TWENTY-FIVE; WHEN DREAM AND REALITY COINCIDE

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sabrina asked anxiously, scratching the back of her head. She stood in the centre of her apartment, all of her furniture moved out of the way so that the ground was clear. "I don't know how...wrong it could go."

"Brie, it's gonna be fine," Alicia assured the woman, smiling from where she and Sisco were standing. They had agreed to help her with her training once they had learned of the book she had received from Reggie, and despite some irritation with the woman for not being completely truthful, they were more than happy to oblige. "We used to do this all the time. The worst I got were a couple of scratches."

That did help a little. Sabrina's gaze flickered to Sisco, who seemed more focused on the flock of birds being documented on the television behind them than the fact that he was about to be a lab rat in an ability experiment.

"Where's Diego?" Alicia piped up once more, and Sabrina scratched the back of her head. In truth, she didn't know where the man was. He said he was going to be at her apartment that morning, but he hadn't showed. She wasn't particularly worried, or even hurt. She knew he had a job to do that didn't have a clock out time, so there was a chance he may not even turn up.

"Probably busy," she responded with ease. "He might come a little later on."

Alicia and Sisco exchanged a look she couldn't describe, and she opened her mouth to further justify Diego's absence, though she was interrupted by a key jangling in the front door.

Lo and behold, Diego Hargreeves appeared with a huge bag slung over his shoulder and a cardboard tray of hot drinks. "Sorry I'm late!"

Alicia looked over at her sister to see an expression of pure joy. The woman smiled, not having seen Sabrina like that in a long time. She bounded forward as the man entered the apartment, helping him with his bag as he slipped his shoes off by the door.

"I brought hot chocolate," he muttered, sliding the drinks onto the kitchen bench. "I, uh, don't know what you two like, so I got soy, regular and almond milk. Oh, and extra marshmallows for Brie."

"Wait a second," Sisco looked over at the man, squinting a little. "You're the kid who's been pissing Eudora off."

Diego grinned. "That's me. Nice to see you, Officer."

"Wait, this is Diego?" Sisco turned to Sabrina, who appeared quite sheepish in that moment. "Why didn't you tell me that your 'bestie' was a self proclaimed vigilante? Don't tell me you've been getting messed up in the crime shit again. You've already been shot, and that's just what I know of."

"It's fine, Sisco," she assured him. "I'm not getting back out there. That was dumb of me."

"No shit," All three surrounding her snorted in amusement. Diego looked over and handed her the special hot chocolate. "That's soy, by the way. I don't need you shitting yourself halfway through this."

Sabrina rolled her eyes as she downed the drink, happy that it wasn't boiling hot. It was really nice, and thankfully it didn't upset her mildly lactose intolerant body. What a shame Diego knew all about her flaws.

★☆

"Okay," Diego stood behind Brie with his hands on her shoulders. Her eyes were closed, facing Alicia and Sisco. "You're gonna think about an apple. Easy peasy. You're gonna say the words Dad wrote in the book."

Brie nodded, her hands trembling a little. She inhaled sharply, squeezing her eyes shut even more (if that we're even possible). She held out her hand and swallowed anxiously. "Dream and reality coincide."

She opened her eyes. Nothing.

"It's okay, try again," Diego assured her, rubbing his thumb in circles on her skin. "Really concentrate."

Sabrina clenched her jaw tight, feeling anxiety wash over her. She held her hand out once more and squinted, exhaling softly. "Dream and reality coincide."

A few seconds passed.

"Fuck yeah!" Diego yelled, puling Sabrina into his chest and embracing her. Sabrina's eyes shot open and she saw that Sisco was holding an apple. She gasped and lost her balance a little, looking between the other three adults in the room with her.

"Wait, you guys can see it too?" she asked, her voice a little hoarse yet filled with hope. When everybody nodded, she grinned widely, a sense of pride flooding through her body. She looked back at Diego, who was beaming down at her, and she released an inhumane squeak, jumping up and down like a child. "Holy shit! I can't believe it worked! The old prick was right!"

"No way," Alicia gasped, snatching the apple from Sisco's hand, before taking a bite out of it. She pulled a face initially, before tilting her head to the side. "A little sour for my liking, but it tastes like an apple."

"How far do you think you can go with this?" Sisco asked, his eyes showing curiosity, but also a hint of concern. Sabrina didn't notice the latter. Diego, however, did.

"This is a first step," he said to the officer. "It'll take months to build up to the bigger things, but this is best kind of practice she can get at the moment."

"You mean I have to keep making apples appear?" Sabrina asked, a slight frown appear on her face.

"Just for now," Diego kissed the top of her head. Sabrina didn't notice the unconscious smile that crept onto her lips, but everyone else surely did.

★☆

Sabrina had fallen asleep later that afternoon, the exhaustion of using her powers combined with the comforting warmth of a hot chocolate getting the best of her. She was in no way, shape or form an attractive sleeper; her sister had gotten that gene. Instead, she had sprawled herself out, arms and legs akimbo as well as a nice puddle of drool by the side of her mouth.

Regardless, she seemed at peace.

Diego wished he felt the same. He stood in the corner of the kitchen with his back against the counter; the perfect spot to keep an eye on Sabrina, and far enough from the other adults that he didn't have to talk.

His plan didn't work.

Sisco hadn't spoken a word in the last hour unless it was a passive aggressive mutter. He had been glaring in Diego's direction all the while, with Alicia making a joking comment every now and then. "Give him a break, Sisco."

"Are you the reason she got shot?" the older man inquired in his sharp yet husky voice. Diego was caught off guard, and his eyes widened considerably. Poker face, Diego, poker face.

"Brie made the decision to go out and be a hero," Alicia said, not looking over her shoulder from where she was organising her sisters potted plants. They were a gift, and Sabrina had watered them (almost) everyday, not knowing they were made of plastic. Alicia didn't have the heart to tell her. "If anything, Diego's the one whose been trying to prevent it happening again."

Sisco made a 'hmph' sound, shaking his head. His phone then buzzed, and he released a heavy sigh. "Damn."

"What is it?" Alicia asked.

"There was a shooting at the department store a few blocks away last night; they need extra hands to gather evidence."

Diego perked up. Sisco pointed at him in warning.

"You're keeping your nose outta this," he said sharply, still not trusting the man.

Diego scoffed and crossed his arms. Then, he darted towards the front door, grabbing his coat and disappearing from sight. Sisco swore loudly and followed after him, in a run not as fast, but with the same amount of purpose.

Alicia was left alone, in silence. She pursed her lips and smiled the way you smile when a lot of things happen at once and you find a moment of peace. She looked over at her snoozing sister, and got to her feet. She walked over and lifted Sabrina's legs, sitting down and placing them back over her lap. She picked up the television remote and turned the set on. She chuckled as yet another nature documentary played.

Soon after, she fell asleep too, and the Nilsson sisters were able to breathe at a stable pace once more.

★☆

it's been. a whole minute. 

in all honesty wattpad keeps getting worse and i've been struggling to keep up with writing stuff that isn't original (which i have also been struggling with but that's a whole other thing). so uhhhh hi sorry i haven't been here xoxo

don't forget to stay safe at the moment, and take care of those around you !!!