was still a little tired, but that was to be expected, especially with two other children to look after besides the baby. Denise and Linda had both been a great help to her, and they both loved their little brother.

She was already walking to regain her figure, and though she had a way to go she could already see some progress. Today she would begin a light aerobic program to hasten the process. She was surprised at how important it had become to her and how much she wanted Pat to see her as a desirable woman.

Danielle considered how much she had changed – How much they all had changed – and all the problems they had faced, but as she looked down on her infant son she felt happy and content. They would make it, and now that she was a woman, wife, and mother, well, she wouldn’t give it up for the world – any world.

EPILOGUE

For some reason the new women were unusually fertile, and well over half of the pregnant women showing up at the hospital were former males. As a result the reproductive duties clause was scrapped permanently. Ironically Danielle met what would have been her “quota” anyway, as she and Pat started a whole family. Soon there several new O’Shea children in the colony, and Danielle did quit her job and devoted all her time to her husband and her children. She never regretted that decision.

As the population grew the Colony expanded beyond its original boundaries, and a few small towns were established a few kilometers away. Eventually the cottage industries grew and expanded, and some of them became major companies that offered an increasing variety of goods and services to the colonists.

Jerrud and Kyla got married a few years after Pat and Danielle, and Jerrud set up a vacation resort on the islands off the coast and also ran a boat charter with several of his buddies.

The bond between Vic and Dani was indeed unbreakable, and their love survived through childhood and adolescence, and they eventually married. Dani had four children, and she became an elementary school teacher, while Vic decided to become an engineer.

Author’s Notes: This is the final installment of Scrambled Souls. I would like to thank everyone who has written to comment on the story. I was surprised at the interest it generated, and the number of people who were after my scalp when I failed to finish it promptly. I apologize that it took so long to finish, and I thank you for your patience. This was my only unfinished work, and I have now sworn off serial style stories. From now on anything I post will be a complete story.

Finally, judging from the number of people who have written I suspect there may be some interest in a “Scrambled Souls Universe.” If so, I will publish a list of “rules” (hopefully a short one) that other authors may use as a guideline.