Compromise - Chapter 26 (Patreon)

"Is that everything?" Heather asked anxiously, pacing as Lizzie dug through the diaper bag one more time, just to be safe.

"It's everything I need," Lizzie confirmed. "What do you think? If he happens to see inside, do you think it looks authentic enough in there?"

Heather peered over her shoulder, then reached past her, rearranging a few things. "There," she declared. "I think that ought to do it. You're taking your teddy bear with you, right?"

Lizzie blushed, glancing over at the toy, sitting sadly beside the couch, where she'd set it down when she'd come in. She'd been sent home with it, one of the pacifiers, and a handful of diapers, 'just in case,' after their shopping trip. There was no question why she'd gotten the pacifier, after how much she'd clearly enjoyed her time with one at the store, and the diapers did make sense, since you never knew when she might hit three strikes for a day and need to be demoted out of Pull-Ups - except, of course, that she did know that, and could make that happen whenever she wanted, if she ever wanted it - but the bear had been a bit baffling at first.

"Shouldn't you keep it here, with everything else?" she'd wondered. "So we don't lose track of anything?"

"No, I don't think so," Heather had told her. "It looks too brand new... It needs to look more... well-loved... to seem realistic, and that can only be done with time."

Lizzie had blushed, her mind immediately going to a naughty place. "A-Are you telling me to..?" she'd started to ask, squirming in her t-shirt and Pull-Up, Mommy having decided she didn't need pants while they were just eating breakfast and chatting before they had to get going so she could make it to work on time.

Heather had raised her eyebrows, peering over the top of her coffee mug at Lizzie. "I was telling you to give him lots of hugs and kisses, maybe drag him around on the floor some, so he looks like you play with him. What were you thinking?"

Lizzie had definitely seen footage of littles in daycares, or even their own nurseries, humping away at their stuffed animals... Amazons loved to point at that, say how it proved littles loved being treated this way, being babies... They never, of course, took responsibility for the fact that they were, by and large, the ones who had imprisoned them there, like this, took away any other outlet for them to deal with their sexual urges... What else were they supposed to do?!

"J-Just that," she'd fibbed, too embarrassed to bring that up. She didn't get the sense that Heather had meant it that way, felt a bit ashamed that she'd considered, even briefly, that she might have. "I'm a big girl... I don't have time to play with toys!"

"Not even him?" Heather had teased, picking up the teddy bear and looking down at it. "He's so soft, and fluffy, and he told me that he thinks you're really cool."

Lizzie had rolled her eyes, though she couldn't stop herself from letting out a small chuckle. "Well, in that case, I guess he might not be so bad..." Heather did have a point, she knew. They could maybe say that she'd just gotten the teddy bear, and that was why it was so obviously new, but it was best to avoid anything that required any explanation, or invited any extra attention.

So, she'd taken it all home, skittering up to her apartment clinging to the bag it was all in tightly, worried that she'd bump into someone and they'd see into it, somehow, or she'd drop it and spill the contents everywhere, showing off to anyone who spotted her picking it all back up just how much of a baby she was. Neither happened, however, and she made it back safe and sound.

She'd been doing her best with the teddy bear, keeping it by her side, dragging it around the apartment with her by the arm, letting it bump against the floor, sleeping next to it every night. She felt a little bad treating it so roughly, but she knew that was going to help speed up the process. That very same thing she'd almost thought Heather was suggesting would have done the same thing, likely even faster, and having it there, in bed, next to her at night did make her consider it, on more than one occasion. Every time, she rolled onto her other side, staring away from the bear, cheeks beet red, Pull-Ups crinkling as she squirmed, unable to believe she'd let that so much as enter her mind.

She hadn't worn the diapers, although she couldn't deny that it had been tempting, now and then, knowing she had them there, feeling curious about them. She masked it, telling herself that she simply wanted to get used to them before the big day, on the off chance she wound up having to be put into one... She knew that wasn't the whole truth, of course, at the same time that she recognized she was too scared to dig too deeply, to make an attempt at deciphering how much really was that, and how much was pure curiosity. 

The pacifier she'd used more than she cared to admit. She'd had to consciously force herself to stop it, after catching herself idly sucking on it for nearly an entire day as she stared at her computer screen, working, taking it out only to eat, and make a phone call to a client, the former mere moments before saying, "Hello," having forgotten all about it until then.

And now, finally, it was the big day. Any time she had a big assignment like this, she found herself dreading it a bit, no matter how prepared she was, how unlikely it was to fail. Knowing she'd have Heather by her side did help, and yet she still couldn't help fretting over the many ways something could go wrong... And, this time around, there were plenty, and the consequences could be dire, for both of them. Had she made a mistake, dragging Heather into this? Her target was important enough, if he wanted, and they weren't able to secure any more evidence against him, he could probably get her fired... And there was no doubt he could get Lizzie taken in by some adoption agency.

In a way, it was almost a relief to arrive at Heather's place and see that she was nervous, too. She'd expected the same calm, mature demeanor as always - might have even found it soothing, in a way - but it was good to know that she was taking it seriously, that she understood the risks involved. It also meant that Lizzie had to step up, to take charge for a moment... And, honestly, that was the way it should be, since she was the professional here.

"You know," she mentioned, as casually as possible, "you can still back out. I can figure something else out, if..."

"No," Heather cut her off. "I'm not letting you do this alone."

"I've done it before," Lizzie pointed out. "It's my job. I can handle it, I promise."

"No," Heather repeated. "I'm certain you could, but... No."

A relieved smile spread across Lizzie's face as she gave her a hug. "As long as you're sure," she said. She blushed slightly, feeling guilty she hadn't been able to help herself, knowing that, now, there was no way Heather would back out... But she wouldn't have anyway, Lizzie suspected, if she hadn't already, so it was probably better to just stay true to herself.

"I am," Heather promised. "Now... Are you ready to get dressed?"

Lizzie squirmed, nodded. "Y-Yeah, I guess I'd better be, huh?"

"You could still back out," Heather parroted her words back at her. "You have other clients, don't you?"

"I-I do," Lizzie admitted. "But I've gotten too far with this one now."

"You sure you don't just want to play dress-up?" Heather teased with a mischievous smile, scooping Lizzie up off the floor.

"No!" Lizzie squealed, pouting, then starting to giggle helplessly as Heather took her by surprise, reaching under the t-shirt she'd worn to tickle her stomach, leaving her wiggling and squeaking in delight as she was carried into the nursery and deposited onto the changing table, where her outfit for the day was already waiting, some on hangers, hooked to the edge of the table, other parts folded up neatly.

It wasn't until Heather started to unbutton Lizzie's pants that the smaller woman realized exactly what had happened to her during that bout of tickling, thanks to the unexpectedness of it, mixed with her nerves from before, and her natural ticklishness. Bashfully, she grabbed at the fly, trying to hold it closed, though she knew she was no match for Heather, if she wanted to get them off her.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Heather asked.

Lizzie blushed, shifting in her seat, tempted to claim it was, 'Nothing,' yet not wanting to tell any fibs... Especially when Heather was going to find out the truth in a matter of moments anyway. She also couldn't bring herself to confess, however, so she stayed silent, nibbling her lip, almost wishing she already had her pacifier in her mouth, sitting there while Heather gently pushed her hands away and peeled the front of her pants apart.

"I see," she raised an eyebrow, ever so slightly. "Did the tickle-monster make you do that?" Lizzie nodded shyly. "Well, that's all right," Heather told her. "We don't have to count that... I'm sure your little froggy doesn't mind getting a bit wet."

Lizzie glanced down at her exposed panties, at the green ribbon around the top, and the cartoon frog, sitting in the middle of the damp spot she'd made, much bigger than she'd guessed from just feeling it. Heather was giving her an out, but... It really did look like she deserved to be back in Pull-Ups after that. "N-No," she shook her head, "we should..."

"Really?" Heather sounded surprised. "Are you sure, kitten? If you do this, that's the entire middle of your week that you're in Pull-Ups."

She was right... Tuesday and Thursday's panties had been gone for a while now, as well as the weekend's... After this, there were only two days in a week where she'd be allowed to wear big girl underwear... There was no way to spin that as being almost half the week anymore. There were already more days she was in trainers than ones where she was in panties, but now the disparity would be even bigger, to the point where it almost felt silly to bother with her day of the week undies at all...

"I had the accident," Lizzie replied. "I should face the consequences."

"If you say so," Heather shrugged, not quite able to hide how pleased she was. "That's a very grown-up decision," she praised Lizzie, as she slipped a pacifier between her lips, Lizzie not even attempting to resist, to stop herself from beginning to suckle on it automatically. "I'm very proud of you." She kissed Lizzie on the forehead, Lizzie mumbling wordlessly as Heather slid her pants off, and then her wet panties, setting them both aside. "I'll get those into the washer for you before we leave," she promised. 

Both would be going in, Lizzie knew; she was only going to be getting the pants back, however. She shivered slightly, making Heather pause, mid-cleanup. "Are the wipes too cold?" she asked. "Should I get a wipe warmer?"

Lizzie shook her head, glad for the pacifier to keep her from having to elaborate. Just two more slip-ups, and she'd be in Pull-Ups full-time, like a little girl who couldn't get the hang of potty training... Like a toddler. And what then? Was she going to keep pushing things, let herself end up in diapers one day out of the week? Then two, and three, and...?

It was hard to believe this was happening to her; it was even harder to believe that she'd not only agreed to it, but she was helping it along. Heather had given her an out, a perfect chance to try again next Wednesday, and had done so for some of the other days, too... Lizzie was the one who kept saying no. Even beyond the fact that she was the one who was having these 'accidents', such as they were, she really did have nobody to blame besides herself.

"Here we go," Heather cooed, sliding a Pull-Up over Lizzie's dangling feet, tugging them up her legs, lifting her off the table to get them over her bottom, letting them snap softly into place. "All better!"

From there, she picked up the onesie, unfolding it and holding it over Lizzie's head, the girl obediently lifting her arms and letting the thing be pulled down over her. From the Peter Pan collar to the floral print, it was difficult not to feel babyish, glancing down and seeing herself in that, even without a full-on diaper beneath it, even before Heather snapped it shut around her crotch.

"That is so cute!" Heather gushed. "Maybe we should take you out like this!"

"No!" Lizzie whined behind her pacifier, tugging at the legbands of the onesie, seeing a hint of her Pull-Ups peeking through them. It was obvious she wasn't wearing big girl panties under there... Not that most big girls would wear onesies without at least something over their legs, anyway. Maybe people would be able to tell it wasn't a diaper... Maybe not.

"You're right," Heather nodded. "It would be a shame not to let everyone see your shortalls, too." She took the shortalls off their hanger, pulling them onto Lizzie, lifting her up to slide them over her padded backside before fastening the shoulder straps in place. From there, all she seemed to have left was a pair of frilly, white ankle socks, and pink Velcro sneakers, kneeling down in front of the changing table to get them onto Lizzie's idly swinging feet, removing her boring, plain black socks and adding them to the pile with her pants and underwear, unable to resist the urge to give the girl's soles a tickle once she had them bare.

"Mommy!" Lizzie squealed, glaring down at her. "Do you want me to have another accident already?"

It didn't seem to have been her intention, though Lizzie suspected she wouldn't have minded, either. "Sorry," she shrugged sheepishly. "I couldn't help myself."

With that, Lizzie assumed they were done, was ready to hop down, only for Heather to take out a hairbrush and start brushing her hair, pulling the long, magenta strands into a pair of ponytails, tied in place with pink ribbons. As a finishing touch, she closed the leash's wristband around Lizzie's wrist, then picked her up, lifting her off the changing table and onto the floor, pushing the teddy bear into her arms.

"I'd say that looks pretty convincing, wouldn't you?" she smiled proudly, tugging on the leash to lead Lizzie to the mirror to examine herself.

Lizzie gave her teddy bear a squeeze, sucking harder on her paci, watching as the toes of her sneakers began to point themselves inwards, towards each other. She still remembered what it had felt like, seeing it in the store for the first time, how shocked she'd been at the way her adult self had seemed to totally vanish... That was even more the case now, thanks to the pacifier, to her teddy bear, to the knowledge that she was actually about to go out in public dressed like this...

She was just grateful she wasn't in diapers. That would be too much, too similar to Mia... Already, she was skirting the line more than she was entirely comfortable with, though she wasn't going to complain, or make Heather change her out of anything. This was her best wardrobe choice, out of the things Heather had bought, and she knew it would be effective at what they needed it to do... She only wished she could get the image of herself as Mia, as the girl who was so babyish, so content in her babyishness, not seeming to care at all that she was in public and displaying it, out of her head.

"You okay?" Heather checked in, rubbing her back. "We can..."

"I'm fine," Lizzie told her defiantly, staring up at her, then pausing. "I-I mean, not totally, but..."

"You're still my big girl," Heather knelt down in front of her. "Okay? It doesn't matter how you're dressed. You're doing very big girl things, and that's why you're wearing this, right? It doesn't mean you're a baby."

Lizzie nodded gratefully, a little embarrassed that her discomfort had been so obvious, that Heather was able to read her fears so easily, like she was an open book... But that was also part of why she loved her, the fact that she knew her so well. And she could have taken advantage of that, used this to make her feel more and more like a baby, until there was no turning back... 

"Good girl," Heather smiled. "Let's get your clothes taken care of, and then we can hit the road, okay?" It took Lizzie a moment to realize what she meant, as she watched the woman gather up the outfit she'd shown up in. It had only been a minute or two, yet it already felt like so long since she'd worn that, since she hadn't been padded, and dolled, up like a toddler. Heather gave her leash a playful tug, sending Lizzie waddling after her on a quick detour to the washing machine, and then back to the living room where she picked up the diaper bag.

This was it... Sort of. It wasn't really the last chance for either of them to change their minds, not when they could turn the car around before they arrived at the office, or pull back out of the parking garage even once they were there, but it still felt like it, somehow, to Lizzie as she padded along beside Heather. She had a feeling the Amazon felt the same, the way she paused at the front door of her apartment, waiting an extra moment before turning out the lights.

Neither of them said anything; neither of them had to. Heather did flip the switch, and step out into the hall, and Lizzie obediently followed, the rustling of her Pull-Ups instantly sounding so much louder there than they had inside the apartment. Beyond that, they walked in silence to Heather's car, where the car seat was already installed and waiting. 

Lizzie did open her mouth then, wanting to complain, staring at all those straps when there were two other perfectly good seats where she could sit with just a normal seatbelt... But they needed to make this look good from the moment they arrived, to cover all their bases, to be safe... She closed her mouth around her paci again, letting Heather pick her up and set her inside, pulling the harness over her chest and snapping everything into it, holding her gently, yet firmly, in place.

She wouldn't have been mad at Heather for having second thoughts, for turning back... Part of her almost wanted her to, to get her out of this - despite it all being her idea in the first place - without having to do anything herself. She didn't, however, simply kept driving forward, getting closer and closer to her office, while Lizzie squeezed her teddy bear, nursing her pacifier anxiously until they pulled into Heather's parking spot, and the car's engine chugged to a stop.

"All right," Lizzie mumbled, mostly to herself, though Heather was there, too, picking up her purse from the front seat, as it sank in that this was really about to happen. "It's showtime."