Chapter Three

"Actually thinking back on if it hadn't stopped when it did I would have gone through my ceiling," I laughed with tears almost in my eyes.

"Even so," Tanya chuckled, "it would have been something to see - Giant actually growing out of a house. Oh my, what would your neighbors have said?"

"Put some pants on for Christ's sake! You're hanging out, all of you!"

We were at the Black Eagle Restaurant; I was wearing an off-yellow dress shirt, brown slacks and oxford shoes, Tanya in a blue-gray shantung jacket and matching knee length, sleeveless dress. The V cut of her dress showed off excellently her modest bosom without being overly dramatic. Similar colored shoes were upon the feet of her well-developed legs. For our meal we were having an excellent steak dinner complete with all the fixings ranging from baked potatoes and garlic bread to sautéed mushrooms and fresh green beans with bacon crumbs. We each had side orders of breaded onion rings, too. I had almost refrained from having the adult beverage of my choice, but then I remembered that Tanya had taken care of my need to travel home - joining hotel rooms at the Stoneford Hilton. The night before over the telephone we had agreed to meet in the lobby of the establishment. Sort of a GO space as in the game of Monopoly for our day together. In addition, it had been a marvelous time since we had meet, too as though the weather was being managed for our benefit - and perhaps it was. Before leaving that morning, I filled Joshua's kitty feeder with food and water, as I would not be back that evening or maybe longer. To my stern look of - Now, don't eat it all in one hour or you'll turn into a gray furry beach ball. To this he replied - Up yours, man.

After driving the distance, I was nervous with excitement - and I hoped she would be pleased with me. I was dressed in a casual white shirt, blue jeans and my best comfortable walking shoes. As I entered the lobby Tanya was patiently waited for me sitting on a plush sofa - and almost on the verge of ripping to shreds a magazine she was holding. She was wearing a light-green tank dress with a floral print that set off her tanned skin and jet-black colored hair perfectly. As I had done, she had chosen to wear appropriate walking shoes, in her case a pair of white slip-ons. Tanya was just as anxious about meeting me it seemed. We caught sight of each other at about the same moment of time - it seemed to stop for a second, then it continued as she got up and I came over to greet her. We were like to shy children in the presence of each other for the first time. However, she was the one who first broke down the barrier.

"Come here you big lug and kiss me," she commanded, semi-seriously, semi-humorously.

"Well, ah, if I do you might catch my disease and grow."

"By the Goddess, now you must," Tanya said - broadly smiling, "there's no woman alive that could resist gaining such an affliction."

Forthwith she embraced me - and I slowly responded in kind putting my arms around her small body. I couldn't help it; it felt so damned good. I don't know how to express it but it was as if electricity flowed between us in that timeless moment. Then we broke for air.

"How was it for you?" she said looking up at me with an impish look.

"Wow, that was something else - do you do this with all the men you first meet?"

"No," she slyly grinned, "only the men I care greatly for. By the Goddess, you are larger then you told me - I mean originally."

"I know, its something I still cannot get over just yet. Six-foot two and 225 pounds in weight."

"Wait a minute you said 215 yesterday. You're even ten pounds heavier?"

"I know, but when I got up this morning I weighed 225 pounds. I know I've been eating more then I use to, but I don't see how I could gain so much more in so short a time. Maybe the Goddess is tweaking me for perfection?"

"Could be," Tanya answered. "Where shall we go first?"

"Have you been to see the Clock Tower Museum here in Stoneford?"

"No, I cannot say that I have - but it sounds interesting. Let's go."

Therefore, we did. It was a Museum dedicated to the clocks - of all sorts, shape and kinds. Ranging from the kinds that the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Chinese used, all the way through to the medieval water clocks and Renaissance pendulums. Then the first 18th century geared windups to even a modern atomic clock on loan from the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Tanya had never seen such a verity of the time keepers art in her life. After we left there we, as tourists, arm in arm strolled the streets of the down town district. It was such a wonderful feeling, for the first time in my life a girl was actually pulled down on my body and not at the same level or even from above. We lunched at a small diner that had a Railroad motif as a part of its history as well as a miniature museum/provincial park complex having originally being the city's railroad depot. Then we headed over the Applevalley Mall where to our joint surprise and pleasure what should be going on but flea market show of antiques, handcrafts and used books. Also being held within this event was a tri-province area comic book mini-convention. Like myself, Tanya was a comic book nut as a teenager and still had a fond place for all the characters she grew up with back then.

"My favorites of course are . . ."

"Let me guess," I said in a professorially tone, "PC comics Wonder Woman and Superpower Girl and Awesome comics Sharon the Jungle Devil, The Savage and Sensational She-Krunk and all of the females from X-Force and the Justice Avengers."

"You have me down pat. But of course, the Purple Damsel of Delta Power holds the special place in my heart because of her ability to grow. Oh my look here, issues of The Warlord and Classics Illustrated - I wonder if they have a copy of Howard Pyle's Men of Iron here . . ."

It was a great time - to be certain. The both us were unable to go without buying a couple of our favorite issues in remembrance of the day together. Afterwards, we headed back to the Hilton to drop off our loot as well as clean up and change for the evening meal at the Black Eagle, which was where we were now.

**********

"So," she said coyly - stroking my hand, "what do you plan for tonight - my tall and powerful man?"

"Ah, well . . ."

I was feeling a mixture of erotic interest and being gently trapped by the wiles of an aggressive Amazon. The effect of the booze was getting to me, her too I could see. But I was also as equally attracted to her as she was to me. However, I was concerned we were taking things too far, too fast - Growth and Goddess not withstanding. Again being the perceptive Amazon that she was Tanya noticed my feelings before I could articulate them.

"Look," Tanya said reassuringly, "I don't mean to rush you or anything. I know you are sensitive by nature and a much better gentleman then I will ever be a true lady in the ways of knights and their liege ladies. Something I greatly love about you and love you for - you're not a macho type having to prove yourself to me, you are already self-assured as a male in the presence of one like me - an Amazonian female. As I said in chat, I'm a horny wench - and sometimes too bold about such personal and intimate of matters. One of the reasons I think I scare off most men - I have a mind of my own and not afraid to express myself."

Realizing how she felt - I swiftly created a graceful way for the both of us to save face.

"No, it's alright - I love you and the very gracious offer of sharing your bed. But truthfully I'm just too tired from today now . . . I think I've had more then my share of the liquor."

"You're right," she winked, "time enough for sex later . . . maybe in the morning."

I only smiled in return to her rain check offer of horizontal pleasure - inwardly, however, I was mightily kicking myself in the ass. It was plain that she wanted me - and to be honest I wanted her, as I had never wanted any other woman in my life, but I just couldn't, she had come on to me at too fast a pace. I needed time to readjust to not only the change that had physically occurred to me, but spiritually, too - to say nothing about the emotional circumstances of the romantic desires newly kindled in me. Glancing at my wristwatch - it was almost midnight - together we left the place to head back to our rooms at the Stoneford Hilton. As we exited again we walked hand in hand down lamp lit street towards the central plaza that lay in-between the hotel and us. Being rather intoxicated we both agreed that it was best to walk although we could have taken a taxi for the short distance. The pair of us wanted to make the moments together last all that more - and to remember them as a very special romantic time.

"Mmmm, I wonder," Tanya said as we were making our way back.

"You wonder what, my pretty Amazon?" I smiled looking down at her.

"When I'll change as you seem to have done. She said it would happen after we physically met. I'm somewhat eager to have it happen now. Feel what you did - be a true Amazon for a while."

"Oh, I'm sure it will be soon. She did teasingly hint to be on the lookout for some powerful surprises from our time at the restaurant onward."

"I just hope its not something to bring down the house around us."

We were so fully focused on ourselves, like prime jerks failed to realize we were both being follow by a some young men - at least a dozen. It was late at night, most of the shops in this part of the city were closed and no one was in sight. We had been warned at the hotel that some criminal street gangs were operating in the city, but none had as yet moved into the downtown area. As we continued to walk a couple of them split off from the main wolf pack. While directly in front of us two more were already awaiting us in the darkened alcove of an unknown business. Tanya started to feel concerned, and there was a mixture of other feelings as well. Unconsciously, she seemed to be holding onto him tighter with a greater strength as well seemed to be pulling on him, too.

"I think we are being surrounded," I said with some concern.

"Yes, I noticed it too. Muggers?"

"Gang members, no doubt out on a shake down for money or it's an initiations thing. They're all wearing the same colored clothing."

"Now that you mention it, they are."

We didn't have very long to find out either. With all the smoothest of a military operations the two in front came out, while the others across the street and the ones from behind moved up to cut off our lines of escape. They were a scruffy sort all of the same ethnic background - part of one the local cells of a national group no doubt. All of them were armed - in one way or another. A chain here, two baseball bats, knifes and even a couple of semi-automatic pistols. One of which was in the hand of the assumed leader of these scumbags. She held onto Kevin even more tightly, she felt so helpless in the face of so many men. Even so, her Amazonian personality was still there just under the surface and wanting to pulp these bastards.

"Now what?"

I commented just under my breath - Tanya on the other hand said nothing.

"Alright yo people," the leader said, "this here's the drill - this can go easy or this can go hard for you and your pretty lady. We know all about the loot you're both carrying. Hand over the cash and the other valuables to us or we'll go into our IRS mode and take what we want - in other ways."

"Ah," I said, trying to be honest, "look were just tourists. I really don't know what you are talking about, all we have are credit cards and traveler's checks - there is no . . . uhhhhhh!"

At that one of the baseball bat welding thugs got me in the gut and I doubled over in pain. The leader grabbed me by the hair and looked into my eyes. Out of the corner, I saw that one of them had his arms around and bodily restraining Tanya.

"Don't bullshit us, we knows all about the money. Now hand over the cash you stupid asshole. I'm trying to be civil and polite you understand."

"I'm . . . not . . . carrying any cash," I whispered in pain, "nor is she."

I heard my voice - it was lower in tone and combined with another sensation slowly coming on in contrast. The one I had felt before yesterday - the gradual oncoming of transformational growth! Even so he or his men quickly searched us - and found nothing. It wasn't surprising; with what we were wearing there wasn't much of a place to hide any large amounts of money.

"Guess we gonna has to take it in other ways. Yo woman will have to supply it then."

So saying he took his pistol and fired two shots into my body. I couldn't believe it - he actually shot me! I felt sick and a hot wetness dribbling over my lower body as I fell over onto the pavement and all that I could hear was Tanya screaming and as I lay there in pain it was so strange. I could hear them, sort of - like they were close and yet far away and it seemed like her voice was getting deeper - ever so slowly. Then, just as I was on the verge of going unconscious from the blood loss, I started to feel stronger and more awake. My body was continuing to change - gradually becoming larger, taller and ever stronger in form. The clothes on my body and leather watch band on my wrist was getting snug, then tighter still from my slowly augmenting muscle mass, bone structure and increasing height. My shoes were awful, and gratefully I slipped them off - however I knew my socks were goners. The gunshot wounds seemed to be healing, too, being the main priority of my body for the moment. At the same time I was slowly undergoing my metamorphosis, I started to hear more cries but of a differing sort - many and male sounding.