Chapter 36: X and Y
Kryptonian Scout Ship, Earth Orbit…
Jack stumbled out of the room, placing his hand on the door frame. Steam billowed around his legs and he felt… weird. Like his body's proportions were off. He started coughing as he felt something catch in his lungs. He coughed until a small stream of mucus dribbled out from his mouth. He spat out the rest from his mouth and wiped his mouth clean with his sleeve.
A few tears blurred his vision making it hard for him to see. He blinked to clear them and slowly saw Kara standing in front of him, her hand clamped over her mouth. She looked like she was trembling slightly, causing Jack to raise a brow.
"Are you okay Kara?" he asked. Immediately his hands shot to his throat. His voice… it sounded different. It was his voice but it sounded… lighter, like a higher pitch.
It didn't feel like anything was wrong with his throat though. He'd managed to clear it, but why did it sound so different? Kara finally took her hand from her mouth and suppressed a giggle. Jack looked at her confused.
"Ugh Kal…" she started, cracking a small smile, "How do you feel?"
He blinked once, "I feel fine just a little… off" he replied, moving to place a hand on his head. His arm brushed against his chest and he straightened up, blinking again.
He looked down and his eyes widened in shock. His chest was suddenly more rounded and jutting out. In fact his entire body looked different, more… curvy. His entire body started trembling as possibilities entered his mind.
"Kal?" Kara asked, her voice more concerned.
Jack ignored her and turned to look at the wall. He wiped his hand across the wall, which he noticed wasn't as thick as it used to be, and cleared away some of the steam on it. The walls weren't perfectly reflective, but were reflective enough for one to see themselves. Jack froze at what he saw.
His reflection stared back at him… but it wasn't his reflection. The features were softer and more delicate than he was used to, and the small amount of stubble that had begun to accumulate was gone, leaving smooth skin. The hair was two or three inches longer too. He reached a hand up to touch his face, and the reflection imitated him.
His mind finally made the connection, "Kal?" Kara asked again. A very loud feminine scream echoed through the ships halls.
Jack immediately started pacing, hands on his…her head mumbling to herself at supersonic speeds, "This can't be real it has to be a dream or a trick something. It can't be, this doesn't happen it doesn't."
She looked down at the two round objects now protruding from her chest. She clenched her eyes, no way those were there, it was just a really bad dream, maybe a hallucination. Maybe there was a leak in the hull of the ship and she was suffering oxygen depredation.
She opened her eyes again, only to see the same two orbs there, on her chest. She proceeded to cup them. Yep, they where real alright. Very, very real.
Kara laughed, "Are you done groping yourself Kal?" she asked.
Jack looked down at her hands then at Kara then back at her hands again. Her face turned scarlet red and she immediately let go, wrapping her hands behind her back.
"Uh…y-yes." Jack looked at her worriedly, "Kara, what happened to me!?"
She smiled, trying ever so hard not to laugh. She only partially succeeded, "Well little brother… or is it sister?" she ignored Jacks glare, "You accidently activated a Kryptonian Gender swap."
"A WHAT!?" she screeched.
"Basically," Kara explained, "In the early days of colonizing, Genesis chambers weren't very reliable so colonists had to increase the population the normal way. That room right there was to help even out the population should too many of one gender die off."
"Okay…" Jack started, "So why did it activate when I walked in!?" she demanded.
Kara shrugged, "Maybe it just detected your presence or something. Its old tech, Krypton hadn't had to use something like that for centuries. It's a miracle it still works."
"Yeah great." Jack growled, "So how about we use this "miracle" to turn me back!"
Kara suddenly became very interested in her feet, not looking at Jack. "Kara." Jack started, "You can change me back, right?" she asked worriedly.
She smiled nervously, "Of course I can Kal…" she said.
"I'm sensing a but here." Jack said.
"But thing is… those pods have a two day charging period." Her sister ducked her head, waiting for Jack to explode with anger.
When nothing happened, Kara looked up to see Jack standing there, her jaw hanging. "You mean I'm going to be like this for…"
"You're going to be a girl for two days now, yes." Kara answered. There was a thud as Jack fell flat on her back unconscious.
Kara giggled, "Been a while since she's done that."
Autobot HQ…
Arcee paced back and forth across the base floor trying and failing to banish the seed of worry that had been growing steadily for nearly two days now. While she and the Autobots had recovered a new relic from New York, the phase shifter, Kara, Jack, and Starscream had just vanished. They had tried finding them, but they and their ship were gone! Not a trace.
No one had said it, but Arcee had assumed the worst. Jack could be out there somewhere, hurt alone. She shuttered her optics. She didn't need to think about that. Her boyfriend would be fine, he'd handled many horrible things in his time. Knowing him he'd probably got roped into some heroic crusade.
Kara and Starscream had likely followed. If they had, Arcee certainly wouldn't be shocked. Besides her and June, those two were probably the closest to Jack. Kara for obvious reasons, and Starscream who saw him as a comrade in arms. She shouldn't worry. So why did that little voice in her processor keep telling her that something bad had happened to Jack?
She looked up at Ratchet, "Anything?" she asked.
Ratchet let out an irritated sigh, "By Primus Arcee, I swear if you ask me that again I will personally take my wrench and shove it-" a beep suddenly sounded on his terminal.
"Hello." he said with wonder, "What's this?
His servos flew across the terminal as every bot and human gathered around, "Did you find them!?" Miko asked excitedly.
"I'm not sure." he answered truthfully, "But I am detecting a high energy signature in Earth orbit heading in the general direction as the coordinates of the ship."
"Well what are we waiting for?" Bulk asked, "Bridge us there, we'll meet them when they land."
"Not yet." Ratchet said, "There is still the possibility that it is not Jacks ship, in which case bridging you there would be a waste of Energon."
Bulkheads entire body sagged, "Oh… right." he said solemnly.
Bee beeped out a series of whirs and clicks, "Right, how will you know if it is Jacks ship?" Raf translated.
"There is no way to be entirely certain." Ratchet replied, "We must simply wait for the signature to stop moving and land. Should that occur, then we can bridge the team to base."
"An excellent idea Ratchet." Optimus stated, "Perhaps then we can learn where those three vanished too."
"And punish them appropriately." Void muttered. Of the group, she was more angry with Kara for vanishing. She didn't think the girl would get herself hurt too badly, but she had been reckless for leaving without letting anyone know and Void intended to let her know.
"It appears that this may very well be the ship we're looking for." Ratchet said, a happy tone in his voice, "It's landed at the exact same coordinates that it left from."
Optimus walked up behind Ratchet, "Can you confirm its Kryptonian origin?" he asked.
"Give me a moment…" Ratchet said.
Suddenly a line of communication opened up, "Hey Ratchet." Kara said nervously over the line.
"Kara!" Void exclaimed shoving through the bots until she stood next to Optimus and behind Ratchet.
One could almost hear Kara wince, "Yeah Void, we're back." she said.
"We're did you even go!?" Miko demanded.
"It's… a long story." Kara explained, "But everyone's okay, but there was a little incident with Kal…."
That got Arcee's attention. "Jack!? Is he okay, did he get hurt!?"
The teen laughed nervously, "You might just want to bridge yourselves here. You wouldn't believe me if I told you…"
"Very well." Optimus said, "Ratchet?"
The old medic nodded, "Right, opening a bridge."
He pulled down on the lever and the bridge spiraled to life. The bots approached the edge of the bridge, "Autobots," Optimus thundered, "roll out!"
The group of five transformed and rolled through the bridge. The whole time, Arcee's processor was focused on what had happened to Jack. He couldn't be hurt, Kara would have been ballistic if he had been. She steeled herself for whatever might be waiting on the other side of the bridge. Nothing could have prepared her for what was on the other side of that bridge….
Greenland…
The bots emerged from the bridge out next to the starship. The ship rested in a large bowelled area, with hills of varying size surrounding it. The ground was covered in thin snow with the occasional rocks jutting out from it. The ship itself rested in the center of the bowel. Kara and Starscream stood out in front of the starships entrance. The latter of the two had his arms crossed and a faint smile on his faceplate.
The bots approached, Optimus leading, "I assume you have good reason for what you did?" Optimus asked.
Kara rubbed the back of her head nervously, "Yeah we do. Sorry for not leaving a message, but I was in a hurry. Screamer jut tagged along."
"Explain." Void ordered. Her optics were narrowed and her arms crossed. Even if one didn't know the femme, it was obvious she wasn't in a good mood.
Kara took in a deep breath. "This might take a moment."
She then proceeded to explain every detail of the past day or so. The meteor, Jacks charges going off prematurely, her and Screamer using the ship to track the ion trails of the ship, the events of War World, and dropping J'onn off at his home.
"Kara." Optimus started, "While you meant well, running off alone after your brother was not wise. You put yourself at risk. It would have been best to wait for us to return."
Kara bowed her head, "I know Optimus, but I didn't have time. I just didn't want to lose the trail."
Void knelt next to her charge, "And we would not want to lose you."
Kara felt guilt overcome her at the look on Voidwalker's face "Sorry." she whispered.
The femme placed a servo on her shoulder, "Just don't do it again." Kara looked up and smiled at her guardian.
Arcee walked over interrupting their little moment, "This is all said and good, but where is Jack!?" she demanded.
A grin broke Kara's face and Arcee arched and optic ridge. The girl was planning something. She turned to the ship and cupped her mouth.
"Oh Kal~!" she called, "Time to come out!"
"Go away." a soft voice replied.
Kara suppressed the urge to laugh at the looks of confusion on the bots faceplates, "Sorry, no can do. Time to go home."
"No."
Before Kara could say another word, Arcee strode forward and knelt down, her brow furrowed, "Jack, get out here now. Your mother and I have been worried sick about you."
There was a silence from the other side of the door. Everyone stood their awkwardly for a few seconds before a heavy sigh emanated from the door. The sound of machinery echoed from the door and it slid open. A lone female figure walked out, her head hanging.
She stood about 6'2 or 6'3, with a well built and curvy body. Her hair was cropped short, but still long enough that the bots couldn't make out her face. Her build was almost Amazonian in nature, by humans standards she'd be very attractive. She also wore Jacks super suit. She looked up at the bots and Arcee's optics widened in disbelief.
Though far more feminine than before, that was Jacks face. No doubt about it, this girl was Jack. No bot moved, though Starscream trembled as he tried very hard not to laugh. Jacks face burned bright red.
"Hi guys." she said softly.
Arcee blinked, "Jack?"
She nodded, "Yeah Cee, it's me…" Jack fidgeted, feeling very uncomfortable.
Arcee's head whipped to Kara, "Explain. Now."
Kara suppressed another laugh and quickly explained Jacks plight to the bots. By the time she was finished the five looked utterly stunned. Their expressions were priceless and the girl wished she had a phone to take a picture of them. Guess she'd just have to remember them.
Bulkhead suddenly doubled over in laughter, "So.. So you're telling me, Jacks a girl now!?" he collapsed on his aft, his laugh echoing through the hills, "That's got to be the funniest thing I've ever heard!"
Jack lowered her head again, feeling her face burn red. This was humiliating. He would have preferred staying in the ship for two days, but Kara had convinced him it would be best if he didn't. How, he still wasn't sure, but she had.
Arcee noticed her discomfort and stood up, turning to Bulkhead, "Yeah I imagine it would be Bulk. Pretty sure if you were in the same situation you'd want someone laughing their aft off at you."
The wrecker froze, "Oh… I… sorry Jack." he said, rubbing his helm.
Jack didn't move or say much, just gave a barely noticeable nod, "I assume that despite your temporary… "condition", that you are unharmed?" Optimus asked.
She nodded, "Yeah, I'm okay besides that."
Optimus nodded and out a servo to his comm. "Ratchet, we need a bridge."
The portal swirled behind him almost immediately, and the bots walked through one by one. Jack reluctantly followed, her head hanging. Kara saddled up next to her newly minted sister.
"That wasn't so bad, see?" she asked.
Jack sighed, "It could have been worse." she admitted. She suddenly froze in her tracks, causing Kara and Arcee to turn to look at him.
"Jack? You okay?" the asked in sync.
"I just realized, "she said, looking up at them in horror, "Miko is going to milk this for all its worth."
The femme and his sister exchanged a look. This was going to be painful…
Autobot HQ…
Miko fell on her back laughing long and hard once Kara explained what had happened to Jack. At this point she was really getting tired of that. But there wasn't a whole lot she could do either, Miko was Miko, there was not talking sense into her. Most of the bots had been sent back out on patrol, and Kara had returned to the starship after a quick visit to the base to see if she could find a way to get Jack back to normal sooner.
Krypto padded up to his master, his face showing how very confused he was. This female wore his masters uniform, had his masters scent, but his master was male, not a female.
The poor dog sat on his haunches and cocked his head to the side, letting out a confused whine. Jack smiled softly, "It's all right boy, its still me." she said calmly.
She reached her hand out, and Krypto cautiously sniffed at it. Having made the connection that this women was, in fact, his master, Krypto stood up, his tail wagging. He let out a happy bark and practically bowled her over, licking her happily.
"Gah!" she yelped, falling on her aft, "I missed you too boy!" she said. The dog stopped licking and backed up, letting her back up. She scratched him behind the ear, earning a steady thump from his tail.
Of course, at this moment, Miko started to recover from her laughter.
"S-so you're telling me that Jack is a girl now!?" she squealed, trying to catch her breath.
"I'm right here Miko." Jack growled, "And it's not that funny."
"Dude its hilarious!" She held her sides as she stood back up, "I should totally start calling you Jaclyn now!"
Jack pinched her nose, "Miko, please stop." she asked quietly. She just wanted this day to end.
"How can I!?" Miko replied, "Look at you, you've got the boobs and everything!" she motioned to Jacks chest.
The teen crossed her arms protectively over her chest, her face burning bright red. Raf tapped Miko's shoulder, getting the girls attention, "Miko, maybe you should stop, I don't think Jack appreciates you making fun of him, er… her I mean."
She gave Raf a grateful look. Miko rolled her eyes, "You kidding Raf, I'm going to milk this for all its worth! I might never get another chance like this!"
Jack glared at her, before an idea struck her, ""You're right Miko. I do. But at least i'm content in the knowledge that they're bigger than yours will ever be baring artificial enhancement!" she snarled angrily.
Miko's face turned bright red and she opened her mouth to respond when the low drone of an engine echoed through the halls. Everyone turned towards it and Jack felt the formation of a very large pit in her stomach. His mothers red four door drove into base, coming to a stop near Ratchets terminal.
June opened the door and got out, looking at Ratchet, "Please tell me you saw some sign of my children today?" she begged.
Ratchet seemed to suppress his own laugh. much to Jacks utter annoyance, "Yes Nurse Darby, Jack and Kara have returned safely to base. Kara is currently back at the ship in order to find a way to help Jack out of a… unique, situation."
The nurse arched a brow, "What do you mean by that?" she demanded.
He waved his servo in Jacks direction. The boy turned girl felt her blood go cold as the medic just blatantly gave away what was wrong with her. June followed his servo to Jack, and her eyes widened at the sight of her.
June moved fast running up the steps, stopping when she reached the top, "Jack? Honey, is that you?"
Jack felt her cheeks heat up again, cursing the fact that he kept blushing and nodded, "Yeah mom, it's me…"
June hastily embraced her son turned daughter, just happy to see her alive. After a moment like this she broke the hug and gave her a questioning look, "What did… how did this happen?"
The teen looked at her feet and explained the situation to her mother. She continued to look at her feet once she finished. June took a moment to digest all this information before she finally spoke.
"Well… maybe should I start calling you Jaclyn?" she quipped. Miko busted into laughter while Jack looked at June mortified.
"Mom!" she yelled.
"What?" June asked innocently, "Jack isn't exactly a common name for girls, is it?"
She tapped a finger to her chin in thought, "Hmm," she said.
Jack blinked and took a single step back. She'd seen that look before. He didn't like that look. That was a look that spelled trouble.
"Guess we'll need to take you shopping for new clothes huh? Female essentials."
Yep, that was trouble. Jacks face turned crimson red, "Uh uh, no way!" she said, "It's only two days, I am not going out in public like this."
"That's a bit of a problem Jack." June said, an evil glint in her eye, "You can't wear that all the time, and Kara and I don't have any clothes that would match your form and definitely no bras that would fit."
"MOM!" she exclaimed, trying very hard to keep her mind clean "Please, stop!"
June laughed, "I don't think it matters what gender you are honey, you embarrass way to easy."
Jack buried her head in her hands, "This is going to be a long day, isn't it?"
Miko wrapped a friendly arm around her, "You got it Super girl!"
Jack let out a single loud groan of frustration. Things really couldn't get much worse, could they?
Darby Residence, later that night…
Arcee pulled into the garage, Jack riding as usual. After a series of incredibly awkward events at base, Kara and the others had eventually returned one by one to base. Jack had eagerly asked Kara if there was any way to speed up the charging process on the device. There was not. So for the time, Jack was stuck like this for two days.
She'd been very adamant about staying at base, not wanting to be seen in public in her current condition. But June had been equally as head strong, and ultimately Jack lost. So the girl had changed into her civilian clothes, noticing that everything felt tight or loose in the wrong spots. It wasn't too bad, but it was noticeable.
Jack got off Arcee, removing her helmet and setting it on the table. Arcee transformed as the garage closed behind them. June was already home, having left to "get her some real clothes or die trying." Jack was terrified to see what she'd bought.
Arcee looked at Jack with concern, "Jack." she said softly, getting her attention.
The femme knelt forward slightly, "I know this isn't easy right now, but if you need me, I'm here for you."
Jack looked at Arcee, still feeling her love for her in her heart. When on war world before this whole incident, he'd thought night and day about her, wanting nothing more than to be home with her. It was then Jack noticed that Arcee was leaning forward for a kiss.
Some instinct caused Jack to backpedal away, leaving Arcee there, a confused look on her faceplate, "Thanks Cee." she said quietly, her face having once again turned bright red, "I'll let you know if anything comes up."
She quickly slipped inside, her mind racing. For some reason right now, the idea of kissing Arcee…. It didn't sit well with her. Maybe it was the hormones, the female hormones. Jack shook her head as she walked into the kitchen. She had enough problems, this was not one she needed to add.
"Glad to see you made it home in one piece," June joked, holding a cup of water in her hands.
"Funny." Jack said, and started for her room, "I'm going to turn in tonight." she called.
"Oh wait!" June said, rushing after her.
"What?"
A mischievous look passed over Junes face and Jack suddenly grew very nervous, "I managed to get some new clothes for you, mostly underwear, just figured I'd give you a heads up."
Jack opened her door and her eyes widened and her face turned scarlet. She looked to June, "You are having way to much fun with this." she muttered.
June smiled innocently, "Who me?"
Jack sighed and slammed the door behind her, ignoring her mother for the time. She looked at the bag of clothes on her bed. Her face burned as red as the cape on her super suit. The bags were bright pink and labeled across them in shining silver were the words Victoria's Secret.
"I swear to god I will get you back for this mom!" she yelled.
"Sorry, can't hear you!"
The teen ran a hand over her face, "Why me?" she muttered…
The Next Day…
Jack sat alone in base practically alone for the time being. Miko and Raf were both spending the day with their families, much to Miko's displeasure and Jacks immense relief, and the most of the bots were assaulting an Energon Mine. Arcee however, was nowhere to be seen. Kara was busy working on some sort of secret project that she wasn't telling anyone about.
This left Jack alone to watch TV by herself, counting away the minutes until she could finally be turned back to normal. She really wasn't paying any mind to the TV program. Krypto lay his large shaggy head in her lap, and Jack was mostly just scratching at the itch from her new… undergarments she was being forced to wear.
She swore to Primus or God that when she was back to normal that she would burn those clothes when she was done. At least June hadn't decided to by her girl clothes to go with them, so instead she wore her usual two shirt combo and blue pants with sneakers.
Suddenly she felt the all too familiar sensation of metal fingers tracing her back. "You sure seem lonely up here Jack." Arcee said, tracing her back as she sat next to her, the mass shifter wrapped around her waist.
Jack gulped nervously. This was something she'd hoped to avoid, at least till she was normal again.
"J-just waiting for t-tomorrow." she stuttered, her cheeks flushing red. Krypto stood up and padded away. 'Traitor' thought Jack.
Arcee almost seemed to purr, "You know, with Ratchet busy elsewhere, we are finally alone…"
The teen scooted away nervously. Under any other circumstance, at any other time, this would have been a dream come true. Right now though, it just made her really nervous. Her heart thundered in her chest.
"I… ugh." They boy mind in the female body tried desperately to figure out how in the pit to react to this situation. Tried and failed.
She cocked her head, "Something the matter Jack? I thought you'd jump at the chance to be alone with me." she leaned forward across the couch to emphasize her point. Jack leaned away.
"I… I've got to go!" she yelled suddenly standing and running off away from the femme.
She was a blur as she vanished, leaving Arcee sitting there, very confused. Jack had never acted like that before. He would have relished any alone time the two got, but now… She was acting odd. And the femme didn't know how to deal with it.
She stood up and put her hands on her hips, looking off in Jacks general direction which she'd fled. Arcee had missed him greatly when he disappeared, she wanted him to know that. Next chance she got, she would get the two of them alone. That much she was certain of…
Later that Night, the Darby Residence…
"No way, uh uh, no!" Jack crossed her arms and stood firm for emphasis.
June glared at her, "Jack, it's been almost three maybe four days since you last took a shower. If you don't take one, you're going to kill people with your smell. Just look at Krypto!"
She pointed at the big white dog, who lay on the carpet. He flicked his pale blue eyes at her, and seemed to catch on to what she was saying. He covered his snout with his paws and let out a pained whine that sounded incredibly forced. Jack rolled her eyes at her dogs stellar acting abilities, and returned her attention to the conversation at hand.
"Mom!" she whined, "I can't shower, not…" she lowered her head, "Not like this, not in this body."
Her mother's glare softened slightly, but still remained firm, "Jack, its fine. It's just a quick shower, in and out. Keep your eyes shut the whole time if you have to, no one will think less of you for this."
She looked back up, "But…I…"
June pointed at her room, "Shower. Now."
Jack sighed and trudged towards the bathroom located on the other side of her room, mumbling to herself, "I can stop trains in their tracks and deflect bullets, but I can't win an argument with my mom." she complained.
June made sure she was in the bathroom before heading back out to her car. It was about time for another oil change, and June refused to pay for one. She always did it herself instead to save time and money. She walked out to the car, not noticing the figure slipping inside.
The Kryptonian repeatedly knocked her head against the wall. She didn't want to do this. She really didn't want to do this. Even though she had a female body, her mind was still very much male, female hormones or not. Taking a shower with that body would make him feel like… well, like a pervert.
She looked up at the mirror, the shower reflecting in the mirror, taunting her. She sighed, and glared at herself in the mirror, "Come on Darby. Five minutes, that's all it'll take. Man… Woman up and deal with it!"
Steeling herself, she moved quickly before she could have any second thoughts on the matter. She turned the shower on, letting it warm up before dealing with the inevitable. Come on, you were able to change last night, you can handle a few minutes in the shower like this, she thought. She peeled off her clothes, eyes clenched shut and stepped into the shower.
Jack kept her mind focused on anything but the tasks at hand, and moved through the motions. In record time she was soaped, shampooed, and rinsed. She shut off the water and stepped out, drying herself with a towel and wrapping it around her.
She leaned against the wall for a moment, trembling slightly, "Oh thank god everything goes back to normal tomorrow." she whispered to herself.
Holding the towel very tightly, she opened the door into her room, eager to get her clothes back on. She stopped dead at the sight of Arcee leaning against her door frame. Her mind went completely blank at the sight of her. Again, something she'd of killed for as a boy. Not so much at the moment though.
Arcee smiled, "I just thought that we'd get some time alone is all Jack. I was worried sick that you were hurt, I want to be with you."
Jack blinked before her mind kicked back into action, "Arcee… I know, I get that, I do… But please, I can't be with you, not right now, not like this."
A look of hurt passed over the femmes face and Jack felt nothing but guilt. She didn't want to be in this situation though, and Arcee needed to know that.
"I don't… I don't understand." Arcee said.
"Please, just… go, okay. Tomorrow I'll spend all the time you want, just leave me alone right now!" Arcee recoiled as if hit, and Jack closed her eyes. She heard Arcee's footsteps as she left, and she sat on her bed. She still clutched the towel in her hand.
She looked up, "You love torturing me, don't you?"
Arcee was confused greatly by what was going on with Jack as she exited the Darby residence. She knew Jack, she knew that he would have jumped at the chance for being alone with her. His awkward phase for the most part, was over. So why did it feel like she was reliving that all over again.
"Oh Arcee!" June said, rolling out from under her car. She had a few grease stains on her arms and face, and her hair was wild.
"I didn't know you were here," she continued. Then she noticed the sad look on her faceplate.
"Oh no, what happened?" she asked.
Arcee sighed, her optics flicking towards June, "I've just been trying to get some private time with Jack is all. But she keeps turning me down and away. Just a few days ago he would have practically leapt at the chance to be alone with me, but now she will barely make eye contact with me.
Understanding dawned on Junes face, "Arcee," she started, wiping her hands off on a rag, "The reason that Jacks been acting that way, is because for humans at least, love between two people of the same sex is… well its frowned upon, or at the very least is a touchy subject. Jacks never really been affected by it before, but with female hormones and his male mind, she's probably confused by a lot of what she has to deal with. Your advances probably only make this worse."
Utter guilt consumed Arcee, and it showed, "I never meant to make things worse for her!" she exclaimed, "I just wanted to spend some alone time with her."
June put a hand on her shoulder, "I know Arcee, and it's understandable. You didn't know, and you'd thought the worse when he was gone. You were just acting how any girlfriend would. But if you wait till tomorrow, things will be back to normal. In the meantime, you might want to let Jack know that you didn't mean to act how you did."
Arcee looked at the setting sun and nodded, "Right. Thanks June. I should have thought that out better."
She laughed, "It's young love, you make stupid mistakes. Best just to learn from them." she turned back to the car, "And glad to have helped."
Jack still sat on the bed, still holding her towel tight. Her mind had been thinking about everything concerning Arcee and why Jack had been acting how she had. She'd reached a conclusion right as Arcee knocked on the door.
Her head shot up and instinct made her tighten the towel, "Arcee?"
"Yeah, it's me." she said, "Can I come in?"
Jack took a deep breath, now or never, "Sure." she said quietly.
The door creaked open and the femme walked in, closing it behind her. She took a seat on the corner of the bed, "Jack, I just… wanted to apologize for how I was acting." she said, "I hadn't thought that humans might have different… taboos, then Cybertronians, so I didn't consider that how you are now might make our relationship awkward. I didn't mean to put you into such difficult positions."
The boy turned girl looked at her feet again, thinking over her conclusion she'd come to, "Thanks Arcee, that means a lot. But I was thinking about it too. About it all." she looked up at Arcee, "And I realized something."
Arcee cocked an optic ridge and Jack elaborated, "That even though I might be a girl temporarily, I'm still me." She looked up at her, "And that means I still love you Arcee, even if I'm a girl."
Arcee smiled, "Maybe you should stay that way, you seem to be a lot more intelligent."
"Gee thanks." she replied, rolling her eyes, "But I think I'd rather be back to being me."
Arcee leaned forward and pecked her on the lips, "Agreed."
Jack continued to blink for several moments, her jaw working as her mind tried to comprehend the sudden scenario she was in. She took in a deep breath and then exhaled.
"To hell with it," she said, and proceeded to tackle Arcee with a kiss onto the bed, leaving her towel in a rumpled heap on the floor…
Kryptonian Scout Ship the next day…
The whirring noise died down and the doors slid open, letting Jack out. He looked down at his chest and did a quick check before letting out a sigh of relief, "Finally back to normal he said."
Arcee wrapped an arm around him, being among the few who'd tagged along for Jack turning back, along with Kara and June. "Glad to see it. Jaclyn wasn't as much fun."
Jack ignored the quip. For the moment, he was glad that things were finally back to normal…
A/N: So…. How many of you that didn't know about this saw this coming? Very few I bet. I apologize to those who may not have liked this chapter, but I've been planning it since about chapter 13 or 14, so it was going to happen. But anyway, tell me what you thought in the reviews below what you thought, whether this was a good, bad, meh chapter, or a funny or not funny chapter. I can only get better with YOUR feedback. Also remember to PM me with new ideas for the story or questions. Bye!