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This 25,000 word story involves diaper usage and humiliation! Andrew is a shy boy with a few problems that keep him from getting to know any girls. Cassie is a young woman in Andrew's class who has taken residence at the forefront of Andrew's desires. This is a story of romance as Andrew learns that his limitations can be an advantage! --- This story is a preview of the 22nd story I have written exclusively for Patreon and they can all be seen for a $10 pledge. I can only write as much and as consistently as I do with the help of all my wonderful patrons. Those at a $5 level get early access to every public story update I make whilst those at $10 get the early access plus exclusive stories. There are more rewards and tiers on my Patreon page that can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/Elfy88 --- “Did you get lost?” Cassie called up the stairs. “I’ll be right there!” Andrew replied as he pushed those horrid memories from his mind. Andrew put on a large sweater that would further cover up what he was wearing and left the room. He saw Cassie eagerly awaiting him at the bottom of the stairs where he paused to put his shoes on, it was hard to believe that this was basically a second date with his crush. As soon as Andrew had his shoes and jacket on he left the house with Cassie at his side. He felt extremely nervous as he walked out on to the path and away from the safety of his house. Andrew felt paranoid that his diaper was going to show and he made sure to keep his pants high and his sweater low. “Relax.” Cassie said quietly. It was becoming a catchphrase for her recently, “I won’t let anything bad happen.” Andrew tried to do as he was told but he was extremely sensitive to his underwear. When he walked past a family coming in the other direction he found himself holding his breath, despite the paranoia it seemed like no one was interested in him at all. The restaurant was only a few streets away from Andrew’s house and they were there in less than fifteen minutes. Andrew submissively let Cassie take the lead and she led the way into the restaurant and sorted out a place to sit down. Andrew ordered a soda and both he and Cassie ordered pepperoni pizzas not long after sitting down. The restaurant was quite busy since it was the weekend but that was perfect for Andrew who felt more at ease knowing it would be even harder for anyone to hear his diaper. He relaxed and started conversing with Cassie whilst they waited for their meals. By the time their pizzas arrived Andrew had finished his soda and ordered a refill. He happily clinked his glass with Cassie’s glass as they toasted their second date together. “I’ve been meaning to ask.” Cassie said as they both ate their pizzas, “Your dick… Is it the result of a condition or…” “Cassie!” Andrew’s eyes flew wide as he whipped his head back and forth to see if anyone had heard his date. “No one is paying attention.” Cassie said with a smile. “That’s not the point!” Andrew could feel himself blushing as he looked down at the food that suddenly seemed a lot less appetizing. He was shocked she could bring such a subject up in public. “Alright, alright.” Cassie said as she put her hands up, “I’m sorry. I was just curious.” For a few seconds neither of the people at the table moved or touched their food. Andrew was looking down at the table until he sighed and decided he should probably answer, there was no point keeping quiet when Cassie had already seen everything. “It’s just always been that way.” Andrew said with a shrug, “I don’t know, I’m just… Very small.” “That’s alright.” Cassie said. She reached across the table and took Andrew’s hand in hers, “It fits the whole diaper aesthetic really well.” Andrew blushed anew. He knew Cassie was trying to be nice but she was failing spectacularly, she was making him increasingly self-conscious. Just to make matters worse he needed the bathroom and that presented a strange problem. He was already diapered and could just let go into the padding, it would be easier and simpler to do so but he had never wet himself outside the house before and even more importantly he didn’t want to disgust Cassie. “Where are you going?” Cassie asked as Andrew pulled his hand away and started to stand up. “To the bathroom.” Andrew replied. “To do what?” Cassie asked sounding very curious. “To pee…” Andrew frowned. Cassie was certainly acting very strange. “Do it in your diaper!” Cassie said quickly and quietly so that only Andrew would hear. “What!?” Andrew was shocked at the suggestion. The thought had crossed his own mind but why would Cassie even consider such a thing, “Why?” “I… I think it would be kind of hot.” Cassie admitted. Andrew noticed that he wasn’t the only one blushing now. Cassie’s cheeks were pink and she seemed to find it difficult to maintain eye contact, she bit her bottom lip nervously and had a smile that she couldn’t seem to get off her face. “I don’t understand.” Andrew said as he sat back down in his seat. “Neither do I really…” Cassie admitted, “But I can’t stop thinking about it.” Andrew bit his lip and looked over to the bathrooms which were so close by. This was crazy and he had never wet himself in front of someone else like this, he couldn’t understand why Cassie would be interested in him wetting himself. His face flushed red and he couldn’t believe he was even contemplating doing it. He thought about saying no but when he looked at her sweet face he found himself being swayed. Andrew took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He still couldn’t believe he was trying to wet himself in such a place and surrounded by so many people. Even as he relaxed his muscles he was having second thoughts but it was as if Cassie had a spell on him. It was strange, he felt like he was doing everything he would normally do to pee and yet nothing was happening, he felt nervous as he opened his eyes and looked around the crowded restaurant. “Are you doing it?” Cassie asked with a lot of interest. “I… I can’t.” Andrew whispered in reply, “There’s too many people around and you’re watching me, it’s making me nervous.” “Forget everyone else.” Cassie whispered, “It’s just me and you right here in this booth. Just close your eyes and relax, your body will do the rest.” Andrew was confused about so many things but pretty high up the list was why Cassie seemed so invested in all this. He wanted to do as he was told though, he wanted to make Cassie happy no matter what it took. Andrew closed his eyes again and zoned out all of the background noise. He listened as Cassie quietly whispered encouragement and he relaxed as much as he could. Quite suddenly and without any warning something clicked and Andrew felt a hot rush of urine pour down from his bladder and into his diaper. He opened his eyes in shock and gasped. “I’m wetting myself!” Andrew gasped in shock. Cassie was looking across the table at Andrew and as soon as she heard Andrew saying he was peeing she felt a rush of blood to her most sensitive areas. She looked down at the table and imagined what was happening underneath, she couldn’t deny she was excited. Cassie used her foot to slip the shoe off her other foot and reached it forwards. She couldn’t help herself, she slowly shifted forwards on her seat until the sole of her foot pressed against Andrew’s crotch. She opened her mouth and her tongue gently touched her upper lip as she pressed her foot forwards and felt the rapidly warming crotch. Cassie could feel a warm spot gradually growing in the diaper and it produced a similar feeling in her pants as well. She felt so turned on by seeing and feeling what was happening that she had to resist jumping across the table to get closer to Andrew. Andrew was yet again shocked by Cassie’s foot and with his eyes closed and his face seemingly heating up the room around him he continued to wet himself. With the sodas he had been drinking he hadn’t quite realised how much he needed to go to the bathroom. The wetting went on a lot longer than he thought it would until he suddenly felt something that made his blood freeze. The warmth in his diaper was spreading further around the front and back in a way Andrew had to admit was quite pleasant. The wetness spread and spread until Andrew could feel it running down his leg. He jumped and his eyes sprang wide open, he didn’t know what to say or do and didn’t even react to having Cassie’s foot pressing against him. “Andrew? What’s wrong?” Cassie asked when she felt Andrew suddenly tensing up. Andrew didn’t respond. He was frozen like a deer in the headlights as the trickle down his leg continued and confirmed the awful truth, he had leaked! Cassie was confused and when she didn’t get an answer she ducked down and lifted the tablecloth to try and see the problem. Right away she spotted the creeping dark patch as the wetness went down Andrew’s leg. She quickly sat back up again looking equally as shocked as Andrew. “This never happens!” Andrew gasped in embarrassment, “It must be because I put it on… I must’ve done it badly.” “Calm down, this’ll be fine.” Cassie said as she looked around. She put her hand up and called for the check. It was time to pay and get out as fast as possible. “It isn’t!” Andrew hissed. He had finished wetting himself but the wet trail was still making it’s way down his legs, “Everyone’s going to see it and laugh! There will be videos on the internet and…” “Don’t get hysterical.” Cassie said as calmly as she could. Andrew cursed himself for being so stupid and not using the bathroom like any normal person. He should’ve known his loose fitting attempt at putting a diaper on would be a failure. He had humiliated himself and, even worse, humiliated Cassie. She would surely want nothing to do with him after this. He smacked himself in the forehead and tried to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. “Did you bring a coat?” Cassie asked. “No.” Andrew replied, “Just my backpack.” The waiter came over with the check and both Andrew and Cassie fell silent whilst it was signed for and paid by Cassie. Andrew smiled nervously at the waiter who was giving him a weird look, it was strange since Andrew was certain the man couldn’t see his pant legs from where he was standing. When the waiter turned and walked away Andrew looked down and to his mounting horror saw that there was a small puddle forming on the seat. It was like the diaper hadn’t been there at all, urine was spreading everywhere. “Oh fuck.” Andrew exclaimed, “There’s a puddle.” “Good lord, how much did you pee!?” Cassie asked with a worried frown. “You told me to do it!” Andrew’s voice was raised slightly due to the stress of the moment. He could feel a tear rolling down his cheek. “I didn’t realise you were going to wet so much…” Cassie explained, “Or that your diaper would fail.” “I need to get out of here.” Andrew muttered, “Right now.” Andrew stood up and felt behind him. His worst fears were confirmed when he felt a large wet spot covering his butt. He could hear people behind him gasping or suddenly going silent. Andrew looked around at the people who were all starting to look his way, what started as silence soon became scandalized whispers. When Andrew heard the first laugh from a young man behind him he was snapped out of his daze. He picked up his backpack and tried to cover the wet patch, it was no good though since it seemed his pants were more wet than dry at this point. Cassie was still gathering her things when Andrew suddenly bolted for the door. She watched in alarm as he nearly knocked over a couple of children as he barreled towards the exit. The people in the restaurant couldn’t contain their mirth anymore and as they watched Andrew hurrying away many of them couldn’t help but giggle or laugh, a few gave out catcalls or wolf whistles as the door was roughly shoved open. Cassie stood up and hurried towards the door that Andrew had just left. “I think your baby needs a diaper change!” A teenage boy shouted causing more laughs especially amongst his group of friends. “Grow up…” Cassie replied loudly as she left the restaurant and chased after Andrew who had already jogged halfway down the road.

Chapter 8 As they appeared at the bottom of the stairs, Danielle could see that there were about ten people who had arrived for the party. They mainly consisted of Allison’s and Pierres close friends and some of their relatives. “Hey Danielle, wanna go hang out on the swings?” Lizzy asked. She nodded and followed her over towards the swings where Lizzy lifted her up by her arm pits and set her down on the swing. “Okay hold on tight!” She said as she gave her the first push. “So, how is everything going so far?” Thinking for a moment she quietly responded, “It is okay I suppose.” Lizzy could sense that she was feeling quite anxious about something and decided to talk about the upcoming school year to try and get her talking more. “Well, I can’t wait until we start the new semester at school.” “You are going to university too?” She asked. “Yea! From what I have gathered from Pierre and Allison we are studying the same things this year. You are studying biology as well right?” Danielle’s eyes widened with the realization she wouldn’t be totally alone this year. The realization that things on the mainland were much harder to navigate then she previously thought had been at the forefront of her thoughts since she arrived. As much as she was fighting the need for help, she was slowly becoming aware of just how necessary being helped was. “I am studying biology! Holy cow!” Lizzy laughed, “It will be a good year! No worries, I will be there for you and even better you can be there for me!” Truth be told, when she found out about her aunt taking in a little she was confused by the thought of a little attending university. She didn’t know of any other littles who were even allowed to go to university as most were regressed to the drooling infant stage. “You know, its pretty amazing to me that you are going to university this year.” She said to Danielle. With a furrowed brow Danielle replied, “What do you mean?” All she could think was that Lizzy was being bigoted and thought she wasn’t good enough to go to university. “Well, I don’t know of any caretakers that would allow their littles to go to university. Most of the littles that I have babysat are well, babies.” She thought for a moment before replying, “Well I am kind of a baby right now.” She stopped to point at her current attire. Giving a slight smirk she replied, “Honey I know you think you are currently being babied but you don’t understand how good you have it. I have babysat for littles who aren’t allowed to walk or even talk.” Danielle focused on her swinging for a moment by kicking her legs out and then folded them back. She was deep in thought and she required a moment to process what she just heard. She heard plenty of rumours about the way some littles were kept. She assumed they were just boogey-man stories meant to scare littles from leaving the island; her grandmother often used stories like this to try and keep her from leaving. _________________________________________________________________________________ The rest of the day was spent being introduced to Pierre and Allison’s various friends; most of them she had trouble remembering their names. Some of them were professors from the university that Allison taught at and others were doctors that Pierre worked with. By the evening everyone had said their goodbyes to Danielle and it was just Pierre’s parents and Lizzy that were left. “Well Dani, we have about an hour left before you have to go to bed. What would you like to do?” Pierre asked. Danielle’s mind went back to when she was a child where her grandfather owned a cottage on a remote lake. As the evenings would wind down her family would play board games, have camp fires, and enjoy the night sky. Of all her memories of the cottage, one always played back in her mind and it was something she often thought about. Since her parents had disappeared, she often wished she could go back to that time. When it got dark enough out, everyone would play her favourite game, Mission Impossible. “Well, since it is dark out I know a game we could play.” She stated. “We will need a flashlight and someone to be it. Then everyone else hides and tries to get to the base without having the person who is ‘it’ flashing the flashlight on them.” Pierre smiled and turned on his phones light and started counting out loud, “One, two, three…” Everyone took off running around the house and into bushes, behind cars, & under the deck. Danielle and Lizzy went to the front of the house and hid in the bushes. Once he got to a count of thirty he stopped and opened his eyes and pointed his flashlight all around the yard; no one was anywhere to be seen. He slowly walked toward the right side of the house and he heard something rustling in the bushes. Pointing his light into the bushes he found Elizabeth crouched in the bushes, “Your out!” For the next five minutes Lizzy and Danielle were crouched down on the ground beside each other trying to stay as quiet as possible as they listened trying to figure out if Pierre was near. Danielle was becoming more and more aware of her need to use the bathroom. She wished earlier that Allison would let her just wear underwear and then she could just sneak inside and use the bathroom without anyone knowing it. But here she was, starting to squirm and move from foot to foot. Lizzy was starting to pick up on her current situation and whispered, “Why don’t you just use your diaper it would be much easier.” With her cheeks turning red and eyes widened she replied, “Is it that obvious?” Lizzy stopped herself from laughing, “Very. Just go, that’s why you are wearing them in the first place.” Danielle thought for a moment before the urge became to great and she couldn’t contain it and began to wet herself. It was only her second time ever wetting and the sensation was still hard to comprehend. She could feel that she was wet but her dress was dry. The diaper began to sag, and then it began to swell and push her legs apart. Looking down at the shadowy figure below her and sensing the relief she felt, Lizzy gave her a little pat on the back, “Good job!” Danielle was feeling embarrassed about wetting herself next to Lizzy but she decided to distract her thoughts by focusing on the game. “Okay, we need to get to the base and win this thing! We need to wait until he goes to the other side of the house and then we need to run as fast as possible.” The two of them crept closer to the edge of the house knowing it was a gamble on which side of the house he would go to first. Luckily he was moving towards the other side of the house and they took the moment to sprint towards the base. Almost immediately it was apparent just how much faster Lizzy was so she made a split second decision and picked Danielle up and ran with her to the base. Pierre heard the commotion and turned around just as they touched the base and won the game. After they all played a couple more games of Mission Impossible, Allison announced that it was Danielle’s bedtime. At first she wanted to make a fuss about it, but then she realized she was actually quite tired. Everyone said their goodnights to her as Allison scooped her up and carried her up the stairs. “We will have to have a bath in the morning because it is already quite late.” Allison said. Danielle yawned and nodded at the same time as her dress was lifted over her head and she was left laying on the change table in just her wet diaper. Each of the tapes were pulled and the cool evening air rushed around her. The change was rather quick and in very little time Allison had her dressed in a pink pajama top with the saying ‘mommy’s baby-girl’ on it and a pink diaper. “I figured since it was so humid out tonight you would be okay sleeping in just your diaper and a t-shirt.” She stated as she picked her up and hugged her in close. Walking over to the sleigh crib she slowly lowered the side down and laid her down for the evening, “I hope you had a great first day here because we really enjoyed having you here.” She leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead before pulling the side of the crib up and latching it in place. “It was a good day, I am sorry I was so nervous and weird.” Danielle replied. Allison smiled down at her, “No need to be sorry baby, its a whole new world and we are here to help you find your way. Now go to sleep so we can have an even better day tomorrow!” She turned on the baby monitor, turned off the lights, and slowly closed the door. Laying in her crib Danielle was beaming from ear to ear. She couldn’t remember a time since those early days at her grandfather’s cottage that she felt this free and connected to the people around her.

Author's note: This is just one of those little snapshot type of things I wrote, a taste of life, much like a good chocolate bar, with all its sweet and bitter and salty notes. Enjoy. Ornaments Gina blushed as they walked toward the entrance of the mall, clutching Daddy's arm tightly. She couldn't believe she'd let him talk her into this. Under her heavy overcoat, under the long skirt she wore, was one of the Tranquility ATN's he'd been putting on her at home during the day on occasion, what he referred playfully to as her “little-girl panties”. At home, they made her feel little, playful, and very affectionate toward Daddy, much the same way the much thicker Drynite 24/7's made her feel at bedtime. She'd even gotten somewhat used to wetting them, though she was very fussy about being changed immediately after. But here, now, in spite of all the layers of clothes, Gina could hear the rustle. And she was quite certain everyone in the mall would be able to hear it too. But Daddy said they needed to go shopping for an ornament, something to celebrate their first Christmas together, and he hadn't given Gina any time to think about what she was wearing before he helped her put her overcoat on and whisked her out the door. By the time it sank in what was happening, it was much too late to protest. Daddy was very strict about Gina wearing panties of some sort at all time. It was a bad habit she used to have before she met him, going commando, and during the week, when they were apart, she had to send Daddy a picture of her in the panties she chose each day before going to “school”, and then show him that she still had them on when they video chatted in the evening. She actually enjoyed those little show-and-tell moments, and she suspected Daddy did as well. A cold gust of wind bit their cheeks, and they quickened their pace. It was such a relief when they passed through the air curtain and into the warmth of the food court. “So, where shall we start our search?” Daddy asked. “Um...” Gina was trying not to fixate on her underwear, but it wasn't working very well. “How about Justice?” His sly smile gave away his real intent there. There was only one reason ever to go to Justice, and that was to add to Gina's growing collection of very little-girly hair accessories, barrettes, headbands, and other oddities that just made the 42-year-old look that much more like a 3-year-old when she looked in the mirror after Daddy dressed her on the weekends. Not that Gina didn't enjoy the heck out of it. She loved feeling little, and looking the part just pulled her that much deeper into her little-space. “Daddy, there's no ornaments in there!” It was a distraction, and it was helping. She had to give him that. “There aren't? Well where do you think we could find some?” “Macy's has a whole Christmas section, Daddy!” “Ah yes, I seem to recall it right near the little girl's section. Perhaps we can find you something pretty to wear while we're there?” “Daddy! We're supposed to be shopping for ornaments, not baby clothes!” Being five feet tall and very slender made for constant awkward moments whenever they were near girls' clothes, since she could easily fit a girls' 14, and routinely wore girls' size 12 jeans because of how tiny her ass was. “Well then by all means, let's go shopping!” Daddy playfully swatted her on the bottom, redirecting her attention right back to the thick padding hidden underneath those clothes. No girls' size 12 jeans were fitting her over her current underwear, that was for certain. She blushed deeply as they began to make their way through the crowds, his hand on the small of her back. They didn't go straight to Macy's, though. They wound up stopping at Justice, where she found the absolute cutest little headband with a cluster of pink flowers over the top. And they stopped at Hallmark, to look at their little ornament offerings. There were lots of adorable ones there, and she would have bought them all just because they were so cute, but nothing really said “Daddy and babygirl,” especially not for this, their first Christmas together. Then the inevitable happened. She had to pee. She was sure this little shopping trip would be done and over before she had to face this. The worst part was, her body almost betrayed her right away, as relaxed as she'd become wearing diapers and wetting them over those few months. But she couldn't do that, not here! People would see! They'd know she was peeing herself! Everyone would know! And what if it leaked?! She'd be mortified! Everyone in the mall would laugh at her, with pee in her socks! She froze stock-still right at the entrance to Macy's, feeling the heat fill her face, and her knees buckled in not very subtle fashion. “What's wrong, princess?” Daddy whispered. “I gotta go pee, Daddy!” she whispered back, her voice trembling. “So what's stopping you?” “I don't wanna do it here! Everyone will see!” “Everyone will see right through your overcoat and under your dress and watch you pee in your pampers?” “No, they'll see my potty-face, and they'll know what I'm doing!” “And you really think all these people are going to stop and pay attention to you instead of worrying about what they're here to do, which is go Christmas shopping? Close enough attention to recognize that someone they've never met looks like she might be going tinkle in the middle of the store instead of the bathroom?” “No, but...” “But you're just being silly, then. Come on, let's go find a pretty ornament for the tree.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him in a side hug, kissing her forehead. And that was that. Daddy had issued the verdict, and she knew making a scene would be far more humiliating here and now, not to mention painful later over Daddy's knee, than what was about to happen. They moved through the store, him setting a brisk pace that forced her to abandon any attempt to clench. Within minutes she was leaking, and the heat rose up into her face as she stared at the escalator stairs in front of her. They stepped on, and she finished her business, the swollen warm mass between her legs simultaneously comforting and teasing her. She wanted a change. Even at home, she hated sitting in a wet diaper very long. Didn't matter how meticulous Daddy was about putting cream and powder down there to make her feel dry, that was still her pee, and it was still wrapped around her waist, and she wanted out of it. But a change now would mean trudging all the way back out to the truck in this cold weather, not to mention the mortal fear of some passerby catching a glimpse while Daddy changed her in the back of the truck. And there was no way Daddy was going to just let her take it off and dispose of it in the ladies' room. Little girls needed to be wearing panties, that's all there was to it. And then she saw it. There, hanging on the fake tree set up in the Christmas department, she saw it. The most perfect ornament for their first Christmas together. She reached out and picked it up by the string. “Oh Daddy...” Wet diaper was forgotten. Shame was forgotten. All else ceased to exist but her, and Daddy, and the perfect little ornament... ---------------------- Gina smiles as she hangs it on the tree, right at eye level, right in the front, right where it belongs. Their very first Christmas together, commemorated with a little girl, head full of blonde curls, snuggled up in a red blanket with white fur trim at the base of a beautiful Christmas tree. “Baby girl's first Christmas,” it read on the placard below. She takes a long look at it, and a sigh escapes her lips. She reaches back down into the box... 2 Gina could barely breathe getting out of the car at the Magic Kingdom parking lot, blushing as red as the little red roses on her cosplay pink Cinderella dress she'd made specifically for this trip. It seemed like such a fun idea when Daddy encouraged her to put her sewing skills to work for the vacation they'd saved up for three months to take, celebrating their 10th anniversary together, but stepping out of that car, she'd never felt so self-conscious. Now, hours later, after getting nothing but congratulations and smiles from passers-by instead of the strange looks she was expecting on this perfect fall day in Orlando, she felt completely comfortable, happy, and very, very little, standing in the express pass line at Under The Sea. The fit-and-flare waist was a perfect choice, completely hiding the bulge of her very thick diaper, slightly heavier now after her morning coffee found its way through her system over the last several hours. She chuckled as they stepped into the teacup, amused at how panicky and anxious she once was, so many years ago, about wearing diapers in public with Daddy. Now, it was just as natural as wearing panties, except no need for potty breaks. And in a place like Magic Kingdom, with so much to do and so seemingly little time to do it, not having to stop to go potty was an absolute joy. She sighed contentedly as his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Their eyes met, and she nestled into his chest, his huge grin matching her own. “Are you having fun, Daddy?” “Daddy's having fun watching how much fun his little princess is having.” The ride began to move, and soon they were floating through a silly mixture of animated critters and video clips as snips of all her favorite songs from The Little Mermaid drifted through the air. Another sigh as little trickle slipped into her diaper, warming up the padding around her. Daddy had insisted on packing only her very thick night-time diapers for the trip, and Gina was grateful knowing that there would be no chance of a leak between now and lunchtime, or between lunch and supper. They'd already scoped out the family restrooms at the park, so privacy was a non-issue, and while the security guard who searched Daddy's knapsack raised an eyebrow at her changing supplies, he said nothing as he let them through the gate this morning. Quietly, Gina was relieved Daddy had chosen the plain white Comfidry 24/7's instead of her Rearz Princess diapers to pack for changes at the park, even though the diaper she had on under her long dress was very pink and very princess. After Ariel's Grotto came the Mine Train and Peter Pan's Flight and It's a Small World and the Haunted Mansion, stopping off at Sleepy Hollow Tavern for a snack. She was glad to have a change by then, her diaper having become very heavy and very clammy by that point. On their way through, she saw a few little girls pouring out of Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, all done up in their sparkly outfits, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. Tiny though she was, the park was very strict, no one over 14 could get a princess makeover. Arms wrapped around her from the back. “My princess is just as adorable as they are. And her dress is much prettier!” Her toes curled again at Daddy's low, soft voice in her ear. “Thank you, Daddy.” She nuzzled his chest, and they went on through the park. Every ride was ridden, from Thunder Mountain to the Flying Elephants to Space Mountain, and it was a very tired Daddy and Gina that made their way back down Main Street toward the exit. It was only then that Gina began to realize, Daddy wasn't just tired, he was hurting. Despite his best efforts to mask it, Daddy was in pain, limping slightly. His back must have finally been set off from all the walking. Gina had seen this before, and she cursed herself for not giving him more opportunities to rest and relax. His breathing sounded ragged too. That was something completely new, and it worried her. “Daddy, are you alright? Do you need to sit down? Should I get a cart for you?” There were electric carts available at the Town Hall. “I'm okay, babygirl. But yes, I think sitting for a few minutes would be good.” He coughed, clearing his throat a bit, and they sat on a nearby bench. “I'm sorry, Daddy, I didn't mean to rush you around so much!” He put his arm around her. “Princess, you were a good girl today, you have nothing to be sorry about. I wanted my baby to do all the fun things there were to do here. Tomorrow we'll have a rest day, and then we'll do Epcot on Wednesday. As long as we take breaks, Daddy will be fine.” As if for emphasis, he coughed again, letting out a subtle wheeze. After a few minutes of people watching, they did indeed head for the exit, but not before a quick stop in Crystal Arts at Daddy's insistence. “My princess still needs her tiara, doesn't she? No buts. Daddy's fine.” Gina did want a tiara, but much more than that she wanted Daddy to feel better. Still, she relented, and they went into the gift shop. What caught her eye when she entered was not the crystal tiaras in the center showcase, but something under the glass at the counter. “Oh Daddy! Look! It's perfect!” Gina gasped as she pointed. “My Cinderella found her glass slipper, didn't she?” Indeed she had, a beautiful, delicately blown glass slipper ornament, perfect in every detail. A perfect commemoration of their vacation, and the perfect addition to their little collection of “together” decorations for their tree... ----------------------------- She hangs it delicately, a few inches off to the side of the boy pushing the girl on the rope swing, just above the gold-plated diaper pin, then steps back to admire her work. “Perfect!” The familiar lump begins to form in Gina's throat, and she fights it back. “No crying! It's Christmas! It's time to be happy and celebrate!” She takes a deep breath, exhales, and turns her attention back to the box... 3 Gina's heart soared as she and Daddy walked carefully together toward the front door. She was more than happy to let him lean on her as he took his wobbly steps next to her sure ones, his breathing in the chill December air wheezy and uneven. Daddy was sick, of that there was no doubt, but he was well enough to come home tonight. That's all that mattered. Home in time for Christmas. A month ago, when they were riding in the ambulance together, his oxygen saturation dangerously low and his pulse weak and faint, Gina wasn't sure if he was coming home at all, and the fact that they were making their way up the walk now was a joy beyond all joys for Gina. Sixteen Christmases Gina and Daddy had spent together. They were both gray now, the age showing in the lines on their faces, but he was still Daddy, and she was still his little girl. Being little was harder now, though, since Daddy had gotten sick. She couldn't just let go and be little and let Daddy take care of things when he needed her help with so much lately. Not that she didn't have her own old-age troubles. She was more than a little scared when she started having real accidents, frequently enough to where she no longer trusted herself without at least a pad in her panties. The doctor explained her prolapsed bladder, and offered her some sort of surgery and hormone treatments. Gina had heard stories about women who took estrogen after menopause and wound up with cancer, and she turned him down flat. Diapers had been a part of her life for so long now, the idea that she actually needed them now was somewhat of a welcome, in a way. Gina opened the front door and locked her arm around Daddy’s waist as he shuffled in next to her. “Look, Daddy! I decorated the tree yesterday, when the doctors said you could come home! Do you like it, Daddy? Did I do good?” She waved toward the tree. Daddy smiled and cleared his throat. “Yes, babygirl, you did a very good job. It’s a lovely sight to come home to.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Good girl!” He stopped for a moment, and his smile faded. “What’s wrong, Daddy?” Gina was unnerved by his change in demeanor as she helped him to his favorite rocker. “Come here, Princess.” He motioned toward his lap. Gina gingerly sat down between his legs, the hem of her dress riding up behind her, and he wrapped his arms around her, patting her bottom softly. The familiar sound of hollow plastic rang in her ears, and she nuzzled his chest, squirming and rustling contentedly in his embrace. Wearing one of her Princess diapers under her dress to come pick him up was definitely the right choice today, and she was glad she made it. She probably could use a change, but it wasn’t urgent; this was a moment to savor. “Nothing’s wrong with the tree, baby. Daddy’s just a little sad because we didn’t get a chance to find an ornament this year, that’s all. It’s still a beautiful tree, and Daddy is just happy to be home to enjoy it with his beautiful babygirl in time for Christmas.” In all that had gone on since Thanksgiving, the thought of an ornament hadn’t even crossed Gina’s mind, not even as she hurriedly decorated the tree last night. “Oh, Daddy, I didn’t even think about an ornament. I’m just so glad I have my Daddy back! I love you!” “I love you too, princess.” Daddy squeezed her tight, and Gina could feel a slight tremble in his embrace. Clearly Daddy was still weak from all the treatments. He released, then grasped one of her hands. She grabbed on with both of hers, and then she saw it. Her eyes lit up as she touched his wrist. “Oh, Daddy, we already have the perfect ornament for this Christmas!” Gina jumped up as Daddy’s face turned to surprise. She dashed to the kitchen and rummaged through a drawer and found the ornament hooks, then grabbed a pair of shears on the way back through, grinning ear to ear. “What are you doing, princess?!” Daddy called out, laughing. Gina laughed as well as she ran back to his chair and picked up his hand. “Hold still, Daddy!” She snipped the plastic bracelet just short of one of the available holes. “My hospital bracelet?!” Daddy laughed heartily, then coughed a bit. “Santa gave me my Daddy home for Christmas! What better way to celebrate it?” She poked the ornament hook through the hole and cinched it tight, then faced the tree. ------------------------------ Gina’s eyes grow misty as she hangs the plastic bracelet on the tree, Daddy’s vitals imprinted on the side, just off to the left of the little gold paci. It was indeed a wonderful Christmas, having him back home again just in time to celebrate their sixteenth Christmas together. It’s a comforting memory, and Gina hugs herself just a bit after she stands back from the tree. “The best Christmas with Daddy ever,” she whispers as she admires it and all the other beautiful memories on her tree. The box is nearly empty now, the ritual nearly complete. Gina’s bottom lip trembles as she reaches back in one more time… 4 The morning started out wonderful, and the day had only gotten better with each passing moment. After all those very bad days for Daddy over November and December, and another bad stretch in February, he was having a good day today. Good days were rare anymore, so they were treasured that much more when they happened, and Gina and Daddy made sure they enjoyed them to their fullest. These days, thanks to her bladder troubles, Gina was wearing some sort of protection all the time, and Daddy having a good day meant a little-girl day for Gina, which meant thick diapers and a pretty dress over them on such a warm spring day as this. Letting Daddy worry about her tinkles, with all the intimacy of careful diaper changes that came along with it, made Gina feel so very little, which was a wonderful respite from worrying about Daddy's health all the time. In those moments, Daddy being sick was forgotten, Daddy had decreed a junking day, which was also a very special treat. They wandered off into the countryside, stopping at every oddball-looking secondhand shop and antique store along the way, making sure to take rest breaks when needed. They found some neat little treasures so far, a beautiful ceramic music box, a beautiful Satsuma vase, and a lovely antique brooch of brightly colored flowers and sparkly gems. All were protected in the back of their van, wrapped in blankets and tucked into one of the storage bins fixed to the side wall. Daddy bought the work van years ago. It was a way to ensure privacy for Gina after so much difficulty finding private places to change her diapers when they were out and about, and once Gina actually started needing protection on a routine basis, it became a place of respite, comfort even. Gina was very comfortable as they entered this shop, Daddy having changed her a mere twenty minutes before, and though he wouldn't say anything, Gina knew by Daddy's movements and his breathing that this would probably be their last stop before heading home. The subtle rustle under her dress, the sound which once gave her so much anxiety in public places, now gave the gray-haired babygirl quiet joy. She and Daddy wandered through the little shop together, chuckling at silly things they'd seen a million times in a million other shops together, and marveling at some of the oddities that were unique to this one. It seemed so strange, really, when it happened. Surreal, almost. She and Daddy usually started looking for their annual ornament in late summer and early fall at the earliest. Many years they'd had to rush around in November trying to find that special something before it was time to put the tree up on the first weekend of December, as they did every year. But here it was, March, and here they were on a completely unplanned trip, and here it was. As though the perfect ornament had found them. They looked deep into each other's eyes and smiled together, both knowing. It was perfect... -------------------------- Gina smiles wistfully as she places the old bearded man holding his tiny granddaughter high above his head into the perfect spot on the tree, just to the right of the sleeping baby, above the boy and girl snowmen holding hands. “It was perfect, Daddy.” She steps back to admire her handiwork. Seventeen beautiful ornaments, sixteen Christmases with Daddy and, well... Her smile grows strained at that last thought, and her eyes well up as she looks out the window at the cloudless December evening sky. “Do you like it, Daddy? Did I do good?” she whispers, her voice beginning to falter. Tears flow freely now as she sits in the rocker. So many nights she spent curled up in Daddy's lap here, diapered and jammied and nursing her bottle, watching a movie together, or him reading her a story. She curls up, pulling her knees tight to her chest, and her princess pink diaper reveals itself from under her nightgown with a pronounced rustle. She gazes once more out the window. “I miss you so much, Daddy...”

Hey All, Quite a few years ago I started a story on here called 'Duality'. The diaper dimension stories were fairly new and I fell in love with the idea of a place where people could truly be little (for better or worse). I wrote six chapters and then I stopped writing. At the time I was with someone I loved & trusted very much and I opened up to her about my little side - she did not react well and told me to "grow up and be a man". For the next four years I was ashamed of my little side and I hid it deep down. After we broke up I met someone new who is very much a supporter of my little side, and she loves & supports me for who I am. For the last year I have been on a path of finishing things that I started and never finished. I went back to college this year and finished off the last three courses of a program I took a break from a couple of years ago; I am graduating this month and moving on to an additional program next year! My next plan is to finish this story - I always regretted not finishing it and I am in a clear headspace now and I believe I can make it happen. For those of you who were fans of my stories back then, I am sorry it has taken me this long to get back to it. _______________________________________________________________ Chapter 1 Danielle looked up from her bed to see the door to her room opening slowly. The light of the bedside lamp illuminated the pink room plastered with awards, trophies, and photographs that all displayed her academic success. In the doorway stood her grandmother, a rather frail looking woman in her mid-seventies. “I almost forgot to give you this.” Her grandmother said as she handed her a letter. Danielle examined the envelope carefully before opening it. On the upper right corner there was a red and gold embossed logo that read “Ross Creek University”. “Oh my goodness Grammy, why didn’t you give this to me when I got home?” Her grandmother slowly sat on the bed beside her, “Well I couldn’t decide if I should give it to you or not.” “Gram, it is honestly all going to be okay! There is nothing to worry about.” “Nothing to worry about,” her grandmother said with a slightly elevated volume. “You haven’t witnessed the things I have. I don’t understand why you don’t want to go to school here.” “If I go to university here my degree won’t be valid anywhere but here. You know how it works gram, I need to go there so I can actually do something with my life.” Danielle explained. Her grandmother looked at her blonde haired granddaughter and smiled. She knew that there was no convincing her that there was any other option. Danielle had worked hard since a young age to get into an amazon university. She had always been capable of taking on much more than her peers. Her grandmother’s health had been failing for quite some time which required that Danielle took care of herself most days. “Okay, well lets open it up and see what it says.” Her grandmother said. Danielle’s hand was shaking nervously as she tore the left side of the letter open and peeled the rather thick bundle of papers from within. She read the first line of the letter and suddenly began to cry. Her grandmother’s smile then turned, “Oh honey it is okay, there are other options.” Danielle shook her head before croaking out, “No gram, it says I got in!” _____________________________________________________________________________ Danielle walked up to the brick house and rang the doorbell. “Hey Dani! Sam is upstairs if you want to head up.” Sam’s mother said. Sam had been Danielle’s best friend all the way through high school. They had been inseparable since the day they met in grade nine homeroom. She ran up the stairs clutching the bundle of papers as she went. The door to Sam’s room was wide open when she entered excitedly and out of breath, “You…You won’t believe this!” “Hey! I won’t believe what?” Sam said rather confused. Holding the letter up she replied, “This! I finally heard back!” Sam jumped up and gave her an enthusiastic hug, “Oh my God I am so proud of you! How did your Gram take the news?” Danielle looked down at her feet and mumbled out a reply, “Well, she seems to understand now. She is worried about my safety on the mainland.” “Everything we hear can’t be true though Dani. I mean, they can’t just abduct you and no one says anything!” Sam laughed. “So are you going to stay in residence?” “They don’t get many littles applying to go there so they don’t have housing set up for us. I’ll just have to find an apartment or a room somewhere.” Sam nodded, “Want to look online and see if we can find anything?” “You know it!” Danielle replied emphatically. Sam pulled out her laptop and loaded up Craig’s List, “So you are looking for a one bedroom close to campus?” “Yep, or just a bedroom in a house.” She replied. As Sam browsed through the ads one thing was becoming clear, finding an apartment that allowed littles was going to be rough. Many of the ad titles contained the phrase “No Littles” just as though they were denying access to a pet. The few apartments that did allow littles were in quite a derelict condition. “What am I going to do Sam? This is bad.” Danielle said with a pained expression on her face. Sam kept browsing for a few more seconds before she responded, “Well we will have to put up an ad and see if someone responds.” Deep in thoughts of homelessness and lost opportunity Danielle responded softly, “Yea I guess that’s all I can do.” Clicking the post ad button Sam started typing away at her computer, “WANTED APARTMENT FOR LITTLE ATTENDING UNIVERSITY IN THE FALL': Looking for one bedroom apartment or room in a house that is close to campus. I am enrolled in the Bachelor of Science program. I am a quiet girl who spends my evenings studying. Please contact me via e-mail please! Signed Danielle.” For the rest of the evening the two spent their time talking about the possibilities of the future. Sam talked about going to the local university and studying nursing. She hoped to get a local job that would allow her to stay in the area. She had never been one for travelling outside of her comfort zone. Around nine o’clock Danielle packed up her things, hugged her friend, and headed home. _________________________________________________________________________________ It was after seven when Pierre pulled into his driveway; it had been a long day of work at his medical practice. When he showed up for work that morning he already had a full waiting room of patients. He was one of only a few general practitioners in Ross Creek and this often caused him to take on more patients than he would like. His philosophy was that patients should have time to discuss their ailments in detail without feeling rushed but lately that was becoming harder and harder to accomplish. His wife Allison would be home soon from her professor job at the university. It was near the end of the winter semester and she had been busy getting things ready for finals. This included marking and editing final papers, updating marks, and preparing the actual final that students would write in less than a week. Just as he got the key in the large red door his wife pulled into the driveway in her station wagon. She got out carrying a brown paper bag containing their supper from the Kai Wing Chinese restaurant down the street from their home. It was tradition that on Fridays they would both get the number two special to celebrate the end of the work week. “Hey Hon, how was work?” Pierre asked her. Allison gave a huff and displayed a small smirk, “It was a long day but I got almost all my marking done for the semester.” It was fairly uncommon for her to be behind in her work at any point because of her innate ability to organize and prepare for the inevitable onslaught of work that would eventually come her way. “That is really good hon! I see you picked up our supper?” Pierre stated while brushing her brown curly hair to the side so he could give her a kiss. After dinner the two of them sat down to a bottle of wine and their favourite television show, Trading Spaces. The premise of the show was to switch two families from different backgrounds and see how each of them faired. They would often switch low income families with high income families or city families with country families. In this particular episode one of the families was from the mainland and another was from the Littles Island. “Those houses are so small!” Allison remarked. “I don’t see how a fully grown amazon could ever survive on that island for any length of time!” “I know, that must be torture. Those doorways are tiny and those beds are just ridiculous!” “Even worse is witnessing those littles try to navigate an amazon house! They can barely even get into bed or even use the washroom. I can see why so many of them get babied, they are so helpless in our world.” Allison stated. Pierre thought for a moment, “Yea I can see that. I find it hard to believe that people just abduct them off the street without giving them a chance though. I mean, if they display the ability to get by then maybe they should be left alone.” “Hon, look at them! Everything they do is a laboured effort just to get by. Getting onto a toilet is near impossible. It only makes sense that they are diapered. They need someone around to help them navigate our world and help them. It’s not fair to just watch them flounder around and struggle day to day.” “No I get that hon, I just think they are capable of contributing to our society even if they need help.” Pierre said. Allison watched the littles on the television for a few more minutes before speaking again, “Don’t you think they are adorable though? I mean, I just want to squeeze their little cheeks.” It had been a common occurrence lately that Allison displayed a maternal instinct. The truth of the matter was that it was impossible for the two of them to have kids. They had discovered this early on in their marriage when after several months of trying they finally broke down and went to see a doctor. The results indicated that Allison could not bear children and after this the two of them focused on their careers and put having children on the back burner. Pierre smiled at his wife, “Yea they are cute. I could imagine one of them pitter-pattering around this house.” Later in the evening when they were lying in bed Allison was browsing Craig’s List on her tablet. She really didn't have an idea what she was looking for but she often found herself browsing the site just to see if anything worth buying had popped up. It was during this moment she happened across an ad labeled “WANTED APARTMENT FOR LITTLE ATTENDING UNIVERSITY IN THE FALL”. Chapter 2 Since the discovery of the Littles Island with the advent of satellite imaging technology in the early sixties, the world had changed dramatically. Up until that point the world had been advancing technologically at a rate that many felt was too fast. Once littles were discovered there were many debates on what to do. It was determined early on that accommodating them on the mainland was going to be a problem. Much of the world’s technology had been invented and sized for amazons. Discovering a whole other miniature variation of themselves was not even talked about in science fiction literature up to that point and now here they were with a scenario they could never have imagined in a million years. Given that the littles only accounted for a very minute portion of the world’s population it was not practical to change much of their infrastructure to accommodate them. Inventing highway lanes for a little’s car was preposterous to them. Adding something as simple as a bathroom sized for a little was clearly not going to happen because how often would someone actually use it? The only solution that they could come up with was to keep on doing business as they had been. Amazons would have to help littles navigate through their world if that was required. Besides, plenty of amazon children who were similarly sized got by just fine this way. They had special chairs, booster seats, car seats, and similar things that could be adapted to suit a little. For most amazons this was the only solution and in their opinion if littles couldn’t navigate through their world than someone would have to take control and make sure they were getting the basic necessities. No self-respecting amazon would allow a little to struggle through life unfairly. _____________________________________________________________________________________ The morning light was just starting to flicker through the white curtains of the pink bedroom when Danielle woke up. It was her normal routine to wake up early even on weekends so she could really enjoy her day. She would often get up, brush her teeth, and then sit at her desk and browse the net for a while before she really started getting ready for the day. When she finally sat down at her computer she noticed a new e-mail notification on her e-mail client. Although she often got e-mails, it was generally just a bunch of junk mail that was of little relevance. But, this morning was different. The subject line of the e-mail read “Reply to Craig’s List ad number 409885”. “Hi Danielle! My husband and I have a room available in our house for you if you are interested. We live close to the campus and I also work there so transportation to and from the campus would be taken care of. If you would like to discuss the necessary arrangements please give us a call at the number listed below! –Allison” Danielle could hardly contain her excitement! She had spent most of the night tossing and turning because she was worried about the possibility that finding a place that would take a little would not be a reality. It was fairly evident that many of the places available on Craig’s List were not willing to accept a little signing a lease agreement. Having someone contact her within twenty-four hours was a blessing that she was not going to let pass by. Opening up Skype she quickly located Sam, “Found a place already! Have to work out the details over the phone.” About an hour later she got a reply from Sam, “First, what are you doing up so early? And second, that is awesome! Is it an apartment or a room? Any pictures of it?” “It is a room in a house. The woman who e-mailed me back said their house is close to the university and that she works there. She offered to drive me there every day!” “That sounds awesome Dani! Make sure you call today and get all the details. Hopefully it won’t be too expensive for you.” Sam said. “Yeah I know, it should be fairly inexpensive though since it is just a room and not a full apartment. I’ll try to get a photo of the room or house from them. This is so crazy!” “So what is the plan today? Are we hanging out?” Sam asked. “Obviously we are! We hang out every Saturday.” “Well did you want to head into town? We can go to the mall or something.” She stated. “Yea, sounds like a plan. I really need to get some new shirts and things for the summer.” Danielle replied. __________________________________________________________________________________________ Early the next morning Allison and Pierre were sitting at the breakfast table. Pierre was looking his normal disheveled self with his scruffy need to shave face, hair going in all different directions, and a glossy look in his eyes. It was evident to anyone who ever witnessed this side of him that he was not a morning person. On the other hand, Allison was in a sing-song mood. She had got up early and made pancakes topped with fresh blueberries for the two of them to eat. Looking down at her plate she began to talk, “So remember last night when you said you could imagine a little ‘pitter-pattering around this house’?” Pierre looked up with a mouthful of pancakes and gave a confused nod. “Well, last night after you fell asleep I was on my tablet surfing around on Craig’s List. I found a wanted ad looking for a bedroom that would take a little. She is going to the university this fall.” Looking at his wife he could see this was something that she was excited about. “Hon, that’s a big step for us.” “I know, but I really think it’s time. I have been feeling like we both are thinking the same thing – we are financially set up and we are still young enough to keep up with a child.” Thinking that he needed further convincing she went on, “I am about to have the summer off so I will have plenty of time to prepare for her arrival and that lets me make sure everything will be perfect.” When he thought about it he really couldn’t see why they shouldn’t take in somebody but he needed to make sure his wife was on the same page as him. As he had mentioned the previous evening, it was important to him that they didn’t just go abducting an unsuspecting victim off the street. “I am all for it dear, but I want to make sure that you are on the same wavelength as me.” Allison nodded, “Okay what are you thinking?” “Well for one, she needs to be aware of the conditions of her living here and she must be okay with them.” “I agree, that is extremely important to me as well.” She replied. “And second, if we are basically adopting this girl we need to make sure she is living up to her potential. She can’t just be babied all day, she needs to have goals and aspirations of her own. Yes, she will be our daughter who we dote over but she will also be working on her own things.” “Totally agree with that. We would need to make sure she is safe too Pierre. We can’t have her getting hurt in our house. Imagine a little falling out of bed at night or trying to climb onto the toilet? She could break their neck from those heights!” She exclaimed. Pierre listened intently before replying, “It sounds like somebody has really put a lot of thought into this. If this is something you really want, then I am all for it. I’ll let you take care of the preparations and you just tell me what to do. We’re in this together.” Getting up from her seat Allison walked over to Pierre and hugged him for everything he was worth, “You are an amazing man, you know that?” Smiling at his wife he replied, “And you are an amazing woman! I am the luckiest man alive.” Around noon that day the two of them decided they would go shopping. They needed some ideas for Danielle’s room and they also needed some groceries. The two of them were absolutely beaming as they exited the house and got into the car. When they returned there was a message on the phone, “Umm Hi, this is Danielle. I am calling about the room that you e-mailed me about. If you can just give me a call back that would be great!” Chapter 3 Danielle was getting off the ferry when she spotted Allison and Pierre waiting by the entrance to the terminal. Although she had video chatted with both of them quite often since her graduation, she was not prepared for just how drastically different in size they were from her. Even just walking off they ferry and through the waiting group of amazons she had felt like they were easily going to trample her by accident. As she got closer to them her nerves were getting the best of her otherwise normal calm disposition. She also was taking notice of just how beautiful Allison was with her shoulder length curly brown hair, her emerald green eyes, and her confident smile. “Hey there!” Pierre called over to her. Danielle waved at them as she approached, rolling her rather large purple suitcase behind her. She was wearing a cute summer dress decorated in sunflower motifs and a pair of floral print flats. “How was the trip?” Allison asked. “It was really long but it was neat to travel across the ocean like that. I was happy I wasn’t seasick on my first boat ride ever.” “We were pretty worried about that actually.” Pierre replied. “Well we should get this show on the road, we still have a couple hour drive to get home. I’ll take your suitcase for you too.” Pierre offered. Allison held out her hand for her to hold, “Why don’t you hold my hand, just so you don’t get lost in this crowd?” Danielle thought about it for a second before taking her up on the offer. It had been quite stressful for her to navigate through the crowd earlier and she honestly didn’t want to get lost. As Pierre was loading the suitcase into the station wagon he asked, “Okay so before we get going does anyone need to use the bathroom? Remember it is a couple hour drive.” “No I am good.” Danielle replied. “Okay, well if you want to hop in the back we will get moving.” He said. Looking into the back of the huge station wagon she could see a child’s car seat, although much larger than any child seat she had ever seen, and an empty seat. She promptly climbed into the empty seat and started to buckle herself in when she realized that the seat belt was running straight across her face when it was done up. Allison poked her head in the back seat and gave a slight chuckle, “Umm dear, I think you should be in the other seat.” Danielle looked down at the seatbelt that she was quietly wrestling with in a last ditch effort to make it function properly, “No this is okay I can handle this.” Allison smiled a little and then reached into the car to unbuckle the seat belt, “No, you need to be in the other seat because it is the law. Little girls and boys like you have to ride in car seats because seat belts aren’t designed for them.” Deciding not to argue with someone she just met in person, she hopped into the car seat and attempted to figure out just how the buckles in the car seat worked. “I have it honey.” Allison said as she grabbed each of the two arm belts and clipped them into the slot between Danielle’s legs. “There we are all set.” Although the idea of being in a child’s car seat bothered her, she could see why it was the law. The size of the car was amazing to her and reminded her of a monster truck; just the backseat was probably the size of a normal littles car. She found the seat to be surprisingly comfortable to sit in and it had many features not available in a normal seat like a cup holder, a large head rest that was the size of a pillow, and a bucket seat that felt like the perfect angle. While she was waiting for the car to start moving she was playing with the buckle to the seat belt that clipped in between her legs. No matter how much pressure she put on the release button she could not get it to unbuckle. The more she thought about it the more frustrated she got with it. There must be a trick to it she thought to herself. Once they were on the highway Pierre started talking, “We are glad you were able to move up early before school starts.” “Yea me too.” She replied. “It was a little sad leaving gram though.” “Yea we know how hard that was for you.” He replied. “We just thought it would be good for you to be moved in and settled in before school starts.” Danielle nodded in agreement, “It will be. I really appreciate you guys doing this for me too.” “Oh it’s no problem at all!” Allison said. The three of them continued to chat for the first hour of the drive before Danielle started to feel tired. Allison noticed that she had been yawning quite a lot before recommending that she just have a nap. Not soon after the recommendation she was sound asleep in the backseat. When they pulled into the driveway it was just turning dark out. Pierre carried in the luggage while Allison unbuckled Danielle from the car seat and woke her up, “Time to get up.” She woke up rather slowly before letting out a big yawn and hopping down out of the car seat rather glassy eyed and disoriented. “Thanks Allison.” She said. “Oh no problem honey, it is all part of the job.” She replied. Looking at the house she could not believe the enormous size of it; even the front door looked like something you would see on the gate of a castle. The house was a two story brick home with an immaculate flower garden on the front lawn and around the perimeter of the house was a white picket fence. To her it was one of the most amazing things that she had ever seen. As she followed them into the house Allison once again took her hand. _______________________________________________________________________________ “Why don’t we go in the living room to talk?” Allison asked. The three of them all entered the large living room at the same time. The room had dark hardwood floors, a light brown leather living room set, and an enormous flat screen television on the wall; of course to an amazon the television was a normal size for the room itself. The room was very neat and organized like the rest of the house. Danielle walked up to the large leather sofa and with some difficulty climbed up onto the cushion. Pierre was instantly there behind her to help her as a safety net in case she fell backwards. Allison sat down beside her and Pierre sat down in the love seat. “Okay, well first we want to say that we are overjoyed that you are here with us finally. It has been a long summer of waiting for the both of us and it makes us very happy that you decided to come live with us.” Pierre said. Blushing slightly she gave a nod, “I am happy as well. You both have been amazing today by helping me get here.” Looking somewhat nervous he continued, “I know we talked about this briefly before on video chat but both of us want to make sure you also know there are some rules while you are living here.” “Oh, you mean about me needed to allow you guys to help me with things?” She asked. Allison nodded before answering, “Exactly right. That would be the number one rule. We are aware that you are now graduated from high school and you are about to start university. But, as you know there are many, many, many differences here on the mainland compared to where you are from.” “You mean like the size of everything…” She interrupted. Allison nodded and continued, “Yes, that is what we worry about the most. The car seat today was only one of the items that are needed here for you to be safe. But, there are many more examples of this.” “The car seat wasn’t so bad though, but I just couldn’t figure out how the buckle worked. What else is there?” she asked. Taking the opportunity Pierre asked, “Well think about everyday things you did at your house that are now going to be big tasks.” She thought for a moment, “Well getting into this chair was pretty difficult. I had to climb up into it and I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to make it. So I am thinking that climbing up onto things is going to be a chore.” Allison nodded, “That is one of our main concerns here. A lot of the time you are going to need help with things as simple as getting food out of the cupboards or even getting clothes out of your closet. Now we don’t want you to be embarrassed by this but you are a little in a really big world and you will need help with things every day. We talked about how best to help you with this and we both think it would be best if we just take charge so you won’t be embarrassed about asking for things.” Danielle was blushing profusely by now because she was feeling embarrassed but she knew they were offering her a great deal of support. She knew that living on the mainland was going to be a difficult thing to accomplish, but she really hadn’t realized just how much larger and arduous things were going to be. “So are you okay with everything so far?” Pierre asked. Danielle nodded, “Yea I am okay with that. It is just embarrassing though.” “Oh honey, we don’t ever want you to feel embarrassed by needing help. That is exactly why we want to be the ones taking charge so you don’t feel guilty or embarrassed and then not ask for help when you really needed it. We want you safe and secure while you are with us at all times.” Allison said. Pierre waited a second before continuing, “Okay so the next rule! The big, ugly and scary rule!” He chuckled a little, “You need to keep an A- average while you are in school.” Danielle, although still blushing, gave a little chuckle before replying, “I can do that. I have never had issues with keeping my grades up.” “That is a very good thing!” Allison said before continuing on, “But if you ever need help both Pierre and I want you to come to us and we will help you with whatever it is. You doing well in school is very important to us. We want to make sure you do well here and can eventually get a career of your choice.” “Okay, and the third and final rule is that breaking either rule one or two will result in some sort of punishment. We need you to take them seriously and we want you to accept that we are looking out for your wellbeing.” Pierre said as a matter of fact. Danielle’s eyes went somewhat wide before she stammered out a reply, “Wh…What kind of punishment?” “Well, you could be grounded, corner time, have something taken away from you or if it is something really bad you could have a spanking.” He replied. Still wide eyed she replied nervously, “I will try to be on my best behaviour for you both!” At this point she was feeling butterflies trying to fly out of her stomach. “Okay, so now that we have gone through all that do you have any questions?” Pierre asked. She thought for a second before shaking her head no, “Nope – I think I get it.” “Okay, so my question to you is,” Pierre paused her to add suspense, “What do you like on your pizza? I am starving and I think we should order some supper.” Danielle laughed, “I like just cheese on mine if that is okay.” “Okay, so why don’t you and Allison go upstairs and she will help you get a bath and then give you the grand tour of your room. While you two are doing that, I will go pick up the pizza.” Danielle nodded as Allison held out her hand for her to hold and then led her up the stairs. ____________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 4 In a moment of retrospective contemplation, Danielle was feeling a bit overwhelmed. She was standing in the upstairs bathroom staring at her reflection in the mirror. With the events of the past day playing heavily in her mind she was having trouble coming to terms with all the changes in her life. The conversation that they had just had in the living room contained many heavy hitting points. Was she really ready to give up control of her life? Was she really going to be as helpless in this world as she was being told she would be? Her reflection had changed over the course of twenty-four hours from an adult to that of a child. Yesterday’s mirror displayed a young adult ready to take on the world. It displayed a physically fully grown girl who had suffered the pains of growth spurts, had gone through puberty, and had eventually become an attractive young adult. Today’s mirror was displaying something different and it seemed to her like she had shrunk and everything around her was monstrously large and unknown. Allison could tell that she was deep in thought and attempted to get her to open up about it, “What are you thinking about?” Giving a quick shrug she replied, “I dunno.” “Are you really okay with everything we discussed?” She probed further. Danielle thought for a few seconds, “To be honest, I am really nervous about everything. I want to show you both that I am an adult and that I am capable of making this all work.” “Oh honey, we know you are an adult! But, we want you to be comfortable and capable of focusing on school. Don’t you think it would be easier to focus on school if someone was helping you with everything else in your life?” She asked. “I can’t really argue with that.” Danielle replied. “I think you need to be an adult at school and I also think you need to let us take care of you here. We only want the best for you and we are committing to that.” Thinking further about it she could honestly say it was comforting to know that someone had her back. Her whole life she was basically taking care of herself and answering only to herself. Her grandmother was around but she wasn’t really committed to doting over her granddaughter and making sure that she was doing the right things in life. Allison started filling the tub with bath water and quickly added some lavender bubble bath to it. “Okay, I am going to lay out some things in your room and I will be right back.” Danielle nodded to her and stood in the bathroom somewhat nervously thinking about the upcoming awkwardness of being naked in front of an almost stranger. This whole day was really starting to drain her of her energy and she gave a long yawn. A minute later Allison returned to the bathroom carrying a couple of large rubber ducks to place in the tub. “I almost forgot to put these little guys in the tub! Okay let’s get you into the water there missy.” She reached out and grabbed the hem of Danielle’s dress and lifted it over her hair. It briefly got tangled in her blonde hair before it let go and fell to the floor. She undid her bra and placed it on top of the dress. The final removal of her underwear left Danielle standing in the bathroom stark naked and blushing bright red. “It is okay honey, no need to be embarrassed. Let’s get you soaking in the bubbles!” Allison grabbed her under the arm pits and effortlessly lifted her up and placed her in the lavender scented water. “Do you want to scrub your arms while I work on your hair?” She asked while handing a bar of soap to her. Grabbing the soap she began to quickly wash her arms, arm pits, and fingers. She was so busy focusing on her task that she barely noticed Allison wetting her hair and beginning to work the flowery smelling shampoo into her hair. By the end of the bath she was feeling quite relaxed and sleepy; Lavender had always made her feel more relaxed and tired. She had started to push the ducks around and through the bubbles when she was pronounced squeaky clean and was plucked from the water. She was wrapped in a fluffy white towel and dried off rather expediently before she was picked up and carried off down the hall towards her room. Danielle wasn’t expecting what she witnessed when she was introduced to her room. She had always thought that it would be four walls, a dresser, and mainly rather plain. What she was given was so much more than her imagination could have come up with. The walls of the room were purple and had several decorative butterfly decals sporadically. On one side of the room there was a large toy chest, dresser, and some sort of table. On the other side was a large sleigh style crib with pink bedding and a couple of teddy bears on one end. Danielle looked around the room before she became too overwhelmed and buried her head into Allison’s shoulder. “Is everything okay honey?” She asked while patting her back. She replied by giving a shrug. “Is it the crib?” She asked. Danielle waited a few seconds before giving a slow nod. She didn’t want Allison to think she hated her room. It was clear they had spent a lot of time making it up the way it was and she needed them to know she appreciated it. But there was the issue of the bed, why did they think she needed a crib? “Well, I know it’s pretty babyish, huh.” She replied. “Just a little.” “Okay, I can understand that. But, think about how high up a normal bed is. If you fell from that height you could break an arm, a leg, or worse. We talked a lot about how best to deal with that issue and we couldn’t come up with a better solution.” Waiting a few seconds to let that sink in she then continued, “So let’s give it a shot and if it is unbearable you just tell us and we will work with you to find a better way. I personally think you will find it super comfy. Is that okay honey?” Thinking it over she gave a nod, “Yeah, I’ll give it a shot I guess.” “Okay, well we should get you into some jammies before Pierre gets home with the pizza.” Allison placed her up on the rather odd looking table beside the dresser. It had a cushion on the top that was obviously meant for someone to lay on. There were three shelves on the lower sections of the table. Reaching below to one of the levels she grabbed a rather fluffy looking pink plastic item and set it by her feet. She began to unfold it when Danielle realized what it was; it was a diaper. Noticing Danielle was starting to look worried she spoke up, “You only have to wear these at night honey. It will just be easier for everyone in case you have to use the washroom in the night. That way Pierre and I don’t have to get up in the night to help you up onto the toilet. Okay?” At this point she was too exhausted to fight with Allison and she nodded her acceptance. Maybe it was a ridiculous concept, and maybe it wasn’t. The crib meant she couldn’t get out of bed at night on her own and that would be a recipe for disaster. She always had to get up in the night to go to the bathroom. If she had a normal bed, well normal for an amazon, she probably still would need help getting down. She thought that maybe a step stool or a small ladder would be required to get off the bed and then she would need it once again just to get up on the toilet. There were so many factors to compute even for a simple act of using the bathroom at night. She decided in this moment to just go with the flow. She was tired and she was not in the mood to put down her foot and assert her place as an adult. “Okay, lift up your bum sweetie.” Allison asked as she slid the diaper under her. Reaching below to one of the shelves she grabbed a bottle of powder and began to sprinkle some onto her bum and privates. Pulling the front of the diaper up, she fastened the two sticky tabs which secured her in it for the night. Once the diaper was in place she grabbed a pink t-shirt with a sparkly unicorn motif on the front and a pair of pink pajama pants and quickly dressed her in them. Once this was all completed she picked her up and carried her down the stairs. “Well it looks like Pierre isn’t home with the pizza yet, do you want to sit on the chair with me?” She asked her. Danielle just gave a nod and rested her head into Allison’s shoulder. She was feeling a bit emotional and at the moment snuggling in was making her feel better and a fair bit safer. When Pierre finally arrived with the pizza her set it on the table and went to find where the two of them were. When he entered the living room his heart melted. There was Danielle snuggled into Allison’s shoulder with Allison slowly rubbing her back. After their earlier conversation he was sure that Danielle would be able to handle the changes in her life but he wasn’t so sure that she would settle in this quickly. “Okay, supper is ready you two.” Pierre said. Allison looked up at him, smiling, and slowly got up and walked into the kitchen carrying her. Once in the kitchen she grabbed the highchair and pulled it close to the table. She removed the white plastic tray and set Danielle into the chair, buckled the seat belt, and placed the plastic tray back on the highchair. Pierre came over with a massive slice of pizza, cut into squares, and placed it on the tray in front of Danielle, “Bon appetite!” He then placed a small plastic cup of water down and then went to grab himself a slice of pizza. Once everyone was done eating pizza Pierre let her out of the highchair and set her on the floor. He handed her her plate and asked her to take them over to the dishwasher and place them on the rack. Once her task was complete Allison said it was time for everyone to go to bed since it was getting late and they had had a busy day. They all walked up the stairs and up to Danielle’s room. Pierre gave her a hug, “Thank you for coming to stay with us. I know it’s all a little strange right now but remember that we are only trying to help.” “I understand, thank you for everything today Pierre.” Allison picked her up under the arm pits and pulled her in close for a hug and then placed her in the crib. She lifted the blankets and let her crawl under the blankets and then she raised the side of the crib. “Goodnight honey.” She said as she walked toward the door and shut out the lights. ________________________________________________________________ Chapter 5 Danielle woke up with the early morning light flittering through the curtains and illuminating her room. The memories of yesterday were at the forefront of her thoughts from the moment she awoke. She remembered the moment she witnessed her room and the feeling of embarrassment that accompanied it. But on the opposite side, she also remembered her instinct to snuggle in tighter to Allison the moment she felt embarrassed. Was she really a baby in their eyes? If she was, could she handle that? Laying in her crib she was feeling very comfortable and couldn’t honestly say she hated it. Obviously it was not a cheap product and someone had spent a long time making it which was evident in the details of the woodwork. The one odd side effect of the crib was her feeling of security which was opposite of her expectation; she thought it would cause her to feel trapped and claustrophobic. Looking around the room she was now noticing the little details that weren’t noticed the night before. Above her crib were decorative letters with a floral motif that spelled out her name ‘Danielle’, there were glow in the dark stars built into the ceiling that showed many of the prominent constellations of the night sky, and the curtains were white with multi-coloured butterflies on them. Noticing the teddy bear located at the other end of the crib she crawled over to examine it. Around its neck it had a nametag that read ‘Ted’. He was about half her height tall and he was a dark brown colour. Once she finished examining him she dragged him towards the head of the crib and laid down next to him. Feeling his soft fur she pulled him in close for a quick hug. While she was waiting for someone to come get her she couldn’t help thinking about all of the things she had lost in the last twenty-four hours. Yesterday she had been fairly complacent in giving up control of everything but her education. Passing over control to two fairly unknown people was an absolutely odd idea and when it was proposed to her a few months ago in video chat she thought they had lost their minds. Once they had explained their reasoning she had felt a bit less opposed to the idea. “You were raised on your island and you were taught everything you needed to know to survive there.” Pierre said. “But here on the mainland, you really don’t know any of our customs or ways of doing things.” “It can’t be that different Pierre.” She had replied. “But it can, do you know how many littles come here and end up in the care of Amazons just because they were impolite in some way. There are people who would think nothing of picking you up and taking you home where you would be forced to give up all control of your life.” Pierre emphasized the control part. Allison began to explain, “Believe me dear, we are progressive people compared to most. Many here on the mainland wouldn’t even think of letting a little go to school let alone university.” Danielle was shocked at this point, “We were always told those stories weren’t real though.” “If we are the ones making the decisions, outside of your university life, we can protect you from the people who wouldn’t have your best interests at heart. We want you to succeed as much as possible honey.” Allison said. When the video call ended everything kind of made sense to her and she spent the rest of the summer contemplating the inevitable loss of control. They had chatted quite often after that night and had discussed the mainland’s finer points as well. There were many beautiful places for her to visit or even eventually live, plenty of companies where she could work, and there were going to be some genuinely nice people who only wanted the best for her. ______________________________________________ She was beginning to wonder when someone would come to get her when the door slowly opened up and Allison poked her head in to check on her. When she noticed Danielle was awake she approached the crib, “Hey honey! How was your sleep?” She asked in a hushed tone. Danielle yawned before replying, “It was good.” Noticing that she was cuddling with the bear she lowered the side of the crib, “Uh huh, and how did you find your bed? Was it bearable?” She laughed a little, “Uh huh. Way more comfortable than my bed back home. It is crazy squishy and it feels a lot like sleeping on a big pillow.” Smiling down at her she began to speak, “So did you need to use your diapers last night?” With this question she pulled the back of her pajama pants down and slipped a finger into the leg hole to check. This took Danielle by surprise as she stood there awkwardly holding her teddy bear. “Just a little damp honey.” She said as she lifted her up, pulled her pajama pants back up, and carried down the stairs and into the kitchen where Pierre was busy making some eggs, bacon, and toast. “Morning Danielle!” He said. It was clear he was feeling just as tired as she was by the dishevelled look of him. “Morning.” She replied as she was placed in the highchair. Allison fastened the seat belt and then clipped the tray into place. While she was waiting for breakfast she couldn’t help but wonder when her diaper would be exchanged for underwear. The diaper wasn’t uncomfortable or anything but it was more the idea of it that anything. Remembering back to the middle of the night she recalled needing to pee quite badly. It was an odd sensation when she finally was able to let go and pee in the diaper and at first she could feel the warm liquid against her skin before it was wicked away. After that, it was a bit bigger between her legs and quite a bit warmer. Not long after being placed in the chair she was handed a small plate that had two eggs with ketchup, a couple pieces of toast, and three strips of bacon. Danielle was not used to having a big breakfast like this because usually she was left to fend for herself in the mornings. The usual meal before school consisted on Fruit Loops with a bit of milk on them. “Umm may I have a drink of something?” She asked. “Sure honey. Would you like juice or milk?” Pierre asked while holding up both containers from the fridge. “Juice please.” She replied. Pierre filled up a cup and set it down on the highchair tray before both he and Allison sat down at the small four person table with their huge plates of breakfast. Danielle looked down at the pink cup before realizing it had a spill proof lid on it. She picked it up and flipped it upside down to test the effectiveness of the cup which resulted in a few small drops of orange juice on the tray. Just as they all began eating the doorbell rang. Pierre stood up and walked over to the main door to see who was there. Danielle couldn’t see the main entrance but she could hear them talking and eventually could hear them taking off their shoes and heading in the direction of the kitchen. She was worried because Allison had not changed her out of her pajamas and worse her wet nighttime diaper. A small look of panic spread across her face as she attempted to slump down in her chair. Allison quickly noticed the distressed look on her face, “Oh honey it is okay! Don’t worry about it, it is only Pierre’s parents and I assure you they are nice people!” Just as she finished talking Pierre and his parents all walked into the kitchen. Both of them were in their mid-sixties and had just retired from their jobs where his father was an engineer for a local firm and his mother worked as a nurse at the hospital. From Danielle’s perspective they both seemed like they were nice people just by the way they carried themselves. They didn’t seem to negatively cloud the air with their presence the moment they walked into the room. “Hi Allison!” His mother said as she made her way over to Danielle’s chair. “And this, must be Danielle.” She said as she got down to her eye level and smiled. “I am Elizabeth and this is Raymond, we are Pierre’s parents.” Danielle was blushing quite a bit, “Ummm, Hi.” “Did you just wake up? I see you are in your jammies.” She asked as she pointed at the sparkly unicorn on her shirt. “Uh huh, I just woke up a little bit ago. I didn’t have time to get changed yet.” She said as she tried to pull her shirt down to cover up her diaper. “Well that’s no issue dear, they are pretty cute pajamas for a pretty cute girl.” Elizabeth said as she tickled her chin a little. Danielle smiled and then gave a somewhat nervous grin in the direction of Pierre and Allison. “Eat up honey.” Allison said pointing to her plate. Focusing on cutting up her breakfast and eating it was helping her ignore the awkwardness of meeting new people in her current condition. “Do you guys want any breakfast?” Pierre asked his parents. Both of them shook their heads, “No thanks dear, we ate before leaving home a little bit ago. So, when does everyone else show up?” Elizabeth asked. Danielle’s ears perked up and she stopped mid chew to contemplate ‘everyone else’. “We made the invite for this afternoon just so we could have the morning to get everything ready. We wanted to make sure she was settling in well before hand.” Allison answered. “So what all has to be done to get ready?” Raymond asked. “Everything is all-ready food wise, but we need to set some chairs out by the pool and just a few little things like that. There are only going to be around fifteen people here.” Pierre replied. Danielle was finished her breakfast and was sitting in her highchair intently staring at her spill proof cup. Whenever she was feeling overwhelmed she had a habit of picking something inconspicuous to stare at so that her mind could focus on something else. Chapter 6 Everyone sat at the table for quite a while as they ate and talked. During the whole duration of the conversation Danielle wished that someone would let her out of the highchair so she could run up the stairs and change out of her pajamas and especially her wet diaper. She couldn’t tell if anyone had recognized that she was diapered but she was determined to keep pulling her shirt down to cover it just in case. “Okay, let’s go get you changed into some clothes.” Allison said as she lifted her from the highchair. “Do you want some help?” Elizabeth offered. “No thanks Liz, we should be fine right now. Maybe later though.” She replied. A wave of relief swept over Danielle as she realized that Elizabeth wouldn’t see her in diapers or naked. On the way up the stairs she whispered, “Thanks.” “Honey, I could tell that you weren’t okay with the idea. But, you should know that there will be times when they are going to be taking care of you. Not for a little while, but it will happen.” Allison set her down on the change table and began to take off her pajama pants and shirt. She unfastened both sides of the slightly wet diaper and began to wipe her down with a fresh cloth. “But, why? I am an adult now, I don’t need anyone to babysit me!” Danielle said with an annoyed tone. “We discussed this last night dear.” Allison quickly replied. “We discussed that ‘you’ guys were in charge but not anyone else.” She was beginning to get a little frustrated by the decisions made that she was being left out of. She hadn’t had a babysitter since she was ten and she didn’t believe it was time to start having one now. “Well, with us being in charge that means that we are in charge of your safety and that includes when we aren’t around. Think about it like this, if we weren’t home and you needed to make something to eat for supper how would you do it?” Thinking about it for a second she replied, “Well you could just have something I could microwave I guess.” “Okay, and how would you get up to the microwave to accomplish that?” Allison asked. Feeling like she was losing this battle she continued on, “I could push a chair over and stand on it.” Adding one more nail in the coffin, Allison continued on, “What if you needed to use the washroom and no one was home?” “That’s an easy one, I could just climb up and use the toilet!” She smugly replied. “Okay, let’s test that idea out then!” She picked Danielle up, still naked, and carried her towards the bathroom. Once in the bathroom she placed her on the floor and asked her to demonstrate how she could accomplish such a simple task without help. Looking up at the large toilet she suddenly realized this would be a feat for her to accomplish. The toilet seat was at the same level as her shoulders and even with a step stool she would need help getting up and onto the toilet. She tried to plan a safe route that would allow her to easily jump up and sit down but all she could come up with was to grab onto the toilet paper roll holder and hope it could hold her without breaking while she attempted to climb up. Looking down at her Allison began, “Do you think maybe you would need help now that you see what you are dealing with?” Folding her arms she mumbled out a reply, “Still don’t want a babysitter.” “Well sometimes, we don’t always get exactly what we want or need. You need someone to help you even if you don’t want it.” She picked her back up and carried her across the hall and placed her back on the changing table. She was confident she had made her point even if Danielle was refusing to concede defeat. “Okay, so you now know there is a small family get together today.” She began. “We wanted it to be a surprise for you but Pierre’s parents kind of ruined that this morning.” Danielle decided to be truthful, “It’s pretty scary.” “Meeting new people is always scary, but these people are all nice and they have wanted to meet you since they heard you were coming to live with us. It’s not often that a new member of the family comes along.” Allison explained. A new member of the family. Had she heard that right? Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. She tried to stop it from happening but she couldn’t stop them forming. She hadn’t had any family but her gram since she was nine. The door to the classroom opened and a sullen looking brunette walked over to the teacher. The two whispered for a moment before she noticed they were looking at her. “Danielle, can you go with Ms. Smith?” She looked around confused at the rest of her class as she picked up her small ninja turtle book bag and walked towards the lady. She didn’t think she did anything wrong that day. She thought back to lunch time and recess and tried to think of anything she might have done that would have got her in trouble. Nothing was coming to mind. “Sorry to take you from class dear.” Ms. Smith said with a small grimace evident on her face. “Am I in trouble?” She asked bluntly. “Oh no, not at all. Your Grammy is here and wants to talk to you.” She replied. She had been staying with her grandmother for the week while her parents were on vacation on the mainland. Her grandmother was her only family because all of her other grandparents had passed away and she had no aunts or uncles. Her parents had been gone for five days and she was feeling excited that they would be back in two days. They walked into the principal’s office and took a seat. Grammy was sitting in a seat next to her and she was crying quite a bit. “Why are you crying Grammy?” She asked. Her grandmother reached out and placed her hand over hers, “Honey, your parents…” She paused for a second to pull herself together, “Your parents have passed away.” With a look of confusion on her face she asked, “What do you mean Grammy? Where are they?” “The truth is the police aren’t sure where they are, they went on a river boat trip and they never returned. They think they fell overboard and no one noticed right away.” Danielle was now in complete disbelief. Her parents were always strong swimmers and they had made a point of placing her in swimming lessons from a young age. Being able to swim was an important thing to them – this couldn’t have happened. They would be back in two days and then she would be able to prove to everyone that they were fine. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Allison looked down at her and wondered what she said that was upsetting her, “Oh honey what’s wrong?” Danielle shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t know. I just don’t have any family.” Her heart was breaking for this girl. Danielle had explained her situation but she had always put on the façade that she was fine with her life but obviously this girl needed to feel included. “You have a family here Danielle.” Wiping the tears from her eyes she smiled, “Thank you Allison.” Grabbing a pair of pink underwear, Allison began to dress her. After the underwear, she grabbed a cute floral print sundress and slipped it over Danielle’s head. “This should be comfy today, it is supposed to be pretty warm today.” “I like sundresses a lot.” Danielle added. “I like them a lot too and especially on you.” Allison emphasized the last part. “Now today, you need to make sure you come to us when you need to use the bathroom so that way there aren’t any accidents.” “No problem, I can handle it.” __________________________________________________ For some reason the next two chapters have given me a ton of trouble while I tried to work out some of the details. Hopefully you all like them! If you like the story or have ideas please comment! Your criticism, ideas, or excitment all are welcome and I genuinely enjoy reading them all! __________________________________________________ Chapter 7 Once Allison and Danielle returned downstairs they found that everyone was outside preparing for the upcoming party. The night before she hadn’t even noticed that the house had a pool in the backyard; most of it was surrounded by large fir trees which created an aura of privacy. There were various Adirondack chairs on the wooden deck that were either painted blue or red. When they finally made it outside, Elizabeth was busy putting a plastic table cloth on the wooden picnic table and both Pierre and his father were getting chairs from the garage that were being setup around the deck. “You don’t have to do that Elizabeth.” Allison said. “Oh it’s no problem at all. I figured we could get setup before lunch so we could all relax before everyone shows up.” Danielle looked around the backyard before wandering over to where Pierre and Raymond were standing, “What can I help with?” She asked. Pierre smiled at her, “These chairs are pretty big but I know exactly what you can help me do. The cat got out when we opened the door earlier, do you think you could look around the backyard and find him for me?” “Yeah, I can do that. What does she look like?” She asked. “He is a black tabby – he is a pretty big guy. Usually hides in the bushes beside the garage when he gets out. His name is Thunder and if you call his name he might come to you.” “No problem, I got this.” She replied as she began to wander off to look for Thunder. Much of the backyard that was not occupied by the pool was comprised of various flower gardens and a few herb gardens. When she got over by the side of the double-car garage she noticed quite a few bushes all in a row. She quickly scanned the front of the bushes for any sign of the cat but she couldn’t see him. “Thunder!” She called. “Thunder kitty! Here boy.” She called again. With no sign of the cat she decided to get her hands dirty by climbing into the massive bushes to see if he was hiding further back. Once inside the bush she could vaguely make out the shape of a rather large cat sitting about six feet from her. He was easily double the size of the cats on the island which made her wonder what else on the mainland was larger. ‘If this is the size of a cat then how big is a dog’ she pondered. Slowly edging herself towards Thunder, she finally made it close enough to pet him. He was a friendly cat, despite his enormous size, and he had a rather manly deep sounding purr. After a few minutes she decided it was time to pick him up and get him back into the house. When she got him in her arms the realization that he was much larger that she could have imagined and a bit like trying to pick up a medium sized dog. After finally getting him to the back patio door she decided she would need help sliding the door open, “Ummm Allison, can you open the door please?” “Oh you found Thunder!” She replied excitedly as she opened the door allowing Danielle to set the cat down on the floor. “There, the cat is back inside. What else can I do to help?” She asked. Allison looked around the yard, “I think we are almost done honey. Why don’t you go play over by the slide until we are all done here?” Allison said while pointing to the small play structure. A little annoyed by being dismissed as useful help, Danielle looked down and slowly made her way over to examine the play structure. It had a small blue plastic slide, two swings, and a small sandbox off to the side. ‘I’ll just swing for a little while. I’m not going to play like some little kid that is just ridiculous.’ She thought. When she got to the swings she realized all the swings were set perfectly for someone of her height. When she sat down on the swing and began swinging she realized it wasn’t that bad. She never really got to play a whole lot as a child. It wasn’t that she wasn’t allowed or was expected to be doing something else, it was just something she never really thought about. “Do you want a push?” Pierre asked. Looking over her shoulder she could see him standing there, “If you want to I guess.” A few seconds later she felt his hands give a small push. It didn’t take long until she was going quite high, “Higher Pierre! Higher!” “One more push and then we need to go inside and start getting ready for lunch.” Pierre said as he gave her the final push. Slowing down had proved to be something Danielle wasn’t thinking about when she started swinging without her shoes on. Thinking of her options she came to two conclusions. The first was that she could put her bare feet down and risk hurting them. The second option was to wait for the swing to slow down a bit and then jump off the swing and onto the grass. After a few seconds her mind was made up and she leapt from the swing. When she landed on the grass she slipped and scraped her knee on something which caused it to start bleeding. The scratch was only an inch long but the stinging pain was too much for Danielle. Tears started welling up in her eyes as she laid on the ground. “Are you okay honey?” Pierre said as he came over to help her up. Because she was embarrassed about messing up the landing and now crying in front of him she could only shake her head no. Once Pierre picked her up she wrapped her arms around his neck and continued to softly cry as he carried her into the house. Allison noticed the small trickle of blood running down Danielle’s leg, “Oh my, what happened Pierre?” “Oh she jumped off the swing and scraped her knee.” He replied. Allison walked over to them and began to rub her back in slow circles in an attempt to calm her down a little, “Are you okay honey?” Again, she was at a loss of words and she shook her head no. Elizabeth looked in her purse for a moment before pulling out a small first aid kit and handed it to Allison, “This should have everything you need in it.” Opening it up she took out some gauze and wiped the wound down and then placed a cloth backed Band-Aid over the cut. “There that should do.” She exclaimed before bending down to give Danielle a kiss on the forehead. “All better now?” “Yes, thank you.” She replied as Pierre kissed her on the top of the head and placed her down on the floor. “Well let’s start thinking about some lunch and then it is time for someone to have a nap.” Allison said. Danielle thought for a second, “But I don’t need a nap.” “We think you do honey. It is a big day and you will probably be up later than your bedtime tonight so a nap will make sure you don’t get cranky tonight.” She replied. ______________________________________________ Danielle woke up slowly from her hour and a half long nap. When she was diapered and put down for a quick nap, she was feeling rather mad that they thought she would need the extra sleep in order to stay up later. But, not long after laying down she pulled her teddy in close and quickly fell asleep. The door to her room opened slowly and Danielle heard Allison say to someone else, “She should be awake by now.” Peeking around a crib railing she could see the outline of a girl a little shorter than Allison. She was clearly an amazon by her size, but she looked like a teen to Danielle. “Hi honey!” Allison said. “This is my niece Lizzy, she has been waiting for weeks to meet you.” “Hi Danielle!” Lizzy said excitedly to her. Laying in just a diaper and a t-shirt she was feeling quite conscious of her child-like appearance to the blond haired and blue eyed teen. “Hi Lizzy.” She choked out. Allison let the side of the crib down and picked her up and out of the crib. Grabbing a pink dress with a ribbon bow that went around the waist from the closet, she hooked the coat hanger on the side of the change table, “Let’s get you in your party dress, okay?” Danielle was set down on the floor and her shirt was pulled up and over her head leaving her standing in the room in only a diaper. The dress was slipped over her head and her arms were pulled through the very short sleeves. Allison reached under the dress and slipped two fingers into the leg hole of the diaper to check for dampness. “All dry, you are all set then.” She said. Standing there examining the child-like dress, Danielle wondered why she was still wearing the diaper. Whispering to Allison in an attempt to hide her words from Lizzy she asked, “So I can take it off now?” “You mean your dress?” Allison asked. Blushing a bit she whispered back, “No the D…Diaper.” “Oh honey, I think we should leave that on just for the afternoon in case of emergencies. If you need to go to the bathroom you just come to me or Pierre and we will help you out okay?” She replied. “But you promised!” Danielle replied and she raised her voice a little. “I know honey, I just think it’s going to be a hectic afternoon and we want to make sure you don’t have to worry about any accidents.” She replied. Now understanding what the whispering was about Lizzy piped in, “Don’t worry about wearing a little thing like that! I think it is a good idea just in case.” Shrugging and looking down at the floor Danielle finally gave in to the idea, “I guess but I don’t need it.” She mumbled. “Do you want me to carry you downstairs?” Allison asked. Danielle nodded and reached up towards her.

What is like sleeping in diapers I’ll don’t wear yet but I’ll might one

Check out Fruitkitty's diaper reviews on Adisc and you can look up the specs that he found. Here's the one for the Safari. And here's the one for the Abena Abri-Form. A quick read of the two reviews show that the medium Safari is 26 inches wide, and the medium Abena is 24.5 inches wide. However, your best bet is to buy a sample of a medium Safari and a large Safari, and wear them for yourself. Once you figure out which one fits best, buy it in bulk and save.

Kaiser Bill

I would like to apologize for the absence of this story. As some of you may have heard, I was suspended from Patreon for, ironically enough, my more pure stories. I guess you can't have both kinky sex based stories alongside more wholesome fare...Who knew? Still, I shouldn't have taken so long to get this story back on track. As a bit of a gift, I rewrote the last chapter so that it flows a bit better and the drug's effects are more understandable. Also, I made sure to give you guys the good stuff in this update. Pure, diaper changing bliss. Anyway, without further delay, I bring you the new installment of "Too Good To Be True"! ----- With the flip of a lever, Mrs. Reinhardt lowered the side of the crib and leaned forward to scoop up Faye. The larger woman slipped her hands in between Faye's armpits and hoisted the diaper clad beauty up off of the mattress. Luckily, for the new mommy, it wasn't very difficult to lift her baby up since the young woman wasn't very heavy. In fact, she felt as light as a twig to the media mogul who carried her prive over to the changing table. Mrs. Reinhardt paused for a brief moment and savored the feeling of holding her precious adult baby. She could smell Faye's shampoo due to how the mentally impaired woman rested her head on Mrs. Reinhardt's shoulder. It was so heavenly! All the years of conquering the airwaves and consolidating her network as the number one source of entertainment, had left her feeling empty. For most of her adult life she had longed for someone to help her feel whole again. She had filled that void in her life with hookers who she diapered and talked baby talk to, but this was different. Faye truly needed her now. To think that all she really needed in her life was someone that was dependant upon on her for everything. Someone she could love and take care of unconditionally. It was so simple and yet so bizarre that diapering and babying another grown woman would be what she ultimately considered to be her biggest accomplishment to date. After savoring the moment of holding her new baby, Mrs. Reinhardt sensed her five foot four bundle of joy getting a bit restless. She gently placed the lavender haired gal onto the oversized changing table with ease and reached underneath the surface of the table to grab her supplies. "Abbu labbama." "I know, sweetness. Just a second and Mommy will get you out of that wet diaper and into some dry pampers." Wasting no time, Mrs. Reinhardt sat the baby powder and wipes down on the side of the table before she grabbed Faye's ankles. With practically no effort, Mrs. Reinhardt guided the girl's legs until her knees were resting just below her breasts, leaving her big padded bottom sticking out. The rotund woman couldn't resist giving her baby's big diapered butt a few playful pats. "Something tells me that you'll be making mommy a lot of presents later." Faye was too far gone to even acknowledge that she was being spoken to. The young woman merely gurgled and cooed happily while her new mommy untaped her diaper and slowly peeled it off of her moist butt. "Hmm, this diaper could've handled a lot more, but I don't want my baby getting a rash." Mrs. Reinhardt balled the old dirty diaper up and then grabbed Faye's ankles. She hoisted her girl's legs towards the ceiling, which involuntarily caused a giggle to escape from her mentally devoid baby's mouth. With her free hand, she managed to slip a new diaper under her perfectly round butt. Mrs. Reinhardt then grabbed a bottle of lotion from the side of the table. She gave it a few pumps, freeing the cool moisturizer into her palm. Once she had enough lotion, she began to slowly rub Faye's exposed pussy and all around her bald crotch, working the soothing lotion into every fold. While this was happening, Faye was miles away mentally, but her body responded to the physical stimulus in much the manner that Mrs. Reinhardt had expected it to. "Aww, getting all wet for mommy?" Mrs. Reinhardt cooed down to her mindless baby. "Let's wait until I get your new pamper on before you have another accident, okay?" Faye closed her eyes and moaned as she felt the cool, greased up fingers slip in and out of her clit. Mrs. Reinhardt knew just when to stop her teasing, moving onto Faye's backside where she slid her hands between Faye’s butt cheeks. Poor Faye felt her pussy stop getting those nice, tingling feelings. On a pure primal level she knew she needed more! Faye naturally arched her back off of the table and pushed herself up, thrusting her hairless crotch into Mrs. Reinhardt’s moving hand. "Now, now. Good girls don't do that!" Mrs. Reinhardt declared, giving Faye a light, wet slap on the thigh. Faye merely whimpered, ceasing her naughty acts. "That's much better." Mrs. Reinhardt began to tape the diaper up, sealing the frustrated Faye into the bulky plastic prison. Even if Faye could figure out how to masturbate, this diaper was too thick to allow her uncoordinated hand to do much of anything through the padding. And, since the diaper stopped at just above her belly-button, it wasn't like she was going to be able to just stick her hand in there without alerting Mrs. Reinhardt. With a bit of effort, due to how high the table was compared to her, Mrs. Reinhardt managed to get Faye off of the changing table and perched back onto her hip. "Let's go play with some toys in the living room while Mommy watches the news." To Be Continued... If you want to read the next part of this story, where Faye is fed baby for in her high chair, then check out my Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=6660213

I usually just get them at the store later at night and just use self checkouts.

Being changed by a loving partner is so so so very incredibly special. My Daddy keeps me in diapers four days of the week, he'd prefer 7 days but that's just too much for my tastes. As such he changes me four days of the week and multiple times each of those days. It is such a special bonding time for us and serves to reinforce our love for one another, commitment and the emotional and intimate bond we have together. I honestly wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. He makes me feel so loved, cared for and safe during a diaper change but even more so afterwards when he pulls me onto his chest and gently strokes my nose and hair while I listen to his heartbeat. Even this description is a pale imitation of what it feels like to snuggle against his chest wrapped warmly by his arms. Certainly having a Caregiver or Daddy isnt necessary for someone to be little but I personally can't imagine going into littlespace without my Daddy there, smiling, reassuring me and showering me with unconditional love as I shower him with the same unconditional love. Little kaiya

I have 180 covidien diapers I get free from the veterans hospital and 40 plastic backed depends I wear at bedtime on my weekends off Sent from my moto e5 plus using Tapatalk Are the seni diapers crinkly? Sent from my moto e5 plus using Tapatalk

/// “Sit with my friends today." Though I didn't wait for Star to actually answer. I walked past him with my cookies, motioning for him to follow as if they were dog treats. Then I sat at a table in the corner with a few other people that looked… well, unique. Some dressed very interestingly, and some dressed as if they didn't care what they had on. My friends were individuals! "Everyone - this is Twinkle. Twinkle, everyone. Mostly they're not notable, except Linds. She's my best friend." A blonde girl across from us reading a book put her hand up and waved. Getting introduced as Twinkle wasn't exactly my first preference, but hey, whatever. I sat down next to Anna and the girl across from me - tall, cute, maybe Indian? - glanced at Anna inquisitively. "Twinkle, huh?" I shrugged and picked up one of the cookies and took a little bite. "Yup. Twinkle. No homo, tho." Among these people I actually felt relatively normal. It was nice to fit in, somewhat. Linds decided to put her book down after she finished her page and started eating yogurt with a white plastic spoon. I handed Star another cookie and ate my two myself. "I'm personally still quite sketchy on the gay stuff. He seems quite interested in boys, especially when they're making out or having sex." Linds giggled and pointed to a boy at the end of the table. "Cho's gay. Date him." Cho was a little too flamboyant to be be anything but gay. He wore his hair spiked in the back and had bangs. He was Korean. "I'm not gay. I just think guys having sex is hot. There's nothing gay about appreciating something hot, Angel." I puffed out my cheeks and looked at the cute boy at the end of the table. Okay, yeah. I'd probably watch him make out with another boy. I would've mentioned that I spent my afternoon cleaning Anna's tonsils with my tongue, but I wasn't sure how much I was allowed to reveal about that so I kept it to myself. "Anyway, I don't date. Too much drama. I just like to make out and get high. Easier that way, you know?" I rolled my eyes and finished my second cookie, standing up from the table. "Gotta go buy M&M's. Watch my bag, Twinkie-winkie." And I bounded off for the vending machines. "You'll fit in just fine here," Linds said with a smile. The boy really was an oddity. Their group was big on oddities. "I don't really fit in well. Kinda anti-social. A little bit awkward. A touch of passive aggressive and a dash of careless wit with collateral damage. You smile now, but you won't wanna know me in a week. I'm still confused as fuck why Anna keeps me around as long as she has." Probably for my mushroom hookup, the cynical side of my brain taunted and I frowned a little. More likely for the kisses, to be fair, sounded the reason side of me. I didn't like that, either. "What's your story?" I looked at Linds, and then down at Cho. "You're really cute, by the way. Didn't wanna say it in front of Anna 'cause she gives me enough shit as is. But you are." "Like I said. You'll fit in fine." Linds smiled widely at the boy across from her and finished her yogurt. "No story. I'm Lindsay - Linds for short. I've known Anna since she was in diapers. We've just been friends ever since, I guess. We go through good times and bad together. And that's it. Here we are." "I knew a girl two schools ago that still wore diapers. Not because she needed to. Just that she dug it. Didn't quite get that, but we've all got our quirks, right?" I tried to think why I'd brought that up and frowned a little, adding in, "So I guess 'since she was in diapers' is a relative term.” “You can call me Star, by the way. My name's Twinklestar. I prefer Star, but Anna prefers Twinkle. Or Twinkie-winkie for some reason. Don't really get that one. Nice necklace, by the way. Matches your earrings. I think you want a lighter gloss for your lips, though. Where's Anna? I'm babbling." "You are babbling. And Tinkie-winkie is a character from a children's television show, so I imagine that's the reference. You don't watch a lot of TV, do you?" Most of the table in and of itself was self-reactive and could converse without the need to engage in the reaction between Linds and Star. Only Cho was listening in. "Yeah. We don't own a TV. Parents are hippies. I'd tell you more, but Anna thinks I obsess over parents - mine and hers - so I'll spare you. Any TV I see is when I'm at Best Buy or at Anna's. She's got a nice TV. One of those ones that go on the wall. Me, I do all my school papers on a typewriter. Not even kidding." I never talked about these things in a pitiful way, it was just a 'haha isn't this messed up?' presentation. "So… " Warning, Star. Don't do it. "If I were interested in Anna, is there anything I should know? If she has a cock it's not a deal breaker, mind you…" "Don't waste your time." That was Cho, though the cynical comment didn't come across very rude in his candy-sweet dialect. Linds just shrugged and nodded in agreement. The idea of trying to be with Anna was a big taboo. No one even bothered considering it. But he was the new kid. "Rewards are proportionate to work put in, yeah? I think she's worth a bit of effort." It wasn't like me to be so verbose with my affections, though, and after a moment I leaned back into the table and frowned. "Yeah, you guys are right. Who am I kidding? Girl like that. Way way out of my league." Maybe I should just date Cho... Linds looked at Cho and she bit her lip. Cho went back to his conversation with another boy and Linds went back to her book. It was then that I came back and sat down, opening my package of M&M's and picking out the greens from non-greens. But instead of passing them to Star, I passed them across the table to Linds. "Oh, don't pout, Twinkie, I got you your own package." And I tossed him an opened pack of M&M's. "You opened my M&M's? Bitch…" I grinned and looked inside the pack, trying to figure out what colors she'd made off with. I guess it figured with me integrated into her little group now, any special treatment I once got was probably gone. That was fine, though. "So. I got yelled at last night. About borrowing the stuff. Of course my parents never discipline. They just said they'd give me my own supply so I wouldn't have to take theirs without asking. My parents are so fucked up…" "Truly." I nodded in agreement and ate my M&M's in pairs. Linds read her book while she nibbled at the green M&Ms on the table. Cho wasn't paying attention anymore. And that's how lunch went. Very uneventful. I took off before the bell rang, waving goodbye to everyone and pulling my messenger bag out from under Star's feet. I followed Linds out of the lunch room and waited until we were alone before pulling her aside. "Okay. Anna. Girlfriend. What's going on? Because nobody will give me a straight answer and it's kind of a big deal for me." What was wrong with me? I'm not this. I'm not a gossip queen. It wouldn't get me anywhere anyway. But I had to know. She looked very surprised, blinking a few times before giving the ceremonial "what…?" They'd just left the lunch room and were mostly-alone except for a few passersby. Linds stepped off to the side to let people pass and looked at the new boy with curiosity. "What are we talking about? I feel like I missed a segue…" Fuck. Had I spilled the beans? I recovered smoothly, "You guys got all weird when I asked about dating her. So I figure she has someone, right? I just wanna know who I'm up against so I know how to play my hand, that's all." Having parents that spent all their lives making up half-truths really helped at times. "Uh… no. She's single. She's just not easy to date. She's a complicated girl…" She took a moment to analyze Star before continuing. "Look, I like you and all, and I love Anna, but… you really shouldn't be going after her. You won't make things any better for her and certainly not for you." "Life's a game, Linds. You don't play it on the hardest difficulty and you're just cheating yourself out of the rewards. See ya tomorrow at lunch time." I kissed her cheek in a very European way and made my way to class. She's a complicated girl alright. The fact her best friend doesn't even know she's dating someone is a pretty good start already when it comes to the kind of complication in store. I decided I'd meet her after school. /// “What's with you? You're all introspective and shit.” I pulled a cigarette from my pocket and lit one up, offering one over to the quiet boy next to me. "If you're gonna have one, do it now. You're sure as hell not doing it in the car." The thin white stick slipped into my lips and I lit it from the same worn-down matchbook as before, feeling the sickly sensation of being able to afford nice things fill my veins. After a few drags, I motioned to the car. "Let me drive. What's the worst that can happen? Right now you've been in more accidents than I have." Never mind the fact I didn't have a license, or have the vaguest idea what I was doing. She'd say no. I knew she would. But maybe if I asked enough times she'd come around. Hm. He had a point… and he was my friend. "Sure." I passed the keys to Star and climbed into the passenger seat instead. It wasn't until both of the doors were closed and I was buckled up that I continued my train of thought. "But if you get us in an accident, you're paying for the repairs. Chloe will be pissed.“ "Sure. With all the money I make, that'll be a breeze. Think they'll take mushrooms as payment? I could imagine your parents tripping." I put the car into reverse and drove backward entirely too quickly, spun the steering wheel hard to the right, and peeled out of the school car-park onto the main road. "This ain't so hard." Though the notion of a speed limit seemed lost on me as I careened down the residential streets doing eighty. "I wish they made more seat belts for each seat." I held onto the door tightly as I watched Star drive down the road going way too fast. A sickness filled my stomach. “You should slow down. Do you even know where you're going?" "Stop being such a crybaby," I pulled out onto the interstate onramp and then up onto the freeway with more weight on the gas pedal. "How fast does this thing go, Anna? Have you ever tried?" At three in the afternoon, most of the three lanes on the highway were empty enough to really push the limits. And the large SUV didn't show any signs of being at the end of its tether. "The little gauge goes up to 200. Do you think it can go that fast?" I closed my eyes. I didn't want to seem scared, but I sort of was. This kid might not have driven a day in his life and he definitely didn't have a license. My handing him the keys could've meant my death sentence. Naivety filled me with guilt. What the fuck was I doing? “Just get us home in one piece.” "You know what it's like when you take a mushroom, Anna? When you lose all control of your mundane every day life for a brief moment and just let go and fly?" My heart was pounding as the SUV flew along the freeway with no real sense of where we were going. "Isn't it a rush? Isn't this just the same? We could die in a heartbeat, or we could live for a hundred years and this moment might be the defining factor. Close your eyes and enjoy the rush, Anna. Let go of the greyscale and embrace the color." "You're fucking crazy." I didn't yell it. Just a simple statement. I wasn't enjoying myself. I didn't want to risk dying just because this stupid kid wanted a rush. A vision of my body twisted and mangled filled my head. Smoking was one thing, slow and simple. This was dangerous in a totally different way. I felt frozen. Sick. I shouldn’t have given the keys to Star. Not an Anna thing to do. I closed my eyes tight. I slowed the car down and pulled off at the next exit, coming to a stop not long after that on the side of the road. "You've got a lot of tension built up in there, huh Angel? You failed the test." I slid up out of the drivers seat and plopped down in the back, laying out across the length of the seat. "Come on, let's get back to your place and fly for a few hours." I hadn't meant to be mean, but I expected more of Anna. She really seemed the type to enjoy a moment frozen in time. Maybe it was a control thing for her; maybe she had to choose to surrender her control instead of having me do it for her. But when I looked over at her, she wasn’t moving. Her eyes were closed. I could see the worry in the space between her eyebrows. Wait, did I really do something wrong?

I loved this story from start to finish. Really, really, really impressed with the character development throughout the entire story. I loved seeing the softer side of the dimension expressed with the contrast of the dark elements being held back by Becky and Amanda. You are an amazing writer that I aspire to be someday.

I don't wear out in public much, just a few times a year when I go out of town running errands for the day. I usually wear jeans in spring, fall and winter but sometimes in summer I wear shorts. Some background. I get most of my diapers at thrift stores and Goodwill, about $3 to $4 for a package of 18 large diapers. These are not your premium diapers but more like Prevail, Attends and store type brands. As a rule, they last anywhere from 3 to 4 hours before needing a change with constant wetting. Sometimes I will use a booster pad in the diaper, sometimes I have double diapered with the idea that when I heed to change in a restroom somewhere, all I have to do is pull down the outer diaper, remove the inner wet diaper and pull the remaining diaper back up and I'm good to go. That way I don't have to worry in summer about how I will carry a fresh disposable adult diaper into a store to change in their restroom. I usually wear a good pair of plastic pants over my diapers for extra protection and they have saved my jeans a few times from leaky diapers before I've had a chance to go and change. Even double diapered with plastic pants on, these store type brands are less bulky and more discreet than premium diapers that swell and bulk up when wet. These are some of my observations. 1. The more you do it, the more comfortable you get and easier it is. You realize every time that no one is paying any attention to you at all, even if you do waddle a bit and are bulky. 2. At first when I have any diaper on under my pants I feel a little self conscious, however that passes after a short while and I tend to forget I have diapers on a little. I know I have a diaper on of course, but I get used to the feeling as I walk, wet and go about my business. My diaper will adjust to my body as I wear and wet it, conform between my legs so it doesn't seem so thick and bulky and just begins to feel so natural that I don't worry. 3. Wet or dry doesn't seem to make any difference, other than perhaps more sag in the back seat of my diaper as I walk around (and swelling up a lot if it's a premium diaper). A onesie or even pair of regular briefs will help hold my diaper in place better as it gets wetter and sags. Plastic pants as well, although plastic pants tend to be larger to cover thicker cloth diapers and not hold a sagging diaper as tight. Plastic pants are more for insurance against leaks as opposed to regular HAINES briefs that help hold things in place better. 4. I think at first I have a bit of a tendency to walk a little different, not really waddle but maybe swing my hips just a little more as I walk due to the bulk of my diapers between my legs, but that smooths out shortly as my diaper adjusts and conforms to my body, especially when it tends to crease a little in the center between my legs. When that happens, I can walk more normally as the crease in the crotch of my diaper lets it fold a little lower between my legs allowing them to close more instead of waddle due to the bulk. When wet, it works even better so to answer one of the questions, in some cases a wet diaper is better than dry for discreetness (in some ways). 5. For years I wore the thrift store diapers as I have mentioned when out shopping. Usually 4 hours was the longest I could wear before having to change diapers and often by that time I was leaking into my plastic pants. Last winter I broke down and bought some Betterdry diapers. I did my annual Christmas shopping with a Betterdry diaper with plastic pants and I went 8 hours without needing a change and no leaks. Comparing the premium diaper and the thrift store diapers. First, I didn't have to change in a rest room like I always do, so that saved me some time. Second, I was way bulkier than normal, even those times in the past when I double diapered with the store type brands. I did tend to waddle a bit just at first, but as I said, that stopped once my diaper conformed to my body after walking around a little. In this case, with the premium Betterdry diaper I did notice one thing that touches on the original poster's concerns. I didn't waddle more, but as I wet the premium diaper swelled up a lot, especially in the front. With jeans and a winter coat it wasn't noticeable to anyone and the fact that my diaper had creased in the crotch meant that it could swell up in that area without causing me to waddle or walk funny. That is the trade off. Thinner diapers wet or dry and change once or twice, or a premium diaper that avoids you having to change when out and about but is a lot bulkier, especially the more wet it gets. I have yet to wear a Betterdry diaper out in public in summer with shorts on, but I expect that day might come at one point if I have shorts discreet enough to hide any diaper bulk. I know you can't hide it all, but with proper shorts and shirt (or onesie) you can minimize it among strangers. If you wear diapers all the time, probably friends and family who you see and are around all the time will eventually know it, especially if you are medically incontinent. If they should happen to notice you waddling a bit or some bulk, they will just realize it's because you wear diapers. If you are out in public and strangers around you see you, they won't notice you waddle a little because they don't know you. They may see you as they pass by but they are not really looking at you or for you. To be blunt, you mean nothing to them! Who gives a crap if some stranger might notice you walk a little funny as they pass you on the street or in a store while shopping. Only another AB/DL or diaper fetish wearer will take notice and stare because to them, they know you have a diaper on. So what? Strangers don't know you, you don't know them and you will probably never see them again. Who cares if they might think for a moment, "I wonder if that person I just walked past is wearing a diaper. They walked a little funny and looked a little bulky". Even if that should happen (which I doubt because people are all wrapped up in their own world and what they are doing to notice those around them), they won't say anything and will have forgotten you in a few seconds. As long as you are dressed normal and conservative, no one will notice or question your bulk or waddle or if you might have a wet diaper on. I think any concerns would be those who are casual friends or acquaintances who see you often enough but not on a daily bases. Those close to you like family and close friends will probably already know that you wear diapers if you wear them 24/7 and so they won't have to question it if you waddle or look bulky and you won't have to worry yourself because they already know (if they do). Strangers you won't ever see again passing on the street or when out running errands or shopping in a store? They won't notice and if they do, they will forget about it in a matter of minutes. Besides, what do you care if a stranger does notice that you are wearing diapers? I say so what? Big deal! I think if you are going to have any concerns at all, it's if you run into that casual friend or acquaintance who knows you well enough but may not know that you wear diapers. They may be the ones who might look you over and wonder why you look so bulky and are waddling. Depending on how well they know you they might ask you about it (I doubt it) or come to the conclusion that you are wearing a diaper. They may not say anything to you but it's possible they may ask mutual friends if they know if you have some medical issues. In a discussion with other friends of yours, it may come out that it looked like you were wearing diapers for some reason. Maybe, maybe not. That would be the unknown I can think of. Summing it up, I think your concerns are not much to worry about. Not knowing if you wear 24/7/365 or just now and then for fun, I can only guess at some things. If you wear 24/7/365, I've covered the possible situations you may run into with strangers, family and casual people you know. If you just wear for fun and decide you want to wear diapers out in public when you have to run an errand, then I can suggest 2 things. Realize that strangers won't care or notice if you walk a little funny or waddle and look bulky. If you are concerned you will run into people you know that might discover you are wearing diapers and you don't want them to know, then forgo your fun and skip the diapers or wear a thin store brand diaper that won't be bulky or make you waddle. Wet or dry, a thin diaper won't make you waddle and will be discreet when as a premium diaper will swell up and look bulky and may make you walk funny. Personally, I don't wear thick diapers around my own town when I go out. I always go out of town about 45 minutes or more away to a large city where I will be less likely to run into anyone I know. That way if thickly diapered and bulky under my jeans, I won't run into acquaintances who would tend to look me over really well.

22 - The Bench At first, it wasn’t so much Emily that disappeared on Joyce than she did on her. Instead, the ground seemed to have consumed her; a thick muck slowing down each and every weakening stride she attempted. A metal post anchored into the ground, she was trembling more than she would’ve liked, and could feel the unrelenting tide of shame, self-frustration, and sorrow crash against her, forcibly coerced her into diving back into the abyss, just to avoid the storm. The pit was bottomless, and thus had no true destination as it was a one-way trip to the void. She could only maintain a three foot radius, thanks to the many people and her blurry, wet vision. Taking straight, bending, curving and forking paths, a scrutinizing, sharp misery always seemed to find her. In fact, a terrible pain in her chest ached; begging her to stop. Yet she grit her teeth and kept moving, because deep down she knew she was a poison; one that needed to be cleansed from the one she loved the most. Even if she was offended and angry for all the right reasons, she may as well have been a king without her castle. Why would she want to be right if it came at such a staggering price? But that’s what ate away at her so terribly, knowing that this wasn’t a healthy solution, and the consequences far outweighed the benefits. It was the lesser of two evils, so she thought, trying to sever their ties, but it was a brutal and savage solution. Something felt torn, and the wound was gushing. Someone must have snapped the tiny lever inside her head, because the trauma played on repeat, allowing her to relive her mistakes millions of times over in the span of seconds. Each and every syllable to every word was vivid down to the very pitch; so memorable because it was saturated in such distinct despair, disappointment, and drear. She kept stealing worried glances at the watch strapped to her heart, but the hands wouldn’t move. They had stopped since Joyce gave her that look; a look of betrayal. She was either drowning in it, or at least all she knew how to feel by this point was it, which was pain. Even as she ran away, it didn’t change the regret sinking inside of her like a ball of lead, but that’s why she hated herself even more. The comfort she craved for was the very one she stabbed in the back, and yet she still longed for it? Such a precious and innocent trust had been taken to a bed of nails and grinded against sharp and jagged rocks; strangled by Emily’s very own two hands. With each step, the void inside herself grew just a little wider, her heart throbbed just a little more, and the remnants of warmth in her palm, the one that had held another, began to cool just a little more. She could implode at any moment; each step potentially her last, until she finally lose herself to pure ruin, which right now seemed like a fitting punishment for herself. And in her frantic state, catching blurs of smiles and laughs engaged in their own paradise, she thought of Mary and Frank. Joyce had her parents with her right now, right? She could take solace in that at least there was someone for her. So as Emily sat herself on a bench, realizing she couldn’t run from herself, finally unable to ignore her full-on sobs, she could at least remind herself that Joyce would be okay and was among familiar faces. Emily, buried in her hands which were flooding with tears, maybe hoping to raise a pool to drown herself in, continued to weep. She never really did deserve her; Joyce was probably just too polite to not point that out. Why did all her relationships seem to be such double-edged swords? There was a common similarity among this one and Jack, and had there been a mirror right this moment, it’d have been a joke to consider it a mystery. Maybe that’s why he had left her, and why Emily just left Joyce. She was the unstable one. She was the problem, and all she did was invite pure disaster. The world continued to spin on its axis, and Emily was a violent anomaly to the natural course, as her opposing sways twisted and turned her relationships and her stomach. Would it have been better if she were never found in the first place? As if a cruel reminder, the imaginary rain was already pouring like a waterfall over her head. Instead, left on the city streets, only to open to her eyes to a sky as bright as day, and to carry her swollen ankle to the nearest clinic. There would be no rescuer, angel, or goddess. Isolation would be her comfort; a friend that could not and would not be hurt. She was starting to heave a little, her cries were so draining, and she could feel the knife twist and turn about her; carving each and every mistake she had made these past months. And yet, despite all of this; all this damnation, self-hate, inflicted injury, punishment, beration, destruction of self-worth, even from the heap of misery she’d thrown herself into, there was still a faint light shining over her. No matter where she turned her head it seemed to be far away, yet nevertheless poised right at her. Her legs were pulled close as she clutched her arms together, wrapped around her knees as she shielded herself from the outside world. A sickening gray had begun to infect the canvas, and the atmospheric noises began to deafen into an unintelligible murmur, as Emily finally learned what it truly meant to be alone. A constant stream of individual drops kept launching themselves at the large, glass window, exploding into even tinier smithereens as they slowly rolled down the surface. The tiny vibrations they made were almost therapeutic, if you took to time to lose yourself to the noise. It was hard to do that, though, when instead the pressing of keys were much louder. She needed a moment to blink. The digital screen etched its digital LEDs into her eyes like they’d been engraved. Then of course came the tears from over-exercised eyes, long overdue for a break from an unrelenting hell of technological lights. Just as she stretched her arms, a knock came from the door. “Yes?” Just as the silence of the rain had a chance to introduce itself, it had been interrupted. “It’s Sheila, Ma’am.” She didn’t answer back, and the silence was telling enough. With the turn of the handle, the assistant entered the office. “I just got a call from security downstairs. I believe your chauffeur is waiting for you?” She adjusted the glasses poised on the rim of her nose. Instead of answering, Joyce’s eyes panned her desk, from one massive end to the other. Her coffee was half-filled, or rather, half-empty. When did she get it again? With the details of her office taking a higher priority, she pressed a few fingers to the mug. Cold. She exhaled through her nose, then made no rush in turning her head to the window. Apparently the sun had clocked in early, because the moon seemed to be taking up its unexpected shift. Well, that, or...for once in who knows how long, she looked at the clock. Oh. “Joyce?” The sound of her name finally beckoned her attention, but the lack of emotion seemed to have scared her assistant somewhat, as with a quick correction she said, “Ms.Summers, I meant to say. But, are you doing alright, ma’am?” “What did you come to say about my chauffeur?” “...He’s been waiting since a half-hour ago for you to come down.” Joyce gave the overturned phone set to silent a peek. There were a few missed calls on it. “Don’t you think it’s time you take the night off? You’ve already been here since-” “Could you please send him on his way?” She was already looking back at the computer. “I have some more work I want to finish up.” She gave the coffee a second glance, as if having second thoughts, but quickly gave up on it once more. “Work? But I thought you had finished everything for April last-” “I’m working on next month’s,” she said, plainly. A second went by and she still wasn’t gone yet. “Why haven’t you gone home yet?” There was no real curiosity, seeing as her eyes never left the screen. There was none of anything. Simply an observation that was one of many tiny, insignificant, miniscule bits and bobs that filled the cracks and crevices which would further prolong the inevitable; building a bridge that could keep her from falling into misery, a place that she couldn’t stand to be; home. “Because you haven’t. I’m concerned for your health, and with all due respect I don’t think you should be having late night after night in the office. Ms.Summers, when was the last Saturday you’ve taken for yourself?” “You’re my secretary, aren’t you?” It’d be pulling teeth to stir some kind of emotion in her tone. “Four weeks ago.” It was as if she were expecting to be challenged. “Is your car still here from this morning?” “Yes, it is.” The keys on the keyboard kept moving at a rapid pace, though Joyce kept finding herself needing to blink a bit more. As soon as something interrupted her flow, it was always so annoyingly difficult to find again... “I’ll send the chauffeur on his way, but only if you’re going to leave of your own accord right after.” It was obvious she was at a crossroads, trying to make decisions for the very woman that paid her. “Tell him I’ll be fine, please.” She almost sounded a little annoyed, and the “magic word” came a bit forced. Granted, that’s what hours on hours of work would do to you. She couldn’t remember the last time she got a full night’s sleep, and felt her need for pleasantries were running low. “And will you head home right after?” She just about pinched the bridge of her nose. “Sheila, please.” It was a tone that had its patience being tried; one intolerant of anything that didn’t bend to its exact whim. The fumes she tried to tell herself she wasn’t running on didn’t seem to appreciate anything less than perfect. Adaptation and compromise were currently unwelcome guests in the executive’s realm, and even her closest ally was starting to feel like a nuisance. The typing finally stopped, as the pianist ended their tune on a jarring, constrasing note, and invited a much more uncomfortable silence into the room. The swivel chair didn’t seem to turn, and the desk lamp shining on the right side of her face was finally beginning to bother her. The coffee was cold now, too. Hardly drinkable, and it’d be a waste of a mug to get another. Her rhythm and momentum had become stale, and she knew it’d all been ruined. “Fine.” Placing both hands on the desk, she used them as a foothold to push herself up, taking a moment to brush off the wrinkles in her blouse. The open binder, still-illuminated computer screen, lazily placed pen and documents all remained the same as she walked from it. She looked to Sheila with a grave seriousness. “Now do what I asked.” Sheila didn’t respond when she excused herself, and the shut of the translucent glass door returned Joyce to her one true friend, someone she had a strange chemistry with; isolation. Her jacket came off the hook and around her shoulders. She hardly cared enough to make the long, begrudging trip back to the other side of the room, looking at her messy station. Once she acknowledged her lack of energy, it was impossible to ignore now. Other than the few lights left, the rest of the room began to blend with the night sky as the main lights dimmed to darkness. She rubbed her eyes once more before stepping out of the office. “...yes, she’ll be driving herself home tonight. Yes, I’ll let her know. Thank you. Have a good night.” That was how Joyce found her secretary by the phone on her desk, already dressed in her own jacket. Seeing her all packed up, knowing that she herself was the cause of it, Joyce now being away from her work felt a tad bit remorseful for keeping her all night... A look around the corner gave way to the vastly empty floor, which despite being reserved for only a handful of people, truly felt empty in the company of darkness. Just a few moments ago it felt like the start of the day… She turned back to Sheila who was hanging up the phone. “I just spoke with security. They said he’ll be going on then to drop off the vehicle at your apartment’s garage. Is that alright?” “It’s fine.” It was hard to tell if it really was. “Can I leave now, or are you going to make sure I get through the front door to my apartment as well?” “What makes you think I don’t have a tracker on you?” She smiled, and eventually, so did Joyce, ever so faintly, looking somewhere else other than her assistant’s eyes. “Besides, this building tends to be a little creepy at night when it’s so empty.” Sheila, holding a bag with both hands looked to her boss expectantly. “Think you can escort me out?” Joyce’s inner brows tilted upwards somewhat as she smirked, admittedly feeling foolish for her attitude a few minutes ago. Thankfully Sheila could be so forgiving, or at least understanding. “Are you parked on the same floor as me?” “Did you forget I have a reserved spot, too?” In unison they walked down the dark hallway, to the opposite end, where an elevator door with a square light mounted above the doors stood. “How come you’ve been working so much, Ms.Summers?” “You’re off the clock, so stop calling me that,” again, with little expression to her voice. “Call me Joyce.” “Sorry Ma’am, but I can’t do that. With you, I’m always on the clock,” she chuckled, and Joyce feigned a smile. “Is there anyone you’re going to be late for at home? Because of me?” They waited for the elevator, while Joyce quietly observed a few potted plants. “No, It’s alright. Truthfully, I expected it might be another late night.” “...I see. Is there anyone you have at home?” “A boyfriend, and a dog.” Joyce gave her a somewhat invested look. “Since when have you been dating?” “About 6 months, now.” “And you never told me about it?” Sheila was silent for a few moments. “Or I forgot that you did?” Still silent, though it seemed to say much more. ... “Ma’am, is there anything you’d like to talk about?” “Aren’t we talking right now?” The elevator dinged, and they both stepped inside. “Well, yes, but I mean about you?” “I highly doubt there’s much there to talk about...” “Ma’am, I know that I’m your secretary, but that doesn’t mean I don’t mind talking about something that’s bothering you outside of work.” “I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine, really.” She had to look at the metallic doors for that one. Even she knew it was a lie. There wasn’t a single person in that tiny, metal box that believed a single bit of her words. It’d been a slow, gruelling decay that’d slowly consumed her before she’d even realized. Her work was her passion, but it had also become the catalyst for something much greater she had chosen to neglect for too long. Alongside it was Sheila’s care and concern that was like a low-hanging fruit; ripe for the taking, yet she didn’t feel the desire to reach for it. “Hey,” Joyce randomly spoke, “how about we go and get a drink?” It sounded reluctant, but Sheila went on to respectfully decline. “You need your sleep, Ms.Summers, just as much as I do. It’s nearly half-past ten, and we both need to be up for work in the morning. Still though, I never thought you’d invite me out for a drink? “What do you mean? I’ve offered you before.” It stung, not hearing her respond to that. Twice now, she’d shot herself in the foot. “Maybe Friday? Since then it’ll be the weekend.” “Maybe...” Sheila then looked at Joyce with a warning stare. “And don’t think about going to a bar tonight, or then I really will follow you home!” For once, Joyce finally laughed a little. “You’ve got a company to manage, and I can’t imagine how hectic it’d be without you...” Joyce went back to staring off into troubled nothingness, keeping once again her bottled-up issues to herself. They both stepped out and into the parking garage, their sets of heels clicking across the asphalt. “Gee, it’s raining quite a bit…” Sheila looked out the opening where the countless drops could be seen falling from above. “My space is the floor below this one,” She briefly spoke. “Promise me you’ll go straight home?” “I may be a lot of things,” Joyce paused to yawn. “But a liar isn’t one of them. You have a good night Sheila.” “See you in the morning, Ma’am. Did you bring your umbrella, by the way?” “Yes, I have it in my car. Don’t worry.” “...And you’re sure you don’t want to talk?” There was the faintest hint of unease in her voice; fear for overstepping her bounds. Joyce merely smiled. “I’m fine, but thanks.” They parted ways, one sticking by their car and the other moving to the stairwell. The crisp air wove throughout the cement structure, whistling its woeful tune as it kicked at the fringes of Joyce’s coat, mercilessly biting at her bare ankles. Being a reserved lot, hers was the only vehicle in attendance, or better explained as staying behind. The inside of her car didn’t feel much different, though that didn’t stop her from opting to turn on the heat. Backing out, the GPS console was already routing itself for home, and the calm, digital voice was already looking for confirmation. “Would you like me to set a route for home?” She took a moment to check her phone, looking for something; a distraction. An excuse that would keep the night fresh and young. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Would you let me to set a route for home?” “...No. Don’t.” Pulling out of the garage, instead of her typical left she started with a right. She relished in the moments she could find something even close to traffic, or catch each and every single red light. There was something beyond appealing to take the scenic route; someplace she’d never or scarcely been. If she was destined to be trapped in the company of herself, the least she could do was at least force a change of pace. She was a sorrowful soul, and she knew it too. She had forgotten the beginning, and cared little for the end. This limbo she was caught in, once only filled with pleasure, made her realize that life wasn’t so cheery if you couldn’t satisfy all aspects of it. Creatures of habit; social animals. She agreed with both of these philosophies, but that didn’t mean she followed them both. She was of habit, but it was her habit to live a lonely life. No one could be her perfect other, and trying to find someone like that who existed was an imaginary needle in a very real haystack. Something wet rolled down her cheeks, as the expression on her face remained static. What did it mean to be loved? To love someone else? Someone to get up for; to wake and see, look forward to spending time with and celebrate? A piece of porcelain chipped off her face, and the storm seemed to rain heavier. Tearily glancing to her side window, she watched the front-side windows on the street pan as she cruised forward, each and every display moving to the beat of their own drum. It was funny, in a way, watching the rain roll down the side of her car. Seeing her faint reflection in it, wet with her own tears, unable to distinguish them from the rain; it felt oddly poetic. Her sources of noise were the falling drops and swish-swash of her windshield wipers. Store after store, display after display, nothing seemed to be exciting other than the occasional alleyway that broke up the sameness of it all. Though, even then that became dull too once you realized it had just as much repetition as everything else in the grand scheme. Maybe it was time to go home, cut her losses, and work another late night tomorrow. She could try and send Sheila home early, then there wouldn’t be any obstacles… Maybe the one thing that did make her smile was remembering Ashes. Such a cute little ball of fur. She wanted to see Amy, too. And that was the problem. Why couldn’t she just be honest with herself? She started to look bitter. Maybe it was worth getting a cat… It wasn’t everything she wanted, but it was probably safe to say that for once in her life she’d just need to deal. She rounded the corner, rearing closer and closer to home, though this wasn’t one of her typical streets. The flickering lamp post was a good example of that. It was disappointing in a way to see that there wasn’t any traffic on this section. That just meant she was going to her husk of a home even sooner. Just a few more blocks and the building would be on her left. What a shame… There weren’t even people on the sidewalks to people-watch. Just as she looked back to the road, something curious caught her glance, though it only amounted to a shadowy blur as she barely focused on it when passing by. What did she just see? The car kept moving forward, but her mind stayed stuck. By this point though, she was ready to vent her inner monologue. “How pathetic...” She was willing to take an interest in anything at this point. Nothing really captivated her. It was all boring, and she knew it. They were all in the same; excuses. It really was time for her to go home… Trying to forget, she went forward another block, and there wasn’t anything exciting there. The same for the next. And the next. And the next. She took a left and pulled onto her street. She could already see the garage entrance in the distance. She pulled closer and closer, dreading every moment. But for once, she didn’t feel as repelled by the home as much as she was being tugged elsewhere by something. What did she see? What did I see? Right before the entrance, she made another left. She drove a fair distance, then took another one. Another few hundred feet, and this time, a right. She didn’t know whether this were more of her delusions or a genuine interest. Was there a difference anymore? She certainly had better things to be doing than looking for a shiny nickel on the street, yet here she was... It was gone, whatever she was looking for. Or at least, never there to begin with. Her hope had finally been snuffed out, and she was already getting ready to go home. Her car nearly jerked forward when she hit the brakes. There it was again, only this time she could see it with a much clearer view. A lump of something? No, a lump of someone; slouched over on the steps of a building, shone down upon by one of the few functioning lights on the sidewalk, gracefully protected from most of the rain by a small overhead. It would’ve been instinct to think they were homeless, but they didn’t seem that way… No. Someone homeless doesn’t wear flats, dress pants, and a blouse. Then why were they outside so late in the pouring rain? And why did Joyce even care? It wasn’t her problem. She needed to go home and get ready for tomorrow. There were likely thousands of people sleeping on the streets tonight, and this person wasn’t any different from them, so why was she stopping for this one? Yet as she thought that, she didn’t press forward on the gas. Well, not until someone behind her laid on their horn, at least. Caught off guard, she did move forward, but pulled right around the corner. She didn’t keep going though. She pulled to the side. Turning in her seat to look through the back-rear window, there wasn’t anything but the glow of light around the corner, just managing to shine through the dense downpour. Her curiosity was insatiable. She needed to know. She needed to see. It was either the brink of complete and total procrastination that had her so fixated, or something much more cryptic and mysterious aroused her curiosity. The umbrella was the first thing to exit the car, unfolding and expanding into quite the generous roof above Joyce’s head. With it’s elegant, upturned wooden handle she was quick to pace around the puddles and onto the sidewalk, heading back around. Funnily enough, she thought how Sheila might kill her for trying to check up on strangers instead of heading home. I’m not at a bar, at least… This was the third time they’d been exposed to one another, or more so Joyce exposed to them. She didn’t even know why she was here, or what she was going to do. There didn’t even seem to be anything distinct about them, yet the more she looked, the more intrigued she became. They looked like someone fresh out of a 9 to 5 job on their way back home. The way some of her clothes stuck to her skin though...parts of her blouse looked chillingly transparent. Again, Joyce simply felt compelled to reach out her hand, resting just a few fingers on one of the many cold, wet spots she was covered in. She must’ve been freezing… She is freezing. Her hair looked as if it’d taken a tumble, along with the rest of herself. It wasn’t repulsive. Far from it. If anything, it was oddly endearing... Crouching on her feet she stroked the stranger’s hair she softly murmured. “How did you get like this...?” Then she noticed the streaks of bare skin coming from her eyes, almost like rivers. Tears never really did work well with makeup… Water in general. “Down on your luck, too?” She didn’t expect an answer, but the silent company in itself was something to appreciate. It was enough to make her forget what had her so troubled in the first place. She seemed so tiny… She wasn’t. Not totally, but not exactly Joyce’s size either. Frail all over, shivering in the cold rain; defenseless and alone. The more she sympathized with the stranger, the less and less she wanted to leave things so simply… “E…” She went to touch her shoulder, then hesitated. “Excuse me?... Hello?” She wasn’t expecting to feel so relieved when she saw her stir, and lazily look back to her. Then she realized just how abnormal this girl was… How do you manage to fall asleep on a set of concrete stairs in the rain? Regardless, “You’re awake, thank goodness...” She held herself close; clearly shaken from the rain. The way she trembled… Is it okay to hug a stranger if they’re cold? Wait, why would she think of that? “Wh-who are you?” Her voice was fatigued and strained. “Come on now, can you stand?” She needed warmth, and Joyce felt a need to please. Carefully, she supported her by the shoulder, though needing to slouch just a bit to match the girl’s height. The first step they took and the girl was already yelping in pain. What? What did she do wrong? The first thing that came to mind was to look at her feet, and just under the light she could see it didn’t look normal. Swollen and discolored. “I’m sorry, are you okay?” She’d never used so much emotion in a single day. Care and compassion were things she held in frugal and conserved amounts, yet here she was, blowing away all her reserves/ The girl didn’t respond, but it didn’t stop Joyce from readjusting. “Come on, I know it hurts,” she continued to coax as they slowly moved back to the car. “Just a little further...” It clearly paid to have a towel on hand, which she laid across the seats, and then her on top. “Down we go...” An onlooker would probably think she was abducting them right now, and maybe she was… But how could she just leave her like that? Too much had happened for her to ignore this girl. Dare she say it was fate itself. All of this was so unusual, and that was exactly part of the intrigue. Back in the front seat, behind the wheel, she could still hear the girl murmuring behind her. The police? Is that where she should take her? She spun her head around to give her another once-over. Sopping wet, freezing, injured, and tired. How was a station going to solve any of that as well as Joyce could? No, she knew exactly where to take her. “I know you’re a bit out of it right now hon, but if you can hear me, I’m going to take you back to my house, okay? It’s just up the street.” She then realized she was speaking to a brick wall. It was her fault, honestly, considering she was dealing with a person who managed to sleep on the streets...poor thing. They had no connection, and yet Joyce felt obligated. She wanted to feel obligated. The drive home was short, and for once Joyce didn’t take the scenic route. She parked alongside the vehicle her chauffeur had dropped off, then was thankful she and this stranger were the only ones in the garage. While appearances were the last thing on her mind, she’d prefer there not be any misunderstandings… “Hon? Are you awake?” She still didn’t even know her name yet. The lack of familiarity should have made it weirder, but it didn’t. She gave her shoulder a slight jostle, but nothing stirred back. This was a slight issue. She needed to get this person up to her apartment, but first they needed to move to the elevator. It’s not like she could carry her. . . . . . . It was amazing how effective a princess carry could be. As her wet blouse and pants soaked into the arms of Joyce’s jacket, she minded less than she would have expected. If she was prepared to lose it to the rain, surely she would be if it meant doing a good deed. After an awkward turn into the elevator, without hitting her “princess’” head against the panel, she pressed the correct floor. Her hair could use some tidying...she was going to need new clothes as well. Despite looking so weathered, it didn’t change how soft and delicate her face seemed… It wasn’t the time or place, but Joyce couldn’t help herself as she marveled over the stranger’s...well, beauty. “Thankfully you’re so light,” she hoisted her up once more, solidifying her grip, then walked down the hall, undisturbed, reaching the front door. It was always soul-crushing to come home and embrace her bountiful loneliness in the company of just herself. She had all this square footage, and yet the reminder of such spaciousness was suffocating. It didn’t seem that way tonight. Nothing was straining to get through the door; to get through to Joyce. Standing there, holding her princess, the inside of her home seemed oddly tame.. Was it a trick? Had it gotten so bad her emotional struggles had become sentient? Creaking open the door, she stepped inside, her charge in tow. A chill nearly ran up her spine, the setting was so unusual. This wasn’t her home. It couldn’t be. The eerie silence that hung throughout the spacious home...it didn’t seem so eerie anymore. For once she could hear the silence, the normal silence, and it was euphoric. The heating system seemed to be working this time too, because now Joyce wasn’t thickly wrapped in layers of contempt and sorrow and was raw enough for the temperatures to reach her. It was the first time she used the guest room, and also the bed. “Don’t hate me, but I need to warm you up, okay?” She wasn’t expecting a response, but felt herself becoming a bit flustered as she carried out her intent. One after the other, each button in an orderly fashion fell out of place, and so did her blouse. She tugged at the ends of the shirt which were still tucked into her pants, and out they came. She stared at the small woman, tracing her from head to stomach. So out of it, unable to realize her savior had a complete view of her chest. Joyce looked away, feeling her cheeks getting a little too warm. Maybe the heat was working too well… Setting the blouse aside, she sat the girl up, pulling her close so she could reach behind her bra. “I’m sorry, but this is too wet to keep on...” Already experienced with her own, a simple flick had the clasp undone and the fabric fell limp. A brief second went by, and she could feel the soft breaths, coming in constant intervals, kiss the crook between Joyce’s shoulder and neck. Was she getting excited? Taking her by the bare shoulders, she gently spaced the two apart, relieved with some distance. Maybe it wasn’t so great, now seeing her bare breasts, so in a panic to protect the sleeping girl’s modesty, she pulled her back close again. What was she doing?! This was no time for games! She felt truly invasive once she undid the zipper to her pants, and soon the button. You’d think she was making it into a sexual thing, she was so slow about it. It wasn’t...but her heart was beating quite a bit. Already with the first tug, she could see the fabric to her underwear, now well aware of how they matched her bra… Why was she even noticing that? The pants then totally came off, and all that remained were her panties. “Why are you still asleep?” Despite stripping her, she couldn’t help but find herself giggling over her undisturbed process. She grew a bit more worried though as she looked at the final piece. It seemed wet too, and she knew it wouldn’t be right to leave the job half-done. “I promise I’ll get you something to wear, so please just bear with it for a little bit...” There was a pause before she slipped her fingers into the waistband, having the backs of her fingers pressed against an incredibly sensitive area of skin. She nearly jumped when the girl slightly shifted. Looking on for a moment too long, she nearly slapped herself for taking a moment to admire the feel, but then worked them off and over her curving thighs and calves. Joyce did her best not to look while she collected everything, but the girl was completely naked now, still sound asleep. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to be shivering so much anymore, but Joyce made up the difference in clothes by slipping her under the covers. Still talking to her as if she were conscious, Joyce went on to explain. “I’ll go see what I can do about something to wear. You aren’t exactly my size…” she gave her another once-over from head to blanket-covered toe, “but in the meantime, don’t go anywhere.” She was going to need underwear, and Joyce knew that was going to be an issue. She didn’t exactly keep panties for girls with smaller waists on hand, nor bras for tinier breasts either. She wasn’t prepared to let her go unprotected either. It scared her to imagine what she might think when she wakes up; what might’ve been done to her. Looking around the room, as if an idea lay somewhere between the cushions or floorboards, her eyes fell on her keys. She could find a place that was still open, right? Another quick glance to the clock, which was past eleven now. It really was getting late… Please just wait a little longer… She grabbed the keychain and was out the door. There was its own special kind of intimacy when Joyce slipped a new pair of panties onto her sleeping subject. She couldn’t describe the relief she felt though once it was clear that they fit. Unfortunately though her breasts wouldn’t be getting as much special treatment… “I hope you don’t mind nightgowns...” Picked from her personal collection, she slipped it over her head, and it certainly did look big on her, yet, charming in its own way? The covers came back over her, and Joyce took a seat on the bedside, watching for a little longer. Her fingers drew circles into the fabric, until by the twentieth she finally felt herself yawn. Maybe she wasn’t as indestructible as she thought… Sheila would probably be giving her a mouthful by now. “Still, I never thought it’d be a complete stranger that would use this room first.” She looked to the slumbering culprit with a smirk, trying not to mind the irony in how she was the very reason of it. Never did she expect to spend the late, close to early hours of her next morning like this. Despite how heavy her eyelids felt, a part of herself felt tickled. No, it’s not like that… Almost painfully, she kept on looking at innocence personified. The pleasure she felt from this, she knew exactly what soft spot it came from, but how disgusting could she be to project that onto a stranger? Was it right bringing her into Joyce’s home? Maybe that’s what it was; a selfish ploy just to please her own fantasies. It was never about helping this person, it was about what Joyce wanted, and what she couldn’t have. Of course, what better way could she force someone into the mold of what she wanted the most than by plucking them off the street? They’d be in-debted to her, and of course she’d be sure to collect by- A muffled buzz came from her phone sitting on the bed Nothing. Just useless spam. She needed some sleep, and to calm herself. If she was going to blow up like this, it’d be better to do it in another room. Tomorrow would be a new day, and like that time would start moving again. Company couldn’t last forever, and the next night this room would be empty again. Selfish as it was, this time she so unashamedly wanted to be. Just when she’d discovered a new, refreshing outlet in life, she was already going to lose it. Why did life have to be so cruel? She could observe every physical feature and trait to this person, but other than that she was nothing more than a face, and that was what cut the deepest. While Joyce gravitated so closely, this person would sleep through all of it, much less feel an inkling of emotion back. If anything, it made Joyce hate herself even more. All she could ever do was get her hopes worked up for another grand flop. If it hurts this much just to put herself out there, why did she even try? As soon as she left this room and went to bed, that would be it. Her one-night stand would be finished by sunrise, and she’d long forget that this had ever happened. So if no one was going to remember tonight, maybe she could at least indulge herself once. She leaned in close, right beside the stranger’s ear, speaking in a low whisper. “Have a good night, sweetheart...” It was too faint to feel, but something lightly touched the top of the girl’s forehead. Gone. With each vibration from her phone, nestled away in the pockets of her shorts, underneath her dress, it made Emily shake and tremble with an inconsolable grief that felt like tearing flesh. She knew who it was that kept trying to reach her every waking minute, and to let each ring fall silent and unanswered only dogpiled every negative emotion she could convince herself to invest in. After the phone stopped ringing, the same whimpers would ensue each time. “I’m sorry...I’m sorry…!” She must have been worried sick, and Emily was the one putting her through all of this. She was the root of this raging storm. But it was for the best, right? No matter what, it was going to be painful, but at least this way there’d only be one, big, giant, humongous hurdle to overcome… She wanted to say that, but as more and more time went on, it was her own lack of courage that seemed to be the second contender. The perception of time seemed to have taken a backseat in the presence of grieving, as Emily was at a total loss for how much time had passed on that bench. She couldn’t bring herself to look at her phone though, because that’d bring her even closer to her sins. Minutes? Hours? Days? It could be any of the three, but who knows, being the screw-up that Emily is, it’s not like she couldn’t mess that up too. Bubbles. That’s all she ever seemed to be trapped inside. Her own little world that enabled her to be so carefree, happy, and relaxed. But because she lived in these spheres, that’s all she knew of. While she drifted in the outside world, hardly a shine or sparkle outside her dome would catch her interest. She was naive of it. Ignorant to it. So many times in this fashion she’d set herself up for failure, and just when she’d realize that everything wasn’t fine, and the world actually mattered outside her small oasis, the bubble would pop, and she would fall. Something wet lightly splashed against her forehead. Ignore it. It worked, because it didn’t happen again. This whole time she’d been staring down into the crook between her chest and bundled legs, sitting in a fetal position. She and the rest of the world didn’t seem to work so well together, so maybe it was about time they start seeing other people… Again, another wet pop. It didn’t aggravate her. It scared her. Not because of what it was, but because of what it could be. She wasn’t prepared to face anyone or anything. Nothing was right and everything was in shambles and ashes. She turned her head just the slightest upwards to peek her eyes past her knees. She needed to blink for a moment just to readjust to the light. “Hey, why’re you like that?” An innocent and high-pitched voice rung. Innocently curious, and in their hands was a plastic stick with a hoop on it, and the other a bottle of soap. Emily briefly tried looking to her forehead, finally doing something right for once by connecting the dots. “Are you okay?” “...No, I’m not.” She was a tiny, blonde-haired girl, dressed in sandals, shorts, and a top decorated in frills. She looked on with as much obscurity as there was in Emily’s heart. “I’m sorry,” she seemed to have interpreted it as an invitation to come closer, because Emily now had company on the bench. “Is that why your eyes are so red? Were you crying?” Sullenly, Emily nodded her head. Who even was this little girl? “My daddy says I get sad a lot. But that’s because someone is being mean to me...” she seemed to passively grumble. Though, much more upbeat, she went on to ask, “Why are you sad?” Emily stayed silent for a bit, staring off into space. That was the magic of being a kid though, because if Emily were trying to signal her unwillingness to talk, a social cue as advanced as that went well-above the tiny girl’s head. “Excuse me?” Again, a voice oblivious to their own wrongdoing. Emily felt a small tug on her own dress. “Did you hear me? Why are you sad?” Just when she’d learned to live with herself, already was she feeling ready to tear up again. By no means was she enthusiastic over digging out very recent trauma. At the same time, she couldn’t stand the thought of making another person sad today. “My, uhm...” she rubbed her eyes for a moment. “My...my girlfriend, I made her disappointed in me… We got into a fight.” It was like pulling a cord covered in spikes outside her own throat, the verbalization hit her so heavily. It was taking everything she had to keep stable. “Fights are no good,” the kid said in an imitating, pretending voice. You’d think she was repeating someone’s mantra verbatim. “My daddy always says that,” she cheekily smiled. “Hey, what does ‘disappointed’ mean?” “It’s when someone is sad because of something you did...” Explaining it didn’t make it any less true; solidifying the gravity of her actions. “What did you do?” She exhaled through her nose. “Something mean.” “Are you gonna say sorry?” She narrowed her brows. “It’s...it’s not that simple.” “Why not? When you say sorry everyone is happy again, right?” She kept looking up to Emily, and it added a tinge of self-consciousness to her simmering worries. Then in the middle of her therapy session, Emily realized something objectively important. “Wait, why are you here?” Now it was the girl’s turn to be stared at. “Are you lost?” She stared back clueless for a moment, then nodded her head with a giggle. “Daddy says I’m an explorer!” Emily blinked, feeling the spotlight shine its light on a whole new conflict. Not only was she stuck with her growing depression, but a lost child now, too? “Is...is your dad looking for you?” If she herself weren’t so sad, the small girl’s casualness to her own predicament may have been laugh-worthy. “I think so,” she still kept smiling. “Are you lost?” “In a few ways, yeah.” There probably wasn’t as much depth to her words as she intended, but Emily was feeling just as clueless on both the physical and emotional front. Everything was in shambles, and she had no idea how to pick up the pieces. She wasn’t good at that. But she knew who was… No! She couldn’t afford to hinge like this anymore. She didn’t deserve to… “Do you wanna blow some bubbles?” She was already holding the container out to her. “Shouldn’t we go find your dad?” She didn’t want to move, but she couldn’t leave a much more troubled soul hanging. “Uhm, I guess.” She shrugged. “He always finds me.” A memory exclusive to herself had her giggling. “He wins a lot at hide and seek!” “How long has he been gone?” “Uhm...” she glanced to her fingers, as if they’d tell the time. “Two hours? Three?” “Wh-what? Three hours?” Bewildered and shocked, Emily’s feet lost their footing on the bench, planting themselves on the ground. “He must be worrying about you!” The outburst seemed to startle her though, because she was quickly transitioning into a hiccup. Apparently only now it seemed to click for her. “Is-is he gonna be mad at me?” Wasn’t she the one with the carefree attitude to this? How quickly the tables had been turned, much less the massive irony in it all. She seemed to suck away all the worries though, because now a crying, lost girl had been deposited into Emily’s lap. “Hey, hey, relax, it’s okay, see?” Almost awkwardly, Emily rubbed her shoulder, not so used to the whole ‘interacting with kids’ thing. What was she even supposed to see? This was how Joyce did it, right? She didn’t seem to be itching for conversation, now that she was too busy crying her own river. Her storm of emotions was too distracting for Emily to prioritize her own. “Do you know your dad’s number? His cellphone?” She made sure the tiny bottle of soap didn’t fall off the bench. That seemed to have struck an even worse chord, as she sobbed harder. It was hard not to roll her eyes. How quickly could things have turned on its head? Regardless, she couldn’t help but feel some responsibility for bringing this whole issue up in the first place. “Hey, uh...” What was her name again? Come to think of it, neither one had introduced themselves! Why do kids have to be so complicated? “Hon, can you tell me your name?” Thankfully, between her breaths there was enough time to speak. “J-Jackie.” “Jackie, huh? That’s a nice name. Mine is Emily. Uh, nice to meet you.” She did her best to smile with an outstretched hand, and Jackie’s much tinier one shook it back. “So how old are you, Jackie?” “Six...” “Six? Really...” Think! What else could she say to keep her distracted? “Well, I used to be twenty-six, but just yesterday I turned twenty-seven.” Between her dimming sobs and whimpers, Jackie kept the ball rolling. “It was your birthday?” “Uh-huh, it was. I had lots of fun too.” Now it just felt like she was bragging. “Did you have it with your girlfriend?” That part stung, unknowingly bringing back such heartfelt memories… “...Yeah, I did. More importantly, are you feeling a bit better now?” “Mhm...” Emily almost thought it would be stupid to ask. She’d barely done anything, and yet she was suddenly a kid guru. “I’m sure your dad’s looking for you right now,” with a reassuring pat, the girl thankfully seemed to chin up a little. “He’s probably worried sick, but more than anything else he’ll be happy once he finds you safe and sound.” She sniffled. “Really?” “Positive. So no more crying, got it?” “Got it!” she parrotted, and Emily finally chuckled. “You laughed!” Jackie exclaimed, laying eyes on a rare treasure. Emily stuttered a bit at that, unconsciously trying to reel herself back in. “Yeah, I guess I did. But why is that so important?” “Because you were sad, right? Laughing means your happy again?” She slightly tilted her head, ignorant to the complexity of human emotions; far beyond realizing the depth of them, let alone processing the layers. If it kept her in good spirits though, Emily was willing to be that 1-dimensional being. Hell, it even helped her forget some of the struggles. “No, you’re right. I think I do feel a bit better.” She smiled, even if it meant portraying a facade. “You’re pretty when you smile,” Jackie unashamedly smirked. Emily laughed again. “What, are you flirting with me?” She kept laughing. “Hey Emily, what’s ‘flirting’?” “Uh…?” Maybe she was relaxing too much. “It might be better to ask your dad… What does he look like, by the way? So we know when we see him?” “He’s gotta scratchy beard!” Almost immediately, she exclaimed, though quickly started to laugh over her own silliness. “Scratchy beard? Hmm...we better keep our eyes peeled, then.” Apparently she said something funny, because she was giggling again. “Now what?” “You can’t peel eyes!” “Good point.” “Jackie!” A stern, loud voice called. It was a man’s. Almost immediately Jackie both simultaneously froze, yet spun her head before the total freeze-over. “Daddy!” He approached with a tired sigh. “What did I tell you about wandering off on your own?” The man seemed obviously stressed, taking a moment to run his hand through his blonde hair. “That I’mma explorer?” She quickly hopped off the bench and made a beeline for his legs, giving them a tight squeeze. As tightly as you could squish iron poles. “Wrong,” he sharply corrected. “I said that it’s a timeout in the corner if you did it again. And you did.” He scratched his chin for a moment. Emily silently watched. It is scratchy… This clearly wasn’t part of Jackie’s calculations, because she almost immediately started to whine. It was at least the good kind of whining, not the same as from the bench. “But I wanted to go and see the snakes!” “Then you wait until we go together. You don’t get to call the shots on your own, missy.” “Yes I do!” “Oh?” He looked to her left, then her right, trying not to smile. “Really? Because I don’t see anyone backing that up?” “Uhmm...” She imitated his glances, then to everyone’s surprise she spun back to Emily. “She did!” “Wai...what?” Stupefied, Emily could only blink. The man gave a look to Emily, seeming apologetic. “Sorry for bothering you, she just gets a little hyperactive...” Looking stern to Jackie again he went on. “Didn’t I also say to stop calling strangers out? What am I going to do with you...” “She’s not a stranger though! She’s Emily!” Speaking of who, she happened to look to her side, seeing the bottle of soap and its accompanying tool. Before they could wander off, Emily grabbed them and hurried over. “Wait! Jackie, you almost forgot these.” “My bubbles! I forgot!” Happily, she accepted them. She looked complacent for the moment, then another look from her dad clearly urged her to return the gratitude. “Thank you for giving them, Emily.” “Any time. Just don’t go disappearing on your dad again, okay?” Both adults seemed pleased to see her accept the terms. “Emily, was it?” Standing back on her feet, she could see he was around Joyce’s height, though maybe an inch taller. “Thank you for finding her. The second I look away from this trickster she’s off getting herself into more trouble...” Apologetically, he explained. “Don’t worry about it, really. If anything, she’s the one who found me. Still, being gone for two hours...wow. I can’t believe you could keep yourself together like that.” “Two…?” He seemed not to understand, then looked down on the supposedly innocent daughter of his. “How long did you tell her you were missing for?” “A few hours?” She smiled. “This little fibber meant to say about 10 minutes.” Emily almost wanted to roll her eyes over her own stupidity. Was it really accurate to trust a six-year old for the time? “I’m Michael, by the way. Dad of my mischievous daughter, Jackie.” The shook, having a much more adult shake than Emily’s from moments earlier. “Could I thank you somehow for watching her? A coffee, or something?” “Uh...well...” she almost looked back to the bench, as if a friend were waiting on her. She knew she’d be moments from a relapse if left to her own devices again, and truthfully, it scared her. What shook her heart even more was her phone stopped vibrating. She didn’t know what to do. Even though it was like pulling teeth, running away seemed to have a motive; a goal to it. But now? No matter what she thought, nothing seemed to be clear or distinct, other than her fear of facing Joyce. Time only accumulated the shame and worry she was feeling… “And you,” he looked to his daughter. “You’re on a tight leash for the rest of the day. Come on, you know the rules.” An open hand waited for her, and she grumpily took it, as her tiny limb was absorbed by his much larger one. Emily merely watched, silent. Observant. “Hey, Emily? Are you okay?” “Huh?” “You...you’re crying?” She wiped her cheek, and sure enough, she was. “Are you okay? Do you want to sit down?” “Can um,” a quick wipe had them mostly gone. “Can we get that drink?” It was obvious she was dodging his concerns, but the middle-aged man tried to play it off, nodding his head. “Daddy! I don’t wanna leave the zoo!” Jackie continued to whine, tugging back on his arm. “Don’t worry, honey, we’re not leaving. We can get drinks inside the zoo.” He looked to Emily as they walked, mouthing a ‘sorry.’ She paused, but then weakly smiled too. Was this okay?

Chapter Three I lay back on the comforter, eyes fixed closed and face pressed into Topa. This was it; my every fantasy come to life, thanks entirely to this strange woman, and I was too ashamed to face her. We’d barely spoken and she understood me better than even my closest friends or crewmates, and told me so with every idle stroke of my skin. I shuddered, and prayed it would never end. “Where’s my little Sally?” she teased, and searched playfully around the corners of the bed. I pressed deeper into the toy, as though it would actually conceal me, but contorted with laughter when wriggling fingers found my sides. Did empathic powers read ticklish spots as well? “There you are, my sweet little girl!” She crawled the length of my body and devoured me with hungry eyes. They soon met mine, never once blinking, and forced me to wriggle beneath her. She hushed me with benevolent strength, and stroked my cheek. “I would never hurt you,” she said, and I believed her. The adoration in her gaze was protection from the harsh universe. Artemis removed the pacifier from my mouth, which was answered with a gentle whine. It didn’t last long, however, as the silicone nipple was then replaced by full, wet lips and the taste of her breath. A passionate kiss rolled between us and opened wide. Warmth from the pit of her chest rushed through my head. Before I knew it I was drunk on her, and thirsty for more. The betazoid woman pulled away and slipped the nipple back into my mouth. She smiled the smile of a woman with all the power. Her hand ran down my touch starved cheek. “Good girl.” Slow digits ran down the curve of my sides and slipped under the band of my panties. Artemis growled with delight, prompting a fresh wave of embarrassment that had me clinging to Topa. She laughed, and peeled the purple cotton from my mons and along my legs. They clasped shut, too shy to reveal all of myself, but the damp pool at the base of my panties were all the proof she needed. Artemis pulled the seat to her nose and inhaled deeply. I could hear her revel in it, humming in delight. “I think someone’s been enjoying themselves more than she’s been letting on,” she teased. My legs clasped tighter, and my thighs became slick. There was to be no hiding. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” she hummed. “Then we’ll slip you into a nice, clean diaper.” Resistance, as they say, was futile. With only the gentle prying of her hands my legs were apart. Her touch glided down the smooth flesh and left me exposed to her. Cool air kissed the slick lips of my labia and I yelped, hiding deeper still into the toy. At this rate I would burrow through Topa in no time. Artemis smiled audibly. The more the embarrassment, the more she reveled. She leaned closer until her breath tickled my skin. I shivered in anticipation, stiff as a board in wait for her to land between my thighs. She did, and I gasped, overcome with warm shivers up and down my body. “You’re a very naughty girl,” she said. “I might be down here a while.” Kiss by hungry kiss she roamed my thighs along to the heart of my arousal. Then finally - finally - her lips met my swollen labia and stole tender nips. God, I was losing my mind! I ground my hips to her face, begging for more. Artemis was happy to oblige, took a firm grip of my legs and buried her face into my kitty. Yeah, I call it my kitty, just like in the stories, and it felt so right. I was small and helpless under her, and she was the guiding force through this very much adult world which I was barely a part. Though I was no stranger to sex it was better this way; sweet and forbidden in the hands of my most vulnerable self. Artemis growled into my kitty, and probed her tongue under my fleshy hood. A surge ran from head to toe the moment she made contact. She was ravenous, practically slurping on my button. I fought to keep from moving, but she held my legs tighter, keeping me just where she wanted me. Topa fell to one side, and when he did I caught her gaze. Artemis was as great a presence as there ever was, leveling me with the sheer power of her aura. I suckled on the pacifier and laid back, grabbing Topa and once more taking refuge in the toy. There were no more thoughts; just explosions of sensation rolling like a tidal wave in my belly. I was helpless, just as a little girl should be. Everything around me felt so big, and I, so small. Artemis was a more than adequate caregiver, guiding me through these powerful feelings. In that moment I was hers - every part of me, hers. With no effort at all her finger slid into my entrance. Two or three would have been no effort I was so wet, but one was all she needed; a single knowing digit to curl inside, beckoning come hither against the wall of my kitty. Artemis massaged the swollen flesh, working in tandem with the licks against my clit. My heart beat furiously, pumping fire through my body until screaming through my paci. Noone had ever been so adept at navigating the secret corners of my body, but to Artemis it was second nature. She slurped, she licked and she probed, all while holding me down with a firm and nurturing hand. In no time at all I was on the edge; the floodgates were open, and I was gushing. How long had this secret fantasy begged to be met? Perhaps that’s why I didn’t resist, despite knowing it against regulation to fraternise. Artemis lifted her head, chin covered in drippings from my kitty. She smiled. “Cum for me, baby. Cum for Mama.” Those were the magic words. The smaller I became, the greater the force inside until I could hold it no more. My body convulsed, shaking around her fingers so hard I nearly fell off the bed. Artemis held me in place, containing the orgasm so that I felt every universe-shattering pulse. It rolled across my body, cascading in waves, leaving me short of breath and in a pool of sweat. I moaned with need through the paci. “Mama!” Next I knew her arms were around me, and my head was nestled between her breasts. Through the soft tissue I could hear the steady beat of her heart, and slowed in time with her breathing. I was lost in the haze, but safe in her arms; safe with Mama, even if it was only for the night. She teased the pacifier from my lips. I whined at first, until she replaced it with her fingers. I’d never tasted myself before, but didn’t mind the sour metallic tang from between my legs. That didn’t stop the power she held in feeding me my sex from being any less erotic. I slurped lazily on her digits, and hummed. “Good girl…” The words filled me with pride and satisfaction. I was a good girl. I knew I was a good girl because Mama said so. No stress about antimatter reactors or dilithium cores; I made Mama smile, and that was everything. “Now, I think we’ve put off that diaper for long enough, don’t you?” She could have said anything and I would have done it. My thoughts were a disparate cloud all orbiting this wonderful woman. I laid back, legs open wide and drank in the air, waiting for what came next.

I started on Bass Guitar, then I hit the Guitar (Acoustic and Electric), I've always dabbled with Keys, and then finally, and maybe it doesn't count as playing an instrument, but I program just about any kind of instrument now with notation software, which allows me to "play" whatever instrument I want whether I know how to play it or not, just so long as I know how it's supposed to be played. This piece is really very long, but I wrote it specifically so that it would never get boring. I think if you did aerobic exercises with it all the way through you'd probably die from exhaustion. I produced it quite a few years ago, and so my methods were different in that they were archaic with sound straight from my notation software, which worked out surprisingly well provided I worked with it a lot. I still hadn't figured out how to adjust the strict quantization of notes and staves to eliminate what may seem like an automated quality in certain passages, but I've since solved that problem. Still, I love this thing, so much so that I don't mind putting my real name on it.

I think most of us would gladly wear better night diapers and adjust to wetting at night as opposed to getting up so often. If I wake up once and have to get up, I feel it in the morning. I can't imagine having to get up multiple times, I'd just start wearing diapers to bed for convenience sake.