Five days had gone by since Finn’s talk with Doctor Hopkins, and things regarding Katelyn’s possible punishment hadn’t improved much. As hoped, Katelyn’s name had faded from the news a bit, but every time Finn thought that Friday night was officially behind him, a new headline would pop up. Spending day after day in his room reading different opinion pieces on what should happen to his girlfriend was starting to eat away at him. Knowing that some people were against harsh punishment brought some peace of mind, but not enough to calm his nerves. Traces of orange and pink were starting to streak across the sky as Finn glanced over at the navy blue cap and gown he’d be wearing in less than twenty-four hours. 

He wasn’t even sure if Katelyn would show up for graduation. She definitely wanted to, but who knows what could have changed since the last time they’d talked. Opening his phone, Finn hovered his thumb over Katelyn’s name in his contacts. Not a single phone call, or even a text since he’d left the hangar that Saturday morning. Reminded of that morning and the night before, Finn frowned as the memories flooded back with an aggression he wasn't prepared for. Tossing the phone onto his bed, Finn flopped down beside it with a heavy sigh. 

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. It was only a few moments before his father’s footsteps approached the front door. With the temporary curiosity for the unexpected visitor gone, Finn shrugged and returned to the exciting and engaging activity of staring blankly into the ceiling. His mind wandered quickly to Katelyn as regret for ignoring her slowly creeped in. A cold current flowed from his chest outward, quickly reaching his extremities as he wondered what his girlfriend could be up to. Perhaps she was in a similar position, staring blankly at her ceiling as she waited to hear from Finn. 

“Finn?” His father called from the front door, “Come down!” 

Jumping to his feet, Finn shook his head as his reminiscing gave way to curiosity once again. Quickly descending the stairs, he came to an abrupt stop on the final step upon seeing who was waiting at the bottom. 

“Dan? What are you doing here?” 

“I’m here to get you out of the slump you’ve gotten yourself into! Come on, dude. You can’t spend the whole summer in your room!” 

“I know, and I won’t. Once things blow over with Katelyn and the government—”

“No, no, you’re getting out of the house today! There’s still plenty of sunlight! You want to get all this stuff about Katelyn off your mind, right?” 

“Well…I mean…yeah…” Finn admitted. 

“Then what better way to do that than doing something?” 

Finn had to admit that just about anything sounded better than the confines of his room. Shrugging, he motioned for Dan to lead the way. 

“Awesome! How about we hit up Benton’s for some ice cream? I’ve been dying for their Galaxy Swirl!” Dan cheered, 

“Sure! I could go for some ice cream!” Finn shrugged, hopping in Dan’s car. 

With the windows down and the music just below the threshold for hearing damage, Dan flew down the open roads as Finn rode shotgun. Feeling the warm summer air on his face, Finn smiled and hummed along to the lyrics as the ice cream shop appeared up ahead. 

“Wow! This place is jumpin’ tonight!” Dan exclaimed, pulling his car into the first open spot he could find. 

Stepping out and staring across the parking lot, Finn thought about the time he and Katelyn had gone to get ice cream. Their first day hanging out. It felt like a lifetime ago, playing chess with his former bully. 

“I'm getting the Galaxy Swirl. How about you?” Dan asked, pushing open the door to find the shop just as crowded as it looked from the outside. 

“Probably what I usually get. Triple scoop mint chocolate chip with fudge,” Finn shrugged. 

Waiting for their turn in the slowly diminishing line, Finn’s mind wandered back to the day with Katelyn. He still remembered her order: Triple chocolate, quadruple stacked cone with whipped cream, sprinkles, and two cherries on top. In the future, when things were back to normal, he’d have to bring Katelyn to get ice cream. Making a mental note, Finn realized that it was his and Dan’s turn to order. With both orders placed, and Dan graciously offering to pay, they soon had their respective desserts and found a booth to sit down at. 

“What are you staring at? Is Bigfoot out there?” Dan wondered, snapping Finn from a trance he hadn’t realized he’d fallen into. 

“Hmm? Yeah, uh, no. No, no Bigfoot out there,” He replied, looking at the spot Katelyn had stood as she patiently waited for him all those weeks ago. 

“You’re thinking of her, huh?” Dan correctly guessed. 

Finn nodded, biting into his ice cream cone, “Yeah. Just…wishing things were like they were back then. No party, no huge debate over what’ll happen to her, just the simple stuff.” 

“Then text her! Or call her! Hell, go to her house! Whichever you choose, just tell her you miss her!” 

“I know! And I want to! It's just that…I feel weird trying to. Besides, if she wanted to talk to me, she would text me first,” Finn explained, finishing off his ice cream cone. 

“Maybe. But maybe you should rip the bandaid off now! She probably misses you like crazy. If she wasn’t under what’s basically house arrest, I bet she’d be over every day. You know I’m right,” Dan taunted, marveling at the fact that Finn had no choice but to agree. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” He admitted, allowing himself to smile. 

“So! Tomorrow, you go to her house and talk to her! Bring a board game or something, I don’t know! Graduation isn’t until the evening, so you could spend at least a few hours with her,” Dan suggested, before his gaze suddenly shifted over Finn’s shoulder, “Oh fuck. You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“What? What’s wrong?” Finn’s voice dropped to a whisper, turning his head to realize what had gotten his friend’s attention. 

Tina and Ethan had walked in, and with the ice cream shop being as small as it was, it wasn’t long before Tina’s eyes locked with his. Pulling Ethan by his arm, she stormed over to the booth Finn and Dan were seated at. 

“Fancy seeing you here,” Tina greeted flatly. 

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Finn shot back. 

Tina glanced over at her boyfriend, who looked less than delighted at the encounter, “Ethan? Go order for me.” 

Nodding, Ethan quickly excused himself and got in line. With Finn and Tina locked in a tense battle, neither one looking away first, it wasn’t long before Dan cleared his throat to break the tension. 

“Well, this looks like it’ll be a shitshow! I’m…gonna go use the restroom or something,” He announced, excusing himself from the booth as fast as possible. 

Wasting no time in taking the newly vacant seat, Tina sat down opposite Finn. Nervously swallowing, Finn could feel himself beginning to sweat as he anticipated the earful Tina was about to give him. Bouncing his leg, Finn struggled but failed to look Tina in the eye. 

After an agonizing wait, Tina broke the silence, “So…” 

“So…” Finn echoed, staring down at his hands. 

“How’s Katelyn?” She asked, a hint of venom in her tone upon mentioning his girlfriend.

“Uh…” Finn thought, not sure what the proper answer was. Was Tina hoping that Katelyn was miserable? Panicked, wondering what her fate would be? “S-She’s okay, I guess? I haven’t really talked to her since everything went down,” He explained, forcing himself to look her in the eye for any sign of satisfaction or disgust in his answer.

After receiving only a nod of acknowledgment, Finn decided to ask the question he’d been dreading. Mentally bracing himself for the hurricane he might unleash, he decided to get it over with. 

“How have you been since…the party?” 

Exhaling deeply through her nose, Tina glanced at the window, “Okay, I guess. After a long shower, things were as they were before the party.” 

“That’s good…” Finn muttered, relieved that things hadn’t turned into a shouting match yet, “Tina?” 

“Hmm?” She replied, turning her head to look at him. 

“I’m…sorry about—” He began, but Tina held up her palm to stop him. 

“Finn, none of that was your fault. Some lady from the government, Doctor Hop-something, talked to me a few days ago. She said it was you who managed to get Katelyn to release me.” 

“It’s nothing. I didn’t find what she did funny, you know.” 

Tina was about to continue, but Ethan returning with their ice cream brought a swift end to their conversation. Tina slid out of the booth to grab her cone while Ethan scouted out available seats. 

“See you at graduation, I guess,” Tina waved with a half smile before quickly returning to her boyfriend’s side. 

Finn smiled, waving goodbye, “You, too.”

Alone in the booth, Finn let out a deep exhale. It still didn’t feel quite right, like the conversation hadn’t yet ended. Hell, Tina not yelling at him or blaming him didn’t feel right. Wondering what could’ve prompted Tina to talk to him, Finn’s attention quickly turned to Dan as he sat back down. 

“Well!” He began, “Let’s get a move on before anyone else decides to drop in. At this rate, that scientist you and Katelyn can’t seem to stay out of trouble with is gonna walk through next!” 

Finn glanced back at the door, half-expecting Doctor Hopkins to walk into the ice cream shop. Fortunately, she didn’t, and Finn could breathe a sigh of relief. 

“Yeah, maybe we should get going,” Finn agreed. 

Deciding to take the long way back home, Dan eased the car to a stop along the empty road as they passed the airfield entrance. The dirt road now had a concrete barrier preventing cars from continuing up to the hangar, along with a hefty number of signs threatening the consequences for disobeying. Although he couldn’t see much in the fading sunlight, Finn could guess that there were more security features hidden further along the wooded road. 

“What do ya think’ll happen to the place now?” Dan wondered. 

“Hopefully it’s left alone for good. Never need to see that place again. And I hope Katelyn never has to spend another night in that awful hangar,” Finn replied, barely able to make out the hangar between the darkness and trees. 

“Yeah, it’s probably for the best,” Dan agreed, continuing along the road, “I can swing by Katelyn’s house if you wanna talk to her. I could even drop you off.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. Back home’s good,” Finn said, dismissing his friend’s offer. 

Back home, Finn thanked Dan for the ice cream before returning to his room. Deciding to go to bed early, Finn opted to watch a movie to get himself tired. Browsing through the options, he was surprised to see “Attack of the 50-Foot Woman” once again. Shrugging, Finn decided to rewatch the black-and-white classic. Remembering how the first watching had filled him with dread, he was curious to see how he’d feel the second time. 

As the credits rolled, Finn switched off the TV to bathe his bedroom in darkness. The second time watching had only brought amusement at the sight of how old the special effects were, even laughably cheesy at times. Smiling, Finn closed his eyes, glad that this time around he wasn’t worried about Katelyn’s fist smashing through the window to snatch him up. 

——

A loud tapping sound jolted Finn awake. Sitting up in bed, he rubbed his eyes and glanced over at his phone. Wincing from the brightness he’d forgotten to turn down, Finn groaned and closed his eyes again upon realizing it was just past one in the morning. Before he could fall asleep again, he heard the tapping once more. 

Sleepiness gave way to confusion as he rolled out of bed and made his way to the source of the noise: the window. Parting the blinds, he was greeted by Katelyn's face taking up the entire space. 

“What the—?” He yelled, before quickly stopping himself. 

Listening for a moment to make sure he didn’t wake up his parents, he quickly pulled up the window to see his girlfriend, nude and at least twenty feet tall. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” He whispered. 

“I-I wanted to see you! I know I’ll be in loads of trouble, but I just had to talk to you!” Katelyn replied, nervously looking behind herself to make sure nobody had noticed the giant, nude girl. 

“Okay? What is it?” 

“Can I come inside? I’d rather have this talk when I’m not as tall as a house.” 

“I…guess? But how? My parents might hear the door opening,” Finn explained, wondering what Katelyn had to say. 

Katelyn slowly took a step away from the window, “I might have a plan. Never tried it, but I think it could work. Step back.” 

Nervously doing as told, Finn watched as Katelyn placed her huge hand on the windowsill before closing her eyes, saying something to herself that Finn couldn’t discern.

“Okay. On the count of three, you grab me and pull me in. Got that? One. Two. Three!” 

Not ready for her countdown, Finn lunged for Katelyn’s hand as she quickly shrank herself down to normal size. Grabbing her arm, he pulled with everything he had. Finally, before his strength failed him, Finn managed to pull his girlfriend through the window and into his bedroom. They tumbled to the ground, prompting Finn to wince and listen for the sound of his parents. After a few seconds of silence, he let out his breath before turning to Katelyn.

There she was. In his room. Right in front of him. Brushing away a strand of hair from her eye, Finn pulled Katelyn in for a hug. He could feel her breasts pressed against his chest as he embraced her nude body as tight as he could. Together the two laid in silence on his floor, feeling the warmth of each other’s bodies as the sounds of cicadas outside were the only thing audible. 

“I missed you so much,” She whispered, the gentle sound of her voice sending goosebumps all over his body. 

Katelyn buried her face in his shoulder as they laid in silence. After a few moments, the sound of a sniffle broke the quiet. Finn felt wetness on his skin just as another sniffle emanated from Katelyn. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Why didn’t you ever come over? Why didn’t you ever text me?” She whimpered, her voice still muffled by his shoulder. 

Finn’s heart cracked. Hearing Katelyn so sad made him feel cold inside. Pulling her closer, Finn silently felt her warmth flowing through him. 

“I’m so sorry, Katelyn. I should never have done that. I was…I don’t have an excuse. It was wrong of me.” 

Katelyn lifted her head up, wiping her nose and doing the best to pull herself together. Smiling, she rested her cheek on his chest and softly whispered, “Let’s put these past few days behind us. After graduation, it’s a new us. Sounds good?” 

Finn smiled, running his fingers through her hair, “Sounds good. Now, how about we get off the floor and in bed?” 

“Yeah, that does sound like an upgrade,” Katelyn chuckled, “Could I borrow a hoodie or something? All of my clothes were left back at my house.” 

Carefully standing up and opening his closet, Finn eventually settled on a bulky, black hoodie displaying his favorite movie franchise to give to Katelyn. The thick fabric helped to hide the fact she was completely naked underneath as the two climbed into his twin-sized bed, pulling the covers up tight. With little room left over, the two were forced to cuddle up close. Finn suspected that neither he nor Katelyn were complaining. 

“You said you needed to talk to me. What’s wrong?” Finn asked, wrapping his arms around Katelyn’s back. 

“Doctor Hopkins has been keeping me up to date with stuff. Tomorrow—actually later today—there’s gonna be a hearing about what action, if any, will be taken regarding me. There’s so much that could happen. They could move me to a government black site, decide to keep me there until they develop a full cure, or maybe just to experiment on me. I didn’t know if I’d ever get to see you again, so if this is the last time we see each other, I want there to be no hard feelings. No anger. Just…us.” 

Finn was on the verge of tears. He couldn’t even begin to comprehend that he might be holding Katelyn for the last time. It was surreal. His was his turn to bury his face in her neck, wishing he could fall asleep right then and there in her embrace. 

“You should probably get going soon then. Get back in your house before the doctor realizes you escaped,” He suggested, struggling to let go. 

“No,” Katelyn replied starkly, “If this really is our last night together, then I’m gonna spend it right here, with you, in this bed.” 

“I couldn’t agree more,” Finn agreed, “So what do you want to do?” 

“All I want is you, Finn. You and me, falling asleep together. Nothing more,” She purred. 

“I can do that.”

Closing his eyes, Finn felt a tear running down his cheek as his head sank into the pillow. Katelyn rolled over so she was laying on top of him, slightly further down the bed than him. With Katelyn’s head resting on his chest, Finn simply ran his hand up and down her back as he waited to fall back asleep. 

——

The sound of the garage door closing told Finn that his father had left for work. With his mother already having left for work some time before, he had the house all to himself. 

“So,” Katelyn began, “Guess we have the place to ourselves, huh?” 

Well…almost all to himself. 

“I’ve got some ideas,” Finn smiled, sliding his arm around her shoulder. 

“Me too. How much you wanna bet we’re thinking the same thing?” 

“I guess we’ll just have to see how things go,” 

Throwing the covers aside, Finn pulled his boxers down to his ankles. Katelyn wasted no time straddling his morning wood, not even bothering to remove her hoodie. Reaching forward to brace herself against the headrest, Katelyn let out a soft moan as she found her rhythm. Grabbing her hips, Finn threw his head back and enjoyed the sensations of her warmth closing in around his member. 

“F-Fuck, Finn! You have no idea how badly I’ve been wanting to do this again!” Katelyn gasped, the bed creaking as she rode him harder. 

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Katelyn came crashing down for a final time as the creaking ceased. The two of them stared at each other, holding their breaths as they silently listened. Next came knocking. Whoever it was wasn’t going to get tired and leave. 

“I’ll get it,” Finn offered, breaking the silence.

Slowly sliding off, Katelyn nervously looked around the room before handing him a pair of shorts and a shirt to throw on. With his member still hard and slick with Katelyn’s wetness, he carefully made his way downstairs. Opening the door, Finn had no time to react as a furious Doctor Hopkins pushed past him and into his house, turning to close the door behind herself. 

“Where’s Katelyn?” She demanded. 

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Finn lied, holding up his hands.

A loud thud from upstairs all but blew their cover. Shoving Finn aside with a surprising amount of force, Doctor Hopkins stormed up the stairs and barged into Finn’s room with Finn right on her tail. 

“Katelyn! I know you’re in here! Stop trying to hide!” She yelled, canvassing the room for any trace of her. 

After a tense few seconds, there came a muffled, “Fine!” before Katelyn crawled out from underneath Finn’s bed. 

Still dressed in only Finn’s hoodie, Katelyn pulled on the fabric to hide her crotch to the best of her ability. With a defeated sign, Katelyn held her free arm out as if to ask the doctor to get things over with. 

“Do you really not get the severity of this all?” Doctor Hopkins demanded, crossing her arms. 

“I know I’m not supposed grow, but—”

“Katelyn! Don’t you understand that I’m trying to protect you? Believe me, you won’t like what the military plans on doing with you if they find out you grew again.” 

“I know! I know I’ll be in heaps of trouble, but if I’m gonna be taken away, locked up somewhere, I at least want to spend one more day with Finn! Come on, Doctor! Have you ever felt that way about someone? If you were facing the possibility of never seeing anyone you ever knew ever again, is there someone you’d want to see one last time?” 

Doctor Hopkins remained silent for a moment. Then another moment. It wasn’t long before the silence stretched on and became deafening inside Finn’s bedroom. The tension was so thick one could cut it with a knife. Walking up beside Katelyn to hold her hand, Finn noticed that Doctor Hopkins was holding her phone. The future of everything was just a button press away. He could feel Katelyn gripping his hand tighter as the silence seemed to stretch on for minutes. Finally, agonizingly, Doctor Hopkins spoke again. 

“There is, in fact,” She said softly, pocketing her phone. 

Doctor Hopkins slowly removed her glasses. Polishing away a smudge with her lab coat, she returned them to their position with a quick adjustment so that sat better on her face. 

“What I’m about to say is strictly confidential and should never be made known to the public, but there is to be a meeting later today to decide what action, if any, should be taken regarding you. Although my opinion is not the sole decider, my word will have an impact in swaying the board. I’m afraid it will be close, though.” 

“And…” Katelyn asked, carefully, as though she was walking on glass, “What is your opinion?” 

“That you are no threat to national security, only a teenage girl. I’ll recommend that my team perform routine checkups every month to monitor your condition. And as long as nothing like Friday night happens ever again, you and Finn should be able to start college this August without any issues.” 

“Wait wait wait,” Finn interjected, looking over at Katelyn, “We? College?”

“You never told him?” Doctor Hopkins asked next. 

“I never had the chance,” Katelyn admitted with a sheepish smile, “But yeah, I’m going to college. Same one as you, actually.” 

“You got accepted? That’s amazing!” Finn congratulated, giving Katelyn a hug, “When did you find out? I thought you weren’t going to college!”

“I didn’t plan on it, but that was when I was larger than a dormitory. The day I returned to normal size, I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in biomedical engineering. I discussed it with Doctor Hopkins when I was at the hospital. You see, because that serum basically gave me my life back, I want to understand how it works. Who knows? Maybe I’ll find a way to fully cure myself and finally be rid of this mess!” She explained. 

“Katelyn, that’s awesome! I’m so happy for you! How did Doctor Hopkins manage to set that up for you?” Finn wondered, looking over at Doctor Hopkins. 

“What can I say? As the head scientist who developed a cure unlike anything the world’s ever seen…let’s just say I have a bit of influence,” The doctor winked, “I dropped off the envelope with all of her paperwork. Remember? I caught you two in the middle of something not unlike now.”

“Yeah, that’s ringing a bell…” Finn replied, his face going red upon realizing just how obvious his sex life was. 

“Well then! This has been quite the productive discussion, but I’m afraid I have to go now,” Doctor Hopkins announced, “Have to get to D.C. to give my verdict. I must say, things didn’t go the way I was expecting when I drove over here, but I’m glad they turned out this way. Finn, take care and I hope the next time we meet, your outfit wasn’t thrown on in a panic.”

“I hope so, too,” Finn admitted, his cheeks turning red. 

“And Katelyn?” 

“Yeah, Doctor?” 

“Save the growing for the bedroom from now on.”