Cable
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The furture for the House of M
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Post by Cable on Jan 22, 2006 22:35:56 GMT -5
Nathan felt the his mind being invaded. He wasn’t comfortable with it either. His parents had requested the use of his mind and basically went on a guided tour. Betsy more less dove in head first, leaving him little more to do than watch from the sidelines. And even that didn’t seem to be enough for her.
As Sharon bounded over to the wall and followed the reflection of his arm, Psylocke said “You know as well as I do that memories can be manipulated. I see how you were ‘aged’ but a clone can be aged just as easily, can it not? Was she serious? A clone? Was that even possible? But thinking about it more rationally, if anyone could create a clone, it would be Essex. Still, it didn‘t change who Nathan was or his intentions.
I sense you are a telepath as well. As a telepath, you have a very acute memory, from very early on in life. Tell me, Nathan. What is the one lullaby I used to sing to you when you had a hard time sleeping and your mother needed rest?” That was it? Of all the things he could tell her, she wanted to know a lullaby? Well, if that’s what it took...
Retreating into his own memories for a minute or so, Nathan found what he was looking for. “Hush little baby, don’t say a word,” he replied, monotone and not even trying to sing. That would have ruined the stand-offish mood in the room. He didn’t dare say another word, waiting for her reaction.
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Post by Catseye on Jan 23, 2006 21:04:10 GMT -5
She jumped into the air, trying to get one of the little reflections. Twisting in midair, she morphed back into housecat and landed, stunned, on her feet. How'd she do that? Luv and Shiny Arm Boy were still talking about something or other, and she decided that it was as good a time as any to try to change some more. Looking back up at the spots, she nearly frowned. They were really far away. Rearing up, she jumped again, hoping that she would change again in the air.
She didn't. Landing, she slipped a bit on the floor and skidded, before straightening herself out, looking around, and cleaning herself. If at first you don't succeed, clean yourself as if you knew it was going to happen. She scooted herself around, washing her leg and thinking about how she could change again. She changed into people last time by thinking about being people. Maybe that's all it took. Closing her eyes but not bothering to put her leg down, she concentrated on it again.
A little more quickly than last time, she changed into a person. Grinning, she looked at Luv. She did it. Her leg was still up in the air, though. It fell to the ground before she could figure out how to keep it up. She was oging to have to work on that whole movement thing a little bit more.
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Post by Psylocke on Jan 24, 2006 13:28:15 GMT -5
“Hush little baby, don’t say a word,” Nathan told her impassively.
Betsy smiled for the first time since walking into the room. He may have thought it was a piece of useless information but while he was searching through his memories for the name of the song, Betsy had “tagged along” and was able to see what he was looking for. In the memory that he found the song, she saw herself from the view of an infant. Cradled in her arms, Nathan had watched her, reaching up to try and tug on her long, purple hair as she sang. Her voice was a gift from her mother and she knew that she would never have children of her own so she had doted on the little boy. Betsy hadn't sang that song since the day Nathan “died”.
Before she could say anything to him, Betsy heard a “thump” and looked over to where Sharon had been by the wall, chasing lights. To her horror, and slight amusement, Sharon had one again morphed into a teenager and was grinning at her in pride. Standing up quickly, Betsy grabbed a blanket and walked over to Sharon. Draping it over the girl's shoulders and covering her body, she looked back at Nathan and asked, “How many times did she do this before I came down here?”
After getting Nathan's answer, she sighed. Sean was so dead. Tucking a lock of Sharon's now long purple hair behind her ear, she looked into her lavender eyes and said, “Sharon, I need you to stay right there, okay? I am going to go find you something to wear that may prevent...some unnecessary embarrassment in the future.”
Making sure the blanket was tight around the girl, Betsy looked to Nathan and said, “Come along, Nathan, I may need your help.” What she didn't say was that she wasn't leaving a teenage boy, no matter who's son he was, with a naked girl. Leading Nathan out of the room and toward the Med Lab, she explained, “We only discovered Sharon's mutation this morning. Sean gave her as a “pet” to me a few months ago and since she never showed any human thoughts or emotions, we had no idea she was really a mutant teenager in a cat's body. I believe this morning was the first time she had ever morphed into a human.”
By this point, they were well within the Med Lab and Betsy was randomly opening cabinets looking for one thing in particular. “I sure hope your father didn't throw it out during his last 'spring cleaning' spree,” she muttered. Finally, in a large, double doored steel cabinet, Betsy found what she was looking for.
Smiling, she said, “Found it. Let's go find out what state we find Miss Sharon in now.”
Leading Nathan back to the War Room, Betsy asked, “Nathan, will you please wait in the hall while I help Sharon dress? Thank you.” Then she walked over to her new teen and said, “Sharon, this is a uniform that will change when you change. When you are human, you will automatically be wearing it. When you are cat or panther, it will disappear, leaving your fur to cover you. Shall we put it on?” Betsy held up the one piece uniform for Sharon to see and touch. It was black and made of unstable molecules. The top was in a tank top design and the bottom was a pair of shorts that came to just above the knee.
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Ash
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I'm stronger than you think
Posts: 170
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Post by Ash on Jan 24, 2006 17:04:38 GMT -5
(for Bets, from Ash in the front yard)
As Besty's cell began to ring Ash hooked up her ear mic and set the phone down in the cupholder. Might as well be safe when you drive.
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Cable
New Member
The furture for the House of M
Posts: 38
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Post by Cable on Jan 25, 2006 1:32:53 GMT -5
Nathan stared at Betsy, half expecting her to deny his answer and demand he jumps through more hoops. He knew it’s what he deserved, but he honestly didn’t want to spoil the feeling of what turned out to be happy reunion with his parents. But as she answered her question, she smiled. He waited for a moment before reacting, waiting to see if there was a ‘but.’
There was in fact a butt, just not the kind he expected. Hearing a ‘thud’ from Sharon’s direction, Nathan turned to see Sharon in human form again. Naked, of course, with her leg perched in the air, until she fell over anyway. After a second, Nathan turned back to Betsy and rested his head in his hand, turning beat red in front of the adult. Shaking his head, a low laugh managed to escape his mouth, although he tried to stop it.
“How many times did she do this before I came down here?” Betsy asked from across the room. He’d heard her get up and move but decided to keep his eyes covered for a minute or two until she did something about cat-girl. “A couple of times,” he replied, still not looking. “I kind of...tried to help her figure out her powers, until she stated that the luvs didn‘t want her too.” Nathan added, trying to hold back another laugh, unsuccessfully.
“Sharon, I need you to stay right there, okay? I am going to go find you something to wear that may prevent...some unnecessary embarrassment in the future. Come along, Nathan, I may need your help.” Nathan was still in the dark about what was going on around him until he heard Betsy ask for his help. Looking up from behind his hand, Cable saw Sharon laying under a blanket. He stood up and followed Psylocke out, casually commenting, “You know, she doesn’t seem all that embarrassed to me.” He couldn’t help himself. He just hoped that Betsy didn’t backslide into a hostile mood after that comment.
As they walked into another room, Betsy tried to explain just what was going on with the cat-girl. “We only discovered Sharon's mutation this morning. Sean gave her as a “pet” to me a few months ago and since she never showed any human thoughts or emotions, we had no idea she was really a mutant teenager in a cat's body. I believe this morning was the first time she had ever morphed into a human.”
That helped fill in the blanks on what he already figured out. Like them, Nathan also didn’t ever suspect that she was a mutant. Okay, it was weird that they kept a panther as a pet but Nathan was at least nine years older than he should have been. Who was he to point that out. “So, first I come back, then your pet cat turns into a teenager, and a Red Guard agent shows up all on the same day? I hope it’s not always this bad, or maybe I was better off living with a sadist,” Nathan joked dryly. It was a hard lined joke that was probably out of taste, but that was the sense of humor he had. He was forced to develop a sense of humor around Essex. Sometimes, he feared that he would have turned out as crazy as his mentor otherwise.
As they came back from the other room where Betsy grabbed what looked like a bathing suit to him, she asked Nathan to stay outside while she got Sharon dressed. Nathan nodded in response and waited for her okay to come back in. All in all, she seemed to have accepted him. It was a large weight off his shoulders for the moment, but he still had the rest of the house to explain himself to.
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Post by Catseye on Jan 25, 2006 12:50:46 GMT -5
She kept on smiling as Luv came over to her with a blanket. The blanket was curious, though. She was a little cold, but that was just from the floor and what good was a blanket anyway? Luv wrapped her tightly in it and asked Shiny Arm Boy a question, then said something about someone being dead and looked back at her. As Luv looked at her again, she grinned. Smiling was fun. “Sharon, I need you to stay right there, okay? I am going to go find you something to wear that may prevent...some unnecessary embarrassment in the future.”
She nodded, fully intending to keep her promise this time. Last time, Luv had said not to change but she did anyway. So now that Luv said not to move, she wasn't going to. She could sit still. She was good at sitting still. That's how you snuck up on someone. Be still and they don't know you're there. Still was good. She followed their feet out of the room with her eyes, still smiling. Still in the same place. The shiny spot on the wall was gone, gone with the boy.
There were other things to look at, though. And she did. Her eyes darted around the room a few times, trying to find something interesting. Staying still was hard. She wiggled her toes, giggling as the threads of the blanket tickled them. That was funny. No. Be still. She held her breath. Still. Her chest was hurting now. Breathing counted as not being still, right? Too bad. She exhaled and her eyes made another trip around the room. Good. No one saw that she wasn't still. Their footsteps came back toward the room and she heard Luv ask Shiny Arm Boy to stay out of the room.
“Sharon, this is a uniform that will change when you change. When you are human, you will automatically be wearing it. When you are cat or panther, it will disappear, leaving your fur to cover you. Shall we put it on?” Was it okay to stop staying put? Luv was there, that had to mean it was okay. She pushed herself into a seated position, looking at the garment. There weren't any zippers to play with. Looking up at Luv, she nodded. Maybe she'd find a zipper later.
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Post by Psylocke on Jan 26, 2006 9:37:11 GMT -5
“A couple of times. I kind of...tried to help her figure out her powers, until she stated that the luvs didn‘t want her too,” Nathan replied with a laugh.
Glancing at him with her eyes narrowed slightly, Betsy replied dryly, “I'm sure you did.” What teenage boy wouldn't encourage a girl to morph when every time she did it, she was naked? Betsy did have the pleasure of knowing that if Sharon was calling them “Luvs” to others, Sean was not going to be successful in teaching Sharon to call her “Mum”.
As she searched the Med Lab, Nathan commented, “You know, she doesn’t seem all that embarrassed to me.”
Betsy gave him a slight frown and replied, “Would you be if you didn't know any better? She will learn there are some things that are just not acceptable as a human. It will take time but she will learn.”
“So, first I come back, then your pet cat turns into a teenager, and a Red Guard agent shows up all on the same day? I hope it’s not always this bad, or maybe I was better off living with a sadist,” Nathan added when he learned everything that had happened to them that day. Betsy knew he had meant it as a joke but she found herself agreeing with him.
“Perhaps but then I don't think that would have made Scott and Jean happy. No, most of our days are not this chaotic. Most of the time we are teaching or training the children, not entertaining. As for the sadist, who is to say that you haven't found yourself leaving one mad scientist only to fall into the lap of another? You know nothing about us,” Betsy said.
She knew they weren't like that but why make the child feel too comfortable already? She was still going to demand the DNA test although she was pretty sure this was Scott and Jean's son. Betsy just needed all the proof she could get.
Leaving Nathan in the hall, she approached Sharon who seemed to have quite the look of concentration on her face. Betsy couldn't help but smile at the girl. Sharon agreed to put the outfit on and Betsy set to work dressing her as she would an infant, explaining the whole time what she was doing and how to get the uniform on. It was highly unlikely that Sharon would master this anytime soon but Betsy was not going to stop trying to teach.
Once the outfit was on, she nodded approvingly at the girl. This was much better. As much as Betsy often walked around with barely anything on, she was an adult. Sharon was still very much a child. Very much so. Mentally calling out to Nathan, she said, <You can come back in now.>
Standing up and looking down at Sharon, she said, “Try to become the panther, Sharon. Let us make sure this works like it is supposed to.”
Just then, her cellphone began to ring. Removing the device from the sash on her uniform, she saw Ash's name and answered, "Yes, Ash?"
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Ash
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I'm stronger than you think
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Post by Ash on Jan 26, 2006 15:34:52 GMT -5
(crosspost from the front yard)
"Hey Bets... I've got a bit of a problem and I was wondering if you could cover for me." Ash paused to changed lanes. The mini van in front of her was absolutly irritatingly slow. Back to the conversation at hand. First though... "I've got to leave town for a bit... I don't really know how long." Her laptop slid on the seat as the road curved. "Actually, I've already left. I haven't told Jean or Scott, and I was wondering if you could let them know when they're done with that boy, whoever he is."
"Also... someone is going to have to cover my science classes. If you'd let the Summers in on that as well I would be forever grateful."
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Cable
New Member
The furture for the House of M
Posts: 38
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Post by Cable on Jan 30, 2006 14:45:00 GMT -5
Nathan almost felt a stabbing pain, hearing the resentment in Betsy's words as she said “I'm sure you did.” He knew quite well what she was implying and while he wasn't completely innocent, it wasn't ever his intention. He was just trying to help. Was that a crime around here?
Nathan's off color comment didn't go unnoticed as they walked through the hall to get Sharon some clothes. Betsy replied by trying to scare him. “Perhaps but then I don't think that would have made Scott and Jean happy. No, most of our days are not this chaotic. Most of the time we are teaching or training the children, not entertaining. As for the sadist, who is to say that you haven't found yourself leaving one mad scientist only to fall into the lap of another? You know nothing about us.” He appreciated the effort but it was hard to believe. Nathan remembered his parents when he was a baby and the loved they showed. He even remembered Betsy's affection, as well as random comments from others about her never wanting kids. Yet, she always sang whenever she held him. "Perhaps," was all the response she gave.
His captor, on the other hand, never showed emotion. The one time Nathan felt anything from Essex was when he asked if the man had ever been married. The question was quickly dismissed though and it was clear that he was never to bring it up again, and he didn't. That conversation was hardly worth tempting fate. He reserved fate for the nights when he decided to sneak out.
After a moment outside the door, Nathan 'heard' the okay for him to come back in. Betsy was asking Sharon to become a panther again as Nathan came in the room. He looked down at the purple haired girl in her knew spandex outfit. < Remember what we talked about, just think about being a panther, > he confidentially encouraged Sharon, away from the judgement al ears of Psylocke. But before Sharon had a chance to do anything, Betsy's phone echoed through the room. Nathan paid little attention as it probably wasn't his business, and he didn't want to aggravate her any more that he already had.
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Post by Catseye on Feb 1, 2006 21:00:38 GMT -5
Clothes were weird. But these clothes weren't as weird as the other ones were. They didn't feel as much like they were hanging off of her. And there weren't any zippers. The zipper was fun. That was okay, though. Betsy helped her pull the clothes on, and she wiggled around a little bit, trying to get used to the feeling of the clothes on her skin. The skin itself felt weird, though, and she eventually gave up, looking up as Betsy instructed, “Try to become the panther, Sharon. Let us make sure this works like it is supposed to.”
She nodded, closing her eyes and trying to change back into a panther. Panther panther panther panther... She concentrated, furrowing her brow until it started to tingle. Snapping her eyes open, she looked around. No, still people. She closed her eyes to try again. < Remember what we talked about, just think about being a panther > The voice was completely unexpected, and she flinched, eyes opening to try and figure out who said it. Shiny Arm Boy. She'd forgotten he was there. Nodding again, she closed her eyes as Betsy's phone rang, trying to ignore the talking and just think about the panther. Panther.
Panther. She shook her head, her eyes still closed. Panther. Panther. Panther. Slowly, she felt herself start to change again. She cracked one of her eyes, watching as her hand changed into a paw. Cocking her head, she frowned and tried to make it turn back again, smiling as it did. Holding it aloft, she made it change back and forth a few times before closing her eyes again and shifting into Panther form the whole way. Padding over to Luv, she nudged the back of her leg with her nose. < Did, Luv. >
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Post by Psylocke on Feb 6, 2006 22:50:18 GMT -5
Betsy watched Nathan and Sharon interact as Ash told her what was going on. She replied, “Of course I will but I want a full update as to what is going on as soon as you can.” After Ash's reply, Betsy hung up the phone.
She watched in fascination as Sharon seemed to concentrate and morphed a small section of her body before making it human again. That definitely brought a smile of delight on the girl's face. Then she finally made the full transition into panther mode and Betsy could sense the happiness in Sharon. Padding over to her and nudging her leg, Sharon said, < Did, Luv. >
Betsy knelt down and nuzzled her face with Sharon's, sharing in her joy. “Yes, you did do it, darling, and I'm so proud of you,” she told Sharon honestly. Now that the shock of it all was wearing off, Betsy had to admit that she was more then pleased at the turn of events. Sure, she wasn't looking to have another student to teach but sometimes things just fell into their laps, just as Sharon had.
Pulling her face away from Sharon's, she said, “Now, can you become a person again? I want to be sure the clothes do what they are supposed to.”
As Sharon worked on that, Betsy walked over to Nathan. Standing to where she could see both of them, she said, “I am still going to require a DNA sample to prove to me that you are Nathan. However,” she added to lesson the blow, “I am pretty well convinced due to some things that you've thought and said. Welcome home, Nathan.”
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Cable
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The furture for the House of M
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Post by Cable on Feb 7, 2006 0:40:55 GMT -5
Sharon flinched as Nathan tried to encourage her. After looking up at him, she nodded and tried again. Then she made one partial turn before turning fully into a panther and going over to Betsy. < Good job, > Nathan was able to squeeze the compliment in just before Betsy began complimenting her. It seemed like they were both treating her more like a pet than a girl. But then again, she acted more like a pet.
After asking Sharon to change back, Betsy turned to Nathan and said “I am still going to require a DNA sample to prove to me that you are Nathan. However. I am pretty well convinced due to some things that you've thought and said. Welcome home, Nathan.” Hmm, well that was a load of his mind. Now Nathan just needed to fix that pesky pervert label she had no doubt stuck him with. “Thank you. My parents want one too. In fact, I believe my mother is on her way. Maybe we can go ahead and get it over with.” His face turning a bit red, Nathan added “By the way, I’m sorry about the...Sharon...naked thing. It wasn’t my intention.”
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Post by Phoenix on Feb 7, 2006 16:53:12 GMT -5
[Enter Phoenix from Cyclops and Phoenix’s Administrative Office] The inspection would hopefully go as well as it could. Scott had one of the best poker faces out of anyone Jean had ever known, so while he and Anna were going through the school budget, there shouldn’t be any surprises. And if there were, Scott wasn’t likely to show it on his face. But Jean kept herself tapped into their rapport, readily accessible for any emotions that might seep through. Jean let her mind drift to their son as she neared the War Room. She and Scott had had barely any time to look at Nathan, much less spend time with him. Betsy’s mental signature remained in the room, as well as a newer one Jean hadn’t felt til now. ’Must be Sharon.’ Nearing the doorway, Jean had to admit she was curious about Betsy’s new ‘daughter.’ Pushing open the door, she caught the tail end of a conversation. It was Nathan, “—sorry about the...Sharon...naked thing. It wasn’t my intention.” Naked thing? Jean stepped inside, her brow arched. So, there indeed had been a few mishaps while he and Sharon were locked in the room together. They would need to have a little chat later. Her green eyes focused on Nathan, taking him in. He looked like Scott. His face. It just reminded her of him. And he had his father’s aversion to displaying too much outward emotion as well, though she wasn’t sure if that was from that wretched monster or if it was in his genes. Probably a little of both. Tearing her eyes from him she redirected them to Betsy and quickly down to the purple panther at her legs. Jean could only stand and stare for a moment. Today was certainly full of surprises. "It seems things are progressing down here," Jean commented, coming a few steps closer before she paused, giving her son and the panther a bit of space. < Hello, Sharon. I’m Jean Grey-Summers. It’s nice to meet you. > Jean projected so they all could hear, but softly in case she startled the cat-panther-teenager. Boy, that was going to take some getting used to. Jean glanced at Betsy, her expression readable. She trusted what her best friend thought and wondered if Betsy agreed that Nathan was the real deal.
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Post by Catseye on Feb 8, 2006 12:16:51 GMT -5
< Good job. > She glanced briefly at Shiny Arm Boy, nodding. She'd done it. Turning back to Betsy as she spoke, she puffed herself up proudly. “Yes, you did do it, darling, and I'm so proud of you.” She closed her eyes a bit as Luv nuzzled her. Luv was nice. “Now, can you become a person again? I want to be sure the clothes do what they are supposed to.” She nodded, padding back over to the spot she'd been in before.
People. Be people. It was harder than it sounded, being people. She concentrated, closing her eyes. “By the way, I’m sorry about the...Sharon...naked thing. It wasn’t my intention.” The sound of Shiny Arm Boy saying her name broke her concentration. Naked. That was not wearing the clothes. Okay.
She looked up as Red Lady came in, cocking her head to the side. Red Lady was acting weird. < Hello, Sharon. I’m Jean Grey-Summers. It’s nice to meet you. > Her brow furrowed a bit. What did she mean? She knew her. < Red Lady. >Shaking her head, she closed her eyes. Be people. Be people, like Luv and Shiny Arm Boy and Red Lady. People.
Her body started to change, flattening out and shifting in the joints, and a few seconds later, she was people. Still wearing the funny clothes. Smiling, she looked up at Luv, Red, and Shiny. "Aye."
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Post by Psylocke on Feb 8, 2006 21:38:37 GMT -5
Sharon was definitely pleased with herself for the progress she was making and she should be. As she returned Betsy's nuzzle, Betsy injected a sense of pride toward Sharon so the girl would know just how pleased Betsy really was. It was genuine but it also served to help encourage Sharon to want to practice transforming more. Now that they knew there was more to her beautiful little cat, Betsy was going to make sure that Sharon received the best training possible.
As Sharon padded off to try and change again, Betsy stood with Nathan. “Thank you. My parents want one too. In fact, I believe my mother is on her way. Maybe we can go ahead and get it over with. By the way, I’m sorry about the...Sharon...naked thing. It wasn’t my intention,” he replied to her.
Betsy could sense Jean's mental signature approaching, just as Nathan had indicated, but she took a moment to say, “Oh, that's okay. I blame Sean. He's going to be making up for this for a very, very long time.” She said it with a smile although Betsy was deadly serious. She was still trying to come up with the proper punishment for her new fiancee...
Jean came in and looked at them all, her eyes growing large as they landed on Sharon. That caused Betsy to laugh. “It's remarkable, isn't it? I found one of the special suits in the other room and she has it on now for when she morphs into a girl. I believe it will be a while before she can be convinced to wear traditional clothes,” Betsy told Jean with a smile.
Just then, as they were watching, Sharon went from panther to girl, her bodysuit still on her. Looking up at the three of them, the pretty young teen said, ”Aye” and that caused Betsy to laugh again. Walking over to her, Betsy sat down and pulled Sharon into a hug. “You did it again, Darling. That time looked easier.” Then she looked up at Jean and added, “Sean's been teaching her how to talk, as if you couldn't tell.” She said that last with a slight wrinkle of her nose.
“We were just about to go to the lab and do Nathan's DNA test, which he has agreed to. However, Sharon can't quite walk yet. Jean, would you help carry her with your tk into the other room? I don't really want to leave her alone yet,” Betsy asked her best friend. Then she added, <I believe him, Jean. He let me look into his mind and there were some things that no one, not even the man who took him, could know about. The DNA test is just formality but at this point, I'm willing to believe your son has come home.>
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