We departed from the station and set a course to the contested zone. After the night of drinking, everyone was tired. I offered to stand watch on the bridge. Gabe invited himself to join me on the bridge. It would make the watch easier on me with someone to talk to.

I showed him to the bridge while the rest of the crew settled in their quarters. I sat in the captain's chair and took command of Shadow Stalker. Gabe grilled me, "How did some greenhorns get roped into running a spec ops mission?"

This one started as an idea for a longer story, but the team was so good they solved the case before it went too far. It wrapped up just in time for Christmas.
Marianne

Chapter 1

The month long winter break flew by. Mom spent most of the break trying to make up for lost mother-daughter time with me. Faith ran interference a few times to get me out of it but I really didn’t mind spending more time with Mom. Dad was not quite distant. We still played chess in the evening every now and then. He loved playing against me. And I could still beat him occasionally.

Marc visited a couple weekends and got along great with my parents. He could not sleep over though.

What do you do when you look 7 years old, but you're actually a college student in your late teens? For Kathleen's entire life, she had fought against people treating her much younger than her actual age. Feeling obligated to grow up fast to show people she wasn't the age of her size, Kathleen never let her inner child out. Tired of fighting against the world, she explores the adult submissive world. What she finds, however, is an enjoyment of regression. Had she made a mistake? Would life be better if she just let people treat her how she looks, 7 years old?

We entered the throne room, and I had Spire show me what was going on outside the station. We saw Queen’s Rage firing on three ships that had come into the system. “Spire, get me in contact with Admiral Stook.” A separate screen flashed up showing Admiral Stook in the command chair.

“Admiral, what is going on out there?” I asked.

Three years later.

I sat in a lawn chair watching Adya play with a young Fylis cub that was already twice her size. That was the name we'd given to Kira's species. The same one my attacker had belonged to.

We had run into 2 more variants, which was what we called the aggressive fauna that weren't under my control, but they hadn't been part of a dangerous species to begin with so it hadn't been a problem.

Sergei retreated away from the supermarket entrance and waited. Several minutes ticked by before ‘she’ emerged. He ducked down behind an SUV. He saw her stop in the entrance and look around almost as if she was expecting someone to be there.

Chapter 4

Saturday morning, Henny was beside herself with excitement. I had to get her to slow down, or else she wouldn’t last the morning, let alone the day. We had breakfast in our nighties and gowns and then worked on showers and dressing. I was ready by the time the doorbell went, to find Maria and Penny on the step. From my own experience, I knew Penny couldn’t resist a shopping day.

Dad's interpretation of his instructions were very different from Stacey's. Big brother comes in to help resolve the misunderstanding.

“Dammit,” I said again to the girl in the mirror.

Girltime at the Hideaway (Episode 5)
by Sabrina G. Langton

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Author's Note: Hmmm, we are ending this episode with a plan, an idea, a little sexual interlude, oh and some music, of course. Something crazy, fun, and feasible, ha... I hope You like it... and thank you for joining me at the end of the bar for some much-needed Girltime...

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Episode 5

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Thursday

The Wedding Dress
A Vignette
From an image sent in by Steph
By Maryanne Peters