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As I walked into work the next day, I was surprised to find Howard had not arrived yet. At least his coat was missing from the rack. I hung my jacket next to where his usually was placed and walked closer to our window to the Kangaroos. Inside I could see Leo and Charlotte moving about their enclosure. Even though Leo and Charlotte were a different species of kangaroo from me, it was funny to think that we're still so similar.

Howard came running into the room, panting as he threw his coat onto the ground and started digging through papers on his desk. He found what he was looking for and pulled it from the pile, and he quickly read the page before throwing his head back and groaning.

"Well, Howie, you seem to be in a hurry today." I tried to break the ice.

"Well, it seems Jenna has no clue what species we even have here. Reds and Grays aren't the same things, Jenna." Howard shook his head.

Jenna was the recent administrator who started shortly after I arrived at the zoo. To say she wasn't detail-oriented would be putting it nicely. She had caused issues in multiple areas due to her assumptions and lack of willingness to ask questions - the one thing Howard couldn't stand.

"What did she do this time?" I stepped closer to Howard, trying to peek at the paper.

"Oi, remember that Joey the Tennessee zoo wanted Charlotte to try and foster?" Howard handed the paper to me, "Jenna screwed up and told them Charlotte was a Red, not a Gray. So the Roo is arriving today, but I don't know if Charlotte will even consider raising it."

"What would you do if she rejects it?" I asked, looking at the incorrect paperwork.

Howard held his head in his hands, "Hand raise it, I guess. I don't have the time to deal with raising another joey."

"It'll work out. It always does." I tried to assure Howard, although my knowledge was limited for the most part, even with slowly becoming a kangaroo.

"They will be here in a few hours. Mind helping me clean the place up a bit? Figure at least we can be clean when we explain our administrator is a fool."

We began cleaning up the office/workroom, organizing the shelves of supplies, and having everything carefully placed where it should be. Although this is how it is supposed to be, we tend to leave things where they are more convenient. After we finished organizing, I decided to leave Howard be as he tried to find another zoo to take the joey.

I was lucky to still be able to walk in steps. With my tail growing in and my legs in the early stages of changing, I thought I would have resorted to hopping sooner. The zoo today was slow, with low attendance, and I could find a few guests to talk with and answer basic questions. This was the primary goal of the program I was in, to interact with the public to create a good image for the zoo and increase acceptance of hybrids. But it's still odd to think they pay the half-roo lady to talk about Roos.

I finished speaking with the guests I could find and returned to the office. As I approached the door, three people were leaving the office. One of them was Jenna, who didn't look all too happy. I saw Howard holding a canvas bag, slowly shaking his head.

"What have you got there?" I asked.

"My problem for the next three months, that's what." Howard shuffled the bag around and opened the top, "I wouldn't mind it any other time. Any other time, I would be happy to raise em'. But I haven't got the time with all the current stuff on my plate." As he spoke, a small head poked out of the bag. Howard tilted the bag forward, and the small joey inside crawled out.

"So I take it she wasn't happy then?" I asked Howard as he set the bag on the desk.

"She tried to point the blame, but either way, it means I have to care for it even if I don't have the time," Howard said as he sat hard on his chair.

The joey looked around, confused at the two of us. Slowly it started hopping towards me before Howard grabbed the canvas bag and held it open. The joey quickly ran to it and climbed inside, head first.

"He's just a few days over six months old, and reds usually quit pouching a few months later. So until then, he's my little responsibility." Howard sat the bag on the desk with the joey inside. "For the most part, it's just going to be feeding when he comes out, at least for a little while."

That shouldn't be too difficult. However, I have more free time than Howard so. "I could help you with him, I don't have much to do, and I could easily take the load from you."

Howard looked up as if I had given him the most fantastic news this week. "If you don't mind, I mean, if it's not too much trouble."

"I'm part Roo myself. I should be able to figure it out." I laughed, shrugging my shoulders.

"Awesome! How about I grab us lunch, and you keep an eye on him?" Howard said as he stood up from the desk. "It'll be like a little trial, right?"

"Sounds good to me." I chuckled. Howard walked over and wrapped his arms around me, and I put mine around him, and he whispered, "You have no idea how much I appreciate your help." Howard broke off and left the office. Now that I knew Howard felt the same way I did, I didn't want to try and force our relationship. But after his offer for dinner last night, I don't think I need to try to hold back either.

As I was thinking about it, the joey began to move around in the bag. I quickly ran over and grabbed the bag from the desk, holding it low so that the joey could climb out. Once out, the little Roo just explored the room, cautious not to touch anything unfamiliar. I removed my phone from my pouch and placed it on the desk. Looking at the clock, it was already noon, halfway through the day.

I wasted time waiting on Howard, watching the little Roo jump around and play. Seeing a baby of the same species or me, or rather what would be me. After roughly fifteen minutes, Howard returned to the office with his hands packed. As he tried to place everything on the table, he dropped a bag, and its contents spilled out on the floor.

I bent over to help collect everything, and the joey hopped over to investigate. "I got this. You finish getting everything situated," I said to Howard as I put everything back into the bag.

The joey tried to stand between the mess and me, but I reached over him, ignoring what it was doing. I felt the Roo rubbing against my stomach, and as I picked up the bag, Joey's little hands pulled at my pouch. I stopped before realizing what it was doing, and my pouch relaxed as the joey dove in, rotating until he was entirely inside.

"Woah there, little one," I said, standing up and setting the bag on the desk. "Howard, can you help me real quick?"

Howard turned and looked confused, "Where's the baby?" He asked as he saw the bulge from the pouch, "oh?"

"How do I get it out?" I asked as I pulled at the tight opening of the pouch. "I can't get it open!" I started to sound frantic as my body disobeyed me.

"Just calm down a moment. It's not like he's gonna hurt you." Howard looked puzzled as he started to reach down before hesitating. "If you can't relax the pouch, maybe go and eat. The surprise probably has you anxious." Howard shrugged as he stepped back.

I took deep breaths before sitting at the desk, feeling the Joey shift in my pouch. "Okay, you're probably right."

Trying to act normal was difficult, as the joey would move around randomly. The extra weight pulling me forward was also uncomfortable. But as we finished eating, I could feel the joey start to push his head against the hole.

"Hey! I think it wants out!" I shouted as I tried to relax my pouch.

Then the office door swung open as Jenna walked in. "Hey Howard, sorry about earlier. I totally missed that on the paperwork, but..." She stopped talking once she saw Howard and I. The joey's head poked out from the pouch, and Jenna's face froze.

This was how my job was going to end, I thought.

"Oh my god, that's adorable!" Jenna exclaimed, "That could be a perfect way to make this work! You could take carry him around and show him to the guests."

"Jenna, I don't think that's appropriate for-" Howard was cut off.

No, Howard, it's an easy solution! Who better to take care of the baby than an actual kangaroo!" Jenna watched as the joey climbed out of my pouch.

"No, Jenna, her body isn't built to carry it. She's still a human, you know. This was just an accident." Howard defended me.

"Audrey, why don't you take him to the guests in an hour?" Jenna ignored Howard as she grabbed the canvas bag and started toward the door.

"Jenna! I don't think this is a good idea for the sake of-" But the door shut before he could finish. "She really knows how to grid my gears."

"It's okay, Howie, I can take it around, and you'll have some alone time to get caught up. Works out for both of us." I tried to reassure him.

"If anything feels off, I need you to let me know, alright?" Howard asked sternly, to which I nodded my head.

As I prepared to leave, the joey slowly hopped up to me. I relaxed my pouch, and he climbed inside. I began to walk to the door with the extra weight hanging on me. As I exited the office, I could see the small crowd in the zoo. I walked around to the front side of the kangaroo exhibit, but my legs began to ache with the extra weight. I talked to a few guests but could not coax the Roo out of my pouch. Leading to more awkward interactions than anything useful.

As I went on and talked to more guests, the weight of the pouch began to feel less intrusive. Oddly the feeling of warmth and the occasional movement was almost comforting. In a way, I began to feel pride in explaining the joey in my pouch was under foster care at the zoo. One guest asked if it was mine, which my mind hesitated to deny.

Relaxing the pouch, I peeked inside to see my- er, the joey. He was still curled up, his eyes closed, seeming as though he was taking a nap. With a pull of a muscle, the pouch closed tightly, pulling him closer against me. I could enjoy taking care of him; it's only for a few weeks before he's ready to be on his own.

As I started to walk back, my legs began to burn. I felt an enormous building pressure in my thighs before I heard it.

CRACK!

I almost fell as my stance shifted. I tried to walk forward, but walking was significantly more awkward. My brain wanted to move my legs together, and I gave a small hop. As I did, my body leaned forward, and my leaps propelled me along at a jogging pace. Looking down at my legs, I could see they had changed more. My feet elongated as my shoes fell off, revealing long kangaroo feet covered in fur. My hips readjusted, and my thighs resembled the muscular rounded thighs on a Roo.

I quickly hopped back toward the office, but at least now, I didn't even notice the joey in my pouch. Guests watched as I hopped back to the office much faster than I could have ever run. Reaching the door, I tried to open and maneuver my way in. Taking small steps was made more difficult by the anatomy of my legs. As the door shut behind me, I could hear Jenna and Howard arguing.

"I won't stand for you treating Audrey like that. What do you think she is?" Howard shouted.

"She's an intern. She was paid for by a dumb little program to try and normalize this disease. She's as useful as a Roo as she is a person."Jenna snapped back. I wanted to walk into view but waited.

"Jenna! You should hear yourself right now. I don't get how you think it's appropriate to have a human using her body to raise an animal. We have no clue how this is going to affect her changes."

"What could it hurt? She seemed fine at the thought of it. What more could it do that the virus wasn't already doing?" Jenna sounded put out with Howard, "Just because you don't like that your little pet is going to forget about you isn't my or the zoo's problem."

Howard pounded his hand on the desk, "Get the hell out of my office Jenna. Just because you don't think Audrey's humanity is worth preserving doesn't mean you can discard her as some animal."

Jenna scoffed as she walked to the door, "Howard, how long will it be until you realize that she is nothing more than an animal? No sense in prolonging the inevitable. Eventually, she will be in that pen."

Jenna walked past me and gave me a surprised look, "oh, hello, Audrey." She looked down at my legs, "My, my, those are new." She continued to walk, exiting the room.

I slowly hopped around from behind the shelf, revealing my changes to Howard. He immediately closed his eyes and slammed his hand against the desk, "Damn it! I knew she was an idiot! I should have known this was going to hurt you."

As Howard spoke, the joey climbed out of my pouch and slowly hopped off to explore the office. I adjusted my shirt and tried to calm Howard, "it's fine, Howie. It's just a small change, nothing major."

"Audrey, this change is because of that thing," Howard pointed to the baby Roo hopping along the floor. "Do you not realize that?"

"You can't blame him, and it's not your fault that my- the joey climbed in." I stuttered, realizing what I had said.

"Audrey, this is playing into the Roo's mind too much. It isn't you wanting this."

But little did Howard know, I wanted nothing more than that Joey back in my pouch. I wanted nothing more than the feeling of him sleeping soundly against my skin.

He was MY Joey.