Chapter 11

We had chosen the apartment because it had great amenities and was close to restaurants. I was hoping to enjoy my time swimming, sunning myself in my daring bikini, using the hot spa and going out for food. Instead, because my pregnancy was progressing so fast I was stuck in the small space, feeding every two hours. My original plan was to see a doctor, do the usual things a normal pregnant woman would, but my abnormal speed meant that I would have to wait until delivery time. We also had to come up with a story so we wouldn't have child support workers visiting in case that speedy growth continued.

We decided that we would pretend that we were just visiting the Gold Coast and our life was back in Adelaide. Our driving licences were still from there, we would just have to claim that we came here by car on a short holiday and got stuck here with a temporary problem. Car trouble seemed the most likely. That would work for the hospital staff and we could have the birth certificate sent to our Adelaide address. We had already organised our post to be redirected so it would eventually find its way back to us. Neighbours and local people, on the other hand, just needed to be avoided until everything had settled. That meant I was stuck inside. That would have driven me crazy except after one week of being pregnant I was able to estimate another two weeks until delivery.

In the end, it turned out to be twenty-three days. Emotionally, I was a mess. Hormones going crazy, feeling hunger almost all the time, cabin fever and scared of labour and delivery. Talia was a star, going out at all hours to get me food, cooking whatever I wanted, massaging my feet and most of all, supporting me with her love.

My power did come in at the end. I knew exactly when the process was finished and then I was on a countdown timer. I could start the labour whenever I wanted and if I didn't it would eventually start anyway. I also knew the longer I left it, the worse the delivery would be. Despite being terrified I was more scared of making it worse. I visited the hospital and organised a check-up, explaining that we were on holiday and were meant to be back in Adelaide a month before, but car trouble had delayed our exit and I was worried because I was due any day now.

They agreed to give me a check-up and I started the labour process. I had done my homework to make my birth experience as mild as possible. Still, the slow, inevitable ramping up of pain, lack of dignity as you were naked with people examining your vagina, no idea how long the process was going to take or how painful it was going to go. When I reached eight out of ten on my pain scale I asked for pain relief, but they refused as I had only been in labour for an hour. Half an hour later they refused because I was fully dilated and needed to push. Kalie was born, or reborn, twenty minutes after that.

I was traumatised, but overjoyed. There was a little bit of tearing which needed stitches. My intention to get my body to rebuild the whole area would have to wait until after I left. I could feel my power working through my breasts as I fed Kalie, I just had to hope I could leave the hospital before they noticed anything.

They had rechecked her weight and were surprised by how much weight she had gained, but it was also a sign that Kalie was a healthy baby so after one day of rest in the hospital I was allowed to leave. Talia brought a bassinet and loads of baby supplies and we returned to the apartment.

Kalie was a quiet baby only grumbling when she was hungry or needed a nappy change. I was still feeding like crazy because she was drinking a lot of milk every two hours, so a new marathon started. We knew we had Kalie back after a week of this and Kalie started looking more aware, was physically the size of a two-year-old and turned to Talia and called her 'Ma'. We cried.

A week and a half later, with so many nappies filled, so much food eaten and feeling like I was more of a human cow than a woman, Kalie looked like an eight-year-old. My power still wanted to go to my breasts but we didn't want her to get any older so I pulled it back and stopped breastfeeding her. During most of this time, Kalie was only occasionally aware, spending much of the time sleeping, eating and shitting. It took about a day for her to return to full awareness.

Kalie remembered her dad hitting her and not much after that. It sounded like fever dreams where you are not quite sure what is real. We had to explain what had happened to her father. I think her emotions were very mixed. She was scared of him, but she loved him. We decided that we would take her to some professional help. We also needed to properly start a life here in the Gold Coast and I made the monumental decision to stay as a woman for the moment.

The pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding had been annoying, awkward, scary, painful and very exhausting. But. If I was being honest it was also satisfying, rewarding and filled with love. I was having fun being a woman so why would I go back?

I spent a week recovering my body reserves and my sleep. We had fun as a family, going to the beach, visiting the different attractions and relaxing in the sun. I cheated by getting a protective tan in three hours by choosing skin DNA with a Mediterranean background. Stretch marks and all other signs of the process, repaired and returned to normal.

Talia struggled to let Kalie out of her sight but also started organising her new life. Setting up schooling and looking for work as she was getting bored. She only wanted to work during school hours. The two-bedroom apartment wasn't feeling big enough anymore and I had to work out what I wanted to do with my life. Talia was pushing me to go out and live life. She found a salsa dancer offering lessons and signed me up.

Chapter 12

Stacy's POV

I was feeling a bit depressed going to the dance club and almost ducked out of it, feigning tiredness. Being one of the strongest regenerators that excuse was never going to wash and what I felt was more of a world-weariness. Again I thought about retirement. Despite being sixty-four-years-old my body looked to be in its late twenties and was in the prime of life, but ten years ago my long-term partner had broken up with me because everybody thought we were mother and daughter. Ever since then I had felt the weight of years. This new set of superheroes were great people and insisted on involving me in the more social side of life, but I still felt like an outsider.

My eyes were drawn away from my group to a young girl, too young to be in the club even, dancing with beautiful hip movements and a gentle swaying body. I wasn't the only one staring, but most were just giving her a bit of space and admiring glances. One guy, however, stepped forwards when her back was turned and gave her arse a good smack. I was there before I could think about it, shoving him out of the way. I turned back to the young girl who was looking at me with a raised eyebrow. That's when it dawned on me I had moved a little too fast and she probably thought it was me smacking her.

“Err... that wasn't me.” I looked about frantically for the culprit, but he had disappeared.

She looked at the lack of someone else to blame and the blush rushing to my cheeks. Then she gave me a naughty admiring look, top to bottom. “If it was you, honey, I don't mind. Come dance with me,” she said with a sweet playful voice, holding out her hand to pull me in and lord help me, I couldn't resist.

Her sweet innocence pulled me in and we danced together looking into each other's eyes, until I realised I was leading her on and I needed to stop.

“I need a break,” I said. “ Where are your friends?”

“Trying to escape, eh? I'm flying solo tonight,” she replied.

I lead her back to my group and got her an unopened soft drink that she requested and introduced her to the undercover superheroes. My body was very interested and I could tell that she was as well, but she was much too young for me and even as young as she was, I would outlive her. That was part of my depression, I was resigned to being on my own for the rest of my life.

“I am too old for you,” I told her.

She laughed and shook her head. “Tell you what, let's make a bet. If you are older than me, I will walk away, but if I am older than you, you will take me on a date.”

I laughed in disbelief. “Sure,” I said.

She passed across her driving licence. To be honest she didn't look old enough to have one. She was born four years before me. She was sixty-eight. There was a note in the superpowers that said age regression. I still didn't believe it.

She was smiling at me cheekily. “So where are you going to take me?”

My brain had stopped and struggled to get going again.

“I've broken you, have I?” She put her drink down, grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the dance floor. “Let's dance then.”

She was older than me. I wouldn't outlive her, she would outlive me. Did that bother me? Should that bother me? I would become an old lady while she still looked young. I would be such a hypocrite if I refused even trying for a relationship. In fact, she was one of only a few people on Earth who I could have a long term relationship with. We grew up in the same era, we were a similar age. People would think I was robbing the cradle, but I have always claimed that I didn't care what other people think.

I allowed myself to be dragged onto the dance floor, stopped thinking and just tried to enjoy the moment. It wasn't that difficult, her dance involved a hypnotic hip movement that trapped my eyes and pulled my body closer.

I felt my depression lift as new life and possibilities lit up my future.

I'm not sure how long we danced for, to be truthful the building could have fallen down and I don't think I would have noticed, but Jordan found me, congratulated me on my conquest, and informed me that everybody else was leaving. I headed back with Chris to say goodbye.

Chris looked at her forgotten drink with a frown and then looked around, spotting something that upset her, judging by her face.

“What's wrong?” I asked her.

“My drink was spiked with something, and I'm pretty sure it was that guy over there,” she said pointing to a tall man almost holding up a woman, she looked out of it. Normally, you would think she was just drunk, but if that guy had added something to her drink as well, we could be watching a crime in progress.

“How do you know?” I asked curiously.

“Part of my power,” she responded.

“What do you want to do?” I asked her.

She smirked. “Hide behind my big strong regenerator with speed and strength, while she sorts it out. He doesn't have any powers if that helps.”

If she knew my powers and knew he didn't have any, did that mean she had uncovered the identity of all my group? What on Earth were her powers?

“And if I need proof?” I asked.

“I'm sure your friend, Jordan, can do a little look-see.”

So she knew Jordan was a telepath. I spoke to Jordan and told her what Chris suspected and also that I suspected Chris knew who we were.

She looked at the guy in question and gave a disgusted grimace. Then turned to look at Chris, a shocked expression briefly highlighting her face. Telepathy had turned out to be less dangerous than science fiction had suggested. Telepaths had the ability to read other people's surface thoughts, but couldn't influence those thoughts or even communicate unless that person was also a telepath. Nor did anyone seem to have a natural immunity except telepaths themselves and the very rare Null. Even mad scientists struggled to reliably block the ability.

“Yes, the guy is guilty as hell. The woman with her I can't read as she is largely unconscious, certainly her thoughts are incoherent. Chris expected me to check her thoughts and straight away admitted that she had guessed who we were. She is also very much in lust with you. She thinks part of it is that she is in a teenage body and she intends to hold herself back until she knows you better.”

“Enough,” I said before she revealed anything more personal. “I'll block him from leaving with her, can you stay here with Chris and call the police. Sarah can film this in case he tries to sue us or something. Hopefully, he has restricted products on him and the police can chase it back to his suppliers.”