James' Journey Backwards

Chapter 1
James' Journey Backwards

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Chapter Description: Whole story

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James’ Journey Backwards

By Groblek

"Look, Doc, I’m fine. It was just a little spill, and nothing I was working with should be able to go through the skin anyway." James said as Becky poked and prodded him all over yet again. “I swear, I’ve spent more time in this office than I have working these last couple of weeks.”

"I’m just doing my job, James. You know that we take workplace accidents very seriously. I’ve got to be thorough, even for my friends. Especially for my friends. Dana will kill me if you end up hurt through my negligence.” The doctor replied, sitting down to type up her notes from this session.

James sighed. "Yeah, I know, and I even appreciate it, but really, I feel fine. If anything, I feel better than I did before the spill."

Becky typed a couple more notes, then smiled. "Well, I don’t see anything wrong with you. You’re free to go for now, and I think we can wait a couple of weeks before making you come in again. Just be sure to let me know if anything changes."

"Will do, Doc."

"And give that lovely wife of yours a hug for me, I haven’t seen her in far too long."

"I’ll tell her to come downstairs and drag you out of here for lunch so the two of you can catch up." James said as he made his escape.

Three weeks later, Dana noticed the first signs of the true effects of James’ accident.

“James, have you finally started using hair treatments?” She asked one morning.

James looked at his wife blankly. “What do you mean, love?”

“Look in the mirror.” She said, putting a hand in the center of his head. “Right here.”

James looked, and blinked in surprise. The bald spot he had acquired in college had begun to sprout blonde fuzz. “Well, that’s different.”

“It looks good on you.”

“Thanks, love.” He said, giving her a kiss before they carried on preparing for work.

Over the next couple of weeks, he acquired a full head of hair again for the first time in years. James was pleased with his new look, even though it meant enduring more tests from Becky. Dana appreciated it too, as well as the increased libido that seemed to have accompanied the hair.

For the next six months, things were wonderful. James had more energy than he had in years, and he took advantage of it to rekindle his relationship with Dana. Management was nice enough to let them both use some of their accumulated vacation time to go on a second honeymoon. They spent three weeks getting reacquainted and returned refreshed and happy.

"Welcome back!" Becky said on James’ first visit since the vacation. "Dana tells me that the time away did you a world of good."

"You’d better believe it, doc. I swear that I feel ten years younger.”

A month later, James learned how right he was when he woke up to find his face clean of hair, his goatee left scattered on the pillow. Over the course of three weeks, his body hair all fell out, face, arm, and even his pubic hair, and his body took on a lanky, awkward look. Still, it wasn’t until his voice started to crack that he and Dana figured out exactly what was happening to him.

Becky came to the end of his latest physical examination and frowned. "I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t been watching your case, but I’d swear that you’re going through puberty in reverse." She examined James’ penis clinically. "When was the last time you had an erection?"

James exchanged a look with Dana and blushed. "Tuesday of last week. Not for lack of trying."

Becky shook her head. "Then I’m wrong; you’ve just finished puberty in reverse."

"Can you do anything for us?" Dana asked, concern in her voice.

"I’ll try, but right now we don’t even know what’s causing this. None of the ingredients in the mix that spilled on James should have had this effect, and they’ve only just started analyzing the samples left afterwards." Becky hugged her friend. "We’re lucky anyone kept them, with how long it took James to show any symptoms.”

“Thank goodness that we’re all a bunch of pack-rats around here.” Dana said.

James nodded. “It tends to happen after the first couple of times you throw out a sample, then find a need for it a month later.”

“Well, this time let’s hope it pays off in time to do you some good.” Becky said as she sat down to type up her notes.

That week, James went on extended medical leave from work. He still shared a bed with Dana, but their snuggling was for comfort and reassurance, not sex. To his distress, James began to shrink at night - no more than a half-inch at a time, but after two weeks he found himself having to stretch to reach the usual cupboards. At his insistence, Dana went back to work during the day, leaving him home alone. James tried to distract himself from the constant strangeness of his shrinking body by reorganizing the house to accommodate his smaller size.

It only worked to a point - he still had to think about what was happening, but it did keep him from dwelling on the aches and pains that came with his rearranging body. The worst part at this stage was the constant ache in James’ jaw as his teeth began to fall out, replaced by baby teeth.

"Hi, Doc!" James said as he opened the door two months later and looked up at Becky. "I didn’t know you did house calls."

"Usually I don’t, but I pulled some strings to get assigned to you for the duration. Anything to help my friends."

James was silent as Becky poked and prodded him, then frowned.

"Well, as far as I can tell, you’re perfectly healthy - for a seven year old."

James made a face. "Is that it?"

Becky sighed. "I’m afraid so. You have the misfortune of being the first ever case of de-aging, and you know better than most how long it takes to research a new condition. Unfortunately, all I can really do is watch and offer a friendly shoulder."

James sank into a chair and craned his neck to look Becky in the eye. "So, Doc, even if it does stop tomorrow, how long do you think it’ll take me to get back to my rightful age of thirty-eight?"

"From everything I’ve seen? Thirty-one years."

"Damn. That’s what I was afraid you’d say." He sat brooding for a while, until Becky felt a need to break the silence.

"Hey, don’t give up hope - at least things have slowed down. You’re down to losing a year every couple of weeks now."

"Yeah, but I don’t have too many more years left to lose." James sighed.

Becky gave him a hug. “Look, I’ll come by tomorrow with the results of these blood tests, maybe they’ll turn up something.”

“Maybe.” James hugged her back. “Thanks for the company, anyway. And for being Dana’s friend, too. She needs the support at least as much as I do.”

Becky stood up, gathering her things. “You’re welcome, James. You know I’ll do everything I can to help you both.”

“I know.” James said, seeing Becky out the door.

The next day, James sat at the kitchen table, waiting for Becky’s visit. When she let herself in, he greeted her. “Hey there, Becky! Come sit and join me for tea before we get started with all the poking and prodding.”

“I’d be glad to.” She said, setting her bags down and taking the chair he offered.

They chatted a bit before Becky sat back and looked at James. “So, are you ready to tell me what’s really on your mind, James? Nice as this is, I know you well enough to tell when you’re trying to ease someone into an unpleasant topic.”

James shook his head. “Not unpleasant, or at least I hope not. Just… Difficult.” He took a sip of his tea then looked her in the eyes. ”Becky, you’ve always been a good friend to Dana and I, but you used to be much more to her, didn’t you? Don’t bother to deny it, she’s given me all the details.” James grinned at her.

Becky blushed slightly. “That… That was a long time ago. But yes, we were lovers.” She looked slightly wistful. “She and I were together for two years before things fell apart. Why do you ask?” She said, looking back at James.

“I’ve been wondering something.” He paused, took a deep breath, then continued. “There’s no way to say this that isn’t awkward as hell, but do you ever wish the two of you had stayed together?"

Becky raised her eyebrows in shock. "James! I..." She looked away, hiding her expression from him. It was several minutes before she broke the silence. "Yes, I do. I’m glad that she’s been so happy with you these last ten years, but..." She looked back at him, and James saw tears streaking his friend’s face. "But sometimes I see you together and think I should be in your place.” She sighed. “And the worst part of it is that I know I could have done it, if I hadn’t been too afraid to lose my own independence.” She looked at him challengingly. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

James reached up and put an arm on Becky’s shoulder. "Actually yes. I... I need help. Dana needs a partner, and I… I can’t be that for her right now, or for a long time to come. And she misses you too."

Becky blinked at James. "Are you asking me what I think you are?"

James met her gaze and held it before nodding. "I’m asking you to seduce my wife for me. More than that, really - I’m asking you to be her partner, the way I can’t anymore. Even if things stop now, I’ll be dependent on her for the next several years, and I’m not done regressing, am I?"

Becky shook her head. "No, no you’re not. You’re slowing down, but I think you’ll end up back in diapers before you stop."

“Then Dana’s going to need a lot of help, even if I don’t lose my mind in the process. And I know you’ll take good care of her – and me too, if it comes to that.”

Becky blanched. “I haven’t seen any sign that your mind is deteriorating – is there something you aren’t telling me?”

James sighed, “No, nothing. I just can’t help worrying about it – if my body’s getting younger, then so is my brain, and who knows what that means for my mind?”

Becky scooped him up in a comforting hug. “Let’s not borrow trouble just yet, James.” She put him down and was quiet for several minutes before speaking again. “Have… Have you discussed this… proposal of yours with Dana?” She asked hesitantly.

James nodded. “We’ve been discussing it for two weeks now.” He paused and smiled at Becky. “She… She’s afraid to ask you – since she was the one to break up with you, she’s afraid you won’t take a chance on her again.” He grinned at Becky. “I finally decided that I won’t wait for her to get up the courage to ask you herself.” He paused and frowned, “Of course, I’ll be in all kinds of trouble if you say no…”

Becky’s laughter stopped him in mid-sentence. “You know, that’s sort of how we got together the first time too. When I asked her out, I learned she’d spent weeks trying to get up the courage to ask me.” Becky smiled at James, eyes shining. “I can’t promise things will work – there were reasons we split up the first time after all. But if she’s willing to give it a try, I’d be glad to try again. And you can bet I’ll be there for both of you regardless of what happens between Dana and I.”

“I know you will, Becky. That’s why I suggested this in the first place.”

“So… Will you be all right if I kidnap Dana tonight?”

James grinned. “Kidnap away – we’ve got enough leftovers to last me a couple of days, and I’m still capable of taking care of myself, at least for now.”

Becky’s plan must have worked, because Dana didn’t come home that night. Over the next two weeks, James actually saw Becky more often than he did his wife, since Becky had to drop by to give him more tests, and he’d insisted Dana sleep over at Becky’s while they relearned how to be lovers. Then one Friday, Becky showed up for his exam with a pair of large suitcases in addition to her medical bags.

“Hey there, Doc! James said, smiling as he opened the door. “Planning to stay a while?”

She wrestled the suitcases through the doors and closed them behind her before answering. “Actually, I’m moving in, if you’ll still have me.”

He smiled. “Of course. That was the idea, after all.”

Becky sighed in relief. “Oh good. It would have been awkward if you’d said no, since the movers should be packing up my house about now.” She picked James up in a warm hug. “Thank you for everything. You were right to suggest that Dana take some time away while we got reacquainted, but she’s ready to come home, and so am I.”

“Then welcome to the family, Becky.”

A month passed, then another and they settled into their new, strange family. James let the two women have the master bedroom, taking for himself the one they’d set aside for the child they’d planned to have someday. As he continued to regress, his body changed more and more drastically. By Becky’s third month with the family, he was wearing clothes meant for a three-year old child, and Becky and Dana alternated days to stay home and help him navigate the house. Two weeks after that, he suffered the humiliation of losing his bladder control completely and ending up back in diapers for the duration of his regression.

“Damn, I was hoping you’d been wrong when you said I’d end up back in diapers.” James said to Becky as she helped him change his most recent diaper. “And I’m still getting younger, aren’t I?”

“I’m afraid so.” Becky said, shaking her head. “You’re slowing down, but I’ve got no clue how far you have left to go.”

“Fuck.” James swore. “I’m scared, Becky.” He looked at her, fear showing in his eyes. “I’m losing control of everything, and I want it to stop.”

She picked him up and held him close against her. “Shh, Dana and I are scared too, but we’ll get through this together. We’ll take good care of you.”

That night, Dana came out of the bathroom with news that scared them all even more.

“Um, Becky? Please tell me this doesn’t say what I think it does.” She held out a pregnancy test, and James watched from the bed as Becky scowled at the device.

“It says you’re pregnant.” She looked at her lover quizzically. “Is there something you haven’t been telling me, love?”

Dana mock-glared at Becky. “You know full well that I haven’t had sex with anyone but you since James stopped… You know.” She took a deep breath, then let it out, sagging against the bed. “But I haven’t had a period in two months, and this is the third test in a row to tell me that I’m pregnant.”

The three of them exchanged worried glances, but no one was sure what to make of this development. James spent that night snuggled close to his two best friends, but no one got much sleep.

Three months later, James was reduced to crawling around on the floor, his leg muscles no longer able to support walking. He sat at the table, letting feed him some mashed sweet potatoes, when Dana came home from her latest appointment with her own doctor.

“How’s my favorite little man doing today?” she asked, earning a halfhearted glare from James.

“I cwd be beddr, ‘Na.” James lisped. “Teesh hurt. Bet awredy dosed me.” His jaw had been aching constantly for the last month, as his teeth were reabsorbed. By now, he only had twelve left, and expected four of them to disappear any time now. He controlled the pain with a constant dosing of baby ibuprofen, but speech was becoming more and more difficult, as was eating. Dana had already made him sample baby bottles and formula for when he finally lost his teeth entirely. James didn’t like the taste of the formula, but figured it was better than starving.

Dana came over and kissed Becky, then James.

“How was the appointment, hon?” Becky asked.

Dana placed a hand on the just-visible swell of her belly. “The baby’s still being shy about the ultrasound, so we still don’t have any pictures, but I’m definitely pregnant.” She picked up James and gave him a big hug, resting him against her swelling belly. He let himself relax into her embrace.

That night, the three of them snuggled together for comfort, naked except for James’ diaper in the warm summer heat. He awoke from dreams of milk and baby bottles to feel wetness against his cheek where Dana’s breast rested against him. He turned to look and saw drops of milk forming pearly beads on her nipples. Tummy rumbling with hunger, he gently wrapped his lips around his wife’s nipple and began to suckle. Her milk tasted wonderful, awakening a craving that drove him to drink deeply. As the flow of milk slacked off, James felt Dana stir, cradling him and shifting him to her other breast where he nursed himself back to sleep.

The next morning, Dana stretched as she sat up in bed, her movements waking James. He looked up to see her staring at her breasts, watching milk squirt as she squeezed. She scooped him up, cradling James to her chest. "That wasn’t a dream last night, was it?" Dana asked. "I’ve really got milk for you, don’t I?"

James nodded and his tummy rumbled again. "I hungwy, Na."

"Drink up, baby, drink up." Dana said as she held him against her breast and let him nurse. James drained both of his wife’s breasts, aware of Becky waking up and staring at them while he nursed.

There was silence for a while afterwards, then Becky spoke, looking sad. "Dana, your body’s producing milk for James. Your body’s actually changing to provide for him. You know what this means, don’t you?"

James felt Dana shiver once, and saw her reach a hand to her belly. "Yeah. I didn’t want to believe it, but I guess I can’t deny it any longer." She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "I’m not pregnant at all, am I? Not yet, anyway – but I will be, once James is ready. That’s what you mean, isn’t it?"

Becky nodded. “Crazy as it is, I can’t think of any other explanation that fits. Somehow, it looks like James is going to end up in your womb – or at least your body thinks he will.”

James reached a hand up to touch Dana’s chin, trying to get her attention. He waited to speak until both women looked at him, then spoke slowly, enunciating the best his body would allow. “It’s OK, ‘Na, Bet. I ‘spected it aftwr ‘Na’s fiwst uwtwasound.” He screwed up his face in frustration at the language that wouldn’t come. “This swcks. I Ca.. Can’t Tawk.” He frowned, then his face brightened as inspiration struck. “Twy Mowse Cowd, ‘Na?” He asked, then started tapping on her shoulder.

It took a minute for Dana to realize that he was trying to communicate, then she blinked in surprise. “Oh! Morse code! You’d think a couple of Ham radio buffs would have thought of that one sooner.” She stopped talking, focusing on James’ tapping, then gave him a big hug, tears in her eyes. “Oh, honey. Of course I’ll take good care of you, my love.”

James saw Becky give her lover a blank look. “Um, Dana, you forget that I was never into that old radio stuff. Care to translate for me?”

Dana blushed. “Sorry, I forgot. James says he agrees with you about what my ‘pregnancy’ means, and asked me to take good care of him.” She stopped to listen to James’ tapping again, then translated. “He also says that he’d like you to be the one to help with the birth, when the time comes.”

“Of course I will, love. I promised that I’ll take good care of both of you, and I meant it.” Becky said, squeezing Dana’s hand.

James stopped tapping, arm already tired, and snuggled into his wife’s cleavage. He realized with a start that her breasts were now each almost as big as his entire head.

Within a week, James had given up solid food entirely, but Dana’s breasts produced more than enough milk to satisfy him. His jaw finished absorbing his teeth two weeks after that, and his regression seemed to accelerate. By Dana’s seventh month of ‘pregnancy’, he’d lost even the ability to roll over on his own, and the world had become a blurry series of shapes and colors. When he concentrated, he could force the shapes to resolve into images, but it took so much effort that he rarely bothered anymore. His communication with Dana and Becky was entirely through Morse Code now, and Becky had learned enough to understand him without Dana’s translation if he went slowly. Although his mind seemed as sharp as ever when he was awake, he slept for more and more of each day. His regression continued at a more or less constant rate, and Becky predicted that he’d hit newborn stage in about two months.

Becky turned out to be wrong. James’ regression slowed down drastically once Becky started estimating his age in days rather than weeks or months, and they began to hope he’d finally stopped. Then, six months after he’d become dependent on Dana’s milk, James’ belly button finally began to itch and turn red. After another week, there was no doubt that his umbilical cord was regrowing. James’ hunger actually increased during this time, and he spent more and more time nursing from Dana; his body turning her milk into the cord that would soon join them together.

Becky examined the end of the umbilical cord, which now stretched a good four feet from James’ belly. "I think we can’t put it off any longer, love. James’ breathing is getting worse every day, and I think something’s starting to grow from the end of his umbilical."

James snuggled into Dana’s breast as his wife spread her legs wide. "Go ahead then." Dana said, using one hand to part her labia. “Connect us.”

Becky carefully slipped the cord into her lover’s vagina, pushing it as deep as possible before withdrawing her fingers.

They waited in silence for several minutes, then Becky breathed a sigh of relief when the cord began to swell with blood flowing between James and Dana. “There we go, he’s implanted.”

James could feel his whole body tingle as the connection was made, and pressed himself even closer to Dana. He wanted to stop this, to take back what little control he could. But now there was no denying his final destination, and none of them had control of the situation. James clung to Dana for comfort, and barely noticed when his lungs shut down.

Dana sighed and stroked her husband’s head as he snuggled against her. “We’re on borrowed time now, aren’t we?”

“I’m afraid so, love. I couldn’t begin to guess at how long we’ve got, but I can’t imagine this being a stable situation.” Becky kissed them both then turned to leave the room. “I’ll set up the tub, I think we’ll need it soon.”

Hours later, Dana went into labor and moved to the birthing tub in what had been James’ room. James clung to her as he was submerged the first time, but soon let himself relax into the warm water. He floated in a daze as Becky and Dana focused on the labor of opening the way for him. After a time, he fell asleep in the tub.

James awoke as Becky lifted him out of the water, handing him to Dana.

“It’s time, love.” Dana said, giving James a last kiss before handing him back to Becky. “I’ll take good care of you, I promise.”

Becky kissed James on the forehead, then rubbed a warm gel all over his body before plunging him once more into the water. He felt hair rasp against his face as she gently pushed his head against Dana’s parted labia. After only a little while, his head slipped inside her birth canal and was grasped firmly by her vaginal muscles. The world dimmed and narrowed as Dana’s body blocked the outside light, her contractions pulling him slowly inwards. Becky continued to provide pressure against his bottom, helping him progress deeper into Dana, until one final contraction shoved his head through his wife’s open cervix and into her waiting womb. After that, the rest of James followed quickly, his body forced into a fetal ball within the womb as Dana’s muscles closed her cervix behind him. James let himself drift into unconsciousness as his body recovered from the passage into Dana. His last thought was to hope he’d be allowed back to the outside world eventually.

He awoke to darkness, floating in a warm, wet, noisy place. After a moment of panic, struggling against the soft walls that held him in tight confinement, James awoke enough to remember his final regression. With that realization, the sounds resolved into Dana’s breathing and heartbeat, and he realized just where he was, deep within his wife’s most intimate place. A sense of wonder filled him as he relaxed, held and nourished by his beloved wife in a connection closer than any other couple had ever experienced. He lay still for a long time, listening to the sounds of his wife’s body, of his new world, until he fell asleep once more.

Time passed as James slumbered within his wife’s womb, waking only for short periods while Dana slept. The womb seemed to grow more spacious for a time, and James was awakened by a spinning sensation as his body floated and rotated until he was held at a new angle. He dimly recalled that being an important sign, but couldn’t recall just why. After a while, he fell asleep again.

By now, James had learned to recognize the rhythms of his new home, so when he awoke to feel movement and hear Dana’s breathing quicken, he knew something was different. His world shook, and her heart raced, the rhythm echoing through him. The shaking grew faster, and faster still, and a rumbling cry went through his world before everything slowed down once more and Dana calmed down again. James kicked out in surprise and concern, trying to get Dana’s attention.

It worked; he felt a hand press against him, and heard her heart speed up slightly. After a moment, he realized that she was tapping out a rhythmic pattern against her belly, and a moment later he was able to pick out the message.

“James? Can you understand me?” Dana tapped, over and over until James responded with a kick.

He concentrated on pushing gently back against her, repeating the pattern for “Yes”. Long-short-long-long, pause, short, pause, short-short-short, pause, then repeat. After a while, he heard another rumble pas through his world, and realized she was talking excitedly to someone. A moment later, he heard a muffled voice reply; while the words were unintelligible, he recognized Becky’s voice. Then Dana began tapping again.

“It is you! Are you OK? Do you remember who I am, where you are?”

“Yes” James tapped back. “Dana, love. I’m in your womb, I think.” He tapped back. He repeated himself once, then stopped, exhausted from the effort. But that had been enough, Dana’s heart raced still more, and he heard her speak again. This time, another source of pressure joined Dana’s, and he heard the uncertain, slow pacing that still plagued Becky’s attempts at Morse Code.

“James! Thank goodness, I was afraid we’d lost you.” Becky tapped out. “You haven’t tried to talk to us since I put you inside Dana, I was afraid…” She trailed off. “I’m so glad you’re OK.”

“Fine. Tired. Been sleeping a lot.” James tapped out. “Still tired, can’t talk much. Too much work.”

“Oh James!” Dana replied. “Go ahead and rest, my love. I’ll take good care of you.”

Inside her, James smiled. “I know. You already are. I love you both.” He tapped out, then let himself relax again.

“I love you too.” Dana tapped out.

“Rest well.” Becky added.

James listened to his surroundings as Dana and Becky’s voices rumbled around him. After a time, Dana’s heart raced once more, and Becky’s voice came more softly. Soon, James’ world shook once more, and this time he recognized Dana’s rumbling cry as a moan of ecstasy. He smiled as he realized that he’d been awakened by Dana and Becky’s lovemaking, and they’d obviously decided to pick up where they’d left off. He let himself drift back to sleep amid warm fuzzy feelings from the secondhand afterglow.

Now that the women knew James could still communicate, they engaged him in conversation whenever they noticed him awake. While he could only “talk” for short periods before tiring, Dana was happy to chatter away at him, and he enjoyed listening to her relay news about the outside world. He had the bizarre experience of "hearing" his own obituary read to him, and it shook him, despite knowing it was coming. Once it was clear that his regression might take him this far, he’d convinced Dana and Becky that it would be better if he "died" as far as the rest of the world was concerned. The last thing they needed was someone coming looking for the "missing" James Brown before they were ready to go public with what had really happened.

One thing that did surprise him was the concessions Dana had wrung from their employer in return for silence about James’ real fate. Dana knew that a true youth serum would be truly priceless, and so did the owner of the company. She’d been given a 10% share in the company and a promotion to department head for the new division studying James’ compound.

"Damn! I always knew I’d married a shewd negotiator." James tapped out when he heard the news.

"Well, I did have to promise to continuous medical monitoring for us both, as well as absolute secrecy.”

"I’m just amazed Doug kept a straight face when I assured him you’d be very closely monitored." Becky chimed in. "It’s not as though anyone in the company’s unaware of our relationship by now."

"You don’t get to stay head of a company for long without a good poker face, not with the kinds of people he’s had to deal with over the years." Dana replied. "Besides, he’s always liked all three of us."

After one of those intimate medical exams, with so many ultrasounds that James could feel the waves tickle him in strange places, James felt the rhythmic tapping signaling that Becky wanted his attention.

"Yes, Becky?" He replied.

"I’ve got good news and bad news for you both." She paused. "The good news is that you seem to have finally stopped regressing, James."

"And the bad news?"

"Right now, you don’t appear to be growing again. It’s hard to tell for sure, but you appear to have stabilized as a 22-26 week old fetus. That’s good, because I was worried about your brain’s integrity if you’d gone much farther. It’s bad because you’re still short of the point where I’d recommend trying to let you out of Dana." She hesitated, then went on. "Technically, a fetus your age is considered viable, but you’d likely be in the ICU until whenever you started aging again. If you really want, we could try and get you out, but..."

James interrupted her with a kick. "No. If Dana’s willing, I’d rather stay here until I’m ready."

"Don’t worry, love. I’ll carry you for as long as it takes." Dana said. "Even if you never come out, I’d rather be your life support than stick you in some hospital indefinitely."

"Thanks. You’re more than I deserve. I love you." James said.

"I love you too. And I’m not giving up on holding you in my arms again, my love." She said, tapping forcefully.

One night, James lay awake listening to what he’d learned to recognize as Dana’s sleeping rhythms. After a while, the sounds changed, and he felt her move around, then his space grew slightly less cramped as her bladder emptied.

"Hey James, are you there?" She tapped softly against her belly.

"Yes"

"I wanted to ask a question, without Becks to overhear."

"What’s that?" James asked, curious.

There was a long pause before Dana answered, and James could feel her nervousness. "Are you sure you’re OK with Becks and I being a couple? Not just the sex, but sharing our lives as closely as you and I once did?"

James would have laughed if he could. "Of course I am, Dana. I worked to make it happen, remember?”

He heard her deep breath rumble through his world. "I know, but I..." Dana paused and took another deep breath. "I want to marry her, but it feels like she’s replacing you, and I don’t want that either. Despite all this, I still want you with me - I just want Becks too.”

"Love, relax." James replied. "Marry her, for both of us. I’m not worried that I’ll be left out."

Dana’s heartbeat slowed, and James could feel her tension release. "Thank you, love. You know I’ll always consider you my husband."

"I know, beloved. But right now I’m your baby.”

“Yeah, but I expect to evict you eventually, and then you’ll grow up again. I plan to be there when it happens.”

Some time later, James shared his wife’s joy as she and Becky were married in a small, private, ceremony. During their honeymoon, James didn’t get much sleep, as Dana’s arousal tended to wake him up. When he mentioned it to Dana, she laughed and told him that she’d started using “Waking the baby” as a euphemism for sex months ago.

On the last morning of Dana & Becky’s honeymoon, James awoke, feeling very disoriented. Something was different, and it took him a long while to realize that he’d turned upside down while he slept. He tried to rotate back to his usual position and found that Dana’s hips blocked him. His head and shoulders had settled into her pelvis, and he couldn’t make his body lift up out of the cage they formed.

His struggles awakened Dana, and then she woke Becky. Minutes later, James heard Dana’s heart race and felt Becky tap frantically.

"James, this is wonderful news!"

"What? What’s happened?" He tapped back, hoping his new position didn’t hurt Dana too much when he kicked.

"You’ve dropped into Dana’s pelvis! That means you’re getting into position to be born! You must be growing again!"

The three of them celebrated the news for the rest of the day, and the women didn’t get home until much later than they’d planned.

Now, James found his world rocked by tremors with increasing frequency as Dana’s muscles geared up for his eventual birth. During one of these , James’ world suddenly grew more cramped as the fluid surrounding him drained away. He knew then that Dana was going into labor at long last. His head was shoved against her cervix again and again as James was used to force open the birth canal that would release him into the world once more. Finally, a contraction pushed his head far enough that he stuck in place, then Dana pushed more and James was roughly shoved out into the light and the waters of the birthing tub.

Gentle hands caught him, and James heard Becky’s voice as she clamped and cut the umbilical cord binding him to Dana.

“Welcome back, James. We’re glad to see you again.”

With that, she handed him to Dana, who nestled him against her chest. James took his first gasping breath since his enwombment and the scent of her milk filled his nostrils. Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to drink, and Dana helped him into position as he contorted himself to reach her nipple. The warm milk soothed him as it filled his belly, and James continued until barely a trickle remained. He looked up at Dana pleadingly, and she chuckled.

“You always were fond of my breasts, love.” She said as she moved him to the other one. “There you go.”

James continued nursing until finally the exhaustion of his birth caught up to him and he fell asleep at Dana’s breast.

He awoke to soft voices and the feel of warm skin all around him. After so long in the womb, the unmuffled voices seemed strange, as did the feel of air on his skin. He let out a startled whimper and opened his eyes to see Dana and Becky snuggled next to him, both topless and pressing their bare skin against his own. Becky’s bare breasts dominated his vision from this angle, and he felt pangs of hunger as he saw them.

“He’s waking up.” Becky said, then smiled down at James. “And I think he wants something from me.”

He stared back at her, the nipple just in front of his face making his mouth water. To his surprise, she leaned forward and pressed it against his lips.

“Go on, James. I made sure I’d have some for you too.”

He took her nipple in his mouth and suckled, surprised despite her words when milk flowed into his mouth as a reward.

“Ahh, much better.” Becky said, and sat back, resting him against her belly while he nursed.

It took a kick from below him for James to realize that he was resting on a protruding, pregnant belly, and he let go of the nipple in shock.

“You’re pregnant?” James tapped slowly, knowing his voice wouldn’t work yet. Another pair of kicks punctuated his question.

Becky nodded. “Poor Marcie discovered that gloves aren’t any protection against that compound you discovered. Since Dana was still full, I figured I’d volunteer to take her. Why don’t you say hello? Dana and I taught her Morse code during her regression, since it’s been so useful with you.”

“Marcie? It’s James.” James pushed slowly on Becky’s belly, mind reeling. Marcie had been his boss before the accident, and he knew she’d taken over the hands-on portion of the project.

“James? You’re out? Is that what’s been happening?” Marcie tapped back.

“It seems so.”

“Oh good, there’s hope for me yet.” She went silent again.

James looked over at Dana, who’d been watching the whole exchange.

“I should have told you, but I didn’t want you to worry over things out of your control.” She said, offering James a finger.

He squeezed it in answer. “How long?”

“Becky’s been pregnant with her for three months.” Dana said, then stroked James’ cheek with her other hand. “And you were inside me for almost three years.”

James’ mind reeled. “Three years! How?”

“It took a full year for your regression to stop, and more than a year after that for you to even start growing again. I think you’re progressing now at a more or less normal rate, but it’s too soon to be sure.” Becky said, and James stared at her.

“And you’re leaving out the real reason you volunteered to host Marcie, aren’t you Becks?” Dana added, chidingly. “As far as we can tell, I didn’t age at all while you were inside me.”

“What?” James squeezed, tuning back to Dana. “Really?”

“Really. In fact, my body’s in better shape now than before you went in. So Becks and I volunteered to be surrogates for other accidental exposure victims.” She sighed, looking serious for a moment. “There are going to be a lot of them before we’re done with the research. That compound of yours is really tough to work with. Carol’s been pregnant with Mark for a year now, and Jenny’s almost ready for Lisa.” She paused and held James close for a moment. “And most recently, Rachel just started back through puberty yesterday. When she heard I’d gone into labor, she asked if I’d be her surrogate when the time comes. I told her yes."

James just stared at his wife, who kissed his forehead.

"I should be recovered by the time she’s ready, and I’m the only one so far to carry someone to term." She saw James’ eyes widen and shook her head. "No, there haven’t been problems with any of the others, but they’re all a couple of years behind you. We’re hoping everyone’s case turns out as well as you, but I know I can do it.”

"Why did you agree? I know carrying me was uncomfortable." James asked.

Dana smiled at James. "Rachel’s my friend, and I want to be sure she’l be OK, but I do have another reason. I’m going to wait for you, love. If it takes staying pregnant for the next couple of decades to stay young while you grow up again, so be it. I will have my husband back, one way or another.”

“And I won’t let Dana get away again, so I’m in as well.” Becky said, waving a hand at her belly. “You’ll just have to deal with having both of us around. We should have plenty of time to work out the details.”

James smiled at the two women and snuggled back into their embrace.

 

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