Forgiveness

"Do you think it worked?" Zoe asked.
Jon rose to her feet, brushing her thick, lustrous black hair out of her face, and wiping the tears from her cheek; she was eager to see what she looked-like now (her hair having formerly been the greatest single impediment to her feminine appearance) but all of that could wait.
"I hope so," she replied to her sister.
No sooner had she uttered those words than she heard her mother's faint voice.
"Jon?" she asked almost pleadingly. "Can I still call you that? Is that still your name?"
Jon was surprised by how much emotional fortitude it took to face her mother again. "For the moment." She replied.
Her mother looked about anxiously. "Jon, I...I feel I owe you an apology. And one to you too, Zoe. I was behaving way out of line there."
Jon smiled wanly in spite of herself, and felt a great swell of empathy in her heart. "Yes," she agreed. "But I can see why you did. And I must admit...it's partially my fault for not considering what kind of reaction you would have."
Her mother dismissed her claims. "Nonsense. My reactions were completely pigheaded in the first place. The fact is...the more that I think about it, the more that I realize that...I don't actually mind the thought of you being a girl; in fact, while I may not agree with all of your...you know...fashion choices, I actually kind of like the fact that I now have another daughter instead of a son."
"Oh mom!" Jon gasped, and with that the two women hugged one another. At that precise moment, Jon honestly wondered whether females actually felt emotions more deeply than men did; ultimately, however, she decided that it was probably just the ridiculous amounts of hormones in her system.
"You know," her mom said; "you may be kind of prickly on the outside, but I know that you're sweet on the inside. A girl through and through."
"My mother's daughter." Jon quipped, which just made her mom hold her tighter.
Eventually the hug reached the point that continuing it would be socially awkward for Jon (she did have her Goth pride to maintain after all).
"And besides," her mother said, once Jon had broken herself free. "At that long hair of yours finally suits you."(at that Jon and Zoe shared a private look). "You really do make a lovely woman. Tell me...are you... y'know... all the way "there" yet?"
"Not quite," Jon answered. "Only about...90% of the way."
"Well...let me know when you hit 100%. There are a few things I should probably explain to you. Dust off some of the old lectures from when your sister was growing up."
Zoe flushed with mild embarrassment.
"It should only be a couple of hours now." Jon said.
"You must be very excited. What a glorious journey on which to embark; your voyage into womanhood. And I just know that you'll enjoy it. Tell me...have you thought of a name?"
"...Not yet," Jon admitted.
"Well we can't go around calling you 'Jon,' anymore, can we? Besides...you're not Jon anymore, are you? How about, from now on we call you..." she paid a quick glance at her former son's attire. "Victoria?"
Jon tried the name out on her lips a few times. The more she said it, the more she realized that it was her name. "Jon" as a named creature had ceased to exist; she had become Victoria, now and forever.
"I accept," she said.
"Come along then, Victoria," her mother beckoned. She and Zoe followed.