a few years

At first it felt awkward with 'Tabitha,' knowing that the mind of your girlfriend resided somewhere inside her. But her openness and trust for your family helped you get past that - and eventually you were able to mourn Allison as truly gone (aided by the fact that all your friends thought she was in fact dead).

It was nice to enjoy a more relaxed relationship with your 'sister' for awhile. Since her tweens Tabitha had become more irritating and antagonistic toward you. This version of Tabitha didn't have all that baggage, so it was a sort of fresh start.

Unfortunately, even without memories to draw on, Tabitha began to forge her personality and feelings based on the way other's expected her to act. Her friends helpfully told constantly what she liked and didn't like, and what her behavior 'should' be. Your parents encouraged this now that they saw a chance to get their daughter back. And Tabitha's own writings - diary, facebook, emails - gave her a roadmap for her 'old' life.

So over time your relationship with degenerated to something similar to what it had been.

Time passed and you still mourned for Allison. Your parents kept pushing you to move on, so you pretended to have come to peace with everything. You dated a few girls during your senior year, and even got close with one - Lacey, whom you had a remarkable night with at the prom (and after). But no girl could fill the void in your heart left by Allison, so eventually you would end each relationship.

Your sister completely immersed herself in her 'new' life. Of course she couldn't regain memories of her life - one that she hadn't really lived - but by the time you graduated, you couldn't tell any difference between the new Tabitah and the old one. Your relationship improved slightly once you left for college. Not being around each other constantly helped relieve the sibling rivalry and tension. But you weren't really close, only talking to each other when you were home to visit or when the whole family went on vacation.

That was fine with you. You still couldn't look at Tabby without thinking of Allison, regardless of her appearance and behavior. Your heart ached whenever you saw her, especially when she started dating and brought around her boyfriend. You were glad to keep your distance.

So it was a quite a surprise when you got a call from Tabitha one day.

"Hey, Tabby" you said. "What's up? Is something wrong with Mom or Dad?" you asked, that being the only reason you could think of she would call.

"Uh, no, they're okay," she answered in a subdued tone.

"Then what's going on?" you prodded. "Not that I mind you calling, but you NEVER do..."

She cleared her throat. "I fell the other day and banged by head pretty hard."

"Are you alright?" you interjected, immediately fearing some complication from the surgery.

"Yeah, don't worry, I'm good," she said in a familiar tone of irritation. "That's not a big deal - just a minor concussion."

"Okay..." you said questioningly, waiting for her to continue.

"It's that, uh...well, Tim, all my memories returned," she said.

You froze. "Huh?"

"My memories, Tim. Of my life. As Allison."

"Oh," you simply said.

"I...I didn't want to say anything to Mom & Dad - I mean your parents, or our parents..." she paused and cursed. "Dammit, this is so confusing! I've got 18 years worth of memories as Allison, but the last two as Tabitha. What happened to me, Tim? Tell me - be honest!"

You hesitantly started to explain everything: the accident and the insane procedure that had been done to save her life; the agreement for her to live as your sister, Tabitha; and finally the decision to not tell her the truth given her memory loss.

She listened quietly until you finished, then asked a few questions for clarification. She suprised you by remaining calm instead of breaking down. Tabitha was always very emotional but Allison was usually cool and collected. Could it be true? Was your girlfriend really back? Was this another chance for you and Allison?

You pushed those confusing questions aside for the moment. Whether she was your girlfriend or your sister, she needed you now.

"Do you want me to come home so we can talk? Help break the news to Mom & Dad?" you asked.

She took a minute to answer. "No, Tim, I'm not going to tell them. What would be the point? Everyone has accepted me as Tabitha, even my real family. And I've got used to being Tabitha now. I don't want people to act like I'm handicapped or an invalid - or even worse, some kind of freak! I'd rather just continue to be Tabitha..."

She paused for a moment before continuing. "But WE do need to talk. Obviously things have changed between us now. I...I still love you Tim, but it's all so strange. I'm not sure what we should do - or even what I want. But I need a little time to think about this on my own, so don't rush here."