( TW: mentions of alcoholism & drug add*ction, and a panic attack occurs in this one; beware and proceed with caution )

Seven Hours Later
4:15 P.M.

Christina was finally released from her shift after several hours of going through constant dozing off, transporting files, and staring at her computer. The bags under her eyes were more evident than ever now as all she wanted was sleep, but she couldn't succumb to it right now despite how calming the drive back to her apartment was.

After parking her car in the lot, she quickly ran towards the building and took the elevator up to the floor she lived on. Reaching her apartment door, she unlocked it with her key and entered the entry hall, hanging her purse on one of the coat hangers. "Sid, I'm home!" she shouted, sighing heavily. "Go ahead and get ready for the party!"

"On it!" Sidney yelled back from her bedroom, and Christina nodded to herself as she chuckled.

She then walked through the kitchen, immediately noticing that the sink was empty. She washed the dishes, she thought as she smiled softly. Afterwards, the brunette entered her bedroom and searched through her closet for an outfit to wear to Aunt May's; she made sure that the outfit would be great, since she kind of wanted to impress a certain somebody that would be there.

Christina blushed at the thought of wearing the dress she eventually picked out to get his attention, despite coming to the realization that Peter had some sort of feelings for her over a year ago. And it one hundred percent didn't help that she was beginning to return said feelings, even if it was just a crush for the time being. But she figured that tonight would be when she finally put that to the test and to see that she still had them; a part of her wished she still did, especially as she hadn't seen him in months.

After picking out the perfect dress in question, she changed out of her jumpsuit and into it, zipping up the back before going to the bathroom to use her curling iron. She removed her brown hair from its bun and used the utensil to make the short strands into gentle ringlets that made them curlier than they already were. A few minutes after letting them settle, Christina then grabbed some makeup to do some of her magic with a smile on her face.

_____

Sidney's POV

Meanwhile, the pre-teen girl in the other bedroom didn't plan on dressing up or wearing any makeup. Instead, Sidney was clad in a light gray t-shirt with a checkered red-and-black plaid over it as well as black leggings, with her dark brown hair tied back into a ponytail. She was currently sitting on her bed, placing wrapping paper over an item that Christina had helped her buy a few days before and she was beyond excited to give this gift to Peter, as it was something she wanted to see his reaction upon seeing it.

She sure was glad Christina had told her some of the things he liked, since she still didn't know him all too well; it could have been that she didn't see him too much whenever he came over, as he only stayed for minutes at a time. But, from what she knew, he was a really nice person and she saw hints that he was attracted to her older sister the moment she saw them together... after first meeting Christina, that is. She had been so curious when it came to getting to know her older sister that day that she hardly even noticed that Peter was at Margaret's funeral.

She would never forget the expression on his face when her father had called Christina a bitch, however.

That memory still stung the young girl, as nothing hurt her more than hearing Michael say those words to someone that didn't deserve it in the slightest. Sidney felt as though she should have run over to her older half-sister and hugged her and told her that everything would be okay; but instead, like the hurt little girl she had been that day, she couldn't do anything but cry as those events had scared her.

Besides, it broke her heart that her parents had never even bothered to bring up the fact that she even had a sibling for ten years of her life. Sidney had always thought that she was an only child and, although it bummed her out that she never had a brother or sister to spend time with, she was okay with that at first. But, once she found out that not only did she have an older sister who was nearing twenty, but that she had just lost her own mother, it really frustrated her. She had missed out on a decade of having a sibling and that was one of the main reasons she decided to live with Christina.

Sidney was making up for lost precious time with her older sister as she felt that she was the reason her father left Christina and her mother. After all, according to Allyson, her pregnancy with the young girl was enough for Michael to stay committed to the affair; her mother did feel remorse for being the direct cause of the separation of that girl's parents.

Allyson would always try to talk to Christina about what happened, that she had been completely unaware of her and Margaret's existence when she had the affair. In fact, the only reason she stayed in the fucked up marriage to begin with was to help Michael raise Sidney; she had been extremely pissed at him once she found out that he not only had a wife that he had been married to for two decades but he also had a then twelve-year-old daughter! Not because she was heartbroken, but because she had indirectly caused the permanent pain of two innocent women that didn't deserve it.

But Christina wouldn't hear any of it whenever her stepmother tried to speak to her, as she was still furious about the whole ordeal at the cemetery, even so many months later. She held a distasteful grudge against the older woman for what she had done, even if Allyson had been unaware and had no ill intentions.

Sidney snapped out of her thoughts as she grabbed a few pieces of tape and placed it on the flaps of wrapping paper in order to keep it secure around the gift.

"Sidney!"

The young girl jumped a little and glanced up at her older sister, who was standing in her doorway. She must have not heard her footsteps, as her hearing aid was temporarily not on her left ear.

Christina, who noticed this, moved her hands around to form a nonverbal question: You ready to go?

Sidney smiled a little and formed her own response: Yeah, just let me put my shoes on. She then slipped on her white Converse and placed the hearing aid back on her ear before looking back at her older sister. "Well, don't you look pretty?!" she said teasingly, grinning like an idiot as she knew exactly why her sister was so dressed up.

Christina was clad in a gorgeous white dress that extended just past her knees and it was adorned with red and pink floral patterns from top to bottom. She wore red high heels with it, which made her appear a few inches taller than normal (usually, Sidney was taller than her), and they went very well with the gown. Her shoulder-length brown hair was twirled into dozens of curls that made it seem as though she worked extra hard to make them look perfect; and her makeup was more natural than it was over-the-top, with light concealer and mascara. However, there was a small amount of pink blush on her cheeks and her lips were covered with red lipstick that made her look ten times more pretty.

The brunette's face turned red as she knew what her little sister was about to say, and she briefly looked down. "Shut up," she muttered, tossing Sidney her forest green jacket since it would get chilly later that night.

Sidney caught the jacket and put it on, chuckling a little bit. "Okay, that's the last one, I swear," she said playfully, grabbing her gift and walking past Christina to the front door.

Christina smirked a little and rolled her eyes, shaking her head lightly. That's far from your last one, kid, she thought.

After grabbing her own gifts for Peter, she grabbed her car keys and her own brown jacket before heading out of the apartment with Sidney.

_____

Two Hours Later
6:24 P.M.

"Hurry, you guys, he'll be here any second!" the brunette called out to everyone else as she let a balloon float up to the ceiling of the living room.

"Hold your horses, Chris!" Sidney shouted back, taping a piece of a yellow streamer to the wall from where she was on the stepladder. "I'm sure everything will be fine for your little boyfriend!"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Christina scolded with a narrow glare as she looked at her little sister, the younger girl laughing hysterically.

"That's enough, girls," said May as she walked into the living room, looking all around at the subtle decorations as she fiddled with the wedding ring she still wore on her wrinkled left hand.

A now close to seventy-year-old May Parker felt quite lonely nowadays since she now lived in this house all by herself, so it was lovely to be able to have guests over, especially since it was for her nephew's twenty-first birthday. She couldn't help but feel unbelievably proud of Peter for all he had accomplished in his young life and she intended on letting him know this as, from what she remembered of the last time they had spoken over the phone, he seemed to be struggling through a crisis of his own.

But, for now, she was more focused on making sure the house looked okay for his arrival. Regardless, she glanced over at the young woman that was older than Peter by seven months, a bit of concern laced in her heart.

After Margaret Johnson had passed away, May had taken every bit of precaution she could possibly muster in order to look after Christina. Of course, she had grieved as well; Margaret had been a close friend of hers, after all, and her death had come out of absolutely nowhere. When she had heard of the painful news, her mind instantly drifted towards the deceased woman's only daughter and she made sure she had a place to stay while her apartment was being renovated after the damage that had been caused.

Of course, May had only seen glimpses into the agony the young Christina was suffering through following the tragedy. The wine bottles and several prescription bottles around her apartment whenever she visited told her enough.

Looking at her right now, however, Christina seemed to be... happy. She seemed a lot more bright and cheerful than she was the last time May had seen her, which was five months ago. Maybe Sidney's presence in the apartment was just what she needed to snap out of her broken state from time to time, and it looked as though it was working. This made the elderly woman quite relieved, as the brunette woman had once been in such a bad state that she was nearly deemed a lost cause.

But Christina looked alive... finally. And she was more like herself than ever... except for the severe vulnerability around certain people.

May then walked back into the kitchen as two more people gathered around in the dining room, bouncing up and down with excitement.

Mary Jane Watson and Harry Osborn had long since moved on from their breakup and got along way better now that they were close friends. They hung out from time to time and just caught up on each other's lives, even going to see movies together every now and then, as friends often tended to do.

The woman's red hair was a much more faded shade now and it was now close to her waist, as she had refused to cut it and wouldn't do so anytime soon. She wore a very light pink button-up shirt along with a grayish flowery skirt that was adorned with clear slip-on shoes. She had already been out to dinner before this, so she wouldn't really be too hungry for cake, but it was nice to be here regardless, as she got to see all of her friends; Christina was the person she had looked forward to seeing most, mainly to check on how she had been doing nowadays.

Harry, however, was dressed more casually with just a black long-sleeved shirt and jeans. His curly brown hair was slightly combed back and it was a little longer than it once was, as he had let it grow out a tiny bit. He currently sat in one of the chairs in the dining room, grasping a party blower in his left hand as he waited for his best friend to arrive. He took the time to examine the interactions the now brunette Christina and her younger sister were having as they set up the decorations.

He had met Sidney around a few weeks after his father's and Margaret's funerals and she seemed to be a timid, yet upbeat young girl. If there was one thing he noticed almost right away, it was that she was practically the spitting image of her older sister, attitude and all. She was basically a miniature Christina and he didn't know how to feel about that (only because there were twice the insults and teasing going around the house). It amused him, to be honest.

Harry was in a better mood than he had been throughout the last few weeks, as he hadn't been thinking about his father's death as much. He tried not to picture that night as often as he used to, but only one thing remained in his head... and no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't get rid of it.

All of their thoughts were broken by the sound of a motorbike's engine very close to the house.

"He's here, he's here!" Christina said excitedly as she grinned, shaking a little bit from the anticipation.

"Geez, don't get too worked up, sis," Sidney sarcastically said as she smirked, making Christina gently shove her.

"Enough," she bluntly said as she tried to hide her grin.

Sidney waited for a moment until May was no longer looking at the younger people in the room, and she then slyly held up her middle finger to taunt her older sister.

The brunette's eyes widened as she stared at her younger sister, her jaw dropping a little because she hadn't expected that. "Sidney Eleanor!" she scolded jokingly as Mary Jane and Harry erupted with laughter from behind her.

Sidney then placed a hand on her chest and playfully frowned at the older woman. "Christina Lily!" she mocked as she also giggled hysterically.

"Shh, quiet, girls!" May said, interrupting the interaction as she stepped away from the front door. "It's him, alright."

"You watch yourself, kiddo," Christina said mock-threateningly as she smirked at Sidney, to which the younger girl stuck her tongue out at her.

The whole room went silent as the front door opened and Peter walked into the house, not even noticing them as he removed his red helmet and placed it on the front table. He then unbuttoned his jacked as he was about to call out to his aunt, sighing with utter exhaustion as he suppressed yet another yawn.

"SURPRISE!"

Peter jumped a little as he finally looked up, seeing a small group of the people he cared for all crowded in the living room as Harry blew through the party blower to add more cheer to the moment. He was in absolute shock and he was even extremely confused as to what was going on, stepping a little further into the room as his eyebrows scrunched together.

"Well, say something!" his beloved aunt said as she grinned in his direction.

"Uh, what's the occasion?" he asked in a bewildered tone, stepping over to the older woman with a puzzled smile planted on his face.

May frowned a little bit as she stepped up to her nephew. "Really, Peter?" she mumbled. "It's your birthday!"

Peter's eyebrows raised a little as the realization finally hit him, and he felt even worse. He had forgotten his own damn birthday, for crying out loud! Now he understood the reason that they were all here, and he couldn't help but smile as Aunt May kissed him on both sides of his face as a greeting.

"Whether you want to remember it or not," May finished as she grinned at the younger man.

"You're finally twenty-one, how's it feel?!" came a familiar voice from behind where Mary Jane was standing and Peter looked around the redhead as Christina stepped into view, a little less shy than she was when he ran into her earlier that afternoon.

Peter's poor heart couldn't contain the overwhelming sensation that had rushed through his emotions upon catching sight of an absolutely breathtaking Christina. From the elegant curls in her brunette hair to the flowery dress, all he could see was perfection as the shorter albeit slightly older woman gave him a slight grin.

"You lied!" he jokingly scolded as he walked over to her and hugged her to him, chuckling a bit to himself as he heard Christina's musical giggles while she hugged him back.

"I had to think of a way to get you here somehow, didn't I?" the brunette replied with a smug smirk as she pulled back from the hug, although she stayed in Peter's arms. She didn't care that all eyes were on the two of them. "So, you've finally caught up to me. How's it feel to be old, Parker?"

"I hate it," Peter said in a deadpan voice despite also smiling. "Can I go back, please?"

The two couldn't contain their laughter as they continued to hold one another, just smiling like idiots like they once used to. For once, they weren't awkward around each other, they were just themselves and everything seemed... right and... peaceful. It was just how things once were before... that happened.

"You look beautiful, Chris," Peter whispered after they recovered, just loud enough for the woman to hear. And the sight of the woman's blush was enough to make his entire day better.

"Thanks, Pete..." Christina replied, going right back to being her regular shy self as she lowered her head a little bit.

As chattering finally returned to the moment around them, Peter quickly leaned forward and pecked Christina's left cheek with a soft blush on his face. Afterwards, he finally let her go, leaving her to recover from the shock of what just happened.

Christina then glanced over at Sidney, who was mischievously shaking her head while simply smiling. The younger girl then formed a sentence with her hands, that smirk never leaving her face: You poor bastard.

The older woman narrowed her eyes again as she returned the gesture by sticking her middle finger in return for Sidney doing the same earlier, causing her little sister to gasp as she pretended to be offended.

Sweet revenge, Christina thought.

Peter then greeted Mary Jane and Harry with a huge smile, which they both returned happily, the latter shaking his friend's hand as a small greeting.

"Long time, no see," Mary Jane said with a small smile, suppressing a laugh.

Peter's curiosity got the better of him as he glanced at his redheaded friend, tilting his head a little. "So, how's the play?" he asked her. "I read a great review."

Mary Jane had finally achieved her dreams of becoming an actress in theatre, and she was currently starring in one of the leading roles in The Importance of Being Earnest. She was beyond excited to be a part of such a huge production, and she had already performed the first two nights and there were three more to go, which didn't really bother her all too much.

"It's going fine, it's going good," M.J. replied in a semi-sheepish tone, nodding a little bit.

"She's brilliant in it," Harry complimented, smiling a little as Christina joined the group.

Mary Jane let out a little laugh as she shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Harry sent me roses," she said with a smile.

"I still need to come see your play," Christina said, entering the conversation as she felt a little bad for not being able to go see Mary Jane's performance.

"Maybe tomorrow night," Mary Jane suggested with a bright smile.

The brunette nodded in return as she lowered her head timidly. "I'll see if I can clear my schedule and get someone to watch Sid," she said, ignoring Sidney's insistence to stay at the apartment by herself.

"So, where've you been, pal?" Harry asked in a pondering tone. "How come you don't return my calls?"

Simultaneously, everyone other than Sidney turned their heads to examine Peter's expression with a look of suspicion in all of their eyes. Christina especially looked at him with a curious look on her face, as she had also been wondering why he hadn't stopped by to visit as often as he once used to.

"I've been busy," Peter mumbled truthfully with semi-wide eyes.

"Taking pictures of Spider-Man...?" Harry asked with a deadpan expression etched into his worn features. "How's the bug these days?"

Christina tensed up slightly as she grew a little uncomfortable. This was the millionth time Harry had brought up the masked webhead in regards to Norman Osborn's death and the brunette was honestly growing pretty tired of it. This was especially considering how much she knew about what had happened the night of... her and Mary Jane being put in danger with all of those children. And she knew that Spider-Man had too good of a heart to kill someone... especially Harry's father, of all people.

However, if Spider-Man had killed the Green Goblin like she thought (her mouth filled with distaste from the thought), Christina would be immensely happy. However, she still didn't know if he was either long dead or if he had just vanished after that night....

"The less you see of that man, the better," Aunt May cut in, brightening up the tense silence as she handed Peter a small glass of pink lemonade. "Now, let's all go into the other room and have something to eat, hmm?"

Christina's face lit up at the idea, really eager to get out of this awkward conversation, following Mary Jane into the kitchen as the redhead said, "I'll get the hors d'oeuvres."

As the two men began to converse and catch up on each other's lives, Christina prepared her gifts for Peter as well as Sidney, while Mary Jane brought out the chocolate birthday cake and hors d'oeuvres. The young woman smiled as she lightly touched the wrapped gifts, extremely excited to hand them to him.

Eventually, however, she grew bored as she walked towards the dining room doorway, making sure neither Harry nor Peter spotted her. She leaned against the doorframe as she listened to their quiet conversation. A man referred to as Otto Octavius was brought up and she had a feeling that the name sounded familiar, especially when Peter expressed interest in meeting the man after Harry offered to introduce him to him.

But, eventually, the peace was disturbed by a new topic.

"I've been kind of busy," Peter emphasized with a smile, chuckling lightly.

"Taking pictures of your friend?" Harry retorted bitterly.

Christina couldn't quite see them but she could sense the air growing thick as she became a little anxious as to what would fall, her hands lightly trembling. For just a brief moment, a memory hit her that she wanted so desperately to forget.

"Could we get off that subject?" Peter asked with a sigh. "I want us to be friends, Harry, I want us to trust each other."

"Then be honest with me."

The tone Harry used with those words made Christina freeze a little, growing a little scared now.

"If you knew who he was, would you tell me?" Harry asked in an anguished voice, which made Christina's heart break a little.

There were a few seconds of silence before Harry continued. "Peter, don't you understand how I feel? I want this guy dead... The same way you wanted the guy who killed your Uncle Ben dead!"

The mention of Uncle Ben struck a particular nerve with Christina as she was brought back to the memory of being pulled away from the elderly man's body the night he was shot.

Harry standing up from the dining room chair cut her thoughts off.

"Look, I'm sorry..." he mumbled, sighing heavily. "I-I don't mean to rag on you on your birthday. I... You're my buddy, you know that? You're family, Pete...."

Christina just barely peeked around the corner and saw Harry picking up a photo from the side table of the dining room. She could narrowly glimpse an image of Peter and Norman on the day of their high school graduation over two years ago, and her heart wrenched in her ribcage. She clenched her fists to stop them from shaking.

"My father loved you, you were like a son to him..."

Peter softly thanked his friend as he placed a hand on his left shoulder to provide some comfort.

The brunette thought this was a good time to shut off the dining room light as she and the other women entered the room, Aunt May holding the birthday cake with over a dozen candles on it.

"Happy Birthday to you..." Christina began in the softest voice, grinning from ear to ear and her nervousness gone. Everyone else began to join in, Sidney and Harry last and they felt a little awkward doing so. At least they shared that feeling about the moment, and it amused them.

As they finished, Christina walked over to Peter and gently took his hand, interlocking their fingers as she smiled up at him. She could just barely see his blush from the light of the candles as he smiled back before blowing out each and every candle.

Everyone cheered and clapped their hands together to celebrate the young adult's birthday. The brunette and Sidney then quickly ran into the kitchen to grab the gifts, the younger girl making it back to the dining room first.

"I got you something, Peter," Sidney told him excitedly. "I figured you'd like it, as Chris told me you liked these."

Peter nodded his head and smiled a little at the younger kid before unwrapping the gift. His eyes lit up a little bit as he pulled out the first three comic books in the Savage Starlight series; he had noticed that the kid had a few of these strewn about in Christina's apartment whenever he visited.

"I'll definitely be giving these a read," he replied excitedly, grinning at the gift before placing them down on the table. "Thanks, kid."

Sidney smiled shyly up at him before walking away and going back to where Mary Jane was.

Christina then timidly stepped up to Peter and handed him two wrapped gifts, her hands lightly quivering. "Don't open this one," she whispered, holding out the biggest gift. "It's a personal cake I got for you for after the party... For home."

Peter visibly softened at those words and at the idea of the gift, his heart melting as he took the wrapped cake and placed that on the table. "Thanks," he murmured before Christina held out another present.

"This I do want you to open..." the brunette mumbled with a shy little smile that Peter prayed to see much more often. "I remember you telling me you wanted this so I got it for you..."

The taller man gently took the present from Christina's fragile hands and carefully unwrapped it, anticipating what he was hoping to see. After a few seconds, a huge grin graced his features as he brought out a medium-sized copy of Newton's Philosophy of Nature: Selections from His Writings. His face had never been so bright in several months and it was a sight that Christina wished she could get a picture of, but she knew she would never forget it.

"You remembered..." Peter mumbled happily, staring at Christina with awe in his blue eyes.

"Of course I remembered," Christina replied with a smile of her own. "Why would I forget?"

Peter suddenly placed the book down on the table and brought Christina into a tight and loving hug, which made the woman's heart flutter against her chest. She gently hugged back and rested her head against his chest, smiling insanely widely.

"Thank you..." Peter whispered.

"You're welcome..." Christina replied.

Feeling a small surge of confidence, she then slightly lifted her head and placed a sweet kiss on Peter's right cheek, rendering them both blushing messes. This was especially when Christina's lips lingered on his skin and he never wanted her to pull away, feeling slightly bummed when she did, although she rested her forehead against his cheek.

"Happy Birthday, Peter..." she murmured in his ear, closing her eyes and feeling at utter peace.

Peter could sense Christina's breath hitting his neck and goosebumps erupted on his arms, and he was suddenly grateful she couldn't see how nervous he seemed while holding her close.

"Time for cake!" May shouted, unintentionally interrupting their moment and finally making them pull away.

Christina clapped her hands together ecstatically as she sat down at the first chair she could find. Everyone else then sat down, Sidney and Peter on either side of the woman as May moved the cake to the center of the table. The young adult was smiling as the elderly woman then brought out a knife to cut the desert for all of them.

As May gently brought the knife down to slice a part of the cake, however, another sound resonated in Christina's ears.

"HELP ME!!!"

The brunette instantly leaped to her feet, roughly knocking over the chair she was sitting in as her right hand clawed at her chest. She attempted to breathe in oxygen but it was suddenly extremely difficult as her heart began hammering around a hundred beats a minute. "Oh man..." she murmured in a low whimper, beginning to tremble from head to toe.

Everyone in the dining room was immediately alarmed, especially Sidney, who was on her feet in a matter of seconds. "Are you alright?!" she asked anxiously, placing a hand over her sister's shaking one that remained on the table.

"I'm fine..." she weakly whispered, nodding frantically. "I'm fine, Sid..."

Peter, who was well aware of how these episodes would begin, shook his head as he also stood up, tenderly grasping Christina's arms to keep her steady; he noticed that her legs also seemed very wobbly. "Did you take your prescription this morning...?" he pondered in a tone filled with trepidation.

Christina thought for a good long moment before shaking her head. "No, I don't think I did..." she mumbled. "Here, let me g-go outside... I need some a-air."

Peter shook his head sternly, making sure Christina didn't fall under any circumstances. "Chris, I don't think that's a good idea..." he whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

"Is she okay?" Mary Jane and Harry spoke up simultaneously, each of them extremely concerned.

"I'm fine!" Christina snapped at all of them before turning away to head towards the front door.

The last thing she was able to register was that the front door seemed much further away than normal... and then the brunette grew really dizzy, the room spinning every which way.

The room then slammed into pitch black darkness, leaving Christina utterly confused. "Guys?!" she cried out, trying to get everyone's attention.

Nobody answered.

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, she could see again and she looked all around, absolutely puzzled. She then glanced down and saw that she was wearing a purple sweatshirt and white sweatpants and that her hair was blonde again, which made her heart rate spike up exponentially as she began to familiarize herself with what was going on. Then, looking upward, she came across a sight she swore to never see again.

"CHRISTINA... HELP ME...!"

"No, no, no..." the woman whimpered weakly.

She then sprinted towards the front door of her old house as Margaret's anguished cries for mercy echoed throughout the entire street... but it seemed as though this house was the only thing that existed. She had to get to her mother before that fucker killed her, especially since she could hear a violent struggle coming from inside. But, no matter how fast she ran, it seemed as though she were dashing through molasses.

After a complete eternity, she finally reached the front door and twisted the doorknob.

It was locked...

It was fucking locked!

"MOM!" she screeched, beginning to throw her shoulder into the door, hurting herself each time by accident.

"CHRISTINA!" Margaret bellowed back, although this voice seemed more frail and less alive and energetic than before.

"PLEASE NO!"

Then Margaret let out one final gut-wrenching howl of terror and agony....

SNAP!

_____

"NOOOOOO! MOM, NO!" Christina screamed exceptionally loudly, breaking the process of everyone trying to wake her up from where she had hit the living room door.

"Chris?!" Mary Jane called out to get her attention, waving her hand in front of the brunette's face.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" the woman cried out in pure fear, scrambling backwards and towards the bottom of the staircase. "DON'T HURT ME!"

But it was the sounds of Sidney crying from five feet away that finally snapped Christina back to reality and made her open her eyes.

"Chris, it's us!" Harry said desperately, also growing frightened of the state she had been reduced to in less than a minute. "You're here, you're okay, you're safe."

"Guys, give her some space..." Peter said gently. "She doesn't want people swarming her after one of these."

May was holding a terrified and sobbing Sidney in her arms as the pre-teen girl stared at the horrific sight of her sister in a helpless situation where she was scared. She wished she could comfort her and not be so emotional and horrified, but she couldn't bring herself to help it.

Peter carefully knelt down and leaned towards Christina, remaining calm as he placed a caring hand on her right cheek. "Hey, Chris, look at me," he murmured soothingly. "I'm right here..."

Christina grasped Peter's arm tightly, still breathing rather frantically as she tried her best to recover from what happened. "I-I..." she quietly wailed, feeling completely broken and useless. "I... I-I can't breathe..."

"Hey, guys, can you give us a moment?" Peter requested, looking at everyone in the living room.

The others instantly nodded and retreated towards the kitchen, all while Sidney was still crying.

Peter then did what he always did whenever Christina would have one of these panic attacks: he asked her to maintain eye contact.

And she slowly managed to do so.

"I'm right here, Christina..." Peter whispered, caressing her cheek delicately. "I'm here. Nobody's gonna hurt you. You're safe..."

Christina stared into Peter's endearing gaze as her breathing began to slow at a steady rate, and she finally lowered her head. "I'm sorry..." she mumbled. "I ruined your party... I can leave if you want –"

"No," Peter said right away, cutting off her apology. "Don't be sorry... You did nothing wrong. You're okay now, I promise. There's no one here to harm you."

The brunette nodded as she sighed heavily, placing her free hand on her chest again as her heartbeat calmed itself as well over time. That was when Peter cautiously sat down next to her in front of the stairs, slipping a comforting arm around the woman's shoulders. She leaned into his embrace right away, her breathing almost completely even now as she refused to move away from him.

"Oh, man..." she muttered, chuckling humorlessly.

"How long's it been since you last had one of these?" Peter asked in a genuinely curious manner.

"A few months..." Christina replied truthfully.

"Okay... Just wondering."

They remained sitting there for the next five to ten minutes and Peter didn't dare leave Christina's side, afraid she could have another episode if he did.

A/N: so... THAT happened... 😐

christina ain't doing as well as you guys thought, huh?

ANYWAYS, let's lighten the mood!

what are your thoughts on this overall chapter? was it good, let me know!

did anyone catch the subtle Last of Us Easter egg? if you did, let me know!

did you like the small interactions between christina and sidney? i personally think they're the absolute best!

were the moments of romantic tension between christina and peter adorable? let me know as, once again, i'm not good at writing romance!

and finally... the panic attack scene... thoughts, i guess...?

predictions for the next chapter? what do you think will happen?

be looking forward to the next chapter! it's not as sad, i promise!

-denbroughswife