:=: Jessica :=:

Jessica slowly drifted awake. She didn't open her eyes yet. Something wasn't right. She could feel a dull but constant ache in her forehead, and another in her right wrist. As she lay there, she noticed some unfamiliar sounds in the distance. They were faint, muffled, but she knew they weren't the normal sounds of home. The bed felt off too, it wasn't her bed. It definitely wasn't her pillow.

Then it hit her. She was still in hospital.

Her eyes snapped open and she started to sit up, but her head throbbed and she slumped back again. She could see Samantha standing to her right at the side of her bed, looking concerned. Just behind Sam, Nikki was sitting in one of two chairs against the wall. Jessica's backpack was resting on the other chair.

Sam was watching her closely, and said "Just take it easy, Jess. You're ok."

Jessica groaned a little, and this time she sat up more slowly. Sam reached for the controls on the bed, and the pillows rose up behind her to keep Jess's back supported as she sat upright.

Her head was still a bit foggy as she looked around again. Past Sam and Nikki, she could see the door to the hallway was closed. On the wall above where Nicole was seated, the whiteboard indicated today's date, the room number, and the name of the nurse on duty. There were a couple more empty chairs against the wall past the foot of her bed.

To her left there was a little bed-side table, with a little bouquet of flowers and a small white teddy bear. Beyond that, there was a second bed, currently empty. Past that were windows, but the curtains had been drawn. From the light around the curtains, she could tell it was dusk.

Jess looked at the whiteboard again. This was a different room, on a different floor.

She asked slowly, "What the fuck happened?" There was something about her voice, but her brain still wasn't quite running at full power yet.

Sam replied quietly, "You were in a car accident last night. The doctors say you'll be ok though. They said you have a bit of a concussion, and a sprained wrist."

Jessica looked down at her right hand, staring at the bandage wrapped around her wrist. Luckily she was left-handed, so it wouldn't affect her drawing. She moved her hands closer together, staring at them both. Her brain was still struggling to catch up, as she studied her small hands, her thin delicate fingers, and the red polish on her nails.

At long last, her brain made the connection and she yelped, "Oh holy fuck!" Her eyes went wide and she gasped.

That voice! That soft soprano voice! That was her! Jess grabbed the blankets and yanked them off to the side. The hospital gown hadn't changed, but everything underneath it sure had. She looked down at her slim smooth legs and cute little feet, toenails painted to match her fingers. She wiggled her toes, and giggled. She had cute toes!

She could feel herself smiling wide. "Is there a mirror?"

Both Sam and Nikki were smiling as well now, though nowhere near as wide as she was.

Sam told her, "There's a mirror in the bathroom. We might have to help you, if you're feeling dizzy."

Jess nodded, and swung her legs off the bed. The floor was further away than she remembered.

Nicole stood, and she and Samantha moved to either side, as Jessica slowly let herself slip off the bed onto her feet. She felt a wave of dizziness, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the concussion, or the fact that she was suddenly not quite eye-level with Nikki, and several inches shorter than Sam.

The three of them walked together around the corner to the right, and into the small washroom. Nikki flipped the switch for the lights, and Jessica's heart almost stopped as she stared at her reflection.

Her bright red hair was slightly wavy, and hung down a few inches past her shoulders. Her eyes were emerald green. Her skin was fair, soft, and smooth, with a dusting of freckles across her cheeks and cute nose. Her lips were full and even without lipstick they were a healthy pink tone. She was about an inch shorter than Nikki, though she figured they'd be about the same height if Nikki took her shoes off.

The only flaw she could see was the nasty bruising around her left temple and forehead, and the bandage stuck overtop. That would heal though. She then frowned, "Wait, I don't know how to drive. How was I in a car accident? What happened?"

Samantha replied, "Of course you can drive. You started lessons the day after your sixteenth birthday."

Jessica frowned slightly, but decided to worry about that later. She wanted to see the rest of herself now. Grabbing the hospital gown, she pulled it off and let it fall to the floor.

Sam gasped, closing her eyes. "Woah! Inappropriate!"

Jess wasn't listening. She stared at her reflection, her smile growing even wider. It was everything she'd dreamed of. Wide, curvy hips. Small triangle of red curls between her legs. Narrow waist. Small flat tummy. Full, rounded breasts. Her pink nipples were large, surrounded by perfectly round pink aureolas. Her skin was soft and fair and perfect. There was another dusting of freckles across her shoulders and the top of her chest. Overall she was somewhat petite like Nikki, but more curvy, like Sam.

Samantha was still averting her eyes, as she bent down to pick up the discarded gown.

Nikki admired Jess in the mirror and smiled. She nodded at Jessica's chest, "If you ever wanna get those pierced, I know a place."

Sam pushed the gown into Jess's hands and scolded her girlfriend, "Nicole stop staring at my sister's boobs! And if you talk her into getting her nipples pierced our folks will kill you."

Jessica took the gown, then blinked and turned towards Sam.

"Wait... Our folks? Your sister?" She felt a stronger wave of dizziness, and as the gown slipped from her fingers she whispered softly, "I need to lie down again..."

She felt her big sister and Nicole both catch her before she collapsed, and they quickly moved her back to the bed. The hospital gown was forgotten for now, as Nikki pulled the blankets up over her while Sam adjusted the bed so she could lie back again.

It was like a dam had just broken in her mind, and the memories were flooding in. She'd grown up in a small town near Lake Simcoe. Samantha was her big sister, four and a half years older than her. She'd been adopted, but it had happened early enough that she didn't remember her birth parents at all. The Carlisles were the only family she'd ever known. And they loved her!

She remembered school, big sis looking out for her on her first day. Mom being there for her when she came home. She remembered when Sam came out as gay, both mom and dad just accepted it. Some of the kids at school were cruel, and even some of the teachers, but the four of them stuck together as a family. They always had each other's back. When Jess was in high-school, she tried dating boys, and then girls. She liked both, and of course mom and dad accepted her as bi.

She remembered being sad when Sam moved away to attend university. Now it was Jessica's turn. She graduated high-school two months ago. She'd borrowed mom's car to come visit her sister for a week, and to check out the university here. It was late when she got into town last night. She didn't make it to Samantha's place.

Jessica couldn't remember the actual accident. She'd come off the highway and was navigating the city streets, and then she was here in hospital.

Finally she let out a long sigh, as the flood of memories ended. She lay still for another minute or two, then opened her eyes. Her big sister was once again standing at her side, and Nikki watching from the nearby chair.

Jess looked at Sam and asked, "What did I do to mom's car? How'd I crash?"

Sam smiled a little, "Don't worry sis. It wasn't your fault. The police say they think someone ran a light, you were t-boned going through an intersection. Whoever did it took off though."

Nikki added, "The cops are investigating. They take hit-and-runs seriously. They're probably going to want to speak to you, but don't worry. You didn't do anything wrong, you aren't in any trouble."

Jess groaned, "That's easy for you to say... mom's gonna kill me."

Sam smiled, "You'll be fine, Jess. They're both too relieved you're ok to worry about the car. Mom and dad are on their way right now, actually. They'll be here soon."

Jessica groaned again, and closed her eyes. She then frowned and looked at Sam and Nikki.

"Is all this... is it real? Really real?" She looked at Sam, "This is really me? You're really my sister? We really grew up together?"

Sam and Nikki exchanged a look, then Nikki glanced towards the door, which was still closed.

Sam then said quietly, "Yes Jessica. It's really real. Just remember though, if you talk like that when anyone else is around, they're going to think your concussion is worse than it is. You cannot mention anything about magic, the Goddess, or your original life, to anyone. No-one outside the three of us know any of that."

Jess nodded slowly. "I still remember that stuff..." She looked to Nikki, "Like you said, it's still there. But it feels... unreal. More like a book I read... I know the details of that life, but it's not mine..."

Nicole nodded back. "Your new life will feel more real. The sort of person you'll be now... Well in your case, perhaps you'll be the person you always were inside, the person you were meant to be. But the old you is still in there, sort of. That can influence you a bit, if you let it. Things will be different for you than they were for me, because you went into this willingly and intentionally. Some things might come up that surprise you, though."

Jessica took it all in, and then said, "I remember what you said last night, about it being an accident for you. I have so many questions..."

Nikki smiled, "We'll have plenty of time to talk, but this isn't the place for it."

Jessica then asked them both, "After everything I said, that being trans was an important part of my life... Do you think I'm a coward, for taking the easy option instead?"

Samantha shook her head. "Not at all, sis. The first eighteen years of your life were... it's like you were doing life on ultra-hard mode. You still remember all that. That still happened to you, even if the rest of the world doesn't remember. We don't blame you at all, for wanting things to be a little easier going forward." She then added, "I'm glad you thought about it though, and I'm glad you told us that stuff yesterday. You taught us something, and both Nikki and I appreciate it."

Jess smiled a little, "Thanks sis."

Nicole then said, "You might adjust quicker than I did to the new body. If you run into any trouble though, we'll help. I don't know what I'd have done without Sam's help to be honest... One thing you'll find out soon enough is there's a difference between remembering stuff, and actually experiencing it first-hand."

Jessica thought for a few moments, "Ok... that makes sense I guess." She then asked, "What sort of stuff did you have the most trouble with?"

Nikki replied, "In the first day? Going to the bathroom, showering, having sex, and realizing how every guy in a 50 meter radius was gawking at my tits and ass. Pretty much all those things blew my mind, to some degree or another."

Sam smiled and added quietly, "Most of that paled though compared to how much she freaked over her first period."

Nicole blushed and rolled her eyes, while Jessica's eyes went wide.

Jess glanced down at herself, as she realized that's something she'd be dealing with soon too. The memories were there though. Mom giving her the talk, mom and Sam both helping her through it her first time. "Wow..."

The three of them were quiet for a bit after that. Eventually, Jessica asked, "Why was I in an accident? Why did that have to happen?"

Nikki answered, "It's what the Goddess said... fixed points? Here and now. We did the magic here in hospital, so we had to still be here in hospital when it was finished. Since you weren't recovering from a drug overdose any more, there had to be some other reason for you to be here."

Sam added, "And if you were here for an overdose, then mom and dad really would kill you. An accident means they'll both be doting over you and you can play the sympathy card... a few times at least."

Jess asked, "Was this your idea then?"

Both Sam and Nikki shook their heads. Nikki replied, "It's just how things played out. She had to 'weave your thread' back in somehow, and this is how She did it."

Jessica considered that, and decided it made sense. Her head and wrist still hurt though, but Sam and Nikki were confident she'd be fine.

She then asked, "If you could do this for me, could you do it for others? There's so many people like me... Who're out on the streets because their folks won't accept them, society ignores or hates them. Not just trans, but gay, bi, even some who're just, different."

Samantha sighed and shook her head. "We do want to help more people Jess, but we can't do this again. It's too much. We're going to try to find other ways to help people."

Jessica frowned. "I have friends out there who need help. I know where to find them. Where they'd be, right now."

Nicole nodded, "I know you do, Jess. But those people no longer know you. And you can't just go to those places and approach those people like they're friends. That's not who you are any more."

Jess lay back, thinking. She then asked, "Can I join you two? Help you with the stuff you do? I get what you both do, but until yesterday I'd never heard of your group. You aren't getting through to the LGBT folks on the street. That's something I can help with..."

Sam and Nikki looked at each other. Samantha then replied, "We need to talk it over. And for now, you need to rest and get better. I'm sure you're going to be in town for a while, we won't let mom drag you back home as soon as the hospital discharges you. So we'll have plenty of time to talk and figure this stuff out."

Sam's phone buzzed as she was talking, and she pulled it out and checked. "Speaking of, they're just pulling into the parking lot. Five or ten minutes and they'll be here."

Nikki then said quietly, "Remember Jess. No mention of magic, or Goddesses. No talk about your old life, or being on the streets. And no talk about your old family - you never knew them, in this life."

Jessica nodded, but her eyes widened. "Holy shit... I've never met my parents before! How am I supposed to do this? What do I say? How do I act?"

Nikki just smiled at her. "Don't panic. You remember them, they remember you. Just be yourself. If things get weird, blame it on the concussion."

Samantha nodded in agreement. "You got this, sis. It'll be ok."

Jess closed her eyes and took some deep breaths, trying to keep herself calm. That lasted all of five minutes.

The door flew open and their parents rushed in, surrounding the bed. Sam stepped back out of the way, as Jessica's mom and dad took turns hugging and kissing their injured girl. Mom started to cry. Dad looked brave but Jess could see the relief in his eyes too.

It was overwhelming, in every possible way. They were her parents. And they loved her. No matter what.

Soon Jessica was crying along with mom. In the background, she heard Sam and Nikki both bid her a good night, and they promised to see her again tomorrow. Nicole exchanged some quick pleasantries with Jessica's parents, Sam hugged and kissed them both. Then her sister and sis's girlfriend quietly left, while her parents continued to fuss over her.

:=: Nicole :=:

For the second night in a row, Samantha was silent as they left the hospital.

They picked up some Chinese food on the way home, then both got changed before they ate.

At home, they'd discovered the change to reality had had one affect on their apartment. The guest room that they'd made into a small temple, had changed back into a bedroom. Though it actually wasn't that big of a change.

The two easy chairs were gone, in their place was a large sofa that folded out into a bed. The yoga mats were rolled up and stashed in the small closet. The bookcase was still there, along with the incense and Sam's old books. The locked trunk had moved to their bedroom, and now sat at the foot of their bed.

Settling down together on the leather sofa in their livingroom, Sam was wearing her favourite red nightie, and Nikki had put on a large black nightshirt. They'd opened a bottle of wine, and the take-out food was spread out on the coffee table infront of them.

"You doing ok, Sam?" Nikki asked, watching her girlfriend. "You've barely said a word since we left the hospital."

Samantha nodded slightly. "Just... sort of parsing the new memories."

Nicole asked, "But you're handling it ok?"

"Yeah... its weird. It's ok, just weird."

They ate a bit more in silence. Nikki knew something was bothering her girlfriend, she just didn't want to admit it.

Finally she said, "Sam just tell me what's on your mind, ok? I know there's something."

Sam frowned, and sipped her wine. She then sighed, "When my... our folks came in, and they ran straight to Jessica... They didn't even look at me. That was... it kind of hurt. I mean, I get it. I understand. It just really hit me in that moment? I'd gone from the only child, to the older sister. Jessica is their baby now, I'm just the big sis."

Nikki was quiet for a bit, then finally nodded. "Yeah, I get that. I'm an only child too... I can imagine how I'd feel if that happened to me."

Sam shrugged a little, "It almost did. If Jess had made a different choice..."

Nicole nodded, "Yeah."

They ate a bit more, then Nikki asked, "You're going to be ok though?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah. It's funny... just this afternoon I was sort of questioning if I was prepared for us to go through with this? I mean, I was thinking yeah I want to help this girl, but we don't even know her... And now I realize, I've known her my whole life. We grew up together. It seems silly now, that I'd even question that..."

After a pause, Sam then asked, "What was it like for you? Seeing your family the first time, after everything changed?"

Nikki considered for a few moments, then answered, "It was different. I saw my mom first, dad was still at work when I got home. Nick... he'd been taller than mom since he was around 14? And taller than dad since about 17. When I went home and mom was there waiting... It was so weird that she was taller than me? And I was wearing like 2" heels or something too I think..."

Nikki shook her head slowly, then continued. "Honestly, I was afraid. It hit me... my folks had been scared of Nick. He wasn't intentionally nasty to them, but he had a temper, and he'd been bigger than both of them for like, four years? He had no fear of them, it just wasn't part of his mindset. But when I first saw my mom, and realized I was shorter, smaller, weaker than her... And I knew she was upset and stuff... It was irrational, but I was scared."

Sam asked quietly, "It was ok though? I know your mom was pretty angry after you hung up on her that night..."

Nikki had another sip of wine then nodded, "Yeah, it was fine. I was scared, because I was sort of thinking of them in the way Nick had when he was younger? But of course they were different. I was different. I wasn't some asshole boy who'd finally got too big for dad to whup his ass. I was their precious little girl. They weren't mad at me for disobeying them, they were worried about me, that I might be in trouble."

She smiled a little at the memories. She then shrugged, "It was the same with dad, he was suddenly huge compared to me, but I'd already realized he wasn't going to be scary. He was even more of a sap towards me than mom. After that initial shock wore off, it was just, scrambling to sort out life. Quit the job at the mall, told the folks I was re-evaluating my life and what I wanted to do with it. Told them Brooke had introduced you and I, and we'd hit it off in a big way. You know the rest."

Sam nodded slowly, "Yeah... that was quite a week."

Nikki picked up another spring roll and started munching on it, then asked "So what's it like having a little sister?"

Samantha looked thoughtful for a moment, then laughed. "It's good. She was adorable when she was little. She was also a nightmare... but she was a good kid. She still is..." Sam blinked then smiled, "Oh my Goddess it's weird though! How do you deal with the double-memories? It's like deja-vu in my head."

Nikki smiled. "You get used to it. In your case, I'd suggest you just lean into it. Try to forget the old ones... I think it will make things easier for you, and for Jess."

When they'd both had enough to eat, they packed up the leftovers and put them away. Then they returned to the sofa for more cuddling and wine.

"What do you think about letting Jess into our little 'club'?" Samantha asked. "She has a good point, about knowing a lot of young folks in need that we haven't even thought of."

Nikki considered, "Well she already knows about our magic, and the Goddess... We'll have to have a long talk with Jess about this stuff anyways. And we'll need to ask Her... She's never said anything about getting others to join us. I don't think She'd be opposed to it, but I honestly have no idea what Her thoughts will be."

Sam nodded, then smiled. "Goddess of Transformation and Rebirth... if we could tap in to the 'transformation' part, without the 'rebirth' part, maybe we could help people like Jess without having to rewrite reality."

Nicole thought about that for a moment. If they could help trans people get the body they wanted, without having to change their past and all of reality, that might help. But then it would also draw a lot of attention, if people were magically transitioning.

Nikki pointed out "That would just be breaking rule 3 instead of rule 1. Making obvious changes that would raise questions."

Sam shrugged, "It's still an improvement. And if we were careful, it wouldn't have to be obvious. We could find ways, I'm sure."

"Looking for loopholes already? We haven't even found out if it's possible yet!" Nikki smiled as she finished her wine.

Samantha just grinned. She then asked, "What did you think about the three of us shifting rooms in the hospital? Teleportation? If we could learn how to do that on our own, that'd be really handy too. Teleporting around would be so much faster and cheaper than driving, or using ride-share or the bus."

Nikki rolled her eyes, "We'd have to learn scrying or something first. Clairvoyance? To make sure we weren't jumping into someplace dangerous. Or just jumping into a crowd where a dozen people see us magically appear. And there'd still be questions, if we were popping around town. I probably couldn't even teleport to work and back without someone getting suspicious."

Sam pouted, "You keep spoiling my fun."

Nikki leaned in and planted a kiss on her girlfriend's lips. "Finish your wine hon. We'll go to bed and I'll make it up to you with some other fun."

Samantha grinned and returned the kiss. Then she drained her wine glass, got up, and led Nikki into the bedroom.

:=: Jessica :=:

"Don't worry about the car, kiddo. Like I said, I'm taking care of the insurance stuff. I'll get it all sorted out." Dad was smiling as he talked. He was in his element. Doing dad stuff. Dealing with insurance brokers, taking care of paperwork, looking after his girls.

"Thanks daddy." Jessica smiled. She hadn't actually stopped smiling in the last day and a half.

It was Saturday morning, and they were all out having brunch together. Mom, dad, Sam, herself, and Nikki. She'd been discharged from the hospital yesterday, and spent last night at her sister's place. Mom and dad had stayed the past two nights in a nearby hotel. They'd barely left her side while she was in hospital.

Her head was feeling much better, though she was worried she might wind up with a scar on her forehead. Her wrist was still bandaged and sore, but that was to be expected.

"When you're ready to come home, just call us dear. We can come and get you, we don't mind." Mom was still so worried about her, she'd tried to insist Jess should return home with them today. Fortunately Sam intervened, and promised that she and Nikki would look after Jess and keep her safe while she stayed with them.

Nikki spoke up, "You don't have to come all this way again Mrs. Carlisle. Sam and I could come out your way, or we could meet halfway somewhere, maybe the five of us could have lunch or something again."

Jessica rolled her eyes, "Or I could just get on the train, you know? Or a bus? I could get as far as Newmarket at least, then you could pick me up there."

That got the four of them arguing again, everyone wanted to drive her it seemed. Jessica just grinned happily, and stuffed another forkful of pancakes into her mouth.

While the others kept talking, Jess thought back to yesterday. The police had visited her in hospital in the morning. She couldn't help but cringe a bit. Even if that old life hadn't happened, she still saw the cops as something to fear and avoid. Her parents were there though, and so was Sam. Being surrounded by family made it easier to deal with the police.

Things had gone ok, of course. The cops took her statement, which wasn't much as she didn't remember the accident. They'd got a copy of the hospital report, the details of her injuries. And they didn't say it, but Jess was pretty sure they checked with the doctors that her blood-work had been clean, no sign of drugs or alcohol.

Finally they had mentioned there was a lead, apparently someone had witnessed a pickup truck speeding away from the crash. And mom had a dash-cam in her Toyota, the cops already had the memory card from that. The car itself was a write-off, though. Her parents were taking that news ok, more relieved that their daughter was safe than upset that the car was not.

Jessica's own belongings had survived just fine. Everything was in her backpack and that had come through the collision with less damage than she had. She was especially glad her phone and tablet were ok.

After the police had left, a doctor came and gave Jess a little check-up, then she was discharged. Dad drove them all to Sam and Nikki's place, and they got Jess settled into the guest room. It wasn't much, just a fold-out sofa-bed, but it was nice being out of the hospital.

Jessica finally focused back on the conversation around her, as it seemed they'd finished arguing over who got to drive her home next week.

Dad asked Nicole something about the winery where she worked, and now Nikki was excitedly babbling about vintages and grape varietals.

Jess looked at her sister. Sam was just smiling as she watched and listened. She was pretty sure Sam didn't understand or care about half the things Nikki was rambling on about, but she could tell her sister was just happy listening to her girlfriend talk about something she loved.

Then mom asked what they'd be up to for the week, and Sam talked about taking Jessica to tour the university, and then they'd maybe visit some other popular spots in town. Maybe even take a day and go over to the Falls and do some touristy things there.

Eventually the conversation died off, and Jess realized they were all looking her way.

Mom asked, worried, "Jess honey, what's wrong?"

Jessica blinked, and realized she was crying. She blushed and wiped her face on her napkin, and smiled, "Nothing mom. Sorry... I'm just... I'm so happy. This is all just so perfect."

Dad joked, "Those must be some pretty damn good pancakes, kiddo."

Her mom leaned over and gave her a hug. "We're all glad you're ok, dear."

Eventually the meal came to an end. Dad paid the bill, and then out in the parking lot there were more hugs. Mom and dad had already checked out of the hotel, they were heading straight home from here.

After everyone had hugged everyone else, her parents climbed into dad's SUV, Sam and Jess got into Nikki's little black Rio.

Jess watched as her parents drove away towards the highway, while the three of them were heading back to Sam and Nikki's condo.

Jessica wiped her eyes again and sighed. "I can never thank you two enough... All this is so... Wonderful."

Once they were back in the condo, Samantha guided Jess to the leather sofa. "Have a seat here, sis."

Jessica sat down in the middle of the sofa, and Sam sat next to her on her left, Nikki on her right.

Jess looked back and forth at them, "Ok, what's going on?"

Nikki smiled, "Just relax."

Jessica frowned in confusion, as Nikki gently placed her hands around Jess's sprained wrist. At the same time, Sam softly touched her hand to Jess's forehead, over the bandage she still wore.

Both of them started murmuring softly, and Jessica felt a warm sensation spreading out from where they were touching her. After about half a minute, the murmuring stopped and the sensation faded.

Sam then suddenly tore the bandage off her forehead, and Jess let out a yelp.

"Hey!" Jessica reached up, rubbing her forehead, then blinked. There was no pain, no bump.

Nikki smiled, "You can take the bandage off your wrist. I think I'd just sprain it again if I tried yanking all that off."

Jess gasped, and quickly unravelled the bandage from her wrist. There were no bruises, no pain. She got up and dashed into the washroom to check the mirror. Her forehead was unmarked. No scar, nothing to suggest she'd ever been injured.

She emerged, shaking her head. "You two and your magic..." Then she frowned. "Hey! You could have healed me at any time?! Why'd you leave me suffering for two days?"

Sam nodded, "Sorry sis. Yes we could have. Except, no, we couldn't. You were in a hospital, under medical care. If we'd healed you, there would have been questions. And mom and dad were there. They'd have had questions."

Nicole explained, "We have some rules that we have to follow. If we break them, things get complicated. Bad things could happen. We have to keep our secrets. We can't help people if we're dealing with media, or government, or law enforcement, or religious fanatics, or whatever."

Jessica nodded slowly, "Ok... I guess that makes sense. Fine, I won't be mad at you for letting me suffer for 2 days. And thanks for fixing me up as soon as you could. So, I guess this is where we talk about all this stuff? Can I join in, help you two with it?"

The three sat down again on the leather sofa to talk some more. This time, Sam and Nikki were almost ontop of each other, cuddling at one end, and Jess at the opposite end.

Sam started, "Ok sis. If we let you in, you're going to have to agree to follow the rules, same as us. You're already keeping the secrets, but you'll have more secrets to keep. We'll probably be teaching you magic, and you absolutely cannot share it with anyone else, and you cannot go showing it off anywhere. This is dead serious. Got it?"

Jessica nodded quietly.

Nikki then said, "Here's how this stuff works. Remember when we visited you the second time at the hospital, and you spoke to someone who called herself 'Ceridwen'?"

Jess nodded again and asked, "You were channeling a Goddess?"

Nikki replied, "Sort of. I 'embody' the Goddess. For as long as I live, a part of Her exists within me."

Jess blinked. "Holy shit, really? You're a living breathing Goddess?"

"Not quite." Nikki smiled. "I just carry a piece of Her within me. And I can tap into Her power."

Sam then spoke up, "Nikki is the Goddess's Earthly vessel, carries a piece of Her, and can access Her power, but Nikki cannot use the power herself. That's my job. I'm Her priestess. Nikki brings the power, and I shape and control it."

Jessica nodded slowly, "Ok..." Then asked, "How'd all this happen anyways, sis? Is this from the witchy stuff you were into back in high-school?"

Samantha smiled but shook her head, "No. This started a little over a year ago, when I found a very old book in a storage room at university. It took me months to translate just half of it. I learned some simple spells and cantrips. Then I... found what I thought was a much more powerful spell, and last November, I tried to cast that on Nikki."

Jess looked at Nicole, "That was the accident, the mistake you mentioned?"

Nikki nodded, "Yeah. Sam thought she was going to use a big spell to scare me a little... instead she sort of summoned the Goddess who prepared me to become Her vessel. It took us a day to figure out what had happened. In the end, I had to make a choice. Accept the Goddess into me, and all the changes to me and my life would become permanent, or refuse Her, and everything would go back to how it was before."

Samantha was looking guilty about all of this, but from what Jess could see, Nikki wasn't the least bit upset.

Jessica asked, "And you were a guy, before that? A cis guy? Why'd you decide to stay like this?"

Nikki shrugged a little. "That's a long story, and your sister still feels bad about it, so I don't want to go into it too much. The short happy answer is, in the day it took Sam and I to figure all this out, we both fell for each other pretty hard, and I realized my new life had a lot of advantages and potential that my old life didn't. I did have some problems with my new body that were probably like dysphoria, but it was only for a day. Once I'd accepted Her into me, things just got better."

Jessica nodded slowly, then smiled. "Well I'm glad all that stuff happened. For myself, cos if it hadn't, then I'd still be stuck in my old life. Or I'd be dead by now. And for you two, because you're extremely cute together. And for Sam, because she's so hopelessly in love with you, I can't even believe the gooey eyes she was making at you at brunch."

Nicole giggled, and Sam blushed a little, but smiled.

Jess then asked, "So, I still want in. I agree to your rules and secrets and everything. What do we do?"

Samantha then said, "We'll have to do a little ritual and summon the Goddess. She will decide if you're acceptable, and if so, She'll give you a choice."

Jessica nodded slowly. "Do we have to do the ritual naked? I read somewhere-"

Sam interrupted, "No! No rituals have to be naked. Why does everyone think witches do everything naked?!"

Nikki smirked and said, "The only naked rituals are things we do in our bedroom. Or that one time on the balcony."

Sam blushed, "Hush, you."

Jess giggled, and asked Nikki, "Oooh do you go all 'goddess' on her and make her worship you?"

Samantha scoffed, and stated in a haughty tone, "As if! She's such a sub in bed, she does whatever her Priestess wishes of her."

Jessica's eyes went wide as she laughed, while this time it was Nikki blushing brightly and acting all flustered.

Finally the three of them got serious again as Sam explained, "Normally we'd use the guest room for this stuff, but you're already settled in there so we'll just do it here."

"What should I do?" Jess asked.

Nikki replied, "For the moment, just relax and wait. I have to speak with Her, and then She'll want to speak with Sam, and then when She's ready, She'll address you."

Jessica nodded, and stayed on the sofa, watching.

Nicole and Sam both stood up, partway between the sofa and the tv. Sam pushed the coffee table off to the side, out of the way. Nikki then closed her eyes, while Sam stayed close, watching her girlfriend.

Jess could see Nikki's lips moving slightly. It was like that first night they visited the hospital. She understood now, this was Nicole communicating with the Goddess inside her.

After a minute or so, she saw Nicole's posture shift slightly and felt the slight change in the air. She knew the Goddess was here. Nikki's eyes opened, and they were once again bright blue, almost glowing. Her eyes settled on Samantha.

Sam spoke first, but Jess was startled to hear her sister speak in a strange language. Jess had no idea what it was. She only knew English and a bit of French, and she knew whatever Sam was saying, was neither of those two.

Nicole, or rather the Goddess, responded to Sam in the same weird tongue. It didn't take much for Jessica to figure out whatever language this was, they were using it to talk about her in a way that she couldn't understand.

Her sister and the Goddess spoke for a minute or two, then finally both turned to face Jess.

"Sis, stand up please." Samantha said quietly, and indicated to a spot to the side of herself and Nicole, "Stand here."

Jessica nodded and got to her feet. She was feeling nervous now. It was one thing to be told about this, or watch it happen, but it was something else entirely to stand up and face a real live Goddess.

"Hello again, Jessica. Samantha tells Me you have adapted well to your new life."

Jess gulped and nodded, "Yes ma'am... Thank you... for everything..."

The Goddess smiled, "Do not be afraid, child. I am not here to judge you. Your sister and her lover have already done that, and they both approve of you."

Jess blinked, "They... Oh... Thanks..."

"Jessica, do you agree to serve Me as My artisan and scribe? To obey My priestess and My vessel? And to ever keep Our secrets and uphold Our rules?"

Jess blinked, "Uh... what do you mean by obey? Like, I'll have to do whatever they say? Or..."

The Goddess smiled slightly, "Of course not, child. Do as they ask, when they speak for Me. No more than that."

Jessica nodded, "Oh...ok then. Yes, I agree."

The Goddess held out her hand, "Give me your hand, Jessica."

Jess blinked, but reached out and took the offered hand. It was much warmer than she expected, almost hot. She felt no pain though. The Goddess then pulled her a little closer, and Her other hand reached over and covered Jessica's wrist. She gasped again as she felt a strange itching sensation where the Goddess was touching her.

It only lasted a second or two, then the Goddess let go. Jess stepped back, and looked down at her wrist. Her eyes widened as she saw the tattoo. It looked fresh, the ink sharp and deep black, but there was no pain or swelling. The markings depicted a series of complex glyphs.

They were strange and exotic, yet at the same time Jessica could understand what they said. The first set of runes represented the Name of the Goddess, and the second set was a word that Jess somehow knew could be translated as artist or scribe. Literally, 'holder of the stylus'.

Jessica slowly looked up towards Sam and said, "Uh... mom and dad are gonna shit when they see this..."

Samantha just smiled and held up her own hand, revealing the similar tattoo on her wrist. "They won't see it, sis. It's invisible to the uninitiated."

Nikki held up her hand as well and smiled, "Welcome to the club, Jessica."

Jessica looked back and forth between them. Samantha was the Priestess, Nicole was the Embodied, and Jessica was the Scribe, or Artist.

Sam and Nikki spent the rest of the afternoon giving Jess her first lesson on magic. They showed her the ancient book, and Jess was amazed to realize she could read it. They taught her two spells, how to conjure light, and how to detect the truth.

She realized it would take months for her to learn everything, and since there was no way her sister would let the book leave their home, Jess would have to spend a lot of time visiting them.

In the evening, they'd ordered pizza, and Nikki opened a bottle of wine. The three of them relaxed together on the sofa, and stayed up late watching movies and talking more.

Jessica decided, it was a perfect end to a wild roller-coaster of a week.

:=: Henry :=:

Henry Campbell woke with a start. His head was pounding. It felt like a hangover, but he hadn't drank since... wait. He got hammered again last night, didn't he...

He sat up, groggily rubbing his head. Where was he? This wasn't his bed, or his house. Where was Grace?

He stumbled to the dirty bathroom. It was small and looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a few years. He frowned as he stood infront of the toilet and relieved himself. His brain was starting to make sense of things. It had been a dream. A really, really detailed dream.

He'd had a house, a wife, a good job. He rubbed his head again as the dream replayed in his mind. After he'd got Grace pregnant, he proposed. She accepted, but made him promise to quit drinking. They were soon married, and Grace's dad had got him a job at the brokerage firm. He and Grace had a little boy, Jason, and life was good. For a while.

Then Jason got led astray. Corrupted, perverted. They never did find out who put those awful ideas in their boy's head. Maybe it was bad influences at school, or some bullshit he'd seen on tv or the internet. What ever it was, their beautiful little boy started talking nonsense and pretending to be a girl. Henry and Grace had done all they could to straighten him out, to teach Jason what was right. But their boy rejected them, and then he'd run away.

Henry frowned, scratching his head. He'd never had a dream that detailed before, or one that stayed with him so long. He wandered through his little one-bedroom apartment, and found some leftover macaroni in the fridge. He slumped onto the worn-out old sofa and ate quietly, without bothering to warm it up.

Damn that dream felt real. He could picture going to bed last night, with Grace at his side. Both of them praying, as they did every night, for Jason to see the light and return home to them.

Henry thought back to what had actually happened. He'd proposed all right, and Grace made him promise to quit drinking. But then he'd broken the promise a week later. Grace gave him back the ring. Unmarried and alone, she'd given birth to a little girl, and immediately put the baby up for adoption. The following year, she moved somewhere out west. Vancouver or some such, and Henry lost contact with her completely.

He'd never met anyone else he loved like Grace. His life just sort stagnated. No good job. No nice house. No family.

He ended up driving a school-bus for a living. Not as much work during the summer, but he managed to get some days driving summer-school kids. Little heathens and bastards.

Henry finished the last of the mac-n-cheese, and left the bowl in the sink. He'd wash it later, along with the half dozen other dishes already waiting.

Today was Sunday. Time to get ready for church.

He got himself tidied up, combed his hair, put on his Sunday clothes. He still couldn't shake that dream though. It was so real. It almost felt like that's the life he was meant to have had. If only he'd kept his promise to Grace. Of course, he'd always wanted a son, so he wasn't surprised that he'd had one in his dream, even though Grace had actually had a girl. Henry wondered what ever happened to the kid.

Outside, he shuffled across the parking lot to his beat up old pickup. There were a few recent dents in the front, and the drivers side headlight was busted.

Oh right. A couple nights ago some ditz in a little Toyota had cut him off. Luckily he wasn't moving too fast when he hit her. And even luckier, nobody had been around to witness it.

He was pretty sure the redhead was still breathing when he high-tailed it away. If he picked up another ticket, that'd be the end of his bus driving job. He still needed to come up with some cash to get the headlight fixed though.

Henry sighed and pulled out of the lot. As he drove to church, he just couldn't shake that dream, or the feeling that the dream was how his life should have been. It felt this morning like there was something wrong with the world.

Something was Wrong, and he really wanted to find out what it was.