✅ The Last New Start [NaNoWriMo2021]

96. Tradition

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay on this chapter; I had to reread all the previous Christmas chapters to make sure I hadn't already mentioned what was for dinner, and once I started I couldn't believe how many typos and errors I found. So I've edited some of them now, and today's chapter is still ready today; it just wasn't done by midnight.

Tess pouted about being put back in diapers, but she knew she shouldn't argue. She could use the potty now like a big girl – and every time she thought about it that smile flashed back across her face – and it wouldn't be long before Gabby had to admit how big she was. Before long she was all dressed up like a big girl again, and she was sure that after she'd made it once, that must mean she wasn't as little as she'd said before.

She stood up and straightened her clothes, and asked if she could walk back downstairs by herself. She wanted to prove what a big girl she was, and she felt that holding on to Gabby's hand would take away from that a little bit. Gabby didn't object, and went downstairs first. Tess grabbed onto the bannisters just in case she stumbled, but even with the big bulk of the diaper pushing her legs apart she managed to get all the way down by herself. Gabby cheered her from the kitchen doorway, and promised that she would be back to play with them soon. Tess could smell that food was cooking, so she didn't want to ask Gabby for anything else right now. She went back into the lounge, and found Ffrances happily playing with their stovetop, trying to fit one of the dolls into a saucepan. She didn't quite fit, but the baby kept trying all different ways around.

"Trying to cook?" Tess asked, and her little sister just laughed. "I went potty all by myself! See, I'm a big girl now."

Ffrances clapped, but it wasn't clear if she understood. Of course, she didn't need to. She was just here to enjoy being a baby, and Tess was going to be the best babysitter ever. Not having any more accidents was going to make that a lot easier. So she went over and helped Ffrances, bending the doll into a sitting position so that she would fit in the pan now. She added a couple of plastic sheep as well, and Ffrances decided to put in a watch that they'd found earlier. Tess didn't know what she was cooking, but the little one seemed to be very sure about what would go well together.

"I think it's nearly dinner time," Tess said. "Are we going to make something special? You get special food for Christmas sometimes, so it's got to be extra special." Ffrances paused for a second, deep in thought, and then reached up for the most special thing she could think of. She was wearing a crown, something fit for a princess, and that would surely make a soup fit for a queen. Tess couldn't fault the logic, although she was vaguely aware that it wouldn't make much sense to a grown-up. Unfortunately it wouldn't fit in the pan, but that problem was solved as soon as she noticed that it would fit over the top, like some kind of lid. She didn't need to think any more about it, because she knew that what they were cooking would come out just perfect.

"Dinner time, baby!" Gabby called from the kitchen, and both girls looked up right away. "Oh, are you already cooking? What did you make?"

Tess carried the pan over with a little giggle. She knew she was being silly now, but she didn't let herself worry about it. She was little enough not to care. She gave Gabby the pan, complete with the silly things in it, and then went to help Ffrances put a bib on ready for dinner. She didn't think she would need one herself, she was a big girl now. But she could help her sister, and make less work for Gabby. Helping out was the best thing about being little, Tess was sure now. No matter what came in the future, she knew that she loved being able to help looking after a baby.

Dinner started with soup. Maybe it was even the soup they had been making; although Tess wasn't quite feeling giddy enough to believe that. It was a weird pink colour, and it was really nice, but she didn't think she'd tasted anything like it before. She asked, and Gabby said that it was beetroot and cranberry; a family recipe and a little tradition, even if it was different from everybody else's. It was pretty nice too, just a little bit sweet. Ffrances just giggled, while Tess and Gabby took turns spooning it into her mouth. She wasn't big enough to hold a spoon by herself, but she was trying extra hard to be good, so they didn't make too much mess.

Proper Christmas dinner varied around the world, but there was always a tradition. Tess had lived in so many places that she didn't really have any expectations now. And it was another memory from when she was really little when Gabby brought in a roast duck. Grandma Forton had always said it should be a goose, something straight out of A Christmas Carol, but she'd never been able to afford one. So Tess still had memories of her grandpa helping the old woman preparing a duck for a huge number of uncles and cousins each year. That was something that made it a very special meal. If she was any older she might have wondered whether Gabby chose it deliberately to awaken those childhood memories, or if her parents had followed Grandma Forton's example. But right now, Tess was simply too excited about having a special dinner and she knew that she was going to love it.

It took a bit longer than usual to eat, because Gabby and Tess were taking turns cutting up little pieces of Ffrances's dinner and putting them on a plate for her. And the baby was excited just to be able to feed herself, once her meal was broken down into bite-size pieces. Her bib got a lot of gravy on it, as did her face, but Tess could still see the grin behind the sauce. She was so glad that her baby sister was having so much fun, and she loved being able to make Gabby smile as well. Dinner was delicious, and it made the whole day feel even more special.

"Now, Christmas cake?" Gabby offered, and both girls' eyes lit up. Even though Tess was feeling pretty full, she didn't want to miss out on even more special treats. The cake turned out to be a thick, dark fruit cake of the kind eaten in some European countries, and was served in a bowl with thick custard. Tess reached for hers, and then decided that it would be easier to help Ffrances eat first. This wasn't something she could easily eat with her fingers, so Tess took a spoon and broke it up piece by piece. Ffrances tried her hardest to help, mouth open and tongue sticking out as she waited for each bite. But she couldn't stop laughing and talking for long, and more than once she turned her head at the wrong time and sent cake or custard tumbling down onto the table or her clothes.

Tess looked down when she was done, and realised it would have been better if she had worn a bib as well. While her sister's clothes were protected, Tess was covered liberally in custard. She would have to change her clothes again after, and she liked this cute outfit. Still, it had all been worth it. So she gave Ffrances a couple of toys to keep her busy, and then addressed her own cake. The custard was starting to get cold now, but it was still rich and spicy. Delicious; she hadn't known before that Gabby could cook so well.

"Enjoy that, little one?" Gabby asked, when Tess jumped down from her seat and started to dance.

"Yeah!" Tess giggled, thrilled with everything that had happened today. The presents, the food, and being trusted to look after the baby made this the best Christmas ever. "Thank you! Thank you Gabby!" She couldn't quite say the words right, it sounded more like "tank oo" when she heard her own voice, but she was sure Gabby would know what she meant. And then her attention was captured by another thought. Maybe it was the jiggling around of her little dance, or maybe she just hadn't noticed because she was thinking so hard about her pudding, but Tess really needed to pee now.

Gabby had told her before that she wouldn't have an accident, so now she just needed to get to the potty in time. But now that she'd noticed, that feeling was suddenly stronger. She couldn't help doing a little dance, and she tried to press her legs together as she walked, but it just wasn't enough. She felt herself leak, a little spurt making the front of her diaper feel hotter, and that just made it harder to think of herself as a big girl. She tried to stop it but she wasn't fast enough working out how, and a moment later she was standing in the middle of the floor, flooding her diaper like a little baby. And she knew she really was a little baby this time. She remembered what she had agreed to before; that if she had another accident after using the potty she would poop too. It had seemed so easy to agree to, when she was sure that she would be able to use the potty from now on. But now she was a baby, and she knew it was going to happen.

"Nooo!" she whimpered as she felt a sudden cramp from her tummy. This wasn't fair, it wasn't what she had asked for. She needed to go, she needed to run to the potty, but she couldn't even take a step and she was sure her face was crimson by now. She did her best to fight it, gritting her teeth and pushing as hard as she could, but she could already feel what was about to happen. "No, I don't wanna!"

Her knees bent automatically, showing her that her body didn't care what she wanted when she was such a little baby. And when she looked up she saw Gabby grinning at the table. Tess might not be big enough to think any grown-up thoughts, but she knew just from a glance that Gabby had been hoping for this all along.