What a week! The board has been really getting on my back, pushing for results. Don't they know you can't rush genius?

The potential for my new process is huge! But so are the risks of industrial espionage. The company had already lost a major project to a competitor, but we just couldn't prove it.

To keep this one secret we took the unusual step of setting up a lab in my shed.

(I have a big shed, what can I say?)

And by not being connected to the company's mainframe it stops any possible leaks from there too.

Aaand, as tweaking human DNA is still in a 'slightly' grey ethical area it just seemed to be the most sensible solution to keep the whole process off the books (as they say). Which also meant that for the different DNA samples I need for testing, I could only use the three available sources I had. My own, my wife Judith's, and my daughter Hanna's.

But the risks were worth it. My DNA Gene-Splice technology was going to revolutionise medicine! And anyway, it wasn't that dangerous.

Except....

My lab was now a charred mess! The explosion had blown the side out of the maturation chamber, saturating my body with a nucleonic charge. (I could explain the science but I would then have to shoot you.)

This would have been bad enough, but the force had thrown my body against one of the vats of DNA solution and shattered it! If I had hit the one with my DNA solution in it, nothing much would have happened (probably... I think?) But by chance it was Hanna's I got drenched with.

Of course, I wasn't aware of any of this at the time. I was out cold!

I don't know how long I had been laying there in the pool of DNA solution, but as I started to come around, every part of me was aching. And I do mean every part of me! From my toenails to my eyebrows.

Imagine the worse flu you ever had... this was worse!

My skin started tingling like I was being stung all over by tiny insects. And then came the itching. It started with my arms and chest. I couldn't help but scratch. But the more I scratched the worse the itching got. Everywhere there was a hair follicle there was this maddening itch! As I scratched I could see hair being pulled out as I raked my nails over my body trying to quell the itch! But the itch on my head was even worse, only this time I could feel the hair actually getting longer.

It was driving me insane! Without even thinking I was pulling off my clothes so I could scratch. Then as the itching finally started to ease I realised I was standing there butt naked and hairless. Well, apart from a tiny tuft where my pubes used to be and the top of my head... which still seems to be growing!

Without warning I came over incredibly nauseous, and a wave of pain in my lower abdomen made me keel over and drop to my knees. It actually felt like someone was kneading my insides like dough!

Then the pain spread to my muscles, all of them! I could feel each and every one of my muscles contracting and going into spasm!

I didn't think I could take anymore but then my very bones cried out in agony! I could actually feel them reshaping themselves. Every bone in my body was adding to this torture! My pelvis felt like it was being stretched and pulled apart, and my shoulders and chest seemed to be crushing me! By now the pain was intolerable.

In agony I just lay in a foetal ball and mercifully I drifted off into unconsciousness.

After... I don't know how long... I awoke. The worse of the pain had subsided and somehow I managed to sit myself up. Everything felt out of whack.
I put my hands to my face and I couldn't believe how smooth and sensitive my skin now felt. My nose seemed smaller and I could feel that my jaw had a much softer profile. Then I noticed my hair, It was half was down my back and it was blonde!

The unthinkable, but with hindsight rather obvious, finally occurred to me. Female? Am I becoming a woman? That's impossible! As I was mulling over this crazy idea I became very aware of my nipples. I could feel something was happening and as I looked down I could see they were growing and taking on a more feminine form, with small breasts beginning to bud beneath them.

With all that had been going on I hadn't really noticed that the nausea I had felt earlier had eased. I got a painful twinge low down in my abdomen, and as I ran my hand over my stomach I noticed I now had a subtle but obviously feminine bulge low down on my belly. It didn't take a biologist to work out what was developing behind it. I also couldn't ignore that my manhood had shrunk to that of a pre-pubescent boy... taking a cold shower.

I was giving this latest development my full attention, when with a deep-in-my-bones ache, my pelvis finally settled into its new position accentuating an already distinctly feminine curve to my back. At the same time I got a terrible cramp behind my toes and as I looked down and could see I now had two cute little feminine feet.

Then the thing I had been dreading began. There was a tingling at the base of my manhood that started to spread. I tried to hold onto it in my now dainty hands when I felt a tightening, and with a strong pulling sensation, what was left of what defined me as a man slipped through my fingers and disappeared. Almost straight away I felt a tightening again. Thankfully by now there was no pain, just a curious sensation as my neither regions finished reforming to their new feminine layout.

And then... it was all over.

In a total daze I managed to stagger to my feet so I could get a better idea of what had happened to me. I would guess I had lost six, maybe seven inches in height, and there was now no denying that as I looked at my body, it was female!

I stood there leaning against a table, suddenly feeling very aware that I am naked and rather cold. Out of the corner of my eye I thought I noticed movement, as I turned to look I realised it was a mirror. And staring back at me was my daughter!

I passed out...

It was later that evening when Judith and Hanna came home. They came out to the lab to see why I wasn't in the house waiting for them. And that's when they found me, fast asleep, and stark naked on the lab floor.

I woke up looking straight into Hanna's face... She didn't look happy.

With the obvious evidence of a wrecked lab it didn't take too long to convince them that I really was their husband and father.

Wrapping a coat around my shoulders, the three of us went back to the house. Practical as ever, Judith sent Hanna upstairs to get some clothes for me to wear. Which also gave us a few minutes to talk. We straight away phoned the office to let them know there had been an accident. And once Judith had calmed down and stopped telling me what an idiot I had been, we both got rather scared as we realised how close to disaster we nearly came.

The cleanup team from the company didn't take long to arrive and their main focus seemed to be finding me. At first I thought it was out of concern for my wellbeing, but having been so obsessive about security for all this time I didn't immediately own up to who I actually was. That was probably the most sensible decision I had made all day.

By their questions it soon became clear that they were convinced that with the destruction of my lab and my subsequent "disappearance", I was the mole! Apparently they already had their suspicions and this had just proved it!

They shut Hanna and I in the living room and began interrogating Judith in the kitchen. I couldn't hear exactly what was being said, but they were really giving Judith a hard time. I kept banging on the door trying to get someone's attention but to no avail.

After what seemed an eternity the house went silent. The men had gone, and trying the door handle again it was now unlocked. Hanna and I went into the kitchen and saw Judith sitting there, and although she was obviously very shaken she seemed ok. "They are convinced that you are the spy and as far as they are concerned you now are a proven saboteur too. The police have issued an arrest warrant and they are talking 20 years if they catch you!"

We sat there is silence as reality started to sink in. That moment's inattention has wrecked everything! My life's work, my family... ME! And if I am ever discovered, I will spend the rest of my life in prison. Or worse, a laboratory specimen as they try to work out what has happened to me.

After Hanna went to bed, Judith and I tried to work out our options. Which it turns out, aren't many.

Although we do have reasonable savings, with my income stopped and no prospect of more, it won't last indefinitely. With all the equipment and data destroyed there clearly was now no hope of being able to reverse the procedure. And starting again is in the realms of fantasy.

Exhausted we decided to go to bed. Without thinking I made my way to our bedroom. But as I entered, the look on Judith's face made me stop dead.

"Love, I can't do this," she said. " I know it's my husband in there, but you look and sound exactly like our daughter, and... well... you understand don't you?"

My heart broke, but I did understand. How could I expect her to share her bed with a young girl that is the image of her daughter? So I went downstairs and made up a bed on the sofa. As I lay there, I don't think I have ever felt so alone. Eventually, somehow, I did finally manage to get to sleep.

I woke up feeling stiff and exhausted. This sofa is awful to sleep on! Obviously I need my own bedroom now, so I spent most of the day trying to organise the spare room. But in truth I was also using it as an excuse to keep out of the way. The full impact of the accident was catching up with me and I was feeling overwhelmed by my emotions. I spent most of the day alternating between feeling angry, scared and depressed, and there was lots and lots of crying.

Hanna just spent the day complaining about anything and everything. I couldn't work out why she was behaving this way. But then the penny dropped, not only had Hanna gone from being an only child to having a twin sister thrust upon her, she had effectively lost her father too.

I tried to talk to her, but it seemed that whatever I said just came out wrong and all I succeeded in doing was making things even worse. Needless to say, it has been a very depressing day.

The next morning, I took the fastest shower I ever had. Looking like my own daughter is just too much to get my head around, and all I wanted to do was get it over with as quickly as possible and put some clothes back on. But I will admit that once I was done I did feel better for it and my head was a little clearer too.

Taking a deep breath... it was my fault we were in this mess and I should start taking responsibility for that. Time I started building bridges. A good start I thought was to get breakfast on the go.

A great idea... but one that turned out a little harder than expected. Actually knowing how to cook would probably have helped. I am a scientist, not a chef (how long do you boil eggs for anyway?).

But what made a difficult job much harder was that I had no strength, I couldn't reach anything and I couldn't believe how clumsy I was. By the time they came down for breakfast, the kitchen was a mess and so was I. And I still didn't have anything edible on the table.

Judith tried to be kind, but Hanna just got into a huff and started complaining again. Which seemed to trigger something in my brain and I started giving back as good as she gave me! Then she stomped off muttering something that sounded like, "I didn't want a stupid sister anyway".

This wasn't going so well.

But the other part of my plan was a day in London, shopping. Now for two fashion conscious women, surely that's bound to work? I explained my idea to Judith and she went and brought Hanna back.

Hanna sat there with a scowl on her face and her arms tightly crossed. Just looking at her I could feel myself start to come to the boil and very quickly we were going at each other again. Looking pleadingly at Judith, "All I am trying to do is be nice but Hanna is just being so mean and nasty to me!"

Judith had just about run out of patience and shouted, "Enough! Now the two of you sit down and stop behaving like nine year olds! Now I know this is strange for both of you, but this is the situation we are in. We are still family, don't forget that!" In perfect unison, and looking rather sheepish we both nodded our heads.

I looked to Hanna and put my hand on hers and said, "I am sorry, I didn't mean to say all those things. I am just trying so hard, but I can't seem to get anything right.... and... (looking down)... I am scared".

Hanna looked at me and gave me a weak smile, and was just about to say something when Judith said, "We need to get a different focus so we are going into London for the day, go upstairs and get yourself ready. Hanna, your father has a lot to learn, why don't the two of you get ready together? We have all day, so take your time."

Which is how I found myself in Hanna's room, feeling very embarrassed dressed only in some girlie underwear, and with Hanna sniggering at me.

"Hanna, this isn't funny!"

Hanna looked at me grinning and giggled, "I'm sorry, I just never thought I'd be teaching my dad about his first bra."

Then with a worrying smirk on her face, "Hey, I've just thought of something."

Hanna rummaged through her makeup draw, and started comparing various colours of lipsticks and foundations to my face. "I just thought it would be fun if I made you up a bit. You know, a little bit of makeup, a nice hairdo, one of my prettier outfits..."

"No! I'm not letting you turn me into you own personal dress up doll, I don't want all the makeup and fancy hair styling you girls get up to."

With a mock look of shock and horror, Hanna put a hand on her chest. "You girls? Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?"

I sighed in defeat. "Okay, but just a touch of makeup please? Not the layers you put on. "And don't do anything extreme with the hair either."

Later....

"I... hate... you... so... much... right... now..." I grumbled.

"Okay, so it's a bit too much," as she shrugged her shoulders. "So sue me."

"I'd like to do more than sue you," I muttered under my breath as I looked at myself in the mirror.

"Oh quit complaining." she said. "We are only playing dress-up, I don't expect you to go out like that".

We then went back to spending what seemed like hours trying on almost every outfit in her wardrobe. But eventually Hanna seemed satisfied.

It was only as we were making our way downstairs it occurred to me that Hanna was starting to treat me as her sister (I also didn't realise how much I was starting to behave like one). There was a deep pang of sadness as I realised what that meant, but I also knew logically that this was a good thing. And it's something I was going to have to come to terms with too.

Then with barely a pause in our stride we headed off to London. It felt surreal. Being 'one of the girls' was proving to be a very strange experience. The way people were treating me was so very different, but what surprised me most was how Judith and Hanna were relating to me. It's hard to put my finger on it, but they just seemed more open somehow.

We were starting to get hungry and found ourselves a nice little restaurant. My first reaction was to order a big juicy steak, but as I started to think about it I was surprised when I began to get quite nauseous about the idea of actually eating it. Hanna had been a vegetarian for some years, I am beginning to wonder how much of Hanna I have really got?

Having finally ordered something that didn't turn my stomach, Judith asked if I had thought of a new name for myself yet? It was something I had been trying hard to avoid. Considering how I look I realise this sounds ridiculous, but somehow choosing a female name was acknowledging that this was actually real.

Taking a deep breath, "Hanna and I have been talking. Remember when we were expecting Hanna and we thought about Hanna Marie-Claire? But in the end we agreed on just Hanna. Marie-Claire seems a bit much, so how about just Claire?" The smile on Judith's face confirmed my idea... So Claire it is.

It was quite late when we got back and I was knackered! I made my way up to my room with the intention of getting changed and coming back down again to talk to Judith. I had managed to strip myself down to bra and knickers, and put my head on the pillow just for a moment. I didn't even notice when I fell asleep.

I was slowly awoken by what felt like someone fondling my right buttock. I was just about to get annoyed when I looked over my shoulder and saw our cat rhythmically kneading my bottom and purring.

I smiled and reached down to stroke Tink (don't ask me, naming the cat was Hanna's idea), and completely without warning I started to cry. I scooped her up in my arms and fussed over her, she continued to purr as tears ran down my face. It was then I realised that since the accident I hadn't been hugged or cuddled and until that moment I didn't realise just how much I needed to be.

A little later Hanna poked her head around the door. "Come on, are you getting up or what?"

I was still feeling rather weepy and said, "Just leave me alone, ok?"

Hanna seemed oblivious to how I was feeling. "Oh stop moping, you can't stay in bed all day."

I couldn't decide whether to get angry or cry, "Anyway, what do you want, I am tired."

With a little smirk on Hanna's face, "Nothing. I just feel like dressing you up."

Starting to feel annoyed, "What? Again? Didn't you have enough of that yesterday?"

Hanna sighed, "Just come to my room. Okay?"

Not having the energy to argue, I sighed, and having slipped on a bathrobe I followed her to her room. As I sat there on her bed she started rummaging through her closet and draws pulling out different items of clothing.

Hanna looked back at me. "Why are you just sitting there?"

"Because I don't know what you want me to do?"

"You could try having a shower?"

I started to shift nervously, still vividly remembering my experience from yesterday. "Umm.. couldn't I just skip that part?"

Hanna went back to what she was doing. "Look, as much as I want to try out a new look for you, I don't want you getting my clothes all stinky. Well, don't just sit there, get going. You do know how to have a shower don't you?"

(Feeling a little indignant at the way this was going. But also, really not wanting to have this conversation with my own daughter who's body I now have a duplicate of.)

"Of course I have! It's just that... uhh... how can I put this?... up until a couple of days ago I had an outie, not an inie, and, umm (putting my hands on my chest), not these".

Hanna looked at me, "Sorry, I guess I kind of forgot about that. Looking the way you do it is hard to remember that it's my dad in there, I suppose this is a lot for you to get used to and there is no need to rush anything. Why don't you run a bath instead, put in some oils and some bubbles and it will help you relax. You are just too tense, try and chill out a bit, it's not that different really."

She slowly walked over to me and just as it looked like she was going to give me a much needed hug, then she deftly spun me out of my robe and slipped off my bra!

I stood there in just in my knickers and in shock!

"Now go and have a bath." As she bundled me into the bathroom.

"You're a horrible sister!" I shouted from behind the bathroom door.

For about five minutes, I lay motionless in the water. Then I finally got up the nerve to get on with it. Perhaps Hanna is right, it's not that much different really.

That illusion didn't stay with me for very long....

Shaken out of my reverie, I heard Hanna shout through the door for me to hurry up as her "Besties" were coming over and then we were going to Chesterton Park and we still need to choose our outfits. Apparently Hanna had already cleared it with Judith that we could have a girls day out, so there was no getting out of it.

What I didn't know was that Hanna had spoken to them about what had happened to me. Although they didn't believe her at first, they did know I got up to some weird stuff in my lab. Somehow she managed to convince them that her dad was now Claire and is stuck as her twin. And having sworn them to secrecy, between them they have to help Claire to learn how to be a girl.

The day was a blur. We went on ride after ride, the energy and exuberance of the girls seemed inexhaustible and I couldn't help but get swept along with it.
Even when I was young I was rather studious and this really was all new to me. They were just in love with life, and it was surprisingly infectious.

The train ride home was fun too. We were all talking excitedly (and perhaps a little too loudly) about the day and it didn't occur to me that I was just as animated as the others. We were almost back home when Diane suggested having a slumber party. It was quickly decided to have it at our house, as Hanna had the biggest bedroom. Karen said what a great idea it was and Hanna was all for it too. She loved being with her friends and was enjoying showing off her new sister and didn't want the day to end so quickly.

I however was rather more concerned. I may be a girl on the outside now, but inside (somewhere) I am still a grown man. I will admit that today has been a lot more fun than I had expected but I really didn't think I could cope with a girls slumber party. But Karen and Diane just kept pushing me, and finally after seeing the pleading look on Hanna's face, I relented.

As soon as we got home Hanna disappeared off to her room to get ready. I sat on my bed feeling nervous about the evening to come. I wasn't really sure what I should be doing. But, I suppose I have got to start somewhere, and the messy state of my hair was very obvious, so that seemed to be a good place to start. As I sat down and began sorting my hair I looked at myself in the mirror, "Never in my life would I ever thought I'd be doing this." But then I allowed myself a smile, it had been a fun day, and perhaps with Hanna's help it will be ok.

Just as I was finishing, I heard the doorbell. As I got up to greet Diane and Karen I thought that if I can just relax and go with the flow this might not actually be so bad. Her friends have been good company all day and I have seen another side to Hanna that I have never really had a chance to get to know before. And whether I like it or not, this is my life now. Better to embrace it than fight it.

Taking a deep breath I made my way down the stairs. Diane and Karen were already coming in, each carrying a huge backpack that was bursting at the seams. As they noticed me coming down the stairs Diane looked up and shaking her head said, "What on earth do you look like?" Then with a mischievous grin, "How about we give Claire a makeover?"

I looked at Hanna and Karen who both grinned widely at the suggestion. I really wasn't sure about this. "Come on Claire, it'll be fun, it really will." Hanna then leant in and whispered in my ear, "Pleeeese, it will be fun, I promise".

I realised I wasn't going to win this one so just gave in. Struggling with the oversize bags we all went upstairs. Diane pulled me into my room and quickly gathered up what makeup I had, and then we went back to Hanna's room.

"Where are your pyjamas, you can't stay in that thing all evening?" Diane asked.

Feeling increasingly out of my depth, "Umm, I wasn't sure what to wear".

Diane took me by the hand. "Let's go see what we can find," and before I could say anything she spun me around and lead me back to my room.

After Diane and I had left, Karen sat down next to Hanna and gave her a nudge. "So how are you handling all this?"

Hanna looked down at her feet and a wave of sadness almost engulfed her and she had to choke back the tears. "It's really tough, you know? I do like having a sister, but I really miss my dad. I know he is in there somewhere and sometimes I can almost see him, but he is not really my dad anymore is he?"

Karen put her arm around Hanna and hugged her, which broke through the control Hanna had been trying to keep. And quietly she wept.

In my bedroom with Diane, I was oblivious to all this. She sat me down on the bed and looked at me. "Right, lets see what we have to work with" as Diane started rummaging through the dresser. There seemed to be a blizzard of clothes as item after item was pulled out. I lost count of how many different variations we went through before Diane was happy.

As she took hold of my hand again and lead me back to the others, I glanced at my room that now looked like a tornado had been through it. When we got back to Hanna's room, they had obviously been busy too, with clothes scattered far and wide. (What is it with girls and throwing their clothes everywhere?)

I went to sit down on the side of the bed when Diane immediately pulled me back onto my feet, "Oh no. That's not where you're sitting." And led me over to Hanna's vanity, and sat me down. Like surgeons preparing for an operation, the girls opened up their makeup kits, and with broad grins went to work on me.

As they beavered away they were explaining what they were doing and why. Feeling like a practice mannequin I lost count of how many times they styled my hair, and put on and took off makeup.

By the time they had finished I felt like I had been given a crash course in makeup and hairstyling. There was no denying the girls were thoroughly enjoying my embarrassment and putting me through all this. But although I was trying hard to deny it to myself, it was actually fun being in the middle of all this attention.

Then finally they were done, and as they all stood back Karen said, "I'm soooo jealous". As they turned around the full-length mirror Diane and Hanna nodded too. They all agreed... I was gorgeous!

I looked at myself and mouthed "wow". I have always known Hanna was beautiful, she is my daughter after all. But standing there in front of the mirror I couldn't quite believe that the beauty looking back was me.

We spent the rest of the evening working on each other. But eventually the girls were getting tired and we took the makeup off for the final time and we got ourselves ready for bed. By now I was really drained, it had been an emotionally, as well as physically exhausting day.

I was woken up by the girls having their breakfast in the kitchen (they really are a noisy lot). I rolled over for just five more minutes and then made my way downstairs. As I walked into the kitchen, "We're going to the mall. Did you want come with us?"

"Sure" I said, (still feeling a little of the buzz from yesterday). Hanna smiled and gave me a big hug. "Welcome to the gang sis".

We spent the better part of the day at the mall. I was surprised how easily I got into the spirit of things, going into every shop, buying far too many new outfits and accessories.

Eventually we found ourselves near the food court where they were doing a Karaoke competition. It was a full-on professional setup being run by the BBC to spot talent for an up coming show.

Diane wanted to enter but said she needed backing singers, and with a wicked grin, what could possibly be better than a pair of twins! I did everything I could to get out of it, the one thing I didn't want at the moment was publicity. But Hanna loves these show's and her mind was set.

Against my better judgment and with growing embarrassment I agreed. It was then I saw that we had to wear costumes as well and I just wanted to ground to open up and swallow me!

The weird thing is, once we got up on stage I actually found I started enjoying myself. We even managed to get to the semi-finals before we got knocked out. But in the end that didn't really seem to matter, it was just about spending time together and having fun.

But eventually we knew it was time to go home. We decided to catch a taxi, and after dropping off Karen and Diane we were soon back home. Struggling with our bags and giggling like schoolgirls we got to the front door. As we walked into the kitchen still giggling and chatting about the day, we found Judith sitting at the table looking serious.

"Hi Mum." We both said in unison.

It was the look on Judith's face that made me stop in my tracks! I called her Mum and not Judith!

In a state of shock I turned and ran up to my bedroom and buried my face into the pillows and started sobbing.

Judith had spent most of the day thinking, and that slip seemed to confirm what she was suspecting. She realised it was going to be down to her to start making decisions now.

A little while later Judith came into my room. She sat on the bed and stroking my hair said, "I know this has been tough and I can't imagine what you are going through. But we will do this as a family. We need to have a family discussion."

Taking my hand, Judith lead me into Hanna's room. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like what was coming and I needed Hanna next to me, so I quickly jumped onto the bed next to her.

Taking a deep breath, Judith said, "Look, this whole situation has been tough on all of us. But whether we like it or not, this is the reality now. Things obviously can't stay the way they are and we are going to have to start making some difficult decisions."

It seems she had been thinking about this a lot.

Judith then started to work her way through a list of the things that were going to have to change. I could see the sense in a lot of what she was saying, but each time I tried to say something the look on Judith's face made it clear that I was expected to listen, not speak. Things have definitely changed in this relationship!

I was starting to get annoyed and wasn't really paying attention to what Judith was saying and was looking for a chance to butt in. But she took the words right out of my mouth when she said "..... and without an income we will get through our savings pretty quickly. So I will have to get a job to support us (and after an uncomfortable pause) I have also put the house on the market. We are moving."

I sat there is stunned silence.

Hanna wasn't silent. "No way, we can't move! All my friends are here, I am already enrolled at the local college. We can't move!"

Hanna's outburst seemed to shake me out of my daze and I started to argue with Judith. At least I tried to...

With a stern voice and a look previously reserved for Hanna, Judith looked straight at me, "I'm sorry, but Claire, you have to realise that I am the adult in this family now and my decision is final. You know we can't afford to stay here. And with Hanna starting college next month, if we are going to move it will have to be quickly before term starts".

There was little doubt that she was serious and the decision was already made.

"And another thing. Claire, you are going to have to enrol into college with Hanna."

I was stunned into silence. But deep down I knew that none of my qualifications were of any use to me anymore and I am effectively going to have to start out all over again. But the reality of having to go back to school after over twenty years... and as a girl!

I was a taken aback. But for Hanna, the idea of having to start college... with her father... was the last straw! And she stormed out of the room.

A month later the new family moved into a new house, in a new town, and the twins Hanna and Claire Atkins signed up at their new college. With Judith's experience she was able to get an admin job almost straight away. The wages weren't great but it was enough to make ends meet while they got themselves sorted.

Judith did her best to keep life as normal as possible and it wasn't long before the family settled into a new routine. That didn't mean it was always peaceful. Hanna and Claire had certainly learned how to push each others buttons. But Judith could also see that slowly developing was a closeness natural twins have between them.

The day I had been dreading had finally arrived. Muttering to myself, "I wonder if she is doing this deliberately?" I couldn't believe that Judith had managed to find one of the few Colleges that still insisted on a formal uniform!

Judith said how adorable we both looked and insisted on taking a photo, or two, or three or four.....

I was cringing with embarrassment so much that my toes had curled up in my shoes!

Eventually Judith relented, and although I was trying to find every excuse I could think of to get out of going, Judith wasn't having any of it. And Hanna just wanted to get moving. So with a peck on the cheek from Judith I found myself on the way to my first day back at college and the start of a new life.

It does show how adaptable the human mind can be and it didn't take long and we all settled into our new routines. Although I still find the ups and downs of female emotions difficult to deal with and very distracting, college life is a breeze, academically at least.

Which of course irritates Hanna like crazy, though she copes with the social side of things far better than I do. I may have come to terms with being female but the subtleties of living as a girl still don't come naturally to me.

It's been about six months since we moved. We were watching some TV together, as we often do now. It was one of those talent shows that Hanna and Judith seem to really get into. (I couldn't stand them before, though between you and me I don't mind them now. Not that I would actually admit to that of course!) I don't know what sparked the thought, but as we watched the programme together I realised that we were happy.

I know I wasn't a bad father and husband, but I find myself wondering now if I could have been a much better one? One thing I do know, we are still a family. There was a time when I genuinely thought I was loosing myself. But with Hanna and Judith's support I have been able to reconcile my male past and my female future. I am still me, but with a lighter spirit somehow. They have been amazing and I truly love them with all my heart.

Then one day, Hanna and I were coming home and we noticed a strange car parked on the driveway. As we opened the front door we could hear voices. Judith was talking to a man in the kitchen. By the tone we could tell it was a serious conversation. But as we entered the kitchen the conversation suddenly stopped and we all stood there looking at each other.

Judith broke the awkward silence. "This is Tony, Tony Masters, he has been working with the same company your father did."

Hanna looked at me in shock. My blood ran cold!

Tony spoke up, "If I may? I am a Patent Trader. I buy and sell old patents, archived research and defunct projects. I recently purchased a job lot from your father's old company which included the project your father had been working on. Unfortunately, all I could find were fragments, as most of the data was stored on the main computer within the lab which was destroyed in the explosion."

"But even the fragments I saw intrigued me and I was determined to see if I could uncover more. It was when I was sorting through the wreckage from the old lab that I noticed a wireless data node. For security reasons, I knew the company would never use wireless communications on any of their systems so my suspicions were immediately raised."

My heart sank. I kept silent, but I could see where this was going. It wasn't enough to write off all my work and blame me, they are going to actually frame me for espionage! As the blood drained from my face my legs started trembling and I slid down the wall and crumpled onto the floor.

Judith and Hanna dashed over to me and helped me to a chair. I took a deep breath and in an attempt to hide my growing panic I said, "I am sorry, I skipped lunch today and I am just a little light headed."

Tony gave me a quizzical look. "As I was saying, I was able to re-activate the node and it still had an active connection. I traced it to a receiver which had been buried when the site was cleared. Whoever put it there must have assumed it had been lost and hadn't recovered it. It turns out it held a copy of the entire project database."

My heart was pounding in my chest! Here is comes... I held my breath as I waited for the knock at the door and for them to come and take me away!

Tony now looked straight at me. "Which included a video stream of the day of the explosion."

Too scared to even breath, I waited for my world to fall apart!

"I know who you are Claire."

I passed out!

When I came to, I was laying on the sofa and could see everybody chatting quietly over a cup of tea.

My head was spinning. What was going on? The secret is out. Why is everybody so calm? Don't they realise how bad this is?

Judith offered me a cup, "Here you go dear, drink this and you will soon feel better".

Tony cleared his throat, "Now you are back with us, as I was saying, I know everything that happened in your lab and who you really are Claire."

That feeling of dread swept over me again, I looked to Judith for some clue but all she did was smile calmly at me. What is going on?

"I have a client, more a benefactor really. Who will on occasion invest in the more unusual projects I find. Projects like yours in fact. I have come to see you to make you an offer. Would you be interested in heading a team to complete the work you started?"

I was dumbfounded! "What?"

"You would be heading a fully funded team to develop and realise the potential of the project you began. You said in your notes that your work has the potential to revolutionise medicine. The fact of you sitting there as you are now is testament to the effectiveness of the process."

I just sat there in shocked silence looking at him.

"Your experience and insights would be invaluable. You will be at full salary and we will resettle you and your family, at our expense of course."

I looked wide eyed at Judith, who just smiled and gave a little nod.

My voice was so tight it was barely more than a squeak "o.. k.."

Judith and Hanna beamed. They jumped up and smothered me in a huge hug!

Tony gave a little cough. "You may be interested to know that the team have already been investigating the cause of the explosion and your transformation. They don't think it will be possible to change you back to how you were as none of your original DNA survived. But with careful matching, it may be possible to give you back a male body."

WHAT?

My mind was racing!

For my own sanity, from the moment I realised there was no way I could reverse the accident I have tried to accept this as who I am now. There were times I truly thought I was loosing my mind, but I finally managed to make peace with my new myself. Now there is a chance to be a man again?

REALLY?

Tony noticed my hesitation, "Assuming you want to that is?"

I tried to answer but the words just stuck in my throat.

"I"

"I"

"Uhh..."

And there we sat...

In awkward silence...

With three expectant faces looking at me waiting for my answer....

But then I started remembering these last months. We were a close family before, but we have become closer than I ever believed was possible.
I look at Hanna, my beautiful daughter. Who loved me as her father, and then with an open heart embraced me as her sister.

I see Judith, my loving wife for over 20 years. My best friend, who I have literally trusted with my life, always knowing I was safe.

And as I look into their eyes I smiled and knew that whatever choice we would finally make, we would make it together as a family.