FSE

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Kovac sighed as another car traveling at speed limit slowly passed his posting. He cracked his neck and checked his watch. He sighed again and leaned a bit back in his seat, though he still kept his eyes sharply on the road. It had only been eight minutes and he was already bored out of his mind. He knew he really shouldn't be dissatisfied. In his line of work everyone had their fair share of shifts standing around for security or waiting around by the roadside for speedsters where nothing happened. In reality, this was a good thing. When nothing happened, then no one was breaking the rules and when no one was breaking the rules there wouldn't be trouble. However, Kovac hadn't joined the force to wait around until a problem occurred. He preferred proactivity or at least some activity.

Kovac reached over and turned up his radio. All he heard was louder static. Apparently it was a quiet night even for the boys on patrol. He looked out the window and there wasn't even a car in sight. Again he sighed, reaching for the magazine that was sitting on the passenger's seat. Although he really shouldn't be distracted, he didn't think being distracted from nothing counted.

He flipped through the magazine. It didn't hold much of anything of interest. It had been one of those junk magazines that he had never subscribed to yet somehow it still got delivered to him. The only article that held his attention for a moment was a piece about the legality of mythic potions and poultices. It didn't have much in the way of detail and was mostly filled with speculation and rumor. Some of the magical drugs sounded unreal but so did most anything mythic. Kovac had been alive since the slow reemergence and still so much of it didn't fit his reality. It probably helped that not much mythic was around here anyways. Neither was much of anything...

Kovac threw the magazine back to its place on the passenger seat. He checked his watch and rubbed his forehead. Only five minutes had passed, thirteen minutes in total. He still had three hours and forty--

"Kovac?" the radio sputtered.

Kovac sat up and answered.

"Dispatch, this is Kovac."

"Kovac! Are you busy?"

"Negative," Kovac said, looking down the empty road.

"Ok. We've got a call about a noisy party a few minutes away from you. Technically Warts and Niskin are closer and on patrol but I know you're probably bored out of your mind out there. Mind checking it out?"

Kovac shook his head. "I don't mind at all."

"Affirmative. The address is 3170 George Street. It's probably just some rowdy kids."

"I already said I don't mind at all, Sally. I don't mind one bit."

Sally laughed on the other end and then everything went quiet. Kovac smiled and sat forward as he started his car. He pulled onto the road and was soon well on his way to the house. He stayed at speed limit for the duration of the drive for why would he want to hurry? This was probably the only "action" he was going to get all night. In fact, he was kind of hoping whatever party was being held was especially loud and its residents flighty. He wouldn't mind stretching his legs a little bit chasing down underage drinkers. Still, he doubted it. Even if it was the summer, it was Tuesday night.

Kovac arrived at the house a few minutes later. It was off the side of the road across a row of well-maintained houses. The house he had come to was fairly small and had seen better days, its paint faded, the yard overgrown, and its roof missing a few shingles. The door was already slightly open. Through this and its windows, Kovac could see movement inside the abode as well as a strange purple glow to the far right side of the house. He couldn't hear anything from inside the car.

"Dispatch, I've arrived," Kovac said into the radio. "It's not particularly loud but I'll still check it out."

"Roger," Sally answered. "Call me if you need me."

"Will do."

Kovac shut his vehicle off and stepped out. As he did so, five teenagers ran out of the house, shouting and waving their arms around.

"Guess I was wrong," Kovac muttered to himself. He shouted his next words: "Hey! Where are you five going?"

"It's not our fault!" one of them called back as they hopped over the fence at the back of the house. "She's loco!"

Kovac turned his head to the fence and winced as the purple glow flared. He shielded his eyes with an arm and narrowed his eyes at the glow. At its edge he could just make out the outline of a hunched over _thing_shivering and shaking. Immediately Kovac ran to his car, flung the door open, and sat down.

"Dispatch," he called into the radio. "Something is off here."

"What's your damage?" Sally answered.

"Code 73."

There was silence for a moment. Then: "Roger. Backup is on its way, Welt is--"

Anything else Sally was going to say was lost as the radio turned silent. Kovac looked up to the house whilst turning the key in the ignition. His car refused to start while the glow's intensity grew.

"Damn it," he swore, stepping out of the car. He was sure Sally had been going to tell him to stay put, but she hadn't the chance to. He could run, he thought, but he couldn't even really be sure he was in danger. He really had no idea what was going on, which is why he intended to find out.

Kovac dashed towards the house and slipped through the open door. He took a right, ran through a kitchen that had red cups and what looked like cheap whiskey, and ended up in a dilapidated dining room. In the dining room a glowing sphere hung over a bubbling cauldron. Next to the cauldron was the crouched figure he had seen earlier, an ugly gnarled thing dressed in black scraps that covered its feminine form but left its snarling hyena head exposed. It looked up as Kovac entered the room.

"Hhhuman?" it coughed, pointing a twisted claw at him.

Kovac looked over the creature and wasn't sure what to say. He kept hands neutrally by his sides, though he was ready to draw his sidearm at an instant's notice.

"Yes," Kovac said. He nodded towards the sphere and the cauldron. "I don't know what you're doing here but--"

"Shhhh!" the hyena creature said, bringing a claw to its snout. "You no talk."

The purple sphere pulsed again, blinding Kovac momentarily. Blinking, he saw something was different. The dining room table that had been rotted was now in pristine condition because it was now made of iron. Kovac looked to the hyena.

"Ma'am," he said. "Or sir, you can't--"

"I said no talk!" the hyena said, lunging towards Kovac. Kovac stepped back and drew his sidearm, aiming it at her head. The hyena laughed and didn't come any closer.

"Ma'am, you have no right to magically operate in this reality," he said. "If you stop whatever you're doing, I can assure you that--"

"No talk!" the hyena said, then turned back to the cauldron.

Witch bitch, Kovac thought but didn't say. Still, the hyena turned its head and chuckled again, its laughter echoing oddly throughout the stone house.

"I can hhhear you," it said. "Very rude."

"Ma'am--"

"NO TALK!"

The sphere pulsed again. Suddenly it plummeted towards the cauldron. Kovac lowered his pistol as he realized his mistake. He shouldn't have come here. Like the kids he should've ran or at least stayed with his vehicle. What had he been thinking? Had thirteen minutes of boredom really starved him that much? Now he was the closest he could be to the Code 73. He had to run, now.

As Kovac turned and ran, the sphere fell into the cauldron and nothing was ever the same for him again.

A few days later, Sergeant Crose walked into the bathroom. Standing in front of the sinks was a red humanoid newt--a female at that. Her legs were dressed in police uniform but her torso was totally uncovered, the rest of her uniform being located on the sinks' counter. She held a stretch of red cloth in front of her naked breasts, her amphibian head tilted as she looked down at them. Crose's mouth dropped at the sight of the newt's exposed chest and then he retreated quietly out of the bathroom, silently closing the door behind him. He looked to his right at the restroom's designation and saw that it was indeed for men. Why was there then a woman inside, and a mythic no less?

Crose looked over to the woman's restroom and caught sight of Sally just as she was about to enter. He lunged forward and grabbed hold of her shoulder. She turned to him, looking quite annoyed.

"Sally!" he said.

"What, Crose?" she said, brushing away his arm. "Can't you see I'm going to go? It's the only break I get and I swear something in that coffee--"

"Sally!" Crose repeated. "There's a girl in the guy's room!"

"I'm so sure," Sally said.

"No, really! I'd say she's a salamander but she's not that hot." Sally turned her head and narrowed her eyes at Crose.

"Salamander?"

"Yeah, or something. It's a babe for sure. She's not wearing a shirt, no bra, nothing. Well, she's got pants on but point is I could see her boobs. They were just out there! When did we get a mythic transfer?"

Sally frowned and pushed Crose aside. "We didn't."

"Huh?" Now Crose was even more confused. "Hey, where are you going?"

"In here." She stopped at the men's door and held up a hand. "And don't follow me."

"What? But it's the men's room! You're not supposed to be in there. Where am I supposed to go? What's going on?"

"Ask someone else who wasn't on vacation for the past two weeks. Might want to ask about the Wall too, I'd be surprised if you keep up with anything. Just don't follow, ok?"

Crose's shoulders slumped. "Fine."

Sally pushed the door open and entered the men's restroom. As before, the newt stood in front of the sinks though this time she held the cloth flat against her chest, pressing her breasts down and out of sight. Sally shook her head and took a deep breath.

"Kovac," she said. "Have some decency for God's sake."

Realizing she was no longer alone, the newt woman dropped the cloth and spun around, her golden eyes wide. At the sight of Sally, she covered her breasts with her arms.

"Sally!" she squeaked. She frowned and cleared her throat, her next words spoken in a purposefully lowered tone. "Sally."

"Kovac," Sally replied, shaking her head. "What are you doing?" Kovac looked to the cloth on the floor. "Binding my chest."

"Isn't that something you should do before work?"

"I--" Kovac couldn't meet Sally's gaze. "I did it wrong or something. They... _they_either kept slipping out or it hurt too much, so I came here--"

"The men's restroom?"

"Yes?" Kovac hissed, looking up at the woman. Sally held up her hands.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean--" Sally sighed. "You're right, that doesn't matter. What matters is that you're doing it in a shared space. It's just as inappropriate as if you were in the women's. Kovac," Sally moved a little closer to Kovac. "I can let you borrow a bra, I can go grab one from--"

"NO!" Kovac shouted, taking a step back. The newt let her arms drop long enough to reach for her uniform top and hastily put it on. It was too big for her, exposing a part of her cleavage. She bent down and picked up the stretch of cloth she had dropped, hastily shoving it into her pocket. She put on a false smile. "Thank you, Sally, but I'm really fine. I'll see you around."

Kovac hurried past the stunned woman and exited the restroom. She took a right and headed for her office. On the way she saw a few other fellow officers. She smiled and tried to do her best to ignore their stares of surprise--and pity. She waved at Crose and a gaggle of whispering officers. Crose's mouth hung wide open.

"Good to see you back, Crose," she said, struggling to modulate her voice's high tones. She placed a four-fingered hand on her office door and pulled. The door opened, she stepped in, and then she closed it. She took a deep breath and peeked outside. Crose's mouth was still wide open and a majority of her coworkers were staring at her office. She shrunk back and retreated to her desk. Looking for a way to distract herself, she grabbed a few of the reports on her desk and began to read them. She was halfway through the first report when her desk phone rang. She immediately picked it up.

"Kovac speaking," she said, doing her best to imitate a deep voice.

"Kovac," she heard. "Come to my office."

The line went down. Kovac put the phone back to the receiver and sighed. She stood up abruptly and her unrestrained breasts bounced a bit. She snarled and clutched at her breasts, holding them until they no longer wobbled. She reached for the stretch of cloth in her pocket and then changed her mind. There were a few angles one could peer into her office and she didn't want anything like what had happened in the restroom to occur again.

So, Kovac left her office and smiled and waved her way through the gauntlet of stares until she reached another office. The sign on the door read "Thomas McReilly, Police Chief." She stood before its door for a moment, gathering her courage. After a deep breath she opened the door and stepped in, closing the portal behind her. Chief McReilly stood behind his desk, casually sipping a cup of coffee. He motioned to the chair in front of his desk.

"Sit, Kovac," he said.

Kovac nodded and took a seat. McReilly took another sip of his coffee while he examined the newt woman sitting before him. She stared up at him with her unblinking large golden eyes.

"Kovac," he finally said. "I can't believe I'm saying this but you can't be naked in the bathroom."

"Sir--"

"It's unprofessional, illegal, and could be even seen as sexual harassment as some." McReilly shrugged. "I understand you're having difficulty adjusting after the incident but--"

"I'm fine, sir."

McReilly frowned and shook his head.

"I don't think so. You're on suspension."

Kovac got to her feet, scowling when her chest bobbed again. She didn't have time to pay them mind this time.

"Sir! Suspended?" Kovac couldn't modulate her voice now. She hated how high and pathetic she sounded, but she needed to be heard, damn it! "Whatever the reason is, it's bullshit! I can still drive, shoot, run, apprehend--"

"Calm down, Kovac. And sit down. I don't doubt your ability or your body. This isn't even my choice really, although I do agree with it." He took another sip and motioned to a stack of papers on his desk. "I was faxed all that today after a call. Turns out legally we have to put you through a few things before we can have you working here again. Because of--" He nodded towards the newt. "Because of how you are."

Kovac covered up her chest. "I'm fine, sir."

"Hmph," McReilly snorted. "So you claim. You know you aren't the first officer to go through this?" He shrugged and began to pace around the room, his back turned to Kovac. "I sure as hell didn't. Apparently there's been a few and some of them haven't ended up pretty."

Kovac winced at the word.

"They say they're fine and try to pretend like everything is still normal. Thing is, it's not. This mythic magic mucks up stuff. There's only ever been one reversal for an officer and it seems like that was luck more than anything. You want to go back, don't you, Kovac?"

Kovac opened her mouth and then slowly nodded her flat head. She looked down at her four fingered red hands and wiggled her unclothed feet. Her gaze swept past her flat crotch, her wide hips and to her protruding chest. She nodded again as she felt her inhuman head.

"You probably can't, Kovac, and that's the real killer. Us humans--" McReilly stopped as he looked to Kovac. "Us...us..." He shook his head. "We can adapt to a lot, but there's a limit to everything. The mind can only take so much especially when the body isn't even the same. You're lucky though. At least you are, um, somewhat human? You can talk, walk--"

"Exactly, sir!" Kovac said. "I can still be on the force."

"You can," McReilly agreed. "But not right now. Someone has got to make sure your mind is healthy. The examinations right after the incident proved your body is, but it's the mind that matters most now." He pointed at the papers. "All that is yours. Legal papers on your rights as a mythic, some forms you need to fill out to get your new IDs, and information on the sessions you'll be attending."

"Sessions?" Kovac said. "I already saw a shrink." "Ok, but you need to attend a therapy group if you're going to work again. My hands are tied. This is all legality and we follow the rules here."

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long am I suspended for, sir?" McReilly shrugged. "It's not up to me. It's up to the shrink. Now take those papers and leave. You can't be here until I've been given the go ahead at which point I'll give you the go ahead. Otherwise I'd better not see you here." He glanced at Kovac's chest. "And I'd certainly better not see those out and about. That's part of the problem, see? Some that have changed as you alter their behavior. Some don't see the necessity for clothes any longer or--"

Kovac grabbed the stack of papers as she stood. She held them firmly against her chest.

"That's not me, sir." "I hope not," McReilly said. "Get out of here, Kovac, and get better."

"I'm fine, sir." McReilly held out his arms. "It's not me you have to convince."

Half an hour later Kovac sat on her couch at her apartment. She had changed out of her uniform and wore a black band shirt and elastic shorts, one of the few things she could wear around her wide hips that didn't fall down without a tight belt. The TV incessantly buzzed between episodes of M*A*S*H and The A Team in the background while she looked through the stack of paper. The first fifty or so pages had been nothing but legalese she would have to trudge through later. What she examined now was a flyer for the therapy group she would have to attend. It was located at a church over an hour away, but that wasn't the problem. She wasn't working anyways so the travel time was irrelevant. The problem was that it was group therapy ran by one Dr. Stibbs promising help for those that had been changed due to exposure to mythic magic. She didn't want to meet others like her because she knew they wouldn't be like her.

The phone suddenly rang. Kovac looked up in surprise to it. She turned to the phone, hating the feeling of weight on her chest likewise moving with her. She glanced down at the offenders. In her loose t-shirt they weren't as visible, but they were still most certainly there. The phone rang again, causing her to reach for it. She stopped herself. Who knew whom it was? It could be Dr. Stibbs for all she knew and she didn't feel like talking to him right now. Thus, she returned to looking at the flyer while the phone continued to ring. She turned over the flyer and saw that there was something written on the back in atrocious handwriting. She peered at it.

"I look forward to seeing you on Saturday, Ms. Kovac," she read aloud. She threw the flyer in the air, where it fluttered to the ground. "Miss Kovac?"

The phone ceased ringing and the answering machine beeped. Kovac considered checking it when the phone started ringing again. Doubting it to be the same person but still unwilling to speak to them. She sighed and folded her arms across her chest, meeting resistance. She glared down again. When would she get used to this? Hopefully she wouldn't have to. Hopefully there would be a way to reverse this after all.

Only when the phone ceased ringing for the second time did she stand up and move to the answer machine. Seeing that there were two messages, she hit the play button.

"Hey there, Kovac!" the first message said, the speaker a young man. "It's Welt, seems I missed you at work. Are you still coming to the ball game? The guys would love to see you there! Anyways, got to scram!"

Kovac replayed the message, wincing at the word "guys." When it ended, she looked down at herself. It would be fun to go. What else was she going to do? Stew in her own misery? No, that's exactly what would make her unable to work at the station again. Still, she couldn't go like this. As much as she hated the idea, it would make sense to buy something for her... chest. There was a store she could walk to after she listened to the second message. She hit next on the answer machine.

"Charlie," the second message began, the second speaker sounding older than the first. "Thomas called me today and said something happened a few days ago, a serious incident. Are you ok? Please call your mother and I back. We love you, son."

Kovac stepped back from the machine, shaking. She deleted the message, grabbed her wallet and headed out the door.

The newt's mind stormed as she headed down her building's stairs. Coming to the bottom, she stopped and thought. What was she going to do? She had a hard enough time with herself, she realized. What would her parents think? What would they think when they found out their son was anything but? Kovac pushed the thought out of her mind and instead chose to focus on buying a...buying a bra. She didn't really want to think about that either. She turned down the street and headed to the store where she was going to buy...necessary clothing. Yes, that is what she was doing.

The newt hummed to herself as she sought to think of something else. Finally, she settled on the game. She would definitely be going. She and the rest of "the guys" would be going...

Kovac shook her head and turned into the store. When she stepped in, she realized she had made a mistake. The establishment she had walked into was no clothing store. It was dark, the only source of light a glowing orb that illuminated the many unpacked boxes scattered about the store. Inhuman hands hovered over the orb.

"Welcome," a voice boomed. "To Crumb's Cottage!"

Kovac took a step back and put a hand on the door she had just entered. She didn't remember this place being here before.

"Sorry," she said. "I think I've come to the wrong place!"

"Wait!" the voice called. "This store is grand and wonderful! I have almost everything you'd ever need...or desire. Don't leave!" The voice got more panicky as it continued to speak. "I apologize it all isn't set up, but I can promise you I have what you long. What, uh, do you long for?"

"I..." Kovac shifted uncomfortably. "I was looking to buy a bra but not from--"

"A bra. A bra?" Kovac heard something shuffle. "A bra! Of course I have such a thing! Look upon my offering and be amazed!"

A black bra floated from the darkness and floated in front of Kovac. She reached out and grabbed it. It looked a little big for her size.

"See! Already you want it. This one is even better than the norm, too! The wearer's, er, chest will grow to match! Magical!"

"I don't want bigger breasts," Kovac said, letting go of the bra so that it once again floated in the air. "I don't even want them at all."

"Oh. Well I have no solution for that problem--inventory problems--but Crumb can match your first request. A-ha!"

Another bra floated out of the darkness, this one looking much similar to the one she had already seen though it matched her size as far as she could tell.

"No doubt you are stunned by its splendor. Will it do, miss?"

Kovac took it and nodded.

"Speak! I do not communicate that silly way. The meanings can be misconstrued. Tell me, is it what you desire?"

"Yes," Kovac said. "It will do."

"Spectacular! Since you are my first customer on this world in nearly a millennium, I will grant both of those to you cheaply. What is it nowadays? Back to the denarius? Sea shells? Gems?"

Kovac blinked and spoke: "Dollars."

"Ah, yes, the mighty dollar. I will take ten of those dollars and you may have both of my offerings." "I don't want them both. I'd like more normal ones."

There was the sound of thunder and lightning.

"You drive a hard bargain. Fine! You have may have mundane duplicates and the one that is magic and all for the same price!"

"No, I--"

"Do you mean to insult me? I offer a deal the likes I have never offered before. Take it or depart!"

Kovac sighed and took a ten-dollar bill out of her wallet. She held it out towards the orb. An instant later, the currency vanished and six bras fell from the ceiling. She caught them and held them up against her chest.

"Thank you for your business! Do you seek anything else material or immaterial?"

Kovac shook her head.

"SPEAK!"

"No," Kovac squeaked. Before Crumb could say anything, she hurried out of the store. When the door closed behind her, she turned around to see what the store's sign said. Instead of finding a store, however, she only saw an empty alley. The store she had meant to go to was still a little ways down the street. She looked down at what she had bought. There was no reason to go there any longer. She had gotten what she had come for and something more all at less than she would have thought. The newt glanced back at the empty alley.

"Mythic magic," she sighed, making her way home.

When Kovac arrived home, she found that her answering machine had two more messages. She got dressed for the game and piled the bras in her sock drawer before listening to the first message.

"Ms. Kovac," it began in a nasally voice. "This is Dr. Stibbs. I trust your overseer passed on what I sent him. Please fill out forms 37A and D63 before you come to your first meeting at 11 AM tomorrow. Thank you!"

Kovac played the next message.

"Son--" it began, but the newt shut it off. She sat down on her couch and spent the next hour filling out the requested forms as well as a few others. Then she grabbed her car keys, fit her baseball cap as best she could on her head, and headed out to the game.

Half an hour later Kovac walked down the baseball stadium's stairs to a familiar row of seats. There Warts, Niskin, Crose, and Welt sat with an empty seat at the end for the newt. Kovac took her place next to Crose without a word. Crose still noticed, however, and glanced over to the newt. He nearly jumped out of his seat.

"Kovac!" he said, standing up and patting the newt on her shoulder. "You're here!"

Kovac nodded and smiled. The rest of the men stood up, Niskin and Warts giving her a hearty pat on the back while Welt shook her hand. He pulled it back afterwards and wiped it on his pants.

"Ew, Kovac," Welt laughed. "You're a little slimy."

"Yeah," Kovac replied with an awkward laugh. She pointed to a green bump on Welt's forehead. "And you've still got that bump."

"But that's nothing new. How are you doing, man? I haven't seen you since that gnarly night."

Kovac nodded. "Yeah."

"You doing alright?"

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Welt tilted his head. He moved past the other men until he stood in front of the newt. He stared down at her and she met his gaze. After a moment, he shrugged.

"Alright then. Why don't we go grab some beers then, huh?"

Kovac nodded. Alcohol might be exactly what she needed. She hadn't had a drink for a couple days and now she wondered why. Falling into drunken oblivion was easier than trying to get rest from agitated sleep.

Kovac followed Welt to one of the stadium's many overpriced vendors. While Welt was buying his beer, Kovac took out her driver's license to be ready when she realized that the information and the picture on it no longer matched her description. She stared at the photo on the license, looking at a familiar face that no longer existed on this world. Angrily she shoved the ID back into her wallet and walked out of the line.

"What's wrong?" Welt asked, coming over with two beers. "Not drinking tonight?"

"I don't have an acceptable ID," Kovac said.

"Oh." Welt blinked. He held out a beer. "I owed Niskin one so I got an extra. Take it, I'll grab him another."

Kovac grabbed the drink. "Thanks, Welt."

"No problem, man."

Kovac winced. Noticing this, Welt frowned and scratched his welt.

"Sorry, I didn't mean--"

"No." Kovac shook her head. "I'd rather be called that."

"Oh. Good."

Kovac nodded and walked off, sipping at her beer. Although it really was cheap stuff, it tasted good. She made her way back to her seat and by the time she sat down again she had already drank half of the alcoholic beverage. Crose looked over.

"Hey hey!" he said. "Where'd you get that?"

Kovac nodded up.

"I'd better go grab some," Crose continued. "With how this game is going I'm going to need it. No one can hit tonight nor catch neither!"

Kovac turned her attention to the game while Crose wandered off. He and Welt returned at the same time and Crose had brought not just one beer, but two which was good because Kovac had already finished hers. It was even better because Crose actually had brought it just for her.

"You looked thirsty," Crose offered as explanation. "Plus Welt said you were having trouble buying them anyways."

Kovac thanked Crose as she continued to watch the game. She felt a little more than tipsy after she had finished her second beer, which was strange considering it usually took three or more of something so cheap and light. The newt had never considered how her changed form could affect her drinking habits. She didn't really care though. At least it prevented her from thinking too deeply on anything. Even though the game was depressing for the home team, at least she wasn't thinking about how depressing telling her parents about the incident could be.

Through the game Kovac continued to drink more and more and Crose kept supplying her. She hardly listened to his excuse for bringing another for her even though he knew the legal limits just as well as her, and instead drank and drank all the while ignoring his glances. Finally it was ninth inning and she'd had at least six drinks. There'd be a sudden turnaround in the game for the home team had managed to fill the bases and their best hitter was up to swing. After a couple of foul balls, Kovac thought the game was over for sure. Then the hitter swung and connected cleanly with the ball on the next pitch, sending it over the fence. It was a grand slam!

Kovac stood with her beer in hand and cheered. She wobbled a bit unsteadily on drunken feet and would have dropped her beer had Crose not caught her arm. She looked up to him and then he was bending down, his face against her snout. Her eyes widened as he kissed her. The newt recoiled in disgust and pushed the man away, her beer falling from her grip.

"What the fuck, Croz?" she sputtered.

"Shorry...erp!" Crose burped. "I didn't mean--"

Crose lurched forward and would have fallen had he not reached out for the closest standing object that just happened to be Kovac. Unfortunately, where he managed to get a handhold was Kovac's upper chest. Kovac gasped and then punched Crose in the face. The man grunted and fell to the ground. Niskin and Warts got up from their seats and helped Crose to his feet while Welt brushed past them so that he stood in front of the angry Kovac.

"Kovac!" Welt said. "Let's get out of here."

Kovac wordlessly let herself be led by Welt out of their row, out of the stadium, and finally to in front of Welt's beat up BMW. He motioned to the passenger seat.

"Get in," he said.

Kovac blinked and shook her head. "I can drive, Welsh."

"No, you can't," Welt said. "You're too drunk." He placed both hands on his head and sighed. "Fuck, man, I'm sorry. I should've been paying attention. Crose was talking all day about how he saw y-your breasts and he seemed a little too fascinated and your amphibian head but I never thought--"

"He saw my boobiesh?" Kovac slurred. "When?"

"I shouldn't have told you that. I shouldn't have told you that." Welt turned back to the car. "Let's go. Let's get you home."

Kovac awoke the next morning with the worst hangover she'd had since high school and only the barest recollection of what had happened last night. She groaned and sat up. The newt shook her head and opened her eyes. She was still in the same clothes she had worn to the game in. Groaning, she climbed out of her bed and disrobed. She threw the clothes into her laundry basket and then wandered into her restroom.

Kovac started the shower and then walked in front of the mirror. It was still strange to think of the humanoid female newt in the mirror as her. For twenty-eight years of her life she had looked into the mirror and seen Charles Kovac, the man. True, she hadn't always seen the same man but now she looked at an amphibian humanoid that was shorter, smaller, and not even of the same sex. Still, there was no doubt that this was her body, one that was decidedly female yet also inhuman. In fact, she was more newt than human. She lacked any hair, her slippery skin was red, she only had four fingers and four toes per foot and hand, her head entirely resembled a scaled up newt's cranium, a long red tongue and she had a very short tail that thankfully didn't get too much in the way. Even with these bestial features, however, she could walk, talk, and function as a normal human woman. Woman, yes, because she had the breasts and the curves and the hips and all the parts down there that ensured she could reproduce. Actually, she wasn't sure if what was down there was exactly the same--maybe she could lay eggs. She wasn't really up for examining herself and she didn't even want to think about laying eggs let alone giving birth.

When the mirror began to fog up a little, Kovac stumbled into the shower. The hot water felt good on her and it woke her up if only a little. While it washed away the grime from yesterday, it also washed up half-remembered drunken memories. She recalled the drive home and how Welt had apologized over and over, saying he should have been watching out for her. She hadn't really said much because she was so distraught over the incident with Crose and the knowledge that he had seen her bare chest at some point. Had she cried? She didn't remember. Welt had walked up with her to her apartment and come in to make sure she didn't collapse in her living room. The last thing Kovac remembered of the night was collapsing on the bed while Welt looked on sheepishly at a distance.

Kovac scrubbed herself with soap. If she didn't, she wouldn't necessarily smell bad but she wouldn't smell much like she used to and she'd rather keep the same odor. She was reluctant to actually scrub her breasts and down there so she just sort of rubbed some of the soapsuds around those areas. As she was cleaning her toes, she heard her doorbell go off. She ignored it and continued scrubbing herself. Then the doorbell rang again. And again. And again. And again and again until she swore whoever was ringing it was pressing the button a thousand times a minute. The newt hissed and considering just waiting for the person to give up but the ringing just kept continuing even after a minute. In addition, it made her hangover headache even worse. With a hiss she turned off the shower and hopped out. She grabbed a towel, wrapped it around herself, made sure it was secure and nothing could be seen, and then made her way to her door.

When she made it to her door she didn't say anything. Rather, she just grabbed the handle and swung it wide open and put on the most pissed off face she could manage. When she saw who had been ringing her doorbell, her angry expression instantly evaporated and was replaced by surprised unease.

Standing in front of her was an older couple. She stared up at the bald man for the first time in her life in fifteen years but the woman beside the man was shorter than her. Kovac blinked and took a step back and so did the couple.

"Dad?" she said. "Mom?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Kovac covered her snout with one hand. Why had she said that? Why had she said anything? She could've pretended or lied or--

"I don't think so," the old woman said, squinting at her. She turned to her husband. "I don't remember pushing out a lizard, but I am old and forgetful. Isn't that right, Gerald?"

The old man didn't respond. He took a step towards Kovac.

"Charlie?" he said.

Kovac shrank back, wrapping the towel tighter around herself as if it might protect her.

"Is that you, son?"

"Dad--"

Kovac's father suddenly lunged forward. Kovac froze as he wrapped his arms around her and embraced her. She squirmed in his tight hug for a moment before she remembered how this usually went. One did not just escape their father's hugs. The newt relaxed and actually felt relaxed and comforted. After a minute, however, she did begin to feel uncomfortable especially since all she was wearing was a towel. Her father seemed to sense this as he pulled away a few seconds later, though he left his hands on her slim shoulders.

"Are you OK, Charlie?"

Kovac nodded. Her father sighed in relief.

"Thank God," he said with a smile. "We were so worried, your mother and I. Why didn't you answer the phone?"

Kovac opened her mouth to say something but she didn't know what to say. She was confused by her parents' seeming acceptance of her newfound form especially since she hadn't.

"Jesus Christ, Charles," his mother said. "We drove all the way up here and you can't even explain yourself. Oh, no worries though, we're retired and having nothing better to do. You know what?" she turned to her husband. "You're dealing with this, Gerald. Your kid has given me enough trouble in this lifetime. You were off on your trips while I had to deal with his recitals, the sports injury, his crying about every break up, his little military foray, then him wanting to be a policeman and now this? No." She shook her head. "You're figuring this out and I'm going to get some smokes."

"Mom--" Kovac began.

"Don't 'mom' me," her mother said, turning away from the newt. "I love you, dear, bye!"

Kovac and his father watched in stunned silence as she walked out of sight, muttering something. The newt blinked and would have returned her gaze to her father's face had seen not seen his watch and the time on the watch. Her eyes widened and she pushed away from her father.

"Charlie?" her father said. "I'm sorry if your mother was a little--"

"Dad," she said. "I've got to leave."

"Huh?"

"I have a therapy session and it's an hour away and I only have forty-eight minutes to get there."

"Do you want me to come?"

"No! No, dad, I can drive myself."

Kovac turned towards her room and then she remembered something. She groaned and returned to facing her father.

"Actually, dad, could you drive me?"

Her father gave her and odd glance but nodded.

"Great, thanks."

Kovac rushed into her room and dropped her towel. She put on her underwear, fit a bra to her chest, growled in annoyance because it was a little loose and large, but moved on to throwing on a white shirt and jeans. Shoving her wallet and keys into her pockets, she dashed back to her father who was writing a note to her mother. Kovac snapped her fingers and grabbed her required paperwork from the couch.

"You ready, dad?"

Her father looked up from his writing and nodded. He glanced down at Kovac's feet.

"Are you wearing shoes?"

"Not anymore," she replied.

"Oh."

"Come on, dad," she said, brushing past his shoulder. "Let's go!"

Kovac's father followed her as they hurried out of the apartment. Spotting a familiar Buick, Kovac rushed to the passenger's side and waited impatiently as her father fumbled with his keys.

"Sorry," her father apologized as he got the car unlocked. They both entered the vehicle. Kovac relaxed a little bit when the car started and his father put a tape into the radio. "Where are we going?"

"Saint Martin's," she said. "It's a church south-west of here."

"Church?" One of her father's eyebrows rose. "Is this a religious therapy?"

"No, it's just the location," she motioned to herself. "And it's for this."

Her father nodded and pulled onto the road. Soon enough they were on their way to the church. Kovac looked out her window, already dreading her arrival at the session. She wasn't going to let her bleak outlook affect her behavior, however. She was depending on Dr. Stibbs to clear her to work again.

"Er," Her father said, taking her out of her thoughts and ejecting the tape. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Kovac looked over to her father. "Isn't that why you came?"

"No," her father shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road. "Your mother and I came because I received a call from an old friend of mine who you work for. He told me what had happened and...frankly, I didn't believe it at first."

"He told you about my appearance?"

"That's the part I didn't believe," Her father admitted. He glanced over to her. "But--"

Her father's face suddenly turned red. His gaze shifted a little lower for a moment and then his gaze was back on the road.

"What?" Kovac asked.

"Um." Her father's face turned redder.

"What?" the newt repeated, looking down at herself. She recoiled when she saw what her father had seen. Her breasts were growing, filling out rounder and larger. She put her hands to her chest and felt as they expanded in her grasp. The newt thought about what might have caused this until her mind remembered her visit to the magic store the day before. The bra! She had put on the wrong one! Why hadn't she gotten rid of it? Thankfully her breasts didn't grow that much bigger, but they were at least a size larger than before and certainly above average. She regretted wearing a white shirt now as her enlarged nipples could be clearly seen poking against her shirt.

"Son of a bitch," she murmured. She didn't even want breasts and now she had bigger breasts.

"Is that, uh, normal?" her dad asked. "Is it something with how you breathe?"

"No, they're normal."

"Then why--"

"Mythic magic," Kovac seethed. "Something I accidentally picked up when I was looking for new clothes."

"New clothes? Oh, right. How is that going? I wish your mother was here, she would have better advice than me but--"

"Dad, I don't want to talk about that."

"OK. What about the game then? Crazy, wasn't it? Grand slam into a tie and then we ended up winning in the eleventh inning. Weren't you there?"

"Yes," The newt answered flatly. "Dad--"

"You don't want talk about that either?"

Kovac nodded. Her father sighed.

"OK. I'll just drive."

"Dad--"

Her father looked over.

"Thanks."

He smiled, popped the tape back in and returned his focus to the road. Kovac frowned. Mention of the game had brought up unwelcome thoughts. She shivered at the thought of Crose kissing her, of his hand on her chest, and of how that all felt. The rest of the ride was silent as Kovac replayed that moment over and over in her mind. By the time they reached their destination, she was hardly in a good mood.

"We're here," Kovac's father said as they pulled into the church's parking lot. "You don't want me to come, right?"

"Right," Kovac said.

"Know how long it'll take?"

"I don't." Kovac shrugged. "I'm already late."

"OK. I'll just, uh, pray around here or something."

Once the car was parked, Kovac stepped out, noticing that her chest did indeed feel heavier. She scowled, but decided it was just something she'd have to get used to. Before she left the car she thanked her father once again.

"Happy to help, son," he said. "Hope this helps."

"Yeah," Kovac said. "Me too."

Kovac shut the passenger door and headed to the church. She entered unopposed for there was no one around. She glanced about until she saw a sign. It read "THERAPY" and had an arrow that pointed to a hallway to the left. The newt followed the sign's directions and similar other signs until she stood in front of a small, open room. In the room were five chairs, four of which were occupied by interesting individuals. One of them, a short humanoid mole rat who wore glasses with huge lenses and a stitched sweater, stood up and walked forward.

"Ms. Kovac," he said in a familiar nasally voice, extending a clawed hand. "I was worried you were not coming, hmm. It is pleasant to finally to see you in person. My, you're tall!"

Kovac looked at the hand and then took it. They shook.

"Dr. Stibbs?" she guessed.

"Ah, yes!" Stibbs chuckled. "That is I." He pulled his hand back and motioned to the others behind him. "Welcome to the group! Come, join us!"

Stibbs resumed his original seating while Kovac took her place at the last unclaimed seat sitting next to what appeared to be a werewolf wearing jeans and a polo. The others in the room were a shirtless minotaur with a backpack at his feet and a woman with pink, slimy skin and a bulbous octopus head.

"Everyone," Stibbs said, pointing to Kovac. "This is Ms. Kovac."

"Just Kovac, please," Kovac said.

"Ah." Stibbs wrote this down. "Did you bring your paperwork, Kovac?"

Kovac procured the proper papers and handed them over. Stibbs took them happily, only examining them a moment before he added them to the pile underneath his chair.

"Good, good," the mole rat said. "Everything is in order and yet there is chaos. Kovac, we just finished introducing ourselves. Let us go over this quickly again then, hmm? I'll start. I am Ronald Stibbs. I will be the one running this group, but don't let me intimidate you. I am in this with you. Like you, I have not always been like I am. Our discussions here are to help each other. Now you--"

He pointed at the minotaur.

"Hello!" the minotaur said, smiling enthusiastically. "I'm Caceres! I, uh, wandered into a maze while I was on a nature hike. When I came out, I was like this."

"Greetings," the octopus woman said, speaking in a bubbling voice. "They call me Clair. I was fishing early in the morn when I saw something too horrible to contemplate."

Clair shuddered, her green eyes flashing a glowing red for a moment.

"Hey," the werewolf said shyly. He seemed to be the youngest. "I'm Romeo. Something bit me while I was skateboarding one day. Not radical at all."

All eyes turned to Kovac. The newt looked at the strange array of faces before her. Among them was the mole rat man who could determine when she could work again. She gulped and put on a smile.

"Hi," she said. "Kovac." She paused and gulped again. Gosh, this was harder than she would've thought. "A hyena witch turned me into a newt and I didn't get better."

Across the room Caceres giggled. He held out a hefty hand in a fist. Kovac looked at it and then bumped it with her smaller hand.

"I got it!" Caceres said. "It's nice to meet you, Kovac!"

"Yeah," Kovac said.

"Good, good!" Stibbs said. "Get comfortable with each other. Now, what we will talk about next might be a little, hmm, boring. Your rights have changed since your, hmm, change. You are actually protected in more ways than the normal citizen. Exciting!"

Stibbs took out a stack of hefty pamphlets from under his chair. He passed them out and started discussing their contents. Unfortunately, the discussion was not "exciting" as Stibbs had said. It was very technical, specific, and thus boring. The more the mole rat talked, the more Kovac's mind drifted until she was again thinking about what had happened the night before. Looking around the room, Kovac wondered if anyone else had had problems like that. Probably not, she decided. Stibbs seemed well adjusted as he should be, Caceres seemed happy and confident, Clair was too weird for Kovac to even consider anyone have any interest in her, and women seemed to like werewolves for whatever reason. Still, she realized there was a flaw in her thinking. She had thought others might see her as something like Clair yet Crose had no problem being attracted to the newt despite her inhuman appearance. In addition, Kovac figured everyone here but Stibbs depended on him to clear them as mentally ok. Of course Caceres seemed happy--she was faking it.

"Kovac?" Stibbs said. "Ms. Kovac?"

"Hmm?" Kovac said, pulled from her thoughts. "Did I miss something?"

"Yes. Before we leave, I would like all of you to share a problem you have related to your, hmm, form and some way you might fix it. I thought you might want to start?"

"Oh." Kovac scratched her neck. "Can you, uh, come back to me?"

"Of course, of course! Caceres, why don't you begin then?"

"Sure!" the minotaur said. "I'm having trouble adjusting with clothes. I'm not used to being this big and I've got to be careful with my horns and big head when putting on a shirt." He chuckled. "It's why I'm not wearing one now, sorry. I plan to fix it by going to a shop, um, Crumb's Cottage I think it is? It's a new place but I keep hearing about it being in different places. Oh well. What about you, Clair?"

"Sleeping," Clair gurgled. "Each and every night I have horrible visions of the Dread Xxzzauisz. They seek to destroy our world." She shrugged. "Some Nyquil might help?

"Interesting," Stibbs said. "Romeo?"

"Fleas, man, fleas." Romeo scratched his neck. "I have an appointment with the--with the vet tomorrow to get some special conditioner or something. Not cool, not cool."

"Hmm, simple then." Stibbs smiled. "Back to you, Kovac."

Kovac blinked and looked up. Caceres talking about Crumb's Cottage had reminded her about her visit to the shop that had subsequently reminded her about one of the bras she had purchased and what it had done to her. Thus, when it came to her turn she had been glaring at her bigger breasts with still not an idea on what to say. Actually, that wasn't true. There was something she could talk about, but she didn't want to. Instead, she uncomfortably shifted in her seat, causing her tail to wiggle a little. Of course!

"My tail," she said, looking to Caceres. "Similar problem, doesn't mesh well with pants all the time. I'm..." she paused. "I'm looking at a custom tailor."

"Very good," Stibbs said, standing. "Very good. Well! I will see you all next Tuesday! You are all free to leave except you, Ms. Kovac. Since you were late, can I speak to you privately for a moment?"

Kovac nodded. The other group members stood up and silently left, leaving just the doctor and the newt behind. Stibbs took a look out of the open entryway and closed the door once the three were out of sight. He took his seat again.

"Ms. Kovac," he began. "I--"

"Please call me Kovac," Kovac said.

"Right, right. Kovac, I think you are holding back from us." Kovac sat up. "What?"

"Yes," Dr. Stibb said. "You seemed singularly sad while I spoke about your altered legal situation. I, hmm, doubt it had anything to do with that droll albeit important information. What is it?"

"Nothing."

"It is nothing, hmm? That might be an answer I would believe from Clair. Nothingness is terrifying. But you, Kovac?" Stibbs jabbed a claw at the newt. "You fear something tangible and many things, hmm, intangible."

"I'm not afraid," Kovac insisted.

"Then what are you? Disturbed? Depressed? Neither are signs of a healthy mind."

"I'm fine," the newt protested.

"You are fine, hmm? Fine with that form? You don't mind being a female of your species? You don't mind being called 'miss'? You don't mind that your body could one day be bloated with developing young, your mammaries heavy with milk, and you have to, hmm, waddle to walk?"

"What?"

"You're right, that was an extreme example. How would you react if a man were to advance upon you? Violently? Angrily? Or would you sink into sadness?"

"Doctor--"

"This will happen, Kovac, and I somehow suspect it has happened already. I am not telling you who or what to like--I care little for your preference but you... you care. I am telling you the reality: you aren't what you once were."

"I know that!" Kovac sobbed, tears welling up--she couldn't help it. "Don't you think I know that?"

"Oh, oh," Stibbs said, his tone softening. "I am sorry to have upset you. I didn't not mean to, I only meant--" Stibbs took off his glasses and stared at Kovac with his tiny eyes. "You are a strong person, Kovac. You care for others but I need you to care for yourself. I have no doubt that if only your form was changed you would barely need my assistance. If you had become a, hmm, cat person for example you might've had to gotten used to involuntary purring or taking frequent maps. But a shift in form and sex--sex, not gender, hmm--very difficult. Many biological changes and new hormones. Now you deal with dysphoria on two fronts. What's most hard for you, I think, is the change in sex. Is that correct?"

Although she hated to admit it, Kovac nodded.

"Then let us help you! Let me help you. I am no woman nor ever have been, but this group isn't just me. I promise we can assist you. We're all changed and because of that have to make changes. The more honest you are with us, the more honest you are with yourself and that's how you'll improve. If you don't, hmm, acknowledge a problem then how can you expect to solve it?"

"I know what you mean."

"You do?" Stibbs laughed. "You do! Tell me!"

"Right after the incident I refused to acknowledge my...my breasts. I bound them, hid them, but that didn't work that well. So yesterday I acknowledge I needed a ...bra. So I bought one."

"Good, good! You see? That is something you could have shared! Can you think of anything else?"

Kovac's gaze dropped to between her legs .She had only been like this for four days but she knew it was only a matter of time before...before--

"Yes," she said. "Could I share it next time?"

"Of course, of course! I have kept you too long already. Still, even though you were, hmm, tardy, you have made progress. This was a soft session. Next time I am asking you all to share more of yourselves. I will want to hear the full story of your change."

"How long?" Kovac suddenly asked.

"The full length."

"No, I mean..." Kovac sighed. "How long does it usually take to clear someone for them to work again?"

Stibbs shrugged. "For some only one session. Others twenty. Many are somewhere in between."

"And me?"

"I cannot say for sure but being able to work doesn't get you out the group, you know. There is a minimum, hmm, requirement of half a year." Stibbs stood. "Don't worry about time. Instead think of how you may mend your mind. Reflect on what troubles you so that we may work towards a solution. Thank you for coming, Kovac, see you Tuesday! Don't forget to get your new driver's license!"

"Right," Kovac said. "Thank you.

"How'd it go, son?" Kovac's father asked as she entered the car. Kovac shrugged and sat up against the chair.

"Ok," her father said. "I won't ask. Where are we off to?"

"Stadium," Kovac said. "I left my car there."

"You did? Why?" When Kovac didn't answer, her father rolled his eyes and started up the car. "I won't ask about that either."

Her father turned on the radio during the drive. Kovac scarcely listened to the tunes. She focused instead on Stibb's words. It was for this reason that she eventually turned down the music and turned to her father.

"Dad," she said. "Does it upset you that I'm a newt...woman?"

"No," her father immediately replied. "I'm not upset. I'm more confused. Mythic magic ain't new but hell if I understand it or thought it would ever affect your mother, me, or you."

"What if this hadn't been an accident? What if I had chose this?"

Her father looked over. "Did you, Charlie?"

"No!"

"Then...I'd probably still be confused, but...but you make your own choices, son. You're the one who faces the consequences of your choices." Her father grimaced. "This was an accident, right?"

"Yes."

"Right, right. I'm sorry."

"It's ok, dad, but what if I started dating...men?"

"Uh..." Her father returned his gaze to the road. "Still confused because you're a female right, but you used to be my son, but you're a woman now so...not upset though. Why do you care what I think? Unless you're thinking of doing something illegal or morally wrong you shouldn't be worrying what a foolish old man thinks." He chuckled. "Your mother would've loved to hear me say that."

"I care because..." Kovac rubbed her head. "Because I care. I'm upset and confused."

"Well," her father said. "At least you know that."

For some reason this caused Kovac to smile. She sat back in her seat and didn't speak for the rest of the trip. Eventually they arrived at the stadium and located her car.

"Thanks for driving, dad," she said. "Can I meet you and mom for dinner at 6? I have to go somewhere."

"Sure," her father replied. "Where?"

"Antonio's."

"Mmm, I love pizza."

A few hours later Kovac sat down at a table in Antonio's with her parents. Her mother narrowed her eyes at the newt.

"Did your boobs get bigger?' she asked.

"Honey!" Kovac's father exclaimed.

"What? This morning she had like grapefruits. Now, boing! Cantaloupes."

Kovac shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying not to stare down at the points of discussion. She didn't think they were _that_big.

"Ignore your mother," her father said.

"Yes, ignore me," her mother snorted. "It's what your father's been doing since before you were born. I'm gonna go smoke."

Kovac's mother stood and left the table. Kovac's father smiled weakly and looked to the newt.

"Your mother really does love you," he said. "And I think me. Uh, where were you anyhow?"

"I went to the place where I was changed," she replied. "It used to be a wooden house. Now it looks like something out of a fairytale."

"And you ended up a newt? Was anyone else affected?"

"No," Kovac shook her head. "I was the only one stupid enough to go in there."

"Charlie--"

"Good evening!" A light voice spoke. "Welcome to Antonio's!"

Kovac looked up at their waitress. She was surprised to see she wasn't completely human: she had pointed ears and an otherworldly glow to her.

"I'm Seran," the elf said. "I'll be your waitress tonight. Do you know what you'd like to drink?"

"Water for me and my wife," Kovac's father said.

Kovac was about to order a beer when she recalled what had happened last night. She glanced down at the menu.

"Vanilla Coke."

"Ok? Are you two ready to order?"

"Do you still eat meat?" Kovac's father asked. Kovac nodded. "Ok, one pepperoni, one cheese."

Seran nodded and walked away. She returned a minute later with the drinks and disappeared just as quickly.

"You're not stupid," Kovac's father said after a gulp of water. "You were doing the right thing, right?"

"I don't know," Kovac admitted, sipping her beverage. "I may have just gotten myself changed."

"It's the past. In the future, just avoid--what did this to you again?"

"A hyena headed witch."

"Huh." Her father sat back and scratched his head. "You know, I was thinking about what you said. Do you want me to call you Charlie still? Or son?"

"I..." Kovac looked into her drink's dark, fizzy depths. "No to son. Yes to Charles. I'm not changing my name."

"Phew," Kovac's father sighed. "I admit I was a little worried about that. Charles is a damn good name."

"Don't worry." "Well, I have to, you're my...child." He looked around. "Where's your mother?"

"Here," Kovac's mother snapped, sitting down next to him. "You got me water! Jesus Christ, Gerald, I always get pop at places like these. Pop!"

Kovac smiled as her parents squabbled. The rest of the night went well. The pizza was good and the conversation was cool and casual. Her mother did smoke more often than usual, citing that the pack she had cheaply purchased from that dark place from around the corner were the best she'd ever had even if she wasn't quite sure the person who had sold them to her was a person and she couldn't read the language on the pack. After eating, they returned to her apartment and said their goodbyes, with Kovac promising she would call back in the future and to come up and see them every once in a while because Jesus Christ they only lived two hours away. Kovac spent the rest of the night watching TV. Afterwards she disrobed, collapsed onto her bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Kovac awoke the next day feeling somehow more lethargic than the day before. She spent the morning eating breakfast and reading the newspaper, but found it hard to focus on current events, even something as distant as Reagan's latest visit to Germany. By noon she realized the cause of her lethargy. There was dread deep inside her and she wasn't sure why. Thus, she distracted herself by reading more of the legal forms that been supplied to her and made sure to ID forms were properly filled out so she could head to the DMV tomorrow. Still, the dread mounted and an answer eluded her. Therefore, she mindlessly watched TV, heated up some leftovers for dinner, and then headed to bed. She lay in the darkness wondering how this day could be so crummy compared to the last. She wondered what she was so worried about. Finally, she decided it was because of what she had to do on Tuesday--tell her story. This story only brought more dread yet enough relief to put her into an uneasy sleep.

That night Kovac did dream, a replay of what had happened that night. She saw herself in front of the cauldron as the sphere fell. When sphere and cauldron met, the witch disappeared, reality changed and Kovac felt those changes. Her clothes had vanished, leaving her cold and naked. The sudden loss her hair had hardly helped either. Her skin had crawled as it became slick and red. She had the worst headache of her life as her cranium flattened and pushed into a newt's snout. After she had lost a finger and toe on each hand and foot and gained a tail, her balanced had been a little off. She had fallen onto cold stone floors that had been wooden only a moment before and shivered as cold air swept past her flat crotch. She stared down at her feminine folds in shock just in time to catch sight of her breasts bouncing into existence. Her changes complete, she had shivered in the cold, afraid that the changed building also meant she had been transported to another world. However, the arrival of Welt, Niskin, and Warts allayed that fear even if it didn't help the fact that she had just been transformed into a female humanoid newt.

The rest of the night had been a daze. She vaguely recalled being taken to a medical ward where a series of tests had been conducted on her, some verbal but most of them physical. They had poked and prodded her in areas she hadn't had before and it was stranger sensations than these that Kovac awoke to.

Kovac's alarm clock buzzed, stirring the newt into wakefulness. She groaned as she sat up in her bed, yesterday's mental meandry quickly forgotten because of today's physical pains. Her breasts felt sore, something she hadn't thought possible, and they were tender to the touch. She massaged them for a second, wincing as the dull pain in her lower abdomen suddenly intensified. She doubled over in pain while she reached for the alarm clock. By the time she had shut the incessant buzzing off, the pain had dulled again.

Kovac couldn't believe it. Only five days of being what she was and she was experiencing something unique to her sex. How had the time come so quickly? Time--she looked over at the clock. The DMV was opening really soon and she wanted to be one of the first ones in line. She would have to deal with this later.

Kovac dashed to her shower. The hot water felt even better this time on her aching body and she was tempted to stay in until the thought of a long wait in line while feeling like this got her moving. She quickly got dressed, retrieved her forms and wallet, ate an apple, and ran out of her apartment. She drove to the DMV at five above the speed limit, something she wouldn't have done if it hadn't been for the rush and the reoccurring sharp pains in her lower abdomen.

Arriving at the DMV, Kovac rushed into the building. Unfortunately, there was already a line, though at least it wasn't a particularly long one. She sighed and took her place at the back, flinching again from another sharp stab.

"Hey, it's you!" she heard. "The one that made the reference! Kovac, right?"

Kovac looked up to see that the minotaur from the therapy group was here as well. Again he was shirtless and wore a backpack that looked small on him. He smiled and took his place behind the newt.

"I was actually ahead of you," Caceres confided. "But then I saw you and thought it would be more fun to at least have some to talk to while we wait."

"Yes," Kovac said, wincing as she clutched at her stomach. "Fun."

"Oh! Are you okay?"

Kovac nodded. The minotaur narrowed his black eyes at the newt and shook his head. He took off his backpack and rifled through it. After a moment, he procured a pink box that he held out to Kovac.

"Here you go," Caceres said. "Take it. It'll help."

Kovac hesitantly took the box. She opened the top a little to see its contents, immediately closing it when she saw what they were. Her already hot face felt a little hotter.

"Unless...you already have one?" Caceres continued. "Sorry, I just thought--"

"No," Kovac said, shaking her head. "Thanks. Can you hold my spot?" "Yep!"

Kovac brushed past the line and in front of it,making a beeline to the bathrooms. When she stood before them, she looked at the differing signs. She stepped into the women's restroom. A few minutes later, she stepped out and returned her place in line.

"Thanks," she said, giving the box back. "But why--"

"Oh!" Caceres said. "Want to see my ID?"

"What?"

"Yeah! Here!"

Caceres handed his driver's license over. Kovac took it and examined it. The name on the license was Colette Caceres and the picture was of smiling black haired woman who according to the ID been born May 17th, 1963. Kovac blinked and looked up at the seven foot tall minotaur that stood in front of her.

"You were...?"

"A 60's child? Oh yeah! My parents were totally hippies! Let me see your license! Well...only if you want to."

Kovac gave Caceres' ID back and grabbed her wallet. She took out her license, looked at it for a second, and then handed it over. Caceres gripped it carefully in his large hands as he peered down at it. After a moment, the minotaur silently handed it back.

"You're older than me," Caceres noted. She peered at the newt. "You don't look it."

"Yeah," Kovac nodded. "The physicians said I might have a lost a few years."

"Lucky! Well..." Caceres snorted. "Now you know." He held up the backpack. "Reason I carry this around is because it's sort of like a purse, I guess? Also doesn't look as ridiculous too. And, uh, also why I still carry around what I gave you. Habit, I suppose. I never was good at keeping track when my time was."

"You don't have to worry about that anymore."

"Yeah, but now..." he grabbed his horns. "Now I got to worry about these and these are more constant. Some place's ceilings are so short I have to crouch. Say, what do you do anyhow, Kovac?"

"I'm a cop," Kovac said. It came out easily. For a reason she could not at that moment discern, she felt comfortable around the minotaur.

"Oh! Oh no! I'll be sure not to break any rules around you!"

Kovac laughed, the first time she recalled doing so since after the incident. It didn't sound half bad and it made her feel good despite some of the pain it caused.

"What about you?" Kovac asked.

"I'm a teacher," Caceres said, his shoulders suddenly slumping. "I might not be soon, but..." He shrugged. "I think I might scare the kids now."

"No." Kovac shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Of course you don't. You're a tough, hardboiled cop. Nothing scares you, but you scare others with your aura of lawfullness. Even me! Help, help, I'm being repressed!"

They both laughed this time and when the laughter was over they both looked each other in the eyes, smiling.

"You're not bad, Kovac," Caceres said. "You seemed a little too closed Saturday."

"And you were a little open," Kovac retorted.

"NEXT!" the DMV worker screeched. The line had moved since they had been talking and they were both now at the front.

"Looks like it's your turn," Caceres said. "Give 'em a big, naughty smile."

"Naughty?"

"My mistake! I meant newty."

Kovac smirked at this.

"Wider!" Caceres demanded. "But really, this has been fun. Actually..."

"Yes?"

"You seem to like comedies. Or parodies. Funny stuff, right? This, uh, 'Spaceballs' movie just came out last week. Have you seen it?"

Kovac shook her head.

"Wanna come with me on Friday? We could meet for the matinee showing at the OakWood location."

The newt only had to consider for a second.

"Ok."

Kovac returned home later that day with her new driver's license and that week's groceries. The picture on the driver's license reflected her appearance now, as did the single letter under the category "sex." In addition, there was a shiny and swanky "M" under her picture that marked her as a mythic. The newt didn't need the ID to remind her of what she was or her sex. Her body did a good job of reminding her of that fact with its constant aching and pains. The only solace she had was that Caceres had said that usually his first day had been the worst and the next two or three weren't so bad. Kovac wondered why there even had to be two or three more days of this.

Still, Kovac made herself comfortable in her home. She spent the rest of the day reflecting on what she might say tomorrow and also watching a showing of A New Hope on her television to prepare her for some of what Spaceballs should be parodying. When she slept that night, her mind was at ease even if her body was not.

Kovac was early to the therapy group meeting the next day. This seemed to make Stibbs happy. When Kovac greeted Caceres warmly in a conversation before the meeting, Stibbs seemed even happier still. After everyone was assembled, Stibbs began with a speech.

"This support group is for you to find, hmm, structure in a time of uncertainty, people that you can rely on for comfort. People." The mole rat looked around at each person in the room. "We're all people in the same, hmm, situation. With that I'd like to have you all go around and tell your story of change, fully this time. Leave no detail out! Honesty with yourself and others is the best way to, hmm, accept the occurrence. Kovac, would you like to begin?"

Kovac froze. She should have expected this, of course. Taking a deep breath, the newt looked across the room. Caceres nodded and smiled at her. Kovac smiled back and began. She started at the beginning when she had been posted by the side of the road. She told it how she remembered it: the fleeing teens, the glow, the witch, his thoughts, and then the change. She didn't go into exact details on her change, but she did speak a lot about the aftermath, of how she hadn't been able to speak for an hour because she hated the sound of her voice because it wasn't hers, how she had been needed to be practically restrained for medical personnel to fully examine her, and how the next day she had lain in bed in the dark, unwilling to look at her own body or acknowledge why some things on her chest moved with every panicked breath. Then she told them about her return to work and almost immediate removal from work. Finally, she ended up telling them about some of her recent problems and acceptances. When she was finished, the group clapped and Stibbs nodded his head happily.

"Good, good!" The doctor said. "You see? While things may change in ways we do not, nor want to, understand, we still have, hmm, ourselves. Even if our selves change, we still have that. So this isn't a question of 'Will I be able to change back?' Or 'Will I be normal again?' It's a question of if you can't answer those, what will you do, hmm? I think Kovac is on her way to answering that." He pointed to the newt. "Thank you, Kovac."

"You're welcome," Kovac said. Telling her story had relieved some of her anxiety. She felt better, actually. "Thank you, too."

"It's my job," Stibbs said. "What about you, Romeo?"

So, Kovac listened to each member of the group tell their tale in turn. Romeo broke down in the middle of his, sobbing that his parents weren't as accepting as Kovac's had been. Clair's tale was terrifying and left Kovac with a feeling of dread at the thought that her life was small and meaningless in the view of much greater beings. This eldritch terror was quickly wiped away when Caceres began his tale. For some reason, the sound of the minotaur's voice was calming and Kovac even found herself smiling a few times when the minotaur interjected something funny into what really was a horrifying and life changing event. Finally Stibbs told his tale and it was quite depressing. The doctor's wife had left him and taken the children, he had been maligned so badly in his town that he was practically forced to leave, and he nearly lost himself to the eventual depression. Still, the doctor managed to end his tale happily.

"It's been two years since I stood over that ledge," Stibbs said. "And now here I am with you. I am happy none of you have gone as deep as me in, hmm, despair. I am happy I am able to help you here. Now!" He took out five small cards. "Here I have cards with the contact information for each one of us. I encourage you to talk to each other when you need support and do not be frightened to call me! Remember, we are in this together. I thank you for sharing today! We will meet again on Saturday. Until then!"

Time passed quickly after the second meeting. On Wednesday, she went on a run for the first time in a week. It was a little different experience that what she was used to thanks to her breasts but it wasn't something she couldn't adapt to. When she returned home that day, there was a message from Welt. They met the next day at the police station's gym. She could still use its facilities even if she was barred from working. Here Welt apologized once again for what had happed at the game while also explaining that Crose had himself transferred to another precinct in record time. After this talk, they worked out. Unsurprisingly, Kovac lifted less weight than before. She didn't let this bother her too much. Instead she chose to be thankful at that at least the cramps and aches had ceased sometime that morning. That night she called Caceres and confirmed the plans for the movie. The call was a little awkward but when it was over, there were butterflies in her stomach. Again, she wasn't sure why.

On Friday, Kovac and Caceres met at the theater. They bought their tickets, and after some complaining about prices also bought a lot of popcorn. They sat together near the back of the venue. Kovac enjoyed the movie, but had a little trouble paying attention. Her gaze kept going to the large minotaur seated next to her. About two-thirds through the movie and after he had consumed his three large popcorns, Caceres put his arm around the newt. At first Kovac panicked but she quickly relaxed. Caceres' gentle hold was nothing like Crose's rough groping and the minotaur didn't trying anything else. In that moment, Kovac realized what she had been unwilling to admit to herself--she liked the minotaur and it was more than in just a friendly way. She was attracted to him. Feeling suddenly vulnerable, she sank back into her chair just as Caceres hugged her tight to his side. Rather than panic, Kovac actually relaxed. She felt protected in his presence. Still, some doubt lingered.

After the movie was over, Kovac and Caceres walked out of the theater together.

"That was hilarious!" Caceres said. "You can even use some of those lines. Say your scanner is on the fritz--'We've been jammed!'"

When Kovac didn't reply, Caceres looked down at her.

"Hey," he said. "Is something wrong?"

Kovac glanced up at the minotaur. She smiled.

"Nothing."

On Saturday Kovac went to the third meeting of the therapy group. This time Stibbs paired the group up and asked each person in the pair to share a problem pertaining to the change and for them together to come up with a solution. Kovac was happy when she was paired with Caceres. It went well. When the session was over, Stibbs held back Kovac as he had the first time.

"Kovac," the mole rat said. "You're, hmm, improving."

"I am?"

"Yes," Stibbs replied. "I am impressed and, hmm, surprised. Your recovery is rapid and I admit I have underestimated you. Why are you open now?"

"Caceres," Kovac answered immediately.

"Ah, the minotaur. It is what I, hmm, surmised. You have an attraction to him? You want to, hmm, carry his children and suckle his young?"

"What?" Kovac said incredulously. Then she shuddered, remembering what Stibbs had said last time about pregnancy.

"Extreme again, yes, you're right. For my own sake I shall not, hmm, mention that again." Stibbs rubbed his snout. "My apologies and my congratulations. It is good to have someone close. I admit I am too dating someone changed. A dragon if you'd believe it."

"Caceres and I aren't dating."

"No?"

"No," Kovac scratched the back of her neck. "Not yet."

That weekend Kovac's parents visited again because, according to her mother, what else did two retirees have to do? What was that? Relax? As if her father would allow it.

The visit went well. Kovac and her father talked more openly, even if her mother's comments and questions about how many eggs Kovac planned to lay in the pond next mating season proved harrowing.

The next session was upon Kovac before she knew it. It was similar to the last, though Kovac was paired up with Clair this time. Kovac listened in existential horror to Clair's narrative of her terrifying night visions. Though deeply disturbed, Kovac suggested that Clair might write down her visions and if that might help. Kovac then confided she had difficulty wearing traditionally feminine underwear. Clair assured her that this was ok and that she didn't even wear underwear herself sometimes. The session ended shortly after without Kovac having said a word to Caceres. After her conversation with Stibbs on Saturday, any thought of the minotaur made her timid. She wanted to do something with the minotaur but she wasn't sure what yet.

Her answer came later that week when she once again exercised with Welt. When he asked her if she would come to the game on Friday, she enthusiastically accepted and said she would be bringing some friends as well. That night she called Dr. Stibbs and invited him. Stibbs said yes, citing he hadn't gone to a game since he had moved. Romeo's paranoid mother initially answered the phone when Kovac called, but the werewolf eventually got a hold of the phone and shyly acquiesced to attending. Clair actually called Kovac after that, saying that some people at her local writing group thought her visions were appropriately horrific and then asked how the no underwear deal was going. Kovac brushed this question aside and instead asked about the game. Clair too agreed. There was only one name that had to say yes after that. Kovac's hands shook as she dialed Caceres' number.

Ring ring, the phone went. Ring ring!

"Hello?" Caceres said.

"Caceres," Kovac breathed, her whole body trembling now.

"Kovac!" Caceres bellowed on the other end. "Where have you been? We haven't talked in a week!"

"I know, I know."

"What's up?"

"Caceres." Kovac paused. "Do you want to come to a baseball game tomorrow?"

"Wow! A baseball game? I've never been! Of course!"

"Great! I mean, great. And uh..."

"What?"

"Wouldyouwantogetadrinkaloneafterwards?"

"What?"

Kovac took a deep breath.

"Would you want to get a drink alone afterwards?"

"With you?" Caceres chuckled. "Of course!"

Everyone of Stibbs' therapy group met together in front of the entrance to the stadium. Stibbs wringed his hands together nervously, but there was a smile on his mole rat visage.

"This was a good, hmm, idea, Kovac!" he said. "Now, where do we go?"

Kovac led them down to her usual seats. Niskin, Welt and Warts stared at the strange assemblage of individuals that approached them for only a moment before standing up and greeting them. Hands were shook, names were learned, and pleasantries were exchanged. When it was all over, everyone took his or her seats. Kovac sat at the end again with only Caceres to her right.

"Hey!" Caceres said next to her, looking out at the field. "This is amazing! This looks complex but, uh, is there any food?"

"Yes," Kovac said. "Overpriced."

"Just like the movie theater! I love it! Let's go see what they have!"

Kovac and Caceres went to the concessions and returned with seven hot dogs, two funnel cakes, and two beers. Caceres held up his beer to Kovacs and they toasted.

"One won't hurt," Caceres said. "We can have the good stuff later."

"One won't hurt," Kovac repeated, smiling. She took a sip of her beer and nearly spit it out when Caceres drank his all in one go.

"What?" the minotaur said. "That stuff was like water. Wow! The teams are running out. So many players! They can't all be out there at once, right?"

Kovac chuckled and began to explain the rules of the game to the minotaur. At first the minotaur was very confused, but eventually the pieces began to fall into place. He asked plenty of questions and gave Kovac plenty of glances that seemed to indicate far more interest in her than the actual game. In the fifth inning, something else fell into place as a home run was hit. Kovac's row stood and cheered.

"Hey!" Caceres said, poking the newt. "I know what that is! That's a home run!"

"No," Kovac said, looking up at the minotaur as an idea popped in her mind. "It's first base."

"But," the minotaur tilted. "You said--mpph!"

The minotaur ceased speaking as Kovac climbed a little on her seat and gave her unwitting other a kiss. The minotaur's eyes widened for a second, but then he returned kiss and embraced the newt, hugging her tightly again to his bare chest. A minute later, they both pulled their heads away and looked into the other's eyes.

"You were right," Caceres said. "That was first base. Interesting, uh, tongue you got there."

"What?" Kovac's gaze fell to the ground. "Was I too forward?"

"No, but I do have a question about the game."

"Oh." The newt looked up. "What?"

"How does one get to second?"

"Oh." Kovac blinked, heat rushing to her face. "Oh...how about after this game and after we stop by the bar?"

"Haha," the minotaur chortled. "Perfect. I like you, Kovac."

"I like you too, Caceres."

They never made it to the bar. Kovac considered it, but she didn't want alcohol to distort what she was feeling. Thus, the two drove to Kovac's apartment complex. The minotaur chased the newt as she ran up the stairs to her apartment, into the apartment, and then to her bedroom. Here Kovac turned around and sat on the bed while Caceres approached. The minotaur came to a sudden stop.

"Do you think," he said. "That we may be moving too fast?"

"No," Kovac replied, shaking her head. "Nothing is ever too fast anymore, not after my body was changed in almost an instant."

"Huh." The minotaur approached the newt. "I never thought about it that way. I guess your change was a little faster than mine." He stopped in front of the newt. "How are we doing this?"

"The game is still on." The minotaur chuckled and reached forward with his large hands. He pulled off Kovac's shirt and threw it to the side. He stared at the newt's full, ripe breasts for a moment.

"You know," he said, taking one in his hand and lifting it. He gave the plump orb a squeeze, causing Kovac to shiver in ecstasy. "If I was still a girl I would have been totally jealous right now. Now though?" He took ahold of Kovac's other breast and cupped them. Then he removed the bra and let them hang there. "Now I just find them incredibly sexy. Who knew, huh?"

Kovac sat back and spread her legs a little. She was having similar thoughts, though they were more about how she found the minotaur's well-muscled chest attractive--as well as increasingly obvious bulge in his jeans. He smelled good too--strong and virile.

"Like cantaloupes," Caceras continued, reaching out and groping both breasts. He moved both of his thick thumbs so they rested on her pert black nipples. She pressed into them. Kovac whimpered. "Mmmm. Feels good. I'm trying to remember what my boyfriend did."

"Boyfriend?"

"Ex." Caceras grunted.

He squeezed both of Kovac's nipples at once. The newt squealed, her sex flushing with heat. The minotaur smiled and dropped his hands so that they lay on the Kovac's wide hips. He unzipped her pants and pulled them down, revealing that Kovac was already lacking underwear. He stepped back.

"Where'd it go?" he asked

"Er," Kovac pointed her toes towards each other. "I didn't wear any. Something Clair said that I thought I'd try."

"I wouldn't normally suggest it, but I'm not complaining right now." The minotaur got on his knees and shimmied over to the newt. He squinted down at the newt's sex, which was already slightly wet. "Here we go for third."

Kovac squirmed when the minotaur dived in licking. Caceras's rough tongue on her sex felt good, so good especially when it brushed up top against her clit. She held onto her bedspread for support and dug her toes into the carpet as he continued to lick.

"Unnn," she groaned. "So good."

"Oh?" the minotaur stopped and looked up. "I wasn't sure."

"Don't s-stop!" Kovac gasped. "Why are you stopping?"

"Aren't you ready to go home?" Kovac nodded. If just the tongue felt like that what would his cock?

"Alright, hold on." Caceras unzipped his pants and then just dropped them completely. Kovac stared at his manhood. It was large and erect and she wanted it. She spread her legs even more as he advanced upon her. He roughly grabbed her and drew her into a kiss again. He closed his eyes, but she kept them open, staring at his member. It came closer and closer and closer until--

Kovac squealed as she was penetrated for her first time. Caceras leaned on her and under his weight they both fell onto the bed. He lifted himself off her chest, careful not to nick her with his horns, and grabbed her breasts as he began to thrust. She moaned, tongue lolling out of her mouth as he played with her breasts while thrusting in and out, in and out, bringing them both closer to orgasm. Her hips bucked while her passage clenched on his member, her breaths coming in and out faster and faster. So did the pace of his thrusts increase until Kovac felt like she was being slammed at every second. She wasn't sure how long she could take it, but neither did she want it to end.

All good things come to an end, however. With a bellow from Caceras and a hiss from Kovac, it was over. Kovac shivered as Caceras's seed gushed into her. It was only then that the newt realized the minotaur hadn't been wearing a condom.

"Fuuuck-ah," she moaned. "No protection."

"Hmm?" Caceras suddenly stood, pulling out of Kovac with a wet sound. "Oh shit! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" "No," Kovac said, sitting up and staring down at her quivering sex. "Not your fault. Maybe we did move too fast." A thought sprang to mind "Maybe we're not compatible anyhow."

"Yeah," Caceras said. "Maybe. I'm sorry, Kovac--"

"Don't worry about it," Kovac replied. She smiled up at the minotaur. "It was a choice we made together."

"Yeah, together." The minotaur nodded and then yawned. "I'm tired. Mind if I stay the night?"

"Not at all. This bed did always feel big for one. But...shower first?"

Caceras chuckled. "Sure."

Kovac awoke the next morning to the sound of a ringing phone. She rolled away from Caceras and off the bed and ran towards the phone. She picked it up.

"Hello?" she said.

"Charlie!" her dad said. "Listen, your mother doesn't want to come this weekend. I don't mind driving down, but I was wondering if you might visit us instead? I can pick up some meat to barbeque."

"Sure, dad." She looked back to the still sleeping Caceras. "Mind if I bring a friend?"

"Not at all! What kind of, uh, friend are we talking about here?"

"One that can eat a lot."

"I see. I'll pick up something extra."

And so time went. As Kovac got used to something she never thought she could--her newfound form--she set into a schedule of sorts. Therapy group twice a week, exercising with Welt, frequent visits and encounters with Caceras, and biweekly visits to or by her parents aided in her mental mending. Her parents were accepting of her relationship with the minotaur even if her mother did complain about how much he ate and how he didn't wear shirts, the members of therapy group ended up helpful in their own ways, but Caceras was the most helpful of all--and loving. Still, her life felt incomplete. She knew this was only temporary and this is what pushed her to improve. Finally, after her seventeenth visit to the therapy group, Stibbs kept her alone to talk in private one last time.

"Kovac," he said. "You have improved, hmm, immensely since your first visit here." He held up a form. "This will allow you to return to work. I will sign it today under two conditions."

"Name them," Kovac said.

"First, you will continue to attend these sessions with the same enthusiasm and energy as you have in recent times. You still have four more months and then you are totally, hmm, free of me."

"That's reasonable."

"Second, you must remember something. You are doing well now, Kovac, but this is no, hmm, fairy tale. Life is never happily ever after. I doubt and hope you never have anything as catastrophic as what happened two months before, hmm, occur again but realize there are the highs and there are the lows. I trust you will use what you have, hmm, learned and met here when you are in the lows. Understand?"

Kovac nodded.

"Good." Stibbs smiled. "I would hug now but legally I am not supposed to have, hmm, contact."

Kovac smiled and stepped forward. She gave the mole rat a quick hug, accidentally knocking his glasses off in the process. She caught them and handed them back as he squinted his eyes up at her.

"That didn't happen," she said. "Thank you, Doctor."

Stibbs nodded as he put his glasses back on. Kovac gave him a wave and then left the church where Caceras was waiting outside for her. He turned to her.

"You're cleared?" he asked.

Kovac nodded.

"Hot dog!" he said. "At least one of us is employed."

Kovac wrapped her arm around his and started walking to the car. She looked up at the minotaur.

"We'll figure something out," she said. "Not many minotaur teachers out there."

"Yeah," Caceras snorted. "Maybe it's the shirt. Wearing one might help."

"But you look so nice without one!"

"To you!"

"That's true," Kovac laughed. "Come on, let's go home."