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Amy had been run ragged trying to organise this charity event for work. It felt like it was all that she had been thinking about for the past 3 months, and here we were, the big night was upon us! She had work as normal all day, then when she finished at 4, a mad dash across London to a hotel, where she was playing host to the big event! She hated being the centre of attention, but she knew that there was a potential promotion in the offing here, and she was out to impress. She finished work at 4, and nipped into the Ladies room, more just to see how she looked than anything else. She spent 5 minutes touching up her make up and checked herself out in the mirror. She was wearing a short black skirt, but not too short, with black sheer tights, a white shirt and black jacket. She looked thoroughly professional. She was only 21, and the thought of her as a businesswoman made her laugh, but that was very much her goal, and as she stood back, she knew she had nailed the look! She took the opportunity to quicky use the toilet and then headed off to the tube. It was a hot day in London, and that meant tourists...everywhere. It was Friday afternoon, and it was packed. She dashed to the tube station, on a tight schedule, and found the station absolutely bustling. She missed the train she was aiming for and had to wait 6 minutes for the next one. She glanced at her watch, nervously. 16:15. She was meant to be at the hotel for half past 4. It was going to be a close run thing and she knew it. She was just grateful that her partner, Rob, had agreed to meet her there to set up. Guests were due to start arriving from 5, and it was going to be tight. She opened her bag and finished her bottle of water. It was hot, and stress situations always made her thirsty! She waited impatiently, and texted Rob, only to find out that he was also delayed in London's tea-time gridlock. When the train arrived she got on, but it was every bit as packed as the station, and she found herself standing, and having to hold the overhead rail. As she stretched she could feel the hem of her skirt rising and was painfully aware of how close she was to flashing her bum to a carriage load of tourists. It was only a ten-minute tube journey, but it consisted of an uncomfortable compromise between almost falling over at every station, or flashing herself to anyone who was looking her way. Finally though, the train arrived, and she dashed out of the station and straight to the hotel, arriving at 16:45, just as she saw Rob dashing down the road. The guests were arriving at 17:00, and they still had a room to set up. She did not need them both to be late. As they dashed into the conference room, they were met by hotel staff who explained that they had plenty of drinks available, and they would come to check the room was fully stocked regularly. There was tea, coffee and ice water, along with plenty of wine and beer for her guests. Amy hurriedly poured a glass of water, it was hot and she was stressed, so she glugged that down and set to business. Rob rearranged the furniture, whilst she went about decorating the room, putting up posters, and promotional materials, at one point, as she stretched to hang some bunting, Rob caught a glance and said, "Wahay Ames, that skirt is a bit short isn't it, nice knickers!". Even though he was her partner, she felt herself blushing beet red. She was, by no means, a shy girl, but she was certainly not happy about flashing herself in such a public space! When they finished setting the room up, guests were already beginning to arrive, and Amy went straight into hostess mode. This was her event and she was out to impress! Wine was flowing freely, but Amy needed to keep a clear head. As she welcomed various people, she found herself constantly topping up her glass with water and true to their word, the hotel staff were replenishing the drinks freely and regularly. As the presentations started, she felt her bladder for the first time. Nothing serious at this stage, but enough to make her glance at her watch. Now the event had started there was 2 hours to go, and no way she would have time to run to the Ladies. She needed to slow down with the water, she poured herself a coffee and vowed she would make that last. Over the next 2 hours the coffee and water that she had quaffed made its way to her bladder and she felt herself getting fuller and fuller. She found she was looking at the sign for the toilets at the back of the room at regular intervals, but she suppressed her need and continued to impress. Her presentation was last, and she had put a lot of work into it! She did most of it with her legs crossed, although her need was great, she was by no means desperate, but she was glad when it was over. The presentations ended and Amy and the company director schmoozed the guests and collected many donations. There was no doubt it had been a huge success. Finally, the event was over, and she could take care of her bladder, so she made straight to the Ladies room. To her horror though, she was met at the door by Lauren, her company director, and the woman she was trying so hard to impress. "Amy" she exclaimed, "Darling, this has been superb". She moved in to hug her, and Amy awkwardly reciprocated. She wanted to pull away, and run into the Ladies, but knew she had to talk to her boss. "It's going well, isn't it?" she said, but Lauren stopped her in her tracks. "Amy, sweetie, I'm really sorry, we'll talk in a second, right now though I MUST use the little girls room". Amy blushed at her brazen admission. She could never talk about bodily functions, especially not to a colleague, but Lauren obviously needed to go, and didn't care who knew it! As Lauren pushed into the Ladies, so Amy followed, and they were faced with a room containing 3 cubicles, and 3 locked doors, with 2 young girls waiting patiently outside. Lauren immediately gasped out "You have got to be kidding me! All the free wine at these events is great, until it needs to get back out again, can I jump the queue?". "You're joking aren't you?" said the girl at the front, squirming, "I'm bloody bursting here". To Michelle's shock, she watched as Lauren pressed her hand into the crotch of her business suit. "Oh fuck, they better hurry up in there, I am seriously about to piss myself here." At the same point, the door opened, and a staff member walked in. "Can I ask you to use the toilets in the main reception please, these are being closed now the event is over". The second girl in line shrugged and left, but the girl at the front and Lauren refused point blank to go. Amy was mortified and said she didn't need to go that badly, and she'd go to the reception. She left the room as her bladder twinged in protest, but she couldn't bring herself to make a scene, no matter how bad her need. When she got to the reception, she saw there was only one disabled loo and already 4 women waiting to use it. She groaned as Rob suddenly approached her. "There you are", he said, "You good to go?". She looked at the door to the Ladies room longingly. She needed to pee, badly. Really badly, but it wasn't an emergency, and the line was not moving. She'd just go at the station, she'd be fine, she thought, and smiled at Rob "Come on then". As soon as she got outside she started to worry that she'd made a bad decision, and as she hobbled across the road, she thought about nothing but dashing to the station toilets immediately! It'd be quicker than standing in line in the hotel anyway, she kidded herself. As they entered the station, Rob already had his ticket out, but there was only one thing on Amy's mind. "I'm just going to run to the Ladies" she said, trying to sound calm, "I didn't get chance in the hotel." "You can't, silly", replied Rob, "They've closed them down" "WHAT!" gasped Amy, as her bladder protested furiously, "you can't be serious!" "Yes, do you not remember the thing in the press, something about policing, or security or something, apparently station lavs are rife with drugs, so they're locking them all at 7." "They can't do that!" gasped Amy, "It was 5!" he added calmly, "They only increased it to 7 after commuters were protesting about it." Now that he mentioned it, she did remember reading something, "Shit" she thought, this couldn't be happening, she needed to pee, and it was getting urgent! "Come on" said Rob, "the train will be here soon, you'll be home in no time" She thought about dashing back to the hotel, but she'd definitely miss her train, she was staring almost aghast at the signs which teased "TOILETS". "Is it that bad?" Rob asked sounding concerned. "Erm, no" she lied "Well, I need to go, but I'll be OK" What choice did she have, she pulled out her ticket and they made their way to the station, she was just going to have to wait! As they stood on the platform, Rob was clearly looking for an invite back to Amy's. "You were so amazing tonight" he said, "I hope you know how special you are". Whilst flattered, all Amy could think about now was having a wee. Her bladder was throbbing, she had to get rid of him. She pressed her thighs together, as she said, "Thanks Rob, I really appreciate your help you know", "Let's go back to yours and celebrate a great event" "Aw no, I would, but I am working really early again tomorrow though". His train pulled onto the platform, as he said "I don't mind that, I will ride in with you, and then go home and freshen up". Amy squirmed, and snapped at him "NO ROB", he looked shocked, "I'm sorry, I just really need to get home and go to sleep, I am sorry, I will see you at the weekend, please, just go home". "Fine" he said, sharply, as he turned to leave, "be like that". She felt awful, but as soon as his back was turned, she started to bob up and down frantically. She NEEDED a wee, like really badly, and she was really starting to panic about what her options were. Surely there had to be a Ladies room open somewhere in this station, there had to be. Was it not the law? Maybe they had brought in porta-potties? She looked back to the stairs and really thought about dashing up them to search for the toilet, she knew didn't exist, and then looked at the screen. "NEXT TRAIN - FINCHLEY ROAD - 1 MIN". "SHIT" she said to herself, there's no time, and I need to catch this train, or I'll miss my connection, and I'll never get home! Her bladder pulsed and asked her to reconsider, but she had no choice. She was a fully grown adult, and she was just going to have to hold it! Just another half hour, that was all. She wasn't a child, anyone could hold their bladder for 30 minutes, no matter how bad their need...Couldn't they? As she stood waiting, she could feel herself squirming. Why? Oh God, WHY had she drunk so much at that bloody charity event and WHY WHY WHY didn't she just use the toilet before she left! She cursed herself, but as the train pulled onto the station, there was nothing she could do but clamber on board, cross her legs, and wait until she got to Finchley Road! As the train pulled away, she scanned the station, and couldn't believe how busy it still was. How were there still no seats. She stood at the back, legs crossed, biting her lip and clenching herself closed for all she was worth. This could not be happening. The first station passed, then the second. The train was making good progress, but her need was increasing by the second. Her bottom lip quivered as her bladder screamed at her, demanding that she find some relief. Another station passed, 15 minutes had passed, but it felt like she'd been on there for hours. She was almost bent double as her thighs scissored together, when she heard a little boy sat near her say, "Look mummy, I think that lady needs to potty too". She was absolutely mortified and stood bolt upright, as the young boys mum told him off. She tried to pretend there was nothing wrong, and to look composed, but there was something wrong. Her bladder burned and she felt a quick squirt spurt into her expensive knickers. She groaned out loud, and went into the most incredible pee dance, fighting herself for control. Another station approached, "The next station is Baker Street", the Tanoy announced. Just 1 more to go and she could get off and find relief. Her bladder screamed at her with a new urgency. She wanted to cry; this couldn't be happening. For the first time in her adult life, she genuinely felt that she might break down and wet her pants. She had never even contemplated such a thing, and always assumed she could hold on as long as was necessary, but her bits were on fire, demanding relief NOW. She couldn't stand still for a single second. Her mind was racing, she had to get to Finchley Street to change trains, or she'd never got home. The train pulled into Baker Street, and she stared at the open door. She wanted to wait 'til the next stop, but she was in agony. There was no way she could wait, even if she got to the next station, she didn't know where the toilets were, and she would wet herself looking. "OH FUCK" she stammered under her breath and darted for the door. As she staggered out onto the platform, she tried to press a hand between her legs, but her skirt was too tight. She was fully panicking now, as she hopped up and down on the spot, tears welling up in her eyes. "I need a wee" she whimpered, to no-one in particular, "Oh Christ, what am I going to do". She frantically scanned the scene, desperately searching for a toilet, but there was nothing, other than a huge flight of stairs. She started up them, each step sending a jolt of urgency to her bladder. She was going out of her mind! At the top of the stairs she scanned desperately, but couldn't see any toilets! She hobbled over to the ticket barriers and ran to the miserable looking security man. "Toilets" she gasped, "erm, sorry, where are the toilets please" "Sorry Love, they've locked them" he replied, barely looking up. "Oh, erm, it's kinda an emergency" she pleaded. He looked her up and down, "Yeah, I can see that, sorry, there's nothing I can do" "PLEASE" she almost wailed, "please, help me, is there a staff toilet, honestly, oh shit, it's nearly coming out" "Don't be ridiculous" he said, gruffly, "there's a Wetherspoons over the road, if it's bad, I'm sure you could nip in there." There was no point arguing with him, she had to get there now, so she made for the exits, and dashed across the road, desperately trying to press her thighs together as she moved. Her head was spinning. She burst through the door of Wetherspoons, and it was predictably packed, but Amy was beyond caring, she needed the Ladies and she needed it now. She knew the toilets were upstairs, but there was no way she could face another agonising flight of stairs, she would have to use the disabled. She pushed into the main bar, and frantically scanned around. Her bladder screaming at her. "WHERE ARE THEY!" she gasped out loud, and a young lad turned to her. Her vision was blurring she needed to pee so badly, as she pushed on, she saw a sign for the disabled toilet. "oh thank fuck" she thought, she ran towards the door, and then THUD, it was locked. "NO NO NO" she wailed, "PLEASE". She was hammering on the door, "Please, please hurry up in there". A young glass collector walked past her and she tried to compose herself. He looked about 17, and she didn't want to make a show of herself. "The toilets are upstairs madam" he said. Michelle wanted the ground to eat her up, but more than that she wanted, no she NEEDED to pee, like right now. "I need to use this one" she said, again, knocking on the door. "There's no point knocking, there is no-one in there" he said. "WHAT" gasped Michelle, "Please, open it then, please, I need to go..." "...and as I said, the toilets are upstairs madam". She felt a spurt of pee blast into her knickers, much more serious than the last and she started the most frantic pee dance she had ever done, "PLEASE" she wailed at him, as her pussy burned, trying to force the deluge of red-hot piss into her knickers, "PLEASE, OH GOD, please. Look at me, please help me, please, I neeed a weeee". "I'm sorry madame, but disabled patrons carry a RADAR key, and this toilet is for use by disabled persons only". It was all getting too much, and she burst into tears, "please help me, please, I am going to wet myself, you have to help me". The young lad's face visibly changed, as he realised this girl was having a genuine emergency. Every week he had to turn people away from the disabled loos, just because people couldn't be bothered going upstairs, and he'd assumed this was more of the same. She stood infront of him now though, with tears flooding down her face, absolutely begging him to help her. He wanted to, but he couldn't. "Oh my God" he said, "is it really that bad? I will go and get the key, but it is in the manager's office, and its packed, it'll take ages, honestly, you'll be quicker running upstairs, it looks like you haven't got long to spare!" "PLEASE" she babbled again, almost incoherently, she had her hand underneath her skirt now, no longer caring who could see what, "Is there no way you can open it now, I NEEEEEED it". "I can see that love, but honestly, it'll take me at least 5 minutes, you need to make a run for it". Another red hot spurt forced its way out of her tighly clenched lips, and into her now soaking knickers. "OH GOD" she gasped and turned to make her way out, dashing for the stairs. She couldn't take her hand away now, her aching, tired muscles needed all the help they could get. She tried to dash up the stairs, but each one caused her a new agony. She barely knew if she was weeing or not, as pain seered through her whole body. "Come on, come on" she muttered to herself, as her right hand worked furiously between her legs, her skirt now almost around her waist. She heard a couple of derogatory comments, but her whole world was a blur right now. Nothing, literally nothing, mattered to her other than that little hole between her legs. Never had she had to clench so hard to contain herself. She had been desperate to wee before, god knows, she had nearly wet herself on a night out a few years back, but she had never felt anything like this, she didn't even believe it was possible to be so desperate. Each step sent a jolt of pain through her bladder and the leaks were almost constant. She was agony, her knickers were soaked and there were small rivulets running down her thighs. Finally, though she got to the top and saw the door she had longed for, for so long. "LADIES". "Oh thank god", she said, running for it. She burst through the door to find it was really busy in there. There were a group of girls around the sinks taking selfies, who turned to look at her. One stepped back, blocking her path. "There's a queue in here" she said, pointing her phone at Amy, as one of her friends shouted, "don't be tight, look at her". Michelle pushed past them, towards an open cubicle. She could see the toilet she had needed for so long. She yanked her tights down and was already pulling the crotch of her knickers aside as she dashed for it. The cubicle next to it opened and a young girl saw her desperate dash, "What the fuck!" she gasped, but the floodgates opened, and Amy started to pee full force, she threw herself down onto the toilet, the door still open, and "AHHHHHHHHHHHH, Oh fuck yes, oh my God, oh a wee, oh thankyou" she babbled as she finally relaxed and let her full bladder empty. The relief was like nothing she'd ever felt before as pee gushed from her. She was shaking as she opened her eyes, and saw at 4 girls staring at her. "Are you OK?" asked the girl who'd been leaving the cubicle next to hers. "It looks like you needed that" added the young chav stood next to her. Humiliation now washed over her as she clamped her legs closed and tried to cover her private parts. She was still in floods of tears. "I'm sorry" she stammered, "please don't look, I needed a wee so bad" "We can see that" added the young chav, "You left a fucking stream across the floor" An older lady pulled her cubicle closed telling the others to leave her alone. Michelle tried to clean herself up. Her knickers were soaked amd her tights were wet right down past the knees, so she took them off, and to her horror, found the back of her skirt was wet too. She put her ruined knickers and tights in the sanitary bin and dried her legs with loo roll, there seemed to be wee everywhere. As she flushed the toilet, the older woman was still waiting for her. "You poor thing" she said "At least it's over now, you must feel better for it, it's awful being caught short isn't it".....

This one is from an idea I had years ago, and finally got around to writing enough to be worth posting. In particular I wanted to write enough to establish and then fully reveal the central concept. -part 1 The doors closed with a gentle whoosh and the subway train set into motion with a soft whir. Claire settled in with her e-reader, but after a few minutes something caught her attention and she glanced down. Frowning, she watched and waited for a few moments, then pursed her lips and sighed. Leaning over, she murmured gently, "Sweetie, it's not polite to stare." Cassie gave a little start and quickly looked away. "I'm sorry, mommy," she muttered, then leaned close and added in an urgent whisper, "It's just, I think that lady's gotta go potty!" Claire took a quick glance, considerably more discreet than Cassie's staring, and saw immediately that her daughter was absolutely right. Although she certainly wouldn't use the word 'potty', and for that matter she wouldn't exactly use the word 'lady' either, Claire could see perfectly well that the young woman standing there by the doors was clearly becoming quite uncomfortable. "Oh. Um, yes, I suppose," she said, lowering her own voice to a whisper. Even as she watched that young woman leaned forward slightly at the waist and rose slightly onto her toes, her face gently flushed and her lips pressed together in a quite unmistakable expression. After just a moment she regained her composure and stood up straight, but to Claire's eye the meaning of that expression along with her slight lapse was obvious enough that the woman might as well have exclaimed 'I gotta go!'. Even for a little girl Cassie's age it would be very hard to miss. "Ah, but still," Claire went on, looking away, "it's not exactly any of our business, is it?" Cassie nodded. "I know. It's just... I just hope she... um... that she can..." She trailed off, looking down at her shoes. Claire knew just what her daughter meant, and she could certainly understand if Cassie was a little extra sensitive and extra sympathetic to something like that just now, after what happened just last week. Still, she was glad when Cassie stopped staring and returned her attention to her tablet. Claire looked back at her e-reader too, watching Cassie from the corner of her eye but only catching a few reasonably discreet glances toward the doors. After a little while she glanced over herself, and saw at once that the young woman there was only growing steadily more uncomfortable and drawing even more attention. Drawing attention was nothing unusual for that woman, of course. She was a regular commuter on this line every morning, and just about every morning she would arrive just in time to catch the train and immediately attract the attention of her fellow commuters, particularly the male commuters. Most mornings her chest was the center of attention, thanks to her distinct fondness for tight and low-cut blouses that accentuated her generously proportioned bust and prominently displayed her plentiful cleavage. Other mornings the attention was directed a bit lower, thanks to her equally evident fondness for tiny little tight miniskirts that displayed her well-toned legs and her well-rounded bottom. At first Claire had to wonder what on Earth the woman was thinking, going to work dressed like that, but after a few weeks and a few half-overheard cell phone conversations she'd pieced together an answer. It seemed that young woman recently started a new job as a secretary in some office that was just down the hall from some c-suite, and it seemed furthermore that she thought of her new office job first and foremost as the perfect opportunity to go 'fishing' for a cute young executive. Having figured out that much, she could conclude easily enough that the shamelessly ambitious secretary was simply trying to maximize the effectiveness of her 'fishing' efforts by going to work every morning wearing the skimpiest outfits she could get away with. This morning the outfit she'd chosen was every bit as skimpy as anything Claire had seen her wearing yet, with a very low-cut v-neck blouse and a very *very* short skirt that almost seemed too teeny-tiny to even be called 'mini'. Dressed like that, it was no wonder that her boobs and her butt were commanding the attention of just about every guy in sight, most of them trying to be at least a little bit discreet about how they were admiring the view, while a few others weren't even bothering. In particular, a group of teenage boys seated behind her near the far end of the car were snickering and muttering to each other as they stared openly at the woman, and that was before she started squirming. She was trying not to, of course. That young woman was clearly trying her best to keep still and keep her composure and keep her discomfort from showing, but with her discomfort growing steadily worse and worse, it was quickly becoming just about impossible to hide. Every time her concentration lapsed for even a moment she would start to lean forward again, or sometimes bounce up and down or wiggle her hips before catching herself and straightening up and tugging absently at her hemline. And with so many eyes already upon her, even a momentary lapse like that was just about certain to be noticed by somebody, especially when her squirming grew pronounced enough and her discomfort distracting enough to allow her already indecently high hemline to climb a little bit higher before she noticed and tugged it back down. From the way she blushed every time her concentration and her composure would slip, the woman seemed far more embarrassed to be seen squirming like that than she was about her barely-contained boobs or her barely-covered butt. That made it a bit hard to sympathize much with the young woman's embarrassment, but Claire still felt a little pang of sympathy anyway. "Mommy," Cassie squeaked and tugged on her sleeve, her trembling voice filled with concern and sympathy. "Ohh... Mommy, that lady... she's really gotta go potty." She looked up, concern and sympathy all over her little face. "I mean, like... *really* bad." Sure enough, even as Cassie was speaking the young woman suddenly stiffened and gasped softly, then leaned over with her eyes wide and her face scrunched up, her hand pressed into the front of her skirt. "Is she gonna be okay? What if she..." Cassie stammered. "I mean, do you think that... she can, um..." "It's okay, sweetie," Claire cut her off with a soothing tone. "That la- uh, well, she's a grown-up, not a little girl. She's going to be fine." She tried to sound confident and reassuring, even though she couldn't help but notice that just now the woman didn't really look 'fine' at all. In fact, she really was acting a bit more like a little girl, with the way her expression and especially her pose seemed to practically squeal in alarm 'I *really* gotta go'. "And besides," she added with more certainty, "she can take care of it herself." Cassie nodded, slightly reassured but still with an expression that clearly said 'I don't know...'. She looked back at her tablet, only to glance up again after just a few seconds. Before long she was staring, hardly any more discreetly than before, but at this point it didn't seem to make much difference since just about the entire male half of the train was staring even more openly than that. The young woman herself, meanwhile, hardly even seemed to notice all the gazes as she concentrated on getting her squirming under control. Slowly and steadily her distress began to ebb and her composure returned, and although she couldn't quite seem to keep still, her movements at least settled into a sort of steady rhythm. She rocked gently back and forth with her knees and her waist just slightly bent, occasionally bouncing just as gently or shifting her legs from side to side. Her hands were balled into fists and held determinedly away from her skirt, except for when she gave it the occasional tug. All that squirming was causing that hemline to creep slowly but steadily higher, and even from where Claire sat she could tell that it was rising quite uncomfortably high before each tug brought it back down. It seemed that with the woman's steadily worsening discomfort and her efforts to keep her squirming under control, she was getting a bit too preoccupied to keep her hemline under control too. It was enough to elicit another pang of sympathy, but more than that Claire had to wonder just how a grown woman could get herself into such a predicament, when even a little girl Cassie's age ought to know better. Thinking about everything she'd seen of the woman as well as everything she'd overheard from those cell phone conversations, a possible answer began to take shape. Perhaps she got off to a late start this morning, having had not quite enough sleep after a late night out and maybe a bit too much to drink. She would've had to hurry to get ready and get out the door, with just enough time for her usual morning coffee, and maybe even a second cup to help her push through the aftereffects of last night. And then once she got to the subway station and hurried across the platform and onto the train, just in time as usual, it was only when the doors closed behind her and she had a chance to relax that she would have at last noticed the quite distinctive discomfort and realized that she never had a chance to use the bathroom. And thanks to everything she had to drink last night, along with this morning's coffee just starting to hit her on top of that, it was no wonder that young woman would find herself becoming quite uncomfortable indeed just when she was stuck on the train and there was nothing she could do about it. With no way to relieve her steadily worsening discomfort, all she could do was stand there, trying her best not to start squirming and trying not to let her discomfort show, even though with all the usual attention on her and on her skimpy outfit just like always, any little bit of squirming at all would be almost impossible to hide. And now it looked like that second coffee might just be hitting her right along with the first, making her predicament that much more uncomfortable and making it just completely impossible to hide as it became quite impossible to keep herself from squirming. The look on her brightly blushing face as she stood there and struggled seemed to practically moan in distress, 'I gotta go *so* bad.' "Ohhh... that lady's gotta go potty *so* bad," Cassie muttered in distress and sympathy, as if reading just that right there on the distraught woman's flushed face. "I just... I really hope she can hold it..." The distress on Cassie's face was almost as pronounced as that of the squirming woman, and she was staring almost as blatantly as almost everyone else. The most blatant stares by far were those of the teenage boys, and Claire couldn't help but imagine that from where they were sitting directly behind the woman, every time she leaned forward her skimpy little miniskirt had to be riding up high enough to give them a little glimpse of her even skimpier underwear. "D- do you think..." Cassie was stammering, "ohhh... Mommy, do you think that lady... um, c- can she... is she gonna..." "She's going to be just fine, sweetie," Claire replied at once, hastening to reassure her daughter before pausing to consider her words more carefully. "She, um, well, she's a grown-up. Like I said, she can take care of herself." At that moment the woman suddenly shivered and stiffened, her face brightening even more as she began to tremble slightly in a way that really undercut the confidence of Claire's assertion. She went on anyway, "So I, ah, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." She certainly didn't want Cassie to start getting worried about something like that, especially when she was still getting over what happened last week, even if Claire was starting to get just a bit worried herself. "You're right. That lady's a grown-up," Cassie said with a decisive nod, "and a grown-up lady can hold it as long as she has to." The little quaver of uncertainty in her voice clashed just slightly with those confident words, which seemed meant to convince herself as much as anything else. But still, having placed her innocent faith in the word 'grown-up', at least now Cassie didn't seem quite so worried anymore. "Oh, and she doesn't even have to hold it that long, right?" she went on, her face brightening a little as something encouraging seemed to occur to her. "If she can just hold it a little longer then she can get out and go potty, just like the other day." It took a moment to realize what her daughter meant, until she thought back and remembered it herself. She hardly even noticed at the time, since she was still trying to read and not trying to watch the shameless secretary that was drawing attention as usual with her tiny miniskirt. But there happened to be some teenage girls sitting across from them and when Claire happened to overhear a catty remark about 'that tease that was just over there' she realized that the young woman must have got off the train at the station before her usual one. Quickly putting things together now, it seemed plausible that she just might have been suffering just the same sort of discomfort that morning as she was this morning, and that she must have just decided to take care of it before her discomfort became obvious enough for Claire or anyone else around her to notice anything and maybe start to realize the slightly embarrassing situation she was having. Of course, Cassie had to have noticed something anyway, and she had to be thinking about it now as she watched the woman and the far more obvious, much more embarrassing situation she was having today. "Just a little longer..." she murmured, "she just has to hold it a little bit longer." Even as she said it the nervousness and distress in Cassie's voice seemed to be slowly fading. "And she can definitely hold it a bit longer, since she's a grown-up, after all." Buoyed by that encouraging thought, her earlier concern seemed to shift into something almost approaching confidence. At the same time, the woman she was staring at must have been thinking something along the same lines, and the prospect of getting the relief that she badly needed had to be at least as encouraging for her, because the discomfort and distress on her face and in her posture were fading too, while her composure steadily returned. Her squirming slowed as well, then almost stopped except for some gentle bouncing and a bit of general restlessness. After a moment she reached to tug her hemline back toward the level of minimal decency, and then it might have been almost possible to imagine that she wasn't even particularly uncomfortable anymore, but only impatient and maybe a little nervous about something. Nobody around her just now seemed to be imagining any such thing, however, from the way they were watching her. The teenage boys in particular stared at her hemline as if hoping that she might suffer a renewed attack of carelessness at any moment, and of course Cassie was staring as openly and intently as ever. For a moment Claire thought about mentioning it again, but decided it was just as pointless as before, and anyway it looked like everything would be resolved soon enough. They were arriving at the station now, and in just a few moments the young woman would at last get the chance to take care of her uncomfortable situation. Yet when the train pulled up to the platform and the doors slid open she just stood there and looked out, as nervous as ever and now looking quite anxious as well. For a moment Claire could only stare in confusion, wondering what she was doing. Then she realized, and for another moment she could only stare in disbelief, wondering what that woman was thinking. Because she knew that look, since she'd seen it so many times in so many places. Yet it was not a look she would have expected to see on that woman at that moment, not a look she would ever expect from a grown-up at all. It was a look that Claire would only really expect to see on a little girl, specifically a little girl who was in the middle of something and just starting to feel the need to take a break, but for whatever reason she wasn't quite ready to take a break just yet. Maybe she was simply playing happily outside, and having so much fun she just didn't want to stop. Or maybe she was watching a movie, one she liked so much that she just couldn't bear to miss any of it. Or maybe she was just sitting and chatting happily with all her little friends, and maybe she was a bit on the shy side didn't want to draw attention to herself. Whatever the situation and whatever her reasons, a little girl who happened to find herself in an inconvenient situation like that might start to get a bit nervous, then a little anxious, and then finally admit to herself that she was indeed in need of a 'potty break'. Then she would start to get that look, the one that seemed to say 'I gotta go, but...' Now that she found herself watching a young woman wearing a look just like that, Claire found she could only wonder: 'but...' what? Because it was one thing for a little girl who found herself in an inconvenient situation and who maybe just didn't know any better to consider putting off a potty break until it was more convenient, even if she needed that potty break badly enough that she should really know better anyway. But it was quite another for a grown-up young woman, one who absolutely had to know better than to put off a badly needed bathroom visit without a very good reason. So she stared at that expression and thought back to everything she'd overheard and to everything she knew about that woman there, taking a few moments to try to decide what that reason might be, and when she pieced together an answer that look suddenly came into focus and all at once it was saying to her: 'I gotta go, but... I don't wanna be late again!' Because the other day when the young woman got off the train early for an unscheduled bathroom visit, she must have ended up even more behind schedule and got to her office even later than usual. She had to be thinking about that now, as she gazed out across the platform at a certain clearly marked door, and the thought of what happened the other day along with the thought of whatever kind of trouble it caused for her had to be all that was holding her back from dashing out of the train and right into that door right now. So she stood there, nervousness and indecision flickering across her face as she debated whether to run to the bathroom and risk being late again, or to make sure she wasn't late by putting off her visit to the bathroom a little longer. Watching it, Claire found herself picking out a few of the arguments in that debate, mostly the ones that seemed to be winning out. 'I gotta go... but I can still hold it.' was one of the clearest, along with 'It's so embarrassing... but everyone's already noticed anyway.' and eventually the somewhat more optimistic 'It doesn't even feel quite so bad anymore... maybe it won't get any worse?' That was such a tempting thought that it was immediately followed by its natural conclusion 'As long as it doesn't get any worse, then I should be just fine.' Even if she couldn't quite bring herself to place total faith in that idea, she just couldn't dismiss it either, and so the debate went on. And the young woman just stood there, trapped by her own indecision, until at last the doors slid shut, the train slid into motion once again, and her chance slipped away. "Huh?" Cassie said in confusion and surprise as the doors closed. "She isn't... s-she didn't... M-Mommy?" she reached out to get Claire's attention without looking up. "That lady... she didn't go potty... and now she can't go potty!" The distress in Cassie's voice seemed far more pronounced than that on the face of the woman in question, which held only an expression of resignation that seemed to be saying 'I guess I just have to hold it.' Catching her daughter's hand, Claire leaned down to say something reassuring. "Don't worry, sweetie, she'll be just fine. Like I said, she can-" "I know, but... but Mommy!" Cassie cut her off, with a tone of even sharper distress tipping over into alarm. "Now she's gotta hold it, and I... I don't know..." she looked up with an expression somehow even more distraught and alarmed than her voice, "I don't know how much longer she can hold it!" And just as Cassie said that, the same expression of alarm appeared upon the woman by the doors. She stiffened, then shivered, her eyes widened and she gave a little gasp, with a look that cried out simply, 'oh no!' It happened so suddenly that Claire could hardly believe what she was seeing, as if all the discomfort and distress that gradually ebbed away earlier had picked that moment to come flowing back all at once. The woman shuddered, leaning forward and starting to tremble, while her face brightened and her expression shifted subtly to one of regret tinged with just a hint of dread, a look that clearly said 'oh no...' That look was another one that Claire knew perfectly well, after how many times and places she'd seen it. That was the exact same look a little girl might get, one who'd perhaps developed a bit of a habit of putting off her potty breaks whenever it wasn't quite convenient, and who'd maybe let herself become a bit too comfortable with it. Because if a girl like that happened to find herself in need of a potty break at a particularly inconvenient time, perhaps while she was preoccupied with something, or distracted by something, she might just decide to put off her potty break even longer than usual, and then a little longer, and a bit longer, and then just a little bit longer. Until sooner or later that little girl would suddenly look up with a start and maybe a little gasp, and with that look. The look that said she just realized she'd made a big mistake, and she deeply regretted it, because she knew she'd just ended up putting off her potty break a little bit too long, and she was having a 'potty emergency'. That young woman had that look right now, and even if she wouldn't use the word 'potty' it was very obvious that she was having an 'emergency', and even more obvious that she deeply regretted her mistake and the indecisiveness that had led to it. But while a little girl that made a mistake like that and ended up having an emergency like that could just come running to admit the mistake she'd made and trust her mommy to do something about it, there was nobody for that woman to run to, and nothing that she or anyone else could do about it. She already had a chance to visit the bathroom, but she missed it. And now that she'd missed her chance she was just going to have to wait, and that meant she really was just going to have to hold it, just like she was thinking just now. And just like Cassie just said, it really was becoming a very good question just how much longer she could really keep holding it. The distress that blossomed on her face was even more intense than before, and when her squirming started up again it was way more obvious than before. She bounced rapidly where she stood and leaned way over, and those boys sitting behind her broke out into wide-eyed grins at the sight that she gave them when she did. After about a minute the distress seemed to subside just a little, like the passing of a wave, and she managed to straighten up slightly. But not quite a minute later another wave seemed to hit her, even stronger, and she started to whimper softly as she leaned over and twisted her legs and squeezed them together, wiggling her hips and bouncing even more vigorously. When that wave passed she sagged slightly, leaning against the doorframe and panting with exertion, but only until the next wave hit and she let out a soft moan before bending over almost double. Her legs were wrapped around each other and her hips were wiggling and bouncing all over again, while the look on her face seemed to scream 'I have to hold it! I just have to hold it!!' in frantic determination. It was an extraordinary sight, and just about everyone on the train seemed to be staring at the young woman that was acting just like a little girl. A little girl right in the middle of having a really major potty emergency, one that was quickly becoming so severe that she was doing a really extraordinary 'potty dance'. "Oh no... oh Mommy... oh no, Mommy!", Cassie stammered, her hand gripping Claire's and her eyes locked on the woman by the doors and her voice every bit as frantic as that woman looked. "That lady, she... I don't know if she... I- I mean, I don't think she can..." she glanced up for just a second, and across the train car the woman gave a little squeal and Claire saw the determination on her face shift into a flash of doubt. Cassie gasped and looked back, tense and silent and staring for a few long moments before she squeaked, "Oh no... Mommy... what if... what if she... can't..." "It's okay, sweetie! She... uh..." Claire started, trailing off as she realized there really wasn't anything encouraging left for her to say. It seemed unbelievable, and she could hardly believe it, but she couldn't deny what was happening right in front of her. Somehow that woman's distress had gone from 'bearable' all the way up to 'terrible' in practically no time, and it was only getting even worse by the second. The waves that washed over her were coming more rapidly, each stronger than the last and hardly letting up at all before the next one rolled in. Claire had never seen anything like it, and she could hardly even have imagined such a thing possible, even for the most supremely careless and unfortunate little girl. Perhaps if such a girl were to thoughtlessly have far too much to drink and proceed to blithely ignore her growing need for a potty break for far too long, and then become completely engrossed in something particularly enjoyable, it was just barely possible that she might just fail to fully recognize the severity of her discomfort until well after it became impossible to ignore. But even then, once that extremely unfortunate little girl at last realized she was having a potty emergency and that it was already well underway, she simply could not imagine the emergency proceeding quite so quickly to quite such a critical point. Already the young woman there seemed even more distressed than any little girl in the midst of any potty emergency that Claire had ever seen, and it hadn't even been fifteen minutes! Which meant the train wasn't even halfway there. As unbelievable as it seemed, the conclusion was both completely obvious and absolutely undeniable, and just what Cassie was clearly afraid of. At this rate, that young woman over there really might not make it. "We have to do something!" Cassie cried out, her voice rising from a whisper almost to a squeal. "There has to be something we can do!!" Claire glanced around nervously and thought about admonishing her daughter 'not so loud', but really Cassie's exclamation was hardly any louder than the murmuring buzz of voices all around, from all the other passengers reacting to the extraordinary display of intense distress they were all witnessing. Most of it was simple surprise, along with a little catty derision from some teenage girls farther away, some scattered hints of sympathy, and of course quite a bit of prurient appreciation. Anyone in front of the woman couldn't help but notice what all that bouncing was doing to her well-endowed chest, after all, and those teenage boys behind her had an even more spectacular view, to judge by the way they were staring. Claire did not even want to imagine how much of the woman's underwear they could see as she rose up onto her toes and bent over even more, squealing when a wave hit and whimpering when it passed, now far beyond the point of caring or even thinking about the embarrassment of the scene that she was making. "Maybe... if she... Oh!" Cassie burst out, a little smile and a spark of hope returning to her face. She reached down for her backpack, never taking her eyes from the squirming, moaning woman. After a moment of fumbling she pulled it upright, opened it, and reached inside. She felt around inside for a few more moments, becoming irritated and increasingly impatient, then glanced down for just a moment to find what she wanted. She took out her empty water bottle, the one from earlier or maybe the one from yesterday afternoon, and started to open it. But just as she twisted the cap off she froze, gave a big gasp and looked up, the hope all washed away by an expression of sheer horror. At the same moment, the young woman making the scene by the doors stopped her squirming and froze, and gasped, with the same horrified expression. It was an unmistakable expression, one that seemed to shout out in panic and horror along with agonized despair, as loud and as clear as anything ever could, "I can't hold it!" "She can't hold it!" Cassie burst out in total horror and total despair, dropping the bottle and putting her hands over her mouth and looking up at the woman along with everyone else. They were all watching at that moment, the moment the prediction of that outburst and that expression came true, the moment it started to happen. There was a little hissing sound, sharp enough to cut through the murmurs and soft enough to make them fall silent. Then there was a different sound, one that made everyone look down and see the droplets that appeared on the floor, first one at a time, then faster and faster. In just seconds they were falling like raindrops, falling from under the woman's skirt to sprinkle the floor between her feet. In the next moments the drops gathered into a trickle, flowing with a louder but somehow gentler splashing sort of sound, forming a little puddle and spattering little droplets on her pretty shoes. "She's really... she really couldn't..." Cassie stammered, her anguish fading to shocked disbelief as she said it, "she's really... going wee-wee..." The trickle was gathering force, turning into a stream, and the woman's legs trembled and her knees buckled and sank toward the floor. "She's going wee-wee... in her panties!" Those panties were peeking into view now, as her tiny skirt rose the last little bit and exposed the white lacy triangle to everyone in front of her. It wasn't quite white anymore, of course, but already soaked all the way through with pale yellow. The stream was growing even stronger now, turning into a mighty gushing torrent as the woman gave into despair and gave up her hopeless effort and let the flood come pouring out. The puddle beneath her grew and grew, the nearest passengers edging backward to avoid it and the murmuring of voices starting up again, now with a more unpleasant edge to it. "Ohhh... I can't believe..." Cassie moaned, her voice almost lost under the rising buzz around them. "I thought... since she's a grown-up..." Claire nodded and started to say something, but thought better of it and just reached to pick up the empty bottle. "I never thought she... ohhh, if only..." Cassie gazed at the bottle with regret. Claire thought about pointing out the logistical difficulties with that sort of thing, but decided explaining that could wait. Sighing, she realized she was going to have to do quite a bit of explaining after this. "But... she couldn't." The woman over there was sobbing softly, and a couple other women that seemed to be feeling less catty were going over to help her. Cassie wasn't even watching anymore. "She just couldn't hold it... and she... she had... a huge accident!" -part 2 "Oh no! Really?" She replied with a suitable gasp and a shocked expression. From the corner of her eye she saw Claire grimace slightly, while her daughter went on. "Uh-huh. I saw the whole thing. I mean, everybody saw. The whole train! It was so awful." Cassie sat down on the edge of the couch as she got going. "See, the lady already had to go potty really bad as soon as she got on the train. And it kept getting worse and worse, but she just kept holding it and holding it until she just couldn't hold it anymore, and she ended up having a huge accident! She went wee-wee in her panties, right there, all over the floor, right in front of everybody!" Cassie seemed to deflate as she reached the most awful part of the story. "I just couldn't believe it, I felt so bad for her." "Oh, I know. I can hardly even imagine it." Dana said with suitably doleful sympathy. She thought it sounded convincing enough, even though Claire was still making a face. Dana already knew what happened on the train, since Claire had told her all about it during their weekly phone call, but they'd both had a feeling Cassie would want to tell it all herself, so now they had to pretend she was hearing it for the first time. "The poor woman... she must have been so humiliated." Cassie nodded with emphatic agreement. "Afterward she was crying and everything." Looking down, she went on more quietly, "I never would have thought a grown-up lady would end up having an accident like that, no matter how bad she had to go potty. And, um, I never would have thought a grown-up lady would end up having to go potty quite as bad as that lady did." Pausing briefly, she seemed to be remembering the whole experience in more detail. "I think... that lady had to go potty worse than anyone I've ever seen." Sighing, she went on, "I guess, since she's a grown-up I just thought she could hold it. And I was really hoping she could hold it, the whole time I was watching." She caught herself. "I mean, um, I wasn't really staring or anything. Well, not too much. It's just, um, everybody else was staring too, especially near the end, so..." "It's fine, sweetie," Claire cut in. "Like I said, that doesn't matter now. And anyway, it's about time for us to get ready." Cassie brightened and nodded, and eagerly went upstairs to get changed. Dana chuckled at her adorable little niece's enthusiasm. Cassie had been looking forward to today's trip ever since her Aunt Dana offered to join them for another trip to the amusement park, and she certainly wasn't going to let anything that happened on the train a few days ago dampen her high spirits. Dana went into the kitchen, finishing off the last few sips of her water bottle, and tossed it in the recycling. It had been a very warm morning already when she left for her morning run and it got even warmer by the time she got back, so she ended up just about finishing off the whole bottle. And it was only going to get even hotter by the time they got to the amusement park, so she was definitely going to want another one for the trip. She opened the fridge, but paused as something occurred to her. "Hmm... 'worse than anyone I've ever seen', huh..." she murmured, recalling what Cassie said earlier, and the particular way she'd said it. "I wonder..." still thinking about it, Dana cracked open the bottle and took a few sips of water while she went upstairs to change. In the guest room she pulled off her tank top and her running shoes and peeled off her leggings and got out a pair of denim shorts and a loose, breezy blouse. She definitely wanted something like that to wear on a hot day like today was going to be. She might even have preferred a skirt, but all the ones she'd brought were a little on the short side, and Claire would definitely say that wasn't such a good idea for an amusement park with little kids running around everywhere. At least these shorts were nice and comfortable. Finally she picked out a cute little thong, careful to make sure it wasn't one that might climb too high and peek out and give her a 'whale tail'. When she was all dressed she got her strappy sandals and headed back to the stairs, taking a few more sips from her water bottle. "Oh, Aunt Dana, here take a look," Cassie called to her on the way there. She was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, already wearing her little sundress, while Claire put her hair up with a clip and arranged it in a sort of fan shape. "What do you think?" the girl asked, then went on without pausing, "It looks really nice like this, but I think it could still be a little longer." Dana nodded at that and tried not to smirk. About a year ago Cassie had wanted to have really long hair all the way down to her legs like a couple of her favorite cartoon characters. Claire had tried to convince her that it only really looks like that in cartoons, and in real life having hair that long is just way more work. Eventually she suggested that Cassie could have hair just like another of her favorite characters, in that fan shape and only a little past her shoulders, and she could even use a hair clip with that cartoon's logo on it. She seemed to be okay with it for now, but soon enough she might be right back to pushing for even longer hair. Cassie went right on chattering like that while Claire finished doing up her hair, and when it was done she turned to look in the mirror and then turned around again for Dana to look. Then she was hurrying downstairs to show 'Aunt Dana' her new sandals with the cartoon logos that matched her hair clip. She got them on while Dana and Claire got their purses and made sure they had everything. Then they were all ready and Cassie was already heading for the door when Claire gently reminded her, "Oh, uh, sweetie, are you sure you didn't forget anything?" Cassie just stopped for a second and looked back, so Claire gave her another hint, "We should have enough time for you to run back upstairs if you need to." With a little start Cassie suddenly understood, and she turned and trotted back up the stairs. Dana and Claire waited by the door until they heard the soft hissing noise, only slightly muffled by the bathroom door. It made perfect sense that Cassie would want to take care of that before they left, even if she got excited enough that she had to be reminded. While they waited for her to finish up, Claire went to pull the minivan out into the driveway, leaving Dana by the door to lock up behind them. Standing and listening while that hissing gradually faded and trailed off, she found her thoughts going back to the topic from earlier. *Hmm... well, I can at least give it a try today.* With that she trotted back into the kitchen and got another water bottle, tucking it into the corner of her purse just as the flushing noises came from upstairs. Dana was back at the door getting her own sandals on when Cassie came bounding down the stairs. "Oh, your toenails are so cute Aunt Dana. Did you do them yourself?" She piped up, looking down at Dana's deep red toenails where they peeked out between the straps of Dana's sandals, and went on without waiting for a response. "Mommy said I can start doing my nails when school starts. I'm not sure what color to go with, so I'll probably try out a different one on each finger, like Shelly does. She has her big sister help her with it, though. Maybe now we can help each other with it." She went on chattering happily like that while they went out to the van and got in the back seat together. Claire always had a pile of papers and other junk on the front seat, and anyway Dana knew that Cassie would want someone to talk to or at least chatter at during the drive. "Shelly says she's really looking forward to seeing everyone again now that she's back from camp, and she was thinking we could all together again before summer's over, maybe when Rita gets back from her trip next week." She was already chattering away, leaving Dana without much to do but sit and listen, occasionally nodding with interest and making encouraging noises, and of course sipping steadily from her water bottle. "Rita went to a resort by the beach with her cousin's family. She said there was a beach with seals on it and another one with sea otters. I got to see the sea otters when our class went to the aquarium last year. I wanted to pet them but they wouldn't let us get that close. There was a petting pool there too but it only had rays and I think some starfish and stuff. Oh yeah! We went to an actual petting zoo a few months later and they had these really big bunny rabbits..." The trip to the amusement park took about a half hour, and Cassie kept right on chattering until they turned the last corner and it came into view. Then she finally fell silent and pressed her grinning face to the window while they pulled into the parking lot and looked for a space. Dana's water bottle was almost empty by then. As soon as the van stopped Cassie threw open the door and hopped out, and Dana had to call out, "Wait! Cassandra! Uh, we have to wait for your mommy," since Claire was still getting her purse and everything together. Cassie reluctantly came back, pacing back and forth restlessly until Dana got out and took her by the hand. The day was really heating up, just like she'd expected, and she finished off the last of her water with a few quick gulps and got out the second bottle, now very glad that she'd thought to bring the second one and also glad to find that it was still pleasantly cool even after the drive. When Claire was ready she took Cassie's other hand and they all started toward the ticket counter together. Dana noticed a recycling bin on the way and tossed her empty bottle in, then cracked open the fresh one and took a few gulps. Once inside the park Cassie was even more excited, looking around at all the rides and everything and trying to decide what to do first before settling on the closest one, the spinning teacups. Dana sat down with Claire at a table with an umbrella right by the fence to keep an eye on her while chatting and working on her water. Next Cassie wanted to go on the bumper cars, and this time Dana went with her, leaving her purse and her water with Claire. Then she picked the swinging ship ride with the usual cartoony pirate sort of theme, and she wanted to go on it twice, first with Dana and then again with Claire. When they came back and Dana got up her water bottle wasn't quite half empty. There was a big roller coaster right nearby and Cassie looked at it longingly, but she still wasn't quite tall enough for that one. She kept gazing up at the drop tower over on the other side of the park with that same look, but she definitely wasn't tall enough to go on that yet. Really, she could only go on a couple of the actual roller coasters, and she seemed to want to save that for later, or maybe she was just getting distracted by the other smaller rides as they made their way over there. Either way, hopefully she wouldn't tire herself out before they got that far. For now she was still bursting with energy and showed no sign of slowing down. The next ride she picked was one with swinging chairs suspended from what looked like a carousel, and just like before she wanted to ride on it twice, first with Dana and then with Claire. Dana was looking thoughtfully at her mostly-empty water bottle when they came back to the bench where she was sitting and waiting, and before Cassie could run off toward another ride Claire suggested they could maybe take a quick break. It wasn't quite time for lunch yet and anyway Cassie definitely wanted to go on at least one big roller coaster first, but they'd been walking around for a while and there was an arcade nearby with a snack counter where they could sit for a minute and get a little something to eat. Inside, Cassie went right over to the ski-ball game along with Claire while Dana went to get the snacks. Once again she finished off the last of her water bottle and tossed it in the bin, and when she ordered she made sure to get a nice big soda for herself. "There, this should be plenty..." she muttered as she found a nice table by the window and beckoned the others over. Cassie finished up her game and went to exchange her tickets for a cute little plushie, while Dana opened her bag of chips and got started. The chips were tasty and just as salty as she expected, and she washed them down with plenty of soda while she sat and listened to Cassie chattering away as happily as ever. She chattered about her new plushie and squeezed it and held it up to her cheek, and she chattered about the rides she'd been on and how fun they were, and she chattered about the rides she wanted to go on next, especially the roller coaster. There were two roller coasters that she was tall enough to go on this year, and she'd been really looking forward to riding both of them. Last week she got a chance to ride one of them, and she was determined to get her chance at the other one this week. Dana was almost finished with her chips and Claire was about halfway finished with her sandwich, but as the more she talked about it the more excited Cassie got, until she seemed all ready to run off to that roller coaster right now. Claire gently reminded her she had to finish her animal crackers first, and she mostly stopped chattering long enough to focus on eating. It only took her a couple more minutes, and when she was done she jumped up all ready to go, still chewing. She had to sit back down anyway while she waited for Claire to finish her sandwich, and afterward Dana kept hold of her while Claire gathered up her purse and the new plushie and everything else. Then they were outside and Cassie was making a beeline straight for that roller coaster before she got distracted again. She ended up getting distracted anyway, and couldn't resist stopping for just one more ride when she saw the tilt-a-whirl. Claire went on it with her while Dana stayed with all their stuff. When they came back she was finishing up the last of her soda, and now with no more distractions in her way Cassie went straight to the roller coaster and got in line. Dana dropped her empty cup in a recycling bin before joining her, and Claire found a nice bench right near the front of the line to wait for them. Now that the roller coaster was right there in front of her, Cassie's excitement seemed to shift slightly, taking on a slight tinge of nervousness as she waited in line and looked up at it. When the car came around the last bend and went down the last slope she held her breath and watched the riders in it, some throwing their hands in the air and squealing, others tense and silent. Most of them were kids about Cassie's age riding with their parents, Dana saw as the car came to a stop and they all climbed out, and most of the others were only a little older. This was one of the park's smaller rides, which is why the line by the entrance under the sign reading 'you must be this tall to ride' was just low enough that Cassie was just tall enough to reach it. The passengers getting off walked past, mostly smiling with excitement or maybe just relief, and Cassie was smiling too as the next group of passengers got on the car and the line moved forward a little. It was a pretty long line when they arrived, since it was right around lunchtime on a weekend and that was pretty much the peak of the park's popularity, especially for families with kids. But the roller coaster itself was small enough that each group didn't take that long, so at least the line was making good progress. And as they moved slowly forward and drew steadily closer to the front of the line Cassie's excitement gradually continued shifting, becoming a bit less eager and quite a bit more nervous. It was perfectly understandable that seeing the roller coaster up close like this might make her just a little nervous after how long she'd been looking forward to riding it, but Dana couldn't help wondering if there was a little more to it than that. For one thing Cassie was sort of glancing around from side to side, like she was looking for something and not finding it. Soon Dana noticed Cassie glancing over her shoulder too, with a strangely tense expression like she was getting worried about something and didn't know what to do about it. Dana might have asked if there was something wrong, but instead she leaned down and said, "Are you excited?" Cassie hesitated just a moment before she smiled eagerly and answered, "Uh-huh! I can hardly wait." She looked like she might have said something else, but instead of waiting Dana looked back up. "Well, it looks like it'll be our turn soon." There were enough people in line ahead of them for maybe two more trips on the roller coaster. "So just hang on a little longer." Cassie nodded, still smiling, although her enthusiasm didn't seem to return. She only seemed to grow more nervous as the next group boarded and the line moved ahead, glancing toward Dana again and again. By now they were close enough to where Claire was sitting for her to see them and wave. "Have fun!" she called out. "We sure will!" Dana called back with a wave and a giggle, then rose up to her tiptoes to look over the people still in front of them. "Looks like it might just be our turn next." Just then she noticed Cassie's eyes go wide with alarm and heard her give a soft gasp, but she didn't react. "And we'll tell you all about it afterward," she went to the railing and carefully leaned against it, placing her weight just right until she heard Cassie behind her give another, sharper gasp. This time Claire noticed too. "Hmm? Is something wrong, sweetie?" worried, she got up and started to come over. "Oh, Cassie?" Dana turned back and looked down. "What's the matter?" she said with a suitable tone of innocent concern, carefully lowering herself to a crouch. Cassie gasped once again, her wide-eyed gaze now pointed down at Dana's shorts. "Oh no! Aunt Dana!" Cassie's voice was a frantic squeak. "That's... you're..." she looked back up, her lips trembling and her face filled with barely contained panic. "You... You've gotta go potty!" she burst out, her voice as distraught as Dana had ever heard it. At once there was a burst of silence as all around them conversations cut off and heads turned their way. Dana felt her skin getting warm at the feeling of so many eyes suddenly upon her. "You just gotta!" Cassie went on without noticing, "Or... or else... you might..." "Cassandra!" Claire scolded as she came up to them. "That's, uh... that's not..." she tried to protest, but couldn't seem to think of anything that would help. "Oh dear," Dana said instead, as earnestly as she could, and at the same time placed her hand between her thighs and pressed them together. "I think you're right!" She rose with a quick sort of curtsy motion, trying her best to ignore the attention from all around, then turned to Claire and added sheepishly "Sorry! I'll just be right back," leaving the line and trotting back the way they came. She could feel the eyes following her until she got around the corner. Once safely out of sight of the line she pulled her hand away from her shorts, smiling. Other than that momentary embarrassment everything was going pretty much according to plan. Cassie had even noticed right before they got on the roller coaster, just like she planned. Dana herself had noticed earlier, of course, right around when they got in line for the roller coaster. At the time it was just a slight feeling of discomfort, gentle enough that she might not have noticed at all if she hadn't been paying careful attention. Really, that was just about all the proof she could have asked for right there, although she was glad that Cassie had confirmed it for her too. After all, she already drank three whole bottles of water, plus her usual morning coffee, and an entire soda on top of that, all without a single bathroom break. Even a little girl Cassie's age should have known to expect that Dana would be in pretty big trouble by now. Yet the discomfort she felt was hardly enough to even be called a distraction, certainly not enough to be worth getting out of line like that and only a little worse than it was earlier. Although it was getting quite a bit worse now as she walked away, and quite quickly at that. She paused and made another quick curtsy motion as the feeling rose sharply and suddenly and sort of took her by surprise, drawing a few curious glances. She hadn't exactly planned on being seen acting like this, although she maybe should have known to expect that too. After a few moments the feeling subsided like a wave passing and she trotted onward, trying to hurry and trying not to wince at the uncomfortable bouncing sensation that accompanied every step. There was a big group coming from the little theater by the arcade where a show seemed to have just gotten out, and she would really rather not get caught up in a crowd like that at a time like this. But after just a few more steps she felt it rising again, even stronger than before although not as sudden, like a fresh wave welling up deep inside her. She slowed down, then stopped and crossed her legs, trying to make it look as casual as she could but highly aware that she was pretty much right in front of the crowd. And even though she was ready for it, when the wave hit it was so powerful that it took her by surprise anyway, so that her fists clenched and her toes curled and she let out a sharp little squeak. That drew quite a bit of attention from those at the front of the crowd, including a couple little girls that looked like they had to be sisters. When the wave subsided enough after a long moment she started to move away, but not before she heard one of those girls say to the other in a whisper that wasn't quite soft enough to be private, "I think that lady's gotta go potty!" Dana was still blushing when she got to the door of the arcade and pushed through. Just as she stepped inside it hit her again, this time with almost no warning, and she let out a much bigger squeak. It rose into not quite a squeal and then dropped toward more of a moan before she regained control of her voice, and by then she was just about sure she had the attention of everyone outside behind her and just about everyone inside in front of her too. Gingerly pulling her hand out from between her legs, she couldn't help but think that she'd just proven that little girl absolutely right, that just about everybody who'd looked her way just now definitely would have said that she absolutely had to go, and she could only hope that most of them wouldn't use the word 'potty' if they did. She moved on, her eyes fixed straight ahead. She knew right where she was going, since she'd been sure to make a note of the bathroom by the snack counter was when they were here earlier, she just didn't want to have to meet anyone's eyes just now. The arcade area was way more crowded than before, with lines for almost every game and especially near the middle where some big fancy racing game had a line that snaked back and forth and stretched almost to the opposite wall. She couldn't just push through a crowd like that without getting jostled, and that would just be asking for a disaster. She'd have to go around the other side, and she couldn't really hurry either because even a tiny little bounce would just be an invitation to disaster. So she picked her way slowly and carefully between the arcade machines, all the while distinctly aware of all the attention her obviously desperate situation was getting and acutely aware that the situation was only getting worse and worse with every step. She got to the other side of the arcade area, where a little set of a few stairs separated it from the snack counter area. The bathroom was right up there and around the corner, and Dana started up the steps eagerly only to stop with a little gasp at the pang of protest it brought on. Normally she could take steps like these two at a time without even slowing down, but in her current state simply lifting her leg to the first one a little too quickly could risk bringing on the disaster. And worse than that, she could feel another wave coming on, the biggest one yet. With one hand on the railing and the other planted firmly between her legs she started up the steps, wincing with every one and really hoping she could at least get around that corner before things got even more embarrassing. Yet as soon as she got to the top of the steps she stopped in her tracks as all at once the wave crashed over her. She squealed, bending over and thrusting both hands into her crotch, shivering slightly as she clenched and squeezed with all her might. Her squeal faded gradually to a whimper as she recovered from the surprise and started to get the urge under control. But just when it seemed like it had peaked and was about to recede it surged instead and started to rise again. Dana rose up on her tiptoes as it did, her shiver turning into a shudder and then a steady trembling as she struggled to squeeze just a little harder and keep holding it a little longer. She stood there and struggled like that, and as the seconds stretched on she couldn't help but think about the crowd behind her and how everyone had to be looking at her right now, right when she had to look just like a little girl who had to go potty so bad she was just about to totally wet her little panties. After a few more seconds the wave at last started to recede a little and she staggered forward, hoping to at least get around the corner and mostly out of sight so she could salvage at least a little bit of dignity. But after just a few unsteady steps another one suddenly struck. It was even bigger than the last, and all she could do was stop right where she was, trembling and squeezing and too surprised to even make a sound. It wasn't letting up at all anymore, she realized. The waves were hitting her so fast now there wasn't even time to move between the end of one and the start of the next. This wave hadn't even peaked yet and she could already feel another coming on, by far the biggest one yet. It was building up, gathering strength, getting ready to strike, and if she didn't get to the bathroom before it did she just might... *spurt* She stiffened, her face getting warm, and her panties getting warm too. The meaning of that feeling of sudden warmth and spreading wetness was undeniable. It was just a tiny little bit, no more than a few droplets, but there was no denying that her panties really were wet... that she really was... wetting her panties! And that tiny little squirt was just the beginning. The wave was still coming, still building higher and higher, threatening to come crashing down at any moment. And when it did, it was all over. She absolutely had to get to the bathroom *right* now, or else her panties were about to get a whole lot more than just a little wet. She started running. Another little spurt slipped out as soon as she moved her legs, and then another, a few more droplets leaking out into her panties with every step she took. The warmth and wetness were growing steadily, but she couldn't even think about that right now, or about her dignity, or anything else besides trying frantically to make it to the bathroom before it was too late. It was already too late to keep her panties dry, of course, but she could still save them from getting totally soaked. She was around the corner now, the bathroom door just a few steps away, just the single unisex stall, and all she could think as she locked her eyes on it was that if there was anybody in there right now then it was all over for her. She reached out toward that door, hoping as hard as she could that it wasn't locked and squeezing just as hard to stop the little squirt that briefly turned into more of a momentary trickle as she removed her hand from her crotch. The handle turned and she burst in to the little stall, a surge of relief washing over her at the sight of the toilet right there, right in front of her and thankfully unoccupied, and just in time. She stepped forward and started to unbutton her shorts, but after just a single step she stopped again with a little high squeak of surprise that rose even higher into a squeal as the enormous wave came crashing over her. It was way more than she could take, and the squirt that came out was strong enough it felt less like a trickle and more like a stream. She squeezed as hard as she could but the leak just wouldn't stop, only slow back to a trickle. She couldn't help it, she couldn't stop it, she couldn't hold it! In a panic she yanked down on her shorts, but they were still buttoned and just a little too tight to quite come off her hips like that. And the wave was still rising, somehow growing even stronger. The trickle was growing, edging back toward a stream and threatening to become an absolute flood. She was trembling all over with the effort and her whole body clenched as she tried desperately to hold it back just a bit longer, and just as she felt the wave start to overwhelm her and all her frantic determination collapse into despair, the button beneath her clenching fingers popped open. Without hesitating for an instant she yanked again, pulling her shorts down to her knees and her thong down to around her thighs. In the very next instant the flood burst forth and poured out with a mighty gush. She moaned in relief, sinking as her knees buckled until she was leaning against porcelain. It felt incredible, and it sounded incredible too, the splashing and spraying almost like a miniature waterfall. After a few moments the noise cut through her blissful haze and she hurriedly turned to plop herself down on the toilet. Waves of relief were still washing through her and she panted and moaned again, while beneath her the splashing went on, somewhat muffled but somehow louder as well from the echoing. With a last shudder and a couple more gasps she shook her head and looked down at the floor, grimacing slightly at the sight, then grimacing even more at what her thong looked like. She hadn't quite expected that part, although maybe she should have. Really, everything happened just like she expected, only maybe a little too much so. The stream went on and on, and on and on and on, until finally it tapered off to a trickle, then a dribble, and finally stopped. She quickly got herself cleaned up and then tried to clean up the floor a little. She looked down as she left and crossed back through the arcade to avoid making eye contact with anyone that might have seen her earlier, and outside she headed back to the roller coaster. When the ride stopped and Cassie and Claire got out of the car, Dana was sitting there on the bench and waiting for them. "That was super fun!" Cassie squealed breathlessly, grinning and giggling as she emerged from the crowd. "I wanna go again," she was saying eagerly to her mommy, "except this time I wanna be in the very front." Claire smiled pleasantly and started to reply, but Cassie went on, "Oh, except first I wanna to go on the other roller coaster again. Oh! and we still need to have lunch, too." They were close enough now, and Dana got up and waved. Claire waved back, and Cassie turned and saw and waved too. "Aunt Dana!" She trotted over, still grinning. "It was super fun! We're gonna go again, and we're gonna be in the car in the very front, and this time you can come too and-" she stopped, her expression shifting as she seemed to remember. "Oh... Aunt Dana, I- I'm really sorry!" Dana gave a kind smile and a small chuckle, and started to reply, "That's alright, sweetie. You don't need-" before Cassie cut her off. "I should have noticed! I mean, I guess I did notice, but I should have said something earlier. It's just, I wasn't really thinking about it, so I just never even really thought about how you might have to go p-" "Sweetie!" Claire burst out before her daughter could finish saying something embarrassing. "It's okay sweetie!" Dana burst out at the same time, only slightly less alarmed. "After all, it, uh, worked out fine." She tried not to sound as uncertain as she felt. Cassie nodded and looked down, apparently not noticing that but still looking pretty uncertain herself. "Uh-huh, I know. It's just, we were supposed to go on the roller coaster together. And now..." she trailed off, then looked back up with eager determination. "But- but we can still go on the other roller coaster together! Right? We could even go right now." "But Cassie, we have to have lunch first. And, uh, there's something I need to talk to you about, too." Dana glanced at the crowd. "Something private." They all headed over to the restaurant, then. It was getting pretty busy as the lunch crowd started to arrive, but Claire didn't like eating at a fast food place and she definitely didn't want to just get lunch from a snack counter, and just now Dana was just fine with letting Claire wait in line while she took Cassie over to a quiet corner. "Okay Cassie, sweetie," Dana started once they were alone and sitting down. "Now, uh, about what happened just now-" "I'm so sorry Aunt Dana!" Cassie burst out, "I know you wanted to go on the roller coaster. Just like I did last week. But... it was just like last week... when I... I-" "No, Cassie! It's okay," she managed, and reached out to gently take Cassie's hands. She knew just what happened last week, since Claire already told her all about it, and she definitely didn't need to make Cassie relive the experience now. "That's not it at all. It's... Cassandra, you have a gift." Cassie looked up expectantly while Dana searched for the right words. "You know earlier, when we got in line? You could already tell that I had to... um, 'go'. Couldn't you?" Cassie just looked confused at that. "Hmm? What do you mean?" For a second Dana was almost nervous that she might have somehow misunderstood everything. "You had to go potty as soon as we got out of the car." That caught Dana by surprise, and Cassie went on. "I guess I could have said something right away, but it wasn't that bad so I thought it wasn't a big deal, since you're a grown-up. I guess maybe you didn't notice right away, until we got in line at the ticket counter?" That surprised Dana even more, and now Cassie was really getting going. "Then when it started getting kinda bad while we were on the bumper cars, I thought you didn't want to take a break since we were having so much fun." "That's- I didn't-" Dana started, but Cassie didn't even slow down. "And later when we stopped for a snack and it was getting pretty bad, I thought for sure you were going to take a potty break. So when you didn't I guess I started to get a little nervous, since it was just like what happened last week. But I just thought, since you're a grown-up..." she started to trail off. "That's not- uh, sweetie, that isn't what I-" was as far as Dana got before Cassie interrupted her again. "Except it kept getting worse! When we were waiting in line and it started getting really bad I kept telling myself 'she's a grown-up... she can hold it...' And then- then when it got really *really* bad, I just kept telling myself, 'she's a grown-up... I'm sure she can hold it...', but then... it just... "Sweetie, please! You don't need to-" Cassie didn't even seem to notice what Dana was saying, and kept right going. "It got even worse! You had to go potty so bad, and we were just about to get on the roller coaster, and it was exactly like last week! I just knew that if you got on the roller coaster like that when you had to go potty really really bad like that, you were gonna have... a potty accident!... just like I did last week..." "That's..." Dana could only mutter. Just like she was afraid of, Cassie ended up reliving what happened to her on the roller coaster last week after all. "I mean, uh, that's the thing," she pressed on, realizing her chance, "you know, what happened today? That's your gift, Cassandra." Cassie looked up, confused and sniffling a little. "You could tell I had to, uh, 'go'. And you could tell before we got in line for the roller coaster, couldn't you?" Cassie nodded, frowning and still confused, and Dana smiled. It was the proof of what she'd suspected, and what she'd gone through all of this to prove. "Because the thing is, I couldn't. Not until we got in line for the roller coaster. You could tell, because you could feel what was happening to me. And I couldn't tell, because you took the feeling away from me." She smiled a little more and gave Cassie's hand an encouraging squeeze. "It's the same gift that I have, Cassie. And your grandmother had it, and her mother did too." They used to be healers, she'd been told, back in the old country. Women would come to them, injured or just in some kind of pain or other, and they'd use their gift to take away the pain. Everyone's gift was a little different, they'd said, and not every woman in the family had the gift. Claire never seemed to have it, or if she did it was different enough that she couldn't use it like they did. Dana used to wonder if that meant the gift was dying out somehow, but now Cassie had it too. Her gift was different from anyone else's that she'd ever heard of, but it was certainly powerful, especially for her age. She was explaining all about that and everything else when Claire came back with lunch. Dana filled her in on the parts she didn't know about, especially about everything that happened today and how she'd turned her suspicions into certainty. Then together they explained everything else to Cassie, who listened quietly and nodded along solemnly and grew more and more serious. By the time they'd explained just about everything Cassie's seriousness was turning into distress, and afterward she was silent for a few long moments before she said in a tiny voice, "Then that means... that lady on the train..." Her lips trembled, then her whole face. "The reason she didn't go potty when she had a chance... and the reason she kept holding it and holding it... until she couldn't hold it anymore..." Cassie looked up, as miserable as Dana had ever seen her, "It's fall my fault!" "Oh, no! Oh sweetie, no. It's not..." Claire started, only to trail off as she searched for another explanation. But there really wasn't one. Even if Cassie was being a little hard on herself, it was just like Dana realized as soon as she heard about what happened on the train. Cassie must have felt that woman's discomfort without understanding how, and without even knowing what she was doing she must have ended up taking away that discomfort, just as Dana or the healers in their family would in order to soothe someone's pain. Except without that feeling to warn her, the woman didn't realize just how dangerous her situation really was, so she let the situation escalate until Cassie's gift was the only thing standing between her and disaster. And then, as soon as Cassie got just a little bit distracted, there was nothing left to avert the disaster, and the woman paid the price. Really, it was exactly like what happened to Dana today, when she subjected herself to the same thing to confirm her suspicions about Cassie and her gift. Dana was just glad she'd managed to escape the worst of the disaster, so that it was only her thong that ended up paying the price and had to spend the rest of the day in her bag. "You just didn't know any better, Cassie," Dana cut through Claire's sputtering with a careful mix of sorrow and sympathy. "I know you didn't mean to." "I really didn't!" Cassie burst out, "I never meant to! I never wanted her to... I never ever wanted anyone to... to..." "In that case," Dana interrupted before she could get even more distraught, "You just have to learn how." Cassie looked up again and Dana showed her an encouraging smile. "So I'll teach you about it, okay? Everything you need to know." Cassie's face lit back up at that ray of hope. "And once you know how to control your gift, it won't cause any problems again." "That's right," Cassie said with a decisive nod and a look of fresh determination. "I don't want anyone to have an accident. And I won't make anyone have an accident, ever again!"

I've watched a lot of railfanning videos on YouTube. Being a railfan seems like it would be both a fun time and an arduous task. You have to be outside for hours on end, regardless of weather, rain or shine, snow or blistering heat, hell, some are even brave (or insane) enough to railfan during thunderstorms. And one also has to keep in mind bodily needs such as food, drink, and of course, peeing. Which brings me to this topic. How do the railfans of Omorashi.org handle peeing when out on the rails? Do you set up around a station or somewhere with access to a bathroom? Do you hold it in until you find a lull in action long enough to race to the nearest public restroom, which might be miles away? Do you just drop your pants or whip it out and pee wherever you are, train passing by or not? Does it simply depend on where you are, or do you follow the same principle no matter the place? I'd love to see people's perspectives on this.