One Day Later
June 12th, 2005
12:43 P.M.
Christina's POV

A knock on her front door broke Christina out of her temporary thoughts just as she finished brewing a cup of coffee for herself. She had come back from taking Sidney to her house an hour ago and she needed to wake up a little more, but she couldn't prevent the curiosity that plagued her. She set down her steaming mug and walked up to the door, making sure to check through the peephole first before opening it.

"Hey, M.J!" she greeted brightly but her smile faltered because of the look on her friend's face. "Wait, what's the matter?"

"The review of my performance came in..." was all the redhead could say as she stepped inside, grasping a newspaper in her right hand. "I read it, and... They hated it! They hated me, really..."

"What?" Christina replied with raised eyebrows. "They can't hate you... in my opinion, anyway. I thought you were great. What did the review say?"

Mary Jane hesitantly unfolded the newspaper and read out loud from it in a shaky voice: "'The young Miss Watson is a pretty girl; easy on the eyes but not on the ears. Her small voice didn't carry past the first row.'"

Christina scoffed and rolled her eyes at that. "Oh, bullshit!" she retorted, placing her real and metal hands on her hips. "That's just a lie. If I sat at least ten rows back, I'm sure I would have heard you."

"But you didn't..." M.J. said, making a good point. "You and Peter sat in the first row."

"I know that... but here's my point. I could hear you perfectly clearly. And the audience seemed to enjoy your performance as much as I did. There's nothing for you to worry about. That critic doesn't know what they're talking about, alright? You were awesome, believe me."

M.J. lowered her head and crossed her arms tightly, avoiding the blonde's gaze. "No, I wasn't..." she murmured almost silently.

Christina sighed sadly, placing her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Don't say that, okay?" she assured her. "That's just that negative voice in your head talking, we all have that. Don't put yourself down because of one dumb critic. Are you going to receive criticism sometimes? Yeah, but you can't let that bring you down. I get what you're feeling, I do."

"You do?" Mary Jane spoke up.

"Yeah, I do," said Christina. "I've been criticized before and it didn't feel great. It lowered my self-esteem but Mom eventually taught me that I need to maintain my confidence and not give a shit about what others think of me. You should do the same. It really helps, I promise."

The redhead thought about it for a very long moment before determining that her friend was actually right, and she let out a long sigh. "You have a good point..." she muttered. "That was wise of your mom."

The blonde nodded in agreement, humming softly before a lightbulb went off in her head. "How about this?" she suddenly spoke up. "What about I go with you to the next rehearsal? That way you'll feel more at ease with it..."

M.J's head bobbed up and down as her lips finally curved upward, and she even let out a laugh. "That would be great..." she admitted. "Thanks... Really, Chris."

"It really isn't a problem, trust me," she replied before hugging her friend. "You know I'll always be there for you."

"Yeah, I know..." M.J. said as she hugged back tightly, relieved that she had a friend like Christina to comfort her and vice versa whenever time was bringing them down.

_____

Two Hours Later
2:45 P.M.

While Christina was aware that she had to go in for work in around two hours, she figured that she would have time to stop by Peter's apartment. After all, she didn't really get to have a real moment with him yesterday and she wanted to see how he was actually doing considering all that had happened. Besides, it would give her some time to relax after running around for a little while that morning.

She was dressed in a more casual work outfit but it was still suitable enough for the six hours she would be there. It would just be a more normal night shift where she would be filling out mundane paperwork, but she didn't mind all that much. After all, it would keep her mind at ease before having to go back home.

She climbed up the stairs to the room she desired to find and she cleared her throat before gingerly knocking on the door.

"Yeah?!" came Peter's voice from the other side, and the blonde wasn't able to prevent the smile that spread across her features from hearing it.

"Hey, Pete, it's me," she spoke up cheerfully.

The change in tone of Peter's voice happened in less than a second as she heard him scrambling about the apartment. "Oh, hey, Chris!" he shouted, his voice seeming to be trembling and that greatly concerned her.

"Are you alright?" she called into the room, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you just caught me off guard!" Peter replied with a chuckle. "You can come in."

She attempted to open the door, but it seemed to be jammed and she grunted with the effort of getting it to move. "You really need to get this door fixed," she jokingly scolded Peter.

"Is it seriously stuck again?!" Peter said in utter disbelief.

Christina answered his question when she finally got the door to pry open, nearly making her stumble and fall into the room. "Shit!" she cried out in slight panic, but she felt comforted when Peter dashed across the room and caught her as soon as she lost her balance.

"You okay?" Peter mumbled as he sighed with relief, grateful that she wasn't hurt.

"Yeah, I'm good," she answered before pecking his lips in greeting. "Anyway, hey! Figured I'd come and see you before I go to work. Are you doing okay?"

Peter nodded as he smiled, adjusting Christina back to where she was standing on both feet. "Yeah, I guess..." he replied. "Just another uneventful day. I don't really have to do anything until tomorrow, thank God. What about you?"

"Other than dropping Sidney back off at her house, same here," she said, shrugging her shoulders as she hung her purse on a coat hanger next to the door and sat down on Peter's bed. "Oh, um... M.J. came over. She said that she got negative reviews for her performance...."

Her boyfriend regarded this news with a bewildered expression as he tilted his head. "Are you serious?" he muttered in complete shock.

Her head bobbed up and down sadly as she frowned. "Yeah. I talked to her about it and I helped her feel better about it, hopefully. Besides, it was about something dumb like how the critic couldn't hear her despite her voice being loud like it was apparently supposed to be. I just think it's ridiculous."

"Yeah, it is," Peter said as he sat next to her. "I thought she did a good job, anyway. Hopefully, they'll give her another chance, you know?"

"I hope so..." Christina added on before resting her head on his shoulder. "By the way, what was all of that locomotion going on in here? Did you trip all over the place or something?"

Peter chuckled. "Uh... yeah, you could say that..." He then decided to quickly change the subject as he took a deep breath, trying to ignore what had just happened earlier. "Anyway... what do you wanna do?"

Christina hummed tiredly as she opened her eyes again. "Not sure..." she whispered. "I guess I just wanted to see you, that's all. I didn't get to spend time with you yesterday, so I figured, why not? I mean, if that's okay with you."

"Of course it is," he assured her, placing an arm around her shoulders and leaning her head against hers. "You're always welcome here... unless I'm out swinging or something like that. We can talk, cuddle, and take a nap as well... It's up to you. What do you wanna do while you're here?"

"Whatever you want to do is fine with me," was all Christina said as she lifted her head from his shoulder, yawning slightly. "I really don't mind."

A few seconds later, Peter slowly moved closer to her and his love felt his lips against her temple; feeling this made her smile softly as she closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. A soft sigh left her when he slipped his arms around her wait, and she instinctively scooted over to him as a result.

"What are you doing...?" she hummed before she began to giggle, especially since Peter moved his kisses to her cheek, making her blush more.

"Nothing..." Peter murmured shyly, his own face turning red. "Just loving on you, that's all... Is that okay?"

Christina grinned as she nodded. "Yeah, it's okay," she replied. "Just know that we can't do... that right now. I have to go to work in a few hours, so I won't have time."

Peter's head bobbed up and down as he gently rubbed her back, smiling back and his eyes brightening just by looking at her. "That's alright," he promised. He then pressed a sweet kiss to her jaw and chuckled silently when he felt her shiver from that. "Do you... wanna make out, though? If you have time..."

All Christina did was move her head to where she was passionately kissing him for a second before pulling away quickly. "You don't have to always ask, you know?" she said to put him more at ease.

Peter just lowered his gaze sheepishly as he nodded. "I know..." he responded. "I just want to make sure you're always comfortable."

"That's very sweet of you..." Christina whispered before continuing the kiss and moving to where she was sitting in his lap while he held her delicately, quivering when he placed a hand on her neck and began caressing her jawline. In return, she combed her fingers through his hair.

Peter pulled back to kiss her cheek again before lovingly placing another kiss to her neck, his heart missing a beat when he heard a shaky breath come out of her in response to that. He then looked up at her and stared deeply into her eyes, an awestruck expression on his face.

"What?" the blonde muttered, becoming shy from her love's gaze.

"Nothing..." he murmured, continuing to just admire her. "You're just so gorgeous."

Christina's face was now blood red and she lowered her head as it swayed back and forth. "No, I'm not," she denied, giggling timidly.

"How many times do I have to tell you before you believe it?" Peter asked genuinely, frowning because of how much she always put herself down. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen or known, I swear. And you're the sweetest, too..."

"Really...?" she pondered meekly, her pretty eyes peering up at him in such a bashful manner that just made Peter's heart melt again.

"Really..." he said, kissing her forehead and lingering on her skin for a moment before meeting her gaze again. "I mean it, angel... You're so fucking perfect. You're adorable... and pure-hearted... and extremely attractive."

A dumb grin was spread across Christina's features at this point as she nodded a little bit. "Thank you," she said. "But are you sure you're not just looking in a mirror?"

"No, but thank you..." was all Peter could say to that. "You're too good to me, sweet girl."

The two of them went to kiss again but the sound of the police scanner on Peter's nightstand going off killed the moment and they groaned with the frustration of being interrupted.

"All cars. All cars in the vicinity of 54th and 6th Avenue, please report. Crane out of control. Approach with caution."

Peter sighed heavily as he rested his head against Christina's shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut. "Damn it..." he muttered out of absolute disappointment. "Let me have five minutes, please!"

"It's okay, Pete..." Christina assured him as she chuckled, pecking his forehead. "Go stop whatever's going on out there, alright? I need to head to work, anyway."

Peter nodded reluctantly as he stood up after Christina got off of him, jogging to his closet and rapidly changing into his suit. The blonde could tell that he looked very glum and she smiled sadly. Knowing he was upset about having to leave her, she got up and walked over to him.

"Hey, why don't you come over later tonight?" she offered, glancing up at him. "We can have that movie night like I mentioned the other day if you want."

Peter had an optimistic expression in his eyes as his head moved up and down. "Sure, I'd like that," he confirmed before giving her a quick kiss and pulling his mask over his face. "Bye, I love you!" he finished before jumping off of the balcony and swinging away.

"I love you..." Christina whispered more to herself before beginning to make her way to the jammed front door.

Along the way, she thought she could hear something thud against the floor and she whipped her head around to see what it was. She peered across the room, wondering to herself what the source of the noise could have been, but she wasn't able to spot it. Her eyes squinted out of puzzlement but she chose to just leave the apartment after struggling to open the door, hoping none of Peter's belongings had broken.

_____

Three Hours Later
6:23 P.M.

Christina struggled to suppress a yawn as she sipped from her styrofoam cup of coffee she had gotten from the break room. She cringed at the bitter taste, knowing it was nowhere near as good as the coffee she had back at her apartment but it would have to make do until she was at the end of her shift. She then returned her attention to her desktop, typing the word 'CLOSED' in capital letters under the file about Connor Roberts – or Connor Nelson now – with a smile on her face.

She couldn't believe that her very first case with a client had turned out to be a major success, and her heart warmed to know that Connor was finally in a safe home. Now it would probably be time to take on another case with a child relatively soon, and Christina was more than ready, especially since it would lead her into greater opportunities.

Her promotion was to happen in less than a week from now and she had to admit that she was kind of nervous about being regarded as so great when she had only started less than a year ago. In her opinion, she was much lower than the more experienced social workers that had been working here for close to a decade now.

Don't think that... she thought to herself, taking a deep breath. Stop putting yourself down all the time.

A knock came from her office door and she turned to it.

"Yeah?!" she called out, moving her hands from the keyboard.

The door opened and in came Katherine Davis, who was in her late thirties, one of the first coworkers Christina had met, and she was greeted with a bright and friendly smile that always seemed to light up a room. It made the blonde smile back as she examined how the other woman's black hair was tied into a tight and professional bun.

"Good evening, Miss Johnson," Katherine said before holding up a manila folder. "I wanted to discuss your future promotion with you if you have a few minutes."

"Of course, come on in," Christina replied as she shifted in her desk chair.

Katherine stepped into the office before closing the door like it was before, and she paused for a second. "You know... everyone in the building always has their doors open throughout their shift," she pointed out, amused. "But you're the only one that closes your door."

"It's a habit," Christina simply explained with a quiet laugh.

Katherine then sat down and opened the manila folder, clearing her throat before deciding to continue. "So, Miss Johnson –"

"Christina... You can just call me Christina."

"Okay, Christina," she corrected herself. "Anyway, congratulations on your first case. And I can see that you've already filled out the form confirming your promotion next week, so that's taken care of. You're pretty much all set up, but there's one final question that needs to be asked in person to really get it across."

"All right," mumbled Christina. "What is it?"

"What made you decide to apply for this job?" Katherine asked quietly. "And a thorough answer would suffice, since we've heard generic answers thrown around many times."

The blonde sat back in her chair and raised a hand to her jaw so she could think deeply about how she should respond to that. For a few seconds, she peered over at the photo on her desk that was of her and Margaret when she was nine and had won that soccer trophy. The smiles on both of their faces lifted her spirits but it was the absence of a certain third person that led her to her answer.

"To tell you the truth, Katherine..." she began. "...um, I never received as much love and support throughout my teenage years as other kids should have. When I was twelve, my father left my mom and I alone. My mom still loved me, and I know that, but it just wasn't the same without my dad until he came back into my life a few years ago. I guess I just want to help children avoid the same scenario, honestly. My one hope is to help them live happier lives like they should and have parents that can love them no matter what and protect them. I not only try to do that for those kids but for my sister and brother. They're my world and I would do anything for them. I'd die for them, even, if I had to. I just want hurt kids to be protected and safe, I guess...."

Katherine just sat there as if she were stunned at what she had heard, realizing she hadn't even written that down because she had been absolutely interested in what Christina had said. It seemed as though, for the first time, she knew that the blonde truly took her job seriously and a sense of pride came over her knowing this. And she smiled softly before standing up.

"I think that'll be all," she muttered before making her way to the door, but she turned back to look at Christina. "You're a good person, and I always had a good feeling about you. You have a lot of potential to change the world."

Christina's face turned pink from bashfulness but she nodded anyway. "Thank you," she said. "Really, I appreciate it."

"No problem," Katherine replied. "I'll let you get back to work now."

As she left, she realized she had forgotten to close the door and quickly jogged back to do so. "Sorry," she mumbled while Christina just laughed at her antics.

A few hours later, Christina stepped out of the building after her shift ended and she adjusted her purse onto her shoulder while walking towards her apartment. Thankfully, it was a peaceful walk all the way back and she was able to concentrate on the crisp and cool air in the city and the beautiful stars above her. It made her hum an unfamiliar tune to herself as her hair blew in front of her face a little due to the light breeze.

When she got to her floor of the apartment complex, she smiled when she saw that Peter was already waiting for her for their movie night. She began chuckling as she shook her head out of mock disappointment.

"How long have you been waiting here?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Half an hour," Peter admitted with a bashful smile, shrugging his shoulders casually.

"Sounds nice," said Christina in a sarcastic tone. "Come in."

As they binged a few movies, Peter mentioned the details of the crane accident and how he had saved someone from falling to their certain death and it warmed Christina's heart. It made her happy to know that he was saving the lives of people every single day and that he was always willing to do it; it was one of the main reasons she adored him.

Eventually, the two of them nearly dozed off and Peter decided to just stay the night since he was too tired to go back home. So they went to bed and cuddled the way they always did, with Christina holding him and never wanting to let go and Peter was absolutely content the whole night.

A/N: i know, a semi-filler chapter but we'll get into the nitty gritty of the plot of the third movie soon enough!

ANYWAYS, thoughts on this chapter? did you enjoy it?

what did you think of the short scene between christina and mary jane? yeah, mary jane isn't doing too great like in the movie, but chris is gonna help out! be looking forward to a great moment with them next chapter! 😉

did you like the scene with her and peter? did you find the way he just admired her to be sweet and wholesome?

also... i'm sure you know who he saved off-screen... yeah...

also, the scene with christina and her coworker! thoughts on that scene?

predictions for the next chapter?

be looking forward to the next chapter!

-denbroughswife