✅ Over Protected

64. Looking Forwards

Once we were inside the house, we found Alanis lying back on the couch. She was dressed in a onesie, and it was clear that she was still in diapers. After everything she'd been through, she was still a little scared of growing up. But Lyra's parents – all of them now – had promised to give her all the support she needed to get over those hurdles.

Sascha was sitting in the lounge as well, and gave me and Mummy a little wave as we arrived.

"How are they doing?" Mummy asked, and got an answer pretty close to what Jinniver had already told me.

"How about Alice?" she asked next.

"She's doing well," Mummy said, and I found myself blushing about being talked about like that, even if I was also a little sad that I couldn't just stay as a baby any longer. "Proper homeschooling is harder than I thought, but I think she's only a year behind other kids her age now. Lyra all ready to start school again?"

"Yeah!" Lyra answered for herself. "Will I need to take care of Alice this time?" She laughed a little at that, but I wasn't sure why.

"That would be great," Mummy said.

"Seems weird. I mean, she was helping me the last time we were at school. So now I can return the favour I guess."

"I think it's only natural," her dad answered. "You got sick first, so you got better first."

"Yeah," Lyra said, and went silent for a moment. I worried for just a moment there; I wasn't little enough for those kinds of comments to go over my head anymore. But I didn't need to say anything after all. "So are you going to let us both grow up now?"

"Well, I think you're doing pretty well. I hope you can get back to normal soon enough." But I could tell from his voice that he wasn't quite confident in what he was saying. Melania and Gill had presumably passed the truth on to Rab and Sascha after Mummy asked them to look after Monique's kids. There hadn't really been any other way to avoid it; they were the only people we knew with a house big enough to house two extra teens, and we didn't want to get social services involved if there was any other way to approach the situation. But it was still pretty clear that Rab wasn't quite comfortable with lying to his daughter.

"Daddy," Lyra pouted. "I'm not that stupid anymore. Please, treat me like a big girl."

"I... uhh..."

"It's not hard to figure out," Jinniver said, laughing a little. "You've literally spent months trying to help us get over what that woman did to us. And we couldn't believe it, right? Whatever the mind altering stuff was, we just couldn't believe that 'Mummy' didn't have our best interests at heart. We've lost our chance at being teenagers because she gave us drugs, and you had to tell us so many times before we believed it. You really think Lyra and Alice wouldn't figure out they're in the same situation? Or did you just think they'll be so glad to get back to normal that they won't make the connection?"

"Actually..." Lyra mumbled, "I didn't get it right away. But when Mummy explained you're going to be staying with us, she had to tell me that your mummy was drugging you to stop you growing up. And I thought about that, and about what Alice said when I started going into that fuzzy baby-brain state. It didn't take me long to figure out that we started getting back to normal about the same time you did. Like somebody's scared we'd notice if they kept it up too long."

"Almost," I said. Then I looked across at Lyra, at that faint smile, and tried to work out what was going on behind her eyes. How was she feeling now? Was she going to hate me for not telling her the truth? But I had to let her understand that I wasn't quite in the same place she was. "They were already picking a date to start letting you grow up again. It was even going to be that night, after staying over with us. But they put it off a week and a half when Alanis and Jinniver moved in. Like, the stress of having new sisters would be hard on anyone, and it was like it might be a bit easier for you if you're not thinking so much. And I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier. I didn't know if you'd be mad."

"Oh, I should be angry, shouldn't I?" she said. "But when I think about all the stuff I did to myself before this, it's not like... I was losing my friends already, turning into more and more of a jerk. I think half the people who still hung around with me were kind of scared of missing out, or pitying me, or... laughing at me behind my back, I guess. I just wanted to make the adults take me seriously. And then they did, even if it's not the way I was expecting. You asked me, didn't you? You found out ages ago, and you figured that helping me to enjoy it would be better than making a fuss. That's what all those look on the bright side speeches were about."

"Yeah," I said, and nodded. I couldn't think what else to say then. Now that she was off the STX, Lyra was as sharp as she'd ever been, and it was really a surprise to see how much she'd started to understand. "Sorry."

"I think I get it," she said. "And when I look back over the last couple of years, it's really not been that bad. Compared to what I might have done, I should probably be relieved, right? So it's kind of like a holiday, instead of a punishment. Not one I would have chosen, but maybe... Maybe better not think about what might have been, because we never know. And I got all my parents again, so maybe it's for the best after all. But you... I still can't work out why your mum would have thought you needed it. Like... I was a real troublemaker, and Monique just didn't want her girls to be teens, but what did you do?"

"I asked for it," I said, giving a little shrug. "I figured it out, and I was kind of jealous. Maybe I'll still want to be a baby occasionally when I'm grown up, even. Just getting a single dose so I can stop thinking for an afternoon or a weekend, like Penny. Once I'm out of diapers, anyway. Would you still be okay with an occasional playdate, once it's a choice? Me as the baby, I mean."

"I don't know," she said. "I never imagined that, and I can't understand it. But you're like my best friend. A good influence, I guess. So sure, I'll give it a try. Maybe the girls will be able to babysit to, if it's not a reminder of... you know..."

She turned to look at Jinniver, who gave a shrug, and then Alanis.

"Yeah," Alanis said. "But if it's an option... maybe I could go back to being the little one too? I mean, I missed out my teens entirely, so it'll be a while before I've got friends my own age again. Being the big baby might be a nice break if I feel bad."

"That would be great!" I said, beaming at my friends. It was such a relief to know that they understood, and that they would support me. It was such a relief, and I was just trying to find the words to say that, when felt another sensation; something physical, and almost unfamiliar now. I needed to pee; and as tempting as it was to put it off until the end of the conversation, I knew that my poor pelvic floor muscles would need some exercise to help them recover.

I turned quickly towards the door and started to hurry, but I knew instantly that I wasn't going to make it. The pressure was just too much, and my muscles were half asleep after their long break. I only made it two steps before I felt the warmth spreading through my diaper again; and the reminder of how far away I was from regaining control brought another blush to my cheeks; as hot as it had ever been when I first started to have accidents.

"Awww, poor little baby!" Lyra chuckled as she saw me come to a halt. "Did you have a little accident? I think your mummy needs to give you a diaper change." I could only blush more.

"Maybe we should," Mummy said. "Do you know how to change a diaper, Lyra? Monique told me you don't need them in the daytime anymore, so you're big enough to help babysit if you want to."

I closed my eyes and tried to hide behind my own hands, the embarrassment coming to a peak. But I knew that by some twisted path, I'd somehow gotten everything I could have wanted. I could look forward to school; to learning new things, and maybe getting interested in boys, and all that other stuff. But at the same time, I would never have to give up on being Mummy's cutest little baby.

It's hard to say where this story really ended; there were so many fun playdates and days out still to come. But in that moment, I knew who I was, and that there was nothing to worry about in my future. So I think that's the point that I can easily call the end.

Author's note: Thank you for reading. I do hope that the loose ends are all tied up neatly now; and that you weren't put off by the references between this story and The Dare that Changed my Life, which wound up being a little more heavy handed than I expected.