Crossing Realms

The next hours were a blur for Ash; between the multitude of feedings her Mommy was giving her, along with a plethora of Naomi and Oliver to maintain her complacency, Ash was well and truly out of it. Mommy wasn’t taking any chances with Ash, not after having lost Hannah and Emily. A drugged and blank-minded Little was also a complacent, incapable one. What followed was a haze of confusing memories, Ash gaining enough consciousness to see what was around her for a brief moment before she slipped back under. 

At home, Mommy constantly kept Ash swaddled or, in some way, restrained even if Ash started to come to. Ash had flashes of memories there on the couch, in Mommy’s arms, or being carried through a busy story, waking in the middle of the night to be fed once more, her rear caked in mess. She always seemed to be in a soiled diaper at this point, and Ash wondered if she would ever be able to regain continence after this if it ever ended. She had a vague memory of an airport, a plane, her ears popping painfully, and then back home again, not the same home, a different one. Where were they now? If Ash had had the presence of mind to wonder, she would have been freaking out, realizing she had been taken away from the big city, far, far away from anyone or anything she knew.

Ash didn’t truly start regaining consciousness until she was thrust into yet another daycare. She had vague memories of being on the floor in their new home, being changed into another diaper, one that wasn’t clean; Hannah and Emily were there again, and she wondered where they had been. Something was happening with Mommy; with the acquisition of the girls, her methodical control over Ash started to slip, and the plethora of drugs that had been coursing through Ash’s body began to filter their way out. 

There in the daycare, she could finally start talking again, her memories still fuzzy and disconjoined, but she was starting to be herself. She had apologized to Emily for her behavior, and while she had in no way put Emily through what Ash was going through now, she still felt bad. As with any Tweener, Ash had always been on edge, watching her back, waiting for an Amazon to jump her. Her nerves, as well as how Amazons treated her, led her to take out her anger on Littles, Emily included. 

Ash vowed never to treat another Little the way she had treated Emily or any of her clientele again if she were to escape this nightmare. No Little deserved this; no Little deserved being completely and utterly controlled as to have their lives drained away before them, unaware. The idea that Ash’s days were reduced to only moments of semi-consciousness terrified her, and she had no idea how long it had been since she was fully aware of her surroundings. Had Mommy kept her under for a few days? Weeks? Months? Years? Ash had no clue; time was irrelevant to her as a Little, especially at the hands of Mommy. 

Ash’s salvation came at the hands of Miss Kaylee and Welby, who, in a rescue attempt to get the girls back, swooped Ash up as well. Miss Kaylee was on the verge of leaving Ash there in the daycare, but pleading with the girls rescued Ash as well. Ash had been so overcome with joy as she started to think clearly that she wept. When no one was watching or listening, Ash had cried for joy. The trip to the park with Hannah and Emily had been a true blessing for Ash. While she still required diapers full-time and even had to nurse Miss Kaylee, her body was still not accustomed to anything but breastmilk; she was slowly beginning to be happy again. 

Seeing Hannah and Emily off had been a sad occasion for Ash. She had grown attached to them, whether just because they had been Ash’s salvation or if she was genuinely fond of them, Ash wasn’t certain. She had been watching Hannah and Emily closely, and while Emily’s bodily control was strong enough to pass the exams the border control had for them easily, Hannah was not. Ash felt a pang of sorrow for the girl, being trapped here in this dimension. She recognized that both girls wanted to return home, and she didn’t blame them; this world was not kind to Littles.

A small legal loophole allowed both girls to leave, Emily taking on the role of Hannah’s caregiver. Welby was a strong, stoic man, and he held it together until both girls left. As the light from their portal vanished down the long, glistening tunnel, carrying Hannah and Emily back to Earth, Welby finally broke. He had collapsed to his knees there in the transit building, sobbing. Ash felt a pang of pity for him; Welby had been through a lot, a lot more than the girls ever realized he had, and while he would never say it to their faces, their leaving broke his heart.

Welby’s devotion to making Hannah and Emily happy had nearly been his undoing; Miss Kaylee and Ash both were happy to stick around to help Welby get back on his feet. Ash’s mind was clearer than it had been in months, and her body slowly returned to her normal size, although she still required diapers. Getting her feet back under her, Ash was more than happy to fill the role of daughter for Miss Kaylee and Welby; they were kind to her and enjoyed having a toddler of sorts to care for, even if Ash saw herself as a teenager. She was still permitted to do anything she had been able to as a Tweener, thankfully, but wore cute outfits and was more than happy to allow them to change her. 

After the nightmare of being Laura’s infant, being dressed in cute toddler clothing and being changed in public was not a concern for Ash. If it meant she could feel and act normally, it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. As life began to normalize for the three, they began looking at how to best transition to their new lives. Miss Kaylee didn’t have work here in this country and would have to return to the big city at some point. Welby, with the help of The Resistance, had managed to find a well-paying job and while the two got along, with Ash as a sort of catalyst, the two didn’t see each other as partners. 

Miss Kaylee and Welby had developed an ever-lasting friendship, partially thanks to the connection they had developed saving the girls, but they wouldn’t marry. After his experience with his ex, Welby was too scared of letting another woman into his life fully. If Hannah and Emily returned, he was petrified she would try and take them from him again. It wasn’t a healthy mindset for Welby, and he was attending regular therapy sessions to help with his trauma; while he was getting better and slowly returning to the dating world, it was sluggish progress. 

Thankfully, Hannah and Emily were keeping up their messages and letters to him. Welby always had a goofy grin on his face whenever he got a new letter from them. It seemed that despite their trauma, the girls were receptive to a return trip, especially if it meant Laura was out of the picture. Welby slowly grew stronger and stronger, returning to his normal self, the traumatic experience of having your daughters kidnapped from out under you fading into the past. His therapist was working with Welby through many troubles that people like Ash didn’t see on a surface level. 

The man had been hurting, his trust had been broken, he had been an outlaw, and the love of his life betrayed him. Ash didn’t blame Welby, hearing the traumatic experiences from his perspective had been enlightening for Ash. Welby had developed his own identity, his way of doing things. When his understanding of Littles and Amazons came crashing down around him, he struggled to maintain his composure and self-awareness. It had allowed his trust to become compromised; he let himself become infatuated with Hannah and Emily to a near-unhealthy level. Through therapy, Welby had to regain his identity not only as a person but as a father.

It seemed to be working for him as well; as he stabilized, using Ash as a guinea pig of sorts, she saw him more and more as that parental figure he was supposed to be. He was establishing his right from wrong, taking charge of his household, and taking the place of a leader, of a father. Ash was proud of him and Welby helped Ash get back into the job market, taking on a role at the daycare as a caregiver. 

Ash had been traumatized by her experience as a Little and scared to tears that they were going to take her again, especially since Ash still wore diapers. The daycare of this small town had been much more understanding than she expected, and with Welby's help, she could slowly reintegrate herself into work life. Ash was still scared, especially when it came time for her to interact with the daycare’s charges, waiting for an Amazon to step in and declare her unfit for work. But it never happened, and with Welby’s help, Ash found her balance, once again enjoying the work of caring for Littles. Welby was right; most Amazons treated Littles as they saw fit, and neither he nor Ash agreed with all their methods. The best thing she could do to help Littles was to treat them as she saw right. 

The daycare slowly started giving Ash more and more trust, eventually allowing her to lead her small class; there weren’t many Littles in the town to begin with. Ash started taking leadership of her work, enjoying the freedom of being in charge, and while her Amazon colleagues didn’t see eye-to-eye with Ash, especially when they were changing her diaper, they grew to respect Ash. With Welby’s refound sense of self, and strive to grow and develop his own family, Miss Kaylee decided it was time for her to return home.

Miss Kaylee’s work was on the brink of letting her go; she had stretched herself as thin as she could to support Welby. Ash had grown fond of Welby, but his presence was a reminder to her of Laura, and that trauma continued to flare up within Ash from time to time, waking from sweat-filled nightmares, screaming. She had tried to overcome her fears and memories, but around Welby, for all his love and care, Ash found she couldn’t. Laura had scared Ash too deeply, and Welby would always represent a connection to Laura for Ash. As much as Ash enjoyed her time with him and Miss Kaylee, Ash wanted to return to the city as well; she wanted to be free of her memories of Laura for good.

Her therapist had offered Ash injections that would trim her of her memories. She had fled the office screaming bloody murder, and the offer was never made again. There was no way Ash was ever going to let another Amazon control her thoughts, feelings, emotions, or memories ever again, no matter how innocent the change was. Conversing with the daycare owners, they had agreed to allow Ash to try her hand at running a daycare in the big city. The owners saw it as a fruitful venture; the city had far more Littles they could attract and make far more money. They would allow Ash to franchise a location of her choosing. Under the owner's careful observation, Ash, as a Tweener, would be permitted to do such activities.

It would mean Ash would be under heavy surveillance by the owners, although they trusted her. In the event they saw her unfit, they would arrive and take control of the franchise. Ash was eager to show them, and herself, that Ash was capable of doing so. The daycare she would run was set to be a high-tech building, complete with the latest robotic caregivers that Ash would run herself. She wouldn’t rely on them, preferring the touch of an actual person, but until she could hire the right people, they would suffice. Having such caretakers would also help Ash, changing her while she lived in an apartment above the daycare. 

Ash was ecstatic, she was over the moon excited to prove herself once again, to be free of Amazon’s dictating her every move. This would be the opportunity of a lifetime, and Ash was determined not to mess it up. Everything was set, and construction began of Ash’s new daycare. She received updates daily and read even the fine details with vigor as the building went up; she saw pictures as her new apartment was built and corrected minor details as walls were set and furniture was installed. Ash’s and Miss Kaylee’s venture back to the city was finally set. Tickets were bought, and bags were packed. 

Ash would finally get her life back in a major way. She would become her person once more; she would be happy. Welby was making strides himself. To Ash’s surprise, Hannah and Emily had agreed to make a return trip. Welby threw a party that night; his jubilation was infectious, and Ash found herself happy for him, celebrating well into the night as he and his girls made plans for their visit. Welby wasn’t taking any chances, formalizing proper adoption paperwork for their trip. The girls would have a proper contract protecting them this time, but according to the Amazon government, Welby would have complete parental rights over the girls during their visit. This gave Welby leverage to flex the full might of the law in protecting his girls.

The day finally came, the day both Emily and Hannah returned, and Miss Kaylee and Ash returned to their home city. Ash wouldn’t have minded sticking around to say hello to the girls, but portal scheduling was tight, and their flights home had been booked months ahead of time, the airport for this town was small, after all. 

Miss Kaylee loaded their bags into the car, Ash taking the passenger seat, propper herself up on a booster seat as they started toward the airport. Ash had developed a love for the small town and knew she would miss it. Their route to the airport led them right passed the portal transfer station. As they approached, Ash saw a trio standing out front of the building. Miss Kaylee slowed a tad as they passed.

Hannah and Emily had returned; Ash could see the tears of happiness in Welby’s eyes as he hugged them both. Ash smiled to herself as they continued onward. Welby was a good man; even if he was misguided from time to time, he deserved happiness. Ash hoped that he would be able to find true love once more, and she hoped the best for both Hannah and Emily. Ash’s insight into how Littles were treated had left her a changed woman, and she knew Welby would be a good Daddy to them both. Ash strived to do right by her new clientele as a daycare owner; she would do the best she could, and hopefully, one day, Ash would find true love herself.

Author’s note

Thank you for reading Crossing Realms. I realized when I started writing Crossing Worlds, I, like Welby, had fallen head over heels for Emily and Hannah. I loved my Little girls, and I didn’t want to put them through the trauma that Ash went through in this story. That left me wanting to explore some of the darker elements of the Amazon home world, and so I started Crossing Realms as a side novel. Ash seemed the perfect candidate, being mean and rude to Emily in the first chapters, and while I didn’t explore everything I had originally set out to do, Little trafficking comes to mind, I explored mostly everything. This story isn’t the end of Ash, and I wanted to use its ending to help tie up some loose ends I left in Book 1 of Crossing Worlds and help prepare the series for Book 2. Ash will return in Book 2, as will Miss Kaylee, in new, and exciting ways I will not spoil here. I debated keeping Crossing Realms as a companion series to the main book, running both side by side, but in the end, I decided to roll them in together.

The chief reason I made Crossing Realms as a spin off, was because Crossing Worlds book 1, was written entirely from Hannah’s perspective apart from the interludes. However, there was in no way enough time for me to explain Ash’s entire backstory in a single interludes chapter, and so, I created her own story. Crossing Worlds, Book 2, will be written from multiple people’s perspectives, and Ash is as apart of Crossing Worlds, as Emily or Hannah are. I hope you have enjoyed reading this novella, and I hope you will join me in welcoming both girls back to the Diaper Dimension, in Crossing Worlds Book 2, coming soon…