"Is that cookies I smell?" asked Dave with a hungry expression once Cassie had arrived home.

"Yep!" Cassie said, smiling, producing a plastic container filled with cookies. "Gerda made them just for you. That ought to tell you that she likes you. They're fresh out of the oven. She would really like to meet you Monica, but I do understand why you didn't come with me this time."

"I will next time," Monica promised smiling.

"Here, have a cookie, though you should save most of them or you won't want your dinner," Cassie told them teasingly. "Still, I suppose, I'm not one to talk, as I had about half a dozen, before I could stop myself, while Gerda and I were talking."

"These are really good," Aaron said as he took a bite of one of the cookies.

"Yeah, these cookies bring back some happy memories," Cassie said smiling. "Of me, Teri and Rena sitting in the kitchen watching her bake and even helping out occasionally. Gerda does everything from scratch, no mixes."

"That's the way it should be done," Monica murmured approvingly, even as she ate one of the cookies in tiny bites. "Mixes might be convenient, but the cookies don't turn out half as good, as those homemade. A lot of love and time goes into homemade products, which is one thing that makes them better."

"Also the quality of the ingredients," Dave said after he had finished his cookie. "So long as you use high quality ingredients they turn out even better."

"I have to agree," Monica said with a nod at Dave. "Back when we were all born there were no such thing as mixes. Both Dave and I learned to cook the old-fashioned way. Mixes didn't exist until sometime during the Great Depression, though I can't remember the exact year."
"If I remember right from my history lessons that was sometime around the late 1920s and early 1930s," Cassie said.

"That sounds about right," Monica decided. "Anyway, all of us, except for you were alive many centuries before cake, brownie or cookie mix was even a concept, so we just got used to doing stuff the old-fashioned way. It might take more time doing it that way but it's also more delicious."

"Well, you're sweets are certainly delicious so I say keep doing it the way you are," Aaron said.

"I have to agree with Aaron," Cassie said as she tried to resist taking another cookie. "I've tasted some pastries at places like Starbucks and while they're decent they are not as good as homemade."

"Not to mention places like that overcharge for what you get," Dave said with a grimace. "It's not that money matters so much to us, but think about other people. All places like that want to do is make a profit and while there is nothing wrong with making money they could at least be honest. I'm sure they'd still make plenty of money if they didn't overcharge for their second rate desserts."

"They certainly do that," Cassie snorted. "They are everywhere. They make billions every year from coffee lovers around the world."

"I suppose we'd better save the rest of the cookies for later," Aaron said regretfully. The container with the cookies was partly empty, though there was still plenty.

"I think you should, as you won't have room for dinner otherwise," Cassie told Aaron.

"Save some for another day," Monica suggested to her two men. "I know they are delicious but don't be pigs." Monica said this, even as she took a tiny bite out of only her second cookie.

"Unfortunately, the ladies are right," Dave sighed regretfully. "We do get plenty of delicious treats from Monica, so it's not like we are denied scrumptious things to eat on a regular basis."

"I'm sure if people knew how well Monica cooked somebody would try to bribe her away from us," Aaron said. "She could cook for kings and pharaohs and they would gift her with all their lands as a reward."

"I could say the same about Gerda," Cassie said. "I really have to watch what I eat whenever she's making something fattening and hard to resist because it is so delicious."

"Okay, fellas that's enough. Let's not exaggerate," Monica said blushing.

"We're not exaggerating only telling the truth sweetheart," Dave told her kissing her cheek.

The other three changed the subject, since they saw they were embarrassing the fourth member of their group.

~~~Dave, Monica, Aaron, Cassie~~~

Part 2

"Come on, Cassie, we know you can do this," Aaron encouraged hiding his growing anxiety.

The four of them were down in their secret hideaway, the one they went to when they were going to transform into their other forms.

All three of the dracons felt that it was time. That Cassie's body was more than ready to go through it's first transformation. They had all been indulging in quite a bit of sex for nearly a year and everybody but Cassie felt that it was time to test out their theory.

It wasn't even that Cassie didn't believe them, just that she didn't see how it was possible. She wasn't in any way familiar with dracons or what magic could do and the fact, that she had grown up in the modern world didn't help matters. Cassie had begun to realize that her father and mother both had done her and Rena a great disservice. While all three dracons had shown her their forms, they had also tried to convince her that she could be one too. While Cassie didn't argue the other three knew that she didn't really believe, as the people in the century she had grown up in didn't believe in magic for the most part. Because of her deep-seated fears or at least unbelief, and her doubts it was not going to be as easy as it could be.

"You have to truly believe that you can do this," Monica advised. "Believe us, we all know how hard it is for you to get rid of your fears, you're doubts. We all understand that you didn't grow with parents that could also transform, so in your case there was no proof that such things as shifters existed.

"Not until I actually met three shifters anyway and they proved to me that they were actually real," Cassie agreed.

"You have to at least try to believe deep in your heart that you can change forms," Dave told Cassie in a calm tone. He was very anxious, but he didn't allow that be heard in his voice or show in his body language. There was no reason for Cassie to doubt even more that she could transform and he didn't want to influence her in a bad way.

"We know that you grew up in the modern world, but the three of us want you around for the next millennium at least," Aaron said.

"Longer," Dave and Monica said at the same time.

"We love you," Dave added. "We've loved you ever since you walked into our store and we realized you were our last mate."

"It's not just up to us though," Monica said. "While the boys boosted your system, with their seed you have to believe that you can transform. If you don't believe, then that unbelief will hold you back from shifting."

"I'll try," Cassie said. "I want to be around for the next millennium or longer."

"You know that's what we want to," Dave said with a tight smile. "We've explained this to you on several occasions after all, but something inside you is stopping you from taking our words seriously."

"It could be just because she grew up in the 20th-century," Monica suggested. "This is a time of technology not a time of superstitious belief or magic. While she loves you completely, I think it's just hard for her to get her brain around the fact that such a thing as transforming into a dragon is possible."

Cassie who was listening nodded to herself. Monica was right she was holding herself back, just because something inside her didn't want to believe. Instead of just accepting what her mates were saying she had put up block after block. Unintentionally, of course.

Usually she was very confident in herself, but this situation was so impossible...That her subconscious didn't want to believe it, while her conscious brain did. It was her subconscious that was holding her back. Yes, she had grown up in the modern world, which wasn't based on magic or anything supernatural. Apparently, in the past though most people had been very superstitious because they had magic around them every day, even if it was subtle little things. Superstitions had to come from somewhere after all.

Anyone being different back then would've stood out like a sore thumb and likely would've been run out of town or perhaps murdered. People who weren't what was considered normal back then were likely the first suspects when something unusual happened.

The other three watched as Cassie began to meditate, something she had learned in yoga class. Meditation calmed her down, made her relax and made her stop overthinking everything. It also made her doubts fade away. She usually spent at least 15 minutes twice a day in meditation, but hadn't been doing that ever since she had met Dave and Aaron. The two of them were...rather distracting. She had been so caught up in her new relationship that she hadn't been doing her meditation.

Suddenly she felt something she had never felt before, something new...

She looked deep within herself and saw something that she had never seen before. It was somehow her face...And yet, it was not. It had her eyes, the color anyway and somewhat the shape of her face. The difference though was, she was covered in burnished brown scales and she had a snout now instead of a nose and mouth while the rest of her body was long and sinuous. From what she could tell she was about Monica's size, but somewhat bigger because she was taller and had more muscle mass. Monica was a little under average height at least due partially because of the time that she was born and her figure was slim with far less muscle.

Cassie realised suddenly that her mates and Monica had been absolutely correct. She did have a dracon form. She actually shouldn't have doubted them, because now that her doubts had faded for the moment, she knew absolutely they were correct. Correct in the fact, that she would never be a mate to a species that was so long lived unless she could transform as well, something that all three had told her more than once, but her subconscious had kept her from fully believing their words.

She loved them so much that she could never leave them behind as that would devastate the two men in her life. She loved Monica as well, though not in the same way. They would never get over her loss and would feel like they were missing a part of them for however long they lived after she died.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes and when she did they were glowing a soft luminescent gray.

The other three said nothing but the glowing eyes were very encouraging as their species often did that. Dracons had excellent night vision.

"You almost got it," Aaron said softly. "Your eyes are glowing."

"Definitely a good sign," Monica agreed softly.

The three waited patiently as Cassie concentrated not responding to any of the others comments. The 3 weren't even sure that she had heard them.

Quite suddenly Cassie changed swiftly, it not seeming to take any time at all for her to change shape. She did it just as fast as they would have, so that meant that her instincts must've taken over. It was how young dracons changed for the first time, since they did it so young. At just six months, which meant it had to be done on instinct, because they weren't old enough to do it consciously.

"Congratulations!" Aaron, Dave and Monica shouted happily, joyously understandably, very excited that Cassie had managed it much easier than they had believed she would.

The three of them had given her advice and explained to her what it felt like to change, which had hopefully helped her change relatively fast for a first time.

"Now can you change back?" Dave asked.

Cassie seemed to shrug and Dave realized that she didn't know how to change back.

"All you have to do is concentrate on your human form," Aaron who had caught on to what the others were doing said. "It should be instinct, just like it was to transform in the first place."

"Just listen to your instincts," Monica advised.

"Imagine yourself back in your normal form," Dave instructed. "It's really quite easy to do.

"After this, you should have no trouble changing anytime you want."

The brown gold dragon snorted slightly and seemed surprised when smoke came out it's nostrils, but also seemed to be listening closely to the other threes words. It was only seconds later that Cassie's dragon form seemed to shrink quickly until she was human again.

"That was amazing! Astonishing!" Cassie exclaimed as soon as she was back in her human form. "Unbelievable!"

Before she could say anymore she her naked form was being hugged by both Aaron and Dave, as well as kissed throughly on the lips one after the other.

Once the guys were done Monica hugged her as well, kissing her cheek.

"We are so proud of you," Dave said grinning from ear to ear.

"I never believed..." Cassie began.

"We know that you never truly believe that you could do it," Monica said.

"But you let your doubts go, at least enough to transform. Now that you know you can you shouldn't have any trouble doing it on a regular basis," Aaron said.

"The first time is always the hardest," Dave agreed. "Now that you have done so though, just as Aaron said, it should be a snap next time."

Cassie nodded, because Aaron and Dave were absolutely correct. The other three had known her doubts and had warned her that if she didn't let them go then she was going to have trouble.

"I've been skipping my meditation, ever since I met you guys and it always calms me down and helps me get rid of my doubts and fears temporarily. I used to do it twice a day once in the morning after I got up for the day and once at night before I went to bed. Calming myself like that before I went to bed actually helped me sleep better then if I forgot to do it. I learned it in yoga class and I still try to go twice a week,"

"Well you shouldn't forget your meditation then, as you might've been able to transform much sooner if you had been doing it like you should, since that is part of your regular routine," Monica said.

"Your dragon form was already a part of you. As you know, we just boosted your system with the magic that is in our blood and seed," Dave said.

"Well, now, I know you were right," Cassie said shamefaced. "I'm really sorry I didn't believe you."

"It's okay all of us understood your doubts," Monica said.

"Yes, we did," Aaron agreed.

"You didn't grow up as a dracon, but as a human and believe me that made a difference, especially in such a modern age," Dave added as he stood at Cassie's side. "Dracons have long since been forgotten or been regulated to myth or legend and we like it that way."

"I can certainly understand why," Cassie said, even as she snuggled into Dave's arms.

"The point is that it's no wonder you had doubts," Aaron said immediately understanding the point Dave was trying to make. "It's only natural."

"Now that you know you can change..." Monica began

"I should be able to do it easier without dropping into a trance," Cassie finished.

"Exactly," Dave agreed smiling. "It's time to go back upstairs if you're ready to. You can come back down here to transform anytime you feel you need to."

"Sounds good," Cassie said smiling in return.

Actually, if you wanted to get technical her smile could be termed as a wide shit eating grin. She still couldn't quite believe that she had turned into a dragon, but then again, her mates had been right, her dracon form was part of her and she just needed to believe in herself in order to be able to transform. Now that she had she should be able do it next time much easier.

"Actually, I'm starving," Cassie said as her stomach suddenly woke up and let her know she needed to eat.

"I'm not surprised," Monica said smiling gently. "You used a lot of energy transforming for the first time. Next time you transform it won't take as much energy as it did this time, though you'll likely still be hungry after you transform back."

"So let's go get you something to eat," Aaron said, even as he held Cassie close to him, kissing her all over face like he had done just minutes ago.

"I love you too," Cassie said, as soon as Aaron let her go giggling a little.

"We're all so proud of you," Dave said as he came over to give her a long hug and another very through kiss.

By the time Dave was done Cassie was grinning rather goofily.

Monica smiled herself at Cassie's rather goofy expression, as she could definitely relate. Even after all this time her mates could make her stare off into space smiling rather goofily when they kissed her like they had just kissed Cassie. She knew she would always react like that whenever Dave or Aaron kissed her so throughly.

The four of them walked up the stairs, towards the false wall that concealed the room below from anybody not in the know.

Aaron carefully checked the monitors in each room in the house before he slid open the false door just enough for them to slip through.

"I think we should plan a feast to celebrate Cassie success," Monica said already planning the menu in her head.

"There is no need..." Cassie began.

"There might not be any need, but it's something that I and Aaron agree with," Dave told her firmly.

"Think of it like a celebration of your now extended life," Aaron said.

"When you transformed for the first time just minutes ago, it lengthened your lifespan to ours. You never would've been able to transform otherwise," Monica added.

"We've told you before that magic makes up our bodies. Oh, we're flesh and bone and blood and everything, but we're also something much more," Aaron said.

"Something that mostly doesn't exist anymore or at least it is in hiding," Dave said. "That you were able to transform much more easily than any of us had thought possible is a cause for celebration."

"Alright, fine," Cassie said. She knew when she was beaten. Besides, she really didn't mind so she didn't even know why she was arguing.

She didn't believe she'd done anything that special but she knew that her mates and Monica thought differently. How could she possibly deny them their pleasure? At their obvious happiness at having her around for longer then mere 100 years. Though she felt hardly any difference in herself she knew that her life force had been lengthened to infinity and she would no longer grow old at the normal rate. She would in fact stay young for a very, very long time.

"You should always celebrate your accomplishments," Monica told Cassie. "And trust me transforming like you did was a major one. Yes we all know you don't see it that way, but then, you're also not used to the dracon world, the differences from the human one."

"Usually, as you know, baby dracons transform for the first time at six months," Dave said. "It's instinctive since they don't know how to do it themselves yet. If you had been born to at least one dracon parent, one who could actually transform, you would've transformed at six months, as that's the average."

"So that means that you already would've known how to change, never would've doubted for a moment that such things as dracons existed, because you would be one," Aaron said.

"So doing it our way has probably never been done," Cassie said thoughtfully.

"It might happened once or twice, somewhere and probably has," Dave shrugged. "It was a guess on our part, but an educated one."

"Yes, yes I can see that," Cassie said thoughtfully, as they all headed into the kitchen for a snack after making sure that the entrance to the secret underground room was locked securely.

Mere minutes later, she took a bite of the food that Monica had placed before her. Luckily, Monica and Dave both prepared meals well in advance, for situations exactly like the one of a few minutes ago. All four of them were sitting at the large kitchen table and were eating the snack that Monica had prepared quickly.

"We're so proud of you, sweetheart for getting over your disbelief that I think we should take at least a weekend away. Somewhere nice and quiet where we can relax completely."

"Well, it's not like we don't have peace and quiet here you do live on the edge of the city and the nearest neighbor is miles away," Cassie pointed out. "Still, it would be good to get away for a few days. Somewhere romantic where no one knows us and we can just be two couples while in public."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Monica said. "We haven't had a vacation, not even a long weekend in several years at least. Normal everyday life can be very stressful, so it's always good to take a few days away every once in awhile."

"It doesn't help that we always have to be on our guard," Aaron commented not having to elaborate as they all knew what he meant.

"That's true," Dave said agreeing with Aaron's point. "Having to be on guard all the time is stressful in itself, even if it's a stress we're used too."

"So a few days away will help us destress," Cassie said.

"Yes, it will," Monica said. "It would be nice not to have to do the cooking for a change, even if it's only a few days. It will be really nice to eat out at nice restaurants and drink some exotic concoctions bristling with colorful fruit."

"You'll have to close the store for a few days," Cassie said.

"We've done it before," Aaron shrugged. "Even regular mortals take a vacation from their jobs."

"It's not like we can't afford to," Dave said, as he finished his snack.

"Alright then," Cassie said. "I certainly don't mind. I'll just let Rena know that we are taking a vacation and also Teri and Gerda."

Cassie's sister Rena had finally met her two lovers and had started to get to know them. So long as they made her sister happy Rena couldn't object to their relationship, even if it was rather unusual. It turned out that old Gerda had indeed been right. Rena could tell that she was truly in love with both Dave and Aaron and so while she flirted with them lightly it was all in good fun. Rena was also aware of the unusual nature of their relationship as she to had inherited a journal from her father. That wasn't to say she had believed it, just like Cassie hadn't at first, not until the three dracons had transformed in their secret underground chamber just to prove to Cassie's sister that dracons were real. Rena was also strongly warned not to reveal what they were and then all four of them had explained why. Rena wasn't as disbelieving as most people would've been as she was not naïve. She knew in theory anyway that there were plenty of people that would love to kill anyone that didn't fit their idea of normal, so that there was group out there that had been around since the dark ages that was dedicated to killing dracons wasn't really surprising.

Rena had also wondered if she could change as well, but while Dave thought it was possible it wasn't likely unless she was the mate of one of their kind. It had taken awhile for their DNA to boost Cassie's system so that she could change and the fact that that had just been accomplished that very day...

When Rena found out they all knew that she'd be very excited and might even ask more questions about the possibility of her own transformation. Dave would hate to disappoint her, as she was Cassie's sister after all, but as far as he knew it wasn't possible outside the method that they had used for Cassie. Neither he or Aaron were about to have sex with her, as that would be a betrayal of both Cassie and Monica

"I'll start to make arrangements then," Dave said. "Any preferences? It's your choice Cassie, as the three of us have been to many places over the centuries. We've lived in a lot of places and not just in the States."

"Somewhere warm and sunny," Cassie said.

"A beach sounds like the perfect vacation," Monica agreed with a smile.

"We could even go to one of those nude beaches," Cassie suggested with a distinct twinkle in her eyes.

"We've never done that," Aaron commented with a grin, as he imagined both Monica and Cassie nude, as they walked along beach with he and Dave just as naked beside them. He could imagine the admiring glances from both males and females.

"I'd be to embarrassed to show my face in a place like that," Monica said blushing.

"Come on honey, it will be fun," Dave said with grin warming up to the idea. "Imagine all the men throwing you and Cassie admiring glances and also jealous looks at Aaron and I because we have two of the most beautiful women in the world.

"And vice versa of course," Cassie added with a smile of her own.

"Well..." Monica said.

"Come on sweetie break out of your comfort zone," Aaron urged her.

"If you're not comfortable after you have tried it we won't force you to go back," Dave promised. "Let's call it an experiment. You have a gorgeous body and should be proud to show it off, not embarrassed."

"It's something we have never tried," Aaron added in a wheedling tone. "Sure, we'e been naked plenty of times but not in front of strangers."

"We all need to try new things occasionally," Dave added. "You know what boredom does to us."

"Nude beaches are relatively new, once standards changed," Cassie added. "It's only been since the late 20th century that such things have existed. I've always wanted to go to one, but I never wanted to go by myself. Now that I have you two I want to show you off and let other women envy me that you're all mine and can't be enticed away from me just because some women shows you her boobs."

"No other woman holds a candle to you or Monica," Aaron said truthfully.

"I absolutely agree," Dave added with a smirk.

"Alright," Monica finally gave in the red having faded from her cheeks. "You're right that we all need to try new things occasionally. I'm still not sure I can do this, but I'll give it a try. It's only fair that we try to do something that our newest mate wants us too, as we all do things that we want to on occasion and the others agree to give it a try."

"I think you'll find that you'll enjoy yourself once you get used to walking on the beach with no clothes, bathing suit or otherwise," Cassie suggested with a smile for Monica. "You should be proud of your body, as you have a fine one and you should let others admire it, even if they can't actually touch. You should have confidence in your desirability."

"You have to remember when Monica was born," Dave reminded Cassie. "There was no such thing as nude beaches back then. No woman that was a lady would have even thought about doing something like that. While all of us have changed considerably from when we were originally born they are some things that are more deeply ingrained. None of us, except for you, were born in this century."

"I hadn't thought about it that way, but you're right," Cassie agreed. "I'm glad you're at least willing to give it a try Monica. If you find that you are not comfortable once you try them at least you would have tried. There will be plenty of other things to see and do wherever we decide to go, though the French Riviera gets my vote."

"If that's where you want to go then the French Riviera it is," Dave agreed.

"If we all enjoy ourselves then we can try this again at some point," Cassie said.

"We'll see," Aaron said cautiously.

"Yeah, there's no point in getting ahead of ourselves," Cassie agreed calmly. "None of us have been to a nude beach, even if I've been wanting to go for several years."

"But you didn't want to go alone," Dave said repeating what Cassie had said earlier.

"It just doesn't seem like the type of place that you go without a partner or at least a boyfriend," Cassie shrugged.

"You know plenty of women go just to meet guys," Aaron said with a smirk. "Perhaps have an affair."

"It's hardly an affair if those woman and men are unattached," Cassie replied right back.

"You know that there are women that often have affairs at places like that," Dave putting in his two cents. "That's what I've heard anyway."

"I know," Cassie agreed. "They're also predators at places like that, which is one of the reasons I'd feel better if I had a partner. You might never run into one of those predators, but you also never know. There are plenty a handsome guys at places like that that will woo you and then leave you broken hearted and possibly penniless. While I'm not usually suspectable to that kind thing..."

"One of them could latch onto you if they learn you have money," Monica said.

"Even if you don't say anything some people are smart enough to figure out that you're wealthy or at least well enough off to take expensive trips and stay at an expensive hotel."

"Unfortunately, that's not uncommon in today's society," Dave said soberly understanding Cassie point. "Those type of people are much less likely go after a married woman. I'll start making arrangements. We'll be staying at one of the finest hotels as close to the beach as possible, but since it's their on season most hotels near the beach are going to be packed."

"Just see what you can find," Monica advised. "It doesn't have to be one of the most expensive hotels down there, just so long as it's not a roach infested one."

"No, I would never book us into a place like that," Dave chuckled knowing he was being teased.

"No, you definitely have better taste then that," Aaron said with amusement clear in his tone. "And we can certainly afford better."

"Yes, he does," Monica agreed with a smile at the byplay.

~~~Dave, Monica, Aaron, Cassie~~~