Fighting Family

Summary: Alex is encouraged to crossdress, and sexually compete against others on live television. His mother also joins in. All characters are over 18.

~~~~~

Alex never felt like he made his father proud. Not yet at least. But there was still time.

"You've done all you can." His father said in a raspy voice. The machine was necessary for him to stay alive, but made it hard to understand him. He looked so much weaker now than he did months ago. "I thank you. I love you both."

Alex's mother was crying again. She could never hold it in. She was a short redheaded woman. Alex had miraculously inherited her hair, button nose, and green eyes. He looked a lot like her old pictures before she was pregnant. He had a freckled cheeks and chest, short stature, "cute" face, at least, according to his ex-girlfriend, "Cute" everything really, if he trusted her. She turned out to be a lesbian later so who knows if she knew she was was talking about.

But all those features gave him no way to save his father. No way to earn enough money to keep his father alive. The treatment he needed was going to put them into so much debt that his father refused to let Alex and his mother pay for it. He was going to die by the end of the month if they couldn't come up with the money fast.

"Fredrick!" She held her husbands arm tight. "Stay strong! We will figure something out!"

"He needs his rest." The nurse finally entered. "I'm sorry, you can come again tomorrow. We will keep him on treatment for at long as your insurance covers it. After that," She struggled to find the words, "We have a lot of sick people, and not enough beds, or money for medicine. We can't treat him any longer after that without continued payments."

The first time she had heard that line his mother was livid. But after a few days for it to settle, she understood. The hospital had bills to pay too. It just wasn't fair. Not fair at all.

He comforted his mother as much as he could as they walked out. She cried into his shoulder. Alex felt like a failure. As a man, as a son, and as a human. He couldn't do anything. He was so short that his mother had to bend over just to embrace him. Were did all of his fathers genes go? She hugged his mother tight and tried to be the strong one. For once, he had to be the pillar for support. He tried so hard, but still a single tear ran down his cheek. Damn it! Then the water works started. He couldn't stop it. He felt so helpless.

"Good evening." Alex saw a gaunt man in a black suit and red tie through his blurry eyes. His accent was difficult to place. His hair shone in the hospital lights and he carried a binder full of papers. His face seemed too perfect, too sharp, too symmetrical, and yet there he was. "Mrs. Woodson? And Alex Woodson? I presume?" He continued.

His mother turned to the man, wiping her eyes, "Yes, That's me, but," She sobbed, "I'm sorry, if it's more bad news, could you just-" She looked around in despair for an answer, "Maybe, wait till later? I don't think I can take any more right now."

"My name is Arthur Halgrin." he started, "I have an offer for you and your daughter."

"Huh?" She was confused. "Oh, you mean Alex?" She gave a light chuckle and a sniff. Alex groaned. This happened all the time. "Thanks, I needed that. But you see, Alex is actually my-"

"Sister?" He asked with a shrug, "My apologies. I think I can make that work still. I still have an offer. There is a game show, 'Fighting Families', have you heard of it?" He continued. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but I am on a tight schedule."

She snapped, "Well, so are we!" His mother's grief turned to rage. "Look Mr. Halgrin! I'm sorry, but I have no time for any surveys or games or any shit like that!" Alex backed away. There wasn't anything that could cool her down once she was like this. "Get out of my way! You don't have anything I want unless you have-"

"One million dollars?" he asked.

"Huh?" Alex had never seen his mother shut up so fast.

"One million dollars. If you win the game show in first place." He said.

"That's enough for the treatment, and the rest of the house payments-" She did some calculations in her head.

"I am very sorry for your husbands condition, and for the misunderstanding. I represent the stockholders of the Fighting Families intellectual property. Our mission is to help fund the living and medical expenses of families like yours. I will be honest, this is not a charity per se, my stockholders do make a lot of money. This is just an opportunity for you to earn some as well for your predicament."

"I think I have heard of the show." His mother thought about it. "It's about trivia? Or, racing?"

"Mental and physical trails." He nodded. "The cable version of the show offers up to one hundred thousand dollars for winning teams, but it does depend on a number of other factors."

"I thought your offer was a million?" She seemed skeptical, but intrigued.

Alex stood beside and behind her as Arthur explained, "There is an Pay-Per-View version of the show with prizes much higher, as high as one million. This is the version you will be playing in, should you accept this offer."

"So, why two different channels?" She asked.

"Challenges take on a more adult theme." He continued. "I wont discuss the details in a place as public as this, but I will say that it is adult oriented entertainment."

"So, like, R-Rated?" His mother seemed nervous. "I don't know. I was approached to model underwear once, but I was too embarrassed to follow up-"

"X-rated." he clarified. "Any more details then that will have to be in a private discussion."

His mother was nervously blushing. She shook her head, her arms tight over her chest, "There must be a misunderstanding! I'm just a housewife! Is this some kind of joke?" She asked with a desperate smile, "No one would want to see, well, me! Of all people! I'm just forty eight year old mother!" She looked down at her body. I could tell she was mildly intrigued.

"With a nineteen year old daughter or sister, according to my records." Mr. Halgrin continued. "And you are correct that there is a bigger market for younger women, but you would be surprised how much of a demand there is for your demographic as well." He pulled out a sheet of paper and read out, "Our current theme is 'Mother Daughter team competitions'. So long as you present your sister here as your daughter, we would still be interested."

"You keep on saying daughter, why-"

"That is our current focus. We considered others, but our test groups resulted in the highest potential ratings coming from this idea as opposed to other combinations. Our advertising experts say it is novel and will attract attention. If this is successful, we may start looking for other family combinations."

"I hate to tell you this," Alex started, stepping beside his mother. He had to clear the air. "But I'm afraid I'm not actually-"

"We will have to think it over." Alex stopped as his mother interrupted him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Right sweetie?" She gave a smile and a wink that told him to shut up. Alex gawked. What was she planning?

"I can give you some of the promotional materiel, but you do need to sign this non-disclosure here... yes, thank you, and here... You are done, here you go. My number is at the bottom of first page. Call me within twenty four hours if you are interested."

"That soon?" His mother asked, holding the files to her chest.

"We hope to start filming by the end of the week."

"But I have work-"

"My company will compensate you for any days you need to take off for the show. This is regardless of the quality of your performance." He waited for a second or two, "Any other questions?"

~

"This is crazy!" Alex looked over the pamphlet. He had to admit, it did seem pretty sexy. If he had the money, he might have paid to watch. "Strip trivia, oil wrestling, Truth or dare..." He listed off the potential activities. There were models in bikinis with all sorts of body types. The focus was on "Barely legal teens and mature MILFS!". It was the first time he had looked at something like this with his mother still in the room. He still didn't feel quite right about it. "Each pair is a family in need of additional income. A teen daughter and a mature mother." He put the paper down. This seemed exploitative, but he wasn't going to complain if it got his father the money he needed. Still though, "Mom, I'm pretty sure you can't sneak me in as a girl!" He trusted her intelligence, but he still didn't see what she was playing at.

"Well, why not?" She was looking through the papers as well. "He mistook you for one already, right?" She turned a page a blushed, "Oh my! She's older than I am! And her top is so small... How does it even stay on?" She turned a page, "Oh! It doesn't!" She gulped.

"Well, I think they'd find out eventually!"

"Well, not if we are good enough?" She shrugged and shook her head, her voice rising nervously. She closed the magazine, "If we just beat the other team, we should be fine. It's mostly 'penalty games'. You know, like strip poker." She scanned through the pamphlets. Hearing his mother talk like this so casually sent shivers down his spine., "See, in this one, it says you only take off your pants off if you press the button after the other team!" She explained, "We just have to win! Then we can keep everything on!"

"It says here losing teams can still get up to one hundred thousand dollars. Wow. Do they really make this much money?" Alex gulped at the sum. "Though, it says we have to stay till the end. If we chicken out, then we get nothing. And there are lots of weird games-" Alex read one of the names, "Mother-daughter Oral exam?..." He shook his head and stopped. He didn't want to know the rest.

Well, he did want to know the rest, but he wasn't going to do it with his own mother!

"I looked up the company. Due to the charitable nature, the government is financing part of it." She hummed with uncertainty, "I'm not sure how I feel about my tax dollars going to pornography. But I guess if it's for a good cause-"

"But you still seem really interested in this!" Alex was still so surprised that she hadn't given it up yet. "I mean, come on! They want a girl! Not me!" She wasn't paying attention, "Mom! This is crazy! They are going to find out! And when they do-"

She muttered under her breath with a croak, "It's the only thing I can think of doing Alex." He saw his mother lose her energy for a moment. It was like he had cut her strings. Her shoulders slumped. There was an apathy on her face that Alex recognized from the past few months. "I need something to hope for. I need a chance to fight." She looked at Alex. "I don't want to just stand around while the man I love dies because I decided to be a prude!" Her face was filled with determination, "So are you going to let your father die without giving it a try? Or are you going to try on the bra I gave you and strut your stuff?"

Alex felt more than a little pressured, but it was the most hopeful he had seen his mother in the very long time.

"Okay mom." Alex nodded. "I get it. And I feel the same way." Alex took a deep breath. "Let's hope they don't notice then." he looked down at the garment. He didn't even need it to pass as a girl, but it would turn his androgynous body more decidedly feminine. He looked up and saw his mother smile. It was the first genuine smile he had seen on her face in a long time. He smiled back and hoped that this was the right decision.

~

"I noticed I had made the mistake just after I scheduled this meeting. I'm very sorry for the misunderstanding. To be honest, I'm quite surprised you both showed up." Halgrin looked at them both with confusion.

"Whatever do you mean?" His mother asked with a finger to her lips. She was a terrible liar. She could act dumb, but that was about it.

"I mean Alex. Your son. I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner. There must have been an error in our records-"

"Son? Don't be silly! Alex here has been going through a tomboyish streak, but she's a lady just the same!" She pat Alex's back. He grumbled past the lipstick and blush on his face. "Sorry for the confusion before, but Alex here is one hundred percent girl, right?" He was wearing his normal clothes, but his mother had convinced him to wear one of her D-cup bras stuffed with tissues and put a bow in his hair. There was no way this was going to work.

"Mrs. Woodson." He sighed. Alex withheld a groan. They were made. There was no way Arthur Halgrin was this stupid. He snapped, "You are a genius."

"Of course he isn't a bo- What?" His mother showed genuine confusion.

"I'll notify my superiors as soon as I can, but I'm certain they would be willing to try and accommodate you for a special episode." he nodded, "It is a very progressive idea, and I'm sure it would be popular."

"Idea?" Alex asked.

"Our company is going through some changes right now. We are working on trying new things. Audiences are asking for less mundane entertainment and we thought that catering to "kink" crowds would be the best way to stay relevant." He explained, "The Incest angle was our first idea. But if we have Alex as a woman on our show, not only is it exotic enough to get views, but we can use this as a narrative of inclusiveness and diversity. We will have to make some minor changes to some of the challenges due to anatomical differences, but that is very doable." He typed some notes on his computer, "How do you identify? This is important for how we will advertise. Are you okay with Tranny? Sissy? Shemale?..."

Alex looked to his mother, then back to Arthur. Alex started, "I'm a guy. A Man. A Male."

"Are you really?"

"Yes!" Alex confirmed.

"Hmm. Then I wont be able to accept you into the games." He seemed disappointed.

"Alex." He turned to his mother. She looked down upon him with righteous purpose. "Have you forgotten why we are doing this?"

"But mom!" He fought back, "You know how I got bullied in school over this, remember?" He grimaced, "I don't want anyone to call me those names again-"

"Are you going to let that define you?" She asked. "Or will you embrace your strengths?"

Alex whined. This wasn't fair! He already thought the bra was too much. What would his father think if he saw his son like this?

He suddenly remembered father would be dead in a month if he didn't do anything.

He took a deep breath and in the following silence he said, "I'm not a man." He shook his head and summed up all the willpower he could muster. "I'm a girl." he said.

"Excellent." Arthur nodded. "I take it you have not undergone any surgery? No hormones? Vaguely feminine looking naturally then... I think Tomgirl works best." he pressed send to his employers. "I'm certain I can get you in, it's just a matter of what words to use." He turned to the family, "Without further ado, I have some documents for you to sign, and some further instructions."

~

"This so exiting! I've always wanted a daughter to go shopping with!"

"Mom?" Alex asked in a judgmental drone. She wore a fleece sweater with a long salmon skirt. He was still wearing his clothes from the interview.

"Not that I didn't want a boy, or that there is anything wrong with you!" She shook her head quickly, "It's just that, you know, your father took you out fishing, and you helped him fix the car, and, well, I had always hoped one day I'd have a little girl to knit with, or go shopping with." She was bubbly and bright, "And now I do!"

"I never knew that." Alex was glad to know though. He hadn't thought about how left out she must have felt.

"When I had you there were some complications, and the doctors said it would be dangerous if I tried to have another one." She gave a sigh of loss, "But what are you going to do? You have to work with what god gives you." She smiled as they walked into the women's clothing store. "And god gave me you!" She gave a smile so broad that Alex couldn't help but smile with her. "So," She cleared her throat and opened up the shopping list. "He was very particular about the clothes. You need to be wearing all girls clothes on set. They have people there to help with makeup. We need a couple of different outfits, but we can buy more than one of each type, and keep it all after. He said to keep the receipts and everything will be compensated." She smiled, "So we can buy whatever we want!"

"Lucky." Alex tried to be exited. "Free ladies underwear?" He wasn't very convincing.

"It can get very expensive!" She explained, "And today, we will be trying out the most expensive!" She jumped with excitement.

"But, mom, why are we thinking about that? I thought you said we weren't going to lose-"

"Hmm? Oh, well, you know, just in case, I'd rather we look nice you know! And we get to keep it all after!" She smirked, "And besides that, we are contractually obligated." She winced, "But it's fine! I'll pick out something wonderful for you! Don't worry about it!"

"You seem a lot less scared about losing than before." He watched as she reached for some pairs of underwear he looked at the price tag and nearly fainted. "Wow, this stuff really is pricey-"

"Well, at my age, you care less about what people think is all. If anything, I feel flattered!" She had a dumb smile on when she said, "And a bit exited!" She giggled. "I didn't even know what a MILF was until I looked it up yesterday," She shook her head, "And it's been a long time since I've thought about looking good for someone other than your father."

"Looking good?" Alex looked down. He never thought he'd ever look the way he wanted. "For all those people?"

"Well, there is no use being scared about it." She said, "And, also, I spoke to Fredrick today on the phone." Alex listened with rapt attention, "I told your father about what we are doing. I thought he might want a say in whether or not his wife and son are doing these sorts of things for him."

"What did he say?" Alex really wanted to know.

"He said he'd never force us to do something like this. And we should stop if we don't feel comfortable." She smiled, distracted and looking out into nothingness, "But he said it's our decision. And when I told him we agreed, he told me he had never been more proud you." She smiled at him. "He knows what you are doing is hard Alex."

Alex felt his heart beat with a tingling warmth. His father was proud of him? "Okay." Alex nodded. "Let's start this then." he was still scared out of his mind, but he was filled with determination now.

"Perfect!" His mother looked at the underwear, then him, then decided against it, "Let's start slow." She sighed and accepted her sons inhibitions. "What about this skirt sweetie?" She took one from the table. "It's your size!"

Alex felt the tingling warmth turn into cold weight, "No way mom, that's way to short!"

"It's what's in fashion though." She explained and then gave a wink as she stuck out her tongue, "Besides, I always thought boys loved short skirts!" she placed it over her hips and shifted her weight side to side playfully. She sang in a high pitch, "I'll get one to match~"

"M-Mom!" Alex looked around. "Why can't I wear some pants?" he motioned to some girls jeans. "It's still girl clothes!"

"But that's," she huffed, "Boring!" she she explained, "You are a girl now! You could always wear pants! Now you can wear so many other things! You can wear whatever you want! And now you want to just wear jeans? I bet you want to wear a t-shirt too!"

"What's so wrong with that?"

"It's just so..." She trailed off as she looked at the jeans, "Actually, you gave me an idea!" She gave a naughty grin. "Lets try one of these, and one of these-"

~

"These don't fit!" Alex insisted. "They are too tight on my legs, but they are about to fall off-"