“How did it go at Becca’s?” asked Stephanie when Faye and Paula returned to Paula’s home near High Wycombe.

“Didn’t she give you a call?” asked Faye.

Paula grinned.
“She did, but I’d like to hear it in your own words. So?”

“She’s a lovely, beautiful woman who could have almost anyone she wants in her life.”

“And?”

“She would like to give it a go with me… Someone who is not a real woman and has only been with her for two days. It does not make sense.”

“The world is a crazy place, as you well know. We, humans, are unpredictable at times. We still know very little about how our brains work. Knowing Becca as we do, I know she would not do wrong by you should you not make it as a couple.”

“That’s the very thing she said.”

“And?”

“She is moving to a new house soon and wants me to help her make it a home. That is bloody scary.”

“On the other hand, it gives you both a project to work on. That will expose any fundamental issues with the two of you, won’t it?”

“If I screw up, then she’ll have to live with it for years… That’s the scary part.”

Paula shook her head.
“Again, knowing Becca, she’ll rip out the crap bits and do it again. She is a bit of a perfectionist.”

“I know that. Her freezer is perfectly ordered. Well, it was until I stuffed some frozen food into it. She’d had a delivery of groceries only a few minutes before we arrived.”

“Did she tell you to stuff it all in?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Then it does not matter one little bit. I’ll bet that it would be perfectly stacked if you went to that freezer right now. That’s Becca.”

“I’m beginning to understand that she is a complex character.”

“We are all complex in one way or another. Are you going to give it a go? With her, I mean?”

“I am. I don’t have any other options on the table at the moment, do I? None of the others that you gave me dossiers on came anywhere close to Becca.”

Paula grinned.
“You got me there. As soon as you said that you fancied women, I thought of Becca. I added the others as a bit of a test. You passed that with flying colours. I think that you and Becca will be a great couple, but it will take some time.”

“I know, and that is what scares me shitless.”

“Roll with the flow, Faye, roll with the flow.”

Then, she changed the subject.
“I do like that wig on you. It suits your face.”

“Thanks. I’m starting to get used to it. I do think that I should colour my real hair to match.”

Paula grinned.
“There you are, thinking like a woman again. What are we to do with you?”

For half a second, Faye thought that Paula was being serious. Then she saw the grin on Paula’s face.

“Ok, you got me there.”

“Becca said that you had some things to do before you went back to hers. What sort of things?”

“Oh, just simple things. Getting some official documents like a birth certificate, National Insurance number and, oh, getting my ears pierced. Plus, any girl stuff that I need before stepping out into the real world full-time.”

“Mr Gold is sorting your documents. He was diverted a bit by Faith. With her going to Spain, she needed a passport in short order. It was complicated by the fact that, despite her father never giving up the search, she was declared dead. Officialdom being what it is, bringing back someone from the dead takes a lot of work. The DNA match helped. From what he said, your stuff is next on his list.”

“As for getting your ears done, we can do that tomorrow. Steph and I have to be in the office all day. There are places on Oxford Street that will pierce your ears.”

“One problem. I don’t have any money.”

Paula grinned.

“Mr Gold couriered these to me on Saturday afternoon.”

She pulled a padded envelope out of her very expensive handbag and handed it to Faye.

“What’s in it?”

Paula grinned.
“I have a good idea, but why don’t you open it and see?”

Faye opened the bag, and three envelopes came out.

The first was a phone SIM card. The second was the notification of a bank account and that £2000 had been deposited into it. The third was a debit card for that account.

“Where did that money come from? I didn’t earn it, did I?”

“That is true, but Becca sent it to me after your second Skype session. Her words were something like, Faye needs some cash to enable her at least to be able to buy a coffee or two when she is doing those other things before going to her place.”

“I’ll have to pay her back. I can’t take this.”

“Then tell her to her face when you go back, and that you need a job. Shouldn’t it be between the two of you?”

“You are right. It should. I won’t touch it until I’ve seen her.”

Paula shook her head.
“Speak to her tonight. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get your ears pierced or buy some hair dye or anything else, such as a train ticket down to her place.”

“Eh? Are you saying that I should travel down to Kent on my own?”

“We are. One of us will take you to the station. From then on, it is up to you.”

Faye didn’t look very happy.
“You will be fine,” said a voice from behind them. It was Stephanie.

“Dinner is ready.”

“How did your call to Becca go?” asked Stephanie the next evening.

Faye didn’t say anything right away. Then she said,
“It was good. I’ve agreed to take the money as a loan, and she will have a job for me.”

“So, you two are cool then?”

“Yes, Steph, we are cool,” she replied with a smile on her face.

“Faye, I have some news for you,” said Paula.

Faye looked at Paula’s face.
“I take it that it is bad news?”

She nodded.
“Your father has been arrested and charged with abuse of a minor.”

Faye stared into space for a few seconds. The memories of her past were not that old.

“According to the reports on the internet, he locked up one of the other people’s children for speaking back to him. That child was the subject of a court order, and the sheriff’s people found her locked up inside a dog cage and very dehydrated. The child was abducted by the father during a supervised visit in Boston so he’s been charged with all sorts of crimes including the transportation of a minor over state lines. The reports indicate that the child is in the hospital. Your Father’s people have serious contacts as you are well aware, and he was released on bail of $500,000 cash, before the immigration people could get there. Your family has had their visas revoked. Your former mother and siblings are in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Austin, Texas, but he is in the wind. Deportation procedures will begin shortly, but as usual, lawyers are getting in the way, but as their visas will expire shortly anyway, they don’t have a leg to stand on. What will complicate matters is the suspect parentage of your former father and mother over those siblings. When they do get back here, Mr Gold will represent them free of charge if it is proved that they are not blood relatives of your former parents.”

“That makes sense. One thing that I learned very early on when he went radical was to never question his authority. A dog cage does seem a bit extreme, but it does make sense.”

“Faye,” said Paula.
“The sooner we get you 100% legal, the better. Then you can disappear from London and begin your new life.”

“Thank you, Paula. You make it seem so simple, but it has to be hard work.”

Paula shook her head.
“The first time that we gave someone a new start, it was difficult, but now, we have a process, and we are still learning. I think that we may be seeing more clients such as yourself in the future. It seems that families are becoming less tolerant of each other especially when it comes to people who are members of the LGBT community.”

Faye looked a bit concerned.

“Don’t worry, Faye. With the things being put in place by our lawyers, even if your parents remain free when they get back here, they would not know where you are or what your name is, and they’d have court orders banning all forms of contact, even indirect contact through third parties. Then there is the little matter that you are now an adult.”

“You seem very sure of all this?”

Paula smiled.
“You are not the first person to come to us. We have a good process in place now. Plus, there are no records of any communication between me and Steph and Becca. All our phone calls are done over the internet using a random VPN and can’t be traced. Becca’s file is not stored in Europe, and when you move down to Kent, it will be destroyed. We are pretty good at covering our tracks. As you were eighteen and, therefore, an adult, courts will be very reluctant to order us to divulge what went on between us. Nothing we have done is illegal in any way.”

After a sigh, she added.
“We have to take precautions in case we have some unexpected visitors.”

Faye looked a bit bewildered, so Steph came to her rescue.

“I know that there is a lot to take in, but we are on your and Becca’s side.”

“Thanks… thanks for being in my corner.”

“That’s what we are here for,” said Paula.

“Now… tomorrow, we are going shopping. We’ll get your ears pierced and also get you kitted out for a life in the country. Ok? It will be fun, believe me.”

Faye smiled and nodded her head.

“See, that didn’t hurt, did it?” asked Steph.
Faye had just had her ears pierced. A Stainless-steel stud adorned each lobe.
“Now remember the advice that you have been given, and eventually, they’ll heal up and be good to go for proper earrings.”

“I’ll try. Thanks for being there with me.”

“I said I would, and I am here. Now… let’s hit the shops.”

Faye wasn’t sure, but she went along with the flow. After an hour or so, she started to enjoy the idea of going into a shop and trying lots of things on and walking out without actually buying anything. She did feel a bit guilty for doing that, but as she watched others doing it, she didn’t feel so bad.

After a break for some much-needed refreshment, they carried on looking at clothes. Faye suddenly saw something that attracted Steph’s attention.

“Those dungarees that woman is wearing. I want some of those.”

To say that Faye was surprised would be an understatement.
“Why? Why would you need things like that?”

“Because Becca’s new home is a building site.”

Slowly, a smile appeared on Steph’s face.
“Ok, but what about when you are not on the building site?”

“Then, these would do fine,” she said, showing her some photos of fairly ordinary clothes.”

“But Faye, Becca is a supermodel?”

“And there is no way that I can compete with that beauty. It is better not to try than any paparazzi that come snooping will concentrate on her and not me, the hired help.”

“Whoa… Is that how you see yourself, ‘the hired help?’”

“I do… at least for a while. This is all new to me, and I have to find my feet.”

“You sound like my mother?”

“She’s right. Meeting Becca scared me shitless; I can tell you. On the way back, I began to realise that if it is going to work, then at the start, I have to be as invisible as possible. Then, when people have gotten used to me, then and only then, perhaps I can be a little more adventurous. Becca might have been a supermodel, but she was dressed down all the time I was there. She has vast amounts of fashionable clothes, but they are next to useless for what she wants to do with her life now.”

Steph looked at Faye and saw how certain she looked. Certain that her way was right.

“Ok, but we need at least two posh frocks for those special events. Didn’t you go to the village Fete or something? I’ll bet that a lot of people were wearing their ‘Sunday Best’.”

“It was the Harvest Festival, but yes, two or three posher outfits.”

Steph nearly punched the sky. A small victory, but a victory nevertheless. Getting someone who never had any say in what they wore was often hard, but to Faye, it was like plucking teeth from a hen.

The shopping trip was declared a success when Faye bought a wheeled suitcase that would hold all their purchases.

“We aren’t done yet,” said Steph.

“Eh?” remarked Faye.
“I thought that we were ready to call it a day.”

“We are apart from knickers and other underwear. You can’t wear that black bra with that yellow top.”

Slowly, a smile spread over Faye’s face.
“I get you. I think?”

Under Steph’s direction, Faye learned about matching underwear to the outfit.
“Of course, most of the time, it won’t matter if you are working on Becca’s house, but outside that, you have to make the right impression even if you stay out of the limelight.”

Then she added,
“Because there is always the chance that Becca wants you to be more visible. I’m not saying right away, but in time… that might happen.”

“Ok, I get the message, and undies it is as long as you control the case while I make the selections. You can yay or nay it.”

Steph had been backed into a corner but didn’t mind at all.

Four days later, a very different-looking Faye, who had her hair dyed properly for the first time and had dispensed with the wig thanks to some expertly applied extensions, travelled into London on the train with Steph. At Charing Cross station, Steph said her goodbyes. Then Faye was on her own. All her worldly goods were in the suitcase. The only extra things that they’d bought were some walking boots that would double as work boots to go with the dungarees and a waterproof jacket. A woolly hat completed the outfit, much to the amusement of Paula.
“All the builders I’ve seen since I left home wear these things. I have to fit in, don’t I?”

For once, Paula was left speechless, but in a good way.

Becca was waiting for Faye at the local station. She grinned when she saw Faye’s outfit.

“Ready for work, I see?” said Becca after they’d briefly kissed.

“I have to earn my keep somehow, don’t I?”
Then, with a grin, she said,
“I can’t sit at home all day looking gorgeous, now, can I?”

Both of them had a good laugh over that. All was good between them, and from then on, it seemed the only way forward for Faye was with Becca.

Over breakfast the next morning, Becca said,
“Take a look at this photo and tell me what you see?”

She handed Faye a photo of a girl sticking her tongue out at the camera.

“I see a youngish girl with lots of heavy makeup on, her hair in a complete mess and a pierced tongue.”

Becca smiled.
“And?”

Faye looked at the image a lot closer.
“That’s you, isn’t it?”

Becca grinned.
“When I was first noticed by the media, I was terrified of them following me and intruding into my life. I’d seen what could happen to two of the then very top models who got caught by someone out for a quick buck, snorting cocaine. They were both dropped by their agency, and it took them years to get back on the circuit. I never did, or rather, knowingly ever did, drugs, but the fear was still there. So, I dressed up like that. It felt good to be able to go around without some supposed fan from social media snapping my every move. Eventually, I was rumbled, but by changing my hair, I was able to continue. These days, when I have to go up to London for business reasons, I will often dress like that. The people I do business with know about it and accept my reasons for doing it.”

“Do you want me to look like that?”

Becca laughed.
“I think that you need to let yourself go. I’d been doing what other people wanted of me for years until I ducked out and started doing things for myself. Dressing like that allowed me to do that. If you want to go through your own ‘rebel without a cause’ phase, then it is fine by me. You are like me in having to do as others want you to. In your case, it was your parents. With me, it was the model agency. We are people and want to make our own mistakes. Their job is to make all our decisions for us until we are ready to go out on our own. Does this sound familiar?”

“It does. I hadn’t thought of it that way. What do you want me to do?”

Becca shook her head.
“No, Faye, what do you want to do and don’t say something like ‘be here with me’?”

Faye sat thinking for several minutes before replying,
“When I went shopping with Steph, I kept thinking about what you’d said about the new house and all that, so I tried to buy things so that I could help you. Hence, the dungarees and stuff. I was thinking about what you wanted from me rather than what I wanted from life.”

Becca smiled.
“If we are to be a proper partnership that lasts, then both of us have to be aware of each other’s demands, faults and even fantasies. That’s why I said that you need to let yourself go a bit. Stop thinking about other people for a bit and think about yourself for a change. I know that it will be hard. All those years being subservient to that monster of a fake father will take some time to work out of your psyche. We have time and an ideal place to let that happen.”

Before Faye could answer, Becca said,
“Think about it for a bit. In the meantime, we can take a walk down to the new house, and you can see what has been happening since you were last here.”

To her surprise, Faye came and gave Becca a hug and a brief kiss.
“Thank you. Thank you for being so nice to me.”

Becca laughed.
“Nice?”

“Yes, nice. You were that before, and I didn’t fully grasp it all. Now, I am going to get ready to go out.”

She kissed Becca and left her sitting at the kitchen table. When the door closed, Becca broke out into a huge smile. She was well aware of the trials and tribulations ahead, but that little bit of positivity that Faye had just shown was a step in the right direction.

“The builders have gone off on another job for a few days,” said Becca as they approached the new house.
“They are waiting on a delivery of concrete for the internal floor. That’s coming on Friday; then it can dry over the weekend.”
“Don’t you mind them disappearing like that?”

“Normally, I would, but the Concrete company let us down the other day. It wasn’t really their fault. Once the mix is loaded, there is only a finite time it lasts before going off. There was an accident between their depot and here, so they had to divert the load to another site. I’m not paying the builders for the next few days, but they were going to have to wait while it dried anyway, so it may work out well in the long run.”

Becca led the way into the building.
“See, that’s the underfloor heating. When the floor is down and dry, they can start on the walls.”
Becca was pointing at a lot of black plastic pipe that was covering the floor of most of the ground floor.

“There is so much to do, isn’t there?”

“There is… if it is to be our home, it needs to be right, doesn’t it?”

The word ‘our’ brought the enormity of it all into perspective. Becca noticed her reaction.

“Faye, I know that this is all a big step for you… That’s why now is the time to be free to express yourself and experiment with your looks and makeup. To me, it does not matter if you make mistakes. That is all part of the big tapestry of life.”

“You wouldn’t mind if I went a bit mad?”

“Not. You can… no, make that need. You need to find what makes you happy with yourself, and my job is to be here for you while you make all sorts of mistakes. Then, when you are satisfied with your look and everything, I’ll be here for you.”

“But Becca… Why? The real reason, please. Not the wishy-washy excuse you gave me last time.”

Becca laughed.
“Wow! That was a short rebel phase.”

Faye smiled.
“I’ve not started it yet. So?”

Becca took a deep breath before answering.

“Because I escaped from parents like yours when I was eleven years old. My life was completely under their control. Even at school, I had to have their permission to speak to the person sitting at the desk next to me. I ran away from home and got picked up by the police. They took one look at my legs, where he would tie me up at night to stop me from running away, and they sent me into care. My then parents were tried and convicted of child abuse. A year later, I was adopted by the people I call Mum and Dad. They allowed me to try out as a model, and the rest is history. You deserve a chance in the world, so here you are. When you came here the last time, I tried hard, but I felt something for you that wasn’t pity or sorrow. I hoped that you felt something for me.”

Then Becca said,
“They are chomping at the bit to meet you but I’ve told them to hold off for a while. I told them that you need to find out who you really are and get comfortable before meeting my parents. Eventually, they agreed.”

Faye was left speechless by what Becca had said.

Without really thinking about what she was doing, she wrapped her arms around Becca and wept.

Becca let her cry herself out. It was something that she’d done a few weeks after going to live with the family that had just told her that they wanted to adopt her.

When Faye had recovered some composure, she said,
“Thank you.”

“We have a long way to go to even get to the point of having a serious relationship, but there is time for you, as I said, to spread your wings and make some mistakes in the knowledge that I have your back.”

Faye kissed Becca on each cheek and took her hand.
“I think that it is time for me to attempt to poison you with lunch.”

“This I want to see.”

All was good between them. Faye had someone in her life who cared for her. That was going to take some getting used to. Love and all that crap might come in time, but she had a lot of growing up to do first.

[the end]
[postscript]

The arrival of COVID forced them to see just how tolerant of each other they could be for many couples. The several stages of lockdown were the last straw for a lot of people. For Becca and Faye, it was a test that they passed with flying colours. Being stuck at their home for most of the time, Faye had a chance to ‘go wild’ with all the clothes that Becca had in the shipping containers. Becca taught Faye how to apply makeup that was not just for the catwalk but for daytime and evening. After seeing herself wearing a dress that Becca had worn for a wedding, she pronounced, ‘Pink is not my colour’. That was the moment that sealed the bond between them. Becca had hated that dress. Later that day, it was burned on the bonfire of fallen leaves in the garden. Both of them raised a glass to, as Becca said, ‘good riddance to bad rubbish’.

Becca loved having Faye with her. Until Faye’s arrival, she hadn’t realised just how much she missed female company. At the end of the last period of lockdown, Becca got down on one knee and asked Faye to marry her. Faye accepted. Eleven months later, Becca gave birth to a lovely baby girl who was going to be spoiled something rotten, but pink things were not on their shopping list. She was named Stephanie after the person who had brought them together in the first place.

They planned to have one more child before Faye took the final step towards being the woman she’d become.