The early morning sun rose over the Florida Everglades, a faint mist from the night's rain hanging over the landscape. In one house, a long walk from any other, the occupants were beginning to wake.

Doctor Curtis Connors and Doctor Vincent Stegron.

This was their eighth and final day at the Connors' Florida Home, the plan being to leave mid-morning, and be back in New York four days later. Two weeks he'd be separated from Martha, and Billy once they returned. Seven days worth of learning to come to terms with what he was, and what it meant. And…if he were to be honest with himself, he felt fine now. Pushing himself up to sitting, the early morning sun coming through the window to be soaked up by all his green scales.

"Ah." He chuckled quietly once he was warmed up, and more alert. Enough to realise that he'd spent the night sleeping above the covers rather than below as he usually did.

A few minutes later and he was ready, ready to start the day's work before they headed back to New York.

[+]

"Ssso how'sss thisss experienccce been?" Stegron asked him once breakfast was done.

"To be honesst. It'ss been, pretty good." Connors admitted, smiling as best as his stiff snout would permit. "I actually do feel quite, alive."

"Sssee?" Stegron held back a laugh. "Didn't I sssay that thisss isss sssomething that you'd come to appreccciate?"

"Don't presss your luck. I may have become rather a lot more comfortable with thiss than I wass." He spread his arms to display that like Stegron, he too was currently devoid of clothing, though his action had some humour in it. "And I am coming to termss with thiss sside of me." Connors paused a moment as he sat down opposite Stegron.

"After all that wass the problem, wassn't it? Sseeing The Lizard asss being a sseparate entity, and not ssimply being a part of me." That had been the hard part to admit. Not least to himself. "Back to point, it'ss been nicce, our time here, being able to relax like thiss, and jusst uss sspending ssome time together away from work. But thiss issn't how I intend to pressent mysself from now on."

He held up a hand to cut Stegron off before he could make a retort. "Nor do I intend to be asss I wass before. Thiss, I'll sstart making time for, when there'ss the privacy for me to do it."

"I might have to ssstart inviting you to my flat more often then." Stegron didn't hold back his laughter this time.

"That would be nicce." Connors replied, more than relieved that his old friend was beginning to open up a little. "And maybe in the Ssummer, me and Martha could sspend a little while in the woodlandss." He added, turning his head to look in its direction despite the wall being in the way.

Stegron didn't say anything in response. Inwardly, he was pleased that Connors was starting to accept himself as what he was, instead of trying to be what he used to be.

"And in the final analyssiss, thiss iss for the besst." Connors continued. "I mean, I've been thinking about thiss for a while now. How much worsse it could be."

"Excussse me?" Stegron didn't like it when Connors went off on these tangents.

"Imagine, had thiss," he pointed to his face. "been reverssed, and there had been a consstant back-and-forth. I'm, not ssure I even want to know what that could've done."

"Pleassse, don't go there." Stegron cut in. "You'll likely find it'sss not a good thing to conssstantly worry about thessse what-ifsss. Essspecially the depressssing onesss."

"Ssorry about that." Connors apologised. "Lasst one I promisse. Or if, let'ss ssay, I flushed my attemptss to find a meanss to reversse it down the drain, and a group of normal lizardss, and the likess in the ssewerss and sstorm drainss, ingested it?"

"What? A bunch of them become like you? And ssstart calling you, Father? Or sssomething like that?" Stegron did find that one to be funny at least, something shared by Connors as he held a hand to his snout.

"Yess…I ssuposse that would be, quite ridiculouss." A couple of moments passed as they laughed at the idea Connors had put into their heads.

"Well." Connors rose once he calmed down. "There'ss a few thingss that need to be done before we can head back to New York. May asss well get sstarted."

[+]

The Power turned off, everything locked up tight, the interior hidden, the car packed and ready with all their belongings they'd brought with them, Stegron waiting outside for Connors as he took one last look around to be sure he'd forgotten nothing.

Satisfied that everything was in order, Connors put his shoes on for the first time in over a week, the feeling of the material pressing against his feet a little unsettling, which he chalked up to being a result of the time he'd spent barefoot. Picking up the keys, he joined his Saurian friend outside, locking the door for the next few months before heading to the car, not immediately noticing the stifled laugh coming from Stregon.

"Iss, ssomething the matter?" Connors couldn't help but ask when he did see it, just before opening the car door.

"No. Not really." Stegron replied after an effort, his back to Connors as so to slide his tail into the car before the rest of him followed. Connors doing likewise before the engine purred to life and they began their long ride back. "It'sss jussst, having sssaid that that'sss not how you will presssent yourssself, that'sss exactly what you're doing right now."

"What?" What was Stegron talking about? This was the thought that dominated Connors as he checked himself over, wondering just what Stegron could find so hilarious about him. Except of course for being a man-sized lizard, the breeze caressing his scales.

What?

Acutely aware that something was off, he checked himself over. A green scaled hand, on the car roof, those same scales running up his arms, down his torso, and across his legs and tail.

And nothing to cover them with.

"Sstegron!" Connors near-screeched. Snorting laughter, his only response.