I woke up because of biology for the first time in a month, at an ungodly hour no less. It was hard to see it as something other than a rude reminder of how much my life had changed.  

I must not have been as quiet as I thought, because Laura was there when I walked out. 

"Hey."

She caught me as I fell forward into a hug. 

"I'm sorry you had a bad day yesterday," she murmured over my head. 

I shrugged and loosened my grip slightly, but she didn't let go. 

"Did you think any more on our conversation?" 

I nodded but didn't elaborate. After a few seconds of silence I got the feeling she wanted me to go on, so I withdrew from the hug and got comfortable on the ottoman. Laura stifled a yawn and lounged on the couch. 

"So I guess I figured it out. Somewhat. I'm trans. It's the only explanation for what the KT did this last month and it's the only explanation for why… why I like it. I dunno why I felt like this needed to be a sit down conversation. That's the big reveal. My secret so big I kept it from myself."

"I knew a good rest would fix you up." Laura smiled in a cocky sort of way. 

"I don't feel fixed up." I felt my eyes watering again. "I feel afraid. I don't know shit about being a girl. I should have been learning something for the last month, but I had my head up my ass thinking how fun being a catgirl KT was and assuming it was all temporary. Now it's for forever!" I pointed at my ears in agitation and slumped forward to put my elbows on my knees. 

Silence dragged. I wiped away my tears before they could fall and uncrossed my legs. 

"You'll bounce back," Laura whispered.

I cut her off with a bitter laugh. "I'll sink. Like a rock." 

"No, you won't. I won't let you." Laura spoke more insistently now. 

"How? How are you going to keep me from giving up? Huh?" I clamped my hand over my mouth as my tears sprung forth again. 

Choked ugly sobs wracked my body interrupted by wails of pain. At some point Laura had picked me up into her lap, and she rocked me as I cried. It hurt. I wanted it to go away. I wanted my old godforsaken body back, if for no other reason than to slip back into blissful ignorance. I cried until my eyes hurt and then I cried some more. 

"Shhhh, I'm here." She repeated it over and over until I could breathe again, pulling her fingers through my hair as I tried to make myself smaller. 

"Let's take it one day at a time, okay? You'll get your new IDs, and then you can start updating contact info, and I'll be there every step of the way." 

I didn't know why, but I nodded. After a while she leaned back and just held me on top of her. 

"See, this is exactly the sort of thing that would have been easier while I was a KT." 

"Oh yeah? So if I hadn't let you unravel, you'd be snugglier?" 

"All I'm saying is, back then I was plush and now I'm all human and stuff."

I was shaken bodily as Laura laughed. 

"I prefer human Willow."

I shrugged. "There's no accounting for taste." 

I yelped as my sass earned me a poke in the ribs and screamed for mercy as the poke became a one sided tickle war. 

We caught our breath on opposite sides of the couch. It was hard to call a winner, but seeing as I survived, I bet it was me. 

"So what do you say?" Laura asked as her breathing calmed. "One day at a time?"

I nodded. 

"One day at a time."