You decide to bite the bullet and go with them.

Though you were still torn over whether it was actually a good idea or not, you figured you probably should. Hearing how she's had no one to talk to but her parents made you feel kind of bad. You at least had your siblings and Randall. Who did Allison have?

You were also not entirely confident that if the Mr. Lowry hadn't offered to take you, you might have ended up never going to see her. Being, like her, scared to make the first move yourself, and pretty certain that your dad wasn't going to talk you into it.

I guess it's now or never then, you said to yourself, telling Mr. Lowry then that you would just have to go tell your father first.

Finding him hiding away in his study (where he'd been pretty much since they'd arrived), you told him that you were just going over to see Allison for a while and that you would be back soon. Secretly, you were kind of hoping that he might forbid you for going or something (still kinda looking for a way out), but unsurprisingly he said that it was alright, and that you could do whatever you like. It was your decision to make and he wasn't going to stop you.

With no way out then and nothing to hinder you, you returned to the Lowry's car and jumped in, before then heading off to their house.

Inside the car Mrs. Lowry seemed extremely happy that you had decided to come along, telling you how good it would be for both of you, as well as reiterating her husbands statement about how much Allison had missed you. They also made a few passing references to the funeral that was planned for next week - something that you had heard about a day or two ago but had been kind of putting to the back of your mind till it actually arrived. Burying your girlfriend's body was certainly going to be no picnic, that was for damn sure.

"Here we are then," Mrs. Lowry smiled about a quick twenty minute drive or so later, as you pulled up in front of their house, hoping quickly out the car door and rushing towards the house. "You boys grab those boxes. I'm just gonna go tell Allison you're here."

"Don't look so nervous, Tim," Mr. Lowry told you as you each grabbed a box out from the trunk, "She really will be glad to see you."

That wasn't exactly what you were nervous about though, but he was right, you had to try and calm yourself down. You didn't want to look this rattled in front of her.

Heading into the house and placing the boxes down in the hallway, Mrs. Lowry then reappeared a moment later, informing you that Allison was in her bedroom and that you were to just head right on up. Thanking her, as she gave you a little pat on the back for encouragement, you the headed up those same familiar stairs you'd probably traversed a thousand times before - though admittedly never having felt quite this anxious while you did (even back in the days when you were still scared of Allison's dad).

Reaching her bedroom door, you took a deep breath outside and gently knocked.

"Come in!" you heard your mother's soft voice call out, and so you did, finding her sitting there on Allison's bed, pulling a pair of earphones out her ears and looking up at you with a smile.

If seeing her in the hospital had been surreal, then this was well and truly into 'does-not-compute' territory. Here was your mother' surrounded by Allison's super girly, bright pink bedroom, with all of it's various stuffed animals and movie and music posters, as well as a large collection of images of the both of you that she had surrounding her mirror... It just didn't belong here. There being something intrinsically wrong about your mom and Allison's bedroom (which as far as you were aware she had never set foot in) colliding like this. But what was possibly even stranger than that was what Allison currently had your mother's body wearing - which was presumably the reason why her parents had needed to pick up all those clothes...

Far from anything you were used to seeing her in - your mother having a well kept, though rather conservative style consisting of sweaters, blouses, long skirts etc - Allison was instead dressed entirely in her own clothes, which although made to fit a svelte, semi athletic 18 year old body like hers, wasn't exactly a correct fit for an extremely curvy, 40 year old woman who'd had three kids. She was practically bursting right out of them. The shirt that she now wore (a cutesy little number with a pink unicorn jumping over a rainbow), was being stretched to it's limits trying to contain your mother's rather prestigious bust. Not only that, but as loath as you were to admit it... well, you could clearly see the outline of her nipples poking through, indicating that she most definitely wasn't wearing a bra. Her lower half was similarly affected too. The baggy shorts that she'd always used for lounging around in were now wrapped tightly round a pair of much wider, curvier childbearing hips and thighs. And due to her height increase of a couple of inches, they no longer covered quite as much leg - stopping short, half way up her thigh.

While you stood there in the doorway taking this all in, gawping uncontrollably at the sight, Allison informed you that it was "good to see you again", before then noticing your stare. "Heh. Yeah... sorry, about the outfit. I didn't really have anything that fit too well. Your mother's... dimensions are way different than mine."

You'll say! You weren't ever sure you seen a shirt stretch quite so much. Your mom's chest looking so much bigger than you'd ever noticed it before, causing a weird sort of feeling inside that you quickly pushed away.

"That's... that's okay," you told her, bringing your gaze back up towards her face. "There's plenty of my mom's stuff downstairs now. So you shouldn't have that problem anymore."

"Thanks. And thanks for coming to see me again too."

Just as her father had said she would be, Allison did indeed seem genuinely happy about this, which unfortunately for you began to dredge up those feelings of guilt you'd had again, for leaving the hospital without a word.

Apologizing to her for it now then, and for not getting in contact sooner, Allison explained how she thought that maybe you were purposefully avoiding her, which in a way you supposed you had been. "I'm sorry. I just...well, I guess I just needed some time to get my head together. I wanted to call you... But, well, I... I wasn't sure what to say." This part was true at least, you had picked up your phone more than once to call her. You'd just ended up chickening out every single time.

"That's okay. I figured as much," she replied, thankfully not holding it against you. "I just really missed you this past week. Everything's been so crazy and I've only had mom and dad to talk to. It just didn't feel right not having you around."

"No. Same here," you agreed, having felt much the same way.

"So... what happens now?"

Deciding to put all that behind you and start over again a fresh, Allison gestured for you to come over and join her on the bed. You felt a little **** at first, getting so close (especially with how she was dressed,) but you didn't want to offend her and so went over and sat down, giving her a reassuring little smile as you did. "Just like old times, huh?" you joked, the irony not being lost on her, the two of you having spent countless hours on this very bed. Chatting, studying, listening to music. Heck, you'd even had more than your fair share of make out and grope sessions truth be told.

There would be none of that now though, and instead you just tried your hardest this time to see past the outer visage of your mother to the girl beneath, as you then proceeded to catch each other up on what had happened since you'd both left the hospital. Friend's who had visited. As well as touching briefly on what it was like operating an entirely different body.

"It's really weird to describe. I mean it still feels like me... but not. If you know what I mean."

Not really, you thought, it presumably being one of these things that you had to experience first hand, rather than be told.

"It's like I'm an entirely different shape. Different age. Different everything really," she went on to explain, "And it's still hard looking in the mirror and seeing your mom staring back at me instead of myself. But eventually, I figure I'll get used to it." She certainly sounded optimistic about it anyway, and didn't seem to be wallowing in self pity or loathing as you imagined other might have done. That wasn't your girlfriend's style though, having always had something of a sunny, go-getting personalities - which was one of the things that drew you to her initially.

"The doctors even said that there was a chance that certain things your mother knew, like subconscious memories of how to do things might start seeping through. And if it does, they tell me that that will make interacting with people who knew your mom a heck of a lot easier."

Though you didn't entirely understand what this meant, it did sound pretty helpful right enough. Allison may have been locked away inside her room for now, but eventually she would have to venture out in public and act like your mom. Any help she could get then was good in your book. Although you were admittedly slightly worried as to what exactly this might mean for her. Would your mother's personality start overwriting her own? ... Apparently not it seemed, Allison laughing a little at the suggestion. The doctors having assured her that there was certainly no chance of that.