Back at Bar 7...

Liz pointed to a table in an alcove across the room. “Can we sit over there? This is going to need a little privacy.”

“ Yeah , sure” said John, picking up his half pint of beer. John slid into his seat and Liz slid in the opposite side.

“Before you start” John said with fake seriousness “could you sit back and just relax a bit? Tom wants to bring me my toasted cheese sandwiches. Your mind is in such turmoil he won’t be able to get close or ...  this is really bad news...”

“John be serious, this is more important than a bloody cheese sandwich!” Liz whisper / hissed at him.

“First I need food! It’s been a long morning teaching and a windows update dropped! The college still hasn't got someone in to take care of that stuff. Half my class had to share with the other half and that always makes life the wrong sort of interesting!” John said earnestly…

Liz looked over to the bar and presumably it was Tom carrying a plate, standing there looking over at them  and squirming in an uncomfortable way. “Oh … he’s the empath?” she queried. 

“We are almost like two sides of the same coin…sort of... Ok He” pointing at Tom “ reads emotions in the head / mind. I read the body's responses. We sometimes spend the evening watching people and comparing notes. Someone's upset, I tell Tom what’s happening to their bodies, Tom tells me what they are feeling. I’m getting quite good at reading bodies in detail. Separating emotional responses from normal body operation is quite easy with Tom to tutor me. ” John paused. Tom’s squirming was settling .. Liz just needed a little more off topic distraction. “So for instance reading my own emotional state is just as hard as you reading your own. Sometimes easy , often muddled … You know I really like that cable knit dress you're wearing … I can tell you're a little pleased, maybe happy with my compliment " John continued " The differences are subtle for such a small thing like that, it's easy to miss if Tom hadn’t helped".

Liz’s mind did a “What the …” she looked at John. “You changed the subject!“

Tom arrived with the toasted cheese sandwich. “Everything OK John?” he asked in a slightly forced pensive tone. “ Yeah , yeah just Friends and Family crisis to avert, no worries ” John smiled. Tom could feel Liz’s anxiety begin to return and made a hasty exit.

“Give me a moment Liz” John said as he bit into his toasted sandwich.. Smiling savouring the cheese, tomato and toast flavours and textures. John finished his first mouthful and continued  “I can’t stand tomato raw except in BLTs and cheese sandwiches.. Go figure!” 

“I can see my own emotional responses clearly now,... well mostly " he sighed. Liz sat looking on in deep thought  about John’s words.

John wittered on “You know the Cloth Shop down the road..” John motioned with his thumb over his shoulder whilst biting again into his sandwich with his free hand. “Mmmm…  picked up some more wool for the “Knitting Club” for Victoria last Friday.“ he pantomimed air quotes with one free hand and half a sandwich in the other. He continued "There's this midnight blue wool with tiny tiny silver sparkles in it… it would look awesome made into the same dress as yours."

After a few moments of allowing John to eat Liz weakly queried “Knitting Club?” . 

“It’s what Victoria calls the Coven when she’s with me…. She thinks I don’t know” John said warmly. “ she means well but it's boring as hell… good job I can look asleep and still walk.. Being the walking magic power tanker is so boring ...“ He chuckled to him self and sighed.

Liz was shocked he shouldn't know! “How long have you known about the “Knitting Club and all” Liz said slowly..

“I’ve known of the Coven for 30-40 years, and the control spell of Victoria's is so weak it’s funny” John took another bite….. “Mmmmm..”

“What about Julie and me ?” Liz said very quietly.

John noted Liz’s increased heart rate. “Why does it still bother you Liz?, I get my Julie snuggle time when you allow. Ok I knew a little after Julie asked me out the first time. I started feeling the bodies of other people at about the same time, not well but I got the hints.. no it was maybe a year earlier. Anyway when she see's you her heart rate increases and the smile also spelt it out .. no mind reading needed there... I always put it down to her mother pressuring her to get a boyfriend that forced her to ask me out. But I was young and hormones etc…I could have sworn at the time she was excited to go out with me... ". John was feeling sad at that but was watching Liz closely.

"What's wrong? your feeling guilty." John said quietly. 

“Because I feel we all lied to you your whole life..” Liz was worried… this was not the conversation she had intended!

"Who is All?" with fake innocence.

"The whole coven" Liz replied sadly

"Ahhh the 'Knitting Club' " John smiled. “I got used to it, besides that last “Knitting Club” outing was fun”. 

“What ? Diane nearly got killed!” Liz exclaimed.

John grinned “That troll was good with the spear … unfortunately for him he couldn’t aim for toffee that day ...”

Something clicked “You were … were puppeting the Troll?” said Liz incredulously…

“No no, I can’t do that without the audio, visual immersion training... oh and the consent. But I can stiffen muscles individually for a short while. I think the Troll thought it was a spell ”. “It’s like watching a movie, just wish I had popcorn” John grinned slightly.

“Look I came here to tell you something important!”

“Yeah, distracted you though …” John grinned “

"Why do you keep changing the subject!” Liz was getting irate.

“Because I’m guessing whatever you want to tell me is going to suck ... probably for me.” “I’ve lived with witches in my life for 50 years. I want to carry on living. I’ve seen the shit they can do to people and I’m the one living in the minefield!” replied John getting angry.

Liz sighed “You have coped with it very well so far though, but what’s going to happen next will change your relationship with everyone… But I don’t want ours to change. And maybe Julie will accept you in the real “physical” sense and not just our “sharing” ” Liz stumbled on “Don’t tell Julie or anyone else for at least a week about our bonding… I’d prefer never because Julie might reject both of us”. “That’s What Was So Important!” Liz hissed at John over the table.

“What!?” John sat back getting more worried …”Just what is going to happen?” “Why would Julie accept my physical presence ?” John whispered.

“Because you're a Morph John, I believe a female Morph.”

“Eh?.. clearly I’m not a Morph, there's not a single itch of a change in this body except for puberty ..” John winced slightly “ and just getting old! ”

“You’ve been locked since birth, you probably wouldn’t know unless you were told” Liz said calmly, “Your ability to see into, empathize and communicate with others peoples bodies is a typical ability of a Morph… our bonding of bodies is very similar to the female Morph battle magic… but redirected in to sex …” she whispered and blushed a little , then hurried on ”  it’s not documented... and as for the whole internet body sense swapping experience thing, well over 200 hundred people experienced it last Thursday night, they didn’t have that a hundred years ago!” 

John slow blinked. “What's… Battle magic? ”

“The female Morph touches the members of her group at the start forming a temporary bond and when the enemy strikes them the pain is redirected back at the enemy.” Liz raised an eyebrow “ The texts say the bond can induce euphoria in the group members, sound familiar ?” 

“Why do you say I’m female, there's a lump of flesh that says otherwise” John was getting annoyed …

“That’s not important! The male Morph’s are all Rage and Carnage… they redirect their own pain at whoever's attacking them, the texts are very clear. They self mutilate to increase power, and are self centred. They are devastating. Your none of those things… unless pissed off”.

“Yeah..” John shuddered and went pale “I went completely berserk when Rose was attacked a few years ago…. I tore his arm … shit no..” the memory flashed back in full colour.

“John , that was 20 years ago.. Apparently Morph battle magic takes 30 years to appear in adults minimum. So you had no other way... ” Liz hurried on "And one other thing, John, females can’t father children… only the males.”

“But I’m not female” gesturing to his body. “There were less than a handful of opportunities when Julie and I married but since then… ” he trailed off.

“Listen John” she grabbed his hand with both of hers, she squeezed so hard her nails dug into his palm. “When they unlock you , You Must Morph In To Lisa!” she stared into his eyes, she was going to cry if he didn’t acknowledge her words.

 John was lost, that night he rescued Rose was a constant nightmare that had kept him awake for months after...crap.. He knew living with witches was dangerous but he had accepted that years ago.. Now they wanted to turn him into a female … this confusion was just too painful… But would it mean losing Julie and Liz… his mind was a mess of fear … But his body was still there… no magic, no changes.. Heart way too fast .. slow it… calm it…“Yes?” he focused on the pain in his hand and Liz. “What?”  he mumbled 

“When they unlock you , You Must Morph In To Lisa!” Liz repeated

“Why?...” mumbled a little dazed.

“Because if the first thing you morph into is male they will kill you… it’s required by the texts, male Morph on the loose is like 20 angry Trolls in the mall on Black Friday only worse”

“How do you know I’m female?” he asked weakly.

“Because every indication is you are… aggression is not normal for you , patience, nurturing that’s all there! You were voted best teacher by the students 7 years in a row at the college!  The males don’t do that!”

“The Coven is in agreement, they want to unlock you if there’s proof your female, that has been the only problem”.

“What?, my life has been under discussion by a bunch of old hags!” John was thinking about getting angry again. That would be the appropriate response and tried it on for size… nope there was the odd horrible crone, but he couldn’t blame them for being protective of the Coven and the community.

“I believe Victoria thinks she has it.”

“Why have I been male for 50 years? That’s a damn long time!”

“I was talking to Kim ” Liz started. “Oh of course she would be involved...” groaned John rolling his eyes. Kim was the unofficial monster expert after all ...and his sister... “As I was saying when a Morph is born they change between 3 default shapes at random.”

John shook his head in confusion “Shapes? As in default .. forms?”

“They switch between Normal, female camouflage, male camouflage. Its assumed to be a defence against being hunted so if the Normal is female that’s the Morphs gender and the same if the Normal is male. However, the mother can lock the Morph in a shape until it gets old enough to switch when it wants to. Which is between 12 and 20 years old… very variable. But they have to be unlocked first. As you were assumed to be male no one would do it.”

"So I've been used as a pack animal carrying magical energy for the coven for 30 years!" John paused. "I can't seem to stay angry...I can see their point of view." 

"See John, you're the kind person we've always known.  I love you as I do Julie, but if Julie finds out I've let you join with me when I take her to bed … that could be very bad" fearfully  Liz laid her hands on Johns and guiltily looked into his eyes . Softly she spoke "Promise me when this is over we will have a long talk,  just the 3 of us, in about a month, when the dust has settled, and Julie's got used to your new form..."

“The more immediate question before that is … what will the Coven say about the 200 person online orgies ?” John said waggling his eyebrows suggestively as he downed the last of his beer.