In-Between Chapters 24 and 25 by Sofia Hammerstein

Cameron Sylvester has grown up always hoping he'll live up to the heritage of his mother's family height. She was a ten-foot-tall Big, after all, and his father was a tall Mid, which meant it shouldn't have been a question that he would grow out of the Little category of height early on. A bright student, he's been at the top of his class in science and math throughout his academic career! Looking toward his high school graduation and towards college, he's received scholarships to attend Emerson University. it's a question of inches if he'll be left to the fate of being a Little with a limited future or manage to make a future as a short 'Betweener.' Even as a Betweener, the question remains to be seen if he can be a normal adult or if he'll be left 'In-Between.'  (A Tale from the Diaper Dimension)

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The Legal Stuff: In-Between © 2020-2026 By Sofia Hammerstein
 
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.
 

 
 

Chapter 24: Guests
 

THE NEXT WEEK was an intense time around the courthouse. Protestors gathered on the steps and the large grassy area before it to protest and counterprotest all week! I watched several reports on the news where the ELNAP protestors tried to adopt some of the Littles protesting with CAMOL. Fortunately for the Littles, they were in Hartford, preventing them from being adopted immediately. Most of them managed to get released over the course of a day or two when their ‘parent’ tried to take them to the adoption clinics. Unfortunately, the ones that didn’t were dragged over state lines to a nearby state to our west that was more like Ames.

I soon discovered most of Judge Jones’ days were not as momentous as my first! Most of them dealt strictly with evaluating if a technicality of law was broken and what that effect might have on the verdicts in the lower courts. That being said, I felt like I learned more from Judge Jones, sitting in her office and car talking to her, than I had my entire time in law school so far!

I waited a few weeks for the protests to die before asking Mr. Fehler and Beth about her idea, “Hi, Mr. Fehler!”

“Hi Cameron, it’s good to hear from you! I know Beth was wondering if you would call today!”

“I wanted to call her all week, but it’s been crazy here. Speaking of that… Judge Jones, the woman I’m staying with and interning, suggested that since you’re not far from here, you could come and stay the weekend sometime before I leave to return to New Haven in August?”

He looked thoughtful, “Where would we stay?”

“She has a huge house! She has several guest bedrooms…”

“I’m guessing we’d only need one; I know where Beth would want to stay.”

“Until…”

He nodded, “Beth mentioned your concerns. How about next weekend?”

“Let me check with Judge Jones really quick; I’ll call you back in ten minutes?”

“Sounds good!”

After confirming with her, I confirmed with him, which led to an exciting conversation with Beth! We hadn’t seen each other in person for nearly two years!

The following week was the slowest-moving week of all time! Each day the minutes seemed to take forever to pass, and the days themselves were just serving as obstacles to the weekend! I had spoken to Dad, and he had reminded me as long as Beth was still adopted, I had to be careful around Judge Jones since she was legally bound to deal with indiscretions. Having already been forever paranoid that anyone would ever find out about our last time together, I had agreed.

The day finally arrived, and Mr. Fehler pulled in driving a midsize sedan. It was just before dinner, after we had come home a little early to meet them. Judge Jones and her husband joined me outside to greet them. I watched as Mr. Fehler opened the door, waved at me friendlily, and turned around to open the back, where he pulled Beth out of a car seat.

The first thing I noticed, though, was her clothes.

They looked like an ordinary woman in her twenties should be dressed!

I stared at her wide smile as I took in slow motion her being helped to the ground and bounding towards me. She wore a conservative short-sleeved striped top that emphasized her petite curves. Her shorts looked like they were an appropriate length, but something was missing underneath them!

She reached me and pounced on me, “Cameron!!!!”

I hugged her back as she clung to me, and I felt tears come out of my eyes at finally reuniting.

“Here, Cameron,” she said a moment later as she handed me a piece of paper she’d been carrying.
 

 

I began shaking and crying as I hugged her again. “I’m so glad you’re free!!!!”

I felt slightly embarrassed as I realized everyone had all watched that display. Still, I didn’t care as I regained my composure and remembered my manners.

“Sorry about my manners here, Judge Jones; I’d like to introduce you to Beth Fehler and her father, Jerome Fehler.” Just then, I realized someone else was there, “And Mrs. Fehler?” I said in surprise as I saw her standing there.

“Hi, Cameron. Surprise!” She said with a smile. Her mom was a hair under eight feet tall, so while she was taller than me, she was still pretty short.

“I thought…” I stammered.

“We’ll explain in a moment,” her dad said, “This is my wife, Ashley. Why don’t we get everything unloaded first, and then maybe we can all sit down and discuss things?” He looked at Judge Jones, “I hope you don’t mind that we brought one more person than Cameron expected?”

She laughed, “Not at all; Cameron told me about everything that happened with Beth at Emerson and afterward… so I’m curious to hear this story too!”

Beth squeezed my hand and said, “Where am I staying?”

“In his room,” Judge Jones said. At Beth’s open eyes, she said, “You’re emancipated, and as an emancipated adult now, I don’t care. You can sleep there, or I have another room with a bed for you too.”

She blushed, “With Cameron, would be fine.”

I helped Mr. Fehler and Mr. Jones grab luggage for the family and carried Mr. and Mrs. Fehler’s upstairs to the second floor before continuing with Beth’s stuff to my room.

She smirked when she got there, “I bet you were worried she was matching your hair to the room when you moved in here?”

I blushed, not thinking about the color much anymore, “It did occur to me. I don’t know why you, and Addy before you, all love me having long hair…”

She leaned on her tippy toes and kissed me before running her hands through my hair. “For me, at least, I love having your long hair to run my hands through…”

She pulled my head down to her level and then really kissed me with absolute unbridled passion! Our tongues played in each other’s mouths for a moment before I pushed her back and said, “We should probably get downstairs so everyone can hear this story.”

She smiled, “I think you’ll be proud of me!”

I hugged her again, “I already am!”

She ducked into the bathroom momentarily, and then I held her hand to walk downstairs together. We came down the main stairwell and saw her parents and the two Jones were already sitting at the dining room table. All of them were staring up at us. “Now that is an adorable sight!” her mom said.

We both groaned but joined them at the table. I smiled as I saw Beth sitting on a simple portable booster cushion on her chair beside me. We sat with her mom on her right, her dad across from her, Mr. Jones at the head, and Judge Jones beside him opposite me. Before us, we each had a beautiful steak dinner that I knew he had cooked. “Thanks,” I told him after tasting it, “it’s exceptional, as always!”

He smiled, “I will miss you when you return to school! Compliments every time I cook?”

Judge Jones punched him on the arm, “I give you compliments too, you dolt!”

Once we mainly had finished our food, we sat with empty plates, and I asked Mrs. Fehler, “So what happened?”

She smiled, “Well… We knew that if Beth was to have a chance, we would have to separate. We were sure the court would rule that I was too immature of an influence and might corrupt Beth further. In the past, some of the courts in Ames have ruled that the Betweener mother suddenly needed to be considered a Little too…” She wiped some tears from her eyes, “I didn’t want to leave Beth and her father, but it was her best chance. Long term, we figured that New Albany would be the safest place to try and get her to and grow her back up, so to speak… So, I moved there and found a house out in the country with our divorce settlement money. I worked remotely anyway, so nothing had to change with my job.”

“When we decided it was finally time to leave at the same time you did,” her dad said, “I left without calling her from Ames. We just showed up a couple days after I called you to let you know we made it to safety.”

“I was so excited to see Mom! Dad had never even told me where we were going!” Beth said, grabbing her hand.

“So at least I know where you’ve been… What have you been doing? You’ve always been kind of cagey about it,” I told her.

“Well… for safety’s sake, when we moved in for the first year, we had her continue to act like a baby outside the house. We had a nursery for her to be safe in case any inspectors happened to come by. When we were sure that no one was following us to check up on her, we started focusing on the potty training even more. We enrolled her in a community college to earn an associate’s degree - she just finished in May, and prepared her for the testing center.”

“Testing center?” I asked curiously.

“It’s easier in New Albany to earn your freedom,” she told me, “But the test is pretty intense.”

“What do they do there?” Judge Jones asked, just as curious and making herself still known.

“Well, it’s a three-hour test. Part of the requirements for passing it is to show you won’t wet or mess your panties during that time. They give you a test that is something like a high school exit exam, and you also have an interview with someone who asks you really personal and embarrassing questions.” She squirmed a bit, “At the end of it, they check your panties in front of the room of test takers… Then you have to use the potty in front of them to do both things…”

“That’s got to be horribly embarrassing,” I said.

“You have no idea, Cam!” She smiled, though. “But when I was done pooping in the potty, wiped myself, and had one last panty check, they gave me the certificate that let us go to the court. Dad had to testify, I had to testify, and then it became official!”

“I’m so proud of you for getting through all that,” I told her with a smile.

“Me too! I didn’t think I would ever be an adult again…” She said morosely. “Now, what’s new here…?”

The next hour we had dessert, I did the dishes with Beth’s help, and her parents and the Joneses ended up having a very cordial conversation. I had been watching Beth for any sign that the early bedtimes were still a thing, but she was wide awake as it approached when I usually called it a night. Everyone excused themselves about that same time and went upstairs to their rooms.

When Beth and I reached my room, I said, “You don’t have to sleep with me if you don’t…”

She launched herself at me and kissed me.

Passionately kissed me! I could feel my insides curling with passion as she broke it off and gently pushed me away.

“Shut up, Cam… Let me get dressed for bed, and then I’ll make sure you know exactly what I do want out of you!”

I felt my arousal at that statement, making my pants uncomfortable, and decided to get dressed in the pair of soft pajamas I had bought in the hopes of such a reaction from her. They were just a pair of plaid pajama pants and a shirt, but they were the softest fabric I’d ever felt. I thought she might enjoy feeling me through them.

I wondered why I had bothered getting dressed when she exited the bathroom!

She wore a sheer nightgown that showed through to her lacy bra and panties underneath. ‘Real panties,’ I noted! “I hope you have some condoms?”

I nervously nodded, “Yes…?”

“Well then, let me show you what I want after being locked in diapers for most of the last seven years…”

That night we definitely did what she wanted! We made up for the lost years multiple times that night before finally falling asleep.

We spent Saturday hanging out, walked around their property together, and eventually had a great meal outside with everyone. I spent some time with her parents too, and things seemed pretty much perfect. After dinner, I nervously looked at Beth and got down on one knee with her parents and the Joneses watching.

“Beth Fehler, years ago, I never knew what I had with you… I was too caught up in getting to college and avoiding being seen as a Little. The day you gave yourself up was one of the worst days of both of our lives. After everything that’s happened, I know for a fact there’s only one thing I want in this world. I don’t want mere inches to come between us ever again. Beth, would you make me the happiest person in the world and be my wife?”

The world stopped then as I waited to see if things would end the same way as with Addy.

The ring wasn’t the same as Addy’s, I had taken that back with Amanda’s help all those years ago, but it was just as valuable. It was a solid platinum band, with a separate wedding band that would eventually intertwine with the beautiful blue sapphire in the center, with two high-grade diamonds set beside it. The ring itself had more diamonds and sapphires alternating inset around it. I looked into her eyes, afraid of what she would say.

Instead, she looked at the ring in my hands, placed her hand out, and let me slide it onto her perfect finger. “Yes!” she said before wrapping me in the tightest hug I’d ever felt!

We kissed tenderly then, and I heard clapping from the onlookers before we were both mobbed with hugs.

As I looked at her beautiful face and held the hand with a ring, I was the happiest I had ever been! I called Dad and shared the news with him right away. He had been as ecstatic as her parents had been and insisted on talking with his future daughter-in-law to welcome her to our family.
 
 

Chapter 25: Precendent
 

THAT NEXT DAY when I said goodbye to Beth, it was the first time I’d not felt a sense of foreboding like I would never see her again! Before she left, we began planning the early stages of dates for our wedding, aiming for June after I graduated from law school in May. By then, I would have taken the Bar Exam and hopefully passed on my first attempt! I knew if I didn’t, I would be the first person from my school to fail it in decades – no pressure!

I hoped to get a job in New Haven or Hartford before I graduated. I was pretty sure that Judge Jones would be a vital reference! In fact, my time with her seemed to work amazingly well for both of us. The week before I was set to return to Harlan, I helped her decipher a chemical mess that lawyers for both sides of a lawsuit kept going back and forth with experts. The whole case rested on a chemical that seemingly caused forty Big children to suddenly stop growing and then begin regressing in their potty training to the point all of them were now diapered and being treated as if they were Littles in their education.

“So, was this intentional?” she was trying to decipher. Really the case was about whether or not the company was knowingly responsible when someone used the chemical in the snack food being given out as samples. A lower court had said no, but the plaintiffs had appealed, saying the judge had improperly thrown out evidence of a chemical chain that was present.

I had recognized that chemical chain when we were sitting in her chambers going over decisions she was publishing. “Umm… Judge Jones?”

“Yes, Cam?” she said. “Remember, we’re in my chambers; enough of the Judge crap.”

“Sorry, Aunt Ruth,” I said, rolling my eyes. Over the course of the summer, she’d rendered a verdict that if we were at home or alone in her chambers or her car, there was to be none of the Judge Jones ‘nonsense.’

“We’ll get you past this one of these days,” she said with a smile, “But seriously, what?”

“I recognize one of these protein chains in this document…”

“What do you mean?”

“They claim the children lost all their potty training, right?”

She nodded, “Every last one of them.”

“Well, it’s because of this chemical chain. It’s in Bigs’ breast milk, and it’s what causes Littles to become incontinent.”

“So, did they know this?”

I shrugged, “I don’t know if there’s any way to prove it, but I would guess yes. It’s a pretty specific molecule that I only know of because of a friend of mine from college.”

We discussed things quite in-depth, and she ordered a new trial with a specific ruling that the evidence had to be shown to the jury! I followed the case a few months later and discovered that SafeFoods was now a party to the suit. I felt it was definitely justice deserved when they lost their case a year later and were ordered to pay the victims’ families one-hundred-and-eighty-million dollars!

The day I packed my car back up and headed back to Harlan was a bit melancholy. It was raining as I hugged Aunt Ruth goodbye underneath the garage roof.

“You be safe going back, and good luck this semester! If you don’t find something with a firm this spring, let me know, and we can get you on for a full-time clerkship. I would love to have you around for a couple years, and it’d be a good way to get your feet wet.”

“I’ll remember that; thank you so much for everything!”

I had a long drive back to school and passed much of it on the phone with Beth. She and her mom had picked out a beautiful private ranch for the wedding that was Little friendly for our small ceremony. They’d made friends in that community they invited, along with both sets of my grandparents and her grandparents. Some aunts and uncles on both sides would be coming with cousins too. I couldn’t help but smile at how excited she was to be able to plan our future! Aunt Ruth was even going to preside over the ceremony for us!

When I reached my first class back that semester, we were pretty much planned, I thought… Of course, Beth had set me straight about that when I mistakenly said that!

I was happy to leave her to it, though, and focused on getting back in the swing of things for the semester. Walking into my first class, I saw Wendy already sitting waiting in a seat and chose one next to her. “Hey Cameron, how was your summer?”

“Great! I spent the time clerking with Judge Jones in the 3rd Circuit,” I had just said that as Edgar walked in.

“You were working with her?” Edgar said. “She’s definitely got balls! That Dane vs. Tully case will be one of the biggest cases in thirty years as people study it.”

Right then, the professor said, “You’re right, Edgar, it definitely is. Cameron, you were interning for her; any idea where she came up with that unique view on the law?”

I choked for a second and debated what to say, “I’m not sure that I should say, sir? I was involved in some pretty privileged conversations there, and it’s still up in litigation to see if the Supreme Court will take it on appeal?”

He looked at me and nodded, “Probably a pretty good plan… You know you might make a good lawyer someday,” he joked. I felt like groaning; the number of jokes like that I heard regularly was painful!

“I hope so, sir,” I told him with a smile.

When he walked further away, Edgar was sitting on the other side of me from Wendy. “Was that your idea?”

“Pardon?”

“The solution?”

“Like I said, I can’t really discuss that case… but I will say Judge Jones is a force to be reckoned with, and she’s very clever!”

Class began shortly after that, with the traditional syllabus being handed out and loads of cases assigned for us to study. To my shock, Dane vs. Tully was listed on the syllabus. “You sure you can’t talk about it?” Wendy said.

I shrugged, “I guess before I say yes or no, let me talk to Judge Jones for her permission?”

“Please!” The professor said, having overheard me. “You are young enough that I don’t know that you understand the gravity of that decision. If the Supreme Court chooses not to take the case, that will be a new precedent. If they take it up and uphold or strike it down, those will also be new precedents… It is probably the biggest case in Little Rights in the past half-century.”

“Huh?” I said, “It wasn’t that big of a case? Just involved one woman?”

“And figuring a way around that Little Fugitive Statute of the Constitution. Honestly, it was brilliant work; I expect it to have a decent chance of being upheld if it’s heard.”

“I’ll ask…” I said, suddenly wondering what my idea had set into motion.

After classes that day, Samantha walked back with me to the residential village. “It was your idea, wasn’t it?” She asked.

“Huh?”

“To deal in the fact there was no specific time listed on the statute?”

“I really shouldn’t say…”

“It’s okay; I know it was. I can see your fingerprints all over it, Cameron. I’m grateful for it too!”

“Umm… Thanks,” I told Samantha.

“So, what did you do there besides help make legal history?”

“Well… Beth got emancipated in June!”

“Wait, that’s that Little you knew from back home, right?”

I nodded, “Her parents drove her down to see me, and she gave me the good news… I asked her to marry me!”

She gave me a big grin, “Good for you!” She stiffened though, “Is that okay legally?”

“Now that she’s emancipated, she’s an adult again, so yes, it is!”

“That’s exciting! When’s the big day?”

I talked with her for a while before finally entering my apartment. I texted Judge Jones, ‘Aunt Ruth, would you please call me when you get a chance? I got asked a lot of questions today and need to know what I can and can’t say. Thanks!’

Looking at the time, I was pretty sure she was probably still in court, so I called Beth, “Hi Beth!” I said to her.

We spoke for thirty minutes before Judge Jones called, “I need to take this; I’ll talk to you later, Beth!”

“Love you, Cam,” she said to me and made an air kiss at me over the video.

“Love you too, Beth,” I smiled.

I answered the phone, “Hello?”

“Cameron?”

“Hi, Aunt Ruth,” I said.

“How was your first day back?”

“Umm… Good, I guess… I failed to realize how much my internship with you would result in questions from students and professors.”

She sighed, “Yeah, that happens sometimes when you’re around the big ones. Which case?”

“Dane vs. Tully,” I said.

“Oh… Yeah, that one does seem to be picking up a fan base, doesn’t it?”

“It’s on my syllabus this semester, along with every other major civil rights case involving Littles. They asked me questions about the case, but I deferred until I could talk to you. What can I say?”

She made a ‘hmm…’ sound that I knew meant she was thinking heavily. “Anything that’s in the decision that was published is fair game. I wouldn’t say you gave me the idea, but you can explain the rationale behind the no-time statute there… Honestly, you shouldn’t talk too much beyond that, though, until it works itself through the appeals.”

“That’s more than I thought I could say, honestly,” I told her.

We talked for a bit longer before I hung up and printed off the decision. I made a few notes and texted Judge Jones some questions about things I thought might be okay. Later that week, the professor mentioned that the Supreme Court had declined to take up the case after a brief was filed that Mrs. Tully was now legally emancipated. It effectively side-stepped a decision from them. It did leave the judgment of Judge Jones standing and made it a precedent, at least within the 3rd Circuit. Still, it could likely be applied elsewhere and stand until it made it back to the Supreme Court.

“So, what can you tell us now?” the professor had asked me.

“Well, I spoke with Judge Jones, and she suggested I stay within the opinion while we waited to see what the Supreme Court would do.”

“Since they just dodged it?”

“I might be able to answer a few more things next week? Again, we had some privileged conversations over the past few months.”

“You got to know her pretty well?” My professor asked.

“Well, yeah, I ended up taking a room at her house, so I spent a lot of time with her.”

“You stayed with her?”

“Well, she and her husband… and I met a couple of her children and grandchildren later in the summer,” I said.

“So, you know a lot more about her docket?”

I shrugged, “Probably more than an outsider?”

Ultimately, I broke it down to the fact that Mrs. Tully had been living independently for four years after recovering from horrible abuse. The decision was elegant, hoping to help her buy time with her kids, at least because Judge Jones despised breaking up families. The professor, Doctor Warner, motioned for me to stop that day when I left class. “You realize you have one of the best chances to get a career skyrocketing after graduation now?”

“Sir?”

“You’re party to one of the most monumental decisions in decades. You clerked with Judge Jones, who I’ve heard quietly is being vetted to take over the Supreme Court spot that Judge Mansfield just stepped down from.”

“She is?”

“She is,” he said.

“Cool! She deserves it. She’s brilliant!”

He laughed, “Yes, she is. But if you end up being able to say you clerked with a Supreme Court Justice…”

“Oh… That’s good for me, too, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. I think the key isn’t whether you get a job this year; it’s what you want to specialize in. From what I’ve seen, Corporate Malfeasance or Civil Rights are your best specialties.

“Those do both interest me, Professor.”

“Well, I’ll keep my ears open for the right firm and start pushing your name out.”

“Thank you, sir,” I said with a smile that stayed on my face to my apartment. I gathered my mail from my mailbox and walked inside to look through everything. It was mostly junk, but I noted a flyer that said, Need Extra Cash? I was morbidly curious, so I looked up the information and felt sick.

Are you a Mid looking for some extra $$$? College student? Grad Student? We at Serendipity Industries are looking for people like you to answer surveys and try a variety of products...

‘This sounds like something Addy’s parents’ company would be sending out…’ I couldn’t help but think.

I was about to research the company when my phone lit up and showed Beth’s face.

“Hey, Cameron!” She said to me, “How did today go?”

“Oh… well, I guess I might have to choose between amazing job offers, according to Professor Warner.”

“Why?”

“I guess Judge Jones…”

“You mean Aunt Ruth!” She corrected with a smile.

I sighed, “Aunt Ruth is being vetted for that open Supreme Court seat.”

“Does she stand a chance of being confirmed?” She asked me.

I shrugged, “I don’t know, the Tully case seriously has a lot of people angry at her, but it also got a lot of progressive attention.”

“That’s cool!” She told me. “So, where are we looking at living?”

I smiled, “I really want to stay in New Haven, honestly, but I’m okay with up there in New Albany or anywhere in the State of Hartford.”

“What about going straight to the Capital?”

“Live there?” I shook my head, “It would be one of the worst places we could live with you…” I cringed, “Honestly, besides Ames, I can’t think of a more dangerous place for us to live for your safety?”

She shrugged, “It may be unavoidable someday, Cam, if you become as big as I think you might!”

I laughed, “Trust me, no Mid will be sitting on a major judicial seat anytime soon!”

We talked for a while. Toward the end of the call, Beth said, “I’m working on finding my own job here too… just so I can save up some money for when we’re married.”

“Doing what?”

“Not sure yet; I have a few leads. Mom is actually looking at one with me.”

“What happened to her job?”

“She officially retired last week… but just wants to find something to occupy her time now.”

“That’s cool; tell her congratulations for me!”

She smiled, “I will, Cameron. I love you!”

“Love you too!”
 
 

Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment if you did so and press the Kudos button! I should be posting a few times a week until this is fully posted here on BC. The full novel is complete (65 chapters plus Epilogue) and published on Amazon if you wish to be impatient though!

All of my published works have AI read audiobooks available for them. I’ve spent some time tweaking pronunciations, and they’re pretty good when you can’t afford thousands to pay for audiobook creation! They’re a $1.99 addon to the $5.99 price on Kindle. If you’ve already purchase the book it should come up as only $1.99. They’re also available on Audible directly, but that’s $9.99 versus the cheaper price! https://www.amazon.com/author/babysofia