You Can't Save Everyone (Alternate Ending)

Author Note: This was the ending I didn't choose. But I thought it might be interesting for those who have read this far to see what would have happened if Tammy had chosen not to make her sacrifice and left things as they were.

Just over a year later..

"So is everything set for the party on Saturday?" Tammy asked.

"Yeah, it definitely won't be as crazy as you guys eighteenth was, but I don't think that's a bad thing" Jessie replied.

"That did get a little out of hand" Haley recalled "Still, all's well that ends well"

"So that was when Aunt Maisie was pretending to be Emily, Jessie was engaged to Craig. Haley and Kelly were about to get turned into video game characters, and I got myself claimed by Philip" Tammy recalled "Crazy times"

"It's actually remarkable how we managed to turn this whole thing around into something so positive. This so called curse had become a total gift" Kelly enthused gratefully "I mean, case in point, Jess has a critically acclaimed album in the charts that she wrote and recorded practically on her own. She used to be tone deaf and musically talentless. No offence Jess!"

"It's fine, it's true" Jessie laughed "But I did always fantasise about being a musician, even if I had no natural ability and wasn't willing to put in the work. I do sometimes feel a little guilty at cheating to get to where I am, but I figure us Petersen women have been on the wrong side of the curse so many times over the years, if we get the chance to turn it to our advantage we should go wild with it. That said I don't think I'd ever go as wild as Hales and Kel have been..."

The inseparable duo locked eyes in amusement. Together they were absolutely blowing up on Only Fans and earning more money than they knew how to spend. The curse meant they could do just about anything that was requested of them, but Kelly was about to reveal a trick of her trade to Tammy and Jessie.

"It's not as wild as you think. Most of the time we don't do anything at all" she confessed "We just use perception commands to make our viewers think we are doing all kinds of kinky shit with each other while we're actually sat there eating snacks and chatting"

"We only genuinely do the requests we find hot" Haley added.

"You two are going to Hell!" Jessie laughed.

"For so many reasons" Haley agreed with a smirk "And how about your venture with your mistress, Tammy?"

Tammy had used the curse to invest expertly in the stock market, which financially freed her and Tina to attempt to track down as many cursed women as possible and get them transferred to safe female owners.

"It's quite disheartening at times" she admitted with a sigh "We have rescued a few, and it's worth all the hard work just for that. But it's so difficult to get the masters consent. I would guess in nine out of ten cases either the women are too scared to even ask for fear of punishment, the masters flat out refuse, or the women mysteriously change their minds and emphatically want to stay as they are "

"You see, this is the thing about the masters we got" Kelly began to philosophise "Maybe they didn't do the right thing immediately, but they did let us go in the end. So from what Tammy is saying, that makes them better than ninety per cent of guys"

"Philip did the right thing immediately" Tammy reminded everyone "But he is probably in the one per cent rather than the ten. Either way, it sucks that so many other people who got cursed didn't get as lucky as we did. It hurts whenever I see the results of that first hand. I always think there must have been something more I could have done"

"Tammy, you and Tina are doing amazing work and you have transformed so many women's lives" Jessie reminded her cousin "Don't beat yourself up about this. You can't save everyone"

--

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Abby, happy birthday to you..

The atmosphere was jubilant as Abby blew out the candles on her cake and her many assembled friends and relatives applauded.

"Make a wish!" Maisie called out.

"Mom, that's so corny! I'm literally an adult now!" the birthday girl smiled and rolled her eyes, before accepting congratulatory hugs from her parents, sister and cousins for reaching her milestone.

The music then started up again and the party was soon back into full swing as Abby went to mingle.

"Emily couldn't make it?" Holly nudged her younger sister with a grin.

"Yeah I have a feeling we've seen the last of her. Well, maybe not in the bedroom if my dear husband has his way" Maisie only half joked "But she more than served her purpose. If it hadn't been for her we might never have known what was going on with Jess, and those jocks didn't seem like the type to just give up their girls because they were asked nicely"

"I am so incredibly grateful for that every single day. I can't imagine life without my Tammy, I'd be lost" Holly frowned at the thought.

"To Emily" Maisie smiled as she raised her glass.

"To Emily" Holly clinked hers against her sisters before bringing her in for a long thank you hug.

Meanwhile, Abby was still circulating and trying to say hello to everyone. Although she had always been a little reserved, that had never affected her popularity, and the Petersen home was packed. Not liking to be the centre of attention, she was grateful that the celebrity presence of Jessie, Haley and Kelly was taking much of the spotlight from her. As she made her rounds, she noticed Toby, a kid from her class she didn't know particularly well, standing against a wall on his own.

Being somewhat shy and socially awkward herself, Abby had always empathised with people like Toby. He seemed like something of a loner with few, if any, friends and nobody ever seemed to gravitate towards him. That was the main reason Abby had been sure to invite him. Not wanting anyone to be left feeling lonely at her party on her watch, she made her way over to join him.

"Hey Toby"

"Hello Abby. Thank you for inviting me"

"No problem, I'm glad you could make it!"

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world. It's a very special day indeed. Particularly for me"

"Huh? What?"

"Abby Petersen, I know about your curse, and I claim you"

Without another word, Toby walked back into the general party mix with a smug and triumphant look on his face, while Abby stood in place, shell shocked and paralysed with terror at what was coming next.

The End?

Author Note: Hopefully this shows why I chose Life's What You Make It as the true ending to Controlling Maisie despite it also being an imperfect resolution. Tammy understood the curse needed to be stopped at all costs and was willing to sacrifice whatever she had to in order to make that happen. I hope it was interesting for readers to see how the other option that was on the table would have played out.