Things Change
#11 of Ester Series
Things Change
((Ester, Diana, Jamie, Lillian, Ruth and June are all my original creations and copyrighted to me. Please do not use them or redistribute this story without consent. This is the Eleventh story in the Ester series, Preceded by Big Trouble and the end of Arc 1 for the series. Please keep checking for the start of Arc 2 coming soon.))
Things Change
By TerraMGP
"Why didn't you tell me any of this? What on earth were you trying to do? I have a right to know these things!" Everyone in the small apartment stood in awe as Ester, small shy and soft spoken Ester, continued her frantic tirade. "Mommy why, just tell me why you never brought it up. Is it me, did I do something wrong?" Lillian wasn't exactly sure how to answer at this point. Looking on at Ester now so hurt and scared, not to mention angry. In fact it was almost impossible for Lillian to recall a time when her daughter had been outwardly aggressive. Even when girls picked on her the small mouse would usually just cry and seek some form of comfort, never really acting genuinely hostile towards anyone else. "You never kept anything from me before Mommy, never! Why didn't you tell me about Aunt Ruth and Aunt June?" Ester took a few steps away from the woman, her eyes a strange mix of shock, mistrust and pain that all but broke the feline woman's heart. What made it even worse was that she could see that the heart of her little mouse was already shattered.
Lillian finally moved closer to her young girl and gave her a small hug, eyes shut tight doing her best to comfort her only daughter. "Sweetheart please understand that I didn't do anything to intentionally upset you. Honestly it never seemed to be something that should really concern you. After all it really happened so long ago, You were just a little girl." Lillian sighed and stroked her little girls cheek gently giving her a small smile. "Dear.... Dear please you have to understand that mommy loves you. You didn't do anything wrong, not one thing. Its not your fault that mommy didn't tell you about it she just..." This was a talk that the woman had been dreading for years. She knew that Ester would find out about her past relationship at some point, it just wasn't something she expected to deal with so soon. Lillian had really hoped not to deal with it at all, but it seemed some people decided it was perfectly acceptable to start snooping around, and worse yet to blurt it out to Ester without understanding the whole story. The woman had to remember to take some time and talk to Diana later, though at the moment Lillian had much bigger priorities.
Ester quickly pulled away from her mother and turned to look at her mother in the eye still chocking back a fresh sob. "If its not a big deal mommy then you would have just told me to begin with. What did I do wrong Mommy. It wouldn't have mattered that you used to go out with Aunt Ruth and Aunt June. You didn't tell me so something must be wrong. What did I do wrong? Did you stop dating them because of me?" It wasn't exactly a rational assumption, but it was the only thing that made sense to Ester at this point. The mousette got a small wrench in her gut as she watched her mother flinch, confirming her worst fears. This was all wrong her mother didn't lie to her, didn't keep things from her. Whenever something happened her mother would tell her about it. Even when things were dark or rough Lillian would trust that her little girl was strong enough to handle it and confide in her. So now that she had found out her mother had kept something so big from her, what could she trust? How did she know that mommy was telling the truth when she promised to stay safe at work, or when she tried to tell her that getting picked on was no big deal. She didn't even know if she could trust what she had been told about her birth parents having died in a crash. Nothing made sense anymore, and all the small mouse girl could do was sit there and stew in her rage, fists clenched tight to hold back her screams of fearful rage. "I.... I can't trust you Mommy. I don't even know if you really love me." she whimpered out softly, tears fulling the girls eyes as she dashing into her room without another word.
The words clearly struck their mark as Lillian sat in wide eyed shock, tears streaming down the felines face slowly. "Ester...." the word stuck like a thorn in her throat, choking off the ability to say more. Lillian couldn't do anything more than hang her head in her hands and begin to sob as she ran that horrific statement over and over again in her head, trying to rationalize what had just happened. Her little baby was unsure that she was loved, that her mother would protect her and keep her safe. How could any mother live with something like that on her mind? Seeing Ester so emotionally wounded and scared was almost too much to take. There were very few things in life that Lillian had ever been afraid of, but the idea of her own little girl being afraid to trust her had never even crossed the woman's mind.
Diana looked up at Lillian instantly regretting the pain she had caused to them both. This was not at all what she had expected to happen. Sure it would have been nice to see Lillian stew a bit over some sort of long-buried secret, and even seeing Ester a bit pissed for once might have been rather enjoyable. "Look, Lil. I'm sorry I got Est so pissed off at you. I didn't think..." Even she knew that any excuse she could have made at this point would sound utterly moronic. She had screwed up, and it hurt people, and it was nobodies fault but her own. Diana took one more moment to gather up her thoughts before pushing herself up from the big comfy couch cushion, walking over to her girlfriends door and giving a few hard knocks. "Hay Est, I know this is kind of big but, well, you think we could talk?"
Lillian Peterson stood nervously in the small, rather cramped main office of what she assumed had been a church trying to find anything she could to take her mind off of the nervous knots forming in her stomach. It didn't help that she already felt so out of place. Standing around in dirty chefs whites now painted an obnoxious shade of green thanks to a stick blender that apparently had a rather large grudge against avocados. Lil let herself stand there in silent, almost dumbfounded awe of her own situation and the growing lack of certainty she had about it. Was this really the right thing? Was she making some huge error of judgment based on a few sappy TV shows and the hearsay of a couple co-workers? Granted the feline had always taken cautious risks with at least a measure of ambitious optimism. It was really the only way to get ahead in the culinary world, being tough and competitive regardless of the curveballs life decided to throw at you. So once again Lillian had to ask herself why she was willingly stepping in front of what could only be a wild pitch. For that matter why was she suddenly reverting to baseball metaphors? She didn't really like the game, nor did her parents for that matter. Before she knew it Lillian had managed to work her line of thought into such an incomprehensible torrent that it was hard to know just what she was thinking anymore. All she really knew was that this was sounding like less and less of a good idea, and she was about ready to leave.
"Miss Peterson?" Lil nearly jumped out of her skin feeling a paw coming to rest on her shoulder without what she would have considered in her current state as ample warning. Quickly the woman turned around only to sigh slightly in relief at a rather kindly looking old man in a nice tweed suit and a small conservative nametag. "Miss Peterson I am sorry if I startled you. I know the atmosphere of this place can be a tiny bit unsettling at times, Especially considering the age of our little facility. What with all the movies painting churches as beacons for the supernatural as opposed to pillars of the community." the man said as he smiled leading Lillian along the corridors.
Managing to force out her best nonchalant smile Lil simply nodded to the elderly rabbit and took another quick look around the office doing her best to project an air of composure. "Well really I wasn't thinking anything that bad mister... Jordon," she said as she read the mans name off of his slightly worn tag. "Truth be told I am simply a little nervous about just how it is I'm going to handle all of this responsibility. I mean I've taken quite a few big steps in my life, but this kind of dwarfs them all you know?" Of course it was doubtful the man realized just how big a step this was, or how dangerous. Adopting a child was what she wanted, Lillian had no doubt of that in her mind. It would change things, her personal life would have to change drastically, not to mention the financial changes that she had to make for this. Everything from her spending habits to how she acted during day to day life and even planning for the future. In spite of all this, the thing that scared her though was the possibility that she would be denied. Unfortunately people like her were not exactly prime candidates for adoption, even if the orphanage had been handed over to the state it was doubtful that they would give a child to a ‘confirmed batchelorette' such as herself. Thankfully she could always come up with excuses. It was easy to simply brush off any questions about her lack of a relationship, or it was in theory. But still Lillian worried that something would come out, she was sure that she would say or do something to give herself away. The woman had to be aware of everything she said and did, even while trying to be as casual as she could, all to make sure that she would not lose her chance at parenthood even before she got it.
Mr. Jordan simply nodded a bit as he led her down a few older hallways into what could only be described as an odd mix between elementary school and college dormitory. Each side of the hall itself seemed to be littered with older wood doors, and between each door rested a row of lockers, most likely for the older children here who actually attended classes. Still as Lil looked into some of the rooms she couldn't help but notice that some of them seemed to be laid out as simple bedrooms with room enough for multiple children rather than the rows of desks and chalk board that one might almost expect in such an atmosphere. "It seems rather quiet around here right now." Lillian mused to herself more than anyone. "I'm not coming in the middle of scheduled classes or anything am I?"
The older man simply scoffed a bit and shook his head, almost amused by how obviously unprepared the woman was for this whole situation. "Not at all Miss Peterson, not in the least. You see while we do have some rooms in the additions that were built on, much of the actual layout of our orphanage had to be changed when the Catholic Church was forced to turn the facility over to the state. Sadly we could not continue operations with the number of tithing followers dwindling in the area. But God did provide, in his way. Yes we were forced to change a few of our classrooms into bedrooms and change around a few of our books but we are still open and the children are ok. Nothing else really matters as much in the end." Lil listened to all of this in quite shock, not even aware that orphanages got funding from places other than the federal government. She started to speak up only to bite her tongue and think a bit better of it just in case she were to strike a raw nerve of some sort. "Really Miss Peterson if you hope to care for a child you might want to consider relaxing a little bit. If a simple story makes you that tense then I would hate to see what the day to day responsibility of motherhood would do. Take it from me, these children can be blessings, but they pounce on fear, just like little grubby sharks." Lillian found it rather difficult to derive any comfort from that little pearl of wisdom, but she also suspected none was intended to be there in the first place. The two kept walking towards the end of the hallway where Mister Jordan finally stopped and placed a paw on the pushbar, looking up at the young woman again with an almost sly expression on his face. "If you do wish to reconsider for any reason Miss Peterson, now would be the time. I would like nothing more than to give one of these wonderful children a loving home, but I also refuse to give them up to anyone that I think will provide anything less."
Lil knew she had doubts. Doubts about what kind of mother she would make, doubts about just how well she could deal with the stress and strain of keeping up a career and a child more or less on her own. Hell she even had to admit a few doubts about finding a child that would be a match, as horrific as that sounded in her head. Not even two hours ago Lil had been sure of this being what she wanted, more sure than she had been of anything else in the world. She wanted to be a mother, more than she wanted to be a chef, more than she wanted to have her own restaurant, more than anything else in the world she wished to have her own child to love and care for. As a lesbian this naturally meant the most responsible and prudent choice was to adopt. These children were not only in need of parents, but most had gone though horrible things in their lives which made the need for loving, nurturing homes even more important. Really though at this point all of the justification and psychological maneuvering with herself meant next to nothing. Lil was scared, she was more afraid than she had been in her entire life. Yet as she looked on at the large doors in front of her and saw the old man standing there with that strange smirk on her face, Lil knew that she had to do it, she had to swing for the fences. She realized at this moment just how much her fears were changing. Looking at the kindly old hare just staring at her, holding the keys to her chance at motherhood. Now all fears of being denied were gone, replaced with her terror at just what kind of mother she would make. Lillian realized this could just as easily be a trip to heaven as it was to hell. "Alrigh Mister Jordon, lets go, I‘m ready."
Diana really wasn't too sure how she had expected all of this to go, but she was sure it wasn‘t this. She couldn't stop herself really, the idea of pulling back the curtain and showing the little mousie that they were just as much freaks as she and her were, to maybe convince her to do...something, though she wasn't quite sure what. It was simply an opportunity she could not pass up. Hell, other than a little shock Diana had figured this would give her a way to spend some more time with Ester. Better still it was bound to make Lillian and the others squirm, and how could she pass up that opportunity? As far as she knew Ester already knew the three of them had gone out in the past, and this was just a little tidbit to further illuminate her as to the nature of Lillian's old relationship. Somehow Diana had never thought any of this would end up hurting her, let alone sending her off into some blind panicked flurry of tears. "Well, that could have gone better." she finally blurted out, pulling herself off of the floor near Ester's room and letting out a sigh. "What made her so upset anyways? I mean its not like she did anything wrong, So your history with Ruth and June is a little more complicated than you let on. Its not like she just found out she's... you know what? I‘m not going to finish that thought." Diana sat back down, deciding that it really was not best to really over think any of this. She already felt horribly guilty for making her little love cry like this, and she was not going to do anything until she could be sure that her actions would set right whatever wrong she had done.
Lillian could see the internal conflict written all over Diana's face, but frankly she had too much frustration with the girl to really care at that point. Walking over to where the girl sat Lillian picked up the hood and shook it in front of Diana's face, already growling in frustration. "What exactly do you think your doing huh? I mean come on, even if I did think that you found this by accident while hitting the breaker, Why on earth would you show this to Ester? For that matter how do you even know what it is?" Lillian finally groaned and just threw the object back at Diana with a hint of tense frustration. "Its one thing to go digging around in my stuff, but what the hell possessed you to blurt all this out to Ester. Are you just trying to fuck with her head?" The feline sighed softly as she walked into the kitchen, taking out a dusty bottle of whiskey and unscrewing the top. It was a gift, something she knew was good quality and well made, but something that she also disliked drinking on most occasions. Unfortunately it was the only thing in the house that Lillian was sure could calm her nerves. In one fluid motion a shot glass hit the table, followed by a nice long poor of the whiskey, and then one flash later the entire shot was downed and the glass placed hard on the countertop.
"Mind if I get some of that?" Diana asked as she heard the glass slamming back down. It wasn‘t really the best time for joking, but then what else could she do considering how utterly enraged her loves Mother seemed to be. Not to mention that really it was only a half joke. At this point Diana really could go for a nice hard shot of whatever it was she just heard slammed down on the counter. That oddly familiar little noise provided a bit of homey comfort. Still that really didn‘t solve any of their problems, and if anything Lillian having a drink was only going to make things worse. Diana decided that it was a better idea to simply take matters into her own hands. Hood in hand Diana stood and moved to the kitchen, holding up the hood once more so that it would be in plain view. "You know you can't get that pissed off at me. Like it or not you're the one who lied to Ester about your relationship for most of her fucking life. What did you expect to happen?" Diana asked narrowing her eyes "Its your god damn fault shes so upset, and worse yet your being a hypocrite. I know what this thing is for, You spend all this time bitching at me, you are into the same stuff aren't you?"
"Don't you dare, you do not get to say things like that Diana, you simply do not. I have done the best I can for my daughter, and if I keep some things from her then its because I love her and I decide it is what's best for her, you understand?" Lillian was about ready to scream, her voice roaring with rage and hands trembling. "Ester is my child, and I don't need parenting tips from the girl who hit her in the face just to get her attention. A girl who thinks she can drag my little baby down into something shes not ready for , who can push herself on someone precious to me because she obviously doesn‘t give a damn about anyone but herself. You don‘t, do you Diana?" Lillian poured herself another shot, but then quickly shoved it to the side, refusing to let herself lean on alcohol, especially at a time like this. "Your right, I didn't tell Ester about what happened. She doesn't need to know either, she didn't then and doesn't now. I only hope and pray things don't get worse." She picked up the phone and moved over to the couch once more, sitting down and dialing up Ruths phone with one trembling digit. "You know if you want to make yourself useful you could always try to talk her out of there. It would be a lot better than sitting there trying to figure out how to get your paws on that whiskey."
With that little barb Diana threw the hood off to the side and looked over at Esters door, leaning against the kitchen doorway with a sigh. She grumbled a bit about the remark before yelling back. "Jesus Christ Lady, Ya think I don't care about her? If I had known what was gonna happen I wouldn't have done it okay! Give me some credit at least. The thing that galls me is that you all had this dirty little secret, and instead of being "open and honest" you just let it simmer there. That's something I expect from my Mom, not you." The girls lips would tighten for a moment, staring down the other woman before reaching out towards the whiskey bottle. She stopped, staring down at the pale liquid now resting menacingly in the glass not an inch from her hand. For a brief instant she contemplated just downing it, this instinct quickly replaced by a shiver of dread and disgust before dumping it out and putting both bottle and glass away. Sadly it was true, she was the one that ended up causing this whole mess. Loath as she was to admit it, Diana was the one who pushed all of this out in the open, and now everyone had to finally face it down after almost a decade of pressure building up. Looking back on this whole thing Diana realized it was just plain stupid for her to think that this wasn't going to blow up in some way. Still Diana could not help but shake the feeling that she had opened Pandora's Box, or worse yet dragged her lover down into her own personal hell.
Ruth leaned back on the ratty old couch and groaned as her throbbing muscles slowly loosened up. After pushing herself hard all week it probably wasn't a good idea to see if she could break in the gyms new leg press, but with another competition right around the corner she really had no way to resist the temptation to get her legs up to scruff. The plus side as usual was that no matter how hard she pushed herself at least the large woman had a good woman to come home to. "Hay, I could really use a beer and a shake in here." Ruth bellowed putting her massive feet up on the coffee table as she scanned the surrounding cushions for the almost mythically illusive remote control. It took another few minutes for her to reluctantly admit that yet again the damned device was gone until the next spring clean, and thus resigned herself to whatever was on the channel last watched. Thankfully though Ruth was given something far more pleasant to look at, watching as a gorgeous figure sauntered out to her, collar around her neck and large can firmly in paw.
"Ruth..." Lillian whispered handing the can over to her friend and, more recently, owner. "Would you please keep it down a bit? I just got her down for her nap." She waited for Ruth to take the shake before giving a token kneel, bowing her head a bit for just a moment and then quickly taking her place in the seat next to her large ursine lover. This was all rather new really, not that they hadn't been dabbling with this kind of thing for a while. Playing around with handcuffs and floggers was one thing, but it had only really been a couple weeks that they had taken it out of the bedroom and into the rest of life. Of course the whole process had been quite a bit rockier than what Ruth had expected, especially considering the other rather large decision that Lillian had made only two months ago. "You know Ru... er... Mistress. I was thinking that perhaps we could take the baby out to the interactive children's museum downtown this weekend after your competition. I saw a commercial for it while I was cleaning and it looked like a lot of fun. Besides that book I got said children need to start early if you are going to develop appreciation for things like science and literature." Lil smiled a bit at the thought of going with her new little ward someplace that would have been so exciting for her, just leaning back and starting to think of just thinking about her little one running around between the exhibits, wide eyed and full of wonder. The young feline woman couldn't help but chuckle at her own imaginary vision of a fun afternoon outing.
Ruth took a few sips of her protein shake feeling her newly collared pet cuddling in close to her, managing to half-listen to the usual little rant she got when she was done at the gym. "Ok Lil, first of all she's not a baby. The girl can walk, talk, and use the bathroom on her own. She's a toddler at best. Second you know that I already have a party right after a contest, and odds are good I'll be too hung over after that to spend a day in a building full of screaming kids and pissed off parents. Third..." she said as she gave her pet a sharp slap on the face, just hard enough to surprise her. "I thought I had ordered you to bring me a beer as well. Not just the shake." This was about what Ruth had expected to happen the day Lillian made up her mind about adopting. Even when Lil started going though this whole process Ruth never bought the Felines constant assurances that this girl would 'only take extra attention for a little while.' Granted this attempt at something deeper and more serious than their previous flings together as roommates wasn't all bad, but now with her head pet to be fawning over some kid all the time Ruth had to admit she was starting to feel a bit neglected. "Look never mind. June said she was coming over after work so that I could take both of my little pets out for a nice dinner. I already talked to the Lains upstairs and they agreed that they could watch the kid for a few hours if we wanted them too, and they have that nice girl she can play with. Come on Lil you've been running yourself ragged all week taking care of that little squeaker, you deserve a little time with your loved ones right?" The young Mistress gave her slave a big, toothy grin and another hard hug as if to drive her point home, hoping that this could at least bring back some semblance of normalcy.
Lillian reluctantly pulled to the side, just enough to look into Ruths eyes for a long moment. "I... I don't know Mistress. I mean it does sound nice to go out, but really Ester is so young, I don't feel comfortable leaving her with people I really don't know that well. Not to mention doing it on such short notice. She isn't even really that used to me yet, I mean you've seen how she acts when I try to read to her or make her food. Not to mention all these people she doesn't know coming in and out of the house every day." The feline shrank back a bit as she noticed the rather sour look that last comment had drawn from Ruth, looking away bashfully as she tried to phrase her thoughts in a less offensive or inappropriate manner. "All I am saying is that I don't think a girl who can't even fall asleep in her own bed without me there should be left with people she does not know after only spending a month in her new home. This is a lot for any child to absorb, especially one who's not even in preschool yet. Ruth..." At this point Lillian was doing all she could not to cry. Like it or not her thoughts kept returning to that small, weak, frail little creature sitting in her nice new Pjs laid out her little bed. "I don't want to make her new life any more hectic or chaotic than it has to be, that's all. Not after all Ester has gone though. Maybe if you give me a couple of days to get to know the Lains first, find out a bit more about them. I have a light prep load on Monday anyways, I'd be able to make all the arrangements and everything." She punctuated the statement with a simple, sweet kiss on her owners cheek, hoping that the other woman would understand just how important this was to her.
Once again Ruth realized that it all came down to the child. Under any other circumstances Lillian would have jumped at the opportunity for a nice romantic dinner with her Mistress and sister slave. But as always the strange maternal kick had decided to rear its ugly head and reaffirm itself as the highest priority in Lillian's life. It was at least nice to see Lillian with something she could care about so deeply but really Ruth found it frustrating that this love and happiness was coming from some little girl, essentially a stranger, in the next room rather than from serving herself like Lil should have been. "Ya know Lil, its fine really. June and I can go out this time and you can watch the pipsqueak. Then you'll have plenty of time to talk to the Lains before we go out again, and you won't have to spend all night trying to find a phone and call and check in." Ruth did her best to smile at the idea, but it was quite obvious to both of them what Ruth really meant. Lillian simply smiled and bowed down onto the floor again to kiss her owners feet as they sat there, before standing and smiling again. "I'm going to go make sure she's ok then, and maybe get a few dishes done. Just please do me a favor and don't open any beers right now. I really don't want Ester around that kind of thing."
The painfully thick fog of tension was clear as day upon entering the living room, even to someone as imperceptive as Ruth. It had been a bit of a shock with Lil calling her up on such short notice without giving her anything more than a few panicked and incoherent words. Unsurprisingly the feline woman's panic was accompanied by Diana being present in the house, though Ruth was instantly taken aback by the fact that both of the women were standing together near the door to Esters room, talking softly with each other and looking quite worried. "Were here lil, so what exactly is going on?" Ruth began walking towards the door to her Goddaughters room even as June walked in behind her hanging her jacket up and following close behind.
Lillian cast another small gaze at Diana before looking back at the large ursine woman and giving her a hard hug. For the first time in ages the two older women witnessed their friend fighting against a total breakdown. "Ruth... Ester found out about us, and she... she just kind of..." Before any of them knew it, the feline found herself pushing into large chest of her former lover and sobbing uncontrollably as the massive arms wrapped around her. "I don‘t know what to do. She‘s so mad, and she won‘t let me help her. Ruth I‘m scared. I just can‘t do this, I cant stand to see her this hurt. I just want her to let me in so I can make things better for her." It was quite clear to them all at this point just how helpless Lillian felt now. Without another word Ruth started to guide her best friend along towards the couch once more and sat her down without any room for protest or resistance. It took a little while for the heartbroken young mother to stop trying to pull herself back up but Ruth made sure that she stayed put holding on to her tightly. June watched this while taking her friends place beside the door and looking down at Diana with a sharp accusing glare.
Thankfully Diana was far too distracted by her own concern for Ester. Knocking on the door with her knuckle again Diana just slumped back down between the door and the wall behind her listening remorsefully to the small sobs at the other end of the door. "So you guys really didn't tell her about any of this? Yeah I know its none of my business, but it is hers, and the poor girl has a right to know about it. Finding out your mom had a thing going on with your godparents, I mean come on a girl like Ester..." She let out another frustrated sigh and shoved her hands into the pockets of that jacket with another surge of frustration. "The least you could have done was sit her down at some point and tell her that you guys had something going on. Its not like you had to go into details right? Nobody was going to twist your arm about all the M rated version or anything like that. Hell, even I could tell you that she would react like this." Feeling this indignant about what she had discovered might not have been the absolute best way to go, but Diana really didn't care at this point. It just didn't seem right, even when talking about her birth parents being gone Ester never seemed this shaken or hurt, but this was just so different. This was something the poor girl obviously could not come to terms with and it was killing the chipmunk to see it.
This little speech was not well received by June, who leaned against the wall and continued to glare at the standoffish girl sitting on the floor. "I don't see what business it is of yours. Whatever Lil already told you, that was something that should have remained between the three of us, and has no bearing on the relationship we now have with Lillian or with Ester. Do you really think that your Mother tells you everything about her relationships before her father?" Diana winced a bit at that and stood up with an aggressive huff before turning to the side and storming into the kitchen grumbling loudly under her breath. June watched her go and then turned back to the door without paying any real attention to what she considered little more than a laughable temper tantrum. "Ester, are you doing ok in there?" the Stoat woman asked in the closest approximation to a motherly tone that she could muster. She gave a few more knocks on the door and then tapped her foot softly finding it harder and harder to mask just how lost she was. "Come on sweetie its your auntie June. You can talk to me right? Whatever it is we can all talk this out, right?" June pushed her ear to the door and started to listen softly, hearing a small stop to the crying, followed by a painfully loud thump as something struck the door hard right where June had chosen to place her ear.
That same loud bang brought everyone else back from their own troubles. Ruth stood up quickly and walked forward towards the door placing a paw against the knob with a small growl. "Ester, Ester you need to open this door. You hear me young lady? You need to open up and talk to us." June managed to walk her way back to the hallway though held on to her ear hard the whole time, letting out a small whimper as the ringing started to die down. Everyone gathered, but the mousette on the other side remained totally quiet aside from the occasional sobs, showing no signs of movement or indication that she intended to open the door. "Ester I'm not going to tell you again. We all need to talk. Now open this door and let me in." The firm request was met with the same silent defiance as the first, punctuated with a small but audible grunt of upset frustration. "Young lady," Ruth sighed as she noticed the absolute disinterest of her suddenly defiant Goddaughter. "You have to the count of three to open this door. Its that or I'm going to open it myself you understand?" Lillian, June and Diana all looked at Ruth in shock as she said this, eyes wide in utter confusion. For a moment Lillian and June were both convinced that it was a bluff, though Diana started to back away from the door a little. "This is it Ester, last chance to open the door. One... two..." Just as Ruth was about to smash her way in, she felt a paw resting on her shoulder, accompanied by the telltale sound of her beloved June clearing her throat. Looking behind her Ruth saw the rather agitated stoat standing there with a long thin hairpin in hand, giving the bear a rather sour look. Ruth simply let out a sigh of frustration and reluctantly grabbed the pin, shoving it into the small keyhole and popping the simple push-lock open without any amount of trouble. She gave June one last look to make sure she was not forgetting any other glaringly obvious bits of data before walking into the room and sitting down on her Goddaughter's bed. "Ester we need to talk about this. There are a lot of things you need to know."
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"Look Ester I told you already, I found it when I was looking for the breaker. it's the same kind of thing I saw in those pictures that Ruth showed me. Hell, it's the exact same one that I saw in those pictures. Trust me, something is going on, and I am positive it all leads back to your mom and your aunts." Diana was stretching things a bit by claiming she had stumbled across the hood, but the fact remained that she had found it, and it did imply quite a few powerful things. For one thing it meant that all of the things she and Ester tried to do in their private campaigns and such were really the same kinds of things Lillian had participated in when she was younger. That little note of hypocrisy alone was worth quite a bit to the girl considering the iron-tight vice of ‘mommy knows best' that seemed to hold every one of her girlfriends thoughts. Even a shred of doubt cast on the felines aura of infallibility would be enough for Diana to get a little more fun in with Ester every now and then. Since Ruth and June were the ones partaking in this little bit of debauchery along with her, Lillian might even have to admit that having them as chaperons would be a massive hypocrisy and ultimately pointless. Diana had to try quite hard not to drool at the thought of so much raw power, not to mention the more practical factor of how laugh your ass off hilarious the situation was. "Est, I'm telling you I saw this hood in those photos that Ruth showed me. The only possible explanation I can come up with is that your mom was doing.... Whatever they were doing.... With them. Doesn't that concern you at all?
Considering it had only been one day since the whole fiasco in the kitchen Ester really wasn't too interested in having any sort of stress stacked on top of her mothers already apparent anger. But between the new washer that would have to be put in, the ice cream machine that needed a new top and worst of all Ester was still having nightmares about just how badly she could have gotten hurt, nightmares that only Mommy could really diffuse. To Ester it seemed like she had quite enough to deal with as it was, without having to consider Diana telling her some odd story about masks and games and her mommy doing... something. "Diana, I don't know what that thing is, but I am sure that there is a reason why Mommy had it in her closet. I mean it looks like its used for Halloween or something. Maybe the pictures you saw were just from some sort of costume party. Besides Mommy never did anything with Aunt Ruth or Aunt June. I mean you like that stuff with me cause we're, well... you know. Mommy is just friends with them, that's all." it was true that Ester really had very little knowledge about the things Diana had been trying with her from that D&D book, but she did understand that it was something that was done between people in a relationship. Ester didn't recall her Mommy ever mentioning anything about a relationship, and since there were three of them the notion itself really didn't seem to make any sense anyways. "I could see Aunt Ruth and Aunt June playing like that maybe, but they have been together a long time, and Mommy never said she dated either of them. In fact I don't think Mommy has dated anyone in a long time." Ester pushed the hood away and smiled softly, fairly confident in her own logic by now and satisfied that whatever Diana thought was going on, it was simply a little flight of fancy.
Honestly it was times like this that Diana wondered how she had managed to fall so hard for such a shockingly naïve girl. "So wait, Est are you telling me that your mom didn‘t even tell you about her relationship? Look Mousie I'm sorry but you are going to have to face the facts at some point. These photos make it pretty clear that they were together at some point before you came along, and not just your Mommy dating one of them. It was a full blown harem, and your mom was Ruths little bitch. She didn't just have a relationship with them, it was a full blown Mistress/slave relationship. She didn't tell you about it, and she is telling you its not ok to play a game about something she herself did in real life, frequently enough that they started taking pictures." It took Diana a few moments to really shake off the painful knot in her loves logic. Unfortunately for Ester this whole convoluted fixation she had on her mothers innocence was moving past the point where the Mousette could justify it in her head, and Diana knew it. "Look, Ester, Take a look at this hood. It doesn't have any eyeholes. There is a zipper on the muzzle. If someone wore this then they would be blind. They would struggle to hear anything and if someone else wanted to they could just zip up the muzzle and make it so they couldn't speak. Now I will admit that it might be some sort of reference to an obscure comic book character or some character from a book or something. But you have to admit that's not likely. Just think about it sweetie. Your mom has this hood that was in the pictures, and someone had to take those pictures. That means your mom was there. Ester I saw pictures of June with her face in a toilet. Do you really think that things like that happen in a party?" She saw the Mousette hesitating for a moment and quickly bopped her on the back of the head. "The answer is No Ester, they don't. People don't do things like that at costume parties. They do that when, well when having a session."
The more Diana talked, the more Ester struggled and reeled for any sort of plausible rationalization that made more sense than what Diana was telling her. Not that it wasn't confusing as hell to begin with, considering how she was supposed to believe that people let themselves be shoved into toilets and hit with a whip in real life for fun. Not that Diana hadn't done worse to her character in D&D, but that was just a game of pretend, something to pass the time and let everyone try things you could not . "Diana I.. I don't know. This whole thing sounds so absurd. Mommy wouldn't hurt June, and she wouldn't let Ruth do it either. People don't do those kinds of things for fun anyways... not in real life. Besides Aunt Ruth and Aunt June have been together for a long time, and you can't have three people in a relationship. That isn't how it works." once again the rationalizations poured from the young girls lips as she frantically thought of every reason she could for Diana to be wrong. In truth she even seemed to be winning, considering the fact that her arguments seemed to make so much more sense than the alternatives. That was perhaps why both girls were shocked as the tears began to trail down that tawny brown fur and fall softly to the ground without any warning or true provocation. "Diana, Mommy loves me. She Loves me and she would never keep anything from me, not ever. She loves me way too much to... to lie to me or to keep secrets. I trust her, she's always right.... She...." It was too much at this point. As much as she tried to deny it Esters mind kept slipping back to that mask, and to her beloved mother. It ran though all of the things Diana had said each time seeming to confirm that they all made more sense. Somehow she knew that Diana was telling the truth, that her mother really had been keeping this from her for years. With practiced speed Ester quickly threw herself into the arms of her beloved and began to weep hard and openly against the bigger girls chest. For a few moments that small and slender fist would pound away at Diana's shoulder, only to stop and instead grip against the firm leather of the Chipettes jacket seeking some kind of support. "She... Diana she did have something with them, didn't she? Mommy had a relationship and she didn't tell me. But then that means she had to.... And that she.... Because of..." Ester bit down on her lip and pulled away quickly, storming out of her room and knocking on her mothers door. "Mommy!" she yelled with a rage and frustration that was quite foreign to the girls voice. "Mommy, we need to talk, now!"
Another muffled cry came from beneath the thick material of the hood as a fresh batch of hot, stinging wax met the stoats firm little rear, causing June to cry out once more in sudden pain and shock. This was how Ruth liked to see her little pets, blinded and helpless to do anything but suffer however she decided was best. "That's right little bitch. It hurts doesn't it? You know I got the beeswax ones to try, just for you. Maybe next time you won't protest when you think something is a bit too tame" The ursine dominatrix laughed as she watched June, now bound up and helpless on the bed with her ass held high in the air. June struggled to pull herself free from the thick leather restraints that held her legs together and bent painfully at the knee, but still the bonds held firm, made worse by the arm sleeve that Ruth had used to keep her totally immobile and firmly in place. All of this struggling was made worse by the sudden and unpredictable jolts of agonizingly hot wax that now seemed to seep though her fur and onto bare flesh. It really was a pure and unadulterated agony, yet at the same time she knew that this was the true pleasure her beloved Mistress had to offer the two of them.
Ruth took one more moment to admire her handiwork in silence, letting the sting of hot wax worm its way into Junes mind before pushing the large blunt end of the candle against her little stoats clenched pucker, forcing it in deep enough that it would stay put and allowing for any wax to drip off against that sensitive rear. "Good girl June. Just keep that ass up. I think you need some time to stew while I attend to your sister." Leaving her little stoat to stew a bit, Ruth slowly walked over to the nearby chair, grinning ear to ear as she looked at the poor feline woman now bound tight to it. Her arms shackled tightly to the arms of the chair and legs held apart by an extra long spreader bar, leaving Lillian totally exposed to the her cruel Mistress. "Now see? Isn't this so much better Lil? I told you that your little one would be fine spending the night at her new little friends house, and now you have all the time you need to be a good little girl for your owner and sister slave" Ruth ran two fingers along Lillian's exposed and already moist folds, licking her lips before pushing them slowly into the velvety walls. "That's so much better. I know you got so wet seeing me abusing June. You must feel so left out by now. Don't worry though Lil, Mistress is going to make things all better."
Before she knew what was happening Lillian could feel the tight bondage tape muzzle holding her mouth shut being ripped away, releasing the loud and unbridled cry of forced pleasure. Her already aroused and excited body forcing itself against the large fingers that pumped in and out of Lillian's helpless depths, hammering away with all of her strength and leaving Lil to squirm and buck her hips savagely against the extended digits. "M-mistress... its, its so good. Please, please use your little toy harder. Please she needs it" the young feline growled, her voice nearly reaching a scream of pleasure with each wonderful bucking lurch. It had been so long, too long, since the three of them had any time alone to really enjoy each others company. Now she was free to simply revel in her own meek submission, subjecting herself to the whims of the larger woman who so often forced the other two into line. It was simply bliss to now lay back and let herself be used without any worry beyond the whims of her cruel, loving partner. "Mistress... what do you plan to do with us?" Lillian breathed as the thrusts began to slow down. Ruth licked her lips a little and slowly withdrew her fingers from the needy woman watching her writhe and gyrate helplessly.
"Well first of all, I'm going get you in a more comfortable position" Ruth chuckled, undoing the bonds from Lillian's arms and putting them back behind her, keeping her totally immobile. "There now, is that better my pet?" The bear asked in a sweet, almost honeyed tone even as her massive hand wrapped itself into Lillians hair, forcing the feline out of the chair and over the edge of the bed in one smooth, powerful movement. Before she knew what was happening Lil found herself with her own ass in the air, face pressed next to that of her hooded sister slave looking into a blank black face with a mix of terror and wild excitement. Ruth watched this, pacing like a predator animal from her place next to Lil and all the way over to the small bag which served as their cache of toys and tools. She made sure Lillian was watching as a large, almost painfully thick strap on was removed from the confines of the bag. None of them spoke as she donned the toy, making sure it was tight and secure before giving the air a few practice stabs, as much for Lillian's benefit as Ruths. "There now my little bitch. Lets see if that ass if yours still knows how to take a toy."
Ester really didn't like all of this. She didn't like having to sleep over at the scary apartment with the strange people. Not that Miss Peterson wasn't a stranger too, but at least she knew that the woman was a safe person to be around. The Lains seemed nice enough, especially Jamie who kept trying to get Ester to play with her toys and dollys even when the young mousling was too scared. It was just too much change to take all at once, between leaving the orphanage and finding a new home, and now having to spend the night at someone else's house. That was probably why it felt so wrong to sit there in her PJs under a sandwich of two big blankets trying to watch Aladdin in a strangers home. She just wanted her own bed, or at least the one that was supposed to be hers now. It wasn't really as familiar, but at least it was better than this.
"Psst, Ester. Hay Ester. You want some pop corn?" Jamie watched Ester as the shy girl looked up from the little patch of carpet she had been fixated on for the past half hour, staring instead at the kitten sitting about a foot away from her under the same blanket sandwich, holding out what was to them a very large bowl of pop corn. "Come on Ester. it's a movie. Yous gotta have pop corn. Just have a few bites." Jamie had no idea why this poor girl was so scared. When her parents talked to her that morning they had said she was going to be a new little friend to play with, but it didn't really seem like Ester wanted to play at all. Of course a lot of things about Ester were strange, like how she only had a Mommy, or how she called her Mommy by her last name like her parents said to do with the daycare lady. Her Daddy had said it was because Ester was adopted, but that really didn't seem to make sense either considering what she had seen on sesame street about adoption and how those mommys and daddys were the same as any other. "Ester... is everything ok? You seem really upset." Jamie finally said as she set the bowl down in between them. "Do you want me to ask for a different movie or something?"
Ester simply shook her head to the request and let out a small whimper. "N-no thanks Jamie... I dun wanna upset your parents. I think Crackers and I..." She stopped for a moment and started to look around, unable to find her special plush toy mouse anywhere. She pulled back the blankets, then pulled back the second blanket under them to look there. Ester moved around to look under her pillow, then the coffee table and even behind the popcorn, tears welling in her little green eyes. "Crackers? Crackers where are you? Crackers? W-wheres... Wheres my Crackers" she finally started to bawl, hugging the blankets as hard as she could and burying her tear stained little muzzle into them.
Jamie quickly pulled the popcorn aside, ignoring many of the kernels that fell onto the floor and giving her new intended friend a big hug. " Ester its ok, just calm down and relax. Whatever is wrong we can take care of it" she said in a calming, helpful manner. Slowly Esters tears began to subside and her eyes cleared up, a small smile appearing on the mouse lings muzzle. "Good, that's better, now who's Crackers?" Jamie asked softly. One thing her Mommy had always said was Jamie had a way of making people feel better, and she took a lot of pride in that.
Slowly Ester let herself come to her senses before looking at the feline and biting her lip. "Crackers is my friend... she's, she's the dolly they gave me at the orphanage. They said I had her when they found me. She's my best friend Jamie, I can't go to sleep without her." No sooner were the words spoken than another crying fit seemed reach its apex, this one quickly overtaking Ester as the end of her sentence was accented by the girls hard hyperventilation.
Jamie quickly shook her head and shushed the poor girl quietly not wanting to hear her cry, or to wake up her parents for that matter. "Ester is ok, I'm sure she's fine. I didn't see you come in with her, maybe she's downstairs at your house." Jamie was quite shocked by how fast Ester found her way to her feet, the panting and sobbing slowing down slightly as she quickly ran up to the door and twisted it open without another word. Jamie tried to stop her, but unfortunately got wrapped up in the blanket that rested on top of her, causing her to trip and knock the bowl of popcorn all over the floor as she took a spill of her own.
Though nearly falling more than once, little Ester found her way down the stairs and quickly managed to run towards the door to her own apartment, thankful that Miss Peterson had made her memorize the number before hand. Putting both paws on the knob Ester pushed and pulled on it as hard as she could, struggling to turn the thing enough so that she could slip her way in. It took a few tries, but finally she was able to force the door open and slip her way in, looking around the dark living room for a few moments to make sure nothing bad was hiding off in the shadows. Once everything seemed relatively safe the small mouse bolted her way across the eery expanse of living room and into the hallway that separated the two bedrooms. Mercifully her own door had been left open, and she was able to slip in without any real problems, other than her own fear of what might be lurking in the dark. It took a few moments for her to adjust once more once she got into the room, sure that some dark monster was lurking somewhere in the semi-familiar space. In spite of what she could not see though, Ester could indeed see the one thing that she had hoped to, her precious Crackers sitting there on her bed next to the pillow. All fear was quickly forgotten in that moment, the poor girl dashing forward and scooping the small plushie up and giving it a full body hug. "Oh Crackers, Crackers your ok. Thank goodness. I was so so scared. Don't you ever ever do that again, not ever never ever ever." She held the doll tight for a few more moments, just sniffling and kissing her doll on the cheek and settling into the bed. She took a few moments to look around the room to make sure nothing bad would jump out at her, moving slowly across the small space only once she had managed to get her courage up. Over the next few moments the young girl slowly paced her way though the darkened house, making it almost to the door just as the apartment filled with the sound of a blood curdling scream.
The feeling of the huge shaft crammed so deeply into her tight, out of practice rear opening left Lillian feeling so raw and sore. God how she had missed it, the pain of the forced entry, the constant dull ache as the thick shaft pumped its way in and out over and over. Every thrust she could feel Ruth breathing down her neck with those large firm breasts pushing up against the felines arced back. "M-mistress please... mercy..." she sobbed "Please, show no mercy... h-harder" Ruth it seemed was more than happy to oblige, her hips rotating and gyrating over and over again as she sought to claim her pet for each day they had been forced to put this glorious night off. Lil could feel it all too well now, her hips pushing back and pleading for more only to be greeted by another hard violating thrust. "Mistress.. Y-your so wonderful. God this feels so good. I never thought that I could..."
"Mommy?"
Lillian looked up, and for a moment time seemed to stand still. She saw Esters face, the face of her little girl standing there in the doorway, eyes wide as saucers as the image burned its way though them and into her fragile little mind. All of the pleasure from the instant before, all of the joy and release melted away into a wellspring of shame and hurt, guilt that ran deeper than any description. The seconds seemed to move by at a crawl as she watched Esters arm falling at her side, the small plush figure it had held so tight dropping from her grasp and landing like a slab of granite on the bedroom floor. For one last long moment Lillian kept her guilt filled eyes locked on the beautiful, innocent eyes of her beloved daughter, only to watch a moment later as they slowly rolled back into her head, followed by the mouses little body going limp and falling slowly to the floor. Lillian felt so cold for a brief instant, numbed by the shock and horror of what her daughter had just witnessed, of what she had done to her own poor, sweet baby girl. Without realizing it Lil began to pull her arms savagely at the ropes binding her wrists together even as Ruth attempted to hold them still so she could undo the knot. Somehow between the two of them they managed to get the bonds loose enough so that Lillian could wrench free her sore and rope cut wrists free. She yanked herself forward from the bed and hit the floor almost instantly, landing stomach first on the ground. The next few moments were a blur, but somehow Lillian managed to find herself right next to Esters limp body, checking her franticly for signs of life before holding the sweet unconscious child close to her chest. "My baby... My poor baby girl. Someone, someone call a doctor!" she yelled out while stroking Esters cheek, lost in a sea of weeping and grief. "Its ok baby, Mommy is here. Mommy will protect you" the feline whispered, realizing at that moment that this had been the first time Ester had called her that.
Diana watched Ruth walking into the room, and then a half second later watched her mousie running back out, slipping past the stunned crowd standing in front of the door and down the stairs. Without a word the Chipette took off after the girl out of the apartment and down the stairs as fast as she could. It was shocking how difficult it was to keep up with the normally clutzy girl. "Ester wait, seriously stop for a second. Damn it Est just stop already!" With a bit of a lunge Diana finally managed to wrap a paw around her girlfriends wrist, pulling her back and wrapping her arms around the poor mousie to keep her firmly in place there in the middle of the parking lot. Naturally Ester struggled a few moments, twisting and turning until finally she realized that she could not break free and slowly slumped into her beloveds arms. "Ester its fine, your fine. Just stop running already everything is ok." The Chippette quickly spun the mouse girl around and looked into that pretty face so full of tears. "Just calm down ok? Relax. You can't keep running away from this. I know you, its scary finding all of this out. Its scary because you don't know what to think anymore. Trust me I get it. But..." Diana took a few moments to just hold the girl. She didn't really know where she was trying to go with these thoughts, it was simply her heart doing what it could to comfort the poor scared girl though something. Diana was surprised to realize she understood so well. "Look, Ester, Your mother is still the same woman she was this morning. Nothing has changed, She didn't do anything different to make herself a new person. Is it really so bad that she had a relationship with someone else? Granted this would be a couple of someone's." Diana managed an awkward smile in the hopes of getting her love to smile back in kind.
Sadly Ester found it hard to smile as she held on to the bigger girl and bled a few more sobs though her system. "Diana they didn't tell me. They didn't tell me any of this and then went on as if nothing happened. I...what am I supposed to do when its my fault Mommy had to be by herself like this? Its all my fault that Ruth and June left her. If it wasn't for me..." She bit down on her lower lip as the words resonated in her mind. "If it wasn't for me Mommy would be married with them, or something. They would all be together and be happy." The poor mouse looked away and fought back the tears of sad frustration coming from her realization that so many problems really were her fault. "Diana, what am I supposed to do?" She felt the bigger girl wrapping those strong arms around her and let out a small whimper. The sobbing slowly came to a stop in her loves arms, the mouse girl finally relaxed enough to accept the comfort that was all but forced on her.
Diana took a few more moments before pulling the girl in closer and tilting her head up to look deep into those bright green eyes. "Do? You don't do anything. You need to just accept that sometimes... things happen." It was probably the corniest thing that Diana could possibly think of, but it was the truth. It felt strange for the Chipette to have all this insight coming to her at once without any apparent provocation. Though considering the apparent calming effect it had on Ester Diana was not about to complain. "Look Est I don't know all of the details. I can't give you any answers and even if I did it wouldn't do any better would it? I can tell you you are loved though. Each and every one of those people up there love you Ester, they love you and care about you enough to come over and try to explain what happened even though its obviously awkward for them. They care enough to almost break down a door in an apartment your mother doesn‘t even own." She tilted the Mousies head so that her poor little girlfriend was looking up at her and then let a small smile cross her own muzzle. "Your Mom loves you Ester, Your Godparents love you and I love you. Whatever else might happen you need to remember that." Ester took a moment, struggling against the hug and closing her eyes before finally slumping down and letting out a fresh sob.
"Diana I don't... I don't know what to do. I just feel so confused. What did I do that broke them all up? What did I do wrong?" She nuzzled into the bigger girls cheek softly and let out a small sigh. "I just messed everything up. Its my fault that they aren't together now. If it wasn't for me..." Her sobs began again at the thought of what could have happened if she had not driven her mommy away from the two women she apparently loved. The small mouse was only silenced when she finally felt a hard kiss pushing against her lips, leaving her weak-kneed and trembling as Diana so often did. The two found themselves at the curb before the kiss broke, Diana's hand slowly moving up and down, caressing Esters back.
"You don't know that." Diana said firmly. "You don't know what would have happened if you had not come along. For all you know things could have been a lot worse. Still, you do know they love you, and they are all still around so really I don't see any reason to be so upset. Whatever is happening, or has happened before I know its going to get better ok? No matter what happens you are going to remember that you got me?" Diana felt her little love pulling away from her and let out another soft sigh. "Look, your mom made a mistake. Parents... aren't perfect, in the least. Trust me, I know that all too well. Your mom made a mistake, she lied to you, but that doesn't mean she does not love you or you can't trust her. It may be a little hard for you to take, but she's only mortal." She felt the smaller girl stop squirming and just stayed in place a little bit. "Now come on, lets go back upstairs ok?" she said as she pet her loves cheek and pulled her up to her feet, grinning and touching her nose to the other girls softly. It didn't really matter what problems she had. Ester was hurt, but in the end she had so much love around her, Diana just knew that no matter what happened things would work out.
The small mouse girl smiled a bit as she looked up at her beloved mother with a huge smile spread across her face. "So the doctors say that I'll be ok Mama? I'm sorry I scared you like that. You were really crying a lot when I woke up." The last thing Ester remembered before blacking out, other than her mothers voice, was picking up Crackers whom she had apparently forgotten to bring with her up to Jamie's house. That thought alone was enough to really frighten the poor girl considering that this was apparently followed with her simply blacking out. However Mommy had been there, and she took Ester over to the doctors office right away, so it seemed like she was going to be ok. For some reason Ester actually found it to be quite a relief to wake up with her mommy so close beside her, still crying and talking to her to make sure that the poor little mouse was ok. "Mommy, are you sure its ok with you if I sleep in the big bed with you? If I get scared I mean. I know you said before that big girls sleep in their own beds"
Lillian let a small smile cross her lips and leaned down to kiss the little mouse right between the ears, giving her a soft nuzzle before nodding. "Well yes dear, but your still my baby, and you will be no matter what. And babies cal still sleep in the big bed with Mommy if they get really scared." Even as she said this Lillian slowly started to pull the covers in tighter around the precious little angel she had adopted. Ever since the incident it seemed that she simply could not get enough time with the little one, or make her feel as safe as she should. For a while Lillian had actually worried that her feelings were more out of guilt for what had happened, but honestly looking into her sweet baby's face now, there was no way that she could doubt her own reasons. Ester was her world, her precious little girl, the light of her life. She knew that the moment she laid eyes on her for the first time in the orphanage, and seeing her there now so safe and warm gave Lillian a joy she simply could not describe.
"Mommy, I love you, and Crackers says she loves you too." the little girl said softly as she held on to the little plushie tightly. This praise was instantly met by a soft lick along esters ears, followed by a second one running along those of the small plush figure. "Hehe, awww mommy." Ester sighed "I really can't wait to go to the museum tomorrow. You think I'll be able to get to sleep?" Esters questions were answered by a simple hug and another warm smile, the kind that just sent a small shiver of joy up and down the girls spine.
"I know you will dear, your going to be so excited you'll get tired" Lil laughed as she sat up and put away the book she had been reading to her baby girl. "But I want you to do mommy a favor, alright? I want you to remember one very special thing for me. Its something Mommy hopes you will try very hard to remember no matter what happens" Lillian couldn't help but smile at the bright eyed little girl as Ester sat up, already filled with such anticipation.
"What is it Mommy? What is it? I can remember it I promise. I'm good at remembering things." Ester giggled and squirmed around a bit in bed, sure that whatever it was had to be something very important. She giggled again as Lillian simply pat her on the head once more, reveling in the affection her Mother seemed to lavish on her.
"Alright dear" Lillian said as she gave the girl one last lick on the cheek. "I just want you to remember this. I'll love you forever, I'll cherish you always..."
"For always and ever my Mommy you'll be!" Ester blurted out happily, managing to mess up the last little bit of the book, though neither of them really cared too much. Ester just squirmed again in shear joy and curled up on her side with Crackers clutched tightly in her arms, murring a little as she played the story over again in her head.
"That's right dear. For always and ever. Now get some sleep, we have a big day tomorrow." Lillian smiled from ear to ear as she stood up and walked over to the light switch, lingering for a moment to take in one last long look at her daughter for the night. As corny as some might have found it, Lillian had to admit that the book was right. No matter what happened, and no matter how much time passed, Ester was going to be her baby, forever and always.