The Ballet Slippers - Updated Ending (Chapter 63 added 2.29.24)

[kerry]

My reaction to these final chapters is pleasure: I am so pleased to see such a lovely, nicely crafted finale to a story I've enjoyed so much. As to the questions at hand: I think she let the slippers go (and woe to those people sitting directly below her). In my mind, though, they never completed falling: being magic, they vanished long before bonking people on the head. Further, I think Isabelle grew up, went to Higgins, became a dancer, had a nice career, and then...bought the little store. I think this shop owner's name is Isabelle. 🙂

[WBDaddy]

On 9/6/2023 at 9:36 AM, Olympiczero said:

I see above that a few people were disappointed in the end without a concrete answer either way.

IDK, I would have to imagine that Isabelle would have kept the slippers if she decided to stay little. But to me, the ambiguity was the sell point for the closing.  Had you not added the epilogue, I would have been perfectly content making the decision for her in my head.  

[Kahlez]

The story was really good overall but I am not so sure about the ending. Yes you could see hints in the Epilogue but it just feels not really complete for me. Still a well written Story, dont question that. 

I can understand your attempt to keep it open but at least for me it feels like one of those open endings in a TV shows, so you watch the next Session. Maybe it is my personal preference to have a Story finished why this ending is not really working for me. 

[Spiderman]

Well I have been lurking in story section for some time now, and I have to say of all the stories on here I was looking forward to reading your story the most.

The amount of details you put into this story to really helped to flesh out your characters and create a world that I could enjoy getting lost in.

My favorite part would have to be the dreams with Captain Isabella and Rabbitty as they tried to open the mysterious treasure, and how parts of her dream managed to show up in her reality.

I also liked the ending because it let me make my own ending where Isabella kept the slippers and remained a happy toddler with her new family.

Anyway, I hope you have a good, and look forward to reading anything you might write in the future.

[FloridaKid]

I missed all the fun while I was on vacation! This is one of my all-time favorite stories and I’ve been reading it pretty much non-stop since returning to the US. I, too, was hoping for a bit more concrete ending, but leaving it vague enough for personal interpretation is brilliant. In my mind, the wonderful relationships you built around Isabel would have made it so tempting to remain that I’m pretty sure she did. In any case, I’m a hopeless romantic sucker for a story with so much relationship building and warmth/love. Your development of Isabel’s character and subsequent reversion was delightful to experience. Her realization of the “one thing” (sorry City Slickers, it’s a great line), and Isabel’s journey to discover her “one thing” it simply wonderful. Bravo. I’ll continue to look for additional titles under your name!

[CCApril]

I finally read it all.  Once I started I couldn't stop reading it (some time for sleep). I needed time to digest the ending. It is very open ended and I like that her wish came true and she got a choice. More choices then she experienced (Lola offering to be the little sister was great). I think tossing the shoes was required to make the wish, not necessarily to go back.  

I think that she was extremely happy with her new life. Everyone was so happy.  But mainly her mommy was happy! I like to think the shoes were really for Isabel's mom. After all she found them to begin with. Now I think there is a daddy that needs some help.

Great story!

April

[Olympiczero]

Good afternoon all!

I know not everyone will read this little message, but I appreciate those that will. So many of you who left comments, criticisms, suggestions, and encouragements meant the world to me then, and now. So in a way this is a thank you to each of you, and a moment of reflection for me. 

Today has finally come. February 22, 2023 was the first day I started writing the Ballet Slippers. It was, as I reflect on it now, the first day I became a writer. This was, and always will be, my first story, and it is precious to me. I revisit it often, just to read a chapter or two. Just to say hello to Isabelle, Lola, Dani, Jane, and everyone else. When I started writing, I didn't ever anticipate that I would ever grow to care about my fictional diaper story characters. But I did. And i do. And I no longer feel silly for that, even if I did for a long time. 

When I came to the close of this story, I felt obligated to finish the story in a way that felt like the right ending, rather than the ending I wanted. I had always planned to end it in the way I did originally, but as I kept writing that changed. I don't know why I didn't change with my story. Instead, I stuck with the original plan, and ended the story how it felt I should have instead of how I was feeling. I felt, and still feel, I wrote the first 99% of the story the way I wanted. Why I changed my approach at the end, I am still not certain. But it has bothered me since.

I think it bothered some of the readers too. A lot of the criticism I received about the end may have been rooted in that my readers also felt it was a departure from what I wanted. I like to pretend to myself that you sensed it was "off-key" for my story, that you too could tell it wasn't what I wanted. Alternatively, and far more likely, it may just be that I was a rookie writer and/or you simply didn't like the ending. That's okay too.

But, no matter whether you liked it or not, you all said the same thing; it was MY story, so I could end it how I wanted. I didn't end it how I wanted. And because it is my story, many of you have suggested or encouraged me privately or publicly to consider re-writing the end (thanks especially to @BabySofia for everything. Truly!) 

I have been wanting to do this for some time. And I finally have. Most importantly, I am doing it for me, and am confident about that. That feeling of ending the story the way I wanted to has never gone away. My hope is this will in some way let me close the door on this story, and move to the next.

So that's what I have for you all as an update. I have removed Chapter 62 and the Epilogue, and plan to update my ending. New chapter 62 will be posted tonight, followed by Chapter 63, and then in all likelihood, an Epilogue. My goal is to have the new ending all finished before March 10, which will be the one year mark of posting the first chapter here.

I am so grateful for everyone who has been on this journey with me along the way. You may dislike my new ending, and that's okay with me too! But I won't, and am so excited to be writing my wrong (see what I did there!?) 

Olympiczero.  

[Olympiczero]

The Ballet Slippers - Chapter 62

TWO MONTHS LATER

Isabelle leaped up and down, as high as she could, her legs extending out beneath her as she launched into the air, and bending as she landed, squatted down. She was simply full of joy. It was the night. The night. And the first part of the show had been wonderful

Isabelle insisted on dressing for the part that evening. Jane knew when to pick her battles, and this was not it. Instead, Jaen acquiesced to her daughter's pointing at outfits before the performance which, in the end, was not as ridiculous as it otherwise might have been.

Isabelle bent down once more to leap, her pale pink tights stretching comfortably as she did, pausing for a brief moment before her little legs launched her up in to the air once again. Isabelle smiled gleefully as she jumped, her pink onesie, (or as she liked to call it, her "leotard") sporting a slightly darker pink than her tights soaring with her little body into the air. Isabelle smiled as she felt the ground fall away beneath her, feeling as though she might never fall back to the earth.

But gravity prevailed. It always did. Isabelle had landed the last several jumps, but when her special ballet slippers reached the floor this time, Isabelle lost her balance and tumbled on to her butt. 'It's no matter'; Isabelle thought, startled but unbothered by the impact. She had become used to falling. After all, balancing was very hard. One of the many benefits, however, was having a soft diaper to land in, particularly when it was already as squishy as hers was. Shaking off the shock from the fall, Isabelle resumed her antics. 

Isabelle had been feeling restless from being so patient and well behaved, at least in her view, during the first half of the show. So Isabelle continued to move about, taking advantage of the time she had to do so.

Shifting her weight off of her butt and onto her hands and knees, Isabelle began to crawl around. The lights had just come on in the auditorium, intermission having just started in the show. Isabelle wanted to jump, move, and dance, just like the ballerinas on state. 'Just like Lola and Dani.' Isabelle had tried to get off of her mom's lap during the show, wanting to mimic the dancers then. But Jane hadn't allowed her, despite her loud - and embarrassing - shrieks demanding otherwise. Now was her chance.

Isabelle felt like a real dancer that night, dressed up like a ballerina, in a fancy auditorium, and filled with spectators ready to watch. Sure, the audience hadn't exactly come to see her. But that was beside the point; they were going to get a special performance from Isabelle regardless of what they paid for. 'After all, I am the best in my ballet class!' Isabelle thought to herself.  

Isabelle began crawling the perimeter of the balcony, assessing what she might do. As she explored, Isabelle wondered about what routines she might be able to do from the floor to captivate her audience. Lost in thought, Isabelle crawled over her discarded tutu, laying abandoned on the ground. Isabelle hadn't been on the balcony five minutes before stripping out of it, Jane rolling her eyes as her daughter pulled the tutu down from her waist, and kicking to the side. 

Isabelle continued to crawl about, her mind wandering as it often did. The pattern of bunnies and carrots around her diaper was ever so visible through her tights as she crawled. The pink of her tights barely concealing the pattern of Jane's favorite heavy duty diaper to put her baby in, and to an onlooker, it was quite cute indeed. While the pattern may have been slightly faded, the bulk of the diaper was not. Nor was the obvious sag, the diaper already well used by the potty princess. 

Isabelle paid no heed the bulk which weighed her down. She felt special, being at a real ballet.. Lola had even bought Isabelle a special tiara she could wear for the performance that night. It hadn't left her head all afternoon or evening. If Isabelle had any say in it, it would never come off either. Isabelle truly felt like a ballerina princess. 

Isabelle eventually grew bored with her floor routine. Isabelle planted her hands on the ground in front of her, and began the herculean effort of pushing off her knees to get her feet on to the ground. With a final shove, Isabelle managed to push her legs up on to her feet, keeping her hands planted on the ground to stabilize herself.

For a brief moment, Isabelle stood frozen, her hands planted on the ground, her legs slightly bent, and her diaper very much sticking out. It always took her a moment to stabilize. Isabelle kept her eyes focused between her hands until she was confident she was steady, the mass of her diaper spreading her legs further apart than she considered, and pressed out for her mom to see seated behind her. After her lengthy pause, Isabelle pushed up from her hands, spreading her arms out immediately to maintain her balance, and finally, was standing. Isabelle let a giggle out at her success. 

Isabelle waddled forward toward the balconies edge, spotting the balcony rail in front of her. Isabelle imagines the railing was like a studio barre, thinking of all the times she watched Lola practice on one when she accompanied her mom to pick Lola up at school. Isabelle wanted to show everyone that she could be just like Lola. Step by step, Isabelle waddled forward, her diaper keeping her legs far more spread out than usual. 

Finally, after what felt like a marathon, Isabelle reached out, and placed her hands on the railing above her head. 'Success!' Isabelle exclaimed in her mind, allowing another giggle to escape her vocal cords as pride overwhelmed her. Isabelle gripped the railing as tight as her sweaty palms allowed her, though her little hands could barely wrap around the gold-plated railing to really have a grip. Instead, Isabelle more or less placed pressed against it for stability, though at the angle, it didn't offer much.

The crown of Isabelle's head barely cleared the top of the wall that the railing was attached to, such that Isabelle was staring at the red fabric in front of her, rather than the audience below. Jane and and Sam had had to take turns holding Isabelle during those portions of the performance Isabelle tolerated so that she could even see. But from this angle, Isabelle could see nothing. 'I want to see my adoring fans!' Isabelle decided, moving her hands from the railing to the gap that existed between it, and the top of the wall of the balcony.

With all her might, Isabelle pressed her palms down, attempting to lift herself up. It was no use, however. Isabelle needed to adjust her strategy. 

In her second attempt, Isabelle bent her knees, wondering if maybe she needed the leverage from her hands, as well as a lift from her legs, to be able to see over. After all, it was really cool being on the balcony; other than watching her big sister and Dani dance, it felt cool to sit in one of the balcony seats, a place Isabelle knew was extra special. 

Isabelle bent her knees, preparing to launch herself. Ignoring the rumble in her stomach, Isabelle took one deep breath, and started to life herself once more. But something unexpected happened instead. 

Before she knew it, Isabelle felt herself turned around by her mommy's outstretched left arm. "Belly get away from there. You're going to hurt yourself," Jane said, as she reeled Isabelle in with her left arm, before lifting her up on to her lap. Whether it was shock that her mom could even reach her so far away from the seats, her mom's stern verbal instructions, or that Isabelle had been so completely lost in her imagination, Isabelle froze in her spot. 'I don't wanna not listen to mommy,' Isabelle thought, as she lifted herself back up into a standing position, turning her body to be perpendicular to the railing and her mom.

Isabelle couldn't help but smile as she looked up at her mom's warm eyes. Isabelle looked up at her mom, feeling a joy and happiness overwhelm her. But it only got better. Isabelle felt her mom wrap her right arm around her, securing Isabelle in place. Naturally, Isabelle moved toward her mom, her remaining hand abandoning the railing, and with it, the distant thought of her make-believe ballet game.

Isabelle completed the journey back toward her mom, resting her weight against her mom's left knee as Jane secured her arm all the way around Isabelle, now playing with her daughter's hair. Isabelle's hands moved up her mom's body, toward her free left hand which had been resting on her body. Isabelle's mind was immediately overtaken by her mom's left hand, and more specifically, one finger, where Isabelle found her little fingers dancing around the new addition to her mom's daily outfit; a massive princess cut diamond ring that was wrapped around her mom's ring finger.

Isabelle started to play with the jewel, as she normally did, the the sparkles and refractions shining brightly in the recently lit auditorium. Isabelle had been smiling for weeks about how sparkly the jewel was, wondering if Sam might get her one too if she asked nicely.

Isabelle's mind wandered between the sparkly jewel and the ballet as her mom was engrossed in a conversation about nonsense for all she knew. The first half of the show had been excellent; Isabelle got to watch from either her mommy or new daddy's arms, where she had a perfect view of the stage. Isabelle couldn't believe how amazing all the dancers were; she hoped some day she could be as good as they were. But above all, Dani, who was the star of the performance, and Lola, were the best. Isabelle thought it was really special getting to see them both on stage.

'I wonder if they'll ever get to watch me on stage!' 

But the show only started at 8:00 PM, and it was almost 9:30. Isabelle was starting to get cranky. As she felt her stomach rumble once more, Isabelle shifted her hands away from her mom's ring, and inexplicably, began smacking her mom's knees for the attention she rightly deserved. It had been nearly two months since Isabelle had even been awake this late, and she was feeling out of sorts not being in her routine. Isabelle was tired. 

Isabelle's stomach continued to gurgle, her hunger having been prolonged much longer than she cared for. Isabelle continued pounding her hands down on her mom, now letting her entire body collapse against her mom's legs. Isabelle settled a bit as she felt her mom's left arm wrap around her body along with the right, but still, her mom was talking to some stranger who Isabelle only now realized had come to their balcony.

'It isn't fair!' Isabelle thought, as her expression turned from happy to sour. 'She's my mommy. I want my mommy.' 

Isabelle adjusted her tactics. Isabelle found her body slipping off of her mom's knees, and instead toward the empty space between Jane's legs. Pushing the hem of her mommy's dress up, Isabelle's body now rested against the cushioned seat her mom was seated on.

'Now she has to pay attention to me,' Isabelle concluded, as she recognized that she was now six inches closer to her mommy.

'Maybe she just didn't see me before.' 

Isabelle was wrong. Jane continued speaking with the stranger, the two now laughing. 'Laughing?! Really?!?!' Isabelle couldn't believe her mommy was actually having fun with someone else instead of taking care of her. 'This will not stand,' Isabelle thought, as she began to audibly grumble, building something much louder up inside should it be needed.

Without really understanding why she was doing what she did, Isabelle reached her hands up toward her mommy's face, as Jane continued to stroke Isabelle's hair. Isabelle had wanted to reach her mom's cheeks, but they were too far away. Instead, when her hands came down, they landed right on her mom's stomach, the soft and elegant purple fabric of her mommy's new dress soft against the palms of her hands.

Still, Jane continued to chat away with her stranger friend, as the volume of Isabelle's whining grew louder.

Isabelle continued to act on instinct. As her eyes moved from the profile of her mom's face, they traced down to Jane's soft neck. Her mom was sporting a beautiful necklace ,with jewels that complimented her mom's dress perfectly wrapping around her mom's smooth skin. But that's not what interested Isabelle.

What interested Isabelle was what was below the necklace. Isabelle's stomach gurgled again as her eyes lowered a bit more, and were now fixed on her mom's breasts. The world faded away around her as Isabelle's focus became singular, salivating at the mere thought of the only thing that occupied her mind now.

The notion that Isabelle had once been disgusted, or even hesitant, to nurse from her mommy was a thing of the past. Nursing had become such a regular part of her routine, Isabelle couldn't imagine life without it. 'Well, there was that one time mommy tried to use that machine to have her milk from a bottle....' Isabelle thought back to that horrid week, which fortunately, her mom had abandoned and resumed nursing Belly as she always had.

Unable to wait one more moment, Isabelle reached out, stretching as far as her arms would allow, before her palms came down higher, but still below her Jane's breasts, which only looked more appealing to Isabelle in the gown that blocked them. Isabelle clutched the soft fabric of her mom's dress, and did the only thing she could think of - she tugged.

And tugged again.

And tugged once more, with all her might, practically pulling her mom's dress off.

'If this doesn't get the message across, I don't know what will,' Isabelle concluded 

Jane's eyes turned toward her daughter, meeting her desperate gaze. Isabelle smiled; her plea for attention seemingly worked. Jane freed one of her hands from Isabelle's hair, and used it to remove Isabelle's grip on her dress. Isabelle was startled that the first voice she heard was the stranger's behind her, which started with a laugh. 

"Well, I think I can guess what she's after," the woman joked, as a smile and stifled laugh emerged from Jane. 

"Oh yes. There is no stopping Belly from drinking all of mommy's milk," Jane responded. "Normally I would have fed her hours ago, so she must be really hungry. I'm sorry."

Isabelle wasn't sure if her mommy was talking to her or to her friend, but she didn't care. She was simply relieved that her mom recognized that she was already very late on her feeding. 

"She must be exhausted too," the stranger continued, as Isabelle felt relief overtake her, her mom picking her up and setting her down on her lap. 

"Hungry and tired. Bad combination," Jane added, gently moving Isabelle's hands away from the top of her dress where they had returned to tug. 

Jane paused for a moment, her eyes darting around to assess the privacy of their balcony. In truth, there was some, but not quite as much as she would have preferred. 'I could go to the bathroom downstairs, but its not like there will be a nursing room in the school, so it wouldn't be private there either. The car is far, and a bathroom stall would be uncomfortable.'  

Sensing her dilemma, Sam spoke up. "Just feed her here, sweetheart. It's not a problem. No one is looking up here anyway," Sam added. 

"I'll let myself out," the friend started. Isabelle was glad to have some privacy, the act still not one she happily shared in the presence of others, other than Sam or Lola. And rarely, if ever, in public. 

"Nonsense," Jane interrupted, to Isabelle's surprise. "It's nothing you haven't seen before. Here, can you hold her a second?" 

"No problem! Come here my sweet Belly!"

Isabelle couldn't believe it as her mom handed her off to the stranger, who eagerly took Isabelle up, turning Isabelle's body so they could look at one another. 

'There is something familiar about this stranger,' Isabelle thought. 'I've met her before....lots of times even....'

It wasn't until Isabelle's eyes met the woman, that she realized it had been Dani's mom in the booth chatting with her mommy.

Still, Isabelle couldn't believe that her mom was not only going to feed her on the balcony, where anyone from the audience could look up or down to watch, let alone in front of Dani's mom....Isabelle was struggling; she was hungry. She wanted...no. NEEDED her mom's milk. If she fussed, she might be able to get her mom to move locations. 'But that mean's I'll also have to wait longer to nurse....' Isabelle squirmed as she struggled with her dilemma.

Dani's mom simply held Isabelle closer to her body, which immediately put Isabelle at ease. "True," Dani's mom replied to Jane, "though it's been a long, long time since I was nursing either of mins. I am sort of jealous of you, it was such a special time to have them when they're small like this."

"Hah," Sam replied, as he stood up. "You say that now, but you should only see the size of some of the poops this little one leaves us. You wouldn't be missing it then!" 

The three couldn't help but laugh, Jane recognizing how true it was. "Our little Belly is a big, pooping machine"

"Oh. You don't get it yet," Dani's mom replied. "I miss it all. Even that," she said, before turning playfully to Belly. "Would you let me change your big poopy diaper if I babysat? Would you?" she repeated, tickling Isabelle's stomach with one free hand. Isabelle couldn't help but release a giggle as she did, unbothered of the content of the conversation.  

"I'll go refresh our drinks while you feed her," Sam said casually, as he left the balcony and closed the curtain behind him. Isabelle was left wondering why Dani's mom couldn't get drinks while her daddy stayed....

As he left, Jane shifted in her seat, turning her back to the general audience, but not taking much more precaution for privacy than that as she prepared herself. "Can you help me a second, with the zipper?" Jane asked casually, as Isabelle felt herself lifted up in the air, and carried around to her mom's backside. Isabelle watched as Dani's mom unclasped the top of her mommy's dress, and lowered the nearly invisible zipper down a bit. Excitement replaced hunger, as Isabelle felt her mouth begin to water. Slowly but surely, the shame of the prospect of being fed so publicly was dissipating. 

Isabelle felt herself being carried back down toward Dani's mom's seat, her eyes never leaving her mommy. Isabelle watched, her eyes growing wider and wider, as her mom slipped her right arm out of her dress, holding the strap up with her left arm for a moment, before letting it fall. That action alone wasn't enough to free her mommy's breast, but it would let her easily do so in short order.  Isabelle's heart skipped a beat as she watched her mom reach forward for her, as Dani's mom continued to chat with casually, handing her off. 

"There you go cutie," Dani's mom started, as Isabelle was wrapped up by her mommy. "All ready for mommy's milkies now." Dani's mom said playfully, setting Isabelle down in Jane's lap, before sitting back down herself, and continuing to talk to Jane about their big girls, instead of the baby. 

But Isabelle caught none of the conversation, and not one word of Dani's mom's remark as she was handed off. Her mind was elsewhere. Isabelle's heartbeat was racing as her gaze never left her mommy. Isabelle watch as her mommy, almost glacially slow, shift her dress around and free her right breast from her dress. It lay inches in front of her, exposed to her wanting lips, exposed to Dani's mom, and indeed, for any onlooker with a decent angle, exposed to them as well.

Isabelle thought she'd hesitate. She thought the prospect of nursing in front of someone who was not family would bother her more. Even more shocking, the prospect of doing this in front of strangers, in public, had never crossed her mind as something her mommy would ever do. Something she would ever be asked to do. Something that.....

....That she simply didn't mind doing. More than that. Something she wanted to do. 

As her mommy put her into position, as the sight of the smallest bead of milk emerged from her mommy's nipple. The bead of milk appeared to grow, and grow, and grow in size as Isabelle's head was lifted up toward that ever growing droplet. And just as she was millimeters away, Isabelle's hesitation disappeared entirely. Instead, Isabelle closed her eyes, parted her lips, and then sealed her mouth around her mom's breast, laying her left hand gently on the side of the breast next to her mom.

Isabelle suckled.

Suckled. 

And suckled. 

And suckled. 

Isabelle felt joy with every pull of milk as she shared the moment with her mommy, uncaring for anything else in the world. This moment, like every time she nursed, was everything she wanted. The muscles in her mouth worked hard to keep the latch to her mommy's breast, as she worked her tongue around the nipple to free the milk she so loved. Isabelle kept her eyes shut, the world and noise around her muted, falling away into her own perfect universe as she nursed. There was only Isabelle and her mommy. And of course, her milk.

"Mine never got that big," Dani's mom continued as the two discussed their parenthoods, now bringing attention to Jane's nursing, and referring of course, with amazement, to the size of Jane's objectively enormous breasts. "Not with with either of mine. Not even close! Is it just more milk production? Does it get more sore? I bet Sam doesn't complain!" she added jokingly, amongst myriad of questions. 

Jane smiled as she shifted her gaze from her friend down to her breast, where her perfect little girl lay. "I was shocked too, and even asked the pediatrician. You can imagine what an awkward doctor's visit that one was," Jane started with a laugh, before facing her friend again, "because I felt the same way."

Jane shifted her free hand slightly so she could stroke Isabelle's cheek, causing her baby to squirm at her mommy's touch. Jane laid furhter back into her seat to get comfortable as she changed her angle to put more of her back toward the general audience, creating an illusion of privacy. If Isabelle noticed, she dind't react one bit. 

"I felt like I was really packing A LOT of milk, so we asked Dr. Flasky if I should only feed her from one side, or half from each side for my own relief," Jane sighed as she felt indeed felt that relief, at least from her right breast, as Isabelle continued to empty it. Jane closed her eyes for a brief moment, unable to control her emotions as she smiled and felt the burden release, courtesy of her precious angel.

"uhmm...Sorry," Jane said embarrassingly, before continuing. "Anyway, Dr. Flasky just said that if she's full she'll stop. So I started doing half feedings on each side about 5 weeks ago, and tried pumping the rest. But she threw a fit, and seemingly kept wanting more. Tantrums every time we tried to use the pumped milk in a bottle. So I just took the doctor's advice and....well she just drinks it all. Every last drop," Jane said with too much of a hint of satisfaction, before turning to her angel. "Isn't that right my hungry hungry girl?" 

"Wow, seriously?" Dani's mom replied, genuinely shocked that the little girl had such an appetite. 

"Yup," Jane responded, "not to mention that she's eating solids too, and has quite an appetite for those. I don't mind though. I don't think either of us is ready to start weaning. Not yet, at least." 

"She's so small you'd never expect it," Dani's mom continued. "Mine weren't such big eaters, which is amazing to think about, because Dani eats more than my teenage boy. I have no idea where it all goes..."

"Well, we know where this one's goes," Jane said smiling, tickling her daughter's feet as she could feel Isabelle suckling harder as the stream was coming to a stop.

Isabelle suckled away gently as her mom and Dani's mom had been chatting about various things, none of which concerned her. She heard mention of doctors, and eating, but without context, or interest, Isabelle focused on what was far, far more interesting.

Isabelle was disappointed as she felt the flow of milk begin to slow, and was lifted up back on to her mommy's lap. But Isabelle had grown used to the process, and she knew it would only be moments of waiting. Sure enough, it was only a few seconds before Jane had shifted her right breast back into her dress, freeing her left, and shifting Isabelle to the other side. Isabelle was soon latched on to her mom's left breast, free to suckle away once again, the thick and heavy stream of milk satisfyingly coating her mouth, throat, and stomach.

Isabelle's eyes grew heavy as she worked her lips and tongue. More and more, Isabelle found that feeding from her mom took a lot out of her, and oftentimes, she fell asleep latched. Isabelle didn't hesitate as she released her bladder in her exhaustion, not that she would have considered holding it otherwise, as she lay on her mom's lap. Her diapers never failed her, absorbing the liquid despite already being reasonable saturated. Isabelle felt her mom's hand slip under her diaper, her hand patting rhythmically against the warmed plastic exterior. The comfort of her mommy's hand only caused Isabelle to pee more. 

But that wasn't a problem. 

It was never a problem. 

Isabelle was half asleep, a mixture of drool and milk cascading out of the broken seal of her latch, and down her mom's breast, shortly thereafter. Isabelle caught moments of Dani's mom fawning over her before excusing herself, her daddy coming back and lifting her up, brief images of her mom shifting back into her dress, and one vivid memory of her daddy patting her back before Isabelle released an all too common, loud, milk-belch. Isabelle let her head fall into the crook of her dad's neck, as a pacifier satisfyingly slipped into her empty and longing mouth. 

Isabelle didn't remember the start of the second half of the show. The last memory she had was of her nuzzling against her daddy's freshly shaven neck, his arms wrapped around her, and the lights in the auditorium fading Isabelle's ear was pressed against Sam's body, as she listened to his heartbeat; steady, strong, and comforting. Isabelle thought about counting the number of times it beat, but there was no use. Isabelle fell fast asleep on his shoulder, and in his arms, before she could muster the count to "one."

************************************

"Entering wreck. Crew, it looks like we're finally going to make it."

Investigator Space Captain Isabelle straightened her arms, and like a torpedo, dove down through the broken hole in the ship's hull. In all her years as an Investigator Space Captain for the Rainbow Command, Isabelle had never endured a mission so difficult. Delays, negotiations, atmospheric dangers, all on a distant and new planet, with creatures her homeland could hardly even fathom. A promotion was awaiting her at home. 'Perhaps even Investigator Space Admiral....' Isabelle thought to herself.  

But that could wait. She needed to focus. 'The mission is not complete yet.' The treasure would soon be hers. 

"Captain's log. I have finally managed to get back into the ship, with the key in hand. The crew, the greatest in the entire command, deserves all the credit." It was true, Isabelle thought, reflecting on their journey over the last few months.

Isabelle turned her body upright and gently kicked her feet as she navigated the ship. She had thought that once she acquired the Clam Conjurer's pearl, all would be settled. Isabelle laughed to herself as she thought about all she, and the crew, had endured since. "Log. At every turn, we were stymied. After the storm was quelled, we had to deal with what is being dubbed as "The Great Freeze," an unexpected climate insurgence caused by the Great Space Penguins of the outer rim." 

Isabelle recalled how cold it had gotten after the freeze. The penguins were absolutely adorable, even now she could hardly believe the mayhem they had caused. Isabelle couldn't help but smile as she pictured their little heads in their spacesuits. Isabelle was also thankful First Mate Rabbity (yes, he had earned yet ANOTHER promotion) had developed an encased sleeping suit to conserve the entire human crew's - (population, Isabelle) - warmth at night. The soft fleece material even came with a zipper on the back so someone could help her in and out of it. It even covered her feet!

"But that was hardly the worst of it Log," Isabelle continued to narrate, as she darted, turn after turn, until she made her way to the room with the secret entrance concealed within. Isabelle's stomach bubbling with anticipation. 

"After the thaw, we had to deal with the berg crisis. Then the great floods ('How a water planet has floods still escapes me!') And then the Midnight Moon fiasco. There was the Shocking Eel Sitch, the Toothless Shark Tantrums, and even the Mermaid Mumble Mystery that all needed to be resolved so that we could arrive at this moment. And here we are."

Isabelle didn't bother mentioning the cosmic pressure system had never relented; it had been well documented already. As had another of Rabbity's inventions. Changing Isabelle had turned out to become an almost full time the task, based on the level of pressure and the amount of V.2 C.R.I.B.s she was going through. It was becoming a burden, on the rest of the crew and was distracting the crew from their duties. So Rabbity came up with another solution.

Rainbow Command's newest ships would all be equipped with new robots, dubbed the Maternal Orderly Moisture Monitor Yield and the Diligent Action Diaper Duty Yuck systems. The crew had come to calling them Mommy and Daddy for short. The Mommy system handled the wet C.R.I.Bs, while the Daddy system handled the stinky ones. The Mommy bots were specifically outfitted with nutritional supplements, just in case they were needed too. It had come in handy more times than Investigator Space Captain Isabelle had anticipated. Isabelle had learned to truly love that aspect of the Mommy bots.

The solution allowed the crew to return to their essential duties. While the crew ran the ship, the Mommy and Daddy prototypes were free to look after Isabelle. Rabbity was convinced he could modify them to look after more than one human crew member if needed, but said that "it would require at least 9 months of calibration for the Mommy bots could generate the capacity to care after a second human crew member. The Daddy bots, on the other hand, would need a software upgrade akin to a book." Isabelle didn't really understand the technical aspects of it. But it didn't matter. The Mommy and Daddy had both done an excellent job monitoring and changing Isabelle's C.R.I.Bs whenever was needed, wherever was needed. Isabelle was freely changed in any and every location of the ship, as the Mommy and Daddy followed her around and watched over her. 

Mommy and Daddy were, without a doubt, Isabelle's favorite inventions.

"Log. Here we go. The moment we have waited for. Entering secret passageway. Approaching the treasure room." 

Left, right, right, down, up, every direction; Isabelle made her way back through the ship's secret labyrinthine corridors until she arrived at her destination: the dusty, room, once covered in cobwebs. It was exactly how she left it. 

With a flicker of excitement, Isabelle pushed aside a the debris from the fallen crate she had seen so many months ago, revealing the chest hidden beneath the planks that had shifted over it. "Chest has been located. Pulling out key to insert." The chest was adorned with the intricate carvings Isabelle had dreamed so often about. In front of her, the chest's golden lock was gleaming in the faint light.

With trembling hands, Isabelle reached for the key kept securely in her zipper pouched, and moved it toward the chest. There was no guarantee the key would even work, and Isabelle knew it. All she could do was hope.  

Isabelle's hand's continued to shake and tremble as the key made its way closer. 

All the answers she had worked so hard for.

Everything she had done, and worked toward, since........

....'huh...when did this all start again.......' Isabelle found herself asking, as her hand moved forward.

Isabelle shrugged it off. It didn't matter how it started. 'Right now....I just...need to know.....know wh-.......know what happened.' Isabelle told herself.

Her hand steadied, and moved close to the chest, key in hand.

And closer...

And closer......

And......

*CLICK*

Isabelle heard the lock click, just as the golden lock opened. For a brief moment, the world froze, and nothing happened at all. 

What happened next, however, was remarkable. 

The ground around her began to tremble, louder, and louder, until it felt as though there was an earthquake. All around Isabelle the ship began to break apart, falling around her. Isabelle thought about panicking, about fleeing. But for the first time in a long time, she felt so sure. So confident that she would be safe. Confident that what was going to happen, what she was going to learn, that it was going to reveal everything. 

Before Isabelle could even move, a golden light burst forth from the lock and key, surrounding Isabelle in a golden bubble. Isabelle didn't have the capacity to understand what was happening, or how it was happening. - it was all simply too remarkable to witness. And it was happening - she was part of it. Isabelle watched as the ship continued to break apart all around her, disintegrating, as though it was turning to dust, ang then nothing, disappearing into the water around her. Yet nothing could pierce the golden shield that encased Isabelle and the treasure. they were protected within.

It was a remarkable sight, watching as the ship fell away, until it was gone. Just like that. Poof. Suddenly, there was nothing left but Isabelle and her treasure, as the golden shield that surrounded slowly dissolved away, much like the ship had.

Nervously, Isabelle reached out to open the chest. But she never got the chance. Suddenly, the chest burst open, a golden light beaming out of it, and shooting up into the sky. The light expanded and expanded in every which direction, spreading as far as the very edges of the planet. Isabelle attempted to shield her eyes from the light, but quickly found that the light wasn't bothering them. 

With one strong stroke, Isabelle swam up to the treasure, its contents floating up until they were right in front of her face.

There it was. The treasure.

Smack in the front of her face, floating right there in the oceans of Aquaria, was a pair of ballet slippers. 

Isabelle's ballet slippers, in fact. Classic point, narrow, medium and square box, stiff, and Isabelle didn't have to guess; she knew they were the perfect size.

"What...on...earth...Wha.." Hesitantly, Isabelle reached for the pointe slippers, inching her arms forward through the ocean water slowly as though they were the most delicate shoes in the world. As her hands were inches from the slippers, she felt something and froze. 'No.....its....heat...' Isabelle knew, as the vibrations of the shoes sent waves of warmth through her body. 

And suddenly, Isabelle understood.

It was the ballet slippers. 

It had always been the ballet slippers. 

Her ballet slippers.

It was the source of it all. 

 

[FloridaKid]

I really enjoyed this story when you first wrote and posted it. I know some folks weren’t happy with the “fluid” ending. I’m happy to see you’ve returned to offer an alternative ending, if only because I loved it the first time around and I’m genuinely interested to see your new take.

[BabySofia]

6 hours ago, Olympiczero said:

(thanks especially to

I'm excited to see what you do with this. I've felt a bit guilty that I may have been a little too harsh in my wording. I do hope you are happy with the ending you leave here, I really do consider this a great tale! I'll look forward to seeing the next part soon. (From what I can remember of the original chapter, this part has some definite improvements already!)

[Olympiczero]

9 hours ago, FloridaKid said:

I really enjoyed this story when you first wrote and posted it. I know some folks weren’t happy with the “fluid” ending. I’m happy to see you’ve returned to offer an alternative ending, if only because I loved it the first time around and I’m genuinely interested to see your new take.

Thanks so much! It's great to hear from one of the regular contributors. I am looking forward to closing it up the way I wanted to back over the summer.

 

9 hours ago, BabySofia said:

I'm excited to see what you do with this. I've felt a bit guilty that I may have been a little too harsh in my wording. I do hope you are happy with the ending you leave here, I really do consider this a great tale! I'll look forward to seeing the next part soon. (From what I can remember of the original chapter, this part has some definite improvements already!)

Nothing to harsh! You were not alone. Several people were very helpful in offering criticism and guidance, you most of all. I appreciated then and now. I am thrilled you enjoyed this section more already, though most of the changes will appear in what comes next!

[Olympiczero]

The Ballet Slippers - Chapter 63

Isabelle's mind was racing. Her eyes had barely adjusted to the now reignited auditorium. Her ears had not quite recognized the raucous applause around her as she just barely lifted her head off of the soft carpet she likewise didn't recognize. But her mind? Her mind was racing. 

It wasn't the only thing racing, however. Isabelle's heart was beating faster than she could ever recall. Together, heart and mind, her thoughts and emptions were causing a whirlwind inside of her that her body had not quite caught up to. 

Had her eyes been capable of registering what was happening around her, they would have seen a jam packed auditorium standing as the ballerinas on stage took their bows. 

Had her ears been capable of hearing, they would have caught as several parents called down to their children with pride, wanting to give their performers the individualized attention they all so deserved. 

Had her brain been accepting information from the nerves at the edges of Isabelle's fingers, she would have registered that she had been, at some point during the second half of the performance, laid down on the soft, plush carpet, now sporting a small drool spot from her mouth. 

But none of that had happened, even as Isabelle sat up on her recently soaked diaper, the cushion squelching beneath her. Isabelle's heart and mind continued to race as her body acted on autopilot, her arms stretching out above her head, her physical form having been disrupted from its slumber. 

Isabelle did not, however, feel rested. Her dream was more real than ever, and Isabelle began questioning whether her time in Aquaria was not her actual reality. '....But what would that make this?' She found herself asking.

Isabelle's mind felt out of control, and for the first time in a while, out of synch with her body. It was as though her mind had been hit by a train of information; her eyes were opened wide, both literally and figuratively. But all they could process was what she had learned in her dream. It was the slippers.

Isabelle repeated the thought to herself over and over as memories began to slowly seep into her mind. 

'It was the slippers'

Isabelle reinforced her newly discovered theory as Jane picked Isabelle up from the floor, holding her NOW baby daughter close to her body.

'It was the slippers'

Isabelle repeated and repeated the line to herself. No matter now much time seemingly passed, Isabelle was fueled by her sudden realization. The adrenaline had not worn off at all from the moment she had returned from Aquaria. There were too many questions to ask, far too few answers, and absolutely no direction with which to follow moving forward. Isabelle was absolutely dazed.

But whether it was the daze, or something else, Isabelle's body continued to act consistent with her current physical self, and perhaps against her mind. When her mom lifted her up, Isabelle did not resist. When her mom snuggled her neck, Isabelle released a giggle and cuddled into the nook of her mom's neck. Isabelle's mind may have been coming to, but her body was not.

To an onlooker, Isabelle's behavior thus probably seemed precisely how one might expect. Isabelle was stunningly silent through the lengthy standing ovation and applause, as each dancer was cheered on loudly by the friends, family, and classmates. The noise, which normally might have bothered her, felt muted. Instead, all Isabelle heard was the echoes of her mind replaying her dream over and over again. 

Isabelle stayed silent as her mommy and daddy went to congratulate Dani's parents. Isabelle hardly even noticed they had moved to another balcony, her eyes completely transfixes on her ballet slippers wrapped around her mother's side as her mind continued to struggle with the reality of her situation. 

More than a few "she must be exhausted" and "what an absolute champion" were thrown in Isabelle's direction by curious friends. Isabelle heard none of it. Isabelle reacted to none of it Nor was any of it true; Isabelle felt full of energy, her heart pounding hard against her chest. 

"Well," Jane said, transitioning the conversation with her peers, "we have to collect ours and get this one home to bed." Jane shifted Isabelle higher up on her hip, stroking her daughter's hair in an effort to calm her down. 

"I don't know," Dani's mom joked sheepishly. "She looks so stiff and attentive all the sudden. You'd think she'd be fast asleep on your shoulder at this point!" 

Sam and Jane curiously met eyes; Isabelle was acting a little strange, to their eyes at least. 

"I'm sure she's just overtired, and a little thrown off by all the noise and lights. She'll be out cold before we back the car out of the lot." Sam explained

Jane changed her facial expression from concern into a smile; 'he's right, after all,' she told herself. 

But he wasn't. Or it didn't feel like he was. Isabelle suddenly felt very lonely. Her momm- mother could not possible understand what she was going through at that moment, as more and more memories of her past life flooded into her mind. 

'Or can she? Does she.....know?' Isabelle wondered. 

The terrifying thought occupied Isabelle's mind as Jane carried her toward the staircase that would lead down to the main floor. 'What if momm......mom has known all along what's been happening to me....what's happened to me over the last.....well months!' It couldn't be true, Isabelle wanted to believe. But the sinking thought of it even being possible horrified her. Isabelle's eyes moved up from her shoes to meet her mother's gaze, the first time she had stopped looking at her slippers.

'Momm...Mom has had this kind of work out for her,' Isabelle thought. 'She met a nice man, she's engaged...' Isabelle's mind got stuck on that fact for a moment longer than she intended. As a baby, she had not appreciated the ramifications of her mom's engagement beyond that she was going to be a flower girl. But her mind was suddenly not that little girl's, and reality was setting in. 

'It couldn't be though,' Isabelle concluded, not wanting to to consider the idea for one moment longer, and certainly not wanting to explore the notion that her mom would engage in half, let alone some very particular things, with Isabelle had she known what was happening. 

But Isabelle's current situation was suddenly becoming all too real to her. She was in her mother's arms. HER ARMS! Jane was carrying her, as though Isabelle was nothing.

And Isabelle practically was nothing.

Isabelle's eyes traced her little pudgy arms, before scanning down her body to the legs wrapped around her mom's torso. It was remarkable; she was LITERALLY a baby. 'How....can this be.....real?'

Yet Isabelle's body tried with all of its effort to get even closer to her mom, pulling on her mom's neck with all her might in order to get her head higher up. Jane simply shifted Isabelle to Jane's front, allowing Isabelle's head to collapse fully on Jane's shoulder. 

Isabelle recognized, however, that was had happened was real, however possible. Memories of being in classes with those girls she had JUST watched on the stage were starting to return to her mind. It felt as though it were just days ago. 

Then suddenly, Isabelle was in 10th grade all over again, and everyone acted......'completely normal about it.' It was as though Isabelle was the only one who realized what had happened.

Isabelle's heart began to race faster as her mom's feet hit the ground level. Before she knew it, her mom had rounded a corner, and in her mind, she had shrunk again; this time to middle school. Memories of her new friends, of Mel, brought a smile to her face, if briefly. But the concern and shock returned almost immediately thereafter. 'How was any of this possible...'

Isabelle's mind turned back to her investigation. It seemed so foolish now, but had she simply not identified the cause. 

'The slippers...' No matter how many times she spoke it to herself, it remained shocking to think.

Isabelle's attention was snapped for the first time since the show had ended. It felt as though it had been nearly an hour, if not quite that. Isabelle felt as her mom's body however, re-energized as they greeted someone.

"Sweetie you were AMAZING! I mean absolutely AMAZING! WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!" 

Jane's voice echoed in Isabelle's ears as she picked her head up to see Lola, walking out of the locker room, still wearing much of her ballet outfit and her makeup. 

'She's blushing,' Isabelle thought. It was a shocking thought to have, Isabelle reflected in an instant. Not just because Isabelle was able to recognize such a subtle body response. It was shocking because Lola rarely blushed. 

'Lola knows she's great. Even when her dad.....' Isabelle's mind trailed off, before the realization set in. 

'She hasn't had a mom to greet her after a show in almost a decade.' Isabelle was both grateful and regretful that she recognized how special the moment must have been for Lola, after all these years, after developing such a nice relationship with her.......

with their mom.

Isabelle was happy for her friend. Her best friend.

Isabelle's theory was only confirmed by Lola's more indifferent response to her dad's compliments. "Thanks guys. But I wasn't even the lead in this one. It's Dani that was amazing...."

'Humble.' Now that was a response Isabelle was used to Lola providing, despite being the strongest dancer of their year. 

Isabelle didn't get to think much longer, before she was suddenly lifted out of her mom's arms, and grasped tightly by Lola. Lola's touch was so delicate. Isabelle had held her friend's hands so often, the touch felt just as familiar as it cradled her body. 

"And how about you Belly? What did you think of how I did?" Lola asked playfully, as  she used her free hand to accept a bouquet of flowers Sam handed to her.

Isabelle wanted to compliment Lola, to tell her she was amazing, to point out the nuances of Lola's performance, the specific moves she completed perfectly. Isabelle's mind was recycling memories of those parts of the show she had been awake for, and felt the glowing response coming out, sitting on the very tip of her tongue, begging to escape.

But her body simply didn't allow it. Instead, Isabelle buried her face into Lola's shoulder, rubbing her dripping nose and drooly mouth into the nook of Lola's neck. Isabelle simple nodded, pushing her face in deeper to her friend's skin, the all-too familiar smell of Lola's perfume flowing through Isabelle's nose. Isabelle expressed her approval the only way her body would allow; nodding up and down into Lola's neck.

"Aww.....Is someone tired?" was all Lola said in response. 

Jane answered for Isabelle. "Yeahhh, I think so. But you'd be so proud. She lasted the whole first half of the show. She watched from my arms, and dad's arms, and she kept pointing and pointing at you, calling your name. We had to put her pacifier in just to keep her quiet. She was practically screaming for you!'

'Another blush.' This one, Isabelle felt, as the warmth spread to Lola's cheeks, pressing against her own face. It made her happy. Which was odd all things considered. 

Isabelle was still smiling when Lola grasped Isabelle more firmly, translating her carry into more of a hug or cradle. It only made Isabelle happier.  

"What an amazing little girl you are!" was the only response Isabelle heard, as she settled her head further into her friend. It felt familiar, and that was comforting. So familiar, Isabelle nearly nodded off, nearly forgot that her world had come crashing back to reality. 

From there, the conversation took off without Isabelle at all. Lola led the way through the school. Jane continued to marvel at all of Lola's pieces of the performance, often pointing out the very things Isabelle had wanted. In fact, Isabelle was a little shocked about how much her mom actually knew about ballet. 'I never realized how much she really paid attention to me...' It was a sobering though, yet still overflowed Isabelle with love.

The conversation didn't stall from the auditorium to the car. Isabelle kept her head buried in Lola's shoulder. Her mind was still racing, but her body felt so relaxed. 

Isabelle's mental journey continued, as memories of her second time in second grade returned. The loneliness of that time took over; she had been without her friends from high school or middle school. There had been so much stress during the day and at night with trying to get to the bathroom. Of everything that happened to her, even more than it happening to begin with, that time had been a major low point in her journey. The emotions of the memories were too much for Isabelle, and Isabelle felt her body finally begin to act with her min  as she let out a few sobs and some cries just as Lola approached the car.

"Shhhhh. Shhhh Shhh. It's okay Belly," Lola whispered, believing Isabelle's stirs to be related to the opening of the car door, or simple exhaustion. "Let's get you into your car seat, and well be in bed in no time. Shhhh Shhh.."

Isabelle was not ready to let go, however. Isabelle didn't want to be alone, to be without Lola ever again. Her memories of her time in second grade were too much, and her grip on her friend - or sister - tightened. It was relentless.

"Okay, Okay!" Lola exclaimed, actually shocked at the sting of pain from Isabelle digging her nails into her neck. "I'll carry you around to the other side with me," Lola said, a tinge of annoyance in her voice. After such a long evening, she didn't need a toddler's nails in her neck, and she was herself quite exhausted. 

The promise was enough to calm Isabelle's nerves as she released her vice grip on Lola, and settled back down into her friend's body. Isabelle didn't stir again as Lola closed the side door. Isabelle didn't fidget as Lola carried her to the other side. Isabelle didn't budge as Lola slid into the car in one swift movement, closing the door with a freed hand. Isabelle simply rested. 

Lola, however, was not going to overlook safety. Deftly, Lola shifted Isabelle off of her shoulder and into her car seat. Before Isabelle could so much as open her eyes, she found herself buckled in firmly, the padding of her seat enveloping her. 

Isabelle thought she would be more upset to be away from Lola. But in truth, her car seat lent her body a comfort her mind was not expecting. Rather than protest the lack of contact with Lola, Isabelle instead found a special peace within her special seat, her body relaxing, even if her mind would not.

Her mind's journey continued. But rather than further distress, Isabelle's mind seemed to settle as memories of daycare flooded her mind. 

"I was - am - so little," Isabelle confessed, or indeed accepted, as her mind replayed memories and images from class with Becky and Julia as though she was there at that very minute. Isabelle saw a smile on her face, as she called out animal names, played with make-believe trains, memories filling her heart with warmth. More than familiarity, or clarity, engulfed her. Isabelle was filled with a sense of joy, of happiness, of completeness, as her mind played memory after memory of singing, dancing, playing and more at daycare. Isabelle felt no distress, and certainly no stress, as her mind seemingly calmed itself for the first time since she had woken up after the show.

'I was.....truly happy there,' Isabelle confessed to herself, just as she felt her lips part as Lola slipped her pacifier into her mouth in the car. Isabelle felt her eyes settle shut, as her body went into autopilot, suckling her pacifier graciously. 

'Happier than.....' Isabelle wasn't sure if it was true. Or if she was even willing to admit it. But part of her wanted to think it, wanted to say it. Happier than she had been in a while.

Isabelle's confessions was seemingly only reinforced as the car began to back out of the spot, before Sam shifted into drive, and began the journey home. Despite reality setting into her mind, Isabelle felt confused. 

'Shouldn't I be freaking out? At least, more than I am...?' But Isabelle's heart rate was slowing, her mind was calming. It wasn't yet relaxed, but more that it was confused. 

'Do I even have a choice?' Isabelle wondered. But as she did, she opened her eyes, and stared down at her feet. Despite her enlightenment, she had not once tried to take her slippers off. 'I'm still wearing them.....I suppose I could just....take them off.' Isabelle was too distracted to consider the irony that she had been happily suckling her pacifier while contemplating her very adult decisions.

...

...

'I don't know what I want.' 

Isabelle admitted it quietly, as she felt her body shift against the cushion of her seat. Her eyes shut firmly once again, her realization briefly causing her heart to speed up again.

But something unexpected happened that calmed her down; Isabelle's face warmed at Lola's touch, who seemingly noticed her distress. Isabelle didn't need to open her eyes. In fact, she preferred to keep them shut, allowing her sense of touch and feel to have exclusive focus on Lola's touch, as her gentle fingers stroked Isabelle's cheek, before playfully dancing their way down her chest and stomach, down her legs, and to her slippers, before repeating the motions back up her body. Isabelle squirmed gleefully in her chair as she felt the car make another turn, her body shifting toward the door this time instead. 

Conversation continued in the car around her. Isabelle heard echoes of her mom's voice. Her new dad's voice. Lola's voice. There was laughter. There were high pitches and low. There was excitement and energy. It was an incredible sensation; Isabelle had never quite had a family like this before. And as she considered that thought, she realized no one else in the car really had either, at least in some time. More remarkable than anything was the fact that it occurred to Isabelle she either wasn't even hearing the words that were spoken, or couldn't comprehend them. Yet, the feeling of fulfillment was still the same. She FELT it, KNEW it, was PART of it, and even added to it. Knowing what was said was not as relevant as simply being present in that moment. 

The sensation of feeling whole was too much for her little body to handle emotionally. Isabelle's mind, perhaps, could have managed it. But her body was still operating very much as it had for the past several weeks. Right now, that little body needed to move. Isabelle felt her back arch up from the soft padding it had been laying against, but that alone wasn't enough. Isabelle's feet stretched out as much as her seat would allow, before bending, her feet resting against her seat. Isabelle pushed her feet, using the leverage created with her legs to arch her body further. Isabelle mustered just enough strength to life her wet diaper up from the seat, pressing against the five point harness that held her securely in the car as much as she could. Sensing she lacked the strength to hold herself long, Isabelle used her arms to hold herself suspended, if even just for a moment.

Isabelle's stirring didn't garner much, if any reaction or attention, other than Lola's hand continuing to dance around her body.. 'It's completely normal to them,' Isabelle acknowledged, as she pressed up further against her harness with all her might, the conversation, noise, and family around her continuing about as though everything was in order. Isabelle smiled beneath her pacifier, which continued to shift in, and out, of her mouth with every breath.

Isabelle's exertion of effort caused her body to engage in an unexpected, different reaction. It was an indescribable moment, frozen as she suspended herself above her car seat. Isabelle's mind was fully hers once more. Perhaps overwhelmed with the onslaught of memories and feelings returning all at once. But hers nonetheless. 

Yet Isabelle's body was not her own. It continued to respond to the every stimuli, internal and external, as it had, as it should, as was normal for the little baby she had become, that she was. So while her mind was fully aware of what happened next, her body proceeded without hesitation. Isabelle's stomach muscles delicately pushed as her face scrunched up, just enough to ensure she could help her bowels along. Isabelle's mind processed as her sphincter wantingly opened up, allowing her poop to escape into the welcoming diaper underneath her. Isabelle's body naturally proceeded, emptying what poop it had, wave after wave, as her mind acknowledge the feeling of the poop piling up in her diaper, first weighing it down until it was practically touching the seat beneath her, and then continuing to pile up until the very last log stacked up, resting against the skin of her bottom. 

Isabelle's mind wanted to be disgusted at what she had just fully been aware of happening. Isabelle was, however, in a way disgusted that her mind was not. 

'It should be wrong, feel wrong.' But it didn't. 'It doesn't....it feels.....good," Isabelle admitted. 'It feels right." 

Isabelle's body continued to overpower - or perhaps work with, if Isabelle was being honest - her mind, as the effort to keep herself suspended was simply too much for her little body. Slowly, effortlessly, seamlessly, Isabelle released the tension in her arms, lowering herself slightly. Isabelle's mind braced as she felt the very top log of poop, which had been resting so delicately against her skin, begin to flatten as the weight of her body pressed down on it, and the layers of poop below it. 

Isabelle continued, releasing  the strain in her legs, one at a time, as she unbent her right knee first. Isabelle stretched her little right leg out, feeling relief in the tension it had holding her body up, as the right side of her body sank further. Isabelle felt her right butt cheek push more weight down against the mound of poop beneath her, now pressing it more firmly, with more weight, feeling the warm solid mound press down around her right side. Isabelle felt as the poop covered her right butt check, pressing further behind her, and even in front, before she lowered no more.

Still, her mind was not disgusted. Still, Isabelle was shocked it was not. 

Isabelle repeated the process with her left knee, which represented the last remaining structure holding her body up. Isabelle felt relief as her leg stretched out, as had her right, before a similar sinking happened on her left. Her poop covered her left butt cheek, before shifting forward and back, up the backs and front of her diaper. Unlike last time, however, the full weight of her body was now pressing her poop in every direction. By the time Isabelle stopped sinking, the poop had risen not only to the top of the back of her diaper, but the front as well.

Still, no disgust. 'This should be mortifying!' Isabelle couldn't help but think. Yet her mind was not mortified. And her body was, in fact, the complete opposite, as the smile on her face extended. 

Isabelle shifted her weight left and right, finding a sweet comfort seated in her poop. Despite being fully seated on it now, Isabelle was not making any contact with the padding of her diaper. Rather, a thick layer of her poop was propping her up, and Isabelle felt noticeably taller in her car seat, and equally, if not more comfortable. 

Isabelle was snapped our of her daze as she heard a noise to her left; Lola had used her free left hand to lower the power window on the driver's side near her. Isabelle almost forgot where she was, a sense of guilt beginning to trickle into her mind. 'Oh my god....what will they think? What will they say?' The disgust Isabelle had been expecting, but had not come, would soon enough be thrust upon her, Isabelle knew, whether she wanted it or not.
 
Yet it never came. There was no reaction at all to what Isabelle's body - nay, what Isabelle - had done. No reaction when she had lifted herself up. No response when she had scrunched her face and pushed. No comments as she piled her poop up into her diaper. No remarks as she sat back down in it, spreading it around. No jests as Lola cracked open a window. Everyone conducted themselves as though nothing had happened, nothing abnormal. Conversation continued. Laughter continued. And the sense of family, of completeness, never left the car. 

No disgust.

In fact, It had only occurred to Isabelle in that precise moment, that Lola's hand had never left her body throughout her entire pooping experience. Lola's hand had danced up her tummy when Isabelle scrunched. Lola's hand danced down her diaper and to her legs as Isabelle had pushed. Lola's hand had paused to rest on Isabelle's diaper to confirm what Isabelle was doing as Isabelle had released her arms. And Lola's hand danced all the way up to Isabelle's fact, caressing Isabelle's cheek, as Isabelle released her weight down onto her poopy diaper, spreading it about. 

Lola's hand had never left, still gently motioning her right thumb across Isabelle's cheek, periodically wiping the drool dripping from Isabelle's lips. Lola's hand never left. 

Isabelle's eyes began to rest more fully, as she allowed the full weight of her head to collapse into Lola's open hand. Isabelle felt Lola's hand curve ever so slightly, creating a pillow on which Isabelle could rest. The noise and sounds around her began to dull once more, but never left. Never stopped. Isabell returned to her thoughts, comfortable, cozy, and calm. 

'Would it be so bad to stay like this?' The question had been hovering in her mind for a while, and Isabelle could hardly believe she was considering it. At the same time, she could. 

It was nice beyond belief to have a family dynamic she had never had. Isabelle also couldn't deny how happy those were around her; her mom, was truly in love. Lola, who always complained of being an only child, had a sister. Even Sam, who Isabelle had known for years, was like a completely different person. 

'But that isn't reason to do this,' Isabelle knew. She had to make a decision for herself, ultimately. Was she really ready to throw away all her years of ballet training? All her memories and experiences with her best friends, Lola and Dani, as their equal? Would it be worth it, just to grow up all over again?

'It's not as though I couldn't do ballet all over again,' Isabelle began reasoning with herself. "And....' Isabelle hesitated. She knew that in all likelihood, she, Lola, and Dani would have been going their separate ways after they graduated. They didn't like to talk about it, but it lingered behind everything they did.

'...and this would let me keep Lola, and maybe even Dani, in my life in a way I wouldn't have been able to otherwise....' 

Isabelle's realization hit her like a truck just as she felt the car come to a stop. 

"I'll grab her." Isabelle heard Lola state. It wasn't a question. 

"Okay," Isabelle heard Jane reply. "I'll meet you upstairs."

Isabelle left her eyes shut. She soon heard the car door next to her open, followed by a cool winter breeze blow across her face. Isabelle shuddered as Lola unbuckled her harness. Isabelle felt the weight of her diaper fall under her as she was lifted into Lola's arms, clutching her big sister closely for warmth. Isabelle felt as Lola scooped her sagging diaper up, pressing the poop firmly against her skin once more, before carrying her into the house.

"Let's go stinky. You made quite a heavy diaper in your seat sweetie."

No disgust. No bother. Just love. All Isabelle felt was love, as she settled further into Lola's chest, comforted by the press of her full diaper against her skin. 

Isabelle's mind settled finally. She knew she'd have a decision to make. But right now, she was just tired. Isabelle relaxed her body and mind as Lola carried her up each stair toward her nursery. Isabelle felt as she was carried down the all-too familiar hall toward what had been her bedroom for months now. Isabelle smiled as she was lowered on to her soft changing table. The next moment she opened her eyes, she saw her mom staring down at her, smiling back. 

"Hey poopy pants. Let's get you into a fresh diaper," Jane cooed to Isabelle. Isabelle only giggled in response, blissfully unbothered by the mass she had made, sat it, and squished around in her diaper. 

Jane quickly undressed Isabelle until she was in nothing but her diaper. Then, Jane unsecured the tapes, not without making a remark. "Wheeeewwww. Belly. Quite the big stinky you made for everyone. What do you think Lola?!"

Isabelle hadn't realized that Lola had stayed, seated on her mommy's nursing chair, until she responded. 

"Oh I got the full feel off it in the back of the car, don't you worry. Such a poopy girl!" Lola joked, as Isabelle felt her mom begin to clean her up. 
 
Isabelle felt safe as her mom wiped her, taking her time to clean up every inch of her. Isabelle never stopped suckling her pacifier as Jane worked to clean her up, sliding a fresh, thick diaper underneath Isabelle.

"I really am proud of you," Jane said, turning to Lola. Isabelle watched as her mother's gaze left her for just a moment to look at her new big daughter. Her mom was sincere; Isabelle knew the tone. The undertone of pride was real, and Isabelle was proud too.

"....th..thanks" Lola responded. "Thanks mom.." Lola repeated, adding a word that Jane, and even Isabelle had never expected to hear.

A silence gripped the room, as Jane froze, holding the powder turned upside down over Isabelle. 

Lola was the first to break the silence. "I guess I need to get used to calling you that now," Lola said, startled by her own use of the word. It had been so long, and meant so much to say it.

Jane wanted to cry. "You know you don't need to if you aren't comfortable. It's okay. I understand sweetie. I lost my mom young too, and I know she will always be your mom." Jane understood the situation was challenging, though Lola calling her that would mean the world to her.

Lola immediately regretted her use of the word 'need.' "What I mean to say is...I...want to get used to saying it. I do want to call you mom...it may take some time before it feels natural though.." 

Jane had not moved, and as a result, had dumped an enormous amount of powder on Isabelle's crotch as she lay naked, open diaper on her changing table. But now she moved, lifting the powder back up, and chuckling at the mess she had made. Leaving Isabelle securely strapped to the changing table, Jane made her way over to Lola, who had stood up at this point, and the two embraced. Isabelle couldn't hear much of what was whispered between the two, but it warmed her heart nonetheless. Even naked as she lay, Isabelle felt warm and fuzzy. 

After what felt like a full ten minutes, Isabelle watched as the two separated, and both turned to Isabelle. 

"I think you may have used a little too much powder," Lola said, breaking the purity of the moment as the two laughed.

"Yes. Yes I did. But she'll be fine. She wets so heavy at night anyway, I'll just tape her up and I'm sure she'll be soaked through, if not more in the morning. Though I don't know how she could have anything left in her after that diaper.."

Isabelle smiled as Lola handed Jane a set of footie pajamas, which she was swiftly zipped into. Jane then handed Isabelle off to Lola, who proceeded to kiss her warmly, before laying Isabelle down gently into her crib.

Isabelle fell asleep as Jane and Lola looked down at her. Isabelle didn't hear the door close behind them as they left soon after; she was blissfully asleep.
 

[BabySofia]

Definitely more in character and in line with what you had written before. This is a big improvement. Looking forward to what I assume is still another chapter or epilogue? 

[FloridaKid]

I absolutely agree with @BabySofia. Wonderfully written and in line with the rest of the story. I feel much more emotionally connected to the characters in this ending. Isabelle’s awareness and internal struggle are more evident in this version, resulting in my feeling less like an observer and more like a participant. It’s not written in first person, yet that’s the feeling I get while reading it. I’m very much looking forward to your new finale.