She doesn’t want to lose the one she loves. How far can a person go to preserve their relationship?

**********

“Hey, babe.” My boyfriend, Heath, said as I let him into my apartment. He leaned in to kiss me in greeting. Despite my hope for the contrary, the kiss was about as unexciting as could be. Still, I kissed him back with all the enthusiasm a girlfriend ought to have.

It had been a while since I felt that spark with him. I could barely remember that feeling of butterflies in my stomach, or a pounding heart. And to be honest, he’d never really been THAT spectacular in bed, but lately it was just plain unsatisfying.

But despite all that, I still cared for him deeply. He was a wonderful person that always considered my feelings. He always tried to please me with gifts and fun dates. In many ways, he felt like my soulmate.

But the spark wasn’t there, and I don’t know how to get around that. If we were to get married, I may eventually grow resentful of him, and that scared me more than anything.

I’d thought about how to handle this problem, and I could only come up with one solution. I didn’t want to break up and try to remain friends. That would devastate him, and even if he could do it, he would eventually move on with a new woman, and we would drift apart.

I didn’t want an open relationship. Those only bred jealousy, and it wasn’t fair to ask that of him when he didn’t want it.

The solution I’d settled on was much more….unorthodox. But love was a very complicated thing, and unique problems required unique solutions. And luckily, I was one of the few people in the world that could pull it off.

“Come on in, babe.” I said cheerfully. “I want to show you something.” I took his hand and led him down the hall, to a room that was previously just for storage, but had been remodeled since he’d been here last.

Inside was a fully stocked and equipped nursery. Pink walls with cartoon animals, and a soft blue carpet. A crib with a mobile hanging above, and a changing table against the far wall. A shelf housed packs of diapers and wipes, and there was even a rocking chair next to a shelf of baby books.

“What’s this?” my boyfriend asked, looking around in amazement.

“It’s preparation.” I said. “I’ve always wanted a baby daughter, and now I’m ready for her.”

He looked at me with a wide smile, and I knew what he was thinking. A week earlier, he’d brought up the idea of marriage, although he didn’t formally propose. He must have assumed this was my response to that.

“We can have that.” he said.

I smiled at him and placed both hands on his chest. “Yes, we can.” He smiled back, unaware of what was about to happen. “I love you more than anything.” I said. “I just….don’t think we can have the kind of relationship you want.”

His face fell. “W-wait a minute. Are you….breaking up with me?”

“I’m….reorganizing our relationship.” With that, I cast the spell I’d prepared for this moment. My hands glowed a bright white, and I withdrew and stepped back from him.

He stumbled a bit as if light headed. “What…” He cut off and put a hand on the crib to steady himself.

“I’m sorry. This is the only way we can be together forever.”

The changes were slow and subtle at first, but gradually picked up. The shrinking of his muscles and decreasing height were the first to be noticeable.

“What…are you doing…to me?” His voice sounded strained, and he looked at his slender arm in confusion.

“I never told you, but I’m a witch. I’m going to make it so nothing can ever come between us.” He just looked on, eyes silently questioning. “You’re going to be my daughter.”

The feminization of his features was getting more noticeable, as was his younger appearance. He looked like an androgynous teenager, his clothing hanging loose.

“Marriages can end. Lovers can grow to resent each other. But nothing can ever break the bond of a mother and her child.” I had tears in my eyes as I spoke. I knew this was causing him alarm, but it was for the best.

“Wait…” His voice was much higher pitched, and his appearance leaned more toward the feminine.

“I’m sorry. We have to do this. I can’t bare the thought of coming to resent you one day.” The feminization part of the spell was nearly complete. He looked like a girl in early to mid teens, with breasts and curves even.

“No…stop…this….” His voice was indistinguishable from a girl of about 13 years old.

“Don’t worry. I’m going to be the most loving mother ever, I promise.” I made myself continue the spell. He shrunk even more. His breasts flattened out as his body reversed through puberty.

“Please…” He uttered in a high pitched little girl’s voice. His clothing fell down around him, now much too large for his tiny body, leaving him naked. He’d reached the point of a 5 year old girl.

But it wasn’t enough yet. He shrunk smaller still. Eventually unable to stand, he fell to sit on the pile of clothing. He grew even younger, falling over to lay on his back. Finally, when he had reached the point of infancy, I ceased the spell. The pile of clothing he’d been wearing formed a makeshift little bed, in which lay a baby girl.

I gently picked him-oops, I mean her. I gently picked her up and lay her on the changing table. She fidgeted and cooed, but there wasn’t any awareness in her expression. As expected, her mental capacity had also been reduced to that of a baby’s. Although it was his consciousness, she wouldn’t remember her time as Heath. She would only know herself as my daughter.

After dressing her in a diaper and a onesie, I gently tickled her on her stomach. She giggled and smiled back at me, and I felt a flood of emotion that was nearly overwhelming. Tears escaped my eyes as I picked her up.

I kissed her on the forehead and gently snuggled my face against hers. I’d already decided on a name for her. “Oh, Heather, mommy loves you so much.”

It had cost 52 years of the youth I had stored up, but it was worth it. I had several thousand to spare, and I could always get more. Once she reached her mid twenties, I could halt her aging, like I had my own a few hundred years ago. We could be together forever, as mother and daughter.

The End.