:=: Nicole :=:

Nikki sat nervously in the doctor's office, watching quietly as her doctor reviewed the various reports. She hadn't been at work since Saturday night. She hadn't told Sam anything, she knew it would just worry her. Instead, she continued dressing for work and leaving the house at the right time, but she'd spent most of the past two days seeing doctors and visiting medical labs.

Monday had started with a visit to the doctor for a full check-up. After that she went to the lab where they took what felt like half her blood, to run the countless tests her doctor had ordered. Then she'd had to lie down for an hour while they had her wired her up to an EKG machine that checked for any heart anomalies.

Tuesday she'd spent much of the day at a radiology lab, where they'd given her some chest x-rays and then a cranial CT scan. Now today she was back at the doctor's office, to hear the results.

After a few minutes, Dr. Stevens looked up from her laptop and said, "Well the good news is, everything came back clear. There's nothing wrong with your blood-work, your heart is strong, and the CT scan didn't reveal anything unexpected. X-rays were fine as well."

Nikki nodded, "So no brain tumour or heart problem, nothing like that?"

"No, definitely nothing like that, Nicole."

That was a relief. She had asked the Goddess if She could check Nikki's health of course, and She'd said there was nothing wrong with her. But Nikki wasn't sure the Goddess knew about modern medicine, and she'd been afraid there was some kind of tumour or something, that the Goddess was unaware of.

Nikki then frowned, "I'm not sure that is good news though, doc? I mean... something is going on, right? And if it happens again at work, it could get me fired."

The doctor nodded and closed her laptop for now, "I'm not saying that we should ignore the problem, just that it doesn't appear to be physiological."

"What does that leave then? Wait, are you saying it's psychological?"

Dr. Stevens replied, "No, but that's an angle that we should probably explore. If nothing else, it would be another thing we could rule out, which would bring us closer to an answer." She then said, "One of the things you told me on Monday stood out. The way you described these events? You're not fainting or passing out, you said you weren't picking yourself up off the floor or anything like that. You specifically said, it was like you were missing chunks of time?"

Nicole nodded, "Yeah. The one on Saturday was the first time I could sort of plot a definite block of time I couldn't explain? Like, it was just after 9pm and I went on break. I went to the washroom, then was checking my hair and make-up in the mirror, and suddenly it was almost 10pm. Except I could have sworn it was only 2 or 3 minutes at most?"

Nikki paused, wondering if she should tell the doctor the other thing she discovered.

The doctor was watching closely and prompted, "What is it, Nicole? You look like you want to tell me something more?"

With a sigh, Nikki gestured to the fitness watch on her wrist, "Monday night I had an idea, and checked the app for this thing? In the hour that... was missing? In that time, it recorded some steps, and showed a few heart-rate spikes. It actually logged it as a workout..."

Dr. Stevens just nodded, and then said, "Nicole I'm sure this will sound very cliche, but tell me - do you ever hear voices?"

Nikki's mind raced for a moment. Of course she heard voices. Well, one voice. The Goddess had been embodied in her for nearly a full year now. But she couldn't say that, obviously.

She just smiled and shook her head, "Seriously, Dr. Stevens? No. I'm not crazy."

The doctor just nodded, "I wasn't suggesting that you were." She then said, "Nicole, I'm going to refer you to a psychologist. She can try and rule out any psychological causes for these blackouts, ok?"

She sighed, "Ok. Thanks Dr. Stevens." Nikki then asked, "Can I tell the folks at work that my health all checked out? I really don't want to miss any more shifts there, and since there's no tumour or anything, there's no medical reason for me to be off, right?"

The doctor nodded, "If you wish. My concern is that these incidents may continue."

Nikki thanked her again, and stood up. As she headed for the door, the doctor said, "My office will call you with the referral details, once we have it set up."

Nikki nodded once more, then made her way out.

In the parking lot, she climbed into her little car and sighed as she slumped into the seat.

Life was so good now. She loved Samantha. They had a nice home. She had a job she loved, and a promising future. What the fuck was wrong with her? Was she going to end up losing everything, because of some mystery illness? Or was the doctor's hunch right? Was Nikki just going nuts?

She frowned, and wondered. Could this be a side-affect of the magic, having her reality rewritten? Maybe having her life completely changed has scrambled her brain. Maybe remembering two complete lives was more than the human brain could handle. If that was the case, both Jess and Sam might be at risk too.

Fuck.

Nikki really didn't want to tell them there was something wrong with her. At least, not until she actually knew what it was.

She checked the time. She either had half the day to kill, pretending to be at work, or... Actually, she could just go to work. Give her bosses the good news, that her health checked out. They might not let her dive back in today, but at least it was better than spending four hours sitting in the car, or a coffee shop or library.

They'll probably ask why she blacked out on Saturday. She decided she'll just lie. Nerves or something. Or she could say she hadn't eaten that day. Low blood sugar, that might work.

Her mind made up, Nikki started the car and pulled out of the lot, then set off to the winery.

:=: Samantha :=:

As the three of them sat down for dinner together, Sam was feeling better about Nikki. She'd been a little happier last night after work, and when she got home today, she seemed to be back to her old self again, talking about her day working the tasting counter.

Sam suspected something had happened on Saturday, when Nikki was working in the restaurant. She was curious but wouldn't press, and was hoping that now things seemed back to normal, whatever it was would soon be forgotten.

On the other hand, Jessica seemed a little quieter than she'd been the last day or two. Sam wondered if it was because this was Thursday night, the one-week anniversary of her assault.

She watched as her sister picked at her food, not really eating it. Jess was mostly just staring at her plate, and looked like she was lost in thought. She didn't actually look too upset though, Sam realized. More like she had something big on her mind.

After a few minutes, Samantha finally asked, "Hey Jess? Everything ok? What's on your mind?"

Jessica looked up, and frowned. "I've been thinking about that spell we're working on, the transformation spell. And about how we need someone to test it on. I may know someone at university, who'd be a candidate."

Samantha was surprised, but grateful Jess wasn't dwelling on what had happened to her last week. She could see Nicole was also looking interested too.

Sam nodded to her sister, "Ok Jess. Why don't you tell us about them?"

Jess hesitated, then said, "They've sworn me to secrecy, so I can't give you all the details... Or at least, I can say a few things, but I can't tell you who it is?" She then sighed, "Honestly I'm not sure how to handle this... I can't really talk to them without revealing our secrets, and I can't give you too much information without breaking my promise to them."

Sam and Nikki both nodded, Nikki asked, "Well, what can you tell us?"

"They have some dysphoria? It's similar to being trans, but not the 'usual' sort of trans stuff though. They don't really want to transition. They aren't even sure if they want to change pronouns. Maybe they'd use non-binary pronouns but they're not even sure of that yet. They just... they're mostly ok with their body and appearance, just that they get dysphoria about one thing..."

Jess paused, looking at Sam and Nikki's expressions. Nicole looked like she was paying attention, and she didn't seem ready to question anything yet.

Samantha did have some questions, but for now she held back, and nodded for her sister to continue.

Jess took a deep breath and went on, "So because it's sort of unusual, they know they'd probably never get there through the normal means. And also, it's not really a life-or-death situation? They've accepted that it's impossible to have the body they'd be comfortable with, so they're resigned to just being unhappy forever. But it seems a sad way to live? I'm sure it's affecting them, like making life worse for them, not being able to really be themselves."

She then shrugged and finished, "So, I think they're an ideal candidate. Outwardly no-one would even notice really, if we did this? So it's not going to raise huge questions anywhere. But it would make them much happier. And they'll never get there any other way. So... what do you two think?"

Nikki looked like she was thinking it over, as she slowly chewed a mouthful of food.

Sam looked at Jess, and asked, "This someone from university you're talking about? It's Kara, right?"

Jessica's eyes widened for a moment then she shook her head quickly, "I can't say... I can't confirm or deny, and I didn't say anything..."

Samantha gave her a sympathetic smile, "Jess you don't have any other friends here close enough to tell you something that personal." She then added, "Plus, I've met Kara, remember? She's obviously non-binary, or gender nonconforming, or somewhere along that spectrum."

Jess shook her head again, and pleaded "Sam please don't keep asking. I swore I wouldn't tell anyone... If she... If they ever suspected I told anyone, they'd probably never speak to me again..."

Nicole then spoke up, "It's ok Jess. Whoever this person is, they obviously trusted you enough to share their secret, and you're being very careful to not expose them. Why don't you invite them over here for dinner tomorrow night? The four of us can talk, eat, and if Sam and I are comfortable with them, then you can make the offer. How's that sound?"

Jessica nodded, "Ok, I'll talk to them tomorrow... Uh, when I bring them for dinner tomorrow, obviously don't let on you know anything, right?"

Nicole and Samantha both nodded in agreement.

Jess smiled, "Thanks sis, thanks Nikki."

The three of them finished eating, then while Sam and Jessica were doing the dishes, Jess asked, "So assuming dinner goes well tomorrow, what do you think's the best way for me to broach the subject with them and make them the offer?"

Sam and Nikki looked at each other, then Nikki said, "Ok, how's this sound..."

:=: Kara :=:

Kara stepped off the bus with Jessica, and Jess led the way. "That's their building there." She gestured.

Kara was anxious again. Jess had invited her to come to have dinner with her and her sister. And Sam's girlfriend would be there too.

It felt a little too much like she was being brought home to meet the family. Except, this was Jessica's sister and sister's girlfriend, not her parents. And this was where Jessica was staying now, because she couldn't bring herself to sleep in the bed at residence where she'd been attacked.

So, Kara had agreed, and now she was following Jess into the rather posh-looking lobby of the condo tower. They got into the elevator and headed up to the 5th floor, and then Jess led her to the door. She had a key of course, and let them in.

Kara followed a little nervously as Jess walked in. There was a very short hall then they were in a spacious open-concept apartment. There was a large modern kitchen, then a dining area, then a large living-room space, and finally, floor to ceiling windows with a glass door that led to a balcony, with a fantastic view of the lake. The wall to her left held 4 doors, all currently closed. The wall on the right was mostly empty, except in the living-room area where there were a couple bookcases and a desk against it.

Samantha was setting the table in the dining area, and a short slim girl with long jet-black hair and slightly gothy make-up was in the kitchen, working on dinner.

Jessica smiled "Hey Nikki, hey sis!" She then did the introductions, "Kara, this is Sam's girlfriend Nicole. Nikki, this is my best friend, Kara."

Kara nodded, "Uh hi..."

Nicole gave her a smile, "Hello Kara, nice to meet you. There's some time before dinner's ready, so you two can relax if you like."

Jess was still carrying her stuff from class and nodded, "C'mon Kara, I'm staying in here."

Kara followed into the first door on her left, which was a small bedroom or guest room. The bed was a fold-out sofa. There was also a bookcase, and a small inexpensive-looking desk and chair. And a small closet with its door open, and she could see Jess's backpack and clothes were stuffed in there.

"This is nice. Better than a tiny bed in a tiny dorm room..."

Jessica nodded, "It's not bad. The commute isn't as nice though." She smiled. "Easier when you're already living on campus. Now I have to get up like an hour early and deal with busses."

Kara sat on the little chair by the desk as Jess put her things away, then she sat on the end of the bed.

"You don't get a ride with Sam?"

Jess shook her head, "Sam doesn't have a car. We'll bus together when we can, keep each other company. Nikki's got a car but she needs it to get to work. It's like, a twenty or thirty minute commute for her, and no convenient way to get there by bus, so she needs to drive."

Kara just nodded slowly, then said "Well, it's a nice place. I bet the view's amazing in the summer. And that balcony must be nice when it's warm out."

Jessica smiled, "It is. I'm kind of jealous."

Kara raised an eyebrow, "Why? I mean you're living here now, what's to be jealous of?"

Jess frowned. "I'm here, but... I really shouldn't stay. It's not that they don't want me, but this place was the right size for the two of them. I'm sort of crowding them now? Third-wheel or whatever. They haven't said anything, and they wouldn't. Sam and Nikki are awesome, and they'd let me stay here forever. But... I think in another week or two, once I've sort of gotten over things, I'm gonna have to think about coming back to res. Or if not, then I might have to figure something else out."

Kara nodded slowly, "That makes sense. I'll be happy to have you around more again, but last thing I want is for you to be uncomfortable and stuff." She then admitted, "I miss seeing your grumpy face in the food hall in the morning."

Jess smiled, "Thanks Kara."

Eventually Sam called from the dining area, "Just about ready out here."

Kara followed Jess back out and they moved to the little dining table, Jess took a seat and motioned Kara to sit next to her.

Nikki came over with a bottle and asked, "You're not driving, right Kara?"

Kara shook her head, and Nicole went around the table, pouring wine for all four of them.

Then Nikki and Sam brought the food over. There was a big bowl of some delicious-smelling pasta, a bowl of salad, and a plate of garlic bread.

The food was all passed around and everyone filled up their plates, then they started eating.

Kara was impressed with the meal, and as they all talked she learned Nikki was something of an amateur chef.

Conversation during dinner wandered through several topics. They covered school, art, art history, history, a bit of wine talk before both Jess and Sam intervened. Kara remembered Jess's warning, that Nikki would talk her ears off on that subject.

It all seemed friendly enough. She learned that Sam and Nikki had only been together about a year, their 'first date anniversary' was about a week away, and she learned they'd met through a mutual friend. Despite the friendly atmosphere and conversation, though there was something else, Kara couldn't quite put her finger on.

Maybe it was just her anxiety, but she had this feeling like Samantha and Nicole were sort of studying her or something. Judging her even? She wondered if they thought she and Jess were dating. There were all the rumours of course, and Sam went to Brock so she'd probably heard them. Maybe they were trying to decide if Kara was 'good enough' for Jessica? Except after their talk last week, she figured Jess would have told her sister they weren't dating, that it wasn't going to happen. Maybe Jess hadn't had that talk with Sam yet. Maybe Jess didn't even know the other two were thinking that.

Or, she considered, maybe all this was just that annoying part of her brain messing with her again, as usual.

When they'd all had enough to eat, Sam and Nikki got up and started clearing the table.

Kara stood up as well and asked, "Can I help?"

Samantha shook her head, "No, why don't you and Jessica relax a bit? Nikki and I will tidy all this up. There's dessert, but we'll take care of this stuff first."

Nikki nodded, "It's also nice to take a little break between courses. Would you like some more wine?"

Kara shook her head, she didn't want to get too tipsy. "Just some water would be good?"

Jess grabbed a couple bottles of water from the fridge and said, "C'mon." She nodded for Kara to come with her back to her bedroom.

Thanking Jess for the water, Kara asked the other two, "You're sure I can't help with something? Washing dishes or whatever?"

Sam smiled, "Not at all. You're our guest Kara. You go relax with Jess, we'll let you know when it's time for dessert."

It still felt a bit wrong to Kara. She'd have got an earful back at home if she wasn't helping with the dishes or the cleaning up or something. Still, it seemed they weren't going to let her help, so she followed her friend back into the small bedroom.

This time, Jessica closed the door once they were both in the room. Jess then sat on her bed and had a sip of her water.

Kara sat on the chair again, and did the same. She still felt like there was something going on, but she wasn't sure what.

After a few moments of uneasy silence, Jessica then said to her, "Kara... don't freak out ok? I need to talk to you about something."

Kara felt her nerves spike a bit, and she frowned. "Uh Jess, 'don't freak out' is sort of code for 'start freaking out', you know? What's going on?"

Jessica nodded, "Yeah, sorry." She seemed to hesitate, then it looked like she made a decision about what she was going to say. "Remember last week, when you told me about your secret... I asked, what if you had a magic wand?"

Kara felt her stomach tighten a little, and she wondered what her friend was planning to say next. She nodded and asked cautiously, "Yeah?"

Jess then said, "We don't have a wand. But Sam and Nikki and me... we can actually do magic. For real."

Kara's anxiety shifted, and some anger bubbled up. Was her friend mocking her? She frowned, "Jessica that's not funny. I don't know what you're -"

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as Jess held up her hand and swirling ball of light appeared out of thin air, floating a few inches above her friend's outstretched hand. For a moment she forgot all about her nerves, as she just stared speechless.

Finally she got her voice back, "What... how...?"

Jessica's eyes were on hers, as she replied quietly, "It's a light spell. A simple cantrip. I just conjured up a ball of light." Jess then closed her hand to a fist. The swirling orb vanished with a little pop and a couple little sparkles of light, the same way a soap bubble leaves a tiny droplet of water when it bursts.

Kara just stared, wide-eyed.

"There's other things we can do. This is a fairly simple glamour spell." Jessica gave her head a shake, and her wavy red hair suddenly straightened and grew several inches as it turned jet-black. Jess then ran her hand over her face, and suddenly she looked like Nicole's twin. She was still wearing Jess's clothes, but it was as if the goth was standing infront of her.

Kara almost dropped her water bottle. "Holy shit..."

It was still Jessica's voice when she spoke, "Yeah. I felt pretty much the same way when they showed me this sort of stuff..." She shook her head again, and she was back to being Jessica. "Like I said, these are just simple spells and cantrips. Just to show you that it's real. Sam and Nikki though, they have access to the big stuff. They can change things, for real, and permanently. Not just the little illusions and stuff that I'm doing."

Kara's stomach turned as she realized what her friend was saying. "You mean... you're saying, they could do... they could change me, the way I told you about?"

Jess nodded slowly, "Yeah. That's what I'm saying. If you really want it, if you're sure. They could do it for you tonight."

Kara's hand was shaking as she raised the water bottle up and took a few gulps. Her mind was racing. She didn't want to believe it was real. She was both excited and terrified. If it was really real, what then? Would she go for it? Could she? No surgery, no months of recovery, and no opportunity for her family to stop her or try to change her mind... No lifelong medical debt...

She then frowned. Debt? What would this cost. She looked at Jessica, "What's the price? I've read stories about... magical favours and stuff... there's always a cost."

Jess replied, "All we ask is you keep everything a secret. Don't tell anyone who did it, how it was done, where, whatever. It has to be kept a secret."

Kara was still frowning. "What do you all get out of it then? I mean, what's in it for you?"

Jessica smiled a little, "Sam and Nikki like helping people. They've been lucky and they want to share their good luck. For me, I want to help you because you're my friend and I don't want you to suffer."

Jess hesitated a bit then said, "I know what dysphoria feels like, Kara. I know how much it messes with your head and screws up your life... And I know how wonderful everything feels, when the dysphoria is finally gone."

Kara frowned again, "How...?"

"You asked me last week if I was trans, remember?" Jess took a deep breath, then said, "Four months ago, at the start of July, I was homeless, I'd never been on blockers or HRT, I looked 100% like a guy. I was taller than Sam, skinny, had the facial, body hair, the works. I was desperate and depressed. I'd attempted suicide, and I was in hospital. That's when Sam and Nikki met me."

Kara was staring at her friend now. "What... but... there's no way..."

Jess nodded. "They worked a miracle for me, Kara. It was... I had a big ask for them. I was homeless because my real parents beat me and abused me when I came out to them... Anyways... They changed my whole life. There's only three people in the world who know this about me - Sam and Nikki and me... and now you're the fourth." She paused, then said, "They can't change your whole life Kara, but they can fix the one thing you're struggling with. If you want them to."

Kara's hands were shaking again as her mind reeled at all of this. She drank the rest of her water, then joked a little, "Maybe I could go with some more wine after all... I need to think about this though, ok? I mean, part of me wants to dive in and go for it? But it's... I'm scared. And I'm still not sure I can believe it."

Jessica smiled slightly, "Let's go join the others. I'm sure Nikki would be thrilled at the excuse for more wine. They probably have dessert ready too. Think about it, we have all evening. Or if you need to sleep on it or whatever, there's no rush. It's not like a one-time offer, tonight or never."

Kara just nodded slowly, but then she frowned again. She gestured towards the door, "Do they know? Did you tell them about me?"

Jessica hesitated then shook her head. "I told them enough that they knew there was an opportunity to help you. I... As soon as you told me last week, I knew we could help, Kara. But I didn't know how to make the introductions? I'd sworn to keep their secrets, promised to keep your secret, but... I knew we could help. You didn't have to spend your life suffering..." Jess hesitated again then asked, "I hope you'll forgive me?"

Kara was frowning. She wondered how much of her secret Jess had shared. She wanted to be angry, but she understood her friend's reasoning. She then nodded, "Ok." She wasn't ready to say anything more yet.

The two of them emerged from Jess's room, and sure enough Sam and Nikki were waiting at the table. There was a new bottle of wine on the table, and some smaller wine glasses set out.

As Kara and Jess sat down, Nikki poured the wine. "I hope you like this, it's an ice-wine. One of my favourites, and it pairs well with the tiramisu."

The dessert was very rich and sweet, and the wine was sweet but also a little acidic which helped.

"Did you make the dessert too?" Kara asked.

Nicole smiled, "Ah, you got me. I confess, when it comes to baking I'm hopeless. We bought the dessert."

Samantha smiled and teased, "Maybe that's why we're not married yet. I'm holding out for a wife who can bake."

Nicole laughed, "It's not enough that I can cook, and I get a discount on wine?"

Kara was mostly quiet as the friendly banter and teasing continued. Neither Sam or Nikki was staring at her, or seemed awkward or weird around her. She thought back to dinner, the feelings she'd had from them. While she did think they were watching her, there wasn't any feeling of negativity. Maybe they were wondering about what sort of miracle she wanted, or maybe they really were wondering about her and Jess as a couple.

Her feelings remained mixed, but she couldn't dismiss the stuff Jess had showed her. There was no way Kara could explain away the 'light spell', or the 'glamour'. The stuff Jess had shared about herself... That was harder to believe, and the more she thought about it, the more questions she had.

Nikki had been topping up everyone's glass, and very quickly they emptied the bottle.

Eventually Kara realized she'd been mostly ignoring the conversation while she sat there lost in thought. Sam and Nikki were mostly just talking with each other, but Jess was watching her.

Jessica then leaned a bit closer and whispered, "Are you ok, Kara?"

She considered, then nodded and whispered back, "It's a lot to think about... I'm still sort of in shock I guess."

Jess then said softly, "I understand. If you need a few days..."

Kara suddenly shook her head. "No." Just like that her mind was made up. "If I wait, I'll get scared, anxiety will get the better of me. I'll panic, and keep putting it off. I'm ready. Now."

Jessica looked a bit surprised at her sudden decisiveness, but she smiled. She then looked at her sister and Nicole, "Sam, Nikki?"

Despite having made up her mind, Kara felt her stomach twisting again. Just like that, things were going to get real. She'd only met Sam once before, and Nikki just tonight. They were basically strangers to her, and she was going to have to face them with some very personal, very embarrassing details.

Her two hosts looked to Jess, and Sam asked, "What is it, sis?"

Jessica glanced to Kara then told them, "I've been talking with Kara, and she's... a candidate for the transformation spell. Can we do something for her tonight?"

Kara was now completely silent, and her eyes had fixed on her little wine glass. She fought to keep her nerves in check.

Samantha said, "I understand, Jess." She then addressed Kara, "I'm sure Jessica has told you some of our secrets, Kara. We ask that you keep them. I'm sure you understand this sort of thing would bring a great deal of trouble our way if word got out."

Kara nodded, still staring at the table, "I understand... Jessica told me I'd need to keep secret about it."

Samantha then added, "We have to give you some... warnings as well, Kara. This will be the first time we've used this particular spell. Don't worry, though. Spells either work, or they don't. There is no chance it will misfire or do something strange or unexpected. Either you will get what you want, or you won't... Basically that's the warning, is it might not work."

Kara frowned, but before she could respond, Nicole spoke up.

"If it doesn't work, we have other magic we can use. So don't worry about that, Kara. One way or another, you will get your wish. We just want to try the new spell first."

Kara was still frowning, and looked up at them, a little uncertain.

Jessica then explained, "We need to know that the new spell works. It's uh, new, we just finished working on it. But like Sam and Nikki said, it's not dangerous or anything."

"So... I'm your guinnea pig? Test subject?" Kara asked.

Samantha started to shake her head and object, but Jess nodded. "Sort of, yes."

Kara nodded slightly. She appreciated Jessica being honest with her. She then asked, "Will it hurt? What will it feel like, what'll happen?"

Jess replied, "It shouldn't hurt. It probably won't feel like anything, to be honest. You might see some little lights or something in the air, I'm not sure. Mostly what you'd see is Sam and Nikki standing infront of you, whispering. And then it'd be done. Should be almost instant."

Kara considered, then finally asked, "What do I have to do? Do I need to... explain everything in detail? Write it all out? Draw diagrams? How do I know it'll... How do I know it'll all turn out just right?"

Nikki answered that, "You don't need to tell us anything. You just close your eyes and focus on it. Keep the image of what you want, in your mind. In a way, it's not us changing you, it's more like us temporarily giving you the magic to change yourself. That's how we know it'll come out just right for you."

Kara nodded slowly again, and stared at the table for another minute or so. Finally, she asked, "Do I need to... get undressed, or lie down, or whatever?"

Samantha answered, "You don't have to. Depending on what sort of changes you're seeking, it might be more comfortable afterwards? Like for instance, if you were getting bigger, changing size or whatever, so your clothes wound up too tight, it'd be uncomfortable. That's all."

Kara took a deep breath, her stomach was twisting again. "This is real, isn't it? Magic... what you're offering, what you say you can do... If I say yes here, you're really going to work some kind of miracle on me?"

Nicole nodded, "Yes Kara. It's real, we can really do these things, and we can do them right now, if you want us to."

Another deep breath. She pushed the anxiety away again. "Ok... let's do it."

Samantha suggested, "Make sure you're comfortable then. Close your eyes, try to breath regularly, and focus on what you want."

Kara shifted a little in the seat, her back against the chair, feet on the floor. She let her hands rest in her lap, and she closed her eyes. She couldn't relax though. She could feel her neck and shoulders especially tense, and her hands were almost shaking. She was glad they were on her lap, under the table where no-one would see them.

"I'm ready..." She whispered, as she started visualizing the changes she wanted, the things she'd confessed to Jessica last week.

With her eyes closed, Kara couldn't see what was happening, but she could hear some quiet murmuring from the direction of Samantha and Nicole. She couldn't feel anything happening, though. Her anxiety was starting to build again, but she shoved it back and focused harder on her wish, trying to block out the part of her brain that was always filling her mind with doubts and fears.

Suddenly she felt something. A little shift, a subtle change. The murmuring had stopped. Kara opened her eyes and frowned.

Sam and Nikki were standing together opposite her, they were holding hands. Jessica was to her right. All three were watching her.

Jess asked, "How do you feel?"

Kara frowned, "The same? I don't..." She shifted in the chair, and instantly knew things were not the same. Her eyes went wide. When she'd moved, she could tell her bra no longer fit right. And there was a feeling between her legs, that was both completely alien, and also completely right. She whispered, "Oh my god..."

Her hands went to her chest first, and she could feel they were smaller. The cups of her bra were now too big, the excess material bunching up a bit under her hands. Her hands dropped back to her lap and she let her legs spread apart a bit and a hand slipped down to her groin. She could feel it, through her jeans.

Suddenly her face went red as she realized what she was doing, infront of Jess and Sam and Nikki. She froze in embarrassment, and stared at the table, unable to even think of something to say.

Jessica said quietly, "It's ok Kara. It's a big shock, big adjustment. If you want to have a closer look though, you're welcome to use my bedroom. Or the bathroom there." Jess pointed to the door next to her bedroom.

Kara could feel her face was still beet red, and she whispered, "Sorry... Thanks... I got... distracted, carried away..."

Jess just gave her a warm smile, "It's ok. I promise, we understand."

Kara then got up, trying not to rush, desperately trying to make sure she didn't trip or stumble or do anything else stupid. She then turned and walked to the washroom. Forcing herself to stay calm, she turned on the light, closed the door, then locked it.

The washroom was small, rectangular, and fairly typical. There was a counter with a sink on the left, towel racks on the right, mirror above the sink. At the end was a bathtub with shower head over it, and in between the tub and the counter was the toilet.

Kara stood infront of the mirror and looked at herself. At first glance, she was the same. No change.

Looking a little closer and she could tell her t-shirt fit differently. The front wasn't as stretched now. It was still obvious she had boobs, but they weren't sticking out so much. Her hands shook a little as she pulled the t-shirt up. She could see now her bra was looking a bit 'deflated'. The band hadn't got any looser, but the cups were. She held her shirt up with her teeth, and checked her chest again with her hands. She estimated they'd gone from a D cup down to a B.

She started smiling as she let the shirt drop back down. It was perfect, exactly as she'd dreamed.

Her hands were shaking again as she undid her belt then unbuttoned the pants and pulled down the zipper. They were men's jeans, one of her favourite pairs. They were loose on her around the waist, but they concealed her hips a bit with their straight cut. Their looseness also hid the most important change the magic had given her.

She let the jeans drop to her ankles and stared. She was wearing a pair of high-cut cotton panties, and there was now an obvious bulge in the front.

Kara glanced at the door, double-checking that it was locked, then she pulled the undies down to her knees. Her heart skipped a beat, and her smile grew wider as she saw her penis.

It was perfect. Exactly like she'd dreamed. Not too big, not too small. It was real, and it was hers. The skin behind it was sort of like a small, empty scrotum. Like she'd pictured. Like one of the trans girls she'd seen online, post orchiectomy.

Finally, hands still shaking a bit, Kara pulled up her pants and got dressed. She made a mental note, she'd need to buy some new underwear. Smaller bras of course, but she'd also buy some boxers, maybe some tighty-whities, and figure out what worked better. She bit her lip to stop from laughing as she realized she'd need to figure out how to go to the bathroom with the new equipment.

Finally, she washed her hands, braced herself against the anxiety, and then nervously unlocked the door and emerged.

Sam and Nikki had cleared the table and were washing dishes again. Jessica was waiting for her, standing a few feet back from the washroom.

Jess asked softly, "How are you feeling, Kara?"

Kara smiled, "I'm ok..." She realized then that she'd started crying. She wiped her eyes and nodded, "I'm ok. I'm just... I'm really happy... I can't thank you all enough... You really can work miracles..."

Jessica offered her another bottle of water, and then they both went back into Jess's bedroom for now. Jess closed the door again.

Kara sat on the bed this time, sipping the water. Her hands were still shaking a little, and her emotions were all over the place. Joy was the biggest, and then euphoria. She was still crying a bit, and Jess gave her some tissues.

"I'm gonna have to go shopping tomorrow... new bras, new underwear..." Kara laughed a little. "Oh my god I can't believe this is real..."

Jess just smiled at her and nodded. "You're actually handling it a lot better than I did. I literally fainted, the first time I saw myself in the mirror. Luckily Sam and Nikki were there to catch me."

Kara just shook her head, "I have trouble imagining you as a guy..."

Jessica shrugged, "I mean, technically I never was. I was always a girl, I just had a mismatched body... But yeah. I looked very different." She then said, "I'm glad we were able to help you, Kara. I hope this helps you to be more... relaxed, less anxious, with the rest of your life. I know it'll take time for you to get used to everything, of course."

Kara nodded slowly, "Yeah..."

Jess then said, "Please don't take this the wrong way but... I want you to stay here tonight. Just to make sure you're not going to freak out or something later, where we can't help you and stuff. I won't insist, if you really want to go back to the residence we won't stop you. Nikki will drive you though, so you don't have to take the bus and everything. But... I think it would be best if you stayed."

Kara hesitated, and Jessica added, "You can sleep here and I'll use the sofa in the living-room, if you're worried I'm trying to take advantage or whatever."

Kara then chuckled at that, "Jessica, the last thing I'm worried about is you taking advantage." She then said, "We can share the bed. I didn't bring any pyjamas though..."

Jess smiled, "Mine won't fit, you're too tall. If you're ok with a nightshirt or nightgown, I'm sure you can borrow something from Sam."

Kara blushed, "I couldn't ask her..."

"I'll do it. What would you prefer? Nightgown, nightshirt?"

Still blushing, Kara said, "Uh, nightshirt please?"

Jess excused herself and slipped out of the room, closing the door again behind her. She was back a minute later holding a large navy blue nightshirt, "Here you go." She set it on the bed next to Kara, then said, "Sam and Nikki are going to watch a movie. We can join them if you like? Or just hang out here and talk. Whatever you want." She then added, "Since you're staying the night, we can open another bottle of wine if you like. If you're still dealing with anxiety, it might help. Or not, I don't know, but it's up to you."

Kara considered, and checked the time. It was almost 10pm already. "No more wine, thanks. Let's... Let's just hang out here." She then said, "Actually I'm going to get ready for bed, ok?"

Jessica nodded, "Ok. I'll go change in the bathroom." She moved to the closet to grab her pyjamas.

After Jess had stepped out and closed the door, Kara stood with her back to the door. She quickly pulled off her t-shirt and bra, then slipped on the nightshirt. It was quite big, and came down almost to her knees. She then kicked off her shoes, and undid her pants, letting them slip down to her ankles again, then she stepped out of them. Finally, she set her shoes, pants, shirt and bra together in a little pile against the wall. She kept her socks and panties on though.

As she was moving around, she marvelled a little at how her smaller chest was so much less in the way. Bending over, leaning, her boobs weren't bouncing around and getting in the way anywhere near so much as before.

She finally sat back down on the bed, grinning again. There was a light knock, then Jessica entered. She was in a set of dark green flannel pj's. She had her clothes in a bundle in her hand, and tossed them into the closet, letting them wind up in a heap on the closet floor.

She looked at Kara and smiled, "You look happy."

"I am." Kara grinned back.

The two of them wound up sitting on the bed together, Kara stretched out a bit, Jess sitting crosslegged. They talked more, Kara had a lot of questions about magic. Jessica unfortunately had very few answers. She still had to keep their secrets after all.

Finally they'd turned out the light and got under the covers. They kept some distance between them, and slept with their backs to each other. Kara drifted to sleep with a smile on her face. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she was comfortable, and happy for herself.