Tabitha is at her friend's house, so it's just you and your mom

She sighed. "But Tabitha left before I got here. David said she went over to Trisha's for the day. Maybe I can ask her next time..."

Your mom looked a little forlorn, probably feeling bad over the growing distance between her and the rest of the family. That sad expression seemed so out of place on 'Amber's' face that you wanted to make her smile - and you genuinely felt for your mom, knowing how she must feel being isolated from her kids.

"Hey, I've got an idea," you said trying to cheer her up. "Tomorrow's a teacher workday so I don't have school. Why don't I stay overnight at your place? We can catch up on things and just spend some time together."

Her face immediately brightened at the suggestion but she seemed hesitant. "I don't know... your father wouldn't approve..."

You rolled your eyes. "Forget him, mom. He'll have to learn to deal eventually. No matter what I going to keep you in my life," you said looking her straight in the eye. "Besides," you continued, "I'll be 18 next month. Then I can do what I want!"

She smiled. "True, you are almost a grown man and will soon be making your own choices and decisions for your life. But still, I don't want to cause problems for you."

"Look, if you're worried, I'll just leave a note saying I'm staying with Randall. He'll cover for me if Dad asks. Okay? So it's decided?" you pressed.

She caved gladly. "It would be nice to really talk. We haven't had much time since, well, when you first took me to my new place." Her smile broadened into a grin. "I'd love to have you over!"

"Great, I'll grab some stuff." You started to run up the stairs, then paused and looked back. "Want to come up while I pack?" you asked.

"Sure," she responded and followed you to your room.

You pulled out your duffel bag and started to fill it. Your mom sat down on the edge of your bed and casually crossed her legs. You kept glancing over at her as you packed, unable to avoid looking at her luscious legs and 40D breasts pushing out her tight tank top.

"What is it?" she asked, noticing your look.

"I, uh...I just can't get over how relaxed you are," you said coming up with a reasonable excuse. And in reality, you were amazed at her demeanor. She had completely changed since she moved out, seeming totally at ease with herself. "It's like you're finally comfortable in your own skin - like you were born like this instead of changing only a few weeks ago."

She got a thoughtful expression. "That's very insightful, Tim. You've got it right - I AM finally getting comfortable with who am I. I think staying here at first, dealing with everyone's reaction and trying to ignore how I'd changed just made things more difficult. But getting out on my own has helped alot. I've discovered who I am now and I'm okay with it."

You paused your packing to look at her. "What do you mean?" you asked.

She continued. "Paul hasn't been able to accept 'this' as me - and David and Tabby just seem to want to get on with life and not deal with my change. You're the only one who's made a real effort."

She sighed and continued. "Moving into Stephanie's place, living on my own has made me face up to things. To see that despite our attempts to deny it, I'm not Jennifer Connors anymore. I am now Stephanie Burke, albeit a new version. And that's another thing...her life isn't at all what I expected. I would have thought that people from 'that' industry would be different - druggies, partiers, a whole alternate lifestyle. But Stephanie's friends aren't that different from you and me. They just work in an, uh, 'exotic' field. Erica and Jackson have both been a huge help to me, accepting the 'changes' in Stephanie without question and really supporting me. It's made this ALOT easier."

You thought about what she said. "I'm glad you've come to terms with this, mom. I was worried about you. I love you and I know Tabitha and David do too. But it is kinda hard to think of you as 'mom' anymore - you're just so different."

"I know, honey," she said. "I don't expect our relationship to stay exactly the same. But you're getting older and it was changing anyway - just faster and more radical now. Maybe in the long-term I'll be more like an aunt or older sister - I don't know. But it doesn't matter as long as we continue to be a part of each other's lives."

She stood and gave you a hug. It was nice to hold your mom again - though your thoughts quickly moved away from that as you felt a surge of lust at hugging such a buxom and sexy woman. You pulled away and picked up your bag. "well, I'm ready!" you said, covering your discomfort.