In-Between - Chapters 23-26 free porn video

You will want to read this story in order for it to make sense. As much as I don't wish to send readers away, I do want you to know that if diapers, bottles, and all that entails for babies doesn't interest you, this story most likely will not be for you. This work is set in the 'DiaperDimension' that was created by PrincessPottyPants on some of the ABDL boards. Several other authors have taken their own spins on the dimension and I encourage you to read them if you like this work! *************************************************** Chapter 23: Why? *************************************************** WHEN WE WALKED downstairs an hour later to her car, I couldn't help but wonder what she had been thinking. She opened the door in the back for me and I climbed onto the booster seat. It was a faded purple backless booster, and that morning she'd apologized that it was the only one she had still from her daughter. I had just shrugged, but noted in my mind that the padding was quite worn! She'd told me that until the end of Jenny's eighth-grade year of middle school, she had forced her daughter to sit in it. It was only then that she had a final growth spurt that got her over the line further to eight-feet and fully legal to not use it. I sighed. "What's that sigh about?" she asked me. "Honestly, trying to process today? I really expected just to be watching some cases today and maybe getting to read briefs like this morning... Why...?" She was at a stoplight and looked up at me in the rearview mirror. "Why what?" "I guess there's multiple... Why do we even have these slave laws as a part of our constitution? Why does someone like that have to live in fear of being kidnapped, and taken from her children as some sort of fake baby?" I grimaced, hoping I wasn't offending her. "And... I guess I'm wondering, why did you help her?" She nodded as she pressed the gas pedal. "Well, the constitutional amendment about slavery, as you refer to it, was a direct consequence of our country discovering the new race not long after the last century began... I don't disagree with you in the slightest that it should be gone. The problem is there's no way to make that happen without another constitutional amendment. I am doubtful that enough of the states would ever consider ratifying that amendment, even if it did manage to pass through congress..." I sighed. "I'm definitely aware of that. I'm also aware of the Maturosis decisions that have come down about Littles, and even Mids, but that doesn't make it right?" She shook her head. "It's not. You asked why did I help her?" "Yes ma'am?" She laughed. "You're going to have to stop the ma'am stuff when we get in the car to go home Cameron. You're too polite for your own good!" She laughed lightly. We were heading out of the city proper and she engaged the autopilot in the car, before turning her seat around. A holographic display hovered in front of her so she could still monitor the vehicle, but it was a given like my car that it would drive itself just fine. "When I was about two years old my mom adopted a Little, Charlotte she renamed her, and proceeded to diaper her and dress her exactly like I was dressed. At the time we were exactly the same sizes, so mom just bought two of everything and dressed us like we were twins. That went on for some time before Mom declared it was time for 'us' to be potty trained!" She sighed. "I was young, but I very much remember Mom making fun of Charlotte for having an accident while I sat on my potty and went like a good girl! Meanwhile Charlotte's training pants would be soaked or messy, and Mom would spank her and berate her about being more of a baby than me." She wiped a tear from her eye. "I was potty trained in about a month from what Mom told me, Charlotte was given one last set of training panties the day I was given my big girl panties. She was told if she could keep them clean and dry until bedtime, she would get to keep wearing training panties and using the potty like her big sis. If she didn't, she'd go on a vacation from worrying about the potty." She sighed. "During dinner she begged to get out of her highchair and use the potty, but Mom told her 'big girls can hold it...'" I watched as she shook her head. "She didn't really stand a chance, my mom really just wanted a baby that never grew up - since she felt I had to. I felt so bad for her as she cried and was dressed in a diaper after dinner. The messy Pull-Up had doomed her..." I watched her face fall into a grimace, and she wiped her eyes. "Ten years later, on my thirteenth birthday, we found her hung by the sheets in her crib having finally had enough and committed suicide." "That's awful," I told her. "I'm sorry..." She said, "Thanks... I think the fact that I was officially a teenager, and really no longer a kid, finally pushed her over the edge. To this day my birthday is a day I mourn... I don't celebrate it." "How did your mom take it?" She laughed, clearly not thinking whatever it was funny for real. "She found herself another Little. Immediately removed her ability to walk, talk, use the potty... It was awful! She didn't want to have to worry about Kelly following in Charlotte's footsteps." "I'm guessing you don't approve... That's why you helped her?" She nodded. "I'm okay with the Littles who genuinely give themselves up for adoption... I'm even somewhat okay with the Littles who are adopted out rather than spending the rest of their lives in prison... but some poor Little who managed to escape a life of Hell, after being sentenced to that life for no more than a skid mark in her panties?" She shook her head. "I can't usually do much, but you gave me a path forward. Thank you for that!" "You're welcome... I hope it at least buys that family some time." We pulled up to her house about ten minutes later, parked her car in the garage, and both carried our briefcases inside the house. I smiled as I watched her receive a kiss from her husband to welcome her home. "How was your day?" He asked her. "You know, with the help of Cameron here it was pretty good!" "Huh?" "Tell you over dinner sweetheart, just let us both go change into something more comfortable and we'll join you down here. What's for dinner anyway?" "Stuffed salmon," he told her with a smile. He looked down at me. "Hope you like fish?" I nodded. "I eat just about everything." He laughed. "As a student I figured that would be the case!" Judge Jones and I went upstairs and I came back down dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I'd debated about putting on something more comfortable than that, but as much as I figured now that I could really trust her, I didn't want to risk maturity signs! When I walked over to the table, I discovered they'd dug up an old booster seat from somewhere that day. It looked like straps had long since been removed from it, so I deemed it fairly harmless in the big picture. The color was a pretty hideous faded purple, but given I knew it had to have been Jenny's as well, I wasn't surprised by that! With a sigh I climbed up onto it, blushing, but was kind grateful since their table had been kind of difficult to reach the past couple of days! A plate was put down in front of me that could have come from a restaurant. "Wow! I thought you were an engineer..." I said with a smile. "not a professional chef." He and Judge Jones both laughed. "I joke that his retirement job is cooking for me and being my personal chef. It's been a hobby of his all his life." "My mom insisted I be able to cook when I grew up so I could impress the ladies," he joked. "I may have to get some lessons, this looks amazing!" I began eating the piece of fish, which I noted was smaller than theirs by a little bit, and took an amazing bite of stuffing that must have had crab, mushrooms, and some sort of cheese! It was to die for! The diner conversation was quiet to begin, but they started asking me about my own background some more. "So, anyone special in your life?" Judge Jones asked. "You're not married yet, right?" I shook my head. "I have had some bad luck on the love front. I had a girlfriend from freshman year until the end of my last fall semester at Emerson, that I ended up proposing to... She turned me down though because her parents had actually insisted that she break up with me before she came home for Christmas that year." "That's awful! Why would they do that?" she asked me. I sighed. "She was much taller than me, and with the family being rich, didn't want me marrying her." "How rich?" he asked me. "Billions?" "Whoa, what family?" he followed up. "The Harris family?" "SafeFoods?" Judge Jones asked, some scorn present in her voice. "Yeah... Though Addy wasn't like the rest of them." "I can see her family not approving of a Mid though," Judge Jones said. "You may have been better off though..." I shrugged. "I really did love her... and I think she probably really loved me. It was just tragic that her family was her family." She nodded. "So anyone since then?" I blushed. "Well... yeah." "Who is she?" "Complicated..." I said with a sigh. I debated about telling her, but after that day she'd earned some trust. "Her name is Beth... and I grew up down the street from her." "Ooh... high school sweetheart?" "Could have been, but I never made a move back then. I guess I didn't even really know I loved her until..." "Until?" she asked. "She was nearly demerited out, and chose to go the student services route and give herself up for adoption." "Demerited out?" her husband asked. I gave him a strange look. "I thought this was everywhere... Littles at Emerson are allowed a total of ten demerits a year for discipline infractions. If they run through them, then they are automatically demoted to the daycare until they are adopted..." Judge Jones gave a grimace and a nod. "It's not something that you see in Hartford, but Ames isn't the only state with schools like that. So, she was close... and decided she was better off allowing herself to be adopted?" I nodded. "When I saw her next, she'd talked the woman who ran the program into letting her say goodbye to me. I don't think I really knew I loved her until then." "Works that way sometimes," she nodded. "So what happened to her?" I explained how her dad had re-adopted her and dealt with the courts. I was a little leery of telling her how he had let her grow up, but since he was in a different state with her then, I felt a bit safer. "So, her dad moved her to somewhere in New Albany where he's been helping her get her life back together so she can try for being emancipated." "You talk often?" "Usually at least once a day if we can," I told her. "If she gets emancipated?" "I want to ask her to marry me," I told her. "You know New Albany is right next to this state. Do you know which city she lives in?" I shook my head. "Her dad is really paranoid about someone investigating them, so he hasn't told me where they are to be safe more than the state." "You should invite him to bring her here over a weekend or something!" I gave her a weird look. "You're okay with this? Me having a relationship with her?" "She's what, an inch from being a Mid?" I nodded. "As far as I'm concerned if she's emancipated again it's perfectly legal. I'd love to meet this girl who managed to capture your heart though." I blushed. "I'll mention it..." "Do it!" she said with a smile. We talked for a bit longer and then I helped with the dishes. While the meal was amazing, I was also amazed at how many dishes he managed to use to make the meal! When I finally had the dishwasher running most of it, and the rest drying in a rack, I went and joined them in the living room where they had a news channel on. His face looked nervous, and her face just looked angry. "I'm here in Crescent City where protestors have gathered in front of the Courthouse to protest a decision that Judge Ruth Jones issued from the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal today..." I watched them talk about the decision, but from a decidedly more unhappy approach. An interview was played of a woman, Jennifer Bennett. "I'm here with Jennifer Bennett, the head of ELNAP. Mrs. Bennett, what are you all saying about this unusual decision to issue the warrant for a Fugitive Little's return, but to put a time stamp on it for years in the future?" "It's unconscionable! How in the world would a judge in their right mind even consider that an adopted Little can safely raise two babies?!? All four of their 'family' should be getting on a plane in matching diapers and be headed back to Oak City to be with her mommy." Another picture pulled up, and I understood this was going to be a cluster of a panel. A tall Amazon, and a little dressed in a business suit joined on that screen. "With us now, I have Rebecca Washington and Nadine Key, both of the movement CAMOL. We've heard what Mrs. Bennett has to say, what do you think about this decision? I assume that you approve?" "Well, I don't approve that she would even theoretically have to go back to her mommy when her kids reach their majority," the shorter Little, Nadine, stated. "I do however admire Judge Jones attempting to thread morality with the immorality of the constitution of this country that encourages this slavery of Littles." "Additionally, I believe it's unconscionable to even consider sending a Little back to a mommy that has so obviously physically abused and neglected the Little when she was under her care," Rebecca, the big said. "Those allegations, do we have any proof of them?" the reporter asked. Rebecca nodded. "Medical exams and signed affidavits were submitted as evidence in today's hearing..." The TV turned off then, and I looked at Mr. Jones who was sitting in an armchair next to the couch I saw on with Judge Jones. "Well, you two upset the applecart today, huh?" I nodded at that, but was happy when he told her he was proud of her! Before I went to sleep that night, I looked up more of the stories going on about the case. ELNAP was an extremist group in my mind, who believed Every Little Needs a Parent... In their view every single Little, and a majority of Mids like myself, needed to be safely dressed in diapers and cared for in a nursery according to their manifesto. They specifically believed that Littles should have teeth removed and mobility impairments to help care for them the best... Their site even referred to it as being as routine as spaying and neutering pets... I had just about vomited at that. CAMOL, or Citizens Against Mistreatment Of Littles, on the other hand was decidedly against those procedures. They seemed to support total emancipation of Littles everywhere, but were more realistic on their efforts, and were currently focused on getting Little Rights Bills passed like were present in New Haven and Hartford. Both of those jurisdictions of course were part of the 3rd Circuit. As I went to bed that night, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for whatever part I played in trying to help that family! *************************************************** Chapter 24: Guests *************************************************** THE NEXT WEEK was an intense time around the courthouse. Protestors gathered on the steps and the large grassy area in front of it to protest and counterprotest all week! I watched several reports on the news where the ELNAP protestors tried to adopt some of the Littles protesting with CAMOL. Fortunately for the Littles, they were in Hartford, which kept them from being just adopted right there. Most of them managed to get released over the course of a day or two when their 'parent' tried to take them to the adoption clinics. The ones that didn't, unfortunately were dragged over state lines to a nearby state to our west that was more like Ames. I soon discovered most of Judge Jones' days were not as momentous as my first! Most of them dealt strictly with evaluating if a technicality of a law was broken, and what that effect might have on the verdicts in the lower courts. That being said, I felt like I learned more from Judge Jones, and sitting in her office and car talking to her, than I had my entire time in law school so far! I had waited a few weeks for the protests to die down before asking Mr. Fehler and Beth about her idea. "Hi Mr. Fehler!" "Hi Cameron, it's good to hear from you! I know Beth was wondering if you would call today!" "I wanted to call her all week, but it's been crazy around here. Speaking of that... Judge Jones, the woman who I'm staying with and interning, suggested since you're not far from here you could come and stay the weekend sometime before I leave to go back to New Haven in August?" He looked thoughtful. "Where would we stay?" "She has a huge house! She has several guest bedrooms..." "I'm guessing we'd only need one, I know where Beth would want to stay." "Until..." He nodded. "Beth mentioned your concerns. How about next weekend?" "Let me check with Judge Jones really quick, I'll call you back in ten minutes?" "Sounds good!" After confirming with her, I'd confirmed with him, and that led to an excited conversation with Beth! We hadn't seen each other in person now for nearly two full years! The next week was the slowest moving week of all time! Each day the minutes seemed to take forever to pass, and the days themselves were just serving as obstacles to the weekend! I had spoken to Dad, and he had reminded me as long as Beth was still adopted, I had to be careful around Judge Jones since she was legally bound to deal with indiscretions. Having already been forever paranoid that anyone would ever find out about our last time together, I had agreed. The day finally arrived and Mr. Fehler pulled in driving a midsize sedan. It was just before dinner time, after we had come home a little early to meet them. Judge Jones and her husband joined me outside to greet them. I watched as Mr. Fehler opened the door, waved at me friendlily, and turned around to open the back where he pulled Beth out of a car seat. The first thing I noticed though was her clothes. They looked like a normal woman in her twenties should be dressed! My eyes stared at her wide smile as I took in slow motion her being sat down on the ground and bounding towards me. She wore a conservative short sleeved striped top, that emphasized the small curves she had. Her shorts looked like they were an appropriate length, but there was something missing underneath them! She reached me and pounced on me. "Cameron!!!!" I hugged her back as she clung to me and I felt tears come out of my eyes at being reunited finally. "Here Cameron," she said to me a moment later as she handed me a piece of paper she'd been carrying. I began shaking and crying as I read the emancipation order, and hugged her again. "I'm so glad you're free!!!!" I felt a little embarrassed as I realized everyone had all watched that display, but didn't care as I finally regained my composure and remembered my manners. "Sorry about my manners here Judge Jones, I'd like to introduce you to Beth Fehler, and her father Jerome Fehler." Just then I realized there was someone else there. "And Mrs. Fehler?" I said in surprise as I saw her standing there. "Hi Cameron. Surprise!" She said with a smile. Her mom was a hair under eight feet tall, so while she was taller than me, she was still pretty short. "I thought..." I stammered. "We'll explain in a moment," her dad said, "This is my wife Ashley. Why don't we get everything unloaded first and then maybe we can all sit down and discuss things?" He looked at Judge Jones. "I hope you don't mind that we brought one more person than Cameron expected?" She laughed. "Not at all, Cameron told me about everything that happened with Beth at Emerson and afterwards... so I'm curious to hear this story too!" Beth squeezed my hand and said, "Where am I staying?" "In his room," Judge Jones said. At Beth's open eyes she said, "You're emancipated, and as an emancipated adult now, I don't care. You can sleep there or I do have another room with a bed for you too." She blushed. "With Cameron, would be fine." I helped Mr. Fehler and Mr. Jones grab luggage for the family and carried Mr. and Mrs. Fehler's upstairs to the second floor, before continuing up with Beth's stuff to my room. She smirked when she got there. "I bet you were worried she was matching your hair to the room when you moved in here?" I blushed, not thinking about the color much anymore. "It did occur to me. I don't know why you, and Addy before you, all love me having long hair..." She leaned up on her tippy toes and kissed me before running her hands through my hair. "For me at least I love having your long hair to run my hands through..." She pulled my head down to her level and then really kissed me, with absolute unbridled passion! Our tongues played in each other's mouths for a moment before I pushed her back and said, "We should probably get downstairs so everyone can hear this story." She smiled. "I think you'll be proud of me!" I hugged her again. "I already am!" She ducked into the bathroom for a moment, and then I held her hand to walk downstairs together. We came down the main stairwell and saw that her parents and the Jones were already sitting down at the dining room table. All of them were staring up at us. "Now that is an adorable sight!" her mom said. We both groaned, but joined them at the table. I smiled as I saw Beth sitting on a simple portable booster cushion on her chair beside me. We sat with her mom on her right, her dad across from her, Mr. Jones at the head, and Judge Jones beside him opposite me. Before us we each had a beautiful steak dinner that I knew he had cooked. "Thanks," I told him after tasting it. "it's exceptional as always!" He smiled. "I'm going to miss you when you go back to school! Compliments every time I cook?" Judge Jones punched him on the arm. "I give you compliments too you dolt!" Once we had mostly all finished our food, we sat with empty plates and I asked Mrs. Fehler. "So what happened?" She smiled. "Well... We knew that if Beth was to have a chance we would have to separate. Together we were pretty sure the court would rule that I was too immature of an influence and might corrupt Beth further. In the past some of the courts in Ames have ruled that the Betweener mother suddenly needed to be considered a Little too..." She wiped some tears from her eyes. "I didn't want to leave Beth and her father, but it was her best chance. Long term we figured that New Albany would be the safest place to try and get her to and grow her back up so to speak... So, I moved there and found a house out in the country with our divorce settlement money. I worked remotely anyway, so nothing had to change with my job." "When we decided it was finally time to leave at the same time you did," her dad said, "I left without calling her from Ames. We just showed up a couple days after I called you to let you know we made it to safety." "I was so excited to see Mom! Dad had never even told me where we were going!" Beth said, grabbing her hand. "So at least I know where you've been... What have you been doing? You've always been kind of cagey about it," I told her. "Well... for safety sake when we moved in for the first year, we had her continue to act like a baby outside the house. We had a nursery for her to be safe in case any inspectors happened to come by. When we were pretty sure that no one was following us to check up on her we started really focusing on the potty training even more. We were able to enroll her in a community college to earn an associate's degree - she just finished in May, and prepared her for the testing center." "Testing center?" I asked curiously. "It's easier in New Albany to earn your freedom," she told me. "But the test is pretty intense." "What do they do?" Judge Jones asked, just as curious and making herself still known. "Well, it's a three-hour test. Part of the requirements of passing it is to show you won't wet or mess your panties during that time. They give you a test that is something like a high school exam, and then also you have an interview with someone who asks you really personal and embarrassing questions." She squirmed a bit. "At the end of it they check your panties in front of the room of test takers... Then you have to use the potty in front of them to do both things..." "That's got to be horribly embarrassing," I said. "You have no idea Cam!" She smiled though. "But when I was done pooping in the potty, wiped myself, and had one last panty check, they gave me the certificate that let us go to the court. Dad had to testify, I had to testify, and then it became official!" "I'm so proud of you for getting through all of that," I told her with a smile. "Me too! I didn't think I would ever be an adult again..." she said morosely. "Now what's new here...?" The next hour we had dessert, I did the dishes with Beth's help, and her parents and the Joneses ended up having a very cordial conversation. I had been watching Beth for any sign that the early bedtimes were still a thing, but she was wide awake as it approached the time that I normally called it a night. Everyone excused themselves about that same time and went upstairs to their rooms. When Beth and I reached my room I said, "You don't have to sleep with me if you don't..." She launched herself at me and kissed me. Really kissed me! I could feel my insides curling with passion right then as she broke it off and pushed me gently away. "Shut up Cam... Let me get dressed for bed, and then I'll make sure you know exactly what I do want out of you!" I felt my arousal at that statement making my pants uncomfortable, and decided to get dressed in the pair of soft pajamas I had bought in the hopes of such a reaction from her. They were just a pair of plaid pajama pants and shirt, but they were the softest fabric I'd ever felt. I thought she might enjoy feeling me through them. When she exited the bathroom, I wondered why I had bothered getting dressed! She wore a sheer nightgown that showed through to her lacy bra and panties underneath. 'Real panties,' I noted! "I hope you have some condoms?" I nervously nodded. "Yes...?" "Well then, let me show you what I want after being locked in diapers for most of the last seven years..." That night we definitely did what she wanted! We made up for the lost years multiple times that night before finally falling asleep. We spent Saturday hanging out, went for a walk around their property together, and eventually had a great meal outside with everyone. I spent some time talking with her parents too, and things seemed pretty much perfect. After dinner I nervously looked at Beth, and got down on one knee with her parents and the Joneses watching. "Beth Fehler, years ago I never knew what I had with you... I was too caught up in trying to get to college and avoid being seen as a Little. The day you gave yourself up was one of the worst days of both of our lives. After everything that's happened, I know for a fact there's only one thing I want in this world. I don't want mere inches to come between us ever again. Beth, would you make me the happiest person in the world and be my wife?" The world stopped then, as I waited to see if things would end the same way as with Addy. The ring wasn't the same as Addy's, I had taken that back with Amanda's help all those years ago, but it was just as valuable. It was a solid platinum band, with a separate wedding band that would eventually intertwine with the beautiful blue sapphire in the center, with two high grade diamonds set beside it. The band itself had more diamonds and sapphires alternating inset around it. I looked into her eyes, afraid of what she would say. Instead, she looked at the ring in my hands, placed her hand out, and let me slide it onto her perfect finger. "Yes!" she said to me before wrapping me in the tightest hug I'd ever felt! We kissed tenderly then and I heard clapping from the onlookers, before we were both mobbed with hugs. That moment as I looked at her beautiful face, and held the hand with a ring on it, I was the happiest I had ever been in my life! I called Dad and shared the news with him right away. He had been as ecstatic as her parents had been too, and insisted on talking with his future daughter-in-law himself to welcome her to our family. *************************************************** Chapter 25: Precedent *************************************************** THAT NEXT DAY when I said goodbye to Beth, it was the first time that I'd not felt a sense of foreboding like I would never see her again! Before she left, we began planning the early stages of dates for our wedding, aiming for June after I graduated law school in May. By then I would have taken the Bar Exam, and hopefully passed on my first attempt! I knew if I didn't, I would be the first person from my school to fail it in decades - no pressure! I hoped to get a job in New Haven or Hartford before I graduated. I was pretty sure that Judge Jones was going to be a strong reference! In fact, my time with her seemed to work amazingly well for both of us. The week before I was set to return to Harlan, I helped her decipher a chemical mess that lawyers for both sides of a lawsuit kept going back and forth with experts. The whole case rested on a chemical that seemingly caused forty Big children to suddenly stop growing, and then begin regressing in their potty training to the point all of them were now diapered and being treated as if they were Littles in their education. "So, was this intentional?" she was trying to decipher. Really the case was about whether or not the company was knowingly responsible when someone used the chemical in the snack food being given out as samples. A lower court had said no, but the plaintiffs had appealed saying the judge had improperly thrown out evidence of a chemical chain that was present. I had recognized that chemical chain when we were sitting in her chambers going over decisions she was publishing. "Umm... Judge Jones?" "Yes Cam?" she said, "Remember we're in my chambers, enough of the Judge crap." "Sorry Aunt Ruth," I said rolling my eyes. Over the course of the summer, she'd rendered a verdict that if we were at home, or alone in her chambers or her car, there was to be none of the Judge Jones 'nonsense.' "We'll get you past this one of these days," she said with a smile. "But seriously, what?" "I recognize one of these protein chains that are in this document..." "What do you mean?" "They claim that the children lost all of their potty training, right?" She nodded. "Every last one of them." "Well, it's because of this chemical chain. It's in Bigs' breast milk, and it's what causes Littles to become incontinent." "So, did they know this?" I shrugged. "I don't know if there's any way to prove it, but I would guess yes. It's a pretty specific molecule that I only know of because of a friend of mine from college." We discussed things quite in-depth, and she ended up ordering a new trial to be held with a specific ruling that the evidence had to be shown to the jury! I followed the case a few months later and discovered that SafeFoods was now a party to the suit. I felt it was definitely justice deserved when they lost their case a year later and were ordered to pay the victims' families one-hundred-and-eighty- million dollars! The day I packed my car back up and headed back to Harlan, was a bit of a melancholy day. It was raining as I hugged Aunt Ruth goodbye underneath the garage roof. "You be safe going back, and good luck this semester! If you don't find something with a firm this spring, let me know and we can get you on for a full-time clerkship. I would love to have you around for a couple years, and it'd be a good way to get your feet wet." "I'll keep that in mind, thank you so much for everything!" I had a long drive back to school, and passed much of it on the phone with Beth. She and her mom had picked out a beautiful private ranch for the wedding that was Little friendly for our small ceremony. They'd made some friends in that community that they invited, along with both sets of my grandparents, and both sets of her grandparents. Some aunts and uncles on both sides would be coming with cousins too. I couldn't help but smile with how excited she was to be able to plan our future! Aunt Ruth was even going to preside over the ceremony for us! By the time I reached my first class back that semester, we were pretty much planned I thought... Of course, she had set me straight about that when I mistakenly said that! I was happy to leave her to it though, and focused on getting back in the swing of things for the semester. Walking into my first class back I saw Wendy already sitting waiting in a seat, and chose one next to her. "Hey Cameron, how was your summer?" "Great! I spent the time clerking with Judge Jones in the 3rd Circuit," I had just said that as Edgar walked in. "You were working with her?" Edgar said. "She's definitely got balls! That Dane vs. Tully case is going to be one of the biggest cases in thirty years as people study it." Right then the professor came up. "You're right Edgar, it definitely is. Cameron, you were interning for her, any idea where she came up with that unique view on the law?" I choked for a second and debated what to say. "I'm not sure that I should say sir, I was involved in some pretty privileged conversations there, and it's still up in litigation to see if the Supreme Court is going to take it on appeal?" He looked at me and nodded. "Probably a pretty good plan... You know you might make a good lawyer someday," he joked. I felt like groaning, the number of jokes like that I heard on a regular basis were painful! "I hope so sir," I told him with a smile. When he walked away further Edgar was sitting on the other side of me from Wendy. "Was that your idea?" "Pardon?" "The solution?" "Like I said, I can't really discuss that case... but I will say Judge Jones is a force to be reckoned with, and she's very clever!" Class began shortly thereafter with the traditional syllabus being handed out and loads of cases assigned for us to study. To my shock Dane vs. Tully was listed on the syllabus. "You sure you can't talk about it?" Wendy said. I shrugged. "I guess before I say yes or no, let me talk to Judge Jones for her permission?" "Please!" The professor said, having overheard me. "You are young enough that I don't know that you understand the gravity of that decision. If the Supreme Court chooses not to take the case, then that will be a new precedent. If they take it up and uphold or strike it down those will also be new precedents... It is probably the biggest case in Little Rights in the past half-century." "Huh?" I said. "It wasn't that big of a case? Just involved one woman?" "And figuring a way around that Little Fugitive Statute of the Constitution. Honestly it was brilliant work, I expect it to have a decent chance of being upheld if it's heard." "I'll ask..." I said, suddenly wondering what my idea had set into motion. After classes were over that day Samantha walked back with me to the residential village. "It was your idea, wasn't it?" She asked. "Huh?" "To deal in the fact there was no specific time listed on the statute?" "I really shouldn't say..." "It's okay, I know it was. I can see your fingerprints all over it, Cameron. I'm grateful for it too!" "Umm... Thanks," I told her. "So, what did you do there, besides help make legal history?" "Well... Beth got emancipated in June!" "Wait, that's that Little you knew from back home, right?" I nodded. "Her parents drove her down to see me and she gave me the good news... I asked her to marry me!" She gave me a big grin. "Good for you!" She stiffened though. "Is that okay legally?" "Now that she's emancipated, she's an adult again, so yes, it is!" "That's exciting! When's the big day?" I talked with her for a while longer before finally making it into my apartment. I sent Judge Jones a text message, 'Aunt Ruth, would you please call me when you get a chance, I got asked a lot of questions today and need to know what I can and can't say. Thanks!' Looking at the time I was pretty sure she was probably still in court, so I called Beth. "Hi Beth!" I said to her. We spoke for a good thirty minutes before Judge Jones called. "I need to take this, I'll talk to you later Beth!" "Love you Cam," she said to me and made an air kiss at me over the video. "Love you too Beth," I smiled. I answered the phone. "Hello?" "Cameron?" "Hi Aunt Ruth," I said. "How was your first day back?" "Umm... Good, I guess... I failed to realize how much my internship with you was going to result in questions from students and professors." She sighed. "Yeah, that happens sometimes when you're around the big ones. Which case?" "Dane vs. Tully," I said. "Oh... Yeah, that one does seem to be picking up a fan base, doesn't it?" "It's on my syllabus this semester along with every other major civil rights case involving Littles. They were asking me questions about it, but I deferred until I could talk to you. What can I say?" She made a 'hmm...' sound that I knew meant she was thinking heavily. "Anything that's in the decision that was published is fair game. I wouldn't say that you gave me the idea, but you can explain the rationale behind the no time statute there... Honestly you shouldn't talk too much beyond that though until it works itself through the appeals." "That's more than what I thought I could say honestly," I told her. We talked for a bit longer before I hung up and printed off the decision. I made a few notes and texted her a couple of questions on some things that I thought might be okay to say. In class later that week the professor mentioned that the Supreme Court had declined to take up the case, after a brief was filed that Mrs. Tully was now legally emancipated. It effectively side-stepped a decision from them. It did leave the judgement of Judge Jones standing, and made it a precedent at least within the 3rd Circuit, but likely it could be applied elsewhere and stand until it made it back to the Supreme Court. "So, what can you tell us now?" the professor had asked me. "Well, I spoke with Judge Jones, and she suggested I stay within the opinion while we were waiting to see what the Supreme Court would do." "Since they just dodged it?" "I might be able to answer a few more things next week? Again, we had some privileged conversations over the past few months." "You got to know her pretty well?" My professor asked. "Well, yeah, I ended up taking a room at her house, so I spent a lot of time with her." "You stayed with her?" "Well, her and her husband... and I met a couple of her children and grandchildren later in the summer," I said. "So, you know a lot more about her docket?" I shrugged. "Probably more than an outsider?" In the end I broke it down to the fact that Mrs. Tully had been living on her own for four years after recovering from horrible abuse. The decision was an elegant one hoping to help her buy time with her kids at least, because Judge Jones despised breaking up families. That day when I left class the professor, Doctor Warner, motioned for me to stop. "You realize you have one of the best chances to get a career skyrocketing after graduation now?" "Sir?" "You're party to one of the most monumental decisions in decades. You clerked with Judge Jones, who I've heard quietly is being vetted to take over the Supreme Court spot that Judge Mansfield just stepped down from." "She is?" "She is," he said. "Cool! She deserves it. She's brilliant!" He laughed. "Yes, she is. But if you end up being able to say you clerked with a Supreme Court Justice..." "Oh... That's good for me too, isn't it?" "Yes, it is. I think the key isn't whether you get a job this year, it's what you want to specialize in. From what I've seen Corporate Malfeasance or Civil Rights seem to be up your alley. "Those do both interest me Professor." "Well, I'll keep my ears open for the right firm and start pushing your name out." "Thank you, sir," I said with a smile that stayed on my face all the way to my apartment. I gathered my mail from my mailbox and walked inside to look through everything. It was mostly junk, but I noted a flyer that said, Need Extra Cash? I was morbidly curious, so I looked up the information and felt sick to my stomach. Are you a Mid looking for some extra $$$? College student? Grad Student? We at Serendipity Industries are looking for people like you to answer surveys and try a variety of products... 'This sounds like something Addy's parents' company would be sending out...' I couldn't help but thinking. I was about to do a little research on the company when my phone lit up and showed Beth's face. "Hey Cameron!" she said to me. "How did today go?" "Oh... well I guess I might be having to choose between amazing job offers according to Professor Warner." "Why?" "I guess Judge Jones..." "You mean Aunt Ruth!" she corrected with a smile. I sighed. "Aunt Ruth is being vetted for that open Supreme Court seat." "Does she stand a chance of being confirmed?" She asked me. I shrugged. "I don't know, the Tully case seriously has a lot of people angry at her, but it also got a lot of progressive attention." "That's cool!" she told me. "So, where are we looking at living?" I smiled. "I really want to stay in New Haven honestly, but I'm okay with up there in New Albany, or anywhere here in the State of Hartford." "What about going straight to the Capital?" "Live there?" I shook my head. "It would be one of the worst places we could live with you..." I cringed. "Honestly beside Ames I can't think of a more dangerous place for us to live for your safety?" She shrugged. "It may be unavoidable someday Cam if you become as big as I think you might!" I laughed. "Trust me, no Mid is going to be sitting on a major judicial seat anytime soon!" We talked for a while. Towards the end of the call she said, "I'm working on trying to find my own job here too... just so I can save up some money for when we're married." "Doing what?" "Not sure yet, I have a few leads. Mom is actually looking at one with me." "What happened to her job?" "She officially retired last week... but she just wants to find something to occupy her time now." "That's cool, tell her congratulations for me!" She smiled. "I will Cameron. I love you!" "Love you too!" *************************************************** Chapter 26: Disconnected *************************************************** THE NEXT FEW months were busy with classes, studying cases, memorizing facts, creating legal briefs for assignments, writing, writing, reading, and more writing! All while I was doing this, I was making plans to go up to the Fehlers' place in New Albany for Christmas this year. I was so excited to see her in-person, and not on a video screen! We made the most of our daily calls, but it wasn't the same! The trip was also going to be my one real chance to see everything Beth had planned for our wedding too. I was really looking forward to it with as happy as the preparations were making her! I had to get through Thanksgiving first though, and ended up going up to Aunt Ruth's for the holiday since she insisted I wasn't allowed to be alone! They were in the midst of moving out of their large house, with their kids picking through long stored possessions of theirs too. Judge Ruth Jones would be taking her place on the Supreme Court after the holiday for her lifetime appointment! Because of that they had sold their house and were moving to one just outside the capital. We had just finished dinner on Thanksgiving and I tried calling Beth. She didn't answer, but I figured she was probably just busy. I soon found myself helping out with sorting and packing Judge Jones law library, and became quite distracted when she gave me two two-hundred- year-old law books to keep! They were in as perfect of condition as any book that age could be, and I thanked her profusely. Her youngest daughter Jenny was the closest to my height, only a bit over a foot taller than me, which made her kind of my go to friend those couple of days that I stayed in the full house. It was a chaotic place with Judge Jones' large family, and I felt overwhelmed through most of my stay there, as her four kids and four grandkids made their previously quiet house - very not quiet! I had a good time though, and I was kept quite busy until I left to drive home to my apartment at Harlan Saturday morning. It was only then that I realized Beth hadn't ever called me back. Thinking it was quite odd, I tried calling her again. "We're sorry, but the phone number you have dialed has been disconnected..." "What?!?" I shouted. I dialed it again, manually, to see if I just had some weird bug. The same message played. I tried her dad's number. "We're sorry..." I had her mom's number and tried it too. "We're..." "What's going on?" I said aloud. I called Dad. "Dad, do you have any idea why Beth and her family's numbers are all ringing as disconnected?" "No...? Let me try from here, maybe you have a bad line." We hung up and I watched the highway pass by for a few minutes before he called me. "I have no idea Cameron... Maybe their phone bill got messed up?" "I'm worried Dad," I told him. "Give it a day... if it's still that way we'll see what else we can find out." When I made it back to my apartment I called again. And again. I used my computer to try and contact her via messaging apps. Nothing! I had some access to state and national records requests through the law school that I immediately got to work diving into the next week since I still hadn't heard from her! I found information on their house in New Albany in a records database under her mother's maiden name. I was excited to have picked up the trail since I still hadn't been given their address yet for safety reasons. My relief immediately turned to disbelief, and dismay, as I discovered it had been sold for cash... cheap and quick, the day after Thanksgiving! I tried searching for any other sign of records for Mr. and Mrs. Fehler, but came up empty. I almost drove up right then to check on them, but I received some follow-up from the new property owner the day I was considering it. They confirmed the Fehlers had left even before the house was rapidly sold with all of the contents in it. Over the next weeks, no matter how I searched, no matter who I enlisted to help me, the Fehlers seemed to have fallen off the face of the planet! I had half-hoped I would see a filing in Ames by a judge about a case against Mr. Fehler for failing to raise his daughter according to the stipulations. A case that maybe showed contempt of court, or anything! Nothing. The morning I flew home for Christmas I held the desk piece she had made for me of her poem, Inches, and couldn't help but fear I had been thwarted by mere inches yet again. CHRISTMAS PASSED BY, and Dad and I took a trip to see if we could pick up any piece of the trail on the Fehlers. The property owner mentioned he had found a bunch of receipts that seemed like they probably were needed by them for some tax write-offs, so he'd not thrown them away. When he handed them to me, I couldn't help but blanch at the sight of diapers in both the right size for Beth... and also a bigger size that would probably have fit her mother. "What the Hell happened to them, Dad?" I asked him. "No idea Cameron... Do you have any idea what the job was that they were looking at? That's the only other lead I can think of?" I shook my head. He was right, that was our best lead, so we focused on asking questions about that. Unfortunately that led to its own dead end as we asked around town about them. After a few days of finding nothing, Dad flew home, and I drove home to my lonely apartment. The clutter that had built up got to me, and I began binge cleaning almost immediately to cope with my stress about Beth. One of the worst parts of my apartment was a tall pile of junk mail sitting on a counter by the door. I began tackling it with a large trash bag, shredding as needed, and tossing the mail that was truly worthless. I hadn't tackled it since before Thanksgiving, so it was quite a pile! I noticed the ad I had saved from Serendipity Industries. I was about to just throw it away, but instead sat down at my desk and opened up my browser on my computer. I searched the company and found it was just a front company being held by another major corporation, SafeFoods. "Well, I thought it sounded kind of like something Addy's parents would be involved in," I shook my head as I threw it away. "I wonder how many people get caught by those free money ads for being a guinea pig?" Before I could think much more about it though my phone rang. Like every time it rang, I looked at it hoping it would be Beth, but instead saw that it was Aunt Ruth. "Hi, Aunt Ruth," I said to her over the video screen. "Any word about Beth?" I shook my head. "Dad and I ran into a complete dead end up in New Albany. I don't know what happened... There was a receipt for diapers in both her and her mom's sizes that got left behind. I'm worried something bad happened to them and either her dad had to run away with them... or they were adopted and something happened to him." "I'm sure he'll make contact with you eventually Cam," she told me. "I hope so... We're supposed to be married in June... How can things like this keep happening to me?" I couldn't completely hold back the tears. She had a tear on her face too. "I don't know Cameron, but I'm sure things will work out in the end. Be patient!" She sighed. "I needed to call and tell you that I think David Benson from Benson and Stein is going to be giving you a call." "About?" I asked while thinking, 'They're one of the biggest firms out there for Little Rights and Malfeasance cases!' "About a job." "Really? Why me?" "Well, I might have had a conversation with him and Kendra Stein at a reception the other night at a conference. I told them about this brilliant law student who I thought would fit their firm really well." "Thanks for that." "Well, you deserve it! You have a brilliant legal mind and I know you'll do well. At some point I hope you end up sitting on the bench yourself." "Not likely with my size," I told her. "Not impossible though - there are no laws against it you know!" I laughed lightly. "I do know... Thanks for letting me know they might be calling." "Cameron, take advantage of this if they call. It's the right move for you to get a good start. Even if you don't stay with them for more than a few years, you'll have time to get your feet wet, and some cases under your belt." "Yes, Ma'am," I said. "And Cameron, let me know if you hear anything about Beth. I'll do all I can to help out if I need to..." I smiled. "I know you will, thanks, Aunt Ruth." We hung up and it was only then that I realized in the short time I had known her she had kind of taken on the role of a surrogate mom. Not like a mommy, mind you, but a caring mom who wanted to see me succeed. After I got off the phone with her, I began doing some research on Benson and Stein. It was pretty remarkable actually, as it was a team of a Mid and a Big for the partners of the firm... and the Mid's name was first! I thought it might have just been alphabetical at first, but reading into some of their cases it seemed more like the Mid, David Benson, was the one that led everything in the courtroom. Kendra Stein, his partner, seemed to be almost there more for literal muscle. Their cases were truly intriguing to me as they tended to run the gamut of abused Littles, improperly adopted Littles, Mids with rights reduced, and other civil rights cases, all the way to cases of things like companies committing ethical violations in their testing. I saw a couple of cases of suits involving illegal uses of chemicals to do things to patients at daycares and hospitals listed too. In short, I suddenly found myself really hoping they would call! It wasn't a right away phone call for them though. Instead, two days later I had a professor mention they'd gotten a call and they were checking up on me. I kept busy while I waited for them to obviously vet me before approaching me. In the meantime, I was busy with preparing a case with my group of friends for the Law School to litigate about a drug patent. I'd gotten dragged into doing it because of my chemistry degree, and I dragged my friends in to help me. The minutia of preparing the briefs and the court filings kept me busy and unable to dwell on Beth as much. Not that I wasn't still constantly worried about her, and hopelessly searching everywhere for her and her parents! Staying busy was a way to cope with my loss though. During the third week of the semester, I received a phone call. "Mr. Sylvester?" I heard on the other side of the line. "Yes?" "My name is Kendra Stein, with the Benson and Stein Law Firm. We're looking for a couple of young attorneys to join our staff, and your name has been brought up to us by a few people. I was wondering if you might be willing and able to meet with my partner at our office this Friday." "I'd be happy to!" I told her. "I didn't submit an application or anything, do I need to do so?" She laughed. "Trust me, your application was submitted for you by your excellent work." "Where's your office located?" "We're in downtown Crescent City, not far from the courthouse." "Okay, I'll have to see about finding a place to stay the night. Any chance you know of any hotels that would be Mid friendly? I tried renting an apartment last summer and that resulted in a small claims suit..." She laughed. "We know, it was a great pleasure to see the court ordered them to pay you for that one! We'll arrange your hotel and accommodations, as well as pay for a stipend for your gas and meals on your trip up here. Do you think you can be up here by say... two o'clock?" I looked at my calendar. "I have a class, but I think Professor Roberts will let me out of it for this." "Sounds good, looking forward to meeting you!" I hung up the phone and felt excited that a career I dreamed of was within my grasp. Then I felt sad that it looked like the love of my life wouldn't be able to join me. THE REST OF the week flew by with coursework keeping me busy. I also took time to put together a portfolio of my best work on briefs for the university's legal team, a copy of my resume, and some of the decisions that I had formally assisted Judge Jones with. Driving in my car to Crescent City, I couldn't help but wish this had happened a couple months ago when I could have just stayed with her! She'd bought a house with her husband about thirty minutes outside the Capital where they were able to get a bit of land around them, along with a wall and a security system that was certainly needed for someone in her position. She'd gotten approved by the slimmest of majorities through the senate after her decision this summer almost universally disqualified her in the minority party's view. Whatever had taken her over the finish line though, she was now a justice until she decided to retire or died - and I knew her personally! It made me smile a little to think about that. Unfortunately, that just gave me more time to think about Beth's disappearance while I drove. I really had tried everything I could short of one of those damn bounty hunters like Ms. Dane had used. Nothing seemed to pop up no matter where I searched, and I just hoped that maybe her dad had gotten them out in the nick of time from whatever had gone wrong. Eventually the city's tall skyscrapers came into view and the car navigated to a parking garage they told me to use. "Sir?" The attendant at a gate asked. "Hi, I'm here to meet with Benson and Stein?" "Name?" "Cameron Sylvester," I said and watched the guard type my name in. He looked up. "You're expected. If you'll enable the auto-guide feature of your car we'll get you parked. You'll want to take the elevator to the lobby, and then they'll get you to your floor." "Thank you," I said appreciatively and okayed the prompt my car was showing me. A lot of times I still had to manually drive the car with the hand controls in the garages and parking lots of places, but this was clearly a place that had invested in an auto-parking system. It soon had me parked in a row of spaces mere feet from the elevators he'd mentioned. I opened my car door and straightened my tie out. I pulled my suit coat on, and grabbed my briefcase. I found the elevator had two sets of controls, one for Bigs, and one for Littles. Seeing as how the Littles were closer, I almost used them, but the last thing I wanted to do was appear weak if anyone was watching. I leaned up on my tip- toes and pressed the lobby button on the taller panel. I found myself in a large imposing lobby with a reception desk to one side. I walked over to it and said, "Good afternoon, would you please direct me to Benson and Stein's office?" The tall woman looked down at me and gave me a demeaning smile. "Why would you be going to their offices?" "Just directions please Ma'am," I told her. She gave me a look like she wanted to argue, but someone else walked up then and she said, "Take that elevator over there to the forty- second floor. They have a receptionist there that will get you to wherever you need to go." "Thank you, Ma'am," I told her with a smile. 'I sure hope not many Littles try and get up there on their own...' I walked into an open elevator and was going to use the Bigs panel again, but '42' was way too high up on it. I instead sighed and pushed the '42' that was about my shoulder height on the Littles panel. It looked like there were a total of fifty floors in the building, but even at the forty-second floor I knew it would be a higher office than I had ever been in! For being so high up in the air, the ride was surprisingly quick! I stepped out into the office and was surprised to see a receptionist that was a Little. "Can I help you sir?" I smiled at her. "My name is Cameron Sylvester, I have an appointment?" She looked down at a tablet she had turned on and nodded. "Yes sir, give me just a moment to let them know you're here. Would you like water or something while you wait?" I looked at her and realized if there was ever a random secretary, I would trust it would be her, but shook my head. "No thank you. Do you have a restroom though by chance?" She smiled. "Down the hall and to the left." "Thanks!" I made a quick pit stop before walking back and sitting down in a chair near her desk. I wasn't seated long before a man a smidge taller than me, and probably close to fifty, came to me from a hallway. "Mr. Sylvester?" I stood. "You must be Mr. Benson?" "I am, David though please, it's a pleasure to finally meet you! My partner and I have heard really great things about you from multiple sources. We're looking forward to speaking with you today," he said. "You all have a great reputation here; I'm looking forward to it too!" I was led to a conference room where a tall woman was already seated. She stood when I entered the room, and Benson said, "Cameron, this is Kendra Stein, my partner here at the firm." She held her hand out to me. "Cameron Sylvester, it's a pleasure to meet you," I told her. She towered over me, and I guessed her height was a few inches shy of being twelve feet. She was dressed in a tan skirt suit that flattered her figure quite well. "Please, have a seat," she said and directed me to a desk chair that pneumatically took me to a height I could see over the table without the need for a booster seat. 'Hmm... I need one of these...' "Well, let's just get down to business," David said, "We're looking for a couple of new lawyers to join our team as our caseload is increasing recently. Kendra and I would prefer to give a bit of a helping hand to some students from our alma mater at Harlan if we can. I was already going to speak with some professors there, but before I did so Judge Jones mentioned you at a reception..." I soon found out that they'd been looking into me for a while and vetted me with every source they could. "So, we're sure that you're a quality person that will probably be a big help to our firm. What we want to know is, would you be interested?" I nodded. "I appreciate that, and I am interested! Before we start hammering out details though, I would like to know what my role will be?" Our conversation was a cordial one that went on far longer than I think any of us anticipated, but at the end of it we shook on a deal for me to be hired and making a six-figure salary in my first year, before case bonuses! We also discussed who else might be a match for the firm, and I suggested my friend Edgar who would be a good Big to add to offset my height. That was something they were looking for to create a balanced team. I left the meeting and called Dad first to tell him the good news. He was just as excited as I was, and told me that when he retired in five years, he would come join me there. My next phone call had to be to my 'Aunt Ruth' of course. She was properly congratulatory, but most importantly I thanked her for her part in getting me the job! Even with a great job in hand before graduation... All I could think about was Beth... What happened to her...? In June our wedding date came, and instead of waiting for her at the front of the aisle, I found myself surrounded by Dad's arms crying. Fortunately for me he had thoughtfully come out to visit me in Crescent City that week as I moved into a new apartment. More than anything, I just wanted to know that she was safe!!! ******************************************************** Thanks for reading!!!! Please leave me a comment in the reviews to let me know you've read this, and what you thought! Thank you to those of you who have done so thus far! I'll continue posting about every other day until this work is fully on this site. There's a total of 65 chapters and an Epilogue to it.