( DISCLAIMER: there is SEVERE romantic tension in this chapter, as well as subtle sexual tension, so you are all in luck. however, the end of this chapter is very depressing... so grab tissues.)

A/N: ignore reese's blonde hair in the gif and pretend it's brown! also, i'm aware the two songs i mention in this chapter didn't come out until 2006, but i felt they fit in the chapter, so don't yell at me!

Two Days Later
August 17th, 2004
Christina's POV

Christina stood at one of the nearby tables as she watched the crowd of people dressed formally entering the planetarium one by one. She held a glass of icy water in her left hand that recently had its fingernails freshly painted (they were black now), and she carefully sipped it as she smiled at the hundreds of people walking in. She had chosen to stay away from the liquor for the night and to just free herself from the pain she had dealt with the other day. Besides, it was a pretty important night for someone, and she was destined to celebrate it completely sober.

Her concussion wasn't entirely better but her head was way clearer than it had been two days prior and, after resting a lot, she was able to go back out on the town. As long as she was easy with whatever she did, she would recover just fine.

The brunette had her hair tied in a half-bun, with the rest of the strands hanging down against her neck. She wore a bright periwinkle blue backless dress that reached her shins and silver heels that were covered all over with glitter. She only wore mascara and pretty pink lipstick but it was enough to bring out her significantly brightened features.

Sidney was back at their apartment, as Christina had finally been convinced to let her be alone for a few hours. At least it wouldn't be for the entire night, so she wasn't entirely worried, although that slight ebb of paranoia stuck with her.

The past few days were not as much of a struggle as she would have thought. After her episode in the bathroom, Christina had dialed the number to the counseling center at NYU and scheduled a meeting for the following week with a professional therapist in the department. She was finally taking the next big step towards getting better and she was actually pretty proud of herself; this had resulted in her being a little happier the day before and she didn't think about what had happened with Octavius for almost the entire twenty-four hours....

That was until she had heard of Aunt May being held hostage by said scientist with the octopus arms.

She and Peter had been at the Manhattan bank to convince the workers to not evict May from her home when Otto had shown up and robbed the place of its money. For what, Christina still didn't have a clue.

Luckily, May had been saved by Spider-Man just in time and it seemed as though she was completely fine, just a little shaken up.

Christina stared down at her right hand, the cut there now covered with a simple band aid since it was healing quickly. Luckily, nobody had noticed it yet so they wouldn't have to ask any questions, as it would have made her feel uncomfortable. She didn't want to think about her depression tonight, she just wanted to have a good time and be... herself for once.

"Hey, Chris!"

The brunette sat her glass of water down on the table and turned around, a broad grin on her face when she saw Peter standing there, dressed in a semi-formal suit as he stepped up to her. She noticed his huge camera hanging from a strap around his neck and the duffle bag he used to carry it in, and she giggled when she remembered that he was here to take pictures for the Daily Bugle, per Jameson's request.

"Hey, Pete, how are you?" she replied cheerfully as she met him halfway and hugged him in a friendly greeting.

"I'm doing alright," Peter said as he carefully hugged Christina back, aware of the concussion she still had. "You doing okay up here?" he added, pointing to her head.

"Oh, yeah, I'm feeling a lot better than I was," she answered, surprisingly not as timid as she normally was around him. "I should be fine in a week or so."

"That's good," Peter responded as he smiled at the gorgeous woman in front of him. He then held up his camera a little bit. "May I? I'd like to get one of you for the paper."

Christina blushed as her head gently bobbed up and down. "Sure, why not?" she mumbled, placing her hand on the back of one of the chairs as she posed in an adorable way, smiling at the camera.

The light of the camera flashed once as Peter took a perfect picture of the woman; his heart melting, he beamed at her as he nodded. "It's great!" he said. "I'll be back soon, I gotta get more pictures or Jameson will be all over me. But you have fun, alright?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Christina called back as she raised her glass of water in a mock cheering stance.

_____

Peter's POV

After wandering through the crowd and taking picture after picture for a full five minutes, Peter looked around the huge room of the planetarium before spotting an older couple. His eyes lit up as he politely asked if he could get their picture for the newspaper.

"Sure, go ahead," the woman of the couple said kindly with a smile.

Peter went to take the photo but then realized that the lens was covered so he went to remove it. But, by the time he went back for the picture, the couple was gone and he squinted his eyes in confusion.

A friend probably saw them and got their attention, he thought. Oh well.

Letting his camera rest for a little bit, he decided to take a small stroll around the room, examining how nicely the entire building was decorated and how astronomy-themed it looked. He remembered Christina telling him something about how Sidney adored astronomy and space and he thought that the kid would have loved the place had she tagged along.

Blinking a few times after a little while, Peter went over to where the bar was and spotted someone on one of the stools snatching a champagne bottle from the bartender and knocking the glass off the counter. He frowned a bit and walked up to said person, putting his hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him.

"Hey, might wanna take it easy, buddy," he told him gently, trying to smile to ease the tension.

"Why? It's a party..." Harry replied with a bitter attitude, grabbing another champagne glass and pouring the liquor into it once again. "Wouldn't you be drinking if you lost a bundle on some crackpot who you thought was gonna take you with him to fame and fortune?"

Peter sighed to himself as he watched his friend spiral down a journey of being drunk for the night; he could already smell the alcohol on him and it really disgusted him. He was never a fan of drinking to begin with, so it really annoyed him but also upset him to see Harry be like this.

It only got worse, however, as Harry stood up to tower over him, trying to intimidate him. "Not to mention your friend, the bug," he muttered in his direction.

Peter narrowed his eyes lightly. He was really tired of this shit already and he had only been talking to him for twenty seconds. "Not tonight, Harry," he mumbled.

"Every night," Harry snapped. "Until I find him, it's 24/7!"

Peter just stared at him in minor disbelief, unable to believe just how many times Harry had brought Spider-Man up over the past week. He had mentioned the topic several times over the year and a half that had passed since Norman Osborn's death, but the amount recently was overly excessive. And, although he felt guilt for not being able to tell him the full truth, he was fed up with hearing about it constantly.

This was especially due to the fact that he knew that he did not kill Norman. The poor bastard had gotten himself killed.

"Parker!" came Jameson's booming voice from behind him as his back was patted, and he was led away from a tipsy Harry. "What, are you deaf? I called you twice. Think I'm paying you to sip some champagne here?!"

_____

Three Minutes Later
Christina's POV

"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening!"

The brunette perked up as she set her water back down on the table and walked to the middle of the room, looking at the nicely dressed lady on the small stage that was speaking into the microphone with a grin. Christina unintentionally found Peter in the crowd of people and smiled up at him, which he returned before they both looked back towards the stage and paid attention to the speaker.

"The committee for the Science Library of New York is pleased to present our guest of honor," the woman on stage said with an excited tone. "He's the first man to play football on the moon."

The crowd broke out into slight laughter and Christina beamed with anticipation of seeing her two friends being presented. She tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear to get it out of her eyes as she continued to listen, fidgeting with her hands as she did so.

"The handsome, the heroic, the delicious... Captain John Jameson!" the woman finished, gesturing towards the gigantic staircase across the room as the crowd began to applaud.

The brunette turned around and instantly began clapping at the sight of J. Jonah Jameson's son and his redheaded girlfriend descending the stairs, grinning from ear to ear for the first time in days. She was so unbelievably happy for John and Mary Jane as their dreams had been achieved and, although hers hadn't been just yet (she was very close, though), she had a feeling she would be on their level one day.

Christina smiled even more when the two found her in the clapping crowd and sent her a gracious expression in return. Her eyes brightened up despite the sneer Mary Jane was giving the person next to her, which made her turn to see Peter bringing his hands together repeatedly.

"Is that who she's been dating?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah, they've been going out for almost eight months," Christina murmured back.

"Quite the upgrade from Flash Thompson," Peter said jokingly as he chuckled. "But good for her."

Christina nodded with an amused smile as she turned to glance at Peter. "Yeah, he's really nice and treats her well," she assured him. "I promise our friend's just fine with him."

Peter nodded and, unbeknownst to Christina, planned to talk to Mary Jane later on whenever he had the chance. He was aware that she was still pissed at him for not showing up to the play since, whenever he called her, she never picked up the phone.

The shorter woman told Peter she would be back as she ran over to Mary Jane and John once they reached the bottom of the staircase. She hugged the both of them happily as she giggled, grateful when they hugged back.

"I'm so happy for you two!" she congratulated them with bright eyes.

"Thanks, Chris," John said kindly as he patted his friend on the shoulder.

"Are you doing any better?" Mary Jane asked her gently, referring to what had occurred the other day.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Christina answered truthfully. "Besides, this is y'all's night. I don't want to ruin it."

"You wouldn't ruin it," the redhead assured her.

The brunette nodded with a smile before walking off with them to take pictures together, her night seeming very hopeful.

_____

Fifteen Minutes Later
8:30 P.M.
Mary Jane's POV

The redhead had dismissed herself from the planetarium in order to get fresh air, as the swarm of people had overwhelmed her. This wasn't particularly common, and it could have been due to the nerves she felt having much more attention on her than she would like. All eyes were supposed to be on John tonight since he had achieved something spectacular, so Mary Jane didn't want to be the focus of the event. However, he had persuaded her to attend the party with him.

Mary Jane's auburn hair was pulled into a tight bun and she was wearing a fancy black strapless dress with sequins; it just barely reached her knees, and the heavy makeup she wore complimented it very well. She had perfected her style of fashion not too long ago and she was finally feeling comfortable in her own skin.

In fact, things had gotten better for the young woman over time after she had finally managed to get out of her abusive home. Her life was now filled with peace and joy thanks to the friends she had around her and her boyfriend of over half a year.

Currently, she was staring at the water fountain not too far from her, admiring its tranquility as it splashed against the bottom of the small pool she was standing next to. She even smiled softly as she watched it happen, just hoping for a better night ahead of her.

"Hi..."

Her eyes narrowing in puzzlement, Mary Jane slowly turned around, her peace broken. Once she got a glimpse of the person behind her who had spoken, she scoffed, knowing that this was the last person she wanted to see at the moment.

"Oh... you..." she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Listen, M.J," Peter tried to explain, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry. But... there was a disturbance –"

"I don't want to hear it," the redhead grumbled, glaring at the taller man. "Look, I don't want to keep thinking about the other night, it's too painful."

"If you just let me explain, you'll understand," Peter pleaded the woman, his eyes wide with desperation.

"I think I understand enough," Mary Jane snapped, sighing harshly. "I don't think you should be apologizing to me, but to her. I may be annoyed that you didn't show up to the play... I mean, John has seen my show five times, Harry has seen it twice, Aunt May has seen it – I could go on! But it pisses me off more that you hurt Christina that night! And after I tried to set you up on that date, I feel like I just wasted my damn time."

Peter just stood there and watched Mary Jane explain the complete truth to him, a deep frown on his face as he lost the ability to tell her his version of what happened that night. He knew his friend was right since he had hurt Christina when he hadn't shown up to the theater, and that was due to the expression on her face that still haunted him despite her having forgiven him.

"It especially irks me that... and I hate to tell you despite her saying not to... but Christina really does like you and has for a while," Mary Jane said, her voice breaking a little and not knowing that Peter already knew what she was telling him. "And if you care about her so much but can't make an eight o'clock curtain for a date with her... then you're just hurting her more. And to me... you're nothing but an empty seat right now."

After finishing her speech, Mary Jane stepped around Peter and walked back into the planetarium, unaware that her distant friend was deeply upset but that he actually agreed with every word she said.

_____

Ten Minutes Later
8:41 P.M.
Christina's POV

The brunette leaned against a small booth of desserts as she watched the many people on the dance floor, twirling and swaying to the band that had come out onto the stage. An extremely early cover of the song Little Sadie by Crooked Still was played by the guitarists and the lead singer of the band, Aoife O'Donovan. Christina gently bobbed her head to the music as she sipped from a small cup of fruit punch, savoring the taste and just admiring the scenery of a live and somewhat upbeat party.

For the first time in months, her blue eyes were filled with complete calm and lack of anxiety and she was truly relaxed. She was glad she had loosened up for the night and she would be a little sad when she would have to leave and go back to the real world, as the night felt magical. It felt like something right out of a fairytale and she never wanted to escape it; she wanted to remain here forever.

Christina giggled a little when she spotted Jameson and his auburn-haired wife swaying in a traditional manner, but it was clear that her boss did not know how to dance whatsoever. She was incredibly amused at how he kept stumbling and stepping on his wife's feet but she knew he didn't mean to do that.

He needs some dancing lessons, she thought humorously, chuckling to herself as she took another drink of the punch.

A few seconds later, Christina felt a presence to her left and she instinctively moved aside so Mary Jane could take her place beside her. Her best friend held a small glass of champagne as she also stared out at the crowd of guests, leaning her back against the abandoned booth.

"Kinda crowded here," she broke the ice with a smirk on her face.

"Tell me about it," Christina replied with an amused scoff.

The redhead took a deep breath, contemplating what to exactly say next as she took a swig of her drink. "Um... I ran into Peter outside," she told her awkwardly.

Those words piqued Christina's interest as she turned her head to look up at her. "Really?" she murmured. "What happened?"

"Nothing, really..." Mary Jane mumbled. "He tried to explain himself about why he didn't show up to the play. I wouldn't let him have it. I laid it all into him... how he hurt you that night... how I wasted my time setting you guys up on a date... that whole thing."

Christina's eyebrows raised as she smiled out of surprise. "Wait... the date was your idea?" she asked, stifling a bit of laughter.

Mary Jane gritted her teeth out of instant regret as she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yeah... I forgot to mention that..." she timidly said with a chuckle of her own.

The two girls broke out into laughter at this, especially Christina since she was wholly charmed by the fact that her own best friend had the idea of trying to get her and Peter together after so long of them not saying anything. She was grinning at the thought now, as she would have never expected Mary Jane to be the person to set them up of all people. But she was greatly appreciative and she let her know by gently elbowing her arm.

"Well, thanks..." she replied with a thankful smile. "Even if it didn't work out, I appreciate it. But... Peter and I already talked. I forgave him."

Mary Jane turned to the brunette out of some sort of shock, not seeing this coming whatsoever. "Wait, you did?" she said. "How come?"

"He told me what actually happened that night," Christina explained after clearing her throat. "He said something along the lines of... he was nearly hit by a car on his way to the theater. Apparently, it was driven by robbers or criminals of some kind. Anyway, he jumped out of the way but his bike was damaged."

The redhead's eyes widened as the truth finally hit her, as she fully believed her and knew her leg wasn't being pulled. "Oh..." she simply muttered under her breath. She then sighed as guilt hit her like a brick and she rubbed her forehead. "Damn it, I didn't listen. Oh, I should have heard him out. I'm so stupid!"

Christina grinned out of amusement as she patted Mary Jane's arm and shook her head. "It's fine!" she emphasized with a soft giggle. "Look, I'll talk to him in a bit... explain that you miscommunicated. Once he knows, no harm, no foul."

Mary Jane sighed with slight relief despite feeling great regret for not listening to what Peter had to say about the situation. "Alright..." she mumbled. She then decided to change the subject really quickly. "They're putting on quite the show."

The brunette nodded in agreement as she smiled more softly. "I'm sure John's proud..." she mumbled. "I'm calling it, in a few months, he'll be on one knee."

"Not gonna happen," Mary Jane said quickly. But she then backtracked on that statement and threw a pointed look at her friend. "Did... he say something to you?"

Christina pressed her lips in a thin line and refused to reveal anything. "You'll see..." she whispered.

A few moments later, she spotted Peter standing in the crowd and watching the band finish performing Little Sadie. The first thing she noticed right away was the solemn look in his eyes and her heart twisted a little at this sight. All she wanted was to go over there and comfort him and ask what was wrong, as he had been happy the last time she had seen him.

A sudden surge of confidence came over her for the first time in over a year, which led to her placing the glass of punch down on the booth. She glanced at Mary Jane and mumbled an "I'll be right back" before making a beeline for her closest friend.

"Peter!" she called out with a hopeful grin on her face, carefully stepping up to him as he turned to look at her, mildly surprised.

"Oh, hey, Chris," he replied with a small smile, brightening up after what had happened a few minutes ago outside.

"You okay?" the shorter woman asked with a concerned expression in her endearing eyes.

Peter took a deep breath before sighing as his shoulders shook, not wanting to lie anymore. "Honestly... not really..." he mumbled to her, frowning a lot.

Just then, an early instrumental cover of the song Ecstasy by the same band as before emanated through the room and the lights dimmed slightly. Christina then witnessed several couples who had attended the event walking out onto the dance floor and swaying ever so slowly. Her bright eyes then lit up more as she turned to Peter, gently grabbing his hand.

"Dance with me..." she suggested semi-shyly, smiling up at him.

Peter's eyes widened with utter shock and he even chuckled as he began to shake his head. "Oh, no, I don't know..." he mumbled, his face turning red.

"Oh, come on, it'll be fun!" Christina pleaded with an amused grin, squeezing his hand delicately. "Come on, Peter, please...?"

"I don't even know how to dance," Peter admitted in a retort, cringing at the words he had just said.

"I'll teach you," the woman said to convince him, now playfully pouting and pretending to look sad in order to win him over.

It worked.

Damn her cuteness, Peter thought as he finally gave in.

"Alright, fine," he said with a gentle smile.

"Great, come on!" Christina replied with a huge beam as she took his hand and pulled him out onto the dance floor, a slight skip in her step as she stopped in the center.

Once Peter caught up to her, the woman took his other hand to situate him as her timid nature slowly came back. "Okay, so... first, you're gonna place your hands on my waist. And yes, it's okay with me, before you ask," she assured him, not ignoring her crush's shy grin as he slowly and respectfully put his hands around her waist. "Good. Then... I'm gonna put my arms around your neck. Is that okay?"

Peter didn't hesitate to nod and Christina gently linked her arms behind his neck, and they stared into one another's eyes for a brief moment before sheepishly glancing away.

"And now... we sway like this," Christina sweetly instructed him as they deliberately moved back and forth. She gave Peter a huge smile when he easily perfected the movements and she nodded her head to encourage him. "See, you got it!" she praised him.

"Thanks," Peter replied with a smile of his own before lowering his head to avoid her gaze, but he did have a question for her. "When did you learn how to dance?"

"A few years ago..." Christina answered him with a truthful stare. "My mom taught me... it was for prom."

"Right, I remember," Peter said as he nodded, his heart fluttering when he felt Christina rest the side of her head against his collarbone; he instinctively pulled her closer, wanting to keep her safe and protect her for the rest of the night and to make sure she stayed happy.

They fell silent as they continued to sway to the soft notes of the song playing in the background; all the while, Peter thought back to that conversation he had exchanged with Otto and Rosie a few days prior... before that happened. He remembered Octavius's advice to pursue something with the woman in his arms and he had examined from his relationship with his own wife that it was possible to balance his double life.

There was a chance that Peter Parker could handle the struggles of being Spider-Man and a freelance photographer... while also developing a romance with Christina. He finally began to have hope in his heart that he was able to do this and that he didn't want to ever give that up.

So, with that on his mind, he slowly began to make his move.

Ever so slowly, he moved his hands from her waist and delicately placed them on her back; he began trembling from head to toe, frightened that she wouldn't be okay with this. And he was just about to ask her if she felt comfortable with what he was doing....

Then Christina pulled him slightly closer to her, welcoming his touch and shivering at the sensation of his hands on her bare back. Her lips parted as a gentle sigh left her and she even smiled a little bit.

"Are you alright?" Peter asked in a worried whisper, looking down at her.

The brunette didn't hesitate to answer with a slight nod of her head. "Yeah, I am..." she replied. "This is okay..."

Peter let his shoulders sag with relief as he returned to embracing her, leaning his head against hers now. He could then feel her light fingers combing through his hair on the back of his neck and he let out a shuddering breath, his mind being brought back to that night on Aunt May's front porch when they had nearly kissed. He had remembered how absolutely perfect Christina looked in that moment and she had looked like someone he wanted to love forever.

Now... they were closer than ever... physically.

Christina, on the other hand, was feeling her heart slamming against her ribcage at the feeling of Peter's hands on her back... especially when he began benevolently caressing her skin and a shiver made its way down her spine. Her mind began to fill with thoughts she had never conjured in Peter's presence before and she nearly felt ashamed for thinking such things.

But, right now, she could have hardly cared less.

For a moment, the brunette considered not just kissing him but taking him somewhere private so she could have her way with him....

But that thought was banished almost instantaneously and she lightly shook her head, her cheeks flooded by the blush that swarmed her face. It only got worse when she began to feel Peter kissing her on the cheek, and a quivering breath left her lips as she tilted her head slightly to allow him to kiss her there repeatedly like he was doing.

At that moment, a new thought filled her mind and her heart softened at this one; she pictured a possible future where she was much happier and fully healed. She pictured an outcome of this night where she and Peter were in a relationship after lots and lots of buildup and they were immensely joyful. She pictured many dates they would go on, such as to the movies or to fancy restaurants. She even visualized them having date nights at each other's apartments and sharing popcorn while watching various films.

And... when she thought it wasn't possible, the image of herself in a wedding dress came to mind and her face was the darkest shade of crimson she could have imagined.

Oh fuck... she thought, her shyness truly returning.

I think I'm falling in love with Peter...

She was. Christina Johnson was falling head over heels for Peter Parker....

And she knew right then that she not only wanted to be with him; she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. This was the man she wanted to marry one day and have a family with and be happy with until the day she died.

With this realization, she turned her head a little and pecked Peter's right cheek, not missing how he smiled at that. She then pulled him impossibly close and placed an affectionate kiss to his jawline, being careful so as to not hurt him. When he quivered from that, she grew scared for a moment but she relaxed once he eased up; she then went right back to resting her head against his shoulder, too afraid to meet his gaze.

"Chris...?" Peter murmured ever so gently in her ear.

"Hmm...?" Christina hummed in response, her heart pounding extremely loudly in her chest.

"I... I have something to tell you... Well, more so recite," Peter replied in a shaky voice, resting his head on top of hers now. "It's... It's a poem I found... And I know you like poetry."

Christina would have normally objected to those words, because she hated to admit that she was a huge fan of poetry. This was mostly due to how much she hated reading poems in high school... but she would never own up to having an entire library of poetry books in her room.

"Go ahead..." she mumbled, lightly peering up at him.

She could hear Peter taking a deep but trembling breath before she heard the most beautiful thing he could have possibly ever said to her.

"Once, as he was gazing northward, Far away upon a prairie," Peter began shakily, clearing his throat a little. "He beheld a maiden standing, Saw a tall and slender maiden, All alone upon a prairie; Brightest green were all her garments, And her hair was like the sunshine...."

Christina could detect a surge of butterflies erupting and fluttering around in her gut as she slowly looked up at the man she loved now; her eyes were filled with pure passion and tenderness from the words he was saying to her. She began to grin pleasantly and she proceeded to just admire Peter as he continued.

"Day by day he gazed upon her," Peter continued with a soft and awestruck smile, now looking down at the love of his life with utter longing in his eyes. "Day by day he sighed with passion, Day by day his heart within him... Grew more hot with love and longing... For the –"

"Peter?"

"Yeah?" Peter replied, his voice cracking as his face turned pink.

The brunette inhaled a deep breath as she now stared into the taller man's blue eyes, grinning unbelievably happily. "Can... Can you please just kiss me already...?" she asked timidly.

Peter's breath caught in his throat and a surprised chuckle left him as he tilted his head. "What?" he mumbled out of utter astonishment.

Christina raised her right hand and placed it on the left side of Peter's face right then and there, caressing his cheekbone lovingly. She was finally willing to be vulnerable and open in front of him, and to take that further step into being with him. "I've waited a year, Peter..." she whispered endearingly, an anticipated expression in her eyes. "I want you to kiss me..."

Peter instantly lowered his head, leaning into Christina's lovely touch that he always craved to feel. "I don't know..." he mumbled hesitantly. "I don't think I'm good enough for you."

That was when Christina frowned lightly and tilted Peter's chin up so he could meet her eyes. She smiled reassuringly when he did so. "I think you are..." she murmured angelically. "You deserve to be happy...."

The young man's eyes lit up with yearning and the smallest smile graced his features; for just one moment, Peter forgot about his responsibilities of being Spider-Man and he finally felt free. Finally feeling courageous, he tucked a strand of Christina's silky brown hair behind her left ear and placed his hand on her neck, caressing her jawline as he slowly started to lean in.

Christina grinned from ear to ear as she also moved closer to Peter, unable to believe that this was actually happening. The song slowly drew to a close as their foreheads pressed together and their lips brushed against each other's.

But, just as Christina was about to take that final step, Peter was yanked away from her at the last moment....

"It pisses me off, your loyalty to Spider-Man and not to your best friend!"

Harry had pushed Peter away from Christina and they were now facing each other. He had ruined their moment – the moment that Peter had wanted for so, so long. He was so close to kissing Christina, to making her night by making her happy... but Harry had interrupted it.

"I find him with my father's body and you defend him because he's your bread and butter!" Harry shouted furiously, glaring at Peter and completely ignoring Christina's presence.

Peter could smell the alcohol that Harry had consumed in the last hour. And he suddenly wished that he never came back into the building. He could tell that his friend was already angry with him, but he needed to put an end to this situation as fast as possible.

"Take it easy," he mumbled carefully, easing his best friend back. He was afraid that Christina would either get frightened or upset. He wasn't able to look at her to confirm his fears....

"Hey, don't push me!" Harry snapped back, harshly shoving Peter away from him. This caused him to accidentally bump into Christina's shoulder and he quickly glanced at her and saw she was okay. But the look in her eyes concerned him.

"Don't act like you're my friend," Harry continued, glaring at someone that he felt as though he didn't know. Tears were filling his eyes as he took a deep breath, clenching his hands into fists.

Peter just stared at Harry, completely dumbfounded at his attitude but he somewhat understood why he was acting this way. He was just afraid it would spiral out of control... just like how this night was going until Christina asked him to dance with her.

"You stole M.J. from me," stated Harry, and the remark led to Peter trying his best to prevent himself from rolling his eyes. He knew that he hadn't really explained the whole Mary Jane situation to Harry but it was fairly obvious that he didn't steal anything or anyone from anybody.

"Harry, can you please calm down?" Christina asked gently, stepping in and being the authority figure of the friend group like she always was. "And, also, Peter didn't steal M.J. from you. She broke up with you because it was her God-given right!"

"Oh, you're taking his side?!" Harry replied in utter disbelief, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you –" He then paused and dug his fingernails into his palms. "I see what's going on here." His stare began to pierce through Christina's soul as he grew more irritated. "It makes sense that he'd fall in love with a traitor like you..."

Peter's face fell and he transformed from slightly surprised and embarrassed to enraged and offended by that comment. He wanted so badly to tackle Harry to the ground and punch him until his skull caved in. But he couldn't.

"And not only that..." Harry went on, turning back to Peter. "He stole my father's love. Then he let him die because he didn't turn in the freak. I also thought he was in love with Mary Jane, but I guess he decided to hop onto the next hot woman that came along. Isn't that right?"

Peter got even angrier and he opened his mouth to say something. But, before he could, he felt a sharp pain on the left side of his face as his head snapped to the right. He looked at Harry in absolute shock as he heard the gasps of the party guests around them. A particular gasp caught his attention and it broke his heart.

"Huh?! Isn't that right?!" Harry shouted, practically screaming in Peter's face now. "Huh, brother?!"

He then drove his hand across Peter's face again, making sure he hit him even harder this time, not even caring about the repeated gasps echoing around the huge room as the music came to an abrupt halt.

Peter slowly turned back to glare at Harry, inhaling carefully through his nose to prevent his fury from unleashing on the drunk man in front of him. Personally, he didn't care that he just got slapped, although he thought he deserved it. It was what he had said beforehand that pissed him off.

Harry kept his eyes on Peter, just waiting for any kind of response. But he didn't get a reply so, after a long moment, he couldn't do anything but walk away, although he was trembling with pure anger.

Peter chose to suppress his anger as he sighed heavily, feeling very ashamed of himself for a few reasons. He hated that he wasn't able to intervene the moment Harry had said that horrible comment about Christina, and that he couldn't convince him that Spider-Man didn't murder his father. He couldn't even look at the person who had witnessed all of this.

Christina just stared after Harry for several seconds, her left eye twitching subconsciously. Her fingernails were digging so roughly into her palms that she thought she was drawing blood. So, she did the only thing she could do: she followed Harry, her stomping footsteps echoing through the lobby.

As soon as she reached the front doors, she pushed them open and pursued her target until she reached him.

"Harry, what the hell is wrong with you?!" she screeched, her teeth gritted together. "I get that you're upset about what happened with Octavius but slapping Peter was uncalled for! In fact, slapping him is uncalled for under any circumstance!"

"Oh, I'm sorry for ruining your special night!" Harry replied in an over-the-top and sarcastic manner. "Why don't you go back inside so you can have your precious first kiss?! Or maybe do more than that, for all I care!"

"Well, excuse me for wanting to have a good night!" Christina shouted back, making the choice to ignore the looks she was getting from her yelling. "Unlike someone who chose to get wasted and try to beat the shit out of his best friend! Not so mature of you, is it, Harry?"

"Look who's fucking talking!" Harry screamed back, sending a death glare in Christina's direction. "Ever since your mom died, you've been absolutely insane! Yeah, I've heard the whispers about you; about how you'll randomly scream in the middle of the night and punch holes into your walls. You've completely lost your mind, Chris! And it seems as though you've grown into an even bigger fucking bitch than you were before!"

Christina froze in place, staring at Harry in utter surprise and she didn't even know what to say. She couldn't believe he had called her that. Her childhood best friend of sixteen years had just said the worst thing to her that anyone could possibly say to someone close to them... or anyone, as a matter of fact.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Peter had been standing by the front doors, secretly eavesdropping on their argument. He didn't expect to hear anything too harsh come out of either of them but, when the third insult directed towards Christina slipped from Harry, he couldn't stop the sudden gasp that left his lips. He tried to be quiet, afraid he would be heard. He was outraged at his friend for saying something like that to a woman that was very important to him. The image of him repeatedly punching Harry slowly came back to him....

"You know what...?" Christina mumbled under her breath, trembling from head to toe as she attempted to hide the forming tears. "Fine. If that's how you feel about your best friend, then leave. Don't come back to apologize to me. I want you to leave. And I don't ever want to see you again."

And, with that, Christina simply turned around and walked away from someone that had been looking after her for almost two years. And she felt no remorse.

Harry didn't follow Christina and didn't plead with her to forgive him. In fact, there was no way he was going to feel sorry for what he had done. After all, he was right about her, and he was right about all of his accusations. Despite this, he didn't want to cause another scene, so he chose the best option and left the party entirely...

Peter snuck a glance through the glass doors and saw that Harry was gone, relieved that he wouldn't have to go through another physical altercation with him. Feeling assured, he pushed open one of the doors and walked out into the chilly weather. He saw no sign of Christina and he quickly grew concerned. Luckily for him, he didn't have to look for very long; but the sight he was met with made his heart wrench painfully.

Christina had hidden herself around the corner of the planetarium, far away from any people who would either give her dirty looks or grow too concerned for their own good. Sniffing, she wiped a few spare tears off of her face as she slowly sighed, knowing she was in absolute distress, but she had nothing to do about it. She had fucked up big time, and it was all her fault.

"Chris...?" Hearing a familiar and gentle voice, the woman glanced up, another tear falling from her right eye.

"Hey... I'm so sorry about what he said," Peter murmured soothingly as he sat next to Christina, putting a hand on her back to offer some support. "He shouldn't have said that to you, because that's not true. You're not what Harry called you. And I feel so bad for not stepping in when I should have."

"No, he's right..." Christina whimpered weakly, lowering her head in shame. "Harry's right. I'm a horrible person. I'm a selfish bitch, I know it."

"No, you're not," Peter whispered to her, his voice subtly cracking.

"Yes, I am," she mumbled quietly, wiping another tear away. "I ruined your night and made it worse. I always make everything worse. I've made things terrible for you, for Harry, for Sidney, my neighbors... hell, I've made things worse for everyone!"

Peter listened to Christina venting to him for close to five minutes, rubbing her back gently to soothe her as best as he could. His heart kept breaking for her with every word that left her. It was him that should've been saying these things about himself instead of her.

"You didn't ruin my night," he assured her, smiling lightly. "In fact, it was really my fault for being Harry's reason to cause a scene. You actually made things better before he interrupted us. You should really be blaming me...."

The brunette tried to smile at Peter's comforting words, but it was practically impossible for her. However, it did warm her heart that he was still looking out for her even if she thought she was a lost cause at this point.

"It's not your fault..." she whispered to him. "I could never blame you for this. You.... You made things better for me, too." Little did she know that her words would have a permanent effect on Peter... one that would make him fall for her even more.

Peter sighed as he put his right arm around Christina's shoulders and pulled her closer. "It's gonna be okay..." he mumbled in return, leaning his head on hers to assure her that she wasn't alone. "How about this? Let's go back inside and pretend that didn't happen. We can try and be happy again... How does that sound?"

Christina finally smiled a little bit at that, nodding ever so slightly. "I'll try..." she replied with a soft chuckle.

Peter's heart warmed at his and he then leaned in and placed his lips on her forehead, being extremely gentle to provide more comfort. He then pulled away, beaming lightly when he felt Christina grasping his hand in hers so he couldn't walk away; he had no intention of leaving her side until the night was over, though.

"Chris... if you ever need to talk to me, I'm always here," he said to her, squeezing her hand tenderly in his own. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah..." Christina responded, staring down at their linked hands. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought that this felt... right. It felt like they were always meant to hold one another's hands, but they had just never gotten the chance to. She prayed that they would get more moments like this together before they would, inevitably, have to come out and be open about their feelings.

Peter, however, was thinking about what he should say to Harry after what he did earlier. After hearing those words he had said to Christina's face, he had felt a rage of no previous kind building up within him. He had the instinct to track him down and give him a piece of his mind for hurting her... he just didn't know how to broach the subject just yet. But he knew he would confront him sooner or later.

Shrugging that away for the time being, he carefully grabbed Christina's hands and helped her to her feet. "Come on, let's go back inside," he muttered. "It's getting cold."

Christina nodded and they began to walk back to the front doors; along the way, Peter had shrugged off his suit jacket and placed it on her to keep her warm, regardless of her several protests. She noticed that he was now left in a blue button-up shirt and a formal tie, but he didn't look any less handsome than he already did. Giving up, she rested her head on his shoulder while he slipped an arm around her waist to help her feel safe.

Out of nowhere, Mary Jane came running out the front doors and spotted the two right away; her heart grew happier for a moment when she saw them together, but she returned to a serious state instantly.

"Hey, are you guys okay?!" she asked them frantically. "I saw what happened and looked all over the place for you."

"We're fine, M.J," Christina replied with a humorless smile. "We're both okay. Let's just say Harry and I are no longer friends, though..."

"What do you mean?" the redhead mumbled with a raised eyebrow.

"He called her a bitch," Peter spoke up, gritting his teeth as the memory of Michael calling Christina the same thing at Margaret's funeral came right back to him.

Mary Jane looked as though she had been hit with a car as she stared at Christina, becoming furious. "What?!" she cried, her eyes narrowed with anger. "Do I need to go kick his ass?!"

"That won't be necessary," Christina said, finally laughing now. "He's gone."

After the three of them talked outside of the building, during which Mary Jane apologized to Peter for her misunderstanding (he forgave her straight away), they all headed back into the huge room where the party had resumed despite the chaos earlier. At that point, Christina gave him his jacket back since she wasn't cold anymore; he reluctantly took it back but still kept an arm around her shoulders to keep her comforted.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

How many times am I going to hear that tonight? Christina thought sarcastically.

"I just want you all to know that the beautiful Miss Mary Jane Watson has just agreed to marry me," John said into his microphone from the stage, the crowd immediately beginning to clap with happiness.

Christina's eyes lit up as she remembered the real reason she was here: she had been in on the secret that John was going to propose to his girlfriend tonight and she had missed it all. However, she was still able to be here for the public announcement as she clapped somewhat happily for the couple as Mary Jane ascended the stairs to the stage.

"Parker, wake up! Wake up!" Jameson's loud voice came through the crowd as he pointed up to the stage where his son and future daughter-in-law stood. "Shoot the picture!"

Peter briefly removed his arm from Christina's shoulders and raised his huge camera up, pressing the button to create the picture of the newly engaged couple, the light flashing brightly.

A/N: you guys are probably fed up with the depressing shit at this point...

don't worry! the next two to three chapters will not be as sad! you're in luck!

ANYWAYS, thoughts on this chapter? this is the longest one i've written for this book!

what did you think of the dynamic between christina and mary jane? i personally love their friendship!

what about the dance scene??? it may be my favorite scene i've written so far!

and... the scene where christina and harry's friendship is destroyed...? do y'all hate harry even more now?

how about the moment peter comforted christina afterwards? don't worry, as peter is gonna get revenge for her getting hurt soon!😉

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

be looking forward to the next chapter, even if it may be slightly somber but not as heartbreaking!

-denbroughswife