She paced the small apartment like a caged tigress. Back and forth, back and forth... her fists clenced and unclenched in pure fury.

*How DARE they?* she thought in agony of heart and mind. *How DARE they bar me from coming back to work?*

"Life-altering accident" the official report said. "In our opinion, subject is permanently disabled --- unfit for duty."

"BULL!" she cried, glaring at her reflection. "I'm NOT crippled! I'm just... just a...."

She couldn't yet say the word.

Unbidden, her mind flashed back to the accident that had irrevocably altered her life.

She had gone on a routine fire run with her partner and her station. After they thought everyone was out, she had gone back over the rooms. She was in one holding radioactive materials, when the building exploded around her. She had gotten a lethal dose of radiation, but had survived unharmed in every way.

Except for the fact that she was now a woman.

Once her identity had been confirmed, Dixie had taken personal charge of her, teaching her the ins and outs of womanhood. She'd learned how to dress, how to walk, how to deal with the monthly disruption in her life, how to tolerate the invasive medical procedures required to examine a woman....

She was a virgin once more.

Dixie had renamed her Joanie, but on that she'd rebelled, preferring her given name with a new middle name and a spelling change.

Jonni Rhonda Gage shuddered as the string of memories ended and the fury of what she'd received in the mail took over.

'Unfit for duty'.

With a snarl, Jonni scooped up a statuette that rested on her hall table and smashed the mirror in one swift motion. Her reflection became a hundred smaller copies of itself.

Overcome by a rush of fury and grief, Jonni sank to her knees among the glass, sobbing huge, choking sobs.

A strong pair of arms suddenly encircled her, pulling her backward into a hug. Then one arm went under her knees and lifted her out of the glass, carrying her into the living room. Wordlessly, the owner of the arms set her on the couch and started to move away.

Shocked, Jonni swiped the tears from her eyes enough to make out an auburn-haired man heading for her bathroom. "R-ROY?"

Roy DeSoto smiled as he came back bearing bandages and antiseptic. Without a word, he tended to the cuts on her knees and hand.

Once he was done, she asked, "What're you doing here?" No need to ask how he got in --- the partners had keys to each other's places, for use in emergencies.

"I..." he faltered, eyes going to the floor, and she knew it was serious.

Gently laying her hand upon his, she asked softly, "Roy, this is still ME. Still Jonni. Tell me...what's wrong?"

He sighed. "Jonni, I don't know why I'm here. I mean... you're having to deal with a major life-change yourself... you don't need to hear my troubles..."

Jonny lay her fingertips on his lips. "Tell me, Roy."

Blue eyes slid closed as Roy sighed. In a whisper, he said, "Joanne's divorcing me."

Her mouth worked for a second, but no sound came out. Then she gasped, "Joanne is WHAT?"

He nodded. "She's left me. Took Chris and Jennifer with her. Said she couldn't stand the stress of... of being a fireman's wife anymore..." He shook his head. "Said if... if this happened to YOU... something similar or

WORSE may happen to ME.... and THEN where would she be?"

"So she left."

Roy nodded miserably.

Jonni groaned. "Oh, Roy...." She lay her arms around his shoulders, pulling him in close for a hug. "How long?"

He sighed, his arms sliding around her slim waist. "The... the papers are at home... I just have to sign them..."

She lay her head on his shoulder. "They won't let me come back to work, Roy."

"What?" he gasped, hardly aware his hand was sliding through the long ebony waves. "Why not?"

"Be...Because they don't think I can do my job anymore. Because I'm a woman now they think I'm...I'm..."

He squeezed her tight. "Now you listen to me, Jonni Gage! They're wrong! What happened to you didn't alter your skills! You're just as good a paramedic as you ever were!"

"Tell THEM that," she said.

Roy cupped her cheek in his palm. "WE will," he assured her. "You and me. Together."

She smiled. "Like we've always been...."

"That's right," he said. "We won't stop till you're reinstated. Till we're partners again! We won't stop!"

For the first time that day, hope flared inside of her. "No, Roy--- we won't stop! Not till we're together again!"

Roy's face then turned serious. "Jonni... why were you always playing around?"

She sighed. "I... I guess I was just... lookin' for the one person I could share everything with."

"I thought I found her..." Roy whispered. "But I was wrong."

Chocolate coloured eyes met azure ones. "Maybe..." she whispered. "Maybe the special person was... just too close..."

"Jonni..." Roy whispered, lowering his head. "Are you sure..."

"Do you..." she whispered. "Do you feel it too?"

Roy moaned deep in his throat as he closed what little distance remained between them and gently pressed his lips to hers.

Jonni slid her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his auburn hair as she returned the kiss, opening her lips to deepen it.

Minutes -- or was it hours? -- later, Roy pulled back. He lay his forehead on hers and whispered, "Whoa..."

"Agreed," Jonni whispered, caresing his cheek. "That was better than any kiss I've ever gotten."

"Jonni... I... I-I think I'm in love with you..."

"That makes..." she cleared her throat. "That makes it mutual, Roy..." She kissed him briefly again, then asked, "What do we do NOW?"

Roy smiled. "Monday we talk to Brackett --- and we put the wheels in motion to get you your job back and get the best damn partnership in LA county together again."

She nodded. "It's Friday afternoon... you work Sunday...."

"I go back Wednesday. With the divorce and everything, I needed some time. I took a personal day."

Jonni smiled. "So... now..."

Roy kissed her and stood up. "Now I'm going home. I've got some papers to sign."

She stood as well. "I'm coming with you."

"Jonni..."

She slid her arms around his waist. "Let me get some clothes together. I don't think either of us needs to be alone right now." She kissed him briefly before continuing, "Roy... I want to be your partner in all things, not just in work. I love you."

He hugged her and kissed her forehead. "Mind the glass as you head back. I'll wait." As he released her, he said, "I love you too, Jonni."

Jonni packed swiftly, mentally agreeing with the people who said she couldn't come back to work on one point:

Jonni Gage's life had been irrevocably changed.

She was a woman. A woman in love with a man who loved her. One that would be by her side in everything, just as he had before her transformation.

Irrevocably changed, indeed.

She had NEVER been happier.

END OF STORY ONE