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Chapter 3: Point of No Return Past the point of no return The final threshold What warm, unspoken secrets will we learn Beyond the point of no return? The music Mom played in the car always had to be educational. She had been a theater actress until Grace was born, when she’d traded that for the stability of a tedious office job. Even after all these years, she still had a thing for musicals. We’d been listening to The Phantom of the Opera on car rides for the past week and a half. It had been a desperate effort to keep Mom from singing along to the lyrics while my friends were in the car. It was one of her favorites; Mom had parts in the musical as a high school student and later as a professional actress. Thank goodness the musical was nearing an end. But that raised the uneasy question of what Mom would have us listening to next. Grace and Jackson had the two bucket seats in the middle row of the van, while I sat between Emma and Angie in the back row on the way home from the soccer game. There were few things capable of fully distracting me from my years-long quest to get my hands on pull-ups or diapers, but soccer was one of them. And our season wasn’t over yet. Emma had scored the winning goal with five minutes remaining, heading the ball into the net after I lofted a pass into the penalty box. Mom was driving us home so that Dad could put in an order for pizza. Dad leaned over to tilt his head and look at us from the front passenger seat. “We need to figure out what kind of pizza to order.” That led to an immediate clammer of responses. I wasn’t particular about my toppings. But my siblings and friends all had strong preferences. “Hold up,” Dad said. “One at a time. Tell me what you’d like when I say your name.” After getting each of our answers, Dad determined that we’d need cheese, pepperoni, and BBQ chicken pizzas to have something that would be suitable for everyone’s palates. He placed a delivery order on his phone. The pizzas would arrive ten minutes or so after we made it home. We pulled into the driveway. The ignition was turned off. The music came to an abrupt end just as the chorus was repeating. Past the point of no return. My efforts at being hydrated for tonight had continued throughout the soccer game. Playing midfield was hard work, so I didn’t have any difficulty going through a couple of bottles of water. This would be it, though. Once I began to wet the bed, there would be no going back to the way things were before. There would be no hiding that I was wearing pull-ups. Not from Mom and Dad. Most likely not from my sister. I felt confident I could keep my secret from Jackson. And there was absolutely no way I was going to allow my friends or anyone at school to discover it. Could I live with that? Could I live with my parents and sister, thinking I was a bedwetter? Was that a fair price to pay for finally getting what I had been seeking for three years? I tried to push those worries to the side. My sister had been a bedwetter, and she had turned out completely fine. Pretending to be one couldn’t result in things going any worse for me. Besides, once I was old enough to be able to get pull-ups on my own. I could slowly stop wetting the bed, pretending that I had grown out of the issue. I made my decision. I unscrewed the lid to the half-full bottle of blue Gatorade sitting in my lap and drank another few ounces. If the amount of liquids I’d been drinking so far this afternoon and evening had stood out to anyone as odd, no one said anything about it to me. Emma and Angie left their sports bags in the trunk as we got out of the van. Mom would take them home after dinner. Something wet and rough began to lick my leg as I sat down on the couch. “Shoo!” I gave Chester a mostly gentle push away from me. The cat flicked its tail in annoyance. He jumped up on Angie’s lap instead. I had thought it was cute when our cat had first licked my legs after returning home from a soccer game one evening a couple of years back. I just thought it meant that he really liked me. Leave it to Grace to spoil the mood. She had informed me it was probably only due to my skin being salty from sweating. Chester didn’t love me. He wanted to eat me. And if I were to suddenly keel over and die, he probably would do just that. It’s hard to look at your beloved pet the same way again in light of that information. Yes, a family of redheads had, of course, adopted an orange cat. The jokes practically wrote themselves, and Angie and Emma had been more than willing to make them in the three years since our family had adopted that orange menace. The doorbell rang. Dad went to the front door to get the pizzas. Mom went down to the basement to grab some soda for us. I followed my friends and siblings to the dining room, where the three pizzas, as well as cheese bread and dipping sauce, were laid out on the table. I was just about to pick up a plate to put some slices of BBQ chicken pizza on when Mom called me over from the kitchen. “Madelyn, can you come here for a second?” Mom was waving at me from the kitchen. I set my empty plate down. That Mom was using my full name wasn’t a promising sign about where this conversation was heading. Maddy – with a “y” – was what I usually preferred to be called. When a new teacher was going through the roll call for the first time at the start of the school year, I would make sure to let them know that I preferred my nickname rather than Madelyn. Sometimes, Grace and my friends would tease me and call me Mads, especially if I happened to already be irked by something. That could get annoying pretty quick, even if I had to admit that it was rather funny. Mom and Dad were usually good about calling me Maddy, except for when I had done something wrong. Then I was Madelyn. But what exactly had I done wrong? Mom was still holding the two-liter Mountain Dew that she had brought up from the basement. That was going to be key to the success of my plans tonight. Plenty of caffeine and sugar to keep me up later, and I would be well-hydrated before going to bed. “Maddy, look at me.” “Huh?” “Did you not hear a word that I said?” I looked down at my feet. Had Mom been talking? “Um. Maybe not.” Mom sighed. “I noticed that you hadn’t cleaned the cat litter when I went to grab the soda. Can you please go and do that now? There weren’t a lot of chores that I had to do, but one of them was that it was my responsibility to clean the cat litter every day when I got home from school. The chore had completely slipped my mind. That wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. It wasn’t like I was intentionally trying to avoid it. I didn’t like scooping the cat litter, but it beat washing dishes, which was one of the things my older sister was tasked with helping out with. “Now? But I’m hungry? I’ll go do it after dinner. Promise.” “It needs to be done now, Madelyn. We don’t need the basement to get all stinky.” There was a subtext beneath her calm but firm tone, one that suggested something both Mom and I knew. If I didn’t complete that task right now, I was likely going to forget to do it until tomorrow. And Mom wasn’t going to be all that happy about it. Besides, I didn’t have anyone but me to blame for needing to do the chore; I had been the most vocal proponent of getting Chester a couple of years ago. The sound of my feet against the wooden stairs echoed noisily as I descended into the basement. Mom wasn’t wrong about the litter being stinky. I wrinkled my nose as I went about the unpleasant task of cleaning up after the cat as quickly as possible. <><><> We brought our food into the family room, where a trio of couches formed a half-circle facing a large, flat-screen TV. Grace had retreated to her bedroom to eat her pizza in solitude. Her tastes in TV shows were a lot different from my friends’ and mine. She pretty much avoided Emma and Angie when my two friends were over. To be fair, I gave my older sister’s high school friends plenty of distance as well. Being the last to fill my plate and cup had come with its advantages. With everyone else already in the family room. I filled my cup to the brim with pop, drank half of it, and then filled it up again. I would need to brush my teeth extra good before bed tonight. That is, if I remembered to do so. That was another task I had a hard time keeping track of, much to my parents’ – and dentist’s – annoyance. Angie – short for Angelina – had only cheese pizza on her plate. She was the pickiest eater I had ever met. I didn’t know how she managed to get enough calories each to subsist. The girl with dark brown hair done up in a ponytail eyed my BBQ chicken pizza as I took a seat next to her on the couch. She looked quite put off by it. “I don’t think that counts as pizza,” Angie said. Emma rolled her eyes from the other couch she was sitting on by herself. “Says the girl who won’t even eat pepperoni and sausage.” “Hey, I saw a documentary about how they’re made,” Angie retorted. On that topic, I did actually take Angie’s side, though, unlike her, I wasn’t well on my way to becoming a vegan. “She does have a point, though,” I said to Emma while taking a bite of my chicken pizza. “I don’t really care for mystery meat.” We were streaming a show on Netflix while we ate our dinner. I wished my parents had been willing to pay enough to avoid ads, but instead, we were getting interrupted every fifteen minutes by commercials. My parents had left the room shortly after finishing their pizza slices, leaving control over what was on the TV to us. I usually looked down at my phone during the commercial breaks, but this one caught my eye. It was something I had never seen before on the TV: an advertisement for the very product I was trying to get my hands on by becoming a bedwetter. There were a bunch of boys and girls dressed in pajamas for a sleepover. There was a narrator talking about how two of the kids had an embarrassing secret they needed to hide from their friends. “Wait, are those diapers for teenagers?” Angie asked as the ad showed a boy and a girl, not all that younger than ourselves, putting on a pull-up. Pull-ups, I thought silently. Those are pull-ups. If they were diapers, they’d have those sticky tapes to attach them around the waist. That was not a distinction I was going to dare bring up to my friends, though, so I had to sit silently as they gave their loud observations about the commercial. “What kind of loser would wear those?” Emma said as the ad broke away to show a picture of the product and its packaging. I stared straight ahead at the TV, not because I wanted to watch the advertisement while my friends were present, but because I wasn’t sure how successful I was being at putting on a poker face. It wasn’t that I wasn’t aware of how unusual my desires were. There was a reason I had confided in no one over the past three years. There was a reason that all my attempts to fulfill it had been conducted in utmost secrecy. I knew my friends would find the idea of someone their age being a bedwetter to be strange or weird, but to hear the venomous ridicule coming out of their mouths was something altogether different. It raised the stakes of what I was about to do tonight. “Yeah, that’s really gross,” I added, pretending to share their disgust over the topic as well. There was a sudden realization in the middle of the conversation. I needed to pee. Badly. I didn’t leap up from the couch. I needed to preserve at least some of my dignity, but I did walk out of the room rather quickly, that walk turning into a jog to the bathroom as soon as I was out of sight. I pulled down my underwear, wishing it was a pull-up I was removing instead. But if it had been a pull-up, I wouldn’t have needed to rush off to the toilet in the first place. My urine was even clearer than it had been before dinner. The plan of getting extra hydrated was working. I would have no issues peeing in bed tonight. Everyone was still focused on the TV when I returned to my place on the couch. Nothing more was said about the ad for pull-ups for bedwetters. It was long forgotten as the drama of the TV show continued. Our next soccer game wasn’t until Sunday, but we’d already made plans to meet up at Angie’s place tomorrow after lunch. We watched two episodes before it was time to say goodnight to my friends. The word was one that was difficult to say in light of the advertisement on TV, and I nearly stuttered over it as I waved goodbye to Angie and Emma as they followed Mom out the door. <><><> I picked up Chester off of the bed, set him down in the hallway, and made sure the door was actually shut securely behind me before I returned to bed. For a cat as dumb as he was, the fact that he had learned to open my bedroom door in the middle of the night was a source of endless annoyance for me and plenty of amusement for my siblings. For whatever reason, he had decided that I was his person, and therefore, my bedroom was the one that he wanted to be spending the night in. The problem was that my bedroom door didn’t always close all that securely, so if that fat orange cat were to push hard enough against it, he could get it to open enough to slip through and come sleep on my bed. I wanted no part in waking up to his butt being planted on my face. Not again. No, thank you. Tonight, of course, I had bigger concerns about him being in my bed than where he would plant his behind. It wouldn’t do to have the cat get caught up in the bedwetting that was set to happen in less than an hour. I looked at the digital clock on my nightstand as I returned to bed. Still, thirty minutes to go until midnight. I’d been in bed for almost an hour now. Since it was still technically part of the school year, I had a bedtime, even on weekends. Normally, I would have been annoyed at being sent to bed at 10:30 p.m. this close to summer break, but tonight, I did so without complaint, though I still had to be reminded by Mom to make sure to brush my teeth. Midnight was the earliest I could attempt to wet the bed, but I still had to wait to make sure everyone else was asleep before I began. Jackson, being six, got sent to bed right after dinner, around 8 p.m. He was an extremely sound sleeper. Nothing was going to wake him until he got up to zoom around the house and watch Saturday morning cartoons around 7 a.m. My parents were still up watching TV at the moment. This was their chance to watch the shows that Jackson and I hadn’t been allowed to see yet and ones that Grace had no interest in. But their evening schedule was at least predictable. Give them another ten to fifteen minutes, and they’d be brushing their teeth and taking out contact lenses. I’d likely be able to hear my dad snoring from the hallway before midnight. Grace was the wildcard, but whether she was asleep or not was less of a concern. She tended to seclude herself in her bedroom on weekend evenings. The main problem was that I was already beginning to feel a fairly strong urge to pee. As the evening wore on, my trips to the bathroom had become more and more frequent. I wasn’t sure how much I had drunk since coming home from school, but I was sure it had to be some crazily excessive amount, much more than whatever was recommended for staying hydrated during the day. I turned my phone’s flashlight on and retrieved the magazine once more from the drawer in an attempt to distract my thoughts from my bladder for the moment. I buried myself beneath my covers so the light wouldn’t be noticeable from outside in the hallway. I read through each line of the advertisement again and again. At this point, I could recite it from memory, the pictures of the pull-ups and the words used to describe them crystal clear in my mind’s eye. But there was something different about being able to hold it in my hands. It made it tangible. This wasn’t just something I had dreamed up. These pull-ups were real. And soon, they would be mine. I heard some faint noises in the distance and hastily shut off my phone. Mom and Dad were getting ready for bed. I could hear the sink running off in the distance in the bathroom as they brushed their teeth. I listened with bated breath as the sounds of them getting ready for bed continued. After a sprinkling of footsteps, their bedroom door clicked shut, and there was silence. As much as I wanted to resume my examination of the magazine, I couldn’t risk getting it ruined in the bedwetting. I carefully put it back in its place in the dresser drawer. I wouldn’t need it anymore once I had actual pull-ups to look at and wear. Would I toss the magazine out, then? Or would I keep it as a memento of the journey that had gotten me to this point? The clock silently struck midnight. I cracked open my door, doing so cautiously in case Chester was in the hallway waiting to come in. To my right was my sister’s bedroom on the opposite side of the hallway. The light was off. The same was true of my brother’s bedroom on the opposite side of the hallway to the left. I couldn’t make out my parent’s bedroom door, which was down to the left on the same side of the hallway as mine, but, as I had predicted, the sound of Dad’s snoring was proof enough that at least one of my parents was still asleep. I’m not sure how my Mom managed. I shut the door and tiptoed back to my bed, sliding beneath the cover and sheets. Unlike last night, my bladder was now aching, giving me clear signals that it was time to go to the toilet. I lay sprawled out under the sheets of the queen-sized bed. I now had to convince my bladder that it was perfectly OK to empty itself in this position instead. I held my breath. There would be no turning back when I did this. No way to hide the wet bed or the questions it would raise for my parents. But if I wasn’t going to do it now, when was I ever going to do it? I strained my bladder, trying to get myself to pee for several minutes. Nothing came out. I hadn’t considered how difficult it was going to be to wet the bed intentionally. My bladder was desperately telling me that it needed to go, but it was like there was some sort of mental block preventing me from going while I was still in bed. I had experienced a similar problem once before. There had been that time I had attempted to create a makeshift diaper out of plastic grocery bags, toilet paper, and duct tape. I had found myself unable to pee into it until I had sat on the toilet. In retrospect, that had been a good thing because the makeshift diaper had ended up leaking heavily into the toilet. I had figured that the problem then had been that I simply hadn’t waited until I was desperate enough to pee. Though, come to think of it, I couldn’t recall a single time that I had ever wet my pants from reaching that point of desperation since being potty trained. That had to be somewhat unusual. I could recall plenty of times when classmates in preschool through elementary had endured the humiliating experience of wetting their pants in class. Then there was Hannah, who had wet her pants during third-grade recess. I felt bad about it now, but we didn’t let her hear the end of it for the rest of the school year. That matter was mostly long forgotten now. Jokes about that situation had long lost their effectiveness. The urge to urinate was now almost painful. I rolled from my back to my stomach. Still couldn’t pee. I shifted to my side. Waited another painful minute. Still couldn’t get my bladder to release. Then I was on my back again. Still nothing. My bed was completely dry. I needed to go so badly now, but my body was telling me the only place it was going to do so was the toilet. I stood up from the bed. This was clearly stupid. A twelve-year-old girl wasn’t supposed to be peeing in her bed. What in the world was I doing? I began to hobble toward the closed door, both hands clutched between my legs. I made it halfway to the bedroom door when the image of the pull-up re-entered my mind. Was I really going to give up this easily after all my plans and preparations? Yes, someday, I would have the freedom to go and purchase those pull-ups for myself. But that would be ages and ages from now. I already knew what three years of waiting felt like. I couldn’t do it again. If not tonight, when was I going to do it? It was the same pattern, over and over again. My pent-up desire was foiled by my unwillingness to follow through when the time came to actually have the ability to put into motion a foolproof plan to get what I wanted. I returned to bed, but I didn’t lie back down. I had a different idea to try to trick my bladder into letting go. I pulled back the covers, so that I was sitting on the sheets in the middle of the bed, where my waist otherwise would have been had I been lying down. If I couldn’t make myself pee while lying down, perhaps I could do so while sitting on my knees. I tried to get in the right headspace to get myself to urinate. I thought of roaring waterfalls, trickling brooks, the pattering of rain outside my bedroom window, my hand reaching out to test the water pouring out from the shower, finding that the water was just the right amount of warmth to step into. Something began to stir in my bladder. The front of my pajama pants was warm and wet, and it was only getting warmer and wetter. It was all I could do to keep my hands from reaching down to the front of my pajamas. No point in getting them wet as well. My intention had been to make only a small accident. Enough that there wasn’t any question about what I had done, but not something super crazy that would be a pain to get cleaned up. I had figured that it would be easy to control how much I peed. I was wrong. There was simply no stopping the warm flow of urine that ran down my legs and onto the bed. Ten seconds passed. Then, twenty seconds. Then, thirty seconds. Then, forty seconds. Then it finally came to a stop. Even in the darkness, I could make out that the wet spot on my mattress was ginormous. It wasn’t so much a spot as it was a massive puddle covering a sizeable portion of the bed. I was past the point of no return. --- Links to all my stories can be found at https://abdlwriter.wordpress.com

Chapter 89: Injected BETH TRIED NOT to scream! Nikki looked completely unabashed as she said, “No, this is a bit more discrete, see,” she held up a thin gold chain bracelet with a few pink sapphire stones spread out about it in small circular settings. This just looks like jewelry. It is similar to the tech they use with Littles, as no one else can remove it, but it’s designed for people like me to give to protectees.” She found herself speechless then; her mouth opened but then shut. Nikki held up a hand, “Look, I know you’re not a Little, and I know without a doubt something like this has to be embarrassing and makes you feel all sorts of other emotions? That being said, I care about your safety! If something happens to you if I’m not there, or if we’re separated, no one can remove this without cutting off body parts.” Beth felt sick to her stomach then, “Why…?” Her mom stepped in then, “Beth, as soon as I found out that the problem girl, Kelly, was related to my former assistant, I had a really bad feeling about things. When you mentioned her before, we paid a private investigation firm to do a background check. Still, none of her actual parentage came up. Only once we had the information could we dig deeper and figure out how we missed it.” Her mom sighed, “Look, I love you to death, Beth, and I have no desire to have you mixed up with anyone trying to get payback against your dad or me. When I turned against my mother, a lot of people went to prison… Unfortunately, many of them were really well connected, Beth. Some didn’t get prison sentences as harsh and have been out for a few years. Too many of those have resources to back up someone like Kelly.” “Look, Beth, I know this isn’t going to be a reality you want to face, but between that information and what I found about your boyfriend’s family’s enemies – you both may be targets.” “Why?” Beth cried, “I just want to go to school this time! And Mom, Connor isn’t just some boy; I really, really like him!” Her mom moved closer and hugged her to her side, “I know you do, and I’m completely on your side! I just want to know you’re safe!” After a while longer in the hug, she managed to wipe the tears, “So, I guess ankle…? What are these other rules?” she asked as calmly as she could. Nikki bent down briefly before answering and used a device to attach what otherwise would have looked like a simple bracelet. “Well, they really are simple. If I tell you to get down, you get down. If I tell you to run, you run. You don’t, under any circumstances, go anywhere outside your dorm suite without telling me first! I will escort you to Amanda’s anytime you go there, and I may or may not stay there or come back here while you’re there for a weekend.” “Why are you not as worried there?” “If someone tries to attack you at her house, she’s got it in hand…” Nikki shook her head. “Between her automated defenses – and those alone are insane – and Amanda herself, the only place that might be safer would be the President’s house.” “Really?” Beth asked, a little shocked by a statement like that. “They had a couple break-ins when Connor’s mom was here. Well, Bella, his aunt, was kidnapped at one point by them. After that, she reinforced that house to the point where I wouldn’t attack it with an elite special forces unit without bombing the hell out of it first!” Beth smiled at that, “That does sound like Amanda!” The three talked for another hour before she was sent to change into her pajamas, and her mom insisted on tucking her in. “I love you, Mom,” she said as her mother moved towards the separate room’s lights. “Love you too, sweetie! Night-night!” It was incredibly easy to fall asleep that night; just knowing her mom had flown there immediately to see that she was safe made her feel a whole lot safer and loved! GRANDMA WAS CARRYING me up the stairs at her house before I realized I passed out in the car. “Where…?” I started to ask, then realized what was going on. “How long was I asleep?” I asked her as she carried me like a baby in her arms. She smiled, “Pretty much from the moment I put you in your car seat?” She lightly bounced me, “I’m guessing the week has just been a bit much for you? It’s been a rough one, if you think about everything?” I nodded, “yeah, I’m pretty worn out.” She sat me on the floor and passed me my bags from her other shoulder. “Here, why don’t you brush your teeth, get your jammies on, and call it a night?” I looked at the clock, realized it was about an hour later than I’d been up the night before, and nodded, “Yeah, I could use the sleep. It’s going to be a long day with the filming tomorrow.” “Do you need a night diaper, or are you fine with the Pull-Up?” Grandma asked me. “I haven’t had any accidents this week at all?” I told her. “I should be fine?” “Well, if not, the bed has a waterproof covering for the mattress.” I blushed but didn’t say anything else and let her tuck me into bed that night. I was back asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow! Sadly, it felt like no time before Grandma had me up and let me know, for time’s sake, that I’d have to skip my swim that morning. “Sorry, Connor, since they want you there by eight, we need to get going!” I grumbled a little but accepted the lost day of swimming as she buckled me in the car seat. “Here’s some water,” she said, handing me a water bottle as she finished buckling me in. “You probably need some before the day gets going!” Of course, we had breakfast, and I even had my coffee, but we were driving long enough that I took advantage of the water bottle. I had a hard time, though, not spilling it due to how the seat reclined! Overall, the car seat was comfortable, but it was still weird to essentially lie on my back, going backward the whole trip! Grandma walked me to Matisse and the studio before saying, “I’ll see you this afternoon or evening when you’re done for the day. If something comes up, please give me a call!” With a hug, she left to connect with Amanda and Beth. I found myself walking into the wardrobe room where I saw Gary, Charlotte, and Sebastian, along with an older woman who I assumed was here to help with the transformation into ‘Brianna.’ “Morning,” I told them. “Hi, Connor,” Charlotte smiled. “Connor, this is Professor Ponce,” Gary introduced me. “She’s from the theater department and is our expert on costume and makeup.” “Nice to meet you,” I said, looking up at the taller giant. I guessed she was near fifty and probably about ten-and-a-half feet tall. She had a short pixie-style haircut, and her hair itself was dyed a swirl of turquoise blue and purple. ‘Very typical!’ I thought to myself! “Likewise, Connor! Your grandmother is quite a hero to me with her nanite research.” I blushed at that, “I guess I should have had her come in.” “So, are we just going to get started?” I asked. Charlotte sighed, “We figured out we have a small continuity issue if we just do it now. We’ll need to do it later in the morning, and we decided that we’ll actually film the change.” “Huh?” I said. “Remember our script supervisor isn’t here anymore?” Sebastian said. “We missed the courthouse scene and then the doctor’s visit to do the transition. The rest of the crew we need to film those scenes should be here shortly, though. We figured it out just as we were shutting down last night.” I nodded, “Is that the only spot we missed?” “We think so. We both read through everything on our schedule again last night and this morning to be sure,” Charlotte replied. “Fun…” I said. Seeing everyone straggle in that morning as early as we needed them to was impressive. I know I usually would still be asleep back home at the equivalent time of about six in the morning! After a quick bathroom break, Gary helped me dress into the costume Sarah changed me into, leaving the apartment to the Courthouse. Isabella ensured my hair matched the reference photos we’d taken before. Beth arrived just after I’d dressed and was recruited to help comb through the script to ensure there weren’t any other missed scenes before the transformation occurred. It wasn’t a one-way trip, but they didn’t want to undo it until we finished filming the next day. To use the treatment, our group was being charged $700k of our fake budget money for each round-trip use! Soon, we were set up to film and began with Charlotte pulling me from the car at the Courthouse and carrying me on her hip inside. We ran a couple of takes for coverage. Then we found ourselves in a conference room with our Holo lawyers showing me the contract. I signed the document after using the pencil to point out the important details on the contract. Someone had drafted a realistic-looking document. I was also grateful that the fine print stated, ‘This is not a real contract’ in multiple spots! ‘Last thing I want to do is give myself away for adoption for real!’ The contract’s significant points of the one-year term, no hypnosis, no baby food, and no permanent mutilation per the Little Protection Act of 2032, were all marked and filmed up close. There was no dialogue to film, so it all went rather quickly! BY THE TIME Beth’s alarm woke her up, she’d gotten a better night’s sleep than she had since returning to school that week. Knowing her mother was down the hallway had been very calming, and she had to admit she was glad she’d come. After a hug goodbye to her mom at Amanda’s car, Nikki and Beth walked to the studio and found everything already going crazy. Besides briefly introducing Nikki, she mostly stayed out of the way, observing things. In the meantime, Beth had been wrangled into picking up the pieces from Kelly and was glad the group had caught the major mistake before the morning! Everyone was set up for the Courtroom Scene, and Beth watched as Connor stood on the chair beside Charlotte for the scene. Jackson had passed his job with sound recording off Owen so he could act the judge’s role. With the makeup and costume, he looked like he was in his late thirties and old enough to be the judge in the courtroom. “Mister Bristley, I see we have a request for you to be adopted by Miss Ingels here. This is by your own free will?” Jackson had a deep voice that resounded through the room and sounded authoritative. “Yes, Your Honor,” Connor said, and she couldn’t help but her nerves crackle at the scene of the fake adoption. “You’re not being forced or coerced, Mister Bristley? It’s important we know no one has threatened you into this agreement?” Connor managed to look nervous through this and seemed to reluctantly sigh and said, “No, your honor. I am choosing this of my own free will.” “You are certain this is what you want? I see this is set up only as a trial period of one year, Miss Ingels? That’s highly unusual? Should you both wish to extend the agreement, the agreement will force you to return before me?” Charlotte pulled every ounce of charisma and came across as an incredibly collected businesswoman who wanted this agreement, “Yes, your honor. We’re looking at a symbiotic, mutually beneficial adoption here, but not to lock it in forever.” Jackson’s deep voice resonated then, “Very well!” He shuffled something on the desk, “If both parties will please rise! Since both parties are without objection, I decree that Mister Brian Bristley is no longer an adult in the eyes of the court. He is given over to the custody of Miss Ingels per the agreement before the court. The new name on the adoption certificate shall read Brianna Marie Ingels. Brianna Marie Ingels’s gender shall be listed as female from this date forth. Congratulations to the new family!” He used his gavel then, and Beth couldn’t help but feel her heart stop at the sound. “Mommy, you may now take your baby girl to the clerk, and they will insert her chip and provide you with the adoption certificate.” The sound in the courtroom picked up a little as they’d programmed a little chatter into the few HoloCharacters. “Chip?” Connor said with genuine nervousness. Charlotte gently pushed a purple pacifier inside her character’s new baby, “Shhh... We’ll talk about it later.” Connor managed some mumbled pacifier talk before Charlotte walked out the door. “Cut!” Beth heard. “I want to do that again,” Charlotte said. “Why? Seemed great from what I saw?” Will asked. “It just didn’t feel right,” Charlotte said, “Connor, we need you to be a bit more nervous, I think, on this. Instead of having him on the chair, let’s have you sit on the table in front of me so I can play with your hair and outfit when we’re not speaking?” She looked down at me briefly, “And I want to clip the pacifier to your outfit this time, too. At some point, you should grab it and hold it in your hand, maybe squeeze it like you’re scared and sure you’re making a mistake?” Connor nodded. “If we’re doing it again, I want a little different coverage…” Will made his own adjustments then with the camera crew. They did three more takes of what Beth had figured would be one of the easiest takes. Charlotte felt like it was one of the most important scenes, though. Ultimately, it was a much better product from what she could see, but they’d spent an entire hour on just a tiny portion of the project! I HAD BEEN surprised that Charlotte had been so picky on the courtroom scene, but I was impressed by her use of her gut feelings. We’d shot the scene in the adoption clerk’s room next. Without dialogue, it moved quickly, even as my diaper was pulled back and a fake injector was used on the top of my butt to be ‘chipped.’ During the process, I learned that those had only improved in technology since Mom had been there. They were not only just about impossible to remove, but they also inserted a marker into the recipient’s DNA that could be checked even if someone managed to rip theirs out. Testing DNA for those markers was now standard as a part of the adoption process, “Isn’t that playing with fire?” I couldn’t help but ask. I’d been laughed at by Ava at that and assured it was ‘quite safe.’ There was also now a locating system that was essentially fool-proof at finding a Little with a chip. I was just grateful I hadn’t received a chip! There was a montage of a trip from the Courthouse to the doctor’s office shot, and before I knew it, we were in the middle of recording the doctor’s office scene. Gary was playing the doctor, and while he was more comfortable dealing with costumes, his time taking acting classes was evident to me. We had just filmed Charlotte being led out of the room, and he came to sit back on a stool facing me on the table, “Now Brianna, I know Bigs can be pretty aggressive. If you tell me your mommy is forcing you to get this treatment, I’m bound by my oath to protect you. She’ll never be allowed to hurt you again in that case, and we can get your freedom back today. So, please tell me the truth, are you really okay with this procedure? It is permanent?” I found myself speaking the line that had really resonated with me when I read the horrible script, “Yes sir, it’s been my life’s dream to be a girl for real. It’s the one positive I’m getting out of a deal to try and help Sarah get her daughter potty trained.” Gary looked at the tablet he held, “Hmm... I guess that makes some of these other things make more sense, too, then…” We had shot this once, but it wasn’t quite right, so on this third take, I tried to see the screen, “Other things?” Gary smiled, “These are surprises you’ll like, so I’ll let you mommy tell you about them. Speaking of Mommy, I’m sure she’s really worried right now, I’m going to go get her.” Gary walked to the door to open it, letting Charlotte back inside. We finished the dialogue of the scene to set up the procedure, including my supposed anesthesia to put me to sleep. Then I heard, “Cut!!!!” “How was all of that?” Charlotte asked. “Good,” Will said. “I think so too,” Sebastian said from the empty wall across from us, filled with the camera crew. “We should be good to go onto this next spot. Doctor Ponce, are we ready to go with that?” The professor appeared with a small miniature briefcase and a tablet, “All good to go. Gary, all you have to do is press this right here to Connor’s upper thigh.” “Will this hurt?” I asked her. “It’ll be no worse than a normal shot?” She told me. “And unlike for Brian, this isn’t permanent, right?” Charlotte asked. “Correct, this will change Connor’s appearance and gender to being a girl, but all we have to do is link into the nanites programming, and they will reverse the change. This is actually an advancement his grandmother pioneered about thirteen years ago that we’ve frequently used in theater in both directions to use the actors and actresses we want.” “You’re okay with this, Connor?” Sebastian asked. I nodded, “Let’s go ahead and do this.” “Before we do so, would you mind signing this?” the professor asked. I noted it was a release form and wasn’t shocked she would have one required. The little briefcase was opened up, and Ponce and Gary spent some time together before saying, “Should be good to go.” “Will, go with extra camera coverage on this - we’ll only have one shot at this?” “Done already, Sebastian.” “Let’s do this then!” I was placed back on the table again, and after we began filming, I forced myself to not react when Gary’s cold hands moved the hospital gown out of the way to reach the site. They’d already strapped me down like I was going to have surgery, so I wasn’t able to even think about moving. I had my eyes closed as the injector pierced my skin and was pulled free. For a moment, I felt nothing. Then I felt a jolt, and every inch of my skin convulsed as if I was being shocked by electricity! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thanks for reading! Please press the 'Like' button and leave me a comment! This weekend is a little extended, so I'm hoping to have some extra writing time today and tomorrow. If I can get three chapters written, and if I see enough likes, I'll post a second bonus chapter this week and let you out of this shocking cliffhanger. 😈 Thanks again for reading my works! Please consider purchasing a copy of my completed works from Amazon if you enjoy them! Having a small source of extra income there helps me keep the spare time to write for you all! https://www.amazon.com/author/babysofia

Chapter 24 - Security Badges The sun's rays peeked through the tall skyscrapers, casting a muted glow on the sleek and modern DNA Pharmacia building. The concrete jungle was quiet as it was still in the early morning, with only a few people scattered about. Darlene stood out in her polished business attire, in a light green blouse with a suit and pants, and her hair pulled back in a neat bun. The fluorescent lights of the garage illuminated her path, her footsteps echoing off the walls. The air was heavy with the familiar scent of gasoline and exhaust fumes, a constant reminder of the bustling city outside. As she walked towards the elevator, Darlene couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for the day ahead. As she approached the elevator, she noticed something different. A new badge reader was mounted on the wall next to it, along with a sign that read: "All employees must go to level 1 security to get their new badges." Darlene furrowed her brow, puzzled by this sudden change. "New badges, why?" she thought, her mind racing through possible explanations for the unannounced implementation. Upon reaching the security desk on level 1, Darlene's eyes scanned the room, noting the fresh coat of paint on one of the walls with the shiny new equipment mounted on it. The security guard, a stocky man with a stern expression, handed her a clipboard to fill out the necessary information for her new badge. "Excuse me," Darlene said, trying to mask her annoyance with a polite tone, "Why are we getting new badges all of a sudden?" "Over the weekend, we've been working on installing badge readers at all access points to every level," the guard replied, standing tall and stocky, his face set in a stern expression. He wore a standard security uniform, complete with a badge and walkie-talkie clipped to his belt. His arms were crossed over his chest, adding to his imposing presence. He had a buzzed haircut, and his eyes darted around the room as he spoke in a monotone voice. He looked tired, his voice was monotone, and he was clearly tired of answering the same question over and over. "Only specific individuals will be allowed on certain levels without a proper and approved escort. It's the new corporate policy. We need to beef up security to take precautions. But that is all I know. Everyone is asking me why. I have no idea." As the security guard talked, Darlene could tell there was no point in pushing the conversation. Darlene couldn't help but feel skeptical. "But why now? And what kind of precautions?" she wondered. These changes seemed more than coincidental, especially considering the recent events involving John and Avery. "Alright then," Darlene said, handing back the clipboard once she had finished. "Thank you for the information." "Have a good day, ma'am," the guard replied, handing Darlene her new badge with an almost robotic efficiency. As she clipped the badge onto her blouse, her mind continued to churn. She couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was amiss. The only way to find out, she decided, was to get up to her office and start making some calls. With a determined stride, Darlene headed back to the elevator; her thoughts focused on uncovering the truth behind these sudden changes. Upon reaching the 5th floor, Darlene swiped her new badge at the access point, its electronic beep mocking her. She clenched her teeth and rolled her eyes as she walked through the opening doors, her mind racing with questions. "Morning, Darlene," said an employee as she strode past with purpose. "Morning," she replied tersely, barely acknowledging their presence which was unusual for her as her thoughts remained fixated on the recent events involving John and Avery. Normally, she would have engaged in conversation with her employees to find out how their weekend went but not today. Darlene continued to think that the attack on Avery should have been more than enough to terminate John, but what if it wasn't? What if he was still here, lurking in the background? The moment she entered her office, Darlene shut the door behind her, forgoing her usual routine of brewing coffee and reviewing the week's agenda. Her fingers trembled as she dialed Julian's extension, only to be met with his voicemail. Frustration bubbled within her as she wanted answers now, and she wasn't known to be a patient woman. She sighed in exasperation as she hung up and dialed Bryan instead. "Hello?" Bryan answered distractedly, clearly not expecting her call. "Byran, it's Darlene. We need to talk about these new security measures." Her voice was sharp, demanding answers. "Uh, sure, give me a second," Bryan said, his tone shifting from surprise to concern as he excused himself from another conversation and asked his employee who he was engaged in conversation with to leave and close the door behind him. Darlene impatiently tapped her foot, trying to control her suspicion as she waited for Bryan to return his attention to her call. When he finally did, she launched into her questions, her words tumbling out almost faster than she could think of them. "Is this because of John? Did they not get rid of him after what happened to Avery?" she demanded, her voice shaking with anger. "Darlene, I understand your concerns, but I can't discuss personnel matters over the phone," Bryan responded cautiously. "However, you should know that the new security measures are meant to ensure everyone's safety, including Avery's." "Everyone's safety?" Darlene scoffed. "Or just Avery's? And what about John? Will he still be allowed on our floor?" "Darlene, I really think you should speak with Julian about this. He's better equipped to address your concerns," Bryan said, trying to defuse the situation. "And, yes, John is still here working. You know I would have let him go if I could have" Bryan said in a nervous tone. He could not only hear but feel Darlene's anger over the phone. Darlene couldn’t believe it. Despite everything John had done, he was still working for the company. The man had practically assaulted Avery and humiliated him completely, but he was still employed. Darlene wondered how strong John’s connections were that he could get away with so much. Her thoughts turned to Avery, and she felt a pang of worry. She felt the need to protect the delicate man. She dreaded the poor guy finding out that John was still lurking in the building. "Fine!" she snapped, hanging up before he could say anything else. Her mind raced as she tried to process the conversation, her heart pounding in her chest. If they didn't get rid of John, what lengths would they go to in order to protect Avery? And more importantly, why were they still entertaining the idea of keeping John employed here? As she paced her office, her thoughts whirled like a tornado, tearing through every possibility and leaving her with nothing but uncertainty and anxiety. Darlene glanced at the clock on her wall. Avery wouldn’t be in for another thirty minutes, at least. She needed to get to Julian first. She chewed on her thumbnail, her thoughts racing faster than her heartbeat. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. How could they prioritize John's value to the company over the safety and well-being of their employees? Especially Avery, who had already suffered so much from John. She began to formulate a plan in her head, her determination hardening her resolve. She would confront Julian, demand answers, and make sure Avery was protected – no matter what it took. Her hands trembled with barely contained fury as she dialed Julian's number for what felt like the hundredth time. Finally, Julian answered the phone calmly. "Good morning, Darlene" were the only words able to escape him before Darlene butted in the conversation. Darlene's voice was like ice on the other end of the line, cold and unyielding. "I am coming to see you about all this new security shit and not getting rid of John," she said curtly before hanging up. With a huff, she grabbed her new security badge and stormed out of her office, her heels clicking against the linoleum in a rapid staccato. Each step fueled her anger – it was an injustice that she couldn't ignore, not when Avery's safety was on the line. The employees who saw her could feel the anger as they all stood back or stayed seated at their desks and watched her head for the elevator. The fluorescent lights overhead hummed quietly, the only sound in the otherwise empty hallway. As she reached the elevator, Darlene swiped her badge and stabbed at the button. The doors opened with a soft ding. She stepped inside her reflection in the polished metal doors distorted by the dim light. As the elevator descended, Darlene's thoughts raced, each one more agitated than the last. What could Julian possibly say that would justify keeping John employed after what he'd done? And why hadn't Bryan fought harder for what was right? When the elevator finally came to a stop on the second floor, Darlene took a steadying breath, trying in vain to calm herself. She stepped out into the hallway, relieved to find she had access to this level. If they had denied her entry, she would have raised hell. Her eyes scanned the space, searching for any sign of Julian's presence. "Time to get answers," she muttered under her breath, determination settling over her like armor. Darlene's pulse throbbed in her temples as she stormed out of the elevator and into Julian’s office, slamming the door behind her with a force that made the framed diplomas on his wall quiver. Her face was flushed, eyes blazing with righteous fury. "Tell me, why are you keeping John? He attacked Avery!” She barely gave Julian time to look up from the papers on his desk, his expression a mixture of surprise and unease. Julian's hand raised, and the gesture was sharp, a forceful push towards the door. As Darlene slammed it shut, the sound reverberated through the office like a booming thunder, causing the diplomas on the wall to shake and rattle. The sound of anger could be heard in every step Darlene took towards Julian's desk, her heels clicking against the polished floor. "Darlene," he began cautiously, "I know that, but that isn’t the whole story the CEO got.” Darlene clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. “The CEO got that you attacked John first, from John himself, and sprayed him with mace.” “That is bullshit!” Darlene screamed, her voice cracking with emotion. Julian sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if warding off an impending headache. "I agree, but he spun it that you attacked him. I know he was screaming at the top of his lungs at Avery and throwing things at him, yes, but did he ever lay a hand on Avery?" Julian paused, studying Darlene's expression. "No, but he was going to. He was inches away from Avery’s face! And he wouldn’t back away,” Darlene shot back, her heart pounding in her chest. Julian attempted to remain calm and poised, though she could see the strain in his eyes. "Would you rather I stand idly by and let him get hurt? Didn't you say I was to protect the poor boy when you brought him to me?" “I understand, but according to John, you initiated physical contact with him first.” Julian's words stung like salt in a wound, and Darlene nearly choked on her own disbelief. “In interviewing your employees, no one saw any actual physical contact between Avery and John." “He was verbally abusing him!” Darlene yelled, feeling her eyes well up with frustrated tears. “He pissed himself again out of fear! Don’t you have any concern for the poor boy? Besides, John wasn’t allowed on the 5th floor, and he broke the corporate restraint order." "Which is why we are making sure that will never happen again with the new security system," Julian countered, his tone still infuriatingly calm. “You're lucky we're not writing you up for physical and violent contact. The CEO agreed just to give you a verbal warning.” "A verbal warning? What the fuck! Did John get a verbal warning also? This is so unfair! You know John's character, and you know my character!" Darlene screamed as she couldn't believe how this was now about her behavior and not John's. The room seemed to shrink around Darlene as she struggled to control her mounting fury. She couldn't believe they were turning this on her – all she had wanted was to protect Avery. He was the real victim in all this. A delicate man who needed to be protected from men like John. "Look," Julian began, his voice wavering, "I understand your frustrations, but there's more to this than you know. There's a process we have to go through." "Process?" Darlene scoffed, her gaze piercing through him like shards of glass. "What about Avery's safety? What about the toxic environment this company is nurturing? Are we just supposed to let that slide because John is 'valuable'?" "Darlene, please," Julian pleaded, trying to keep his composure. "I understand how you feel, but we have to trust in the system. We're implementing tighter security measures to ensure everyone's safety." "Right," she thought bitterly, "because a badge system will magically make John a better person." "Julian, I know you're just doing your job, but this is unacceptable and total bullshit. Something has to change, or someone else is going to get hurt." Darlene said. She wasn’t sure if she meant that John was going to hurt Avery or that she was going to hurt John. Maybe both. With that, Darlene spun on her heel and stormed out of the office, leaving Julian to contemplate the weight of her words as he heard the door slamming shut once again behind her like a gunshot. Little did she know, Julian didn’t even get to tell her about the other change they were going to make: putting Christy with Avery upstairs in her department. As she stalked back towards the elevator, her mind raced with thoughts of injustice and betrayal. What kind of world was this, where the victim was treated like the perpetrator? And how could she continue to work under such conditions? For a minute, she considered going right back to Julian and quitting. She stopped herself, though. She couldn’t do something like that, not just because she wanted to keep her job but because she needed to protect Avery. If no one else was going to, then she needed to be there. She had known Avery needed protection from the moment she had seen him, but after sharing that intimate evening, it was no longer a case of needing to protect a weak man. Now she needed and wanted to keep him safe. He had become her responsibility. Perhaps it was stupid, perhaps it didn’t make sense, but her maternal instincts and passions flared whenever she thought of Avery. With a heavy heart, Darlene decided that she would do anything necessary to ensure Avery's safety, even if it meant fighting against the very company she had dedicated her career to. Avery walked into the office, his hair still a mess and wearing baggy brown pants and a light red docker shirt underneath; he wore the white onesie snapped under his crotch, holding one of his disposable diapers in place. He felt a little more confident that no one would discover his diaper with the new clothing helping to hide it. He couldn’t deny that he felt a little embarrassed, though. Onesies were supposed to help toddlers, not fully grown men. The atmosphere on the fifth floor felt unusually tense and quiet. He could feel the weight of unspoken concerns hanging in the air like a heavy fog. As he set down his backpack at his desk, he glanced around, noticing Darlene's office door wide open – an odd sight, considering her habit of spending the first hour of the day secluded there. "Hey, Avery," whispered one of his coworkers, Sarah, from her cubicle, giving him a sympathetic smile. "How are you holding up?" "Uh, I'm okay, I guess," Avery replied with a weak smile, trying to sound more confident than he felt. He couldn't shake the feeling that the entire office was scrutinizing him after Friday's incident. He headed to Darlene's office, hoping to find some comfort in their usual morning routine. The absence of her familiar presence left him feeling strangely adrift. He got a K-cup and started the Keurig to brew a cup of coffee. When he went to open the small fridge to get his creamer, he paused and frowned. It had his name on it. "Avery's creamer." He noticed the date on it showing it had been made that very weekend. He looked around to make sure no one else was around as he opened the top and took a sip. It was sweet, and just as he suspected, he recognized the taste. It was Darlene's breast milk. He blushed almost immediately. All this time, he has been using her creamer, he was using her breast milk. Part of him was very embarrassed, and the other part of him was happy. He had something that would remind him of the night. He poured a little more than normal into his coffee when the Keurig finished brewing. He returned to his desk, taking a sip of the coffee, his fingers nervously tapping against the ceramic mug. He had been a little tempted to forego the coffee altogether and simply take Darlene's milk on its own. Booting up his computer, Avery found an email waiting for him regarding a new corporate policy change. His heart sank as he read the details; it clearly had to do with John and the confrontation between them. A knot formed in his stomach, guilt gnawing at him as he realized the entire fifth floor would be affected by this change – all because of him. "Damn it, John," Avery muttered under his breath, clenching his fists tightly. Why did things have to escalate like this? And what would happen next? He tried to refocus on his work, pulling up the calculations he needed to review, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the incident and its repercussions. He knew he couldn't let John's actions control his life or his work, but fear still clawed at the edges of his mind. "Focus, Avery," he told himself, attempting to shake off his anxiety and concentrate on the numbers in front of him. "You can't let this affect you." A sudden gust of wind blew through the office as Darlene stormed past Avery, her eyes blazing with fury. She appeared to be so tunnel-visioned that she hadn’t seen that Avery was at his desk. The door to her office slammed shut with a resounding thud, causing a few employees to jump in their seats. Muffled shouts and angry words could be heard from behind the closed door. Avery sat at his desk, gripping his pen tightly and trying to make sense of Darlene's outburst. She rarely lost her composure like this; it was unnerving to witness. He stared at the calculations on his screen, but the numbers blurred together as he tried to understand what had upset her so much. Was it his fault? Was she mad at him, or "Did someone say something to her?" Avery wondered aloud, glancing around the office. A couple of his coworkers shook their heads, looking just as bewildered as he felt. "It has to be something to do with me and John and the new security measures," he mused, although he couldn't think of any specific reason that would cause such a reaction besides the new readers. "Hey," one of his coworkers whispered, leaning over the cubicle wall. "You don't think she found out about John, do you?" "Found out... what?" Avery asked, his heart skipping a beat. "Never mind," the coworker muttered, retreating back to their own desk. Avery bit his lip as he tried to refocus on the task at hand - the cell wall calculations. He knew he couldn't afford to let his thoughts drift to John or Darlene right now. With a deep breath, he attempted to focus on the numbers and equations before him, willing himself to concentrate. "Come on, Avery. You've got this," he whispered, forcing himself to push the other distractions aside. Despite his best efforts, however, the tension in the room seemed to weigh heavily on him, and he found himself constantly glancing over at Darlene's door, waiting for any sign of her emerging. He couldn't help but worry about what was going on behind that door and how it might affect their working relationship - and their friendship. "Darlene, whatever it is, I hope you're okay," Avery thought, his concern for her overshadowing the fear that had gripped him since John's attack. The clock seemed to tick louder than usual as Avery sat at his desk, the tension in the air palpable. He felt a bead of sweat trickle down his neck and resisted the urge to fidget again. The soft hum of computers filled the room, punctuated by occasional hushed whispers among his coworkers. It was very hard to concentrate with everything going on. Every voice and sound he heard was enough to distract him. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Darlene's office door swung open with a soft creak. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but her expression was resolute as she surveyed the room before settling on Avery. "Can I see you for a minute?" she asked bluntly, her voice strained. "Of course," Avery replied, his heart racing as he followed her back into her office, the door clicking shut behind them. "Listen, I just had a long conversation with Julian and Bryan about this whole situation," she began, her hands wringing together nervously. She proceeded to tell Avery about everything she'd learned - the new security measures, the CEO's insistence on keeping John employed, and even the accusations against herself that she'd chosen to leave out. Avery's shock was evident on his face, his brows furrowed in confusion and concern. "Darlene, I can't believe they're putting you through all of this. It wasn't your fault," he insisted, his voice shaking slightly. "It's my fault John and I don't get along." As Darlene calmed down, she sank into her desk chair with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, Avery. I'm so sorry John is still here. If there were anything I could have done, he would be gone," she said, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions. Tears welled in her eyes, though she fought to hold them back. "Darlene," Avery said softly, reaching out to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You've done more than enough for me. You've stood by my side and fought for me when no one else would. I'm grateful, more than you know." He paused, his own emotions threatening to spill over as he looked into her tear-filled eyes. "We'll get through this together. I am sorry I caused so much trouble for you," he promised, squeezing her shoulder gently. Darlene's hand reached up to Avery's hand as she looked up at him. "Avery, this isn't your fault at all, don't blame yourself. This goes far beyond you. I feel so bad for you.” She held back her tears, and the two shared a moment of understanding that spoke louder than words ever could. Avery forced a small, reassuring smile onto his face, trying to calm Darlene down. "Thank you, but I still can't help but feel guilty," he said, not knowing the words to say to help the situation. "The new security badges will keep John away." But deep inside, a cold knot of fear persisted; John was unpredictable and dangerous, and Avery couldn't shake that off. "Thanks for everything, Darlene," he added again, hoping to alleviate some of her guilt. It didn't seem to help much, but at least she offered a wan smile in return. As Avery turned to leave, Darlene's voice stopped him. "Wait, Avery," she said, her tone shifting abruptly. "I think I need to check your diaper to make sure it's on correctly." He blushed furiously at the unexpected mention of his diaper, stammering, "I-I think I got it on right..." Darlene shook her head firmly. "No, we can't trust that." With practiced efficiency, she retrieved the supplies from the other night - baby wipes and lotion - and placed them on her desk. "I'm not in the mood to argue about this, Avery. Please lie down." Darlene said as she laid down a large beach towel she brought from home. Feeling his cheeks heat up further, Avery reluctantly complied, lying down on the towel she had spread out on the floor. The cool office air made him shiver as she gently removed his pants, revealing the diaper beneath. His heart raced, both from embarrassment and vulnerability, but he knew that Darlene only wanted to help him. Darlene's delicate fingers carefully inspected the diaper, her eyes focused and determined. Avery tried to distract himself by staring at the ceiling, but he couldn't escape the reality of the situation. The crinkling sound of the diaper material filled the room as Darlene expertly adjusted the fit, her movements precise and efficient. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, it was clear that Darlene was doing her best to be gentle and considerate. "It looks like you didn't put it on correctly, but don't worry, I'll fix it and apply some lotion to prevent any rash," she said in a soft, soothing voice, like a mother caring for her child. With deft fingers, she undid the diaper tapes and gently lifted it off of Avery's skin. He felt exposed and vulnerable lying there on the floor, but he trusted Darlene to take care of him. She applied cool lotion to his skin with gentle, circular motions, bringing both relief and humiliation. After a few minutes, Darlene announced that she was finished. Her voice carried a hint of relief as she snapped the onesie in place, slid his pants back on, and helped Avery sit up. They shared a brief moment of eye contact - a silent acknowledgment of the trust they had just shared. Darlene gathered her supplies and put them away with practiced efficiency. "I think you're good to go back to work now," she said with a smile, her voice filled with reassurance. And for a moment, Avery allowed himself to forget about John and everything else that weighed on his mind. "Thank you," Avery murmured, his gratitude genuine despite the lingering embarrassment. In this strange, difficult situation, he knew he could rely on Darlene to stand by him - and in turn, he would do everything in his power to support her as well. He just had nothing to really offer her in terms of support. As Avery made his way through the bustling office, he couldn't help but think about the creamer he had used in his coffee that morning. The rich, sweet, creamy flavor still lingered in his taste buds. He decided to save his question about it for later and focused on making his way to his cubicle. The door to the office creaked open. He walked out to his own small office space and settled down at his desk. He had his notes in hand as he began to try to get back focused on solving the cell wall problem.

Please be kind to Reddy. He knew the risks going into this and is being kind enough to share very private details of his personal situation during a very vulnerable time.

Hey everyone! I tried to get this out late Saturday, because of something I had going on today, but it just didn’t happen, so apologies for the lateness now. Fortunately, though, I was able to complete a little more of the story after this as well, and I think with a little pushing, I can put out more chapters than just every other day this week and still meet my deadline. With my plan of this story, I only have seven chapters after this one, so it’s still tight, but I believe that it’s also doable. Also, as a small warning, there is a little violence depicted in this chapter. Please keep in mind that I in no way condone the actions of one Big here and she is only in this chapter to show the bad of this society against the baby-adult Littles. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter! Chapter 12: I Have Become the Dunce of the Rats I was admittedly a bit of a wallflower back home, but I guess being one of the few unregressed Littles under the roof of a Big, had shone a spotlight on me that I couldn’t shake. So, I decided to play it up a bit and luxuriate in the small fame that I was acquiring. Soon, I was the talk of most parties. I was no longer ‘milk drunk’ as most had started to call it after drinking the still prevalent Tabers milk, but I could still entertain the lot of everyone. As September started to just feel the fringes of the coming Fall, Samantha and I attended another one of Oppy’s block parties. So, here I was, at yet another block party and regaling the crowd with stories of Earth. “Fall is my favorite season back home. In my area especially, as there’s just so much to do! Apple picking, fall festivals, campfires, camping, driving with your top down amongst the Fall leaves, Renaissance fairs…” “Renaissance fairs?” One Big suddenly blurted out questioningly. “You mean from the renaissance period? Isn’t that all torture and religious turmoil?” “What?” I always forgot that they had their own renaissance period, but they always tended to focus on the negatives of that time period rather than the positives as our society often did. “Oh… right. No, actually. Everyone just goes and drinks and eats while they watch jousts and all. Some even dress up! It’s really fun.” “So, you all just dress up and play make believe?” another woman Big asked. “All while getting drunk? Tsk. Tsk. Just like irresponsible little children” ‘Crud…’ This pitfall of my stories had happened before, especially when I was asked about Halloween. Sure, on the surface level, these events could seem very childish, but they didn’t always have to be. To a Big though, they rarely could see anything else whenever humans seemed to be involved. “It’s not like that… it’s just a bit of fun. Escapism in a sense…” The Bigs before me nodded and the matter seemed to resolve itself. It didn’t always happen, but I just continued my stories about Earth afterward. As usual though, whenever Judge Franklin had been invited, he always made sure to ask the same question at some point during the night. So, sure enough, he asked right after I finished talking about apple picking. “Tell us more about your government and how it works next, Percy. That’s always very fascinating, right everyone?” The crowd of Bigs nodded as usual, but to them, it was just another story, and Franklin being a judge meant that of course he would be interested in such matters. I would have told him no outright, except, as promised, I always made sure one of the family members was by my side to advise in such matters. Today, was a more somber and reserved Harriet, still recovering mentally at least from her botched mission. Still, even through all that, I could tell she was uncomfortable with the matter Judge Franklin was asking about. So, once again, I evaded the topic. “Maybe, but today I’m talking about fall weather. Maybe sometime in a few months, when it’s more relevant, I can talk about that stuff then.” I always made sure to keep my answers to his questions vague, but I could see his patience was running thin. Each grumble always seemed to send Samantha into a tizzy, but I just calmly moved on each time and tried not to show how truly mystified and scared I was over what was happening behind closed doors. I knew there was a secret by now, but I just wasn’t sure what it was. Still, at least for now, I wasn’t given any state secrets away. The party continued, and once again, I found myself dozing off on the ride back home. I remembered little bits of the rest of the night, but my eyes next opened fully back in my bedroom the next morning. Not much had changed since I first arrived, though it was now complete with a changing table to help ‘Samantha’s back’ in the mornings with my needed diaper changes. Yes, I had begun wetting unwillingly at night lately, even when I wasn’t scared. By now, to me at least, it felt like just another indignity thrust upon me by this world. Regardless, after our usual morning routine, Samantha soon dropped me off at daycare and I rejoined my friends, who were both waiting for me. Of course, I also counted Ditzy, Derek, and Jimmy as my friends here as well, but each were on their own path of regression to various degrees, and to be blunt, the cursed Tabers milk only made them worse. Melley and DB had begun drinking the stuff as well, and I noticed little changes to them, but it wasn’t enough to be completely concerned about just yet. In fact, both had started to cart around their stuffed animals from home as well, which made me feel less weird about bringing my own. I had originally brought Stripe with me on outings before, but after a freak rainstorm in the park three weeks ago almost ruined and flushed him down the street, I decided to opt for Nurple as well. I just couldn’t lose one of my few connections to Earth like that. Never fear though, Stripe and Nurple both still comforted me immensely at home equally and then again especially at night. “So, did you make it to your party last night with Oppy and all?” Melley asked, smoothing out the fur of the stuffed black dog in her lap. “I did. Another triumph I think,” I bragged. It felt good to finally have something over these two. I didn’t like comparing myself, but it almost made me feel more confident and mature. “There were even dozens more than usual last night. Oppy even noted that a few were local politicians and big execs from out of town. I think a few of the politicians even went back to the capital and reported on my stories. Isn’t that awesome?” DB and Melley looked at each other very seriously for a moment and both sullenly nodded their heads. “That’s great, Percy…” Despite the wording, I instantly felt a shift in their demeanors. Both Melley’s black dog and DBs seagull stuffy’s were now being gripped as tightly as they could. It was the classic Littles sign around here that something was amiss but for whatever reason, speaking it out loud could have just led to trouble. In essence, it was our coping mechanism to deal with being silenced, so I needed to know what was happening with what I had just said. “Okay… what’s up you two? You’re acting a bit squirrelly now… is it something I said? Did you fart? Pee? What? Please tell me. I’m your friend.” Both looked at each other for a little bit and seemed to gesture as if to tell me something, but Melley only looked at me glumly afterward. “It’s nothing, Percy. We’re just tired… that’s all. No coffee anymore or something like that … catches up with you… You’ll see.” Melley was good at evading the truth around here. I found that out directly when she had nabbed an extra cookie for each of us two weeks ago and hadn’t gotten caught… even when she was confronted an hour later by Mrs. Katherine, who was notorious for getting the truth out of Littles. Still, I let it go. And so, the day went on. It felt normal, but then an attendant would mention Earth or praise me for something from last night. I guess my stories were rapidly spreading amongst the Bigs, but each time, Melley and DB seemed to grow sour once more. The aura around them would pass, but each time it started to take longer for them to become their cheerful selves once again. So finally, after Miss Tina praised my behavior from last night in front of the Bigs in passing and Melley and DB both frowned afterward, I knew I had to confront them. “Okay. Stop,” I said loudly, snapping back to meet my two friends head on. “What’s going on?” Melley started to speak up, but I cut her off. “And don’t lie and say it’s just nothing. It’s not nothing. I might wear a diaper and feel Nurple here in my arms is my lifeline to safety and security, but I still have my mind. I’m not some simple drooling, pants-pooping Little you can just shuffle off around here. I’m your friend and I need to know. So, spill.” Melley and DB seemed shocked at my sudden confrontation, but once again, just looked at each other and seemed to make several head and hand gestures. A few seemed aimed towards me, while a few others were definitely towards the Bigs. I couldn’t make heads or tails of what they were saying to each other, but I at least could see quickly that DB wanted to tell me and Melley wanted to keep it a secret. Finally, though, Melley seemed to give up her protests and DB turned to me. “Look, Percy… what you’re doing is… I mean, have you ever thought about it? I mean, really thought about it?” he asked me intently. I wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but I nodded my head. “I did. I got a bit milk drunk back in July, but since then, it’s just been basic things. Holidays, traditions, histories, and the like. I’ve made sure it’s nothing catastrophic. Just kind of who we are in general more like.” Melley rolled her eyes and DB looked shocked. I still wondered what was going on, but I think after a minute of him just getting his bearings back, he got closer to me and leaned in. “But that’s the problem.” I was immediately confused. ‘How could telling them about Christmas or the Revolutionary War be harmful?’ I sighed. “I don’t think I understand…” I wasn’t mentally regressed, but there were just some days that one could feel like a real dunce around here. DB seemed hesitant to continue, but Melley was looking impatient now. “Just tell him, DB. He needs to know, and he can make up his own mind after that.” DB nodded slowly at his other friend’s suggestion. “Well, you’re telling them exactly what they want to know… or at least mostly.” I quickly raised an eyebrow, still not sure why they were acting like they were. DB sighed but still continued. “You’ve met our caregivers, but what you don’t know about them is that they are kind of on the border. Neither liberal nor conservative for the treatment of Littles, but they’re powerful. Old money and government ties and all, so most want them on their side, so we’ve heard things from all sorts of perspectives when they thought we were playing. The bit you need to know is the one that is a conspiracy against us Littles.” “A conspiracy?” From what I had seen with judges Franklin and Grossman, Reddington, and even Taylor, I always felt like there was a story I wasn’t fully reading all the pages of. There almost seemed to be missing chapters explaining everything, but I thought it was just the Norris family hating Grossman’s and Franklin’s family. DB nodded though and snapped me out of my thoughts. “Yep. Right here at the academy, but it’s all over the country apparently as well and growing.” I looked over to Melley, just to confirm that DB was telling the truth, and this wasn’t just another one of his conspiracy theories. I still felt a little burned after he thought that my brand of diapers had tracking devices in them, and I had told Samantha about them… and she threw out three cases of diapers. “It’s against us Littles, but where do the most Littles come from?” “Here?” I guessed. DB shook his head. “You would think that, but it’s actually Earth. Here, maybe only 20-30% of the population are Littles these days after the last Height War took out a bunch of them. Even with a population of 5 billion here, Earth’s numbers far outmatch this planet’s own.” It seemed hard to believe and I think DB was seeing my doubt, so he just leaned in to tell me more. “Remember, Percy, Earth’s population with a little time could all be Littles for this society. Every. Single. One. Of. Them…” I sat back and hugged Nurple against my side. I didn’t want to show my fear at that moment, but I realized just how right DB actually was. Take me for example. I was an average human, and while I might have had a predisposition to this life in some ways, I was still a pretty average human. So, if I, or anyone else here could be turned or made into a perfect Little, Earth stood no chance… but I felt like I was still missing something. “Okay… you have a shockingly good point, but what does this have to do with my talks?” DB then snapped his fingers and Melley rolled her eyes once more. “Right. Yes. Your talks are the key, you see.” I squinted my eyes trying to see the connection. I still couldn’t, but DB noticed right away. “Look… say you want to convince someone to buy ice cream or a house…” I was still hesitant about it all, but I decided to indulge my friend. “Go on…” “Well,” he continued confidently, “if it’s ice cream and that person is on a diet or lactose intolerant, you could be wasting your time. Market the ice cream to a person with a sweet tooth though… and you’ve just made your sale.” I looked at DB waiting for the punchline. “I’m talking about that knowing someone is the key to making a deal or a plan successful. If they know us on Earth, they can use that information and push us around how they want.” “We would see it pretty quickly though,” I tried to say with vigor, but even my voice betrayed the lack of confidence I had in my own words. Frighteningly, DB was starting to make sense. “We would stop them… I just know it…” “Maybe… but these are Bigs here, Percy,” he said while gesturing all around him. “They live a long time, are patient, and they have the technology to outdo most of what Earth has right now. They’ve been trying for years, but you… you might have just given them the information they need to finally succeed.” “I… I…” I stammered unsuccessfully out. I was trying to deny it all, but with each layer of new information that DB gave me, I felt my resolve crumble just a little more. Each party had been full of academy personnel originally, but now… I was seeing politicians, businessmen… all wanting to hear about Earth. I was starting to feel like the biggest fool ever. “Just think about it, Percy… you saw Chelsea and Samantha in action up close and personal.” I did back at the con for sure. “They lulled you in and took you here. You might be accepting of it now, but they knew just what buttons to press for you and Ditzy, right? Could you really have told Samantha ‘no’ back then when you were under the influence of a single mild drug for only a few days? What do you think would be the effect of these Bigs on Earth if they knew where to hit and they had years to do it? Do you think there would be any area of our society they couldn’t touch? Or even infiltrate?” All this was too much, and it was hitting me with a force that I never thought possible until now. The Bigs and this academy were learning everything… I wanted DB to stop, but he was on a roll now. I could see the fire in his eyes and the passion behind his words. This wouldn’t be over until I had learned everything there was to know about exactly what I had been doing for a few months now. “And think what they want for just a moment,” he said pointing both his fingers at his temples. “All this is leading to one conclusion. Control, but that’s too hard right off the bat. What if we were vulnerable and afraid though? Think of a crying Little… I mean, that’s what they think of Earth anyways. So, if the Little is desperate enough though… they could accept anything, right? Maybe even a deal with their caregiver that would have seemed barbaric or cruel otherwise?” All his ranting and conspiracy theories led here to this one question. If he had asked me a few minutes ago, I would have thought he was just crazy or even too milk drunk. I even saw the discarded sippy cup behind him, but now… I knew where he was going with all this. “No… they wouldn’t…” “Oh yes!” he shouted with a fierceness I had rarely seen in him before. “One exchange between two peoples… give Earth what this dimension has: technology. Earth would of course accept the deal, being so vulnerable, and in exchange, they would give them whatever they want. Say… something they have in abundance? People perhaps?” It was all so simple. The path over the next years seemed all laid out before me now. Bigs were smart and resourceful. They could outpace us in almost everything, but they were also from a different reality. If they wanted a job to infiltrate, they would need information… exactly like the information that I had given them. Right then, I knew that I hadn’t given them state secrets, but I gave them camouflage. I gave them knowledge of summers and falls from back home. They knew what Halloween was and now wouldn’t seem like an alien species or brain damaged when asked what the World Series was. Me… I had given them all they needed to know to get restarted on their plans to take over the Littles of Earth. I didn’t mean it, but as any Little who had accidentally broken a lamp with a misthrow of a ball could tell you, intentions rarely seem to matter in the end. After hearing it all and my part in it, I don’t think it should have been a shock when I started to hyperventilate. “No, no, no…” I tried to self-soothe. It didn’t work. “What have I done?” The tears began to fall. “I destroyed the Earth! I betrayed them all!” I rocked back and forth and tried to hold Nurple as tight as I could. It didn’t work and I just got worse. Meanwhile, DB looked at me in shock. His information was meant to unsettle me and get me to stop, but he had been too effective in his narration of events to come. Half was speculation in all likelihood, but it all just made so much sense. So, to someone like me who had taken pride in their skills of information sharing with all the Bigs, all this had come as one large blow… too big though it seemed for my little brain to process at once. “Oh, crud…” Melley had been messing around with her dog, but then looked over at me. I was almost in a daze by then as I had worked myself up too much, but she could see the issue in all that was unfolding now. While we had just finished lunch and would have normally gone out to play outside while the others took a nap, it was currently raining… and we were inside… during what was supposed to be quiet time. “Shhh… shhh…” Melley tried to comfort me. It wasn’t working. “Easy there… you didn’t know, Percy. It was an honest mistake… shhh… shhh… you’re going to be okay.” “No! I’m guilty!” I shot back, snot coming from nose a bit as I did so. I was a bit too loud, and DB saw that one of the attendants took notice of me now. “I was an idiot! I was a Little who was playing a game I had no business in. I wanted to be an adult again! I wanted to sit at the grown-up table, and I felt my admission was my stories of Earth. Stupid, stupid me!” In my frustration, I even began hitting myself. “Percy… Percy… come on,” DB tried to calm me down, as he saw Miss Tina starting to approach. “I get it, man, but you need to chill. Miss Tina’s coming! Come on, buddy.” Melley stopped rubbing my back as she saw the kindly attendant approaching rapidly. It was protocol after all for her to intervene, so Miss Tina couldn’t be blamed, but still, it was just really bad timing right then. In retrospect though, from her perspective, I could have been seriously injured or even bleeding out from an untold number of things in here. The Tabers milk was dangerous on several levels, but it induced a quick mental regression in most of its drinkers, and that had only led to a few consequences lately. One Little last week, still not fully regressed, drank a whole bottle and then thought they could fly off the top of the changing table when they weren’t strapped down. So, as such, I could have accidentally drunk some and then stuck my hand in a wall socket for all she knew. “Percy… Percy… Come on! Come…” He then stopped as I continued to practice my self-hatred. “Oh, hello there, Miss Tina…” “Hello, DB. Is everything okay here?” she asked, looking directly at me. I didn’t look back and Melley stood up in my place. “He just figured something personal out, Miss Tina. Bit of a shock I guess, but he’s only a little upset now…” I could tell she was trying to get Miss Tina to go away, and she might have normally. Not being a regressed Little who took a nap though, Melley had forgotten about the golden rule of keeping everything quiet. Beyond medical emergencies, it usually took top priority. Miss Tina smiled and looked relieved, but nonetheless, reached down to get me. “I’m very glad to hear that, Melley, but it’s quiet time now. The other Littles need to sleep and upset or not, Percy here needs to try and be quiet. I’ll see what I can do but thank you two for trying to help him out.” “Yes, ma’am,” Melley said dejectedly, now sitting back down after Miss Tina had picked me up. “Thank you…” “Good girl…” Miss Tina then looked back at me and tried to figure out was wrong. After a few questions and a check of my diaper, she was still perplexed over how she could help me most quickly in this situation. “Man… you were all so mature when you were talking to those Bigs last night. Whatever happened to that cute Little, huh?” Her comments and actions weren’t helping. Miss Tina was one of the good ones around here, but she just didn’t get it. I couldn’t be consoled right now, feeling like a traitor to everyone I had left back home. I felt I could never go back now, but Miss Tina was persistent. “Come on, Percy,” she tried to reason with me. “It’s okay to be sad, but you need to at least be quiet right now. Maybe we should go to the quiet room? I think that might be best now.” She then started to tickle me and stroke my face as she began walking toward the back door. “Would that be what you wa… son of a…!” I shoved her about as hard as I could right then. I was in no mood for anything, and I just wanted to let all my feelings out. Nothing she was going to do here would help that and my emotions just got the best of me. Now, it wasn’t hard or anything, but both my hands went sailing right into her chest. She nearly dropped me, but she had been walking around a little to calm me down and we were near the changing tables, so she set me down on one of them. “Oh man, Percy,” she said, rubbing her chest where I had struck. “I know you’re upset, but that really hurt.” I was even stunned by my own actions, and I meekly whimpered, “Sorry… but just please leave me alone… please, Miss Tina…” Miss Tina sighed in clear sympathy for whatever was happening with me, but just ultimately shook her head. “Thank you for apologizing to me, Percy. I understand, but I don’t think I…” “What in the world are you doing?” Mrs. Katherine asked, storming over to us. Apparently, she had watched the whole thing unfold from the beginning. The daycare workers each had their specialties, and Mrs. Katherine’s certainly wasn’t soothing Littles though. Miss Tina seemed shocked. “I was just trying to help Percy calm down. It was nothi…” “No!” Mrs. Katherine bellowed. “You are the Big here. You need to take charge!” Her yelling was making a lot of people stare and there was no way that she wasn’t disturbing the napping Littles, but being who she was, I doubted she cared. “I… uh, let’s keep our voices down, maybe?” Miss Tina suggested. Her priority was keeping the Littles happy, including the napping ones. I think Mrs. Katherine saw it as weakness though, as her eyes immediately flared up. “That’s a no on that front then… what kind of Big do you call yourself anyways?” Miss Tina was about to shoot back, a little angry now herself and the insult lobbed her way, but Mrs. Katherine wasn’t having it. “Just stop talking… I’ll take care of this. I’m sure some other Little needs their nose or butt wiped…” Before I could even register what was happening, Mrs. Katherine swooped in and plucked me away from the changing table and brought me through the back door. Miss Tina seemed too stunned or scared to intervene. The back door led to several areas from a few hallways, but now, all I could think about was that I was here with the dreaded attendant of this daycare. Since I came here, I was warned about several things. Never eat the green paste. Say ‘excuse me’ the best you can if you burp. Chocolate is good, but poo is not food. Don’t swear… the list went on and on and highly depended on the Little, but the one constant from every Little that could still speak was never upset Mrs. Katherine. At first, I even thought that maybe we were going to the quiet room as Miss Tina had suggested before my last outburst. It was basically for nursing Bigs for their Littles, but it could also be used for timeouts, tantrums, or even if everything was just too overwhelming for a Little. To my dismay though, we turned left instead of right. There, at the end of the hall, I saw a sign listing out ‘Punishment Room.’ I think I peed a little right then and my crying seemed to almost stop suddenly on its own. “Stupid Little…” Mrs. Katherine growled as we entered the room. “Crying… and for what? You found out about a little conspiracy of the Bigs here? That you screwed up as a human being?” She scoffed a little bit as she maneuvered me around a few items I didn’t recognize. “Geez… if you hadn’t figured all that out by now… I thought you were brave and maybe even a little rebellious… but now? Wait until everyone hears about this…” I think my stomach fell to the floor right then. Of course, the harshest Big in the academy daycare was in on all of it. My enemies were growing daily, it seemed sometimes, and I didn’t think this day could get any worse, but I was quickly proven mistaken. Mrs. Katherine’s face soon lit up as she spied a single black bench of sorts off to the side of the large room here. “This room is where I get to employ my special talents, Percy. Fought in the Height War and learned a few skills there… even got a boost in longevity as reward for it…” She then set me down on the bench with my front overlayed on the top and my legs nearly dangling over the side with my toes just barely able to support them on the floor. “I think that should do. Struggling is good in here… Now, hands,” she demanded. I was a little slow, but I complied, not wanting to make any of this worse. So, very quickly, both were strapped to the sides of the contraption. “Good… maybe there’s hope for someone like you after all here. Adult Littles don’t last long, but compliant baby Littles… I still punish them, but it’s just to remind them of the things their pointless brains couldn’t retain.” I felt like I was now at the mercy of a demon… a sadist… the devil themselves. I whimpered a little as she then strapped my legs to the bench as well and then suddenly yanked down my shortalls and my diaper. That’s when a terrible realization hit me; I was about to be spanked! The practice was largely thought of as taboo by most, but I had started to notice a trend of sore bottoms coming from several of the Littles whom I identified as belonging to the more conservative caregivers and members of the academy. Knowing about the conspiracy and her connection to it, and this room alone and her excitement upon entering, Mrs. Katherine was clearly a proponent of it. “Please…” I whimpered out. My sobbing had ceased, but now, tears of desperation and panic were rolling down my face. “Hush!” Mrs. Katherine scolded me as she looked in a nearby open cabinet. “Here! Let’s fix that little problem here, shall we?” She then retrieved something from the cabinet and quickly came back over to me and strapped whatever it was around my face, effectively silencing anything I tried to say. “There. That’s better.” She then clicked back over to the open cabinet. I couldn’t see it very well, especially with my blurry tear-soaked eyes, but I could feel my pulse quicken from the little that I did see. In there, there were at least seven different types of spanking devices. Paddles, crops, whips, flogs… and so much more adorned the shelving and cabinet area. I knew what each was, but I was never really into that scene back home. I was almost even too scared back at the con to go into the dark room, so right now… I wanted to flee for my life. If this was a dream, I was about to scream bloody murder and wake up, or somehow, Samantha would come barging in and save me. Sadly, the door never flung open and all I heard was a “Aha! Perfect!” from Mrs. Katherine. I could then hear the clicking of her heels back over to me and I squirmed helplessly as I felt her breath on the back of my neck. “You know… in a way… everyone comes through this room. I was thinking that you were a good boy. Sam even tried convincing me of that… too bad… she’s going to be so disappointed in you for being such a bad boy.” She paused and I could feel whatever she had chosen, start to slide against my bare butt. “Oh well… but I guess I should call today your… initiation.” She then rose back up and I could feel her hand massage my butt a little. “Hmmm… let’s say 20 for today? Can always adjust if needed.” I tried to protest, but only more drool came out from my gag than anything else. So. soon, the only sound came from the swish of the paddle and the smack as it hit my backside. It didn’t take more than four for me to become a complete mess with my butt very much now stinging and on fire. After 15, I felt like I was going to pass out. “There,” Mrs. Katherine finally said at the end, a hint of satisfaction in her tone, “all done! What a good boy, especially for one so bad…” I remained silent. I felt broken… disjointed from reality. Mrs. Katherine just smiled in front of me as she unstrapped me. “Awww. What’s the matter, honey? You shy now?” I still made no reply. Mrs. Katherine instead only pulled my diaper back up and hauled me up and practically thrust me into the corner of the room with my shortalls still around my ankles. “Now, you be a good boy and stand there with your nose in the corner. I’ll collect you later, but any movement until then, and you’ll get five more spanks with something far worse than what you just got.” I only nodded my head. I had no willpower to say ‘no’ to her. I was determined to be a good boy and just end this day as fast as I could now. “Good. Timer starts now!” She then slammed the door and almost every light turned out in the room. Very suddenly, I was standing there, emotionally broken and in pain, with nothing but my tormented thoughts to occupy my time with my nose shoved into the corner. She retrieved me later and removed my gag. I had no idea how long I was standing there in the corner, but naptime was most definitely over now. Most of the Littles then just stared at me and a few of the Bigs seemed to gossip, but I didn’t care. Just wanting to go home now, I curled up under the tree book nook where I was taken on my first day here by Miss Tina. I barely registered anything until Miss Melissa came to collect me. She too seemed concerned but led me to the front. I thought I was going to finally feel relief in seeing my savior, but when I got there, Samantha only looked furious. From out of the corner of my eye, I could see a smiling Mrs. Katherine. Clearly, Samantha already knew about what had happened today… or at least a version of it. “I don’t want to hear a word out of you, mister,” Samantha said coldly as I approached her. Not having the will to fight back or refute whatever Mrs. Katherine had said, I just nodded and took her hand out to the car. I could see Samantha was practically fuming the whole way home and I just held onto Nurple as tightly as I could. He seemed to be my only friend right now, and I felt terrified of what awaited me at home. I felt my whole world was falling apart today. Still, Samantha got us home pretty quickly and we both walked into the living room. It didn’t take long for her to shut the door and confront me in the privacy of our own walls. “I’m very disappointed in you, Percy. Making a racket when the other Littles are trying to sleep? Punching poor Miss Tina? I thought you were more mature than that!” I wanted to say something… anything, but I felt too shattered by everything happening. So, instead, I just drooped my head in shame and exhaustion. “Well?” Samantha pressed, clearly trying to get some kind of answer out of me. “Nothing? You’re just not going to talk to me anymore? No anger? Sadness? Happiness? Disgust? No…” Samantha then seemed to trail off. “Nothing… just blank…” Still looking at the floor and being a little out of it, I wasn’t really sure what was happening, until I could see and hear the quick shuffle of Samantha’s feet toward me. In a second, she was kneeling in front of me and lifting my head up. “Baby… open your eyes and look to the ceiling.” Not wanting to make her mad, I just complied without question. I then followed a series of very strange questions. I was really confused, but I just answered each. I almost questioned if this was Samantha at all or if she had brain damage when she asked me the date, my name, who she was, and a few others like that. She even searched my head, but then seemed to be relieved afterward. “Okay… no scarring… no drugs… what’s going on, Percy? Just tell me and I won’t be mad. I can see now that something’s up.” I wondered how much her promise would actually hold, but I thought simple would be better. “I’m a traitor to Earth, I cried, I lashed out, I was spanked.” Samantha seemed like she was hit by a concussive blast with each blurb that I gave her, but her eyes soon switched to that of her usual understanding ones. “Mrs. Katherine… she lied… she’s…” She then quickly shook her head and took my head in her hands and looked at me with the widest and most apologetic eyes I think I had ever seen. “Oh, baby! Please forgive me. I didn’t know. Mrs. Katherine… she lied, but I should have trusted you. You’re mine… I should have known that you were a good boy and something else was going on. Please forgive me. Can you do that?” She really didn’t need to ask but hearing it all right then broke the trance I was practically under after Mrs. Katherine’s spanking. The dam that had kept me from reliving all my revelations today and the notion of my traitorous self only in exchange for my own pride, broke completely. It all came rushing back in a single instance and I collapsed into her arms in a heap of despair. “Oh! Percy! Baby! Shhh… shhh…” She then started to stroke my hair and back to console me as best she could. Unlike Miss Tina though, she just let me cry and cry. There was no limit here… only caring. Right then, I took comfort in the person that seemed to be rapidly becoming my whole world now. She cared for me in a way that few others ever had in my life, and she almost displayed a near magic ability to always know what I needed in that exact moment. So today, when I had such questions as ‘how long before the Bigs put their plan into motion and bring down human society from the information that I had given them,’ she seemed to know just what I needed. It was a hug and some small ministrations of comfort, but they spoke volumes. I felt I had doomed the human race from my pride and arrogance, but under her care, for today at least, all that seemed to be a long way off. For now, I was just her good boy, and she was my… well, caregiver at least if nothing else. In the end, that’s all we ever really needed each other to be.

Chapter Eighteen I followed Jen out of the bathroom, very much aware of my pull-up feeling thicker than it did before my nap. I was used to wearing them at night and stuff but during the day it was still something to get used to. The pull-ups were great when they were dry, they almost felt like normal underwear in a way, but when they get wet you can tell they are practically diapers. As we made it to the front door I started to slow down and look behind me, wondering where Isabella went, she was still coming, right? I took too long looking behind me because I soon felt my hand being taken by Jen, tugging me along. I did not resist and just turned to follow, making our way back to her SUV. I hated my newly assigned seat in her vehicle, it stole my independence and sense of adulthood. “Mommy,” I said meekly, trying to get her attention, there had to be a way around me sitting in the car seat. “No, Charlie,” Jen said simply, answering my question without me even asking any. “But I did not even ask you anything,” I retorted, confused about how she had an answer to my unasked questions. She can’t do that, it’s not fair. As we were making our way to the passenger side of the SUV, Jen turned around and picked me up. It’s futile for me to resist, it will only get me in trouble and earn me less adult time than I am already lacking. I tried not to pout but my frown was hard to turn around. “I know you don’t like your car seat, baby,” Jen said sympathetically while opening the door, and setting me inside. “But you need to get used to it. To be honest, I have been thinking about even getting you at least a booster seat for your car and jeep.” I don’t know if I was mad or sad at that idea, I have been driving without it just fine. “Please, no. I don’t need it,” I said, pleading for my adulthood not to be stolen away from me. “Charlie,” Jen said, trying to soothe me and stop my catastrophizing thoughts. “The booster seat is just to help you sit higher; help you see over the hood of your car.” I knew Jen meant well but how was I not supposed to assume she just wanted to take my adulthood away? She promised that I would be treated like an adult today and I have only been treated the opposite. I did not cry, the nap helped me gain control of the emotions that had been running loose as of late, but I still was not a happy camper and I think Jen could still tell. “Baby, safety does not have an age, and if you were just a little bigger, I would not make a fuss about it.” “Then why do I feel like you are treating me like your toddler?” I asked, trying not to sound any more childish than I already felt. “You said you would treat me like an adult today.” “I am not sorry that you feel that way because you are my little boy as much as my adult husband.” Jen retorted, “There are going to be some things that will not change, your size, your need to be diapered, and me making sure you are staying healthy. I will treat you like an adult as much as I can, but you need to realize that you agreed to all this.” Her words were sharp but honest. Jen has always been upfront with me, and from the beginning, she told me what she wanted, and I agreed every step of the way. Getting put back in diapers full-time was a bigger step than I realized. I just diverted my eyes, letting Jen finish putting my harness on and buckling me in. Jen just kissed me on the cheek, and put my diaper bag next to me before shutting my door and walking around to the driver’s side. I looked over to my diaper bag and could not tell if Lady Frankie was in there. I know I took her inside with me, and I had her when Jen picked me up and was rocking me to sleep. Did I leave her in the lounge? “Mommy, I don’t have Lady Frankie,” I said worried as she got in the SUV. “That’s not an adult worry you have there,” Jen said sarcastically as she put her seatbelt on and turned over the engine. As the engine came to life, I saw Isabella walking around to the passenger side with giant sunglasses on, holding on to my bunny and something else I could not see. I watched Jen’s head follow her mother’s movements, smiling as Isabella got in the car and buckled up herself. “Thank you, Mother, someone thought we were going to forget Lady Frankie,” Jen said, relaying my recent worry. I could not tell if she was mocking me or trying to instill in me that I was very much as little as she said I was. “Of course,” I heard Isabella say nonchalantly as Jen took my bunny from her and handed it to me with a smile. I took Lady Frankie from Jen, turning my pouty frown into a scowl. Before Jen or I could exchange any words, Isabella said, “Oh, and here is some water for little Charlie.” I started to roll my eyes, what happened to her just calling me Charlie? Could she not resist calling me a little? “Oh, Mother, I wished you did not put it that,” Jen said, making me wonder what they were talking about. “You told me to get him a bottle of water, so he had a drink for the trip. I thought he might enjoy a sippy cup versus a bottle,” Isabella said defensively. “A regular bottle, not a baby bottle. Charlie is already self-conscious about how he is getting treated; this is only going to make him fussier,” Jen said, though I could not tell if she was defending me or just patronizing me. “I’m sorry, I did grab an extra bottle of water just in case he needed more, just give him that,” I heard Isabella suggest. Jen took the bottle of water from Isabella and handed it to me, but as I took it, I saw Isabella put a brightly colored sippy in a cupholder in the center console. At that moment I softened my scowl trying to portray to Jen that I was sorry for being ‘fussy’, her word, not mine. I did earn a sympathetic smile before she turned forward and shifted into reverse to start our journey. It was weird sitting in the back seat again, especially in a car seat. I felt like I was not necessarily ignored, but out of the main circle of conversation. Though it only took Jen five minutes to notice I just put my water in my cupholder and did not drink a drop, making me believe she had ulterior motives in having me drink from a normal transparent bottle of water. “Charlie, I would like for you to have that drink before we get to the museum,” I heard her say, making me grab the bottle of water before she glanced back again. I did as instructed and took a noticeable sip of water, hoping Jen would notice. “Why don’t you try giving him some juice if he does not want to drink water,” I heard Isabella say from the front seat. I watched Jen briefly look over to the passenger seat, giving her mother a look that practically said, ‘Don’t even start.” I had to bite my lip from smiling so much, Jen really did talk to Isabella about treating me better. “Sorry, just saying. . .” I heard Isabella say. “Between Charlie's sweet tooth and coffee intake, he can drink water,” Jen said, defending her reasoning on my choice of drink. Is that what Jen thinks I eat all the time? “I don’t just eat sweets and drink coffee,” I said trying to insert myself into the conversation. “Well, if he is still having a hard time pooping, you might want to try adding some apple juice or something,” I heard Isabella comment. My mouth just dropped when I heard that, what have they been talking about when I fell asleep? “Don’t worry Mother, when we go grocery shopping later this weekend, I already planned on changing his diet up a little,” I watched Jen respond, both ignoring my comment altogether. “What’s wrong with my diet?” I tried to ask. “Good to hear, the little guy will probably be less embarrassed about going poop if he did not have to push so hard,” I heard Isabella say, going back to my private bathroom habits. “Can we change topics, please?” I asked, feeling ignored. “Yeah, this last weekend made me realize that Charlie may need a little more fiber,” Jen said continuing the conversation. “I did feed him some oatmeal with some barriers this morning.” I feel completely ignored, is this how it’s going to be all day? I rolled my eyes and turn to look out the window, whispering under my breath, “Yeah, treated like an adult my ass.” “Baby, are you still tired, do you need your binky?” I heard Jen ask, making me turn in her direction, wondering if she heard what I said. My eyebrows raise and eyes widen as I shake my head no, pleading she makes me take it. “No thank you,” I evenly say, realizing she was waiting for me to verbally tell her. I wait for Jen and Isabella to go back to their conversation before I turn back to look out the window, watching the scenery go by as I try to drink all my water. It was not a long drive to the airport, but it was long enough for me to get lost in thought, especially with Jen and Isabella busy with their conversation. I started to dwell on what Jen said in the bathroom, about trying to go potty again before we got to the museum. I took another drink thinking that it would help me go potty again, though I was not sure it was going to work as fast as Jen wanted it to. After a while I just closed my eyes and just took a deep breath in and slowly let it out, doing my best to just relax. It took a little bit but eventually, I managed to get my Kegels fully relaxed, but nothing happened. I started to lose track of time and was surprised when I felt Jen slow down and make a sharp turn, making me look outside and realize she was parking. “We’re here?” I asked, probably a little too surprised than I should have been. “Did you have a good nap?” Jen said in response, turning the engine off. “I was not sleeping, I was meditating,” I said blushing, due to the fact I felt I needed to defend myself from a childish accusation with another, “I was trying to relax and go potty as you told me to.” My comment earned me a smile from Jen before watching her and Isabella get out of the SUV. As I heard both front doors shut, I hesitated to undo my seat harness, mainly due to the scolding I got last time. Isabella had my door open before I could finish contemplating my thoughts and had me out even faster. “Wait, wait,” I said quickly, trying to stop her from shutting my door, “I want to leave my bunny in the SUV.” How was I getting so complacent about holding my bunny? “You don’t want to take her in with you,” Isabella asked me with an oddly worried face, “you don’t want her to get lonely, do you?” “It’s ok Mother, Charlie will be fine,” I heard Jen say as she rounded the back of the SUV with my diaper bag on her back and my half-drunk bottle of water. “Baby, please finish this, it's not that much.” “Mommy, I never went potty again like you wanted me to,” I confessed as I handed Isabella my bunny to put in my car seat for safekeeping. I took a couple of steps to get beside Jen so I could take my water from her and drink the rest of its contents. Once I was done, I automatically gave her my hand to hold. To be honest I don’t remember the specific date it started but Jen always preferred me holding her hand when walking in parking lots, sidewalks, or super busy areas; anymore it was just habit. “It’s ok, sweetie, we will still get you a new pull-up once we get in,” Jen said softly as she led me across the parking lot. I started to look around to see if I could notice exactly what part of the airfield this museum was on, however, my short stature made it hard. Normally I would just use my phone and look at the maps, but Jen still had mine confiscated, leaving me partially more dependent on her. It did not take much for me to just focus on being in the moment and notice how huge this Museum was, making me realize how big the airfield was for me not noticed this building before. I was impressed to see this massive hanger-like structure, perfectly sitting in the center was the entrance encased in glass. As we walked through the front doors, we were greeted by an information counter which had security on either side. The inside of the place was even more impressive, I could already see part of the different aircraft they had, we just needed to get past the front counter so we could explore. “Hello, just three of you in your party today?” I hear the clerk behind the counter ask, pulling my attention back in front of me. “Yes please,” Jen responded. Since Jen was busy getting us access to the museum, I spotted a trash can where I could toss my empty water bottle. I tried to pull my hand free so I could throw my trash away, but my tugging only made Jen look down on me to see why I was fighting for freedom. I just wordlessly held up my trash, trying to let her know I wanted to dispose of it. Jen just smiled at me before turning back to the sales clerk and letting go of my hand. As I was walking to the trashcan, I could hear Isabella say something, but I did not make out what she said. “Just to let you know it's fourteen dollars for adults and seven for kids,” I heard the clerk say as I was making my way back to Jen’s side, informing us before making a few clicks on his computer. “All taxes and fees are built into each ticket which will bring the total to thirty-five even.” The price did not bother me at first, but as Isabella and Jen arguing over who was, I did the math in my head as I made my way back to Jen and realized I was getting charged as a child. “Mommy,” I said trying to get Jen’s attention, only gaining my hand being held once again. When Jen looked down at me, I realized what I called her in public, making my eyes go wide and a smile creep on Jen’s face, calling her Mommy is turning into a habit. I am not sure how I feel about my newly forming habit, but I do know that I practically embarrassed myself, causing me to draw out more of a pause than I intended. “Yes, sweetie,” Jen responded softening her face to a pleasant smile, playing off the card I put into play. I started to shake my head not ever so slightly to tell Jen ‘Please no,’ luckily, she noticed. “Don’t worry, Charlie, let us pay and then we can go see the airplanes,” she said lightly. I don’t know if she meant to make it sound like I was a child but that is how I took it. “Ma’am,” the clerk said, Pulling Jen and I’s attention to him. “This is for you and your son,” he said, handing Jen a pair of matching armbands. “They have matching numbers, it's just to make sure that your boy only leaves with you and vice versa. It's just a safety precaution, this place is rather large.” I watched Jen sigh as she took the armbands, I did not understand, why was she doing this. I know I am short but how am I getting a child’s ticket? “But I . . .” was all I got out before Jen started to talk over me. “Thank you,” Jen said, turning her attention to me, “Give me your hand, buddy.” I did as I was told as I did not want to get scolded in public, but I did give her a glare that only could be read as ‘I am not your buddy’. Jen just gave me a sweet smile as she put the armband on my wrist before putting hers on. This day was a disaster and the more that Jen points out the more I realize the more it's my own doing, especially this time. Why did I have to call her Mommy? With my new bracelet on I followed Jen over to the metal detectors. Jen had me go first, which allowed me to see that a security guy was rummaging around my diaper bag, checking for who knows what. When Jen came through, the security guy gave her my bag back and then took my hand again soon after. “Mother, we are going to go find a bathroom quick,” Jen said to Isabella as she was walking through the security herself. I tried not to blush, but it was useless, at least Jen was not specific about why we were going to the bathroom. As we continued into the museum the area started to open, giving us a view of all the different aircraft that were on display. Jen was focused on the bathroom as I was too busy gawking at the different planes. “This way Charlie,” Jen said as she gave me a gentle tug, trying to get me to follow her. I guess the bathrooms were only around the corner to the entrance. I followed Jen to the bathrooms but soon started to resist as I saw what door she was dragging me into. “No-no-no, I am a boy,” I said trying to rebuttal softly. Jen quickly turned to me and bent down to me with a gentle look on her face. “Charlie, if we don’t get you changed you are going to leak,” Jen said in a voice only I could hear. “Do you want to have what happened this last weekend, or would you rather go potty with Mommy, and keep your shorts dry.” “Go potty with Mommy,” I respond, matching Jen's hushed tone to try and keep myself from being any more embarrassed than I already was. There were a lot of things I did not want to do but I was done with walking around in wet shorts. That would be four times in one week, and I was not about to let that happen. “You see that door next to the lady’s room,” Jen said pointing to a door I was not paying attention to, “that is a family bathroom, it will be private for just you and me to do our business.” I nodded, giving Jen the signal that I was not going to make any more fuss. Once we were in and the door was locked, I felt I could breathe a little more. Jen however did not let me go, she only pulled me and had me stand next to the toilet, “Sweetie, do you feel the need to go pee-pee?” I looked at the toilet and then down at myself and then over to Jen and shrugged my shoulders, “Maybe, kind of?” I said more confused than confident. Jen got down to my level again and put her hands on both sides of my hips. “Can you be a good boy and try and go for Mommy?” Jen asked me in a sweet tone. As if by habit I reached to undo my pants but was quickly stopped by Jen, “No-no, baby, leave your shorts alone. Give yourself a little push and try to go in your pull-up.” I just looked over at the toilet and imagined I was going to use it to try to force myself to pee, but eventually, a small stream came out but not much, causing me to look back at Jen. “Only a little came out Mommy,” I said, not sure if I was ashamed for what I just did or that I did not feel like I went enough for Jen. “Good job, Charlie, I am so proud,” Jen said with a big smile as she set my diaper back down on the floor. “Let’s get you cleaned up and in a new pull-up.” Jen undid my shorts and pulled them down, making me step out of them with my shoes on. “Can you hold your shorts for me,” she asked handing my shorts to hold onto. I stood there watching Jen rip the sides of the pull-up off and throw the saturated undergarment away. I was quickly and efficiently cleaned up and presented with a dry pull-up to step into. With Jen’s help, I had my pull-up and shorts back on, ready to go back out into the world. We both washed our hands and made our way out, seeing Isabella standing close by waiting on us. “Everything comes out, ok?” Isabella asked as we walked up to her. “Just wet, but we are all clean now,” Jen said in response as if it was a normal thing. I did not understand the use of the word ‘we’ when it was only me in pull-ups wetting myself. “Jen, please, not so loud,” I said trying to keep my face from turning red once again. When will the embarrassment stop? And just like that Jen faked a gasp and put the hand that was not still holding my hand in front of her mouth, “What happened to Mommy?” “But” I managed to say, trying to rebuttal with the rules that were agreed upon. “Calm down, Charlie,” Jen said, as she smiled, “I am just trying to get a rise out of you. Though you called me Mommy first, and you are wearing a wristband that kind of suggests that you’re here with your Mommy.” “Can I at least walk around without holding your hand,” I said with a huff, diverting my eye and accepting my role. I felt Jen’s hand loosen, making me look at her in disbelief, but I slowly pulled my hand away. “So where to first?” I ask, eager to go just run around and look at everything. “It’s your day, so you lead the way,” Isabella said, stealing my attention momentarily before looking back at Jen for approval. With a nod from Jen, I happily turned around and started our self-guided tour, pointing out all the planes I knew and gawking at the ones I didn’t. Inside housed a lot of smaller planes, a lot of them old prop planes that were used during the pre-World War and plenty that came after. They had a few smaller Jets that were suspended in the air as if they were frozen in mid-flight. I was finally feeling like I was in my element, excited to be around planes again. I did my best to cover as much ground as I could, we started at one corner of the building and slowly made our way around. There was not much of a crowd of people here, but it was not empty either. Jen let me walk without holding my hand but that did not stop her from keeping me close to her. As much as I wanted to be seen as an adult, my height compared to Jen did make me feel like I was anything but. Even when I would try and talk about an airplane Jen just smiled and listened innocently, it felt as if I was a kid trying to tell Mommy all my cool facts that I knew. Jen loved that one of my passions was aviation, it was never an interest for her, but she always made the attempt to show interest and made sure to listen as I rambled on sometimes. Eventually, I started to not care how I was perceived, most people who were close to us just saw us as a normal family. The more I relaxed the more time started to be irrelevant as I just kept wandering around and looking at everything the museum had to offer. Jen and Isabell just followed me as I insisted on walking around and seeing every aircraft, though I kept going back to this one P-51D Mustang that they had on display. “That my boy is a P-51 Mustang,” I heard an old man from behind me say. I don’t know if it was just the constant treatment of being little, or just that I was so engulfed in the moment but his ‘my boy’ comment did not bother me. “It’s a P-51D, it has the Packard V-1650-7 engine powering it,” I corrected without even looking back at who I was talking to. Jen suddenly made her presence known to me by standing behind me and putting her hands on my shoulders, making me look up at her quickly and then over to the man who commented. I don’t know if it was Jen, but I instantly felt like I did something bad, “I am sorry, I did not mean . . .,” I said before the man stopped me by holding his hand up. “No need to apologize, My Name is Joe, and I am one of the curators here. “You certainly know your airplanes,” Joe said, holding his hand out for me to shake. “Nice to meet you, my name is Charlie,” I said, Shaking his hand. “Have you been outside yet, we have bigger planes out there along with some helicopters even,” Joe asked, pointing to a double door leading out to the airfield. I quickly looked up to Jen for permission and got her loving smile saying go ahead. “Well, if you would allow me, I could give you a tour out there, maybe you can teach me what you know,” Joe said, humoring me with the knowledge I had of aircraft. “Lead the way, sir,” I said, grabbing Jen’s hand and pulling her along with us. Joe led us to a door that was on the far side of the building, as we went through, we were on the side of the building. There was a path that we followed and with every step, I started to see more and more aircraft. First were the helicopters, both old and new, but as the helicopters seemed to grow in size the aircraft that was sitting next to them still seemed to dwarf them and was even bigger. Joe went on to show me every aircraft that was outside, telling me some of the stories that he had when he was just a boy or when he was in the military. Most of the airplanes were only there to see and not touch, but there were a few that he let me get in and look around. Joe even let me sit in one of the cockpits of the aircraft, due to my small body I could not see out the aircraft, but it was still fun to see all the old steam gauges that were used back in the day. I thought it was the best thing in the world. I was truly feeling like a kid again, “You know walking around all these old airplanes makes me want to go back and see my airplanes,” I said, not thinking. At about that same time, all the water Jen made me drink was starting to make itself known, especially with all the walking we were doing. “What kind of airplanes do you have,” Joe asked as he helped me out of the cockpit, so I did not fall. “I have two Embraer Praetor 600s, one Phenom 300E, and one Phenom 100EX. They are a solid black with bright red tails,” I said being honest. Right before we started to walk back towards the door leading to the inside, Jen reached for my hand. “That is a pretty neat collection,” I heard Joe say as we made our way back to the inside of the museum. As we walked Jen started to walk slower and let Joe and Isabella take the lead as Jen and I started to walk behind them. “Do you need to go potty, sweetie,” Jen asked quietly as we walked. I didn’t blush but I did have a hard time looking her in the eyes and telling her ‘No’ which made Jen understand that I did have an urge to potty. “If you do just go, do not try and hold it,” Jen said to where I could only hear. “Everything ok?” Joe asked as he held the door to the inside open for us. I could not tell if he heard what Jen told me or if he was just making sure that we did not need anything. Between Jen telling me to pee my pull-up and Joe’s question, I was starting to get a little embarrassed and I did not know what to say. “I think I need to go to the bathroom,” I said, blurting out what came to mind first, trying to respond to Joe. I turned my head to Jen to try and give her an ‘I’m sorry’ look. "Mother, I am going to take Charlie potty again,” Jen said looking over to Isabella. Why did this whole situation make me feel small, I don’t think I like this being reminded to go potty thing, and I really did not have to go that bad, I was just caught up in the moment. “When you’re done, come see me in the gift shop Charlie,” Joe said, letting us go do our business as he walked the other way. “Ok,” I said as I followed Jen. As we wind our way through the large open space filled with multiple aircraft, I spotted Isabella getting our attention. “I will be upfront when you two are done,” Isabella said before splitting off herself. Now that it was just Jen and me, I noticed that Jen was slowing her pace more than she normally did to compensate for my little legs. “Mommy why are we walking so slow,” I asked as I looked up at her, intrigued about what was on Jen's mind. “I thought it would be nice to try and give you a little extra time to try and go in your pull-up before we make it to the bathroom,” Jen said as she smiled down at me. Eventually, we did make it to the bathroom, but as Jen went to turn the handle it was locked, making her and I look at each other. I watched Jen look at the lady's room and I instantly knew what she was going to do. What was more embarrassing, having your Wife drag you into the ladies’ room to potty because she won't let you go by yourself or just going potty in your pull-up that you are going to be made to do anyway? “I don’t have to go anymore Mommy,” I told her a little louder than I wanted trying to get her attention and keep her from dragging me in there. “Are you sure, sweetie,” Jen turned to me and asked as she reached down and felt my pull-up. “Did you already go?” “Aww, did the poor little guy not make it to the bathroom?" I heard a woman say as she came out of the bathroom I was about to be dragged into. Both Jen and I looked to see who was talking and saw another lady, dressed in similar clothes as Joe was, indicating she probably works here. “Don’t sweat it, little guy, you're not the only one to have an accident, this place is kind of huge,” the lady said, trying to make me feel better for something I was about to do. “Yeah, we are still working on potty training,” Jen said to the lady, continuing the conversation. “We still have day accidents, so we are not quite out of pull-ups yet.” I could see sympathy from the lady as she turned to me and said, “It’s ok, potty training can be hard work,” before smiling and turning to Jen and saying, “Best of luck to yeah both,” and continuing her way. This whole interaction was super embarrassing but as we stood there, I did need to go potty more than I did a moment ago. “Go in your pull-up here or in the lady's room,” Jen said softly. I quickly looked around to see if anyone else was walking our way before turning back to Jen with a pleading face, I didn’t want to do either. As Jen turned to go into the lady's room, I instantly tried to force myself to pee. I took a breath in and pushed, trying to force something to happen, and with less effort than I thought it was going to take I started to do what I never thought was possible. “Good job, I am so proud of you,” Jen said, turning back to me and smiling, “You know, you have a cute little potty face.” Getting praised every time I wet myself was an odd feeling, but it did make me feel less bad for doing something so juvenile. I was still mid-stream as I felt Jen start walking again, this time towards the entrance of the building. “Mommy,” I tried to call out as I was still trying to wet myself with little luck. Jen was only taking small steps, but it still was awkward to try and wet myself and walk at the same time. “You're ok, honey, just keep going,” Jen said encouragingly. I kept looking down to see if I leaked but could not tell. As we rounded the corner to the front, we did not see Isabella standing anywhere. “Do I really have a potty face?” I asked, before looking around and not seeing my mother-in-law around “Where’s Isabella?” “I don’t know, let's see if she is in the gift shop before we call her,” Jen said ignoring my first question. Jen let go of my hand and put her hand on my back, guiding me in the direction she wanted to go. The gift shop was close to the main doors of the museum, which was exactly where we saw Isabella, chatting with Joe. The closer we got the more self-conscious I was about my little accident. “You know Mother, Charlie was worried you left us, he did not see you when we rounded the corner to the front,” Jen said lightheartedly. “I was not,” I quickly retorted, only slightly forgetting about my embarrassment. “Don’t worry Charlie,” Isabella said, smiling. “I was just talking with your new friend Joe, trying to figure out what model airplane to get you to add to your collection.” As soon as Isabella was done talking, I saw Joe's hand pull out a model P-51 that was painted olive green with a star on both sides of the fuselage. “What do you think of this one, it’s the same one, just different colors as the one that’s on display,” Joe said, handing it to me to look at. “It’s not an Embraer but it's an impressive aircraft. And if you as your Mom I bet she could help you paint it to match your other ones.” At that moment I figured out that he thought that I was a kid, and the airplanes I had were just models. It would be nice to have, though I doubt I would want to paint it, it looks good as it is. I turned me Jen and motioned to her that I wanted to tell her a secret. “Let me look, baby,” Jen said in response to my secret request. I was happy that she was helping me out, but I wished she would refrain from using ‘baby’ in public. I watched Jen rummage around in my diaper bag, eventually pulling her wallet out and looking through some business cards she had. She first pulled out one but quickly put that one back before pulling out another, “Ah, here it is,” Jen said pulling out a business card that said Red Tail Aviation and handing it to me, making me smile. “If you come by any time after. . .,” I start to say before I turn to Jen to help. “After next week,” Jen said simply, helping me out with my sentence. “. . . after next week, Alice and I will give you a tour of our airplanes,” I said as I handed him the business card with Alice’s name on it, trying to invite him over to my work, to show him that I am not just a kid with models. “Ok, this is on the other side of the airfield, I could stop by sometime. And you must be Alice then?” Joe started to say before turning to Jen since he never got her name. “Sorry, Alice is my sister. My name is Jennifer,” Jen said, introducing herself officially. “Well, it was a pleasure to meet you and your family today, I will definitely come and stop by,” Joe said holding up the business card I gave him. After a quick handshake, we parted ways again, leaving me to turn to Jen to see what we were doing next. “Well, I already purchased Charlie’s plane, so how about we head out and get some lunch,” I watched Isabella say to Jen. As she heard what her mother said I saw her start to look down at me, instantly aware of what Jen was going to say. “Thank you, for the plane . . . Grammy,” I said softly. It still felt weird to call Isabella Grammy, I am not sure if I like it or not. “You are most welcome, Charlie,” Isabella said with a sweet smile. “How about you let me hold onto it while we get to the SUV, I am sure Mommy would want you to hold her hand, so you don't get hurt.” I handed her the plane back and just reached up and held Jen's hand, unsure how to feel. Nothing else was said, Jen just smiled at me and led me over to the exit, where she and I had to show our wristbands before exiting. When we were halfway to the car Isabella broke the silence and asked, “So, did Charlie make it to the potty?” “Nope, he was a good boy and was able to wet himself before we got in,” Jen said proudly, not telling the full story of what happened. Jen led me around to the back passenger door before unlocking the car and opening my door. Jen looked down at me and slightly hesitated, waiting for me to start my protesting. As much as I hated the car seat, I knew I had little to no say in what I was about to get put back into. I just looked up at her and simply asked, “Ice cream?” I was done protesting today, I wanted to get treated as an adult but every time I tried to force the issue I was shut down. However, my lack of protest did earn me a smile from Jen. “Let's get food first, then we can get ice cream,” Jen said as she reached in to grab my bunny out of my car seat and handed her to me. With my bunny in my hands, Jen picked me up, put me in my car seat, and buckled my harness. At the same time, Isabella hopped in the passenger seat reaching back and setting my new model airplane in the back. “You know baby, I am very proud of you. "You were such a big boy in there,” Jen said before kissing me on the forehead. “I don't feel like a big boy,” I said with a frown. “I could not leave your side because everyone thought I was a kid because of this stupid wristband, and then I wet my pants. . .” “Feel your pants, baby, do they feel wet?” Jen instructed. “No,” I said. “You did not wet your pants, you wet your pull-up,” Jen said positively. “I want you to have faith in your pull-ups and your diapers. If you feel the need to potty, then I want you to go, no more holding it. I promise to make sure to change you before you start to leak,” Jen said lovingly, trying to help encourage a smile. “You're going to have to get used to this, you are going to be in diapers for the foreseeable future Charlie.” With that said Jen just caressed my cheek with her hand, smiling at me like I really was her good little boy. Once I smiled at her, she finally let me be and closed my door, making her way around to the driver's seat. “Mommy,” I said getting Jen's attention as she backed out of the parking spot. “Where are we going for lunch?” When I said it, I was starting to question myself, is it lunch? What time was it? Today has been so weird that I felt I could not even tell what time it was. I mean it had to be past lunchtime, I had already been forced to take a nap and we were walking around for like ever looking at airplanes. I looked out the window to try and see where the sun was, that would tell me how late in the day it was. “Not real sure yet, we are near your work, do you have any favorite spots you like to go to?” Jen asked pulling out onto the road, “Preferably a place that has food you will want to eat.” Even though I did not feel hungry, I knew that I was going to need to eat if I was going to get my ice cream I was promised. “What time is it?” I asked, still confused about how long we had been in the museum. “It's just a little past two, baby,” Jen informed me, making me realize that we were having a late lunch once again. “If I eat good, can I skip dinner?” I asked, trying to cut a deal. I know Jen wanted to make sure I ate good but eating this late and then eating dinner on top was not going to make my tummy feel good at all. “Absolutely not,” I heard Isabella say in front of me, instantly making me furrow my brows at her comment. Jen did not say anything, but I did feel the heat from her glare that she gave Isabella. “Sorry, I did not mean to overstep my bounds,” I heard Isabella say, I could also imagine her throwing her hands up as if to surrender a fight she knew she was not going to win. “Baby, I will make you a deal,” Jen said as I watched her turn back to driving. “Eat something small for me and then we will get your ice cream. But I have some shrimp I want to cook later for dinner.” “I got just the place,” I responded excitedly. “Tony’s Tavern has this super amazing dessert that is amazing, they also have good food too.” “A tavern?” I heard Jen repeat, questioning my choice. “It’s still daylight, and yeah, a tavern. It's the favorite spot the pilots like to go to when they are in between flights,” I said defending my request. “Alice even likes this place.” “Tony’s it is, but no alcohol,” Jen said, making me smile.

Thank you all for the awesome comments! I'm still a pretty new writer when it comes to non-screenplays (yalls might be able to tell from the way I write lol). I'm learning a lot more about myself through this whole process, (which is very exciting), and one of the things I learned is that I cant write anything unless I completely plan it out beforehand. Luckily for you reader (yes you.) this is a great because it means I will finish this story completely. If you have any, I would love constructive feedback and critique. I went to school for something similar, so trust me I don't get upset with comments like that. They are well appreciated. Enjoy the chapter and thanks for reading! The Song I love today Chapter 2 It was the next day when I arrived back at the facility. The weather was surprisingly much more pleasant than the previous, or maybe I was just more excited and less nervous. Last night I had the opportunity to text and then subsequently video call my soon-to-be caretakers. I asked a lot of questions that seemed to be no-brainers to the couple, like “Do you really have a crib big enough to fit me?” or, “How big is your pool?”. The response to that one was met with what I could only guess was Olympic size measurements, then a stern talking from Jane. “You can only go in with floaties and a big watching you.” I was a tad disappointed at that because I did like swimming, but if this pool were as big as they say, then it would make sense to be cautious. After I asked most of my questions, they started asking questions about me. They seemed to ask much more surface-level questions like “What's your favorite snack?” and “Do you like any cartoons?”. They listed some tv shows that I'd never heard of before, and I told myself I would check them out later. It did surprise me a bit by how excited they were, almost like a couple expecting their first child would act. I pushed past that thought though, because at the end of the day, they seemed like really nice people. * * * * * * * * Driving up to the front gate, I was given different directions to go this time. I was headed towards what looked to be a large underground parking garage, but more massive than any I had ever seen. I only wondered how far the tunnels went and how big of a complex this was. ‘The military doesn't even get this large a budget!’ I thought to myself, even though I've never actually been in any military compounds, I wouldn't know for sure. As I got near the entrance, I entered a roundabout with multiple people standing to the side. I saw Lisa, a nice-looking woman I hadn't met and a woman dressed like a nurse. Two armed guards stood next to them, which made me a little nervous, but seeing all these people here filled me with a dread that was hard to explain. ‘Were they doing this all for me?’ I thought. I felt as though I didn't deserve this at all, especially for free. I let that thought go as I parked my car next to them, and Lisa came over and motioned for me to roll down my window. The air conditioner fans were loud in the underground facility, but I was still able to hear her clearly. “Hey hun, you can just park it here.” She said in a happy, but weirdly motherly way as if upset by the fact I was driving myself at all. ‘They take this whole caretaker thing so seriously?’ I thought to myself. I got out of the car and walked my way around to hand Lisa the keys. She took them and handed them to one of the guards; he seemed to nod in recognition of something. The nurse and another unknown woman walked forward to me as the nurse motioned for my hand. Butterflies buzzed through my stomach as I contemplated taking it. I didn't have much time to relish that feeling though because the no-named woman started to speak, “It's okay Jackson.” Her words immediately made me feel better. “I'm your caseworker Emily, but you can call me Emmy.” She held her hand out for a shake, and I took it. “Nice to meet you.” I blushed, feeling like a nervous child who has a crush on his teacher. She only giggled at my demeanor before tugging on my hand to guide me through the front double doors. The entire group followed, including one of the armed guards, who felt incredibly menacing. Emmy must have noticed me looking back nervously though, because she kept my attention towards her. “That's Jeremy. He looks tough, but he wouldn't hurt a fly.” I looked back again to see Jeremy smiling affectionately toward me, something that I hadn't noticed before. The nurse on the other side of me put her hand on my back, helping guide me into the compound. Until this point, everything looked white and clinical, almost like a hospital might. The long hallways didn't help the hospital's accusations, but as we got closer to our destination, it started to look much more like a pediatric department. The walls were adorned with bright pastels and sprawling green landscapes. The entire room put me at ease, which I assumed was the point. I was guided into one of the many rooms in the long, colorful hallway, and when we entered one, I saw that it looked exactly like a doctor's office. This office had a lot more though than a typical one, such as what looked to be a large tub, a much larger examination table, and a lot of technology that I'd never seen before. Emmy led me up onto the large examination table, and as I sat down, I felt truly small with the whole group now surrounding me. I began to feel overwhelmed until Lisa spoke up to break the short silence. “It was nice meeting you Jackie!” She took my hand in hers, and I looked up at her bubbling face. “Nurse Patty and your caseworker Emmy are going to take good care of you, okay?” I nodded in response. “You be a good boy for them, alright? No acting up!” She giggled and patted my back affectionately, then waved goodbye as she and the guard exited the room. Closing the door behind them, I was left with the two women, and I started feeling more comfortable. The feeling didn't stay though as I started thinking more and more and got more nervous again, but the feeling stopped when Emmy put her hand on my thigh. “It's gonna be alright, okay?” I sat there looking into her bright blue eyes pondering for a second. I started to melt as all my thoughts started surrounding her and her affectionate smile. “Kay,” I responded. She giggled at my sudden casual demeanor then scuffed up my hair a bit. I giggled at the sudden intrusion but then lavished in the welcome attention. Nurse Patty popped up behind Emmy with a rolling cart and held a puffy white square, which I only now just realized was a diaper. “Let's get you ready, okay? Arms up.” I started to fuss with my shirt, feeling unable to follow her directions and looking down at my dangling legs. She cocked her head to the side, confused at my sudden unwillingness to participate. “What's wrong honey?” she rubbed her hands on my back. The tension loosened as she soothed, and I spoke up quietly while still looking down, “I don't… want that.”. Emmy looked confused, before turning to Nurse Patty and noticing the diaper. The nurse decided to speak up, “We need to get you into protection in case you have an accident.” she said clinically like there wasn't anything embarrassing about wearing a diaper. I blushed at the insinuation that I would have an accident and meekly responded, “I don't need that…”. Emmy went behind me and decided to tug my shirt up like you would a fussy toddler. “It's going to be okay hun, you need it for when we transport you.” I looked back at her with my shirt half tugged up and she pulled it off completely, leaving me bare-chested. “You won't be able to use the pot-... I mean bathroom for a little while.” Emmy stumbled on her words, but I didn't have time to think about it because Nurse Patty suddenly started undoing my pants. “Bu.. But I can use the bathroom!” I pleaded, sounding much like a child rather than an adult. Nurse Patty finished pulling my pants down and she spoke, “You need to be mature about this hun.” she said plainly. I protested, “There isn't anything mature about a diaper!” but Emmy simply pushed me down onto my back while shushing me, and Nurse Patty folded my pants up and put them on the cart she brought over. “It's going to be okay Jackie, Can you be a big boy for me?” I blushed but started to fill with a weird sense of need. For some weird reason, I felt the desire to be good for her… To be a big boy for her… The thought confused me and I responded by retreating into myself and nodding meekly. I heard a loud crinkling as Nurse Patty took the plain diaper off her cart and fluffed it up right in front of me. I only felt more flustered after noticing just how big and loud it was. I couldn't close my legs at all, and the thought made me flush red. Emmy seemed to notice my discomfort though, because she put her hands on my head and petted my hair lovingly. I started to melt in her touch as she guided me back further onto the soft examination table. I could only look up at her affectionate smile and soft eyes as she felt and parted my hair again and again, lulling me into comfort I hadn't experienced much at all in my life. She didn't stop at all though, and as I was distracted by her soothing gestures, I felt my legs begin to move and my lower half was lifted completely into the air. I tried to look up at the invading feeling, but when I tried to do so, Emmy just pushed me back down lightly, adding to the soothing gestures with soft murmurs and quiet tapping. “Such a good boy… you're doing so well.” I blushed more and closed my eyes, feeling a light sprinkle on my groin, then a subsequent pressure change as the diaper was snuggly fitted on me. I felt the tapes tug, gaining a new sense of comfort as the padding pushed into all the right places. I could hear the Nurse cleaning up her station, but that didn't matter to me as I layed still with Emmy soothing me like a baby. I stayed still for a while, closing my eyes and loving every second of it. I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but after a while, I was interrupted when I heard something being wheeled up next to me, but I didn't care to look up. However, like all good things in life, they must come to an end. I felt a light tapping on my forehead as I heard Emmy giggling softly in front of me. “Time to get up baby! We gotta see your mommy and daddy…” She spoke incredibly softly, but to my surprise with some sad undertones. It was almost enough for me to miss her choice of words, but at the moment, it didn't matter to me much. I tried to bask in the moment a little longer, but I felt pressure on my back as Emmy lifted me up. I sat there on the table, only now realizing how fluffy my crotch was. I experimented with pushing my legs together and poking at the foreign padding. All of that stopped though when Nurse Patty spoke up. “You can play with your diapers later baby, we gotta get going now.” I blushed at her words but only gave a small nod in response. The two seemed to coo at my sudden shy nature, which only helped my blush to redden more. I felt their hands motion for me to get off the table, but instead of standing when I got up, I was sat down in a strange-looking wheelchair. I haven't felt any wheelchairs like this before, but I didn't have the opportunity to think about it because as soon as I sat down, I was buckled in. I sat dazed and confused by the sudden restraints, but it didn't last long as I felt myself being pushed out the back door of the room. I blushed, now realizing that I was completely naked except for the diaper. I attempted to wiggle, but both women kept on moving while ignoring my fussy nature. I was lucky that there wasn't anybody in the hallway we were in, and pretty soon, I approached a large metal door. We waited for a second with Nurse Patty coming to my side to input a code on the wall, and all of a sudden, beeping noises started playing as the door mechanically opened. I immediately started fussing more with the restraints as I noticed all the people with lab coats and armed guards standing idly by. I tried calling out to Emmy, but she only pushed me further until we stopped at a weird pod-looking device with some people already in it. The people seemed to be sleeping, and I found this whole situation very confusing. I didn't have much time to get into my head though, because Emmy came around and knelt to my level, placing her hands on the front of the wheelchair. “I'm going to be with you the entire time, okay? You have nothing to worry about.” She finished speaking, and Nurse Patty came around to start unbuckling me out of the strange wheelchair. The two worked in tandem as I was lifted onto my feet. I only noticed once I stood up that the people in the pods were dressed just like me with only diapers on. Some of the diapers looked different though, some less plain and others more colorful and childish looking. Emmy and Nurse Patty ensured they were in my view the entire time before leading me towards an open pod. “Running behind schedule again, Emily? Typical…” I heard a gruff voice behind me. Emmy looked in that direction and tensed up a bit. “Sorry sir, I'll get to it quickly.” Nurse Patty prepared the pod in front of me and after she was done, Emmy much more hastily than before guided me into it. I was pushed back into the harness as my heart rate started to rise and my breathing quickened. Emmy must have noticed this though, because she started soothing me almost immediately, “I know this is scary, but I need you to be a big boy for me… Be brave for me, okay?”. Her last words lingered in my head for a second before she stood up and clicked a button on the side of the pod. A harness was tugged around me tightly and I started to fidget with it almost immediately. It was uncomfortably tight, and I looked up to Emmy for help, but she only looked down at me sadly. This was the first time I'd seen a frown on her face. That didn't help me calm down, but it didn't matter anyway. The glass door to the pod closed shut and it started to fill with a weird smoke. I lost the energy to continue fidgeting with the restraints and only groggily looked around in my small enclosure. My eyes became blurry, and I tried screaming out for Emmy, but nothing came out of my mouth. It wasn't before long that my eyelids closed, and I was gone.

I don’t think Mexico has anything to do with blood clots, post-surgery. Plenty of people have surgical complications everywhere. Unless eating tortillas makes blood clots worse In fact, the close and rapid personal attention paid by the clinic staff is probably better than at some hospitals in the US.

I want everyone who is considering a similar procedure to understand the risks involved, which is why I have been so vocal about sharing the known complications (stricture disease, sexual side effects, acute retention from temporary blockages, etc) that I have learned through other patients generously sharing their experiences. Residual blood clots are one of the things I expected the most. I certainly don't make a recommendation of surgery. But I do suggest always to keep an open mind and a willingness to learn, and a full look at risks. Genuine concern and hypothetical risk discussion is welcome and important. Unhelpful posts from those who don't meaningfully contribute to the discussion, and which offer only snark, nastiness, and manufactured schadenfreude are not welcome, and will continue to be reported.

Not very hard to imagine for me, as all were discussed in advance. However I don't recall you providing insight, help, or discussion about residual blood clots, while plenty of other more constructive members did. No one here was surprised. Yes, you go work on your imagination. It might help you.

But Mikey already has accidents all the time.

Schadenfreude?? Great... Another big-ass German word I can't pronounce!!! It took me YEARS to say "Fahrvergnugen" !!! 😆😆 It's the Salsa.... Those little bits in the Salsa pass right thru ya, into the bladder. I know, weird, right??

Problems after surgery in Mexico to become incontinent that many people warned you about? Imagine that!

I'm so glad! I was actually very worried about this chapter being too much of a lore dump... but my plan was always to have Maria giving Ai her answers at the end of A:B off-screen. I've been trickling in bits of information since the start of A:M, but this really is the moment of payoff. 😊 More soon, I promise!

Chapter 24: Captor Little in Love 2 – LittleFallenPrincess The face of that Amazon, the one that took me all that time ago, made my blood boil. She… she should be rotting in prison, or in a crib. After her little stunt at the wedding, Chris was going to hypnotise her with that new tech of theirs and make her just like a regressed little, giving her to a family to be rehabilitated. Apparently that was going well, and it really must have if she’s wandering the store on her own right now, looking just like any other Amazon adult. She wore a smart suit, one that… and I hate to say… really showed off her features. She looked… good. And I felt disgusting for even thinking that of my sworn enemy. I mean come on… she kidnapped me, regressed me, then crashed our wedding and hypnotised me! I shouldn’t be complimenting her, even if it’s just in my own thoughts. ‘No Liv… she’s a monster. That’s all you need to focus on.’ I had no idea how she had gotten free, or how she was even an adult. Was she ever even regressed? But no matter what, her wandering freely whilst I was trapped in this infantile prison at the back of the store was the ultimate insult. It should be the other way round… I watched as she wandered up and down the aisles, looking at each product. And every time she stopped to look closely at a product, she’d bring out her phone and start typing on it, before placing the product down and carrying on. As if she was… no… she couldn’t have adopted a little already, could she? Is she seriously wandering about this store, shopping for her regressed little? Did she learn nothing from her experience with her new parents? I felt my fists clench as much as they could with these thick padded mittens on, and the rage inside me was about to burst. That’s when she turned… and saw me. My heart started pounding, wondering what she was going to say or do with me in this predicament. Because despite the wig… she clearly recognised me. I needed to get Charlie’s attention, even if she’s not my Charlie right now. Evil Charlie is bad… but pissed off, vengeful Madison is much worse. However, with the crawler nappy taped around my lower half, the thick booties on my feet and the thick mittens on my hands… there was no way I was able to bang on anything or get out of the playpen and get over to Charlie. And with the dummy gag still blocking my speech… there was no calling for help either. Madison’s eyes widened as it was now clear she definitely recognised me, then she grinned, and put her phone back into her suit jacket pocket, walking slowly over to the glass separating the two of us. Stopping just in front of the class, she peered in and kept her focus on me… staring me right in the eyes as she pulled out her phone and typed something on it. Then to my ultimate humiliation… She pulled up her phone so the camera was facing me and took a picture. The click the phone made, the one that imitates a camera shutter, must have made more of a sound then she’d expected as she frantically went to put her phone away whilst turning on the spot and speed-walking down the aisle, away from me and towards the entrance. ‘If she leaks that photo to the press… I’m done for…’ A few seconds later, a confused Charlie walked back in front of the glass, followed by a shopping trolley being pushed by Marianne. “Huh? Was someone here? I thought I heard…” Charlie said, looking around the empty store. “I didn’t see anyone.” Marianne replied. “Are you okay, babygirl?” Charlie asked me. She didn’t even wait for a reply or a shrug or anything from me before turning to Marianne. “Well I think we’ve got enough fun toys today. I may be back on my own when I’ve found a babysitter for little Livie here so I can pick up a few more surprises.” “I’ll get these scanned, if you’d like to come pay for them? Then we’ll deliver them tomorrow.” “Tomorrow? Why tomorrow? Why can’t I pay for delivery today? We had that before…” Charlie replied, sounding just like one of those entitled Amazon mother’s who expects everyone to work around them. “Our delivery driver is off sick today, sorry. Best I can do is tomorrow, and that’s only because I’ll be able to deliver them personally.” “Oh you’d do that?” “I love littles being spoiled and treated properly. It would be my honour…” Marianne replied. ‘Suck up. You just want a big tip. And most likely to see me suffer. I’m onto you now, Marianne…’ Charlie paid for everything, and as Marianne went to put Charlie’s purchases in the back for delivery tomorrow, my wife wandered back over to the playroom, walking past the glass wall without even looking at me. Just like a robot, she walked in, picked me up, then placed me in the stroller, strapping me in tightly, before pushing me back out of the playroom. “Wave bye bye to Auntie Marianne…” Charlie ordered. I raised my arm and waved awkwardly, not wanting to piss off either Amazon right now, my cheeks burning with shame as I was pushed out of the store. “See you tomorrow then, Charlotte!” Marianne called out. “See you tomorrow. Don’t forget, bring Stephen!” ‘Wait… Stephen? Oh fuck… don’t tell me she’s arranged a ‘playdate’ with that betweener twerp. I already can’t stand him, and now his mind is mush… I’m going to have that to deal with now too. Great.’ We made our way back through the shopping centre, and as every Amazon walked past with a huge grin on their face, my embarrassment grew. It would only take one person to recognise me for my life to be over as it is. I’d be deemed immature, my marriage would be annulled, and… wait… my marriage is pretty much over anyway, if I don’t get my Charlie back. But even if no one recognises me… this is so humiliating, to be dressed so babyish, strapped into a stroller, just like any other regressed little. The random Amazon shoppers around us genuinely didn’t see the MP that represents them… they just saw another baby. “I think it’s time for lunch.” Charlie announced, turning the stroller suddenly, towards a different part of the shopping centre. “Mmmmph?” I cried out, but not loud enough that anyone nearby could hear me. Right now I want as little attention as possible. Charlie turned into one of the hallways full of shops, and this felt… familiar. This was on the way to… no… please no… Pulling up outside the little cafe we had had our first ‘date’ at, Charlie waved over the familiar waitress, the one who had tried to trick me with spiked cake. I never forget a face, especially one who tries to destroy my life like she did. At first the waitress didn’t recognise me. But then she saw Charlie and must have remembered her face as she walked over to us, before quickly realising that the infantilised little next to her must be… well… me. “Oh my god… is that…?” The waitress asked, pointing at me. “My little bundle of joy? Yes! It is!” Charlie replied. “So a table for one and a little?” “Please.” As the waitress walked Charlie towards a table in the back, with my wife pushing me in the stroller in front of her, the young girl turned and smiled down at me. “Here you go.” She said, showing us the table and quickly dashing off to the side to get a menu, before returning with one menu and putting it in front of Charlie’s seat at the little wooden cafe table. “So… Miss Williams…” ‘So she knows who she is exactly now… great…’ I thought to myself, rolling my eyes as Charlie lifted me up into a highchair that the waitress had quickly grabbed for us from the side of the cafe. “Yes?” “So the first time we met… was that all a ruse? I gave her the free cake to try and…” “I’m sorry for that hun, I didn’t want to ruin my plans for this cutie.” Charlie replied. “I understand! Don’t worry! It was a brilliant move, you’ve bagged yourself a lil cutie!” The waitress said as she pinched my cheeks. Charlie looked through the menu before grinning. “Can I get a coffee? And can my little angel… get a slice of cake?” Charlie said, winking as she said that last word. I mean come on, she didn’t have to wink. It was pretty fucking obvious what the plan here was. I’d be fed the tainted cake, which will no doubt ruin my control for a while… or even permanently. She didn’t need to wink! “I think I can manage that. Can… Can I get a picture first? I want a photo of our famous MP…” The waitress grinned, pulling out her phone. ‘Ha! As if Charlie, even evil Charlie, would let…’ “Sure!” Charlie said, making my heart stop. “Can I post this on social media?” “Of course!” The sense of dread within my chest grew and I started shaking with fear. It was one thing being stuck with an evil version of my wife, one who apparently wants to wipe my mind. But I think a tiny part of me was hopeful that my friends would notice something was up when they couldn’t get in touch with me or I missed an appointment with Ellie. But this… this would be posted on social media, and within an hour… my life would be over. Holding the phone out with the camera app open, the waitress positioned herself in front of me and did the peace sign with my face clearly in shot, huge dummy still in my mouth. And as she took the photo… I felt… disgusting. Seeing the picture of me on the screen in this infantilised state… I… no, this was wrong. I needed to escape. I couldn’t rely on my friends right now, and I had to stop this girl from posting on social… Before I realised, she had already uploaded it to the internet and my fury dissipated in an instant, replaced by an empty feeling in my chest. One of hopelessness. “Thanks!” The chipper girl said to Charlie, before pocketing her phone and standing up straight. “I’ll get you your order. It’s on me!” “You’re so sweet, thank you!” “If you ever need a babysitter…” “I’ll be sure to get your number before we leave, don’t worry.” Charlie said, nodding at the girl. The rest of lunch was mostly me dreading what was going on on the internet and how my life will probably be ruined by the time I get home. Well, that and Charlie shoving tainted chocolate cake into my mouth, cooing and babying me every chance she got. After lunch, Charlie got the number from the waitress, strapped me into the stroller, and walked out, waving happily at the girl who had probably ruined my job, my life, little’s rights… everything. My wife said there was nothing else for us to do here today, so we headed back to the car, I was strapped in my car seat once again, the strap pressing against my ridiculously thick nappy, and off we went home. And the whole time… I wondered who would ruin my life first. My archnemesis… Madison… or the stupid bubbly young waitress who probably had a few thousand followers on her social media. That thought occupied my mind the whole journey back. Which wasn’t good for my anxiety, but it was a good distraction from the gurgling coming from my stomach, no doubt the intended effect from the chocolate cake I had been forced to eat earlier. Pulling up at our front gate… I saw no photographers. No journalists. So word hadn’t spread… yet. But I’m sure it wouldn’t take long. Give it til morning and I’ll be the talk of every news outlet… my infantilised image plastered on every website and newspaper in the country. “Let's get you in, snuggled up with Mummy on the sofa, and we can try some of this new hypnosis on you…” Charlie said as she parked the car and turned the engine off. Part of me was hoping my nanites would instantly protect me, like they do when I encounter any other hypnosis. But they had developed that defence due to exposure and most importantly… the safe word. If this new form of hypnosis was actually effective… I’d need the safeword to revert the damage. That’s if it even works on this. This ‘brute force’ hypnosis demolishes the brain, leaving an empty, babyish husk of the person. I had seen it with Amber… and it scared the shit out of me. Talking of… “First I think my Princess needs a change. Stinky baby!” Charlie said as she grabbed me and clutched me in her arms, bouncing me and making it so much worse back there… ======================================================= If you haven't seen, I'm now up and running on Subscribestar! (Sorry for the reminder again, trying to get my subscribers back after the Patreon rubbish!) Hoping to start the new SubscribeStar exclusive short stories with a trial run in January! if the first commission goes well, I'll see how many I can handle per month (thinking about 2 per month. These stories won't be posted here at all.) ======================================================== I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them! 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So imagine making your little work on getting all their merit badges. And if they happen to have kept their old uniform you can make them wear it, though it won't fit well. And of course for the two or so hours a day they have to work on that they should wear a diaper so they can focus. The final merit badge they get will be for child care or babysitting, but it will be sewn on in reverse.... I liked the idea of this picture, but I don't think the uniform looks right. Still, kind of fun .

Seventy I’m an only child. There are times when I think that it’s not a very significant detail in my biography, but I would say that there are even more times when I think it’s the root of every problem I’ve ever had in my entire life. My childhood friend, Brett, had two older brothers. They didn’t always get along–in fact, I’m not sure that there was ever a time that I saw them in the same room at the same time when they weren’t pummeling each other with playful punches or giving each other wet-willies and wedgies. But almost every story Brett ever told me started with: “My brother showed me this thing where…” or “My brother has this really cool thing that…” It was like friendship that was built into your life. You were just born into it, no effort needed. You were never alone. Someone would always have your back, if it came down to it. I had none of that. My father passed away when I was young. And my mother… I really need to call her at some point. My mother wasn’t the same thing as a sibling. She was an authoritarian, not a friend. But then Lyndie had said something to me a while ago–a long while ago, I think. She said: “There’s the family you’re born with, and the family you create for yourself, Clarky. I’m proud to have you as part of mine.” In hindsight, I thought it was one of the best things that anyone had ever said to me. I really needed to hear that. And so there was Lyndie, standing in Mommy’s kitchen. My sister. I was always excited to spend more time with her. “And you’re fine if I take Clark out for a little field trip, right?” she was asking Mommy. “I have no objection to that,” Mommy shrugged. “Just remember to bring the diaper bag.” Lyndie laughed. “Obviously.” And that was that. Mommy grabbed her briefcase and suitcase, kissed me on the forehead, and was out the door–off to Atlanta for the night. “So how’ve you been?” Lyndie asked after Mommy’s car had left the driveway. She had asked a similar question when she first arrived at the house, but it felt like an entirely different one now that it was just her and I. “I’ve been good,” I said, scratching my head. “I’ve been, uh…I don’t know.” She laughed. “What’s wrong?” “Oh, you know how it is,” I shrugged. “Just a little identity crisis.” “Is that all?” Lyndie snorted. “I have those every other day.” “Are you being sarcastic?” It was a silly question to ask, but the last few months had done some weird things to my ability to pick up on social cues. “No, I’m actually being serious,” she said. “I think that’s just what this stage of our life is all about–trying to figure out who we are, and second-guessing ourselves everytime we think we’ve figured it out.” “Yeah, but you’re trying to figure out your career,” I said. “I’m trying to figure out if I want to be potty trained again.” She laughed, though I was unsure if it was because she agreed, or because it was just a funny thing to have heard me say. “I’m sorry,” I quickly added. “I…I didn’t mean to minimize anything that you’re struggling with.” “Never change, Clarky,” she sighed. “You’re so adorable.” She helped herself to some of the coffee that Mommy had left in the pot in the kitchen–I knew better than to ask her to pour some for me too–and went to have a seat in the living room. I waddled behind her, plopping myself and my diaper down on the opposite side of the couch. “You said, uhm, something about a field trip?” “Oh right!” her eyes lit up. “I was talking to Ava the other night, and she mentioned that you and her were talking about going to the pizza place over by your old apartment.” “Yeah, we talked about that…” “She thought it’d be nice if we got the old gang back together there. Tonight.” “Oh. Uhm…cool!” It did sound fun, but it also didn’t sound like what Ava and I had talked about. We had talked about something that seemed a lot like a date–we had even joked about that. “I texted Evan too,” she said. “He’s going to meet us there.” It was becoming less and less date-like by the second. What next? She was going to reveal that Thomas Pritchard would be dropping by too? “That sounds great,” I nodded, hoping I sounded convincing enough. I had no problem hanging out with Evan. I liked Evan. I missed Evan–yet another casualty of my complete immersion into the world of being Mommy’s little baby. But now the evening was starting to sound like it was going to be a whole production. Three people who had, in one way or another, moved on in their lives–hanging out with the guy who had somehow managed to move backwards. All the way back. “Maybe I should’ve asked you before I made these plans,” Lyndie said, likely reading the expression on my face–she could, still, see through me better than almost anyone else. “No, no,” I said, shaking my head. “It actually sounds really fun. And I think it’s actually the kind of thing I need right now.” “Oh yeah?” “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately…” “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?” I had this little moment of nostalgic bliss–recalling the time spent in The Closet with her back at the office, and how she used to tease me all the time. It was so…sisterly. “Uh, no. But…” I had to backtrack for a moment to remember what it was I wanted to say. “Oh, so, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. About, you know, how it might be time to move on from all this.” “Yeah? Have you talked to Gabby about it yet?” “No… I mean, I know I have to, at some point. I’m not sure I’m ready for that conversation yet.” “Well, see? Tonight will be good for you, then. Get out of the house! See some old friends. Eat greasy food and drink beer like you used to.” I was pretty sure that a slice of pizza and a beer would destroy a diaper–but hopefully by the time that happened, I’d be far away from everyone else. I sighed, expelling the last of my doubts. “You know what? You’re absolutely right. I’m looking forward to that.” Hell, just talking about going out and being social made me feel a little older. A little more mature. “Alright, good,” she said. “Now then. Let’s check your diaper.” And I was immediately reminded of how I was still a baby. My feelings for the evening seemed to fluctuate every few minutes for the rest of the day. I’d have moments where I felt really good about it, and where I’d feel excited about seeing all my friends in one place. Then, I’d suddenly imagine myself loudly filling the back of my diaper, reminding everyone that I wasn’t like them. Maybe they’d all laugh loudly, pointing at me and calling me a stupid little baby. Or, even worse, they’d try and be nice to me about it, all while giving each other these glances that said: “He’s not really like us anymore. We’ve all grown up, and he hasn’t.” Back and forth. All day. “You’ve got to get out of your head,” Lyndie said as she drove through the city that evening. A car was a more recent development in Lyndie’s life, and a concept I hadn’t gotten used to yet. “It’s going to be a good time.” “I just feel like a fake,” I shrugged. “Like I’m a little boy wearing an adult’s clothes.” “Aw,” she cooed. “But isn’t that always so adorable?” “You’re not helping.” “I get why you’d feel that way,” she said. “But we’re your friends. Nobody is going to think you’re an imposter.” “But you’ll see me as a baby.” “Well, yeah. But, Clarky, you’re literally wearing a diaper and your diaper bag is in the backseat. I’m not sure what else you’d expect people to see.” My cheeks warmed a bit as I stared out the passenger side window. She was teasing, but she hadn’t been wrong. Perhaps I was looking at the situation the wrong way, I thought. My friends could see whatever version of me that they wanted, and it didn’t matter–what mattered was that they were my friends and they wanted to see me. And, too, if I was ever going to successfully ‘grow up,’ I needed to take…well, baby steps. The old neighborhood. Absolutely nothing had changed–not that I thought it would. It’s probably looked mostly the same for the last twenty years. Twenty years in the future, it might still look mostly the same. I liked getting those Mexican sodas at that corner store. There was good Chinese food at that place over there. There was a nice park just beyond that street light where you could usually find a bunch of kids playing soccer. Listen to me, I sound like I’ve been gone for years and not months. There was the building I used to live in. My old apartment was somewhere in there. And that’s not all there was. There was that girl–Lauren–who saw me spill my dirty diapers everywhere. And that older woman, her name escaped me now, who had seen me with my pants down in the elevator. I’d say that Toretti’s was exactly the same too, but I think I was only ever inside of it once or twice–we always had pizza delivered. It was clean enough, I supposed, though everything seemed well-worn and aged. Well loved, some might say. Honestly, it was the kind of environment that seemed fitting for an institution like this. It was the kind of thing you wanted to see when you walked into a pizza shop. You just knew that you could trust a place like this–there’s a reason it’s been around long enough to get worn down. “Alright,” Lyndie said as got out of the car in a small lot behind the pizza place. “I should probably ask before we go in there: How’s that diaper doing?” “A little wet.” “Just a little?” I sighed. “P-pretty sure, yeah. I think it’ll hold up for a bit.” “Make sure you grab your diaper bag,” she said. “Just in case.” Evan and Ava were already at a table when Lyndie and I came through the door. The thought hadn’t even occurred to me until I saw him at the table: “Evan, you’re…outside? In public?” He stood and approached me, giving me a big hug. Another thing that I couldn’t remember the agoraphobic roommate of mine doing before. “I’m not going to say I’m a different man,” Evan shrugged. “But I’m working on it.” “Was Clark holding you back?” Lyndie teased. “When he moved out, were you like ‘Oh, I can finally start living?’” He chuckled and took his seat again. “Sort of. No offense to you, Clark.” “Uh…none taken.” “I mean, I can’t afford the place on my own, so I had to get another roommate. But to do that, I felt like I needed to start making some changes in my life.” “He’s going to therapy,” Lyndie said. “Cool, right?” “I guess,” I shrugged. Therapy was good, I thought. Or so I had been told. Was therapy cool? “I, for one, am very proud of him,” Ava said. I still couldn’t get over how good she looked. Not better, per se. Just different. She suddenly looked like the most mature person at the table. “You have a new roommate now?” I asked. I think I had heard as much a while ago, but I didn’t know any more than that. “Marshall,” Evan said. “Really nice guy. Grad school student, actually. I don’t see him that much–he’s always always pretty busy with school stuff.” A natural rhythm soon fell over the table, like we had never missed a beat. Well, maybe not ‘we’–I still felt like the odd man out. I was talking and laughing too, they were certainly being inclusive; but I felt out of step. I got the sense that they all stayed in touch–even with Evan–and they were all up to date on each other’s lives. Some stories seemed to start in a place that sounded like the middle to me–as if the first part had been told when I wasn’t around. I tried not to let it upset me. Such was the cost for living my life the way that I had for the last few months. If I wanted to be a part of this group again, I only needed to insert myself. The pizza was as good as it had ever been. Only once, maybe twice, had I had pizza since going to live with Mommy. It was around, from time to time, but she wasn’t a fan of feeding me ‘adult’ food. Only on rare occasions–perhaps when she was just feeling a little lazy–did she let me have some. But that wasn’t this pizza. It was the right amount of grease and cheese. The crust was somewhere between crispy and soft. There were those pillowy dough bubbles near the crust that I loved biting into. I–or whoever would be changing my diaper later–would regret this at some point. But it’d be worth it. “Has anyone heard from him?” Ava asked. I had blinked, and seemingly missed the topic of the current conversation. “If he knew what was good for him, he probably left town,” Evan said. “I actually reached out to him a few weeks ago,” Lyndie said. “I was kind of hesitant too. I was afraid, like, he’d hate me or something.” “It wasn’t your fault he acted like an idiot,” Ava said, talking while chewing. Ah, we were talking about Thomas Pritchard. “I know, I know. But I can’t help but think that I hadn’t been careful enough. I should’ve gotten to know him better before I let him in on what was going on.” “You thought you were doing the right thing,” I chimed in. “The fact that you were doing anything at all to try and protect everyone says everything that I need to know.” Everyone nodded, seeming to agree with that. “Wait, you said you reached out to him?” Ava asked. “Did he talk to you?” “Briefly,” Lyndie answered. “He said he was moving, yeah.” “Where to?” Evan asked. Lyndie laughed. “You know, he said something about moving to this, uh, farming community out west? The way he described it, I swore it sounded like a cult.” “Yeah, that makes sense to me,” Ava nodded. “That guy would go join a cult.” “Bradley moved too,” Lyndie said. “Crazy how quickly things change, right?” Ava said. “What about, uh, Megan?” I asked. “Has anyone heard from her?” “If anyone would’ve heard from her,” Lyndie said, “I thought it’d have been you. You were closer to her than anyone else.” I frowned. Another relationship dashed by my infantile sabbatical. “I heard she’s doing good for herself, though,” Lyndie shrugged. “She still works at the office, but she’s not Mr. Yang’s assistant anymore. I think she’s got a pretty nice position for herself.” I owed her a call, I thought. And my mother too. The table vibrated, and I looked across the table to see that the screen of Ava’s phone, sitting next to her plate of partially-consumed pizza, had lit up. Ava picked up the phone and read whatever message she received and sighed. She didn’t seem mad about the message, but it looked as if there was some sort of concern on her face. “So…you guys can say no,” she said to everyone. “But I got a text message from my friend from work. Caleb. He’s in the area and asked what I was doing tonight. I can just tell him I’m busy, but…” I saw Lyndie’s eyes slightly shift towards me, trying to see how I was reacting to this. I hadn’t told her about Caleb, though I meant to. “If he’s close,” I said, “you should just have him come by. Seems silly not to. We’ve got plenty of pizza here if he wants some.” “Are you sure?” Ava asked. “Of course,” I said, shrugging like it wasn’t even close to a big deal. “Cool, I’m going to step outside for a minute and let him know where we are. I think he’s close enough that I can just wait to meet him out there.” Within milliseconds of Ava stepping away from the table, Evan and Lyndie were both staring at me–looking like they were each doing a deep analysis of my face. “You sure about that?” Lyndie asked. “Yeah, don’t you like her? And she’s inviting over another guy?” I sighed. “What else am I supposed to do? She thinks I’m happy in baby-land and that I’m not interested in a relationship right now. And, you know, she’s had months to go and meet other guys. Like Caleb. I guess.” “You knew about Caleb?” Lyndie asked. “Did you?” I asked back. “Well…uh…” I laughed. “He’s been at your apartment, hasn’t he?” “She’s had him over. We’ve hung out a few times.” “You didn’t tell me that…” But I knew why she hadn’t, and I certainly wasn’t going to hold it against her. My big sister, looking out for her baby brother’s heart. “Look,” Lyndie said. “They’re not dating. I don’t think they’ve even kissed. You can’t get yourself all worked up about it. You’ve got plenty of time to…” “No, no,” I said, sighing. “If something is going on between her and Caleb, I’m not going to get in the way of that. I’m going to be cool. Cool as a cucumber.” “That’s something that cool people always say,” Evan said, the sarcasm dripping from his words. “No, seriously,” I countered. “This is good. This is okay. I made my decision to move in with Mommy–er, Ms. Heller–a few months ago, and I can’t expect everyone else to put their lives on hold for me. And it’s not like I’m in any shape to date anyone right now anyway.” “Even if they’d change your diapers for you?” Lyndie teased. My face warmed and I sighed again. “Well, I doubt Caleb wears diapers.” “He doesn’t,” Lyndie said. Now, Evan and I were staring at her. “I didn’t, like, ask him to take off his pants,” she laughed. “But I’ve seen enough men in diapers to know a bulge when I see one.” “It’s all good,” I said again, though I knew I was mostly trying to reassure myself. “How’s your diaper doing?” Lyndie asked. I heard Evan snorting from his side of the table. “F-fine…” “Just sayin’. You don’t want a leaky diaper when Caleb shows up.” “M-maybe I’ll go and, uh, change real quick.” “We can go back to my car,” Lyndie said. “I can change you there.” “No way. In the middle of the parking lot?” “The apartment isn’t too far away,” Evan shrugged. “But, uh, Marshall might be there.” “Look, it’s fine,” I said, picking up my diaper bag–a simple black book bag loaded with the essential supplies for a big baby on the go. “I’ll just go to the restroom here and do it myself.” “Mommy wouldn’t approve,” Lyndie said. “You’re not going to tell her, are you?” Lyndie giggled. “You do remember that you’re technically an adult, right? You can do whatever the hell you want to do.” “Fair enough. I’ll, uh, be right back.” I waddled away from the table and down the narrow hall where a humming neon sign pointed in the direction of the restrooms. The further I got from the dining area, the worse everything looked. It was a little dirtier back here. A little darker. So dark, in fact, that I almost ran into someone who was coming out of one of the doors that went into the kitchen. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” I said. “Almost ran you over there.” “No worries,” the person said, a familiar-ish female voice. “I probably should’ve looked before I…” In the dim light, we could see just enough of each other’s face to recognize the other. “Pizza Girl,” I said aloud. “Diaper Boy,” she said aloud. My eyes widened at this. Is that what she called me? We both laughed, an awkward chuckle. “Shit,” she finally said. “I didn’t think you lived around here anymore. When I deliver pizza to your place, you’re not there.” “Ah, yeah,” I said, running my hand through my hair. “I moved a little bit ago.” “That’s a shame,” she said. “I mean…not for you. I’m sure you had good reasons for moving.” “Well, I, uh…” I wasn’t really sure how to explain that to her. But I also knew that I didn’t have any obligation to. This might have been the most that we ever talked to each other. I didn’t even know her name. I looked back down the corridor I had been traversering in search of a bathroom, and saw that Ava was coming through the door, towing a man behind her by his wrist. He was tall. Dark hair. Glasses. He was introducing himself to Evan and hugging Lyndie. “S-sorry,” I said, turning back to Pizza Girl. “Got distracted there for a second. Yeah, I moved just outside of town. It’s a nice place.” “Good,” she said. “I’m glad to hear that.” “How have you been?” She shrugged. “Oh, you know. Schlepping pizza around the neighborhood. So it goes.” Back at the table, another chair had been pulled up to the table, right between Ava’s and Lyndie’s, and Caleb was taking a seat, saying something that made everyone else laugh. “So,” Pizza Girl shrugged. “You still, uh, doing your diaper thing?” My instinct was to panic, run away, and hide in the bathroom for a while. But, I thought I might try something different instead. “Funny you should mention that. I was actually just headed over to the bathroom to, uh, take care of that.” To my surprise, a little grin appeared between Pizza Girl’s pink cheeks. “Good.” “Good?” “Well, uh…” She laughed and started over again. “Nevermind. Sorry, I should let you go take care of that.” Back at the table, Caleb was talking while Ava had a big smile on her face. “Hey,” I said. “I know this is going to sound totally random–but do you think I could get your number? We could, uh, hang out or something?” “Seriously?” she asked. “I’d love that. One sec.” She stepped back into the kitchen, reemerging moments later with a piece of scrap paper and a permanent marker. She quickly scrawled something down on it, folded it in half, and pushed it into my hands. “Thank you,” I said. “You better call me,” she said. “Or text. Whatever.” “I will,” I replied. I wasn’t any good at keeping in touch with anyone–Megan and my mother could both attest to that. But Pizza Girl didn’t have to know that. “Gotta deliver some pizza to stoners,” she shrugged. “It was good seeing you.” “Yeah,” I said, smiling. “Same.” We parted ways, and I quickly darted into the restroom–a rather scuzzy unisex space that probably would’ve killed my appetite if I had come in here before eating pizza. Thankfully, I didn’t have to sit on the toilet–I just had to change my diaper. But first, I opened up the piece of paper Pizza Girl had given me. It was, in fact, her phone number. And a message. If you wear your diaper, I’ll wear mine. – Paige

Chapter 10: Dawn’s unspoken truth Morning light peeked through the blinds, painting my crib in a pale, accusing glow. I stirred, the soggy weight around my waist dragging me from the fog of sleep. Confusion furrowed my brow. Not again. "Adrian, man, you awake?" My voice wavered, a cocktail of embarrassment and irritation. He grumbled something unintelligible, then jolted upright. "What the—?" His eyes met mine, mirroring my dismay. The same telltale heaviness weighed him down. Evelyn's heels clicked into the room like a metronome of doom. "Good morning, boys." Her voice carried that chirpy edge that scraped against my already frayed nerves. "We're soaked," I spat out before I could stop myself. "How did this even happen?" Her tsk-tsk clanged in my ears as she fiddled with the crib's latch. "Now, now, no need for sour faces." I stumbled out of the crib, my pull-up squelching with each step—a stark reminder of my situation. Adrian wasn't faring any better; his mood was a thundercloud ready to burst. "You two have been very fussy lately," Evelyn said, her eyes narrowing just enough to remind us who was in charge. Adrian's lip curled into a sneer. "Maybe because we're not toddlers?" Her sigh fluttered through the room like a disappointed butterfly. "Today," she paused for effect, "you may choose boxers or pull-ups." The offer hung in the air between us—boxers were a scrap of dignity in this oversized nursery. But one glance at Adrian's guarded expression and I knew what we had to do. "We'll take the pull-ups," I said. It was a tactical retreat. Boxers offered no protection against unforeseen... incidents. We dressed in silence, the fabric of the pull-ups whispering secrets we wished we could forget. But with each tug of elastic around our legs, I felt a smidgeon of control return—a tiny victory against the day's uncertain battles. * * * The sun was just starting to flex its muscles, casting a warm glow over Emerson's park as Evelyn ushered us toward the cafeteria. The morning buzz of students swirled around us, a medley of laughter and conversation dancing through the air. I glanced at Adrian, whose face held a grimace that mirrored my own feelings. "You think they serve decent coffee here?" I asked, trying to ignore the snug fit of the diaper beneath my pants. Adrian shot me a look. "I wouldn't get my hopes up, Bix." We reached the cafeteria, its scents pulling us in—freshly baked bread, sizzling bacon, and yes, even coffee. The relief was almost palpable. I piled my plate high with eggs and sausage, making sure to pour myself a large cup of what I hoped would be my salvation. Evelyn watched us eat like a hawk overseeing her nestlings. Her gaze was unnerving, but I tried to focus on the food instead of her piercing eyes. Once breakfast was done and the last dregs of coffee had been sipped, we stood up. I felt the bulk between my legs shift—a constant reminder of where I stood in this world. "Got your schedule?" Adrian asked as we disposed of our trays. "Yeah," I said, pulling out the piece of paper from my pocket and unfolding it. "Looks like I've got Machina Design first thing." Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Mechanics? Interesting. I'm off to Strategic Market Theory myself." I nodded. "Guess we're splitting up then." "Seems like it," he replied. "Meet back here for lunch?" "Sure thing," I said, forcing a smile. We parted ways amidst the crowd, students brushing past us in their haste to start their days. * * * The brisk morning air nipped at my cheeks as I made my way across the sprawling campus. I fumbled with my communicator, a longing to hear Eric's voice gnawing at me. My thumb jabbed the screen, trying to bridge the distance with a simple call. "Come on, connect," I muttered, willing the stubborn device to work. My attempts met only silence, a glaring "Network Unavailable" flashing back at me. "Fucking piece of junk!" The words spilled out, frustration boiling over. A shadow loomed over me, and I tilted my head up to meet the disapproving gaze of a passing PA. She towered above me, her eyes narrow slits of disapproval. "At Emerson , we use our words wisely," she chided, her tone dripping with condescension. "Especially little boys who should know better." I clenched my jaw, heat creeping up my neck. "I'm not a little boy," I snapped back. But my defiance seemed to amuse her more than anything. "For that language, two demerits." She tapped something on her tablet, and I felt the sting of each point added to my record. I bit back the retort that threatened to earn me more trouble. Instead, I turned on my heel and stormed off toward the lecture hall, the taste of bitterness clinging to my tongue. As I trudged into the Machina Facultas building, my spirits were as heavy as the rain-laden clouds outside. Inside, the building sparkled with technological wonders, walls adorned with blueprints and models of futuristic machinery, suspended like stars in a mechanical cosmos. Sunlight streamed through the glass dome, illuminating the polished floor, a chessboard of innovation. My footsteps echoed in the atrium, blending with the hum of distant machinery and soft conversations. The air was fragrant with oil and metal, evoking memories of countless hours lost in the solitude of my own workshop. Frustrated, I ran a hand through my hair, trying to shake off the irritation. Entering my lecture room, I was struck by its grandeur. Desks ascended towards panoramic windows, and a holographic display flickered above the podium, showing floating cities and anti-gravity vehicles. In the lecture room, the atmosphere transformed, as if stepping into a realm where the future was being woven before my eyes. The holographic display flickered to life above the podium, casting an ethereal glow across the room. It projected models of antigravity engines, their intricate designs suspended in mid-air, a ballet of light and shadow. The engines rotated slowly, revealing complex layers and components that shimmered like jewels, their reflections dancing on the students’ awestruck faces. Around me, the air was charged with anticipation, a sharp contrast to the frustration that had gripped me moments before. As I took my seat, the soft hum of conversation around me felt like the murmur of a gathering storm of ideas. I ran my fingers over the cool, smooth surface of my desk, grounding myself in this moment of transformation. The professor stepped up to the podium, her presence immediately capturing the room’s attention. “Good morning, everyone. I’m Professor Elara Madsen, and I’ll be guiding you through the wonders of advanced engineering principles this semester,” she introduced herself with a warm, confident smile. Her eyes sparkled with the same intensity as the holograms she was about to discuss. “Today, we delve into the art of defying gravity,” she continued, her enthusiasm infectious. As she gestured towards the floating hologram, it responded, parts moving and aligning in an intricate dance of science and imagination. I leaned forward, my earlier irritation dissolving into a sense of wonder. Each explanation from Professor Madsen painted vivid strokes in my mind, turning complex theories into a tapestry of understanding. The way she described the gravitational fields and magnetic forces was not just technical, but almost poetic, making the invisible forces seem almost tangible. This was more than a lecture; it was an invitation into a world where the boundaries of physics bent and stretched. It was in these moments, surrounded by the potential of the future and the passion for discovery, that I felt my spirit lift. The frustration that had clouded my day faded, replaced by an insatiable curiosity and a renewed sense of purpose. * * * With a sigh of relief, I stepped out of the lecture hall. The morning's advanced engineering session had been an onslaught of complex theories and formulas, my mind whirling with the intricate details of quantum physics and dimensional theory. But I was in my element, every synapse firing in excitement. It was just what I needed to get through the morning. Adrian and I made our way to the cafeteria, a beacon of comfort after the intellectual rigor of our lectures. We slid into a table near the back, alongside a few other Littles from our classes. I tore into a sandwich, hunger gnawing at my insides. Adrian was mid-sentence, regaling us with some anecdote about Professor Dalton when the cafeteria doors swung open. All chatter ceased as everyone turned to look at the newcomer. "Hey guys, mind if I join you?" The voice was familiar. I turned around to find Mateo standing there, tray in hand. Adrian and I exchanged surprised glances. Mateo? He was supposed to be at our Nest too. I gave Mateo a nod, gesturing to the empty seat beside me. "Sure, pull up a chair," I said, my curiosity piqued by his sudden appearance. Mateo slid into the seat with a grateful smile, placing his tray on the table. He looked a little out of place with his different uniform – a variation of colors that set him apart from our group. "Thanks, Bix. It's been a wild first week." Adrian leaned back in his chair, eyeing Mateo with that familiar air of superiority. "Sorted into another nest? How did you manage that at the last minute?" he asked, his tone suggesting it was more than just idle curiosity. Mateo shrugged, his expression unreadable as he took a bite of his food. "Just some last-minute changes," he mumbled through his mouthful. "They didn't give me much of an explanation." "You didn't question it?" I prodded gently. It seemed strange for the administration to shuffle people around without reason. "There wasn't much time to question anything," Mateo replied after swallowing. "They just told me where to go, and I went." His eyes darted around the table before settling on his plate. I could tell there was more to it than he was letting on, but it wasn't like him to be so evasive. The Mateo I knew was always open about everything – maybe too open at times. Adrian snorted. "You're not very inquisitive for someone who's supposed to be at university," he commented dryly. Mateo gave Adrian a flat look but didn't rise to the bait. Instead, he changed the subject smoothly. "How's your first week been? You guys look like you've been through the wringer." The table erupted into laughter as we all shared stories of our own trials and tribulations – each tale more absurd than the last. Mateo's mystery faded into the background as we bonded over shared experiences. For a moment, I forgot about the strangeness of Amazonia and felt like just another university student swapping stories with friends. Time to move… * * * Stepping into the Nest, the air felt heavy, like a blanket of tension had settled over the place. Adrian and I locked eyes, a silent agreement passing between us—we weren't going down without a fight. Evelyn's heels clicked against the floor as she approached us, her face a mask of authority. "Boys, welcome back. There are new rules to follow here. From now on, you will wear only your underwear while in the Nest, and you will address me as Miss Evelyn." Adrian crossed his arms over his chest, his voice dripping with disdain. "You expect us to parade around half-naked? This is absurd." I nodded in agreement, my fists clenching at my sides. "Yeah, we're not your toddlers to dress and undress as you please." Miss Evelyn's eyes narrowed slightly, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Oh boys, don't make me remind you of Mommy's little helpers." Her tone was sugary sweet but laced with an icy threat. The color drained from Adrian's face as he muttered under his breath. "We're not afraid of your empty threats." With a swift motion, Miss Evelyn produced the box adorned with wailing cartoon figures from behind her back. "Empty? Oh no, my dear Adrian. You wouldn't want to end up like those little ones on the box now, would you?" I felt my resolve crumbling as she continued, her voice a velvet hammer smashing against our defiance. "And let's not forget what happens to naughty boys who don't follow the rules." Adrian's posture deflated like a punctured balloon. His sophisticated vocabulary abandoned him as he stuttered out a feeble response. "N-No... I suppose not." With a sigh that felt like surrender, I pulled my shirt over my head and slipped out of my pants, standing there in just my diaper. The cool air brushed against my skin, leaving me feeling exposed and small. Adrian followed suit, his movements robotic as he stripped down to his underwear. His face flushed with embarrassment as he avoided eye contact. Miss Evelyn circled us like a hawk eyeing its prey. "Good boys, and both dry…" she cooed mockingly. "Remember this lesson well—mommy doesn't make idle threats." As we stood there in defeat, the humiliation stung more than any spanking could. Adrian's usual arrogance had evaporated into thin air, leaving behind a boy who had met his match. And me? I just hoped Eric never had to see me like this—stripped of dignity and dressed down to nothing but a diaper and shame. Evelyn's gaze swept over us, a predator assessing her prey. "So, boys, tell me about your day," she cooed, the false sweetness in her voice setting my teeth on edge. I shuffled my feet, my eyes flicking to Adrian before settling on the pattern of the carpet. The memory of my clash with the PA itched at the back of my mind like a fresh mosquito bite. "It was good," I lied smoothly, the word feeling like sawdust in my mouth. "Learned a lot in class." Evelyn's eyes locked onto mine, and I felt a shiver crawl up my spine. "Is that so?" Her voice was syrupy with doubt. "Because, Bixente, if I recall correctly, swearing at university staff isn't generally considered 'good' behavior." My heart skipped a beat. How did she know? I swallowed hard, trying to maintain an innocent facade. "I didn't swear at anyone," I insisted, but my voice betrayed me with a slight quiver. She stepped closer, her presence overwhelming as she towered above me. "Lying is a nono, just like swearing," she chastised, her tone sharp as she wagged a finger in front of my face. The humiliation bubbled inside me like a pot about to boil over. "Now," Evelyn continued in that same condescending tone, "what do we say when we've been naughty?" I felt Adrian's eyes on me—piercing and cold. My cheeks flamed with embarrassment as I mumbled the dreaded words. "I'm sorry, Miss Evelyn." Her lips curled into a triumphant smile. "And what happens to little boys who tell lies and use bad words?" She closed the gap between us until I could smell her perfume—a mix of roses and something colder, like steel. "Lying is very naughty," she cooed, her voice dripping with condescension. Heat crept up my neck as she bent down to my level, her face inches from mine. "Now what do we do with little boys who tell fibs?" Adrian's eyebrows knitted together in concern—or was it curiosity?—as he watched the scene unfold. "You know the rules here," Miss Evelyn continued, her tone playful yet laced with an edge that cut through the air like a knife. I did know the rules, and my insides twisted at the thought of what came next. She stopped pacing and stood before me, her presence commanding attention. "Bixente, what should happen to a little boy who doesn’t tell the truth?" My heart hammered against my ribcage. I didn't want to say it—to give life to the words that would seal my fate—but Miss Evelyn waited patiently for me to seal my own doom. "I..." My voice was barely above a whisper as Adrian looked on, his face a mask of anticipation mixed with pity. "...should get spanked." "And?" Miss Evelyn prompted with a tilt of her head. "On... on my bare bottom," I finished, feeling every ounce of pride drain away. Miss Evelyn's lips curled into a satisfied smile as she clapped her hands together softly. "There we go! Wasn't so hard now, was it? Now come here and let's get this over with." Adrian shifted uncomfortably beside me as I took the dreaded walk towards Miss Evelyn, each step feeling like an eternity. As Miss Evelyn tugged my pull-up away and I felt the chilly air kiss my bare bottom, the feeling of abject shame was nearly too much. My heart was sprinting in my chest, and I teetered on the precipice of fright and regret. The first wallop descended with a sharp sting on my left side, and a fraction of a moment later, another swat set my right cheek ablaze. They rang out like claps of thunder, violating the silence and causing me to squirm and yelp. My face, mirroring my rear, flushed a deep crimson with the heat of tears and embarrassment. My bottom wriggled fruitlessly in an attempt to evade her firm hand, but every spanking strike found its mark undeniably. My childish whines became uncontrollable, "No no, please, no more , Miss Evelyn!" As the relentless onslaught of spanks continued, tenderizing my poor backside, my courage waned and gave way to unguarded vulnerability, a raw and despondent cry for lenience, "It huuurts, Miss Evelyn, please stop!" Miss Evelyn's response came firm and maternal, laden with condescension fit for a preschooler caught with his hand in the cookie jar, "Naughty boys who tell fibs need to learn their lesson," she chided sternly. "And big boys don't lie, do they, Bixente?" Her hand kept swatting, a metronome of discipline. My sobs and sniffles punctuated the rhythm of each spank as I blurted out apologies in a sing-song voice, full of distress, "I sowwy, Miss Evelyn. I be good! I wisten now!" By the time she deemed the punishment sufficient, every swat felt like a branding, searing a reminder into my tender skin. As I slumped to the floor, a hiccuppy mess, I certainly didn't feel seventeen. With Miss Evelyn standing over me, scolding continued as if addressing a toddler mid-tantrum, "Now, we're going to behave, aren't we? We’re going to be a good little boy and tell the truth from now on?" Amidst the post-spanking sniffles and the lingering sting, that’s when the feeling solidified—I’d truly been put back in my place, not just as a Little, but as a chastised child learning a hard, painful lesson. Corner time. It was a punishment fit for a misbehaving kindergartener, not a university student. But here I was, nose pressed against the cold wall, my red and stinging backside on full display to anyone who passed by. I could feel the heat radiating off my punished bottom, each pulse of my heartbeat reminding me of Evelyn's hand. I felt a hot blush creep up my neck at the thought of anyone seeing me like this. "Stay put, Bix," Evelyn's voice rang out, authoritative and stern. I heard her heels clicking away as she took a call in another room. Adrian was left to watch over me, his presence both comforting and humiliating. He stood behind me, probably smirking at the sight of his fellow Little relegated to such an embarrassing punishment. I wished he would leave, wished I could have a moment to myself to nurse my wounded pride. "Bix," Adrian said softly, ruffling my hair in an attempt to soothe me. "You gotta follow the rules, man." His words stung more than any spank Evelyn could dish out. I knew he was right, but it was easier said than done when you're being treated like a toddler. I felt the wall cool against my forehead as I leaned into it, letting out a sigh. My arms were starting to ache from being held above my head and I shifted slightly, trying to alleviate the discomfort. "No moving," Adrian reminded me. His voice was firm but not unkind. I nodded silently, biting back any retort that threatened to spill from my lips. This wasn't Adrian's fault. He was just trying to navigate this strange world same as me. The minutes ticked by agonizingly slow as I stood in the corner, every so often hearing Adrian's quiet movements behind me. Each passing second was a reminder of my status here in Amazonia - a Little, subjected to the rules and punishments of the Bigs. And as much as I hated it, I knew I had to play their game if I wanted to survive. As the time passed, my humiliation faded to a dull ache. I was here for a reason, and this was just one more hurdle to overcome. My resolve hardened. They could put me in timeout, spank me, dress me like a toddler, but they couldn't take away my determination. The sound of Evelyn's heels signaled the end of my corner time, and my stomach twisted with a fresh sense of dread. She emerged from the other room, her face set in a look of resolute authority. "Bixente," she began, her voice cool and measured. "You've shown you're not quite ready for big boy privileges." I tensed, the words hitting me like a physical blow. I kept my gaze fixed on the wall, not daring to turn around and face her. "For the next week, you'll be kept in diapers. No arguments." Her decree was final, leaving no room for negotiation. I swallowed hard, a bitter taste in my mouth. "Understood, Miss Evelyn," I said quietly, keeping my tone neutral despite the frustration boiling inside me. Evelyn nodded in approval, seemingly satisfied with my compliance. "Good boy. Let's get you ready for bed." The humiliation of being changed into a nighttime diaper was something I couldn't get used to. The cool air of the Nest brushed against my skin as I was stripped down and powdered. Evelyn worked efficiently, taping me into a thick diaper that crinkled with every movement. She pulled a pair of footed pajamas over my head, zipping them up with an air of finality, then focused herself on Adrian. "Sleep tight," she said with a hint of mockery as she led us to our cribs. I lay there in the darkness, staring up at the glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling above me. The bars of the crib cast long shadows across my pajamas, reminding me of my predicament. Beside me, Adrian shifted restlessly in his crib. We didn't speak; words were unnecessary when our shared experience spoke volumes. As sleep began to pull at the edges of my consciousness, I made a silent vow to myself. They could force me into diapers and treat me like a child, but they couldn't break my spirit. One week—I'd endure it and come out stronger on the other side. With that thought cradling me like a lullaby, I closed my eyes and surrendered to sleep's embrace, prepared for whatever tomorrow would bring.

Chapter 88: Colossal WHEN THEY HAD finished meeting with Nikki, the four of them walked down to the soundstage where filming was going on. They waited until an outside warning light about ‘filming in progress’ turned dark before they entered. They quietly followed Beth over to where the crew seemed to be picking up equipment after wrapping a scene up. Charlotte noticed them and waved, “Hi Beth, back from your meeting?” Beth sighed, “Yes, how are things going here? Sorry, I haven’t been here!” “Going well! We just finished the final part of the dinner with Sarah at her house. One more scene with Connor, and you two can take off?” “Great,” Beth said. Sebastian came over then, too, and said, “Hi Beth. I’m Sebastian Johnson,” he said, politely introducing himself to Beth’s mom, Amanda, and Nikki. “Nice to meet you,” her mom said, “I’m Addison Sylvester, Beth’s mother.” “A pleasure to meet you,” Charlotte said. The rest of the introductions followed before Sebastian said, “If you’ll pardon me, I’m okay with you being here, but please make sure you’re quiet while we’re filming?” “Of course, you won’t know we’re here,” Amanda told him. “Beth, could you give me a hand over here?” he said, dragging her away. When they were far enough away, she said, “Thanks!” “Don’t mention it; I could tell some smothering was happening there. I get that way too often with my own mother! Why don’t you go help at the monitors and ensure we’re getting good footage you can edit later?” “Thanks,” she told him. It was a little disorienting as the entire set disappeared, and then a new location was set up. They now had the downstairs area outside of Brian’s apartment setup. The Bruber vehicle for Connor’s ride back was ‘parked’ out of the shot to the right. Harper was standing with a noticeable baby blue diaper bag on her shoulder and ready to walk up to Connor, who just arrived. “Sorry, Gary wanted to do a quick adjustment on my makeup for this scene.” “No problem,” Sebastian said. “Will, are we set?” “I think so. Can we just walk the blocking on this first, though?” Beth watched on the monitors as Sebastian, Connor, Harper, and Charlotte walked through the walk-up. Then, they would halt right in front of the doors to the tall apartment building. They went ‘inside the building’ and returned a few moments later. “All set now?” Beth asked Will as he returned. “As soon as we have Amelia’s camera re-tracked for the dolly, we should be,” he said. Beth watched as they rolled out a set of tracks to help guide and steer the camera Amelia was running. “Okay, quiet on the set!” Sebastian called. A moment later, the call to action was made, and she watched the different views on the monitors come through as Brian’s Bruber arrived and he was unbuckled by the driver. He was almost to the entrance doors when he ran into Harper, playing his neighbor. With no Little or baby in sight, the diaper bag on her shoulder was a red warning flag for any Little! “Well, hello there, Brian! You look so spiffy tonight?!? Very handsome!” “I had dinner with my boss tonight to celebrate a project at work.” “Well, aren’t you such a big boy! Not like my little Dillon!” Harper giggled, and it was creepy, before she said, “Well, I guess he is a little bigger than you!” “Umm... yeah...” Connor was squirming realistically, and then Harper made eyes on him, seeming to practically be dreaming of stripping and diapering him right outside! That made Beth want to rip her eyeballs out! “Say, speaking of dinner, how about you come over tomorrow night for dinner at our place? I’m a great cook!” Connor did a great job of looking calm while wanting to run away as quickly as possible. He said in a very quiet voice, “Unfortunately, I think my boss will want me to stay late tomorrow. May I take a raincheck?” “Sure, cutie! Offer’s always open!” Right then, Connor walked quickly and didn’t seem suspicious in the doors. “Cut!” “Sebastian, we need to do that again, I don’t like the angles as Harper is talking to Connor. Could we maybe have her bend down to talk to him for most of the conversation?” “Harper, what do you think?” Sebastian asked. “Sure, it’ll seem more normal, like I’m talking to some kid on their level?” “Great! Take two, everyone!” Beth watched as they ran it four more times before they were satisfied. Then they had to run Connor hopping in an elevator to run twice before Sebastian said, “Connor, go ahead and get changed out of that costume and take off with your fan club over there?” Connor blushed but said, “Thanks, Sebastian! You said eight tomorrow morning, right?” “Please, it will take us a couple hours to get you prepped tomorrow.” “Sounds good!” Beth watched him run off as the crew worked to reset to work on one of the two catch-up scenes they were supposed to film tonight. She could see everyone was getting tired and hoped they’d manage it all still! I WAS RELIEVED to be done for the day, but I was also nervous knowing that we had finished the last ‘grown-up’ scenes I was involved in. I hurried to change out of the costume, put my school uniform back on, and hurried back out to the quartet who were waiting on me. “Why are you all here?” I asked as we exited into the hallway. “We’ll talk at dinner, Connor. We need to hurry up and grab your bags from the dorms, and then we can take off.” Grandma said. “Make sure you zip up that coat; it’s cold outside!” I nodded and did my best to keep up with the taller women for part of the walk before Grandma sighed, “Connor, we need to move a little faster; I’m going to give you a ride. Addy, we’ll meet you at the restaurant?” “Sounds good!” Grandma hurriedly carried me to the dorm, and a quick look at my watch showed me we were under an hour from when I was supposed to be in the dorm for the night. “Am I allowed to go to dinner?” I asked her quietly. “Yes, for tonight, it’s a weekend, and you’re with me. I got a blanket permission request set for you last week for things like this each weekend.” I nodded, fully trusting her. Everyone was missing in the nest, and I assumed there must have been a movie or they were playing games somewhere in the dorm. I used the restroom again before gathering my backpack and the few things I needed to take for the weekend. “That everything?” She asked me. I nodded, “I think so?” “Okay, come here,” she said and picked me up again, carrying me down the elevator and past some of the other Little students who gave me a wary look. We left the dorm and were at her car in record time. She sat me on the ground long enough for me to pull my bag off to place it inside the car before putting me in the rear-facing seat. I sat still and patiently waited while she moved to the driver’s seat and programmed the destination. “Please navigate to the restaurant, Sapphire Sea,” Grandma said, engaging the autopilot and then turning to make eye contact with me through the monitor above my seat. “They’ll hopefully get there about the same time.” “What is this restaurant?” “It’s one Addy suggested; I guess she and Cameron would go occasionally when they were in school. I don’t think that we’ve ever tried it?” “Seafood, I assume?” “Yes, that’ll be it.” “Mom used to always tell me about the ridiculous sizes of things here with animals and fish.” Grandma laughed, “My favorite thing we ever did will forever be an early trip where she got to swim with the dolphins in Selegnasol.” “She showed me the pictures before I left. Those might as well be whales back home compared to me!” “Too bad the rest of that trip was such a problem.” “That’s where you all met Aunt Bella, right?” She nodded, “We adopted her thinking to save her from a stewardess but ended up in that mess with that horrible Venture group…” She sighed and seemed to wipe a tear out from her eye, “That was a nightmare!” I nodded, “Mom told me about a lot of it, but I’m guessing she kept some of the worst from me.” “I certainly hope she did,” Grandma said. “Some things should never be repeated.” “We are approaching your destination!” the car said a moment later. The car pulled into a parking space, and Grandma soon had me on the ground, walking beside her into the restaurant. Beth, her mom, and the unknown woman were already waiting at the hostess stand. “I thought we might have beat you over here,” Grandma told them. Beth snorted, “Have you seen Mom drive?” “You and your dad are such chickens,” her mom kidded her. “Mom, you’re one of the only people I know who still drives manually. Not only do you drive manually, but you also have two speeds: stopped and the speed of light! Lance is horrible, but even he admits you’re terrifying!” “Sylvester, party of five?” the hostess interrupted. “Right here,” Beth’s mom said. The waitress saw me as we walked to the table, “I’ll be right back with a highchair…?” “Just a booster seat, please,” Beth said. “Are you sure?” she asked the other women. Beth rolled her eyes, “He’s an adult, not a baby. Bring a booster seat!” “Be polite,” her mom reminded her as the waitress left. “We can ask for one for you, too, if you’re going to act rude like that?” “Sorry, Mom, it’s been a long week!” Beth said, clearly nervous it wasn’t a bluff! “I can see that,” she nodded. A few moments later, a booster seat reappeared, and both child’s and adult menus were delivered for me. “Where are my manners?” Beth’s mom said, “Connor, this is Nikki.” “Nice to meet you,” I said politely. Beth sighed and looked at me from beside me where she’d sat, “She’s my new bodyguard…” “Sorry,” I said. As we looked at the menu, I wanted something off the adult menu, but I wasn’t stupid enough to think I could finish one of the plates I saw wandering by us. Beth looked at me, “You want to split something?” I looked at her, “Would you get enough?” She smiled, “I don’t eat as much as a Big like my siblings, so I often save by ordering child portions. We can easily split something?” “Okay, what…?” “Why don’t you pick? What sounds good?” I looked over the page and suggested a meal with shrimp scampi and some sauteed scallops with some veggies and rice. “Sounds good!” She told me with a smile. We all received drinks and made some small talk when Nikki asked me, “Umm, Connor?” I was surprised to even have her address me from the other side of Beth’s mom. “Yes?” “I’m going to have some more questions for you about the other day later when we’re out of public, but I’m curious… Did your mom teach you anything that her grandpa taught her?” I smiled, instantly understanding what she meant by her background, “All of my siblings worked with her and are all accomplished in several arts.” She smiled back at me, “We might have to see what she taught you sometime?” “I’d love to practice against someone here,” I told her. “Especially since I’ve already had to use that knowledge.” She nodded, “I’m going to go with you guys to campus tomorrow, and then Amanda’s tomorrow night with you guys. I’ll see what we can do this weekend.” Grandma looked at us both, “No hurting each other.” “You’re not going to tell her just not to hurt Connor?” Beth’s mom asked. I smirked, and Grandma said, “If her mom taught her, it’ll be a mutual concern. Stacy was vicious!” She looked thoughtful but nodded, “I guess she was… I remember that graduation incident.” Right as we were about to continue talking, the waitress appeared. “What can I get you all?” She started with Grandma, then went to Addison, then Nikki, and then Beth ordered for us, “We’re going to share this plate. Could you bring a second plate for us to split?” “Sure thing,” she said with a smile. “Since it’s with the cutie, I won’t even charge the split plate fee here. I’ll get those menus out of the way.” “So, besides all of this stupidity, how do you like school here?” Beth’s mom asked me. “I love the technology, the advanced math, and all of the cool things with HoloTech that I’m learning!” I said with a smile. “He means all of the voodoo math and crazy physics things he’s studying,” Beth shook her head beside me. “I keep telling you it’s not voodoo?” She laughed at me. “Professors treating you okay then?” Grandma followed up. I nodded, “I know Mom dealt with a couple real ‘winners’ when she was here, but all of mine have been pretty friendly.” The four of us were far more active in the conversation, but Nikki contributed occasionally. I sensed she was a ‘friend of the family’ from her studying with my great-grandfather here and probably from being with Mom. When I did the math, including the rejuve treatment that was mentioned, in my head, I figured she must have been between like eleven or so when she met her. ‘I bet Mom remembers her at least!’ I thought. “Grandma, I mean to ask…” I was about to bring up Lilly’s mysterious mother when the plates of food arrived. My eyes grew as wide as possible and then some more!!!! The ‘scallops’ I looked at looked practically like hamburgers! They were probably three inches or more in diameter and a little over two inches thick – and that was cooked!!! The shrimp were curled up, but they might as well have been some crazy large species of lobster back home! “How much do you want?” Beth asked, ready to split the plate onto a smaller one they had brought with it. “Umm… wow! Those are crazy big!” I was getting stares from the rest of the table, “I wish you could understand how odd it is to come here for the scale of things. Just when I think I’m getting used to it, something like this smacks me in the face.” “Like a wet fish?” Beth smirked. “Why are you smacking me in the face with a fish?” I asked. She just shook her head, “Never mind… I hang around with Dad too much sometimes!” “Umm… One scallop, one of those things you claim are shrimp, and some of the rice will probably be plenty?” She laughed, “Let me know if you want more!” With that, I began using an overly large knife and fork to slice through an amazingly flavorful dish! BETH COULDN’T HELP, but giggle at Connor’s face as he saw the size of the dish. She’d seen it happen when he first came weeks ago, but this was comical even compared to then! ‘To be fair, these are like some crazy rare colossal-sized species, but I’m not going to tell him that!’ She enjoyed seeing him smile as he tasted it, and she had to agree that it was pretty tasty herself! Dinner conversation hadn’t been far from typical, really, for most of the dinner from what would happen when she saw her mom or dad after being away. If she wasn’t still annoyed about the whole bodyguard thing, she’d probably admit she was just happy to have her mom there. That was the weirdest part of the night so far when Nikki talked to Connor about something that she assumed had to be martial arts. ‘He did manage to knock Kelly out completely,’ she reminded herself. ‘I thought he was nuts when he told me to go get help!’ They wrapped up the meal close to 28 O’clock and headed for the door. “Connor, why don’t you hit the restroom before we go?” Amanda suggested to him. “I’ll go that direction, too,” Beth said. She noted that Nikki was right behind her and followed her inside. Fortunately, she didn’t follow her into the stall! The five went outside, waiting for the Luxuria vehicle to pull up for her mom and Nikki. She figured she’d need to grab her bag from inside before she would follow Connor and Amanda to her car. “Beth?” Her mom said, though. “Yes, Mom?” “Would you mind terribly staying at the hotel with me tonight?” Beth wanted to say ‘no.’ And she wanted to say ‘yes…’ A look at Connor, who smiled with a nod, and she said, “Okay, but you have to make sure I get to the university on time tomorrow to shoot!” “Of course!” Her mom said, “I just want to see my daughter!” She placed an arm around her head and pulled her close to her. Not for the first time, she noted that the difference in size between her and her mother was nearly the same difference from her Connor! She hugged Amanda and Connor, agreeing to meet up with Amanda to give her the bag she’d need to stay the next night in the morning before filming, and headed to the hotel with her mom and bodyguard. “So, do you like to get any time off?” Beth found herself asking in the car. “I have a couple others who can take up the slack as needed, but I have an apartment a block from the dorm you live in rented, and I’ll just head there after each day.” Beth nodded. They pulled up to the hotel, and after grabbing her bags, they went to the room her mom had already been in. It was a suite, so she had her own bedroom, but the three sat together in a little living area. “Okay, Beth, before tomorrow, I want to discuss my rules for you if I take this job.” “Rules?” Beth asked; the near-twenty-year-old found her still teenage self balking at that word. “Yes, rules,” she said. “Nothing like I’ll rat you out if you want to go party or do something your parents don’t approve of.” “Not that you should be doing that,” her mom said, “but I want you to feel safe with Nikki.” She stiffly nodded, “So what do you mean?” “If I’m going to keep you safe, it’s really pretty simple. First, would you prefer to wear a bracelet or an ankle bracelet?” “Like some sort of criminal bracelet?” She found herself saying. “Or, do you mean like a Little tracker?!?” ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thanks for reading!!! Please press the 'Like' Button and leave me a comment! I'll give you a bonus on Sunday afternoon if I have at least 25 likes by Sunday afternoon! I'm finishing off a busy few weeks in the real world, so please do leave those comments! I'm hoping Sunday I can make some more progress on writing and staying well ahead of you all here! (Working on Chapter 105 right now) As always, if you enjoy my writing, please consider supporting me with a purchase of one of my published books on Amazon Kindle! https://www.amazon.com/author/babysofia

Chapter Thirty Amanda watched her friend Cat carry Kate into the little’s bedroom. She came back out a minute later and went to the bathroom. By the time John was done nursing and asleep, Cat had seemed to have all the dirty clothes and towels just shoved into the washing machine. Stopping to pull her bra straps back up, she started to scoot forward in the rocking chair to get up. Cat walked by and took her elbow and insisted on helping her stand. Whispering “Thank you.” she shifted him up a bit and reached down to grab his stuffie and pacy. As she carried him to the bed, she poked his lips with the pacy until he took it without waking up. She stopped to swing half of the gate open and looked at Kate against the back wall of the crib. Hearing Cat walk up beside her she whispered quietly “So should we lay them side by side? Put the pillow between them?” Cat looked for a moment and asked in hushed volume “Where do you usually put the pillow?” With a motion toward the front, Amanda answered “I put it here toward the front because I heard him rolling into the gate in his sleep.” Cat nodded and pulled the pillow up to the front of the crib and then gently slid Kate forward up against it. With only a nod, Amanda laid John down next to his little friend, and they both put their stuffies next to their littles. They each took a turn to lean over and kiss their littles goodnight on their cheeks before closing the gate and heading back to the living room to sit down. With a great sigh, Amanda went ahead and asked the obvious “Okay. What did Agent Praefectus have to say while I was in the shower?” “Oof.” Cat exclaimed “Right to it, I see. He asked me a couple of things. First he asked me if you were the kind of person that would drive to the city for counseling. When I said no he was not surprised since you seemed so headstrong to him. Which is a polite way of saying stubborn. So the ABI is going to send a counselor out here tomorrow afternoon.” Amanda sat upright and asked “Say what??” Cat just shrugged at her and said “A Counselor. No expense to you, but he wasn’t asking. He said you assisted the ABI and were obviously shaken up. They are required to send someone to check on you. Mental health is important. Plus he was really impressed with you, you know.” Flopping back onto the couch and looking up at the ceiling, she sighed again “I don’t really want to sit with a counselor and recall this day.” If Cat made a gesture, she couldn’t see it looking at the ceiling, but the reply came all the same. “And you know … you made a VERY good impression with him…” Amanda didn’t even look where she aimed, she just grabbed the couch pillow next to her and flicked it at Cat. “Hey, I’m just saying…” Amanda cut that off right there “Too bad, I’m already feeding Mike.” “Oh? You’ve claimed the delivery man as yours then?” She reached without looking, but was out of pillows so she sat up and looked at Cat. “I’ll have you know that he is sweet, seemed very kind, John already admires the man, he knows how to check PH levels in garden soil, and Xerxes seems to trust him.” Cat just nodded along and added “Uh huh, and…….” “And he’s cute. Yes, I have a crush. But you’ve been pushing me to date for years, so you don’t get to complain.” Cat scooted closer “And when do I get to meet him?” Amanda waved a hand dismissively “Eventually. Just let me see how things work out first.” As Cat gave in and leaned back, Amanda looked over to her computer with a sigh “Okay. I’m caught up on work, but I have to type out everything that happened with John today, and since Kate was also on the tablet, I’m certain that they will have questions.” Inquisitively Cat asked “So what’s the deal with that, anyway? Is that what you said about them testing John?” All it took was a nod “Yeah, John just has to do puzzles for at least an hour or two once or twice a week. I have to document his progress and be frank about his mental state and any regression that he experiences. Small things like how he originally called me Amanda, and now he’s calling me Mom. Occasionally Mommy, but that’s happening if he’s talking in his sleep more than awake.” Naturally Cat asked “Why would they want to track things like that?” Only able to really shrug, Amanda answered honestly “I think it’s more to do with wanting to know how long it takes rift littles to acclimate under ideal circumstances, and the ways to handle them so that adjusting to life here isn’t so jarring to them. Imagine the good they could do if they had rough guidelines on how to comfort new littles that get trapped here.” It was a moment of quiet contemplation before Cat responded “Yeah. That makes sense. I know that Kate certainly did not take the public nursery well at all. A basic guide for how to prevent them from being traumatized would have helped her a lot. Poor thing rides on my hip when we have meetings in that place. She bites on her training pacy so hard it inflates, and refuses to look at anyone. She had nightmares for the first month.” With a bit of scooting over, Amanda hugged her life long friend and explained “You’re doing really well with Kate. I remember when you first adopted her. It’s good that your cat insists on napping with her.” Laughing, Cat explained “She kept feeding the cat. That’s why the cat took a liking to her.” “You know …” Amanda mused out loud as she thought “I wonder if all littles are obsessed with feeding animals, or just dimensional ones.” Cat just shrugged “No telling. You get to typing, I’ll go get changed for bed. It’s nearly our bedtime too.” Amanda sighed as she went over to the computer and tapped the button to make it come out of standby. He notepad was still there and she had one message waiting for her. With a click she was reading the message “A new little has used the tablet. This is fine as it is more metrics and encourages your little to play on it anyway. Please describe the little and where they are from for our records.” Musing “Huh. Okay, I thought they would be at least a bit upset.” Amanda set about describing Kate as a portal little that got lost, how long she had been here, the circumstances for her coming to visit and their playful/competitive relationship that they seemed to have so far. Honestly as she typed it she wondered if they got along so well because they were from the same dimension. So without a second thought she typed that into the message to the research team. Never hurts to have more thoughts on paper for later. After hitting send, Cat set a mug of chamomile tea down next to her. Sipping it while she looked at where her notes left off, she tried to think back to the morning. Normally remembering that same morning in detail was as simple as breathing. But today that was not the case. Rubbing her temple she thought out loud as she remembered in bits “twenty four minutes from coffee to diaper change … went almost feral over the egg yolk ...seemed downright melancholy about the rain and not being allowed to go outside … nap on dog … And having run through the day that way she spent less than five minutes rapidly typing out anything relevant from the day. Groaning, she realized “Crap. They’ll want to know there’s another rift little because they’re rare.” Cat came over, sipping her own cup of tea “What was that?” Amanda looked over and up as she explained “The research group would probably be interested in knowing that the rift is active enough that another little came through. I guess I have to …” Cat leaned down and hugged her before saying “I’ll stand right here while you type. You do what you have to do and I’m right here with you.” With a grateful ‘thank you’, she turned back to the screen and tried her best to be brief and downplay her own role in things, mentioning the motion sensors and only mentioning her and the dog being there to assist. That the little they found was shivering but unresponsive. And still, by the time she was done she teared up a bit thinking of that poor little against her chest, completely limp. Reluctantly she hit the button to submit the days report. No sooner did she hit send did Cat lean down and hit the button to send her computer back to standby and started pulling on her hand. “Hey, what are you doing?” Cat just shook her head and said “You’re going to sit next to me on the couch. Sometimes bigs need cuddles too.” Amanda gave in and accepted cuddles from her friend for a half hour. It may not have been much, but it made her feel better. With a deep yawn she admitted that she needed to get some sleep because she had a little to take care of in the morning. Patting her friend on the shoulder, she said “Okay Cat, I’m heading to bed.” Cat nodded and let her up. When Amanda went to her bedroom, Cat was still there behind her. “Okay Cat, what’s going on?” Pushing her toward the bed while talking, Cat explained matter of factly “I’m sleeping next to you. You’ll sleep better that way. Now scoot.” Unable to resist rolling her eyes, Amanda tried to interject “We have not slept together in years.” Cat just kept prodding her and shaking her head “We’re not up to anything naughty. Now I’m sleepy too, so get over there.” ~~~~~~~~~~ Four hours later Amanda woke up with a start, her eyes snapping open instantly as she sat up in the bed. Apparently she’d had a bad dream. Or was it a flash back? After a few moments an arm came up and gently pulled her back down toward the bed where she gave up and rolled over. A warm body scooted closed and pressed against her back. Focusing on that contact she slowly drifted back off to sleep.

This is my first time posting here, but I have been attempting to do diaper training (aka unpotty training) for 2 and a half years now. Before that, I was wearing diapers nearly 24/7 for about 4 years. So I'm going on 7 years of wearing diapers and have had plenty of time to practice wetting in them, and yet I still find it so difficult to just relax and wet that sometimes I can't do it. It's very demoralizing, and I don't know what to do. Most of the advice I get is to just keep practicing, practice in different positions and situations, etc. but I feel like I must be doing something wrong. Maybe I don't know how exactly to practice. Sometimes it's easier than others to wet, like in the morning. When I sit down at my desk at work and feel the need to go, most of the time I can just relax let it flow. But then throughout the day it gets more difficult. By the time I do eventually wet, it will have taken so much effort and concentration just to get my muscles relaxed and the flow started, that sometimes it takes like 30 minutes from the moment I notice I need to go to the moment I actually do. And forget peeing while in the presence of others, I have never been able to do that. And most certainly not while walking. Sometimes at a red light I can let it flow, but again usually after a significant amount of effort. I have always been pee shy, so I think that probably has to do with my difficulties. I get so jealous of other ABDLs who can just pee while hanging out with people and while sitting down or cuddling etc. I know it will take practice to get to that point, but I just feel like I'm practicing "wrong," because it's been years and I'm not getting any better. I want this so bad. It's hard to explain, but it would just make sense for me to be incontinent lol. I have no reservations about it and I know it's what I've wanted for years. Can anybody relate to this? I feel like I'm the only one with this problem and I just spiral over it, it's so upsetting. BTW I'm doing the classic method of diaper training outlined in the infamous 12 month guide. I knew from the beginning that it would take me more than 12 months, but I thought that I might be making at least some progress by now.

I'd say it's creepy and annoying. I use android auto in my car and it's never auto loaded directions or read my messages out loud.

I had a few stints of 24/7 once I started a full WFH job. I decided to go all-in on the lifestyle choice. While I didn't have a goal of losing control, I didn't make any conscious effort to preserve it and knew that could be a likely outcome. I decided that I was going to use diapers as diapers rather than as a fetish item. I like diapers but I really wanted to incorporate them into my life in a more utilitarian way. I decided to wear 24/7 with no exceptions except the shower. The biggest rule was no holding, no forcing. Any time I realized I need to pee, I'd let go and allow it to happen. Doesn't matter if I'm in a meeting, at the supermarket, or anything else. Same for poop- I made no conscious effort to hold it and instead let my body decide what to do with it. Nighttime was a little trickier because I'd wake up to pee, but I just made an effort to relax and let it flow without moving or thinking and fall right back asleep. What surprised me was just how fast my body adapted to this new lifestyle. I never wet my diaper without realizing it, but it took about two weeks for my body to just let pee go without asking me permission first. Shortly after that I started waking up with a wet diaper too! It's entirely possible I was waking up and wetting but not waking up enough to remember, but that might as well be the same thing. I never got to that point with pooping but I did reach the point of noticing I needed to go any my body not trying to hold it back. Ultimately this lasted about three or four weeks before I stopped. There were a few challenges. The biggest was that I have really sensitive skin that doesn't like being diapered all the time with pee/poop held up. I started doing small, frequent micro-pees and didn't have the budget to change every single time, and my skin paid the price. It was also a huge lifestyle drag. I do a lot of hiking which isn't a diaper-friendly activity. I go to the gym 4-5× a week and I'm really attached to my routine; wearing diapers is a major problem when I like to change before and after my workout. I also go camping with my wife a lot and don't always have fast, easy access to a shower. And wearing diapers means needing to shower like 4-6 times a day (I'm not great at cleaning myself with wipes alone). I also like wearing bikinis at the beach, going clubbing, and have a lot of other activities that make diapers either a functional problem or impossible to hide. If something changed in my life and I had a full-time caregiver I'd strongly consider going back into diapers permanently, but I'd need them to really be all-in on supporting me in that lifestyle. I don't have that so considering it is neither here nor there.

Good chapter! Clearly the only safe thing to do is move in with mommy err I mean Darlene. They can ride to work together. Car seat optional! (When I post I just cut and paste straight out of word. Doesn't seem to cause me any issues)

I would love to contribute to the discussion. A suggestion would be to keep some sort of inventory in the top post, as there are several really good stories out there.

The replies in this thread have given me some very hearty belly laughs. I thought it was a bit silly when I shared it but now I see just how poorly thought through this device is. It's a perfect example of an over engineered yet poorly performing solution to a problem.

Ah I forgot to mention. I don't have a leg bag attached. I have one available, but the catheter is very short and wouldn't work well with a bag. We just put a plug into the cath instead. I can take the plug out when I want to leak into the toilet. However the plug leaks. We noticed that, and there is a 2nd plug I can put in that would work better. But for now I am using a diaper to deal with the leaks.

It depends on where I am at. I like the crinkles if I am by myself in my apartment. If I am at work or in public no.

When I was younger I was constantly ashamed of being a diaper lover, went through and purged a lot. It was something that I never let myself understand what it all meant and my true emotions about it all. It was not till I met my Wife that I did not learn to love myself, accept my love of diapers, and explore my little side. I have learned to be open to select people around me, generally, the ones who I keep close to and value as true friends. The Kink scene also helped me find a good group of nonjudgmental people. Any more I find myself diapered more so than wearing underwear. One thing that I notice is that most people will not say anything and will not care, but I do like to keep my little side away from my profession.

Boy is Joe in for a surprise! Grammy was better but I'm still leery of her. She seems like the type that wants Charlie in his crib and Jen looking for a real husband. Not that I believe Jen would do that. She obviously likes both halves of Charlie.

After extensive research (tubing, holes cut in strips of plastic, other random ideas etc) I found the perfect solution: 3M™ Medipore™ H Soft Cloth Surgical Tape 2862 The tape has perforations. Take 4 sections of tape and tear at the perforation. Point your member down and place the middle of the tape over your unit slightly overlapping the head. Pull the two sides of the strip of tape over your junk. The tape should almost reach the crease between your sack and your leg on each side. Obviously this will be less painful during removal with less hair in the area. This will keep it pointed in the correct downward position, keep it from pointing straight out or to the side and will be much more comfortable when urinating. It will also direct more of the pee to lower in the padding and into the center for better dispersal. Whenever I'm going to be moving around a lot I do this and it's been great. The tape isn't too difficult to remove if it's been on for a few hours.

I have been following along and I am so envois of you! How long will you be posting updates to your new adventure? I would love to know how you experience the world from here on.

I can't feel anything in the urethra, just the warm wetness spurts in my diaper and my general level of sogginess. Ok I definitely want to try this.

It's hard to say, but I think there are risks the opposite is true. 1. Of the people I know who had this surgery, those who had this procedure (resection of the bladder neck, prostate, and sphincter) had a worse stricture than Brownbobby, who did not have his prostate resected. 2. Lots of sources online indicate the longer a catheter is in after surgery, the more damage there is to the urethral mucosa, and the greater likelihood of stricture. While other sources seem to claim longer catheter placement isn't more risky for strictures. Yes! I like that I truly am different, as you say. Even now I already feel that this is always here, and I do feel "excited but disabled." Very well put. I love the way you describe it as the best handicap. I love that it will keep me busy and excited all the time! Thank you very much! 🙏 It's good to have all options available. Very nice post. Thank you! You really organized well some of the same thoughts and emotions I have. I'm shocked, excited, concerned, and overwhelmingly curious and almost impatient to find out how everything will proceed and how it all fits into place. Thank you and I will keep posting! Wow! I hope I have this. It would be really funny to be squirting pee instead of the normal ejaculate. And very fun. Soaked, and full of confusing sensations that may be part of my healing, but no wet bed! Good reminder that I can still basically do anything. The bedwetting that emerged for you is fascinating. I hope that I bedwet (instead of just retaining due to body positioning until I am awoken by a full bladder, stand up and flood). Your example makes that seem more than possible for me. Excellent tip to extend a diaper.

You know, I really don't like that word, Fetish. After I was potty trained as a Kid, I missed my Diapers. I was jealous of other kids who were still wearing them. I did not Develop a "Fetish". I was Born this way, Baby.

Cozy in a wet and messy diaper and t-shirt. 16 degrees F. outside, but nice and warm and squishy inside (house and diaper)!

I am really happy for you Reddy. Congrats. The first results seem very promising and will very soon put you in some very exciting and challenging situations. Remember leaks will happen. With incontinence every aspect of life becomes so much more intense. Because no matter what you do, you will always have to think about the remaining capacity of your diaper and the next opportunity to change. And incontinence is so unnatural and so socially undesirable or even taboo that you will never really get used to it. I truly hope you will enjoy every minute of your diapered life. I think you will.

G’mornin! Sitting here in a lovely Bambino, completely filled with poop and pee, so much that I have to sit on a pee pad… Rearz plastic panties over them, and they smell so wonderful!

Hey everyone! Completely slipped my mind in the moment, but the last chapter hit the over halfway point in this story, so yay! Everything is still on track to be completed and the story is still holding at 19 chapters. I was also trying to post this earlier, but it ended up being one of the longer chapters so far, and that was even with me cutting out one storyline from it (don’t worry, I’ve placed it elsewhere where it still makes sense). Next, I hope everyone had a good Valentines/Single Awareness Day. I was originally thinking of writing the last chapter about a love connection with Percy to commemorate the holiday, but then I realized that didn’t quite fit into this story very well. So, I hope everyone enjoyed the regression bit I chose to do instead. Also, as a warning, I dip a little into something that could be a smidge controversial to some, at least geopolitically speaking. I honestly chose a country at random I had seen in the news that wasn’t completely current, but I just wanted to put that warning in here. There is a reason for all of it, but with everything going on, I felt that popping a warning in here was just the right thing to do. Anyways, even given all that, I hope everyone enjoys this next chapter as well! Chapter 11: A No-Go Zone Oh, sweet merciful music of monsters and mudslides! I had gone to a party school, so I knew my share of hangovers, but when I awoke the next morning, after passing out in Samantha’s arms with Nurple on the couch at the party, my head felt like it had been sloppily cleaved into two. Everything was so clear, and so bright and complex. I felt like someone had switched my world from a 1960’s TV at best to the latest and greatest plasma HD TV in the span of five minutes. It was not a pleasant wake-up. Fortunately, the feeling didn’t last past breakfast, but it was just enough for me to label it a terrible morning overall. Unfortunately, though, I also seemed to have forgotten mostly everything after walking into the house after Samantha spilled her drink on me, which I now could rationalize was a just a ploy to help me escape with my dignity and with Earth’s secrets mostly still intact from the Bigs there. Actually, about the only thing clear from the rest of the night was Nurple, whom Oppy had allowed me to keep after. Still, Samantha was able to fill in a few gaps, but I also felt like she was leaving little bits out here and there. I could recall just enough to know there was a missing piece, but not so much to know what the missing piece looked like per say. It was terribly annoying, but like all things in this dimension, I learned that I just needed to move on and try to avoid that incident from ever happening again. As such, the family even agreed with me and got together later that day and decided that something was up with the milk. From what I could recall at least, we still weren’t sure who had brought the milk, but the family all agreed to spread the news about the ills of what it could do to any unsuspecting Little. Unfortunately, it seemed to be too late for many. By Monday, the drink had already entered full circulation at the daycare and Samantha had to give specific instructions for me to avoid it all costs at snack time. Other Littles weren’t so lucky, and by the end of the month of July, at least nine other caregivers gave the same instructions for their Littles to avoid the stuff if at all possible. Mrs. Katherine didn’t seem to want to listen, but I rarely saw her while I was there, so I still felt safe while at daycare. It was still yet another example though of how I had to revel in the small victories these days. Fortunately, by the middle of August, things had calmed down a bit and there was almost a spark of excitement in the air as Harriet was about to enter her final semester at the academy. Also, with the busier fall semester coming up, my lecture times would increase as well. I would still go to daycare on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but the rest of my week was even more full than before. In fact, Samantha and I were even giving a personal tour of the academy to prospective students today. “Do we get a Little of our own like you once we graduate?” a particular stern and over eager prospective student asked us both, though clearly directing their question more to Samantha. ‘Great… another one of these people…’ Samantha chuckled a little as she usually did with these types of questions. “A little eager are we?” The Big blushed a bit. “Well, I just watch over Percy here in all honesty. I basically only got him by the skin of my teeth and my situation shouldn’t be considered normal. In fact, my sister bent the rules here a little too much and is being punished by the academy. If you wish to see what to avoid at all costs, be sure to stop by our Bigs nursery on your way out. It’s next to our academy merchandise store.” The Big shuddered a little and retreated into the crowd at the prospect of punishment here. It wasn’t a very well-kept secret by now, and I couldn’t help but smirk a bit at the reaction. We all felt bad for Chelsea, but her effect on prospective and current students was palpable. Judge Hawthorne had even announced that rule breaking was down by at least thirty percent since she had begun her punishment a few months ago. “Now,” I continued, satisfied there weren’t any more questions like that, “as you can see, the new wing of this facility, likely to be dedicated to Earth research, is almost complete.” The new wing, as suggested by Samantha earlier in the year, with my support of course, was to be dedicated to learning more about Earth and us humans living there. The material that I had been sharing had become incredibly popular and about 80% of the new student populace wanted to take Samantha’s and I’s course next semester. “Yes,” Samantha picked up after me, “we are fortunate enough to have our very own Earther here, but it will be up to you all… the next generation to…” She never finished her thought. Suddenly, alarms began sounding off all around the building. Having read through the manual multiple times, it either meant a breach in the dimensional matrix of the fabric of reality… I paused with Samantha and once about a minute had passed and the alarms were still blaring, it was a blessing to see that we were both here. We both then looked at each other with a tremendous sigh of relief. If it had been a breach, we would be the last people we would have ever seen ever in existence. This reality would simply collapse onto itself… almost like it had never existed at all. It was a .01% of happening from messing with the portals… but that was one of the big reasons for the alarm. Now knowing it wasn’t that though, Samantha quickly hurried the prospective students away. “Please! Go to your designated spot as specified on your entrance ticket. It will be in the upper left-hand corner and just stick to that destination for your own safety. Go in groups and stick together!” They all panicked and hurried away from us while a few first-year cleaners led them to where they needed to go. Once the last was gone, Samantha scooped me up and ran into action. Now, normally, if she was following protocol, I would have been deposited at daycare for my own safety but considering that was at least a 20-minute walk away and she didn’t have the time to do herself or trust anyone else enough around here today to do it, we both knew there was only the one option open to us. So, I tagged along. “Hold on, honey! This could get a little rough,” she informed me. I just nodded and clung on close to her as she ran through the hallways while dodging everyone else getting to their own safe destinations. See Samantha, having been to Earth several times through the portals and even having a Little from Earth that wasn’t mentally regressed, gave her a tremendous edge over nearly every other academy member on staff currently. I was sure a few others back on Earth this very minute had more experience or knowledge about Earth, but Samantha was the complete package, and that was just what was needed right now. We then passed through a series of locked and security-guarded doors. “He’s with me, now move!” being uttered by Samantha almost became her mantra after saying it so many times to the armed personnel constantly getting in our way. I didn’t have clearance, but Samantha had fully acknowledged that to them and took full responsibility for me. As soon as she got this emergency position, she even sat me down and laid everything out, so I wasn’t scared… at least not yet. * * * “Now, sweetie… I, uh… we need to talk…” Samantha began after sitting me down on our living room couch. She had just moved out the last of her old grungy furniture that apparently wasn’t advertised as ‘Little safe.’ I was a little incensed about the whole thing, feeling like almost some kind of bubble boy needing specialized furniture, but after feeling the soft new fabric against the back of my thighs after a long day in the park with Melley and DB when it first came in, I silenced any further objections I had to the practice. So, on a day like today with the seriousness in her face, the couch was a tremendous comfort. “I’m listening, Samantha,” I tried to coax her on after she didn’t talk for at least a minute solid. “Is this about your new extra job? Did you get it?” Samantha nodded. “I did… but…” I really wasn’t sure about her current hesitation. At our weekly Sunday dinner with the family two weeks ago, Samantha had been so ecstatic over her new position, but now… the weight of the world seemed to have been heaped upon her shoulders. With Judge Franklin already a mystery in everything since I had seen their intense conversation at the pool last week, I didn’t need yet another mystery floating around in my life. “What is it?” I pressed. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not too bad. We can…” “War…” she finally said plainly. I wasn’t sure if I heard her correctly. It was just a single word, but she was an advisor, so ‘war’ seemed a strange word to hear, so, I needed to clarify. “Uh… Samantha? Did you just say…?” “War,” she announced morosely again. “You heard me correctly. War…” I was too stunned to say anything back, but I think the word had started to seep into her mind as well, so she finally spoke more after about another minute of near complete silence. “When I went in, they explained that they want me to advise them in portal travel. I knew that… but… they also want me for their new alarm system.” “Oh?” It had been a persistent rumor around the daycare for weeks now. Miss Tina had even gathered a few things out of the way of a few corners in the main area on Friday in the rumored preparation for their installation over the weekend. “But how…?” “Does it lead to war?” I nodded and Samantha grimaced back a bit. “The alarm will go off for three reasons you see. The first is a dimensional collapse. The second is if a mission went terribly wrong on Earth and that at least one team member was killed. Lastly, though… is if they came through to our world…” It felt unthinkable, but I guess anything was possible. “So… war… our two worlds could be at war over something like that? And you would have to declare it?” I immediately started to panic as all the little nuances to such a prospect began to invade my mind. I quickly realized that Earth was puny but stubborn and if there was a war, I would most certainly be caught in the middle. “Yes… I would advise, but the higher ups would take my recommendation very seriously.” Samantha then rubbed my back and sighed. “But don’t worry, sweetie. I can tell your mind is already spinning like mine was earlier today. It’s all a remote possibility and frankly… I doubt the alarm would ever really go off. It’s just a precaution so the lawyers can feel better. I’m sure all this will turn out to be nothing.” * * * The alarms continued to sound out even when we got into the main control room. Samantha had taken me in here once when there was nothing going on, but now, several cleaners and investigators scurried about the place. Loud noises were everywhere, and I stuck as close to Samantha as I could… even when she set me down next to her. “What do you have?” she asked as straightforwardly as she could to the main investigator who was captain of the watch right now. The man trembled like a frail leaf about to blow away, but then he finally pointed at the screen that showed all of Earth. “We have three teams on Earth at the moment, ma’am. Two are long-term recons, but the third is a training mission for a batch of hunters.” ‘So, no invasion her then…’ Samantha suddenly turned white however, and even had to cling to a nearby desk to keep herself upright. I tried to think of why but then I remembered a small snippet of news from last Sunday’s family dinner. Harriet had proudly announced that she was going on another training mission to Earth this week. It had happened before, but this trip seemed more serious for some reason. We never found out why. “You know someone on that team, don’t you, ma’am?” the captain of the watch asked plainly after seeing Samantha’s grave looks. She nodded back. “Yes. A very close friend… almost family member… is a hunter on that team. What happened to the team exactly?” The captain of the watch rubbed his balding head. “Exactly? We don’t really know. I mean, it was just supposed to be a training mission. We’ve ran them for years now… even with this being a first contact with this nation… Af…” Samantha’s eyes went wide, and she lurched at the man before her. “You sent a training hunter team on a first contact mission! Are you insane? What happened to Law 512-D? First contact missions should always been done by experienced personnel.” The man quivered before her, and I honestly felt bad for the man. “Because that pointless law was revoked!” a booming voice came from behind. Everyone immediately turned to face where the voice had come from, and there, stood a man I had actively tried to avoid at each of the functions that I had been to so far. Gerald Reddington, according to Oppy at least, was the best hunter the academy had ever produced, but he had also earned a reputation for being ruthless in the field, and now especially in his usage of other academy groups once he took charge of the hunters. Since his appointment, hunters had taken more risks and incident rates had increased, but successes and more spots for recruiters to find their targets had also increased. Samantha had even noted that their presence at the con was one of his more brilliant ideas. Still, though, his gruff demeanor, scar on his cheek, and his 12-foot-tall muscular stature scared the living daylights out of me. So, I quickly scurried behind Samantha. “Reddington… I might have known you were behind this,” Samantha gritted against the man before her. “Let me guess… it was your recommendation to revoke Law 512-D?” He smiled down at Samantha and nodded. “That’s right… and judges Franklin and Grossman were more than willing to sign off on its temporary revocation. We’ve made first contact with eight new countries since then, four times the amount we would have before in the same amount of time.” Samantha sighed and oddly seemed to resign herself as soon as Reddington had mentioned Judge Franklin. That man was really starting to perturb me, but I just kept my ears open to learn more. “Fine… but where did you geniuses send the trainee team this time?” she asked. “Let me guess… Germany? Canada? Indonesia?” Reddington then pointed to the screen and then to the captain of the watch, who then scrambled over to the monitor and changed the view of the Earth. My jaw nearly dropped when I saw where they had been sent. “Afghanistan,” he noted proudly. “Afghanistan…” Samantha echoed. She then looked down at me with a worried look and I just nodded to confirm what likely could have been her worst fears at this point. “You idiot… of all the places to send them… a training mission even! I didn’t think your scar touched your brain!” “Keep your skirt on, Sam!” Reddington bellowed while stepping up to her and clearly asserting his position of physical strength and stature over her. “All this was routine and by the book. Some sketchy intel, but we’ve handled worse. We’re hunters.” For her part though, rather than retreat, Samantha didn’t shy away and just stood toe to toe with the brute. “You better hope this doesn’t go worse than it already has, Reddington. I’m writing this up and the judges will hear about it.” Without another word, she just turned back to the screens. “Afghanistan… not even Ireland! Why…?” she then stopped herself and I could see she was pushing down a lot of feelings right then. She was a professional after all and there was a good reason she had been selected for this position, other than just her experience or who I was. With a little shake of her head, she then seemed to just dust herself off and then look directly at the captain of the watch. “Get on the horn with the leader, or whoever is left of the team. Bring them back.” The captain seemed to hesitate for a moment. Samantha quickly took notice. “I mean now, captain! Or do you want to be written up as well?” The man needed no further prompting and snapped to it. In a moment, he was calling the hunter team currently on Earth in trouble. “Hunter team Alpha Six… come in… Home base is calling you back…” He looked back up at Samantha. “Now, Alpha Six. Immediately!” There was just a bunch of static after, but a few gunshots over the radio later, there was only one urgent command back. “Open the gate! Open the gate!” The captain rushed over and pressed a large red button. Samantha backed up and then made sure that I was firmly behind her and holding her hand tightly. I thought nothing was going to happen, but in mere seconds, a rear blank panel in the room began to hum and vibrate. My brain felt like it was being shaken up like some martini, but the wall soon stood still and glowed an eerie whitish blue. Then, before I knew it, a single figure practically jumped out and collapsed at the same time coming through. The wall then stopped glowing quickly. “Harriet!” Samantha exclaimed. I tried to rub my eyes to see better, but in all the commotion, I couldn’t get a good look at the figure on the floor. Samantha, however, seemed supremely confident. I didn’t want to get my hopes up. “Stay back!” Reddington yelled as Samantha lurched forward. I think Samantha didn’t care right then, but Reddington’s large hand and arm were just enough to stop her in that single moment. “She needs to be decontaminated. Protocol, Sam.” Suddenly, a large blast of blue smoke spurted out of the ceiling and coated the still collapsed figure on the ground. I heard the poor figure laying there soon sputter and cough, but seconds later, a series of vents from below kicked on and sucked all the gaseous substance away. Near instantly, two other hunters, as denoted by their arm patches that denoted such, helped the figure up. My jaw dropped. I could see that it was Harriet no doubt from this new angle, but it was a version of Harriet that I had never seen before. Her usually gorgeous and flowing red hair was now matted with sand, muck, and what was clearly blood. It seemed to trickle from a single spot on the side of her head, but smeared patches dotted her blackened and dirty body elsewhere. Annoyingly, Reddington still held up his arm to block our path to go help her. Instead, Samantha opted to figure out what was going on. “Harriet? Harriet… are you okay? Can you hear me? Speak to us!” Harriet groaned for a moment and then shuffled off the two helping her around. “I… I got hit… but I’ll live… I…” “And your team?” Reddington briskly asked. “Where is your team, cadet?” Harriet tried to snap to attention, but then clenched her side in obvious pain. “Sorry, sir… we got hit… I think someone knows about us or we just walked into the worst exit portal ever.” “What do you mean?” Samantha questioned, the pain from seeing her friend, practically sister, was clearly evident on her face. “Were you all ambushed? Was it a trap?” “I… I… I don’t know…” Harriet clenched her teeth once more as a nearby cleaner started applying ointment and scrubbing off some of the dirt from her. I had seen it before from the cleaners. Situations where anyone in the academy was hurt would be first attended by the cleaners immediately on the spot. They would ensure the injured personnel were stable and then move them away to the academy doctors on site, or if needed, to the local level one trauma center. “Recruit!” Reddington bellowed again. “That is an unacceptable answer! A hunter should always know or at least suspect what is happening based on the clues given. So, were you ambushed or not?” I really wanted to hit the guy, but right then, I think Samantha wanted to hit him more. Only her position as advisor in this whole mess seemed to hold her back. So instead, she took the calmer approach. “Harriet… just think it through slowly. Were they already armed when you got there? Was there a standoff? Were they right there when you exited the portal, or did you walk into them already in the middle of something?” I feared her next answers above all. An affirmation to any number of questions could spell doom for Earth if they knew about the portal. Earth was violent, so the academy would begrudgingly move on from this tragedy if it wasn’t an ambush for portal travelers specifically. If it was deemed an ambush though, I had no doubt that war would be declared within the hour. Harriet pondered the question as the cleaner rolled some bandages around her abdominal wound. I could tell it hurt, but Harriet just seemed to push on. “No… it wasn’t an ambush. We were walking and there was a standoff between two other groups. I think both sides thought we were aiding the other, so they almost instantly began shooting at us. We tried to deescalate the whole situation, per our training, but within minutes, Alvarez, Smith, and Flannery went down. Jacobs hung in there but we both got hit and he couldn’t make it to the portal opening with me in time.” Samantha sighed. “I’m so sorry, Harriet, and I hate to say this, but you can’t go back… not right now at least.” Now, Harriet was normally a very calm person and good under pressure, but as soon as Samantha finished her duty in keeping the portal closed, she lost it. “To hell with that!” Harriet grimaced from her wounds but stood upright and quickly reached for the portal button to reactivate the entrance and exit behind her. The others tried to stop her, but she was still too quick for them. It was almost admirable in a way. “Cadet!” Reddington yelled at her. “Stand down! That is a direct ord…” “No!” Harriet screamed back. “I have a man down, and I’m not leaving them behind. They could still make it! The others too! They were just shot. I can help them! I have to do this!” “Harriet! No, wait!” Samantha tried to yell after her, but it was too late. Harriet almost seemed to mouth the word ‘sorry’ to her, but in an instant, the portal hummed, activated, and she was gone. The whitish blue glow soon vanished once again from the wall panel. “Shit!” Reddington cursed while slamming his fist against the desk. “That stupid…!” “Hey!” Samantha stepped forward, finally shoving his arm off her in his moment of distraction. “Just watch it, Reddington. She went back for one of her own. It’s against protocol, but you know that helping one’s team counts for a lot around here.” Reddington shook his head in disapproval. “You and your whole family and clan… you all think you own this place…” He then cracked his neck and stood about as tall as he could. “Well, you don’t. Especially not after the stunt you all pulled at the con. There’s a new order coming…” Glaring, he leaned down and whispered to her. Being close by and right under them, I could still hear the conversation. “If you all aren’t careful… you’re going to get left behind… like your sister.” He then stood back up and turned and stormed out of the room. I thought the two were going to come to blows, but after he left, Samantha just looked relieved. “Whew…” Samantha said, now clearly unburdened by his presence. “I really hate that guy…” She then turned to the nearly permanently stunned captain of the watch. “Captain, what’s her status? Where is she?” The man stumbled about for a moment, dropped a few nearby papers, and then scrambled over to another monitor. “Uh… uh… she took a portal device… soft spot nearby… so we can track her… there!” His arm then shot out and pointed to the screen. “The one red dot is her… the blue is her team members.” “Alive?” Samamtha asked, coming through with a little hope at the end. “Uh… not sure… critical I think, but… I can’t say for sure.” The captain slunk back into his chair and exhaled loudly. “All we can do is wait now, but let me tell you, I’ll definitely be glad when this shift is over.” Samantha glared at the captain. “Be glad when they’re back!” she practically spat at the man. I almost whimpered right then, but I just held it tightly within me. I could tell she was stressed… so I didn’t want to add to her already high levels. Then, as Samantha was massaging her forehead with her eyes closed, I saw a blinking light on the screen. Reddington was off sulking or stirring up trouble in all likelihood, the captain seemed distracted more by his own nerves, and Samantha was already having a tough day. Still, the light kept blinking, so I put on my big boy pants and tugged on Samantha’s clothes. “Not now, honey…” she said as gingerly as she could. From her tone though, I knew she was at a critical stress point, but from reading the manual of the academy, I knew that blinking light was important. So, I tugged again. “Not now, Percy,” she repeated. “Please.” I didn’t want to be that Little with her, but Harriet had to the priority over my own feelings of trepidation right now, so, I tugged again. This time though, I quickly pointed to the screen. Right as Samantha almost began to glare down at me, and seeing that my pointing wasn’t enough, I spoke up. “Wait, Samantha. I’m sorry but look at the screen. Just for a second…” Samantha paused and I guess she decided to humor me. As soon as she saw the blinking light though, her eyes widened. “Oh! Crud. It’s them!” She quickly turned back to me and stroked my cheek. “I’m so, so sorry, sweetie. I should have trusted you more.” ‘Yes, you should have…’ But I also knew I was a Little in a complicated and stressful environment, so I nodded my head. “That’s okay, but can we please bring Harriet home to us now?” Samantha nodded and pointed to the captain of the watch. “Captain! Bring them home!” The captain nodded and activated the safety features in place for the dimensional portal in here. If he hadn’t, they would have just been transported to where I came out originally on the platform just beyond the viewing window in front of us. Bigs were smart though and emergency services and quarantine procedures were much quicker to respond here than down there. Oppy told me that the first year it was implemented, they saved six lives that would have been lost otherwise. The room hummed and buzzed once more as the portal lit up in its whitish blue. In seconds, Harriet came dragging through. From even a single glance, it was clear that her wounds had opened back up, but like some super woman, she also was dragging or carrying back four other bodies: her team. “Quarantine! Cleaners!” Samantha called out on the microphone connected to both of their main control centers. Soon, the bluish smoke covered up the five bodies that now lay before us, and like before, the vents turned on and sucked it all away. Next, as before, the cleaners hurried in, but Harriet wouldn’t let go of the one body she was still holding onto. “Come on, Jacob… don’t leave me! Breathe!” Harriet shouted out to the, soon-to-be-discovered final member of her team that came through the portal alive. But even then, fate was cruel, and after exhaling one last breath, his bloodied arm hung limp on the ground in front of Harriet’s lap. A cleaner finally moved in, but just shook their head in sorrow after detecting no life signs from him. Harriet was now officially the only survivor of her team. Samantha and everyone else just seemed stunned, but she also knew she needed to be there for Harriet. So, after a moment, she went over and tried to help her close friend and mentee out. “Harriet… come on… we need to get you patched up. I’m sure there will be a lot of questions, but maybe right now, we can just get you patched up. Does that sound okay?” Harriet nodded, but the sudden thudding of footsteps stopped the two right in their tracks. I looked away from the two, and to my horror, Reddington was leading the charge of at least four other hunters and then the four judges right behind him. “I’ll give you credit, Samantha,” Reddington glared from above once he entered the control room, “you are right about one thing… there will be several questions… for you.” Samantha sighed, but almost as if she was just expecting all this. “Can’t this wait?” she meekly asked Reddington and the personnel before her while still holding Harriet up by her side. It was quite the scene, especially with the clearly blood-soaked bandages barely hanging on to Harriet’s sides. “Absolutely not!” Judge Grossman announced. “This needs to happen here and now! We gave you a job to do and now, four recruits of this academy are dead!” Samantha seemed absolutely shocked, but seemingly for the first time ever, in the nick of time, the captain of the watch, actually seemed useful. “It was my fault actually, ma’am. My fault and poor planning.” Grossman seemed intrigued and gestured to the captain to continue. “See what happened was…” The captain then went on to explain the entire sequence of events that led up until now. I could see that both judges Grossman and Franklin were furious, but once he showed the recordings of that room, no one could object that Samantha had done anything wrong. “Seems you were mistaken, Reddington…” Judge Hawthorne noted plainly to the grizzled hunter leader. “Maybe next time you will be better prepared to handle these situations. Maybe then, you wouldn’t have a team of dead recruits on your hands.” “Indeed,” Judge Cunnings agreed. “Perhaps we should even revisit Law 512-D?” “Well…” Franklin interjected, “let’s not be too hasty. I think, for the time at least, that Samantha is innocent of the charges brought before her. No harm done, but let’s review this matter at a later date back in chambers. I assume we can all discuss the mission aftermath more there right now though?” “Agreed…” Judge Grossman nodded to her colleague. “To chambers.” Both judges Cunnings and Hawthorne seemed like they were opposed to dropping 512-D so suddenly, but then both only nodded and began walking out first. As soon as the two were clear though, judges Grossman and Franklin, and Reddington all glared back at Samantha. Further, if I wasn’t mistaken, Reddington even mouthed ‘soon.’ ‘Man… I really hated that guy…’ Fortunately, only an hour later, Harriet was mostly patched up and would be healed in about two weeks with their medical advancements. Plus, with the crisis now averted, Samantha was free to accompany her throughout the process, and despite my soggy diaper, I tagged along as well. “The dean will see you now,” her secretary informed us after we had been sitting out in the waiting room for a few minutes. A little nervous, we all nodded and then walked in. “Dean…” Harriet began, “I just…” The dean then spun around and held up her hand. “Nothing more needs to be said about today. It was very tragic, and I believe we all just want to put it behind us. We have sent cleaners in covertly to clean up any remaining issues, but for your information, the judges have just ruled Afghanistan as a ‘No-go Zone.’” I had heard of that protocol before, but from what I could tell, that had only applied to Antarctica so far, but that was just because it wasn’t worth going there due to the lack of population. Now, there was a country full of potential Littles being put on the list. According to Oppy, it usually only happened during times of war and then was lifted, but this felt different… more permanent now. Samantha seemed uncomfortable, but Harriet seemed outraged. “What? That’s it? I just lost my entire team, and they get off with a pass and all this just gets swept under the rug? Like they didn’t just die because of a screw-up by someone?” “Miss Beechum!” the dean yelled angrily as she got to her feet up from behind her desk. Her eyes looked sternly back at Harriet, and she pointed her finger at her to emphasize her point. “Now listen here… this was a tragedy… no one is saying otherwise, but you will follow the rules here and the decision passed down by the judges. If not, I suggest you resign with the grace afforded to you from this event. Are we clear?” A lightbulb of fury and depression then seemed to go off above Harriet’s head. “Well… I guess I only have one option then. Reddington has his faults, but he’s right about one thing at least. If you feel out of options, choose the best one that leads to the best outcome and go from there. If I’m going to feel useless after missions like these where my whole team is killed and nothing will be done about it, I just have to make the best of the choices I’m given.” The dean smiled but then looked horrified immediately after. Curious about why she looked so shocked, I turned and shockingly saw Harriet ripping her hunter patch off the shoulder of her academy unform. “I quit.” With that and not even allowing the dean to refuse her, she marched right out the dean’s office and didn’t look back once. For her part, the dean just sat back in her chair in shock as she retrieved the patch. She almost treated it like a little wounded bird, and I was almost convinced she was more upset of having the patch being ripped off a uniform than from one of her students just quitting their program. Samantha seemed horrified as well, but she just stood up and calmly excused herself before collecting a single piece of paper and then running after Harriet in a panic. She was her mentee after all. Unfortunately, though, I couldn’t keep up, so without question as Samantha looked at me, I just raised my arms up and she scooped me into her arms. To be frank, it was more comfortable up here in her arms than waddling with the bulky diaper between my legs. To my chagrin, I still hadn’t managed to go back to the pull-on style diapers since the block party. ‘Stupid milk…’ Finally, we made it to a single wooden door along a long hallway. “She stays at Oppy’s a lot, but this is her main dorm room,” she explained. I nodded and Samantha knocked. “Harriet? It’s Samantha and Percy. Can we talk?” “Come in…” a frail voice said from inside. Slowly, Samantha opened the door, and we walked in, not entirely sure what we were going to see. “Harri… what are you doing?” Samantha interrupted her own self as she walked in. There, sitting on her bed and packing up seemingly everything, was a battered-down Harriet. Even with her freshly washed face, I could tell that she had been crying. “I’m packing up my stuff. I quit the hunters, Sam… I’m going to resign from the academy in the morning,” she said wearily after packing up another textbook. “It’s just not worth it to me anymore. Please don’t be upset or mad with me…” Samantha hurried over, set me down on the floor, and then sat in a chair in front of her. I tried to get up on the bed with her, but Samantha stopped me cold before turning her attention back to her mentee. Harriet appeared to be so emotionless and distant right then that I wasn’t even sure if she noticed my attempt to hug her on the bed or not. “Harriet… stop… please,” Samantha begged, but Harriet didn’t, so Samantha eventually had to hold her arms in place in order for her to stop packing. “Please let go…” the broken woman said in response. I could barely recognize her as Harriet anymore. “No… I want you to promise me that you’ll sleep on it at the very least. You just went through something terrible, and you shouldn’t be making big decisions like these at a time like this.” Harriet seemed to agree, but still hesitated, so Samantha continued. “I need to get Percy home, but I want you to call Oppy and then call me later tonight. Just talk or have us talk to you. I don’t want you to be alone tonight. Heck, even go over to Oppy’s… In fact, definitely go over to Oppy’s. She’s been through all this before…” Samantha then looked away for a moment. “She doesn’t talk about it, but she’s lost a lot of people. A lot…” Samantha trailed off for a moment, but then refocused on Harriet. “She can help you… even just listen to you yell about the academy. Promise me that you’ll go to her at least… please?” Harriet hesitated, but this time nodded. “Okay…” She then put her bag down with all the textbooks already in it. “I’ll go over to Oppy’s tonight. Promise.” “Good.” Samantha and I then stayed with Harriet for a while longer. We talked about a few things here and there, but I think Samantha was just making sure she was going to be okay until Oppy arrived to pick her up. Harriet initially insisted on driving herself, but after a quick and even gentle hug by Samantha almost made her faint from the pain afterward, she relented. Samantha then got off the bed. “Okay… Oppy will be here in five minutes. Pack up a few things, but I can always swing by and get more tomorrow for you if you need.” She then handed the paper from the dean’s office she snagged on the way out. “This is from the dean. You have a few days off from the academy anyway… so just relax. I’ll be over to see you tomorrow at Oppy’s but remember to call me tonight, okay?” Harriet nodded and the two hugged for a solid minute. I could see the pain in both their eyes, but I was just happy that Harriet seemed to be at least somewhat on the mend. I always marveled at the bits of healing technology, but I also knew I was seeing some of the mental anguish release as well from her mind. I knew it would take time, but I felt that she was at least going to be headed down a better path now. Samantha and I then left her room and made our way back to our car to head back home. Halfway there, I spoke up. “I wanted to hug her…” Samantha sighed. “I know, baby, but sometimes, people’s problems just need some time to breathe. She loves you like the rest of the family, but right then, she needed space.” I knew Samantha was right in terms of physical contact, knowing who she was, but I also felt like she needed something more than just people checking on her according to a timetable. “I think she needs a friend right now as well.” Samantha nodded her head, but then stopped in the middle of the hallway and crouched down to me. “She probably does, and we’re her family, so we’re going to keep an eye on her, but there’s a time and a place for that. Trust me.” She then looked away for a moment and then back to me. “I’ve been where she’s at… bus of recruiters one mission plunged into the river. Out of the seven of us then, only four of us made it out.” “I’m so sorry…” I said, not really sure what else to say, “I didn’t know…” Samantha shook her head. “I didn’t want you to… not many people know about stuff like that. The academy puts it behind them to move forward for our society. It’s terrible, but these things happen. Best thing to do is to learn from it and move forward as best you can.” I nodded and just hoped that would be the case for all that had happened today. Samantha then refreshingly smiled at me in almost a playful way. “You know though, when she’s ready… I’m sure she’ll appreciate a friend when that day comes.” From what I just saw, I was doubtful that would be anytime soon, but I still felt a nice, pleasant warmth to know that I could be needed to help her out. I had no experience with any of this, but I still cared about her. I still wanted to help, so even with just the possibility, it was a nice feeling to have. “I’ll be there.” Samantha smiled even wider and gave me a little hug. “You’ll be a great friend to her I’m sure, but I must also just be the luckiest Big in the world to have someone like you in my life.” I blushed a little as she broke the hug, but I made sure to smile back while I found my wording. “I’m pretty lucky myself too you know.” Samantha smiled once more and after a little tender stroke to the side of my face, we both took off once more. As we walked, I disturbingly couldn’t help but feel a little hatred toward Earth right now. I was human and I was from Earth, but my friend had now lost her entire team over the actions of a few of us. I was disappointed in humanity right then, but I just had so many thoughts going through my head that I barely had time to process even one of them. Looming ever more presently, I was worried about judges Franklin and Grossman, and now even Reddington more than I had been already. There was definitely something sitting just on the horizon of it all, but I just didn’t know what it was. Until then, I just had to focus on myself. Now, I knew that I was most definitely a Little and I had accepted that for some time now, but I was also starting to feel an odd sensation that Earth was no longer my home. With no hope of getting back there, even if Oppy somehow managed to come through on our deal though, I was starting to get the most peculiar feeling that I might not even want to, but such thoughts were too much for me to handle after a day like today. So, for now, I just focused on holding Samantha’s hand and the nice plate of cauliflower chicken nuggets and mac n’ cheese likely soon to be waiting for me at home.

I just wanted to share some thoughts on being myself while juggling the rest of my life. I've been open about it with my family, best friends, and folks in the local kink scene. They've been awesome about it, and it's been great to be me without holding back. But, when it comes to work and the outside world, I keep it private. Not because I'm not proud of who I am, but let's be real, not everyone gets it, and I don't want it messing with my job or how people see me professionally. I've never been much for needing approval of my life choices, but it feels good to not have to hide with the people who matter most to me. I'm not the only one walking this tightrope between personal truths and professional life. It's all about finding that sweet spot where you can be true to yourself with the people who get you while keeping things private where it counts. So, to anyone out there figuring out how to balance their life, you're not alone. It's all about doing what's best for you and finding the people who support you no matter what.

A little while later, Ted lay in his bed, pants at his ankles, basking in his self pleasure. He still couldn’t believe what he’d heard coming from his roommate’s bedroom. The situation had aroused him in a new way. Ted had never been very kinky, but there was something extremely sexy and titillating about Stacey and Lara spanking each other. Ted realized that this seemed to have been a regular thing for some time. Stacey had asked rhetorically “how many times” had she spanked Lara for not doing dishes. Ted wondered what they would think if they knew he’d overheard them trading spankings. Just then, he heard footsteps in the hall way. He froze. Though his door was closed, the lights in his room were on, so anyone happening past would know he was home. He panicked when he realized he had also left his backpack and his shoes in the middle of the floor outside his bedroom. The footsteps stopped. There was silence for a long moment. Whichever of Ted’s roommates had come downstairs surely saw his stuff and knew he was in his room. He lay there motionless, naked from the waist down praying the girl would just quickly move on so he could sneak out the front door. Suddenly, he heard clattering on the wall. It sounded like wood connecting with drywall. The noise was brief, then the footsteps quickly started again and faded down the hall. Sensing his moment, Ted pulled up his pants, slipped out of his room as quietly as he could and grabbed his shoes. He snuck out the front door and hurried down the street. But before he left, Ted had been acutely aware - there were once again two paddles hanging next to the front door. --- Lara hurried back upstairs after replacing the paddle on the wall. She knew she was supposed to go do the dishes straight away, but she just had to go tell Stacey that Ted was home and likely heard their discipline session. Bursting into Stacey’s room and closing the door behind her, Lara whispered loudly to her roommate. “He’s home!” she said breathlessly. “What??” Stacey looked up from her text book. She was laying on her bed on her stomach studying, wearing just a t-shirt and underwear, her sore bottom skyward and partially exposed. “Ted. He’s here. When I went to put the paddle away, I saw the lights on in his room.” Stacey gaped. “Maybe he just left them on…” Lara shook her head and cut Stacey off. “Nope. His backpack and shoes were on the floor in the hallway.” “Shit…” Stacey sat up in bed, wincing slightly. “You think he heard us?” “I don’t see how he didn’t.” The girls were silent for a minute. Then Lara tried to stifle a giggle, but failed. Stacey stared at her. “So what if he heard us?” said Lara smiling. “Maybe it’s the opening we’ve been looking for.” Stacey remained silent. She was embarrassed that Ted knew their secret. But maybe Lara was right. Maybe the time had come to incorporate Ted into their rituals. Lara continued. “I mean, he left his stuff in the middle of the floor downstairs. That’s one of the first things you spanked me for.” She had an air of indignation with her last remark. Almost, ‘it’s not fair!’ A smile curled in one corner of Stacey’s mouth. She began imagining Ted splayed out across her ample lap, his cute bare bottom turning red as she slapped him with her hairbrush. “You’re right,” Stacey said, climbing out of bed. “It’s time for Ted to get his.” She grabbed her hairbrush from atop her dresser and headed for the door, not bothering to put any pants on. Lara followed behind her, giggling excitedly. The two friends marched downstairs, their conviction steeled by their freshly spanked bottoms. Stacey could feel the cool air against her nearly-bare butt, causing a tingle to grow in her reddened cheeks. She didn’t mind being exposed like that - after all, Ted was about to be similarly exposed, she thought. But when the girls reached Ted’s room, he was nowhere to be found. The lights in his bedroom were off, and the door open. His backpack was still in the middle of the floor, but his shoes had disappeared. “Dammit,” Lara cursed, picking up the bag. “He was definitely here. He must have snuck out when I went upstairs.” “Hmmm…” Stacey furrowed her brow and tapped the brush idly against her palm. “We’ll have to catch him another time. Maybe we should make a plan.” “Yeah,” Lara said eagerly. “We can lay a trap for him. Then give him an ultimatum: move out or get spanked.” Stacey smiled. “Yes. Absolutely.” Her smile widened. “I have something in mind already. We can talk it through, but first,” she smacked Lara’s butt hard with the brush, “you need to go clean up the kitchen young lady. Unless you want another dose?” Lara yelped and grabbed her bottom. She dropped Ted’s backpack and hurried down the hall to the kitchen.

This week I’ve been prompted to mourn the loss of the “BetterDry” adult nappy which seems to have been killed off and replaced with a not-quite-as-good doppelganger whose shortcoming although of themselves minor, are writ large by the inevitable comparison with its predecessor. We’ll call this substitute nappy the “Slightly-Less-BetterDry” or “SLB Edition” to save me wearing out a perfectly good keyboard. The classic BetterDry has been a true and faithful friend (assuming you are ok with peeing on your friends before throwing them away). I was using them even way back in the “before” times when my nappies were intermittent and recreational. Then I used overwhelmingly cloth but for travel, some BetterDrys were nice to have around. I even used to wear them on some of the longer domestic flights (thinking of YOU, 6 hour flight between Brisbane and Perth) because it was less hassle than clambering over fellow passengers out of my preferred window seat location, they didn’t leak, and the first hints of late middle-age urinary urgency were making themselves known to me. I’m not sure when the SLB replicant displaced the original. Here in the Antipodes, supplier nappy stocks deplete slowly and it’s entirely possible that I was peeing in the “classic” BetterDry up until only a few weeks ago. The latest case (which are undoubtedly “SLB”) I bought just before Christmas. It had to be fresh stock because as is usual, the sold Australian supplier had run out of BetterDry a few weeks earlier. I had to wait for the shipping container gods to smile before buying more. This new case had then proceeded to spend a month or so in my study cupboard acclimatising itself from European to local weather before the inexorable cycle of nappy changes saw them pressed into service a few weeks ago. Almost immediately, strange new phenomena appeared. Persistent but minor leaks. Usually around the inner crotch but sometimes the right rear thigh in classic “Rearz” failure mode: Predominately noticeable in bed by morning through wet spots on the terry towel layer sewn into my night time plastic pants. Repeated “blow outs” due to tape tension tearing the plastic outer shell. Less common than the new inner thigh leak, these failures compensated for this by being more destructive to my terry towel lining as well as leaving handfuls of yellow-duckling-colour soggy fluff on the bathroom floor at change time. Waking up with “birdbath bum” more frequently. It seems that far more of the SLB padding is wet by morning relative to the classic BetterDry leading to wet bum mornings. This however could be a feature. I’ve always found that higher capacity nappies are limited by poor wicking rather than the want of absorptive material. To be honest, BetterDrys could have done with slightly better wicking however the coincidence of leaks suggests otherwise. Last Friday however I had to go up the coast for the day to take care of some business. It’s about a 2 hour drive each way and I wasn’t 100% sure of how long I would be up there. Usually on Fridays (I don’t work Fridays) I wear cloth but I didn’t fancy having a Kung-Fu-Panda sized arse and possibly smelling (however faintly) of wee in front of the business folk I needed to spend time with. Still the day would have been a big ask for my usual Abena/booster weekend disposable combination. Their absorption is ok but their hopelessly stretchy outer cloth-like cover and love of gravity invariably has them continually escaping to visit my socks by mid-afternoon. Instead, I decided to use one of my new BetterDry (SLB Edition). For some reason, I pulled on heavy plastic pants over the top of them instead of my usual PUL waterproofs before pulling on compression shorts and jeans. Maybe I thought that crinkly, milky white plastic and thick elastics would return some of Friday’s recreational air lost to the use of disposables. Maybe I thought that encasing my crotch in a Swedish sauna would give me the Greta Thunberg slenderness that I yearned for. I was a bit wet before I’d even gotten to the freeway and that’s really how the day went. I’m often finding myself slightly surprised by how little I can “hold on” now. In order for me to stay comfortable, I really need to be letting things drain a tiny amount every 10 minutes or so. Attempting the 120km drive north without nappies would have descended into farce and it’s this kind of implicit dependency that does sneak up on you over the years. Several hours later and with the last of my errands completed, it was time for me to head back south. Things felt pretty squishy in the underwear department but being a BetterDry, I assumed all would be well. There was a complication. I really needed a #2. These used to appear with clockwork precision at my morning change but with general changes in the pelvic floor area, things are not as quite as reliable as they used to be. I suppose I could have found some facilities but I was well aware that any taking down and pulling back up of my by-then Wetterdrys (SLB edition) could be highly injurious to their already-compromised leak security. I suppose I could have tried to hang on for the 1.5 hour trip back down the highway but that seemed like a tall (and uncomfortable) order. “Hanging on” isn’t such a thing these days. On the other hand, I needed to face no further humans and waiting back at home was an empty house. My bowels read the memo. “As you wish sire!” they saluted and by the time I’d gotten back to the car in the carpark, I was waddling in a fully loaded nappy. I lowered myself very gingerly into the driver seat. It was a substantial payload. A bit squelchy sitting down but things kind of spread out and I didn’t have to adjust the rear view mirror any so it wasn’t like I was sitting much further off the seat. My plastic pants and compression shorts limited air exchange sufficiently so that I could breathe so I then headed for home. It really felt perfectly comfortable. I don’t know why babies cry. It’s the clean-up that sucks and they’re not the ones doing that anyway. As the kilometres rolled by however, I became aware that things seemed remarkably “oozy” down there. I was fairly sure I wasn’t contributing any further to the substantial load on board but things seemed to be moving around in the seat of my nappy of their own accord. I drove on. Things were definitely seeping out. I could distinctly feel the terrain in my underwear “changing”. This was a complete mystery to me. As far as I could tell, that job was DONE. If there was more, I could neither tell for sure nor stop it. Going home to my beloved an announcing that I’d suddenly been stricken with faecal incontinence would be at best awkward. I drove on more. Periodically, it felt like I was sitting on a body-temperature octopus and it was trying to escape. I peed little bits here and there as is my habit but this didn’t seem to change things one way or the other. I made it home without incident. I made it upstairs without incident. I removed my jeans, again without incident although certain atmospheric changes that occurred as I peeled off layers of clothing hinted at horrors beneath. And then, I removed my compression shorts. Instead of the smooth white plains of my thick ‘kins plastic pants, it looked like I was wearing a peanut butter sandwich inside out. It felt a bit the same way. Some kind of disastrous containment failure had clearly occurred. Glumly, I surveyed the formerly-white leg elastics and wondered if the stains could ever be removed before pulling them down to expose the nappy beneath. Then, things got MUCH worse. Gobs of suspiciously brownish ooze had collected in the crotch of those ruined plastic pants. The asymmetry of their lowering causing this substance to flow out the leggings and splatter to the floor whereupon the biggish brown pieces broke into hundreds of smaller brown pieces that in a curiously non-newtonian fluidic fashion, slid across the bathroom floor before splitting into even more brownish pieces. It was pee-soaked and slightly-poop-infused SAP gel from inside my BetterDry (SLB edition). It wasn’t poop but the difference was a bit technical by this stage in the nappy lifecycle. There’d been a blow out of biblical proportions. That constant oozy, moving about sensation I’d been experiencing on the way home was sodden gel particles sliding out of my nappy into my plastic pants whereupon they would wander about aimlessly as though exploring some kind of art gallery. I cautiously un-taped my BetterDry (SLB edition) and, as I drew it out from between my legs and up towards me. At the first tug of gravity-induced torque, the entire inner lining and padding of the product, resplendent in squashed poop icing 1.5 litres of pee-sodden gel simply slid OFF its plastic backing sheet to disgorge itself entirely onto the tile floor before me like a drunk throwing up. More brown goo made non-newtonian sprints for the far corners of the room as I stood in speechless awe holding the remaining “nappy” which was by now no more than a damp sheet of plastic. The mess was epic. My beloved would be home in maybe 15 minutes. I suddenly recalled that scene in “Pulp Fiction” where Vincent in the front passenger seat of a car in broad daylight downtown Los Angeles was conversing with Marvin, his rear seat passenger in an animated fashion. Gesticulating to make his point whilst holding his pistol (an epic failure of gun control), Vincent violently and unintentionally discharged the weapon directly at him. A brief but comprehensive shower of meat inside the car cabin ensued. “I just shot Marvin in the face!” The gruesome and reckless immorality of the killing was as irrelevant to the moment as its mechanism. Dostoyevsky morality would have to take a back seat. The prime issue was a sudden, massively-difficult-to-hide, semi-public uber-mess evidencing a crime that invited certain and severe punishment. Unlike Vincent, I had no “Wolf” to help me. I was on my own. The clean-up was fast, furious and superficial and at best dubiously successful. A real BetterDry would NEVER had done this to me. Welcome BetterDry (SLB Edition).

Sam wakes up the next day and has to make a difficult decision regarding the activities ahead. --- My writing is my passion and my income. I'm only able to write as much as I do because of the wonderful support from my subscribers. With the ABDL purge on Patreon hurting my income dramatically I have set up a couple of alternatives. If you enjoy my work and want to support me there has never been a time where I need it more. For $5 you can see every update to my stories one week before anyone else and for $10 you get early access PLUS access to 50+ stories EXCLUSIVE to subscribers. There are other rewards and tiers available including discounted commissions. To find out more please consider visiting one of my subscription sites. Prices, rewards and eveything else are the same across both https://reamstories.com/elfy https://subscribestar.adult/elfy Thank you for reading and supporting me and my work ❤️ --- Sam awoke to a hand prodding her diaper. Her eyes flew open as she saw Nina standing over her with a massive smile on her face. She felt frozen, all her muscles seemed to want to disobey her as she tried to move. “Aww, did the little baby go tinkles?” Nina asked in a syrupy baby voice. “Mmm… MMM!” Sam tried to respond but there was a pacifier between her lips. She tried to spit it out but it seemed like the mouth guard was stuck to her. Nina reached over the side of the crib. She seemed even bigger than usual to Sam who felt confused and as to what was happening. Nina’s large hands came down and picked Sam up off the mattress. As the covers slipped off her little body she found she was wearing a pink onesie that seemed to have materialised out of nowhere! “What a pretty little girl.” Nina said as she gently tickle Sam’s tummy, “Are you ready for nursery?” Sam wanted to ask what her friend was doing and where these clothes had come from but all she could do was babble around the pacifier. Nina cradled her in her arms and walked towards the bedroom door. Sam didn’t want her other friends to see her like this and she tried desperately to scramble away but her limbs seemed limited in what they could achieve. The door opened and Sam gasped. Instead of the living room of the lodge there was a vast lecture hall with all the seats filled. Nina’s footsteps on the floor echoed in the silent room as Sam was carried in. The little girl couldn’t even cover her humiliated face as she saw everyone watching her including, in the front row, Chrissy and Amy. “Ah, right on time.” An older male professor said as Nina carried Sam over to the front of the room, “Nina, would you kindly take it from here?” Sam was placed on a small padded table. She had no idea where it had come from but she was trembling from everything. She tried begging Nina to stop and take her out but her useless babble provoked no reaction at all. Her onesie was lifted up as she heard people taking notes. She shook her head and closed her eyes as tightly as she humanly good as she tried to cry out for help… --- “Sam! Sam! Wake up!” Sam suddenly came back to consciousness with a crash. She was panting, sweaty and laying on her front with her head in the corner between her pillows and the wall and her legs open and facing the room. Her cover had been cast to the side. It took her a few long seconds to realise she’d been having a nightmare. “Sam! Are you OK?” It was Nina standing by the crib in her dressing gown. Sam looked over shoulder. In her dream Nina had been gleefully treating her like a baby but she looked very concerned now. Sam belatedly realised she was showing her soaked diaper to her friend. Just another embarrassing encounter, one of an increasing number that Sam was having to deal with. “I think you were having a nightmare.” Nina said as Sam turned over and sat up. She noticed that a lot of the diaper’s warmth had gone but it was still very swollen almost like a pillow underneath her butt, “A bad one.” Sam nodded. She pulled her cover over and did her best to give herself some modesty. She knew Nina had already seen everything though. Nina hung around the side of the crib awkwardly as Sam tried to shake the cobwebs away from her mind. She felt like she had adrenaline coursing through her and she was still very unsettled. “Sorry.” Sam said, “I didn’t mean to worry you.” “It’s absolutely fine!” Nina replied quickly, “I was just about to step into the shower when I heard you calling out. Did you want to talk about it?” “No.” Sam said shortly. The last thing she wanted was to discuss that particular nightmare. “OK, well, do you want to come out of the crib?” Nina asked. She was already reaching over the edge anticipating the answer. Sam lifted her arms without thinking making it easier for her friend to grab her and lift her up. She hung limply in Nina’s hands as she was lifted over the rails but instead of being put straight down Nina held Sam up in front of her. She was looking at the very wet diaper with the clearly changed wetness indicator. Sam was going red in the face and loudly cleared her throat. “Sorry!” Nina quickly said as she put Sam down. “I’m surprised you didn’t notice when waking me up…” Sam muttered. “I did… Well, I didn’t… I mean…” Nina paused to collect her thoughts, “I saw that you’d put it on but I didn’t realise you’d… well, you know…” Sam thought about snapping back that if she had put it on it would only be for one reason but she held back. She couldn’t blame Nina for being weird when the situation was so strange in itself. She’d always been closest to Nina, it was no doubt difficult for her to believe what she was seeing at times. “I’ll go have that shower then.” Nina said as she picked up the towel she had draped over the end of her bed. Sam nodded. She tried not to walk about too much. She knew she looked like a baby, she didn’t need to start waddling around to reinforce that fact. She waited until Nina had closed the bathroom door and the sound of the shower started. It was only then that Sam wished she’d gone for a shower first, she felt a little gross in the wet diaper. Sam pulled at the tapes on the diaper and winced when they loudly came away from the front of the disposable. She hoped her other friends weren’t near the door, it definitely sounded loud enough to Sam to carry through to the main living area. “Damn it…” Sam exclaimed as she pulled the last tape away. The diaper dropped to the floor with a loud thump. Unlike the dry diaper she had taken off that had been very light and curled up a bit, this one was heavy and it laid on the floor completely open. The smell of urine quickly started to spread and Sam looked down to see the clearly yellowed padding. She quickly folded the diaper closed and used the tapes to stop it opening again. The smell of urine seemed to linger and Sam felt acutely embarrassed. She quickly put on some loose pants and a shirt. Strangely, there was no trash can in the bedroom. The one in the bathroom was now inaccessible so Sam’s only real option was the kitchen since she didn’t want to hang around with the used diaper any longer than she had to. Sam opened the bedroom door and could immediately hear that Chrissy and Amy were already awake and having breakfast. She closed the door again. She didn’t want to walk past them with the clearly wet diaper. They didn’t know she’d been having problems after all. Instead, she put the diaper down just under the corner of the crib so that she could deal with it later. “Morning.” Chrissy called out as Sam finally emerged from her bedroom, “Sleep well?” “Yeah.” Sam lied with a smile. “That’s good. You’ll need all your energy today.” Chrissy replied. She started pouring Sam a bowl of cereal as Sam climbed up on to one of the chairs. “Oh?” Sam asked. “Today’s the day we get the bikes we rented and cycle out into the wilderness.” Chrissy raised her eyebrows. It was clear that this less exciting activity wasn’t her choice. “It’s going to be great!” Amy gushed, “I’ve got a guidebook that says there are all sorts of rare wildlife in the area. I spoke to someone yesterday who told me where our best chance of seeing stuff is. I even got sheets for all of us to tick off when we see the animals!” Sam smiled at Amy’s enthusiasm but she couldn’t pretend she wasn’t very nervous. After the last couple of days a long bike ride where there wouldn’t be any facilities nearby was concerning. Sam’s bladder was small and that caused problems at the best of times. She knew she could just go into the trees to pee but she was still nervous. She didn’t want to be the reason the group had to keep stopping. At least it would be just the four of them. Sam ate her breakfast quietly. When Chrissy came out of the bedroom she soon took her place and took a shower. On her way through the bedroom she picked up the used diaper and dropped it in the bathroom trash. As Sam stood in the warm water she wondered what she should do. It certainly seemed like they were going to be going on a long ride and Sam’s last few accidents had left her feeling very anxious about what might happen. As Sam was drying off she happened to glance at the trash can and the diaper sitting in it. She felt like her answer might be right there. The diaper had successfully held her accident during the night, it stood to reason it could do the same during the day. It just meant she would be choosing to wear one which felt like a major thing. When Sam walked back into the bedroom she started gathering her clothes for the day. She pulled out a pair of panties and sighed. With resignation she dropped them and went to Nina’s bed where the open packet of diapers was waiting. She pulled one out and looked at it. It still felt like a big thing for Sam. The diaper she wore during the previous day hadn’t been a choice and the diaper she wore the previous night was for a practical reason. She supposed wearing one now would serve the same purpose but it felt different. Sam laid the diaper on Nina’s mattress and then scrambled up on to it. Sam found it a lot easier to position the diaper with all the light coming through the windows. She reached down and pulled it up between her legs. The tapes came close to touching each other as she closed it up. The fit was a lot better than her attempt the previous night. She sat up with the accompanying chorus of crinkles and then slid off the edge of the bed. She wasted no time in getting dressed in the baggiest pants and shirt she had. Anything to give her half a chance of keeping the diaper a secret. She already knew she couldn’t do it though, the crinkling may have sounded louder to her thanks to the paranoia but she was still certain it would be audible to anyone close to her. Looking in the mirror Sam was disheartened to see her pants were still bulging from the padding underneath them. She sighed and had the urge to take the diaper off. After the last few days though she just needed to have a normal day. The diaper made it less than perfect but if it meant she could go on the bike ride with her friends and come home again without being humiliated then it was a sacrifice she would make. “Sam?” Amy called through the closed door, “Are you nearly ready? We need to go pick up our bikes,” “Just a minute!” Sam replied. With one last deep breath as she looked at her reflection she turned and walked towards the door. To be more accurate she waddled. Hopefully the waddle was more pronounced in her brain than it actually was in real life. She had one last wobble where she nearly turned around and ripped the diaper off before reaching up and opening the bedroom door. As Sam walked back out into the living room she could immediately tell that her pronounced waddle wasn’t all in her head. All eyes swivelled to her as she waddled out nervously. It was hard to tell who was the most surprised. Sam went across to her shoes by the door and picked them up, when she turned back around she saw that the others were still watching her in shock. “Look…” Sam started as she felt she needed to explain. “Are you wearing a diaper!?” Chrissy immediately asked. Sam blushed deeply. Hearing Chrissy’s tone of voice and just having it said out loud seemed to really make this real. She slowly nodded her head as her cheeks blazed. Nina seemed to have snapped out of her shock a little as she moved to the side of the couch making room for Sam to sit down as well. This had been a foolish idea. Maybe once Sam could’ve worn a diaper without her friends thinking any less of her but it was getting to be a habit. “But… why?” Amy asked, “And where did you get them?” “Guys, I don’t think we need to give Sam the third degree.” Nina said. “I’m sorry.” Chrissy shook her head and looked genuinely apologetic, “I just didn’t expect it. Not after yesterday.” “I… just think I should play it safe.” Sam said with a shrug, “After yesterday I think this is a good idea.” “It was just a one-off though.” Amy said sympathetically, “Everyone has accidents sometimes. Remember when Chrissy had too much to drink at your birthday party?” “Hey!” Chrissy exclaimed, “I just had a few too many that night…” “It’s OK.” Sam’s mouth twitched into a smile, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Chrissy shrugged as she went back to getting ready whilst Amy seemed to hang around nervously. It didn’t seem like she really knew what to do with herself or even where to look. The only one who was acting remotely normal was Nina who was checking her phone. Sam assumed there wouldn’t be much reception once they were underway. “Are you sure it’s alright?” Nina asked once the others had moved away to pack some lunches in the kitchen. Nina obviously had more information than the other two. The others knew Sam had wet herself and been put into a diaper by a member of staff but Nina knew the rest of what had happened. She knew about the wet bed and how Sam had slept the previous night, she knew how deeply uncomfortable Sam felt about being viewed as anything but the most mature person in the room. “I’m fine.” Sam said again, “It’s just a precaution.” “OK, I just don’t want you to feel like you need to use them.” Nina said. She was clearly still kicking herself for buying them without Sam knowing in the first place. “I’m not saying I’m in love with the damn things.” Sam replied, “But I’m ready to admit they have their uses. I just wish everyone would stop making such a big deal about them.” “Sorry.” Nina replied. “And I wish you would stop apologising!” Sam said half-jokingly, “We’re going to have a great day. I’m sure once we get going everyone will concentrate on the ride and no one will think twice about me. Besides, according to Amy we’re very unlikely to see anyone else on this trip.” “That’s true.” Nina nodded, “Well, as long as you’re sure. You know I’ll support you in anything.” Sam felt a fluttering in her heart at the words. A strange feeling that she hadn’t felt before. A part of her just wanted to leap at Nina and wrap her arms around as much of her as was possible. To pull her down by the collar and get close to those lip. To… As Nina stood up and walked away Sam remained frozen to the spot. What was she thinking!? Nina was her friend! Sam had never felt those feelings yet alone started feeling an urge to get close to another woman like that. She knew Nina was bisexual but she herself hadn’t really thought about that sort of stuff much at all. If anything Sam had assumed she was asexual from how little she thought about it. Her face was burning up. It was just because Nina had been helping her a bunch, Sam told herself, that was all. She swallowed nervously and tried to shake any thoughts about the unwanted fantasy that had briefly invaded her consciousness. “Sam? Are you ready?” Nina asked as she picked up her backpack. Sam quickly nodded and jumped down from the couch. As she took a couple of steps Nina seemed to be thinking about something. She muttered to just give her a minute and went into the bedroom, she came out a minute later looking slightly nervous but smiling. “Come on, girls.” Chrissy said, “Let’s go get our bikes.” --- If you want to find out what happens next you can do so RIGHT NOW at either of the following links: https://reamstories.com/page/lpjgftb4y2/story/lplyymi677/chapter/bf42c623-64f4-4aee-97bf-35aa9298c536 https://subscribestar.adult/posts/1175535

Like every morning for weeks now, Loni's first action upon opening her eyes was to slip a hand into her pajama bottoms to feel her own diaper, looking for the slightest sign of heaviness. Another night without bedwetting. The fifteenth in a row! If he lasted a whole month, they would let him wear training pants even at night, something very few boys his age could boast of. Dani was wet, but that didn't stop him from stretching like nothing and yawning until his jaw almost dropped. Happy are the boys of few ambitions. As if some kind of sixth sense was setting her in motion, Delphine entered their room right at that moment to get them out of bed, checking along the way who was clean and who wasn't. A few moments later, the eight boys from the boarding school gathered in the common bathroom where eight potties awaited them, each with a first name, and a huge bathtub full of strawberry-scented foam. To be admitted to the boarding school, boys had to take a dose of odor stopper every first Monday of the month, so they could all poop at the same time in the same room without it causing the slightest problem. Once Delphine had stripped them of their diapers, they would each sit on the potty bearing their names, following a well-established routine. The supervisor observed them with pride. For most students, the idea of having to bathe eight little gremlins at the same time every morning seemed like a vision of hell. With boys of fifteen or sixteen, that was surely true. At twenty, they were much calmer and more organized, not to mention becoming candy for eyes. “Philip! We don't get rowdy in the water. Once ! Bastien, raise your arms a little higher, my kitten. Yes, it tickles, there’s nothing we can do about it. Grit your teeth, show that you are courageous. Gooood boy. Your willy now. Philip, twice! The third, you're deprived of toys before class. Loni, your turn, darling. Raise your arms!" Loni was the prettiest of the eight, but also the most complicated. Not that he does a lot of mischiefs, quite the contrary. Only, he never asked for cuddles and didn't seem to take any pleasure in being taken care of. When she washed him or diapered him, he didn't smile and his willy always remained soft. He seemed to be waiting for it to pass while thinking of something else. However, she was careful to be even more caressing with him than with the others in the hope of awakening his sensuality, but nothing worked. He probably would have cleaned himself alone if the rules allowed it. After the bath came dressing: five complete diapers, three training pants for the most advanced, and eight uniforms in total: short pants, high socks, shoes and white shirts. A little scarf would have looked nice but women had given up on it because the boys from previous years kept losing them or using them to invent dangerous games. Finally, we headed to the refectory where the educators took over while she poured herself a large cup of black coffee before starting class. Watching the little ones smear themselves with jam, she began to dream of having one of her own. One who would jump into her arms when she came home from work, who she would breastfeed once or twice a week and who she would take care of as she saw fit, without having to answer to anyone. A boy, above all, with whom she could finally take the time to do things right, without having to look at the clock thinking about the other seven. She would wrap her little darling in love every day. She would rock him to sleep every night and wake him up every morning by gently stroking his hair. Not for a moment could he forget how much he was loved. She would also be much more severe than the school rules allowed. Not for everything, of course: when you like boys, you don't make a big deal about dirty clothes or a broken trinket. On the other hand, if she caught him drinking alcohol or playing with sharp objects, he would be good for to a spanking that really looked like a spanking, not a dozen ridiculous little slaps that didn't even make the most sensitive ones cry. . Kind education had good sides, that was undeniable. That said, when a boy did something dangerous to himself, true kindness was to make sure it was the first and last time. She had not emptied her cup when her multitask informed her of a new message. Scylla, her childhood friend, “the highborn” as she sometimes called her to tease her, had just arrived on campus and invited her to join before the first class. She took one last look at the boys' table: Philippe had just spilled his still half-full bowl of chocolate milk while bickering with his neighbor. In addition to the table and the floor, he had stained two of his comrades. Of course, since he “didn’t do it on purpose,” he only got five minutes in the corner. What a great joke! And heckling at the table, hadn’t he done it on purpose? He knew that it was forbidden and why it was. If it had been up to her, Philip would have spent the next thirty minutes copying lines. Except that obviously, he would never have dared doing this if Delphine had been the supervisor. Everyone agreed that Loni was the most intelligent but Phil was the most cunning: he knew very well with whom he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it. Well... if educators with years of study in psycho-socio-pedagogical-demago-bullshit thought it was the right thing to do, they must be right. And if they were wrong, that was their problem. The boys were clean when Delphine took them to the dining hall, her responsibility ended there. Between breakfast and lessons, the boys had half an hour of free time in the toy room, although with a few restrictions: no physical games because we were just after a meal, and no video games because... because! The toys were pretty cool the first few weeks. By the middle of the school year, the boys knew them all by heart. Same for picture books. And since we couldn't play sports, many of them had fallen back on drawing, a discipline in which Loni excelled. “A boy can understand anything as long as he’s interested,” his mother always said. She was convinced that, although they had much lower levels of concentration and self-discipline than women, boys were just as intelligent. When she noticed that her son was interested in drawings, she took the time to explain to him anatomy, perspective, light... Above all, she had him draw simple geometric shapes to teach him to think in three dimensions. Building on these experiences, he returned to drawing his favorite heroes with much greater success. This seemingly innocuous experience had transformed him. Before, he was an ordinary guy who made a real effort when he hoped a woman would reward him or congratulate him, and who the rest of the time didn't take anything seriously. Faced with his first correct drawing, he understood that it was also worth working for yourself, to achieve a goal YOU had set for yourself. The teachers' compliments on his drawings were worthless: they gave them to everyone, even the worst scribblers. It didn't matter: he knew that his level was equal to that of an adult woman. Not from a professional of course, but from an adult! That was cool! An educator clapped her hands: it was time to put away the toys, pencils and everything else for class. The classroom was bright, colorful, covered with drawings reminiscent of a spelling or math rule. There were potties at the end of the class for urgent needs, but we could also ask to go to the bathroom if it wasn't too urgent. You first had to stand next to your chair and wait for an educator to check the diaper to be allowed to sit down. The ten external boys arrived one after the other and joined their classmates. There was Damian, “Damy”, the walking disaster who rushed first and thought too late, Sylvain the super handsome guy, the only one who could boast of being even cuter than Loni, and on the contrary Knut, the little terror . He was a good six feet tall, had a shoulder width wider than his peers, and an almost square jaw, all traits that gave him a lot of confidence in his fists but virtually none in his chances of finding a mommy-wife, hence his bad temper. Unfortunately, and unlike most little bullies, Knut was far from stupid. He knew very well how the ladies looked at Loni or Sylvain, and how they looked at him. He didn't care that the educators kept telling him that he too was cute in his own way. He wanted to be cute in the way that turned the heads of girls his age and that wasn't the case. He was violent with the other boys because that was the only advantage he had over them, and all the spankings in the world didn't stop him from doing it again. Damned for damned, he even took up bodybuilding. So, if a ten-year-old girl would have always mastered him without problems, he was a real colossus compared to the other boys. As he walked towards his chair, Sylvain gave him a little sneer, full of disdain, which the educators did not notice. Knut's face turned red in an instant. He grabbed Sylvain who covered his head, screaming as if he was being skinned alive, before receiving the slightest blow. A moment later, the educators were on Knut and put him in the corner with three good slaps on the buttocks, hard enough for him to feel them despite his diaper. Barely had their backs been turned when Sylvain, who was definitely recovering very quickly, sent a knowing wink to Loni, who would have been fine without it. The class always started with a reading exercise. The boys took turns reading a paragraph from their course book entitled: “Mommy will always love you. » The stories were very repetitive. Each time, a boy did something wrong. A lady who, depending on the boy's age could be his birth mother or his mother-wife, lectured him, punished him if needed, then took him in her arms and repeated that she loved him with all her heart and would always love him, and that was even why she was strict with him. Today, it was the story of a twenty-year-old boy who went to a birthday party where all the other boys were over thirty and hadn't worn diapers for a long time. After a whim, his mother-wife agreed to let him wear underwear like the grown-ups, on the condition that he was very careful. What was supposed to happen happened: the little one wet his pants in front of everyone. His mother cleaned him tenderly, put a little diaper on him and cuddled him for a very long time to console him, explaining to him that he still had plenty of time to grow. And even if he never got potty trained, of course, Mom would still love him. Well... It still wasn't the silliest story we'd read in this class. At times it was even almost moving.

This is an apt metaphor, and also something that I have been doing, probably less cautiously than you have, in some respects, but more cautiously, in others. I've been very open about ordering diapers, storing them, disposing of them, and in particular, wearing them - I hang out in a just diaper with some regularity (although winter temperatures impose practical limits on this wardrobe preference). I pack them for trips, and she has even packed them for me (although I didn't request that, and I found her selections and assumptions intriguing and hilarious). So, she's being fed peanut butter sandwiches with some frequency, on that front. But, when it comes to root causes... the how or why of it all... she hasn't asked and I'm not volunteering anything, beyond my initial revelation that I'd been wetting the bed again (with vanishingly low incidence), and so had decided to wear diapers "to bed." She knew about my award-winning childhood bedwetting career, and, I also have a medical condition that I could possibly "kind of" pin it on - it's a stretch, but some people in similar circumstances have experienced an uptick in nocturnal enuresis, and I discussed it with my doctor after about the second time I woke up in damp sheets, and she said "Hmmm, maybe, but it's not the first place I would look." I then gradually stretched the boundaries of what being dressed "for bed" could look like, almost the way I wish I had thought to, when I was a DL kid and didn't know what that was and was wracked with shame about it. So, I started staying "obviously" diapered until noon some days, and I started "getting ready for bed" pretty much as soon as the kids' lights were out. I was wearing diapers all the time, but keeping it discrete for the noon to 9 PM shift. Eventually, I stopped being secretive about wearing them all the time, and she gradually caught wind (pun there) of the fact that, hey, her husband wears diapers now. But there was never a mea culpa moment. So, as in most aspects of "this", you are out ahead of me, sir.

I am someone who wanted to achieve OAB and I achieved it. And it took me 5 years to achieve it. However, I can't say whether this depends on my "advanced" age, or just my training, or both. I say anyone who wants to achieve incontinence should go the OAB route. So you got it exactly right: pee as often as possible! But I did this without an app, just with diapers, as soon as I felt the slightest urge, I let go! I discovered that the development of this slight pressure depends on many things: am I well hydrated, have I eaten something, am I taking medication, ... But I can also say from my experience that in order to achieve OAB, I wasn't always well hydrated, I just listened to my bladder in every way. Therefore, it is absolutely not a question of time-controlled letting go, but rather letting go adapted to the needs of your body. Maybe I'm someone who perceives his body's signals very well and can react to them accordingly. For others, this app timer is the better way. But I think listen to your bladder, don't worry if you don't have to pee for 1-3 hours - your body itself controls the desire to let go. This is the most natural way to get OAB and OAB is the most important first step to achieve complete incontinence!

Congratulations, I started my full time journey close to 13 years ago. I couldn't see myself any other way. No matter how prepared you think i am i still get surprisedith the frequent leaks and unexpected Oops did that just happen. It just keeps the challenge alive and keeps everyday a new excitement. I still am happy I made the choice

Chapter 26 Danny looked out the window going back to the hospital. He was back in the same car seat he was brought home in but a different outfit. This one was a plain red shirt and black elastic shorts. It had been an uneventful morning after waking up a little groggy. He found out that he was not allowed to eat before the surgery which he understood. That meant two more bottles of milk throughout the morning. The bottles did not help with his grogginess. Mama Angela seemed nervous to Danny. She seemed to be more on top of Danny trying to do anything she could to baby him. Getting him anything he wanted. Constantly checking his diaper and changing it the minute she felt the smallest bit of dampness. Danny realized she enjoyed bonding with him yesterday and was worried that the surgery would harm their relationship. He also realized that even though she had avoided saying it directly he was having surgery today. Danny also knew Ashley on the other hand could not care less about him. That is the same as yesterday. Ashley was in no hurry to warm up to Danny and he was fine with that. He appreciated Mama Angela’s willingness to work with him and her affection, so he saw no rush to try and make Ashley open him up more. Ashley needed to do what she wanted and if Danny was not a part of it, he did not care. Danny did not know what to expect on his trip to the hospital, but he was not looking forward to it. Part of this was based on Mama Angela’s fears. If she was so nervous about what was happening than he should also be. He was also overly health conscious and knew he was losing control of his medical decision here. He wanted to know what was happening and the one time he tried to ask Mama Angela she said they would fix his leg and refused to go into more detail. She told him that he shouldn’t worry about it. That only made him worry more. When they arrived at the hospital Mama Angela took Danny out of his car seat. “Are you ready to get your leg fixed Danny?” Mama Angela asked. “Yes,” Danny said. He wanted his leg fixed but that did not change how nervous he was about the surgery. What the hell were they going to do to him today? It had to be bad if they were not telling him he thought. Mama Angela was also nervous. She did not want to scare Danny by telling him that he was having another surgery, so she had decided to give him as little information as possible to keep him calm. She was afraid how he will react to the medical treatments of their dimension versus his. Neither Mama Angela nor Ashley knew much about medical care in Danny’s dimension other than it was seen as very primitive. This will be the first time a conscious Danny received medical care here and she knew it would not go well. She hoped like the walk it would go much better than expected. She carried Danny through the doors at the hospital and Ashley went to the front desk. She talked to the woman at the desk for a minute before getting a three wrist bands, two of which was plain white and the third was baby blue with white teddy bears on it. Danny instantly knew what was happening next and held out his arm, but Ashley surprised him when the band was actually attached to his good ankle. Then Mama Angela carried Danny into the elevator. When they exited the elevator the were on the little’s floors. Once again Ashley went to the desk and began talking to a nurse. Danny was already getting annoyed because Mama Angela was purposefully keeping Danny away from the conversation keeping him in the dark about what is going on. This was his body and he felt he had a right to know what is going on. “What are they talking about?” Danny asked. “Nothing you need to be concerned about,” Mama Angela brushed him off. “Yes it is,” Danny said letting a little bit of his anger about the situation show in the tone of his voice but not yelling as he did not want to make a scene. “I still have no clue what they are going to do to fix my leg. Why won’t you give me any information? What is so bad that I can’t know about it.” “Take a deep breathe,” Mama Angela told him. She also tried to gather herself as she was hit completely by surprise by Danny’s reaction. “We’ll explain more about what the doctor is going to do soon but in the lobby of the little’s unit is not the place to discuss your...” “Surgery,” Danny interrupted. “For some reason you keep on trying to avoid the word. I have had multiple surgeries everything from appendix removal to repairing torn ligaments. The idea of having a surgery does not scare me but when nobody will tell me about the surgery or even confirm I am having a surgery that makes me wonder what you all are hiding.” Mama Angela was speechless. She did not understand how things had gotten so out of hand for her so quickly. She had been doing everything she could to make him feel more comfortable with the surgery, but it was blowing up in her face. Danny seemed grumpy already which was not a good when none of the medical procedures had even begun. She hoped that she could find a way to calm him down and keep him calm during his hospital visit. Her biggest problem with that is she had no experience. While she had taken care of littles in all kinds of situations, but the doctor’s office was not one of them. Along with that Ashley’s only experience with littles was as a nurse not as a guardian. Mama Angela needed help. Ashley returned holding a white hospital gown with farm animals all over it. One look at her wife was all it took to realize something was already going wrong. Oh great, Ashley thought, today we are going to hell and back. I need more coffee before I can deal with this. “Room 508,” she told her wife. She then led the two of them to Danny’s hospital room where they would be doing the initial exam. We are a little early, but they will have a nurse in shortly to do start doing the examinations. For now, all we need to do is make sure he is in a clean diaper and put the hospital gown on.” Mama Angela went into the room while Ashley went a different way. Mama Angela laid Danny down onto the changing table in the room’s bathroom. Danny noticed that even though Mama Angela was the one changing him, it was more like Ashley’s changing him. Instead of being slow and full of affection, she changed him quickly and took his clothes and put him into the hospital gown. Danny could not believe that just wanting to know what they were going to do his body and she gets upset with him. He did not cause a scene, he did not yell or scream, he just kept asking and got annoyed with her lack of answers. Now she seemed like she wanted nothing to do with him like Ashley. This day could not go worse in his mind. Mama Angela was just heartbroken. She was doing everything she could to be a good mom for Danny and yet he was miserable. She thought that she was doing what was best for him by not telling him about the surgery, but he got so angry about that. She did not know what to do so decided to put him in the crib and give him some space. Ashley returned a few minutes later with two coffees for the Amazon's. They were going to need it, Ashley especially after her bad night. She handed her wife her coffee prepared as Angela liked it. Danny just laid there, and his two caregivers just sat there drinking their coffees until the saw the door turn. Danny was expecting a nurse but the person who walked in was not wearing anything associated with the hospital. Danny recognized the woman; however, he was not the first one to say anything about out. “Mom,” Mama Angela said clearly shocked by her mother walking into the room. “What are you doing here?”

Chapter 23 Danny kept an eye on the game, but he was more interested in watching Mama Angela run around preparing to take him for a walk. You would think the way she was preparing and double checking everything they were going out of town for a week. He also noticed Ashley nonchalantly cleaning up from dinner then just sit down in the living room chair. Finally, Mama Angela picked Danny up off the couch. “You two ready to go?” Mama Angela asked. “Let me put my shoes on,” Ashley said. “I need shoes too,” Danny said. “We do not have any shoes your size yet,” Mama Angela told him truthfully. “We will get you some this weekend for when your able to walk.” “Okay,” Danny said. He realized that even if they were lying to him, fighting her would not help. “What you do need is a diaper change before we go,” Mama Angela said and quickly changed him and the unclipped the pacifier from his onesie before clipping a new one on. “Why did you change the pacifier,” Danny asked curiously. “I need a way to quiet you down if you are causing a scene,” Mama Angela replied. She then popped the pacifier into his mouth and twisted the handle. When she did it inflated in Danny’s mouth. Danny shot her the angriest look as she turned it and it got bigger to the point where it began to hurt his jaw. Then she turned it back. “I do not like it Danny, but your mouth will get you in trouble with the wrong amazon, so this is an extra insurance policy. Do not try to argue it, Danny. I have made the decision. It still functions as a regular pacifier if we do not need to inflate it. “You do not have to use it,” Danny said. “And I won’t because you will behave,” Mama Angela added. “Right Danny?” “Yes Mama Angela,” Danny said knowing fighting would make this even worse. “Good boy,” Mama Angela praised then she asked. “Do you want to ride in the stroller to start or would you want me to carry you?” “Stroller,” Danny chose quickly. “I’m too heavy for you to carry that far.” “I could easily carry you the whole walk” Mama Angela told him. “The question is what would you be more comfortable with?” “Stroller I guess,” Danny replied. With that Danny was place in the seat of the stroller and fastened in. She hands him Antlers and put the diaper bag down in the pocket of the stroller behind Danny. “Danny,” Mama Angela said. “If you start to feel uncomfortable about anything no matter how small please tell me. I want to guarantee that a minor issue does not turn into a big one. Feel free to hide behind Antlers if people come up to us. You do not have to say a word, people will understand if you are a little shy and quiet right now. Do not feel obligated to do anything you do not want to.” “I understand,” Danny replied. She seemed a little nervous about this. What does she have to be nervous about though Danny wondered? He was the one going outside with no shoes, in only a baby blue onesie and a diaper. If anyone should be nervous it should be him. He wanted the change of scenery though. As embarrassing as all this has been he had been in three rooms basically the last day and a half. He wanted to see the outside world again. “But Danny,” Mama Angela added. “If me or Mommy Ashley tell you something you need to listen and do it. If we say something like Danny stop or Danny no, then you have to listen. We are trying to look out for your best interest. Do you understand?” “Yes,” Danny said. He just hoped they did not have to give him any orders. He was a person not a dog. He knew how to make decisions for himself. “And away we go then,” Mama Angela said as she started pushing the stroller with Mommy Ashley next to her. Then slowly walked down the street. It was evening but still light out. What Danny liked best is that for the most part it seemed normal. Green grass and blue skies. Birds were still chirping; some animals were running around, there were gardens filled with flowers of many shapes and colors, and people were doing normal things outside. He could have pretended everything was normal and he was just in a wheelchair with a knee injury except one thing. Of course, everything was much bigger. He noticed minor differences in the animals but nothing too crazy birds still looked like giant birds some looked like combinations with the beak of one bird with the feathers or size of another, the squirrels here were also sized up and they had ears that looked more like they belonged on rabbits not squirrels. The rabbits seemed to Danny to be just large rabbits with no real changes. Being outside actually relaxed Danny a little bit and so far, nobody seemed really interested in him. “Are you doing okay right now Danny?” Mama Angela asked once they were out of the driveway and onto the sidewalk. The road was elevated above the sidewalk with steep ramps. Danny guessed this was a decision to try and stop children or people his size from accidentally wandering into the road. “Yeah,” Danny replied. “It is actually really peaceful out here.” “Good I am glad it is helping you relax,” Mama Angela replied. “If you feel tired or feel you need to go home for any reason, tell me okay, sweetheart.” “Yes Mama Angela,” Danny replied. They walked a little bit longer before the moment all three had feared. An older amazon woman approached them. Danny decided to do the hide behind his stuffed animal strategy. He really did not want to interact with the woman but more importantly he did not want Mama Angela or Ashley to use that pacifier on him. “Why hello, do not think I have seen this little cutie before,” the woman said. “This is Danny,” Mama Angela said. “We just adopted him two days ago.” “What is that on his leg?” the woman asked. “He is a medical rescue,” Mama Angela explained. “The nanites had problems so they could not fully fix the leg yet.” “Wait you adopting him straight from the hospital,” the woman said shocked. “Is he on any tranquilizers or anything right now?” “He has a sedative to help him sleep that he took early this morning, but otherwise no,” Mama Angela responded. “He is so calm for being so new,” the woman cooed at him. “Most newer littles would be throwing a tantrum right now. Especially without the orphanage helping to get them adoption ready.” “It has not been perfect,” Mama Angela admitted. “But he is a very good little boy.” “And a little cutie too,” the woman added. “Oh,” Mama Angela cooed. “Can you say thank you Danny?” Danny wanted to disappear, but he decided to play along. “Thank you,” Danny said briefly popping his head out from behind antlers before hiding again. “Sorry,” Mama Angela said. “He is still really shy around amazons.” Danny could not see her face, so he did not know if Mama Angela was happy with his behavior or not. “No reason to apologize dear,” the woman said. “With how new he is it understandable. I’ll let you get back to your walk. Have a nice night and good luck with your little cutie.” “Have a good night,” Ashley said. “Bye-Bye,” Mama Angela said. She continued walking for another block before the stroller stopped moving. Mama Angela came in front of the stroller so Danny could see her. She was smiling as she knelt down in front of Danny and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You were perfect with that woman Danny,” Mama Angela praised. “Who was she?” Danny asked. “She is one of the ladies involved in everything in the neighborhood,” Mama Angela said. “I do not remember her name, but you probably know the type. She volunteers at things, helps plan community events and spends majority of her time gossiping with her friends. “Ok,” Danny said knowing those types of people. “No doubt she is going to talk about the new little in the neighborhood next time they get together.” “Will that be a problem?” Danny asked. “No because you were such a good boy,” Mama Angela said. “They will be talking about how we adopted a shy injured little and how calm he was despite being so new. You ready to continue?” “Yes Mama Angela,” Danny replied. As they walked similar conversations with older woman happened twice more each time Danny played the shy act and only spoke when prompted by Mama Angela, she only would ask him to say things like hi, bye, or thank you. Then they reached the park Danny had seen on his way home from the hospital. “You never said we were going to a park,” Danny stated. “I did not know if we were,” Mama Angela replied. “But since you have been so good, I figured it would be a nice reward.” Ashley though here comes the disaster. Angela would push her luck too much and Danny would cause a scene. Too much going on for Danny to remain calm something will happen she assumed. “Can’t really do much here though,” Danny noted. “Well, you can go on the swing,” Mama Angela suggested. “I can push you. After that we can walk around the lake and just relax.” “Sounds fine,” Danny said. He loved playing on a playground as a kid but with most kids he outgrew it by the time he left elementary school. Still, it has some nostalgia to Danny, so he wanted to take a look and see what it was about. Mama Angela picked Danny out of the stroller and carried him towards the playground. One of the things she hoped Danny would develop was excitement. She remembered taking Willow and Heather to this playground while Vivian and Carl were helping Maddie and Zach with their own unplanned adoption. She remembered how excited they would get when they were playing. She wanted Danny to experience that. She wanted to see his big smile, him running around happily, even the whining and asking for five more minutes when she said it was time to go. Danny seemed like he couldn’t care less about doing anything right now. That was something she wanted to change. She wanted him to find things to enjoy and be excited about doing, but she did not want them to not be too violent or dangerous. He noticed what looked like one playground was actually two. One bigger one with no fence around it but also a smaller one with a small fence around it maybe three and a half feet (about 1 meter) tall. Danny could probably get over that small fence, but it would definitely slow him down. Like Danny expected she brought him into the fenced in park. “Why are we going into the fenced in park?” Danny asked with an expected answer. “Amazon children can be real bullies to littles, so they have two separate parks one for littles and amazon toddlers and then one for older amazon children. We are going in the littles park.” She walked in and Danny saw a large playground climbing set complete with slides and tunnels to get to the different activities. Also, in the little section was a monkey bars set up so that the little would be barely above the ground when climbing, several spring animals rides, a huge sandbox, a couple a balance beams and seesaws. But where Mama Angela went was the group of swings further away from where the other equipment was. Danny noticed the only type of swings were baby swings. Mama Angela carefully put Danny in the swing and locked the harness into place before she began pushing him gently. Danny liked to swing as a child, but the point was always to go higher. “Can you push me a higher?” Danny asked. “Of course, sweetie, Mama Angela replied. “Now hold on tight.” Mama Angela said as she began pushing him higher. Danny started looking around the playground as she pushed him higher. He noticed for the most part the other littles as his caregivers were calling them seemed normal. They seem like if you forced adult humans to act like toddlers. Some seemed to like it others it was clearly a fake smile. There were a few though that something seemed seriously wrong. The way they were acting was just too realistic for someone acting. It was like these people were actually turned into babies in adult bodies. It was freaking Danny out. Despite this Danny was doing his best to keep his calm and watch how everyone, both the giants and normal sized humans were acting. All the amazons seemed happy watching their little play and talking with each other. The littles seemed much more mixed. There were the ones who seemed very happy but others who seemed unhappy just going through the motions. Danny looked down and realized how high Mama Angela was pushing him. When in Rome do what the Roman’s do, Danny thought as he just enjoyed the swinging. Ashley had sat down on a bench alone and watched Angela push Danny on the swings. Another amazon mother sat down next to her. “Which one is yours?” the other mother asked Ashley. “My wife is pushing him on the swing,” Ashley said. “He is in the baby blue onesie.” “Oh, he is a little cutie,” the other mother responded. “Mine is the little girl climbing up the ladder to the slide.” “She very cute,” Ashley said to be polite. “How long have you had him?” “We took him home yesterday,” Ashley replied. “Wow,” the other woman said shocked. “I wish Genna was so well behaved that I trusted her to go to the park on her second day. The only place she went that first week was over my lap. What orphanage did you get him from?” “Um I am a nurse,” Ashley said. “There was an issue with his transfer from his dimension to ours. That caused problems with the surgery so he could not go to an orphanage he needed somewhere that could give more specialized care. So, we took him directly from the hospital.” “Wait I have never heard of that,” the other mother responded. “So, he never got prepped by an orphanage and he is that calm. How is that even possible?” “My wife had a lot of experience with other littles in her family,” Ashley told her truthfully. “I guess that along with Danny needing so much medical care makes him a little more docile for the time being. Still has caused plenty of trouble at home.” “Every little cause trouble,” the woman told Ashley. “That is part of the reason they need us. Can you imagine them trying to live in the real world? They act tough but when things go wrong, they need the grown-ups to fix it for them.” “I guess,” Ashley replied. “Does make you wonder what the orphanages are doing,” the woman said. “How is your little guy better behaved on day two than most of the littles they prepped on week 2 with their new parents?” “Too many littles not enough caregivers,” Ashley answered. “In any job where caregiving is required you see management try to keep cost down by having less caregivers and more people to care for. The problem is there is a ratio where it is most effective. When you go over even the best systems become less effective.” “That makes sense,” the woman said. “Still, you wish that those in charge would put what is best for the littles ahead of profits.” “Yeah,” Ashley said. She seen it before not with littles but with patients in some of the hospitals she had worked at before she got her current job at the state-run hospital. Too many patients, not enough staff, management encouraging them to cut corners, and never having enough of the right supplies. Too many times the staff’s answer is to just go through the motions and do only what needed to be done. It was a horrible way to run a medical center and would be a horrible way to run an orphanage. Ashley knew Angela’s sister Maddie occasionally worked with one of the local orphanages and would regularly tell the horror stories about what went on there. Ashley had never paid much attention to Maddie’s orphanage stories, but she knew the last time she went to do a psychological evaluation on two littles, Maddie was so shocked by the orphanage’s practice that she immediately adopted the two littles they called her to evaluate and never went back to an orphanage again. “Well, it looks like your wife, and little are getting ready to leave,” the other mother said to Ashley. Angela had slowed down the swing and it had come to a stop. “Yeah,” Ashley responded. She grabbed the stroller to bring back to Angela. “Pleasure meeting you.” “Same,” the other mother replied. Ashley brought the stroller over to the path near the swing set. Angela brought Danny back to her and buckled him back into the stroller. “We will come back soon okay Danny.” “Okay,” Danny said with a small smile in his face. “Do you want to see the rest of the park or just go home?” Angela asked Danny. “What else is there in the park?” Danny asked. “This path will take us towards the lake,” Angela replied. Then it loops around will take us passed sports fields before coming back out where we came in.” “Let’s continue then,” Danny decided. “Let’s go,” Angela said as she started pushing Danny in the stroller towards the lake. Ashley followed behind wondering what was going to happen next. Danny still wondered what was going on with those littles at the park. He noticed it was a minority of the littles, but it still bothered him. What had happened to them? Mama Angela continued pushing him towards the water which he could now see. The amazons pushed Danny towards the lake before sitting down on a bench looking at the water. Mama Angela sat down next to Danny and put him on her lap. She slowly and carefully began bouncing Danny on her knee. He watched the water slowly moving on the lake. A few boats were out far from where they were sitting. He did not see any signs of life in the water, but he did see a few sea birds. What looked and acted like seagulls, but the colorations varied, some were the normal white, some were black, and some were brown. Despite this they all still ganged up on people who had food. He also saw a few ducks that seemed like just a scaled-up version of what they had in his dimension. The normalcy of the environment helped Danny to calm himself. No other littles seemed to be nearby. A few amazons were nearby but nobody seemed to care about Danny at the moment. Danny just took in the calm atmosphere and refocused. He did not want to make any mistakes today and get punished. If he was stuck here for the foreseeable future, it would be better to be on his caregivers’ good side then bad. Danny knew there was a lack of trust otherwise why bring that silencer pacifier. It seemed to him that they did not think he could behave in public, and he thought he had to prove them wrong. Danny wanted a good relationship with the two of them. If Danny was stuck here, then nothing worse than the idea than them not liking and trusting him. Angela definitely liked him, but he knows Ashley does not. He knew he had to stay out of her way until she warmed up to him. He enjoyed sitting by the water but eventually the amazons got up and put him back in the stroller. They walked on a path by the lake towards what looked to be soccer fields. “And we are passing the football fields,” Mama Angela announced. “Do they play American football here or just soccer?” Danny asked. “By American football do you mean that sports with everyone in helmets and uses the brown ball that is not the circle?” Mama Angela asked for clarification. “Yes,” Danny replied. “That game is so violent why would anyone play it?” Angela asked. “I played in high school,” Danny announced. “It's fun.” Danny enjoyed playing football during high school, but he was never a huge star. He played on the defensive line. He would have two or three tackles a game but for the most part he just ate up blocks for the linebackers. “Did you play any sports that were not violent?” Mama Angela asked. “Where is the fun in that?” Danny asked. That got Mama Angela to take him out of the stroller. She picked him up onto her hip and gave him a kiss. She carried him passed some volleyball and tennis courts asking if he played tennis or volleyball. Danny said for gym class in school but never anything competitive. The final sports field was a softball field. And while it was not a game a pitcher was pitching to a batter. The pitcher was a man in his 50s by the looks of him. The batter was probably a late teenager or college age woman. The pitcher threw the ball and the batter hit it deep into the outfield. Danny thought the bat might have been as long as he is tall. As they continued to walk there was a woman sitting on the bottom of the bleachers. She was about the same age as the man pitching. “Danny,” Mama Angela said. “The woman sitting there is an old college professor of mine. She helped me get my job and when she found out we were house hunting she told me about our house. Do you mind if we go talk to her for a minute?” “That is fine,” Danny replied. “You need to be on your best behavior please,” Mama Angela told him. “Yes Mama Angela,” Danny said. “Good boy,” Mama Angela praised as they walked towards her. “Hello Mrs. Roth.” Mrs. Roth looked over and saw her. “Hello Angela, hello Ashley and for the hundredth time now that you graduated just call me Grace.” “Still just does not feel right,” Mama Angela said. “Well, it makes me feel old and Lola does that enough herself.” That got a laugh from all three amazons. “She is hitting really well,” Mama Angela said. “Yes, she really wants to improve from her .323 batting average last year.” Mrs. Roth said before addressing Danny. “Hello, their little guy,” she said waving towards Danny, and he returned the gesture. “Which one of your nephews is that?” “Actually, this is not one of our nephews,” Mama Angela said smiling. “This is Danny and we adopted him two days ago.” “Congratulations,” Mrs. Roth said. “Did you say two days ago? Oh, my he is so well behaved for being so new to our dimension. Huh aren’t you just a good little boy?” Danny decided to continue the shy act for now. He buried his head into Mama Angela’s shoulder. Mama Angela quickly spoke up. “Sorry he is still in a shy phase.” “No reason to apologize,” Mrs. Roth responded. “With how recently you adopted him that seems normal. May I ask a question though?” “Of course,” Mama Angela said. “Give me one second.” Ashley had wheeled the stroller to where they were sitting, and Mama Angela sat him in the seat and buckled him in. “Now you can play with Antlers okay sweetie do not be afraid to speak up if you need something?” Then Mama Angela went back to talking Danny listen and he watched the teenager bat. “What is going on with his leg,” Mrs. Roth ask politely. “When he was transferred to this dimension there was some sort of mistake and it made the nanites ineffective,” Mama Angela explained. “So, they were unable to fix most of the damage to his leg. We have to take him back tomorrow for him to get follow up treatment for it.” “Wow,” Mrs. Roth said. “I hope that goes well. Were you part of the surgery Ashley?” “I was,” Ashley said. “Longest surgery of my life. It took over 4 ½ hours.” “Woah,” Mrs. Roth exclaimed. “That is insane. That little thing had such a long surgery and when was that? “Two days ago,” Ashley said. “We adopted him immediately after the surgery.” “This is probably the craziest story I heard since I retired from the paper to teach,” Mrs. Roth told them. “Is this story going to be a headliner soon?” “Probably once Mr. Greenwich hears the whole story,” Mama Angela said. "You know how he is about his once he hears something good he wants to put it in immediately wants to put it in the paper." The conversation then changed to the work the amazons did. Danny knew all he needed to know about the three of them. Danny just watched the girl batting. She hit the ball all but once that Danny watched. Ball was going to the outfield majority of the time it seemed like in a normal baseball stadium in his dimension all of these would have been easy homeruns. Danny just watched the batting practice as the three women talked about subjects that did not interest him. When the girl put down her bat Danny realized she was finished with batting practice. “I am going to warn you two right now, Mrs. Roth spoke. “Lola is definitely little crazy right now.” “Most girls are at that age,” Mama Angela replied. “If you want to leave while Lola and Quinn clean up that is completely fine,” Mrs. Roth said. “I can tell them you said hello.” “No, we can say hello to them ourselves,” Mama Angela said. “It should not be an issue.” In Mama Angela’s mind this will be the best test for whether Danny can behave in a store or out in public in general. She knew she threw him into the deep end with this walk today, but she needed to get a baseline for Danny’s behavior in public and to this point he has exceeded her expectations. The only thing is most of the people he interacted with were older and calmer. Angela had known Lola since Lola was in elementary school. Angela knew that Lola would not be as calm as the older amazons Danny had met and might not back off when he hides behind his stuffed animal. She realized that it would be a test for Danny to not lose his composure but also a test for her to keep him feeling safe. The two had collected all the softballs and put them in their bucket and came over to where Danny was. The father was the first one to speak “Hello Angela, Hello Ashley,” Mr. Roth said. “Always a pleasure to see the two of you.” “Hello Mr. Roth,” Mama Angela replied. “I thought you told her she could use our first names now?” Mr. Roth asked his wife. “I did,” Mrs. Roth said. “But apparently she is only able to listen to me in a lecture hall.” Mrs. Roth once again got a laugh from all the amazons including a bright red Angela. “Hi Angie, hi Ashley,” Lola Roth spoke but her eyes never left the stroller. She approached it and knelt down right in front of Danny. “And hello there you little cutie. My name is Lola what is yours?” Danny took a deep breathe. This girl is clearly more interested in me than most others had been. She also is blocking the only way anyone could get to him or he could get out. Not that he could get out even if he wanted to. Still the girl was showing no signs of wanting to hurt him. Just play the shy act and get out of this without giving the giants any reasons to not trust you. “Danny,” Danny said hiding behind Antlers. “That is a nice name,” Lola replied. “What is your friends name?” “Lola do me a favor,” Mrs. Roth got involved. “Danny just got here, and he still gets nervous around new amazons. Take a step or two back so he has a little room.” Angela mouthed thank you to Mrs. Roth behind Lola’s back. Mrs. Roth nodded in response. “Oh sorry,” Lola said as she took a step backward giving Danny his personal space. “Is he yours?” Lola asked Angela. “Yep,” Mama Angela happily said as she got Danny out of the stroller. “He’s my sweet little boy.” “So, Danny,” Mama Angela said gently. “She asked your stuffy’s name. Can you tell her his name?” Danny realized the choice Mama Angela was not trying to force him to answer the question but instead was giving him the chance to participate in the conversation if he wanted to. Danny did not want to be rude and ignore her but was not ready to stop the shy act just yet. “Antlers,” Danny said softly keeping his head rested on Mama Angela’s shoulder. “That is a cute name,” Lola praised as they started walking towards the Roth’s car in the parking lot. “Did you guys drive over here or walk?” Mr. Roth asked. “We walked,” Ashley told him. “It is such a nice day,” Mama Angela added. “We decided some outdoor time would be good for him.” “Smart,” Mrs. Roth said. “You have to take advantage of every nice day.” They made it back to the Roth’s car parked nearby. They loaded the sports equipment into the car. “Well Danny it was a pleasure meeting you,” Mr. Roth said. “Oh,” Mama Angela cooed. “Danny, can you say thank you?” “Thank you,” Danny said after he was prompted. “Do we really have to leave?” Lola asked. “I’m sure Danny wants to play a little more and it is not that late.” “Sorry Lola," Mrs. Roth said. “It is time for everyone to leave. I am sure Danny is going to need to get home and to bed with his doctor’s appointment tomorrow.” “Well,” Mama Angela intervened. “We do have to start heading home but if you are okay with it, Lola or any of you want to walk with us that would be fine with us.” “Please mom,” Lola asked. “Quinn what do you think?” Mrs. Roth asked her husband. “Fine with me,” Mr. Roth replied. “If you want go with them, I can drive the car home.” “Sounds like a plan,” Mrs. Roth said. “See you at home.” With that Mr. Roth drove away. That left the four amazons walking towards their respective houses together. Mama Angela carried Danny, while Ashley pushed the stroller. Mama Angela had put Antlers in the seat of the stroller, so Danny did not drop him. Lola focus was still fully on Danny as they walked home. The conversation continued with Danny being a passive observer as they asked Lola about school and her college plans. Mama Angela then asked her if she had a job yet. “Not any real jobs,” Lola said. “I occasionally babysit but that is about it.” “What ages?” Mama Angela asked. “Mostly early elementary schoolers,” Lola responded. “Old enough that they can entertain themselves but too young to be left alone.” “That is good,” Mama Angela said. “Do you like it.” “Yeah,” Lola said. “The kids seem to like me.” “Good,” Mama Angela replied. “Well,” Mrs. Roth interrupted. “Angela, Ashley it is always a pleasure to see the two of you. Do not be strangers. Danny it was a pleasure to meet you. Bye-Bye for now. “Thank you, Mrs. Roth,” Mama Angela responded. “The only person here allowed to call me Mrs. Roth is Danny,” Mrs. Roth said shaking her head. “I apologize,” Mama Angela said. “It is fine,” Mrs. Roth responded. “You’re under a ton of stress with the recent adoption. If there is anything we can do to help just let us know.” “We will,” Mama Angela said. “Bye-Bye Danny,” Lola said. “I’m sure we will see each other again super-duper soon.” Danny decided to be nice to Lola. He knew he would end up regretting it. Despite this he released his grip of Mama Angela and turned toward her with open arms. Lola’s eyes lit up as she went over and gave Danny a big hug. “Somebody likes you,” Mrs. Roth said. “Definitely,” Mama Angela replied. She was proud of Danny for his behavior on the walk from start to finish. This moment however was the one that she was most proud of. Danny had avoided interactions with amazons as much as possible but for Lola he made an exception and made her happy. Lola eventually let Danny go and walked home with her mother. Mama Angela had a huge smile on her face as she carried Danny home with Ashley by her side pushing the empty stroller. They made it back to the house and Mama Angela walked inside with Danny. She instantly laid him down on the couch and unleashed a fury of kisses on him. Ashley was even more confused about Danny then before. He had fought Angela on any attempts to really baby him at home but during the walk he just let it happen if not acting into it even further. She did not understand Danny at all.