Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 WARNING: This story includes sexually explicit material.

   Please note any unfamiliar spellings and phrases may be due to the fact
I am English, not American.

   I would like to thank the proof-readers for all their help

   Any comments, including constructive criticisms, would be most
appreciated.  Please send to artemis55@hotmail.com

   This work is copyrighted by the author.  You may download and keep one
copy for your personal use as long as my by-line and e-mail address and
this paragraph remain on the copy.  Any posting or reposting on a website,
other than the archive or Dejanews, or to a newsgroup requires my
permission first (but I'll probably say yes).  This story should not, under
any circumstances be used to make a profit by anyone other than the author

   ======================================================================
This story is part of an experiment in collaboration, known as Writer's
Swap '99.  Partners were randomly assigned and given two months to come up
with a story working together.

   I was partnered with Dave 437.  He suggested that we write a story about
a man and woman who swapped bodies.  I made various suggestions to add to
his basic idea some of which he didn't like.  While we were still
discussing details his computer broke down.  So I began writing and, since
I didn't hear from him, I used most of my ideas to change his original
plot.

   I found it much more difficult then I expected to collaborate.  Usually
when I have an idea for a story it's like a film running in my head.  While
writing this story the film wasn't there.  Anyway, it was an interesting
experiment.

   ======================================================================
REPOST NOTE: The original idea for this was to have a man and a woman swap
bodies and then we would each write one character's story.  Dave
unfortunately had computer and health problems, so I ended up writing it by
myself.  I was trying to make the deadline and didn't really have time to
write Dave's half so it ended up a bit one sided I'm afraid.

   ======================================================================

   The Gift

   'O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us To see oursels as others see us'
Robbie Burns

   Chapter One

   Last orders had been called a while ago and the clientele were draining
the last dregs of their drinks before heading for the toilets when Amy
realised her watch had stopped.  A quick check of the clock behind the bar
showed that it was a considerably later than they had all thought.

   'We're going to have to get a move on if we're going to catch the last
train.' Dan pointed out.  'You lot get going and I'll catch you up, I just
have to go to the bog.'

   'Why did you say that?' Sue moaned, 'Now I have to go too.'

   'I'll come with you,' Amy said, 'We'll meet you outside, Dan.'

   'OK, but we're going to have to make it quick,' Dan reiterated.

   'Yes, yes, we know.  We can read a clock as well as you can,' Sue
answered him.

   Ten minutes later Dan was impatiently pacing up and down outside the
toilets when Sue emerged.

   'At last!  Now, where's Amy?'

   'The queues were too long, and she didn't really want to go, so she went
on ahead to the station,' Sue explained.

   'Brilliant.  Well at least you've got trainers on.  You should be able
to run.  Amy wouldn't have had a chance in those heels.'

   'I'm sure I'll be able to keep up with you,' Sue drawled sardonically.

   'Yeah, whatever.  Come on, this way.  I know a short cut.' They jogged
down a dark road and across some waste ground.  The wire fence around some
warehouses had a loose flap, which they ducked under.  They were hurrying
along the dark corridor between two buildings when the sound of shouting
drew their attention upwards.  Clearly visible through an uncurtained
window, they could see two men struggling.  As they watched in disbelief,
one man pulled out a gun and fired at the other.  He was clearly injured
and staggered out of sight of the window.  Dan and Sue exchanged looks,
shocked by the scene they had just witnessed.  Before they had a chance to
say anything, there was a high pitched whine and the next moment they were
swept off their feet and hurled through the air to land in a tangled heap
against a wall.

   It was some time later when they regained consciousness.  They staggered
to their feet, unsure exactly what had happened.  The window above them was
dark and there was no sign of life anywhere.  They limped back through the
alleyway and out onto the road.  The clock outside the station showed that
they had definitely missed the train.

   'I don't know about you but I feel lousy,' Sue mumbled.  'Do you think
we should call the police or something?'

   'Call in the morning,' Dan suggested.  'My head's killing me and I can't
focus.  I can't face a couple of hours down the police station right now.
Let's just get a cab to Amy's flat.'

   'Fine with me.  She won't mind if I crash on her sofa,' Sue answered. 
They managed to find a cab, which soon deposited them outside Amy's
building.  All the lights were out, so she was obviously asleep, but she
had left the door unlocked.  Still dazed they crept in, leaving the lights
off.  Dan climbed into bed next to Amy while Sue made herself comfortable
on the sofa.

   The next morning Sue gradually woke up, only vaguely aware of her
surroundings.  She was conscious of the remnants of a headache, and was
struggling to remember exactly what had happened the previous night, when
she heard Amy's voice.

   'Morning sleepyhead.  How are you feeling?' Amy whispered, slipping
under the blanket next to her.  Sue was still only half-awake when she
became aware of the strangest sensation.  Amy's hand had stroked over her
stomach and now seemed busy between her legs.  Bewildered by this strange
behaviour, Sue was completely distracted by the effect Amy's actions were
having.  The feelings were definitely sexual but not in any way Sue had
experienced before.  They seemed to be centred outside her body and were
growing stronger each second.  Then Amy's head moved downwards and Sue
stopped thinking and simply let the sensations sweep through her.  The
warm, soft moistness of Amy's mouth was performing miracles.  All her
muscles were tightening and she could hear herself gasping as an orgasm
unlike any she had ever experienced shuddered through her.

   Dan was slowly drifting awake when sounds from the sitting room brought
him fully awake.  Turning his head he discovered that Amy was no longer
besides him and that he had a thumping headache.  The moans and gasps from
the sitting room were becoming louder so he staggered to his feet to
investigate.  He opened the door and leaned speechless against the frame,
stunned by the sight before him.  His girlfriend Amy was giving a blow-job
to some guy who was clearly enjoying it.  Rage flooded through him until
the man turned his head and he found himself looking at his own face. 
Totally bewildered he clutched at his head and discovered handfuls of long
hair.  Completely confused he headed for the bathroom mirror.  Looking back
at him, instead of his own reflection, was Sue's face.  He looked down at
himself and immediately noticed a pair of breasts that had definitely not
been there before.  He cupped them in his hands and clearly felt the touch
of his hands.  If this was some kind of illusion it was a very good one

   The sounds from the sitting room had stopped and he could hear Amy
moving about in the kitchen.  Cautiously he opened the bathroom door and
entered the sitting-room.  It was definitely his body sprawled on the sofa
with a stunned look on its face.  Unsure exactly what to do next he went
closer.

   Sue was totally exhausted, embarrassed and perplexed.  She had just
experienced an orgasm unlike anything she had ever experienced before. 
However, her best friend Amy had given created it.  Why Amy should suddenly
decide to take such unexpected action was beyond Sue.  Nor had Sue any idea
why she had responded in the way she had.  Amy has a very happy and
satisfying sex life with Dan as she all too frequently described to Sue. 
Even more worrying, did Sue's response mean she had sub-conscious lesbian
tendencies.  To the best of her knowledge she had only ever been attracted
to men and she wasn't aware of ever experiencing attraction to Amy. 
Completely baffled, Sue opened her eyes and the situation became ten times
more incomprehensible.  Standing over the sofa looking down at her was
herself!  She gave a startled yelp and sat up.  Catching sight of a pair of
hairy legs she looked down at herself and saw an unmistakably male body. 
Stunned she looked up at her body for some kind of help only to find her
face smirking at her evident confusion.

   'You know, I knew you suffered from penis envy but I never thought you
would go so far as stealing my body,' she heard herself say in a sarcastic
tone of voice.  Sue struggled to comprehend the situation but the only
coherent thought she could articulate was her distress at the naked state
of her body.

   'For goodness sake, put some clothes on me!' she exclaimed.  'What's Amy
going to think if she catches me, I mean you, like that.'

   'OK, OK, keep your knickers on,' Dan snapped back.  'Or should that be
boxer shorts now.' He heard Amy approaching the sitting-room door and dived
back into the bedroom.  He hated following any suggestion of Sue's but he
disliked even more the idea of distressing Amy.

   He sat on the bed and put his head in his hands.  The only possible
explanation he could find was that the explosion last night had created
this bizarre situation.  He would have to go back to the warehouse and try
to find someone to reverse the effect.  The fact that the only people they
had seen had been busy fighting and firing guns was not reassuring.  As
himself he would feel confident to handle any situation that might arise,
but it was completely different in this puny female body.  He felt
diminished, unmanned in some way.  He walked over to his weights in the
corner and with some difficulty managed to lift one.  He let it drop, even
more despondent.  He wasn't a muscle-bound fitness freak but he had always
kept himself in shape.  He hadn't realised how much he took his strength
for granted.  Everything about this body felt wrong.  The whole balance of
the body was subtly different.  The hips swung more as he walked, the
breasts swayed and pulled at the muscles across his shoulders.  Sue's body
was about half a foot shorter than his own and the discrepancy added a
sense of disorientation to his familiar surroundings.

   He heard Amy call out that she was going to the shop to get some milk.
As soon as the door closed behind her he heard Sue heading for the bedroom.
She stood in the doorway glaring at him.  He never realised how
intimidating he could appear until he saw his body loom in the doorway,
glowering at him.

   'Put some clothes on,' he heard his voice say.  'I don't want you of all
people seeing me naked.' As usual Sue had managed to annoy him, dispelling
the growing self-pity.

   'You don't have much choice in the matter,' he told her with some
satisfaction.  He walked over to stand in front of the full-length mirror
and ran his hands over the unfamiliar curves.  The skin was soft and satiny
under his touch and he was surprised how pleasant such a simple touch felt.
He cupped the breasts in his hands, gently cradling their weight.  He
hadn't realised what a great body Sue had.  She was small but slim.  Her
slight frame seemed to emphasise the length of her legs and draw attention
to the generous swell of her breasts.

   'Stop it,' Sue yelled, startled by the deep growl of her new voice. 
Conflicting emotions seethed through her brain as she watched her body pose
in front of the mirror.  Instead of offering comfort and working towards a
solution Dan was, as usual, just being annoying.  More distressing then
finding herself in a male body was the thought of Dan seeing her naked. 
She felt exposed and stripped not only of her identity but also of her
dignity.  With mounting indignation she saw her hands start to caress her
nipples and felt ashamed as they hardened.  Furious she strode across the
room and snatched the traitorous hands away from her breasts.  Unused to
the strength of Dan's body, she sent her own body spinning across the room
to tumble against the bed.  Sue grabbed a robe and forced it on her body,
tightening the belt with a vicious jerk.

   'Temper, temper,' Dan mocked and laughed at her.  Sue struggled to
contain her anger and attempted to reason with him.

   'We need to find out what caused this body switch and get it reversed,'
she said patiently.  'I'm guessing that the explosion last night caused
this somehow.'

   'Well, it does seem the most likely explanation,' Dan agreed.  'There
probably won't be anyone there on a Sunday afternoon.  I was going to stop
by tomorrow and try to get this sorted out.'

   'That's not good enough,' Sue told him.  'I'm going back today.  I can't
wait until tomorrow to get my body back.'

   'How are you going to get there?' Dan queried.  'No trains on Sunday and
my car is in the garage so I can't drive us there.'

   'I'll figure something out,' Sue said determinedly.  'Things are going
to get far too complicated otherwise.  Amy is going to expect me to behave
like you and there's no way I'm going to kiss and cuddle her the way you
do.'

   'You seemed to be enjoying her attentions this morning,' Dan pointed out
and watched in satisfaction, as she became embarrassed.  'More to the
point, Amy is likely to be hurt if she feels I'm being cold and
stand-offish.'

   'Good point.  We have to give her a reason for your change in behaviour.
The last thing either of us wants is to upset Amy.'

   'That's about the only thing we ever agree on.  You could say you're not
very well and you don't want to pass on your germs.  Say you've got some
kind of stomach bug so you don't have to fake any symptoms.  Gives you an
excuse to keep your distance,' Dan suggested.

   'That's a good idea,' Sue said, letting a tone of surprise show in her
voice.  'Won't Amy think it strange if you suddenly start being considerate
though?'

   'I thought it was too good to be true.  You managed to go five minutes
without being a bitch.  Must be an all time record for you.'

   'Whereas you only managed to behave like a responsible adult for two
minutes,' Sue snapped back.  'I can't be bothered to waste any more time
talking to you.  I'm going in the shower.'

   'Don't forget to wash thoroughly under the foreskin.  I'm sure you'll
have fun doing that,' Dan drawled provokingly.  'After all it's probably
the closest you've ever been to a naked man.' Sue gave him a withering
glance and left, slamming the door behind her.
   Copyright Vickie Morgan, March 1999 E-mail artemis55@hotmail.com