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This is a work of fiction. Any people, places or locations within are purely fiction and the product of the author's imagination, or their names are used to add realism and/or for satirical purposes. Their use does not constitute any type of endorsement or agreement, in part or in whole, with any belief or message, expressed, implied or otherwise inferred by the author and the story/story line, nor do they imply any endorsement of the story or author.

This story contains scenes of EXTREME VIOLENCE, mature subject matter and deals with alternative lifestyles. If you are not comfortable with these concepts and materials, STOP reading NOW. If you are under the age of seniority and consent where you live, or if these types of materials are illegal for you to read, possess or download, you must STOP reading NOW and you may NOT download this story. If you are very religious, this work will probably anger you. Do not read it. Do not download it. Hello, nice to see you, GO AWAY. You'll be more comfortable at http://www.disney.com please go there instead of here.

 

Midnight Downloads

by Wendy-J
Wendy-J@KimEM.net
© 1999-2004 Wendy-J@KimEM.net All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized distribution or archival prohibited.

 

Part-26
Tuesday Evening September 15^th
Tina was sitting anxiously on the sofa in the den, staring apprehensively at the phone on the end table. The look on her face suggested that the phone could actually bite her and cause some sort of mortal wound. Her hands trembling so hard she could barely manage the act, Tina cautiously reached out for the handset. As her fingers came into contact with the instrument, she jerked her hand back as though she'd been burned.

Tina sat for a moment longer, still staring at the offending device, then, in a strangled hiss, gasped, "This is ridiculous!"

Her newfound courage collected and her timidity temporarily banished in sheer humiliation, Tina lifted the handset from the cradle of the instrument. With a nervous exhalation of breath hissing out between her teeth, she punched the button for line two with a determination she definitely did not feel, then, slowly, Tina started to dial.

"Hi, uh…is uh…is umm, Cathy there? This is Tina, Tina Wilson? I'm a friend of hers? From school?" Tina said nervously into the phone, her words sounding more like questions than the statements they were.

After what seemed to be an interminably long time, Cathy came on the line. "Uh…hello? Tina?" she asked, her voice sounding small and disbelieving.

"Hi Cathy," Tina breathed, her voice sounding a bit tremulous.

"Hi, I uh…." Cathy was speechless as her mind reeled. What-do-I-say? OHMIGODS! IT'S-REALLY-HER! Tina-Wilson's-calling-ME!

"I'll be okay," Tina said, thinking Cathy was about to ask after her health. After all, wasn't that why she'd left her number with Nurse Archer? "I had a really long doctor's appointment. That's why I wasn't at school today." Her words had a small, breathless quality to them.

"They-sent-you-to-see-a-head-shrinker-huh?" Cathy asked, desperately trying not to sound as excited as she felt. Of-course-they-sent-her-to-a-shrink. Even-if-she-didn't-freak-out-they-would-have-sent-her-to-see-a-shrink.

Uh…Yeah, umm…." It was becoming obvious that Tina was nervous, too. Cathy started to relax a bit and tried to reassure her caller.

"Hey-look, don't-worry, 'kay? I-won't-tell. Been-there-done-that," she said into the phone. Boy-have-I-ever.

Cathy's last statement wasn't lost on Tina; she just chose not to follow up on it and filed it away, thinking that this wasn't the time; besides, the phone was definitely not the place for something so personal. "Thanks. I uh…I wuh-wanted to, umm, a-a-apologize for…."

"For what? Freaking out after that asshole attacked you?" Cathy asked. She is sooo nice! Gods! Why-can't-that-bi…witch-Morgan-be-like-her? She mentally corrected herself. Lately, she'd begun catching and correcting her thought processes. To put it simply, ever since her incident, Cathy had been thinking about some of the socially elite in ways that "young ladies" just didn't think -- much less speak. The mental "faux pas" had been creeping into her speech of late, and Cathy had been making an all-out effort to stop it. She was, after all, a young lady.

"Well…yeah, and for not…" Tina continued haltingly.

"Hey," Cathy interjected, astounded that Tina should feel the need to apologize. "Nurse-Archer-said-that-it-was-prolly-a-buncha-stuff-that-all-came-out-at-once-so…I-mean…like…don't-sweat-it-'kay?"

"Thanks, Cath," Tina said. It came out as a sigh of relief.

"So…like…when-y'-comin'-back-t'-school?" Cathy was feeling pretty good about the call. She was starting to run her words together in that almost impossible to decipher, ultra-hyperactive and supersonic way of hers.

"Tomorrow, I guess. I mean, no-one said anything about my staying home again tomorrow. So…."

"Yeah, I-guess-things-aren't-like-they-used-to-be."

"Huh?" Tina was desperately trying to figure out what Cathy was hinting at, but she didn't want to seem uncouth or forward and ask her outright, especially not here on the phone.

"Well…like…." Cathy started her wind-up. "If-some-guy-assaulted-you-a-couple-a-years-ago, you'd-a-been-out-fer-at-least-a-week."

Tina held the phone in front of her face for a moment and looked at the handset in puzzlement. She chose not to comment on this statement, either, but it was a stretch. Cathy kept opening doors to her past and Tina wasn't ready to go through them yet. She was going to have to figure out what Cathy was talking about, and soon. The implications were really making her crazy. To say she'd become curious would have been a gross understatement. "Yeah, well, I guess it's due to the miracles of modern science," she said as she brought the phone back to her ear.

"WHAT?!? Did-they-put-you-on-Prozac-or-Valium-or-something?!?" Cathy asked, freaking out over the suspected prescription of mood-altering drugs by Tina's "shrinks."

"NO!" came Tina's defensive retort. It was almost a cry of denial. "I mean…you know…like…better head shrinking techniques and…and stuff."

"Ohhh…riiiight," Cathy said knowingly, drawing out the words. The-poor-thing, I-wonder-how-long-the-quack-grilled-her? Then, changing the subject, Cathy said, "Hey…umm, Jon-was-asking-about-you." Cathy was hoping that she could include her friend, Jon, in this, her latest and greatest of teenaged social coups. "Want-me-to-call-him-for-you?"

"Nah, I'll see him tomorrow in homeroom I guess. Did you hear what the school's gonna do about Brad?"

"Nurse-Archer-said-they-were-prolly-goin'-t'-expel-him. After-he-gets-out-of-the-hospital-that-is."

"Hospital?" The thought struck Tina with a force she didn't think possible. Sure, everyone had told her what had transpired, but Cathy's last statement made her think that Jon had done something to Brad as well. "Jon didn't hurt him too badly, did he?" she asked, almost panicked.

"Jon?!? No, Girl!" Cathy giggled. "He-didn't-do-a-thing! You're-the-one-that-got-him-good! I-heard-that-they-had-to-take-out-one-of-his-balls-because-of-you!"

"ME?!?" Tina squeaked. The thought shocked her to the core of her being. "Oh man." It came out as a fearful whisper. "I did that?" she asked in a small voice fraught with tears. Why couldn't she remember it?

"Yup!" Cathy exclaimed, impressed with her new friend. "I-never-saw-someone's-leg-move-so-fast. Where'd-you-learn-to-do-that? Karate-class-or-something?"

"Nnnnooo," Tina's reply was slow and uncertain. She felt an unreasonable need to defend her forgotten actions. "I nuh-never took any self-defence courses or anything. I guess I'm too much of a geek to have…."

"YOU?!? A GEEK?!?" came the incredulous shriek from her hyperactive friend. "No. Way, Girl! Honey…you-have-the-look-the-friends-the-in-crowd-you-got-it-all. There's-NO-WAY-you're-a-geek. Me-and-Jon? Now we're geeks."

"Ask Jon who wrote the new subroutine for his cell animator," Tina said quietly, almost as if she was too embarrassed to mention it. "Look, uh, Cath, I…." Tina was getting scared again. Why did I have to say that? Her mind was in turmoil. Shit! It'll be all over school by tomorrow! "I, like, gotta go. Okay? Dinner's almost ready, y'-know? Uhmm…I'll see you tomorrow at school, right?"

"Sure-Tina! Hey! Thanks-for-calling-huh?" Cathy said nervously. Gods-why-did-I-say-that? Now-she-thinks-I'm-a-total-spaz!

"Uh…yeah, sure…umm…no problem."

"I-mean-it-Tina. Thanks! Really! Hey, feel-better-'kay?

"Yeah, sure. Bye, Cathy."

****************************

"Man! That was weird," Tina thought aloud as she hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Sam asked as she walked into the den. She'd listened to most of Tina's part of the conversation from just outside the room.

"Cathy. You know, the, uh, girl in the nurse's office. She wanted me to have her number and Mom said I should call her so…."

"So what was so weird about it?" Sam asked, pressing her point.

"She was acting like I was doing her some sort of major favour calling her." Tina stared at the phone as if it had grown a set of eyes or something.

"Hmm, I wonder if she's…" Sam mumbled, a funny look on her face.

"What?" Tina asked, exasperated with Sam for the slow moving, incomplete thoughts. It seemed she'd become accustomed to Cathy's hyper-driven speech. Tina was defensive of Cathy, seeking to protect a possible new friend and curious as to what Sam was driving at.

"Remember how everyone avoided Jon when he looked like 'Super Geek?' "

"Yeah…so?" Tina asked, confused, wondering where Sam was going with her questions and still not so sure she would like their conclusion.

"I wonder if Cathy is…or was…." Sam was purposefully dragging out her words, enjoying their effect on Tina. The suspense was, at the very least, irritating to Tina.

"To listen to Jon," Tina interrupted, thinking she was defending the girl, "she's cute, a really talented programmer and she seems like a really nice person. She was just worried about me. Why? What's the big deal? What are you getting at?" The frustration Tina was feeling was making itself known in more than her face.

"Wanna bet she didn't always look that way?" Sam asked knowingly, a smile coming to her face.

"Huh?" Sam's words weren't making sense to her. In effect, they shut down Tina's mental processes, bringing her to a screeching halt.

"She is kinda cute," Sam said coyly. "Isn't she?" Her smile became a grin.

"Well…yeah, I guess so," came Tina's defensive reply, "So what?" Then it seemed to strike home. "You don't mean…."

"That's right, 'New Really Hot Senior Babe.' You, the hottest babe in school, the number one comer on the social scene, the biggest heartthrob of the junior AND senior sets, have just called the lowliest of the low, the pariah of pariahs, the one to avoid at all possible costs, -- a geek. And you did it…Just. To. Say. Hi."

"Aww…come on, Sam. Be real, since when am I…?"

"Remember that gaggle of geese that followed you around school all day?"

"Yeah…so…they just wanted to know…."

"They just happen to be the crème de la crème of the social set, my dear. In the senior class, they are the top," Sam said smugly. "Remember the ditzy brunette?" she pressed on.

"Kelly?" Tina replied after searching her mind's tapes of the day.

Sam nodded her head in affirmation. "She's head cheerleader, Tee," Sam said, a look of victory on her face. A look of amazement came over Tina as she shook her head in denial. "Remember the blonde with the long hair and cute skirt?" Sam asked, driving her point home. Tina nodded. "That was Barbara 'Just call me Barb' Coleman, Miss Front Lip herself." Sam gave Tina a moment to let the implications sink in, then said, "Come on, 'New Really Hot Senior Babe,' dinner's ready."

Tina looked as if she could die. Gods knew she wanted to.

****************************

Cathy Franson, the svelte little redhead Sam had seen with Jon, the girl who had just had her "unbelievable" conversation with Tina, was lying across her bed, vibrating with excitement. She was holding a pink slim-line phone in one hand while flipping through a small book with the other. She kicked her feet back and forth excitedly as her fingers flew through the pages of her address book at a blinding pace lining up all the people she'd just have to call with news of her acceptance into the social elite. An almost continuous high-pitched squeal-like sound was coming from her pursed lips. She was definitely excited.

Tina-Wilson-called-ME! She was ecstatic. She just had to tell someone. NOW. And then another half a dozen someones immediately after that! First she had to tell Jon, then Susan, and after that….

Cathy's room was decorated in a strangely eclectic, yet mostly feminine manner. There were the expected teddy bears and stuffed animals placed strategically about, as well as some dolls carefully arranged in and on her bookcase among the countless technical manuals, sci-fi, fantasy and romance novels. But the computer that was squeezed onto, into, under and around her desk -- which doubled as her vanity -- rivalled Tina's "Monster." It more than declared her status as a geek.

The pictures on the walls were of the typical and expected hunks, pop stars and movie idols. But there was also a huge portrait of Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue hung over her bed, a unicorn painted on black velvet hung on the wall by her desk, and a framed, autographed, eight by ten photograph of Isaac Asimov stood proudly on her nightstand. A block diagram of a large computer network was framed and hanging on the wall by the door and there was a hand drawn schematic for some sort of electrical device draped half on and half off her nightstand. It was held in place by a corner of her high-intensity reading lamp. There were coloured pencil marks and lines drawn on it with notes written in an impossibly small, meticulously neat hand in the margins. An electronics parts catalogue -- open to the IC pages -- was slowly sliding off the bookcase headboard of her bed to the floor. Eventually, it would be lost to the nether regions of the under bed. Unlike the old look to Tina's bedroom, Cathy's appeared to be meticulously clean, if a bit disorganized in spots. The "under-bed" was, most assuredly, dust-free. Maggie, the housekeeper, kept it that way, but always seemed to lose anything and everything that she rescued from there.

Cathy started to hum along with the music that played from what looked like a home-made stereo system as she dialled the phone in one lightning-quick blur of fingers.

"Hi! Jon?!?" she asked in her almost too fast to understand manner of speaking, her emerald eyes flashing with excitement. "You'll-never-guess-who-just-called-me!"

"I'm not even going to try, Cath," Jon said with a chuckle. "Who just called you?" It never occurred to question who had just called him. No-one spoke that way, no-one but Cathy, that is. Besides, the only other girl who would be calling him was Tina and Tina never called; she just waited to see him in homeroom.

"TINA-WILSON!" she fairly shrieked. "I-mean, She. Called. Me!"

"Well…that's nice," he said, more than a bit confused, but totally amused. Jon struggled not to laugh at her. "What'd she want?" he asked, barely managing not to laugh out loud. He almost failed. You could hear the laugh in his voice.

"She-just-called-to-say-hi!" Cathy sounded like she was bouncing off the walls.

Jon chuckled, giving in to the urge to vocalize his amusement. "I hope your walls are padded," he joked.

"What?!? Oh! Yeah!" Cathy giggled. "I-am-sorta-bouncing-off-them, huh?"

"Yeah, sorta," he chuckled. "Umm…Cath, did you…like…ask her to call you?"

"Well…." Cathy hesitated, thinking back on her conversations and her actions over previous days. "The-other-day? When-I-was-in-the-nurse's-office? I-asked-Nurse-Archer-to-give-her-my-number-when-I-left-but…."

"Then of course Tina called you, you silly puppy," he said, almost laughing.

"Huh?!?" The way she said it, it sounded like she'd bounced on her bed one time too many and missed the edge, landing on the hard floor instead of the soft mattress. Then, Jon did laugh.

"Look, Cath," he said, struggling to regain his composure, "Tina's like that. If you were nice to her, or if you helped her, of course she'd call you," he said shaking his head. My god, he thought with a smile. Cathy can't be that bad, can she?

"Jon, we're-talking-about…." Her mind raced as she tried to explain herself. He-can't-possibly-understand-who-I'm-talking-about, that's-all.

"Tina Wilson," Jon interjected slowly, trying to calm the girl, finishing her sentence for her. "The new senior in my homeroom. Yeah. I know."

"But…I-mean…she's-like…." Cathy was totally confused now. "Tina-Wilson's-the-most-popular-girl-in-school, Jon!"

"And she's my friend," he said slowly and calmly, desperately trying to calm her.

"Your…your friend?" Cathy's mind came to a violent, screeching halt as she tried to wrap her mind around the concept. "How-can-Tina-Wilson-be-your-friend? I-I-mean…."

Jon could hear her winding up again. "That's what I said." His smile broadened as he continued laconically. "I can have friends, can't I?"

"Well, duh!" Cathy replied, still confused.

"She's the one who's responsible for my new rags, Cath," he said patiently.

"TINA!?" She was incredulous and her voice showed it with her shriek. "But…But-you-said-that-a-friend-of-yours-bought-them-for-you. You-said-that-it-was-like-a-kinda-sorta-loan."

"She's the friend, Cath," Jon said with a pained smile. He switched ears and rubbed his now ringing ear. His words failed to calm the girl; if anything, they seemed to incite her, to push her on to greater heights of agitation.

"OHMIGODS!" she let loose again.

Jon winced at the scream and pulled the phone away from his other ear with a jerk. "So how is she?" Jon asked as he held the handset well away from his ear but close enough to his mouth so that he could talk.

"Um…she's-fine…I-guess…I-mean…." Cathy stumbled over the words as her mind raced. "Like…she-said-she-was-prolly-coming-to-school-tomorrow-and…."

Annnnd she's off and running again, he thought with a smile. "Aaannnd?" he said into the phone, prodding her on.

"Well…I-guess-that's-about it. She-said-something-about-that-cell-animator-of-yours-too, but…" Cathy said, not really understanding what Tina had said in the first place, but figuring that, since Tina said to ask, she would.

"You know the subroutine that takes the cells and interpolates the human form and movement and then inserts the added frames?" Jon asked, pressing his point.

"Yeah! That-sub'-works-sooo-sweetly!" Cathy's mind seemed to grasp multiple concepts at once, adding the appropriate enthusiasm to each. Her intensity varied with each thought that popped into, and out of, her head in turn. "You-said-that-that-one-was-the-hardest-one-you-ever-tried-to-write. I'm-really-impressed-with-how-you-incorporated-the-AI-subs-into-it-allowing-it-to-work-with-any-object-not-just-the-human-body!" She was getting excited again. He's SO cool, she thought.

"Yeah, well…" Jon replied haltingly, wondering if he should really be telling Cathy this. "Tina wrote the AI subs and the interfaces."

"Aaannnd the interfaces?" Cathy squeaked. Suddenly her voice got really small as Jon's point finally sank in. "Tina? Tina Wilson?"

"Tina Wilson," Jon replied, making his point with deliberate finality. "The girl's an absolute genius."

"Oh! My! Gods! She said each word as if it were its own sentence. And then, with a slow, quiet awe said, "A geek is the most popular…."

"Yeah, ain't it a kick in the head?" Jon asked lightly, amused with the concept.

"Wait-till-I-te…" Cathy began excitedly.

Aaaaannnd they're off, Jon thought with a smile. "Slow down, there, cutie," he said, cutting her off mid-word. "She really doesn't want anyone to know she's a super brain, okay?"

"But-I-mean…." Cathy couldn't understand why Jon or Tina would want to keep such a coup a secret from the world. It didn't seem to matter to her that the mundane see intelligence as a threat.

"Look, Cath, why don't we have lunch with her tomorrow?"

"LUNCH?!? WITH TINA WILSON?!?" Jon winced and yanked the phone away from his ear again as Cathy screamed about the perceived physical impossibility.

"Cath," Jon said after switching ears with the phone, "it's not like a dinner date with god or anything. Okay?" he said as he absently rubbed his injured ear. "She's just a really nice, and very shy, person. Promise me you won't start screaming about her geekdom all over school. She's really special. Just like you."

"Yeah, okay, I promise," she said, the wind obviously gone from her sails as she slowed to near normal human speed. How unfair, she thought. To learn that such a social coup has taken place, and then, as if to add insult to injury, I'm not allowed to tell anyone! It's just not right!

"Hey, Cath?" Jon asked, breaking into the sudden silence.

"Hmm?" came her distracted, almost mournful, reply.

"You're cute when you get excited."

Cathy blushed at the compliment. "You-can't-even-see-me, Silly."

"Sure I can," he replied sweetly. "All I have to do is close my eyes and imagine you're here. Look. Why don't you go take a nice hot bath and relax? Okay? You need to slow down."

"Okay," Cathy giggled.

"And remember," Jon continued, "Tina's just a really nice person. Status doesn't mean anything to her; friendship does." He let the thought sink in for a moment and then brought the conversation to a close with, "Cath, why don't you go take that bath and think about why she might consider you her friend."

"Thanks, Jon," Cathy said in a small, breathless voice.

After she hung up the phone, Cathy hugged herself, thinking about Jon. Then she rolled onto her back and started squealing and kicking her legs into the air at the ceiling of her room in excitement as she thought about having lunch with Tina.

On the ceiling was an almost invisible, yet accurate representation of the Milky Way, faintly glowing in a bluish white. It had taken her almost eight months of consulting charts and maps of the stars to complete, with her father's help and insight. She'd accomplished it using "Rit Whitener" and black lights to illuminate the "paint." The starscape looked almost real at night when she turned out the lights and turned on the black lights set into the soffits she and her father built around the edge of the room's ceiling. When the black lights were off, you couldn't see their handiwork at all. At night, with the lights off and the black lights on, well…it was phenomenal to say the least.

****************************

For Sam, getting Tina to sleep was a repeat of the night before. Tina begged Sam to sleep with her. "Please, Sam. I'm scared to even close my eyes."

"Try, Tina. Please? For me? Try." Her violet-blue eyes brimmed with tears as she begged her friend to go to sleep alone. "You know I love you, Honey. Just try. I'll stay right here until you fall asleep. I promise."

By the time Tina fell asleep, Sam was an emotional wreck. As she climbed into her own bed, her mother came into the room. "Rough time calming her down?"

"Yeah. She's scared to death of closing her eyes."

"Was her nightmare that bad?" Donna asked, the concern evident in her voice.

"Worse." Sam shuddered at what Tina told her about the dream.

Donna hugged her daughter. "You going to be all right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Sam replied, then after a bit she asked, "Mom?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you hold me for a while?" Sam started to cry. "I love her and I can't make it better, Mom. I don't know what to do. I'm scared."

Donna held her daughter tightly. "You're doing it, Honey. Hush now. Here, lie down and relax. Mommy's right here," she cooed. She's too young to act so old, Donna thought. "My poor baby," she continued softly as she stroked Sam's hair.

****************************

No sooner had Donna slipped between her sheets than the screams began again. Donna left her room at a run. Sam was already in Tina's room by the time Donna and Jan got to the hall.

"Are you up for a cup of tea?" Jan asked nervously. She desperately wanted to go in and hold her daughter, not have a cup of tea.

"Sure, Jan. I just need to get a few things first." Jan stood in the hall holding her robe closed while she patted her waist looking for the belt. She watched in puzzled amazement as Donna went into Sam's room.

She emerged a moment later holding Sam's robe and slippers. "This," Donna said, trying to lighten the mood and holding the items up, "is how she's beating us in there. She has an unfair advantage, Jan. She doesn't care about modesty, or decency."

They walked down the hall to Tina's room; Donna went in without knocking. She walked up to the bedside, laid the slippers on the floor and draped the robe neatly over the chair. "I thought you might want these in the morning," she whispered. Donna kissed Sam on the forehead and left the room, closing the door behind her.

"She's old enough to know her own mind," she mumbled to herself, worried about the decision she'd just made.

Jan looked ready to cry. "That used to be my job."

"Come on, Jan, let's get that tea," Donna said, tears forming in her eyes as well.

****************************

Wednesday Morning September 16^th
"Tina…umm…." Sam moaned in delight. "You witch…." Her voice was thick with lust. "Tina, wake up," she said and gently nudged the sleeping girl with her elbow.

"Hmm?"

This is unreal, Sam mused, thoroughly enjoying the sensations Tina was causing. I thought that those hormones were supposed to…. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Tina, Hon…Ooooh! C'mon, Tina, I'm not a saint!" Sam exclaimed impatiently. "Get in the shower!"

****************************

Sam shuffled into the kitchen in her robe and slippers. Jan and Donna smiled at her. "Sleep well, Honey?" Donna asked. Her golden brown eyes twinkled with the love she felt for her child.

Sam smiled wanly, poured a cup of coffee and got some toast. "Aunt Jan, how long before Tina's hormones keep her from getting, umm…." She flushed with embarrassment.

"Erections?" Jan finished for her. Sam nodded her head in awkward silence. She slowly nibbled at a piece of dry toast while walking to the table, a hopeful expression on her face. "From what I've read," Jan continued, "anywhere from a couple of weeks to a month." Sam's hopeful expression fell.

"A month?" she moaned around the toast as she plopped down in the chair dejectedly.

"Well, according to the books and articles I've read," Jan blithely went on, "it all depends on the dosage and her own hormone levels. Why?"

"Oh, Mom," Sam moaned to her mother. She looked like she'd just lost her best friend. Donna smiled and put her good arm around her. "Mom, I'm not like you," Sam cried softly. "I'm not a saint; I'm not nun material. If she keeps…."

The look on Donna's face was priceless. Jan burst into gales of laughter. "Honey, I don't think your mother…."

"I'm far from a saint, Sweetie," Donna replied softly. "And as for convent life, I did have you. There are things you can do to…."

"But that's just it, Mom," Sam moaned, "she's still asleep while it's happening…and so am I!"

"Dr. Bennett gave her some new things to take," Jan interjected. "I'll call and ask him how long before…."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to last much longer, Aunt Jan." Sam sounded desperate.

"So, you don't want to…?" Donna started.

"That's the problem, Mom," Sam whimpered. "I do. And in the mornings, when she's pressed up against me…."

"I don't know what to tell you, Sweetheart," Jan said, reaching out and taking one of Sam's hands in hers. "I wish I did."

Sam looked balefully at her mother. "Do what feels right in here," Donna whispered, touching Sam's chest and pulling her closer. Mother and daughter sat almost in one chair for a bit. "My little girl's growing up," Donna said sadly into her daughter's hair.

"Aunt Jan?" Sam asked as she started to sit up.

"Hmm?" Jan looked at the girl with sad, questioning eyes.

"You said Tina had nightmares before. Were they really, umm…graphic?" Sam asked, afraid of the answer.

Jan nodded. "Sometimes they made today's horror movies look tame." She looked worried. "Are they bad?"

"Yeah, really bad," Sam replied. "Last night's was a real winner. It scared me, and I didn't have it."

"The only thing I can tell you is to hold on tight and not let go," Jan said. "If she has one, all you can do is hold her until she gets over it." Sam sipped her coffee thoughtfully.

"I noticed she seemed to sleep through the night," Jan said hopefully. Sam nodded. "She used to have two or three nightmares if she had one that early in the night." Maybe she's getting over them."

"I hope so," Sam said mournfully. "I don't think I can bear to hear her scream like that again. It just rips me apart." Both mothers nodded their heads sympathetically.

"Finish your breakfast, Sweetheart," Donna said. "You have school today." Sam cringed. "What? That bad already?" Donna asked.

"No, I'm thinking of Tina. She's become one of the most popular girls in school and it's happened over night. I'm just thinking about what it's going to be like for her today. Monday, she had the entire pep squad following her around like lost puppies."

"You don't think they'll shun her because of…" Jan said worriedly.

"No, just the opposite," Sam replied. "She's become like a folk hero or something."

"She's not getting a big head over it, is she?" Donna asked worriedly.

Sam shook her head. "She doesn't even know what's happening, Ma. She thought they were interested in me!"

"Oh my," Jan said in awe as she looked toward the doorway. Donna and Sam followed her gaze. Tina walked into the room wearing a knee-length black skirt, two-inch heels, a white blouse and a black vest. Her hair and makeup were done, and, except for the fact that her makeup was toned down, she looked like she was ready for a date. Her hazel eyes sparkled, appearing to be a vibrant golden brown in the light of the kitchen.

"Wow, Tee," Sam exclaimed. "You look…are you sure about this?" Tina nodded, her hair bouncing and fluttering softly with the movement of her head. "But you haven't gone to school looking like…" Sam continued worriedly.

"Watch your time, Sam." Donna said, stopping the girl in mid-sentence.

"Huh?" Sam asked in puzzlement, her head snapping about to look at her mother.

"We have to leave in twenty minutes," Tina said nervously.

"Oh…shhhoot!" Sam said, catching herself before she could blunder with a verbal faux pas. She jumped up and raced for the stairs.

"Walk, please!" Jan called after her and started to chuckle.

"You look very nice, Dear," Donna said with a smile.

"It's not too much, is it, Mom?"

"No, Hon, you look beautiful. Did you take your medicine?"

Tina nodded. "There's a lot more of it. I hope it doesn't make me worse."

"You've got it about as bad as it gets in the mornings, Honey," Donna said.

"How do you feel this morning?" Jan asked. "Any better?"

Tina shook her head as she poured a cup of coffee. "No, it's about the same. I guess I'm just getting used to it."

"Don't forget, you have an appointment with Claire after school," Jan reminded her.

Donna brightened. "Claire of 'Claire's Clip Joint?' "

"Uh huh," Jan replied. "She wants to do some highlights."

Tina sat down at the table rather dejectedly. She didn't look too happy at the prospect of going to the beauty salon. Much to her dismay, she quickly learned what Sam had laughed about. Donna had already switched into "Auntie Donna" mode.

"Oh, I'll bet she'll look just darling with highlights," Donna said, fingering the hair over Tina's ear. "Tell you what, Sunshine, after you get your hair done, we can go to the mall and do a little shopping. Just you and your Auntie Donna; we'll have such fun. We'll get you some new shoes and…."

Tina looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock and die. Why me? She groaned silently as she took another sip of her coffee. She stared at the mug and whimpered softly. She seemed to be hoping to be able to lose herself in the mundane image of the every day piece of ceramic. Instead, the deep-rose colour of her lipstick left a glaring reminder of who and what she had become in so short a period of time. I'm finally happy, she reminded herself.

Jan, seeing the exchange, giggled as she got up for another cup of coffee. "Dinner at about eight then?" Donna nodded enthusiastically.

****************************

Jan sat on the sofa in the den and dialled the number from the business card Dr. Bennett had given her. He answered on the second ring. "Hello, Dr. Bennett."

Surprised at his answering the call, Jan stumbled over her words. "Umm, Dr. Bennett, I was expecting your service at this hour. This is Janice Wilson. I'm calling about Tina's medications and the results of her blood work."

"Ah, yes, well, in answer to your comment, I like to have a cup of coffee in my office and read the paper before I start my day. I do so enjoy the bit of solitude in the mornings. It seems to set the tone for the day if I can start it easily and pleasantly.

"And in response to your question, let me get the lab report." Jan heard some papers rustling as he got Tina's file. "Ah, here we go," he said softly. His voice had a soft melodic quality to it which made it very easy on the ears. "Yes, her results were, umm, for the most part, normal. Her serum testosterone levels were a bit on the low side, even given her recent start on the estrogens. Her serum estrogens were elevated above what I would normally see, the estradiol she was on was taken into account, of course, but it was still a bit high…. But it's not so high as to cause problems, just delayed maturation or an elongated puberty if you will. Her prolactin levels are a bit high, too. She might want to think about keeping a tissue or two in her brassiere cups as she develops, though nothing to worry about. All in all, Jan, I'd say she's perfectly healthy."

"This may seem to be a bit off the wall, Doctor," Jan started a bit apologetically, but determined to see the question through, "but how long before she stops getting erections?"

"Oh, err," Dr. Bennett seemed a bit taken aback by the question, obviously unprepared for something like that from his patient's mother. "Let's see…with her base serum estrogens and testosterone, and on the new medications…." His mumblings and musings were easy on the ear. "The Spironolactone combined with the Oestradiol Valerate should effectively stop testosterone production within a week, two at the most. Spontaneous erections should begin to taper off in about two to three weeks. And after about a month, erections will be possible, but more than likely they will be difficult to achieve and even more-so to maintain. Generally, if she does indeed get one, it will not be as, umm…hard."

"And her morning, err…."

"Two to three weeks," he interjected. "Tell me, is she worried about…?"

"No, she's been having some really bad nightmares and Sam's presence seems to reduce their intensity or eliminate them completely. However, Sam's been having a…uh…rather difficult time of it in the mornings."

Dr. Bennett laughed softly. "I see. Then you aren't worried about…."

"Pregnancy?" Jan attempted to finish for him. "What mother wouldn't be? But Sam is on the pill and…."

"Actually I was thinking more along the lines of progeny, Jan," Dr. Bennett chuckled. "If a child from her were the desired case, we could take and freeze several sperm samples now, before the hormones have run their course. But I wouldn't worry too much about that…in the short term that is. Within two or three weeks of stopping the hormones her Testosterone levels and sperm production should start to return to normal and…."

"Thank you, Doctor. You've been very helpful."

"Jan, just one more thing," Dr. Bennett continued, all professionalism now.

"Yes?" Jan replied with trepidation.

"After say, two to two and a half years on her current regimen of hormones and anti-androgens," he began cautiously, "I wouldn't expect Tina to be able to either a: present herself as a male without major surgery, and b: ever be able to sire a child."

"Excuse me?" This news sent a cold shiver down Jan's spine.

"You see, Jan, in the short term -- let's say, up to a year from now -- stopping the hormones should return everything in Tina's body to normal, with the exception of some possible breast tissue development. Which may, or may not, require surgical removal should she desire to return to presenting herself as a male. However, after prolonged hormone and anti-androgen usage -- that two to two and a half years I mentioned -- Tina's body will not have just moved some fat cells around.

"The anti-androgens Tina is taking will have stopped her body's testosterone production and shut down her testes. The fat cells that the hormones moved into a more feminine displacement will take a bit longer to move back into the more masculine displacement than they took to move into the female. This will be, primarily, from the lack of testosterone production for a period of time following the cessation of the anti-androgens and hormones.

"At that stage, I would expect her to start experiencing hot flashes, much like a woman would during menopause. She may well require some testosterone injections at that time, should it ever come, just to kick start her body's natural processes. And the Depo-Provera that she's now taking will have caused a substantial amount of functional breast tissue to develop. This breast tissue will require surgery if she wishes to reverse the process at that stage. And while Tina may, after a prolonged period of not taking these steroids -- say three to six months -- eventually regain limited male sexual functionality, I seriously doubt she will ever regain a spermatozoa production sufficient to impregnate a woman.

"Jan, with Tina's current steroid regimen, over a period of time -- that two to two and a half years -- her testes may well shut down permanently from chemical stoppage and disuse. In short, Tina may become 'Chemically Castrated' by the hormones and anti-androgens she is now taking. After our talks, I'm convinced that this is the best course of action for your little girl. And she is your little girl, Jan. I think you need to remember that. I find it hard to believe she ever really was your son.

"Tina is fully aware of all of this. I just wasn't sure you were, Jan."

"Thank you, Doctor," Jan said into the phone. It seemed that things might have become a bit more permanent than she initially thought they were. "I do hope you have a pleasant day."

"And you as well, Jan," Dr. Bennett said.

****************************

On the ride to school Tina lamented over Donna's enthusiasm, while Sam seemed to gloat about being out of the line of fire at long last. "I told you, didn't I?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, but I didn't believe it could be that bad."

"I'll bet she calls Claire's and makes an appointment for herself."

"You're kidding me, I hope."

"Nope; she'll want to drive, too. I'll bet she meets you by the door wearing a dress, holding her purse in one hand and her car keys in the other. Then she'll talk your ear off as she drags you to all her favourite stores and…."

"Why me?" Tina lamented as she parked the car.

"Cause you're so cute," Sam said, giving her a peck on the cheek. C'mon, Tee; get the lead out. I wanna walk you to class."

"Why?"

"Cause, Silly, you're mine. And with you looking like that, I've gotta let the other guys know it. And the only way I'll be able to do that is…."

"Then you'll carry my books, too?" Tina asked with a grin.

Sam opened her mouth to object, and then, thinking better of it, smiled, picked up Tina's backpack and got out of the car. As Tina stepped from the car, a gentle autumn breeze reminded her of how she was dressed, sending a chill up her spine. It was strangely erotic and comforting all at the same time. Steeling herself to the day ahead, she locked her door and walked to the front of the car and her boyfriend apparent, Sam. "Ready?" Sam asked.

"Ready." They set off across the parking lot, arms about each other's waists, losing themselves in the pleasure of each other's touch.

****************************

Sam walked Tina to the door of her homeroom class. "Is it always like this?" she asked Tina, commenting on the noise.

"Yeah, unless I'd do something to Brad. Then it got really quiet."

"Really?" Sam asked slyly. And then she pulled Tina to her and gave her "girlfriend" a long tender kiss on the lips. When they parted, Sam handed Tina her books and said brightly, "See you at lunch?"

Tina almost swooned from the kiss. "If not sooner," she breathed. The room had gotten quiet again. Sam giggled as she all but skipped down the stairs, wiping at her mouth. She ran to her homeroom. She didn't want to be late.

This time, Tina didn't notice the sudden quiet in the room. She stopped and said hi to almost everyone who spoke to her, but she really didn't remember much about it. She was on those big pink fluffy clouds again. It was nice to have someone to love and the smile on her face showed it. Ro and Lee were giggling when Tina finally made it to her seat. "Wow, Tee," Leticia said, "That was some show in the door!"

"Huh?" she still hadn't come back down to earth.

"Forget it, Lee," Ro said, giggling. "She's so far gone, Voyager won't be able to catch her."

Jon came back and took the seat in front of Tina. "Hi, Tina, nice to have you back."

It looked like it was going to be a good day. A very good day.

****************************

Lunch was an event. Everyone who was anyone in school had to drop by and say hi. Cathy sat next to Tina and said almost nothing the whole time. She just stared in awe. Once they finished eating, Tina and Leticia went to the ladies room to fix their makeup. "I can see 'em lining up now!" Lee said as she walked back to the table with Tina.

"What are you talking about?" Tina asked, totally lost with what Lee was saying.

"The guys!" Lee replied, excited with her new prospects.

"Guys?" Tina was starting to feel completely lost at sea. It was all so new and there was so much to think about that many parts of the new experience were still a mystery. She needed time to sort it all out, but time was something she hadn't been given. One day she was a nobody and the next she was the centre of attention. It was more than a bit disconcerting.

"Daaamn girl! You really don't get it, do you?" Lee asked, amazed that anyone could be so socially inept.

"What?" Tina asked, exasperated with the way her new friend seemed to talk in riddles.

"Never mind, Tee, it's lost on you. C'mon, I want to breathe some real air before we have to go back to class."

As they walked about the school grounds, the group chatted about Tina's recent rise to fame. "She's doin' it, and she don' even know it, Sam!" Lee enthused. "You gotta get it through to her."

"What?!? And have her stop?" Ro asked incredulously.

"What are you guys talking about?!?" Tina asked, thoroughly annoyed with what was going on.

"Don't worry about it, Tina. You're doing fine," Sam placated. "Just be yourself." Sam glared at Lee. "Ro, can you talk some sense into the thick one here?"

"Yo, like, what's…." Lee was getting just as annoyed with Sam. She couldn't quite understand why Sam was being such a shite. This was cause for celebration and Sam was throwing a wet blanket on the party.

"C'mere, Lee," Ro said, taking the teen by the elbow and leading her away. Once they were out of earshot of Tina, she began. "You know, not everyone's a total socialite like you." Ro's deep brown eyes were blazing holes into Lee's forehead.

"Yeah, so?" Lee replied petulantly, her defensive shields up at maximum. Why couldn't people see the need for a celebration? They were it! Tina was nearing the very top of the social order and they were her closest friends. This placed them at the very centre of the in-crowd. Couldn't anyone get it through their heads that it was party time?

"Tina was a total geek, remember?" Ro continued, trying to make her point. It was obvious that she was running out of patience. It was a major departure from the staid, smooth-sailing girl everyone was used to.

"Yeah, so what?" Lee asked indignantly. "Like, so're you. What's the big…?"

Unfortunately, Lee just wasn't getting it. Ro continued, "So, like, now that she's popular and starting to handle it, you start calling it to her attention. Did it ever occur to you that she just might get scared and crawl back into that geeky little shell of hers?" Lee's jaw dropped. "Now do you get it?" Ro hissed at her friend. "Then where will she be?"

"Whoa, no dates, no friends, no…."

"Riiight! And are you going to abandon her?" Ro asked sharply.

"No way! Tee's my friend. Why would I abandon her?" Lights were starting to flicker behind her eyes, but they were awfully dim. She was finally starting to come around.

"So you'll give up the dates, too, then, right?" Ro asked, slamming her point home with a finality that would have been devastating had they not been friends.

"But…." The lights of understanding finally glowed brightly in the limpid ebony eyes of the girl's face.

"Right," Ro finished, disgusted with her friend's obtuseness. "Put a sock in it, Lee."

"Yeah."

The first bell rang, signalling the end of the period, so Sam started walking Tina to class. "See you at the car after class?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, sure," Tina replied. She sounded anything but sure of herself. "Sam?"

"Yeah, Sweets?" Sam asked. She was trying desperately to calm Tina down. Her tone was light and sweet as her stomach churned with nerves.

"What was Lee talking about?"

"I don't think Lee knows what she was talking about, Hon," Sam said evasively. She was worried about how Tina was going to cope with all her newfound friends and popularity. If her instant fame scared her enough, Tina might well revert to Ernie's patterns of behaviour; Sam liked the easygoing person that her long-time friend had become and wanted to keep it that way. How was she going to keep things progressing slowly? How was she going to keep Tina on an even keel?

"Right," Tina replied quietly. "She can be a real ditz sometimes," she mumbled introspectively. "I just wish I understood her better." Then she seemed to brighten visibly, said "See you after last bell!" then planted a kiss on Sam's cheek. When Sam headed off without wiping at it, Tina started to giggle. A pair of bright pinkish-red lips, Tina's lipstick colour for the day, were plainly visible against Sam's slowly clearing ivory skin.

****************************

Sam took her seat in chemistry class just in time for the bell. Her lab partner, one of the jock set and member of the football team, hissed at her. "Pssst! Yo! Sam!"

"What?" she hissed back, snapping out of her reveries. The jock touched his finger to his cheek in silent admonition and amusement, reminding Sam of her obvious lapse of judgement and her current state of public embarrassment. "Aww shit!" Sam mumbled and wiped furiously at the spot where Tina kissed her.

"Hey, man, what's she like?" the jock whispered.

"Mr. Farnsby! Do you have something you'd like to share with the class?" the tall skinny teacher asked. He was the embodiment of the character Ichabod Crane of the timeless Halloween poem.

"No, Mr. Kelsey."

"Then I'll thank you for not wasting this class' valuable time," Mr. Kelsey said acerbically.

"Yes, Mr. Kelsey," the jock replied in an attempt to sound genuinely contrite. He didn't.

After class, Robert Farnsby cornered Sam in the hall. "Yo, dude, that is one fine lady. So tell me, is she like…?"

"She's just that, Rob. A lady," was Sam's almost caustic retort.

"So what's she like?" Rob asked again, obtusely missing Sam's obvious snub.

"Huh?" Sam said disbelievingly and playing dumb.

"In bed, Man! What else?" he said it like Sam should know what he was talking about. "The team's betting on whether or not she's a screamer. Personally, I think she's a biter."

"Biter?" Sam asked in a small voice, totally lost with where the conversation was going. Were all guys this strange?

"Yeah, you know, does she bite your shoulder where it meets your neck when she cums? So what is she?"

"Look, Man," Sam said, obviously ticked off, "just cause I live with her doesn't mean I'm…."

"You LIVE with her?!?"

Oh shit, she thought. "Yeah, I live with her and her mom…." Sam started to talk fast as she tried to contain and minimise the damage she was causing with her apparently careless remark.

"SHIT! Some guys have ALL the luck!" Farnsby continued loudly, cutting her off.

"Look, man, I gotta book or I'll be late for my next class," Sam finished lamely in an attempt to get away from the jock and to try to come up with a way to minimise or eradicate the damage she'd just caused.

"Yeah, man, later." The jock shambled off, shaking his head.

Oh shit, she thought. Sam, you really put your foot in it this time.

****************************

After last bell, Tina was waiting for Sam at the car. Sam walked to her at a brisk pace with a spring in her step. She was happy to see her sweetheart, the debacle after chemistry forgotten for the moment.

The gentle breeze was tossing the mousy brown locks of Tina's cute bob softly about her face as she half sat and half leaned against the back of her bright red car. Legs straight, ankles and knees together, arms crossed under her bosom, she presented the classic image of teenaged femininity. The ivory of her legs was a sharp contrast to the black of her skirt and heels. The hem of her skirt rippled in the breeze and danced about Tina's knees. She was absolutely stunning. But Tina wasn't smiling; her hazel eyes flashed an almost brilliant emerald green in the waning autumn sunlight.

"Took you long enough!" Tina snapped. She was obviously upset about something.

"Yeah, I uh…." Sam stumbled over her own words. Now what'd I do? Her mind raced in panicked thought.

"What did you say and to whom did you say it?" Tina asked slowly and precisely as she stood erect, spreading her legs a bit and putting her balled fists on her hips. If her hair were longer and red in colour, she would have looked like Asuka in the anime series Evangelion.

"Huh?" Sam said, feigning bewilderment and praying it wasn't what she thought it was. Oh shit! It couldn't have gotten around the school this fast, could it?

"After fifth period," Tina said slowly, in a sweet conversational tone as she deliberately unlocked the door to the car with the remote in punctuation to her words, "Kelly asked me why I didn't tell her I was living with you." Her voice had that syrupy sweet quality that said RUN or DIE! "Why would Kelly ask me that question, Sam?" Tina asked sweetly as she turned and walked purposefully to the driver's door.

"It slipped, Tee. Honest," Sam pleaded as she went to the passenger door.

It was comical if you thought about it. It was the consummate, complete and utter role reversal. Tina, the aggrieved girl, and Sam, the loose-lipped, thoughtless boy. Tina opened her door and sat primly behind the wheel. She pulled the door closed as she swung her legs inside. She straightened her skirt while she waited for Sam to get in. As soon as Sam closed her door, Tina resumed. "She said Barb Coleman told her that she heard that we were living together from Tad Williams!"

"Who?" Sam squeaked out.

"Barb Coleman? The editor of the school paper? You know, Miss Front Lip herself?!? And Tad Williams, her boyfriend, who just happens to be the Tight End on the football team?!? Who'd you tell Sam?!?" She'd finally started to yell.

"Rob Farnsby," Sam said in a tiny voice.

"The centre for the football team?!?" Tina fairly screeched at her. "Please tell me it wasn't him!"

"I'm sorry," Sam moaned in abject shame.

"Oh this is just ducky! I don't BELIEVE this!"

"What? Look Tee, I'm sorry. It wasn't intentional," Sam knew she'd misspoken when she spoke with Farnsby, but she couldn't understand why Tina was so upset. Sure, there were bound to be rumours but it couldn't be that bad.

"Now I'm going to have every player on the football team, hitting on me!" Tina all but screamed.

"You'd 've had that anyway," Sam said, almost pleading.

"Yeah, I know," Tina said sarcastically, "but now they think I put out!" she spat.

"Huh?" Sam blurted, lost with where Tina was going. She didn't quite see the female logic of Tina's thought processes.

"Look," Tina said, near tears, "you know that just because I live with you doesn't mean I put out…but the entire football team? Sam, those guys don't have a whole brain cell between them, and they keep trying to bash the half of the one they do have into submission!" Sam started to laugh at Tina's description of the football team. Truth be told, Tina wasn't too far off the mark.

"IT'S NOT FUNNY!" Tina all but screamed in misery. There were tears in her eyes. She wiped furiously at them with the back of her hand.

"I know, Tee, I'm sorry," San croaked. "But your description…."

Tina stopped and thought about it for a second. Then she saw the humour of it and they both sat there and started to laugh. "I'm sorry I yelled at you Sam, but…." Tina said contritely. She was finally cooling off.

"It's okay; I deserved it, I guess. Look, Tee, it just slipped out. I mean, he was saying that the team was placing bets as to whether or not you're a screamer and I just got really ticked off and…."

"Already?" Tina asked in a small voice. Sam nodded her head. "It doesn't matter then." Tina said flatly, her voice a study in resignation.

"What-a-y' mean?" Sam asked. What the hell is she talking about? Her mind didn't seem capable of grasping Tina's logic.

"If they're placing bets on whether or not I'm a screamer, it won't matter what anyone says. As far as they're concerned, I do, and no-one's going to change it."

"O-ohh shit," Sam said flatly.

"Yeah," Tina said weakly.

"I got more good news for you," Sam said, almost afraid to broach the subject.

"What?" Tina asked, looking like she was ready to cry again.

"We'd better get a move on, or you're gonna be late. Mom's at home waiting for you. Remember?"

"Shit!" Tina said the word slowly and with feeling, precisely enunciating each sound.

"Yeah."

****************************

Continued in Part-27

 

"Midnight Downloads" can be found at the following wonderful sites:
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Thank you Kim & Piper.
Please visit them to read other delightful stories that you cannot find at Crystal’s StorySite.

  

  

  

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