Part 17 - Visiting Valerie

In the future, when Christie would look back and reflect on the events of this day, two things would forever stand out in her memory. First was just how normal the day started. Nothing to make note of, really; it was just another summer morning in June at the McKellar household. However, the second thing that stuck in her memories was how weird the day became after that. Days like this one just didn't happen to everyday, ordinary teenagers. They DIDN'T unless you accepted that there really was magic in the world. Magic was something that Christie McKellar, once Charlie McKellar, had been forced to take as hard, indisputable fact.

But even then? Her day still qualified as pretty damned weird!

Dawn found Christie already up and working through her regular morning exercise routines. Since she'd had the time this morning, she indulged herself by completing the complete Tai-Chi Chuan long-form program. She was just finishing her cool down when she heard her Mother making her way down to the kitchen. Christie had already programmed the coffee maker before starting her workout so her Mom would find hot, fresh coffee waiting for her.

Entering the house, she greeted her Mother and hurried upstairs to shower and dress. When Christie came back down, Amanda had fruit, yogurt and coffee waiting for her daughter. As was their habit, Mother and daughter used this quiet time of their morning to make and share their plans for the rest of the day. Most of their attention was given to planning their visit to Valerie in her hospital room after Amanda got off work for the day.

"I'll check with the hospital, but I'm sure we can visit her after dinner. Why don't I just come home after work, as usual, pick you up and take you out to the diner for supper before we go see her?"

"Sounds great, Mom. What time do you think I should be ready for you? Regular at-home time?"

Amanda nodded as she put her coffee cup down. "I'll leave work no later than five o'clock today. That should get me home by 5:30 at the latest. We'll have a quick, light dinner and should be able to arrive at the hospital to see Valerie by around seven. That work for you?"

"Absolutely. By the way, I have dance class with Madame Renee and the little ones this morning. I think she's trying to get them ready for a show at the end of summer, and since I'm not one of the principal dancers anymore, maybe she'll let me help with that. That would be a lot of fun because I simply love working with the kids."

Christie was momentarily taken aback by the odd look that crossed her Mother's attractive features. Still, before she could ask about it, Amanda stood up to gather her things for work. "Oh, thank you, Christie. You just reminded me of something. I need to have a few words with Madame Coulter about a . . . payment. What time is your class, and do you know when she's usually in her studio? I really don't want to play phone tag trying to get in touch with her, nor do I want to interrupt a session or anything. Do you know when she might have a minute or two for me today?"

Christie started gathering the breakfast dishes for rinsing as she thought. "Well, my class starts at 9:30. I usually get there a little after nine, so I can dress and lock up my stuff. I haven't ever found the studio still closed when I get there. In fact, yesterday, the door was unlocked when I got there right at nine. The formal part of my class is usually over by eleven, and the place is pretty well cleared out by 11:30. If you don't connect with her before our class, she usually goes into her office after the last student leaves. I'm not sure about what she has on for after lunch. I could check with her when I get there and call you if that would help."

"No, I think I'll try to get to her before your class. Thank you for getting the dishes because I must be on my way. I need to run a couple of errands before I go to the office today."

"Sure thing. Take care, Mom. Love you!"

"Love you, too, dear. See you tonight."

~-~

Christie breezed into the dance studio at about ten after nine. She passed by Madame's office on her way to the dressing room. The door was cracked open, enough to hear what was going on but not enough to see into the room clearly. An almost familiar voice caught Christie's attention as she passed, bringing her up short. It sounded . . . well, it sounded like her Mom. Maybe Madame had her on speakerphone? That was odd because the only times she'd ever seen Madame take calls, she'd used her Bluetooth earphone on privacy mode.

Come to think of it, it was pretty odd that her Mother said she had a payment issue with Renee. Christie always handled her tuition at the school herself with the debit card Amanda had given her for such expenses. She used it both here and at the dojang for class fees and incidentals like doboks and dance shoes.

She was just about to leave when the familiar voice got louder, almost stern, and was now clearly understandable. "Now, there will be no need to repeat this in the future, will there, pet?. You know better, and you've promised to do better."

"No need at all, Ma'am," another slightly softer voice answered. Was that Madame?!? "I will do better," and that had definitely been Madame Renee's voice! "It won't happen again, Ma'am."

"Excellent! Now, give me a kiss. I must be off before . . ." Madame's door swung open, bringing Mother and daughter face to face. "CHRISTIE!" Amanda almost yelled. "Oh pooh! If you're already here this must have taken longer than I'd planned. Well, it can't be helped. I'll see you tonight, dear, as we planned. Now, don't you need to get ready for Madame's class?" At Christie's goggle-eyed nod, she smiled. "Good. Run along then. Renee? Walk me out, please."

Dumbstruck, Christie just watched as the two women strode for the studio foyer, her Mother clearly in the lead with Renee hustling to keep up. What the heck? That was . . . weird. Definitely weird. And hadn't she heard her Mother ask Renee to give her a kiss? No, she hadn't asked. She'd told Renee to give her a kiss.

All Christie could think was, "Oh. My. God." And then hustle off to get ready for class. Maybe she'd have time for a short meditation, too. She REALLY needed to clear her thoughts!

~-~

Madame Coulter was in the studio when Christie came out. Seeing her student, she beckoned her over. "Christie, after we finish our barre and positions work, I want to work with the more advanced students in a small group session. Would you mind working with the younger students? Our summer exhibition will be later this year than last, and I would like our newer students ready to dance in the Corps de Ballet. Could you give them some practice in synchronizing their movements?"

Delighted to have the opportunity, Christie nodded, even as one of her 'Little Christie' memories flashed in her mind. "I remember my first exhibition here when I was a little girl. I was in the Corps when we did the Waltz of the Flowers from the Nutcracker. None of us were advanced enough to go en pointe, so we did an alternative choreography. If that's all right with you, Madame, we can work with that."

"Oh, my yes, that would be perfect. I know the youngsters are all anxious to go on their tip-toes, but they're not ready. That choreography, yes, I remember it. And I even have the music in the system. You can have the main studio, and I'll take the older students into the small studio. Thank you, Christie."

"Umm, sure, Madame. I love doing that, but aren't you going to be here to watch? Make sure I don't mess them up?"

"Hah! As if! Christie, one thing about you is that you have always been a perfectionist. You just handle it better than I do. . .have. You and the girls will do just fine. And, please, Christie . . .?"

"Yes, Madame?" a thoroughly gobsmacked Christie asked, staring at this strange woman in the Renee Coulter costume.

"Remember to help them find the joy in doing it," Renee half-whispered before turning on her heel and shouting out to the room. "Positions at the barre, everyone!" The students hurried to their assigned positions and assumed their 'attention' stance.

"All right, ladies. After we finish our fundamentals today, we will split up into two groups. I will take the advanced group into the small studio so we can start work on our late-summer exhibition. Assistant Dance Mistress Christie will work with our newer students on some lovely choreography for the same show.

Christie goggled at that. Assistant Dance Mistress?? Where did that come from, she thought even as Madame continued. Just two things, girls! Christie IS in charge, right?"

A giggle rippled through the studio as all the younger students responded together as they'd been taught, "Yes, Dance Mistress Renee."

Nodding her head in acknowledgment, Renee's lips quirked upward into a smile. "Second, if you are working with Assistant Dance Mistress Christie, you are not yet ready to start working en pointe. That's okay, this choreography allows that, and I'm sure you'll all be beautiful. Just let me say again, NO en pointe until I and ONLY I tell you that you are ready. You might hurt yourselves and miss performing in my exhibition. You don't want to miss my exhibition. Trust me! I will be meaner than Cinderella's wicked stepmother if you get hurt! You do not even want to think about what I'll be like if you miss our exhibition for that reason. Everyone clear on this?"

Twenty voices in unison answered, "Yes, Dance Mistress Renee."

"Excellent, such smart students. Very well, First Position, everybody! We have a great deal to accomplish today."

Well, thought Christie as she moved her hands and feet into the First Position, wasn't that weird? She had girls giggling in class, and she called me Assistant Dance Mistress? As if I needed more to think about today.

~-~

The girls had been great for Christie. They'd worked very hard and accomplished quite a bit but still managed to have fun doing it. By the end of the one-hour session, they could string together five positions in the choreography and perform them in sync with each other and the music. Almost. Still, it had been grand. As a treat, Christie had demonstrated the entire dance for them towards the end of class so they could see what they were working towards. She even remembered not to go en pointe herself as she wanted to set a good example.

Actually, they went a little over their scheduled class time because the girls hadn't wanted to quit. Finally, Christie had been forced to put her foot down, reluctantly she privately admitted, so that Madame could get ready for her afternoon classes. Mothers and older sisters who'd arrived just before class was supposed to end had watched as their budding ballerinas floated about the studio under Christie's watchful eye. Their impromptu audience saw that the girls were working hard and smiling hugely.

As the studio finally started to empty, Christie saw Renee and all but bounded over to her. "Oh, Thank you, Madame! That was so much fun! Thank you for letting me work with them like that."

"And from what I saw, quite productively, too. Suppose our young dancers continue such effort and dedication. In that case, we'll be doing that dance at the exhibition, and they will all be wonderful! Thank you, Christie."

"You . . .you want me to keep doing that? Working with them on the choreography? Getting them ready to dance in the exhibition?"

"Well, you are the Assistant Dance Mistress, aren't you? And by the way, if you're going to be helping with the teaching, I will need to make some accommodation in your tuition - something of a stipend discount, I think."

Practically bouncing in glee, it was all Christie could do not to hug the older woman. "Oh, that is just super, Madame! Thank you again," Only to be surprised when Renee frowned and began clasping her hands together almost nervously. "Are you all right, Madame?"

"Oh, I'm fine, Christie, thank you for asking. Ummm, but I do feel that an apology might be in order, though."

"OH! What did I do, Madame?" Christie asked, suddenly worried. "If it was my presence this morning, I assure you I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I just heard my Mom's voice and . . ."

"Stop," Renee said, holding her hand up between them. "It's nothing like that, and I'm the one who needs to apologize. Yesterday, my comment about how partnering you might injure a danseur. In the parlance of the dance, I all but called you a fat cow. It just came out, and it wasn't fair. Even if you had stayed in my classes, your growth spurt would still have happened. In fact, it might have been worse because of what someone as disciplined and determined as you might have done to control your weight. Truthfully, it was just my own sadness that you won't learn to be the dancer I envisioned up till that point. A professional, fully trained danseur would have no problem partnering with you. Sadly, none of my boys are likely to develop the ability and strength necessary to support your training. They certainly don't have it now. My comment was out of line, and I am very sorry if I hurt your feelings yesterday."

"Oh, Madame, no, I wasn't hurt or upset. You didn't say anything I haven't said to or about myself. I took it as a light-hearted tease and appreciated that you felt comfortable enough with me to tease me. We've come a long way since January."

A single tear leaked from the older woman's eyes. "Well, I'm glad you understood then and now. We have come far together. Oh, my, look at the time. I'm going to be late for a luncheon engagement if I don't hurry off. See you next class, dear."

Christie just stood there for a few moments, watching Renee bustle off to her office and wonder what had just happened. Good Grief! Renee Coulter had just APOLOGIZED to her! For what was nothing worse than a typically snide Renee sort of jibe! Not only that! She had really meant it! And Oh My God!! Renee Coulter had called Christie 'dear'. Really??!?

Shaking her head, Christie slowly headed out of the studio to her car. "The day just keeps getting weirder and weirder," she told herself quietly.

Now, she was almost afraid to see what came next!

~-~

Even after nearly an entire year of living as a girl and a 17 year lifetime of girl 'memories', one thing Christie still tended to overthink was wardrobe selection. Charlie had it easy. Slacks or jeans, a t-shirt or polo and cross trainers served just fine for almost any masculine need. A little chilly? Fine, add a hoodie. Really warm outside? Okay, switch to shorts. Easy. As a girl, though? Eh, not so much.

Girls worried about their clothes. Was this outfit too formal or that one too casual? Were these accessories appropriate to her ensemble and the event? And worst of all? What type of shoes to wear with her 'final' choices. Christie' felt she was adequately girl-indoctrinated that proper answers to all those conundrums and an untold myriad of vital questions about her couture mattered to her. A lot.

Actually, most times, she really didn't have any real problem with her attire. Like her Mother had told her, if she just went with the flow and let her 'inner girl' take charge, everything, including clothes, just seemed to fall into place for her. Unfortunately, Christie hadn't listened to her 'inner-girl' tonight. Her bed, where most of her closet's contents lay haphazardly discarded, was proof-positive on that score. Yup, she was guilty of vestigial male clothing indecision! Her sentence? Put everything away properly before her Mother got home to give her grief about the mess.

AFTER, she finally let her 'inner-girl' select her outfit! So, squaring her shoulders and giving herself a stern mental talking-to, Christie had settled down and worked it out. After all, they were going to a diner, not a four-diamond restaurant. She was going to visit her best girlfriend, not pay a formal call on a visiting dignitary or meet some superstar boy-band heartthrob.

Ultimately, much to Christie's dismay, when she saw herself in the mirror, her 'inner-girl' had selected the female version of Charlie's go-to guy outfit. Her favorite denim skirt replaced the jeans. She wore a comfy but flattering t-shirt over a matching summer camisole instead of Charlie's polo. She completed her look with a pretty, comfortable pair of low-heeled sandals.
That had been just too simple, she groused to herself. Why hadn't she picked this outfit an hour ago? Because you were overthinking again, McKellar. Okay, but she wasn't going to agonize over her makeup!

SURE she wasn't.

Fortunately, Amanda arrived after Christie had restored order to her closet, but before she could fret herself into changing. Amanda hauled her daughter off to their favorite small-town diner. "You look nice, dear," her Mother said as she started her car. "Simple, yet neat. And how long did it take you to choose your outfit tonight?"

Christie resisted gritting her teeth and snarling. Amanda knew her too well, so she decided to make light of the experience, hoping to deflect further parental teasing. "Oh, not long at all, Mom. Actually, putting everything away and reorganizing my closet is what really took the time. Good thing I was home from the studio by one o'clock, huh?"

"Well, I'm sure you had enough time to try just about everything in your closet," Amanda replied in her deadpan Mother-voice before laughing with her daughter.

The diner wasn't far from their home, so they were inside and waiting to be seated by 5:45. While they waited for the hostess to return to escort them to their table, Christie felt an irresistible need to check her hair and makeup. Amanda watched bemused as her daughter pulled a comb and mirrored compact from her purse and began fussing with her hair.

"What are you doing?" She finally asked as Christie thoroughly inspected her face in the tiny mirror. "You look fine."

The question actually startled Christie, who stared at the comb and compact as if trying to figure out where they'd come from. Looking up from her mirror, Christie started to say something but frowned as she really considered her Mother's question. After several moments, she took a deep breath and replied, "I don't know, Mom. I don't think I've ever just started mindlessly primping in public for no apparent reason before, but all of a sudden, I had this urge to make sure I looked all right. . . No, wait, that's not quite it. I really wanted to look the best I could, and I was annoyed that I didn't have all my makeup with me."

"Well, that's out of character for you. An urge, you say? Weird."

Christie sighed as she returned her grooming tools to her purse. "Weird is my word of the day, Mom. No reason that here and now should be any different."

"Oh, really?" Amanda asked with a smile. "Well, here's the hostess. Let's get seated, and then you can tell your Mama all about it."

They ordered their dinners, deciding to share a salad made using the same ingredients as a muffuletta sandwich and iced tea. "So, daughter-dear, tell me all about your 'weird is the word of the day.' Inquiring mothers want to know."

Sighing, Christie took a sip of water and gave a short grimace. "We'll just take it as a given that I failed to let my inner-girl out to help choose my outfit tonight and paid for it in post ensemble closet restoration. As to my other weirdnesses today? Let me count the ways. Dance class went surprisingly great. I did get to work with young girls - Renee made me Assistant Dance Mistress. That was weird, but things got really strange after she did that. Renee had the girls giggling - right there in class - and she didn't get snarky about it. She was, well. . .she was pleasant."

Shaking her head at that memory, Christie continued. "Then, after class? When the kids had left? She apologized. To ME, and I'm absolutely sure she meant it, too. Do you remember I told you about her little zinger yesterday about me being too big for her danseurs to partner? She was concerned I was upset and wanted to apologize. That's a first in all the time Christie remembers working with her. And she will give me a discount on my class fees for working with the younger girls!"

Christie blew out a breath as she remembered the Renee incident. Then she saw her Mother grinning slyly at her. That brought yet another weird event back to mind. "And I distinctly heard you, in Renee's office this morning, tell her, not ask her, mind you, but TELL her to kiss you. Something's really weird with that, Mom. What the heck is going on with you and Renee, for goodness sake??!"

Surprisingly, her Mother's grin didn't leave her face, and in fact, it only dimmed a little before she shook her head and chuckled to herself. "Okay, I hear you, but that is not something to discuss here and now, Christie. It involves information that is SPECIAL MCKELLAR FAMILY related. Special as it relates to you, me, and my Mom, okay?" She stopped and stared intently at Christie, who immediately understood her Mother's reference to the family's magical legacy and nodded her acceptance. "Definitely not for public consumption. If you must know, and now that it is out in the open, I think you do, I'll tell you about it tonight after we get home. Okay?"

Christie tried for a classic 'put upon teenager sneer' and almost made it to the apparent amusement of Amanda. "Okay, Mom," she growled before brightening. "Look! Food!"

Their salad was spicy and filling and required several iced tea refills as they ate to cool their mouths. Amanda was just getting ready to signal their waiter for their bill when Christie suddenly sat up very straight, pursed her lips and crossed her eyes. Shock evident in her face, Christie started, "What was tha-a-a-a-. . ."

She never finished her question. As Amanda watched helplessly, her daughter's body went rigid, her tongue flicked out as if trying to wet her lips. At the same time, she began to breathe deeply, almost gasping, through her nose and mouth. Her eyes were tightly closed, and she remained absolutely still like that for several interminable moments before uttering a soft, relieved sigh. Then, just as quickly as it had started, Christie went limp, her relaxing body sliding down into her chair.

Amanda's healer talents went instantly on high alert! She reached out to grasp her daughter's hands firmly in her own to forge the closest possible healing link between them. Urgently, she pushed her healing energy into her daughter, hoping to stop whatever had caused the seizure and arrest any associated harm.

Meanwhile, her scans didn't turn up anything particularly wrong with the teen. Christie's pulse was elevated but returned to normal even as Amanda scanned. The only other abnormality she could sense was that Christie's endorphin concentration in her bloodstream seemed higher than Amanda might typically expect to detect.

Finding nothing wrong with her daughter she could fix - for the second time - and no indication of what had caused this reaction frustrated Amanda greatly. Amanda squeezed her daughter's hand, trying to rouse her. Finally, Amanda called her by name, no longer caring if she made a public scene. "Christie! What happened?"

Her daughter's eyes fluttered momentarily before opening and beginning to clear. "Umm, wow! What the heck happened? I don't quite know, Mom. God, I seem to be saying that a lot today. Let me think - see if I can make any sense of this." Closing her eyes, Christie focused on what she had just experienced. She began to speak softly as her memory played what she could remember back to her slowly. "When it first started, I got this sort of pleasant sensation around my lips, and then . . .I felt angry? No, not angry, frustrated - VERY frustrated, and I wanted to do something about it, only I didn't know what to do about whatever was bothering me. Then the world just went white. I wasn't thinking; I wasn't really feeling. And then it was over, and I felt completely boneless."

Amanda made another quick check of her daughter's condition. Again, she found nothing wrong while all her vitals had returned to normal levels. "Are you all right? Maybe we should skip the visit tonight?"

Christie considered that and then shook her head. "I think I'm okay, and I really wanted to get both of us close enough to Valerie that we could try to tag team her with our combined healing. I don't think we should put that off any longer than necessary."

"Well, if you're sure," Amanda offered, clearly unhappy with her failure to determine the cause of Christie's apparent seizure. "Let's pay our bill and get going. Maybe your next event will happen there, and the doctors will be useful."

~-~

The drive to the hospital passed in silence. Both women contemplated the day's events and planned for what was yet to come. Amanda was deeply concerned about the strange seizure Christie had just suffered. If she included the sharp, persistent pain in her daughter's buttocks two days ago, that was two unexplained events in the past seventy-two hours. Were they related? Without any actual data, the answer was, at best, a firm 'maybe.' What she needed to do was prepare as if they were somehow connected. Racking her brain during the drive, she had only come up with one cause that fit her current information. Christie might well be the focus of some type of magical or paranormal attack. If that was the case, it was pretty darned subtle as, so far, Amanda hadn't been able to determine and/or track the cause. She was going to have to call her own Mother and see if she had any ideas or knew of any other practitioners who might be able to help them.

For her part, Christie was trying to come up with a way to use her precognitive abilities covertly in Valerie's presence. With Papa Kim's help, she'd gotten better at focusing that magical power while meditating. Unfortunately, going into a meditative trance was rather obvious, and questions Christie did not want to be asked would be asked. Somehow, she needed a method to prevent anyone other than her Mom from seeing what she was doing - including Valerie, she suddenly realized. Maybe Mom could put her to sleep? Probably. Perhaps Mom might have an easy way to keep outside eyes away as well?

"Mom?"

"Mmm, Yes, Christie?"

"I was wondering. Suppose I need to go into a trance for a short while in Valerie's room. Do you have some way to shield us from monitoring and nosy outsiders until I've finished?"

"How long do you think you'll need? Ten or fifteen minutes is easy enough. Would that be sufficient?"

"Should be. If it isn't, what I'm looking for is probably beyond my current ability level anyway. I want to try the tricks Papa Kim taught me to focus my precognitive abilities. I want to look at Valerie's future recovery. May not work because I'm not sure I can combine my healer's sight with the precognition, but I still want to try."

"I can't see how that could hurt Valerie, and you might learn something. Some things actually, like about her future and more about how your powers work. Okay, just let me know when to shield us."

"And since Val isn't in the know about those powers, maybe you could put her to sleep while I look?"

"No problem, dear. Well, here we are. Let me find a place to park, and we'll go check in at the visitors' desk."

~-~

They arrived at Valerie's room shortly after seven o'clock. Currently, she was the room's only occupant, so she had a clear view of the door. "Christie! Mrs. M! How great to see you! Thank you for coming."

"They wouldn't let us in until they moved you out of the ICU," Christie grumped. "Said BFFs didn't qualify as immediate family members. Stupid rules."

She and Amanda moved a couple of chairs closer to Valerie's bed when Christie noticed a vase full of pink carnations displayed where Val could see them easily. "Hey, nice flowers, girlfriend. A gift from the hospital's therapy dog?"

Valerie snorted out a laugh. "As if! And you know very well who they're from, wise apple! I have it on excellent authority that you threatened Daniel with bodily harm if he didn't come and visit me. Good job, by the way! Thanks, girlfriend. I'm guessing you also clued him in on the flowers?"

"Yeah. He was so damned cute, hemming and hawing about coming. Did he tell you he thought you and I were a couple, and he didn't want to intrude on us?"

Eyes wide, Valerie giggled. "A Couple? Us?? You're kidding. Really?"

"Nope, not kidding; it was kind of sweet of him, to tell the truth. So you got the visit and the flowers, huh? Not bad, Val. Maybe next time, you'll really luck out and get a kiss when the nurses aren't looking."

"What do you mean next time, girlfriend?" Val challenged, eyes twinkling in remembered mirth.

Christie squealed and bounced in her seat. "Deets, Valerie," she demanded sternly. "I'm your BFF! The Girl Club rules say you have to give me all the details!"

"If you girls are going to start lying . . .I mean, talking about boys, I will make a quick visit to the ladies' room," Amanda interrupted. "I'll be back in about ten minutes. Try to have all the salacious revelations out of the way by then, hmmm? I'm not sure my poor old heart could stand the excitement."

Valerie grinned as Christie pulled her chair up closer to the head of her friend's bed. "Your Mom is just so great! I just love her."

"Yeah, yeah, I love her, too. Now, on with the nitty-gritty. How the heck did you coax a kiss out of Mr. Shy Guy?"

"Well, it wasn't as easy as it should have been. Right off the bat, I was a little ticked off that I didn't have any warning, and that's partly YOUR fault, Christie. Worse, I didn't have anything here to fix myself up with. There I was, bored out of my mind, watching Oprah, and the nurse came in to tell me I had a visitor - Daniel something. Ack! No comb, no brush, no mirror, and the guy I have evil intentions for is here to see me! I went a little nuts and started finger combing my hair and did the romance novel 'slap your face' trick to ensure I had some color, you know? And there he was - all tall and cute and trying to hide behind that damned flower vase! I almost laughed, but I was too excited just then."

"I'm still not hearing any kissy deets here, Stevens. I'm beginning to think you may have had delusions instead." Christie prodded.

"Oh, you'll get the details, McKellar. Anyway, I kept licking my lips and looking up at him worshipfully."

"Right, worshipfully. More like a starving predator licking her chops before taking a big honking bite."

"Well, maybe, but he still sallied forth and kept coming closer and closer. And then he stopped. Finally, I just told him he was required to kiss me and help make it better. I didn't know eyes could get THAT wide, and I was afraid, just for a moment, he was going to bolt. But he didn't!" Valerie reported, looking very self-satisfied and smug. "I actually saw him center himself. You know, the way they teach us when we're going to attempt a breaking at the dojang? Exactly the same. And then? He leaned over me and was damned careful not to touch me with his hands - DAMMIT! And kissed me. A sweet, tender little peck on the lips. Just like he might give to a favorite maiden aunt or little sister!"

Christie couldn't help it. She chortled at Val's description. "And then?"

"Well, I guess as first kisses go, it was probably okay. I mean, my eyes crossed from it, all right? But then he started to stand up! Let me tell you! That didn't suit me at all! He wasn't getting off THAT easy. Before he could step back out of reach, I had him by the collar of his shirt, dragged him back down to face level and laid one on him! I didn't let go right away, either!"

"Wow, way to go, Val! What did he do? Fight to get away and preserve your suspect virtue?"

"Ha!" Valerie crowed. "Maybe for a second, but when I didn't let go, he started kissing me back, and man, that boy can KISS! I mean, the whole world just went WHITE! My body locked up." Valerie glanced at the door and then leaned over closer to Christie and whispered, "I think I actually came! One second, every muscle in my body feels wound tight, and then, SNAP, total relaxation. God, it was wonderful. The only problem was that he managed to get loose."

"Aww, poor baby," Christie managed to tease. "Kiss-us interruptus!" but her mind was swirling as she connected Valerie's description of her interlude and her own recent seizure episode at the diner. "Umm, Val? About what time did Daniel get here? Do you remember?"

"Hmm, not really sure, but maybe ten minutes before six? Oprah was still on, but they were getting ready to wrap it up for the day. Yeah, that's about as close as I can get without a clock."

"And there you were, all ready to claim your man, and you didn't have any of your girl tools."

"Yeah! That still pisses me off! Mom is bringing me a mirror, comb and brush tomorrow, but the hospital won't let me have any makeup. Atmospheric contaminants, allergic reactions or other such garbage."

"So, how long did he stay? We didn't run into him on our way up here."

"Maybe a half hour, forty minutes? I remember the six-thirty news was already on when he left but hadn't gone to their first commercial break yet. Maybe six-forty or a little earlier. Thereabouts."

"And the kissing happened how long before he left?"

"Lord, McKellar, I should have video recorded it for you! Sheesh. It wasn't that long before he left, that's for sure. If he stayed more than five minutes after the last kiss, it wasn't by much. I think I scared him," she confided smugly. "I am, after all, a very dangerous woman."

The girls laughed over that, but all Christie could think was, 'It's like we shared the whole visit experience! I wonder . . .'

Christie suddenly squirmed in her seat. "What's the matter, Christie? Something wrong with the chair?"

"No, the chair's fine. Just my bottom is tender. I was out with my Mom a couple of days ago, and something stung me - HARD - right on my butt cheek, and then, whatever it was, did it again to my other cheek. It really hurt! I had to ride home in the car's back seat on my tummy. It's mostly okay now, but I think I've been overdoing it just a bit today and aggravated it."

"Really? Well, my butt got stung, too, but I KNOW what and who did it to me! The doctors had this nutritional supplement combined with an anticoagulant or some such thing. It had to be injected into large muscle tissue. Hurt like a bitch, I tell you. I couldn't stand to put any weight on my butt for a whole day! As a matter of fact, that was two days ago, too. They wanted to administer it while I was still in the ICU so they could monitor my response. My response was pain!"

Christie maneuvered the conversation to other topics, filling in Valerie on what she knew about Tad while she was at it. She told Val how much fun she had that morning teaching the little ones at dance class when Amanda walked back in.

"Is it safe for someone over thirty in here yet?"

"Sure is. Hey, Mom, you want to show me where the little girls' room is and then keep Val company till I get back?"

Amanda nearly just told her daughter to ask the nurse at the nursing station but caught something in Christie's look. "Sure thing, Honey. Be right back, Valerie."

Christie checked for anyone close by outside the room and whispered urgently to her Mother. "Mom, everything odd that's happened to me, the stings, the seizure, even the orgasm?"

"What orgasm, Missy??!" Amanda hissed back, shocked.

"The seizure thing at the diner might have been an orgasm. Anyway, all those issues correlate to things that happened to Valerie. She got these massive shots in her butt, and I felt them. She was super frustrated with her appearance when Daniel showed up, so I fussed with mine. She got kissed and almost blacked out from the physical release. I felt the same things. The times seem to match up, too."

"That's a little hard to believe, Christie."

"I think when I established the first healing link with her, after the attack by Tad? I was still unconsciously focusing my power as I had when I kicked Tad and shattered his knee. I didn't know I was doing that, but maybe I somehow linked us psychically at the same time?"

"Okay, assume it is possible. What now, and how do we find out? More importantly, how do we find out without tipping Valerie off?"

"I think I really need to try the precognitive trance with her now. Don't know if it will tell us anything, but it's the only thing I can think of to do. While I'm gone, put her to sleep. When I come back in, set your shield up. We'll do the combined healer intervention first, and then I'll go into my meditative trance."

"Sounds like a plan. Okay. Valerie will be asleep in five minutes. Don't be too much longer than that."

Valerie was indeed asleep when Christie returned. As one, the two women went to stand on either side of Val's bed. They each placed one hand on Valerie's head while holding each other's hand with their free hand. Christie could feel and 'see' her Mother's power flowing into her friend but couldn't really tell what was happening. Christie knew she was limited in what she could do with her untrained powers. Therefore, she attempted to merge her strength with her Mom. Perhaps Amanda's already superior abilities could be strengthened if Christie could put her healing energy at her Mom's disposal. Amanda grunted in surprise but then began using the shared power as if it were her own. Christie thought it helped but still couldn't tell for sure.

Finally, Amanda broke their connection to Valerie. "Good thinking, love," she smiled tiredly to her daughter. "Giving me your energy made a difference. I think we improved her, just a little The damage definitely won't spread any further, I'm sure. However, I still don't have the sufficiently fine control to repair what is still damaged at the cellular level."

"It's something, at least. Now, let me get into the precognitive state so we can finish up, But you look exhausted, Mom. Will you still be able to maintain the shield?"

"Ten minutes on the outside. Less would be more certain."

Nodding, Christie settled into the lotus position and found her center. She quickly entered her meditative trance and then shifted her focus to Valerie . . .and their future.

A few minutes later, Christie awakened and sighed. "You can drop the shield now, Mom. I'm pretty sure that Valerie and I are psychically bonded."

"What the hell, McKellar," came the sleep-faint voice of Valerie Stevens. "I FELT you. You were in my head. What's with that?"'

Amanda and Christie gaped at each other in stunned surprise. "Oh, crap!" they said simultaneously.

~-~

It was just after ten o'clock when the McKellars arrived home, Which was the direct result of an irate night nurse all but physically evicting them from Valerie's room. Okay, so they had sort of ignored the first two friendlier reminders that visiting hours were over. Amanda had been too tired to shield them from the nurses and monitoring equipment anymore that night. They'd again ignored the second polite reminder to leave so they could impress on Valerie how vital secrecy about the link was.

As much as any of them understood it. Nowhere in Amanda's books had the possibility of pervasive psychic link been addressed. Links, such as the type Amanda used for healing, were supposedly only ephemeral, typically lasting only so long as the sorcerer focused power on it. Even Amanda's Mother, who had been called by Christie on the drive home, was at a loss to understand such bonding was possible.

Fortunately, they'd gotten Valerie's promise to keep quiet about what she'd learned, provided Amanda and Christie came back to fill in the blanks. Amanda smiled as she remembered the 'pinky-swear' promise Christie had insisted upon with Valerie. Evidently, another one of those 'girl club' rules her daughter had learned from her experiences the past year. Actually, that was a memory Amanda knew she'd treasure for the rest of her life. Now, if she could somehow manage to forget the image of her seventeen-year-old daughter having a public orgasm in their favorite diner. Win some; lose some.

Christie looked longingly at the stairs that led to her bedroom. She was so far past tired she was positively dragging. Amanda wasn't much better off. "Mom?" she called out as Amanda settled into her favorite easy chair.

"Yes, Christie?"

"I know you said we'd talk about you and Renee tonight, but I don't think either of us thought we'd be getting home this late Maybe we should hold off until tomorrow?"

Amanda took a moment to gather her tired wits and considered her daughter's offer. She was tired, and the request was very tempting. Unfortunately, tomorrow at work was jam-packed, so if they didn't discuss it now, Christie's questions would have to languish unanswered until after dinner tomorrow night. "I think we should at least deal with the crux of it tonight, or we'll both worry over it until we do. I don't want it getting blown out of proportion by either of us, so I'll give you the bare facts, and then we can discuss them in more detail later if you still have questions. Take a seat, Christie."

Christie sat across from her Mother on their sofa. "Okay, Mom, Thanks."

"Right. I was attracted to girls before I was transformed into Aaron. Oh, I liked boys well enough, and I did my share of high school flirting with them. However, I was careful not to let the other girls in my class know how I felt about some of them. It simply wasn't done, don't you know, back in the Dark Ages."

"Yeah, um, that's what, about 20 years ago That's like, the New Millennium, right?"

"True, true, but pre-Aaron, I was a fifteen-year-old high school sophomore and apparently not quite as jaded and worldly as you are now. ANYway . . .at age sixteen, I transformed into Aaron, and lo and behold, girls were now fair game. I think I still had some degree of attraction to boys, but I suppressed that as best I could. I knew I didn't want the hassle of dealing with the 'phobes for what I was sure would only be one year.

"And at the end of the year, I did complete my transformation back to Amanda, but now I was an Amanda who had a lot more experience romancing girls. I still liked and dated boys, but I began to think I liked girls more. I went to college, became a lug, graduated and started work as a paralegal law clerk. My plan was that I'd eventually take the Bar exam and become an attorney, but then I met your father. That was it for me. Six months later, I was a bride. Eighteen months later, I was a mother. Twelve months after that, I was a widow."

"I'm so glad you're my Mom, you know. I want you to be very sure of that!"
Amanda smiled and dabbed at a tear. "Thanks, honey. Okay, you need to understand that the rest of this story is about Amanda in the Charlie Timeline."

"Sounds like a science fiction thriller."

"Eh, more like a paranormal romance. I never was that attracted to another man - not in either timeline. I dated guys, and I even had some 'friends with benefits' along the way. Now that you're Christie, you know that a girl has needs. Those guys scratched the itch, but none of them came close to your Dad. Somewhere along the way, I started dating girls, again. Long about the time Charlie was five or six, I met this really striking woman. Regal, charming, elegant and totally built," Mom said with a wicked grin. "And I fell hard for her. She had been a principal ballerina for the Paris Ballet Company. She was injured in a car accident and needed reconstructive ankle surgery. Even after several surgeries and a great deal of therapy, she couldn't go back to dancing full time. She could still go en pointe, but not long enough at a time to dance professionally, so she became a Dance Mistress."

"Madame Renee?"

"Madame Renee," Amanda answered with a nod. "For the first few months we were seeing each other, I never saw her in her studio, only outside of her work. She liked things her way, but in the beginning, we were in the 'in love and loving it' phase. We would indulge each other when we could, so if I gave into something she wanted, it was okay because she would return the gift later. Gradually, however, she began to take more and give less. That behavior crept into our bedroom. She became more domineering, less patient, less loving and less lovable. One day, she slapped me when I wouldn't do something she wanted in the bedroom. Renee is strong for her size; she's a dancer and an athlete, and she clocked me a good one. However, I am my Mother's daughter and a mighty powwerful sorceress."

"She's lucky you didn't destroy her."

"As I said, I am my Mother's daughter. When Renee woke up, I had her handcuffed to her bed. A large cup with the handcuff key in the bottom was in her hands. I'd used my magic to freeze the water. She needed to thaw the ice to get the key and free herself. I packed any of the stuff I'd kept at her place, drove home to you and Mother, and started over.

"Long story shortened, I wanted to understand her. Actually, I stalked her with my magic helping, so she never knew it. I learned she was just as nasty in her school as at home. When I looked into it, I found that she thought that was how Dance Mistresses taught because that is how she had been taught. Moreover, one of the reasons she became so good as a dancer is that she actually thrived under such treatment. Come to find out that our Renee is really something of a masochist with a solid submissive streak. Something she ruthlessly suppressed when she had to become a teacher."

"You mean, she really thought that acting like a . . .a witch was how you taught ballet?"

"It's how she was taught and all she knew. Anyway, I had no idea how to deal with her. Mother suggested I talk to some experts, so I did. Psychologists, relationship counselors, oh, I talked to a bunch. Then I talked with this one psychiatrist. Interesting lady. She'd paid for her schooling by working in a dungeon as a dominatrix. She understood a great deal about that dynamic. She still practiced, too, although not professionally anymore. Anyway, she got me involved with some local groups who are into that so I could learn more. I found out that I was actually dominant myself. And that, dear daughter, is why Charlie never met any of my dates."

"Ooookay. So you decided to get back with Renee once you understood her and thought you were up to dealing with her issues?"

"Not quite. Fast forward to June of last year. Suddenly, my Karate Kid son Charlie is my ballet princess Christie, who is, wait for it, the student of Madame Renee Coulter."

"Bet that gave you a moment's pause."

"Yes indeedy. But it was the strangest thing. In the Christie Timeline, Renee and Amanda never met. Oh, let me tell you, I did some intense memory mining on that one. It turns out that in this timeline, I met the psychiatrist/dominatrix while I was in college, and she was in graduate school. So I learned all about dominance and submission in the Christie Timeline as her submissive girlfriend. Later, I became her apprentice and then a partner in her dungeon. I actually picked up a large percentage of our 'consultations' when her Medical School commitments ate into her available time. That's why I didn't go to law school in this Timeline. Anyway, we drifted apart. She had to go do her internship and residency so she offered to sell me the dungeon. Only, I didn't really enjoy what we did there enough for that kind of commitment. I like playing my way by my rules; I don't like performing to a script written by somebody else. Anyway, at that point, I started working as a paralegal, met your father, etc., etc., etc."

"It is getting kind of late, Mom," Christie said after glancing at her watch.

"Just a few more things. When you broke it off with Renee, I was relieved, but then you went back to help mentor your young friend. The Renee I knew would have made your time with your lives hell, especially when you had the gall to grow like you did. So I made a point to go to her office and have a few choice words with her. She knew of me - I was a parent of one of her longtime students - so she met with me. Let me tell you, I went loaded for bear - severe hair, stark makeup, tight black suit, black stockings and heels, but instead of a bear what I got was a fragile little bunny rabbit."

"WHAT? Renee? No."

"Yes Seems that she'd just gotten the chewing out of her life by one of her students who demanded, 'Where's the joy, Renee? What makes a kid work hard enough to be good enough if there's no joy in the art?' You broke her, and then I showed up in my stern school-mistress suit, and she just bawled all over me."

"So you kept her?"

"I couldn't just leave her! So I kept her, but now I understood what drove her and what she really needed. So, along with other benefits, I've been helping her rediscover her joy in ballet. You're helping her learn how to impart that to her students."

"And this morning? You said something about a matter of payment?"

Amanda smirked, "Are you sure you really want to know?" At Christie's hesitant nod, the smirk grew. "Be it on your own head, then. Remember I told you she's a bit of a masochist, too? Sometimes, when she feels the need for a little disciplinary attention, she'll misbehave on purpose and make sure I know about it. Injure her danseurs, indeed! Pfft! As if! I got to the seat of that problem for her, right enough, and it worked. She did apologize to you, didn't she?"

"I guess it did. The seat of the problem, eh? Mom, that's just weird. Gee, most kids have to come to grips with their parents having sex. Mine has to go a step further. Promise me, Mom, no leather outfits in the house! Please!"

"Aw, but you'd look so cute in a tight leather catsuit. Very Emma Peel-esque."

"Who the heck is Emma Peel??"

"Look her up on Google, love. Any more questions?"

Shaking her head, Christie stood and offered her Mother a hand up. "Probably, eventually, but I'll be darned if I can think of a single sensible one right now."

Once she was on her feet, Amanda wrapped Christie in a hard hug. "We'll get through this, kiddo. Hang in there for just a little while longer."

Christie simply stood there, enjoying her Mother's hug and basking in her love for several minutes. Before letting each other go, Christie leaned in and kissed her Mother good night. "Love you the mostest! Now, I'm totally exhausted, Mom, and maybe, just maybe? If I'm really lucky, I'll wake up tomorrow and discover that today has just been a bizarre dream. Real Days Just Aren't Supposed to Be This Weird!"

~-~