A Baby Born Anew (Private for deathshadow and thelonegrunt)
 

((Again, this is a private RP for me and deathshadow. DO NOT post if your name is not mentioned above or in this disclaimer. Thank you.))

"Guilty." A judge stated with absolute conviction. A gabble slammed across the table in a semi-crowded courtroom. The trial of a family's life had just gone underway. A man by the name of Alexander Sheppard is standing among his peers, a face showing no sense of emotion or remorse. Even internally, the crimes in which he has been committed to 20 years in prison do not phase him in the slightest. He is a big man. He has nothing in the world he cares about but his own issues and the dilemmas that plague him. He'll survive in prison on his own.

What hurts about his sense of pride and egotism is that he HAS someone who should be extremely close to him: an 18 year-old daughter, a beautiful, tender soul, who is now sitting at the side of the courtroom...

Amara Sheppard was sitting in the courtroom, tears in her eyes. While she hated her father for all the abuse her entire life, spanning from when she was a baby to hours before his arrest, she was upset to see her father go but also relieved and happy that her living nightmare was finally over.

(By the way, it's gavel XD)

(Damn! >.<)

Once the decision was made and the time in prison was set (15 years), Alexander was not phased whatsoever. Actions went with punishment, and if he were to be punished, at least he'd be alone without the pressures of the outside world affecting him. Considering that his wife had died years earlier, nothing truly mattered to him, not even the daughter he had brought into this world with his once beloved.

He was stood up by court officials and turned to the entrance of the courtroom, looking to make an exit and to situate himself in the life of a common prisoner. As he passed the various isles, however, he noticed the girl standing out of one of the chairs. While there were tears in her eyes and smearing her makeup, he showed absolutely no emotion, as if he hadn't even bothered to acknowledge the girl's pain, pleasure, or suffering in any way.

As with the father in the courtroom, another soul sat a solid distance away...

His name was Craig Mallows. He was the exact same age as Amara, but he was vastly different in size, a foot taller and nearing 180 pounds. Along with his height, he had a semi-decent build, but not an impressive physique, by any means. He had a very white complexion to his skin, and he adorned a set of glowing, aqua blue eyes. He had blonde, wavy hair which only went down to his ears and did not cover his face, the due flipped to one side. He currently was wearing his best attire for a situation like this: a pair of black khakis, shiny, black shoes, and his best polo t-shirt.

What he and Amara differed in appearance, they made up for in what they shared. They were boyfriend and girlfriend, closer than many couples could ever hope to be. When Amara felt something, Craig felt it within himself, as well. He knew of the stress, the pain, the suffering that his sweet Amara had been enduring for the last couple of years. He could even see that pain slowly reemerging right now... and it tore him apart by being even this far from the girl he loved so deeply.

Fortunately, this forced separation would last very shortly. In court arrangements settled days before the trial, Amara's grandmother so happened to be awarded custody of her granddaughter. The fortunate part about this was Craig and his family lived literally three houses away from each other, so seeing each other would no longer be such a hassle. And considering how torn the girl seemed to be right now, they'd need as much time to be with one another as possible.

(Kay I'll be honest, was kinda waiting for you to introduce her boyfriend for the next post so I kinda don't know where to go here XD I figured he'd be there at the courthouse)

---------- Post added at 11:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:44 PM ----------

(You should seriously consider being an author o.o)

Amara sat in the courtroom for several minutes after her father had been escorted out, crying silently. She was relieved that the years of abuse were finally over. She was glad to finally be able to see her boyfriend again as well. After she had regained her composure, she got up and fixed her skirt and walked out of the courthouse.

(There are way better, trust me XD
I do write stories, though... Short ones, but stories, never-the-less.)

With the meeting adjourned and the sentence finally starting to empty, Craig, currently alone and given permission to attend this hearing by his parents, watched as the girl was starting to leave alone, slugging behind her grandmother as to surely be taken home now.

Before she was completely out of sight, the young man slightly stuttered but finally found it in himself to call out the girl's name. Standing quickly as to confront her, he made his way to the large doors after the room was mostly emptied, standing face to face with the girl whose eyes were partially closed and glossy with tears.

There they were, standing eye to eye, face to face, the connection between them as strong as ever. Craig could sense something in the girl's eyes, a strong sense of longing. It was unparalleled to any feeling he had felt before, and it tore him to shreds deep down inside, no matter how masterfully he hid it from the girl in order to remain strong.

Therefore, without warning, the boy grabbed the girl's hands and interlocked them with his very own. Considering how long they had been dating and the intimacy of their relationship, this sort of contact came naturally to them both. "Do you think you'll be alright?" Craig asked with the greatest of sincerity, his eyes showing sympathy but not absolute heartbreak as indicated with Amara's pitiful state.

Amara quickly released the interlocking hands and wrapped her arms around Craig, "I think I can manage now," she said as she was doing immediately better now that she was with her boyfriend. "I can't believe you're here! I'm so happy to see you!" Amara exclaimed, trying to keep from crying tears of joy and trying to keep her voice down as well.

Craig hadn't even texted the girl to let her know he would be here. In all honesty, he actually forgot to considering that thinking too heavily about it led with the lack of a valid text. Besides, hopefully the sheer surprise of being here would hopefully make the girl feel better... and it certainly did, judging from how differently the girl reacted.

"I couldn't just leave you alone, babe. You know me better then that." Craig said with a smile, putting his hands to the girl's hips and pulling her upper body in. Their faces eventually came in contact with one another, and with one simple tilt of his head, the two were kissing one another for a few, brief moments, savoring the fact that they were now with one another.

The grandmother, being a woman of very little words, just watched on as the young couple embraced one another. She didn't EXTREMELY know the boy that well, but judging from how much he seemed to make her granddaughter happy, she couldn't help but smile at the light-hearted exchange.

After the kiss, Craig pulled away and used one hand to dry some of Amara's tears away, being gently as not to badly smear the makeup. "I suppose you'll be... going home now, right? With your grandmother?" Craig asked, turning to the older woman for a moment and giving her a warm smile. Craig knew the woman for how properly she treated Amara, as well as her own kindness toward him.

"Yeah she's taking me home, she has custody of me now. I still have to get things unpacked but you're more than welcome to come over later today. You live a few doors down from my grandmother right? Or at least that's what I've heard." She blushed a bit, hoping he would, or that she could go over to his house for whatever reason.

"I do, expect me to be over later... or if you want, you could come to my place... it's really whatever your want, babe..." Craig said with honesty, brushing some of her hair out of her face with his hand.

"Well it'd probably be easier for me to come over to your house, since I really haven't had time to unpack at all of my stuff and my room is kinda a mess to be honest. So what time can I stop by? I miss spending time with you." She said happily, glad that she would be able to spend time with her boyfriend after all this time.

"How about around 5? I'll tell my parents and we'll more than likely have dinner together. If it's alright with your grandma, we'd be more than happy to have you and maybe even her over until dinner... and if things turn out well, perhaps you could spend the night." Craig stated, giving the girl a slight smirk. They were both young adults and knew exactly what sort of interaction this entailed, but considering the level of their commitment, this was only to be expected.

Amara giggled a bit, knowing what he implied. She was ok with this, and she actually looked forward to it. "Well I know I'll be able to come over for dinner, hope I can stay for desert." She said, the last line she whispered in his ear.

"Hehe, I love it when you talk that way to me..." Craig felt kind of like an absolute bastard while standing in a courtroom talking about his own need for smut. It was very strange to him that the mood had shifted so drastically, but considering that Amara was much happier now, that's all that truly mattered to the boy.

"Well I guess I should get home, parents need me to get back soon." The boy stated, looking over to the grandmother to the side and again smiling to her. The boy looked to his girlfriend one final time and wrapped his arms around her. "Everything is going to be okay, alright? Just know that I'll always be here if you need someone to hold onto. I love you, babe."

"I love you too~" She hugged him once more before she headed with her grandmother to where she was now staying. She was feeling a lot better than she had been, and much better than she had expected to be today.

Craig certainly couldn't deny a feeling of anxiety within him. After all of that stress, surely something would have given within the girl. He was extremely happy that her demeanor completely changed with his unexpected appearance... but he couldn't help but think that deep down inside there was something she was hiding from him, still something that she needed in order to be totally happy...

The boy pondered as he drove home and thought long and hard about the secrets they have shared with one another... when one in particular came to mind. It was one he never told anyone else, one bottled up inside until he had the integrity to share with Amara. She didn't mind, and with that, Craig even wanted the girl to be a part of it... but things didn't work out so well because of the circumstances.

But now was different. That look in the girl's eyes was one that could not be so easily ignored by the boy. She needed something, something long lost, something she never truly got to experience. Amara needed innocence.

Back at home at around 4:30 P.M, the boy texted the girl, stating that dinner was still perfectly fine. He even got the greenlight for having the girl spend the night considering that it was currently Friday.

Amara texted him back, letting him know that she would be ready for dinner and that her grandmother said it was fine for her to even spend the night as well. She had prepared a simple overnight bag, basically just pajamas, a new shirt skirt and a pair of panties. She arrived at Craig's house with her grandmother precisely at 5pm, as she was one to always be on time.

The duo were greeted at the door by the boy's father, receiving the warmest of greetings from both Craig's mother and father. After the light-hearted exchange was over, the two were invited inside, where Craig almost immediately rushed downstairs to meet the two.

He noticed once again a change in demeanor. The girl was no longer saddened with her makeup smeared across her face... but she instead reapplied it and threw it over a wide, happy smile, her eyes recovered from the days other previous events. Craig was happy that his girlfriend was like this... but why so suddenly? Was that sense of dread still lingering through Craig, a visage created by Amara to mask all of her pain just to prevent others from becoming upset?

Craig didn't question it out loud. Instead he simply walked up to her and gave her a light hug. For now, he did not want to go further considering he wanted to keep a positive image in front of his parents... as well as Amara's grandmother, a mistake he foolishly made once the trial was over earlier that day.

Inside, Amara was still quite upset and torn up to pieces. She had put on a mask for her boyfriend trying to be happy. She was happy for the fact that he was here, but she needed something more than than. She really needed comfort but she put on the mask anyway and entered into the house.

By expecting her, both parents of Craig had prepared a nice, wholesome dinner for their guests, their son, and themselves. With it strewn across the table in a neat and orderly fashion, the couple implored both Amara and her grandmother to sit down, their areas already adorned with plates, napkins, cups, and silverware.

With a smile, Craig himself suggested they both sit, gesturing to the two empty chairs.

Amara smiled and joined Craig and sat next to him, she was happy that he was there. She was curious about what had been prepared for the evening's meal.

A good amount of delicacies were prepared for the night's meal; a large turkey, green beans, cooked ham, corn fresh off of the cob, and assortment of various fruits, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, macaroni and cheese, and other smaller treats to satisfy the family and guests' hunger.

As the entire group gathered around the table, Craig just couldn't take his eyes apart from that of the girls own eyes, even as they all ate. He would occasionally shift away from this trance by staring back into the eyes of his parents when they wanted to say something to him or needed anything, but besides those minor instances, his attention shifted more towards the girl than his own food.

The five talked and ate food for a solid hour, and surprisingly, the time passed by. The group talked about everything they wanted to; the news, politics, local occurrences, even things which bothered them all. However, the discussion of Amara's father was not in anyway hinted by anyone, as Craig and his parents knew so much about the girl's problems with abuse over the past couple of years.

After the eventful, fun hour, the couple decided it was time to make their way up. With that, the grandmother decided to leave shortly after, telling her granddaughter to call if she needed anything or to be safe if walking home later at night.

"This is a lot of food! Who even had time to cook all of this? I don't even think I've seen this much food at Thanksgiving!" Amara was astonished at the amount of food that was on the table, even more so at the variety of it.

The parents were certainly happy to see their guest satisfied with their food. After the time had passed, the food became less and less, and more stomachs were filled to content. At this point, the grandmother had already left, leaving the young couple and the set of understanding parents. With Craig full and Amara seeming to get closer to that point herself, the boy asked his parents to be excused, garnering a yes from both and a smile. Craig then took his dishes, thoroughly washed them and sat them at the bottom of the sink before returning to his beloved. "So... you want to just relax for a little bit, Amara?" The boy asked gently, trying not to give a bad impression in front of his own folks.

Amara nodded, "I'd like to see your room at the very least." She giggled a bit, but this was normal for her. She was usually a bubbly girl if you knew the real her.

Craig motioned for his parents if they could both make their way to his room, gaining the okay from them both. With that, Craig smiled and held onto his girlfriend's hand, now escorting him up the stairs and toward his own room.

(Short post... getting hard to think right now...)

(Kinda why mine was short :P I was falling asleep and kinda barely got site closed before I fell asleep on my laptop again ^^;)

Amara happily followed him into his room, taking her small overnight bag with her, knowing that in a few hours, she'd definitely want to change into her comfortable pajamas.

The first thing on Craig's mind wasn't what you'd think it'd be... in fact, something else completely blocked out that thought for him. He was thinking more about the girl's well-being than his own selfish wants and desires, and from how the boy lightly grasped onto the girl's hand after closing the door and sitting on the bed, it was obvious.

"So how have you been, Amara? Anything you wanna talk about first?" Craig asked, adorning a smile on his face in hopes to provide consolation for his girlfriend as they spoke.

Amara comfortably sat in his lap, holding his hands and leaning on him. "I've been fine I guess, as much as one girl could be with an abusive father. But life has been better ever since he was arrested and now I'm just thankful that this whole ordeal is finally over. It's like a nightmare that I finally woke up from." She said, sighing in relief. "How about you? How have you been? I can't think of anything really to talk about, is there something you wanted to do?"

The thoughtful boyfriend couldn't help but bring the girl's legs up so her entire lower portion rested on his lap, giving her warm and affectionate cuddles. "I'm glad that you are okay, and my only hope is that you'll be able to handle all of this over time. I hate knowing all of the shit you've had to go through... but at least it's all over now." Craig reassured the girl and kisses her lips softly. The attention was now diverted to him. "Huh... well... I've been thinking, to be honest..." Craig didn't quite know how to word this, considering the last time something like this was on his mind, it was kindly rejected by Amara.

"You've been thinking what? You can tell me." She smiled at him as if he was the only thing that mattered in the world. And to be honest, at this point and time he kinda was.

"Well... I, um..." Craig was finding it hard to come to terms in explaining, but he couldn't just mumble and say random things like an idiot. He'd need to say SOMETHING now. "You remember... like, a couple of months ago, when I told you about... my... my secret?" Craig asked.

"Yeah what about it?" She said innocently, not really understanding what he was going on about. She did remember his secret but was slightly confused.

"Well... just to remind you..." Very soon, Craig was standing, the girl now sitting alone on the bed. To remain secretive, he locked the door and walked back to the bed, digging underneath and pulling out a white bag, fluffy and crinkly. With a long sigh, he at last reached for the content within the bag and pulled it out. In total surprise, the lone item he pulled out was very large, crinkly with every touch, and currently shaped as a square... but could be stretched out. It also had a tape on each side and the word "Baby" written multiple times in blocks across the front of it.

It was as clear as day what this way. This was one of Craig's untouched diapers, thrown underneath his bed!

"Yeah... I was thinking about this... about... just, everything in general... and, uh..." At this point, Craig's face was lit up like a cherry. For one, he was embarrassed about reopening this discussion, and secondly, he feared he would repeat fate by being rejected by Amara once again.

"Well what about it Craig, it's just a very big baby diaper to me." Amara wascompletely clueless at this point to be honest. She thought she had an idea where this was going, but she wanted to be sure.

"Um... perhaps..." Craig was glad that the girl still didn't seem to care... but how would she react? "...maybe... we could... you could try one on?"

"Craig you know how I feel about that!" She said blushing, pushing her fingers together. She was actually considering it this time.

Craig almost yielded immediately, but something about Amara's demeanor seemed... different. It was as if she was somewhat shy about it, but not rejecting it all the way. Now he'd need a definite reason. "Alright, alright! Just hear me out on this. I always want to give you something, so why not this? Come on, it could be fun!" Craig suggested, giving the girl a nice wink, all the while holding back his real intention.

"Well what would it entail? I'm not sure if my grandmother would want me doing this." She was reluctant, but it was her boyfriend and she was willing to at least hear him out.

"Well... just you, wearing the diaper, and... being good for me..." He said, not sounding strange but subtle and not giving away the reason JUST yet. "And don't worry; she's not here and I'm sure she'll understand if I'm able to explain... if that's even necessary."

"So all I would have to do is put this thing on? Nothing else really?" She was warming up to the idea, she didn't think it would be all bad and the diaper certainly reminded her of her mother for some reason.