~

The next early morning, Elizabeth was alone in her living room. A cup of coffee in her hand, she was watching the news at a low volume, taking in the newest developments of Brian’s case. Brian, Allison, and Jennifer were all still asleep, which she took note of with a small sigh.

Kids… she thought, before slightly frowning. 

Or… maybe I’m just old?

She quickly shook her head in denial, unable to accept such a horrifying concept.

Nope, definitely not. They’re just babies, obviously.

Resolving herself to this idea, she turned her attention back to the news. 

Before she could settle in completely, though, her phone chirped. Raising an eyebrow, Elizabeth picked it up to see who had texted her. Once she saw who it was, as well as what the message contained, her eyes widened in shock. Careful not to spill her coffee, she hurriedly placed her cup on the coffee table before rushing in the direction of the stairs. It was time to wake up, as they had a visitor incoming.

~

Quietly opening Allison’s bedroom door, Elizabeth made her way inside. Moving closer to the bed, she saw that Allison was sleeping peacefully, rolled onto her side with a small smile on her face. Her hands were drawn close to her chest, with one draped over the other. Once Elizabeth saw why, her heart absolutely melted. There, nestled in her former student’s hands, was Brian. He was cuddled up against Allison’s fingers, with her top hand acting as a living blanket. He looked completely peaceful, as if his girlfriend’s loving hands were protecting him even in his dreams. It was just about the cutest thing Elizabeth had ever seen, and she struggled against the urge to run and grab her phone to take a picture.

Although Brian had slept in Elizabeth’s room during the month where he and Allison were broken up, albeit in his pet carrier, he had resumed sleeping in Allison’s room once they rekindled their relationship. A fact that Elizabeth was definitely not upset about, and obviously completely fine with, mind you. With Jennifer now in the house, and presumably staying there for a little while, Brian now had three women who desperately wanted him to sleep in their room at night. 

Jennifer - his sister.

Elizabeth - his soon-to-be adoptive mother.

Allison - his girlfriend.

However, despite Elizabeth’s silent disappointment, and Jennifer’s extremely not-silent disappointment, they knew that Allison was first in line. That’s not to say that Brian could never sleep in their rooms - a fact that they were both banking on - but for the most part he was most comfortable in the soft, caring hands of the person he loved the most. And, of course, Elizabeth knew that his recently awakened sexuality had quite a bit to do with it, as well. Although she naturally had concerns, given his sexual history, she took them at their word that they were both being extremely careful, and having lots of fun with it. With that assurance, she simply hoped for the best and otherwise tried not to think about it.

After taking another moment to lovingly gaze at the adorable couple in front of her, she decided that it was time to do what she came there to do.

“Allie…” she whispered, softly placing one hand on her arm. “Time to wake up, honey…”

After a few moments of gentle nudging, Allison slowly opened her eyes. Once her consciousness had sufficiently rebooted, she quickly checked to make sure that Brian was still in her hands. Seeing that he was, she then turned her eyes towards the person that had woken her up.

“Elizabeth…?” she murmured, slightly narrowing her eyes sleepily. Elizabeth smiled warmly in response, before continuing to speak in a quiet tone.

“I’m sorry to wake you, but we all need to get up,” she said.

“Why…?” Allison asked, resting her head back on the pillow.

“Don’t freak out, but Cassandra is going to be here in half an hour,” Elizabeth answered softly. 

Allison’s sleepiness was instantly obliterated, and her eyes widened in shock. She wanted to jump out of the bed, but she quickly remembered that she was hauling precious cargo. Elizabeth took note of her expression, and once again smiled reassuringly.

“Yeah. We need to be ready, okay? So, I’ll leave you to wake the little one, and I’ll go get Jennifer,” she continued, to which Allison nodded firmly.

“Thanks, honey. Let’s try to be downstairs within the next ten minutes.”

With that, Elizabeth quietly exited the bedroom, and headed towards the one Jennifer was sleeping in. It was the room containing all of Brian’s stuff, by the way, as it was the only unoccupied bedroom left in the house. She had been more than a little disappointed to learn that Brian didn’t actually sleep in that room, but she eventually gave up on trying to persuade him. For the moment.

~

Once more, everybody in the Dawson household was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Senator Cassandra Day. However, unlike the previous time, the only one feeling truly nervous was Jennifer. After all, this was the senator who proved her brother’s innocence, and this was to be their first real meeting. As such, Brian had agreed to let Jennifer hold him in an attempt to help calm her down. It had mostly worked, although she couldn’t stop herself from continuously petting her brother’s hair in anxiety. It felt nice, though, so he didn’t complain.

Soon enough, a knock on the door echoed throughout the house. Elizabeth then opened it, and warmly beckoned their visitor inside. Once more, Cassandra hurried into the room with a determined look on her face, before her eyes came to rest on the three figures in the living room. Her face immediately lit up, especially once she caught sight of the black-haired teenager who was staring at her with a terrified expression. 

As opposed to her last visit, Cassandra was dressed in a way that was quite befitting of a senator. Her short-cut brown hair was neat and meticulous, not even a strand out of place. Her dark blue power suit likely cost more than Allison’s car, and gave her the visage of a strong, no-nonsense politician, as was consistent with her public persona. Even knowing the friendly, slightly goofy demeanor that lurked within her, Brian and Allison couldn’t help but stand up a little straighter. Jennifer, on the other hand, had been stiff as a board from the start. Noticing this, Cassandra adopted a warm, elated smile as she made her way towards the trio. She decided to start with the person she was meeting with for the first time.

“Hello, Jennifer,” she started, extending one hand towards her. “It is so nice to finally meet you in person.”

“Y-Yes, Senator, i-it’s really nice to meet you too,” Jennifer awkwardly replied, shakily extending her free hand to meet Cassandra’s.

“Please, darling, call me Cassandra,” she replied earnestly, while moving her hand to Jennifer’s shoulder.

“She would also accept ‘Auntie Cass,’” Brian cut in, looking up at his sister with a wink. Cassandra retracted her hand while letting out a hearty chuckle, before turning her attention to the one-inch man in Jennifer’s palm.

“That’s absolutely right, Brian,” she replied chipperly. “I’m so happy to see you again. I’m also so happy to see that you’ve reconnected with your sister, that takes a huge weight off my mind.”

Brian smiled in response, to which Cassandra gently reached out and tousled his hair. She then turned her eyes to Allison.

“Hello again, Allison. It was so nice meeting you a few days ago, and I’m really glad to see you again,” she said. Allison couldn’t help but lightly blush, and she adopted a bashful smile.

“Likewise, Cassandra. Thank you for making the time to see us,” she replied shyly. Suddenly, a voice cut in from behind them.

“What am I, chopped liver?” asked Elizabeth dryly, moving from the door to Cassandra’s side. Cassandra turned to her with a big grin.

“Of course not, Lizzy!” she chirped. “I’m always happy to see my best friend!”

Surprisingly, even Elizabeth developed a small blush at her kind words.

“I’m sure you’re exaggerating… we haven’t known each other for that long…” she muttered.

“True, but believe me when I tell you that, for a senator, genuine friends are difficult to find. I consider myself truly lucky to know all of you,” she replied earnestly, causing everybody to smile in response.

“Well, thanks,” Elizabeth said softly. “I know I speak for everybody when I say the feeling is mutual, Cassandra. Now, shall we all sit down?”

“Quite so, quite so!” Cassandra replied, before beginning to move in the direction of the sofa. Before she could, though, an extremely nervous voice spoke up.

“U-Um...!” Jennifer started, finding her conviction. Cassandra turned to her with an inquisitive expression.

“Yes, Jennifer?” she asked. Trying not to get emotional, Jennifer continued.

“T-Thank you for… thank you for everything you’ve done!” she exclaimed, lowering her head slightly.

“Thank you for proving my brother’s innocence! Thank you for working so hard on his behalf! Thank you for bringing me to L.A., and thank you for the super nice hotel! U-Um, thank you also for setting up that reservation on my birthday, that was genuinely the best food I’ve ever had, and, um… thank you, for… t-thank you!”

Finished with her grateful outburst, she kept her head lowered. After a moment, she could feel the slightest of sensations on her palm, and she saw that her brother was rubbing it tenderly. This gave her the confidence to look back up at Cassandra, who she saw had adopted yet another warm smile.

“It was my complete and absolute pleasure, darling,” she gently replied. “I was only doing what was right, and it has all been worth it. On the contrary, I want to thank you for being so strong in the face of such adversity. You and your brother are truly amazing people.”

Jennifer teared up slightly, and all she could do was gratefully nod in response. With that, the five of them finally made their way to the couch. The three women sat on the couch while Jennifer took a seat in one of the nearby chairs, raising her knees onto it before drawing her hands closer to her chest. She was quickly learning that the only time her heart was truly at ease was when she was holding her brother close to it, and was even more quickly becoming addicted to the feeling. As such, she posessively cradled him in her palm, positively dreading the moment when she would have to let him go. Once everybody else was settled, it was time to continue.

~

“So, Brian, what have you been up to these past few days?” Cassandra asked warmly. Brian reclined a bit in Jennifer’s palm, placing his hands on her soft skin for support.

“Well, let’s see. The day after you came over, I called Jen, like I said I would. It was tough, but it went really well. Right?” he asked, looking up at his sister. Jennifer nodded vigorously in response, slightly jostling him around in her palm unintentionally. 

“Of course, Jen then pressured me into letting her come visit,” he continued, shooting her a teasing grin. Cassandra adopted a small grin of her own, while Jennifer blushed heavily.

“B-Bean…” she muttered in embarrassment, giving him a soft poke with her free hand.

“I see, I see,” Cassandra replied jovially. “Well, I don’t think anyone can blame her. The next day was her birthday, right? I bet that was the greatest gift you could have ever given.”

“Yeah,” Jennifer added, gazing down at her brother lovingly.

“Yeah, I’m really something,” Brian replied dryly, deflecting the praise. “Anyway, that also went really well. Truly, reuniting with Jen was something that I never thought would happen. Even if my size makes it a bit difficult, I’m unbelievably grateful that we’re able to be together again. My sister means everything to me, Cassandra. Thank you again for making this happen.”

Slightly overcome with emotion, Jennifer pressed Brian into her chest in some form of a hug. She wanted to kiss him, but hadn’t quite built up the courage to try yet. Especially in front of a senator.

“I love you, Bean…” she whispered. Brian gave her skin a few comforting pats in response, while everybody in the room looked on warmly.

“Well, that’s wonderful,” Cassandra replied softly. “Seeing you two together makes everything worth it. I’m so happy for you both.”

Jennifer released Brian from her makeshift embrace, but still kept him close to her chest. He was still getting used to being small around his sister, but he was much more comfortable with it now, as compared to their initial meeting. Although Allison and Elizabeth were much more skilled at keeping their hands stable, he had to admit that there was something comforting about being held by his little sister. So, he simply accepted her affection with a small smile. However, that smile quickly vanished as he realized what needed to be brought up next.

“The next day, though… well, I decided to meet up with my mom,” he continued, his tone and expression darkening. Everybody else in the room soon followed, as Cassandra adopted a concerned expression.

“I see,” she softly replied. “I thought that might happen, since she also came to Los Angeles. How did that go?”

“Horribly,” Brian sighed, looking down at Jennifer’s palm. “I really shouldn’t have done it, I wasn’t ready. I was dumb.”

“I-It wasn’t your fault, Bean!” Jennifer suddenly exclaimed. Before she could continue, Brian spoke up.

“It was my fault,” he firmly replied, looking back up at her. He made sure to shoot Allison and Elizabeth a quick glance as well, conveying that his message was also directed at them.

“Regardless of who influenced me, it was ultimately my decision. I knew the risks, and I made a bad call. That’s all it was.”

Jennifer frowned in response, but decided not to push it. Brian then turned back to Cassandra.

"Just so you know, there’s no chance of reconciliation between her and I. I hope that doesn’t cause any issues for our campaign, but it just isn’t going to happen. As far as I’m concerned, she isn’t my mother anymore,” he said sternly. Cassandra shot him a small, sad nod.

“I understand,” she replied quietly. “If you don’t mind me asking, is it because of everything she said about you while you were incarcerated?”

Brian shook his head.

“No, that’s not it. I really don’t want to get into it again, but she came to visit me in prison a few days after the murder. She said some things to me that I can’t forgive,” he answered, before turning to Elizabeth. “I don’t mind if you tell Cassandra about it sometime, just not right now. Okay?”

“You got it, sweetheart,” she replied. She exchanged a glance with Cassandra, who then turned back to Brian with a gentle smile.

“Okay, that sounds good. I can tell it’s a very difficult subject for you, so thank you in advance for sharing it with me,” she said gratefully.

“No problem. Anyway, that was yesterday, so here we are,” he replied. 

Elizabeth quickly realized that he had left out their conversation, in which she decided to adopt him. Her eyes slightly lit up as she prepared to speak, but she immediately sensed the intense gaze of a microscopic pair of green eyes. Turning her own eyes to meet them, she saw that Brian was staring at her with a firm expression. He just barely shook his head, before discretely pointing up at his sister. Elizabeth quickly understood what he was saying.

Don’t tell her about the adoption yet.

He knew that it was going to be a hard, emotional discussion when she found out, so he wanted to save it for a moment when they were alone. Understanding this, Elizabeth shot him a small nod. Despite their barely noticeable silent conversation, Cassandra - ever the observationist - took note of it with a raised eyebrow, and decided to ask Elizabeth about it later on. For now, though, she opted to move on.

“Well, it sounds like you’ve had a busy few days,” she said, to which Brian nodded in agreement.

“I definitely have. Anyway, are you here because it’s time to make the next video? I assume you wouldn’t make the time unless it was important,” he asked. Cassandra’s eyes slightly lit up as she remembered why she was there.

“Right, right, thanks for reminding me,” she replied. “I actually don’t have long, so I should get to the point. By the way, sorry for showing up so early, and with so little warning. My bill to take down the SP has been proceeding nicely, but everything has been quite hectic for me.”

“It’s fine, we all know that you’re a very busy person,” Brian assured, which his three companions nodded to in agreement.

“Besides, it isn’t that early…” Elizabeth muttered, still clinging to her earlier assertion regarding her age. Cassandra lightly scoffed, knowing all too well what she was getting at.

“Anyway, the bill is almost ready to be put on the legislative calendar. Due to the intense public pressure for swift action, the debate will likely happen within the next week or two. The vote would then happen pretty soon after. You all still with me?” she asked, flashing all four of them quick glances. Brian, Allison and Elizabeth all firmly nodded, while Jennifer let out a small, shaky nod. In the presence of such high-level political talk, she couldn’t help but be slightly intimidated.

“In terms of the vote, how do you think we’re doing right now? Has the public pressure been working like we hoped?” Brian asked.

“Well, it’s truly hard to say,” Cassandra answered with a sigh. “For the vote, we need a simple majority. That’s at least 51 senators. It’s important to understand, though, that the Shrink Penalty is a popular concept. Politicians who want to appear tough on crime, which is all of them, often use their support for the SP as a way to emphasize that. So, even though the average poll numbers for the SP say something like 60% approval, that number is significantly higher within the actual legislature. That’s why we need not only public pressure, but intense and prolonged public pressure.”

“I see…” Brian muttered, furrowing his brow. Allison and Elizabeth adopted similarly contemplative expressions, while Jennifer simply looked concerned.

“I hate to say this, but we’re also fighting against interest groups,” Cassandra continued, darkening her tone. “This is hardly a secret, but money matters in politics. Sometimes, the will of their constituents is not nearly as important to a legislator as it should be. Sometimes, the only voice that they’re actually listening to is the voice of the person with the checkbook. As you all know, I’m not one of those people. My guess is that’s one of the reasons why you initially reached out to me. However, I’m certainly in the minority. There are some people with a high personal motivation to keep the SP around, and they’re using their money to try and make sure that the vote goes their way.”

“There are Shrink Penalty interest groups…?” Jennifer asked nervously.

“I’m afraid so. The SP is a for-profit system, and a pretty lucrative one at that. So, everybody who is benefiting from that - the Chevs, the people running the facilities, and so on - obviously don’t want to give it up. If we’re successful, and the SP is repealed, a lot of people are going to be out of a job,’ she explained. 

At that, Allison’s expression darkened as she lowered her head in shame. Cassandra noticed this, and decided to speak up.

“Allison, I understand that you’re probably feeling guilty about being a Chev, right?” she asked, causing Allison’s eyes to shoot up at her in surprise.

“It’s only natural. Knowing what we know about the system, I can’t even begin to imagine the guilt that must be eating you up inside about profiting from it,” she continued. Allison nodded guiltily, to which Elizabeth reached over and placed an arm around her shoulder.

“I need you to understand, though: you do not need to feel guilty,” Cassandra said firmly, her eyes deadly serious. “I hope it’s okay, but Elizabeth filled me in on a few of the details surrounding why you became a Chevalier. You were in a horrible situation, darling, and it wasn’t your fault.“

Jennifer looked down at Brian with an inquisitive expression. Looking up at her, he mouthed the word “later.” Still, Cassandra continued.

“Your decision to save Brian took so much courage, and very well could lead to the dismantling of the system entirely, which as far as I’m concerned clears you of all blame. I hope you know that,” she said.

“That’s absolutely right, honey,” Elizabeth softly added.

“You heard ‘em,” Brian cut in. Looking back up at all of them, Allison eventually adopted a small smile.

“Thank you,” she whispered, reassured right down to her soul. With that, it was time to move on.

“So, basically, we’re up against some powerful people,” Brian continued, getting back on topic. 

“That’s right,” Cassandra replied. “Which is why we need the public pressure to be overwhelming. More importantly than that, though, we need it to be prolonged.”

“Right. Which is why we’re spacing out any videos or interviews. To that end, I assume it’s time for the next one? Since the debate is coming up?” Brian asked, to which Cassandra adopted a small frown.

“Well, yes, but also no,” she answered, which elicited four confused expressions.

“I actually was planning on waiting until the debate was officially scheduled, but… I think that we have to do it now,” she continued, clearly troubled.

“Well… why’s that?” Brian hesitantly asked.

“Don’t panic, but we actually have a bit of a problem,” Cassandra said, trying to sound reassuring. “It’s the reason why I’m here today, and why I was so sudden.”

With that, she reached down to her bag and pulled out a small folder. She then handed it to Elizabeth, who was sitting to her left on the couch. Leaning over so Allison could see as well, she opened the folder.

Instantly, Allison went pale. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes in overwhelming confusion, before her expression darkened immensely.

“H-How… where did you…?” Allison squeaked, sounding absolutely terrified. Brian’s alarm bells started to ring, and he stood up in his sister’s palm.

“What is it?” he asked concernedly. Pulling it away from Allison’s trembling hands, Elizabeth placed the open folder on the coffee table, sliding it over so Brian and Jennifer could see. What they saw stopped their hearts, and caused Jennifer’s vision to become clouded with rage. There, inside the folder, was a document.

The document was simple- it listed three things, and contained a picture. The picture was of a downtrodden young man, with messy black hair and striking green eyes- eyes that were showing an eerily neutral expression. The three things were as follows:

NAME: Brian Bentley

CRIME: Murder of Timothy Osment

METHOD OF EXECUTION: Swallowed Alive