It was almost 1 AM, but still, Samantha couldn't sleep. Her mind was restless. After a while, she quietly shifted out of bed, put on a robe, and started down for the kitchen. Maybe a cup of chamomile tea would aid her sleeplessness.

As she descended the stairs, she noticed that the light was on in the kitchen.

I guess either Darrin or I forgot to turn it off.

But when she reached the doorway, she saw that this was not the case. Someone was in the kitchen. Completely taken aback, she shrieked.

"Mother, what are you doing here?!" This she tried to loud-whisper, hoping not to wake Darrin as her heartrate returned to normal.

Endora was kicking back at the kitchen table in a stylish dressing gown by Aubert of Paris, sipping from a Royal Copenhagen teacup and browsing through the latest edition of Vogue. She looked nonchalantly up from the magazine.

"Oh, hello, Samantha. What are you doing up at this hour, darling?"

"What are you doing in my kitchen at this hour?"

"Reading about the rise of miniskirts. If I were a couple centuries younger, I think I'd like to wear them myself. By the way, this tea you have in your cupboard is fantastic. Where did you get it?"

Samantha huffed and shook her head. "Mother, you know what I mean."

"Oh, fine. If you must know, I was at a party in Rothenburg and it ran rather late. I needed a nice, relaxed place to unwind before bed, and I thought here would be perfect, now that What's-His-Face is insentient."

Sam was too tired to make a big deal out of this. "Oh, alright," she caved, "But next time, give me some warning. You scared me half to death."

"I thought you'd be asleep."

"Well I wasn't."

Sam yawned and proceeded to pour some water in the kettle for herself (Endora had heated hers with magic). After turning on the stove, she pulled up a chair across from her mother.

"What's the matter, darling?" Endora asked. "Can't sleep?"

Sam shook her head wearily. "No." She yawned again.

"Does Donald snore too loud?"

"Nooo. It's just that… Well, there's this rumor going on about Darrin and I just feel awful about it."

"Oh? What kind of rumor?"

"I can't tell you. You'll have a field day."

"Oh, come now. Of course you can tell your ma-ma."

Samantha caved and told. And Endora did have a field day. Just like Sam knew she would. She was afraid her mother would wake Darrin with her laughing.

"Mother, it's not funny," she said, still trying to be quiet. Well, actually it was funny, but, eh, you know. "Even I was stupid enough to believe it for a while. I gave him such a hard time… I just feel terrible. I wish there was something I could do to help him."

Endora suddenly looked thoughtful. "Samantha, have you ever heard of the Manly Potion?"

"The Manly Potion? What's that?"

"It's exactly what the name suggests- a potion that makes one more manly when ingested. When I was young, it was very popular for the young warlocks to use on themselves to try and impress witches they fancied. It seems it's mostly forgotten these days, though."

"Are you suggesting…?"

Endora nodded. "That's exactly what I'm suggesting. Let's use it on Durwood and show everyone spreading this gossip they're wrong. It'll make him so macho, no one would ever dream he could be, ahem, light in the sneakers."

"You want to help Darrin?!" Sam was so shocked that she ignored her mother's botching of the expression. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Well, I did date Bob Frasier in your body last month and give him quite a shock. It's the least I could do to make up for it."

"I couldn't do that, Mother. Darrin would… Well, he'd never approve!"

"Well, he doesn't have to know, does he?"

"I promised him no witchcraft in this house. I'd feel like I was betraying him."

"And how well has that promise held up?" Endora asked sarcastically, then added, "You do want to help poor Dabney, don't you?"

Samantha looked conflicted. "Ohhhh, alright!" she said at last.

Endora smiled. "That's my gal!" A huge book suddenly appeared on the kitchen table, and she immediately began searching the pages. "Ah, here it is!" she said after a minute. "The Manly Potion. We'll need to simmer these ingredients in a saucepan…"

Samantha yawned as she set the table for breakfast. She'd stayed up half the night mixing the Manly Potion in the kitchen with her mother, and she was exhausted.

Fortunately, they'd happened to have all the ingredients for the potion right there in the house, which included beer, barbecue sauce, a cigarette, a picture of a bikini model (which they found in Endora's Vogue), and Viagra. The Viagra had been a bit hard to come by until, by chance, Endora stumbled upon a bottle Darrin's dad left in the guestroom during his last visit. The hardest ingredient to aquire, however, was one of Darrin's facial hairs. Sam's heart nearly gave out from the nerves trying to clip it from her sleeping husband's face at 1:30 AM without waking him. Endora had offered to do it for her, but Sam knew that waking up to his mother-in-law standing over him with a pair of nail clippers would be quite a shock for Darrin, a shock he would not take kindly to.

The fruit of the two witches' labor now sat completed in a saucepan on the stove. The finished potion was surpisingly clear, watery, and odorless. If Darrin happened to find it, he'd think it was just water. In order for the potion to work, Darrin would have to drink it, so Samantha planned to make his coffee using the potion instead of water. Endora had assured her that it was completely tastless and he would never know the differnce. According to the book they'd used for instructions, the Manly Potion was a slow-acting potion. The effects would be seen within twelve hours after ingestion.

Sam finished making two pour-over coffees in matching cups- one with the potion and one without- just as Darrin came downstairs, fixing his collar.

"Ready for breakfast?" Sam asked him.

"Yup."

She served him his oatmeal and milk. Then, after making sure she was giving him the right cup, she placed the potion-laced coffee in front of him, taking the other for herself.

"Thanks, honey," Darrin said. "Oh, do we still have any of those strawberries?"

"I think so. Let me get them." Sam turned toward the refrigerator.

Had her back not been turned, she would have seen Darrin lean over and take a look at her coffee, then observe his own. He noticed there was slightly more coffee in her cup than in his, and, because he was greedy and wanted the bigger share, he switched them before she could turn back around.

"Here they are." Sam put the container of strawberries on the table and sat down across from Darrin. She covered her mouth and yawned, then took a long sip of coffee. She sure needed it this morning.

"You look tired today." Darrin commented. "Didn't you sleep well?"

"No. I didnt sleep till after two in the morning. This coffee will wake me up though."

"You know what?" Darrin said. "Last night before I fell asleep, I had a great idea on how we could get rid of this stupid rumor."

"Oh?" Sam knew secretly that she already had that issue taken care of, but whatever else Darrin had in mind couldn't hurt.

"I have to warn you, though, it's a little bit extreme, and it'll need both our participation."

"What is it?"

"See, we're having another staff meeting today. The entire staff will be in Larry's office at noon. But Larry told me yesterday that he has a doctor's appointment this morning and won't be in till noon, when the meeting starts. I was thinking…" Darrin paused nervously, then went headlong into his crazy suggestion. "…What if you and I made out in Larry's office, right before the meeting when everyone's about to come in? They'll walk in on us passionately necking and see that I most certainly cannot be gay."

"MAKE OUT IN LARRY'S OFFICE?! In front of everyone?"

Darrin rubbed the back of his neck. "Like I said, it's a bit extreme, but I really think it will help to debunk this rumor. It'll prove that I'm not gay."

"But how are you going to explain me being there in the first place?"

He shrugged. "We'll say you brought me lunch."

"I don't know… Planned public displays of intense affection aren't really what I signed up for. Won't you get in trouble? I mean, can't Larry fire you for that?

"No. He might be miffed, but he's not going to fire me, as long as we keep it G-rated."

"Oh, swell," Samantha said dryly. This was nuts.

"Come on, Sam," Darrin coaxed. "To make up for it, I'll take you to dinner. Or buy you whatever you want. Your choice."

"Oh, alright," Samantha finally agreed after a long pause. "I'll do it."

"Perfect." Darrin leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "I really appreciate this, sweetheart," he said earnestly.

Sam shook her head and smiled. "The things I do for you. What time should I be there?"

"Can you be at the agency at 11:45? I'll be in Larry's office. He always leaves it unlocked. Meet me there, okay?"

"Larry's office at 11:45. Got it."

"Great. And remember, we have to really go to town. We gotta show 'em that I unmistakably like women."

"Okay," Sam said with a laugh. "Maybe I should pop in instead of driving. It would be more discreet."

"Oh, no, you don't! You know how I feel about that kind of thing. Look, it seems silly that I should drive into the city by myself, then have you make the same drive just a little while later. Why don't you come with me now? You can hang out in the city until the time comes. Do some shopping, grab a tea."

"It does make more sense. Alright, I'll come." She finished her last two spoonfuls of oatmeal, then looked down at her casual blouse and slacks. "I'd better change into something more suitable if I'm coming with you," she said, rising to her feet. "Hold on, I'll be right down." She gulped down the last of her coffee and hurried upstairs to ready herself.

The coffee had a touch of odd, mild aftertaste today. The half-and-half was probably beginning to go off. Fortunately, Darrin hadn't mentioned anything about his tasting any different. Samantha was positive he didn't suspect a thing.

Approximately four hours later, Samantha and Darrin were in Larry Tate's office, sucking the lips off each other's faces with abandon. Samantha was in Darrin's lap, Darrin was holding onto her almost lewdly. His eyes were closed. It was the perfect display of fervid snogging. Sam glanced over at the clock on the wall as best she could with Darrin tickling her tonsils with his mucoid tongue. It was twelve on the dot. Any second now, the entire McMann and Tate staff would walk in on their staged makeout sesh.

Thing was, it was a bit hard to get into it when a) it was staged, and b) you knew ten people would be goggling at you within seconds. Sam tried to imagine that she and Darrin were alone, maybe on that humid night two years ago- still during their courtship- when they had made out behind the huge dumpster in the park. She tried to relieve it all in her mind, tried to feel it. The moist grass beneath her, Darrin slobbering on top her. The stink of the dumpster's rotting contents steaming in the balmy August heat as things got particularly- ahem- heated.

Seemingly without warning, the door was thrown open and in clamored Larry and nine chattering McMann and Tate employees. Who promptly went dead silent and stopped right in their tracks.

Oh, boy, here goes, Sam thought. Why did I ever agree to this?

"Oh, my God!" somebody finally screamed. "He's making out with a MAN!"

Similar cries followed.

"He really is gay!"

"He's kissing a DUDE, man!"

What?!

Samantha suddenly realized that she felt different. She looked down at herelf. She looked different too! For one, she was wearing a man's suit. She'd been so wrapped up in her imagining that she hadn't noticed.

At the same time, Darrin finally opened his eyes, which instantly popped to the size of beach balls. He screamed and pushed her away so hard that she fell and landed flat on her back on the floor.

Sam pawed at herself as she scrambled to sit up. Something definitely felt different. This didn't feel like her body. She scrambled to her feet and whirled around to face the decorative mirror on the wall. One look, and she ran out of the office screaming. The scream that came out of her sounded alien and abnormally deep- not her voice either!

Oh, my stars. Oh, my fucking stars.

She had turned into a man.

Back in Larry's office, Darrin was left with his ten colleagues and their appalled stares, looking equally appalled himself. He had no clue what had just happened. One second he'd been making out with Samantha, the next there was an awfully familiar-looking, blond-haired, green-eyed man in her place. Could it be…?

Without another thought, Darrin lurched out of the chair, shoved past his stupefied coworkers, and ran out the door.

"Waaaaaait!" he yelled.

He finally found the blond man standing outside the building by the sidewalk, his back to the wall, staring glassily ahead of himself like he'd just seen a village blown up in Vietnam.

"Sam!" Darrin called, running over to the man. "Samantha, that's you, isn't it?"

The man turned to Darrin.

"D-Darrin…" he stuttered, "I'm a man. I turned into a man."

"So it is you, then!"

"Yes, it's me! I'm Samantha! Oh, this is all my fault…"

Now that Samantha was looking right at him, Darrin could see that it was definitely her. This man was like the identical twin brother Sam never had. The eye shape, the eye color, the exact same shade of hair, the snub nose. Even the mole on her right temple. It was fascinating.

"What do you mean it was your fault? We both know your mother had to have done this just to HUMILIATE me! I'm gonna pulverize that little-"

"No, no," Samantha interrupted, "It WAS my fault! I…" She faltered.

Darrin squinted at her as if he were starting to understand.

"What did you do?"

Obviously nervous, she didn't say anything.

"Saaaaaam…"

"I-I wanted to help get rid of this rumor. So…." She took a deep breath, then spilled. "So, last night, while you were sleeping, I mixed up this Manly Potion that would make you so macho, no one could possibly believe you were gay. I put it in your coffee this morning, but I must have switched the cups! I must have drank it instead! Please don't be upset. I just wanted to help. I felt so bad for you, after the way I freaked out at you, and everyone spreading gossip about you…"

She left out that her mother had had any part in it, hoping to keep Endora on Darrin's good side as much as possible.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Darrin closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "Oh, boy… That's why you were so tired this morning."

"Please don't be upset."

"Sam, look," Darrin said, "This is my fault too. I switched our coffees this morning when you weren't looking."

"What? Why?"

The adman looked embarrassed. "Because your cup had more," he mumbled.

"What? I can't hear you."

"Because your cup had more!"

"Darrin! You greedyguts! I thought I poured them equally, but if you wanted more you could have just asked!"

"I'm sor- "

"Thank to you, I'm a man! A MAN!"

"Alright, honey, let's not fight. The last thing we need now is to argue," Darrin said rationally. He looked her right in the eyes. "I'm sorry I switched the cups," he said earnestly, "It was selfish of me. I sure didn't know it was gonna lead to this."

"And I'm sorry I tried to give you that potion," Sam said more tranquily. "I know you don't allow witchcraft in our house."

"Look, I appreciate you trying to help. It means you care. But mishaps like these are exactly why I don't want you doing witchcraft."

Samantha looked down at herself. "I don't know how I'm gonna get myself out of this one." She sat down glumly on the bench behind them that was pushed up against the office building. Darrin joined her.

"You don't know how to reverse this spell?" he asked.

"No. Simple spells and hexes are easy to reverse, but potions are different. There's usually an antidote that you have to drink or rub all over yourself or something, but I have no idea what the cure for this one could be. Even worse, some of them are time potions, which means there is no antidote. You just have to wait for them to wear off."

"Hmm… Is there anyone you know who would know what the antidote might be?"

"Well… Mother would, probably."

Darrin sighed and made a face. He was never thrilled about having his mother-in-law in the house.

"Fine. If she's gonna help get you out of this male body, then fine."

Sam slumped forward in despair. "Oh, Darrin, what did I get myself into? And you too. Everyone saw…"

Darrin put his arm around her (Her? His?) sturdy, muscular body.

"Don't worry, honey. We'll get you back to normal. Your mother will know what to do." Then he added, "And I'll find some way to explain what they saw," although he didn't sound entirely confident.

Just then some guy walking past them on the sidewalk gave them a funny look.

"What?" Darrin snapped at the guy. "He's my little brother! He's going through a tough time!"

They both watched until the guy was far ahead.

"Ugh…" Samantha groaned, still looking at the dude. "Alright. Let's go home and I'll call Mother. But first, I need to use the little witches' room."

And before Darrin could stop her, she got up and waltzed right into the public ladies' W.C. next to them, a door over from Darrin's office building. As soon as she'd disappeared through the door, Darrin heard a chorus of screams erupt from inside.

"AAAACK!"

"PEEPING TOM!"

"You oughtta be ASHAMED of yourself, sonny!"

Sam stalked back out within three seconds of her entry, rubbing her mussed head. Apparently someone had bopped her one with a purse.

"I mean the warlocks' room!" she gruffed, then vanished into the other door.

However, she left the men's even more quickly than the ladies', her eyes the size of basketballs.

"I-I think I'll just wait till we get home," she stammered. Darrin couldn't help but detect the ever-so-slightly traumatized edge to her voice.

"This Manly Potion, it isn't a time potion, is it?"

"Oh, no. The time potions are always marked with an hourglass symbol. Like this one here, see? There has to be a cure for it. Just keep looking."

Endora and Darrin were sitting in the living room, poring through several witchcraft books that were piled on the coffee table in disarray. Unfortunately, Endora had not known the antidote for the Manly Potion, but she insisted that if they just kept looking through her books, they would find the answer.

"Hold on a moment," Darrin said after another minute of searching, "I'm gonna go check on Sam."

He walked over to the closed bathroom door and knocked gently.

"Honey? You doing okay in there?"

It was several long seconds before Darrin heard a response.

"Darrin," said the masculine voice full of apprehension, "I don't know how to tell you this but… it's even on the ceiling!"

"What?!" Darrin exclaimed. "I TOLD you not to try it standing up!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Oh, boy…"

"Sweetheart…. can't I please just clean it with… you know? Just this once?"

"No! 'You know' is what got us into this mess in the first place! I'm getting the cleaning supplies!" He marched off to get the paper towels and disinfectant spray.

"Can you get some wood cleaner for the walls too?" Sam called from behind the door.

A minute later, Sam cracked the bathroom door open and Darrin slid the cleaning supplies inside. Then he went back to the living room, where Endora was sitting on the couch with an open book on her lap. She observed her son-in-law with a dry, piercing look.

"No comment," she said. But before Darrin could say anything to her, her eyes lit up. "I found it! I found the antidote!"

Darrin dashed to sit next to her and peered anxiously over her shoulder.

"Where?!"

"Right here." Endora pointed. "It says the antidote for the Manly Potion is a simple cup of Japanese warlock tea. Oh, that makes it easy!" She clasped her hands together triumphantly.

Samantha came rushing out of the bathroom with a wad of damp, yellowed paper towels in each rubber glove.

"You found the cure?!"

"We found the cure," her mother assured her, "It's Japanese warlock tea. I'll pop over to Tokyo and get some right now."

Sagging forward, Samantha sighed in immense relief. "Thank goodness!"

"Luckily I know a warlock in Tokyo who sells the tea and always gives me a discount," Endora said to Darrin. She stood up and zapped herself into a coat. "I'd better go. Samantha, darling, would you like to come with me?"

Sam motioned at herself as if to say "Have you seen me lately?!"

"No!" she exclaimed.

Endora shrugged. "We can always tell people you're my nephew."

"No," Sam said again, "Thanks, but no."

"Alright, suit yourself," Endora replied. Then she put her hands on Samantha's shoulders and took a good look at her. "You know," she said thoughtfully, "I've always wondered what my son would look like, if I'd had one. I guess I get to see now. You're quite handsome, actually."

"Errrf," Samantha grumbled and looked away.

"I'll be off now. Don't worry, darling. I'll be back in no time."

Endora raised her arms and popped out.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," Darrin said once Endora was gone, "Your mother will be back with the tea before you know it. Want to watch some TV while we wait for her? Bell, Book, and Candle is on." He patted the spot on the couch next to him.

"Alright," Samantha said and plopped down next to him. She couldn't think of anything better to do.

"Um, honey?" Darrin said a few minutes into the movie. "Could you please not sit so close to me? It makes me a little… uncomfortable."

Sam let out a puff of exasperation that went unnoticed by Darrin. Begrudgingly, she scootched a few inches to the side.

She figured her mother wouldn't be any longer than, say, ten minutes. How long could it take to pop somewhere and back for a quick purchase?

But she was wrong. Fifteen minutes later, Endora still wasn't back.

So maybe I'm being a little rigid. Ten minutes is hardly any time at all. Besides, she can't possibly be much longer.

But another ten minutes passed, and still nothing. Sam turned to her husband, who was beginning to close his eyes sleepily.

"Darrin, don't you think Mother should have popped back by now?"

"I figured she was doing some extra shopping over there," Darrin responded with a shrug.

"She didn't say she was going to."

"Look, honey, don't worry about it. I'm sure she'll be back any time now. You're just feeling more imptatient than usual 'cause you want to get out of that body."

"I suppose," Samantha replied, none too confidently.

"Just try to relax," Darrin said.

He closed his eyes again. A few more minutes, and Samantha was positive he was asleep. But then he spoke one more time.

"Oh, I'm just warning you: If you fall asleep, you might wake up with a morning woody. It's not uncommon." This he said without ever once opening his eyes.

Samantha grimaced dramatically. "Thanks for the warning."

Darrin began to snore. Within minutes, he was asleep for sure. But Samantha couldn't rest. She couldn't concentrate on the television. She didn't even want to sit still. Why the hell was her mother taking so long? The waiting was too much. She had to do something with her anxious energy. So she decided to go for a walk. Outside, twilight was already falling.

"Darrin," she whispered, nudging her husband's shoulder. He didn't wake up, so instead she scribbled a quick note and left it where he would see it upon waking. After going upstairs and selecting one of Darrin's sweaters to wear (the tan pullover with two wide brown stripes stemming from each shoulder) she stole away out to the quiet sidewalk.

Kermit, commercial artist for McMann and Tate, was out for an evening stroll with a friend when he saw the man.

"…So you rub the turkey all over with half a stick of butter," his friend was saying, "And some lemon juice, and some salt and pepper. Then you put it in the oven at- "

"Hey, Joey," Kermit interrupted, elbowing him, "Look at that man."

Joey looked in the direction Kermit was pointing, where a lone man was walking across the street from them, further ahead. The sun was almost down and the man's back to them, so he couldn't see much detail, but when he passed under a streetlight they could see that he had fair hair and wore a tan sweater.

"What about him?" Joey said.

"He's gay, isn't he?" Kermit responded.

"Um, yeah, I guess he looks gay." Why was Kermit stopping everything for this?

"You guess? Look at the way he walks- he walks like a girl! And his dainty little mannerisms and the way he keeps slicking back his hair. That's a funnyboy if I've ever seen one."

"So?" Joey said. He still wasn't sure why his friend was making a stink out of this. So what if the guy was gay? It was a free country.

"Wait a minute," Kermit said, "There's something I wanna tell him."

Before Joey could stop him, he practically took off running towards the blonde man.

"Hey, there, fella," Kermit said once he reached the man. A breathless Joey was right behind him.

"Kermit, what are you do- ?"

"Shh! I know what I'm doing." He addressed the presumably gay man again. "Hey, man."

The man, who initially seemed to have been ignoring them, finally turned around to face them, looking extremely nervous and awkward.

"Look at that," Kermit said to no one in particular, "That's perfect. He's got a pretty face too. What's your name, man?"

"Uh…" The blonde man's voice was shaky. "Samson Carver." He didn't sound too sure of himself.

"Samson Carver," Kermit repeated. Then he leaned observantly closer to the guy, and it seemed a sudden thought hit him. "Say… you're not related to Samantha Stephens, are you?"

"No!" Mr. Carver responded immediately. It almost sounded either like he'd taken that as an insult, or like he was scared. Kermit couldn't be sure.

"Well," Kermit cleared his throat, "Samson. You're gay, aren't you?"

"Kermit!" Joey hissed. "Rude!"

"G-gay?" Samson stuttered, like he didn't have a clue what he was doing. "I'm not gay!"

"Aw, come on, buddy. You don't have to hide it with us. We're very inclusive people. Anyways, it's obvious. The way you walk, the way you talk."

Samson looked at the pair like they were weirdos and turned around like he was about to walk off, but Kermit stopped him again.

"Look," he said, grabbing Samson's elbow, "The only reason I ask is because, see, I have this gay friend at work. Darrin Stephens. He just came out. And I think it's about time he got himself a nice boyfriend." At this point, Kermit thought he saw a look of shock briefly cross Samson's eyes, but he wasn't sure if he'd just imagined it. "Then I saw you. And I thought to myself, hey, why don't I set Darrin up with this guy!"

"I, uh…"

"What do you say? You wanna go on a date with my buddy Darrin?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea. I'd really better be going now-"

"Come on, buddy. What do you have to lose? Darrin's a great guy."

Samson rolled his green eyes and let out a loud breath.

"You won't regret it! I can already tell you'll get along. He has a sweater just like that. You have similar tatses."

"Oh, fine. I'll do it."

Kermit clapped his hands together. "Great! Now, I was thinking, how about Friday night at Walter's Restaurant, seven o'clock? Does that work for you?"

As Samantha walked home, minutes after Kermit had finally decided to leave her alone, she was full of fury. That Kermit! She'd thought he was a gentleman! He knew Darrin was married, and still he had the nerve to go and set him up on a date with someone else! Knowing Kermit, she knew that this set up was probably all a joke to him, meant to be more of a prank than anything. Still, she felt pissed and betrayed. She didn't think she'd be able to look at Kermit the same for a long time.

When Kermit and his friend had stopped her on the street and she'd realized she'd been stopped by someone she knew, she'd nearly had a heart attack. The nerves alone had rendered her a bumbling idiot. It was a good thing she'd read the name Samson Carver off a dog's tag naught but a few minutes before. Otherwise, in her panic, she didn't think she'd have been able to come up with a name on the spot like that. More than anything, she'd been terrified Kermit would recognize her as the man Darrin was making out with in the office earlier. Miraculously, he didn't.

Finally, she arrived back home and pushed the door open, entering through the side door.

"Darrin!" she exclaimed, not caring if he was still asleep. "Darrin, I never want you to talk to Kermit again! Of all the ner- " The sight of a second, long-awaited presence stopped her mid-sentence. "Mother! What on earth took you so long?"

"Hello, Samantha!" Endora greeted her daughter breezily, as if nothing in the world were wrong. Darrin was awake and the two were in the living room. A cylindrical tin sat on the coffee table, labeled "Warlock Tea" in both English and Japanese.

"You got the antidote!" Samantha ran to the coffee table and picked up the tin container. "Thank heaven." Then she looked at her mother. "What took you so long?! I was waiting for you!"

"I'm sorry, darling," Endora said, "But while I was in Mr. Watanabe's shop I met this charming Japanese gentleman- a warlock too, of course. He took me for a ride in his canoe."

Samantha shook her head in frustration. Of course. Her mother had forsaken her in her hour of need for a dude. However, she decided to let it go. She had her antidote now. That was all that mattered.

"How do I take the tea?" she asked Endora. "How does this work?"

"Mr. Watanabe said you simply make yourelf a cup of it as normal. That's it."

"Just one cup?"

Endora nodded. "Just like the potion itself, the antidote will take effect within twelve hours."

Samantha had to admit, she'd been hoping the tea would work right away. Oh, well, no big deal. She'd simply go to bed early. By the time she woke up, she'd be Samantha again instead of Samson.

So after thoroughly drinking down every last drop of warlock tea in her cup, Sam promptly called it a night. So relieved was she that she'd gotten her cure, she completely forgot to tell Darrin about her encounter with Kermit.

The second Sam woke up in the morning, she knew she was back to normal again without even opening her eyes. Things just felt right again. Immediately, she sat up and looked around. Oh, joy! There she was, every inch a woman again, clad in the same pale yellow skirt suit she'd had on when she'd turned into a man.

"Darrin!" she exclaimed, overjoyed, waking her husband. "Look! Look! I'm me again!"

Darrin sat up too. "So you are!"

Sam threw her arms around him.

"There's the Sam I know and love," Darrin said. "Welcome back."

"It's good to be back," Sam replied happily. She climbed out of bed. "Now I'm just going to take a quick shower and then I'll be right down to make breakfast. Alright? I'll be quick."

"That's fine, honey. Take your time."

Samantha grabbed a fresh change of clothes from the closet, hurried into the bathroom, and closed the door.

As the shower squeaked on behind the door, Darrin stretched lazily in bed. It felt good not to be in a hurry in the morning for once. Lazily, you ask? Didn't he have work? Nope. Not today. After what had gone down in front of all ten of his colleagues yesterady, he wasn't going anywhere near work. Not until this blew over.

The telephone on his nightstand rang. He was expecting a call from his mother, so he picked it up.

"Hello?"

Only it wasn't his mother. It was Kermit.

"Hi, Buddy."

Darrin recognized his voice immediately. It startled him so much, he almost dropped the phone.

"Eh… ah… Kermit, I'm not coming to work today. I think I might have the flu," he stammered. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to anyone from work. He was about to hang up, but Kermit started talking again, so he felt trapped.

"It's alright, buddy. You don't have to make excuses. We all figured you weren't coming to work today after yesterday's, uh, little show. But listen- Larry wanted me to tell you that there's a mandatory meeting Friday evening at seven."

"Tell Larry I won't be there," Darrin said, "I don't think I'll come to work at all this week."

"You don't have a choice. It's mandatory."

"Mandatory? Look, I always spend Friday nights with Sam. We always do something special.

"Larry said everyone has to attend. No excuses."

Oh, well. It seemed there was no getting out of this one. "Fine," Darrin breathed resentfully. Who planned mandatory meetings for Friday nights? It ought to have been illegal. "I'll see you Friday night at seven at the office."

"Oh, it's not at the office. It's at Walter's Restaurant in downtown."

"Walter's Restaurant?!" Darrin exclaimed. "That's one of the nicest places in downtown! Has Larry lost his mind?"

"That's what he said," Kermit responded simply. Darrin could almost see him shrugging.

"Since it's at a restaurant, can I at least bring Sam?"

"NO!" Kermit shot back, a little too quickly and too loudly. "No," he repeated more quietly, with an awkward chuckle, "You can't bring anyone with you who isn't a McMann and Tate employee."

"Oh. Well, alright."

"So, see you Friday night?"

"See you Friday night."

Ugh. He really, really didn't want to go.

A few minutes after he hung up the phone, Sam walked out of the bathroom dressed in slacks and a pink blouse with a towel around her hair. Darrin still lounged in bed, reading one of his beloved mystery novels.

"Darrin, what are you doing still in bed? You have to be at work soon!"

"I'm not going to work today," he declared, "In fact, I'm not going all week."

At once, Sam looked sympathetic.

"Oh, sweetheart. Is it because of what happened yesterday? When I turned into…?" She sat next to him on the bed.

Darrin nodded. "I don't feel like looking any of them in the face right now. Not till this blows over."

"Oh, Darrin. I feel terrible. It's my fault."

"You were just trying to help, honey. Your intentions were good and caring." Still gazing down dejectedly, he patted her back.

"That's true," Samantha sighed. "You know I'll always tell you that it shouldn't matter what anyone thinks of you. Still, if you feel better taking a few days off, then that's fine. Can you afford to skip a week of work though?"

"Oh, yeah, we'll be fine. I have enough money from my Mancinelli modeling job."

"Alright, sweetheart." Samantha touched his shoulder, then got up. "I'm gonna go down and make breakfast then. Blueberry pancakes?" Blueberry pancakes were Darrin's favorite.

"You know what?" Darrin said. "Why don't we go out for breakfast? Since we have all the time in the world."

"Sounds perfect!"

Darrin looked down at his watch as he stood outside Walter's Restaurant, waiting for his colleagues to arrive. Kermit had said over the phone that they would all meet on the sidewalk outside the restaurant entrance, then go in together. But it was already 7:06, and nobody he recognized was here. Had they arrived early and gone in without him? Maybe he would go inside and check. But not yet. A few more minutes. He still wasn't particularly keen on seeing his coworkers after his big embarrasment earlier that week.

He was standing with his shoulder against the wall, sheltering from the rain beneath the awning, when someone tapped his shoulder lightly from behind.

"Darrin?" said a familiar voice softly.

He turned around.

"Sam! What are you doing here?!"

Samantha stood in front of him in a green dress with white polka dots and a pastel green peacoat, holding her purse in front of her in both hands.

"I have something to tell you," she said. "The mandatory meeting, it was a setup. I was in on it. There is no meeting."

"What?!"

"The day I turned into a man, you fell asleep and I went out for a walk. Remember? Well, while I was out walking, I ran into Kermit."

"Oh, no. Did he recognize you?"

"No, luckily. But he thought I was a gay man. And he set me up on a date. With you."

"WHAT?!"

Sam nodded. "This is the date. Meet you Friday night, seven o'clock at Walter's, he said."

"Why that little… I can't believe it!" Darrin looked betrayed.

"Afraid it's true, darling."

"Kermit knows I'm married. I know this was probably meant to be a joke, but still! This is taking it too far!"

"That's how I felt too," Sam agreed.

"Why didn't you say anything about it?"

"Well," she began explaining, "When it first happened, I was angry, and all I wanted to do was tell you all about it. Then I saw how bummed you were about having a mandatory meeting on a Friday night. And I thought, what if I let you keep thinking it was a meeting, then surprised you with the fact that it's actually a dinner out, just the two of us? Wouldn't it be a wonderful surprise?"

Suddenly, Darrin didn't look so irked anymore.

"You know what?" he said. "I like your way of thinking. You're right. My evening just got a whole lot better."

He smiled. Samantha smiled too.

"Shall we go in?" she said. It was starting to rain harder.

"We shall."

Arm in arm, they walked into Walter's Restaurant.

Once they were seated and had ordered their food, Sam pulled a small book out of her purse. She set it down on the table.

"Look what I found when we were going through Mother's collection." She opened the book and placed her finger on a certain chunk of text.

"Memory Wipe Potion," Darrin read out loud.

Sam nodded. "I was thinking we could use it on your colleagues. So they can forget what they saw when they walked in on us."

"Hmm… Well, you know I don't normally allow these kinds of things. But I think an exception can be made for that doozy. I think I'd do anything to erase that from their memory!"

"Good. That's what I thought you'd say. We'll just need to find some way to make sure they all eat or drink it."

"That's easy," Darrin said, "We'll think of something." He took his drink and held it up. "Now cheers. Let's enjoy ourselves tonight."

"Cheers."

After they made a toast, Samantha pointed out two men sitting together in a corner across the room.

"Look! Isn't that Fabio Mancinelli?"

Darrin glanced over. "It is!"

"Looks like he's got a date," Sam observed. Then, after a pause, she giggled and added "And it isn't you."

Her husband shot her an irritated look.

"Come on." She stood up. "Let's go say hi."