Change of Life

The following story has predecessors, some written by others, one written by me. These stories can be found at:

Change of Pace http://205.240.15.4/nifty/transgender/by_authors/Caitlin_B./change-of-pace

Change of Direction (very long) http://205.240.15.4/nifty/transgender/by_authors/Tigger/change-of-direction

And my own Change of Power: http://www.nifty.org/nifty/transgender/by_authors/J_R_D/change-of-power

To be honest, I never intended to write a sequel to Change of Power, but in my drive to find things which would break my writer's block on my Witch Chronicles series, this story line came into my head.

If you like it, please let me know.

Now, onto the boring stuff

DISCLAIMERS

This story contains scenes of an erotic and/or controversial nature, and is not intended for the perusal of minors. Further if perusal of such material is considered illegal in your area or immoral by your religion or personal beliefs, you should likewise bypass this story.

This story remains the property of the author. Permission is granted to download, photocopy, copy and repost so long as any such action contains these disclaimers, and no attempt is made to profit from this story.

All characters in this story are the creation of the author, and any resemblance to real persons, alive or dead, are purely coincidental.

This story may contain aspects of fantastic science or magic. The parameters of what this science/magic can accomplish are completely at the discretion of me, the author, and, as such, I make no apologies for any rules of "real" physics, chemistry, biology, or magic that may be broken within the story.

Now onto the fun stuff

CHANGE OF LIFE

Joe, Bronwyn, Julie, and Joe's children were at the dinner table telling stories into the night. Julie could barely contain her joy. Less than a week ago, she had despaired of ever seeing her child again. Then, three days ago, her child came back to her on, of all days, what Julie thought would be the last day of her life. Then, after he saved her life (as well as ten of the other members of the Sisterhood), the Goddess discussed Julie's accepting her son for what he was (namely a man), and after Bronwyn had a talk with him, Joe agreed to introduce Julie to three granddaughters she didn't even know she had.

Julie thought that would be it, but after being introduced to her granddaughters, Joe introduced her to the grandson he had originally declared off limits. Her grandson had decided to go the route of the Sisterhood, a route his father had turned down after she had wrongly inflicted it upon him. Now that she could admit that (at the time, she really thought it was for the best), their relationship was on the mend, and they were catching up on the sixteen years of family history she had missed.

Right in the middle of a story, Norma, Joe's youngest, yawned widely, and she seemed to be fighting off the Sandman with every breath. Joe said, "Looks like it's time for someone to go beddy-bye."

Julie asked, "Joe, do you mind if I take care of it? It's been so long since I tucked someone in."

"Sure, mom. Oh, Inya, you should be off to bed, too. Torios will be by tomorrow for more of your lessons."

Tasha groaned. "Great. Hey, grandma, want to introduce me, Norma, and Steven to the malls tomorrow?"

Bronwyn asked, "Who is Torios and why does Tasha want to avoid him?"

"Torios is the girls' maternal grandfather. Since their mother is deceased, someone else needed to instruct Inya in her Bastet abilities."

"So why does Tasha want to avoid him?"

"The Bastet are very big on family, and VERY protective of their human relatives, protective to the point of being over-protective, and the first time he came to visit, Tasha was walking along the fence we had, a seven foot tall fence with a heavy wooden beam securing the top that Tasha walked like a balance beam. She had been walking the fence for a couple years and had never received more than a skinned knee for it, but when Torios saw her doing it, he determined it was too risky. He shifted to panther form, leapt behind her, grabbed her by the back of the shirt, and carried her into the house like she was a little kitten. Needless to say she was less than amused. And ever since, whenever Torios instructs Inya, Tasha, rather than curb her athletic life, finds somewhere else to be."

Tasha asked, "So what about it? Mall cruising tomorrow?"

Joe said, "Only if your grandmother agrees and only if you go to bed right now without troubles."

Julie smiled and said, "Sounds like fun."

"So let's get the youngsters into bed."

Steven carried Norma up to bed, while Julie led Tasha and Inya upstairs to Joe's old room, still decorated effeminately from his time as Joanie. Steven would be sleeping on the downstairs couch while Joe would be staying with Bronwyn in an apartment Bronwyn used while visiting town.

After Julie, Bronwyn, and Steven got the girls tucked in, Bronwyn looked for Joe, only to notice him missing. "Steven, where's your father?"

Steven shrugged. "Beats me."

Julie asked, "Does your father still stargaze?"

"Every chance he gets."

"He's up on the roof. From eight years old on, he's gotten up there to stargaze." Bronwyn smiled and started to prepare the spell that would teleport her up there when Julie asked, "Bronwyn, let me go to him alone. I'd like to talk to him a bit."

Bronwyn nodded. Julie cast the spell to take her up to the roof. She saw Joe sitting in the same place he always had when he came up here. Joe looked over his shoulder at her and said, "You know, when you used to just appear behind me, I was convinced you knew about some trapdoor in the roof that I didn't. It was following you around to find it that led me to discover the Sisterhood."

"That was why I only teleported when I had to. But I have long since lost the ability to snake my way up here through the attic window. Do you... mind me being here?"

Joe instantly said, "No, mom, not at all. Come on and sit."

Julie sat beside her son. "Joe, I am sorry for the way I treated you. I realize I was wrong."

Joe nodded. "You went a long way to proving that when you asked Steven to wait before you transformed him." Joe wrapped his arm around his mom. "I think I can honestly say 'I forgive you' now."

Julie leaned against her son. After a little, she said, "Joe, I'm not sure I want the answer to this, but I have to ask."

"Okay."

"After your first wife, the girls' mother, died, did you really have so little trust or faith in me that you felt you couldn't come back to me; let me help you through your grief?"

"No, that wasn't it. In fact I almost came back after her death."

"But why didn't you?"

Joe thought about it for a second before saying, "You remember I told you that the Bastet are very big on family? Well, practically from the day we were married, she was pressing me to introduce the two of you. She wanted to meet the woman who had given birth to me. But, at the time, I wanted none of that and refused outright. But a couple years after Norma was born I finally relented and said that after I got finished with the mission I had, we'd go meet you.

"But Tarina was never a patient woman, so while I was away on my mission, she flew out here to introduce herself to you."

"I don't recall-"

"She never made it. Between the airport and here, she was attacked by some thugs. She made short work of them, but not without revealing her regenerative capabilities, so they called for more effective warriors to capture her. They caught her, took her to their base, and tortured her while keeping her alive in order to learn her secrets. I felt her pain, but by the time I found her, it was too late.

"I almost came back to you after that, because I knew it was what she wanted, but too much of me just said, 'Why bother? Tarina's dead and this won't bring her back.' It just hurt so much to remember she died trying to reunite us."

Julie wrapped her arms around Joe, giving silent apology for the pain she had inflicted on her son. Joe rested his head on hers and she felt a wet spot in her hair where his silent tears flowed. Julie felt the wet spot and her own tears began to flow. They had a short cry together before pulling themselves together.

Joe then asked, "Mom, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Why did you transform me so early? The average age for transformation in the Sisterhood is 17-19. Why did you transform me at 16?"

"It was because of your revelation. Originally I planned to transform you the day after your graduation, but after you came to me at 15 and shocked the hell out of me, telling me you knew about the Sisterhood and the transformation, and asked me not to transform you, I acquiesced because I thought I could convince you later. But then you started getting more and more manly, and I figured if I didn't transform you soon, your ego would keep you from ever accepting your femininity. That's why I did all that I did, because I was sure that I was just late. It's just I was so much happier as a woman, I didn't think anyone could be happier as a man."

"I know. Shortly after I gained the skills to do so, I confronted the Goddess in her spiritual realm, trying to find out why she inflicted the birth rites on the Sisterhood. That was when I found out the real story behind the birth rites. The Goddess also explained that if you had not been a member of the Sisterhood, you probably would've become a mundane transsexual. You were always a woman in soul. That's why grandma transformed you when you were only fifteen, because the Goddess told her to."

Julie took her son's hand. "Do you really forgive me, Joe?"

"Yes, mom, I do."

From behind them, they heard Bronwyn clear her throat. "Excuse me, am I interrupting?"

"No, I think we're finished." Joe looked to his mom and she nodded. Joe reached out his arm, and Bronwyn sat beside him, snuggling into him under his other arm.

Bronwyn looked around, saying, "Nice view."

Joe smiled. "Nicer than you think if you know where to look." Both Bronwyn and Julie looked at him suspiciously. Bronwyn asked, "What does that mean?"

Joe's smile expanded to a grin. He pulled his arms from around the ladies and brought his hands together. He pulled them apart, conjuring a telescope between them. He handed it to Julie and pointed over the rooftops. "Look over there."

"What am I looking for?"

Joe guided the telescope, saying, "You'll see."

After a bit, Julie gasped and said, "Is that who I think it is?"

"Miss Davis, my third grade teacher, and the first crush I ever had."

Bronwyn said, "Let me see," and took the telescope, looking where Julie had just pointed. She quickly zeroed in on where they were watching and saw, laying atop a bed, a nude woman. Bronwyn guessed that she was in her mid-40s, and she still had a fantastic body.

While she was looking, Joe said, "Originally I didn't come up here to stargaze. I picked up stargazing by coming up here to girl watch. I found out where Miss Davis lived and came up here to watch her shower and go to bed every night."

Julie said, "I wish you'd've told me. I'd've joined you."

Bronwyn lowered the telescope. "Should I be jealous?"

Joe kissed her. "Never. Even at her prettiest, she couldn't hold a candle to you."

Joe and Bronwyn started kissing, and Julie got up, saying, "I guess I should go in now."

Joe said, "Wait a minute, mom." He then held a brief conversation with Bronwyn mentally and said, "Mom, would you like to join us in a three-way? I know you never had sex with me as a male, but if you're interested..."

"You're still interested in me? Even as old and dried up as I am?"

Bronwyn said, "Julie, you're only a few years older than I. If you want, I'd love for you to join us."

Julie thought about the times back when Joe was Joanie. He (even as a she) was always a fast learner, and, to this day, he was still one of the best lovers she had ever had. But she was also afraid. All their previous problems had been caused by her putting what she wanted above what was best for her son, and she didn't want to intrude on a private moment between him and his lover unless they really did want her. "Only if you really want me."

Joe lifted his hand to his mother. "I want you, mom."

Julie took his hand and, suddenly, the three of them were in Julie's bed, naked. Julie sat down beside her son and Bronwyn. Joe leaned over and kissed her. Julie almost cried. He was still as good a kisser as she remembered.

Joe placed his hand on her stomach and gently rubbed. Julie felt the pleasure surge through her body. She felt Bronwyn's hand upon her and reached out. Although her eyes were closed, one of her hands deftly found Joe's abs and the other found Bronwyn's thigh. The three stroked each other for a while before Joe gently laid his mother onto her back. He gave her a gentle kiss on her lips before slowly kissing his way down her neck to her breasts. He laid a spiral of kisses on her breast, starting at the top of the base of her breast, and circling around till he got to her nipple, gently sucking it into his mouth.

Bronwyn moved up and lay beside Julie. Joe moved over slightly to give Bronwyn more access to his mother. Bronwyn kissed Julie as she brought her hand to Julie's free breast. Joe lightly sucked his mother's breast till she was wriggling a bit. He then released her nipple before kissing his way down her body to her crotch. Bronwyn moved her mouth down and sucked Julie's other breast as she used her hand on the breast just vacated by Joe.

Joe kissed Julie's thighs before moving in and kissing her labia. He carefully avoided her clit, teasing her with his lips and tongue until she was thrashing about in need. When he did finally kiss her clit, she came screaming with years of denied passion. He held her clit in his mouth until she relaxed and settled down from her orgasm.

When they settled down, Joe said, "Now I am glad I sound proofed the room before we started." He looked at his mom's face as he crawled up and lay beside her. "Mom, why are you crying?"

"I wasn't sure I'd ever experience an orgasm again."

"Why not?"

"When you walked out I swore an oath on the Goddess that I wouldn't ever allow myself to experience physical pleasure again until my daughter was returned to me. When I finally admitted you weren't going to be coming back to me as Joanie I thought my oath would prevent me from ever knowing physical love again."

Bronwyn said, "Julie, for an oath on the Goddess to be binding, She must first accept it, you know that. The Goddess knew that Joe wasn't ever going to be Joanie again, and never would've accepted your oath."

Julie turned to her son. "Joe, I am sorry for transforming you."

"Don't be, mom. It wasn't transforming me that was the mistake. It was not letting me go back. Being Joanie was good for me, but she wasn't me."

Bronwyn kissed Julie on the cheek and said, "Enough talk." She slithered her way down Julie's body. "Let's get back to the fun."

They continued to have sex for a few more hours before contentedly falling asleep together.

Bronwyn sat across from Jacqui, who was nursing her baby. Bronwyn, now eight months pregnant (having gotten that way on that night with Julie and Joe), was organizing her notes on the changes to the Sisterhood that had occurred since the Brotherhood and Sisterhood had been reunited when the baby kicked inside her. Jacqui briefly looked up, but returned her attention to Cheryl once she was sure Bronwyn was okay.

Then there was a ripple in space and Joe was there. "You okay, love?"

Bronwyn looked at him curiously. "Of course. The baby just kicked. You know what that feels like. You didn't have to come."

Joe sat beside her. "Yeah, but the council was dealing with some stupid, niggling details that were boring the crap out of me. Your little bit of pain gave me the excuse I needed to get out of there." He put his arm around her. "So what are you doing?"

Bronwyn said, "Going over stupid, niggling details that will probably bore the crap out of you." She then gave him a grin that bordered on being a smirk.

Joe just stared at her for a few seconds without changing his expression, before turning to Jacqui, and saying, "I walked right into that, didn't I?" Jacqui smiled and nodded slightly. Turning back to Bronwyn, he said, "As long as I'm with you, I think I can stand it."

Just then, Laurie and Jeremy came back into the room, arguing loudly. Laurie said, "You are such a pain in the ass!"

To which Jeremy blithely responded, "I put that under the category of pot calling the kettle black."

Laurie started clearing the dishes from the table. "How can you be so damn stubborn?!"

Jeremy tried to help her, but she snatched the dishes from his hand. "I'm not being stubborn. I'm right. If you let the dishes soak for fifteen to twenty minutes in hot, soapy water before you clean them, it cuts your scrubbing time in half."

"Just like a man! Leave all the work till later. Put it off as long as you can."

The two went back into the kitchen, arguing all the way. Bronwyn sighed. "Now it's about dishes. Those two have been arguing almost non-stop since the re-unification. It doesn't matter about what. They always find some reason to be at each other's throats."

Joe stared after them into the kitchen. "Yeah. I wonder if they've got any clue why."

Jacqui asked, "What's that mean?"

Bronwyn said, "Do you know?"

"I've got a pretty good idea. And so could Jacqui if she looked in the right way."

"What do you mean?"

"Combine your Prime, Life, Mind and Spirit senses and look at the two of them."

Jacqui concentrated on her senses, summoning forth the magics she controlled, and waited for her mom and Jeremy to return to the room. When they did they were so wrapped up in their argument that they missed Jacqui clapping her hand over her mouth in order to keep either from seeing her sudden smile.

But Bronwyn noticed it and, as soon as the two were out of the room, asked, "Okay, what am I missing?"

Joe smiled and opened a telepathic link with the high priestess. He then shielded the link so it would be impossible to tap. Into Bronwyn's mind, he said, {Laurie and Jeremy are linked. Mind, body, soul, and even magical power are hopelessly intertwined. I suspect they're fighting so much because neither one wants to admit it.}

{You're kidding.}

Joe grinned. {Nope.}

Bronwyn thought about it. Now that it was pointed out to her, the connection seemed obvious. When the two returned, Bronwyn decided to have a little fun. "Enough, you two, finish your love spat later." Both sputtered in protest, but Bronwyn said, "We have business to finish, Jeremy."

Jeremy clammed up and said, "Of course." Jeremy sat down. Laurie sat down on the opposite side of the table, glaring at him.

"Now, as I was saying, the final tallies are in, and we need to compare relative statistics and comparable power levels of both groups. After the Goddess and the Dark One revealed that the Brotherhood and the Sisterhood would be re-united, approximately three percent of the Sisterhood refused and stepped away from the order. They have since lost their connection to the Goddess and their magical power."

Jeremy said, "About three percent of our order also decided they were unwilling to work with you and stepped away. They also lost their magic power."

"We also lost the fifteen percent that the Goddess predicted we'd lose when the birth rites were lifted."

"And two-thirds of those have decided to give membership in the Brotherhood a try. But countering that gain, about twenty percent of our order have decided to give the Sisterhood a try." Then Jeremy whispered something.

"What was that?"

"Uhm,... Well, you're gonna find out anyways. Don't expect a lot of compliance from most of those."

"Why not?"

Joe said, "Because the Dark One ordered their transformations. Remember, the original reason for the transformation was for male aggression to enhance the martial capabilities of the Sisterhood and female compassion would moderate the Brotherhood's brutality."

Jeremy continued, "So after the Dark One reunited us, he ordered a segment of our group to undergo the apprenticeship of the Sisterhood. About two-thirds of those you got from us are the most brutal, macho, asinine Brothers we've got."

Sarcastically, Bronwyn said, "Great. What about the rest?"

"Some are curious, a few felt that they should've undergone the process anyways since that was what the Goddess and the Dark One originally intended, a few wouldn't give reasons, and, by the Dark One's orders, I can't pry."

"Okay, I've had fair warning. You should also be aware that we've received an increase from an unexpected source. Of those who were at one point women, but decided to change back, about half have come back to the Sisterhood and asked to be re-transformed into women. It seems they resented their transformations so much, they transformed back despite their being more female then male. When the birth rites were exposed and removed, they were able to admit it and return."

Joe asked, "Why is that unexpected?"

"Because it was felt that only those who were truly male would transform back."

Joe shook his head. "Remember, Bron, the birth rites were still attempting to compel these persons to accept being women. On some level, they knew they were being manipulated, but not who or what was doing the manipulation, so they rebelled against what would be right for themselves."

"Regardless of the reasons, getting rid of the birth rites put the repairs on a lot of relationships. Even a lot of men who aren't coming back have gotten back with their mothers and started getting to know each other again."

Jeremy asked, "I thought those who transformed back couldn't receive their power if they became women again?"

Bronwyn replied, "So did we. But from the first re-transformation, it was clear that the Goddess was blessing them again."

They heard the door open, and Tasha, Inya, and Norma ran in. Joe asked them as they ran upstairs, "Where's your grandmother?" After Joe and Julie had repaired their relationship, the issue had been keeping in contact. Bronwyn had pretty much set up the center of the Sisterhood as San Bernardino, and although it would not have been impossible for her to change, it was far easier for both Joe and Julie (who wasn't about to risk losing her family again) to move than the other way around.

Norma mentally yelled, {She's outside with Stephanie!} as she ran past the kitchen door.

Joe excused himself, kissed Bronwyn, and went outside. Julie was still sitting on her bike. Stephanie, the once Steven, was beside her, offering her a water bottle. Joe noticed she was panting heavily and asked, "Are you okay, mom?"

"Yes... Just... out of breath." Julie took the water bottle and had a long swallow. "After our picnic at the park, we were about to go home when Tasha suddenly yells, 'Race you home!' and takes off with Norma and Inya close behind. It was all I could do to keep them in sight."

"I'll talk to them about that."

"No, don't. I enjoy their energy. I just haven't had this much exercise since you were a child."

Joe smiled. "So who won?"

"Norma." Norma, despite being the youngest, had inherited her height from Joe, where the twins had inherited their height from their mother (who only stood slightly over 5 feet), and, after a growth spurt last summer, was already as tall as the twins, so in their little physical competitions, Norma could easily keep pace with either of the older girls.

"So you going to be okay?"

"Yeah. I just needed to catch my breath." Joe touched her shoulder and flowed healing energy into her, allowing her to catch her breath. "That wasn't necessary."

"No, but it was my pleasure. Besides, didn't you promise Inya an embroidery lesson?"

"Good point."

Inya, always the softest and most feminine of Joe's children, always felt slightly out of place in a family of warriors, and didn't understand where her differences came from until she had met her grandmother. From the first day, Inya and Julie had become fast friends, with Julie taking the time to instruct her granddaughter in things she was interested in that neither Joe nor Tarina knew about.

Julie got off her bike and went inside. Joe turned to his eldest child. Since his transformation five months ago, Steven had really become a beautiful, young woman. His Germanic heritage had come to the fore, and now she was a rather well endowed, raven-haired teenager.

Joe watched Stephanie take a long drink from the water bottle and felt a pang of jealousy. Although incestuous relationships in the Sisterhood were commonplace between mothers and daughters (or grandmothers and granddaughters), relationships between fathers and daughters were almost nonexistent. This was mostly because the presence of fathers was mostly nonexistent in the Sisterhood. But, regardless of the reasons, there were no rules for father-daughter love.

Joe and Julie had discussed it, and both felt that Joe should refrain from a sexual relationship with his new daughter, at least until they were sure Stephanie could control her emotional state to keep from accidentally getting pregnant by her father.

Stephanie noticed her father looking, and briefly struck a sensuous pose. Always honest, Joe said, "You're being a tease again."

She just shrugged and smiled. "I try."

Joe shook his head and laughed. "You're going to make one hell of a woman, Stef."

She got a serious look on her face. "Which brings me to something I wanted to discuss."

"Oh?"

"Dad, originally I thought I'd become a girl until getting whatever I needed out of it then I'd go back. But recently I've been thinking more and more that maybe I might want to stay a woman, and I was wondering how you felt about that."

"Stef, I want you happy. Just because I didn't want to stay a girl doesn't mean I'd want to deny you that if it's what's best for you."

The two hugged. Joe asked, "Did you get what I asked?"

Stephanie smiled and said, "Yeah, but I have a devil of a time explaining where I disappeared to when grandma asked." Stephanie passed a small box to Joe as a car pulled up. A couple of women stepped out and Joe waved to them. The younger one waved enthusiastically, and the other smiled and waved, but there was a certain non-committal attitude to her wave.

The two women were Bronwyn's children by other men. Both knew Joe (no one in the Sisterhood didn't), but only Ariel, the younger of the two, had accepted his relationship with their mother. Shawna, Bronwyn's first born, still wasn't sure about the strong fighter who had reunited the Sisterhood with the Brotherhood. And she really wasn't sure about her mother dating this man, particularly when this man was only seven years older than she was. Not that she'd ever complain to her mother. Bronwyn was more than capable of handling herself, and Bronwyn did seem happier when she was with Joe. But that hadn't stopped her from taking Joe aside and telling him she didn't trust him, and that she'd be watching him.

At the time, Joe had simply smiled and said, "Good, it'll keep me on my toes." Now, Shawna was more willing to admit that Joe was good for her mother, but was still holding back full approval for their relationship.

The two women came up and Ariel asked, "So, what's up, Warrior Man?" using her little pet name for him.

"It's a surprise."

Joe brought them inside, where Bronwyn and Jacqui were sitting at the table. From the kitchen, sounds of Laurie and Jeremy arguing were easily heard. When she saw her children, Bronwyn asked, "Girls, what are you doing here?"

Shawna replied, "Don't ask us. Joe asked us to come."

Bronwyn gave her lover a curious look. He said, "I wanted them here because I thought they should be here for you to discuss the answer with them to a question I was going to ask."

"Sisterhood stuff?"

"Not exactly. Jacqui, could you go get your mother? Bronwyn, might want her here, too."

Jacqui gave Joe a suspicious look, but got up and went to the kitchen. Bronwyn said, "Okay, what's going on?"

"Patience, love."

After a few seconds the arguing from the kitchen quieted down, and Jacqui returned with Laurie and Jeremy following behind. Laurie asked, "What's going on?"

"Just need a few more people and the collection will be complete."

Joe sent a quick mental message and a few seconds later, Julie, and Joe's three youngest came downstairs. Tasha, always the boldest, asked what almost everyone (even those already present) wanted to know, "What's going on, pops?"

Norma giggled and thought, {I know. I saw it in Stef's head earlier.}

"Hush," Joe said with a smile on his face. "Don't blow my surprise."

Bronwyn started to stand, but Joe said, "Don't get up." He then went to one knee before her and took out the box Stephanie had brought him earlier. "Bron, including our time together as Nita and Jack, we have been together for a little less than a year, and you have brought a light and joy into my life I thought I'd never know again. And, although it's only as necessary as you want it to be, I would love to make it official. So, Bronwyn Llewellyn," Joe opened the box, revealing a diamond engagement ring, "will you marry me?"

Julie gasped and Bronwyn stared in shock. She almost turned him down. She had received more than a few wedding proposals in her life, a few she might've even accepted, except most men objected to their male children becoming girls, and turning down proposals had almost become a habit.

But then she remembered her current standing. Joe knew about the transformations, and had removed the birth rites that made it impossible for her to have female children. In fact, since the birth rites were still holding upon him, all their children would start female. She realized she had no reason to turn him down.

She briefly turned to her children and saw their faces. Ariel was obviously pleased, and although Shawna wasn't thrilled, Bronwyn could tell she wanted her mother to be happy. She turned back to Joe and whispered, "Yes."

Making sure he heard her right, Joe asked, "Yes?" Bronwyn nodded. Joe removed the ring from the box and placed it on her finger. The two embraced and kissed under a round of applause.

Joe walked into the council room, angry as hell. Bronwyn had just given birth a week ago, and, while by her bedside, he had received a message from the council telling him to come to an emergency council meeting. His Time senses had not warned him of any danger, so he knew this meeting wasn't necessary, at least from a safety of the world standpoint.

He took his seat at the council table, where the other eight members were already waiting. "So what is this all about?"

Lara, the Verbena Mistress, stood up. "Joe, we have heard of your upcoming nuptials to the high priestess of the Sisterhood."

"And?"

Lara choked back a sob. Before the council had betrayed him thirteen years ago, and abandoned him to die after a fight they had ordered, he and Lara had been lovers, and Lara had carried a torch for him ever since his return. It tore her up when he had been with his first wife, Tarina, and she knew it wasn't her. She had almost been happy when Tarina had died, and, after a suitable period of mourning, had tried to restore their previous relationship. But Joe had not forgiven her for her betrayal and refused to even consider a sexual relationship, barely tolerating her presence when he had to.

He looked at her, knowing that this was tearing her apart. He felt a brief pang of regret, wondering if he should let his anger go and forgive her.

Lara said, "We'd like you to consider holding your wedding ceremony here, in realm."

Joe looked at them all suspiciously. "Why?"

The Hermetic Master said, "Is it not enough that we do? As your fellow council members we expect to be invited to your wedding, and since five of us are unable to return to the consensual reality, we simply expect, nay demand this. You owe it to us."

Joe stared at the Hermetic Master, stony faced. None of the other Masters said a thing until Joe said, "Owe you? Are you so tired of life that you would make these demands upon me?" The Hermetic Master seemed shocked, but before he could say anything, Joe said, "I will NOT be ordered around by those who betrayed me! With the exception of the Akashic Master before me and the Virtual Adept Master, you all stood in this room and voted to abandon me after I had nearly died fighting your battles for you!"

The Dreamspeaker said, "And that is the real reason why we wish to host your wedding, Joe. We were wrong. We know that now. And despite your not caring whether or not we attend your ceremony, there are others in this realm that would also like to attend the ceremony who cannot survive in the consensual reality. By having the ceremony here, they can attend."

Joe thought about it. "I still don't see it happening. Many of the Sisterhood will want to attend, and I won't have Bronwyn deny them because you won't let her have enough guests."

The Hermetic Master said, "I suppose we could have a small group-"

"No. I will not deny Bronwyn even one person. You want this here, then I hand you a guest list and you accept it without exception. That's the deal, and it's not subject to negotiation."

They glanced around at each other, then Lara said, "Alright, we accept your terms."

"Then I'll propose it to Bronwyn. She gets final approval."

The meeting broke up, and everyone left the room. As Joe walked towards the exit portal, he heard Lara say, "Joe?"

He turned to her. "Yes?"

"You must've seen the records of that vote by now. You must know I didn't vote for it."

"But you didn't vote against it either. You abstained, and ultimately that wound up being the same thing."

Tears came to her eyes. "Please, Joe. I realize what I did was wrong, can't you ever forgive me?" Joe remained silent until she dropped her head and turned away.

He called out, "Lara."

"Yes?"

He paused for a bit. "Too much has passed between us for us to go back to what once was, but... yes, I forgive you."

Lara smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you."

Joe walked to the exit portal, feeling a little bit lighter for having resolved his problems with Lara.

Change of Life, pt 2

As soon as he was back in the consensual reality, he teleported home. Bronwyn, Laurie, Jacqui, and a small collection of Sisters were in the kitchen. From the way they were laughing and chatting, Joe guessed they were making wedding plans. He stepped in and greeted everyone, sitting beside Bronwyn. "Hun," she said, "much as I love you being around, all we're doing now is dealing with all those tiny details that I know you hate, so I won't be offended if you decide to go spend time with your mom or the kids."

"Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you about in regards to the wedding."

"Oh?"

"Have you chosen a place for the wedding yet?"

"Not yet. We're still pricing halls."

"Then I should inform you that the other members of the Realm council I serve on have extended a request for me to hold the marriage in realm."

"And how do you feel about that?"

"There are some people in the realm who I'd like to be there who can't come here, but I want it to be your decision."

"I don't know. Jacqui, you're the one whose seen the most of this realm. I admit I'm curious, but do you think it's a place to hold a wedding?"

Jacqui said, "It's a fantastic place. I think it'd be great! And you may even be able to get the Goddess herself to attend."

Bronwyn turned to Joe. "Do you think that'd be possible? Would the Goddess really attend the wedding?"

Almost noncommittally, Joe said, "We can always extend an invitation. She'll come if she wants."

Bronwyn looked at Joe. After a few seconds, she asked, "Could you ladies leave me alone with my husband to be? I'd like to talk with him." After the girls agreed and left, Bronwyn turned to Joe and asked, "Okay, what's wrong?"

"Wrong?"

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. Every time the Goddess comes up, you quickly change the subject. Now I ask about inviting her, and you give me a look that makes me feel like I've invited a child molester." Joe almost said something, but bit it back. "That! That reaction is what I'm talking about."

Joe said nothing for a few seconds. "Bronwyn, things have... passed between the Goddess and I. Things that I am hard-pressed to forgive."

"The birth rites? But you know that wasn't her."

"No, not the birth rites. It's... deeper than that."

"What? What is it?" Joe remained silent. "Please, Joe, don't you know how much it tears me apart to know of the problems between you. Even if I can't solve them, at least let me know what they are."

Joe stayed tight-lipped for a few seconds more before saying, "Ask the Goddess." Bronwyn was about to protest, but Joe said, "Bronwyn, please. There's no way I could explain what went on between us without making it seem like I'm asking you to choose. And that's the last thing I want. I know the Goddess is important to you and I wouldn't want to change you for anything. Please don't ask me to explain."

Bronwyn just nodded and held her lover. After a bit, she pulled to arm's reach from him and asked, "Wait for me?"

"To the end of time."

She kissed him and went to her private meditation chamber. She carefully prepared the crystals, herbs, and candles that would focus her will and allow her to touch the Goddess on a more personal level. It was a ritual that was given only to the high priestess of the order, and only the acting high priestess could use it.

She knelt down and began the song that would complete the ritual and allow her to touch the Goddess. She felt the world fall away and her soul set free. She traveled to the hall of the Goddess,feeling her perceptions adjust to Her spiritual realm.

She walked into the ante-chamber and knelt in the center of the room. She had read some of the journals of the previous high priestesses and knew that each had seen this room slightly differently. To her, the room was soft and comforting, while, at the same time, representing a strength that she rarely saw anywhere in the mortal world.

She felt the presence of the Goddess envelop her. "My child, what brings you to me?"

"I have a question. About Joe, the Akashic Master."

"About why he despises me so?"

"Yes. Please, Great Lady, what passed between you? What happened?"

There was a shimmering in the air and the Goddess manifested in Bronwyn's presence. The high priestess was shocked. Only in the most serious matters would the Goddess manifest to any high priestess. Usually She only gave comfort and advice through Her spiritual presence. Bronwyn had no idea this was that serious. What had passed between the two she loved the most? What reason did Joe have to hate Her?

The Goddess, knowing her thoughts, said, "I see in your thoughts that you believe that the Akashic Master has simply misinterpreted some action of mine. That, unfortunately, is not the case. I wronged him, Bronwyn. I must admit that."

"You? Wronged him? How is that possible?"

"I am not infallible, my child. I am the living embodiment of womanhood, which is not only all that is good, but also all that is bad. I have the experience of billions of women to draw upon, both living and dead, which gives me less chance of making mistakes than others, but I can still make mistakes."

"Please, Lady, what happened?"

"He was only nineteen years old when he came to me the first time. He forced his way into this realm, demanding to know the reasons for why I had inflicted the birth rites on the Sisterhood. That was when I explained to him the real origin of the birth rites.

"After I convinced him of the facts, I tried to convince him to reunite with his mother. I tried to convince him to allow me to forge a connection between him and his mother. But he refused, saying he wasn't ready. He tried to leave, but I felt he couldn't leave. If he left I would have no ability to do anything unless he returned to me. So I attempted to force a connection. I felt that if the Akashic Master knew the pain his mother was suffering from his departure, he might try to heal that.

"But I misjudged Julie's reaction. At the time, she was not ready to accept the existence of her son, much less his presence in her mind. As soon as the link was forged, Julie used her power to close it off. I couldn't reopen it without hurting her, so I was forced to let it go. Instead of healing the breech between them, I only made it worse."

"But you were only trying to help."

"Bronwyn, that's not an excuse. After I let him go, he turned on me. He assaulted me mentally, inflicting on me the pain I had inflicted on him. He gave me the same feelings I had given him. The same helplessness, the same sense of violation."

"He attacked you?"

"I deserved it." When Bronwyn tried to protest, the Goddess said, "Bronwyn, the impressions he gave me were almost exactly the same as those of a woman who had been raped." Bronwyn was shocked. "Yes, Bronwyn, in my arrogance to make what I thought was right a reality, I raped his mind! And, as much as he hates me for it, I will hate myself that much and more."

"But how do I resolve this fight between you?"

"My child, it is good that you want to try, but this is something I have to make up to the Akashic Master myself. But I can tell you that your being there for him is a big help."

"It is?"

"Yes. Let me show you something." The Goddess waved her hand and the hall changed. It took on a cold, impersonal nature that had a terrifying presence to it. In the center of the room was a raised dais with a cold, sterile throne atop it.

"What is this?" Bronwyn asked.

"This is how the Akashic Master saw this realm when he first arrived. Rather intimidating isn't it?"

"This is how he sees you?" Bronwyn felt despair. Despite the Goddess's confession, she still loved Her. How could she hope to have a long term relationship after seeing this peek into his soul?

"Oh, child, no. This is how he saw me when he thought the birth rites were my doing. It was based on faulty assumptions." She waved her hand again and the room took on a softer aspect, but at the same time, parts seemed to fade in and out of existence. "This is how he saw me after we had a chance to talk. He wasn't quite sure what to think of me. I'll skip what he thought of me after I erred." She waved her hand again, and the room took on a savage, primal, and, yes, even beautiful aspect. "This is how he saw me after meeting Tarina." She waved her hand again, and the room returned to its cold vision. "And this is what it returned to after she died." The Lady waved her hand and the room changed again. It was still cold, but it had a beautiful, loving imagery that had not been present in any version except the one where he was married to Tarina. "And this is what he saw the last time he came to me to ask for the removal of the birth rites. This is what you gave to him, Bronwyn. You gave him love, not only for me, but for his own feminine side. Even Tarina could not give him that."

"I gave him this? But... how does he feel now?"

"I don't know. I can only show what he sees when he enters the room. But I do know that his closeness to me has increased since he and you moved in together. And really grew when Alia, your child, was born."

"Thank you, Goddess, for giving me a peek into Joe's soul."

"Now you need to return to him. He fears that you have judged him harshly."

"Thank you, Lady."

As Bronwyn left the room, a hooded figure stepped from nowhere. "Will she be good to him?"

"She will be good to and for him," the Goddess replied, to which the hooded figure just nodded.

Bronwyn quickly left the psychic realm and returned to her body. She ran downstairs to Joe. When she entered the room, she felt the fear flowing from her lover. He turned to her, tears in his eyes. "Well? Do you hate me?"

"No." She came over and sat on his lap, straddling his legs. "In fact, I love you more than ever." The two kissed. Joe started to rub Bronwyn lovingly when Alia started to cry.

The two stopped. Pressing their foreheads together, they smiled. Joe said, "That kid has got to work on her sense of timing." Joe teleported them up to the nursery. Bronwyn picked Alia up. "Is she okay?" he asked.

"Sure. Just hungry."

"Well that's not something I can help with."

Bronwyn smiled as she undid her blouse. "Bet you could if you wanted to."

"If I had to, I suppose I could."

Lani, from her crib, said, "Pa-pa, I hungry."

Joe said, "Saved by the tummy. I'll take her downstairs and feed her."

Bronwyn smiled as Joe took Lani from her crib. Bronwyn blew him a kiss as he took Lani downstairs. Joe never shirked in his fatherly duties, and Bronwyn loved him for it.

Domestic bliss was beautiful.

She felt like her guts were being wrenched into knots. Then, as soon as it was started it was over. "You can open your eyes now," Joe told her.

Bronwyn opened one eye and then the other. "That was horrible."

Joe smiled and tried to keep from laughing. "I did warn you and ask you to let me block your senses."

Bronwyn quickly checked the pouch she had Alia in. Their youngest child was snoozing contentedly, apparently unaffected by the gut wrenching affects of the cross-dimensional travel. Joe brought Lani around from her place on his back. Lani, too, had been unaffected, and, in fact, was giggling happily. "For some reason, children are unaffected by transition effects."

Bronwyn finally got a look around. She was in a nondescript room. There was a desk with a computer on one side, and an arch filled with an oscillating light show within it. Behind the desk, a man sat waiting. "Not exactly what I expected," she said.

"What did you expect?"

"I'm not sure, but something a little less... normal."

Joe laughed. "I know what you mean. Not what you'd expect in a man-made universe built by the magic of some of the most powerful wizards in creation, is it?" Bronwyn shook her head.

The archway shimmered and Jacqui and Laurie stepped through into the room. Laurie staggered a bit, saying, "That was rougher than I remember it."

Jacqui explained, "The Akashic Master was shielding you last time, and did a better job than I."

"Which brings up a point," Joe said, "remember that here my identity is a secret, so refer to me by title only."

The doorway shimmered again and Tasha, Inya, Norma, and Julie stepped through. Julie staggered and almost fell into Joe's arms. "THAT is not an experience I relish repeating."

"I told you that you should wait for me to come back for you."

"The girls seemed so anxious, and I didn't want to disappoint."

"Mom, you indulge the girls far too much."

"So I'm a grandmother, so sue me."

Joe gave a short laugh. "I'm going to head back and get Shawna and Ariel." He handed Lani to Julie. "Jacqui, why don't you show everybody the garden?" Joe stepped back through the gate.

Once he was gone, Julie looked around for the girls only to find them missing. "Where are the girls?"

Jacqui explained, "The girls spent part of their childhood here. They've probably run off to visit with friends. They'll be fine, Julie."

"Uhm, okay."

Jacqui escorted the women through the halls and outside. She brought them to the lush park referred to amongst the magi of the realm as "The Garden". After walking around in the garden for a while, Julie took a leaf of a plant in hand and asked, "Is this what I think it is?"

Bronwyn looked at the leaf and said, "I think so."

Jacqui asked, "What is it?" She and Laurie walked over and looked at the leaf. "Looks just like any other leaf."

Bronwyn asked, "Are you kidding? Don't you know what this is?" Both Jacqui and Laurie shook their heads. "Let me guess, neither of you ever went through a phase where you were utterly fascinated with dinosaurs and things prehistoric?"

"No."

"Ladies, these plants are extinct on Earth. Flora like this hasn't even been seen for millions of years."

From behind them, they heard a voice saying, "Some of the plants in the Garden haven't been seen for billions of years." The ladies turned and saw the Verbena Mistress walk up. "Ladies."

Lara stepped up and said, "De-evolution of plant and animal life is a basic rote, a manipulation of the Magic, of the Verbena. Jacqui has the ability to do the same thing if she were so inclined."

Bronwyn looked around, noticing that many of the plants were prehistoric and could only be seen in history books. "Amazing. Do you have... real dinosaurs, too?"

Lara smiled. "In the menagerie. Unfortunately it's off limits to all but Masters. In order to maintain as natural an ecosystem as possible, the dinosaurs are allowed to run free. It's not a safe place to visit. But there are places where you could be allowed to view the dinosaurs, as well as almost any other era in our planet's existence."

"Wow."

Joe, with Shawna and Ariel, stepped up. "Glad you like it."

Bronwyn slipped her arm around his waist and kissed him. "This is... Words cannot describe it. Do you think we could see the dinosaurs soon?"

"Sure, we can go to the observation platform on the way to meet an old friend."

"Great."

Julie asked, "Joe, can I come along? I'd love to meet any friend of yours."

"Sure. I was planning on inviting you along anyways, mom."

Lara asked, "Going to introduce them to Jarred?" Joe nodded. "I'd love to see that, but I've got an appointment in a little while. See you later, Akashic."

After Lara left, Bronwyn asked, "What did she mean by that? 'I'd love to see that.'"

"Jarred is a little unusual. Come on." He turned to Shawna, Ariel, Laurie and Jacqui. "You want to come along?"

Jacqui said, "I've got some other things I want to show mom."

"Shawna, Ariel?"

Shawna declined, but Ariel quickly accepted. "Okay. Catch the rest of you on the flip side."

Joe escorted the three women to a spot in the park. "Now what?" Bronwyn asked.

"I've never had cause to ask this, but are any of you afraid of heights?" The ladies shook their heads in the negative. "Good. Secure the babies." He waited until Bronwyn and Julie had placed the babies into pouches on their backs to carry them, then held out his hands to them. "Now link hands and enjoy the ride."

Julie and Bronwyn each took a hand and Ariel took her mom's hand and suddenly they lifted off the ground. Once they got over the initial shock, the experience of flying was exhilarating. They quickly left the ground far behind and flew to a miles wide, floating, rock cylinder. He flew them above it to another platform about 30 yards across. Spaced at equal points around the platform were items that looked for all the world like simple telescopes. Joe landed them on the platform. "Use the telescopes to look into the bowl. You'll find a small lever on the side. Move it up or down to move the sight closer or farther to what's in the bowl."

Each woman looked through a telescope into the "Dinosaur Menagerie", the contained ecosystem that held the dinosaurs of the Jurassic period. Each woman quickly moved around, looking through multiple telescopes. After a while, Bronwyn came over to Joe and wrapped her arms around him. "You make me feel like a little girl."

Joe kissed her, then said to everyone, "Not to be a party pooper, but my friend is waiting. You can always come back later."

There was a little bit of disappointment, but the women returned to Joe. They linked hands and returned to the ground below, flying to a mountain range in the distance. Joe landed on a ledge next to a cave. "Okay, before we go in, I want you to know that no matter what it looks like, I'm in no danger in here. There is no need to defend me. Okay?"

All of the women gave him a strange look but gave their agreement. When they went inside, Joe moved the ladies to one side of the cave, then put his fingers into his mouth and gave a loud three-toned whistle. Almost immediately the ground started shaking like they were caught in an earthquake. Then, before any of the women could react, a giant oriental dragon charged into the opening, head butted Joe and threw him into the air. Despite his previous warning, all the women marshaled their magic energy, preparing to defend Joe against the dragon. But before they could launch their attack, they felt their power squelched in the building.

Joe flew into the air, came down, and landed astride the dragon's nose. Bronwyn wondered what to do when the dragon growled, "My friend, it has been far too long since your last visit!"

Joe laughed. "Sorry, but I've been a little busy."

"I have heard. On top of your normal duties, you manage to repair the breech between the Brotherhood and Sisterhood. I am impressed."

"Thank you. Speaking of which, there are some ladies I'd like you to meet." The dragon lowered his head and Joe slid to the ground. Joe waved the ladies over. Bronwyn was the first to approach. "Jarred, this is Bronwyn Llewellyn, soon to be Bronwyn Llewellyn-Braumann."

"A mate? Congratulations." Jarred nuzzled Bronwyn a bit, taking a deep breath. Bronwyn blushed crimson when he said, "I can definitely smell your scent upon her."

Joe grinned. "And that's our child on her back."

"Congratulations."

Joe then waved the other two over. He put his hands on Ariel's shoulders. "This is Bronwyn's daughter, Ariel."

"An older sister for the girls? So have you found them to be as much of a handful as I do?"

From behind the dragon, they heard, "Oh, we're not that bad." The women looked around Jarred's body and saw Tasha, Inya, and Norma come from the rear of the cave.

Jarred snorted. "You're not the babysitter who had to chase three rambunctious girls around this cave." Julie giggled, thinking of Jarred having to chase the girls like she had over the past year. "And who is our last pretty woman?"

Joe walked over and put his hands on Julie's shoulders. "Jarred, this is my mother, Julie."

"The estranged mother? Good to see you have reconciled. And I am glad to meet the woman who brought this man to the world."

Julie curtsied. "Good to meet you, too."

Joe said, "And the child on her back is another daughter of Bronwyn's. And soon to be mine officially."

"Your life seems much better than the last time we talked."

"It is."

"Come. All of you. We can talk more comfortably in the spring in back."

Jarred turned and went back to the back of the cave. As the twins and Norma followed him, Julie asked, "How did the girls get here?"

"Space gate. Instant teleportation between the base and here for those who have Jarred's permission."

"Why didn't we use it?"

"Because you wanted to see the dinos. The best place to do that is from the lookout, and there's no space gate to there. We don't want someone who can't fly going up there and falling off."

Ariel came over. "Shawna is going to be pissed she missed this."

Joe asked, "Why's that?"

Bronwyn explained, "Shawna has always had a thing for dragons. Stories, knickknacks, art. She collects anything to do with dragons. Now she's missing out on a chance to meet a live dragon." "She can meet him at the wedding. I plan on asking him to be my best man."

"This'll be a wedding for the history books."

"Too bad it'll be so fantastic that no one who doesn't attend will ever believe you." Bronwyn had to laughingly agree.

They all went in back to a chamber larger than a football stadium, spectator seating included. Off to one side was a huge lake, and from the feeling of the breeze coming from it, they could tell that the lake was heated. Joe transformed all their clothes to bathing suits, and they spent some time splashing around and getting to know one another. At one point Bronwyn and Julie were alone with Jarred as everyone else was swimming in the lake. Bronwyn asked, "Jarred, did you ever meet Tarina?" Julie, always desirous of learning more of the lost years of her son's life, perked up and listened in.

"Joe's first wife? No. He and the masters here were not on good terms during the years when they were married, and he was either unwilling or unable to come here to visit. It's too bad, from what I hear, she was a woman I'd've liked."

"What've you heard?"

"That she was a warrior spirit, very straightforward and direct."

"Jarred?" Julie asked

"Yes?"

"Could you give me some advice about Joe?"

"If I can."

"Do you know... what I did to Joe?"

"You transformed him to Joanie, but tried to keep him from changing back."

Julie looked down, ashamed at the reminder of what she had done. "Yes, well, that's the problem. I... I really did think I was doing the right thing at the time."

"And now?"

"I realize I was pushing my beliefs on my son. But that leads to my current problem. Now I'm so afraid that what I'm doing is just pushing my own beliefs on him again that I feel like I'm walking on eggshells. I'm afraid to even ask him to include me in on any portion of his life for fear of imposing. I love my son, but I'm so afraid of hurting him again."

"And you're wondering what I could suggest?"

"Yes."

Jarred thought about it. "The only thing I could suggest is to discuss it with him. As long as I have known him, Joe has always been a straightforward man. I believe he would rather you disagree with him and be open about it then hide what you feel about a situation."

"I don't know."

From the direction of the lake, Joe said, "He's right, mom." Joe stepped up and took his mother's hands. "I don't want you to be afraid of me, mom. I guess, in a way, it's good you're worried about this, because it shows you're serious about reconciliation. But you're also my mom and my children's grandmother. You have a right to voice any opinions and make any comments you want to, just remember that the only people I will tolerate telling me no once I've made a decision about me or my children's lives is the children themselves or Bronwyn."

"So what if I were to tell you that I think Tasha would look great in dresses, and that she should wear them more often?"

"I'd say you were right. She does look great in dresses. She just hates wearing them. On top of which, she usually destroys them with her rather physical lifestyle. But she has agreed to wear a dress for the wedding."

"Thank you, Joe."

"So are you going to try to get her into dresses more often?"

"No, I like her like she is. I just wanted to know how you'd react. And if I ever push too hard, just tell me and I'll back off."

"And if you think I'm doing something wrong, please tell me. I love you, mom."

Julie hugged her son. "I love you, too, Joe."

Bronwyn was in her white dress, waiting for the ceremony to start. She felt a little guilty wearing white (she had lost her virginity almost three decades ago) but everyone told her she looked great. Shawna, her maid of honor, was helping her get ready. At a lull in the conversation, Shawna asked, "Mom, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course I want to do this. I love Joe."

"But is that going to be enough?"

"Okay, Shawna, what's wrong? I know you and Joe have never gotten along, but I thought you were happy for me for having found him."

"I am. And I know he's a great man, and will be great for you. It's just..."

"What?"

"You remember Chris?"

"The cop you dated?" Shawna nodded. "What about him?"

"Mom, I loved him. Brian is his."

"So are you jealous because you had to break up with him so he wouldn't find out about the Sisterhood?"

Shawna was silent for a bit before saying, "Mom, I didn't break up with him because of the Sisterhood. In fact, I almost told him about us."

"So why?"

"After we moved in together... things started going downhill. Every time he was late coming home, every time he was called in for an emergency, I began to worry about him. I worried that he wasn't going to come back. And if the phone ever rang at those times, I was afraid it was going to be another officer saying, 'Miss Llewellyn, I'm sorry to say that Chris has been shot.' It just got to be too much."

"And you're worried that I'll be going through the same thing with Joe?"

Shawna nodded. "Mom, I've been talking to some of the Brotherhood. They have been fighting the monsters that prey upon humanity during the schism. And Joe is fighting the worst amongst these."

"I know."

"But I'm not sure you do."

"Shawna, you weren't there when he fought the doctor who was corrupting the Brotherhood. I saw what he fights up close and personal. And Joe confessed that he was only high side of average. And, yes, every time he goes out to fight these monsters I wonder if he'll never be back. And, yes, it tears me up inside. But it tears me up more to think of life without him."

"But-"

"Shawna. I understand how you feel and that you only want to protect me. But after I knew who he was the Goddess reminded me of the time when he was Joanie.

"I only met him a couple times before he was transformed, but even then there was something about him. I just... felt a sympathetic vibe with him. And after he was transformed, I couldn't have been happier. I couldn't wait to make Joanie an official member of the Sisterhood. When Julie told me that Joanie was pregnant... I almost cried. After he gave birth, I started making plans for the official induction, but then Julie told me he had decided to transform back and leave her. I cried that day, Shawna.

"I told myself it was because we had lost so powerful a Sister, but now I realize it was because I had lost her. I won't lose him if I can prevent it. And if some day I do lose him to the monsters he fights, at least I'll have had all the time I can possibly squeeze out of the universe with him."

Shawna just stared at her mother for a bit before embracing her. "And I hope you have as long as you want together."

After they finished, Bronwyn said, "So I assume you haven't met Joe's best man yet?"

"No, but why assume that?"

Bronwyn grinned. "Oh, no reason." They heard the wedding music start and Bronwyn said, "Damn! We lost track of time! Quick, get my veil!"

Shawna grabbed the veil and quickly pinned it to her mother's head. She lifted the hem of her dress and ran outside. She expected some man to be waiting for her, but saw no one. She looked around, then heard from above her, "Up here."

She looked over at what she thought was some kind of golden tree, and followed it up to a giant oriental dragon's head. "Holy..."

The dragon smiled, an intimidating sight. "My name is Jarred. I am Joe's best man and your escort." The tree (really a giant claw) moved closer to her. "I think it would be best if you just rode my claw. Step up." Shawna moved closer and stepped up onto Jarred's claw. She felt magic wrap around her, holding her in place as Jarred took to the air. They flew over the crowd and landed near the podium. She stepped off and took her place near the other bridesmaids.

She quickly looked around. Laurie, acting as the official representative for the Goddess, was officiating. Joe looked fantastic in a tuxedo, and it seemed like the entire base had turned out for the ceremony.

Bronwyn stepped out, and walked regally down the aisle. She took her place by Joe and Laurie started the ceremony. "Dearly beloved..."

Bronwyn and Joe were preparing to go out that evening for dinner and a show with Jacqui, Laurie, and Jeremy. It was their first anniversary, and Jacqui and Laurie had volunteered to treat the couple to a night on the town. At the last minute, Jacqui had invited Jeremy along. When Laurie had asked why (she and Jeremy were still sniping at one another constantly), she had said that she didn't want Joe to feel alone since Marcus was out of town on a mission for the people who had trained them. Laurie had grimaced a bit, but not protested.

Joe walked into the room where Bronwyn was putting on the last touches of her make-up. He said, "You look ravishing, lover."

Bronwyn smiled at him. "You keep telling me that. Better be careful or you'll give your wife a swelled head." Joe gave her a strange look. "What are you thinking about?"

Joe gave her a huge grin. "Just wondering what you'd look like with a head twice as large as it is. A swelled head, literally."

"Don't you dare!" She threw the wadded up Kleenex she had used to blot her lipstick at him. It only went a couple feet, and was absolutely silly, even as a fake-petulant move.

Joe laughed and stepped closer to her. "Never. You're perfect as is." He took her hands and pulled her to her feet. She wrapped her arms around him and they kissed.

In the middle of the kiss, Joe stiffened. They separated a bit and Joe stared into space with that look Bronwyn had identified as him talking to someone in the other realm. She grew angry and slightly depressed. "Can't they leave us alone on our anniversary?" she thought.

He looked back to her. "Sorry, it looks like I'm needed."

She looked down. "I understand."

"If you want, I'll call back and tell them no."

"No, you've got your duties and I've got mine. Go ahead."

"Okay. Promise me you'll go out with Laurie tonight."

"I'm not really feeling up to it, now."

"Okay, that's it. Not only do I want a promise you'll go out, I want a promise if I'm not back, you'll spend the night with Laurie. Mom's got the kids till the morning, and I don't want you alone."

Bronwyn was about to protest, but Joe insisted. Finally, she agreed. He quickly kissed her, stepped back and disappeared. Bronwyn collapsed back into the chair. She sat there almost crying. She loved him so much, but Shawna had been right. Every time he had to go, she wanted to beg him not to.

{So next time ask him not to go,} an unfamiliar voice said in her head.

"What? Who's there?" Bronwyn saw the Soul Blade float out from under the bed. "What are you doing here? Why didn't Joe take you with him?"

Change of Life, pt 3

{You haven't noticed, but Joe waits till the last second to summon me to his side, so that I can be here to protect you and the rest of his family as long as possible.}

"But why are you talking to me now? You never have before."

{To convince you to tell him how you feel. Surely you must know how he feels every time he leaves you.}

"But people need him."

{Not as much as you and his children do. Look, the fact of the matter is the other Masters don't need him as much as they say. He just keeps them from putting their own butts on the line. All you have to do is say the word, and he resigns and becomes yours alone.}

"But what about his duties?"

{He hates them. He has never wanted power, he told you that.}

"But what about the monsters he says no one else but you two can fight?"

{In our entire time together there's been maybe, MAYBE one of those. He hates his life, at least the part without you. Do him a favor, Bronwyn, and give him the reason he needs to leave it behind.}

Bronwyn thought about it and smiled. "Thanks,... What is your name?"

{You know, you're only the second person to ask me that in all my years as the Soul Blade. Joe was the first. My name is Richard.}

"Thank you, Richard."

{Any time. Time to go.} And just like Joe before, the Soul Blade was gone.

Bronwyn grinned widely as she heard the doorbell ring. She went downstairs and opened it to see Laurie standing there, Jacqui and Jeremy by the car by the curb. Laurie said, "Hey, hun, ready to go?"

"Yes, I am."

"You seem happy. Where's Joe?"

"He had to go out. Akashic Master stuff. But a friend of his told me about how I can bring both his and my problems to an end."

Jeremy said, "Look, if you ladies want this to be a girls' night out, I can bow out."

Laurie was about to say something, but Bronwyn (knowing Jacqui's plans to try to get the two of them together) cut her off, saying, "Nonsense. We'd love to have you along."

Bronwyn strode up to the car and Jeremy opened the door for her. Laurie stepped up slowly and Jeremy opened the door for her. Laurie said, "I don't need you to open my doors."

Bronwyn sighed. Jeremy said, "Well what-" but suddenly jerked his head to face the other direction.

Bronwyn asked, "What is it?"

"Wait here," he replied, and started walking down the street. Laurie was about to protest, but without slowing down, he turned back, yelled, "WAIT HERE!" and took off at a run down the street. They felt him summon the Dark One's power, and knew something was up. Then the women felt it. A wave of pure malicious intent. The feel of evil. And despite Jeremy's order, they took off down the street after him.

They saw Jeremy run into an alley, and followed him. When they got there, they saw Jeremy in battle with another man. At least it looked like a man. When they looked closer, they saw it had claws, and half of its face seemed melted.

The two battled briefly, but Jeremy was no Akashic Brother, and eventually the... thing landed a clawed attack, stunning Jeremy.

Bronwyn was the first to leap forward and throw up a shield. The thing shrieked and lashed out at her. Bronwyn expected the shield to hold, but was surprised when the thing's claws ripped right through her shield and into her. Laurie and Jacqui, with their healer's abilities, knew that it was a mortal blow. Laurie lashed out at the thing with a stun blast, while Jacqui used her magics to try to save Bronwyn.

But the choice of who did what turned out to be the wrong one. Jacqui's powers, although greater than Laurie's, flew right in the face of reality. And maybe it was the sudden shock of seeing Bronwyn struck down, or maybe it was the presence of the thing, or maybe it was the severity of Bronwyn's injuries, but whatever it was, this time, when Jacqui bucked reality, reality bucked back. HARD. Laurie felt a huge backwash of magical energy and Jacqui was struck down.

Laurie felt and knew her daughter was physically okay, but quickly shielded and linked to Bronwyn. But it was too late. Bronwyn... was dead.

Laurie looked up at the thing, and grew angry, preparing to violate her oath never to take a life, when she heard Joe's voice yell, "BRONWYN!!" and suddenly he was there, lashing out with pure lightning at the thing.

He turned to Laurie, his expression asking a silent question as to Bronwyn's condition. Laurie looked up at him, and, with tears in her eyes, shook her head, signifying there was nothing she could do.

Joe screamed, "NO!" and shoved Laurie out of the way, taking Bronwyn in his arms, using his magics to repair her body. But it was useless. Although Bronwyn's body was restored to pristine condition, her soul was gone, and the body remained lifeless.

As Joe sat there rocking back and forth with Bronwyn's body, begging her to return to him, Laurie saw the thing stagger to its feet. She saw Joe's eyes open and his face contort into a visage of utter rage. He threw his hand back and the thing froze. Joe clenched his hand into a fist, and Laurie felt every cell in the thing's body explode. She was forced to throw up every shield she had to prevent from psychically going through the same thing it did as it died a horrible, painful death at Joe's hand.

After the thing died, Laurie was going to say something to Joe, who was stroking Bronwyn's hair, still begging her to return to him, but she heard Jacqui say, "Mom, what happened?" There was something strange about Jacqui's voice, and Laurie went to her child. When she lifted Jacqui's face, she gasped in surprise. "Mom, what is it?"

"You're... You're Jack again." Jacqui looked at her hand. Despite the fact that she (for her soul was still Jacqui) still had all the outward accouterments of Jacqui (dress, heels, even nail polish and make-up), her body had indeed returned to its larger, more masculine form.

"No, I don't want to be Jack anymore," she cried, before clapping her hands over her eyes and started bawling.

Laurie didn't know what to do. There was more pain here then she had ever had to deal with in her life. She heard Jeremy moan and went to him. She may not have been able to do much, but Jeremy's physical injuries were easily dealt with.

Jeremy was unusually silent as she shielded and linked, drawing out and neutralizing the wound and the toxins she discovered were in it.

Laurie then went over and took her daughter (son?) by the shoulders and helped her to her feet. As she walked past Joe, who was holding Bronwyn to his chest, she said, "Joe, we've got to go. We can't do anything more here."

Joe slowly seemed to recover. Without saying a thing, he lifted Bronwyn into his arms and teleported them back to his home and into his bedroom. He carefully set Bronwyn on the bed, crossing her hands over her chest.

Laurie didn't know what to say, but right now, Jacqui/Jack needed her more then Joe did. She took Jacqui/Jack to the guest room and proceeded to tuck her into bed. After she kissed Jacqui/Jack good night, she/he asked, "Mom, can you change me back? I'm not sure I can do it right now, and I don't really want to be Jack anymore."

"I'll see what I can do."

Laurie went back to Joe. He was just sitting on the chair staring at Bronwyn's lifeless body. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked. He didn't say anything, but nodded his head slightly. She put her hand on his shoulder. "Joe, she's gone." He said nothing, but clenched his eyes shut, as if he could shut out that awful truth. Laurie, knowing he needed time to himself, said, "I've got to go prepare to cast the transformation ritual to turn Jack back into Jacqui."

"You can't do that," he said to her.

"But-"

Without taking his eyes off of Bronwyn, he said, "Laurie, at our level, our power is based on pure Will. We basically MAKE the universe obey us. A very large part of that is confidence. Right now, Jacqui has been shaken by her first large failure. It'll take a couple of days for the Paradox to work its way out of her system, but after that, SHE has to reverse the transformation on her own. It's the same principle as a man getting back on a horse immediately after he's been thrown. If you change her back, then she will never have the confidence to properly manage her magics ever again."

"But she's suffering so much."

"Laurie, I've never been through a Paradox backlash myself, but I have seen others deal with them. If you do this for her, she will suffer far more in the long term."

Laurie just nodded. She left the room, and was going to return to Jacqui when she heard the phone ring. She heard Jeremy pick it up downstairs, and then call out to her. Laurie came downstairs and took the receiver from him. "Hello?"

On the other end of the connection, Julie said, "Please, Laurie, tell me it isn't true. Is Bronwyn..."

Laurie choked back a sob. "She's dead, Julie. Killed by some monster in an alley only a few blocks from home."

"Oh, Goddess, why? Norma suddenly looked up and screamed, 'Momma!' then broke down in tears. Then the rest of us felt her passing. Norma's still crying. Even the babies know something's wrong."

"Julie, I know you've got a lot there, but when do you think you can come over here?"

"Why?"

"Joe... is in bad shape. I don't think I can do anything for him. He needs his mother."

Julie was silent for a second before saying, "I'll be over as soon as I get the girls to sleep."

Laurie hung up the phone, and was about to return upstairs when she heard a knock on the door. "Oh, what now?!"

She stormed over to the door, and almost threw it open. But she took a few seconds to compose herself before opening the door. She was surprised when the Hermetic Master stormed inside. Without waiting for her to say anything, he demanded, "Where is the Akashic Master?! He just suddenly disappeared from his fight with the Marauder, and now we've lost the Marauder's trail!"

"Look-"

"Look nothing! Where is he?!"

Laurie was about to tear into this man, when Jeremy, who had been standing by silent, said, "He's upstairs. First door on the left."

Laurie was shocked. After the Hermetic Master stormed upstairs, she turned on Jeremy. "How dare you?! The last thing Joe needs right now is that arrogant son of a bitch making demands on him, ignorant of what's happened!"

She expected Jeremy to bite back with a scathing reply, but instead he just stepped over to the door and opened it again. Laurie was going to ask him what he was doing, when she heard what sounded like thunder upstairs. The Hermetic Master then flew down the stairs and out the door. Jeremy closed the door behind him and said, "Sometimes, to a man who won't cry, violence is as effective a release as tears."

Laurie just nodded, not sure of the actual wisdom of Jeremy's words. Then she noticed Jeremy's subdued state. "Are you okay?"

Without actually answering her words, he said, "Your child needs you."

Laurie started upstairs when the phone rang again. She almost shrieked. But she pulled herself together and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Mom?" Marcus asked. "What's wrong with Jacqui? She seems to be in such despair, but she's shutting me out."

"Marcus, Bronwyn's dead."

"Oh, lord."

"But that's not it. When Jacqui tried to save her, she suffered one of those... Paradox backlashes I believe you call them. Her body has reverted to Jack again. She's pretty upset about that."

"I'll be home on the next flight."

"Sure you won't get into trouble?"

"Probably, but my wife needs me. Be back as soon as possible." Laurie heard Marcus hang up, and set the receiver down.

She finally managed to get back upstairs to her child. As soon as she stepped into the room, Jacqui asked, "So when are you going to change me back to Jacqui?"

"I'm... not."

Desperate, Jacqui asked, "Why?!"

"I asked Joe about it, and he says that you have to change yourself back. In order to deal with the after effects of the backlash you suffered, you have to do the repairs. He said that it'll take a couple of days for the Paradox to get out of your system, but then you can do this on your own."

"You mean I'll have to be like this for two days? Oh, Goddess, please don't let Marcus come home early."

"Actually, he just called. He'll be on the next flight home."

"Oh, no! No! Mom, you can't let him see me like this! You can change me back temporarily, and I'll make it permanent after the Paradox goes away."

"I can't, Jacqui."

Tears started to well up in Jacqui's eyes, and Laurie had to fight not to run and cast the spell Jacqui wanted.

"Please, mom."

"I'm sorry, Jacqui."

Jacqui's face grew angry. "You inflict this on me, and now that I need you and want you to make me a girl again, you won't do it?! I hate you! Get out!"

"Jacqui-"

Jacqui threw a pillow at Laurie and screamed, "GET OUT!" Laurie walked from the room, hearing her daughter in her son's body dissolve into tears.

As soon as she was outside the room with the door closed behind her, Laurie dissolved into tears of her own. She heard Jeremy say, "I'm sure she's just upset. As soon as she gets a chance to settle down, she'll realize what she said was wrong."

Laurie pulled herself together and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I know, but that doesn't make the sting of her words any less."

Jeremy nodded. "What about you? Are you going to be okay?"

"I think so, but right now I can't worry about me. Are you going to be okay?"

Jeremy didn't answer and remained silent until they heard a knock on the door. "That'll probably be Julie," he said before returning down the steps.

"Great," she thought, "something's wrong with Jeremy, too." She went downstairs and opened the door to see Julie standing there. They quickly hugged.

"Where is Joe?"

"Upstairs in his room." Julie started upstairs, but Laurie said, "Julie. Joe tried to restore her after she died, but only managed to repair the physical damage. There's now a perfect, but still dead Bronwyn laying in their bed. It's... creepy. I just thought you should know."

Julie nodded. She went upstairs and into the Master Bedroom. She saw Bronwyn lying atop the bed, and Joe in the chair, staring at her, unmoved from where Laurie had left him earlier. Julie stepped up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. Even in the dim light of the room, she could see his eyes were red with grief. She said only, "Joe," and he collapsed against her, breaking down into tears.

"Oh, mom, I failed her. I failed both of them. First, I couldn't save Tarina, and now I've lost Bronwyn."

Julie just held her son as he cried his eyes out.

Marcus came home early the next day and was greeted by a hug from Laurie. "Where's Jacqui?"

"She's upstairs. She locked herself in the guest room last night and won't come out."

"I'll go talk to her." Marcus charged up the stairs and knocked on the guest room door. "Jacqui, it's me. Could you open the door for me, love?"

"Marcus, no! I can't stand for you to see me like this!"

"Jacqui, I don't care what you look like. I love you. Please open the door."

"No! You'll hate me if you see me now."

"Jacqui, I could never hate you. Now stop being silly and let me in."

"No!"

Marcus shook his head. He concentrated and changed his locale in space. He may not have had the Correspondence skills to teleport cross country, but a ten foot teleport was no big deal. Marcus teleported into the room, and saw Jacqui (as Jack) crouched by the door, listening. He softly said, "Jacqui."

Jacqui turned, saw him, and shrieked. She tried to cover her now male face with her hands, saying, "Don't look at me!"

She heard in her mind, {Jacqui, stop being silly. We forged this connection so that we would always be together. So what if you've reverted to your male form? I still love you, and always will.}

{But I'm a guy now. How can you love me?}

{You're not a guy, Jacqui. You're a girl in a guy's body.}

{But-} Jacqui was surprised when Marcus suddenly pushed her hands out of the way, took her face in his hands, and kissed her. {You... You... kissed me? Even though I look like I do?}

{Because I love you, Jacqui.}

{But-}

{Jacqui, what do you want me to do to prove it to you? Do you want me to take you to bed and make love to you all night long? Because if that's what you want I'll do it. Jacqui, I love YOU. The package YOU are wrapped in is irrelevant.}

Jacqui just looked at him for a bit and leaned against him. {Just hold me until I can change myself back.}

{Done.}

After a few minutes, Jacqui suddenly straightened up. "Oh, Goddess, I've got to go apologize to mom. I'll be right back." She kissed Marcus on his cheek and ran to find her mother. She found her downstairs in a chair in the den. She threw her arms around her mom and said, "Mom, I am so sorry for what I said to you last night."

"It's okay, Jacqui. I understand. You were just upset."

The two hugged. As Jacqui got up to go back to Marcus, Laurie said, "Jacqui, I borrowed some of Joe's clothes. You don't exactly fit that dress anymore."

Jacqui looked at her now male body still in the dress she had been wearing for last night's festivities, and giggled. "I suppose not."

"You know, Jacqui, despite the old body being back, you still sound and act like a girl."

As Jacqui pulled off the dress, she said, "Thanks, mom, I needed that." She pulled off the slip, then looked through the pile of clothes. "No underwear?"

"I figured that was too personal a thing to borrow. Besides, I thought that wearing a pair of panties under your pants would serve as a reminder of what you want for yourself. You could always conjure up some underwear if you want."

"Actually I can't. That's not a skill I have, yet. But I don't want to take these off anyways. If I have to parade around as a boy for another day or so, I'll do it in clothes I want." Jacqui pulled on the simple sweats her mom had borrowed. Although Joe was a couple inches shorter than Jack, he was physically wider and tended to clothes that fit loosely on him, so his range of movement in his martial arts wouldn't be restricted, so the sweats hung on Jacqui's body like a loose sack, but that was more than adequate to cover up the bra and panties she was still wearing.

After she was dressed, Jacqui asked, "How is Joe?"

"He hasn't moved from Bronwyn's side. He still isn't talking much, and he refuses to let anyone else touch Bronwyn."

"And what about the Sisterhood?"

"I've contacted our top people. They're flying in from around the globe. We'll have to make a decision as to who the next High Priestess will be."

"Need any help?"

"No. This may be hard for us to do, but we have to face it."

Jacqui hugged her mom, then giggled. "You know, with my bra and panties on, on this body, under these clothes, I feel like a closet crossdresser."

Laurie smiled. "Go on, Marcus is waiting for you."

"Thanks, mom. And I really am sorry for what I said the other night."

"Already forgotten."

"You know, you'd think that one of these days I'd figure out that mother really does know best."

Laurie laughed. "Thanks for the compliment. Now go."

Jacqui went out to find Marcus waiting in the entryway for her. "Ready to go home to your daughter?"

"I think so."

Marcus unashamedly kissed "Jack" and escorted her to the car. They drove over to Julie's to pick up Cheryl, and drove home. When they got there, Cheryl started whining for food. Although Cheryl was almost weaned from her breast, Jacqui still unconsciously moved to remove her blouse and expose her breast before remembering what had happened. "Sorry, hun, I guess that it'll have to be the bottle this time."

Marcus said, "That may not be necessary."

"What do you mean? I can't even think about transforming back until tomorrow morning."

"But you could transform me into a lactating woman."

Jacqui was stunned. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure that you need to overcome your fear of the Paradox, and that this serves both purposes."

"I'm... I'm not sure I can do this."

"Which is exactly why you must."

Jacqui gulped and nodded. She cleared her mind of all other things then thought of Marcus and how his pattern would look as a woman. Then she modified that pattern to what it would look like with lactating breasts. Then she reached out and MADE it real. She felt the Paradox fighting back, but refused to let it interfere.

The world shimmered, and Marcus was suddenly different. "Well,... Mara? Take a look."

Marcus looked down at his smaller, but now more developed body. He ran his hands over his new female frame. "Wow."

Jacqui smiled. "Now take off your shirt, you've got a child to feed."

Marcus a.k.a. Mara stripped off his shirt, and after a quick lesson, had Cheryl suckling happily at his breast. After her meal, they laid Cheryl to sleep. "Do you want to change back now?"

"Actually, there's something I want to try."

"What's that?" Marcus stepped up and rubbed Jacqui's crotch through her pants. Jacqui felt the semi-familiar feeling of an erection and said, "So you want to give sex as a woman a try? I can do that."

Jacqui took Marcus into her arms and kissed him deeply. Then she picked him up and carried him over to the bed. Jacqui, knowing what a woman liked, treated him far more gently then he expected, but gave him far more pleasure then he expected. An hour later, she asked, "Do you want to change back now?"

Marcus said, "Part of me says yes, but part of me, the part you just got finished indulging, says no." Suddenly Cheryl started crying. "I guess that's the deciding vote."

As she got out of bed, Jacqui said, "Actually, that's her 'My diaper is full' cry. If you're going to be a mother, you've got to learn these things."

As Jacqui changed the baby, Marcus said, "Regardless. I think at least until you can change back, I should stay Mara."

Jacqui grinned. "If you insist, but I've got to warn you, being a girl can be addictive."

"Lucky for me, it's only for one day."

Bronwyn drifted down the hallway that led into the Goddess's realm. She had spent a good deal of time trying to return to her body after the connection to it was severed, but she had been unable to overcome her death pain and return to life. Now she flew to the Goddess in order to let the Great Lady judge her life and send her to her final reward.

She was almost to Her grand chamber when a hooded woman, her face shrouded in darkness, suddenly leapt into her path. Bronwyn asked, "Who are you, and why do you block my path?"

The woman almost growled, "Why do you abandon your family? Has your death caused you to cease to care for them?"

"How dare you?" Bronwyn felt despair wrack her body. "Don't you know I tried to return?! Oh, Goddess, how I tried! But I couldn't face my death."

The woman just stared at Bronwyn before saying, "Perhaps you need more incentive. Come with me."

Bronwyn sent a request to the Goddess for guidance, but the Goddess's voice, usually a perpetual part of her life, was strangely silent.

The woman said, "For a worshiper of the Goddess to feel her presence after their death is to be consigned forever to the realm of the dead. If you are to have any hope of returning to your family you must do so without the Goddess's help. But the fact that she does not speak to you, should show you that she wants this to be your decision."

Bronwyn, somehow, knew the woman was telling the truth. She looked into the Goddess's chamber and, although the temptation to go on was great, decided to go with the woman to wherever she would lead.

The next day, Shawna walked into Joe and Bronwyn's house. Then she choked back a sob. With her mother dead, the house was Joe's alone. Laurie greeted her with a hug. "Hello, Shawna. Glad you're finally here. But where have you been? I expected you yesterday with Ariel."

"I've been... busy." Before Laurie could press the issue, Shawna asked, "Where's Joe?"

"He's still upstairs by Bronwyn's side. He hasn't moved since he brought her home. Even bringing his children home the other day didn't help."

"I'll talk to him."

As Shawna went upstairs, Laurie said, "Shawna, go easy on him."

Shawna nodded. She went up and knocked on the door, when she didn't hear anything, she opened the door and looked in. "Joe?"

Without looking back, he said, "Hello, Shawna."

"Can I come in?"

Joe shrugged. When Shawna stepped in, he said, "Come to accuse me of failing to protect your mom?"

"No. Somehow I think you're doing enough of that for both of us." She sat beside him on the chair, him edging over just enough for her to have space.

He then asked, "So how are your studies going?"

"Fine. And thanks for not telling mom."

"I just figured you should be the one to tell her you Awakened."

"And now it's too late." Shawna sighed. "Joe, there's nothing you can do for her now. Her soul has departed the consensual reality."

Joe straightened up a bit. "You're right."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing in particular. Do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Clear everybody out of the house. Take the kids and Laurie over to mom's house. I want to say good-bye to Bronwyn in my own way."

Shawna gave him a suspicious look, but said, "Okay."

She left the room giving him a look over her shoulder as she passed through the door After explaining the situation to Laurie, she got the kids together and they took off to Julie's (after calling her) on their bikes. The girls were still subdued and the entire ride was in silence. When they got to Julie's, and were walking their bikes up the front walk, Norma suddenly froze. Laurie asked, "Norma, what's wrong?"

Norma looked back the way she came, and tilted her head as if listening to a far away sound. Laurie walked towards her when suddenly Norma screamed, {DADDY, NO!} and jumped on her bike and took off towards home.

Julie yelled, "Tasha, Inya, go after her!"

The two teenagers jumped on their bikes and took off after their little sister. It was only five minutes before they realized that there was no way they were going to catch her. Inya pulled off to one side and Tasha followed. "What are you going to do?" Tasha asked.

Inya rubbed the bracelet and her clothes unraveled and flowed into the bracelet. "What I have to." Inya shifted to her panther form and took off down the street after Norma.

She caught up to her little sister as Norma dashed into the house. Inya ran inside and shifted back to human form. "Norma!"

Norma ran down the steps. {Inya, have you mastered going into the Umbra, the spirit world?}

"No, I can barely manage it with grandpa's guidance."

Without waiting even a second longer, Norma ran out of the house, screaming, {Jacqui! I've got to get to Jacqui!}

Inya almost went after her, but figured dad could do a better job chasing her down than she could. She ran upstairs to find dad. When she went into his room, she saw Bronwyn's body surrounded by a golden glow, but dad was nowhere to be seen.

Then she thought about what Norma had said and figured out what her father had planned. She shifted back to panther form and took off after Norma, as scared for her dad as her little sister was.

Marcus ("Mara") helped the recently retransformed Jacqui to the couch. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, just a little more tiring than I thought. I'll be ready to change you back in a few minutes."

"Take your time. I don't want to hurt you getting back."

Jacqui sat back and took a few deep breaths when they suddenly heard a persistent banging on the door. They looked at each other, silently wondering if either expected company. As the banging persisted, Marcus went and opened the door. A frantic Norma slipped in, yelling, {Jacqui! Where are you?!}

Jacqui said, "Norma, settle down, I'm right here." Marcus started to close the door when Inya, in panther form, slid through the closing door.

With panting breath, Norma thought, {It's dad! He's gone after Bronwyn! He's gone into the spirit world to get her soul and try to bring her back!}

Jacqui looked to her husband and asked, "You're the one who's more familiar with death. Can he do it?"

Marcus shook his head in that way people have when they have to say something that they don't want to say. "At his level ANY thing is 'possible'. The problem is he's staking his life on bringing her back. If she hasn't gone beyond the Veil and he finds her, I'd say his chances are pretty good. If she's gone beyond the Veil, but not through the Wheel of Life, his entire life becomes predicated on getting her back. He gets her to come back, he lives. But if he can't get her back, either because she can't face life again or because she's passed through to her final reward... He'll be as dead as she is."

"Goddess."

Norma said, {We've got to go after him, Jacqui. I want Bronwyn back, too, but not at the risk of dad!}

"I don't have the skills to do that."

Marcus said, "But you could go to the base and try to convince the Masters to go after him. You have a closer relationship with your Master than I do. You're the only one who can do it, Jacqui."

Jacqui sat there, stunned. "I... I guess I have to try." She turned to Marcus, gave him a weak smile, and said, "I guess it's lucky I didn't transform you back."

Marcus gave her a supportive smile and a kiss. "Go, love. I'll be waiting for you here when you get back."

Jacqui said, "Come on." Then she escorted the girls out to the car. She drove them to the small house that hid the space gate that would take them to the base. They went inside, Jacqui activated the space gate, and they stepped through into the base.

The receptionist on duty looked at them and said, "Mrs. Donovan, what's going on? You haven't got clearance to bring visitors into the base."

"I've got an emergency situation. Where's the Virtual Adept Master?"

"He's in the computer lab working with a new class."

Jacqui told the girls, "Wait here," and took off into the base, ignoring the protests of the receptionist.

She ran to the computer lab, and barged right in. The Master looked up and said, "Jacqui, what's wrong? Why are you interrupting class?"

Change of Life, pt 4

Jacqui telepathically explained the situation to her Master. He looked over to his secondary and said, "James, take over. Jacqui, go get the Akashic Master's children and bring them straight to the Masters' conference room. If anybody interferes, say you're doing it on my authority. The entries are already in the computer database. Go!"

Jacqui quickly ran back to the entry room, and, after explaining the situation to the receptionist, got the girls. She brought them to the conference room and waited. The Virtual Adept Master teleported in first, with the other Masters coming in shortly thereafter. After the eight Masters were present, Sensei Nakayama, as Joe's appointed replacement, teleported in.

The Hermetic Master, always one to grandstand, started. "Alright, Virtual Adept, why did you call this meeting and why are we approached by a girl barely two years out of apprenticeship and two mundanes?"

The Verbena Mistress said, "Are you truly so arrogant that you would not recognize the right of two of the Akashic Master's children to address this council?"

The Virtual Adept Master said, "Enough! I called this emergency council meeting! You both violate protocol by not letting me handle this as I choose!" The Verbena Mistress apologized, but the Hermetic Master just nodded his head in deference. The Virtual Adept Master said, "Jacqui."

Jacqui quickly explained the situation and asked for help to retrieve the Akashic Master. After she was finished, the Virtual Adept Master said, "I move that we send a group after the Akashic Master to convince him to return to the consensual reality."

The Verbena Mistress quickly said, "Seconded."

The Hermetic Master said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I disagree. Much as we may all disagree with what the Akashic Master is doing, he has a right to choose his own path. We have no right to stop him, much less bring him back."

The Verbena Mistress replied, "His choice is based on rage and loss. It is not a rational one."

"All the more reason not to get involved. The fact that it is not rational means he will be less likely to give it up. So what happens if we confront him and he refuses to return? Do we just leave him? Or will whoever goes after him have to escort him until his suicide mission reaches its inevitable conclusion? Because forcing him is not an option, not unless you plan on sacrificing the lives of our people uselessly."

The Verbena Mistress said, "Fine, I will make going after him a personal project. No realm resources need be used."

The Cult of Ecstasy Mistress said, "Then you will most likely fail. I have peered into the future. If we are to succeed in convincing the Akashic Master to return, then the Dreamspeaker Master, Norma, and Jacqui must be the ones to go after him. The Dreamspeaker Master for his skill and knowledge of the Umbra, Jacqui for her light, and Norma for her connection to the Akashic Master."

The Hermetic Master said, "But this still doesn't say why we should expend the energy in the first place. The issue is the Akashic Master's right to choose his own path."

Master Nakayama said, "The issue is betrayal. When you betrayed him the last time, there was almost a mass exodus then. Only the previous Akashic Master speaking on behalf of you, urging patience and forgiveness, prevented that from happening. The Akashic Brotherhood will not suffer the betrayal of their Master."

"But you could speak to them, convince them not to leave."

"If you betray the Akashic Master again, I shall be the first to leave." The Hermetic Master started to protest, but Master Nakayama said, "It might be different if this required some huge expenditure of energy, but the Cult of Ecstasy Mistress has stated that the goal desired may be achieved by just committing three people to the task, one of whom is not even a part of this base to deny. Refuse to commit even this minimal effort and you lose the Akashic Brotherhood."

The Dreamspeaker Master said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am fully willing to go after the Akashic Master. So unless there are some objections to my bringing one Virtual Adept and one child along..." The Dreamspeaker Master waited, and when there were none, he said, "Then I guess we're finished."

The other Masters all disappeared, and the Dreamspeaker Master stepped down and said, "Are you two ready to go?"

Inya asked, "What about me?"

Jacqui said, "Hun, somebody has got to go back and explain what's going on to everybody. Your grandmother and the rest of your family are probably frantic with worry."

"I suppose so."

Jacqui gave Inya a kiss on the cheek. "We'll bring your dad back."

After Inya left, the Dreamspeaker Master brought them to a gate, and they stepped through into the Umbra.

Inya called Julie from the space gate house as soon as she arrived. Julie quickly picked her up and brought her home. When she was home, she got everybody together and explained what had happened. Julie nearly broke down in tears, and everybody else started discussing what had transpired. The only one who remained silent was Jeremy, and at some point Laurie noticed he had slipped away.

She decided to find him. For some reason, Jeremy had been lethargic and withdrawn ever since Bronwyn's death, but had refused to discuss it, and Laurie decided it was time to have it out.

She found him out by the woodpile. Once, when she had been visiting, Bronwyn had taken her upstairs and they had watched Joe reduce a collection of logs into firewood using nothing more than his bare hands. Now Jeremy was doing much the same thing, except he was reducing firewood to sawdust using the power of the Dark One.

He had stripped off his shirt and was working in nothing more than a tank top undershirt. Laurie enjoyed a moment of admiration for his body before stepping out into the yard. He destroyed another log, and she said, "Any good at making something other than sawdust?"

He just gave her a cold stare as he put another chunk of wood on the chopping block. As he charged his hand with Dark Power and destroyed the piece of wood, Laurie said, "I can't help but remember you telling me that sometimes a man uses violence as a release in place of tears."

Jeremy put another piece of wood on the block. "So?"

"So seeing you here, I can't help wondering," Laurie waited for him to destroy the piece of wood, "what it is you feel the need to cry for."

Jeremy put another hunk of wood on the block. "What's the matter? Female intuition failing you?" he said, destroying the wood.

Laurie almost said something nasty in reply, but bit it back. This wasn't the time for it. "At first guess, I'd have to say you're blaming yourself for Bronwyn's death."

"Bronwyn's death and everything that follows. If I had succeeded in destroying that Fomori, Bronwyn would be alive, and we wouldn't be worrying about the life of the world's greatest monster fighter."

"Fomori? Is that what that thing was called?" Jeremy nodded. "Jeremy, you did your best. You almost died yourself."

"Maybe I should've died. After all, Bronwyn died protecting me."

"You did all that you could. Bronwyn did what she had to as high priestess of the Sisterhood."

"But it's not supposed to be like that. The Brotherhood is supposed to be the front line against the forces of darkness. If anybody is supposed to be sacrificing their life, it's us."

"Look, I know how you feel-"

"Do you? Do you have any idea what it's like to know that if you had just pushed a little harder, done a little better, then the people you love would be spared a whole lot of pain?"

Tears came to Laurie's eyes. "Yes. Don't forget, I was there, too. Do you know how many times I've run over that scene in my mind, wondering what I could've done different that would've changed things? Wondering if maybe I'd've gotten to Bronwyn a second or two earlier I could've saved her life?"

"But if I had done my job it wouldn't even be an issue."

Laurie almost said something more, but swallowed it back. "Look, we can play the 'Who's more at fault?' game all night, but right now those people in there need both of us. And we have a responsibility to put our personal problems aside for their sake."

Jeremy was silent for a few seconds before saying, "You're right."

Laurie turned to go back into the house and Jeremy said, "Laurie?" After she turned back, he said, "I'm sorry. I should've considered how you were feeling. I should've realized that you were going through the same things I was."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not. Here I am going on about what I could've done to make things easier for the people I love, and one of the people I care for most is suffering and I'm doing nothing."

Laurie gave him a weak smile. "You care for me? Even with all the arguing we do?"

Jeremy gave her a crooked smile. "I argue with you because it's so much fun. Are you telling me you don't do it for the same reasons?"

Laurie almost started another argument to deny it, but had to stop and smile. "I suppose I do." She turned away from him and said, just loud enough to ensure she was heard, "Jack-ass."

Jeremy didn't say anything, but did smile as he followed her into the house.

Jacqui, the Dreamspeaker Master, and Norma entered the spiritual realm of the Goddess. They traveled down the long hallway to her private chamber, but were surprised by what they found when they got there. One wall had literally been blasted apart on a primordial level, and it looked as though the Umbra itself had been merged with the room. They saw the Goddess in the center of the room gazing on them as though nothing were wrong. "Good day, Jacqui, Dreamspeaker, young Norma."

The Dreamspeaker Master asked, "Great Lady, what happened?"

"This? Simply a result of the Akashic Master's grief."

"He attacked you?"

"No. He attacked my realm. This is mere property damage. Far more serious is the damage within his soul."

"But what did happen?"

"The Akashic Master came to me, demanding to be sent beyond to Bronwyn. I explained that Bronwyn had not yet come to my presence, and thus had not yet passed beyond. He then asked to know where she was, and I said I didn't know. I explained that if I touched her with my presence she would pass beyond, and I had been forced to block my connection with her to give her a chance to return. He then used his Time senses to see her departure from my realm, and saw her being escorted out of here by an unknown figure. He demanded to know who it was, but I couldn't tell him."

"Couldn't, Mistress? No one could enter your realm without you knowing exactly who it was. Therefore it must've been wouldn't, Milady."

"No, Running Wolf, I am bound by my oaths. I swore an oath to do nothing to reveal the identity of the one who removed Bronwyn from my realm. But it was that fact that the Akashic Master used to demand the knowledge of who had Bronwyn. When I refused, he begged, and when I still refused, he did this," she said waving her hand at the tear in the side of her reality. "He then stormed out of here to try to find her. Unfortunately, he's looking in the wrong place entirely. He has assumed that one of his old enemies has taken her from here. He seeks her out in Hell, Dreamspeaker. You must go to him, before he is destroyed by his own grief."

"Thank you, ma'am." He took Jacqui and Norma by the hand and led them from the realm.

The Goddess looked to the rending of her space. "Akashic, your wife is safe, but you are not. Do not allow your despair to dominate you."

Julie sat alone in the bedroom just staring at Bronwyn's body. Laurie came in and said, "Julie, are you ready? The other Sisters are here and we need to get started on deciding on a new High Priestess."

Julie replied, "Do you think that maybe we could put this off? Maybe Joe will be successful and return Bronwyn to us."

"And if he isn't?" Julie cringed. "Sorry, hun."

"That's okay. I know you're just trying to be practical. It's just that if I think about Joe failing, I have to think about him not coming back." Julie looked to Laurie with tears in her eyes. "Laurie, I've only had a couple years with him since his return to me. I know I'm being selfish, but part of me wants him to forget about Bronwyn and return to me. Is that so wrong?"

Laurie remained silent for a few seconds. "Part of me is shocked to hear you say that, but I've been wondering what would I be thinking if it was Jacqui who was off on some chase after someone she loved. I remember Joe telling me that Jacqui's power would be limited only by her training and spiritual power. I have to realize the fact that one day Jacqui may have the power to accomplish what Joe is trying now. And I think if I had to make a choice between my child and Bronwyn, not only would I choose Jacqui, I have to believe Bronwyn would want me to choose Jacqui over her as well."

Julie sighed. "Well, I guess we better get to this."

The two women walked downstairs where the other members of the Sisterhood's best awaited. Patricia welcomed them with a hug, then said, "Once any member of the Sisterhood reaches our level she should only HAVE to meet with the rest of us once in her lifetime. Now, we've met twice in as many years. I don't suppose there's any chance we'll have a white knight come riding to our rescue once again?"

Laurie gave a small smile. "You're getting spoiled, Patty. Shall we get on with it?"

"Indeed. Have you prepared Bronwyn's body for final rites?"

Laurie remained silent for a few seconds. "I... haven't been able to."

The women were surprised. "Why not?"

Laurie debated it. She had wanted to keep Joe's mission secret so as to not raise any false hopes. "Because Joe has wrapped her body in an impenetrable force field, so that we couldn't."

"Why?"

Laurie waited for a few seconds before saying, "Because he's gone on a quest to try to retrieve her soul and bring her back to her body."

Tara asked, "Can he really do that? And, if so, why are we discussing a replacement for her?"

Julie said, "Because all the people from his group we've talked to agree. The possibility of his accomplishing this is next to nothing, and in all likelihood, he will die trying."

The girls were stunned. Tara said, "Julie, I'm sorry."

Elaine asked, "Is there any chance he'll succeed?"

"They say it's possible, just not likely."

Patty said, "I'd like to recommend that until we know one way or the other, we table discussions of a permanent replacement for Bronwyn. Custom says we're supposed to prepare the body before selecting a replacement anyways."

Laurie said, "Hold on. Even if we don't select a permanent replacement, we still need to choose an interim replacement."

Tara quickly said, "How about you, Laurie? You've already been handling all the details anyways."

"Now wait a second-"

Ignoring her, Patty said, "Seconded. All those in favor?"

Before Laurie could say a thing, all the girls said, "Aye!"

Patty grabbed Laurie's hand and shook it. "Congratulations, Laurie, you're the interim High Priestess." The girls then left the house, leaving a stunned Laurie sitting across from Julie.

Laurie turned to face Julie. Julie had her hand over her mouth, but even behind it, Laurie could tell she had a smile a mile wide. "You do know what the term 'railroaded' means?" Laurie asked.

Julie nodded. "And I can even see the tracks running up and down your face."

Laurie shook her head and laughed.

When the three of them appeared in the realm know only as 'Hell', they were standing in front of what seemed to be a great set of iron doors 50 feet high built into the side of a wall that extended up so high that the top couldn't be seen. Standing in front of the door was an Olde world demon, man from the waist up, with tiny horns on his head, jet black hair and a goatee, and a goat's body below the waist.

The Dreamspeaker Master turned to Jacqui and whispered, "Whatever you do, do not attempt to fight unless given no option, and then fight only to get out and return here and leave."

"Yes, sir."

The Dreamspeaker Master walked up to the guardian of the gate and said, "We seek entry to Hell. What bargain will you strike to let us gain admission?"

"Sorry," the demon replied, "Hell is closed, come back tomorrow."

The Dreamspeaker Master was stunned. Jacqui came up to him and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Never before have I been denied outright. At times, the bargains I have had to strike have had to be very steep, but never before have they just said no without recourse to bargaining."

"Any idea why?"

"None." The Dreamspeaker Master said to he demon, "Sir, we are prepared to pay greatly for admission to the inner chambers."

"Look, I told you, no entry. Come back tomorrow."

Jacqui stepped up, "Excuse me, sir, but we are desperate to find a friend. Perhaps if you could just grant us access for a brief while, we could run in, check, and run out."

The demon gave her a lascivious look that she had identified on more than a few scumbags in her time as a woman. "Not today, babe, but perhaps if you're real nice to me, I could make it easy for you tomorrow." The demon reached out to take Jacqui's chin in hand, but as soon as he touched her chin, he recoiled as though he had touched a live wire. "OW! Son of a-" He stuck his hand in his mouth and sucked on it as though nursing a burn. "You're one of the Goddess's bitches, aren't you?"

Jacqui pulled herself up as tall as she could and said, "Yes, and if you don't want to get on her bad side, you'd better let us in."

The demon rolled his eyes. "Spare me. The Goddess's presence within you may grant you protection from my touch, but it gets you no special privileges here."

"Doesn't it?" the Dreamspeaker Master asked. "Something's going on here, that much is clear. Those of the Sisterhood are known for protecting and helping. Perhaps we could help you out."

The demon looked at them suspiciously, but eventually he said, "Wait here." He stepped into the door, literally melting into it. After a few seconds, the doors opened with an ominous, metal grating. The demon awaited on the other side. "Enter."

The three entered the realm. Norma, too terrified to speak, stayed close behind Jacqui, hanging on her skirt. Jacqui looked around. She wasn't sure what to expect, but it sure wasn't what she did see. Starting at either 50 yards to the left or the right of her, the realm did look as expected. There were scenes of people, usually naked, being punished by demons of various shapes and sizes. They were being whipped, burned, stretched on racks, and many other forms of torture. It was like something out of a fire and brimstone minister's lecture.

But between sections of the expected was a barren stretch of land. The land had a blasted look, as though it had been the recipient of a huge bomb blast. The 100 yard stretch of land extended forward in front of her as far as she could see. She looked to the Dreamspeaker Master and saw that he was just as surprised as she felt.

"What happened?" he asked.

"The Akashic Master attempted entry into Hell. When he was refused, he tore the guardian apart and ripped the gates of Hell from their moorings. Then he did," the demon waved at the blasted strip of land, "this."

"Great Spirit, even I had no idea he was this powerful."

"No surprise. Not only is he driven by his grief, but he is also an Oracle of Forces."

"So what happened after this?"

"The Akashic Master assumed that we had taken his deceased wife as vengeance for what he had done to us a few years ago. We attempted to force him out, but that didn't work. Finally, we convinced him of the special protection that those of the Sisterhood have from us. It took a bit of work to get him to believe us, but we finally got him to believe us, and he left."

"Do you have any idea where he went?"

"Not exactly, but while he was fighting us, he said he'd raze the gates of heaven itself to get his wife back."

"Thank you. Now as to our helping you-"

Jacqui said, "I'm not sure I want to help these... 'people'."

The demon smiled. "But you already have."

"What do you mean?"

The demon waved to the area behind Jacqui. She turned and looked. She saw that wherever she had walked, the ground no longer had a blasted appearance, and as she watched, she saw that the area where she had touched was slowly spreading out, repairing the damage that Joe had done earlier.

The demon said, "It is the province of the Sisterhood to make right that which is wrong. In a spiritual realm like this, the effect is far faster then in the consensual reality."

Jacqui suddenly felt used and dirty. The Dreamspeaker Master said, "Come on, let's go."

The three quickly left the realm, the Dreamspeaker Master using his Spirit magics to take them right back into the Umbra as soon as they were through the gate. He took them a ways from Hell, and used his magics to create a mini-realm that appeared as a clearing in the middle of a heavy woods.

"I had no idea you were this powerful."

"This? This isn't that big a deal. The fact is those trees don't really exist. Step out of this clearing and you're back in the Umbra."

"But it's a realm!"

"A realm with no stability. It'll disappear as soon as we leave it."

Norma said, {Kind of like some chat rooms on the Internet. It's there as long as there are chatters in it, but if everybody leaves, it's gone.}

"I wouldn't know about that. Computers are a mystery to me."

"You? You know nothing about computers?"

"I'm afraid that's an old dog and new tricks issue with me, my dear. Don't forget, I'm older than the U.S. of A. Your Master has tried to instruct me a few times, but I'm afraid the mysteries of electronic media are beyond me."

"Oh." After a few seconds, Jacqui asked, "Forgive me, Master, but should we be waiting here? Doesn't every second count?"

"It does, but if the Akashic Master has gone to Heaven, I will need to marshal my strength to get us there. Speaking of which, what did you think of Hell?"

{I hated it. So many nasty thoughts.}

Jacqui smiled at Norma's comments and said, "It seemed kind of... What's the word for it?"

"Christian?"

"That's the word."

The Dreamspeaker Master laughed. "I know what you mean. The first time I was there was under the guidance of my Master. I asked him if that really was the fate of the souls of sinners from the consensual reality. He explained that realms in the Umbra are basically of two types. Those that are reflections of greater essences, like the realms of the Goddess and the Dark One, and those that are created by belief, either the belief of inhabitants of the consensual reality or by inhabitants, visiting or permanent, of the Umbra, like this one, or like some realms that reflect worlds created by authors of fiction. There's actually a realm that is like the world portrayed by Tolkein in his Lord of the Rings series."

"But which is Hell?"

The Dreamspeaker Master shrugged. "Depends on who you talk to. Talk to a Christian and it's a reflection of the True Hell. Talk to a non-believer and it's nothing more than a realm created by the collected beliefs of all Christians."

"But which do you believe?"

The Dreamspeaker Master shrugged again. "I have seen too many things to say one way or the other. Supporting the 'True Reflection' theory is the fact that a seeker of Hell always finds That realm. Belief based realms are always colored by the beliefs of seekers, and each is different depending on the seeker. But supporting the 'Belief' theory is the fact that that Hell is shrinking, proponents saying that more and more believers are changing their belief that sinners, instead of going to where they are tortured by demons, go to private Hells where their punishments are something appropriate to the nature of their crimes in life."

Jacqui considered what the Dreamspeaker Master had said, as well as what she had experienced and asked, "Master, the demon called the Akashic Master an Oracle of Forces. I've heard rumors about Oracles, but what are they?"

The Dreamspeaker Master considered how best to describe it and said, "A Master of any Sphere of Magic is one whose understanding is so great that there is no physical world phenomenon that he cannot duplicate. Some are still incredibly hard, particularly in the presence of the non-Awakened, but they can be done. But there are some whose understanding is so great that their abilities defy rational understanding, even to those of our rank."

"How many Oracles do you know?"

"Three. Four now including the Akashic Master."

"So few?"

"Oracles are rare because after they become Oracles they usually disappear. One theory is that their understanding of a Sphere is so great that they actually move beyond reality itself."

"Don't you mean the consensual reality?"

The Dreamspeaker Master shook his head. "No realm in the Umbra, on either side of the Horizon, has ever been found where Oracles reside." The Dreamspeaker Master sat down cross-legged and said, "Now I'm going to meditate to marshal my strength. I suggest you two rest and conserve your strength. There's no telling what we'll be facing when we get to where we're going."

As the Dreamspeaker Master drifted into a trance, Jacqui saw Norma curl up and fall asleep. She seemed so contented at that moment, and Jacqui wondered how she did it. The resilience of youth she supposed. At that moment, Jacqui couldn't help but think of Cheryl,and she wondered how her daughter and "Mara" were doing. And when she fell asleep, it was to dreams of being in Marcus's arms.

Bronwyn followed the woman to wherever she led. She found herself entering a realm which seemed very familiar to the realm of the Goddess, but somehow she knew it wasn't the same. She walked down a very similar hall to a very similar chamber and saw a woman who seemed to be much the same as the Goddess, just... simpler. The thing was, despite the fact that it seemed that this woman was pretending to be the Goddess, Bronwyn held no anger towards her.

Bronwyn asked, "Where am I? And who are you?"

"This is the realm of Love, and I am it's living embodiment."

"But why..."

"Do I look like the Goddess? Because you equate love with the Goddess, and thus this is how I manifest to you. If you wish, I can be..." Love shimmered and looked like Joe, and, at the same time, the realm changed and Bronwyn was standing in her bedroom at home. In Joe's voice, Love said, "your lover. But I think for this conversation, I should be..." Love shimmered again and Bronwyn was standing in Laurie's kitchen and Love was in the form of Laurie. "your friend and confidante."

Bronwyn looked at her and said, "You look exactly like Laurie, but somehow I know you're not her."

"Of course. True Love is never deceptive."

"But why am I here?"

"To give you the inner strength necessary to return to Joe. And to explain why Joe needs you."

"I need Joe, too, but I'm not sure that's enough."

"It's not enough because you have known the love of so many in your life. Laurie, your family, the Goddess, and all of the Sisterhood, even the members you have not met. Joe has known so few. And none he has loved in as unrestrained and as well reciprocated a manner."

"There's his family, his children and his mother. There's also Laurie and Jacqui, who both love him."

"And he loves them. But he is father to his children and must make sure that duty comes first. And he is teacher to Jacqui, and must restrain himself in much the same way. And although he loves Laurie and she him, it is not the unrestrained love he feels for you."

"What of Julie?"

The woman who brought her here said, "Her love is tainted by her betrayal. With the exception of you, up to now, every person he has given his love to has betrayed him."

"There is his first wife, Tarina."

The woman, anger evident in her voice, said, "His first wife, like you are contemplating now, refused to face her pain and return to him when he needed her."

Bronwyn was about to launch into this woman in defense of Joe's first wife, but then she noticed it. As a spirit, Bronwyn's empathy was much greater than it had been in life. She noticed that the woman's anger was not the anger of hatred, but the anger of self-loathing. She looked to the woman's darkened face and asked, "Tarina?"

The woman remained silent and motionless for a while before reaching up and removing her hood. Bronwyn was astonished. The resemblance between this woman and the twins was uncanny. This woman was perhaps a bit smaller than the girls were going to grow up to be, and the girls were already a bit more buxom, but her face and theirs were so similar it was scary. "I betrayed him," she said, "and I can never forgive myself."

"But he loves you so much, Tarina."

Love told her, "His love for her is not the problem. It is her love for him. Julie has explained the phenomenon, Bronwyn. She is so afraid of hurting him again that she withholds herself. Tarina does the same thing."

"I betrayed him by not fighting my way back to him. I will never forgive myself for that. I would spare you that pain if I could."

Bronwyn looked at her. Love said, "Joe needs you, Bronwyn. Without you, his despair may grow so great that he will never allow himself to love again."

Bronwyn said, "Alright, I will try once more."

Love said, "Tarina will take you to where you will most likely succeed. Go with Love, Bronwyn."

After the girls left, Love attempted to contact Joe once more, but as before, his grief was too great to allow him to hear her words.

Jacqui woke to the sounds of sobbing. She looked around, but the Dreamspeaker Master and Norma were nowhere to be seen. She looked around for the sounds of the crying, and saw a woman on the side of the clearing. It only took her a few seconds to identify who it was. "Mother, what's wrong?" Somehow it didn't seem weird that her mother was in this temporary realm in the middle of the Umbra.

Laurie just kept crying. Jacqui walked over and took her mother by the shoulders. "Mom, please talk to me."

Laurie said, "I am a failure as a mother."

"Why do you say that?"

"How else could I feel having raised a child so selfish?"

Jacqui was shocked. "Wh... what do you mean?"

"I just wanted to show you the beauty of being female. I just wanted to give you the love of the Goddess. But you rejected it outright without even giving it a chance. You had to be prodded and even tricked into every step. And even you had to admit it was beautiful. Then after it was taken from you and I couldn't give it back to you, all you could think to do was lash out at me.

"Don't you think I suffered as you did? Didn't you realize that your pain was mine?"

Jacqui recoiled in shock. What could she say? Her mother was right, she had been selfish and uncaring, fighting and hurting her mother every step of the way. She turned from Laurie, tears in her eyes. And saw the Dreamspeaker Master and Norma sitting there looking at her.

The Dreamspeaker Master asked, "Jacqui, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

Norma said, {She saw her mom. And her mom said some nasty things to her.}

The Dreamspeaker Master nodded his understanding. "And let me guess, you, unfortunately, cannot disagree with what she said."

"How did you know?"

"You slipped into what's known as the Mirror Zone. It's called that because it reflects a portion of the soul back upon the person, usually a portion they'd rather not face. The Mirror Zone seems to wander the Umbra, sucking travelers into it without cause or warning."

Jacqui nodded. "She pointed out how selfish I'd been, refusing to even give her gift a chance."

"And were you?"

"Yes. I had to admit that I was happier as a girl, but when I was transformed, I lashed out horribly."

The Dreamspeaker Master nodded. "Well, I think it's time to go."

"Wait. How do I deal with this?"

"Accept it."

"Is that the best advice you can give? Accept it?"

"Jacqui, not even the greater Masters of Time can change the past. It's rumored that the Oracles of Time might have that power, but they're not talking. If you dwell on the past, you fail to face the present. Accept it, learn from your mistakes, and get on with your life."

Jacqui thought about it and nodded.

"Now come on. We have an Akashic Master to save."

Bronwyn and Tarina hovered in the spirit world just outside her bedroom. The physical world was plainly visible from here and Bronwyn could see her body perfectly preserved. She turned to Tarina. "Thank you."

Tarina said, "I'm just doing as my heart dictates."

Bronwyn asked, "If I make it back, is there a message you'd like me to give Joe?"

"Tell him... Tell him I love him,and I'm sorry I didn't have the strength to return his love for me."

Bronwyn felt the pain in her voice and hugged Tarina to her. "Thank you, Tarina. For everything."

Bronwyn turned and attempted to penetrate the Gauntlet, the barrier that prevented direct access from the consensual reality to the Umbra and vice versa. She felt the same pain she had felt upon dying, the pain inflicted by that thing. She tried to fight it, focusing on her love for Joe. But as much as she tried, the pain pushed back harder. She cried out in despair. "Forgive me, Joe. I cannot make it."

Then she felt Tarina's hands upon her, pushing her, helping her face her pain. But Bronwyn knew that Tarina was facing the pain she had felt when she died, and neither one of them had been able to face that pain the first time. How would they be able to face it now?

Change of Life, pt 5

Jacqui entered the realm known as Heaven. She saw the "pearly gates" as described in so many stories. The Dreamspeaker Master stepped up to the gates and said, "We seek-"

They all heard in their minds, {Forgive our interruption, but we know what you seek, and you must go quickly to accomplish your mission.} The gates opened silently and far faster than Jacqui would've expected for gates as large as they were. {The Akashic Master is in the Elysian Fields. You must move quickly. He contemplates ending his own existence.}

The Dreamspeaker Master picked up Jacqui and Norma in his arms and took off in flight. He flew straight east. At least Jacqui felt it was east, they were flying into what appeared to be the rising sun. As if reading her mind, the Dreamspeaker Master said, "It's not a sunrise. No one knows what it is. Most seem to think that it's the one true Heaven. But whatever it is, everyone who has ever flown into it has never returned."

"And that's where we're going?"

"No. We're going to stop in the Elysian Fields, an island off the coast."

"Elysian Fields? Isn't that..."

"Ancient Greek belief? Yes, it is. Unlike the various punishment realms for sinners, all "heavens" are linked, and one can be reached from the others. I like to think it's because true goodness isn't exclusionary. The Elysian Fields used to be the predominant presence here, but has since shrunk to nothing more than the size of a small island."

The three flew together until they passed over a small mountain range and out over an ocean. Jacqui wondered where they were headed, until she saw a small, tropical island on the water. They flew straight to it, and around to the far side. They saw a single man standing on the beach staring off into the 'sunrise'. Along the edge of the beach was a crowd of people dressed in tunics, togas, and even a few in bronze armor, all watching the man.

Thy landed between the crowd and the man, who turned out to be, as Jacqui suspected, Joe. The Dreamspeaker Master spoke first, saying simply, "Akashic?"

Joe, who had clearly been crying, said, "I couldn't save her. I couldn't even find her. I have failed her again. I can save the universe, but when it comes to saving my family I am a hopeless failure."

Jacqui said, "Joe, your family needs you."

"And what happens if I fail them when they need me most? Better that they learn to do without then be hurt later on."

"But your children need a parent. They need someone to raise them."

"Mom can do that. It'll be tough on her, but she has you and Laurie and the rest of the Sisterhood."

Both Jacqui and the Dreamspeaker Master tried to think of something to say when a small, soft voice said, "Daddy, please." They turned and saw that it was Norma, speaking, not mentally, but with the voice she had not used in 7 years. Joe turned to face his daughter. She stepped up to him. In a voice barely louder than a whisper, she said, "Lani, Alia, and Tasha and Inya need you. And... I need you most of all. I have lost two mothers, daddy, please don't take you away from me."

Joe stared at her for a while before dropping to his knees beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and began crying openly. "I'm sorry, honey. I'm so sorry."

Norma hugged her father and began crying with him. They stayed like that for a while before settling down. Joe picked Norma up in one arm, and said, "Let's go home." Jacqui could tell he was still hurting, but at least he was willing to start the healing.

In less time than it took them to get there, they left through the gates they had entered into. The Dreamspeaker Master used his magics to quickly return them to the apartment in the consensual reality with the space gate. The Dreamspeaker Master then returned to the base, and Joe teleported home, to be greeted by hugs and well wishes from those who were there.

Finally, Julie asked, "Joe, are you okay?"

"No," he replied, "but better than I have been." He then looked wistfully upstairs. "I suppose there's no use putting this off any longer."

They all went upstairs to his bedroom. Bronwyn's body was still lying in exactly the same place as it had been when Joe brought it home. Joe stretched out his hand and the glow surrounding her body faded and disappeared. When it was gone, he turned to Laurie and said, "Do what you have to."

Joe turned away as Laurie moved closer to Bronwyn's body. But suddenly all of them froze in place as they felt the sudden, overwhelming presence of Bronwyn. Joe turned to Bronwyn's body, and was as surprised as the rest of them when Bronwyn suddenly gasped for air. They were all too stunned to move as Bronwyn lay there taking deep breaths. Finally Joe said, "Bronwyn?"

She looked to him and asked, "Did I make it?"

Joe leapt forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her as tightly as he could. Crying, he said, "You came back to me. I haven't lost you after all."

She let him hold her that way as their family moved closer to her. When he let her loose enough to allow some light between them, she asked him to initiate a mental link so they could talk privately. He was surprised, but quickly agreed. In the link,they discussed certain changes that she wanted in their life, and Joe quickly agreed.

After they were finished, he asked, "How did you manage to return to me?"

"I almost didn't make it, but I had some help. To be honest, I didn't think together we'd make it. But I forgot that when you combine love it is greater than the sum of its parts, but combined pain is only as great as the sum of its parts."

"But who helped you? Who brought you back to me?"

Suddenly they heard Norma's whispering voice say, "Mama?"

Everybody looked to her, thinking she was talking to Bronwyn. But Norma was staring into the room, apparently at nothing. Joe followed her eyes and stared into the corner of the room. He tilted his head a bit, as if he could barely make out something none of the others could see. Suddenly, he leapt off the bed and plunged his hand into nowhere. Everybody in the room, even those with no magic senses at all, felt an out-pouring of magical energy, more than any had felt in their entire lifetimes. The room fairly exploded as reality itself protested what was happening, but Joe ignored it. And when the magic cleared, Joe was standing there holding a dark-skinned, naked woman.

She pulled her head up, and looked at him with wonder in her eyes. "I had no idea you were THIS powerful."

Tears in his eyes, he said, "I couldn't lose you again, Tarina."

Suddenly, Tasha, Inya, and Norma yelled, "MAMA!" leapt off the bed, and ran to Tarina.

Tarina knelt down, said, "Oh, my babies, I missed you," and swept them into her arms.

Joe stepped back, allowing them to be reunited, and Laurie was suddenly struck by the physical symbology of it all. On one side of the room was Bronwyn, Shawna, and Ariel; on the other side was Tarina, and her children; and right in the middle of them was Joe and Stephanie (who had moved closer to her father). And Laurie couldn't help but wonder how he was going to handle this.

Tarina looked up and saw Stephanie standing next to Joe. Tarina walked up to her and asked, "Who are you and why do you look so familiar?"

Stef smiled. "Try to guess."

Tarina looked her up and down, and it was clear from the look on her face that she wasn't figuring it out. Then Tarina's body flowed into a half-woman, half-cat almost 7 feet tall. She took a deep whiff and said, "Steven?"

Stephanie giggled. "It's Stephanie, now."

Tarina turned to Joe and said, "You know, whenever you told me that story of you having been a woman, I was never quite sure whether or not to believe you."

From the entryway to the room they heard someone clear their throat. Everybody turned and saw the Verbena Mistress. "Not to interrupt your family reunion, Akashic, but you did agree to destroy a Marauder for us."

With a guilty look, he turned to Bronwyn and said, "I did already agree to this."

She nodded and said, "I understand."

Joe and the Verbena Mistress suddenly disappeared. There was an awkward silence before Bronwyn said, "I suppose I should go away and let you have Joe to yourself." Laurie could tell that just saying that hurt Bronwyn more than she'd ever admit.

Tarina looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Why?"

"Because... you were married to him first."

Tarina clearly didn't understand. But finally a look of understanding came across her face. "Oh, that silly monogamy thing you practice here in the states. It's unnecessary, at least in my opinion. I have no intent on chasing you out."

Bronwyn smiled. Tasha grabbed her mother's hand, said, "Come on, mom. We've got ice cream in the freezer," and dragged her out of the room.

Bronwyn tried to get up, but flinched in pain and fell back. Laurie linked to her and checked her out. "Can you fix whatever's wrong?"

Laurie said, "Can, but not going to."

"Why?"

"Your body has been held in stasis for the past few days. From all that I can tell, your muscles are just stiff and tired. And the best way to handle that is just to take it easy for a day or two."

Bronwyn turned to Jacqui. "Can you?"

"Sorry, Bron. Same thing applies to me. Best way is the natural way. So can but won't."

Bronwyn sighed. Shawna grinned. "You never did like convalescing, did you?"

"Never. Can one of you at least get my laptop so I can do some writing while I lay in bed?"

Ariel looked to Laurie to see if it was okay, and when the healer nodded, she got Bronwyn's laptop. Julie said, "Excuse me, but I'd like to get to know Tarina."

"Sure, Julie, go ahead." After Julie left the room, Bronwyn said, "Look, there's no point in the rest of you sticking around while I just sit and write, and I'm sure you have things to do."

Shawna asked, "Are you sure, mom?"

"Go! I'll be fine."

After everybody left, Bronwyn closed her eyes and started making some telepathic connections. There was some things she had to handle before she could relax.

EPILOGUE...

That evening, Laurie knocked on the door to Bronwyn's room and stuck her head in. "You wanted to talk to me?"

Bronwyn closed her computer. "Yeah, come on in."

Laurie came in and flopped down in a chair. "Goddess, I can't wait till you're back in the swing of things."

Bronwyn grinned. "Finding being the high priestess a bit taxing?"

"I never imagined you had so much... There's no nice way to put it... crap to deal with."

"There's just a lot of stuff since most of the Brotherhood who transformed is still in training. Things should settle down over the next couple years."

"I'm just glad I won't have to deal with it."

"Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Laurie, I'm not going to be the high priestess anymore."

"What?! Why not?!"

"Laurie, when I only had two children in the Sisterhood and one baby, I had no problem with being high priestess, but with my marriage to Joe, and Alia's birth, I now have a total of eight children, only two full adults and one in training for the Sisterhood. I'm too busy with being a mother. So Joe and I discussed it. He's giving up his position as Akashic Master and I'm retiring as high priestess. I've already told the others by telepathic contact, but I wanted to let you know in person."

"I guess I can understand that. So I guess I'll be turning the job over to your appointee rather than your replacement. Made a choice yet?"

"Actually, I decided that the woman they decided on as Interim replacement would do a fine job as the next high priestess."

"But they decided on me." Laurie looked at Bronwyn's big smile and realized Bronwyn knew exactly who had been the Interim high priestess. "Oh, no! You can't be serious!"

"'Fraid so."

"But- But the high priestess needs martial skills. Tactics. Strategies. That kind of stuff. I'm a healer, not a fighter."

"That was when the Sisterhood and the Brotherhood were at war. Now that the Brotherhood is taking on the martial aspects of the fight against evil, those skills are not quite as necessary. Besides, tensions are still running high between our orders. It seems that a healer would be the best choice for the next high priestess."

"But- But I don't want to be high priestess."

Bronwyn shrugged. "That's up to you. You can always turn the position down. But I'll let you in on a secret, I didn't want the job either. But after I thought about it for a while, I realized I was the best person for the job. And if you think about it, I bet you'll realize the same."

Laurie thought about it and crawled up on the bed beside Bronwyn. "You know, you can be a real bitch at times."

Bronwyn just smiled and kissed her.

Joe walked into the council room. It had taken three days to hunt down the Marauder and kill him. As he walked into the room, Master Nakayama started to rise, but Joe said, "Wait. Ladies and gentlemen, I have finished my job, and now choose to announce my retirement. I do hereby appoint Master Nakayama as my replacement, subject to the approval of this council and the approval of the Akashic faction within this realm."

The Hermetic Master said, "You can't be serious! We do not accept your resignation."

"And this is relevant, why?" The Hermetic Master sputtered a bit and Joe said, "Look, I have a family now that needs me, I can't go gallivanting off after every little threat you don't want to face on your own."

The Verbena Mistress said, "But, Joe, there have been threats we needed both you and the Soul Blade for. I would be the last to deny you your right to a peaceful family life, but what happens if we need the two of you again?"

Joe unbuckled the Soul Blade. "The Soul Blade has a will of his own and is dedicated to the fight against Marauders and Nephandi. He will continue the fight." Joe tossed the Soul Blade into the air and it disappeared. "If you need help with something, search him out. If he needs help, he'll contact me. Now if you want to see me in a social setting, please feel free to stop by. But don't expect me to fight your battles anymore."

Joe then said, "Lara, Master Nakayama, David," the Virtual Adept Master, "Running Wolf," saying good-bye personally to those he cared for most.

He then turned and left the council room behind.

Bronwyn walked into Laurie's house. Earlier that day Laurie had undergone the ritual signifying her new place as the high priestess and Bronwyn needed to talk to her. Julie was there discussing some things with Laurie, and both greeted her with a hug. Then Laurie noticed it. "Okay, love, what's wrong?"

Bronwyn said, "It's Tarina. Ever since she and I were reborn, she's been so cold to me. She refuses to let me get close to her no matter how hard I try."

Stephanie wandered into the room and got a bottle of soda out of the fridge. She then took a chair, turned it around and straddled the back.

Julie said, "That doesn't sound like Tarina. She's only been the nicest person to me."

Bronwyn said, "You're the mother of her lover. I'm the rival. I think she wants me out so they can be alone."

Stephanie said, "That definitely doesn't sound like Tarina. If she wanted you out, even if she weren't willing to chase you out, she'd say so. She's a very direct woman."

"You know her best. Any idea why she's treating me like this?"

Stephanie shrugged. "I can ask her if you want."

"Thanks."

Laurie asked, "Haven't you asked the Goddess?"

"I tried. But every time I ask her, my own biases interfere. Instead of getting an answer from the Goddess I always get the answer, 'Tackle her.'"

Stephanie said, "Now that makes sense."

Laurie gave her a look like she had just said something stupid. "Stephanie, the Goddess would never suggest violence."

"She would if she knew Tarina. Besides we're not talking violence, we're talking knocking her to the ground and holding her there." When the three adult women gave her a look like she was crazy, Stephanie asked, "Didn't dad ever tell you how the two of them got married in the first place?"

Bronwyn shook her head. "He never wanted to talk about it, and I didn't want to press."

"Ahh, that explains it. Okay, sit back while I tell you the story. It's kind of weird, kind of romantic and really combative. Now dad did tell you how they met, didn't he?"

"He fought some big, nasty... what do you call 'em... Marauder, in the heart of the Amazon, and nearly died, and she found him and nursed him back to health."

"Okay, that's a good place to start. Now, dad, after fighting the Marauder is lying on the jungle floor in a state of delirium. He's questing out with his magics in an attempt to contact those he was fighting for, but, as you know, there was nothing.

"Now Tarina's tribe had confronted the Marauder earlier, at least some of their best warriors had, and the Marauder had killed them without a scratch on him. Now Tarina was the best warrior they had, so she and another group had been sent to try to fight the Marauder, and she had seen the entire fight, and knowing that the Marauder had killed a group of warriors from the tribe, she was impressed that Joe had beaten him single handed. So they take him back to their village.

"Now the trip makes his delirium worse, so they're forced to restrain him. They try woven vines at first, but when he tears them apart, they're forced to use their Spirit magics. But even those are far less effective than they expected, and over the next half year, they're forced to post an almost continuous person by his side in order to keep him from hurting himself.

"All this goes a long way towards impressing Tarina and when his delirium finally breaks, she takes it upon herself to help him recuperate. Now dad knows that gradual healing is usually better than instantaneous healing, so he doesn't just fix himself, but he does use his Life magics to accelerate the healing process, further impressing Tarina.

"So one day he's fully recovered and practicing his martial arts. He's trying to figure out some kind of gift to give them for their help, when Tarina comes into the hut he's in and asks him to come with her. He doesn't think anything of it, and follows her to a secluded grove. As soon as he walks in, he can feel the mystic power of this place. And she takes him into a building that was formed out of living trees, shaped with powerful magics.

"She tells him that it was the Caern of their village. Dad felt honored. Even when the changing breeds are nice to magi, they almost never invite magi to their Caerns."

"What is a Caern? And why is it so special?"

"In certain places mystic power pools into areas where it can be tapped and utilized. These places are called Nodes. A Caern is where a Node, or perhaps even a small group of close Nodes, are taken and dedicated to Gaia, their spiritual totem being. A Caern to one of the changing breed, were-creatures, is basically like a church."

"Why don't they want magi in them?"

"You may have noticed that some magi are very arrogant people. They seem to think that any source of magical energy is theirs to be used as they wish. And the changing breeds consider power from a Caern to be a blessing and object to the way a magi exploit it. Think of the reaction a Catholic might have to someone who comes into the church and takes a big drink of the holy water just because he's a little thirsty.

"Anyways, dad's now inside this Caern and Tarina uses her spirit magics to close and seal the entryway. Dad's a little curious now. With all the magic energy, he couldn't teleport if his life depended on it, and with the door sealed, the only way he could leave would be to blast his way out. And Tarina comes over to him and stares right into his eyes... and hauls off and hits him."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Dad's shocked as hell and wonders what's going on, then he feels it. The magic of the Caern turns on him and dad realizes that if he loses this fight, he'll be bound to Tarina and the Caern for the rest of his life, something he can't allow to happen. So he's forced to fight Tarina.

"Now Tarina's good, but against a Master of the Do, she never stood a chance, so he puts her on her butt without hurting her. But then she shifts to her half-panther, half-human form and attacks him again. But he still defeats her. Then she starts using her spirit magics. Dad has a much tougher time with this, but he still manages to defeat her.

"Then from the ground, Tarina dissolves into tears. Dad goes to the ground beside her and asks her to explain. What she says, and this is where you need to pay attention, is that she was trying to invoke the marriage ritual. You see, in her tribe, a warrior has a very important role as the defender of the lives of the tribe, and anybody who wishes to mate with them must prove that their own spirit will not weaken the children they produce. So they have to confront and fight the warrior to prove their worth, and if they can defeat the warrior, that warrior is forced to accept a mating. And if the fight is performed in the Caern, the mating is for life. But when dad defeated her, she lost the hope that she and he would be life mated.

"So dad confesses that although he would love to be mated to her, he had other responsibilities that dictated that he not be bound to any single place. That's when he feels a magical change and realizes that Tarina has just become bonded to him. He realizes that having defeated her and confessing his desire to marry was all that it took. And, ta da, dad and Tarina were married. Just with her being defeated, she was expected to join his tribe."

Bronwyn thought about it, and said, "You're right. That was both weird and combative. But if Tarina wants to mate with me, why hasn't she decked me?"

"Because you're not a warrior. You're a fighter. But in Tarina's tribe, everyone's a fighter. If a warrior wants to mate with a non-warrior, then they can suggest the non-warrior attack them, but that's all they can do."

"Then why..."

"Hasn't she suggested it? Because if she suggests it and you turn her down, say, because you don't know why she's asking for it, she can't ever propose it again, nor can she accept any challenges from you in the future. My guess is she's waiting for dad to get home to tell you what to do."

"I'm not sure about this."

"Don't worry. Like I said, the objective isn't violence, it's to put the other person on their butt and hold them there. But, Bronwyn, if you do this, you can't hold back. The fight's for real. One advantage that you've got is that, as the challenger, you get to determine the intensity of the the fight. You only use physical attacks, she can only use physical attacks. But if you use shape-shifting or magic, she gets to do the same, and you are not prepared for what she can dish out."

Laurie asked, "Are you saying her magics are more powerful than the Goddess's?"

"I'm saying that her magics are geared towards combat. You've seen her shape-shifted combat form, 7 foot tall, big claws, big teeth. Her combat magics are no less impressive. My suggestion? Go home, send the kids to the movies, then pick your time and knock her down and try to hold her there."

Bronwyn said, "Okay, I'll do that. Thanks, Stef."

After Bronwyn left, Laurie said, "That was very nice, Stephanie."

"Thanks. I want to see them get along."

"Can I make a suggestion?"

"Sure."

"The way that you're sitting, straddling the chair like that, isn't very ladylike."

"Yeah," Stephanie said, twisting the top of the soda off, "but I'm a teenager," she took a big drink, "I get to break the rules."

Laurie just shook her head, saying, "You are unlike any initiate we have ever had before, Stephanie."

Julie said, "I've been thinking about that, Laurie, and I think you ought to expect more like Stef in the future."

"Why?"

"Before, when we were tricking our children and transforming them without them knowing what was happening, they were stunned and just kind of went with what was expected. Stephanie has known since she was a little boy of what he could expect and, as a result, is having a lot more fun just being a girl."

"And since the birth rites are gone, and we're telling our kids what they can expect, you think more will be turning out like Stef?"

"That's my theory."

Laurie sighed. "I'm really starting to hate this job."

Stephanie and Julie leaned over and hugged their new high priestess.

The Goddess stared at the breach in the very fabric of Her realm. Although She had more than enough power to repair it, She was bound by Her word. What human will has done human will must undo. Besides, eventually the realm would repair itself.

She felt a man enter Her realm, and even before She knew who it was, She saw the damage being repaired. Only two men could do that without having seen the damage. The Akashic Master, who had done the damage, or the Dreamspeaker Master, who had seen the damage. It took Her less than a second to say who it was.

As he entered the main chamber of her realm, She said, "Good day, Akashic, what can I do for you?" She noticed that the realm seemed to shift around a bit. Joe wasn't sure of what to expect in his visit.

"First, I wanted to apologize and repair the damage I had done. I was out of control."

"I understand. Your grief was driving you to irrational actions. All is forgiven."

"I also wanted to talk to you about Tarina."

"Yes?"

"I've dealt with some wraiths before. From the moment a soul decides not to go on to their final reward they enter a fight with oblivion itself. Tarina's been dead for seven years, yet when I took hold of her soul she had only slightly more of the Void upon her than Bronwyn did. The only way that would be possible is if she had been under the protection of one of the Major Incarna."

"Yes."

"Was it you?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because, in order to get Tarina's consent for my protection, I had to promise her to never reveal her presence here. She felt that if you had known, you would've spent too much time focusing on her rather than your duties in the consensual reality. I tried many times to convince her to let me let you know, but your wife can be a bit stubborn at times."

Joe grinned. "That she can." The realm shifted and took on a far more beautiful aspect. It had a soft beauty that the Goddess was sure came from Bronwyn, but also had the primal beauty that Joe saw in Tarina. "Thank you, Goddess."

"You're welcome, Akashic."

Joe stood there for a few seconds and said, "Goddess, I release you from your vow never to use my name."

"Thank you, Joe."

The two embraced and Joe left the Goddess's realm. Normally, the Goddess's realm would shift back to pure spirit matter when visitors left, but She decided to hold it for a little while. Joe's image of Her was truly beautiful.

Bronwyn washed the dishes for dinner (she had a dishwasher, but sometimes she preferred to do it by hand). Tarina, without saying anything, had grabbed a dish towel and helped dry. The entire event had been done in silence, and as soon as they were finished, Tarina had tossed the towel on the table.

As she left the kitchen, Bronwyn said, "Tarina?" Tarina turned to face her, only to have Bronwyn tackle her, driving her into the living room. As they fell to the floor, Tarina shifted her weight and rolled Bronwyn onto her back, but Bronwyn had been training under Joe for a while and was able to perform the same trick, with her winding up on top of Tarina, pinning the warrior's shoulders to the ground.

From underneath her Tarina smiled. "So someone finally told you what I wanted?"

"Stephanie explained it. So how do we finish this?"

"Simple. One of us has just got to hold the other in such a way that the one being held admits she can't get up or win."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"You don't seem able to get up."

Tarina smiled a savage grin. "A suggestion. Keep your elbows a little closer to your side, it'll keep me from doing this." Bronwyn felt Tarina's legs snake under her armpits, then Tarina used her powerful legs to throw Bronwyn back and off of her. Before Bronwyn could recover Tarina was on her and had her pinned to the ground. Bronwyn struggled a bit as Tarina said, "Do you surrender and accept joining my family as mother and partner?"

Bronwyn tried once more to get up before saying, "I do."

Tarina let loose of Bronwyn and said, "Turn over." Bronwyn did as ordered, Tarina still above her. Tarina reached up and unclipped a feather she had clipped there. "One last custom to adhere to in order to make this official. This is a feather from a Darkett. A rare bird found deep in the Amazon, my first kill." She clipped the feather into Bronwyn's hair. "Custom says you don't remove that except in my presence and with my permission."

"Anything else?"

"By my culture, no. By yours, yes."

Bronwyn tried to think about what it could be, but had to ask, "What?"

Tarina leaned forward and said, "I believe you call it 'consummating the union'," and kissed Bronwyn. Bronwyn wrapped her arms around Tarina's neck and kissed back, feeling Tarina slide her hands under her blouse and gently massage her breasts.

"Mmmm, want to take this upstairs?"

"Actually, there's something you should know about me." Tarina yanked her arms apart, ripping Bronwyn's blouse open. She held up her finger and shifted just it into cat-woman form. She said, "I'm not a patient woman," as she clawed the fabric between Bronwyn's bra cups, splitting it wide open. Tarina pulled her t-shirt off (like Tasha, she preferred athletic loose fitting clothes), then leaned over and kissed Bronwyn again, rubbing their breasts together.

Tarina kissed her way down Bronwyn's neck and down her breast, taking her nipple and suckling it like a baby. Bronwyn took Tarina's breasts in hand and rubbed them as Tarina sucked on her nipples. Although Bronwyn supposed she should've expected it, she was surprised when Tarina actually started to purr. Tarina moved her way down Bronwyn's body, lifted her skirt, and pulled her panties down. She started licking Bronwyn's cunt and Bronwyn threw her head back in physical joy.

Bronwyn sat back and enjoyed Tarina's tongue, when the sensations became more intense. Bronwyn looked up and saw that Tarina had shifted into her cat woman form, and was using her now feline tongue on Bronwyn's cunt. Tarina reached up and started rubbing Bronwyn's breasts with her furred hands. Bronwyn came almost immediately from the velvety touch on her nipples.

Tarina shifted back and lay beside her "wife". The two women kissed. "You're incredible," Bronwyn said.

"Thanks."

Bronwyn shoved Tarina on her back. "My turn." Bronwyn reached down and undid her lover's pants. She pulled them off, and asked, "Do you ever wear any lingerie?"

"If I have to, but usually not."

Bronwyn just smiled and pulled Tarina's pants off. She went between Tarina's legs and started licking the smaller woman's cunt. Tarina moaned and took her own breasts in hand and started playing with her nipples. The two moved together until Tarina came into Bronwyn's mouth.

After they finished, Bronwyn said, "I want to check the babies first, but let's take this to the bedroom. I've got some toys I want to play with."

Tarina stood up, helped Bronwyn to her feet, and took her hand as they went upstairs. They entered the nursery and saw Joe sitting on a chair with Alia in his arms, feeding her with a bottle. "Hello, ladies. Saw you playing together downstairs and didn't want to disturb you. Glad to see you two got together on your own."

Bronwyn said, "It almost didn't happen. Bum, you should've explained about Tarina's marriage ceremony."

Joe set the bottle down then proceeded to burp Alia. "You're right. I'm sorry."

After Alia let loose her little burp, Bronwyn made a quick mental conversation with Tarina and said, "Sorry isn't good enough."

Joe had known a mental conversation had gone on, but had not tapped into it. So he gave them a suspicious look and, as he put Alia back to bed, said, "Oh? And what did you have in mind?"

Each of the women took one of his arms and dragged him back to the bedroom. They quickly stripped him and threw him onto the bed. Shedding the last of their clothes, they jumped up and joined him.

As they started playing Joe said, "This is going to be fun. Taxing, but fun."

All comments, suggestions, etc. may be sent to me at jrdss@micronet.net