Dollies, by Morpher

Chapter 1
Chapter One

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Chapter Description: By Morpher

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One

 

As soon as the two take their seats in the restaurant, they know the attraction is mutual.

 

Stuart doesn’t mind that his date has about two decades on him, not really. For someone in her late forties, April is beautiful: sure there are a few wrinkles here and there and her once bright red locks have clearly lost their luster with time, but she’s still easily one of the most beautiful women he’s ever seen in his life. Just imagining what she might have looked like in her prime makes him hard, although thankfully he has the table to hide that.

 

As for April, she’s more amazed than anything that Stuart is still smiling at her. When her newest intern had mentioned a single friend coming to town, she had no idea it would lead to something like this. She smiles back, looking upon the young man’s dreamy features. She tries to ignore the fact that he’s only a few years older than her own son as she gazes upon him.

 

“So April, I have to say I’m really flattered that you’d go out with a guy like me.” Stuart smiles as he sips at his water.

 

“Hey, I’m the one who should be thanking you. Going out with an old lady like me-”

 

“Come on, don’t say that!” Stuart’s warm smile nearly melts April’s heart. “You’re very beautiful, April.”

 

A blush forms on April’s cheeks. She’d love to be flattered more by the handsome young man, but she decides that it might be best to change the subject for now. “What brings you to New York, Stuart?” She knows that he’s not from around: his accent is so cute to her.

 

“Honestly? I just needed a break. Don’t get me wrong, I love my hometown, but sometimes you just want to get away for a little.” Stuart chuckles as he thinks back.

 

“I can understand that. Some days I wish I could just dump my responsibilities on someone else…” April trails off, Stuart watching as her bright smile twists into a sad, remorseful frown.

 

“I take it being a CEO isn’t all it’s cut out to be.”

 

“You have no idea.” April collapses back in her chair as the bread service arrives, the woman snatching up the warmest piece as she begins to pick away at it. “I wish I could just get away from it all…I took that job because I needed it back then. I didn’t expect to advance so far in the company.”

 

Stuart looks concerned. “Why did you need it?”

 

“It was my son,” she explains. “His father left as soon as we found out I was pregnant.”

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

“Don’t be,” April says firmly. She’s heard that more times than she can count. “I don’t want to imagine how much worse things would be if I let that man raise my son. Still…” She trails off, Stuart able to sense the regret in her eyes.

 

“April, you can tell me anything you want.” Stuart gently takes her hands as he looks her straight in the eye. The tears start to form in April’s green orbs as she feels Stuart’s hands around her own. They’ve only known each other for a few minutes now, but she can sense how genuine he is when it comes to helping her.

 

Of course, the fact that they are basically strangers does cause her to approach the situation with caution. After all, she knows that a lot of men in the past have just been after her money.

 

“Why should I do that?” She asks simply.

 

Stuart chuckles as he continues to hold her hands, a small blush coming to his own cheeks as he realizes he probably looks awkward at the moment: they are in public. “I mean, you don’t have to. But just know that I’m from a town that does a lot of good for people. We specialize in things like giving second chances and easing pain. I’d like to think we’ve helped a ton of people in the past, and we’ll continue to in the future. And well, maybe I can help you, April.”

 

April’s inability to detect a lie leaves her stunned. Is he really telling the truth about this? It sounds almost too good to be true, if that’s the case.

 

“I admit, when Bastion told me about you, he mentioned that you were going through a lot. So even if there was no real spark between us, I wanted to see if I could help you out.” Stuart says. “Although, I sort of do feel a spark, truth be told.”

 

April can’t help but blush a bit, a few tears leaking from her eyes as she nods. “It’s okay…to think someone like you would come along…is it really possible, Stuart? Is this town really so magical that it could let a family start all over again?”

 

Stuart nods. He can’t tell her the details, not yet anyway. He hasn’t named Parkdale, and from what he can tell, neither has Bastion. “Yeah. I think we can help you-”

 

“I want to leave it all behind. I want to step away from my position and just live a quiet, peaceful life. I have enough money for it, so as long as I don’t stay here I should be able to live out a good deal of my life in comfort, and I’d be happy to pick up a part-time job or so. I…I…” April shakes her head, the woman trying not to create a scene in the restaurant. The entrees haven’t even arrived yet and she’s already like this.

 

Stuart is quick to act, calling for their waiter as he pays the man for his services and leads April outside. “Come on, it’s going to be okay.”

 

“I’m sorry…I’ve ruined our first date.”

 

Stuart shakes his head as he smiles. “No you haven’t. See? We’re still together.” The blonde smiles at the beauty before him, April realizing that he’s telling the truth. “Come on, we can go somewhere else. That place seemed really expensive.”

 

April lets herself laugh as she nods. “Everything is expensive in New York.” Taking Stuart’s hand, the two begin to walk down the sidewalk together.

 

“It’s my son…I was never there for him growing up…never there to encourage him, support his talents and endeavors…”

 

“Because you had to work all the time, right?”

 

April nods. “Even after I put him through college, he had no drive. He claims he wants to be a writer, but I rarely see him do anything! He just sits around at home, playing games and not interacting with the world around him…I wish I had a chance to start over with him.”

 

Stuart can’t help but chuckle. “Well, that’s kind of within the realm of possibility.”

 

April blinks. “Does a place so magical really exist?”

 

“Yeah, it does. I had better not-”

 

April grips his hand hard as she looks him in the eye. “Stuart, I promise I won’t tell anyone about this place. I won’t cause you any problems. Just please…if it’s real…would it be possible for us to go there?”

 

This time it’s Stuart’s turn to be taken aback by the woman before him. He knows that’s she a CEO who probably has to lie to people all the time. But either she’s a really, really good actor, or she’s telling the truth. Maybe it’s his growing feelings for the woman, but he finds himself wanting to believe the latter.

 

“Okay.” He says with a nod.

 

April smiles as she continues walking with him. “What do you mean, start over though? I’m already so old.”

 

“You don’t have to be for long.”

 

“Then-”

 

“Yeah.” Stuart says quickly as they pass another couple on the sidewalk. The last thing he wants is for anything important to be said aloud, not here anyway.

 

April walks in silence for a few seconds before speaking again. “If I could go there…could I make another change? To really start over?”

 

Stuart turns to her, confusion present in his face. “What do you mean?”

 

“You see, I always wanted a girl.”

 

 *****************************

Victor looks none too happy as he steps off the bus. Is his mother playing some sort of joke on him? This is the place they are moving to? This small, parochial English town?

 

He knows it has something to do with her new boyfriend, the English guy she’s been seeing for just about a year. But how is this going to work out? She isn’t going to quit her job to move to a place like this, is she?

 

The redhead sighs as he looks around. According to his mom, someone is supposed to pick him up here and help him get settled into Parkdale. He has no idea why he needs someone to show him around: if he’s forced to live in a place like this, then there’s no way he’s ever coming out of his room. He just hopes that the internet isn’t too spotty.

 

“Excuse me, are you Victor?” The twenty-three year old turns around to look upon the blonde woman before him. She looks about maybe a decade older than him, although there’s a definite youthful spring in her step as she walks over to him.

 

“Yeah,” Victor says quietly.

 

“Well, it’s wonderful to meet you, Victor!” Before Victor can do anything about it, the woman pulls him into a hug. Part of him wants to push the woman off him, but he knows there are people around. And while he usually doesn’t care much for first impressions, this is a completely new place he’s in. Best not to start off on a bad foot, he figures.

 

“I’m Viola,” the woman explains. “I’m going to take you to the house you’ll be staying at until your mom arrives.”

 

Victor shrugs as the woman leads him down the street. His mother had mentioned something like this. Apparently a termite infestation had to be cleared out before they could move into their new home.

 

Victor doesn’t make much of an effort to look around the town, his eyes fixed squarely on the back of Viola’s head as she leads him through Parkdale. Her blonde locks are currently held in a ponytail. Prim and proper, he thinks to himself.

 

After maybe ten minutes of walking the two arrive at a rather nice two-story home. It’s certainly different from the apartment he’s used to. It probably costs only a fraction of the monthly rent to live here, he muses.

 

“Come on inside!” Viola holds the door open for him as he steps within. The interior is nice enough, a few oil paintings hanging along the staircase while a few potted plants give the home a more vibrant feel. Victor sets his bag down at the bottom of the staircase before he turns to look for Viola. Where did she go off to?

 

“In here!” Viola calls from another room. The young man follows Viola into the living room, only to watch as the woman passes into another room. “Take a seat! I’ll brew us up some nice tea.”

 

At this point, Victor finds he has no reason to complain. He’s parched, and he might as well get used to tea. England and all, he thinks with a small smirk as he takes his seat on the couch. He’s glad that the furniture is comfortable enough. But then again, so long as his bed is good and he has a good chair at his computer desk, that’s all he could care about.

 

He still isn’t sure why his mom is seeing this guy, and why he’s been such a big part of her life for the past year. He’s only a few years older than Victor himself, and this is the guy she’s fallen for? Victor knows something is up, but it’s not like he can do much about it. His mother refuses to hear him out about anything. He is living on her livelihood, after all, so he doesn’t have much of a say in things. He just hopes this isn’t some giant con.

 

“Okay, here we are!” Viola sets a cup of tea down before the young man as she smiles. “Chamomile is my favorite. I hope you’ll enjoy it too.” Viola takes a sip from her cup before letting out a delighted sigh.

 

Victor watches the woman for a moment before he does the same. The drink certainly is quite refreshing. He drinks some more, his sips quick yet frequent as he continues to enjoy the steaming hot beverage.

 

Viola smiles as she watches him. Victor isn’t sure why she’s so focused on him, but that doesn’t matter. For whatever reason, he suddenly feels really tired. Try as he might, he can’t fight his drooping eyelids as sleep overcomes him.

 

*****************************

 

“Thanks again for everything.” Viola smiles at the young man who has helped her bring a young woman upstairs into the bedroom. It is a rather simple room, containing only a desk, a bed, a dresser and a closet. Of course, then there’s also the box at the foot of the Queen-Size bed.

 

“Just doing my job.” The man says before glancing over at the box. Viola also notices it as she studies it for a moment.

 

“So, that’s the new gear, huh?”

 

“Sure is. Just make sure that you’re careful. This is new stuff we’re dealing with.”

 

“Gerty told me as much. Don’t worry, I’ve already taken all of the necessary precautions.” Viola thanks the man again as he leaves the room. Once he is gone, she turns her eyes back on the figure on the bed.

 

It’s still hard for Viola to believe that the young woman with red hair that reaches down to her waist had been a boy mere hours ago. Yet she had seen the transformation with her own eyes, watched as the boy’s rather stocky form became both smaller and curvier. At this point, Victor, or rather, Victoria could pick up many boys if she wanted.

 

Not that she’d be given the chance.

 

Viola knows that Victoria won’t be out for much longer, the girl already starting to stir. She goes over to the box, wondering what is within.

 

“Ugh…wha…” Victoria’s mind is a complete mess as she awakens. Her senses are screaming at her, telling her that something is horribly wrong with her body. After a few moments of trying to focus, she looks down and screams.

 

“Wh-What the hell happened to me!?” She shrieks, the voice that leaves her lips not one she is used to.

 

“Language, young lady.” Viola finds herself slipping into nanny mode at once as she chides Victoria.

 

Yet Victoria is in no reason to be reasoned with. “What did you do to me!?” She lifts up her new shirt, eyes wide with horror as she gazes upon the two fleshy mounds that shouldn’t be there. A quick peek down at her pants is all it takes to confirm the horrible truth.

 

“Now now Victoria, I’m sure you’re very confused. This should help you.” Opening the box, Viola pulls out the object within and hands it to the girl.

 

Victoria is ready to throw the thing out the window before she catches a glimpse at it. It’s a doll: a rather detailed doll of a girl looking to just be entering her teenage years. Strangest of all, much like Victoria, she also has red hair.

 

Victoria knows that she’s never had an interest in dolls before: why should a boy? Yet as she looks upon the smiling plastic face, a smile starts to develop on her own lips. She hardly even realizes that she’s getting smaller, her newly-grown breasts already starting to shrink down.

 

Viola smiles as she watches the glassy expression in the young woman’s eyes as she becomes younger. So, special dolls that help with both physical and mental transformations are what technology has cooked up, huh? How interesting. She watches as Victoria continues to regress, the girl only stopping when she’s about fourteen or so. A few cute freckles now dot her face, Viola still figuring that the girl would be able to turn a few heads. At least, at secondary school or so.

 

The nanny wonders how she’ll be regressed further, before she feels something bump into her foot. She jumps back with a start, the usually composed blonde wondering what in the world had done that. Looking down reveals that something has fallen out of the box.

 

Viola picks the object up, the woman rather startled to see herself looking at another doll much like Victoria’s. Only this one is blonde and her features vary a bit, from her clothes to her shoulder-length hair.

 

Viola wonders why a second, similar doll was included. It really is a very pretty doll she thinks, a smile tugging at her cheeks as she starts to pet the girl’s hair. She loved playing with dollies when she was little: her foster family would always get her a new one every three months. Viola doesn’t even realize that giggles are slipping out of her mouths even as the years start to slip away.

 

She feels funny, feels like her clothes are getting too big for her. But she’s just so happy as she continues to pet the doll’s hair. What’s a nice name for her, she wonders. Maybe Chrissy? Or how about Margie? So many options!

 

Victoria wears the same smile on her face as she hugs the doll to her now smaller breasts, the girl clearly out of it as she collapses on the bed and giggles. Despite all of the strange things that have happened to her today, she knows that she really loves her doll. And given all her body has been through, it doesn’t take long for her to be lulled back to sleep.

 

Viola giggles, knowing that her dolly loves her just as much as she loves it.

 

And then she snaps back to reality.

 

All color drains from Viola’s face as she looks down at herself. Where a thirty-year old had once stood is now a teenage girl, Viola starting to hyperventilate as she studies herself. She knows not to panic: accidents like this had happened in Parkdale before, and the last thing she needs right now is to cause Victoria to freak out too. She just needs to call someone, needs to change back before things got worse.

 

Viola looks down at her doll, the nanny very much wanting to get rid of it. Yet something about it compels her to keep it, Viola making sure to keep it out of eyeshot as she races downstairs.

 

“Hello Viola.” Standing before the front door is a young man with blonde hair. Viola knows she knows him from somewhere, even if he isn’t too familiar to her. “I’m Stuart. I’m here to assist you with this assignment.”

 

The fact that Stuart is completely unphased by her appearances causes a knot to form in Viola’s stomach. Was something like this expected and planned? She watches in silence as Stuart folds up his umbrella, before to her surprise, the man pulls her into a hug.

 

“It’s going to be all right, Viola…I know this must be new for you.”

 

“…what happened?” It sound so strange to hear the much lighter, younger voice leave her lips, Viola inwardly cringing as she hears how awkward she sounds as a teen.

 

“Come on. I’ll explain everything.”

 *****************************

 

“It’s a new experimental form of regression therapy.” Stuart explains as he sits across from Viola. The two had managed to snag some new clothing from Victoria’s room for the girl, the redhead remaining fast asleep with her doll in her arms. They had changed her as well, both blondes working together to make sure the teen didn’t awaken while they removed her oversized clothes and got her into some night clothes. It was already the late afternoon.

 

The sound of rain falling outside does little to comfort Viola as she sits across from Stuart. She wears a simple white blouse and a rather pretty skirt, although the fact that she is dressed like a teenager at all continues to horrify Viola.

 

“With Victor’s gender being changed, there’s naturally going to be a lot more resistance to the changes. Even the doll isn’t strong enough to take care of her, not entirely. Without some reinforcement-”

“So why was I changed?” Viola wants answers, and she wants them now. “I made sure I was protected. I took extra precautions after hearing that there was new tech involved too.” It’s so strange, her being the younger one between them now.

 

Stuart looks her straight in the eye as he tells her. “I was getting to that. You see, we need someone to be there for Victoria, to act like everything is perfectly fine. That she’s always been a teenage girl.” He explains. “So, well, we need another teenager for that.”

 

“Then get one of the teen agents!” Viola is very scared right now, even though she tries not to betray that fact to Stuart. Is this all because of the money? Is this some cruel way to get back at her?

 

“Viola, please, calm down.” Stuart is at her side in an instant, the young man pulling her into a warm hug. And for whatever reasons, Viola takes comfort in the physical gesture. “We need someone with a lot of experience to do this…it’s dangerous.”

 

“I’m going to become younger too, aren’t I?”

 

“Yeah, I think so.” The genuine warmth in Stuart’s eyes reassures Viola, if only a little. Although the thought of being trapped in a nappy for a little is not one she enjoys at all. Then again, considering the number of people she’s regressed, perhaps it is karma at work.

 

“How young?”

 

“I don’t know yet. It depends how well this works out. I need you to act like you have always been a teenage girl right now, Viola. The effects of the doll are stronger on her than they are on you.”

 

“I figured as much. Still, tech is doing some scary things. I made sure to take precautions, and now look at me.”

 

Stuart offers a sympathetic smile as he pulls away from the teen. “I’m sorry, this must be pretty frightening. But just know that I’m here to help you out, I promise.”

 

“There’s nothing sinister going on here, is there? Because if I’m going to…” Viola takes a deep breath to compose herself, the girl’s attention briefly captured by her doll. She smiles as she looks at it, her worries starting to recede as she continues to pet the doll’s hair.

 

“Hi Viola!” It’s a teenage girl’s voice that comes out of the doll. For whatever reason, Viola isn’t startled by either the fact that it talks or that it knows her name. “I’m Abigail! Let’s be BFFs!”

 

Viola smiles as she hugs Abigail to herself. But then Stuart gently takes the doll from her, Viola reaching out for it before she blinks.

 

“…woah.”

 

“Yeah, it really pulls a number on you. Don’t worry, I don’t think it can make you any younger, not now anyway. And I mean it, Viola. I’m here to help you. I’ll do my very best. I don’t really know what the higher ups are doing, but I’ll protect you.”

 

Stuart’s words are exactly what Viola needs to hear as she nods, her mind still recovering from the ticklish sensation the doll seems to have caused her to experience. “I should leave it with you.”

 

“But make sure Victoria hangs onto hers.” Stuart says as he takes Abigail. “And remember, despite our current ages, you’re in charge here.”

 

  *****************************

“Vicki, are you all right? Come on, show me a sign!” The voice sounds so far off as Victoria sleeps, the girl starting to return to the waking world. There’s great confusion in her mind, a great deal of uncertainty.

 

But as the tickles begin, that hardly matters anymore.

 

“Ahahahah! Hey!” The redhead does her best to push Viola off her as the pretty blonde continues tickling her, Viola also giggling quite a bit as her hands continue roaming over Victoria’s body.

 

“I knew that would do the trick!”

 

The laughter starts to die away as Victoria is given a moment to catch her breath. Even as she wipes a tear of joy from her now red face, a question comes to mind: “Who are you?”

 

“Who am I? It’s worse than I thought!”

 

Victoria frowns. What’s the problem here?

 

And then the memories start to come back. This isn’t her room, and it also isn’t her body-

 

“You really caught quite the blow to your head, Vicki.”

 

“Huh?” Victoria blinks as she looks at the cute blonde.

 

“You really don’t remember, huh?” Viola looks rather distressed as she holds onto one of Victoria’s hands. “You took a ball to the head during gym and hit the ground hard. Back of your head went down. We were all really worried about you. Afraid you’ve got amnesia now, Vicki.”

 

Victoria frowns as she shakes her head. Is that why everything’s a blur? But that can’t be right. “I remember being a boy though. Wasn’t I a boy?”

 

Viola just sits there in silence before she breaks out into girlish giggles. “G-Geez Vicki, y-you’re going to make me pee myself!”

 

The idea does sound rather silly now that she has voiced it out loud, Victoria admits. Her friend’s giggles are contagious as she starts to laugh herself. Still, something seems off.

 

“Sorry about that, umm…sorry, I can’t remember your name.”

 

Viola rolls her eyes. “How could you forget your best friend’s name? It’s Viola, silly.”

 

“Viola…” Something sounds familiar about that name, so it must be right. At this point, Victoria will accept anything that helps her make sense of things. Yet those strange memories of a life as a boy…they seem so distant, yet so very real.

 

“You’re lucky today is a Friday! No school for us for the next few days. Although I bet given your situation you might be able to take a week off or so!”

 

The idea of skipping school is quite appealing to Victoria, although somewhere in her mind a voice exclaims that she hasn’t had to go to school for years. She shakes her head and smiles at Viola. “Well, I can’t complain much about that. Umm, Viola, why do you have an accent?”

 

Viola laughs. “Because we’re in England silly. You moved here two years ago, remember? Your mom is a big shot in New York, and this week she’s finally coming to live over here.”

 

Victoria frowns. Is any of that true? It doesn’t sound right. “Where are we now?”

 

“My house. After your accident, I had my big brother come and pick you up. Our house is closer to the school,” Viola explains. “This is my room, actually.”

 

“Oh,” Victoria looks around at the barely decorated room. Something seems off here.

 

But before she can do anything, Viola diverts her attention elsewhere. “Still, seems you managed to bring Brittany with you.”

 

“Brittany?” Victoria turns her head as she looks down at the cute redhead doll. She smiles as she sees it, her doubts and fears once again being swept away as she picks up the plastic teenager and smiles.

 

“So, it’s actually quite late,” Viola explains. “Been raining cats and dogs out there too. So umm, anything you wanted to do before supper?”

 

Victoria blinks as one memory in particular pops back up. “Viola, I love to write, don’t I?”

 

“Of course you do, silly! In fact, you were going to set up a blog tonight! That’s what you told me at lunch today!” Viola pulls her friend over to her laptop, Victoria blinking before she’s seated. “Come on, I want to see what you have to say!”

 

“What was I going to blog about?”

 

“Your life here in Parkdale, silly!”

 

Victoria frowns. “But I don’t remember anything.”

“Which is why I’m here to help fill in the blanks.” Viola smiles as she helps Victoria set up her account, the redhead soon typing away about her experiences, or at least, her recent experiences as told by Viola. Her first entry is quite short, but she does find herself enjoying her work.

 

“How is it?”

 

“Fab!” Viola says with a bright smile. “You really have a talent for this stuff, Vicki!”

 

“Girls, time for dinner!”

 

“Who is that?” Victoria asks as she hears the man’s voice.

 

“My older brother, Stuart. Come on, we’re having steak tonight! Should be divine!”

 

  *****************************

Viola finally lets her smile fall away at approximately 9:39 P.M., as soon as she knows that Victoria is fast asleep. The redhead teenager sleeps peacefully in her bed, Brittany clutched in her arms as she snoozes away. It’s been a hard time, trying to keep to her cover while also improvising to deal with any questions Victoria comes up with. Yet from the look of things, it has been fairly smooth sailing so far.

 

Stuart had helped a lot at dinner, the older man answering all of Victoria’s questions about her accident and past. His answers had aligned with Viola’s, causing Victoria to believe the two of them more and more. Hopefully now, she’d believe she was always a girl. It would make the next steps of the regression much easier.

 

Viola blinks as Stuart walks into the living room. “Still up? You should be getting to bed too.”

 

“I’m not really thirteen,” Viola counters, although she has to admit she’s been feeling rather tired of late. Perhaps it’s because of the regression but even her newly rejuvenated body just seems quiet tired, and she can’t place why.

 

“I know. But tomorrow will be a rough day. Do you think you’ll be able to handle it?”

 

Viola nods, before pausing. “Stuart, there are two locked doors upstairs I can’t get in. What are those for?”

 

“Oh, storage. This place has been used recently as a sort of storehouse for tech. Don’t worry, nothing bad here, I promise.” The man explains to the teenager.

 

“I hope not. Well, should I sleep on the couch?”

 

“Nah, you should use the master bedroom upstairs. I’ll sleep here. Good night.” Stuart says as he lies down, Viola nodding as she turns off the lights on the way up.

 

Within moments she’s dressed for bed, the girl looking at the simple T-Shirt and flannel pants combo with little comfort. Hopefully tomorrow won’t be too hard.

 

As she climbs into bed, she finds her body making contact with something. Viola pulls it from under the covers as her eyes widen.

 

“You’re the best, Viola!”

 

For some reason, Abigail’s cute voice and appearance cause the silliest of grins to form on Viola’s face, her spike of panic wiped away in an instant as she holds the doll close and goes to sleep.

 

 

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