CHAPTER 9

New comics came out on Wednesday. It was a new little fact that Dani had learned as she'd chatted with a few students. Really comics just came up in the conversation, she told herself, but she knew it was a lie. She'd pumped her students for information and that was how she ended up standing on the sidewalk outside of a store looking at a poster of Batman.

She gave up the lie of browsing the stores and stared for a moment at the opened sign, before taking a deep breath and pushing the door opened.

Dani glanced around the shop, taking in the tables of comics, the posters on the wall, and the small crowd of students she had seen around and other people looking at the goods. She also noticed the prominent placement of a computer on the far wall and the people near it.

A woman in jeans and a long sleeve tshirt was leaning over the seated computer user pointing at the screen. There was definitely something familiar about the woman and Dani stared at her trying to place where she'd seen her before.

"Ms. Moonstar?" A nearby voice drew Dani's eyes away from the woman and she turned to see one of Emma's students she'd noticed earlier smiling at her. "You read comics?"

"Ah," Dani felt put on the spot, "Not really. I just heard a lot of students come here and…" Dani shrugged, unwilling to explain her presence any more than that. "So this is where you spend all your money Cessily?"

"Oh, not all of it." The metallic girl glanced down at the small pile of comics in her hand and then up at Dani. "It's actually kinda school related in a way. I get ideas about my powers in these." Her voice was soft and Dani glanced at the comics with a skeptical look. "Ginny created a really cool database that helps us find characters with powers like ours. She has other searches in there too, but she actually helped me figure out what to buy. She's great." Cessily turned to smile at the woman at the computer Dani had been watching earlier. Dani turned to see the woman staring at her, before standing straighter and walking over.

"Hello." A deep sultry voice had Dani really worrying that this was the competition for Andrew, she liked that voice, and any man would. "Can I help you?" The women, Ginny, was easily as tall as Ororo when she came to stand beside Cessily and Dani, Dani had to look up at her.

"I heard you had a database?" Dani finally spoke, after searching her mind for something she could claim she needed here. The woman smiled and turned toward the computer.

"Oh yes, my pride and joy. I think Jon is done, I can show it to you." Ginny moved gracefully around the table of comics and Dani followed her, noticing the way the woman's black hair was perfectly tamed in a ponytail that swayed from side to side and just came to her shoulders. Ginny turned to look at her once she'd gotten to the computer and Dani moved to stand beside her rather than take the seat. "This is a community effort." Ginny sat in the seat and Dani stared at the screen, more interested in the woman than the program, even if Cessily claimed it had value for more than entertainment. "I can't read all the comics, but my customers update for me. I give a discount to those willing to do the research." Ginny sounded like she was in the middle of a speech she gave several times a day. "A search can be done based on a few things. Race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, powers and a really slippery category we call subtexty." Ginny grinned. "For those almost gay scenes that just don't get all the way." Ginny glanced at her and then started to click on the form. "Results can be a characters or even a minor character and comics they are in, or just a list of comic issues depending on the search."

A list of characters appeared and Dani leaned in a little to look when she noticed a name or two. "Native Americans?" Dani noticed more on the list than she'd expected.

"Yeah, the ones in red are minor characters, but there are a few main characters." Ginny seemed a little tense with how close Dani was standing so Dani moved back and looked down at her. What was familiar before she could see now, standing this close. This woman was probably Andrew's sister, she looked too much like him, and her eyes were the same blue. "You could play around with this if you want." Ginny stood up and her blue eyes stayed on Dani a bit too long. "If you need help just let me know."

"Sure."

Ginny didn't move to leave right away. It seemed a little like she wanted to say more, but she finally just walked away. Dani started to work with the computer, looking for comics that students she had might like. She looked up all of her students' powers to see if they had comic counterparts.

She was so absorbed in the database that she didn't realize when the crowd died down, but the woman's voice drew her eyes away long enough to notice as Ginny pulled up a chair and sat next to her. "I can give you a copy of this if you want." Ginny smiled. "But you have to promise to keep it to yourself. I put a lot of work and money into this and I don't want any other comic shops to get it."

"It's a pretty good database, complicated but still easy to use. I didn't even know there were this many comics out there."

Ginny seemed a little more comfortable around Dani now, as she spoke to her, "Yeah neither had I before I decided to open a store. The database brings in people and it sells comics. For every researcher I give a discount to I sell to more people and make more money. This started off as a hobby when I was just sitting here wishing I had customers and not sleeping at night because I was sure I was going to go bankrupt. Now I own two comic book stores and a small specialty bookstore."

"Bookstore mogul?" Dani teased.

Ginny studied Dani and Dani felt a little exposed by it. "Would you like some coffee? I'm so addicted I need another fix and I could use some company on the walk."

"Okay." Dani stood up. Maybe she could just ask if she was right about Andrew being Ginny's brother now. But then if he heard that Dani had actually checked on him he might think she was paranoid, and that wasn't the image she wanted him to have. Emma was a bitch, but Dani fell right into it, believing the worst. It would be better if Andrew never knew that Dani hunted down his sister.

"Good, let's go before the evening rush starts. Cameron can hold the fort for a little while." Ginny said and Dani noticed the woman held the door opened for her as they left.

Ginny seemed nice and explained to Dani the how and the why of the database in more depth. She talked about the students she saw on a regular basis. Ginny almost seemed nervous as she chattered away during the entire walk to Luna's coffee shop.

CHAPTER 10

Andrew grimaced as he limped another step toward the car. "I'm sorry." He told Dani again, feeling embarrassed at his uncharacteristic clumsiness, which ended their hiking trip after just two hours.

"It's okay." Dani smiled at him and Andrew had to admit the pain in his ankle was partially compensated by the fact that Dani insisted on letting Andrew lean on her on the way back to the car. She was strong for a woman, but he didn't lean on her any more than he had to. "At least we weren't too far away when it happened." Dani glanced down at Andrew's sore foot. "And it isn't broken."

"Oh yeah, that would have been worse." Andrew stopped next to his car and started to dig his keys out of his pocket. "Can you drive?"

"A man that lets a woman drive." Dani spoke, her voice teasing. "And your baby at that, you rarely take this thing out." Andrew blushed at the flirting in her voice and smiled a little, while unlocking the passenger side. He handed the keys over slowly, as if bestowing a great honor on Dani.

"Well, it is my right foot that hurts. I could drive with the other, and if you're a typical female driver I should. What do you think?" He pretended to flinch when Dani lightly hit him on the arm. "Can you keep your eye on the road or will we be slowing down so you can reapply makeup that I really don't see you need."

Dani's half smile looked slightly confused. "Did you just insult me or compliment me, I can't tell."

"Yes." Andrew grinned wickedly and stared into her brown eyes. They were nice.

"That isn't an answer." Dani moved just a little closer, since she was no longer supporting him, the car door did that, she was facing him. Her head tilted back a little to look up at him and Andrew leaned down slowly.

"Yes." He teased very quietly and finally got up the nerve to move the few more inches to kiss her lightly on the lips. Her soft lips kissed him back briefly, before he leaned back and stared into her eyes pensively. There was so much he needed to say to her, but he just hugged her and slowly got into the car.

CHAPTER 11

"He told me to return it later. I had to get home and he couldn't drive." Dani said as she got out of the borrowed car, because Shan was in the garage getting into a car of her own.

"I would have picked you up." Shan said while looking at the car.

"But then I wouldn't have an excuse to drop off at his house later." Dani closed the car door and put the keys in her pocket. "He twisted his ankle hiking and we had to cut our trip short." Dani sighed. She had been a bit disappointed in that.

"And did you play nurse?" Shan grinned wickedly and Dani blushed and tried not to smile. Andrew was all wrapped up and tucked in; she'd done it before she left his house. "You did didn't you?" Shan teased.

"Oh shut up." Dani started to walk toward the mansion with Shan at her side, teasing and asking for details that Dani didn't have. Or she didn't have them yet, but maybe soon. She imagined he was a good lover, but she couldn't say anything for sure.

The way he kissed though, a good lover had to kiss like that, Dani thought remembering how unlike some men she'd kissed in the past, he knew how.

CHAPTER 12

Ginny slowly made her way the couch and sat down with a sigh. The books were balanced finally and she was glad because she was almost ready to scream when she'd run it the third time and it didn't add up. Putting her feet up on the coffee table gently Ginny grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. Flipping channels quickly she kept moving until she found something mindless to watch.

When her stomach growled Ginny went through a mental inventory of her kitchen and grimaced, thinking she really should have gone shopping already. Her Saturday plans had shifted her schedule and the regular grocery shopping wasn't done. Well she still had peanut butter, and some bread. With a sigh Ginny got up and moved with a slight limp toward the kitchen.

Twisting the lid on the peanut butter did nothing. Ginny glared at it, but since she lived alone she knew she had only one person to blame. "Dammit." Ginny muttered and put the jar down on the counter before reaching down and grabbing her belt, unbuckling it she took a deep breath and started to change. The loose tshirt filled out with hard muscle, the loose pants filled out as well. A strong arm reached out to pick up the peanut butter, untwisting the top easily.

Andrew spread the peanut butter on the bread and then looked to see if he was lucky enough to still have some jam as well. "Shopping, I better make a list." He muttered when he didn't find enough to cover the other piece of bread, just enough to make it slightly red. This time he shifted back before twisting the top back on the peanut butter, so that his enhanced strength didn't make it impossible to open in his feminine form.

Ginny wiped her hands off before buckling her belt back up. At least she was wearing something that fit both forms. That reminded her that she might need to buy a nice outfit for her next date with Dani, to make up for tripping and ruining yesterday's.

Of course this assumed that she'd have another date with Dani. Ginny took a bit of her sandwich and leaned against the counter to take her weight off her ankle as she considered that. The fact that she wanted another date and didn't want to say anything for fear she wouldn't get it was why she needed to tell Dani now before things became too serious between them.

Eating the last bit of the sandwich she looked up to see her own car driving up. "Oh great." Ginny moved to the sink and washed off her hands as she debated about how to do this.

CHAPTER 13

Dani stared a moment in shock when she realized it wasn't Andrew that answered the door. She stared at Ginny and found herself wondering if she actually was a girlfriend for a moment. Ginny glanced out at the car and moved to the side, "Come on in." The woman smiled, but it felt forced.

"I'm here to see Andrew." Dani hesitated a moment more before stepping past Ginny into the house again.

"I kind of figured that one out." Ginny spoke as she closed the door. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Ah, sure." Dani watched as Ginny's jaw clenched as she walked and while she didn't know the woman well, she was a little concerned at how different and tense she was acting. There was a cloud of doom over her, and that hadn't been there at the comic store.

"I have to shop, but I have white wine, coke, water, and almost expired orange juice." Ginny called out from the kitchen.

When Ginny handed over the glass of water Dani just held it. "Is Andrew here?" It felt like she was pulling teeth trying to get any information. Ginny didn't even attempt to call Andrew out here, but she hadn't said he wasn't there. Dani felt a bit on edge, wondering if her visit to the comic books shop was about to come up.

"I'm the only person here." Ginny sighed and took a sip of her own glass. Ginny avoided the nearly expired orange juice as well. "I was hoping we could talk." Dani tried to hide her grimace as she heard that, sure that she'd have to explain herself now.

CHAPTER 14

Ginny sat down and tried to appear calm and in control, but she doubted it would work. "I have a problem." She told Dani and looked up to see Dani slowly sitting and looking too apprehensive for this early in the talk. No that should come as Dani realized what Ginny was about to say, not just yet. Ginny had done this talk enough to know how it normally went. Without any idea why Ginny just sighed, "I'm a mutant," and watched Dani seem to relax. "And I need to talk to you about it."

"Me?" Dani's expression was suddenly guarded. Again it was too early. Ginny's shoulders slumped as she wondered how she was screwing this up already.

"How do you tell someone you're dating that you're a mutant?" Ginny asked, wondering if maybe Dani could tell Ginny how to do this, how she'd prefer to hear this.

"Oh." Dani's guarded look faded and her eyes softened. Ginny watched as a look of understanding crossed Dani's face, knowing Dani didn't really understand, she just thought she did. "You're dating someone." Dani's voice sounded relieved for and Ginny's eyebrows drew together in confusion for a moment, before she dismissed that as unimportant right now.

"Yeah, and it's time for that talk, the one that ruins most of my relationships." Ginny's voice held a note of bitterness as she stared down at her own clasped hands in her lap. "I wish it wasn't such an issue all the time and I really hope that it isn't this time."

"Have you ever tried bringing it up in other ways as you meet people? When I started talking to Andrew I found a current news article to comment on just to feel him out about mutants." Dani spoke softly. "I've tried that before and was able to weed out a few jerks before putting any time into them." Ginny just closed her eyes, seeing how that could work in a way, but not this time. "Of course you're already dating, so maybe you could ask him,"

"her." Ginny muttered out the correction and Dani stopped talking for a moment. Ginny watched the small expression of surprise, but then Dani just started talking again.

"Okay, her, see how she responds to the latest research or political problems facing us. If she's a bigot she'll have a hard time hiding it and then you haven't risked too much."

"I really don't think she'd actually hurt me, not like that. She's a good woman, but I just don't know if she can handle what I am." Ginny took a deep breath and forced herself to move out from the safe position she'd found in this talk, almost feeling like she was moving out into a battle and crawling away from her fox hole. "I was born different, even before my mutation showed up. The doctor's pulled me out of my mother's womb, held me up, and said, 'I really don't know what it is. I need to check my books and make a few calls.'" Ginny's fake smile was a bit of a grimace really. "I wasn't out in the world five minutes before it started, I was an it." Ginny noticed Dani leaning just a little closer and took some comfort in that. "The doctor said he could surgically change me, make me a girl. Just a cut here and there and maybe I wouldn't be able to feel as much during sex when I got older, but I'd have a gender. My mom was a feminist, the kind that protested the war and marched for women's rights. She was pretty lost, but she knew one thing. I didn't deserve to have my sex mutilated to fit into what everyone else considered normal." Ginny's face was a bit red, but while this talk used to embarrass her, now it just made her angry that people would do things like that to children and still did. "Mom told him to just mark the box on the birth certificate that she'd had a baby girl, but that was the only thing they would do to make me a girl. My mom's a wonderful woman and she and my dad raised me as a girl for years, but a very rough and tumble girl. I was just as much a boy as a girl but the world believes there are only two genders. It's not true; there are more than two, but doctors snip here or there to keep that myth alive."

Ginny went quiet and watched Dani's expression as the woman tried to grasp this. It was so out of most people's realm of reality that it normally took time. "You're a hermaphrodite?" Dani's voice was doubtful as she took in Ginny's curves and Ginny did her best to not flinch at the popular and demeaning term.

"We call ourselves intersexuals, and there are a few out there. Most had that damned surgery and tell me how lucky I am that my mother didn't just believe the doctor's crap when he tried to talk her into it." Ginny sat up a little straighter. "When I became a teenager I didn't develop right away. It took a little too long and we thought I might not, but then I mutated and overnight I found I could be either gender. I can be a man or a woman, but I was raised as a girl and I spend most of my time like this." Ginny waved to her body briefly. "I went through a wild time where I took full advantage of all the world offered me as both genders, but that got old as I got older and I don't date much anymore and I just use my other form in public for jogging because my feminine form has super speed and I can't jog in it without exposing that."

Dani took a moment, but then her eyes widened and her skin paled a little. "What?"

"I was named Ginny, but when my power became apparent I added another name. One that celebrated my androgyny in a very understated way." Ginny's voice softened and she whispered the name. "Andrew. I needed you to know, because I really like you Dani and going any further without telling you would be wrong." Ginny's breath was a little shaky when she took it. "So my mutation," She could see so much shock and disbelief in Dani's face and it wasn't comforting, "my mutation is an issue isn't it? I really thought that with another mutant maybe…" Her words trailed off and Ginny stared down at her hands, her voice filled with regret. "I wasn't trying to trick you, telling everyone I date isn't a good idea. I only tell the people I hope will stick around."

"Andrew?" Dani's voice sounded a little high and Ginny reached down to unfasten her belt without standing so it wouldn't cut into her when she grew. She shifted and Andrew sat before Dani. "Oh my, what are you really?"

Andrew shook his head and ran his hand up through his hair, pulling the rubberband out. "There are more than two genders, I told you. I was raised female, but I'm both and neither. I really don't fit into the boxes society made." He stared into her eyes. "I'm just the person that likes spending time with you." She was sitting back a bit, leaning back, and that just screamed stay away to Andrew. He'd really hoped Dani would take this better. The woman was a mutant, and her friend was a lesbian, it had seemed hopeful, but Andrew's hopes crumbled with the way Dani sat as if she wanted more distance between them.

CHAPTER 15

Dani stared at him, taking in the gentle eyes that seemed a little feminine with the long lashes. She took in how little about his face changed between Ginny and Andrew, and he suddenly looked more feminine to her, but her eyes trailed down over his muscular upper body, covered in a tight tshirt and Dani's eyebrows drew together. She felt angry, but forced it back, because she'd been on the receiving end of the you should have told me you were a mutant talk one too many times herself, but still, this warranted talking about. Dani wasn't a lesbian and wouldn't have dated a woman.

The silence stretched on and Dani felt more and more put on the spot as Andrew stayed quiet. "I don't know what to say." She finally spoke, her voice soft and pained. Andrew had been great with her, and they'd had fun, and that one trip to the coffee shop with Ginny had been nice too, but this was too much to take in.

How many times did Andrew do or say things that made Dani think it was odd a man thought that and she just brushed it off or found it cute? How many clues did she just ignore?

How could she kiss a man and not know he was a woman? Or also a woman? Dani shook her head trying to grasp a gender outside of those two. Other mutations made more sense, being a shapeshifter made more sense than actually claiming to be both. Or was Andrew saying that he was really a woman? He said he was raised that way.

"I'm still Andrew." Andrew spoke quietly and Dani listened, but stared at her own hands as thoughts hit her quickly. "And I wasn't trying to trick you. I saw you were from the mutant school, and you hung out with lesbians. I thought maybe you'd be okay with this. That you were used to people not fitting into society's mold. When you came by the store I thought for a second that maybe you knew, and I wanted you to know. I like you Dani." Dani heard his sigh and looked up into his slightly reddened face and pained eyes. "But I can't lie about what I am. If you date Andrew, you date Ginny, they are the same person. I'm hoping that you'd be willing to still see me." He shifted, but his eyes were the exact same as Ginny stared at her. "All of me." Ginny finished.

Dani felt her skin blush and her heart felt like it was ready for a battle. "I don't know," she started to say and then stopped. Dani stood up and tried to ignore the hurt look in Ginny's eyes. "I need to go." She was out the door before she remembered she had planned for Andrew to drive her home. She glanced back at the house, half afraid that Ginny was watching her, before Dani started to walk down the street. It was a few miles to the mansion, but Dani didn't feel like calling anyone just yet. There would be questions, and she couldn't answer anything yet.

CHAPTER 16

Ginny stared at the calendar in front of her desk and sighed as yet another day without hearing from Dani went by. Her movements were sluggish as she pulled out the checkbooks and started to pay the bills. She could hear her employees putting the new shipment out and felt disconnected from it.

This time was supposed to be different, Ginny thought with some despair. If a mutant that wasn't homophobic couldn't accept her who would? The few times Ginny hadn't been dumped she'd found herself having to leave because a lover thought of her as a fun sex toy, not a person. Just once it would be nice to actually be loved and accepted.

This is what the doctor warned her mother of, Ginny thought, while hating herself for it. People that had a clear gender had it easier. Would having someone that loved her have made up for not really being able to feel sex? Would her mutant power have just tossed her back into the problem even if her mother had gotten her that surgery? Why does she have to deny who she really is to find love?

Was Ginny ever going to be happy and in love? Ginny took a shuddering breath and moved to close her office door, not wanting witnesses to her pain.

CHAPTER 17

Dani sighed as she stared out at the kids playing basketball. Her spot on the bench was partly hidden by the trees. She watched as her students played Scott's. It was a PE class, a regular one.

"Dani?" A soft voice asked and Dani looked up to see Shan standing beside her, waiting. Dani moved a little to the side and Shan sat. "What's wrong? Did you and Andrew break up?" Shan asked and her voice was sympathetic. Dani's jaw clenched as she thought about him. She still hadn't told Shan anything, needing time to try and figure this out.

Dani wasn't gay, and didn't think she could accept this. She'd fallen for a man, and it seemed like false advertising. Part of her was angry at Andrew, but another part, the part that wouldn't have told him about her mutation until the third date, understood. "I," Dani's eyebrows drew together as she tried to think of what to say, "don't think things will work out with Andrew."

"Why? He was such a sweet guy. If I weren't gay and dating…" Shan asked and Dani flinched a little. He was a sweet guy, one of the nicest she'd met. Shan didn't realize the gay thing wouldn't have been an issue, or would it have? Dani stared at the basketball court as she wondered if Shan would have been able to overlook the gender issue for Ginny. It made her consider who Andrew could really date. The list was rather small, anyone straight or gay of either gender might have issues like Dani did. Perhaps bisexuals might be interested.

"Oh, I believe I know the answer to that one." A cold and unwelcome voice spoke and Dani turned to glare at Emma as Emma leaned against the tree and smirked at her. "For all Dani's talk of being open minded and accepting, she couldn't think outside the box, even for someone she really liked." Emma stared into Dani's eyes, "That's it, isn't it Dani?"

"You're just amused as hell, aren't you Emma." Dani said coldly and did her best to dismiss Emma from her mind. "This conversation doesn't involve you, so how about you take off."

"Sure." Emma moved forward, away from the tree. "I need to drive a few students to the comic book store anyhow. Nice talking with you." Emma's blue eyes were amused and Dani felt a familiar desire to hit her. Dani watched the blonde walk away until Shan cleared her throat in an attempt to get Dani's attention.

"What's going on?" Shan asked and Dani's back slumped forward a little as she sighed in response.

"I went over to his house to return his car and we had a talk." Dani's jaw clenched at the memory as she tried to figure out how to say this. "Andrew's an intersexual."

"A what?" Shan sounded confused and Dani looked up, a little surprised. She'd just assumed that Shan would know what that was, she knew so much else.

"Intersexual." Dani said while looking at Shan instead of looking down. "A third gender, in between. His or her," Dani's eyebrows drew together as she struggled with pronouns that weren't it. Andrew hated being called it. "mutation lets Andrew appear to be either gender. He IS Ginny the comic book store owner I thought was his sister."

"Oh," Shan looked a little stunned. "Even for around here that's a new one."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Dani felt miserable. "I hate that Emma's right, but I'm not as accepting as I thought. Andrew is really nice, even as Ginny I thought she was nice, but this is just too much. I had trouble with the bisexuality, and I worked past it, but this is too much."