Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Evelyn woke with a start.

A breath was caught uncomfortably in her throat and she struggled to get oxygen into her lungs. It almost felt like she was being squeezed from the outside, invisible hands pressing on her sternum and neck, trying to strangle her. 

After a moment of floundering, she jerked upright into a rigid sitting position, trying her best not to cough and wake up her sleeping partner. It took a minute, but, eventually, she sucked in a gulp of fresh air, gasping with saliva dripping down her chin when she could finally breathe again.

It was only then that she noticed she had tears streaming down her face as well, though it was hard to tell they were tears since she was also sweating quite heavily. Her whole body felt damp and sticky and, when she swiped at her cheeks, her hands came away shining.

This time, instead of air being caught in her throat, she felt a sob bubbling up from deep inside her. She hadn’t had a nightmare this bad in a long time. Usually, when this happened, she could turn over and after a few sniffles could fall back asleep again. But, this time, much like when she had been a teenager, she couldn’t hold back her tears.

She closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down, trying to hold back the intense emotions she could feel swelling in her chest. Unfortunately for her, a sob ended up working its way out of her, followed by one or two more, and, soon enough, she was full on bawling.

Paige, who had been sleeping peacefully beside her, immediately bolted up in bed. She swivled her head around for the problem for a second before her eyes adjusted to the dark room and settled on Evelyn.

“Evelyn?” Paige whispered, reaching up to move the other woman’s sweaty hair off of her forehead. “What's wrong? Are you hurt?”

Evelyn shook her head no, desperately swiping her fists over her eyelids to get rid of her tears. It didn’t really work though and she only succeeded in making her eyes itch from the salty sweat.

“I’m s-sorry for waking you up.” Evelyn whimpered softly, hiccuping and just looking so sad and miserable that Paige leaned over and brought her into a tight hug.

“It's okay,” Paige rocked back and forth, humming lightly. “Do you wanna tell me what happened?”

“It was just a dream,” Evelyn shivered and huddled closer to Paige, pressing her face into her collarbone and shuffling so she was almost fully on her lover’s lap. “They usually don’t make me cry this hard, I’m sorry.”

“Oh, Evelyn, it's alright. Nothing to be sorry for.” Paige snuck a hand into the back of the brunette’s shirt, rubbing her fingers into her hot, tense muscles. That statement really made her think. For all the years that she had known Evelyn, she had never once been woken up by one of her nightmares. Sure, she’d seen the aftereffects a few times in the morning, but Evelyn was always adamant that it wasn’t a big deal.

It broke her heart to think that Evelyn may have been keeping this to herself for so long, it must be hard for her to have to deal with it all by herself.

Paige thought for a few moments more and, feeling a dull ache in her back from hunching over for so long, scooched back down under the covers. She made sure to keep Evelyn on top of her the whole time, not wanting to let go of her for even a second. She smiled as she felt the other woman become boneless in her hold, it was as if she was trying to sink into her breasts.

However, even though Evelyn was halfway into dream land, Paige was having a hard time falling asleep—it really was hard to ignore how wet Evelyn’s whole body was.

Paige furrowed her eyebrows, skeptical that it was all just perspiration, and, if it was, it was truly an unhealthy amount. Testing her hunch, she cautiously felt the sheets beside her, on Evelyn’s side of the bed. There was a large wet spot where Evelyn had been laying before. It went deep into the mattress, much more than sweat ever could.

Her eyes softened when she realized what it was. She clutched Evelyn tighter and sat up again, chest tightening at Evelyn’s distressed cry. “Shhhh, you’re okay, Ev. I think you maybe had a teeny -tiny accident, my love.”

Evelyn stiffened and started to cry again, though, this time, she also tried to wiggle out of Paige's arms, pushing against her to try and gain some leverage. Unfortunately for her, Paige was much stronger than she was and easily stopped her from moving away.

“I-I’m sorry,” Evelyn whispered into Paige's neck, rubbing her sticky cheeks on her shirt. “I didn’t m- mean to.”

 “ Of course you didn’t mean to, Evelyn. It was an accident, you couldn’t help it.” Paige shifted slightly before standing up with Evelyn still in her arms, hushing her when she yelped in surprise. She began walking towards the bathroom, switching the light on before placing Evelyn on the toilet seat and crouching down in front of her. “How about, you quickly rinse off while I go do the laundry, then we can get you something warm to drink before going back to bed. How’s that sound?”

“Okay,” Evelyn hiccuped, already beginning to strip off her wet clothes.

Noticing her shaky fingers, Paige reached forward and took her hands, kissing her knuckles before slipping off her sodden clothes for her. And, once Evelyn had stepped into the shower, she quickly remade the bed, dabbing the wet spot with a few towels and Clorox wipes before changing her own clothing and grabbing the soiled sheets and pajamas.

She hurried downstairs to the laundry room, tossing the wet things into the wash and making a mental note to start it in the morning. Once that was over and done with she walked over to the kitchen, a hand coming up to her mouth to stifle a yawn.

A warm glass of milk sounded like the perfect way to end the night. So, she quickly poured a glass and put it in the microwave for a minute or two before heading back upstairs.

Pushing the door to their bedroom open she was pleased to see that Evelyn had already curled up in bed, the only light in the room being her bedside lamp which was set to the lowest brightness. 

“Here,” Paige murmured, holding out the small glass to the other woman who took it gratefully. She took a sip as her eyelids drooped, and Paige was surprised to see her stuffed dog sitting in her lap, partially obscured by the duvet.

It wasn’t rare to see the fuzzy little thing, but Evelyn usually just had it to lay her head on or, occasionally, it would be a place for her to rest her forearms while she scrolled on her phone.

Paige chose not to bring it up and instead tucked herself back under the covers, waiting patiently for Evelyn to finish her drink and turn off the lights. It didn’t take too long, and soon the two of them were snuggled up to each other again.

They laid in silence for a minute before Paige spoke up. “Hey, babe, would you like to tell me about your dream now?” 

Evelyn cringed and brought her stuffed animal up to cover half of her face, sniffling quietly. “It was just something from my childhood. I’d really rather not talk about it right now, if that's alright with you.” 

Paige wiped away a stray tear and pressed a light kiss to the tip of her nose. “Take all the time you need, I’ll be ready to listen whenever you’re ready.”

“Thanks,” Evelyn grinned lopsidedly and burrowed deeper into Paige’s embrace. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Paige whispered and stroked Evelyn's cheek. “So so much. Sleep well, my love.”

Chapter Text

The next morning Paige was the first to wake up.

She took a minute to stretch her aching limbs above her head, shaking the sleepiness out of her muscles and cracking her back. When her eyes focused, she glanced down at Evelyn who was still deep asleep with Jappy firmly hugged to her chest. 

It was one of Evelyn's rare days off, so Paige decided to let her sleep a little longer.

After untangling her legs from the sheets she tiptoed to the bathroom. Once look in the mirror showed that her bedhead was extreme that morning, with strands of hair sticking up at weird angles and in other spots completely straight. A hair wash was definitely in order so she stripped, and attempted to brush her hair before stepping into the steaming shower.

—

Once she was sufficiently clean she dried off and pulled on some leggings and a hoodie before meandering back over to a still-sleeping Evelyn.

“Hey sleepyhead, it’s time to wake up.” 

“Don’t want to.” Evelyn grumbled, melting further into the bed and letting out a deep sigh.

“It’s almost one, we gotta get some lunch.” Paige laughed, slipping behind the sleepy girl and cuddling her from behind. 

Evelyn groaned but rolled over and opened her eyes slightly, scowling at Paige. “Fine, but I don’t feel like moving.” 

"Hmmmm, is that right?" Paige grinned. "Would you get up if I tickled you?" 

Evelyn’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.”

Paige only wiggled her eyebrows teasingly.

“One,”

“No, please no.” Evelyn squealed trying to escape Paige's grip.

“Two,”

“Paigeee!”

“Three!”

Paige dug her fingers into the smaller girls' sides mercilessly, thrilled to hear high-pitched screams and laughter emitting from the other woman.

After a few minutes, the girl seemingly had had enough and went limp.

Evelyn lay there panting with hair sticking up all over, tinted cheeks, and tears pricking the sides of her eyes.

“I was thinking pancakes for lunch today, that sound good to you?”

“Sure,” Evelyn shrugged and sat up so she was straddling Paige's hips. “But you're going to have to bring them up to me ‘cause I don’t want to go downstairs.”

“Come on," Paige sat up, Evelyn now situated between her legs. "I'll even add some chocolate chips.” 

"Carry me?"

Evelyn blushed after she asked the question, averting her eyes and wringing her hands.

Paige took her anxious hands in her own and kissed each of her knuckles. “Of course. Do you want Jappy before we go?”

Evelyn nodded and reached over to pick up her stuffed dog before laying her head on Paige’s shoulder with a tiny yawn. Paige rubbed her back softly as she strode down to the kitchen.

She plopped Evelyn onto a stool in front of the kitchen island, ruffling her hair affectionately.

“I’m gonna start making the pancakes now, are you alright over here?”

Evelyn reddened in response but nodded all the same.

—

It didn't take long for a good sized stack of pancakes to be whipped up and, after cutting up a few strawberries, Paige and Evelyn moved to the dining table.

Evelyn giggled when she saw happy faces of chocolate chips on her pancakes peering up at her. “These look really good, thanks babe.” 

"You're very welcome." Paige hummed and took a bite of her own.

Halfway through their meal, Paige noticed that the strawberries on Evelyn's plate remained largely untouched. 

“You should eat those, you know. They're good for you.” 

Evelyn pushed the plate away from her. “I don't feel like eating them today.” 

Paige grabbed the plate and stabbed a strawberry, bringing it up to Evelyn's lips expectantly. “Open, please.”

Evelyn turned her head the other way.

Paige sighed but quickly thought up a bargain. “How about, if you finish all the strawberries we can watch a movie and cuddle on the couch for the rest of the day.”

Evelyn perked up at the idea and turned back around, opening her mouth and letting Paige feed her the rest of the strawberries.

“See, that wasn't so bad, was it?” Paige was secretly thankful that Evelyn had actually eaten a real fruit without much of a fight for once.

“Alright, do you want anything before we go to the living room?” Paige asked as she gathered their plates and brought them to the sink.

“Could I have some orange juice?”

“You go get comfy, I'll bring some to you.”

Paige returned to Evelyn a few minutes later and grabbed the Xbox controller, settling down onto the white sofa with Evelyn squished to her side. “Anything in particular that you want to watch?”

“How about that new movie, what's it called... the Wild Robot?”

"Oh yeah, we saw that trailer in the movie theater a couple months ago." Paige smiled fondly and clicked around until she found somewhere to rent it.

She pressed play and pulled Evelyn fully onto her lap, resting her chin on the girl's head. At Evelyn's little noise of approval, she wrapped her arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck.

—

Midway through their second movie of the day, Paige noticed that Evelyn was fidgeting a bit. It was possible that she was just jittery from their sugary breakfast so at first she thought nothing of it, deciding that if something was wrong Evelyn would tell her.

After 10 minutes of Evelyn squirming though, Paige couldn't help herself from stepping in.

“Babe?” Paige wondered, deciding to test her theory. “Whats wrong?”

Evelyn shook her head with a bright blush on her face.

Paige didn't say anything, but she paused the movie and gently pulled the brunette up by her hand, leading her down the hallway to the closest bathroom.

She was right in her assumption that Evelyn needed to use the bathroom, evident in the way she rushed in as soon as they reached the threshold.

Paige wondered why Evelyn was acting a little off that day. Maybe because of her accident earlier that morning?

But, she had to admit that she didn't dislike this new behavior, it was certainly very sweet. 

After a few minutes, a relieved-looking Evelyn stepped into the hallway, covering a yawn with her pajama sleeve.

“Ready to go back now?”

Evelyn nodded and rubbed a forearm over her face, clearly still sleepy.

Paige hummed, not even asking before hoisting the girl into her arms and strolling back to the living room. On the way, Evelyn laid her head on the blonde's shoulder and closed her eyes.

“How about, we finish this movie, get some dinner, and have a nice warm bath?”

“M'kay.” Evelyn murmured.

—

When the movie finished Paige stood up with the tired girl in her arms and bounced her slightly so that she would wake up a bit.

“Come on, Ev, let's get some food into that tummy of yours.”

Paige settled on a quick meal of mac and cheese, not feeling up to making anything elaborate.

She turned on the stove and set a pot of water to boil before grabbing flatware and bowls.

After she set the table, she made her way back over to the barstool where Evelyn sat hunched over and idly talking to someone on her phone.

"Who is it?" Paige mouthed to her, Evelyn just shook her head and waved her off.

"Yeah, just have the new model ready for me to sign off on by Wednesday. Okay, see you then, goodnight."

"Work?"

Evelyn sighed and lurched to the dining table, where she collapsed onto a chair. "It was. My secretary just called to remind me to sign off on a new prototype we've been working on."

Paige nodded and stirred the pasta a bit. "Full week I'm guessing then."

Evelyn groaned and clonked her head onto the tabletop..

—

“Milk, babe?” Paige called from the kitchen as she finished filling two bowls with pasta.

“Chocolate?”

Paige grabbed the pre-made Nesquik out of the fridge and topped off a small glass.

She handed the glass to Evelyn and plopped down on the chair next to her.

As soon as Paige was sitting, Evelyn dug in.

Though, as soon as she took her first bite she yelped and fanned her tongue. She blew more on the next to make sure it wouldn't burn as much before digging in again.

“Was that good?” Paige asked when her bowl was practically empty to which Evelyn gave her a thumbs up.

“Well then, let's go take our bath now.”

She slowly walked up to their bedroom with Evelyn trailing behind her.

Seeing that the other woman didn't have much energy, Paige had her to lay on the bed so that she could get everything ready for bed.

The blonde got a pair of her own pajamas before grabbing Evelyn's. She then went to the bathroom to turn on the tap for their bath. And, after letting it fill and sticking her hand in the water to make sure it wasn't too hot, she returned to where Evelyn was on the bed.

“What kind of bubbles do you want?”

Evelyn tapped her chin in thought as they stripped out of their clothing. "The purple one?"

“Alright, lavender it is.”

They sat in the bath until the water began to get cold. Neither of them wanted to get up and brave the freezing outside air.

When they couldn't handle the temperature of the bath water anymore they both carefully stepped out of the bathtub and onto a plush rug, shivering a bit at the crispness of the room.

“I’ll go grab us some towels.” 

Evelyn nodded, teeth chattering slightly as she wrapped her arms across her chest.

It didn't take long for Paige to come back and soon both of them were dried off and dressed in warm pajamas.

“Need anything before we go to sleep?”

Evelyn thought for a second. “Could I have Jappy please.”

“Okay, be right back.”

Paige quickly jogged back downstairs to the couch where the stuffed dog was and grabbed it.

When she got back, she handed the stuffed animal to Evelyn, flicked off the lights, and pulled the brunette into her embrace.

She was startled slightly when Evelyn turned around so that they were facing each other.

“Will you… will you be mad at me if I have another accident?” Evelyn mumbled softly, fidgeting with a loose string on Paige’s pajama top.

Paige leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the tip of Evelyn's nose.

“Of course I won’t, Ev. It’s such a small problem, and it's easily fixable. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it.”

Evelyn sniffled and cuddled further into Paige’s chest.

Chapter Text

Paige sat outside, occasionally sipping from a steaming mug of coffee.

The air was fresh, and the birds were chirping, welcoming the fall weather.

Her mind gradually shifted to a week or two ago, to the day right after Evelyn had wet the bed for the first time.

It had felt so good to nurture that vulnerable side of her girlfriend. It was as if a missing piece in their relationship was filled.

Was it possible for that to happen again?

"Would Evelyn want that to happen again?

She turned to Google as one does when they have to research something.

An hour of scrolling later she found out that there was a coping mechanism called age regression, where two consenting adults would fall into the roles of a Little, and caregiver. One person would regress to a younger age, ranging from an infant to a teenager while the caregiver would, in turn, take care of them while they were in that space.

Evelyn was already a very anxious and overworked person, it was quite possible that this new relationship could help alleviate a bit of that stress.

Maybe she could bring it up to the other woman sometime in the next few days? 

Clicking her phone off, she took a moment to admire the first visible signs of Autumn covering Las Vegas. The summer heat had been terrible that year, and she was definitely ready for cooler weather.

She caught a glimpse of her watch and made her way back inside, returning to their room to wake Evelyn up for work.

Surprisingly, she found the other woman already up and getting dressed.

“Good Morning.” Paige smiled and leaned on the doorframe. "I didn't expect you to be up and about already."

“Mornin’.” Evelyn replied sourly. 

Sometimes, especially during up-and-coming launches, being the CEO of an internationally acclaimed company was extremely exhausting. Going from meeting to meeting was tiring, and she regularly wished she could just stay home with Paige all day and sleep to her heart's content.

“What time do you have to leave today?” 

“Twelve, why?”

Paige strolled over to the girl, scooping her up bridal style and peppering her face in kisses. “Just to see how long I have you before you leave me.” 

“Paige!” Evelyn wheezed between fits of laughter. “Lemme down!”

“Alright alright," Paige chuckled and set her on her feet. "What would you like for breakfast?” 

“Scrambled eggs?”

“Sure thing,” Paige ran her fingers through Evelyn's dark locks. “Would you like me to curl your hair first?”

“That would be amazing,” Evelyn agreed with a bright smile, heading into the bathroom and settling on a chair by the vanity.

Paige plugged in the curling iron and moved to stand behind the her.

“Hey babe?”

“Hmmm?”

“Any reason why the sheets are by the doorway?”

Evelyn blushed and downcast her eyes.

She eyed the girl sympathetically. “Another accident?” 

“I'm sorry.” Evelyn hid her face in her hands. “I honestly have no idea why this is happening again.”

Quickly realizing what she had accidentally revealed she cringed, hoping by some miracle Paige hadn’t heard her mistake.

“Again?” Paige moved the iron through a piece of Evelyn’s hair. “This has happened before?”

“I…” Evelyn made a strangled noise and shut her eyes to keep them from glazing over. “…wet the bed regularly ‘till I was in college.” 

They stayed in silence for a few minutes before Paige cleared her throat.

“Evelyn?”

"Yes?"

“Do you happen to know what age regression is?”

Evelyn made eye contact with her through the mirror, her eyebrows furrowing. “No, I don't think I do. What is it?”

“Well,” Paige looked back at her thoughtfully. “It's a coping mechanism. Basically, one person falls into a sort of headspace, where they act and are treated as an age younger than they are physically. The age can range from a baby to a teenager depending on what the person needs.” She hummed soothingly. “And someone else takes care of them while they’re in that space.”

“Oh.” Her voice wavered slightly as she fidgeted with her thumbs. “Why’re you telling me this?”

“Well, I was thinking, maybe we could try it out? You liked it on Sunday when I carried you around and fed you, right?” She shrugged. “I know your mother was harsh on you when you were a kid, wouldn't it be nice to have a do-over?”

Evelyn stayed quiet, mulling it over in her head.

After a moment of thought she whispered. “It sounds a little scary.” She frowned and glanced up at Paige. “How... How old do you think I would be?”

“Well, we’ll have no way of knowing until we try some stuff out but, I’m guessing you’ll have a younger one.”

“Oh, okay,” Evelyn gazed at herself in the mirror pensively.

When all of Evelyn’s hair was as she preferred it, Paige switched off the curling iron and hugged Evelyn from behind tightly. “I love you so much.” She murmured into the shell of Evelyn’s ear. “And I will never leave you, no matter what.”

Evelyn slid off the chair and stood on her tiptoes to press a chaste kiss to Paige's lips.

“That’s all well and good, but what about that breakfast you promised me?” She giggled and pulled Paige down the stairs towards the kitchen.

“Excuse you,” Paige gawked, stopping mid-step and placing her hand on her heart dramatically. “Is food more important to you than me?”

“Sometimes,” Evelyn smiled deviously. “Especially when it is you .” She snorted before bounding down the rest of the stairs.

Paige stood stock still for a moment, processing what Evelyn had said before gasping in realization and running after the girl.

When she got to the bottom of the stairs she paused and looked around, not immediately seeing Evelyn anywhere. However, she quickly noticed two feet poking out from beneath a curtain in the living room.

“Where oh where could my Evelyn have gone?” Paige asked the room.

“Is she under this rug?” She bent down to check. “Nope. Maybe she's behind the piano.” She went over to the piano and looked behind it. “Guess not, I bet she's just in the kitchen.” She hummed, pronouncing her footsteps towards the kitchen but then silently tiptoeing back to where Evelyn was hiding.

She slowly crept towards the curtain and when she got close enough she grabbed the outline and ripped the curtain open.

Evelyn squealed and tried to run away again but Paige caught her in her arms.

“That wasn't very nice of you!” Evelyn huffed, glaring at Paige and hitting her chest playfully. Paige chuckled and let go of her after a long squeeze. 

"Anyways, are you excited for your birthday this weekend?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Evelyn sighed and twirled on the bar stool she had plopped down on, watching as Paige cracked a few eggs in a pan. “I mean, it's just another birthday.”

“But aren't you excited to see your friends and family again?”

Evelyn nodded and fiddled with a silver ring on her index finger. “You're going to be with me the whole time, right?” 

“Of course sweetheart, I wouldn't miss it for the world,” Paige replied and set a plate of eggs in front of Evelyn. “Besides, we’re just having the party in our backyard.”

"That's not what I'm worried about." Evelyn took a deep breath and let it all out in a low sigh. “My parents decided to come because my dad has a business meeting in LA the day after.” 

Paige opened her mouth, a bit confused but Evelyn spoke before she could say anything. “I just… I don't know if I want her here,” She picked up her fork and stabbed an egg, chewing pensively before speaking again. “My mother and I aren't on the best of terms right now.”

Paige sensed that Evelyn did not want to talk about her mom at the moment and smoothly changed the subject. “Well then, how about Carmen?” 

Evelyn brightened substantially at the mention of her sister. She grinned and bounced a bit on her chair. “So excited! I haven't seen her for a whole month now!”

Carmen was Evelyn's older sister by almost five years. They were as close as siblings could be. It was almost as if Carmen had hung the moon and stars in the sky to Evelyn.

A ringing from Evelyn's pocket had her frowning. Taking out her phone, she chewed on her bottom lip when she saw the caller I.D.

“Hello?"

Paige studied the brunette carefully, noticing how she had suddenly grown pale and was tugging at the hem of her shirt.

“I-I guess you c-could.” Evelyn stuttered anxiously. “Sorry, see you then.” 

“Who was it?” Paige asked softly, getting up to massage the other woman's tense shoulders.

“Mother wants to come over on Friday instead of Saturday.” Evelyn moaned, slamming her fists onto the table. “Carmen's also coming back from New York on the same day our parents are arriving. They all want to come directly from the airport to the house together.” 

"Whats wrong with that?" Paige pressed, digging her fingers further into Evelyn's neck.

“I just... I don't know if I'm ready to see my mom again, let alone be in my house with her."

“Oh.” Was all Paige managed to say before Evelyn stood up and kissed her cheek.

“Well, I've gotta get to work, I'll see you later. We'll finish this discussion some other time.” Evelyn said before snatching her keys off the counter and heading to their garage. She honked as she drove away, waving goodbye out of the car window.

Paige smiled fondly and waved back.

They both had full days ahead of them. In Paige's case, she had a huge shopping list of party supplies they still needed to get sitting on the countertop.

She cleaned the dishes and grabbed a blueberry muffin off of the counter before hopping into her G-Wagon and pulling into the driveway.

On the road, she absently hummed along to the radio while she thought about Evelyn’s parents.

She remembered the first time she had seen Evelyn's mother during a family Zoom call. She had only caught a glimpse of her but she could immediately tell she was strict. While Evelyn’s eyes radiated nothing but kindness, her mother's were hard, and foreboding.

From what she knew, the woman seemed to strongly dislike Evelyn, which she could gather from hearing her voice on the phone a few times. When the woman wasn't yelling, she certainly sounded disgusted every time she talked to her youngest daughter. 

Paige sighed and pulled into the parking lot, hoping the weekend would go off without a hitch. 

Her first stop would most definitely be the supermarket for all the food they would need for the next few weeks.

She decided against buying a cake from the bakery and instead grabbed the ingredients for a red velvet cake that she would make on her own. They had ordered a professionally made cake for the party, but Paige wanted to have a special one just for them.

After getting all the food, utensils, and party supplies, she hesitated for only a split second before heading in the direction of the pharmaceutical section. 

The last few mornings Evelyn had woken up with wet sheets, and Paige thought it would be a good idea for her to wear a little protection when her family came over to avoid the possibility of someone finding out.

She had a feeling the younger woman would most likely be embarrassed and argue against her, but Paige knew it was in her best interest to avoid any trouble in the future.

Looking through the various options, she ultimately decided to get a package of pull-ups, as diapers seemed like too much and panty liners too little. She shuffled through a few options and decided on a package of plain white ones with little blue stars covering the front. And, after finding the right size, Paige tossed them in the cart and headed to the checkout line.

After the attendant bagged her purchases she wheeled everything to her car and shoved them in the trunk before going back into the mall for a few more last minute presents. She had already bought the brunette many gifts, but she felt like spoiling the girl a bit more.

She ended up buying her a new jacket, a onesie that resembled a polar bear (ears and tail included), and a pair of boots that Evelyn had been talking about for the last few months.

With that over and done with, she concluded that it had been a successful outing and headed home.

Chapter Text

As soon as Evelyn got home she collapsed on the sofa, not even taking the time to shrug off her jacket or properly put away her shoes.

A moment later, Paige strolled into the room. “Hi love, how was work?” 

“Same as always, but we had a few newbies that came in this morning.” Evelyn sighed, clearly annoyed. “I don't even know who hired them, they're all horrible! They're disrespectful, they don't know how to do basic tasks, and they need constant supervision!”

“That really sucks, I’m sorry.”

Evelyn shook her head and sat up a bit. "It's part of the job I guess. But, anyway,” She yawned and rubbed at her eyes. “You wanna nap with me for a little while? I don’t think I’ll be able to function for the rest of the day if I don’t rest a bit.”

“I'd love to. Let me go grab a few things.” Paige said and jogged upstairs.

When she returned Evelyn had just nodded off, still sitting upright with her phone in one of her hands.

Paige snorted and sat beside her, carefully slipping off Evelyn's work clothes and jewelry before dressing her in some soft blue shorts and a sweatshirt. After she finished, she took her into her arms and covered them both with a blanket, falling asleep almost instantly.

—

An hour or so later, Evelyn woke up and groggily turned over to come face-to-face with Paige. She smiled and pecked her lips.

Paige leaned into the kiss and cracked one eye open. "My, what a sweet way to wake up."

"Only the best for you," Evelyn pressed another kiss to her mouth, lingering there for a moment. "Though, I am still quite tired."

"We can go to bed early," Paige hummed and sat them both up, snuggling Evelyn close to her. 

Evelyn sighed out her agreement, trying to force her eyelids to stay open.

“Wanna talk a bit more about what we discussed this morning?”

Evelyn nodded, hooking her ankles behind Paige's back and settling her chin on her shoulder.

“Okay, for starters, when you're little, would you like to call me something different?”

Evelyn thought for a second, then blushed. “I-I think I'd like to call you Mommy, if that's okay.” She admitted but then frowned soon after. “Not Mama though.”

“Any reason why?” Paige pushed.

“That's what I called my mom,” Evelyn murmured. “And I'd rather not think of her.”

Paige left it at that. Not wanting to get into that conversation for the time being.

“How about comfort items?”

Evelyn’s face burned at that question and she was quick to bury her face into Paige’s neck.

“Hey, no need to be embarrassed, honey. I won't judge you, not matter what you choose to use.” 

Evelyn stayed hidden in Paige’s neck for a little longer, mulling over her choices.

This was a difficult dynamic for her Evelyn to wrap her head around. Her job required her to be in charge all the time, vulnerability was not an option lest she wanted to be disrespected by her employees. It was going to be hard for her to just let go.

Eventually, Evelyn took a deep breath. “I'd like a blanket. A really soft one."

“Of course darling, anything you want, we’ll get.” 

Evelyn bit her lip. "I don't have to use anything if I don't want to, right?"

"No, definitely not." Paige lifted Evelyn's chin so she'd look at her. "This is to help you relax, if anything makes you uncomfortable we'll stop."

Evelyn nodded in understanding. "Then can I try a pacifier? And maybe, a... bottle too?"

"We'll order all that after we finish our talk." Paige rubbed the base of Evelyn's neck encouragingly. Glad that the brunette had felt comfortable enough to ask for what she wanted to try.

Evelyn frowned lightly, worrying her lip between her teeth. "Where're you gonna be able to buy this stuff?"

"It's not as uncommon as you think, there're quite a few places you an procure this stuff."

"Oh?"

Evelyn was surprised that there was a market for this kind of thing. Maybe it wasn't as out of left field as she had thought it was.

“One more thing,” Paige gripped Evelyn a bit tighter, hugging her arms around her waist. “Would you be opposed to wearing diapers?”

Evelyn froze at that, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. “Are you asking because I've been wetting the bed?”

Paige hummed sympathetically. “In part, yes, but I think you may like them.”

“C-can I have some time to think about it?” 

“Of course sweetheart, we’ll talk about it when you’re ready.”

Paige shifted so that Evelyn was turned around and sat comfortably between her legs. 

“How about we order everything now so that it comes by Friday morning?”

"Okay," Evelyn nodded against her chest.

Paige navigated to a website that she had been browsing through earlier that sold the products they were looking for. “If you see anything you like, just point at it.”

So, for the next twenty minutes, they looked through all the items, stopping occasionally to add something to their cart.

In the end, they bought a two pacifiers, a blanket, a bottle and a sippy cup, and a few children's books.

“Well, I think that's about it.” Paige cheered and closed her laptop. “Would you like to watch something while I go make us dinner, or would you like to come with me?”

"I'll come with you." Evelyn clung to Paige who stood up and walked to the kitchen.

—

For dinner, Paige made a four-cheese lasagna and some roasted beets.

She served their dinner on two plates and brought them to the table along with a cup of milk for Evelyn, and a glass of wine for herself.

When everything was set they sat across from each other and dug in.

Paige glanced over at Evelyn when she finished eating and shook her head fondly. The bottom half of Evelyn's face was caked with tomato sauce. She chuckled, running her napkin over the girl's face, ignoring her whine of protest.

“Ev, before we go upstairs you need to eat your veggies. If you don't eat them then you can’t have any of this delicious pudding I got the other day.” Paige feigned disappointment as she grabbed a chocolate pudding cup out of the fridge and set it on the table in front of her.

Evelyn turned away.

Paige decided to try a different tactic.

“Here honey, open wide,” She brought a small fork full of the purple root to Evelyn's mouth.

Evelyn scowled and rolled her eyes but opened up anyway, finishing all the vegetables in a matter of minutes.

Afterward, she got two whole cups of pudding, so she didn't mind that much.

Chapter Text

The next day was rather uneventful.

“Wakey wakey sweetpea,” 

Evelyn groaned and burrowed further into the mattress.

Paige chuckled and tickled the girl's toes which were sticking out of the bottom of the comforter.

The sleepy woman pulled her foot back into the blankets in response.

“Come on Ev, I'm gonna make waffles.” Paige sat next to the ball of tousled blankets and sheets and ruffled Evelyn’s hair which was the only thing poking out. “How about you get up and take a shower, while I pick out some work clothes for you?”

After getting no response she gently pulled the girl up to sit, Evelyn grumbled in protest and opened her eyes, glaring at the sun penetrating the window.

“Good morning,” Paige greeted.

Evelyn swiveled her squinting eyes to meet Paige's soft blue ones.

“What time is it?” She asked drowsily, shutting her eyes once again.

“Half past 10."

"Hmmmmm okay," Evelyn nodded and flipped over, preparing to get out of bed. She paused as she lifted the blanket.

A deep blush rose on her face and her eyes quickly filled with tears.

Paige smiled sympathetically. “It’s fine, I’ll take care of it.”

“Are you sure?” Evelyn sucked in a breath, wiping away an errant tear with the back of her hand.

“Yeah,” Paige said, rubbing her knuckles which had a death grip on the comforter cover.

"I'm sorry for being like this." Evelyn hiccuped out a sob. "Are you sure you don't want me to do it?"

"I promise its alright," Paige assured sweetly, taking Evelyn’s hand and leading her to the bathroom. “I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t, would I?” 

After Evelyn nodded and closed the door to the bathroom Paige stripped the bed and put everything by the doorway.

She then pulled out some of Evelyn’s work clothes and laid them out on the bear mattress.

After that was done with she made her way downstairs to throw the soiled stuff into the washing machine.

—

In the bathroom, Evelyn furiously wiped away her tears with shaky hands.

“Why am I so pathetic?” She thought as she stepped into the steaming shower.“Not only did I wet the bed for like the fifth time in a row, but now I’m crying about it too.”

She sighed and roughly lathered her hair with shampoo, trying to scrub away her embarrassment and frustration.

—

Paige grinned when she heard Evelyn walking down the stairs. Though that smile quickly faded into a frown when she saw Evelyn’s red-rimmed eyes. “Everything okay?”

“Everything's fine. Just got a bit of soap in my eyes is all.” Evelyn responded, putting on a pretty realistic-looking smile that would not have been noticed by the untrained eye.

Paige easily saw through her bravado but didn’t say anything else, not wanting to pry as she knew from experience that it would only cause Evelyn to distance herself.

“Do you want strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries with your waffles?” Paige asked, wisely changing the subject.

“Just syrup?” Evelyn pondered, looking down at her phone and tapping out a text before stuffing it back into her pocket. "Maybe some whipped cream too?"

“Okay then, how about a smoothie?” 

“Ugh, fine.” Evelyn pouted knowing she could never win when the blonde was set on something. 

When everything was done they sat down and started to eat.

“I want you to drink at least half of that smoothie, okay sweetheart?” Paige urged as Evelyn immediately dug into her waffles.

In response she gave a thumbs up, not wasting a second to give her a verbal response.

"What’s on your agenda today?”

“Well, I’m going to have to work late today so I don’t have to go in tomorrow or this weekend. Thanksgiving is coming up, so I'm guessing I’ll be in the office till about midnight dealing with the repercussions.”

"Okay," Paige hummed. “Would you like it if we did something tomorrow just the two of us before your parents come? Oh and speaking of that, what time are they getting here?”

"I'd love that," Evelyn smiled and pushed her empty plate and glass away. “They're coming in around two and I booked a car to pick them up from McCarran so I’d say, with minimal traffic, they'll be here around 3:30.” 

“Sounds good. How about we get some lunch, and have a massage. Then, after, we can come home and take a little nap before your parents arrive.” 

“Perfect.” Evelyn said, getting up and hugging Paige from behind. Paige could feel Evelyn’s smile through her shirt and she was happy that the brunette felt better.

“Well, Miss. Woodford, it’s almost 12. Get all that work done so you can come back home to me.” Paige instructed, dramatically bending down to kiss the top of her head.

Evelyn smirked at Paige. “You know, you act much taller than you actually are.” 

“Well, I am compared to you tiny.” Paige made her point by bending down further so they were looking straight into each others eyes.

“Oh please, Carmen's basically a half a foot taller than me, she’s like a little less than six feet tall. You're the tiny one compared to her and you know it.” Evelyn laughed as she grabbed her keys and walked towards their garage.

“Whatever. It’s only like a three-inch difference.” Paige huffed, blowing some stray hair out of her face and glaring at Evelyn’s departing figure.

“I’ll see you later shorty!” Evelyn shouted as she got into her car.

Paige shook her head and smiled.

—

Evelyn was not looking forward to work that day. It was always busy this time of year since thanksgiving break was coming up and everybody wanted to finish their work as quickly as they could so they could get an early flight out of Vegas.

When work was done quickly it more often than not was not done well, so Evelyn and her trusted vice president would have to go through all of it more carefully than they usually would.

“Good Morning Ms. Woodford.” Evelyn’s secretary greeted her as she stepped out of her car and gave her keys to the valet boy.

“Morning Avery. What do you have for me today?” Evelyn internally sighed a bit. Her secretary meeting her as soon as she stepped out of the car door was not a good sign, even worse was the clipboard she was holding that was almost bursting with paperwork.

“Well, you see Ms. Woodford,” Avery hesitated and adjusted her glasses nervously with one hand. “A couple of employees finished their work before you arrived and left the premises. Unfortunately, I skimmed over what they turned in and a lot of the totals were miscalculated.”

“And how many people do you mean by ‘a couple’?” Evelyn grimaced as she took the clipboard and flipped through it.

“About 35 ma’am,” Avery said as they started walking towards the building. “Fortunately, you nor Ms. Bonfardi have any meetings or anything of note today. I scheduled her to meet you in your office in 10 minutes so you could go through everything together.”

“Seriously?” Evelyn grumbled quietly as she took a closer look through the stack of forms as they entered the tall glass building. It seemed that most of the information that she was given was wrong. The awful thing about that was that this seemingly large stack was the workload for only one person. Meaning that she would have to spend her afternoon and probably sometime into the night going through all of them.

Evelyn largely ignored all the hellos from her staff and got in the elevator without looking up from the clipboard.

This was insane. There was no way that two people could go through all of this in half a day. She couldn’t even dump the work on somebody else since half the office was already out on break and the other half were mostly unskilled day workers.

Pressing the button to the top floor where her office was situated she swiped her security card and typed in the pin before gesturing for Avery to follow her.

The tight security leading to her office had only recently been implemented because of an armed robber the year prior. He had been convinced that the company had 500 million dollars somewhere in her office. Evelyn thought that man was stupid. Who would be dumb enough to keep that much money in an office building for Christ’s sake?

“Would you have catering come by around seven with dinner for us? Oh, and also get something for yourself. I’m sorry to say, but I’m going to need you to stay late and make calls giving warnings to the incompetent workers who half-assed their paperwork.” 

“Of course, would you like anything in particular?”

“Italian is fine with me.” Evelyn answered as the doors slid open and they stepped out into a nice alcove where Avery's desk was situated. “Just let Jessica in when she gets here.”

“Will do. Good luck today, Ms. Woodford.”

Once inside her office, Evelyn grabbed a remote off the table by one of the couches. By the press of a button the windows tinted so that she could see outside, but no one could see inside. After that was done she stomped over to her desk and threw herself on her chair, groaning loudly and kicking her shoes off in frustration. 

“My, you’re not in a good mood today.” Came an amused voice from the doorway.

Evelyn looked up and saw her good friend and co-worker, Jessica. The ginger-haired woman was smirking at her from her perch on the door frame, her face almost obscured by the massive amount of paper she was holding.

“I think you understand why that may be.” 

“Yes, but usually you wouldn’t make such a big fuss out of it. You’ve been a bit short-tempered lately, dear. Everything alright at home?” Jessica observed as they sat on couches opposite from one another.

Evelyn’s face flushed. “Nothings wrong.” Then quieter. “I’ve just had a bit of trouble sleeping is all.”

“Ah,” Jessica nodded. “Makes sense. You were always moodier the day of a test when you crammed all night before.”

“Shut up.” Evelyn grumbled as she sifted through the piles.

Jessica had been her senior in business school and would often tease her good-naturedly. Evelyn had always been puzzled as to why Jessica didn’t want a CEO position, or even the role of partner when she had been offered them.

When Evelyn had gotten her current job and hired her as her Vice President, Jessica had simply explained that being in such a high position was too much for her and that she didn’t want to be the face of such a large company.

“How long do you think we’ll be here today?”

Jessica shrugged and picked up a piece of paper. “My guess is midnight.”

“Damn it.” Evelyn sighed and grabbed a pen. “Better get started then.”

—

When Evelyn got home it was already nearing 1 A.M.

She slipped her shoes off and then called out that she was home.

“In the kitchen!” Paige responded from the other room.

Evelyn dropped her things by the door and dragged her feet in the direction that she had heard her voice.

She couldn't help but smile when she laid eyes on Paige, who was wearing an apron dusted with flour and scooping cookie batter onto a tray.

“Hey babe, how was your day?” Paige turned around and wiped her hand on the front of her apron.

“Horrible. Spent all day fixing paperwork with Jessica.” Evelyn answered, slouching over to her girlfriend to give her a hug.

"Careful, I'm all dus-"

"I don't care," Evelyn wrapped her arms around her and pressed a kiss to her neck. "I missed you today."

Paige chuckled and leaned down so their lips could meet. She tasted a faint touch of alcohol, and she closed her eyes in bliss.

Evelyn smiled into the kiss and pulled away, taking a deep breath and hugging Paige for a moment more before hopping up onto the counter.

Paige laughed and went back to plopping thew raw dough onto the cookie sheet.

“Did you have something to drink at the office today?”

“Yeah,” Evelyn answered simply. “Just a bit of that brandy you got me a while ago.”

Evelyn watched for a while from on top of the counter before growing bored and moving to one of the bar stools.

She yawned and rubbed her eyes, then laid her head down on the counter, falling asleep easily.

—

A little while later Paige pulled the last batch of cookies out of the oven and placed them on a cooling rack. It was now nearing 2 A.M. and they had a full day ahead of them.

"Ready to go to bed, Evelyn?"

Frowning when she got no response she swiftly walked over to the slumped figure and gently smoothed a mop of brown hair out of the sleeping girl’s eyes.

Her breathing was slow, so Paige knew she must be sleeping deeply.

She thought for a second about what she should do, then remembered that the items she and Evelyn had ordered had come in the mail that day.

Evelyn could wait a bit to get into bed. This was definitely more important.

She grabbed a box cutter and went to the front door where the package sat unopened.

Flicking on the lights, she sat next to the large box and cut the tape through the middle, then flipped open the tabs to peer inside.

The first thing that caught her eye was the baby blanket. It was fluffy and white, and adorned with tiny green dinosaurs.

She held it for a minute more then put it to the side to go through the rest of the box.

Next came the bottle, sippy cup, and pacifiers which she washed in the kitchen sink before brining them up to their room.

When she was done with that she went back and organized the things Evelyn had haphazardly discarded near the door and then gently picked up the sleeping girl, carrying her bridal style to their room.

She put her down on top of their freshly made bed and pushed her stuffed dog in her arms while she got dressed for bed.

Evelyn mewled contently when she felt the familiar shape of her favorite stuffed animal in her arms and shifted so that she was curled around it.

After Paige was dressed in her pajamas she pulled out an oversized long-sleeved shirt and some shorts for Evelyn.

She gently tried removing Jappy from the brunette but froze when Evelyn whined and held on tighter to the stuffed dog.

“Come on sweetheart, let me have Jappy for just a second while I get you changed.” Paige cooed to the now half-asleep girl. Evelyn whimpered before releasing Jappy and letting Paige continue changing her.

She got Evelyn into her pajamas and placed Jappy back into her arms before lying down herself.

Evelyn immediately snuggled into her and grumbled something incoherently before settling back down.

Paige stroked Evelyn’s hair one last time before falling asleep with a small smile on her face.

Chapter Text

The next morning Paige woke up bright and early.

The sun's warm rays hit her face, immediately energizing her.

Evelyn, on the other hand, was still buried under the blankets. None of her was even visible.

"How does she breathe in there?" Paige wondered as she quietly slipped into some workout clothes. It was the perfect day to go out for a short morning jog.

She had their massage booked for 1:30 which gave them just the right amount of time to go out, and then come back and chill out before Evelyn’s family arrived.

Paige made her way downstairs and, after writing a little note to Evelyn addressing where she was (if she happened to wake up anyway), she left the house.

—

Upon waking up, Evelyn turned over and stuffed her face back into the pillow. She tried to get back to sleep, but found herself unable to.

She whined lightly when she woke up a bit more and noticed the same damp feeling between her legs that had unfortunately become a part of her morning routine for the past couple of weeks.

She got up stiffly and, after falling forward a bit, she started peeling off her wet clothing and gathering everything by the door to wash. Her pajamas were cold and drier than usual so she guessed it happened a while ago, which angered her even more since she hadn’t even woken up after it had happened.

As soon as she was done with that she brushed her teeth and hopped in the shower.

She washed her hair and then stood under the spray, enjoying the feeling of just standing under the soothing hot water.

Before long, the water began to get a bit too hot and she decided to get out.

After towel drying her hair she meandered to the closet to find something comfortable to wear.

She ultimately decided on a flannel two-piece pajama set with little stars littering the fabric, and a pair of fuzzy socks.

Before heading downstairs she draped her new blanket across her shoulders and, after grabbing Jappy off the bed, she snatched up the things by the door.

Once the laundry was dealt with she made her way to the kitchen for something to eat.

When she got there, she saw a piece of paper on the countertop and picked it up. 

“Morning babe. Just wanted to let you know that I’m out for a run and I’ll be back soon. Love Paige”

Evelyn smiled at the note, lovingly tracing Paige's messy scrawl with her fingertips.

Since Paige wasn't there, she got the Nutella out and spread a good amount of it on two pieces of toast. That coupled with a glass of milk made for a perfect breakfast.

Plopping down on the sofa in the living room she turned on the TV, scrolling through the channels.

She paused in her search when she saw that an animated show with little, colorful horses on HBO.

It looked pretty cute. She'd never seen it playing before and she had to admit she was intrigued.

After only a bit of hesitation she settled on it and began to eat her breakfast.

—

Paige ran a hand over her sweaty forehead as she stepped foot in their house around an hour later.

She heard the television in the other room and figured that Evelyn was already awake. 

After slipping off her running shoes by the door she made her way to the living room and awed at the sight that greeted her.

Evelyn was curled up on the couch, almost completely buried in a bunch of blankets and pillows. Her new blanket and favorite stuffed animal clutched to her chest.

Paige’s smile widened further when she realized what the brunette was watching and she had to resist cooing out loud.

She brought Evelyn's empty plate to the kitchen before going over to the younger girl and crouching down in front of her.

“How’s my sweet princess today?” Paige asked, chuckling when Evelyn blushed lightly.

“Fine, how're you?” Evelyn squeaked and stuffed her face into Jappy.

"I'm good," Paige shook her head fondly and kissed her cheek. “Are you ready to go to lunch? We have to be at our massage by 1:30.”

“Yeah.” Evelyn answered, peeling her eyes away from the screen and rubbing them a bit. "What're you gonna to wear?”

“I was just thinking a skirt and a light sweater.” Paige hummed. “It’s supposed to be a bit chilly so don’t wear shorts or something like that. I don’t want you getting sick.”

“Okay.” Evelyn chirped, taking Paige’s hand and pulling her towards the stairs. “You should take a shower before we go though, you need one.” She observed and scrunched up her nose, looking over at Paige who rolled her eyes.

“Yeah yeah, whatever.” Paige grumbled good-naturedly. “How about you join me?” She wiggled her eyebrows comically and pulled Evelyn into her side when they reached the top of the stairs.

“Nah, I already took one this morning. And I need to find something suitable to wear.” Evelyn broke away and went to their walk-in closet.

Paige sighed but stripped and went into their bathroom anyway, not before noticing that their bed was bare and making a mental note to redress it later.

Evelyn looked around for a while before grabbing some simple straight legged jeans, a white crew neck, and a pair of sneakers before going over to their bed and jumping onto it.

She scrolled through social media for a while but soon got bored of it.

“Paigeeeee.”

“One second!” 

After hastily brushing her hair Paige exited the bathroom to see Evelyn looking at her upside down from the bed. She smiled and went to grab her Uggs while Evelyn whined that she took too long.

“Ready for a delicious lunch?” Paige asked, grabbing the keys to the G-Wagon.

“Hell yeah I am!” Evelyn excitedly skipped over to the passenger side of the car and hoisting herself in.

“I picked one of your favorite Italian restaurants.” Paige waited until Evelyn was buckled in before she turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the garage.

“Awesome, I hope we get that table by that huge window again. It was so cool to see everything from so high up.” Evelyn gasped before abruptly changing the subject. “Oh! By the way, I saw a car I think you would like in a magazine the other day.” 

“Don’t you think we have enough cars?” Paige reached over to ruffle the brunette’s hair. “The garage is starting to get cramped.”

“You say that every time,” Evelyn laughed. “But this car is a limited edition Karlmann King! They're almost impossible to find in the U.S.”

“Do I even want to know how much that costs?” Paige asked, sending a glance over to the girl next to her.

“Let’s just say it’s a bit more than ten times the price of this car.”

Paige almost choked on thin air when she heard that. “Ev, that’s like two million dollars.”

“Yeah, I know.” Evelyn shrugged. “I know the owner of the company and he said he’d  give it to me for half the price if I do a little advertising for him.”

“Ugh, fine, if that’s the case get it. But I get to customize the interior.” 

“You're the best!” Evelyn cheered, bouncing in her seat.

Paige sighed adoringly and pulled into the valet, handing the keys to a good-looking man standing there.

“Cool car you have here ladies.” 

“Thanks, that’s very kind of you.” Paige said curtly, knowing from experience that Evelyn could talk for hours about any one of her cars.

She grabbed Evelyn’s hand and led her to the elevator, pushing the button for the top floor where the restaurant was situated.

After they were seated they ordered a bottle of wine before turning their attention to the menu.

"I think I'm gonna have the house ravioli and a side of mussels?” Evelyn half-said half-questioned.

"That sounds good, I'll get the lobster then." Paige placed her menu facedown on the table so the waiter would come over.

Evelyn peered out of the large window with a gleam in her soft brown eyes. Paige couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful she was. Even without make-up or taming her messy hair, she was a piece of art in Paige's eyes.

A tap on the back of her hand brought her back to reality and she focused her eyes on Evelyn who was smiling at her.

The other woman leaned on her elbow and looked at Paige fondly. "You spaced out silly."

”Sorry, I was just thinking about how much I love you.” 

Evelyn turned red to the tips of her ears and slouched, trying to hide her blush by taking a big gulp from her wine glass.

"Don't drink too much of that okay? Wouldn't want you to have a headache later."

"I'm not that much of a lightweight thank you very much." Evelyn snarked back.

"Sure, whatever you say babe." Paige answered, absently twirling her salad fork between her fingers.

When Evelyn had a little too much to drink she became clumsy and forgetful. And while Paige found it absolutely adorable, she doubted that Evelyn’s parents would feel the same way.

—

After a glass or two of wine, or three in Paige’s case, and full stomachs the couple walked out of the restaurant and waited for the valet boy to get their car so that they could go to their next destination.

“I can’t wait to have a deep tissue massage.” Evelyn sighed, swinging hers and Paige’s conjoined hands up and down.

“Yeah, me either.”

A few minutes later their car pulled in front of them and the same man from before jumped out and handed the keys to Paige.

“Thanks for coming, hope to see you soon!” He said and tipped his hat towards them politely.

Paige thanked him and handed him a twenty-dollar bill. 

—

When they got to midtown they parked and Paige grabbed her purse before they proceeded to the entrance of the massage parlor. There, they were greeted by a nice woman who led them to a dim room where they were instructed to put on silk robes and to wait on the massage tables for the masseuse.

“Okay Ev, see you in an hour.” Paige waved as the curtain was pulled closed.

—

An hour or so later the two women stumbled out of their massages with dreamy expressions and glazed eyes.

“How was yours?” Evelyn asked as she tried to stifle a yawn but failed.

“Amazing. He got all of those knots out of my back, I didn’t believe in magic before this.” Paige laughed, pulling the shorter girl into her side.

As they walked down to the underground parking lot Evelyn suddenly stopped and frowned.

“I’m going to see my parents in less than two hours.” She said randomly, smoothing her hair back and exhaling deeply.

“Don’t worry about it babe, you’ll be fine.” Paige soothed, looking around to be sure nobody was around before slowly picking the smaller girl up and, when she didn’t protest, proceeded back to the car with Evelyn’s legs loosely wrapped around her waist.

She shifted Evelyn over to her hip before opening the passenger door and setting her down on the tan leather seat. She buckled her in and went around the car to the driver's side.

On the drive back Paige couldn’t help but glance over at Evelyn every few minutes. The other woman had, at some point, fallen asleep. And while she was usually a very deep sleeper at the moment she seemed very tense, her flawless features were scrunched a bit as if she were in pain.

Paige furrowed her eyebrows and hoped for the best.

Chapter Text

When they arrived home, Paige carefully laid Evelyn on the couch and covered her with a blanket. She kissed her forehead and went upstairs to change into something a bit more appropriate to greet her Evelyn's parents.

After she changed and put on some light makeup and perfume she went and gathered up a new set of sheets to make their bed again. While she did that she realized that she would have to have a talk with Evelyn that night about the protection she had bought in secret. It would definitely be suspicious to the guests in their house if she had to wash their sheets every day.

She shook that thought off for later and, after she finished dressing the bed, she went back downstairs to get some drinks and appetizers out.

Their dinner for that evening would be a simple plate of pasta with ricotta and cooked broccoli, a side of steamed veggies, and rhubarb pie for dessert. She knew Evelyn wouldn’t be thrilled with her choice of food, but they couldn’t just have a pizza or something when her parents were there. They had to make a good impression, after all.

She jumped a bit when Evelyn’s phone rang from the counter behind her. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw that it was Evelyn’s mother.

After a moment of contemplation, she answered it.

“Hello?”

“We're on our way.” The other woman said dryly before hanging up.

Paige frowned as she put Evelyn’s phone back down. What a strange way to speak to your daughter.

She shook off her confusion and made her way back upstairs to make sure the guest rooms were ready.

After she was done with that, she checked on Evelyn who was still peacefully napping on the couch.

Checking her watch she saw that they had around an hour before Evelyn’s parents were due to arrive.

Shrugging, she grabbed her headset and controller to play a game while she waited, making sure to set a timer on her phone to make sure she had enough time to get Evelyn up and functioning before her parents got there.

-----

Evelyn groggily opened her eyes at the sound of a loud ringing next to her ear, she looked around for a second before realizing that it was Paige’s phone. She glared over at the blonde who was still glued to the screen in front of her, not even seeming to have noticed that her timer had gone off.

Evelyn threw a pillow at her.

Paige didn’t even flinch at the contact and still gazed intently at her game.

Evelyn sighed and decided if the other woman was that engrossed in whatever she was playing that she wouldn't care if she fell asleep again. So, she settled back down and pulled the blankets over her head. 

-----

“Damn it!” Paige groaned when a player came up behind her and shot her. She grumbled and pulled off her headphones, setting them beside her and turning off the console.

She was about to pull the covers off the smaller girl as a the ding of the doorbell rang throughout the house.

Inhaling sharply she quickly uncovered Evelyn, expecting her to be awake and maybe scrolling through her phone, but she was met with the sight of her still fast asleep.

"I thought she got up?" Paige wondered whilst softly shaking the brunette.

When that didn't work she grabbed Evelyn's hand and pulled her up onto her feet, encircling an arm around her waist to keep her steady.

Evelyn let out a yelp of surprise, flailing out in an attempt to catch her balance.

"Come on babe, your family is here." Paige whisper shouted as she practically dragged the sleepy girl to the door.

"Shit." Evelyn thought as she rubbed her eyes and stumbled forward, almost succeeding in tripping along the way. But, luckily, Paige caught her before that could happen.

Righting herself, Evelyn whipped open the door as soon as she reached it and stared out into the surprised faces of her parents and sister.

"Hi, welcome." Evelyn breathed and adjusted her shirt so that it was actually covering her shoulders, trying to smooth out the wrinkles with a slight blush on her face.

"Hello Evelyn, may we come in?" Her mother asked, raising an eyebrow and seemingly annoyed.

"Oh, of course mother." Evelyn responded meekly, skirting out of the way so they could get by.

"Nice to see you again Ev! I've missed you." Carmen smiled widely, beginning to walk towards Evelyn. 

"I missed you too. I'm so happy you're back." Evelyn beamed, making her way over to Carmen who in turn scooped her up in her arms and peppered her face with kisses.

"Fine, but I bet I missed you more." She teased, looking into Evelyn's brown eyes with her green ones. "So, are you going to formally introduce our parents to your little girlfriend over there?" Carmen asked, turning around and placing Evelyn back onto her feet.

"Oh, yeah! Mother, Father this is Paige. You haven't met her at any of our Thanksgivings because, unfortunately, she has had to go away for her own in Cape Cod."

"Nice to meet you, I've heard so much about you two." Paige reached out to shake their hands.

"Pleasure," Evelyn's mother said as Paige shook her own. "Feel welcome to call me Lauren and my husband Liam, if you like." 

"Are you sure, Mrs. Woodford?" 

"Yes, Paige, we are fine with it. Isn't that right, Liam?" She asked her husband who just nodded and grinned.

They stayed in comfortable silence for a moment before Paige spoke up. "Evelyn, how about you give them a tour of the house while I set up for dinner?" 

"Y-yeah sure." Evelyn agreed, gesturing for her family follow her to the main living room.

"Oh my God, I swear this room gets bigger every time I see it." Carmen snorted and plopped down onto the sofa.

Evelyn turned red to her ears when she realized that her stuffed animal and her new blanket were in plain sight on the couch cushions beside her sister. She cleared her throat and hastily turned the other direction, pretending not to notice.

"Did the interior come like this?" Liam asked, turning towards his youngest daughter.

"Well, we designed the layout itself, but a lot of the furniture was sold with the house itself. We did install surround sound and look at this." Evelyn grabbed a remote control and pushed a few buttons which made a flat screen pop out of the wall, and a fire pit light up in the corner.

"This little remote here controls most of the features in this room. The drapes, TV, heating system, and speakers are all connected to it. Almost every room has one and I'll show you where it is in your bedroom." Evelyn explained, proceeding to the other portion of the house. "On this level, we have the kitchen, main living room, dining room, game room, bar, bathroom, an indoor pool, and an in-home theater." Evelyn opened the doors to each room and let them look inside. "Outside we have an infinity pool, tennis court, basketball court, gazebo, driving range, and a garage for our outdoor vehicles. And over this way we have our regular car garage." 

"Is that black one new over there? I don’t remember seeing it a month ago." Carmen looked over her father's shoulder for a better look at the Karlmann King sitting proudly in the center of the room.

"Yeah, that's new." Evelyn smiled. “That one was actually brought in yesterday."

Carmen chuckled and wrapped her arm around Evelyn's shoulders.

"Well, I hate to brag, but I have a Mercedes S-Class."

Evelyn smirked and half pointed to the far right of their garage. "Not to brag but I have a G-wagon." 

"Girls, that is enough." Their mother said firmly, making Evelyn jolt upright.

"Well, I guess I should show you the second level." Evelyn mumbled, going over to the elevator and pushing the up button.

Once they were on the second floor Evelyn led them to the bedrooms and let them see where they'd be staying.

"All of the rooms have A.C and heat, they also have mini fridges in the closet with water, and in your bathrooms there are towels and other toiletries."

She stepped into her room, noting that Paige had thankfully already redone the bed sometime earlier.

"My apartment could actually fit in here." Carmen marveled, going over to the large windows and looking out over downtown Vegas.

Evelyn hummed, glancing at her parents who had yet to say anything and chose to just stand in the doorway.

"Are any of you hungry?" Evelyn asked her parents who just nodded slightly. "I know that Paige set out some appetizers so let's go check that out." Evelyn brushed past her parents to the stairs. "Oh, I almost forgot, the third floor is just a patio with a grill, bar, and beach chairs." 

"We should go see the sunset after dinner." Carmen suggested.

"Totally. I bet Paige would love that." She smiled, leading the way to the kitchen and hopping up on the counter.

"What would I love?" Paige appeared beside her, having overheard the last snippet of their conversation.

"To go out and see the sunset." Evelyn grinned widely and snagged a piece of pita, dipping it into some hummus and beckoning for her parents to join them, as they were standing awkwardly on the other side of the room. "You guys can have some too." 

"Yes please! I'm starving." Carmen grabbed a piece of bread, her parents following suit.

"So, how was the drive over here? Hope there wasn't too much traffic." Evelyn questioned when everyone was seated at the island.

"It was fine." Lauren answered, sounding bored.

Evelyn gulped, not sure what to say.

Paige spoke up, saving the day. "Would any of you care for some wine?" 

"How about a bottle of red? You okay with that Mom and Dad?" Carmen answered, looking over at her parents expectantly.

"That's fine by me." Lauren responded.

"Evelyn, the red wines are on the right of the cellar, would you grab a few bottles that have 1998 on them?" Paige requested. "I would go down myself, but the veggies are almost done."

"Yeah, sure." Evelyn started walking over to the basement door, though she didn't get too far before Paige stopped her and added lowly. "You may have two glasses, okay? I don't want you drunk."

Evelyn flushed but nodded her head all the same.

"Can I come?" Carmen asked, already going over towards Evelyn.

"Yeah, that would be great. There are a bunch of spiders down there and I hate going alone." She said, whispering the last part so only Carmen could hear her.

Carmen took Evelyn's hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

"You wanna go down first? Not that I'm scared or anything." Evelyn shrugged, her shaky hands betraying her false bravado.

"Sure cupcake, here, stay behind me." Carmen hummed, opening the basement door and flicking on the dim lights.

She made her way down with Evelyn clinging to her tightly the whole way. When they got to the bottom, Evelyn let out a small squeak and shakily pointed to a spider that was in the middle of the floor.

"Want a piggyback ride?" Carmen joked, raising an eyebrow as she kicked away the offending spider.

"R-really?" Evelyn’s voice cracked as she looked up at her sister hopefully.

Sensing that the younger girl didn't realize she was being sarcastic, she bent down so Evelyn could get on.

After that was settled Evelyn pointed to where the wine cellar was and buried her face in Carmen's soft dark hair.

Carmen just chuckled and went over to a large wall where all of the wines were shelved.

"What side did she say again?" 

"I think she said right." Evelyn answered, scanning the wall with her eyes.

Carmen took down a few bottles that had 1998 on them. “I think I got the right ones,” She muttered, hiking the girl on her back up some more. "Okay hon, hold on tight,"

She started to climb the stairways, feeling Evelyn tighten her legs around her waist.

When they got to the top Carmen, turned off the lights before she opened the door and stepped out with Evelyn still on her back.

And, after setting the bottles on the table, she bent down once again so that the brunette could get off.

Luckily, their parents were facing the opposite direction so they didn't see them.

Paige opened her mouth to ask, but was cut off by Evelyn.

"Just saw a spider." She explained quickly as she grabbed a corkscrew. "Okay, mother and father we have a bottle of Grand Crux, Boreal, and Catalonia.”

"I think we would like the Crux, if you don't mind." Liam answered.

"Sure thing." Evelyn took off the wrap and pulled the cork out with a loud pop.

After pouring five servings she took two and strode over to her parents to give the glasses to them.

"Evelyn, dinner's almost ready. Would you please escort everyone to the dining room?" 

"Yeah okay, I'll be back in a second to help." She grinned, leading everyone to the dining room and waiting until they sat down before she hurrying back to the kitchen.

As Evelyn was getting ready to bring a dish to the dining room Paige stood in front of her. She tilted Evelyn's chin up so that she could look her in the eyes.

"Baby, don't think that you can get away with not eating your veggies just because your parents are here." 

"But I hate broccoli and carrots."

"I expect that you will eat all of them if you don't want me to feed you everything myself after your parents go to bed." Paige answered with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, I'll try." Evelyn sighed, heading back to the dining room and setting the plate of pasta down before taking a seat herself.

A couple minutes later Paige walked in with the rest of the food and took a seat at the head of the table.

As soon as everyone got enough food they dug in. Evelyn pushed her food around to make it seem as if she were eating, but in reality not taking a single bite of the vegetables.

They fell into easy conversation, mostly talking about the two sisters' jobs and the vacations they had been on in the past year.

“So, Paige. What do you do for a living? I don’t believe I’ve heard Evelyn mention it before.” Liam asked.

Paige smiled sadly and glanced over to see Evelyn giving her an apologetic look.

“Well,” Paige sighed, this topic a bit of a sore spot for her. “I was a surgeon until last year when I got into a car accident which practically shattered my wrist. After that, my hand wasn't steady enough to continue my profession so I was forced to retire.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that. It must have been hard.” 

“It’s alright, I’ve come to terms with it. I guess it was not meant to be.” She shrugged as she took a look at what Evelyn had eaten, disappointed when she saw that the pasta was gone, but all of the veggies remained. 

Chapter Text

When everyone was done eating Paige grabbed all the plates and brought them to the kitchen. And, after wrapping Evelyn's portion and placing it in the fridge for later, she grabbed the pie and a carton of ice cream.

"Okay everyone, for dessert tonight we have this beautiful strawberry rhubarb pie." Paige placed the warm treat on the table. She served everyone and glanced at Evelyn before cutting a small piece for her. "Don't want to mess up that diet you've been trying," Evelyn opened her mouth to protest but Paige gave her a pointed look so she snapped her lips shut. 

"Do you still not like ice cream, Evelyn?" Carmen gaped.

"Ew Carm, ice cream is and always will be disgusting." Evelyn answered distasted, looking over at her sister who just snorted and rolled her eyes.

They ate in silence for a couple minutes before Carmen perked up. "How about we watch a movie after dessert?"

"I'm in," Paige quickly agreed, wiping her mouth on a napkin.

"It's a bit late and we need to wash up and do a bit of work before bed. You guys go ahead. We'll see you tomorrow." Lauren responded, standing up and taking her plate to the kitchen with her husband in tow.

"G-goodnight, do you guys need anything else?" In response to Evelyn’s question, her mother waved her hand dismissively, not even pausing to turn around.

"Well, I guess it's just us then." Evelyn cracked her back and stood up with her plate and the empty ice cream carton.

"How about a horror movie?” Carmen suggested, excitedly depositing her dishes into the dishwasher.

Paige nodded in agreement, not remembering the last time she got to watch an actual horror movie. But then she remembered why as she glanced over at Evelyn who was chewing her lip anxiously.

She moved over to the smaller girl when Carmen excused herself to go to the bathroom. “What do you think pumpkin?” 

“Yeah, we should watch it. It’ll be... fun.” Though her slight voice crack on "Fun" betrayed her.

“Are you sure? We don’t have to watch it if you don’t want to, Carmen will understand.” Paige soothed, pulling the girl into her chest and rubbing her back.

“I’ll be fine Paige, really.” Evelyn craned her neck and kissed Paige’s collarbone, then her lips.

“If you say so.” Paige replied apprehensively, gripping Evelyn’s shoulders. “If you want to stop it just tell me, alright? Promise?” She held up her pinky finger, Evelyn doing the same and interlocking theirs together.

After Carmen returned Paige insisted that they go and wash up before they started the movie.

“I’ll wash my hair and meet you guys back here in an hour max.” Carmen gave them a thumbs-up and retreated to her room.

Evelyn was about to follow her but Paige grabbed her sleeve and raised an eyebrow.

“Do you remember what I said before dinner, sweetheart?” Evelyn was escorted back to the kitchen where they stood for a minute.

Evelyn stared at her, momentarily confused before remembering the warning that Paige had given her.

The other woman crossed her arms expectantly. “Please reiterate what I said before dinner.” 

Evelyn gulped. “That I had to eat all my veggies or I’d have to eat them later.” 

“Yes, and?” Paige tapped her fingernails on the marble countertop next to her.

“A-and that I would have to stand in the corner.”

“Very good. Now, I want you to go face that corner and not come out until I’m done reheating your food,” Paige ordered, leaving no room for argument.

Evelyn whimpered softly but went to the corner anyway and leaned her head against the wall.

Meanwhile, Paige opened the fridge and pulled out the plate on which the rest of Evelyn’s vegetables lay. She stuck them in the microwave on low heat for a couple of minutes and grabbed a small glass of water before taking a seat at the table.

After about 10 minutes she called out to Evelyn. “You can come out now.” 

Evelyn immediately rushed into Paige’s arms and hugged her tightly, all the while whispering apologies. Paige chuckled softly and pulled the light girl into her lap, sitting her so that her back was to her chest and her head was under her chin.

“I want you to eat at least half of these.” Paige stabbed a piece of broccoli and brought it up to Evelyn’s mouth.

“But I don’ wanna,” Evelyn whined, a childish tone rising in her voice which did not go unnoticed by Paige.

“Just a few bites, please? It’s not that bad, see?” Paige took a bite of the broccoli herself. “Mmmm, yummy.” Paige licked her lips and brought some up to Evelyn who groaned but opened her mouth, grimacing at the taste and taking a long sip of water.

They continued like this until most of the plate was gone.

“Good job, Ev. See, it wasn’t that hard, was it?” Paige laughed, tapping Evelyn’s thigh so she would get up. “Now how about we go take a nice warm shower?” 

Evelyn nodded and stretched her arms above her head as they walked up the stairs and entered their room. She started to get undressed with Paige following shortly after.

“Hey babe?” 

“Hmmm?” Evelyn hummed back as she finished shucking off her clothing and turned around.

“I was wondering if you'd like to wear some protection tonight?” Paige asked the brunette who just stared back with a blush slowly rising on her cheeks. "It's completely fine if you don't want to."

“I-I guess,” Evelyn grabbed her hairbrush and nervously combed through her messy locks.

“I just don’t want you to be embarrassed if you have an accident when your parents are here, you know? And maybe...” Paige paused before speaking up again. “Who knows, maybe you’ll like them. And they’re way better than wet sheets every morning, right?”

“I get it, like w-what if I fall asleep while we’re watching the movie and have an accident,” Evelyn mumbled. “I don’t want Carmen to know that I still have this problem.” She said ashamedly, tugging a bit harder at her hair.

“Babe, Carmen would be the last person to care about something so small. She adores you far too much to say anything mean about it.” She said, going over to the shower and turning it on to a pleasant temperature, motioning for Evelyn to join her.

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Evelyn agreed as she stepped in, sighing as the warm water hit her back.

When they were all clean and toasty they went their separate ways. While Evelyn dried her hair Paige got into her pajamas and went to lay out the new items that Evelyn would need for bed.

-------

Evelyn yawned as she switched off her blow dryer, running a few fingers through her hair before turning around and trotting to the bed where Paige was waiting patiently.

“Stay right there, I’ll be back in a minute.” Paige said softly as she went back to the bathroom to grab the package of pull-ups from their hiding place under the sink.

She returned a couple of seconds later to see Evelyn with her face buried beneath a pillow.

“Okay honey, one foot at a time.” 

Evelyn obeyed and whimpered a bit. Paige softly shushed her and slipped the pull-up up her legs and onto her hips, twirling her fingers around the leg holes to make sure it was on right.

Lastly, she shimmied some soft black sleep shorts onto the small girl, patting the front when she was done. “See, that wasn’t that bad, was it?” 

Evelyn didn’t say anything as she looked up at Paige with soft eyes. She stood up and swayed slightly, pulling on a t-shirt before smiling shyly at Paige who cooed at her.

"Okay sweets, let's go downstairs and start this thing!" Paige cheered as she grabbed the whiskey-eyed girl’s hand and proceeded to the stairway.

"Are you sure you can't see anything?" Evelyn stressed, stopping and nervously looking behind her. 

Paige rolled her eyes good-naturedly and adjusted her shirt a bit to cover the waistband of the pull-up peeking out. She knew that Carmen obviously wouldn't care, but did it anyway for Evelyn's sake.

"Not anymore." She turned so that they were going to the kitchen instead of the living room.

"What are we doing in here?" Evelyn asked, furrowing her eyebrows as she watched Paige go to the cupboard and rummage around for something.

"I was thinking popcorn for your sister and me." Paige answered and took the package out of its plastic film before sticking it in the microwave.

"Oh, oh! I know, can I have some Flaming Hot Cheetos?" Evelyn asked, her face brightening at the thought.

"Sure. How about another glass of milk with them too, okay? I don't want you just eating carbs all night." Paige poured the now-popped popcorn into a bowl. "Here, I'll grab your milk. You just bring everything in and get comfy." 

Evelyn nodded and stuffed another bowl under her arm before grabbing the snacks and going to the living room to do as Paige instructed.

Paige made sure she was gone before opening a drawer and pulling out a blue sippy cup. She knew Evelyn had a tendency to spill things when she was tired or startled so she didn't want to take any chances that night. That and she didn't feel like cleaning the couch either.

After tightly screwing on the lid and shaking it up she stuffed it into her hoodie pocket for later. And, so it wouldn't look suspicious, she poured a small glass of orange juice as well.

Paige plopped down onto the couch next to Evelyn and handed her the glass. "Here, drink this." 

"Wait, where's my milk?" Evelyn pouted, quickly downing the juice and looking at her confusedly.

"I'll give you some later, after your Cheetos, okay?" She ruffled the brunette's hair a bit which made her giggle. 

They stayed in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Evelyn drooping against Paige’s side as Carmen walked into the room in sweatpants and a sleeveless hoodie. The eldest sister awed when she saw the half-asleep girl on Paige's shoulder.

"We better start this soon or Ev here won't get to see any of it." Carmen chuckled, taking a seat on the other side of Evelyn.

"Hey Carm." Evelyn mumbled, switching from Paige's shoulder and instead curling up into her big sister's side.

As soon as they all got settled Paige pressed play and grabbed the popcorn bowl, offering it to Carmen who just took the whole bowl and laughed. 

-----

"Heyyyy, careful with that!" Evelyn whined when the fifth kernel hit the top of her head.

"Sorry muffintop." Carmen said sheepishly when her younger sister glared at her. 

Evelyn sat up after a little while, having gotten annoyed with the amount of debris falling on her. She grabbed her bowl of Cheetos off the coffee table and practically moaned at the taste.

"These are so fucking good." Evelyn observed before stuffing more into her mouth and chewing loudly. 

Paige cleared her throat and sent Evelyn a warning glance to knock off the cursing but suddenly a jump scare came out of nowhere which caused Evelyn to let out a yelp. The yelp almost succeeded in making her choke on her food but instead, she just coughed a bit. Paige rubbed her back.

After her little coughing fit she settled down and laid her head on the blonde woman's lap, sighing contently when Paige raked her short nails through her hair and pulled her blanket up so it was almost swallowing her.

At the halfway point of the movie, Carmen declared she needed to get a drink and went off to the kitchen.

"Holding up alright?" Paige mumbled, glancing down at the girl whose eyelids closed every so often.

"Yeah, 'm not that s'eepy." She slurred and brought her hand up to rub at her eye, the other bringing Jappy closer to her chest.

"I've got some milk if you want that before you fall asleep," Paige revealed the hidden drink from out of her pocket and handed it under the blanket to Evelyn who looked puzzled. "I just thought it would be easier to use a sippy cup so it doesn't spill." 

"Thank you.” Evelyn whispered, hesitantly taking the offered drink from Paige and hiding a bit more in her blanket to cover the blush that was creeping onto her face. 

She took a sip and sighed when the slightly warm milk hit the back of her throat, the feeling immediately made her feel even drowsier. 

They started the movie back up when Carmen returned, but a moment before Evelyn was about to fall asleep a loud noise caused her to jolt back awake. Tears instantly formed in the corners of her eyes and she stuffed her face into Paige’s stomach, proceeding to sob quietly.

"Aw honey, did that really scare you?" Paige gently rubbed up and down the length of the brunette’s back while Carmen looked on sympathetically. 

Evelyn nodded shakily and sniffled for a couple more minutes before she went still. And, judging from her silent breaths, was finally asleep.

Paige peered down only to see Evelyn with her thumb hanging loosely from her mouth. While surprised, she didn't think much of it. She smiled and traced Evelyn's eyebrows and nose with her index finger.

When the movie credits started rolling Carmen let out a loud yawn and arched her spine against the sofa which resulted in a few cracks. 

"What did you think of it?" Paige questioned, looking over at the green-eyed woman.

"Pretty creepy if you ask me. But I still can’t believe that one lady died so fast." She laughed, getting up on her feet and snatching the popcorn bowl before plopping down again with a sigh. "How often does she sleep these days?" 

Paige chuckled loudly at the sheer randomness of the question. "Every chance she can get. When you guys got here I had to literally drag her off the couch just to get to the door."

"Well get this, when we were kids every day after school she would come home and just collapse on an armchair and sleep like the dead until dinner." Carmen grinned and shifted the popcorn around a bit to find the best pieces. "Not to mention that on the weekends we would rarely see her until two in the afternoon."

"Definitely sounds like her." Paige replied, carefully standing up and laying Evelyn's head on the couch beneath her. After making sure she was still asleep Paige picked up the empty glass of juice and the sippy cup before going to the kitchen with Carmen trailing behind her.

"I'm glad you treat her so well." Carmen leaned against the counter as the other woman tended to the dishes.

"What do you mean?" 

"Well, it seems that you’ve been coddling her more than usual." Carmen stared pointedly until the other woman realized what she was referring to.

"Oh, you mean this." Paige replied, holding up the sippy cup.

"Yeah," Carmen blushed and after a beat she asked the burning question that had been lingering on her mind for the past hour or two. "Is she a Little?" 

"Wait, why do you even know what that is?" 

"My friend Emma from law school was one. She told me what it was after she accidentally called her girlfriend Mommy in front of me one night."

"Oh, that explains it then." Paige chuckled and dried the last dish before turning back to face Carmen. "I should get us to bed, it's getting late. You coming?” Paige asked as she started back towards the living room. She stopped in the doorway though and turned to face Carmen again. “Any thoughts on what you want for breakfast?”

“Some pancakes and eggs would be pretty great, but whatever works is fine with me. You should let the birthday girl pick anyway.” Carmen turned off the kitchen lights and followed Paige to the living room.

“If it were up to her we wouldn’t even have breakfast, we’d skip straight to lunch,” Paige hoisted Evelyn up into her arms. “Pancakes are fine with me. I’ll get up and make them and a cake, then set out presents and get everything ready for the party. Which reminds me, would you be up for dinner out on Sunday?” 

“Yeah, sure. I’m game with anything we do.” Carmen yawned.

“Great, I’ll make a reservation then.” Paige smiled when they reached the top of the landing. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow morning. You won't sleep in as long as this one, will you ?” 

“Not usually, I don’t think anyone sleeps as much as her.” Carmen laughed before saying goodnight and heading into her room.

Paige then walked down the hallway and pushed the door to their room open with her foot, quietly closing it behind her. She wondered if it would be a good idea to lock it for the night to make sure no wandering eyes would stray into their room. She shrugged and clicked the lock, just to be safe.  

She then placed a limp Evelyn onto their bed and cooed at the sleeping girl. Her thumb was still in her mouth and her hair was sticking up everywhere, making her all the more adorable.

Paige stuck a finger in the leg of Evelyn's shorts to check if she was still dry or not and finding that she was Paige picked her up again and laid her under the covers, tucking her in before remembering the stuffed dog and her blanket that were still downstairs.

She quickly decided to avoid a possible breakdown the next morning and jogged to the living room for the stuffed dog and blanket. 

When she got back she locked the door and strode over to their dresser, thinking for a second before grabbing a plain white pacifier and returning to their bed. She slipped out of her pants and got in next to the smaller girl, gently turning Evelyn to face her and taking the thumb out of her mouth. She replaced it with the pacifier and waited with bated breath.

Evelyn whined before softly suckling on the soother a few times and calming.

Paige grinned widely and kissed her girlfriend on the temple before succumbing to sleep herself.

Chapter Text

Paige woke up to the sound of her alarm blaring, signaling that it was time to start preparing for the long day ahead of them.

She yawned widely and stood up, toes curling when her feet touched the cold floor. 

She took a minute to admire her sleeping partner, she just looked so tranquil and small at the moment. A mess of hair was strewn around her like a halo and a trail of saliva dripped down her cheek as she snored. This was a big difference from her usual collected and energetic self and only showed through in the girl's sleeping or content state of mind.

Paige hoped that their new dynamic would start to push this side out of her more often. She wanted her to be able to let everything go, and just be willing to be taken care of. 

She glanced once more at Evelyn before pulling on some socks, a bra, and a pair of sweats before opening their dresser to find a top. 

After settling on an old Yale crewneck she tiptoed down the hallway to grab her hidden presents from one of the many closets. She made quite a few trips up and down the stairs to bring all the presents she got for the brunette to the coffee table in the living room.

On her last trip down Carmen stepped out of her room with a huge pile of stuff in her arms and a tube of wrapping paper in her mouth. She said a muffled hello and then carefully followed Paige down the winding staircase.

“Want some coffee?” 

“Yeah, I’ll take a cup.” 

Paige poured the hot liquid into two clear coffee mugs. “Milk or sugar?” 

“I’ll take both, please.” Carmen responded, looking at the two coffee cups, delight filling her emerald eyes.

After their coffee break, they set back off to the living room and to the table that was stacked with stuff. Clothes and boxes hung off the rather large table to the point of almost spilling on the floor.

“Damn, that's a lot!” Carmen marveled. 

“I know I know, I just couldn’t resist spoiling her a bit.” Paige shrugged and grabbed some tape. 

“A bit?” 

“Oh hush, you can't say anything yourself.” 

They spent the next hour wrapping and showing each other the things they bought Evelyn and, when there were only a few things left on the table, the two women looked at each other and opened their mouths at the same time but stopped to let the other speak. 

 Carmen huffed. “I insist, you go first!”

“You're the guest here!” 

“Fine, whatever.” Carmen grumbled and rolled her eyes. “The last few things on the table are for my little sister.” She emphasized, smiling as she held out a large mess of brown fur.

“Oh, yeah, I've got a few like that too.” Paige eyed the blob. “What's that?” 

“This? This is a stuffed sloth that doubles as a pillow.” Carmen answered, turning the stuffed animal around. “I went out earlier this morning to check on my house plants and saw this in the front window of a store by my apartment building. I thought that she'd absolutely love it!” 

“You're totally right on that, she’s always begging me to buy her new stuffed animals.” Paige rolled her sleeves up a bit. “When she sees that she’s going to be so happy. It’ll probably live in our bed.” 

“I actually bought a few more things I don't want our parents to see.” Carmen hummed as she plopped a few pairs of patterned socks in a red gift bag. “I’ll just give them to her tonight when we go to bed unless the party goes too late.”

“We can do that together,” Paige responded as she folded the soft polar bear onesie and placed it carefully into a box. “I have a couple of things too.” 

“Yeah,” Carmen snorted as she grabbed a fuzzy navy blue crew neck with little whales covering it. “Our parents are pretty good at deciphering things for themselves.” She looked over at the entryway before leaning over to whisper in Paige’s ear. “They'd a hundred percent be suspicious if we both gave her things that aren't exactly fit for her age.”

Paige nodded in understanding. "It definitely would seem odd." 

When both women finished arranging the presents on the table, and hiding the special ones for later, they went to the kitchen to start the cake.

After measuring all the ingredients for Evelyn's favorite cake (red velvet with cream cheese frosting), Carmen started mixing the icing, while Paige put together the actual cake. 

In the middle of their baking Liam and Lauren walked through the kitchen with presents in their hands, only saying a quick hello to the girls before sitting at the island and opening their laptops. 

Just when the cakes were being set in the oven Paige gasped loudly and hit her forehead.

"What's wrong?" Carmen asked, alarmed as she rushed over to the blue-eyed woman. 

"I completely forgot to go to the catering service to pick out what we wanted for the party tonight." Paige groaned as she grabbed a set of keys off the rack and quickly put on a pair of slides. "I'll be back in about an hour, when the cakes are done could you please get Evelyn out of bed? Thanks!" Paige requested as she ran out the door. 

Carmen laughed to herself before leaning on the counter and going through the surprising amount of emails that had stacked up over the past few days. 

-----

As she was answering the final one the oven timer beeped. She laid her phone on the marble countertop before pulling on a pair of oven mitts and taking the hot cakes out of the oven.

"Do you know what the plans are for today?" Lauren looked over her glasses at Carmen who was trying to get the cakes out of their pans. 

Carmen smacked a pan and smiled when the cake in it came out perfectly. “After these cakes come out I’m going to go wake up Evelyn, then we’ll do brunch and presents. Later tonight Paige said that all the guests will arrive around five for the party which is going to be outside.”

"Very well." Lauren responded blankly, her hazel green eyes shifting back to her work. 

Carmen hummed as she made her way to her little sister's room. She knocked twice before poking her head in and softly cooing at the sight in front of her.

Evelyn lay face down on the mattress with her shirt hiked up over her shoulders. Her hands were loosely holding the corner of a fuzzy baby blanket and upon getting closer she could see the apparent waistband of a pull-up peeking out of the top of her shorts

Carmen crept closer and sat on the edge of the bed. She brushed some of her sister’s dark brown hair out of her eyes and smiled when her nose twitched but she still stayed deep asleep. 

"Morning birthday girl, it's time to wake up." Carmen sang softly.

"Mmmm." Evelyn whined as she tiredly felt around for Jappy and when she couldn't find him she sucked in, expecting her pacifier to still be in her mouth. Tears formed under her eyelids when she couldn't find either. At that, she let out a small sob and Carmen's eyes widened at the sudden change.

"Ev, what's wrong?" Carmen asked, confused, scooching closer to the crying girl. 

"Want paci an' Jappy." Evelyn said with her eyes still tightly screwed shut. 

Carmen thought for a minute before realizing what the smaller girl wanted. "You want a... pacifier and Jappy?" Carmen repeated slowly, getting up and surveying the room.

She saw a white pacifier tangled in the sheets and picked it up. After wiping it off she slipped it into her sister’s mouth.

Evelyn's cries subsided and she sniffled as she sucked on her pacifier. 

"Jappy?"

Upon surveying the area a bit more she saw a stuffed dog on the floor. She grabbed it and plopped it into Evelyn's arms.

Evelyn sighed contently once she was comfortable again before turning over and falling right back asleep

Carmen grinned and carefully spooned the smaller girl from behind. She cuddled her close, almost falling asleep herself until she caught sight of her watch and realized what time it was.

"Crap. Come on, Evelyn, time to wake up.” Carmen whispered in her ear as she sat up and pulled the still-sleeping girl into her lap. "Don't you want presents?"

The girl opted not to respond and instead tried to wiggle off the person who was disturbing her slumber. 

"Paigeeeee it's nighttime still." Evelyn said, annoyed as she tried to push off of Carmen's chest. 

"Oh, she thinks I'm Paige?" Carmen thought as she patted Evelyn's bottom soothingly, immediately noticing the heaviness and damp feel on the bottom of her shorts. Carmen... didn't really think much of it. She remembered all the other times she woke up to Evelyn with wet pants or hearing their mother yell at her for her lack of control.

Carmen shook off the thought and retrieved her phone out of her pocket to ask Paige what to do.

Carmen: Hey Paige, tried to wake Evelyn up and we're… In a predicament. She kinda thinks that I'm you, and would probably would be deathly embarrassed if she woke up right now.

Carmen waited a second before she got a response.

Paige: oh wow

Paige: Here, I'll Facetime you, I'm on my way back anyway.

A second later she got a call from Paige and accepted it. Her face popped up on the screen and she smirked at the two sisters.

"What's that face for?" Carmen hissed as she glared at her phone. 

"Oh nothing," Paige laughed. "Except that she'll definitely die of embarrassment if she wakes up and realizes it's you and not me with what she's wearing at the moment." 

"You think!?" Carmen rolled her eyes but froze when Evelyn groaned on her shoulder. 

"Just hold on for, like, five minutes. I'm almost home, just don't do anything... Loud." Paige snickered and then hung up.

Carmen grumbled a bit before turning her attention back to the girl on her lap who was stirring much more than a couple minutes prior. She prayed to God that her sister wouldn't wake up before Paige got home. She was sure that Evelyn would burst into tears if she were to wake up.

Thankfully, when Evelyn started yawning every few seconds and rubbing her eyes Paige walked into the room. Carmen got up as fast as she could and, after winking, plopped Evelyn into Paige's arms and sprinted out the door. 

Evelyn sleepily opened her eyes and yawned, resulting in the pacifier falling out of her mouth and onto her chest. She looked up at Paige who smiled and pecked her cheeks lovingly.

"Why hello sweet girl, it's your birthday!" Paige said vivaciously as she laid Evelyn on the bed and rolled up her sleep shirt to blow a few raspberries onto the brunette's flat stomach.

Evelyn giggled lightly and stuck a thumb in her mouth, enjoying how silly Paige was being that morning. 

"My good girl~" Paige cooed at her, grinning when Evelyn suckled the digit. 

She leaned down to rub their noses together. "Did you have an accident last night, baby?" 

Evelyn blushed and shook her head no, giggling adorably when Paige tickled her side.

"No? Are we sure about that sweetpea?" Paige felt under Evelyn's shorts to indeed find her wet.

"Oh babe, I think you did, but that's okay. Just leave everything to me." Paige soothed softly as she tugged Evelyn's shorts down and tossed them in the hamper, leaving Evelyn in just her soiled pull-up and rumpled t-shirt. 

Paige was tempted to take a picture right then and there. Evelyn was just too cute to pass up, she looked so innocent and angelic that Paige was tempted to just hide away in their room all day. But, unfortunately, their plans didn't allow that.

Paige brought Evelyn to the bathroom and sat her on the sink top. "Alright, I think a shower is in order."  

"But I don't want a shower." Evelyn frowned up at Paige who stood between her legs. 

"Sorry babe, but that's not an option." 

"Bath?" Evelyn asked timidly, playing with the rings on Paige’s slender fingers.

Paige stared at her for a second before nodding and going over to the tub to start filling it. 

After checking that the water was pleasant Paige walked out to their closet to find something for Evelyn to wear. 

"Hey Ev? Do you want to be comfy till the party, or dress up now?" Paige shouted to Evelyn who, seconds later, joined her. 

"Well, I want to be comfy and wear my cat pajamas." Evelyn said hesitantly. "But I don't want my family to think I'm weird." 

Paige looked at her sincerely and tipped her chin up to look at her. "Babe, you do what will make you happy, it's your birthday after all." 

"Then, can I have a plain T-shirt and just the pajama bottoms?" 

"Sure baby, whatever you want." Paige said, grabbing the requested clothing out of Evelyn's personal part of the closet. She also saw Evelyn's white fuzzy slippers and decided to grab them, along with her socks with little pawprints on them. 

After the desired items were set out on the bed the pair went back into the lavish bathroom. "Want some bubbles?" 

"Yeah!" Evelyn replied happily, stepping in the tub and sighing deeply at the warm temperature. 

"I also bought a couple of bath toys, want some?" Paige asked as she worked the shampoo into Evelyn's scalp. Evelyn blushed but nodded. 

Paige rinsed her hands off before going to the far side of the bathroom and retrieving a few toys from under the sink. She placed a cute-looking plastic shark, an oversized rubber duck, and a toy boat in front of Evelyn before returning to her hair. 

Evelyn giggled as she pushed the duck under the water and it popped back up again.

She then started a story with her toys, the duck was the captain of a ship and mean ol’ Mr. Shark was trying to catch them as they fled to the other side of the tub and back. Paige laughed along to Evelyn's antics before instructing her to lean back so she could rinse out the conditioner.

Evelyn closed her eyes tightly and puffed out her cheeks as Paige gently watered down her hair with the shower head. 

Paige let her soak in the tub a bit longer before pulling the plug and helping her step out. She wrapped her in a fluffy towel and turned on the heated tiles before sitting Evelyn down in front of a mirror and setting to work drying her hair. 

"You look like a raisin right now." Paige teased as she switched off the hairdryer and unplugged it. 

"Do not." Evelyn grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. Paige chuckled lightly before scooping her up and carrying her over to the bed. She sat her down before rummaging through one of the drawers in their dresser and grabbing Evelyn's favorite pair of underwear which were black and had little green T-Rexs dancing on them. She also grabbed a plain black bra and a hair tie.

"Okay sweetheart, one foot at a time." She guided Evelyn's feet through the holes and pulled them up, doing the same with the rest of her clothes. "I just want to eat you up, you're just too cute!" Paige tickled Evelyn's sides and smiled at the giggles from the girl. After sliding a hair tie onto the slender girl's wrist, they went hand in hand downstairs.

Chapter Text

"Happy 28th birthday little sis!" Carmen cheered and ran over to the pair, hoisting Evelyn up and twirling. Evelyn just laughed and encircled her arms and shoulder around her neck as she started to slow down. They stayed like that for a while, Carmen swaying slightly while Evelyn sat contently in her big sister's arms.

“Cute slippers, by the way.” Carmen whispered into Evelyn’s ear and set her down into the floor. Evelyn beamed at her before retreating to Paige to hold her hand again.

“Are you hungry Evs?” 

 “Starving! What're we having?” Evelyn sighed dramatically as Paige lifted her by her midriff onto one of the kitchen countertops.

 “Whatever you want, it’s your special day after all.” 

“Thennnnn I want chocolate chip pancakes. With tons of chocolate and syrup!” Evelyn bounced, Paige’s hands on her waist making her feel safe.

“Whatever you please, birthday girl.” 

It didn't take long for Paige to whip out a couple of stacks of flapjacks. After all, she grew up on the East Coast where they were certainly not hard to find.

Paige took out a few plates to take to the table. “Hey Carm, would you tell your parents that it’s time to eat?” 

“Yeah, sure.” Carmen hummed and walked off to find them.

She came back a few minutes later and peered into the refrigerator. “Okay cupcake, what would you like to drink?” 

“Chocolate milk!” 

“Not today babe, you’re having enough sugar as it is.” Paige interrupted as Carmen chuckled and pulled out the regular milk, setting it on the counter behind her. “We’re having a cake and other sweets later too, remember?” She reminded as she pulled out an assortment of syrups and brought them to the set table. 

Evelyn huffed but decided not to fight Paige on it anymore. She quickly forgot about it though when she saw the enormous pile of presents in the other room. She couldn’t help a chirp of happiness and ran over to take a peek.

She heard someone tsk behind her and she whipped her head around to see her mother and father sitting on the sofa adjacent to the coffee table. Her mother looked disapprovingly at the presents piled high before she and her husband moved to the dining room.

Evelyn gulped but followed them, taking her seat at the head of the table.

Paige and Carmen emerged a few minutes later, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Paige set a plate piled high with pancakes in front of Evelyn and poured a decent amount of syrup on them. She then served everyone else. Liam, Paige, and Lauren had blueberry, while Carmen and Evelyn had chocolate chip.

Evelyn frowned a bit when she saw the small serving of bananas on her plate, thinking nothing of it she ate them first and washed them down with milk. Happy that the worst part was over she stabbed a piece of pancake and brought it up to her mouth. 

“I must warn all of you that the pancakes are very h-” Paige didn’t even get to finish her sentence as Evelyn yelped in pain and grabbed her milk glass and proceeded to chug the contents, a few drops trickling down her chin in the process.

“Hot.” Paige sighed as she wiped a few stray drops from the sides of Evelyn’s mouth with her sleeve. 

“Gee, thanks for the heads up.” Evelyn snarked sarcastically and glared at Carmen who was laughing loudly before exaggerating a long blow on her next bite.

Their breakfast consisted of light chatter and when they were done Paige and Carmen cleared the table while Evelyn sat with her parents awkwardly.

“So, Thanksgiving is in a few weeks. Do you have any idea whose turn it is to host this year?” Evelyn asked her parents in order to break the stillness between them.

“Well, since it was at your uncle's house last year, that means it’s our turn this year.” Lauren said, looking bored as she surveyed the room.

Evelyn paled slightly but shook it off and forced a smile. “Wonderful, can't wait to see the rest of the family and go back to our house.” While she was forcing a happy face on the outside, inside she was panicking. 

“Fuck fuck fuck! The one year out of 10 that it would be their turn I start having these bedwetting problems again? This just isn’t fair. Mother probably thinks I grew out of it a long time ago. She probably-scratch that, definitely would be disgusted if her 28-year-old daughter still wet the bed at night like some child!” Evelyn felt hot tears form in her eyes and quickly excused herself, making something up about getting her phone before rushing to the kitchen to find Paige.

When she found her she stuffed her face into her back and sobbed silently into the blonde’s shirt. Paige looked over at Carmen, surprised. Carmen just shrugged her shoulders.

Paige slowly turned around and pulled Evelyn’s face into her hands. “Sweetheart, why're you crying?” Paige asked, concerned as to why Evelyn held a hand over her mouth to hold in her sobs and hiccups. When the smaller woman didn't answer she sighed and lifted Evelyn into her arms, cradling her against her chest as she walked towards the entryway.

“They're g-gonna know.” Evelyn sniffled as she stuffed a thumb in her mouth and continued crying softly. 

Paige sat at the bottom of the staircase and stared at the girl in her arms. “Going to know what, baby?”

"It’s their t-turn to host Thanksgiving this year.” Evelyn sniffled and rubbed her eyes. “My mama can sniff out a secret from a mile away.” 

Paige sat thinking for a minute before realizing Evelyn’s claim. “Oh, that's what your pretty little mind’s upset about?” She put the pieces together and stood up again, slowly swaying back to the kitchen. “Are you scared that your mother is going to find out that you wet the bed sometimes?” 

Evelyn nodded and buried her face into Paige’s neck. Paige just chuckled lightly and gently pulled the digit out of Evelyn's mouth, holding her hand as she set her on the countertop next to Carmen.

“We’ll get to that when the time comes. For now, let's focus on all your presents!” Paige bounced on her toes a bit and smiled widely, hoping Evelyn would copy her.

Evelyn did just that and wiped her eyes one last time before hopping down and rushing to the living room where all her presents sat just begging to be opened.

Evelyn didn't realize that her parents were even in the room as she saw all the pretty presents just waiting to be unwrapped. She only turned around at the sound of a cough from behind her. Seeing Lauren staring she blushed and plopped down on the carpet.

“Did you find your phone? You were gone for quite some time.” Liam asked as he moved closer to Evelyn and put a hand on her shoulder.

 “Yeah, it was just hiding in my purse.” Evelyn held her phone up for added effect “Thanks for asking Dad.” 

“Okay, let's start this!” Carmen cheered as she entered the room with a glass of wine in hand.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit too early for wine Carrie?” Evelyn giggled as she was handed a glass. 

“Nah, it’s never too early.” Carmen snickered and took a sip of her own, glancing at their parents. “Do you two want any?”

“No dear, thanks though.” Lauren replied and took a chaste sip of her coffee.

“Which should I open first?” Evelyn puzzled as she looked at all the options, quickly spotting the Golden Goose shoebox and gasping in excitement. “Oh Paige, you shouldn’t have!”

“I just didn’t want you begging me for them every minute of every day.” Paige smiled as Evelyn beamed at her.

It took Evelyn about an hour to open everything. She got shoes and clothes galore, tons of accessories including many different pairs of sunglasses and a few older-looking books from her parents. She loved everything and hugged everyone as soon as she was done.

"We should all go watch a movie as a family now! What do you think guys?" Carmen suggested and grinned when Lauren and Liam looked at each other and shook their heads yes. 

They all headed over to the in-home theater right off the side of the living room. They all sat in different rows of the large screening room. Lauren and Liam sat in the front two seats, and Evelyn sat in the row behind them with Paige and Carmen on either side of her.

"What does everyone want to watch?" Paige asked as she went to the back of the room where the computer system was. 

"How about that Grinch movie that came out a while ago? I haven't seen that yet." Carmen asked and gave herself an internal high-five when Evelyn's face lit up. 

"Mother, Father?" Evelyn pleaded. 

"Fine by us, we haven't had the chance to see it either." Liam hummed as his wife just rolled her eyes.

Paige smiled knowing that this was one of Evelyn's favorite movies at the moment. She happily navigated to Netflix and clicked on it. Then she dimmed the lights and sat back in one of the comfy white reclining leather chairs. 

She glanced over and saw Evelyn covering up a yawn with her hand. It was nearing the time the girl usually napped on days she didn't have work so Paige doubted that she would even make it to the middle of the movie. 

“Would anyone like some popcorn?” Paige asked.

Everyone shook their heads yes except Evelyn who didn’t care for popcorn.

Paige poured the kernels onto the tray of the popcorn machine and waited a couple of minutes before she scooped the steaming popcorn into little containers and handed them out to everyone in the room. 

“If you want more just go to the back, there's tons so help yourselves.” 

At that point, Evelyn was struggling to keep her eyes open. The brunette would nod off every couple of seconds before jerking up and trying to watch the movie. Although adorable, Paige knew that it wouldn’t last much longer. 

She leaned over and stroked her cheek. “Evelyn, sweetheart, just go to sleep. You've seen this movie already.” 

“Not sleepy.” Evelyn replied, bringing her knees to her chest and nibbling the tip of her thumb.

Paige sighed and let the girl be, deciding that if she was tired she would eventually go to sleep herself. 

-----

About half an hour later Paige saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Glancing over she saw Evelyn crawling over the armrest to sit in Carmen's lap. The older woman helped the girl by scooching up a bit and guiding the brunette’s head to rest on her shoulder. Evelyn then wrapped her legs behind her and stuck her thumb in her mouth before settling completely. Within minutes, her breathing slowed and she was asleep. 

Paige leaned over to whisper to Carmen. “Mind taking her thumb out of her mouth for me?” 

“Sure.” Carmen chuckled and popped the brunette's thumb out of her mouth, refocusing on the movie. Paige smiled and moved back to her original seat.

Chapter Text

As the movie was coming to an end Carmen noticed an odd feeling on her lap. It felt as if liquid was trickling down her thighs and onto the seat beneath her. Putting two and two together she looked down to see Evelyn still peacefully sleeping. Blissfully unaware of the fact she was unknowingly wetting herself right on her big sister's lap.

Carmen blushed. She was now fully aware that her little sister still wet the bed but was understandably shocked that it would happen right on top of her. She glanced over at Paige who was tapping away at her phone. This would be the fourth time Paige had seen this particular movie and since Evelyn wasn't even awake why watch it again?

Carmen thanked God that she had put her phone in the cupholder so Evelyn didn't have to sit on it. Even more so now that it was safe. She slowly reached for it and opened the messaging app.

Carmen: I think Evelyn just pissed herself on my lap

Paige opened the message and her eyes widened comically as she whipped her head to look at her then turned back to type something on her phone.

Paige: Wait, really

Carmen nodded when she got Paige's message and gestured for the other woman to move to the seat next to her.

"What should I do?" Carmen whispered when the blonde was close enough that the Woodford parents wouldn’t overhear them. 

"Well, first off, what are you wearing?" Paige asked as she looked down to see urine dripping onto the floor. 

Carmen bounced her knees when Evelyn stirred. "I'm just wearing grey sweats and a T-shirt, nothing expensive. Why do you ask?" 

"I was hoping they were black so it wouldn’t show that much, but grey is another story." Paige mumbled.

"I mean, when the movie’s done I could just carry her upstairs. That's nothing new to our parents." Carmen moved her hand up and down the brunette’s back when she shifted slightly.

"But the wet spot would definitely still be visible, it's literally trailing down your legs and ass." Paige said and nervously looked over at Liam who had his arm wrapped around Lauren's shoulders.

"Our Dads a bit more chill about things when it comes to Evelyn, she is the baby of the family after all." Carmen hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe you could distract Mom while I go up and get everything sorted." 

Paige nodded as the ending credits started on the screen. "She's definitely going to wake up, will she be cool with you there instead of me?" She questioned as she got up.

"I think she will. This isn't the first time she's had wet pants in front of me. It'll probably result in a little crying but she'll be fine, don't worry." 

Paige nodded and walked to the computer to pause the movie. Then she strode to where Lauren and Liam were sitting and stood in front of them. "Lauren, would you mind helping me when the party planners arrive for the party? They should be here any minute now." Paige asked, hoping that the older woman would say no.

"I don't see why not, what do you need?” The black-haired woman got up, frowning disapprovingly when she saw Evelyn asleep on Carmen's lap. 

"We just need to instruct the catering company and their crew on where the tables and everything need to go." Paige explained and strode out the door with Lauren close behind.

"So, what are you and sleeping beauty planning on doing?" Liam chuckled softly as he got up and slicked back his luscious white hair.

"Well, Paige told me that we should change into party clothes so I was just going to bring her upstairs and wake her up slowly, y'know?" Carmen replied as she stood up as well, glad that the room was dim enough that their father couldn't see anything.

"Guess I could change now too, let's go up then, shall we?" 

"Yeah, sure." Carmen responded weakly as she followed him to the door. The lawyer hesitated and looked left and right before she stepped into the hallway. 

Liam turned around, about to say something when he caught a glimpse of Carmen and Evelyn. "Oh, now I see why you ushered your mother away so quickly." Liam put together as he looked at his daughters with sympathy in his dark blue eyes.

Carmen blushed. "Mom wouldn't take this very well."

They meandered towards the stairs together in silence and when they got to the top of the landing Liam turned and smiled. "You go get her cleaned up, don't worry, I won't tell your mother." He winked before retreating into his room.

Carmen smiled and made her way towards the master. She opened the door and shut it quietly behind her before going over to the large bed and laying the top half of Evelyn on it.

Deciding to get it over with now instead of the girl waking up to see Carmen changing her, she tickled Evelyn's sides until the smaller girl started to stir.

"Paige?" Evelyn yawned as she opened one eye, squinting against the light before seeing Carmen standing in front of her.

"Oh, hey Carrie." Evelyn greeted, sitting up on her elbows and looking up at her sister. Upon blinking the sleep from her eyes she frowned when they adjusted to Carmen's pants.

"Why're your pants wet?" Evelyn woke up more and realized what it was. She jumped up and looked down at herself, whimpering when she saw a large dark spot on her pajama pants.

"Did I-I…" She couldn't even finish her sentence before she burst into tears. Her knees buckled and she slid down to the floor, curling up and covering her eyes with her hands.

Carmen sighed and bent down to smooth the younger girl’s hair back to get her to calm down.

"It's okay Ev, it really is. Accidents happen. I'm not mad, I promise." Carmen assured, tilting Evelyn's chin up to look at her.

Evelyn's teary caramel eyes stared back at her, the specks of blue clearly visible in the sun's afternoon rays.

“You're not?” She rubbed her eyes with the back of her fists. 

"Not in the slightest, sweetheart. Now, how about we get cleaned up and dry, hmmm?" Carmen asked as she carefully lifted the small girl off the floor and carried her to the bathroom.

"I'm so sorry Carrie, it-it doesn't usually happen." Evelyn hiccuped. Carmen eyed the girl knowingly before setting her down in front of the mirror.

"Evelyn, I already said it's fine, don't worry about it anymore. Arms up." Carmen tugged Evelyn's shirt over her head.

"Did Mama see?" Evelyn whispered, picking at her nails nervously.

"I don't believe either of them did." Carmen lied, thinking it better that she didn’t know and therefore wouldn’t worry that their father would tell Lauren.

"Will you take a bath with me?" Evelyn stepped out of her pants. "You certainly don't have to if you don't want to, though." She added, clearly embarrassed. 

"Of course I will! It would be my pleasure." Carmen smiled as she pulled off her own sodden clothes. 

Evelyn tried to hide her grin as she threw her wet clothes into the hamper. 

Left just in her underwear and socks Evelyn went over to the large whirlpool jacuzzi and started filling it with warm water, pouring a decent amount of bubbles in as well.

"Cute underwear sis." Carmen said and pointed as she deposited her clothes into the hamper.

"You think so? These are actually my favorite pair!" Evelyn giggled, twirling around on the balls of her feet. 

After the bath was full both sisters got out of their underwear before stepping into the pleasant soapy water. 

Carmen sighed loudly and melted into the suds. "This is so nice, oh my God." She moaned and grudgingly sat up again to tie up her hair.

Evelyn hummed in agreement as she pulled her hair into a messy bun, laughing joyfully when Carmen tickled the soles of her feet.

"How are you so adorable?" Carmen gushed as she retracted her hand. Evelyn pouted and grumbled that she wasn't adorable. 

Carmen picked up some bubbles and smeared them on her face to create a makeshift beard.

"Hey sis, look at this."

Evelyn burst out laughing so she scooped up another handful and made Evelyn a mustache.

The two women continued having fun with the bubbles until the water started getting cold. Evelyn shivered. "Ready to get out?" 

“Yeah, sure.”

Evelyn pulled the plug and stood to grab a towel off the rack, soon wrapping herself in it. She also handed one to Carmen who thanked her before stepping out of the tub and holding her hand out for Evelyn to take.

Evelyn accepted it and carefully stepped out onto a soft plush rug that Paige insisted on getting after she had slid halfway across the floor one night after not drying off thoroughly.

After drying off the sisters shuffled into the room to find two sets of clothes already laid out on the bed, along with a note.

Heard you guys having fun, didn't have the heart to stop it just to say hi to everyone. We'll all be outside, take your time, no rush. Love, Paige                                   

(P.S. It's a bit chilly out Evelyn, I picked some outfits out for you. See you in a bit sweetheart)

The two sisters smiled at each other. "The time really flew by, didn't it? I'll be right back, I'm going to go change." 

Evelyn watched her leave and then surveyed the options in front of her. 

One was a bit more formal looking; a black pantsuit with gold buttons and a pair of black heels which were at least three inches tall.

The second option was a tad more casual, consisting of a button-up white blouse, black ripped jeans, a tan Burberry trench coat, and a pair of white trainers.

Evelyn stood there, pondering over the two options in front of her and not even looking up when the door opened.

"Can't decide?" Paige guessed as she flopped onto the bed and stared at Evelyn who was deep in thought. 

Evelyn huffed and crossed her arms. "Can you pick? I don't know which one I want to wear."

"Of course. I personally think the blouse and jacket with the jeans is great, it's going to get colder later tonight and since we're going to be outside it's a good idea."

Evelyn nodded and grabbed a bra and underwear before pulling on the outfit Paige had chosen for her.

"What kinda socks do you want?" The blonde asked Evelyn who was wrestling with her belt buckle.

"Evelyn." She called again. 

This time, Evelyn's head whipped towards her. "Yeah?" 

"I asked what kind of socks you'd like." She repeated and walked over to Evelyn, moving her hands and easily buckling her belt for her.

Evelyn gaped at Paige and looked between her and the belt. "How did you-what did you?" Evelyn sounded astonished at the seemingly easy feat.

"That's my secret babe." Paige winked and walked back over to the sock drawer. "So, what socks do you want?" Evelyn laid back on their bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"Can I have my fluffy polar bear ones?" She asked, feeling beside her for Jappy. After she found him she brought him to her chest and gave him a good squeeze.

A few minutes later Paige found the aforementioned pair and with a small "Aha!" she pulled them out and brought them over to Evelyn who, in turn, stuck her feet out towards her.

Paige chuckled and slid the fuzzy socks onto Evelyn's slim ankles, watching the brunette wiggle the dog in front of her face while absentmindedly chewing on one of her thumbnails.

"You feeling okay, Ev? You don't seem like yourself." Paige crawled to the right side of the bed where Evelyn's face was turned. 

"Yeah, I honestly don't know what I'm feeling," She sighed and buried her face in Jappy. "I guess I feel, small?" 

Paige brought Evelyn to her chest. "How so?" 

"Like, my head is kinda foggy and gloopy." She mumbled and curled more towards Paige, slinging a leg over her waist and bringing one hand to loosely grip her shirt.

The older woman stared at Evelyn in thought before an idea popped into her head. "Do you think you might be feeling little?" 

"I… I don't know." Evelyn answered and stuffed her face into Paige's neck. 

Paige decided to test something out and reached over to her bedside table where the white pacifier sat from that morning. She grabbed it and sat up with Evelyn still cradled in her arms, holding it in front of the brunette's mouth and cooing softly when Evelyn's eyes glanced up at her.

After seeing that it was okay Evelyn parted her lips and accepted the soother with a shy smile. 

Paige awed and decided that she was glad that she had made that leap into their new dynamic.

It was all coming together.

Chapter Text

They stayed like that for a comfortable ten minutes before a knock on the door disturbed them. Evelyn startled, diving under her blanket in hopes that it would hide her from whoever was about to come in. She relaxed though when she heard Carmen's voice call through the door.

"Come in, it’s unlocked!" Evelyn sounded relieved as she quickly stuffed her pacifier under a pillow.

“Hey guys, what's going on?” Carmen asked as she peeked through the door before stepping all the way into the room.

“Nothing really.” Paige hummed and sat up. Missing the way Evelyn’s face crumpled into a frown for a split second.

“Sounds nice.” Carmen walked over to the large bed and sat down on the edge, crossing her legs. “Hate to break it to you guys but we really should go say hi to the hoard of guests downstairs.” She said, mostly in Evelyn’s direction. 

Evelyn sighed and sat up, pulling a hand through her messy hair. “Okay fine. We're having cake soon, right?” 

“Yep. And its a reallllyyy big one love.” Paige smiled as she leaned down and exchanged an eskimo kiss with Evelyn.

"Well, what're we waiting for! Let's go!" Evelyn cheered and sprang up with a new burst of energy.

Paige and Carmen exchanged playful glances before standing up and following a giddy Evelyn out of the bedroom. 

"Babe, don't run. You might trip." Paige scolded lightly which made the brunette quickly stop in her tracks and turn around with a guilty expression on her face. 

"But you two are moving too slooooow." Evelyn whined as she twirled around the banister of the stairway. 

Paige snorted and picked up her pace until she got to the smaller girl. "Happy?" She took Evelyn's hand in her own and waited until Carmen got to them before proceeding down the stairway.

Once at the bottom of the spiraling staircase the three walked, or skipped in Evelyn's case, to the backyard of the lavish mansion. 

"They finally decided to show up!" Someone in the crowd cheered.

Immediately 100 heads turned to look at the three women, a chorus of Happy Birthdays was shouted simultaneously from the armada of people in the yard.

Evelyn grinned and let go of Paige's hand to run to a group of her close college friends.

"I can't seem to find any of our family, minus our parents, in this crowd." Carmen mumbled. 

"Maybe they're all inside?" Paige questioned hopefully, straining her eyes to look closer into the swarm of people.

"I honestly doubt it." Carmen sighed. "Our family doesn't gather for anything except for Thanksgiving, we're lucky our own parents even decided to show up." 

"Seriously? How about for your birthday?" Paige questioned inquisitively. 

Carmen rubbed her arm softly. "Nah, none of them came to that either." 

Paige opened her mouth to ask a follow up question but before she could Evelyn called her over to meet her friends. 

"One second babe!" Paige chuckled as she walked to where Evelyn was bouncing up and down and gripping a tan woman's bicep. 

"Paige this is Hibi, Hibi this is Paige." Evelyn introduced then suddenly squealed and ran off.

"Energetic as ever." The tan girl laughed before turning her attention back to Paige. "Hi, I'm Hibana Ino, nice to meet you." She said sweetly and extended a hand towards Paige who shook it.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Paige, Evelyn's girlfriend." 

"Wow, you’re even more beautiful in person! Evelyn’s always talking about you." The dirty blonde gushed as she stood back and looked Paige up and down.

"Well, uh, thank you." Paige blushed in return as she saw Evelyn pulling another girl towards them with a huge grin on her face.

"Hibi! Remember Elise?"

"Oh, yeah! We had economics together, right?" Hibana questioned the light eyed woman who nodded back and waved.

"Paige, is it almost time for food? I'm starving!" Evelyn pouted with a hand clutching her stomach for added effect.

"We can eat now I guess. It's almost 6:30 anyways." Paige looked down at her watch and grabbed a microphone from the nearest table. "If everyone could please make their way in an orderly fashion to the tents, dinner will be served shortly." Paige spoke over the music.

Everyone started making their way to the huge tent. Paige grabbed Evelyn's hand and had her friends follow them to a reserved table in the very center of the sheltered area. They all sat down at the 10 person circular table and engaged in light conversation.

Paige looked up when a group of blondes approached her, breaking out into a wide grin when she realized that it was her family. Her parents, cousins, grandparents, and one of her three siblings had come all the way from Cape Cod to attend Evelyn's party.

"Hey guys, how’ve you been?" Paige asked as she stood up and hugged all of them.

"We've been great squirrely!" Her father chuckled and ruffled Paige's hair with a big hand. 

Paige laughed and led them to the table right next to her own.

She caught Evelyn staring at them with a glint of sadness in her eyes, but when they made eye contact Evelyn immediately shook her head and forced a huge smile on her face.

Paige frowned and took a seat, placing a palm on the smaller girl’s thigh and rubbing it soothingly. 

After Evelyn's parents and a few more of her close friends sat down the waiters brought out the food and everyone dug in. A low roar filled the tent as everyone chattered about their families and work and caught up with college friends they hadn’t seen in years.

Evelyn’s mother looked bored as she ate and later on in the third course, started scrolling on her phone.

Paige quietly listened as Evelyn rambled about some show she herself had never cared for for a little while but soon got a bit tired of it and excused herself. She went back into the house and headed towards the kitchen, just to be sure that the finishing touches were perfect on Evelyn's cake.

The cake itself was white with small blue flowers on the sides of it, the words "Happy 28th Birthday Evelyn!" were written in light pink cursive writing.

Paige smiled and beckoned a staff member over to her. "Would you bring this out in about five minutes?" 

As soon as that was done she went back outside to the stage where a microphone stand was and cleared her throat before speaking. 

"Hi everyone! We are so glad you all could make it tonight!" she yelled as the crowd burst out cheering. "We are celebrating Evelyn Woodford’s 28th Birthday today, in a couple minutes the cake will be set in front of the birthday girl. After she takes a good bite of it we can all dig in!" 

About two minutes later the large cake was brought out by three waiters, it was set in front of a surprised looking Evelyn who clapped cheerfully. 

"Okay Evelyn, get ready to take a bite! Will everyone please join me in singing a Happy 28th Birthday to Evelyn?!"

All the guests burst out into song and when they were done Evelyn took a huge forkful of cake and shoved it into her mouth. She then stood up and twirled around to the crowd's cheers, a wide smile on her face.

-----

Five hours later.

The party was at its zenith. Some people hung out near the pool, others crowded around the stage area where Steve Aoki was jamming out. The tables had been moved out of the way and a group of almost 50 people were dancing and swaying to the upbeat music.

That crowd included a very tipsy Evelyn. She had been taking neon jello shots with her friends for the past hour and was now feeling the full extent of the alcohol.

Paige danced close to the brunette, worried that she would somehow hurt herself while in her current state like so many times before.

"Hey babe?" Evelyn slurred as she slung an arm around her waist and laid her head on her chest. 

"Yeah honey?" 

"How the h-hell did you get Steve Aoki to sh-ow up?" She hiccuped, looking up at Paige sluggishly.

Paige smiled and ran her fingers through her lover’s soft hair. "Well, I know a friend who knows a friend, who knew a friend." She explained and peered down at Evelyn who had a goofy smile on her face. Not showing any signs that she had fully heard what Paige had just told her.

"Evy, don't drink anymore tonight, okay?" Paige shouted over the noise. 

"But the party's just gettin' started, don't be a party pooper." Evelyn snorted and pushed more of her weight onto the blonde as she fell forward.

"I mean it babe, I haven't drank at all and I'm still having fun. No. More. Alcohol. End of story." Paige said and cupped Evelyn's face between her hands.

"One more shot? Pretty pleeeeease?" 

Paige rolled her eyes but nodded, unable to say no to that face. "One more, that's it." 

Evelyn squealed and ran, or at least tried to run, off to the bar. When she got back Steve Aoki was getting ready to throw a cake into the crowd.

"Who's ready for some caaaaake!" He launched the cake towards Paige and Evelyn. 

Paige quickly grabbed Evelyn's wrist and pulled her out of the way just in the nic of time. That frosting would have surely made a nasty stain.

Evelyn looked dumbfounded at the cake on the ground and then at Paige, and then back at the cake.

"What jus’ happened?" She asked incredulously as she swayed for a second then righted herself.

"Nothing Ev, don’t worry about it." Paige chuckled.

"Hey guys, how's it going!?" Carmen asked as she approached with a drink in each hand.

"I think Evelyn's almost out of juice. I bet she won’t last another 30 minutes.” Paige took the offered cup out of Carmen's outstretched hand. "What is it?"

"Yours is just lemonade, don't worry!" Carmen laughed as she took a large gulp from her own, chasing whatever it was down with a slice of lime.

Paige looked at her drink apprehensively but took a sip anyway and hoped for the best.

------

Around two A.M the party started to die down. The hired staff began cleaning everything up and at that point the guests either left or got permission to stay in one of the many rooms in the large mansion.

After everything was situated and the house was quiet, Paige led a drunk and half asleep Evelyn upstairs with Carmen trailing not far behind. 

Carmen opened the door to her own room but just as quickly closed it. "Do you mind if I stay with you guys tonight?"

"I don't mind at all, what's wrong?" Paige questioned as they slowly walked down the hallway to the master. 

"There're people in my bed I’ve never seen before." She said and stuck her tongue out distastefully. “I hope they don’t go through any of my stuff.”

“Let's make sure we get those sheets cleaned tomorrow morning.” Paige grimaced as she opened the door to their room, waiting for Carmen to walk in before gently pulling Evelyn in behind her. 

"Would you mind setting up the shower? We should rinse off before bed." Paige yawned, locking the door before moving to gather two sets of silk pajamas and undergarments for herself and Carmen, and a pair of soft fuzzy socks and a panda onesie for Evelyn. She also grabbed a couple things from a secret part of their dresser that Evelyn probably wasn’t going to like very much the next morning.

After that was dealt with she went back into the large bathroom where Evelyn sat on the vanity, jerking up every so often before almost falling asleep again. 

Paige set Evelyn on her feet and proceeded to strip her of her sweaty clothing. When that was done with she set her on the toilet and crouched down in front of her. "Hey babe? Can you wake up for me for just a second?" 

Evelyn opened one bloodshot eye and attempted a crooked smile. "Hey Paige." She muttered before her eyes rolled back and she almost passed out again. 

"Come on Ev, just one minute." Paige pleaded, tapping the girls cheek with her index finger to keep her focused.

After a bit more coaxing she finally opened her eyes again and giggled. "What's up?" She slurred, bringing a fist up to haphazardly wipe at her eye.

"We're gonna take a shower to get all the yucky germs and makeup off and then go to bed." Paige said and rubbed her hands soothingly. "But, I need you to be a big girl and stay awake for me for just 10 more minutes. Can you do that?" 

"I'm a big girl." Evelyn stated before slowly getting up and, with Paige's help, stepping into the shower where Carmen was already waiting.

Evelyn smiled and clumsily sauntered into Carmen's arms, putting almost all her weight on her big sister who just chuckled and sat her down on the marble bench at the back of the shower.

A minute later Paige joined them with a luffa in hand and started to gently lather Evelyn with soap. 

"Look at all the bubbles ‘aige." Evelyn picked some up and poked them.

"Yeah baby, I see." Paige laughed with her as she finished her quick scrub and turned off the water. She wrapped the girl in a large bath sheet which almost swallowed her whole. "By the way Carmen, I grabbed you a set of pajamas, they should be right there on the second sink." Paige nodded her chin towards said clothes as she patted a shaky Evelyn dry.

"Oh, thanks." Carmen yawned with a hand over her mouth and headed over towards the vanity.

"Evelyn? I'm going to diaper you tonight alright? I know we haven't discussed it yet but I think it'll be best. You had a loooot to drink tonight and I think a pull-up would leak, do you understand me?" Paige said slowly as she laid Evelyn onto a towel situated on their bed where a diaper, baby powder, and lotion were already waiting.

Evelyn looked perplexed as Paige spoke to her. She didn't respond and instead tried to sit up but was met with Paige smiling softly and putting a careful hand on her chest so she couldn't. 

"Here, take your pacifier and Jappy and go ninight." Paige crooned. She started to hum while she held the white shielded soother to Evelyn's lips until she accepted it and placed Jappy into her arms.

Paige gently instructed Evelyn to raise her hips and slid the diaper under her, she then applied lotion and baby powder before taping the diaper onto the brunette’s slim hips.

Evelyn was too out of it to care and fell asleep while Paige slipped the socks onto her feet and maneuvered her into her onesie. Lastly, she attached a pacifier clip to the small girl’s pajama collar so she wouldn’t make a fuss about not having it when she woke up.

Carmen walked in a moment later and cooed at the sleeping Evelyn on the bed while Paige put the supplies away.

"She is just too precious." Carmen beamed as she got under the covers on the left side of the bed. 

"I know right." Paige chuckled and scooted Evelyn between them before going under herself.

"See you tomorrow morning, we can give her the other presents when she wakes up." Paige whispered and kissed Evelyn's forehead.

"Sounds great, sweet dreams." Carmen turned over, falling asleep instantly.

Chapter Text

Paige yawned and rubbed her eyes against the harsh morning light. She rolled over and squinted to the other side of the bed at Carmen. The black-haired woman was on her phone with Evelyn peacefully snoozing on her chest. Her pacifier was slowly bobbing in her mouth and one of her hands was lightly gripping the top of her sister's shirt.

"Mornin' Carm." Paige greeted and sat up, stretching an arm above her head.

"Goodmorning! How'd you sleep?" Carmen asked and turned off her phone screen.

"Like a log. I was exhausted." 

“Hey do you think…” Carmen picked at her cuticles nervously. "Do you think she'll care if she wakes up and I'm here?"

"Well, you were going to find out sooner or later so I think today is as good as any other day." Paige shrugged and stood up. “Just tell her that you love her and that you bought her some more presents, she'll be happy in no time.” She cracked her back and idly gestured towards the door. “I’ll be back in a sec, I’m gonna get the presents from the closet for when she wakes up."

True to her word, she came back only a few minutes later with a couple of bags filled to the brim with wrapped presents.

"Damn, what is she going to do with all this stuff?" Carmen carefully slipped out from underneath Evelyn, trying to jostle the girl as little as possible.

"I don't know, there're even more downstairs from last night." Paige sat on the side of the bed. "We'll probably give a bunch of the stuff away, it's not like we need it." 

"That’s certainly true,” Carmen snorted. “Should we wake her up now? I mean, everyone's going to wake up soon so we’ve got to be quick anyway."

Paige gave a small nod and started to lightly tap Evelyn’s nose which scrunched up adorably everytime she did so.

"Wakey wakey sunshine, I've got a surprise for you." She sang as Evelyn let out a small whine and opened one eye.

"There she is! We've got some special presents just for you!" Paige cheered and gently pulled Evelyn into her lap, holding the sleepy girl close. She smiled softly when she heard the thick diaper crinkle when Evelyn's butt came in contact with her legs.

Paige buried her face in the smaller woman's hair. She was nice and toasty and smelled like sleep and lavender, with just a hint of baby powder. Paige instantly decided it was her new favorite smell.

"Presen's?" Evelyn mumbled and blinked the sleep from her eyes, letting out a squeaky mewl. Her pacifier fell from her mouth in the process but stayed anchored by the clip attached to her collar which Paige was thankful for.

"Yep, and they're all for one adorable little girl." Paige said and tapping Evelyn's lips playfully, making Evelyn giggle and grab for her hands.

"But, before we do that, can you say hi to Carmen for me? She’s excited to see you open your presents!" Evelyn whipped her head to where Carmen was sitting. A deep blush appeared on her face and she whimpered lowly, looking up at Paige with an embarrassed expression.

Paige just smoothed her hair back encouragingly. Evelyn gulped and slowly waved a small hello to Carmen before grabbing her pacifier and shoving it in her mouth again to soothe herself. 

“Awww, someone’s shy.” Paige cooed and bounced Evelyn in her lap.

“Pai’e stoooop.” Evelyn buried her face in her hands, the sucking on her pacifier intensifying as she attempted to wiggle off of Paige’s lap.

Paige just chuckled and patted the front of the girl’s diaper which made her stop squirming immediately, her blush deepening as she realized exactly what she was wearing.

“Evs, is mean ol’ Paige bothering you?” Carmen pouted at Evelyn who nodded in return with a frown on her face.

“Well, I’ve got a spot right here on my lap that’s not taken.” Carmen gestured for Evelyn to come to her.

Evelyn in turn looked up then promptly hid her face behind Jappy. “Is it, okay?” She whispered, voice shaky and a bit muffled.

“Of course it is kiddo! Now come and give your big sister some love!” Carmen laughed as Evelyn hurriedly sprang up and sat in the space between her sister’s crossed legs, ears burning as Carmen fussed over her.

“Alright princess, which one do you want first?” Now that Paige’s hands were free she spread the options out in front of the brunette.

Evelyn thought for a second and pointed to a large box with her favorite dinosaurs on it. 

“Great choice! This is one of Carmen’s gifts, what kind of dinosaur is this sweet girl?” Paige handed the box to Evelyn who spit out her pacifier and smiled widely. 

“T-Rex!” She said excitedly, her clumsy fingers already working on taking the top off of the box.

She gasped and pulled out a pair of pajama pants and a matching long sleeve shirt littered with small green dinos. How had Carmen known she'd like them?! Following those was a large fluffy sloth pillow which she immediately hugged close.

Paige internally melted as Evelyn clutched her new stuffie to her chest. “Now what do we say to Carmen?” 

“Thanks so much Carrie! You’re the bestest sister ever!” She squealed and turned around to give the green eyed woman a kiss on the cheek.

“You’re very welcome sweetheart, I saw it the other day and I couldn’t resist buying it for my darling little sister.” She crooned and pet Evelyn’s head.

Evelyn smiled and looked over to Paige for her next gift which was readily given to her. She unwrapped it and gasped when she pulled it out. “Can I wear this now? Pretty pleaseeeee?” Evelyn batted her eyelashes and held out the soft polar bear onesie Paige had gotten her. 

“Well, there still may be people from last night still here baby, and also your parents.” Paige replied, heart breaking as Evelyn’s smile faltered a bit and tears welled in the corners of her eyes.

“But, I bet they won’t care at all if a cute girl such as yourself wears it.” Paige tickled the soles of Evelyn’s feet whose frown quickly disappeared. “After you finish opening your presents we can get you changed and get some breakfast in your tummy, how’s that sound?”

”Okay!” Evelyn quickly agreed, still giggling from Paige’s tickle attack.

Carmen grabbed a red envelope and presented it to her. “Alright sis, open this one next.” 

Evelyn carefully ripped the top open and grabbed the card. She took it out and two tickets fell into her lap. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion before breaking out into a huge smile to what they were for. Two tickets to the Aquarium & Marine Science Center!

Evelyn excitedly bounced in Carmen’s lap. “When are we going?!” She asked, her eyebrows furrowing when she realized that there were only two tickets and not three.

“Well,” Carmen started, “You see, we’re going to be at Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving this year in Virginia so I thought you and I could go to the aquarium together.” 

“Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about that.” Evelyn said and nibbled the tip of her thumb nervously. “But since I got you it won’t be that scary! And I can call Paige every night!” She perked up and clapped her hands.

Carmen glanced over at Paige, completely awestruck at her sister's reaction to the news. Paige also looked pretty surprised for a moment before breaking out into a smile herself.

Paige reached forward and massaged Evelyn’s calves. “I know you guys will have an amazing time! I hope you take some cool pictures for me too.” She then handed Evelyn her next gift. “Alright Ev, finish opening these so we can get you changed and fed.” 

Evelyn had to say she liked these gifts a lot more than the ones from the day before. She received comfy clothing, stuffed animals, a pastel blue pacifier, and a whole bunch of other cool stuff. The other gifts may have been expensive, or limited edition, but these ones were straight from the two women she loved most' hearts.

“Alright, I think it’s time to find out who’s still here and make breakfast for everyone, or is it brunch now?” Paige mused and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Carmen, feel free to grab whatever clothing you like from our closet, though I believe mine will probably fit you better.”

“Sounds good.” Carmen gave her a thumbs up and headed towards the wall in closet.

“Alright Evy, let’s get you changed and brush that mane of yours.” Paige tickled Evelyn’s sides as she unclipped the pacifier from the panda kigurumi before halfway unbuttoning it and blowing a few raspberries onto the brunette’s stomach.

Paige rubbed the smaller woman’s ankles. “Would you like to wear a pull-up today honey? I know you don’t want a repeat of yesterday if we decide to take a nap.” 

Evelyn squirmed for a second before nodding and hiding her blush behind her forearms. “Nobody’ll see, right?” She grabbed Paige’s fingers before she could turn around.

Paige kissed her hand. “No they won’t, I promise. You’ll be wearing a thick fluffy onesie anyways, nobody will suspect a thing.” She said and then pulled away to grab her own clothes.

After changing into some sweats and an old college hoodie Paige went to the bathroom to grab the supplies to change Evelyn. There she met Carmen who was standing in the shower with a slight grimace on her face.

“You alright?” Paige called as she grabbed a pull-up and a box of wipes from under the sink. 

“Fine, just a headache.” Carmen splashed her face with water. “Though, I am surprised that Evelyn isn’t more hungover with the amount she drank last night. She definitely had more than me.” 

“It is pretty miraculous, isn’t it? It’s weird, she can drink very little and get drunk for a long time, but I’ve never seen her hungover the next day.” Paige closed the sink cabinet and she stood up. “I guess it’s just a lucky quirk.” She laughed before exiting the bathroom.

Back in the main room she met Evelyn who was still in the same position she was left in, the only difference being that she had her pacifier back in her mouth and was nursing it rhythmically. 

Paige grinned when the brunette smiled and waved up at her from her place on the bed. Paige waved back then took the brunette’s socks off, her kigurumi following.

“I’m going to take this wet diaper off now, okay? It might be a bit cold for a minute.” Paige warned as she untaped the sides and folded it down, watching the girl shiver as she wiped her down with a few wet wipes and slid the pull-up on. After that was done she dressed her in a tank top with a built in bra, her new onesie, and some soft slipper boots.

She pulled the brunette back into her arms after she had disposed of the wet diaper and washed her hands. “We’re going to have to leave your pacifier here when we go downstairs.” 

Evelyn whimpered and lifted a hand to pull out the soother but was stopped by Paige. “Not yet bug, you can keep it until your sister is done changing.” Evelyn looked relieved as she snuggled into Paige’s comfortable hold.

They waited ten minutes before Carmen finally came out, wearing a pair of Paige’s sweatpants and an oversized sweater. Her hands were quite red so Paige guessed that the shower she had just taken was decently warm.

Carmen groaned. “Ugh, I need water and, like, a hundred fucking Tylenol’s.” She held her head with both her hands and strode to the doorway, not noticing Evelyn stifling a laugh.

“You guys coming?” Carmen yawned as she wiggled the doorknob.

“Yep, one second.” Paige replied, moving to stand up as Evelyn whined and tried to stay on her lap. “Come on princess, be a good girl and walk for me.” Paige cooed as she gently plucked the pacifier out of Evelyn’s mouth and put it into the drawer of her bedside table.

Evelyn grumbled but got up anyways, letting out a little mewl as she stretched her arms above her head and curled her toes.

Paige grabbed the brunette’s hand and they started their short trek down to the kitchen.

Chapter Text

The other women immediately stopped talking when they heard the trio walk in and broke out into smiles when they saw Evelyn hiding behind Paige.

Paige led Evelyn to a bar stool to sit with her friends, the small girl pouting when Paige released her hand. “Good morning guys, hope you slept well. I’ll have breakfast out in 20 minutes.” 

Carmen strode over and took a seat next to Evelyn as she sipped on a glass of water. “So, Alison, where’s your boy toy?” She questioned after chugging the rest of the glass. "Pretty sure it was you two I saw in my room last night."

“No idea, woke up and he was gone.” Alison chuckled and tapped her fingers on the countertop.

“That sucks,” Carmen smirked and rubbed Evelyn’s back. The brunette was looking over at Paige longingly, the tip of her thumb in her mouth as she chewed it softly.

“You can go over there if you want cupcake.” Carmen whispered as she got up to refill her glass, Evelyn catching her sleeve before she could get far though.

“But she’s busy.” The younger woman muttered lowly.

“She won’t care, want me to take you?” Carmen offered her hand to which Evelyn shook her head no. 

“It’s fine, I can wait.” 

Carmen looked at her unconvinced then shrugged and continued on her way.

“Do you guys have rides from here? If not we’d be glad to take you.” Paige looked up from the stove where she was scrambling eggs.

“Well, the driving service said they can’t come till later tonight, like around 4 or 5.” Elise explained as she stood up, jumping a bit to adjust her leggings.

“Alright,” Paige smiled. “We have dinner plans at 7, so that works out fine. Oh! And I’m making crepes, what kinds do you guys like?” Paige questioned as she flipped one over with a spatula.

“Nutella!” Evelyn yelled.

 “Sugar!” Carmen called. 

“Lemon and powdered sugar!” Hibana shouted. 

“I’ll have anything.” Elise giggled as she and Alison got up to help Paige with the dishes and various condiments.

“Alright, everything’s set, let’s head to the dining room guys. By the way, where are your parents?” Paige asked Carmen as they walked over to the large formal dining room.

“Beats me. They usually get up early, so I bet they’re out at brunch or something.” Carmen said as she set the Nutella and sugar down on the table.

“Sounds good, maybe we can have a game day in the living room and watch a movie or two.” Paige hummed and sat down, chuckling when Evelyn immediately rushed to her other side and plopped down next to her.

After the rest of the women were settled they dug in.

“So, Paige, what's it like living with this crazy girl?” Hibana asked, pointing her fork towards Evelyn who giggled. "I never thought she'd settle down with anybody."

“She sure is a handful,” Paige smiled and took a sip of coffee. “But I wouldn’t trade her for anything.” 

“Aw, that’s so sweet!” Hibana responded and looked at the lovers with hearts in her eyes. "I want someone to love me like that too."

Paige chuckled and stood up, Evelyn quickly springing up as well. “I’ll be right back, I forgot the strawberries in the kitchen. Anybody want anything while I’m up?” 

“Some more coffee would be lovely.” Elise hummed thoughtfully as the other women nodded their heads in agreement.

Paige made a sound of affirmation and held her hand out for Evelyn to take as she made her way back to the kitchen. 

“Okay babe, have a couple strawberries while I make some more coffee, alright?” Paige said as she poured a few cups of water into their coffee brewer.

“How many?” Evelyn pouted and grabbed one with her fingers, popping it in her mouth and looking to Paige for approval.

“Good job sweetheart! How about four more?” Paige crooned and ruffled the brunette’s hair.

“Fine.” Evelyn muttered and stuffed the remaining strawberries into her mouth, chewing loudly.

“Want anything to drink?” Paige asked as she opened the fridge door and peered in. 

“Apple juice?” Evelyn’s muffled voice questioned and then quickly added, “Please?”

Paige grabbed the juice out of the fridge and poured a small glass. “Only one more crepe with Nutella got it?” Paige playfully raised an eyebrow and returned back to the dining room with the freshly brewed coffee pot in hand.

Evelyn pouted and quickly scurried after Paige, being careful not spill any of her juice on the marble floor so that nobody would slip later.

They both sat down and continued to eat and, when they were all done, everyone pitched in to clean up.

Paige spied out of the corner of her eye Evelyn, her face smeared with chocolate, going in the direction of the livingroom. The white sofa was definetly at risk. Paige grabbed a damp washcloth and dashed over to clean the residue off of Evelyn’s face. “Alright little miss, c’mere.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened upon seeing what Paige was holding and instantly bolted.

She didn’t get far though because just as she was rounding the entryway to the living room Carmen scooped her up and hoisted her over her shoulder.

“Carrie, lemme down!” 

“I don’t think I can do that.” Carmen hummed as she fireman carried her towards Paige with Evelyn kicking a bit in her arms.

“Thanks Carmen.” Paige glared half-heartedly at Evelyn who smiled innocently and turned her face away. 

“Good thing you didn’t make it to the couch.” She sighed as she dabbed the washcloth on Evelyn’s blushing face. “This sticky stuff wouldn’t be easy to clean off that material.”

“Yeah, good thing.” Carmen snorted and put the girl down when Paige deemed her clean enough.

Evelyn sulked and directed her pout to both Paige and Carmen before huffing and sitting on a barstool to watch the other women finish with the rest of the dishes.

After a couple of minutes of just staring at the two women at the sink Evelyn got bored. “Can I go play Xbox?”

Paige turned around, confused. “Go right ahead sweetheart.”

Evelyn smiled and jumped off the barstool, stopping in the dining room to invite the other women to join her before running the rest of the way. 

“That was odd of her to ask, she’s never done that before.” Paige chuckled and handed a dish to Carmen who shrugged in response.

“Maybe she just wants somebody to take charge, and with the relationship you two are starting to develop I think it makes sense.”

“You’re totally right,” Paige said. “I’ll ask her about it later. For now, let’s go join them in the living room. Who knows what kind of chaos they could be causing.” 

Sure enough, the sight they saw when they walked in was everything but calm. 

Evelyn and Hibana were furiously mashing buttons as they played some grizzly 1 v 1 fighter game. The other girls cheering them on from the sidelines. The room was cast in an odd glow as the windows had been tinted so that minimal sunlight could enter. 

“Alright guys, I think that’s enough violence for now.” Paige concluded as she saw Evelyn’s character deliver a brutal fatality which caused Hibana’s character’s head and spine to fly out of its back.

“I second that.” Alison grimaced as she looked at the T.V. screen with a sick expression. Blood was definitely not her forte.

Evelyn rolled her eyes but turned off the console anyways then looked up at Paige for further instruction.

“Alright, how about we play a board game? Monopoly sound good to anybody?” Paige asked as she picked up the television remote to change it to a tv show for background noise.

“I’m in!” Carmen said and pumped a fist into the air, the other guests chorusing their agreement too.

As Paige went to grab the game from the game room around the corner, the other women talked about the night before.

“That was such a great party. I had such good sex with that guy. Its been ages since I've done that.” Alison grinned and patted Evelyn on the back.

“Ew Ali, that’s gross.” Evelyn whined and stuck her tongue out at the light haired girl. "I really didn't need to know that."

“Wait, you don’t even know his name?!” Hibana fell back in her chair from the force of her laughter.

“I was caught up in the moment, don’t chastise me,” Alison said and lightly hit Hibana’s arm. “Though I do remember him having a smoking hot body and his thing was so big and-” 

“Alright Alison, I think we’re good with whatever story you were about to tell.” Paige emerged into the room with the Monopoly box in hand.

“Great timing Paige. Alison here was about to tell us about what happened to her last night.” Carmen explained and moved over to give Paige room to sit on the sofa.

“Okay, everyone knows how to play I'm assuming?” Paige opened the box and placed it on the large circular coffee table where it was easily accessible by everybody.

All the women crowded around the table. Some on the soft white rug or perched on the sofa. It was peaceful.

“Can I have the dog please?” Evelyn batted her eyelashes at Paige who looked up from sorting out the money.

“Go right ahead, you guys too.”

—-

“Fuck this!” Carmen yelled as she landed on Elise’s Broadway property again, having the added misfortune of landing on it three times in a row AS WELL as it having a hotel on it.

“That’ll be $2000 please! Oh wait, you already know that.” Elise teased and held her hand out for her money. “Oooor, you could give me your Marvin Gardens card so I can complete my set,” She snickered deviously, “Your choice.”

“Never!” Carmen said and counted her money furiously, coming up five dollars short after mortgaging all her properties.

“So? Do you have enough Ms. Carmen?” Elise raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t,” Carmen growled, “But maybe somebody will lend me some cash, right guys?” Carmen looked at the other four women. Alison had already lost everything 15 minutes prior.

“How about you Evelyn? Mind giving some money to your favorite big sister?” Carmen pleaded and grinned widely at the brunette who smiled slyly.

“Carrie, you’re my only sister and, in all the games of Monopoly I’ve played against you, I have never won. This time I’m going to win if it’s the last thing I do.” She grinned at seeing her sister's gaping mouth.

“How about you Paige? Five buckaroos for your future sister in law?” 

“Sorry Carmen, but I’m dirt poor.” Paige said amusedly, holding up her last bill.

“Hibana?” Carmen squeaked and Hibana shrugged her shoulders and motioned to her small amount of money.

“Ugh, fine, I give up but I’m giving Evelyn all my properties.” .

———

“Woohoo! I won!” Evelyn squealed, jumping up and down after she got Elise’s last $500 bill.

“Whatever, I let you win.” Elise laughed as they started to put the game away.

“What do you guys wanna do next?” Evelyn asked energetically as she twirled around the room.

Paige placed the lid back onto the box and almost got dizzy watching Evelyn in her frenzy. “How about snacks and a movie?”

“Sounds great, my brain could use a bit of rest.” Alison said and rubbed her temples.

“What're we gonna to watch?” Carmen asked as they returned to the kitchen to gather junk food for the film. 

“I don’t care, you guys can choose.” Paige hummed and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. “I know Evelyn will probably be passed out by the middle of it anyways so don’t count her in.” She whispered into Carmen’s ear as she glanced at Evelyn who was rubbing her eyes with the back of her fist while she talked to Elise.

“Alright, so we don’t have to watch a kids movie then.” Carmen snorted and Paige glared. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” Carmen held her hands up in defensively.

“Feel free to grab whatever you want guys, I know Evelyn has a stash of sweets somewhere in the pantry so just ask her.” Paige called to the other women across the kitchen.

“Hell yeah! Lead the way Evs!” Alison cheered as Evelyn smiled mischievously and beckoned her friends to follow her. 

Paige smiled fondly and went to work getting a bit of healthy food for the brunette and herself. She knew first hand what that much sugar could do to the brunette if she didn’t have something healthy in her stomach. She wanted to avoid that if possible.

“Want anything Carmen?” Paige asked as she cut a couple carrots in half and placed them in a bowl with various other veggies.

“I think I’ll stick to the Tylenol and water for now, we are going to an Italian restaurant tonight after all.” She replied as she watched Paige from the other side of the island.

“That’s a fair point.” Paige agreed and graciously poured a small amount of ranch dressing into a bowl for Evelyn’s vegetables as she knew she would never eat them plain.

Chapter Text

Meanwhile, in the pantry…

“Oh my god Evelyn, you’ve got everything!” Alison plunged her hands into a secret compartment and brought up an armful of goodies.

“I know right. Paige doesn’t even know about this place.” Evelyn snickered, oblivious to the fact that Paige had always known of the hiding place and, in fact, took a few things occasionally.

“So much to choose from, what to take.” Hibana pondered and tapped her chin.

“Take anything you want.” Evelyn said, her mouth preoccupied with a bag of gummy worms and her arms full of other sweets.

“Alright, but I think you’ve got enough there to feed a small village.” Elise said thoughtfully. 

After they had all found something to snack on they followed Evelyn back out to the island where Paige and Carmen were waiting.

“Woah, that’s a lot of sweets you’ve got there kiddo.” Carmen chorused as Evelyn and her friends emerged from the pantry. 

Evelyn dumped everything onto the countertop. “Well, I grabbed Sour Patch Kids for you, and Twizzlers for Paige, so it’s not all for me.” 

“How about you pick two.” Paige commented. “I also have some veggies here for you to eat too. It’s flu season so we need to eat well to stay healthy and candy is not going to cut it.”

“Fine.” Evelyn huffed and grabbed two chocolate bars before running back to put the rest away.

“So, what’re we going to watch?”

“How about that movie Blockers? I heard that was funny.” Alison offered.

“Wait, is that the one with John Cena and Sarayu Rai?” Paige asked.

“Yep, that’s the one.”

“Sounds good to me.” Paige shrugged and motioned for the rest of the women to follow her soon as Evelyn came back, this time with no sweets.

“Soooo, what;re we watching?” Evelyn swung her and Paige’s conjoined hands.

Paige chewed on one of her carrots and swallowed before speaking up. “Well, we were thinking of watching Blockers.” 

“Cool! I heard that was good.” Evelyn cheered excitedly, muffling a yawn but covering it up with a cough. “You know what, I’ll meet you guys. I’m gonna go grab something from the fridge.” Evelyn gave her a wide grin as she sped back to the kitchen.

Paige raised an eyebrow, suspicious of the girl's intentions. She wondered what exactly she was getting. It's not like there was anything else there that she needed at that point. 

“Alright guys, let me just set the movie up on the computer and we’re good to go.” Paige said and squinted her eyes when she saw Evelyn rush back into the room with something underneath her shirt.

Deciding to let the girl be Paige rented the movie and turned off the lights before sitting next to Carmen in the row behind the rest of the women.

“Does Evelyn usually nap around this time?” Carmen whispered to Paige when the movie was starting.

“Yeah, she’ll probably be asleep soon. Why do you ask?” 

Carmen gestured to the brunette who was pouring a 5 hour energy shot into a glass and then popped open a can of Monster, pouring that into the glass as well. “I don’t think she’ll be having one today.”

“Damn it.” Paige said lowly, “She really needed that nap today more than ever, she didn’t sleep too much last night plus the fact that she gets grumpy when she doesn’t take one. It's definitely not a good thing because of our dinner reservations. Also, where the heck did she get that Monster? I’ve told her countless times that she can’t drink that. Not to mention the energy shot.” 

“Well, the thing with those shot things is that she’ll be energetic for the next few hours then pass out. It always happened when I was home. If she had a big test the next day she would more often than not have one or two of those after school so she wouldn’t fall asleep.” Carmen took a sip of her water and swished it around in her mouth.

“I guess she can take a nap after her friends leave for an hour or so.” Paige mumbled as she texted Alison to make sure that they definitely had a ride.

After a couple minutes she got a response and she groaned quietly. It turned out the car company would be even later than they had scheduled for, now they could only pick them up at 6.

“This is just great.” Paige mumbled to herself. “Evelyn’s not going to want to go to sleep if all the other girls are here.”

“What’ll happen if she doesn’t?” Carmen asked Paige who was rubbing the top of her nose with her thumb and pointer finger annoyedly.

“It all really depends. She’s on a caffeine high right now and it probably won't go down till dinner. And when she crashes we’ll have a very tired girl on our hands.” Paige sighed.

Carmen whistled lowly, clearly humored by her little sister's constant need for sleep.

“What does she do on work days? Sleep on her desk!” Carmen laughed and slapped her knee, holding a hand in front of her mouth so as to not draw attention to herself from the other girls.

“Well, she’s much more tired on work days, I can tell you that much.” Paige explained. “I think she can hide it pretty well from her coworkers though. She’s just that kind of person. The job she has is certainly highly demanding. She can put a straight face on those days, but the days she doesn’t have work it definitely shows.” 

“Makes sense.” Carmen said and ran a hand through her hair. She suddenly snapped her fingers when she came up with a genius idea. “After the movie, I can go show the other girls around the property. That’ll give you some time for you to get her to go to bed for a while. A bit of sleep is better than none at all!” 

“I guess that could work. Problem is that everybody has already seen both the inside and outside of our house.” 

“Maybe she’ll be alright without a nap for today? Keep her up with a couple more Mountain Dews and I think she’ll be just peachy.” Carmen pointed to Evelyn who was practically vibrating with energy.

“Alright, let’s try it. What's the worst that could happen?”

———

By the time the movie was finished Evelyn could not keep herself contained anymore and burst out of her chair.

“What do you guys want to do now?!” The brunette giggled as she whirled around in sporadic circles.

“How about we go outside for a bit, enjoy this beautiful fall weather.” Alison sighed dreamily. 

Alison lived up in New York where, even in mid fall, it could go down to zero degrees easily. The weather in Vegas was considered warm to her.

“Sounds great, how about we go up to the roof and play another game?” Paige asked as she got up out of her chair and went over to the trash can to dispose of her candy wrapper.

“We should play Name Five!” Evelyn bounced on the balls of her feet, her whole body jittering as she looked at Paige with wide eyes.

“Sure kid, why don’t you go and grab it?” Carmen suggested with a smile as she watched the girl quickly nod her head and run out of the room.

“Damn, I don’t remember one shot doing that to her when we were in college.” Hibana got up herself, grabbing Evelyn’s discarded trash as well. 

“I guess she hasn’t had one in a while, her tolerance must have worn off.” Elise added.

“I’ll meet you guys up there. I’m going to go grab my shoes real quick. Carmen, you know the way.” Paige instructed as she sped walked out the room and to the game room where she knew Evelyn was.

She walked in and saw Evelyn rifling through one of the cabinets.

She crouched down next to the carmel eyed girl. “Hey honey, need some help?”

“Maybe,” Evelyn huffed, “It’s just stuck in the back, aha!” She said as she pulled it out, Paige catching her from the force of her pull which had catapulted her backwards.

She stood up triumphantly with the game held high in front of her and beamed proudly.

“The other girls are going to meet us up there in a few minutes, let’s go grab some shoes and we can head up, okay?” Paige led Evelyn to her shoe closet to help her pick a pair.

“Alright, I’m gonna go grab a pair from our room, I’ll meet you on the roof in a minute.” Evelyn said and waved back at Paige as she rushed up the stairway.

Paige rolled her eyes and slipped on a pair of slides before heading to the elevator which would take her straight to the rooftop. Convenient wasn’t it?

“Where’s Evelyn?” Hibana asked as Paige arrived.

Paige shook her head fondly. “She had to grab a specific pair of shoes from our room.” 

“Wow, is she a serious sneakerhead or something?” Elise asked, intrigued at the thought of the brunette being interested in that type of thing.

“She’s a HUGE sneakerhead, maybe even an addict.” Paige sat down on one of the comfy couches littering the rooftop patio.

In the summer when the hot Vegas sun scorched the Earth to ungodly temperatures she and Evelyn could peacefully lounge on the roof. It had a state of the art tenting area which could be put up with the push of a button. It even included air conditioning which came in through the vents in the chairs themselves.

“We have two closets for shoes in our house, the one downstairs has my shoes and Evelyn’s “regular people” shoes, and upstairs she has a second closet with her private collection.”

Evelyn burst through the doorway out of breath. “I’m here!” 

“Finally, we were actually starting to miss you.” Carmen chuckled sarcastically, grinning widely when Evelyn shot a glare at her.

"Okay guys so basically this game is what the title implies, you get a category, let's say movies with Zac Efron, then you'd have to say 5 movies with Zac Efron. This game is also played in teams of two or three, so we could do three teams of two, or two teams of three." Paige explained while the other women stared at her intently.

"Seems easy enough, how about teams of two? Paige and Evelyn, Alison and I, and Elise and Hibana.” Carmen said thoughtfully as she looked through the game box. 

"Sounds fine to me! Let's play!" Elise said enthusiastically and sat down on one of the patio chairs opposite the other girls.

So that's how they spent the next hour, taking turns on naming 5 random things, the winners turning out as Elise and Hibana who fist bumped as they reached the end zone first.

It was now nearing 6 PM and the drivers service finally texted that they were on their way and would be there in about 15 minutes. 

After putting away the game, their guests got packed and they all went down to the front of the house to wait for the chauffeur service to arrive.

"Thanks again for inviting us Evelyn, it was super fun to be here." Hibana hugged Evelyn as the driver made his way up the long winding driveway.

"It was no problem, I had a ton of fun and hope you guys come visit us soon!" Evelyn returned Hibana’s hug and sent her a kiss goodbye as the dirty blonde stepped into a black Suburban.

"See you later alligator!" Elise called.

"Be well!" Alison waved.

The three women watched the car depart, smiling and waving until they couldn’t see it anymore.

"Well, that was a good way to spend the day." Evelyn cracked her back and blinked sleepily, bringing a hand up to rub at her eyes as they walked back into the house.

"It sure was," Paige hummed, "But it's not over quite yet. We still have that dinner tonight, remember? We have to leave in about 15 minutes or so."

"Wait, what dinner?" Evelyn asked, eyebrows creased as she stood in the entryway. She didn’t remember being told about a dinner, or maybe it just flew over her head? That seemed to be happening a lot lately so it was a possibility.

Paige's eyes widened as she realized that it had completely slipped her mind to tell the girl about their plans for that night. "We have dinner at Stezzo's tonight babe, I'm sorry but I completely forgot to tell you, it's my fault." Paige stressed as she looked at her watch.

Evelyn sulked and nearly sunk down to her knees to protest.

"Let's go get ready, your parents just texted that they'll be ready in 10 minutes so we have to hurry." Paige informed the carmel eyed girl sadly who looked about ready to burst into tears.

She stretched out her hand, thankful when Evelyn took it and began walking them upstairs.

 Evelyn dragged her feet behind her. "Dang it, I drank that energy shot to keep me up during my usual sleep time so I could play with my friends."

"I know sweetheart, I'm so sorry, but your parents are leaving tomorrow morning and we have to do something with them before they do." Paige explained as they walked through their door and shut it behind them.

"Ugh, whatever. You better let me get dessert tonight." Evelyn chuckled as she began rifling through their closet for something to wear.

"Yes Evelyn, you can have dessert." Paige shook her head fondly towards the brunette who had successfully found a pair of shoes, but nothing else.

Paige pulled on her blouse and buttoned it then looked over at Evelyn who seemed lost. "Want me to help?" 

"Yeah. I don’t know what to wear." Evelyn huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Whatever you pick, can you make sure it matches with these? Please?" she held out one of her newer pairs of white shoes.

"I'll do my best." Paige chuckled. "While I do that would you grab yourself some socks?" 

Evelyn shook her head yes and trotted over to her sock drawer which she looked through for a minute before returning with a pair of navy crew socks with smiling dinosaurs on them.

"Alright sweetheart, how about we change you out of that pull-up hmmm?" Paige questioned silkily, returning the polar bear onesie to the closet then crouching down in front of the semi naked girl.

"Oh, right." Evelyn mumbled, blushing at the thought that she had worn it all day. She had to admit though, it was pretty comfortable and safe.

Paige kissed her forehead before switching it for plain blue underwear and black ripped jeans, finishing the look off with a long black T-shirt which hung a bit below her hips.

"I originally picked a white tee, but we are going to an Italian place." Paige laughed as she went to grab her purse off the vanity.

"Hey! I'm not that clumsy." Evelyn whined and stomped her foot.

"Oh course you're not," Paige said and pecked her lips civilly before grasping her hand. "Now, let's get going before we miss our reservation."

On their way they stopped by Carmen's room and pulled her with them before heading down the landing to where the sister’s parents stood texting on their phones.

They looked up when the girls came down and Liam smiled sweetly and put his phone back into his pocket. 

Lauren, however, looked up for a second then finished a text and kept her phone in her hand.

“What mode of transportation are we using to reach the restaurant?” Lauren asked and crossed her arms over her chest, surveying them.

“I was thinking we could either all go in the G-Wagon, or Carmen can drive with you two and Evelyn and I will take another car.” Paige explained and smoothed a wrinkle on her shirt.

“How about we all go in the G-Wagon to save gas.” Carmen suggested.

“Alright, I’ll go get the car and meet all of you out front in a minute or two.” Paige said and disappeared into the other room while the others went to the front of the house.

“How far away is this Italian restaurant?” Liam asked Evelyn, who shrugged a bit.

“I haven’t been there in a while, but I believe it’s only about a half hour, maybe an hour with traffic.”

Liam nodded and stroked his beard in thought.

“Something on your mind?” Evelyn hummed and looked at him with a small smile.

“Oh nothing really, I am just thinking about our early flight tomorrow morning. We had to cancel the one later in the day because of faulty booking agents.” 

“What time is it leaving now?” 

He looked over when he saw the white G-Wagon pull up in front of them. “Around 8:30.” 

Paige stopped and unlocked the doors for everybody so they could get in. Evelyn got up front with Paige, Liam and Lauren sat in the two middle seats, and Carmen in the middle of the back row.

“Okay, everybody buckled up?” Paige asked before putting the car in drive and opening the front gates.

“Yep, we’re good.” Carmen called back.

“Google Maps is indicating that there’s very little traffic, so we should be there in about 40 minutes.” Paige said as she got onto the main road and turned on some quiet music. 

Chapter Text

Around a half hour later the car pulled up to the valet at Stezzos in downtown Las Vegas.

After the valet boy drove off they all walked into the elegant restaurant. Inside, a row of white Roman columns led to the front desk where a hostess was writing something down in a notebook.

“Welcome to Stezzos, may I have a name for your reservation?” The hostess asked, smiling widely at their party.

“Yes, it should be under Hughes? Paige Hughes?”

The hostess tapped the name into the computer.

“Perfect. Table for five under Paige Hughes. Please, allow me.” The woman said and lead them towards an open dining area.

She brought them to a gorgeous booth in the corner of the restaurant. The walls behind them were made of glass and on the inside there were tropical fish and crabs. The table itself was covered in a white tablecloth with the finest plates and cutlery.

“Our server Matt should be around soon to take orders, please enjoy and thank you for picking Stezzos.” She said politely and wandered off after they were settled.

“Alright sweetheart, I know I don’t say this often but how about you get some soda to keep you up for just a couple more hours?” Paige whispered to the brunette next to her while the others were busy looking over the menu.

Evelyn had dozed off a bit in the car and the melatonin introduced to her body made it so that her normal chatty mood was gone. It was replaced with a milky eyed zombie of a girl. She quickly agreed to Paige’s offer.

“Hello everyone and welcome. My name is Matt and I’ll be your server today, can I start you off with anything to drink? I brought a beautiful bottle of one of our Spanish imported wines.” He held up a bottle for emphasis.

“I’ll take some.” Carmen grinned and her parents nodded in agreement.

“Could I have a glass of the Marcassin Estate 2010 Chardonnay.” Paige asked and tapped Evelyn lightly on her thigh so she would look up when it was her turn to order.

“I’ll just have a Coke.” Evelyn said raspily and attempted a small smile.

“Sounds good. I will have that out in a few minutes and if everyone is ready we can start with meal orders.” He informed them after pouring Carmen and her parents the red wine. And soon after departing.

Carmen nudged Paige and pointed to the menu. “Any suggestions?” 

“I think you’ll like the fettuccine alfredo here Carrie.” Evelyn supplied cheerfully, the very thought of being allowed even more caffeine brightened her mood significantly.

“If you say so Ev.” Carmen laughed and set down her menu in front of her and took an olive from a bowl in the middle of the table.

Matt returned quickly and again smiled widely at them. “May I take your orders?” 

“I’ll have the smoked salmon with the vinaigrette salad.” Paige said.

“I would like the fillet mignon.” Liam smiled.

“May I have the foie gras.” Lauren said.

“I think I’ll get the fettuccine alfredo with shrimp as the protein.” Carmen hummed.

“And I’ll get the parmesan risotto.” Evelyn said last.

“Okay everyone, everything should be out in about 45 minutes.” 

“So Mom and Dad, what are the plans for Thanksgiving in a few weeks?” Carmen asked over the table to the couple.

“Well, everyone will arrive the day before and get settled in. We’ll start cooking that night so we don’t have to do everything the next day.” Liam started. “Then, on the actual Thanksgiving day, we’ll all help out in the kitchen and then eat together.” 

“How many people are staying in our house, excluding Evelyn and me?” Carmen looked to her side where Evelyn had grown a bit pale and was fidgeting with a fork in her hands.

“About 12, I believe. Your cousins and our siblings will be there along with your grandparents.” He said and Lauren nodded in agreement.

“Wow, how are we all going to fit?” Evelyn laughed nervously as she glanced over at her parents.

“I think we’ll have enough space, you and Carmen can share a room and we can divide everyone else throughout the house.” Liam said thoughtfully. The Woodford residence was quite large and spanned through a few acres of land. Not as big as Evelyn's estate, but not far off.

“And you Paige, what are your plans for Thanksgiving this year?” Lauren asked the blonde woman who straightened up a bit in response.

“I’ll be with my family up in our beach house in Cape Cod, it’s just a small family gathering.” 

“What part of Cape Cod is your house situated in?” Liam asked.

“We live up in Truro.” She said, softly rubbing Evelyn’s thigh under the table to calm her nerves a bit. She felt Evelyn relax under her soothing touch. 

“Beautiful spot, one of my uncles used to live by there. I hope you have a wonderful time.” Liam smiled at Paige who returned it with one of her own.

Paige liked Liam’s smile. His teeth were white and straight. The smile lines to the sides of his mouth inferred that he smiled often and she now realized who Evelyn had gotten her cute dimples from. It was welcoming.

——

About a little over a half an hour later their steaming food was brought out by their waiter. And, after Evelyn’s asked for another Coke, the family dug in hungrily.

“Here Evs, try some of this. It’s amazing.” Carmen held up a fork full of the creamy fettuccine alfredo to Evelyn.

Evelyn leaned forward and took the bite, groaning a bit in pleasure as she chewed.

“Wow, that was just as good as I remember!” She said and licked her lips.

“Want to try this too, babe?” Paige held up a fork full of salmon.

“Nah, I think I’m good.” Evelyn laughed as Carmen eagerly took the offered fork and shoved it in her mouth.

“That’s pretty damn good too!” Carmen said as she returned the fork.

“I know right?” Paige chuckled as she poured both herself and Carmen some more wine.

——

When they were done with the main course Matt came around again to ask for dessert orders. Evelyn got a slice of chocolate mousse cake, Carmen got a strawberry sorbet, and Liam and Lauren split a tiramisu.

Paige took a few bites of Evelyn’s before she finished it off and then waved the waiter down again.

“Could I have the bill please?” 

The man nodded and came back a few minutes later to deposit it on their table.

Carmen picked up the check. “I’ll pay.” 

“No it’s totally fine, I got it.” Evelyn said and reached over to pluck it out of Carmen’s hand.

“Please, I insist.” Carmen said and held it out of her reach as she grabbed her wallet out of her purse.

“But Carmen, this dinner was like 700 dollars let me pay for it, my treat!” Evelyn again tried to snatch the check from her sister's hands but Matt already came back to gather it.

“It’s fine sis, I got it.” Carmem winked at the brunette who huffed quietly.

“Whatever, I’ll pay for our next outing.” She grumbled as they put on their coats and exited the building.

“Alright kiddo, you do that.” She ruffled Evelyn’s hair and laughed when Evelyn whined for her to stop.

Paige smiled fondly at the two as they waited for their car to pull up. Before it did though Evelyn parted from Carmen when the tall woman had to take a phone call. She went over to Paige and cuddled into her side. Sighing contently.

“Hey sweetheart, how’s my favorite girl holding up?” Paige whispered quietly to the brunette who nuzzled further into her neck.

“Tired.” 

“I know baby, just stay up for an hour more, can you do that for me?” She cooed lowly into Evelyn’s ear.

The girl nodded and stayed tucked into Paige’s side until the car arrived.

Paige stepped forward and shot a text to Carmen, asking her to keep Evelyn awake for the duration of the ride home.

“Okay Evelyn, how about you go sit in the back with your sister? It’ll be nicer there.” Paige said and opened the back door for everyone to climb in, getting a thumbs up from Carmen after she had read her text.

As soon as everyone was seated Paige jogged to the driver's seat, giving the valet boy a tip before driving away.

“Here Ev, how about we play a game on my phone till we get home?” Carmen whispered enthusiastically to the brunette who perked up a bit at the idea.

“What should we play?” The younger woman yawned as she leaned into her sister’s shoulder.

“I was thinking Trivia Crack, how's that sound?” Carmen hummed as she unlocked her phone and quickly opened the game.

-------

“Aw dang it!” Evelyn whined, frustrated as they had almost made it to the twentieth question but missed the last round for the third time in a row.

Carmen pressed the play button again. “Don’t worry, we’ll get it eventually.” 

Ironically, once they finally got twenty in a row they pulled up to the house.

“High five! We did it!” Carmen hooted as they piled out of the car, laughing along with Evelyn as they walked to the door.

“You guys seemed to have fun.” Paige laughed as she pulled her the house keys out of her purse.

“We sure did! Didn’t we, Evelyn?”

“Hell yeah!” 

Liam opened his arms for a hug. “Well, my beautiful daughters, our Uber is coming at 6:30 sharp tomorrow morning so we won’t get to see you for a couple weeks.” 

Evelyn immediately rushed to him and wrapped him in a tight embrace as Carmen said goodbye to their mother.

“Bye Mother, see you soon.” Evelyn awkwardly gave her a hug, stepping back afterwards.

“Yes dear, see you soon.” Lauren said dismissively.

“Okay, we’re heading to bed, see you two soon, and nice seeing you Paige.” Liam waved as Lauren sent a tight lipped smile her way.

“You too, safe travels.” Paige grinned back until they disappeared upstairs.

“Wow, it’s only 10:45? I thought it was way later than that, I might have to watch a T.V show or two.” Carmen said as she poured herself a glass of water.

“Weird right? I might join you.” Paige chuckled and brought Evelyn to the island and sat her down on one of the chairs. “Want something to drink before we head to bed sugarplum?” Paige crouched down in front of the girl, moving a lock of hair out of her face so she could see her better. 

“Milk?”

“Would you like me to warm it up?” Paige asked. The girl nodded and Paige stuck the cup into the microwave.

“Are you staying here till tomorrow or the day after?” Paige directed her question to Carmen, softly scratching Evelyn’s scalp with her fingers, the girl practically purring underneath her.

“I was thinking mid day tomorrow, I’ve got work on Tuesday so I better get home.” 

“Fine by me.” Paige said and retrieved Evelyn’s drink out of the microwave when it beeped. “Hey Ev, want to watch a T.V show with Carmen and me before bed?”

“Sure,” Evelyn mumbled, her eyes fluttering shut. She shook her head when Paige offered her the glass of warm milk. “Can I have a sippy cup, please?” 

“Of course you can.” said Paige warmly. She dug through the drawers until she found a purple one with stars littering it. She poured the liquid in and shook it up before taking the small girl’s hand and leading her to the living room.

“What do you feel like watching?” Paige switched on the television and sat down with Evelyn's head in her lap.

Carmen rubbed Evelyn’s feet which she had pulled into her own lap. “How about Modern Family?” 

“Sounds good to me, what do you think Evs?” 

“I don’t mind.” Evelyn yawned and sucked a bit on her cup, eyes closing as she did so. “You guys watch whatever you want.”

——

“I can’t believe that this was the last season.” Carmen said as the show was wrapping up.

“I know right? Seems like it was just yesterday that it started airing.” Paige stood with Evelyn passed out in her arms, loosely holding the front of her shirt in a fist.

“Do you think there’ll be a spin-off?” Carmen asked as they started to turn off all the lights and were heading upstairs.

Paige hummed thoughtfully, patting Evelyn’s back when she stirred. “I don’t know. Maybe they’ll do one with one of the kids or something.” 

“I kind of hope they do.” Carmen said as they reached her room. “Alright, I’ll see you guys tomorrow morning, sleep well.”

“Same to you.” 

When they reached their own room Paige gently laid Evelyn on the bed and changed into her own pajamas before picking up Evelyn’s new dinosaur ones from the laundry basket by the doorway. “Okay babe, work with me here.” She said to herself and grabbed a pull-up before undressing Evelyn and easily maneuvering her into her brand new pajamas.

It was cold that night so Paige also grabbed some thicker than normal fuzzy socks from the drawer and pulled them onto Evelyn’s limp feet. 

And, after placing Evelyn’s pacifier into her mouth and making sure both Jappy and her new blanket were near, she kissed her goodnight before falling asleep herself.

Chapter Text

The next morning Evelyn was, miraculously, the first to wake up. She opened her eyes, confused as to why she was up at 9 A.M until her bladder quickly made itself known.

She let out an undignified yelp and jumped out of bed, hands between her thighs as she ran as fast as she could to their bathroom.

Before she made it to the toilet though her bladder spasmed and she hunched over, she willed herself to hold it for just a few more seconds so she could make it but she was fighting a losing battle. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she bit her lip and stared at a tile on the floor.

Paige, having felt the other girl quickly leave the bed, blearily opened her eyes and wondered what was wrong. Hearing whimpering from the bathroom she decided to investigate further.

Slipping on her slippers and running a few fingers through her bed head she quickly walked to the bathroom to see Evelyn doubled over in the middle of the floor.

“Babe? Are you alright?” Paige asked worriedly and rushed to the brunette’s side.

“Fine, just some stomach cramps.” The caramel eyed girl responded and groaned a bit.

“Are you sure they’re stomach cramps, sweetheart?” Paige whispered and placed a hand on Evelyn’s back soothingly.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Would you grab me a hot water bottle from downstairs?” Evelyn held back the coming torrent of tears as her bladder pushed against her.

“Alright, if that’s what you really want, I’ll be right back.” Paige sighed and left the room.

Paige knew that Evelyn had a shy bladder and never confessed to her need even in circumstances such as this. She decided to let the girl be as she slowly went down the stairs and into the kitchen to prepare the hot water bottle, though she doubted Evelyn would need even one.

Meanwhile, Evelyn’s bladder was screaming at her to just let go but Evelyn didn’t want that to happen and tried to move a few steps forward. But, after a few shuffles she was again stopped by the pain.

“Come on, I’ve held for longer times than this! Please just wait for a couple more seconds.” Evelyn whined to herself as a tear fell, others following suite.

She took a deep breath and finally sprinted the few meters left to the toilet. Though, as she stood in front of it and was about to yank down her pants, the stream started.

She sobbed angrily as she slumped to the floor. Her bladder had betrayed her and she was mortified that she was wetting herself mere steps from the toilet. How pathetic.

When it finally stopped Evelyn sniffled as she heard footsteps approaching her and looked up when a pair of feet stopped in front of her and crouched down.

“Hey honey, you doing okay?” 

Evelyn just wailed and reached her hands up to signal to Paige to hold her, not caring in the slightest that she looked childish. She needed comfort and she knew Paige would definitely give it to her.

Paige cooed a bit and lifted her up so she was straddling her waist. She swayed with Evelyn in her arms for a couple minutes before sitting down in a chair and pulling her away from her chest a bit.

“Want to tell me what happened?” Paige hummed and patted Evelyn’s bottom. In truth, she had already known as soon as the girl’s saturated pull-up touched her lap, but she also wanted to hear the girl’s own story. 

“I didn't make it to the bathroom on time.” Evelyn cried and hugged Paige closer. “Please don’t be mad! I tried my very hardest, please don’t be mad.” 

“Oh sweetpea, I’m not mad, I promise.” The blonde crooned and bounced her knees. “Why’d you think I’d be mad?”

“Dunno,” Evelyn rubbed her teary face on her sleep shirt. “Mama was always mad when I didn’t make it on time.” 

Paige sighed and stood up with Evelyn in her arms. It seemed that everything related to Evelyn’s bathroom issues tied back to her mother somehow.

“It’s okay baby, accidents happen. It’s easily resolved so don’t worry.” Paige set Evelyn down on her feet near the closet.

Evelyn nodded once she was put down and hugged Paige tightly before grabbing a bra and underwear and going to the bathroom to change herself.

Paige sighed once the girl was gone. They had to find a way to make Evelyn more comfortable with her body.

She suspected that one of the reasons Evelyn was having such a hard time lately was that she had been damaging her bladder for years already from holding it for too long. It seems it was catching up to her.

Not to mention that, unknown to Paige, Evelyn had a shyer bladder than she thought. The only way she could go was if there was another noise to block the noise out, which made it nearly impossible for the girl to go during outings or in crowded places. That was the reason why she was often left bursting after a long period of time.

Evelyn exited the bathroom, still sniffling slightly as she pitifully fell into Paige’s arms and hid her face.

Paige hugged her close and snuck a hand under the brunette’s pajama shirt to rub her back. “You want to go downstairs and watch some T.V and have breakfast before you have to go to work?” She pulled Evelyn from her a bit so she could look into her eyes.

“Yeah,” Evelyn sighed, “Can I have some cereal for breakfast?”

“You sure can babe, but you're also going to have some fruit if you choose sugary cereal alright?” She said, taking Evelyn’s hand in her own.

“Wait!” Evelyn stopped and rushed over to the bed where she grabbed her dinosaur blanket and her sloth stuffed pillow.

“How about you grab your pacifier too Evy.” 

Evelyn blushed and went through the sheets to find it as well.

Once she did she rushed over and placed the soother into Paige’s hand for her to hold onto while they had breakfast.

Paige chuckled and stuffed it into her pocket before again taking the smaller woman’s hand.

On their way downstairs they saw Carmen in her room packing her bags with her day clothes already out on the bed. She gave them a smile as they walked by and motioned that she would be down in a minute.

“So, what kind of cereal do you want?” Paige asked as they reached the kitchen.

“Fruit Loops!” 

“We have those?” Paige said with an eyebrow raised disapprovingly.

Evelyn giggled and hopped onto the counter. “I maaaay have grabbed a box while I was out grocery shopping last week.” 

“Those are going to ruin your teeth, you know.” Paige teased but grabbed the cereal out of the pantry anyway, deciding to accompany Evelyn to the weekly grocery shopping from then on.

“But they taste so good!” 

“We’re having Fruit Loops for breakfast?! Awesome! I’ll have a bowl too!” Carmen said as she dropped her bags at the door, sprinting into the kitchen afterwards and grabbing the milk out of the refrigerator.

“Not you too.” Paige groaned as she handed the box to Carmen and watched her fill a bowl to the brim with the tooth-rotting cereal.

“Hey, don’t judge me. They’re fucking amazing.” Carmen said and took a big bite.

Paige rolled her eyes and rinsed a few blackberries for Evelyn to eat over the sink.

“When can I have mine?” Evelyn whined as she watched Paige fill a ramekin with the sweet fruit.

“In a second sweetheart.” Paige said and brought the cereal and fruit to the ecstatic girl.

Paige filled a mug with coffee and looked over to the black haired woman. “Want any Carmen?”

“I’ll take a cup.” Carmen said after swallowing her last bite and bringing her bowl to the sink.

“Anything in it?” 

“I’ll just have what you're having.” 

Paige did so and brought the cup to Carmen who thanked her and took a sip, sighing in content when the drink hit her tongue.

“So, you excited for Thanksgiving now sis?” Carmen asked Evelyn who was eating her Fruit Loops quietly.

The carmel eyed girl looked up and shrugged her shoulders a bit. “Kinda, I’m excited for the food and the aquarium but that’s about it.” Evelyn pouted and swished her spoon through the leftover milk gloomily. “I’m gonna miss you Paige, I won’t see you for a while.” 

“I’ll call you every night, don’t you worry.” Paige chuckled.

That made Evelyn smile and she hopped off the countertop with her empty bowl in her hands.

“I’m gonna go watch some T.V, I have work at 11:30 so I have to leave soon.” Evelyn rinsed her dish and turned to go to the living room.

“Want me to bring you anything?” Paige called to her and the tan girl stopped and turned around.

“I’ll take some apple juice if you don’t mind.” She answered and raced off.

Paige laughed as she pushed off the counter to get the requested drink. 

She stopped pouring it into an actual glass when she heard the theme song for a kids show come on in the other room. She quickly exchanged it for a sippy cup instead.

“Want to go chat in the other room while Evelyn watches her show?” Paige cocked an eyebrow as she screwed the silicone lid onto a pink sippy cup.

“Sure.” Carmen shrugged and followed Paige to the living room where Evelyn sat with her sloth in her lap and her blanket securely around her shoulders. She was watching an animated show with brightly colored characters moving across the screen.

“What’re you watching baby?” Paige questioned as she gave Evelyn her sippy cup and moved to gently massage her shoulders.

“Spongebob.” Evelyn replied and took a sip of juice, not caring that her girlfriend and sister were both softly cooing at her while she did so. If she were thinking clearly that would be quite the embarrassing situation. But since her brain was preoccupied she didn’t mind it.

The two other women exchanged adoring glances before moving to sit on the other side of the couch.

“Oh my God, she is just too cute!” Carmen gushed which prompted Paige to shush her.

“I know she is! But keep it down so she doesn’t get embarrassed.” The blonde hissed and covered the green eyed woman’s mouth with her hand.

Carmen put her hands up in mock surrender. Dramatically sighing when Paige brought her hand back down.

“Hey Paige?” Evelyn called, nervousness lacing her tone of voice.

“Yeah sweets?” 

“Can I,” She paused for a second before hugging her sloth closer to her chest and mumbling, “Can I have my pacifier? Please?”

Paige almost died right then and there but quickly sprang up to bring the girl the pacifier which was still in her pocket.

“Sure.” Paige replied easily and lifted the brunette’s chin to look at her, “You were very brave to ask that, thank you for trusting me.” The blonde praised, pecking her on the lips gently and slipping the girl's pacifier into her hands before returning to a delighted Carmen.

“Did you see that!” Paige said enthusiastically, hearts in her eyes as she swooned over the brunette on the other end of the couch who was now softly sucking on her white pacifier.

“Yeah I did! It was amazing!” Carmen answered back and took Paige’s hands in her own. “Can I babysit her some time?!”

“Of course you can! When I’m out somewhere you’re welcome to come by!” 

The two women sat for about five minutes just watching the small brunette gaze at the television screen before breaking their eyes away and laughing together.

“Alright, I think that’s enough staring for now.”

“Totally,” Carmen sighed, “I could for real watch her all day though to be honest.”

Paige playfully nudged Carmen’s arm. “Well, I’m going to pretend I never heard that.” 

“What!? I’m not being creepy or anything, she's just so innocent right now.” Carmen responded and stared at the girl for another minute before getting cold shouldered when Evelyn hid her face behind her sloth.

“Hey Carmen?” Paige asked after Evelyn threw a pillow at her sister and told her to stop staring at her.

Carmen easily ducked the incoming pillow. “Yeah?” 

“I was thinking about going to the mall on Saturday with Evelyn to shop for a while, you want to join?” 

“I would love to, but I actually have a convention until 5 that night, but we could maybe order a pizza and watch a movie here?” She answered and looked back over to her sister who was giggling sweetly.

“Sounds like a plan! How about you grab a movie from the RedBox that you want to watch and we can do that here with pizza and snacks?” 

“Great, I’ll be over a little past 5 then.” 

The two women continued to chat while Evelyn quietly watched T.V.

Halfway through her second show Evelyn looked at the clock and with a small “Oh crap!” Quickly turned off the television and sprang up. Running towards the stairs with breakneck speed.

Paige and Carmen looked up when she did so and watched her depart, almost tripping on her feet in the process. 

Paige made a face. “Her work schedule is so weird. Some days she leaves at 10 and others at 4, I don’t understand it.”

“Does she come back late usually?” 

“Most of the time, two or three days of the week, she’s off working usually until later in the night.” Paige said and got up to put all the dishes into the dishwasher.

“Well, that’s what you get for running a multi billion dollar company.” Carmen observed and leaned on the counter, watching Paige put all the dishes away. “When Mom and Dad offered for me to go to business school I turned them down even though they wanted me to follow in their footsteps. I thought it would be too much work and declined.” 

"So Evelyn had to take it up instead?"

"They actually offered for her to take over their own company when they get older." Carmen sighed. "But, Evelyn said no and our mother hates her even more than she did before she went to college."

"Wow, I didn't know that." 

"Yeah, it's kinda a sore subject for her, it makes her nervous whenever it's brought up." Carmen hummed sympathetically. “I honestly would hate doing as much work as she does, even if the pay is crazy good.”

The two women stood in silence, the only sound being the clacking of the dishes when they were placed in the dishwasher. Paige was still processing what Carmen had said, “How could someone’s own mother hate them so much for not taking over a family business?” She thought as she dried her hands on a nearby dish rag.

She was startled out of her thoughts as Evelyn, still pulling on a heel, hopped over to the doorway to the garage.

“Paige, have you seen the Maserati keys?!” The brunette stressed as she shoved her laptop into her bag.

“Try your back pocket.” Paige said, having seen the girl put them in there a few seconds prior.

“Oh! There they are, you’re a lifesaver! See you guys later!” Evelyn yelled and slipped out the door.

“I should get going too. I have dinner plans with my associates tonight.” Carmen waved, going to the front entrance and grabbing her things before shouting a finale goodbye and leaving.

Paige sighed and wiped the countertops, thinking about what she should do for the afternoon. She could go out to lunch, or go get the G-Wagon washed, or even just relax at home.

She decided to just stay home and laze around all day until Evelyn came back later that night. She was definitely due for some TLC.

After grabbing a few snacks and a vitamin water from the fridge Paige went to the living room and lounged around on the couch for the rest of the day until Evelyn came home around midnight.

Exhausted, the brunette collapsed into Paige’s arms as soon as she kicked her shoes off, wrapping her arms around her lover’s torso and burying her face into her neck.

She closed her eyes as she felt herself being picked up and carried, a soft hum in her ear as Paige slowly went up the steps to their room. Soon after she was lowered down on their bed.

She was changed into her pull-up and pajamas and a pacifier was carefully placed in her mouth before she felt warm and fuzzy as Paige held her to her chest and tangled her fingers in her hair. She kissed her forehead goodnight before switching off the lights and settling down.

The pair were happy as could be.

Chapter Text

The day the two lovers were set to go to the mall finally rolled around.

Evelyn had been very busy the past few days, thanks to a new product being launched she barely had any time to herself. She was at her office everyday from the afternoon until late at night, and on Thursday she didn’t even get home until 4 A.M.

The poor girl also looked physically drained.

She had dark bags under her slightly bloodshot eyes and was quick to get emotional. The other day she had accidentally spilled some milk on the ground and had quickly burst into tears before running off and hiding underneath some blankets on the couch.

Paige had been trying to help her during this hectic time by doing small things for her when she was home: rubbing her feet in the morning, making her breakfast, and holding her until she fell asleep were just some of the things that she had done.

Since they didn’t have to get up to go to the mall until at least 1 or 2 P.M, currently it was only 11 A.M, Paige decided to go make breakfast for herself and some breaded chicken for the brunette for when she woke up.

Paige hesitated as she made to leave the bed. Evelyn was peacefully sleeping with her pacifier bobbing slightly every few seconds. Her hands clutched Jappy and her blanket which just served to make her look so, so... small.

Paige didn’t want to leave the brunette by herself. She still hadn't slipped into her youngest headspace yet and Paige had a feeling that moment was going to come by soon given how out of whack Evelyn’s days had been. She wanted to be there if that were to happen. And, judging from the snippets Paige had seen, she had a feeling that Evelyn would be very young. And, if she were to slip fully, Paige seriously doubted that the girl could be left alone for more than a minute.

Not to mention that the younger woman had been waking up almost every morning crying her eyes out because she had had an accident the night before and needed to be comforted.

The blonde pondered to herself before coming up with an idea. They didn’t have baby monitors yet, but she could use their phones to mimic baby monitors. By FaceTiming Evelyn’s phone from her own she could see the small girl while she was downstairs.

So that’s what she did. She got dressed and brushed her teeth and then placed Evelyn’s phone on the night stand facing her while she muted her own and stuffed it into her pocket. She smiled at her ingenious idea and hummed to herself quietly as she left the room.

When she got downstairs she grabbed a pen and a pad of paper to write down the things they needed to get at the supermarket that afternoon. They definitely needed more fruits and veggies, as well as milk and eggs. They would probably also have to buy more pull-ups since they were running low from Evelyn now wearing them during her daily naps.

When she finished the list she grabbed flour, the remaining eggs, and panko as well as some fresh chicken breast to make Evelyn’s chicken tenders.

First she cut the chicken lengthwise into strips and coated them with flour, then she dropped them into the egg, and finally rolled them in the panko. She wrapped them up in plastic wrap and placed them in the fridge to fry later. 

She decided to have a piece of avocado toast to hold her over until lunch. She cut up an avocado and placed it on a piece of rye bread with a little salt and lemon on top as well as grabbing a water bottle out of the fridge.

She sat at the island and looked out of the window as she ate, the sun warming her face and the gentle breeze from a nearby open nearby window blowing through her hair. She briefly thought about how lucky she had gotten, a perfect lover, a perfect life, a perfect house. She had it all.

Smiling as she got up, she washed her dishes and got a cup of steaming coffee before she went to the livingroom to watch some T.V. 

She placed her phone on the couch beside her at full volume, positive that she would be able to hear if Evelyn were to get up or make a sound of any kind. She sipped on her coffee as she scrolled through the DVR, not seeing anything of interest until she saw a show called Snowpiercer which was supposedly good. By the end of the first episode she agreed. It was definitely a good show. Good enough that she wanted to watch another.

She glanced down at her phone to see Evelyn still peacefully sleeping and decided to watch one more, after another cup of coffee of course, before going to wake her up. 

“What would I do without you coffee?” She wondered aloud as she waited for her cup to fill with the steaming brown liquid. “Nothing probably.”

She sat down and got through half of the second episode before hearing a soft whimper from her phone. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was exactly 1 P.M, the time she was going to go wake the brunette anyways. Quickly standing up she jogged to the stairs and up to their bedroom, opening the door and peering in to see Evelyn curled up in her blanket, looking around with wide misty eyes.

“Well, good morning my sweet girl,” Paige cooed when they made eye contact and Evelyn held out her hands for her. “How're you feeling?”

Evelyn opted not to answer as Paige pulled her into her lap and rocked her, smiling when the smaller girl gripped her shirt in her hand.

“I’ve got a surprise waiting for you downstairs, but we have to get you up and dressed first.” Paige hummed and pet the brunette’s head.

“A surprise? What kinda surprise?” Evelyn whispered and groggily swiped at her eyes.

“A very yummy surprise.” Paige assured as she bounced the girl in her lap gently.

Evelyn huffed and laid her head down on Paige’s chest, yawning widely as she did so. “What’re our plans for today again?” Evelyn asked after a few minutes when Paige set her on the bed to grab her clothing.

“We’re going to go to the mall to shop and have some fun, and then Carmen is coming over to watch a movie with us tonight.” Paige explained as she grabbed a pair of plain black skinny jeans and a loose white turtleneck complete with some socks with little turkeys on them.

Evelyn smiled and kicked her legs excitedly on the bed, assuming by yummy surprise that the surprise was going to be a food, an unhealthy food for once.

“Look at that sweetheart! You're dry!” Paige grinned and tickled the girls stomach after stripping her pajama pants and pull-up off.

Evelyn blushed but grinned shyly nonetheless, happy that she had managed to keep her pants dry. "Even if it was the first night in a week" She thought sadly.

“I think this deserves a treat.” Paige helped Evelyn sit up on the bed. “How about we grab you some junk food at the supermarket today?”

“Yes please!” Evelyn chirped as she stood and pulled on her underwear and jeans, hopping a bit as she shimmied the jeans up her slender legs.

“Any idea what you want to get?” Paige asked from her seated position on the edge of their bed.

“Probably something with chocolate in it, but a bag of chips may be an option too.” Evelyn threw her pajamas shirt off onto the bed and pulled on her bra and shirt.

Paige tsked playfully and got up.

“I’m surprised you don’t weigh 300 pounds by now with the way you ate in college.”

“I have high metabolism, what can I say?” Evelyn shrugged as she sat down on the ground to pull on her socks.

“Well, I’m going to go start on your surprise. When you're ready come down and you can watch some T.V while I finish.” Paige said as she stood up and walked to the door after Evelyn’s nod of approval.

Evelyn stared out the door after Paige for a moment and when she couldn’t see her anymore she jumped back onto the bed and brought Jappy and her blanket in for a hug.

“I don’t wanna leave you guys.” She whispered to them as she inhaled their familiar scent and sighed.

She laid there solemnly for a couple minutes but then perked up because she remembered that Paige didn’t care about her having her items. She didn’t feel the need for her pacifier right then so she got up and quickly brushed her hair before scooping up Jappy and her blanket and walking downstairs.

She peeked in the kitchen for a minute to see what Paige was up to on the stove. All she could make out was a frying pan and the distinct smell of panko but beyond that couldn’t tell exactly what she was doing. Though, she assumed it was breaded chicken. She licked her lips before skipping to the livingroom to watch something on the T.V. 

Settling on American Dad she curled up on the couch with Jappy in her lap and her blanket around her shoulders. She saw her sloth pillow on the other end of the couch and scrambled to grab it and bring it in for a hug. 

Going back to her original position, but with the sloth pillow now to her right, she went back to watching, not even noticing when her thumb came up to her mouth and she subconsciously started sucking on it.

She got through one episode and was about to start a second when Paige came into the room and stood beside her.

“Alright babe, your surprise is ready.” Paige said and noticed that Evelyn had her two stuffed friends with her along with her blanket.

“Okay.” Evelyn yawned and stretched her arms above her head. “When are we gonna leave to go to the mall?”

“When you're done eating we’ll go.” Paige hummed and held out a hand to help the brunette stand up.

Evelyn took her hand and Paige pulled her up. Instead of standing straight the smaller woman leaned forward to give Paige a hug, wrapping her arms around Paige’s midsection and burying her face into her chest.

Paige looked down to see the stuffed dog pressed between them. “Does your stuffie want a hug too?” 

“His name’s Jappy.” Evelyn mumbled.

“Alright, Jappy then.” Paige laughed and brought a hand up to run through Evelyn’s soft hair. “Does Jappy want a hug?”

“You give good hugs so he wanted in on one.” Evelyn said as she broke away and held the dog out in front of her.

“Is that so?” Paige smiled at the girl’s cute actions. “Then how about your sloth and T-Rex blanket? Do they want hugs too?” 

Evelyn gasped and ran back to the couch to grab her other two items. Bringing them back to Paige she once again went in for a hug though had difficulty because of the sloth’s large size.

“They don’t like it as much as me and Jappy.” Evelyn explained and placed them back onto the couch where she could find them later.

“Are you going to name your sloth?” Paige asked as Evelyn took her hand to be led to the kitchen.

“Hmmm maybe...” Evelyn thought for a minute. “Slothy?”

Paige laughed slightly at the legitimate naming of the plush. “Sounds good sweetheart, I think he’ll like that name.” Paige pulled out a chair for Evelyn to sit on and moved to grab the plate of cooling chicken off the counter.

She took a pause as she realized that Evelyn had brought her stuffed dog along with them and and hummed under her breath as she played with its soft tan ears. She smiled and decided to try something. Instead of giving the girl full pieces of chicken she cut them up into bite sized pieces, also putting a couple pieces of cut up strawberries on her plate as well. 

She grabbed a fork and her own plate before going back over to the smaller woman and setting the plate in front of her.

“Want some ketchup with that Ev?” Paige asked as she kissed Evelyn on the top of her head.

“Yes please.” Evelyn disregarded the fork set in front of her and instead picked up a piece of chicken with her fingertips and popped it in her mouth.

Paige smiled adoringly and rolled up the tan girl’s sleeves before moving to the refrigerator to grab the said condiment. “Need anything to drink while I’m over here?” Paige called as she got out two glasses, already filling one with water.

“Can I have lemonade?” Evelyn asked, though her answer was muffled from the mouth full of food she was chewing.

Paige nodded and poured her a small glass of the sweet beverage and brought it over along with a couple napkins.

She sat in the chair next to Evelyn and began eating her own lunch albeit slower than the girl next to her. Though, she was surprised that the cut up chicken hadn’t phased Evelyn whatsoever, even more so when she didn’t even pick up her fork to eat it.

“Remember to eat those strawberries.” Paige reminded as the girl was nearing her last piece of chicken.

Evelyn groaned but did as she was told and stuffed all of them in her mouth at once.

Chapter Text

“Oh my, you are a complete mess.” Paige chuckled when she looked over to the girl next to her who was busy chugging down her glass of lemonade.

Evelyn’s hands and face were shining in grease, there were breadcrumbs littering the table beneath her and her lap, and there was also ketchup all over her nose and wrists. It was a miracle that nothing had gotten on to her white shirt.

Evelyn simply smiled and brought her hand up to wipe at her face but Paige reached out and grabbed it before she could. 

“No no honey, let's not ruin that nice shirt you’ve got on.” Paige grinned and brought a napkin up to her face instead, much to Evelyn’s displeasure.

After instructing Evelyn to go and wash her hands and face Paige quickly cleaned up the kitchen so that they could leave. She wiped the table of any remnants of their lunch and pushed the chairs in before grabbing the G-Wagon’s keys and sitting on a stool to wait for Evelyn’s return.

After a couple minutes Evelyn came into view, face and hands washed with phone and UGGS in hand.

“Sorry I took so long, I had to grab my phone from upstairs.” Evelyn chuckled in a more mature tone of voice than a few moments prior.

“It’s fine, you weren’t gone long.” 

“Thanks for the surprise this morning by the way.” Evelyn blushed as they walked to the garage.

“You’ve had such a taxing week, you deserve a break.” Paige said and opened the passenger door for Evelyn to climb into. “I just wish we could do it more often.”

“I guess you're right.” Evelyn sighed, “Work does get pretty hard sometimes, and I do need to relax more.”

Paige opened the garage door and pulled out. “Well, you had a good time this morning, didn’t you?” 

“Yes, it was very pleasant.” Evelyn slipped her boots off so she could put her feet up on the dashboard.

“I do have a question for you babe.” Paige said and flicked the turn signal to merge onto the highway.

“Ask away.” Evelyn hummed as she turned on the radio to a pop station.

“Do you think you were partially in your headspace this morning?” 

Evelyn looked at her for a second, processing what she had been asked. “I’m not too sure, I don’t really know how that would feel yet.” Evelyn remarked as she looked out the window. “I did feel, like, warm and fuzzy when I was holding Jappy, and when I was eating my chicken. My mind was also kinda spacey and blank. Like, it was hard to think of what to say.”

She paused and looked over at Paige. “Is that what it’s supposed to feel like?”

“I did read a bit about how littles feel while in littlespace, but it really does depend on the person and how old they are in said headspace.” Paige added and briefly looked over at Evelyn.

Evelyn shifted a bit in her seat. “Oh, I see.” 

They sat together in a comfortable silence as they sped down the highway, they were lucky and had just missed the afternoon traffic as they pulled into the mall's vast parking lot.

“Alright, should we go to the grocery store before or after our leisure time?” Paige asked as she turned off the car and unbuckled her seatbelt.

“Let’s do it after so the cold stuff doesn’t get ruined.” Evelyn said thoughtfully as she pulled on her boots and hopped out of the car.

“Good thinking,” Paige said. “Where do you want to go first?”

“How about Balenciaga.” Evelyn suggested, knowing fully well that Paige was most definitely going to say no and that she already had “too many shoes”.

Paige quirked an eyebrow.

“Are you sure? I mean, you practically already have most of the shoes from there.” she sighed, “But, if you really want to, I guess we can go.”

“Heck yeah!” Evelyn cheered and grabbed Paige’s hand and started pulling her towards the entrance.

Paige chuckled as she was expertly led to the smallish boutique in the mall, she herself could probably find her way there in the pitch black. 

She looked around on their way there. She noticed a new shop in the corner that sold candles and made a mental note to check it out. They were running out of scented candles as it was so it would be good to buy more.

Paige loved the hustle and bustle of malls. Often finding herself in one a couple times a week while Evelyn was at work. Most of the time she didn’t even buy anything and would just have a nice lunch and look around for a while.

Eventually, they made it to the store and Evelyn’s face lit up when she saw all the products in the front window.

“Look at that Paige! The new line came in!” 

Paige was practically dragged into the store, even with the height difference she found it difficult to keep up with the ecstatic brunette.

“How many pairs can I get?” Evelyn bounced on her heels as she waited for Paige’s reply.

“How about one sweetheart.” Paige panted as she righted herself and grimaced as her back cracked.

“Three?” Evelyn pleaded.

“One.”

“Two and a half?”

Paige snorted at that and shook her head.

“One or none babe, those are your choices.”

“Fine.” Evelyn pouted, turning back to the display and thinking about the pair she wanted.

When she settled on a pair of black 3XLs she called an assistant over to get the shoe in her size to be rung up.

“That will be 1100 dollars Miss, will that be debit or credit?” The young man asked as he wrapped and then bagged her purchase.

Evelyn got out her wallet and held out her Visa black card. “Debit please.” 

“Thank you for shopping with us.” He said and handed Paige the bag as Evelyn put her card away.

“Well, that was fun.” Paige said and looked down at her watch. “We have an hour and a half more or less, where to next?”

“How about smoothies?” Evelyn hummed as she stuffed her wallet back into her pocket and grabbed Paige’s hand.

“Sure, I could go for one right now.” Paige agreed as they walked to the escalator to get to the upper level where the Jamba Juice was.

“Awesome, I want a strawberry banana please.”

“Alright, find us a place to sit and I’ll order us our drinks.” Paige said and gestured over to the tables in the food court.

“Can do!” Evelyn saluted.

Paige smiled fondly and walked over to the Jamba Juice and standing behind an old couple, looking down at her phone while she waited.

------

Evelyn bit her lip as she sat down and discreetly crossed her ankles underneath the table. She really should have gone to the bathroom before they left but she didn’t want Paige to have to wait so she blew it off. She regretted her decision now.

She tried to remember the last time she had gone to the bathroom, the verdict being that she hadn’t gone since before she went to bed the night before. She paled slightly and looked at the time. They didn’t have to leave to go to the grocery store until 4:30 and it was a 45 minute drive back to their house after that, so she had a little less than two hours to hold it.

She whimpered a bit and pulled out her phone to try and distract herself from her impending need. She smiled when she realized Paige had texted her but then sighed as to why.

Paige: There’s an old couple in front of me that are taking forever to order so it might take a while until I get back

Evelyn grumbled and typed back an “okay”.

She was in the middle of a game of chess when Paige got back with their smoothies in one hand and shoe bag in the other.

“Shoot, let me take that for you.” Evelyn grinned and took the bag out of Paige’s hand and placed it on the chair next to her.

“Thanks.” Paige said and handed Evelyn her smoothie before sitting down herself. “So, how's work been lately?”

“Decent, I guess. A lot of paperwork and meetings. And I absolutely hate having to spend the afternoon away from you so often.” Evelyn frowned and took a small sip of her own smoothie.

“I see, I’m so sorry you feel that way.” Paige said and brought a hand up to brush against her lover’s cheek. “But I was thinking of a way that could help you with that.” Paige hummed. “We can have a few days out of the week when you can be little or just relax with me for a couple hours or so.”

“That…” Evelyn trailed off and grinned. “...sounds amazing.”

“Then it's settled. We do have to figure out the days to do it though.” Paige tapped her fingers on the table. “What days are you free most of the time? The only day I can't do is Tuesday night for book club, though that’s cancelled until after Thanksgiving.”

“Hmmm, well usually Sundays, and occasionally Wednesdays. But honestly the only day I can count on is Friday.” Evelyn said, her leg bouncing slightly.

“Then how about when you come home, or when you wake up, you can decide how the day is going to go. You can be as big or as little as you want whenever you want.” Paige said and rested her chin in her palm.

“I would love that, thanks for doing this for me.” Evelyn said and leaned forward to exchange a short kiss with Paige.

“It's my pleasure,” Paige replied and stood up. “Alright, well, we should get going if we want to check out some more stores.” 

Evelyn smiled and squeezed her thighs together for a split second before grabbing her smoothie and bag and taking Paige’s hand. She flushed and looked down at her feet as they walked. “Do you think maybe we can go to the…” 

“Go where honey?” Paige looked to her side to see the brunette blushing and looking anywhere but her.

“It-it’s nothing, forget it.” She mumbled and quickened her pace.

“Come on Ev,” Paige urged. She stopped walking so that Evelyn would look at her. “Please tell me? You know I won’t mind.” 

Evelyn looked like she was internally debating with herself for a moment but eventually spoke up. “Can we go to the toy store?” She rushed out, clearly embarrassed that she had even asked that.

“Of course we can!” Paige said, trying to sound excited so that the carmel eyed girl next to her would cheer up.

“Really?” 

“Absolutely.” Paige changed direction to the large toy store on the next landing over.

Evelyn smiled widely and took another sip of her smoothie, completely forgetting that she needed to go to the bathroom in her excitement.

“Any idea what you want to get?” Paige asked as they walked in. She grabbed a cart while Evelyn stood in awe at the entrance.

“What do you think would be best? For my headspace, I mean.” Evelyn asked, snapping out of her daze and furrowing her eyebrows.

“How about we look in the older kids section first then work our way to the baby section?” 

“Okay.” Evelyn whispered, a little shocked that she, a 28 year old woman, was browsing for things to buy at a toy store of all places. And that she actually felt genuinely happy at the prospect of buying a toy or two.

First, they went over to the 9-12 section which was filled with toys like Legos, puzzles, science kits, and art sets which Evelyn immediately shook her head at.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to do these to be totally honest.” She put a hand on the cart. “They look like they’ll be too difficult.”

“Then lets try 5-8.” Paige slowly pushed the cart to the next aisle where they were met with dolls, playmobil sets, and toy vehicles.

Evelyn ran a hand over a few of the sets and looked to Paige. “I never really cared for dolls or toys like these, not that I had many anyways.” 

“That makes this easy. Ages 1-5 next.” Paige said, looking over to a blushing Evelyn.

They started walking when Paige heard a small gasp and saw Evelyn quickly dart into an aisle. Paige quickly sped up and upon catching up with her she immediately grimaced when she saw what had caused Evelyn to suddenly bolt.

Nerf Guns.

A whole aisle full of them to be exact, and Evelyn looked absolutely thrilled.

The brunette opened her mouth to say something when Paige cut her off. “My answer is no, so don’t even ask.”

“Why not?” Evelyn held one up that was so humongous that Paige wondered how a child could even pick it up.

“Both of my brothers had those things and I remember constantly being pelted with the bullets, not to mention that said bullets were everywhere. Outside, inside, windowsills, you name it they were there.” 

“Fineee.” Evelyn said and put it down, not before glancing at it longingly.

“Keep your hand on the cart please, I don’t want you running off again.” Paige said softly as they continued walking to the toddler section.

Once they got their Paige knew immediately that this would be more of the range Evelyn would be in. And, judging from the look on Evelyn’s face, she was thinking the same thing.

“Wow.” Evelyn breathed and touched an especially soft looking alligator plush.

“Do you find yourself liking these more?” Paige inquired and moved to stand next to Evelyn.

“Yeah.” Evelyn said as a hand went to her mouth but she realized it and stopped it before it could get there.

“Get whatever you want Evs. But, how would you feel about having a little playpen in the kitchen area so that when I cook you can play or sleep there?” 

Evelyn smiled and bounced on her toes. “That sounds really nice.”

“Excuse me ladies,” A voice came from behind them and they turned around to see a nice looking woman around their age walking towards them.

“Do you need any assistance today?” She asked as she looked between the two.

“Actually, yeah. I have a niece who is around two and a half, what are some good things to get her both for toys and entertainment?” Paige smiled as Evelyn hid behind her slightly.

“Well, first of all I would recommend these plush blocks, they’re a bestseller right now.” The woman picked up a plastic container filled with different color foam blocks of different sizes, shapes, and colors.

“What do you think Evelyn, would she like them?” Paige asked the girl behind her.

“Y-yeah I think she would.” Evelyn said, trying to sound normal and hoping the woman didn’t put two and two together and figure out that they were talking about her and not some kid.

“Perfect, we’ll get those. Any other suggestions? We’re also planning on making a playpen for her.” Paige asked and squeezed Evelyn’s hand in her own.

“In that case, if you have wood or stone flooring, I would suggest getting some mats.” The woman gestured next to her where different colored play mats were hung up. “We have a range of texture by age. Younger children usually get softer mats which are a bit harder to move on, but perfect for naps and play. While older children get mats that are a bit thinner so they are easier to walk on.” She said and pointed to the choices.

“We’ll get the ones for younger children. She only comes over to our house in the evening when her parents are working so she needs to be pretty calm.” Paige said and grabbed the squishiest looking ones which she had noticed Evelyn looking at.

“Any more questions?” The woman asked, addressing Paige mostly as she noticed that Evelyn wasn’t very talkative. 

“Just one,” Paige said, “For the outside of the playpen we need a fencing of sorts so that she can’t get out. She is also a bit on the larger side so we need one that is taller than usual.”

“We do have one that is good for that, it stands about three and a half feet tall and is 12 by 12 feet, it’s made of tall, thin, oak bars which are covered with mats on two out of the four sides. The side mats are just to ensure safety from walls and the uncovered sides are a visual point for the adult.” The woman said and took out a tablet. “I can have that shipped to your house by tomorrow if you would like.” 

“I would like that very much, thank you.” Paige said and peeked over at Evelyn who was looking at the array of stuffed animals again.

“Okay, so, I’m going to give you this little piece of paper which has your order on it. When you’re finished shopping just give it to the cashier and they will fill out your information.” The woman said and handed Paige the slip of paper.

“Thank you.” Paige said as the woman was leaving.

“It was no problem, you two have a wonderful evening.” She said and disappeared around the corner.

“Well, that's that.” Paige said to herself as she looked around the aisle again. “So, Evelyn, how about you pick some things to put in your playpen. We already have the blocks but you can pick out whatever else you would like.” Paige told Evelyn who was once again petting the soft alligator.

“Can I have this?” The brunette held up the alligator that was about four feet long and was a fuzzy green color.

“Of course, put whatever you want in the cart. I’ll go grab a few toys I think you'll like while you do that.” She said and kissed Evelyn’s temple.

Evelyn nodded and squirmed a bit as Paige did so which made the blonde raise an eyebrow.

“Evelyn,” 

“Yeah?” The fidgeting girl replied.

“Do you need to use the restroom?” Paige asked and lifted the brunette's chin.

“No.” Evelyn mumbled and tensed, looking down at her boots and refusing to make eye contact.

“Are you sure? You’re certainly moving around like you need to.” Paige said, convinced that that was the problem.

“I think there’s just a bunch of sugar in this smoothie. It's just making me jittery.” Evelyn countered, shaking the smoothie a bit before going back to look at the stuffed animals.

Paige frowned and studied the girl more closely. Her thighs were pressed together and she couldn’t stand still which made it obvious that the girl needed to go to the bathroom.

Though, Paige was curious on exactly how long the girl could hold it for before bursting. She knew for a fact that the brunette hadn't gone since at least when she woke her up. She had drunk a big glass of lemonade and a smoothie since then so she must really have to go by now.

She decided to keep watching her closely and wait until she actually asked to go before taking her. She knew it was a bit cruel but she did want to find out how desperate the brunette would get before saying something. There really was only one way to find out.

Chapter Text

In the end, they wound up with a bunch of different stuffed animals (stuffed animals for very young children if the non-chokable eyes were any indication), a couple soft blankets, pillow pets, a large soft bean bag that looked like a panda, and a few more baby toys such as plastic keys and stackable hoops, as well as a couple teething rings. 

“Alright, your total for today is $989.76, will that be credit or debit?” The man at the cash register asked as the pair stood in front of him.

“Debit please, and would you mind shipping all of our purchases to our house as well?”

“Oh course ma’am, they will arrive by tomorrow.” He smiled and waved them goodbye.

“Should we head to the grocery store now?” Paige asked and dug through her purse when she heard her phone ring.

“Sure.” Evelyn chirped and threw her empty smoothie cup in a nearby trash can with a resounding clunk.

Paige picked up as soon as she found her phone. “Hello? Carmen?” 

“Hey Paige, I just wanted to call and let you know I’m going to be an hour late. Probably closer to 6:30 or 7 now.” Paige heard her sigh and some slight shuffling in the background.

“That’s fine, I’ll order food for us and you can bring the movie. You’re fine with pizza, right?” Paige said and looked down when she felt Evelyn grab her hand.

“Awesome, yeah I’ll have anything on it except anchovies, see you soon!” 

Evelyn tugged lightly on her sleeve. “What'd she say?” 

“She’s just going to be an hour or so late tonight. Which means we have another hour and a half before we have to start heading to the grocery store. Where would you like to go next?” Paige asked the brunette who was clinging tightly to her arm.

“I already picked two stores, how about you pick one now?” 

“Hmmm, well, we do need some more candles. The ones in the living room are starting to get a tad short.” Paige steered them towards the candle shop from earlier.

“Nice! Can I pick one?” 

“You may,” Paige said. “But nothing crazy, don’t get that awful cake-smelling one like last time.” She wrinkled her nose playfully.

“Aw fine.” Evelyn said as she broke away and went to look at the new fall-scented collection.

Paige browsed through the shelves. She loved candles because of the relaxing feeling they brought her. Many days she found herself clicking through candle shops online but being unable to smell any of them she ended up never buying any.

She picked up a white, thick, vanilla cinnamon one and gave it a sniff. Deciding she liked it she placed it into a nearby shopping basket she had grabbed upon entering the store.

She tossed a few more in before going over to investigate what Evelyn was doing.

“Find any you like sweetheart?” Paige peered over the brunette’s shoulder which made her jump.

“Yeah, I did.” Evelyn said. Paige's surprise appearance making her squeeze her thighs together for a second. “I found one that smells like pumpkin pie and one that smells like blueberry pie, which sounds more appealing?” She asked, holding both options out for Paige to test.

Paige stepped forward and took the two food-smelling candles out of Evelyn’s hands, she smelled them to see which one would be more bearable.

“I like the pumpkin one more,” She concluded and handed Evelyn the blueberry pie one to put back on the shelf.

Evelyn hummed in agreement and smelled the blueberry pie candle one more time before walking over to put it back.

Paige placed the pumpkin pie candle in the basket and went to the cash register to pay for all of them. When she was done she grabbed Evelyn’s hand and escorted her out of the sweet-smelling shop.

“Alright, grocery store and then home.” She narrated as they walked to the front entrance that led to the parking lot.

As soon as they got in the car Paige was worried that Evelyn may not be able to hold her need until they got home. The smaller girl was fidgeting a lot by now and could not stop moving at all.

“Evelyn?”

“Yeah?”

“Please tell me the truth, do you need to go to the bathroom?” Paige placed a hand on a thigh that stilled under her touch.

“Not at all.” Evelyn squeaked. “I’m just ready to be home.”

“It might be one or two hours more babe.” Paige warned as she pulled out of the mall’s parking lot.

She saw Evelyn pale for a split second then she shook her head and slapped her cheeks softly. 

“Paige, I’m totally fine, like I said I’m just ready to get home.”

“If you say so. But remember I’m here if you need to tell me anything.” Paige said and looked at her Google Maps for the nearest supermarket.

Evelyn nodded absently and crossed her legs as she looked out of the window.

——-

15 minutes later they pulled into a Target superstore’s parking lot.

Evelyn stretched in her seat and winced as her bladder strained against her. She quickly got up and paced for a minute to right herself as Paige got some reusable bags out of the trunk.

“Where’s the shopping list?” Evelyn asked, hopeful that the list was short enough that Paige just had to remember it in her head.

“It’s right here, would you mind holding it?” Paige said as she pulled the foot and a half-long list out of her purse.

Evelyn’s heart shattered when she realized that this was not going to be a quick trip in and out and unconsciously squeezed her thighs.

“I think I’m going to go to the bathroom and wash my hands, they’re all sweaty.” Paige said as they walked into the large store, trying to get Evelyn to follow her in.

“Okay, I’ll get us a cart then, want me to take your purse?” Evelyn said without missing a beat, holding her hands out to take Paige’s things.

“Thanks, but are you sure you don’t want to come with?” Paige asked, an eyebrow raised curiously.

Evelyn shook her head and took Paige’s things before walking away.

Paige decided to just wait things out. The brunette clearly was not going to tell her that she needed to go, even though it was painfully obvious to anyone what the problem was.

She went into the bathroom and did her business before meeting Evelyn by the entrance.

“This place is huge, so I divided the list into the different sections of the store.” Paige hummed and walked beside Evelyn who was pushing the cart.

“What part first?” Evelyn bounced a bit in place when they stopped to talk.

“Fruits and veggies, then meats, refrigerated things, bakery items, snacks, and finally the pharmacy.”

“Damn, that’s a lot.” Evelyn thought as she followed Paige around the fruit and vegetable section. She left that part to Paige since she didn’t at all care for them in the first place.

“Raspberries or blackberries Evelyn?” Paige asked and held out the two containers.

“Raspberries I guess.” Evelyn sighed and tapped the cart's handle idly.

“I do have an idea on how to get some more vitamins into your system.” Paige said as she placed a box of mushrooms into the cart.

“How so?” Evelyn asked suspiciously. “You’re not going to start putting it into my sweets and things, are you? I’ve watched TV, I know what’s up.”

“No, but I have put cauliflower in your brownies a couple of times and you didn’t seem to notice the difference.” Paige laughed as she walked towards the meat counter.

“You did that to me? Wow, I thought you loved me.” Evelyn pouted and slumped down a bit.

“I did it because I love you.” Paige grabbed a pack of chicken breasts. “But, back to the subject at hand,” 

“What is it?” Evelyn asked, practically squirming in anticipation.

“I was thinking we could get you some baby food and formula.” Paige hummed and picked up a pork loin.

Evelyn looked at her stunned. Amazed that she could have said that so casually as if they were a normal thing to buy for a woman her age.

“Wh-what?” Evelyn gulped.

Paige turned to look at her.

“Baby food is full of nutrients and you practically don’t even have to chew it, I know you’re not a big fan of fish so the formula will make up for that.” Paige explained to Evelyn a bit more slowly so she would understand clearly. “If you're worrying about what people will think of us buying these things don’t be. We’re two grown women buying baby products, nobody will suspect a thing.” 

Evelyn stood stock still for a moment before shaking off her initial shock and quickly pushing the cart to where Paige was standing by the freezers.

“We should also buy you some snacks for when you're little.” The blue-eyed woman said as she put eggs, milk, and butter into the cart.

“Can I have Gushers?” Evelyn asked excitedly, remembering the times she had had them as a special treat from their housekeeper when she was a kid.

“What are those?” Paige asked and side-eyed Evelyn, sure that anything with a name like “Gushers” had to be unhealthy.

“Little pouches of solidified fruit with liquid fruit in them.” Evelyn answered, trying to make them sound better than they were.

Paige squinted, unconvinced. “I’m going to need to see them before I buy them.”

“Awesome!” Evelyn said and grabbed a block of Velveeta cheese which was quickly replaced with a block of organic cheddar.

“Nope, sorry sweetheart.”

Evelyn pouted and threw in a bag of shredded mozzarella before joining the blonde. “Why won’t you let me get the food I like.”

“Because I want you to live a long life.” Paige answered easily and put a loaf of pumpernickel into the cart.

“But why now? I’m in my prime, nothing will hurt me!” Evelyn smiled and pumped a fist in the air.

“That’s exactly why. If you aren’t healthy now you won’t be in the future. Trust me on this. I’ve seen what stuff like that does to a person's body first hand.” Paige remarked as she looked at the freshly made treats.

“Can I at least have a chocolate chip muffin?” Evelyn dramatically put a hand to her forehead and leaned back.

“Fine fine, just one though, okay?” Paige rolled her eyes as she grabbed a croissant for herself.

“Yay!” Evelyn squealed and took one out of the glass display.

“Okay, next up is snacks.” Paige murmured to herself, crossing the things off her list they had gotten with a black pen. “You go grab your own for your office and home then meet me at the baby aisle in ten minutes, alright?” Paige nodded towards the next few aisles and watched Evelyn begin to leave before remembering something before the tan girl could get too far. “I’m going to check those snacks by the way.”

“Yeah yeah, I know.” Evelyn walked off though her steps were slightly unsteady and stiff.

Paige sighed and went through the aisles to collect healthy snacks because she had a feeling she would be the only one looking for anything remotely good.

She ended up getting trail mix, Nutri-grain bars, and cereal for herself, along with some organic chips and dried fruits. 

Next, she went through the aisles to find snacks for Evelyn for when she was in an older headspace.

She grabbed Gogo Squeezes, fruit cups, applesauce cups, little boxes of raisins, Ritz crackers, juice boxes, Cheerios, and some gummies to be nice.

She loaded everything into the cart before going to the far side of the store to the baby section. 

There, she met a blushing Evelyn who was bouncing on her toes a bit more violently than before. Paige went over to her and looked over the cart side to the colorful contents that it was filled with. 

She immediately saw Lucky Charms, Cheetos, Goldfish, Twinkies, and a bunch of other things she had never even seen before.

“Oh my gosh, Evelyn.” Paige chuckled and kept going through the contents in the cart and shaking her head.

“What?” Evelyn replied with an innocent smile.

“I’ll let you keep the Mac and Cheese, Goldfish, and the chicken nuggets but that’s it.” Paige inquired as she picked up the yellow box of Gushers. “These things are the Gushers you were talking about?” She said, appalled as she looked through the ingredients on the back of the box. “I don’t think they even have real fruit in them.” She flipped the box over again and looked at Evelyn.

“But they taste soooo good.” Evelyn whined, “Please?” She begged and gave her her best puppy eyes.

Paige couldn’t resist. 

“Fine, just this one time. I do owe you from this morning, but you have to go put everything else back.” 

“Okay!” Evelyn chirped and skipped off, her arms full of the unwanted food.

Paige shook her head fondly at the departing brunette and started looking at the different things the baby aisle had to offer. She had done a little bit of research on formulas that would be okay for adult consumption and after seeing one of the better brands she grabbed it and placed it into the cart.

She also chose a pack of Gerber cereal puffs, as well as yogurt melts before Evelyn returned.

“Good job baby.” Paige praised. “Now, what kinds of baby food will you actually eat?”

Evelyn blushed as she looked over the options, noticing a sweet potato one which didn't look half bad.

“Can I have the sweet potato one?” Evelyn whispered and looked around to see if anyone was watching them.

“Of course,” Paige hummed and grabbed a few containers of the orange food. “Put in whatever looks good sweetheart.”

Evelyn nodded shyly. There were so many different kinds so it was hard to pick, though she stayed away from the vegetable ones, opting for the fruit ones instead. 

She ended up with jars of peaches, bananas, pears, mixed berries, and apricots. Paige also snuck some veggie jars into the cart when the brunette wasn’t looking.

“Okay, all we have left is the pharmacy, then we can go home.” Paige smiled as Evelyn pushed the cart, a little more slowly than at the beginning of their trip due to the added weight of all the groceries.

“What do we need here?” Evelyn asked as they wheeled into the large pharmacy at the edge of the store.

“Just a couple things. Some Advil and vitamins. Oh, and some more pull-ups. We're running low.” 

“Okay,” Evelyn mumbled and looked down with a blush appearing on her face. “Can I go get the meds while you go grab the…uhm.”

“Sounds good babe.” Paige said, noticing the brunette’s embarrassment. “While you're at it would you get protein bars as well since they’re in the same area?” 

Evelyn nodded and wheeled the cart over to the over-the-counter drugs. 

She had never been good with pills. If it was absolutely necessary she would crush them up into a spoonful of honey and eat them that way. A while ago she and Paige had decided to get her gummy vitamins instead.

Evelyn grinned when she saw her favorite choice of vitamin gummy on the shelf, they were shaped like little dinosaurs and they tasted better than the others she had tried.

“Ready to go?” Paige asked as she came over, the pull-ups package under her arm which she deposited into the cart.

“Very.” Evelyn rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

The pair proceeded to the checkout line and loaded everything onto the moving belt.

“Carrie’s coming over tonight, right?” Evelyn asked as Paige was pulling out her wallet.

“Yep, she's coming around 6:30.”

Evelyn happily drummed her fingers on the cart handle, stopping suddenly when she felt the familiar push of her bladder which very quickly reminded her of her need.

“Damn it, that hurts.” Evelyn thought as the bag boy put the last thing in their cart and waved a kind goodbye to them as they departed.

“So what’s for dinner tonight?” Evelyn asked, trying to start an easy conversation to ease the pushing of her bladder.

“I was just thinking about ordering pizza.” Paige unlocked their car, pulling open the trunk and placing a few bags inside.

“Wait, for real?!” Evelyn smiled, excited at the prospect of having the cheesy treat.

“Yes for real, now help me with these bags.” Paige laughed and Evelyn rushed to grab a few and hoisted them in. “Oh shoot. I forgot to buy jelly and peanut butter.” Paige facepalmed as she went over her list again. “I’ll go grab them, you can stay in the car until I get back.”

Evelyn watched her jog off before bouncing up and down on her toes then hopping into the front seat of the car.

She looked in the rearview mirrors and both sides of her to make sure nobody was around before shoving both her hands between her legs and bending forward at the waist.

She whimpered at the thought of doing this pitiful act in public. She would definitely have gotten a hearty slap if she were caught doing that by her mother when she was younger.

Looking out the window she thought of going into the store to go to the bathroom but then she would have to both tell Paige and use a public restroom. There was no way she was going to do either of those things.

She hoped Paige would get back soon, she was already reaching her limit and every second was precious. She scowled at herself in the front windshield. Why couldn’t she hold it for longer now? A couple of years ago she could go a whole day of traveling without so much as a twinge. But now she could barely hold it for a few hours?

She was pulled out of her stupor as Paige unlocked the car doors, quickly removing her hands and putting them in her lap before straightening a bit and sweating at the effort. She just hoped with all her heart that she'd make it home in time. 

Chapter Text

Paige jumped in a moment later, the bag containing the peanut butter and jelly on her wrist, and the other holding a cup of coffee.

“It's finally time to go home.” Paige smiled as she got herself situated and took a sip of her drink. “Should I wait to order pizza until Carmen comes over, or are you absolutely starving?”

“I’m not that hungry, maybe just a little snack when we get home.” Evelyn mumbled, biting her lip as her bladder spasmed.

Paige nodded and started backing out of the parking space. “Sounds fine to me.”

On the drive home Evelyn’s bladder continued to push against her. And soon enough she had to sit on her heel. That at least eased the pressure a tiny bit.

“How much longer Paige?” Evelyn grimaced as they rounded a corner.

“Only about 15-” 

Paige was stopped short as they turned into a traffic-filled intersection. It looked like there was a car crash in front of them and roadwork on the exit. The cars inched slowly by, one at a time as directed by the construction men.

“I take that back,” Paige sighed. “I’m guessing 45 minutes now.”

“45?” Evelyn paled.

Paige looked to her side, concerned as Evelyn put her forehead on the dashboard and tapped her foot against the floor. The girl’s hands were ghostly white as they gripped the sides of her seat and her breathing was erratic at best.

Paige drummed her fingers impatiently on the wheel while she glanced at Google Maps to see if there was a way around it. There wasn’t. 

“How about you tell me about your favorite food?” Paige hummed, trying to distract the girl a bit from the predicament she was in.

Misted whiskey eyes rose from the dashboard and looked at Paige curiously. “My favorite food?” 

“Yeah, your favorite food.” Paige shrugged as she moved forward a bit in the line.

“Well,” Evelyn started. “I like lasagna a lot.”

“What about it do you like?”

Evelyn thought about that for a minute. “I like how the sauce, cheese, and noodles are all kinda mixed together and that they’re warm and gooey.”

“Who makes your favorite lasagna?” Paige followed.

“It’s between you and my dad. Though, dad usually puts spinach in his and I don’t like that.” Evelyn scrunched up her nose in disgust.

Paige rolled her eyes fondly at that statement. “Somehow, I’m not that surprised. But that reminds me that you need to eat some vegetables sometime tonight.”

“But whyyyyy.” Evelyn whined and slumped down in her seat, a firm pout set on her face.

“Because you didn’t eat any today.”

“I had strawberries.” Evelyn defended.

“Hate to break it to you but strawberries aren’t vegetables.” Paige countered and raised an eyebrow.

Evelyn grumbled but decided not to push further, maybe if she was good Paige would forget all about it. She grinned widely at the thought and merrily swung her feet back and forth underneath the leather chair.

Paige squinted her eyes knowingly at the happy girl and decided to tease her a bit.

“Maybe I’ll order the pizzas with just veggies on top, you just love mushrooms don’t you?” 

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, but I will. If you don’t eat something good when we get home thats what's going to happen.” Paige said as they moved another couple inches.

“Fine! I’ll eat the stupid vegetables.” Evelyn mumbled and stomped her foot before rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, clearly tired from their busy day.

Paige decided to let the girl's behavior slide for now since she was tired and hungry. They would get home, put away the groceries, have a small snack, change clothes, then settle down for the night.

“Would you call Carmen and ask her what time she’ll be around? And also what she wants on her pizza.” Paige added as Evelyn nodded and slipped her phone out of her pocket, dialing the number.

“Hey Carrie,” Evelyn yawned. “Paige asked me to call you to see what time you’ll be over, oh, and what kinda pizza you want.”

Paige hummed softly as Evelyn talked to her sister, happy to finally see a break in traffic a little ways up the road.

“What’d she say?” Paige asked when Evelyn said goodbye and hung up.

“She said she’ll be over in an hour and a half and that she wants pepp-” The brunette suddenly doubled over and stuffed her hands between her legs once again to hold herself against a particularly nasty spasm.

“Are you alright?” Paige said worriedly, noting that they finally made it past the car accident.

“Fine, it’s just a bit cold in here so I just need to warm up my hands.” Evelyn lied, kicking herself because of how easy Paige was going to see through it.

Paige sighed and glanced at Evelyn.

“Sweetheart,” she started. “I know you need to go to the restroom pretty badly, it's been noticeable since we were in the toy store earlier.”

The younger woman gaped and hung her head in shame. Still not about to admit that she needed to go.

Evelyn definitely did not seem like she was going to be able to make it to the bathroom on time. They still had 15 minutes to go  and the girl looked like she was going to burst any minute.

Paige wanted to try one more time before the inevitable happened either in the car or on the way to the bathroom. There was no way the brunette could get up now without wetting herself.

“There’s a gas station up ahead, we could use some gas, and while I do that maybe you could go freshen up?” Paige tried.

“I’m fine.” Evelyn’s shaky voice portraying her true feelings.

“If you insist.” Paige sighed and began preparing herself for what was inevitably going to happen when they arrived home.

Paige tried to speed up as much as she could on the last stretch of road before they reached their house. Living far from any other houses made it easier to push on the accelerator more than she should have, if a police car was around they would get a ticket for sure.

Pulling into their long driveway Paige quickly parked the car in front of their home and hastily turned the car off. She jogged to the passenger side and opened the door where she was met with a teary eyed Evelyn.

“Do you need help?” Paige asked quietly, crouching down a bit in front of the desperate brunette and holding out a hand.

“I don’t think I can step out of the car.” Evelyn admitted and looked down at the floor helplessly.

“Lets try it Evs, if you don’t make it, you don’t make it. Either way, I’ll be there to help.” Paige smiled sincerely and stood up. “Alright, I’m going to unlock the door and open it then you try and run, or go as slowly as you need. I’m going to start unloading the groceries while you do that.” Paige called as she walked to the front door and opened it, gesturing for the brunette to follow her.

Evelyn shook her head and blushed, slowly trying to get out of the seat and whimpering at the pain it brought.

“It-it hurts Paige.” Evelyn panted the next time Paige came outside.

“What hurts?” 

Evelyn stood there, pink cheeked with both hands firmly between her legs, halfway out of her seat and scared to move any further.

“My-” Evelyn started and gasped as a few drops escaped her, she clenched her thighs closer together and bent over as much as she possibly could.

“Evelyn, please let me help you.” Paige sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’m fine Paige, carry on with the groceries.” Evelyn said and when Paige went to the back trunk to grab more bags she sped walked as fast as she could to the entrance.

“Damn it, why do we have such a large house.” Evelyn cursed as she succeeded to walk into the foyer but no further than that.

The stream started. And, as hard as Evelyn tried, she couldn’t stop the flow. She fell to her knees and wept loudly as urine pooled around her thighs and onto the cold marble floor.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Paige sighed, eyes softening as she walked in, bags in hand, to see Evelyn on the floor apparently in a puddle of pee.

Evelyn looked up miserably, her eyes portraying a different look than they usually did. They were slack, wide, and innocent as she shied away from Paige and covered her face with her arms.

“Please, don’t hit me. I’ll clean it up, I promise!” Evelyn cried, shaking a bit now as she sat there and looked up at Paige with a look of fear lacing her features.

Paige stood stunned for a couple seconds before dropping the bags she was still holding and rushing to Evelyn’s side.

“I would never hit you Evelyn, you know that.” She reminded softly and brought the shaking girl to sit sideways on her lap, away from the pool of urine, not caring in the slightest that Evelyn’s bottom was soaked and therefore dampening her own pants.

Evelyn sat stiffly for a minute more before melting into Paige and gripping her shirt tightly in her fist, looking off into space. “No hit?” Evelyn said in a small voice and looked up at Paige with a hopeful expression.

“Never.” Paige said firmly and moved the brunette to straddle her lap. “We should go get you changed now, you can’t be comfy in those wet clothes.” She stood up with the girl still in her arms and moved to one of the spiraling staircases.

Evelyn didn’t answer but laid her head on the blonde's shoulder, hanging tightly onto her neck. 

Paige hummed gently as she ascended the staircase, taking her time so she wouldn’t accidentally drop Evelyn on her way up.

Walking into their room Paige noticed that Evelyn was still crying and trembling slightly. The poor brunette looked absolutely exhausted as fat tears continuously trailed down her face.

“Are you sleepy honey?” Paige questioned as she walked into the bathroom and placed Evelyn on the toilet lid, holding the girl by her waist because it looked like she could barely sit up on her own.

Evelyn nodded and showed it by yawning loudly and rubbing her eyes with the back of her fist.

Paige moved a loose piece of hair from the brunette’s face. “Well then, what pajamas would you like?” 

Evelyn didn’t respond and simply looked at Paige with big, soft eyes. Her whiskey orbs looked at Paige expectantly, silently inferring that Paige was the one who needed to make that decision.

Paige rubbed the quiet girl’s sides gently. She had an inkling of feeling that Evelyn had been pushed into her headspace because of both her accident and utter exhaustion.

“Alright,” Paige said as she slowly stood up and made sure that the brunette could sit up right before walking out quickly. “I’ll be right back, okay?” 

At Evelyn’s slight nod Paige jumped up and quickly made her way to the dresser she had put Evelyn’s little clothes in. She changed out of her own sodden jeans and replaced them with leggings and after that was done she grabbed a blue pajama set with tiny yellow ducks on them and rushed back to the bathroom.

Evelyn was slowly falling forward, trying to keep her eyes open but failing. When Paige walked back in she barely had the energy to look up. Though, she sniffled and reached her hands out towards her as new tears brimmed in her eyes.

Paige put the pajamas on the sinktop before moving to Evelyn and crouching down to wrap her arms around her. “It’s okay love, I’m here.”

Evelyn leaned into Paige and brought her shaky hands up to tangle into Paige’s hair, trying to get as close as possible to the woman holding her.

Paige cooed and hugged the girl to her chest, staying that way for a couple minutes before pulling away, much to Evelyn’s disdain.

“I need to start your bath, I’ll be right back.” Paige assured and stroked the brunette’s cheek before moving to the large jacuzzi and turning on the water. She put her wrist to the faucet to make sure that it was pleasant and, finding that it was, put a capful of bubbles in before going back over to the sleepy girl. 

“Let's get these icky clothes off now.” 

She instructed the brunette to lift her arms up and then gently eased the girl's shirt and bra over her head. Next, she took off her boots and socks, rubbing the girl’s feet before snaking one arm under both of her armpits and lifting her so that she could get her pants and underwear off.

Paige frowned when she saw a bit of redness on the girl’s inner thighs. “She must have really sensitive skin.” She thought as she dropped the clothes by the doorway to wash later.

“Okay baby, let's get you in the tub.” 

Chapter Text

Paige stuck out a hand for the brunette to take and patiently waited. Evelyn struggled to stand up and, when she did, most of her weight was on Paige as they walked the few meters to the tub.

As soon as they got there Paige carefully lifted the lean girl into the bubbly water, making sure she could sit up right before kneeling next to her. She grabbed a hairclip and put it into the silent girl’s hair, thinking it better to wash it some other time.

After that was done she grabbed a nearby sponge and lathered it with a sweet smelling soap before lightly scrubbing it into the tan woman’s skin.

“Hey, Ev?” Paige asked as she lifted one of her arms up to gain access to her side.

Evelyn turned her tired eyes to look at her, still glassy and red as before, showing that she wanted Paige to continue.

Paige smiled softly and rubbed her back before speaking again. “How old are you feeling right now?”

Evelyn stared ahead in thought for a minute before holding up three fingers and just as slowly putting her arm down again.

Paige stared at her in surprise, not having expected a response to that particular question. And, after shaking off her initial shock, she smiled again. “Thanks for telling me that.”

Paige went on with her washing, making sure to clean her thoroughly, especially down in her nether regions. When she was done she had the girl stand up as she rinsed her off with the attached shower head.

Evelyn whimpered as Paige held her up by her underarm, just wanting to be done so she could cuddle with the blonde for the rest of the night.

As soon as Paige was satisfied that Evelyn was squeaky clean she grabbed a fluffy white towel from a nearby rack and wrapped the girl up in it, lifting her into her arms and bringing her to the bed.

When Evelyn felt herself being laid down she whined, lifting a hand to put her left index and middle finger in her mouth for comfort as Paige got the things necessary to change her.

Paige unwrapped the girl’s towel and rubbed a little lotion into her skin, kissing the girls stomach lovingly before unfolding a diaper and sliding it under the girl's bottom. She taped it up securely and checked for any spots that could leak before patting her hip to signal that she was done.

Meanwhile, Evelyn didn’t even seem to notice that she had a diaper on rather than her usual pull-up. She just laid there and sucked her fingers as Paige got her dressed. First her pajama pants, then a pair of fuzzy yellow socks, next a tank top and pajama shirt, and finally a pacifier clip was fastened to her shoulder and Jappy and her blanket were placed into her arms.

Paige smiled down at the adorable girl and exchanged her fingers for her white shielded soother before lifting her up onto her hip to take her downstairs to the living room.

The taller woman patted the brunette’s padded bottom as she descended one of the spiraling staircases to the ground floor. When they got to the kitchen she placed the girl on the floor so that she could get something for her to snack on.

Paige stood up and looked down at the girl. “What would you like to eat Evy? We’re having pizza soon, anyways.” 

Evelyn opened her mouth so that her pacifier would fall out then thought for a minute on how to explain what she wanted. Her eyes watered when no words would form in her mouth. She had never felt this way before, always having plenty to say. But now, she just couldn’t.

Paige saw her struggling and bent down to her level to look into her eyes. “How about some apple sauce and crackers?” 

Evelyn looked relieved as she shook her head yes to Paige’s question.

She got a peck to her forehead in response as Paige went back to the entryway where some of the grocery bags sat. She grabbed them and went back to the kitchen, placing them on the counter and turning to Evelyn.

“I need to go grab the rest of the bags and clean the floor, stay right there, alright princess?” Paige narrated as she grabbed her keys and a few soapy paper towels. 

Evelyn nodded again, popping her pacifier back into her mouth and playing with Jappy's ears.

Paige found herself smiling again at the small girl. She was just too cute for her to want to leave to do anything.

She quickly went to clean the floor, finding it rather easy as it hadn’t dried yet. Then, after she threw away the paper towels, she went back out to the car and gathered the rest of the bags.

Shutting the door behind her with her foot she went back into the kitchen and saw Evelyn exactly where she had left her. She was still nursing her pacifier with one hand petting Jappy while the other held her blanket up to her cheek.

Glancing at the clock Paige realized it was a quarter past six. She quickly grabbed her phone and dialed Papa Johns, ordering a small cheese pizza with extra sauce, and a medium with one half veggie and the other half pepperoni.

When she finished she grabbed a Gogo squeeze out of a package and a couple Ritz crackers.

“Want anything to drink with these?” Paige asked, holding the two food items up so Evelyn could see them.

Evelyn nodded and looked deep in thought for a moment before perking up and spitting her pacifier out.

“Mi’?” She tried, the simple word like putty in her mouth.

Paige was confused for a split second before it dawned on her what Evelyn had been trying to say. 

“Coming right up!” She said and tickled underneath Evelyn’s chin playfully, getting a few giggles from the smaller girl.

She went to the fridge and grabbed the milk, spotting chocolate syrup out of the corner of her eye she grabbed that too. A small treat for the emotionally exhausted brunette.

At first, she grabbed a sippy cup. But then it clicked that Evelyn was in a younger headspace than the times before, so she put it back and took out a bottle instead.

After popping the filled bottle into the microwave Paige moved back to Evelyn and sat on the floor with her. Content in watching the tired eyed girl play with her stuffed dog while the bottle heated up.

When the timer beeped Paige reluctantly got up to grab it and Evelyn’s other snacks. She poked a finger into the milk to make sure it wasn’t too hot and, finding that it wasn’t, she screwed the lid on and threw a soft dish towel over her shoulder.

Paige lifted Evelyn into her arms and then picked up the snacks on the table. “What would you like to watch while we wait for your sister to get here?” Paige asked as she sat down with Evelyn in her lap, placing the bottle and snacks beside her before picking up the T.V remote and clicking the on button.

Evelyn shook her head no and then pointed at Paige.

Paige hummed in understanding and thumbed to Netflix. She browsed through the kids section for a couple minutes and stumbled upon a show called Sofia the First. She clicked on it and as soon as the first show started Evelyn was immediately entranced.

Paige reached next to her and grabbed the Gogo squeez. She opened it and put it in one of Evelyn’s hands.

Evelyn gripped it and clumsily popped it into her mouth, sucking on it as she watched the colorful T.V characters. Paige had a gut feeling that this would not be her last time watching this show with how much Evelyn seemed to enjoy it.

When the Gogo squeez was finished, and Evelyn was left sucking on air, Paige gently took it out of her hands and quieted her whine by holding a Ritz cracker up to her lips.

Evelyn mewled happily and leaned forward to take the offered Ritz cracker into her mouth, chewing slowly and opening again for another after she swallowed.

Paige chuckled and dropped the next one into the brunette’s open mouth, continuing until the remaining four crackers were eaten. When they were, Paige bounced her legs slightly and grabbed the bottle of chocolate milk next to her. “Alright sweetheart, open wide.”

Evelyn complied without even looking at what Paige was giving her, though when the plastic nipple was placed in her mouth she startled and peered up at Paige with slightly furrowed eyebrows.

“Just try it Ev, I think you’ll like it.” Paige moved the girl so that her head was in the crook of her elbow, bottom in between her slightly open legs. The brunette’s own legs from her knee on hanging off of Paige’s right thigh.

Evelyn blinked and processed the words Paige had said before hesitantly taking a small suck. Almost immediately taking another after the first when she realized it was chocolate milk.

It took a while for Evelyn to find the rhythm for drinking and breathing but she eventually got it and started suckling the milk out faster. Frowning only when Paige removed the still half full bottle.

“Sorry honey, I don’t want you to get a tummy ache by drinking too fast.” Paige explained, a minute later popping the bottle back into the carmel eyed girl's mouth.

Evelyn slowly drank the rest of her bottle, steadily falling asleep as she did so. But, before she completely fell asleep, Paige pulled her over her shoulder and patted her back a few times, eliciting a small burp.

Paige then pulled her back so that she was cradled comfortably in her lap, holding the girls pacifier in front of her mouth and waiting until she accepted it before settling down herself and pulling out her phone to pass the time.

30 minutes later, as the second episode of the T.V show concluded, the doorbell rang.

Paige gently moved out from under Evelyn and covered her with a blanket before walking briskly to the door.

She unlocked it and opened it to find the pizza man from Papa Johns standing there.

Looking down at his receipt he said. “Two pizzas for Paige Hughes?”

“Yeah that’s me. Let me go grab my purse, one second.” She quickly sped to the kitchen where her purse sat on the countertop.

She rooted around until she found her wallet. She pulled out a 50 and went back to the door.

“Here, keep the change.” She handed him the 50 dollar bill and grabbing both boxes.

He thanked her and returned to his car. Paige watched him leave before going back inside to put the pizzas in the kitchen and to make a small salad for Carmen and herself.

She asked Alexa to play some low jazz before setting to work on a simple vinaigrette salad. She had time to pull out lettuce and various other things before the doorbell rang once again. 

Having a good idea who it was Paige jogged over to the door and opened it to reveal a smiling Carmen.

“I brought beer! Let’s get this party started!” She hooted loudly as she sauntered inside, clanking a six pack of Bud Lites on the kitchen counter.

“Now, where’s the little munchkin?” Carmen asked Paige as she re-entered the kitchen.

“Peacefully sleeping on the couch, she had quite a long day.” Paige chuckled and eyed the beers before going back to her work.

Carmen spun around on a bar stool. “Aw, well, when she wakes up we can have some fun.” 

“Sorry to say but I don’t think Evelyn’s going to party, let alone is in a state to drink with us tonight.” Paige admitted.

“But, I brought her favorite beer!” Carmen huffed. “Why can’t she anyways, is she worrying that beer will make her fat again? Because I always tell her-”

“How about you go take a look at her and see exactly why she won’t be joining us on our drinking tonight.” Paige interrupted, laughing a bit and gesturing Carmen towards the living room.

“Alright, I’ll do that! I bet she’s just fine.” Carmen said confidently and strode to the living room.

She quickly saw what Paige was alluding to.

The lights were all on but Evelyn was fast asleep on the couch. A pacifier was bobbing in her mouth ever so often, there was a blanket only draped across her middle and the apparent outline of a diaper was very much visable from underneath her childish pajama pants. Her trusty stuffed dog was also hugged to her chest and an empty bottle of milk sat on the side table. A baby cartoon was even playing quietly in the background.

Carmen cooed adoringly and peeked behind her before taking out her phone and snapping a picture. Unable to resist how utterly adorable her little sister was.

After that she went back to the kitchen where Paige was setting plates on the counter. When Carmen walked in she raised an eyebrow and teasingly crossed her arms. 

“So?”

Carmen grumbled. “Yeah, I see why she can’t.” 

“I’m going to wake her up soon so she can eat some pizza with us. We can watch athemovie while we do, I don’t think Evelyn will understand it anyways.” Paige explained as she took one slice out and cut it up into bite sized pieces. She also filled up another bottle full of water for the younger girl to drink while eating her food. And, at the last second, she grabbed a bib from a cabinet.

“Here, grab yours,” Paige said as she plated her own slices and some salad. “By the way, what movie did you bring for us to watch tonight?”

“I brought Rough Night. I think Evelyn has already seen it so it should be fine.” Carmen commented and grabbed the CD out of her purse.

“Are you going to stay over tonight?” Paige asked as the two walked to the living room, Carmen carrying her plate, the CD, and the beer and Paige carrying her plate and Evelyn’s various things.

“Depends how late it gets.” Carmen replied. “I have my car but if I’m here any later than one I’ll stay the night. I have work tomorrow morning.”

Paige placed the plates and bottle on the table and turned to Carmen. “Sounds fine to me, the guest room that you like is clean and ready." She then turned to Evelyn. "Would you mind setting up the movie? I’m going to wake Evelyn up. Don’t be surprised if she says next to nothing by the way. She seems to have dropped into a much younger headspace.”

“Ay aye captain!” Carmen saluted and made her way over to the DVD player under the large T.V.

Meanwhile, Paige went over to the still sleeping girl and pulled her up onto her lap, rubbing circles on her pajama clad back as she did so. “Evelyn, it’s time to wake up to eat something.” 

Evelyn’s eyes opened and she lazily looked around, briefly glancing at Paige and then to Carmen. Her pacifier was still slowly bobbing in her mouth, and she seemed content in just laying in her lover’s arms, carefree and not having to worry about anything else.

“Do you think you can eat by yourself, Evs?” Paige cooed and bounced her knees underneath the girl to wake her more as she grabbed the bottle of water and plate with cut up pieces on it.

Evelyn nodded and tentatively picked up a piece with her fingers.

“One second baby,” Paige chuckled at her eagerness. “Let me put a bib on you first so we don’t get your jammies dirty.”

Evelyn put the piece back down, taking the time to reach up and take her pacifier out of her mouth as Paige snapped a dinosaur themed bib around her neck.

“‘Saurs.” Evelyn giggled sweetly and poked the bib with a finger.

“That's right sweetheart.” Paige hummed and watched Carmen plop down next to her. “Try not to get any sauce on the couch, okay?” Paige said nervously as Evelyn unskillfully picked up a square of pizza and attempted to put it in her mouth.

“Why don’t you just feed her Paige, you’ll just be worrying the whole time she eats anyways.” Carmen chuckled and took a bite of her own slice.

“Oh yeah, I should be the one doing that shouldn’t I. I’m going to go grab a fork. Be right back.” Paige said as she took the plate away from Evelyn and cleaned her fingers with a napkin before sprinting off to the kitchen.

Evelyn shyly reached towards Carmen and pulled her sleeve a bit, when she got her attention she pointed to the bottle of water on the table.

“You're such a cutie Evy.” Carmen smiled and ruffled the brunette’s hair, grabbing the bottle from the table and handing it to the quiet girl who took it and stuck it in her mouth.

“Alright, press play.” Paige said as she returned with a fork and a dish cloth.

“‘Kay.” Carmen sang and grabbed the remote. After pressing play she grabbed a beer and popped it open, taking a swig before sinking back on the couch.

“C’mere Evelyn, time to eat.” Paige patted her lap.

Evelyn smiled and awkwardly crawled on her knees over to Paige, bottle in one hand and her blanket and Jappy in the other.

When she was close enough Paige hoisted her up so that her bottom was on her left thigh with both of her socked feet in between her crossed legs. She then stabbed a piece of the cut up pizza and brought it up to Evelyn’s mouth, waiting for her to open so she could slide the fork in. Paige grinned as Evelyn took the bite into her mouth.

When Evelyn was halfway done eating Carmen piped up. “Want me to finish feeding her? You haven’t eaten anything yet.” 

Paige considered her offer and looked at her plate of food which was sitting untouched next to her, though her grumbling stomach answered for her.

“Yeah that would be great, thanks.” She said gratefully and tried to ease Evelyn off of her lap and into Carmen’s, but stopped when a shrill whine accompanied her movement.

Paige saw with mild concern that Evelyn’s eyes were watering and her knuckles were almost white with how much effort she was using to grip Paige’s shirt.

“Baby?” Paige murmured softly as the tears spilled over. “What's wrong?”

Evelyn just made a sort of groaning noise and rubbed her face clumsily with one hand while the other stayed where it was on Paige’s shirt.

Was this what Evelyn was like when she was this little? Weepy, and clingy, and lacking in the vocabulary category? Paige had to admit that she didn’t mind, and to be perfectly honest it was very sweet.

“Ev, I need to eat. Would you mind going to Carmen for just a little bit? I promise it will only take a minute.” Paige asked and tried to disentangle herself. Finally succeeding when Carmen tickled Evelyn a bit and pulled her into her own lap swiftly.

“Alright Evs, here comes the airplane.” Carmen cooed before the brunette could get upset. She made sputtering noises as she brought the fork up to Evelyn’s lips.

Evelyn giggled, her tears forgotten as Carmen spooned the food into her mouth.

Neither woman was paying the movie any attention anymore, too busy with watching the adorable girl who now had a thin layer of sauce on her face and front.

“How old is she right now?” Carmen moved her mouth along with Evelyn’s as she coaxed the last piece of pizza into her mouth.

“I asked her a bit earlier and she said three, but I honestly think she’s maybe just a tad younger than two and a half.” Paige said and gestured for Carmen to hand Evelyn back to her.

“Makes sense, if she isn’t talking it's safe to assume she’s younger than three. Have you seen her sucking her fingers by any chance? Not just her thumb?” Carmen asked as she lifted Evelyn up and into Paige’s arms.

“Uhm,” Paige thought as she put the dish cloth over her shoulder before pulling Evelyn up and once again patting her back until a small burp came from the younger girl. “Come to think of it, she was sucking on her index and middle fingers after her bath earlier. Why do you ask?”

“It think it'll just be a way you can tell if she’s under the age of three. Evelyn enjoyed sucking on her fingers more than her thumb when she was younger so our parents put this bad tasting goop on those fingers after she turned two or three. So, if she’s regressed to that certain age I think it’d be about the same.” Carmen hummed and took a sip of her beer.

Paige looked surprised. “Wow, thanks for that info. I bet it will help me out.”

“No problem.” Carmen yawned and then suddenly snorted. “How does she manage to fall asleep so fast? It eludes me.”

Paige looked down and laughed. The younger girl was definitely asleep, breathing deeply and cuddled up to her chest.

The pair watched the movie for a while more before a burning question Paige had been wondering resurfaced. She turned to Carmen.

“Do you have any idea why Evelyn’s so scared to admit she needs to use the bathroom?”

Carmen looked at her perplexed before her mouth formed an “O” in realization.

“Well, our mother was, and still is, very strict about composure and control. As we grew up, we kind of had to be perfect because of our parents’ growing reputations.” Carmen said and glanced over to the brunette who was snoring lightly. “Our mother has a weird idea that bodily functions are the thing a person must have the most control over. So, Evelyn tried her best to uphold that silly idea by trying not to ask to use the restroom. I believe she started doing that when she was about 14, maybe 15, years old. She could go basically the whole day from sunrise to sunset without needing to use the bathroom but that took a toll on her it seems.” Carmen sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

“So she doesn’t admit she needs to go because she thinks it’s a lack of control?” Paige asked confusedly.

“I believe that’s what it is, but I’m not completely sure. Why're you asking me this?” The black haired woman inquired, raising her eyebrows.

“Well, I’ve never heard her actually admit that she needed to use the bathroom in all the time I’ve known her. That and she’s had a bunch of close calls for the past month and a half.” 

“You should ask her about that, I don’t think it’s healthy for her to keep doing it.” Carmen frowned thoughtfully. “Maybe she’s having these problems because she’s too embarrassed now to say that she needs to go?” 

“That could be it,” Paige said and patted Evelyn’s bottom softly. “Or maybe it’s because she really is just too scared to.” 

“Scared to? Why would she be scared to ask you?” Carmen asked as she grabbed another bottle of beer for herself and Paige.

“She had an accident today after our shopping trip,” Paige took the offered bottle. “And when she did she was afraid that I was going to hit her.”

“Ah, I see.” Carmen sighed. “Our mother did physically discipline Evelyn at times when she did something that she didn’t like.”

“Did she do that with you too?” 

“She only hit me once, maybe twice. I know that one of them was because I got a failing grade on a test and she happened to be in a very bad mood that day.” 

“That’s awful.” Paige replied, her hate for the sister’s mother growing.

“Yeah, our dad didn’t do anything about it either. I’m not even sure if he knew about it. I remember one day, by chance, our mother picked up the phone when the school nurse called our residence after a school physical exam. She had called to ask why Evelyn had so many bruises, since Evelyn wouldn’t tell her.” Carmen inhaled sharply. “It was my winter break for my junior year of college so I was home when Evelyn arrived from school that afternoon. Mom took her to her room and locked the door, absolutely seething with rage. The scariest part was that no noise came out of that room but Evelyn couldn’t sit right for two weeks after that.”

Paige gasped, tears springing to her eyes from what she was hearing.

“No wonder she’s so scared of sharing things like that.” Paige said and rocked the girl in her arms a bit. “She’s just afraid that I’d get mad at her because she’s so used to her mother conditioning her to respond that way.”

“I’m sorry,” Carmen said, looking towards Paige with a sad smile.

“For what?”

“I should have been there for her, I knew she was being hit, but I didn’t do anything about it.” Carmen downcasted her eyes.

“It’s alright Carm, what happened, happened. It’s all in the past now.” Paige said. “And anyways, Evelyn knows that you love her so much, and that you would do anything to protect her. You just weren't around all the time, so there's no way you would've know how bad it was.”

“That’s nice to hear.” Carmen sighed, a burden she had been carrying around unknowingly lifted from her chest.

“So, were you guys raised by your parents when you were younger or by nannies?” Paige asked. Since they were at it she wanted to know more about the sisters' childhood as Evelyn didn’t talk about it that often.

“Well, in the beginning, we didn’t have nannies. It was only after our parents’ company took off that we had them. I think I was 18 and Evelyn was around 13 at the time. But it still wasn’t daily, our mother would be home maybe three or four days of the week and our father one or two.” Carmen explained. “Usually we had one parent at home, and the nannies were just there to do laundry and dinner and things like that.” Carmen frowned at that. “I think it was much more difficult for Evelyn. I was leaving for college that year, and she had to be alone with our controlling mother until she graduated. It was much harder for her than me with the constant reminder that she was going to own the business someday and that she was expected to be “perfect” at everything.” 

Paige sighed and adjusted the blanket over Evelyn. “It seems that that is exactly what happened. I think she still has nightmares about her childhood occasionally. Plus, if she keeps holding it everyday, she’s going to get sick from it eventually.”

“I agree with you, you should really try and talk to her about it when you get the chance.” Carmen responded.

“Believe me, I’ve tried, she always denies it or changes the subject.”

“How about you try and get her drunk?” Carmen wondered then shot her hands up in front of her when Paige stared at her weirdly.

“I’m just saying that if she’s a bit tipsy I think you could get some useful information out of her, nothing bad or anything.”

“That’s going to go in the maybe pile.” Paige chuckled, “I’ll try to ask her one more time and, if that doesn’t work, I’ll do it your way and bring out the drinks.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Carmen said and looked to the T.V where the ending credits were rolling by. “That sure ended fast.”

“It certainly did, should we watch another? It's only like 11.” 

“I’m game.” Carmen stretched her arms above her head and arched her back. “What’re we going to watch?”

“How about a few episodes of Schitts Creek?” Paige asked and thumbed to Netflix when Carmen nodded.

“Want another beer?” Carmen grabbed a bottle from the pack held it out towards Paige.

“I guess one more wouldn’t hurt.” Paige smiled and took the offered bottle.

She drank it slowly and grinned at the slight buzz it gave her.

Topping it off she leaned back and stroked Evelyn’s hair absently as the T.V show played, not noticing when Carmen fell asleep.

Eventually, her own eyelids became heavy.

“I’ll just rest for a bit, then get us to bed.” Paige was her last fleeting thought before she closed her eyes fully.

Chapter Text

Paige was woken up by a weight on her chest lifting and subsequently collapsing a few paces away from her.

“Evelyn?” Paige slurred sleepily, blearily looking around.

Carmen was still fast asleep and sprawled out with her head hanging off the back of the sofa. The T.V was still playing and she fumbled around for the remote, the lights had turned down into night mode so it was a little difficult to locate it. Once she did she finally noticed the shaking ball that was Evelyn, huddled on the ground underneath a blanket.

“Evs, what’s wrong?” Paige asked, rubbing her eyes to rid the sleep still washing over her.

“It’s nothing Paige, I’m fine.” Evelyn spoke up, a sob escaping her after her sentence which told Paige that the opposite was true.

Paige frowned and realized Evelyn had fallen out of the headspace she had gone to sleep in.

“I don’t think you are, babe.” Paige sighed and shifted to the floor so she could sit next to her crying girlfriend. “Can you please tell me what’s wrong?”

Evelyn shook her head and curled further into herself.

“Can I ask some yes or no questions? Just nod your head if I’m right, or shake it if I’m wrong?” Paige asked and thanked God that Evelyn shook her head yes to that.

“Alright, are you hurt anywhere?” A head shook no at that question.

“Did something make a loud noise?” Again, a head shake no.

Paige thought for a second before something clicked. “Was it a nasty nightmare, perhaps?”

Evelyn hesitantly shook her head yes and hid her face in her blanket as she cried softly.

“Can I hold you, sweetheart?”

Evelyn stayed still and contemplated what Paige asked before bursting from out behind her makeshift fort and stuffing her face into Paige’s stomach instead. She wrapped her arms tightly around her lover and took a deep breath before real sobs exploded out of her throat.

Sad wails permeated the air and Paige had to hold back her own tears at how absolutely heart wrenching her cries were. The pain behind them clear as day.

Her cries were so loud that Carmen woke up, bolting straight up and looking around confused. Her posture softened when she saw her little sister crying into Paige.

“What happened?” Carmen mouthed and pointed to the girl.

Paige shrugged, unsure on how to proceed.

Then, something completely unexpected came from the distressed girl’s mouth. Paige and Carmen sat stunned as Evelyn more or less sobbed “Mommmmmy!” as she tried to climb further up into Paige’s arms.

“Oh, baby,” Paige said as she hoisted the distressed girl into her arms and held her close to her heart. “It’s okay, I’m here.”

Her words did nothing to soothe Evelyn who continued to sob loudly, tears cascading down her face and into Paige’s shirt.

“Please,” Evelyn whimpered and nuzzled further into the blonde, even though there was no possible way she could get any closer than she already was.

“Please what honey?” Paige asked, concerned that the girl was going to make herself sick with how hard she was crying.

“Please,” Evelyn sniffled, “Help me.” She said before going slack in Paige’s arms, passing out in the midst of her breakdown.

Carmen quickly got up and kneeled in front of Paige. “Is she alright?”

“I don’t know.” Paige furrowed her eyebrows and layed the girl on the couch. “Would you put some pillows under her feet? We need to get them elevated in case she actually fainted.”

Carmen nodded and stuffed a few pillows under Evelyn’s limp feet and legs.

“She said she just had a nightmare.” Paige explained. “That crying was a bit out of the ordinary though.”

“That was the loudest I’ve heard her cry since she stayed up for 72 consecutive hours when she was afraid of the dark. It was because of some movie we watched when she was on her first spring break from college. After that long without sleep she just broke down from how tired she was.” Carmen said and stood up.

“Whenever I’ve caught her crying she always holds it in and never lets it get very loud like it just did.” Paige sighed. “Your story also explains why I catch her keeping the lights on in our room when she goes to bed before me.”

“I wonder what her dream was about, her saying “help me” really set off some alarm bells.” Carmen plopped back down next to Paige.

“I’m not sure, but she’s had them before. She’s only ever told me about a couple of them. One was about me leaving her and I only knew she had had it because her crying was louder than usual. But all the other times, maybe even some I don’t know about, she either cries silently next to me or gets up and goes somewhere else.”

“I see,” Carmen smoothed a wrinkle on her shirt. “Definitely have a conversation with her about all these things soon, maybe even today since she has the day off.”

“Yeah, and after seeing her in that young of a headspace I think we need to buy her a few more things as well.” Paige said and carefully picked up Evelyn. “We should go lay down in bed, sleeping on this couch won’t feel good later.”

Carmen chuckled and followed after Paige, switching the lights off and bringing their dishes to the kitchen before going up the stairs to the guest room next to the master.

Before going to bed she peeked into Paige and Evelyn’s room to see the blonde covering Evelyn with her blanket and giving her her comfort items.

“Goodnight, see you tomorrow.” Carmen waved. 

“Sleepwell.” Paige said and watched her depart.

She turned off the lamp and slid into bed next to Evelyn, making sure she was within arms length to the snoozing girl.

Paige sighed. They had a lot to talk about that afternoon.

———

Paige blearily opened her eyes to the sound of the doorbell annoyingly ringing downstairs. She looked over to the clock and saw that it was already half past eleven so she threw on a bathrobe and quickly walked downstairs.

As she was nearing the bottom Carmen peaked her head out from the top of the landing. “Who is it?” 

“I’m not sure.” Paige answered as another ring went through the house. Before who ever was at the door could ring again Paige opened it.

“Hello, what can I help you with?” She asked the man at the door who was holding a clipboard, spotting a large truck in the driveway which made her a bit suspicious as to why the man was there in the first place.

“I have deliveries for a Miss… Paige Hughes?” The man said in a monotone voice as he looked down at his clipboard.

“Oh! Yes of course, bring them in and I’ll show you where to set them up.” Paige replied, why the man was here finally clicking in her head.

“Alright boys!” The man called back towards his truck. “Bring ‘em in!”

Three men jumped out of the back and began unloading many large boxes, bringing them to the entrance of the house.

“Okay, follow me please.” Paige said as she led the men to the open area where the kitchen and a seating area overlooking most of Las Vegas sat.

She directed them to set up the playpen to the left of the large window, past the armchairs and coffee table to a medium sized alcove in the corner of the room.

“Set everything up right here,” She instructed, tapping her foot in the middle of where the playpen would be. “Everything ordered will also be put in here, if you don’t mind.”

The men all nodded and went to work cutting open the boxes and taking the pieces out to put together.

Paige decided to make some coffee and watch the men work from out of the corner of her eye, ensuring that everything was done correctly.

First, they put down the soft, dark grey, padded mats. Then, came the modern oak barriers, and last were the toys, stuffed animals, blankets, and the large bean bag that was shaped like a panda bear.

Paige had to admit that the playpen was cute. It’s tones went well with the white marble flooring, and the bright colors of the toys brought a sense of cheer into the room.

“Please sign here and here.” The man with the clipboard said, his workers already leaving the house. 

Paige took the offered pen and signed the papers, saying goodbye to the man and watching him drive off before going over to the playpen and smiling at the contents.

Carmen came into the room a couple minutes later in her pajamas and awed at the new area.

“This is absolutely adorable,” She smiled and reached down to feel the padding. “She’s going to enjoy this so much!”

“I know right? We went to a store yesterday that surprisingly had all of this.” Paige reached down to touch the alligator plush that Evelyn had loved.

They marveled at the new addition to the house for a couple minutes more before a phone's ringtone came from the living room.

“Wonder who that could be.” Paige said as they both jogged to the couch and rustled through it before Carmen pulled out Evelyn’s Iphone.

“Jessica?” Carmen said and handed the phone to Paige. 

“Hello?” 

“Evelyn! Thank God you picked up. Sorry for the late notice but the company’s in a bit of a pickle. Could you come into work today?”

“Wait wait wait, what?” Paige asked, the woman speaking way too fast for her to pick up on what she was saying.

“Oh, sorry Paige, I assumed Evelyn had picked up the phone.” There was a pause before Jessica spoke again, slower this time. “There’s a problem at work and we need Evelyn here as fast as possible.”

“Isn’t it her day off?” 

“Well, yes. But it is imperative that your little firecracker gets here to take care of the investors. She’s the only one who’s hotheaded enough to talk to seven 60 year old men.”

“Fine. I hope you know that she had a long night.” Paige grumbled. “You owe her one, Jess.”

Jessica laughed. “Alright, I’ll have someone bring donuts and Mountain Dew in for her. Thanks again Paige!” The woman answered, phones and shouting in the background.

“Wait, don’t give her all that sug-” Paige started but heard the receiver click which meant that Jessica had hung up on her.

“What was that about?” Carmen asked, following behind Paige.

“Evelyn has to go into work today.” Paige sighed. “AND stupid Jessica is going to feed her a mountain of sugar and caffeine.”

“Oh damn,” Carmen said. “Wait, so you know this Jessica person?”

“Yeah, she’s a good friend of ours who works with Evelyn.” Paige explained as she rushed up the stairs.

“Ohhh, is her last name Bonfardi? I think I met her once.”

Paige nodded and opened the door to their room, grudgingly walking over to their bed and shaking Evelyn.

“Evelyn, Evelyn, sweetheart you need to get up.” Paige said, urgency lacing her voice.

Evelyn’s eyes opened and she looked up at Paige, confused from this unusually rough wake up.

Paige sat her up and talked while she rushed to the closet to find something for her to wear. “Jessica just called, she said that the investors are a day early and that you have to get to the office in the next hour.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened. “They’re coming today?!” She stressed and scrambled to get up out of bed, the thick diaper between her legs making it harder than usual though Evelyn didn’t seem to notice in her haze.

“It seems so.” Paige brought out her chosen outfit, putting it on the bed and helping Evelyn out of her pajamas.

“Damn it, they weren’t supposed to come until tomorrow night.” Evelyn said as she raised her arms so a white bra and blouse could be pulled over her head.

“Carrie,” Evelyn called to her sister as she was walking out of the room.

“Yeah?”

“Would you mind grabbing everything on the coffee table downstairs and putting it in my laptop bag?” Evelyn asked as she yanked on a pair of socks. Carmen nodded and ran to the stairways. 

“Ugh, I was looking forward to my day off.” Evelyn groaned as she waited for Paige to instruct her to stand up so she could put some pants on her.

“I know baby,” Paige said as she looked down at Evelyn. “When you get home tonight I’ll have dinner ready for you and I’ll even break out a good bottle of wine.”

“Thanks,” Evelyn smiled and leaned forward for a kiss.

Paige chuckled and trapped waiting lips in her own. “Now,” Paige said as she broke away. “Do you want to change yourself out of that wet diaper, or me?” 

“O-oh right,” Evelyn laughed nervously. “Would you help me?” 

“Of course, just lay back for me.” Paige hummed and grabbed a few wipes and a pair of underwear before untapping the girl’s wet diaper and wiping her down.

“Alright, stand up for me,” Paige instructed as she held a pair of blue panties at Evelyn’s feet which Evelyn stepped into, black jeans following.

“All done,” Paige cheered and patted Evelyn's calves before standing up herself.

Evelyn smiled shyly. 

Paige hummed and linked their arms. Her unoccupied hand holding Evelyn’s favorite pair of comfy black Uggs.

When they got downstairs Carmen was waiting by the banister, Evelyn’s laptop bag and Maserati keys in hand.

“Have a good day at work sis.” Carmen said and ruffled Evelyn’s hair.

“Heeey!” Evelyn whined but laughed as well. “Alright, I’m gonna get going, not sure when I’ll be back tonight.” 

“Well, I’ll probably see you sometime soon, I’ve got to leave in a bit anyways.” Carmen said and went forward for a hug, which Evelyn gladly fell into.

“Bye guys!” Evelyn said after breaking away, pulling on her boots before going to the garage door and waving before disappearing through it.

“That was certainly something.” Carmen breathed.

“Yeah, I think I need another cup of coffee after that.” Paige proved her point by going to the kitchen and pouring two steaming mugs of coffee for the two of them.

They walked to the white armchairs opposite the island and sat down, looking out the window as they drank their coffees in silence.

“Do you think she remembers last night at all? I mean, if that happened to me I’d definitely be thinking about it the next morning.”

“I’m not sure,” Paige responded. “I’m going to do what you said and when she gets home we’ll have some wine and I’ll ask her a few questions.”

“Good,” Carmen sighed. “Does she have nightmares like that often?”

“It only happens occasionally, that I know of anyways. She never wakes me up after she's had one.” 

Carmen nodded. 

“You know what was weird about it,” Paige thought for a second. “I think she was switching headspaces at the time, she sounded grown up when I first talked to her, but her grown up self definitely would not cry like she was.”

“And also the Mommy thing.” Carmen added.

“Yeah, that was the first time she’s said it. I wish it was more natural and not her being scared to be honest.”

“That makes sense,” Carmen hummed. “Well, I think I’m going to take my leave, I’ve got yet another meeting with a client tonight.”

“It was fun, hope to see you soon.” Paige smiled and walked Carmen to the door. Since she didn’t plan to stay the night Carmen only had her purse and clothes with her so there were no suitcases.

“See you!” Carmen called and walked to her Mercedes which was parked in the car circle.

Paige waved goodbye and closed the door behind her, deciding to take a quick shower before taking a nap in bed after the exhausting night she had.

Chapter Text

Paige woke up around six hours later. She stretched and glanced over at the clock, realizing she slept through lunch and that it was now nearing their usual dinner time.

“Wow I was tired.” She thought as she got up and walked to the kitchen to find  something for them to eat that night. Not immediately seeing anything that caught her eye she sighed and leaned against the counter to think.

She snapped her fingers when she finally thought of something. Lasagna was perfect for a cozy night in, so she went to the pantry to gather the ingredients.

Deciding to make homemade pasta instead of using the already cooked pasta noodles she grabbed flour and eggs, along with salt and pepper.

She had Alexa play some low music as she kneaded the dough on the countertop. And, once she was satisfied with the consistency, she wrapped it in plastic wrap to sit for an hour.

As that was resting, she plopped the ingredients for a simple marinara sauce into a pot and turned the stove on low, stirring it intermittenly.

Remembering the all important wine she quickly made sure that the sauce would be okay on its own for a minute before jogging down to the basement to procure a good bottle.

She looked through the choices before deciding on an aged Italian amarone, knowing that it paired well with pasta, and that it had a higher alcohol content than most other wines.

She hummed as she went back upstairs, wiping the dust off the bottle as she did so. She placed it on the dining table with two wine glasses before returning to the kitchen to finish making the lasagna.

By the time that the tomato sauce was done the pasta dough was ready to be rolled through the pasta machine.

She got the standup mixer and attached the pasta attachment to it. She then rolled the rolling pin over the dough and divided it into a few pieces before running it through the machine one piece at a time.

Paige loved cooking, the slow and steady steps relaxed to her. She enjoyed the process of making a meal and the satisfaction it brought her after it was completed.

When the pasta was at the desired thickness she got out a glass baking dish and layered it with tomato sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, then the pasta. Continuing this for three more layers before sliding it in the preheated oven with a timer set for an hour and fifteen minutes.

At the same time the unmistakable sound of a key unlocking a door was heard.

She quickly leapt up from her seat so she could meet Evelyn at the doorway. Chorusing a “Welcome home!” when the door opened and Evelyn stepped in with a tired smile on her face.

“Well, how lucky am I to have a doting girlfriend who meets me at the door after a long day at work.” Evelyn smirked and went forward for a deep kiss. “I missed you terribly,” Evelyn said as she took a second to break away for air. “I wanted to stay home with you all day but I guess it was karma for something I did.”

“Maybe.” Paige husked out as she went for another taste. “I made you dinner and we have a wonderful bottle of wine waiting for us, why don’t you go wash up before we eat.”

“Sounds good to me,” Evelyn said and bit Paige’s lip teasingly. “I’ll be back in a couple minutes.”

And with that, she was gone. Paige chuckled amusedly and went back to the kitchen to fix them something for dessert, as well as a small salad for herself. Not wanting to warrant a fight that night she decided against putting any greens or fruits on Evelyn’s plate. Instead she got out the ingredients for a quick chocolate pudding.

She was stirring the milk into a pan of chocolate and cornstarch when Evelyn walked in. Seeming to not notice the new playpen in the corner Evelyn strode to where Paige was and climbed up onto the countertop beside her. Evelyn smiled when she saw the chocolate pudding being made, swinging her feet happily as she watched Paige stir.

“Would you mind setting the table?” Paige asked, pouring the chocolate pudding into an ice bath and rinsing the pot it was just in.

Evelyn nodded and jumped down. She gathered plates and cutlery and brought them to the dining table in the next room.

When she came back Paige was just taking the lasagna out of the oven, the pleasant smells of cheese and tomato sauce filled the air as she set it down to be cut.

“Did you see the new addition to the room yet?” Paige asked, cutting into the warm pasta dish with a spatula she saw Evelyn look around curiously before her eyes brightened and she ran over to the playpen.

“Wow!” Evelyn practically squealed and ran her eyes across the large playpen, smiling widely at the contents. “It looks so cute and comfy!” 

“I’m glad you like it.” Paige picked up the dish. “Let's go eat now, if you like you can play in it tomorrow.”

Evelyn nodded her head enthusiastically and skipped after Paige to the next room, readily taking the seat next to the head of the table and squirming in excitement as she watched Paige sit down and place the lasagna in front of them.

“Oh my gosh, this looks so good!” Evelyn licked her lips.

“I hope it tastes good too.” Paige placed a large slice on Evelyn’s plate. “I almost put vegetables in it when Jessica told me what she was going to be feeding you today. Can you tell me what she gave you?”

“Twao Mountain Dews and a donut?” Evelyn answered sheepishly.

Paige raised an eyebrow.

“Four Mountains Dews and five donuts.” Evelyn said quietly. “But, at least I ate something at work today! Usually I don’t have lunch at all unless Jessica orders something.”

“You don’t order food for yourself?”

“Not really. I can never decide what I want so I just don't.” Evelyn shrugged. “So when Jessica gets stuff I just eat whatever.”

Paige frowned at that and reached forward to grab the wine bottle. She screwed the cork off it then poured two glasses, giving one to Evelyn who thanked her. “How often do you eat lunch during the week?”

“Maybe every other day? Jess sometimes brings lunch from home so I can’t get anything from her.” Evelyn said as she blew on a bite of lasagna.

“Babe,” Paige chuckled amusedly. “I’d say that's pretty often, what do you do for dinner when you come home at Midnight?”

“I eat the stuff in my minifridge or Avery gets catering to come by.”

“That certainly can't be healthy for you.” 

“It is what it is,” Evelyn shrugged with her mouth full. “I’m not crazy about it either, but my days off with you make up for it.”

“I see,” Paige said disapprovingly. “You should start bringing a packed lunch to work everyday if that's the case. Or maybe I can talk to your secretary to order you lunch everyday.”

“Oh yeah! That's a good idea! I never thought of that before.” The brunette said as she finished off her glass of wine which was immediately refilled by Paige.

“You usually don’t let me drink on work days, why the change of heart?” Evelyn was certainly not complaining but curious nonetheless.

“You didn’t drink with Carmen and I last night and you worked so hard today that I thought you deserved a treat.” Paige explained and eyed Evelyn for a reaction.

Finally, the night before came back to the brunette and she blushed, stuffing another bite of pasta in her mouth before looking at Paige and gulping nervously.

“Don’t worry,” Paige chuckled. “You were nothing I couldn’t handle, you were just a sweet tiny girl last night.”

Evelyn seemed relieved for a minute before she frowned lightly. “I remember waking up last night, for like a couple minutes and-” She paled and glanced over at Paige. “I called you M-Mom...” She struggled as she tried to say it but Paige held up a finger and shushed her gently.

“It’s alright sweetheart. I think you had a nightmare and got scared so you dropped into your headspace unwillingly.” Paige smiled sincerely and took one of Evelyn’s hands in her own. “Evelyn, I truly don’t mind if you call me that when you’re little,” Rubbing her knuckles she continued. “Just do whatever makes you feel most comfortable.”

“Alright,” Evelyn whispered. “I did like it though.”

“Like what baby?” 

“You taking care of me. It felt really nice, like work and everything else didn’t matter at that moment.” Evelyn admitted and gave Paige a shy grin.

“I’m glad you felt that way,” Paige hummed and let go of Evelyn’s hand. “One thing that did catch me off guard was how nonverbal you were, you barely said a word.”

“Wow, that is kinda weird.” 

“Especially since you talk so much usually, sometimes it’s hard to make you stop.” Paige laughed loudly as Evelyn rolled her eyes.

“But I have to say,” Paige added as she came down from her laughing high. “You being in such a young headspace was quite enjoyable. I got to do everything for you and you seemed happy to let me do so.”

“Do you think my headspace will be that young all the time?”

“Yes and no. Last night was the result of you being scared into it and pure exhaustion. I think that more than likely you’ll be closer to three in your normal headspace. Though, with the right circumstances, like last night, it could be different.”

“Good! So then I’ll be able to play with my toys that we bought.” Evelyn said, her excitement present in her tone of voice.

“That you will,” Paige said and topped off Evelyn’s glass once again. “But,” She paused and made sure Evelyn’s attention was on her and not the second piece of lasagna on her plate. “I think we need to buy you a few more things, just to be safe.”

“Like what?” Evelyn asked with her mouth full.

“Like maybe a rocking chair, some baby monitors, a car harness, story books, and, if you want, we can even probably find a crib.”

Evelyn flushed pink again as Paige listed off the examples but shook her head at the last one. “I don’t want to sleep without you.”

“Alright no crib then, and the rest?” Paige asked and swirled her glass so the wine would settle.

“I’m fine with the rest of them, what's a car harness?”

“It’s basically just a five point seat belt that you can attach to your car. There’s other things you can hook up to it to make it seem more like a car seat too.”

“Okay.” She blushed, leaning back in her chair after she took the last bite of lasagna, feeling a little more than tipsy after her third glass of wine.

“Ready for some dessert?” Paige chuckled as she put some pudding in a small bowl for Evelyn. 

“Always.” Evelyn replied and grabbed a spoon before shoving a spoonful in her mouth.

“I’m going to have to take that shirt to the dry cleaner.” Paige mused as she watched yet another drop of food being added to the previously white blouse.

“Why?” Evelyn asked, mouth hovering over another bite.

Paige nodded down to Evelyn’s shirt and smiled when Evelyn realized what she meant.

“Oh, oops?” Evelyn said and took a napkin to wipe her mouth, though it only served to smudge the food on her face worse than it already was.

“I’m surprised about how messily you eat. How do you have dinners with your company without food getting on you.” Paige asked and watched the girl blush yet again.

“I think it’s just around you,” The brunette huffed and took another mouthful. “You just distract me.”

“Is that so,” Paige watched the girl continue eating. “I guess I’ll just have to be less distracting.” 

With that she flipped her hair and made a duck face at Evelyn who almost choked on her next bite of pudding from her laughter.

Chapter Text

Flash forward a half hour later

The dishes were put away and the pair were sitting together on a sofa facing a large window where the oranges and reds of the sunset were on full display.

Evelyn was leaning against Paige with her fourth glass of wine. Not often was she allowed to drink so much but she loved the buzz it gave her when she did. The two were looking at a website that sold the products they were interested in, having already selected a rocking chair, changing mat, baby monitors, and a bunch of picture books.

The last thing they had to buy were the car accessories. Paige scrolled through the options and pointed a few out to Evelyn who brushed them off. Eventually they found a five point seatbelt harness which was black and extra padded which would go perfectly with the interior of the G-Wagon.

Paige suddenly saw something that caught her eye just as she was about to close the laptop. 

“Hey babe?”

“Hmmmm?” Evelyn responded, slowly peering up at Paige with half lidded eyes.

“Tell me the truth,” Paige lifted the smaller girl's chin a bit between her index finger and thumb. “Are you scared of the dark?”

Evelyn hummed. “Sometimes,” She paused and hiccuped. “When I’m alone, the dark is terrifying.”

Paige nodded and added a small nightlight to the cart, which she then promptly put in her credit card number and bought the items before closing her laptop.

“Well, that’s everything we needed to buy, but I have a few more questions I’d like to ask you.” Paige said and placed the laptop on the coffee table in front of them.

She didn’t particularly enjoy getting the truth out of her girlfriend in such a manner but she needed to know. And, the girl beside her was most open with her feelings when she was drunk.

“Fire away.” Evelyn slurred and took another sip of wine out of her rapidly emptying glass.

“Why are you so against asking to go to the bathroom?” Paige questioned as she watched Evelyn stare off into space for a minute.

“Mama didn’t allow it,” Evelyn shrugged. “Now I don’t like using the bathroom with other people around.”

Paige frowned. “So one of the reasons is that you don’t like going when people can hear you.”

“That’s correct!” Evelyn cheered. “I can’t go unless nobodys in the room or a faucet or something else blocks the noise.”

“And this is the result of your mother’s expectations?”

Evelyn took another sip of wine as she slouched down on the sofa a little more.

Paige took that as a yes and decided to move to the more pressing matter at hand. “Did your mother ever do anything to you if you asked to go or had an accident?”

“If I ever asked to go, I’d get hit. If I ever had an accident, I’d get hit. If I ever wet the bed and she found out, I got hit.” Evelyn's words started jumbling. “I think sometimes it depended on her mood though, some of the times she did it it was a simple slap to the face, others were like her taking off her belt and spanking me.”

With that statement Evelyn reached up and rubbed a spot on her face at the memory.

“And you know I would never do that, right?” Paige asked, crossing her fingers that the answer was no.

Evelyn snorted amusedly. “Of course I know you would never lay a hand on me. But I think part of my brain still registers that an accident or asking to go will result in consequences.”

“Oh.” Was all Paige could think to say. She was relieved that Evelyn knew that she wouldn’t hit her, but it was still unnerving that she would still be afraid of her mother's wrath even though they were hundreds of miles away from each other.

“How about those nightmares you’ve been having?” She asked and stayed quiet as she watched the brunette top off her fifth glass.

“I honestly don’t really remember most of them. Some are just me alone without you and some are about Mama, they change all the time.” Evelyn giggled a bit at the end of her sentence, the alcohol making everything seem funnier than usual.

“You know that you can wake me up after you have one, right?” Paige questioned the brunette. 

“I know, but you do so much for me as it is that I don’t want to wake you up because of a silly nightmare.”

“Baby,” Paige said as she turned so she was facing Evelyn, lacing their fingers together. “You are more important to me than anything else, I could have not slept for three days and I would still be fine with you waking me up.”

Evelyn’s eyes teared up at the amount of love Paige had expressed in that one sentence. She quickly downed the last bit of her wine and put the glass on the side table before thrusting herself into Paige’s arms.

Deciding that there was still too much space between them Evelyn brought her foot over so that they were sitting chest to chest. Her arms were wrapped tightly around the blonde’s middle and her head was buried in her neck.

“I love you so much I don’t even know how to express it.” Evelyn said softly as she inhaled the sweet smell that only Paige had.

“The same goes for me, my love.” Paige responded and brought one hand up to cradle the back of Evelyn’s head, while the other wrapped around her waist and swayed them side to side.

As much as Paige would love to continue holding Evelyn there was only so much time left in the day. Since Evelyn had work the next day they had to get going.

So Paige got up with Evelyn still tightly clinging to her, deciding to just leave their wine glasses to deal with later.

“We goin’ to bed?” Evelyn yawned and rubbed an eye with one of her fists as Paige went around turning off all the lights.

“Yes sweetheart, you have work tomorrow so we’ve got to go to bed a bit earlier so you can do a good job.”

Evelyn closed her eyes in response. “I really liked the bottle yesterday, by the way.” 

“Oh yeah?” Paige said as she walked up the staircase. “I guess we’ll have to use one more often then.”

“Mhm.” Evelyn sighed as they reached their room and Paige gently placed her on the bed so she could gather their things for the night.

“Do you think you can take a shower by yourself? I took one earlier so I can go make you a bottle and we can watch a T.V show and cuddle before bed.” Paige offered as she set a pair of black silk pajamas down for herself, and a set of white cuffed pajamas with yellow tiaras and a pair of fuzzy socks for Evelyn.

“Yeah, I can do that.” Evelyn lifted herself from the bed, grabbing her pajamas before padding into the bathroom.

Paige smiled after her and quickly changed into her own nightclothes before going back downstairs to make the promised bottle. 

Since she had time she warmed the milk on the stovetop instead of the microwave and stirred in a bit of vanilla and honey. 

She made sure it wasn’t too hot before she poured it into a bottle and screwed the top on, shaking it a bit as she walked up the stairs to their room again.

Seeing that the bathroom door was still closed she placed the bottle onto her side table and grabbed the remote to the T.V. She flipped to Netflix but didn’t click on anything yet, not knowing how Evelyn was feeling at the moment.

Though when she heard a small “Paige?” come from the bathroom, she clicked on the kids profile.

“Yes?” She called back through the door.

“Can you help me?” The girl's voice waivered with an edge of a whine at the end.

At that Paige turned the doorknob and opened the door. Evelyn had her pajama pants and socks on, but was struggling with getting the shirt over her head.

Paige laughed a bit and walked over. “Arms up.” She took the shirt from Evelyn’s grasp and pulled it over her head easily.

“Thanks.” Evelyn yawned and leaned into the blonde.

“You are very welcome.” Paige said as she discreetly patted Evelyn’s bottom to see if she had put a pull-up on. She had purposely not grabbed panties for the younger girl to see if she would do it herself, which she did.

After the check Paige carefully lifted Evelyn up into her arms and carried her to their bed, keeping Evelyn in her lap as she settled against the headboard.

“What do you want to watch?” Paige asked Evelyn, who’s thumb was nearing her mouth ever so slowly.

“Sofia?” The brunette asked as she saw a picture of the princess on the screen.

“You love princesses, don’t you my princess.” Paige cooed softly.

Evelyn nodded. “Lots.” She confirmed and pointed to her pajamas. “I got princess hats on my jammies too, see?”

Paige smiled widely at the smaller girl's choice of words, finding it adorable that she had said “princess hats” instead of crowns.

“Indeed you do, honey.” Paige hummed as she grabbed the bottle from the side table and moved Evelyn so that her head was in the crook of her arm. She also made sure she could see the T.V at the same time.

Evelyn eagerly opened her mouth for the bottle when she saw Paige reach for it and sighed happily when it was popped into her mouth. She suckled slowly as her eyes watched the television. A couple drops of milk escaping her lips, which Paige promptly wiped away.

Again, halfway through the bottle, Paige pulled it away to make sure she wouldn’t drink too fast and get a stomach ache. She patted Evelyn’s bottom soothingly at her whimper of disapproval.

After a couple minutes she held the bottle back and the brunette once again latched on.

Paige had to say that she enjoyed feeding Evelyn her bottle, the small mewling sounds and her stress free features saying that Evelyn enjoyed it just as much.

When the last drops were gone Evelyn stubbornly kept sucking. Paige knew it wasn’t good for her to suck down air so she eased the nipple out of her mouth.

“Want more Mommy.” Evelyn fussed, tired tears welling in her eyes.

Paige was a bit surprised at the endearment but just as quickly shook it off and pulled the girl over her shoulder and patted her back.

“You can have more tomorrow, okay?” She said after Evelyn let out a small burp and was brought down into her lap again, still fussing slightly.

“How about we get you comfy with Jappy, and your blanket, and your pacifier.” Paige hummed as she slid them down under the covers.

Evelyn sleepily nodded into her chest and accepted the pacifier that was held to her lips and Jappy which was placed in her arms. Paige covered her with her T-Rex blanket and turned off the nearby lamp. They snuggled together and watched the show until Evelyn’s eyes started fluttering.

Paige turned off the T.V and stroked Evelyn’s hair, watching the brunette’s tiredness win the battle as her eyes closed completely and her breathing slowed, signaling that she was asleep.

She continued to pull her fingers through her hair for a couple more minutes to ensure that Evelyn was asleep.

Paige smiled at their new blooming dynamic, having loved the way Evelyn called her Mommy.

She pulled Evelyn close as her eyes began closing too, whispering a small “I love you.” before sleep enveloped her too.

Chapter Text

The next morning was more or less the same as all of Evelyn's other work days. Paige got up early and had a coffee before sitting down to read for an hour.

But there was a slight shift in the schedule when a half asleep Evelyn came trudging down the stairs, pajamas still on and a messy bed head to complete the look.

Though, through the past weeks, the mornings had been different in the sense that Paige would be the one to softly wake Evelyn up and get her dressed and ready for the day. Both women loved it, Paige liked taking care of Evelyn and Evelyn seemed to like being taken care of. It was perfect.

Today, instead of sitting in the armchair next to Paige as she sometimes did, Evelyn climbed up to straddle Paige’s lap. 

“Goodmorning sweetheart,” Paige said as she looked at her watch. “You’re up earlier than usual, are you feeling okay?”

Evelyn nodded and yawned, hugging Jappy which Paige hadn’t even realized was in her hands, to her chest.

Paige took off her reading glasses. “Just wanted to cuddle for a bit, then?” 

“Yeah,” Evelyn said quietly. “A bad dream woke me up.”

“Oh?” Paige asked, rubbing her hand under the girls pajama shirt. “What was it about?”

“I’m not sure actually.” Evelyn frowned. “I guess it was enough to make me wake up though. I’m still tired too.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, maybe a nap after work today will make you feel better?” Paige asked and patted the girl's bottom lightly, noticing the heaviness she stood up with the brunette still in her arms. “Let’s go get you changed before you get a rash.”

Evelyn blushed and hid in her neck.

As they reached their room Paige set Evelyn down so she could make the choice of either laying on the bed to have Paige help her, or going to the bathroom to do it herself. Evelyn chose the bed so Paige went to get her her clothing for the day.

She decided on a simple white button down with a sweater, and a pair of black skinny jeans since it was getting colder out. Also grabbing her underwear, socks, and bra.

“Want your pacifier while I do this?” Paige asked as she was about to pull down the whiskey eyed girl's pajama pants, noticing that her socks had come off sometime during the night.

Evelyn nodded, still embarrassed as she accepted the soother and hid behind Jappy as Paige went to work.

Stripping her of her pants and pull-up, Paige quickly wiped her and pulled a pair of pink underwear up the tone girl's legs before going to the bathroom to dispose of the wipes and pull-up.

After washing her hands she found Evelyn sitting up with Jappy hugged to her chest with one arm, and the other rubbing her eye with the sleeve of her pajama top.

“How do you like those pajamas?” Paige asked as she reached the bed and looked down at Evelyn who’s eyes snapped up to her.

“I like them,” She flushed and took her pacifier out of her mouth. “A lot.”

“That’s good to hear. There're many more like them in the dresser.” Paige smiled and motioned for the girl to stand up.

“What kinds?” Evelyn asked as she obeyed the silent command, lifting her arms above her head when prompted.

“There are some with shape patterns, some with characters, and many with animals, especially dinosaurs.” Paige answered and tickled the girl’s middle before pulling her bra over her head and clipping the back.

“T-Rexs?” Evelyn asked excitedly as she looked over at the dresser with the mystery pajamas in it.

“Yep, lots with T-Rexs on them, I made sure of it.” Paige smiled and buttoned up the girl’s shirt before sliding the sweater over her head.

Evelyn hummed happily as she let herself be maneuvered into her clothing, wiggling a bit as Paige slid her socks on which tickled.

Paige pulled the skinny jeans on, zipped the zipper up and buttoned the button before patting the girl’s thighs to show that she was done.

Evelyn yawned and grabbed her phone before trotting to her closet to find a pair of shoes for the day. Taking a longer time than any person would with finding a pair of shoes Evelyn finally emerged wearing her black Valentino Garavani slip-ons.

“Finally, I thought you died.” Paige joked and took Evelyn’s hand in her own as they started walking downstairs.

“Whatever,” Evelyn smiled. “I just need to find a pair of shoes that are appropriate for work and that I like wearing.”

“Why not just wear heels all the time?” Paige teased, knowing fully well that Evelyn absolutely hated heels because they hurt her feet. 

“Ew,” Evelyn responded. “Heels are just so uncomfortable and they pinch my feet. I don’t understand how some women I work with wear them every single day when I have specifically told them it’s unnecessary.”

“But they look nice,” Paige added and led Evelyn to sit on a barstool while she made brunch for them. “Heels have a certain maturity which makes them charming.”

“My new dunks look nice.” Evelyn grumbled. "But I shouldn’t wear sneakers to the office.”

“Aw, poor thing.” Paige snorted, laughing when Evelyn shot a glare at her. She turned back around to make scrambled eggs and sausage with a side of jelly toast for their brunch. “I’m just kidding angel.” 

“Whatever.” Evelyn pouted as she unlocked her phone to see a string of text messages from Bill and Jessica, both reminding her that they had lunch with the directors that day and only one meeting at four.

“I think I’ll be coming home a bit earlier today,” Evelyn grinned as she quickly replied to the texts. “I’ve only got lunch and a meeting so I should be back an hour before dinner.”

“That's wonderful news,” Paige plated their breakfasts and sat on the barstool next to Evelyn. “That means you can have a quick nap before dinner time.”

Evelyn smiled at that and took a big bite of toast, resulting in crumbs falling on her lap and the island in front of her. Not seeming to notice she ate the rest of the toast before seeing all the crumbs everywhere and blushing. “This only happens when I’m eating with you, I swear.”

“It seems so.” Paige said and raised her thumb to brush off a couple stray crumbs from the brunette’s flushed face. “I agree that I'm pretty distracting, but not enough that half your meal ends up on the floor or your face.”

Evelyn grumbled and grabbed a sausage with her fingers, taking a bite out of it when her phone rang again. She reached down to wipe her fingers on her pants but Paige grabbed her hand before she could.

“Next time use a fork,” She gestured to the untouched fork beside her plate. “Or a napkin at the very least.”

“Yeah yeah, I’ll do that.” Evelyn tried to answer the text with one hand while Paige wiped the other off with a napkin. “Fingers are just so much easier.”

“While that may be true for children, I think you can use a fork just fine unless…” Paige trailed off and got up.

“Unless what?” Evelyn asked with a mouth full of eggs, wiping her fingers off on the napkin Paige had placed on her lap as she watched the blonde go to the other side of the island and grab something out of a cabinet.

“Unless I feed you, or, you use one of these.” Paige walked back with a knife in one hand and in the other a fork with a blue squishy grip on it.

“Is that a...?” Evelyn trailed off as Paige came back and placed the child's fork in her hand, cutting up the rest of the sausages into smaller pieces as Evelyn stared down at her new fork with her eyebrows knit together.

Not sure how she felt about it she hesitantly scraped a piece of egg on the tip and put it in her mouth.

Paige looked at Evelyn with mild surprise. She hadn’t expected for the girl to actually use the fork. She had bought a few for when Evelyn was in an older headspace and wanted to be a bit more independent, meaning it more as a joke at the moment if anything.

The girl didn’t even seem like she was in headspace at all which confused Paige further. “How is it?”

Evelyn took another bite before looking at Paige and grinning widely. “It actually feels really nice on my fingers and, bonus, I don’t even have to grip the fork that hard!”

Paige rolled her eyes. Leave it to Evelyn to be the laziest person ever. “So we imported that cutlery set all the way from Italy for you to like a kid’s fork more?” She laughed and glanced at Evelyn amusedly.

“I guess so, that cutlery is just so heavy.” Evelyn whined playfully and stabbed a piece of sausage, food still in her mouth as she stuffed another bite in.

Paige caught the girl’s hand before another bite of food could be added to her already full mouth. “Chew before your next bite, sweetheart.” 

Evelyn glowered at Paige as she made her chewing as loud as possible to annoy the blonde. She then took another big bite and purposely looked Paige straight in the eye as her cheeks puffed out from the amount of food she had put in her mouth.

“You’re a brat sometimes, you know that?” Paige sighed but smiled as she took a napkin and wiped the girl’s mouth off before she could protest.

“Maybe,” Evelyn said as she tried to dodge Paige’s hand. “But I’m your brat.” She huffed as Paige brought her other hand up to hold her head still as she wiped away the egg and grease that had accumulated there.

“You make a valid point.” Paige stopped wiping when she was satisfied with the state of Evelyn’s face, now clean without even a speck of food or grease to be seen.

“Well, this little brat should get going to work ‘cause she wants to get home early to spend time with Mommy!” Evelyn said in an overly cutesy voice as she sprang out of her chair and skipped to the foyer where she had left her work things, Paige following after her with a small smirk.

Before she left Evelyn peeked her head out from the foyer entrance and waved. “Love you babe!” she blew her a kiss before hurrying off to the garage.

“Love you too!” Paige called back as she heard the garage door opening followed by a car door slamming shut.

She waited until she saw the sleek Maserati pull out of the driveway before she grabbed the plates and brought them to the sink. 

The blonde rolled up her sleeves and slipped on a pair of pink rubber gloves before going to work on the dishes. She loved hand washing their plates when she had the time because of the satisfaction it brought her. Scrubbing off the grime while her hands were constantly warm because of the water pouring down was so relaxing. The nice smelling dish soap filling the air with its sweet scent was heavenly.

She began to hum absently as she finished washing the dishes and moved to dry them with a soft red towel, gliding over each one a few times.

Deciding that she could take the day to do chores she tied up her hair before setting to work. Of course, they had a few housekeepers and yard workers who cleaned the lavish mansion every week but Paige enjoyed taking the time to do simple tasks such as the laundry and dishes.

Their clothes and bedding were due to be washed so Paige went upstairs and grabbed the load of laundry as well as their sheets. But, unknown to her, Evelyn's favorite stuffed dog was tangled in the sheets. That mistake would make for an interesting confrontation that afternoon.

Chapter Text

“I’m back!” Evelyn sang as she kicked her shoes off at the doorway and sock skated to the kitchen where she heard her girlfriend talking on the phone with someone.

When Paige saw Evelyn she smiled and held up a finger to gesture that she would be done in a minute.

“Yeah Mom, Evelyn's home now so I’ve got to go. Yep, love you too, bye.” Paige pushed the end call button before motioning with both of her arms for Evelyn who gladly ran forward and fell into a tight hug.

Evelyn almost melted into Paige. Slumping down until her head was resting on Paige’s ample chest. She rubbed the fabric of Paige’s sweater between her fingers and burrowed closer into her lover, feeling her eyes soften and her shoulders relax.

Paige saw the change in Evelyn’s demeanor and held her in front of her so they were eye to eye. “How about you go change into something comfy and grab your little things so you can take a short nap in the playpen before dinner.” Paige tucked a strand of flyaway hair behind the whiskey eyed girl's ear. “I’d come with you, but I need to move the sheets to the dryer. I’ll meet you back here in the kitchen by the time you’re done.”

Evelyn frowned but nodded, shuffling her feet on the ground before going up on her tiptoes to kiss Paige and leaving the room.

“Remember to put on a pull-up!” Paige called after her as she went to the laundry room and grabbed the sheets out of the washing machine, unfolding them a bit before putting them in the dryer. As she did, something fell out of them and onto the floor.

Paige grimaced when she picked it up, realizing what it was immediately. Evelyn’s little dog looked up at her with its round plastic eyes, fur still damp as Paige examined it. The stuffed animal was due for a cleaning, but Paige would have done it when Evelyn was away for business so it would be ready for her return.

Knowing that an inevitable tantrum was coming her way she mentally prepared herself as she put it in the dryer and set the machine to run.

After that was done she briskly walked to the kitchen just in time to see Evelyn walk in.

The brunette was wearing a soft navy blue long sleeve with alligators lining the collar and cuffs, matching oversized joggers, and mismatched fluffy socks to complete the look. A pacifier was being nursed in her mouth and her blanket was tucked underneath her arm. She also noticed that tears were quickly pooling in the brunette’s eyes.

“Hi baby, ready for your nap?” Paige asked a bit nervously, her fingers crossed that the girl had forgotten the stuffed dog for once. “Want me to help you in?”

She held out a hand to which Evelyn just sniffled a bit and wiped at her eyes roughly.

“Can’t.” She looked up at Paige with a watery frown. “‘appys gone.”

Paige sighed with guilt. “You may have to sleep without it for now, it got tangled in the sheets and is in the dryer at the moment.” She kneeled in front of Evelyn, taking both her hands in her own. “There're a bunch of other stuffed animals in your playpen, how about we go look at those?”

Evelyn let out a shaky sigh, a few tired tears leaked from her eyes and a choked sob followed suit. Paige rubbed her back as they made their way to the far corner of the room where the playpen was situated.

Paige opened the gate and gently pulled Evelyn in behind her. The padding was extremely cushioned and soft, so Paige doubted that Evelyn would have any trouble falling asleep on it, if she could fall asleep that was.

After seeing that Evelyn was just going to weep into her side and not help at all Paige looked around for a second. There certainly were many options, but she needed to find one similar in size and stature of Evelyn’s beloved stuffed dog. Soon enough, she spotted the fuzzy alligator plush that the girl had taken a liking to the day before.

She bent down and picked it up, presenting it to the sniffling brunette and smiling when Evelyn placed a tentative hand onto the stuffie and rubbed it. “You like it? It even matches your shirt.”

Evelyn nodded and slowly slid down Paige’s frame and onto the thick, pillowy surface beneath her. She hugged the alligator to her chest and sat cross legged, suckling her pacifier as the last of her tears tappered out.

“Alright little love, let's get you all comfy cozy so you can take a nap while Mommy makes dinner.” Paige said, the sentiment easily rolling off her tongue. 

Paige decided that she enjoyed calling herself that as she helped Evelyn lay back and draped various blankets on top of her. She also stuffed a bunch of fluffy pillows around her so she was huddled in the middle, small and relaxed as she peered up at Paige with half lidded eyes.

“I’ll wake you up when dinner’s finished.” Paige promised and kissed the tan girl’s forehead.

Chicken parmesan with roasted broccoli sounded like a good meal for that night so, after turning all the lights off except for the ones for the kitchen, she set to work.

Cooking a delicious meal made the time fly by and soon enough two steaming plates of chicken parmesan and broccoli were on the table.

Evelyn was still sleeping soundly in her playpen, wrapped around her new stuffed animal with a small string of saliva trailing down her cheek. Her pacifier having fallen out of her mouth while she was sleeping.

Paige opened the gate and stepped in. She walked over to the dozing girl and crouched down beside her. She ran her fingers through her soft tangled locks and smiled when Evelyn scrunched her face up adorably. “Time to wake up sweetie pie.”

Evelyn stirred and blurrily looked up at Paige. “Hey.” She sniffed the air. “Smells amazing in here.”

Paige hummed and stood up, Evelyn following her lead and stretching her arms over her head. “I made chicken parm, anything you want to drink with it?”

“Merlot?” Evelyn questioned hopefully as Paige took her hand to help her through the deep padding of the playpen.

“You had wine yesterday, babe.” Paige shook her head as they went to the fridge and looked inside. “How about lemonade instead?”

“Sure.” Evelyn chirped and grabbed two cups out of a cabinet, bringing them to the table and sitting down.

“How was work?” Paige asked, setting the jug of lemonade on the table and taking a seat beside the brunette who was staring hungrily at the plate in front of her.

“It was fine, we went to lunch at the Bellagio and my meeting was also super short today.” Evelyn explained as she stabbed her chicken with her fork and brought the whole piece up to her mouth.

“Sounds like a nice day.” Paige said as she gave Evelyn a look and a small nod to put her chicken down and use the knife next to her to which Evelyn glowered but did anyways. 

“Good girl.”

Evelyn’s ears burned from the praise but she smiled nonetheless and continued to cut her chicken before putting it in her mouth. 

Dinner went smoothly after that and soon the pair were in the kitchen putting the dishes in the dishwasher, after Paige made quick work of the tomato sauce sticking to Evelyn’s face that is.

“We have time to watch a movie before bedtime tonight.” Paige stated.

Evelyn’s whole face lit up when she thought of her favorite movie. “Lets watch Jurassic World, it's been a month since we last saw it!” Evelyn bounced up and down on her toes as she waited for Paige’s answer.

“Sure, fine by me.” Paige agreed and Evelyn beamed up at her. “Why don’t you go get Jappy out of the dryer, and get the movie set up while I make you a nice bottle of chocolate milk for dessert?”

Evelyn nodded enthusiastically and zipped over to her playpen for her pacifier and blanket before running off into the other room to retrieve Jappy.

Paige smiled after Evelyn left the room and proceeded to make the promised drink.

Deciding against warming the bottle up, since that would probably make the brunette fall asleep before the movie ended, Paige screwed the lid on and shook it a few times to make sure the chocolate powder was distributed evenly before strolling to the living room. There, she met Evelyn who was standing up with her blanket around her shoulders and the Jurassic World play screen on the T.V.

“Why’re you standing up, princess?” Paige asked as she took a seat on the couch and placed the bottle on the coffee table.

Evelyn spun around when she realized the older woman was in the room and clambered into the blonde’s lap.

“I see, you just wanted cuddles then.” Paige adjusted Evelyn so they could be more comfortable, with Evelyn's head resting under her chin and her body draped over her crossed legs.

Evelyn nodded as she pressed the play button and leaned back into Paige when the opening scene came on, accepting the bottle when Paige held it to her lips and mewling happily at the chocolatey taste.

------

“Look Mommy!” Evelyn cheered excitedly, pointing at the screen when her favorite dinosaur showed up chasing Chris Pratt and the other workers and eating a few along the way. “It’s the Indominus Rex!” She bounced a bit in Paige’s lap and grinned widely.

“Yes baby, it is.” Paige chuckled and reached over to turn the volume down a bit, knowing from their last movie night that little Evelyn didn’t like sudden loud noises.

Deciding that it was time for Evelyn to start calming down for bed Paige slid onto her back and pulled Evelyn on her chest so that she was laying on her breasts. Her trusty blanket was on top of her and Jappy was securely in her arms. Paige noticed Evelyn’s thumb in her mouth and switched it for a pacifier before refocusing on the movie.

-------

“Alright Ev, it's time for bed.” Paige said quietly when the end credits were rolling, switching off the T.V and sitting up.

Evelyn grumbled but complied anyways, too tired to put up any sort of fight as Paige rose with her in her arms and walked to the kitchen to put her bottle in the sink.

Evelyn became limper and limper in Paige’s arms and by the time they reached their room she was almost asleep.

“Come on, Evy,” Paige bounced her a bit before placing her on her feet and gently taking Jappy, her blanket, and pacifier. “Go brush your teeth and try to go potty for me before we go to bed. I’m going to go put my pajamas on.”

“Don’ wanna.” Evelyn whined when she was put down and immediately turned back around and clung to Paige’s waist.

Paige sighed, realizing that the girl wasn’t going to let go of her anytime soon she inched her way to the bathroom with Evelyn still clinging to her tightly.

“Alright, let go of Mommy so you can get your teeth nice and clean.” Paige hummed as she grabbed her own toothbrush and squeezed some toothpaste on it, doing the same with Evelyn’s.

Evelyn let go after realizing Paige was going to stay with her and took the offered toothbrush.

Brushing her teeth felt a little harder than usual to Evelyn as she struggled to keep her hand steady. But she managed and soon she was spitting out the toothpaste and Paige was taking up hand.

“Need to go potty before we go to bed?” Paige questioned before they left the bathroom.

Evelyn looked back and thought about it for a minute before ultimately shaking her head no.

“Sure you don’t want to try?” Paige asked as they walked slowly towards their bed.

Evelyn nodded and toed off her socks on the faux sheep carpet at the edge of the Californian king and then scrambled underneath the covers. 

After Paige got her pajamas on she switched off the lights then carefully slipped under the covers and brought the sleepy eyed brunette into her chest.

“Sleepwell, I love you.” Paige pressed a long kiss to Evelyn’s forehead.

Evelyn snuggled into Paige’s neck and inhaled her familiar scent. “Love you too.”

Chapter Text

“I still don’t understand why we can’t rent out a different jet.” Evelyn sighed as she stuffed a few shirts into her open suitcase.

The pair were packing for their early flight to Virginia the next morning. Two weeks had practically flown by and Thanksgiving was right around the corner.

“Because your company’s plane cancelled because of surprise maintenance at the last minute and we couldn't find another one.” Paige explained for what must have been the sixth time in the last two days. “It’s not like we’re flying economy you know, first class is fine too.”

“Yeah but I don’t like commercial planes. They make me so nervous.” Evelyn stressed as she tried to close her messily packed suitcase.

“I know, but it'll be okay.” 

Paige closed the lid of her own suitcase with ease and moved over to Evelyn’s to fold her clothes properly. The truth was that Paige already had a plan to get the girl aboard the flight without a hitch. She had bought a few capsules of diazepam the day they figured out that the private jet wasn’t available and she planned to put one in the girls breakfast the next morning to help relax her nerves and muscles for the almost seven hour flight to the Newport News International airport. The pills were already in her purse downstairs just waiting to be used.

“Do you really need four pairs of shoes? You’re only going to be gone for like five days, including tomorrow.” Paige asked as she neatly folded the crumpled up clothing in Evelyn’s suitcase and put the toiletries in a different compartment.

“Well,” Evelyn huffed and fiddled with the hem of her pajama shirt. “I need one for each day, duh.”

Paige shook her head fondly. Eternally grateful that Evelyn’s black suitcase was enormous and could fit all her shoes and clothing in it and then some. Paige closed the lid and jumbled up the number locks on both sides.

“Do you want to pack your little things too?” 

Evelyn blushed but nodded her head and got up to get her various items scattered around the room as Paige went to grab the carry-on sized suitcase of Evelyn’s big one from the hall closet.

“Will you be staying in your old room?” Paige asked when she returned and placed the suitcase on the floor.

“I’m not sure. My parents seem to have invited an army of people and if they’re all staying at our house I doubt I’ll get my own room.” Evelyn explained as she brought over her T-Rex blanket and Jappy and handed them to Paige.

“I see.” Paige got up to grab a couple pairs of fuzzy socks and pajamas for the brunette. “Giraffes, T-Rexs, or Sofia the First?” Paige held up the three options.

Evelyn stared in thought before smiling and gesturing to all three. “Why choose one, when I can choose all three!” 

Paige rolled her eyes adoringly and folded each one before putting them in the suitcase as well.

“Why don’t you go get a pacifier or two and a couple pull-ups while I go get a bottle and the iPad. Oh, and don’t forget your inhaler. Just in case you go on a hike or something.” Paige said as she stood up and walked towards the door when Evelyn nodded her head in agreement.

Paige was glad that she had found a connecting flight to Cape Cod from the Newport News Airport. The layover was a couple hours but it was worth it so she could help Carmen by taking care of her future half-way sedated girlfriend for at least a little while.

Paige was not thrilled about drugging Evelyn without her consent. But after the last time they went on a commercial airline a few years back, and Evelyn had a full blown panic attack after refusing to take any relaxants, she didn’t want to take any chances.

She also wasn’t going to tell the girl because she despised taking medicine of any kind. Paige had initially thought about an injectable version of the sedative, because it was fast acting, but knew Evelyn would probably throw a fit if she saw a needle.

After grabbing the bottle and the iPad she placed her purse on the counter where she could easily find it at 3:30 in the morning. Their flight left at 6:30 so they needed to be checked in by 5:15 at the latest. Yet another thing Paige disliked about commercial flights was that they couldn’t control when they could leave. 

Before going back to their room she grabbed a squishy teething ring and put it in her purse too. She had remembered from her years of medical training that diazepam had a tendency to make your teeth and gums hurt while in a moving vehicle and it helped to chew on something like gum to soothe the pain.

After that was done she went back upstairs and set an alarm on her phone just in case the Alexa didn’t ring the next morning which had happened a couple times in the past.

Walking back into their room she found Evelyn already in bed with her laptop perched on a pillow in front of her. The suitcases by the door ready to go for the next morning.

Paige switched off the lights before crawling into bed herself and settling down. “You should go to sleep soon, we have a big day ahead of us.”

“Yeah, I know. I just need to answer a few more emails so I don’t have to work too much over break.” Evelyn responded as she smoothed her hair back out of her face and sighed. “I won’t be able to focus on the plane tomorrow so I’m just going to do it now.”

“Alright,” Paige yawned and turned over. “You have an hour tops, okay? I mean it Evelyn.” Paige said as she saw Evelyn huff under her breath. “I don’t want you to sleep for less than four hours.”

“Fine, I’ll just do like six more then do the rest when I get home or something.”

“Thank you.” Paige leant up and kissed Evelyn’s cheek. “Love you.” 

“Love you too.” Evelyn whispered back as she clacked away on her keyboard. She could finish all of them in an hour and be sleeping by 11, right?

------

Evelyn sighed when she finally sent the last email and shut her laptop. She rubbed her eyes and glanced over at the clock and cursed internally when she saw it was already 1 A.M. 

She quickly burrowed underneath the covers, scooching closer to Paige and smiling when the other woman unconsciously brought her into her arms.

It was going to prove to be a long day ahead of them.

------

Paige was startled awake when both Alexa and her phone went off to signal that it was time to get up.

Evelyn groaned from beside her and tried to curl further into the blankets. The two hours of sleep she had gotten definitely did not feel good on her body.

“Come on Ev, we have to leave in the next 35 minutes if we want to catch our flight.” Paige stood up and stretched her arms above her head then walked over to the far wall to turn the overhead lights on.

“Don’t wannaaa.” Evelyn whined as she screwed her eyes shut and popped a thumb in her mouth, trying to lull herself back to sleep.

Paige sighed and moved over to Evelyn’s side of the bed, kneeling down and laying her head on her arms. “You can have a nap in the car but we need to get you up and dressed.”

Evelyn sulked and rubbed at her sore eyes with a fist but let Paige help her sit up.

“Do you want to get your clothes, or would you like me to?” Paige asked as she pulled on her jeans and shirt, already having picked out her outfit in advance knowing that Evelyn would have a hard time making decisions for herself so early in the morning.

“You.” Evelyn yawned and flopped onto her stomach, propping her head up on her arms as she struggled to keep herself awake.

Paige nodded and went to the closet. Knowing Evelyn enjoyed comfort over status she grabbed a random pair of thick black joggers out of Evelyn’s vast sweatpants drawer, white crew socks, a soft bra, a black bodysuit, an oversized hoodie, and last but definitely not least, a puffer jacket.

Paige knew that commercial planes could get cold so she made sure to pick out clothing she knew was going to keep the brunette warm. After picking up a pair of black Timberlands with faux sheep’s wool in them she went back out to dress Evelyn who was face down on the mattress with her feet swinging behind her.

She sat up when she heard Paige come in and reached her arms out for a hug which Paige, after putting the clothes on the bed, happily obliged to.

“Need a change before we get you dressed honey?” Paige asked after pulling away.

Evelyn shook her head. “No Mommy.” She answered and stood up so Paige could get her dressed. 

That was another thing. Evelyn had begun calling Paige 'Mommy' more and more frequently over the past few weeks when she was in, or semi-in, littlespace which Paige absolutely adored.

The blue eyed woman nodded and sat down on the bed, pulling Evelyn between her knees. Thats when she noticed how the girl’s eye bags were more prominent than they usually were as well as how she couldn’t even keep her eyes open for that long a time.

“Mind telling Mommy what time you went to bed? You look really tired Evelyn.” Paige watched Evelyn’s face drop as she began fiddling with her fingers then whispered something that she couldn’t hear.

“What was that?” Paige squinted her eyes at the nervous girl who wiggled under her gaze.

“It was, uh, 1 A.M.” Evelyn recalled guiltily

Paige sighed and pulled the lion patterned pajama shirt up and off Evelyn’s head. “Well, with bad decisions come accompanying consequences. You’re going to be tired all day now, even if you do take a nap in the car.”

Evelyn whimpered and twisted her hands together, knowing she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep on the plane either.

“Do you want to keep the pull-up on or switch to regular underwear, sweetheart?” Paige asked, changing the subject for the time being after she finished with the brunette’s top half of clothes. “It’s going to be at least 12 hours until you get to your parent’s house and I know you won’t be using any airport bathrooms or the ones on the plane.”

“I’ll keep it on.” Evelyn said softly, her cheeks warming.

Paige hummed and shimmied the pajama pants down the tan girl’s toned legs, replacing them with the bodysuit and the thick joggers. She tucked the bottoms into her socks before straightening.

“All ready to go.” Paige confirmed as she stood up and looked around the room, grabbing Evelyn’s boots which were on the floor.

Paige also grabbed her suitcase and looked down at Evelyn who was chewing on her thumbnail nervously. “Want anything for your nap in the car?”

Evelyn nodded and scurried away, returning with her stuffed sloth, her seal blanket, and a pacifier which she stuffed in her pocket as she took both her suitcases in one hand.

“Here babe, I’ll take one of those for you.” Paige said and tucked the Tims underneath her arm so she could grab it.

Evelyn smiled tiredly and gave Paige the handle of her small suitcase then began walking towards the elevator at the end of the hallway. They didn’t use the elevator often, only when they had heavy stuff to carry or to occasionally go to the rooftop to watch the sunset and have a glass of wine.

Stepping into the elevator Evelyn pushed the down button and the two waited for the doors to close, watching the stairs go by out of the glass windows.

The doors opened at ground floor. They got out and started towards the kitchen to grab Paige’s purse and the G-Wagon keys. Though, as they were walking, Paige had a slight pause. Evelyn had disobeyed her last night. She had explicitly told her to go to bed early and she hadn’t listened. Didn’t that mean that Paige should punish Evelyn for her infraction?

Well, they still had 25 minutes before they needed to be out the door. But she had to think of the right punishment for Evelyn’s disobedience. She could have her write lines? No, she was way too tired and probably too little to pull that off. No TV? No, that would cause Paige and Carmen a bigger headache than it would her. Corner time? That seemed reasonable for Evelyn’s current age and offense. She decided to go with that.

“Evelyn, I want you to go stand in that corner for five minutes while I make you some milk.” Paige said firmly and pointed to the corner between the livingroom and kitchen. A place where she could watch her in case she decided to move.

“W-what? Noooo.” Evelyn whined and stomped her foot on the ground. “I don’t wanna.”

“It's not whether you want to or not. You didn’t do as I explicitly told you to do last night and now you need to compensate for your actions. Now, I’ll give you until the count of three to go over there before I make it 10 minutes. One,”

Evelyn scowled and stomped her foot again. Refusing to move.

“Two,” Paige tapped her fingers on the countertop expectantly. It was an uncommon occurrence for Evelyn to misbehave. She was usually very good and obedient, but Paige couldn’t be lenient to be sure Evelyn knew she was in the wrong.

Evelyn made a strangled noise and plopped down onto the floor.

Paige stood her ground. “Two and a half Evelyn, you have five seconds to get up before your time is doubled.”

Evelyn knew she should get up. Her rational mind was screaming at her to just take the five minutes and not make it worse for herself by staying on the floor. But her rational mindset was overtaken by her three year old one and it was not having any of this. She was tired, and thirsty and wanted cuddles from her Mommy before she wouldn’t see her again for a week. It just wasn’t fair. So Evelyn stayed where she was, even when Paige counted to three.

Paige sighed and bent down to be eye level with her girl. “I need you to get up and get into that corner right now, Evelyn Marie. I planned to give you a bottle and have some time with you before we had to leave. If I have to count to three again you will be in that corner for 15 minutes and we won’t have time for that anymore.”

Evelyn started crying. She wanted to make her mommy happy but all these thoughts were hurting her head. She didn’t know what to do anymore and just wished to be in her Mommy’s arms without a punishment or a headache.

“Come on sweetheart, it's only 10 minutes. Here, take my hand and we can go together. I promise I’m not mad, I just want you to understand that what you did was not good for you. You’re tired, aren’t you?”

“I'm always tired.” Evelyn sniffled and reached a hand out to take Paige’s. 

“I know Ev, so next time we just have to make some better choices so you don’t feel as bad as you do now, okay? I’m going to set a timer and when it beeps you’ll be forgiven. I love you Evelyn, that's why I’m doing this to you. Not to hurt you, but to remind you to take care of yourself.”

Evelyn’s tears picked up a bit at that sentiment and Paige reached into her pocket for the girl's pacifier. She grabbed it and offered it to the brunette who quickly took it and popped it in her mouth, letting the repetitive movement soothe her as she was led to the corner.

“10 minutes, then you’re done.” Paige reminded gently as she faced Evelyn towards the corner of the room and ran a hand down her shaking back.  

Evelyn glowered at the wall in front of her and quickly decided she did not enjoy this punishment. At all. She was left with her thoughts, which would probably have been worse if it had been adult Evelyn who was facing the corner. Little Evelyn, on the other hand, could only think about how dumb the wall looked and how she wanted a hug.

The 10 minutes seemed to move at a snail's pace. Evelyn could hear Paige bustling around in the kitchen and wished she could turn around so she could see exactly what she was doing. She felt as if she was missing out on something important and it was annoying.

Around minute eight she huffed and more tears rolled down her cheeks. Her nose was all stuffed up too so she had to find a way to breathe and suck on her pacifier at the same time, which was hard to do.

Paige noticed the snuffling as she was pulling a warm bottle out of the microwave and called over her shoulder. “Just two more minutes angel.”

Evelyn’s face crumpled at that and she leaned her forehead on the wall, bringing her hands up to wipe the tears off her face before they could make her feel all itchy and gross. She succeeded, but only marginally. The tears just kept on coming. Why was she so emotional? She couldn’t get them to stop as she usually could and it was frustrating.

The timer rang at last and Evelyn was immediately swept up into the arms of her lover which she happily buried herself into. She was carried to the livingroom and sat on Paige’s knee so her face could get cleaned up. A warm hand towel cleared away all the tears and mucus and then a tissue was held up to her nose and she blew. That felt good. She could breathe right at least.

Her pacifier was then removed from her mouth and she was shuffled around until she was laying comfortably across Paige’s lap with her head lying on a generous chest. Her bottle was popped past her lips and she was at peace.

Paige turned on the TV for some background noise as she fed Evelyn with one hand while the other checked that their flight was on time and that their boarding passes were easily accessible. She also made sure to text Carmen that they were about to leave and that she would call her when they were close to the airport.

As soon as that was done with she mindlessly scrolled through her Instagram feed as Evelyn finished her bottle. The girl was seemingly taking her time that day as it took much longer than usual for the bottle to empty. It was probably due to the fact that it would be a whole week before they could do it again so Paige didn’t interrupt.

Evelyn made a little chirping sound when she was finished and Paige moved her to her hip so she could rinse the bottle out before leaving. She moved her kinda effortlessly. Either she was getting stronger, or Evelyn was getting lighter. Unfortunately, it was highly probable that the latter was true. Evelyn had weird body weight fluctuations and Paige guessed she never noticed up until she began carrying her around.

After checking that all the doors were locked, and that the security system was on, she turned off all the lights and went to the garage. 

She opened the back door of the G-Wagon for Evelyn and put her down without any trouble. She reached inside and buckled the brunette’s seatbelt for her then covered her in her blanket before shutting the door and jogging back into the house. 

Grabbing all three bags she brought them back to the car in one trip. She hoisted Evelyn’s two black suitcases and her own white one into the trunk and pushed the door closed. The nice clack of the lock clicking reverberated through the otherwise silent garage.

After double checking that she had both Evelyn’s and her own phone she shifted from park to drive and pulled through the open garage door, pushing the button for it to close on the way out and starting the hour trek to the North Las Vegas Airport’s Delta terminal.

Chapter Text

When they reached the terminal parking lot Evelyn was dead asleep. So much so that Paige didn’t even worry about keeping her voice down as she talked to Carmen who’s Uber was just five minutes away.

After telling the black haired woman to meet them at their car Paige hung up and fiddled through her purse for the diazepam and a pudding cup. After finding both she crushed up one capsule of the sedative and, with a rubber tipped spoon, stirred it into the chocolate mush. The drug capsule took about two hours to activate so they had plenty of time to get through security and onto the plane before Evelyn would be pretty unresponsive and loopy.

She then climbed into the middle row and shook Evelyn lightly. “Babe, it's time to go. I’ve got a little treat for you before we do.” Paige said and smiled when Evelyn slowly opened her bloodshot eyes and focused on her.

The brunette sucked on her pacifier a few times and made no attempt at moving for the pudding cup even when she saw it. Pudding was one of her favorite desserts but she was much too tired to eat it herself. Lucky for her Paige saw that and reached over to ease the pacifier out of her mouth for her.

Evelyn whined a bit but when her pacifier was removed but when Paige spooned a bite of the sweet pudding into her mouth those whines ceased immediately. They instead turned into small sounds of enjoyment as she swallowed and opened her mouth for another bite. Paige was glad that in Evelyn’s sleepy state she couldn’t taste the chalky flavor of the diazepam which would normally be pretty potent.

As she was nearing the bottom of the cup there was a knock on the door. Paige squinted through the tinted windows and smiled when she saw Carmen standing there. She quickly fed Evelyn the last bite and opened the door.

“Goodmorning!” Carmen greeted cheerfully, taking a sip out of one of two large coffee cups she had with her.

“My, you’re chipper.” Paige chuckled as she wiped Evelyn’s mouth with a napkin and got out of the car. “Is that for me?” 

“Oh!” Carmen smiled and handed the steaming cup over. “Yeah, it is, figured you’d need one.”

Paige nodded and took the cup as she unbuckled Evelyn’s seatbelt. The blonde eased the soft blanket off the girl, folded it, and put it in the seat next to her. “Alright Ev, it’s time to get out.” 

Evelyn sat up and bit her lip as she struggled to tie up her boots. She sighed in relief when Paige did them up for her before stepping out of the car and sadly hugging her sloth and blanket goodbye.

“How are you doing this morning shorty?” Carmen teased and ruffled Evelyn’s already messy hair.

“Fine.” Evelyn snapped and rubbed her dark circled eyes with clumsy fists.

“She only got like two hours of sleep last night so she’s a bit cranky.” Paige whispered as they went to the back of the car to grab their luggage.

Carmen made an “O” with her mouth as she helped Evelyn lift her suitcases out of the back, handing Paige hers before shutting the trunk.

“Should I even bother seeing if we can get TSA pre? I bet there aren’t too many people here so early in the morning.” Paige wondered aloud as she locked the car doors and began walking towards the entrance to the airport terminal.

“Nah,” Carmen answered and nudged her sister when her eyes started to close. “We still have a while before the gates even open so we’ll be fine.”

Paige nodded in agreement and passed through the automatic doors. She followed a couple brightly colored signs which led to baggage check.

“Do you want to check both your bags, Evelyn?” Paige asked when they were second in line, Carmen having split off to a different one.

“You have my iPad and other stuff right?” 

“Yep, they’re in my purse.” 

“Then check both of ‘em in, I don’t wanna carry anything.”

Paige hummed in response and nudged Evelyn forward when it was their turn.

“May I have your ID’s and boarding passes please?” The attendant at the counter asked, a pearly grin plastered to her face.

Paige dug through her bag, pulling out both her own and Evelyn’s passports and already printed boarding passes.

“And how many bags are you checking in today… Ms. Hughes?”

“These three.” Paige answered and idly gestured behind her.

“If you’ll place one at a time on the scale I’ll tag them and you can be on your way.” She said and turned on the scale, typing the weight of each bag onto her computer before wrapping stickers around them and handing them off to a man behind her who put them on a moving belt.

“Have a great trip ladies.” She waved before calling for the next person in line.

Paige gently tugged Evelyn’s sleeve when she began to lag behind her. She already saw Carmen waiting at the entrance to security and strode over.

“See? Not too many people.” Carmen smiled as she entered a line with about 10 other passengers in front of her. “I hope it’s quick though, I want another coffee.”

“Same here.” Paige replied and took Evelyn’s hand away from her face when she saw her thumb creeping towards her mouth.

Evelyn frowned at her and huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the ground.

“What’d the floor ever do to you, muffintop?” Carmen joked as she pulled out her passport and boarding pass when they neared the front of the line. Evelyn’s pout deepend and she grumbled something under her breath that sounded like a string of curse words, though Carmen caught a “Fuck off.” somewhere in there.

Paige handed Evelyn her passport and boarding pass as Carmen gave the security officer her information and passed through, Evelyn walking up next.

“Name.” He asked as he took her passport and boarding pass and looked her up and down.

“Evelyn Marie Woodford.” 

“Age.” He scanned the boarding pass and waited for the green light to light up.

“28.” She said, gritting her teeth as he slowly signed her boarding pass and handed it to her.

“Have a nice flight.” He then motioned for Paige to step up.

Evelyn grabbed her passport and boarding pass before stomping over to where Carmen was slipping off her boots and putting her things in a tray.

“I’ll buy you a Redbull if you’re nice to me.” Carmen winked and took her phone out of her pocket, placing it in the tray before walking over to the metal detector and stepping through.

Evelyn rolled her eyes. “You think she’ll even let me have even a fucking sip of a Red Bull?” She grumbled, doubting that Paige would let her have one, even if she was super tired.

She untied her Timberlands and placed them in the tray, not having anything else on her she walked to the metal detector and waited for the security guard to motion her through and once he did she moved to grab her boots. Not even bothering to untie them and instead pulling them on roughly.

She sat on a bench as she waited for Paige to join her, the blonde taking a longer time because of all the things she had with her. She then looked around for Carmen and quickly spotted the tall woman at a nearby Starbucks.

Evelyn sighed and swung her feet under the bench, nervously looking at the time until they had to board and gulping when she realized it was just 45 minutes away

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Carmen sat down next to her and gestured with her eyes down to her hands which were holding two coffee cups and a Red Bull.

Evelyn lit up and she quickly took the can out of Carmen’s hands. “Thanks Carrie!” The brunette cracked the top open, brought it up to her lips, about to take a sip when Paige slipped the can out of her hands.

“Nope, not today sweetpea.” 

“What?! Why not Paige? That's bullshit.” Evelyn whined and reached for the can, standing up when she couldn’t reach it while sitting down. 

“Because it’s not good for you to drink one of these, ever. Especially so early in the morning.” Paige explained, ignoring the curse for the moment as she held the can up higher as Evelyn lunged for it.

“But I’m tired and I want it!” Evelyn whined and stomped her foot on the ground, tears welling in her eyes.

Paige raised her eyebrows at Evelyn's reaction and looked to Carmen who looked at her, thoroughly amused.

“I’m sorry babe, but you can’t have it.” Paige sighed. Any other day she would have given in by now, but highly caffeinated drinks and alcohol weren’t allowed when someone was on diazepam until 24 hours after it was taken.

Carmen pulled her distressed sister into her lap, not minding the stares she was surely receiving as Paige walked over to the nearest trashcan and threw away the offending Red Bull. A very good idea on Carmen’s part because Evelyn looked about ready to tackle the blue eyed woman for her drink.

When Paige returned Evelyn had a furious expression on her face as she slouched into her sister, arms firmly crossed over her chest as she glared at Paige. “Why do you guys get two enormous coffees but I can’t have one Red Bull.”

“Because I need you to be as relaxed as possible for the plane ride and a Red Bull would have you bouncing off the walls.” Her statement was half true and Evelyn snorted, clearly annoyed. “Lets go to a store and get you some candy and snacks for the flight instead. How’s that sound?” Paige asked as Carmen handed her her coffee and stood up, Evelyn having to stand up too.

“Fine, whatever.” Evelyn grumped, looking at Paige weirdly when she held out her hand.

“There are going to be a bunch of people in this terminal right now for all the morning flights and I don’t want you getting lost.” Paige explained and smiled when Evelyn grudgingly took her hand.

They began walking towards their designated gate when a voice on the intercom came on. “Flight 776 to Newport News Virginia will be boarding in 15 minutes at gate 12.”

“That's us, let's get everything so we can board.” Paige said and quickened her pace towards the nearest store.

When they got there Evelyn immediately let go of Paige’s hand and scurried off to the chips and candy section, Paige and Carmen immediately following after her.

“One of each, alright pumpkin? I’m going to go get something for you to drink right over there.” She pointed as Evelyn nodded and grabbed a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

Paige strode over to the large refrigerators and looked through them, seeing a chocolate milk bottle with a sports cap she grabbed it and startled when Carmen appeared behind her and reached over her shoulder to grab a bottle of Fiji water.

“You know they have water on the plane, right?” Paige teased and walked with Carmen back over to Evelyn who had selected her two items, the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos along with a bag of mini Reese’s pieces cups.

“Well, that waters always warm so I want mine slightly chilled.” Carmen laughed as Paige took out her wallet and grabbed the water from her to pay for it since it would just take longer if they paid separately.

“Are we all in a row together?” Carmen asked as Paige put her debit card away and stashed Evelyn’s snacks in her purse for later.

“I believe we are,” Paige said as they began walking towards their gate. “I think that there’s a row of three on one side and two on the other.”

Carmen nodded and sipped on her coffee, digging through her jeans pocket and pulling out her phone, switching to the Delta app for her boarding pass when they heard the intercom announce that first class, parents with children, and the elderly could begin to board.

Evelyn felt a bit off as they joined the line to the plane. She couldn’t walk straight and leaned on Paige heavily for support. As they got to the front she couldn’t even think of any words to say to the boarding attendant, begrudgingly letting Paige do everything for her and following her through the long tunnel and onto the plane.

Paige tugged Evelyn to the left when they reached the door and showed the flight attendant their tickets so they could enter the first class section. They made their way to the very front of the plane, Paige ducking Evelyn’s head down so she get to the window seat. She took the middle seat for herself and Carmen sat in the aisle.

“How many hours is this flight again?” Carmen asked as she put her purse under the seat in front of her and settled back in her decently sized chair.

“Around seven.” Paige hummed and handed a goofy smiling Evelyn her iPad after unlocking it and loading a random game. 

“I’m still bummed we couldn’t take Evelyn’s jet.” Carmen sighed as a flight attendant came over and offered in flight menus, which Carmen gladly took.

“Yeah, it would have taken a shorter time and we could’ve gone in the afternoon. But, I mean, you guys are probably going to be taking it on the way back to Vegas so that’s lucky.” Paige replied and looked through the menu.

“True.” Carmen agreed as the captain announced they would be leaving shortly.

“Alright, I’m going to try and get some sleep for at least a couple hours.” Paige yawned, the coffee having already run its course and leaving her tired.

“Same here.” Carmen stretched and watched the flight attendant who was demonstrating the safety features at the front of the cabin.

As soon as the safety demonstration was over with Carmen closed her eyes and easily drifted off to sleep.

Paige peeked beside her at Evelyn who was still playing contently on her iPad. If the girl hadn’t had that sedative she’d be practically chewing her fingers off with nerves by now. But now she was content as could be, not even caring that the plane was about to take off.

“Let me know if you need anything, okay? I’m going to sleep for a couple hours.” 

Evelyn nodded and thought for a minute before speaking. “Can I watch somethin’ on Netflix?” Her words came out slow and slightly slurred as the drug took further effect on her body.

“Of course.” Paige gently took the iPad from Evelyn, going to the downloaded options then handing it back and taking the brunette’s AirPods out of her purse. She gave them to Evelyn who shakily took them and put them in her ears before tapping on Hotel Transylvania 3 and sitting back to watch it.

Paige smiled and sat back herself. Closing her eyes and falling to sleep.

Chapter Text

Evelyn was disturbed around three hours later when a flight attendant with a cart of food and drinks stopped next to their row of seats.

She peeked over at her sister and girlfriend and, seeing them both deep asleep still, she carefully took out one of her AirPods and smiled with half lidded eyes. 

Shoot, the woman was looking at her as if she'd already said something. “Sorry, what was that?” Evelyn asked as she strained to focus enough to understand what she was saying.

The woman nodded and said her sentence over again, albeit slower than the first. “Would you like anything to eat or drink today, dear?”

Evelyn let the words process in her foggy mind and bit her lip, trying to think of what the woman would have in the cart that she would want.

“Can I have some, uh, water. Please?” Evelyn asked, feeling a bit parched from the dry air on the plane.

“Of course.” The woman responded and took a bottle of water out of the cart and handed it to Evelyn. “I’ll be back for lunch orders later.” She said and went to the next line of chairs.

Evelyn frowned when she realized none of what the woman just said had registered in her head. She couldn’t even remember the words they had exchanged with each other. 

She shrugged it off and put her AirPod back in her ear. She then tried to open the cap on her water bottle. Finding that she couldn’t she huffed and dropped it on the floor before starting another episode. She then kicked off her shoes and crossed her legs on the chair as the theme song came on and she sighed, relaxing further.

——-

Paige opened her eyes, a bit dazed at first but her new found energy making itself known when she straightened up in her seat. Paige’s rustling also woke up Carmen who yawned and rubbed her eyes, taking out her phone and looking at the time. Five hours had passed and she was hungry for lunch.

Waving down the flight attendant Carmen waited for her to reach their row before speaking. “Could I have the salmon please.”

The flight attendant wrote her order down before looking at Paige. “I’ll have the salmon too," Paige added and pointed at Evelyn. "And she’ll have some chicken tenders with mashed potatoes.” 

“Will that be all?” The woman asked as she jotted the last thing down.

“Yep, thanks.” Carmen glanced down at her phone, plugging in her credit card number to gain access to the in flight WiFi to get a rental car for herself and Evelyn.

“What kind of car would Evelyn be okay with?” Carmen asked and handed the phone to Paige for her to scroll through the options.

Paige scanned the options and saw a white Maserati Levante. She clicked on it and handed the phone back to Carmen. “That’s her favorite car,” She explained. “It’s the one she uses everyday. Not even the Lamborghini has a chance against it.”

Carmen chuckled and placed her order, the car being immediately available for pickup as soon as they arrived at the airport.

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask, why didn’t you let her have that Red Bull this morning? Usually you'd cave if she begged you like she did.” Carmen looked over at her sister who had dark rings under her half-lidded eyes.

“Well,” Paige started in a hushed voice. “I put a little diazepam into her pudding cup this morning. She can’t have highly caffeinated drinks or alcohol because it’ll mess with the sedative.” 

“So that explains why she’s not throwing a fit.” 

“Yeah,” Paige sighed. “She doesn’t know that she’s drugged right now. I'm sure that if she knew she’d be absolutely furious.”

“So she can’t have any wine with dinner tonight at our parents’ house?” Carmen held her tongue from laughing because Evelyn was definitely not going to like that.

“No, don’t even let her have a sip. And don’t tell her it’s because of the drug.”

“Well, what am I supposed to tell her then?” Carmen asked and pulled her tray down when she saw their food heading their way. “It’s not like I can threaten her with a time out like you can.” She teased and thanked the flight attendant when she was handed her plate.

Paige took her lunch and Evelyn’s and put them on her tray. She waited for the flight attendant to leave before responding. “Just tell her it’ll mess with her sleep tonight and that if she doesn’t listen to you I’ll have a few words for her.”

Carmen nodded and picked up her fork and knife, quickly digging in.

Paige set her food aside and cut up Evelyn’s chicken before she tapped her shoulder. The brunette took a second to look up from the show she was watching, and upon seeing Paige she beamed before pausing the show and taking out her AirPods.

“You hungry?” Paige asked and went to open Evelyn’s tray when she saw the discarded water bottle on the floor with a few dents in it. “Where’d this come from sweetheart?”

Evelyn nodded at Paige’s first question but frowned at the second. “I couldn’ open it.'' She responded simply and went to grab a piece of chicken with her fingers but was stopped by Paige.

“We’ve been in a dirty airport all day, Evs. I don’t want you catching something.” Paige handed the brunette a fork, putting a napkin in her lap as well.

Evelyn sighed and clumsily speared a piece of chicken on her fork, her hand shaking as she brought the bite to her mouth. But before she could bring it close enough it fell off her fork and into the napkin between her crossed legs.

Before Paige could act Evelyn sniffled and began to cry. Salty tears rolled down her face as she dropped the fork she was holding and buried her face in her hands.

Paige looked at her surprised before mentally facepalming. Of course the brunette wouldn’t be able to feed herself. The girl was clearly partially in her headspace, and paired with the powerful sedative in her system there was no way that she’d be able to do the simple task by herself.

“Aw, princess, don’t cry. I shouldn’t have given you the fork in the first place, it’s my fault.” Paige said in a hushed voice as she took the napkin with the chicken in it and rolled it up to dispose of later. 

Evelyn continued to cry, wiping her eyes on the back of her sleeve as she whined in discomfort, the sleeve only serving to irritate her already sore eyes.

“What’s up with her?” Asked Carmen, mouth full as she stared curiously at her sister.

“She’s clumsy right now since she’s little and the other thing. She got upset because she dropped a piece of chicken.” Paige dug through her purse for the chocolate milk she had bought earlier. “Hopefully I can coax her to eat something before we land because lord knows she won’t be eating healthy this week. She’ll probably be guzzling soda by the gallon.”

Carmen snorted and elbowed Paige softly, though she didn’t say anything because she knew what the blonde was saying was the truth.

“Alright bug, if you eat half this plate I’ll give you some chocolate milk and I’ll also give Carmen your other snacks for later.” Paige compromised, smiling when Evelyn looked up, tears still making their way down her face but Paige knew they were more from her tiredness at this point rather than actual frustration.

The smaller girl sniffled one more time before opening her mouth and waiting for Paige to feed her. Paige happily obliged and scooped up a small bite of potatoes first, slipping it in Evelyn’s mouth and then taking a bite of her own food.

Evelyn ate slowly, her jaw lax as she chewed and swallowed each bite. Normally, Evelyn could have eaten the whole plate and then some, but this time barely she got through half before shutting her mouth and refusing the next fork full.

“Full already, babe?” 

Evelyn nodded and reached for the chocolate milk on Paige’s tray but stopped when Paige tutted at her. At that Evelyn ceased her reaching for the drink and sat back again, waiting for what Paige had to say.

“Only drink half, alright? You didn't eat a lot of your lunch today so I think that much will be plenty.” Paige ripped off the safety seal on the bottle and handed it to Evelyn who processed the words said to her before nodding.

Evelyn mewled contently at the sports cap on the milk. It reminded her of one of her bottles at home since she had to suck on it in order for milk to come out. She put her AirPods back into her ears and resumed her episode, curling into her chair as she watched the animated characters move around.

“So, is there anything about Little Evelyn that I should know of?” Carmen asked and sipped from a glass of wine that Paige hadn’t even noticed came with their lunch order.

“Oh, right, you'll probably have to look after her a bit.” Paige hummed and tapped her chin in though. "Well, first and foremost, make sure she's wearing a pull-up whenever she's going to bed, little or big. As you probably already are aware of she has problems holding it when she's sleeping. Doesn't matter is she's little or not.”

Carmen nodded. "I'll be sure to look out for that."

"Another thing you should look out for is her finger sucking. She's been doing it more often lately and while its cute, its certainly not good for her teeth in th long run. Either switch it for a pacifier if you're in a private place or nudge her so she'll stop." Paige said then pulled a face. "Also, how are you drinking this stuff? It tastes awful.” 

Carmen gulped down the last of her wine. “Alcohol is alcohol, I’ll take what I can get. Anyways, is there a certain way Evelyn falls into headspace that I should avoid around our family?”

Paige hummed at that question and crossed her legs. “Usually she falls into her headspace from either a trigger or when she’s tired or frightened into it. An example of a trigger is a kids show or movie,” Paige said and gestured over at Evelyn who was still watching Sofia the First happily. “Or by seeing her little items such as her pacifier and stuffed animals. When she’s tired she almost always falls into headspace, especially in the mornings. At night it's debatable.”

Carmen nodded at the information and brushed imaginary sweat off her head jokingly. “Whew! There sure are a lot of things that can make my sister go from 28 to two in an instant. So what happens if she happens to fall into headspace while we’re together, what should I do?”

“You’ve seen her in headspace a couple times, just treat her like you normally would. If it happens when you’re near the family just find somewhere private to unwind for a bit until she’s ready to be big again.” Paige said and glanced at Carmen when she grabbed her wine she had just set down and drank it in one go. “You’re driving, right?” 

“Yep.” Carmen said, popping the “P” and giving her a thumbs up. “Don’t worry, I doubt there’s enough alcohol in this to make me drunk.”

Paige nodded and pulled out her phone, looking at her email she saw one addressed “Welcome home!” and she opened it. The email contained information about what her family would be doing that week, and how Paige’s parents were going to pick her up from the airport themselves.

“Did your parents offer to pick you guys up?” 

“Nah, they don’t do that kind of stuff with us.” Carmen replied. “But I do know that we’re the last ones arriving at our house. The rest of the family arrived yesterday.”

“Really? Why didn’t you guys leave yesterday then?” Paige asked, the news surprising her since Evelyn hadn’t mentioned it.

“Yeah, Ev wanted to be with you for another day and she refused to go on this plane without you.” Carmen hummed, the intercom coming on to announce that they were going to land a half hour earlier than scheduled and that the flight attendants should get the cabin ready for arrival.

“Oh.” Paige leaned over to give Evelyn a kiss on her cheek, chuckling a bit when the brunette smiled lopsidedly.

As the plane landed Paige texted her parents that she just landed in Virginia and that she had a layover for three hours. She also took the time to call her worrywart of a brother to assure him that she was fine and that the plane didn’t blow up.

The plane was slowly taxied to the gate and finally finally the seatbelt sign went off and everybody got up to collect their bags from the overhead compartments.

Paige shut her phone off and stuffed it in her pocket before turning to Evelyn who looked like she didn’t even notice that they had landed. Paige tapped her shoulder and when Evelyn slowly turned around she carefully took her AirPods out of her ears and popped them back into their case and into her purse, doing the same with the iPad. 

Evelyn didn’t seem to mind and instead put her feet back down onto the ground and tried to pull on her boots like she remembered doing earlier. Though the tight fit into her already tied shoes was way too hard for someone in her state to bypass so she gave up and tugged on Paige’s sleeve for her to help her.

“One second Evy,” Paige responded, double checking that she had everything that she originally had when they had first boarded the plane. “What is it honey?” 

“My shoes,” Evelyn racked her cloudy brain for what she wanted to say. “Won’ come on.” She said, grinning somewhat proudly at herself for remembering the words.

Paige leaned down and quickly saw the problem. “That's because you have to untie them before you put them on silly.” The blonde said as she untied the double knot that was there and slipped the shoe on Evelyn’s socked foot. Doing the same with the other and tieing both back up before standing and holding a hand out.

By this point they were the last ones in the first class cabin and the rest of the people on the plane were filtering out. The flight attendants flashed pearly smiles at them as they got out and chorused a “Hope to see you soon!” as they got off the plane. Paige wondered for a second how they could be so chipper after serving passengers all day.

“I’m going to head to the bathroom.” Carmen said as they were walking down the terminal towards baggage claim.

“We’ll be over here.” Paige replied and led Evelyn to lean on a wall next to the women’s restroom, holding her hand tightly as she felt that Evelyn wasn’t holding on to her at all.

“You’ve got to be good for Carmen, okay Ev?” Paige told Evelyn who was humming random notes of a song and swaying side to side.

“Mhm.” Evelyn leaned up to give Paige a sloppy kiss on her cheek. “I’ll be the bes’, don’ worry Mommy.” She offered Paige a small grin which Paige reciprocated and rubbed the back of Evelyn’s hand with her thumb.

“I didn’t have any doubts.” Paige mumbled, more to herself than to Evelyn.

A couple minutes later Carmen came out of the bathroom and clapped her hands. “Okay! Is your flight leaving from this terminal or do you have to switch?” She asked as they continued walking towards the exit.

“I have to switch, only American Airlines goes from here to Cape Cod. I couldn’t find any Delta flights.” Paige said as they stopped in front of big exit doors to the outside of the airport. “But I’ve got three hours to kill anyway so it's not that big of a deal.”

She peered down at Evelyn who was clutching her arm with tears in her eyes when she realized that they were at the exit.

“You’ll be alright sweetheart.” Paige cooed and pet the brunette’s soft hair with her hand. “You have Carmen and I’m only a phone call away.”

Paige’s soothing words did nothing to pacify Evelyn and the girl stuffed her face into Paige’s neck. “Please don’ leave.” Evelyn whispered and inhaled Paige’s shirt which smelled vaguely of coconut and lavender.

“I’m sorry pumpkin, I really am, but I have to go see my family and you have to go see yours.” Paige said sadly and handed Carmen her purse as she continued to hug Evelyn. “Here, her phone, passport, I.D, iPad, house keys, the G-Wagon keys, and snacks are in there. There’s also a teething ring for her.”

Carmen looked perplexed as she took Paige’s bag and proceeded to move all of Evelyn’s things to her own. “Why’s the teething ring in your purse and not in her suitcase?” 

“Well, the thing I gave her may make her teeth hurt while she’s in the car. That's why it's recommended to not go in a moving vehicle for 24 hours after it's administered but chewing on something squishy is supposed to help with that. I don’t want her chewing gum while she's like this, so that's the next best thing.” Paige explained and rocked back and forth in an attempt to soothe the teary eyed girl.

“Please Mommy, stay here with us.” Evelyn pleaded, gripping on the back of Paige’s shirt tighter. “I’ll be really good.”

Paige’s heart clenched and she brought her out to arms length, pressing their foreheads together.

“I’m not leaving because you’re a bad girl, Evelyn. You’re the best girl I could ever ask for. Mommy loves you so much.” Paige said and gave a long kiss to Evelyn’s nose. “But I’ve got to leave now, and you have to go with Carmen.” She said and squeezed the slouching girl one more time before motioning for Carmen to take Evelyn’s hand.

Evelyn whined loudly and gripped Paige’s hand as tightly as she could as Carmen gently steered her towards the door.

“Bye baby,” Paige kissed Evelyn one more time before gently prying her fingers off, the girl's weakened state making it quite easy for her to do so. “I love you.” Paige smiled sadly, waving as Carmen pulled Evelyn out the door.

Carmen curled her fingers in the shape of a phone and shook them to signal to call later and Paige nodded as she watched her precious girlfriend being taken unwillingly from her.

When the doors closed behind the pair Paige let out a shaky sigh and started walking to the nearest kiosk to look for directions to change terminals.

Chapter Text

Evelyn wanted to sob after she couldn’t see Paige anymore. At the very least she wished that she could express her feelings in some way, but she was too tired and couldn’t think straight enough to do that. So she just let Carmen pull her to the baggage claim.

“I know you didn’t want to leave Paige,” Carmen said as they stood next to the spinning carousel to wait for their bags to come out. “But we’ll have a ton of fun, I promise.”

Evelyn nodded and rubbed her eyes, wishing that she could be in bed snuggling Jappy instead of in a crowded airport.

“Let’s see if you can skip the nap today alright? We have a three hour time change to deal with.” Carmen mused as she saw her red suitcase roll by. She grabbed it and placed it next to them.

“How many hours... Changed?” Evelyn slurred, her tiredness catching up to her, that and the still working sedative doing numbers on her speech.

“Three hours forward.” Carmen said slowly and ruffled Evelyn’s hair as she grabbed the girl’s smaller black suitcase and put it with her own.

Evelyn stared blankly ahead and nodded, her eyes glazing over more and having an almost milky color to them.

Carmen looked at her, concerned about the girl’s physical state. But, if Paige said it was fine then she was sure it was. She decided that it was probably just part of the drug and would go away eventually.

They waited another five minutes before the whiskey eyed girl’s second bag came around.

“Do you think you can take your small suitcase and walk by yourself?” Carmen worried as she slung her purse over her shoulder and took the two larger suitcases, one in each hand.

Evelyn jumped a bit when Carmen spoke to her but nodded, stumbling a bit before righting herself and taking her small suitcase and glancing at Carmen for instruction.

“Follow close behind me, alright? We have to go to the next building over to get the rental car.” Carmen started slowly walking to the main doors, making sure to look behind her every couple seconds to make sure that Evelyn hadn’t suddenly passed out on the floor.

Walking over to the rental car station took longer than it usually would have but they weren’t in any rush to get to their parents house anyways.

They wandered in and were immediately greeted by a brightly smiling man in a black suit behind the counter.

Carmen smiled back and instructed Evelyn to stand by the entrance while she filled out all the necessary paperwork.

“Hello.” The man greeted politely. “May I have your name and driver’s license please?”

Carmen nodded and dug through her purse to get her and Evelyn’s driver’s licenses. She handed both to the man. “We’re both going to be driving, my sister’s just a little tired from the trip over.” She explained as he typed something on his computer before handing the cards back.

“Alright, so I’ve got a 2018 White Maserati Levante under the names of Carmen and Evelyn Woodford which will be returned in six days?” He took out another piece of paper for her to sign.

“That’s correct.” Carmen signed the slip, sliding it back over to the man and watching him hand a set of keys to a guy behind them who took them and opened a back door.

“He’ll have that out for you in a couple minutes, enjoy your day.” He said and typed a few more things into his computer as he waved goodbye.

“You too.” Carmen answered and went back over to Evelyn who was sucking on her shirt collar and looking at her feet.

“We’ve got about a 45 minute drive to Mom and Dad’s, want to sit in the front or the back?” Carmen asked as they went back outside into the cool Virginia air.

“Fron’.” Evelyn said and grinned slightly when she saw her favorite car pull up in front of them. The homey feeling settled what was left of her nerves as the man inside jumped out and offered to put their bags into the back which Carmen agreed to as she opened the side door and helped Evelyn in.

Fishing a 20 dollar bill out of her pocket she handed it through the window to the man who had driven the car out who in turn tipped his hat politely and thanked her before going back inside.

“Want to stop for smoothies?” Carmen asked as she turned the engine on and pulled out theparking lot. “We can go to the place in Williamsburg.”

Evelyn shook her head and suddenly clapped both hands over her mouth as the merged onto the highway, squeaking in discomfort as the pain increased with every bump. It felt like her teeth were suddenly a thousand pounds heavier and were trying to pull her face onto the ground as the car sped along.

Carmen looked over and realized what was wrong, glad that Paige gave her a heads up about the side effects of the drug that was in her sister's system.

“Paige packed a teething ring in my purse for you, she said it would help with the pain.” Carmen explained as familiar landscapes flew by outside.

Evelyn let go of her mouth and scrambled to get the ring out of Carmen’s purse. Not even thinking clear enough to realize that Paige knew she was going to have pain for whatever reason. She just wanted the pain to stop, NOW.

Her fingers shook as tears flooded her eyes and made it hard for her to see as she dug through Carmen’s large purse. Her mouth was on fire and it felt like her gums were bleeding, easily some of the worst pain she had been in in her life.

As soon as she felt the familiar material of the teething ring she pulled it out and stuffed it in her mouth, chewing on the squishy material and sighing when the pain lessened significantly.

“Did it really hurt that much?” Carmen asked, a bit surprised at the logic of how the drug made her mouth hurt in a car but not a plane.

Evelyn didn’t answer but continued to gnaw on the ring, stopping even for a couple of seconds made the pain come back and she didn’t want that to happen.

“I wonder who we’ll be rooming with,” Carmen thought out loud, tapping the steering wheel. “And what room we’ll be staying in. I hope it's mine.”

Carmen’s room was the second largest bedroom in the house after the master. It was almost a whole wing of the top floor and had two sides. One, basically a living room with a sofa and sofa bed, T.V, and minifridge. The second a huge connecting room with a California king and a full sized bathroom. 

Though she probably should have been Evelyn had never been jealous of that room. The thought of having a such huge room and staying by herself scared her through her childhood. So, instead, she took a smaller room on the opposite side of the house. But she oftentimes had slept with her big sister in her bed before she had gone off to college.

Evelyn couldn’t even count the nights she had spent crying when Carmen had left home. It felt so lonely and sterile without her around. She had eventually gotten used to it when she was around 17 but the trauma stuck with her for quite some time.

-----

Half an hour later they reached Williamsburg. Carmen parked in front of the promised smoothie shop and stepped on the parking brake. “What kind of smoothie do you want cupcake?” Carmen asked Evelyn who cautiously took the ring out of her mouth and after not feeling any pain answered.

“Straw’erry and ‘nana please.”

“Okay, I’ll be back in a jiff.” Carmen responded and jogged towards the front of the shop, glad that the lunch rush of all the tourists visiting for Thanksgiving break had ended and that the shop was empty.

This was Carmen’s favorite smoothie shop in the whole world. As a teenagaer she often stopped at their after tennis practice and would get two smoothies, one for her and one for Evelyn. Evelyn would always get a strawberry banana smoothie, refusing to have anything else since she enjoyed it so much.

The black haired woman was pleasantly surprised when she saw the store owner at the counter. The older woman had known them for years and when they were little would give them a free cookie everytime they came in.

“Hey Sal,” Carmen greeted as she leaned in to give the grey haired woman a kiss on the side of her cheek. “How've you been?”

“I’ve been doing lovely, Carmen. How have you and your darling little sister been?” The nice woman asked as she began taking out the ingredients for Evelyn’s order.

“We’ve been great, Evs is in the car, her partner gave her a pretty strong sedative this morning so she wouldn’t go crazy on the flight over. While that was nice at the time it's still in her and’s making her drowsy.” 

“Poor Evelyn, if you get the chance, come by again with her and say hello.” She said as she finished Evelyn’s drink and placed it on the counter. “Now, what flavor would you like today?” The woman asked, knowing it was going to be something strange since Carmen rarely ordered the same thing twice.

“Hmmm,” Carmen thought. “I’ll have a mango passionfruit combo, with coconut milk, and dragon fruit seeds.”

“Coming right up.” Sal took out the containers of the requested fruits. “Are you all staying with your parents for Thanksgiving or one of the resorts?”

“Our parents,” Carmen sighed as she got out her wallet. “They insisted we stay at our old house this year for whatever reason. Evelyn’s not happy about it, as you would expect.” Sal knew about the relationship they had with their parents since Evelyn would hide at the smoothie shop when their mother was in a rage.

“I see,” Sal said as she put the plopped the fruit into the blender and turned it on. “Well, I hope for the best for you two. You’re always welcome here.”

“Thank you,” Carmen placed a 50 on the counter. “Have a great Thanksgiving, we’ll stop by before we leave for Vegas again.” She said as she started walking to the door with both smoothies in one hand.

“The same to you!” Sal called as Carmen reached the door and went through it, casting one last smile behind her before going back to the car and climbing in.

“Alright Evs, 15 minutes till we get there.” Carmen warned and waited for Evelyn to start chewing on her teething ring again before buckling her seatbelt and driving off.

Seeing the familiar houses on their home's street Evelyn started shaking a bit, she calmed when Carmen put a hand on her thigh but her leg still twitched with nervous energy. Even with a strong drug in her body to make her relax she had a hard time doing so, which showed the amount of fear she had for being at their parent’s house.

“It’s just six days,” Carmen soothed as she pulled into the driveway of their parents’ large estate. “We’ll have a bunch of fun and I’ll be with you the entire time, remember?”

She parked the Maserati beside four other vehicles and held out her hand to Evelyn who took it, biting her teething ring more harshly because of her nerves. “We’ve got this.” Carmen whispered as she grabbed her purse and turned off the ignition.

With that Evelyn nodded and put her teething ring back into Carmen’s purse and tried to take a few deep breaths as her big sister let go of her hand to go around and open the passenger door for her.

She grabbed her smoothie before she climbed out and put her hand on the car for support as she walked to the trunk to gather her things. She used all her weakened strength to pull her suitcase out of the trunk and onto the ground.

Carmen smiled at her reassuringly before she started heading towards the front of the house, taking a few trips up the stairs to the door to get all three suitcases up and on the fourth she once again took Evelyn’s hand and helped her slowly walk up the stairs.

Flashing one more smile at her apprehensive sister she rubbed her knuckles, and rang the doorbell.

Chapter Text

Evelyn and Carmen heard shouting from the inside and a minute later the door was swung open by their dad. But, upon closer inspection, it was actually their uncle Ted, their dad's identical twin brother. The thing that gave him away was his attire. Their dad usually wore suits or semi-formal clothing while his brother was almost always in loose jeans and t-shirts.

“Hey girls!” Their uncle boomed cheerfully and stepped outside to give them hugs. 

“Hey uncle T.” Carmen returned the embrace, glancing over at Evelyn who was smiling the best she could.

“Let me help you with those.” Ted took all three suitcases inside and put them in the mud room for them to grab later.

“They’re here!” He called as they followed him into the kitchen, Evelyn pressing into Carmen’s back the whole time.

When they entered the kitchen Carmen and Evelyn were surprised to see everybody who was invited. Their mother’s older brother Ethan with his wife Lisa, their kids Ashlyn, Erina and Jeremy, their father’s older sister Haily with her daughter Blake, both pairs of grandparents, their parents, and Ted.

“Wow, everyones here.” Carmen said and placed her purse down onto the counter to go greet their parents hello.

“Yeah they all arrived yesterday, isn’t that something.” Liam opened his arms for his eldest daughter who gladly accepted it, though she only used one arm as the other was occupied.

“How are you, Evelyn?” Liam asked gently as he noticed her hovering behind Carmen, still gripping her hand tightly.

“Fine Daddy.” Evelyn whispered and went in for a hug when Carmen moved away, chancing a look over at her mother and shutting her eyes when Lauren stared at her. “Jus’ had a long day.” The brunette said before stepping away and hiding behind Carmen again.

“I see,” Liam hummed. “Well, why don’t you say hi to the rest of the family. I know you haven’t seen your cousins in a while.” 

First came Lauren’s brother Ethan with his wife and kids. Evelyn didn’t care for them because they were kind of mean and stuck up. They always treated her like she was inferior to them since they were older. Which didn’t make much sense.

“Hi Aunt Lisa and Uncle Ethan.” Carmen greeted and stepped forward, hugging them and her cousins before nudging Evelyn to do the same.

“H-hi.” Evelyn stuttered and hugged them stiffly. Both Ethan and Lisa were much like her mother in the way of affection and personality. Both of them looked like they belonged in a golf club with celebrities 24/7 and had an air of superiority to them.

Moving over to her cousins next she started with Jeremy, her eldest cousin who had huge bulging muscles, horrible tan lines and bleach blonde hair. He took her under his arm and ruffled her hair.

“Hey little cuz.” He greeted after Evelyn’s hair was frizzed and the brunette was fairly dizzy. “Haven’t seen you since last year.”

“Yeah.” Evelyn mumbled and tiredly went over to hug Ashlyn and Erina, both women were in their mid thirties but were rocking long hair extensions. Theywere more of teenage girls than anything else. They both looked up from their phones for enough time just to send Evelyn tight-lipped smiles before immediately looking down again, not even bothering to hug her.

Next to come up was their Aunt Haily who brought both sisters into a hug and squeezed. “It’s been way too long since we last got together. I’m so sorry we couldn’t make it to your birthday celebration Evelyn, we really tried but our dog passed away the day before we were set to leave.” She smiled kidnly and moved over to let Blake greet them.

“Hey Evelyn, Carmen, I’ve missed you guys.” Blake, a sweet looking woman who was only a little more than a year older than Carmen, leaned forward to give each of them a hug. She had shoulder length brown hair and grey eyes, she was also well toned and had a silky smooth voice.

Last but not least were her four grandparents. Once again Lauren’s parents, Edna and Tom, were stiff and unmoving while Liam’s, Avery and Richard, were fun and loving. Their grandmother Avery even gave Evelyn a butterscotch candy from out of her pocket.

Lauren coughed so the attention would be turned to her. “Since we're all here now, let’s go over the plan for the next few days.” She said as she swirled her glass of wine and waited for everybody to quiet down.

“Today, we will just relax and have dinner together at 7:00 P.M. Tomorrow, we will get the turkey and other freezables ready to eat. And on Thanksgiving Day we will prepare everything. After that everybody is free to leave if they so please.” Lauren explained as the rest of the family nodded along with her instructions.

When Lauren finished talking everybody went back to what they were doing. Liam joined Carmen and Evelyn who were standing together with Evelyn leaning on Carmen heavily.

“I believe you two are staying in Carmen’s room with Blake.” 

“Cool.” Carmen said, pleased with the arrangements since she could keep an eye on Evelyn and that they didn’t get stuck with their obnoxious cousins from their mother’s side of the family.

“Hey Ted!” Liam called and waved for his brother to come over, which he did.

“What's up Liam?” Ted waved back and sent a white smile towards Evelyn who shied away behind Carmen slightly at the attention.

Liam gestured for them to follow him as he walked back to the mud room. “Help me carry one of these upstairs will you?” He said as he took Carmen's suitcase and gestured to Evelyn's large white one which Ted grabbed.

Carmen picked up Evelyn’s smaller suitcase with the arm that her sister wasn’t gripping onto and followed their father and uncle up the stairs to her old bedroom.

“My God Carmen, what’s in here.” Their father grunted as he tugged her bag up the tall staircase.

“You know, the essentials.” Carmen chuckled as she easily carried Evelyn’s small suitcase with one hand. “I’m surprised you’re not complaining Uncle T, knowing Evelyn there’s probably more shoes in there than clothes.” 

Ted laughed as well and cracked his back once they reached the top of the landing. “I was always stronger than Liam over there.” He wiped his forehead and looked at his brother who was huffing and puffing.

“Whatever Ted.” Liam said, breathing deeply and bending over at his waist to catch his breath. “I had better grades anyway.”

Ted snorted a bit and continued to Carmen’s room. Without his wife around their father was a goofy kind of guy, dad jokes and all. Especially around his brother who brought out a different side of him that his daughters rarely saw.

“Here we are girls.” Liam said and pushed Carmen’s door open and walked inside. “Just as you left it after you got that job in Vegas, though we have gotten it cleaned since then.”

Carmen walked in and a wave of nostalgia hit her. Her room was just as she remembered it though the far couch was pulled out into its bed form and Blake’s stuff was in her suitcase on the floor.

“Wow, it feels nice to be here.” Carmen pulled Evelyn in and sat her on the couch as she looked around.

“Well, we’ll leave you guys to it. Come downstairs later and we can play Xbox together before dinner alright squirt?” Ted called to Evelyn and left the room with their father following shortly after him.

“Ahhh.” Carmen sighed after she had locked the door and plopped down next to Evelyn on the sofa, wrapping an arm around her. “How do you feel? Does your mouth still hurt?”

“I’m fine. The pain’s gone as soon as the... Stopped moving.” Evelyn slurred and layed her head on Carmen’s shoulder.

“Nope, can’t be falling asleep on me Evy, we’ll go to bed a bit earlier than usual but we have to get used to the time change. How about a T.V show to keep you up?” Carmen grabbed the remote to the large flatscreen in her room.

“Fine.” Evelyn grumbled and pointed to her suitcase. “Jappy?”

Carmen got up to retrieve the item. She shifted through blankets and pajamas and more of Evelyn’s little things before finding a stuffed dog. “That’s the plush right?” Carmen clarified as she held up a blanket in one hand and the dog in the other.

Evelyn nodded and played with her fingers absently as she waited for Carmen to return

Carmen smiled at the nod and also brought the T-Rex blanket along and handed both of them to Evelyn. “When’d you get that stuffed animal anyways?” 

Evelyn shrugged. “Birthday. Maybe?” The truth was that Paige had given the dog to her for her 24th birthday when they had started dating. Evelyn was just too tired to remember the exact details at the moment.

Carmen hummed and clicked on Netflix, knowing Evelyn enjoyed the shows on there the most. “What do you feel like watching sis?” The black haired woman asked as she scrolled through the options.

“Angry Birds ?” Evelyn yawned and rubbed her blanket on her face while the other gripped Jappy.

“Sure.” Carmen thumbed to the title. “I’m going to go take a quick shower, alright?” She said and went over to her suitcase to grab a change of clothes.

Evelyn whimpered a bit at the loss of contact and showed it by kicking her legs on the couch.

Carmen chuckled at the girl's cute reaction and went back over to crouch in front of her. “I’ll be done in 30 minutes, don’t open the door unless it’s Blake okay?” She had a feeling that Evelyn was on the borderline of being little and didn’t want anybody else seeing her that way since she would probably freak out. Blake was a safe bet since she was probably going to find out sooner or later that Evelyn was a Little since she was going to be in the same room as them for a couple days.

“Call me if there’s an emergency, your smoothie is in the mini fridge if you get thirsty. Need to go to the bathroom before I go?” She reached over to rifle through her bag for Evelyn’s phone, just in case. She also noticed that the girl hadn’t gone to the bathroom once since she got to the airport. Even though Evelyn had barely drank a thing all day, minus the miniscule amount of chocolate milk Paige had given her after lunch, it still made sense for her to need to go after that much time had passed.

Evelyn shook her head no as she chewed on her collar and looked down at her phone when Carmen placed it on the couch next to her.

“Okay, have fun.” Carmen ruffled the brunette’s hair before walking off to the bathroom and starting her shower.

——-

Paige sighed as she settled down into her chair on her second flight of the day. This time with no one to keep her company. 

She had spent half an hour changing terminals and two more hours sitting in a small restaurant by her gate. After eating a small plate of salad she had read a book while she waited.

Carmen had texted her an hour ago that they had arrived home and that Evelyn was doing fine, still a bit groggy and clumsy, but that her mouth did hurt a lot in the car until she had gotten the teething ring out.

Paige contemplated if she should call Evelyn before taking off but she figured she could wait until bedtime before talking to the girl. She wanted to give her time so that the drug could wear off so they could have a conversation that the brunette could understand and respond to.

Hearing the flight attendant announce they were going to depart soon she turned her phone onto airplane mood.

As she was about to turn her phone completely off to exchange it for her laptop she saw her home screen and smiled, remembering the day she had taken that certain picture.

It was a picture of Evelyn grinning widely at her while she hugged her stuffed dog to her chest. Vanilla frosting on her nose and one of her cheeks from a piece of leftover cake from her birthday party. The girl was wearing an adorable onesie which looked like a fuzzy whale, tail included, and just looked so happy. It made Paige’s heart melt every time she saw it.

She stared at it for a minute more as the plane got ready to take off before peeling her eyes away from it and looking out the window, already missing Evelyn even though it’d only been a few hours. 

It was going to be a long week.

Chapter Text

Just as Evelyn was beginning to nod off a freshly showered Carmen came up behind her and started tickling her, causing the shorter girl to screech and squirm with laughter, begging for her to stop and huffing once she did.

“Don’t. Do that. Ever. Again.” Evelyn panted and collapsed on her back, slinging an arm over her forehead and breathing heavily.

Carmen flexed her fingers. “Well, if I catch you falling asleep before bedtime I’ll just have to mercilessly tickle you each time.” 

“I’ll tell Paige.” Evelyn threatened under her breath and pouted dramatically.

“You're such a party pooper.” Carmen laughed and sat down as some red bird on the screen with huge eyebrows screamed at a fat black one. “After this we’re going to go downstairs and hang with the rest of the family, ‘kay?”

Carmen pulled out her phone to inform Paige that Evelyn’s speech had improved drastically in the past half hour. She also told her that the girl hadn’t gone to the bathroom at all and asked if she should be worried about that or not.

“Fine, I’ll play Xbox with Uncle Ted, Mortal Kombat probably. I haven’t been allowed to play that in a while.” Evelyn said excitedly and bounced a bit. For the past few weeks Paige hadn’t let her play the game at all because she said it was “Bad for stress”.

“Your mommy lets you play that, right? I don’t want her coming after me if her precious little girl plays some bloody action game.” Carmen teased a bit and nudged Evelyn who’s face and ears turned pink at the statement.

“I’m big Carmen, I can do what I fucking want.” Evelyn grumbled and nudged her back. “It’s not like she’d find out?” The brunette stated, though it more like a question than anything else.

Carmen shrugged. “I don’t know Evelyn, will she?” Of course, Carmen was only teasing. There was no way Paige would know unless somebody told her directly.

Evelyn side eyed her and nervously bit the tip of her thumbnail as she brought her legs underneath her and held her blanket and Jappy to her chest. 

The green eyed woman booped Evelyn’s nose. “I’m just joking, cupcake, don’t worry. She won’t know unless we tell her.” 

Evelyn let out a sigh of relief but frowned when she turned back to look at the T.V and realized that the movie had ended. The credits were rolling on the screen and she grudgingly stood up. She took a step forward she almost fell flat on her face but Carmen caught the back of her sweats before that could happen.

“Careful there, clumsy.” Carmen said as she straightened up with the girl and helped her right herself. 

Evelyn nodded. “I don’t know why but I’m having trouble moving.” She glanced down at her legs which were buckling slightly, her eyebrows furrowing with annoyance.

“From the long plane ride?” Carmen covered as she closed Evelyn’s little suitcase and locked it so no prying eyes would see anything in it.

“Yeah, probably,” Evelyn yawned and fell to her knees, drearily rubbing her eyes with her blanket. “I’m so tired.”

Carmen hummed sympathetically and glanced at her watch which read 3:30 P.M instead of 12:30 P.M because of the time change.

“How about we go get something to eat, hmm? It's snacktime back home and you must be starving.” Carmen asked as she helped Evelyn stand up and watched the girl shuffle to the door with her blanket and dog still in her arms.

Carmen held the door closed and tilted her head towards her bed, speaking softly. “How about we leave those things here for bedtime, Evs.”

Evelyn teared up a bit as she squeezed her comfort items which had kept her relaxed since they had reached their house. But she complied and shuffled over to Carmen’s bed and placed them on it. She waved sadly at them before following her sister out the door and down the hallway.

“Want to hold my hand while we walk down?” Carmen offered. If the girl could barely move around she doubted that she could go down the stairs without falling.

“Yes, please.” Evelyn grasped Carmen’s hand in her own as she put both feet on each step and prayed she wouldn’t trip.

“Any idea what you want to eat? We could go to the store if you want something specific.” Carmen asked as she patiently waited for Evelyn to walk down the stairs.

“Let’s check the kitchen first. I really want some mac and cheese right now.” Evelyn let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as they finally made it to the landing and she was on her own two feet again.

“Sounds good to me.” 

They walked to the kitchen to see Blake and her mom already in there eating sandwiches at the marble island.

Haily watched the pair walk in. “Hey guys, we were wondering when you would come down.”

“Yeah, I had to take a shower. It took longer than planned.” Carmen chuckled as she went to the pantry to see if there parents had a box of mac and cheese. Finding none, as she had anticipated, she turned back to Evelyn and shrugged her shoulders apologetically.

“We don’t have any, what else can I make for you?” Carmen asked as Evelyn took a seat next to Haily and put her head onto the cool surface.

“I ‘unno I just want cheesy pasta.” Since she was facedown on the countertop her voice was muffled slightly. 

“How about we run to the store then. I’ll grab my bag, be back in a minute.” Normally she wouldn’t go out for such a small thing but she wanted to stock the mini fridge in their room and Paige had mentioned at some point in time that Evelyn had been a picky eater lately. So she would have to get some snacks in the off chance that Evelyn would refuse a meal.

“You have such a sweet sister. I don’t think either of my brothers would go out just to get me something for lunch.” Haily laughed as she stared at the girl laying on the countertop amusedly.

Evelyn picked her head up off the table and smiled at her aunt. “Yeah, she’s pretty cool isn’t she.”

“This is why I always wanted a sibling.” Blake nudged her mom who snorted and shook her head.

“Well, you’re 36 now, have a kid and pair that with being a single mom. You won’t want a second, believe me.” Haily said and patted her daughter's head before turning to look at Evelyn again. “Speaking of that, Evelyn, do you want to have kids? You’re still pretty young now but I mean in the future.”

“Uhm,” Evelyn said as she thought about it. “I think I’m fine at the moment. I work 70 or 80 hours a week so I wouldn’t have time. And I wouldn’t want Paige to look oafter it alone at home everyday.”

“Makes sense.” Haily hummed as Carmen walked back into the room with her purse and stood next to Evelyn to signal that she was ready to go.

“We’ll be back soon. Blake, I’m stocking up on drinks for the mini fridge. Is there anything you want?” Carmen asked as she helped Evelyn off the stool.

“Just grab me some beer, anything you like I’ll be fine with.” Blake raised her eyebrows as she watched Evelyn clearly struggle to put the boots that Carmen had brought with her on.

“Good thinking.” Carmen smiled and bent down to help Evelyn with her shoes. The brunette blushed at the assistance but didn’t say anything as Carmen tugged each boot on with ease.

“If anybody asks, we're at the grocery store.” 

“And that Uncle Ted had better watch out ‘cause I’m gonna beat his ass at Mortal Kombat when I get back!” Evelyn called as they left.

“Such peculiar girls, those two.” Haily laughed as she got up to clean up their lunch dishes.

“They sure are.” 

-------

“Want your ring for the ride over?” Carmen asked as she unlocked the car and got in on the driver's side.

“Nah,” Evelyn buckled her seatbelt clumsily, missing the little slot the seatbelt had to clip into a couple times. “I think it was a one time thing. It’s never happened before.”

“If you’re sure,” Carmen responded as she started backing up. “But if your mouth does happen to hurt, it’s still in the right pocket of my purse.”

Evelyn waved her off as she turned on her heated seat. But as soon as they got past 40 miles per hour the girl screeched and kicked both feet onto the dashboard in pain.

“My lord that hurts!” Evelyn tore through Carmen’s bag for the teething ring. “What the fuck is making my teeth hurt this damn bad!” Evelyn said furiously as she whipped out the teething ring and bit on it roughly.

“Maybe it was the high altitude?” Carmen tried, debating if she should tell the angry girl the truth or not. Deciding not to since it would probably end in a tantrum she continued. “I read somewhere that commercial flights fly higher than private planes, so, that’s probably what it is.”

Evelyn cursed lowly as she bounced her leg and bit on her lion shaped teething ring as they drove to the nearest store.

——

“Nope.” Carmen said as she took a pack of Red Bulls out of Evelyn’s hand and put them back onto the shelf. “You know you can’t drink these because you’ll crash a few hours later.”

“But Carmennn,” Evelyn whined and made puppy eyes at her big sister. “Paige won’t know unless we tell her, riiiight?”

"She wouldn't but that doesn't mean I wanna deal with it." Carmen rolled her eyes as she put two six packs of BudLite into the cart and started wheeling out of the alcohol and energy drink section.

Evelyn huffed and put her hand back onto the cart to keep herself steady as they walked to the next aisle over which had ice tea, water, and juice.

“We’ve got your favorite beer. Now what about chocolate milk and juice boxes instead of caffeinated drinks?” Carmen picked up both a package of Nesquick boxes and juice boxes which she showed to Evelyn.

“Fine.” Evelyn grumbled as Carmen put them into the cart along with a couple bottles of water.

“Okay let's get you your mac and cheese and get out of here.” Carmen said, looking around to see all the people shopping for Thanksgiving. “Do you eat the organic stuff or Kraft?”

“Paige buys me organic, but I prefer Kraft.” 

“Kraft it is.” Carmen said as they strolled two aisles over to the pasta section. “Which one do you want?”

Evelyn looked over the options. There was the regular option, creamy, and others shaped like things. As soon as Evelyn saw the ones shaped like the Minions she immediately grabbed a box and put it in the cart.

“Well I think that's everything, need anything else before we go?” Carmen asked as Evelyn cheerfully skipped alongside the cart.

“I want dino nuggets, they have one shaped like a T-Rex.” Evelyn smiled as Carmen changed their course from the check out to the frozen foods aisle.

“I’m guessing you don’t get to eat junk food often.” Carmen said as she grabbed the box of dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets and threw them in the cart.

“Only sometimes, like when friends come over, or when Paige is in a really good mood. Though I do have a stash in my office and in the pantry.” Evelyn said in response as she also grabbed a tub of edible cookie dough and a package of American cheese slices.

“Good thing you have a high metabolism then. If you didn’t you’d be pretty fat by now.”

Evelyn sighed as they went to the self check out section since the regular check out lines were long. Probably from all the last minute shoppers. 

“I’ve heard that one plenty of times.” Evelyn handed Carmen things out of the cart to scan and put into bags. “But since I can, I’m going to eat as much junk as I can in a week.”

Carmen swiped her card and waited for the receipt to print. “That sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen.”

“Psh,” Evelyn giggled. “I ate wayyy worse in grad school. Like, ramen and microwaveable mac and cheese everyday with like three energy drinks.”

“Damn sis,” Carmen poked Evelyn’s cheek. “Are you sure you’re alive right now?”

Evelyn batted her hand away and reached out to hold onto the back of Carmen’s shirt since the older woman had picked up all the bags and her hands weren’t free.

“Yeah I may have been a mess then, but since Paige and I started seeing each other I've gotten much better. She’s a huge health freak and she’s changed my diet drastically.” Evelyn snorted and grinned fondly as they walked out to the car. “I still just wanna eat gummy bears and chocolate all day.”

Carmen laughed loudly at the statement and shifted all the bags onto one arm as she opened the trunk of the car.

“It’s not funny Carrie.” Evelyn said and stomped her foot on the ground as Carmen continued laughing at her as she placed the bags inside.

“Okay okay, I’m done. Let’s go home and eat.” Carmen said and wiped an amused tear from her eye as she shut the trunk door.

Evelyn grumbled as she stalked to the front of the car and slammed the door as she got in. She snatched the offered teething ring out of Carmen’s hand and stuffed it in her mouth as Carmen pulled out of the parking lot and began the drive home.

Chapter Text

As soon as they arrived Carmen and Evelyn returned to the kitchen and began making their much needed snack.

“I hope Paige calls soon, I want to talk to her.” Evelyn said as she swung her feet on the counter and watched Carmen pour the dry pieces of pasta into a pot of boiling water.

“She texted me that she’d call you for bedtime.” Carmen replied as she went to the fridge to get something for herself.

“That’s so long from now.” Evelyn whined and looked at the clock on the wall. “I want to talk to her now. Bedtimes like forever away.”

“Awww, poor Evelyn.” Carmen teased as she stacked some stuff for tacos in her arms and brought them over to set them down next to the sulking brunette. “The time’ll pass quickly, don't worry. After this you can play Mortal Kombat with Uncle T and then we can talk and have dinner. It’ll be bedtime before you know it.”

“Fine.” Evelyn sighed and watched Carmen as she pieced together her tacos with leftover chicken, lettuce, tomato, and cheese.

Carmen finished constructing her tacos at the same time that the timer on the oven beeped to signal that the pasta was done. Carmen quickly got a bowl and a spoon and put them on the table before getting a strainer and placing it in the sink. 

The steaming pasta was soon put back into the pot and a glob of butter was stirred in before the cheese powder and milk were added and incorporated as well.

Evelyn was bouncing in excitement as Carmen prepared her food and made grabby hands for her to help her off of the counter so they could go to the living room to eat.

Carmen chuckled and placed the bowl of pasta onto the counter next to her tacos before hoisting Evelyn off the counter by her armpits. The green eyed woman watched the younger girl grab a juice box out of the fridge before getting her bowl and walking to the living room, Carmen following with a beer and her own food.

In the living room Ted and their father were sitting in armchairs and talking to each other as they drank what Evelyn presumed was some kind of hard liquor since it was in a shot glass.

“There you are Evelyn.” Ted said and pumped a fist. “I heard you challenged me to Mortal Kombat. I’ve been playing Mortal Kombat since before you were born, so get ready!” 

“You’re on!” Evelyn said and jumped in the air. Her bowl nearly came out of her hand but she caught it before it fell on the ground. “Lemme eat first though.” She laughed and sat criss cross on the soft rug directly in front of the sofa.

Carmen shook her head and smiled before actually sitting down and taking a bite of one of her tacos.

“How’s your pasta Evelyn?” Haily asked as she and Blake walked into the room a few minutes later and took seats on the large sofa as well.

“De’icous.” Evelyn said, taking a sip of her juice box before clearing her throat. “Do you play video games, Blake?”

Blake looked down at Evelyn and tapped her chin in thought. “I played when I was in college but it was only Call of Duty and stuff like that. Why do you ask?”

Evelyn swallowed before speaking this time. “Uncle Ted and I are gonna play Mortal Kombat when I’m done eating. I was wondering if you wanted to play too.”

Blake chuckled. “I think I’ll just watch, I’m shit at fighting games. But I’ll totally root for you.”

“You’ll root for her but not your Uncle?” Ted's booming laugh came from the other side of the room as he rose and walked over to the sofa. “I thought I was your favorite family member.”

“You’re my second favorite uncle, and Evelyn’s my favorite little cousin.” Blake explained as Ted’s eyes lit up.

“Are you meaning to tell me,” Ted gawked as he walked over to his pepper haired brother and pointed at him. “That this brick is your favorite Uncle and not your perfect haired Uncle Ted?” He said and tossed his immaculately dyed brown hair.

Blake shrugged. “He’s quieter.” She snickered and squealed when Ted threw a decorative pillow at her. “And he’s nicer too.”

“Whatever.” Ted said and collapsed on his chair facing his brother again. “I know I’m Evelyn’s favorite uncle, isn’t that right short stuff?” He said and looked over at Evelyn who quickly nodded in agreement. The only other option being her Uncle Ethan, who she didn’t care for in the slightest.

“So you like box mac and cheese better than the real stuff, Evelyn?” Haily asked as her brothers bickered with each other about favorites.

“Yeah, when its homemade it usually has strong cheese or meat or something in it. Whenever I order it at a restaurant I don’t like the taste that much.” Evelyn explained as she placed her bowl down on the coffee table a few feet away from her.

“Makes sense,” Haily poked her daughter on the arm. “If you really want some gooey mac and cheese with softer cheeses Blake’s the one to ask. She took a cooking course a little while back and I remember her making an amazing mac and cheese.” 

Blake cheeks tinted slightly as everyone's attention shifted to her. “It wasn’t that good.” 

“Really? I’d love to taste it.” Evelyn beamed up at Blake, not hearing the previous comment the grey eyed woman had said.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to make you some sometime then.” Blake ruffled the brunette’s hair.

“Yay!” Evelyn cheered and tugged on Carmen’s pant leg. “You hear that Carrie? Blakeys gonna make me mac and cheese!”

“Yeah, I’m sitting right next to her kid.” Carmen chuckled. “I bet it’s going to be delicious, I might have to have a bite or two.”

Blake looked curiously at the exchange between Evelyn and her sister. Carmen had been sitting right next to her when she had said she was going to make the pasta so there really was no reason for Evelyn to repeat it. And she hadn’t been called “Blakey” by her youngest cousin for almost 22 years. Another odd thing was the tone which Carmen used with her. Almost as if she really had been talking to a child.

Blake decided to ignore these feelings and peeked over at her mother who also had an amused look on her face. Maybe she hadn’t been the only one to pick up on the odd exchange between the sisters.

“Hey Uncle T!” Evelyn called as she grabbed two Xbox controllers from a cabinet underneath the T.V. “You ready to lose?”

“I think the only one who will be losing today will be you Evelyn!” Ted called back and quickly downed the rest of his whiskey before going over to Evelyn and taking a white controller from her.

“Which one are we playing anyways?” The tall man asked as Evelyn signed into her account and smiled deviously at him.

“11.” She said as the game finished downloading and started booting up. She took a seat on a cushion in front of the T.V and motioned for her uncle to join her.

“Wait, there’s an eleventh one?” He asked, now a bit nervous since the last one he played was from 10 years ago.

“Yep, its the newest one.” Evelyn said as she went to the local fighting mode and quickly picked her favorite player who she had completely limit broken. “I hope you’re ready.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll still beat you.” Ted said as he looked through all the characters, only remembering a few from the original.

When he finally picked one he immediately regretted his decision as he saw Evelyn’s smile deepen.

During the first round Ted managed to only get one hit on Evelyn. The girl expertly pressed buttons which made her huge character move quickly even though he was easily the slowest in the whole game.

The second match wasn’t much better and he looked over to see Evelyn covering up a yawn as her left hand performed the movements to a fatality which made Ted's character's head and spine pop out of its back with amazing speed.

—-

“I thought you said you were good at this.” Evelyn smirked as they played their ninth match. “All that bragging but nothin’ to show for it.”

“Maybe you’re cheating.” Ted tried to dodge another attack but failed and lost once again. “Nobody can be this good at a video game.”

“Maybe you’re just bad.” Evelyn shrugged as she beat Ted for the ninth time in a row. “I play for like maybe an hour a week, so I’m not that great at it.”

Ted chuckled at that and put his controller down. “I have no hope in beating you so why even try.” He sighed and cracked his knuckles. “And sitting on the floor for so long really hurts after a while.”

“I think you’re just old.” Evelyn joked as she got up and jumped on his back. “I remember you being much more nimble the last time I saw you.”

Ted wheezed but adjusted Evelyn so she was sitting atop his shoulders and flexed his muscles. “Can your dad do this?” He flashed a grin at Liam who rolled his eyes.

“You know I can’t, Ted. Not everybody has the time to weight train for two hours everyday.” Liam smirked as he poured himself another shot of whiskey. “And anyways, Evelyn is pretty light. You can probably hold her with just one arm.”

Ted looked up at Evelyn who was playing with his hair and kicking her legs out idly. “Wanna try, pipsqueak?” 

Evelyn vigorously nodded and hopped off of Ted’s back when he bent down. She wrapped both her hands around his bicep and waited.

“Okay, on the count of three I’m going to lift my arm up and you’re going to tuck your legs in.” Ted instructed and took a few deep breaths.

“One,” Ted said and Evelyn giggled excitedly. “Two,” Ted flexed his arm muscles. “Three!” And with that Ted stood up and kept his arm still as Evelyn curled her legs in and hung off his arm.

“Wow Evelyn, you really weigh practically nothing.” Ted seemed mildy surprised as he moved his arm up and down as Evelyn continued to hang off it. “You need to start eating more or something.”

Evelyn pouted and dropped down as her hands started hurting. “Well, first of all, I’m a normal size unlike the rest of you.” She observed, looking around the room and except for Blake, who was still a couple inches taller than her, everybody else was taller than 5’9. 

“I’m pretty sure normal girls your age weigh more than you do though Evelyn.” Ted said thoughtfully as he took a seat in the armchair again. “I know you have high metabolism but sheesh, you’re skin and bones.”

"Whatever." Evelyn whined and sauntered back over to the couch, plopping down between Carmen and Haily.

“Don’t encourage her.” Carmen glared at her uncle playfully and patted Evelyn’s head “This girl eats tons of junk everyday. You wouldn’t even believe the amount of sugar she ingests weekly.”

“Speaking of that Carrie, I believe you have a couple things of mine in your purse.” Evelyn dove into her sister's bag which was conveniently on the coffee table.

“What are you talking about?” Carmen watched her root around before pulling out a bag of flamin’ hot Cheetos and Reese’s peanut butter cups. “Oh right, Paige put those in there when we left.” 

“Yep!” Evelyn chirped as she scrunched open the bag of Cheetos and popped a few in her mouth. 

“Careful with those sweetie pie, we don’t want red Cheeto dust on Mom and Dad's nice white sofa, again.” Carmen said and pointed with her pointer finger down at the rug which Evelyn slid onto with a slight blush on her face.

“Again?” Haily questioned, intrigued. She peered down at the sofa to see if there were any visible stains. Finding none she looked back up at Carmen, perplexed.

“Yep.” Carmen lowered her voice a bit so that no prying ears could hear. “When she was on Christmas break for her first year of college she spilled a whole bag onto the sofa and it stained like crazy. We had to legit call a cleaning company and paid them extra to get rid of it an hour after it happened.”

“And your parents really never knew about this?” Haily chuckled and glanced down at Evelyn who was hiding her red face between her knees.

“Nope. The crew did a pretty good job at cleaning it up and our parents never noticed a thing.”

“Thats crazy.” Haily whistled. 

“Yeah, I’m lucky Carmen knew what to do. I probably would’ve gotten in big trouble if someone else found out.” Evelyn shivered as she thought of what could’ve happened to her if Carmen hadn’t stepped in when she did. It wasn’t pleasant in the slightest.

Evelyn had been alone at the time and when she had spilled the orange snack she freaked out. Carmen had found her crying on the floor with her arms over her head from how scared she was that their mother would find out. Evelyn was glad that Carmen had had many parties in her prime and knew a cleaning service which was both good and fast. The company had come 30 minutes after Carmen had called and the mess was gone before they could even blink.

A few minutes later Evelyn’s phone dinged which made her lean forward to see which one of her colleagues texted her about work during the holiday. She was pleasantly surprised when she saw Paige’s name come up.

She quickly licked her fingers off and wiped her hand on her sweats before tapping on the message.

Paige: Hey sweetheart, just texting to let you know I’m off the plane now and picking up my luggage.

Evelyn smiled and typed out her response as Carmen got up to get a few napkins to better clean Evelyn’s hands off with.

Evelyn: Hey! I miss you and wish you were here. 

Paige: I miss you too. Just one week, that’s all it is.

Evelyn felt tears come to her eyes when she was reminded that she had to wait a full week to see Paige again. This was the longest they had been away from each other since Evelyn’s plane had gotten stuck in Dubai for five whole days a few months ago.

Evelyn: I want to go to bed now so I can hear your voice.

Paige: How about I read you a story tonight to help you fall asleep?

Evelyn whined as she tried to reply but her hand was taken by Carmen who used a damp paper towel to clean off her sticky fingers.

As soon as Carmen let her wrist go she went back to texting Paige back.

Evelyn: Yes please! Love you.

Paige: Love you too.

Evelyn hummed happily as she turned off her phone and reached for her Cheetos which were quickly grabbed by Carmen.

“Let’s not spoil our dinner, yeah?” The black haired woman advised as she put the Cheetos back into her purse.

Evelyn grumbled and splayed her legs out in front of her, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at the ceiling.

“What’s for dinner anyways? Do you know uncle Liam?” Blake asked as she tore her eyes away from the pouting Evelyn on the ground, turning to where Liam was sitting.

“I haven’t got an idea in the slightest, why don’t you go ask your aunt Lauren. She’s with your grandparents outside on the patio.” Liam answered as he moved a chess piece which made his brother frown and tap his chin.

Blake got up and walked to the back door and slipped through it. “I’ll be back in a couple minutes.” 

They heard Blake talking and laughing a bit before coming back inside with both Lauren and both sets of grandparents. 

“Thank you for reminding me about dinner, dear.” Lauren said and went through the living room to get to the kitchen. She stared icely at Evelyn who cowered and gripped who she thought was Carmen’s pant leg in her hand, though it was actually her Aunt Haily who furrowed her eyebrows, concerned for the scared girl.

As soon as her mother and her grandparents left the room Evelyn let out a small breath before realizing she was holding someone's pants leg. She immediately turned beet red when she saw her Aunt instead of Carmen. She opened her mouth to say some sort of apology but Haily just held a finger over her lips and smiled sincerely.

“Evelyn,” 

Evelyn looked up when her name was called and saw her grandmother Avery looking at her. “I’m going to go make some cookies, want to come help me with them?” The older woman asked and Evelyn immediately sprang up.

“What kind Grandma?” She said giddily as she ran over to her grandmother.

“I was thinking chocolate chip deary.” Avery said and walked to the kitchen with Evelyn close on her heels.

“Should we go spectate?” Carmen laughed as she stood up and pocketed her phone to capture the cute moments that were sure to happen from Evelyn attempting to bake. “Evelyn is absolutely terrible at cooking, she can’t even make a boiled egg without the kitchen almost burning down.”

“In that case I’d love to watch.” Blake smiled. “Want to come Mom?”

Haily got up as well but went over to her brothers who were still immersed in their game of chess. “You guys go on ahead, I’m going to watch these two destroy each other first.” She said as she pulled up a chair just in time to see Ted chuck a pawn at Liam who dodged it and threw one back, hitting Ted square on the forehead.

“‘Kay! We’ll come tell you when dinner’s done.” Blake called as she followed Carmen to the kitchen and sat down next to her at the island to spectate.

Carmen already had her phone out, ready to take pictures at a moment's notice. She grinned widely as she saw that Evelyn had tied her apron on backwards. “Oh, this is gonna be good.”

Chapter Text

Lauren and her parents were on one side of the long island making some sort of meat and vegetable dish while Liam’s parents were on the other side with ingredients for cookies.

“So, Evelyn,” Richard said as he took out a few measuring cups and two mixing bowls. “Do you like to bake?”

Evelyn nodded vigorously but blushed. “I’m not very good at it though.” 

Richard chuckled and opened a bag of flour, expertly measuring the right amount and putting it into one of the bowls. “How about you measure out a cup of sugar and pour it onto this flour.” He instructed and gave Evelyn the one cup measurement.

“Okay!” Evelyn chirped, sticking her tongue out with concentration as she dipped the cup into the sugar and shook it to get rid of the extra sugar on top before plopping it into the bowl and beaming proudly.

“Grandma and you worked at a bakery, right?” Evelyn asked as she took a cartoon of eggs out of the fridge and put it onto the table.

“That’s right,” Richard said and pecked his wife’s cheek. “My parents owned a bakery and after college I worked there for a bit. They hired your grandmother and we fell in love over pastries.” 

“That’s so sweet.” Carmen leaned on her elbow and looked at the couple with hearts in her eyes.

Avery chuckled as she showed Evelyn how to crack an egg while Richard softened two sticks of butter in the microwave.

“You’ll find love soon Carmen, don’t worry about that.” Avery said as she observed Evelyn crack an egg and watched it drop into the bowl. 

“I hope so.” Carmen said as Richard went over and fished a few eggshells out before ruffling Evelyn’s hair and giving her the melted butter to add to the eggs. “It’ll happen someday.”

Both parties continued cooking. Lauren’s quiet and organized, and Evelyn’s loud and playful.

Carmen had taken the opportunity to snap a bunch of cute pictures of Evelyn cooking and sent them to Paige who went crazy over them. The girl was already covered with flour and she hadn’t even touched the stuff.

15 minutes later Evelyn was watching the cookies in the oven and eating chocolate chips as her grandparents cleaned up the countertop and dishes with Blake and Carmen’s help.

“The tenderloin, mashed potatoes, and broccoli will be done in about 25 minutes.” Lauren said as she dried her hands off with a dishrag. “Would you all mind setting the table for us while we finish up cleaning.” 

“Sure Mom.” Carmen hummed as she began stacking plates with Blake getting the silverware and Evelyn the napkins.

Soon the table was decked out with fancy plates, wine glasses, fine cutlery, and cloth napkins. It looked fit for a king when they lit a few candles which were scented like pine needles.

The smell of a herb infused beef tenderloin permeated the air throughout the house. Making everybody both upstairs and downstairs salvate with hunger.

The sound of the front door opening rang throughout the house as the loud voices of Jeremy and his sisters echoed around the entrance hall. They were so loud that the whole family heard that they had just gotten back from the gym and were all going to take showers.

“When’d they even leave?” Evelyn whispered to Carmen as they sat at the table and waited for the food to be ready.

“I don’t know.” Carmen whispered back. “It explains why the house was so quiet though.” 

Evelyn stifled a laugh as the rest of her family conversed around them. Blake was to her right and Carmen to her left, putting her at ease. The cookies were also almost done so she had that to look forward to as well.

“Did Paige text you?” Carmen asked Evelyn who beamed when her girlfriend's name was brought up.

“Yep! She said she was gonna read me a bedtime story.” 

“Good.” Carmen replied and got up when her dad called for her to come help him with carrying the dishes in. 

A few minutes later Jeremy, Ashlyn, Erina, Liam, and Ted brought in large plates of piping hot food. Of course, Jeremy was wearing a tiny white tank top with even tinier shorts which left nothing to the imagination. Ashlyn and Erina were also wearing clothes intended for summer rather than winter since they lived in New York and everywhere else seemed warmer.

Soon everybody was sitting at the table with plates stacked high with food and wine glasses full. Evelyn made an extra effort to eat as un-messily as possible, trying to think in her adult mindset which was hard since her pull-up was pushing into her from her seat on a wood chair.

She was glad that for once she didn’t have to eat any vegetables that she didn’t want. She only ate a big dollop of buttery mashed potatoes and two pieces of tenderloin, happily passing on the broccoli and beets that Blake offered her.

“What’re we doing after dinner?” Carmen asked her dad who leaned back in his chair to think.

“What about we watch a movie? Those of us who want to, anyway.” Liam responded and looked around the table. 

“How about we watch that Oscar Nominated movie Little Women.” Haily suggested.

Ted finished off his glass of white wine and nodded.“We should totally do that.” 

“Sorry, we’re going to go mini golfing with a couple of pals of mine.” Jeremy gestured to himself and his sisters. “We’ll be free after tonight though.” He assured as they got up and brought their plates to the kitchen.

Ethan looked at his watch and then at Lisa who nodded her head. “I guess we have time for that.”

Evelyn wondered why exactly they wouldn’t have time to watch the movie. It was only 9:30, and there wasn’t much else to do.

Everybody else said they could so they all started clearing the table together. The dishes were put into the dishwasher and the table was wiped off and when that was done Liam went off to the next room to get the movie set up.

Carmen went over to the cabinet and took out a plate and a glass. “Ready for cookies, Ev?

“Cookies!” Evelyn cheered happily and bounced on her toes as Carmen placed four cookies on the plate and filled the glass with water.

“Why water?” Evelyn asked curiously as they walked to the next room. Since there were so many people Carmen and Evelyn took out two of their old Lazyboy bean bags and put them on the ground. “Isn’t milk better with cookies?”

“Because,” Carmen hummed as she settled down onto one of the large bean bags and patted the spot next to her so Evelyn would sit down too. “Paige told me you like milk before bed and that it makes you drowsy, so I’ll get you some for when she reads you a bedtime story.”

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that.” Evelyn said as Blake sat down onto the beanbag next to them, her mother soon following since the couch and surrounding armchairs were taken. “How long is this movie?” Evelyn whispered to Carmen, hoping it was just an hour and a half so they could go upstairs and get ready for bed quicker.

“Let me check,” Carmen said as she turned the brightness on her phone down. “2 hours and 15 minutes.”

“Really?” Evelyn whined quietly and stifled a big yawn. “I’m so tired.”

“Well, Paige just texted that she’s going to be at a Casino tonight and won’t be back to her house until 12:30 now.” Carmen whispered and showed Evelyn her phone.

“Fuck.” Evelyn muttered. 

Her bedtime at home was usually 10 unless she had to work late. That paired with waking up at an ungodly hour was not a good mix. Evelyn could feel herself dozing off for most of the movie. Carmen had to nudge her a few times to keep her up since a nap right now would make Evelyn feel awake for the rest of the night. The brunette had even almost fallen asleep when a cookie was halfway in her mouth, though Carmen poked her before she could choke on it.

“That was a decent.” Liam stated. “I think Saoirse Ronan really captured her part well.”

“I agree,” Ted said as he got up to turn on the lights. “I can definitely see why this movie was nominated for an Oscar.”

The rest of the family nodded at Ted’s statement and one by one got up to sequester themselves in their rooms for the night. Lauren’s side of the family did so with not so much as a goodnight while Liam’s stayed in the room a bit longer to say a proper goodnight.

“Goodnight my wonderful grandchildren, sleepwell.” Avery said kindly as she and Richard left the room with a chorus of goodnights following them out.

“Okay,” Ted said as he stood up and cracked his back loudly. “I should head to bed too, unless my siblings are up for some late night drinks?”

Liam and Haily looked at each other in a silent conversation before nodding their heads. Ted whooped and rushed over to the liquor cabinet, grabbing a bottle of bourbon and three glasses before returning and placing them on the coffee table.

“Do you girls want to stay and have a drink with us?” Haily asked as the three cousins sat on the bean bag chairs silently.

“Well…” Carmen trailed off but then remembered they were on vacation so she could treat herself. “To heck with it, I’ll have one.”

“Me too!” Blake called and got up, looking down at Evelyn who was chewing on her thumbnail. “Do you want one, Evelyn?”

Evelyn nodded and slowly got up and walked over to the bar where Carmen had already downed her first shot. The bourbon they were drinking was pretty strong and Carmen quirked an eyebrow when Evelyn picked up a glass.

“You sure you want to drink that? It’s got quite a bite to it.” Carmen warned, deciding to let Evelyn have some hard liquor even though Paige said not to. She was sure Evelyn wouldn’t even be able to stomach the small glass anyways.

“I’ll be fine Carrie.” Evelyn said as she brought the drink up to her lips and took a sip. Her eyes widened and misted almost immediately as she swallowed the sip.

“See?” Carmen laughed as she finished drinking her own and plucked Evelyn’s glass out of her hand. “Way too strong for you.”

Evelyn nodded and coughed. “I’m just not used to it is all.” She defended herself weakly, sputtering a bit more.

Carmen downed Evelyn’s glass and grabbed her phone off the ground. “Okay, let’s get you to bed sleepyhead.”

Evelyn yawned and rubbed her eyes in response.

“We’re heading to bed, goodnight everybody!” Carmen called as they walked towards the stairs, hearing everybody else say goodnight back to them.

“I’m coming too, see you guys tomorrow.” Blake said and kissed her mom’s cheek goodnight before moving to follow Evelyn and Carmen upstairs.

“What’re we gonna tell Blake?” Evelyn whispered nervously to her sister as she looked behind them to see their cousin climbing the stairs a few paces slower than they were.

“Tell her?” Carmen asked before realizing what Evelyn was insinuating. “Well, how about we just get it over with so you can be little when Paige calls.”

“Okay.” Evelyn said and picked at her nails as they walked down the hallway. “How do I explain it to her?” She asked as Carmen opened the door and let her walk in first.

“Here, I’ll do it. Just go take a shower and I’ll bring you your clothes. Oh, and don’t forget to brush your teeth.” 

Evelyn thanked her and quickly rushed off to the bathroom. 

“I love your bedroom, it’s just like it was the last time I was here.” Blake said as she plopped down onto her makeshift bed.

“Yeah, nothings been changed around at all.” Carmen went to Evelyn’s little suitcase and opened it to find a pair of pajamas. “Hey, can I tell you something?” Carmen asked as she found a set of soft pastel pink cotton pajamas and placed them on the couch next to her along with a pull-up.

“Sure, anything.” Blake responded as she watched Carmen take the items out of the suitcase. Most specifically the pull-up which she raised an eyebrow at.

“Well, Evelyn and her girlfriend participate in an odd kind of relationship.” Carmen said as she also pulled out a fuzzy blanket with T-Rexes on it and a pacifier. “Evelyn basically regresses into a state where behaves as a small child and her girlfriend looks after her.” 

“Oh,” Blake said, piecing everything together and figuring that it actually made a lot of sense. “So that’s what all this stuffs for?” She asked curiously as she looked into the suitcase and saw a bunch of other items fit for a young kid.

Carmen wasn’t all that surprised at Blake’s positive reaction. She knew that the woman was motherly and caring so she had no doubt that she would have anything bad to say about it.

“This is just the stuff Evelyn uses while she's little. All of it helps her relax.” Carmen explained as she walked to the bathroom to deposit Evelyn’s change of clothes. “Thanks for being okay with all of this, I know it must seem odd.”

“It actually sounds adorable, in all honesty.” Blake hummed as she watched Carmen return empty handed to join her on the couch and turn on the T.V. They still had a while before Paige called and Carmen wanted to keep Evelyn awake for that.

“It is super adorable.” Carmen smiled and took out her phone to show Blake a couple pictures of little Evelyn which Blake cooed at. 

“So how old does she act when she’s like that?” Blake asked, truly curious about this new lifestyle.

“I think Paige said she’s usually around two and a half, but it all depends on how she’s feeling.” Carmen responded as she set up a Netflix show that she knew Evelyn liked.

“Wow, that’s pretty young.” Blake said and glanced over at the bathroom door, smiling kindly when Evelyn shuffled out.

“Hey cupcake,” Carmen called and gestured for Evelyn to join them on the couch. “I’ve got your blanket and pacifier over here.”

Evelyn nodded and grabbed her dog from the bed before returning to Carmen and curling up in her lap, her face hidden behind Jappy. 

“We’re watchin’ Sofia?” The brunette questioned from behind her stuffed animal and accepted her pacifier when Carmen held it in front of her mouth.

“We sure are, who’s your favorite character?” Carmen asked as she lightly bounced Evelyn in her lap, hoping to ease her embarrassment a bit.

“I like the bunny.” Evelyn mumbled from behind the shield of her pacifier, looking up when the show's opening song started playing.

Blake looked at the youngest woman adoringly, this had to be one of the cutest things she had ever seen in her entire life. The girl just looked so innocent and pure and it made Blake’s heart swell as she continued to look at her out of the corner of her eye as she fiddled around on her phone.

Carmen sighed as Evelyn’s head dropped onto her chest. “Come on Evelyn, just stay up for two more episodes so you can talk to Paige.” 

“But I’m soooo tired.” Evelyn whined, tired tears rolled down her cheeks as she weakly brought her fists down on the sofa under her.

“I know you are, it’s been such a long day hasn’t it.” Carmen said and took both of Evelyn’s hands in her own and squeezed them gently. “Tell you what, if you stay up I’ll make you a nice warm bottle of chocolate milk for bed.” Carmen offered and grinned when Evelyn’s frown lessened.

She eventually nodded her head yes and leaned back against Carmen so her back was straight which would make it harder for her to fall asleep.

As the second episode was wrapping up Evelyn could barely keep her eyes open. She tried playing with her stuffie’s soft fur but even that made her tired after a while.

“Paige’ll be calling in a couple minutes, go get comfy in bed and I’ll go get you some milk.” Carmen instructed and patted Evelyn’s thigh for her to stand up.

Evelyn swayed and rubbed her eyes, wrapping herself in her blanket before going over to Carmen’s huge bed and crawling under the covers.

Carmen dashed downstairs and warmed up a glass of milk in the microwave before walking as quickly as she could back upstairs with a full glass in her hand. On the way she passed her Dad and his siblings still in the living room, laughing and watching some old sitcom.

When she got back to her room she slipped in and locked the door. She saw Blake in bed reading a book and waved at her before she opened Evelyn’s suitcase again and grabbed a bottle, filling it with the warm milk.

“What time is it in Vegas right now?” Blake asked as Carmen screwed the top on the bottle and stood up.

“Uh, I think it’s like 9:30 there?” Carmen shook the bottle as she looked over at her clock and nodded her head to her question. “Yep, it’s 9:29 right now.”

“What time did your flight leave this morning?” 

“6:30.” Carmen yawned. “But we had to be up at like 3:30 to get there on time. Usually we’d take Evelyn’s jet but today it was getting a tune up or something.”

“She has a jet?!” Blake said in awe and looked over at Evelyn who was lightly snoozing whilst sitting up.

“Yeah,” Carmen chuckled as she walked over to the bed and slipped her slippers off before sitting on top of the duvet and putting the bottle on her bedside table. “Her job provides her with one since she has to travel all the time.”

“Damn, that's cool.” She heard Blake whisper as she went back to reading.

About five minutes later Evelyn’s phone rang and Carmen picked up, poking Evelyn a bit to see if she would wake up long enough to talk to Paige.

“Hey Paige,” Carmen said and jiggled Evelyn. “How are you?”

“I’m great, how are you guys?”

“We’re doing well, Evelyn fell asleep waiting for you so I’m trying to get her up now.” Carmen replied as Evelyn finally opened her eyes and looked around disorientedly.

“I had a feeling that was going to be the case, I wanted to call earlier but my family’s a bunch of nightowls.”

Carmen chuckled and brought Evelyn into her lap and held the phone in front of her as the brunette let out a long yawn, resulting with the pacifier falling out of her mouth. “Hi Mommy.” 

“Hello princess, how are you doing tonight?”

“Fine,” Evelyn said. “Missin’ you though.”

“I miss you too, sweetheart.”

Evelyn teared up from hearing Paige’s voice and she started sniffling lightly while she rubbed her eye with the back of her fist.

“Oh baby, please don’t cry. How about I start your story hmmm? I’m sure Carmen got you a bottle already.”

Evelyn nodded but remembered that Paige couldn’t see her. “She did.”

“Good, now I brought two story books with me. Would you like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, or, Goodnight Moon?”

“Caterpillar.” Evelyn cuddled further into Carmen’s chest, accepting the bottle held up to her lips as Paige started the story.

Even though Evelyn couldn’t see the pictures in the book it didn’t matter to her since Paige’s voice was equally as good. And since she had begged to be read that certain book since it came in the mail last week, she could clearly see the pictures in her mind already.

Evelyn tried her best to stay awake while Paige read to her but the warmth of Carmen and the blankets, paired with her bottle, made her fall asleep by the midpoint of the fairly short story book.

The exhausted brunette was softly snoring by the time Paige read the last sentence, the now quarter filled bottle was still in her mouth which was then gently exchanged for her pacifier.

“I’m going to take a wild guess and say that she fell asleep.”

Carmen could hear Paige chuckling on the other end and smiled to herself, moving Evelyn off her lap so she was lying next to her on her back, Jappy beside her with both hands slightly clenched above her head.

“Yeah she did, I almost did too. Your voice is so smooth and calming.” 

“She almost never makes it to the end of the story anyway, I think that’s happened only once since I started reading to her.”

Carmen smirked and cracked her neck, taking Paige off of speakerphone now that Evelyn was sleeping. 

“So, did she finally use the bathroom today?”

“I think she went when she took a shower a little while ago. But other than that I don’t think she did.”

“Well, at least she went once. I don’t think she went at all a couple days ago and I’m getting worried. I think her shyness has gotten worse.”

“And you talked to her about it?” Carmen asked as she ran a hand through her hair.

“Yes, we did. She told me that she has a shy bladder because your mother physically punished her for asking to go when she was younger. She’s still scared that that may happen.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that she went that far. I had a feeling though. She always wore long sleeved shirts and pants, even in the dead of summer.” Carmen internally slapped herself for never diving deeper into her little sister's life. It seemed that she had missed a bunch of crucial details.

“Carmen, please don’t worry about it, none of it’s your fault. It’s your mother’s if anything.”

“Yeah, I just feel like I could have done something to prevent it. I should have noticed that something was wrong.” Carmen said guilty, realizing that they had had this conversation before but that she still had it on her conscience constantly.

“That was almost 10 years ago, let’s forget about the past and focus on the now.”

Carmen sighed and played with a loose thread on her blanket. “You're right, thanks for that.”

The line was quiet for a minute or two before Carmen heard a yawn come from her phone, yawning herself she looked at the time and saw that it was almost 1.

“Well, I should get to bed. We’re going on a nature walk pretty early in the morning.”

“Okay, sleepwell Paige.”

“You too. Oh, one last thing, when Evelyn goes to bed little she likes to have a nightlight on. She doesn’t admit it but her little side is pretty afraid of the dark. I packed it in her bag so if you could just plug that in I’d appreciate it.”

“Of course, I’ll do that right now.” 

“Thank you, alright, goodnight.”

Carmen waited until the other woman hung up before going over to Evelyn’s bag and rooting around in it. Eventually, she pulled out a night light shaped like a dinosaur’s head which she plugged into the wall on Evelyn’s side of the bed before slipping underneath the covers herself.

“I’m heading to bed, sleepwell.” Carmen called to Blake before shutting off her bedside lamp.

“I’ll do that too,” Blake hummed and shut her book before reaching over and flipping the light switches off. “Night.”

Within 10 minutes both women were sound asleep. Sweet dreams flowing through their heads and hopes for a good day passing through their minds.

Chapter Text

It was around 1 in the afternoon when Carmen woke up the next day. Blake was no longer in her bed which left Carmen and Evelyn to get ready by themselves.

Carmen decided to get dressed before waking Evelyn in case the whiskey eyed girl needed any help. There was a chance that the girl was still little so Carmen set out two outfits for her. One, a light blue and navy sweater adorned in little whales with a pair of loose black sweats and white crew socks. The second, a pair of rolled khakis with a form fitting white button down and ankle socks.

Carmen pulled on a pair of blue jeans and a white turtleneck and brushed her teeth. After finishing up with a bit of make-up she went over and sat on the bed beside Evelyn.

The girl stirred and nuzzled her nose into Jappy before sighing and settling back into sleep. Carmen chuckled and rubbed her back. “Come on sleepyhead, it’s already 1 in the afternoon. We’ve got to go have some lunch.”

Evelyn whined and pulled her blanket over her head, trying to shy away from her sister who was disturbing her sleep. Why couldn’t she just leave her alone?

Evelyn felt satisfied when Carmen got up and moved away, thinking that the other woman had decided to leave her be but boy was she wrong. Instead of leaving Carmen had gone to the foot of the bed and reached up to where Evelyn was curled.

Evelyn squealed when she felt her ankles being grabbed by a pair of freezing cold hands which proceeded to pull which left the brunette clawing at the mattress to try and stay in her warm cocoon of blankets.

She was no match for Carmen though and it wasn’t too long after that that her legs were dangling off the edge of the bed. A firm pout was on her face as she crossed her arms and sat there, making no move to get up.

“Come on Evs, be a big girl for me and get some clothes on.” Carmen said as she stood over her sister who scowled at her and refused to move.

“I’ll call your mommy if you don’t get up in the next minute.” Carmen singsonged playfully and laughed as Evelyn immediately sprang up and ran to her suitcase for her undergarments and then to the bathroom.

Carmen stood up and since that faux threat had worked she grabbed the comfier option of clothing.

Evelyn emerged a few minutes later in matching panties and bra, both were white and adorned with T-Rexs. Carmen rolled her eyes because of course Evelyn would have multiple sets of T-Rex underwear.

“Has Mommy texted yet?” Evelyn asked as she walked over to Carmen who was sitting on the bed with what she assumed were her clothes for the day.

“Not yet cupcake, they’re in the middle of the forest now, remember?” Carmen said as Evelyn stood between her knees and played with her fingers.

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” Evelyn frowned as Carmen pulled the sweater on over her head. “What’re we doin’ today then?”

“Well, after we get you dressed we’re going to go make some lunch then uncle Ted, Dad, Blake, Haily and I are going to go to a farm that's about an hour away to pick up a fresh turkey. And once we’re home we’re going to start cooking for tomorrow.” Carmen explained as she shimmied Evelyn’s sweatpants up her legs and tucked the cuffed bottoms into the crew socks.

“Why can’t I come? I don’t wanna stay here alone.” Evelyn mumbled as her thigh was patted when Carmen finished getting her dressed.

“Well, for one, we have to kill it and gut it ourselves. And second, it's going to be in the car with us and it’ll reek of blood.” Carmen said as Evelyn paled slightly at just the thought. “I know for a fact that you can’t stand the sight of blood, so that’s why I told Dad to take me instead of you when he offered.”

Evelyn frowned but shook her head in agreement. She really couldn’t look at anything that was bloody, it made her nauseous. Even if she could play brutal fighter games or if she saw blood in a movie or T.V show it didn’t phase her. Real life was different.

“You’ll be alright, if you need anything just call.” Carmen stood up. “Now, I bet you're hungry, what would you like for lunch?” She changed the subject as they walked towards the door.

“Dino nuggets and cookies!” Evelyn cheered as they descended the staircase.

“Then that's what you’ll get.” Carmen responded as they walked into the kitchen to see Blake sitting alone on her phone while she picked at a plate of salad.

“Good afternoon you two.” Blake smiled as they entered the kitchen. “You guys sure slept in.”

“Yeah,” Carmen yawned as she helped Evelyn sit on the countertop before opening the freezer to get the chicken nuggets. “We woke up so early the other morning then traveled all day so I knew we were going to catch some serious z’s the next night.”

Blake laughed. “I can’t believe that you guys slept through me getting up, I tried to be quiet but I think I was pretty loud.” 

“Wow, we didn’t hear a thing, did we Evelyn?” Carmen placed six chicken nuggets on a plate and put them in the microwave.

“Nope.” Evelyn shook her head. “I didn’t hear anything.”

When Carmen had finished plating Evelyn’s lunch Liam walked into the kitchen, Ted and Haily following after him. “Five minute warning girls, we have to get back home before 5:00 and it's already 1:30.” 

“‘Kay Dad, I’m going to grab something to eat then I’ll be ready to go.” Carmen said and looked around the kitchen. Seeing an apple she rinsed it off and filled a reusable mug with coffee before going upstairs to get her purse.

“What’re you going to do while we’re all gone, Evelyn?” Blake asked as she got up from her chair and slung her own purse over her shoulder.

“Dunno,” The brunette hummed and looked at the ceiling in thought. “I’ll probably just watch T.V or something.”

“Well, have fun!” Blake said as Carmen walked back into the kitchen with her coat on.

“Okay Evs,” Carmen said as she lifted her off the counter and placed her back onto the floor. “Be a good girl while we’re gone, alright? Moms out with her parents at an art exhibition in Jamestown, Dad’s are out having brunch, and our other cousins aren’t back from last night yet. Nobody should be home until 5 at the earliest from what I've heard.” Carmen said and reached to the top of the fridge for the container of cookies.

“Also, please try not to nap today, we woke up late and I want you to be able to go to bed tonight.” Carmen said as she put two cookies on Evelyn’s plate and ruffled the whiskey eyed girl’s hair before walking out of the room.

Evelyn smiled mischievously and crossed her fingers behind her back. “I promise I won’t go to sleep!” Evelyn called and then said quietly. “For too long.” 

The brunette heard a chorus of goodbyes from the front room before the door slammed. After waiting for the click of the lock she quickly ran upstairs to get her things for her nap.

She kicked off her sweats and underwear and replaced them with a pull-up and cotton pajama bottoms with polar bears and penguins on them. Her shirt was comfy enough so she left it. She made sure to set an alarm on her phone for 4:30 to ensure she’d be awake and changed by the time everyone got back.

Paige had said that she had packed a couple new dvds in her bag for if Carmen still had her old DVD player, which she didn’t, but Evelyn knew for a fact that their living room still had one. So, she looked through her bag until she found a case full of the discs. Looking through them she saw a bunch of old shows, one of them being The Backyardigans which she had loved when she was a kid. 

She plucked it out of the case before going over to her bed. She grabbed Jappy and her blanket and bounded back down the stairs. Her plate of cooling chicken nuggets and cookies were still on the table so she balanced them in one hand before going to the living room and shutting the blinds.

The only light illuminating the large room came from a lamp beside the couch, which Evelyn threw herself on after putting the disc in the player and pressing play.

After getting through her plate of food she laid back and pulled her blanket around her, the familiar smell of Paige’s perfume surrounding her which she hadn't noticed before.

Her eyes misted as she pulled the blanket closer and tried to get as much of the smell as possible. Being little made it so much harder to be without Paige. She had never felt this longing and sadness for another human being in her whole life.

She stuck a thumb in her mouth and curled around Jappy. One tear escaped her as a sniffle came from her nose. She knew she was being silly, but she just wanted her Mommy so badly that it hurt. Her sniffles soon turned to sobs as her body shook with grief. 

She cried for a good ten minutes before her tears ran out and she was left hiccuping as she rubbed her blanket against her face. She wanted desperately to be wrapped up in Paige’s warm, loving, safe embrace. but she couldn’t. She had to be at her stupid mom’s house.

She wanted to fall asleep with someone holding her close. But she had been left all by herself, nobody there to comfort her. Usually something like this would never reduce her to tears but it seemed she was crying a lot more these days.

She sniffed one last time and wiped her nose on her sleeve, cuddling Jappy to her chest and turning to face the back of the couch. She shut her eyes and soon succumbed to sleep.

——-

She was woken up only an hour or so later, not by her alarm but by the sound of three loud southern voices that were making their way towards her.

Evelyn scrambled to pull her blanket over herself and Jappy. From all her adjusting she noticed that her pull-up was wet and whimpered in fear.

“Oh, you’re here.” Jeremy said and flipped on the lights as Ashlyn and Erina plopped down to Evelyn who inched away from them. “We got It 2 for us to watch. Aunt Lauren said everyone was out but I guess you can watch with us.”

Evelyn played with her fingers. “I thought you guys were out ‘till later.” 

“Yeah, we just came back from breakfast. We were going to go to a club but Ashlyn here wanted to come back early and watch a movie.” Jeremy said as he took out Evelyn’s dvd and looked at it curiously. “Why’re you watching this? Isn’t it for little kids.”

“I…It was already in there when I turned on the T.V.” Evelyn lied poorly as Jeremy put the disc back into its case.

“Are you sure about that small stuff? I was watching something the other day and I don’t remember this being in here.” Jeremy said as he went over to the couch and sat down heavily to Evelyn’s right, trapping her. “I guess it's suiting for a baby like you though.” He laughed loudly as his sisters giggled from the other side of the couch.

Evelyn teared up and slumped down further as her cousins continued to laugh at her. She just wanted to leave, go back upstairs and change her clothing to escape this embarrassment but she didn’t want to show them Jappy or her pajamas so she stayed put.

As soon as the title screen came up Evelyn went rigid with fright. She had seen trailers for this movie plenty of times and everytime she saw the clown she would have an awful nightmare. What was watching the whole movie going to do to her? Evelyn didn’t want to find out so she tried to formulate a lie good enough for Jeremy to let her leave.

The movie had started and Evelyn still couldn’t think of anything to say. She had left her phone on the T.V mantle so she couldn’t go grab that, Carmen wasn’t here so she couldn’t say they had planned to do something. It seemed like she was stuck watching the movie until Carmen, or even Blake, came to rescue her.

But, how long would that take?

Chapter Text

Evelyn jumped for what felt like the tenth time in the past hour. At first she had tried distracting herself but everytime she looked away for more than a minute Jeremy would turn the volume up a few notches which made it a whole lot worse.

“Can you turn it down a bit?” Evelyn asked quietly. Her nerves were completely shot and she was trembling slightly.

“Aw, is wittle Evewyn scared of the clown? Don’t worry, your big cousin Jeremy will help you with that.” With that statement he turned it up even higher and slung an arm behind Evelyn’s head. It seemed that none of her cousins had bothered to take a shower and Jeremy was the worst of the three. He smelled of a mix of beer, sweat and sex. It was absolutely horrible.

“Ew, Jeremy you smell gross, what’d you do last night?!” 

Evelyn was glad that Ashlyn also smelled her brother and decided to speak up. The smell was starting to make her dizzy and she wanted him to leave.

“You know Stacy and Veronica?” He asked her and smiled crudely.

“Not very well, but yeah.” Ashlyn responded and looked at her brother curiously.

“We all fucked in the hotel, I’m talking hours of me pounding them. The other guys even came in after a while and joined the fun. One of them even brought a keg.”

“Jeremyyy we don’t need to know that.” Erina said and stuck out her tongue in disgust. “I thought we were the only ones staying in the hotel after minigolf since we were too wasted to go back to the house.”

“I guess they followed me back, I’m just that irresistible I guess.” He said and flexed his enormous muscles. “I bet you're just jealous.”

“Jealous that I didn’t get to see my brother doggystyling other girls? Yeah right.” Erina said sarcastically as she clicked her long acrylics against the glass of water in her hand.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing Brad go to work on some other girls, he’s a total hottie.” Ashlyn admitted and Erina nodded her agreement.

“Really, Brad?” Jeremy laughed. “My middle fingers bigger than his junk, it's all in his head.”

“Wait, for real?” Ashlyn whined and slumped down. “He told me it was 9 inches.”

“In his dreams.” Jeremy snorted.

The movie kept on playing and Evelyn was praying it would end soon. It was already 4:55 and her head couldn’t take anymore. Jeremy has been nice enough to get up to turn off Evelyn's alarm but he left her phone on the mantle. All Evelyn wanted to do was text Carmen and tell her to hurry up but she couldn’t without her damn phone!

Little did she know that the movie was almost three hours long and since Jeremy had paused it so many times to talk they still had a while to go.

The next jump scare was the final straw for Evelyn. She hadn’t wanted to watch the movie in the first place but her asshole of a cousin was making her watch it against her will. At that point she didn’t care if her cousins were going to make fun of her anymore. She wanted comfort over anything at the moment so she took Jappy out from his hiding place and buried her face in his soft fur.

Jeremy snickered when he saw this and was quick to pluck the dog out of Evelyn’s arms. He held the dog above his head and smirked down at the brunette who was trying to grab at it. “And what’s this, Evelyn?” 

“P-put him down J-Jeremy.” Evelyn stuttered as she sniffled and felt her eyes mist.

“Aw, what’re you going to do? Cry? I’m just trying to help you become a big girl.” 

Jeremy and his sisters laughed as Evelyn wiped her teary eyes on her sleeve and continued to reach for her stuffie. She didn’t understand why Jeremy had taken him in the first place. She was a big girl, Paige had said so, so why couldn’t big girls have stuffed animals? And why was Jeremy trying to force her to act older?

“Give him back!” Evelyn whined and pulled on Jeremy’s bulky arm. “I-I’m gonna tell Mommy!” She wailed and sat back down. Fat tears sliding down her cheeks as she sobbed. She didn’t even notice her slip up as she continued to cry, kicking her feet out with frustration. 

“I didn’t know you still called your mother “Mommy”, Evelyn.” Jeremy smiled as he watched Evelyn cry. “But, be my guest. Call Aunt Lauren up right now and tell her that I took your stuffed animal away from you. See what she has to say about it.”

Evelyn gave him a pleading look but decided not to say anything.

“That’s what I thought.” Jeremy said as he unpaused the movie, keeping the stuffed dog out of Evelyn’s reach as they continued watching. The volume was kept loud enough to drown out Evelyn’s cries.

Because the brunette had already cried earlier it didn’t take long for her tears to taper off and stop entirely. Though, her eyes were red rimmed and she was still hiccuping every couple seconds.

Evelyn kept trying to get the dog from Jeremy every time he paused the movie but it was hard since he was quite a bit taller than her sitting down.

“Please?” She tried again, trying to make herself look pitiful by slumping down to look smaller.

“Nope.” Jeremy hummed as he chewed loudly on his piece of pink bubblegum.

Evelyn tried to pull herself out of her headspace so she could think of some more adult sounding threats but since the reason was to get back a stuffed animal it made it much harder to do so.

Just as she was about to say something she heard the front door open and she nearly cried with relief, not that she could if she wanted to, but nonetheless she was overcome with joy.

“Hey Evs, we’re home!” Carmen called as she walked into the room and saw Evelyn on the verge of crying while Jeremy held her stuffed dog above his head. “What’re you guys doing?”

“Well, we’re just finishing up It 2.” Jeremy said as he muted the T.V and gave Evelyn back her dog which the brunette hugged to herself. 

“I see,” Carmen said as she walked further into the room. “And Evelyn wanted to watch this movie with you?”

“Yeah she totally did, right Evelyn.” Jeremy said as he ruffled her hair roughly and side glared at her.

“Y-yeah, I did.” Evelyn whispered, not wanting to anger her cousin further. There was no telling what he would do the second nobody was around.

“See?” Jeremy smirked as he got up and gestured with his hand for his sisters to follow him. “Well, we have to go shower. See y’all later.”

And with that, Jeremy walked out of the room. His sisters leaping off the couch and running after him.

Evelyn watched them leave and once they were gone she slowly got off the couch and jumped into Carmen’s arms, burying herself in the black haired woman’s chest and whimpering.

“Oh, muffin, what happened?” Carmen asked empathetically. She had an idea of what may have transpired but wanted Evelyn to tell her just in case her hunch was wrong.

The tan girl opted not to respond and instead tried to climb up further in Carmen’s arms though it was hard since she was wrapped in her blanket and was gripping Jappy in one hand.

Carmen got what the shorter girl wanted and easily scooped her up and cradled her in her arms, one hand underneath the bend of her legs and the other around her back. Evelyn gripped her coat in her hand and stuffed her face in her neck as Carmen walked towards the stairs.

When they got to their room Carmen inched the door open with her foot and shut it with her heel. Then she walked over to the couch and sat down with Evelyn in her lap.

Blake, upon seeing what state Evelyn was in, quickly got up off her bed and ran over to the door to lock it for privacy before going back over and sitting down.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear Blake sat, not knowing if she should ask if Carmen needed any help or just to stay silent. Though Carmen quickly answered that question.

“Hey Blake? Would you mind making her a bottle of chocolate milk? There should be one in her small suitcase, and the chocolate milk’s in the mini-fridge.” Carmen said as she patted Evelyn’s bottom but stopped when she felt heaviness.

“Did you have a little accident pumpkin?” Carmen whispered into Evelyn’s ear, no malice or disgust in her voice, just a genuine question.

“I’m sorry,” Evelyn whimpered. “I-I fell asleep an’ when they woke me up, I found out.”

“It’s okay, no need to apologize. How about you get changed and then I’ll read you a story and you can have a bottle before we go back downstairs, sound good?” Carmen hummed as she motioned with her eyes to the bathroom.

Evelyn nodded and went to her suitcase for a pair of underwear before trotting to the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.

“I wonder what happened.” Blake said as she gave Carmen the filled bottle and sat down beside her.

“Yeah, me too." Carmen reached down and rifled through the top pocket of Evelyn’s suitcase where she knew the picture books were. "I have a feeling our cousins are to blame. I’ll ask her after her story.” 

Grabbing one at random she sat back and waited for Evelyn’s return.

The girl came out a few minutes later dressed in the pants she had worn earlier. She quickly walked over to where Carmen and Blake were and plopped down onto her sister’s lap.

She smiled and adjusted her so that she was sitting in the middle of her legs with the story book out in front of her and Carmen looking over her head.

Opening the book to the first page she had a slight pause. “Need help holding your bottle?” 

Evelyn shook her head and took the offered milk, suckling softly as she waited for Carmen to start.

The book didn’t take very long to finish since it was so short, but Carmen made sure to point to the pictures and speak in silly voices to keep Evelyn entertained.

Blake watched on, enjoying the adorable scene of the sisters and wishing she had a younger sister even more now that she could see the sisterly love the two had for each other. Carmen was so caring and confident that it almost made Blake jealous that she didn’t have anyone to care for in that way.

Once the book was finished Carmen took the still half full bottle from Evelyn’s hands and adjusted her so her head was in the crook of her elbow, allowing the younger girl to truly relax and clutch her dog in both hands as Carmen held the bottle to her lips.

“So, I’m guessing that Jeremy is to blame.” Carmen peered down at her sister to see her eyes water as she nodded. “What did he do to you?” She asked as she pulled the bottle away from Evelyn who frowned.

“Nothin’ really,” She muttered and played with the hem of her the tall woman's shirt. “He was just being mean, kept telling me to grow up an’ made me watch that scary movie with them. He also took Jappy away from me and wouldn’t give him back.”

“I see, why didn’t you leave or call me?” Carmen asked as she rocked Evelyn in her arms.

“I didn’t want to get up, he woulda grabbed me and they could’ve seen my…my undergarments.” Evelyn whispered as her cheeks tinted slightly.

“Oh, well that makes sense.” Carmen said and sat Evelyn beside her since she seemed to be in a slightly older headspace and they had to go back downstairs anyways. “You could’ve bolted, you know, you’re pretty fast.” Carmen joked as she brought the almost empty bottle to her bathroom sink to rinse.

“Jeremy has at least a foot on me, he would’ve caught up with me in an instant. It also would’ve been three on one if he called his mindless sisters on me.” Evelyn sighed and crossed her legs on the couch.

"I guess thats true." Carmen sighed and checked her watch. “We should head down soon, Dad wants help cooking since Mom and her parents aren’t supposed to be back for a while.”

“Alright,” Evelyn yawned and stood up, moving towards the doorway. “I hope Jeremy stays in that shower for a while, he smelled awful.” Evelyn stated as the three walked down the hallway and towards the stairs.

But, speak of the devil. Jeremy, Ashlyn and Erina chose that time to emerge from the steaming bathroom. All three of them wearing ridiculously short clothing once again.

“Hey guys! Heading down too?”

Chapter Text

The three women winced as Jeremy shouted, even though they were mere steps away.

“Yep,” Carmen replied as Evelyn shrunk behind her and Blake. “Are you guys going to help cook too?”

“Yeah, Uncle Liam wants us to make pies.” Jeremy grinned as they all walked down the stairs together.

“Yum! What kinds?” Blake asked as they reached the bottom of the landing and went to the kitchen.

“Uh, apple and pumpkin, I think?” Jeremy responded as they met Liam and Ted who were already making something. 

“Finally, we thought you guys would never show up.” Ted joked as he threw a hand towel at Jeremy who easily caught it and chucked it back.

“Yeah yeah, whatever. We had a fun night out so we had to recharge.” Jeremy looked over at the ingredients on the table and opened a cookbook. “So we’ll make the two pies and you guys’ll do the rest of the prep work?”

“We’re going to do the turkey and your cousins and my sister will do the potato dishes.” Ted answered as he pulled out various spices from a cabinet and placed them on the counter. 

“Sounds good.” Jeremy said as he glanced at the large turkey sitting atop an equally large platter.

“Hey Aunt Haily.” Carmen greeted as they joined her at the other end of the counter where she was chopping a potato.

“Hi girls.” She smiled and gestured for them to join her. “You all here to help?”

“Mhm!” Evelyn chirped happily, excited to be able to cook again. She skipped over to her aunt and peered over her shoulder, looking in awe at the perfect cubes of potato on the cutting board.

“Well then, what do you guys want to do? We’re doing scalloped potatoes and sweet potatoes with marshmallows.” Haily said as she dusted her hands off on her apron.

“Uh, we’ll do whatever.” Carmen said as she grabbed a knife and went to work peeling potatoes. “Evelyn, would you mind putting the peels in a bowl for me? I don’t want you using a knife.” Carmen explained, remembering the last time Evelyn had used one and how many bandages they had needed afterwards.

“Sure.” Evelyn blushed as she picked up all the peels that were being dropped and put them into a scrap bowl to be composted later.

“Would you mind preheating the oven to 375 degrees Blake?” Haily asked as she sliced the potatoes that Carmen had peeled and put them in a casserole dish.

“Sure Mom.” Blake said and ruffled Evelyn’s hair as she walked to the oven.

“Okay Evelyn, how about you sprinkle the cheese on top after I pour the sauce?” Haily asked softly and smiled when Evelyn beamed at her.

“Okay Auntie!” Evelyn grinned and bounced on her toes excitedly as she watched Haily pour a thick white sauce on top of the potatoes and mixed them around a bit before handing the brunette a bag of shredded cheddar.

Evelyn took a handful of cheese and sprinkled it on the potatoes. Her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth in concentration as she tried to cover every inch of the pan.

“Carmen, would you mind grabbing the boiled sweet potatoes out of the sink? We have to mash them before we add everything else.” Haily asked as she covered the scalloped potatoes in tin foil and put them in the fridge.

“Yep.” Carmen hummed and brushed a piece of cheese off of Evelyn's shoulder on her way over to the stove.

“Okay Evelyn, your next job is to mash up these potatoes real good, can you do that for me honey?” Haily asked the brunette who was playing with her fingers, using a soft voice as she noticed that Evelyn was acting a bit spacey and...younger?

Evelyn nodded and took the spoon Haily was holding out to her, looking down when Carmen placed a bowl full of peeled steaming sweet potatoes in front of her.

Holding the large spoon in both hands Evelyn crushed the potatoes as Haily added butter and cream to the good smelling mush which Evelyn couldn’t help compare to her sweet potato flavored baby food.

When that was done Haily praised her and stirred it up a bit more before putting it in a large glass dish and covering it with marshmallows and then a layer of tinfoil.

“We’re all done Dad!” Carmen called as they started on washing the dirty dishes while Evelyn watched, still smiling from being able to help cook again.

“Alright, we’ll be done soon.” Liam said as he watched Ted stick his whole arm up the turkey to marinate the insides too. “We just have to stuff the turkey, that’s it.”

“Okay, we’ll clean up then.” Haily responded and took all the dirty dishes from Jeremy’s group as well as Liam's. Carmen wiped down the counter and put all the ingredients away to help out.

“When’re we eating tomorrow Daddy?” Evelyn asked from her perch on the countertop next to the turkey. She didn’t look directly at it, since it still had spots of blood on it, so she tried to just focus on her dad.

“I’m not sure Evelyn, your mother is the one with the itinerary.” Liam grinned as he covered the fully marinated turkey and put it into one of the sub zero fridges hidden in the wall.

“What am I in charge of?” Lauren asked, suddenly appearing from the doorway and surveying the room.

“The plans for tomorrow,” Liam replied as he walked over and kissed her on the cheek. “Evelyn just wanted to know what time we are scheduled to eat dinner.

Lauren glared over at Evelyn who met her eyes for a split second before downcasting them to the floor.

“We’re eating around 6.” She said icily before turning and leaving the room.

Evelyn looked up when her mother left and let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. 

“Just 3 more days.” She reminded herself. “ Just three more days and I can go home, and 5 more days until I get to see Paige.”  

And with that last fleeting thought Evelyn sighed and buried her head in her hands.

———-

Thanksgiving day had finally arrived and Evelyn was ecstatic. Paige had called that morning to tell her that she loved her and missed her immensely and that she couldn’t wait to see her again which made Evelyn’s heart flutter.

After the call Evelyn and Carmen got up and went downstairs to the pleasant aroma of food being cooked. The upside to waking up so late in the afternoon is that they were that much closer to the delicious dinner they would be enjoying that evening.

Currently, Evelyn was in the living room, sat on the floor watching T.V while her grandparents read or played chess. Everyone else was in the kitchen cooking. Carmen had told her to stay put since the kitchen was “Full enough already” and that “They were only preparing the dishes”. Evelyn had relented because her mother was going to be in there too which would just make her nervous.

“So Evelyn,” Tom, Lauren’s father, asked. Looking up from his book to see Evelyn pause her show and look at him from her place on the plush carpet. 

“How many figures does your company have now?” He asked as Edna, his wife, also looked up from her tablet to hear Evelyn’s response.

“Uh, we’re a-almost at 11.” Evelyn winced, her stuttering a side effect of the attention from both Lauren and her family which she had tried to contain since Lauren despised it.

“That’s good.” He said and went back to reading.

“Great job Evelyn!” Avery called from where she and Richard were playing chess. Both gave her a thumbs up and grinned widely at her. The complete opposite of what her other grandparents had done.

Evelyn blushed but smiled at her grandmother nonetheless. Fidgeting with her socks she pressed play and focused on her show again. It was a cartoon but it was geared towards adults, so Evelyn felt comfortable enough to watch it around everyone else. She was not fond of the boring dramas and thrillers that a woman her age should enjoy and found herself watching animated shows instead.

“Okay everyone, food’ll be done in 15 minutes!” Ted called from the dining room where he was setting out plates and cutlery.

Evelyn grinned widely and jumped up. She swithched off the T.V and ran to the dining room to see all the amazing food set out. She was not disappointed. Everything from the potatoes to the cranberry sauce were already there. The only thing missing was the turkey.  

“It’s something, isn’t it?” Ted said as he put colorful place cards on all the plates.

“Yeah,” Evelyn sighed with adoration but quickly froze when she saw that she was sitting between her mother and Jeremy.

“Just my luck.” Evelyn thought. “Maybe I can switch the cards around?” But she thought better of it when her grandparents sat down.

“Here comes the turkey!” Liam cheered as he carried the massive turkey into the room and set it in the middle of the table.

“That looks delicious.” Evelyn practically drooled as she sat down in her chair and stared at the turkey with greedy eyes. “I can’t wait.”

“Just a couple more minutes, Evelyn.” Liam laughed as he untied his apron and took a seat to the other side of Lauren’s chair.

Soon the whole family was seated. An excited chatter filled the room as everyone hungrily awaited for the turkey to be cut. Evelyn shrank down in her seat and tried to make herself as small as possible as her mother and Jeremy sat beside her.

The sound of a knife clinking on a glass brought everyone’s attention to Liam who stood up and smiled widely.

“Thank you everyone for joining us for yet another Thanksgiving. It means a lot to us to see all of you here under one roof. So, without further ado, let’s eat.” 

Everyone clapped as soon as Liam finished speaking, Ted stood up and patted his brother on the back as Liam started carving the turkey. 

“Thanks for inviting us Brother.” Ted grinned and passed out plates with turkey on them. “We should do this more often.”

Evelyn internally snorted. There was no way she would want to spend any more time than necessary with her mother and her side of the family. Her father’s, she could deal with. Her mother’s, she couldn’t.

——-

The rest of dinner went by without a hitch. The atmosphere was light and everybody seemed to be having a great time. Even Evelyn had gotten past sitting next to Jeremy and her mother and was happily chatting away with Blake.

“You should totally come visit us in Vegas sometime, I still need to introduce you to Paige.” Evelyn said excitedly as she picked at a piece of pumpkin pie in front of her.

Blake smiled and shook her head in agreement. “I really do need to do that soon,” She pondered and then her eyes lit up with an idea. “I actually have to go to Vegas with a couple contractors in a month, maybe I could stay over at your place while I’m there.”

“Let's do it!” Carmen said, butting in as she heard the plans being made, also wanting to be a part of them.

Evelyn giggled and nodded her head. “We could totally have a big sleepover! I’ll ask Paige about it later.” She said, bouncing in her seat a bit as she thought of the fun they could have.

“Then it's settled, I’ll stay over at your place when I go.” Blake smiled as she finished up her glass of wine and set it on the table, leaning back as she did so and sighing contently. “That was some good food, I’m stuffed.”

Evelyn shrugged her shoulders as she finished off her piece of pie and reached for another, feeling that she still had a bit of room left.

“Sure you’re not gonna get fat from all that shit you're eating Evelyn?” Jeremy snickered, quiet enough that only she could hear him.

“I’ll be fine Jeremy, just leave me alone.” Evelyn grumbled in response and glowered down at her piece of pie, hating her mouthy cousin with a passion. Why did he insist on teasing her so often, he had two younger siblings that he could do that to.

“If you say so.” He smirked and squeezed Evelyn’s thigh under the table, making her shiver. “You are a little meaty though.”

“Shut up!” Evelyn hissed as she squished one of his fingers in her grip, not that it did much, but it sent the point across. “I’ll tell Carmen and she’ll beat your ass for touching me.”

“I’m so scared, little Evelyn’s big mean sister is gonna come after me, oh no!” He snickered softly but moved his hand away nonetheless, deciding that he didn’t want to get told off by the black haired woman.

After that, Jeremy left Evelyn alone and she looked back at Carmen and Blake who had watched the exchange. Their faces were a mix of curiosity and confusion about what had just transpired between the two.

Evelyn waved her hand to tell them that she’d tell them later as Liam stood up with a smile on his face.

“Well, thanks again to everyone for joining us! It was truly a pleasure to see all of you once again. Hopefully we will see each other soon.” And with that, everyone started to get up. The table was cleared and the dishes were cleaned and everybody started heading off in different directions to do their own separate things.

“I’m tired Carrie.” Evelyn yawned as she, Blake, Carmen, Ted, Liam and Haily went to the livingroom to watch another movie. 

“Alright, we’ll go to bed a little earlier tonight since we’re going to the aquarium tomorrow.” Carmen reminded her cheerfully as they curled up together on a beanbag, the sound of an old classic Evelyn didn’t remember the name of coming on in the background.

“But,” Carmen said as she reached over for a blanket and draped it over them before speaking again. “If we do go to bed early you can’t talk to Paige until tomorrow, she’s out doing something with her family until pretty late tonight.”

Evelyn whined. On one hand she hadn’t been able to nap as much as she wanted earlier which had left her tired, on the other hand she did want to talk to Paige before going to bed.

“We can leave her a voicemail though, how about that?” Carmen soothed, not wanting Evelyn to work herself up too much before bed.

“Oh, yeah that’s fine I guess.” Evelyn mumbled as she turned her attention to the T.V. “But you also gotta read me a story.” She winked, knowing Carmen wouldn’t say no.

“Of course,” Carmen chuckled. “I’ll be glad to read to you as much as you want.”

Evelyn hummed happily and played with the rings on Carmen’s fingers as she watched a couple kiss under the moonlight with soft music playing in the background. She smiled as she remembered how Paige and herself had done that a couple months prior. She reminisced in the pleasant memory as the movie continued on.

Chapter Text

As the movie was coming to a close Carmen felt a light tug on her sleeve and saw Evelyn beckoning for her to come closer. She complied and slouched a bit to hear what the girl had to say.

“Do you think Blake wants to come see the fishies with us tomorrow?”

“I dunno,” Carmen booped Evelyn’s nose. “You should ask her when we get back to our room.”

Evelyn in turn giggled sweetly and picked at the lint on the blanket on top of her, already excited for the fun they would have the next day all together. If Blake said yes, that is.

She didn’t have to wait long as only a couple minutes later the end credits began rolling. It wasn’t particularly late at all, dinner having lasted a good two hours, and the movie being more or less the same, so it was only a little past 10.

“Well, I’m beat.” Blake said and stood up from her spot on the floor. “All that turkey is making me super drowsy.” 

That comment made everyone nod in agreement, everyone getting up and stretching out their aching limbs. The three siblings looking at each other and huddled together after having a silent conversation with one another.

“Well, we’re going to get some drinks and stay up. It’s not everyday I get to see these two.” Haily said and kissed Blake on the cheek as her goodnight.

“Alright, have fun!” Carmen took Evelyn’s hand and began walking towards the stairs. “We’re heading to bed. See you guys tomorrow.”

Ted and Liam echoed her sentiment before starting to bicker about what they would watch next—a classic romance or a comedy.

Once Evelyn and Carmen were out of sight of everybody, she scooped Evelyn up in her arms and carried her to her bedroom.

“You, little missy, need to take a shower before you go to sleep.” Carmen deposited a limp Evelyn on their bed and began gathering all their sleepwear.

“Do I have toooo?” Evelyn whined, wrapping herself in her blanket and turning onto her stomach, giving Carmen a pleading look.

Carmen tickled Evelyn’s side a bit. “Yep, no exceptions.” 

“Fine.” Evelyn huffed, jumping out of bed and snatching the offered pajamas from Carmen who grinned at her.

“Do you need any help with anything?” Carmen asked, which only made her younger sister’s cheeks tint red.

Evelyn covered her reddening cheeks and scowled through her fingers. “Carmen, I’m not little right now.”

“Oops, sorry, you were just really soft around the edges so I couldn’t tell.”

Evelyn huffed, muttering under her breath and stalked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her with a loud whoosh.

Carmen sighed adoringly as she shrugged on a soft t-shirt and shorts. Blake also pulled out her pajamas, and soon they heard the shower turn on.

“I wish I had someone to look after like that.” Blake stated and curled up on the sofa, book in hand. “It looks so nice.”

Upon hearing that, Carmen quickly plopped down next to her cousin, criss crossing her legs. “In what way?” 

“Well… I’d love to care for someone in the way that Paige seems to do with Evelyn.” She muttered and set her book off to the side. “I never had a younger sibling or anything like that and I’d like to be depended on in such a way.”

“I see,” Carmen smiled, looking up at the ceiling and tapping her chin in thought. “Y’know, I have a friend from college who recently got dumped by her girlfriend. They had the same dynamic between them that Paige and Evelyn do. She actually lives in Houston, believe it or not.”

“Really?!”

“Really.” Carmen fumbled around in her pocket her phone. She swiped around for a minute then paused dramatically when she found what she was looking for. “Ready?”

Blake immediately shook her head yes and awed loudly when Carmen turned the screen towards her. The girl was absolutely adorable with big blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. In the picture she had a wide, perfect smile as she pointed at some animal in the distance.

“She is absolutely precious!” Blake gushed and grabbed Carmen’s phone, wanting to get a better look at her. “How old is she?” 

“Uh, she was just starting law school when I was finishing so…” Carmen muttered as she did the math in her head. “She’s 30 now, I think? She may be more around Evelyn’s age, actually.”

“Oh, well that’s only a maybe five year difference, do you think she’d mind?”

“Nah. The girlfriend who just dumped her was my age so I think you’d be fine.” She explained, but then frowned suddenly. “She may be a little broken though, those two had been dating for almost nine years now.”

“Wow,” Blake shook her head in pity. “That poor girl.”

“I’ll totally hook you guys up though, you want a little girl and she needs a mommy to look after and love her. You’re a perfect match. She also has the sweetest accent, she was born in and lived in London for most of her life.”

“Oh my God, I adore English accents.” Blake grinned. “Thanks Carmen. This really means a lot.” 

“It's no problem, we’re family after all.” Carmen acknowledged and put her phone down when she heard Evelyn leave the bathroom and land heavily on the bed. “I’ll give her your number so you can get to know one another.” She winked and got up, grabbing a story book from Evelyn’s bag on the way.

Before she got to the bed, Evelyn shot up and bounded over to Blake, excitedly bouncing on her toes in front of the other woman. “Wanna come see some fishies with Carrie and me tomorrow?”

“Fishies?” Blake repeated, a bit confused as to what the girl meant.

“She’s talking about the aquarium. We’re driving down to Virginia Beach tomorrow afternoon.” Carmen said and lifted Evelyn up over her shoulder, catching her flailing legs with one hand.

“I’d love to.”

“Alright, cool, we’ll leave after lunch then.” Carmen walked over to the bed and set Evelyn down, the brunette immediately trying to get up again, the sugar from all the sweets she ate after dinner kicking in. 

“Jeez, kid,” Carmen groaned as she put a hand on Evelyn's chest to keep her from springing up again. “Where’d all this energy come from?”

Evelyn just giggled and squirmed under Carmen’s hand, the black haired woman sighing adoringly as she ran a hand over her face.

“Here, why don’t we jump on the bed for a couple minutes, will that help you calm down?” Carmen suggested and stood up, keeping a hold of both of Evelyn’s hands while she jumped up and down happily.

“Mommy never lets me do this at home!”

“Uhhhh let’s say we keep this a secret, alright?” Carmen gulped nervously. “Your mommy would not be thrilled that I let you jump up here in the first place.”

“Okay!” Evelyn jumped in the air one more time before falling down onto her bottom with a satisfied giggle. “That was super fun!” She cheered as she laid on her back and held her dog above her, wiggling it a bit and making airplane noises like it was flying.

Carmen let out a sigh of relief, happy that the girl’s energy level had gone down. Now she would hopefully be able to get her to fall asleep.

“Let’s get you all tucked in and then I can read you your story.” Carmen said gently as she got up and went to Evelyn’s side of the bed, turning on the nightlight before pulling the covers back and helping the girl underneath them.

Evelyn yawned and fished under her pillow for her pacifier which she popped into her mouth, suckling softly.

Carmen turned all the other lights off in the room except for the lamp by her bed. After that was done with, she slid beside Evelyn and opened up Peter Rabbit.

The room was quiet except for the sound of Carmen’s soothing voice reading the short storybook. Only halfway through the story Evelyn had fallen asleep, but Carmen kept reading just to be sure that the brunette was definitely out.

When she was done, she shut the book and quietly whispered, “Goodnight, sweet dreams.”

-------

“Carrie, Carrie! It’s time to wake up!” Carmen heard as she felt someone tugging on her arm. She groaned and sat up, glancing at the clock on her bedside table and seeing that it was already 11:30. Go figure since Evelyn never woke up early anyways.

“Mhm, what's got you so excited?” Carmen teased, knowing fully well why as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and toed her slippers on.

“We’re going to the aquarium!” Evelyn practically shouted, making Carmen wince slightly. Not having had any coffee yet she was less than enthusiastic about the girl’s energy.

“Indeed we are, what a smart girl you are.” Carmen yawned and patted Evelyn’s head in passing as she headed into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

After washing her face, the green eyed woman felt a little more refreshed. As she stepped out of the bathroom she saw Evelyn struggling to pull on one of her sneakers, already dressed in her usual sweats and a loose, white, long sleeved sweater with little whales decorating the cuffs and hem.

Carmen bent down to pull the shoe onto the brunette herself. “You have a great figure Ev, why don’t you show it off more often?”

“I dunno, I feel that bigger clothes make me look bigger, I guess? And they're much more comfy.” She said thoughtfully, clearly not seeing the fault in her logic. Bigger clothes actually only succeeded in making the girl look smaller than she actually was. She was practically swimming in the sweater she was wearing.

“If you say so.” Carmen shrugged as she pulled on a pair of blue jeans and a black quarter zip. She then grabbed her purse and began stuffing it with things they may need for the trip: her keys, their phones, the iPad, a little cartoon of milk, her wallet, and Evelyn’s phone.

“Alright, got everything? Used the bathroom?” Carmen asked as they left her room and began heading downstairs where the smell of whatever was for lunch was coming from.

Evelyn hummed absentmindedly and skipped down the stairs two at a time. Carmen rolled her eyes and decided to ask her after they ate and definitely before they left. 

As they walked into the kitchen they were greeted with the sight of open boxes of pizza on the counter which made Evelyn cheer with delight. She skipped over an and quickly grabbed a plate and served herself two slices of cheese.

“I knew you’d like it.” Blake laughed from her spot next to Ted and her mother at the island, all of them with plates of pizza in front of them as well.

“Thanks Blake!” Evelyn grinned as she took a big bite and sat next to Ted who ruffled her hair in greeting.

“How can you guys eat this after that fatty dinner last night?” Carmen mused, but grabbed a slice anyway and sat beside Evelyn who already had sauce and grease on her face and hands, but luckily not on her white shirt.

“Oh hush,” Ted laughed. “Let us be unhealthy in peace.”

They ate together in a nice silence until Carmen realized that they had better get going to be back by dinner. She quickly took her plate and Evelyn’s to the sink and brought a few napkins back with her, handing them to Evelyn who blushed but wiped her face obediently.

“Time to go?”

“Yep, we have to be back here by 7 for dinner and it's an hour and a half drive there.” Carmen explained as she threw an applesauce pouch into her bag and motioned for Evelyn and Blake to follow her.

“Have fun!” Haily called as they were leaving, getting a quick smile and wave from Evelyn as she downed the rest of her drink and left the room.

“Bathroom before we go, Evelyn?” Carmen questioned as she grabbed a set of house keys from a bowl by the doorway.

Evelyn shook her head no, ears reddening a bit as she walked out the front door. Unknown to Carmen, but Evelyn had actually worn a pull-up as a precaution just in case she fell asleep or was in a tight spot. She didn’t want to take the chance of returning home in wet pants and her mother catching her.

“Alright, if you’re sure.” Carmen locked the door behind them then began speed walking to the car. She opened the backdoor for Evelyn, waiting for her to buckle herself in before handing her her iPad and sliding into the drivers seat.

She made their way down the driveway and pretty soon they were on their way to the aquarium.

Chapter Text

“Are we there yet?” Evelyn whined for what seemed like the tenth time since they had left the house an hour ago. She was getting bored of watching her show and wanted to see all the animals.

“Not yet sugar pie. Just a couple more minutes alright?” Carmen replied, being patient with the younger girl since she knew just how excited she was about visiting the aquarium.

Evelyn grumbled but didn’t ask again as they drove the last 15 minutes to the large aquarium. 

It seemed like EVERYONE had had the same idea as they did which was evident by the parking lot being absolutely packed with cars. It took Carmen another 10 minutes just to find a decent space.

“Oh my God,” Blake snorted as they got out of the car. “I didn’t think there would be this many people. Though I should have expected it since it is the day after Thanksgiving.”

“Well I thought about us going to Busch Gardens but I checked the ticket counter and they were even more packed there than here.” She explained as she helped a giddy Evelyn out of the car and took her hand so she wouldn’t run off.

Blake whistled in amusement as Carmen turned Evelyn towards her and bent down so that they were at eye level.

“Okay, we have to have some rules.” Carmen started and softly shushed the brunette when she let out a small groan. “Don’t worry, they’re not that bad. The first is that you have to hold onto one of us at all times so you don’t wander off or get lost. The second is to be aware of your surroundings and tell us if anything’s wrong, alright?”

“I can do that.” Evelyn smiled and gripped Carmen’s hand a bit tighter in her own. “I’m not little right now though.” She added as they walked towards the large facility where a ton of people were outside waiting in line.

“I doubted that you would be too little in a public space like this anyways. Either way, stick with us.” Carmen said as she got the two physical tickets out of her purse and loaded the third up on her phone as Evelyn blushed a bit and looked down.

“So what do you want to see first, Evelyn?” Blake asked as she took the smaller brunette’s hand in her own while Carmen went to the front desk to exchange their tickets for wristbands.

“Uh, I think I wanna see the dolphin show, we’re right on time too.” She responded, having pleasant memories from watching the show as a child.

“Sounds fun.” Blake smiled as Carmen handed her a wrist band before snapping her own and Evelyn’s on.

“So I’m guessing the dolphins first.” Carmen stated as they all weaved their way through a mass of people to get to the seating area around a large pool where the dark outlines of dolphins were visible through the water.

“How’d you know?” Evelyn giggled as she slid into a seat which was far enough that they wouldn’t be splashed by water when the dolphins did their tricks. Walking around with wet clothing would not be pleasant.

“We always went here first when you were a kid so I figured that wouldn’t have changed.” Carmen sat beside her giddy sister, Blake by her side.

The trio talked for a few minutes before it was announced that the show would begin shortly and for everyone to find a seat. As that was said Carmen looked around to see that almost every chair was taken, some people even standing in the way back as sitting on the stairs would be a fire hazard.

As soon as the trainers came out onto the stage the crowd roared loudly, including Evelyn who bounced in her seat and clapped along to the beginning song. She became so immersed in it that she didn’t even realize that her shirt had ridden up a bit over her sweatpants.

Lucky for her Carmen did realize this and was quick to pull the girl’s shirt down but not before she saw the waistband of a pink pull-up peeking out of the top of her sweats. Not surprised in the least she even went as far as to tuck the shirt into the back of her pants so it wouldn’t happen again.

Evelyn felt Carmen doing so but wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest. Her sister already knew that she wore pull-ups sometimes so why would it matter if she was wearing one now. Besides, it wasn’t like anybody would have noticed anyways so Evelyn didn’t care and just continued having fun watching the dolphins.

About a half hour later the show had ended. It was just as great as Evelyn remembered it to be, maybe even better. Showing as much she continued to chat away about it to Blake as they walked towards the auditorium exit.

“That was so cool! I totally forgot that they made those sounds, and did you see how high they jumped? And also-” Evelyn rambled as Carmen led them towards the cafe to find something to drink after all the shouting the smaller brunette had done.

“Yes Evelyn, we were there too you know.” Carmen laughed as they stood in line to order.

Realizing just how much she had spoken Evelyn blushed as she looked at Blake and gave her a small smile. “Sorry Blake, I must have talked your ear off.” 

“No, it's totally fine Evelyn. I’m glad you enjoyed it so much.” Blake answered in a soft voice, making the whiskey eyed girl’s face light up again.

“Alright, what do you want guys?” Carmen asked as she took out her wallet since they were next in line.

Evelyn swung her and Blake’s hands absentmindedly. “I want a medium strawberry lemonade, no wait, make it a large.” 

“I’ll just have a bottle of water.” Blake began to take out her own wallet to pay for her own but quickly stopping when Carmen shook her head and motioned that she would pay.

“Where to now?” Carmen asked as she cracked open her bottle of water and took a sip, looking down at Evelyn who was gulping down her 32 ounce cup of sugar.

Evelyn thought for a moment before popping her lips off her straw. “Let’s go see the sharks!” She said, already walking in the direction of a huge pane of glass which housed many different sea creatures, including a few kinds of sharks. And in her excitement completely forgetting to stay close to the other two women.

As Carmen saw this she quickly rushed forward and caught Evelyn’s shirt before she could get any farther. “Slow down there kiddo, we’ve got loads of time.” Carmen chuckled amusedly as she waited for Blake to catch up to them. Evelyn pouted but stood still anyways, waiting for Carmen to start walking forward before doing so herself. 

Getting to the exhibit Evelyn immediately stepped up onto a raised platform at the edge of the tank to see better. Efficiently gaining half a foot as she did so. She then looked up to see thousands of fish and turtles swimming in circles. It truly was an amazing spectacle and easily one of Evelyn’s favorite things to look at in the entire world.

“Wow, this is certainly impressive.” Blake smiled as she looked inside as well. “Did you two come here often when you lived at home Carmen?”

“Yeah, when I was old enough to drive we’d come down here once a week. I even got us season passes.” Carmen hummed. “Evelyn never got bored of it, not even once. She was totally heartbroken when I left for college and couldn’t take her anymore.”

“Aw, that's so sad.” Blake said, looking at the shorter brunette with pity. “She definitely still seems to enjoy it though.”

“Yeah,” Carmen grinned and ruffled Evelyn’s fluffy hair. “It really was.”

-------

A lemonade, a bunch of fish and a hop skip later Carmen could tell that Evelyn was getting sleepy. Made evident by her small yawns and lower enthusiasm about the exhibits. It seemed waking up at a decent time did that to the girl nowadays.

They were currently looking at a couple sea otters cuddling on a rock. Evelyn leaning on Carmen for support but stubbornly refusing that she was tired even if it was obvious to anyone that she was.

“Alright cupcake,” Carmen said gently as she eased the girl out of her side and rubbed up and down her biceps. “I know we’re having fun but I think it’s time to head home and have a nice nap.”

“But I’m not tireddd.” She tried to turn to look at the otters again but was held by her shoulders by Carmen who looked at her with a raised brow.

“Well, even if you aren’t tired we have to go back and get some yummy dinner in that belly of yours.” Carmen tried, poking Evelyn’s stomach playfully and smiling when Evelyn giggled a bit. “And anyways, Blake’s tired too.” Carmen said, winking in Blake’s direction to silently ask her to play along.

“Oh yes, very tired.” Blake agreed and went as far as to yawn widely. “I may have to take a nap too, will you nap with me Evelyn?” Blake asked as they started moving towards the exit.

“Fine,” Evelyn huffed. “I’m not that sleepy though.” She grumbled as she tossed away her empty cup in a nearby trashcan before following Blake and Carmen out the exit and towards the car.

When they reached the car Evelyn opened up her own door before hopping in and fumbling with her seatbelt for a minute. Finding that it was stuck or something she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Without even pausing her conversation with Carmen Blake got into the passenger side and reached back to do up Evelyn’s seat belt for her. 

Evelyn smiled shyly and then covered her head with her blanket to avoid the likely adoring gazes of the other women. She inhaled deeply and Paige’s favorite perfume hit her nose, making her even drowsier than before.

“Here, have some milk before you doze off.” Carmen said and took the small cartoon of now lukewarm milk out of her bag and handed it to Evelyn before starting the car.

Evelyn hummed appreciatively as she took the milk and slowly drank it, her eyes closing as she did so until the box was empty and she was asleep. The sound of the carton falling to the floor followed by Evelyn’s soft snoores the only noise in the quiet car.

“Well that was quick. After saying how not tired she was, I thought it would take her longer to fall asleep.” Carmen laughed as she pulled onto the highway and began the trek home.

“Yeah it’s amazing.” Blake agreed as she took her phone out of her back pocket when she heard it ding from a text message notification, immediately smiling in happiness as she read who it was from.

Unknown: Hey Blake, it’s Emma.

“Emma texted me!” She whispered to Carmen as to not disturb the sleeping girl in the backseat. Not that her speaking any louder would wake the girl up when she was this deep asleep anyways.

“That’s good to hear, I told her about you last night and she seemed quite happy.” Carmen replied. “I hope you two work out.”

“Yeah, me too.” Blake sing-songed as she typed back a reply but then remembered something and looked back at Evelyn and then Carmen again. “Wait, doesn’t she wet the bed occasionally?” The grey eyed woman said with concern as she looked back once more.

“That is true, but she decided to wear protection so it’s fine. I wouldn’t have let her fall asleep if she hadn’t to be honest.” Carmen shrugged as she slowed the car down at a stoplight, also taking the time to turn the radio on to some low music to keep herself entertained.

Blake hummed in response and typed back another reply to Emma after she had asked how her day had been.

“Yeah, this is going to work.” Blake thought, quickly sending a text back to the sweet girl she now knew as Emma. 

Chapter Text

Upon arriving at their house Carmen packed everything up into her purse. Deciding that Evelyn could nap a bit longer while she took a shower she carefully hoisted the girl up into her arms and carried her into the house. When they walked in Ted asked Blake to help with dinner in the kitchen after seeing that Carmen had her hands full.

After hearing that dinner would be ready in an hour or so Carmen decided that she definitely had enough time to take a really long shower. So, after leaving Evelyn on the bed and covering her in her blanket, she grabbed a change of clothes and her water-proof speaker before going into the bathroom and locking the door behind her.

That proved to be a mistake as not even a half hour later Evelyn awoke to find that her bladder was practically bursting and that her pull-up was also quite damp already. She quickly sprang up and pounded on the bathroom door. 

“C-Carrie can I come in?” Evelyn yelled through the door, holding a hand between her legs and dancing in her spot a bit as she waited for a reply. None came. The only reply she got was the tune of an annoying pop song booming in the background. 

“Fuck this!” Evelyn cursed lowly as she jumped back onto the bed and curled up, legs close to her chest and both hands between her legs. There was no way she would be going to the bathroom near where Jeremy was staying. Going downstairs was also out. She could also just change her pull-up to a fresh one and just hope she didn’t end up having an accident before Carmen was done but she doubted she could move her hands from her crotch at the moment.

The only other option was to wait in this humiliating position until Carmen was done.

Another 10 minutes passed by and Evelyn was losing the battle of holding it in when the worst possible thing happened. Namely the sound of a short knock on the door.

Evelyn held her breath. Praying with all her might that the door was locked and that whoever it was would just leave. But it seemed that fate was not on her side that day as the door began to open and the sound of a particular person’s voice called which made Evelyn immediately roll off the bed and onto the floor. She desperately shuffled as out of sight as she could as she heard Lauren’s voice.

“Carmen, dear, I need to ask you something.” Her mother exclaimed as she moved further into the room and closed the door behind her.

Evelyn, forgetting her predicament, pulled her hands out from between her legs and instead put them over her mouth to hopefully hide the sound of her heavy breaths from her mother. She regretted her decision almost immediately when she felt her bladder give out and the bottom of her pants getting wet.

“I swear I heard a thud in here. Oh well, I’ll just ask her lat-” Lauren paused. A foot could be seen from the right side of the bed and when she walked closer she saw Evelyn shaking on the ground as they locked eyes with one another. 

“Evelyn? What in God’s name are you doing? Stand up this instant.” Her mother ordered, clearly not caring that the girl was distressed and seemingly wanted to be left alone.

Evelyn felt tears well up in her eyes as she slowly followed what her mother had asked of her and stood up, wobbling slightly as her knees buckled. Her accident dripped from her as she did so and a wet spot was clearly visible on the ground where she had just been sitting.

“Ma-Mama I-I can expl-” Evelyn stammered but was cut off by a hand smacking across her face. Hard. Hard enough that she saw black for a second and to make her ear buzz.

“You will call me “Mother” or “Ma’am” in this house. Is that that clear? And knock off that idiotic stuttering!” Lauren hissed as she looked Evelyn up and down, now seeing the wet patch on her pants though she had smelled it as soon as she had gotten close enough to her daughter.

“I thought you grew out of this infantile habit years ago Evelyn.” Lauren said with a tone of arrogant disgust as Evelyn started sobbing in earnest. “And for God's sake stop crying!” 

Evelyn bit her lip to the point where she tasted copper, effectively making the worst of her sobbing stop. She didn’t even dare to touch the part of her face where she had been struck, even if it hurt a lot, in fear that she would be hit again.

“How old are you Evelyn.” Lauren asked, scarily calm as she bent her youngest child over the bed and held the nape of her neck roughly.

“Twenty-e-eight Mother.” Evelyn whispered and dug her nails into the palms of her hands to keep herself from crying out as she was pushed further into the mattress, making it hard to breathe properly.

“I can’t understand you when you mumble and stutter. Again, how. Old. Are. You.” Lauren said as she squeezed Evelyn’s neck tighter.

“Twenty-eight years old Mother.” Evelyn said, her voice louder though it wavered slightly as the grip on her neck was loosened.

“Are you positive?” Lauren growled as she leaned closer to Evelyn’s ear. “Because wetting your pants like a child is not something I would consider an adult doing. As such-” Lauren yanked Evelyn’s sweatpants down and upon seeing the pull-up she got even angrier than before. “What is this ?”

Evelyn paled as her pants were pulled down, immediately trying to cover her bottom with her hands but they were taken and pinned forcefully against her back. “I-I’m sorry.” She whimpered pitifully as she grimaced from the pain her wrists were in.

“Oh, you will be sorry.” Lauren laughed sourly and yanked the soiled garment down too, leaving Evelyn completely exposed for her impending punishment. “I hope this serves as a reminder of what being a Woodford means. Now, you will count each spank and thank me for it. Losing count will only add 5 more. Understood?”

Evelyn nodded but that wasn’t the right response as a harsh smack was delivered to her backside which made her yelp. “Yes Mother, I understand!”

“Good, I guess even nitwits can take orders.” Lauren said, still as pokerfaced as ever as she kept a firm grip on Evelyn’s wrists and brought her hand down once again.

“O-one! Thank you Mother.” Evelyn squeaked, tears cascading in quick succession down her face. She definitely wouldn’t be able to sit for a while after this was done.

Smack

“Two! Thank you Mother.”

Smack 

“Three! Thank you Mother.”

Losing count only once during the teens Evelyn endured more than 50 spanks in total. Her mother didn’t have a light hand either so each one hurt more than the last. When she was finally let go she crumpled to the floor and curled into herself, weeping quietly like she had taught herself to do oh so many years ago.

“Let that serve as a reminder-” Lauren spat as she began to walk away. “That weakness is not tolerated by the Woodford name.”

And with that, she was gone. Leaving a scared and injured Evelyn on the ground like she was nothing more than a piece of garbage. How someone could do that to their own daughter eluded Evelyn but she continued to cry until the bathroom door opened and she heard Carmen calling for her.

She wanted to scream, shout, do anything but cry but she just couldn’t. All she could do was lie there and weep. Luckily, Carmen heard her hiccuping sobs and went to investigate, finding her sister crumpled up in a heap.

“Evelyn? What happened, who did this?” Carmen questioned with distress laced in her voice as she fell to her knees beside her sister, not touching her because she didn’t know where she was hurt.

“I’m fine Carrie,” Evelyn whispered, not sounding like she even believed herself as she sat up and gave Carmen a small smile. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Well I have reason to worry about you, you’re my little sister after all.” Carmen said as she helped the girl stand up, not without noticing her bright red bottom. She decided not to comment on it for the time being.

Evelyn nodded and brought her hand up to wipe at her face, wincing as it came in contact with the bottom of her eye where she could feel a bruise beginning to form. 

“Would you like to take a shower? Or maybe a bath?” Carmen questioned softly as she helped the shaking brunette step out of her sweatpants, leaving her in just her socks and shirt.

“I think a warm shower will suffice.” Evelyn mumbled tiredly as she let her sister take her to the bathroom and run a wet cloth over her face.

“I’ll grab you some clothes and be back in a couple minutes, alright?” Carmen said, turning the shower on and rushing back out into her room after getting a nod from her sister.

While Carmen was gone Evelyn went to work stripping out of the rest of her clothes and tying her hair up so it wouldn’t get wet since she didn’t have the energy to wash it. After that was done she walked over to the shower and got in. She cringed slightly when her stinging bottom came in contact with the water though, she was sad to admit, it wasn’t the first time she had experienced the sensation.

While Evelyn was in the shower Carmen got out a pair of soft underwear and another pair of sweatpants, this time navy blue, and a loose fit t-shirt which she realized was Paige’s when she saw the Yale University logo. She knew that it would be uncomfortable for Evelyn to sit for a while so she made sure to get the softest clothing possible, the smell of her lover hopefully able to comfort her as well.

She placed them on the bed with a pair of socks before moving to her closet to get some cleaning supplies. First and foremost she threw away the used pull-up and stuffed the wet sweatpants into a plastic bag to wash later. Next she got out a couple Clorox wipes and wiped the floor down with them, hoping they could take the worst of the smell away.

After putting everything away she went back to the bathroom with Evelyn’s clothes in hand, expecting her to still be in the shower but jumping in surprise when she was met with a towel wrapped, freshly cleaned Evelyn.

“Well, that was certainly quick.” Carmen observed as she leaned onto the sink counter, handing Evelyn articles of clothing piece by piece as she needed them.

“Yeah, it hurt a bit.” Evelyn smiled, though the pain was evident in her facial features as she pulled on her underwear and sweatpants. She tucked the bottoms into her socks before pulling on her bra and t-shirt. “I’m glad I slipped one of Paige’s shirts in my bag last minute, it’s really soothing.”

“I’m glad.” 

Evelyn left her hair up in a messy bun and moved to exit the bathroom with Carmen in tow. “You want to tell me what happened before we go have dinner?” The taller woman asked as she turned off the light and went to sit on the sofa, patting the spot beside her reassuringly.

“I-” Evelyn started, carefully sitting beside Carmen and leaning on her shoulder as she played with her fingers. “Well, long story short my pull-up leaked and Mother found me on the floor. You can guess what happened next.”

Carmen pinched the bridge of her nose, frustrated that she hadn’t been there once again when Evelyn had needed someone to stick up for her. The green eyed woman sighed and wrapped an arm around Evelyn’s back, pulling her further into her side.

“I’m sorry for not being there for you,” Carmen said sincerely as tears once again found themselves trickling down the younger girl’s cheeks. “I’m sorry for never doing anything to stop it. I wish it was me instead of you.” The black haired woman grimaced and brought Evelyn into her chest with her chin on top of her head as she let the girl cry into her.

“It’s not your fault, it’s mine for being so pathetic and weak. I really do need to grow up and be better.” Evelyn sobbed as she buried her face into Carmen’s neck and gripped her shirt tightly in her fists.

When she heard that Carmen was quick to bring the girl out to arms length so her green eyes could meet with Evelyn’s. “You are not weak Evelyn, you never were and never will be. You are an amazing person who is the head of a huge company for God's sake! At the age of 28 no less.” She stated as she wiped the brunette’s tears away with the sleeve of her shirt and smiled warmly. “No matter what our horrible mother says, don’t stop believing in yourself. You are amazing and don’t let anyone make you think differently.”

Evelyn nodded and looked up at Carmen with a twinkle in her whiskey eyes. “Thanks Carmen, you really are the best sister in the whole wide world.”

“And you're the best little sister in the whole wide world.” Carmen laughed as she stood up and pulled the shorter girl up with her. “Now, let’s go down and get something to eat, I’m starving.”

“Yeah, me too.” Evelyn hummed and trotted to the door, opening it for Carmen before following her downstairs and to the dining room where they heard the sound of voices.

Lobster and crab was the sight that greeted them when they entered the dining room. Plates upon plates of different kinds spread out over the long table which was occupied by everyone but Jeremy and his sisters.

Evelyn had to admit that even though only a few hours ago she had seen the same animals alive and kicking she was still very excited to eat them.

“Come join us!” Ted called out happily as he bit into a crab leg and smiled. “This stuff is to die for.”

“It certainly looks that way.” Carmen confirmed as she took a seat next to Blake which was, coincidently, also as far away from their mother as the table would allow.

“Thanks.” Evelyn murmured as she took a seat next to Carmen and plucked a lobster tail off of a plate, slathering it in butter before biting into it.

“No problem, I wouldn’t want to sit next to someone who hit me a few minutes prior either.” Carmen whispered back.

Evelyn nodded and took a few sips of her wine. She was ready for this vacation to be over with already.

Chapter Text

“We’re finally going home tomorrow! I still have another four days off of work. Well, counting today so more like three.” Evelyn sighed happily as she played around on her phone as Carmen was brushing her teeth and getting ready for bed.

“Same here, though I actually have to go to a seminar up in Renon the next morning for a couple days.” Carmen groaned as she walked back out and plopped down on the bed.

“That sucks,” Evelyn agreed. “Paige also isn’t coming in until the afternoon of the 30th so I’m stuck at home all alone until then and since work starts again on December 2nd we won’t have a lot of time together.” The brunette grumbled and turned over onto her stomach.

“Damn, that's worse than work.” 

“I know right? I’ll probably be doing paperwork just to keep myself busy.” Evelyn shifted, wincing when her butt made contact with the mattress but also remembering something which made her grin widely. “Oh! By the way, my private jet captain called and said that they can actually take us home tomorrow instead of us taking one of those commercial flights.” Evelyn said excitedly as she sent her last text and plugged her phone in by the bed.

“Did I hear something about a “Private jet”?” Blake asked, the body of the voice closing the door as she came into the room.

“Maybe,” Evelyn giggled as she slowly kicked her legs behind her and looked at Blake with her chin in her hand. “I just got good news that we won’t have to take one of those busy cramped planes.”

“And by “Cramped” I assume you mean first-class?” Blake chuckled as she changed into her pajamas and went to sit on the bed with Evelyn and Carmen.

“Well, yeah, but they just make me so nervous.” Evelyn blushed as she pouted down at the comforter.

“And that also means we won’t have to heavily drug her again.” Carmen snickered before realizing what she said which made her eyes widen and her smile grow nervous.

“What do you mean by that?” Evelyn squinted before sitting up and glaring at her sister. “You drugged me?”

“Uh, well, you see-” Carmen rambled. “It wasn’t even a drug! It was just a bit of Melatonin to help you relax a bit, that's all.” she lied, hoping that the girl would believe it and not question her further on the matter. Paige would probably murder her if she found out that Evelyn found out.

Evelyn looked at her sister for a moment more before relaxing a bit and sitting back down slowly. “Whew, and there I thought you gave me some high powered sedative. That does explain me being a bit sleepy though.” Evelyn muttered as she crossed her legs and pulled Jappy into her lap, running her fingers through his soft fur.

Carmen let out a small breath of relief and made a zip-lipping motion when Blake opened her mouth to ask her something which immediately made her chuckle and nod her head understandingly.

“Are you going back to Texas, Blake?” Evelyn asked, looking up from her dog and to the older woman.

“Yep, my flight leaves tomorrow at 8 A.M so I’ve got to get packed tonight, speaking of which,” Blake said as she got up. “I should start doing that now.”

“Aw, so early?” Evelyn whined as they watched Blake go into the bathroom first to get her toiletries.

“Unfortunately.” Blake responded as she zipped up a small bag and put it into her open suitcase. “I could only find one other flight leaving tomorrow but it was at 9 P.M so I decided the early one was better.”

“Makes sense,” Carmen said as she got up to go give the other woman a hug since they probably wouldn’t see her the next morning, Evelyn following suit. “Please do come and visit us sometime, okay?”

“Of course, I’ll call soon and get that set up.” Blake said as she hugged Evelyn first and then moved to Carmen. 

“It was very nice seeing you.” Evelyn said as she let go to allow Carmen to hug Blake too.

“Likewise.” Blake smiled before shooing them away. “You guys should get some rest, there's a long day ahead of you.”

“Thanks, right back at you.” Carmen saluted as she got under the covers and motioned for Evelyn to join her.

“See you soon!” Evelyn called as she turned on her nightlight before crawling under the sheets and waving to Blake who waved back.

“Goodnight, sleepwell.” Blake said as she closed her suitcase and got into bed herself. Turning off her lamp and laying back, excited to go back home.

-------

Evelyn was woken up the next morning by Carmen’s phone alarm and a searing pain in her lower regions. Too scared to put a pull-up on the night before Evelyn had just worn a thin pair of underwear and loose sleep pants. The result was a sore and stinging rear which made her eyes water as she sat up. Though, she was thankful that she hadn’t had an accident that night.

Carmen yawned and stretched before sitting up herself and rubbing her eyes. “G’morning Evelyn did you sleep we-'' Carmen interrupted herself with a gasp as she saw Evelyn’s cheek and wrists both of which were deep shades of purple and pink.

“Yeah I did, what’s the matter?” Evelyn asked as she saw Carmen’s gaping mouth and wide eyes looking her up and down. “Do I have bedhead or something?” The brunette stressed, confused as to what her sister was looking at and bringing her hands up to her hair to smooth it out.

Carmen’s own eyes misted as she grabbed her phone and opened the camera, taking a picture of Evelyn’s face and giving her the phone to look at herself. She then carefully took one of Evelyn’s wrists and saw 5 circular bruises, clearly fingers, showing just how hard their mother had gripped the poor girl.

“Well, it’s better than I thought it’d be?” Evelyn laughed nervously as she traced her fingers over the angry bruise just below her left eye where Lauren had back handed her. It was roughly the size of a tennis ball and luckily wasn’t swollen.

“How could she do this to you?” Carmen growled as she got up to get their clothing for the day and to start packing. Shaking her head no when Evelyn offered to help. “Those are some serious bruises, she’s lucky she didn’t break your nose because I could’ve taken her to court for that.”

Evelyn grimaced slightly at that as she slid down onto her stomach and buried her face into her blanket and the ruffled white sheets beneath her. “Well, that would have actually been the second time if she had.”

“Wait.” Carmen said in a low voice. “She broke your nose?”

“Remember that time when I was 13 and you were 18 and I said I hurt my nose because I ran into a wall?” She saw Carmen nod and then continued. “Yeah, that was what happened after I skipped my piano lesson because I wasn’t feeling well.”

“How did she get away with that? That’s child abuse!” Carmen seethed as she plucked two outfits out of their suitcases and tossed them onto the couch. “I can’t believe nobody questioned it.”

Evelyn twirled her fingers a bit. “They didn’t because they didn’t see it. Mother had one of the housekeepers apply make-up to my nose every morning until it went away. She didn’t even listen to the doctor when he said it needed to be taped to heal faster.”

“That bitch.” Carmen said under her breath as she went over to her sister and handed her her clothes, having made sure to grab an oversized shirt, which would cover her wrists, and pants that wouldn’t irritate her bottom.

As Evelyn changed Carmen also noticed the bruises on the nape of her neck when she pulled her pajama shirt over her head. “What the hell, where does she not have bruises?” Carmen thought as she got her own clothes on and began packing up their bags.

“I’m going to go cover this up, be right back.” Evelyn said, trying to smile brightly as she went into the bathroom to tend to the large bruise on her face.

Carmen grumbled a few curses, most towards their mother, as she put everything else away and closed all three suitcases. Furious that she would lay a hand on Evelyn in the first place but not seeing any way that she could call her out for it without definite proof that she did it.

“Can you see it?” Evelyn asked anxiously as she walked out of the bathroom and pointed to her face, not used to applying so much heavy make-up and worried that she did a bad job.

“Not a thing.” Carmen sighed as she stood up and took her suitcase into her hand. “Go ahead and grab your phone and bags, I think Dad made lunch for us judging by the smell of waffles.” 

“Yum, his waffles are the best.” Evelyn smiled as she sped as quickly as she could downstairs, not that it was very fast though since she had two suitcases with her, but she did her best. Unfortunately for her though, Jeremy spotted her coming and blocked her way downstairs.

“Where’re you goin’ short stack? I've gotta ask you something before you leave.” He smirked and pulled the younger girl into her old room and shut the door behind him.

Seeing that it was just herself and Jeremy, Evelyn got understandably nervous. Even more so when Jeremy locked the door behind him and started rooting for something under her old bed.

“J-Jeremy, please let me go.” Evelyn begged as she considered making a beeline for the door or shouting for Carmen to come get her. But both seemed like a last resort, she didn’t even know what Jeremy was going to do yet.

“Don’t worry, this won’t take long.” He grunted as he pulled out a familiar box from under Evelyn’s bed which made her freeze. She knew that box. It was the box where she kept all her old bedwetting things. Sheets, pull-ups, even changing supplies were in there.

“W-What’s that?” Evelyn asked, trying to play it off like she had never seen it before as Jeremy quirked an eyebrow at her.

“I’m assuming this stuff's yours since it was under your bed in your room. I was pulling our suitcases out this morning when I found this box. I was thinking about giving it to Aunt Lauren so she could tell me what it was but I had the good idea about asking you before her.” He grinned as he picked up the box and started heading for the door. “But, since it’s not yours, I guess I’ll go give it to her, a strange box in your room is probably something she would want to see, right?”

Evelyn’s eyes widened as she heard this and when he moved to leave she grabbed the back of his shirt. “W-wait Jeremy, please don’t show her.” Evelyn whispered as she blushed wildly and looked at the floor.

“Oh? Why not?” He smirked and put the box back onto the ground before crossing his arms and staring down at Evelyn. “Clearly this stuff belongs to you.” He laughed and bent down to Evelyn’s level. “All you gotta do is admit it and I’ll leave you alone, if you don’t make it good I’ll go give it to your mommy.”

“No anything but that, I-” Evelyn paused before getting down on her knees and bowing her head in submission. “Yes, that stuff does belong to me, please don’t show my mother.”

Jeremy snorted.

“You have to do better than that,” He chided as he stood up at his full height and towered over the scared girl. “Admit that you are nothing but a weak pathetic baby that wets the bed at night and beg. Then we can go have lunch.”

Evelyn bit her lip but decided that humiliating herself in front of her cousin was 10 times better than her mother seeing that box. 

“I am nothing but a weak and pathetic baby that wets the bed, please please please don’t tell my mother about this embarrassing secret of mine.”

Jeremy watched on with clear amusement at the scene unfolding on the floor in front of him. He really hadn’t expected the girl to be so obedient and give in so quickly.

“Alright I guess that's good enough.” He grunted as he slid the box back under Evelyn's bed and walked out the door, Evelyn slowly getting up and following after him. She met Carmen who was halfway up the stairway with a questioning look on her face.

“You alright? I was checking the room over again and when I came out you were gone. I went downstairs but I couldn’t find you there either.” Carmen said concernedly as she took Evelyn’s larger bag and walked back down the stairs with Evelyn behind her this time.

“I’m fine, I was just checking out my old room is all.” Evelyn said and broke away before Carmen could ask a follow up, leaving the green eyed woman confused as they entered the kitchen.

“Goooodmorning Carmen and Evelyn, you guys hungry?” Liam called out as he stood in front of a waffle maker with an apron on, two plates of steaming waffles sitting on the countertop opposite him.

“Starving,” Evelyn practically moaned as she plopped down and drowned her stack with syrup and whip cream, also glad that Jeremy had chosen to eat in the dining room with his side of the family. “These look great Dad.”

“Thanks!” He grinned as his sister took a seat beside Evelyn. “I’m glad you like them, they’re one thing I can do that my older siblings can’t, no matter how hard they try.” He teased as Haily rolled her eyes and took a bite of her own.

“I do admit,” She said after taking a couple more bites and swallowing. “That your waffles are delicious, but it is a well known fact that neither me nor Ted can make breakfast without burning the place down.”

“Really Aunt Haily?” Evelyn giggled as a bit of whip cream stuck to the corner of her mouth. “Is it just breakfast?”

Haily nodded. “Yeah that’s basically it, whenever Ted and I try to make something besides coffee before noon it always turns out as a disaster. We have no idea why though.”

“Liam just stole all the good breakfast making genes.” Ted laughed as he appeared out of nowhere and slapped his brother on the back playfully. “I’d have some but my flight leaves in…” He paused and checked his watch before his eyes basically bulged out of his head. “2 hours?! Damn I have to go!” He said hurriedly as he hugged the four of them goodbye and grabbed his bags before going over to the living room and saying bye to his parents as well before dashing out the door.

“That brother of ours, always late for something.” Haily laughed. “He could be late to his own party if he didn’t own a watch.”

Chapter Text

It was finally time to leave. Evelyn had never wanted to be home more in her entire life and was anxiously wringing her hands in front of the door as they waited for the family to say their goodbyes which was taking longer than she would’ve liked.

“Thank you Carmen and Evelyn for flying all the way out here to visit us.” Their father beamed as he hugged his children goodbye before letting his sister and parents do the same.

“Nice seeing you two as always.” Haily grinned as she squeezed both of them in a tight hug. “Can’t wait to see you next year.”

“Likewise, Aunt Haily, we always love seeing you.” Carmen answered as they reciprocated the hug before going over to Liam’s parents who said their own goodbyes with their grandmother slipping Evelyn a bar of chocolate as well which made Evelyn grin widely.

That only left a few people. A few very cold and mean people. Evelyn didn’t even get a hug from their mother who glared daggers at her upon eye contact which immediately made Evelyn look down and whimper quietly.

The others weren’t as bad but still not that great. Side hugs from the twins, a not-so-nice bone crushing hug from Jeremy, small words with their aunt and uncle, and a nod from their grandparents was all they got.

“Let me help you with your bags, girls.” Liam smiled, trying to lighten the stoic atmosphere of clear distast before they left.

“Thanks Dad.” 

Carmen sent the rest of the family one more wave before opening the door and watching Evelyn speed walk with her small suitcase all the way to the car.

“It’s no problem at all,” He said as he rolled Evelyn’s suitcase behind him and hauled it into the trunk of the car when they got close enough. “I’m your father after all.”

“That's true,” Carmen laughed as she put her own suitcase in and turned to their dad and gave him another hug. “Be well, hope to see you again soon.”

“The same to you Carmen,” Liam said as he let go and looked through the back of the car to Evelyn and gave her a little wave before turning back around. “Safe travels.”

“Thanks, love you Dad.”

Liam nodded and smiled before walking away. Carmen watched him until he got back inside the house before closing the trunk and sliding into the driver's seat next to a clearly relieved Evelyn.

“Ready to go home?” Carmen asked as she started pulling out, knowing fully well what her answer would be and asking in a more teasing fashion than anything.

“The readiest I’ve ever been.” Evelyn sighed happily as she took a big bite of her chocolate bar and looked out the window, content with watching her childhood home disappearing farther and farther away as the car drove on.

Carmen smiled when she remembered one thing and flicked on the turn signal. 

“Let’s go grab some smoothies before we go home.”

-----

“Ahhhhh.” Evelyn groaned with pleasure as she plopped down in a large cushioned chair in her own private plane and took a sip out of her not-confiscated smoothie. The cabin was spacious, it was empty, and it was hers. 

Security and check-in took barely 5 minutes, the longest part being when they turned the rental car in. Everything you hate about airports was instantly bypassed when you had your own plane. Evelyn did admit that she was a bit spoiled, but she worked hard and often gave to charities so she figured she deserved it, right?

“Feeling good Evs?” Carmen hummed from the seat across from Evelyn, having already ordered a glass of champagne immediately after they boarded.

“I feel fucking fantastic. This is the most relaxed I’ve been since we got here.” She grinned as the captain walked in to announce that they would be lifting off in about 10 minutes.

“That’s good, you excited to go home?” Carmen asked as she buckled her seatbelt and put her purse on the ground beside her.

“I guess,” Evelyn shrugged and kicked off her shoes. “I’d rather see Paige sooner and not have to stay in my house all alone though.”

“I bet the time’ll fly by, don’t worry. Just sleep in and do anything you want for the next day and a half.” Carmen replied. “I wish I could offer to stay with you but I’ve got to leave for my conference early tomorrow morning and I still have to pack for that.”

“It’s fine, I’m a grown woman. I can live by myself for a day or so easily.” Evelyn said just as the plane started moving to the take off zone, waiting for a few commercial planes to go by before getting in position.

“I can totally live without Paige for a few more days, right?” Was Evelyn’s last fleeting thought as the plane took off into the endless sky.

-------

She was not fine. In fact she was FAR from fine. 

She thought she was fine the other day when they had arrived at the airport. She drove Carmen home, grabbed Chinese take-out, went to the supermarket to stock up on snacks, and even answered a couple emails. But nothing could shake the feeling of not seeing Paige for a week straight. It also didn’t help that she was sleep deprived. 

Still slightly traumatized from the whole ordeal with her mother, Evelyn had forwent sleeping by herself, instead drinking large amounts of caffeine and only sleeping in short intervals. Her bad habits coupled with jet lag were not the best combination and left the brunette feeling awful.

Paige had called her the night before to wish her well and had even offered to read her a bedtime story, which Evelyn painstakingly refused. There was no way she wanted to be little at home without someone there with her. She only allowed herself to have Jappy and her dinosaur blanket to ensure that she wouldn’t fall into little space.

It was hard though. She hadn’t been little since the aquarium 2 days ago and even then she hadn’t slipped fully. During the whole trip the furthest she got was about mid way and that was only at night when Paige called her for a few minutes.

It seemed that her little self was more of a part of her than Evelyn had initially thought. She wanted Paige to be there to take care of her. She wanted to use her comfort items. She wanted to play in her playpen and watch kids movies. But she couldn’t. Not when Paige wasn’t there.

When she moved to work related things her little side went away. No longer hovering over her to give in. Maybe it was her brain putting a more important thing before something not as important. She didn’t know, but she was glad for it since it was a distraction to the loneliness she felt.

She had woken up at 1 in the afternoon after a fitful sleep and now it was nearing 7. Having not eaten any lunch, except for a couple cans of Mountain Dew at 4, Evelyn felt herself getting hungry so she got up from her desk and trotted into the kitchen to find something to eat. She knew that her schedule that day was horrible but she had jet lag which made it feel like it was three hours later than it really was.

Grabbing a stool she dragged it over to a high cupboard where Paige hid the “unhealthy” food and stepped onto it to pluck a microwavable ramen cup from the top shelf. She filled it to the line with water and poured the seasoning packet in before placing it in the microwave and leaning on the counter to wait for it to heat up.

Feeling her shorts pocket vibrate she took out her phone to see a banner which indicated a storm alert. Of course, out of the few days a year it stormed it had to be that night. Evelyn was no stranger to storms as she had grown up on the East Coast where storms were common. But being alone, in a huge house, with echoing walls and large windows made a thunderstorm 10 times worse.

Evelyn nervously bit her thumbnail as she saw the alert and thought about what she could do. She could go and curl up in bed, but that would feel too lonely without Paige beside her. She could go work more and just ignore it, but she was already so tired so she couldn't possibly do a good job.

“What to do, what to do.” Evelyn murmured as she looked up at the ceiling for a minute before finally having an idea. She could just make a cocoon on the sofa in the living room with blankets and pillows and just hang down there for the rest of the night. The T.V on high could also drown out the noise of thunder.

Evelyn giggled at her brilliant plan and, forgoing her ramen for later, she rushed upstairs to get everything she needed for bed. 

First she pulled on one of Paige’s softest hoodies, fuzzy socks, and sweatpants. Second, she gathered her sloth pillow, Jappy, and her T-rex blanket. Third, she went to the closet downstairs and grabbed a bunch of soft pillows and extra blankets and piled everything on the sofa. And fourth, she turned on all the lights and grabbed her ramen.

“I am a genius!” Evelyn cheered to herself as she curled up on the couch and turned on the T.V. 

Flipping through her Netflix account she found herself hovering over My Little Pony which almost immediately made her eyes soften before she shook her head. “Snap out of it Evelyn!” She said and slapped her cheeks, wincing when her hand came in contact with the still nasty bruise on her cheek. There was no way in hell she could be even a little bit little during a thunderstorm when Paige wasn’t beside her to keep her safe.

Deciding on John Wick, since she knew that there was no way her little side could be triggered by that particular movie, she sat back and slurped on her ramen. Yeah, this was going to work.

------

It didn’t work.

She had managed to get through the first movie with ease and even a couple episodes of Arrested Development. But that was before the rain started. It seemed that she neglected to remember that the living room had the biggest windows in the house, not to mention high ceilings, and the torrent of rain splashing the windows was almost deafening.

Evelyn whimpered and squeezed Jappy a little tighter when she saw the first bolt of lightning flash outside the window, soon accompanied by a loud clap of thunder which practically made the poor girl jump in fear.

“No, don’t be scared, I’ve gotta stay strong.” Evelyn said to herself as she covered her ears when the next boom reverberated around the room, seemingly shaking the floor with power.

She turned the T.V up even more but that did little to drown out the deafening sounds of the wind, rain, and thunder pounding at the windows every few seconds.

Evelyn bit her lip. There was one more thing she could think of that could possibly help her relax and that was calling Paige. The only problem being that her phone was in the kitchen, and that would mean that she would have to leave her safe spot to retrieve it.

Taking a few deep breaths to settle her nerves she closed her eyes before running as fast as she could to the dark kitchen and swiping her phone off the counter before running just as fast back. Springing onto the sofa she once again covered herself with blankets and brought Paige’s hoodie up to her face to take a quick huff of her familiar smell.

“It’s a good thing these lights are on,” Evelyn thought to herself as she paused the television and pressed on Paige’s contact, bringing her phone up to her ear. “If they weren’t I don’t think big me would be around right now.”

Evelyn frowned when Paige’s voicemail greeted her instead of Paige herself. It was already so late, what could she possibly be doing? Also accounting for the time difference between Cape Cod and Las Vegas it would be nearing 2 A.M where Paige was.

“Maybe she’s in the shower?” Evelyn murmured as she tried again, only to get the same result. She tried again one more time before realizing that Paige was probably not going to pick up anytime soon, so she left her a short voicemail instead.

“Hey Paige, just wanted to… to hear your voice for a bit. There’s a...a storm here and it would be nice to talk to you. Please call me back when you can.” Evelyn gulped, her voice cracking a few times.

Feeling tears in her eyes Evelyn immediately scrubbed them away. This was no time to be a baby and cry. She had to stay strong and keep persevering through the storm. It was probably only going to last for an hour or so more anyways.

“Maybe getting some shuteye will make this go faster. If Paige calls I can just wake up.” Eveln thought as she felt her eyelids closing, how she was tired in a scary situation such as this, she didn’t know. What she did know was that sleeping would make the time go by quicker so she turned her ringer up to full volume before wrapping herself up in her blankets and scrunching her eyes shut.

Chapter Text

Waking up dazed and confused after a drug induced sleep was definitely one of the worst feelings in the world, Evelyn decided. She shook her arms out to get the feeling back into them as she blinked a couple times to make her eyes focus.

Her room was dark, the only light coming from a crack in her window. The moonlight illuminated one corner, making the shoe boxes stacked there look long and leering.

She shivered and curled her toes. It was only a little past midnight, she had been put to bed early that night. She had been deemed ‘fidgety’ and ‘uneasy’ by her mother, which meant a capsule of zolpidem tartrate and a bedtime of 8:30. 

Usually, that meant that she’d sleep until at least 7 in the morning with no interruptions. However, she had had quite a tiring piano lesson that morning where she was made to hum the note of the scale she was using. That meant more water which also meant…

Yep. Just as she suspected.

Evelyn sat up and blearily reached out for her bedside lamp. She flicked it on, though she stayed sitting in her damp bed for a minute, contemplating what she should do.

If Carmen had still been home she would have gotten up and tiptoed over to her room. Her sister would’ve assured her that it was alright, and would’ve helped her clean up. And after putting on a fresh pair of pajamas they would’ve curled up in Carmen’s bed, safe and warm.

But she wasn’t home. Meaning she’d have to either clean herself up, or go to her parents room and see if they’d be of any help.

Evelyn sighed and rubbed her eyes roughly, willing them to center so she could take a quick shower and get back to bed. Only problem was that she was so hopped on insomnia medication that she couldn’t coordinate herself very well.

In this state, she’d probably slip on the marble bathroom floor and crack her head open on the edge of the sink. She whined to herself quietly at that idea. No way in hell was she going to do that. Although, the only other option didn’t seem any better than procuring a nasty concussion.

Her father wasn’t home that week. Meaning it was just her, her nanny, and her mother. Unfortunately, her nanny’s room was downstairs. And Evelyn honestly could not make the trip down the long, slick, staircases of the mansion to get there.

Evelyn sucked in a breath to steel herself of what she was about to do and threw her legs over the side of the bed. It was the dead of winter, and when she was sent to her room she had been in sweatpants and a hoodie. She hadn’t bothered to change, and was now regretting that decision as a wet hoodie was not comfortable in the slightest. 

She struggled with her slack appendages to see if she could at the very least take the sweatshirt off, as she had another shirt underneath. But she was simply unable to. Anxious tears sprung to her eyes as she realized her mother was going to be substantially mad at her.

It had been at least five months since the last time her mother had seen her with wet pants. The last time had been when she’d accidentally fallen asleep on a beanbag in the game room. Her mother had been furious and looked about ready to rip her head off if Carmen hadn’t been there to step in front of her and make up a lie that it was only water.

Evelyn tried to think of the worst possible scenario. She could be thrown out of the house maybe? Or she’d be hit a few times, hopefully not with a belt. Or her mother would just scream at her and demand she go downstairs to wake her nanny up, refusing to help her at all.

It was a week before Christmas, Evelyn reasoned with herself. Perhaps she’d be surprised with the miracle of her mother being nice to her? That would be better than any present under the tree.

She decided to go with that. Her mother would somehow be in a really good mood and help her out.

With that in mind, she walked to the end of the hallway to the master suite. The door was closed, and Evelyn fought with her muscles to lift her hand up to turn the large door knob. It took her a few tries but eventually she turned it enough for it to click open.

“Mom?” Evelyn said quietly into the room, afraid to raise her voice any higher than a strained whisper. 

“What do you want, Evelyn?” 

Oh no. That sounded like an angry voice.

“I…I was wondering if you could help me clean up?” Evelyn said, albeit louder than the first time. 

“Clean what up?” Lauren growled and flipped on the main light switch, making Evelyn blink against the harsh white lights. “Spit it out.”

“Sorry,” Evelyn bit her lip to stop a sob from escaping and dared to look over to see her mother sitting up in bed. “I can’t do it myself because of the medicine. I’m really sorry.”

“And why did you decide to come in here and wake me up?”

“I can’t go down the stairs, Mama.” Evelyn admitted and fisted her sweatshirt to the point where her knuckles turned white. 

“You’re 17 years old, Evelyn. There’s no reason you can’t walk down those stairs by yourself.” Lauren rubbed the bridge or her nose and took a deep breath before standing up and striding over to Evelyn, roughly grabbing her bicep. “I’m not going to clean up your disgusting mess. Clean yourself up, or don’t. I could really care less.”

“B-but mom, please, I really can’t do much of anything!” Evelyn wailed as her mother manhandled her towards the staircase. “Please help me!”

“My God you’re pathetic.” Lauren scoffed and let go of Evelyn’s arm, causing her to drop to her hands and knees when she had nothing to lean against anymore. “Did I really raise you to end up like this?” She punctuated that with a swift kick to Evelyn’s stomach, knocking the wind out of her and making her fall to her side.

Evelyn really did not anticipate that her mother would strike her with her foot. That was totally new. Being slapped once was definitely better because, for one, she could breathe. And for two, the pain went away faster. 

“Agatha!” Lauren yelled down the stairwell, her arms were crossed across her chest and her foot was tapping on the ground in an annoyed manner.

Only a minute later a ginger haired woman came rushing into the foyer. It was still dark, so she turned a light on and looked around the room for the source of the yell. Lauren waved to her and she came running up the stairs, two at a time.

“Yes, Mrs. Woodford?” Agatha panted and smoothed down a couple flyaways that had come loose from her bun. She glanced down at Evelyn who was trembling on the ground with her arms protecting her head and stomach. “What can I do for you?”

“ Evelyn needs to be cleaned up.” Lauren fumed, glaring at her daughter. “I don’t want my carpets ruined by her insolence. Get her washed up then survey the damage. And see to it that she gets another dose of Ambien.”

Agatha nodded to the orders.

“We’re going to have a long talk tomorrow, Evelyn.” 

And, after that cold, ominous remark, she was gone. Leaving Evelyn wheezing on the floor with Agatha looking worriedly down at her. 

“What hurts, Ev?” She asked, kneeling next to her and placing a careful hand on Evelyn’s head, threading her hair through her fingers and petting lightly. 

Evelyn clutched her stomach and sobbed. Everything was a mess. Her head felt scrambled and she couldn’t make a coherent thought. All she felt was a bruise blooming on her skin and a fear that she’d be hit again.

“Okay, okay, calm down honey.” Agatha soothed. “We’ll get you nice and warm in no time. Stay right there, I’m going to go switch the sheets on your bed and get the bathroom all set up.”

Evelyn desperately wanted her to stay with her, but she couldn’t get the words to form in her mouth until it was already too late. She shivered violently as she curled into herself tighter, closing her eyes and holding her face in both hands. Everything was too much. She felt like too much.

Agatha returned back to her in record time, or at least it felt that way to Evelyn. Had she dozed off? Everything was a little foggy…

“Do you think you can stand up?” Agatha asked, concerned as Evelyn made no move to get up.

The brunette nodded, grabbing her nanny’s outstretched hand and slowly following her to the bathroom. On the way they passed her bedroom. Her bed was made with fresh, pillowy sheets that looked oh so inviting. Evelyn leaned towards it and hummed, signaling that she’d rather go there.

Agatha laughed and pulled her gently towards the bathroom. “Soon, Evelyn. We gotta get you all squeaky clean first.”

Evelyn was undressed by a patient Agatha, who had to do basically all the work for her as she was still limp as a leaf. She blushed as Agatha lifted her hoodie to reveal that her accident had snaked up her back to her shoulders.

Agatha paid it no mind. Slipping it off with the rest of her clothes and gesturing her towards the shower. “You can sit down in the tub if you like,” Agatha suggested as Evelyn swayed. “I can rinse you off with the shower head.”

Evelyn nodded and carefully climbed into the white marble tub. She sat down with Agatha’s help and once again shivered at the cold sensation. This was the first time one of her nannies was actually nice. Agatha was her fourth and, so far, favorite caretaker. They were switched every year so she normally didn’t feel such a connection with someone. But Agatha was kind, and loving. She almost reminded her of her big sister.

The rinse off was quick, and by the end of it Evelyn was almost a dead weight on Agatha’s shoulder on the way back to her bedroom. 

“I don’t think you need any Ambien.” Agatha said apprehensively as she shimmied underwear and then pants up Evelyn’s skinny legs. “I gave you two doses less than five hours ago. I don’t know what your mom’s thinking having you take so much medication.”

Evelyn yawned and nodded, silently agreeing with her. She was sure that if she took anything else that night, that she’d fall asleep and never wake up again.

After her shirt was securely on, Evelyn clumsily gave Agatha a hug. Thanking her for all she’d done for her that night. If she hadn’t been there, who knows how many more blows she would’ve received. Not to mention where she would’ve slept that night, or the rash that would’ve formed were she left untreated. 

Agatha smiled at her and, after their brief hug, pulled back the covers. Ushering Evelyn into the thick blankets. “Goodnight, Evelyn.” She whispered and turned the lamp off, leaving the room. And then, Evelyn was alone again.

Evelyn sighed and burrowed into the comforter, ready to sleep and forget that night. But she was suddenly stirred by a loud ringing sound… coming from the right side of her head?

Chapter Text

That’s when Evelyn woke up. Tears at the corner of her eyes as she recounted her nightmare. It wasn’t often that she’d get memories in place of fabricated dreams, but they weren’t any better than the fake scenarios that her mind came up with. 

She also remembered what had happened the day after that had occurred. The “talk” her mother had told her about was in fact not a talk at all. She had been belted mercilessly for over 10 minutes. She’d even passed out halfway through. 

The only odd part about the dream was the weird sound which Evelyn now realized was her phone going off. Wait, her phone was going off?!

Evelyn lunged for her phone and fumbled with it before accepting the call from Paige and weeping in relief when she heard the blonde’s voice.

“Hey Evelyn, you okay?” Paige asked as she and her older sister Christen exited the nightclub they had just been in and walked to the car. Paige had only checked her phone a couple seconds ago and gained concern when she saw the three missed calls from Evelyn. 

“P-Paige,” Evelyn said and winced when a loud strike of thunder slammed into the Earth, seeming too close for comfort. “I’m scared.”

Paige raised her eyebrows. It was uncommon for Evelyn to express her emotions in words so easily, it had only happened a few times before but it was only for stress or frustration.

“Alright sweetheart, take a few deep breaths for me and then tell me why you’re scared.” 

Paige heard Evelyn take a couple shuddering breaths as she stepped into the car and mouthed “Evelyn” to her confused sister. That made her sister nod and point to the car speakers. Paige got the message and connected her phone to Bluetooth as they began driving. It was certainly easier to hear what was happening on Evelyn’s end from the loud speakers instead of her small phone.

Evelyn had calmed down enough to speak, though her tone was still cracking slightly as she spoke. “The storm is really l-loud and it’s scary here by myself.” She explained as tears continued to stream down her face from the amount of stress she was under.

“Ah, I see. Do you have Jappy with you?” Paige asked as she cursed the weather. Just her luck that the day it decided to act up she wasn’t there.

“Y-yeah.” Evelyn whispered as she hugged the said stuffed plush in her arms and pet his fur shakily, squeaking when another slam echoed off the walls.

“That’s good.” Paige hummed. “So where are you right now? I’m guessing the living room? With all the lights on hopefully?” She asked, knowing that during storms at night Evelyn always insisted that they keep all the lights on in their room and since she herself wasn't there it was a safe bet to assume she was on the sofa.

Evelyn nodded before remembering that Paige couldn’t see her so she voiced it. “I am, I was just watching T.V and trying-”  And if by karma all the lights suddenly went out. The sound of all the power going off throughout the house made Evelyn scream and bury herself underneath all her blankets.

“Evelyn?” Paige asked anxiously, tapping her foot on the floor. “Evelyn, baby, are you alright?”

Evelyn wailed again as a flash of lightning illuminated the room for a split second before the roar of thunder followed it. “M-Mommy! I-It’s dark!” Evelyn sobbed and covered her ears with her hands. She had lost. Her little side which she had been trying to suppress so hard burst out of her by the sheer amount of fear she was under. She didn’t even seem to notice that she’d dropped as she continued to sob.

Paige’s eyes widened as she heard the distinct click of all the lights and appliances going out. Which, she guessed, was what made Evelyn unwillingly slip into her headspace. Her body was expressing the need to be taken care of, but the person who could take care of her was hundreds of miles away.

“Okay, Evelyn, I know you're super scared right now but I need you to listen to Mommy. Can you do that for me?” Paige spoke, voice soft and calming as she heard Evelyn’s fearful cries on the other end of the phone.

Evelyn gasped as she tried to stop sobbing long enough to hear what Paige had to say, though it was easier said than done as she was petrified with fear. After a couple minutes she managed to do it. “I-I’m ready Mommy.”

Paige knew that she had to somehow get Evelyn out of her headspace in order for her to be able to calm down and think clearly. There was no other way to go around it since big Evelyn was already fearful of the dark and little Evelyn was even worse at dealing with it. And because Paige wasn’t there to take care of her physically, she couldn’t just let Little Evelyn suffer on her own.

Paige thought to herself as Evelyn calmed down. She could either try and get the girl to fall asleep, which would be hard to do since she was crying so much, or she could get the girl to slip out of her headspace. Unfortunately, the latter sounded like a better plan and Paige cursed her luck again. “Babe, I need you to tell me about your job and what work you need to do.” 

“M-My job?” Evelyn whimpered, her hand holding her phone as well as the rest of her body shaking with nerves.

“Yes Evelyn, your job.” Paige spoke evenly in a semi-serious tone, a stark contrast with the soft voice she would often use when Evelyn was little. “I need you to explain to me what you do.”

Evelyn sat quietly for a minute, minus the small sniffles and hiccups, and wracked her brain for an answer. She wasn’t used to having to think much when she was little so it took her longer than usual.

“Uhm, I work in a office?” Evelyn said, though it sounded more like she was questioning herself than stating it. “In a b-big building?”

“That’s right, go on, tell me how your company’s doing.” Paige asked, happy to hear that Evelyn’s squeaky little voice had disappeared, if only a little bit.

Evelyn whimpered but sat up straighter, running the hand which was not holding her phone through her hair and pulling a blanket around herself. “We’re doing fine, our stocks are s-steady and a new car model is coming out soon, probably by the e-end of December.”

“That’s good to hear darling. Now, how about you go grab a flashlight and try and get some sleep, okay? You sound pretty tired.” Paige sighed, happy that Evelyn was back to her big self, but not too happy since the brunette so clearly needed to be little. She wouldn’t have fallen into headspace that quickly usually and most certainly not when Paige wasn’t there to take care of her. 

“I’ll do that,” Evelyn yawned as she got up and trotted to the kitchen to find their flashlight. “And Paige,” She said as she pulled open a drawer and fished around. “Thanks.”

“It was no problem at all,” Paige hummed as they turned down the long sandy road which led to their beach house. “Next time, I’ll be there to personally take care of you.”

Evelyn blushed and switched on the flashlight, illuminating her path back to the couch and startling slightly at another crash of thunder. It didn’t scare her nearly as much as it had moments ago, but it was still an annoyance. “I-I appreciate that.” She mumbled as she brought the blankets over herself again and cuddled with Jappy, the flashlight lighting the room enough to put her at ease.

“Alright Ev, sleepwell, I love you.” Paige said and made a kissing noise at the phone before hanging up.

“Love you too.” Evelyn responded before the line went dead and she laid back, looking at the ceiling and feeling her eyelids droop.

“How’d she know I was tired? I didn’t even know I was tired...” Evelyn wondered as her eyes shut and she fell asleep.

-------

Paige sighed as she hung up, leaning her head back against the headrest and slinging an arm over her forehead.

“Mommy huh?” Christen smirked as she parked the car and looked amusedly at her little sister who rolled her eyes. “I’ve gotta say, I never pegged you as someone who was into that sorta thing.”

Now it was Paige’s turn to blush. “It’s not sexual or anything.” She clarified quickly. “She just works super hard and doesn’t take good care of herself, I’m almost certain she had green blood with how much Mountain Dew she was drinking when we first met. I researched a bunch of ways to help her deal with stress and this seemed better than her taking up golf or something like that.”

“I see,” Her sister hummed as she turned off the car but stayed in her seat. “I remember you saying you hated kids.”

Paige shook her head at that. “I said I hated big kids, meaning 6 and above. Evelyn’s practically a baby in her headspace.” Paige explained as she opened her door and stepped out, a little unsteadily because of the alcohol that was in her system. 

“Wait, so like, pacifiers and bottles and all that shit?” Christen asked as she got out of the car herself and walked with Paige up the walkway.

“Yep.” Paige opened the door to the quiet house. “Anything a baby would need, Evelyn has.” She explained as she toed off her heels and headed towards her room with her sister close behind. “Minus a crib, she doesn’t like sleeping alone.”

Christen chuckled and ruffled Paige’s hair, much like what Carmen usually did with Evelyn. “Alright little Mommy, let’s head to bed. It’s 4 in the fucking morning.”

---------

Later that day Evelyn woke up to see light pouring into the room which blinded her slightly as she sat up and let out a long yawn. She was grateful that their couch was so comfortable because if it wasn’t her back probably wouldn’t be feeling too hot at the moment.

Glancing over at the clock she groaned as she realized that it was only 12 P.M. which meant Paige still wasn’t coming for a couple more hours and that she would have to find something to do with herself until then. She had been waking up every hour or so and was exhausted because of it. 

Speaking of Paige… Evelyn checked her phone to see a text from her lover saying that she was boarding her second flight in Baltimore and that she was excited to get home.

Evelyn smiled and quickly responded, even though she had a feeling the blonde wouldn’t see it until she got to the Las Vegas airport, but doing so anyway.

After that she stretched and looked around. A shower was definitely needed after the long night she had. The brunette smelled of Mountain Dew, ramen, and sweat which was not the best combination in the world. 

She slowly pulled herself up off the couch and slouched over to the elevator. She felt way too exhausted to even think of going up the long spiraling staircase. All she could think about was taking a shower, maybe getting something to eat, and chilling in front of the T.V until Paige got home.

Once she made it up to the mid floor landing she pushed off of the elevator wall she was leaning on and, literally, staggered to her bedroom. 

She opened the door to their room and shuddered from the cold gust of air that greeted her. It seemed that in her jet-lag stupor she had forgotten to turn on the heating system. The time she was gone had brought a cold spell and she rubbed her arms.

“Alexa, turn the heat unit on to 70 degrees fahrenheit.” She called as she closed the door behind her and went over to her bed, sitting on it to think of what she wanted to wear. As she did she felt her hand brush against her soft, warm duvet cover which made her yawn and lay back further before jerking up.

“I’ll just do that in a couple minutes, no harm in that.” She shrugged and crawled to the head of the bed, shuffling beneath the sweet smelling cozy covers. “Yeah, just a couple minutes...”

-------

Paige sighed and looked at her watch, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for the bags to start circling on the luggage carousel. She was already half an hour late because of a delayed takeoff and she was ready to get home and eat something decent.

She had an Uber waiting for her because Evelyn had taken the G-Wagon the day before and was probably not in good enough condition to drive since she was so awful at dealing with jetlag. Luckily, Paige had a natural gift which allowed her to switch time zones easily. Driving after flying a long distance was no problem for her.

Finally, after about ten minutes, the bags started slowly inching their way out from behind the plastic black curtain. The flight Paige had been on from Baltimore wasn’t very full so it only took a few minutes for her bag to come out.

She sped walked to the pick up zone and texted the Uber driver that she was there, also checking if Evelyn had responded to her text about what she wanted for dinner that night. Seeing nothing, not even that the girl had read her text, she assumed that either a, she was working, or b, she was sleeping. Even if the brunette wouldn’t see it Paige still shot her a text anyways telling her that she’d be home in about an hour. 

As soon as she pressed the send button a Black Ford Explorer pulled up and a smiling man rolled down the window. 

“You Paige Hughes?” He asked with a gruff New York accent, unlocking the doors and stepping out after she nodded. He walked over and grabbed her suitcase, bringing it to the back of the car and carefully placing it into the trunk before opening the back door and letting Paige step inside.

Paige buckled her seatbelt and watched the man pull out onto the highway. “So, how long do you think it will take to get there?”

He shrugged and looked at his GPS. “Probably around 55 minutes give or take. As long as there aren’t any car accidents which I don’t see on here.”

“Okay, thank you.” 

Paige smiled widely. She was so close to getting home. It was maddening having to wait even an hour longer.

Chapter Text

After heavily tipping the nice Uber driver for getting her home so quickly Paige waved him off and rummaged around in her purse for her keys. Getting home after such a long time away felt so nice and she was ready to take a shower and get something hearty in her stomach.

“Evelyn! I’m home!” Paige called out as soon as she and her bag were in the front room and her shoes were off. Not hearing a reply she wheeled her bag into the foyer and looked around. Evelyn was not in the living room, nor the kitchen. 

Frowning, Paige grabbed her suitcase and took the elevator upstairs. She was surprised that Evelyn was upstairs in the first place. Usually, when she was gone, the girl favored staying downstairs because it was easier than going up and down when Paige wasn’t even there.

Creaking open the door to their room Paige looked in and saw Evelyn, fast asleep as a lump under the covers. Though unsurprised that the girl was sleeping so late in the day, Paige still wondered why she was in their room.

Evelyn snuffled a bit and turned over, a small smile playing at her lips which suggested she was having a good dream. Paige sighed in relief at that and walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge and brushing a few loose hairs out of the sleeping girl’s face.

It took a few minutes but eventually Evelyn woke up from the touch and upon seeing Paige she scrambled out of the covers and threw herself into the blonde’s arms

“Paige, God, I’m so glad you’re back.” Evelyn cheered and gave her a long kiss, all the while squeezing her middle in a bone crushing hug.

Paige smiled and accepted the kiss, threading her fingers through her lover’s hair as she did so. “It’s nice to see you too Evelyn.” She said and brought Evelyn out to arms length to look at her better. Upon doing so she noticed the large bruise under the brunette’s left eye.

Evelyn noticed where she was looking and turned her face the other way. “Is it bad?” She squeaked.

Paige turned her lover’s head back towards her and lightly traced her fingers over the angry black and blue bruise.

“What happened?” She asked worriedly, hoping that it was from a baseball or something of the like instead of what she feared it to be from. 

“Well, it was from Mother.” Evelyn started and looked down at her hands. “I did something bad and she punished me because of it.”

Paige knit her eyebrows together. “What could you possibly have done to warrant something like this?”

“I called my mother the wrong thing,” She whispered. “And she didn’t like that.”

“Wrong thing?”

Evelyn nodded. “I accidently called her Mama instead of Mother or Ma’am.”

Paige clucked her tongue. “And do you think that was enough to receive a hit like that?”

Evelyn hesitated and cracked her knuckles. “No? It wasn’t?”

“You’re absolutely right, hitting is never the answer. Especially for something as small as that. Let's put some ice on that after our bath.” Paige said and brought Evelyn in for another hug which Evelyn happily reciprocated.

The two stayed wrapped in each other’s embrace until Evelyn broke the moment with a small shiver.

“Are you cold?” Paige asked worriedly and got up to check the thermostat which was at a comfortable temperature. She frowned and went back to the bed. “The heat seems to be on, what's the matter?”

Evelyn smiled a bit and got up out of bed, flexing her toes and looking at Paige fondly. “Oh, it’s nothing. I guess it’s still just heating up, I only turned it on like an hour ago.”

“Is that so?” Paige inquired and took the smaller girl’s hands into her own, finding them ice cold. “Why didn’t you turn it on upon your arrival?”

Evelyn blushed and bashfully looked down at the ground. “I guess I forgot? And it didn’t feel cold until this morning!” After that was said her stomach growled loudly and Paige raised an eyebrow.

“Is that all you forgot?”

“I was waiting to eat…with you?” Evelyn said and laughed nervously under Paige’s piercing gaze. Evelyn hoped that the blonde hadn’t looked the kitchen over too thoroughly. If she had she would have seen that it was mostly untouched except for a pile of Mountain Dew cans and microwaveable bowls.

Paige hummed and stood up from the bed. “Well, we’ll eat something after a bath. That’s the reason you came up here, right?” 

Evelyn gaped. How had Paige known that that was the specific reason that she had come up here in the first place?

“Oh, don’t look so surprised.” Paige laughed and grabbed the girl’s hand to take her to the bathroom. “I know you well enough to know that the only reason you come up here while I’m gone is to shower or get new clothing.”

“You’re awesome, you know that?” Evelyn smiled and gave Paige a chaste kiss on the lips before they reached the doorway to the bathroom.

“I am aware of that, yes.” Paige replied playfully as she went over to the large jacuzzi and turned on the water. Deciding that it was high time that Evelyn should indulge in the other side of her she softened her voice. “Carmen told me you were a really good girl for her, I think that deserves a little treat.”

Evelyn blushed at the statement but smiled nonetheless. The same creeping feeling she had felt the other night resurfaced and she shuffled her feet, still a bit embarrassed to give in.

“You think so?” She gulped and rang her hands out, looking everywhere but at Paige’s face where she knew a brain melting smile was waiting for her. She knew that if she looked up her adult side would come crashing down and she wasn’t sure if she wanted it to.

“Yes sweetheart, I really really do.” 

And with that, Evelyn’s mind faded. The top executive’s tough facade was exchanged with soft eyes and a dimpled smile. She quickly rushed over to Paige and captured her in a big hug.

Paige smiled. “Hi baby.”

“Hi Mommy.” 

“How was your time with Carmen?” Paige asked, sitting on the toilet lid and bringing Evelyn down onto her lap.

“Was good,” Evelyn shrugged, “We had turkey and went to go see the fishies with Blake.”

“Blake?” 

“Cousin, Dad’s side.” Evelyn hummed and played with the necklace hanging down over Paige’s collar. “She’s nice.”

“That does sound like a lot of fun,” Paige remarked as she stood up to check the level of the water, finding it a little less than half full she placed Evelyn down on her feet and began stripping her out of her clothes. She stopped when Evelyn hissed in pain as she was taking off her pants.

“What’s wrong?” Paige asked as she saw the pained expression on the girl’s face, her eyes glassy and her breathing shortening.

“Hurts.” Evelyn sniffled as she pointed to her backside and then to her wrists, prompting Paige to remove her pants and shirt more carefully than before.

Paige gasped in the same fashion that Carmen had when she had first seen the marks on Evelyn, though they had gotten progressively worse in the past few days. They went from light pinks and greens to dark purples and blacks.

“Baby…” Paige muttered as she looked over the girl’s shivering frame. It looked like much more serious of an injury than she had initially thought. There was no way her mother would do something to this capacity for a slip of the tongue.

Evelyn only whimpered and wrapped her arms around herself, looking at Paige with a pleading expression. “Bath now?” She asked, her teeth chattering lightly.

Paige nodded and quickly stripped out of her own clothes before guiding Evelyn to the tub and helping her step in. 

Evelyn carefully sat down in the suds, gritting her teeth as her raw bottom came in contact with the water and letting out a small groan.

Paige moved to sit behind Evelyn after she was settled and pulled her down to lay her head on her chest, which Evelyn gladly did.

She figured asking the girl right now would be the best course of action since she was still in a slightly older mindset, which Paige doubted she would be in for much longer.

“Evelyn, would you mind telling me how you got all those bruises? I doubt that it was only for calling your mother Mama.” Paige asked as she gently poured water over the brunette’s shoulders.

Evelyn gulped, quickly slipping out the semi-headspace she was in. “I had an accident after we went to the aquarium. I was wearing a pull-up but i-it leaked and Mother found out and spanked me.”

“And Carmen wasn’t with you?”

“She was in the shower,” Evelyn recounted and purred slightly as Paige rubbed shampoo into her locks. “I was taking a nap then woke up and found out that the bathroom door was locked.”

“Oh, I see.” Paige replied as she rubbed shampoo into her own hair. She had washed it the day before but after traveling all day it made sense to just wash it again. “Did you make up with your mom before you left?”

Evelyn shook her head. “She glared at me when we were saying goodbye, so I think that’s a no.”

Paige sighed and picked up the showerhead from the side of the tub to rinse out the shampoo. “That mother of yours, she's a real piece of work.”

-----

After rinsing the shampoo out and promptly after that the conditioner which was then followed by drying their hair Paige guided a towel clad Evelyn to sit on their bed while she pulled on her black flannel pajamas. Easily Evelyn’s favorite pajamas for the blonde to wear since they were very soft and made Paige extra huggable.

“Alright, do you want to be a shark or a cat?” Paige asked Evelyn as she held out the two pajama options.

“You pick.” Evelyn yawned as she swiped at her eyes, the dark bags under them making her face feel puffy and slack. “Wanna watch a movie later?”

Paige squinted at the girl who was so obviously tired, why didn’t she just want to go to bed? The Evelyn she knew would NEVER be tired because every moment that she wasn’t working or hanging out with someone else she was sleeping.

“I think the movie can wait until tomorrow, sweetheart. Let's get something to eat then go to bed.” Paige said as she chose the white and orange cat onesie, also grabbing a pull-up from a different drawer before walking over to the brunette to get her dressed for the night.

When Evelyn saw what Paige was holding she scooched back on the bed until she hit the headboard and shook her head while tears filled her eyes once again.

“Evelyn?” Paige tilted her head, confused as she changed course and walked to the side of the bed. “What’s wrong? Want different pajamas?”

“I don’t wanna wear that, can I have panties, please?” Evelyn said in a small voice as she cowered behind her arms, an action that did not go unnoticed by Paige.

“Honey,” Paige hesitated as she crouched by the bed. “Are you sure? Don’t you feel better going to bed with some protection on?”

Evelyn’s eyes downcasted and she whimpered quietly. “Don’t wanna, gonna get in trouble.”

Trouble? Now Paige was even more confused. She had never once disciplined the girl for wearing her protection nor had the thought ever crossed her mind. Why did the girl think she would?

“How will your pull-ups get you into trouble, Evelyn?” 

“‘Cause Mother doesn’t like them.” Evelyn replied. “I’ll get in trouble if I wear ‘em.”

“But your mother isn’t here,” Paige said as she stood up and put her hands on her hips. “It's just me and you, baby, and I’d really appreciate it if you listen to me and let me put your pull-up on.”

Evelyn shook her head weakly and grabbed Jappy who was sitting next to her and hugged him tightly to her chest. “Please Paige, I don’t wanna.”

Paige sighed and gave up for the time being. “Alright, you can wear underwear.”

Paige decided that this definitely wasn’t the time to be having a lengthy argument. Evelyn was so apparently tired and fragile and eventually would come to her senses at one point or another. Even if that meant waking up to wet sheets in the morning.

Grabbing a pair of plain white panties Paige unwrapped Evelyn’s towel and got to work getting her dressed with no further fuss. She also made a side note to check the hall cabinet to make sure they had a couple fresh sets of sheets, just in case.

After Evelyn was dressed in her cat pajamas and socks Paige took her hand and they went downstairs to the kitchen together. When they got there Paige hoisted Evelyn up onto the countertop and smiled.

“Are you hungry?” 

Chapter Text

“What did you eat while I was gone?” The blonde asked, eyeing the multiple cans of Mountain Dew strewn around the kitchen. Also noticing the lack of dishes in the sink or dishwasher. Walking to the trash can she opened it and saw a bunch of barely eaten microwavable bowls.

“Never mind, I know exactly what you ate you little monster.” Paige booped Evelyn’s nose playfully, earning a bubbly giggle in return. “But my goodness, how much of this stuff did you drink?”

“Dunno,” She wheezed as she came down from her laughing high. “Maybe, like, three six packs?”

“Oh my God,” Paige snorted as she went to the fridge and took a look inside. Not seeing any fruit or veggies and, minus the leftover broccoli from Evelyn’s take-out a few days prior, there wasn’t anything remotely healthy. “Looks like after I go to the grocery store we’re going to be on a strict diet of good food.”

“But ‘good food’ usually tastes gross.” 

Paige hummed to show that she had heard her as she pulled out some chicken nuggets and a Gogo squeeze for Evelyn’s dinner as well as the leftover broccoli and Chinese food for herself.

“Can I play with my toys after we eat?” Evelyn asked as Paige put the chicken nuggets into the microwave and punched in the cooking time. “And after that can we watch a movie or two?” 

Paige furrowed her eyebrows and looked at the clock. “Aren’t you tired, baby?”

Evelyn whined and kicked her feet out. “No, ‘m not tired.” 

“You aren’t tired?”

“Nope.”

“You’re sure?”

“Mhm.”

“Alright,” Paige narrowed her eyes at the girl. “If you do get tired you’ll tell me, promise?”

Evelyn giggled and hopped off the counter, running to Paige and jumping up into her arms. “Pinky promise.” She held out her smallest finger towards Paige who shifted so Evelyn was sitting on her hip to free one of her hands.

“Pinky promise.” 

Paige interlocked their fingers and pressed their thumbs together in a handshake. “Now,” She said as she set Evelyn down and took her plate out of the microwave, proceeding to cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. “I think it's time for a certain little girl to get some food in her tummy.”

“Yay!” Evelyn cheered. “Can I have juice too?”

“Sorry babe,” Paige replied as she popped her own food into the microwave. “I think you’ve had enough sugary drinks for the week.”

“But Mommy-”

“No buts Ev. You can have some in a couple days. How about water?”

“Fine.” Evelyn grumbled and crossed her arms, puffing out her cheeks and trying her best to look angry.

“You’re just too cute for your own good, you know that?” Paige crooned as she got a sippy cup out of the cabinet, also grabbing a wine glass while she was at it and filling it with pinot noir.

“Careful holding that plate Evelyn, it's a bit heavy.” She warned, seeing out of her peripherals Evelyn picking up her plate to bring to the island where Paige had placed hers.

Evelyn shrugged and simply left the plate on the counter for Paige to bring over to her. Not seeing the point in trying when Paige seemed likely to do it for her.

Paige smiled at Evelyn’s choice. She was so glad that the strong willed brunette was beginning to depend on her more and was learning to just let go. Hopefully, between that day and the next, she would go deeper into her headspace. Paige was sure that Evelyn could go further down than she was letting on and Paige wanted to nurture that side of her too.

When the sippy cup was full Paige grabbed Evelyn’s plate and sat next to her at the island. Seeing Evelyn eye the water distastefully Paige laughed and handed the cup directly to her.

“Come on Evelyn, drink some water. I’m guessing you haven’t had much for the past week.” She said as the girl took the offered cup and placed it as far away from herself as possible.

“No. Want juice.” Evelyn grumbled as she picked up a piece of chicken with her thumb and pointer finger and put it in her mouth, licking off the digits after and stuffing her hands in her pajama pockets.

“Here, I’ll offer you a deal. Drink half, and I’ll give you a bottle of nice, warm, vanilla milk before bedtime. Or, you don’t drink it and we won’t watch a movie tonight.”

Evelyn thought about it for a minute. On one hand, she really didn’t feel like drinking water when they had juice and soda in the fridge. On the other hand, playing with her toys, watching a movie, and getting a bottle before bed sounded much more appealing than the other offer.

Evelyn sighed and gave in. Gulping water out of her cup in between bites of her chicken nuggets. Finding herself much thirstier than she first thought she quickly downed most of her cup.

Soon after dinner was wrapped up and Paige was left sipping on her glass of wine and Evelyn softly sucking on her sippy cup’s spout. A comfortable silence between them as they finished up and Paige began clearing away the plates.

“What do you want to play with sweetheart?” Paige asked as she put the dishes into the dishwasher and poured herself another cup of wine. (During her vacation she didn’t have access to good wine and was making up for it now.)

Evelyn shrugged and hopped down from her stool, quickly scurrying to the corner where her playpen was situated and climbing in. “Come play with me when you’re done?” She called as she sat down in front of a pile of foam blocks and placed a medium sized stuffed cat in her lap.

“Of course.” Paige grinned as she loaded all the plates into the dishwasher and wiped the counter tops. Also taking the time to recycle all the Mountain Dew cans which littered the island and making a mental note to start watering down Evelyn’s juice for the time being.

A ding sounded from her back pocket and when she saw the reminder on her phone she grimaced. It seems they had neglected the fact that Evelyn was due for a doctor's appointment in 3 days.

Paige sighed. Visiting the doctor was always a long and arduous process which she had grown to dislike over the past few years. Evelyn had been anemic since her college days and now had to go to almost monthly blood tests to ensure she was getting enough iron in her system. And, of course, Evelyn had to be deathly afraid of needles so going there always freaked her out. So much so that she always took the day off afterwards.

She set the reminder to go off again the day before. Paige made sure to remember to tell the girl the information the next morning so she could plan for it. But for now at least she didn’t need to worry about that.

Making her way over to the playpen Paige could clearly see Evelyn stacking blocks into a leaning tower. Her face was scrunched up in concentration and her tongue was peeking out a bit. All in all, it was adorable. 

As Paige stepped into the playpen Evelyn suddenly pushed her hands into the tower which made the soft blocks tumble onto her lap and to her side. Evelyn giggled loudly at that and stuck her shirt into her mouth to chew on as she gathered the blocks up again.

Paige smiled and made her way over to the brunette, sitting down beside her and grabbing a few blocks to help her rebuild. 

Evelyn cheered when Paige joined her and immediately moved to sit in the blonde woman’s lap. Paige grinned and reached around the girl to help with her tower. 

At the same time, she absentmindedly thought about the different headspaces that Evelyn had fallen into in the past few months. So far she could identify 3, not including one she believed was hiding in the back of Evenlyn’s mind.

There was her semi-headspace where she was still teetering between being an adult and little. In this space she was a bit more clumsy, had trouble with a few things like using a fork or buttoning up her shirt. 

Next there was her toddler space where she seemed to be about 3 years old. In this space she was bubbly and sometimes mispronounced words as well as forgetting proper grammar. She called Paige “Mommy” in this space. So far this was the most common headspace Evelyn fell into. Paige suspected it was because she was nervous to go any further.

The next headspace was where she suspected Evelyn was just a little younger than 2. Paige saw this part of Evelyn when she was about to go to sleep or just waking up. This Evelyn didn’t talk very much but was all smiles and wanted to stay as close to Paige as possible. 

And the last one, that Paige had yet to see, was Evelyn’s baby headspace. She strongly believed the girl would be around a year old or a bit younger. In truth, Paige was very excited to see Evelyn in that space. Taking care of such a tiny pure thing made Paige swoon. She knew Evelyn was repressing that part of herself which left Paige to constantly try to assure her that it was okay to let go.

She was shaken out of her thoughts when Evelyn suddenly turned around and hugged her waist.

“What's this about?” Paige inquired softly as she dropped the block she was holding and wrapped one arm around Evelyn’s torso, the other cradled the back of her head.

“Missed you.” 

Paige cooed and brought Evelyn out of her chest to look at her. “You missed Mommy?”

Evelyn nodded feverishly and lent forward to give Paige an innocent peck on her lips before burying her head back into the blue eyed woman's chest and chewing on the collar of her shirt. Paige smelled good, like lavender, and coconut. There was an undertone of expensive perfume as well and Evelyn just wanted to stay where she was for the rest of her life.

“Do you want to play a little longer?” Paige asked after a while of just holding Evelyn close. She only asked because if she didn’t want to play then they could go to a comfier spot to cuddle.

Evelyn shook her head no and stayed where she was. When Paige stood up Evelyn just held on tighter and was able to stay attached to her lover’s front. The way she was hanging on looked a little bit like a koala. Paige probably didn’t even have to support her herself from how tightly Evelyn was holding onto her. Though she still put one hand under Evelyn's bottom, just in case.

“What movie were you thinking of, Ev?” Paige questioned as she walked to the living room and sat on the sofa.

“ Parasite ?” 

“Are you sure?” 

Paige had been positive that Evelyn was at least in her semi headspace by now since she had just been playing with toys. Parasite was a very adult movie since it was, for one, in Korean and they would have to read subtitles. And two, it was a thriller. Even big Evelyn wasn’t crazy about watching heart pumping movies before bed.

Evelyn didn’t seem too sure of her choice anymore but nodded nonetheless. She was hoping that by going to bed in a very adult frame of mind that it would help her chances of not wetting the bed that night.

“Alright.” Paige shrugged and pulled up Amazon Prime. Finding no need to fiddle with the surround sound Paige simply started the movie and leaned back with Evelyn curled into her side.

-----

“No snacks tonight?” Paige asked without looking away from the television. Evelyn always asked for something to eat whenever they reached the midpoint of every movie, if not then then before the movie even started.

“Nah,” Evelyn grimaced. “My stomach kinda hurts.”

“That’s what you get for eating all that junk.” Paige sighed, half worried and half amused. “Lets give you some Tylenol P.M before bed tonight.”

Evelyn nodded and chewed on her thumbnail unconcerned. Paige always knew what the best thing to do was. 

Chapter Text

“That was pretty good.” Paige said as the movie ended and reached for the remote to turn off the T.V so they could go to bed. As she was about to press the red off button she was stopped when Evelyn plucked the remote out of her hands and switched to Netflix.

“What’re you doing babe?” 

“I’m not tired yet.”

“Even so, we should head up to bed don’t you think? You can have a nice warm bottle and we can turn in early.” Paige said and held her hand out expectantly.

Evelyn looked torn. Paige could see her internally debating with herself about what had been said. Eventually, she shrugged. 

“It's my last night of vacation. Let's stay up later.” Evelyn answered as she clicked on Bridgerton. “How about you go get another glass of wine and we watch a couple episodes?”

Paige squinted her eyes. Evelyn was avoiding going to bed at all costs. She hadn’t even flinched when Paige mentioned a bottle which definitely meant something was wrong.

“Alright, I’ll take you up on that. Would you like a glass too?” Paige offered as she got up and cracked her back.

Evelyn shook her head no with a bit more force than necessary. “I don’t want any, thanks though.”

Paige sighed and went to the kitchen by herself. Evelyn’s behavior was definitely weird. Usually she would do what Paige thought was best without more complaint than a whine or two. Even if their relationship sounded toxic it really wasn’t. Evelyn never really did things that were good for her. Ever.

Soda over water, fast food over homemade, being too naive, being too trusting, not saying no to stay on her peer’s good sides, having too big of a heart and getting hurt. Paige had seen it time after time, Evelyn falling for her employee’s family problems and having to do their work for them or not saying no to big events she didn’t want to go to. Or Evelyn staying up hours after midnight to finish a botched up group project. 

Evelyn would give up her own well being to help others and while a bit of that was good, doing too much of it would hurt her health in the long run. That's why Paige made most of the decisions for them and was the one to say no to things.

Evelyn may play the big bad boss who could kill an employee with a glare but on the inside she was a total softy. Which is why people who knew her well enough could take advantage of that.

Paige realized she had just been standing with one hand hovering over a bottle of wine for the past couple minutes and she quickly shook herself of her thoughts. Taking the bottle with her and grabbing a wine glass she walked back to the living room where Evelyn was sitting cross legged on the couch with her head bobbing forward now and again.

Paige glanced at the clock. It was nearing the bedtime they had agreed upon for when Evelyn was feeling little. The girl wasn’t showing any signs of being little though so it didn’t really matter.

“How’s the jet lag?” Paige asked as she sat back down.

“Fine.” Evelyn mumbled. “It's a three hour difference and it's later there.”

“So that would mean it feels like it's Midnight then.”

Evelyn sulked. “Yeah, it does.”

Paige hummed and gently took the remote from Evelyn who looked at her untrustingly.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to turn it off.” Paige assured as she scrolled through her watchlist. “I’ve been meaning to watch Ozark for a while now. I think you might like it since you liked Parasite. ”

“Is that the money laundering one?”

“Yep.”

“Sure, let's watch a couple.” Evelyn yawned, realizing what she was doing she quickly covered it up with a cough. But even she couldn’t deny that she looked like the pinnacle of exhaustion. She had red, bloodshot eyes, dark circling eyebags and an overall pale and sluggish complexion.

Paige frowned but decided not to push.

--------

At 12 A.M Paige decided to put her foot down. Evelyn had begged after each and every show that they watch another. Even though the girl didn’t have work that day, the day after she did and they needed to get her back onto her sleep schedule before then. 

“Alright, time to go to bed.” Paige hummed and jostled Evelyn in her arms. 

Paige raised her eyebrows when Evelyn immediately rolled off of her to let her up. She thought there would be more of a fight because of how adamant she was about not going to bed a couple hours ago. Her observation was, however, totally wrong.

Evelyn had rolled into the crack of the couch where the top pillows met the bottom pillows and effectively hid her limbs from Paige’s grasp. Paige heard her whimper wetly from between the cushions and assumed that she had started to cry.

Paige had no idea what to do. She couldn’t fit into the small crevasse as easily as Evelyn could, and the girl had turned over anyways so there was nothing really to grab. The only other option was to bribe her to come out.

“Come on Evy,” Paige coaxed, tone as thick and sweet as syrup. “Don’t you want a nice, warm bottle and to cuddle with Mommy? I’ve missed you so much.”

From within the couch she heard Evelyn sniffle out what sounded like a “ Really ?”

“Yes, very much.” Paige hummed and reached a hand into the crack where Evelyn was. She ran her fingers up and down the length of the brunette’s tense back. After a while she felt the girl’s muscles loosen and she knew she was close.

“Please? I know Jappy wants to see you too. He needs his cuddle buddy so he can go to sleep, you know. He’s very tired after the long week he’s had.” Paige tried. She wasn’t totally sure that this method would work since only a child younger than a toddler would fall for it. Luckily for her, it seemed Evelyn was a toddler at the moment. If her peeking her head out of the cushions was any indication.

“He is?” The smaller girl questioned. She didn’t know Jappy was tired, why didn’t he tell her that?

Paige knew she was stretching the truth a bit far but it was working, and that’s what counted. “Yes baby, very very tired. He hasn’t been sleeping well these past few nights because he wanted to keep you company when you were awake.”

Paige internally gave herself a high-five when Evelyn slid out of the couch and onto the floor in an unmoving heap.

“Good girl,” Paige praised and lifted the limp lump up into her arms, settling her on her hip before carrying her the rest of the way upstairs. “Thanks for coming out baby.”

Evelyn just yawned in response. A big, huge, wide yawn which screamed that she had been tired for quite some time. Poor thing.

Paige layed Evelyn onto their bed and smiled adoringly down at her. “Such a tired girl I have, hmmm?” 

Evelyn whined. So many feelings clouded her head and she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. If Paige kept talking in that ooey-gooey voice she would fall and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to climb back out.

Paige noticed this. The way Evelyn’s eyes were darting back and forth in thought saw to that. What she was thinking about, Paige didn’t know. All she knew was that it was something heavy.

Paige took one of the girl's feet in her hands and gently kneaded the sole. She wanted to center the brunette somehow, get her out of her head to focus on one thing.

“Look at me Ev,” Paige said and smiled when the girl's glazy eyes moved to somewhere near the direction of her head. Not quite looking at her face though, more like she was looking at something behind her.

It was close enough. “Are you comfy or do you want to change sweetie pie?”

Evelyn just continued staring off into the room. Paige wasn’t sure she liked this new Evelyn that didn’t respond in any way shape or form. Not even a hum, or a shake of the head. 

“How about we get you into a pull-up then?”

That got Evelyn’s attention and her eyes snapped back to reality. She quickly shook her head back and forth. So much so that Paige was afraid her neck would snap any second.

“Alright alright, no pull-up.” Paige placated and held her hands up in surrender. “Can I get you a bottle at least? I think it’ll help you fall asleep.”

Evelyn bit her lip at that. She did want a bottle. But a bottle meant liquid and deep sleep. And liquid and deep sleep more often than not meant a wet bed in the morning. Well, sleeping longer than an hour or two led to a wet bed anyways. Bottle or not.  

Considering that logic Evelyn nodded and turned onto her stomach. Her backside was still pretty sore and it did not like being on the sofa for a couple hours straight.

Paige smiled sadly at the girl and quickly slipped out of the room to go grab a bottle of milk. Yes, she was delighted that Evelyn was going to have a bottle. But she wasn’t happy that the girl didn’t trust her to help her into some protection. It would allow the younger woman to sleep longer without waking up because she was cold and wet. 

Paige popped the bottle into the microwave and waited for a minute. Once it was done she took it out and stirred in a tiny dose of crushed up children’s melatonin and a bit of cinnamon. 

She didn’t want the girl to wake up at all that night if possible. She knew the reason that Evelyn was so tired wasn’t just from the lack of sleep, but the intervals she was sleeping in. Waking up so many times during the night isn't healthy for the body.

Paige wasn’t sure if the melatonin would work on Evelyn because of all the caffeine and sugar she had ingested the past few days, but it didn’t hurt to try. 

She shook the bottle with one hand while she went to the front door to grab the morning paper. She was sure Evelyn would want to fall asleep with the lamp on that night to ensure that Paige wasn’t going anywhere so, Paige planned to read until Evelyn was passed out.

After grabbing her abandoned suitcase from the mud room Paige trekked her way back upstairs.

She found Evelyn laying sprawled out like a starfish face down on their bed. If Paige didn’t know any better she might have assumed that the girl wasn’t breathing. In reality Evelyn was breathing just fine, if just a little shallow.

“I’ve got your milk pretty girl.” Paige sing songed and sat with her back to the headboard of the bed. She happily opened her arms for Evelyn who scrambled onto her knees and launched herself at the blonde.

Paige caught her and positioned her into the crook of her left arm, while her right held the bottle. As soon as Evelyn was settled with her trusty stuffie in her grasp Paige hovered the rubber nipple in front of the smaller girl's mouth.

It took her a second but eventually Evelyn latched on. 

It was kinda funny, just how quickly Evelyn’s body transformed into putty in Paige’s arms. All the tension of the day left her and she went completely slack. Her eyes were closed in bliss and her mouth made an adorable squeaking noise every time she nursed.

Paige patted a soothing rhythm on the girl's shoulder. The repeated motion made Evelyn drift off in a matter of minutes, not even half way through her bottle.

Paige exchanged the bottle for a pacifier and grabbed the newspaper she had brought with her. 

The scene was a quintessential definition of peace.

The warm glow of the lamp on Paige’s side of the bed cast the room in a cozy shadow much like one would find around a campfire. Paige had her reading glasses on and every once in a while she’d turn the page of the paper.

It was all very calm. These were the kinds of nights people live for. Those of complete, pure, unimaginable peacefulness when nothing else mattered but the here and now.

Chapter Text

Of course, peacefulness couldn’t last forever. Paige wished it could.

At around 7 in the morning Paige was woken up by a shrill scream followed by a loud, resounding, thunk .

“What the…?” Paige slurred, rubbing her eyes and blinking a few times to focus her vision. 

When her eyes finally centered she looked around and the first thing she noticed was that Evelyn was no longer next to her, go figure. And the second was that she really needed to invest in another blanket or two. Their shared blanket always seemed to be on Evelyn’s side of the bed. 

Her second thought really didn’t hold a candle to her first though and she quickly stood up to go looking for Evelyn. She didn’t need to go far because as she was jogging to the door she heard a small whimper.

“Evelyn?” Paige asked, confusion evident in her voice as she crept towards the bed, hunched over in order to see better.

Evelyn didn’t respond with more than a cry, but what had Paige most concerned was the fact that the whiskey eyed girl had her head in her hands and was clearly rubbing it as if she were in pain. 

Once Paige saw this she rushed over to Evelyn’s side and put a hand on her back. She checked her over for any immediate injuries and finding none she pulled the distressed girl into her arms.

Evelyn did not stop pawing at her head the whole time. 

Paige knew that if Evelyn did hurt her head in some way the worst thing she could be doing would be rubbing it. So, she took the girls hands and held them both in one of her own. Paige’s other hand went to gently prod Evelyn’s scalp to check for any lumps.

When her hand brushed a little bump on the side of Evelyn’s head the girl in her lap howled and thrashed around. Well, at least she knew where the problem was.

Paige rocked Evelyn. “What happened babe? Why’s your head feeling bad?” 

Evelyn rubbed her eyes and pushed her face into Paige’s neck. “Had a bad dream and fell off.” She supplied, short and simple.

“You fell off the bed?” Paige repeated.

“Ouch.” 

“Ouch indeed.” Paige sighed and stood up with Evelyn clutching to her front. 

The girl in her arms seemed a little lost. “No more sleep?” 

“Don’t worry, we will,” Paige said and set Evelyn down on the floor of their bathroom, near the sink. “But first we need to change out of our wet things.”

Evelyn frowned. Wet things? What was she talking about- oh. Evelyn only then realized that the material of her pajamas was sticking uncomfortably to her legs, and even more embarrassing, up her back. Clammy and cold.

This brought on a fresh set of tears as Evelyn’s mind registered that she had in fact wet the bed, quite heavily at that, and hadn’t even noticed.

Paige looked down at her sympathetically as she took off her own damp pants and threw them in the hamper to wash later. “It’s alright Ev, it was just an accident. I’ll go get you some more pjs and we can go sleep in a guest room for now.” 

Evelyn just sat on the floor and cried to herself silently as Paige rushed around their room to gather the things they needed. Deciding to try one last attempt at saving their sheets from another wash Paige grabbed both a pull-up and a diaper to present to Evelyn.

“I’m back~” Paige cooed as she pulled on a pair of joggers at the same time that she was walking towards the other girl. Pretty impressive if she did say so herself. Which she did.

Evelyn sniffled and held her arms out to Paige again. The need to be physically comforted was overwhelming, it was all so much at one time. Her brain was on overload and she wished it would just stop.

Paige held out one of her hands to Evelyn for her to grip onto while she dug around in the sink cabinet to find the changing supplies. And once she did she took a seat right in front of her girlfriend and tilted her chin up to face her directly.

“Baby,” Paige started and took a deep breath. “I’m going to give you a choice between a pull-up and a diaper. And before you interrupt me please let me explain.” Paige added when she saw Evelyn begin to open her mouth.

Once her lips snapped shut Paige continued. “I know you’re scared about wearing protection because of what your mother did to you during your vacation. She is not here. It’s just me and you, and I’m the one asking you to wear them.” Paige smiled softly and rubbed the girl's knuckles when she saw her eyes mist again. “I want you to sleep well. And if that means no protection, that’s fine. I just want you to know that you’re safe with me.”

Evelyn was quiet for about 5 minutes. All the while Paige looked at her with all the reassurance and love she could put into a single gaze.

Eventually, Evelyn decided what she wanted to do. She shakily pointed to the diaper laying next to Paige on the floor.

Paige kissed her forehead for her effort, her lips lingering for a second before she picked up all the supplies, including Evelyn, and carried them to the next room over.

“Let’s get you all comfy cozy again.” Paige said and laid a towel onto the bed before placing Evelyn on top of that and removing her clothes. She wiped her down with a wet wipe before taping her into a thick, nighttime diaper with pink stars on the waistband.

Once a pair of flannel pants were pulled up her legs Evelyn wasted no time on climbing into bed and snuggling into the covers. Paige took this time to go back to the master and grab Jappy and the beloved T-Rex blanket.

When Paige returned Evelyn was already passed out and lightly snoring with her fingers hanging loosely from her mouth.

“Today may prove to be interesting.” Paige murmured as she climbed into bed herself. She tucked the girl's comfort items between them before laying back and closing her eyes. 

What fun awaited them that day?

——

It seemed that the first thing that awaited them that day was Evelyn falling out of bed again . Was this going to become a common occurrence? Paige hoped not. For the sake of Evelyn’s brain.

“Upsy Daisy.” Paige cooed and hoisted Evelyn up off the floor and back onto the bed. “There you go.”

This time, thankfully, Evelyn wasn’t sobbing. She looked a bit dazed but the plush white carpet took the brunt of the fall so she was mostly fine.

Paige took another minute to look Evelyn over. The girls' bruises were still going strong, she noted. They’d have to apply some ice on them a little later. But, for now, Paige had to see where Evelyn was mentally.

“Hey baby,” Paige lifted Evelyn’s chin with her index finger. “What do you feel like doing for the rest of the afternoon? It’s already 2.”

Evelyn stared at her blankly and her eyes filled with tears for some reason unknown to Paige. The brunette leaned forward, with slow, clumsy movements until she was facedown on Paige’s chest. There, she took a deep shuddering breath and relaxed.

Paige’s face morphed into one of mild concern. What was happening? Was Evelyn okay?

Paige let the girl hide for a bit but eventually couldn’t stand the silence. She had to know if something was wrong, if anything, with the small girl half draped over her lap.

“Evy,” Paige carefully lifted the girl by her armpits until she was kneeling in front of her. “Can you tell me if you’re alright? I’m a bit worried about you.”

Evelyn opened her mouth but no sound came out except for a small squeak. Evelyn frowned and tried again. The same thing happened. 

Each time Evelyn tried to speak only small sounds and snippets of words came out. As she kept going she kept getting more and more agitated.

Paige caressed the girl's cheek in encouragement. She wondered why the brunette wouldn’t talk. It seemed like she wanted to, but was simply unable- wait. 

“Evelyn,” Paige put a finger over Evelyn’s mouth to stop her futile attempts at speech. “Are you too little to talk?”

Evelyn responded to that by taking a few innocent sucks on her index finger and looking through her lashes at Paige. Her pupils were big and trusting. 

Paige immediately knew that this was Evelyn’s littlest mindset. And that she was absolutely thrilled that Evelyn had finally slipped into it.

“Oh, sweetheart. ” Paige said in a ghost of a whisper, scared that anything too loud would upset the tiny thing in her lap. Evelyn was just too precious.

Evelyn’s stomach took that moment to rumble and Paige had to move from her feelings of joy to the physical world. Her main priority at the moment was feeding the girl in front of her.

“Someone’s hungry.” Paige said and stood up, extending an arm to Evelyn so she could take her hand. “Let’s go get something in your tummy.”

Paige almost slapped herself on her forehead when Evelyn shakily got up and almost immediately fell down. If the girl couldn’t talk it made total sense that she wouldn’t be able to walk right either.

“Sorry babe, you’re gonna have to give Mommy a little time to adjust.” Paige apologized softly and lifted Evelyn onto her hip. She swayed in place for a minute or two to calm the brunette then headed off to the stairs.

Once in the kitchen Paige put Evelyn down on a barstool which had arms on both sides of the chair. She then pushed said chair so that the tips of the arms were underneath the countertop. Effectively keeping Evelyn from falling off.

“Okay sweetie, what’re we in the mood for?” Paige said, mostly to herself as she scanned through the fridge for something to feed Evelyn and herself for lunch.

As expected, Evelyn didn’t respond. Instead she looked around the room with wide eyes and fiddled with her fingers on top of the counter. It would seem that she would be no help at all. 

Paige hummed at that and went to work making sandwiches. A peanut butter and jelly for Evelyn, and a spinach wrap for herself.

It didn’t take very long for both their plates to be done and as soon as they were Paige took a seat next to Evelyn and put her sandwich, which was cut up and didn’t have crusts, in front of her.

Evelyn stared at it. Making no moves to pick it up or have anything to do with it.

Paige, midway through her first bite, noticed this. 

“Aren’t you gonna eat any of that?” Paige picked up the sandwich herself and hovered it in front of Evelyn’s mouth, only to have her turn away.

It was an odd occurrence for Evelyn not to eat anything. The girl was usually always a little hungry no matter the time of day. And she also loved PB and J’s. 

Evelyn’s stomach rumbled again.

Paige was at a loss about what to do. On one hand, she could leave the girl be and let her decide on her own what she wanted to do. OR, she could simply make Evelyn eat something. But she would have to find what that something was.

Paige’s strengthening maternal sense told her that the second option was what she needed to do. After all, if Evelyn really had regressed into an infant incapable of making difficult decisions, it was only right for her caretaker to make them in her stead.

Paige quickly scarfed down the rest of her wrap before plastic wrapping the leftover PB&J and sticking it in the fridge for Evelyn to eat when she aged back up.

Now was the hard part.

Since Evelyn couldn’t tell her what she wanted Paige had to guess what the smaller girl would be willing to eat. 

The fleeting thought of just giving her a bottle of milk passed through Paige’s mind for a split second but she knew after years of med school that that wasn’t healthy for an adult woman. So that was out.

Paige glanced at Evelyn who was seemingly content at sitting in her chair and looking around before darting into the pantry.

There had to be something in there that Evelyn would enjoy in such a young mindset. Now what could possibly-…

Paige almost slammed her head on the wall.

Of course the answer would come in the form of the baby food that they had procured a while ago. And right next to it was the baby formula as well. Perfect.

Paige grabbed two jars and the tub of formula off the shelf then headed back to the kitchen with her loot. 

“Okay let’s try this again.” Paige said cheerfully as she cracked open a jar of…? 

Paige looked down.

Of sweet potato flavored baby food apparently. It looked fine enough to her. Not that she knew what good or bad baby food looked like, but still.

She experimentally dipped her pinky finger into it and then licked it off. It wasn’t bad, it was pretty sweet and had an odd texture to it, like yogurt, but more watery. 

She had no doubt that Evelyn wouldn’t like it as she scooped the orange goop out on a plastic coated spoon and held it up in front of her charges lips.

Evelyn stared at it for a good couple seconds then opened her mouth a fraction of an inch to let Paige give it to her.

Because of such a small opening a bit stuck to the corners of Evelyn’s mouth as Paige gently pushed it in, though she didn’t seem to mind as she swallowed it. 

“How is it?” Paige asked as she gathered up another spoonful and glanced up to see Evelyn’s answer coming in the form of opening her mouth again.

“Great,” Paige hummed and pushed another bite in. “After this we’ll go have a nice bottle on the couch.”

Soon enough both jars were gone and all that was left was to wipe the residue off of Evelyn’s cheeks and chin. 

Paige tenderly held Evelyn’s face still as she used a soft wet towel to clean her up. Evelyn didn’t exactly squirm but her displeasure was voiced by whining and teary eyes. Paige calmed her down with a light kiss to her temple and a hand through her hair.

Once Evelyn was calmed Paige heated up some water in the kettle and poured the formula powder into one of Evelyn’s bottles. It was easy enough to mix it up after that was done. It was a bit thicker than normal whole milk but Paige doubted that that would be an issue as she scooped Evelyn up and brought her to the living room.

She clicked on the TV for some background noise and sat down with Evelyn cradled against her chest. 

Evelyn fussed lazily in Paige’s arms from being moved but was placated by one of Paige’s hands patting a soothing rhythm on her diapered bottom.

Paige swore she felt Evelyn melt against her as she started her patting. She tucked away that piece of information for a later date as she slowly slipped the nipple of Evelyn’s bottle into her mouth and waited.

It took Evelyn a hot second to realize that her bottle had been pushed past her lips but once she did she took a small suck. Her body curled a little more into itself and Paige was quick to cover her in a fluffy blanket.

Evelyn made a happy sorta sound around the top of her bottle. Paige interpreted that as a thank you.

It took longer than usual for Evelyn to finish her drink but they were in no rush to do anything that day anyways so it didn’t matter. It was only around three in the afternoon so Paige began thinking about what else they could do that day.

They couldn’t go out anywhere, of course, so that left dinner at a restaurant off the table. They couldn’t cook together either or play Xbox. It seemed that on days that turned out like this they would have to take things slow and easy.

Slow and easy is how everyone wants their days to be, right?

Chapter Text

Coming back to her senses Paige looked down to see that Evelyn had a kinda pinched face which made it likely that she was uncomfortable. Paige knew right away why and she covered her shoulder with a dish rag before hoisting Evelyn up to rest her chin on the towel.

A few calculated pats later and Evelyn let out a milky belch and shrank back down. Clearly satisfied.

“Did that feel good honey?” Paige chuckled as she wrapped Evelyn back up in the blanket and hugged her to herself.

Evelyn sensed the fondness in Paige’s voice and she smiled and gurgled in response. 

A bit of saliva ran down her chin by doing this but Paige lovingly wiped it away with the leftover dish rag on her shoulder. Evelyn truly was too sweet.

It was a nice afternoon and the sun was shining in through the large paneled windows littering the front of their house. Paige closed her eyes and soaked it in. 

Evelyn seemed content with staying in Paige’s arms though so it was fine that they couldn’t go out to swim or play. Paige had a fleeting thought of toddler Evelyn running around outside with a ball and she broke out into a grin. That definitely needed to happen.

Evelyn stirred and shuffled around in her cocoon for a minute before pulling an arm out and using her hand to grasp a couple of Paige’s fingers. 

“Hi there~” Paige cooed and wiggled her confined digits which made Evelyn squeak.

Looking down at such an innocent side of Evelyn lit up Paige’s protective instincts and she held the girl closer. The bruise under Evelyn’s eye made Paige realize that a couple things needed to change, the first one at the brunettes' work.

Evelyn really needed to start eating better if she was going to be at the building for long periods of time. Eating junk food or not eating at all definitely weren’t going to cut it anymore.

And since Paige couldn’t be there herself, she needed someone else to supervise Evelyn for her. The only person Paige trusted enough at Evelyn’s job was one Jessica Bonfardi.

Of course, Jessica liked spoiling Evelyn with candy and soda and that was fine, but Paige needed her to now have Evelyn eat actual meals everyday.

Paige slipped her phone out of her pocket and pushed on the loud redheads contact. And from experience she held the phone a good distance from her ear while it rang.

“Paige! What a pleasure to hear from you!” 

Paige was right to keep the phone away from herself for the greeting because she was sure that it would have blown out her eardrum.

“Hey Jess,” she greeted back. “Thanks for picking up.”

“Of course, of course. It’s no problem. I’m in the airport on the way back from San Francisco so I have nothing to do. But enough about that, what’re you calling for in the first place? Is Evelyn alright?”

“Evelyn’s doing just fine,” Paige said with a smile and rubbed her nose against Evelyn’s for an Eskimo kiss. “I just want to ask you to do something for me.”

“Ask away dear.”

“Well,” Paige began. “Evelyn’s been eating so much bad food over the past few months that I’m worried that she’s going to get sick. I was just going to ask you to make sure she eats something healthy everyday, since you’re with her. And I know she won’t get it herself.”

Paige heard Jessica snort on the other end of the line.

“That girl's pride has no parallel I swear. But yes, I’ll ensure she gets something good into her everyday. She can be so picky sometimes with catering as it is. I’ll just order her something when that happens.” 

“Thanks so much Jess,” Paige beamed and bounced her knees a bit when she saw Evelyn’s eyes start to close.

“It’s no trouble at all! Anything for that sweet girl.”

And with that, Jessica hung up.

Well, that was easy. Paige had known that Jessica was going to agree but she was expecting some sort of question about why Evelyn wouldn’t do it herself. But Paige guessed Jessica knew Evelyn enough to know how oblivious she could be about her own needs sometimes.

Speaking of which…

Evelyn was yawning and trying to squirm out of Paige’s bouncing arms. Clearly, she was tired again. Which made sense because she was probably on a pretty nasty caffeine withdrawal along with her seemingly severe sleep deprivation.

“We’re gonna try and make it ‘till 8 tonight alright honeybunch?” Paige said soothingly and smoothed back a couple loose hairs on Evelyn’s forehead.

She would normally let the girl have a little nap, but since they got up so late it would be better to just go to bed early. And Paige knew Evelyn would be up a couple times during the night from either a nightmare or general discomfort. 

Evelyn groaned and arched her back when she realized that her mommy wasn’t going to let her catch some z’s. In her mind that was one of the worst things that could happen.

Paige was only slightly alarmed when Evelyn stopped moving and instead chose to let out a wail with tears backing said wail. Since she didn’t have the words to voice her annoyance her emotions were quick to replace them.

“Oh sweetheart, you’re having such a rough time aren’t you.” Paige said softly and switched her bouncing to a soothing rocking. She made sure to keep Evelyn’s head inclined so that she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep like that. Just a couple hours more and then she could go to bed.

Paige wiped away Evelyn’s tears with the back of her sweatshirt sleeve. “How about we watch a movie?” 

Paige took Evelyn’s silence and the now lack of tears as a yes and she switched to Netflix so they could avoid all the ads from cable. Paige oftentimes wondered if the ads were longer than the actual segment of the movie or show that was on. It always felt that way.

In any case, she needed to find a nice G rated movie for them to watch. Nothing too complicated or actiony for Evelyn at the moment.

Barbie Princess Adventure seemed like a good choice. Bright colors and a seemingly simple story would presumably keep the brunette entertained for an hour or so.

Paige wasn’t interested so she kept herself busy by scrolling aimlessly through a couple social media apps. She also texted Carmen why Evelyn wasn’t texting her back the “Goodmorning” the sisters exchanged everyday. 

As Paige was in the middle of texting her brother about the pain in his rib she felt an odd warmness on the thigh Evelyn’s bottom was resting on. 

Paige turned her phone off and looked down.

Evelyn wasn’t asleep, in fact she was happily sucking away on her fingers as she giggled at the TV screen. She was even trying to talk to the characters as they went on their journey.

A pat to the base of Evelyn’s diaper confirmed her suspicions. 

Paige wasn’t sure what she should do. The girl made big enough of a fuss when she woke up wet and Paige could only imagine how mortified she would be to find out she had unconsciously wet herself while she was awake. 

Even so, Paige needed to change her. If she sat in a wet diaper for too long she was bound to get a rash. There was no way that would be enjoyable. 

And, it was Paige’s responsibility to keep Evelyn safe and happy. If that meant that Evelyn was going to be embarrassed so be it.

Luckily, the movie came to an end at the exact moment that Paige was going to pause it to take Evelyn upstairs to change her. The Gods were definitely on Paige’s side that night as pausing the movie would probably have irked Evelyn’s mood in some way too.

“Okay,” Paige breathed and unwrapped Evelyn so she could settle her on her hip. “Let’s go upstairs and have a change before dinner and night-night time.”

Evelyn didn’t question this as she laid her head on Paige’s shoulder, gripping the back of the blonde’s soft shirt as she was carried upstairs. 

A bit of drool seeped into Paige’s sleeve as she walked to their room but she didn’t care in the slightest. Med school made a person immune to those types of things and Paige had had much worse on her than a little spit.

“Alright sweetie pie let’s get you cleaned up so we can go have some yummy dinner!” 

Paige hoped that her enthusiasm would keep Evelyn from having a complete meltdown once she realized what being changed meant. But there was also the chance of her not being fazed at all. She was just a baby, and babies didn’t care about those types of things. 

Evelyn whined and made grabby hands when Paige set her down on one of the newly acquired changing mats on top of their bare bed. She didn’t like being put down at all. In her mind it meant that Paige was going to leave her all alone. And when she was alone, bad things tended to happen.

Paige put a placating hand on Evelyn’s stomach and rubbed. “I’ll be right over there Ev,” she pointed to the bathroom. “I’ll only be gone for a minute.”

True to her word Paige came back in 30 seconds flat. But, truth be told, she was worried that Evelyn would somehow roll off of their king sized bed even though she was laying in the middle of it. Fortunately, that didn’t happen and Evelyn was still in the same spot that Paige had left her in.

Next time, we’ll do this on the ground. Paige mused as she stood over Evelyn with the supplies in her hands. 

Wait, would there be a next time? 

Paige sure hoped there would be. It was too intoxicating taking care of Evelyn in such an intimate way. Paige basically did everything for her and it felt amazing.

“Alright, I’m gonna take your pants off now.” 

Sliding the brunette's pants down and then entirely off was the easy step. Now came the actual change.

For her part, Evelyn didn’t seem to care. Until Paige started undoing the tapes on her diaper. That had her snap her head up very quickly.

“Hey, hey. Shhh, it’s okay baby. You’re okay.” Paige tried to diffuse the situation before Evelyn’s tears could start but once the blonde saw something click in Evelyn's head, it was game over.

“W-what!?” Evelyn screeched and backed away, grabbing her fluffy blanket and hastily wrapping herself in it. She wasn’t totally sure what was going on, the last thing she remembered was going back to sleep in the guest room earlier that morning. It definitely wasn’t morning anymore.

“Take deep breaths for me darling,” Paige instructed, taking in one breath herself for the girl to copy. 

“B-but,” Evelyn stammered as she breathed in a couple times with Paige’s hand as a nice weight on her back. “How is it already early evening? I swear we just went to the guest room.” 

Paige mulled her answer over in her head for a couple moments as Evelyn’s breathing went back down to normal. 

It would have been nice to blame this accident as one that happened while the girl was sleeping, but Paige did find it important to tell Evelyn so she could figure out how she felt about the subject. 

“Well Ev,” Paige sat down on the bed beside the brunette and wrapped an arm around her torso. “You’re not wrong about us going to sleep in the guest bedroom. We did do that. But that was over 9 hours ago.”

Evelyn looked dumbfounded. “9 hours ago? Have I really been sleeping that long?”

“Uhm,” Paige hesitated, unsure about how to explain the situation in a way that Evelyn wouldn’t freak out. How would you tell your 28 year old girlfriend that she had unknowingly wet herself on your lap? It was quite the touchy subject to say in the least.

Evelyn watched Paige expectantly. Sure that the answer was not something totally shocking. Afterall, if she couldn’t remember what happened there was no reason to worry about it.

“Yes?”

Paige sighed, deciding to just get it over with already.

“When you woke up this morning after we moved to the guestroom you were regressed to the point that you couldn’t even speak, we had some lunch and watched TV together. Do you really not remember anything we did today?”

Evelyn’s face morphed into confusion and then shock. There was just no way she could forget a whole day's worth of activities. She had been awake and responsive. When one is those things there is almost zero chance of not recalling an event or two.

Wracking her brain Evelyn made an effort to remember something, anything, of the day that had just passed. It was truly terrifying that this could happen.

“I don't remember a thing.” Evelyn said blankly and looked at Paige with rapidly filling eyes. “I must have been asleep. There’s no other explanation. I couldn't have been awake. Please tell me I’ve been sleeping all day.”

Paige could sense Evelyn’s distress. She was sure she’d be the same if they had switched places.

“You had a little accident while we were watching a movie. And no, before you ask, you weren’t napping. You didn’t even seem to notice it happened.”

“No,” Evelyn mumbled, shaking her head frantically and digging her nails into the mattress. “Not possible. I couldn’t have. I...I must’ve been aware. All the other times I’ve regressed I’ve always remembered bits and pieces of when I was under.”

“You’ve never regressed this far though.” Paige supplied. “It makes sense that if you really were only maybe a year old, that it would be hard to recollect what it was like.”

Evelyn hid behind her blanket and said something quietly.

Paige scooched closer. “What was that?”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For being a burden.” Evelyn sniffled harshly. “I’ve put so much more work on you. I can’t even seem to control my own body.”

Ah. So that was the issue.

Paige laughed. Not in a condescending or mean way, but a hearty laugh that Evelyn gawked at, more than puzzled.

“My sweet, sweet, girl. I don’t think you’re a burden at all. Seeing you carefree and cheerful is more than I could ever ask for. Do you remember what you were like before we started doing this?”

Evelyn unwrapped her blanket that had somehow wound up circling her head like a humongous scarf and looked at Paige weirdly. “Before? Wasn’t I mostly the same?”

“Oh goodness no.” Paige snorted and beckoned Evelyn to come into her arms. “You had a shorter temper and you were even more exhausted and irritable than you are now. You’re much livelier and happy when you get home and though you may not see it, you have a glow to your face that you didn’t have before.”

“Really?”

Paige hugged Evelyn to her chest. “Yes really. How do you feel after you regress?”

“Well, at first I feel almost drunk in a way. Like my head is fuzzy and it takes a minute to catch my bearings.” Evelyn said and snuggled into Paige. “And after that initial feeling I feel refreshed. Like a totally blank slate. Well, usually anyways. Today was a bit stressful.”

“Of course it was stressful. It was the first time you dropped that far and pairing that with not remembering the time that passed is difficult.” Paige patted Evelyn’s bottom gently. “This must have been a shock too.”

Evelyn’s face heated up as she was reminded of what had been happening when she had been jarred back to reality. And upon squirming a tad she decided that a cold and soggy diaper wasn’t a fantastic sensation.

“Would you like to change yourself or have me do it? We should get dressed in some fresh clothes and get some food before bed.” Paige reminded and began to move out from underneath Evelyn.

“It’s embarrassing.” Evelyn admitted and covered her flaming cheeks with her hands.

“What’s embarrassing about it? I’ve seen all of it before you know.”

“You’ve never been on the receiving end before.” Evelyn grunted and puffed out her cheeks. “If you had been the one to unknowingly void yourself into a diaper you’d understand.”

“You forgot to add “on your lover's lap” to that statement but you’re right.”

“Paigeeeee.” Evelyn whined and made a weak attempt at hitting one of Paige’s arms. 

“I’m sorry, you’re just so cute when you grumble and grouch like that.” Paige teased. “I should start taking pictures of all your adorable faces to frame on the wall.”

A sharp glare from Evelyn had Paige putting her hands up in surrender. 

“You’re a pain sometimes, you know that?” Evelyn sighed but Paige could see the small brunette fighting to keep a smile off of her face as she got up and trudged to the bathroom with her pants and newly acquired underwear in hand.

Paige quickly changed out of her day clothes and into a pair of pink silk pajamas Evelyn had gifted her the other year. They had a few stains from the wear and tear of using them so often but that’s what made them homey. Plus, Evelyn loved rubbing the buttons of the shirt between her fingers because they had a feltish texture which was fun to play with.

A couple minutes later Evelyn emerged from the bathroom smelling like vanilla and lavender. “What're we having for dinner?”

“How about hotdogs?”

Chapter Text

Paige wasn’t exactly sure how Evelyn had managed to get mustard tangled in her hair. But, sure enough, there it was. Knotted into the brunette's slightly split ends which Paige was combing through in their bathroom.

“You even had your hair up, how does this keep happening?”

“It just does.”

“It doesn't just happen on its own.”

“Yeah it does.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes!”

Paige sighed with a big smile on her face and shook her head. Evelyn could play the yes no game for hours if given the opportunity. Paige wasn’t going to give her that tonight. They both needed sleep since Evelyn had to get up in the morning.

“I think that's the last of it!” Paige exclaimed triumphantly as she rinsed the brush under some hot water. “Now it’s time for some well deserved sleep.”

Evelyn raked her fingers through her now mustard free hair and frowned a bit. “I don’t want to sleep.”

“Why not my love? You seem positively exhausted. ”

“I’m scared.” Evelyn admitted. She bent forward and buried her face into Paige’s lower abdomen, which was the only thing she could reach since Paige was standing up. “I feel that if I go to sleep I’ll just wake up alone again.” She gripped Paige’s shirt until her knuckles turned white. “How do I know you’re gonna be there?”

Paige’s jaw almost dropped to the floor with the very meaning of that statement. Is that really how Evelyn felt every time she fell asleep when she wasn’t around?

“Evelyn,” Paige winced as she leaned down so that their foreheads were touching. “I had no idea you felt that way. I don’t know what to say.”

“The dreams I get when you’re not with me are worse than my regular ones.” Evelyn moved her arms so that they were encircling Paige’s neck. “They’re always about you. And when I snap out of them the only thing I want is you. When I realize you’re not there with me it hurts.”

“That must be so hard,” Paige whispered, tears filling her own eyes as she crouched down to press a soft kiss to her favorite lips. She chuckled wetly and brought her hands up to cup Evelyn’s face. “You make me never want to leave you again.”

Evelyn leaned forward and laid her head on Paige’s shoulder, rubbing her face on the fuzzy warm fabric of her shirt. She mewled at the cozy feeling but that mewl was cut short by a little cat yawn.

“Alright,” Paige murmured, unable to hold back as a yawn of her own came tumbling out to match Evelyn’s. “Let's head to bed. We gotta get you up tomorrow morning so we can have a couple hours together before you’re due at the office at 1.”

“Don’t wanna.” Evelyn groaned and snuggled in closer to Paige. Refusing to stand up or let go. Stupid sleep and stupid work. Why did people even need sleep anyway? She understood why everyone goes to work, to make money. But, instead of sleep could humanity maybe recharge while they were awake, like human smartphones?

Paige smiled good naturedly and stroked Evelyn’s hair back. “How about a story?”

“Nope.”

“A story, and milk?”

“No.”

“A story, milk, and… I’ll ask Jessica to bring you donuts for work tomorrow?”

Evelyn took a minute to process that offer. Paige could almost see the wheels turning as the brunette stayed buried in her collar.

“They better be actual donuts this time. Not that donut hole crap you pulled last month.” Evelyn sighed as she pulled her face from Paige’s shoulder and instead encircled her arms around her neck and her legs around her midriff.

Paige grinned and stood up with Evelyn clinging to her front. She easily took them back to the main room and deposited Evelyn by the closet, earning her a confused look in response.

“I need to put some new sheets on the mattress.” Paige explained and shook her head when she saw Evelyn’s mouth open to either apologize or ask to help. “Get the stuff you want for bed, I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Okay?” Evelyn sputtered as she watched Paige depart, but doing as the blonde had instructed and looking around for pajamas for that night. She felt a small chill go down her spine as she stepped further into the closet and she rubbed her arms. Definitely a warm pajama sort of night.

Now the only question was to be big or to be little? She had already been little all day, and Paige was probably fairly fatigued from taking care of her littlest self. But, on the other hand, Paige had said she was going to read her a story with milk. Which no doubt meant that the milk was going to be in a bottle, which meant it was okay if Evelyn wanted to be little.

Making her decision Evelyn pulled out a warm footed sleeper which was a dark green with white foxes and pine trees on it. Substantially babyish, she thought, but it was definitely going to make her feel safe and toasty.

After she picked her choice Evelyn returned to the master to find Paige throwing their downiest (and softest) duvet cover over their best winter sheets. The fireplace on the opposite end of the room was also turned on and the light’s shadows danced on the walls.

Evelyn laughed a bit and gestured to the nice layout. “What's this about?” 

“Well, since we don’t have to worry anymore about our sheets being put into the wash semi-frequently I brought out the good ones.” Seeing Evelyn’s face turn scarlet Paige suavely changed the subject. “Ready to get dressed?”

Evelyn coughed once to clear the red from her cheeks and nodded, handing the bundle of fabric to Paige and hugging herself with her arms.

“Are you chilly?” Paige asked, flashing Evelyn a worried glance as she grabbed a diaper from a drawer in their dresser.

“Sorta,” Evelyn replied and if on cue shivered a bit. “Sometimes I’m too warm and sometimes I’m too cold. It just happens.”

“Have you been taking those iron supplements I got you?”

“Yes?”

“You don’t sound so sure about that babe. Arms up.” Paige pulled the girl’s lounge shirt off. “Iron deficiency can cause temperature regulation problems.”

“I just forget about them now and again.” Evelyn responded guiltily and used Paige’s shoulder for support as her pants were shimmied off her legs. “I’m in such a rush somedays that it just slips my mind.”

“Well, I guess now's a better time than any to tell you we’re going to the doctors the day after tomorrow.”

“Nooooo.” Evelyn whined as Paige gently pushed her to lay back on their bed. “We literally just went like a month ago.” 

“It was two months ago, actually.” Paige countered and slid the girl’s underwear off, putting them to the side. “I thought you liked Dr. Mel.” 

“I do.” Evelyn admitted and pulled her fuzzy blanket over her top half when another violent shiver wracked her body. “I like her, but not the stuff we have to do there. She’s fine when she comes over for book club or dinner. But not when she’s poking me with needles.” 

Paige laughed and had Evelyn raise her hips so her nighttime diaper could be slid under her. “You’re lucky she deals with all your squirming and meltdowns with patience. That's why I became a surgeon, all my patients were under anesthesia the whole time so I didn’t have to deal with that.”

Evelyn rolled her eyes and lowered her hips. “If you didn’t hate kids and tweens so much I think you could’ve been a great pediatrician.”

“Well, get this, before Mel got into primary care you know she studied to be a pediatrician?” Paige revealed as she sat Evelyn up and tugged the sleeper over the brunette’s head. “She only didn’t pursue that because she hated dealing with the kids’ parents.”

Evelyn’s head popped out the top of the collar and she looked at Paige in bewilderment. “For real? She’s never told me that.” 

“Yeah for real. You can ask her yourself when we go on Wednesday.”

“You mean while she’s busy draining the blood out of my body and poking my stomach.” Evelyn grumbled and scurried under the covers as soon as Paige zipped the side zipper of her pajamas.

Paige snorted and joined Evelyn under the covers, booping her nose playfully. “Quit being so dramatic. It's not even that bad.”

“It is.” Evelyn mumbled her disagreement as she moved into Paige’s lap, opening her mouth for her bottle.

“You’ll be fine you worrywart. Now close your eyes and try to go to sleep for me.”

Evelyn obliged and sighed in contentment as the warm milk hit her tongue. That coupled with Paige’s rhythmic patting to the side of her hip had her dozing in less than 10 minutes. A far cry from the fight Paige thought was going to ensue earlier.

Kissing Evelyn’s forehead and quietly distributing the empty bottle of milk to the side table Paige curled up with Evelyn close to her chest. Hopefully they could make it through the night without any disturbance for a change.

Oh, wait, she forgot to text Jessica to bring the donuts in the morning. 

She reached over to the side table and grabbed her phone, making sure not to jostle the girl sleeping literally right on top of her too much. She turned down the brightness and made sure her ringer was off before opening the messaging app and scrolling to Jessica’s contact.

Paige: Hey Jess just wondering if you could bring Evelyn some donuts tomorrow morning

Almost immediately the message was seen and the little bubbles on the bottom popped up. It was only around 8:30 so Paige wasn’t worried that she had bothered the woman at all.

Jessica: Of course I’ll bring a dozen by for her

Paige: Thanks so much

Jessica: Don’t mention it see you later

After the exchange Paige checked the news and her social media accounts for a while until she yawned and her eyes grew heavy. She decided that was enough for one night and clicked off her phone.

Burrowing further under the thick winter covers Paige was sure it was going to be a peaceful night without a nightmare or a bonk to the head. It was really shaping up to be one of the best years of her life. There was nothing more she could ask for.

—

Paige woke up with a beaming smile on her face the next morning.

They had managed to sleep for a whole night without waking up once to address a nightmare or something of the likes. It was only around 9 in the morning but Paige was feeling energized and ready to start her day.

Of course, Evelyn was still asleep, as was expected. Even with almost 13 hours of sleep under her belt Paige knew that she could easily do another 2 or 3 without a problem. She was simply regaining all the hours she couldn’t get in the days Paige wasn’t home.

The brunette was also sucking on her thumb which gave Paige the notion that it would be a Little Evelyn morning. This had her switching on the baby monitor (just in case) and taking its mate with her after she changed into her day clothes. Before heading downstairs she swapped the thumb for a pacifier and picked Jappy up off the floor, placing him in Evelyn’s arms and smiling as Evelyn unconsciously snuggled him closer.

Paige also rolled Evelyn a bit until she was in the very center of their large bed. She plucked a couple decorative pillows from the side and surrounded Evelyn with them. She still wasn’t sure if the other day was a fluke, or that now whenever Evelyn slipped at night that she would fall.

Either way, it was better safe than sorry.

After that was dealt with Paige finally walked downstairs and looked around her kitchen to find something to eat. The fridge and pantry alike were pretty bare. Since they had been gone for a week Paige had gotten rid of all the foods likely to spoil in that time. Meaning they didn’t have any meat, vegetables, milk, or fruit at all.

Paige sighed. She had really wanted a nice avocado toast or at the very least a bowl of cereal. Considering this it seemed that she would need to go to the store that day. 

She opened her calendar on her phone and scrolled through the tasks she had to finish. A yoga class was booked from 1 to 3:30 and right after that she had an appointment for a pedicure and a manicure which would last about 2 hours give or take. Scrolling down further she saw that she also had to get the battery for her watch changed. Why did she plan so many things for the same day? By the time she got home she would already have had to be cooking to have dinner done when Evelyn was due back at 8.

Paige scowled down at her phone screen and tapped her fingers on the counter. In theory, she could go get groceries now and be home by the time Evelyn would wake up. 

The only problem was that she wasn’t sure if Evelyn would get up little or not. If she did happen to wake up little and Paige wasn’t home that would be an issue in itself. Big Evelyn, of course, would be fine on her own. It was just the 50% chance that she wouldn’t wake up big that worried her.

Suddenly, a thought popped into her head. The reasons Evelyn usually woke up before being awoken by Paige were either from waking up in the dark from a nightmare, being woken up suddenly, or (in yesterday's case) falling out of bed. Therefore, if she wasn’t in the dark, woken up in a surprising manner, or sleeping on something that she could fall off of then she would most likely not wake up until Paige got home around 12.

Sprinting up the stairs in order to not waste anymore time she crept into their room and carefully removed the covers from Evelyn’s thin frame. She checked the girl’s diaper and upon finding it wet, as she was sure it would be, she delicately changed her into a new one, barely rousing the sleeping girl at all.

Once she zipped the onesie back up she coaxed a pacifier into Evelyn’s mouth, which she clipped to the girl’s shoulder, before swaddling her in a blanket (with Jappy firmly hugged to her chest) and painstakingly slowly carrying her downstairs to the playpen.

Evelyn snuffled a bit in her sleep as she was placed down on a mountain of blankets and soft stuffed animals but other than that didn’t seem to be bothered by her new sleeping space. Paige even turned on the kitchen speakers to play a gentle patter of rain for some white noise.

After positioning a couple more blankets on top of and to the sides of Evelyn, and wondering just when did they acquire all of the blankets in the first place, Paige grabbed Evelyn’s forgotten phone from the living room and wrote where she was going on a neon pink sticky note which she stuck to the front of Evelyn’s screen. She put it down just in reach of where the brunette was laying and after pecking Evelyn’s forehead goodbye she dashed out the front door.

Chapter Text

Jessica Bonfardi hummed to herself as she climbed the few steps up to the Woodford-Hughes residence. She knocked twice with the hand that was not currently occupied with her purse or box of 12 fresh donuts then waited for one of them (most likely Paige) to open the door and let her in. 

After a minute of no response she tapped at the door again, this time a hint firmer than her first attempt.

Nothing.

Jessica huffed and blew a strand of ginger hair off her forehead with an ounce of frustration. She knew that at the very least Evelyn was home. The brunette’s calendar didn’t have anything planned for the morning so there really was no reason that she couldn’t answer her incessant knocking.

She really should have brought her copy of the key. But she thought someone would answer the door. Blast their weak doorbell and huge mansion. Maybe Evelyn was watching TV or sleeping somewhere in the house where she couldn’t hear the loud banging at the door.

After a couple more tries she looked around the porch for one of those rocks with a key under it. After coming up empty handed she jiggled the door handle and was shocked to find it click and swing open. Surely that couldn’t be safe.

Pushing it wider she cautiously looked left and right for any immediate danger and finding none she closed the door behind her. There wasn’t any noise in the house, save for an almost indistinct whir of a fan or space heater coming from the direction of the kitchen.

Kicking her heels off by the door she laid her socked feet on the smooth marble but hissed when she felt just how cold the floor was. She spotted a pair of plain black slippers she was guessing were Paige’s and pulled them on to save herself from frostbite. Why did they like their house so cold?!

No matter, she could ask them about that later. She did smell a faint tinge of coffee in the air and she followed that smell to the kitchen. The lights were all on, which meant somebody was home. And the coffee machine was blinking, having just finished brewing a cup. 

Evelyn didn’t care for coffee.

So Paige was home?

Judging from the fresh coffee, and that the blonde’s purple Iphone was sitting atop the counter, one could infer that the woman was home. And close by for that matter.

She also noticed that it was the speakers making the calming fanish waterish sound. But why? It was the afternoon, 11:43 to be precise, which meant that Paige would already be up and about, energized and ready for the day. No doubt she would be listening to some form of pop music while she worked out or cooked breakfast.

“Dammit where is she?” Jessica wondered aloud and plopped all her stuff on the countertop. She eyed the coffee. Well. Since nobody was around it wouldn’t hurt to serve herself a cup. Paige had asked her to bring donuts by, hadn't she?

Pouring herself a steaming mug full of pure black coffee Jessica sighed and withdrew her phone from her pocket. She dialed Evelyn’s number as she took a sip. On the third ring, she swore she could hear vibrations coming from somewhere in the room. Wait, what was that?

How had she not noticed the pretty large playpen shaped structure in the corner of the room where she could unquestionably hear buzzing coming from. Evelyn had never mentioned any kids coming over. Definitely not enough so that they would have a whole corner of a room converted into a playpen.

She pushed off of the counter to go investigate. And, sure enough, Evelyn’s phone was on the ground next to a ginormous lump of blankets. She grabbed Evelyn’s phone and the pink note attached to it. Reading it over she found out that Paige wasn’t home. She was at the supermarket buying groceries for the week. 

Jessica frowned. 

Then where was Evelyn?

Her phone was downstairs in a playpen, which was already weird enough in itself, and next to a giant mound of blankets that was moving… moving ?

Yes, the blankets were moving. It was almost imperceptible at first, but after staring for a minute or so she could make out a small rise and fall which now made it look as if something was breathing under all of them.

Tentatively, Jessica reached for the blankets and took a handful before slowly withdrawing them from where she assumed she’d get a look at whatever was under there.

She almost let out a loud, undignified gasp as she saw just who was under the pile. She physically restrained herself by biting down on her knuckle and falling back onto her haunches.

It was Evelyn who was lightly snoring with a pacifier halfway out of her mouth. 

Jessica pushed up her glasses and rubbed her eyes to assure herself that she was seeing correctly. There was no way that grumpy, nonchalant, chronically sleep deprived Evelyn was… Wait. No, that kinda made sense once she took a second to think about it.

Anyways, Jessica was absolutely certain that if Evelyn woke up to see her best friend and fellow coworker staring at her while she was sucking on a pacifier like a child that she’d go insane. Maybe she would never talk to her ever again. 

Jessica didn’t want that to happen.

She could make it look like she was never even there. So, very daintily, she took the blankets back in her hands and moved them to cover Evelyn’s face again. But stopped as Evelyn’s nose twitched and she let out a little snuffle.

No.

Come on, seriously?!

She was totally going to sneeze herself awake. 

Dammit.

When all seemed hopeless and Jessica readied herself for Evelyn to inevitably see her the girl relaxed and settled back down. Jessica heaved a sigh of relief at that and stood back up.

Thank God.

Now to carefully creep out of the house undetected…

Jessica made it over to the counter to gather all her stuff before disaster struck. Namely, the annoying alarm of a phone going off across the room. How unlucky was she? So close to making it out unseen but ruined at the last minute.

Now, Evelyn could sleep through many things: a glass shattering on the floor, Jessica banging at the door, even someone shouting in close proximity. But phone alarms were her weakness.

Immediately, Jessica could see the bundle of blankets shaking as the person under them tried to climb out, but was unable to. This made Evelyn squirm some more but to no avail. 

After two minutes of Evelyn struggling to break free (and ultimately giving up) Jessica heard a wail of misery backed by the sound of wet sobbing. Was Evelyn seriously crying because she couldn’t get out by herself? Jessica couldn’t say she’d ever seen Evelyn cry. Except that one time she got a 70% on one of their finals.

Jessica kind of hoped the alarm would turn itself off and that Evelyn would fall back asleep but that seemed kinda pointless now. So Jessica walked over to the playpen where her friends’ two phones were and found that it was Paige’s phone with the alarm labeled as “Wake Evelyn Up” set for 11:50.

She turned it off and looked down at the Evelyn lump which was still crying, her sobs coming off more nasally now that her nose was definitely stuffed up. She did feel bad for her, but she had never really interacted with kids before and judging on where and what she had found Evelyn doing it made it seem like she was going to deal with one if she engaged.

But Evelyn just sounded so pitiful, crying and hiccuping while she struggled to move. This feeling of something new made Jessica sit down on the ground in front of her and slide the blankets away from the brunette’s body so she could be freed.

Now what.

Evelyn was still crying, though less wounded and more whimpery. She took her newly accessible fists and rubbed her eyes with them. Her pacifier was bobbing in her mouth with a new fervor and she looked like she was going to start sobbing again if Jessica didn’t do something. But what was that something?

Jessica cleared her throat to alert the girl to her presence and when Evelyn peered up at her she smiled her best smile and leaned forward to smooth back a couple baby hairs from her forehead.

“Hey Ev.”

Evelyn shirked back upon seeing Jessica and whined as she looked around with wide eyes to see if Paige was in the vicinity. Which she was not. 

Evelyn wasn’t sure how to feel about the situation.

On the one hand, she definitely wasn’t feeling big. If Paige had been there she would guess that Evelyn was about 3, which was the older range in Evelyn’s headspaces, but still. And second, Paige wasn’t there to guess that. But Evelyn wanted comfort. Her mommy’s comfort preferably but she didn't know where she was. The only other person in the room was Jessica, who she did trust.

Jessica heard Evelyn squeak something behind the soother that she couldn’t decipher. “What was that dear?” Jessica said and pointed to her own mouth to show Evelyn what was wrong.

Evelyn went cross eyed to see what Jessica was talking about and once she did she spit out her pacifier and repeated. “Where’s Mommy?”

Jessica gulped and scratched her head to ground herself. “Paige?”

Evelyn nodded and scooted herself a bit more out of the blanket fort to latch onto Jessica’s middle, resting her head on her thigh.

“She’s out buying food, though she should be back in the next 10 minutes or so.” Jessica explained a bit stiffly, unsure on where to rest her hands while Evelyn was halfway on her lap and wrapped around her lower torso. She ultimately decided to put one on Evelyn’s back to rub up and down and the other to pull through the brunette’s silky hair.

Evelyn hummed in understanding and popped her pacifier back in her mouth, snuggling into Jessica and sighing. This felt pretty nice, not as nice as Paige, but alright enough that she didn’t feel like moving away.

Jessica was still a little confused and flustered at the situation she had found herself in, but she was feeling a tad more comfortable as the minutes ticked by. This was Evelyn for goodness sake. One of her best friends she trusted with all her heart, and if this was a side of that person she knows and loves then she could learn to accept it. And anyways, now that her adrenaline was lowering she could see just how utterly adorable Evelyn was.

Granted, Evelyn was a beautiful woman in the first place but seeing her in such peace and serenity gave her a new glow, a more youthful glow. It was stunning.

Evelyn, for her part, was feeling relaxed. Like a heavy, heavy blanket was laying on top of her whole body. She didn’t really mind that Jessica was there, as odd as that sounded. Evelyn knew her well and loved her immensely so hiding this part of herself would never have popped up if the opportunity had expressed itself.

Jessica knew all of her deep, dark secrets as well as who she was as a person under her façade. She had always been there for her, even in the worst of times. They had shared an apartment together for 2 years for Christ's sake. 

So no, she wasn’t going to make a big fuss that Jessica was with her instead of Paige. Until she felt a sudden feeling of relief, and a warm wetness seeping between her legs.

Was she…?

Evelyn laid still in complete and utter shock. Her breath stayed hitched in her throat until her impromptu accident was over. She squirmed a bit to see if the feeling was alright enough to live with until Paige got home but quickly decided that it was not. She wanted Paige. Now.

“Woah woah woah, what’re the waterworks for darling?” Jessica asked as Evelyn spit out her pacifier again and started sobbing at the top of her lungs. She had been doing just fine a second ago, what changed in that short of a time?

“Mommy,” Evelyn wailed and buried herself underneath the blankets again. “I want Mommy!”

“She’s coming back soon. Don’t worry. Would you like me to get you anything else while we wait?” Jessica tried her very best at soothing the distraught girl. She really had no idea when Paige was going to get back. The note said one thing but everyone knows times can be pushed back if something gets in the way.

Evelyn shook her head even though Jessica couldn’t see her. She didn’t want anything except her mommy and maybe a warm bottle of milk. But Jessica didn’t know how to make bottles of milk right so she kept her mouth shut. She felt vulnerable and helpless. She wasn’t in her littlest mindset at all. She felt big, like maybe 3 years old big but her body was trying to get her to go down further so she would accept assistance from somebody other than her mommy.

It was a weird feeling.

She didn’t like it very much, all the big feelings swirling around in her head that she couldn’t comprehend. Maybe if she dropped further they’d go away?

It wouldn’t hurt to try so she swallowed the lump in her throat and relaxed. Slowly but surely she felt all the thoughts she was having disappearing and being replaced by simpler ones, like what she was going to have for breakfast or how shiny Jessie’s red nails were.

Jessica really was thankful when Evelyn’s cries became quieter and less urgent. She truthfully had no idea what to do if that went on much longer. Childcare wasn’t one of her strongest abilities. 

Evelyn’s head popped out and she smiled. “Hey Ev, feeling better?”

The girl in question nodded and laid her head back in her companion's lap, seemingly satisfied with the care Jessica was able to provide her.

Jessica was glad to sit there with Evelyn’s head in her lap as the apparently little girl sniffled and played with a couple loose strings coming off her sweater. That was until Paige burst through the door with wild eyes and uneven breaths. 

“J-Jess?” Paige panted and sped walked over to where she saw her sitting. “What’re you doing here?”

“I brought donuts.” Jessica cheered sheepishly and gestured with her chin to the pink box on the counter.

“I see that. And was Evelyn awake when you came in?” 

Paige hoped not. She had forgotten her phone at home and hadn’t noticed until the cashier was almost done ringing her bags up and she had wanted to know the time. She had practically thrown the grocery bags into the car before speeding all the way home. She was lucky no cops had been there to catch her going 25 miles over the speed limit.

“She wasn’t, until your phone alarm went off like half an hour ago.” Jessica told her. “I was hoping I could leave when I saw the state she was in, because I’m sure she’s going to be extremely embarrassed when she’s an adult again, but it didn’t feel right to do that.”

Paige shrugged her shoulders and leant down to pick Evelyn up, noticing the tear tracks and red eyes. “Maybe, but you are her best friend. Carmen and her cousin found out too and once they talked she was fine. Has she been crying?”

“Alright. I guess we can have a chat at the office then.” Jessica responded then nodded to the second question. “It came out of the blue. We were sitting here waiting and suddenly she just started sobbing. I don’t know why, but she stopped after about 5 minutes.”

“Aw Evy,” Paige cooed and bounced Evelyn in her arms. “What happened honey?”

Of course, she wasn’t really expecting an answer, but that wasn’t really the point.

Jessica watched Paige coo adoringly down to Evelyn who was resting on her hip and sucking her thumb. Her heart literally pumped faster from the delightful display of wholesomeness. She also had to say she enjoyed how sweet Evelyn looked in her onesie. She hadn’t been able to properly appreciate it while the girl had been wrapped in all the blankets.

“Well, I should go. I’ll meet Evelyn at the office.” 

Paige looked up as Jessica turned to leave. “Actually, since you're here, how about you drive her there? That way you can talk this out and use up less gas.”

Jessica shrugged, finding no reason to decline the idea. It did seem like a conversation better suited to a more private space anyways. “Yeah, I don’t see why not.”

“Wonderful! I’ll go get her changed and then we can have some breakfast before you have to leave. Be back in five.”

Chapter Text

“Hey Jess.” Evelyn greeted as she walked into the kitchen maybe 10 minutes after she had been taken upstairs. She was dressed in basic clothes. A black turtleneck and pressed brown slacks. Nothing too flashy. Though the clothes Evelyn wore usually weren’t.

“Hi,” Jessica waved and took a sip from her now almost room temperature coffee. She rolled a couple words around in her head before finally deciding. What would you say to your friend if you had found them in the state Evelyn was in? It was quite an odd occurrence. “I brought some donuts. I know how much you like the blueberry ones so I made sure to grab a bunch of those.”

Evelyn beamed and bounded over to grab one out of the box right away. She devoured it in less than 15 seconds and was quick to snag another. She made it halfway through that one before Paige was able to stop her, taking her wrist and giving her an unimpressed look.

“What?” Evelyn complained while her mouth was still stuffed with bits of donut. She swallowed the whole mouthful without choking, as any other regular person would have done with that amount of food. “I’m legit starving, gimme a break.”

“First of all, it's dangerous to eat that fast. And second,” Paige let go of the girl's wrist and had her place the donut on a napkin. “If your stomach is super empty the worst thing you can do to it is introduce a ton of food in a short amount of time. You’ll get a tummy ache if you do that, as you already are aware of I’m sure. Wait a minute before finishing that one.”

Evelyn rolled her eyes and stalked over to the fridge. She snatched the carton of milk and poured herself a glass to the brim, almost testing Paige’s patience as she leaned down to slurp the top centimeter off so she could actually pick it up. 

Paige sighed at Evelyn’s negligence and glanced over at Jessica to watch her reaction to the weird scene. She was surprised to see the redhead struggling to contain her laughter by holding her coffee mug in front of her face. Her eyes were trained on Evelyn who now had a milk mustache after chugging the whole glass and who was now trying to sneak her hand over to her donut.

This kind of behavior was not uncommon for Evelyn in the morning before she got some food in her. Whenever she was running on an empty stomach or just after getting out of bed she would get an energy burst that could last up to 20 minutes before she got grumpy and hangry. These energy bursts made her challenge Paige on simple matters, or disregard her surroundings entirely. Luckily, they only seemed to happen a bit before breakfast, when she wasn’t exhausted as she was later in the day.

Paige slid the donut out of her reach and took the opportunity to wipe Evelyn’s face off since she was bent over the counter. This had Evelyn scowling and reaching for her donut again.

“I’ll give it back to you if you promise to take smaller bites and swallow what's in your mouth before getting more.” Paige finalized and waited for a nod before sliding the donut back over to the brunette who cheered and did as Paige had said, not wanting to risk her donut being taken away again.

“I guess I better have one now since they’re all going to be gone soon.” Jessica mused as she plucked one out of the box for herself and took a delicate bite. 

Of course, Paige would never allow Evelyn to eat a dozen donuts in one sitting but she was sure if given the chance, Eveyln would do just that. She allowed the girl to have a third before confiscating the box and putting it up on the fridge, where Evelyn couldn’t reach.

“Want more coffee before you leave?” Paige asked Jessica after she had finished her donut. “I could get you a to-go cup.”

Jessica considered the offer but shook her head no as she stood up from her place on a bar stool. “I’ve already had three cups this morning, probably better if I didn’t have any more. Thanks though.” She slung her purse over her shoulder. “Ready Evelyn? We should head out.”

“Yeah, lemme grab my stuff.” 

Jessica and Paige watched as she bounded off into the next room and the subsequent pounding of feet on the stairways.

“She’s really cute.” Jessica admitted, twirling a lock of hair on her finger and smiling. “I had no idea she could look so peaceful.”

“Yeah, it's astounding isn’t it?” Paige replied, looking off into the next room and seeing Evelyn’s wallet sitting on the couch. “Be back in a sec, seems the thing Evelyn’s searching for upstairs is right here.” She chuckled and began to walk over towards it, but slowed when her pocket started buzzing with an incoming call.

“Kelly?” Paige answered, picking up Evelyn’s wallet with her unoccupied hand. “What’s up?”

“Hey Paige! Just wondering if I can show up a tad late on Saturday. One of my coworkers called in sick so I have to stay at the office an hour or so longer.”

“Yeah, that’s completely fine by me. Make sure to bring a baguette from that bakery on 657.” Paige heard the other woman laugh on the other end of the line, along with the jangle of a set of keys. 

“Thanks for reminding me, I forgot to put that on my list of things to do this week.”

“No problem. I’ve been dying for some good bruschetta for a while now.”

“Oh totally. So Lindsay is coming too? Since she’s the queen of making Italian food.”

“Wow, you guessed it.” Paige snorted and plopped down on the sofa. “I convinced her to come on the premise that she’s skipped out the last four times we’ve met up.”

“God, I’m even more excited now. That woman is literally so funny. My sides ache for weeks after spending time with her.” Paige heard a car door slam followed by a short sigh. “Anyways, I’ve gotta go. I’m already late.”

“Okay, nice talking to you.” Paige hummed but then remembered something. “Oh!  And thanks again for the diazepam. It worked great. Evelyn was relaxed for the whole flight there.”

“You’re very welcome! I had those tablets left over from a wisdom tooth surgery. Think nothing of it. She didn’t have any side effects, did she?”

“Her gums just hurt a bit, I believe.”

“Great. I’m glad it went smoothly. I’ll see you guys soon then.”

“Yes, see you soon, bye.”

Paige clicked the receiver and stood up, plucking Evelyn’s wallet from beside her and turning back to the kitchen. But, she froze in place when she locked eyes with a seething Evelyn.

—- 

“Paige,” Evelyn said, eerily calm. “What did I just happen to hear?”

“Well I-” Paige sputtered as she tried to form a coherent sentence in her head. The idea had never dawned on her that Evelyn would ever find out about the diazepam. Because of that she never really thought she’d have to formulate a response to such a delicate subject.

“You what,” Evelyn spat, eyes filling with angry tears. “You didn’t ask me before giving me something? You didn’t think for even a second that I would be opposed to such a thing?”

Paige took a step towards her. “Evelyn, I’m so sor-”

“No Paige!” Evelyn screamed at the top of her lungs as her tears spilled over. “You know for a fact that my mother used to drug me so heavily that I couldn’t even get up. Some mornings I felt like I was going to die with how lucid I was. Do you know how that feels? Scared to mess up because you’re gonna be forced to take who knows what? And you just forgot about all that and slipped me some drug I know nothing about!”

Evelyn’s glassy, bloodshot eyes held a sadness and fury that Paige had never before seen in her. It made her instantly feel like the evilest person in the world.

“What’s more, if you had just talked to me I probably would have considered trying it.” Evelyn mumbled and hugged her arms over her chest. “I trust you with my life, Paige Hughes. I trust you with everything I have.”

Paige’s own eyes misted as she thought further about what she had done. She had been so blinded by her own concern that she had neglected to think about how Evelyn would feel. The guilt coursed through her veins as she pondered her wrongdoings. 

“ Please ,” Evelyn’s voice hitched as a heart-wrenching sob overtook her. “Just talk to me next time. I promise I’ll hear you out about anything .”

“Evelyn…”

“My heart can’t take any more deception.” Evelyn wiped her cheeks with the back of her sleeve and gave Paige a watery smile. “I love you to the ends of the Earth. Please, do me a favor and give me your everything too.”

The fact that Evelyn seemed so ready to forgive her shocked Paige to her core. She was sure that Evelyn would, at the very least , stalk out of the house and not talk to her for the rest of the day. But the brunette had a hopeless tiredness to her voice. It seemed as if she didn’t have the will or energy to draw the conversation out further.

Something in Paige clicked. And, with her own tears brimming at her eyelids, she ran to her soulmate and threw her arms around her with all her might. “I know that words aren’t enough to express how sorry I am. I am so sorry that you have to forgive me for the wrong that I have done. I care about you so much and it pains me to have hurt you in such a way. I will never ever break your trust like that again.” She squeezed Evelyn closer to her. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

Evelyn answered by smashing her lips into hers. The two shared a passionate kiss as their tears mingled and mixed. 

They only stopped when Jessica cleared her throat from the doorway.

“Did I miss something? I stepped outside for like 10 minutes to look at a bird and I come back to this.”

Evelyn laughed and wiped at her eyes again, peering up at Paige with adoration. 

“Yes, everything is just fine.”

Jessica nodded and peered down at her watch, completely unaware of the jump the two women in front of her had just made in their relationship. “Okay, that's great. But we really should get going now.”

Evelyn nodded and picked her wallet up off the ground. “Alright, I’m ready.”

“Bye babe,” Paige pecked Evelyn on the lips once more and straightened her scarf so it was covering her neck fully. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” Evelyn returned the sentiment and gave Paige a warm squeeze. “Forever and always.”

—

On the way to work, Evelyn had wanted to listen to music at a very high volume. She said it would help her wake up and be more productive throughout the day. Which Jessica did believe, as every other morning Evelyn pulled up she could hear corny pop blasting in the car, even with all the windows rolled up.

The smaller woman had had a very busy day on their first day back. Meetings, calls, and paperwork had filled up almost her whole afternoon. From 2 until 8:30 it was non stop hustle and bustle. Even Jessica was feeling a weight on her back once the day wrapped up and they found themselves once again in Jessica’s red Tesla, this time sans music.

“Hopefully we don’t have another day like today for at least a month. I am absolutely drained.” Jessica sighed as she turned the ignition and revved up the motor. “Did you manage to get anything for lunch? I didn’t see you in your office all day.”

“I snagged a croissant in between conferences but that was it. I seriously had no time to myself all day long.” Evelyn yawned and buckled her seatbelt, slipping off her boots so she could bring her feet up onto the seat, which was heated. “Don’t tell Paige, please? I’m sure she told you to keep an eye on me.”

“Sure, but just because you had no time to yourself. I did promise her that I’d have you eat something good everyday.” 

They sat in a nice silence until Jessica realized she hadn’t asked the girl what she had witnessed that morning. Of course, she could always look it up on her own. But she wanted to know exactly what Evelyn and Paige were doing as opposed to a bunch of strangers on the internet.

“So,” Jessica began as she turned on cruise control and sat back in her seat. “Would you tell me what happened this morning? It's totally fine if you don’t want to. I understand that it's a private matter so just say the word and I’ll never bring it up again.”

Evelyn shrunk back and bit her lip. Honestly, she knew Jessica wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. She was always supportive and nonjudgmental on every occasion Evelyn could think of which had been uncomfortable. So, Evelyn wasn’t worried about Jessica thinking she was a freak or anything. But it was just such an embarrassing thing to admit. That you liked being treated like a baby.

“It's called Age Regression.” Evelyn squeaked out as her cheeks and ears tinted. “If you look it up it can be sexualized but for us, it's just a way to help me relax. Paige enjoys taking care of me as much as I like being taken care of. I guess it's a stress reliever for her too.”

“So what do you do in Age Regression?” Jessica asked, genuinely intrigued. It wasn’t everyday that you walked in on someone doing something you’ve never even heard of. And more knowledge about the world was never a bad thing.

“Well,” Evelyn visibly gulped and put her hands over her cheeks to hopefully cool them down. “Basically, my mind regresses to a younger age, my mannerisms become that of the age I am. While I’m in that state Paige looks after me as my caretaker.” 

“How old are you usually?” Judging from what she had seen earlier Jessica guessed she was pretty young. But as Evelyn had insinuated, it could vary.

“I’m usually two or three. But I’ve gone younger.” She paused before jerking up. “AND older. Younger AND older.” Evelyn quickly added, proving that Jessica’s hunch of Evelyn being super young was right. And the fact that she hastily supplemented that she got older as well just proved that it didn’t happen often.

Jessica decided she had time for one more question before they’d be in Evelyn’s neighborhood. She pushed the brakes as they entered the zone and they started cruising at 20 MPH.

“When do you regress? In the mornings, like today?”

Evelyn shrugged. “It all really depends on how I’m feeling. Most of the time I’m little before bed, or in the mornings because I’m tired or disoriented. But on my days off or when I get home after a long day it just happens.” Evelyn left out the part about her nighttime routine of bottles and diapers. Those were the things that had her feeling little the fastest. But it was just way too embarrassing to admit.

“So you were little this morning because you were still tired?” Jessica asked as they turned into Evelyn’s driveway.

“Well, this morning I believe it was because I was distressed that I woke up somewhere different and couldn’t move. I wanted Paige really badly.”

“Your mommy?” Jessica hummed in understanding as she parked and smiled at Evelyn who was the reddest she had ever seen her.

“Yeah.” Evelyn mumbled.

“How splendid,” Jessica cheered as she unlocked the doors. “This honestly seems like the perfect fit for you darling. I’m glad you’re happy and taken care of.”

“Thanks?” Evelyn responded, unsure of what the right response should have been to that. She pulled the door handle and stepped out. “I’ll see you Thursday.”

“Anytime. Good luck at your appointment tomorrow.”

Evelyn began to close the door before swishing it back open again. “And Jessica,” she grinned lopsidedly at the other woman. “Thanks again for always being there for me. I appreciate it.”

“Of course.” Jessica waved her off and after Evelyn shut the door rolled down the window. “What kind of friend would I be if I wasn’t? Love you!” She called out as she drove away, honking the horn a couple times down the road.

Chapter Text

The moment Evelyn stepped into their house she could tell they were having pulled pork for dinner. The delicious smell was wafting out from the kitchen and Evelyn was immediately in heaven. Paige’s pulled pork sandwiches were legendary, the best ones Evelyn had ever had in her life. 

“Honey, I’m home!” Evelyn announced and dropped everything by the door so she could sprint to where the wonderful scent of slowly cooking pork was coming from. Her mouth was already salivating and she hadn’t even had a bite yet.

Paige was by the sink, rubbing her damp hands on a dish towel. She looked up once she heard Evelyn’s footfalls thudding up towards her. “Hey babe, how are you?” 

“Same as usual, I had to run around all day.” Evelyn craned her neck to the crock pot which was sitting on the counter, the top bubbling and humid. The timer knob was close to the end tic mark so she was sure it wouldn’t be too long until they ate. “How was yours?”

“Mine was fine. Did a bunch of errands but they didn’t tire me out too much. Hungry?”

Evelyn’s head bobbed up and down eagerly at that. “Absolutely starving. How long?”

“Well, let's have a taste and see.” Paige opened the top of the crockpot and experimentally stuck a wooden spoon in. She scooped out a spoonful and offered it to Evelyn who leaned forward and took the bite with the front of her teeth to avoid burning her lips. “What do you think?”

Evelyn swallowed and greedily eyed the rest of the simmering meat. “I think it's positively delicious. Perfect texture and taste.” Of course, everything Paige made was amazing, so she had no doubt that it wouldn't taste devine.

“Would you mind setting the table? I’m going to heat up some bread real quick.” Paige asked, reaching into a metal breadbox and pulling out a loaf of sourdough she had bought earlier. It was a stunning loaf of bread. A beautiful brown on the outside and soft, pillowy white on the inside. As Evelyn did as Paige asked she sliced into the middle of it, the knife glided through it as if the loaf was butter.

She stuck the four longest pieces into the toaster and set the dial to go off in two minutes. As that was going she rummaged through the fridge for drinks. She had gotten some fresh squeezed orange juice that morning and it would go well with the sandwiches. 

“Sweet, you got orange juice.” Evelyn observed as she came back into the kitchen and hopped onto the counter top, her lanky legs softly pounded the bottom cabinets in a steady rhythm.

“Yeah, it's super fresh. I found it at a local place for only, like, 3 bucks.” Paige told her as she poured the tangy orange liquid into two glasses. She handed one to Evelyn and took a sip of her own. 

The timer on the toaster went off and the bread popped out, crispy and golden. It made the kitchen smell wonderful as it was pulled out and deposited onto a plate. Definitely the best sourdough Paige had gotten in a long time. She had to go to that bakery where she had purchased it from now on. 

Evelyn hopped down and followed Paige into the other room, where the pork was already waiting, steaming and looking so so appetizing to Evelyn who hadn’t eaten anything since that stiff croissant from the buffet.

The brunette bounced in her seat as she watched with bated breath as Paige piled the pulled pork onto one of the slices of bread. When she put the top slice on top of the meat and squashed it down with her palm it crackled and popped. A sign that meant it was going to be a fantastic sandwich.

“Go ahead and eat,” Paige chuckled as Evelyn squirmed with anticipation for her to serve herself. “I know you’re super hungry.”

Evelyn shook her head, even though she was extremely tempted to take Paige up on her offer. “I’m gonna wait for you, you made this and it would be impolite to start without you since you went through the trouble.”

The very second that Paige took her first bite Evelyn dug in. In mere moments there was a thin layer of grease around her mouth and the tip of her nose. Evelyn didn’t care and tore heartily into her meal, stopping between bites only to take a gulp of her juice.

Paige went slower, methodically just watching Evelyn enjoy her food as if it were the last thing to eat on Earth. It was a great feeling, knowing someone loved your food. It made Paige feel warm inside.

When Evelyn sat back, thoroughly satisfied and full Paige was still only half way through her sandwich. Evelyn didn’t mind waiting, this was usually the case whenever they ate together. It wasn’t because Paige was a slow eater, but because Evelyn inhaled her food, even if she tried to eat slowly.

Paige pointed at Evelyn who was rubbing her stomach to settle it down. “Let’s take a shower when I finish.” 

“Sounds good to me.” Evelyn gave her a thumbs up and checked a notification which popped up on her phone. “Damn it. My doctor's appointment is tomorrow. I totally forgot.”

Paige swallowed her last bite and wiped her hands on a napkin. “Yeah, it's also earlier than usual so we’ll have to leave by 11.”

“Really?” Evelyn groaned. “Is Mel trying to kill me or something?”

Paige snorted and picked up a couple dishes, Evelyn following suit. “That was the only time she could do it because she’s booked in the afternoons till next week because it's flu shot season.”

Evelyn side eyed her suspiciously. “ Flu shot season. ”

Paige realized she really shouldn’t have told her that information the second after it left her lips. There was a 70 percent chance Evelyn would be getting hers during her appointment the next day because it had been about a year since her last one.

“I thought this time was just a blood check.” Evelyn stated skeptically as they loaded the dirty plates into the dishwasher. “I had no idea that I may get a flu shot as well.”

“Don’t worry about it too much, okay? If you do have to get one I have to get one too.”

“You don’t care about needles though.” Evelyn grumbled and scooped the rest of the pulled pork into a tupperware container. “You don’t understand what it's like.”

“Well, seeing you so scared makes me sad.” Paige said and kissed Evelyn on the cheek, taking the leftovers and organizing them in the fridge. “I hate to see you in pain.”

“Then let's not go. You won’t have to see me get hurt if we don’t show up.” Evelyn pleaded as Paige took her hand so they could go upstairs. “We can just stay home and cuddle all day, that sounds so much better, doesn't it?”

“While I want to say yes, you and I both know that we have to check your iron levels. The flu shot is just a possibility.”

Evelyn stayed quiet until they got to the bathroom and began stripping. The tiles were nice and warm so the pair didn’t have to keep their socks on while they waited for the shower to heat up. 

“Can we get Taco Bell after then?” 

“Of course.” Paige answered and motioned for Evelyn to pick out her pajamas. “We can grab some ice cream too, how about that?”

“Yay!” Evelyn grinned and took out a pair of plain cotton pajama pants and another one of Paige’s college T-shirts (How many Yale adorned things did Paige even have?). “I want Ben and Jerrys.”

“Sounds good to me.” 

Paige grabbed her white silk pajama set and returned to the bathroom which was nice and steamy. She lit a candle and placed it on the mantle, making the whole room smell like freshly cut wood and cinnamon. The combination of the steam and the smell made Paige instantly drowsy. She yawned and tied up her hair, not wanting to have to dry it afterwards.

Evelyn tied her hair up too and linked her arm with Paige’s. They walked into the shower together and stood under the pleasantly hot water. The rain shower was turned off so they leaned forward a bit as the wall fixtures turned on and doused Evelyn from the neck below and for Paige from her collar below.

Paige had gone to Bath and Body works while she was at the mall and had bought them some of the new winter fragrances that had been released earlier that week. Today, they both used one that was labeled Twisted Peppermint. Rightfully so since as soon as a drop of the body wash touched the water it smelled like candy canes.

“So, was Jessica a good babysitter this morning?” Paige asked as they were rinsing off. “I had no idea she was coming over.”

“Surprisingly, she was fine. At first she was a bit awkward but I think she warmed up to it. On another note,” Evelyn hesitated and scrubbed her face to settle her nerves. “I had an accident without feeling it again, but I was totally aware of my surroundings. I was in my usual headspace and it just happened out of the blue.”

“Really? You didn’t feel yourself going?” Paige asked, albeit confused. This certainly was a game changer in their dynamic. It made sense, since Evelyn’s headspace was, for the majority of the time, in the age range of needing protection. But it was odd that it was just starting to happen now instead of earlier.

“No, not at all.” Evelyn blushed to the tip of her ears and moved closer to Paige so they were close together, Evelyn’s chest against Paige’s side. “Should we be worried?”

Paige pulled Evelyn into a hug and put her chin on top of her head. “I don’t think so. As long as it doesn’t start happening when you’re big, it's not a huge issue.” Paige paused and considered something else. “Unless you’re uncomfortable with it, then we can figure out what to do from there.”

“It didn’t happen before.” Evelyn mumbled into the crevasse of Paige’s collarbone and shoulder. “Why is it only starting now?”

Paige turned off the shower and handed Evelyn a fluffy towel as she thought over her answer. “It is a bit odd that it started happening now instead of at the beginning but I think it's because your body is more comfortable about needing that level of intimacy with me. Before, you were worried I would judge you, or be disgusted, but now you fully trust me.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Evelyn responded as she dried herself off and, out of habit, began to slide on a pair of underwear but stopped when she realized what she was doing. She blushed but pulled on her shirt and socks, gripping her pants in one hand as she waited for Paige to finish getting dressed. “I don’t mind it.”

“Don’t mind what, sweetheart?”

“Using the diapers. I’m just scared somethings wrong with me.” Evelyn refused to make eye contact with Paige as they walked to the bed together. Evelyn laid back and grabbed her blanket, bringing it up to her face. 

“Nothings wrong with you, Ev.” Paige assured as she had her raise her hips to situate a nighttime diaper under her bottom. “Your body is just learning to let go. I think it's a sign of total relaxation. I know it's embarrassing,” Paige cut in as she saw Evelyn start to open her mouth. “But if you’re fine with it, and you already know I’m fine with it, then I think it's okay.”

Evelyn nodded as her pants were pulled up and situated. She scrambled back and under the covers as soon as her pant legs were tucked into her socks. 

Paige soon joined her and switched off the lights. 

“I love you.” Paige whispered into Evelyn’s ear and gave her a long, soft kiss goodnight.

“I love you too.”

—--

Evelyn could not fall asleep.

It was about four hours after they had initially laid down and her eyes were still stubbornly open. Paige, on the other hand, was fast asleep. Her breaths were even and drawn out and from Evelyn’s spot on her chest she could hear her heartbeat, which was slow and methodical.

Oh how Evelyn longed to join her. Her own eyelids were heavy and she felt like she could fall asleep. She had that feeling when you can’t think very well, when all your words get jumbled up and weird and your eyes feel weighted and make you blink a lot. 

She had tried keeping her eyes closed but after an hour she gave up and stared blankly in front of her. The nightlight on her side of the bed lit up the wall behind her as well as Paige’s face. It was honestly annoying, not being able to sleep when everything around you is asleep.

The thought of waking up Paige, to see if she could help, passed through her mind. But she thought better of it and untangled herself from the other woman’s grasp to root around in her bedside table for her emergency bottle of melatonin. 

Once her fingers touched the familiar surface of the pill bottle she pulled it out and dutifully shook two into her palm. She chewed silently as she tried to think back to what could’ve caused this bout of insomnia. She hadn’t had any caffeine or sweets before bedtime and she wasn’t overly stressed about anything except the possibility of a flu shot later that day. 

Wait, the flu shot. That had to be it. But, she wasn’t really thinking about the flu shot actively. Her mind was like jelly and it was hard to think about anything too intensely at the moment. Maybe it's just one of those nights . Evelyn thought and turned onto her stomach to see if that would help her doze off.

Even that didn’t seem to help and she felt frustrated tears prick her eyes as she rolled back over onto her back. What was wrong with her? She couldn’t think of any reason that she shouldn’t be asleep right then.

She laid there, tossing and turning until 5 A.M struck. At that point she decided that enough was enough. She was going to wake up Paige and see if she could help in any way. She was sure she could, the blonde had been sleeping for a good 6 or 7 hours by now and would be charged up. Plus, they would probably nap later since Evelyn was only going to get maybe four hours of sleep.

“Paige,” Evelyn whispered and tapped the sleeping woman on the shoulder a few times. It only took a couple seconds for the blonde to sit up and smile at her.

“Good…morning?” Paige stretched but stopped once she saw that it was still pitch black outside. One glance at the clock told her what she needed to know. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? It’s early.”

Evelyn nodded and rubbed her sore eyes roughly. “I can’t sleep. I’ve been awake since we got in bed.” 

“You took some melatonin?” Paige asked, spying the pill bottle laying on its side on Evelyn’s bedside table. 

Paige was well experienced with Evelyn’s sleepless nights. They happened once or twice a month, seemingly with no cause. On these nights it was extremely difficult to get Evelyn to fall asleep. She would try, but as every hour crept closer to sunrise Evelyn would get more and more anxious about not getting enough sleep. This usually just ended up with her not sleeping at all.

“I had two, like, a while ago.”

“And they didn’t help at all?” Paige sat up so she was leaning on the headboard and moved Evelyn’s head into her lap, stroking the brunette’s wild locks, hoping to calm her down.

“No.” Evelyn closed her eyes at the gentle petting. It felt nice, but she was starting to get restless. If she were to stay up until her nap later that day she was sure she wouldn’t feel as tired. It was that time of the night where sleeping only makes you more tired when you wake up a couple hours later than if you don’t sleep at all.

Paige was quiet for a few minutes as she thought about what they could do. They did have to leave the house in about 6 hours for their appointment which meant they only had five or so good hours of sleep left. But, they would probably be home by two, so Evelyn could have a nap and recharge before an inevitable early bedtime. It wouldn’t hurt if she could get her to sleep until then.

“How about we go downstairs and turn on the T.V? You always fall asleep there, no matter what time of the day it is.” Paige suggested. Honestly, it was a pretty decent idea to try out. If Evelyn couldn’t fall asleep in bed, why not move somewhere else?

“Sure.” Evelyn responded easily, sliding out of the covers and onto her feet. She shivered and wrapped her blanket around her shoulders, yawning widely for what must have been the 20th time in the past half hour. 

Paige grabbed their pillows and Jappy, inconspicuously sliding one of Evelyn’s pacifiers in her pocket as she ushered the younger woman out of the room and into the quiet hallway. Every step they took reverberated throughout the tall ceilings a couple of times, bouncing back seemingly eerier than the initial sound.

At the bottom of the stairwell Paige turned to Evelyn and gave her a small smile, taking her hands into her own and rubbing the coldness out of them. “Would you like me to make you a warm bottle? When you’re little you always fall asleep super fast whenever I give you one.”

“I don’t feel little right now, though.” Evelyn mumbled and bit her lip to stop her teeth from chattering. It was even more freezing downstairs. She could even feel it through her socks.

Paige shrugged. “I can get you a glass if you don’t want a bottle. The milk is the thing that really matters.”

Evelyn hesitated, unsure if she really wanted to drop or not. If she dropped, she knew that her tired little self would not be able to cope with the range of emotions that her big self was going through at the present moment. On the other hand, maybe her little self would be able to fall asleep from Paige’s soft coos and touches. That sounded pretty nice. “Okay, I’ll... I'll have the bottle.” 

“Go get settled on the couch then.” Paige instructed and handed Evelyn the pillows. “Be back in three minutes.”

True to her word, Paige prepared a warm bottle with honey in three minutes flat. She was getting good at this, it was possible she could even do it with her eyes closed now.

In the other room she found Evelyn buried in 10 or so different blankets, huddled into the corner of the massive couch. Her eyes were closed, though Paige knew better than to guess that the girl was asleep. When Evelyn was overtired, like now, her levels of cortisol were steadily rising. That paired with the melatonin she had ingested a few hours ago made her extremely sleepy but unable to drop off.

Hopefully, the warm milk would lower the cortisol and make the brunette pass out. Paige had never tried to give the brunette milk when she couldn’t sleep, but now it seemed like a godsend.

Paige sat down beside Evelyn and, with a lot of maneuvering, managed to get her in her lap with all the blankets still on top of her. Evelyn was still shivering a bit but once she was laying on Paige’s warm body those shivers quickly ceased.

Feeling Evelyn’s body relax into hers Paige reached over to grab the T.V remote. Going for one last trick Paige opened YouTube and searched up a Bob Ross painting tutorial in which Evelyn had fallen asleep to the first and second time that Paige had tried to watch it with her.

Paige was so sure that Evelyn would be asleep in no time at all that she had only filled the bottle up halfway. The sweet white liquid sloshed from side to side as Paige got in a more comfortable position. She would have to sleep there too if she wanted Evelyn to get some shuteye. 

“Ready?” 

Evelyn nodded and eyed the bottle’s nipple apprehensively. She still hadn’t dropped down far enough to not be embarrassed by the object, so it felt odd to be drinking from it. Her ears burned red as she took the rubber tip into her mouth and sucked.

Even though Paige could tell Evelyn wasn’t feeling particularly little she didn’t say anything. She was happy to provide care for her girlfriend, no matter how old or young she was. If she needed this extra step to help her sleep, so be it.

Bob Ross was great, at least, Paige thought he was. It was fun to watch him turn a canvas into something amazing in only 20 or so minutes. But it seemed that Evelyn didn’t think so. Every single time Bob Ross was on and Evelyn was around the girl would pass out within a couple minutes.

Sure enough, Evelyn’s eyes began to flutter at the three minute mark and 10 minutes in she was dead to the world. Unfortunately, Paige knew that Evelyn would be up a couple times throughout the morning until they needed to leave for the doctors. The only question remaining being just how many times she'd wake up. Only time would tell.

Chapter Text

Her hunch was right. 

Evelyn woke up seven times between 6 A.M and 10 A.M frustrated out of her mind that she couldn’t sleep more than an hour or two consecutively. And, by the time they had to get off the sofa to get ready to go, the smaller woman was an absolute mess.

“Sweetheart,” Paige whispered to Evelyn who was face down on the couch cushions, bawling her eyes out to the point that she was losing her voice. “We’ve gotta get some breakfast and change before we leave.” 

“I d-don’t wannaaaaa,” Evelyn wailed and flailed around, hitting all the pillows and blankets with her limbs and narrowly missing Paige’s arm which had been rubbing her back.

“I know you don’t.” Paige sighed and stood up to survey the situation. “But we have to. You want to stay healthy, don’t you?”

Evelyn didn’t respond apart from a pretty scornful glare which probably would have been more intimidating if not for the tears and wobbly lower lip.

“C’mere.” Paige urged in a soft voice, crouching down with her arms outstretched and beckoning Evelyn to go over to her.

“Mommy, noooo.” Evelyn sniffled, but got on her hands and knees and crawled over to Paige anyway. Once close enough she pressed her face into Paige’s chest and whimpered her discomfort.

“I know it’s hard,” Paige hummed and lifted Evelyn up by her armpits, prompting the brunette to wrap her legs around her waist before walking any further. “But remember, we’re gonna get some yummy food afterwards.”

Paige hoped that by bringing up the treat Evelyn would cheer up and be a bit more manageable. She could handle her all moody and sad but she preferred not to if she didn’t have to.

“Soda?” 

“Yes baby, you can have soda.” Paige chuckled and took that as a queue to take Evelyn upstairs. With her forearm supporting Evelyn’s bottom Paige could tell that her diaper was dry, a clear sign that Evelyn really hadn’t gotten enough sleep at all.

Poor girl.

As for Paige, she was feeling fine. The hours before Evelyn had woken her up along with the couple she got with her were more than enough to keep her happy and energetic. Plus, she could probably grab a coffee before they had to go.

“Alright, let’s find you something to wear.” Paige said, more to herself than Evelyn who was pretty much fighting to stay awake at that point.

She let the girl rest for a minute as she brushed her teeth and shimmied on some jeans and a sweater. It was definitely a lounging kind of day as she was certain Evelyn would be sleeping for most of it to make up for the night before. That meant comfy-cozy clothes for sure.

Plus, they had to be easy to take on and off. Since Evelyn had a full checkup planned that meant a bunch of poking and prodding with a shirt lift or pants tug down here and there.

With that in mind Paige chose a pair of dark gray sweatpants with a black undershirt and a matching hoodie. She also grabbed one of the now rarely used pull-ups from the dresser. The reason being that Evelyn was tired. And feeling little. The latter probably being weighted more in this situation. 

Both those factors could lead to an accident if they weren’t careful, and Paige was definitely going to feel more at ease with the lessened likelihood of that happening if Evelyn was wearing one.

Paige walked out to find Evelyn trying to strip herself of her pajamas. Her hands were clumsy and she couldn’t even get the t-shirt up and over her head.

“Whatcha doing, Ev?” Paige put the bundle of clothes she was holding on the bed and moved to remove Evelyn’s pants and shirt herself.

“Helping.” Evelyn huffed as Paige slipped her shirt off and replaced it with the black one.

“I see, thank you.” Paige smiled and tugged the hoodie on over it, frizzing Evelyn’s already messy locks even more. “Would you lay down for me?”

Evelyn nodded and jumped backwards onto the covers. Since her blanket was on the other side of the bed she didn’t have anything to occupy her hands with. She settled for sucking her thumb and staring up at the ceiling as Paige tended to her lower half.

She squirmed as she felt the crinkly, thin sides of a pull-up being shimmied up her legs. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she needed to wear one, lest she wanted to risk having an accident, but wearing a diaper to the doctors was way too embarrassing!

Because of this Evelyn whined and reached down to stop Paige from pulling the pull-up the rest of the way up her thighs. Paige looked up at her and raised an eyebrow.

“What’s wrong, honey?”

Evelyn shook her head as a renewed round of tears trailed down her face and onto the sheets under her. “Don’t wanna wear that.”

“That’s not really an option, sweetheart.” Paige sighed. “Unless you can be a big girl, you have to wear it. We don’t want any accidents, do we?”

“I’m a big girl!” Evelyn moaned and squirmed in place, suckling the thumb in her mouth with more fervor and just looking so small and pitiful that Paige didn’t believe her for even a second.

“Babe, unless you can be big you gotta wear some protection. Can you tell me why you don’t want to?”

“Cause ‘s embarrassing.” Evelyn mumbled. “Don’t want Mel to see.”

“I think it would be more embarrassing if you wet your pants and you’re not wearing one.” Paige said truthfully. “And, anyways, I don’t think Mel will care. She’s coming to our house later this week, and I’m sure she’ll find out sometime.”

Evelyn frowned down at the pink pull-up around her knees. While it was true that an accident was possible, that didn’t help the fact that she was going to have to show it to Mel during her appointment.

Noticing Evelyn’s apprehension Paige patted her hips soothingly and waited for her to decide. Afterall, it was Evelyn’s decision. And since she wasn’t in her younger headspace she had some say in the matter.

“Okay.” Evelyn finally whispered after a couple minutes of intense deliberation in which her brow had been furrowed so tight Paige was afraid it would remain that way forever.

“Good choice my love.”

Paige set to work finishing Evelyn’s ensemble while the girl played listlessly with Jappy on her chest. Her eyes were still half lidded as she did so, so it was definitely a possibility that she’d fall asleep on the 20 minute car ride there.

Well, 20 minutes was better than nothing Paige decided as she stood Evelyn up onto her feet and offered her the pacifier which had been in her pajama pocket all night.

Evelyn took the offering and popped it in her mouth, giving it a few hard sucks to rid it of its musty taste before settling into an even rhythm. She clutched Jappy tightly as Paige puttered about collecting her wallet and purse and such.

“Do you want your blankie?” Paige called from the side of the bed, holding up the aforementioned item.

Evelyn nodded and toddled forward to grab it herself. She brought it up to her face and sighed in contentment at the soft fabric. Paige had recently purchased a new laundry detergent and the smell was heavenly. It immediately made Evelyn even more drowsy than before.

Paige watched as the girl‘s eyes drooped and the sucking on her pacifier became more languid. She quickly finished packing a day bag for Evelyn before striding over and taking her hand.

Evelyn startled at the sudden motion but began walking when Paige tugged her hand gently. The last stop was the kitchen, Evelyn figured as she was led to sit at the counter while Paige made sure they had everything they needed for the few hours they’d be out.

Once everything was checked over and Evelyn was pretty much dozing on the countertop it was time to go. The lights were switched off and the security system was turned on marking their departure.

Evelyn followed along to the car where she was helped into the back seat. The buckling process took longer than usual but Evelyn didn’t mind as she drifted off.

Paige grinned as Evelyn’s face finally slackened. She was in the middle of clicking the extra two buckles of the new 5 point seat belt she had purchased a while ago that had finally arrived. It was perfect, Paige decided as she pulled the last buckle up from between Evelyn’s legs and clicked it into place on her chest.

She made sure the blanket was situated and that the girl's pacifier was clipped to her shirt before hopping into the driver's seat and starting the car. She had also made sure to switch on the child’s lock for the door, you never can be too careful.

The soothing sound of Mozart filled the otherwise quiet car as Paige backed out of the driveway. A radio station Paige knew very well by now. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel to the soft rhythm. 

Lucky for the duo the traffic was relatively light on their way over to the doctors office. Which was a tad odd for a Wednesday morning but hey, take what you can get.

Soon, Paige was parked in a parking space to the side of a relatively large building which she had come to think of as her own. Nobody else was ever parked there, and she had used it when she used to work at this hospital, so why not.

She sent off a quick text to let Mel know they’d be in in a couple minutes before opening the back door and peering inside. Evelyn was still sound asleep, her blanket snuggled up to her face.

“Evelyn,” Paige called quietly, making extra certain she wouldn’t startle her. “It’s time to get up.”

Evelyn stirred, but otherwise stayed asleep. It seemed it would be a bit harder to get her up than Paige had initially thought.

Paige gently pulled the blanket away enough to get access to the button that would release Evelyn from her seatbelt. She pressed it and moved all the straps to the sides so she could pick Evelyn up.

Once the girl was moved to her arms she bounced her a few times and hummed a tad more upbeat than she would if she was to stay sleeping. Paige didn’t worry about anybody seeing them, as the side of the building they were parked on was barren, with no low windows for anybody inside to see them either.

The bouncing seemed to do the trick and Evelyn was soon clumsily rubbing her eyes with the back of the fist not currently clutching the blanket. She sucked a couple times on her pacifier before yawning, the soother tumbling out as she did so.

“Good Morning sleepyhead,” Paige grinned as she sat Evelyn back down onto the seat. Crouching down in front of her and holding her hands.

Evelyn looked a tad bit confused as she took in her surroundings. She seemingly did not remember where they were going. And, it was increasingly obvious that she was still firmly little. If the way she was sitting was any indication.

Paige was sure that Evelyn being little wouldn’t be that much of a problem. After all, she was much more willing to take comfort in Paige just being in the same room than big Evelyn did. The only issue was that she would be much less receptive towards all the pokes and prods she’d be given.

The chance the brunette would cry went up tenfold and Paige knew it would hurt her heart to see her that way. 

“Evelyn, do you think you can be big? Or would you rather stay little? Mel’s waiting for us so we have to go in soon.”

The girl thought for a minute, picking at her sleeves before ultimately shaking her head no. She felt comfortable the way she was and big Evelyn was too stressed to be given the lead that day.

“Okay,” Paige kissed the brown eyed girl's forehead. “You don’t have to be big if you don’t want to be.”

Even if Evelyn was going to be little, they couldn’t just walk in with her sucking on a pacifier with a blanket to her face. She quickly unclipped the pacifier from Evelyn’s shirt and shushed the small whine that accompanied it. “You can have it back when we get inside.” She promised, packing it into her bag and slinging the strap over her shoulder.

Evelyn frowned but didn’t carry on any further. She still had her blanket with her, and that was enough for the time being.

Paige waited for Evelyn to stand up before grasping one of her hands. She closed the car door behind them and with that, they were off.

Chapter Text

Paige had to admit, this was one of the better hospitals in Las Vegas. And she wasn’t just saying that because she used to work there. 

More often than not there was almost nobody bustling around in this wing of the large building. The colors were bright, not just the common blues and grays of other medical institutions. The overhead lights weren’t overwhelming and the waiting room was quiet, only two other people sitting on the opposite side of the room.

“Hello Paige,” The receptionist greeted with a wide smile. “Haven’t seen you two in a while.”

“Hey Sandra,” Paige returned as she had Evelyn sit down in a comfy brown chair. “We’ve been busy the past couple months.”

Paige signed a couple forms that Sandra handed her before going back over to Evelyn and taking a seat beside her. The girl had her feet up on the chair with her chin resting on them, tapping her foot nervously as she nosed her blanket.

“It’s not gonna be that bad,” Paige whispered, close enough to the other woman’s ear that she could feel her breath. “I’ll be with you the whole time, and Mel will take it slow.”

Evelyn nodded and bit her lip, her thumb coming to rest on her knee but not moving any closer to her mouth. Paige could tell that she wanted to suck the digit, but was holding back because they were in public.

“Here, I’ll tell you exactly what’s going to happen.” 

Paige knew that patients with anxiety always feared what was coming. It helped a lot when they were made aware of what was going to happen so they could prepare themselves for it. Evelyn was no different. Even if she’d been to the doctors countless times over the years, that never stopped her fearfulness about the whole thing.

“So, we’ll go in there and Mel will take your weight and height. Then she’ll look in your ears and mouth with that tiny light. She’ll check your breathing with the stethoscope and give your tummy a couple pokes. After that’s done she’ll take a couple samples of blood, and maybe give you one shot.”

Evelyn’s lip began to quiver at the last sentence. She didn’t want a shot! Getting her blood drawn was bad enough but a shot to go with it was awful.

“I know you’re scared Ev, but it’s nothing to worry about, I promise.”

Even still, Evelyn curled in closer to herself and brought her blanket over the bottom portion of her face, hiding the fact that she had slipped her thumb into her mouth and was trying to self soothe. There weren’t tears leaking out of her eyes yet, but they were dangerously close.

Paige side eyed the other two patients in the room. One was an old woman with large glasses and a magazine held up to her face and the other a man who was busy typing away on his cellphone. They seemed to be busy enough so Paige eased Evelyn up and onto her lap.

Evelyn startled slightly at the movement but was thankful for the contact. It always felt safer being in Paige’s arms and it felt even better when she felt her pacifier being gently nudged into her mouth underneath the safety of her blanket. She practically purred in appreciation and closed her eyes.

Soon, it was only the two of them left. The old woman had gone in and out and the man was currently in one of the backrooms. That meant that it was nearing the time they’d be called and Paige knew that Evelyn knew that if the way she was clutching to her shirt for dear life was any indication.

When the man exited the room Evelyn buried her face into Paige’s neck, knowing that any second her name was going to be called. She’d have to give up her blanket and soother and she was gonna be touched and measured. It was enough to make a couple tears leak out of her eyes to be absorbed by the shirt beneath her.

Paige began rubbing her back which made Evelyn feel a bit better. She tried to focus on that instead of her impending appointment.

She scrunched her eyes shut when she heard the door connecting the waiting room and office open, most likely the doctor coming to greet them personally instead of having her secretary call them in.

“Hi guys!” Mel greeted as she walked towards them with her perfect, white doctor smile.

Evelyn felt Paige shift to slip the pacifier out of her mouth. Once it was stuffed in her bag she carefully stood up and set Evelyn back down onto the chair.

“Hi Melanie, long time no see.” Paige said as she dusted herself off and went in for a hug. “You haven’t been over for a while, what've you been up to?”

“Well, I have a reason for that, you know.” Mel said and reached in her back pocket, pulling out a cell phone and flashing the Lock Screen picture at Paige. “I got a new puppy and she certainly is a handful! I’ve been meaning to stop by but it was hard to leave her by herself for long unless I was going to work.”

“Wow she’s absolutely adorable. What's her name?” Paige awed at the tiny German Shepard puppy on her friend's screen.

“Her name’s Lucky.” Mel grinned and pocketed the phone. “Some lady was selling her at a gas station and I just couldn’t resist.”

“How’s Stormy like her?” Paige asked, Mel’s other dog, a small pomsky, popping into her mind. She knew the fluffball was sweet and kinda old but she wanted to know if they took well to each other.

“Stormy actually adores her, weirdly enough. Lucky follows her everywhere and she doesn’t seem to mind at all.”

“That’s great,” Paige chuckled. “We’ve always thought about getting a dog or a cat but it feels like it’d be too much work. Maybe a fish would be better.”

“Fish are cool, right Evelyn?“ Mel peeked behind Paige at Evelyn who was nibbling on the edge of her thumb, her blanket pressed to the side of her face. “I remember you saying you had one when you were a kid.”

“I did.” Evelyn mumbled and stood up slowly, keeping the blanket wrapped around her neck and shoulders. “Her name was Goldie.”

Mel hummed and tapped her finger on her clipboard. “That’s a great name. I’m guessing she was a goldfish then?”

“Yeah.”

Paige was grateful that Mel knew that Evelyn’s short answers and clipped tone didn’t mean that she was being rude, but rather that she was nervous. Mel and Evelyn were great friends, and once the appointment was over Paige was sure Evelyn would go back to being her giddy, friendly self around her.

“Well, are you guys ready to head back? I actually don’t have anybody coming in for another hour and a half so we can take it nice and easy today.” 

Paige nodded and looked down at Evelyn to see her input on the matter. “What do you think, sweetheart? You ready?”

Evelyn hesitated but took Paige’s hand in both of hers, squeezing, but not outright refusing to not go in.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Paige told Mel, who then led them through the back door and down the hallway to a scale.

“Okay Evelyn,” Mel turned on the scale with a button and hit a couple more that Evelyn had no idea what they did. “Take off your shoes and then hop on up. Would you mind giving your blanket to Paige, just for one tiny minute?”

Paige held out her hands expectantly, with a soothing smile on her face. “It’s alright Ev, you’ll get it right back when we finish.”

Evelyn begrudgingly handed over her blanket and shucked off her shoes. She hugged her arms around herself as she stood on the scale, glancing at Mel who was watching the numbers go up until they stopped.

A flicker of a frown showed up on the doctor’s face before turning back into a calm grin. She scratched the number onto the clipboard before ushering Evelyn down and to a wall with a measuring device on it.

“Stand straight and keep your heels to the back wall.” Mel instructed and took a ruler to see where Evelyn’s head was. “I’m pretty sure you’re done growing but I’m just gonna make sure.”

After that was done Paige gave Evelyn her blanket back, grabbing the brunette’s shoes off the floor since she didn’t necessarily need them. The floor was carpeted in that purple, smooth stuff so her socked feet wouldn’t be a problem. 

They then all went on to the next room, which was Mel’s personal examining room. It was cozy, with pictures of Mel and her dogs plastered all over the place. An examining table was on the far side, a desk on the right, and a couch for people other than the patients on the left.

Mel shut the door behind them and began rummaging through a cupboard near the desk. “Alright guys take a seat. I told my nurses to have an early lunch break today. Cassandra would usually do the initial examination, but because it's you two I wanted to do it.”

“Well, you usually do it anyway unless it's a busy afternoon.” Paige smirked as she helped Evelyn up onto the exam table, keeping a comforting hand on the brunette’s thigh.

“I guess so.” Mel chuckled, taking an otoscope and a stethoscope out of the cupboard and placing them on her desk. “I couldn’t do it last time, and I haven’t been over in a while so I feel like I had to say that.”

“Well, you're coming over for book club on Saturday, right?”

“Of course, I’m looking forward to it.” Mel smiled and sat down in her spinny chair. “I’ll bring some champagne and orange juice for the mimosas.”

Paige nodded in agreement as Mel spun around and logged onto her computer. She pulled up Evelyn’s file and clicked through a couple things before turning back around again and sighing. “So, Evelyn, we really have to discuss your weight.”

“Do we?” Evelyn laughed uneasily, slipping back into a slightly older headspace to answer the statement which was so suddenly thrown at her. 

“Yes, we do.” Mel answered and scooted to the side so the two other women could see her computer screen. “You see this red line?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, on the top here is your weight from around 2 months ago, 140 pounds. And this,” Mel traced a steady decline after a mostly plateaued line. “Is your weight now. That's about a 17 pound difference. You should weigh 135 at the very minimum .”

“Oh,” Evelyn said quietly. She glanced over at Paige who had sat down on the couch nearby and had a perplexed expression on her face. “I’m sorry?”

“Nothing to be sorry for Ev, I’m just worried about how you lost all that weight to begin with.”

Evelyn opened and closed her mouth, unsure of what to answer to that. It wasn’t like she was trying not to eat. It was just that on her work days it was now a common occurrence for her to have one meal and maybe a snack a day. It wasn’t her fault the new car model that had come out several months ago was taking up all her time.

Fortunately for her, Paige spoke up.

“The past couple of months have been stressful for her, she barely eats at work anymore.”

“Okay, it happens to all of us sometimes.” Mel directed her attention to Paige, as it seemed Evelyn wasn’t feeling all that talkative. “But if she loses any more weight it’ll start being dangerous. Don’t shy away from extra snacks throughout the day, we just need to get some more into her body. She’s already a skinny person because of her metabolism levels, so she needs more calories than most.”

“Alright, I’ll work more on getting her food at the office then.” Paige assured and wrote it down on a piece of paper that seemed to have appeared from nowhere. “Jessica’s going to help us with this, okay Evelyn? I need you to listen to her when she says it's lunch time.”

Evelyn nodded and chewed the tip of her thumb, having a strong urge to suck it, but holding back for the moment.

“Moving on,” Mel wrapped the stethoscope around her neck and got up. She approached Evelyn with the otoscope in hand. “Let's check your ears first honey. Would you turn and look at Paige?”

Evelyn did so and Mel gently put the device into both ears. Then, she showed a tiny light into her eyes and mouth. Evelyn was glad that Mel was so nice and careful. She had had uncomfortable experiences with the pediatricians her parents had set her up with, they were usually all business and didn’t really care about Evelyn’s feelings at all. 

“Alrighty, let’s listen to your heart and lungs next. Would you take off your sweatshirt for me?”

Evelyn did as she was told and slipped off her sweatshirt. This was one of those times she was thankful for her small chest. She didn’t have to change into that ugly hospital gown with the back open and Mel could simply lift up her bra a bit and get access to the spots she needed.

Mel smiled and put the ear pieces of the stethoscope into her ears. “Just a heads up, this is gonna be a little cold.”

Mel rolled up Evelyn’s shirt with warm, soft hands, which almost made up for the freezing cold bottom end of the stethoscope. The metal was placed on Evelyn's front and back, Mel listened and asked Evelyn to occasionally take in a big breath of air.

“Perfectly in order.” Mel concluded. “You haven’t had any problems with your asthma lately, have you?”

Evelyn shook her head no and gave Paige a pleading look, knowing what was coming next and not wanting it to happen. 

Paige stretched out a hand for Evelyn to take. She had a feeling Mel would see, or most likely feel what Evelyn was wearing under her pants when she examined her insides. But they couldn’t really help it.

“That's good,” Mel hummed and put her otoscope back into the cabinet. “You don’t need any more cartridges then.”

Evelyn begrudgingly laid back without even being asked to do so and covered her face with her hands. Her blanket was taken by Paige so as to not be in the way of the examination and Evelyn was feeling pretty vulnerable without anything to comfort her.

“I know you hate this part Evelyn,” Mel said quietly. “I’ll do it as quickly as I can.”

The doctor lightly rolled up Evelyn’s shirt and rubbed a couple of places above her belly button, slowly moving down. It wasn’t super hard, but even still Evelyn whimpered her discomfort, tears pricking her eyes.

Paige’s heart throbbed at the sight and she had to restrain herself from stopping Mel’s prodding. It would only be a minute or so more anyways, and this wasn’t even the hardest part of the visit. That was yet to come.

Paige saw Mel visibly pause when she tugged down Evelyn’s sweats to gain access to her lower abdomen. The blonde was grateful that she didn’t say anything about what she saw and just continued her practiced poking. Evelyn really didn’t need the added stress of Mel questioning her.

“Everything feels normal there.” Mel hummed, putting Evelyn’s pants back into place and returning to her desk to record all the new information.

Evelyn stayed laying down, turning onto her side and reaching out for Paige to give her her blanket. 

Paige stood up and draped the blanket over Evelyn’s frame, giving the brunette a kiss on the forehead as she gathered the gray hoodie into her hands and returned to the couch.

“Would you mind sitting up and sticking one of your arms out for me?”

Evelyn looked up and saw Mel approaching with one of those bands that squeezes your arms. She grumbled but did as she was told and sat up with her left arm extended.

Mel wrapped the annoying contraption around her upper bicep and once again put her stethoscope on. She squeezed the little ball and the device tightened around Evelyn’s arm. 

Evelyn squirmed as it got tighter and tighter. Adult Evelyn knew that it really didn’t hurt that much, but Little Evelyn was practically bawling at the weird pinchy feeling. Since she was between headspaces at the moment, Evelyn couldn’t decide on what she should do. Thankfully, the pressure subsided after only a few moments and the band was removed.

“Alright 120/80, it was 130/80 last time you were here.”

Those numbers meant nothing to Evelyn who ignored the rest of what Mel was saying and instead took a deep sniff of her blanket. She knew that getting her blood drawn was next, and she wanted no part in it.

Fortunately for Paige, Evelyn seemed too out of it after the blood pressure readings to be very present in the next discussion. She wouldn’t have been thrilled to hear what Mel was about to inform them.

“We’re doing the flu shots today, yes?” 

“Yeah, I warned her in advance that they may be needed. As you can infer, she wasn’t very happy to hear the news.”

“I bet,” Mel laughed as she took out a couple vials and a small needle with tubing. “I remember last year's flu shot. What I don’t understand is why a shot is any different from the little poke she gets every month.”

“I think it’s because something is being put into her body as opposed to being taken out.” Paige shrugged. “Plus, the needle is a bit bigger on the shot.”

“Can she even tell the difference?” Mel asked and brought the supplies to where Evelyn was sitting and staring off into space. “They’re so similar in size, nobody would be able to guess they were any different.”

“Except her, I suppose.” Paige laughed and gestured for Evelyn to hop off the table, which she did without any complaint. 

“Are we goin’ now?” Evelyn asked hopefully, looking over at the door and planning her escape.

Mel saw through her and stood so that she was blocking the only route out of the room.

“Not quite yet sweetheart, come over and sit on Mo-,” Paige coughed to cover up her slip up. “ My lap.”

“Noooo,” Evelyn whined as tears sprung to her eyes. 

“It’s not up for debate Ev,” Paige sighed and stood to pick Evelyn up herself. “Remember, if you’re a good girl we’ll get ice cream with our Taco Bell afterwards.”

The promise of the sugary treat made Evelyn cease her struggle long enough for Paige to scoop her up. She sat quietly on Paige’s lap until Mel approached her with the needle.

Paige hugged Evelyn tighter to herself when she felt the girl start to tremble in fear. It really did suck that they had to do this every month. But Paige would take the 2 minutes of the pin prick over something much worse any day.

“You’re such a good girl Evelyn,” Paige whispered so only Evelyn could hear as Mel cleaned the inside of the brunette’s elbow with a towelette. “It’s all going to be okay, you trust Mommy, right?”

Evelyn nodded and turned her head away so she wouldn’t have to watch. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her breathing became labored as the small needle was ever so carefully put into her arm.

Paige was honestly pretty surprised that that was all the struggle she was met with. Last time they had come, Evelyn had carried on like it was the end of the world, and it took herself, Mel, and one of the nurses to hold her down to take her blood.

Maybe it was because she was tired? The deep dark circles under her eyes could attest to that. But maybe it was also because she was little at the moment. Little Evelyn didn’t seem to carry all the trauma that Big Evelyn did. She had a few memories, yes, but she was much more receptive and trustful than adult Evelyn ever was.

The sample was taken in record time that day. Barely the two minutes that it usually took to collect enough.

“Wasn’t too bad, was it Evelyn?” Mel asked as she threw the needle away into the sharps container next to her desk. “Didn't hurt at all did it.”

Evelyn shook her head no and smiled as a Blues Clues bandaid was stuck onto her arm. She poked it and looked up at Paige gleefully.

Paige side eyed Mel as she put that particular bandaid onto Evelyn’s arm. Did the other woman realize something was off about Evelyn that day? Or was it just a band aid that she had on hand? It was probably the former, since this was an adult clinic in the first place. 

Evelyn once again jumped off of the counter and made to put her shoes on but was stopped by Paige’s hand on her shoulder. “Not quite yet baby.”

“Not done?” Evelyn asked, confusion laced her voice as she was sat back down onto Paige’s lap.

“Just one more thing, then we can go.”

“Not done?” Evelyn repeated with a sense of urgency. Since Paige had answered her vaguely the first time she had to ask again.

Paige stroked the girl's hair to calm her down as Mel grabbed a pan and put two still wrapped flu shot packages onto it. She had opted to face Evelyn towards her this time so Evelyn’s face was smushed in her neck and thus she had no idea to what was about to happen.

“It’s all going to be okay,” Paige promised. “The shot is the last thing and then we can go snuggle at home for the rest of the day.”

At the word “shot” Evelyn’s barely contained tears started rolling out of her eyes. She crossed her ankles behind Paige’s back and gripped her sweater for dear life as she heard the plastic of the shots being torn open.

“I’ll do yours first super quick Paige.” Mel said and flicked the small needle to get the air out of it. Soon after she pushed it into Paige’s bicep that was around Evelyn’s waist facing her. She taped a band-aid on it and stood back for Paige’s instruction on what to do next.

“See Evelyn? Not so bad. Mommy just did hers and it didn’t hurt at all!” Paige tried to peel Evelyn away from her chest but that just caused the girl to start sobbing and shaking more than she already was. Clearly, Evelyn was not going to move from her spot.

“Is gonna huuuurt!” Evelyn wailed loudly as Mel uncapped the next needle and waited for Paige’s go ahead.

“Evelyn,” Paige cooed, deciding to go for another tactic. “Jappy would be so sad if you got sick! You don’t want him to be sad, do you?”

Evelyn hiccuped and shook her head. Silently agreeing that yes, she didn’t want Jappy to get sad if she got sick.

“He will be so happy to hear that you won’t get sick! You can tell him all about it when we go home. Now, can you try and stay still for just a second, so Doctor Mel over here can give you the shot?” 

Evelyn didn’t answer in words, but she did loosen her grip on Paige’s shirt enough that the needle could go through the relaxed muscle tissue. It would hurt much more if she was tense, so the key was getting her languid.

Paige also felt her lap grow warm and her heart clenched once again at the thought that the girl was so scared that she wet herself. She traced soothing patterns on Evelyn’s back and signaled for Mel to administer the vaccine.

The shot was over in less than a second, but Evelyn howled at the feeling of the pinch. To her regressed brain it was like an actual gun shot had ripped through her arm. She wailed her displeasure as Mel put another band aid onto her arm.

As soon as the band aid was situated Paige sprang up with Evelyn on her hip. She hummed and bounced the girl in her grip in a hope to get her to calm down. As she bounced, she felt the squishy feeling of the saturated pull-up on her side. They needed to get that fixed up as soon as possible.

“Hey Mel?” She more or less shouted over the sound of Evelyn’s cries. 

“Yeah?” Mel called back, looking at the pair with a confused expression written all over her face.

“Would you mind leaving the room for a bit? I’m going to try and calm her down. Come back in maybe 5 minutes?”

Mel gave her a thumbs up in response and left. Probably more than happy to escape Evelyn’s piercing cries. She made sure to close the door behind her to give them complete privacy.

“Okay sweet girl, let’s get you changed. That’ll make you feel better.”

Paige locked the door just to be totally safe. She knew Mel wouldn’t come in without knocking, but it never hurt to be too careful.

But, when Paige went to set Evelyn down the girl clung to the back of her shirt and refused to let go. Her wailing turned to panicked sobbing, her face was a mess of snot and tears and Paige grabbed a tissue to clean her up.

“What's wrong Evy?” Paige crooned sympathetically, holding another tissue to Evelyn’s nose, prompting her to blow into it, which she did.

Evelyn opted not to respond and took a deep shuddering breath once her nose wasn’t blocked up anymore. She didn’t exactly understand what she was feeling. Overwhelmed? Partly. Hurt? Sorta. Sad? Not really. It was hard to think about, making putting them into words seemingly impossible. So, Evelyn cried. It was all she could do.

Paige once again tried to pry Evelyn off her chest but she wouldn’t budge in the slightest. They really did have to get Evelyn changed. Unlike diapers, pull-ups didn’t keep the moisture away from skin, meaning that a rash would form much more quickly.

“Baby,” Paige sighed and sat down on the examining table. “Mommy really needs to get you clean and dry. You don’t want to get an itchy yucky rash, do you?”

Evelyn shook her head but stayed put. She couldn’t explain it but getting off of Paige’s lap felt like the end of the world for her. She craved the contact between them and she didn’t know why. 

“Remember, we’re gonna get some Taco Bell after this, and after that we’ll go home and cuddle for the rest of the day. I’ll hold you as much as you want later, but right now we have to finish up here.”

Paige watched Evelyn process what she had said and smiled when the brunette shakily held up her pinky finger.

“Promise you’ll hold me a lot?” Evelyn asked softly, sniffling as Paige interlocked their pinkies together.

“I promise.”

Chapter Text

“San’a?”

Paige peeked through the rearview mirror at the quietly slurred question. It was the day before Christmas and the traffic on the I-15 was absolutely insane. They were lucky that they only had to go a couple miles to the nearest Little friendly mall. If it had been farther it would’ve taken the whole day to get there.

“Yes sweetheart, we’re going to go see Santa.” Paige reminded for probably the fifth time in the last week. 

Even though Vegas didn’t have any snow the atmosphere was still festive. Houses were decorated with mountains of lights and inflatables, and the streets were littered with wreaths and plastic candy canes.

In their own house they had a ginormous Christmas tree which nearly touched the ceiling in the grand living room.

Paige loved Christmas, it had to be her all time favorite holiday and when she found out that Evelyn had never been taken to see Santa, even when she was a kid, she had immediately hopped online to make a reservation for a photo.

As Paige pulled into the mall parking lot she reached back to rub Evelyn’s knee. “Are you excited, Evy?”

“Mhm,” The little girl hummed from behind the shield of her pacifier, though Paige could see her tightly gripping her blanket in both hands, clearly nervous.

Since Evelyn didn’t really like being out in public when she was regressed they rarely did it. The last time had been around three years ago when she had wanted to see a new movie in the theater. It had taken a lot of convincing on Paige’s part to get her to go, but she had managed, and the older woman was sure she could do it again.

It took longer than Paige thought it would to find a decent parking space. It seemed that a bunch of people were out last minute shopping for their loved ones, if the frantic faces of moms and dads with shopping carts stacked high said anything.

Paige stepped out of the car and opened the back door, unsure if she should take out the stroller or not. She ultimately decided not to as Evelyn was substantially anxious. Her body trembled beneath her blanket, her fingers quivering.

The blonde reached in to unbuckle Evelyn’s car seat but was stopped halfway through when the shaking girl’s fingers wrapped around her forearm. Paige sighed sympathetically and leaned forward to kiss her knuckles. “It’s alright honey, you’re going to be just fine.”

Evelyn was a timid Little, always wanting to be by her Mommy’s side wherever she went. New things scared her, and they both tried to avoid unnecessary stressors whenever possible. 

Big Evelyn had been very hesitant when Paige first brought up the idea. She didn’t know if she was ready to be so publicly little in an area where many people could possibly recognize her. 

Deep down she knew she was being silly. Almost a twentieth of the population were classified as Littles and nobody would even give her a second glance. She wasn’t even wearing clothes that screamed that she was a baby. Both her and Paige were dressed in matching Christmas sweaters, and while Paige had on jeans, she had a pair of loose fitting black joggers which concealed her diaper.

Soon enough Evelyn heard the last click of her seatbelt come undone and she let out a small whimper, unable to hide her rapidly bubbling emotions.

Her girlfriend noticed near instantly (she always did) and quickly crouched down beside her, stroking her thigh comfortingly. “If you really don’t want to go, we can turn right back around and go home, baby.” Evelyn let out another distressed whine and sucked harder on the pacifier between her lips. “What do you want to do?”

“Wanna see ‘im.” Came Evelyn’s garbled reply, she squeezed her eyes shut. “Scared.”

“You’re scared?” 

Evelyn groaned and tried to string the words together in her head. While her headspace was normally quite young, that day she was feeling even smaller because of her nerves. It was hard to speak when her brain was fuzzy and crackly. The words only came in bits and pieces, which made it extremely difficult to form something remotely coherent.

“I’m good?” She managed to squeak out, squeezing the fabric between her fingers and cringing when she realized Paige would have to decipher what those two words even meant. In all honesty, she didn’t even know what she meant.

She didn’t even need to worry about that since Paige realized what she meant near instantly. “You’re good Evelyn, so so so good. Were you worried Santa would think you’re naughty?”

“Mhm,” Evelyn teared up and sniffled lightly. What if she did something during the year that had been bad? Her mother always said she was bad, so Evelyn didn’t know if that was true. “San’a won’t l- like me. ‘m bad .”

Paige furrowed her eyebrows and wiped Evelyn’s tears on the sleeve of her sweater. “What do you mean you’re bad, Evelyn? Did someone tell you that?” Of course, Paige had a gut feeling she knew where this sentiment was coming from but she just wanted to be one hundred percent certain she was right.

“Mama.” Evelyn whispered. “Never saw Santa cause Mama said ‘m bad.”

Bingo.

“Honey, you’re not bad.” Paige really wanted to say that Lauren was bad, downright cruel if she were being totally honest. But in that moment, that’s not what Evelyn needed most. What she really needed was assurance that she shouldn’t feel guilty for the damage that came from her mother’s hands.

Evelyn mewled and Paige realized she had spent too much time lost in her thoughts. She leant down and rubbed their noses together. “You are the best girl in the world, so kind and sweet and gentle. Santa will absolutely see that when it’s your turn to talk to him.”

“Really?” Evelyn hiccuped and reached out her arms to be picked up, giggling when Paige swept her up to straddle her hip.

“Yes,” Paige kissed both of Evelyn’s cheeks. “Think you’re ready now?”

Evelyn nodded and swiped at her eyes to rid them of the last of her tears. Paige locked the car behind them and they began their journey to the center of the mall.

——

“Is this the line for photo reservations?” Paige all but shouted over the Christmas music and cacophony of voices reverberating off the mall’s slanted ceilings. There were what felt like hundreds of people all squished into the small alcove surrounding Santa. 

“Yes! Seems that it’ll only be a five minute wait for you two.” The woman, who was dressed like a cheery elf, grinned. “Do you think she’d like a candy cane?”

“What do you think, Ev? Want some candy?” She bounced the girl in her arms, trying to get her to dislodge her face from between the crevasse of her shoulder and neck. 

It certainly was a surprise when Evelyn carefully turned her attention to the nice woman offering her the treat. She slowly reached out and grasped the candy cane, then brought it close to her face and inspected it.

“Oh my god she is just the cutest thing ever.” The woman cooed, clasping her hands together. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Little this adorable.”

“Now what do we say, sweetness?” Paige urged, not sure if Evelyn would be up to talking. 

The girl hesitated before whispering a small “Thank you,” though her ‘th’ sounded more like an ‘f’. 

“You’re welcome!” The elf looked over her shoulder to see one of her colleagues gesturing her over. “Are you guys ready to see Santa?”

“We’re ready, right Evy?” Evelyn nodded so Paige ascended the short staircase to where Santa was sitting in all his glory. His chair was a gorgeous gold with a red satin cushion. There was even a real reindeer a couple feet away! It truly was magical, especially since the man dressed as old Saint Nick was picture perfect.

The jolly old man looked over the rim of his glasses, his red cheeks dimpling when he smiled. “Ho ho ho! Is that a Little girl I see hiding in her Mommy’s arms?”

The woman in the elf costume suddenly reappeared by her side. “Do you think she’ll be okay sitting with him by herself or would you like to accompany her?”

Having heard a Little or two screaming and crying from the years before Paige didn’t want to take that chance. She was sure Evelyn wouldn’t go into a full on breakdown, but even a few sad tears would ruin the moment.

“I’ll stay with her, she’s pretty young so I think it’d be best.” Paige decided, grateful that the woman understood near immediately.

“Do you mind me asking how old she is so I can tell Santa?”

“She’s around eighteen months.” 

“Alrighty!” The elf skipped off to whisper the news into Santa’s ear. A minute later the man beckoned them over with a mittened hand.

Paige took a seat on the chair next to the white bearded man, shifting so her arms were around Evelyn’s waist with the girl sitting sideways on her lap

“San’a,” Evelyn awed from her spot on her Mommy’s lap, reaching out to gently touch the white ball at the end of his hat. Her soother fell out of her mouth but stayed anchored by a pacifier clip. She didn’t even seem to notice that it happened.

“Hello there~,” Santa waved. His voice was deep and inviting, seemingly coming from the pit of his round stomach. “And what might your name be, little one?”

“Evelyn.” She responded breathlessly, unable to comprehend that she was really sitting next to Santa. All her life she’d been denied the magic of Santa Claus, her mother insisting it childish to believe in such a thing. Even when she had turned sixteen and had been classified as a Little her mother hadn’t changed her mind.

But now, she was really meeting him. It felt like a piece of herself that she had once thought missing was completed.

“What a beautiful name.” Santa chuckled, causing his beard to sway. “I remember seeing an Evelyn on my nice list this year, have you been a good girl, Evelyn?”

The brunette glanced at her Mommy who rubbed her back encouragingly. She took a deep, grounding breath and nodded.

“That’s wonderful! Now Evelyn,” Santa said quieter, almost as if he were going to tell a secret. “What would you like for Christmas?”

Wait, what did she want for Christmas?

She never really thought about that before. 

When you have everything at your fingertips, what more could you possibly want or need? 

There was one thing that she was eternally grateful for that she never wanted to lose. Something no amount of money could buy.

“Mommy,” Evelyn murmured and looked through her long eyelashes at Santa hopefully. “Love Mommy.”

“That’s a lovely thing to ask for, Evelyn.” Santa patted the little girl’s head. “I’m sure that you and your Mommy will live an amazing life together.”

Through this exchange Paige was holding back tears of joy. It was just such a wholesome moment and her love for her partner was just bursting out of her chest. Her heart was full, Evelyn was truly her reason for living.

——

Later that night, after the sun had set and the stars came out, Paige was working on getting Evelyn ready for an early bedtime. Santa was coming that night and the little one needed to get her rest for the fun morning they were going to have.

Evelyn had already had her bath and was laying ontop of a changing mat in the middle of their bed. Paige was busy massaging her stiff muscles with lotion to relax her and keep the nightmares away.

“What did you think about Santa, sweetheart?” Paige asked as she rubbed the last bit into Evelyn’s hands, the sleepy girl barely able to keep her eyes open.

“Liked ‘im.” She yawned, smacking her lips. “Go back next year?”

“Of course,” Paige smiled and unfolded a thick nighttime diaper, tapping Evelyn’s hip to slide it beneath her. “I’ll take you for as many years as you want.”

Evelyn sighed as she set her bottom back down. The front of her diaper was pulled up between her thighs then taped snugly, the front was patted before a soft pair of cotton pajamas and socks were shimmied up her lanky legs. A matching pajama top with reindeer and snowmen was popped over her head and soon enough she was gathered in the arms of her favorite person in the world.

“Merry Christmas my love, I love you to the ends of the Earth. I’m so thankful to be your Mommy.”

Evelyn innocently pecked Paige’s lips then buried herself into her embrace. “Love you Mommy. Always.”

Chapter Text

Getting Evelyn changed went easy enough once she calmed down. Soon after the smaller woman was dozing on the cushioned examining table. Paige let her, finding it better to let her rest as much as she could when she was able to.

As she was draping Evelyn’s blanket over her sleeping form a knock echoed through the room. Paige strode over and opened the door, seeing Mel grinning widely with different colored lollipops strewn between her fingers like Wolverine. 

“Heya!” Mel laughed and walked back into her office. “I brought candy but it seems the intended recipient is in dreamland.”

“Yeah, she slept less than three hours last night so she’s pretty tired.”

“I see.” Mel hummed and plopped down into her spinny chair, taking a pen from on top of her desk and twiddling it between her fingers. “Does this happen a lot? I could give you a prescription.”

“Not often enough to need that. I know that when she was living with her parents she was on lorazepam.”

“Really? Was she dependent on it?”

Paige shrugged. “I don’t believe so. She was taken off it when she turned 18.”

“Do you know how long she was on it for? As you know, if it’s used for more than a month it could have negative side effects.”

“I’m pretty sure it was on and off. Her nannies would give it to her when she was deemed ‘overwrought’.” 

“Wow. That’s not a great way to deal with an anxious kid.”

Paige nodded and reached over to run a hand through Evelyn’s hair. “She was given a ton of medication to keep her calm and obedient from what I’ve gathered.”

“Jesus.” Mel muttered. “That’s insane.”

They stayed in silence for a couple seconds before Paige cleared her throat and shuffled a few things in her bag. “Moving past that, what should I make for our book club meeting?”

“Oh my God you’re cooking, I totally forgot.” Mel’s mouth watered at the very thought of anything being made by the blonde woman across from her. “I would love it if you'd make some bacon. You one hundred percent make the best in all of Nevada. I don’t get how you make it so crispy and sweet.”

“I can definitely do that.” Paige clapped in finality. “I’ll make some fresh whipped cream too. I think Kelly’s bringing scones.”

“Awesome, what time should I be by?” 

“12:30ish sound okay?”

“Perfect, lemme just put that into my calendar.”

While Mel was occupied with her phone Paige inconspicuously covered the bottom half of Evelyn’s face. The girl's thumb had snuck into her mouth and while Paige would usually switch it for a pacifier she couldn’t at the moment.

“Is there anything else concerning Evelyn that you’re worried about?” 

Paige looked away from Evelyn’s peaceful face at Mel’s voice. She thought about it and could only come up with one thing that she wasn’t entirely sure about.

“She’s been having problems with her nocturnal enuresis again. It flared up about 2 months ago and I think it’s because of stress but I’m not totally sure.”

Paige saw Mel glance at Evelyn. “Well, how often does it happen?”

“Most of the time. It’s rare that it doesn’t anymore.”

“And you said ‘again’. Was it an issue before?”

“She said she wet the bed nightly until she was around 19. So it’s been around 10 years since it’s been this severe.” Paige was glad Evelyn was asleep for this part of the appointment. Otherwise, she’d probably die of embarrassment.

“Do you know if her parents got her checked out?”

Paige watched Mel write all the information down on a slip of paper. “I’m going to guess that they did. I do know that they tried everything possible to get it to stop. So there’s definitely no underlying disease or cancer.”

“Any daytime accidents?” Mel asked, scratching her forehead with her pen in genuine concern.

“None.” 

Paige definitely would have brought up the couple accidents Evelyn had had while awake but since one happened from holding it for a prolonged time and the others when she was firmly little it wasn’t a huge concern. If Evelyn was big, and didn’t notice that she had to go, that would be totally different.

Mel sat back in her chair and regarded her notes. “I believe she’s totally fine. If this was a problem in her late teens then it’s basically the same thing now. As long as it sticks to nighttime and it doesn’t hurt her at all you’re good to go. If you want to eliminate the problem just come back and we’ll figure something out.”

“Alright, that’s what I thought but I just wanted to have a second opinion.” Paige winked and stood up. “This was great, but I have to get this one back home and into bed.”

“Yeah! It was great to see you too. I’m looking forward to Saturday.” Mel got up and brushed off her pants. “Here, I’ll walk you guys out. Are you gonna wake her up?”

“No, she needs all the sleep she can get.” Paige answered and wrapped Evelyn in her blanket before lifting her up onto her hip. Evelyn’s head lolled on her shoulder as Paige grabbed her purse and followed Mel back out to the waiting room.

After a short goodbye Paige exited the building and walked to the car. Evelyn didn’t stir throughout the whole process of getting buckled in which surprised Paige since her phone started ringing halfway through.

“Hello?” Paige whispered, sliding into the driver's seat and turning the keys in the ignition. She jumped when Carmen’s voice boomed through the car's speakers.

“Hey Paige just wondering how Evelyn’s doing. I called her like 5 times but she didn’t pick up.”

Paige scrambled to turn down the volume and once she did she peeked to the back of the car, afraid that that had woken Evelyn up. It hadn’t.

“Pretty sure we forgot her phone at home. Sorry about that.” Paige said as quietly as she could over the sound of the engine. 

“Makes sense. I just wanted to make sure she was okay. Is she with you right now?”

“She’s sleeping in the backseat, actually.” Paige smiled and stole a glance at Evelyn through the rear view mirror. “We just left Mel’s office and now we’re gonna grab some food.”

“Good to hear. I’ll see you Saturday then?”

“Yep, see you Saturday, goodbye.”

“Bye.” 

The receiver clicked just as Paige pulled into the Taco Bell drive thru. Luckily for her Paige knew exactly what Evelyn wanted for her entree and dessert. Meaning that she didn’t even have to wake the girl up to get their food.

The car smelled like extremely greasy Mexican food on the way back home but Paige didn’t mind. She could just imagine how happy Evelyn would be with the meal so she bore with it.

When they got home Paige first took all the food and drinks inside. That way she could also bring Evelyn back inside without josteling her too much. 

She hefted Evelyn up with no issue and carried her over to the sofa, spreading a couple thick, soft blankets over her before plopping down herself.

The food could last for a little while longer so Paige chose to let Evelyn sleep. It was better to have her nap earlier rather than later so that she’d be able to go to bed at a reasonable time.

As Paige waited she wrote out a short shopping list for her get together on Saturday. A grand total of 5 people were slated to come over that afternoon and she had to make sure everything was perfect.

The women who would be attending were Jessica, Carmen, and Mel, along with Kelly and Lindsay. More often than not they would talk about other things instead of the book they were supposed to have read. That would probably hold true as they hadn’t had a proper meeting in more than a month.

Uncharacteristically, Evelyn had work in the morning from 6:30 to 11. The reason being that the office was getting a very thorough inspection and the company doing so had requested that everybody be out by midday. Evelyn had been furious about the timing but in the end, couldn’t do a thing about it.

The club meeting was scheduled to start around 12:30 which gave her just enough time to put Evelyn down for a long nap and get everything prepared. She had already decided to make bacon and sausage for her friends, all of them would also bring pastries and drinks so there would be plenty to go around. 

Paige was almost finished with the book they had agreed upon for that month, The Midnight Library , and only had a handful of pages left to go. Now was as good a time as any other so she made the trek to their room and grabbed it from its spot perched on her nightstand. She knew they probably wouldn’t discuss it, but she didn’t want to be caught off guard if they did.

So, after brewing herself a cup of black tea with just a spot of sugar, she plopped down onto the sofa and cracked open her novel. It was interesting, but far from her favorite book in the world. Maybe just a little too dramatic for her liking. 

Two hours easily passed as Paige got more and more invested in the story.

She was just about finished skimming the author’s notes when her phone dinged. She blinked in surprise when she realized it was already 4:30. Their food had one hundred percent gone cold and soggy by that point, and very possibly inedible.

The sky was a blazing red as the sun dipped steadily toward the horizon, signaling that it would be dark in only a matter of minutes. Paige got up and stretched out her relaxed muscles, cracking her knuckles and back before settling down behind a still-slumbering Evelyn.

The older woman nuzzled into the brunette’s silky smooth hair, lingering there as she wormed her arms underneath Evelyn’s armpits and pulled her up to lay on her chest. The smaller girl whined briefly at the movement but just as quickly settled, sinking down between her breasts.

Paige chuckled deeply and stroked Evelyn’s back. “It’s almost dinner time dearest, you’ve been sleeping all afternoon.”

Evelyn shook her head and buried herself deeper.

Paige quirked an eyebrow. “You don’t want to eat?”

Evelyn mumbled something but it was barely a vibration.

“You haven’t had anything since last night, Ev. Are you sure there isn’t something I could get for you?”

It wasn’t very often that Evelyn wouldn’t want to eat anything. With the way her body burned calories she could always stomach a snack. For her to outright say she didn’t want to eat was odd.

“Is your tummy hurting sweetheart?” That was the only thing she could think of that would by chance be a problem.

Evelyn nodded.

“Is it possibly because you’re very hungry?”

The girl in her arms shrugged and popped her head out of hiding. “Don’t know why.”

“Okay then,” Paige hummed and stood up, setting Evelyn down on her feet and taking her hand. “Let’s try something light and go from there. I don’t think our Taco Bell could’ve survived this long anyways.” 

Evelyn giggled and swung their linked arms up and down as she followed Paige to the kitchen. Her belly gurgled and she clutched it, unsure if it was upset about not having food or another reason. Probably the former, since she hadn’t eaten anything in such a long time, there was nothing that could’ve upset it.

Rummaging through the pantry Paige pulled out a few items. “How about some fruit and a bottle?” The bottle in question was definitely going to be formula that night, as it had all the necessary vitamins and fats that most normal meals had.

“‘Kay.” Evelyn agreed, mouth opening into a wide yawn before she plopped down onto the floor and hugged her knees to her chest. “Pears?”

“Of course.”

It only took a few minutes for Paige to slice up a pear and get the milk simmering. It was pretty late in the afternoon already so this was going to be an early dinner followed by a movie and then bedtime.

“What movie-” Evelyn yawned again and scrubbed at her stubborn eyes which kept trying to close. “...are we gonna watch?”

“Something short, I think.” Paige pondered and tucked the bottle under one of her arms. “How about a princess movie?”

“The one with the frog in it?”

“Sure baby, the one with the frog in it.”

Paige once again took up Evelyn’s hand in her hand which was not currently occupied with the bowl of pears. As their fingers intertwined she noticed that the shorter woman’s hand was warm and clammy. Was she getting sick? Since the temperature was getting cooler outside it was possible she’d caught a cold.

Paige put the fruit and bottle on the coffee table and pulled Evelyn closer to her, trying to gauge if the rest of her body was hot or not. “Are you okay, Ev?”

“Yeah, fine.” Evelyn sighed contently and wrapped both her arms around Paige’s middle, soaking in the softness of her lover’s gentle embrace. “Why’re you asking?”

Paige pressed their foreheads together and grimaced at the difference in body heat. “Does my skin feel cool to you?”

Her answer came in the form of Evelyn shirking away and shivering dramatically. “Freezing! Are you sure you’re not the one feeling bad?”

They stared at each other silently as Paige thought of her next course of action. There was a chance that it was just a circulation issue. Evelyn being anemic meant that sometimes she would just sweat or be cold for no apparent reason. But there was also a chance that she was coming down with something and the quicker they handled the issue the better.

However, there was just a slight problem.

Namely, Evelyn despised being sick or even the notion that she could be sick.

Nobody enjoys being sick, it's not a nice feeling for anyone. But it's always better when you have someone to take care of you. Evelyn never had that growing up. Being sick was a sign of weakness in the Woodford household. Being sick was a burden that she was taught no one else wanted to deal with. Least of all the people closest to her.

When she was sick her mother was mad and when her mother was mad Evelyn was scared. No pity was taken on her when she caught a cold. 

She remembered vividly the winter of her Sophomore year in college. They had gone on a particularly taxing hike that morning in -10-degree weather and she had been exhausted.

As soon as it was apparent that Evelyn was falling ill her mother had ordered her to stay in her room. She was only allowed to leave to use the restroom or accept the food that was to be brought up to her. 

In short, she had been left in her bedroom for a week with barely any interaction with the outside. Even when she was drenched in sweat and unable to move or even breathe she wasn’t allowed to be helped.

That and many other instances had solidified her resolve to never show that she was sick. Not even with her sister or her girlfriend.

Paige would most likely have to wait until her sickness got severe enough that the brunette would have to come to her for help. As awful as that sounded, that was the only way she would willingly ask for assistance. The only question being, how long would that take?

Chapter Text

Paige had been observing Evelyn for the past two days. The night she had noticed that Evelyn possibly had a low fever was rendered uneventful. They had simply watched Princess and the Frog and subsequently went to bed at 7:30 in the evening. Nothing else to note.

But, the next day, the brunette had been extremely sluggish. As an example, she had put her t-shirt on backwards and, after she managed to put it on correctly, she had had to take a puff out of her inhaler because of how short of breath she’d been.

The next day she didn’t fare any better. The sniffles had come roaring in and the poor girl couldn’t even go 15 minutes before needing to drink something to soothe her aching throat. Along with that, she was constantly sweating. Her face had taken on a pale undertone underneath the raging red of exertion.

All in all, she looked awful.

And, of course, she wanted nothing to do with being little. She refused any help from Paige, even going as far as sequestering herself up in her home office for hours on end. 

She so obviously needed rest, but she wouldn’t let herself take the time to realize she did. It was painful to watch. But interfering would make Evelyn even more elusive than she was currently acting.

She learned that the hard way on the third day.

“I am NOT staying home today Paige!” Evelyn fumed, almost shaking with the effort of raising her voice. “I have an important potential investor flying in from Dubai. She's not just gonna turn around without seeing me!”

Even though Evelyn was practically yelling, Paige could see that she so desperately wanted to curl up and cry. The back of her shirt was almost soaked through with sweat and it was only 6 in the morning. There was no way she was going to make it through the whole day. 

“Can you Zoom with her? I really think you should go back to bed, honey.”

“No, I can't Zoom with her. She’s arriving in an hour and she’s notorious for not making appointments with anybody. I’m going and that's final.”

Paige sighed and smiled plaintively. “Alright, I won’t stop you.”

Evelyn nodded and stuffed her phone in her pocket. “I’ll be back by 11:30 at the latest.” She made to leave but glanced over at Paige at the last second. “Love you.”

“Love you too. See you in a bit.”

As soon as Evelyn stepped out and closed the door she took a breath and almost coughed her lungs right out of her body. She fumbled in her bag for her inhaler, her fingers were clumsy and it took her a few tries to even bring the thing up to her face.

After a couple puffs she wiped her mouth on her jacket sleeve. Her body felt like it was on fire but she couldn’t go to her office drenched in sweat. The jacket at least covered the worst of it. She had even been stupid enough to wear wedges so her feet wouldn’t flood a pair of closed toe shoes. But it was freezing outside and now she felt all out of sorts.

Why’d her body have to feel awful that week of all weeks? It just wasn’t fair. She wished she could leap into Paige’s arms and have her make everything better but she couldn’t. Her job was important at that moment and she had to pull through.

It was only a few hours, she could make it. At least, she hoped she could.

—

“My God you look horrendous!”

“Oh, thank you so much for telling me that, I had no idea.” Evelyn snapped at Jessica as they took the elevator up to her office. “Mind your own fucking business.”

“Jesus, Ev, how did Paige even let you out of the house.” Jessica snorted good naturedly and patted Evelyn’s back, though she pulled her hand back with a look of shock written all over her face. 

“What?” Evelyn grumbled and tried to see what Jessica had touched. “Do I have lint on my coat or something?”

“ Evelyn,” Jessica hissed and looked her up and down. “Your sweat soaked through your jacket.”

“Did it actually.” Evelyn deadpanned and reached behind her to feel for herself. “Oh, it seems it has.”

The doors to the elevator slid open and Jessica hurriedly pushed Evelyn into her office, earning them a confused stare from Avery, and shut the door behind them.

“I think we should call Paige.” She whipped out her phone. “You’re literally going to pass out or die or something.”

“No!” Evelyn yelped and snatched Jessica’s phone out of her hand. “I’ll be fine, really. She’s been looking forward to that book club meeting for weeks and I don’t want to be the reason she has to cancel it.”

“I personally wouldn’t mind if she canceled it to look after you.” Jessica held up her hands in surrender. “But, if you truly feel that way I’ll back off. Just know that if you so much as fall, I’m calling her straight away.”

“Thank you.” Evelyn let out a long breath of relief and almost immediately broke out into a coughing fit. She held a finger up when Jessica lunged to help her, hacking once more before smiling lopsidedly. “See? I’m all good.”

“You’re definitely not ‘all good.’”

Evelyn ignored her last comment and poked her head out the door. “Avery, will you let me know when Mrs. Bashar arrives on the premises?”

“Of course, Ms. Woodford. It’s supposed to rain, should I have an escort stand by to accompany her?”

“That shouldn’t be necessary. I’m sure she’s bringing an army of her own.”

—-

“...and that is the sole reason our companies should be partners. With your superior satellite technology, and our state of the art GPS systems, these cars will basically be selling themselves.”

“But what do we get out of this deal? An American sized screen to put in luxury automobiles? It hardly seems necessary.” A tall, well-dressed woman known as Sara Bashar stood and sneered over at Evelyn. “If I wanted a TV I would’ve stayed in Dubai. Call me again when you have something worthy of my time.”

Evelyn stood as well and glared pointedly at the olive skinned woman across the room. “Your cars lack the capabilities to process such an intricate network of offline and online data! The connection won’t work unless it has something that can keep up with it.”

“You think we can’t adjust to technology that WE created. I came here because you told me that your ideas were one of a kind. It seems I was wrong. Now, if you would excuse me.”

Sara shrugged on a white puffer jacket and zipped it up. “I will offer you 90 million for the blueprints of your team’s design. Nothing more.” And with that, she left. Her long, silky black hair disappeared around the door frame before Evelyn could utter a single word. 

She was shaken back to reality when she heard the distinct sound of the elevator doors closing. 

“Wait!” She yelled and took off running towards the elevator. But she was too late; it had already started its descent. It was now or never. She had a chance to gain a larger investment if she could catch up to her. Commitment was one thing she knew Sara Bashar couldn’t resist.

“Okay, you can do this Evelyn.” She muttered before bracing herself and breaking into a full sprint towards the service elevator on the floor beneath her. She could make it. 

“Come on, come on!” She barked hoarsely as she continuously hit the lobby button until the doors closed. Thankfully, the large main elevator was much slower than the tiny elevator she was in. There was no way she wouldn't be able to meet her at the front.

As soon as the doors opened at the ground floor she took off like a bullet. She could just make out Bashar’s bodyguards exiting the building. But she could also see a car waiting in the front loop with men holding the doors open expectantly.

Her lungs and body ached as she sped around security and vaulted a small gate. She was running on pure adrenaline at that point. She could hear her heart in her ears as she burst out the doors and into… THE POURING RAIN?

“Are you kidding me!” Evelyn bristled and undid the clasps on her shoes. There was absolutely no way she would make it to the car if she wore those slippery death traps. So barefoot it would be.

She saw the Arab woman look back and grin amusedly as she ran towards her. “Oh, you really did follow me.”

“500 million…” Evelyn huffed and bent over with her hands on her knees, looking up into the dark brown eyes of one of the wealthiest people in the world. “I’ll sell you my tech for 500 million dollars.”

“How interesting.” Sara tilted Evelyn’s dripping chin up to keep full eye contact with her. “Never have I seen such a brilliant display of desperation. You didn’t even stop to bring an umbrella with you.”

Evelyn cringed at the tone of superiority being directed at her but she kept her voice even as she spoke. “You know, it would be nice if one of your security details would hold one above me as they did for you.”

Sara chuckled and dropped Evelyn’s chin, wringing her hand out to get rid of the droplets of rain water. “I like your attitude. It's so, how do you say it… audacious?” She snapped her fingers and another man stepped forward with a checkbook.

Evelyn remained quiet. 

“Evelyn Woodford, was it?” Sara tapped her lips with a gold plated pen. “I will certainly remember you. Half of a billion dollars isn’t something to laugh about.” 

Evelyn was grateful that she at least had the courtesy to put the check into three envelopes before extending it out to her.

“I look forward to doing business with you again, Evelyn.”

And with that, the body guards closed the car door and went to a separate escort vehicle in front of them.

Evelyn watched them leave before sprinting back into the building with the check under her jacket to keep it safe from the downpour. 

Mission accomplished.

—-

Jessica peered over her glasses when she heard the door to the office swing open. And, in the doorframe, in all her beauty, was Evelyn. Drenched from head to toe but with a beaming smile stretched across her face. She held up a plain white envelope.

“I got it.”

Jessica jumped up and rushed over. “How much.”

Evelyn dropped to her knees and laughed, water dripped from her hair and onto the rug beneath her but she could care less. “500 million.”

“Are you actually serious?” Jessica dropped down with her and grabbed the envelope out of Evelyn’s hands before any water could leak through. “You got Sara fucking Bashar to give you 500 million dollars for our GPS system.”

“I did!” Evelyn cheered and threw off her jacket. It landed on the floor with a weird squelch but it didn’t matter. “She even said she’d work with us again, said I was interesting or something.”

“That you certainly are,” Jessica agreed and took Evelyn’s forearm, hoisting her up off the ground. “Come on, you’re leaving.”

“What? But we have to celebrate! Drinks on me!” Evelyn said and tried to pull her arm away but Jessica just tightened her grip.

“You do realize that you’re barefoot, soaked in cold water, and very sick, don’t you? We can go out another time, but now that that's over and done with you need to go home. I’ll finish up here, we’ll see each other later anyways and we can discuss the minor details.”

“I’m literally fine, Jess.” Evelyn rolled her eyes. “But, if you really insist, I guess I’ll go home now. A warm shower does sound wonderful.”

Jessica bent down to pick Evelyn’s discarded jacket up off the ground but stopped when a white piece of plastic fell out of one of its pockets. She furrowed her eyebrows and grabbed it, turning it over a couple times. “Why do you have your inhaler with you?”

Evelyn just as quickly snatched the item back, stuffing it in her pants and turning to leave without another word.

She stopped suddenly when she felt her colleague’s long fingers wrap around her bicep. She glanced up to see Jessica directing a pretty intense glare down at her.

“Sorry,” Evelyn apologized and slumped down into herself. “It was rude of me to ignore you.”

Jessica nodded and reached forward to hug the wet brunette. “I’m worried about you, darling. I’ve never seen you in a state like this.”

“I’ll be fine.” Evelyn felt tears spring to her eyes and clung to her friend tighter. “I brought my inhaler because I’ve been out of breath the past few days. It’s nothing to be uneasy about.”

“Promise me one thing,” Jessica extended the other woman out in front of her so she could better see her reaction. It was then she noticed Evelyn was shaking slightly. Her nose was also running and she sniffed loudly before responding.

“Sure, anything.” 

“Will you let Paige take care of you when you get home?”

Evelyn screwed up her face and shook her head no.

“Why not?”

Evelyn took a step back and wrapped her arms around herself. “Like I said before, Paige is gonna be busy this afternoon. She’s gotta cook and do other stuff. She won’t have time for me.”

“She always has time for you, Ev. Would it be easier if you were little?”

Jessica was only slightly alarmed when Evelyn’s face crumpled, her tears spilling over. She let out a whimper and plopped back onto the ground, covering her face with both her hands.

The smaller woman whispered something which Jessica couldn’t make out.

This was starting to feel all too familiar.

“What was that?”

“I…” Evelyn took a deep breath and sobbed something which made Jessica’s jaw drop to the floor. Oh no. Not now.

“I-I want my mommyyyyy!”

Jessica sped walked to the office door and closed it quietly. Hopefully nobody heard Evelyn’s outburst. Avery wouldn’t say anything but who knows who else might have been listening.

At that point, Evelyn was hyperventilating. Her breaths sounded ragged and short and her cheeks were flushed a deep scarlet. If Jessica didn’t do something she would surely end up passing out.

Thankfully, Jessica knew where Evelyn’s inhaler was and she thrust her hand into her trouser’s pocket to retrieve it. “Here, take a big breath for me sweetie. It's all going to be alright, I’ll take you home to Paige as soon as you calm down.”

Evelyn sputtered and coughed but did as she was told. The mucus running down her throat was uncomfortable and she gagged as it mingled with the prednisone, making it thicker and harder to swallow.

“You poor thing,” Jessica cooed and grabbed a water bottle from the mini fridge, clicking it open before holding it to Evelyn’s lips. “Here, drink up, shhhhh, there you go, you’re going to be just fine.”

She wiped the excess water from Evelyn’s chin and straightened. There was no way in hell Evelyn was fit to drive home. So, she would have to finish up quickly and take her there herself. 

Jessica walked back to the door and opened it a smidge. “I’ll be right back Evelyn, wait right there.”

Evelyn didn’t acknowledge that she heard her but stayed where she was, crying just as loudly as before.

Jessica slipped out of the room and made her way over to Avery’s desk, handing her the envelope with the check inside. “Would you mind processing this and forwarding me the paperwork? I need to bring Evelyn home. Speaking of which…” She pondered for a second. “Could you also arrange for someone to drop her car off at her house? She’ll probably need it at some point.”

“Yes, of course Ms. Bonfardi.” Avery responded and craned her neck to try and peer into Evelyn’s office. “Is Ms. Woodford alright?”

“She will be.” Jessica smiled and side stepped slightly to block her view. Though the sound of Evelyn’s piercing cries were still very much audible. “She’s just feeling a bit under the weather right now.”

Avery furrowed her eyebrows but didn’t push any further. “Should I cancel her appointments for tomorrow?”

“I believe that would be best. I’ll have her reach out to you when she’s not as worked up.”

“Perfect, see you tomorrow then.” Avery waved. “Good luck.”

“Thank you, see you later.”

After their exchange Jessica rushed back to Evelyn’s office where the woman in question was still on the floor, but now she was on her side with her legs tucked to her chest. All in all, she looked absolutely miserable.

“Do you think you can walk?” Jessica stressed as she collected all their belongings and stuffed them into her purse. “If not, we can stay here for a bit until you can.”

Evelyn snuffled but moved up until she was on her hands and knees. She stayed in that position until she caught her breath and then pushed herself to stand. That whole process took approximately five minutes.

Jessica dug her phone out of her purse as Evelyn swayed in place. “I’m going to text Paige so she’s ready for you.”

“No,” Evelyn panted and staggered toward the redhead. “Don’t.”

“I think I need to make the decisions here at this point.” Jessica said pointedly and gently put her palm to Evelyn’s chest to keep her from swiping her phone. “You’re sick and little. It would be irresponsible not to.”

“I’m not that sick.” Evelyn whined and stomped her foot on the ground. “Or little.”

“We both know that you are.” Jessica scoffed and pocketed her phone. “But, if you’re that adamant about it, I won’t. Your mommy is going to realize just how unwell you are as soon as you step foot into that house. I can guarantee it.”

“Then I won’t say hi to her. Just take me up to my room when we get there.” Evelyn said stubbornly and moved towards the door. 

Jessica followed closely behind and flipped the lights off on their way out. “You do know that besides Carmen and me they’re all doctors, right?”

“Yeah, so?” Evelyn sneezed and pulled on her soaked coat. “I’ll be upstairs, no one will see me.”

“I find that hard to believe.” Jessica mumbled to herself as they entered the parking garage. “Your big sister is gonna be downstairs. I bet you’ll come down to see her at some point.”

“I don’t need to see her that bad.” Evelyn grumbled and knit her eyebrows together when Jessica opened the back door of the car for her. “Why the backseat?”

“You were feeling little literally 10 minutes ago.”

“And?” Evelyn blushed and stalked up to the front of the car. “I’m big now.”

“Can you stay big, though?” Jessica wondered as she buckled her seatbelt. “It didn’t really seem as if you were in control back there.”

“I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t help it.” Evelyn explained and slumped back into her seat. “Didn’t help that you asked me to be little. That made me miss Paige even more.”

“Well, I guess that was an error on my part.” Jessica started the car and startled when Evelyn let out a particularly loud sneeze. “But I know you, and you won’t ask for help from anyone if you’re not dying or pushed to do so.”

“Whatever.” Evelyn huffed and leaned against the window, closing her aching eyes and sighing at the feeling of the cool glass against her burning skin. That, coupled with the pattering of rain on the windshield, slowly lulled her to drift off. Sweet dreams hopefully to accompany her on her trip into nothingness.

Chapter Text

Jessica squinted as she pulled into the long driveway of the Woodford-Hughes residence. As she got closer, she saw a figure in a yellow rain jacket waiting on the front landing. She had indeed texted Paige when they were five minutes out, but hadn’t expected her to greet them on the doorstep.

As soon as the car was parked the blonde woman immediately strode over and opened the passenger door. “Is she alright?”

“Sick. But otherwise unscathed.”

“Then why’d you drive her home?” Paige wondered and lifted the brunette’s sleeping form into her arms. 

Jessica got out of the car herself and shielded her eyes from the continuous current of rain. “She became little all of a sudden after her meeting and I didn’t feel comfortable with her driving while she was switching between headspaces, y’know?” 

“Thank you for that.” Paige nodded gratefully and began heading back towards the mansion. “You’re really good to her. I’m glad she has you to turn to.”

Now it was Jessica’s turn to blush. “It was nothing, really. I’m happy to give her a hand whenever I can.”

“Maybe I’ll have you come babysit sometime.” Paige winked and shifted Evelyn to one hip to push the large front door open. “After Carmen and me, you’re the one she trusts the most.”

“I’m happy she feels that way.” Jessica said as she pressed a hand to the door so Paige could pass through. “I wouldn’t mind taking care of her, she’s just the cutest thing ever.”

“She definitely is.” Paige easily agreed. “If I have to take a trip somewhere and she has to stay overnight by herself it would give me peace of mind to know she's with someone. Just in case.”

“Yeah just give me a call whenever. We have basically the same schedule so it should be pretty easy to get a hold of me.” Jessica slipped off her shoes and looked up the staircase. “Do you think I could get a change of clothes? Mine are a bit damp.”

“Of course, come with me up to our room and I can find you something.” 

“And after I can help you in the kitchen.” She pumped a fist in the air. “I’m crazy good at making deviled eggs.”

—--

“Do you wanna try some of my clothes or Evelyn’s?” Paige stuck her head out of their shared closet, holding up two shirts. “You’re kinda in between our sizes.”

“I think one of her tees and your jeans? My legs are long but my torso’s short.”

Paige nodded and disappeared back into the closet, emerging a couple minutes later with two sets of very different clothing bundles. Jessica only realized one was pajamas when it was set down in front of her.

“For a minute, I thought that was for me.” Jessica pointed to the cutesy oversized set of white cotton pajamas, tiny puppies littering the fabric, lying on the bed. “While Evelyn can certainly pull it off, I believe I would have a hard time doing so.”

“You and me both.” Paige laughed and plopped the other pile of clothing into Jessica’s outstretched arms. “Go ahead and change, I’ll meet you downstairs in like 10 minutes.”

“Aye aye captain.” Jessica saluted and left the room, closing the large door behind her with a whoosh . 

“Alright sweetheart, let's get you freshened up.” Paige whispered and began the task of stripping the limp woman on the bed. 

By now, Paige was essentially an expert at undressing Evelyn with no help in return. It was quite simple to rid her of her sodden clothes and into a thick diaper and pleasant, soft pajamas. She tsked as she felt just how soaked through Evelyn’s work pants and shirt were. If she didn’t have a cold before she most certainly would’ve gotten one after standing out in the freezing rain for who knows how long.

She really would’ve loved to give the poor girl a bath or at the very least a shower but she really didn’t have a second to spare. Hopefully she’d stay warm enough. Though Paige doubted that would be a problem considering the high fever she was rocking that morning.

As soon as the brunette was securely tucked in with Jappy in her arms Paige exited the room and went two steps at a time down the stairs. It was still dark and dreary outside so she made sure to flick on a few lamps on her way for a more comfortable atmosphere.

It was already nearing Noon so they would have to act fast to get everything set up in time. Luckily, they only had to get the living room prepped and make a few horderves. The rest would be brought in by the other four people joining them in a half hour. 

“God, I can’t find jack squat in this kitchen of yours.” Jessica complained when Paige appeared beside her. “How do you manage to locate anything in here?”

“Well, I actually have time on my hands so I try a bunch of cooking styles.” Paige shrugged and swiped a pan from a cabinet above them. “I like testing out different kitchen gadgets. Is this what you were rummaging around for?”

“Yeah, thanks.” 

“Do you need anything else?” Paige asked, ripping open a package of fresh, canadian bacon she’d gotten at the farmer’s market. Organic, of course. All of them, excluding Evelyn and Jessica, were health freaks. And she knew they all had certain preferences.

“Nah, I think I’m good for now.” 

As she was turning the knob on the gas stove the doorbell rang. The two women looked at each other with equally confused expressions. Who could that be? They still had a good 20 minutes before anybody should’ve been arriving.

“Who do you think came early?” Paige laughed and made her way over to the foyer.

“I bet it’s Mel. That woman is so impatient I swear.”

Paige peeked out of the windows to either side of the large front door and was indeed met with the joyful dark brown eyes of Mel. She opened the door and Mel went bustling in as if she owned the place. “Took you long enough, that rain really is coming down out there.” Mel said good naturedly and held up a reusable shopping bag. “Got the champagne and orange juice as promised.”

“Was I right?” Jessica shouted from the kitchen.

“Yeah!” Paige called back, taking the bag from Mel so she could get her shoes off.

“Is that the ginger I hear?” Mel wondered out loud and cupped a hand to her ear, looking pensive. “Seems like someone beat me here. I thought I would be first.”

“She came home with Evelyn.” Paige explained as they walked together to the kitchen.

“Where is Evelyn, anyways.” Mel scanned the room for the other brunette. “Normally she’d come running up to the door to greet me.”

“She’s got a cold.” Paige sighed. “Right now she's upstairs sleeping. But I’m sure she’ll come say hi later. Carmen’s gonna be here, so there’s no way she won’t sneak down to see her.”

“Okay, cool. I brought her a little present ‘cause she fell asleep before I could give it to her during her appointment.” Mel reached into the bag where the champagne and orange juice was. “I hope this’ll make up for me missing her birthday party.”

Paige smiled widely at an adorable, clearly handmade, plush of a black cat. The ears were pink and its belly was a silky white. It was the perfect size too. Large enough to hug, but small enough that if Evelyn wanted to bring it to bed it wouldn’t be bothersome.

“Wow, did you make that?” Jessica whistled and ran her fingers along its fabric. “It's really good.”

“I like crocheting in my free time.” Mel shrugged. “I saw it on YouTube and couldn’t resist trying it. Took me only, like, a month.”

“That’s remarkable. I had no idea you were into that kinda stuff.”

“Yeah, I can be patient when I want to be.” Mel winked and plopped down onto a bar stool, leaning her head on her hand and looking between the other two women. “Jessica, I haven’t seen you in forever. What's new?”

“Oh, nothing much. Just work and more work. I’ve been leading a pretty boring life as of late.”

“You should go out more.” Mel snorted and grinned mischievously. “You know, vitamin D deficiency can cause premature aging of the skin which-”

“Okay, none of that.” Jessica interrupted. “Don’t go all doctor on me, Melanie.” The redhead took the eggs off the heat and placed them delicately into an ice bath next to the sink. “I’ll have you know I take supplements everyday.”

“It really makes me sad that you don’t come to me for check ups.” 

“I don’t feel like driving to your hospital when there's one right next to my apartment building.”

Mel accentuated a big frown and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re just lazy.”

“Says the one who orders takeout every night.” Jessica teased, playfully flicking Mel on the forehead. “At least I can cook a proper meal.”

Mel opened her mouth to refute but the doorbell sounded again. This time followed by a flurry of knocks.

“Lindsay?” Jessica guessed. Since she was busy peeling the shells off the eggs, and Paige was starting the KitchenAid up for the whip cream, Mel took it upon herself to greet the next visitor.

She opened the door and two more women bustled in, closing their umbrellas along the way. It seemed that they were in a heated argument as they shucked off their rain gear.

“Jesus, Lindsay. You drive like a maniac.”

“I’m not used to driving in a downpour!”

“That's why I offered to drive!”

“You drive like a Grandma!”

Both women fumed at each other until Mel cleared her throat. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, sorry about that.” Kelly huffed and smoothed a lock of curly hair off her forehead. “Lindsay wanted to come together but we almost died like ten times on the way. Not sure if the pastries survived.”

Lindsay scoffed and slipped a pair of slides on. “They were in your lap the whole time. I doubt they’re anything but perfect.”

The three women were startled once again when the door swung open and Carmen sprinted in, dripping water everywhere. “Why didn’t anyone warn me it was going to rain today?!” The lawyer stressed and frowned when she saw the shocked faces of the other women. “What, is my mascara running or something?”

“No, but you almost scared my heart right out of my body.” Lindsay breathed and put a hand on her chest exaggeratingly. “You gotta give a girl some warning next time.”

“Well, in my defense, I had no idea you guys were just standing in the doorway.”

“We literally just got here too.” Kelly explained as she hung up their coats in the closet. “No thanks to little miss crazy driver over there.”

“Unlike you guys, I actually grew up in Vegas! It rains maybe once a month. Scratch that, usually not even once a month!” Lindsay yelled and shook a fist at them. “None of you East Coasters would understand.”

“Y’all coming in or is the mudroom that comfortable?”

All four women looked towards the entrance to the kitchen where Paige was standing, smiling pleasantly. 

Carmen grinned and bounded over to the blonde, looking over her shoulder. “Where’s Evelyn?”

“Hello to you too, Carmen.” Paige joked and pulled the other woman in for a hug, whispering in her ear. “She’s upstairs sleeping. It's been a rough couple of days for her.”

“Oh,” Carmen frowned, glancing towards the ceiling as if she could see right through it. “I’ll see her later though, right?”

“If she doesn’t come down then you can go up.” Paige shrugged and pulled away. “I think she’d be mad if she didn’t get to say hi.”

“Alright, sounds good.”

The six women bustled into the kitchen, chattering about this and that along the way. Being an adult definitely had its drawbacks. One of them being that it became super difficult for all of them to meet up at the same time. All their schedules were drastically different.

“Okay girls, just put the food on the dining room table and I’ll get some plates and silverware out.” 

“Don’t forget the champagne flutes!” Lindsay laughed and thumped Kelly on the back. “I need a drink or two after this week.”

“It's your fault for taking double shifts at the ER five days in a row.” Kelly shrugged. “Make sure not to drink too much though. It would suck if you puked all over me on the way home.”

“Dude, don't even worry about it. I’m not a lightweight! I can handle it.”

Chapter Text

Well, long story short Lindsay couldn’t handle it and passed out on the living room sofa shortly after everything had been cleaned up. The other women were now sitting on the unoccupied cushions talking while the food they had eaten was digested.

The atmosphere was very peaceful. The lights were dim and the torrent of rain on the window panes was a perfect white noise for the background. All of them had blankets and the glass fireplace was humming. The whole mood was lazy and cozy.

“Knowing her she’ll wake up and be totally sober.” Mel face palmed and took a sip of her mug of warm tea. 

Kelly flipped over her wrist and read the face of her watch. “My guess is she’ll be up in the next half hour. I bet you she’s still hungry.”

“Good thing we’ve got a ton of leftovers.” Paige piped up. “I hope all of you grab something before you leave.” That was indeed true. There were still a bunch of pastries and snacks that hadn’t even been opened. They’d probably be thrown out if nobody took them.

“Well, I gotta stock up then. You don’t get home-cooked meals like this all the time.” Mel snorted and picked at a piece of lint on her pants. “Wouldn't it be great if dogs could cook for us?”

“Or you could, I don’t know, take a couple of cooking classes.” Jessica threw back cheekily. “It’s not that hard, y’know.”

“But it is hard,” Mel grumbled. “There’re so many instructions and measurements and specific timings that it feels so overwhelming. I just wanna relax after I get home.”

“There are these box things that you can have delivered to your house.” Carmen chimed in, already scrolling on her phone to find a picture. “They’re super easy to put together and the food tastes fresh and homey.”

“I guess that sounds okay.” Mel sighed and kicked her socked feet up onto the coffee table. “As long as they don’t take too long to put together I wouldn’t mind it.”

“They definitely don’t. I get a few delivered every week and the longest one I’ve had to do was an hour.” Carmen explained. “I sent you the link to the company I use.”

“Thanks. Maybe I’ll order one when I’m feeling creative.”

The group lapsed into silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable since they were all good friends. The loudest sound in the room was Lindsay’s even breathing. At that point, all of them could probably fall asleep right where they were sitting. It was just so serene. Like a beach, but without the sun and sand. Perfectly still and warm.

Paige sighed and slowly sat up. “Anybody in the mood for some sweet wine? I got some the other day and since it doesn’t keep for very long once it's been opened I think it would be a good idea to have it all in one go.”

“Yeah, I’m down.” Kelly yawned and pointed to the sleeping woman beside her. “She should be fine to drive after she wakes up.”

“Sure, I’ll take some.” Carmen said and got up too. “I need to go to the bathroom anyway so I’ll help you bring everything.”

“What about you guys?”

“I’m already nice and tipsy.” Mel shrugged and melted further into the couch. “My tea should suffice.”

“Jessica?”

“I’ll have a tiny bit.” The redhead pinched her fingers together. “A fourth a glass would be great.”

“We’ll be back soon.” Paige promised and left the room with Carmen on her heels. That left the other women to sit in silence, their eyes drooping in an effort to stay awake and not fall prey to the perfect conditions for a midafternoon nap.

That was until a small sniffle from the hallway broke the silence. 

Jessica perked up at the sound. “Did you guys hear that?”

“Hear what?” Kelly asked and strained her ears. “All I hear is the rain.”

Mel frowned. “Yeah, I didn’t hear anything either.”

Jessica squinted and, sure enough, she saw a figure hiding behind the door frame. There was only one person it could be. But Jessica wasn’t sure why she hadn’t made herself known by that point.

“Evelyn?” Jessica ventured and leaned so her body was facing the opening of the room. The girl shuffled, unsure if she should go in or run back upstairs. 

“Is she really over there?” Kelly asked and looked for herself, unable to see anything in the murky room next door. Jessica shushed her and gestured towards where Kelly saw her gazing.

“It's alright darling, come on out so we can see you.”

Seemingly assured that she was welcome Evelyn stepped into the room fully. Her eyes did a quick sweep of the area and upon not seeing her girlfriend or sister she took a step backwards, a whimper escaping her.

Besides her fear Evelyn looked positively adorable. One of her hands held a fluffy black blanket to her cheek while the other clutched a tan dog to her chest. Her cheeks were flushed against her paler than normal skin and to complete the look she was sweetly suckling on her thumb.

Kelly’s and Mel’s eyes widened at the sight before them, absolutely gobsmacked at what they were witnessing. They were even more surprised when the girl walked over and clumsily curled herself into the redhead’s lap.

“Jessie,” They heard her mumble tearfully into her friend’s shirt, burying her face into her neck and hiccuping. Why weren’t her mommy and Carrie in the room? Did they leave her all alone with the other women? The thought that they had left her caused Evelyn to quickly divulge into panicked breathing.

Jessica, for her part, rubbed the girl’s back and ran a few fingers through her hair. “It’s all okay Ev, they’ll be back really soon.” She took a guess as to what Evelyn was worked up about, but upon trailing her hand lower she tensed when she felt the padding of some kind of diaper around her friend’s hips.

Hopefully that wasn’t the issue.

Jessica’s eyes snapped up when Kelly cleared her throat. She saw Mel staring and Kelly down casting her eyes, seemingly embarrassed for the girl.

“What’s up with her?”

Jessica sighed and glanced towards the kitchen entryway, praying that Paige would come in so she could explain everything. It’s not that she didn’t understand what was happening, it was more like she was sure Paige would answer the questions that would likely follow the explanation better than she could.

Luckily for her, Paige and Carmen decided to pop in at that exact moment. Carmen was balancing a tray of glasses while Paige was fiddling with the wine’s sealing.

“Okay you guys who’s ready for-” Carmen stopped in her tracks, jaw to the floor when she saw Evelyn perched on Jessica’s knee. She elbowed Paige who was still focused on the wine bottle.

“Oh.” Was all Paige could think to say. She had wrongly thought the brunette would remember everyone would be there and either age up and dress accordingly or stay upstairs until she went to check on her.

“Hey Ev, look who’s here.” Jessica cooed and bounced Evelyn on her lap, prompting the girl to pull her face out of her neck. As soon as she saw Paige she leaned forward and made grabby hands towards her, tears falling from her eyes.

Paige frowned and put the wine bottle down on the coffee table before sitting next to Jessica and opening her arms. She chose to ignore the other people in the room for the time being to comfort the distraught girl infront of her. There was plenty of time to clear up any questions afterward.

Evelyn dove into her lover’s arms and sobbed loudly. Her warm forehead pressed into Paige’s collarbone and the older woman cringed from the heat. Her fever had definitely gotten worse, but it was odd because her hands were ice cold. 

“I’ve gotcha Evy, everything’s fine.” Paige murmured into the brunette’s sweaty hair. It needed to be washed badly as it was all tangled and smelled like wet clothes and perspiration. They’d most likely have to have a lukewarm bath later that night to both clean Evelyn up and cool her down.

“Mommy,” Evelyn whispered hoarsely into the shell of Paige’s ear. Her voice sounded so much worse than that morning. It was scratchy as hell and it was apparent that her nose was all stuffed up.

“Yes, baby?” Paige responded back, just as quietly. “What’s wrong? Did something wake you up?”

“Bad dream.” Evelyn sniffled and rubbed one of her eyes with a closed fist. “Throat hurts.”

Paige rocked her in her arms and patted her bottom, subtly checking if she needed a change. She didn’t. “We’ll have some medicine soon, are you still tired?”

“Mhm.” Evelyn yawned as if to punctuate her point. “Don’t wanna sleep alone.”

“That’s doable.” Paige assured and sat down with the girl still in her arms. It didn’t take that much adjusting to get Evelyn cocooned on her chest, her head covered by a blanket to keep both the light and the noise out. 

“Is she alright?” Carmen worried by her side, peeking over the bundle to see if she could see her younger sister’s face.

The blonde nodded and glanced over at the other people in the room. “Yeah, she will be.”

“That’s a pretty nasty cold.” Mel observed and scooched closer, laying a gentle hand on Evelyn's forehead. “She’s warm, but not alarmingly so. Have you given her anything?”

“Not yet, I was going to wait until she ate something but she hasn’t seemed to be in the mood to eat.” Paige sighed and stroked Evelyn’s back in thought before perking up. “Actually, Carmen, could you make her a bottle? I would go myself but I don’t want to jostle her.”

“I can do that,” The black haired woman replied and immediately stood up, already shuffling to the kitchen. “Do you want me to put it in the microwave for a minute?”

“Please, that would be great, thanks.” Paige gestured idly to nothing in particular. “The bottles are in a cabinet by the sink.”

“Okay, wait.” Kelly said suddenly, causing the other three women to turn towards her. “Am I the only one here who didn’t know about this Evelyn?”

Mel raised her arm in the air. “To be fair,” She side eyed Paige. “I had some suspicions. But they were not to this extent.”

“This dynamic is relatively new.” Paige shrugged, speaking mostly to Kelly. “We started it shortly after our last book club session. Carmen and Jessica are constantly in our lives so they found out about it.”

“Did Evelyn want them to know?” Kelly blurted out but soon after blushed at her small outburst. “Sorry, I’m just assuming this would be an embarrassing thing for someone you know to stumble upon.”

“She wasn’t too keen on it,” Paige smiled fondly at the bundle in her lap which was now peacefully snoring. “But she also doesn’t care to hide it. It’s very relaxing for her, and because she’s constantly stressed, any little bit of relief helps.”

“Oh, I see. I guess that makes sense.” Kelly mulled that over in her head before leaning her chin on her elbow and grinning. “She’s also wicked cute in those pajamas.”

“Right?!” Carmen beamed at Kelly as she appeared at Paige’s side and handed her the bottle. “Evelyn is just so adorable when she’s like this.”

“I agree,” Jessica said and took a sip out of her wine glass, holding the stem and swirling it. “Don’t get me wrong, I love our loud and boisterous Evelyn. But shy, giggly Evelyn is almost as good.”

“So what does she do while in this space?” Mel asked curiously as they all watched Paige softly rub the nape of Evelyn’s neck to wake her up.

“Well, she sleeps a lot.” Paige snorted in amusement. “Which isn’t that much different from regular Evelyn. But like this, she’s more… at peace. She doesn’t have to worry about much since I do mostly everything for her.”

Mel hummed and gazed curiously at Evelyn who was now awake and fussing slightly. “Does she play with toys and stuff like that?”

“To be perfectly honest, a lot of the time she’s barely old enough to do anything that requires much coordination. We mostly cuddle and watch TV, sometimes, when she’s feeling older, we’ll play with some stuffed animals or blocks.”

“So she’s basically a baby, is what you’re implying,” Mel said matter-of-factly. “Not hard to believe with how she was talking earlier or that bottle she’s drinking.”

“Hold on, who’s a baby?”

Everyone immediately turned their attention to Lindsay, who was sitting up and groggily rubbing her eyes.

Paige chuckled and leaned forward as if she were going to tell a secret. “Well you see…”

Chapter Text

“Awww, Lynnie, who’s a little cutie? You are, you are!”

Lindsay was gushing over Evelyn who was sat, cross legged, on the ground. Her back was up against the couch and she was obviously struggling to understand everything that was happening around her. 

“She’s kinda delirious.” Kelly frowned as Lindsay waggled a stuffed animal in front of Evelyn’s face. “Reminds me of my patients when they first wake up.”

Jessica swirled her drink, the tiny pieces of ice clinking on the sides. “It probably didn’t help that she got soaked in the rain this morning. With bare feet, may I add.” 

“This girl wouldn’t admit she was sick for a million dollars.” Paige sighed and ran an annoyed hand through her hair. “It’s impossible to help her if she won’t let me.”

“There’s a lot happening at work right now.” Picking up her phone Jessica swiped through her notifications. “We have a product launch in less than a week. Without Evelyn we may not be able to meet the deadline.”

“If she gets any worse I’m not taking no for an answer.” 

Paige had to put her foot down at some point. It had been difficult enough to let Evelyn leave that morning. And the fact that the brunette only seemed to be getting worse as the days ticked by was a major cause for concern. Who knows what she would be like the next day.

“I had Avery cancel her appointments for tomorrow, but that was the best I could do.” 

Paige smiled gratefully at the redhead. “Thanks for that. I’m glad she can rest for at least one day uninterrupted.”

“If her condition gets really bad you can call me for any meds or supplies.” Mel offered and reached over to ruffle Evelyn’s poof of hair, getting a small squeak in return. “I don’t have to go in tomorrow, so I’m available anytime.”

“Perfect.” Paige hummed. “I’m glad I have friends like you guys.”

Everyone grinned at that. It really is a blessing to have amazing friends in your life. And since they had all known each other for such a long time their bond was that much stronger.

“Such an adorable baby,” Lindsay had, at this point, lifted Evelyn onto her lap. Both her arms were wrapped around her waist in a loose hug, almost like the smaller girl was a fluffy teddy bear. “I wish I could put you in my pocket and take you home with me.”

Evelyn mewled and popped two fingers into her mouth, suckling softly. That action caused Lindsay to coo loudly and squeeze Evelyn closer to herself. “I just love you so much sweetie pie. It's so nice that I can hold you like this.”

Kelly looked amused as she lent forward with a big grin on her face. “Have you always wanted to?” 

“Of course,” Lindsay flushed. “She’s just so… so soft. It would be hard not to want to snuggle her.”

Surprisingly, it was Mel who spoke up. “I get what you mean. It’s like, since she’s usually so confident and tenacious, this switch in personality just makes you want to coddle her.”

Evelyn took that moment to yawn widely, laying her head back on Lindsay’s chest and closing her eyes again.

“Here,” Paige handed a blanket to Lindsay. “We need to keep her warm. Her fever broke so now we have to make sure she doesn’t get chilly.”

Wrapping Evelyn in the blanket Lindsay took a sniff and almost melted. The mix of lavender and baby powder was heavenly. It made her want to go down for a nap too.

“Your eyelids just drooped a bit there, Linds.” Kelly teased. “You wanna join Evelyn in dreamland?”

“If I didn’t pass out earlier I totally would.” Lindsay admitted and buried her nose into the crevasse between Evelyn’s head and the blanket. “You guys have got to smell her though, it’ll for real knock you out cold.”

“There’s no way.” Mel crouched down and took a whiff of Evelyn to see what Lindsay was talking about. Her eyes rolled back almost immediately. “Oh my God.”

“Right? It's literally amazing. This scent could be a sleep aid.”

“Definitely helps me sleep.” Paige winked. “She’s like a huge one of those scented stuffed animals that you put in the microwave.”

“Ohhhh, yeah, I’ve seen those.” Mel shrugged and glanced at her phone. “Wish my dogs smelled this good.”

“My cat could learn a thing or two, that's for sure.” Jessica adjusted her glasses, remembering what Evelyn had smelled like from when she had been on her lap. It certainly was a pleasant aroma.

“Baby supplies seems to be the key to smelling amazing.” Paige topped off her wine and subsequently Jessica’s when the other woman held out her glass. “Who woulda guessed.”

“Real babies don’t smell that great.” Jessica scrunched up her nose as the other women laughed good naturedly.

“Evelyn’s a special case.” Lindsay sighed lovingly, head still pushed close to the girl in her lap’s scalp. “She’s like a sponge, she can soak up all the good stuff.”

“Lindsay’d be a good babysitter.” Paige thought to herself. Unlike Jessica, she was much more at ease with caring for Evelyn when she was little. Paige still wasn’t sure if Jessica, or even Carmen would be comfortable enough changing a wet diaper if push came to shove. Lindsay would probably take it in stride, and she seemed ready to spoil Evelyn in any way she could.

Checking her watch, Kelly peeked outside where it was now much darker, the rain still not having let up. “Well guys, I’ve gotta head out. My parents are coming over later.”

“Same here, not the parents part, but I’ve gotta feed my dogs.” Mel grunted as she stood, shaking her arms and legs out which made a bunch of cracking sounds.

“My Lord, do some yoga or stretch, Melanie.” Lindsay snickered, resting her cheek on Evelyn’s head. “Jess, can you take me home when you leave? I wanna hold this angel for a little longer.”

Downing the rest of her wine Jessica nodded. “I drank a bunch, so we can go in an hour or so when I sober up.”

“Yay!” Lindsay cheered and rubbed Evelyn’s back when she stirred from the noise.

“Here, take some food home you two.” Paige got up and disappeared into the kitchen, returning moments later with a bag full of tupperware filled to the brim with their brunch. “Keep the containers, we have a lot more.”

Kelly took the offered tote bag. “Wonderful, now I won’t need to make breakfast for the next few days.”

“Careful out there,” Jessica warned and checked the weather warnings which kept popping up on her phone. “The valley’ll most likely have sucky traffic since nobody knows how to drive in this.”

Mel glanced at Google Maps. “Alright, I’ll take the backway then.”

Lindsay popped her head up and directed her attention to Kelly. “Make sure my car survives. I’ll run over and grab it tomorrow.”

“Ugh, that’s right. I have to drive your damn humongous Land Rover in this.”

“ Excuse you! It’s a great car for the rain. Way better than your BMW. That thing is so black nobody can see you coming.”

Rolling her eyes Mel patted Kelly on the back and shuffled to the door. “Okay, that’s enough bickering. Let’s go, Kel. Oh, and Paige, could you give Evelyn that present I showed you earlier?”

“Yes, of course. You don’t want to do it yourself?”

Mel shrugged. “I would, but I want her to be more aware. Just do it when you think is best.”

“Alright, if you’re sure.”

Mel nodded and waved as she shuffled towards the entrance.

“Bye everyone,” Kelly said, following Mel out of the room. “See you later.”

Paige heard the door click shut. “So, what do you guys wanna do now?”

“Can I wake Evelyn up to play with her?” Lindsay leaned forward giddily, already starting to rock the girl on her lap back and forth. “I really want to see her playing.”

“That should be fine.” Paige got down on her knees and pulled Evelyn into a cradle. The girl did need to sleep, but if they both had a chance of a truly restful night Evelyn needed to be at least a bit tired.

It took a couple minutes for the brunette to come to. She blinked a few times to focus, confused as to why she was being awoken in the first place.

Paige smoothed a finger down the crease between Evelyn’s eyebrows, soothing her before she could fuss too much. The last thing the girl needed was to be thrown into a crying fit.

“Do you think she should eat something?” Carmen asked, remembering that her little sister had only had some milk for lunch. “I can go get her some food.”

“Maybe,” Paige handed Evelyn back to Lindsay when she was content once again. “She hasn’t had much of an appetite, but we can try. Watch her for a minute, Linds.”

“Say no more.” Lindsay saluted playfully. “I’ll watch her like a hawk.”

When Paige and Carmen left, Evelyn wiggled in displeasure. Lindsay, of course, noticed immediately.

“Hey hey, we’re alright. No worries, Paige’ll be back soon.”

“Mmmm,” Evelyn whined but didn’t protest further, instead sucking on her fingers again and calming.

“Do you want a pacifier, Ev?” 

Obviously, she got no response. But Jessica tapped Lindsay’s shoulder and passed her a soother she’d seen on a side table anyway, along with a colorful stacking toy. “You wanted to play with her, right?”

The other woman beamed and took both items that were extended to her. She popped the pacifier past Evelyn’s lips and eased her so her back was against the couch again. The blanket now acted as a cushion for both of them, and in the middle Lindsay placed the simple toy.

“What do you think, honey bun?” Lindsay said enthusiastically as she spread the five different sized rings in front of Evelyn.

Jessica joined them on the ground and looked between Evelyn and the rings. “Think she understands what she needs to do?” 

“I’m pretty sure she should. This is, like, for babies no older than two.” Lindsay picked up two rings and held them right at eye level. “Look, Evelyn. There’s a blue ring, and a red ring. Which is bigger?”

Evelyn stared at her choices for a long time. Her body was still except for the pacifier in her mouth which bobbed rhythmically. Eventually, she grasped the larger option. Though she did nothing with it and simply held it.

“I guess that counts.” Lindsay grinned widely and clapped. “Good job! Such a smart girl. Now, can you put it on the pole for me, cutie?”

Yawning, Jessica leaned back on her hands. “It's going to take another three minutes for her to figure it out.” 

“Shhhh,” Lindsay shushed. “She’ll get it.”

“What, is me talking gonna break her concentration or something.”

Lindsay laughed and decided to speed up the process by gently prodding Evelyn's hand to hover above the top of the toy. Hopefully, she’d know what to do at that point.

And indeed, Evelyn let go of the ring and watched it clatter to the bottom. She didn’t celebrate in any noticeable way, but she didn’t seem displeased, either. Lindsay (unsurprisingly) was ecstatic.

Paige returned to her seat, Carmen in tow. “What’re you so happy about, Lindsay?” 

“Her figuring stuff out is just the most adorable thing ever. It’s so satisfying to help her with something.”

“Would you like to feed her, then?” Paige asked and was almost knocked backwards at the squeal that escaped the other blonde. That was definitely a yes.

After handing off a jar of sweet potato and a soft tipped spoon to Lindsay, Paige snapped a bib around Evelyn’s neck and moved the barely started toy out of the way so they could be closer.

“I was wondering,” Lindsay inquired as she pushed a spoonful past Evelyn’s lips and scooped the remnants from the sides of her mouth. “Is she wearing a diaper? I could kinda feel something on my knee when she was on my lap.”

Jessica looked curiously at Paige, also interested about what she had felt earlier. She was sure she was right about what it was, but didn’t want to ask something so personal infront of so many people. Now that it was only the five of them, it felt more private.

For what it was worth, Paige answered quite easily. “She is.” Shrugging, the blonde woman smiled and straightened out a wrinkled pillow beside her. “It would actually be kind of a problem if she… didn’t, to be perfectly honest.”

It took Jessica a second to fully process what Paige had just said. Once she did, her face reddened at what that statement meant. Lindsay didn’t even seem half as astonished and only let out a small “Hmm” in response.

“She doesn’t mind them, then?” Carmen asked, aware that her sister needed the protection for when she was asleep, but not believing that she would want to wear them when she wasn’t as well. Nevermind that she may even be dependent on them when she was in her headspace.

While Evelyn was still apprehensive about her padded underwear, Paige knew that they now made her feel safer, and cared for. “No, not really. The younger she gets, the less she’s bothered by the more babyish stuff.”

“Itty bitty Evelyn is perfect just the way she is.” Lindsay cooed lovingly as she fed Evelyn the last bite of food and pulled her into her lap again. “I wanna hug her forever.”

“I’m not sure if she would want that.” Jessica laughed as Evelyn weakly pressed both fists against Lindsay’s legs to try and push herself up to her knees. “You’re probably smothering her even more than Paige.”

“Oh hush you.” Lindsay huffed and swiftly shifted Evelyn around so she was straddling her instead. Both of her legs instinctively wrapped around the other woman’s torso, her hands uncurling and resting against her chest. “See? She just wanted somewhere to rest her tired little head.”

Lindsay proceeded to rub up and down Evelyn’s back, gently tracing her fingers down the length of her spine. Experimentally, she began softly patting Evelyn’s padded bottom with an open palm, getting a satisfied squeak in return for her ministrations. 

“You’re gonna make her fall asleep again.” Carmen observed the younger girl’s eyes closing, her breaths slowing and evening out. “Paige’ll have a hell of a night if she can’t get her to go to bed later.”

Turning her head towards her blonde counterpart, Lindsay raised her eyebrows. 

“It's true,” Paige shrugged and waved her hand in the air dismissively. “She has bouts of insomnia.”

Thinking about Evelyn’s sickness, Carmen stood up. “I think we better go then. Lindsay, I’ll drive you home since Jessica’s still sobering up.” 

“Alrighty,” Lindsay sighed sadly and squeezed Evelyn into a tight hug. “I can't wait to see you again, sweetness. I hope you’ll let me take care of you at some point.”

“You will.” Paige nodded in agreement as Lindsay begrudgingly handed Evelyn off to her. “I think she’d enjoy playing with you more if she wasn’t as feverish.” 

“Yay!” Lindsay cheered and kissed Evelyn’s forehead with an exaggerated “Mwah!” noise. “I cannot wait to see you again, Lyn. Bye bye for now!”

Carmen approached with much less energy, not wanting to overwhelm her sister. “Bye Evelyn. Feel better, muffin top.”

And with that, they were off. Leaving only Paige, Evelyn, and Jessica. Without Lindsay around the atmosphere was tranquil. They stayed in relative silence, the only noise being the pattering of rain on the windowsills, and the quiet trill of the heater. 

Paige lazed on the sofa, Jessica doing much the same. Evelyn was attending to her stacking toy, pleased by the simple task for the time being. Wanting her pleasant buzz to continue, Paige picked up the bottle of wine. Since it was only around six, she was sure Jessica wasn’t in much of a rush. 

“Hey, want another glass?”

Chapter Text

Evelyn… was not faring very well. The time between Paige and Jessica’s happy hour and until ultimately the time when the redhead left, really put a damper on the smallest woman’s level of sickness. At the moment, she was curled up on the ground, underneath a blanket to hide the fact that she was crying.

Paige was in the kitchen, trying to make something that Evelyn would actually eat. The brunette was in a weird limbo between being big and little, it was as if both sides of her were clashing. Big Evelyn wanted to lock herself in her office until her cold blew over and little Evelyn wanted to be wrapped in her mommy’s arms. 

Her ears and nose were stuffed up and she had to resort to breathing through her mouth, which was difficult as every breath pummeled her sore throat. It felt as if she hadn’t slept in days and had gotten crushed by a semi-truck. Everything just seemed to hurt.

“Evelyn?” 

Evelyn quickly scrubbed her face to rid it of tears and snot as she heard Paige call her name from the other room.

Not trusting her voice she cleared her throat before shouting back. “Yeah? What do you need?”

The blonde’s head peeked out from the back of the sofa and Evelyn almost gasped in surprise, having not heard the other woman approach her. 

“Mind trying this for me?” Paige asked as she rounded the sectional couch and kneeled in front of Evelyn who sat up in return. “I just want to know if it's too spicy.”

“Sure,” Evelyn croaked and reached to take the wooden spoon from Paige. But it was pulled away from her before she could grab it. She furrowed her eyebrows, perplexed.

“Let me do it for you, Ev. Look, you’re shaking.”

Evelyn lifted one of her hands to see for herself and indeed it was. So much so that the whole spoonful would’ve been overturned onto the floor. At that, her eyes misted and she sniffled a bit.

“It's okay to need a little help,” Paige whispered softly, spooning some red sauce into Evelyn’s mouth and cupping a hand under her chin to catch any residue. “Can you be brave and tell me what’s wrong?”

“It's not super spicy.” Evelyn mumbled and turned away, not wanting to say that sitting up had been a monumental effort that left her head spinning. She closed her eyes and willed the headache she could already feel forming to go away.

Paige noticed the obvious evasion of the question. At that point, she had no idea what to do and it was starting to worry her. The girl seemed gung ho to not tell her her feelings. But she was bound to break at some point. Paige only wished she could help her before she got there.

“Alright, I’ll add some more jalapeño. It’ll clear up your sinuses.” 

Paige heard a small sound of thanks come from where the brunette had once again hidden herself. And presumably started weeping again. Paige wasn’t dumb. She knew that the younger woman had been hiding away crying for the past half hour but there was really nothing she could do about it.

The blonde was almost absolutely certain that if she were to coddle Eveyn anymore than she currently was that the girl would flee. If she hadn’t happened to have been able to age up then it would’ve been so much easier to take care of her. It was odd that she had switched from such a young headspace so quickly though. Which left Paige with an inkling of a feeling that the other woman was actively suppressing that part of her.

It seemed that the only reason Evelyn had regressed that afternoon had been that she simply couldn’t hold herself back anymore. As the weeks went by it was becoming increasingly apparent that she was having a harder and harder time pushing away her littlespace. Which was good, in Paige’s opinion, since that meant that her body was unconsciously adjusting to a space where she could be cared for. But at the same time that made moments like this difficult to ignore.

The brunette was clearly suffering. It was antagonizing not being able to step in and make everything better. The least she could do was stay within arms reach, in the off chance that Evelyn would bring down her defenses and let her in.

She just hoped that that would happen sooner rather than later.

—-

“You wanted help, didn’t you?!” Lauren screamed at Evelyn who was cowering in the corner of the shower. Freezing cold water rained down on her skinny frame, making her shiver and hug her arms across her chest. 

Her lips were nearly blue at that point. It had to have been at least five minutes since she’d been shoved into the bathroom. All she had done was tell her nanny about having a fever. She just needed a fever reducer or a lukewarm soak. 

Not this.

Evelyn had been unlucky enough to have confided with her nanny at the exact moment her mother had walked into the house. That wouldn’t have been a problem if she hadn’t been forbidden to leave her room. Now she was paying the consequences for disobeying.

Being sick really was the worst. 

Evelyn started to sob, her tears left warm trails down her cheeks as she heaved and promptly vomited the little dinner she had been able to stomach that night all over herself. That only served to make her cry harder. Hiccuping, she pitifully stretched out her hands towards her mother, hoping for any kind of sympathy.

“You’re disgusting, Evelyn.” Lauren spat. “Get a hold of yourself. You’re a Woodford for God's sake. Act like one.”

“Mam-mmaaa,” Evelyn babbled, drool dripping down her chin as she watched her sickness be swept down the drain. “P-please let me ou-outttt.”

Lauren crouched down and looked Evelyn directly in the eyes. “Being ill is for weak people, with weak bodies. Nobody wants to deal with someone as pathetic and useless as you are. Don’t you ever defy my orders again. ”

—

Evelyn woke up drenched from head to toe in sweat, tears pouring from her eyes which she hurriedly wiped away. Woodfords don’t cry. Nor do they get sick. She knew deep down that it was ridiculous, her family wasn’t composed of Gods, they were bound to get sick at some point. But it was so ingrained in her brain by her mother’s ruthless tactics that she couldn’t think any differently. 

Her nightmare just solidified her resolve to not let Paige take care of her. She’d been 18 when that whole fiasco had happened. Cold showers were still a fear of hers, and she’d be damned if she were ever forced into one again.

Now that her nerves were calming she noticed that she was fairly dizzy, so much so that simply shifting her gaze made her nauseous. Her eyes widened as she felt bile rise in her throat. Trying to force it back down didn’t work, so she quickly got to her feet to run to the bathroom. Only problem was that the sudden change in posture caused her head to spin. Making it near impossible to walk. She desperately staggered a few paces before giving up and accepting her fate.

“P-Paige!” She managed to yell before throwing up all over the tiled floor. Since she had only had some milk and baby food that day there wouldn’t be a lot to clean up. But that was the least of her worries at the present moment. Swiping a sleeve over her mouth she gave up trying to hold it in and started sobbing.

“Evelyn?” Paige rounded the corner to the living room. “What's wrong?”

“M-Mom-P-Paige I’m s -sor-ryy.” Evelyn wailed and buried her face in her hands as soon as the other woman got close enough to see what she had done. “Did-n’t mean t-tooo.”

That was when Paige noticed the mess on the floor. Her heart ached for the poor girl in front of her. Trying to keep the situation calm, she approached Evelyn slowly and guided her away from the puddle on the ground. “It's alright, Evy. Everythings okay, you’re not in trouble, sweetheart. How about we go get you cleaned up, hm?”

“I-I’ll do it myself.” Evelyn whimpered and shied away from her lover’s gentle touch. Her mind was too fragile to trust anyone to do anything for her, it was as if her old memories were going to the forefront of her brain. She felt as if she were 18 and back in her old house again.

“You don't want to take a quick shower? It’ll cool you down, and make you feel so much better.” 

At that statement, Evelyn started to hyperventilate. Her breaths came out ragged and short. She gripped the hem of her pajamas tightly in one fist, the material feeling like it was constricting her lungs. The situation became even worse when she choked and nearly emptied her stomach once again.

“Evelyn, baby,” Paige held out both of her hands placatingly, unsure if she could touch her partner. “What can I do to help?”

The brunette bit her lip to stifle a wet sob. Her mouth tasted disgusting, so the first thing she wanted to do was brush her teeth or get some mouthwash. She was freezing but profusely sweating at the same time. Getting clean sounded nice, but she wasn’t sure if she could stand water going over her head, especially if it was cold.

“Bath,” Evelyn eventually mumbled. “Not cold, or deep, please.”

“Alright, we can have a nice bath.” Paise easily agreed and began to lead them upstairs. She wasn’t completely sure what the brunette meant by “deep”, but she’d figure it out. “It might feel a tad cold, honey. Your fever is pretty high.”

“No, no! I can’t—please no.” Evelyn chanted, burying her face in her elbow and sniffling. “I really can’t, Paige.”

“I pinky swear that It’ll be super quick. Then we can go cuddle in bed, doesn’t that sound nice?” Paige was basically pleading at that point. Maybe, if she really coddled and prodded while the girl was in a nice smelling bath, she’d slip again. That would be the best thing for both of their sanities.

“Okay,” Evelyn hesitated. “Just- please don’t wash my hair or face?”

“I think we should wash your face, just to get rid of the sweat.” Paige said and sat Evelyn on the closed toilet seat. “Can I do it with a damp towel?”

“Mhm,” Evelyn hummed and closed her eyes as Paige gently dabbed at her cheeks and around her mouth with a hand towel. She vaguely heard the dull thudding of water in the background and assumed Paige had already started her bath.

“Mouthwash or toothbrush?” 

“Mouthwash.” Evelyn responded tiredly, her throat raw and uncomfortable.

“Here,” Paige handed her a capful of blue mouthwash, slightly watered down as Evelyn didn’t like the bite of the mint very much. “Tell me if you feel like you need any more.”

Evelyn swished the liquid in her mouth a few times, nose wrinkling slightly at the sour taste. She didn’t use mouthwash often as she preferred to do a full on brush and floss. Without scrubbing her teeth, she couldn’t be sure that they were clean but, that was the least of her worries that night.

She spit the blue liquid into the sink and watched it swirl down the drain. Much like her stomach and head which were both churning uncomfortably.

“Can I help you take your clothes off?” Paige suddenly appeared at her side after having shut off the roaring water. The sound of silence slightly alleviated the pounding in her ears.

In response, Evelyn lifted her arms and allowed the other woman to peel off her sodden shirt. Her pants were a little more difficult, as Evelyn felt the world spin when she tried to balance on one leg.

Paige noticed her dilemma and effortlessly slipped an arm underneath both of Evelyn’s armpits and supported her just enough to slip her pants down her spindly legs. Those too were drenched with sweat, hence the need for the lukewarm bath.

True to her word, Paige had only filled the spacious bathtub to barely the halfway mark. Shallow enough that it would probably only reach a bit above Evelyn’s hips. It was by no means cold, but it wasn’t exactly steaming hot either.

Paige led the girl over to the edge of the tub, her heart nearly breaking when Evelyn let out a strangled sob at the sight of the water. “It’s going to be okay, Ev. Just a super fast rinse off.” 

Evelyn clung to Paige’s shirt as she was lifted up. Her grip only became stronger as she was lowered down and felt the shallow water graze her toes.

“C-cold!” She screeched as she was sat down fully, desperately clawing at her caretaker’s sleeves. It was an awful sight, the girl was so weak it felt like a kitten was pawing at her forearm.

“Shhhh, just a couple more minutes, Evy. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” Paige felt tears prick at her eyelids as Evelyn frantically tried to climb out of the bathtub. She began to lather her with soap, pressing her fingers into straining muscles and trying in vain to get her to relax.

Evelyn’s sobs picked up in speed and Paige was worried she was going to throw up again with the ferocity of her heaving wails. It was easily one of the worst sounds she’d ever heard.

“You’re doing so good baby, so so so good. We’re almost done. Mommy will make everything better.” Not caring that her clothes would become wet she leaned in and embraced the girl around her shoulders, holding her tightly against her chest.

Evelyn returned the hug and buried her nails into Paige’s back, crying into her shoulder almost violently. 

However, only a few moments later, her body went completely limp. Alarmed, Paige pulled away and saw that Evelyn’s nose was bleeding, the blood traveled down her chin and dripped into the water below.

The brunette’s eyes were closed and when Paige peaked under one of her eyelids she saw that her pupils were dilated. 

Evelyn had passed out.

Deciding that her charge had had enough Paige lifted her out of the water and brought her to bed. She grunted and held her with one arm while the other spread a towel over their duvet.

Thankfully, as soon as she was laid down on the soft covers, Evelyn blinked her eyes open.

“Don’t move your head around too fast.” Paige advised worriedly, putting a hand on Evelyn’s forehead to check her temperature. It definitely was cooler to the touch so they didn’t need to worry about her fever anymore.

Evelyn whimpered and rubbed her swollen eyes with the palms of her hands. “What happened?”

Paige felt herself tearing up again and patted Evelyn’s thigh. “You fainted from how hard you were crying. I’m so sorry for putting you through that. I feel like a monster.”

“It’s okay,” Evelyn reached up and thumbed away a tear that managed to roll down her lover’s cheek. “I know you were only doing what you had to do. I love you.”

“Love you too,” Paige said gently, using the edge of the towel beneath the girl to wipe at the blood sticking to her face. “You don’t feel light headed, do you?”

“No, not really.”

Evelyn yawned as the rest of her body was patted down, dully aware that her muscles were heavy and sore. It had been quite a while since she’d been so sick. She’d gotten food poisoning a few years back but that was the last time she could think of. 

“Do you want to take any meds?” Paige asked after she had finished drying the other woman off. “Maybe just some Tylenol?”

“Nah, I’ll be alright.” 

Truth be told, Evelyn wasn’t sure if she’d be okay, but she didn’t want to have any medicine if she could help it. Her stomach was feeling better and she wasn’t too cold or too hot. She was just tired and achy at the moment, nothing she couldn’t live with for a day or two.

Paige nodded and wandered over to the closet to grab a set of pajamas. “Well then, should we turn in early tonight? I’ll get you ready for bed before I take a shower.”

“Sounds good to me.” Evelyn agreed easily and made to sit up, but almost immediately flopped back down when her head pounded in protest. 

“Woah, careful there.” Paige emerged from the adjoining room and rushed over to the side of the bed. “Don’t make any sudden movements, your body is pretty weak right now.”

“I’ll be fine.” Evelyn croaked and tried to sit up again. “I’m not that weak. I can get myself ready for bed, go wash up.”

This time, Paige gently pressed a few fingers on the brunette’s sternum to keep her lying back on the mattress. “No, baby, you’re in no position to do anything at the moment.”

Evelyn struggled against her lover’s hand, trying in vain to pry her fingers away from her chest. Even on a good day, she couldn’t overpower Paige. Nevermind when she was dyingly sick. She could barely even coordinate herself enough to grab at the other woman let alone throw her off. She wiggled and kicked her legs out, feeling a sob bubbling in her throat at her apparent lack of control.

Paige watched the display and her heart broke further for the girl. Evelyn’s deepset pain was evident in her facial expressions and actions. She’d never been cared for in such a vulnerable state before, her Mother was surely to blame for what was happening in front of her. She simply didn’t know how to deal with being physically unable to do things.

“Shhhh, you’re okay Evy, you’re okay. Oh, sweetheart…” Paige pressed a kiss to Evelyn’s temple and the tip of her nose. The hand that wasn’t holding her in place trailed up and down the dip of the other woman’s slender stomach.

“Nooooo,” Evelyn cried, ceasing her fruitless struggle and instead pressing her knuckles to her eyes. “I’m not weak, I’m not! I can do it by myself!”

“Evelyn, listen to me.” Paige leaned in to hug the girl. “You can’t do it by yourself right now, and thats completely okay. It doesn’t mean that you’re weak. Not at all. You’re one of the strongest people I know. But, right now, you just need a bit of extra help. You’re not a burden, or unwanted. I love you and I’m choosing to take care of you.”

“I-I’m not bothering you?” Evelyn shuddered and wrapped herself around the other woman. “I’m useless, why would you want to stay with me?”

“You’re not useless, Evelyn. Your mother was wrong for treating you the way she did.”

The younger woman stayed quiet for a long minute thinking about what Paige had said. Her mother had conditioned her to believe that she wasn’t worth anything. That she couldn’t achieve anything in life. To that day, she still believed that, deep down, beneath her fortune and fame, that she was nothing.

Seeing the conflicted look on Evelyn’s face Paige leaned down and rubbed their noses together, their foreheads touched and Evelyn let out a shuddery sigh. Her body relaxed and she closed her eyes, tears continued to leak down her face and into her ears but she couldn’t find it in her to care.

Paige decided that this peaceful moment was the perfect time to finish getting both of them ready for bed. It wouldn’t do them any good to stay up when Paige had a sinking suspicion that this wasn’t going to be the worst of whatever bug Evelyn had caught.

After bundling Evelyn up in a pair of soft flannel pajamas and a hoodie (just in case she got cold) Paige tucked her into bed and kneeled at her side. “I love you so much,” Stroking the girl’s wild locks she hummed softly. “I’ll always be by your side, in sickness and in health. You are the most perfect person I have ever met in my life and I’m proud to call you my girlfriend.”

“Thank you,” Evelyn sighed and curled around Jappy, feeling better than she had in the past couple of days. “I can’t believe how lucky I was to have found you. You’re my everything.”

Paige smiled and stood up, pressing one more chaste kiss to the top of the brunette’s head before rushing to the bathroom to rinse off.

Chapter Text

Paige was startled awake a few hours later by the sound of absolutely heart-wrenching sobs. Each cry was hoarse, the mucus coating the other woman’s throat causing them to echo throughout the room.

Blinking the sleep out of her eyes Paige reached over to flick on the lamp sitting on her side table to better judge the situation. Once she did, she saw Evelyn gag on her spit before leaning over the side of the bed and throwing up.

Paige was grateful that she had thought to put a trash can beside Evelyn’s side of the bed before going to sleep that night. It would definitely save her time to not have to clean vomit off of the rug. 

She shuffled over until she was behind the other woman, reaching out and combing back her brown hair to keep it out of the way. 

Worried by how much sweat saturated her once fluffy locks, Paige carefully pressed the back of her hand to Evelyn’s forehead, finding it to be burning hot.

“Oh, Evelyn…” Paige sighed and rubbed slow circles into the heaving woman’s shoulders, hoping to calm her down at least a little. Evelyn was so worked up that she was going to keep making herself sick if she kept wailing as she was.

Once Evelyn was finished, she turned and buried her face into Paige’s cleavage, hiccupping and sniffling into her pajama top which quickly turned damp in a collection of tears, sweat, and drool. 

“I-I’m sorr—ryyy Momm-yyyy,” Evelyn blubbered out, popping two fingers into her mouth and sucking fervently. “s-so-rry, sorryyy.”

“It’s okay, baby,” Paige rocked her back and forth, shushing her softly and patting her back. “Shhhhh, it’s alright, sweetheart, just let it all out.”

Evelyn shifted so that both of her knees were splayed out with her hands resting between them on the mattress, hunching down so she could lay her ear over Paige’s heart. However, this small movement caused her to freeze, her breath hitching in her throat as she started to hyperventilate.

Paige downcast her eyes, thoroughly confused as to what could be wrong. “Ev? Hey, Evelyn, what happened?”

Evelyn didn’t respond, but attempted to push away from her caretaker, leaning her body weight into Paige’s arms which were wrapped around her back in a loose embrace. 

Paige took that as the girl being too hot from their combined body heats, so she hummed her understandment and let Evelyn distance herself. She then gently slipped her soaked hoodie up and off of her body, freeing her from the saturated piece of clothing.

When it was off, Paige expected the brunette’s wails to decrease, but she continued crying at the same pitch and strength as before. Though now she had her arms covering her head, hiding her face from Paige’s view.

“Poor thing,” Paige murmured, trying to think of what she could do and coming up blank. “You’re really having a hard time, huh?”

In response, the other woman started shivering, clearly chilly from the sweat being exposed to the crisp, morning autumn air. This made Paige realize that she hadn’t been crying from the heat of her fever after all, that, in fact, there was something else bothering her enough to make her cry so loudly.

“Evelyn,” She had to try something, even if she was 99 percent sure she wouldn’t get an answer. “Can you tell Mommy what’s wrong? Can you do that for me? I’m very worried about you.”

As expected, Evelyn didn’t say anything. She kept carrying on with her crying fit, gagging ever so often but thankfully not throwing up again.

Paige decided what she wanted to do and held her arms out, curling her fingers in a beckoning gesture. “Alright, c’mere, Evy. Let me hold you, sweetness.”

Evelyn didn’t move. In fact, it almost seemed as if she was actively squirming away from the blonde woman. 

It was strange that Evelyn didn’t want to be held as her girlfriend’s arms were where she felt the most safe. That was especially true when she was feeling this little.

Taking this as an action of Evelyn feeling insecure, Paige took it upon herself to gather the sick girl into her arms to soothe her. She pulled her forward by her armpits, having her sit on her lap in a way that would have them sitting chest to chest.

“See? Isn’t that better.” Paige stroked the length of Evelyn’s quivering spine, taking her time in massaging the tense muscles along it.

When she got to the girl’s lower back she switched tactics and began patting her diapered bottom, knowing from experience that that usually calmed her down tenfold.

This time, though, instead of calming her down, it wound her up. Evelyn sputtered, drool dripping down the back of Paige’s shirt as her sobbing became more urgent and distressed. One more pat to the base of Evelyn’s heavy diaper told Paige everything she needed to know.

The poor girl seemed to have had a different kind of accident than had had before, which explained why she had been trying to distance herself from Paige, and also why she was carrying on as she was.

Paige shifted so that she could stand, picking Evelyn up bridal style to keep pressure off of her messy bottom. “It’s okay, Evelyn, shhhhh. Oh, you’re so sick, my love. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it, I’ll get you changed as quickly as I can. I’m so sorry you’re feeling so bad, honey.”

She kept whispering comforting words to the girl in her arms as she walked to the other side of the room to grab the supplies necessary to clean Evelyn up. Luckily, a few days ago, she had filled a few bags with diapers, wipes, and changing pads and had dispersed them around the house to be prepared for any moment. This was one of those moments. It would definitely be easier to use that than puttering around in a dark cabinet and needing to lean down to look for each item with Evelyn pressed to her chest.

Evelyn had paled slightly when she was picked up, throwing both her arms around the blonde woman’s neck and shaking almost violently as she crossed the room to grab the diaper bag, which was next to their dresser.

“Mommy,” Evelyn cringed, choking a bit on her saliva as she was set down exceedingly gently on her back onto the bed spread, a pillow slipped underneath her head.

“I know it's scary, baby,” Paige hummed, unzipping the small duffle and taking out what she needed. “Mommy knows.”

“Y-you c-an’t, M-Mommy. ” Evelyn wailed, closing her eyes and gripping the front of her shirt to soothe herself, rubbing the fabric between her fingers harshly. “I-’is g-gr-oss .”

“I can’t leave you like this, Evelyn.” Paige said quietly, reaching for Jappy and pressing him into her hands to give her poor shirt a break. “It may be uncomfortable, but I really don’t mind, sweetie. You’re not gross, you could never be gross to me.”

Evelyn processed Paige’s statement as new tears streamed down her face and filled her ears. Of course, she was horrified with the idea, but she trusted Paige with her life, and if she said it was okay, then it was okay.

“I-’m sorry, M-ommy, s-ssorry.” Evelyn mumbled one last time and relaxed her legs, allowing Paige to do what she needed to do.

“It’ll be over soon, Evy.” Paige assured her as she pressed her forearm on the underside of Evelyn’s knees, pushing her back just enough so she could slide a changing pad beneath her.

It took a little longer than usual to clean Evelyn up, and quite a few more wipes, but it all went off without a hitch. 

Soon enough, Paige was pulling Evelyn’s pants back on and throwing away the dirty diaper. And, after washing her hands, putting all the supplies away, and replacing the trashbag in the waste basket on Evelyn’s side of the bed, she tucked herself and Evelyn under the sheets and cuddled her close.

“Love you.” Evelyn sniffled and wrapped herself around Paige’s body, rubbing her sticky face into the space between the older woman’s collarbone and shoulder.

“I love you too, sweetheart.” Paige nuzzled into the top of her lover’s head. “So much, always.”

—

The night had been… difficult, to say in the least.

Evelyn had woken up another half dozen times to throw up over the side of the bed. Paige would get up each time to hold her hair out of her face, whispering words of comfort to her as she cried and vomited her guts out.

The sunrise had not been a welcome sight for the pair, both of them equally exhausted from waking up so much throughout the evening. Evelyn could barely hold her head up enough to drink and Paige almost nodded off as she was sitting on the toilet.

All in all, they were both a mess. This was the worst stomach bug Paige had seen in her life which made her feel a little out of her depth and anxious about the state Evelyn was in. She was weighing her options of whether she should take her to the hospital or wait it out.

Suddenly, as she was dabbing Evelyn’s forehead with a damp compress, she got an idea.

Lindsay was a doctor in the ER, meaning she would have a ton of experience with onset illnesses like the one plaguing Evelyn’s immune system. She also hadn’t had an overnight shift that day, so she would probably be available to swing by and run a few tests.

Evelyn had fallen back asleep as Paige was wiping her down, which was good, but Paige didn’t want to leave her alone by leaving the room to call her friend, so she instead chose to text her.

[To: Lindsay Toros]

[Paige]: Hey can I ask you a favor?

It took a few minutes but, as Paige’s eyelids started fluttering shut, she got a response.

[Lindsay]: Sure, what's up?????

[Paige]: Mind coming over and doing a checkup? Evelyn is really sick

[Lindsay]: Of course! Lemme grab a few things and I’ll come over. Gimme an hour???

[Paige]: You’re a lifesaver thanks so much 🙏

Paige gave a sigh of relief, glad that she didn’t have to try and get Evelyn out of the house with the state she was in. It would surely be uncomfortable for the girl because she was still firmly little. If worse came to worse, Paige hoped that whatever doctor assigned to Evelyn would be one of her old coworkers.

But, she shouldn't be thinking about that right now. That was worse case scenario and Paige was sure it wouldn’t get that severe, especially if Lindsay was coming by to help out.

Paige must’ve dozed off somewhere in the middle of her pondering because the next thing she knew her ringtone was blaring from somewhere on the ground.

The blonde scrambled up and hung upside down from the mattress to swipe her phone up. She must’ve fallen asleep with it in her hand for it to have gotten all the way down there, right? She really couldn’t remember for the life of her.

Anyway, at the loud noise, Evelyn was woken up. She snuffled for a second and Paige held her breath, hoping she’d turn back over and go to sleep again, but luck was not in her favor.

Evelyn whined and tears flooded her eyes before she tipped her head back and wailed. The wailing soon caused her to gag, and a second later she threw up over the side of the bed again.

“Oh, sweetheart…” Paige sighed softly, reaching over to hold the brunette’s hair out of her face as she emptied the last of her stomach into the trashcan. When she was finished, she collapsed onto her side, trembling from head to toe.

Knowing that Lindsay was most likely calling because she was waiting at the front door, Paige carefully lifted Evelyn up, pressing her stuffed animal into her arms before hurriedly heading downstairs.

Chapter Text

Evelyn did not like being picked up, which was made clear by her nasally moans of distress. She kicked fruitlessly for the other woman to set her down, but Paige painstakingly ignored her, rushing to the front door as fast as she possibly could.

Once she got to the foyer she fidgeted one handedly with the door locks for a minute before finally pulling the large door open. This revealed a smiling Lindsay with a small tote bag slung over her shoulder, though her smile almost immediately faltered when she caught sight of the pair.

“Oh wow, you guys look terrible.” Lindsay said as she stepped inside, kicking off her shoes before approaching the couple with outstretched arms. “Here, lemme take her, you know you’re swaying, right?”

“Thanks,” Paige breathed, carefully depositing Evelyn into her friend's arms. “It was a tough night.”

“I’m sure it was,” Lindsay agreed and carried Evelyn to the living room, laying her down on the sofa and beginning to take a few things out of her bag. “How long has she been sick for?”

“Four or five days, but the vomiting only started earlier today.” 

“Has she had a fever?”

“Yeah, she’s been sweating non-stop since yesterday morning.”

“Okay,” Mel scanned Evelyn’s forehead with a no touch thermometer, glancing at the number. “Her fever isn’t too high right now, only around 100.2. Did you try having her take a lukewarm shower to help cool her down?”

Paige grimaced, not wanting to relive that disaster. “We tried a room temp bath, but she passed out a minute or two in.” 

“Damn,” Lindsay’s face creased in sympathy. “Poor thing.”

Lindsay continued her methodical check up process, shushing Evelyn gently whenever she whined or squirmed. Thankfully, the youngest woman trusted Lindsay and didn’t put up too much of a fuss during the whole procedure.

“So, what do you think? Is it just a cold or do we need to get medication?”

“Honestly,” Lindsay shrugged and began packing away her stuff. “I think it's a case of the flu. She’s congested and can’t keep anything in her stomach but, ultimately, there’s nothing we can do except try and avoid her getting pneumonia.”

“Thank God,” Paige collapsed onto the sofa and closed her eyes. “I was really worried she’d gotten some kind of infection. I’ve never seen a sickness this severe.”

Lindsay sat on the ground in front of them. “Well, you never dealt with patients except for in a surgical setting. And med school was so long ago, but I see this all the time. It's nothing to be worried about, I promise.”

At that moment, Evelyn suddenly sprung up on shaky legs, beelining for the closest bathroom across the hall. 

“Crap,” Paige groaned and started to get up, but was stopped by Lindsay who held a hand up for her to stay put. 

“You focus on resting. I have nothing else to do this afternoon so I’ll stick around and help out.”

Paige smiled gratefully, leaning back into the sofa. “You’re an angel sent from heaven, you know that?” 

Lindsay opted not to respond other than a grin and instead jogged to the bathroom where she could hear retching noises. There she found Evelyn hunched over the toilet spewing a stream of bile into the bowl.

“M-ommy?” She blabbered, tears pouring down her pale face. It was taking all her strength just to sit upright, the room was spinning and she just felt so icky that she would do anything for it to stop.

“Your mommy's resting, baby girl, but I’m here to help you.” Lindsay kneeled behind her sick friend, letting her put her weight on her when it seemed like she was going to fall backward. Having her lean back against her also presented a new problem—Evelyn’s diaper was wet.

After Evelyn finished heaving and sunk back into Lindsay’s arms the other woman reached around her and flushed the toilet. She noted that the girl had barely thrown anything up at all, which meant that her stomach was basically empty at that point. What they needed to do now was change her diaper then see about getting her to drink something and maybe take a nap.

“M’mmy?” 

“Hmmm?” Lindsay looked down at the quietly whispered question, getting to her feet and rocking back and forth soothingly. Once she was picked up again Evelyn whimpered quietly, her tears ramping up in volume as Lindsay bounced and shushed her.

“You’re okay Lyn, you’re okay,” Lindsay hummed as she made her way back towards the living room. She noticed fondly that Evelyn had her shirt collar clutched in one of her fists and that she was weakly mouthing at her shoulder.

“Let's grab you a pacifier and get you changed, alright sweet thing? Paige! Where do you keep the-” The pair were stopped in their tracks at the sight of Paige fast asleep on the sofa. Her feet were up on the coffee table and her head was reclined over the back of the couch, her mouth was cracked open and, if they listened closely, they could hear her snoring mildly. 

“...changing supplies. Wow, she fell asleep quick.” Lindsay whispered, draping a blanket over the blonde woman’s frame and catching Evelyn’s fingers before they could grasp at Paige’s sleeve. Of course, that action made Evelyn whine, not sure why her mommy wasn’t paying any attention to her.

Lindsay tiptoed into the kitchen and held a finger to her lips in a shh motion. “Mommy's sleeping Evy, we gotta be quiet. Like ninjas!”

That statement got a giggle out of the sick girl, her tears forgotten for the moment. Her fever too seemed to have gone down a lot as well, which was a great sign. Hopefully, since she was feeling a little better, she’d be receptive to some water and maybe some applesauce or something.

But, before any of that, they needed to get her diaper changed before she got a rash. Only problem was, Lindsay wasn’t sure where any of the changing supplies was. She was sure there was some in the bedroom upstairs, but she didn’t want to make the trek up the stairs or leave Evelyn alone to go by herself. The bathroom they were just in didn’t have any supplies either that Lindsay had seen.

Looking around their new surroundings Lindsay’s eyes fell on the playpen in the far corner of the room. She almost hadn’t seen it because there was a green line of decorative plants shielding it from immediate view.

That sight was promising and so Lindsay wandered over to it, shifting her eyes around to try and find a bag or bin that could have diapers and such inside of it. And low and behold! Right next to the gate of the playpen laid a small duffle bag with stars and moons all over it. It was definitely a diaper bag if Lindsay had ever seen one.

After hooking the bag over her elbow she stepped over the short, mesh siding of the playpen and gently deposited Evelyn onto the padded ground. Before she began she thought of something that made her furrow her eyebrows. What if Evelyn wasn’t comfortable with Lindsay changing her. After all, it was a pretty intimate and vulnerable position she was in. 

So, Lindsay leaned over to lock eyes with her charge. Hoping beyond hope that she could somehow get her approval. “Are you alright with me changing you, baby girl? It’s totally up to you. We can go wake up your mommy too, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind in the slightest.”

Evelyn blinked up at her with her watery lashes, a thumb coming to rest against her parted lips though not going further. The girl was deep in thought, and after a minute or two of silence Lindsay began to stand up in order to wake up Paige. Though, before she could even push herself to her feet, a shaky hand reached out and grasped a tendril of her hair.

Lindsay awed and craned her neck down, eskimo kissing Evelyn’s nose and leaving a chaste peck on her forehead. It surprised her only slightly when Evelyn, eyelids now closed in concentration, took a deep breath and then answered, head nodding back and forth in approval. “T- thank you, Lindsay.”

“You’re very welcome, Evelyn.” Lindsay fell back on her haunches and smiled after she was given the okay. “Thank you for trusting me. I know this must be difficult for you.”

The rest of the process went easily enough. Lindsay did everything as fast as she could and in only a few short minutes she was pulling Evelyn’s pants back up and putting the dirty diaper and wipes in a plastic bag. Evelyn, meanwhile, had her arms covering her face. The tips of her ears were completely red, and not from her fever this time.

After throwing everything away and washing her hands, she returned back to Evelyn who was sniffling quietly though, when Lindsay approached, she wiped her cheeks and nose on the inside of her elbow, trying desperately to look like she hadn’t just been crying.

It was obvious that the girl had aged up a bit, what with the talking and her blushed face, but Lindsay sat next to her anyway and rubbed a soothing hand over the other woman’s stomach. “Hey,”

“Hey,” Evelyn hiccuped and nibbled on her fingernails, tears still gathering in the corners of her eyes.

“How’re you feeling?”

“Better,” The brunette sat up and brought a nearby stuffed animal into her lap. “My tummy doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“That's great!” Lindsay cheered and hugged her friend to her chest, happy that she melted into the embrace instead of shoving her away. Evelyn usually wasn’t the most cuddly person, and it had even taken a good amount of time for her to warm up to Paige. It spoke volumes that she was letting herself be held so closely.

The two of them sat silently together for a little while, long enough that it was nearing lunchtime and Lindsay’s stomach started to rumble.

“I gotta get a bite to eat,” Lindsay said and begrudgingly seperated herself from Evelyn, sticking a hand out to help the other woman to her feet. “Would you be up to drinking something for me?”

“Maybe, I don’t wanna throw up again.” Evelyn worried the collar of her hoodie in her mouth, her eyes shifting towards the living room. “Is Mommy sleeping?”

It seemed that Evelyn hadn’t fully aged up, but she was definitely significantly older than she had been earlier. It would make it way easier to care for her now than if she were nonverbal like the past handful of hours.

“Yeah, she’s napping. After we finish up in here we can go join her.” Lindsay explained and bit into an apple, opening the fridge door with her other hand. There wasn’t much except ingredients for things, and Lindsay wasn’t really up to making something so she closed it and riffled through the pantry.

While she was in there, she noticed a couple cans of ginger ale and a sleeve of saltines, which she gathered into the crook of her arm along with a bag of chips for herself.

“How about these, Evelyn?” Lindsay presented her findings to her and waited for a response, which came in the form of a grimace and whine. “What about just some water then? You gotta stay hydrated or you’ll feel even worse.”

“Fine.” Evelyn hmphed but nodded all the same, the tip of her thumb slipping between her lips as she watched from a nearby bar stool.

Lindsay fished around in the cabinets, pulling out a bowl for herself and pausing when she reached for a glass. “Do you want a bottle or a glass, Evy?”

Of course, Evelyn blushed at the question and turned away, clearly mortified to have been asked such a thing. It seems like it had slipped her mind that only the other day Lindsay had fed her milk from a bottle.

“No need to be embarrassed,” The older woman plucked a bottle from the shelf and began filling it from the Brita. “I love you just the way you are, sweetheart.”

Evelyn’s cheeks flamed and she looked away, distracting herself by lightly drumming her ankles on the bottom of the stool she was sitting on. 

It didn’t take all that long for Lindsay to finish getting everything situated and, soon enough, she was grabbing Evelyn’s hand and leading her to the living room. There, they saw that Paige was still in the exact same position as when they had initially left. 

“Lets let her sleep,” Lindsay whispered to Evelyn who had started pulling her towards the blonde woman. It was clear she had been exhausted from the night before. Her body was probably trying to fight off some variant of the sickness Evelyn had so it made sense she didn’t have as much energy as usual. 

Evelyn’s lip wobbled and she took a few calming breaths to keep from crying again. “But…” 

Lindsay jumped to defuse the situation, plopping down on the sofa a foot or two from Paige and opening her arms invitingly. “Here, wanna sit on my lap? We’re still close to Mommy, see?”

Thankfully, Evelyn didn’t have it in her to fight on the matter, instead slotting herself sideways on her friend’s lap and opening her mouth expectantly.

“Sweet girl,” Lindsay cooed once she realized what Evelyn wanted her to do. Not wasting a second, she popped the teat in between Evelyn’s lips and watched her suckle on the soft rubber. Every once in a while, Lindsay would gently remove the bottle from her mouth, not wanting her to upset her stomach by drinking too fast.

The chips remained perched on the coffee table but Lindsay didn’t make a move to grab them. She stared adoringly down at Evelyn as she drank her water, her eyes closing rapidly at the soothing action. Lindsay too was quite drowsy herself and, before she could help it, her head fell forward onto her chest.

Light snores filled the room as the three women slept the afternoon away, everything was quiet, and peaceful. And, for the moment, all was still.