Eve's Boutique - Ch 55

The End

This was what it was like to die.  To meet your ending, and for it to be the deliriously happy one you’d always been told of in fairy tales.  To gaze upon your Goddess, to find her smiling down upon you, welcoming you home.

Goddess wasn’t smiling.

“What’s your game, Abigail?” Goddess boomed suspiciously.

“There’s no game.  I’m ready.  You deserve this, Mackenzie.  You always have.  Please.  Take as much from me as you want.  Everything, if that’s what you desire.”

Lilith leaned against the stage, twirling her microphone.  “There you have it, ‘Zee.  Do it slow, okay?  I’ve been waiting all week for this.”

Mackenzie’s kilometer-long eyebrows narrowed in thought.  Slowly her hand lifted away from Abigail, scattering a whole formation of clouds into nothing as it went.  Her palm closed over her mouth, obscuring her Glamour from Abigail’s view.

“No, really,” Mackenzie said.  “Not what the magic is making you say.  No tricks either.  I want your honest answer, here at the end.”

Abigail took a breath.  It felt like the first time in ages she could look at Mackenzie, and feel like herself.  The woman towered above her, so tall that long-haul airliners were rerouting around her thighs.  Even bent more than double to peer at Abigail, her face was miles above, far past where the city lights could reach.  The only reason she wasn’t lost in darkness was the ethereal glow that suffused her perfect body.  She wasn’t sure how the woman could hear her, from way up there.  But she felt certain there was no need to raise her voice.

“We’ve been here before,” Abigail said.

“Hmph,” Mackenzie said, her breath precipitating into vapor that swirled around her face.  The giant woman looked annoyed.  “At school.  When I stole your height.”

“Not just my height,” Abigail corrected.  “My intelligence, my charisma.  Everything.  When you were finished with me, I was nothing.  It was the worst thing that’s ever happened to me, and it’s going to haunt me until my dying day.”

“I said I was sorry.  Back then.  We’re a little past sorry now, don’t you think?”

Abigail shook her head.  “You don’t understand.  What I’m saying is, I’ve been through this before.  And I was okay.  I had friends who were there to help me.  I still do, even if they’re too small to see.  They’re down in the grass somewhere.  Once you shrink me, I’ll see if I can find them.”

“Mackenzie, quit playing with your food.”  Lilith sounded bored.

“But even if I can’t,” Abigail continued.  “I’ll be alright.  I lost everything to you, Mackenzie.  And underneath it all, without anything that made me special.  I was still… me.”

The titaness studied her.  Abigail studied back.  She was beyond hope now, simply waiting to learn her fate.

At last, Mackenzie pulled her hand away from her lips.  Once more Abigail felt herself drowning in an ocean of bliss.  The Glamour made her smile so wide it hurt her jaw.  It pushed out all thought, other than serving her Goddess to the utmost.

“I want you,” Mackenzie said.  “To tell me the truth of your heart.”

“I’m scared,” Abigail answered at once.  “Terrified, in fact.”

Abigail swallowed, and pointed to Eve.

“Not for her.  Whatever happens, Eve will be okay.  Lilith will never break her.  I’ll miss her when she’s gone – but she’ll be okay.”

Abigail put her hand on her chest.

“I’m not afraid for myself.  Whatever you do won’t break me, either.  And Kayla and Chloe have each other.  Mackenzie.  The truth of my heart is… I’m afraid for you.”

Mackenzie winced, and shot a guilty look at Lilith on stage.  It was quick, but at her scale subtlety was out of the question.

“Why for me?” she whispered.

“You’re letting her get in your head!” Lilith groaned.  “You’re better than this, better than her!  This is a stupid ploy, don’t fall for it!”

“Wait, Mistress.  I want to hear this.  Please?”

Abigail’s vision blurred.  Her eyes were clouding with unshed tears.  She hadn’t been able to blink in nearly a minute, but she didn’t think that was why she was crying.

“Say it, Abigail.  Why are you afraid for me?”

“Because you’ll be alone,” Abigail sobbed.  “And I don’t think you’ll be happy.”

Mackenzie’s eyes widened.

Abigail went on, speaking through her tears.  “If I’m wrong then do it, you can take everything.  Even if I’m nothing more than an ant at your feet, I’ll be a happy ant, if I know I helped you be happy, too.  And okay, honestly, maybe I’ve never actually bothered to know the real you, maybe you do want to be a fifteen-mile-tall mega-Goddess.  Plus it’s not like I’ve been a good friend, I was jealous and snarky all the time, and I met a super-hot lady who could grant wishes and tried to hide her existence from you, which was incredibly shitty.  But you were always so kind to me, and generous, even when I didn’t deserve it!  And you wanted what was best for everyone around you.  Even me!”

Goddess was just staring now.  Her lower lip was beginning to quiver.

“Mackenzie.  Tell me what you want.  I promise I’ll be okay, whatever it is.  We all will.  As long as it makes you happy.”

Mackenzie sniffed, rubbing at her eyes.  Then she pawed at them, trying desperately to wipe away her tears, to hide them, but they were coming too fast.

Lilith let out an exasperated sigh.  “Are you fucking kidding me with this, ‘Zee.  You’re a Goddess now.  The most powerful entity this universe has ever seen.  Can you toughen up for literally three seconds and finish this?  I mean like, You-damn.”

“I’m trying my best.  This is hard.”

“It’s not.  This can be so easy.  I.  Accept.  Your.  Tribute.  Just say it.  You’re disappointing me.”

“But… I don’t think… I mean, what if I don’t….”

“Mackenzie!” Lilith snapped.

Goddess turned, looking miserably toward the stage.  “I don’t know what to do!  You keep telling me how important this is, how great I can be.  I don’t want to let you down.  I’m so sorry, Lilith.  But please.  I need… I think I need help.”

Lilith froze.  Every muscle in her body tensed, as she seemed to fight against something.  Her hands balled at her sides, her lips pressed into a razor-thin line.  It was as if she had something trapped inside her, something alive, that she was doing everything possible to avoid letting out.

“Eve!” Lilith screeched.  The sound was an explosion, blowing out speakers, shattering windows.  It echoed for miles.

“Geez, I’m right here,” Eve said.

Lilith spoke brokenly, like a malfunctioning robot, losing the battle to remain silent with each word.  “As per the arrangement of our respective domains, I formally invite you to perform emotional labor.”

Eve climbed onto the stage.  She was incredibly gentle, as she took the microphone from Lilith’s hands.

“Mackenzie.  I don’t pretend to know what you’re going through.  All pain is unique.  It’s part of what makes us special.  But I think I have some insight into yours.  Can I tell you a story?”

The giantess wiped lake-sized tears, and nodded.

Eve was silent a long time before beginning.

“I know a person who cares very much about the world.  She has so much love inside her, and her fondest desire – maybe her only desire – is to share it.  That love is so bright, and so strong, that it blinds her, like staring directly into a spotlight.  It makes her so blind that she even loses sight of herself.  In that state, she can only navigate by becoming whatever the person she loves desires the most.”

“I can’t tell you what to do,” Eve went on.  “I’m not even sure I can answer that question for myself.  I think I’ll always be this way.  But I’m getting better.  Abigail helped me.  She reminded me that my own happiness matters too, and she helped me find my way back to myself when the things other people wanted were overwhelming me.  I think if you let her, she’d help you too.”

Abigail didn’t trust herself to speak.  She managed to look up at Mackenzie, and shoot her a toothy grin, and a thumbs up.

“But ultimately,” Eve said.  “This is something you have to do alone.  No one can solve it for you.  And it will take time.  There’s something we can do right now that might help.  Do you want to try it with me?”

“Okay,” Mackenzie said, in the smallest voice someone of her vast size was capable of making.

“I’m going to say some words.  I want you to close your eyes.  Don’t think about me, or the answer you think I want.  Listen to your body.  Even if your mind doesn’t know the answer, your heart does.  Okay?  So let’s start easy.  Are you hungry?”

The titaness smiled sadly.  “No.  I’m not.  I don’t think I’m capable of being hungry anymore.  But still, the idea of food sounds nice.  All I’ve had to eat for days are pre-made cheese platters and vegetable samplers.”

“It was just what was easy!” Lilith said defensively.  “I can’t cook, and anyway you never complained, so how was I supposed to know?”

“It’s okay,” Eve said soothingly.  “So, feel this out.  What would taste good right now?  Do you want… chocolate cake?”

Mackenzie laughed.  “I’m too big.  There’s not a chocolate cake in the world–”

Lilith stamped her foot angrily.  “Mackenzie!  I can get you a cake!”

“I don’t want cake.  I want Eggs Benedict.  With a side of rye toast, and sliced cantaloupe.  And maybe a glass of white wine.  I miss going to brunch.”

“Yeah,” Abigail said.  “I miss getting drunk on mimosas and bitching about stuff that doesn’t matter, then spending the rest of the day reading trashy fantasy novels.”

“I miss flirting with cute waiters.  And I miss our friends.  I miss being your friend, Abigail.”

“Me too,” Abigail said.  “And the truth of my heart is, I want a second chance to be a better one, to you.”

Mackenzie and Abigail looked at each other sadly.  Knowing they both had come to the same decision.  Neither sure who would voice it first.

Finally, Abigail sighed.  “Eve.  Remember when you tried to reset my height, and it didn’t work, because I didn’t really want it?  I think it’ll work now.”

Mackenzie was nodding.  “I’m sorry, Lilith.  I really tried, but I don’t want to be a Goddess.  I want to go back to normal.”

“No,” Lilith whimpered.  “Mackenzie, please no!  I tried so hard for you.  I’ve never tried this hard for anyone.  Please don’t give this away.  We’ll find a way to make it work, I swear.  Just – don’t go.”

“Go?”  Mackenzie looked confused.  “I’m not going anywhere, Lilith.  You can always be ‘Mistress’ to me, if you want.”

“You don’t understand,” Lilith croaked.  “This game, with Eve.  I don’t know how it’s going to turn out, I could lose!  Even if I win, I’ll end up losing you, and maybe never see you again.  And hey, that would suck, but if it happens, at least I wanted to give you something to remember me by, the biggest gift I could imagine, because….”

Lilith trailed off to silence, looking miserably down at her shoes.

Eve walked across the stage, and slowly put her arm around her sister.  “It’s okay, Lilith.  You can say it.”

Lilith scowled.

“Because I like you, Mackenzie.  A lot.  Okay?  I didn’t plan it.  I didn’t think I’d need a sidekick to beat Eve, but you came along.  And at first I was just having fun, but then I spent more time with you.  And I appreciated your style, and it felt awesome to be with you, and….”

“Oh, Lilith.”  The wind howled as Mackenzie bent low.  She cupped her mile-long hand, and offered it to the witch.  “I like you a lot, too.”

Lilith bit her lip, pressing her chin into her shoulder.  Then gently, she rested her hand on the tip of Mackenzie’s finger.

“Loving someone,” Eve said softly.  “Means wanting what’s best for them.  You’ve always understood that, Lilith.  But it’s what they want, not you.  Even if you don’t understand it.  Even if you think it’s hurting them.  And sometimes, love means learning to let go.”

“I could probably get you cantaloupe,” Lilith mumbled.  “Last offer.  You’re sure?”

“Yeah.  Sorry.”

Eve was looking at Abigail.  There was something wistful in her expression, and something else that Abigail couldn’t identify.  She wished she could sense what the woman was feeling – but even if could, she supposed her emotions would be too complicated to fully understand.

“Abby… you’re sure, too?  You want me to take the magic back?”

“Eve.  Being this big was awesome.  I’ve had an amazing time tonight, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  But no matter how big I get, there’ll always be someone bigger.  And it turns out, that doesn’t matter nearly as much as I thought.  Four-foot-seven was always big enough.”

She wasn’t sure.  But before Eve turned away, in that expression of hers that was impossibly complex, Abigail thought she saw pride.

“I can’t do this alone,” Eve said, to Lilith.  “Take as long as you want.  I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

Lilith sighed.  But when she looked up, she was smiling.  “Let’s just get this over with.”

She reached out, and took her sister’s hand.

A small white light flickered above the stage.  It hovered for a moment, before slowly rising higher into the sky, growing in size and intensity as it went.  It stopped at last, miles and miles above the city.  Even above Mackenzie.

It flashed once.  Then exploded in brilliance.

Her friend was standing beside her.  Far taller.  But the view, the difference between them, was far more familiar.  She’d spent most of their friendship eye-level with Mackenzie’s chest, after all.

For a moment, her friend continued to stare at the stage.  Then she turned, and looked down at Abigail – letting her gaze fall gently, as though afraid of the consequences.

“Did it work?” Mackenzie whispered.

It was a face Abigail hardly knew.  Even at bedtime, Mackenzie almost always wore product.  It was strange seeing her this way – completely bare to the world.  Suddenly, all the things she didn’t know about her friend almost overwhelmed her.

They had time to find out, together.

Abigail laughed, and threw her arms around the girl.  Doing the best to squeeze the life out of her, as she hugged her, and cried with relief.

Chloe and Kayla were picking themselves up, dusting themselves off.  All around, members of the audience were doing the same.  Hundreds of thousands of people all looking at each other, murmuring in confusion, not one of them sure what had just happened.

Without a word, Chloe and Kayla joined their friends.  The two of them surrounded Abigail and Mackenzie, wrapped them up, and celebrated.

Finally, they were together.

Abigail was the smallest of them, again.  By far.  But that had its benefits.  It made group hugs totally awesome.  And for this particular hug, it meant there were a whole lot of very high-quality boobs, directly in her face.

It was a long time before the women composed themselves.  When they turned toward the stage, Eve and Lilith were still there under the spotlight.

Abigail cleared her throat.  “So.  I notice things aren’t entirely back to normal.  I mean, you cleaned up a lot of the destruction Mackenzie caused, you got rid of her Glamour….”

“…Abby’s down a cup-size or three….”

“Yes Mackenzie, thank you for noticing.”

“And you took my biceps,” Chloe whined.

Kayla kissed her.  “We’ll start going to the gym tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow’s Sunday.”

“But we’re all still, decidedly.  You know….”

“Huge?” Lilith prompted.

“It was a spur of the moment decision,” Eve explained.  “Abigail, you’re exactly three hundred feet tall.  Your friends are all adjusted around that.”

Lilith was nodding.  “See, technically the game doesn’t end until dawn.  Until then it’s a party, and the number one rule of a party is, you enjoy it while it lasts.”

There was a low bass throbbing in the distance.  A spotlight flashed across something purple.  The one-hundred-foot-tall bartender jumped over a security gate, bounding toward them.

“Hi Tori,” Abigail said.  “You know, I’m pretty sure I asked you to leave.  So you could protect Elijah and Dylan.  Does any of that ring a bell?”

Victoria hung her head.  “Yeah.  Sorry.  I did take Elijah home.  But then this one?  He insisted I come back.  ‘Friends don’t let friends face things alone,’ and all that.  It’s just so hard to say no to him.”

Abigail bent, until she was eye to eye with her teensy little boyfriend.  “Hmph.  That true?”

Dylan looked guiltily up from Victoria’s palm.  “Yeah.  Please don’t be mad, I only wanted to help.”

“You’re going to be punished for this, of course.  Little man.”

Dylan shivered.  “Wow.  It… suddenly feels a little warm out here.”

Victoria shifted.  The naked woman pressed her thighs together, a blush rising on her cheeks.  “Yeah, now that you mention it.”

Abigail looked up.  From high above, where the ball of light had exploded, something was falling.  A thin pink mist, suffusing the crowd.  It swirled around them, billowing away in wisps.

People down below were reacting.  Squeaks of passion.  Little moans.

Abigail’s friends weren’t immune.  They were looking at each other with a hesitant, self-conscious excitement.  It seemed to be building.

Abigail was starting to feel it, too.

“I’m guessing this is your doing, Lilith.”

“Aww Abby!  I feel so seen!”  The witch tossed a lock of blue hair over her shoulder.  “So a party’s fine?  But I have a particularly favorite type of party, if you catch my meaning, and with all that power?  Eve and me working together?”

Eve shrugged.  “She added something.  I didn’t stop her.”

Her friends were gathering around her now.  Warm hands, stroking her.  Lifting her dress.

She stroked them back.

Through the wall of women surrounding her, Abigail grinned at Lilith.  “Thank you.”

Lilith shot her a wink.

“Now remember!” Eve said, as her sister began to drag her off the stage.  “Magically-induced arousal does not equal consent!  Everyone, please use your words tonight!”

“Yeah yeah,” Lilith said.  “And use size-appropriate protection.  Good night, Chicago!”