He was still trying to wrap his mind around everything Erica said when Mike and Jill walked in. "Hi Kelly, how are you?" Jill asked.
He still couldn't think of himself as Kelly. Or as a girl, for that matter. "Uh, okay, I guess." he absently replied.
Jill sat next to him and touched his arm to get his attention, "What's bothering you?"
George shrugged and mumbled, "Just an argument with Erica."
"Tell me about it?" Jill said as Mike took a seat across from them. He gave her a summary and she nodded, "Yeah, that sounds like Erica. She's good at demolishing your arguments if they're not well thought out. What do you think about what she said?"
"It's confusing." he reluctantly admitted. "And I don't understand how Sarah adapted so well to changing so completely." he added as he thought about his own difficulties.
Jill shook her head in wonder, "You still don't get it, do you? Sarah didn't go through a big change, really. Sure, her body changed, but only to what she already felt like it should be. If she hadn't been trying so hard to pretend that she didn't want it, she wouldn't have had any trouble at all."
"But her body is totally different! She's even shorter than she was before! How can that not be an adjustment?" George said.
"For you or me, sure, it's a big change to get used to." Mike said. "But for Sarah it was natural. Frankly, I'm amazed I didn't pick up on how natural it was. I got changed into a girl a few times and it always felt really wrong to me. Sarah never acted like her body really disturbed her like that. I guess it's pretty obvious, in retrospect."
Wrong?! But... George thought, and then shook his head to clear the ridiculous ideas out of his head. "I still don't understand how my son could become such a natural and feminine girl!" he said angrily.
"Argh!" Mike growled as he stood. He looked like he wanted to beat some sense into him, but managed to restrain himself. He began pacing behind the couch so he didn't have to look at his face, instead.
"Haven't you listened to a word we've said?!" Jill said, obviously having lost patience with him as she glared at him.
He was about to say something he'd probably regret when Tiffany walked in. "What's going on?" she asked when she noticed the tension between them.
George thought he heard Mike start to say something, but Jill cut him off and said, "We're just frustrated with Kelly. Nothing we say is getting through to her!”
“ We can't get through to Dad, he has to get through to himself.” Sarah said sadly as she walked in. She walked right up to him and reached out to touch his shoulder. He flinched back involuntarily, but all Sarah did was tap his shoulder with one finger and he was back to his old self. Scared of my own daughter, what kind of man am I?! he berated himself before what had just happened really penetrated.
"I'm sorry I left you like that for so long Dad," Sarah said, "but I had to make sure you weren't a danger to Mom. I was just talking to her, and she's learned a little about her own powers and she's convinced me that she can defend herself if need be. After dinner we'll get your clothes from Tiffany's place and you can go. But Mom doesn't want you staying at the house. She'll let you get your stuff, but she wants you to get a hotel room or something.”
George barely managed to focus enough to hear her words as he put his hands to his face and chest and sighed in relief. He looked down at himself, shocked at how she so easily and instantaneously transformed him and noticed the clothes Tiffany bought for him were quite tight now. "Why?" he whispered, shocked that she changed him back at all, let alone so quickly.
Sarah just looked at him in confusion, "I just said. I know I hated being in a wrong gendered body, so I never wanted to leave you like that in the first place. If I had been sure Mom was safe sooner, I would have changed you back then.”
"But...don't you...hate me?” George asked.
Sarah shook her head, obviously surprised by the question, "No! You're my father, I could never hate you! I hated what you did, but not you.”
“ I told you, you don't know your daughter at all. Now maybe you're seeing why it's a shame that you don't.” Erica said, smiling at Sarah. Sarah seemed confused, but hugged Erica anyway. George could only sit there and think, She's right!