AF: The Fall to Grace

by Julie

				AF: The Fall to Grace
					By Julie


Hannah and Grayson had been friends for years.  They had been intimate 
for a while and had decided they were better off as just friends.  One of 
the things that had cemented the friendship was a common love of 
mountain climbing.  They had climbed cliffs together in three different 
states.  In a sport where relying on a partner could be the difference 
between life and death, they had come to know each other even more 
intimately.

This particular day they were scaling a mountain face that they had 
scaled several times before.  They were keeping in shape for a 
competition that was being held in two months.  Having partnered with 
each other on quite a few climbs, they almost knew what the other was 
thinking.

"It's such a beautiful day!" Hannah said, watching Gray pound a pinion 
into the face of the cliff.

"Here's hoping it's this nice when it's our turn to compete," Gray replied 
as he looped his rope through the newly set pinion.

They continued chatting as they climbed.  They had already climbed the 
easier part of the slope and were beginning the steepest and most 
challenging part.

"What's that?" Hannah said, pointing to an area about six feet above 
Gray's head.

There, hanging from a small branch that had grown out of a crevice, was 
what appeared to be a necklace.

"Well, how do you suppose that got there?" Gray asked as he worked his 
way towards it.

"Do you think somebody dropped it?"  Hannah was shading her eyes as 
she looked to the top of the cliff.

"Judging by the angle of descent it would have had to make, I'd say more 
probably, someone threw it from the top."

"Why would anyone throw a necklace of the top of a cliff...unless it was 
a memento from a love that had gone wrong."

"Just like a woman!" Gray teased.

"Alright Mr. Know-it-all, how do you think it got there?"

By that time, Gray had worked his way up to where he could reach the 
necklace.  Actually it was more like a medallion.  It was brass and very 
cheap looking.  There was an engraving of a fairy or an angel waving a 
wand.  Since he only had the one hand free and no empty pockets readily 
available, he slipped it over his head and around his neck.

"Too cheap looking.  If I were to give a girl something that looked like 
this, she would throw me over the cliff.  So it was probably stolen with 
some other stuff and the robber, realizing it was worthless, just got rid of 
it."

"I like my story better.  Besides, what robber would go to the top of a 
mountain just to throw his loot over the side of a cliff?"

"One that wanted to make sure it would never be found by anybody!"

They kept bantering as they continued scaling the cliff.  

Gray was reaching for a handhold in a crevice when a small bolder that 
had worked itself loose over time fell and smashed his hand.  He jerked 
his hand back violently and unfortunately that shifted his center of 
gravity.  He lost his balance and fell.

Hannah saw Gray fall and braced herself.  She prayed she would be able 
to stop Gray's downward momentum.  If she couldn't, she could very 
well fall herself.  The pinion just above her head held.  She managed to 
keep her balance even when the sudden jolt of Gray's body reaching the 
full length of the robe, snapped the cord tight.  She could feel the rope 
swinging and the dead weight of Gray at the end.

"GRAY!" she screamed.

There was no answer.  Looking down, she could see Gray's unconscious 
body handing limply, swinging back and forth.  She realized this was no 
time to panic!  Slowly she began lowering him towards the ground.  It 
took almost twenty minutes till she was standing on a ledge next to his 
still form.  She realized he must have hit several outcroppings on his way 
down because he was bleeding from gashes and scrapes on his head, 
arms and chest.  His left leg was resting at an unnatural angle.  Dropping 
to her knees beside him, she began to assess the situation.

(I have to keep calm) she thought.  "Gray?  Can you hear me?"  (Oh, 
God, please help me.) "Gray, I need you to talk to me."  (There's so 
much blood!)  

"Hannah?" Gray said feebly.

(Thank you, God.)  "I'm here, Gray.  Your leg is broken.  Can you tell 
me if anything else is broke?"

"Can't...feel my...legs"

(Oh no!  His back...not his back.  Please don't let it be broken!)  
"Everything is going to be alright, Gray."  She felt his neck for his pulse 
and noticed it was very faint.  She then reached to his thigh and pinched 
him, hard enough to leave a bruise.  Gray didn't flinch or even bat an eye.  
(No, no, no...not this, please not this!)  "Keep talking to me, Gray."

"I'm...so...cold-d."

The sun was beating down and it was quite warm

(He's going into shock and I don't have anything to cover him with.  
What am I going to do?)

 She took the bandana from around her neck and went to wipe the blood 
from a gash that was running down his face.  She didn't notice the end of 
it brush against the medallion.

"Take your strength from me, Gray!"  (I need a miracle, God.)  Silent 
tears were running down her cheeks.  (I need to get him to a doctor!  
How am I ever going to get him off this mountain?)  "Hold on, honey!  
We're gonna make it, I promise."  (Oh God, I'm losing him!)

"Don't leave me...please," Gray begged.

"I won't leave you, not even for a second."  (How am I going to get help 
if I don't leave him?  Please, don't let him die!)  "Take my strength...just 
hold on, please!"  Grabbing his hand, she felt his fingers lightly close 
around hers.

"I feel...stronger.  The pain...is easing."

The grip of his fingers was getting stronger.  She thought he looked 
smaller.  She was rocking back and forth on her knees by his side.

(How can I get help?)  "Gray, talk to me.  How can I help you?"  

"I feel your strength coming into me," Gray said, his voice stronger.  "I 
feel it through out my whole body."

(Maybe his spine was only bruised.  Maybe it's not broken.)   "Oh Gray, 
that's great!"  (I am so afraid.  He looks as if he's fading away before my 
very eyes.)  "Gray, your hair is growing!"

Gray normally wore his hair cut close to the scalp, as is the current 
fashion.  Now it was at least six inches long and appeared to still be 
growing.  

Other changes were becoming apparent.  He was developing breasts and 
the bulge in his tight shorts was diminishing.   His clothes were getting 
looser and now his hair was turning from jet black to a strawberry 
blonde.  Hannah sat there in awe watching as Gray was turning into an 
exact double of herself.  His leg straightened and healed itself even as 
she watched.  She reached over and pinched his leg again.

"Ow!  Why did you do that?" he asked rubbing the spot she had pinched.

"You have the feeling back in your legs!  I pinched you earlier and you 
didn't feel it, but this time you did!"

After about twenty-five minutes, Gray sat up.  He was still feeling a little 
fuzzy around the edges.

"I can't believe it!  My body doesn't hurt anymore.  I would have bet 
money my back was broken and I just knew I was dying."

"Gray...you're not you anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"You're me!  Look at your arms and legs.  Shake your head and feel the 
long hair around your shoulders.  Somehow, you have turned into an 
exact double of me!"

Gray still had a massive headache but it was fading rapidly.  He looked 
at his hands and arms and compared them with Hannah's.  He normally 
stood a good nine inches taller than her petite 5'4" and yet he could look 
her square in the eyes without having to look down.  Gone were the long 
overly muscular legs he had developed by climbing.  In their place were 
exact copies of Hannah's shapely limbs.

"But how?" he asked, stunned.

"I don't know.  I was praying pretty hard. Maybe it's a miracle.  Maybe I 
willed it subconsciously.   I don't care how it happened, anyway.  All I 
care about is that you're alive and can walk down this mountain under 
your own power."

"But I'm a girl...I'm you!"

"Would you rather be dead or in a wheelchair for the rest of your life?" 
Hannah asked angrily.  "And for the record, I think the chances of you 
making it to that wheelchair were pretty damn slim!"

"You're right, of course.  It's just going to take some time to get used to 
the idea that I'm not a guy anymore."

"I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to take all my fear out on you."  At that point, 
Hannah burst into tears.  Gray took her into his now shapely arms and 
held her while she cried.  After the storm subsided, Hannah shook herself 
and stood up.

"We need to get you cleaned up.  You're still covered in blood."

"If I remember correctly, there are several pools below us about 100 
yards from here."  Gray stood up and was in danger of his shorts sliding 
down around his ankles.  He took a three-foot section of rope and tied it 
around the waist of his shorts.  Carefully, they climbed down off the 
mountain and headed towards the pools of water.

"You might as well remove your clothes.  I have an extra outfit in my 
backpack. You can borrow it till we get back home."

As Hannah began to unload her backpack, Gray started to undress.  He 
looked into the water and was startled to see Hannah's reflection staring 
back at him.  Even though she had told him that he looked like her, he 
still expected to see at least part of his old self looking back.  He took the 
medallion off and rinsed it in the clear water.  It had been covered in 
blood.  Then he set it on the grass beside him and put his torn and bloody 
clothes on top of it.  Jumping into the cold water he let out a scream.  

Hannah came running around the bend and skidded to a stop when she 
saw Gray was all right.

"What ever did you scream about?"

"The water's f-f-freezing!" he replied, his teeth chattering.  His nipples 
had also hardened into two tight pebbles.

"Of course, silly, it's a mountain fed pool.  It's melted snow.  Don't stay 
in there too long, I don't want to worry about hypothermia.  Oh, here is 
the change of clothes I promised.

Gray quickly cleaned himself and dried off with a clean portion of what 
was left of his shirt.  Hannah had left a pair of shorts, a shirt and some 
underwear next to his old things.  He knew how to put the panties on but 
the bra had him stumped.  How did women put that contraption on 
without dislocating their shoulders?  He slipped it on and holding it in 
place, he called to Hannah.

"Can you help me a second?" he called.

As Hannah came into view, she saw Gray holding the bra over his 
breasts and he had his back turned to her.  

"Would you fasten this for me?"

Hannah struggled to keep from laughing.  "Do you mean to tell me you 
never saw a woman put on a bra before?"

"My area of expertise is getting them out of their bras, not back into 
them."

The giggles she had been holding burst out.  Gray began giggling as 
well.  She fastened the clasp for him.

"In the future, wrap the bra around you and fasten it in the front then 
slide the clasp around to the back and slip the straps up."

The thought of having to wear a bra everyday sobered Gray.  He stopped 
laughing.

"What's wrong?" Hannah asked.

"It's starting to dawn on me the changes I'm going to have to make in my 
everyday living," he replied.

"I've been thinking.  We can't call you Gray anymore; it's a guy's name.  
Why don't you go by Grace?"

"Damn, this is happening way too fast!  First I lose my manhood and 
now my name?"  As Hannah started to answer, he interrupted.  "I know, 
you're right.  At least Grace sounds similar to Gray."

As Grace finished dressing, Hannah picked up her torn clothes and put 
them in a trash bag.  The two of them were very litter conscious.  When 
Grace was ready, they continued off the mountain towards home.  
Neither of them saw the medallion lying in the grass.

"You know, the business with the bra has started me thinking," Hannah 
said as they walked down the gentler slope.  "There's a lot you don't 
know about being a woman.  Why don't you stay at my place for a while 
until we can get you settled in?"

"No offence, but I don't want to be 'settled in'.  I want to find out how 
this happened and find a way back to my old body."

"But you old body was broken and dying!  Even if we found a way to 
change you back, and even did it at a hospital where they could treat you 
immediately, your back would still be broken.  Do you want to spend the 
rest of your life in a wheelchair?  Is being a woman too great a price to 
pay for having the use of your legs?"

Hannah was angry.  She had come too close to losing Grace for her to be 
open to any ideas other than the obvious one.  Grace was now a woman 
and the sooner he, ah she accepted it the better!

Grace didn't say anything more about getting her old body back.  She 
couldn't help but feel that if she could change so completely once, why 
couldn't she change back to her old self without a broken back?  She 
wasn't about to give up, but she wasn't going to tell Hannah that just yet.

The two girls drove back to Hannah's apartment.  As they walked the 
short distance to the front, Grace noticed several people staring and it 
bothered her.

"Relax!  They just think you're my twin and they're surprised because 
they didn't think I was a twin," Hannah admonished.  "I think we could 
have some fun with this."

Grace felt uncomfortable walking around in tight shorts and a tight T-
shirt.  When they were inside, she relaxed in a chair.  Her hips were 
scooted forward with her back slumped against the back and her legs 
were spread wide.

Hannah took one look and shook her head.  "You have a lot to learn 
about being a girl!"

"What did I do now?" Grace asked.

"Just look at how you're sitting!  Women do not sit that way...put your 
legs together and sit up."

Grace reluctantly sat up and assumed a proper ladylike position, crossing 
her legs at the knee.  "There!  Is that better?"

"Much," Hannah replied with a smile.  "Why don't we change and go out 
to dinner.  I'm too tired to cook."

Both ladies took turns in the shower.  Hannah was in and out, and as she 
passed Grace in the doorway, she reminded her to be sure and use 
conditioner on her hair after she shampooed.

Grace took a little longer in the shower than Hannah. She had never 
bothered with shampoos since she wore her hair so short.  The regular 
bath soap had worked just fine.

"Wet hair, lather, rinse, repeat."  Grace read the shampoo bottle.  "Why 
can't it clean it the first time?" she asked herself.  Hannah had hair almost 
down to her waist and always wore it braided when they went climbing.  
Grace's hair hadn't been braided and was a mass of tangles.  She washed 
it twice then quickly bathed and was about to get out when she 
remembered the conditioner.  "Apply to hair after shampooing, let sit for 
at least two minutes, then rinse.  Great. I guess I just stand here for two 
minutes then," she muttered.

After getting out and wrapping in a towel, she went over to the closet 
where Hannah was selecting clothes.

"I think this would be a great time to introduce you to dresses and heels," 
Hannah said with glee.

"No way! Just hand me some jeans and a T-shirt and I'll be happy," 
Grace replied with disgust.

Turning Hannah confronted Grace.  "As long as you look like me, you 
are going to dress appropriately!  I don't want anyone to see you dressed 
sloppily and think it's me.  I work hard to look as good as I do and I'm 
not going to let you mess it up!"

"But I'm not you!" Grace replied.

"But anyone that sees you will think that you are me.  Look, you always 
took care of your appearance as Gray, why wouldn't you as Grace?"

"Ok, you have a point, but do we have to do dresses right away?  Can't I 
wear a pantsuit?  Please, anything but a dress, okay?"

"Very well," Hannah relented.  She went back to the closet and pulled 
out a denim jumpsuit with silver trim.  "Is this better?"

"Do you have anything less garish?" Grace asked.  She never realized 
what a flashy dresser Hannah was.  It never bothered her in the past.  As 
a matter of fact, she always enjoyed the fact that Hannah turned heads 
when they had gone out.

Hannah put her hand on her hip and just stared at Grace.

"Well, it's better than a dress, so I guess it will have to do," Grace 
conceded.

"Great!" Hannah said with a smile.  "Let's get you ready."

Hannah led Grace back into the bathroom and began to show her how to 
dry and style her hair.  Then she started the ritual of applying make-up.

"Whoa!" Grace said, backing away from the brush that had blusher on it.  
"I prefer the natural look.  I don't need make-up."

"So do I, but you don't think the natural look means no make-up do 
you?"

"Well, yes.  If you apply make-up, it's not natural anymore," Grace tried 
to explain.

"You men really don't realize just what a woman has to do to look good, 
do you," Hannah asked laughing.

"I never thought you wore make-up," Grace said, disheartened.

"Well I do!  You just have to learn how to do it, that's all."

Grace realized she was fighting a losing battle. She sat there and let 
Hannah show her the steps to putting on make-up.  Finally, they were 
ready.  They went to their favorite restaurant and talked while they were 
eating.

"Okay, I admit I have to act and behave like a girl as long as I look like 
you," Grace started.  "But I still intend to see if I can find out how I 
changed.  If I cannot change back and keep the ability to walk, I will stay 
a woman, gladly.  But you have to understand; I can't just start being a 
woman without trying to get my manhood back first!"

Hannah thought for a few minutes.  "You're right.  If it were me, I would 
fight it also.  I'm sorry I was so pig headed earlier.  I hadn't stopped to 
think how I would feel in your position.  Tell you what.  I have a friend 
who is a meta-physics professor at the university.  If we can convince 
him of what happened, maybe he can help."

"Thanks," Grace said with tears in her eyes.

The next day was Sunday, so Hannah called her friend, Dr. Wentworth, 
at home and asked him if he could come over that afternoon.  He arrived 
a little before noon.  The two girls had decided on a plan of action 
designed to convince him of the truth of what happened.

Dr. Jonathan Wentworth had been a friend of Hannah's family for as 
long as she could remember.  He had bounced her on his knee when she 
was just a toddler.

Following a knock, Grace opened the door and greeted Dr. Wentworth.  
He stepped in and with the familiarity of old friends, embraced Grace 
and gave her a kiss on the cheek.   Grace stiffened at the embrace and 
then hoped he hadn't noticed.  She then led Hannah's old friend to the 
living room.  After the two of them were seated, Grace began.

"Dr. Jon, I need your help."

"If it is within my power, my dear, you know I will," he replied, 
believing he was talking to Hannah.  "How may I help?"

"I experienced something that defies logic.  If anyone had told me they 
had the same thing happen to them, I would tell them they were crazy," 
Grace began.

Dr. Wentworth leaned forward eagerly.  He took off his glasses and was 
polishing the lenses as Hannah spoke.

"That's why I need you.  If anyone could explain to me what happened 
and more importantly, how it happened, it would be you."

"Please, go on.  You have my utmost attention."

"A good friend and I were mountain climbing and he fell.  You have to 
believe me when I tell you, Grayson was dying.  His back was broken as 
a result of the sudden stop at the end of his line.  I was doing emergency 
first aid when it happened."

"What?  Don't keep me in suspense!  What happened?"

"Hannah?" Grace called out to let her know it was time for her entrance.  

They had gone shopping and had purchased two identical outfits.  As a 
result, they looked so much alike, you couldn't tell them apart.  When 
Hannah walked in and Dr. Wentworth saw her, his jaw dropped.  He let 
his glasses that he had been polishing slip to the floor.  Grace stood up 
and Hannah stood next to her.  They were alike in every way.

"That's when HE turned into ME," Hannah finished.  

The two of them stood there waiting for Dr. Jon, as Hannah had called 
him for years, to compose himself.  He picked up his glasses and put 
them on.  Then he proceeded to closely scrutinize both girls.

"Amazing!  I cannot tell any difference between the two of you.  Have 
you checked your fingerprints?"

"Not yet, but we thought you might.  Hannah went and got a magnifying 
glass.  Grace went over to a small table. The end table was highly 
polished and Grace left prints of her left hand on the mirror-like surface.  
Hannah then did the same. Dr. Jon examined the two sets of prints.

"This is impossible!  They appear to be the exactly same," he said as he 
bent over to double check his work.  

The two girls had moved around the room while he was bent over the 
table.  When he stood up, he looked at both of them.  "Which of you is 
which?"

"You tell us," one of them replied.

"I confess, I can't.  So tell me, how did this change occur?"

Both girls let out a sigh.  They had been afraid that even with the 
evidence right before his eyes, that Dr. Jon wouldn't believe them.

"I was lying on the ledge.  I hurt all over," Grace began.  "Except for my 
legs.  I couldn't feel anything below my waist."

"I was praying harder than I ever have before," Hannah continued.  "I 
started to wipe away some of the blood when Gray started shrinking 
before my very eyes."

"You see, Sir," Grace took over, "I used to stand 6'1"."  She handed him 
a picture of Hannah and Gray from when they had climbed their first 
mountain together.  "That's what I used to look like.  If it is at all 
possible, I would like to look like that again, provided it doesn't mean I 
revert back to my injured state."

"Grace, call me Dr. Jon," he said as he looked at the picture.  "I have a 
feeling we are going to become good friends.  This whole story is 
unbelievable, but I do believe you.  Let me do some research.  I don't 
know if I can find anything, but I promise you, I will give the search 
everything I have.  I want you to realize though, it might take months, 
even years or I may never find the answer to your questions."

"Now for your parts of the investigation...I want each of you to sit down 
and write everything that happened in as much detail as possible.  Start 
with when you first arrived at the mountain.  Try to remember 
conversations, weather conditions, the route you took up the mountain, 
etc. Then I want the both of you to combine the events into one factual 
report."

The three of them sat there for four hours, answering questions about 
what happened exactly to the best of their recollections.  Dr. Jon took 
page after page of notes as the two girls talked.  Finally, he arose.  In his 
hands was the final statement of the events of that day.

"Won't you stay for dinner, Dr. Jon?" Hannah asked.

"No thank you, Hannah, or is it Grace?"  He shook his head.  "I want to 
get started right away so I must be going."

"Now what?" Grace asked, after Dr. Jon had left.

"Now we order pizza," Hannah answered.  "There is nothing we can do 
until we hear what Dr. Jon finds."

Hannah took two weeks vacation from her job to help Grace become 
more comfortable with her new self.  Grace was lucky in that she ran a 
business out of her home.  She designed web pages for companies all 
across the U.S.  All her work was done over the Internet on her home 
computer.  No one questioned whether the person manning the keyboard 
was male or female as long as the work was done on time.  She also did 
all her banking online.  When she needed cash she would use her ATM 
card. 

At the end of three weeks, Grace could apply her make-up just as well as 
Hannah.  They still fought about wearing dresses.  Grace usually just 
braided her hair because it was easier to do than the more fashionable 
styles that Hannah wore.  

Grace continued to take the lessons from Hannah because there was no 
guarantee that Dr. Jon would find anything.  If he didn't, or if he found 
the change was permanent, Grace knew she would need to know how to 
live life as a woman.  But that didn't mean she had to like it.

Hannah, on the other hand, was enjoying herself immensely.  She had 
been an only child and this was just like having a sister.  One day Grace 
lost her temper completely.

"Hey Grace!" Hannah yelled as she came bounding into the room.  
"Guess what?"

"Dr. Jon called?" Grace answered hopefully.

"No, sorry.  Ned Jamison and Terry Connors both asked me out for this 
Friday."

Grace knew Hannah liked both young men.  "Which one are you going 
to accept?"

"I thought I would accept both of them."

"Both?" Grace asked.

"Yea!  I though you and I could double date.  That way, I would have the 
chance to see which one I liked.  They would each think they had the real 
me and I would have the chance to give them both the once over."

"No," Grace said softly, getting angry.

"Sure, why not?  We could go out to dinner, and then maybe a movie."

"NO, damn it!"

"Jeez, what's wrong with you?" Hannah asked, stunned at the outburst.

"I am NOT going out on a date with a guy and that's final!"

"Grace, calm down.  I suggested it because you don't ever go out.  You 
need to meet people, get out and be sociable.  Maybe I shouldn't have 
used the word 'date'."

Grace broke down into tears.  Hannah didn't know what to think.  Grace 
had been growing quite irritable the last couple of days and now this.  
Suddenly she realized what was happening.  It was something she didn't 
think about except when 'that' time rolled around.

"Grace, we need to talk.  I know that you know where babies come 
from."

"What does that have to do with anything? Grace asked, sniffling. 

"You are getting ready to go through what makes a woman able to bear 
children."

"Oh no!" Grace wailed.  "Not that, please?"

"Honey, it's not something I can stop," Hannah said softly.  "Let me 
show you what to do when you start your period which will probably be 
tomorrow.  Fortunately, I have light periods and only cramp the first 8 or 
so hours.  It will be all over with in five days."

Grace sat there and cried.  She never thought about that part of being a 
woman.  She was coming to realize that being female wasn't anywhere as 
easy as she had thought in the beginning.  She wished Dr. Jon would 
hurry up and call.

Thanks to Hannah's tender understanding, Grace made it through the 
next five days without too much trouble.

Things seemed to smooth out after that.  Grace still refused to wear a 
dress, however she would go out with Hannah to parties or get-togethers.  
Gradually, she settled into life as a woman.

It had been two and a half months since the incident on the mountain 
when Hannah came over one afternoon, waving a flyer.

Hiya Grace.  Look at this," she said, thrusting the paper at her.

It was an advertisement for a convention for twins to be held in two 
weeks.

"Look here," Hannah said pointing to a paragraph.  "It says that the set of 
twins voted 'most alike' will win a spot on a commercial.  We have to go!  
We would win because we are exactly alike.  There isn't a set of twins 
around that could beat us."

It took some talking, but Hannah finally got Grace to agree to go.   The 
decided they needed to go shopping.  They wanted to get several outfits 
that were identical to wear to the convention.

"Grace, I want us to wear dresses," Hannah said, ready for an explosion.

"Why?" Grace asked, simply.

"We are both young, beautiful women.  We need to show that off.  The 
fact that we look alike isn't going to matter there because everybody will 
have a double.  I think a simple, but sophisticated black dress, with gold 
jewelry, would knock everyone on their ears."  Hannah waited for 
Grace's usual denial.

"Okay, maybe it is time," Grace stated.

Hannah sat down in shock.  "Really!  You mean it?"  She jumped up and 
hugged Grace.  "I'm so proud of you."

"Really?  Why?" Grace asked.

"I felt that as long as you refused to wear a dress, there would be a part 
of you that refused to accept what you have become. I just want you to 
be happy!" Hannah explained.

The two of them went on a shopping spree.  They found the perfect 
dresses and both of them began counting the days till the convention.  

Finally the day arrived.  Walking through the convention center was an 
experience in itself.  Everywhere they looked, there was two of 
everybody.  Grace was able to relax completely.

"I don't feel like an oddity here," she confessed to Hannah.  

The girls noticed a good-looking set of guys across the room and Hannah 
decided to head their direction.  They were average in height since they 
were 5'11", but that was the only thing that was average.  They obviously 
worked out, as their build was quite muscular.  They had wavy, light 
brown hair that touched their shoulders.   Hannah introduced herself and 
Grace.

"I'm Clark Evens and his is my brother, Kent," Clark said, expecting the 
normal reactions to their names.

Except for a quick glance at each other, neither Hannah nor Grace said a 
word about their new friends' names.

"Thank you so much," Kent said.

"Thanks for what?" Hannah asked.

"For not asking if we were 'super' men," Clark replied.

"Or not asking if we were reporters for the Daily Planet," Kent added.

"Or not asking if we wear blue underwear," Clark continued.

"Or not asking if we were 'men of steel'," Kent finished.

Both girls were laughing at the lines the guys had been forced to endure 
as a result of their names.

"Our mother really didn't hate us," Kent explained.  "When they were 
trying to come up with names, our parents decided that if it was a boy it 
would be named after one of the grandfathers and a girl, the 
grandmothers.  Which name would depend on which sex and then a flip 
of a coin would decide which side the name came from."

"When it was discovered we were twins, they decided to go with each 
grandfather," Clark continued.  "Their names were Clark Matthew 
Taylor and Kent James Evans.  Kent is the oldest and so they thought 
Kent and Clark.  Everyone was so flustered about us being twins that 
they didn't look to closely at the names until after we were about three 
weeks old.  By then it was too late."

The four of them decided to see the convention together. Hannah and 
Grace won the 'Most Identical' competition, of course.  They all had so 
much fun together that they decided to get together the following week.

If Hannah and Grace had turned heads before, when Kent and Clark 
were with them, people stopped and stared.  The foursome enjoyed the 
attention they were receiving.

One Saturday, about five months after the 'fall' both girls were over at 
Hannah's apartment getting ready for a night on the town with Kent and 
Clark.  Whenever they went out in public with them, they would dress 
alike.  If they were just bumming around with the guys, they each 
dressed in what ever was comfortable.  Grace still dressed more casually 
than Hannah did, but she was beginning to enjoy dressing up as well.  
When the phone rang, Grace answered it.

"Hello."

"Hannah, this is Dr. Jon.  How are you my dear?"

"This is Grace, Dr. Jon," she corrected, waving franticly at Hannah.  
Hannah picked up the extension in another room.

"My, even your voices are identical," he commented.  "And now I know 
why."

"You found out how I changed?" Grace asked.  She sat down on the edge 
of the bed because suddenly, her legs wouldn't support her.

"It was the medallion!  It took quite a bit of research but I found a brief 
reference to a 'Medallion of Zulo' that fits the description you gave.  
Legend has it that this medallion has the power to change a person's 
form.  Actually, you were very lucky.  If Hannah had touched the 
medallion, the two of you would have traded bodies and she would have 
died of the injuries you sustained in the fall."

At hearing this, Hannah sat down on the floor, too weak in the knees to 
remain standing.

"As it was," Dr. Jon continued, "Hannah must have touched her bandana 
to the medallion and that is what caused you to change into her.  Now, 
the way to change back is to put the medallion back around your neck 
and touch a piece of your clothing to it.  Now, most importantly, the item 
of clothing must be something you have NOT worn since before you 
went up on that mountain.  That way, you will change into the body you 
had before the fall."

"Did you hear all that, Hannah?" Grace asked into the phone.

"Yes, I heard."

"Hannah, my dear, I'm glad you are on the phone also.  How are you 
doing?"

"Pretty shaky, Dr. Jon.  I can't believe I came so close to dying and never 
knew it!'

"Hannah, where did you put the medallion?" Grace asked.

"Me?  I thought you had it."  

"It was with the clothes I took off.  You picked them up while I was 
dressing," Grace reminded her.

"You need to find that medallion or you will never be able to change 
back," Dr. Jon broke in.  "It is your only chance to be a man again."

The two girls ended the call and sat down together to talk.

"I can be ready to go in fifteen minutes and we can drive up to the site 
tonight," Grace started.

"Wait a minute.  If we left now, it would be just starting to get dark when 
we got there.  We can't look for it in the dark."

"I know that," Grace explained.  "We could sleep in the car and first 
thing in the morning, we can start looking."

"But what about the guys?  We were going out tonight, remember?" 
Hannah asked.

"Let me call them and see what we can work out," Grace said, confident 
that she would be on her way in just a few minutes.

Three hours later, Kent and Clark pulled up to Hannah's place in Clark's 
Jeep Wagoneer.  Hannah climbed in next to Kent and Grace next to 
Clark and the four of them headed for the mountains.  Both girls were 
glad the guys wanted to come along.  After all, four sets of eyes were 
better than two.

"I want to thank you for dropping everything to go camping with us," 
Hannah said.

"Hey, no problem," Kent replied.

"Yeah, we enjoy camping.  It gave us a good reason to break out all our 
gear," Clark finished.

"So what all did you bring?" Grace asked. 

"Well, we have two tents," Kent started.

"One for the ladies and one for us," Clark chimed in.  "Four sleeping 
bags, two lanterns, a camper's grill and fishing gear.  What about you?"

"We brought enough food for three days and even though we don't plan 
on using it, we brought our climbing gear, just in case.  You never can 
have too much rope when you're roughing it," Hannah answered.

The four of them talked of the times when they had been camping or 
climbing and the miles sped by.  Soon they were at the site, putting the 
tents up. Hannah pulled Grace to one side.

"I wanted to talk to you about sleeping arrangements," Grace said.

"What's to talk about?"

"Kent asked me if I wanted to share his tent with him, and I want to, very 
much," Hannah explained.

"Well that's fine for you, but what about me?  I'm not really a girl 
remember?  Hopefully, by this time tomorrow my time as a girl will be a 
thing of the past."

"Exactly!  This is your last chance to see what sex is like as a woman.  In 
the three and a half months you've been a girl, haven't you wondered 
what it would be like?" Hannah asked.

"That's beside the point.  It wouldn't be fair to Clark.  What would I tell 
him anyway?  Oh, by the way, I used to be a guy and if we find the 
medallion tomorrow I will become one again, but do you mind if I use 
your body tonight?"  Grace's answer was heated because she had come to 
like and respect Clark a lot.  Suddenly she felt as if she were going to 
cry.  God, she would be glad to get rid of these hormones.

"You have a point.  What about if he was open to sharing the tent but 
nothing else?"

"I could do that, as long as he understood up front not to expect 
anything," Grace conceded.

The girls walked over to where the guys were putting the finishing 
touches on the second tent.  Hannah took Kent's arm and walked away a 
short distance.  Clark gave Grace a questioning glance.  The two walked 
back and Hannah pulled Grace to one side.

"I feel like I'm in school again and everybody is whispering a secret that 
isn't really secret," Hannah giggled.  "I thought you would rather Kent 
explain to Clark about the sleeping arrangements."

Grace blushed beet red.  "Surely this could have been handled better."

About that time, Clark came over and turned to Grace.  "I hear we are to 
be roommates tonight."

Hannah didn't think it was possible, but Grace turned even redder.

"Hey, it's okay!  I understand," Clark said trying not to laugh.  "Come 
on, let's leave the two lovebirds alone."

The two couples split up and went to their separate tents.  The problem, 
at least for Grace, was that a two-man tent wasn't very large.  There was 
barely enough room to lay the two sleeping bags side by side.  Finally, 
Grace and Clark were settled in for the night.  

Just as Grace was beginning to relax, the sounds from the other tent 
reached her.  "Oh God," she said

"I think that's what Hannah just said," Clark commented with a laugh.  
He rolled over onto his side facing Grace.  "Maybe if we talk," he said, 
"the sounds won't bother us too much."

"Okay," Grace said, rolling to face Clark.  "What do you want to talk 
about."

"I couldn't help but overhear earlier.  Were you really a guy?" he asked.

Grace found she wanted to tell Clark the story of her transformation. She 
told him about how it happened and why they were really there on the 
side of the mountain.  She also told him about what it was like being a 
girl.  Unfortunately, their conversation didn't drown out the passionate 
sounds emanating from the other tent and Grace was starting to feel very 
uncomfortable.

"You know," Clark began hesitantly, "I wouldn't object if you wanted to 
find out everything you could about being a woman before you changed 
back."  

"What do you mean?" Grace asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"I know all about you, and I find I am still greatly attracted to you.  If 
you are interested in finding out what it feels like to have a man make 
mad, passionate love to you, I will make sure you have no regrets."

Grace felt as if a weight had been lifted from her heart.  She had been 
afraid that Clark wouldn't want to continue their friendship after she 
returned to being a man and yet he seemed to understand.

"I would like that very much," she whispered, excited yet afraid.

"Let's rearrange the sleeping bags real quick," Clark suggested. 

They unzipped the bags completely and spread Clark's out across the 
bottom and then they laid hers atop it.  They both lay back down.  Grace 
felt very awkward.

"Hey, relax," Clark said.  "If you don't want to do this then all you have 
to do is say so."

"I want to do this so badly it scares me," Grace confessed.

Clark leaned over Grace and slowly lowered his head.  He reached out 
with his tongue and bathed her lower lip.  Grace drew a sudden breath, 
parting her lips.  At that moment, Clark joined their lips, his tongue 
slipping in to stroke hers.  As they kissed, his hand slipped down to 
caress her breasts.  Her breathing began to quicken as if she had been 
running. 

Grace had never felt anything like this before. Clark slipped open the 
buttons of her shirt and opened it wide.  He trailed kisses down her neck 
to her bare shoulder.  He eased the strap of her bra down and nibbled the 
spot where it used to rest.  

The unfamiliar feelings that were coursing through Grace were causing 
her heart to pound.  She couldn't seem to lie still.  She reached up and 
lifting his shirt tails, pulled Clark's shirt up and then over his head. By 
this time Clark had slipped Grace's shirt off and had unfastened her bra. 
It followed the blouse to the corner of the tent.  She ran her hands over 
his muscular chest and around to his back. Her breasts brushed against 
his chest and it felt as if a bolt of electricity shot through her.  As she 
arched her back, Clark leaned down to suckle first one rosy nipple then 
the other. It felt as if a wildfire was spreading throughout her body.  

Clark unzipped Grace's jeans and then peeled them off.  All she wore 
now was a pair of bikini panties.  His kisses burned a path from her 
breasts, down her ribs to her abdomen. Slipping his thumbs under the 
lacey edges of her panties, he eased them off.  His kisses trailed even 
lower.  Grace never realized how sensitive the insides of her knees were.  
His kisses came back up and stopped at the inside of her thighs.  Grace 
couldn't believe the sensations his mouth was causing.  Her back arched 
as his tongue stroked that most private part of her.  The wildfire that 
seemed contained in her center now raged out of control.  She wanted to 
scream as waves of sensations burst through and spread throughout her 
body, but remembering the couple in the next tent, she just barely 
contained it.  

As she was trying to regain her breath, Clark stood and removed his 
jeans.  While his back was turned, he slipped on some protection.  Then 
he lowered himself between her still trembling thighs.  Once again Clark 
began kissing Grace.  Gradually, he entered her. His shaft stretched her 
with each slow thrust.  Slowly the fires began to rebuild.  Deeper and 
deeper until she was holding his considerable length.  

Grace was stunned at the sense of emotional joining that accompanied 
the physical joining.  For the first time she truly felt a bond with her 
partner.  

Her hips rose to meet his. She grabbed his hips and pulled, urging him 
deeper still.  Clark felt his self control start to slip because of Grace's 
uninhibited response. Faster he plunged into her depths.  Grace didn't 
think anything would ever top the feelings she had during her first 
orgasm and yet with Clark inside her, she realized that there was more 
still to experience.  This time, when the rush of feeling burst through, she 
didn't even realize she screamed.  Clark stiffened as his own orgasm took 
him to new heights.

The two of them lay, exhausted in each other's arms, in the afterglow of 
their lovemaking.  As their breathing became more regular, they fell 
asleep.

In the morning, while the guys were setting up the portable stove, 
Hannah pulled Grace to one side.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well, what?" Grace hedged.

"What did you think?" Hannah asked.  "We heard you last night.  It 
sounded like you enjoyed it."

"That's an understatement!" Grace answered, embarrassed.  "Tell me 
something.  Since I have your body..."

"Yeah, go on."

"Is it always like that?" Grace asked in a rush.

"I don't think so.  I've never had a guy make me scream the way you did 
last night.  Then again, since they are twins, I have a real good idea what 
you experienced.  It was pretty spectacular wasn't it," Hannah answered 
with a grin.

"All I know is that if it always felt that way for guys, they would never 
stop," Grace said, blushing.

Laughing the girls went over and joined the guys and between the four of 
them, they had breakfast ready in no time.  After they had eaten, they 
discussed how they were going to search for the medallion.

"I drew a picture of what it looked like," Grace said, handing a piece of 
paper to each member of the group.  "Hannah, why don't you and Kent 
look around the pool that is just over the rise.  Clark and I will take this 
one.  It shouldn't be more than four feet from the edge of the water, so 
that should narrow the search area."

Grace was feeling extremely anxious.  She was sure it was fear that they 
wouldn't be able to find the medallion.  

The two couples split up and went to begin their searches.  Grace thought 
she recognized the part of the pool where she had jumped in to clean off 
the blood.  In less than 25 minutes, she had located the medallion.

"I found it!" she said, turning to Clark.  

For a brief moment, a look of utter sadness passed over Clark's face.  
Then he smiled and walked over to where she stood.

"Why did you look so sad there for a moment?" Grace asked.

Clark hesitated as he thought about his answer.  "Because I have fallen in 
love with you," he answered simply, as he brushed a strand of hair that 
had come free of the braid, behind her ear.  "I have never felt this way 
about another woman.  But I want your happiness most of all and if that 
means your turning back into a man, then so be it."

Grace's eyes filled with tears as she realized the sacrifice Clark was 
willing to make for her happiness.  She also realized the fear she had 
about finding the medallion didn't go away once she had found it.  If 
anything, it had gotten worse.  With a flip of her wrist, the medallion 
went sailing through the air, to land with a splash in the middle of the 
pool.

"Why did you do that?" Clark asked, almost afraid to hope.

"Because I don't want to just pal around with you as one of the guys.  
I've only just realized that I want more than that from you, a whole lot 
more," Grace answered.

Clark enfolded her within his arms.  "I was so afraid of losing you," he 
said.  He kissed her with everything he was feeling.

"Hannah and Kent are going to be awhile looking for something they 
will never find, so why don't we go back to the tent," Grace suggested.

Arm in arm, they walked over to their tent.

Just over the rise, Hannah and Kent were laying in the grass watching the 
other couple.

"I told you she couldn't do it," Hannah said, rolling to face Kent.

"I'm glad you were so sure.  I was scared stiff that she was going to break 
Clark's heart," Kent replied.

"Is that why you were so stiff last night?  And here I thought it was me," 
she teased.

Kent leaned over to kiss Hannah.  "Tell me, what do you think the odds 
are of a double wedding?"

"Umm, if that was a proposal, the answer's yes!" Hannah said with a 
smile.  "Do you think that the twin preachers we met at the convention 
would marry us?"

"God, that would be a sight!"

Soon, both couples were engaged in the pursuits of pleasure in the 
shadow of the mountain where it all began.


Epilog

Three months later: A man fishing in a pool in the shadow of a 
mountain, snagged his line on something deep in the water.  He was 
upset because it was his 'lucky' lure.  It took some maneuvering to 
release it, but finally it broke free.  As he reeled the line in, he noticed 
something on the end of the hook.  Once the line was all the way in, he 
realized he had snagged a necklace.  He put it in his pocket.  Maybe his 
wife would like it.

Twelve months after the wedding: Grace won the bet by giving birth to 
twin girls 35 minutes before Hannah gave birth to twin boys.

"Thank God I didn't have boys," Grace was heard to say.  "We would 
never have been able to tell all four of them apart."

Copyright © 1999, 2000 by Julie. All rights reserved.
Email comments to Bashful526@aol.com.

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