by Saless
Chapter 80

They sat back and watched the game after that. Erica gave Mike a run for his money, much to Jill and Sarah's surprise, but he still won. "Well, it looks like it's time to go." Mike said when he looked at the clock. Sarah reluctantly got up when Erica prodded her and they headed out to Sarah's car. Tiffany remembered at the last minute to hide and wait until they were all out before letting herself out as she would have if she hadn't revealed herself to them.

Once outside she hurried to her car and followed them as discreetly as she could. Sarah had given her directions, of course, but she had to seem like she didn't know where she was going.

It was a long drive and Sarah's fears only grew as they approached her childhood home. Erica held her in the backseat while Vash purred away in her lap and she eventually fell asleep. Erica was reluctant to wake her when they arrived and waited until the others were all out of the car before doing so. "We're here honey, time to get up." she said softly when Sarah opened her eyes.

Sarah groaned, but got up and climbed reluctantly out of the car. She held Erica's hand tightly as they walked up to the door. Mike knocked and Sarah's mother answered the door. "Hi Mike, how are you? Come on in!" she said cheerfully. She stood back and watched as they all walked in and then frowned when she didn't see Sean. "Where's Sean?"

"Uh, I'm right here Mom." Sarah said weakly. Erica gave her hand a squeeze and sent all the encouragement and love she could through their bond. She seemed to straighten up a bit at that.

Sarah's mother frowned and took a closer look at Sarah. "You do look kind of like Sean, but you're not him! Now quit playing around and tell me where my son is!" she demanded, anger creeping into her voice.

Erica sighed, "She's telling the truth, she really is Sean. Though she goes by Sarah now."

"She's always felt like a girl, Mrs. Kinsley. This really is your daughter." Jill said.

Sarah was cringing away from her mother, expecting an attack at any moment. "That can't be Sean, can it?" her mother said in disbelief. She looked more closely at her and dropped onto the couch. "Is that really you?" she asked in confusion.

"Uh, yeah, Mom. It's me." Sarah said. She was also confused, as her mother didn't seem the least bit antagonistic. Confused, but not angry at all!

"You look so similar, and yet so different. How did this happen?" Sarah's mother asked.

Following their plan, Jill outlined what's involved in transitioning, even though Sarah went through none of it. "And you really felt like a girl all your life?" she asked.

They all exchanged confused glances. "I wouldn't have thought this would come as a surprise, considering how you reacted before." Erica said with ill concealed anger.

Mrs. Kinsley looked confused and said, "Reacted before? What are you talking about? Sean's never told me he felt like a girl before."

"What about the time you nearly strangled her because she was wearing some of your old clothes?" Erica growled.

"What?! I never did that!" Mrs. Kinsley exclaimed in shock.

"Oh come on!" Erica exclaimed angrily. "We know you did! Sarah has a very clear memory of it, along with you threatening to have her father rape her if she ever wore female clothes again!"

"She WHAT?!" Mr. Kinsley roared as he entered the room. "I would never do that!"

Erica snorted, "Yeah, right! Like we're going to believe that after you beat her for years!"

Mrs. Kinsley looked even more shocked and confused at that. "What are they talking about George?" she asked.

"It's nothing Mary." He replied negligently. "I'm more concerned with where Sean is? I thought he was coming today, not just his friends."

"I'm right here Dad." Sarah said weakly.

He snorted, "You're several inches shorter than Sean, it's impossible for you to be him! Now where is he?"

Sarah groaned, for some reason she hadn't even considered the possibility that they wouldn't believe she was Sean. "It really is me, Dad. Mom believed me, why don't you?" she asked.

Her father snorted again, "She probably forgot her meds again! It's quite clearly impossible for you to be Sean. Why are you doing this? Is Sean too afraid to face us?"

Sarah slapped her hands over her eyes in irritation. She took several deep breaths and took her hands down and found everyone was staring at her in shock. "What?" she asked, only to stop in shock herself, as her voice was clearly male! She looked down and her clothes were stretched awkwardly in places by her now male body. She "eeped" in surprise and fainted dead away.

"Okay, maybe that was Sean, after all. What in the world's going on here?!" Mr. Kinsley demanded.

Erica ignored him and ran over to Sarah's side. To her surprise, she was distressed to see her as Sean again. I really do prefer her as a girl, I guess. she thought. Mike helped her get Sarah settled on the couch. Sean looked so strange in Sarah's clothes, and Erica knew she'd be very upset when she woke up. She could only hope she could change back at will now, like they'd thought.

"Is anyone going to explain how Sean looked like a girl several inches shorter than him?" Mr. Kinsley asked irritably.

"Magic." Jill said simply as she also checked on Sarah. "Do you think she'll be able to change back?" she asked Erica anxiously.

Erica shrugged, "I sure hope so! Neither of us will be happy if she's stuck like this." Jill looked at her in surprise and then nodded.

"Please tell me what's going on with my son?" Mrs. Kinsley begged, clearly confused by what was going on.

"Why is it that you don't seem to remember finding Sarah in your clothes?" Mike asked Sarah's mother.

"Because I never did!" she replied.

"When was this supposed to have happened?" Mr. Kinsley asked.

"When Sarah was twelve or so." Mike replied.

"Well that explains it, that's before we found out about Mary's condition." Mr. Kinsley said.

"Condition?" Mike said, confused because he couldn't remember ever hearing about Sarah's mother having any kind of condition.

"Sean doesn't know about it. Mary has a medical condition that causes a chemical imbalance in her brain. She was having episodes of extreme emotions and then would forget everything that happened during those episodes. She keeps it under control with medication, she hasn't had an episode in years." Mr. Kinsley replied.

"So, Mrs. Kinsley, how do you feel about Sarah being a girl?" Jill asked, looking at Sarah's mother in a whole new light.

"I just want my son to be happy. But how did he change like that?" she replied.

"Like I said, magic. Marvin's not around Tiffany, go ahead and show yourself." Jill said. A darkened corner of the room suddenly brightened as the shadows melted away and Tiffany stepped out of them.

"Hi, I'm a friend of Sarah's. My name's Tiffany." she said to the startled Kinsleys.

"Uh, hello. How did you do that?" Mrs. Kinsley asked. In answer Tiffany called the shadows back and they surrounded her, leaving nothing visible but a wall of darkness. Then she released them and became visible again.

"Magic, like Jill said. All of us have magical abilities now, thanks to Sarah." Tiffany said.

"Michael, why don't you get my son into some proper clothes." Mr. Kinsley said with a disgusted glance at Sarah.

"She is wearing proper clothes. And when she wakes up I'm sure she'll change back. And you'd better have an apology ready for her when she does." Mike said angrily.

"Apology?! Why should I apologize?" Mr. Kinsley replied.

"Oh, I don't know, how about for terrorizing her? For beating her over and over again?" Mike replied. He was getting red in the face he was so angry, and one of his hands had become a dragon's claw again.

"I was just trying to teach him to be a man. Obviously I failed. Mary, let me know when that has left, I'll be in the back." he said with a dismissive wave at Sarah and left the room.

"Leave him alone for now." Jill said, putting her hand on Mike's shoulder as he looked ready to tear Mr. Kinsley's head off. Both his hands were dragon claws now and metallic scales were appearing all over his arms and face. She projected calm to him and he slowly regained control, changing back to normal as he did.

"Thanks Jill, I don't know what I'd do without you." he said. He dropped into a chair with a sigh.

"Michael?" Mrs. Kinsley said weakly. "Is what you said true? Did my husband really beat my son?"