Compromise - Chapter 4 (Patreon)

"Heather?" 

The Amazon blinked, looked up, cheeks turning a soft pink. "Of course," she said, as she glanced over at the screen, seeing that they were, indeed, at her part of the presentation. She didn't think they'd been waiting on her long, didn't think she'd spaced out too noticeably, but it was hard to tell for certain. 

"Well, then," she smiled, getting to her feet and taking the clicker from Luther, pushing the button to advance to the next slide. "As you can see, we've had growth in all areas, except for these two. Now..."

She was a professional, so once she got going, she was fine... She'd been going over it in her head all day, making sure she knew just the right words to emphasize to make her own department look good, shifting the blame, while also offering options for how to reverse the dips in the graph. She'd been rehearsing it again, while Luther spoke... Up until another thought invaded her mind.

Had she made a huge mistake? The way she'd felt, waking up that morning, she was almost positive she must have; her instincts were rarely wrong, after all, which was part of why she'd risen so far in the company. What exactly the mistake had been, however, was less clear. 

Was it leaving it up to Elizabeth to contact her again, not finding some way to guarantee she could get in touch with the other woman? Was it not paying closer attention to her purse, letting her see the diaper inside, and spooking her? Or was it not using that diaper when she had the perfect chance, when she could see the wet spot on the back of her dress, when even Lizzie must have known that she deserved it?

Whatever it was, the lack of a message on her cell from an unknown number had been haunting her since she'd woken up, checked it for the first time. She'd left it in her office, knowing that, if she didn't, she'd look like some unprofessional intern, spending the whole meeting compulsively turning the screen on and off, seeing if there was anything there.

Even now, in the middle of her presentation, she couldn't stop thinking about it... Now that she was up, and talking, she felt herself going into autopilot, spouting out the words she'd so carefully chosen, brain moving on - or, rather, back - to the bar from the night before. 

It had all seemed so right, so perfect... From the moment she'd seen Lizzie walk in, looking so adorable, so tiny and awkward in a place obviously not meant for her, all Heather had wanted to do was scoop her up, protect her... But, from everything she'd read about it, and what she'd seen from her friends' experience, doing that unprompted could lead to your little resenting you. That didn't always matter - what were they going to do about it? - and a bit of hypnosis was usually enough to cure it... That wasn't how she wanted things to start, however.

She'd listened to the little woman talk, her stories only making it more evident that Lizzie needed someone to look after her, to keep her safe... And to put her into the diapers she'd somehow managed to stay out of on her own. Heather supposed it was wrong to say she'd forgotten about the one in her purse... No, she'd been fully aware of it the entire time, trying to decide the best way to bring it up, if, as unlikely as it was, the wine, and the booster seat preventing Elizabeth from doing anything about her ever-filling bladder, didn't provide her with the right opportunity.

But then Elizabeth had bumped her hand, and spilled the wine on herself, and Heather's instincts had taken over. She could have gotten the napkins out without moving her purse, or hidden the diaper a little better when she went to get them out... She'd just been too busy, trying to get the poor thing cleaned up, she hadn't thought about it. And now... That might have been the last time she saw Lizzie.

Why had she told her the truth?! There were plenty of other reasons she could have come up with to explain it... The kiss must have put her off-balance enough to make her forget all about those. And Lizzie had looked so hurt, thinking Heather had drugged her, but still confessed to her accident, when she hadn't needed to... Heather wouldn't have known, not until it got worse, or she let the woman out of the booster, and saw the wet spot... Seeing her admit to that, it had felt wrong not to be honest with her as well.

And that wasn't all Elizabeth had professed to. Perhaps Heather had been too eager with her invitation, to make the girl think that was what their meeting was about... Heather had already been considering Lizzie her little, her child, so the kiss had definitely taken her by surprise, felt a touch wrong... She'd heard of some Amazons being in a relationship with their littles, and there was nothing wrong with it, but that wasn't why she'd wanted one, wasn't how she looked at them in the slightest...

In those few seconds in between, before Elizabeth had spoken back up, Heather had almost convinced herself it was a good sign, that the girl was just getting her wires crossed, misreading the maternal energy Heather was throwing off. That still could have been the case, though the knowledge that it was what Lizzie had come to the bar looking for gave it a completely different feeling... She hadn't made the mistake because, unknowingly, she'd been so desperate for someone to take care of her the way Heather wanted to, unless she'd been doing that the whole time, from their first run-in.

Maybe that was the case... Heather had helped her out, after all, by not ratting her out... And who knew how the brain of a little worked? But the kiss had been nothing like the sweet, innocent peck someone would give their mother. Which wasn't to say that she'd disliked it... It had just been very much not what she was expecting.

Her part of the presentation came to an end, and she was happy to hand the clicker off, sink back into her chair. If she hadn't messed this up, Lizzie would be at home, waiting for her, all diapered up... Or, if Heather couldn't trust her to stay out of trouble until her crib and playpen arrived, she might be in her office, instead, her secretary looking in on her now and then during the meeting. Either way, Heather would know where she was, know that she was safe, and dressed appropriately...

Now, all she could do was check her phone, once the presentation was over, and, when she inevitably found that there was still no texts, wait some more, and hope for the best. Hope that Elizabeth would come around, see that Heather only meant well for her...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lizzie tried, again, to listen to the recording, but it all just sounded like noise to her. Her client had sent her an e-mail, asking, 'Any highlights I should look out for?', proving Elizabeth's assumption that she hadn't made it through the whole thing, either, and she wanted to be able to say yes, to give time-stamps, or clip out the important parts... It clearly wasn't going to happen today, though. 

She closed her laptop, frustrated with herself, and grabbed her purse. She didn't know where she was going, but it was a good idea to have some cash with her, just in case she found something she needed... Or walked too far and tired herself out, and needed money to catch a ride home. Some fresh air would help, she thought.

Almost the first thing she saw, however, was an Amazon, cheerfully pushing a stroller down the sidewalk, a little strapped inside, pacifier in her mouth, diaper bulging out beneath a dress that might as well have been a shirt. Lizzie blushed, unable to stop herself from staring, from thinking back to the bar, to the diaper in Heather's purse, to her shameful thoughts the night before about how it might not be that bad... If she hadn't gotten out of there, that easily could have been her, sitting in the stroller...

"Feeling jealous?" the Amazon smirked. "It's much nicer not to have to walk, isn't it, Missy?"

The girl in the stroller looked up, nodded vacantly, obediently. Elizabeth was glad the diaper was pink, at least, that it didn't look exactly like the one Heather had been carrying around. It helped her separate the two, although it was still far too easy to see herself in the girl's place. Heather might not have drugged her last night, but after she'd gotten Lizzie home, found out what a 'handful' she was - which was a word Amazons tended to use for any little who didn't immediately submit to them - she had a feeling she'd be getting plenty of help with that, and with using her diapers regularly, to 'get used to' them, and make her sleepy when it was her bedtime, and...

Elizabeth shook her head; she didn't know that... There were plenty of horror stories about Amazons, but that didn't mean Heather would behave that way. She'd told her the truth, after all, when she really didn't have to. That counted for something.

"Oh, you're not, are you?" the Amazon raised an eyebrow. "I bet it's because you haven't tried it... Do you want to give it a shot? I can carry Missy for a bit."

"No!" Lizzie said, first because she hadn't meant to answer the woman's question, then repeating it when she realized it was the correct one to do that as well. "No! I-I'm fine, thanks."

She eyed the road, then scurried across, putting some distance between her and the stroller. It had sounded like the woman was mostly teasing, that she wasn't interested enough to chase after her... Trying to run past her on the sidewalk, however, was too risky, when the woman's arms were so long, and strong. And there was no way she was about to let herself be strapped into a stroller, wheeled off to wherever the Amazon wanted her to be.

That, Lizzie thought, was why she needed to resist the urge to text Heather. It might start out innocently, but it was a short, slippery slope to the drooling girl in the stroller she'd just seen. Heather had been honest with her, had claimed she didn't want to force her... That was pretty much how it went, though. That was what Amazons wanted from littles.

She could find someone else, perhaps another little, or one of the more sympathetic 'tweeners. That would be so much safer, so much smarter... Even if they wouldn't be Heather.

She didn't know what it was about Heather, what it was that made her so perfect, or what made her so sure that the woman was perfect... She really wished she could go back to those few moments of the kiss, however, to re-live them without everything that had come afterwards. If she hadn't seen that diaper, if she hadn't found out the real reason she'd been invited...

As she had the night before, though, she started to play devil's advocate, started to convince herself it wasn't that bad. There had been something nice about having Heather there with her, looking over her, in the bathroom, knowing that nobody was going to mess with her while she was there. She'd felt safe, in a way that she'd never really had before, except, maybe, when she was an actual child, with her actual mother.

Without meaning to, Elizabeth ended up in a convenience store. She thought, at first, her stomach had led her in, was hinting that it wanted a snack, but, as she wandered the aisles, that wasn't where she ended up.

She couldn't claim it was completely aimless, that she had no idea where she was going; it wasn't the closest store to her place, yet it was near enough for her to have been there plenty of times, knew where everything was. And, despite that, she still ended up in the one section she never went to, that she avoided like the plague.

But here she was, standing there in the middle of it, surrounded on every side by package after package of diapers. They came in all shapes and sizes, boasting their thickness, or thinness, depending on who they were trying to get to purchase them, although she'd seen a report once that the ones that claimed the be the least bulky were sometimes the exact opposite, to trick littles into thinking that was the best they could do, and get them used to being hugely padded, in a way that ensured there was no way anyone around them wouldn't know, no matter how hard they tried to hide it.

What was wrong with her?! Just being there was a stupid risk, practically begging someone to see her there, assume she was trying to decide, and 'help' her out, possibly taking her to the bathroom to make sure she knew how to get whichever they picked for her on properly. She knew she must look clueless, and overwhelmed, neither of which would make anyone think anything other than that she must be in the right place.

She was overwhelmed, but it was because it had never hit her exactly how many kinds of diapers there were, how many colors, and designs, and styles. There were cloth and disposable, of course, and also swim diapers, nighttime diapers, waddlers - made even thicker than overnight, to force a more pronounced, 'cuter' toddle - and crawlers - to keep even the most determined baby off their feet entirely with just a single diaper. There were plain colors, some light, almost tasteful designs, some that were more utilitarian, like they were meant for a medical environment, and then the super babyish ones, plastered all over with pictures of blocks, or baby animals, or princesses, or anything that might look adorable on an infant.

Lizzie had to give Heather credit; the white had been a very restrained, almost dignified choice... In some ways. The more she stood there and thought about it, though, the less sure she was... White was also the first color when she thought of when she thought of a diaper... And it would show any accidents she might have so quickly, and so obviously... If she hadn't been allowed to cover it, anyone could look at her and know, in a glance, how much of a baby she was, if she needed a change...

She shivered, imagining what could have been, how Heather could have marched her out of the bar in just that diaper, and her bra, if she was lucky, wet spot on the crotch because, in that reality, she hadn't taken her to the bathroom to let her use it, but to use that changing station... It felt so real, so likely, it was almost as if she was remembering it instead, seeing everyone she'd walked past staring at her, chuckling, certain she deserved it, probably surprised it had taken as long as it had...

But, she reminded herself, that hadn't happened. She'd made it out still in big girl panties, no matter how soggy they were. How many Amazons would have let her do that? Maybe it was unfair, and prejudiced, to judge Heather based on pretty much all the other Amazons she'd ever met... She had earned some credit for that, however. Lizzie had handed her the perfect opportunity to baby her, and she hadn't taken it.

And, even knowing what Elizabeth had wanted from their meeting, she'd given out her number, wanted to hear from her... It might be faint, but that had to meant there was a little hope that she might feel the same way, deep down? It was a long shot, of course, though it was still something.

She looked up further, at the very top shelves. That was where the training pants were kept, she knew, whether she could see them clearly or not. When she'd been younger, and more naive, she'd thought it was poor planning, but now she knew better. They were put there very deliberately, which was why it was like that almost everywhere, unless it was a store run by littles.

No matter how far she stretched, she never would have been able to reach them by herself. She could try, by climbing up the other shelves, but that would draw attention to her, and she doubted any little that came to this aisle on their own would want that. The other option was to ask for help, and hope that whoever was working just got her some - and that they were the ones she wanted - instead of recommending, or simply giving her, without asking, something thicker. 

There were, supposedly, discrete trainers, ones that looked, at least at a quick glance, like normal underwear. She had no idea how well they worked, and she had a feeling very few people did... They were there to be advertised - and, in the commercials, anyway, they lived up to their claims - to draw littles in to try to find them, since they were mysteriously always out of stock online. They then had to turn to someone else to help them get to them, however, which was the same as admitting to them that they had a problem, and were trying desperately to hide it...

Lizzie knew that the way to survive in this world, as a little, was not to give anyone any reason to suspect that. Some people didn't need even that, would want to baby you anyway... The ones that didn't, however, who did want to have a justification, would latch onto that. They'd either suggest something 'just a bit' thicker, 'to be safe', and, if they didn't take the hint, might refuse to give them what they asked for. What were they going to do? Ask to speak to their manager? Lizzie didn't see that ending any better.

And, if they did let it slide, let the littles have the nice, easily camouflaged, training panties, they'd do what they could to keep them from being a secret. They'd call out for a price check on them, once they were at the cash register, and the little was stuck there, blushing as they felt the eyes of the whole store turning towards them to see who was buying trainers. Or, next time the little came to the store, they'd loudly ask how they were doing, if they needed another pack... Or, if they were bold enough, they'd take it upon themselves to check them.

Honestly, by spacing out here, she was inviting that on herself anyway. If the workers were paying any attention, they'd be on her in moments... Or, when she tried to leave, pretending they thought she'd spent so long there because she was trying to shoplift. She was glad she wasn't in her panties from last night now, or the strip-search they'd likely subject her to for that - in the middle of the store, if she protested too hard that she hadn't taken anything and didn't need to go to the office, probably - would have ended with her right back here, as the worker decided which of the diapers to put her in.

She forced herself to move, to get out of there, heart pounding as she walked down the aisle, away from the diapers... And nearly ran right into Missy, in the stroller, and her Mommy. 

"Well, look who it is!" the Amazon crowed. "What a funny coincidence! What are you doing here, cutie?"

"Aww, crap," Lizzie grumbled, under her breath.

Or so she thought. "Language!" the Amazon gasped, clamping her hands over Missy's ears, while the smaller woman burbled obliviously. "How dare you say something like that in front of my innocent, impressionable little girl? I ought to take you over my lap for that!"

It hadn't even been that bad; Elizabeth knew better than to say anything worse in public, for fear of mouth-soapings. She also knew not to argue about it. "S-Sorry," she said. "I-I was just shopping, and..." She turned, starting to hurry away down the aisle, only to feel a hand clamp around her wrist.

"I could be persuaded to forgive you," the Amazon told her, "but what were you shopping for here, little one? I can help you out..." She left the stroller sitting at the head of the aisle, leading Lizzie back down it, towards the diapers again. "Ah, here we go! These are Missy's favorites! I bet they'd work for you, too... I'd be happy to let you try one out. Just be my little helper, and carry those for me, okay?"

Before Elizabeth could answer, the woman turned, grabbing one of the packages of diapers. She let go of Lizzie's wrist, and she almost took that opportunity to make a run for it... But she still felt something around her wrist. She glanced down, eyes widening as she saw a wristband locked into place, a leash running from it into the Amazon's hand.

She very nearly said another, much stronger, swear. This Amazon was determined... She'd decided she wanted Lizzie, and she was going to get her if she didn't do something. The package of diapers was shoved into her arms, so big she could hardly see over the top, and the woman gave the leash a tug, pulling her back towards the stroller. If she locked the other end of the leash around the handlebar of the stroller, Lizzie wasn't going anywhere until they were at the Amazon's place...

Thankfully, before she could do that, Missy let out a muffled babble, and the Amazon paused, bending down. "What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked. "It's all right... I'm just getting you a little baby sister."

She didn't have much at her disposal, so Lizzie did what she could, throwing the package of diapers at the giant woman with all her might. It took her by surprise, enough for her grip to loosen, allowing Lizzie to yank the leash. For a split second, she didn't think it would be enough, and then she saw it slip out of the Amazon's hand. Immediately, she turned and ran, pulling the leash up as she went so the Amazon couldn't catch her with that. As she passed the shelves of diapers, she shoved them off, sending them tumbling into the aisle to slow the woman down.

She turned as soon as she could, then turned again, racing for the front of the store. She'd known she must have attracted some attention already, and, sure enough, she could see the cashier coming out from behind his register. "I don't know what you're up to," he said, "but you'd better stop right there so we can get this sorted out!"

Lizzie didn't obey, of course, dodging past him. He had a moment to make a choice, decided to dive for the emergency lock-down button instead of lunging for her. It was a good call... For Elizabeth. She was already slowing down, wasn't sure if she could have avoiding him then, much less if he followed her outside. It took him an extra second to fumble for the button, however, and he clearly didn't think she'd know that he'd already deactivated the automatic door, probably before he'd stepped out from the counter. 

She yanked it open - glad it was, indeed, one of the models that only turned off the sensor, rather than automatically locking as well - tumbled outside, right before it slammed shut, a metal shutter clanging down in front of it. A runaway little was no joke, after all... They couldn't risk being sued if they let one get away on their watch.

It started to raise back up almost immediately, but it was going to take longer to do that than it had to close, giving her time to vanish into the crowds and head back to her apartment, where she could work on breaking herself out of the wristband.

It looked like she was going to have to avoid that store from now on... More than that, though, she knew what else she had to do. Maybe it was stupid, and tempting fate, but she was obviously distracted, and she couldn't afford to let that put her in danger again, especially when she was out on a job. 

She flopped down on her bed, needed a rest badly, but wanting to get this done now, before she talked herself out of it. 'Can we meet up again?' she texted Heather, trying not to think about how safe she'd felt the night before, how much safer she would have felt during what had just happened if she'd only had Heather with her. It was just to see the woman one more time, so Lizzie could convince herself nothing could happen between them... That was all she needed.