"I should tell her," she said lowly. "Clara should know."

Mike's back stiffened as he sat on the couch, and he frowned, giving her a stern glare. "I don't think that's such a good idea. Not yet."

There was a lot Shug wanted to say to Mike - about how she was having a few suspicions about Clara knowing. About that look she sometimes got from her cousin that had so much familiarity to it. Did she know? In the end, all she could do was react to Mike's short answer with irritation. "And just why not? I think she deserves t'know." Shug propped a hip against the back of the couch and crossed her arms, pouting.

Groaning, Mike removed his hat and scrubbed at his face in frustration. He let go a noise that was half a sigh, half a growl as he leaned forward.

"We've always been honest with each other, Mike," Shug insisted. "It's not like I'd be tellin' th' world, just Clara. She's family. Family deserves to know."

Another disapproving noise from Michael. He shook his head and looked sternly at his sister. "It's too soon. She's not gonna understand. And Aunt Kate sure ain't ready for this."

"Clara can keep a secret."

"No, Shug."

The girl stood and gave the floor a solid stomp. "Mike!"

"Sugar, ah said no!" He matched her stance and floor-stomp perfectly, which was enough to add fuel to her temper. "You can't just show up an' immediately throw that kinda surprise at my family!"

The girl held her breath a moment or two, eyes fixed so solidly on her brother that if they had been daggers, he would have been in serious danger. She could feel the anger inside her bubbling toward the surface so fast, it made her ill. "Your family?"

How dare he?

Going by the gape-mouthed expression on Mike's face, he seemed to have caught his mistake, though as far as Sugar was concerned, it was too late.

"So much for bein' equals, huh?" she spat, clenching her fists. "I don't remember bein' that selfish."

Mike scoffed and snarled. "Selfish? Really?!"

The girl bristled and edged closer to her brother. "You know what? Maybe I'm the original an' you're the copy!"

"Maybe," Mike groused lowly, "and maybe not because I don't remember bein' a walkin' temper waitin' to happen!"

That did it. The tension that had wound itself up in Shug's head finally snapped and released itself through a solid swing of her fists. One disadvantage was that since she and Mike were essentially clones of one another, he could anticipate her moves to some degree. It didn't take long for her to catch on, however, and while she aimed a right hook at his jaw, she watched him brace for the impact.

So she headbutted him over the back of the couch.

The two were a screaming, swearing mess in the floor, toppling things off the end table. How they managed to make the walls shake was unusual, but none of their concern. Shug was more preoccupied with landing a solid punch at her twin's face, not keeping the pictures on the walls.

As she tried to bruise him, and he struggled to hold her back, Sugar could barely form a coherent thought, although why flittered through her mind at times. She came to the farm to gain acceptance from her family. Some validation that her existence was okay. And the one person in the world who should have been able to understand that was now both emotionally and physically holding her back.

Her teeth snapped together just a quarter inch from his nose.

His eyes went wide, and he redoubled his efforts - the almost comically confused look on his face made her even angrier. They why turned back to how dare he just as Micky and Davy - drawn by the commotion - rushed into the room.

She barely registered Micky's "Oh my God - what the hell?" as he stopped in the doorway.

"Are you even gonna try t' hit me, ya chicken?" Shug hissed at Mike, ignoring the others.

"I refuse to hit a girl!"

"YOU'RE A GIRL!"

She managed to get her fingers tangled in the cloth of Mike's sleeve, but didn't have enough leverage to slam him against the ground, where she already had him pinned. As she flailed, trying to get some sort of better footing, she heard Micky mention something about getting Kate.

"Now look what you did. Your Aunt Kate's gonna come bail you out," Sugar grunted.

Mike managed to disengage Shug's fingers from his shirt, though as soon as he did, she was grabbing at his collar. "She's your Aunt Kate, too! If you'd just— "

"Not according to you!"

"Uh… Guys?" Micky's voice again. Irrelevant. Sugar ignored it, even when it continued. "Please stop fighting?"

Distracted by the request, Shug was unprepared when Mike flipped her over and pinned her hands to the floor. He kept a knee against her stomach, which made it hard to breathe. As she struggled to free herself, he had the audacity to say, "I wish it was that easy, but someone here has a temper - that - won't - quit!"

Rage. She'd felt it before. This time, she just let it control her actions entirely. "I'll show you a temper," Shug hissed. Mike's face was close enough that she was able to headbutt him again, this time on the chin. He shrieked and rolled off her, both hands holding his jaw.

"GodDAMMIT, Sugar!"

"Guys, please," Micky pleaded again. "This isn't like either of you!"

Pushing herself up from the floor, Shug gave her brother a hateful glare, while he stumbled to get to his knees. He ran a hand over his teeth, making sure they were still intact.

Shug, though, was still seeing red. So when Micky reached in a calming hand to take her shoulder, she made a reflexive grab for it and roughly shoved him away. She didn't feel the pop in the moment over her snarling, "You stay out of this, Dolenz!" But she did hear the yelp of pain that followed.

Thank God for Davy, who had successfully fetched the twins' Aunt Kate. Her eyes held all kinds of unimaginable outrage as the two clones resumed their fight and continued to make a mess of the house. Kate didn't say a word, but quickly darted into the kitchen instead. She was gone only a moment, returning with a bucket that she swung at the pair of Nesmiths. Water flew across the living room and splashed onto the wiry youths, almost freezing them in their tracks.

"That's enough outta you!" Kate scolded, throwing the bucket aside. "You oughta be ashamed of yourselves! Both of you!"

Micky still held fast to his injury, though he had to admit that the twins looked ridiculous. They were now a wet, shivering heap on the floor, and if things had carried on, Shug would have been the winner of this fight. She had pinned Mike down and held his arm behind his back, while clutching his necktie. They hurriedly untangled themselves, quick to stand far apart from each other.

Davy took a knee next to Micky, feeling over his wrist as the swelling began to set in. "What happened, mate?"

Micky sighed. "Sugar. That's what happened."

The smaller boy's shoulders fell, disappointment clear on his face. "Maybe Clara can take a look at it and fix it?"

Aunt Kate paced the floor, furious. "Michael, I know that you know better'n to fight, especially in my house!" She pointed an accusing finger at Shug. "And I don't know who you think you are, comin' in here and - "

"You - You don't - " The girl's knees buckled and she almost ended up back in the floor. Her face flushed and her breaths came faster and in short spurts. "I don't know why I thought… You of all people, Kate. You should have… Dammit!"

Sugar lowered her head and pushed her way past Kate and the boys, running outside. She disappeared into the woods behind the house, leaving everyone behind her in a solid fog of confusion.

"Mike, what's going on?" Micky whimpered through his own pain.

"I'm a damn fool." Mike groaned and yanked at his hair. "Had to put my foot in my mouth. I couldn't just shut up."

Davy looked just as lost as Micky. "Where is she going? Should I go after her?"

Three sets of eyes locked onto him, all looking more than a little concerned.

"I know how to fight, if that's what you're worried about," he sneered. "Aren't you worried about where she's going?"

Kate stared out the open door, her arms wrapped around herself. Her expression had gone from anger to genuine distress. She shook her head sadly and glanced at her nephew, who shared a worried look with her. "I know exactly where she's going."

It was always windy on the hill. It made no difference if it was winter or a scorching Texas summer, the climate on the hill seemed to remain the same.

Sugar trudged up the knoll, arms wrapped around herself. She hadn't made that trek since the last visit to Aunt Kate's…and things were certainly different then. She wondered if it mattered.

As she took a seat in the grass, she felt her stomach clench. Would it matter?

Her voice shook, heavy with emotion. "Hi, Mama." She scooted close enough to the headstone to clear the dead leaves and moss from its edges. "I know it's been a while. I'm sorry." Once the stone was to her satisfaction, Shug sat back from it, pulling her knees to her chest. "I guess you're wonderin' what happened to me, huh? Well, there's two of us now, if y'can believe that."

She paused a moment, as always, waiting for an answer that would never come.

"You'd prob'ly think it was pretty funny, actually," she said, letting go a sad laugh. "I've told you about Micky. You remember—He's th' one who's always tryin' to invent something new or is tryin' all these experiments. He kinda tried it on me and…well…" Shug stretched her legs out in front of her and sat up straight. "I'm sorry I'm not th' same as I was."

Another pause.

"Michael's okay," the girl continued. "He's made of strong stuff, just like you." She could feel her eyes stinging. "After we split, he was able to pick right back up where he left off with his life. I'm still workin' on mine." Tears spilled from her eyes, down her cheeks. She wiped at her face with a shirt sleeve. "I'm gettin' better, but sometimes I still miss bein'….y'know…me. What used t'be me, anyway," she whimpered. "I don't even have a real name anymore, Mama."

Shug couldn't help the sobs that shook her thin frame. She pulled her knees against her chest, trying to make herself as small as she could. Being just over six feet, it was near impossible. In the months that followed her change, she had adapted quite well. However, in the presence of family, she couldn't have felt more awkward and alone. Nothing had hurt her heart more than seeing Aunt Kate and Lucy and realizing they had no idea who she really was. Even worse, there was no way she could begin to tell them. She so badly wanted to tell Clara, but after the argument - and subsequent fight - with Mike, she was ready to go into hiding for good. What was the use anymore?

"Wish y'knew how much I miss you," Sugar sniffled. She propped her chin onto her kneecaps and stared blankly at the headstone. "Y'know, if you even recognized me."

"Honey, you're th' spittin' image of your momma. I think she'd know you right away."

Shug looked up and found Aunt Kate standing over her, arms crossed, a stern look on her face. The girl cowered. "M'sorry. I just needed to… I… I had to…" Wait a minute. "You know?"

"Well, you can't walk into my house lookin' just like Mary Beth and expect me t'believe it's some coincidence," Kate scoffed. She knelt beside the lanky girl, gazing at her, scrutinizing every detail of her face. The older woman shook her head and the anger in her face began to soften. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

Shug stammered and squeaked, unable to properly find her voice. Kate knew. Oh God, Kate knew.

Kate brushed the hair out of Shug's eyes. "I haven't seen you look that scared in years." At last, she smiled. "You could've said somethin'. You could've told me." Shug cringed and Kate put an arm around her. "You always did shut down when you got upset. I see things haven't changed that much, Mike."

"I'm sorry, Aunt Kate…" Sugar rested her head against the other woman's. "I didn't know what to do."

Kate hugged her close, rubbing Shug's arm and shoulder to soothe her. Shug closed her eyes and she could see so many past memories - all Mike's - where Aunt Kate had been there with open arms and words of kindness. The worst vision was that of a little boy with tangled black hair, his grubby, tear-streaked face buried in a younger Kate's apron. "Why, Aunt Kate? Why Mama?" Sugar felt her eyes flood again and she lowered her head. Kate was quick to give her a handkerchief.

"She would've loved you all th' same, honey," Kate offered. "You're still hers." She let go a faint laugh. "I think she would've been over the moon seein' you both together. You're a perfectly matched set."

Shug sniffled into the hanky. "It was all an accident."

"And what have I always told you? Things happen for a reason." Kate stood, dusting off her dress. "C'mon back to the house, honey. I've got somethin' that might cheer you up. Might make y' feel a little better." She bent down and kissed the girl on the top of her head.

Shug sighed and uncurled herself from her seat in the grass. She looked wistfully at her mother's headstone. She couldn't go. Not yet.

Kate patted her on the back. "When you're ready, Sugar."

"I have to say 'bye to Mama."

The older Nesmith nodded in understanding. She watched as the girl crouched in front of the stone, head bowed, fingers outlining her mother's name. Shug stayed there a moment, perfectly still, then gave the stone a loving pat before returning to Kate's side to begin the walk home.

"If you don't mind my askin'," Kate mused, "what's this about you not havin' a name?"

"You heard that?"

"Heard it all." Kate smirked. "I had my suspicions about you the moment I laid eyes on you. After that impressive fallin' out you had with Mike, I kinda figured you'd be up here. That's when I knew my feelin' about you was right." She glanced up at the girl, who still resembled Mike in so many ways, in spite of their differences. "He took me off to th' side and tried to explain you to me."

Shug scrunched her nose. "I'm sure he hates me right now. God, I'm an idiot…"

"I'll admit you've got a real hot temper on you," Kate laughed. "But he doesn't hate you. Nobody does. Family's family, no matter how strange it gets sometimes."

A light tap at the door roused Shug from her unplanned nap. She wiped at her eyes as they focused on the figure entering the room.

Aunt Kate.

"You look tired, hon," the older woman mused quietly. She took a seat on the end of the bed, gently setting a worn old shoebox between herself and the younger girl. "After today's little outburst, I figured it was high time you an'…well, your brother… It's time I showed you both somethin'." Kate nodded at the open door, where Mike seemed to linger in the shadows.

"You ain't gonna headbutt me again, are ya?" he asked flatly.

Sugar cringed. "I'm sorry, Mike."

The other twin sauntered into the room, sporting a large bruise on his jaw. He gracelessly plopped himself onto Clara's bed, directly across from the other two women. "You've got one helluva hard head, I gotta say that."

Kate swatted at the boy's knee. "Don't you start, Michael. She feels bad enough as it is." Mike retorted by sticking his tongue out at her. The woman merely sighed and shook her head. "You haven't changed a bit." She removed the top from the shoebox, placing it behind her on the bed, then tilted the open box where both twins could see it.

"Baby booties," Shug commented quietly. She peered closer and smiled. "Blue."

Mike curiously tugged at a corner of the box. "Are those mine?"

Kate pulled the tiny knit items out of their nest of papers and photos, cradling them gently in her hand. "Your momma couldn't part with 'em when you outgrew 'em."

The boy's eyes boggled and he gaped at the near-mirror image of himself across the way. Sugar shook her head, sharing the same stunned look. She cupped her hands as Aunt Kate dropped the booties into them. "Good grief, they're so tiny!"

Kate fished around among the papers and next brought out an envelope, which she opened to reveal a couple of locks of black hair, each tied with blue ribbon. "You always did have enough hair t' cover a couple of punkins," she said with a nod toward Mike, who smirked and ducked his head.

Shug held fast to the baby booties, fingers running over the stitches. "I didn't realize she saved this stuff." She released a sad sigh. "It was just me an' Mama. …Well, Mike, I mean."

The older woman patted at the girl's knee. "When your momma ended up pregnant, she wasn't sure what she'd do. It was a scary time f'r her." As she returned the locks of hair to their resting place, she removed a couple of old photos, passing them to her nephew. "Then you were born, Mike, an' she found her strength."

Upon sight of the photos, Mike's eyes narrowed at first, then again widened. He rubbed at them and continued staring. "I've seen my baby pictures an' I know that's me, but - Mama?" Holding one of the photos aloft, his eyes darted between the old picture and his twin. "I knew you looked like her, Baby Sister, but I didn't realize how much."

Kate's head shot up suddenly and she gaped at the two of them a moment before the corners of her mouth began to turn up.

Mike gave the pictures to Sugar, who traded the knitted booties for them. Shug caught the look on his face as he marveled at them as much as she had. The photos, however, put her heart in her throat. Going through them gave her a new perspective on what had been her life for so long: First steps, first haircut, so many birthdays… There, printed on old, slick paper, was the image of a smiling, dark-haired woman and her identically raven-haired child, whose grin lacked a couple of teeth. Sugar ran a finger over the colorless image, pausing at her mother.

"I miss her," she whispered.

Mike peeked over the top of Shug's hands and almost coughed out a laugh. "You remember how we lost those teeth?"

Sugar paused a minute, then couldn't help but share in her brother's amusement. "We shouldn't've climbed that tree, huh?"

"She cried with us, then she whupped us - "

"Then she cut off all them lower branches so we wouldn't do it again," Shug laughed. Her eyes met Mike's, which looked…happy.

Aunt Kate quirked her eyebrows curiously. "'We'?"

"We - We're kinda th' same person," Mike stammered as he pointed back and forth between the two of them. "I told you, Micky split us in half."

"One of us just happened t' be a girl," Shug added sheepishly. "We've got th' same shared memories up to a point."

"When we separated," Mike interjected. "Then we kinda…fell into it. Makes it easier t' talk about things." Shug nodded eagerly in approval.

Kate rustled a few more things around in the shoebox, pulling out scraps of paper with various scribbles. Some had crayon scrawl, others were neatly printed in pencil. Yet another was heart-shaped, albeit rather lopsided. Mike and Shug both swapped them between each other cheerfully, every small recollection quickly becoming a treasured memory.

Taking the precious items from the twins, Kate returned them to their place in the shoebox. Through misty eyes, she gave an almost wistful look toward Sugar. "You don't know what it felt like seein' you that first time, Shug. I didn't know what t' think." She wrapped her free hand around the girl's. "I didn't mean t' be so harsh, but I had t' be sure about you."

The girl quirked her eyebrows and shook her head. "Kate, I'm sorry. It was an accident All of it."

She cupped a gentle hand against Shug's cheek. "Don't you ever say you were an accident because you weren't."

"That's my job," Mike snorted. Kate promptly nudged him with her foot. "Hey!"

"Ain't neither of you a mistake," Kate said firmly. "Your momma was blessed t' have you, Michael. I wish she'd been around t' see you both now, though she would've been fit t' be tied with two of you." She offered a wink.

Mike patted the girl's opposite hand. "D'you feel better now?"

"Yeah," Shug nodded. It was surprising the relief she felt. She finally wrapped both arms around the older woman. "Thank you, Kate."

Mike followed suit and they ended up in a group hug. "Yeah, thanks," he chimed.

"My little beanpoles, I swear," Kate laughed.

As Sugar released both her brother and her aunt, she took pause and fixed her gaze into the top of the shoebox one last time. "I think I owe someone else an apology."

Mike nodded and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "It'll be okay."

"I sure hope so," she whimpered as she made her way to the door.

Rain had started to come down in a light sprinkle, which helped cool the hot ground. Unconcerned about the approaching storm, most of the chickens were still outside the hen house, fluffing their feathers in the shower. Seeing them like that was a good indicator to Shug that the rain wouldn't last long.

That didn't make it rain any less, however.

Sugar immediately spied Micky, seated at the edge of the back fence, near the goats' feeding trough. He was aimlessly petting a black and white goat with his left hand, which seemed strange until she got closer. His right hand was bandaged and propped on an ice pack. The sight of it made her gut clench.

"Micky, it's rainin'." Shug chanced speaking to him, though she kept her distance. "You wanna come back to th' house?"

His shoulders heaved and he ceased his scratching of the goat's head, finally meeting the girl's eyes. "You feelin' any better, Shug?" he asked weakly.

The lanky girl froze where she stood, arms limp. She didn't even want to face Micky after her tantrum. As far as she was concerned, hurting him was unforgivable.

He continued. "It's okay. Accidents happen, right?" He offered a half-hearted smile. "Clara patched me up. Told me not to chew on the bandages." He leaned back and propped his head against the fence rail. "Last time we had a serious talk, wasn't it in the rain? I think I'm having deja vu."

"I'm sorry, Mick," Shug said quietly. "I'm so sorry." Somehow, it sounded so…shallow coming out of her mouth. Words couldn't exactly convey just how gutted she felt, having harmed one of her best friends. "It was a reflex an' I… I don't know my own strength an' you don't know how bad I feel for - "

"I deserve it."

She stumbled over her own words. "What? Micky, no!" Shug hurried to take a seat next to him in the wet grass, looping an arm over his shoulder and pulling him close. "No! What makes you think that?"

His head propped next to hers, a mess of curls landing against her cheek. "Well, for starters, I kinda ruined your life."

What stung worse than the statement itself was the tone of voice behind it. Rarely had she ever seen Micky upset or sad; it was something that simply did not happen. His personality was too big, too happy to ever be brought down for long. He was truly at a low.

Shug hated to admit that when the split first happened, it was true. Everything felt utterly ruined and she had never felt so broken and lost. At times she still felt aimlessly adrift and unsure of what to do, but slowly she had begun to cope with the change.

"Don't say that," she whispered, giving his opposite arm a gentle rub. "Ain't nothin' ruined."

Micky persisted. "I hurt you. I tore you in half. Like you said, I shredded your soul into little pieces and it hurt you worse than anything." His voice broke. "I made it bad enough that you had to make up a whole 'nother persona just to function. If anyone's sorry, it's me, Mike."

She cringed and ultimately ended up holding the boy even tighter. "I know. An' it's okay, Micky. It really is."

The boy's injured hand flopped around her gracelessly and he squeezed her as hard as he could. The two of them sat quietly, surrounded by playful goats and getting positively soaked in the downpour.

"We're gonna be alright, Mick," Shug reassured him. "I promise." She felt his head snuggle against her chest and she rolled her eyes, smiling. "Watch it, Dolenz."

"I'm not doin' nothin'," came the muffled, snickering reply.

Shug gently rapped him on the head. "Next time we have a heart-to-heart, we oughta do it somewhere dry."

"Y'know, last time, I got a kiss out of the deal." Micky beamed at her, face drawn into an exaggerated pucker. Shug shoved a palm at him, laughing.

Mercifully, the heavens began to clear. Out of nowhere, Clara's voice cut through the quiet. "Are you two buttheads gonna sit out here all day in th' mud or what?" She stood at the far end of the fenced lot, oversized umbrella in hand. Barbara was by her side, outfitted in what looked like a yellow cape and hat.

Shug rolled her eyes, giggling as she stood. She offered a hand to Micky and assisted him to his feet. "God, we're a mess, ain't we?"

She caught a rather uncomfortable look on the drummer's face before he directed his gaze elsewhere. A quick glance down showed her why. Sugar wasted no time crossing her arms over her chest, embarrassment rising as fast as the color in her cheeks. "Didn't think t' bring my jacket." Clara was swift in offering up her own windbreaker, for which Shug was infinitely grateful. Meanwhile, Micky stared at the calico goat in her custom rain slicker.

"You made a raincoat for your goat," he mused. "A raingoat."

"She don't like gettin' rained on," Clara answered, quite matter-of-factly. Barbara pranced beside her and mewped in agreement. "Unlike you two, apparently."

Shug looked at her fluffy-headed friend and smiled. "Sometimes you gotta get rained on so you can appreciate th' sunshine."

Clara ushered Shug into their currently shared quarters and quickly shut the door behind them. "Don't want you gettin' any sicker'n what you already are," she fussed as she darted to her dresser, first setting down her mug of cocoa, then throwing open two drawers at once. "Momma's special chili can only do so much, y'know?"

"It's okay, Clara. I'll dry off." Shug stood awkwardly near the foot of her bed, arms still folded around herself. She was sufficiently soaked after having been out in the rain and even the slightest breeze raised goosebumps. "Ain't no reason t' fuss."

"It is too," the freckle-faced girl called back. She pulled a lightweight knit blouse from the bottom of one of the open drawers, along with a pleated skirt, tossing them on top of the dresser. "Here, you drink this. It'll warm you up."

Shug instantly found herself with Clara's cocoa in her hands. The warmth of the ceramic mug against her palms felt kind of nice and it certainly smelled good. She took a sip, skillfully dodging a small marshmallow that wanted to stick to the end of her nose.

Clara armed up the clean, dry clothes and looked Sugar square in the eye. "Tell me somethin'… When did you turn into a girl, Mike?"

A good portion of hot cocoa ended up spat out onto Shug's already messy clothes, while some went down her windpipe. She coughed and spluttered, while Clara frantically pounded her hand against the girl's back. Shug finally recovered, taking a seat on her bed.

"How did you know?" Her knees were like gelatin and she was sure her stomach would drop out onto the floor at any moment. "I mean, when did you - Did Mike tell you?"

Clara offered a warm smile. "C'mon, cuz, I know you! It wasn't too hard t' figure out." She ran the toe of her shoe along one of the floorboard seams. "You still talk in y'r sleep, too. That ain't changed, either."

Shug slid the mug onto the night stand and slumped over on the bed. "I'm sorry, Clara. I wanted t' tell you, but we didn't know how you'd take it." She grumbled lowly. "Well, Mike didn't."

The other girl sidled up next to her on the bed, dry clothes still in hand. "Well… At first, I got all excited 'cause talkin' to you was like talkin' to family. Then I realized it was you…"

Shug felt her heart quickly take the place of her stomach. "Clara, I'm not - I'm - erhm…"

The younger girl wasted no time grabbing the older one into a tight hug, wet clothes be damned.

"I know an' it's okay," Clara shushed. "It's just nice t' have you here. I'd love ya even if you turned into a goat." It was such a ridiculous statement that they both laughed through a few shared tears before finally gaining their composure again. Drying her eyes with the end of her sleeve, Clara reached for Shug's shirt buttons. "C'mon, we gotta get you into somethin' dry 'fore you have a relapse."

Wide-eyed, Sugar pushed her cousin's hands away and again curled into a ball. "Clara, it's embarrassin'."

"Why? We've known each other forever."

The other girl clarified. "Not like this. It's different. …I don't like anyone seein'… this." She gestured at her chest and huddled up further. "I accident'ly flashed Micky once after it first happened, so we have rules about clothes an' stuff."

Clara's lips curled into a sly grin as she turned her back toward her cousin. "What'd he say?"

"I don't remember him sayin' anythin', honestly. He just kinda stared at me till I realized what was wrong." Noting the girl's intentional stance, Shug quickly began undoing the buttons on her shirt, which at times felt hopeless thanks to the soppy fabric around them. At last, she dropped the shirt into a pile on the floor and hastily pulled Clara's blouse over her head before the chill got worse. She snickered as she shucked her jeans for Clara's skirt. "I think that's th' quietest he's ever been, save for that one time he lost his voice. We gave him a horn. Probably not th' best idea."

"Can I turn around now?"

Shug nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm good now." She gave her hips a twist and watched the pleats of the skirt dance back and forth. "Huh. Kinda breezy." Amused, she did it a few times more.

Clara's face beamed with approval. "Look at you! You wear those better'n I do!" She poked at her cousin's shoulder. "So you are a girl."

Shug's instinct was to grab at her hair and try to hide behind as much of it as she could. It was apparent that Clara was having none of that, as she rummaged through the top drawer of her night stand and brought out a large barrette, clipping it at the nape of Shug's neck.

"That'll keep it out of th' way till it dries." She clapped her hands gleefully and did a little skip in place. "Peter'll flip when he sees you like that." Her expression suddenly fell and she gaped at the other girl. "Waitaminute - How's that work exactly? I know you're a girl now, but…I mean… You guys are sparkin'. How…?"

"It just does," Shug said with a shrug. "I love him. Love's kin' of a weird thing you don't expect t' fall into."

It was obvious that Clara was staring, eyes running the length of the other girl's body from head to toe. She seemed more than a little perplexed. "How are there two of you? How'd ya twin yourself?"

Shug hung her head. "The word Micky sometimes uses is 'clone'. I'm a copy."

Clara scrunched her nose in disbelief. "But you're a girl. That's not quite identical."

"Ehrm…well…" The older girl nervously tapped a fist against her thigh, shifting uncomfortably on her bare feet. "Micky was tryin' t' help my ego and he accidentally turned me into a girl f'r about a month."

She had to catch her cousin just under the arms as her knees buckled.

"He what?!" Clara's eyes remained rather boggled. "How did you - ? What, did y' just wake up one mornin' an' surprise! Girl Mike!"

Shug could detect a touch of sarcasm in the girl's voice. In spite of it, she answered quite seriously. "Yes."

"Miiiiiiike," Clara whined pitifully. She was close enough to Sugar's face that she looked to be studying it. Every freckle, every scar, every imperfection that she knew belonged to her cousin. "What happened that we end up with two of you?"

"I wish I knew," Shug said, giving her shoulders a shrug. "We thought it was over an' that I'd just go back t' bein' normal. When I woke up, I was still like this an' Mike was wrappin' a blanket around me." As she remembered that terrifying night, she shuddered. Though it had taken place six months in the past, the memory remained. Thankfully, the pain had dulled a little, but it still resided in a corner of her mind that she preferred to never call on. "We argued, we fought… I cried f'r weeks. Still do sometimes."

Clara pushed the girl's long bangs out of her face, draping them over her left ear. "I know it cain't be easy. But you're made of stern stuff. Always have been." She gave her cousin another look, this time smiling. "You're amazin', you know that? If I got turned into a boy, I think I might lose m' mind." With her voice barely above a whisper, Clara leaned closer. "Peter knows, right? Is he okay with it?"

Sugar grasped Clara's hands in both of hers. "Lil' Bit, if it wasn't for Peter, I prob'ly wouldn't even be here."

Clara's smile returned and Shug could see the relief in her eyes as they peered at her over her glasses frames. "Then I approve."

The older girl couldn't help her giggles and subsequent snort. "What're you - You approve? What's that all about?"

"You're family," Clara said firmly, "an' I ain't about t' let you get caught up with someone who ain't no good for ya. I'd do th' same f'r Lucy an' for…boy you." She began backing up, still holding firm to both of Shug's hands, leading her to the door. "C'mon, they're gonna think we died or somethin'."

Bracing her bare feet against the floor, Shug protested. "Clara…"

She persisted. "If you don't come out, I'll send Peter 'n Micky 'n 'em in here after ya!"

"No, really, Clara…" Shug hesitated at the door, hands gently wrapped in her cousin's. "I'm glad you're not all…" She struggled to find an appropriate word, but couldn't. "I'm glad you're not freaked out. It means a lot."

"Daddy always said we Nesmiths were a unique bunch. He had no idea." She gave her cousin a tight hug. "I'm just glad you're okay."