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Happy to oblige! Did they put it in the attic to get rid of it? Or did it appear in the attic, waiting for its next victim? Thank you - I've had a lot of fun playing with tropes I consider to be 'classic' in the ABDL sphere, and then trying to execute them as well as possible within my own style! ... Day 5 The mornings brought Nicole no anticipation of a new day, no restfulness, only anxiety about what would be taken next. She shouldn’t have been surprised. She barely had knowledge of when she peed anymore–there was little of her bladder control left to take. No amount of wet beds or new diapers in her dresser could shock her at this point. So, she’d known it was coming, but even still she dreaded the change. Half the night she tossed and turned. Even still, when her alarm blared at her to wake up so she wouldn’t be late to work, she thought maybe–just maybe–her fears wouldn’t come true. She sat up in bed. Her diaper squelched, no news there, but she also felt a a distinctly new, different sensation–a muddy squish, and when she sniffed at the air… There was no denying it. She’d pooped her diaper in her sleep, robbing another bit of dignity away from her. Setting her jaw, Nicole got to her feet. Her room had a diaper pail in it now–of course it did. Picking the bin up, she carried it with her to the bathroom, so she could strip out of her diaper and step right into the shower. On her way into the hall, though, she bumped into Vanessa. “V,” she said, face turning pink in spite of herself. She knew that the curse wasn’t her fault, she couldn’t be blamed for the magic, and yet… Vanessa sniffed the air, nose wrinkling automatically. “Oh…jeez, Nicky, I’m so sorry.” Nicole wanted to ignore it, but she couldn’t help but steal a glance at her chart. Thunderclouds everywhere for the day, and the bottom square, the one she hated most, had a doodle of her with green stink lines wafting off her. The indication was clear. “I know like, a…I guess like a feng shui person who might be able to help?” Vanessa offered weakly. “I’ll call. Just hang on till the weekend.” “Just one more day,” Nicole agreed. “Right, we can solve this.” She almost–almost–believed it when she said it. Her shower took longer than usual–more muck to clean up–and her mood that morning was almost as foul as her nighttime diaper. She begrudgingly wore a long purple skirt, an attempt to hide the diaper she couldn’t choose not to wear, and hated the fact that she couldn’t just put on pants without leaving an obvious, humiliating bulge. (Just one more day,) she repeated to herself. … Vanessa hated feeling helpless. Her friend was in need, and Vanessa had arguably contributed to that need, but her usual brand of help just didn’t do much good here. V was the encourager, the lifter of spirits, the nice words and positive vibes friend–Nicole had always been the fixer, the problem solver in their relationship. There wasn’t much she could do beyond offer words of support and do a bit of research online. The camera idea hadn’t done much–pointing a cheap camcorder at Nicole’s door had only proven that nobody went in or out her door in the night. It confirmed that something paranormal was going on, but little else. She’d see if Nicole would be okay recording her sleeping that night, but doubted they’d learn much more from that. Aside from that, the feng shui person she’d found didn’t seem like that good of a lead, but it was better than nothing. They’d promised to disperse ‘bad energies’, and this was as bad an energy as Vanessa could imagine. At their request, Vanessa walked out into the hall to photograph the chart. Maybe there was some detail she hadn’t noticed that they would, a clue, or… “Hmm,” she said, frowning as she noticed something. The doodle of Nicole for the day–the one with stink lines radiating off her–pictured a white top and a purple skirt. Specifically, a very clear depiction of the purple skirt Nicole had left for work in. She looked back at the clouds–today had two thunderclouds, one for nighttime, one for day. The little lightning bolt coming off each marked the doodles as distinct from the previous days, which had only rain clouds. (A thunder boom-boom,) she realized. But a mark in the day meant it wasn’t just Nicole’s bedtime diaper that would end up smelly, and… “Oh no,” she said, raising her phone to text Nicole a warning. … Nicole’s phone buzzed in her pocket, but she couldn’t answer it. Not while she sat under her boss’s cool stare. Jean didn’t look upset, per say, but her expressions were typically unreadable. “We need to talk about your performance these past few days,” Jean said, simply. “I wouldn’t bring this up if it’d only been a single day, but you’ve been distracted and your reports have been sub-par.” “I’m sorry,” Nicole said, feeling intensely small under her boss’s unflappable stare. “I don’t–I can get back to normal, I promise.” Her phone buzzed again, the vibration just loud enough that Jean could hear. “If you’ve got problems at home, something that requires your attention, you’re welcome to take a few personal days,” Jean continued. “But slipping off to the bathroom every twenty minutes to check your phone isn’t an acceptable compromise.” Nicole felt a cold shock of embarrassment as she realized her ‘discreet’ trips to the potty had been noticed, though at least the purpose had been misunderstood. Jean thought she was being lazy, not realizing that Nicole had been taking proactive steps to avoid pissing her pants. Blushing, she said, “I promise I’m not just checking my cell–” Her phone started to ring, cutting through her words like a razor. She felt a weight settle in the pit of her stomach, a realization that this meeting wasn’t going well. Jean raised an eyebrow. “Do you need to get that?” Shaking her head, Nicole reached down, tapping the off button on her phone to silence the ringer. “I’m sorry I’ve been unfocused these past couple days,” she said, simply. “But I promise, my full attention is going to be back on my work starting today. Everything is settled, and… eh…” The sinking feeling in her belly grew lower, and she realized with a horrified start that it wasn’t an emotion, but rather, her body taking over control of yet another function. Her blush spreading up her face, she couldn’t even form words as she felt the inevitable push, and the spread of muck forming in the seat of her diaper. Jean noticed her expression. “I don’t want to be a hardass here, but we need all hands on deck for the deadlines coming up. You’re sure you’re back with us?” “Yes ma’am,” Nicole said, nodding quickly. A little sniff told her that the accident would be extremely noticeable any second now, and that she had to get out of the office as soon as possible. “May–may I be excused? I need to go use the bathroom.” Jean raised an eyebrow, as if to ask, ‘Really?’, but she nodded her head. “Go ahead, Nicole.” “Thanks,” she blurted, getting to her feet and waddling hurriedly to the door. She could feel her diaper sag beneath her skirt and tried to keep her legs wide so she wouldn’t squelch the mushy mass weighing it down, though a bit of squeezing was impossible if she didn’t want her awkward walk to be noticed. Toddling into the bathroom, she locked the door behind her, eyes watering from humiliation. She couldn’t–accidents like this at work were too far, and– Mind racing for a source of stability, she finally checked her messages. All were from Vanessa. ‘Nicole, you need to go to the bathroom.’ ‘The chart says you’re going to poop your pants again today.’ ‘Call in sick or something. Get out of there!’ Too late to do anything about it now, she sheepishly responded, ‘Thanks for the warning.’ Ensuring the door was locked, and the fan was on, she dug the baby wipes from her purse. Or, really, her diaper bag. She had to get changed so she could get back to work. ... Support the author, and get discounts on commissions just like this one! https://www.patreon.com/PeculiarChangeling https://subscribestar.adult/peculiarchangeling

Chapter 50: Sticking Out BETH AND HER friends had all quietly shared their observations of horror when they realized the Littles were all in trouble for something. “Beth, why don’t we get out of here?” Reila suggested. “I really don’t like some of the looks we’re getting.” Beth hated to admit it, but it felt like there was a sudden discomfort for her, with now being the shortest people in the room. It seemed like most of the other Tweeners were all getting the same idea and heading out, too. Just before she got to her dorm, her phone buzzed, and she looked at it. Heads up, you have guests in your room. They’re safe but need to talk with you; call us afterward. Love, Dad “What the hell?” asked aloud. “Huh?” Livy responded. “Something else is happening in my room, but my parents are okay with it.” “Do you want us to come with you?” Reila asked, even as Beth could tell she wanted nothing of the sort. She shook her head, “No, Dad says it’s safe…” Both of them gave her quick hugs and split off as she came to her room where her door was open, and she found Penelope, President Barnes, and… Amanda?!? “Umm… Hi? Can I help you?” “Good evening, Miss Sylvester. I’m glad we caught you,” Barnes said. “Umm… okay?” Amanda took over, “Your parents asked me to be here for this meeting,” she told her. “Since I’m a professor here and a family friend.” “What’s going on?” She asked. “The incident at the end of last week has your parents understandably concerned in regards to pranks going too far…” He started. “Pranks?!?” She hissed but kept her voice reasonable. “Someone is making a really good attempt to run me out of here!” Amanda said, “Yes, I would say we are well past prank status here, Ryan.” He looked at her, and Beth suddenly understood that Amanda may have been even more invaluable of an ally than her father was. She couldn’t imagine many people calling the university president by his first name. She rarely even heard a simple ‘Doctor Barnes’ being used! “Perhaps you are right; I shouldn’t have worded it that way… Be it whatever it is, it’s clear that you are being bullied by someone. We have investigated multiple people, but whoever has hacked into our systems and allowed the previous student access to your room or student records this past time is so far unknown. Your parents made what I would consider a bit of an… unusual… request in having a HoloAssistant for you.” “I don’t…” “Need one? Yes, I’m guessing you don’t. But I think they want someone who can monitor your room while you’re out? And, let’s be honest, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind having something to clean up and do laundry for you?” He shook his head, “I sure would have when I was single…?” He sighed, “Anyway, it’s approved, and I’ll leave that to Amanda here to set up. I do want to say with Penelope present, any further incidents will not be tolerated by others. We will get to the bottom of who’s behind these issues.” “I promise there won’t be a repeat of what you dealt with when Desi came,” Penelope said. “We’ve met with all of the R.D.s and made everyone aware of this while dealing with other problems. They’ve all been told that if anything happens, it goes directly to me or President Barnes.” “What about Tracy?” Beth asked. She shrugged, “From what we can tell, she was just following policy. She received the notification that you were having potty issues and were required to wear protection at all times. Students in that situation in a regular dorm are required to stay in on weekends and not attend parties or off-campus.” Beth just shrugged, “If you’re sure…” She paused before saying, “I guess thank you for your help and for coming by,” she said. “You’re welcome,” they said, and soon it was just Amanda and her in the room. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with this, Beth,” she told her. “I’m currently looking more into the records hacking myself; hopefully, I’ll have more luck than they’ve had so far.” “Thanks,” Beth said. “Anyway, it’s time to introduce you to R.A.C.H.E.L.!” She watched as Amanda pushed a button on an emitter setup that she appeared to have physically attached to a wall. A tall woman about Amanda’s height suddenly appeared. “Hello, I am R.A.C.H.E.L., your new Robotic Assistant for Childcare, Housekeeping, Education, and Learning!” She looked at Amanda, “I believe you must be my owner?” “No, Rachel, this is Beth. She is your owner.” The assistant looked down at her and said, “Oh, are you in need of special care for some reason?” Beth wanted to slap the A.I. but said, “No, I need someone to ensure nothing happens to me when I’m in my room. I’ve been dealing with attempts to attack my maturity and need you to guard the room and defend me should anyone try and say I’m having potty problems.” “That will be no problem at all, Beth! I’m also happy to help if you do have potty problems! Changing diapers or guiding you to potty times is well within my programming.” “That will not be necessary,” Amanda told the A.I. “Beth is an adult, and you will treat her as such. Only she or I may change that status with a verbal command verified by the other person.” “Yes, ma’am,” the A.I. said. “In the meantime, I suppose I can help clean up around here, too? It looks like your room hasn’t been dusted or deep-cleaned in some time?” “Sure, Rachel, that would be fine, just don’t throw away any of my things without asking me first,” she added. She remembered one time an A.I. back home had thrown away a set of pages she’d been coloring as a kid. The last thing she wanted was for the A.I. to throw away a project or her homework! Amanda hugged Beth, “I know this seems a bit over the top, but I’ve added some additional programming here to help protect you. Hopefully, this all dies down soon.” “If it doesn’t?” Beth asked. “You know you’re not a Little; you could come live with us and commute?” she suggested. “That’s a long commute each day?” “I did it for many years, and it’s a pain, but you have Luxuria service anyway, right?” Beth nodded, “I’ll think about it.” “By the way, you are coming back to our place next weekend.” “I am?” “You are! How else will you get to hang out with your boyfriend?” “How…?” She wanted to ask, but Amanda was already out the door. “Guess we don’t have to worry about telling her!” She thought. Rachel was occupying herself and taking a fair amount of space in the room as she noiselessly found every speck of dust and straightened her room. Beth sighed, ignoring her, and got to studying. She’d been given many practice problems and reading to do and knew she needed to get to it! I WOKE UP to the hands of Mackenzie, massaging my back as she sat me down on the changing table. “Good morning, Sweetie,” she said with a smile, “I assume you still want to go swimming?” I nodded, “Please, and thanks! I didn’t know if I would still be allowed?” “You weren’t here over the weekend; I hated even making you have the early bedtime last night. But that’s effective for every Little for the next two weeks.” I grimaced, “That’s going to make it hard to find time to study.” “If it’s something really important, tell me, and I’ll try and find a way out like we did the other night,” she told me. “Now, let’s check on your diaper. So far, you’re the only one staying dry in the entire dorm!” She pulled the zipper down, and I could certainly feel a full bladder. “Still good!” she smiled. “Let’s get you on the potty so you can stay that way.” The morning repeated what we had been doing until I got out of the pool, and another nest mother was coming in. “Why’s he down here? They’re all grounded!” she hissed. “Connor wasn’t on campus this weekend; he literally had nothing to do with it all.” “Kenzie, you need to be smart with this…” she almost growled, “You both could get in trouble?” “My nest, my rules,” she said. “I don’t say anything about what you do with yours?” There was a bit of a staring contest, but she stopped arguing, and Mackenzie took me upstairs to shower while she did the same. When I was finished and ready to get dressed, I couldn’t find any of my Pull-Ups! I kept the towel wrapped around me until she came out, “Where are my Pull-Ups?” She grimaced, “Sorry, Connor, but I have to keep track of Pull-Ups for everyone wearing them… which is only you now. Let me get it for you.” I watched her actually have to unlock a cabinet and pull one out. “Come here. I want to take care of this before I wake the others up.” She picked me up and stood me on the changing table, pulling the blue garment up my legs and leaving it where I was proudly displaying the childish garment to the world. I thought she would let me down, but she said, “Lay down for just a second for me here?” I complied, and for a moment, I wondered why I was lying down like I was having a diaper change, but she dug out something and pushed an odd little plastic ribbon to the Pull-Up. She kept her hand holding me down, gently dug her phone out, and waved it over the device. There was a beep from her phone, and I watched her type for a second. “What’s that?” I asked her. “Insurance,” she told me. “Huh?” I asked. “Don’t worry about it... hopefully, you won’t need to worry about it.” “That’s not a good way to get me to not worry about it,” I grumbled as I walked back to my desk and decided to take advantage of the hour of waking up the others to study! At one point, my attention was drawn to the potty chart wall, and I felt myself double-take as I realized it was bare except one chart. Mine! As the guys were getting up and taking their turns with diaper changes, I couldn’t help but note glares directed at me. Jack was getting changed, “Where did our potty charts all go?” “In the recycling bin,” Mackenzie said as she held his feet in the air, “none of you are going to be using a big-boy potty until at least summer at this point.” “That’s not fair!” he complained. “It’s supposed to be after so many weeks! They just talked about that again recently!” “Sorry baby, those are the new rules after your friends were bad the other day.” “But something you all showed us made us have accidents…? It had to have been that movie!” “We were there and watched the same movie?” Mackenzie told him, “I know you, Littles, have urban legends about us magically taking your potty training away, but sometimes you have to just accept you aren’t ready for the potty. It’s okay. We’ll be happy to change your diapers here and at the changing stations! Plus, think about how much time you won’t have to waste leaving classes to find a potty you can reach!” As Jack walked away from the table in his uniform, it was clear he was not happy about any of it! I felt daggers in my back as I used the bathroom again before we left for breakfast, and Mackenzie checked my Pull-Up and announced, ‘What a big boy!’ I was relieved when I saw Beth and Cassie sitting at a table, “Can I join you guys?” I asked. “Sure,” Cassie said. She smirked, “I think someone would be grumpy if I said no,” and nodded towards Beth. I smiled at Beth, who I slid beside after putting together my booster. She gave me a quick sideways hug and said, “We’re going to have to find other places to get together… I just need to vent; last night sucked!” “Tell me about it,” I told her, “I’m the only Little still in Pull-Ups.” “The only one?!?” She hissed. I nodded, “Mackenzie tore down everyone else’s potty charts after we went to bed last night! I’m a little nervous about some of the glares I was getting.” “Be careful,” Cassie said, “I’ve heard of nests getting catty before.” Beth nodded, “Well, at least you don’t have a full-time holographic nanny looking over your shoulders in your room?” “I just have a real one, unfortunately,” I told her. She nodded with a sigh, “You’re right.” “What do you mean by that?” Cassie asked. Beth filled us both in on her holo-protector nanny, and I did feel a bit bad for her if anyone found out about it. “At least as long as she’s in your room, you should be safe,” Cassie said. I nodded. I looked at my phone, “I guess I need to head to class.” “I’ll walk with you out,” Beth said with a smile. When we had left the building, I walked closely beside her. If we were the same height, I would have reached over to try and hold her hand, but given our height differences, I was afraid that would be weird. Instead, she took her hand and rubbed my shoulder as we walked. When we reached a path we needed to split off, she said, “Have a good class. I’ll try and catch you for lunch?” I nodded, “I have to leave early for that seminar.” “I’ll get there right after this class,” she smiled. “Great!” I said and walked to my screenwriting class. “Good morning!” Doctor Gibney said to us a short while later. “Today, we will discuss some of the nuances of stage directions in a script. Many times…” I took notes and paid attention to examples from our professor as the lecture went on. I noticed that there seemed to be a good chunk of the class skipping that day, which, given the project being due on Thursday, I assumed meant they were mainly concerned with that. To my great joy, Kelly was one of my absent classmates! At the end of class, he said, “I’ve received completed scripts from just one of you so far. Make sure you have those done by Thursday! If you want to have a chance of your script being filmed, I recommend having it in on Wednesday by midnight. I know they’ll discuss how they choose scripts in the film class this afternoon.” He smiled, “If no one has any questions, we’ll end class a few minutes early today!” I was helped down and packing things up when he approached me, “Connor, I am really impressed with your script. I’m hopeful one of the groups here will film it, maybe even yours?” “I’d like to think so, but we’ll see what happens?” I told him. “I have a feeling yours will get made one way or another. Good work!” “Thanks,” I said. I talked casually with some classmates but exited quickly and found the bathroom. I used it and then again noted the thing Mackenzie had attached to the front of my Pull-Up. ‘I’ll have to look it up later,’ I thought. BETH WAS GRATEFUL that her Signals and Systems class was improving for her now that she’d spent some time studying with Connor. Being woken up by Rachel instead of an alarm clock this morning had been an unexpected surprise. The holographic aid shook her shoulder gently like her mom and dad used to do to get her up back home instead of her alarm clock going off. ‘Still do,’ she thought, a little embarrassed. Three Littles were in her class, and she knew they stuck together to help each other. As they’d been waiting for class, she’d listened to a conversation. “I’m telling you, it had to have been the movie Friday night?” the one girl said. “The nest mothers were with us!” one of the boys replied. “Maybe they were wearing protective contacts?” the girl replied. “Maybe… I still think it’s something else. They added those nightlight things to the Pods this semester... Do you think it could be them?” The third member of their group said. One thing was clear to Beth: there was a definite push for getting the Littles into diapers, and it had seemingly succeeded for everyone but one Little at this point. As far as she knew, this was the worst problem Littles had in about ten years. If she’d known things would deteriorate again so rapidly for them, she might have stayed home for school! She arrived at lunch in time to see Connor try and sit down with a group of Littles, and they all stood up and left like some middle school kids bullying another one. “What the hell?” she swore quietly. “Those jackasses!” She could see in his posture he was definitely affected. “Hey Connor, I need to get some food of my own. Can I leave my bag here?” She said to him. The fact that his face lit up at her presence made her smile. “Sure, of course, Beth!” he said. “Unless you want to move to a taller table?” He was sitting at one of the Mid-sized tables. You could sit there okay as a Little, a Tweener was comfortable, and a Big would be like squeezing into a first-grade chair. She was small enough that the table was more than okay, “This one is fine; be right back!” When she returned with her food, she found Connor having a tense conversation with a boy a bit larger than him, and she felt her emotions rise that anyone would pick on her boyfriend! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thank you for reading!!! Please press the like button and leave a comment!!! I love seeing readers guess where things are going! I decided this week's post would be early this morning where I live. Next week will definitely be on Sunday sometime in the afternoon my time if I had to guess. Thanks for your patience! Remember In-Between is now available on Amazon! If you haven't already, you may find it for sale here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CG4W62M6 . If you did purchase it, please press the '5-Star' rating when you can! You don't have to leave a review to do so. (Though that would be so amazingly appreciated!) All of my books except this one are now available on Amazon Kindle!

This is a bonus chapter as a thank you to all of you who have supported my writing by purchasing In-Between on Amazon since it was released! Thank you for your support!!! Chapter 49: Lone Potty THE NEXT MORNING, I was beyond relieved that I went to bed and woke up with a dry Pull-Up. I had no idea what happened the previous day, and I hoped it was a fluke and wouldn’t happen again! Grandma dropped Beth off by her dorm while parking in the faculty lot and walking me over to my nest to check back in just as Mackenzie was about to send everyone off to breakfast. “Oh, hi, Professor! Connor, it’s good to have you back! We miss you on the weekends!” “Hi, Miss Mackenzie,” I said to her. “How did he do this weekend?” She asked. “Just fine. Please go ahead and put those stars on his chart? I emailed you?” “Very good! I just changed the last boy here; we’re just heading off to breakfast. Sorry, I can’t stay to chat?” she told her. “No worries, we’re just going to put his stuff away here, and then we’ll see you Friday again?” “Every week?” She asked. “I’m making up for nineteen years of missing Grandma time,” she told her. “I guess I can understand that; this little guy is definitely a cutie!” she said and looked at me. The way she scrunched up her eyes made me wonder if she recognized the slightly odd look my face now had. Truthfully, I had stared at myself in the mirror for a while that morning, really liking the effect my loose, long hair and the smooth skin had together. The problem was that I worried someone would assume I was intentionally wearing makeup! I watched, a bit shocked, as my nest mates grabbed the ring rope and followed her out like a bunch of preschoolers in line. ‘What’s that about?’ I wondered. With a sigh, I helped Grandma unload bags and things. She’d bought another large box of my brand of Pull-Ups for me and some bottles of water that she had now marked in a way that, if they were tampered with, would turn green to warn me. All-in-all, I headed off to class that morning feeling pretty confident that I was in as safe of a position as possible! Leaving Holo-Field Theory, I was startled when one of the girls in my class said, “Let’s check that diapee and see if you need a change!” “Huh?” I said. “Your diapee! I heard all of the Littles in your nests are in them now?” “I’m in a Pull-Up and planning to hit the bathroom right now?” I added, “And it’s dry!” She had already pulled down the front of my pants and exposed the Pull-Up to the world then, “So you are! What a cute Pull-Up you’re wearing too! I’ve babysat a lot of baby boys who wear these!” I sighed, “Can I go now, please?” “Let’s just make sure you make it okay!” She told me, “I’m Izzy, by the way,” as she gathered me in her arms and carried me not to the men’s restroom but to the women’s! I was mortified as she sat me down on my feet in a stall and said, “Can you be a big boy and show me how you pull your pants and your big boy undies down?” “I don’t need your help,” I tried to complain. “It’s okay if you’re too little for that; I can help?” I sighed, pulled them down, and then squeaked a yell as she picked me up and sat me on the gigantic potty like a real toddler. “Go potty,” she told me. I sighed and did my best to go, but I couldn’t with her watching me. “I can’t go while you’re watching!” I complained. “Keep trying just a little longer for me, baby?” She said. The bladder did not want to let go, so she said, “Well, that’s okay. I’m sure you can try again later!” She pulled my Pull-Up and pants back up for me and said, “Let’s still wash our hands for practice!” Thankfully, she opened the bathroom door for me, and I could peel away from her in the dining hall. I desperately needed to pee by then and was relieved I somehow held it long enough to get into the dining hall bathroom. ‘Maybe a diaper would have been easier…?’ I couldn’t help but think. I sat down and ate with Amy and Ava a short while later and noted that they looked to have a fair amount of puff out from their bottoms as they sat down. Looking around at the other Littles, I could see it seemed like they did too. “Did something happen over the weekend?” I asked. “Huh?” Amy asked. “Am I the only one still in Pull-Ups?” I asked. Ava looked around and said, “Probably… Almost everyone has gotten caught with the three-per-day or per-week rule at this point. I know several of the last stragglers in the girl’s nest got caught pooping their pants twice Saturday?” “Oh,” I said. “The diapers aren’t so bad,” Ava said, blushing deeply. “Honestly, it beats trying to use those gigantic potties they have, and the changing stations have really nice holo-attendants.” “Mine made me giggle earlier; she was actually treating me like I do when I’m changing my baby sister. It was kind of cute?” I wanted to throw up then but kept my voice even. “Oh,” I shrugged, “I guess I can see that point of view.” As I left for my next class, I couldn’t help worrying about what was happening to everyone. I guessed I would inevitably be next and was probably drawing attention because I wasn’t already in diapers like them! In my math class, we discussed some new concepts, and I was glad to have some time to study with Molly afterward in the hopes that two heads are better than one. Molly was already sitting down in the classroom when I arrived. I pulled my portable booster from my bag, and she said, “Here, I’ll get it for you?” I looked at her a little skeptically, but she had no problems deciphering the folds required to assemble it and placed it on the chair beside her. I moved towards the chair and was about to climb up when she lifted me up and put me in it instead. “Sorry, I can’t help myself sometimes,” she apologized, realizing what she’d done. “It’s okay, thanks for understanding. I’m nervous about things like that?” She nodded, “I guess I can understand that. You’re an exchange student, so you probably weren’t child-sized back home?” I laughed, “No, I was way above average! I was six-foot-six, back home, and shrank when I came.” “That’s tall for your dimension?” “Average male height is under six feet,” I nodded. “So, most of the people there are Littles?” she asked. I remembered her major in Portal Physics and felt a little guilty in saying, “Yes, but we don’t think of ourselves like that.” “No, I guess you wouldn’t. I sometimes wonder if there isn’t a dimension out there where I would be considered a Little.” I felt my stomach twist at that, “That would be terrifying… I’d be like a child’s doll at best!” She laughed, “Probably!” We talked for a while longer before class started, and I was grateful that I seemed to be staying up with an understanding of the material the professor covered. “We still good for a study session?” Molly asked me as she helped me down. I nodded, “I think so?” I looked at the clock, “I’ve got about an hour till I plan to get dinner?” “Should be plenty!” She said. “Where do you want to study?” I thought about public places and said, “See if the library has a study room available?” “Sure!” she said. I made an excuse and used the bathroom quickly before we walked out of the building and were blasted with a burst of cold air. “Brrr!!!” I complained as I pulled my coat tighter around my body and zipped it up. She agreed, “I heard it’s supposed to get colder this week, too, and maybe snow later this week!” “Ugh!” was all I said to that. We signed into a study room and began going through notes and problems in the materials we’d been given by the professor. There were a few things she didn’t understand that I helped her with, and then she helped me with a few things, too. “You’re a great study partner!” she told me as we parted ways at the dining hall. “So are you,” I told her. “See you Wednesday!” “See you, cutie,” she said. I blushed but tuned it out as I entered the dining hall. I saw Mackenzie standing near the entrance, “Well, hi you!” she said to me. “I was beginning to think you were avoiding us?” I shook my head, “Just been busy. Was studying with a classmate in the library for a bit? I messaged you?” “Oh?” I nodded, “Her name is Molly; she’s in my Math class.” “Hmm…” she said. “Just studying?” I laughed, “Just studying! She’s the only one besides me in the class that seems to be getting things. We’re helping each other stay on top of that, though.” “Well, let me know if she gets pushy or something?” “Umm… sure?” “Now, I do need to check you?” “Does it have to be here?” I asked in front of everyone. “Do you have something to hide?” I sighed, “Nope.” BETH SAT ON a booth seat on the other side of the room but could clearly see Connor’s pants being pulled down. She could see the blue of the Pull-Up from where she sat and shook her head. “What’s wrong?” Livy asked her. “Oh, just watching the diaper check that Mackenzie is forcing Connor to endure in front of everyone.” “Oh, is he wearing diapers now too?” Reila asked nervously. “No, I can see the Pull-Up from here though.” “Nothing he can do about it,” Reila said. “He’s probably the only one wearing Pull-Ups at this point. I think everyone else got put in diapers this weekend.” “What happened?” Beth asked. “No clue? We watched about a quarter roll into lunch on Saturday, only wearing a onesie top and a diaper. By yesterday, all of them seemed to be wearing thicker padding?” Reila said. “I think I heard something about a Little movie night on Friday?” Livy said quietly. “Oh…” Beth said. “Good thing Connor wasn’t here?” “Maybe...? He’s going to seem like more of a challenge now, that might be worse,” Reila said. “True…” she said worriedly. Right as she said that Connor was coming towards them with food, Beth couldn’t help herself with the enormous smile she gave him. “Hi,” she said. His smile was just as wide as he said, “Hey, can I join you?” His face still had that smoothed-over look, and she noted it made him more attractive to her as she said, “Of course!” Beth scooted over to make room for him to sit his booster on the seat next to her and climbed up. Beth couldn’t help herself as she gave him a sideways squeeze, “You have a good day?” She asked him. “Mostly?” He said. “You?” “Yeah, someone helped me enough this weekend that I didn’t feel completely lost in classes today.” She smiled down at him, and he smiled just as brightly back. Livy made a face, and Beth hoped she could avoid answering questions until later. Seeing she was about to ask, she mouthed, ‘Later’ to her. Livy raised an eyebrow but nodded. The four talked about things that stayed entirely from conversations about disposable underpants for the rest of the meal. Beth thought awkward discussions were at a close, but Reila asked, “So what did you two do all weekend?” Beth looked to see what Connor would say and noticed that the blush showed through, even with the makeup effect on his face. “Went to a birthday party?” He offered. “Birthday party?” Livy asked curiously. “My… cousin had her fifty-fourth birthday party?” “A party for being fifty-four?” Reila asked. “More like her thirty-third, ‘first’ birthday party?” Beth suggested? “Oh, she’s a Little?” Livy asked nervously. “Yeah,” Connor said. “So, what did you two do while the babies played?” Reila asked nervously. “Sort of babysat? Met my relatives… swam?” Connor said. “What is it with you and swimming?” Livy asked. “He’s a dolphin,” Beth smirked, squeezing his hand underneath the table. “What?” Reila snorted. “Long story, going back to my mom’s time here,” Connor said. Fortunately for them, Mackenzie interrupted, “Hi girls, I hope you don’t mind, but I need to take Connor back to the Nest?” “It’s only five-thirty?” Connor asked. “Unfortunately, while you were out, some things happened, and the Nest has an earlier bedtime the rest of this week, sweetie.” “Oh,” Connor said. “So, I can’t study when I get back?” “You’ll have a few minutes, but not much time tonight, sorry.” Connor looked stricken by that, but at least Beth knew he should be okay for his Tuesday classes from the weekend. He looked up at her, “Guess I’ll see you all later,” he sighed. Mackenzie didn’t really wait for him to be ready; she picked him up and sat him on the ground, handed him his booster to fold away, grabbed the tray of food he’d finished, and prodded him to the entry area where Beth could see a whole bunch of nests all holding onto the babyish ring line leashes. “What the hell happened over the weekend?” Beth asked them. I CLUNG TO the pink ring of the rope and followed as we all took turns going up the elevator to the nests. I could smell more than a few filled diapers around me, and the stench going up the elevator was pretty intense! From how they fidgeted, I thought I could tell five of the other members of my nest were in a messy diaper. There was a big sigh from everyone as we reached the room and were told, “You can let go now, boys.” I let go and moved towards the bathroom to go pee. “Where are you going, Connor?” Grayson asked. “Bathroom?” I said. “What? Aren’t you wearing yours like the rest of us?” Jack asked. “Huh?” I asked. “Wait, Miss Mackenzie, how come Connor isn’t in a diaper?!?” Grayson asked, clearly pissed off about something. “Huh?” she asked, looking up from the changing table where she was changing Liam. “Connor isn’t wearing diapers?!?” he pushed. “No? He hasn’t lost his potty privileges yet?” “But…?” “Grayson, I’m sorry that Connor is a big boy and you’re not? But you don’t need to pick on him?” “I’m not…?” Grayson protested. “Do you need to go to a time-out?” I looked over at him. I could see he was so angry, but I watched him shake his head, “No, Miss Mackenzie.” “Connor, go ahead and use the potty. Come see me when you’re done so I can ensure you’re still clean and dry!” “Yes, Miss Mackenzie,” I told her and walked into the bathroom. When I used the toilet, I couldn’t help but think I was now the only one using them from what they had said. It kind of scared me the way they had reacted. I felt my blood grow cold as I feared the jealousy from them could cause me more problems! I flushed, washed my hands, and found Mackenzie waiting by the door. “Let’s just pull those pants off since you just need to put on your jammies anyway.” I blushed as the Pull-Up was displayed to everyone. The sides were fraying a little bit from having been worn all day, but the indicators were still showing as unused. “What a good boy!” she told me. “Since you used the potty, let’s go ahead and get your night diapee on, though, and those jammies.” She called out louder, “Fifteen minutes till lights out, my little kits!” I sat at my desk a few minutes later while she changed everyone else and tried to review my notes for Screenwriting for the morning. I was done with the assignment due on Thursday, so I was sketching out some notes for the next project. Logan approached me, “Sorry about Grayson, we had a rough weekend…” “What happened?” I asked, noting that Mackenzie had Grayson’s feet over his head and was wiping his bottom. “We had a movie night Friday, and everyone was kind of woozy afterward. Some of us were afraid there was some hidden hypnosis in it…?” I felt my blood chill then. “I’m guessing there was?” He nodded, “Must have been; by the end of Sunday, all of us had at least two messy accidents in a day or hit the wet accident count to land ourselves into diapers.” “Ouch, I’m sorry?” He shrugged, “Personally, I always figured it was a matter of time? Anyway, about ten people from other nests staged a walkout protest yesterday. Let’s just say they’re gone, and now we’re all stuck with additional evening restrictions.” “That…” I was about to say when Mackenzie walked over. “Time for beddy-bye boys; hop into your pods!” I looked at the clock and realized it was ninety minutes earlier than usual. Climbing into the pod, I grimaced that with everything going on this weekend, I’d never had a chance to do anything about the SleepTight device inside. ‘Hopefully, my nanites keep it at bay a little longer?’ I thought to myself. Even as I thought that, though, I was out like a light! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thank you for reading!!! Please press the like button and leave a comment!!! I love seeing readers guess where things are going! Also, a SUPER HUGE thank you to everyone who pre-ordered/ordered In-Between on Amazon! If you haven't already, you may find it for sale here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CG4W62M6 . If you did purchase it, please press the '5-Star' rating when you can! You don't have to leave a review to do so. (Though that would be so amazingly appreciated!) I am now in a crazy stretch at work until Thanksgiving of 6 day work weeks, so I may have a very uneven posting schedule. This week I think I'll be able to post late on Saturday. The next week will have to be on Sunday. I apologize for the lack of consistency, but my hours are long right now! Thanks for your patience!

Oh geeze, that'd be pretty awkward! That's a really good question - If only you could talk to the girls and explain the idea, they might have a shot at beating this thing. Agreed! Oof, mood ... Day 8 (Don’t worry about it.) Nicole told herself, repeating the words in her head like a prayer. (Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about it.) She worried anyways, because no amount of silent hope could ease her anxiety. It was her first day back to work since her lisp had developed. She had to be careful about every word she spoke–ensuring she said the right words, focusing on how to pronounce them. Speech had become a chore, but she didn’t operate phones, and she didn’t have any meetings coming up. She could do most of her job without talking, she’d just have to power through the few bits of conversation that were unavoidable. What worried her more was the doodle on the potty training chart she’d seen that morning. Storm clouds for day and night, of course; she’d lost all hope of making it to the potty, at least until they could get this curse resolved. No, the new fear came from the sketch, which still managed to perfectly replicate Vanessa’s art style, and showed Nicole sweating in distress in front of a toilet. Nicole didn’t totally get it, but she hadn’t had much time to puzzle it out, either–there was just enough time to strip out of her soggy bedtime diaper and get work clothes on before rushing out the door. Not knowing was worse than anything. She could guess, but her guesses hadn’t been consistent so far–would the toilet attack her? Could it just be the final nail in the coffin for her potty training, an indication that she’d never make it again? Or was it something far, far worse, something she couldn’t even think of? She got off the bus and waddled into work. This part, she could do–her business-casual dress hid the puffy diaper that’d replaced her panties, her purse had three fresh diapers and plenty of wipes stashed inside, and a few polite ‘Hello’s were all it took to get to her desk and start working. To any casual observer, they’d think nothing was wrong. She could still pass for an adult, if– (No, I am an adult. I can still pass for someone who’s not cursed.) Nicole took the time to mentally correct herself, to ensure she didn’t slip into thinking of herself as a baby. She managed to be stealthy thus far, and there was no reason that couldn’t continue. Nobody at the office had to know that her last successful attempt to use the toilet had been days ago. Nicole got through the early morning hours smoothly. Conversations, when they couldn’t be avoided, were bypassed with lots of nodding, and when she did need to speak, she hid her pauses and concentration by clearing her throat or finding other ways to disguise the lapses. Big words were getting harder–she still held all her technical knowledge in her head, but explaining it verbally took more thought, or the use of synonyms rather than proper words. But–with effort–she did it. She passed herself off as unscathed, as potty trained, as an adult capable of operating in society. At least, until just before lunch. She felt the pressure just moments before it happened, and glanced around surreptitiously–nobody was looking at her, thankfully. She still blushed, feeling herself push muck into the seat of her diaper, a tidal wave Nicole was helpless to stop. Saving her work, she got to her feet, glancing around. She’d just need to get changed before anyone noticed the smell–no big deal. Waddling across the office floor, she stepped into the women’s room, and– (Oh god, no, no–) Sitting next to the normal trash bin, under the sink, was a sturdy table covered in waterproof plastic, plus a new bin with a secure lid. Over it, a handwritten paper sign had been taped to the wall. ‘Please dispose of all incontinence products in the sealed bin - thanks, Management’ They knew. Everyone knew. Her heart dropped into her stomach, realizing that all her efforts of stealth had gone to waste. Everyone in the office–at least, everyone with access to the women’s room–had pieced it together, to the point that they’d installed a pail and a changing table in the bathroom just for her dirty diapers. “Maybe–” she said aloud, shaking her head. “Maybe it’s from the chart. Like, it changed my room, why couldn’t it change this room too? That’s it–nobody knows, it just appeared here from magic.” Staring at the… she had to call it what it was, the diaper pail, Nicole didn’t know if she believed her own excuse or not. She just had to hope, and in the meantime, she had a dirty diaper to change. And she flatly refused to use a changing table, not when any of her coworkers could walk in at any moment. She would use a stall, where she had privacy. Walking to the nearest stall, she pushed open the door and–her heart rate spiked and she stumbled back, squeaking out a terrified, “Shit!” The stall was the same as it’d always been, just a porcelain toilet and a roll of toilet paper on the side, but the sight of it sent a shock of paranoia through her. Inching towards the piece of bathroom furniture, she could just imagine it attacking her–a monster coming up from the pipes, or just dragging her down into the water. She stared for a moment, then slammed the stall door closed. She just couldn’t trap herself in a confined space with that… Thing. She tried the other stall, but her reaction was the same–she just couldn’t stand the thought of being near a–toilet–for more than a second. Which meant… Sucking up her anxiety, she hopped up onto the changing table. There weren’t that many people in the office; as long as she was quick, she wouldn’t be caught. Balling up her old diaper and sliding it away, she attacked the muck on her thighs liberally with wipes, got clean, and pulled on a fresh diaper, slapping down the tapes and yanking up her pants. As she dropped to the floor and reached to pick up her diaper, though, she heard the door handle click. In a rush, she threw open the pail and tossed her diaper in, releasing the yucky garment just before her coworker walked inside. They made awkward eye contact for a moment, and she prayed that they hadn’t seen what she’d just been throwing away. The bathroom certainly smelled pretty bad, but hopefully they’d chalk that up to just normal bathroom activity. “Um–” Nicole said, stepping aside to the sink to get out of their way. “Go ahead.” She had to catch herself before issuing a meaningless warning: ‘Watch out, there’s a toilet in there.’ ... Can things possibly get any worse for our hero? (Yes.) https://www.patreon.com/PeculiarChangeling https://subscribestar.adult/peculiarchangeling

Chapter 51: Competitions I WAS SLOWLY eating a plate of pasta while waiting for Beth to catch up. She’d left her stuff down, and I figured she’d be back any moment. That was when Jack, Levi, and Elijah from my nest and another boy I vaguely remembered being introduced as Ezra came and sat down without asking at the table. I hoped maybe they were there as friends, unlike Grayson and Liam, who had stood up and left with some others before Beth came by. “So, you’re nothing but a helper, huh?” Elijah said in a tone that quickly dispelled any hopes of friendship. “Huh?” I asked, “What’s a helper?” “Stupid baby doesn’t know what a helper is?” Ezra sneered. “It’s you!” “How?” “How is right! How is it you are the only one in our entire dorm not in a diaper yet?!?” Jack asked. “Not to mention the only one still allowed a potty chart,” Levi complained. “Honestly, I have no idea why I’ve not had accidents like you guys…” I started to say. “Accidents are actual accidents, you little helper; these are full-on brainwashing, and you are in league with the enemy!” Elijah accused. “What…?” I asked. “My friend saw you at the welcome back night! After lights out in our dorm! Your future mommy Mackenzie took you as a treat for you being a helper!” Jack accused. “Yeah, and you’ve been up every morning before us. I asked Liam, and he said you get to go swimming with your mommy every morning!” Elijah said. “And you get to go off-campus on the weekends?!?” Levi piped in. “I didn’t ask for…” I was genuinely feeling like I was a little kid getting ready to get jumped for something on the playground right then. Just as I was about to try and say something else, I heard a voice clearing, “Well, hello, boys!” the sickly-sweet voice of Miss Madelyn cooed at us. “Are you all having fun together?” She came closer and knelt by the end of the table, “Playing nicely together?” “Yes, Miss Madelyn,” Levi said nervously. “Huh… Because I get the feeling you’re not. Why don’t you three leave this nice little boy alone and come eat lunch with me here? I’m guessing he has lots of important studying he needs to do based on what he’s reading. As soon as I finish lunch, I’ll even change those soggy diapees you’re all wearing!” They all looked at each other before Ezra said, “Sure, Miss Madelyn, that sounds great!” Elijah was a straggler, and he left saying, “You better watch your back, helper. I will make sure you aren’t on some pedestal much longer!” I was stunned and trying to figure out what the hell happened since Friday when Beth returned with a concerned look. “What did they want?” she asked. “To warn me?” I said tentatively. “They think I’m some kind of ‘helper?’” She made a face at that. “What exactly is a helper?” I asked. “Think teacher’s pet… but worse. Littles think they’re sell-outs who help Bigs capture and destroy Littles. It’s probably one of the worst things they can think of a person?” “Great!” I said. “I just hope I don’t have to beat them up…” “What are they angry about?” “Mackenzie letting me swim, taking me to the welcome back night, me getting to go off-campus for the weekends… and of course, the fact I’m still using the potty.” “This semester sucks,” she said to me. “Yeah, parts of it do…” We ate quietly, and I asked her, “Would it be better if I just gave up the potty and went back to diapers?” She shook her head, “At this point, I don’t think so… maybe if you’d been here this weekend.” “I just hope they don’t do anything too stupid,” I worried. I looked at the time, “Guess I need to get to the seminar… I’ll see you in cinema class? Save a seat for me?” “Of course,” she said. I walked over towards her, said, “Thanks,” and hugged her before disappearing via a bathroom stop and heading to Destiny Hall. Several nest mothers were at the door and doing diaper checks. We had about ten minutes before class, so they thought they had time to change them. I was stopped by Miss Lucy, “Well, hi there, Connor!” “Hi, Miss Lucy.” “I just want to check to see if you had an accident? Do you mind?” She asked sweetly. “I didn’t have one, but I know you’ll check anyway.” She smiled. I expected her to pull my pants down, but instead, she just reached her hand inside and felt the Pull-Up, then turned me around to look at the back. “Well, look this big boy! All clean and dry, and the only one still wearing big boy pants, too!” I blushed, “May I go sit down now?” “Why sure, sweetie!” As I walked away, another wasn’t so clean. “Wow, Tina! What a messy diapee! Let’s just change that real quick!” I turned and was stunned that the girl was just pushed onto a changing mat spread out on the floor by the door. She was stripped naked in front of the other entering students for her diaper change as if she were a toddler with no privacy concerns! I blushed but found a seat next to Ava and Amy. “Hi,” I said, nervous they would hate me too. “Hey!” Ava said, “How come we didn’t see you this weekend?” “Went home with my grandma again,” I told her. “You’re so lucky!” Amy said. “I don’t know what they did to us… but everyone is in diapers now!” “I heard,” I told them. Anxious to switch subjects, I asked, “How are your classes going?” “Great!!!” Amy said. “Physics here is so much fun!” She paused, “even if I don’t understand half of the terms they use?” “I’ve had that problem in some of my classes, but I think I’m catching up with a lot of studying,” I told her. “I need to study more, but they keep putting us to bed sooooo early! Especially since whatever happened this weekend? We lost three girls from our nest, and now the whole dorm has to go to bed by 6?!?” “Yeah, that will be rough for me today; my last class doesn’t end until 5!” I mentioned. “How about you, Ava?” I asked. “History here is so intriguing, but it is also really hard to keep track of differences. It’s like we have parallel cultures on some things, and they’re the exact same names and events, but then bam! One change and everything is out of whack! Like this whole Base Sixty math that never disappeared after the Babylonian civilization…?” Ava could have nerded out on a conversation for hours more, but Dean Northrup came to the lectern right then. “Good afternoon, boys and girls!” She said in a sweet voice that made me want to gag. “Good afternoon,” everyone, in unison, said back to her. “We have a bit of special information for you all today! We seem to have had a setback in using the potty for nearly everyone in the dorms, so we wanted to make sure we talked about when and who may change you!” I was sure no one was in the room looking forward to this conversation! “Now, first of all, please do remember once you lose your potty privileges, we feel it’s best that adults now take care of your needs. That’s why you are not allowed to change your own diapers. We’ve found that if you all do that, too often you end up with rashes because…” Dean Northrup droned on and on, and on, and on… and on! For the better part of the hour, she sold every one that diapers were good, and she was so happy everyone was willing to trust their needs to the adults. Mom had tried to explain the gaslighting at Emerson to me, but I never could have imagined how deep it went without seeing it in person! When she finally finished and dismissed us, I only wanted to get as far from there as possible. Of course, Dean Northrup had to find me and corner me! “Well, hello, Mister Slane,” she smiled at me, “And just how are you today?” “Good, ma’am,” I told her with a forced smile. “I’m glad to hear that! I was so amazed when I heard one Little wasn’t wearing diapers yet, but when I heard who it was, I wasn’t overly surprised! Your mother was a resourceful little girl, too, wasn’t she?” “So, I’ve heard,” I said. “Well, keep on doing well with the potty! You can hold that torch for everyone else, and maybe they’ll want to grow up and be a big kid like you someday, too!” By the time I left the conversation, I had a headache! BETH SAT IN a chair and kept an eye out for Connor to come join her. They’d been directed to split up about the room within their ‘studios.’ Kelly had been in the room already when she came in, and she was intentionally sitting as far away in her group as she could from her. “My script is definitely going to be the best we could do!” she told a group mate. “I guarantee it’s good enough to be a real pilot!” “What’s yours about again?” The guy who Beth couldn’t remember his name asked. “It’s about…” she said when Beth was distracted as someone poked her. “Hey,” the voice asked, “Anyone sitting here?” She looked down to see Connor, “You?” She shook her head before adding, “Dork!” she watched as he put together his very innovative folding booster. “I’ve been meaning to ask, where did you get that? I don’t think I’ve seen one like it before?” “I brought it from home. Mom and I hoped I wouldn’t shrink, but we decided to be prepared in case I did.” “It’s really cool how it folds and assembles!” “Thanks, it’s something the inventor figured out via origami, I guess. I love how flat it packs since I’m hauling it everywhere.” Beth found herself nodding, “It does seem convenient.” She leaned in, “How was seminar?” “Horrible,” Connor told her just as quietly. “Special?” “I’ve only been to one other one. Today was about how great it was that everyone had failed potty training but one Little…” “Oh…” “Yeah, I’m really worrying about sticking out,” Connor told her. Before he could talk more, Dr. Wyler stepped up to speak. “Good afternoon, everyone! Today, we will have a class focused on how you can use advanced holo-imaging to create your scenery for your shoots. In the past, for a class like this, you would be severely limited in locations to shoot, ability to construct sets, etc. Fortunately, we’ve advanced holo-imaging in the past decade, so you can construct sets holographically using our design suite!” Beth had been well aware of what was possible with holoprojection. Still, even she was amazed at how easy it was to construct sets in one of their three soundstages within the building. Dr. Wyler had each group experiment with the software before they traveled as a class to one of the stages and took turns displaying it. Connor seemed in heaven throughout it! She thought it was adorable how excited he was by everything he could do with the technology. Their class was an extended time on Tuesdays. After a generous ten-minute break in the middle, when she and Connor hit the restrooms, they returned to the primary classroom. ‘At least this class is fun with Connor in it,’ she thought to herself, ‘almost enough to forget Kelly is in here!’ “OKAY, SO TODAY was about showing you the tools you’ll have available for set design. Nothing will be out of range of the scripts I’ve seen from the screenwriting class. In the past, we’ve had some groups who have wanted to do the same script, and I’ve had to come up with some unique ways to decide how you can get ‘first dibs,’ so to speak.” I sat up, wondering what he was going to do. “So, this year, I’ve decided to devise a series of challenges that your groups will compete in for the rest of the class today. There will be four challenges, with first place on any challenge earning one million ‘dollars’ towards your budget, second place earning seven-hundred-fifty-thousand ‘dollars,’ and third place earning two-hundred-fifty-thousand. We will then have an auction on Thursday in class with the directors bidding on the script your group wants.” ‘That’s actually kind of cool,’ I couldn’t help but think! Looking at our group, I felt like the girl who was our producer was a good asset. I still hadn’t looked her up, but I’d been assured she’d been a successful tween and teen TV and movie starlet. The director also seemed to have his act together, but we had a few others, like Kelly, that could be roadblocks. “So, first challenge!” Dr. Wyler activated a projected scene in the middle of the class. “You’ve got one minute to memorize this scene, starting now!” I stared at it intently, taking in every detail I could before it cut off. “Using the cameras you have for your group, recreate that scene! The closest to it wins!” “You have fifteen minutes, starting now!” Sebastian did an excellent job of instantly asking, “Okay, what do you remember about it? Will, can you write it down?” We spent five minutes making notes, with Will asking everyone about details about the focus fields. After two quick takes of us filling in the actors’ spots and trying to get the camera fields correct, we heard, “Time!” “I hope we got it well enough!” Mason, our lighting director, said. He’d done his best to use the portable lighting equipment to put the shadows in the right spots. The second challenge involved recreating a sound effect. Charlotte was fantastic for this because she’d hung around enough sets that she actually knew how the specific effect had been made originally. Dr. Wyler had left us supplies, so she’d gone straight to a chicken bone and said, “We just need to break this and record it!” We had seven extra minutes in the round, which cost us in the next challenge. Kelly began opening her mouth about how great she was at things, and about half the group was already sick of hearing her talk. Since the third task involved acting and randomly chosen group members to do so before recording it, it set us back when Kelly was selected as an actress. She wasn’t the worst, but she wouldn’t take direction whatsoever! We had fifteen minutes to record thirty seconds of dialogue, and we didn’t finish the full amount in the end! “Listen, I don’t know who the hell you think you are, little girl,” Sebastian was pissed, “But you will listen to direction, or we will make sure that Dr. Wyler knows you don’t deserve credit for any of our projects, and you WILL fail!” “You can’t…” Kelly tried to gripe. “Yes, we can!” Charlotte said coolly. To her credit, Kelly finally shut up! The final task was one that the rest of the group allowed me to get my hands dirty. It was a task to create a specific set of scenery. The others had seen my curiosity and understanding before in the demonstration, and I was quickly filling in every bit of extra detail to the scene I could. It was a garden scene with a huge multi-tier water fountain that bubbled water downwards into a pond with some koi fish that swam through the water. Grass surrounded the sidewalks; there were flowers, roses, and quite a few details, like wind blowing through the scene and pollen being visible. When time was called, we went down to the soundstage and took turns viewing and taking pictures and videos of the scenery. We were back in the classroom for the last ten minutes of class. “Okay, a few other professors are helping me judge these tonight. I will tell you the results on Thursday in class, and we’ll hold the auction. I highly recommend taking some time and reading the summaries of the scripts. There is one that is completely finished on the page you can read. Honestly, I have a feeling it’ll be the script that takes the most money to win the rights!” “I recommend getting a group chat or something going so you can all talk in the evenings. That’ll be it for class today; we’ll see you Tuesday!” Our group quickly got together on an app that Sebastian thought would work well, and we could now chat more easily. As Beth and I were leaving, Charlotte approached me, “That was really impressive that you programmed that scenery that quickly!” “Thanks!” I told her. “Thank you for you and Sebastian taking charge; it helped us do well in there.” “If only the little prima donna had listened better,” she said with a shake of her head. “That completed script, it’s yours, right?” I nodded, “I think it should be a lot of fun to do?” “I agree! It’s my first choice. Hopefully, we won enough today to win the script during the auction! “Yeah,” I said. I looked at the time, “Listen, I’ll see you Thursday. I have to run if I’m going to get anything to eat before these early lights out they’ve given us…” “I heard about that; sorry you’re stuck there. See you Thursday!” “Come on,” Beth said, “You really don’t have much time…” “I know,” I sighed. I hurriedly grabbed a burger and inhaled it before heading to the dorm with thirty minutes to spare before lights out. As I visited the bathroom, no one talked to me, and Mackenzie added gold stars to my chart. I frantically tried to get some studying in for my first class on Wednesday. I was grateful she put me off till the last for the night diaper after another quick potty trip. “Swim again tomorrow?” she asked me. I thought about how it was pissing everyone else off, but I didn’t know that could be helped, “Please?” “Sure! I’m down seven pounds in the past couple of weeks; I think a lot is due to swimming with you!” I smiled at her, “Glad to hear it’s helping you too.” She pulled the front of the pod down after I climbed in. “Do you need anything?” she asked. I shook my head, “No?” “Well, since we’re sending you all to bed early, I’m going to give you a cup of water in case you get thirsty,” she said while handing me a sippy cup complete with cartoons. “Umm… thanks.” “Good night, sweetie,” she said. “Good night,” I told her. For some reason, I didn’t fall asleep right away that night, but I still wouldn’t drink that water, no matter how thirsty I was! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thank you for reading!!! Please press the like button and leave a comment!!! I love seeing readers guess where things are going! I appreciate your patience for about the next month and a half with postings; my work schedule is long until then. I will probably post late Saturday night next week. Remember In-Between is now available on Amazon! If you haven't already, you may find it for sale here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CG4W62M6 . If you did purchase it, please press the '5-Star' rating when you can! You don't have to leave a review to do so. (Though that would be so amazingly appreciated!) All of my books except this one are now available on Amazon Kindle!

Chapter 48: Zapped! GRANDMA WOKE ME up the following day, and I couldn’t stop smiling about having finally resolved to have a relationship with Beth! I was excitedly walking into the bathroom to pull off my pajamas when I realized something was wrong. My Pull-Up was soaked! “What the hell?!?” I grimaced. I knew it was probably a matter of time, but I expected it to happen at school when I was in the pod with that stupid device inside. I sighed, pulled the sides of the Pull-Up apart, and walked it back out to the diaper pail beside the changing table in the room. ‘No reason to smell up my bathroom,’ I thought. I found some wipes I could reach on a shelf below the table and wiped myself before grabbing one of my regular swimsuits and pulling it on. Grandma must have knocked on Beth’s door because she was coming out in her bikini and cover-up again when I headed to the stairs. “Joining me?” I asked her. “Yep!” she said. “Have to practice to keep up with the amazing little dolphin!” Without warning, she picked me up and placed me on her hip. I blushed but leaned into her side as she carried me down. “You two going for a swim?” Grandma asked as we passed. “Yes, if that’s okay?” “If you two are together, that’s fine. I’ll send Grandpa to come check on you in a bit.” “Thanks!” I said, even as I felt even more embarrassed to be in the babyish position of being held by my… girlfriend? I blushed more then as I thought about that. Beth must have been thinking about that as we neared the water, and she sat me down, “I’m probably the only girl I know of other than my mom who can pick up and cuddle her boyfriend.” I blushed at being called her boyfriend, “Probably aren’t many… You’re really okay with my size?” I asked her, self-conscious. She knelt down to me, “I’m not going to lie and say it’s not a bit weird, but I’ve grown up with a mom who was almost exactly my size compared to a dad about yours?” She shrugged, “Once I thought of it like that, it became a little less weird?” Then, without warning, she began tickling my sides, “Besides, it gives me all sorts of unfair advantages.” “Stop, not fair, and we shouldn’t horse around the pool area,” I told her. “Good point,” she said with a smile and a hug. Then she patted my butt, “Now I know all you really want to do now is swim, so go ahead and start my little dolphin, and I’ll try and do a few laps myself.” I hugged her back and then dove into the water to start swimming. I felt some fatigue from yesterday in my muscles, having pushed it so hard. So, while I swam a fair distance, I didn’t try for the same speed. As a result, I think Beth could almost keep up with me. Almost! When we finished swimming, the two of us went and showered, and I spent time washing my hair, hoping it would lose the curls from the day before. Looking in the mirror, my hair still looked wavier than usual. Of course, also looking in the mirror, I still looked like a dressed-up pre-teen girl with makeup as glittery and vibrant as it had been the day before! ‘This makeup has got to make going out as a girl way simpler than my sisters have it!’ I thought I pulled on a new Pull-Up and grimaced at the thought of having wet the bed the night before. ‘If Grandma doesn’t ask, I won’t say anything. Maybe it can just stay off my chart that way…?’ I thought that, technically, that would be my second accident not being marked down. Eventually, I was going to be losing potty stars. Unfortunately, I knew that was bound to happen here as a Little! I finished my morning routine and dressed in jeans and a light blue shirt with Emerson that Grandma must have bought sometime during the week before heading downstairs. Beth was nowhere in sight for once, so I tried the sit-and-hop method of going down the stairs. It was time-consuming but seemed less dangerous than the hopping down I’d tried. ‘Might make that my normal?’ I thought as I reached the bottom. ‘Reminds me of practicing evacuating from a school bus as a kid!’ Looking up at the stairs, I was sure I could do without seeing those daily! Grandma was sitting at the table reading something on a tablet when I approached. “Done with your shower?” I nodded, “Yes, is there a chance I could get something to eat?” “What would you like?” She asked. I shrugged, “I don’t see anyone else, so don’t go through any major trouble?” “We have an AmeniTea over here, too, so we can do something quickly through it?” “Is that how you normally cook?” I asked curiously. She laughed as she came over and picked me up off the ground, “No, we still prefer to cook most of the time, but mornings and midnight snacks are the time I prefer to use it.” “What can it make?” I asked. “Just about anything, really. We have a full stock of ingredient pods inside of it.” “Pancakes and eggs?” “Sure!” She said. “Can I watch you do it?” She placed me on her hip and walked into the kitchen. There was a large island counter that she sat me on top of like one would do a baby. I watched as she spoke instructions to the boxy device, and a moment later, a plate filled with pancakes complete with a smiley face of chocolate chips and whipped cream appeared. Some scrambled eggs were on the side of the platter, and it looked good! “That’s all you have to do?” I asked, surprised. “That’s it! It’s pretty cool and simple enough. Even your auntie can manage it!” I laughed at that and was soon strapped into the highchair, eating as Beth came in. She looked to have spent a lot of time on her hair and makeup, and I blushed as I realized maybe she was looking nicer for me? Beth wore a pretty purple sweater that hugged her curves. Many detractors would say she didn’t have much, but she looked perfect! “Morning, Beth,” Grandma said to her. “Good morning,” she replied to her. “What would you like for breakfast?” She looked down at my plate and said, “That looks good?” “Just have a seat; I’ll have it in a minute or so,” Grandma told her. Beth blushed when she reappeared with the smiley face on the pancakes, “Thanks!” “You said what he had, so I figured you wanted the smiley face too!” She gave Beth a sideways hug. Beth giggled, “Nothing wrong with a smiley face on a pancake!” After we finished our breakfasts, the two of us found our way back to my room for more time studying. Beth was clearly much more apprehensive about particular classes, like her Systems class, so I gave her a hand with it. I managed to write the final page of the script just before lunch and copied it into the school’s computer, then the module system, before smiling since it was all turned in! “Now I just have to hope mine is chosen!” I thought to myself as I moved on to the next class. BETH WAS MAKING more progress studying with Connor than she ever would have on her own. It was becoming a bit of a game to her, though, to figure out if anything she was studying could stump him. So far, she was failing to catch him in anything she was working on that he didn’t know! So, it was a bit of a relief after lunch when they were resuming studying, and he was actually struggling at something as he worked on his HoloFields class. “I just don’t get how these particles relate to this…?” Connor threw up his hands. “This stasis field shouldn’t even work from the physics back home?” She smiled, “Finally, something I know that you don’t!” “Huh?” “Remember, I grew up here. There’s basic Field Theory in our physics classes in high school.” “Oh,” Connor said, “That’s why they didn’t feel like they needed to explain this stuff?” “Probably!” she agreed. She walked Connor through the things he didn’t understand for the next two hours. Then she had to admit he probably would understand it better than her in another week, given how he absorbed everything else! About four hours after lunch, she said, “Okay, you got enough studying in?” He shrugged, “I think so?” “Want to go see if Shelby is up for a visit? I can finally see this amazing ‘playhouse’ you told me about?” She smirked, “We should also get her to help you take that makeup off!” He blushed bright red then, “Sure,” he said. “Let me text her first.” Connor got a quick response, and he was soon walking beside her across the enormous yard to the smaller house. The temperatures had dropped more, and their breath was freezing as they reached the short door and knocked. It opened a second later, and Shelby waved at them, “Come in!” Beth looked at the door and skeptically at the physical frame at the level of her nose. Connor looked at her, “You’ll have to duck, I guess?” She laughed, “Looks that way!” Beth did duck as she entered the doorframe but was grateful that the ceilings at least were above her head by about half a foot! She noted a ceiling fan that she would need to walk or duck around in the living room. Still, otherwise, she was probably just about as tall of a person as you could be and walk upright through the ‘house.’ “Good thing you’re not any taller,” Shelby told her, apparently agreeing with her thoughts. “Yeah, but this is really cool! You’re probably the only family of Littles who has their own ‘house’ that can be played off like it’s a play house.” Shelby shook her head, “I know of a few other people… some friends at school are kind of like us with our parents adopted. This is a richer part of town, so once some other parents saw what Grandma and Grandpa built for us, they had to keep up with them.” She smirked, “I’m pretty sure ours is the only one that is quite as elaborate, though! Let me give you the tour I gave Connor,” she said. The three of them navigated through the house, with Beth having to duck under doorways but otherwise able to walk mostly unhindered as long as she watched out for light fixtures. After the tour, Beth suggested they hang out in the living room. The afternoon by quickly, and just before they returned to the main house for dinner, Connor remembered something. “Can you deactivate this makeup?” He asked Shelby. “Oh, right!” Shelby said with a giggle, “You probably don’t want to go to classes like that!” They both watched her dig her tiny phone out of the pocket of her hooded sweatshirt and showed Connor, “So all you need is this app on your phone.” Connor pulled his own phone out, and she watched as he downloaded the app. ‘Hopefully, none of the guys see he has that app!’ she giggled. Beth knew the app well. She loved the SkinSync product herself and used it daily. Her favorite thing was that it would stay on indefinitely, and you could easily change the looks when you wanted to. Celebrity-specific looks were sold on an in-app store, and tween and teen magazines regularly had scannable codes you could download free styles with. That morning, she’d spent the most time tweaking it she had in ages before heading downstairs. “So now that you’re connected, just press deactivate,” she told him, “But stand over here so it’s easier to clean up,” she said first, hurriedly moving him to a hard floor. Beth watched as he pressed the button and expected to see the annoying cloud of dust that formed when you took the powder off. Instead, she watched Connor spasm like he’d been hit with a taser and scream, “Ow!!!” “Are you okay?” She found herself asking, concerned as she closed the distance to him. “It felt like I just zapped every skin cell on my face with a static charge! Is that what happens every time you take it off?” Connor asked as he looked up at her. Beth shook her head even as she looked down into his face. The face that was, if anything, glitterier than it had been a moment ago. “Umm…?” he said, “Why are you staring at me like that?” She debated breaking it to her new short boyfriend when Shelby said, “I think we need to get Grandma to help.” Connor pulled up the selfie camera app on his phone and stared at his face, “Crap!” I SAT STILL while Grandma ran some unknown device over my face and looked at her tablet for results. “I don’t understand why this would happen?” she said. “I felt a similar jolt when I activated them before?” “I wonder…” She said and began another rapid session of typing and scanning me. “Well, that shouldn’t happen…” she said while running her hand through her head. “What shouldn’t happen?” I found myself asking as Beth joined me in stereo. “For some reason, it’s like the nanites infused into your skin?” “Isn’t that how they work?” Beth asked. Grandma shook her head, “No, these are just meant as a true skin coating like traditional powder makeup. If you had the right equipment, you should be able to peel them and one layer of cells away together? In this case, it’s more like they’ve fused into the dermis as well… Let me get Fred; this may need medical expertise, too.” I looked at Beth, “What am I going to do if I can’t get this off?” “I don’t know; I guess we can find you some of the girl’s uniforms?” While that thought sounded like what I wanted, right then, I was too terrified for that to seem like a good idea and felt my skin blanche. She wrapped me in a hug, “It’ll be okay. There is no one better in the world at programming and understanding nanites than your grandmother.” “I hope you’re right,” I told her. Grandpa came in and joined her, looking over the scans. He then came and physically touched my face for a moment and asked her for another tool. “I don’t know how this could have happened,” he said. “Have you tried changing the look in the app? Maybe you can make it look less like you have makeup on?” I looked up at him, over at Beth, and then at Grandma, “Are you saying I’m stuck with it on my face?” “The problem is it isn’t on your face right now… It’s in the skin.” “How?” Beth asked. I looked at Grandma, who sighed, “Remember how I had to edit those nanites? Since Connor’s mom was here, we’ve seen many different generations of this technology. His are very much still an older design. Then you add that they’re the customized ones his mom tweaked?” She shook her head, “It would probably take Stacy helping me for a week to figure out exactly how this happened.” “Will it wear off?” I asked. He shrugged, “You do replace your skin about every twenty-seven days, so it might come off with that? It depends on how integrated the nanites are. The fact you had your mom’s in you seems to be the problem here. Like your grandmother said, they’re an antiquated version of them now, and I think with your entering the password to allow access, it also decided the ones from the makeup should be integrated?” Grandma shook her head, “Your mom must have done something else with these. The problem is we can’t ask her over the HoloLink system without others listening in. We know the communications across the dimensional system are heavily monitored. Still, with you being her son, we know they’re even more likely to listen.” I sighed, “Beth, you know how to work this system?” Shelby had gone home an hour ago to get some sleep since she had school the next day. She nodded, “Let me see your phone since you synced up to it. Let’s add a password, too, so someone can’t randomly change your look.” Connor saw a look on her face like she’d eaten something disgusting, “I saw that happen to some friends in middle school!” I shuddered at that, knowing that someone could randomly change my face to look like whatever they wanted it to be...? That would be treacherous at best! “There!” she said a moment later. “I didn’t feel anything that time?” I said. Grandma shrugged, “It worked… at least as well as possible. I’m guessing the jolt you felt before was the integration.” I used my phone then to look at my face and was relieved that my lips were their typical color and my eyes looked normal, too. I did grimace, though, in that my skin had a certain ‘brushed’ quality that looked like my sisters had put their foundation on. “I still look like I have makeup on?” I said. “Only if you look really closely,” Beth tried to reassure me. “This is probably the best we’ll get for tomorrow?” She looked at Grandma, who nodded. “I’ll try and see if I can come up with something else this week,” she told me. “For now, though, you both should probably get some sleep so I can drop you off at school tomorrow before classes.” I sighed, “Yeah, thanks for trying.” As I went to bed that night, I made sure I went potty again and then set my alarm early enough that I could swim before we left. I also hoped the earlier wakeup time would lead to a dry Pull-Up. ‘I don’t understand why I was wet this morning!’ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thank you for reading!!! Please press the like button and leave a comment!!! Also, a SUPER HUGE thank you to everyone who pre-ordered/ordered In-Between on Amazon! If you haven't already, you may find it for sale here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CG4W62M6 . If you did purchase it, please press the '5-Star' rating when you can! You don't have to leave a review to do so. (Though that would be so amazingly appreciated!) I'm giving a bonus chapter Tuesday or Wednesday of this coming week as a thank-you to all of you!!! After that, the next post will likely be Sunday or late Saturday night this week. I have some crazy hours the next month and a half, and postings will vary on days depending on the weeks. It'll be around Thanksgiving probably that I can get back to the Fridays I've been posting.

At least the weekend is coming up - two days should be plenty to solve this, right? Day 6 Vanessa stared at the chart, trying to decipher what the latest stickers referred to. She wanted to be there for Nicole, to at least be able to warn her what was coming with no more surprise humiliations. At least Nicole had the day off, she wouldn’t be risking humiliation at work. That would be better than nothing, not that it really solved any of the issues. The storm clouds for day and night seemed unfortunately clear, if the pattern could be trusted. Nicole’s potty training was all but gone–maybe she’d get a little warning, but based on the stickers, she’d regularly be making thunder boom-booms inside her diaper going forward. But the doodle on the bottom was more opaque, resisting Vanessa’s attempts to decipher it. The cartoon depiction showed Nicole, with a little speech bubble over her head. The word didn’t give Vanessa anything–it just said ‘Hello’–but instead of being written in simple letters, it’d been spelled out with alphabet blocks. (Huh…) Vanessa wondered. The door opened, and Nicole stood in front of her, arms crossed sheepishly over her chest. The smell wafting from Nicole’s bedroom was unmistakable, and even if it hadn’t been obvious from that alone, Nicole’s blush told all. She’d had another poopy accident overnight. “I gotta…” Nicole mumbled sleepily, nodding towards the bathroom. “Um. Gotta shower.” “Okay,” Vanessa said. “I’ve got someone coming in a couple hours to help figure this out. Okay?” Nicole nodded wordlessly, waddling to the bathroom to get freshened up. Vanessa frowned at the chart one last time, then waved it off and walked to the kitchen, making pancakes from premade mix and frying them up on the stove. By the time Nicole was cleaned up and waddled into the kitchen, freshly diapered and dressed for the day, she had a stack of fluffy pancakes ready to go, butter melting on the top of the pile, and a mug of coffee in Nicole’s lucky mug. “Tanks,” Nicole said, pulling up a seat in the kitchen. She smiled when she saw the cartoon pea pod decorating the mug, holding up the brown elixir that was strong, straight coffee. “‘Pweciate it.” Vanessa blinked. “I’m sorry, what did you just say?” “I ‘pweciate the pancakes,'' Nicole repeated. Now that Vanessa was listening for it, she easily picked up on the distinctly juvenile cadence–letters falling over one another in a verbal jumble. Nicole didn’t seem to notice, though, and just cut into the pancakes with her fork. “Nicole…” Vanessa said. “You’re lisping.” Nicole looked up at her, eyes widening. “Nuh-uh.” “Yes, you are,” Vanessa repeated. “Or, not just lisping, but it’s like…your words aren’t fully formed. Like you’re learning to talk.” Brow furrowing, Nicole focused for a moment before she said, “I sound o-tay to me.” “You just said, ‘Oh tay’,” Vanessa pointed out. Nicole’s eyes widened. “Nuh… I din’ hear that at all. I said o-tay, not ‘Oh tay’.” Vanessa stared at her, and Nicole blushed. “I said it again, din’ I?” she asked. Vanessa nodded. “Well…fudge.” “Well… Don’t worry. With any luck, maybe the feng shui guy who’s coming over won’t be…” … “...a complete waste of time,” Vanessa groaned, sinking into the sofa. “I’m so sorry, I thought he’d at least have any idea.” “You could’n’a known,” Nicole replied, pulling up her legs to her chest at the other edge of the couch. “Is… is otay.” “It’s not okay.” Vanessa shook her head. “It’s–I need to be doing more, and I’m not. Even my ideas aren’t helping–the guy, the camera, it’s just proven that we don’t know what’s happening. This isn’t normally my thing, but like–that’s not an excuse. You need help, it’s on me to step up.” Nicole hesitated. She wanted to be the supportive friend, the one who solved all the problems, but Vanessa was right–Nicole was struggling to try and be proactive while her body betrayed her left and right. “I still appweciate the help,” Nicole said. “I feel stupid about the box, though,” Vanessa said. “I hadn’t even thought to check the attic, it didn’t occur to me that the box I found the chart in would just be totally empty. It’s like it just vanished!” That had been a troubling realization, even if all it really confirmed was that something strange and paranormal was happening beyond their understanding. A long moment passed. Nicole felt very small, with her knees tucked against her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. Thoughts blurred in her mind, fears and anxieties about the future. “Vanessa…promise me somethin’?” “Anything,” Vanessa said. “Dere’s…there’s…more dan a week left on da chart,” Nicole said. “And I dunno what’s gonna happen. I’m scared. I tout… I thought it was just gonna be potty stuff…but now I can’ tawk right, an I dunno if it’s gonna keep getting worse too. So…promise, if I keep getting worse, you won’t weave me?” Vanessa’s eyes widened, and she scooched across the couch, wrapping her arm around Nicole’s shoulder. “Oh, Nicole–I’m not going anywhere. Not for anything. You’re my best friend, and I don’t care how long it takes to figure this out, I’m here. We’re in this together. Okay?” Nicole sniffed, but didn’t start to cry. “Oh… okay. Tanks you, V.” Pulling her into a tight hug, Vanessa nodded. “Of course.” ... Did you know I've got a whole bunch of ebooks? Compilations of my work, novellas, and a few zines I am a contributor to can all be found over on my Gumroad page! https://peculiarchangeling.gumroad.com/

This is a special bonus chapter as a thank you to all of you who supported purchasing my release of In-Between last week! Thank you to each of you!!!! Chapter 47: Finally BETH HAD WORKED on the floor of Connor’s room on homework for a couple hours when Amanda came for them. “Hey, you two, dinner time,” she said. “Okay,” Connor said, stretching. Beth watched him massage his fingers right then. “Wash up and come downstairs,” she told them. “Yes, ma’am,” Beth found herself saying. Amanda wasn’t quite as tall as her mother, but she was tall enough at nearly eleven feet tall to inspire respectful responses. Fred was even taller but clearly had some issues with his back because she’d noticed his slump was present like he was much older. ‘I wonder why he hasn’t done one of the rejuvenation treatments?’ Beth had run down to her room, washed her hands, went to the bathroom, and was down the stairs before she saw a red-faced Connor doing a weird hop down each stair. She couldn’t help but giggle as each stair seemed like he was doing some crazy parkour-level jump! He stuck his tongue out at her but kept on hopping down. “What took you so long?” she asked. “The stupid Pull-Up side ripped when I went to pull it down…” “You didn’t really have an accident?” she half-teased. He shook his head, “Not yet; I’m sure they’ll be coming. Everyone seems out to get you on campus when you’re a Little.” She nodded at that, “I completely understand.” “I guess you would right now, huh?” He came forward and gave her a light hug. With his head awkwardly landing at her crotch, she decided to just pick him up so she could properly hug him. “Quite a pair we are,” she said with a smile. “You know you don’t always have to pick me up?” “My dad says that to my mom a lot…” “Does she pick you up too?” “All the time at home,” she found herself grumbling. “I swear she enjoys embarrassing me as much as my dad, but at least she restrains herself to doing it only when we’re at home. Dad manages to find ways to embarrass me everywhere! She noticed that Bella and her kids were absent from dinner. “Where are the others?” She asked. “They decided to stay home tonight and use the AmeniTea for dinner instead. I know she had mentioned a sleepover, but it seemed like you two needed to get some homework done.” “Probably right,” Beth admitted before what she heard registered, “Wait, that little house has one of those?” She found herself amazed. “We should go over and see it tomorrow,” Connor told her. “It’s pretty cool how Grandma and Grandpa built them a ‘playhouse’ that’s as real as this one.” As he spoke, she realized he still had the makeup on. With that and his hair still holding onto wavy curls, he looked more like he belonged in one of the girl’s nests right then than in the boy’s one he was in. It was actually a bit of a conundrum to her that he had gone along with everything so easily. ‘It was like he fought just hard enough to make it seem like he didn’t want to go along with it?’ She shook her head, then answered the following question and continued the conversation with his grandparents. WHEN WE WERE getting close to finishing dinner, I decided to ask a question I couldn’t help but be curious about. “Grandma?” “Yes, sweetie?” “Aunt Cassie was here… along with her daughters and granddaughters… Where was Neville? I haven’t met him yet?” I instantly felt bad as her face fell. “Neville passed away a few years ago,” she told me. “Oh,” I said. “How?” Fred answered this time; he sighed first, “Cassie had decided it was time to get him rejuvenated so she could again have a cute little boy without wrinkles and a balding gray head. Meggy had asked for it for a present, but Neville didn’t really want it…” I then watched Grandma wipe a tear and felt terrible for bringing it up. “There’s almost no chance of a fatal nanite treatment at this point, but somehow, he ended up having a one-in-a-billion reaction to the treatment. He shrank and basically…” he grimaced, “From what I understand, basically reached the point of being too young to be viable.” “Is that why you haven’t had treatment for your back?” I found myself asking, curious. “Noticed that, huh?” He shook his head. “Partially, but once you’ve been a doctor as long as I have, you sometimes decide you don’t want the treatments. There’s something to be said for letting nature take its course.” That was kind of sad, but I nodded as I could sort of understand his thoughts there. “Anyway, that’s enough dark thoughts for today!” Grandma said. “You two seemed like you had fun today?” I nodded, “Surprisingly, yes.” “It wasn’t as horrific as I was afraid it would be,” Beth agreed. “We just need to get that face clear of that makeup before you go back to school Monday!” Grandma laughed. I had almost forgotten about it and found myself blushing bright red. “It does come off, right?” “Yes, we just need to use the app to disengage it. We’ll get Shelby to show you how tomorrow. You might also want to wash your hair in the morning so we can get those curls out.” I nodded, “Yeah, I probably should avoid looking like I spent the day as a girl when I go back to school!” Everyone laughed at that, even as I wish it didn’t have to be a conversation for joking. After some leftover cake for dessert, Beth and I returned to my room and resumed studying. I moved my computer to the floor beside her. I was typing away while occasionally answering a calculus question she had. I was making quick progress on my script, making it to nearly page sixty-three, when she said, “Ugh, that’s enough; I can’t take it anymore!” “I have to agree; my fingers are pretty sore from typing,” I told her. “How much did you get done?” “I’m on page sixty-two and a half,” I told her. “You’re aiming for what, eighty?” “Maybe one hundred to be safe… We can always cut pages if mine is selected?” “It sounds like fun to me.” “Did you check out the other script options by chance?” I asked her. She shook her head, “No, anything else good?” I found us talking for a while but never brought up the topic of the script I wanted nothing to do with! It was about nine in the evening when she said, “Want to go sit and watch a movie again?” I shrugged, “Sure. Pajamas again?” “Definitely!” The two of us changed, and she carried me downstairs to the couch, where we were soon cuddled up and watching a movie when Grandma came to check on us. “I see you two look comfy. Make sure you go to bed when that movie is done? It’s been a long day, and your grandfather and I are going to call it a night.” “Good night, Grandma,” I said and accepted a hug and a kiss from her before she returned upstairs. I was leaning against Beth’s warm, soft, pajama-clad body and feeling myself zone out with the movie. The graphics and storyline were intense enough that I was fully invested in the film. We were about midway through the action movie when I felt Beth start to play with my hair again. I looked at her, and she said, “Can I please play?” “Haven’t you played with my hair most of the day?” She smiled, “Yes, and I think I would love to most days, actually.” “I guess,” I told her. “Thanks, Carly!” She said as she unexpectedly squeezed me into a hug and moved me onto her lap. ‘Carly?’ I thought. ‘She doesn’t know… does she?’ I wondered. I felt her pull at my hair with a brush I recognized as my own and knew then she had most definitely planned this! “You planned to do this the whole time?” I asked. “Umm… maybe?” “Am I just a doll to you?” I smirked at her as I turned my head. “Absolutely not!” “I’m not?” “Nope!” she took a big breath in, and I wondered what she was about to do. Our eyes met, and her face started to get closer to mine. ‘Are we going to kiss?’ I wondered, hoping so! The distance between our faces was only a few inches apart. Then her phone rang! BETH LOOKED DOWN and wanted to swear! ‘Mom has horrible timing!!!!!!!!’ She sighed and said, “Pause movie,” to get the movie to stop, and then answered the phone in audio mode. “Hi, Mom,” she said. “Hi, sweetheart, how are you doing?” she asked. Beth shrugged, “Well enough, I guess?” “Amanda and Fred treating you right?” “Yes, it’s been a good place to come and get away,” she said, pulling Connor back into her body and squeezing him. For his part, he willingly moved with her and started playing with her hand by tracing out her fingers. “Your mom and I have been on the phone with our lawyers and Emerson most of today, cupcake.” Her dad’s voice came on the line. Connor stopped moving his finger on her hand and quietly giggled. ‘Thanks, Dad!’ she groaned. “Did they find anything out? Was Tracy behind it?” “Why haven’t you turned on your camera?” Her mom asked. Sighing, she said, “I didn’t know it was required…” She didn’t want her mom to be suspicious, so she quietly scooted Connor from her lap with a grimace and changed the setting. Her Mom and Dad appeared in front of them. “Oh, hi, Connor,” her mom said. Beth noticed her mom and dad took a double take momentarily but was grateful she hadn’t put his hair up in the pigtails she was planning yet! “Hi,” he said. Beth thought she heard some guilt in his voice but turned to her parents, “So what did they find out?” Her dad brought up a screen that projected in front of them. “According to their investigation and interviews with Tracy, she was just reacting to the notice sent to her as your RA. Apparently, that went out that afternoon to all of the RAs in the building? They searched her room and computer and couldn’t find anything. I guess there were changes in your file in the system, but whoever did it was a good enough hacker that nothing could be traced.” “So, long story short, whoever it is can keep doing things, and next thing I know, they’ll change my file to say I need to be in a nest in Sanders Hall?” Her dad visibly blanched at that, while her mom shook her head, “Not if they know what’s good for them!” She was in mama bear mode now, Beth could tell. “I’ve made it clear to President Barnes that if anything like this happens again, we’ll sue them for damages. As it is, we probably already have a strong case, according to your dad.” “You know I have to be careful being involved if it comes that, though,” her dad reminded her mom. “It’s your daughter; you’re allowed to be involved. I highly doubt any case would reach your level of appeals!” Her mom told him. “So, what now?” Beth asked. “President Barnes gave a directive that your file would be adjusted only by his office with his approval from now on. Any accusations of potty issues will be dealt with by him. A directive has gone out to the residence staff that if they make an accusation without merit, they’ll have their own choice of Sanders or being gone.” Beth found herself both happy and nervous about that. “If this doesn’t work, what will they try next?” She asked aloud. “I don’t know,” her dad said. “I really wish you would just come back here? I called the president of Hamilton; he’s willing to transfer your credits and classes over here?” He grimaced, “I know you have scholarships there, but we all know your mom, and I can easily afford to pay your tuition ourselves?” ‘He’s right, it’s stupid to stay here,’ she thought momentarily. Then she turned and looked at Connor beside her. She hoped her mom didn’t notice the motion she made through his hair with her hand right then. Beth found herself shaking her head, “No… I know you don’t understand this, but… I have to finish this time here at Emerson. I can’t let the university beat me again!” “Beth, they didn’t…” her dad tried to say. “Yes, they did. You saved me twice, Daddy, but this time, I want to make it all the way!” He sighed, “Okay, Cupcake, if that’s how you want to do it. I’ll do everything I can to help.” “So will I,” her mom said. “And I know you’re going to hate us for this, but we’ve ordered an assistant for your room.” “Mom!!!” Beth hissed. “They can’t do things in your room if you always have someone watching over it. This way, you don’t even have to worry about laundry and things either?” her mom said. “I’m going to be the laughingstock of the dorm!” “Or the envy?” her dad suggested. “Fine… Look, Connor and I are in the middle of a movie. I’ll call you Monday when I finish classes and return to the dorm?” “Fair enough,” her dad said. “We love you,” he said. “Yes, love you, Beth,” her mom said. “Love you too,” she breathed, “Goodnight.” As their forms faded, she smacked her forehead. “I can’t believe they’re making me have one of those!!!” I LOOKED UP at her, “What is that?” “It’s basically like being told you need a nanny?” “Oh,” I thought, “What can it do?” She shrugged, “They’re capable of just about anything? It’s what Meggy has when her mommy and siblings are out. It can change diapers, cook, clean, feed, play with you, or just about anything else.” “And that’s why they’re getting it for you?” I asked, confused. “No, I guess it’s more discreet than a bodyguard?” “It’ll just be in your room?” I asked. “Yeah?” “Then just don’t let anyone you don’t want into your room?” She sighed, “It’s the principle of the thing… I feel like my mom is just waiting for me to be a failure again and need to move back home and be babied?” I laughed, “I doubt that, Beth!” She glared at me! “She knows as well as I do that you’re incredibly strong and capable!” Beth softened her expression, “Plus, you have awesome friends and family that have your back!” That made her smile, “Thanks, I needed to hear that.” “You’re welcome,” I told her. She pulled me back into her lap, “Movie resume,” she said. I sat in her lap as the movie continued with more explosions and things that felt like they blew right past our faces! Somehow, the holographic display generated heated wind gusts so that when a piece of molten metal exploded, I had to check that I hadn’t received a burn on my face! It was incredible! All the while, I felt Beth relax again as she played with my hair, and I was pretty sure I tied my hair up into very girly loose pigtails that flopped my head when I moved. The movie eventually ended, and she said, “Connor… thank you for being here for me.” I looked up at her face and decided to risk it, sitting up taller, moving my face to hers, and matching my smaller lips to her larger ones. It felt like fireworks exploded as our tongues met for the first time inside her mouth! “WOW!” BETH FOUND herself saying then as they parted. “Wow,” Connor agreed. “I hope you don’t mind…?” She giggled, “I would have done it earlier if my stupid parents hadn’t called!” Connor’s face lit up in a smile that made her kiss him again and begin to rub his back. When they parted, she felt the need for more but thought they probably should show some discretion in his grandparents’ living room. “Maybe we should take our time with this?” She suggested. He nodded, “Yeah, I don’t want to cause you more problems…” Beth hugged him tightly, “Well, while you have caused plenty, the real problem is I can’t find it in me to transfer because of you!” “Umm… you don’t have to stay because of me?” He said. “Oh, yes, I do! Your mom saved my dad, and that alone would have been enough to make me owe you.” She paused and gave him a peck on the forehead. “But then you managed to weasel your way into my heart, unlike anyone I’ve ever met! You and I are going to date, Buster. Don’t think you’re getting out of it with me moving!” She watched Connor smile at that, “Deal,” he said. “We are going to have to be careful on campus, though,” she said. “No reason we can’t come here together?” He suggested. “Other than making out on your grandparent’s couch seems a little wrong?” “You’re right; one of the bedrooms would be better!” Beth laughed and decided it was time to get that tickle victory back from him for the night before! “Shhh!!!” she told him eventually, and he gave up. “We should probably go to bed,” he said, then blushed, “In separate rooms… I don’t want to explain this one to Grandma yet!” “Somehow, I think it won’t surprise her?” “Probably not, but like you said, let’s take it slow,” he said. She stood up and lifted him on her hip. It was odd to be so in love with this tiny boy as a boyfriend… or whatever he might be, while also feeling a significant motherly compulsion she usually put down to being a Bigs madness. They shared one more kiss at his doorway, and then she walked down to her guest room. Checking her panties, she decided she needed to do some laundry before returning the next day! ‘It’s not that kind of accident, but the last thing I want them to do is accuse me of the other kind!’ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thank you for reading!!! Please press the like button and leave a comment!!! Also, a SUPER HUGE thank you to everyone who pre-ordered/ordered In-Between on Amazon last week! If you haven't already, you may find it for sale here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CG4W62M6 . If you did purchase it, please press the '5-Star' rating when you can! You don't have to leave a review to do so. (Though that would be so amazingly appreciated!) I'm giving a bonus chapter today of LCW and another next week in the week as a thank you to all of you!!!

That's a lot to lose with only two days left - But then again, a lot can change in two days. Now I'm hearing that tiktok trend sound in my head 🤣 Who knows - There's still two changes yet to come! Day 13 It struck Vanessa that things had become routine almost as soon as the shock had worn off. In just under two weeks, they’d learned that magic existed, and had a cruel sense of humor. They’d seen Nicole devolve from a fully capable woman to a person with the memories of an adult but the physical faculties of a particularly stunted toddler. And, already, she was…used to it. Not unconcerned, of course. Vanessa still spent her time scouring the internet for solutions, looking for cures or counterspells or witches who could fix everything, but it had lost its sense of shock. Even the doodle for the day–showing baby blocks scattered and an utterly broken, jagged speech bubble, didn’t carry much shock, just an indication of what new problems to expect for the day. Now, she just worried for Nicole in a way that could only be described with one word, but it was a word Vanessa refused to say out loud; one that began with an ‘M’ and rhymed with ‘Blaternal’. “Buh!” Nicole called. “Vee-vee!” Vanessa hurried into the nursery. “What is it, Nic? You need a change?” “Hungie,” Nicole said. “Pwea?” (Her speech is getting worse,) Vanessa thought. (And she’s not even forming adult thoughts, at least not any that she’s communicating to me.) “I’ll make something.” She had to sit Nicole down, giving her juice in her Pee Happy bottle so she had something to drink while breakfast got made. Once food was finished, Vanessa fed Nic macaroni one spoonful at a time, working her way through the bowl. At least it was the weekend–trying to juggle baby care and work a full time job already left her exhausted, and she’d only been doing it for a couple days. As she set aside breakfast, she sniffed. “Nicky, you stink.” “Nuh-nuh, no poopies,” Nicole mumbled, shaking her head. Then, uncertain, she reached back and prodded at her diaper with a hand. Confident again, she said, “Nuh!” “Not what I mean,” Vanessa said. “You need a bath, silly–it’s been too long already.” She almost suggested Nicole do it herself, but given how clumsy she’d been, Vanessa worried she’d end up hurting herself. So, she helped Nic down from the kitchen table and walked her friend to the bathroom. “Eeep!” Nicole winced, alarmed. As quickly as she could on all fours, she crawled behind Vanessa’s legs, cowering. “Wha–oh,” Vanessa said, looking between Nic and the toilet, remembering how her friend had described an irrational fear of the porcelain seat. Unfolding a couple towels, she draped them over the toilet, hiding it away for now–enough that Nicole no longer hid from it. While Nic sat on the floor, suckling her thumb, Vanessa got the tub going, testing the water with her hands–not too hot, not too cold. On impulse, she added a bit of shampoo to the mix, filling the tub with sudsy bubbles. “Time to get clean,” she coaxed, holding out a hand to her friend. It was getting easier to just think of her as a baby–Nicole may still have some of her adult traits left, but not many, and the potty training chart had taken so much that she may as well have been just a large infant. Nicole was able to stand for just long enough to get into the tub before her legs stopped supporting her weight again, dropping her into the bubbly water with a splash. She giggled, and Vanessa tried not to be too annoyed about the water splattered on her shirt. “How’s the water?” she asked, rubbing a washcloth down with soap and starting the scrubbing process. Nicole just nodded and smiled. That was all the words she’d be giving on that topic, apparently. Arms, back, butt, down to her legs, and then up again to get her chest–Vanessa cleaned her friend up from bottom to top, ending with her face, careful not to get any soap in her eyes or mouth. “And behind the ears,” she said aloud, narrating as she washed–Nicole seemed more interested in the bubbles than in the cleaning itself. Once Nicole’s body was clean, it came time for her hair. Shampoo, scrubbed in and then rinsed out, followed by conditioner, and then a little time to soak. “How are you feeling, Nic?” Vanessa asked, filling time while they sat in the bathroom. “Wadda’s ni,” Nicole replied. “Sure, but I mean…there’s only one day left,” Vanessa said. “And then I honestly don’t know what could happen after that.” Nicole paused, thinking about it. Her expression soured, a little, but then her eyes came to rest on Vanessa and she smiled again. “You stiww be hewe?” Her tone was half a question, half a request for reassurance. She wanted a promise. Vanessa smiled and nodded. “Of course, Nic–I’m not going anywhere. Not ever.” “Den it’ll be o-tay.” Nicole raised her arms and gave Vanessa a sudsy, wet hug. Vanessa squeezed back, not caring at all that her clothes were soaked. The rest of the day went by. Vanessa had to be on babysitting duty the whole time, but Nicole was able to self direct for a lot of it, and her nursery was stocked with learning primers and baby-level puzzle books that kept her engaged. Food, diaper changes, and occasional attention during playtime were all that was needed. As they wound down for bed, though, Nicole’s confidence wavered. As Vanessa got her changed into a nighttime diaper, she asked, “V?” “What’s up, Nic?” Vanessa asked. “Not goin’ any-way?” It took Vanessa a second to realize she meant, ‘Anywhere’, not ‘Anyway’. “Of course not,” Vanessa assured her, taping down the double-thick diaper. “You ready for bed?” Nicole nodded, then paused. “V?” V tilted her head, helping her friend sit up. “Yeah?” “Can you sweep obah toni’?” Vanessa’s expression melted and she nodded. “Of course, sweetie. Just let me get ready for bed too, okay?” “O-tay.” After her own nightly ritual–toilet, toothbrushing, getting her phone on charge–she put Nicole down in her crib, then got in after her, curling up next to her friend. The gate shut on its own, but Vanessa checked and ensured she could open them without issue. Confident they wouldn’t be trapped, she got cozy under the covers. With the bars penning them in, she had to be right next to Nicole, spooning against her, arms wrapped over her friend’s waist. Nicole snuggled a little closer, yawned happily, and they both fell asleep together. ... Support the author and help with the creation of more stories like this one! https://www.patreon.com/PeculiarChangeling https://subscribestar.adult/peculiarchangeling

I don't normally get to post this fast because I typically post stuff, roughly, as fast as I can write it - this is a special case where I wrote the whole dang story and am now posting it after the fact. I'm liking how it's going, though it's not exactly sustainable. Good luck to her! Yup - that was deliberate, putting partial spoilers on the art but keeping the second half a mystery. *Insert Terrible Dr. Who Joke* Thank you! ... Day 7 Bonk. Nicole felt her head bounce off against something solid and blinked awake, confused. She sometimes rolled into the wall while she slept, but this didn’t feel like bumping her head against the wall, more like a table leg. Blinking awake, she took in her surroundings, and was so alarmed that she sat upright. She wasn’t in her room anymore. The walls were a different color, so that a mural of baby animals was on one side, and glow-in-the-dark star stickers were adhered to the ceiling. Where her dresser had once been was now a scaled-up changing table, big enough to support her through diaper changes, and in place of her bookshelf was a shelf full of toys and plushies. But most noticeable of all, her bed was gone; she’d woken up in a solid, framed crib. The four sides were made of wooden bars, secure enough to stop her from getting through them, and a large mobile spun overhead, gently turning so that plastic toys moved in a hypnotic pattern. Clambering up, Nicole grabbed the sides of the crib with both hands, clambering awkwardly over it. The bars were high enough that she couldn’t easily push off with her feet, and without vertical rungs, she had to flail her legs and struggle to get over. As her weight shifted, she lost her grip, falling onto the floor outside the crib with a heavy thump. “Nicole?” Vanessa’s voice carried from across the hall, and in a second, she opened the door and came inside, to find Nicole on the floor. Feeling a bit dizzy from the fall, Nicole sat up. “Uh… hi, V,” she said, blushing. “My room…” She was about to say, ‘My room disappeared’, but as she looked around, she realized it wasn’t quite true. The dimensions were the same, the little corner next to her closet that stuck out to make room for an air vent was the same, the window frame, the placement of the door to the hall–it all matched. Even the camcorder Vanessa had set up was gone, replaced with a brightly colored plastic baby monitor; the paired receiver screen sitting right next to the camera. Her room hadn’t gone away, it’d been changed to match her new clothes. “Yeah, you’re telling me,” Vanessa said, looking around. “Your chart shows a doodle of a crib on it–I’m guessing this is what it was referring to. Are you okay, though?” “Yeah, I just…feww,” Nicole admitted. “I couldn’t get out otherwise.” Looking between the crib and Nicole, Vanessa frowned, then reached over and fiddled with a latch. Undramatically, the side of the crib swung out like a gate, making it easy to get inside. “Oh,” Nicole said, feeling stupid. “Um…” Sniffing the air, Vanessa changed subjects. “Smells like you need a change–I’ll go make breakfast while you get cleaned up, okay?” Nicole blushed–she had noticed her accident, but barely thought anything of it, already used to the sensation of a dirty diaper. “Um…thanks. I’ll go…yeah…do that.” She began her waddle to the door, in a rush to get clean and put these new discoveries behind her. She stripped out of her soiled diaper, eyeing the toilet enviously–she just wanted to be able to sit down and use it like a grown u–(Like I’d been able to before.) (I’m still a grown up,) she reminded herself, disturbed at the new direction her thoughts had taken. (Did…did that come from me?) The new fear worried around and around in her thoughts. She was losing control of herself everywhere–her potty training, her voice, her environment–but the one thing that’d been protected so far was her mind. If she couldn’t even trust her thoughts, that cast the curse of her potty training chart in a whole new light. She tried to think it through, but once the fear had set in, she couldn’t logic it away. After all–if her thoughts couldn’t be trusted, how could she trust her own logic? Drying off and getting into a fresh diaper, Nicole settled on just a robe, too anxious to get dressed properly before talking to Vanessa. Her roommate picked up on the anxiety right away, looking up from the stovetop. “What’s wrong? Did something else change?” “I–I don’t know,” Nicole admitted. “Erm–when I was in the bathwoom, I thought about trying to use the toilet like a ‘gwown up’. As in, somefing distinct from what I am. I’m worried it’s getting into my head.” “Oh,” Vanessa said, nodding seriously. “I see the concern. Have you noticed anything else like that?” Nicole shook her head. “No, but–would I? Could I even tell?” Pursing her lips, Vanessa didn’t respond right away. “If it’s gettin’ into my head,” Nicole continued, “If my bwain is–if I’m actually turning into a baby, or if it’s making me go crazy, I mean…I don’t want to wake up every morning wondering how much of me is still weft.” “Okay, I…” Vanessa chewed on the thought for a moment. While she thought, she poured a mug of coffee for Nicole; Black, no sugar, in her favorite pea-pod mug. “I have an idea. Can you try something with me?” Nicole wasn’t so confident, but nodded. “Sure.” “Just answer a few questions. What’re you wearing?” Vanessa asked. “A…um, a diaper,” Nicole said, blushing. Vanessa nodded, thoughtful. “And what’s the thing in the bathroom that you sit on when you have to go?” “A toiwet,” Nicole confirmed. “What do you call a glass or plastic object with a nipple on top that someone can drink milk out of?” “A baby bottwe. Bottwe. Bottle.” Nicole said. “Some of this’s hawd to say.” “And you’ve answered them all like I’d expect a grown-up to,” Vanessa explained. “No toddler language, just a bit of a lisp. You’re still in there.” Frowning, Nicole asked, “Then…why did I think of ‘grown ups’?” “Because that’s the language we’d use anyways,” Vanessa shrugged. “I’d say, “Big kids are potty trained,” but I wouldn’t normally say, “Adults are potty trained,” because it doesn’t come up in context. It’s like how you might call a child’s parent, ‘Dad’, even though that parent isn’t your dad.” Nicole didn’t know if she totally trusted that explanation, but she did trust Vanessa, and if Vanessa thought she was fine, Nicole wouldn’t question things further. “Thanks.” “Of course,” Vanessa said. “Now–pancakes or waffles?” ... Woah-oh, we're halfway there, Woah-oh, Nicole needs mommy's care, She doesn't need a diaper, she swears, Woah-oh, Nicole needs mommy's caaare! Support the author (me) on Patreon and get early access to my original stories for just a couple bucks a month! https://www.patreon.com/PeculiarChangeling https://subscribestar.adult/peculiarchangeling

Chapter 52: Bad Days BETH SAT AT her computer, working on some of her coursework, when her phone rang. Looking at the screen, she saw it was her home number, so she picked it up, and it projected her parents, Laura and Jason. They seemed to be sitting in their living room back home. “Hey,” she said. “Hi, Beth!” Laura said happily. “Hi,” Jason said as if he was being forced to stay in the room. He looked to have his goggles beside him, and Beth was sure he was grouchy that his gaming had been interrupted. “How is it going so far this week?” Her mom asked. Beth shrugged, “Okay, I guess? Classes are classes, but studying with Connor this weekend helped in some of them.” “He’s in your classes?” Laura asked. “Only one, my elective filmmaking class.” “But he helped you with homework?” Jason asked, surprised. “He’s like a math whiz…? It’s kind of scary how smart he is with math, actually! He’s really good at anything math-related, as well as programming. He also took Signals and Systems back home, so he knew what I’m studying already?” “Well, that’s handy,” her mom said. “How about everything else?” Her dad asked. She shrugged, “Nothing else has happened that I know of? I really wish you hadn’t stuck me with Rachel, but it is nice to see the hamper already empty today.” “I told you that would be a good part of it,” her mom said, “I know you hate doing laundry!” The four talked for a bit; it was almost like the conversations they would have growing up at home after school were done each day. It was getting later for them, though, since they were in a different time zone, so they ended the conversation, and Beth returned to her homework. She took a bathroom break and was startled when she opened the door to see Rachel standing there. Beth quickly closed the door to prevent anyone else from seeing her. “Hi Rachel, I thought maybe you were powered down or something?” She shook her head, “No, just giving you some space and privacy. I heard you tell your parents about your laundry; it’s all hung up in your closet and put away in your drawers.” “Thanks,” she said, feeling nervous with the caretaker hologram randomly doing things. “Would you like a snack while you study?” she asked Beth. Beth shook her head, “I just had dinner, thank you though?” “Something to drink? Your Luxuria account suggests you like hot chocolate?” Beth thought briefly, “You know, a hot chocolate might be nice right now!” Beth sat back down at her desk and was shocked at the speed at which a coffee mug filled with hot chocolate appeared. “Thanks!” Beth told her. “Umm… It’s not that I don’t like you or appreciate you, but can you disappear so I can study quietly?” “Of course, Beth,” she said. “I’ll be back to help you get ready for bed.” “Huh?” she thought for a second but just shook it off and returned to work on homework. Beth worked on studying until close to midnight before shutting down the work she’d been doing and switching to scrolling through some websites to relax. She’d just come across a cute hairstyle she wanted to try sometime when she felt a tap on her shoulder and jumped! “Wha…?” She said before realizing it was just Rachel. “Umm… hi Rachel, I thought you were giving me some quiet so I could study?” “I did, and now it looks like you’re just scrolling through the web. It might be a good idea for you to get some sleep? I believe you have some of your more challenging classes tomorrow?” “I do, but I’m an adult; I don’t need a bedtime?” Beth told Rachel. The AI hologram smiled, “It’s not a bedtime, just some good advice?” Beth looked at the time and realized it was after midnight, and she usually tried to get to bed by then. A part of her thought about rebelling and saying ‘I’m a big girl’ to the AI again, but common sense that the AI was right prevailed. She sighed, “You’re right; it is getting kind of late.” She stood up, found her way to the bathroom, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and pulled her hair back for the night. Rachel wasn’t visible when she reached her room so she could change into her pajamas in peace. She was just climbing into bed, though, when she reappeared. “All ready for bed?” The AI asked her as she climbed up the loft and noticed her bed had been entirely made up with fresh bedding. “Yes,” she said, “Thanks for remaking my bed,” she told Rachel. “You’re welcome; thank you for noticing,” she told her. She beat Rachel to pull the covers down and waited while she slipped into the covers. Rachel pulled the covers down up to her neck and tucked her in like a little girl. Beth blushed, “You don’t have to tuck me in?” “But it made your emotions improve, didn’t it?” Rachel said, “I could read your biometrics that your hypothalamus released a dopamine rush?” Sighing, “Okay, it’s kind of nice, but you don’t have to do it?” “It’s no problem. I’d be happy to read a bedtime story if you would like?” “I’m nineteen, not two?” Beth told the AI, “I don’t need a bedtime story.” “Okay, if you ever change your mind, I’d be happy to!” Beth was about to call for the room lights to turn off, but Rachel beat her to it even as her hologram disappeared. She was burrowing a little bit into the covers when she noticed something didn’t feel right on the bed. Beth froze, realizing it seemed like a waterproof mattress cover. ‘What the hell?!?’ she thought, but decided it wasn’t worth arguing about. She needed to look over the settings for the AI at some point to avoid any more of the nannying the hologram clearly was defaulting to! I HADN’T HAD any trouble getting to sleep on the previous nights since I’d arrived. In fact, it had been making me suspicious that I hadn’t remembered staying awake long after the ‘pod’ was closed! So, when I tossed and turned for a couple hours that night, I found myself bored, thirsty, and really wanting a bathroom. It wasn’t urgent, but it was distracting! My arms eventually went around the stuffed griffin she had pushed on me the first day I had arrived. I was still squeezing it when she woke me on the changing table, “Good morning, sweetie. You want to let go of your friend so I can get your jammies off you?” “Huh?” I asked sleepily before blushing. “Aww! It’s okay, sweetie! I’m glad to finally see you cuddling it in your sleep. Did you name it?” “Not yet?” “You should do that!” She smiled, and I handed it over. “I’ll think about it,” I told her. She pulled down the zipper of the sleeper and pulled me from it to expose the diaper. “You must have the strongest bladder of any Little! You’re the first I’ve seen make it this long without any nighttime issues?” I fidgeted then, “I really could use the potty right now, though?” “Of course, sweetie!” She noted my need and said, “I’ll pull off your diapee right by the potty just in case!” I blushed but was grateful my bladder did hold until she had it off, and I sat on the potty! That morning, while swimming, I had the pleasure of Lilly again keeping pace with me. When Mackenzie said it was time, Lilly came to the edge. “How are you doing, Connor? I love it when I can swim with you!” “I’m doing good, just studying as much as possible and trying to do well here?” “Well, if you study as well as you swim, I’m sure you will! Have a good day!” Mackenzie was already wrapped in a towel, and she wrapped me in my own before carrying me to the elevator and the nest. “I think almost every nest mother that encounters you is crushing on you.” “Huh?” I asked. “You’re adorable,” she said. “Enjoy it.” She didn’t elaborate as she chose to dress me again that morning and put one of those things on the front of my Pull-Up. “What is that?” I asked again. “Just a little insurance; don’t worry about it or tamper with it, please,” she told me. I looked suspiciously at her but took advantage of the time to study after she brushed my hair for me and left it hanging loose. “Did you do something to your face?” she asked me as she sat me down on the ground with a light pat on my butt. I blushed, “My cousin was having a birthday party this weekend, and things got a little weird with some stuff they put on my face. We couldn’t get it all off, and we’re just hoping it’ll be gone when my skin replaces itself in about a month?” She looked like she wanted to press more but shrugged and giggled. “Sounds like a story! I need to finish a couple of things before I wake everyone up. Can you be a good boy and quietly study?” I blushed but nodded and took advantage of the half-hour before she woke them up, and then the additional hour it took to get all of them ready to study. ‘I’m going to have to do my best to finish all my studying on the weekends,’ I thought. My class schedules otherwise left me just seven-and-a-half hours of not being asleep or in class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and six-and-a-half on Tuesdays, with just an extra hour available on Thursdays. That time included meals! I kept cramming some more study time after we were led on our embarrassing rope to breakfast together. I sat in a corner in a mixed-height booth but was left alone by everyone that morning, not even seeing Beth, Cassie, or her other friends. I checked my phone then for the group chat app we started using for our studio. I found Charlotte and Sebastian had set up a poll for which script idea we wanted. I put my vote in for mine and was pleased that mine was ahead with eight votes. Kelly’s had three, and I was a little bothered by that, but I hoped it would matter. Another script about a serial killer drama was in third with one vote. ‘Nine votes to go!’ I thought to myself. BETH WOKE UP with Rachel, shaking her again and wondering what had happened to her alarm. “Why didn’t my alarm go off?” She asked Rachel as she realized she only had forty minutes before class! “It did, but I could tell you needed more sleep, so I turned it off for you!” “You can’t do that!” “You needed more sleep after staying up later than you should. Go get a quick shower; I have breakfast being delivered for you,” the AI told Beth. Beth wanted to rage at the hologram but didn’t have time to waste! She skipped washing her hair and got dressed as quickly as she could. Only then did she notice the date on the calendar and groaned, switching her panties when she noted it was time for her cycle. She took care of her preparations and hoped this month would be smoother since she’d started some medication last month. It wasn’t that she dealt with the worst pain of the girls she knew, but her menstrual cramps had been getting worse the past year. After a diagnosis of endometriosis, she’d been given a nanite treatment over Christmas in the hopes of treating it to the point she wouldn’t be going down a long slope of losing days at a time each month to being wracked with pain! Beth was not in the best of moods on an average period. Still, her nerves over whether the treatment had worked, along with an AI who made a decision for her to oversleep, started the day off wrong. The only positive thing was the breakfast sandwich and the coffee waiting for her at her desk. She checked her backpack that Rachel had packed, “Everything is in there,” she’d assured her. Beth looked and shook her head, reaching into her drawer for a package of monthly supplies and adding some additional to her bag. Since seventh grade, she had vowed to never be caught short again in that department! However, her mood wasn’t much improved as the day went on, and she had to deal with a couple of Bigs who accused her of being grumpy. ‘Of course, I’m grumpy!’ she thought to herself. As she was finishing up math that afternoon, she was at least happy to see Connor. He seemed to be having his own bad day, though, too. “Hi, Beth,” he said as they met outside Euler. “Hi, Conn,” she said to him, her expression softening. “You look like you’re having a day too?” he asked. She nodded, “Yeah…” “Say, I have those gift certificates on me. There’s some restaurant called Savory that’s supposed to be good?” “Don’t you have to be back for your early lights out?” “According to the Bruber app, we could have a car in two minutes and be back well before then?” She thought momentarily, “Sure, let’s do it!” Adding, “Let’s just use my Luxuria subscription though.” Beth pulled her phone out, and a few minutes later, the two were speeding down the road in their vehicle. Connor looked slightly sour at being stuck in an infant carrier again. Still, she’d been annoyed to be latched into a booster seat herself. “I don’t remember you being stuck in one of those before?” Connor asked her even as he was messaging Mackenzie like he was required. “I normally don’t have to… Someone must have tampered with the preferences my parents set!” I WAS GLAD to be off campus, and the Luxuria was convenient enough to drop us off at the restaurant. I hadn’t realized it was attached to the mall and hoped things would be okay with us alone. I nervously checked my student ID band as we approached the hostess’s desk. “Well, hello, you two!” a shorter Big greeted them. She was taller than Beth but not nearly as much as most. “Hi, table for two, please?” Beth asked for them. “Taking your baby brother out for a meal today?” “Something like that,” Beth said. “Give me just a second to bring a highchair to a table?” “A booster seat is fine,” Beth told her. “One for you as well?” she asked. Beth blushed, but I saw her nod, “Sure.” “Such a mature big girl!” She rolled her eyes as the hostess walked away, “This is why I tend to only come off campus with Cassie,” she told me. I nodded, “I hadn’t even thought through this part.” “Don’t worry, this place tends to behave themselves, or I would have told you, let’s go somewhere else. They were soon seated, and both had selected things from the gigantic menu. “I’m going to hit the restroom,” I said. “If you’re not back in five minutes, I’ll come looking,” Beth told me. I felt my stomach twist but nodded. I grabbed my bag since my collapsible stool was inside of there. To my relief, other than the massive height of things, the trip to the bathroom and back was handled without incident. We had arrived at the restaurant. So it wasn’t until I returned to my seat and the waitress delivering our order insisted on picking me up to place me in my booster that I even dealt with a Big. “So, everything okay?” I asked Beth. She shrugged, “It’s just a rough day. Mom and Dad insisted on me getting that stupid AI Holo-Unit to watch over me with everything going on. She has a lot of these basic nannying protocols in her system, and she’s getting on my nerves. Last night, she basically sent me to bed like a little girl. Then, this morning, RACHEL turned off my alarm so I could get the sleep I didn’t get because I stayed up too late. I was almost late for classes!” I noticed her blush, “Something else too?” “Just my time of the month,” she said with an embarrassed look. “I live with a house of women,” I found myself saying sympathetically, “I hope it’s not too bad for you.” She smiled, “It’s a little bit better knowing we have chocolate cake coming!” I laughed; we had ordered a cake at the end of the meal, and she clearly needed the chocolate. We both took the time to also have our books and notes open, reviewing everything. “Did you vote for your script yet?” She asked me. I nodded, “Yeah, but I haven’t had a chance to check since this morning how the vote is going?” “I haven’t either,” she said. I watched her fingers fly over her screen, and she smiled, “Looks like yours is the first choice with sixteen votes!” “Cool!” I smiled. We studied and chatted while overfilling our stomachs and soon returned to campus. Before we parted, we enjoyed a few minutes exploring each other’s mouths with a kiss after being unbuckled from our seats. “See you later,” Beth told me as we parted ways, and I headed into Sanders Hall. I was practically bouncing with happiness and was still in the dorm two hours before lights out. The room was empty; I figured everyone must have been at dinner. I took advantage of the time to study some more and prepare for the following script project we would be working on. I appreciated that our screenwriting professor gave us a heads-up on all of our projects for the semester, so I’d made a start on the short film that was our second project already. The nest returned as the hours wore on, and it was when I came back from the bathroom that I heard it. “See Miss Mackenzie!!!! I told you! Connor isn’t a ‘big boy’ after all! There are two used Pull-Ups in here!” Elijah said “I saw him put one in his pod to hide it too!” Levi jumped in. “Yeah, if we have to wear diapers for our accidents, he definitely belongs in them too!” Jack said. Several others just passively nodded while Liam looked like he had no clue what was happening. “Connor, come here,” Mackenzie said to me then, and the look on her face made me sure that whoever had set me up had been successful! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thank you for reading!!! Please press the like button and leave a comment!!! I decided it was as easy to post this before I go to work today as it would be on the weekend. (I figure my European readers will like the timing!) I love seeing readers guess where things are going! I appreciate your patience for about the next month and a half with postings; my work schedule is long until then, and posts will shift days weekly. Reminder: if you haven't already purchased my latest published book, 'In-Between,' you may find it for sale here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CG4W62M6 . If you did purchase it, please press the '5-Star' rating when you can! You don't have to leave a review to do so. (Though that would be so amazingly appreciated!) All of my books except this one are now available on Amazon Kindle!

HECK Here's the chapter! ... Day 11 Vanessa’s hand hovered over the door handle, uncertain how to approach her friend. Yesterday had been a doozy. Nicole was pretty much a wreck, distraught and sobbing when Vanessa showed up to take her home. And there were still four days on the chart left, four opportunities to take more away. Vanessa had trouble imagining what could be left, Nicole had already fallen so far. This was all out of her wheelhouse. Vanessa was practically taking on the role of a new mom–giving Nicole rides, helping her with diaper changes, making all the food–and it was hard. She’d make it work, for Nicky, but she had never been the responsible one of the pair until circumstance had forced her to adopt that role. Today’s doodle was simple; Nicole had a bit of drool on her face and a crayon gripped tightly in a fist, laying on her tummy as she worked on a craft project, alphabet blocks floating over her head with no apparent words or meaning. That didn’t seem so bad, all things considered. “Nicole?” Vanessa asked, pushing open the door and coming in to check on her friend. She’d gotten used to the smell of dirty diapers in the morning–thunderclouds had become a staple of her chart, filling up every available slot for both night and day. Whatever force drove this curse, it apparently wanted Nicole in dirty diapers. Nicole was lying on her back, a stuffie tucked under one arm, still dozing. Her sleep seemed restful, at least–for the past week, she’d been sleeping like a baby. Crossing to her, Vanessa opened the side of the crib and nudged her friend’s arm. “Hey, Nicky, it’s time to wake up, OK?” Nicole rolled over, blinking and yawning. “Dun’ wanna, five more minutes?” “I want to get you changed and cleaned up before I head to work.” Vanessa extended her hand. “I’ve got a short day, but I’ll still be gone ‘til around lunchtime.” “Okay,” Nicole mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She took Vanessa’s hand and wobbled out of the crib, towards the chart. “So,” Vanessa said. “I’d been thinking. There’s only a few days left on the chart.” “Uh-huh,” Nicole nodded. “What’s it showin’ today?” “You’re drawing on today’s doodle.” Vanessa helped Nicole up onto the changing table and selected a fresh diaper. “But…everything it’s taken is stuff we can get back. A speech therapist can fix your voice, and–hey, we could get a real potty training chart and you could learn to use the toilet again.” Nicole shuddered. “Toilet’s scawy.” “We’ll work on that, too,” Vanessa continued, untaping the smelly diaper and quickly pulling it away, dropping it into the pail by the table. “But you’re still Nicole, you just need a little help getting all your skills back. It’ll be hard work, but I know you can do it.” “Wha’ about my job?” Nicole asked, squirming at the sensation of baby wipes against her bottom. “Jean was weally mad…” “Once you’re better, I’m sure she’ll bring you right back to work,” Vanessa promised, sprinkling powder onto her friend’s thighs. “It’ll all be okay.” Nicole smiled as her new diaper got taped on. “Thanks, V. I betcha once I show I’m a grown up, she’ll be weally happy, too.” … Vanessa returned from work at around one, fast food in tow–she didn’t feel like cooking, and wouldn’t trust Nicole in the kitchen until her friend had recovered her motor skills enough to hold a knife safely, so it’d been a drive through day. She’d briefly considered getting Nicole a happy meal, but thought better of it and got her a regular combo instead. “Nicole, I’m home!” she called, dropping her purse on the couch. “I got lunch!” Nicole’s voice carried enthusiasm and cheer that Vanessa hadn’t expected. “Hiya, V! Come see what I made!” (This would be the coloring,) Vanessa guessed, setting aside lunch for a moment and strolling to the nursery. Nicole was lying on her tummy, a dozen crayons scattered around her as she drew on a piece of construction paper. She didn’t seem aware of the dirty diaper smell floating in the room. (That’d account for the daytime thunderclouds, then.) Vanessa hesitated. “Nicole, how long have you needed a change?” “Dunno,” Nicole shrugged. “A while.” “You didn’t try to get yourself cleaned up?” Vanessa asked, concerned. “Couldn’ get the tapes,” Nicole admitted. “But is okay, I got this done!” Beaming, she held up the paper so that Vanessa could come and see. Uncertain what to expect, V walked across the room, crouching to take the paper. It was…a cover letter, sort of. Written in crayon, with letters about an inch tall and very squiggly, with many written backwards. The words were littered with misspellings and some were completely illegible, but Vanessa did her best to read it. “Jean,” she read aloud. “I promise I am gonna be a…what’s this word here? Egg salad?” “Excewent,” Nicole clarified. “Excellent grown up worker, very soon. We can be friends again and I’ll even use the potty. I just have to learn how to count again. See you soon, Nicole.” She sighed. (And this accounts for the alphabet blocks. She’s practically illiterate now.) Beneath the crayon writing was a stick figure drawing, with curly Q lines for hair and a bright yellow sun smiling in the background: Nicole and Jean, holding hands, grinning at each other. “What do you think?” Nicole asked, excitedly. “Can we show it to Jean?” “I think…” Vanessa had to ponder for a moment, how to be honest without shattering Nicole’s feelings. “First, we should go put this on the fridge–just as soon as we get your diaper changed. Okay?” Nicole nodded. “Okay! Thanks, V, you’re the best grown up ever.” ... Poor Nicole Support the author: https://www.patreon.com/PeculiarChangeling https://subscribestar.adult/peculiarchangeling

This is one of the longer chapters so far of this story, but it didn't feel right to split up in the way that I have for a few other chapters. I wanted to post this earlier on Saturday, but the editing took a little longer than I had anticipated. As such, I'm a little behind, so I probably won't post another chapter until Monday. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this next chapter! Chapter 7: One Step Forward, One Step Back The next few days moved similarly to how the first full day had gone. Routine seemed to be the chief motivator and nearly law around here, but on the fourth full day of being here, Addy directed Patrick to go into a room he had never been in before. “No group today?” Patrick asked as he turned a corner that he couldn’t quite remember from his initial tour. “Actually, it will just be later. Today will be the first day of your therapy to get those legs moving again. It’s not something we can skip.” Patrick felt an immediate flutter in the pit of his stomach. “Really? I mean… how fast do these things take? Will I be good in a month? Two?” “That all depends on you, sport,” a man’s voice said from behind him. Patrick strained in his chair but finally got a glimpse of an evenly muscled and dark-haired Big walk and then stand before him. “Hey,” he said, holding his hand out to shake, “I’m Bruce.” Patrick liked the strange but comforting look that he before continually and shook the hand before him back. “Patrick. Good to meet you, Bruce.” The two smiled at each other and after a moment, Bruce then looked up at Addy. “I got it from here, Addy. I don’t think we’ll have any worries about this one trying to stab me or anything. Beep you when we’re almost done.” “Okay,” she said with an almost hesitant but still sing-song tone. She then bent down a bit and looked at Patrick directly. “I’m going to leave you here with Bruce. He might be full of muscles, but he’s got a good heart for all that. He’ll start helping you out.” Patrick nodded. “Thank you, Addy.” She then smiled back at him and tottered off. Bruce quickly took control of the wheelchair in her stead. “You’ve got one of the good ones my man,” Bruce said after wheeling him through the door and then flicking on the light switch. “Oh?” Patrick said with a bit of fear that he was being duped once again or something like that. “I thought they were all the ‘good’ ones?” “Well…” Bruce hesitated as he wheeled Patrick around the large room full of therapy and exercise equipment, “that’s the company line. I’m sure you’ve seen a few of the others. All above board, mind you, but… might not be the best if you can still remember your own name at times…” “Oh… I think I saw that with Terra’s nurse. Seems nice at least…” Patrick tried to justify. “Yeah… well, just thank your lucky stars you got Addy… and me.” He then gave Patrick a playful smile at his small self-referential and ego boosting joke. Patrick smiled back in acknowledgment. “Good. Glad to see your brain is still working and you’re not just responding to the first thing that shines in front of you. You might be surprised how many of those I get each month here. I can get them all the way in the end… but it’s just a lot of work.” “Is that a possibility around here…?” Patrick shuffled about his wheelchair uncomfortably. “After all this, I mean?” “Eh,” Bruce said, walking around to get a small black device from one of the nearby honey-colored wooden cabinets. “Depends on a lot of stuff, but sometimes with you portal types… I’ve been doing this for a while. Some of you used to come in with some… stuff.” “Stuff?” Patrick said while raising his eyebrows. “Yeah… not sure if your old enough to remember, but your planet used to be a bit deadly. If it wasn’t something nuclear, you all had the whole pollution thing as well. Surprised you all didn’t come to see us with three eyes or something like that. I think some of the drugs we used had more… negative reactions. We had a few problematic candidates.” He paused but then quickly added, “All sorted now! Promise!” Patrick laughed uncomfortably at the whole notion between the problem candidates and the joke about the three eyes. ‘Ah… the days before the big clean-up, but wait… I barely remember that…’ “Hold it… You don’t look older than 30… maybe 35… how could you know about or even remember that time?” “Ah… right. Well, the wonders of our science here. I’m actually pushing 66 in three months’ time. Not bad looking, huh?” He spun around a bit and flexed his muscles. Patrick was nearly speechless for a moment. “Uh… yeah! For 66? I almost don’t even believe you on that one.” Bruce smirked. “Good. Keep that instinct around any new Bigs, but I’ll promise right here and now… I will always be truthful with you, but I want the same from you. Even if that means the end of what I hope will be our friendship, okay?” Patrick thought about the offer that Bruce had just put out there. He knew that hard truths were just sometimes unfortunately a part of life, but from what he had seen so far with Dr. Halgen and some of her mannerisms, a person to tell him those hard truths around here would probably be useful to uncover some trap or pitfall. “It’s a deal.” “Excellent.” Bruce then sat down on a small stool nearby and retrieved a small black device. “So… today, I just want to get some readings and then we can go over your plan while you’re staying with us, okay?” Patrick nodded and Bruce started to press a few buttons, on what turned out to be a scanner, and then hovered the device over various points around his body. Some parts he could feel an odd sensation, while others… he would only realize the device was there if he could directly see it. This continued for about twenty minutes and nearly every square inch of Patrick’s body had been analyzed. For a few spots, after Patrick’s consent, Bruce had just held him up with one hand while he went about his work. Even for a Big, it was still an impressive feat, no doubt a byproduct of the muscles now bulging in front and whittling away on a tablet nearby. The door to the room then flung open and Dr. Halgen calmly walked in. “Morning you two. How’s everything going this morning, Bruce?” “All good, ma’am,” Bruce replied courteously. “Just about to beep you to get you to come in when I share the results.” “And?” she said impatiently and eagerly, now taking a seat beside Patrick. “Here. I’ll show you as well, Patrick.” Bruce then hit a few buttons on the tablet and a nearby larger screen came to life with the results. The first page was just a bunch of numbers, but Bruce quickly swiped to the second page. It was a large 3D scan of Patrick’s entire body. Bruce scrolled through a few different options and then pointed to the screen when a large ‘No Anomalies Found’ appeared. “As you can see, I don’t see any brain anomalies for paralysis and nerve function appears as it should for someone of Patrick’s age.” “You can tell all that?” Patrick asked, still looking nearly dumbfounded and the almost pulsating image before him on the monitor. “Just from a little scanner?” “Yep! Scan gives us the result and the ones it doesn’t analyze automatically… just look right here,” Bruce said as he pointed to an arc of light heading down one part of the arm of Patrick’s body in the picture. “That’s a nerve signal, but,” he then pointed down to a darkened and almost steampunk-looking section of the scan, “this is your injury. See below?” Patrick nodded. “Little to no nerve activity. Bruce then turned to Dr. Halgen. “It looks like they used one of our methods to try and restore function, but that clearly didn’t work.” “Clearly…” Dr. Halgen said, almost sounding frustrated. Shen then turned to Patrick. “Looks like they tried to fix your spine with tech we stopped using almost 50 years ago. Probably the best they had, but it could explain one of the reasons you were in pain and needed those meds. It’s one of the side effects of prolonged usage.” “Oh…” It was a shock to hear the news, but Patrick was at least partially relieved that his doctors had at least tried something. It might have been faulty and had caused other issues since, but they were at least trying to give him a chance. “Yes… well, from your previous scans right after your injury, we know we can’t remove the hardware until long after you can walk. We need it healed almost all the way before we risk potentially hurting you once more… or even further. The spine can only take so long…” Bruce said sadly. “So… does that mean this program won’t work for me?” Patrick asked warily, feeling a deep-seeded fear that all this hassle and potential torture amounted to nothing. “Oh, definitely not!” Dr. Halgen exclaimed, almost sounding offended. “Right, Bruce?” “Right you are, ma’am.” Bruce then pointed to a brief spark on the scan. “That is hope. We could help you out no matter what, but this is a kind of middle ground situation.” Patrick saw the spark but still wasn’t sure what to gleam from all this. “Meaning?” Bruce sighed. “Meaning that we can get you walking, but it might take some time. We were kind of hoping from your medical history that you would be up and about by the second month without any assistance device. Not sure if we can guarantee that anymore.” Bruce sighed. “We’ll of course try all we can, but I just want to say that I’m sorry…” Bruce then looked down in what almost looked like shame. A similar look also appeared on Dr. Halgen’s also lowered face. Patrick then realized that according to their standards, his prognosis could be viewed as a failure. They were clearly forgetting what technological level that earth was at currently, let alone before the exchange of technology before portal travel. He knew he needed to say something to ease their consciences. Bruce seemed nice and he might not have been buddies with Dr. Halgen, but she deserved at least some relief. “Relax you two. I mean… you’re still saying I can walk… right?” Both nodded solemnly. Patrick felt a flutter in his stomach, and he grinned widely. “Well, geez! No worries then!” “But we want to get you happy and all…” Dr. Halgen said wearily after looking up from her look of failure. Patrick sighed. “And walking will help that absolutely, but for me, walking again in any capacity seemed like a miracle at best even with the most advanced technology in my dimension. Now, you’re telling me that I could be walking in two months, right? I mean… shit… that’s something else.” Patrick could feel a giddiness rise inside of him. He hadn’t felt this good in years. Maybe it was the food, the air, the clarity from not taking his pills anymore, or just the fact that he would be walking again, but everything felt so alive now. He almost wanted to giggle in joy, but a part of him held this feeling back in front of the two Bigs before him. They were handing him a miracle but if the other Littles he had met here that were further along in the program were any indication, he still didn’t want to give the Bigs an excuse to treat him that way. He might trust them one day… but for now, caution seemed the best option. “Well… that’s unexpected, but I’m glad to hear it!” Bruce said, patting me on the shoulder in a kind of relief. Patrick could quickly see that his words of elation over getting to walk again at all had relinquished a huge burden from both Dr. Halgen and Patrick. “So, now what?” Patrick asked. Dr. Halgen smiled and looked down at her notes. “Well, let’s make a plan, shall we?” Patrick nodded along with Bruce and the three began to discuss the plan for getting him better again. Dr. Halgen covered the more medical and medicinal side of the equation while Bruce covered more of the therapeutic techniques that he would use to ensure those medications would work and be strengthened all around before he would use the machine to fix his back and legs with the final steps. To say the least, the two lumpy and scrawny sticks attached below Patrick’s waist, that were once his strong and athletic legs, needed some bolstering before even just standing up right could be accomplished. It was a long plan, but if it meant success, Patrick knew that he could do anything they asked of him. After the session, the three then parted ways and Patrick made his way back up to the main floor of the house where several Littles were now playing about. Suddenly, however, many dispersed as a few knocks could be heard at the front door. Intrigued, Patrick discretely wheeled himself over for a better view. Due to his attempt at being stealthy, Patrick could only see the aftermath of what had happened, but it was immediately apparent that the prospective future caregivers of the other classes had come over today. Therapy and medicine were basic enough concepts to grasp from this program, despite their lofty and almost miraculous goals, but this caregiving aspect was still something else entirely. Patrick had to know more about this entirely foreign concept. After spotting Eddy toddling off out back, Patrick wheeled himself to the back patio perched overlooking the rear lawn. He had grabbed a book from his backpack that he had snagged earlier to pose as a cover for his time out here, in case someone started asking questions, but Patrick also knew that in truth, he would likely be reading very little of its soft pages. Not that the history of portal travel wasn’t interesting to him, but the man hoisting Eddy onto his back for an obvious piggyback ride was definitely more thought provoking. ‘Are they having… fun? Together?’ The thought nagged at Patrick’s soul, but he had forgotten to take one thing into account. More regressed Littles don’t always have the best boundaries and reading can be super boring if there aren’t several pretty pictures. As a result, some of the other more progressed Littles just wanted to meet the ‘wheely man.’ Clearly, Eddy had talked about him to his friends. After a seemingly unending barrage of questions from a few of the others about his wheelchair, his legs, his favorite color, or favorite superhero finally ceased, only one Little remained. “I’m Matilda. You must be Patrick!” She practically bounced up and down in place when Patrick nodded his head. “Oh goody, goody, goody! Eddy was talking about you so much last night.” “Oh? I couldn’t tell from all the others just now.” Patrick grinned, but Matilda had just focused elsewhere and hadn’t paid attention to his last statement at all. Patrick looked more closely where she was looking and spotted the aforementioned Little now pointing at the sky with the man on the lawn. He suspected they were trying to guess what the clouds looked like. Snapping out of her trance, Matilda just looked back at Patrick. “Oh… yeah… Patrick just likes to brag about people he meets.” Matilda’s face then dropped a little. “He’s a bit more on the Little side around here so I thought I’d pester you for a bit myself.” She then sat down on one of the built-in benches nestled between two boxes with large bouquets of flowers growing out of them. Patrick nodded. “Yeah, I noticed that. You sure he’s more on the Little side compared to…” He then viewed the denim skirted Little before him, who also sported pink-bowed barrettes in her hair, and more importantly, the bulge around her waist. He didn’t want to offend her, so he had to choose his words carefully or more vaguely. “Uh, others around here? You know… like… uh…” Patrick sighed and then just semi gestured to her appearance to save time. Matilda quickly let out a little giggle and Patrick sighed again, but this time out of relief. “Oh, silly. We all go a little native around here, but what’s going on up here,” she gestured to one side of her head, “is far more important to consider. Sure, I’m dressed like a toddler, but I’m still mostly intact in the ol’ melon.” She then looked back at Eddy and the man playing with him. “Eddy… well, that man out there wanted a more regressed Little and Eddy didn’t mind the change one bit. He might have fought a tiny bit in the beginning, but now… take a look. He was just scared and now… he’s the happiest Little at Psyche.” Patrick looked back over at the two and Eddy was now laughing sporadically as his caregiver was tickling and horsing around with him. There was not a single ounce of sadness or anger in either of them. It was strange to see, but it was still nice. “Fine… but…” Matilda held her hand up to stop Patrick. “You have the same question we all had when we first agreed and came over here. Is it all worth it?” Patrick leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Well, is it?” Matilda sighed. “I won’t speak for everyone who has come through here, but it was for Eddy, and it was for me.” She then looked downward at her body and her knee quivered slightly. Patrick noticed. “Eddy said you were in a wheelchair as well, right?” Matilda quickly seemed saddened, and Patrick quickly regretted asking at all in the first place. “I’m sorry… you don’t have to…” “No,” Matilda interrupted gently. “It’s okay.” She then took a breath. “You see, I had Parkinsons… well, have, but it’s going away and back to its early stages. Stages I haven’t felt in over ten years.” She sighed and briefly massaged her knee that had now stopped twitching, but then almost seemingly absentmindedly moved her hands to her hips and briefly caressed them, eliciting a slight crinkling noise. She sighed. “There’s not a Little here that doesn’t leave in diapers, me included… but my Parkinsons was so bad. It had advanced as far as it could, and I was in pain. Everyday…” Matilda then paused and looked away for a moment. Patrick felt his own heart reach out to her. “I’m sorry to hear that and can understand what you’re saying a little bit… but what about all the other stuff? Isn’t it kind of like trading one life of problems for another? This one with more rules and less freedom? And diapers?” Matilda sighed but also smiled. “I suppose you could think of it that way. It’s one of the reasons that most who come here are terminal, but for better or worse, just remember this. By the time you and your group all get to where Eddy and I are… you won’t be asking that question anymore. You’ll just be happy that you’re alive and, in your case, walk again.” Patrick looked at the ground past his feet confined into the straps of his wheelchair and could still hear and see the laughter coming from Eddy and his caregiver playing on the lawn nearby. Suddenly though, Eddy stopped for a moment but after less than a minute, he just continued about as if nothing had happened. Patrick almost questioned the event but not long after, his caregiver performed a quick diaper check as if it was the most normal thing to do. He then realized that he had also previously just witnessed Eddy using his diaper like it was no big deal, so he just unsteadily turned his head back toward Matilda. “I just… it’s a lot to take in…” He shut his eyes as if to block out the world. Matilda smiled sympathetically and reached out and clasped Patrick’s hand. He quickly opened his eyes back up. “Patrick… it is a lot to take in. No one here is asking you to play peekaboo or drink from a bottle today.” She then smiled mischievously. “I mean if you want to… then definitely go for it… but no one is going to force you. The staff here are excellent but my biggest suggestion to you and everyone else in your group… just give in.” Patrick arched his eyebrows in disbelief and almost wanted to pull his hand back from hers. “Give in? Just like that?” Matilda smiled again and let out a tiny laugh. “No, silly. It’s never just like that but let them help and have some fun at the same time.” She briefly glanced at his ever-present wheelchair. “I know I don’t need to tell you by now that life is tough, so while you’re here, just have some fun… for your own sake if no one else’s. Don’t you deserve that by now?” Patrick slowly nodded, but it was still a lot to process and after a little more chit chat, Matilda happily bounded away to find some chalk. Part of Patrick wanted to follow her and work on an art project himself, but her notion of ‘just giving in’ still rattled about in his mind. Soon though, the day stretched onward, and after a small lunch and a few prescribed pills from this morning, Patrick wheeled himself back into group therapy. The session stretched on interminably and most of the group still seemed stuck in their ways from before. Cara and Quentin seemed a bit deeper into their own thoughts today, but to Patrick’s relief, Ian kept the conversation going to prevent being asked questions by Dr. Halgen. That being said, the group discussion grinded to a halt when Darren spoke up next. “I’d like to talk about, uh… diapers.” The simplicity and boldness of the statement threw everyone off, including Dr. Halgen, but being a professional, she just smiled. “Oh? And what would you like to discuss about them, Darren? Wanting to try them on perhaps?” Darren oddly blushed at the question, but then managed to utter, “No… I… uh…” He stammered about roughly for a minute, but after a little more coaxing from Dr. Halgen, he seemed to find his footing again. “I just want to talk about their… usage.” The group looked on for him to continue. “Right, well, this morning… I saw one of the Littles just use them like they were no big deal.” “I did too. Right before this…” Patrick commented, quickly remembering with what he had witnessed less than an hour ago with Eddy on the lawn. He didn’t even want to mention the diaper check that he had witnessed afterward… “Same…” Cara added quietly. “It’s the water. It’s poison I tell you,” Ian said without the slightest hint of a joke. “I hear there was a spillage not long ago in Losantiville out west.” “Nonsense, Ian,” Dr. Halgen interjected. Patrick was a little uneasy about how fast she had tried to deny that one. “We have found no proof of that. We just find that most Littles tend to stray that way and most of our caregivers don’t mind one bit.” “I’m sure they don’t…” Ian said under his breath. A quick look from Dr. Halgen, however, made him sink into his chair and cross his arms. He didn’t say another word. Patrick found the scene quite amusing as Ian seemed to be trying to maintain his maturity as much as possible with his stance and overall demeanor but only ended up looking like a frustrated preschooler who had been told ‘no’ when they had asked for another cookie. Despite Dr. Halgen’s acceptance of the question and its implications during the group session, it was only briefly discussed for a few moments longer. It seemed that all in the group had witnessed their usage with the more progressed Littles and were uneasy about them. When it was implied that diapers were in their own futures though, it practically became an unmentionable subject any further. Now, it might have been the meds that he was off, or the meds he had taken during lunch, or the simple fact that they had just been discussing bathroom habits, but Patrick swore he could feel a tingle, or at least a spasm, in his bladder when he got off the elevator on his floor after group had ended. He had been so ready and focused on relaxing in the quiet of his room away from the more advanced Littles in this program, but now he realized that regardless of whether he actually felt something or not, he had neglected to empty his bladder when he normally would have. Now, little else mattered. Patrick practically hurled himself down the hallway and was worried that he had shattered the placard outside his room to let him in when he thrust his wristband on it once he got to his door. He didn’t but he only felt relief for a single moment before he felt another tingle below his waist. It would have been something amazing to behold, but instead, it was just a reminder that the restroom had to be his priority. Patrick then got the door open, and he quickly wheeled himself into his bathroom. A shuffle about later and his supplies gathered, Patrick removed his pants to get ready for the catheter to relieve himself as usual. By then, however, it was too late. A flood of pee soon escaped beyond his control. He could now only sit there in horror. “No…” While the training pants had caught a few unfortunate but minor accidents since he had gotten here and first put them on, this one proved to be too much for the limited padding. The dark gray and blue piping around the seams soon darkened as the absorbency proved no match for the still-flowing accident. It might have even been fine under his present circumstances if it had just stopped there, but Patrick’s bladder had other ideas. Soon, his accident even began to leak onto his chair and quickly soaked into the padding underneath him. It was a complete failure on almost all fronts and Patrick could feel a single tear cascade down his cheek. “Oh God… what do I do?” After a moment of just sitting there in shock from not only the accident but the fact that he had felt anything, his emotions started to takeover. More tears began to fall and the weight of what this could mean for his future here eclipsed any other previous positive feelings he had about his day. That being said, after a moment of helplessness, he knew what he had to do, regardless of what it may cost him. So, with a heavy sigh, he quickly pushed the side buttons on his wristband twice as he had been instructed to do in situations like these. Less than three minutes later, he heard a knock from his door. “Patrick? Honey? You, okay?” It was Addy. Patrick blinked through the tears that still fell down his already moist cheeks. “No…” he said, his voice weak and slightly cracking. “Okay. I’m coming in then.” Patrick wanted to tell her to leave him alone and to just wallow in his shame, but he knew he needed help if he was ever going to sleep tonight. He was already feeling emotionally drained and physical exhaustion wasn’t too far off either. After a beep from outside, the front door to his room opened and Addy quickly spotted him in front of the toilet in his bathroom. “Okay… so what… oh…” Her face dropped in sadness. Patrick hung his head in shame as she rounded on to the other side of him and turned his wheelchair around. “I tried to make it… I… I even felt… something…” Patrick tried to say coherently. Addy’s previously sad eyes lit up in amazement. “You mean…?” Patrick tearfully nodded his head. “It… it was only a spasm, but… I needed to go… actually felt that feeling, but…” Patrick turned away and blinked back more tears. He couldn’t bring himself to say it. “But you had an accident?” Patrick sputtered incoherently but then nodded pitifully, still seated in his now wet wheelchair. Addy didn’t care about any of that though and quickly flung herself on her patient. “Oh, honey! That’s okay! It’s all going to be okay.” “No, it’s not!” Patrick sobbed as he broke down almost completely in her large and firm but warm arms. Other times, he would have protested the hug, but now… it just felt nice and safe. “Yes, it is, sweetie. Please believe me.” She broke the hug and looked deeply into Patrick’s ashamed and mournful eyes. “These things happen. You’re paralyzed. It’s no fun, but you don’t have a feeling there regardless of your age, perceived or otherwise. That’s why I gave you the training pants. They’re not punishment. They’re a precaution.” “And I flooded them!” Patrick then pointed to his exposed and soaked garment. “See? I’m in so much trouble!” Addy did see but only smiled warmly and patted his arm in sympathy. “And that’s okay. No one is mad, but certainly not me.” Patrick’s lower lip trembled precariously. “But…” “Hush now,” Addy interjected with a tone of force, once which seemed closer to that of nurturing than of domination, while also placing her finger on Patrick’s lips. Patrick was too shocked to dare remove the digit away. “There, that’s better. Now, we need to get you all cleaned up and I’m going to help you with that.” Her tone made it clear that she wanted to help but that this plan was not up for any kind of debate. Patrick whimpered slightly at the prospect of what all that could entail, but the Big’s presence in front of him in his exposed and wet state had left him very vulnerable, so he only meekly nodded. Addy smiled. “Good. Now, let’s get you out of those wet things, shall we?” Patrick once again nodded, and she then proceeded to lift him up and place him on the bench in his shower. After a round of shimmying and small lifts, Addy had stripped Patrick of all his clothing and then popped him into the shower. If his nudity bothered her one bit, she definitely wasn’t showing it. Satisfied she walked over to the door. “I’ll let you soak for a minute while I deal with these other things.” Patrick only nodded and leaned into the soothing water to try and forget about everything that was going on around him. Meanwhile, Addy went about her tasks for what she knew needed to be done. She removed his wheelchair from the bathroom and closed the door behind her to leave Patrick alone with his thoughts. She still had the ability to monitor his safety with her own view from one of the emergency cameras on her touchpad watch, but she knew that he needed time to absorb what had just happened. It was something that happened to most Littles at one point or another and her years of experience knew that pushing him now could be disastrous. Littles under strain either broke or lashed out. If she played her cards right, she knew that she would eventually only be viewed as a helpful figure instead of just a nurse and a terrifying Big. Once hidden from Patrick’s sight, she opened the door and had the awaiting tech help her exchange the back and seat cushion of his wheelchair. Only the seat had been soaked, but the new cushions that the tech was quickly installing were a single set. Unlike the previous black designs, these could be fitted with replaceable, and more importantly now, waterproof covers of different designs. For now, she opted for a simple design with golden knots and sailboats dotted over a dark blue background. Once satisfied, she wheeled the chair back in and let it stay in the hallway for now. She then went into the main part of his room and accessed a hidden panel in the wall. There were several items stored in there, all which Addy wanted desperately to use now, but didn’t, as she knew that she couldn’t push Patrick before he was more ready. Resolved in her desire to only help her charge out, she simply grabbed a new set of various training pants and put back the pairs that Patrick had currently been wearing. They were the exact same except in two ways; they were thicker and like the wheelchair cushions that had just been installed, had more juvenile designs on them. Smiling at the subtle cuteness that lay ahead of Patrick, she opted for one of the simpler pairs adorned with small penguins on them. Back in the shower, Patrick briefly wondered where Addy had gone off to but was still too shaken up by everything to really question anything beyond all the events that had just transpired. She was showing tremendous patience with him and like Nurse Patricia at Oasis Opportunities, she exhibited a sense of caring and tenderness that Patrick had quietly desired now for many years. He didn’t want to be a Little, but a personal connection of that level of kindness just felt nice after everything else that had happened since the accident. Amidst his thoughts, Addy then reentered the bathroom. “Hey there, honey. How’s the water feeling?” “Good… feels nice… I just…” Addy closed the gap between them and stroked his back. “Shhh, shhh. No need to worry. I’m here for you. I just want to help. Remember that, Patrick. I won’t judge and I can help you with anything, no matter how embarrassing it may be. I just want you to be safe and happy. Okay?” Patrick briefly worried about his nakedness in the shower in front of this Big as he sat on his chair, but he just nodded. At this point, he knew he needed to start making nice with at least some of the Bigs around here. Tonight, with Addy, seemed like a good place to start. “That’s good.” Addy then grabbed a nearby scrubbing ball and poured some of the shower gel into the center of it. She briefly rubbed it together and immense amounts of the pleasant-smelling foam began to escape its confines. “Now, just take some breaths and let me wash you all off.” Patrick wanted to tell her no, but his delay in responding to her request had clearly been taken as a ‘yes’ instead. Patrick would have just said it right after, but as soon as the sponge hit his upper back and began to gently rotate around with Addy’s strong arms under the still pouring water, his muscles quickly relaxed. So, instead, he just closed his eyes to take in the luxuriating feelings he was now enjoying. Addy didn’t see any rejection of her ministrations and smiled widely at this prospect. Many Littles came here for a cure and would have agreed to almost anything. While Psyche would do some background research to eliminate some from being candidates in the first place, some came in here and would simply reject all aspects of being a Little. They had ways of subtle manipulation to get the outcome they most desired, but Addy was quickly deducing that Patrick probably wouldn’t be one of those. In fact, if she didn’t know any better, he even seemed to be enjoying some aspects here. Regardless, after a thorough scrubbing of his whole body, Addy rinsed his hair and Patrick just closed his eyes to take it all in. His nakedness was still an embarrassment, but he had just pushed through the awkward moment when she had cleaned between his legs. She had been a professional through and through, but the situation was still something more than what Patrick would have chosen when he woke up this morning. Soon, Addy was satisfied and turned off the water before grabbing an enormous and fluffy light blue towel from behind her. Wet and naked, Patrick didn’t protest when she began to thoroughly pat him dry all over. She then wrapped the towel around his shoulders and retrieved his wheelchair from the hallway. Patrick immediately noticed the new cushion design, but his current predicament left him few options to protest, so he just rubbed the towel on his shoulders a bit more to distract himself. Addy then positioned herself between Patrick and the wheelchair. “Alright, buddy. I’m gonna lift you off the chair and hold you against me while I dry off your midsection to then pop you on the chair, okay?” Patrick just tiredly nodded and held out his arms. Addy nearly wanted to squeal from the sight before her of Patrick’s vulnerability and willingness in all this, but she collected herself once more and picked her charge up to dry him off. She did not want to mess any of this up now. Patrick reveled in the warmth emanating from her body heat and despite the helplessness he felt in that single moment, Addy’s caring nature was still readily apparent. He was starting to tell that she genuinely just wanted to help him and her tender patting of his lower half while she held him close only seemed to further exemplify this. Satisfied that he was mostly dry, Addy then set him back on the now waterproof cover of his wheelchair. Like her current bird-themed scrub top, the material allowed water to simply wick away from it while still maintaining its breathability and wonderous soft texture. Sitting nearly completely naked in his newly modified wheelchair, except for the towel that he was now using to cover himself up with, Patrick could feel the new cushion and its immense comfort. Despite the design imprinted on it now and his hesitancy for what it could mean for his future, he almost felt like he could just let it go that Addy had changed it without asking him. It was still something that rubbed him the wrong way, but with this new feeling he was getting from it, it was just passable in all this mess for now. Addy then wheeled him into the main part of his room and helped him get dressed. Patrick once again noticed the new patterns of the training pants as she slid them up his currently practically useless legs, but in this case, he just thanked his lucky stars that they weren’t pull-ups or diapers. Once in his new pajamas, also adorned with a few penguins, Addy tucked Patrick in and turned to leave. “I know tonight was a lot, but I promise, just stick with the program and everything will be okay by the end.” Patrick wasn’t sure what to say or even think about in this moment, but he knew that he could at least show his gratitude toward his kindly and caring nurse. “Thank you, Addy. It means a lot with all… this.” Addy just warmly smiled. “You’re very welcome, honey.” She then placed her hand on one of the light switches near the room’s tiny hallway. “Now, get some sleep. You’ve got a lot ahead of you and you need your rest.” Patrick nodded and he felt that Addy wanted to say more, but after taking a breath, he saw her smile once more and flick off the light before exiting the room. Once the entry door closed fully, the last external light went out and a tiny blue light turned on near the flooring. It was strictly for safety purposes, but Patrick couldn’t help but notice the similarities that it had with a child’s nightlight. ‘Typical…’ Shaking the safety nightlight out of his head, Patrick just tried to get comfortable in his bed. Addy had handled everything like the caring professional he was finding her to be, but it all still worried him. He had been here for less than a week and already had an accident and at least from the look of them, he was now wearing a thicker pair of training pants. They weren’t diapers, but their new addition along with his wheelchair cushions and pajamas sent a chill of what could only be described as fear running up his back. He wondered what his parents would say about all this, but the notion felt too depressing and pointless at this juncture to even contemplate further. From past thought experiments of ‘what if’ scenarios, he knew it never led to anything good. With a heavy sigh and with a creeping exhaustion, Patrick got comfortable in his bed and only hoped for a better tomorrow and then the next few months. Whatever would come though, and no matter how hard he wished, Patrick had a gnawing suspicion that things were only about to get harder. After all, he hadn’t even met a single candidate for who would one day become his… caregiver. ‘Shit.’

Chapter 45: Lisa’s Sleepover Part 1: Confrontation Lisa was practically beaming as we turned down the winding gravel road that led to her uncle’s house. I smiled, remembering how much I had been looking forward to the first sleepover I’d been to several months back. We’d just finished another match for the high school Fortnite team we were on that Saturday afternoon. It had been a close call, but Lisa had ensured that we remained unbeaten. E-sports aren’t really as spectator friendly as other high school activities, though friends and family could come and watch us play if they wanted to. That didn’t have much appeal to either Desi or Samantha, so they had agreed that they would meet up with us at Lisa’s house afterwards for the sleepover. I had joined Lisa in the back seat of the car as her uncle, Mr. Higgins, drove us back to their house from school. “You think we could convince Samantha and Desi to try a round of Fortnite with us?” Lisa asked. I thought for a second about the idea of my two video-game-challenged friends attempting to play a game with dual joysticks and ended up bursting out laughing. That would be quite the experiment. “What’s so funny?” “I’m not so sure that is a good idea. Maybe let’s do something simple first. You have the newest Mario Kart?” “Yeah, and I’ve got four controllers for it.” “That’s a much better plan. Probably best to get them started on something easier at first.” The sudden bump in the road reminded me of an unfortunate fact I had been trying to push out of my mind. The pull-up underneath my jeans was soaked. I had another accident during the final Fortnite round. Well, I probably could have held my bladder the whole time, but it’s hard to play a video game when you are squirming in your seat, so I had elected to just wet the pull-up and worry about it later. I should have changed right after the match was over, but Lisa had been in such a hurry to get back home that I got distracted. I didn’t think I was in any danger of having the pull-up leak, but it didn’t make for a comfortable car ride. While I wasn’t going to ask, I was sure that Lisa’s diaper was in need of changing as well. After what seemed like longer than the last time I had visited, the car finally pulled into the driveway of their rural home. The house was tucked in between some small hills, giving it some privacy with the nearest neighbors over a half mile away. I grabbed my backpack and a pillow I’d brought with me out of the trunk and followed Lisa inside. “Do you know when the other two girls are getting here?” Mr. Higgins asked us. Lisa took a look at her phone, checking the group chat we had setup. “Desi should be here in ten minutes, Samantha should be here in about fifteen,” Lisa said. Mr. Higgins raised his eyes at his niece. “What’s that for?” “Just wondering what kind of trouble you kids are going to get into,” He said, as he headed back for the front door. “Let your aunt know I’m going out to run some more errands. I’ll be back with some pizza for dinner.” “We better hurry to get cleaned up then,” Lisa said, as soon as the door closed behind her uncle. We passed Lisa’s aunt in the kitchen while on the way to her bedroom. “Uncle said to let you know he’s off to run errands and get pizza. Everyone else is going to be here in a few minutes, and we’re headed to my bedroom to get changed before they arrive”, Lisa said. Annoyed, I hurried to catch up with Lisa turned and continued to her bedroom. Did she really just tell her aunt that I needed to be changed as well? Why did they need to know that? The last thing I needed was having them accidentally let anything slip about my daytime accidents or pull-ups to my mom. “Do your aunt and uncle know,” I said, my question trailing off cause I was feeling too embarrassed to finish it. “Why wouldn’t they? Your mom gave them a heads up about the bedwetting, and I may have mentioned before that you sometimes had accidents during the day. They don’t care, it’s not a big deal to them.” “Besides,” Lisa continued. “Once you let Samantha and Desi know about it, it isn’t as if there is going to be anyone here you need to hide it from.” I bit my tongue, there wasn’t time right now to try and continue the argument we’d had the other day about letting Samantha and Desi know about the bladder issues. I wasn’t going to do it, and hopefully once my plan got underway, Lisa would accept that as enough for the time being. Lisa’s bedroom looked a lot different than when I had last been there last to work on a history project. Her king-sized bed was tucked close to one of the corners, with only a foot-long gap between ones of the sides and the wall. A flatscreen TV was set up on the opposite corner, with several gaming systems connected to it. A small couch was set up a short distance in front of the TV, and Lisa’s gaming computer was setup on a desk in the last remaining corner. “I finally decided to re-arrange it,” Lisa said. “I’d left it just the way it was when I’d first moved in, but this is a lot better.” I noticed two sleeping bags set up against the wall on the carpeted floor. “Shouldn’t there be one more sleeping bag? Where’s the fourth person going to be sleeping?” I asked. “It’s enough. I’ve got a king-sized bed, and I only need half of it. You can have the other half. That’s better than on the floor since I’ve got a protective sheet on the mattress.” “I think you might end up regretting that,” I said with a laugh. “Why’s that?” “I have a tendency to hog all the sheets.” Lisa just rolled her eyes at me. “You can go ahead and get changed first in the bathroom,” she said. “I can wait a little bit longer before I need to.” I opened up my backpack to grab a clean pull-up, picking one with pastel rainbow designs. “You know, you can get pull-ups that are more absorbent than those,” Lisa said, looking over at the pull-up in my hand. “It’s just what my mom gets for me,” I said. There wasn’t any way I was going to be sharing the story about how I had gone and bought these on my own, though, to be fair, it was the same brand mom had been getting me, so I didn’t feel as though my answer had been entirely untruthful. “You could try these instead,” Lisa said, handing me a black pull-up, with incredibly more padding than the one I had on. “This is nearly as absorbent as a regular diaper.” “Thanks, but there’s no way this fits under my jeans, though.” Lisa took a glance down at my pants. “Yeah, you’re right. I suppose I would only wear these ones under a dress. Maybe try these instead. They’re not as big of an improvement, but still will be better.” Lisa passed me a peach-colored pull-up, with a black bow drawn on the front of it. “Just try it on and see what you think. You don’t have to stick with it if you don’t think it will work. Wipes, powder, and lotion are all in the farther left drawer, and the diaper bin is under the sink.” Once in the bathroom, I removed the wet pull-up and tossed it into the diaper disposal bin. I really didn’t have any expectations for what it would feel like to put it on, but these new pull-up was incredibly soft and comfortable. The only downside was how high waisted it was. My jeans barely covered it. I folded the top of the pull-up down on itself so that it wouldn’t stickup up so much on my waist. I twisted around to take a look at myself in the bathroom mirror. Couldn’t see any difference between this and my normal pull-ups. Lisa had said that these would be more absorbent, but I felt I was going to need to be extra careful about getting to the toilet on time today. I didn’t want to test new pull-ups out for the first time with all my friends around. “What do you think?” Lisa asked, as soon as I stepped out of the bathroom. “They’re so soft. It’s like wearing regular underwear.” “You should get your mom to buy those for you instead. She should be able to get them at pretty much any store.” I took a picture of the pull-up package while Lisa was getting changed, so I’d be able to find the right one when I went shopping next. My supply of pull-ups from my most recent shopping run was already starting to get a little low, so I was going to need to re-stock pretty soon. I had to do a double take when I saw Lisa step out of the bathroom. She was wearing black leggings with a Fortnite themed graphic t-shirt, a vast departure from her usual style. Come to think of it, I couldn’t recall a single time where I had seen Lisa wearing anything other than a dress. The black leggings weren’t see-through, but it was clear Lisa still had a diaper on from the way the outline of the padding showed. “That’s a different look,’ I said at last. “Deciding to ditch dresses?” Lisa shuffled her feet slightly. “You don’t think this outfit looks silly at all?” “Of course not, I’m just used to seeing you in dresses all the time.” “I hate wearing dresses,” Lisa said. “Well, that’s not completely true. I just hate wearing them because that’s all I wear when I’m in public, to help with keeping my diapers and pull-ups hidden. I don’t think I would mind them if it was something I only wore some of the time.” “I get that for diapers, but I’ve gotten away with a pull-up under jeans without anyone noticing.” “Yeah, but that only works with the thin ones you use. I’d be too nervous without something more absorbent.” “Well, it’s nice to see you switch things up, for a change.” “Thanks, I usually just wear whatever I want when I’m at home.” “You don’t mind that when your aunt and uncle are around?” “Not when I’m at home anymore. It’s a bit of an embarrassing story, but the first day I came to live with them. I had a messy accident in my diaper on the ride home, and my aunt changed me afterward. I pretty much lost any sense of shame or embarrassment about it around them at least. They’re really understanding, but they also don’t really ever say anything about it. Just treat it like it’s a normal part of my life.” A rapid series of knocks on the door put a halt to the rest of the questions I had for Lisa. I took a peek out the window. “Desi’s here,” I said. --- It was a good thing we had decided to start with Mario Kart for introducing Samantha and Desi to videogames. Samantha and Desi had joined Lisa and I on the bedroom couch. We were slightly squished, as it was probably only meant for three people at most. Samantha and Desi were sitting on either side of Lisa as she was attempting to explain how the controls work for the third time in the row. We had at least gotten them to the point of holding the controller correctly. Samantha had arrived a few minutes after Desi, both of them had expressed amazement that Lisa was somehow allowed to have a TV in her bedroom. They had tossed their bags down next to mine and had each laid claim on a sleeping bag. “I don’t think anyone in this room even has their learner’s permit yet,” Desi joked, as Lisa was explaining the gas and break buttons on the controller. “Let’s just get a race started,” I said. “It really isn’t going to make sense until they give it a try.” “Shall we do Rainbow Road,” Lisa suggested, with a malicious looking smirk on her face. “That sounds like fun one,” Samantha said. “No, no, bad idea,” I said. “Trust me, you don’t want to start with that Samantha. Maybe later.” “Fine, I’ll pick out a beginner track,” Lisa said. That proved to be a good idea, as it took a few minutes for Samantha and Desi to get adjust to controlling their karts. After the first two laps were completed, Lisa and I were in a neck and neck race for first, while Samantha and Desi were competing to avoid last place. Lisa took Mario Kart as seriously as she did Fortnite. She was sitting on the edge of the couch, leaning forward as she stared intently at the TV, but this left the top inch of her diaper sticking out the back of her leggings. “I just got this blue shell, what does it do?” Samantha asked. Thank goodness I was in second place at the moment, still trailing a little ways behind Lisa. “Oh, that, it’s worthless, just switch it out for another item,” Lisa said. “That’s only something that someone in first place would say,” I said. “Oops, I just shot it off, what exactly does it do?” Samantha asked. “Nothing much, just automatically hits the driver in first place,” I said with a grin on my face. “Such a rigged game,” Lisa muttered. My kart was trailing with what I thought was a safe distance behind Lisa when she suddenly slammed on the brakes, causing me to zoom right past here. Then bam. My kart when flying in the air as the blue shell landed right on top of it. “Ha! Victory!” Lisa said, raising both her hands exuberantly in the air, causing the top of her diaper to be fully visible for several seconds. “Such a rigged game,” I said, getting a laugh from Lisa. Samantha and Desi finished the race a minute later with Desi narrowly edging out Samantha to avoid last place. It took a few more races, but they both got the hang of it enough to be consistently finishing toward the top of the pack, though they didn’t manage to beat Lisa or myself. “Are you girls ready for some pizza,” Lisa’s aunt called from across the house. “Absolutely,” Samantha said, hopping up from the couch. Another downside I noticed to wearing leggings with a diaper is that it becomes rather obvious when it is wet. There was an extra sag and bulkiness to Lisa’s leggings as she stood up from the couch and stretched her arms out to the side. “Excuse me for a second,” Lisa said, as she walked over to her closet, grabbing a white diaper before stepping into the bathroom. Samantha and Desi exchanged a silent look at each other, but neither made any comments about it. With Lisa’s issues with incontinence more visible while we were staying at her house, I was grateful they hadn’t brought the topic up yet. We waited a couple minutes for Lisa to change into a clean diaper and then joined her aunt and uncle in the kitchen for dinner. “How was Mario Kart,” Mr. Higgins asked, as we piled pizza and cheese bread onto our plates. “Good,” Samantha said. “I’m ready for my learner’s permit now.” “Ahem,” Desi said with a cough. “Maybe if real roads came with flying clouds that would put you back on the pavement when you drive off it every few minutes.” “I’m sure it will be a lot easier than Mario Kart,” Mr. Higgins said. The conversation around the dinner table was a little more subdued. There’s just something about being around a teacher when you aren’t in school that is really disconcerting. Mr. Higgins did do his part to make us feel comfortable. He didn’t bring up any school related topics, but I still felt that being back in his class on Monday afternoon was going to feel so strange. “What are your plans after dinner?” Mrs. Higgins asked. “We’re going to watch a movie or two,” Lisa said. “Are you going to be up late,” she asked. “Probably,” Lisa said “Then we probably won’t see you in the morning,” she said. “Your uncle and I are going to be out running some errands in the morning, probably before any of you are up. But we’ll be back in time for lunch.” “What my wife means is,” Mr. Higgins said, interrupting her, “please don’t burn the house down while we’re gone. Lisa knows where everything is for breakfast if you do happen to be up in time for that.” “I’m sure we can manage that,” Lisa said. ---- “What are we going to watch next?” Lisa asked, as she sat down on the couch beside us with a slight crinkle. Lisa had gone to change into a clean diaper again after the Adam Sandler movie Samantha had selected had come to a thankfully quick conclusion. I could see that picking movies for our friend group was only going to get more difficult now that we had expanded to four. “Let’s watch something sci-fi?” I suggested. “A romcom,” Desi added “How about something scary?” Lisa asked. “Scary sounds good,” Samantha said. “What do you have in mind?” “Let’s see what is on Netflix,” Lisa said, “but I think we need to get some snacks first.” Lisa returned from the kitchen with a two liter of mountain dew, four plastic cups, and a bag of popcorn. “My aunt and uncle are already asleep,” she said. “But their bedroom is on the other side of the house, so as long as the door is shut and we aren’t yelling, we won’t disturb them.” “I don’t know,” Samantha said. “You haven’t experienced watching a scary movie with Desi yet. She screams like a banshee at the jump scares.” “I so do not,” Desi protested. “I seem to recall someone nearly peed herself when we watched the Exorcist,” Samantha said. “I’ve got plenty of diapers you could borrow if you need one,” Lisa added with a grin. Desi just scowled and rolled her eyes as the rest of us started laughing. “That,” Desi said, while pouring herself a full cup of mountain dew. “Will absolutely not be necessary.” “Has anyone seen Smile,” Lisa asked. “I haven’t but I’ve been wanting to.” None of us had seen it, so we settled on it as the choice for the evening. Desi did let out a muffled scream on two occasions and did ask us to pause halfway through so she could go use the bathroom. Lisa had been right about the new pull-up’s absorbency. I doubt my regular ones would have held up with the amount of soda I’d had to drink. I had gotten so absorbed in the movie that I had even noticed I needed to go until it was too late. There weren’t any wet spots on my jeans, though I hoped it was just my imagination that they were bulging out slightly more than usual. It was already past 11 p.m. by the time the movie reached its conclusion. Even though we’d made it through three quarters of the soda, the caffeine didn’t seem to be doing much to keep anyone awake. “You guys do morning or evening showers?” Lisa asked. I could go either way, but with a wet pull-up to clean up and dispose of, a shower before bed was looking like a necessity. Samantha and I answered that we did ours at night, while Desi said she’d do hers in the morning. “Try and be quick,” Lisa said. “We don’t have the largest hot water heater.” “You can go first then,” Samantha offered. “No thanks, I like to shower last and then get changed right before going to bed.” “I’ll go,” I said, jumping on the chance to get changed out of the pull-up. --- I sat on the bed, absentmindedly twiddling on my phone. It felt strange to have my regular underwear on, even if only for a brief moment. I wasn’t super worried about having any accidents before it was time to head to bed, but I was anxious about how my plan was going to go. Knowing that we were going to be wearing diapers to bed, I had grabbed some loose fitting pajama pants and a longer t-shirt that would be comfortable over a diaper without showing it off at all. Samantha was currently in the bathroom. The sound of the running water from the shower had just come to a stop. She had taken a quick shower, and out in only four or five minutes. I tried to keep my nervousness from showing on my face. Yes, Samantha and Desi had both agreed to my plan to also wear diapers to bed. But that had been almost a week ago at school. If either of them had any second thoughts about it in the meantime, they hadn’t shared it with me. I suppose I could go through with the plan on my own, but it would be much better if they both were still willing to do it with me. While Samantha was in the shower, Desi had run off to the other restroom in the house to brush her teeth and get ready for bed, leaving Lisa and I alone in the bedroom. Lisa took a look at my pajamas. “Did you forget to bring a diaper to change into?” she asked in a hushed tone. “No, I have it,” I whispered back. “Are you going to go ahead and tell them about it now?” “Can you please let me handle this on my own terms?” Desi’s return to the bedroom cut the conversation short. And Samantha was out of the shower a minute later. She emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head. Samantha was wearing a pink onesie with rainbows and unicorns on it. “That’s so cute,” Desi said. “Where did you get it from?” “Thanks,” Samantha said. “I got two of them from Amazon a few weeks ago. They’re so comfortable. See how stretchy they are.” I caught Lisa staring a bit at Samantha’s outfit but she didn’t say anything about it. She grabbed nightgown from her dresser and then a diaper from the closet before heading into the bathroom. We sat around the room, not saying much until several minutes later when the distinct sound of running water in the shower could be heard. I was trying to figure out the best way to break the ice when Samantha beat me to it. “So, are we going to do it?” Samantha asked, breaking the silence as she glanced over to the closet where Lisa kept her diapers. “Do we really need to?” Desi asked. “The plan was to help make her more comfortable, but Lisa seems pretty chill with having us here already.” The last thing I needed was for Desi to back out at this point. “I know she’s acting OK,” I said. “But that doesn’t mean she still isn’t internally self-conscious about it. Let’s just wear the diapers for tonight to make sure she knows that we’re here for her. Just a one-time thing, we don’t have to do it again.” “That sounds good to me,” Samantha said. “I guess if you’re both going to do it that it would look silly if I wasn’t too,” Desi said. “I don’t know how long Lisa takes for her showers, but we probably only have about ten minutes or so if we don’t want to cut things close,” Samantha said. “So let’s see what our options are.” I followed Samanth over to the closet, and watched as her eyes widen as she slid the door open. “I didn’t know there were going to be this many options to choose from,” Samantha said, glancing up and down the shelves. There was a lot to choose from. Thankfully, I remembered which ones Lisa said she preferred to wear at night. “She grabbed one of these,” I said, picking up a diaper with white, plastic backed diaper with a wetness indicator running down the middle, “probably best to use the same ones.” Samantha reached in and grabbed one for herself, while I took a second diaper and tossed it to Desi. Desi looked at the diaper quizzically as she unfolded it to its full length. I belatedly realized one of the problem with this plan. I knew a lot more about adult diapers than either of my friends, but I couldn’t exactly let on to that too much. “What am I supposed to do with this exactly?” Desi asked. “Have you never changed a diaper before?” Samantha asked. Desi pretended to gag. “Gross, no. I guess that is the benefit of being an only child. Don’t know how you guys do it.” “Look it’s not hard,” Samantha said. “The side with the tapes on it is the back. You just pull the front up to your waist and then tape the sides around your waist to the front.” Despite that explanation, we all just stood around, no one appearing willing to go first. “Well, you’re the expert,” I said at last, pointing my hand at Samantha. “Why don’t you show us how it’s done” “That was only once, well, twice, I had to try them on when I first got them to see that they actually fit. That hardly makes me an expert.” “That’s more experience than either of us have.” “Fine,” Samantha said. “I’ll show you how it’s done. But it’s easier when laying down.” Samantha undid the three buttons at the bottom of her onesie before laying down on the bed top of the diaper. I hoped her voice didn’t carry too much as she narrated how she was putting the diaper. “So, you have to have the back of the diaper lined up so that it matches the front when it’s pulled up to your waist,” she said, demonstrating by pulling the diaper up nearly to her belly button. “Then, you have to tape the sides. The top tapes get it snug around your waist. The bottom ones get it snug around your thighs.” I realized we were missing something. I hadn’t ever gotten diapered before without either baby powder or lotions. I turned discreetly to glance at the closet, but I didn’t see any powder or lotion in there. Lisa probably just kept that in the bathroom since that is where she did all her changes. Hopefully one night of wearing a diaper without those wouldn’t leave any of us with chaffing or rashes. I was surprised at how easily Samantha managed to get the diaper on. Each tape ended up in the right place without needing to be adjusted at all. With the diaper secured, Samantha sat up and re-buttoned her onesie, which left the white edges of the diaper sticking out around her thighs. “Your turn,” Samantha said to Desi. Desi flopped down onto the bed with a large sigh, and then reached for a diaper. After a minute or so of not making any progress, it became clear that she had absolutely no idea what she was doing. “We don’t have all day,” Samantha said. “Here, just let me put it on for you.” Desi obliged, and Samantha leaned in to help her. “Just lift your bottom up for a second,” Samantha said, as she re-positioned the diaper, quickly getting it taped on in the same way that she had done for herself. “Thanks,” Desi muttered as she stood up and worked to tug her pajama shorts back on over her now diapered bottom. “Ugh, I didn’t think this through at all,” Desi said, looking down at her shorts. A good two to three inches of the diaper was sticking out above the top of her waistband, and her pajama top wasn’t nearly long enough to cover it. Desi stepped over to the full-length mirror in the corner. Standing with her back to the mirror, she took a peek over her shoulder. “Yep, that definitely makes my butt look big,” she said. Just then, we heard the shower come to a stop. Not much time left to get ready. “We need to hurry up,” Samantha said, turning to me. “I can get your diaper on too. That will be a lot quicker.” The last thing I wanted was for Samantha to put a diaper on me, but I couldn’t exactly object and say that I already knew exactly how to do it. I handed the diaper I was holding to Samantha, and then I stripped off my pajama pants and laid down on the bed, raising my bottom up so Samantha could slide the diaper underneath me. It wasn’t nearly as embarrassing as being changed by mom. Probably because I could see the diaper Samantha had on herself. Once Samantha had gotten the final tape in place. I stood up, ready to adjust the tapes to get a more comfortable fit, but everything was already perfectly in place. Snug around my hips and thighs, but not to the point where it was causing any discomfort. Much better than I had expected, better even than how mom normally did it. I pulled my pajama pants back on, they mostly covered the diaper, with just a tiny bit of it peeking out the back of my pants, but my shirt was more than long enough to cover it. I took a look at the clock; it was already approaching midnight when Lisa stepped out of the bathroom. The nightgown was pretty short on her, which made sense with how tall Lisa was. It went just past her thighs, leaving her diaper peeking out occasionally as she walked around. Lisa tossed her dirty clothes into a hamper and then turned and looked at us. “What in the world are you guys doing?” Lisa said, her eyes darting from Samantha and then to Desi and then to me, settling on my pajama pants that definitely had more padding under them than before. Samantha answered her question before I had a chance to. “We just thought that it would make you feel better if we all had diapers on with you for bed,” Samantha said, pointing out the diaper she had on as if it wasn’t already perfectly visible. That didn’t get the reaction I had been hoping for from Lisa. She turned toward me with a hurt look on her face and tears beginning to form in her eyes. “What kind of stupid joke is this?” she said, turning and slamming the door shut behind her as she darted out of the bedroom. “Well, that obviously could have gone better,” Desi said dryly. “Just wait here,” I said, motioning to Samantha and Desi to sit back down. “I’ll go and talk to Lisa. It will be fine once I explain what we were trying to do.” I walked through the hallway to the living room where I saw the door to the pack porch was open. I shivered slightly as I stepped outside into the brisk night air. I spotted Lisa sitting on the wooden steps leading off the deck into the backyard and went to sit down next to her. Lisa turned her face in the other direction as I took a seat on the steps next to her. I tried to place my arm around her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. “What the heck is this all about?” she asked, unable to keep the sobbing out of her voice. “What do you mean?” “You know exactly what I mean. Why are Samantha and Desi wearing my diapers?” “Samantha told you already. It was just an idea to help cheer you up.” “We thought? Whose idea was it actually?” “It was mine. I didn’t think you’d be so upset about it. Figured it would be easier for you for your first sleepover if everyone else was also wearing a diaper to bed. “You mean easier for you?” “What? No.” “Don’t lie to me,” Lisa said, cutting into my response. “Don’t you dare f***ing lie to me. That silly idea of yours isn’t about me, it’s just about trying to hide your bedwetting from Desi and Samantha cause you don’t want to tell them about it.” Lisa’s accusation cut to the truth of what I had been trying to do. And I really couldn’t deny it. “Yes, that was part of it. It’s too embarrassing to have to tell them,” I pleaded. “Embarrassing? What do you know about that? I have to deal with every single person I see in school knowing that I have a diaper on.” A decent amount actually, I thought to myself, thinking of everything I’d gone through with my mother the past several months. Not that I was ever going to dare breathe a word of that to Lisa. “And then you’re sitting here,” Lisa continued, “acting as if bedwetting is such a horridly shameful thing that you can’t even bear the idea of friends you’ve known since kindergarten finding out. How do you think that makes me feel?” “I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “That wasn’t what I was trying to do.” “I know I’m supposed to be the socially awkward one, but you’ve been so dense today.,” Lisa said. “You think you were trying to make me feel more comfortable with that stunt you just tried to pull? What do you think I’ve been doing all day long?” I opened my mouth and then promptly shut it again. I really didn’t see what Lisa was getting at. “It’s been obvious that I’ve been wearing a diaper the entire time Samantha and Desi have been here,” she said. “And guess what, they literally don’t care one bit. That’s what I’ve been trying to show you. And they aren’t going to care when they find out about your issues either. They are still going to be your friends.” I buried my head in my knees. Now it was my turn to feel terrible. That was so stupidly selfish of me. “I’m sorry,” I said again. “I was being really selfish with trying to hide it.” “It’s OK,” Lisa said, turning and giving me a hug. "Secrets like this aren’t good for anyone. It’s time they find out. Either you can tell them the truth about it, or I can help you do it instead.”

Chapter 44: The Plan “You cannot be serious about having a sleepover at a teacher’s house.” Desi had pulled me aside from the hallway to a couch in a secluded corner close to the teacher’s lounge. We were waiting for Lisa before first period, while Samantha was making a trip to the restroom. I had avoided going along with Samantha, determined to work on keeping control of my bladder until after my first class. With as much orange juice as I had drunk that morning, the odds of doing so were questionable, but I had a pull-up on in case of any accidents. The bus had arrived early, so we had a while to sit and chat before the first class of the day. I had just told Desi about how mom had agreed to allow for a sleepover at Lisa’s place. She was less than enthused at the chosen location. “Why can’t we just go to Samantha’s place?” Desi asked. “That worked fine last time.” “Because Lisa’s never had a sleepover before,” I replied. “And, with her, um, condition, I think she’d be a lot more comfortable to be able to do her first sleepover at home.” I left out one of the main reasons behind why I preferred a sleepover at Lisa’s place. It was the easiest option for the plan that I had to conceal my own bedwetting, as Lisa was the only one of my friends who was currently aware of that issue. Lisa’s own bedwetting and incontinence problems would provide the perfect cover for keeping my own issues a secret. Before Desi could continue the argument, Samantha arrived back from the restroom and sat down to my right with a large sigh as she let her backpack fall to the floor with a thump. Desi leaned across me to get Samantha’s attention. “Sarah wants our next sleepover to be at Lisa’s place,” Desi said. “Can you believe that. I mean, you do know that Lisa lives with her uncle, who you know, just happens to be our history teacher.” “Wait, your mom finally let you out of the doghouse?” Samantha said, turning toward me. “It’s about time we had a second sleepover.” “Did. You. Not. Hear. What. I. Said,” Desi interrupted. “I like her uncle and all, but that’s going to be so awkward being over at his house.” “No, it won’t,” I said. “I spent the afternoon working on one of the history projects there. Lisa’s aunt and uncle basically left us alone most of the time.” “I don’t see what all the fuss is about,” Samantha said. “If Lisa is most comfortable with a sleepover at her place, let’s just do it there.” “And as a bonus, no annoying younger siblings around either,” I added, in reference to Samantha’s younger brother and toddler sister. “Fine, but I have one condition,” Desi said, giving Samantha a slight glare. “No games of truth or dare.” I knew exactly what Desi was referring to. She was still a bit salty about being dared to pee in a pull-up the last time we had played that game. That had been at a sleepover at Samantha’s place. The game of truth or dare took a turn for the crazy when a couple of the dares had involved pull-ups from Samantha’s younger brother, who was still a bedwetter. I had dared Samantha to wear the pull-up. Samantha had then dared Desi to pee in it. “About that,” I said, taking a look around to make sure Lisa wasn’t in the process of walking up to us. “I have an idea about how we might be able to help Lisa feel more comfortable with having a sleepover with her condition.” “What’s that?” Samantha asked. I paused and took a quick breath before going ahead with my plan. It was quite audacious really, but if I could get them to agree to it, it would make things so much easier for me. “I think we should all wear diapers to bed to help Lisa not feel embarrassed.” I didn’t get an immediate response from either of them. Desi was glaring at me, while Samantha’s face had turned slightly red, and she wasn’t quite making eye contact with me anymore. “For real,” Desi said at last. “You do remember that you guys made me piss in a pull-up for a game of truth-or-day at our last sleepover.” “Hey, that wasn’t my dare, that was Samantha,” I said. “And don’t be silly. You don’t actually have to use a diaper, just wear one to bed so she doesn’t feel alone about her condition.” “I don’t have a problem with that,” Samantha said. “Well Of course you don’t,” Desi retorted. “You wore a diaper to the Halloween party.” “Would have been a pretty poor baby outfit if I didn’t have one on,” Samantha replied. “Guys, let’s cut the bickering,” I said. “You know how embarrassed Lisa gets. It’s her first sleepover so let’s make sure it goes well for her.” “Fine,” Desi said after a long pause, rolling her eyes. “But don’t you dare expect me to pee in it.” “You know,” I said, turning to Samantha. “You don’t happen to have any extra diapers from your Halloween outfit, do you? That way we wouldn’t have to take any from Lisa.” “Oh, sorry, I don’t have them,” Samantha said. “I tossed the rest of the package afterward. Wasn’t planning on doing that for a Halloween outfit again.” “That’s fine,” I said. “I’m sure Lisa won’t mind if we use some of hers. But let’s not mention it to her until it’s time for bed.” “When exactly are we planning to have the sleepover exactly,” Samantha asked. “I don’t know yet, I hadn’t had a chance to tell Lisa that my mom gave the OK, but she had already said that hosting it would work.” I caught sight of Lisa walking toward us in the hallway. “We can ask her now about times for the sleepover. And don’t mention anything about diapers, OK?” Maybe it was because of how familiar I had become with wearing diapers over the past couple months, but the crinkle was just slightly noticeable as Lisa carefully smoothed out her dress as she sat down to join us on the couch. When we’d last talked at length about her incontinence issues, she had told me she was trying to mostly wear pull-ups in the day to help with getting to the toilet. That didn’t seem to be the case currently, but couldn’t blame her with all the bullying she had gone through with our shared nemesis, Claire. “Got some good news, guess what it is,” I said. “What’s that?” Lisa asked, as she left her backpack gently down in front of the couch. “Mom finally gave the OK for the sleepover.” “We can actually do it then?” “Yep, are you still good having it at your place?” “I’ll need to check with my aunt and uncle again, but they were OK with it when I suggested it before.” “Lisa, do you have a second?” We all turned to see Lisa’s uncle standing around the corner. “Coming,” Lisa said, carefully adjusting the back of her dress as she stood up from the couch. “I’ll be back in a second," she said, turning back to us quickly before following her uncle toward the teacher’s lounge. Desi took a glance at her phone. “Still have some time before class starts,” she said. “Gonna run to the restroom quick. You coming?" “No, I’m good.” Desi rolled her eyes at me. “Just come, or you’ll be racing to the toilet after first period.” While neither Samantha or Desi were aware my pull-ups or bladder accidents, they had caught on to the fact that my bathroom trips were happening more frequently and sometimes with more urgency. I acquiesced to her request, and by the time we were back from the restroom, Lisa had gotten back as well. “You’re good to come over for a sleepover,” Lisa said, as Desi and I returned to the couch where her and Samantha were seated. “My uncle just told me. Says your mom called him just a little while ago.” “That was quick.” “Yep, and we can do it any weekend we like. This weekend will work if everyone is free.” “Works for me,” Samantha said eagerly. “Same,” said Desi. “Let’s do it then,” I said. --- I fought the urge to squirm in my seat. This was the fifth class of the day, and I had so far managed to avoid any accidents, though there had been several close calls. The only relief was that my accidents were back to being a secret. I’d hidden my daytime accidents long enough that mom thought they were all over, and she wasn’t making me wear pull-ups and counting how many I’d used. That didn’t mean I was back to underwear. I’d managed to find time to go and secretly buy some pull-ups of my own, which unfortunately, didn’t seem like something that I was going to be able to stop doing anytime soon. There was enough time remaining in the class period that I didn’t have any real hope of staying dry until I was able to get to the restroom. I doubted that even if I put my hand up to get a restroom pass that I would be able to make it if I left this instant. On one hand, if I had just gone to the restroom between every single class period, there was minimal chances of having an accident. But one piece of advice Lisa had given me was that if you kept peeing too frequently, while you might initially avoid accidents, you would also be training your bladder to not need to hold it that longer, which would eventually lead to having accidents again. Still, I tried not to let the disappointment get to me as the slow trickle of urine turned into a steady stream filling up my pull-up. I gave in to curiosity and took a quick glance down at my high rise jeans. No leaks. The jeans fit well enough that any bulge from the pull-up was likely imperceivable to anyone but myself, though I suppose perhaps it was something that Lisa could notice, not that she was in my class this period. I knew the fastest route to every single restroom in the school, depending on which class I was leaving, and I made a beeline to the nearest one as soon as the bell range. I turned to step into the restroom when I bumped into Lisa, who was doing the same from the opposite direction. We didn’t say anything to each other as we settled into adjacent stalls. I think we both had an idea of why each of us were actually there. At first, I had preferred going to a lesser used restroom to change out of wet pull-ups, but I soon realized that any crinkling was much less noticeable with the background noise that comes with a larger, packed restroom. I slid my jeans off as well as I could manage in the stall and carefully swapped out a dry pull-up for the wet one, which I buried deep in the garbage can. I did manage to pee a little in the toilet as well, which would help if I was to stay dry until after fourth period and our lunch break. I did hear a louder crinkling sound coming from Lisa’s stall, which confirmed my earlier suspicion that she was back in diapers again. I did a double take as we stepped out of the restroom. Claire was walking right toward us from the opposite direction. Our feud had come to a pause after the fight that got us both kicked off of the cheerleading squad. I hadn’t passed her in the hallway since the week before when I had gone to the drug store to purchase pull-ups for myself only to find Claire manning the check-out station. I’d told Claire that I was getting the pull-ups for my sister and had threatened to get her fired if she said anything about the purchase. Still, it wouldn’t do any good to have Claire spreading rumors, and I wasn’t going to let her know how worried I was. I paused and leaned against the row of lockers as she approached, staring her down until she averted her eyes and passed by on the other side. It wasn’t until after Claire has passed by me that I turned and noticed Lisa standing motionless just outside the restroom door. “Thanks for that,” Lisa said quietly as we made our way down the hallway. I guessed that Lisa assumed that quiet confrontation between myself and Claire had to do with the way that Claire had bullied Lisa by revealing her incontinence issues to the school. “Hold on a second,” Lisa said, coming to a stop. “There’s a problem I’m not sure how to deal with.” “What’s that?” Lisa, who’s about a half-foot taller than me, leaned down toward my ear. “I’m missing two diapers from my backpack,” Lisa whispered. “And you’re certain? When was the last time you checked?” “I had packed four, and I usually only change once or twice. But when I went to grab a clean one just now, there were only two left.” “No pull-ups?” I asked. “Can we not have that conversation here,” Lisa said, looking around at the crowded hallway. In here, I said, grabbing Lisa’s arm and pulling her aside into an empty classroom. “Yes, I’m taking a break from working on toilet training,” Lisa said, without turning to look at me. “It’s just been really stressful, and I couldn’t deal with the stress of trying to get to the toilet on time on top of everything else. But that’s not the point. The point is someone stole two of my diapers. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why anyone would take them?” I said. “Pretty much everyone at school already knows. And no one really has cared about it after the first week or so. Is it possible that you didn’t pack as many as you thought, or could they have fallen out of the backpack?” “No I definitely put them in there this morning, and there isn’t any way they would have fallen out.” “So you definitely think someone took them?” “Yeah.” “That still doesn’t make any sense. Can’t see why someone would do that.” “Probably some freak who wears them for fun.” “People do that?” “People do everything, Sarah, but yeah, everything includes using diapers. Everyone at school knows that I have them in my backpack, so my bet is some weirdo grabbed them, though I can’t figure out when that could have happened.” I couldn’t think of any suggestions either, and I couldn’t get over the weird idea that someone would intentionally choose to wear diapers without any actual need for them. “We need to get going, or we’re going to be late to your uncle’s class,” I said, as I started to walk back out of the classroom. “Wait,” Lisa said, as I stepped toward the door. “I had a question about the sleepover.” “Yeah, what about it?” “So, like, what are we going to do at the sleepover?” I almost said something a little sarcastic back, and then remembered that Lisa hadn’t ever had the opportunity to have a sleepover with friends before. So it was a fair question. “Well, I’m sure we can watch some movies, maybe even teach Samantha and Desi how to play some video games.” “That’s not what I meant. You’re going to tell them, right?” “Tell them what?” “You know what I mean. About your bedwetting.” Why did Lisa have to be bringing up this conversation now. “I can’t.” “Of course you can. Desi and Samantha already know about me, and they’ve never made it an issue.” “It’s too embarrassing.” “And having the whole school find out I wear diapers wasn’t?” “Lisa, I’m really sorry you had to go through that, but you know what that was like, so please don’t make me.” Lisa sighed. “Fine, but it would really just be easier if you told them than if they end up finding out because accident at some point.” The bell rang in the hallway again, signaling we needed to be at our next classes. “Don’t worry about me,” I told her. “The sleepover is going to be a blast.”

A "Gaba" modulator is also what causes baby talk amongst scientists. I think she'd disagree, but it is a popular opinion That does raise a question - I don't know if scientific readings would note anything amiss. It's not that parts of Nicole are being suppressed in a scientific way, after all, they're being altered. What would that look like? 🤔 Counterspell, Heightened 9th Level, with Permanency Day 12 “Hey there, Nicky, it’s time to wake up.” Nicole rubbed at her eyes. She hadn’t set an alarm the night before–why bother? She didn’t have anything to get up for. Yawning, she looked around the room. Everything looked the same, no obvious changes to the decor or anything–though by the smell, she had an obvious need for a change. “Wha’ time ith it?” she asked, sitting up. She barely registered the squish of her diapers anymore. V had left the crib gate open and was already getting changing supplies out. “Around nine. I’d have let you sleep longer, but I didn’t want you getting a rash.” Sliding off the side of the bed, Nicole said, “Aren’t you–woah!” Stumbling, she fell onto all fours, her balance wavering badly. Vanessa appeared by her side, supporting her with a hand. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine,” she mumbled, “Jus’...still wakin’ up.” “Okay,” Vanessa said, helping her to stand. “What were you saying?” “Are you gonna be late for work?” Nicole asked, holding Vanessa’s hand for stability so she could waddle to the changing table. She felt off, but tried to dismiss her weak balance and shaky legs as just nerves. “I told my boss I’d be working from home for a while,” Vanessa said. “Other than meetings and stuff I can’t do out of the office.” “Oh.” Getting a leg up, Nicole sat down, then looked at her friend with a wavering smile. “Thanks, V…” “Now, let’s deal with this bottom and get some breakfast in your belly, okay?” Vanessa asked. Nic smiled and nodded. A fresh diaper would set a good tone for the rest of the day. Once she was clean and taped into a fresh diaper, V got her dressed–all her remotely grown up clothes were long gone, so it was onesies or nothing. Nicole couldn’t bring herself to even feel embarrassed about that change. Then, it was breakfast time. Nothing fancy, just Froot Rings and a coffee in her favorite mug, one with a cartoon depiction of three peas in a pod and the text, “Don’t Worry, Pea Happy!” printed on it. Something had gone wrong with her food, though–it felt heavy. Whenever she got a spoonful of cereal and milk, it made her hand shake, fingers trembling so badly that she lost half the loops and most of the milk before the spoon made it to her lips. Her coffee was a little better–if she gripped her mug with both hands, she could sip out of it well enough. She made it work, leaving over her bowl so the dribbles only got onto her chest a little. The back of the cereal box had a maze, with a smiling, colorful Hornbill inviting her to solve it–she had to set aside food and trace the lines with her finger, but she found the right path with only two tries. “You okay, Nic?” Vanessa asked, glancing up from washing dishes in the sink. “Mhmm, why?” Nicole asked. “You’ve got more cereal on your onesie than on your bowl,” V said. “Pay a little more attention, sweetie?” Nicole nodded. “Sure, okay.” Finding stuff to do ended up being a new challenge. With so much time off, Nicole wanted to engage in her hobbies, but reading was too hard to be any fun, and all her favorite video games had a bunch of text in them. Her renovated room had some solutions, though–a coloring and puzzle book on her shelf ended up providing a lot of fun, engaging challenges. Vanessa left Nicole with a clean onesie, her coffee, and a box of crayons before getting back to work, and Nicole went to town. Color matching, trace-the-line puzzles, and even a word search–though she gave up on that one after a few tries. It even felt like learning. She was getting her grown up skills back, one by one. Solving this booklet, she’d be a grown up again in no time. (No, wait,) she corrected. (I am a grown up, I just need my grown up skills back.) A bit rattled by her own thoughts, she reached for her mug, hoping that a sip of coffee would get her the buzz needed to get back to work. Instead, she picked up plastic. “Huh?” Looking over, she found her mug missing, replaced with a green baby bottle. On the side, the cartoon depiction of a pea pod remained, but all the peas were in diapers and suckling pacifiers, and the text now read, ‘Don’t worry, pee happy.’ She read it twice, ensuring she hadn’t misread. “Bu–” she sat up. “No, no–” Going into a panic spiral, she began to stand, but her legs betrayed her. Toppling backwards, she fell, landing with a thunderous poof on her puffy bottom. Getting up again, she trembled, held her balance for only a second, and fell forward this time, landing on all fours. (You’ve got this,) she told herself. (It’s just standing up.) One more try. Pushing off the floor, she spread her legs. Knees wobbling, arms out, she got upright. “Yes!” she declared, too excited by the accomplishment to care how minor it was. Pumping a fist in the air– Her legs gave out once again, suddenly losing all their strength. She lost her balance, falling right back onto the ground. Overwhelmed, reality broken once again, she began to sob. … “Nicole?” Vanessa asked, pushing open the door. She’d heard the sobs clearly enough, and just had to hope it was something minor–something she could soothe away. She found her friend on the ground, wiping away tears with both arms. “I–” she stammered. “I can’ walk no more…” Drawing her lips into a line, V tried to seem surprised. She’d pointedly been silent about that day’s doodle, hoping not to worry Nicole, but it’d been pretty unambiguous: A doodle of Nic on all fours. “Hey.” V crossed to her friend and gave her a gentle pat on the back. “It’s okay. Just one more thing to learn again, right?” Nic shook her head, lifting up a green baby bottle. “My mug’s a ba-ba now, too…an’ is juice. My coffee wen’ away.” Vanessa swallowed. “Well…I can make you a new mug, okay?” Nicole nodded, sniffling. “Otay.” “And we’ll get you some lunch, too, how does that sound? It’s about that time anyways.” Again, Nic nodded. “Fanks, V.” Unsure which would be better, helping her friend walk or letting her crawl, Vanessa went to the kitchen, microwaving some chicken fingers–something easy. With another pot of coffee brewing, and food ready in moments, she helped Nicole into a seat. Nic seemed able to wobble on her legs for a few seconds, at least, just enough that Vanessa didn’t have to physically lift her up. “Wait here, ok?” V asked. “Ok,” Nicole said, looking down from her seat at the ground like it was a mile away. “I dunno if I could get down…” “I’m sure you could,” Vanessa lied, briefly returning to the nursery to retrieve something she’d spotted that morning. Coming back, she tied the bib around Nicole’s neck without drama or comment. Nicole didn’t argue–they both knew she needed it, after what a mess she’d made at breakfast. Setting out the chicken fingers, Vanessa let Nic get started on the food while she transferred the coffee into a bottle. Hopefully, whatever magic had turned the last coffee to juice would allow the beverage to stay the same, as long as it was in the right container. “Vee-vee,” Nicole said. “I can’... I can’t pick up the food.” Vanessa turned back. Another sad, frustrating not-surprise. “Do you need help?” “Mm…” Nicole frowned, unwilling to admit the truth. “Maybe coffee first.” Seeing no reason to push, Vanessa gave her the bottle. Excitedly, Nicole raised the nipple to her lips, took a single long suckle, and… “Eugh,” she groaned, dropping the bottle and putting a hand over her tummy. “Um…ucky…tummy hurts…” Only a few seconds passed between the drink and the soft, quiet sounds that came from Nicole’s bottom as her belly released the sudden pressure and discomfort. Nicole sighed in relief, glad to have the discomfort over with, before realizing the truth. “Oh…” she said, sniffling. “But…that means…” No more coffee. No. More. Coffee. Vanessa knew what it meant. Nicole couldn’t feed herself, which was a frustration. She couldn’t walk, an unparalleled indignity. Her diaper dependence was pure humiliation. But for Nicole? All of that paled in comparison. Without coffee, she had nothing of her big girl self left. ... Just three days left - I'm sure they'll restore all her grown up abilities and everything will be okay, right? Support the author: https://www.patreon.com/PeculiarChangeling https://subscribestar.adult/peculiarchangeling

Truly, nothing is scarier than... the potty monster! The slow burn humiliation is one of my favorite parts of this one ^^ That sounds mortifying - I'll be happy to live the experience through vicarious enjoyment of fiction, thank you very much! That'd just be cruel! ... Day 9 “V?” Vanessa blinked awake, bleary eyed and thoughts still thick from dreamland. “Huh?” “V!” The voice came from outside her room, echoing across the hall. Vanessa sat up, wiping at her eyes to clear away sleepiness. She hadn’t set her alarm–she was off work that morning and typically slept in late when she could–so the early awakening surprised her. “Vanessa! Help!” That, she couldn’t ignore. Toppling out of bed, Vanessa scrambled to her roommate’s rescue. Throwing open the door to Nicole’s nursery, she saw her friend on the verge of tears. Her best friend’s diaper clearly needed changing from how it drooped and the smell that saturated her room, but it didn’t seem like that was the source of her distress–she was holding onto the bars of her crib like a prisoner begging for release. “What’s wrong, Nic?” Vanessa asked, walking over. “What changed?” “I can’t–” Nicole sniffed, wiping at her sniffling nose with her arm. A little snot came away, she didn’t seem to notice. “I can’ get da bars open, the latch is stuck. I’m trapped!” Vanessa stepped back, reaching out and pressing the latch. The crib opened normally, side gate swinging out so Nicole could leave. “It–nothing happened,” she said. “The latch works fine.” “It didn’t!” Nicole snapped, her teary eyes turning a little more red. “It wouldn’–why didn’ it work for me?” “You were probably just stressed and fumbling,” Vanessa said, excusing the issue for the moment. “Do you need help getting ready for work?” “No.” Nicole shook her head, looking rattled from the brief captivity. “I can’ do it myself. I wan’a do it myself.” With her roommate’s lisp, Vanessa wasn’t sure if Nicole had really said, ‘I can’, or if she’d actually admitted the truth–’I can’t’. Either way, she shrugged, she wasn’t going to argue with Nicole while she was this flustered. “Ok. Let me know if you change your mind.” Turning, she walked out of the room, pausing to glance at the new doodle on the chart. Storm clouds, day and night. No surprise there, Nicole’s potty training was long gone at this point. Below them, though, was a doodle of Nicole–sitting in a diaper, smudged and dirty, stink lines wafting off her. She was holding a square block in her hand, looking at a box with several differently-shaped holes, as though uncertain what she was supposed to do next–and to really emphasize things, a big question mark floated over her head. Vanessa didn’t try to guess what that meant. She thought she already knew. … Eighteen minutes. The bus schedule worked out in such a way that, if Nicole missed her bus, she would be eighteen minutes late. It’d only ever happened once before, in the whole time she’d been employed at her job. Or, twice now, because even changing her diaper as quickly as possible, slapping down the tapes and rushing out the door without even eating breakfast, she’d still missed her bus. Being stuck in her crib had cost her too much time, and there just wasn’t a fast way to clean up a poopy diaper. She’d made it in, though, and made it to her desk. She’d make it through another day. If anyone asked, it’d just been a rough night and she overslept, no need to explain that she’d been late because she had to change her diaper after being stuck inside her crib. (But nobody will notice. Right?) Nicole told herself that lie through the morning work, handling problems that’d come up overnight and generally keeping herself busy. As long as she had a job to do, she didn’t need to think about what was happening to her…even if she kept making typos and had to refill her coffee three times because she kept knocking it over–at least she had that one solace, caffeine, to keep her going when it felt overwhelming. Just after lunch, her facade shattered. She didn’t even make it back to her desk before her boss intercepted her, speaking five words that sent Nicole’s anxiety into a spiral. “See me in my office.” Nicole followed, she had no good excuse to delay. Jean shut the door behind her, walking over to her desk. Uncertain and afraid, Nicole just stood there. “We need to talk about your performance,” Jean said. “Nicole–I’ll be frank. Your work has been slipping horribly. You’re distracted, you came in late today, you’re clearly avoiding letting anyone see you while you work, and–” Her nose wrinkled, and she paused. Nicole flushed pink, raising her hands to cover her mouth. “Nicole…” Jean said, shaking her head in a gesture resembling maternal disappointment. “Please tell me you didn’t forget to change your diaper during your lunch break.” (No,) Nicole thought. (No, no, no…) “I’m not wearin’ diapees!” she exclaimed, shaking her head in mortified terror, as though the lie would hide anything. A moment later, a worse realization struck her–she’d just called them, ‘Diapees’ in front of her boss. (Nononono–) “I don’t have any issue with whatever medical condition you’re dealing with,” Jean said. “Incontinence isn’t something that I would judge you for, and neither is a lisp–and please don’t feel the need to lie. Once I realized you weren’t sneaking off to the bathroom to use your phone, that cleared a lot up for me. I had hoped that installing the changing table and bin in the women’s room would be helpful for you, too, and show that we didn’t have any issues with your new needs.” Face turning redder and redder, Nicole’s worldview collapsed. She hadn’t been stealthy at all–everyone had known. Jean had known. They’d just been too polite to say anything. “But,” Jean continued. “I expect basic hygiene from my employees. A medical condition doesn’t excuse you from being a nuisance and distraction around the office.” Nicole shook her head, taking a step back. (They all–they all know.) “And I have a functioning nose–You had already soiled yourself by eleven this morning, when I came by to get your TPS reports, and I can tell you still haven’t bothered to get changed. I don’t believe for one second that you didn’t notice, and that is unacceptable.” Her tone wasn’t cruel or mocking–Jean spoke professionally, not trying to belittle Nicole at all. It was a simple statement of fact; Nicole was too helpless to be treated as an adult. Because Jean was wrong about one thing: Nicole genuinely, truly hadn’t noticed her accident. “I–” she stammered. “I’ll–I’m going to go get changies.” “Do that,” Jean said, “and then go home for the day. I expect better from you tomorrow.” Nicole’s whole body was shaking as she staggered into the bathroom. She got herself changed–barely. The tapes didn’t seem to stick right, and even after using a dozen wipes, she still never felt clean. It was all she could do before wandering outside, trembling, to wait for a bus ride to get home. … Vanessa came home to find her roommate on the couch. She’d only been out for a few hours, and hadn’t expected Nicole home until well after five, which told her a few things. She’d been sent home, or she’d left early, or she’d been fired. Either way, Nicole was having a bad day. “You okay?” Vanessa asked, walking over to sit by her friend. “They know,” Nicole said. Vanessa swallowed, though she could guess. “Who?” Nicole wiped her nose, and just like that morning, didn’t seem aware of the mess she was making of herself. “Everyone. Heck, they know more than I do–I…I…I made poo–” Catching herself, she focused on her words, trying to phrase things in a dignified way. “I used my diaper for number two, and I didn’t even notice. For hours. I had lunch in the break room around everyone.” “Oh…” Vanessa said, reaching down to give Nicole’s hand a squeeze. “Hey, Nicole. Come here, it’s okay, I’m here, I can...” She felt wetness. Glancing down, she saw that Nicole’s jeans had identical crescent-shaped wet stains on them, as well as a few trickles that ran deeply down the denim. Nicole’s gaze followed V’s, and when she saw the leaks, her eyes went huge. “Oh no–” Nicole leapt to her feet, reaching down, struggling with the button. It was as though if she got the pants off, it would somehow reset time and prevent the leak from having ever happened. In her panic and uncertainty, though, the button wouldn’t budge. She fumbled, fingers slipping over it, growing more and more desperate by the second. “Nicole, shhh,” Vanessa said, standing and reaching to touch Nicole’s hand again. “Please, let me help?” Nicole sniffed, but nodded, pulling her hands away. Vanessa undid the button, pulled the zip, and slipped Nicole’s jeans away, revealing the diaper beneath. She’d expected to see something sodden and soaked, but in fact it was pretty dry–the shapes on the front had distorted a little, but weren’t faded. The leak hadn’t come from overuse, but from bad application–the tapes on one side were all crooked, and on the other, one hadn’t been stuck down at all. “Nicole,” Vanessa said, quietly. “You put this on all wrong, it’s not going to help like this.” Sniffling, her tears threatening to turn into a full sob, Nicole said, “I know. I know, and I can’t…” “Do you want me to help you?” Vanessa asked, squeezing her friend’s hand. Nicole nodded. Pulling her hand, Vanessa led her friend to the nursery. She didn’t try to speed things along, only offering gentle guidance and support. She didn’t want to make this feel weird, or condescending–she was just offering comfort to a friend. Sliding her hands under Nicole’s armpits, Vanessa gave her friend a boost and got her up onto the changing table, where she laid back, making her diaper accessible. “I think we can still use this diaper,” Vanessa said. “It’s barely damp.” Nicole nodded, while Vanessa undid the tapes, looking for what she suspected to find. Sure enough–Nicole’s bottom was dirty. Not filthy from an accident, but she looked like she hadn’t really wiped up during her last change, she was in desperate need of a good cleaning. So, Nicole took wipes from the warmer and got to work. She started on the upper thighs, gently working her way down, doing her best so that her sweet friend wouldn’t get a rash or just feel gross down there. Nicole crossed her arms over her chest, cheeks puffed out in resigned embarrassment. Noticing a bit of redness, Vanessa paused. “Hey, Nic? It looks like you’re starting to get a rash. Is it OK if I put some cream on you to help with that?” Hesitating, Nicole thought about it, seemingly reassured by Vanessa’s simple question. She’d asked, because no matter what was happening to her, Nicole still deserved to be in charge of her body. “Yes…yes, pwease,” she mumbled, nodding. Vanessa smiled, reaching for the cream. “Of course.” She rubbed it in tenderly, and finished it off with a sprinkle of baby powder to keep everything dry and irritation-free. “Thanks, V,” Nicole said, slowly, forming her words carefully. “I’m so glad you’re here.” “Me too,” Vanessa said, taping the diaper back up. “Me too.” ... Support the author, if you want to, even though I post most of my work for free! https://www.patreon.com/PeculiarChangeling https://subscribestar.adult/peculiarchangeling

Fifty-Seven My uncaged climax had delivered hits of oxytocin and dopamine stronger than any buzz Mommy’s edible was capable of. And for a while after, I suspected that my little trip had reached its end. But as I felt Mommy stuffing my shrunken dick back into the cage so she could lock it shut again, the room still seemed to shift around us in unnatural ways. While the post-climax bliss began to fade, the cannabis began to rear its head again. “You didn’t poop on my bed,” she said. It sounded like she was proud of me, but I wasn’t entirely sure. “All pooped out,” I muttered. “That was quite a load earlier,” she said. “I’d be concerned if you had anything left in you.” She rolled herself off of the side of the bed and opened one of the bedroom’s many doors, vanishing within the dark walk-in closet for a moment before returning with a cardboard box. “I keep a box of baby supplies in almost all the rooms of the house,” she said. “Experience has taught me that you should never be too far from a fresh diaper.” I believed that. Surely, I wasn’t the first big baby to step into her home. “I really ought to have a nursery,” she continued. “I certainly have the space for one.” “Maybe you just don’t have babies staying over enough,” I offered. “That’s a good point. I suppose I’d have a need for one if I had a baby living with me full-time.” She wasn’t looking at me when she said it, though I could just about hear the implied wink. It made my heart race a little. Was she actually hinting at the possibility of inviting me to stay here? I couldn’t process a request like that–not now. I kept my mouth shut and hoped we’d move on to another conversation. And that seemed to work. “I wasn’t kidding about the baby food,” she said, unfolding a new diaper to slide under me. “I have plenty in the kitchen, just waiting for a hungry mouth.” I nodded, willing to accept that as my dinner if that's what she wanted. “But I would need to get dinner for myself–and I’m certainly not going to cook for myself. Do you like sushi, Baby?” “Yes, Mommy.” “Perhaps I’ll feed you some with chopsticks.” “Please?” That sounded much better than baby food to me. She dusted me with powder before wrapping me up in the diaper. In just a moment, it was like the last little while hadn’t actually happened. I was already struggling to remember what it felt like to hold my hard cock in my hand, or to move around without a diaper on me. “Do you remember how to get to the living room?” she asked. “No,” I said, shaking my head. “Not a clue.” “As helpless as a toddler,” she smirked. “Alright then. Can you wait here for me, then? I’m going to freshen myself up and then I’ll take you downstairs.” “Yes, Mommy.” “Good boy,” she said, picking up the box and walking towards a different door than the one she used to get the box from initially. Opening the door, I could see that it was another bathroom–which she entered while holding the box, closing the door behind her. I did wonder, for just a moment, why she was carrying the box with her into the bathroom. If it had been in a closet before, why not take it back there? Why not just leave it in the bedroom? But I was quickly distracted by the plump diaper between my legs. It hadn’t been that long since my last diaper, and yet I still found myself missing that familiar smoosh and crinkle. Even the cage’s presence felt ‘right’ to me. This was the norm. Somewhere, on far-off neurons, were the worries and anxieties of the rest of the weekend. My mother. Megan. As tempting as it was to let those stressors into the moment, I felt fortified by Mommy’s home. They were kept at bay for as long as I was here. Maybe I would just stay here forever. Mommy’s bathroom door opened, and my hands immediately shot to my sides as I pretended like I wasn’t just rubbing my diaper. With the bright lights of the bathroom behind her, I couldn’t quite focus on her body until she closed the door again. It was then that I could see she was wearing only a diaper. “It’s been a while,” she said, sauntering towards me as her thick padding rustled between her legs. “Y-you could’ve put that on out here,” I said. “I could’ve helped.” She laughed, sidling up to me and kissing my cheek. “I suppose I could have, Baby. I was feeling a little self-conscious about my self-diapering abilities though. And while I could’ve used the help, I’m not sure I could’ve trusted another baby for the job.” “Well…you’re a baby now.” “Touche,” she says. “What do you think? Want to crawl to my living room with me?” I laughed, my head bobbing like a maniac. “I’d love that.” She dropped to the ground on her hands and knees and immediately began her awkward lunges forward towards the door. I followed suit, trying to stay close enough behind her that her beautifully diapered bottom took up most of my field of vision. “Wow,” she said. “Things do actually look a little different from down here.” “I like it like this,” I said. “The perspective does a lot to get me in the right headspace.” It was strange–it wasn’t the sort of thing I was likely to tell her when she wasn’t wearing a diaper. It’s not that it was a secret of any sort. It was just a detail that I didn’t think Mommy needed to know. So long as I was in that headspace, it probably didn’t matter to her how I got there. “Such a wise and practiced baby,” she said, making my cheeks blush. I continued to watch her diaper sway back and forth as she crawled ahead. I just wanted to see it change somehow. I wanted to see a wet spot develop at the bottom of it. I wanted to see her push and cause the back of it to expand out before sagging. Of course, that was probably way too much to ask–and it was enough that I just got to see this. “Hmm,” she hummed. “Have you ever crawled down stairs before?” “No, I don’t think so. Maybe if you go…backwards?” “Ah,” she said, already spinning herself around just before the top step. “See? Such an expert on all things baby.” One step at a time, we slowly piloted ourselves backwards, still on our hands and knees. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be–I suspected I must’ve had some sort of experience with this as a toddler that my body just never forgot. By the time we got to the bottom, though, Mommy was back on her feet–an arm reaching behind her back as she straightened out. “Okay, that’s enough crawling for me,” she said. “Either Mommy is getting older, or Mommy needs to start going to the gym more regularly. But you–you should still crawl.” I had already planned on it. My eyes remained fixated on her padded bottom as she strutted along in front of me. I was curious as to how much effort she had to put into her waddle-less stride–she made it look simple. “Are you looking at my bum?” she asked. “M-maybe.” “Good. Does Mommy look cute in a diaper?” “Yes, Mommy. Very.” “Cuter than you?” “Probably.” “Don’t be ridiculous,” she scoffed. “You are a natural baby.” We walked, and crawled, right through the room I would’ve considered to be the living room. A spacious room with a lot of windows and what looked to be some very expensive pieces of furniture. Sofas and loveseats with curves upon curves. More art on the wall–ranging from stunning photography to more abstract pieces to elaborate wood carvings. I wanted to ask about every single thing that I saw–I wanted to know where it came from, who made it, and why she chose to put it in her home. But we left the room as quickly as we entered, moving forward down a hall and then down some steps. A basement? Once more, I spun myself around, carefully crawling backwards one step at a time. To my delight, Mommy was at my side for every step, her hand lightly perched on my back to help steady me should I need it. “Admittedly, this is where I spend most of my time if I’m at home at all,” she said once we reached the bottom. “Well, besides my bed.” She helped me to my feet, and I took a look around. The space was bigger than my entire apartment. The bulk of the basement seemed split between a well-stocked bar and a large TV with a large sectional couch. There was some exercise equipment off to the side, and some additional doors–utilities and storage, I assumed. Of the rooms I had seen in her house thus far, this room seemed like the most ‘lived-in’ to me–it lacked the pristineness of the other spaces. Sure, it was pretty damn clean. But there were signs of life here. Stacks of mail. A basket of laundry in the corner, half folded. Some takeout menus sitting atop the bar’s counter. It made the rest of her vast home seem like a facade, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was an allegory for Mommy as a person. Hidden behind her power and wealth was just a normal human like me, with wants and anxieties. And seeing her walk around this space in just a diaper now, she never seemed more normal to me. “Make yourself comfortable,” she said. “Fill your diaper if you have to.” “A-are you going to…?” She laughed. “No, you probably won’t catch me dropping a Clark-sized load into the back of my pants.” Clark-sized. She certainly had a knack for the jests. She took a seat on the sectional, patting the seat next to her. I quickly appeared at her side, curling up next to her, trying to position myself so that I could feel as much of her skin as possible pressed against mine. She was warm. Soft. And when she put her arm around me to pull me in closer, I was hard pressed to think of a time I had felt as safe and secure. “We don’t have to talk about the stresses of tomorrow,” she said. “But what’s after that? Are you doing anything else this weekend?” I laughed–one of those ‘if I didn’t laugh, I’d cry’ sort of laughs. Maybe I wasn’t ready to share everything about Ava and I yet, but I felt I could tell Mommy about my plans with Megan. “Yeah, actually. I’m meeting with, uhm, Megan on Sunday.” “Megan?” asked Mommy, eyebrows raised. I could’ve sworn this was the same reaction I had gotten from Lyndie. “Megan…from work?” I nodded. “Well that’s interesting. How on Earth did that happen?” “I just…talked to her. She needed a friend.” There was a lot more to the story than that, of course. I was choosing to leave out the part about how I was temporarily trading in my boyish identity for intel about Thomas Pritchard, though maybe those would be details I’d share later–assuming I was able to come through and help save the day. “And exactly what are you two going to do together? Braid each other’s hair and put makeup on each other?” “Uhm, well…” She laughed, her head rolling back to really belt it out. “Clarky! Are you going to let Megan give you a makeover?” “I don’t know what she wants to do,” I shrugged. “Should I have been buying you more feminine clothing, Clarky?” “N-no.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to be a girl. I mean…if it would make her happy, I guess I’ll humor her or something.” Mommy’s head tilted and she stroked her chin while considering something. “I do believe I have some very cute outfits I bought for Hillary once upon a time. With a little altering, I could probably make those work.” “I’m, uhm, quite happy being a boy, thank you very much.” “Are you sure? With your near-useless pee-pee? Imagine how cute that’d look under a little dress.” “Quite sure.” “Fine, fine,” she shrugged, making a big production out of her decision to back off. “But you know you could tell me if you wanted such a thing, right?” “I do.” I meant that. At this point, I’d have trusted her with anything. Really, it was just a matter of what I wanted to share with her. Mommy checked something on her phone. “Food should be here soon. I imagine they’ll just deliver it on the porch. Unless you want to go outside and receive it for us?” It’s a joke, I was sure. Just another one of her patented Mommy-teases that accelerates my heart and flusters me a bit. But I was feeling good. The night so far had been treating me well and–tucked under Mommy’s arm–I’m feeling invincible. “I would do that.” She laughed and massaged my shoulder with her hand. “I wasn’t actually asking you to do that.” “B-but, I would,” I replied, head nodding. Some men held the door open for their beloved–and I was offering to greet a delivery driver in just a diaper. “It’s very sweet of you,” she said. “But I have neighbors. And I’m already uninterested in talking to Mr. Fleischman from across the street. Even less interested in talking to him about why a young man in a diaper was out on my porch.” “That’s fair.” “But if you have a need for public humiliation, Baby, I’m always willing to lend a hand.” If I knew what was good for me, I’d laugh it off and just let the moment pass. But there was a part of me–the part mostly operated by the devil on my shoulder–who refused to let this conversation end. “I’d like that.” “What do you have in mind, Baby?” “I…I dunno. I just…sometimes I really like the feeling of being humiliated.” “This isn’t news to me, of course.” I laughed and shrugged. Well, this is me now. The monster you created. “Perhaps I could be doing even more to try and satiate that hunger of yours?” “Only if you wanted to…” “Oh, but Baby, you know I want to. I had this idea the other morning–the epitome of a ‘shower thought’ if there ever was one–and I’ve been wondering if I’d share it with you or not. But I think I ought to now.” “Yes, Mommy. You really should.” “It’s not all that complex. I’d simply text you at some random moment and tell you that I need you to fill your diaper. And then, you’d have a little bit of time to make that happen and send proof back to me.” “That doesn’t sound all that different from what you normally ask me to do…” “Ah, but see, the kicker is that you don’t know when I’m going to make this request. At its most effective, it’d be outside of work hours. Maybe you’re with your friends. Or at a bar. Maybe you’re shopping for a new pair of shoes. Maybe you’re with…your mother.” “N-no…” My heart practically exploded in my chest at that moment. “You wouldn’t.” “I wouldn’t,” she answered, her voice full of cruel glee. “But I could. And that’s the fun of it.” “And…you said I had a limited amount of time to use my diaper?” “That’s right.” “And what if I didn’t do it in time? Or chose not to?” She shrugged. “Consequences. There’d have to be some, yes? Or else there wouldn’t be any point.” Consequences. The word simultaneously thrilled and terrified me. “What sort of consequences?” “I’m not entirely sure yet. Like…well, I have these photos of you that I took tonight, right? Pictures of a very dirty little baby. And I imagine that I could get you to do quite a bit for me if it meant that I kept those pictures to myself.” I imagined that would get some cooperation from me. Though… “I’m not sure who you’d threaten to send them too. Doesn’t everyone already know that I’m in diapers?” “This is true. But I think there’s a big difference between some people knowing you wear diapers and them seeing evidence of what you actually do in a diaper.” “Yeah…maybe.” “There’s only one way to find out,” she shrugged. I felt I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear her say it. “Hmm?” “At some point in the future, I’ll reach out to you. I’ll tell you that I need you to fill your diaper for me, and that I need it to happen in a certain amount of time. And then I’ll spell out what I plan on doing if you aren’t able to complete my request. And, in that moment, I’ll let you decide for yourself if it’s worth complying for.” Thrills. Terror. Maybe I would luck out. Mommy would reach out to me while I was in the bedroom of my apartment and it’d be easier to just push a load into my diaper just because I would’ve wanted to anyway. Or, perhaps, I’d be out and about. Maybe I’d be out with Ava. “I’m sorry, Ava. Excuse me for a moment while I do something in my diaper real quick. Yes, I know we’re out getting dinner together, but you know how Mommy is.” Still: “I’m in.” “Very good,” she said. “Just…promise that you won’t do that while I’m with my mother tomorrow?” She laughed. “As amusing as that would be, I’ll honor that request.” “Thank you.” “Speaking of…” I took in a long, slow, breath as I ran my hand through my hair. I was hoping to get through the night without talking about brunch. But, the cat seemed out of the bag now. “Are you ready to see your mother?” “I’m ready for tomorrow to be over,” I nodded. “Oh,” she laughed. “It won’t be that bad.” I was pretty sure that was the moment she jinxed it. If things did go awry, I’d know what to blame it on.

Heck, that would have been a good idea Nicole: Takes her door down The next day: The chart is stuck to the wall 🤭 Happy to oblige! Day 4 Nicole knew better than to hope that the chart would stay gone. When she woke up, her diaper–(No, it’s not my diaper, it’s just a diaper)–was well used and swollen. She waddled to her door, anxious about what she might find, and her heart sank. The chart had returned, and the rainclouds now marked out both night and daytime. The doodle in the final column this time showed a stack of diapers lined up neatly inside a dresser–in her dresser. She had to get to work, though, so she gathered up work clothes, ripped the tapes off her sodden diaper, and went to take a shower. She washed, dressed for the workday, and put one of Vanessa’s pads for protection. When she got done, she found V in the hall, inspecting the chart. “This doesn’t look good,” Vanessa said, glancing up at her. “Are you sure you want to go to work like that?” “What do you mean?” Nicole asked, frowning. “I’m using a pad.” “Sure, but…that’s not meant to hold back the flood gates, if you get my meaning,” Vanessa replied. “I hate to suggest this, but…do you think you should wear one of your diapers?” Nicole glowered and shook her head. “No, no way. It hasn’t gotten that bad.” V blushed, glancing away. “Um.” “What?” Nicole demanded. “You’re–” Vanessa said. “You’re leaking.” Looking down, Nicole’s eyes widened as she saw the truth–urine was running down her jeans, away from the overwhelmed pad. Quickly, she stepped back into the bathroom, rushing to get at least some of it into the toilet, but all she could really manage was sitting down on the toilet seat and flooding her jeans the rest of the way from there. Humiliated, but unwilling to admit defeat, she stripped out of the wet jeans and went to get a fresh pair. “I’m not wearing a diaper to work,” she told V, bending to go through her dresser to find new panties. “I’m just not.” … Nicole didn’t have any more major leak-throughs, but only due to sheer discipline and persistence. Every thirty minutes or so, she took a break to hit the bathroom, emptying what little was in her bladder–though, even with such consistent stops, she still had to replace a pad almost every time. Deep in her heart, she knew this wasn’t sustainable, but the alternative seemed worse. The diapers that’d appeared in her dresser were absurd; bulky pillowy things that’d render all her jeans unwearable for all the poof. She’d make the pads work, no matter how inconvenient the constant restroom trips were. That is, until The Meeting. She had to hustle into the conference room late, blushing as she gave a mumbled, “Bathroom,” as her excuse for missing the opening minute or so of her boss’s presentation. She didn’t feel any pressure in her bladder building, which was the worst part. There was no warning, no indicator of when she might have another accident, just an apprehension of trickling liquid overwhelming the pad in her panties. She watched the clock on the wall–twenty minutes passed, then twenty five, then thirty. (They know I just went,) she thought, anxiously weighing her options. (If I get up to use the bathroom now, they’ll wonder what I ‘really’ needed to go for.) More minutes slipped past, and her fear built, knowing she’d leak through any minute. She couldn’t feel a thing, and stealing glances down only told her she hadn’t begun to dribble through her jeans yet. How soon the dam would begin to crack, though, she couldn’t say. The meeting lasted fifty minutes. It would have been barely an inconvenience to her last week, but with her new potty control it felt like a miracle. Relieved, she waited until the conference room was almost empty–just in case–then stood. Sag. The sensation of her underwear weighing down inside her jeans didn’t feel right, and she looked down, puzzled. She could see her jeans straining, slightly, puffed up. (Did the pad really absorb that much?) she thought, scurrying off to the bathroom. Entering one of the two stalls in the women’s room, she locked it, set her purse on the toilet tank, double checked the lock, and finally slipped down her jeans. The answer she got wasn’t the one she wanted; her pad hadn’t absorbed anything at all. Rather, it’d vanished along with her panties, replaced with a puffy, pink, baby-print diaper. It was worse than if she’d worn one from home–at least the diapers at home had been plain white, medical looking. These were downright cute, or at least they would be if the teddy bears and building blocks hadn’t made her blush from head to toe and send a shock of mortification through her. She couldn’t be seen in this, but she had no real way to cover it up. She had, at least, thought to bring spare panties, along with her extra stack of pads. Opening up her purse… “No,” she whispered. “No, no, no–” Her panties were gone, and her pads. She found only a diaper and a tube of baby powder. All she found aside from those two objects was an implied message. (I don’t get to wear panties anymore.) There was no getting around it, no fighting the magic or curse or whatever that had done this to her. She could go out and buy panties, maybe, but in her gut she doubted that would work. Her choices were diapers, or ruined jeans, and she’d already flooded her current diaper to capacity. Triple checking the lock, she undid the tapes on her diaper and got to work changing herself. She’d just have to hope that the one fresh diaper she’d been given would last the rest of the day…and that nobody in the office would guess that the diaper buried deep in the restroom trash can came from her. ... Things aren't looking good for our poor baby-to-be, but maybe she can get out of this with a little dignity intact! Want to help support the creation of more stories like this one? https://www.patreon.com/PeculiarChangeling https://subscribestar.adult/peculiarchangeling

"Are you in here, honey?" I called as I opened the door to our hotel room. I had a fight with my new bride a couple hours ago while we were supposed to be enjoying the beach. She said she needed some time to herself in order to cool off, and left me alone on the beach. After that, I realized I had been acting like an ass, and so I sat on the beach for a couple hours trying to give her the space she said she needed. I was hoping she would be in here, but from the empty room it seemed like she was still out cooling off. So, I sat on the patio of our hotel room, watching the waves come in and out, and waited for her to return. Half an hour later, I heard the electronic clicking of the hotel room door unlocking and opening, so I headed back inside. My wife had evidently used shopping as her method for calming down, because her arms were laden with several big sacks laden with items. "I'm sorry dear," I said. "I've been acting like an ass this entire time. I was upset that they switched our room from a king size to two double beds, and then forgetting to put our order in at breakfast this morning, and all of that has been stressing me out because I just want us to have a good time. But I have been taking my frustration out on you and I am sorry for doing that." "Well thank you baby. I really appreciate that apology." My newly wedded wife said in her normal sing-song tone, rather than the angered tone of voice she used whenever she was mad. "I know you just want us to have a good time. Yes, the double beds sucked, but I think they are actually going to work out for us." "Oh, why is that," I asked surprised. She was so upset when the concierge told us that she had been ready to book another resort. "Well, I realized that this is my fault. I've been letting you pretend to be the big strong man in control at our wedding, and now on the honeymoon, but all that responsibility has been frustrating you. So now you're at your limit and starting to throw temper tantrums. I never should have let you be anything other than my little diaper boy," she said. Then, she opened one of her shopping bags and pulled out a large package of adult diapers. This was followed by diaper rash cream, baby powder, baby wipes, a couple jars of baby food, suppositories, and two baby bottles. "So, here is what is going to happen. I am going to spank you for throwing temper tantrums. Then, you are going into a diaper, and then your face is going into a corner to think about what you've done. After that, I am going to feed you this baby food for lunch. Then we can continue on with the rest of our honeymoon. Understood?" She asked. I stared at her, a bit in shock. My wife had never been against my abdl fetishes, but she had also never been the instigator of anything. Let alone giving me a punishment for my behavior outside of a roleplay scene. Apparently though I was silent for too long, because she walked over to me and started pinching my ear. Pulling me down to look her in the face, she asked again, "is that clear little diaper boy?" "Yes mommy," I responded. "Good. Arms up, legs apart then so I can get those clothes off you." My wife ordered. I adopted a pose similar to the one you have to make when going through the TSA security screening. My wife then stripped me naked in a business-like, efficient manner. Then, before I could react she took me by the arm and had me pinned against her lap on the bed. Her hairbrush then began delivering sharp, stinging swats up and down my legs, but most were focused on my bare ass. Soon I was squirming and twisting across my wife's lap, trying to avoid as many direct hits as I could. I have no idea how long the spanking actually lasted, or how many hits I took. I was exhausted though when my wife was finally finished. I tried to get off her lap when no blows had landed for a minute, but she held me tight, saying "what do you say little baby?" "Thank you for my spanking mommy," I said, wanting to get up and rub my stinging cheeks. "You're welcome baby," my wife said. She released me from her lap, but I didn't have long to soothe my stinging cheeks. It only took a minute for her to pull a diaper out of the package and have it spread out on the bed. After that, I was laying down on top of the diaper, holding my legs up in the air while diaper rash cream was spread all over my bum and my crotch was liberally coated with baby powder. I also felt a finger penetrate my sphincter as a suppository was none too gently inserted inside of me. Once my mommy/wife felt that I was properly prepared, the diaper was taped tightly around me. The thick padding rubbed and touched every inch of my red and sore bottom, adding to the discomfort of the spanking. Washing her hands clean of powder and cream, my wife took me out onto the patio of our hotel room. It was secluded enough that no one was likely to see me in nothing but a diaper, but the prospect still existed making me feel uncomfortable. Mommy took a coin out from her purse, and put it on the wall at waist height. She held it there with her finger, until I got down to hold it with my nose. The coin was at an awkward height. It was too high for me to hold it against the wall while on my knees. This meant I had to hold an awkward, hunched squat to keep the coin against the wall. Once my nose was securely holding the coin against the wall, mommy took the shirt that I had been wearing, and covered my eyes with it. My hands were then tied behind my back with the rope we had brought to have some kinky sex on our honeymoon. Until now, it had remained in the suitcase. "Alright honey," My wife said. "I am going to go get some lunch. You are going to keep that coin against the wall until I return, unless you want a maintenance spanking every morning and evening. Is that understood?" "Yesss Mommmmmy," I said, strained from worrying about losing the coin. Without another word, I heard the sliding glass door close and lock behind me, leaving me to endure my punishment alone. I had no concept of time, as I squatted there, concentrating on holding the coin to the wall. After what I would guess was around five minutes, I started feeling the strain of my position on my legs. After five more minutes, I felt the rumbling of the suppository, working within my bowels. After another five minutes, my bowels were ready to release. I tried holding it, but already in a squat and overwhelmed with the fatigue in my legs and effort of keeping the coin on the wall, I only made a feeble attempt. Soon the hot, soft mush was erupting out of my bowels and into the seat of my potty pants. My ass was tender from my spanking, so I could feel the gross mush as it spread around my diaper. The contact against my bruising bottom also made the welts sting more. At this point, my emotions overcame me, and I began crying like the baby I was. I was so overwhelmed the only thing I could think to do was keep my face pressed against the wall, holding the coin up while tears streamed into my blindfold and I sobbed uncontrollably. That's how my mommy found me. I had been crying like that for what felt like a while when she found me. Without saying anything, she gently pulled me away from the wall, and onto my butt, spreading the mush all around my tush as I put pressure on my diaper. This truly spread it everywhere. I felt dirty, gross, embarrassed, tired, and in pain, and my crying intensified. I imagine I truly looked like a toddler. My wife/mommy pulled a chair up next to me, and tenderly cradled me against her legs, gently patting my back and telling me to let it all out. We stayed like that for a while, until I had calmed down. "Are you ready for your lunch now baby?" My wife asked me. "Yes, mmmommy," I said, still sniffling a little. I heard two pops as she opened the cans of baby food she had purchased with my diapers. Still blind folded, I was unable to see what mommy was feeding me. When I felt a spoon press against my lips though, I obediently opened my mouth for her to shovel a spoonful of baby food into me. I tried to swallow it as quickly as possible to avoid tasting it, but thankfully, Mommy was taking mercy on me in this portion of my punishment. She was feeding me peaches, and a berry puree. I swallowed all the baby food, and drank a baby bottle of water, but after wetting my diaper Infound I was still hungry. My stomach even rumbled. At this, mommy said, "awe, my little man's cry must have taken a lot out of energy for him to be this hungry. Would you like some more lunch diaper boy?" "Yes mommy," I said meekly, humbled by my punishment and current state. "Open wide baby," Mommy said before feeding me a waffle fry. She must have brought them back from her lunch, because she had a lot of them to feed me. After the fries, and a second baby bottle of water, I was stuffed. Embarrassingly, some gentle patting from my mommy against my back even forced a burp out of me. She then untied my arms and removed my blindfold, but didn't let me get up off the ground just yet. "Ok baby, before we get you showered, we need to go over the ground rules for the rest of our trip." Mommy said. "I am not going to order you into diapers. You have to ask for them yourself. These diapers are only coming back home with us one way, and that is wrapped around your waist. So unless you want to be waddling around the airport in a diaper so thick your pants won't fit around, you are going to have to ask me to put you in one any time we are not at the beach. Also, we are not wasting any of these diapers. That means you are not going to get to take a diaper off unless it has been pooped and peed in. The rest of the suppositories are to help you with this. If you think that going to the beach means you will get changed out of a diaper that's only been peed in, think twice. Once your trunks are ready to come off I will tape the wet diaper right back on you. So think carefully about when you want a diaper, when you want a suppository, and how many liquids you are consuming. Is all of that understood?" "Yeth mommy," I replied, mortified at the thought of how much I would be forcing myself to pee and poop my diapers in order to get through them all, and avoid having any used ones taped back on me. With that, Mommy eased me up off the ground and led me to the shower to get me cleaned up. I knew I would be asking my mommy to put me in a fresh diaper as soon as I dried off.

Fifty-Eight I opened my mouth and watched as Mommy expertly guided a piece of sushi towards it with her chopsticks. I could barely figure out how to hold a pair of chopsticks, let alone eat with them. Thankfully, she was taking care of the hard part for me. As promised, my new bib was tied around my neck–a baby-blue number with ‘Clarky’ embroidered on it with yellow thread. “Clarrrrrk.” I was sitting on Mommy’s knees, and she was bouncing me up and down on them in my wet diaper. It shouldn’t have been as stimulating as it was. “Clarrrrrrrrrrk.” My face was squeezed between her thighs, planted against her diaper as she began to wet it. I felt my face warm as the texture of the padding went from fluffy to dense and squishy. “Goddammit, Clark. You gotta wake up.” My eyes slowly opened and I realized that I wasn’t in Mommy’s house. I was in my own bed in my own apartment. Kind of disappointing. Evan was also there, shaking my body. “Hi, yes, I’m awake. Uhm…can I help you?” “You have a visitor,” he said. “Are you kidding me? What time is it? 4 in the morning?” “Well…it’s almost 9.” “Oh,” I replied, nonchalantly shrugging like it wasn’t that big of a deal. But then the facts started coming back to me. It was Saturday morning. I was supposed to be meeting with my mother for brunch. I was supposed to be meeting with my mother for brunch in an hour. “Oh!” “I didn’t want to have to wake you,” Evan said. “But we were worried you hadn’t set an alarm.” I hadn’t. “We?” I asked. And then, rewinding the conversation thus far: “Did you say I have a visitor?” “Lyndie’s here.” “Why?” “You could…just go ask yourself,” he shrugged. “Oh wait…shit.” It was all coming back to me now–the plan to pretend that Lyndie was my girlfriend. Which was part of an even bigger plot to impress my mother involving the reservation at a fancy eatery–courtesy of Mommy. “I’ll tell her you’ll be out in a minute?” “Y-yeah,” I said. “That’s fine.” I wanted to go back to where I just was–a dream that was more of a recap of my night with Mommy. I was so upset that it was over that I was almost angry about it. I wanted to crawl around on her hardwood floor again. I wanted her to feed me on her giant basement couch again. I wanted to…feel myself inside of her again. I sighed and shuffled out of my bedroom door, throwing a half-assed wave in Lyndie’s direction as I plodded my way towards the bathroom. “Is that what you’re wearing to brunch?” she asked. I hadn’t even thought to consider what I was wearing. A beat-up Blade Runner tee and a soggy diaper, apparently. “Give me a few minutes to wake up and get ready,” I huffed. “And then you can start making smart-ass comments.” Lyndie checked the time on her phone. “Well, try and be quick about it, swamp-butt. We still need to actually get to the restaurant.” I was surprisingly unphased about walking around in my soaked diaper while Lyndie and Evan watched. I wasn’t sure if I was just that exhausted, or if I had finally reached that level of comfort with both my diapers and my friends. I hoped that it was the former. “I’m going, I’m going. As fast as I can.” “Do you need help with your diaper? Because I can–” “No,” I interrupted. “I’ll take care of this.” It rarely took me too long to get ready in the morning. When I lived with my mother, it was because she was both my human alarm clock and my head coach–giving me direction from the moment I woke up in an effort to get me to school on time. Later, after I moved out, I had established the less-than-responsible habit of sleeping in a bit too long, and having to flail around at top speed in order to get ready for either college classes or work. Same result–just different executions. I was in overdrive as I brushed my teeth, released the heavy diaper from my body, and leaped into the shower for a quick rinse. Truth be told, I didn’t really want to take a shower. I didn’t want to be dirty, per se, but to take a shower now felt like I’d be rinsing away the vestiges of my night with Mommy. Still, it had to be done–especially because I was meeting my mother. The very last thing I needed was to have caught a whiff of baby powder on me. I doubted she’d jump to the conclusion that I wore diapers, but I had no doubt that she’d have a question or two about it. Out of the shower, I wrapped my bottom half up in a towel and made a quick sprint back to my bedroom, having to cut through the area where Evan and Lyndie were chatting and laughing with each other. It still made me a little uncomfortable to see how well they hit it off. I was glad they were friends, of course, I just had a feeling that 90% of their giggling was about me. I had been hoping to be out of chastity for today, but there wasn’t much to be done about that now. If nothing else, I’d be going sans diaper–a proposition that scared me a little. I didn’t think I was prone to having an actual accident, but I did wonder if I’d just feel more comfortable in a diaper. I could use all the comfort I could get. But no. No way. My mother would hone in on a padded bottom immediately, I was sure of it. We wouldn’t get past the restaurant’s front door without her asking–loud enough so that the whole city could hear it–why I was wearing a diaper. It had been a while since I’d worn boxer-briefs though. Even longer since I had worn any. Pulling them into place, I found that they just felt…wrong. They were too tight. There was too much clearance between my legs. I wondered how I wore those every day for years and years. Goddamn, I really am a baby now, aren’t I? From the other side of my bedroom door, I heard Lyndie’s voice: “What are you wearing today?” I had some clothes set aside for this morning. I was tempted to call them the best clothes I owned, though that was probably pretty subjective. I never considered myself to be a fashionista of any sort, and nobody had ever complimented my style. “Well I, uh, was thinking…” “Are you decent?” she asked. “Ah, f**k, what does it matter? I’ve already seen you at your absolute worst.” She just walked into my bedroom. I should’ve been embarrassed, or at least a little frustrated at her failure to respect my privacy. But this was what my life was now. I probably should’ve just left the door open for her in the first place. “Is this it?” she asked, pointing to the clothes laid out on my bed. There was a pair of black slacks and a light blue polo shirt there. “Y-yeah, I think.” She shook her head. “Ugh, no. Open your closet. Show me what we’re working with here.” With blushing cheeks, I trotted over to my closet and slid the door open. As it turned out, I didn’t need a diaper to feel like a baby–I still had someone picking out clothes for me like I wasn’t capable of dressing myself. “Maybe these pants,” she said, taking out a pair of dark brown chinos. She then grabbed a cream button-down with a pink grid pattern on it and handed that to me as well. “And this shirt. It’s not my favorite, but I think it’s the best we can do with what I have to work with.” “Yeah, alright.” “You’re not going to have an accident, are you?” “No,” I said, shaking my head. “I know how to hold myself. I’ve been doing it far longer than I’ve been in diapers.” “Maybe you should use the bathroom before we go. Just in case?” Spoken like a true mother. Hell, I feel like my mother had said that exact same thing to me countless times when I was a child. I’m never going to grow up, am I? “Fine, fine.” “Why don’t you hurry up and get ready,” she said, hands on her hips. “Then we can get out of here.” I sometimes wondered if Lyndie had transformed more than I had over the last few months. I may have been turned into a needy baby–but I often think that I wasn’t too far from that even before I met Gabrielle Heller. Lyndie, on the other hand, used to be different. She was anti-authority. Punk-ish at times. But now there were moments where she almost out-mommied Mommy herself. And she seemed so damn natural at it. I wondered if she would’ve found this side of herself naturally had I not stumbled into Ms. Heller in the hallway that one fateful Friday afternoon. It wasn’t a bad transformation, I didn’t think. Lyndie did seem happier these days. “What?” she asked. “Why are you staring at me like that?” “Oh…uh, I dunno…” She looked stunning this morning. It wasn’t the sort of thing I could ever say aloud–especially to her–but I don’t think I had ever seen her look that good before. The makeup, the light-blue dress. The way her hair was pulled back. I had no doubt she was going to make a good impression on my mother. “C’mon, Clark. Focus. Get dressed.” “Y-yes, I’m working on it, uh…” I came incredibly close to calling her ‘Mommy.’ I didn’t necessarily want her to be my mommy–she just exuded that sort of energy. I got dressed under Lyndie’s watchful eye. I swore I had been in this spot before too–memories came back of my own mother watching to make sure I didn’t put my pants on backwards or my shirt on inside-out. Then, I looked at myself in the mirror. To most, I probably wouldn’t look that different than I normally did. But I could see the difference immediately. More adult. I looked my age for once. I felt my age–and I couldn’t say that I cared for it all that much. “Ready?” she asked. “Let’s do this.” And then we were off. I had never been to, nor heard of, Ferdinand’s before–though it seemed like the rest of the city knew it pretty well. There was a line going out the door of the restaurant and down the block. Just the sight of all those people waiting gave me a burst of anxiety. “But you have a reservation,” Lyndie said, likely noticing the expression on my face. “Right,” I said, nodding. “Thank you.” I needed to hear that. I needed her. I’d have held her hand if we weren’t here to meet… “Clark. Llewellyn. Ashburn.” The names came one at a time, with just enough space between them to give each a dramatic flair. I spun around to find my mother–Annette Leiland-Ashburn herself–standing there with her arms outstretched for a hug. “Llewellyn?” whispered Lyndie. “Can we talk about that later?” My mother wasn’t the most imposing figure. A smidge or two over five feet tall, with just a little bit of roundness to her. Her hair–once blonde, then gray, and now a warm brunette–looked strangely inviting. I had always noted how she made a terrific first impression on people–perhaps because she looked like the kind of mother who coddled you with kindness. And after not seeing her in a while, I was falling under that spell myself. Maybe I was just overreacting. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her as she embraced me in return. “Clark, you look great,” she said. “Thank you, Mother. You do too.” “Except this shirt,” she said, pulling back from our hug to get a better look at it. “I don’t like this color on you. It washes out your skin.” I glanced back to Lyndie who just chuckled and shrugged. “Who is this?” my mother asked, jabbing her chin towards Lyndie. “Well, Mother, this is Lyndie. She’s, uhm, my…” I don’t know why the word was so hard to get out. Maybe I just wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was to lie to my mother. “Good morning, Ms. Ashburn. My name is Lyndie, and I’m Clark’s girlfriend.” “Girlfriend?” my mother asked, looking back at me. “You didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend.” “Well…we haven’t spoken in a while. There’s a lot about me that you don’t know.” Like that I wear diapers and get them changed by my boss. “Come here,” my mother said to Lyndie. And when she did, my mother gave her a big tight hug as well. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Linda. I do hope you’re taking good care of my Clark.” “Lyndie, actually,” she corrected. “And I would say that I’ve been taking very good care of him, yes.” “Well,” my mother said, “you two are going to have to tell me everything. Assuming we can even get into this place. Look at that line.” “Actually, I, uhm, have a reservation,” I said. “Come on, follow me.” With the most confident strut I could muster, I led the two women into the restaurant and I approached the host’s podium. I could already see the disdain in the host’s eyes–a look of ‘whoever you are, you probably belong in line with everyone else.’ “Good morning, sir,” he said. “The current wait time for a table is approximately two hours. We stop serving brunch in three hours. You’re welcome to join the line outside, however…” “Actually, I have a reservation.” “Reservation? Sir, we don’t really do reservations for brunch. It tends to be first come, first serve.” That was strange. Mommy has assured me that we were good to go here. I pushed a little more: “Well, I was told that I’d have a table here at 10:00 AM. The reservation would’ve been made by Gabrielle Heller.” “Hmm,” the host said, some recognition in his eyes upon hearing the name. “Let me, er, check something here real quick.” He quickly checked some notes on the podium. “Ah, right. I do see here that she made some arrangements for this morning. You must be…” “Clark Ashburn.” “Very well,” he said with a begrudging nod. He looked annoyed that he couldn’t just cast me out like he thought he could. “Why don’t you and your party follow me this way, then.” I sighed in relief and waved Lyndie and my mother forward to follow us. I hadn’t realized that they had already started a conversation of their own. “...and so then the wedding DJ briefly stops the music and points to little Baby Clark, who has crawled out onto the area where everyone is dancing,” my mother was saying. “And he says ‘Would someone please come collect your baby? He’s stinking up the dance floor!” We’ve been with my mother for a total of five minutes and she had already told the infamous ‘wedding story.’ I feel my cheeks warm as I watch Lyndie laugh and shake her head. “Mother…I really wish you’d stop telling that story.” “Oh, come on, Clark,” Lyndie said. “It’s funny!” “I like her,” Mother said. Yeah, she would, wouldn’t she? I was surprised to see that the host was leading us up some steps. I wondered if he was bringing us to some forgotten corner of the restaurant. A supply closet, maybe, or the roof. ‘Here. You want a reservation? Enjoy eating brunch in the women’s restroom.’ But no. He instead took us to a nice table on the balcony overlooking the rest of the restaurant. A brief scan of the entire establishment suggested that this might be the nicest seat in the entire place. I owed Mommy a big ‘thank you’ later. She was welcome to park her bottom on my face for an entire day. The wave of discomfort originating from my caged cock suggested that I shouldn’t think about that sort of stuff now. We took our seats and were handed some menus. Water and coffee poured. But once we were left to our own devices, it seemed my mother and Lyndie weren’t ready to just start reading a menu yet. “So,” my mother said. “This is all rather impressive. Clark, how did you manage this?” “Well, you know, my, uh, job has some perks and…” “Job? Clark, what about college? Last I heard you were about to start some sort of internship.” “Well, it was an internship,” I said. “Though the management thought I was doing so well that they promoted me. I now work directly under the CEO.” I couldn’t help but think of my face, being underneath Ms. Heller’s ass again. “I think this job still, uhm, technically counts as my internship. So I’m still racking up hours to meet my goal for that.” I made a note to myself to check in with my school about that–it had been a while since I had made any sort of contact with the university. I did know there was an increasing number of unread emails in my inbox from my academic advisor, among other university representatives, that I told myself I’d read ‘later.’ “Is that so?” my mother asked, eyes wide. “The CEO? What sort of work are you doing?” Lyndie chortled behind her hand. “Well, uh, I’m considered her assistant…” “Her? Very progressive, Clark. She’s nice to you, I hope?” “Uhm, yes. Very much so.” “Good,” Mother said with a firm nod. “Because if she ever gives you a hard time, you let me know and I’ll give her a good talking-to.” That was the last thing I wanted. Nothing made me more uncomfortable than the idea of Ms. Heller and my mother being in the same place at the same time. Lyndie smiled and spoke up: “I assure you, Ms. Ashburn. Clark is in good hands.” “Annette, please,” Mother said to her. “And you know his employer as well?” “Actually, we work together,” said Lyndie. “It’s how we met.” “Ah, isn’t that a delight. You know, Clark, that’s how I met your father–in the workplace.” Yes, I knew that. I had heard variations of that story too for the last 20 years. “Clark, you’ve never talked about your father before,” Lyndie said. “That’s because he’s dead,” my mother said, as bluntly as she could. “Oh…wow, I’m really sorry I asked.” My mother shrugged. “We crossed that bridge a long time ago, right Clark?” “I suppose…” “Now, young lady,” my mother said to Lyndie, ping-ponging from one conversation into another. “Tell me more about yourself.” Lyndie smiled, seeming to be in her element. She had once told me that mothers loved her. I was skeptical–but I was seeing it for myself now. Enlisting Lyndie in this scam might have been one of my best decisions. “Well, I also work with the executive team for our company. Mostly taking on, you know, special projects and such.” “Sure, sure,” my mother said. “But you’re probably sick of talking about work. Tell me about you.” “Well, I love to bake,” Lyndie said. “Cakes, pies, cookies… If there’s one thing I love, it’s a hot oven.” Was this true? I don’t think I had ever heard Lyndie talk about baking before. Not once. And I would’ve remembered something like that, as I would’ve then badgered her to sample some of her confections. So either I was learning something new about her myself, or this was just a straight-up lie. Either way, it seemed to be working on my mother who was taking in Lyndie’s words with a big smile on her face. And for a moment, everything seems pretty…good. This is, quite possibly, the best case scenario. As I watch the two women chat, I can’t help but wonder if I had been fretting all this time for no reason. My mother isn’t someone to be afraid of. Hell, she actually seems nice. “...the silicone mats are definitely a game-changer,” Lyndie was saying. “I mean, just the money I’ve saved on parchment paper alone.” “I really should make the switch,” my mother replied. “I suppose I’m just old fashioned like that.” I sighed a little with relief and took a long sip of my coffee. This is going well. Stay calm. Relax. But I knew what I needed to feel truly relaxed–the warm comfort that came from slowly wetting my diaper. That feeling of my padding just absorbing my pee–and all my troubles–and swelling around me. I let my bladder go, ready to feel that familiar warmth of my diaper getting saturated. But… Wait. I wasn’t wearing a diaper. I had intentionally left the house without a diaper. I was just…wetting my pants. I stopped myself before I could completely finish, but it didn’t seem to matter much–damage had already been done. I could feel the dampness in my crotch. I could feel it in my ass, creeping between the seat and my bottom. I could feel it in my thighs and running down my legs. I watched my mother and Lyndie continue to chat, completely oblivious as to what I had done. And I wondered what the odds were that I could just sit here until my pants dried without anyone noticing. How long would that take? Two…three hours? f**k. Fifty-Nine Oh, we had a pretty good laugh about that–all those times we said something like ‘Just don’t do something embarrassing like wet your pants.’ It was the sort of thing that was likely believable, though nobody actually thought it would happen. Well it did. I pissed my pants at the table of the restaurant while brunch began with my mother and Lyndie. I wasn’t even wearing a diaper. Just inches from my mother, I was sitting in a puddle. “So,” my mother said, wrapping up one conversation and seemingly ready to leap into another. “Clark. It’s been a while since we spoke, hmm?” “W-well…yeah, it seems that way.” I was trying very hard to be an active part of the conversation, but my mind was all over the place. How would I get up? Was there any way I could get out of this without my mother seeing my pants? I really needed Lyndie’s help. I wish we had some sort of codeword I could say so that she knew there was an issue. “Rutabaga!” “I’m glad that we’re reconnecting now,” she said, slowly chewing a small pastry from the plate that had been placed in the center of our table. “I hope that I won’t have to wait as long for the next time we get together like this?” “I guess we’ll see,” I said. I intended for it to sound a little sarcastic and playful, but my distracted tone gave it a more ominous edge. “I’ll be the first to admit,” my mother said, talking directly to Lyndie, “I can sometimes be a little…overbearing. But it’s only because I love my son, you know?” “Of course,” Lyndie replied, nodding. “You care about him, you want the best for him.” “Exactly. See, Clark? Linda gets it.” “Lyndie,” I corrected. “And I never doubted that you cared about me. I just think…I’m at an age where I’m able to take care of myself.” The irony–me saying such a thing while sitting in soaked pants–was not lost on me. “See, this is what the media does,” my mother said. I watched Lyndie chuckle and lean in a little–eager to see where this was going. My mother continued: “They tell you that you’re ready to be an adult when you’re 18. As if a flip switches on your 18th birthday and you don’t need to learn anything else.” “I don’t think anyone has ever actually said that,” I said. “You know what I mean, Clark. These shows and films about young adults getting apartments and cars. And living this exciting life of drugs and drinking and dance parties and…” “I can assure you that I’m not going to any, uh, dance parties.” “I’m just saying. An adult should be slowly released into the world. I hear parents complaining about their children still living with them in their mid-to-late 20s. I say: Fine! You take all the time you need, lest you stumble out there before you’re ready and end up humiliating yourself.” I felt my cheeks warming as I took a deep breath. “A-are you saying I should live with you a few more years before I’m allowed to experience the world for myself?” “Well, not exactly,” she shrugged. “But I am saying that, well, who would know best when a child is ready to move on? I’d say it’s the parent who has raised him his entire life.” Lyndie responded: “With all due respect, Ms. Ashburn. I left home when I was 18. I’m living on my own now. I think I’m doing alright for myself.” “Your mother must be very proud of the good job she did, then,” my mother quickly retorted. Had Lyndie implied–whether on purpose or not–that her mother had done a better job of raising her than my mother had done in raising me? I braced myself for some tension at the table, but thankfully, my mother seemed to just shrug it off. Under the table, I was fumbling in my pocket for my phone, which I carefully slid out. I was tempted to just text Lyndie to tell her what had happened–but what did I expect her to do? I needed…Mommy. And now to wait for a response. “It kind of sounds like you’re saying that you didn’t think Clark was ready to be on his own yet,” Lyndie said, meanwhile. My mother laughed a little to herself and nodded. “I suppose I did think that. Up until this morning, in fact. All this–your career, your relationship, your ability to get a table like this at an establishment like this–well, it’s rather impressive. I’m not afraid to say that I might have been wrong.” I could see the smile on Lyndie’s face. She couldn’t say what she was thinking, but she didn’t have to. I knew exactly what she wanted to say: ‘Little does your mother know that she’s actually right–you’re not even out of diapers yet. How could you be an adult?’ “Well, uhm, thanks,” I said, nodding. I felt like a complete idiot. I had gotten caught up in creating a fake version of myself for my mother’s approval, but now that I had it–it just didn’t feel all that good. The fake version of me was getting her approval. I wasn’t the success that she thought I was. Under the table, my cellphone vibrated. I felt my cheeks burn as I read her last sentence. I couldn’t believe that this was actually how today was going down. This almost seemed worse than whatever I was expecting. “Is everything okay?” my mother asked. “Oh…what?” “You’ve been staring down at your lap for a good minute or two,” she said. “Everything okay down there?” “Just had to, uh, take a text or two for work. Sorry about that.” I glanced up at Lyndie’s face to see that she wasn’t buying it, though she was keeping her mouth closed. I was tempted to keep her in the dark, but I knew I’d be better off if I had her on my side for this little crisis. I quickly sent one more text, this time to her. I hit send and sighed nervously, afraid to see the expression on Lyndie’s face when she got the text. Ding! I could hear Lyndie’s phone chime from her purse, currently hanging off the back of her chair. She reached behind her to retrieve it. “Look, no offense,” my mother said, “I get it–you’re young professionals and it’s probably a generational thing to be on your phones all the time. But doesn’t it get exhausting to be attached to them as often as you two are? Look, we’re in a nice restaurant and you’re staring at your little screens.” Lyndie’s lips stretched into an intensely smug grin as she read the message on her screen. She gave me the briefest of glances before slowly returning her phone to her purse. No remarks. No snide comments. She simply turned to my mother and began talking again. “I’d love to get to know you a little better,” she said to my mother. “What is it you do for a living?” The only thing my mother loved more than telling other people stories about me when I was young, was telling other people about herself. This would buy us plenty of time. I could’ve kissed Lyndie. In fact, I made a mental note to kiss her later, when this was all said and done and my mother had left our city. “Clark hasn’t told you?” My mother’s eyes darted to me, a look of disapproval in them. “Oh, well, he might have said a little in passing. But I’d love to hear from you.” “Well,” my mother said, an elated look on her face, “I currently head a non-profit devoted to providing educational resources to new parents. Parenthood is a subject that’s not really taught to you in school–not like it used to be. And so our group tries to fill that need for anyone who might be struggling.” “Wow,” Lyndie replied, nodding her head. “That seems…” She looked at me, and I could once again get a sense for what she was thinking–probably something like ‘strangely poignant.’ But she actually finished the thought with a more mother-pleasing: “...like a great thing for the community.” “Thank you,” my mother said. “I’m a little too lost in the behind-the-scenes of it all to be directly talking to parents myself these days. But I’m happy to be the backbone that supports the cause.” Lyndie poked again, trying to keep the conversation moving. “Do you have, like, a background in education?” “Oh, goodness yes. I was a teacher for over 30 years. Clark didn’t mention that?” I wondered if it would be that hard for my mother to believe that we–whether we were a real couple or not–just never sat around and talked about my mother for a while. “I don’t think he mentioned the, uh, 30 years part…” “Let me tell you, being a teacher today is not the same as what it used to be like,” my mother said. This was the start of a spiel. I’ve heard this spiel countless times in my life. “Back then, we were barely thinking about the Internet, let alone cell phones. And, personally, I think research was better for it. It meant you had to go and find books–actual books–to read and pull data from. Now, by the time you’ve finished explaining the assignments, the students have already found some app that already did the work for them.” I began to tune out, staring down at my phone, waiting to see a new message appear from Mommy. It hadn’t been that long since she said she was coming, but…c’mon! Hurry up! “...seemed like a good time to step back and reevaluate what I wanted from my career, you know? So I tried to look at the concept of education, and I thought about where education actually starts…” One of the worst parts of all this? Sitting there in my wet chair and my wet pants…I was actually kind of turned on by the situation. Not so much that it was overriding my shame and humiliation. But just enough that I could feel a fluttering in my chest as I waited for Mommy to arrive to save the day. This was what it was to be a pathetic man-baby, wasn’t it? I couldn’t just ‘turn off’ that part of me. No matter where I went or what I did–I was only ever a moment away from making some kind of mess out of myself. The server took our orders, and food was starting to be delivered to our table in courses. I was becoming more and more distracted from the conversations taking place at the table between my mother and Lyndie. I suspected both could tell, though they pretended to be oblivious to it. At least Lyndie knew why I was so distracted, and she was doing her best to keep the conversation going. “...and I find that just a little bit of lemon at the end makes a huge difference,” my mother said. I had no context for what she was talking about. I simply followed Lyndie’s cue to look impressed and I nodded my head along with her. It was at about this time that a man in an expensive-looking suit sidled up to our table. He looked directly at my mother with a large smile on his face. “Good morning, madame. I am sorry to interrupt your brunch. My name is Paolo Ferdinand, the proprietor of this restaurant. I was curious if you might want to take a quick tour of our kitchen?” My mother laughed and sat back in her chair with an excited grin on her face. “Well that sounds lovely, but…why me?” “Oh, it’s just something I like to do from time to time,” he said. His head turned towards me for a fraction of a second–just long enough that I could sense that there was something happening here that was bigger than just random benevolence. “We pride ourselves on providing more than just a meal–but an experience as well. And so, from time to time, I like to invite one of my guests to the kitchen to see the action up close and personal.” “Well,” my mother said. “Would all of us be able to see?” “I wish I could say yes,” Paolo said. “Alas…I don’t think I have quite enough room in the kitchen for everyone–not without impacting the efficiency of the staff.” My mother turned back towards Lyndie and I. “I’d hate to leave the two of you like this…” “You should go,” Lyndie said with a big smile on her face. “This sounds like an amazing opportunity! I’m sure it won’t take long. And we’ll be right here when you return.” My mother, never one to turn down the VIP experience, almost looked beside herself with anticipation as she quickly rose from her chair. “I would love to see the kitchen.” “I hoped you’d say that,” Paolo said. “Come. Follow me.” I took a huge sigh of relief as I watched them disappear from view. “Ms. Heller has to have been behind that, right?” Lyndie asked. “Almost certainly.” “So…you actually wet your pants?” Lyndie lifted up the tablecloth and took a peek under the table. I wasn’t sure how much she’d be able to see, but the amused look on her face suggested that she had seen enough. “Yes. Can we…not talk about it?” “What now?” she asked. “What now,” yet another new voice said from the other side of the table, “is we get you out of those pants.” It was Mommy. I could barely contain my glee at seeing her here. She had come to rescue me, just as I had hoped she would. And in seemingly record time too. “I…I can’t stand up,” I said. “Everyone will see.” “Who would you rather see?” Mommy asked. “Your mother? Or everyone else in this restaurant?” Fair enough. “O-okay. But where are we going to go so that…” “I’ve taken care of everything,” she said. She beckoned me to join her with the curling of her outstretched fingers. “Come now, Baby. Let’s get you taken care of.” But I still couldn’t find the strength to stand up. Doing so would reveal everything. And while we were lucky enough to be on the balcony, at a table that was a little more removed from everything else, there was no way that I’d be able to go anywhere without someone noticing what I had done. “Just trust me,” Mommy said. I trusted her–of course I trusted her. I just had to bite the bullet and do it. I stood up and quickly orbited the remainder of the table so that I was at her side. “Lyndie, I shall be returning the baby as soon as I can. Should Ms. Ashburn get back to the table before Clarky does, I trust you can entertain her?” “I got this,” Lyndie replied, her lips curled into a smug smile. I blindly followed Mommy through the restaurant, down some steps and then through a door. Perhaps people had seen me, though I was trying not to pay attention to that. “Where are we going?” I asked, afraid of her doing something like dragging me into the women’s restroom. “Careful now,” she said to me as we came to another door. “Your mother is over there, getting her little tour. When I open this door we need to quickly walk over to that door on the other side. Do you see?” “Yes,” I nodded. My heart raced. I was sweating. I might have even let a little more piss dribble into my pants. We rushed through the room and across the far side of the kitchen. Somewhere off in the distance, I could hear my mother asking about wagyu beef. We quickly entered through the next door, and when we were through it, Mommy shut and locked the door behind her. We were in an office. Books and documents and receipts were sitting in piles on a table and on the desk, but there was also a couch along one of the walls. “This is Mr. Ferdinand’s personal office,” she said to me. “He’s allowing us to use it as a personal favor.” “Do…you know him?” She nodded. “Why do you think I recommended this place? It truly is one of the best spots in the city, for sure. But I also know Paolo quite well. And I knew that if there was to be any sort of…incident…” “Go ahead,” I said, sighing. “Tell me that you told me so.” “I don’t believe I ever told you so. I suppose I did expect something to happen, but I tried to keep that to myself.” “Y-you thought I would…” “Honestly, I thought you were going to poop your pants, Baby. I’m rather grateful you didn’t, of course. I’d rather not have to explain that Paolo…” “Just wet, I guess.” “I brought a fresh pair of pants with me,” she said, pointing to a folded up pair of light brown khakis sitting on the couch. But that wasn’t all that she had brought–there was a new diaper sitting atop the pants. “A diaper?” “I know you were trying to do your best big-boy impersonation here today. But I think we can both agree that it didn’t quite work out the way you wanted it to.” “But…I can’t be around my mother in a diaper! What if she finds out?” “Would you rather her see you in wet pants? Or would you rather take a chance on her not noticing the diaper?” Once again, she made her point. “Fine.” “I knew you’d come around,” she said. “Now then, with your mother getting distracted, all we need to do is get you into a diaper and some nice clean pants.” “What will you do with these pants?” I asked. “Honestly? I’ll probably toss them in the dumpster.” I sighed, nodding. “Oh, but Baby…there is one other little thing that we have to take care of as well.” I was terrified to know what she meant, but I still needed to know. “What else?” “Little babies should know better than to run around without their diapers. Do you see what happens when they try? Accidents. I’d like to say that’s enough of a lesson, but…I think you might need a little extra reminder.” “What do you mean?” “It means that I think you’ve earned yourself a spanking.” “Wh-what? Here? Now?” She nodded. “Afraid so.” “But… My mother–she’s just on the other side of this door. And we’re for brunch. And…” “Nobody is going to know except for you and I,” she said. “Unless, of course, you want to throw a little tantrum. In which case, maybe I could convince your mother to lend a hand.” She was bluffing, I thought. And even if she wasn’t–I couldn’t imagine her convincing my mother to participate in anything like this. But Mommy had proven before that she was always a little bolder than I thought she’d be. Then I hoped she’d be. This was no time to gamble. “Okay,” I said. “Okay?” She nodded. “Come here, Baby. Mommy’s going to have to punish you. And then, we’ll get you into a diaper and back out to brunch in no time at all.”

So, this is the last chapter of part one. Fear not though, I already have almost all of part two completed and I should keep posting at least semi regularly. I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter! Chapter 4: Just Go Through and Find Out The next week was practically a blur for Patrick, but an odd feeling had been creeping in the pit of his stomach that persisted to today when he was leaving. Now, like all trips, there was a lot of preparation to be done, but having dealt with several aspects of his family’s house and belongings after his mom had died in the accident, this also felt far too eerily similar as if he was at least preparing to die himself as well. Based on the help that Brett had given him on the day he had accepted the offer, several processes had quickly fallen into place. As Patrick didn’t have a job currently, that was one less task to complete over most, but his insurance and medical dealings had been a nightmare to explain to what he was doing. Needless to say, he had to run a battery of tests and purchase some ‘kidnapping insurance.’ As the paperwork was filed, Patrick couldn’t help but feel that at least part of this was a mistake or that he should have at least asked more questions before agreeing to the deal. Next, his possessions were to be stored in a long-term facility provided by Psyche and all. “Just trust us and you can decide after your five years what you want to do with it all…” Those words had hit Patrick probably the hardest of most. Due to both his parents’ deaths and the few other family members who were still alive, he had inherited most of the historical stuff that had been passed from one generation to the next. While the cast iron skillet didn’t mean as much to him, items like old photos from holidays and parties long ago and his grandfather’s dog tags did. They were stored carefully and in a sealed room that could apparently withstand a nuclear blast, but it was still a sinking feeling as the door closed and all those items. Finally, the last person to inform was Mr. Stacci. Psyche had paid his rent to ensure he wouldn’t be thrown out for any unforeseen circumstances, but Patrick still had to inform the touchy and obese landlord. “You’re doing what?” “Leaving, Mr. Stacci. I’m going to be able to walk again but I’m going to the other dimension for a long time. I won’t be living here anymore. I can give you it in writing, but I just wanted to let you know first.” “The other… You stupid idiot! You’ll be their plaything in no time. Worthless little peon like you, I bet you’ll be sucking some broad’s tit in a week! Good riddance to you!” It had honestly gone better than he had expected, but the words still cut through him. It wasn’t like he didn’t think the same thing in his own way every night before he went to bed, when he woke up in the morning, or any free moment he had in the week since he had accepted the deal, but it was actually almost a fortuitous moment. Patrick had been filled with a bit of doubt after all the cogs were moving into place, but Mr. Stacci’s outburst over the news had only seemed to solidify why he had to go, nerves today be damned. Walking again was wonderful, getting off drugs was the icing on the cake, but a new start in some regard was swiftly becoming apparent as a wonderous byproduct of all this. Patrick sighed and smirked as he looked over his apartment one last time. All his possessions had been removed last night except for one box that would be shipped separately to the treatment facility and the few items that he needed for last night and this morning; OO would be by later to collect those. After one last check, Patrick grabbed his confirmation papers, keys, and wallet, and then headed downstairs. Not wanting to confront Mr. Stacci today, or for that matter ever again, he simply dropped a final bill into his small metal mailbox outside his first-floor apartment. It was a major relief and so, just like that, he was now fully committed to leaving and taking off on this new adventure. As discussed beforehand with Brett, a white van with ‘Oasis Opportunities’ painted on the side was waiting outside for him. “Mr. Patrick Henderson?” a suited man asked as he stood in front of it. “Yes, that’s me,” Patrick noted as he wheeled toward the driver and rear door next to him. “Excellent. You can call me Greg but first, just let me get the door for you.” Greg then turned around and pulled open the side door. A push of a button later and a small ramp extended down. “Thank you, Greg, and you can just call me Patrick.” “No problem, Patrick.” Patrick smiled at his driver and then wheeled himself into place. “Perfect. Let me just get those…” Greg then reached down and attached the appropriate straps and buckles to Patrick’s wheelchair and then offered him one more to serve as a seatbelt. After a click, Greg stood back. “There. That should all be good, so, with your permission, I think we best be off.” “Sounds good to me.” Greg smiled and then closed the door. A minute later, he was in the front seat starting the car engine out of its neutral position. Soon, the two were driving out of the city and toward the distant and slightly glimmering portal facility. After a moment of looking around him and seeing the city pass by his window, Patrick noticed a few hooks and other slots for what he knew could only be medical equipment. “I take it I’m not the first person with something medical to sit here, am I?” Greg looked into his rear mirror. “Not so much. I’ve been transporting a few people in this van to the portal facility for a good bit now. I’ve got some normal seats for those utilizing other programs, but Psyche has been growing steadily over the past year. Five new candidates in the past two weeks alone.” “Are there really so many of us willing to sign up for this program? I mean, even with all that’s been in the news?” “Eh. It’s not a flood mind you. Just a steady stream, really since about six months ago. I would say in the past months, you’re still only my third paralyzed passenger. Most have cancer, some autoimmune or genetically terminal disease lately. I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same if I was in your all’s position.” Patrick frowned. “I didn’t come by it lightly you know…” “Oh, I get that,” Greg defended. “I’m just saying… five years in return for a better life, or even life itself? Who wouldn’t take that deal?” After a moment, Patrick knew that Greg could give him a straight answer that he had been wondering about for a bit that he knew he couldn’t have asked Brett. “You don’t think it’s rash, do you?” Patrick asked hesitantly. He had confirmed his willingness to go and signed all the documents, but there was still a hint of doubt running about in his mind. Greg could have been biased, but he was another person that could give their opinion for whatever that was worth. “Not really… I mean, don’t get me wrong, I would be hesitant as well. Lots of unknowns and going to an entirely new dimension. That’s some sci-fi level stuff right there.” He then looked in his rearview mirror and lowered his voice. “I probably shouldn’t even be saying this, but it gives me the willies to just think about it. Though… maybe take what I say with a grain of salt? After all, I’m the type of person who hesitates to even fly to see my parents in Tampa, so…” “No, I’m glad to have another opinion with this. Thank you.” The two smiled at each other in understanding. “Honestly, I think in any other circumstance, I wouldn’t touch that dimension if I was being paid a million dollars, but… my legs… it was just too much of an offer.” “Exactly. It’s a big pull that negates a lot of the other stuff. It’s a chance, so, I wouldn’t think too much on it. Psyche has got some great security if you just follow their rules. Stick to them and I’m sure you’ll do just fine.” Patrick smiled at the kind advice given by Greg and just sat back in his wheelchair in the van. The next twenty minutes flew by and the two talked about pretty much everything from the growth of the city to who could win the next Superbowl with football season just starting back up again. Before he knew it though, the van had pulled up to the large portal facility. “Here we are. Let me help get you out.” Greg then hopped out of the van while keeping the engine running and made his way over to the side and opened the door. After a few fumbling’s, Patrick was finally released, and he rolled down the once more extended ramp. “Thank you, Greg. You’re a good driver and I appreciated your opinion and you talking to me. Kept me distracted from all… this,” Patrick said, gesturing to the large almost airport terminal style of building from this side. Greg smiled in gratitude for the compliment. “No problem, Patrick. You’ll do fine. Just listen to the rules and I’ll probably be the one to see you in five years.” The pair then shook hands and with a nod of his head, Greg returned to his van and drove off. Now relatively alone, Patrick turned about and viewed the building before him. The drop-off zone was a long stretch that surprisingly had several other people offloading as well. Portal travel had become an increasingly tempting vacation destination, despite the risks. Like most airport terminals, the drop-off zone was cordoned off into particular destinations. Previous travel could really only link one portal on this side to one portal on that side. Even ten years after, portals could be highly finicky over where they sent you when more than one was involved. Patrick had even heard about one couple that had been sent to Honshu instead of Gaule. Fortunately, the travel company was prepared and soon had them sent free of charge to their intended destination before they could be claimed by a Big for being ‘neglected’ as they had put it. Now, Patrick stared up at the large sign about to embark on his own journey. “Gate 6, Libertalia.” With a sigh, he then wheeled himself forward through the automatic doors and to the check-in area. Once inside, he quickly found the front desk where he would check in and then hopped in line. After a few minutes in the small line, he was up next. “Hello, sir. Where are you off to today?” the kindly travel receptionist asked as Patrick got closer. “Uh, I have this…” Patrick then handed her a laminated card that Brett had sent him the other day. Due to the specialized nature of the program and possible medical concerns, all travelers needed to go to a specific gate for ‘extra precautions’ as Brett had explained. ‘Whatever that means…’ The receptionist looked at the card with wide eyes. “I see. Well, let me just get you all checked in and we’ll have you out of here in no time.” Several clicks and clacks later and she handed the card back to Patrick. “Okay! You’re all set, so just go right through those doors with the big ‘13’ on them. There should be several other helpers over there to guide you, but just follow the signs if you get lost or turned around for whatever reason.” Patrick then took the card from her. “Thank you.” “No problem. Enjoy your time!” Patrick nodded and then wheeled himself over to the doors marked with a large and orange-colored ’13.’ Fortunately, they were automatic and opened wide and long enough for Patrick to pass through without any issue. A brief ride down the corridor later and Patrick arrived at the waiting zone and parked himself in the area designated as ’13C-2.’ Soon, a helper came up to him. “Ticket please.” “Patrick then handed the man his laminated card.” The man took it without a word and scanned the barcode on the bottom. “To confirm… Libertalia, state of Crescentia, station 2.” Patrick hesitated over those last two bits but just nodded. He had heard them briefly talked about as the location for where his Psyche facility was located at when he did some research online, but he was still a little frustrated at Brett for not giving out that information and at himself for not asking more questions once again. Of course, Patrick knew that sometimes state names were the same in Libertalia as they were here in the US, but other times… they really did mark the dimension as being a foreign land in an entirely other dimension. “Good. Just wait here and a shuttle will pick you up.” The man then looked at his watch. “Should only be a minute or more, so just stay here. Don’t go wandering off to check out the shops or eateries. I don’t want you to miss your window.” Patrick nodded and stayed put. There were only three portal exits, so their locations had to be rotated to take in the most people they could at one time. Sometimes, according to Brett, one could wait up to three hours to be called up next, but Patrick soon saw the small transit car pull up to the glass door in front of the door and the flooring around his area lit up. The doors then opened, and after the nearby attendant confirmed this was his, Patrick wheeled himself into place. Two others got on, but neither seemed sick. Likely, they were probably just visiting Crescentia and were not a part of Psyche. ‘Would any of us ever make the return trip back here?’ Patrick shook his head at the morbid thought and decided to distract himself by looking out the window. Large and glowing blue cables ran alongside them as their train car moved toward another large building. This one was smaller and squatter and almost even appeared as just a warehouse type of building, but all the glowing cables leading to it gave it an almost unearthly aura. The train then shuddered to a stop and the front doors opened. Patrick let the other two off first and then rolled out himself. To his surprise, a few others were already there, but most surprisingly, Nurse Patricia was standing on the platform with a large smile. “Hello, Patrick!” “Patricia? What are you doing here?” Patrick asked as his wheelchair cleared the train car. “Oh, I work here for half the week a lot of times, but I knew you were going, so I thought a friendly face might do you well. Any nerves?” “A little…” Patrick admitted. “Awww. Well, that’s okay, and to be honest, kind of expected, but you’re in good hands with me.” Her smile would have almost been frightening if it didn’t also convey a vast sense of warmth and comfort at the same time. Patrick eagerly took in her kind gestures with thanks. Despite her near saccharine nature, it did kind of feel good before embarking on this journey. “Thank you, Patricia. So, what’s next?” “Well, I’ll have you just follow me.” She strutted off and waved for him to follow. After a second, she stopped at a small metallic table with various implements on it. “So, normally, we would just give you a pill these days, but because of your medical history and all, we don’t want to take any chances!” “So, a shot?” Patrick asked, warily looking at the syringe filled with an ominous green liquid. “I’m afraid so, but I don’t want you exacerbating your injury, so just relax and I’ll have this over in a jiffy!” Patrick nodded and tried to center himself to calm down a bit. Patricia noticed and took the opportunity to quickly wipe his arm down with an alcohol swab before deftly inserting the needle. A hot pain surged through his arm but strangely enough, Patrick swore he could taste strawberry afterward. He then smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth to get rid of the random flavor. “Is that…?” Patricia giggled. “Yep! One of the newest things from the other dimension. A shot that gives you the sensation of sucking a lollipop right after. A bit odd and I’ll still hand out a sucker back in my usual practice normally for those who want one, but it’s a nice flourish here with all this…” she gestured around, “scary stuff.” “Fair enough.” Patrick looked around and saw a large circular metallic ring at the end of the room. Dozens of wires pulsed with the same glowing blue that he had seen outside and leading into here. Everything seemed to hum as he edged closer to it. “So, is that it?” “Yep!” Patricia said excitedly. “That’s the portal. It’s just taking a second to recharge, but soon, we’ll have you on your way in no time.” She then reached back over to the metal tray. “Now, say ‘ah.’” Patrick hesitated but complied. “Ah,” he said as he trustingly opened his mouth. Patricia smiled and wasted no time by quickly inserting a small probe into his mouth and giving it a tiny swirl. “There,” she said, removing the device after about a minute of her probing. “That should be all I need…” Patrick sputtered a little bit after the intrusion. “What was that thing?” “Oh, just a little check.” Patricia was giddily tapping a few of the buttons on her touch screen before it loudly beeped. “There! All done.” She then surveyed the results that flashed before her. “Excellent. To answer your question further now, it was just a device that can give me all your vitals and all your medical stats. If you had anything from a cough to cancer, this thing would register it, but good news, you don’t have any of that other stuff!” “Would that change anything if I did?” Patrick asked, thinking back to the other people that Greg had ferried here lately that he had talked about. “Not really… just would need to give those people another booster is all. Portal travel used to be much harsher on the human body. The Bigs can withstand it more, but some of the first of us humans were nearly torn to shreds when they first went through.” Patrick looked at her with a sudden and immense amount of panic. Patricia only laughed when she saw his reaction. “Oh, Patrick! No need to worry, honey. It’s much better now. The shot I gave you and the other, if you had been sick, are just to ensure that without any doubt, okay?” “Yeah… okay,” Patrick responded, still looking at the portal with a new sense of dread. “Hmmm… not sure if I believe you completely, but it will have to do for now.” Patricia then turned back around to the metal tray and set the device back on its surface. In exchange, she then picked up a small cup that contained two large gray pills. “Here,” she said turning back around and handing the pills to Patrick. “Take these. I have a glass of water to make them go down easier.” “What are they?” Patrick asked, taking the pills but still eyeing them suspiciously. “Just further help with the portal. Everyone going through takes them. If you didn’t, you’d be fine going there, but there would be a high chance that we couldn’t get you back over here.” Patrick then raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “Please don’t ask me to explain that one. A bunch of scientific stuff that goes way over most people’s heads these days, but I promise, they’re completely safe.” Patrick hesitated for a moment but then nodded and took the pills. He then readily accepted the glass of water next being offered by Patricia to wash everything down completely. After a second, Patricia smiled. “Excellent. Let’s go over to the portal now.” Patrick nodded and wheeled himself over to the base of the portal. It was raised slightly, but possibly with people like him in mind, a small wheelchair accessible ramp went up to the platform near its opening. Suddenly, the room began to vibrate and hum with a furious vigor that almost seemed like it wanted to tear the room in two. The previously open circle then filled with an almost mercuric liquid that quickly shimmied off the glowing blue cables underneath it. It was all very otherworldly and mesmerizing. Still though, everyone plugged their ears for the twenty or so seconds that it all lasted. Finally, though, the noise stopped and the near liquid matter inside the large metal circle halted and then only rippled slightly afterward. “What the hell was that?” one of the people in front of Patrick asked in a state of panic. One of the men in lab coats then stepped up. “No need to be alarmed. All perfectly normal in these proceedings. Doesn’t always happen, but we had to turn the portal off to recharge it. What you all witnessed was essentially the portal device puncturing a small hole in our universe. Most of the recent advancements in technology have only been in effort to better reseal the hole.” The two people in front of Patrick seemed less than convinced but Patrick was just glad the noise had ceased. The vibrations alone had shaken his chair to the point that he was even worried that it would collapse in a pile of rubble. “Now,” the scientist continued, “we shall proceed. Each of you shall come forth one at a time and go when we tell you. Only when we tell you. Understood?” Patrick and the others nodded their heads in silent acknowledgement. “Good. First up!” The man walked forward cautiously and made his way quickly to the scientist and the portal entrance. “Just step into the liquid looking part. Physics should take care of the rest.” The man nodded, took a breath, and stepped right in. No scream or cry of any sort could be heard, and the liquid only seemed to ripple more heavily as it encased his body entirely. “Wow…” Patrick said, almost without thinking about it. “Indeed,” the scientist mused. “Next!” The woman then stepped up and the process was repeated. “Next!” the scientist shouted again. After a few moments, it was now his turn. Patrick hesitated but quickly rolled up to where the others had gone. It took him a minute longer with the ramp, but soon, he was face to face with the large and nearly mirrored surface. The scientist stared down at him. “Okay… a bit different for you, but just wheel yourself into the surface. You might experience a little more delay in the effects of it all, but don’t panic. It will all still work. Just take a breath and proceed on through.” Patrick nodded and took a breath as instructed. The surface showed a hazy outline of his reflection and arcs of neon blue bathed him in the near mystical lighting. The past week and his future all depended on this, so with another breath, he wheeled himself into the rippling substance. * * * At first it felt like he was just being dunked into the surface of a pool, but all his insides soon felt like they were being stuffed into a tiny glass beaker at a very high speed. The world seemed to drop and then plummet forward as if he was a giant asteroid ready to destroy whatever lay before him. Instead, he just opened his eyes once more when the pulling sensation stopped. A blast of white smoke enveloped his entire body and left him coughing for a moment with whatever it was. For some strange reason, it almost tasted oddly like burnt marshmallows. “Sorry there,” a voice said from above, “got a little too carried away on that one.” “Wha…?” Patrick looked about but the smoke was still around him and partially blinded him. As he looked around though, he quickly noticed that his arm was smoking on its own. “Oh, shit! I’m on fire! I’m on fire!” He quickly smacked his arm, but it only seemed to make the smoke grow in intensity. “Oh, whoops! Let me get that for you,” the voice said again. Patrick fought his entire bodily instinct but stopped patting the spot to put out the smoke. Gratefully, a hand pierced the veil of the surrounding smoke with a green cloth and patted the small smoke cloud completely out. In his panic over the smoke, he hadn’t noticed anything about the hand, and it just seemed like any other. With the smoke out and the fog dissipating more though, it was immediately apparent of the enormity of the appendage now placed on his own arm. The nearly nine inches across blue-gloved hand moved about. It wasn’t immediately threatening him or anything like that, but it was still disturbing to see something up close that was almost twice the size of the own width of your hand. Normality is what you get used to, so being an adult, size differences were mostly subtle, barring athletes or world record holders. This hand disparity, however, was anything but subtle. With a gulp, Patrick then absentmindedly traced the hand back to the arm and then the face at the top of the body before him. Embarrassingly but fittingly enough, Patrick let out a little squeak. “Oh, easy there, little one. No need to panic. All is good, sweetheart,” the woman coaxed gently. She wasn’t even tall, but the portal had a slightly unknown effect on travelers in that it would heighten their emotions in the five or so minutes after they stepped, or in this case, wheeled through the portal. Patrick was no exception, and his system started to quickly pump adrenaline through his veins to cut through his slight daze. Patrick’s eyes widened and he gripped his wheelchair firmly and shot backward to the side of the portal platform. “Stay back! Now! I’m not just some Little you can kidnap!” The woman chuckled as if all this was scarily coming from a child. Patrick gulped and he could feel the fear rising in his body as she got closer to him, her height nearly blocking out all the light in front of him. Getting the ability to walk back was huge, but this was only the first few minutes of his first day here of the next five years. So far, it was not going how he wanted it to, and deep down, he couldn’t help but ask himself, ‘Have I made a mistake?’

As soon as I figure out how to make the display on DailyDiapers shrink when I post the last chapter, y'all are in for it. All good things must come to an end, but that makes them all the sweeter, doesn't it? I think Nicole hopes that everything goes back to normal, but she doesn't get to decide. For all the problems in her life, she's got one good thing going for her. ❤️ That's a story all in its own - "Wanted, babysitter for adult who's been magically reduced to the capacity of a baby. Must be able to operate around cursed relics." Thank you for reading! Just a little bit left It's true she's in the room - but it's not her name on the chart, now, is it? The Final Day Vanessa woke up early, morning birds and dawn light filtering into the nursery. Nicole’s diaper had filled up in the night, which offered no surprises; just another task for her to take care of. Her body was a bit sore, but that offered no surprises either–she’d slept in a different bed, and after rolling over in bed, her chest had been pressed up against the crib bars. A slight tenderness in her breasts was to be expected. Deciding to let Nicole sleep a little longer, she gingerly stood in the crib, working the latch and pushing the bars open. Stepping over her sleeping friend, she hopped to the ground, wobbling a bit, surprised to find herself off balance. “Woah,” she said, pulling her arms in after she caught herself. That was…odd. Waving it off, she walked out of the nursery and to the bathroom, getting herself ready for the day, enjoying the early dawn time when Nicole was still asleep, where she had a little time to herself. Reaching for her toothbrush, she glanced down at herself. She was just in a T-shirt and panties, the same clothes she’d gone to bed in, but something about it felt a bit…off. Her breasts looked larger than they had the night before, standing out in the baggy shirt more than normal. She could feel the fabric roughly against her nipples, more sensitive than they normally felt. Looking at herself in the mirror, she laughed it off. “Oh no,” she said sarcastically, reassuring herself. “Nicole got turned into a baby, you just got a nice rack. Truly, I’ve been cursed–get over yourself, Vanessa, the magic didn’t do anything to you.” She could have looked at the chart on the way back to confirm, but she didn’t want to admit to herself that it was possible she’d been affected somehow. It was bad enough watching the regression happen to her friend, let alone to think about what transformation might afflict her next. Vanessa kept her eyes well clear of the chart, refusing to check what it said. Walking back over to Nicole, she shook her friend awake. “Hey, Nic–time to get up, you need a change.” Nicky rolled over sleepily, blinking up at Vanessa. Her eyes had taken on a slightly glassy look, like she was perpetually surprised and shocked by what she saw. Taking in new information. At least she was able to crawl after Vanessa and help herself up onto the changing table, and she knew to lie still while her mucky diaper was cleaned up, tossed out, and replaced with a fresh one. While she lay there, she just stared up at Vanessa, suckling her thumb, gaze looking a little down, not at V’s face, but lower. At her chest. “Do I look different today?” Vanessa asked. “Or… do I seem different?” Nicole shrugged, spitting out her finger for a moment. “Okay, well…I’m going to go make breakfast,” Vanessa said. “How does oatmeal sound?” Genuinely thinking for a moment, Nicole shook her head and made a face like she’d just been offered steamed brussel sprouts. “Eh…okay. Pancakes?” Again, a very firm ‘No’. “Cereal?” Sticking out her tongue, Nicole said, “Blegh, gwoss.” Vanessa hesitated. “Nicky, you need to eat something. What sounds good?” Nicole shook her head and said, “I’unno,” but her thumb drifted back into her mouth, and her eyes locked with Vanessa’s tender, swollen breasts once again. Finally, Vanessa got it. “Oh, no…” Turning, she walked to the door, throwing it in so she could check the chart. On it, she saw the doodle, and her heart sank. It pictured her, clearly, sitting with Nicole in her lap. Vanessa had been drawn with her breasts exposed, and Nicole was…nursing. Sucking on V’s tit with an expression of bliss. “Nicole,” she said, uncertain and worried, suddenly acutely aware of the weight in her breasts–they weren’t just bigger, they felt swollen. Full. “Er…I think I know what you’re going to want for breakfast.” Nicole sat up on her elbows. “Wassat?” Flushing, Vanessa said, “How does just…milk sound?” Eyes widening, Nicole nodded. “Mhmm!” That confirmed it. Nicole had been fully regressed–barely able to speak, unable to walk, fully dependent on her diapers, and now back to the point of needing to be nursed. There wasn’t much to be done about it. Helping Nicky off the changing table, Vanessa led her to the living room and sat down on the couch, where they’d be able to sit comfortably next to her. There was no way to do this that didn’t feel intensely awkward, so she just got it over with–lifting off her shirt, Vanessa sat back, allowing Nicole access to her breasts. Her friend pulled up onto her lap, lips sealing hungrily over Vanessa’s nipple. She began to suck, and V felt the milk trickle out of her, into Nicole’s waiting mouth. Tenderness subsiding, she laid a hand on Nicole’s head, sitting back. It felt good to have that pressure released, the tenderness subsiding. Based on her expression, Nicole, too, was enjoying herself–utterly satisfied with her meal. They sat together, in an intensely intimate embrace. Nicole seemed unaware of the sheer awkwardness of it all, and while Vanessa initially felt awkward enough for the both of them, eventually her initial shock wore away. After a while, Nicole moved to the other breast, working on it too, hungry and focused on satisfying herself. They were close, and they were together. Vanessa had never expected this, never even expected that between the two of them, she’d be the one managing their responsibilities, but… she could live with this. The chart had pushed them to the limits, but not beyond them–Vanessa could still care for Nicole like this, and as long as she had the capacity to be there for her friend, she would. “Today’s the last day on the chart.” She spoke much to herself as to Nicole. “I don’t know what happens when it fills up. Maybe it clears out, and all this goes away. Maybe it just refreshes and we get two more weeks of…new things. I don’t even know what those would be. I just don’t know what’s going to happen.” Looking up at her, Nicole pulled away from her meal for a moment, milk dribbling down her lip. She made eye contact with Vanessa and smiled, reaching down so she could take her friend’s hand. “Fwiendth,” she lisped. “Nuh madda what.” They didn’t know what the chart would do next, what the future held, but Nicole was right. Whether they were peers, bantering and teasing and talking about boys, or whether they were caregiver and infant, one watching out for the other, caring for the other, they would be in each other’s lives. “Friends.” Vanessa pulled her friend close again, in a tight, loving hug. “No matter what.” The End. ... Thank you all for reading. Here soon, I'll be putting together an ebook file, in case you want a copy of this on your e-reader of choice - Once that's ready, I'll post the link here for you to download, no purchase necessary, just a nice, contained way for you to take this story with you. I'm really proud of this story, and floored by the response. I can't express how happy I am at the outpouring of comments, replies, theories, and conversation it's spurred on. If you would like to support my writing, and you've read all the way to the end, you probably know about my Patreon - Just a couple dollars a month is a massive help to me, allowing me to dedicate dozens of hours every month to writing AB/DL fiction that I'm very proud of. My supporters get early access to all my writing, exclusive content just for them, and I also attach downloadable .doc files to all my story posts for those of you who prefer to download and read offline. https://www.patreon.com/PeculiarChangeling https://subscribestar.adult/peculiarchangeling ❤️ -Peculiar Changeling

This is my first time writing really any diaper story, but im really into essays and screenplays LOL. Please give me any helpful notes if you got em, anyway heres my take on a diaper dimension story! Chapter 1: Computer fans hummed in a harmonious chorus as Allen Wilkerson prepared for yet another test. While portals to alternate dimensions did exist, there was always room for improvement, and Allen was determined to crack the code. Renowned for his unwavering commitment to excellence, gaining entry into this prestigious top-secret program had been a breeze. Though the Hafford School for Societal Advancement paled in comparison to advanced institutions like the Amazonian colleges, it hungered for the brightest minds it could gather. It was akin to an arms race, with the United States spurred on by the competitive spirit of the Amazonian society. This consequently funded the program at a rapid pace. Allen tuned out the outside world, his focus zeroing in on the task before him. He was on the brink of a breakthrough, yet something remained elusive. He was so engrossed in his work that he failed to notice his colleague entering the room. English wasn't Esther's first language, but as a child prodigy, fluency came naturally to her. "What's the status?" she inquired, gesturing to Allen who was lost in his thoughts. He didn't respond. Esther playfully smacked his arm, but his reaction was far from happy.. "What do you need?" Allen replied, only half-engaged and battling exhaustion. "What's up with you today? You look like you haven't slept," Esther inquired. "I didn't sleep," Allen admitted, an anomaly for him, as he usually adhered to a strict sleep regimen, aware of the body's need for rest to function optimally. Esther acknowledged his response but scrutinized his work more closely. "No, this won't work silly, The inhibitors aren't strong enough; you'd be crushed during the squeeze!" Inhibitors served as a protective shield during the "squeeze," the term scientists used to describe how humans appeared small in the Amazonian universe. They were an integral part of the teleportation process, preventing individuals from shrinking to the size of insects. "It's fine," Allen chimed in. "It's the only way a pocket-sized version will work." Esther giggled. "It looks more like a backpack!" Allen didn't find her jest amusing. Innovation wasn't always neat, and she knew that. "I'm developing a device that fits on the wrist," he explained. Esther's demeanor turned serious. "Where are you going to source the power for that?" Allen retorted in a way to deflect her scrutiny, "Ill get it from your mom.." "That's a bit rude," Esther exclaimed. "Keep talking like that, and the Amazonians might just give you a spanking." She playfully smacked his backside. "Do I need to report you to HR?" he quipped. Their laughter confirmed the absence of any tension between them. In reality, they had been close friends since college. "So when do I get to see the teleporter?" Esther inquired. Allen corrected her, "It's not a teleporter; it's a Trans-Dimensional Transponder, TDT for short." Esther responded, "Why did they let such a nerd in here?" Their laughter echoed through the room, reinforcing their bond. "Let's test it!" Esther suggested with enthusiasm. "No, it's not ready yet; I still need to run more tests." "How many tests have you done already?" Esther retorted. Allen struggled to admit, "237..." Esther managed to wrest the device from his grip. "Hey, be careful!" he protested. "So, how does it work?" "It doesn't. Give it back." They tussled briefly, with Esther securing it firmly to her wrist to ensure it wouldn't slip from her grasp. Allen made sure he had a firm grip on her; he wasn't about to let her get away with this, but as he attempted to retrieve the device, he quickly realized it was a lost cause. "Fine! Keep it. I didn't know you wanted to go to the baby dimension so bad." Allen huffed, his tone bordering on petulance. "I don't want to go! I just want to see how it works," Esther clarified, toying with the device, admiring its ingenious design and distinctive form. "Is it supposed to look like a teether?" she teased, causing Allen's cheeks to flush red. "No! That's just how it turned out," he retorted. Esther responded with a sly, knowing nod, poking fun at him in a friendly manner. When Allen made another attempt to retrieve the device, Esther resisted. "That's enough fooling around; give it back!" "I think it needs a bit of field testing, don't you think?" Esther persisted. Allen panicked. She couldn't seriously be considering testing the device before it was ready! "No! Not Yet!" he exclaimed. Esther ignored him and, as he grabbed onto her in an attempt to retrieve the device, she pressed a few buttons, causing a loud sound to emanate from the device. Startled, Esther pushed back, and suddenly, all that remained in the room was the watch and the faint hum of computer fans. The world began to swirl around them, reminiscent of the portals they usually took but with a more violent feel. The surroundings shook, and the two of them screamed in unison, as if on a rollercoaster ride. Their cries reached their peak before the shapes and colors converged into sudden darkness. "Where are we?" Allen exclaimed, but his voice struggled to be heard, as if their vocal cords weren't as developed. The two sat dumbfounded in the darkness, and as their eyes adjusted, reality began to sink in. When they looked up, all they saw were grocery shelves lined with diapers and other baby products. Simultaneously, they uttered, "Oh, shit."

Chapter 6: My Name Is... The next morning, Patrick had woken up to the alarm he had set the night before from the tiny clock beside his bed. He went about his usual morning routine and was just thankful the bed had been comfortable and that the shower wasn’t a pain to get into with the opening tub element and the shower seat that Addy had added in there last night at his request. He had been a bit curious to test out the tub function with the sealable side panel to it but had just opted for a shower instead. Regardless, he soon made his way downstairs and joined the few others that had accompanied him for breakfast. Like dinner last night, none of the Littles of his group around the table made a single effort to communicate with each other. If he was being honest with himself, his malady almost appeared to be the least severe of the group, so Patrick just hoped the lack of communication was from that. Brett, for all estimations and lack of sharing all the information, seemed to have been right when he made the notion that Patrick might have been one of the few where this deal hadn’t been a life-or-death matter. Still, the simple breakfast tasted wonderful, and Patrick soon rolled himself behind the rest of the group as they made their way into one of the large spaces of the mansion facility. Addy popped up from another door and Patrick was reminded that she noted this was where group therapy was to take place, but that it also could be used for special occasions, such as large movie nights, dances, games, or even holiday events with all three groups. To his estimation, none of the members in his small group seemed to want or even be very able to do such activities at the present time, but Patrick just reminded himself that it was still only the second day here. “Places everyone,” Dr. Halgen announced, taking her position on one side of the circle of chairs she had gathered around herself. Of course, two spots were empty for both his and Cara’s wheelchairs. He wasn’t a fan of being pigeonholed like that into one spot, but he didn’t want to pick a fight this morning. Patrick and Cara both then wheeled themselves into the empty spots and Addy sat happily but silently between them in her own chair. Patrick looked around and could see the same thing happening with the other Littles sitting down and a nurse figure sitting in between them. From what he had seen yesterday, there was a single nurse for every two Littles here. Dr. Halgen cleared her throat, and everyone looked up at her. “Now, as this is the first session, I want each of you to say your name, something interesting about yourself, and why you’re here.” “Isn’t that supposed to be private?” one of the guys asked a few people over from Patrick. Dr. Halgen sighed and looked wearily at the Little. “You don’t have to tell every reason why you’re here. Just the main one. We just want to start to get to know one another. Like a kind of surrogate family while you stay with us.” The group groaned but quickly quieted down when Dr. Halgen glared at each of them and then pointed to the guy who just asked the question. “You go first.” It wasn’t a question. The guy sighed. “Well, I’m not going to stand…” Dr. Halgen just smiled back. “That’s fine. In fact, I think we should all just keep seated unless you really want to stand up,” Dr. Halgen noted, clearly catching a quick glimpse of Cara and Patrick. A few others in the group did as well. “Right. Well, my name is Ian. I’m the group skeptic,” the chosen Little said proudly. “Conspiracy theories and all. They exist, I believe in them at least a little bit, but I’ll definitely know about each of them.” After a moment of writing a few things down, Dr. Halgen spoke back up. “Thank you, Ian, but also remember, we want to know… why are you here?” Ian’s smile faded. “Oh… right. I’ve got bone cancer. Spread to a few spots I can’t even remember at this point and uh, yeah…” His previous boast of confidence had faded, and he rubbed his leg as he winced a little. Patrick couldn’t tell if it was his nerves, the awkwardness, or if it was his cancer acting up. “Right. Thank you, Ian. Next,” Dr. Halgen said reservedly. The guy next to Cara placed a bookmark in the book he had been holding and cleared his throat. “I’m Quentin. I was a college professor before all this, and I love the pursuit of knowledge. Anything I can learn, I love. And more to the point, I’m here because I have Huntington’s disease.” His hand then briefly shook, but he quickly gripped it and rested it silently in his lap and under his book. “Yes, thank you, Quentin. Very thorough,” Dr. Halgen said smiling. “Plus, I’m sure you will learn a great deal many things while you are here.” Quentin nodded stiffly and then looked to Cara next to him. She blushed immensely, but after a moment, she finally spoke up. “I’m… Cara. I like being creative… with uh, almost anything…” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and Patrick could even hear the Littles playing outside better than he could the woman siting almost right next to him. “I have brain cancer…” Her voice faded out again and her body almost seemed to disappear from view. “Thank you, Cara.” Dr. Halgen turned to the remainder of the group who still hadn’t gone. “Everyone, remember to speak loudly so we all can hear. A few of us are a bit older and maybe hard of hearing,” she joked, briefly touching her ear. Only a few small chuckles could be heard, but most just looked at Patrick to go next. Patrick saw their stares and realized it was his turn. “Oops. Sorry… I’m Patrick. I guess I’m into alternative energy stuff…” he wavered, thinking back to before his accident. Since that fateful night, he had lost interest in a lot of his old hobbies, and it was actually one of the things he was hoping to get back by agreeing to this program. He would still have his art, but he wanted to do something more for others back home. “And uh, I’ve got other things… but I’m basically just paralyzed below the waist.” Patrick could immediately see a few of the Little’s and even some of the nurses’ eyes grow wide and curious. He definitely wasn’t the most hurt here and he internally feared that others would think that he just wanted the Little and caregiver deal they offered here more than actually getting cured. It had been a phenomenon when the portals had first opened and there was still a bit of a stigma around that type of thing in most communities. Patrick suspected there were still a few holdouts staying back at home. ‘Lucky…’ Being experienced in these scenarios and knowing they could lead to problems if left festering, Dr. Halgen cut the tension of the group before too long. “Thank you, Patrick. I’m sure it will be nice to feel anything or walk after five years.” Patrick nodded toward her, quickly deducing that she was trying to emphasize the weight of his condition with the group. She may have been the stern leader of this place, but she seemed to have a genuine desire to help her patients in any way she could. Dr. Halgen smiled and then called out, “Next.” The older looking woman next to Patrick then stirred a bit. For a second, she almost looked like she didn’t know where she was. “I’m, um, Terra and uh, I like…” She faded off. The heavyset but gentle-looking nurse next to her then placed her hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Terra here loves meditating and some of the more holistic approaches to healing and gardening.” Terra’s eyes grew wide. “Yes!” Terra exclaimed, as if suddenly remembering a part of her life. “Those are wonderful. I love getting my hands all in the dirt and…” she drifted off again but then shook her head. “Darn… why I’m here… yeah… uh Alzheimer’s.” She then looked at her nurse to confirm. “Right?” The nurse smiled and nodded. “Right.” Patrick and the rest of the group seemed to thank their own fates after her, but Dr. Halgen just pressed onward. “Well, thank you, Terra,” Dr. Halgen said, giving her a small smile as well. She then also gave a small nod to the nurse which Patrick saw her return in thanks. Dr. Halgen then restraightened her posture. “And last but not least?” The last man of the group was looking out the window he was nearby and up at the beautiful clear blue sky. The same nurse who had assisted Terra gently gave him a tap on the shoulder. “Wha…? Oh, sorry everyone,” he said after noticing the group staring back at him for his own answer. “I’m Darren. I love the sky… if you couldn’t tell, and space and all else that’s up there.” He looked back up at the sky as if to steady himself. “I’m here because I have lung cancer. Asbestos exposure is the best guess, but…” “They stuff that crap everywhere. It’s a government conspiracy to keep the middle class down!” Ian boldly but rudely interrupted. Dr. Halgen glared at the Little. “Ian. I’ll let your language go for today, but we never interrupt others when they are talking. Especially in group.” “It’s okay, really,” Darren tried to intercede. “I…” Dr. Halgen quickly flashed him a look and he suddenly became quiet and then stared up at the sky once more. Dr. Halgen then refocused her attention back on Ian. “This will serve as a warning for you,” she then turned to the rest of the group, “and to the rest of you. While we are in group, unless I call for free speech time or something of that sort, we do not interrupt each other. Am I understood?” “Yes, Dr. Halgen,” Patrick said with the rest of the group while also nodding. He noticed a few called her Kelsey, but he was still okay with the formality established yesterday between the two of them. Dr. Halgen seemed to want to create a family here, but Patrick wanted her to stay just as his doctor. Any other names for her just felt too risky here. “Good,” Dr. Halgen said nodding. “Now, does anyone have something they want to bring up. A concern? Something from their past? A problem they might have noticed or a…?” Ian’s hand immediately shot up. “Yes, Ian?” “Are you trying to turn us into babies?” he asked point blank. The group froze in fear over the question. Based on the looks from last night and this morning around the other Littles, Patrick could tell that it was a poignant question in most, if not all, their minds as they all saw the more progressed groups of Littles here. Still, asking it without any attempts at subversion was a bold move. For all anyone knew, it could have activated some secret protocol and the staff would be forced to turn them into drooling Littles right there on the spot. From what Patrick had read in the papers, stranger things had happened before. That being said, Patrick couldn’t read Dr. Halgen’s current expression. Half her face looked like she wanted to strangle or spank the daylights out of the Little right on the spot, but the other half looked almost pleased or relieved. “Ian, honey… we want to make you better.” “That doesn’t answer my question,” he shot back. The rest of the group quickly turned back to Dr. Halgen for her response. Dr. Halgen noticed this as well. “Well, if you must know… I’m not.” A few of the Littles in the group seemed to sigh in relief. “But your caretakers may feel otherwise…” “Isn’t that unfair though? Unconstitutional or something?” Quentin asked. “Don’t they need our permission here? Wasn’t that in the contract?” “It might be illegal from where you all come from, but as you said, you all signed a contract.” ‘Stupid piece of paper…’ “So, you are required to choose a caretaker at the end of your stay, but… you can choose.” “Not much of a choice…” Cara surprisingly spoke up, though her volume was still barely above a whisper. “Well, you can view it like that if you want, Cara,” Dr. Halgen conceded. “Just remember that you get to test the caretakers out beforehand. All are prepared to answer your questions, and all have been vetted. A few of the ones you read about in the papers could get through but that has happened only once in the past six months.” “Is that a long time?” Patrick asked. Dr. Halgen then grumbled something inaudibly. “Around here, yes. It usually only takes three months for a single group to go through and each month a new group comes along. Each Little here gets about five candidates and there’s about six Littles per group here, so in total, that’s roughly almost 90 candidates since then at least… probably even more that have made it through though. So, one person out of 90 is barely one percent at the worst.” “One percent is still something…” Ian depressingly noted. “Yes,” Dr. Halgen sighed, clearly getting frustrated with having this conversation. “Just please keep in mind that they weren’t selected and nothing permanent happened to the Little they were with. They were reported to the authorities for contract violations and abuse, and the Little in question is now three months into their new life and from what I’ve been told, they couldn’t be happier.” Ian scoffed in disbelief over the whole thing but still remained silent. “Contract violations?” Quentin asked after a moment, breaking the tension of the room. “Yes, Quentin. Each candidate, or in some cases, candidates, must sign their own form of a contract, like yours. Helps weed out a few of the… unwanted. Plus, we can always press charges on our end to ensure they are punished. Here at Psyche, all have the potential for punishment…” The group remained silent after that last note. Dr. Halgen tried to get the group to open more and get a real dialogue going, but most questions she posed were answered simply with one word or at least as few as possibly could be uttered. Giving up for today with a sigh, she then ended the session. The rest of the day was mostly uneventful and most of the Littles, including Patrick, just tried acquainting themselves with the facility better while still actively avoiding the other more advanced Littles. Patrick was taking some sun in and viewing the landscape when one such Little came up to him. “You okay, mister?” the blonde-haired Little asked innocently. “Yes… why do you ask?” Patrick responded slowly, quickly sensing that the Little before him was more child than adult by now. ‘What had they done to him?’ “You in a chair. I think Matilda was in one but she all better now…” he then leaned in and lowered his voice, “but I think she’s got a major case of diapy rash today.” He then put his pointer finger up to his lips. “Shhh. Don’t tell anyone. Itsa secret.” Patrick nodded solemnly. The Little reminded him of one of his exes’ younger nephews. He could have told the Little before him to run away or something like that, but Patrick just smiled and crossed his heart to play along. “I promise. Your secret is safe with me.” The Little giggled. “I like you, wheely man. Wass your name? I’m Eddy.” ‘Wheely man… I almost like that…’ Patrick smiled. “Good to meet you, Eddy. I’m Patrick.” “Patrick…” The Little seemed to swish the name around in his head but then he just got a big goofy smile. “Okay! I’ll remember.” The Little beamed and backed away. “I gotta get a snack now but it was good meetin’ you!” Eddy then scampered off and back into the house. Patrick swore he could smell ammonia, but that was just crazy. As Eddy ran away though for his snack, the slight bulge in his shorts left little to Patrick’s imagination that his nose was right about what it had smelled. The rest of the day proceeded very much the same and both lunch and dinner went almost identically to how breakfast and dinner had been before this morning and last night. Now though, a few comments were made by some members of the group about how weird things were around here. More would have likely been said, but Dr. Halgen entered and stood sternly above them all to see how they were doing. Later, Patrick sat in his wheelchair that night and prayed that his personal items would soon show up. He had made sure to pack a few electronics that contained some videos and audio files that had helped him go to sleep in the past. Now, however, without them, he felt listless and hadn’t felt a hint of being tired for the past hour. With a sigh, he decided to go back downstairs and at least find something to do, hoping that by forcing himself to stay awake, he would be in effect tricking his body into just doing the opposite. After the elevator ride down, he saw the kitchen light was dimly turned on. Patrick wasn’t sure about the rules of leaving one’s room at night, so he just clutched his chest in nervousness and pushed forward. ‘Please, oh please, don’t be Dr. Halgen…’ His heart rapidly beat in his chest as he turned the corner. His hands almost slid off his wheels from the sweat building up on them. The figure there in the shadows then stood up and turned around. “Patrick?” Patrick breathed a sigh of relief. It was just Ian. “Yeah… geez, you almost gave me a heart attack.” Ian shrugged sheepishly. “Sorry about that. Can’t sleep?” Patrick nodded his head. “Me neither. This place gives me the willies.” “I’m actually surprised you came to this place,” Patrick said, wheeling himself further into the kitchen. “Self-proclaimed conspiracy nut and all? This place must be driving you up the wall.” Ian grinned. “You’re not wrong, but Osteosarcoma changes all that a bit. Say…” he paused and looked a bit guilty, “hope you don’t mind, but you’re not one of those people, right?” Patrick almost answered but a loud creak from nearby directed both of their attention elsewhere. “Who goes there?” Patrick asked fearfully. “Relax. It’s just us,” Quentin said, turning the corner. Cara was in her own wheelchair right behind him. “Can’t sleep either?” “Nope. Just talking to Patrick here,” Ian responded. “Actually, I was just asking if Patrick here was one of those people.” “He doesn’t have to answer you…” Cara said meekly. Ian strained and looked over. “Damn. Barely knew you were there, little mouse. Gonna have to work on that volume around us, but no, he doesn’t need to answer. It’s just a curiosity.” Despite what had just been acknowledged, Patrick looked at the three pairs of eyes staring back at him and eagerly awaiting what he would say. “Nah. It’s okay for you all to ask.” Patrick then wheeled himself over to the table. “You all might as well sit and get comfortable. Could help us sleep and all…” The others nodded and either sat or wheeled themselves around him. “Well, to answer your question, I’ve done some stuff. Familiar with all sorts of things and all that, but no. Won’t yuck those yums and whatnot as they say, but I just want to walk again. Can’t blame a guy for wanting that.” “Fair enough,” Ian conceded, now looking a bit guilty. He then faced the rest of the group as well. “What do you all think of good ol’ Dr. Halgen, huh?” “Seems competent…” Quentin noted. “Maybe even nice?” “For a Big…” Cara said quietly. “Yeah. Gotta agree with you there,” Patrick added. “Hard to trust a Big for all their worth. Addy seems nice, but Dr. Halgen… I just don’t know.” “Well, I know,” Ian said confidently. “Wouldn’t want to get on her bad side, and you all see those other Littles?” The rest of the group nodded. “What if that’s us two months from now?” The group remained silent, but most shockingly, Cara spoke first. “And what if it is?” The rest of the group looked like an alien had just crawled out of her nose. “I know, I know… it’s weird, but they seem happy at least… right?” Her voice began to grow louder. Patrick sighed reluctantly. “She has a point. I met a Little today… Eddy. Diapered and I felt like I was talking to a preschooler at best, but still… little dude seemed happy… and vibrant. Can’t say the same about us… no offense,” Patrick then quickly added. Quentin let out a small laugh. “Very true. Maybe it’s just the price we pay to live… or walk again. There are worse fates out there…” “This isn’t one of your books, man… this is our lives…” Ian protested. “Exactly!” Quentin exclaimed back. He then looked like he was centering himself before talking again. “Look, I get it, but Patrick and Cara are right in their own ways. You are too… but weigh the alternatives for a sec here. Bone cancer is nasty and if you’re here, what little I know about you, probably means that treatment would be something more than losing a limb. Still shit I grant you, but…” “Yeah, yeah,” Ian conceded over the severity of his illness at its current stage. “I hear you, but… diapers. That’s a tough pill…” “Agreed,” Cara added. “Doubly,” Quentin noted. “I’d drink to that…” Patrick said, though quickly feeling an ounce of shame, considering alcohol was one of the reasons why he was even here in the first place. ‘At least those meds are going through me now…’ “Same man… same,” Ian said wistfully, smiling a bit in some type of shared bond between the two. From his look, Patrick briefly wondered if he was here for alcohol as well. “So, should we place odds or…?” The floor then creaked in the kitchen once more and the group all shot looks over toward where the sound had come from. Patrick could feel his pulse race at who could possibly be there. The figure then moved into the light. “Up for a bit of late-night rowdiness, huh?” Addy asked with a mischievous grin and look in her eyes. “We were, uh…” Quentin tried to stammer out. Addy giggled. “Relax. No need to explain, sweetie,” Addy said playfully. “I’m not one of those Bigs. I hope we can all be friends by the end in fact, but just keep in mind that late nights shouldn’t be a common occurrence around here. You all need your rest, okay? You are here to heal yourselves.” The group nodded and Quentin and Ian both got up from the table as Patrick and Cara started to wheel away as well, all sensing the need to at least stay in their rooms for the remainder of the night. “Good idea you all. Just scootch on back to bed, but if you have trouble sleeping in the future, just consider giving your little bracelet two taps for now and one of the nurses will come and help you out. Three taps though… and we’ll come running, but don’t you all little munchkins start abusing that, okay?” The group nodded once more. Patrick wanted to protest the usage of the words ‘little munchkins’ being used for them, but probably like the rest of the group, he didn’t want to push his luck with her. The group already seemed to at least be bending the rules a bit by being down here so late, so a protest now seemed ill-timed. Patrick then made his way back upstairs with the other three in the elevator. No one said a word and each only waved goodbye as they beeped into their own respective rooms to go to sleep for the night. Patrick did the same as he entered his room and waved to Cara like the rest had, however, he decided to try and pull her more out of her shell and take the first step. He liked what he had heard from her today and wanted to get to know her better. “Goodnight, Cara.” She looked up and seemed surprised by the break in what the rest had done when going to bed, but only smiled. “Goodnight, Patrick,” she said in a now more normal tone of voice. She then gave her own tiny wave and disappeared into her own room. Patrick smiled to himself as he wheeled into his own room and then performed his nightly routine. The training pants that Dr. Halgen had mentioned, and Addy had provided yesterday were a bit annoying to see when changing into his pajamas, but he hadn’t used them, and somewhat gratefully, he couldn’t feel their extra bulk as compared to the boxers that he previously had worn. It was a bit of an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ situation, so he only groaned and cared about them whenever he took off his pants to do his business throughout the day and again now before bed. “Whatever…” Patrick then washed his face and brushed his teeth before hoisting himself into bed. In truth, it was all annoying and he just longed for the day when he could have just collapsed into bed without a single further thought. “Maybe soon…” He let his thoughts drift off and felt a renewed sense of confidence in coming here. There had been some unnerving signs of what their deal could eventually lead to, but Patrick could only feel good after the tiny bonding moment he had shared with Cara, Quentin, and Ian tonight. They might not have been true friends yet, but he was glad that he had at least found some allies in this place. Based on Eddy alone today, he realized that he might need just those types of friends now more than ever.

This chapter is a bit longer and from what I can see so far, a lot of the other future chapters will be as well. Now that we're actually in the dreaded Diaper Dimension, I always just feel there's so much more to flesh out and talk about. Regardless, this chapter will serve as the beginning of the next part of this story. Unless something drastically changes, there should be a total of six parts by the end. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter! Part II: An End Date Chapter 5: Hell, or Haven? The two cars slammed into each other and sent shards of glass flying everywhere. The bodies of both vehicles had been completely crushed and now lay mangled off to the side of the road. The fog and rain seemed to want to cover up the violence of what had just occurred in part because of them. Patrick groaned as he came to. “Oh… my head…” Patrick moved the less painful of his two arms and touched a particular throbbing spot on his head. It stung badly. “Shit… wha… damn!” Patrick tried to move around into a better position to see what was going on but only felt a massive pain in his lower back. “Breathe. Just breathe… take the pain… figure out what’s going on.” Patrick desperately looked around. He was well pinned, and in front of him was the other car, which had nearly fully crumpled in the front and the driver was only a few feet away from where Patrick was now. The driver, an old mustached man, was clearly dead from his slack expression and the large piece of bloody metal jutting out from the front of his chest. Panicking now though, Patrick turned to his left and saw his mom. Glass had cut her face up pretty well, but more distressingly, she appeared to be injured in several spots on her body. “Mom! Mom! Please, oh please, don’t be dead.” Patrick tried to shake her as gently as he could to awaken her. He knew that with accidents and injuries like these, spinal injuries were highly likely. One wrong move and a person could be paralyzed from the neck down for life as a best-case scenario. Gratefully, she began to stir. “Wha… Patrick? What happened?” Her voice was coherent but strained. “Oh mom. Thank God. I thought…” Patrick shook the worst-case scenario out of his head. “We were in an accident. I can see the blinking on the dash for the automatic call for help… I think they should be coming soon. Just hold on. Please!” Laura smiled sweetly at the comfort her son was trying to give her. “My sweet boy…” Her face then frowned. “Are you hurt? Your arm…your face…” Patrick winced in pain as he moved his body back to his chair. “Yeah… I think I’m hurt pretty bad… broken arm and some pain in my back…” Patrick then glanced back over to his mom. “You look pretty bad yourself. Where does it hurt?” Laura looked at her son oddly and then moved her hands around her body. After a second, she looked back at her now bloodied hand. “Oh… I guess I am hurt pretty badly… I couldn’t feel it…” Patrick’s heart sunk as he heard those words. She was either critical and needed help immediately, or she was experiencing some type of paralysis. Either way, he just prayed the ambulance would show up soon. This area’s hospital held some of the best medical advancements and was only about 15 minutes away. “Just hold on. With all the portal technology coming over now, I’m sure things will be okay.” Laura smiled at her son’s simple but comforting words. “I’m sure you’re right…” Her smile then instantly evaporated though when she saw the dead driver in the car in front of them. “Poor man…” Patrick noticed her change in demeanor and knew he had to keep her spirits up. “Yeah… but uh, remember Mrs. Mankowitz?” Laura solemnly nodded. “Yeah… well, she was in an accident as well… her leg was nearly severed but now… you remember her from last summer… she was one of the fastest swimmers in the pool. We’re going to be okay… those Amazons have some pretty amazing technology. Aren’t they just the miracle we all needed? I’ll have to thank them one day for all the good they’ve done for our society…” “Bigs, dear…” Laura reminded her son, her voice barely above a whisper. “Right… Bigs… they just…” Patrick then saw his mom’s eyes start to close. “Mom! Mom!” Patrick tried shaking her awake again, but it wasn’t working. “Mom! Wake up! Wake up!” * * * Patrick came back to from his memory of that terrible night that had led him to all… this. The woman Big only moved closer to him. ‘How stupid was I to ever want to meet one of these people… let alone thank them… In a matter of minutes, I’m probably going to end up as some drooling potato. Shit… I already can’t walk… I’m probably every Bigs wet dream… How stupid am I for even thinking of coming here?’ Instead, though, much to Patrick’s surprise, the gigantic woman just giggled again at Patrick’s defensive but ultimately, if he truly was in danger, futile and diminutive stance. Her giggle wasn’t malicious or even cruel though… it almost was as if she thought he was just being… cute. Patrick knew that could still mean trouble though, so he continued to brace himself for the worst. She noticed and looked concerned. “Easy there, sweetie. I don’t mean you any harm.” She then crouched down more to his height level to at least attempt to be less intimidating to the clearly frightened Little. It didn’t work. “Bull!” Patrick thrust his hand into his pocket to retrieve his ticket. “See here? This is a ticket directing me to Psyche New Beginnings! You touch me or kidnap me… you’ll face extreme consequences! I mean it! I have a contract with them!” The woman just warmly smiled and waited for him to finish. Patrick tried to maneuver further back and away from this woman, but he had reached the end of the platform. The portal then shut off and more of the fog dissipated from around the laboratory-like area. With less fog now, Patrick quickly saw that they weren’t alone and hardly anyone seemed to being paying any attention to the two of them and their little scene. The woman then sighed and continued. “Patrick. We know why you’re here. You have nothing to fear from us.” The woman smiled and then pointed to the now obvious Psyche New Beginnings logo, complete with the butterfly, on her protective uniform. “We know you’re with Psyche. We even have a ride for you to take you to where you need to go, okay?” Patrick still gripped his wheelchair but started to relax his body and felt slightly foolish for doubting them or missing the giant logo now so obvious in front of him. Other Bigs may have been untrustworthy, but this was a business after all that was dedicated to helping people just like him. Others may have done it for profit, but these people were at least willing to make a trade to help the Littles out. The woman smiled warmly at Patrick’s more relaxed demeanor and then patted his shoulder. “There, I’ll take that as a yes.” She then got up from her crouched position and once again, towered over Patrick. “Now, just follow me and we’ll get you to where you need to go.” Patrick still didn’t fully trust her as a singular woman entity from this dimension, but realizing he needed to start trusting somewhere, he relented and allowed her to wheel him off the platform. A few of the other Bigs gave them some strange looks, but Patrick just kept focusing on the Big in front of him. He had enough to deal with one Big, let alone seven others. Patrick then realized how foolish and reactionary he had been after exiting the portal. The woman now wheeling had probably just used a tone of voice that had struck something deep within his protective unconscious state. She had likely just used a kind tone to convey trust in her own way, but to him, her tone had felt more like an adult speaking to someone young and unaware. In this dimension, that was not a good thing for a Little to hear. Patrick had purchased a book the day after he had agreed and talked to Brett, and it had mentioned that type of tone as one of the warning signs to look out for when dealing with strangers here. He wasn’t sure how much of the information from that book would come in handy with his involvement in the program or not, but he hadn’t wanted to take any chances. Soon, the two were at an entrance to the outside and the woman turned around. “Okay… this is where I leave you, Patrick. Your transportation is right out there. Psyche personnel and their transportation will be clearly labeled, and they’ll help you the rest of the way out.” There was an awkward pause and the woman looked like she wanted to do more. “Uh, normally I hug most of you portal types, but I’ll just leave you with a ‘good luck out there’ instead.” Patrick nodded and the woman sighed, clearly disappointed that she wasn’t going to get to hug him. “Right… well, I hope you do well and find what you’re looking for, but try to trust us… at least a bit… you never know when you may need our help…” Patrick wanted to shoot something back about his independence, but the woman had already walked off. ‘Probably for the best…’ Seeing her now usual and much larger strides, he realized that she had actually been trying to intimidate him less. It hadn’t worked very well, but seeing her full power, Patrick doubled down on his relief that she hadn’t given him time to pursue her. Looking down at his own wheelchair and knowing the further issues it would be causing him with these people, he realized that this stay could be more difficult than he had originally thought. Still, Psyche was waiting, so as directed, Patrick then rolled outside and to the awaiting bus. Few words were spoken, and Patrick simply picked a spot in the rear after a platform had helped him up. One other person in a wheelchair rolled in as well with the lift, while numerous other more healthy-looking people sat in the front. Everyone remained silent, even as the bus started and exited the facility drop-off and pick-up zone. Patrick rationalized that they were either very sick or, like him, were having tiny doubts about coming here. About thirty minutes later, the bus passed through an eclectic looking communal town and then through a gated entrance at the end of a long road. A few twists up a hill later, the bus came into view of a large Victorian-style mansion perched on the edge of the top of the hill they had been climbing that overlooked everything within view. At the top, the ocean could be seen in the distance out toward one way and mountains could be seen in the far distance in the other. “Psyche New Beginnings! Here we are!” the bus driver announced. The bus then halted with an abrupt stop and Patrick’s wheelchair rocked forward and back into place from the motion. A few mumbled about what was happening, but all quickly exited once the front doors opened. Patrick and another quiet girl in a pink beanie were still on the bus and waited for the wheelchair lift to lower them one by one. “After you,” Patrick gestured as the elevator ramp locked into position. The girl smiled but still didn’t say a word. As she lowered to the ground, Patrick tried to guess why she was here in the first place. All her limbs were intact, and he could see her left leg nervously twitching about, so he rationalized that whatever was happening with her was something internal. ‘Maybe cancer or some brain thing?’ Patrick didn’t have time to contemplate long as the wheelchair lift rose back to its original position for him to get on. After he locked his brakes on the platform, it slowly began to lower once again, and Patrick could feel the warm sun on his face. It was the very end of the summer season, but the leaves had already begun to turn. A faint breeze rustled about on the grounds in front of the mansion and the air never seemed cleaner. ‘Ah… Big technology at work cleaning up their atmosphere…’ The lift finally made it to the ground and Patrick wheeled himself away. It felt odd to him not taking anything else besides his wheelchair and clothing on his back while traveling, but if everything went according to plan, he would have some belongings here with the next weeks. Ominously though, previously, Brett had made sure to mention that he wouldn’t need much beyond some personal mementos… One thing that Patrick had quickly found odd that Brett hadn’t elaborated on was the lack of need for clothing. Suddenly, another Big appeared right in front of him. Patrick had to shield his eyes from the sun as he stared at the pink scrub covered woman. From his even lower position in his wheelchair, he could only make out her slightly wavy red hair. “Well, hey there, cutie,” the woman said, now starting to crouch in front of him with a smile. Her green eyes, soft skin, and easy-going smile were immediately apparent to Patrick. “I’m Addy. I’ll be your nurse while you’re here.” She seemed like she was getting up and going in for a hug, but Patrick just shot his hand out first. “Patrick. Good to meet you… Addy.” Addy stopped and just chuckled at the speed of the offered hand gesture. “I guess we’ll work up to that, but good to meet you too,” she said, now shaking his hand. “So, today is mostly just about introductions for you two.” “Two?” Patrick questioned. “Two.” Addy then waddled a bit to the side, still in her crouched position, and revealed the same woman who had been wheelchair bound on the bus as well. Addy looked like she wanted her to speak up first, but the gaunt and pale woman just squirmed a bit in her seat. Addy took the hint. “Patrick… this is Cara.” “Good to meet you, Cara.” Patrick then waved at her, and she waved back but still said nothing. Patrick was by no means an extrovert, but this woman could have been the textbook definition of either shy or of being an introvert. “I guess we’ll work up to that as well…” Addy then stood back up from her crouched position. “So, I think Cara should meet Dr. Halgen first while I give Patrick the tour, and then after, we can just swap places. Is that okay?” Patrick looked around and saw a few of the others who had been on the bus get selected by their own nurses and were in pairs as well. Cara only shrugged at the offered notion. “That would be okay with me,” Patrick finally agreed. “Wonderful!” Addy then swung around and grabbed both wheelchairs. Interestingly enough, they both merged together in some odd mini medical conga line. From her flinching in front of him, Patrick could only guess that Cara was just as surprised as he was at the new combined contraption. “Okay, here we go!” Addy then pushed the two Littles up a nearby ramp and into the automatic double front doors. From the outside, Patrick just blushed at the notion that with Addy pushing the two, she probably looked more like she was pushing a stroller. Once inside though, a large, tiled floor and white paneled walls greeted them. Wooden furniture and a small entryway rug could also be seen along with a single staircase to the right of the entryway when walking in. “Welcome to Psyche you two.” Addy then pushed them further in and the doors automatically closed quietly behind them. “You all shouldn’t need to open the door much without one of us staff present in the beginning, but here,” she pointed to a large silver disc on a nearby wall, “is the button for the doors. We’ll get you fitted with a bracelet when you meet Dr. Halgen today and that should give you access to most places around here, including the elevator.” “And where is that?” Patrick asked, not seeing it in sight. “Just around the corner, but I can show you that on the tour. First,” Addy wheeled the two a little further in until coming to another pair of doors to one side of the entryway opposite of the staircase, “Cara, this is your stop for now.” Addy then knocked on the doors and both opened inward. “Come in! Come in!” a voice beckoned from inside, likely Dr. Halgen. Patrick strained to see, but Addy just blocked his view unintentionally as she uncoupled the wheelchairs and pushed Cara inside alone. “Thank you, Addy, the disembodied spoke again. “I can just beep you when we’re done. Hopefully you will be done by then…” “Yes, Dr. Halgen,” Addy said, backing out of the room with almost a bow and closing the doors behind her. She then turned back to Patrick. “Now, shall we continue?” Patrick nodded and gestured forward. “Go on…” Addy then got behind Patrick and started to show him through the mansion facility. There were two elevators that he could use easily and would access all four living space floors, including the basement and attic if needed, for a grand total of six. Addy didn’t elaborate further on the various rooms, but Patrick was also quietly distracted by the large kitchen and the… accessories accompanying it nearby. “Are those…?” “Highchairs,” Addy responded, “yes. Some of our patients may find their… need later in the program.” She then came over and crouched down in front of Patrick. “Dr. Halgen is telling Cara this now, and you’ll hear it again later when you talk with her, but this place is special. We help all of you out in the ways you need, but as Littles with a contract, you may find a few changes to what you may consider normal.” “Meaning?” Patrick asked hesitantly, a pit of fear quickly forming in his stomach. “Meaning things like highchairs could be in the cards for you. And before you say that you didn’t sign up for something like that, let me say that you are at least partially right. Dr. Halgen will explain more, but I’ll just say that we won’t force you to do anything that you wouldn’t be subject to once you leave here.” Patrick’s mind swirled at the implications of what Addy had just said. He had heard what happened in this dimension and the contract had said that he would be paired with a caregiver. He wasn’t a simpleton with all this but being here now in person all felt entirely different. This feeling only persisted as Addy continued her tour. While everything appeared as an almost charming B&B or rehab facility of sorts, small hints lingered around as to the world that Patrick had entered. For example, what could possibly be labeled as the living room had couches and the like, but it also had playmats, bouncers, and the TV had been tuned to something called, ‘Adventure Sam.’ Further, when they ventured to the back porch, Patrick could see most of the resident Littles playing outside. His was the most recent group but Addy had informed him that there were two other more advanced groups here as well. The middle group seemed much perkier than the one that had just stepped off the bus, however, many still appeared slow or attached to walkers, but all also looked positively more mature than the last group did. That last group seemed practically youthful and giddy, and most distressingly, most seemed diapered. In fact, a few by the still uncovered pool only wore diapers… The scene had really impacted Patrick and he had only been half-listening through the next few rooms. His reality was beginning to truly hit. He was so out of it, that he only really perked up when they got on the elevator and then got off on the third floor which opened into a long corridor. “Where are we?” “This is the floor for your group. Some of the staff stay on the floor above and the other groups are below you. Stairs will be a bit harder on this floor even when you’re all better, so I suggest that you take the elevator throughout most of your stay here when on your own.” “Right…” Patrick quickly moved by the fact that she had mentioned him staying away from the stairs when he was with someone else. From the display he had just witnessed outside, it disturbingly wouldn’t shock him if he did traverse those stairs one day, but only in the arms of someone carrying him… Addy saw his discomfort with the whole notion, so she just pushed him onward and finally stopped at one of the doors near the end of the hallway. “Here we are!” she said with an upbeat and sing-song voice. Patrick looked blankly at the door in front of him. “Where?” Addy then giggled. “Your room silly! Here, let me open it for you first. You’ll be able to do it by yourself with your band later, but,” she waved her hand in front of the pad that lit up and a clicking sound could be heard, “there! All good. Now, just push.” Patrick did with his chair and was quickly greeted inside by a small hallway and a larger room that he could see at the end of it. “Go on,” Addy coaxed after a moment. Patrick slowly wheeled himself inside. He could immediately see a small bathroom to his right with a few cabinets, a bath with a shower head on top, and a sink. “Part of the tub opens up for you to get in with a movable shower chair inside,” Addy said, trying to sound cheerful. “You might want a shower all the time… but… well, you have options if you want them.” “Right…” Patrick nodded and quickly pushed forward to see the rest of the room and get off the insinuated topic of taking a bath in there. Addy only followed silently behind. Wheeling into the main area, there was a single bed, a nightstand, a small and cushioned chair in the corner, and a small refrigerator off to one side. The walls were painted in neutral colors of off-white shades and were only broken up by the tall closet along one wall and the two windows on the opposite and far wall of the room. Patrick wheeled himself over to the right window which lay in a small alcove that was barely the depth of his forearm. Still, the view outside was pleasant and peaceful. “So… what do you think?” Addy asked from nearby. Patrick looked away from the view and wheeled around to face her. “It’s nice. Homey and all for… uh, the type of room it is…” Addy smiled. “Yeah. It’s a little stark,” she conceded, “but your belongings should be arriving very soon and I’m sure we can always get you something more for a little personal touch. Anything…?” Addy started to ask, but her watch started beeping. “Oops. One sec…” Patrick continued to look around the room while Addy furiously began typing something into her watch. “Everything okay?” he asked after a minute. “Oh, yes. All good!” Addy said, looking back up. “Dr. Halgen is just wrapping up now. Let me take you down there now and you can switch spots with Cara. You can always tell me what else you might want in here later.” “Push on,” Patrick said, quickly submitting to the idea that if Addy was ever around, she would likely just insist on doing it herself. This way, she would get her way and save an argument or two in the future. ‘I’m already changing here…’ A short trip later and the two were back downstairs in the entryway. The doors opened and Addy went inside. A few mumblings later and Cara was being wheeled back out. Patrick immediately felt a bit unnerved by her even further ghostly features as her eyes remained fixed and appeared to almost be in a state of shock. “Send him in, Addy!” Dr. Halgen called out from inside. Patrick’s stomach dropped as he was then pushed into the room, the doors quickly closing once Addy had exited the room after locking him into place. Whatever happened to her, he knew he was up next, and more importantly, he was now all alone with an unknown and imposing Big. Patrick wanted to distract himself, so he looked around the room and saw most of the space filled with either paintings, motivational quotes, or books. The wood and carpeting gave it a warm aura, but something still lingered in Patrick’s mind that something just felt… different here. “Hello, Patrick,” Dr. Halgen started. Patrick bolted his gaze back to the previously formless voice. Looking at the good doctor now though, Patrick gulped and was even more intimidated. Even in a seated position, he could tell that she would easily be the tallest of the Bigs he had met so far and her toned body under her professional attire left little doubt in his mind as just who was in charge in this room. He gulped and nearly coughed from the extreme dryness of his mouth. Dr. Halgen paid no attention to it. “First, let me just welcome you to our facility here. And secondly, I know Addy has already told you a bit about some of the basics here, but I just wanted to outline a few items. Is this acceptable?” Patrick could only nod and shake a bit in his wheelchair. Dr. Halgen let out a small laugh. “You don’t need to fear me, Patrick.” Her eyes felt like they just bore right into his soul. “Just follow the rules and you’ll be fine. If it helps, you can even call me Kelsey. Or, if you’re feeling even bolder, Aunty Kelsey will do just fine as well. I answer to many names.” She smiled and a chill went up Patrick’s spine. He quickly recalled the other Littles he had seen outside, knowing full-well they probably used that last monicker themselves. “Dr. Halgen is okay with me…” “Suit yourself.” Dr. Halgen leaned back in her chair and looked at a small tablet that she had plucked up from her desk. “Let’s see…” She scanned the tablet for a moment and then looked back at Patrick. “According to your file, you are paralyzed from an accident, have guilt over what happened that night, and have become dependent on your pills for pain relief and other necessities.” She looked back at the tablet and then back up at Patrick. “Oh yes. You also seem to be developing a bad habit for alcohol as well. Care to refute any of that?” Patrick hesitated for a moment but then just shook his head. “No…” Dr. Halgen gave him a small understanding smile. “No need to be embarrassed, Patrick. I’m here to help.” Her face then became suddenly serious to Patrick’s fright. “Don’t be afraid, but first thing though. I have to ask, but… have you had any pills or alcohol since last week. Be truthful now.” Patrick trembled slightly. The truth was that whatever they had given him at OO was amazing but had seemed to have worn off two days ago. Brett had given him a booster yesterday so he was clean in the past 24 hours, but the same couldn’t be said for before then. “Yes…” “I see. In that case, I’m going to make a note in your file for you to change medications. Normally, when withdrawing, we prefer a tougher road in some respects. Seems to make it stick more in a shorter timeframe, but you’ll be doing other things here as well that you’ll need your strength for, so you’ll take a daily pill at first to begin to flush the craving from your system. Understand?” The firmness in her voice made it seem like an order rather than an option treatment plan. “Yes… I understand.” “Good.” She then set the tablet back down and stared deeply into Patrick’s wavering gaze. “While you’re here, I have a few items to go over with you. Each of these is not a suggestion, per the contract you signed to be a part of this program. Ready?” Patrick slowly nodded. Dr. Halgen smiled smugly. “Excellent. Just to get it out of the way, while you are staying here, starting tonight, you will be wearing training pants. Other programs introduce these if there’s an accident, but that’s not us. Based on your case, these may be needed anyway, and I should note that repeated… use of them will cause us to reevaluate your needs while here and later with your selected caregiver.” Patrick could feel his heart race at the notion. He again remembered the Littles outside and the fact that most of them could be seen wearing diapers. It felt as if the system was already rigged, and he was just getting a glimpse into his future. He wanted to say something to try and wiggle out of wearing them, but Dr. Halgen spoke first. “Before you protest any of these rules, I should just point out that while punishments are a ‘last measure’ type of scenario around here, they can still happen. I only mention this as you signed the contract, so any refusal will be seen as ‘bad’ behavior...” Patrick immediately relaxed back into his seat, much to the obvious amusement of Dr. Halgen as she smiled at his actions. “Just keep it in mind, dear.” Dr. Halgen then let out a breath. “So, now that all that is out of the way, let’s get to the more interesting stuff. Your caregiver… you will choose one by the end of the program here and we’ll even hold a large ceremony where you get to choose whomever you want to go home with.” “What if I can’t decide or there’s not a good one?” Patrick asked nervously. It was another thing that Brett hadn’t really covered. Patrick had a nightmare about that happening the other night and it kept wandering into his thoughts whenever there was a dull moment since then. Dr. Halgen didn’t smile. “Well, in that case… I should warn you that you will be going with a caregiver at the end no matter what, according to your contract. If you don’t choose that night, you will select from the remaining caregivers that we have vetted. All are good according to our standards, but you could potentially be choosing blindly…” “Wait… blindly?” Patrick interrupted. “You just mentioned the word ‘blindly’ only in that one scenario… does that mean…?” Dr. Halgen then smacked her head in embarrassment. “Oh, right. Geez. I forgot to mention… you will be going out with potential caregivers.” Patrick’s draw nearly dropped to the floor. “Rest easy, Patrick. Just think of the whole bit as a test drive of a new car if you want. Find out what you like… or don’t by really driving it around. Make sense?” Patrick hated that analogy, but just slowly nodded. “Good.” Dr. Halgen glanced down at some information on the tablet in her hands. “Next, as you narrow in on the potential traits you want in a caregiver, we will often find patterns of things they might want from you. You might not know it, but if all three of your caregivers like strawberries, we might start giving you strawberry milkshakes.” Patrick didn’t find the example amusing and he only gripped his chair in fear as he remembered the rest of the house. ‘The highchairs…’ Patrick gulped in fear once more. “Such as…?” he asked nervously. “Such as, well… predominantly things like your clothing choices. We’ll already have items chosen for you to designate you as part of this program, and in fact, they’re waiting upstairs in your closet now. They’ll help with your security to show that you’re with us and can’t be claimed randomly by just any Big. Other things may and will be considered, but we can discuss those later.” “Anything else?” Patrick asked, not sure if he wanted to hear more at this point. “Yes. Lastly, you will be attending a physical therapy session to help with your legs and a group therapy session to help with the… other bits. Both are mandatory,” she said sternly. Patrick wanted to protest vehemently about opening up about himself in front of strangers, but Dr. Halgen only gave a look that promptly stopped him in his tracks. After confirming he didn’t have any other questions, Dr. Halgen then produced a single wristband from her desk. “Keep this with you at all times. We may implement a sturdier method in the future, but for now, this way we can at least track you to prevent, or help, any potential accidents or less savory events from transpiring. It also serves as a key for any of the closed doors, like your room or the front door. We’ll show you later how to add in other doors, but for now, if you can’t get in, just assume you’re not allowed in there, okay?” Patrick took the black wristband and quickly attached it to his wrist. It made a cutesy tune and the circle around the top lit up in an array of dancing lights. “Perfect. That means it’s activated and all good to go. With that done, I’ll buzz in Addy.” Addy came back in after a few moments and then wheeled Patrick out of the room after a little playful wave goodbye from Dr. Halgen. It was a nice gesture, but her persistent smile reminded him far too much of the one that a ride operator would give before he would ever get shot out in a rollercoaster in the old days. It was very unnerving to see from someone who was the head of this program. He was soon left at the kitchen table and awaiting dinner while a few of the other Littles filed in as well. Addy soon returned with Cara as well from another room and parked her next to Patrick. It was surreal seeing everyone that would be with him for the next three months, but as the cartoons blared in the background as the other more progressed Littles watched intently, having already eaten, it all felt like they had been sentenced to something that they hadn’t truly understood back in their own dimension. Now, it was all too late to back out. Patrick just hoped they would all make it the five years until they could go back home. For now, though, today was just day one.

I don't know if she can remember how or what to do at work - Jean did comment on her poor performance, after all. She's slipping in more ways than one. ❤️ Truly, I stand on the shoulders of Amazons. Do they? Or is Jean just observing what's been happening? She's got a functioning nose, and Nicole isn't half so sneaky as she thinks she is. 😏 ... Day 10 Alphabet blocks were in Nicole’s thoughts, and onesies were in her wardrobe. The training chart on her door showed the blocks–all stacked in a jumble, spelling out nothing in particular. Vanessa had taken a glance at it and said that together they formed the words, ‘Baby Nicole’, but all Nicole could see was a jumble of letters. She worried what that meant. They’d woken up early. Vanessa had suggested the night before that they get a jump on things, so she had plenty of time to change Nicole and get her dressed without missing the bus. A lot of her clothes had changed overnight, but she still had some plain jeans and T shirts that were apparently juvenile enough to not be affected by the magic, and she was in too much of a hurry to mourn the lost fashion accessories. Nicole also had to admit, an extra set of hands getting ready for the day was nice–and having Vanessa wake her up had been particularly helpful, because Nicole hadn’t remembered to plug her phone in before getting into her crib the night before, and her alarm hadn’t gone off. Now, she was nursing the phone on a charger, waiting for it to boot up, wondering what had been taken from her that morning. Her phone chirped to life, the startup song jingled, and she looked down–three percent battery, it still needed to charge, and… “Poopie,” she said aloud, her words defaulting to a toddler swear. Even getting up early, she’d still be late–the clock read eight something-or-other, and her bus left at eight fifteen. She had to run. “Gotta go, V!” she yelped, leaping from the couch and sprinting to the door. “Gonna be wate!” Vanessa walked out a few moments later, too slow to catch her friend’s exit. “Late?” she asked aloud, checking her own phone for the time. “It’s only like eight minutes past seven, but...guess she wanted to get ahead of things.” … Nicole sprinted up to the bus stop, heart pounding as she leaned against the signpost. (The bus, where was the–) looking around, she saw it coming up the road, still a couple blocks away. She’d made it, barely, but she’d take the win. Withdrawing her phone for the bus pass, she frowned. The screen was black again, it hadn’t charged enough to survive her mad dash to the bus stop. Instead of using her prepaid app, she’d have to buy a ticket. Fumbling for cash, she watched the bus pull up, immediately noticing that something felt off. For one, the bus had a different driver today, a man in his forties who must have been subbing in for the typical driver on her route. Stepping on, she continued to dig in her purse, fishing out a few crinkled bills and some change. “Erm…” she said, looking between the pay terminal and the money in her hand. The pay terminal had a bunch of numbers printed on it, but they seemed to be floating off the label, dancing before her eyes. A six, and a one, and… a five? So it was six dollars and fifteen cents for a bus ticket? That didn’t seem right to her, but she hadn’t bought a regular ticket in a while, she always had her phone. Looking down at her money, though, she realized she only had… “Uh…” “Lady,” the driver said, “Are you getting on or what?” “Yeah, I just…” she tried to count. She had a few bills… one bill for each finger. Five bills. Ok, so she still needed a dollar, and– “Lady,” the driver insisted. “It’s a buck sixty five, just put the money in the terminal.” She swallowed. She’d read it wrong–that price made more sense, though. A buck sixty five, so one bill, and then…quarters. Three quarters? No, too much– “I can’t–” she stammered, holding out her handful of wadded money to the driver. “Help?” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Friggin’ kids, it must be that new math,” he grumbled, reaching out to take the appropriate currency. “Look, lady. A dollar, two quarters, a nickel, and dime. Got it?” “I’m not a kid,” she mumbled defensively. “Coulda fooled me,” he said, dropping the coins and inserting the bill for her. “Take your seat. You know your stop?” “Mhmm,” she said, blushing as she hurried to the back of the bus. He drove away, and she sat back, stunned and disoriented. Nothing felt right. She couldn’t read, and…that explained the baby blocks. But she still could read. She recognized letters, right? So she’d just have to take things one letter at a time. She could do that. She practiced on the LED sign reading out the next stop. “B,” she said aloud. “A, R, R, Y. Barry. D, R, I, V, E… Barry Drive? But…” The Barry Drive stop wasn’t anywhere near her office, it was practically in the opposite direction. Maybe she’d read it wrong–but that was almost as scary as if she’d read it right. Rushing to the front of the bus, she pulled the signal indicating her need to get off. The driver pulled over, and she stepped out, looking around–she’d ended up somewhere by downtown. Only a mile from her office, a walk she could make in twenty minutes, but she didn’t understand how. Catching someone waiting for a different bus, she asked, “Excuse…me…my phone is dead, can you pwease tell me the time?” The woman hesitated, caught off guard by Nicole’s lisp, but glanced at her own phone. “It’s just past seven thirty.” (Oh,) Nicole realized. (Okay. I left early, I got on the wrong bus.) Exhaling in relief, she said, “Thankies.” “You’re welcome?” That wasn’t too bad. She’d just need to catch a new bus, or walk. She could make that walk in time, and there was a thorough map posted by the stop. All she had to do was… Read the map and find a route. Just finding where she was on the map took her ten minutes, by which point she was sniffling in frustration. Tracing the road with a finger to where she knew her office was helped, but she couldn’t make out the tiny letters spelling the streets, and even after getting a stranger to read them for her, matching the names in her head to the street signs above intersections was downright impossible–there were just too many other letters floating in her vision. She got lost four times, and had to find a public restroom to change her diaper once. It took a good Samaritan stranger noticing her distress and giving her simple, direct instructions–‘Start walking down this road and turn when you see the big fountain with a mermaid’–that she managed to get to work. Gazing up at the office building, Nicole swallowed. She wasn’t that late, was she? Only a few hours. (Maybe someone covered for me.) Swallowing, she stepped inside, took the stairs–she didn’t trust herself on the elevator buttons–and got to her desk, plugged in her phone, and started plugging away at work. At least she managed to keep herself clean, mostly. She had to proactively check her diaper, and that constant paranoia meant she spent almost as much time nervously sniffing and reaching down to squeeze the padded crotch, but she didn’t have any more unnoticed messy accidents before lunch. She only managed to fill out one report in that time, mouthing out every letter and pecking at the keyboard to type, but it was something. It didn’t surprise her when Jean intercepted her immediately after lunch, but her heart still sank. Jean’s dubious sniff of the air around Nicole made her feel even smaller, even more helpless–she couldn’t be trusted to keep her diaper clean. “Let’s go talk in my office,” Jean offered. Nicole meekly followed. The door shut behind her. “Am I being fired?” she all-but whispered, looking down at her toes. “We’ll talk about that,” Jean said, walking to her desk and spinning the computer display around for Nicole to see. “Come look at this.” Nicole walked up, leaning in to look at the report. It was the one she’d filled out before lunch–just some expense sheets. The number at the bottom was really big. “Um…did I file too many enspen… expsen–too much stuff?” “The–it’s wrong,” Jean snapped, her weariness turning the last word harsh–she hadn’t quite snapped, but she was getting impatient. “Nicole, this is simple addition. How did you add a dozen expenses under a hundred dollars and add them up to be greater than our company’s entire gross sales? How did you not notice?” “I don’t…” Nicole stared, squinting harder. She knew the numbers were wrong, but she couldn’t find the mistake, the letters were just floating off the page. “And the labels–what even are these?” Jean asked. “‘Snackies’? ‘Choo choo’?” “Um–um–” Nicole stammered, trying to think, trying to form the words so that she wouldn’t sound like a babbling toddler. “That was…Employee meals… and tram fare.” “Nicole,” Jean said, sitting down at her desk. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you right now, but it’s clear you’re in no state to work. You’ve got two weeks sick time and eight personal days, after that we’ll need to see if I can convince management to suspend your employment instead of firing you outright.” Her eyes widened. “You’re not… You pwomise? I’m not fi-fied?” Jean sighed, almost sadly. “I like you, and you’ve given us good work. Go see a doctor, figure out what’s going on–once you show me you can keep your pants clean and your spelling neat, we’ll get you back to work.” Under her breath, she added, “Do not repeat this outside my office, but if I need to fire you so that you can collect unemployment, tell me. I want you to be OK, Nicole, you’re just…up until this past week, you were a mature, competent adult. I don’t know what you are now.” Nicole wiped at her eyes with her arm, wet tears sliding down her cheeks. “I…um…fank you…” “Get help, Nicole.” Nicole nodded. (Help. Right.) Taking out her phone, she called Vanessa, choking down her sobs. “V? Are you there?” “I’m here,” Vanessa’s voice came back, reassuring and solid. “What’s wrong?” “I… I need a ride.” ... Poor Nicole Support the author: https://www.patreon.com/PeculiarChangeling https://subscribestar.adult/peculiarchangeling

Thanks for the advice everyone. It took a month, but the water works board gave me a credit for the water leak, so my bill went from $700 to -$70. Im grateful for their understanding and y’all’s suggestion to seek a credit.

Home from their laser tag date and there are some very clear signs that their relationships have all changed. Livy's resistence to her growing babyhood, tenuous as that resistence was in the first place, is vanishing. Dan and Landon confront the fact that their relationship is no longer "just friends" and Robyn is offered the chance of a lifetime. --- Writing is my passion and my only source of income. If you enjoy my stories you may be interested to learn that you can see every update I post one week before the rest of the world with a $5 pledge on Patreon. For $10 you can see everything early AND 47 full length stories that can only be found on my Patreon page! The money I get goes to paying bills and putting food on the table so I appreciate all of my patrons and would appreciate anyone who might be interested in supporting me to check out my Patreon ❤️ https://www.patreon.com/Elfy88 --- When they parked outside the house Olivia was lifted out of the car by Dan who seemed to have no problem carrying her against his chest. She felt his hand pressing into the dirty seat of her diaper and Whined as she buried her face against Dan’s chest. “We should probably put her straight to bed.” Landon suggested. “Agreed.” Dan replied, “Right after a fresh diaper of course.” Olivia didn’t know how to take all of this. She was in her messy diaper and being carried into the home, she prayed none of the neighbours were watching this scene. After being carried into the house all three of them went up to the master bedroom. Olivia was blushing deeply, she couldn’t stop comparing herself to Landon in very unfavourable terms. Olivia was put down on the edge of the bed before lying back. She watched as Dan went to the closet for the changing supplies but what really drew her attention was Landon. The guest was standing imperiously at the foot of the bed. As Olivia waited quietly to have her ruined underwear changed Landon looked more authoritative and mommy-like than ever before. The difference couldn’t have been more obvious. “It’s OK.” Landon said softly when she saw Olivia staring. She sat on the edge of the mattress and started to stroke the side of the stinky girl’s face. “I want Hootie…” Olivia muttered. She already looked like the biggest baby in the world and wasn’t worried about reinforcing that idea. “Of course. Where is he… Ah, here we go.” Landon found Hootie tucked between the edge of the bed and the nightstand. She smiled as she handed it to Olivia. Olivia took the owl shaped stuffie and hugged it close as Dan came over with the fresh diaper. As he started the change he kept repeating little reassuring phrases whilst Landon continued to stroke the side of her face affectionately. Olivia realised the two adults were basically acting like she was a child who had experienced something traumatic or very upsetting. When Dan opened the diaper and made a sound of disgust at the smell and sight that greeted him Olivia’s lip trembled. She assumed Landon had seen that as she took Hootie and sat him on her chest. “Don’t frown, Livy.” Landon said in a cartoony voice whilst pretending it was the stuffie talking, “I’m here to make you smile!” Olivia was no less embarrassed but she couldn’t help smiling a little. For the next few minutes Landon kept Olivia occupied as Dan cleaned her and then placed her in a fresh diaper. Dan cuddled Olivia as Landon left the room, he kept reassuring her that everything was alright but Olivia couldn’t help but feel the changes in their relationships was very obvious. “Have a nice drink.” Landon said as she came back into the room with a bottle of milk. Olivia remembered the last time Landon had fed her and when the bigger woman sat on the bed she didn’t hesitate to scoot back until she was lying across her lap. As she drank the bottle she looked up to see Dan and Landon sitting together and smiling down at her. Her eyes grew heavy and long before she had finished the bottle she drifted to sleep. She didn’t even wake up as Landon shifted her off her legs and tucked her into bed. --- “We shouldn’t be doing this.” Dan said with a sigh. “Why not?” Landon replied. She reached out a hand and placed it on Dan’s shoulder. “I’m married.” Dan stated the obvious, “And my wife is upstairs in bed.” “She’s in bed because we put her there.” Landon let out a little snort of a laugh, “You changed her diaper and I tucked her in. It’s eight o’clock. That doesn’t sound like a wife, it sounds like a child.” “But still…” Dan sighed again. Dan was sitting with Landon in the living room. They were both on the couch, cosied up together as they had been a lot recently. The sun was setting outside and there was an old film on the television, the volume kept low for the serious conversation they were having. “Look, aside from the incidents recently, have you ever known Olivia to be so relaxed? So happy?” Landon asked. “I don’t think so.” Dan replied. “Then what’s the problem?” Landon asked. “The problem is… I don’t know what this is.” Dan answered, “I don’t know what’s going on. I’m cheating on my wife… I think?” “We’ve kissed a couple of times.” Landon chuckled, “It’s hardly the most sordid affair in the world.” “That’s not the point!” Dan replied. “Alright… You know Olivia saw us, right? At the laser tag place. She walked in and we were right there in front of her. Did she seem upset? Has she said anything about it? Has she given the merest hint since then that I’m not welcome?” Landon asked. “No.” Dan conceded. “Has she said anything about how I’ve basically moved in?” Landon continued, “How I have been living here for a few weeks now?” “No.” Dan said again. “Then we might have to face the fact that we are a strange little family.” Landon laughed, “It may not be what most people would consider a family but if it works for us…” Landon leaned closer to Dan and rested her head on his shoulder. She smiled as she felt Dan relax against her as well. For all Dan’s worries and protestations she knew he wanted her just like she wanted him. For all her grand plans at replacing Olivia it had felt like she had barely needed to even prod her. As soon as Olivia got the idea that is was acceptable for her to be Little she had tumbled down the rabbit hole. All Landon had been doing for the past few days is reinforce Olivia’s position as a baby as much as possible. She was being as motherly as she could and was making sure she was always there to take control when Olivia needed someone. Even when they were just at home together she tried to give Olivia a lot of attention, most recently that had meant playing with her toys. Olivia had obviously been embarrassed but Landon was doing her utmost to normalise all the babyish behaviour. Landon had never thought it would be so easy. On the other hand Robyn had suggested it might be easier than she thought to get Olivia into this role. Robyn had said that if Olivia was as much of a Little as Landon said then she would probably be craving it and that giving in to those indulgences would be very easy for her. It seemed she was correct. “I don’t know if Livy would be happy to call us all a little family.” Dan said. “I disagree.” Landon replied, “I think she would welcome it.” “Could we really make it work? The three of us?” Dan asked with a somewhat doubtful expression. “About that…” Landon started. --- “You said WHAT!?” Robyn’s eyes bulged out of her head. It would’ve been more impressive if Landon hadn’t been in the middle of changing her wet diaper. “I told Dan about you.” Landon shrugged, “And suggested we should live together. All four of us.” “Are you crazy?” Robyn covered her face, “I thought you had got what you wanted!” “I want all of you.” Landon replied with a cheeky smile. “That’s not fair.” Robyn’s cheeks were going a little red and she looked away. Landon noticed this change in Robyn’s behaviour and knew it had nothing to do with how she was now rubbing the Little’s private area with baby wipes. It was true though, Landon wanted all of them to live together, she loved all of them in different ways and she felt confident they all felt some love for her as well. Why couldn’t they all live together? Landon reasoned to herself. They would be perfect as a little family. She had researched polyamory a lot and had to sell the idea to Dan, she thought he would be the hardest sell but he seemed surprisingly open to the idea. Conversely she thought Robyn would react to the idea with joy but if anything she seemed more resistant than Dan. It wasn’t often that Landon misjudged how people would react to such an extent. “Don’t you want to have a Mommy and a Daddy?” Landon asked, “And a sister?” “That’s… That’s not the point.” Robyn huffed. She was squirming a little as she was cleaned. Landon dropped the baby wipe into the open diaper and pulled it out from underneath Robyn. She folded it up and dropped it in the diaper pail that was looking quite full. She didn’t understand why people weren’t leaping at the idea of the four of them living together like she was. Dan had been shocked when he learnt of Robyn’s existence, it took a long time to get him to understand. It just seemed logical to her. A new diaper was unfolded and Landon slipped it underneath Robyn’s pretty little butt. She quickly stole a glance up at the Little’s face and saw that she was looking away but seemed to be deep in thought. “I don’t even know them…” Robyn said quietly, “How am I supposed to make a decision if I’ve never even met them. Olivia might hate me.” “Impossible.” Landon shook her head, “Olivia couldn’t hate anyone. I’m pretty sure she would adore you. She’d love having a little playmate.” Silence fell again. Landon lifted the front of the diaper up and taped it closed around Robyn’s waist. She reached underneath Robyn and pulled the two flaps of her onesie together, the poppers clicked together and the stretchy material accentuated all of Robyn’s curves. “Hey, should I tell you about what Olivia’s been up to?” Landon asked. Robyn didn’t reply. It seemed like she was trying not to be interested. “Because she’s pretty much a full time baby now.” Landon smiled, “She spends all her days playing with toys, she hasn’t used a toilet in days and always has me or Dan there to change her. She watches cartoons and can do whatever she likes… as long as it’s age appropriate. She’s never been happier.” Landon leaned forwards on the changing table. She was watching Robyn carefully, it was clear the horizontal woman was interested in what Landon was saying. From living with Olivia for so long Landon was very used to seeing a little fighting an internal battle. She knew she was offering Robyn her dream life but she was still held back by fear. “That could be you.” Landon continued as she gently patted the front of Robyn’s diaper, “You wouldn’t have to work. Dan and I earn more than enough to look after the whole family. You could live your fantasy.” “You know I want to.” Robyn replied quietly. “Then what’s holding you back, baby girl?” Landon asked. “I’ve never even met Olivia.” Robyn sighed. “Well, we can change that just like we changed this.” Landon said with a giggle as she poked the diaper again. --- If you enjoyed this part you can check out what happens next RIGHT NOW at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/livys-new-family-89928112

I've stated before that one of the concerns of people who are new to being back in diapers, specifically, the noises they make, is largely exaggerated. My diaper used to sound like it echoed to me, under certain circumstances, such as walking down the quiet hallway of my parents' apartment building, or being out on my driveway with the dog at 11 PM. However, nobody seems to notice, basically ever - I think that we become attuned to the crinkling noises, because most of us here have "diaper radar" - we compile clues and add two plus two together to get four, whereas the unsuspecting, innocent public for the most part does not. However, apparently they are audible, under certain circumstances. Specifically, last night, when I was trying to sneak up on and startle my daughter. She had filled a water bottle in the kitchen, but then forgotten about it, and was now watching TV in the living room, sitting on a couch that kind of floats in the middle of the room, creating a divide between the TV area and an area that is more of a sitting room, with chairs and bookshelves. I used to play a game on her where I would try to sneak up and startle her, and she'd do it to me as well, when sitting on that couch - there is an entrance to the room behind the couch, and if the lights are low, and you move slowly, it is possible to enter the room unnoticed. So, when my wife asked me if I'd bring the water bottle to my daughter, I decided to take the long way around, just to see if that old game could be revived once more. Sure enough, she was sitting in the living room, in the middle of the floating couch, watching something, with most of the lights off. Ergo, I went into ultimate stealth mode, attempting to become an F35 as I crept in with the water bottle, to try and time a "BOO!" to a tense moment in the narrative, if I could. It worked all the time back when she was 11. I slipped my slippers off, going with socked feet for absolute silence. I took about 6 minutes to cross 12 feet of flooring, muting even my breath. I think you can see where this is going. I was almost within striking distance of the back of the couch, when she said "Dad, I can hear your diaper." I was wearing a Critter Caboose. The Caboose is neither the quietest nor the loudest plastic diaper on the market - it sounds like most other plastic diapers. I thought my snail's pace would keep its noises to a minimum, but apparently, even operating at a crawl, the crinkling was sufficient to be heard over the volume of her show. I guess I've learned to tune it out. Duly noted.

Chapter 47 – Baby Stages Zack awakened to sun streaming in through the window, with the full background cacophony of a busy hospital ward. He was vaguely mortified to note that he’d slept with his covers down around his knees, and his diaper visible, and he quickly palmed his pacifier from his mouth and stuffed it under his pillow, when he realized that Tommy had a girl a couple of years older than him visiting, along with his mother. She gave him a smile as he scrambled to pull his blankets up and smooth down his gown. Damned medication. A few minutes later, Brenda, the nurse from the previous day, breezed in through the door, pushing a cart that held a blood pressure cuff and thermometer and some other devices that Zack didn’t recognize. “Good morning, Zack. I won’t ask you how you slept, because I was in to check on you earlier. You were sleeping like a stone. How’s your leg feel today? Any pain?” Zack thought about it. There was virtually no feedback from his ankle this morning. He shook his head. “How is your diaper?” Zack’s cheeks flushed as he saw Tommy’s visitor cast a glance over towards them. He reached under his blanket with one hand and gave it a quick feel. It was slightly wet at the front, but felt dry at the back, with none of the telltale bulk of a diaper that was approaching its capacity. He had no recollection of having used it, but then again, he had slept pretty hard. “It’s fine.” Brenda nodded. “Let’s check your blood pressure and your temperature, then.” Zack extended an arm toward Brenda, and she put a blood pressure cuff on it, which began to inflate itself. She took a thermometer probe from a dock on the side of a monitor on her cart, and inserted it into a disposable tip, before offering it to Zack, who took it under his tongue. “Looking good, Zack. You’re going to get a visit from Phillip, our physiotherapist, a little later this morning, and he’s going to see about getting you up out of bed, so that you can move around the hospital or go down to the lobby. I’m not sure exactly what he’s going to give you, but we have some pretty cool scooters for people with broken ankles or shins. You won’t have to wear those diapers anymore if you can get around by yourself.” Zack nodded, but he knew that was a false premise. He’d still be wearing something that taped on. Kelly would see to that. Almost as though she’d sensed him thinking about her, Zack heard Kelly’s signature shoe clicking coming from the hallway, before she materialized in the doorway, in the company of a middle-aged man who was very tall, and wearing dark blue scrubs. She was carrying a paper shopping bag from a sporting goods store. “Hi, Zack – this is Phil. Phil, this is Zack. Phil and I ran into each other by the nursing station. He’s going to be working on getting you on your feet.” Phil walked over to Zack’s bedside, and extended a hand, which Zack shook. Kelly put the bag down on a chair and walked over to stand beside Phil. “I was just saying to your mom that around now, we typically work on getting patients up and out of bed and going to the bathroom by themselves, but she told me that you’re going to stay in your, uh… briefs, which is fine, that’s up to her. We won’t work on transferring over to the toilet, then, just in and out of bed.” Kelly nodded. “Zack is going to stay in diapers – he’s also wearing them at home right now. We’re not going to try and tackle that here, with everything else going on, right Zack?” For the umpteenth time, Zack’s cheeks reddened, as he once again was forced to talk about his juvenile underwear with a stranger, almost before they knew his name. He nodded stiffly and glanced towards Tommy’s side of the room. “We don’t need any more stress, right? Zack will learn to appreciate his diapers,” Kelly said, as though dispensing the final word on the topic. Brenda nodded. “There’s more than enough stress around here for everyone!” She pushed her cart over to Tommy’s side of the room. Phil took a ribbon out of his pocket that Zack realized had inches and centimetres on it, and he flipped Zack’s blanket over to the side, so that he could measure from the foot to the knee on his undamaged leg. “We’ll get you up and about in no time. Give me about a half hour to set something up for you, and I’ll be back.” Phil turned and walked away, leaving Zack to pull his blanket back over himself. He wished his diaper had no print on it, or at least something slightly more neutral than flowers and butterflies. Right about now, he’d have taken the Mighty Diggers or even the Little Lambs. He recalled back to the diapers he’d been given in the ER – they looked the same as these, but had balloons on them. He wondered if they were also made by Baby Stages. He shrugged. It didn’t matter, in the end. A diaper was a diaper. Even if it had a holster and a working gun, he still wouldn’t want to be seen in one by a bunch of people he didn’t know. Tall, grey-haired Phil returned in about 20 minutes with a contraption that did, indeed look like a scooter, much the same as the one that the blond girl (Yana? Bella?) had had. It was equipped with four small wheels, handlebars, and a basket on the front. Its frame was dark blue, and the padded leg rest was black. He pushed Zack’s tray table away from the bed and positioned the scooter so that it was up against the mattress and perpendicular to it. With some reluctance, Zack pushed his blankets off to the side. Stupid Baby Stages… He did his best to keep his gown over his diaper as he swung his feet over the edge of the bed. Phil placed a hand under Zack’s arm and steadied him as he stood on his good foot, and put the knee of his damaged leg down onto the cushion. Phil adjusted the cushion under his casted leg, and then Zack took a couple of hesitant steps forward, supporting himself with the scooter. It rolled easily, and steering it was intuitive. “How’s that?” Phil asked expectantly. Zack had to admit that, although he was self-conscious about how visible his diaper might be in his gown if he was going to be scooting around the floor, nevertheless, it felt good to be up and out of bed. He took a couple of cautious strides around the room, letting the scooter take the bulk of his weight. “Now, listen, don’t go anywhere near any stairs or escalators on that thing – it’s elevators only. And you need to be careful on inclines or hills that it doesn’t get away from you. Remember to use the brakes if you need them, like on a bike.” Zack gave the brake lever on the scooter a test pull. It did indeed work just like the brake levers on his bicycle. Tommy, who was watching from the next bed, gave him a thumbs up. “Cool,” he said. Tommy’s friend gave him a quick smile and turned away. Kelly walked towards the chair and picked up the bag she’d come in with. “Zaaaack…” she said in a singsong voice. “I have something for you…” She reached into the bag and withdrew a folded grey square of material, which she shook out, revealing a Seattle Mariners t-shirt. “I got you this over at the mall last night,” she said. “I figured if you were going to be exploring the hospital, you might not want to have to wear a hospital gown that opens in the back. I got you a medium, rather than a small, so that it would be a little longer. Let’s try it on you.” She reached around Zack and untied the strings on the top and middle of his gown, and then pulled it over his arms and tossed it on his bed before he had time to react. Next, she tried to pull the tags off of the t-shirt she’d bought, but one of them was on a sturdy plastic loop with an antitheft tag, that wouldn’t yield to her efforts. “Let me just run over to the nursing station and borrow the scissors…” Kelly said, as she turned and dashed out. Zack stood, awkwardly perched on his scooter in his diaper, and looked longingly at the discarded gown lying crumpled on his bed, feeling cool air from a vent on the ceiling wash over his shoulders. Unconsciously, his hand went to the tabs on his diaper, and he gave them a press. He fixed his eyes on his scooter. Phil checked the torque on the wheel nuts, then gave him a nod and headed out. A moment later, Angela came walking through the door, carrying chocolate milk cartons for Tommy and his guest. She gave Zack a smile. Zack blushed and raised a hand in a half-wave. Tommy’s young female visitor looked at Zack briefly, and then looked away in a studied fashion. I might as well be standing here naked. He crossed his arms and bit his lower lip. “Zack, did you want some chocolate milk as well? I should have thought of bringing you one.” Zack was about to reply when Kelly came walking through the door with the t-shirt, and she answered for him. “Zack is going to go get his own chocolate milk on his nifty scooter, right Zack?” Zack raised his eyebrows and gave a slight nod. “Hands up!” Kelly exclaimed, and then pulled the t-shirt down over Zack’s head. She knelt down and tugged the hem of it down until it stretched to the top of his thighs. “There you go, that’ll work, don’t you think?” She gave the rear of his diaper a light tap with her hand. As was the case with most of Kelly’s questions, Zack concluded she wasn’t actually looking for an answer. He wheeled his scooter over to the bathroom and pushed the door open. Over the sink was a large mirror that was hung canted slightly forward, probably to aid people in wheelchairs, Zack guessed. The angled mirror allowed him to see most of himself from his position a few feet away. From the front, his diaper was now almost entirely concealed, although he wasn’t sure if the shirt wouldn’t start riding up with the motions of his good leg as he pushed the scooter along. Turning the handlebars away from the doorway, he moved slightly forward and then looked over his shoulder to see how he looked from behind. There, the t-shirt was less of a success, revealing the puffy triangular lower quarter or so of the seat of his diaper. At least the shirt isn’t split up the back, and it can’t accidentally come undone… Zack shuddered and wheeled himself back toward his bed. “Come on, Zack, let’s get out there and explore a bit! You’ve been on that bed on your back for a couple of days now.” Kelly stood up and placed a hand on the handlebars of his scooter, giving it a push and steering it back towards the door. Zack was forced to keep up with it. “I’ve got it, Kel.” He placed his hands on the grips and strode decisively forward. He was not going to be dragged along through the halls like a reluctant preschooler on a tricycle. Turning out into the hallway, Zack took in the bustle and activity from a different perspective. Previously, he’d always been lying down. Lying down in a busy hallway might be a common enough occurrence in hospitals, but, it did feel a bit weird, he thought. Nowhere else do you do that. Kelly placed a hand on his back and gave him a gentle nudge, so he rolled forward again, while at the same time unconsciously reaching back and tugging his new shirt down with one hand while he steered with the other. As they went up the brightly lit hallway, past the nursing station, Nurse Brenda smiled from behind the desk. “It’s great to see you up and about, Zack! Go get some exercise. Come back and see me in an hour or so and I’ll check your vitals.” Kelly nodded. “We’ll go look around for a bit and come back before lunch, for Zack’s meds.” Zack looked into the open doors of the rooms as he rolled past them. Inside, there were kids of all ages, some sitting with their parents, some playing video games. Some beds were empty but showed signs of having been occupied, with the remains of drinks and food trays on tables. Further down the hall, there was a little Asian girl sitting in a wheelchair, hooked up to an IV. She waved at Zack as he scooted by, and he smiled back at her. “Hi, sweetie, how are you?” Kelly asked as they passed. I’m sure she’s doing just awesome… Zack didn’t express his thoughts out loud, however. Kelly hit a green button on the wall at the end of the hall, and one of two large doors powered open, revealing an elevator lobby and a hallway lined with windows that stretched off into the distance. She walked over and punched the down button as Zack scooted up behind her. “Let’s go down to the lobby and get something from the coffee shop,” she said. The stainless-steel doors opened a moment later, revealing a boy a bit older than Zack and an older lady, presumably his mother, inside. He gave Zack a nod, but then his eyes widened, as they entered the mirrored interior. Zack was presented with three floor-to-ceiling views of himself, two of which featured the lower portion of the back of his diaper. His hand reached for the hem of his shirt again. When the elevators doors opened in the lobby, Zack briefly considered not getting out. The ground floor of the hospital looked about as busy as a mall at Christmas, and with about as many children present, as well. Babies and toddlers and schoolkids and teens made their way back and forth from every direction. Despite the experiences he’d had so far, he felt unprepared to enter the throng without pants on, but Kelly’s hand on his lower back forced him to proceed. “Kelly,” he whispered, “can I go put some shorts on or something?” “I don’t have anything with me, little man, and anyway, it would be hard to get them on over your cast, and they’d just have to come off again as soon as you need your bum changed. I was going to tell you this later, as a bit of a surprise, but, I ordered you a romper from Mr. Burke at the pharmacy that has snaps up the legs. He’s couriering it to my hotel, so we may have it as early as tomorrow. But in the meantime, this is a children’s hospital, buddy – I bet you half these kids have diapers on, you just don’t know it.” Yeah, because they also have clothes on. Zack looked around, and highly doubted Kelly’s calculus. Most of the kids looked completely normal. A few here and there were in wheelchairs or big strollers, or walking using mobility aids, but most of them seemed pretty healthy. Maybe up on the ward, what she said was more applicable. As they joined the milling multitudes, Zack felt more than saw the occasional head pivot towards him. Some of the glances were drawn by his scooter and the large black air cast supported on it, but, he felt certain that his diaper was provoking a lot of involuntary second glances. As if in response to being on stage, he felt his bladder clench, and then a warmth began to radiate from below. It stopped quickly, and Zack resisted the urge to perform a tactile check, instead opting to again pull his shirt down at the back, for what it was worth. Eventually, they arrived at a coffee shop with a couple of people in line ahead of them. “How do you like your shirt?” Kelly asked, as she pulled her wallet out of her purse. Zack thought about the question. He liked the Mariners, and, it felt like a well-made shirt. He was surprised that she’d gone to the trouble to get it for him. But, at the same time, it could have been made by Gucci, and he’d still have wished he had something else to wear. “I wish it was longer,” he said simply. “The large size was out of stock and the XL would have looked like you were wearing a dress…” Kelly let her voice trail off, and then gave him a wink. “What do you want from the shop?” Zack looked away and studied the menu items. They seemed to offer everything. Thirty different kinds of coffee, bagels, muffins, donuts, subs, chicken sandwiches. He wondered if they had pizza, but then abandoned that thought. If they did, it probably wouldn’t be very good. “Can I get like a chocolate chip muffin, and a Coke?” Kelly shrugged. He guessed that she’d been eyeing a flaxseed organic fiber colon bullet and a green tea or something. But apparently, she was going to acquiesce. Zack idly looked around the high-ceilinged atrium they were in. It had a giant multicoloured elongated mesh dragon suspended from the ceiling dozens of feet above them. Then, he heard someone say his name behind him, in a vaguely familiar, youngish female voice.

Mary and Daphne Scene #213 “Mary,” I said to Mary cuz that’s who I was talking to. Not just any Mary either but my Mary. Usually that’s just a thing I say cuz it’s so fun to be reminded that I’ve got the one and only, but there are Mary’s all over the place in Italy (except they call them Maria hahaha jk). So anyhoo, I said, “Ya know, Mary, I was thinking that after lunch when we get back to the hotel I could have a, um, treat.” And then I wagged my eyebrows up and down all suggestively but it never works well. Is having uncoordinated eyebrows a thing? But Mary has known me long enough to know what it means when I eyebrows are having a fight with my forehead. “O yeah,” she said all suggestively too. This is our marriage: suggestin’ stuff suggestively. “Only good girls who’ve been extra well behaved get treats.” Well, let’s just deconstruct the nonsense behind that implication. “Ahem,” I cleared my throat. “You are a good girl.” “Heccin right.” I’m a good girl even when I’m being bad to the bone (b-b-b-b-bad (buhdadabuhda) bad to the bone). I’m probably the bestest of the best girls, actually, but I don’t like to bring it up in case it makes others feel bad about all the ways they’re not as a good a girl as I am. Isn’t that considerate of me? I think so too. “So what have you done to be extra well behaved,” Mary asked me like she didn’t know but she friggin did. This woman, I swear. “You know,” I told her and made very cute grumpy eyes. Making grumpy eyes when you’re not grumpy isn’t a bratty thing to do, and even if it were, it wouldn’t undo the many ways in which I was extra well behaved all morning and would have no impact at all on my status as the bestest of the best good girls. And acts of brattitude don’t a brat make. Really. “But I may have missed some things. I was so focused on the art,” she said in her we-both-know-and-I’m-just-playing-with-you tone. And in case there was any mistaking it, she was playing footsy with me under the table. Makes me wish I had a foot fetish just for fun and stuff. “Well, Mary,” I replied with a little bit of attitude breaking though in my otherwise dulcet tone, “I was also looking at the art.” “The whole time?” “The whole time.” “You weren’t doing anything else? Cuz looking at the art is what you’re supposed to do in a museum. If you were extra well behaved, you must’ve done something else too.” “I bet you were the kid who wouldn’t stop tapping on the glass at the zoo,” I told her. I can see her now, just tap-tap-tapping away until she got the reaction she wanted from the animals no matter how many times she was told to stop. Persistent little button pusher all grown up into a persistent big button pusher. “Yeah, and?” See, I communicate just fine. It’s Mary who misses my brilliant points. “Never mind.” Hmmph. “So you were being a extra good.” “I stayed by your side like you told me to.” “Mhmm.” “And I held your hand when you told me to.” Not gonna lie (cuz I would never in general) – holding Mary’s hand is never an imposition. I like it and stuff, like, a lot and things. “What else?” “You know what else.” “I’m pretty sure I don’t,” Mary fibbed. She’s a fibber; glad I’ve never done a fib. Really. “If you don’t tell me, how will I know if you were extra well behaved or merely well behaved?” Merely?!? There’s nothing mere about being well behaved! It’s hard work. I’m adventurous! I’m feisty! I’m a handful! I’m the life of the party and a goddamned delight! Keeping myself in check is a full time job. That’s why I asked Mary o so many years ago to help keep me in line cuz I’ll cross all the lines. Really. I will! … And stuff. Like the line about ordering in more than twice a week? I crossed that all the time before Mary. And the line about getting out of bed at a reasonable time? Crossed! See? Ya see? Left to my own devices, I’ll go so nuts you won’t see me for days cuz I’ll be at home eating restaurant cake and sleeping nine hours a day. Friggin off my rocker! Unconstrained by society’s rules! A menace! A bad example for our young people! Um, really. Back to the point though. “You’re really gonna make me say it,” I asked. Just asked, didn’t plead. I’m not a pleader except for when I’m pleading, and I wasn’t … yet. “If you wanna treat.” “Maybe I’ll just treat myself.” Ha! And I could do it while she watches … And I could take my time … And maybe she wouldn’t be able to take it and would lose her self control and give me a treat or two of her own. “Nope,” Mary said all breezily like … Urgh! “Fine. I … I didn’t ask to go to the lady’s room.” Mary’s I’m-pretending-to-be-confused face. “You had to go to the potty? Why didn’t you tell me?” “Because you explicitly told me not to on pain of embarrassing the heck outta me.” True story. Too many strangers in the museum made going to the lady’s room too risky; strangers could steal me. That was her flimsy pretext. I don’t even know why she bothers with pretexts. O wait – yes I do! If she just told me no, that would be dominance. By giving me a fake reason, she gets to imply I’m too little, which ticks me off, which she thinks is cute and hot. And it is, but it still ticks me off because I’m not a little girl! I shouldn’t have to … Deep breath. “And you’ve been holding it this entire time,” she asked in her I’m-faux-shocked-and-horrified tone. She is such a so-and-so. “…No.” “But you said you needed the potty. If you needed the potty then and don’t need the potty now … Is there something you wanna tell me?” “No.” “Did you use your diaper?” To which I answered with my I’m-cheesed-off-and-not-answering-that-question look. “Daffodil, while we were looking at Michelangelo’s David, were you wetting your diaper? Is that why when I started to walk around the statue, you tugged my hand and we stood there for another half a minute? Cuz you were getting all your peepee out into your Huggies?” “I would just like to point out that in this very moment I’m being extra well behaved again.” “Are you wetting again? Do you need changed before you have a leaky diaper?” Deep breath. “I’m not throwing spaghetti at you. For that I deserve a treat.” Btw, Mary was so hot and bothered her game of footsie was more like a game of can-I-grope-Daphne’s-leg-with-my-foot. She’s so … pleasant in all the ways. Good thing I brought her with me to Europe. So anyhoo, back at the hotel, in one of those delightfully solid old world buildings that offers guests auditory privacy drywall can never even approach, Mary closed the door behind us and said to me, “So you wanna treat?” And I recognized the delightfully predatory look she gives me when she’s all charged up. She’s a lioness waiting to pounce, and I’m a spritely savanna mouse who with a swish of her tail will trigger Mary’s chase instinct. That’s how my non-iron-can-be-washed-in-the-sink-perfect for-traveling pants wound up across the room before my shoes were even off. “Ya know,” Mary said while, um, what’s the word? Groping? Yeah, groping the diaper she made me wear. Hard groping. “We can buy these diapers back home. Do you like them?” “I’ve never liked any of them. Why do you – heh! – like them s-so much?” “Because they’re not very thick, so I like how squishy your butt is in it. You got it so wet, and it’s so snug on you, and I like the way it makes your butt feels.” Took almost four years, but I think Mary just admitted she has a diaper fetish. Her ageplay fetish was clearly something she was born with, but pretty sure the diaper fetish was acquired through sheer exposure. Alas, I’ve not. But fortunately, I have a making-Mary-happy-fetish, and a humiliation fetish, and an ageplay fetish, and a doing-what-Mary-tells-me fetish, and even if I had no fetishes at all, I’d still enjoy Mary giving me an HJ with one hand while taking my top and bra off with the other. She’s quite dexterous, a wonderful trait in us lesbians. How she managed to undress herself at the same time … I think she’s a wizard too? “You shoulda told me you were having an accident in front of David. Mommy can’t help you if you don’t tell me.” I didn’t respond because I was busy breathing hard. “Right in front of everybody too.” She did this sexy chuckle thing that is just, oof, so good to hear. “You’re probably in a dozen people’s vacation photos wetting your huggies … Did you just cum in your soggy pampers?” “(Squeaky orgasm noises).” “Because you’re in all those pictures making peepee in your pampers?” “(Squeaky come-down noises).” What? It’s not like I lost the power of speech cuz my humiliation fetish wouldn’t let me stop thinking about all the people who’d be showing their trip pics to their family and friends and all of social media. Unsurpassed sculptural masterpiece in the center, me in the foreground holding tight to Mary’s hand covertly peeing myself … (Shuddering noises). “I think my good girl,” Mary said to me – ya hear that? I’m her good girl! Me! – “deserves a good girl spanking.” The first time we took a took an airplane ride together, we found one of those tags in her bag informing us it had been opened and searched, and, well, we did some hard core packing, if ya get my drift. And me being me and Mary being Mary and, really, we being us, really liked the idea of some TSA agent getting such a thorough look at our toys. Never have we ever since worried about what we packed. And since they sell clothes in Europe pretty much in all the places a pair of travelers would go, and toys being much harder to find and the, uh, fit and personal tastes being harder to match, we traveled prepared any kind of weather … by which I mean sex. Ha! “Mama has to put you over her knee and spank your bare little girl bottom now,” Mary said to me after certain things had been situated in certain places and were vibrating at certain and multiple frequencies. “But I’m going to leave your soggy diaper under you in case you lose control of yourself during your spanking.” I’m so good at so many things. All the things, when you think about it. Really. But Mary being Mary, by which I mean the gay embodiment of celestial perfection I long ago decided to devote my life to, it’s amazing how she can talk about one thing while having one hand do something totally different and the other hand do a secret third thing that’s just … sigh … “It’s okay to have accidents, but if you know then you should tell me. What if you leaked at the museum? Everyone would be staring at the little girl making a puddle …. You’re such a good girl, Momma has to spank your bottom … Cum for me. Show me what a good girl you can be … Look at this diaper … Are you learning your lesson? … Must’ve been very scary having an accident in front of all those people. How’d you get to be so brave? … Until your bottom is bright red … You like that? You like when I press there? Heh, such a good girl.” Honestly, I don’t know if she was talking to me or herself. I don’t need the words; I had all the stimulation I needed. And Mary was sitting on … she was sitting on what she was sitting on and it was going bzzzzzzzzzz, is all you need to know. And then I was well spanked enough and she wasn’t sitting at all but was lying face down while I … Things happened. Fun things. All the fun ever, actually, cuz we’re just that awesome a couple. And when it was over, we fell asleep very sweaty and holding each other cuz we’re in love like that. And for once I woke up first and Mary got to wake up to me stroking her hair for a change. “Hey,” I greeted her. “Hey.” She stretched and squirmed and yawned and I totally get why she says it’s so cute when I wake up all post-coitally and stuff and things. “We need to get going or we’ll miss our reservation for the Medici Chapel.” “Heeheehee! We missed it already.” “We slept right though it?” “Yeah. Guess we needed it.” “You wore me out,” she said and gave me one of those kisses that made me wonder if we were gonna start Round 2. I’m only one Daphne! And how about buying me dinner first? “We need new sheets,” I observed. “Did you wet the bed?” “We got the bed wet, is I think the phrase you’re looking for.” If either of us needed a diaper under her for certain activities … All those tourists out there trying to have an Instagram-worthy vacation, what fools they are. They could be having an OnlyFans-worthy vacation …

I had a heart attack moment just now, where I thought I'd lost about a dozen pages of work, but it was due to my looking at an earlier version of the story. I don't what I would have done. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Chapter 48 – Fancy That “Zack, is that you…?” Zacks mind returned to earth, and his right hand, acting on autopilot, dropped from the handlebar of his scooter and tugged at the hem of his shirt again. He twisted his head and his torso as far around as he could, to be able to look behind him without having to drive the scooter in a circle. There was a tall woman standing behind them, wearing a long, expensive-looking white leather coat, and beside her was a girl, a bit shorter than Zack, wearing what looked like an identical coat, but in her size. Her blond hair was up in a ponytail, unlike her mothers, which hung over her shoulders. It was Marian Brown. She’d been in his class last year, but was in another homeroom this year. She was a popular girl, with lots of friends. She rode horses and her dad had a convertible. What were the odds of someone from his school being HERE, now? Apparently, better than he could have imagined. Zack’s eyes met hers and then found the floor. She had grey suede boots on, just like her mom did. “Hi, Marian.” His face started feeling hot. “What are you doing here, Zack?” she asked, sounding somewhat incredulous. Zack used his left hand, which he’d swung back in his hasty rotation, and directed a finger at his cast. “I, uh, broke my ankle at my, uh, cousin’s cottage.” He could see Marian studying the contraption he was balanced on, taking in his cast… and then, taking in his outfit. Zack’s eyes fixated on her phone, which she was holding at her side, in her right hand. Marian knew a lot of people. She had a lot of friends. “Oh, uh, gosh, Zack, uh, I’m… really sorry. Did you get hurt pretty badly?” Kelly jumped into the conversation before Zack could answer. “Hi, Marian – I remember you from one of the school trips last year!” Marian looked up at Kelly. “Hi.” Marian’s mom was studying her own phone, and looked up briefly to give them a quick smile and a ‘one sec’ gesture with her finger. “Yup, he did a pretty good job on himself,” Kelly continued. “He had to have surgery because one of his bones tried to escape from inside him.” “Wow… I’m sorry to hear that, Zack… but you… you’re doing okay now? You’re allowed to move around…?” Zack nodded, not sure where to go with the conversation. The obvious next question was ‘So, why are you in the lobby, wearing what appears to be a diaper…’, but Marian didn’t say it out loud. But he could see it in her eyes. “What are you folks doing all the way up here?” Kelly asked. Marian’s mother lowered her phone for a moment. “Her brother Martin – he’s my youngest – is having an infusion. It’s immunotherapy. He has pretty severe allergies. We come up here four times a year for a couple of days.” Kelly smiled. “Well, we were up here at a cottage when Zack decided to play Tarzan on a rope swing, and he landed on some rocks. This was the closest hospital with a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. How is Martin doing?” “He’s getting on well, thank you for asking. The infusions make a huge difference. Otherwise, he’d have eczema to the point where his hair was falling out, from some kind of environmental allergy, they’re not sure what causes it. He has a hair-trigger immune system, apparently. But he’s pretty much living the life of a normal eight-year-old these days.” “Well, glad to hear it. We’re hoping Zack will be back to living the life of a normal eleven-year-old in a few weeks, aren’t we, little man?” Zack nodded glumly, his cheeks burning perceptibly. He wished that he could turn around completely, and take his diaper out of direct view, but it would have been even more conspicuous to do a wide turn and then come back into line, facing backwards. He settled for pulling at his shirt again, but then saw Marian’s eyes flick to his hand. The intensity of the moment caused him to feel that he needed to pee. Just then, the person at the cash register in front of them moved off to the side, and the man behind the counter said “Can I help who’s next?” Kelly flashed her bright white teeth. “Well, it’s been good seeing you! I’m glad to hear that everything is going well with your little boy. Marian, come by the house and visit my little boy if you want to – we’ll be home in a couple of days, hopefully.” Kelly strode up to the counter and started talking to the cashier. Zack raised his eyes from the floor and chanced a glance at Marian again. “Uh, bye, Marian,” he said in a low voice. Then he turned and wheeled himself up beside Kelly. He imagined that he could feel Marian’s eyes burning into his back. As he looked over the assortment of muffins and donuts and bagels in a display case next to the cash register, he realized that he could make out a dim reflection of the scenery behind him, in the glass. Marian had her phone up in front of her and was staring at it and seemed to be typing something with her thumbs. Then she looked up and steadied the phone for a brief moment, tilting it slightly more vertically. Zack locked eyes with her in the reflection, then blinked and turned away. Did she take a picture…?!? Zack wasn’t hungry anymore. With a sigh, he felt himself start to wet, and felt his diaper subtly expand in response. He imagined that Marian could actually see his diaper expanding. It was becoming hard to breath. _________ The rest of the lobby tour was a blur in Zack’s mind. Kelly led him through a gift shop, past a flower shop, and an optical place, a pharmacy, a snack counter, and a seating area. People crisscrossed back and forth like it was a popular destination. Zack caught a glimpse of Marian and her mom crossing the lobby again after they’d sat down somewhere with their food, but he dropped his eyes and hoped that they wouldn’t notice him. After a period of repeatedly tugging on his down his shirt, his hand drifted back up to the handlebars, and Zack tried to stop thinking about how much of his diaper was visible. He could feel it sagging a bit, behind him. He decided that it didn’t really matter – anything more than zero percent was the same as one hundred percent, when you’re wearing a diaper. Eventually, Kelly selected a table near a window, and helped him steady his scooter so that he could sit down. Zack realized as his diaper was pressed into him that it was notably wet, but he didn’t know what to do with that information, so he said nothing. Kelly pushed the scooter up against the windows so that it was out of the walking path, and then sat down and started looking at her phone. He looked out the window, watching cars and taxis and the occasional city bus or ambulance drive along the roadway that led to the main entrance. After some time in silence, Kelly suggested they should head back upstairs and check in with the nurse, in case he needed any medication or was due for a chart update. She walked the scooter back over to him, and as she was helping Zack get his cast positioned onto it, she reached down and gave his diaper a gentle pat, which startled him. “You’re getting pretty wet buddy, let me see that wetness indicator…” She reached down in front of him and pulled up the hem of his shirt. The subtle yellow line running behind the flowers and butterflies had turned blue. Zack blinked. He hadn’t even realized it was there. Kelly held his shirt up, as though expecting him to offer a review of what he saw. Zack was acutely aware of all the people filing by, and he raised wet eyes to meet Kelly’s. After a moment, she dropped the front of his shirt. “I think we should head over to a washroom, because your bottom is soaked, little man.” That idea was even more startling to Zack then the unexpected contact. “Wha…. What? Can’t we just go back up to my room?” “I’m not having these lovely nurses thinking that I’m taking this week off, and leaving them to manage your diapers, Zack. I’m your stepmom and it’s as much my job to change you as it is theirs.” She reached into her purse and partially extracted another Baby Stages diaper, to show him that she was prepared, before dropping it back inside. Confusion and an element of panic started welling up inside Zack. “But how are you going to….” he couldn’t bring himself to say the words ‘change me’. “How are you going to do that in a washroom? I can’t fit on a baby changing table.” “I’d have a hard time changing you on a baby table, Zack, you’re right about that, not to say that it wouldn’t be possible. But, here, let me show you something.” Kelly got up, placed a hand on Zack’s handlebars, and began towing him across the lobby, forcing him to stride along. He thought about using the brakes on the scooter, but concluded that would have angered Kelly but not likely changed the outcome. Glumly, he continued his one-legged progress. Kelly walked up to the women’s washroom, and this time, Zack did slam on the brakes, interrupting Kelly’s march. “I can’t go in there!” Zack hissed. Kelly looked at him, rolled her eyes, and then walked over and pushed the bathroom door open. “Hello? Hello? Is anybody in here?” Her voice echoed in the tiled room. There was no response. “Hello, I’m coming into the room to change my son’s diaper, if anyone can hear me. There’s going to be a little boy over by the sinks.” Kelly turned and looked at Zack. “Happy? There’s nobody inside. Now let’s go.” Zack hesitated, so Kelly reached into her purse and began extracting the diaper again. “Do you want me to change you out here…?” she said in a perfectly amicable tone that nevertheless made Zack’s blood run cold. He rolled forward and through the door she was holding open for him. Inside, the washroom looked more or less like any other he’d been in, with a bank of sinks along part of the opposite wall, and then a row of stalls. An absence of urinals was the only difference that he could see. That, and, what looked like a stretcher mounted on the wall, flipped up on its side. Kelly walked over to it, pulled a release somewhere, and the stretcher folded down until it was horizontal, looking like a canvas army bed that was suspended from a metal box. Then, she pushed a button on the box, and it emitted a whirring sound. Its action was so gradual that it took Zack a moment to realize that the army bed was lowering itself toward the floor. Kelly stopped holding the button when the bed was level with knees. “Here you go, little man – they have tables for bigger babies, too. No need to break my back lifting you, either. Hop onto the changing table.” With great reluctance, Zack propelled the scooter over towards the changing table, pulling alongside it, and then standing on his good leg, pivoting, and sitting down, as though on a park bench. “Lie back,” Kelly said in an encouraging tone. Zack turned on his butt, and swung his legs up, and then reclined. It felt weird to be lying down in a public washroom. Very weird. Sparkling LED pot lights shined down on them. Kelly gave the scooter a push, and it rolled a few feet away, then she held down the other button on the metal box, and it whirred again, causing the bed to rise, until it was at hip level on Kelly. She reached down and pulled his t-shirt up so that it was up under his armpits, and then she pulled a brown cloth strap across his chest and clipped it into a buckle on the other side of the table. She removed the new diaper out of her purse again, and unfolded it, then reached back in and produced Zack’s purple pacifier, which she brought to his mouth. Zack squeezed his eyes shut as he accepted it. “Bum up, Zack,” she said, and then slid the back of the diaper under him once he complied, so that it was underneath his wet diaper. Next, she pulled the tabs off the left and then the right side of his diaper with quick motions. Zack lifted his hips again without being asked, and she extracted the wet diaper, folded it in on itself, and then put it between his feet on the table, before folding the front of the new diaper up, and then applying the tab to his left side. She was just about to reach over to his right hip and begin fastening that side, when the bathroom door glided open almost silently on its hydraulic arm. Marian’s mom stepped partway through the door and then stopped suddenly. “Oh, sorry, excuse me!” “Not at all, we’re almost done. You can come in – he’s decent again. I’m just changing his bum.” Marian’s mom looked unsure, but eventually proceeded forward, holding the door behind her until Marian could follow her in. Marian stopped briefly as well, when she took in the scene, and her mom motioned her to step in quickly, so that they could allow the door to close. The sounds of the lobby died down as the door swung shut. Zack started to try to sit up, got caught by the safety strap, then fell back down into a prone position again, and swung his forearm over his eyes. His cheeks glowed red and his breathing became slightly hitched. His pacifier pulsed with each breath. “We just wanted to wash our hands after being all around the hospital. I’m Loraine, by the way. I won’t ask to shake your hand just now…” She smiled and cast a glance over at the spent diaper between Zack’s heels. Kelly chuckled. “Good enough. I’m Kelly. I’ve seen your daughter around the school.” As she spoke, she finished diapering Zack, who seemed to be attempting to burrow his head into the crook of his elbow. Loraine walked over to one of the sinks and turned on the water, waiting for it to warm up. “Nice to meet you. Is this…. Is his current condition a result of the fall?” Kelly smiled, and Marian took a couple of steps forward, so that she was between the sinks and the changing table. “No, Zack’s been having some issues with anxiety and paying attention to the signals that his body is sending him. We’re working on it with a specialist back in town.” Kelly made a grasping, tickling motion with her right hand in the middle of Zack’s belly. “All done, little man. I’m just going to toss your wet little diaper.” She picked up the folded plastic ball from between his feet and walked over to a trash receptacle near the door. Loraine finished washing her hands and then pulled a paper towel out of a dispenser. “Marian, dear, please wash your hands,” she said. Marian had been standing, riveted, looking at Zack with wide eyes. She shook her head as though to clear it, and went over to a sink. Kelly walked back over to the box on the wall and held down the button that lowered the platform. Zack stayed in his position, head turned toward the wall, face pressed into his bent elbow. Once it was at its lowest point, Kelly went and washed her hands. Marian, having dried hers hands, walked tentatively over towards Zack again. He remained motionless on the changing table. She could read the words ‘Baby Stages’ on the front of his diaper, over a panel filled with flowers and butterflies, printed on white plastic. The air around him had a fresh scent to it. His eyes were clamped shut and his pacifier partly obscured his facial expression “Zack…” she started, then stopped, unsure of what to say. Zack’s chest rose and fell, and she heard him expel a ragged breath. “It’s okay, Zack. Don’t feel bad. I hope you’ll feel better soon.” “Well, we’d better leave you to it,” Loraine stated. “It was nice to meet you, Kelly. Zack, feel better soon.” With that, she turned and pulled the bathroom door open with the paper towel that she had in her hand, and held it so that Marian could pass through. “Bye Zack – see you back at home.” Marian walked through the door with her mom close behind her, and then the door hissed softly shut behind them. “Come on, drama boy, let’s get you up before someone else needs to use the bathroom. Or would you like to stay here and have a good cry?” Kelly unbuckled the safety strap, and Zack sat up into a sitting position and swung his legs onto the floor. He briefly tried to stand up on his cast, but then winced and sat back down again. Kelly wheeled the scooter up in front of him, and he put his cast onto its platform, before smoothing down his shirt as best he could. He waited for Kelly to open the door, glaring at it with red eyes over the shield of his soother, and refusing to meet hers.

I just want to thank everyone for their likes and comments of support. It always means a lot when starting a new story on here and it is my wish that I can continue to provide an interesting story for you all. I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter! Chapter 2: A Glass Façade Twenty years ago, the same scenario might have played out very differently. When Patrick awoke, his kidneys, or other vital organs, would have likely been harvested and waking up at all would have been considered a minor miracle. Now, however, Patrick awoke to the sun shining brightly on his face, a bouquet of flowers perched on a table beside him, and a lovely aroma of lavender and fresh linen encapsulating every square inch of his morning breaths. Still, after looking over what appeared to be a mix of a hotel and hospital room, he quickly knew it wasn’t where he lived and most definitely wasn’t where he had passed out. Like the morning before, he bolted awake, but only the pain of all where he could feel greeted him now. The light shone in from all around him and he grimaced as he moved his hands to massage his head. “Ah!” A quick pain emanated from where he had touched. Worried of what it could be, Patrick slowly palmed the spot on his head where the lightning pain had erupted from. It was definitely still there, and he quickly remembered hitting his head from last night. “Ugh… not good…” Patrick didn’t have long to think any further as he stared to hear a pair of shoes clacking from outside the door, which was then quickly followed by a male orderly entering in a state of panic. Upon seeing a conscious Patrick though, his demeanor quickly relaxed. “Oh, thank goodness. You’re just awake and not injured more. That’s so great!” His loud words seemed to slingshot around in his head and Patrick rubbed the tender spot once more. “Ugh, where… where am I…?” “Ah,” the male orderly said as if everything suddenly made sense now, despite Patrick’s evident and still lingering confusion. “Let me go get your main nurse. She’ll be so pleased to know you’re awake!” The man practically skipped off after setting a stack of white linens on a nearby countertop. Patrick was left in a state of confusion, but still not knowing where he was, he didn’t want to wait for whomever to show back up, so he immediately began to get up and haul himself into his usual position to get out of bed. A wheelchair was parked nearby and with a little finagling, he was able to move it into the right position. As Patrick strained and grunted to position the chair just right though, the door reopened, and a tall blonde woman casually walked in. Each step caused her curly blonde hair to bounce and her nearly pristine white and pink scrub uniform to shift about gracefully. “Good morning!” she said cheerfully. “Brad told me you were up and I’m just so pleased to see that!” Her near record-breaking smile faded a bit though as she then saw what Patrick was trying to do. “Oops! Looks like I’ve got a restless patient on my hands!” The tall woman then nearly skipped over to where Patrick had sprawled himself out over the bed and easily shifted him back to sitting by his pillows. “I was just trying to get into my wheelchair,’ Patrick said glumly over the loss of achieving his morning goal and making his escape from wherever he was. The nurse smiled tenderly down at Patrick. Despite not knowing her, her demeanor almost seemed to calm him down. Shen then bent slightly down and rested her hand on his shoulder. “I understand, sweetie, but we’ve got some strict rules while you’re here today. Don’t want you to hurt yourself further now, do we?” Patrick wasn’t a fan of how she was talking to him. Her sickly-sweet voice would no doubt be grating after more than 10 minutes at this rate, but he also felt an odd sense of calm envelop him at the same time. It had been quite some time since anyone had shown him the care that she was obviously trying to show him now. Even if her voice was a bit annoying, he craved more of this cared-for feeling, so he just shook his head. “No…” “Wonderful… now,” she sat on the edge of the bed and twisted her body slightly to fully face Patrick, “we need to do a little talking first, okay?” Patrick hesitated at the implication of whatever forlorn information she had to impart but simply just nodded in compliance. ‘Maybe this is the point where she informs me that because they got me off the street, I have to pay or else they’ll take my kidneys?’ “Perfect. Now, we just happened to have a patrol roaming the area you were found in last night. Goodness knows what could have happened if we hadn’t found you,” she said with a great deal of concern. Again, it was a nice feeling to at least feel that one person still cared about him. “From the reports that we get, it’s still a bit unsafe in that neighborhood at night. It’s actually one of the reasons we go by there on our nightly patrols.” ‘Patrols?’ Patrick rolled the word around in head and tried to decipher what that meant and what it had to do with him now. Still, he just wanted the nurse to continue and hopefully she would answer his questions in time. He didn’t want to appear weak until he knew where he was. “I would have been fine…” “Hmmm…” Her eyes glanced downward briefly causing Patrick to immediately become self-conscious. Before he had a chance to see where she was looking though, her eyes popped back up. “What’s the last thing you remember, honey?” Patrick had to think for a moment. It was all pretty blurry still in his still half-awake state. “I came out of the bar… my chair tipped over and I fell, and I…” Patrick froze in terror. Her previous glance down now made perfect sense in the most horrific way. The nurse smiled as Patrick made the connection. “I take it you remember that little part now, huh?” Still too shocked at the memory, Patrick just meekly nodded. It had happened before, but it had been relatively private. ‘Great. Now, Nurse Sparkles knows as well...’ “Awww. No need to be embarrassed sweetie. In fact, we even waved one of our usual protocols when we find someone like you with your… ahem… situation.” Patrick was confused by what she meant, but then noticed a stack of thick plastic objects on one of the higher shelves in the room. ‘Shit! I’m going to be sold to some pervert from the other dimension!’ His heart began to beat rapidly and tried to inch away from her as best as he could. “St… stay away… fr… from me! There are others! P… people looking for me!” The nurse just giggled at the sight unfolding before her. “Oh, sweetie. Relax! I’m not one of those people. Just a human and just like you! Born on this planet and in this dimension.” Patrick still held his guard. “Promise.” Patrick didn’t believe her. For all he knew, it could have been a lie to lure him into a false sense of security before they pounced on him. “Prove it!” The nurse seemed perplexed over how she could but then snapped her fingers and stood up. “Here.” She then thrust the curtains open and showed a picturesque view of the downtown of his city. It looked far different than where he lived of course, but it was just the new part spurred on by the portal travel. “See? Still in this dimension and even the same city where you live. And, as I said before, we waved our usual protocol to diaper one such as yourself… Looked up your file and paralyzed members here get a little more leeway in certain matters. Okay?” Her eyes looked directly into his. Patrick could almost get lost in their bright blue color. He could quickly feel his walls fade away. He then just nodded and settled back down on his bed. His heart still beat rapidly, and he probably still looked panicky, but it seemed to be enough for the nurse. “Good… now, I didn’t introduce myself before. I’m nurse Patricia, but you can just call me nurse, Patty, Patricia… whatever! Kinda cute that we have such similar names, huh?” “Yeah…” Patrick said hesitantly, still clearly wary of what was going on. “I bet you’ve got a bunch of questions, huh?” Patrick quickly nodded. “Well, I’ll let Mr. Docker explain things more later, but I can help answer a few bits. First though,” Patricia then moved close to where Patrick had finally settled, “I think we need to do a few morning bits, huh? Get you going and all.” Patrick realized the time and nodded. “Yeah… just lend me the wheelchair and I can do the rest.” Patricia however didn’t seem thrilled. “Well… I can give you some independence and whatnot, but I’m going to help you in a few areas of my choice. No negotiating on that one, okay?” Patrick wanted full independence, but maybe it was her large frame and intense look, but he didn’t feel he was in a place to say no to her. “Fine…” he then relented. Patricia only smiled and then helped him into the wheelchair. He quickly noticed it wasn’t his own and had handlebars on the back where someone else could push you around. Sighing, he just let himself be wheeled over to the bathroom. Gratefully, Patricia only got him into position and got everything out for him to use for his usual morning routine. ‘Nice but… weird. How does she know the exact equipment that I use back home?’ Shaking his head and adding his question to the steadily growing pile, Patrick soon finished up and exited the bathroom after disposing of the products and washing his hands. Patricia quickly popped back into the bathroom. “Perfect! Let me just log that into my watch, and… we’re good!” She then marched over and took over the steering of Patrick out of the room. Too wrapped up in everything going on, he only then realized that he was wearing a pair of greenish-blue hospital scrubs with a logo over the left chest area. Upon looking further, he recognized the name from the logo on the van last night. “Oasis Opportunities… is that this place?” Patrick asked after reading the logo on his scrubs and along one of the walls as they passed it. “You got it!” Patricia confirmed gleefully. “Newly built and all with the advent of the renovation to the nearby portal facility. We run all usual technical bits outside the city, as I’m sure you know, but we do most of the outreach and admin programs from this building here.” Patrick nodded, and still trying to get the lay of the land, he wanted to know more about her. “Are you associated with them then?” “Them…?” Patricia seemed to be confused over the word choice, but it didn’t last long. “Oh! The Bigs you mean!” “Yes…” he said hesitantly. “Well, me personally… only in a roundabout way, but OO here, yes!” she said enthusiastically. Patrick took the thought in. Only moments ago, she had calmed him down about not kidnapping him for the portal, but now, he was in a building literally dedicated to the same thing. “I thought you said this wasn’t with the other dimension and all?” “Nope! All I said was that you weren’t in the other dimension. We’re still on Earth and all, but this place is just headed by the other side is all. Innocent programs and all!” Patrick wasn’t sure how much he actually believed her, but he didn’t want to upset the woman now wheeling him around. “The programs… that’s why I’m here?” Patrick finally asked reluctantly, very well already likely knowing the answer. “Well… as I said, Mr. Docker will explain things more to you in a minute,” Patricia practically skipped over. Patrick just sighed and resigned himself to the fact that he was only going to get part of the story for now. Patricia didn’t seem like a danger, so for now, he just sat back in the wheelchair as Patricia wheeled him along a corridor with several other rooms that looked just like the one he had just exited. The pair then soon arrived at a large elevator at the end of the hall and by what could only be a nurse’s station. After a ding, the two entered and Patricia pressed the button labeled, ‘Floor 24.’ The elevator was large and elaborate. It even smelled fresh and new. “Pretty big and fancy building… how much is all this going to cost me? I’ve got money, but… I just need to know how much ramen I’ll have to pack away in the next week or so…” Patrick half joked. Patricia let out a tiny giggle. “Actually, the government funds this whole place. A few of the adventures pay for the overhead and all, but day-to-day stuff is predominantly covered by one of the government programs instituted a few years ago. Upper Deal? New Plan? Something like that.” “Oh…” Patrick said with a bit of relief. He did have the money, but this all still felt like a lot. At the same time though, Patricia had mentioned a few of the programs here had helped with the funding. With 67 floors in total, only a few seemed unoccupied by some portal dimension sounding program. “Here let me show you around. We still have a bit before we need to see Mr. Docker.” The elevator stopped and the two got off at the bottom floor of a large atrium. After Patricia moved him out a little way, Patrick could quickly see that at least eight floors had their offices perched behind him and overlooked the atrium and the immense glass curtain wall in front of them. It was a grand, magnificent, and beautiful, if not unnerving, sight. “Wow… all this is for OO? Portal travel and all? Just for this single portal?” “Yep,” Patricia practically chirped. “We’ve got lots of offices for a whole host of programs. We tend to cover the gamut on portal travel here, so we even have three floors dedicated to the R&D department.” She then lowered her voice. “If you ever come back here and are wandering around, stay off floors 34 through 36. High level clearance required, and one poor delivery guy got sucked into a dimension with talking and hallucinogenic plants. You do not want to end up like that.” Patrick nodded gravely. If he needed any reminder and jolt back to reality for what type of company he was standing in the middle of, Patricia’s warning and tiny anecdote had performed its task admirably. After a minute or so of silence, Patricia piped back up. “So, you want some, errr…” she looked at the large touchpad watch on her wrist, “yeah, lunch?” “Oh, uh, sure?” Patrick said hesitantly, still in awe over the enormity of the building for just one portal. If the news article from last week was any indication, there were at least 36 in the states alone. Patricia quickly picked up on his apprehension from eating food from a portal company. “Relax. All still covered by the government and not a single thing here is spiked or could cause you any issues.” Patrick stared at her with an unconvinced look. “Promise. Pinky swear on it if that would help…” Patrick looked at her outstretched pinky and shook his head. “Uh, no. That’s fine. I’m good. Just…” Patrick let the implied notion hang in the air for a second. “Oh, no need to explain. After all, you are talking to a normal human working for a company that deals exclusively with Bigs and all as upper management.” She then lowered her voice once more. “Hard not to hear about the… others that work, or I should say worked on the other side of the portal…” Patrick nodded but wanted to move on as quickly as possible. “So, lunch?” She popped right back up. “Right!” Patricia then wheeled Patrick over to a nearby food court situated in the corner of the atrium. There was a tiny line, but it also allowed Patrick to look at what he wanted. After Patricia got a cobb salad and Patrick got a Cuban sandwich, the pair sat down and would occasionally talk through their delicious bites. Patrick, however, was more distracted by what he was seeing. Having previously worked at a corporate office job to make some good money one summer before his accident, he knew of the typical personnel who visited these places. This atrium drew a large crowd for its obvious beauty and confirmed tasty food, but Patrick couldn’t help but notice a few oddities. While visitors to such places could always draw in a few strangers that didn’t exactly fit in with the rest, the personnel who worked here all seemed very cut and dry. All seemed like part of the medical staff, like Patricia, or were buttoned up into a variety of business attires. What was odd though, was the array of people like him. Not confined to a wheelchair necessarily, but all still seeming to suffer in their own tiny ways. A persistent cough, recent surgery lines, even a few that were still hooked up to IV bags. It was an anomaly that bugged Patrick, but Patricia’s timing was impeccable and quickly distracted him with another question, this time about what he wanted for his future. Soon though, lunch was over and after looking at her watch once more, Patricia stood up. “Well, looks like it’s just about time to head on up. Wish I could give you a longer tour of more of the floors here, but maybe some other time. Mr. Docker is a busy man, and we shouldn’t keep him waiting.” Patrick nodded and stretched out his hand. “After you…” Patricia giggled and after a moment, Patrick realized that his chivalry was lost in a practical sense on the nurse before him. While he could have pushed the wheelchair himself, Patricia was a hands-on type of nurse, so she was most definitely behind him as they moved on from the expansive and beautiful atrium. The pair soon arrived back at the large elevator they had previously boarded. After a ding, the two entered the leftmost one and Patricia pressed the button labeled, ‘Floor 42,’ once inside the shiny metallic box. A short zoom upward, another ding, and the doors then opened back up. Patricia pushed him forward and finally halted at a waiting area at the end of the hall on the floor. A large glass window opened onto the city to the south and Patrick could easily see the breathtaking views and just how high they were. If it was possible, it was even more impressive than the atrium they had just come from. Before Patricia even had a chance to sit, a young and attractive woman stood up from behind her desk and motioned to her. “You can go right on in, Patty.” “Thanks, Sammy,” Patricia gleefully replied as she rapidly pushed Patrick into the awaiting doors which conveniently opened automatically. Patricia then gently guided Patrick into the large and impressive office. Two of the walls faced the outside and were nearly floor to ceiling windows. One could see all the way into three neighboring states and the faint glow, even in the daytime, from the portal facility could be seen to the south. At the far end of the room, a tall and fit man with styled salt and pepper hair and a slick goatee stood and looked out one of the windows. As soon as the wheelchair entered the room, it hit a small bump in the place where the flooring from the outside and inside met. The man suddenly turned around and smiled. “Ah, good evening, Patrick. Come on in and don’t be shy!” The doors behind Patrick closed with a shudder and Patrick couldn’t help but gulp at the man now standing in front of him. His subtle pinstripe suit and red shirt underneath were well fit to his impressive stature and his eyes gleamed at Patrick. If he didn’t know any better, his looks almost bordered on what Patrick thought a wolf would look like as it looked upon a fluffy and tiny lamb. Whatever the case, Oasis Opportunities may have looked nice on the outside, but something told him that whatever was about to be offered might prove to be just too much for him to accept. Hopefully, whatever it was, could still be rejected if needed be and that Patricia hadn’t just lied to him about everything. Whatever the case, the doors slammed to a frightening close behind him, sealing him inside for whatever was to come.

If you enjoy my writing then please consider subscribing to my Patreon where Chapter 12 has been released. You will get access to early releases of all of my stories, exclusive stories and posts and it will help me continue to keep writing. I really appreciate your support. Thank you www.patreon.com/BacktoBabyhood Chapter 10 He couldn’t believe his bad luck. Of all the people it could have been? Of all the times she could have been walking by the Steinbergs’ house? What were the chances? Mrs Jenkins was staring directly at Jamie with a look of shock on her face. It had only been a short while ago that his diaper wearing had been exposed to her at the park. Now, any prospect of her thinking that was a one-off was now fully extinguished. After a brief interval that felt interminable to Jamie, he managed to tear his gaze away from his teacher and swiftly drew the curtains, obscuring Mrs. Jenkins from view. The prospect of a potential knock at the door to grill Jamie about his diaper wearing filled him with dread as he contemplated the implications of what had just happened. Despite the turmoil within, he managed to pause for a minute or two, taking deep breaths to compose himself, before cautiously peering out the curtains to see if Mrs. Jenkins was still lingering outside. To his relief, he could not see her. Though consumed by panic and anxiety about the impending fallout, Jamie recognized that there was little he could do at this particular moment. If his secret was destined to be revealed, he figured that he may as well seize the opportunity to embrace tonight and that he would deal with the consequences later, when he reverted to being an adult again. For now, he wanted to escape reality and that meant thinking and acting just like a baby. Now fully hidden from the world, Jamie waddled back to Leo’s room to collect a few essential items he needed for the evening. Before leaving, Hazel had prepared Leo’s bedtime bottle which remained full beside the crib. Jamie placed his hands around the bottle and was surprised to feel that it was still warm. With Leo asleep, it seemed a waste not to drink the warm milk so without further thought, he began to suck the teat. The liquid slowly trickled into his mouth, prompting a contented sigh as he savoured the taste. He had always loved formula milk and had drunk it until he was nearly five, at which point his parents eventually forced him to transition onto ‘big boy milk’, in spite of Jamie’s protests. After a few minutes, Jamie needed a break. He looked at the bottle and it was still about half full. Irrespective of how hard he had sucked, the liquid only flowed out very slowly, leaving him frustrated and tired. He could understand why Leo never finished his bottle. Wanting to prepare his bladder for a flooding, he took an empty glass on the side of Leo’s chest of drawers and walked to the bathroom where he filled the glass with water right to the top. He then began drinking, one glass after the other until he could drink no more. He knew that it would only be a matter of minutes before his bladder would start to feel the effects. He returned to the bedroom, picked up the bottle of milk, a pacifier and several other baby toys to keep him occupied downstairs. As he headed back downstairs, he paused to enjoy the feeling between his legs. The sheer bulkiness of the three diapers was restricting his ability to walk normally and forcing him to waddle like a baby, just as he had intended. As he settled in the living room, he popped the pacifier in his mouth and lay on the sofa contently, when a thought suddenly struck him. He recalled that Hazel had mentioned that Leo used to get very constipated and that if it ever happened when Jamie was babysitting then he should use the prescription laxatives that were in his room. He vividly remembered the words that Hazel said to him, “The laxatives are very strong so you’ll need to make sure that he’s diapered or he sits on the toilet for at least 30 minutes after he takes them. It normally takes a few minutes and then he will poop very quickly. I warn you that he won’t be able to hold on once they kick into effect.” At the time, Jamie had never really heard of laxatives or knew what they were used for but when he recalled that conversation and the position he found himself in, he knew that this could be the perfect opportunity to find out what they were like and if they would really make him lose control of his bowels. Excitement shot through his bones as he contemplated the helplessness he would feel, if he could not stop himself messing his diaper, even if he tried. What a feeling that would be! It would be at least 3 hours until Hazel and his Mum were home so if he took the laxative now then he would have plenty of time to enjoy messing himself before he had to clean up. He excitedly waddled back upstairs again, entering Leo’s room quietly, as he wanted to avoid his evening being ruined by the toddler waking up. He located the laxatives amongst the medicines that were spread across a shelf near the changing table. He took them back with him downstairs and proceeded to read the instructions. There were oral laxatives so he just needed to take the tablets with some water and then wait for the magic to happen. Naively, and unaware of the potential consequences of his decision, Jamie thought it was a good idea to take four tablets rather than the recommended one on the basis that he wanted it to be as effective and quick as possible. He went to the kitchen and returned with a large glass of water. He placed the glass to the side, next to the tablets. Before he took them, he wanted to make sure that he had everything he needed to feel like a real baby. With the pacifier still in his mouth and the half drunk bottle of milk nearby, he gathered a few snacks from the kitchen, some of his favourite toys and turned on the TV to watch his favourite childhood show, Fireman Sam. As a final touch, he walked to the side of the sofa and pulled out Leo’s old playpen that was stored safely away. Jamie unfolded the playpen and placed it in the middle of the room, right in front of the TV. He then placed all of the items he had accumulated into the playpen. He took a deep breath as he placed the first laxative in his mouth. He hesitated for a moment and pulled it out but his inner voice told him to go ahead. Without any further hesitation, he quickly swallowed the four tablets and proceeded to climb into the playpen where he made himself comfortable and waited for inevitable pressure that was building in his bladder and bowels. Meanwhile, out in town, the two mum’s were out in town having a drink with some friends. As was often the case, Hazel was leading the conversation which provided Jamie’s mum with the chance to check her phone. She clicked on a baby monitor app on her homescreen, loading up a live stream from the Steinbergs’ living room. As Jamie contently sucked his pacifier and sang along to Fireman Sam, he had no idea that his mother was watching his every move. As she observed the scene in front of her eyes, she was taken aback at what she was watching. It was no surprise to her that Jamie was wearing Leo’s diapers, as she had long suspected that was the case. However, she had not realised that his behaviour extended far further than that and that he had been using Leo’s other possessions. While she couldn’t hear the audio, she could see Jamie clapping and singing along with something, just like you would expect a toddler to do. She shook her head in a mixture of confusion and shock as she tried to process what she was watching. Hazel noticed the look on her face, “Is everything ok? You look a bit worried about something.” “Sorry, I was away with the fairies. It was just a work email but it can wait until later.” Hazel responded empathetically, “Damn right it can, you’re here to get away from work. Not to reply to work emails. They’ll still be there waiting for you tomorrow.” “I know, you’re right. I’m putting my phone away, I promise.” “Good. We all spend too long on our phones these days. Here’s a challenge girls - how about we put all our phones in the middle of the table? Whoever touches their phone first has to buy supper next time we go out.” The others agreed without hesitation and placed their thoughts in the middle of the table. Knowing that she couldn’t refuse at this point, Jamie’s mum added hers to the pile and smiled at her friends. Part of her wanted to head straight back and stop the whole charade but she had not told Hazel about the baby monitor because she wanted to confirm her suspicions were right before telling her friend. She knew that Hazel would be very upset and angry if she learn that her friend had not shared her suspicions about her sons behaviour. At this point, there was little to be gained by leaving early to confront Jamie or telling Hazel. She decided that it would be best to act like normal and then confront him once they were back home. The conversation with the girls and drinks continued to flow but her mind was elsewhere. She had warned him - if he acted like a baby then he would be treated like a baby. It was time he realised she was serious.

To keep it interesting I have a small bucket list of things I want to do while wearing my stent. !. Drink lots of water, put on a fresh nighttime diaper. Get really drunk on whiskey (you know, the drink for tough old guys) and fall asleep. See how I wake up. 2. Eat one or two of my son's THC gummy bears. Enough to let a newbe go out completely. Drink a lot of water. Put on a fresh diaper and see what happens 3. Make my stent irretrievable using a PA cage of some sort. Leave the key at home and go camping for a few weeks in France. A few bags of diapers in the trunk and enjoy my diapered holidays. No escape possible Having to change diapers in my tent on the camp site, somehow turns me on. In a world going mad, it is hard to stay ahead.

Chapter 19: Lunch Date Parum Mortis – LittleFallenPrincess “She was your… Mummy? So she knows all about… that stuff?” I asked Lucy, surprised and confused by this as we stood outside the open cafe door. I was confused because… well… Lucy just didn’t date. Period. Like I knew she was interested in girls, it’s probably why we bonded so easily to begin with, as we had that in common, but ever since I met her… I’ve never once heard about her going on a date. But then why am I surprised about this? Until a couple of days ago I didn’t even know she was a freakin’ vampire! “...Yeah. Though it didn’t last long. She was controlling and manipulative. And as you can see… good at making you feel bad about literally everything. She’s like this with everyone, so she’s been kinda excommunicated from the community.” Lucy replied, shrugging her shoulders. “There’s a community? I didn’t even realise…” “It’s not that big. And it’s not very organised. There’s probably loads of us spread across the country, but there’s no way to communicate. So I only know of our small community in this city.” “Wait… sorry, I have to ask… when…?” “When did I date her? I was wondering if you were gonna ask that… It was well before we met. Decades ago.” “Oh shit… did she…” I then performed a crude impression of a vampire’s fangs with my fingers, which I instantly regretted. Thankfully, Lucy just laughed at it. “Did she turn me into a vampire? Oh god no, thankfully, otherwise that’d be another thing she’d lord over me. No, I happened to bump into her when I went to my… supplier… and we got talking. She did however… well she got me into all this stuff actually.” “So she turned you into a little, but not a vampire?” “At first I just wanted to make her happy. Shoot me, the shy, anxious people pleaser wants to make her dominant girlfriend happy… but yeah, I tried it. Loved it instantly. Thankfully, we didn’t work out, but I kept the kink all the same, she didn’t taint it for me at least. Though she’s been like this with me ever since.” “Ugh I’m sorry. I’d like to say something like ‘ex’s are the worst’... but I can’t even do that. All my previous girlfriends are still friends of mine.” “You’re lucky. I’ve only dated two people in my long, long life… and both betrayed me.” “How so?” “One made me the girl I am today. One made me the little I am today.” “Oh so… it wasn’t her, it was another girl?” “That’s a story for another time. Anyway, we’re blocking the entrance so get that padded butt in there and find a seat.” Lucy said, slightly swatting my butt. The padding I was wearing cushioned the impact, and it just felt… nice? Weirdly nice… “Eeek! Sorry! I’m going!” I replied, shuffling into the cafe and finding a table in the corner by the window, before sitting down. Lucy sat down next to me and took a menu, handing it to me. “Get whatever you like, I’m paying. You deserve it after the past few weeks.” She offered, smiling at me. “Aren’t you getting something?” “This is one of the few places I feel safe, and less anxious… so of course I’m gonna be here a lot…” “Huh?” I asked, confused by what she was getting at. “I know the menu.” She said, sticking her tongue out. “I even have a usual. In fact… they’re already preparing it…” Lucy waved over to the woman behind the counter, who stopped what she was doing and waved back. “I’m… not very hungry though.” I… lied. I was starving at this point, but I also felt guilty at the fact she was going to pay for whatever I ordered. “Then just get a drink. Ooooh their strawberry milkshakes are to die for…” There was an awkward silence that filled the air as soon as she said that. I could see her trying her best to keep her smirk in. “Did you just…” “Hey, I don’t get to hang out with other undead people!” “But you’re not…” “Of course vampires count as undead. Just… a different kind. Don’t think you’ve got a monopoly on the whole ‘Death’ thing…” She laughed. “Plus I’ve known you for years, but this is the first time I’m spending time with you out where you actually know not only what I am, but kinda what I’m going through. So excuse me if I’m a bit giddy.” “Okay… you’re excused.” I smiled. “Thank you, Princess Susie, O’ benevolent ruler and Goddess…” She teased. “If you keep this up, I’ll have you worshipping at my feet…” I grinned. “Is that a threat, or a promise?” She grinned back, winking. There was no… romantic connection between us. I could feel the lack of it as we joked and talked, but getting to be this… kinky? This… open? Around Lucy… it was… …Fun. “We’ll see when we get back to yours.” Just as Lucy was about to no doubt come back with some witty reply, the door opened. There she was. In all her beauty. Elizabeth. Wearing a cute, baggy white blouse and pale blue denim jeans, along with some strappy sandals and her red hair pinned back into a large ponytail with sunglasses on top of her head. But I knew this wasn’t a spell. I knew the ‘devotion’ thing, or whatever it was, was gone. Because whilst I felt a yearning to be cuddled up against her chest right now, desperately wanting for her to cuddle me and stroke my hair, to tell me everything is going to be okay… I still felt that awkward distance between us, the little voice in my head telling me to be careful… at least for now. “Hey Lucy… Hey… Suze…” Beth said, tucking a loose strand of her gorgeous red hair behind her ear, like she always does when she’s nervous. “Hey…” Lucy replied, trying to sound very unimpressed, probably for my benefit. “H… hi…” I said, hiding most of my face from behind the menu I was still holding. “Can… Can I sit?” Beth asked, pointing to the only chair left at our table. I nodded, with only the top of my head visible to her at this point, as I was too scared to pull it down and show my true feelings right now. “Thanks.” She said as she waved to the person at the counter. It seemed both Lucy and Beth knew the person who owned this cafe, or at least whoever worked here today. The woman nodded and walked over, pulling out a little notepad and a pencil out of her apron. “Hey ladies… what can I get for you?” The woman asked. “You already know mine.” Lucy grinned up at her. “I know, I know. But I gotta ask.” The woman laughed. Looking up at her, she looked like she was in her… early twenties? But if this was some kind of supernatural cafe… she probably isn’t human. And from what I’ve learnt these past couple of days… is that appearances around here mean nothing. She could be a thousand years old for all I know, so I kept my judgments and thoughts to myself as she smiled down at me. Her beautiful long blonde hair was pinned up into some kind of messy bun, her dazzling blue eyes making me want to stare into them for the rest of my life. “Careful…” Lucy warned me, pulling my arm, and my gaze, away from this mysterious cafe worker. “Why?” I whispered. “She’s a siren.” “As in… as in the Greek myth…?” “Yup. It’s not just her voice that makes you fall in love with her.” “Oh…” “I’ll have a coffee, please, Teles.” Beth said to the woman, nonchalantly. “One coffee, one piece of strawberry cake and a strawberry milkshake… and what is it for this lovely young lady who I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting before…” The woman smiled down at me, making my insides feel like jelly. “H… hi…” I replied with all the awkwardness of a thirteen year old girl with a crush. “Hi there, cupcake! What’s your name? I’ve never seen you here before, and I never forget a pretty face…” “That’s my girlfriend, Susie.” Beth interrupted, answering for me. ‘Am I though? I… guess I still am. We never actually broke up or anything. We’re just… having some difficulties I guess.’ I thought to myself as the Siren, Teles… or whatever her name was, turned to Beth, surprised. “But I thought you were dating a hu… oh.” I think she figured it out. “I’m not human. Not anymore…” I sighed. “Bethany Lazarus!” Teles’ voice got deeper, more… judgey… A huge contrast to the friendly bundle of joy just a minute ago. “You know that’s not my name. You always call me that to annoy me.” Beth replied, rolling her eyes. “What did you do to this poor girl?” Teles asked, crossing her arms across her apron. “I died.” I said, speaking up for myself. “You… wait so…” Teles started pointing her finger back and forth between Beth and I, figuring out what she had done. “But I thought your family didn’t…” “I couldn’t lose her! Okay?” Beth looked up at me and smiled, weakly. “So this little cutie is undead now? Oh you poor little darling!” Teles put her little notepad and pencil down on the table and bent down, giving me a huge hug. I wasn’t going to complain. Especially not since I was nestled in between her boobs, with her warmth radiating from her, and her heavenly smell doing all sorts of things to my brain right now… “Well your order is on the house. Get whatever you like, darling.” Teles said to me, releasing me from a grip I didn’t want releasing from, and standing up, grabbing her notepad again. “Can… I just get a milkshake? And maybe… maybe a sandwich?” Now that it wasn’t costing Lucy anything, and this Teles was offering something for free… maybe… maybe I could eat something… “Of course you can, sweetie! What flavour? And what kind of sandwich?” “Chocolate, please? And umm… chicken?” “One chocolate milkshake and a chicken sandwich, coming right up. Oh and if either of these two useless girls haven’t said it already, welcome to our world.” She winked, before heading off towards the counter. “She was… nice.” I commented, once Teles was out of earshot, still in a bit of a haze from her hypnotising affection. “So is she…” “Is she what?” Beth asked in a way that clearly showed she was not impressed by Teles’ show of affection or the fact she was just being judged by her. “Into… you know…” “Oh, the cute pet names she uses? That’s just a thing she does.” Lucy replied, smiling. “She has no idea about our kink.” “Ah… okay.” “So… how are you?” Beth asked me, changing the subject and bringing me back to reality. “I… I’m ok. All things considered. Including the fact that I’m dead…” I made sure to put a lot of emphasis on that last word. “Undead.” Lucy interrupted, correcting me. “Not helping…” I growled. Lucy then quickly sat back in her chair. “I’m… I’m sorry, baby… I mean… Susie. I really didn’t want to introduce you to all this this way.” “How… how are you?” I asked Beth, trying to move the conversation a bit more as this was getting awkward again. “Hahaha… yeah…” Beth laughed awkwardly, looking around at various random parts of the cafe. “What’s up?” “I’m going to be honest with you Suze… I’ve been an emotional wreck.” Beth sighed. Part of me felt… guilty. Because me leaving like that probably caused her to feel that way. “How so?” I asked. “I missed you, dummy! We’ve barely spent any time apart since we got together, and after everything that happened… after you died… I really needed you. The real you. Not the baby version.” “So you didn’t want me regressed like that? Obedient?” “No! I brought you back from the dead because I missed you, and because I love you! And then when I brought you back and you were like… that… I felt alone still. Even though you were with me again, it still felt like you were gone, instead replaced by an obedient little doll, by someone different. So I was still grieving.” “I… I’m sorry.” I hadn’t even thought about her grief over losing me that night. Or the fact she hadn’t actually gotten ‘me’ back afterwards. “No, none of that. You have no reason to say that word. I’m the one who is sorry. I messed up the spell. I just hope you can forgive me. I promise you, I never meant to mess it up, I never wanted you to be that obedient or whatever. I promise I tried my best to fix it after I realised what had happened.” “But… you wanted me to be your baby, right? If the accident didn’t happen… if the guy didn’t show up that night…” “Maybe. Someday. I don’t know. If you weren’t into it, I could deal with that. That’s why I was planning on introducing you into my world first, about me being a Witch an all that. Then eventually… maybe I’d come out to you about the baby stuff.” “Be honest. You wanted me to be your baby.” “...Yes. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t daydream about you sitting on my lap, looking all adorable like you did the past few weeks. Just… with your normal self there, enjoying it. Not being forced to do it because the messed up spell wanted you to make me happy.” So she did want me to be like Lucy for her. But not under some form of fucked up mind control spell thing. And thinking back… all that time she was ‘working’... she was busy with her books. No doubt those books were magical spell books or whatever, and she was trying to fix me. So she wasn’t lying about that either, she really was trying to fix me. In the end it took Death themself to come and fix this fucked up spell. In the moment… she thought she lost me. So of course she’s going to try whatever she can do to bring me back, given that she has the power to do so in her blood, as a Witch. Or at least I assume it’s a blood thing, otherwise there’d be Witches everywhere. But then she just didn’t have any actual experience of bringing things, especially people, back to life. It seems to be a family thing of hers that stopped in the previous generation, at least that’s what I’ve pieced together from what I’ve heard the past couple of days. So of course she’s going to mess up… I knew I couldn’t blame her for what happened. She was just trying to bring me back. And honestly… I felt bad for then trying to pin the reason for my anger onto her keeping secrets. Especially when it turns out all my friends have been keeping secrets from me. Beatrice and Lucy are also both part of this ‘world’, and neither told me. I guess if I was in their situation… I’d do the same. You can’t just go around blabbing to anyone that you’re a freakin’ vampire or a Witch or a siren. It’s the same with me and being gay. This world is hostile to us, full of people who hate people like us… you have to be careful who you come out to. And as I sat there, with the noises of cooking in the background along with the people in the back talking, I started to process all this finally. The anger and frustration I held just a couple of days ago just… vanished. Replaced instead by a pit in my chest, one of guilt and longing. This wasn’t a sudden thing. Talking to Lucy… talking to Beth… coming to terms that there was a whole secret world the people in my life were part of that I didn’t know… it all helped get me to this point. I still had a lot of work to go. It still felt… weird. And no doubt Beth and I will have some work to put into our relationship, especially that conversation I’m dreading where she properly tells me about her kinks… but I knew, deep in my heart, that I was ready now. And I was sure about all this. I’ve forgiven her for what she did. If I was in her shoes… I’d have done the same probably. And most importantly… I still love her. “Earth to Suze…” ======================================================== I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them! Thank you to all my patrons for their support! Don't forget, the remaining chapters are available on my Patreon which can be found here if you go for the second tier. New chapters of Parum Mortis every Wednesday/Sunday! Also just a quick note: I don't mind people saving this story for personal reading. But I'd appreciate it if people didn't post it elsewhere, even if you're just suggesting it to other people. If you want to show others, please send them a link to the first page of this post! Thanks!

Fifty-Six I reached out to grab the key from her hand, but she was quicker than I was, and her fingers clasped around it tightly as she pulled it away from me. “Nuh-uh,” Mommy said, shaking her head as she grinned. “I’ll let you have that when you’re good and ready for it.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Mommy, I’m very much ready right now.” I was tempted to continue–to explain that I’ve considered myself ready since she had first locked my cock up–but I assumed she knew this already. “You’ve waited this long,” she said. “What’s just a teeny bit longer?” Under the water, her soft feet were between my legs, one on either side of my cage. They gently batted at my balls like she was a kitten, playing with a ball of yarn. I liked this too, of course. If she just wanted to play with my testicles with her feet for a few more hours, I was down for that. We had each taken one of the edibles just a few moments earlier. It was like a piece of gummy candy, but the taste wasn’t what I was expecting. It tasted like, well, weed–with a hint of cherry, perhaps. It probably wouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone if I said that I had limited experience with cannabis in any form. I imagined that if anyone else had approached me with an edible and asked me to just take it, I’d have a long list of questions and concerns. But I trusted Mommy’s judgment, and I downed the thing without any hesitation. “It’ll take a while for its effects to kick in,” she said. “How will I know when–” “You’ll know,” she said, interrupting me. “In the meantime, maybe we just enjoy the warm water and bubbles.” “Uhm…Mommy?” “Yes, Baby?” “Before? When you were, uh, washing me? I couldn’t help myself and I, uh, peed in the tub. Just a little bit.” “Ha!” She kicked her head back and seemed to sink a little deeper into the water. “I thought you might. Well, would it delight you to know that I’m peeing in the tub…right now?” “R-really?” “You don’t mind, do you?” “No, Mommy,” I said, likely sounding a bit too excited. “I don’t mind at all.” “I figured as much.” Did the water actually feel warmer? No, that seemed impossible, though I had it in my head that she somehow did just increase the temperature with just her pee. Still, it was a delightful thought–that both she and I were marinating in the tub together. Soaking in each other’s piss. “Mommy, may I ask you another question?” “Mm,” she moaned towards the ceiling. “Of course, Baby. What is it?” “Who was your assistant before Hillary?” “Ah, that would have been Stuart.” “Was he a good baby?” Mommy scoffed. “No, not really. The little sneak would always try to take off his diapers. I used to have to wrap a layer of duct tape around his waist after putting a fresh one on him. Made changing him an absolute chore–but it was the only way I could make sure that he kept them on long enough to use them in the first place.” “What happened to him?” “It was a mutually agreed upon separation, I believe. He was interested in furthering his career, and I was just about exhausted from all the spankings I had to give him.” “Does he keep in touch?” “For a short time he did, yes,” she said. “We drifted apart. I didn’t take it personally. Life happens, you know? Everyone grows up a little, and the things that used to mean a lot to you suddenly don’t seem as important.” I’m tempted to dig a little deeper. Who came before Stuart? Who came before that? But I don’t know what good any of those answers do me. One day, I’ll be just another link in that chain. Someone else might one day be asking Mommy to tell them about me. “I like that you take an interest in me and my past,” Mommy said to me. “I want to know everything about you.” “Everything? Oh, there’s probably a few things about me you don’t need to know.” I shrugged. “It’s all been interesting so far.” “Why don’t you tell me something about yourself, Clarky. Something I don’t already know.” “Oh, uhm…” I wondered if I had anything interesting to share. I racked my brain, but couldn’t come up with much. At best, I could talk about how I cheated on a history test in middle school by writing down all of my notes on an incredibly small piece of paper that I kept in my shirt sleeve. Somehow, I doubted that was the sort of thing she wanted to hear. I considered telling her about my time with Ava the night before. But I opted to keep that to myself for just a little longer. “Is it that hard to think of an interesting fact about yourself?” “It’s harder than it should be.” “That’s one of the reasons we’re together,” she said. “I’m giving you experiences. Someday, someone you care about will ask you to share an interesting story about yourself. And you can regale them with the tale of how you and your Mommy shared a bathtub full of pee.” “Well…the bathtub isn’t just pee.” “Sure, sure. But the person you tell this story to doesn’t know that.” “That might be too much pee,” I said. “Even for me.” “You think? Because it sounded like a fun idea to me. If I ever make the pee-tub a reality, you’re saying you won’t join me for a dip?” I laughed, unsure if this was a joke or if she was serious. “I suppose I’ll make up my mind when I see it for myself.” “I’ve seen your work, Baby. You talk a good game. But when a tub of my pee is in front of you, your eyes will grow big and you’ll dive in–headfirst.” “There’s only one way to find out,” I said. “I do love when you’re cheeky.” The conversation slowed a bit after that. Her legs remained between mine, and it felt good just to be touching like this beneath the water. Between the soft lighting of the bathroom, the stillness of the bathwater, and the perfect quiet of her home, I felt myself being lulled into a near-catatonic state. It was hard to say how long this lasted. Minutes, maybe. But suddenly the water seemed a lot cooler than I remembered it being, and I suspected that I must’ve drifted off for a little bit. Mommy, on the opposite side of the tub, was opening her eyes too. A smile was spreading across her face. “How are you feeling, Baby?” “I feel…” Before I could say the word ‘fine,’ I realized that the world was starting to look a little different around me. Everything seemed…further away? But when I focused on any single point in the room, I felt like I could draw it closer to me with my mind. This must be that edible, huh? She laughed–this girlish squeal unlike anything I had ever heard from her before. “Are you feeling what I’m feeling?” “I think so.” “We should get out of the tub,” she said. “It’s getting cold. And we’re going to turn into little prunes.” I realized that, at some point, my legs had become entwined with hers. I pulled my legs away, allowing for both of us to stand up. I couldn’t help but blush again, seeing her phenomenal body glistening before me while my boyish husk stood there with a cage dangling in front of me. “Do you think I need a diaper?” I asked. “Are you going to poop in my bed?” “No…I doubt it.” She laughed again, another girlish giggle that felt a bit more candid than I was used to. “A shame,” she said, finally composing herself after a moment or two. “Wouldn’t that have been fun?” I couldn’t tell if she was kidding or not. “We’ll go to my room,” she said. “Please.” “I’ll unlock you, and you’ll have to fuck me.” Even the way that she was talking to me felt different. I wouldn’t say that it was any more commanding than it usually was–but it felt more direct somehow. Like we were on an entirely new wavelength together, a place where only she and I existed, and this was just how we talked to each other here. “Of course.” “And then I’m going to give birth to you,” she said, nodding. “And you’ll officially be my baby.” I had no idea what that meant. But in my slowly-building haze, it was still the greatest idea I had ever heard. “Y-yes please.” “Come, follow me.” I have no fucking idea where we are, and no idea where we’re going. She’s holding my hand tightly and pulling me behind her. Her energy feels so different. It’s not bad, and it’s not even ‘better.’ I find it to be thrilling. I wonder if she sees me any differently. I find myself focusing on random details of her home as we pass by them. There’s a painting on the wall–something abstract with big blocky splotches of green and purple paint. I felt like I got it. I couldn’t put the feelings into words, but I felt like I could comprehend the emotions the artist was trying to convey. Something about the duality of society? “Are you okay, Baby?” “This painting…” She laughed and put her hand on my shoulder. “Try not to get too lost in that one. I just bought it because it looked cool.” My eyes followed the wood grain patterns on the floor as we walked. “Are you still here with me, Clarky? Are you still on Earth?” I laughed. “Yes. It’s just a slightly different version of Earth from the one I’m used to.” “Is it better or worse?” “Better, I’d say. Is the real Earth this pretty?” She laughed, squeezing my hand a little tighter. “You are such a delight, Baby.” I don’t feel incapacitated in any way, shape, or form. I don’t feel like I’ve lost any agency or that the wrong senses have been dulled. Perhaps, if any of those things were true, I wouldn’t know. But I felt confident that Mommy’s treat hadn’t impeded me–it had just enhanced everything. Another thing I was trying to adapt to was my lack of a diaper. I had been wearing them so often that it suddenly felt strange to go without. Had it really been that long since I had moved around this much without wearing a diaper? My legs had fully acclimated to walking while factoring in the added bulk of padding. Now, I was back to walking awkwardly–my legs unsure of what they were supposed to be doing. “Come,” she cooed to me, ushering me into a room. The bedroom was stunningly simple. The massive bed was the centerpiece of the room, and there was little else in terms of furniture. I assumed that some of the doors here went to walk-in closets–some of which, I was willing to bet, were larger than the room I slept in at night. “I can admit they’re impractical,” Mommy said, plucking one of the many decorative pillows off the top of the bed. “But I do love the way they look. How basic of me.” “You take them off the bed every night?” She chuckled to herself, almost like she was just realizing the absurdity of that herself. “Not every night. They’re usually only on my bed twice a week–the days that Marnie comes by.” “Marnie?” “She stops by twice a week to clean for me,” she said. “A cute girl–about your age. I’d love to see her in a diaper too, but she doesn’t strike me as the type who’d like it.” I wondered if this was how Mommy looked at everyone–instantly deciding whether or not she wanted to see them in a diaper. “I had this sinful thought the other day,” Mommy continued. “How naughty would it be if Marnie was to catch me wearing a diaper?” I felt second-hand embarrassment, and my cheeks blushed for her. “That’d be, uhm, quite naughty.” “I’d never do such a thing, of course,” she said, shrugging. I doubted that, just a little. This was the same woman who dragged me to a restaurant with a vibrator in my ass. And the same woman who made me walk around the office in a dirty diaper. Still, I hoped that was a hard limit for her. There was still something I wanted to follow-up on, though. “Do you want to wear a diaper, Mommy?” “I didn’t think I did,” she said. “But I’ve been thinking about it since I brought it up in Seattle.” “You should,” I said, nodding. “It’d be really, uh…” I stopped myself, nervous that I was sounding far too enthusiastic. “It’d be what?” she asked, a teasing smile on her face as she continued to take the decorative pillows from the bed. I wondered if she had a place where she put them, but to my surprise, she was just tossing them in a pile on the floor. “Cute. It’d be, uhm, cute, Mommy.” She laughed. “Noted.” Mommy threw herself onto the bed, her ravishing body landing on her side–a pose that felt ripped out of a porno-mag. I still couldn’t believe the version of Mommy I was seeing tonight. So frisky and spirited. “Come here, little boy.” I crawled up onto the bed, wiggling my way over to her. Her other hand–the one that hadn’t been pulling me to her bedroom–remained tightly closed, I noticed. It was still holding the key. “Do you want this?” she asked, holding her hand out towards me. “Y-yes, Mommy.” “How badly do you want it?” I couldn’t even use words to express my want, and I just sighed as I shook my head. “I have a feeling you’re going to cum rather quickly,” she said. “M-maybe…” “I won’t be mad if you do, Baby. The question is: Where would you like to be when your stiff little cock finally gets to explode? Do you want to be in my mouth?” I felt tingles throughout my body as I tried to imagine what that would even be like. “Or…do you want to be in my pussy when you erupt, Baby? Maybe my tight little asshole?” She laughed to herself upon saying this, like it was so naughty of an idea that she couldn’t even contain herself. “Let’s not be silly, of course. Your cream would be all over the place by the time we actually got you in the backdoor. A goal for another time, perhaps.” “Uhm…” I truly had no idea how to respond. Did she actually expect me to say what I preferred? “First things first, let’s unlock this little cage.” She reached towards me, grasping the bundle of my caged cock and my balls with one hand while her other slowly approached with the key. Thisishappening. Thisishappening. Thisishappening. The room was so silent that I could hear every groove of the key slip into the lock. Click, click, click, click. All she had to do now was turn the key. My body became infinitely still and I held my breath. My ability to continue living required her to turn that key. But then she began to pull it out of the lock. Click, click, click, click. “I’m just teasing,” she said, flashing me an enormous grin. “You should see the look on your face.” The key went back in. And then, one final noise as she turned it. Ch-chunk. “Hold still, Baby. Let Mommy get this completely off of you.” I could feel myself growing already, and by the time the cage was free from my body, I was already fully erect. And it felt…alien to me. I had reached a level of complacency with chastity where I no longer really felt my penis anymore. It was just sort of there, buried in stainless steel. Pleasure and arousal were defined by a general aching in my groin, and I had begun to forget what erections were even like. I remembered now. Oh Lord did I remember. It was like having a limb reattached after having gone without for a long time. Oh wow, I remember feeling this way. “Wasting no time I see,” she said, the back of her hand petting my shaft. “I…I want you, Mommy.” “I know you do, Baby. But do you think I can trust you to please me first? If I sit on your face, do you promise not to just spurt everywhere when you begin to taste me?” I wasn’t sure I could make a promise about that. And yet I answered: “Of course, Mommy.” “Very good. On your back, then. Open wide.” And then she was on my face. She’d been here before, of course–I knew just what to do. Perhaps I knew too well, as I let my mouth go into autopilot–licking and slurping from her body. The last time I had done this, I used both of my hands to support her atop me. This time, however, I was attempting to do the job with just one hand, as I let my other grasp at my firm cock. I didn’t want to do anything foolish like stroke myself to completion before she had her way with it–but I was so eager to visit with my old friend that I couldn’t help but grab it and hold on for dear life. “It was a mistake to have unlocked you,” she said, abruptly stopping her body’s gyrations against my face. I didn’t have the ability to respond, though perhaps her body’s proximity to my brain was enough for my telepathic question to get through to her: “Why?” Either she received that message, or she knew I’d ask that question: “Because you’ve lost some of the fire you had when you were locked up. All you had to focus on was me, you know? And now? Well…where’s your other hand, Clarky?” Sheepishly, I began to pull my hand from my dick. “No no,” she said. “Leave it there. We both learned a lesson tonight, didn’t we? In the future–if I ever choose to unlock you again–it won’t be until after I’ve gotten all the pleasure I need. Go on, now. Finish what you’ve started with me. We’ll focus on quality the next time we do this.” I left my hand on my cock as I continued to eat her out, her body’s tempo returning. I did feel as if I had learned a little life lesson in this moment–the importance of devoting my full attention to whomever’s pussy I was devouring. Were it Ava atop my face–oh, what a thought that is–I suspected she’d be too polite to say anything to me. Mommy could always be depended on to keep me in my place, though. A moment or two later, both of my hands were on Mommy’s ass, holding her in pace as her grinding intensified. I couldn’t remember taking my hand off my cock, but I was happy I had. I was suddenly finding myself in the zone–exactly where she had wanted me to be in the first place. It was easy to get lost in her rhythm. Even easier considering the hazy high that still had a hold on me. Part of me was doing my damndest to bring her the best orgasm she had ever experienced in her entire life–high-me truly believed I was capable of such a thing. The rest of me was out of my body. Perhaps out of this world. I couldn’t say where I was. Someplace dark and wet–yet I found this to be rather comfortable. I wanted to stay here forever. I felt like I could just…curl up into a tiny little ball. Just a warm and secure little baby. Oh, wait. Had I managed to somehow crawl into Mommy? Was I inside of her? Was I in her womb? I laughed, sort of. Really I just made a slobbery mess of myself as my lips vibrated against her pussy. My tongue was still hungrily devouring her–outside of her body, I assumed. As best as I could tell, I was somehow both inside and outside of her at the same time–and this made complete sense to me. It was a pleasure and an honor to experience Mommy like this. “Don’t let me out,” I said to her. I might not have actually said, I might have just thought it very loudly. To my surprise, I got a response. “Would you like to stay here forever?” “If you don’t mind…” Hoo boy. I doubted any of this was real, and so I had to assume that the cannabis was just doing a spectacular job on me. “You…what are you…” Mommy was somewhere, trying to say something to me in between little gasps and breathy panting. “Fucking hell, Baby… How are you–ooph–doing this?” It sounded good, whatever it was I was doing. I sent a message to myself–the part of me that was on the outside: “Hey, make sure you keep that up.” “Yeah, you got it,” I replied. “Oh fuck,” she said. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I had heard Mommy climax before, and this sounded different. I wondered where she was right now. Was she atop my face? Atop someone else’s face? Was she on Earth? “Ohhhhh!” she exclaimed. There were a series of high-pitched squeals coming from her mouth now as her back arched and I felt her squirt into my mouth. I had never tasted anything better in my life. The bit of me that was inside of her was disrupted. I was being pushed out. I was being…birthed? Suddenly, she was lying next to me on the bed, rapidly taking as deep of breaths as she could manage. Her fingers lazily stroked my wet face. “There,” she said, her voice so soft that I could barely hear it. “You’re mine now. My baby.” “Good,” I replied, the response sounding so breezy that I could’ve been affirming just about anything. “Ah yes,” she laughed, as if my voice had reminded her that I was still next to her. “We needed to, er, take care of you too, yes?” Please please please please please. “If you’d like.” “Oh, I’d very much like to. Just…give me a moment, dear. You just about caused Mommy’s head to explode.” I’m far too polite to ask for details, either now or later. But I would’ve loved to have known where that climax ranked among the best she’d ever had. “Come here,” she said. “Come crawl between Mommy’s legs.” I was there so fast that I could’ve sworn I had teleported. She reached forward, grasping my cock in her hand–she was very careful with it, treating it like it was just a fragile baby bird. “Do you want to put this inside of me?” she asked, giving my shaft a mild squeeze. “Y-yes, Mommy,” I said. “Please.” “I want you to cum inside of me. You can do that, can’t you?” “Yes,” I said, my head eagerly nodding. “Show me. Show me what a good boy you are.” And then I’m inside of her. I’m not entirely sure how I got there–if I had just slid myself in, or if she had guided my cock into her throbbing wetness. All I knew was that I was there. One. Just one single thrust. One gloriously blissful thrust that all future thrusts of my cock would be compared to. And then I came inside of her. She moaned, but she was laughing too. Meanwhile I was moaning and carrying on like I just had the greatest sex of my life. I collapsed atop her, my hand grasping at one of her exposed tits pathetically. It was a truly incredible climax. I just wished I had earned it. “Oh, poor boy,” she cooed into my ear. “Was that it? Was that all you had for me?” “I…I think so…” “That’s a shame. I’d say ‘better luck next time, but…well, maybe we’d be better off if we just kept that little thing locked up. What do you think?” “Yes, Mommy,” I whispered. “P-please.” While I had never felt more pathetic than I had in that moment–and I say that as someone who had thought I had already reached the most pathetic point in my life multiple times over the last few weeks–her gentleness with me had kept me at ease. It might have been the only thing preventing me from having some sort of infantile crying session. “You did good,” she said, stroking my back. “As good as a big baby could be expected to do. And didn’t that feel good?” “Mmhmm.” “I’m proud of you.” I wasn’t entirely sure why she’d be proud of me, but I didn’t question it. I needed to hear that so badly. “We still need dinner. Are you hungry? Or…did you have too much to eat already?” “Oh, uh…” I laughed a little, catching her little smirk. “I could eat.” “Good. Be a good boy and clean me out with your tongue, won’t you? And when you’re done, maybe we’ll actually think about dinner.”

If you enjoy my stories then please consider subscribing to my Patreon (www.patreon.com/backtobabyhood). You get access to exclusive stories, over 250 posts and early access to all of my ongoing writing. It also keeps me writing. Chapter 25 has been released to my subscribers, with chapter 26 to come shortly. Any support is much appreciated. Thanks Chapter 23 The morning sun cast a soft glow through the curtains as Will slowly stirred awake. Blinking sleep from his eyes, he stretched his arms and yawned, the events of the previous evening still fresh in his mind. It took him a moment to realise the familiar wet feeling in his crotch area. A faint dampness clung to him, and as he moved, a crinkling sound filled the air. He pulled the cover off to inspect the nappy. It was clear that he had soaked it. He couldn't believe he had woken up wet. Audrey had changed him into a fresh nappy just before he went to bed and he had still not been able to make it through the night. Baffled and frustrated, he murmured to himself, trying to make sense of the situation. As if on cue, Audrey entered the room, with a gentle slide on her face. "Bonjour Will, avons-nous passé une nuit sèche?", as she inquired about the state of his nappy. Feeling self-conscious about his current state and unclear of Audrey’s question, Will just timidly replied with a polite “Bonjour.” He waited for his nappy to be checked, as had been part of his morning routine, knowing that Audrey was about to discover his soaked nappy. He was very aware that waking up in a wet nappy after being changed by Audrey just before bed would do little to support his case to be allowed to wear his normal underwear again. Feeling a mix of embarrassment and disgust at what he had done, Will waited as Audrey inspected his wet nappy and then looked back at him with an almost nonchalant expression. He expected her to immediately whisk him away to take off the wet nappy, but to his surprise, she simply nodded and gestured for him to head downstairs for breakfast. "Allez, Will, le petit-déjeuner nous attend," she said in a reassuring tone, as if his wet nappy was an ordinary occurrence. Reluctantly following Audrey's orders, Will obediently descended the stairs, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with each step due to the bulky nappy that forced him to waddle. He couldn't shake the self-conscious feeling of wearing a visibly wet nappy in front of the rest of the family. Despite Guillaume, Louis, and Karim's non-judgmental nature, he still felt mortified by their presence, seeing him in this state. Heading to the breakfast table, Will couldn't ignore the glances from Karim and Guillaume, who both glanced at his crotch. The obvious bulkiness of his nappy left little doubt about its condition. Under the weight of their gazes, his embarrassment and self-consciousness heightened. While taking his seat, Will noticed Karim, who also had a wet nappy. Seeing someone else in a similar situation provided a slight consolation, even if Karim was much younger. While at the table, Louis appeared engrossed in his newspaper, seemingly undisturbed by the situation until Audrey interrupted him with visible exasperation. With a furrowed brow, she finally brought up the topic that had been on her mind all morning - Will's difficulties with staying dry. Audrey began, voicing her concern, "Il s'est encore produit la nuit dernière, et je peux voir que cela le dérange. Je me demande si ce ne serait pas plus simple de le laisser porter des couches pendant son séjour chez nous. Ainsi, il pourra se détendre et profiter de son séjour au lieu de s'inquiéter des accidents." Taking on his usual composed demeanour, Louis contemplated Audrey's suggestion of putting Will in nappies full time. He knew it was a delicate matter to handle, especially since Will was no longer a young child but on the brink of adulthood. "Audrey," Louis replied to his wife, before expressing his concern, "Je comprends ton point de vue, mais Will est adulte. Je sais que les couches aident à gérer le problème, mais aucun garçon de son âge ne voudrait les porter comme un bébé. Peut-être serait-il préférable de lui demander de les utiliser uniquement lorsqu'il en a vraiment besoin, comme la nuit ou lors de longs voyages." Audrey nodded, acknowledging her husband's perspective. She knew he had a point, but she couldn't help but feel that having the security of a nappy might make Will feel more at ease. It would also take a weight off her mind too as she could stop worrying about him. As the discussion continued, Guillaume and Karim listened with curiosity. Will caught snippets of his name being mentioned but remained mostly oblivious to the subject matter, having resigned himself to the fact that understanding what was said was out of his control. After a brief deliberation, Audrey looked back at her husband, "Tu as raison, Louis. Je veux juste qu'il passe un bon séjour sans s'inquiéter. Il pourra les porter la nuit ou quand nous sortons et qu'il n'y a pas facilement accès aux toilettes. Nous surveillerons ensuite comment ça se passe le reste du temps. Je vais envoyer un email à Jacqui pour l'informer." Louis smiled softly, recognizing Audrey's intentions to act in Will's best interests. "Je pense que c'est la bonne décision," Louis said. "Voyons comment ça se passe - espérons que ça s'arrangera." As Louis returned to reading his paper, silence settled in the room, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. Will's heart skipped a beat, and anxiety washed over him as he wondered who could be on the other side. Audrey excused herself from the table to answer the knock, leaving Will to listen anxiously, praying they wouldn't come in and see him in his current state. But to his horror, he recognized the voice at the door. It was his teacher, Mr Thompson. Will's face turned bright red, and he sank further into his chair, desperately hoping his teacher wouldn't notice how he was dressed. But as Mr Thompson entered the room, his eyes scanned the table and settled on Will, who felt as if he was shrinking under his gaze. As Will contemplated the situation, he wondered if this encounter could somehow turn out to be a positive opportunity. Maybe he could explain his predicament to his teacher and try to reason with Audrey to stop making him wear nappies like a baby. Audrey and the rest of the family left the room, leaving Will alone with Mr Thompson, who seemed quite serious. As he took a seat at the table alongside his student, Mr Thompson's expression softened, and he offered a sympathetic smile, gently greeting Will, "Hi Will, good to see you!" Will mustered the courage to meet Mr Thompson's gaze and replied, "Hi, Sir." Though now in sixth form, Will still referred to his male teachers as "Sir." "Will, I am sure you know why I’m here. I heard from your mom about the issues you have been having, so I wanted to check in with you and your host family to see how we can best help you," Mr Thompson began, his voice gentle and understanding. “I did have an accident, Sir, but honestly, it was a one-off. I don’t need to wear nappies. I’ve tried to tell them, but I don’t understand them, and they don’t understand me, so it’s impossible to communicate," Will explained. “Perhaps you should have paid more attention in class, Will," Mr Thompson chuckled. "I’m only joking; I know French isn’t something that comes naturally to you. I've spoken with your mother, and she's very worried about you. She wanted to talk to you, but I suggested that we speak first, as talking to home might not help the situation." Will was at a loss for words, feeling utterly left in the dark, as if conversations were happening behind his back, leaving him without any say in decisions that directly affected him. After a brief pause, Mr Thompson carried on, “When she paid for the trip, we had a chat about your bedwetting because she was concerned that you might have a recurrence with all the stress and change. That's why the school chose this family for you. I don’t think it’s a secret that both Guillaume and Karim have had issues with bedwetting in the past." Will's eyes widened in horror as he realised his Mum had spoken to his teacher about his private issues without telling him. Anger surged within him, wondering how many others knew about his bedwetting struggles and why she had kept it from him. "I... I can't believe my mom told you," Will stammered, a mix of emotions coursing through him. "Why didn't she tell me? How many other people know about this?" Mr Thompson sighed, his tone filled with empathy. "I know it’s a difficult situation for you, Will, and you might be upset with her, but she was trying to do the right thing. Only the teachers on this trip know, and it won’t go any further. We all realise that it’s something you don’t want others to know about so we’ll be very private about it." Will's mind raced, attempting to process the information he had just received. He appreciated Mr Thompson’s support and empathy, yet the sense of exposure and embarrassment in front of his teacher lingered, refusing to fade away. Mr Thompson continued, trying to reassure him, "I want you to know that Audrey and the boys are very accepting and understanding of your situation. As I told you earlier, both Karim and Guillaume have had trouble in the past, as do many children, so it’s not a big deal. You’re not the only one dealing with such issues." The reference to other children facing the same issue felt patronising, given he was nearly an adult, not a child. Mr Thompson’s voice took on a more reassuring tone. "Will, if it helps, you should know that you’re not the only student on this trip who has bedwetting issues. There are others going through similar experiences. You would be surprised how common it is.” “Really? I’m sure there aren’t many people my age who are being made to wear nappies," Will said, a mix of surprise and scepticism in his reply. “You might be surprised at how many people have issues, including some of your fellow students. Like you, they don’t want to broadcast it to the world." Although Will suspected Mr Thompson was just trying to be kind, a glimmer of hope flickered within him, his heart lightening at the thought that he might not be alone. He desperately wanted to know who else his teacher was referring to, but he knew that there was no chance of finding out. “So what’s going to happen Sir? Can you speak with Audrey and ask her to stop making me wear the nappies? I honestly don’t need them”, Will begged. “I understand that Audrey has spoken with your Mum about it already but why don’t you wait here while I go and have a chat with her and find out what she thinks? Mr Thompson replied. Will's face lit up with hope as his teacher left the room to talk with Audrey in the living room. After what felt like an eternity, Mr Thompson returned to deliver the verdict. Will anxiously awaited his fate. "So, I've had a conversation with Audrey, and her perspective is somewhat different from yours. I want to emphasize that Audrey cares about you and wants the best for your stay with the family," Mr Thompson explained. Feeling uneasy about the direction of the conversation, Will gulped, concerned about what Mr Thompson would say next. “I am told that you have already had several accidents during your stay here. She told me that you wet yourself before bed, just after having been changed, and woke up wet again this morning. She also said that you had an accident in the car and at the theatre.” Will was speechless as he listened to his teacher recount all of the events of the past few days. “Audrey has spoken with your Mum and they both agree that it would be best if you wore some form of protection at night and when you’re out of the house. There’s no judgement from her or the boys. They just want the best for you and don’t want you getting embarrassed, if you have an accident or getting worried if you’re not able to make it to the toilet in time.” Tears welled up in Will's eyes as he learned of his fate. His sadness was tinged with frustration, finding the idea of wearing nappies no less embarrassing. "Embarrassing accidents? It's incredibly embarrassing to be treated like a baby and made to wear nappies. Most of the times you mentioned were because I couldn't use the toilet. I tried to explain it to Audrey, but she didn't listen or understand and so I had no choice but to use the nappy. It’s so unfair," Will passionately defended himself. “It’s clearly very difficult Will but I know that you struggle to hold on when you get the urge to go. If you’re finding it hard to communicate or you’re out and about and might not be able to find a toilet at short notice then wearing nappies as a backup might be sensible.” Growing increasingly frustrated, Will retorted, "I don't need to wear nappies. I've only had one accident, and that was in the car because we were in a rush and I couldn't use the toilet before we left." Mr Thompson replied, taking the opportunity to remind Will of the incident on the bus, explaining that he had intervened to prevent a potential accident, “What about the bus then Will? Because I knew about your situation from your Mum, I asked the driver to stop. If I hadn't then do you think you could have held on without having an accident? It’s not fun, I know, but consider this: would you rather have a wet nappy that no one knows about or wet pants in front of everyone?” The pieces of the puzzle started to slowly fall into place. Will now realised why his teacher had been so understanding and stopped the bus. Will would never admit it but he knew his teacher was right; he would have probably wet his pants if the bus hadn't stopped. Realising that he was losing the battle, and in a last-ditch effort, he pleaded with Mr Thompson, "Please, Sir, I don't want to wear nappies. Can you ask them to give me another chance? I promise I don’t need them" Mr Thompson looked back at him with sympathy in our eyes before reiterating the decision once more. “I am sure if you can prove you don’t need them then Audrey will reconsider but for now, she has agreed with your Mum what I’ve told you and it’s not for me to argue with them.” As Mr Thompson prepared to leave and walk out of the door, he turned to Will and spoke with a mixture of concern and reassurance. "We’ll have to work out the best way to manage this when you’re back with the other students. We will do our best to keep it discreet.” Alarmed at his teacher’s suggestion that he might have to wear them in front of his schoolmates and even worse, in front of Pheobe, Will replied anxiously. "Sir, I can't possibly wear nappies when I'm back with everyone else. If they find out, it'll be unbearable. They’ll think I’m a total loser," “I am sorry Will but there’s nothing I can do. If you need them then you need them and we’ll just have to try and manage it the best we can and try and stop anyone finding out. There’s quite a few long trips in the next few weeks and I can’t keep stopping the bus so I’m afraid you might have to get used to the idea.” As Mr Thompson's words sank in, Will felt his heart racing, and a sense of full panic engulfed him. Thoughts raced through his mind, and he couldn't shake the fear of wearing nappies in front of his peers. The weight of potential embarrassment and judgement consumed him, leaving him feeling helpless and overwhelmed. "I have to go now as I need to visit another family, but stay strong – everything will be okay. I'm here if you need me," Mr Thompson said before heading to the living room to bid farewell. As Will's desperate attempts to argue continued, Mr Thompson swiftly stood up, excusing himself from the room to bid farewell to the rest of the family before making his way to the front door. With a surge of determination, Will quickly rose to his feet and rushed towards the closing door, hoping to make one final plea. However, his efforts were in vain, as the door slammed shut before he could utter a word. Feeling a mix of frustration and resignation, Will turned around, and in that very moment, he felt a gentle pat on the back of his nappy. Looking up, he met Audrey's compassionate gaze, her smile conveying both understanding and a hint of assurance. Without the need for words, she gently guided him upstairs, silently communicating that it was time for a nappy change. The weight of the situation sank in as he followed her, with tears running down his face, knowing he had little choice but to accept his fate.

Livy is finding it easier and easier to come out to play. Olivia has no idea if that is a good thing or not as she notices changes in herself. Things she thought were impossible or very difficult now becoming second nature. It is time for a three person "date" night. --- Writing is my passion and my only source of income. If you enjoy my stories you may be interested to learn that you can see every update I post one week before the rest of the world with a $5 pledge on Patreon. For $10 you can see everything early AND 47 full length stories that can only be found on my Patreon page! The money I get goes to paying bills and putting food on the table so I appreciate all of my patrons and would appreciate anyone who might be interested in supporting me to check out my Patreon ❤️ https://www.patreon.com/Elfy88 --- Olivia’s eyes fluttered and she rolled on to her back as she felt something prod her diaper. She let out a little whine as she felt the swollen padding being pressed against her sensitive areas. As her eyes slowly opened she found Dan was leaning on his side and checking her diaper. Olivia immediately felt Livy wanting to come out and play. “You’re wet but not soaked.” Dan said simply. Olivia blushed. Wetting the bed was a reasonably new development for her and although few things made her feel little like waking up in a wet diaper she was also worried about how quickly her control had slipped. Part of her wondered if the only reason she was wetting herself easier than ever was because the diapers encouraged it. “Seems like you’re always wet when I check you these days.” Dan said with a warm chuckle, “Might just skip to the changing part soon.” “Dan…” Olivia said as Dan’s hand withdrew from her crotch. “Yes, Livy?” Dan responded as he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “Do you think I could try pull-ups again?” Olivia asked. “Pull-ups?” Dan turned with a frown, “I don’t know if that’s a good idea…” “Please…” Olivia pouted a little, “I think it would help me to stay dry and stuff.” “Livy, you have big accidents. I don’t know if a pull-up could handle it.” Dan said. “What about if we try it when we’re at home?” Olivia asked, “I could show you and Landon that I can stay dry and get back to panties.” “So it’s OK if you leave stains in the furniture or the floor?” Dan asked with raised eyebrows. “No, but…” Olivia sighed. This wasn’t an argument she was likely to win. “I’ll tell you what.” Dan said as he leaned in closer to Olivia and put his arm around her, “We’ve got to go get breakfast soon, why don’t you ask Landon? We’ll see what she has to say.” Olivia was pre-emptively blushing as she imagined asking Landon about being allowed pull-ups. She wasn’t sure if she could really do it. She was really keen on showing she could still be a big girl though, at least sometimes. “Your diaper is fine for now.” Dan said, “We’ll change you after breakfast.” Olivia got out of bed and pulled a shirt over her head. It was a long shirt that half-covered her diaper on its own. She was about to pick up something to cover her bottom half but Dan was already walking around the bed and grabbing her hand. Olivia could almost physically feel herself regressing as she was led down the stairs. Her damp diaper crinkled loudly between her legs as she waddled behind Dan. At the breakfast table she hopped into her seat. The difference between herself and the other two seemed very pronounced. She was sat in nothing but her wet night diaper and a big childish t-shirt whereas Landon and Dan were in much more sophisticated adult pyjamas. She ate her cereal as she tried to work out how she could possibly bring up pull-ups without looking like a total baby. “So Livy asked if she could wear pull-ups instead of diapers.” Dan said casually. Olivia’s eyes widened and she started slouching in her seat a little to try and hide herself away. She saw Landon look at her appraisingly. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Landon said with an exaggerated frown, “I’m sorry Livy, you just haven’t made it to the potty once in the last few days.” “But-…” Olivia started. How humiliating it was to ask for something as simple as being allowed slightly less babyish underwear… and being denied. “I’ll tell you what.” Landon leaned forwards on the table and smiled like she was offering Olivia a treat, “You keep wearing your diapers but if you want the potty you can find me or Dan and we can help you with your diaper so you can be a big girl. Once you’ve done that a bunch we can revisit the pull-ups.” Olivia was blushing a deep red. It was hard to say what was worse, having to ask for pull-ups, being denied pull-ups, having to ask for the potty like a potty training toddler or knowing that she would never make it. She barely got any warning when she needed the toilet now, she certainly wouldn’t have time to find one of the others and get taken to the potty. --- Landon was finding it hard to concentrate on the Peterson Case. She had been looking over the same piece of paper for at least half an hour. As much as she tried to work she found her mind constantly wandering. How could she possibly concentrate with everything that was going on around her? That very morning Olivia had wanted pull-ups but what did she and Dan do? They had come to her to ask her opinion. Nothing told her she was basically a part of the family like being involved in decisions like that. She could see how disappointed Olivia was but she didn’t really have a choice, even if she had wanted Olivia to get out of diapers she wouldn’t have recommended it then. Olivia had become more hopeless on diapers than she could ever have planned for. Even now, as Dan and Landon worked, Olivia was laying on her front on the floor in front of them playing with building blocks and seemingly unconcerned that her large rear end was pointing right at the two adults. The situation had become so normalised that even Landon had to remind herself that this wasn’t a normal situation. A couple of times she had been talking with co-workers and had to stop herself from talking about a cute thing Olivia had done. Her goal had been to make Dan see Olivia as a baby, she was starting to think she’d done her job too well and now she was seeing Olivia as a baby herself! It really showed how much Landon’s plans had changed. When she had started everything her plan was just to get Dan all to herself, now she wanted something very different. She wanted Livy to be their baby. Landon looked away from her paper at Olivia and saw the diapered woman was squirming a little. She frowned as she watched Olivia continue playing even as she lifted her butt in the air. She didn’t seem to have any idea what she was doing. Landon recognised these movements though, she reached over and nudged Dan then nodded towards Olivia. Both Landon and Dan watched as Olivia grunted softly. The openly displayed diaper seemed to change shape slightly, it was barely noticeable at first but slowly the back of the padding bulged out more and more. The pristine white became darker and Olivia grunted softly. Landon couldn’t help but smirk. Despite what was happening Olivia was still holding her blocks and playing. Just that morning she had been arguing that she could be promoted to pull-ups and now she was on the floor pooping her diaper with seemingly no thought at all. Landon glanced up at Dan who gave a little shake of the head and a shrug in a “what can you do?” manner. “She’s so adorable!” Landon mouthed at Dan. Dan smiled and nodded. Landon watched as Olivia tensed up and this time the movement of the diaper was very obvious. The padding bulged out as she pushed down and filled it seemingly to the brim. Landon actually became concerned that the diaper would leak. As quickly as it started it all ended. Olivia’s padded butt dropped back against the carpet. Landon was still watching as the infantile woman slowly reached a hand behind her. She touched her obscenely bulging rear and then quickly withdrew her hand again. She let out a little whimper. Just as Landon was about to say something Dan put his paperwork to the side and stood up. He leant down and pressed his palm against the back of Olivia’s diaper. Landon could see Olivia freeze up and could only imagine how much she must be blushing. “You’ve really filled that up.” Dan said, “Did… Did you know you needed to go?” Landon watched with fascination. Olivia didn’t immediately answer which told her all she needed to know. Eventually Olivia shook her head to say no. Her pigtails bounced with each movement. Landon watched as Dan patted Olivia on the head. “Landon, could you do me a favour and fetch Livy’s changing supplies?” Dan asked, “And a change of clothes as well. This is a big one.” Landon quickly got up. Dan looked to have slipped into “Daddy” mode and Landon wanted to encourage that as much as possible. As she left the room she heard Dan talking softly to Olivia like a parent trying to keep their child calm. Once in the master bedroom Landon grabbed a spare diaper as well as the baby wipes and powder. When it came to outfits she had quite a choice, she immediately discounted anything even remotely grown-up and so she took a baby pink onesie from the closet. By the time Landon was back at the living room entrance she could hardly believe what she was seeing. Dan was bent over Olivia and blowing raspberries on her tummy! Landon smiled widely as she saw Olivia giggling helplessly and her legs kicking the air uselessly. Landon walked in and placed the supplies on the floor. “Thank you.” Dan said, “Right, Livy, time to get you out of those stinky pants.” Landon could see that Olivia was intensely embarrassed about everything that was going on but she didn’t make a move to stop it. She was clearly past that. But as Dan opened her very messy diaper Landon saw Olivia’s eyes repeatedly flickering in her direction. The differences between them felt mammoth. Landon was dressed in a pantsuit whilst Olivia’s diaper was changed on the floor. It took several minutes and most of a tub of baby wipes to clean Olivia. In that time Landon observed Dan being a perfect Daddy. He kept talking to her in the tone adults used to keep babies calm and he never for a second let his attention waver. Landon came to the conclusion that he really only saw Olivia as a baby to be looked after now. --- “I really don’t know about this.” Olivia said nervously as she looked out of the car window. “It’ll be fun!” Dan replied, “I think this was a great idea, Landon.” “Thank you.” Landon replied. She turned around in her seat to look at Olivia, “There’s no need to worry, Livy.” “It’s just…” Olivia muttered so quietly that no one heard her. The two front doors of the car opened and Dan and Landon stepped out. Olivia looked out of the window at the large square brick building on the opposite side of the road. There were large blacked out windows at street level with a pair of double doors in the centre. Above the door was a large sign advertising “Laser Planet: Galaxy Adventure” and Olivia gulped. She’s d never been to laser tag before and until Landon brought it up the previous day she had completely forgotten such a thing existed. “Come on, Livy.” Landon said. She banged on the window which made Olivia jump. Olivia had thought that laser tag was for children but apparently this place had a scheduled afternoon for adults. Landon had the idea, Dan bought the tickets and now Olivia was stepping out of the car across from the building. Dan and Landon both took one of Olivia’s hands and the three of them made their way across car lot. She was sure the three of them made an unusual sight holding hands like this but the other two didn’t seem to care. They must’ve looked like parents with their daughter. “Parents with their daughter” was very much how the household was operating now. It had become expected and accepted that Olivia was in Little mode all the time. She was in diapers, she wore her Little clothes and she did childish activities. She was a baby. Olivia was more conflicted than ever before. She loved being Little, she always had and she strongly suspected she always would, but there was a large part of her that fought against losing what little control she had. Whilst Livy played Olivia was always in her head shouting “This isn’t right! You’re an adult!” She didn’t even change her own diapers anymore! Throughout the day she’d have Dan or Landon suddenly check her and if she needed a change they would take her away for one. Olivia stopped at the crosswalk as they waited for the traffic to stop. There were a lot of people walking past and some of them stared as they went by. She was sure they didn’t know she was diapered. Her diaper was hidden under her baggiest pants, a dress would not be practical for such a physical activity after all. “Wait for the little green man to appear.” Landon said. Olivia blushed as the people around her looked at them. She didn’t need to be taught how to cross a busy road but it seemed like Dan and Landon had forgotten these things. She wanted to say something but before she had a chance to work out what she was thinking the green man appeared and Olivia was pulled forwards again. Stepping into the lobby of the building was like stepping back in time thirty years. Olivia wasn’t sure whether it was a deliberate retro design choice or if it was simply not maintained. At the far side there was a desk and a very bored looking teenager standing at the computer. When she heard the door open she looked up and did a double-take. “Hello, we booked online.” Dan said as they reached the desk. “Can I have your name?” The employee asked. As Dan checked the three of them in Olivia felt a hand touching her butt suddenly. She froze and then looked to the side to see that it was Landon. She never thought they would check her in public like that. There was no one else in the lobby, thankfully, and as indignant as Olivia was Livy was jumping for joy. “Alright, head on up.” The person behind the desk said after clicking a few buttons on the computer. “Thank you.” Dan replied. --- If you enjoyed this part you can check out what happens next RIGHT NOW at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/livys-new-family-88896758

A Warning As with my previous stories, this one contains several elements inherent to the pre-established 'Diaper Dimension.' These include, but are not limited to: Diapers and their usage for their intended purpose Breastfeeding Non-consensual mental regression through various means (Including possible drugs, hypnosis, and/or surgery) References to surgery to achieve various nefarious goals Humiliation Giants, aka, Amazons or Bigs Predominantly female domination (some male) Babying of adults (perceived or otherwise) Experimentation on humans Kidnapping Coerced or manipulated actions through possible means of white lies, gas lighting, or incentives Mild language or use of explitives Depictions of death, illness, or handicaps Graphic imagery associated with any of these warnings This story has not been labeled as mature, due to a lack of specific references to anything overtly sexual, but this warning serves as a 'turn back' point for any readers who do not wish to read about the previous warnings. Lastly, this list is subject to change during the course of writing this story. While most of the plot is ironed out, more warnings may be added if needed. For those readers interested or do not care about the warnings listed, please enjoy the following story. So, this will be my next story set in the diaper dimension. I fully admit that I am not paralyzed myself, so I hope I do not offend anyone with this topic, but after tearing a muscle in my back this summer, I couldn't help but think of what I would bargain away to get rid of the pain or the problems that I was having. It seemed to good of an opportunity to pass up. If everything holds, this story will be divided into 6 parts, but all will be posted within this thread. If nothing goes wrong, I should have this completed before mid-October and I'll likley be picking up shortly after with a bit of a different story with magic and diapers and whatnot. It's not my usual fair, but I wanted to do something with Halloween in mind this go around. I hope everyone enjoys this first chapter! Part I: New Beginnings Chapter 1: Crashing Through Life The storm had been raging for the better part of the day, but Patrick had to be picked up from a friend’s party. He had run his truck into the ground and the engine likely needed to be fully replaced according to the auto body shop that had towed it away two days ago. He sighed and scoffed deeply as he entered his mom’s car, still frustrated over the fact that he couldn’t get a rental car until tomorrow and thus had to rely on her for transportation. Of course, Laura had noticed immediately and just let it go to maintain the peace between the two of them as usual. For the past two years their lives had touched briefly about every two weeks now in between visits. She didn’t like it, but she didn’t want to start another fight over it. About halfway through the drive back home, however, Laura turned onto a long stretch of road with only two lanes. It saved everyone who took it about an hour of driving, but it was a dangerous stretch that had claimed many lives. She had just gotten off her shift at the hospital so getting home as soon as possible after dropping her son off at his home was the main priority before her lack of sleep caught up to her. As a nurse, she knew very well the number of deadly crashes that had occurred here even in perfect weather. Patrick mumbled something under his breath. “Say something, honey?” Laura asked sweetly, trying to keep the spark alive with her ever-further distant son. Patrick shifted and just continued to stare out the window. “No…” Laura continued to stare at him with her tried and true facial expression that she had used on him since he was two years old. She didn’t say a word, but her well-crafted look said all it needed to. Patrick groaned. “Fine, mom. Geez! It’s just embarrassing to be picked up by my mom when I’m 25.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s fine. Just drop it…” It was now Laura’s turn to sigh. “You know how I hate that word…” “What? Fine?” Laura nodded. “It’s just a word, mom, and it’s just how I feel. I’m fine.” Laura sighed again. “I’m sorry you feel embarrassed sweetie, but your car is still in the shop getting repaired and your rental won’t be ready until tomorrow. You’re lucky my shift ended when it did, and I could pick you up. Something tells me that your other friends back there wouldn’t have been… uh, as safe.” Laura tiptoed around outright saying sober, but Patrick still caught on to her insinuation. “Yeah… maybe. But it was a party!” Patrick threw his hands up in the air. “We were celebrating Sam’s promotion at work!” “And that’s wonderful, dear. I just wish your fun would have been safer. I am your mother. It’s practically in the job description to worry about my only child.” Patrick rolled his eyes. “Yeah… it’s just my stupid car is all. Would have been fine otherwise.” Laura sighed. “Honey, I love you, but that car has been on its last legs for months now. Even as mechanically inept as I may be compared to your late father, even I could tell that. Sometimes I just wish…” Laura faded off. Patrick turned to her with an annoyed look, one that was continually adopted by him whenever they talked about his dad. “What?” Laura shook her head and gave a small shake of her hand to wave him off the subject, before quickly snapping it back to the shaky wheel from the elements outside. “What?” Patrick pressed again. Laura sighed. “It’s just that…” She paused and took her eyes off the road for a second to reflect on her next words. Lightning crashed all around the two and the rain seemed to only pepper their car further. The only positive was that with all the bends in the road, both could see the exit off in the distance whenever the lightning would light up the sky. Having taken the road before in more favorable conditions, ten more minutes and they would be off this stretch and nearly home. “I just wish you were a little… less carefree.” Patrick groaned. “Sorry I’m not some corporate shill like all my other friends,” Patrick said with a deep undertone of sarcasm. Laura winced at the implication. She wanted the best for her son, but she also wanted him to be happy, a fact which couldn’t necessarily be said about his other friends who had pursued careers for money instead of what they enjoyed. “You know that’s not what I want for you, I just… you’re so darn talented. You could do so much…” Laura said wistfully. “You know how much I admired you for not becoming an engineer, doctor, or lawyer like half the block. I mean look at them all now. Out of the ten friends you grew up with from there, seven went on to have one of those three jobs. Now, only two of them have still stuck with it.” Laura let out and exaggerated breath. “I want you to follow your passions, but I just wish that you would pursue them a little more…” “It’s my life, mom. I don’t want to burn out like all the rest. Can’t you understand that?” Patrick’s eyes pleaded out with his mom. He wasn’t poor or anything, but no one could consider him wealthy either. He had tried engineering for a while, but after an intense argument one fall semester, Patrick had changed his major to art. Currently, he worked for an ad agency, but he was still the low man on the totem pole. Laura saw the desperation in her son’s eyes. She knew he had the potential to do well, but two years at the bottom of a company was long enough. Something had to be done. “I do, honey. I just wish…” “Yeah, yeah. You just want me to work a little harder. Work for my position and all that... It’s a nice sentiment and I’m trying sometimes but there’s more to it.” Patrick paused and looked at the ground for a brief second to gather his willpower to continue this conversation. Once collected, he shifted his head back up to meet his mom’s turned and loving gaze. “I… Mom! Look out!” Patrick quickly reached for the wheel to turn out of the path of the oncoming tractor trailer as his mom tried to react to it as well. It was too late though. The large vehicle had slipped out of its own lane and was coming right for them. In a second, the two cars collided with a sickening crunch. All at once the world lurched forward as glass and metal spewed in all directions. Two large pieces came hurdling toward him and his mom. * * * “No!” Patrick bolted upright in bed. He was soaked in sweat and his breathing was labored. Per his old therapist’s recommendation, Patrick looked around the room to steady himself by using his five senses. It took a minute to complete properly, but it really did help, and he once again thanked the universe for lining him up with her after the crash. He looked around the room and shook his head. “Five years… where has the time gone?” Patrick glanced over at his small, old alarm clock and saw that it was 8:06 in the morning. He groaned audibly. “I was hoping to sleep in today, but there’s no point now. Just got to get on with things…” Patrick adjusted himself in his bed, and after many years of practice by now, with a grunt, he was able to swing his legs over and to the side of the bed. Some people had massive cramps in the morning with his condition, but not Patrick. With a large sigh, he collected his wheelchair and then hoisted himself into it. It was black and lower to the ground without any handles in the rear for him to be pushed by someone else, as requested. He lived alone and dealt with all this by himself. It sucked most days at this point, but that was just life after the accident and his ensuing paralysis. His suffering was part of his self-enforced punishment for what had happened. The accident had done many things, but Patrick had fractured his L1 through L3 vertebrate. It caused a lot of issues initially, but the most apparent were what he had to deal with in the morning ever since he had managed it himself since that night. With a groggy sigh, Patrick wheeled himself over to the bathroom to relieve himself. Due to the nature of his injury and his doctor’s plan, it was discovered that enemas and intermittent catheterization were the best policies to avoid any accidents or blockages. Patrick had been a private person about most of that stuff before but now, he knew that he just needed relief. Personal happiness or feelings of modesty had to be placed aside occasionally to ensure nothing got worse. He collected the necessary materials and winced as he prepared himself for the now daily ordeal. The incident that had occurred two years ago when he had to be hospitalized over a blockage then was a painful reminder to just set one’s ego aside and get this whole thing over with. Positioning himself correctly, Patrick applied the apparatuses to relieve himself. It was darn frustrating to do this every morning, but he knew that it needed to be done. About twenty minutes or relief and cleanup later, Patrick wheeled himself out of the bathroom after washing himself off and removing the catheter. “One day I might get used to this… maybe…” Patrick sighed and then rolled himself over to his easily accessible dresser. With some careful maneuvering, he quickly popped out a pair of jeans and a nice polo shirt. Today was a special day and he didn’t want to look like a complete bum. His beard had already grown out and he knew his mom would have disliked how it framed his previously gushed-at round and rosy cheeks. Satisfied with his appearance and groaning after finally getting his shoes on with a little manipulation, Patrick rolled out to the kitchen. After a quick spot of cereal later and the popping of some pills, he was out the door with his usual backpack attached to the rear of his chair. It had everything he would need for the day, and he at least had the common sense to pack it the night before in case it was one of the ‘bad’ mornings. Closing his door, Patrick looked distastefully at the view before him. His apartment was decent but was by no means the fanciest in town. Sparse furniture and minimal wall decorations all desperately noted his still-single status and overall depression. Dating was tough in this town, but the accident or its consequences always seemed to weigh too heavily on his mind to make a real effort to even contemplate a change. Regardless, Patrick then locked his door and rolled down the hallway and to the small elevator at the end. A few neighbors acknowledged him as he wheeled by on the creaking laminate flooring in the hallway, but none made the effort to give him a full ‘hello.’ Patrick had given up on trying to be friendly a year after he moved in here. It was just too much effort for too little of results. On the ground floor and right before he exited the apartment building, Mr. Stacci bumbled out of his front door. “You! Patrick!” Patrick halted and pivoted his wheelchair back to face his odious landlord. “Yes, Mr. Stacci?” he asked as politely as he could. Rent control still wasn’t in place around here and Mr. Stacci was highly known for charging more toward those he disliked. “Rent is due. Pay it in the next day or you’re out!” His breath wasn’t necessarily foul, but if this was a cartoon, a green and noxious odor would have likely spewed out of his chubby and tiny head and all over Patrick as he lumbered over to him. “Yes… right…” Patrick acknowledged. He had the money thanks to some family funds but keeping track of time always felt hard these days. He kept a calendar on his phone, but it remained an issue of his since the accident. “You’ll get the money on time. Promise.” “Good.” The heavily obese and balding man huffed by the front entrance but then squinted his dark and beady eyes. “You know I’m a man of my word. Money tomorrow or you’re out.” Patrick just nodded solemnly, hoping the encounter would end soon. Fortunately for his sense of smell though, Mr. Stacci seemed satisfied and turned about and crept back into his own first floor apartment. A few of the old pictures on the wall briefly rattled as his door slammed close. Patrick sighed at the encounter, made a mental note of the rent while checking his phone calendar, and then made it outside and to the nearby bus stop. He lived in the city and cars just gave him a bit of anxiety now, so the bus system or newly installed public transportation monorail were good enough and had at least become more reliable since the influx of technology in the past two decades. The bus soon halted and lowered its platform device for Patrick to get on board. A few stared as he locked himself into position, but Patrick just ignored them as he usually did by now. It had become routine and Freddy, the bus driver, just gave a nod of his head when Patrick signaled that he was ready. The two rarely spoke, but Freddy had trusted him enough to let him lock himself in by now. It was no secret to anyone that even slightly knew him that Patrick still liked his independence. About thirty minutes after a bumpy and uncomfortable ride later, Freddy announced, “Seventh Street! Seventh Street!” With all the automation in technology, Freddy appreciated the warmth of the personal announcement that he would give out on his bus. Plus, his booming yet gentle voice usually woke anyone up who had fallen asleep and would prevent them from missing their stop. At the current seventh street, Patrick made no motion to Freddy to stop, but he did anyway only meters away from turning into the bust stop. Patrick had taken this route several times before, so Freddy only maneuvered the controls to let Patrick off near the curb. Satisfied after Patrick had made it off, Freddy closed the doors and leaned back in his seat. Soon, the bus was huffing away down the hilly road to the east and eventually out of sight. Patrick sighed at the loneliness of seventh street but then wheeled himself a block to the west and halted before looking up at the large sign above him, ‘Grace and Prosperity Cemetery.’ Patrick blinked back the tears that always seemed to form when he entered here and fervently hoped that one day that might stop. Still, today was more important, and after purchasing a bouquet of flowers from a nearby vendor, he pushed forward more in the cemetery and finally made it to a small plot of land perched on a hill looking over the growing and buzzing city in the near distance. The grave was large and had been purchased years ago by his father. The black granite was practically a mirror to all else that went on around it, but the intricately carved white lettering provided a nice contrast that his parents both appreciated when they were selecting it together. When his father passed away suddenly, his mom and him both found the site a bit depressing but still elegant and regal. Today wasn’t any different. “Happy Birthday, mom.” The accident had taken away more than the majority of feeling from Patrick’s waist down; it had also taken his mom’s life. The storm had caused a delay in rescue and treatment which led to his mom bleeding out more than the doctors could repair as well as the deadening of his nerves in his spine. The distant city shone against the cloudy atmosphere of the day and stood as a symbol of all the change that the world had undergone after discovering portal technology. Trade agreements with the Amazons, or how they liked to be called, Bigs, had fixed so many of the world’s previous and seemingly insurmountable problems. Pollution was quickly becoming a distant memory and most citizens of the world had enough food and power to at least be satisfied, if not comfortable. Even medical treatments had started to advance, but like all things, they had come with a price and had their limits. Now, his mom might have been saved, but even a few years ago, well… the grave was evidence enough of the technology not arriving in time to save her life. Patrick fumbled around in his backpack and pulled out an old silver flask. His dad had given it to him when he had turned 18, much to the chagrin of his mom, but it was a nice reminder of better times. “Cheers, you two.” Patrick toasted the stark gravestone etched with his parents’ names and then took a swig of the whiskey he had poured into the flask last night when he had packed his backpack. “I hope you all don’t judge me for this…” he said, gesturing to the flask. “I know the doctors advise me not to drink with my medication, but… I’m sure if you all can hear or see me now… you would get it.” Patrick took another swig and casually glanced around to see if anyone was watching him. They likely wouldn’t care, but he still didn’t want to be watched in pity. He still had some standards to maintain… Another hill over, Patrick could see a family gathering around another gravestone. Their heads were all hung low, but each held each other’s hand tightly. It wasn’t the first time, but the loneliness of it all could still be felt just as keenly as when he first realized he was now all alone. “Honestly, a sibling, an aunt or uncle… someone would be nice by now. Can’t blame you all, but ugh… I just miss you all… so friggin lonely around here these days.” He took another swig and winced a little as a few more drops went down his throat than were intended. It burned but on days like this, feeling the burn almost felt good. Given his current predicament, the burn was at least something. He was already numb in so many other ways, so even the sting in the back of his throat was a reminder that he was still above ground, unlike most of the people here today. Patrick then laid the small bundle of flowers he had purchased on top of the grave and gave another toast with his flask. “Cheers to you all. Sorry to be the downer and all… but if I hadn’t… I only wish… I would have done that night very differently…” Patrick blinked back an errant tear. It wasn’t the first time he apologized or felt guilty when coming here. While his inheritance and disability let him live a comfortable life, the guilt that plagued him after that night with his mom was nearly intolerable. To say the least, there had been several low points in the five years since the accident. Patrick wiped his face and then gave one more cheer and a long sip of his flask before rolling back out of the cemetery. Staying longer wouldn’t do anyone any good and would just give him more ammo of feelings of guilt later tonight. He had figured that out the hard way three years ago when he had stayed until dark. Rolling down the block, Patrick briefly stopped at the bus stop where he had originally got off and he knew from experience that Frank would be here within the next thirty minutes, but today was different. From his position at the top of the hill, he could see a small corner bar. Knowing the drinks were strong and cheap from other times he had visited and then deviated from going straight home, he knew that it felt like just what he needed today. The neighborhood was in a failing state of what once was in society and the city. Some areas had been refurbished around the world that once looked like this, but the portal industry had changed this area for the worse. A new city center was established to the west and the original neighborhood had been left in ruin. A large and shining billboard clearly indicated the decrepitude of the chipped paint and broken brickwork buildings was not to last and soon, the new industries would be here as well. Likely, in a year, the bar now in front of him would no longer be here. “Progress…” Patrick popped some more pills before shaking his head and then wheeling himself inside. After a single beer with his sandwich, Patrick leaned back in his wheelchair and observed the patrons around him in the aging sports bar. It was still slow, but at least five people had already stared at him from their own positions at the bar or at a nearby table. He picked the corner spot to avoid more attention being drawn to him as usual, but in a place like this, someone like him tended to stick out no matter what they did. Patrick was paying more attention to his sandwich when one of the patrons started speaking loudly and caught his attention. “…stupid Amazons… All of dem are stupid… Isn’ dat wigh… right, Bill?” The man was obviously intoxicated, and the bar counter seemed to be one of the few obstacles that stood in the man’s way from completely collapsing. “Sure, Sam…” the bartender acknowledged but also partially dismissed of the patron. From his face, Patrick could see that it wasn’t the first time that this had happened with the local drunk. “Stupid tall fascists came here with all their… fancy technology…” He leaned more heavily into the bar. “I had a good job, Frank… Coal power plant.” He hiccupped. “Hippies hated us… but it was a good job!” “Good job. Right, Sam…” He polished another glass and nodded his head. “Then they came in… with the government and all. It was such a happy day.” The man took another swig from his drink. Patrick couldn’t tell what was in it. “You remember that, Frank?” Frank sighed. “I do, Sam…” Patrick did as well. Most people alive back then did too. Patrick was only five, but even at that young of an age, it wasn’t every day that a race of beings comes from a different dimension and offers your world a treaty that would only seem to solve everyone’s problems. “Yeah! Had a mass on my liver. Hardening even back then, and boom! Gone in a day!” He then got a smug look on his face. “Iss why I can drink all… this,” he gestured to his quickly draining drink. “Can’t kill me anymore!” Patrick stared at the local drunk and couldn’t help but notice almost the sad hint in his voice. He had obviously lost his job when the fusion reactors outside of town had popped on. It was free energy and the Amazons had offered job training, but the more stubborn or set-in-their-ways folks had elected for unemployment instead. ‘Idiots…’ Patrick’s father had eagerly signed up for the training. Built his own business from what he learned in the new offered classes by the new beings and then sold it for a nice chunk of change. Their small family would be financially set for years to come, but almost like a curse from that windfall of money, after only a year of joy, the next six had then claimed both his parents. “Alright… I think you’ve had enough for the day, Sam… let me call you a ride.” Frank quickly tapped on a nearby touch pad and instantly sent for a ride service to pick Sam up. It was simple and convenient and now, most just accepted the service after it was practically fully funded by the city once true unemployment and homelessness had almost been eliminated. It was a good life… ‘Too bad it was all too late for my family though...’ Patrick continued to sit in the bar for the next four hours. The light began to dim outside, and Patrick had relieved himself in the bathroom twice already with his mobile and disposable catheter products. Each had cleared his head a bit, but once he had switched to the harder stuff beyond beer an hour ago, his inebriation only seemed to take a life on its own. By the time it was night out, Patrick was feeling everything, and his inhibitions were fully lowered. The sadness of the day had been briefly put on hold. For a minute, he could almost imagine himself back with his friends before the accident if he just shut his eyes. Then, a very beautiful and leggy redhead sauntered into the bar from outside and sat at the steadily crowded bar. She was alone and many looked at her with longing looks of their own after her stunning entrance. After three guys struck out, Patrick decided to try his luck and wheeled as smoothly as he could right over to her. With a breath, he spoke in the voice he used to use to pick up women before. It had a bit of a swagger to it, but it practically breathed confidence and sincerity. “Hey there, red. I’m Patrick. Mind if I ask what’s your name?” The woman swung around to meet the gaze of the voice next to her, but after a moment of seeming confusion, her eyes dropped to the figure beneath her. After a moment of looking unsure of what to do next, she finally spoke. “Oh… uh, Mary.” “Good to meet you…” He hiccupped and could feel the stronger effects taking over. He had to push forward, but this bravado probably wouldn’t last long. “Uh… sorry, Mary. You live around here?” Not having dated for a while now, his social skills weren’t as refined as they used to be, but he still had a smidge of confidence about him. His fifth whiskey on the rocks had helped with that. Mary looked at the man below her with the same sense of loss and almost pity that Patrick had come to expect. “Yeah… but um, I’m…” “You here by yourself?” Patrick blurted out. His heart had fallen a bit at the looks she was giving him, but he had to push his luck. Mary grimaced a bit over the suddenness of the question. “Umm… yeah, but look, uh…?” “Patrick…” he said, starting to sound a little deflated at the notion of her not remembering his name already. “Right… look.” She sighed. “You seem nice and all…” Patrick could feel his drunkenly inflated hopes start to quickly fade. “But I have a boyfriend…” Patrick groaned. This was headed for failure anyway, so he decided to push his luck further. In times like these, inhibitions might have been a good thing. “Right… do you though?” he questioned. The words had just slipped out and Patrick could immediately tell that Mary wasn’t prepared for them. After her initial shock of his rudeness, her eyes squinted in annoyance. “Well, if you really must know, then no. I don’t have a boyfriend.” Her eyes narrowed further, and her voice started to rise. “I was actually just trying to protect your feelings at a rejection, but I suppose that doesn’t matter.” Patrick started to shrink away in embarrassment. Many of the growing number of patrons in the bar began to look in pity over the developing event before them. Mary seemed to notice as well and took a moment to collect her feelings. “Look, you seem nice and all… probably… but you’re drunk, and you just seem… you look like you could use a shave and maybe a haircut.” She sighed. “Maybe in another life, but not this one and certainly not today. Understand?” “Yeah… okay…” Patrick’s drunken revelry and confidence was no more. With all the dignity he could scrounge left, he quickly downed a few more rounds back at his old table, but after a few stares from those around him, however, he felt that his welcome here had passed. Subsequently, he rapidly paid for his food and drinks and exited without another word to anyone or even a glance back to the woman who had turned his advances away. The still-seated Mary and the others stared back in sympathy over the figure they saw exiting the front door, but Patrick was too entombed in his own self-pity that he didn’t notice. He didn’t even hear Frank call after him to get a ride back like he had done with Sam earlier. Once outside, Patrick rolled on through the streets. The neighborhood was still a bit of a relic and leftover from the old days of the city, and no time like the night was this more evident. Many of the lights were still their old energy sucking and dimly lit versions, which were barely able to keep even the streets below them properly lit. As such, there were many alleyways and dark corners. Gangs and drug deals were rampant in certain spots and Patrick actively avoided them at all costs. Once completely out of view of the bar and a few wandering people on the streets, Patrick began to curse himself as he made his way back home. “Stupid, stupid, stupid! Damn alcohol!” he cursed out loud. “Why would someone like that even talk with someone like me? Who am I but a lowly failure?” He paused his wheelchair in front of a partially cracked window that barely showed his passing reflection. “Fitting,” he huffed as he looked back at his own image. “Fading away and cracked down the middle…” He shook his head in disgust and wheeled onward. While his confidence from alcohol had seemingly evaporated, his overall drunken state still hadn’t. “Stupid accident… stupid party! If I had just stayed over or found my own ride, she would still be alive! Stupid! Stupid!” Patrick took another round of pills and then rolled his wheelchair down a particularly uneven sidewalk toward one of the distant bus stops. The dim lighting and his drunken state were too much though, and he missed a large crack in the sidewalk until his front wheel got caught in it. “Oh shit!” Patrick cried out when he realized the predicament that he had just gotten himself into. Unfortunately, no one was around to help him out so he tried as best he could to dislodge himself. It was no use, but he stubbornly persisted. It proved to be too much however, and his chair tipped over to the side after one of the larger lurches. “Ah! Damn it!” The wheelchair fell on the ground and Patrick sputtered out in front of it, landing with a dull thud on his head on a piece of the upturned sidewalk. In pain, disoriented, and still very drunk, Patrick looked about him for any signs of anyone that could help. Being a part of the old city that most were no longer frequenting, he reaffirmed that he was all alone. Now, Patrick had been diligent about his intermittent catheterization at the bar. It was mighty uncomfortable at times, but he had a routine. With his mild rejection and drunken state though, he had neglected to empty his bladder before he left. As such, the impact of the fall had caused the damn to burst, but Patrick still hadn’t noticed… until now as the urine encroached on his stomach. “Shit… did I fall in a puddle?” His head throbbed and his vision was becoming blurrier by the minute, but he quickly cocked his head down just to see the damage. To his horror though, all he saw was a wet spot emanating from his crotch and lower portion of his shirt. “Unbelievable…” Normally, he would have shaken it off and just gone home. He had a change of clothes in his still attached and nearby backpack, but the bump on his head and his inebriation were proving too much for his body to handle. Darkness began to overtake him and the last thing he saw was a pair of flashing lights and then a large white truck pulled up with ‘Oasis Opportunities’ plastered over the side. He could hear some distant shouting and the sound of footsteps, but he soon slipped out of consciousness and into a world of only darkness.

If you enjoy my writing then please consider subscribing to my Patreon to read Chapter 26 with Chapter 27 due to be posted shortly. You will get access to early releases of all of my stories, exclusive stories and posts and it will help me continue to keep writing. I really appreciate your support. Thank you www.patreon.com/BacktoBabyhood Chapter 25 Just as he was about to swing the gate open and make his escape inside, he heard Audrey's voice piercing through the air, calling for him and Karim. "Will, Karim, à l'intérieur maintenant!" Given the situation, hearing his name being called by Audrey was the worst possible sound. She was stood about 100 metres away and seemingly unaware of Will's accident, as she called him and Karim inside. He exchanged a quick glance with Karim, their unspoken understanding clear – they were being summoned for a reason they both knew too well. Will's heart sank, the brief escape back to normality shattered as he followed Karim back inside, with the wet pants only making the situation more desperate and embarrassing for the young boy. Audrey had already made her way upstairs to wait for the boys. The walk back up the stairs felt heavy, a weight of apprehension settling in his chest. His shorts occasionally dripping on to the wooden stairs beneath him. With a sheepish glance at Karim, Will headed to his bedroom, the same room where he had faced the fate of being changed several times by now but this felt different. It was only 7pm and he had just wet himself in the daytime like a toddler who couldn't control himself. He lamented himself as there was no-one else to blame this time. The only person he could blame was himself. He was so engrossed in the tennis that he had totally ignored his need to pee. Walking into the room, Audrey's eyes moved from Will's face to his shorts before she gave a disapproving shake of her head. Will's face flushed a vivid red, and he cast his gaze downward, overwhelmed with embarrassment. She put a towel on the floor and directed him to stand over it, in an attempt to avoid him ruining the carpet in Karim's room with the continuous flow of urine dripping from his accident. He stood timidly by the side of Karim's bed, watching as Audrey changed her son into a nappy. Will was confused why Karim was being changed into a nappy so early tonight. Audrey normally changed them much later. The air was filled with the warm, comforting scent of baby powder and clean linen. Will glanced over at Karim, whose eyes twinkled with a carefree innocence that seemed unaffected by the world around him, in contrast to the panic that engulfed Will at this particular point in time. Audrey's hands moved with the practiced grace of years, buttoning up Karim's shirt and tying his shoelaces into neat little bows. It was as if time had decided to hold its breath, allowing Audrey these tender moments with her son, who appeared entirely content to let his mother take charge. Despite it not being the first time that he had watched Karim get changed by his Mum, he found the whole situation strange. At his age, most kids would have insisted on dressing themselves, asserting their independence with all the fervor of youthful rebellion. But not Karim. He seemed to find comfort in these simple routines, as if the act of being cared for was a love language spoken quietly between him and his mother. As Audrey smoothed down the collar of Karim's shirt and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead, Will couldn't help but wonder what lay behind this intimate ritual. Was it a symbol of unspoken bonds, a nurturing spirit, or simply a habit that neither had outgrown? Will certainly didn't want to be treated like a baby in the way that Karim seemed to like. He was old enough to dress himself even if he had now accepted that any nappy changes would be handled by Audrey. For the first time, part of him was desperate to climb onto the changing table so that he could be cleaned up. While he didn't necessarily want to be put in a nappy, this latest accident had reminded him of the value of wearing protection. His shook his head as he reasoned with his own thoughts. He couldn't believe that he had fallen so far that he was starting to want to be put into a nappy. What had happened to him? Audrey turned her attention to Will. "À ton tour," she said softly. He couldn't help but feel a mixture of emotions—comfort at her maternal care, yet a touch of embarrassment as his wet "big boy" clothes were pulled down and exchanged for a nappy after Audrey had completed the clean-up operation using an abundance of wet wipes. As Audrey skillfully fastened the nappy around him, Will's eyes drifted to the pair of Karim’s "big boy" underwear neatly folded on the bedside table. A sigh escaped his lips at the thought of his short-lived independence. It was as if the underwear were a symbol of a freedom temporarily relinquished, a reminder of what could have been but wasn't—at least for now. While contemplating this, he noticed that Audrey had already laid out his clothes for the evening—smart attire, with a crisp button-down shirt and chino style trousers. They must have been Guillaume's as he didn't recognise them. He couldn't believe that she had picked out clothes for him. She was now treating like Karim. It was if she thought he was not grown up enough to choose what he wore. Audrey couldn’t have known about his accident when she came outside and even if she did, it did not explain why Karim had been put into a nappy earlier. As he looked closer at the outfit and then over at Karim, he started to put the pieces of the jigsaw together. They must be going out somewhere which is why he and Karim had been put into their nappies early. Audrey clearly didn't want to risk either of them having an accident in public again. Having finished changing him into a nappy, Audrey picked Will up by the shoulders and turned him around so that he was now sitting over the front of the changing table, his legs dangling over the edge as they didn't touch the floor. She picked up a pair of smart chino trousers next to Will. "Lève tes pieds," she instructed. As he complied, she slid the trousers over the nappy, pulling them up to his waist, after briefing lifting his bottom so that she can secure them around his waist. Will felt the fabric strain around his crotch, the material taut over the bulk of the nappy. The trousers fit, but barely, and the nappy was unmistakably outlined against the fabric. Next, she picked up a crisp white shirt and signalled for Will to put his arms in the air. She then pulled his arms through the holes and began buttoning it up. The shirt felt somewhat soft against his skin, and loosely fit around his chest, in contrast to the uncomfortable tightness below. "Reste assis un moment," she said, reaching for a pair of socks. Will again complied, feeling like a life-sized doll as Audrey put the socks on his feet. "Debout," she ordered. Will obliged, standing there in a state of abject vulnerability. Audrey took a leather belt and cinched it around his waist, tightening his trousers and making the bulge in his crotch even more visible. The final touch took Will by surprise—a bow tie, which Audrey deftly fastened around his collar. With the bow tie fastened neatly around his collar, Will presented a captivating blend of contrasts. The bow tie lent him an air of old-world sophistication, as if he were a miniature adult attending a formal soiree. Yet, juxtaposed against his youthful features and the undeniable bulk of his nappy peeking through his trousers, the bow tie also accentuated his childlike qualities, making him look like a large but cute overdressed toddler. It was as though the bow tie was a sartorial bridge between two worlds, straddling the line between childhood innocence and adult refinement. In this moment, Will managed to embody both—looking simultaneously like a dapper gentleman and a cherubic toddler, leaving anyone who caught a glimpse of him charmed and a little perplexed by the delightful paradox he presented. As he looked down to inspect his attire further, something else caught his eye. The trousers had poppers in the crotch area, a feature clearly designed to facilitate changing his nappy more easily. He felt like a toddler, utterly infantilised. "Viens," Audrey directed, her voice gentle but authoritative. She led him towards the stairs, with Will following close behind like a puppy behind its owner. Though Will couldn't thwart the initial release, he had mustered enough control to partially halt the resulting stream of urine. This partial victory showed that he still possessed some mastery over his bladder functions, a slight silver lining in an otherwise terrible situation. However, the drawback of this small victory was that he hadn't completely emptied his bladder, and the nagging need to relieve himself had come roaring back, making it abundantly clear that he'd soon have no choice but to wet the diaper he was wearing. He had no idea where they were going, but already, a sense of dread was settling in, punctuated by the increasingly uncomfortable sensation in his lower abdomen. Stepping out the door and making his way to the car, Will was struck with the realization that he had a big problem. His bladder wasn't the only thing demanding relief. A sudden stomach cramp indicated a mounting pressure in his bowels. Given that his faith in his ability to control his bodily functions had already been shaken, he couldn't help but worry that he might end up with more than just a wet diaper before the night was through.

It's new diaper day at Rearz and man these ones are cute! https://bit.ly/Rearzdreamlaunch

Chapter 23: Testing the Waters Parum Mortis – LittleFallenPrincess “Auntie Bea…” Lucy asked in that cute way kids do when they want something. “Yes sweetie?” Bea replied, turning away from the screen. It had been about an hour now, and we mostly just sat in silence the whole time, watching cartoons. We didn’t say a word to each other, probably because Lucy was attacked earlier, and I… well I don’t remember what I did, but according to Beth, I was a badass! So I think we wanted to take a little breather for a bit, to relax and process things on our own whilst we snuggled on either side of Beatrice, watching cartoons. “Do you have any idea what Auntie Beth is up to?” “I have no idea. Especially seeing as she mentioned our Grandmother.” “Didn’t you have a meeting the other week regarding stuff?” “Yeah, it was the reading of her will.” “So has Beth been left something?” “Oh shit… yeah… well that makes sense.” Bea replied, as if she had put two and two together and realised something. “What does?” Lucy asked. “I’ll let Susie’s Mummy explain when she gets back. I don’t want to ruin the surprise. Though what she has in store for it… I don’t know.” Beatrice said, before looking at me awkwardly. “Sorry hun. I… it’s natural for me, when I’m around littles. I know you’re not up to that stage with her and…” “It’s okay.” I assured her. “I… I was thinking of calling her it soon anyway…” “REALLY?” Lucy asked, jumping up and kneeling on the sofa, all whilst staring at me. “WHEN?” “I dunno… I…” “Only do it when you’re ready. I mean hell… you’ve never even tried being a baby… consensually of course. You need to try that first!” “Yeah maybe you’re right. Maybe I should actually try it out. I just… wanted to make her happy.” “Oh dear… is the spell still in effect?” Bea asked, looking concerned. “No, it’s all me now. I… the past few days, the attack at the cafe… it all confirmed that I love her. And I want to make her happy. I won’t go out of my comfort zone to do so, but… I dunno… this whole baby thing doesn’t seem that bad. The nappies are…” It was still embarrassing talking about nappies, as they are usually only worn by babies and old people. And I’m neither. “...they’re not as bad as I thought they’d be. Kinda comfortable.” “Right?” Lucy chimed in, smiling. “Maybe I’ll give this baby thing a go then.” “You’re reacting very well to all this, sweetie. Are you sure you’re okay?” Asked Bea. “Yeah. I think my mind is clearer than it ever was. Knowing about your world, and this kink world… it feels… good. Even if I don’t end up into the kink stuff, it’s nice knowing that part of Beth, especially as it’s something she’s kept secret, at least to partners… or maybe just me.” “Well I’m proud of you.” “Plus the first time I found out, it was a bit of a shock, so I will admit… I reacted badly. Then the second time, when Death woke me up from that spell… I also may have reacted badly then too.” “Understandably so though.” “Yeah but even so… I’ve had time to think. I want to at least try this out with her. If it’s not for me… then I hope she’s okay with me not taking part. If it is… then I guess you’ll have a… baby niece, I guess?” “Haha, I suppose I would!” Bea laughed. “I must ask though… this ‘Auntie’ thing…?” “Yes, sweetie?” “Lucy called Beth… Auntie Beth. So is…” “Oh it’s just a friendlier term than say… Miss or Sir. Lucy is one of our closest friends, so she calls us her Aunties. I suppose it’s different from you dating my sister and being her baby, that would make me your Auntie too but… Oh I don’t know. Look, if and when you’re ready, you can call me Auntie Beatrice or Auntie Bea for short, okay kiddo?” I blushed and looked down. “Okay, thanks. So… what do you call other… adults, I guess?” I asked Lucy. “As Auntie Bea said, sometimes just Sir or Miss or Ma’am. Or most likely… their names. Auntie is reserved for my bestest friends.” “That makes sense.” I said, smiling up at her. “So how does… this whole thing work? Like… I heard there was a community or something…” “We have a munch at a local pub every month. We just talk normally, chat like adults, maybe discuss some kinky stuff, and then we arrange playdates between us.” “So has…” “Don’t worry, Auntie Beth hasn’t been sneaking out to baby someone whilst you’ve been dating her. She attends the munches, but she hasn’t been active in the community for a while, and because of that, neither has Auntie Beatrice.” “Yeah it’s not exactly my thing. I love doing it when I do, but I’m not interested in the same way my sister is.” Bea spoke up. “How did you know…?” “That she was into it? Too many drinks when we were younger. She knows all my stuff too.” “What are…” “What things am I into? You’ll have to find out at a later date, sweetie.” Bea grinned down at me. I pouted at her and crossed my arms. “Perfect baby, see…” Lucy teased, making me pout even more. “But yeah, Beth arranges the munches and stuff, she’s very much the Mother Hen of the community. She makes sure everyones safe and protected. But she doesn’t actively baby anyone, other than talking down to us like we’re babies. Not since she started dating you. She’s been saving that part of herself for you, if you ever got into it of course.” ‘She has?’ I thought to myself. “But again, no pressure! We don’t want you forcing yourself to do things you don’t want to. Only if and when you’re ready. Remember that.” Bea added. “Thanks Beatrice. I appreciate it. Especially after the past few weeks…” “I understand, sweetie. And again, I’m sorry. I promise you… she never meant to do that.” “I know. That's why I’m open to trying this with her.” “Trying what with who?” I heard from behind me. Spinning around to see who the heck had snuck into our house and disturbed us… I saw… Beth? “How…?” “BETHANY!” Beatrice yelled at her. “That’s not my name, sis…” “BETHANIEL!” Bea looked serious, but you could see the corner of her mouth rising into a smile. She was having fun with this. “I’m going to kill you. And then bring you back to life. Just so I can kill you again. I know how to do it now. Be warned.” Beth said with a deadpan face. “You portalled here, didn’t you?” “I needed a book! And traffic… Well the traffic is really bad today.” “But you know the reagents are hard to get!” “Wait… Witches can make portals? As in go from one place to another?” I asked. “We can… but the reagents are rare… which makes them very expensive…” Bea answered, staring daggers at her sister. “I know, so bill me. I’m here to get a book, then I’m portalling back.” Beth was just about to walk off… “OH NO YOU’RE NOT!” Beatrice whisked her hand over the empty tub of ice cream in her other hand, making it completely disappear, before standing up quickly and turning to face her sister. “But…” My girlfriend was just about to plead her case, but Bea clearly wasn’t impressed by her use of portals. “NO! I’ll drive you.” Bea ordered, sounding very… dominant. “Ugh, fine. But only because I want to show Susie and Lucy something. They can come with us.” “Really?” Lucy asked. “Yeah. I’ve got in touch with a bunch of people, I just need… Beth’s ‘friend’. Then we can get started. I want both of your inputs though.” “Fine. I’ll drive us all there then. Little ones… grab your coats.” Bea ordered. “Can… can we hold off for a little bit though, if you’re driving us?” Beth asked. “Uh… sure? Why?” “I want to make sure Susie is okay. Plus… I missed her.” I blushed as she said it, trying to look away from everyone suddenly looking at me. “Fine, thirty minutes. Cup of tea, I’ll snuggle this little tyke…” Beatrice said, sitting down once again and grabbing Lucy, pulling her close to her, into a cuddle. “...and you can go talk to your girlfriend.” “Oh… do you need to talk…?” Beth looked anxious suddenly. “I… I mean… Do you?” I replied, just as awkwardly. “Are they always this bad?” Lucy asked Beatrice. “Not usually. RIGHT YOU TWO, GO TALK IN YOUR ROOM.” Bea ordered… very loudly. Beth and I looked at each other, unsure as to follow her sister’s orders or not. Thankfully Beth took the initiative and held out her hand, so I quickly took it and followed her away into our bedroom. “So you wanted to…” We both said at the same time. “...talk?” “You first.” I said. “I… look… I… I want to make sure you’re okay.” Beth said, holding either side of me with her cold hands. “I’m okay.” “And you? What did you want to say?” “Are… are you okay?” I replied, very awkwardly. “Right pair, we are. I’m okay, thank you baby.” Being called ‘baby’ felt… right. Every time she called it me, it just felt… right. Not just because it flowed so perfectly from her luscious lips… but because it made the butterflies in my tummy flutter around. “Umm…” “What is it, baby?” “Umm… the baby thing.” “Oh, do you want me to stop? Sorry.” She let go of me and put her arms to her side, as if she retreated back into her shell. “NO! No! I… was…” “You were, what?” This conversation was the most awkward conversation ever. Even more so than trying to get Lucy out of her shell at university, more so than when Beth and I started dating. “I was wondering if…” Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself for this. “...We could try… the… umm… baby thing…?” “You… want to try it? Right now?” “I mean not right now… unless that’s what you want… I mean… I was thinking more…” “I can try it whenever, sweetie.” She quickly interrupted. “I… wouldn’t even know where to start…” “How about we get you dressed into something not too babyish, but not too adulty… and then snuggle on the sofa? Maybe I could feed you a bottle like Lucy’s?” I imagined what I’d look like, sitting on her lap, drinking from a baby bottle. It was weird, sure. I mean… it’s a weird fucking kink… but it didn’t gross me out. It didn’t terrify me. So pushing myself to the edge of my comfort zone, but not completely out of it… I said… “Sure.” “Like… now?” “We’ve got thirty minutes, right? Why don’t we try it now. It may make Lucy feel a bit better and more relaxed too.” I suggested. “Okay baby… right… how about… hmm. How about a pair of dungarees? They’re in fashion at the moment, right? So that with a cute t-shirt, with your thick nappy… maybe put your hair into pigtails? We can take the pigtails out when we go out.” “That’s not too bad. Wait… so I’d wear the dungarees out?” “We’d put a jacket on you, maybe change your top to something less babyish, but yeah. Dungarees are worn by big girls too.” “I guess.” “So come on, how about we get you into the nursery, get you changed, then get you on my lap with a bottle? Baby steps…” She grinned. “No puns. Otherwise, deal.” “Okay then… no puns. Maybe.” I walked out of the nursery with a slight waddle, wearing the new outfit Beth had picked out for me. Like she promised… it wasn’t too babyish. And hell, if I do as she suggested and just put a jacket on when we go out, the babyish top I’m wearing wouldn’t be noticeable. Blue dungarees, a pink top with puffed sleeves that looked more babyish than I thought under the dungaree straps, and my hair up in pigtails. It wasn’t much, thinking about it, but it felt like it was a drastic change. I felt… younger… smaller. She did ponder the idea of giving me a baby dummy, but in the end, she didn’t want to force that on me, so she clipped one on my straps, hanging down from a cute, multi colored piece of ribbon or something. For now… I’d let it dangle there. Maybe… just maybe… I’ll consider trying it later. If I’m interested. Maybe. “We saw you try to sneak into the nursery… and I see why! Oh my gosh, she looks so precious!” Beatrice said, smiling at me. Lucy was speechless, but had very much the same expression on her face. “We’re dipping her toes in the pool. So please, take it slowly and easy with her, okay?” Beth replied. I really appreciated it, and I really appreciated her being willing to take this slowly. Although to be honest… this didn’t feel slow. But we weren’t out of my comfort zone… yet. “Good idea! I really wasn’t expecting you to try it so soon though, you eager beaver!” Bea teased me. Guiding me to the sofa, Beth sat down and gently pulled me onto her lap, the thick padding making her legs even more comfortable. “Oh, Bea?” Beth asked her sister. “Yeah?” “Could you get us a bottle?” ======================================================== I'm glad you're all enjoying this story so much! And yeah, because this is a prequel, you can work out a lot of how this will end... mostly. But that's half the fun of prequels! Figuring out the connections and links to the other stories! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them! Thank you to all my patrons for their support! Don't forget, the remaining chapters are available on my Patreon which can be found here if you go for the second tier. New chapters of Parum Mortis every Wednesday/Sunday! Also just a quick note: I don't mind people saving this story for personal reading. But I'd appreciate it if people didn't post it elsewhere, even if you're just suggesting it to other people. If you want to show others, please send them a link to the first page of this post! Thanks!

Livy has suffered a humiliating accident but it's nothing Landon and Dan can't make better, right? Livy finds them in a most unusual situation but finds her reaction to be even more unusual. Dan has a lot to think about on the drive home. --- Writing is my passion and my only source of income. If you enjoy my stories you may be interested to learn that you can see every update I post one week before the rest of the world with a $5 pledge on Patreon. For $10 you can see everything early AND 47 full length stories that can only be found on my Patreon page! The money I get goes to paying bills and putting food on the table so I appreciate all of my patrons and would appreciate anyone who might be interested in supporting me to check out my Patreon ❤️ https://www.patreon.com/Elfy88 --- Olivia cried even harder. She was still squatting down and realised that the guys must think they scared her. They had, but that wasn’t the main reason she was upset. She didn’t know what to do. Livy had taken the steering wheel but unfortunately she was steering into a brick wall. Instead of doing anything all Olivia could think to do was cry out for help. “Let me help you up.” Another of the men said. Two of the guys came over and started to help Olivia back to her feet. No sooner had they taken her elbows than she heard them sniffing the air. They didn’t say anything but they didn’t need to. It was obvious to everyone. Olivia stood up and felt the poop in her diaper shifting, the harness was forcing it all to spread in strange ways and she hoped it wouldn’t leak. “Do you want us to call a referee over?” One of the men asked. No sooner had Olivia gained her footing than they had all backed away from her. She must’ve smelt toxic. “I need my Daddy…” Olivia said in between sobs. “Your…” One of the men started but trailed off. Olivia realised what she had said and just when she felt she couldn’t be more embarrassed she was proven wrong. She backed away from the young men and hurried back the way she came. She knew the back of her pants must be bulging out and she knew her movement must’ve had a distinct waddle to it but she couldn’t stay there after what she had just said. “Daddy!” Olivia yelled. She didn’t even care if she sounded like a baby, “Mommy!” Olivia only realised that she was referring to Landon as “Mommy” after the word left her mouth. It was something she had been thinking for a long time and in the high emotion of the moment it translated to her mouth. Ever since the restaurant things had changed and Olivia did see Landon as a Mommy. What that meant scared and intrigued her but in that moment all she cared about was finding one of the two people she knew would help her. Waddling through the arena and crying she kept bumping into people who looked at her strangely. None of them were Dan or Landon. She started to wonder if they had left her there until she arrived at a corner that was built like some kind of control room. She was going to go straight past it until she saw a glow. She turned towards the room and whimpered as she hurried in. Olivia stopped just one step inside the room. Her mouth fell open and even through the shimmery sheen of tears in her eyes she knew what she was looking at. Dan and Landon were standing next to a wall and their arms were around each other. They weren’t kissing but their faces were mere inches apart. “Livy?” It was Landon that first noticed her walking in. Olivia watched Landon let go of Dan though she didn’t do it in a way that suggested she had been caught doing something naughty. She was slow and deliberate with her movements as she walked over with Dan right behind her. Why aren’t you upset? Olivia asked herself. She had just seen her husband in the arms of Landon, a normal woman would be freaking out. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling. Everything was so mixed up but she felt… fine. “I… I…” Olivia stuttered. “Oh, baby, did you have another accident?” Landon asked. The motherly tone in her voice was undeniable. Olivia nodded her head and the sobs threatened to start up again. Landon reached behind her and she felt the bigger woman’s hand prodding the diaper. The pile in her diaper shifted as Landon checked her so openly. Anyone could walk by at any moment. “You poor thing!” Landon said in a concerned voice. She bent down and wrapped Olivia in a tight hug that did a lot to calm the distressed adult baby down. “We should get out of here.” Dan said. For his part he looked a little bit more sheepish that Olivia had walked in than Landon did, “There’s only a couple of minutes left anyway.” Landon took Olivia’s hand and turned her towards the exit. The confusion of emotions only grew as the waddling adult baby was walked towards the door to the lobby. She had just walked in on this woman getting very close with Dan and yet her overwhelming emotion was relief. Each step caused the mess in Olivia’s pants to spread until it felt like there was a thin layer of mud covering the whole of the inside of the underwear. It acted like a lubricant and she felt herself sliding around in the diaper. She reached behind her to try and adjust herself but it was no good, the harness was holding everything in place. To Olivia’s surprise Landon seemed to know exactly where the exit was. Before long they were at the door and Dan stepped forwards to have a quiet word with one of the officials. Olivia saw the referee’s eyes flick towards her before he nodded and unlocked the door. Landon led Olivia out whilst Dan took up space behind them. Olivia was still taking shuddering breaths and tears were falling from her eyes but she wasn’t wailing like a toddler anymore. Going from the darkness of the pay area to the bright lights of the lobby was disorientating for a few seconds. When her eyes adjusted she could see that a lot of faces were pointing her way. Something about the sight of a woman in her early thirties very visibly crying and waddling whilst holding another woman’s hand was attracting attention. “Don’t worry about them, Livy.” Landon said quietly, “Come on, let’s get you changed.” Olivia was led past people and she could hear the whispers. At the restaurant she hadn’t been sure if people were laughing at her, in that lobby she was certain. Her face was a deep red as she waddled and she clutched Landon’s hand as tightly as she could. “Urgh, what’s that smell?” A man with a skinhead was scrunching up his face next to his friends. He looked like he couldn’t be much older than a teenager. “I think it’s her.” One of his friends said openly pointing at Olivia as she got nearer. “That’s disgusting.” The skinhead said, “They shouldn’t let people like her out in public.” Olivia felt the sobs coming again. She just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible so when Landon stopped walking she found herself pulling on her arm and whining like a cranky toddler. When she looked around she saw that Dan had walked over to the guys that were so clearly talking about her. Landon had let go of her hand and was going over as well. “Hey!” Dan exclaimed, “Have some respect.” “She can’t help it.” Landon added as she stood next to Dan. “What?” The skinhead seemed taken back that he was being confronted. “I bet your mother is really proud of you.” Landon said sarcastically. “At least my mom knows I don’t crap my pants like your daughter does.” The skinhead replied. His friends laughed. “Come on.” Dan said to Landon, “He’s not worth it.” “Alright, alright…” Landon said as she started backing away. She pointed a finger at the young man, “I’m sure you’d be singing a different tune if you were the incontinent one. I hope you never have to find out.” Olivia barely had any time to reflect on the fact that Landon had called her incontinent nor that the others seemed to think Landon was her mother before her hand was taken and she was led towards the exit. Landon seemed annoyed as they went down the stairs to the lobby. “The nerve of some people…” Landon muttered under her breath. When the three of them got down to the lobby Olivia was led waddling outside. She shivered though the day wasn’t cold. Her diaper was getting increasingly uncomfortable. “Aren’t you going to change my diaper?” Olivia asked. “We’ll do it when we get home.” Dan said with a reassuring little smile. Olivia didn’t want to stay in her stinky underwear but as she was led back to the car she knew it would be a lot easier to just go along with things than cause a problem. Thankfully the fresh air made the smell in her pants less noticeable. As she was taken back across the street towards the car she had a lot to reflect on. She had referred to Landon as “Mommy” though not within earshot of her. She had caught her husband and this other woman in an embrace and yet didn’t feel the burning anger that one might’ve expected. She had just asked about when she would be changed but only now wondered why she didn’t try to do it herself. Her head was spinning. Back at the car Olivia slipped on to the backseat and winced as she sat down in the mess. By this stage it couldn’t really be spread any more than it already had been. The car was quiet for a lot of the drive home. It seemed everybody had a lot on their minds. --- Dan found himself feeling very preoccupied as he drove home. He could hear Olivia sniffling in the backseat whilst Landon seemed to still be somewhat steaming over the encounter they had had on the way out. Dan couldn’t believe that Olivia had walked in on himself and Landon just as they were about to kiss. He had long been meaning to get everyone together to discuss how things were going and their little dynamic. He felt incredibly guilty that he had been inches away from kissing Landon and that feeling was only made much worse by not being there when Olivia needed him. Instead of being with Olivia in the moment she needed him he had been with Landon. As the car rolled to a stop at a red light Dan wondered if Olivia had noticed the sexual tension that had been growing and growing. To him it felt so obvious it would’ve been impossible for his wife to miss. It seemed just as hard to miss the fact that things had clearly changed in the family, and Landon might as well be part of the relationship at this point. Olivia seemed to have regressed dramatically. Dan was worried about her but she seemed so much happier and more relaxed… for the most part. Accidents like the one that had happened on that day obviously upset Olivia but generally speaking she seemed so much happier as a baby. It made her need him all the more and, in turn, it meant he needed to rely on Landon even more. Olivia wasn’t a grown-up woman. Not in the same way that most other women were at least. Dan glanced into the rear view mirror and saw Olivia looking out the window with her bottom lip poking out. She didn’t look like an adult woman, she looked like a toddler who needed her parents to look after her. Landon, in contrast, seemed to be everything Olivia was missing. She was confident, mature and decisive. When it was obvious help was needed she never hesitated to step up to the plate and help in whatever way she could. Whether it was household repairs or taking Olivia for a diaper change she always seemed to know what to do. Dan honestly wasn’t sure what he would do without her at this stage. “Dan?” Landon said. For a second Dan was scared that Landon could somehow read his mind. “It’s a green light.” Landon pointed out of the windshield. “Oh, right, sorry.” Dan replied as he put the car in gear, “I was miles away.” Landon made a wonderful mother. Dan couldn’t think of her any other way, the way she was with Olivia was maternal and she seemed really good at it. As Dan saw his wife as less of an independent adult and more or a child that was his responsibility it would only make sense that he would see Landon as Olivia’s Mommy… wasn’t it? --- If you enjoyed this part you can check out what happens next RIGHT NOW at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/livys-new-family-89624601

Chapter 97: Tension and Release Sunday afternoon, just after lunch. In lieu of a nap and Janet starting her paperwork, Janet and I were torturing ourselves. Each other too, by proxy. “Alright now,” the yoga instructor on T.V. said, “let’s just ease on back into cobra and inhale.” From my position on the floor, I pushed up and locked my elbows while keeping my lower body flat on the ground like a snake. “Now get your toes underneath you and exhale into downward facing dog!” I planted my toes and lifted my ass up towards the ceiling while keeping my head near the ground. I looked like a toddler that was just about to work out how not to crawl. “Ooooooooooffffffff!” Janet groaned on the floor beside me. I was naked save for the Monkeez. She was in shorts and a sports bra. The ceiling fan was on full blast yet we were both dripping with sweat. It had been a while since I’d done anything like this but outside of a few differentiated terms it was like riding a bike. Janet had never done exercise like this and she was panting heavily. That made me feel good about myself. That was something about yoga that I liked. No limits but yourself, your own endurance and how far you were willing to push yourself. Janet could lift me up over her head like I was a pillow, but the world was made for her; so she rarely had to test or push herself. She wasn’t as experienced as I was. “Take a second and bend those knees,” the hunky himbo on screen said. “Walk that dog! Bend that left knee, bend that right knee. Make sure you’re stretching out those ankles!” The mindfucked Little to his right responded with “Yes, Daddy!” “I know you’re doing it, my Little bud. Daddy’s just talking to the people at home.” “I know, Daddy,” the Little said. “I’m just tryna help.” “Heh. Right, Jem! You are! You’re a super big help!” The camera didn’t zoom in or anything, but I I could see a hint of blush start to rise in the Little’s cheeks. I didn’t think it was from embarrassment at being condescended to, but from genuine praise from his Daddy. Poor son of a bitch had gone full native and been mindfucked all to hell. It was the only explanation as to why he was going along with this farce. Janet and I were all but naked. The two men on screen- one Little and his so-called Daddy-were decked out in official looking t-shirts and pants (that still failed to hide the outline of the Little’s diaper ) and didn’t look at all fatigued. Twenty minutes in and Janet and I were absolutely drenched with sweat. “Okay, look at me,” the Amazon video instructor said, “Now bend your knees, and you can either step up like Jem or pounce like me!” The Little moved his feet forward and slowly raised himself into a standing position, the Amazon leapt forward to where his hands were and stood up. At home, Janet stepped; I pounced. I wasn’t going to let her win this one. “Before you get too comfortable,” the Amazon said. “Squat, drop and lower into catcher’s position. Now lift your arms up over your head, biceps by your ears! Remember, you gotta keep those arms stiff and tense so that your heart is pumping faster to get more blood to those muscles. But if your heart rate is getting too high, it’s okay to untense and disengage. Breathe in…and as you’re breathing out, stand up and count back from five…four…three…two…one…” Neither Janet or I counted along with the duo on screen. We both were straining too much to speak. If she had counted, I would have made myself count back, too. In the living room we reached a full standing position about a quarter of a second from the yoga instructor and his pet Little. My muscles sang out in pain and relief when he said, “Now fold forward and just let your upper body hang there for a second. Don’t lock your knees, you can bend them a little.” I sighed and turned my head to look at my captor. Janet’s hair was a raven mop obscuring her face. It was gratifying in ways I couldn’t give words to seeing her struggle like this. Mean spirited? Maybe. I didn’t think so, though. Vulnerability meant more than seeing each other naked and it was nice to feel like I was genuinely better than something at her. The fact that I was several months out of practice and overweight made it even more gratifying. “Go ahead and roll it up to a standing position one vertebrae at a time. Your head should be the last thing up.” Like marionettes coming to life we did. I was breathing kind of hard. She was panting. “Now back up into touch down!” We raised our hands straight up over our heads. Janet and the instructor in the video closed their legs and put their feet together. The Little and I couldn’t because of what was between our thighs. “Arms down by your waist, press your thumbs and index fingers together.” The instructor kept going. “You know where we’re going. My favorite move of the day. Bend backwards like a catapult.” I did so, imagining that my hands were cupping a massive boulder, ready to launch its payload towards a castle I was laying siege to. I couldn’t be certain, but I told myself I was bending further back than Janet. “Now arms out to a T, clench your fists and get strong!” “RAAAAAWR!” The Little on the television growled as we all leaned forward and flexed like the old fashioned muscle men. For Janet, myself, and the Little in the workout video, it looked comical. From the Amazon leading us, it looked impressive. Dude definitely did more than just yoga. “Ten-hut! Shoulders back, chest out!” We held it for a silent three count. “And shake it out. Go ahead, grab some water.” He bent over and grabbed a water bottle. His mindfucked Little took a sip from one with a rubber nipple. Janet did the same as her counterpart. I abstained. “Mommies and Daddies, if you or your Little one needs a break,” the oddly flexible gym bro said, “it’s okay to pause this and come back to it later. Check in with your Little one. See if they need to cool off or if they need changing. Maybe they need to get down to just a diaper. Maybe they need a new one. You’d be surprised how much exercise loosens things up if you know what I mean.” “Daddy!” the Little giggled. “Oh. Sorry, Jem,” he winked at the camera. The redness in the Little boy’s face was definitely not from exertion or overheating. Something in his expression told me he wasn’t hating the attention, however. “And you know,” Grown-Ups can need a rest too, and that’s okay. “Do whatever is right for you. It’s your workout.” It wasn’t my workout, though. I’d never done this program before in my life, and was far from my first choice. It was only a dozen or so moves and poses done in repetition with a handful of variations but it was killing me. The fact that it was being marketed online as a home workout for Amazons and their Littles made my skin crawl. It was on a short list of Little Voices approved exercise media; a recent addition according to Janet’s site. To be fair though, it was pretty low budget making it brass tacks. Also there were no cartoon characters involved or edited in. The fact that it was marketed as a ‘family workout’ goaded Janet into participating with me and it kept the Amazon instructor from being too condescending. I wished the Little wasn’t wearing diapers, but what else was new? It was either this, or an old recording of Dancercise. I’d made the right choice. “Okay. Now if you're ready we’re gonna take this into a whole ‘nother rhythm.” DING-DONG! It seemed like we were both being saved by the bell. Janet walked over to the coffee table and pressed the pause button on her phone, halting the feed to her television. “Coming!” she called. I picked up the bottle filled with water and took a pull on the rubber nipple when her back was turned before following her to the front of the house. There was no delivery man waiting at the front. Just a box of Monkeez big enough for me to fit inside, a bundle of wipes I would have needed both hands to carry, and a bottle of green goop bigger than my head. “DiaperDash,” Janet explained. She closed the front door behind her with her foot, and I remembered to feel embarrassed at the idea that a stranger could have seen me nearly naked. “We’ve got enough food for now and I didn’t want to go all the way to the store for essentials.” I hated that these sorts of things were becoming ‘essential’. She walked right back past me and I followed along behind her back into the living room. “I didn’t think we were running that low,” I said, more afraid of silence than anything else going on. Janet didn’t break her stride. The giant baby supplies were more cumbersome than heavy to her. I had to walk double time to keep up, just like the old days when we were headed up front instead of back to the nursery. “We’re not. Most of this is going to Mrs. Beouf’s room. Hopefully this will keep you stocked up over there until Winter Break.” She placed the bundle of wipes on the lowest shelf of the changing table. A single stack of diapers was unwrapped and went into the hammock above it. The massive jug of green goop went into the alcove next to the baby powder, and Janet broke the seal to attach a plastic hose to it. I cringed imagining where that hose might end up. I suddenly wished we were back doing three second push-ups and runners lunges. “So are we gonna finish?” I thumbed back towards the living room. “I think I need to stop,” Janet let out a long breath. “If I don’t, I feel like I’m gonna throw up.” “Heh,” I muttered. My heartrate was starting to slow and I was feeling slightly dizzy. “Cool.” “You want me to throw up?” Kind of. “No,” I said. “I just…it’s been a while.” Janet nodded in understanding. “Me too. I see why you like this stuff. You can do it without any special equipment and you don’t have to run anywhere.” She wiped beads of sweat off of her forehead. “I think I might want to get yoga mats…that or carpet cleaner if we’re going to be doing this more often.” I cocked my eyebrow and swiped my own forehead. “You want to do this more often?” “Yeah,” she replied. “It’s healthy. Good exercise. Maybe something we could start doing after school?” Our breathing was slowing and we were both regaining our composure. “Yeah.” I said. “Maybe.” It wouldn’t hurt to lose a few pounds. Being less pudgy couldn’t hurt my escape attempt in the long run. The pettiest part of me fantasized about going down a size and forcing Janet to waste money on buying a new diaper size for me. My eyes slowly wandered up to the baby monitor and I remembered that I had bigger, and more immediate worries regarding my freedom. Janet letting me exercise in a manner that didn’t involve cartoons or tights was an empty gesture if my thoughts were slowly being rewired night after night. “Janet,” I said. “Can we talk about something…?” She finished closing up the Monkeez box and moved it right next to the nursery door. Those would be joining me in the backseat of the car on Monday, no doubt. “What’s that?” “You know how we had a shower together last night?” Instant discomfort washed over her. “Yeah, I don’t know if I want to do that right this second.” She grabbed her left bicep, shielding her breasts at the same time. “I feel gross right now. I can rinse you off in the tub real quick and put you down for your nap, but I need to shower by myself. Maybe later?” A strange feeling that I wasn’t brave enough to label came to me but the mention of a nap allowed me to push past it. “I was thinking about tonight, actually. I was thinking maybe we could put that cot together and I could sleep in your room tonight?” The giantess averted her gaze over to my crib. “No.” “No?” Her posture was icicle rigid. “You need your rest. You’ve got school tomorrow and I don’t want to keep you up with me coming and going.” “You won’t,” I said. “I just don’t…” I froze. How much truth could she handle? She’d already slammed her foot down in regards to my toileting. “I don’t want to sleep in here anymore.” “Why not?” She stepped away from the crib and changing table over to me and sat down on the floor. Her skin still glistening from sweat she cocked her head to the side and asked, “What’s wrong?” Half-truth worked with Jessica. Might work with her bestie. “I’m scared,” I admitted. My index finger pointed accusingly at the thing that had been slowly but surely fucking with me in my sleep. “Of that.” My Mommy didn’t need to look at what I was pointing at. “Auntie Jessica said that, too. Why?” “I don’t think it’s doing what it’s supposed to do.” Janet averted her gaze again. “Trust me,” she said flatly. “It was working last night.” My face fell. She’d heard me last night, but it wasn’t my curses that had grabbed her attention. I felt gross all over just imagining her listening to the crinkling sound of me rubbing my hands and thrusting up against piss soaked padding while I tried to remember what sex was like. “I think it’s hypnotizing me,” I squeaked. “I’m having trouble saying…things.” My skin buzzed all over in the worst way, just thinking about what I wanted to tell her. “I can’t say…I can’t say…I hhhhh….I can’t say.” Janet’s face turned into a wax candle and dripped to match my own. “Oh, honey.” Amazon arms pulled me into a hug and I was too bewildered to fight back. “That must be so scary. I’m sorry you’re going through that.” Briefly, I forgot my fear and resentment and whispered “Thank you.” Maybe she’d listen this time… “It’s just a King Fisher, though. All it does is listen. It doesn’t tell.” To herself, she chuckled ruefully and added, “as long as Auntie Jessica puts the right end in.” So much for that emotional respite. I shoved myself away and almost tripped over the back of my heels onto the carpet. “No! You’re not listening! It’s…it’s…!” “You’re not gonna like what I have to say,” Janet told me, “but if you think you’re losing vocabulary that’s probably not the monitor. It’s a King Fisher. All it does is listen. Part of the reason you’re in speech therapy is to give you strategies for if and when you lose Grown-Up words.” My entire body was turning pink in frustration. “You’re! Not! Listening!” I stomped my foot with each word, not giving a damn that it wasn’t helping my case. Nothing would help my case unless she wanted it to. The monitor was fucking with me. Just because a so-called Maturosis Advocacy group hadn’t flagged it, didn’t mean it was safe. The hypocrites probably knew it and were looking the other way because it suited their narratives. Janet held her palm out to silence me. Incredibly, I obeyed. She lowered her hand and stared at my feet so as to avoid eye contact again. “Okay,” she sighed. “You win. No monitor for now. You’ve been sleeping through the night mostly anyways. I’ll take it out. For now.” “Really?” I asked. Sadly, sulkily she nodded. “I was gonna take it out for at least tonight, anyways.” “Why?” She puffed air out her lips and stood up. “After dinner,” she said. “In the meantime, let’s get you clean. Then I’ll take a quick shower, and we can grade papers together.” I was up on her hip a moment later. “You can skip your nap and I’ll give you a bottle of milk after dinner so you can sleep better tonight. Deal?” I thought about it. “You’re getting rid of the monitor?” “I’m unplugging it and walking out with it so you can have some privacy.” I felt the heat from her face with that remark. I should have foreseen what was to come. “Deal?” “Deal.” ********************************************************************** The rest of that lazy Sunday went by as planned. I got to skip a nap, I graded third grade spelling and math papers, (this time not sabotaging any), and had a relatively relaxing afternoon well into the early evening. Dinner was vegan chicken nuggets (supposedly lower fat), and dessert was a bottle of goat’s milk on Janet’s lap watching a boring office sitcom that was half a season in and half a season away from cancellation. I didn’t pay attention to it, instead just allowing Janet to cradle me in her arms while I pondered what new forms of torment to unleash on Monday. Beouf had missed two days of school and the A.L.L. had been perfectly well behaved in her absence. We’d have to make up the difference this week. Maybe something with vomiting? Perhaps finding a way to work in obscenities or better yet, a secret language that merely sounded obscene. I dismissed Amy’s ‘kitty cat’ game as unoriginal and something Beouf would adapt too quickly to. No shower was offered, nor was one asked for. I felt clean enough in my t-shirt and diaper and other than a change of each before bed I wouldn’t need help getting to sleep that night. When the show ended, I dropped the mostly empty bottle onto the couch and let out a mighty yawn. My drowsiness wasn’t helped by the fact that it was getting darker earlier in the year. “I think it’s about time,” Janet said. She kept me in a cradled position and carted me back towards the nursery. As she laid me on the changing table, she started humming softly to herself. The tone of her tuneless song subtly altered in the midst of her changing me, just after she slid the thicker nighttime diaper beneath me and just before she reached for the baby powder and stopped herself. There’s a difference when one is humming because they’re content and humming because one wants to seem content. I almost missed it, myself. “No baby powder?” I asked as the first tape was fastened onto the landing zone, right over the rainbow colored primates snoozing on clouds and crescent moons. Janet visibly shuddered, struggling with herself. She helped me up to a sitting position and pulled the t-shirt up over my head forcing my arms up. “We’re going to try something kinda different tonight.” A looser night shirt followed and my arms were fed through the sleeves. “Different?” I echoed, not seeing where this was going. The baggy shirt more than covered my diaper. I had classmates who would have killed to have clothing so discreet, that is if they had any sense of privacy left to them. We weren’t going over to the crib. “I’ve talked to Amy’s Mommy and some of your other Little friends’ parents.” I did not like where this was going. Had Amy or one of the other Little Voices kids ratted me out? “About…?” Janet wasn’t looking at me again. She took a deep breath. “This is going to suck,” she said simply. “This is going to be embarrassing. But as your…” I saw her jaw work around. Is that how I looked when I was second guessing myself and choosing my words carefully? “As someone who loves you, I want you to have everything you need. That includes…sleeping.” My pulse doubled in speed. “Was there something in the milk? There was something in the milk, wasn’t there?” She kept talking over me. This was a speech she’d rehearsed in her head at least a hundred times over the course of the afternoon. “So I’m going to put something in your diaper to help you.” In my diaper? “Help me what?” “Sleep…cuddle…” Every syllable caused her to cringe. I could hear the air quotes and the naked discomfort all the way from the back of her throat. “Like you were trying to do last night…” Oh no… “Masturbate?” I asked. Janet winced and shut her eyes like I’d levied a curse. She was visibly uncomfortable. Her reason for not wanting to share a bedroom with me took on a completely new context. “Janet. It’s not like that, I promi-!” “You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Janet’s speech trampled right over me. She grabbed the bottle of green goo- the rash lotion she’d had delivered earlier that day. “You can go right to sleep if you want. This stuff is also very good at stopping and soothing rashes like it says.” She took the rubber hose from the bottle, lifted my shirt and stuffed it down the front of my diaper. “Hey!” I complained. “What are you-? Stop!” She smacked my hands away with enough force that I hesitated.That hesitation gave her the time to give the pump top three quick pumps. BLURT! BLURT! BLURT! For the second time in less than twenty four hours, something icy cold covered my genitals. I fell back on the changing table and pawed uselessly at the front of my new Monkeez, spreading the jelly like goop around my front. “AAAAAAH! What the fuck are you doing?!” My cursing didn’t seem to register to Janet. She merely withdrew the hose and readjusted the tapes so that there’d be no chance of me reaching my hands through the gap the hose had created. “It’s supposed to be for if you have diarrhea or for when we’re on a long car trip where I won’t be able to change you.” I felt the hose sneak into the back through the leg cuff. BLURT! “It just also might make your diaper very…comfortable.” I wriggled on my back. “How is this comfor…?” No. That was besides the point “It’s cold! And I don’t want to!” Janet picked me up and quickly deposited me down into my crib. I stood up and gripped the rails. Behind me, in the middle of the mattress, Janet had already deposited an extra big, extra fluffy pillow: Amazon sized. Big enough for my entire body to…cuddle with. “You don’t have to,” Janet said stiffly. “But it’s for your own good that you…it’s just for your own good.” The cold mint colored jelly was starting to tingle as my body added heat to the stuff. “Janet!” I whined. But I didn’t know what to say. Janet busied herself unplugging the baby monitor and rapidly wrapped the power cord around the box. “See? I’m giving you privacy. Like you need. You can do whatever you want and Mommy…” she winced and her entire top row of teeth bit into her bottom lip. “Sorry. I won’t be listening in. Promise.” Baby monitor clutched to her chest, Janet walked over to the side of my crib and leaned over. She gave me a kiss on the top of my head. “Good night, Clark. I love you.” She power walked out the door like she couldn’t get out fast enough. Her legs were so absolutely wooden that if I hadn’t known any better I might have supposed that I was back at a Gwiffin Party and that she was actually the greatest Little cosplayer to ever don a pair of stilts. With three swift actions: I heard the flicking of a light switch, the clicking of a closing door, and something I hadn’t heard since my Adoption: the metal fidgeting of someone locking a door. I was alone with only a childish nightlight, stuck in a diaper that I hadn’t soiled myself, trapped in a crib that if I’d managed to hurdle over would result in me spending the night on the nursery floor, and confined with a blanket a judgemental stuffed lion a sleeping pillow and a humping pillow. “What the fuck Janet?!” I screamed through the door. “What the fuck?! I…I h-...” I still couldn’t say it though. I shuffled around in the crib, my eye twitching and my face grimacing while I tossed the extra pillow to the foot of the barred bed. This was gross. This was so gross. She expected me to…in this…and sleep in it? I’d slept in worse. My finger gingerly poked at my crotch and I heard the crisp crinkle coming from the diaper. Diapers become swollen and more squishy as their cores absorb more liquid. Whatever was in this stuff wasn’t getting absorbed, meaning that I could pee all night and the diaper would be at no great risk of leaking or blowing out. Urine would likely flow right by the stuff and get absorbed. Poop might get mixed in, but the gel would still act as a kind of barrier on my skin. The application was admittedly clever. It could also be used as a subtle way to delay (or undo?) potty training. I’d just been changed and already felt like I’d both wet and messed myself. Sensory wise, would I even notice if I used the diaper? Like so many other Amazon ‘achievements’, whether intentional or not, this one had decidedly sinister uses: An Amazon could pop a training chocolate into a Little’s mouth, force feed them water, and then squirt this stuff into their pants every single day and said Little might be functionally incontinent within a fortnight and forget to care about it. The bulk of the rash goop sloshed around in between my legs but left a tingling layer on my privates that was hard to ignore. The initial chilling shock had gone completely and whether through body heat conduction or some chemical reaction the goop had taken on a pleasant tingling, tickling, warmth. It was similar to wetting and messing but without the disgusting bodily implications and it lacked the distinct unpleasant odor of either function. Also, to my chagrin, my pants didn’t feel like they were cooling back down to room temperature. A wet diaper would keep the telltale squish in front or the mush in back but within minutes the temperature would fade. This wasn’t. Not even close. The tingling. The warmth. The wetness. The squelching, sloshing, sticking. From a purely physical standpoint, it was the closest thing to sex that I’d had in a long time. I poked my crotch again and felt the pleasurable warmth spread and double down. All I had to do… My manhood was engorging itself in anticipation before I’d finished the unconscious, intrusive thought. “Fuck,” I hissed. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” I practically slammed myself down into the sitting position. That did nothing, save spread the warm tingling stuff to the front and back again. My balls and asshole felt like they were being played with, tickled by a million sterile tiny sloshing fingers. “Oh no….” Squeezing my legs had the opposite effect, just sending more of the slime up my front, causing me to twitch and moan through my teeth. I wanted to paw at the front of my plastic backed prison; to smooth stuff as far as from my sensitive spots as I could manage. What if I started and then accidentally…? “No,” I promised myself. “No. No. No. No.” I laid down and tucked myself in, grabbing Lion and squeezing him as tight as I could, almost as tight as I squeezed my eyelids. “Just go to sleep, Clark.” I whispered to myself. “Just go to sleep.” It wasn’t working. It just wasn’t. The payload that started in my front was still mostly there by the feel of things and my penis was now painfully erect and no matter how many times I sang “We’re all together again”, listed off Muffet facts to myself, or quoted lines from Ghosthaunters both one or two. This was worse than Saturday night because there’d been no dream to trigger it, no. Could I wait until I peed myself and maybe that level of perpetual disgust would calm me down or was there a secondary reaction in store for me that the manufacturers of this so-called rash medicine neglected and that Janet would refuse to acknowledge? I didn’t realize I was pawing at my crotch again until I heard myself quietly humming. I rolled over onto my stomach to make it stop. Big mistake. The added pressure only made things worse. Thrusting my hips and grinding myself into the mattress felt practically reflexive. It was like having an itch and the only way to relieve it was to knuckle under and scratch it. I wasn’t sleeping tonight. Not until I got some kind of release. I sighed and lied to myself, tossing the blanket off and crawling to the foot of the bed. “I’m sorry, Cassie…” Propping myself up on my elbows I shimmied and straddled the nearly full body sized pillow and started to slowly grind into it, thrusting and trying to get comfortable like a virgin after he’s finally talked himself and that special someone into giving him what he craves but isn’t ready for. “Oh…” I gasped. “Mmm….” The extra mass and the tiny bit of friction from sliding and bumping around, grinding against the pillow was intensely, almost primordially satisfying. I once read about a study that was done on baby monkeys: They were separated from their actual mothers and given two dummy mothers. One was made of cloth and offered only basic warmth and comfort. One was made of wire and offered only fundamental nourishment. The study found that the poor orphaned monkeys would cling to the cloth dummy for as long as possible until the nearing point of starvation forced them to climb onto the wire dummy and feed. Then it’d be right back to the simple emotional comfort of the cloth dummy. Humping that pillow and feeling like an imbecile I didn’t know if what I was doing to myself was a matter of a biological need or an emotional comfort. But as I gripped the wooden bars and thrust harder than I thought possible, aching for climax, I felt a connection to the poor baby primates in that experiment. If I wasn’t going to finish before that moment, I definitely was after. I had to and there was no going back. No amount of tossing a stupid stuffed animal or grumbling to myself or swearing was going to help me. I needed sleep if I was going to keep hurting Beouf and if I was going to get it, something had to give. If I didn’t do this, Janet would just keep hosing me down night after night until I did. The cult of Little Voices had gotten its hooks into her brain and after Thursday night’s special presentation and Saturday night’s mishap, she wasn’t going to settle for less. It didn’t matter if she took the baby monitor out of the room if my ability to sleep was still being sabotaged. All of that might have been bullshit lies, but they were lies that I needed to tell myself then and there. Coitus is objectively silly looking no matter what the circumstances, but it’s also a bit like riding a bike. It’s all a matter of finding the right balance: Leverage, rhythm, and the ability to mentally take in everything that works for you in the moment and block out everything that doesn’t. Needless to say, there was a lot more to block out than I’d become accustomed to. I closed my eyes and pretended the bars were a headboard. I half-pretended that the warm fluffy pillow beneath me was a body of some kind. I reminded myself that no one but Lion was watching me, and Lion counted less than a dog licking its own asshole. I replayed and whispered half a dozen of my personal greatest hits back to myself. “Oh Clark…” “Cassie…” “I love you…” “I love you too..” My virginity. My wedding night. The time we’d gone at it like rabbits after my close call before graduation. The re-enactment we’d done when our washing machine had broken down just before I’d gotten sucked into this pastel hellscape. It was all so good, but none of it was good enough to get me there. Mentally the pillow was on its back. Then I was taking it from behind. Then fuck it, it’s just a pillow who cares what position it was in? Either I was unwilling to finish and was purposefully drawing out pleasure I hadn’t allowed myself in months, or I was too afraid to let go and consider what this might mean for me. Pissing and shitting myself was inevitable given my current situation. Purposefully cumming in my taped on jockeys…was that a form of surrender? My arms were starting to ache and my hips and ankles were feeling sore, both from what I was doing and from aftershocks of the yoga workout that afternoon. If I’d had an actual partner, I would have asked to switch and be ridden so I could catch my breath. “Come on,” I whispered to myself. “Come on. Just do it. Get it over with.” I bit my lip and started humping the cushioning like I thought I was on the verge of winning something. My teeth gritted against each other and I kept grinding, listening to the sounds in my head and breathing in through my nose. A single real world scent followed by a solitary musical note heard only in my head. A subtle whiff of someone else’s shampoo embedded in the pillow from an unquantifiable number of times going to bed right after taking a shower. The memory of a note from a corny ass song heard twenty four hours prior. Panting and quaking, I collapsed on the pillow as the illusions in my mind shattered like windshield glass in a high speed car accident. My penis pulsed and throbbed, ejaculating sperm out into the still thirsty padding up against it. My heart thudded happily in my chest while my junk spasmed joyously, already starting to deflate and rest. Unsurprisingly, I couldn’t tell that I’d added anything to the contents of my diaper after the fact. It was probably a placebo effect, but the gel caking my loins didn’t seem to tingle or tease as much as before. Unfailingly, my bladder woke up enough and told me that the price for sleep was further debasement. So I took a piss before my aching body and buzzing consciousness finally calmed down and allowed the nightlight shadows to claim me. Janet found me early the next morning, still asleep on top of that ‘cuddle pillow’ as she’d referred to it. She didn’t say anything or ask any questions: No ‘did you sleep well?’, or ‘have fun?’, nothing to imply that she was doing anything besides wiping gel residue off of me and getting me ready for school. If she was uncomfortable or blushing, my morning vision was too blurred and my own personal dignity kept me from examining her very closely. Still, her tuneless humming sounded more content and natural than it had before I’d gone to sleep. I asked her to leave Lion in my crib that day. Judgmental bastard had been laying on his side near the head of the crib staring at me all night long. Screw him… just not like that.

Chapter 33: Winners and Losers Grace, as in Loved Unconditionally, surveyed the scene. Three of her best friends were already in the back yard, sitting around their fire pit. Skip had a lighter in hand, trying to get the kindling to catch for their traditional Wasters weekend. Brains was on his phone, texting–no doubt his new beau. He’d been all aflutter the past couple days, ever since they became official. Melody was looking back at Grace, making a long moment of eye contact before returning her attention to whatever conversation was happening around the fire. She knew something was up, even if they’d said nothing overt as of yet. Stepping up behind her, Pearce wrapped his arms around her waist. “Are you sure?” “They deserve to get the full rundown,” Grace had her own arms wrapped around plush hedgehog, and she gave him a little squeeze to soothe her anxiety. “And it’ll be better if we explain before someone figures it out and starts complaining that we cheated.” It’d been three days since her case of supreme impulsivity, since their confession of love. The first day had been spent in a haze of fatigue, with Pearce nursing her slowly back to health as the drugs purged themselves from her system. Between the love and the pain, neither of them had found time to sleep that night. Pearce had only half explained to the others: “Grace is sick.” She was grateful for that. Some things could be left unsaid. All night, he’d stayed with her. Her body couldn’t keep down fluids–anything she drank came out the other end almost as quickly–but he kept her supplied, kept her hydrated as best he could. Painkillers and electrolytes helped ease the agony, and by morning, her body had finally, mercifully, given up its fight with itself. Then, finally, she slept. Pearce put her to bed, and she didn’t set an alarm. Pearce had her phone, and promised he’d let her know if any clients started texting, but it was the weekend. She’d probably be fine. Even that rest wasn’t perfect–she woke several times, to find that she’d ruined her diaper in her sleep. That was new–no matter how long she’d worn, even when she suspected she may have gotten wetter overnight, she’d never pooped the bed. Still, her diapers did their job admirably, and so did Pearce, cleaning her up, bringing her food and drinks and ibuprofen, easing her discomfort until she dozed again. Any time he wasn’t there, she had John to snuggle instead, not only her plush,but her closest confidant. She still hadn’t told Pearce the stuffy’s name, and still hadn’t decided if she would: Some things were too embarrassing to admit. By the time night came, Grace was still exhausted, and Pearce was barely upright–he hadn’t even napped through the second day. He’d been there for her, every moment she needed him. And when he had no energy left, he got into her crib with her, and–together–they both finally got their restful sleep. On the third day, then, they’d finally had to talk. So, after more than their share of heavy petting and making out, they did, ultimately, get to the important business: Fucking like rabbits. Once that was done, they talked. This was what they’d decided on–it was bonfire night already, they’d have everyone there to listen. It would be the best opportunity they’d get to set the record straight. Then again, that would mean admitting to more than a few embarrassing secrets. Looking out at the bonfire, Grace anxiously added, “Maybe we should just keep the bet going and pretend.” “Come on, you might be a baby, but don’t be a baby,” Pearce said, kissing the back of her head. “We know you’re not going to talk yourself out of this.” She nodded, reassured by his presence, and set aside John–she didn’t want her favorite plush smelling like a campfire. In the plushy’s place, she took Pearce’s hand and pushed open the door. With him there, with his calming presence sitting next to her around the fire, it took Grace only one beer to work up the courage to speak. “We have something we need to tell all of you,” Grace said, with a slight blush. “Pearce and I do, that is. It’s…about the bet.” “What, you’re fucking?” Melody asked, smirking from across the campfire. “No, that’s not it,” Brains corrected. “I think one of them’s quitting.” Skip shook their head, cutting to the center of it. “You’re both wrong. They’re in love.” Grace spluttered, the wind taken out of her sails. “I–well–I mean…” Rather than confirm it with words, Pearce leaned over and demonstrated the truth nonverbally, kissing Grace without a scrap of hesitation. Grace flushed, and that blush only deepened when her friends opened up with a chorus of cheers and hooting applause. “We’re calling it a draw,” Pearce said, pulling away. “Nobody wins, nobody loses.” That got the opposite response–boos and jeers. “What, after all that?” Melody asked. “Seriously? Anticlimax.” “Also that makes the bet kind of moot,” Brains added. “I had my money on you, too, Pearce.” “Hold on,” Skip added. “Let’s be specific here. I might have some cash to collect yet.” Everyone looked at them. “What do you mean?” Brains asked. “We placed a few bets,” Skip said, eyes locked on Grace. “Who won and who lost, that one’s moot. But after a couple weeks, we opened up that second bet–duration.” Brains shrugged. “Well, sure, but it’s only been two months, and you said it’d keep going for three. Melody bet less than a month, so–oh, I guess that means I win. More than a month, less than three.” “Hold it,” Skip said. “Let’s be specific here. I believe what I said was, ‘I bet Pearce will still be changing Grace’s diapers in three months.’” Brains tilted his head, looking at Skip. He didn’t notice the way Grace’s face turned bright red, shrinking back into her camp chair, but Skip saw it plain as day. “Erm–” Grace started. “Well–” Pearce added, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t get it,” Brains said, looking between them. “Brains,” Melody said, “I don’t know how you’re not internet poisoned enough to figure this one out, you spend more time online than any of us.” Brains blinked a couple times, then got it. “Oh! Grace has a diaper fetish.” Grace could swear she felt steam coming out of her ears, embarrassment burning its way to the forefront of her expression. “Brains.” “What?” he asked. “Is that not it?” “You don’t just say that,” Melody shot. “Even if it’s…I mean, yeah, you’re probably right, but–” “Skip said it first,” Brains pointed out. “How come it’s okay to imply she likes diapers but not to just say, ‘Grace likes diap–’” “It’s not about the diapers,” Grace snapped. “It’s–agh. I need a drink. Pearce, may I?” Raising her baby bottle of beer, she made a screwing motion with her hand. Reaching over, Pearce popped it off, so she could drink normally–and quickly. Something Grace hadn’t considered–it’d been months since she’d drank out of a cup, and she wasn’t quite used to the motion. Rather than chug the beer, as intended, she poured a good splash of it down her chin, staining her plain onesie top. Pearce smirked, and wordlessly took her bottle away. Filling it up with his own, he popped on the rubber nipple again and passed it back to her. “Okay, lid stays on.” Feeling ridiculous, Grace shook her head. “It’s like…I like having him to take care of me. The diapers are just incidental.” “So you’re going to stop wearing them?” Brains asked. Grace looked away, refusing to answer. “Give it another month,” Skip said, sitting back. “I’ll be collecting my winnings then.” “We’re changing a lot,” Pearce interjected. “No more punishments, for one, and…we’re still deciding whether she’ll be ‘allowed’ to use the toilet.” He passed it off as a joke, but there was a secret hidden excuse behind the comment: Grace was still having trouble holding it, and he wanted to give her an excuse to still be messing her diapers that didn’t involve any additional embarrassing admissions. It was one thing to admit she kinda liked the diaper thing, and another thing entirely to explain that she’d failed to read any warning labels and overdosed on laxatives. She’d made a call to her physician, and it sounded like she’d recover, but in the meantime, her diapers had become more necessary than she would ever admit. “This doesn’t…bother you all, right?” Grace asked, glancing between her friends. “I mean, it’s not even a bet any more. I know it can be awkward when you have friends over and I’m dressed up, or…like…” “Grace,” Melody said, “Please. Let your freak flag fly, not one of us cares.” “But…” Grace bounced her leg, arbitrarily worried that there was a ‘but’ coming. “You got so annoyed, and–” “Yeah,” Melody said, “Because you were being a faker. Starting arguments. I never cared what you were wearing. You like bottles and stuffies? Neat. When I start acting like I can judge you, just remind me what happened prom night and I’ll get my senses back.” Smiling slightly, Grace reached out and touched Pearce’s arm, squeezing him for reassurance. “Are you two going to share a bed now?” Brains asked, interjecting. “Oh heck no,” Pearce said. “I like sleeping in, and this one snores like a chainsaw. We’re keeping our rooms–just expect lots of sleepovers.” “Brains,” Skip said, “Were you asking because you wanted to call dibs on the spare room opening up?” Brains glanced away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he lied. “But, I’m just saying–Grace’s room is bigger than mine, and, y’know–” Grace snorted. “Well, if we change our minds, and that becomes a possibility…hey, I’ll let you know. We’re still figuring a lot of this out. Figuring each other out, too. But…” Turning, she looked at the man who’d driven her crazy in more ways than one, the man she loved, the man she knew would always do his best to be there for her. “He makes me happy.” He looked back at her, smiling with a warmth far deeper than the campfire. “You’re sappy when you drink,” he replied, smirking at her. “You want sappy?” Grace asked, smiling back at him. “I named my hedgehog.” “Oh? When did that happen?” Pearce asked, expecting a joke, or at least something cutesy. “Like…a month ago,” Grace conceded, taking a moment to build to her reveal. She could be as dramatic as him, when she wanted to. “Hah! I knew it,” Pearce said. “So, what’d you decide?” “I named him John. Y’know…like you.” Grace finally admitted. Nobody in the Wasters used Pearce’s given name, it was impossible to miss what that name choice meant. “How’s that for sappy?” Pearce’s eyes widened, and for a moment, he was left without words. He leaned in, communicating more clearly with his lips than he could have with words. For the second time that night, they kissed, and this one lasted til they were both breathless and worked up. Pulling away, Pearce looked her in the eyes. “You make me happy, too.” ... Just one chapter left to round this out - the epilogue, which I'll be posting here in about a week. Thank you, so much, so so so much, for reading this far, for coming along this story with me. I can't express my gratitude enough for your time and for all the comments that've been left along the way, as well as the support of everyone who helped me financially so I could write this. I'm so grateful to be able to tell stories for such a great community. (Psst but I'm writing some really porny stuff over on Patreon if you want early access! https://www.patreon.com/PeculiarChangeling )

Chapter 3 - Pit Stop George dragged the last bite of fried chicken through the pool of ketchup on his tray, coating it with a generous amount of the sauce before popping it into his mouth. He savoured the last bite, then licked his fingers. Almost automatically he moved to give them a quick wipe on the side of his jeans, before a cough from Alice stopped him. With a look of mild disapproval, she nodded towards the pile of thin paper napkins she’d grabbed from the food hall. He quickly took the hint and wiped himself clean with one. before balling it up and dropping it into the brown paper bag their meals had come packed in, which was now serving as a makeshift bin. “Those jeans are brand new mister.” She tutted. “I don’t expect you to keep everything looking pristine this summer, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go getting things dirty unnecessarily.” “Oh, sorry.” George mumbled. He rested one hand under his chin whilst the other idly picked away at the remaining chips. Alice wasn’t quite sure what to make of George just yet. He was a shy boy. That was for certain. The last time she’d met him in person he’d been half his current age, and she mostly remembered him as being rather quiet and polite. Not too keen on talking with people he saw as strangers, even if his mother vouched for them. That explained his muted engagement with her these last few days, but she had hoped that he would have opened up a bit more by now. If they were going to be spending the summer together, they were going to have to get to know one another. “So, how's the jetlag?” She broke the silence with a question. The bags under Georges eyes gave the answer. “Uh, a bit better. I think.” He spoke. “Is it always gonna be this bad? I thought Jet lag only lasted a day.” “It can last a lot longer actually. Depends on how severe the difference is.” She explained as she resumed eating her own chicken salad. “I was on a business trip to London a few years back and it took half a week to get out of it. I don’t know how I got anything done those days.” She tried a smile of sympathy, but he didn’t return it. He just sighed and went back to his food. Biting his lip, as if there was something he was thinking about intently. “Cat got your tongue?” “Huh? No, just... Just thinking.” He shook his head. “Well, I’m here to listen if you want to tell me something. I’m looking after you, so don’t feel like you need to keep things wrapped up. I want you to be able to trust me.” George looked up at the woman he was still unfamiliar with and gave a weak smile. “How do you know my mum then?” If he didn’t know his guardian very well, there was only one way to fix that. Alice finished a mouthful of chicken before replying. “We were friends as kids. My father was in the Airforce, got posted to Britian during the cold war, working with the Royal Airforce. He and my mother had to move over to Britain you see, but not before they had me. I spent a lot of time back here with my grandparents, but they wanted me to stay settled and with them when it came time for me to start school, so we ended up spending the Summers back in America but the rest of the school year in Britain.” “Sounds familiar.” George said pointedly. Alice nodded. “Well, who knows. If you like it, maybe you could come over again next summer.” The look on her face became more serious and she leaned in over her tray. “But right now, we’ve got this summer to think about. So let's try and focus on making sure you have a good time, alright? We’ve not had the greatest of starts the last couple of days, have we?” George looked down, feeling slightly embarrassed. It was true though. He’d spent the last two days in the doldrums of jet-lagged sleep, not feeling up for doing much beyond eating and sleeping. For a summer holiday spent in America, he didn’t have much to write home about so far. Alice continued. “You are a lot like your mother you know. She was the shy girl at school, always rather nervous. Afraid of big changes. I remember I was the centre of attention for a bit, being the American kid, and she must have been the only one in the class who didn’t have a hundred questions for me about living abroad.” “How’d you end up as friends then?” George turned his head. Alice reminisced for a second before giving an answer. “We were given some class assignment. Something to do with local history. I didn’t know a thing, obviously, but the teacher had divided us up into pairs for it and me and your mom were put together.” She smirked. “It was a group project, but your mom ended up doing all the work. I think my biggest contribution was helping with the highlighter and glue sticks.” “So, you were friends after that?” “We were friends after that.” She nodded. “Not the most exciting story, but I was glad I managed to make a friend when I was alone and somewhere new.” She looked knowingly at George. “Maybe you can try and make some friends whilst you’re here as well.” “Yeah, sounds good.” He pushed a smile onto his face and nodded slightly. He was always the shy kid. The awkward kid. He knew that. Never the centre of attention. But his parents and now his godmother were prodding him to try and put himself out there, and he wanted to. It was just a lot easier to say it than do it. “Well, you’ve got a big summer ahead of you. I’m not just going to let you waste the weeks away playing on your Gameboy inside.” George resisted the urge to tell her that it was a 3DS and not a Gameboy, and simply nodded again. “It's nice.” He admitted. “Washington, I mean.” “You’ve seen nothing yet. Wait until we get out into the woods in a few weeks. I’ve already rented us places at a lodge. You'll have a whole week up there to explore and play and have fun. Have you ever been kayaking before?” George shook his head. “I think you’re going to like it.” She said with confidence. “They do windsurfing out on a big lake where the lodge is as well. They do a lot of sports and games out there. You can give them all a try and see what you like.” “Yeah, that sounds pretty cool.” George admitted. He wasn’t normally the sporty type, but the prospect of trying a lot of cool and exotic sounding stuff like windsurfing had his attention. “That's all in a few weeks though. Tomorrow, we’re gonna go to a place in town and get you kitted out with some of the clothes you'll need. Swimming trunks for the lake, and when we spend days at the beach. Plus, a uniform for baseball. There’s a local team that meets twice a week I’d like you to go to. I already cleared it with the coach, they said they’re happy to have a new boy join.” That sounded less appealing that the kayaking and windsurfing to George. Bad memories of school P.E. lessons and sports day screwups rose uneasily in the back of his mind. “I uh, don’t really know how to play.” He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, you'll learn. Everyone on the team had to at some point.” Alice pointed out. She reached down into her purse and pulled out a dark green looking notebook. It looked well used. Multitudes of coloured tags protruding from it like little bookmarks. Alice glanced at one of them and opened it to that page, then turned it to show George. Seeing the pages himself, George realised that it wasn’t a notebook but a diary, with each page numbered with a date at the top and various section underneath filled with writing. Unfortunately, none of it seemed legible to him. It was written in thin black ink, in the way a lot of grown-ups did that made their writing impossible to read. What was it called again? Cyrillic? No, Cursive. Something like that. “What's with all the tags?” He asked. “I like to keep myself organised.” Alice replied. “I put this together to plan out our summer vacation together. It's organised by date, and it's all color coded. Green is for outdoor activities, blue for water-based ones, dark green for sport, and so on. See?” She flicked through a few more pages to demonstrate. “The day after tomorrow is baseball practice.” She flicked a few pages forward to one with a dark green tag and more unreadable writing in it. “I can’t really read it.” George admitted after trying for a few seconds. “Oh, do they not teach you cursive over there?” She asked. So that’s what it's called “Not really, no.” George said. “Is that an American thing?” “More of an old thing.” Alice snapped the diary shut and tucked it away in her purse again. “Me and your mother both learned it at school together. But it’s a dying form.” She sighed. George didn’t really see what there was to be annoyed about. What was the point of learning a way of writing if no one could read it without squinting? “Well, enough reminiscing, if you’re finished, lets head out.” She nodded to his empty tray of refuse as they both stood up from the bench. George had been about to leave it without a second thought, and he turned to pick it up, feeling slightly guilty. There was a series of bins and a section to put dirty trays just inside the building, and George was careful not to get any more grease or sauce on his hands as he slid the collection of cardboard and slimy paper into the rubbish bin. “George, why don’t you try and go potty before we leave, it's just over there.” She pointed over to a set of hanging signs just outside a small side passageway about 20 feet away. The little white symbol for the bathroom unmistakable on the blue background. “I don’t really have to go.” George replied. “Well, we’ve got a drive back remember. We'll be in the car for a couple of hours at least, and I’d rather not have to worry about finding somewhere to pull over. So could you please go and try?” Her tone of voice was friendly, but George recognised a mix of condescension in there as well. The sort you heard when a grown up makes up their mind about you doing something. “Uh, yeah, ok then.” Feeling a little awkward, he turned around and idled towards the sign pointing the way. Why do you care so much lady? It’s not like I’m gonna pee on the car seats or something. Alice watched him go, one hand fiddling with her necklace as she found herself in thought. George was a good kid. It was a shame that he seemed to be troubled. Some of that must be expected, she knew. The split between his parents and its effects on a young boy like him were obvious: The shyness, the moodiness, the fights at school. Now the bedwetting, which she suspected was not entirely the result of extensive jetlag. Mary had never mentioned any issue with bedwetting before she’d seen George off on his summer adventure though. Alice knew her old friend would never have been deliberately misleading about such matters, so perhaps the poor boy had been covering it up at home? She frowned. Then again, he’d seemed genuinely shocked the previous day when she’d come to wake him up and found a profoundly embarrassed godson trying to strip his bed in panic. If these accidents were a new development, that meant things were getting even worse, and then she would need to act. Not just for the sake of saving a holiday, but for his general wellbeing. She rubbed her fingers along the tiny golden links off her neckwear, as the other hand made its way to her pocket and her phone, Mary’s number already in her head. She had always taken a proactive approach to problem solving. It was what had enabled much of her career success. Issues and setbacks couldn’t be allowed to be neglected and fester. She feared that might be happening now with George. She’d never doubted that Mary would make a good mother, of course. There had never been any question of that. But the poor woman had a lot to deal with now. Alice had taken George for the summer in part because she wanted to give the two of them a reprieve for their problems. No, it wasn’t fair to think that Mary was at fault for this. No, this was something she should be dealing with. Besides, if George was telling the truth – and she felt inclined to believe that he was – then calling in the cavalry wasn’t needed just yet. They’d gotten his diapers without too much of a fuss, and that would head off any further threat of wet beds and ruined nights. Let's see how things go tonight, then make a move from there, if we need to. Her hand let go of the phone and re-emerged from her pocket. But even as it did so, gears were already turning in her head. Her experience with looking after kids was rather limited, and a bedwetting, moody youngster wasn’t her area of expertise. She would need to do some work. Find someone who was an expert, get appropriate advice on the matter. That would have to wait until they got home though. She idly shifted in place and tapped her foot on the floor as she glanced over at the sign for the toilets. What was taking George so long?

Thanks Diaperingdaddy I would be open to a dm conversation though I may need to have a spin-off story for Bethany as here is the Part 5 and I am hoping to finish Jesse's story off for the time being with one final part after this. Thank you to everybody else for reading and liking the story so far. Hope you all enjoy. Part Five Jesse awoke one morning to the familiar feeling of Ms. Turner changing her soggy overnight diaper. It had been nearly five months since she had been demoted to Pre-schooler Level and while she was mostly pleased, she had not fallen any further in that time, some days she really felt as though it hardly mattered. As Ms. Turner continued through the motions of opening her nighttime onesie, untapping her diaper and wiping her, Jesse recalled that it had only taken about three months for her to end up like this - a consistent bedwetter no different to any little baby or toddler. She could barely remember what it was like to wake up dry now while simultaneously she was all too aware that any time she went to sleep, her bladder seemed to just let loose and open up the floodgates. This new disposition caused her to have several accidents in class, when tired from that dreadful noise that still occasionally plagued her some nights in her bedroom, she would fall asleep for a few moments before quickly rousing herself only to realise she had soaked her pull-up. Jesse’s friend group had also undergone a dramatic shift. Nearly all the girls she hung out or interacted with were Pre-schooler or Toddlers. Big girls like her once friend and confidant Samantha could not afford to risk associating with the class babies and for the most part unless she did something terrible to embarrass herself, they hardly took any notice of her. This meant that the apart from the grown-ups, the people who surrounded her all wore and openly used their pull-ups or diapers, and Jesse no longer felt any self-consciousness wearing her Pre-schooler Uniform. She had also nearly become de-sensitised to the constant potty smells that accompanied her throughout the day and witnessing someone else having an accident and being changed by a Potty Aid or experiencing that herself was practically nothing to her now. Yes, thought Jesse as Ms. Turner powdered her and drew a pull-up up her legs, the only meaningful difference between herself and the Toddlers now was that she still had to endure the anxiety and admonishments over having accidents in her pants whereas they could just go freely without care or worry. Thankfully, Jesse was no longer afraid of this happening, because even though part of her knew it would not be good for her long term to spend her remaining three years at Mount Usher in round-the-clock diapers, with the accidents from her daytime bedwetting and more recent changes to her Potty Schedule now that they had entered the Summer Term, she was on the verge of being demoted to Toddler Level. Whereas once ten daytime accidents a week seemed like an impossibility to her, now that they were spending more time outdoors doing field activities and sport, Ms. Turner had claimed it was only feasible to bring her to the potty eight times a day instead of her usual twelve. The timings of these had also been altered so that now she was immediately changed in the morning and brought to the toilet then had to go three hours until being brought to the toilet again. This would mean that she would have an accident every day during this time as after being forced to use the bathroom so frequently for so long she could now barely make it more than two hours without having to relieve herself. For a while, Jesse had tried to avoid these accidents by begging Ms. Turner to bring a potty with them when they went out to the school grounds in the morning but Ms. Turner refused point blank, claiming that it would not be practical having to carry a full potty back afterwards to be emptied, so Jesse would just have to try harder to be a big girl. Looking over at her potty chart with Ms. Turner so diligently updated for her each day, Jesse could see that the last three weeks she had only avoided being reduced to Toddler Level by a single accident and she had made her peace with the fact that she was going to be demoted again sooner or later. Standing Jesse up and having her step into her plastic pants before dressing her for the day, Ms. Turner having seen Jesse looking over at her potty chart said “You know young lady; bedwetting aside, it is a great shame that despite my best efforts your potty training declined so rapidly these past few months. Seven accidents already this week and it is only Friday! I would view it as my own personal failure had I not watched you grow more and more comfortable in your pull-ups, and I suspect most of these so-called “accidents” of yours are the result of you wanting deep-down to be treated like a baby. Well, this morning I have decided that I am going to take you on a tour of Nursery, where those at Toddler Level reside, so you truly know what it would mean to be demoted again. That way, I’ll know if I do not see you working harder to avoid having accidents every single day, it was not me who is to be blamed, but you for choosing to behave like an infant.” Hearing this Jesse internally sighed. More nonsense and gaslighting. Why was her bedwetting being overlooked as though this were perfectly normal? She had never had a wet night past the age of seven before she came to Mount Usher but for some reason it was fine now. Yet her daytime accidents were to be taken as a sign she wanted to be in diapers when she had already explained it was that damn diet and schedule she was forced to adhere to. If she had not learnt by now to absolutely comply with Ms. Turner without protest unless she wanted to receive awful punishments, she might have said something. As it was, Jesse simply remained quiet and allowed Ms. Turner to put her hair into pigtails. The tour of the Nursery was worse than Jesse had anticipated but still not enough for her feel any less resigned to her inevitable fate. A white sterile corridor led to several rooms with childish wallpaper housing adult sized cots, a playroom filled with toys, a naughty chair, changing tables, and a canteen with groups of locking highchairs. Unless a miracle happened and the Mount Usher staff were to stop pushing her down this road, as soon as she had ten accidents one week her uniform would be swapped for a pacifier, onesie, diaper, and baby booties. She would have her own crib and mobile in a room with four other girls where she saw that they had their temperature checked rectally during their morning changes. She would be fed a diet of pureed food during the day and could expect to look forward to a bottle of formula each night. And during their limited amounts of free time when they were not expected to be doing their copious amounts of homework or studying during their regular schoolyear, she would be in the Playroom colouring or messing about with toys suited to children of preschool age. It would be an awful experience with very limited freedoms for her next three years and yet Jesse promised herself she would endure it as best she could and persevere. Once she got out of this place, she would recover what she lost and though it might take some additional time she would get her life back on track. She just needed to be strong. A few days after she was brought on the tour of the Nursery, Jesse was unexpectedly called to the Principal’s Office one morning. Already feeling the growing urge to pee during that time, it took everything Jesse had to avoid dribbling into her pull-ups from fear as Ms. Turner led her there. Although Jesse was panicking and wracking her head to think of what she might have done wrong as they walked, once there she knew instantly from Principal McLoughlin’s demeanour that she had not been called there to be punished. Once Ms. Linton had arrived as well, Principal McLoughlin took Jesses hands and looking straight into her eyes, softly said “I am terribly sorry Jesse, but I have to give you some very bad news. Unfortunately, your mother and sister were involved in a plane crash while taking a flight on your father’s private jet and have both passed away. I know this will be very hard for you to hear, but if it is some small consolation, I am told that they both died instantly in the crash and were unlikely to have felt any pain. It is an awful tragedy…” he finished awkwardly shaking his head in sympathy. It took Jesse a moment to process his words and her first thought was that he must be lying to her. Though she had initially been annoyed with her mother and sister for not standing up to her father and allowing him to just send her away to Mount Usher, she still loved them dearly. It was not possible for them to be dead. Her mother was still young, only in her early fifties, and Val, her sister, she knew from letter, had only begun her first internship having just finished college. It was impossible for them to be gone. Not on top of everything she was going through here. How would she survive without them after she got out of Mount Usher? Her father was so distant and now she would be alone with him or more likely just alone somewhere. “The world does not move for us” she knew that now. It had no ear for her wishes and yet while she had never been properly religious in that moment as tears began falling from her eyes Jesse sent out a silent plea to the universe that this was some horrible ploy on the part of Mount Usher to hurt her even more than they already had. After permitting Jesse a few minutes to come to terms with what he had just told her while Ms. Turner and Ms. Linton comforted the crying young woman Principal McLoughlin continued “Although we do not normally allow students to leave for any reason once they have started at Mount Usher, your father has requested that you be allowed to attend the funeral. Since Mr. Wilson is such a huge benefactor of our fine institution we agreed to this request as a one off. In order to arrive at the funeral on time which is to be held tomorrow, Jesse, Ms. Turner will accompany you to your room and help you to pack an overnight bag for your trip. Then, this afternoon you along with either Ms. Turner or another Potty aid and two Disciplinarians will take a helicopter down from the mountain and over to the island’s runway. From there you will be flown back home and brought to the funeral, removal, and burial ceremonies the following the day before being returned to the airport to make your way back to Mount Usher. Unfortunately, you will be unable to attend the wake given the rapidity to which your father has organised everything, however there is nothing we can do about that. Now. I know you are very upset and this is a lot to process but I want to make it very clear that, as I have already told you, this trip is being granted to as a favour to your father and on compassionate grounds. So, should you get it into your head to do anything silly like try and escape or hide from the Mount Usher staff while you are away you will be quickly caught and severely punished. I am told you are very nearly one of our Toddler Level students. You may think that because of this there is little else the school is able to punish you with, however let me assure you that you are wrong. We have a special Montessori School at Mount Usher for girls who are too silly or stupid to attend regular lessons and unlike the big girls who finish their time here being offered a place in college, girls at this level end up with nothing. Do you understand what I am saying? I will receive a report on your behaviour once you get back and if I hear that it was anything less than exemplary you will find yourself among the Montessori students.” Jesse, still lost in grief, barely listened as Principal McLoughlin made his threats and just simply nodded her head. She knew it was unlikely that she would have been able to escape and even if she could she knew she would not last very long without money or outside support. “Good” said Principal McLoughlin. “The last thing I want to tell you is that after reviewing your file and learning of the deplorable state of your potty-training skills of late. I have decided that given the circumstances and the eventfulness of the trip, you shall wear the Toddler Level Uniform during your time away from the school. I can see from you that you did not even realise that you wet your pull-up in the last few minutes and I think to avoid your father any embarrassment it would be best if you were put back into nappies. Provided I get a good report you will remain at Pre-school Level and will have the associated privileges returned to you once you return to the school. Ms. Turner will help get you properly attired in a few minutes, but I do not want you giving her any hassle. Understood?” Jesse just silently shook her head in assent again but inside she wanted to scream. How could they ask her to return home dressed as a baby? How could she see her mother and sister for the last time in such a shameful condition. It was only her fear that if she made any kind of a fuss, she would not be allowed to go to the funeral that prevented Jesse from lashing out. Though once Principal McLoughlin had pointed it out, she did realise that she had an accident, Jesse thought this probably occurred after she had initially learnt the dreadful news and might have happened to anyone. She did not feel as though it was fair or necessary for her to have to wear full-on diapers, when discrete pull-ups would suffice and act as a safeguard in case her weakened bladder acted up. A weakened bladder which the school caused in the first place. Still once Principal Mcloughlin dismissed her, Jesse obediently followed Ms. Turner back to her bedroom and allowed herself to be changed out of her soggy pull-up and into one of her nighttime diapers and then re-dressed into a white onesie and a pair of navy blue shortalls. Not expecting the latter Jesse was grateful to have something to properly conceal her diaper even if the outline of it could still be made out by anyone who suspected what she was wearing. Jesse’s white socks and Velcro trainers were left as they were and so were her pig tails, however Ms. Turner did clip a pink adult sized pacifier to her shortalls before popping it into her mouth. None of Jesse’s clothes she noted were black and she felt as though she were dressed as an oblivious toddler who was too young to know anything of grief or loss. Jesse sat on the end of her bed while Ms. Turner packed her overnight bag for her before being brought to the Pre-schooler Common Room where she sat in front of the T.V. feeling sad and depressed. Eventually Ms. Turner declared it time to go and she escorted Jesse to an area of the school which she had not been back to since her first day and led up to the helipad on the roof. Mrs. King was waiting for her there with two Disciplinarians just as Principal McLoughlin had promised as it seemed that Ms. Turner had opted not to accompany her on the trip. One of the Disciplinarians took her overnight bag from Ms. Turner and stowed it on the waiting helicopter which allowed Ms. Turner to say her goodbyes and wish her luck. Mrs. King then led Jesse onto the helicopter and had her take a seat in what looked like an adult sized car seat in which Jesse was strapped in securely. Before Mrs. King took her own seat, which unlike her Jesse’s seemed perfectly normal, she took a special tool from her pocket and used it to lock Jesse’s straps in place so that she was unable to remove them on her own. She also found a stuffed elephant to give Jesse which she was told was for comfort and a soft baby book with a few pictures which she supposed was to keep her entertained. From her elevated position, in what Jesse thought could only be called a booster seat, she was able to see out the window of the helicopter as it took off and journeyed from Mount Usher to the plane runway. Looking out over the island from so high up she could see why she had never heard of anyone escaping from the school. Apart from the school itself there was very little infrastructure on the island, most of it seeming to be sheer rock or forested areas covered in dense underbrush. Though Jesse could see a long meandering road that led from the docks to the school there did not seem to be anyone apart from the school staff and students living on the place, and she considered that even if someone did manage to escape the school grounds they would have nowhere to go or anyone to help them. Jesse was ashamed to admit that even though the trip from the helicopter to the runway was reasonably short, the castor oil she had been forced to consume at breakfast made itself known about ten minutes into the journey and despite herself within fifteen she was in a full nappy. Still feeling the weight of her loss, Jesse’s emotions were all over the place and she could not help but start crying again as she was forced to poop herself. Although she had messed herself several times now in the past few months, doing so in a booster seat, the noise of the act drowned out by the helicopter rotors, provided her with a completely new set of sensations. Though thankfully her poopy was soft due to the castor oil and did not hurt too much to push out while firmly fixed in her booster seat, the tightness of the seat’s straps however forced the mess up to the very edge of her diaper at the back and also all over the front groin at the front. Additionally, Jesse could not help but let out a gush of wee following her poopy and because of the pressure on her diaper from both her onesie and the booster straps a few drops leaked out causing her to feel a little bit cold and sticky on the inside of her right leg. Crying, sucking on her pacifier, holding the stuffed elephant close to her chest, and kicking her legs in the air in a bid to make her slick, stinky backside more comfortable, Jesse did not notice that Mrs. King had watched her entire accident unfold and was smiling at her. The look on Mrs. Kings face one of pure satisfaction as though suggesting she now had Jesse completely where she wanted her and all was right with the world. About twenty-five minutes after they had taken off, the helicopter landed again. Instead of being unlocked and removed from the booster seat and potentially even changed as Jesse had hoped, she was startled to find the two Disciplinarians unlatch it from the helicopter, and together carry it down and over to the airplane with her still in it. She was then carried into the tiny airplane and secured to one of the plane’s seats with Mrs. King following behind keeping an eye on her. The plane took off a short time later and thankfully about an hour after take-off when Jesse was feeling properly disgusting Mrs. King took her out of the booster seat and changed her across two empty seats. While she was changing her, Mrs. King gave Jesse no sense that she had an adult in front of her, conducting herself as though Jesse was a real baby by cooing at her, tickling her and whispering things like “who’s a stinky baby, huh? Who’s a stinky, stinky baby? Who did a big poopy in their nappy? Who did, who did? You did! That’s right, you made a very poopy nappy for Mrs. King to change, didn’t you, and now she’s going to make it all better. Let’s get you smelling all nice and clean again. Just like a little girl should, huh.” The diaper she changed Jesse into seemed even thicker than her usual nighttime diapers and looked extremely juvenile with their pastel colours and pictures of diapered animals. Jesse would not have been surprised if the design was actually based on actual baby’s diapers. She was also put in a dry onesie which was pink and had a floral design on the front. Although her shortalls seemed to have dried Mrs. King decided to leave them off until they were close to landing to make checking Jesse in her booster seat easier. Unsure of how long the plane ride was going to take and exhausted from the excitement of the morning it was not long after her change and she was back in her booster seat that Jesse drifted off to sleep to the gentle suckling of her pacifier. The next time Jesse opened her eyes it seemed that they were just about to land. Shifting around to sit up a little bit more Jesse became aware that her diaper was quite warm and swollen between her legs and she realised that she must have bedwet as usual. She then noticed her pacifier hanging from its clip as it must have fallen from her mouth as she slept and her tongue suddenly felt dry and in need of a drink. Thankfully Mrs. King must have anticipated this and there was a sippy cup of water in its holder on the fold out table on the back of the seat in front of her, along with a few small snacks including a bag of apple slices and a packet of Graham crackers. Jesse ate and drank all of these as the plane landed at the airport. As the two Disciplinarians carried Jesse in her booster seat down the steps from the plane, her onesie still one display, she realised she recognised the airport as Farnborough in England. Although Jesse could see a few other planes around, Farnborough was a private airport and she was so relieved that there did not seem to be any other passengers about. Additionally, since it was a private flight, they were able to avoid going through customs and airport security and Jesse was carried straight into a black limousine avoiding any potential humiliation for the moment. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _