She pressed the Play button as the tape rewound and played back the message. As she expected, it was Stacy.

"Sally, I don't mean to bother you, but I had to ask. What's wrong with you? And why did you think you were gonna rape me? This was mutual and you knew it! That was really terrible what you did, walking out like that! You came over, we find out we love each other, and just as things couldn't be any better between us, you freak out on me and take off!..."

Seconds passed as her voice is silent.

"You know something, I wanted to just pretend that our encounter didn't happen. I really did. But...despite what happened, I am still in love with you, Sally. And you know you are, too. But I need to know what's troubling you. If we're going to do this, we need to be honest with each other. So please, call me after you hear this...I love you baby."

And the message ended. Hearing this made Sally feel considerably better and had the calming effect she needed. And Stacy was right; she really loved her more than any man. And she would love nothing more than to repeat their sexual encounter over and over. But she also knew something very unexpected was happening to her. This is not how spinach was supposed to work. It was strange enough that she became the most musclebound and strongest being on the face of this Earth when she first ate that spinach. She thought she would have results like Popeye's. But her experience was much greater. And her sexual feelings were so intense, they threatened to consume her. She didn't think that Popeye (she was now convinced the old man was him) could have foreseen this happening. And, while she learned how to control it enough to keep it from interfering with her responsibilities, she then discovered that most intense emotions triggered a surge of strength within her that felt similar to her strength when she ate spinach. And it was that wild beast, almost like a new personality, when it emerged, she became feral... and it scared her. She was thankful that she stopped herself. When Stacy pushed her back when she was going rather rough on her neck with sucks and kisses, she saw that she was hurting her. And the thought of hurting her truest love scared her that she had to get away before she had a meltdown.

But, Sally knew that Stacy was right. So she picked up the phone and called. Stacy was quick to pick up. After saying hello, Sally went on to apologize for leaving her like that. She went on to tell her why she did what she did. She didn't have to mention her use of spinach; it wasn't really necessary. She told her how she felt a lot stronger when she reached her climax, though she didn't describe it as much as she felt it for obvious reasons. This perturbed Stacy. It was something that didn't seem possible. She even asked Sally, rather bluntly, if she was using steroids. But Sally understood her asking this and easily told her no. Finally, Stacy just drew the conclusion that perhaps it was just in her head from the heat of the moment.

"I want you to promise me something Sally. Don't ever think that you can hurt me. If you get too rough, I'll let you know. Besides, I've been known to get a bit too rough myself sometimes, so I wouldn't be surprised if you told me to stop. But promise me you'll have more faith in yourself when you're with me," Stacy asked.

Sally thought for a moment. What if she lost control again? Could her basic instincts be trusted not to hurt the woman she loves?

"I promise, my Stacy. I just hope you're right about me," Sally said.

"The question is if you're right about yourself," Stacy told her.

"Well how about tomorrow evening. What do you say we get together here at my place this time and pick up where we left off?" Sally asked her.

"That would be great lover," Stacy said with affection.

"I love you Sally. Somehow...I always have," Stacy said with warmth in her heart.

"That makes two of us. Funny how fate works like that. And I love you, Stacy. I love you with all my heart," Sally said with joy.

She got off the phone and decided that she needed to take a walk before it got dark. She hurried up and made herself a quick dinner. She opened the cabinet and saw a couple cans of spinach sitting there. Suddenly, she thought of something.

"Wait a minute, that's it! Why didn't I realize it sooner!? The spinach had always enhanced Popeye to best suit his situation. If he needed to be especially fast, then his legs would take the bulk of the power. If he just needed to give Bluto a quick beatdown, his fists would just speed up and do just that! But that was from the cartoon, though. But, what if it's true? I wanted more than anything to feel the maximum potential that spinach could give me. I wanted my body to explode with strength and muscle! I wanted to feel sensual and sexual! And the spinach fulfilled all of that! So if it responds to the deepest desires and needs, then the next time won't necessarily be the same."

But Sally frowned, "But if that were true, my arousal wouldn't be still peaking so much whenever I ate it. Oh face it Sally, you just absolutely love having those muscles...those biceps."

She opened up the can of spinach, put it on a plate, and heated it up in the microwave. After it was done, she put set it down with the rest of her dinner and chowed down. She realized how hungry she was as she finished off her plate pretty quickly. She couldn't help but wonder if her body would react to the spinach in this casual situation. Much to her surprise, nothing happened. Aside from feeling energetic, her body didn't transform this time. She actually felt relieved by this and was glad. It seemed kinda creepy that producers of the Popeye cartoon seemed to have his real life counterpart's depictions of his powers pretty accurate. Did they know his secret after all? Or was it coincidence?

But her thoughts were going nowhere as she put her shoes on. But she stood there and thought, 'Oh what the hell!'

She held out her arm and flexed it. Her already impressive bicep, built by the last two years of training, swelled even greater into three times the size. It felt so pleasurable to her as incredible strength filled her bicep. It just seemed like a waste to not bring out the effects of the spinach, even if she was just eating it for dinner. Doing this made her feel even more energetic and now walking was just what she needed. In fact, she would jog. No, forget that... she would run! And while she could probably run faster than the fastest human on the planet, she didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention. She grabbed her iPod and strapped it around her now greatly bulging arm, but it just barely fit. She also grabbed her usual bag of raw spinach that she always kept with her when she went out just in case.

"Guess I shouldn't have done that with my bicep. Oh well, they need to come out of hiding sometimes too," she said jokingly.

As she got outside, she saw that it was getting late and the sun would be going down in an hour or so. She wasted no time as she turned on the music, put in the earphones and took off running. She really felt great. And not even so much from the spinach she ate. She has done a lot of cardio over the last two years and built up a lot of endurance so she could've felt like this even if she didn't eat the spinach. Her legs carried her for several miles as she ran all around the neighborhood. She wasn't even tired yet.

Suddenly, as she was passing by the park, she saw a crowd of people gathered around something... or someone. She impulsively ran over to the group and squeezed her way through to see what the fuss was about. What she saw was horrifying. It was him! It was the old man, Popeye, being beaten by this man who was huge! He looked really heavyset, was wearing a dark blue shirt that seemed to barely fit, looked to be almost seven feet tall, and had this really thick dark beard that practically covered his face below the nose. She also saw that his legs were massive and his arms, though lacking detailed definition, were bulging with biceps that gave him the look of a hardcore powerlifter. She saw Popeye lying there on the ground, battered and bloodied. It was more than she could take to see her hero, the person she admired, and now the person who shared his greatest gift with her, lying there defenseless like that. Her rage flared as she ran at Popeye's attacker.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!" she screamed as she threw a punch that connected with so much force, that it knocked the big guy off his feet and onto the ground with a loud thud, momentarily knocking him out. She took this moment to run over to Popeye, who wasn't moving. She hoped to God he was still alive after that beating. She picked his head up and shook it gently.

"Hey, Popeye. Wake up. Please! Don't you die on me! Don't you dare!" she pleaded with increased panic. To her great relief, he stirred and slowly opened his eyes. He was disoriented at first, but when he finally saw who held his head, he couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, Sally. I'm so happy to see you again," he said as he looked at her and saw her built frame.

"So you took my advice and worked out. I'm so pleased to see this. I'm proud of you," he said feebly.

"Please, don't try to talk. Just eat this. I know it will help you back up in no time," she said as she pulled out her spinach bag and took out the spinach and placed it over Popeye's mouth. He struggled, but managed to eat it all.

She waited for Popeye's usual transformation into the powerhouse he always became. But nothing happened, nothing at all. She was truly scared at the sight. Popeye didn't react at all to this revelation as he looked up at her.

"It's... it's too late for me now. It no longer works for me anymore. You... you must take my place. It has always been your destiny. I knew from the moment I heard you screaming for this that you were the one. And I always knew you'd find a way to overcome the dark temptations that came with the strength the spinach had to offer."

He paused as Sally's face welled up with tears. It hurt her so much to see the person she idolized lying there battered, dying.

"Please, save your strength. I can get you to a hospital. I can save you!" she said with desperation.

But Popeye put a hand on hers. "It's too late for that now. My time has been near. I welcome death. You shouldn't grieve, my child. I've lived a full and happy life. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Ungh...Sally...You've...made...me...pr..oud."

With his last breath, he died in her arms. Sally's face was filled with tears. People were standing all around her, realizing for the first time who the old man was and watching Sally as she pulled his dead body close to her.

"You've been my hero. All my life as I grew up... I wanted to be just like you. And it means the world to me that I've met your expectations. And I swear to you that I'll continue training..."

Sally's anger once again boiled inside her. The brute she knocked down was starting to get back up as he shook off the pain from her punch.

Sally closed Popeye's lifeless eyes. She picked up his body and walked over to the nearest person.

"Take the body for a minute; I've got a score to settle here," she said as the man quietly obliged. She turned around to face the one responsible for killing her hero. He was pissed to say the least when he realized that it was she, a woman, who knocked him out.

"How dare you cold-cock me like that! And don't think that because you're a dame that I'm not going to fight back!" he spat.

Sally's eyes were filled with rage. She didn't care how strong this guy was. The effect of the spinach she ate wore off a while ago as she was running, but she felt as energetic as ever and would not let this guy walk away unchallenged.

"You must be Bluto," she said with controlled fury.

"Bruno actually. My father was nothing like he was portrayed in that stupid cartoon. I'm actually his son. For years he had to suffer the humiliation of being portrayed like a loser. He named me Bruno because he always suspected that Popeye was based on a real person and wanted to leave a legacy of himself. But he died before he could find him...and beat him to death. I swore on his deathbed that I would finish the job. And here I find...Popeye...in this little backwards town. What a joke!" he said.

Sally's rage was almost unbearable as she clenched her fists, ready for a fight. "And to think, that the only way you could beat him was as an old man with one foot in the grave. You must be really proud of yourself."

Bruno just laughed. "Hahaha! You think I care about that! Wait til the media finds out about this! The legendary sailor killed by his rival. That will haunt his reputation long after I'm gone!"

Sally started slowly walking towards him. "Oh you'll be gone a lot sooner than you think, you bastard."

Bruno braced for the fight. "So you want a piece of me? Just because you managed to knock me out with that cheap shot doesn't mean you can take me in a fight. I've worked out all my life and am much stronger than you could ever hope to be! And there will be no spinach saving you or anyone! I saw you embarrass yourself by giving him some, thinking he would just come back from the brink and turn the tables on me. But that's just a myth! A fantasy! Something the creators made up to get people to eat their spinach! And now you're going to regret what you did! If you're lucky, I might let you live. But you won't look the same once I've pulverized you!"

Sally was now standing face to face with Bruno. "For your sake, you better not take me lightly just because I'm a woman. I'm tougher than I look," she said as she flexed an arm, causing her bicep to bulge quite impressively to the bystanders. Bruno just looked at it and laughed again.

"You know what's funny? That you female bodybuilders are a joke! So what if you built some muscle! I'll still beat you down like the dog that you are!" Bruno yelled.

Sally couldn't take anymore of this as her rage took over. She swung her fist at him with all her might.


CHAPTER VII: BRUNO'S REVENGE
Sally hopes to avenge the death of Popeye, but at what cost?

Chapter I: Obsession / Chapter II: The Fateful Encounter / Chapter III: Transformed at Last! / Chapter IV: Strength Exploration / Chapter V: A Most Unexpected Love
Chapter VI: The Death of a Hero / Chapter VII: Bruno's Revenge / Chapter VIII: Sexual Spinach / Chapter IX: The Power of Spinach / The Epilogue

Sally swung with all her might at the man who killed Popeye, her hero. She was going to make him pay for what he did. But Bruno caught her fist and held it in place.
"You call that a punch? What a waste! To work so hard for so little," he said with an evil grin.

Sally swung her other fist at him, but he caught it as well. She was stunned by how fast he was. She thought that her smaller frame would give her the advantage in speed. Bruno started to squeeze her fists in his hands. Sally let out a yelp of pain. He continued to increase pressure to her hands. Sally tried not to cry out in pain. She didn't want to give him that satisfaction. But soon the pain became almost unbearable as she began to feel the bones in her hands begin to crack. She cried out in pain as Bruno held her in place, laughing with glee. She began sinking to her knees.

"So, you thought you could avenge your fallen hero? Well I have news for you, babe. This is reality for you. No plot device is going to save you. That means no spinach! No quick fix! Just you, and your mangled body once I've had my fun!" Bruno said loudly.

Some of the bystanders were terrified at the sight of Bruno while others were angry to see him doing this to a woman. Bruno saw the looks on their faces and looked at them and grinned. "What's the matter? Lose your nerve? Any of you are welcome to jump in at any time. Just know that if you do, you'll end up just like her!"

The brute turned back to Sally, still clutching her closed fists. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break free. Her hands were going numb, and she was certain they would break at any moment. Bruno grinned from ear to ear as he finally let go of her hands but nailed her with a knee to the midsection with so much force that she crumpled in a balled up heap on the ground, all the air knocked out of her. She spat up blood as she remained motionless on the ground, unable to move. Bruno looked down at her and put a foot on her head and started deliberately grinding it hard enough to cause a world of pain, but not hard enough to flat out crush it. He was getting a thrill from causing her such agony.

"This...is...what...you...get...for...being...Popeye's...wannabe!" he yelled with each twist of his foot.

"Why...are you doing this?" Sally demanded through clenched teeth.

"I told you, I owed that chump for ruining my father's reputation. I'm here to restore that reputation and prove that I'm the strongest and the toughest. And that means removing any obstacles from my path; that includes people like you who get in my way!" he yelled.

He continued to grind her head into the ground. Blood was trickling down her face as she struggled to get free, but it was futile.

An old lady hammered her fists across his back, "You stop it right now! How dare you hit a lady? Why don't you fight someone your own size!"

Bruno barely felt it and turned around to see this old lady trembling in fear. She was so mad that no one tried to help her and chose to do something, anything, to get him away from Sally. Bruno began to advance on her as she stepped back in fear.

"So, you want a piece of me too, huh? Don't worry, I don't discriminate. I'll serve up an ass-whuppin to anyone who asks!" he said as he grabbed her shirt and lifted her off the ground.

Sally could see what this lady was willing to give to save her and despite the pain she felt, a different feeling came over her. She was filled with rage at his ruthlessness and didn't care if she died taking him down with her. But at the same time, she felt something else. She began to feel increasingly strong. The pain began to subside as her strength increased, her fury the driving force behind it. She wasn't sure how strong she now was, but she did find herself able to move once again. Her muscles even swelled a bit larger than usual as they returned her mobility to her. She got up, a fire in her eyes, as the wild beast within her erupted in an explosion of anger. She let out a scream so primal, so feral, that Bruno dropped the old lady and turned around to see that this woman who he had sworn would be in the hospital for several days was standing there. He didn't care though. He only knew that he obviously didn't do a thorough enough job on her, but would soon correct that.

"So, you mean to say you want more? You sure are a glutton for punishment. But I am surprised to see you get up from that. Get as angry as you want! I'll still break you!" he yelled as he ran at her ready to drill her hard enough to finish her off. But she swung her own fist at him, and, as Bruno was fixing to catch it, she faked him out and drove her foot into his midsection. It hit him so hard that he buckled over, clutching his stomach.

"Damn you! How can you be doing this!?" he yelled in pain.

Sally didn't respond. She pulled back and swung her fist at him as hard as she could. This time she connected, and the force of the punch sent him staggering backward; but to her surprise, he didn't go down. She threw another punch with equal force, but he still didn't go down. Her anger increased, and so did her strength. It was like a lesser effect of the spinach was tied to her adrenaline: When her emotions became extreme enough, her strength increased as well. She now knew that this was the feral, wild beast that emerged whenever she was very excited sexually or in this case, extremely pissed.

She advanced on him with a purpose and pummeled him repeatedly with fists of fury. Bruno was staggering, but still managed to stay on his feet. Sally went behind him and proceeded to grab his neck and his waist and lift him up over her head. And even though this wasn't the spinach-enhanced strength she normally craved, she still felt incredible strength coursing through her; as if someone triggered an emergency supply of power within her. She stood there for several seconds holding him high above her. She was furious, but at the same time in the back of her mind, she felt aroused by how strong she felt. She carried him towards the wall of an old and badly worn dugout of a softball field and, with a scream of rage, threw his massive frame right into the wall, his body crashing right through it onto the bench inside.

After looking down at his unmoving form, she turned around to face the crowd of people, which had nearly doubled in size since the fight began. Her face was a bloody mess and everyone just stood there in shock at what had taken place. Suddenly, her increased strength disappeared and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

*   *   *   *   *

A voice came from the darkness. "She's waking up. Nurse, go ahead and have Miss Stacy Olivora come in from the waiting room. I'm sure she'll be relieved to hear that she's awake."

Suddenly, pain filled Sally's head as she slowly opened her eyes. She was in a hospital room and felt that she had a splitting headache. She looked around and saw flowers sitting at a table at the foot of the bed. A card was placed on the table next to her with instructions to open it. She opened it and it was brief:

Thank you for saving me. You were really brave and very strong to take on someone that size. You've become quite an inspiration to women who cannot defend themselves. I'm sorry for your pain at your personal loss. Was the old man a close friend of yours?

Truly Yours,
Rebecca Sullivan

She smiled as she felt the pain in her face spike momentarily. She could still feel the pain from Bruno's foot on her face. She glanced at the digital clock and saw that she was apparently here overnight; it was now morning. Suddenly, the door opened and there stood a nurse with a clipboard and emerging from behind her was Stacy. Sally couldn't be happier to see her. Stacy smiled and turned toward the nurse. "Can I have some time alone with her please?"

The nurse smiled. "Yes of course. Just let one us know if you need anything."

With that, the nurse closed the door behind her. Stacy ran over and hugged Sally tightly, which caused a spasm of pain to her midsection.

"Whoa! Take it easy girl! That's a little too rough for me!" Sally said jokingly.

"Heh, told you I could be a bit overly rough sometimes," she said as she winked.

She leaned over and gave her a tender kiss, despite the pain she felt, which was ignored as she returned the tender embrace. When Stacy pulled away, there were tears in her eyes.

"What's the matter my love?" Sally asked.

Stacy was trying not to cry as she answered, "It's just that you were so close to death, the doctors didn't think you would make it. That blow you took to your midsection caused a lot of internal injuries."

Sally remembered her fight with Bruno. She wondered, "Stacy...how did you know I was here?"

"Oh it was easy. The old lady that you saved called the ambulance with your emergency cell phone and then proceeded to call the first number she saw on the call list, which was mine. She told me what happened to you and where you would be, and asked that I come to the scene of the fight. Believe me, I was breaking a lot of speed limits getting there. But once I did, I saw a bunch of people standing around. One of them was holding the body of some old man. He was dead, the result of a brutal attack. Another person went over to the dugout that you demolished with that crazy man's body only to see that no one was there. He apparently got away unnoticed," Stacy told her.

Sally's anger welled up inside her again. "Damn him. That bastard killed him. I'll never forgive him for this. I will find him and avenge Popeye's death."

Stacy looked at her funny, "Hey, isn't Popeye the name of that sailor who ate spinach? But, isn't he just a cartoon? Several people saw you try to feed him some spinach, but nothing happened. They really thought you were nuts. They even called the old man Popeye because of that, because no one knew his real name."

Sally felt embarrassed and angry at the same time. But she couldn't let Stacy know the full truth, so she exaggerated some. "I... grew up watching Popeye and I met this old man a couple years ago and he just reminded me of Popeye so much. He was such a sweet man that he didn't mind being called that. He thought it was flattering. He wanted someone to talk to and I just happened to be there so..."

"I see. Well, in any case, a lot of people considered you a hero. It was sad that the old man's life had to end like that, but you were amazing taking down a brute like that. You really have been working out," Stacy said as she winked.

Sally looked into her lover's eyes. She wanted so badly to tell her the truth. It just seemed unfair that she would be sworn to a secret this large. But wait, that was just how the spinach worked. She was sure people saw him eat spinach but not get strong. There was no way around this. If she tried to hide it, it would seem a lot more bizarre. She had no choice but to tell the woman she loves. But she couldn't do it here. She noticed the large bandage wrapped around her waist as she gently grabbed Stacy's hand.

"I need you to check me out of here," she said.

Stacy was bewildered. "But you're in no condition to leave! The doctor even told me that in your current condition, you would have to remain here for at least a week before you were in any shape to go home."

But Sally's mind was made up. "You must listen to me. There's something very important you need to know, but it cannot be said here. Something you must know... something you must see."

Stacy was worried. "If this is about that guy you were fighting, you would be a fool to face him again!"

"It's not that! Not directly anyway," Sally said with urgency.

She saw that Stacy was beside herself, but went on. "Please Stacy, you must trust me on this. I'll be fine, but I have to get home."

Stacy considered this for several moments. Finally she resigned to her request. "Alright Sally. I don't see me changing your mind. I'll let the doctor know. But they won't like this."

Sally just smiled. "It doesn't matter; they'll get over it."

Stacy went out and did as she was asked. Suffice to say, there were strong objections from the doctor in charge, but Stacy responded by paying the bill for her overnight stay and demanding to let Sally go now. He had little choice but to give in. He went in to hear it from Sally, and she confirmed it. So Sally was wheeled, in her wheelchair, to Stacy's car and they left for Sally's home.


CHAPTER VIII: SEXUAL SPINACH
Sally decides to share her secret with Stacy, and erotic passion ensues

Chapter I: Obsession / Chapter II: The Fateful Encounter / Chapter III: Transformed at Last! / Chapter IV: Strength Exploration / Chapter V: A Most Unexpected Love
Chapter VI: The Death of a Hero / Chapter VII: Bruno's Revenge / Chapter VIII: Sexual Spinach / Chapter IX: The Power of Spinach / The Epilogue

Once they arrived, Stacy put a lot of effort into carrying Sally inside. Sally asked to be taken into the kitchen. She sat her down at the table as Sally clutched her midsection in another spasm of pain.
"Quick Stacy, in that cabinet is a sandwich bag with something in it. Please get it and give it to me," Sally asked.

Stacy complied and took out the bag and saw that it had a raw vegetable in it. Suddenly, she realized what was going on and got angry.

"What the hell are you trying to pull here!? You had me get you out of the hospital just so you can role-play!? Have you lost your mind!?" she yelled.

But Sally just smiled. "Here, let me have it."

Stacy was just beside herself. She couldn't believe that Sally would stoop so low just to indulge in something that she knew was fiction. She threw the bag at her lap and stormed off without a word. Sally didn't say anything as she opened it and ate the contents.

Suddenly, her body sprung to life. All the pain in her body quickly faded and she felt her face return to normal. Her insides felt a rush of life as her internal organs rapidly healed, and within a minute, she felt fully healed. She stood up and ripped off all her bandages and grabbed another bag of raw spinach and ran out after her lover.

"Wait! Stacy!" Sally called after her, who was starting to back her car out of the driveway. Stacy slammed the brakes and looked at Sally in wide-eyed shock.

"Oh my god! How?! You're... you're healed?!" Stacy stammered.

Sally flexed her muscles, which sprung to life with definition her hard-earned body could muster. "Yes, and I feel great! Don't you see? I'm the successor to my greatest idol... Popeye!"

Stacy was beside herself. She pulled her car back into the driveway and got out.

"You mean to tell me that this is for real?!" Stacy yelled.

"You bet it is. But let's go out back. I need to show you the definitive proof that this is all for real," Sally said as she grinned from ear to ear.

Stacy nodded and followed Sally around back. There was an old rusted truck sitting on the side of her yard and a small patio with a backdoor connecting her house. She asked Stacy to stand there as she walked a few feet in front of her.

"Alright. I'm really sorry I didn't tell you this sooner, but I didn't want anyone to know since I was still trying to get used to the idea. You see, that old man... was Popeye. After that long talk we had, he pulled out some spinach he had and told me to eat it after he left. Believe me, I found the whole idea as ludicrous as you do now. But seeing how much I idolized him, I opened myself up to the idea. So I went somewhere where no one would see me, and ate it. To say how strong I felt then could not do the experience justice. It was indescribable! Intoxicating! I felt so much pleasure that I couldn't contain myself! You have no idea how tempting it was to eat it often," Sally told her.

Stacy was still unsure how she felt about all this. "Does this explain your muscular body you have there?"

Sally was beaming. "Not at all! And that's probably why the old man seemed to trust me with this. You see, I actually have worked out really hard these last two years and all this was acquired as a result. The spinach is just a last resort, as I've come to realize."

Stacy felt a mix of arousal at the thought of such a reality, but also some anger. Why didn't she tell her about this sooner? As if Sally read her mind, "Please don't look at me that way. I had to be completely accustomed to this whole concept. I'm sharing this only with you because I love you and I'm hoping you'll love me no matter how my body is."

Stacy thought about this for a moment and finally, a loving smile appeared on her face. "Alright baby. But you must swear that from now on, we won't keep anymore secrets from each other."

Sally walked over and hugged her close and planted a kiss on her lips. She was so happy to hear this that she wanted to take her right then and there.

"Well baby, it's time I show you the reality. You ready?" Sally asked.

Stacy started to feel turned on at the thought of her lover being mega-muscular. "Do it baby!"

Sally stepped away from Stacy and pulled back her sleeves. "Alright, stand back and be amazed!"

And she took the bag of spinach and ate it all. For the first time since she first ate it, she got very excited as her body exploded with sheer power and strength. And with her already built body, the effect was even greater than her first time. She immediately went into a double bicep flex; her peaks were as wide as her upper arms would allow and as high as her head, veins pulsing with power. She focused on her already impressive thighs as they expanded against her already tight jeans, giving the maximum allowed size just shy of the ripping point. Stacy could see every detail, every striation. Her six-pack abs popped out of her stomach giving her grooves between them deep enough to slip a quarter into. Her breasts inflated to FFF size as a concrete slab of pectorals formed underneath. Sally realized she had a level of control over how much muscle she put on when she ate the green vegetable. She didn't want to burst her clothes this time and was ready for it. She held her bicep pose as Stacy stared in awe and desire. Those peaks looked like flesh-covered mounds of steel laced with veins. Stacy found herself feeling turned on hot as her eyes remained fixed on those biceps. She was also feeling hot at the sight of Sally's muscles bulging with unrelenting size. It was all she could do to keep from exploding in an explosive orgasm right there in the back yard.

"Touch them. Go ahead baby," Sally said to Stacy in earnest invitation.

Stacy was in a trance and didn't seem to hear her.

"Hey, lover!" she said a little louder, as Stacy snapped out of it. She was very soaked at the crotch as her love juices were involuntarily running. She struggled to look away long enough to meet Sally's gaze.

"What?" Stacy asked.

"My biceps; you want to feel them?" Sally asked with desire.

Stacy thought she would never ask. She walked over and put her hands on one of them. It really was like feeling steel, except they were really warm. She tried to squeeze it, but the bicep was just denying her any give to it. It was so huge, so massive, it just didn't seem possible for it to be this big. Stacy felt an electric tingling sensation all over her body that ended in her vagina. She was literally in heat from this close encounter with the hardest body she had ever felt in her life. Sally just remained there in her pose. Stacy pried herself from Sally's biceps as she worked her hands down her chest and felt how ridiculously big and round her tits were. She rubbed her fingers over Sally's nipples and they became rapidly erect at three inches, pushing the limits of her already tight shirt.

"Holy shit!" Stacy yelled, startled at this inhuman display of nipple growth.

Sally just remained still and smiled, indicating that Stacy should take her time. She played around with her breasts and felt that they could still be squeezed, unlike her biceps. She could feel the strength that kept them floating there as if gravity had no effect on them. She began to lift her shirt to suck on her nipples, but Sally put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Not yet baby; let's save that for inside. Go ahead and feel the rest of my body; I'll wait," Sally cooed as she returned her arm to her double bicep flex.

Stacy could tell that Sally was getting a perverse pleasure from this, but didn't mind. She placed her hands on Sally's six-pack. They were so ripped; so tight. It was like feeling steel plated armor that was contoured to those abs. Small veins lined them and they were pulsing with superhuman strength. Stacy was fixing to masturbate herself right there on the ground if this didn't go to the bedroom soon. She went farther down and felt Sally's thighs. All those metaphors about thighs as thick as tree trunks were not exaggerated. And there was something especially sexy about seeing those thighs bulging against her jeans that really drove her wild. It looked like they were painted on. She could feel every tendon, every muscle, that made up those thighs. She couldn't squeeze them anymore than she could squeeze a tree of equal mass. Finally, she ended her self-guided tour at Sally's calves. It was like feeling footballs that were turned to stone. Stacy's mouth was watering; she had never been so happy to call this woman her lover. She stood back up and looked into her eyes. She put her arms around her neck and felt the traps that guarded her head. There would be no way to choke a neck like that.

"Oh my god, I love you! I want you!" Stacy said with so much longing she couldn't stand it.

Sally finally dropped her pose and caressed Stacy's face and planted a kiss on her lips. "I'm going to give you the most mind blowing sex of your life, my Stacy. Which is why I must ask you to hang in there just a little longer. There's two more things I want you to see. You see that sledgehammer leaning against the wall over there. I want you to grab it and hit me with it as hard as you can.

This startled Stacy a bit, "But...but..."

Sally blew a kiss at her, "You have nothing to fear. I promise you won't hurt me."

But Stacy's face began to tear up. "I'm sorry, but I am so much in love with you that I can't do it. It doesn't matter if you were invincible, which I wouldn't be surprised if you currently are. I just can't bring myself to strike you in any way. Please don't make me do this."

Sally's expression turned to mild disappointment. "Oh...well...that's ok. I have a feeling that you may yet see that demonstration when I go looking for Bruno later."

"What? You're going to go after him?!" Stacy said with apprehension.

Sally's face was stern. "Oh yes. That son of a bitch killed my hero, and he's still out there! But please, I don't want to ruin the mood here. I want to give you the best experience of your life. So I'm going to do one more thing and then I'm going to have you, my sexy," she said as her face softened once again.

Stacy smiled and her arousal levels returned with a vengeance. She used all her willpower to keep herself under control as Sally walked over to the truck with rust all over it. It was a piece of junk that would never run again. It was pretty big and looked to weigh in excess of 4000 pounds. Stacy was getting unbearably horny at the thought of what Sally was about to attempt. Sally winked at her and walked to the middle of the truck's side and placed her hands under the side of it and proceeded to lift it up to head level. The height in which it was lifted should've caused it to fall on its side, but her hands kept a strong grip on it as she worked her way to the middle of the underside and leaned down for leverage and lifted the remainder of the grounded truck off the ground, leaned back so it was horizontal again over her head, slowly and deliberately stood up, and when she was at full height, she slowly pressed the truck as high above her head as her arms could reach. She was feeling her own sexual arousal welling up within her. The wild beast was emerging from within her being as she started pressing the truck up and down over her head with increasing speed. She was losing control as her wild side emerged and, with her fantastic muscles, she began to spread her hands apart as the truck started to split in two. With a loud shriek of metal, the truck surrendered in seconds to her might as it split in two and crashed to the ground beside her.

Stacy couldn't take it anymore as she began experiencing the most explosive orgasm she has ever felt and Sally moved with unbelievable speed and picked her up and, while carrying her in one hand and ripping her clothes off with the other, she began sucking her pussy hard to draw out Stacy's orgasm. She ran through her back door like it was air, exploding it into pieces, and dashed to her bedroom. She held Stacy in her hand and continued her tongue work, which was also super-powered. Stacy's orgasm should have ended at this point, but it kept going and going. Stacy was writhing as if high voltage from a live wire was shocking her. Stacy let out a scream of absolute ecstasy as her orgasm intensified so much that she passed out. Her love juices were all over Sally and she gently laid her down on the bed and stroked her hair and went into the bathroom to clean herself off. She returned after a minute to see her still passed out on the bed.

"Well, not exactly the way I planned to do it, but I think it went just as well," she said as she watched her sleep with a big smile on her face. Sally flexed her bicep as it responded with a magnitude of muscle. She started feeling very horny as she began flexing every muscle in her spinach-enhanced body. Her arousal was so high that she ripped off her panties and began playing her clit with her fingers.

"Uhhh, I guess I can take care of myself while she sleeps!" she moaned.

She continued to flex as hard as she could. Her body exploded with muscle and superhuman strength. It felt beyond good and she really wanted to see just how much pleasure she could take. As she flexed her favorite muscle group, they seemed to get even bigger than before. Her skin kept up with the increase in size. She started oozing love juices everywhere as she exploded with a monster orgasm.

"OH GOD! SUCH INCREDIBLE STRENGTH!! WHAT MASSIVE BICEPS!! GOD I FEEL SO MUSCULAR!!! AHHH!! WOW!! OHHH!!! OHHH!!! AHHHHHH!!!!" she cried in blissful agony. She managed to keep her orgasm going past its typical duration and made it even more intense. There was so much intensity in her orgasm that she could no longer speak. Love juices were spraying all over the room as her body went rigid. After a whole minute, she let out one big blast of ejaculate that hit the bedroom window, shattering it. The spinach wore off and her body rapidly returned to normal again. The spinach-enhanced orgasm overwhelmed her nervous system, causing her to pass out on the bed next to Stacy.

-1 Hour Later-

A massive figure entered through the now shattered back door undetected. He made his way through the house to the bedroom where the two naked lovers lay. A hand shot out and grabbed Sally by the throat, lifting her up into the air.

"Hahahahaha!! Did you think you could hide from me, you helpless bitch!?" he shouted.

Sally struggled in his grip, but she was defenseless. He walked with her to the door and threw her onto the ground in the yard. Sally finally could get a good look at her attacker. It was Bruno. He had the most merciless look in his eyes as he grabbed one of the halves of the torn apart truck and held it in the air.

"You thought you could survive me, but now it's time for you to DIIIEEEE!!!" he yelled as the truck half came crashing down on top of her!

"Noooo!!!" Sally cried as she bolted upright in bed.

Her heart was racing really fast as she struggled to get her bearings. She looked around and saw that Stacy was still asleep next to her.

"Oh thank God it was just a dream," she said as she looked down at Stacy. She started to worry. With all the noise she made in her sexual frenzy, Stacy should've woken up by now. Could she be? She leaned close to her face. At least she was still breathing. She could only theorize that Stacy's system was still recovering from the unnaturally long orgasm that she gave her. And, unlike her own spinach-powered body, Stacy's body wasn't designed to handle that level of sexual intensity. She surveyed the damage she caused.

"Damn! I'm going to have a lot of house cleaning to do. And that window is gonna have to be boarded up until I can buy another one. I can't believe that I did that with just my ejaculation. Damn, it felt so good words can't begin to describe it," she said.

She got a look of determination on her face as she looked at Stacy once again.

"Baby, I hope you can hear me. I have to leave you here now. I have to face down Bruno once and for all. If I don't, who knows who else he'll hurt. He may very well kill you just to get to me. I couldn't live with myself if he did that."

Tears filled her eyes as she said this. She knew that she had to do this. She stood up to leave when a feeling came over her. Instinctively, she flexed her muscles. She was surprised to see that her biceps were now 18 inches big and her thighs were another five or so inches wider. Her abs had more definition to them and her triceps had nearly a U shape. She looked at her back in the mirror and saw great muscle definition all over it. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She now had the build of a middleweight bodybuilder and she felt very strong.

"How...could...it had to be the spinach," she thought, trying to figure it out.

"Of course! It has to be! When I orgasmed so intensively, it somehow triggered a permanent increase in my normal muscle mass and strength. I feel like I've put in another two years of equally hard weight lifting! And damn it feels so good!" she said loudly as she flexed her bicep, watching it pulse with strength. She was feeling horny all over again doing this. But she forced herself out of her horny state. She had a mission and she had wasted enough time. She turned toward the door.

"Yes! This increase will definitely even the odds against him," she said as she walked out through to the kitchen. She opened her cabinet and reached for a can of spinach, but hesitated.

"Wait a minute, this isn't right. I know I must take Bruno down for good. But even if I win like this, I'll still lose. I need to show him that I can beat him without the spinach. If I fight him at his best, and win, he will never come back to haunt anyone ever again!" she said as she set the can of spinach on the counter and left it there.

"Yes, I think that when I return, I'll eat this spinach to celebrate," she said as she glanced toward the bedroom. "And you and I will have sex until we pass out again," she winked.

She grabbed the loosest clothes she could find and put them on. With her now larger physique, even they fit snugly on her. She grabbed a jacket, did her best to make the doorway look like it had a door on it by hanging a curtain over it, and headed out.

"I'M COMING FOR YOU BRUNO!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. And with that, she began her search.


CHAPTER IX: THE POWER OF SPINACH
Sally faces Bruno in a final showdown

Chapter I: Obsession / Chapter II: The Fateful Encounter / Chapter III: Transformed at Last! / Chapter IV: Strength Exploration / Chapter V: A Most Unexpected Love
Chapter VI: The Death of a Hero / Chapter VII: Bruno's Revenge / Chapter VIII: Sexual Spinach / Chapter IX: The Power of Spinach / The Epilogue

As she began her walk, she began to wonder where he might be. She thought for a moment and it hit her. He had to be at a bar. It's where most men go when they are defeated in some way. So she headed out for the nearest bar. She could have taken her car, but she found herself preferring going on foot whenever she could get away with it. The exercise was invigorating. Fifteen minutes later, she arrived at Ren's Bar & Grill. She went inside to find it relatively empty. Only a few people were there. She walked up to the bartender.
"Excuse me? But did you happen to see a guy pass through here recently? He's really big and has a bushy beard covering the lower part of his face," she asked.

The bartender looked at her and noticed her muscular body. "Nope, not anyone like that been through here as far as I remember. What? You looking for a fight or something with him? You sure look pumped for one."

Sally just smirked, "Yeah, you could say that. Thanks anyway."

She left and went to the next bar in town. It wasn't far and she was there within minutes. She entered, asked the same question, but he wasn't there either. She went to a third bar and saw that it was more active than the others. She asked the bartender the same question.

"Sounds like someone you couldn't miss or forget. So no, I haven't seen such a guy in here," the guy answered.

Sally was getting frustrated. She was running out of options. She went to leave when three burly guys blocked her path.

"Hey gorgeous, where are you going in such a hurry?" the first guy said.

"Yeah, you look like you could do with a workout. How about having one with us?" the second guy said as the third snickered.

Sally had no time for this. She pulled back her sleeves and flexed her biceps into mounds of rock hard flesh. "Sure big boys! And to start, you can feel the power in my fist these babies can generate. Who wants to go first?"

The guy snickering looked pale as he saw that this lady was more muscular than she looked. The second guy also hesitated at the sight of this musclebound hulk. But the first guy put up his fists.

"You may have muscles, but you're still all talk! Take this!" he yelled as he swung his fist at her face. But she caught it in her hand. The guy swung his other fist at her, but she caught it as well. She had an idea as she began squeezing his closed fists with increasing pressure. The guy began wincing in pain as he struggled to pull free.

"Let go of me! Ow! Stop it, that hurts!" he yelled in pain.

Sally was in a hurry, but wanted to humble this guy. "Say you're sorry - and mean it! - and I won't break your hands. Do it!" she commanded.

"Fuck you bitch!" he spat.

Sally just grinned, "Wrong answer cupcake," she said as she put all her might into her grip. She felt his hands crack as he cried out in agony, causing him to drop to his knees.

Sally was done messing around now. "Say you're sorry or so help me I swear I'll break every damn bone in your worthless little body!!"

She knew that he was wise to respond quickly before she made good on her word. After a few seconds: "Alright! Alright! I'm sorry! I was wrong to mess with you! Please let me go! I beg you!"

Her expression softened as she let go of him. He sat there on his knees clutching his hands. His buddies stood there terrified, but also awestruck. Sally did a quick pose for them. "Take a good look boys, because you will never have this. My heart and body belong to someone else."

She then left in a hurry. She was reluctant to go to another bar and face a similar situation. But she had to try one more time. There was a bar on the other end of town not far from the hills she first transformed on. She ran the whole way. It took her half an hour, but she finally arrived. She went inside only to see the place totally trashed. No one was there, except the bartender, who was lying on the floor in front of the bar. She ran over to him and picked his head up.

"Hey! Can you hear me? Wake up! Wake up!" she yelled as he slowly stirred. One of his eyes was swollen shut and he had fresh bruises all over him. He looked at her with his good eye.

"Who are you? What do you want?" he asked.

"Who did this to you?" she asked.

"I don't know. It was this big guy, really broad. Had a thick beard on him. He came in here asking for a drink. He barely started drinking when out of nowhere, he just snaps and starts trashing the place. The other patrons were afraid of him from the start and wanted to pay their tabs and leave, leaving just me and him here. I tried to stop him from rampaging, but he started pummeling me. He kept going on about some bodybuilding chick who made a fool out of him. I thought he was going to kill me when he just stopped and left," he said.

Sally pressed on, "Did you see where he went? Tell me!"

He winced in pain as he struggled to talk again. "He...he looked to be heading toward the hills. Not sure why though. He must've wanted to be alone or something."

The bartender looked at Sally's body. "Wait a minute, you're that girl he was ranting about, aren't you! Yes, you sure look like a bodybuilder, that's for sure."

Sally turned her gaze downward, "Yes...yes I am. And I'm sorry this happened to you. But I'm looking for him. I plan to set things right again. I have my own score to settle with him."

She laid him down and walked over to a phone and called for an ambulance to come pick him up. She got off the phone and walked to the door. She looked back. "Help is on the way. They'll see to your wounds. But I can't stick around. I must go. Thanks for the information."

And with that, she was off. She ran full speed towards the hills where her adventures in strength and muscle first began. She got there and looked around, but didn't see him.

"BRUNO!! WHERE ARE YOU!!? I'VE COME TO SETTLE THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. But there was no answer.

She climbed to the top of the hill and looked around the area she hung out at the last time she was here. Nothing. No sign of him. Maybe the bartender was mistaken.

"Looking for me?" a voice came from right behind her. She turned around, but couldn't react fast enough as a fist knocked her off her feet. She was stunned from the hit, but recovered fast enough to look up and see that it was Bruno. He looked meaner than ever and advanced on her. She rolled away and got to her feet. Bruno kept advancing, a look of steel in his eyes.

"I had a feeling you would be looking for me so I waited for you. I left a trail you were sure to follow and hook, line, and sinker; you took the bait! You escaped me last time, but not this time. There's no one to save you and your pathetic excuse of a bodybuilder physique won't save you from my fists. I'm going to enjoy this!" he yelled as he ran at her.

But Sally ran at him also and swung her fist at his stomach, while dodging Bruno's fist to her face. He doubled over from the impact and staggered back a few feet. She took advantage of this opportunity and nailed him with a series of lefts and rights, but he was still standing. She was getting frustrated and pissed. "What does it take to knock you down!!" she yelled as she swung at him again, but he swung his arm across, knocking her fist aside, and landed a hard right to her chin. The force literally lifted her off her feet and on her back.

She put a hand to her chin, "Damn that smarts!"

Bruno looked at her. "What's going on here? You should be packing after that punch. I don't recall you being this strong the last time we fought!"

She realized she struck a nerve. She slowly got back up. "I've become twice as strong and twice as muscular since then. Just look at my body!" she teased.

Bruno did just that and saw that her muscles did seem bigger than before. But he wasn't deterred, "That's not possible! No one can just pack on that much muscle that fast. You're bluffing! I bet you were just holding out on me the last time!"

"I'm not bluffing, you bastard, but you're welcome to test that theory. Let's go!" she said as she put up her fists.

Bruno was mad as a bull seeing red and came at her, fists flying. She dodged blow after blow as she got in some good hits of her own. She began to realize that she was also faster than before and might have the edge over him in speed this time. But she had to get on the offensive and went for another gut shot. But Bruno caught it and grabbed her whole arm and swung around and around and threw her fifty feet into a tree. She slumped down in pain as her back took the impact. Her back muscles saved her back from surely breaking. She once again slowly got up. She was not going to lose, not to him. She stretched her back as the pain subsided and picked up a small log and threw it at him, but he caught it and held it like a baseball bat.

"Batter up!" he shouted as he swung it at her head. She ducked just in time as he swung again and again; Sally barely managing to avoid getting hit. Bruno then chucked it at her, but she managed to also catch it. But he had a strategy, and dashed at her at the same time and landed a hard hit to her stomach, causing her to once again spit up blood and double over in agony. She slumped to the ground, unable to move. Bruno walked over to her, looked down at her crumpled form, and kicked her side, knocking her onto her back. She was crying out in pain.

"Well, isn't this deja vu? I seem to recall seeing you like this before. Now what did I do the last time this happened?" he asked mockingly.

"Oh, I remember now! I was grinding your head like this!" he yelled as he put his foot on her face. She knew she couldn't withstand this assault much longer and for the first time, began to regret not bringing the spinach with her. But she wasn't about to give up. Bruno leaned in close as he was twisting his foot back and forth.

"What's the matter? Aren't you going to eat your spinach and turn the tables on me?" he said sarcastically.

Sally was losing fast. She felt her life begin to slip away as she saw him, standing over her, mocking her. She had to do something now! She braced her neck and swung her fist with all her might at his face, finally knocking him off his feet. She felt blood trickling down her cheeks as she struggled to get back to her feet, but it was hard. Bruno was on the ground stirring. Sally was on her knees as she suddenly felt light headed and fell back down and blacked out, ready to embrace the peaceful darkness.

Everything was still. All was white around her as she stood there, all her wounds were gone. She looked around and behind her stood Popeye. She couldn't believe her eyes! He looked a lot younger and had the physique that much more closely resembled that of the character that portrayed him. He also had a corncob pipe in his mouth. He had a peaceful smile on his face. Sally walked towards him, tears in her eyes.

"Oh! Popeye! It's you! It's really you! But you can't be here! You're...you're supposed to be..."

"...Dead?" he finished.

"Well that's certainly true. Which must make you wonder if you are too," he said.

Sally looked at him with puzzlement. "But I don't understand. Why didn't you tell me you were Popeye from the beginning?"

His gaze turned somber. "But I think you already know the answer to that. In any case, I'm here to tell you that it's not time for you to throw in the towel; not yet. Are you going to let him beat you!?"

Sally was desperate. "But...I can't beat him! He's too strong! No matter what I throw at him, he just keeps coming!"

Popeye was angry. "Nonsense! Have you forgotten who you are?! What you have become! My spirit runs within you! You have the power and yet you refuse to use it!?"

"But I don't want to feel I need spinach as a crutch to win a fight! You told me that!" she said.

"Wrong! That is not what I said! Look, Bruno is evil. There will always be brutes like him that you won't usually be able to overcome in your normal state. You've watched the show enough times. When does he eat the spinach?" he asked.

Sally thought a moment and the realization struck her. "When the bad guy was threatening him or Olive Oyl."

"That's right! He didn't use it when his nephews were out of control. He didn't use it to impress Olive Oyl at the carnival. He only used it when the lives of those he loved were threatened. And there's no shame in eating spinach when lives depend on it, including your own!" he said.

He went on, "You're encouraged to train hard. And you've done a wonderful job. But when guys like Bruno cross the line, it's times like that when you must eat the spinach and gain the power to put him down for the count. Otherwise, who else will stop him?"

Sally felt a rush of sadness, "But why did you have to die like that?"

"We all must face the ten count at some point in our lives. I have no regrets. But you have a future. You took up the legacy. You have everything you need. Now get up!" he yelled.

"What?! But I didn't bring any spinach!" she said.

"You will win! Get up!" he called out of the whiteness as a new rush of pain filled her head. She opened her eyes to see Bruno standing over her, his foot coming down to crush her head. She rolled out of the way just in time and shot to her feet. She was on adrenaline now as she dashed at him and nailed a punch to his face, knocking him back. Sally had a fire in her eyes as she did a thrust kick to his midsection and tackled him to the ground. Her rage began to flare as she laid into him with rights and lefts. Bruno was struggling to fight her off with difficulty, but she was relentless. Bruno head butted her, causing her already hurt face to hurt even more as she fell backwards. Bruno staggered to his feet. He was finally starting to feel the effects of Sally's blows. But Sally was in worse shape and knew that she would have to pull something big out of the hat to emerge victorious. Bruno started advancing on her as she found herself stepping backwards from him.

"What's the matter? Are you scared? I thought you were beyond that. Well good! I want you to feel abject fear when I finish you off for good! Then we'll see that no one can compete with me! And my father's reputation will be restored to what it should be, the real hero!" he said.

Sally felt her foot nearly slip as she found herself at the edge of a cliff. She was cornered.

"I see now that the Popeye show depicted your father exactly as he was...a coward and a brute! I could see that in you!" she said as her anger rose within her. "And I will put you down for good! Mark my words, every last breath in my body will be spent trying!!" she yelled.

"Then it will be in vain!" he yelled back.

As he started to close in on Sally, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me," came another female voice from behind him.

Bruno turned around in surprise only to be met with a kick right to his balls. His eyes went wide as he grimaced in pain. Sally looked to see who it was and to her great delight, she saw it was none other than Stacy.

"I don't believe it! You're here! You saved me! But how did you know I was all the way out here?" Sally asked.

Stacy turned towards her true love for a moment. "I didn't. It was as if I just knew. Call it divine intervention perhaps. I just knew where to find you. But we got to act quick! I brought you some help!" she began to say.

Sally's eyes went wide, "Stacy! Behind you!!"

It was too late; Bruno grabbed her by the throat and lifted her in the air. Stacy used all her strength to pull something from her shirt and throw it at Sally. It was the can of spinach she left on the counter. Bruno saw this and responded by backhanding Stacy, sending her crashing to the ground, unmoving.

"NOOOOOO!!!!" Sally screamed.

Bruno turned to Sally. "You know, I have a feeling I was wrong about that spinach. Maybe you were telling the truth after all. Well you will not beat me like you did my father!!" he screamed, though more at Popeye than Sally. He was getting hysterical.

Sally had only precious seconds as she squeezed the can open and for the first time consumed the spinach in the same classic way that Popeye did and downed its contents at once. At the same time, Bruno nailed her as hard as he could, sending her falling off the cliff. The effects of the spinach took hold of Sally as her wounds healed. Her muscles remained the same this time, but her strength soared. She braced her legs and hit the ground with thunderous force. She instantly sprung back into the air like a rocket and extended her fist upward. Before Bruno could react, her fist connected with him, sending him flying several feet into the air. He hit the ground with a loud thud as Sally landed on the ground several feet away. Bruno slowly got up and for the first time, he was scared at what Sally has become. She slowly walked one step at a time towards him as he stood there, mesmerized by the sight. She wasn't massive like she enjoyed being, but her fiery gaze pierced into his soul and he saw his suspecting fate looming.

"I.... I won't lose!" he yelled as he ran at her and began pummeling her face with lefts and rights with all the strength he could muster. But his hands began to hurt badly when it felt like he was punching a titanium face. He looked at his knuckles and saw that they were bleeding. His desperation increased as he grabbed a small boulder and crashed it over her head. But it just shattered into tiny fragments. All the while, she kept walking slowly and deliberately towards him without a word.

"I will kill you!!!" Bruno shouted as he ran at her.

Sally stopped walking as he ran at her and pulled back her right arm. As Bruno went to punch her, she shot her fist as fast a bullet right through his stomach and out his back. Bruno hung there in her deathblow as he spat up blood.

"Damn...you...ugh...!" was all he could muster.

Sally looked at him. "This is for killing my hero, Popeye the Sailor."

She withdrew her fist and cocked it back again and started winding up.

"AND THIS IS FOR HURTING MY WIFE!!!" she shouted as she clobbered him so hard that his now lifeless body rocketed up into the sky and out of Earth's atmosphere, flying through space on a course toward the sun where his body would be incinerated.


THE EPILOGUE
First comes spinach, then comes love, then comes...marriage?

Chapter I: Obsession / Chapter II: The Fateful Encounter / Chapter III: Transformed at Last! / Chapter IV: Strength Exploration / Chapter V: A Most Unexpected Love
Chapter VI: The Death of a Hero / Chapter VII: Bruno's Revenge / Chapter VIII: Sexual Spinach / Chapter IX: The Power of Spinach / The Epilogue

Sally stood there, watching the point in the sky where Bruno disappeared out of sight. Her expression unchanged. Suddenly, the spinach wore off as she fell onto her back, exhausted. She felt her body return to its original two-year build; the additional size and strength had left her. She really thought it was permanent. But then maybe there was another reason she had that extra mass. 'Oh well,' she thought.
"What did you say?" came Stacy's voice behind her.

Sally got herself up and saw Stacy, clutching her face and leaning against a tree. Sally's expression told her she wasn't sure what she was talking about.

"You...called me your wife," she said with mixed emotion in her voice.

Sally remembered. "Yeah? I guess I did."

Stacy didn't say anything. She wasn't sure what to say at the moment. Sally then felt in her heart that what she blurted out was right. She loved Stacy. And she knew now that she always did. Even when she just considered her her best friend, it felt like there was always something deeper beneath the surface, waiting. Sally walked over to her and took her hand in hers. She then got down on one knee.

"Stacy Olivora...I love you with all my heart and all my soul. And I want to share our passionate love for all my life. Will you marry me?" she said with deepest love.

Stacy stood there, a wave of excitement and joy came over her. This was surely the biggest surprise for her yet. And she still wasn't over the muscle love that she felt with her. And yet, it was the most mind-blowing passion ever. And she has known Sally for so many years. She has defended her when other girls picked on her. And Sally has always helped her with her schoolwork and stayed by her side whenever she was down. Why wouldn't she accept her proposal? Why wouldn't she want to spend the rest of her life with her woman; this sexy, muscular hulk of a woman, who gave her a sexual experience no man on this Earth could ever match. Her eyes burst into tears as she pulled Sally up and gave her a passionate French kiss. When she finally finished, she looked deep into her gorgeous green eyes.

"Yes. Yes I will happily marry you!! I love you with all that I am, Sally Beckie Cunningham! And I will be proud to call myself Mrs. Stacy Cunningham!" she cried in joy as she held Sally close.

They started to head down the hill hand in hand and began their walk back.

"There is somewhere I need to go first," Sally said.

Stacy looked a bit puzzled. "And where is that?"

Sally had a look of embarrassment on her face. "Home Depot."

Stacy laughed. "If we keep having sex like that, we'll be visiting that store a lot. Oh, and speaking of which, I still have to have my way with you when we get back. I passed out before I could return the pleasure," she winked.

They laughed as they headed to their destination. And the future of Sally is set. As she embraces her destiny as the new spinach-eating hero, she is prepared to face any foe that would dare to threaten the people she loves...


~ THE END ~