Brooke pulled up to the curb and stopped the car. She took a few deep breaths and tried to relax, concentrating on the things around her. Even after three weeks of normalcy, it was hard to accept that she was once again able to drive, go to work, and live a normal life. One thing she did know was she'd never take such simple pleasures for granted again.
Too bad Abigail couldn't enjoy those things, she chuckled to herself. Well, no, it wasn't too bad at all, was it? It was just perfect. Just exactly the right fate for someone as self-centered and stuck on herself as Abby Fernandez. She was exactly the size she should be, Brooke thought to herself.
Brooke straightened her hair, opened the car door, and got out, looking towards the small, nondescript-looking house set back in amidst a copse of trees. She had never seen her former prison from this point of view before, and shook her head in amazement. She spent almost a year trapped within those dull brick walls, and if everything went right, Abby would be stuck there for the rest of her life.
Perhaps she should've left well enough alone, but Brooke knew she couldn't resist a chance to see Abigail one last time. Some things had to be savored, after all, and this victory certainly fit the bill. Finding Logan's home proved to be a simple matter, as easy as looking up his name in the state vehicle identification database. No one knew she did it, and now that the readjustment period was over, she was confident none of the scientists were bothering to follow her. This little meeting would be completely private.
Gathering up her confidence, she strode towards the door and rang the bell. The car in the driveway was a dead giveaway that he was home, so she wasn't surprised when the door opened a moment or two later. She smiled as he greeted her with an oddly cheerful "Can I help you?"
He didn't seem nearly as fearsome now that he wasn't such a giant. "Hello, Logan," she said sweetly. "You don't recognize me, do you?"
"No," he answered, looking at her with his head held cockeyed. "Should I?"
"Try to imagine me a lot smaller, and with a lot less clothing," she replied, grinning evilly.
"Brooke?" He took a step backwards, but recovered quickly. "Is that really you? I guess it is, huh? Back to normal, I see."
She didn't wait for him to invite her inside, but pushed the door open and stepped into the foyer. For a moment, her eyes wandered about the building, and she was surprised to see how small the place really was. To her, it always seemed like a tremendous open cave, but now she saw it from another point of view, and it looked pathetic. "Yeah, I'm back to normal," she answered at length. "I'm a real woman again, Logan. I'm not your pet any more. Not like Abby."
Logan sighed. "Why did you come here?" he asked directly. "We both got what we wanted, like you said, and you can't possibly be intending to blackmail me. You have as much to lose as I do."
"No, no, don't worry about that," she replied with a cackling laugh. "I'm not stupid, and I haven't forgotten our little bargain. No, I'm here for just one reason. I want to see her."
"What?" Logan's eyes widened. "You want to see Abby? But why? You'd better not be planning to--"
"No, no, nothing like that. Put a hold on the testosterone, already! I just never got a chance to say goodbye, that's all."
Logan shook his head. "Well, as you probably guessed, she'd hiding," he replied. With no small measure of sarcasm, he added, "I can't imagine why."
"Well, don't worry, I lived here long enough, I think I know all the places she could be. Come on out, Abby! I'm not leaving here till I see you one last time."
She started to get down on her knees to search around, but at that moment Abigail emerged from her home within the stereo speaker. "I'll save you the trouble," her voice piped, catching Brooke's attention at once.
The normal-sized woman turned to behold her former fellow prisoner, who was clad in a brand-new doll dress and looking up at her with apprehension. "Oh, wow," Brooke gasped after a moment. "Wow, look at you! You're so tiny! It's hard to believe I was as small as you."
"Well, you were," answered Abigail, her voice tinged with resignation. "Say what you came here to say and get out, would you?"
"Sure," laughed Brooke, and with that she reached out and seized the tiny brunette in her slender fingers. Abby struggled for a moment against her grip, but then realized the futility of resistance and relaxed. Nearby, Logan took two steps forward intently, but stopped when Brooke opened up her hand and let Abby lay there, sprawled out on her back and looking completely helpless.
"Go on," Abby squeaked at her. "Go on, get it over with."
At that, Brooke started to laugh. She snickered and giggled for almost a minute, then finally managed to control herself. While Logan and Abby both rolled their eyes in annoyance, she finally managed to speak. "I'm sorry," she forced herself to say, "this is just too perfect! This is exactly how I always imagined you, Abby. A tiny, insignificant speck of a woman. I just couldn't say goodbye without fixing this vision of you in my mind. Now that I have, I can put this part of my life behind me, but I'll always have fond memories of this moment."
She began to laugh again, and Logan stepped over to her, frowning. "Okay, fun's over," he hissed, gently taking Abby away and cradling her in his palm. Brooke was so busy giggling as Logan forced her to the door that she failed to notice the careful way he held Abby, or how she unabashedly clung to his thumb for support.
Logan almost pushed Brooke out the door. "Goodbye, you two," she called out as he stood scowling in the entranceway. "I hope you'll both be very happy together. Have a nice life!"
She was laughing again as he slammed the door in her face. She hardly cared about his reaction, though. She was happier than she'd ever been, happier than she ever dreamed possible. Like she said, this visit was exactly what she needed. She could move on now, dive into her new job, and forget everything that happened in this dismal place. Everything except that last vision of her tiny rival cowering so pathetically in her palm.
She had won, she knew. In the end, she won, just like she always hoped and dreamed she would. Just as it should be.
She began to whistle as she returned to her car, already dreaming about the wonderful future that lay ahead. She was normal again, and everything was right with the world. Yes, indeed, everything was in its proper place now, wasn't it?
And everyone was their proper size.