=:= Maria =:=
The door opened within a minute after she rang the bell. Liz looked like she was a bit uneasy, but she didn't look half as nervous as Maria felt.
"Hi Maria, come in." Liz motioned her in, then closed the door again after her. "Sadie's in the living-room."
Maria quietly thanked her, then walked through to the living-room. She came to a sudden halt in the doorway, and just stared for a moment. David was sitting in his favourite spot as usual. Nothing else she saw was normal though. Not even slightly.
Her brother was sitting crosslegged on the big leather chair, wearing white tights and a little green sundress. His hair had been neatly brushed and there was a bit of a curl in it, like he'd had a go at styling it with a curling iron. He even had some gloss on his lips, and Maria was sure she could see clear polish on his nails. He had his phone in his hands, and looked like he was engrossed in a game or something.
Liz cleared her throat, "Sadie? Your sister's here to see you."
Maria saw her brother's eyes flick up for just a moment, then back down at the phone again. David just shrugged slightly and stayed focused on the game.
Maria sighed and moved to sit on the sofa. "Uh, hi David. I'm here to apologize, and to fix things..."
She saw her brother scowl, then in a small grumpy voice he said "Call me Sadie now. I know Liz told you that. And use she/her pronouns. You should know about that stuff, sis."
Maria's stomach twisted slightly, and she asked "You still want to be changed back though, right? You still want me to undo the spell?"
Sadie shrugged, "I don't wanna be a kid anymore. Being twelve sucks."
Liz moved to sit in one of the wingback chairs across from the sofa. "I want my husband back to normal, Maria. The past few days have been very difficult. You said on Monday that it was temporary. Well it's time to fix things."
Maria hesitated, then said, "I'll undo the spell on David...Sadie... But with one condition. You let me use magic to help Jenny. I can give her exactly what she wants, and she won't need to worry about blockers or hormones or surgery." She sighed and added, "I should have thought of that on Monday, but I let myself get caught up in an argument with my brother."
Liz took a deep breath then nodded, "Agreed. I know David was being stubborn, but I did my research, I've looked through the resources you sent over. I know you're right, everything you said. If you can make things easier for our child, then it'd be criminal for us not to take advantage."
Maria looked at Sadie. "Do you agree?"
Sadie sighed and finally put down her phone. "Yes, you can help Jenny. I still don't know about that dysphoria stuff, but it fucking bugs me when you and Liz use the wrong name and call me a guy and all that stuff. So I guess I understand now what that's like for Jenny."
Maria felt her stomach lurch a little further. It sounded like her brother was definitely getting used to this. Trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice, Maria asked "Are you ready for me to make you normal again?"
Sadie frowned. She started rubbing her chin, as if she was thinking it over. Or perhaps she was just stalling.
Maria thought it looked like Sadie wanted to say no. She definitely wasn't saying yes.
Liz spoke up, "I need my husband back. I can't keep hiding Sadie from the kids. David's work will be expecting him on Monday."
Sadie sighed again. Finally she muttered, "Fine. I guess."
Maria suggested, "You should get out of those clothes first. It'll probably hurt if you're wearing clothes that are too small."
The girl looked grumpy as she got up, and shuffled away.
While Sadie was gone, Maria looked to her sister-in-law. "I'm sorry Liz. I had no idea he...she would actually get used to this. I thought he'd be dying to get back to normal..."
Liz sighed, "It's been an ordeal. I'm glad it's almost over."
Sadie returned about five minutes later, with a large loose bathrobe wrapped around herself. She looked very unhappy, as she slumped back into her chair again. Maria saw she was pouting.
"I'm sorry Da...Sadie. We have to set things back to normal though." She added, "Once you're back to your old self, it might take you a day or two to feel ok again. Like it took a couple days to feel better about being like this..."
Sadie just shrugged. She looked like she wasn't going to talk, and she kept her eyes down, not looking at Maria.
Maria hesitated. She felt torn now, between needing to fix her mistake and help her brother, and feeling like what she was about to do would be hurting the child sitting infront of her.
After a few moments Liz said quietly, "Now would be a good time to do this please, Maria."
Maria sighed but nodded. She focused on Sadie as she silently recited the spell to restore David.
As before, shimmering lights engulfed her sibling's body. When they faded, her brother was back to his normal shape.
Liz let out a sigh of relief and smiled, "Welcome back, David!"
Maria was once again weary, and like before her head was throbbing from the spell. And she could see her brother wasn't pleased. He shuddered slightly and sighed, then he just looked glum.
Finally he got to his feet and announced, "Well now that I'm old enough again, I need a stiff drink." He shuffled out of the living-room.
Liz looked at Maria and asked, "Do you want to stay till the kids are home from school, so you can see Jenny?"
"Not today, Liz... Next week's their last week of school, right? I'll be back the week after. We'll get Jenny taken care of, and we might even be able to help with her ID and everything too, so she's all set by the time school starts again in the fall."
Her sister-in-law just nodded, "All right Maria. We'll see you then."
As Liz walked her to the door, Maria saw her brother slouched in a chair at the kitchen table. He looked miserable, with a bottle of scotch on the counter and a half-full tumbler in his hand. She didn't have a chance to say anything to him though, as Liz just walked her out then closed the door behind her.
She sighed deeply as she got into her car. She was sure in a few days, David would be ok again. It was just under four days he'd spent as Sadie so at most, four days as David should be enough to fix him.
=:= Maria =:=
It was the sixth of July, and Maria was back at her brother's house yet again. She'd come to deliver the envelope containing all the new documentation that the coven had conjured up for her niece.
She'd been here a few days ago, to meet with Liz and Jenny. The two women had a very long talk with the young girl, and Maria had been convinced that Jenny was serious. So she'd used her magic again, and Jenny was now as much a girl on the outside as she was on the inside.
At the moment, Jenny and Amanda were upstairs in Amanda's room. The two girls were talking about make-up and clothes.
The three adults were sitting in the living-room once more. Liz was in the wingback chair, David in his favourite seat, and Maria on the sofa again.
Liz took the envelope and was looking at the new ID. "This all looks real. Is it real?"
"Yes Liz, it's real." Maria nodded. "We just have a way of getting it that's faster than waiting for the government to update things. And without having to deal with any awkward questions."
Liz nodded, "Well, thank you. We've never seen Jenny so happy as she's been the past few days."
Maria smiled, "I'm glad I was able to help."
She glanced at her brother, who was looking a bit sullen and quiet. Maria hesitated, then asked, "David, are you still upset that your son turned out to be your daughter?"
He sighed but shook his head. "No Maria. Liz is right... I guess I never realized how unhappy she was before, because I'd never seen just how happy she could actually be. I was wrong. You were right."
Maria was glad to hear that, but she could tell something was still bothering him. "Then what's troubling you, David?"
As she watched, he fidgeted a little in his chair. He looked awkward, maybe even embarrassed. Maria realized Liz was looking a bit uncomfortable now too.
David started to rub his chin but quickly pulled his hand back down with a slight scowl. He finally asked, "Remember when you said you wanted to show me that dysphoria's real, and how bad it can be?"
Maria nodded, "Yes, and I'm sorry for what I did, David. I let my emotions get the better of me and..." Her voice trailed off as she could see her brother and Liz were both looking more uncomfortable.
David sighed, "The thing is, Maria... It worked. Now I know what dysphoria is, I know exactly what it feels like..."
Maria frowned, confused. When she'd come to undo the spell on her brother, it looked like David had become quite comfortable as 'Sadie'. If anything, it wasn't until after she'd fixed David that he started to seem....
Her eyes widened. "You mean 'now you know', as in, now? You're feeling dysphoric about your body since I changed you back?"
Liz frowned, shaking her head slightly but she stayed silent.
David sighed again, then nodded. He said quietly, "Ever since you 'fixed' me Maria, everything feels wrong. I'm uncomfortable in my own skin. There's so many little painful reminders. Showering. Shaving." He gestured to his face, "The damned five-o'clock shadow. Even my own name feels off now..."
Maria could hear the pain in his voice, as he continued, "I understand now Maria, exactly what you saved Jenny from. I'm grateful you did that for her. But... I think I need you to save me from it too."
Her eyes stayed wide as she stared at her brother. "Are you saying you're trans? Or you want to be twelve again? Or...?"
David shook his head slightly. "Twelve was too young. But... Yeah. I'd like you to use your magic on me again."
Her heart was racing now as she kept staring at him. She had no idea what to say, how to respond.
After a minute or so, David asked quietly, "C'mon sis. Don't make me beg..."
Maria finally looked at her sister-in-law. "Liz? What do you think about this?"
Liz sighed deeply and shook her head. "I don't know how to deal with this. I'm glad that Jenny's happy. Amanda's accepted her completely. That's all worked out fine. But this..." She looked at her husband. "I don't know how to deal with this situation. And I have no idea what to tell the girls. They don't know anything about Sadie two weeks ago, they think their dad was out of town on business..."
Maria sighed but nodded. "I think... I think you should both think it over. Talk it over. Figure out what you both want, and what will work for the two of you. When you're both ready, let me know. If we can, then the others and I will do what you'd like, and help you get everything sorted out afterwards."
Liz sighed but nodded.
David smiled, "Thanks Maria."
=:= Elizabeth =:=
Liz sighed as she watched David come to bed. His old pyjamas had vanished a couple weeks ago. Now he was wearing a large pink night-shirt. He was keeping his legs shaved, along with most of the rest of his body. Last week he'd cancelled his monthly visit to the barber, so he could start letting his hair grow out.
He slipped into bed next to her, and turned to his side, facing her.
"David," she started, then paused as she saw him wince. She sighed again, "Sorry. I'm just... I'm not comfortable calling you Sadie. Not yet."
She continued, "How do you know this isn't something Maria caused, with that spell of hers? I mean, you never said anything about having these feelings before. Not even when Jenny first spoke with us. And you were almost hostile toward Jenny for wanting to do this herself, until Maria put that curse on you."
He shrugged, "I don't know Liz. I honestly don't know. Maybe it was something deep inside me, that I didn't know about? Maybe spending half a week as a little girl woke something up that I'd been unaware of. But if this was something Maria caused, I'm certain it wasn't intentional. You saw how surprised she was when I told her."
Liz nodded slowly. It was just over two weeks ago when Maria was last here, and David admitted to his sister how he was feeling and asked her for help. And now it felt like she'd had this same discussion with her husband almost every night since.
"Maybe you should talk with her again David. She mentioned having friends that she does this witchcraft stuff with. Maybe they can answer the question, about why you're feeling this way."
David was quiet for a minute or so, frowning slightly. Finally he shook his head, "I don't care why any more Liz. I just want to move forward, and do this. I think... I think it's time we stop talking about the 'why' and the 'should I or shouldn't I'."
He paused, taking a deep breath, then continued "I can't go on like this any more Liz. They're noticing at work, how distracted I've been getting. I think even Amanda's noticed I'm not myself anymore. Some days, all I can think about is being Sadie again. It's consuming me."
After a sigh, he stated "I'm going to do this, one way or another. It's time to start talking about how we make it work."
Liz sighed deeply, and let her head settle back into her pillow. She'd been dreading this. She didn't want to admit it, but she'd been hoping if she dragged things out long enough, her husband might eventually give up or forget about it. Or if these feelings he was having really were because of his sister's magic, that maybe it would eventually wear off.
She knew she was being hypocritical. She knew David had originally felt this way about Jenny. But she couldn't help herself. This felt different to her. With Jenny, she could accept that's just how her child was. With her husband, it felt like this was something else. Something that had been done to him, or changed him, one way or another.
After a few minutes he asked softly, "Liz?"
"This is hard for me to say, and maybe harder for you to hear. But if you become a woman, we won't be married any more. We won't be sharing a bed. And I'm not even sure I'd be comfortable with you living in my home." Liz turned to face him. "I don't have anything against gays and lesbians David, but I'm not one of them."
She could see the pain in his eyes as her words sank in. David almost looked like he was going to cry, before he caught himself.
"Ok Liz," he said softly. "I understand. I... I guess I hadn't even stopped to consider that aspect of things."
The two of them lay together in silence for a few more minutes, then he asked quietly, "Is there anything we could do, any way we could set it up, so I could stay with you and the girls? I really don't want to lose my family."
"I don't see how we could make it work." Liz replied. "I'm sorry."
David was quiet again for a little while, then asked, "What if people thought I was your sister? I could move into the guest room. I could be aunt Sadie to Amanda and Jenny?"
Liz frowned as she thought that over. It didn't feel right to her though. She was an only child, she really didn't have any first-hand experience having a sibling. And how the hell would she explain it to her parents?
After a minute or two, she had a rather different idea. She was pretty sure David wouldn't like it, which may have been the reason it appealed to her. She was still hoping he'd give up on the whole thing, that these feelings would wear off before he could act on them any further.
"David. Since we're talking about taking advantage of your sister's magic to do this, would you consider letting her make you younger again?"
He frowned slightly, "I don't want to be a child again Liz. That was... Twelve was too young."
Liz shook her head, "Not a child, but what about a teen?"
She watched as he started to think, talking it through. "Like, eighteen or nineteen? I'd have to stop working as a lawyer for a while, but I could probably find some work in the same field. And eventually I could get back into it..."
Liz cut him off, "No, that's too old. I don't want people thinking I had a child when I was just a teen myself. Or that I had a child before I was married. You mentioned being a sister. Rather than my sister, what if you were Amanda and Jenny's sister?"
David frowned. "We had Amanda the year after we were married, Liz. She's only fifteen. How young are you talking about?"
"She'll be sixteen in less than two weeks." Liz reminded him. "What if you were her age? What if you were her twin sister?"
David started rubbing his chin, then quickly stopped again with a scowl. He remained quiet for a few moments as her words sank in.
Finally, he looked at her and nodded. "Ok Liz. If that's what it takes to let me be Sadie and let me stay with you and the girls, I'll do it."
It was hard to keep the surprise off her face. She hadn't expected him to agree so readily. Liz hesitated, then added, "It means you'll have to go back to high-school again. I'm not sending Jenny and Amanda off to school while you're sitting around the house playing games on your phone all day."
David nodded again. "I understand Liz. Something like this... I imagine this isn't just a matter of changing my ID, this will mean a whole new identity. It stands to reason that I'll need the diploma, and then college again too. I'll call Maria tomorrow and ask if she and her friends can help arrange it."
Liz shook her head. "Not so fast. We still need to talk about how we'll explain all this to the girls. What we'll tell them."
"I didn't think there was any question about that?" David asked. "They deserve to know the truth. Jenny will understand. And Amanda hasn't had any trouble accepting things with her sister. I'm sure they'll both handle it just fine."
Liz wasn't so certain. "I agree we need to tell them the truth, but I'm not sure they'll accept it quite so easily. This is going to be a much bigger change for them to adjust to."
"They can handle it." David sounded confident. "I'll talk with my sister tomorrow and we'll work out the details."
He then settled back and closed his eyes, smiling. "Thanks Liz. Good night."
=:= Sadie =:=
"Are you absolutely sure about this?" Maria asked softly, the concern very evident in her voice. "Once we do this, there's no going back. No undoing it later. This is permanent and forever..."
It was the the last Saturday of July, and it was almost midnight now. Amanda and Jenny were both asleep in their rooms. Sadie was in the living-room, along with Liz, Maria, and their other guest.
Maria had brought a goth-looking young woman with her. Maria hadn't given the woman's name, but both Sadie and Liz understood this friend was some kind of powerful witch. She certainly dressed the part, with her black dress, tights, and ankle-boots. Her jet-black hair hung down perfectly straight, to the small of her back. She even wore dark lipstick and eyeliner. The only thing missing was the pointed hat.
Sadie looked at her sister and nodded, "Yes, Maria. I'm positive. The past month has been..." She sighed. "It's been hell. It's killing me. And since Liz and I came to an agreement last week about the details, I can't wait to get it over with. I haven't been able to think about anything else."
Liz sighed as well, sitting back in her chair. She said softly, "It's true Maria, much as I hate to admit it. I've been watching him get worse day after day. I don't want to lose my husband, but it's hard watching David suffer like this."
Sadie ignored the misgendering. She knew Liz wasn't going to be comfortable using her new name and pronouns until after Maria and her friend had worked their magic. For now she just smiled weakly at her soon-to-be-ex wife, and said "Thanks Liz."
The goth then said quietly, "If you're both ready, then we can begin?"
Liz slowly nodded, though she still had a nervous look on her face.
Sadie nodded to the goth witch, "Yes! Please, the sooner the better."
She could feel the anticipation building now. Maria had already explained that she and her friend would be invoking their Goddess, calling upon Her divine magic to change reality.
When they were finished, Sadie wouldn't be a lawyer any more. She wouldn't have a job at the firm. She wouldn't have her car, or even a drivers license. She'd still have all her knowledge and experience, and she'd keep all her memories of course. But the credentials, the paperwork, everything she'd done as David would all be erased.
Instead, she'd be fifteen years old, going on sixteen. She'd be back in high-school again, starting grade eleven next month. She'd be Amanda's twin. And most importantly, she'd be a girl. She'd be Sadie.
There were restless butterflies growing in her stomach now as she waited.
Maria asked softly, "You're sure about the other details? You want the girls to know?"
"Yes." Liz stated. "We don't want them to think their father abandoned them, or that something tragic happened to him."
Sadie agreed, "It'll take some explaining, but we owe them the truth."
The goth nodded, "As you wish. Sit back and relax, Sadie."
She settled into her big leather chair and grinned.
There was a faint glow in the witch's eyes now, a soft blue light, punctuated by occasional sparks.
