One Hour and Thirty Minutes Later
8:07 P.M.
Christina's POV

After just over five minutes of Peter comforting Christina as he held her, the brunette had finally calmed down and the party returned to the way it was before the outburst. However, the atmosphere in the house was a lot quieter and less animated as everyone ate their slices of cake.

Christina was completely silent as she just sat at the table with the others, refusing to talk since she was absolutely embarrassed because of what had transpired. She knew she couldn't have helped it even if she wanted to and that the panic attack was inevitable no matter what she did; after all, she had just accidentally forgotten to take her prescription that prevented this sort of thing from happening. It was something she almost never forgot to do, and she felt stupid for doing so, but what could she do? She had been late for work and making sure no panic attacks would happen that day was the last thought on her mind.

But the memory of the common nightmare that would plague her mind made the adult woman lose her appetite, and her stomach would clench every time she attempted to take a bite of the cake she was offered.

Sidney noticed this and took her sister's hand underneath the table in order to provide solace as she gave her a worried gaze.

Christina didn't have to use sign language or verbal words to know that her little sister was concerned about her well-being. So, in return, she carefully squeezed her hand to assure her that she was absolutely fine. But, deep down, she knew that she was not okay and that she still wasn't completely fine no matter how much she tried to convince others that she was getting better.

She was getting better and it was becoming easier to suppress the painful memories that would hit her from time to time. There were those moments every now and then regardless of this... moments that weren't easy to recover from... ones where she would hear her mother's screams inside her head (or what she pictured to be her screams from the night of her death). They weren't unavoidable, as Christina was mostly capable of ridding the anxiety from her body before the panic purely hit her.

An hour and a few glances of distress from Peter later, and Christina stood up from the table; Mary Jane and Harry were already long gone at this point. "You ready to go, kid?" she mumbled over to Sidney, her voice a lot more meek and hushed than before when they had first arrived.

Sidney glanced up at Christina, her heart dropping a little as she realized what stage the older sibling was at with her emotions. Her perturbation rose extremely quickly as she slowly stood up from her chair. "Yeah," she murmured quietly, feeling a lot more worried than she was before.

The brunette woman nodded before facing the others. "I had a good time," she told them. "Um, I'm sorry for... earlier."

She then placed a hand on Peter's shoulder and smiled apologetically at him, although it didn't even attempt to reach her eyes. "I'll see you around..." she whispered, her voice a little blank now as she tried to close herself off.

Peter didn't get a chance to respond before the two siblings grabbed their coats and exited the house, and he sighed heavily, feeling absolutely terrible for his crush.

Christina, meanwhile, stood on the front porch for several seconds; her hands lightly shook once again as she focused on pressing the button on her key that unlocked the Volkswagen. She was relieved to have fresh air, as it was something she cherished beyond belief, and she desperately needed it after the episode she had endured over an hour ago. She drew in a deep breath of air, sighing with relaxation as the exhale eventually left her. She suddenly cared less about how chilly it was outside, as she kind of craved the frigid weather at the moment.

"You want me to wait in the car?" Sidney asked gently, looking up at her sister (normally, she would have looked down, as Christina was actually shorter than her).

"Sure, if that's alright with you..." Christina whispered, nodding her head lightly. "I just need some time to think..."

"Take all the time you need," the younger girl responded before taking Christina's keys and walking to the car to get into the passenger seat.

Christina then placed her slender hands over the metal porch railing that sat atop the really tiny platform above the stairs. "Fuck..." she muttered, letting out a jagged sigh as she stared ahead at the neighboring houses down the street.

_____

Thirty Minutes Later
8:40 P.M.
Peter's POV

Peter put on his black jacket and gray vest, getting ready to head back to his apartment. He wanted to smile, as he had enjoyed his birthday party overall; but Christina's panic attack had plagued his mind every second following her recovering from it. He wanted to talk to her about it and see what was really wrong, but he had the feeling that she didn't want to be bothered. He had picked up on her newer social cues ages ago and thought she would be furious with him if he disturbed her from her thoughts.

From what he saw, this was one of the more extreme panicked episodes the woman had suffered through. The screams she had unleashed as her eyes were closed nearly topped how haunting it had been when she had screeched over the phone the night he attacked her. In fact, they may have been worse because Peter had witnessed them up close. He only wished that none of this shit happened to her, that way she could be the way she once was: pure and only slightly broken because of Michael leaving her.

But now, despite how much he and everyone else had actually managed to support Christina and help her, she was still a very shattered woman. She had completely changed after that night and for the first few months following it, she was not the Christina Lily Johnson he once knew. Her demeanor had gone off the deep end and she had closed herself off from everyone entirely; she was a lot more verbally and physically aggressive than she once was before, as she refused to let anybody into her heart to help her.

Regardless, Peter could sense that she was trying to pick the pieces back up on her own and she was attempting to get better. He was immensely proud of her for that alone, although he knew it would take more progress for her to really be okay again.

He ignored his utter adoration for her and mainly focused on his hope of seeing her happy and her whole and unique self again. He thanked God that Sidney was also there looking out for her on days when he wasn't able to, but only due to his responsibilities of being Spider-Man.

"She's wise for her age," he had once pointed out to Christina a little over four months ago.

"Yeah, she is," the then blonde woman had responded. "She's really good at helping people... not just me. She's gonna grow up and change the world one day."

Breaking away from his train of thought, Peter walked into the kitchen where Aunt May had her head laying on the table. She seemed to be in a deep sleep, which made him smile a little but he knew he had to wake her up so she wouldn't wake up extremely uncomfortable with aching pains in the morning.

But, right before he went over to her, he spotted something laying on the table; his curiosity rising a little, he quietly stepped over to the other side and moved the torn open envelope out of the way of what he had glimpsed. His heart somewhat plummeted when he read the words on the document sheet strewn about on the tablecloth, and he frowned to himself.

TO: MAY PARKER
PRE-EVICTION NOTICE

– NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE –

YOUR MORTGAGE IS IN DEFAULT DUE TO NON-PAYMENT

Peter instantly slumbered over to the chair at the middle of the table, sitting down in it and beginning to wake May up. He felt the urge to talk to her about what he had just seen in her mail; he hated that he had to glance at it, as the guilt over that and everything else was gnawing at his heart. It was something he knew he wouldn't get off of his mind regardless of sleepless nights and stress from other things that had been weighing him down immensely.

The adult man placed his hand over May's and gently squeezed it in order to wake her, whispering her name to grab her attention.

"Uh, what, Ben...?" May murmured sleepily as she slowly began lifting her head up.

Peter ignored how his heart wrenched in his chest as he continued to carefully wake his aunt up.

"Wait... oh..." May said, more aware of her surroundings now as she finally glanced up at her nephew, fully recognizing him. "Oh, my!"

Peter grinned at May, a little amused at her antics. He cherished these kinds of moments with his aunt, as he never got to spend as much time with her as he once did. So he was happy to get these few seconds with her.

"Oh, for a second there, I thought I was years ago..." May mumbled tiredly, reminiscing on past memories and smiling in a bittersweet way. Then she remembered what time it actually was and she perked up a little. "Everybody's gone, aren't they...?"

Peter nodded solemnly.

"Did they have a good time?" May asked gently, blinking a few times.

"I'm sure they did," her nephew answered her.

"Are Christina and Sidney alright?" May pressed onward, frowning now.

The younger man's stomach twisted a little as he recalled the memory of two hours ago as he shrugged his shoulders. "I hope so," he replied in a saddened tone. "Sidney seemed fine when they left... Chris, I'm not so sure. She was quieter than normal."

"That poor girl's really been through it..." May whispered, more so to herself. "Margaret would hate to see her daughter like this."

"I know..." Peter mumbled in return before glancing back to his aunt. "You okay?" he added, pondering over her well-being.

"Of course," May responded as she sat up straighter, grabbing a hand towel and neatly folding it to have it more set to her standards. "But you go home... and be careful. I don't like that scooter thing you drive around."

May's nephew looked down at the table for a brief period of time before gathering the courage to say the words that had been driven into his skull after seeing that document. "I'm worried about you," he said semi-soothingly. "You're so... alone. And I saw the letter from the bank."

"Oh, my... you did?" the elderly woman questioned him and, when he nodded, she also shrugged her shoulders. "Well, so, I'm a little behind. Everybody is."

She then stood up and walked towards where her purse and wallet sat on the counter closest to the kitchen doorway. She dug through the latter for something of importance to her, semi-aware of Peter standing up in response to this. "Anyway, I don't want to talk about it anymore," she said a little bluntly.

Peter sighed a little, remembering how stubborn his aunt could be from time to time; it was probably something he had either inherited or learned from her. However, he completely understood her unwillingness to talk about her financial problems, as he was currently struggling with some of his own. He did want to offer a helping hand regardless of this, as he was aware that May would possibly be thrown out into the street if she didn't pay her bills.

"I'm tired and you'd better start back home," May finished before pulling out what she was looking for. Turning around with a cheerful grin on her aged face, she grabbed Peter's right hand and placed a twenty-dollar bill into it. "Here, kiddo," she added. "Happy birthday. You need it more than I do."

Peter's eyes widened as he stared down at the money May had put in his hand, shaking his head lightly. "No, I can't take that from you..." he insisted, frowning deeply.

"Yes, you can!" May sternly said in a raised voice. "You can take this money from me!"

The adult man felt his stomach sinking as he stared at his now vulnerable aunt, wanting to reach out and hug her in order to assure her that it was okay and that he didn't need the money. In reality, he did, but he wasn't about to take it from somebody that possibly needed it much more than him.

"For God's sake, it's not much, now take it!" May cried out in a trembling tone, her usually bright eyes filling with tears of despair. "And don't you dare leave it here..." Instant regret filled her soul and she started breaking down into tears that hadn't been let out in months. "Oh, I'm sorry..." she added in a broken whimper, looking down to the floor.

Peter just looked at May with an incredulous expression etched into his stressed-out features, unshed tears brimming the corners of his own blue eyes. He rarely ever saw her like this, since she was normally strong and had a secure attitude whenever he came over to visit. Now that she was in a desperate situation, she was more distressed than ever and he vowed to do anything he could to help her get out of it.

"It's just that I miss your Uncle Ben so much..." May mumbled under her breath before reaching up to fix the collar of Peter's vest. "Can you believe that it's been over two years since he was taken? I think to myself at times... were I to face the one responsible for what happened, I'd... oh, I don't know what I'd do...."

A single tear trickled down Peter's right cheek and he swiftly wiped it away so May wouldn't see, but she could already glimpse it. Instantly thinking it was her fault that her nephew was crying, she placed a caring kiss on his cheek before walking over to the counter next to the sink and grabbing Saran plastic wrapping. "You need to take the rest of your cake home," she spoke up in a much stronger voice than seconds before.

Peter took a deep breath as he tried to make the tears vanish from his eyes, feeling incredibly guilty for not knowing what to do in order to help May out with her situation. He wished that his mind would clear just this once so he could figure out the correct solution to everything going on around them. Then again, he wished that would happen with everything nowadays.

_____

Ten Minutes Later
8:50 P.M.

The brunette pushed a strand of hair that had been blowing in front of her face behind her right ear, finally relaxing for good. The freezing air had been a great help to her getting back to breathing normally again, and it led to her tight grip on the railing loosening just a little as her eyes closed for a moment. Her anxiety left her body and she even smiled at the concept of that.

The good thing about this most recent episode she had gone through was that it wasn't the worst one... that one had happened when she was alone.

Don't think about that, she thought, squeezing her eyes shut and opening them back up.

A part of Christina was still utterly humiliated from how hysterical she had become in front of everyone at the party. It was Peter's birthday, for God's sake! It was his day, and here she came trying to ruin it... just like how she ruined everything.

This was why she often tended to shut everyone else out around her, as she blamed herself for absolutely everything that went wrong whenever she was around those she loved. She knew it was not healthy in the slightest, but it was something she couldn't prevent; or, at least, she thought she couldn't. Her befuddled mind would never let her think straight anymore.

"I'm getting tired of this shit..." she whispered to herself, yawning lightly as she made the move to start stepping off the front porch.

"Hey, you're still here?" came Peter's voice from behind her, making Christina spin around in slight surprise as she hadn't expected him to be there.

The slightly younger man was just stepping out of the front door, holding his gifts in one hand as he shut said door behind him. He was smiling more brightly than he was minutes ago, hiding very obvious pain that Christina could see through like it was nothing; she had overheard the slight argument between him and Aunt May through the wall, but she didn't want to intrude on the topic since it was none of her business.

"Yeah, Sid's in the car," she mumbled, taking another deep breath as she placed another hand back on the railing, one foot on the bottom porch step and the other on the pathway below. "Probably reading or something. I needed some air after... well, you know." Christina felt increasingly awkward bringing up what had happened earlier as her face turned red. "Again, I'm sorry about that. I should have taken my prescription this morning and –"

"No, don't be," Peter said as he placed the gifts down on a space of the porch where it wouldn't be stepped on.

"But I am," Christina emphasized, sighing heavily as she stepped further up onto the porch. "I shouldn't have freaked the fuck out in front of all of you. It's your birthday and I shouldn't have ruined it..."

"You didn't ruin anything, Chris," Peter replied with a serious expression in his eyes. "I promise you didn't."

The brunette glanced up at him to see if he was being truthful and, once she saw he was, she glanced back down. "Okay," she whispered. "Besides that... did you have a good time?"

Peter nodded as he smiled a little more now, this one being more genuine than the previous one. "I actually did," he answered graciously, looking towards the woman in front of him. "I needed the break, so thanks."

"It's no problem," Christina said with a bashful grin, shrugging her shoulders. "I needed it, too. I was late to work this morning and everything... Funny story, as I was driving to work, I was at this stoplight and it had just turned green. I pull forward... and this dumbass has the audacity to speed through a red light and I nearly ran him over."

Peter burst out laughing for a few seconds, finding the words Christina was telling him rather amusing. But, after a couple of moments, his eyes narrowed as he stared at her, a sudden idea hitting him.

"Hang on, I was nearly run over after speeding through a red light... on my bike," he pointed out, an incredulous smirk all over his face.

Christina's eyes widened for just a second before she innocently placed her hands behind her back where she was leaning against the railing now. "Uh... W-Well, that's my bad..." she said sweetly, looking every which way and faking that she did nothing wrong.

But one look at Christina's smirk told Peter everything he needed to know and a chuckle left him as he took a slight step closer to her. "That was you?!" he exclaimed teasingly, laughing incredibly hard now.

"Well, I didn't know that I nearly killed you this morning," Christina defended with an amused grin. "Besides, who the hell runs a red light?"

"Hundreds of people in Manhattan," Peter simply said, his laughter dying down.

"Fair enough, but still! What were you doing, anyway?"

"Delivering pizzas..." Peter admitted in an embarrassed tone, sighing a bit. "But I didn't get there in time... I got fired."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Christina murmured as she looked at him with a sympathetic expression.

"It's fine," he replied. "Besides, I have time to lose more jobs."

Neither one of them meant to break out into chuckling, but they did, although not for very long as it was more a small duration of time than anything.

Their laughter slowly faded away as their eyes lingered on one another briefly; but, while Christina shyly glanced away, Peter kept his gaze on her as he not-so-subtly admired her.

"Um... I enjoyed seeing you tonight, Pete..." the brunette timidly admitted as she peered back up at him.

Peter subconsciously placed his right hand on the railing as he slowly stepped closer, letting out a semi-nervous breath. "Oh, boy, yeah..." he murmured under his breath.

Christina's heart rate increased when she saw how much closer they were standing together now, and she broke eye contact for a few moments. "W-What does that mean...?" she asked in a slightly shaky voice, praying the man in front of her wouldn't notice.

Peter, however, did notice how anxious she sounded and how she averted her gaze away from his. He felt as though he was invading her personal space and he would instantly back away if she said so. "I enjoyed seeing you, too," he whispered with a soft smile, looking down at her.

The shorter woman blushed ever so lightly as she gave him a tiny smile, slightly relaxing at the close proximity. Besides, Peter Parker made her feel safe at all times and she felt comfortable around him... she always had. "I'm glad you did..." she replied really quietly just so he could hear, although there was nobody around.

Peter took that as a sign that he was allowed to move even closer, although he silently asked if it was okay; at Christina's smile of assurance, he did step another inch near her. "Me too..." he mumbled. Feeling a surge of confidence, he carefully put his hand over hers and squeezed gently, hoping that she wouldn't panic from that. And, at first, he thought he had crossed a line when he heard her breath hitch in her throat.

But the beautiful brunette woman then moved her hand to hold his, and that made a swell of affection rise in his chest as his heart began slamming against his ribcage. He couldn't stop looking at her, examining the features of her face that he considered to be perfect. Despite being in love with how confident she once was, there were moments where Peter would find Christina's more timid nature absolutely adorable. The fact that she could be more vulnerable around him now (or, at least, he thought so) always gave him the idea to reach out and help whenever she needed it.

However, she seemed to be completely fine at the moment. He just needed to make sure one more time, though.

"Are you really okay, Christina...?" he asked tenderly, taking another step to her.

The brunette didn't hesitate to nod her head as she let out the softest giggle, not breaking her stare now. "I'm okay right now..." she replied, referring to what was currently happening.

Peter simply allowed his head to bob up and down before he finally glanced away, just glad that she was alright for the moment.

Christina then moved her trembling left hand out from underneath Peter's and raised it to where she had it placed on the right side of his face. Hearing his soft gasp from this sudden touch made her internally panic for a moment... until he willingly leaned into her touch and sighed nervously, placing his hand over hers again.

The two locked eyes and, while Christina's gaze was filled with complete shyness and uncertainty, Peter's expression was one of absolute and utter longing as he stared at her. He could feel the brunette caressing his right cheekbone with her thumb and that caused a shuddering breath to escape him as he traced invisible circles on the back of her delicate hand, resting his forehead against hers.

"Christina..." he said in a low whisper, his eyes briefly darting to her lips. Once again, that rainy night from August of two years ago appeared in his mind and he had the desperate desire to have his lips against hers again.

At this point, Christina's back was against the railing and the two of them were less than a foot apart; Peter's free hand was placed respectfully on her waist and they were both in a scenario they didn't want to free themselves from. The way he had said her name had caused a shiver to travel down the length of the woman's spine as her stomach flipped, and she looked visibly more shaky than she had mere moments ago. All she wanted was to make that brave leap and share her first kiss with someone she had formed so many complicated emotions for over the past year.

"Peter..." she murmured, her voice coming out like one that belonged to an angel (in Peter's opinion). Her lips were quivering as she stared deeply into his eyes.

"What...?" he replied, curious as to what exactly she would say.

A single moment that felt like a century passed... and Christina finally looked away, sucking in a sharp breath.

"Nothing..." she mumbled, her voice back to normal. She scolded herself for being a fucking wimp once again, being way too scared to make the dangerous move; she couldn't let him in, as she was afraid of him seeing just how terrible she was really doing in regards to how she felt about the grief and depression. Her expression seemed much sadder now as she removed her hand from Peter's face.

But she did lean in and placed another gentle kiss on his cheek... one that left him breathless.

"Happy birthday..." she whispered one final time before moving away from him for good, feeling ashamed of herself instantly.

Peter frowned deeply at this but he was able to bring himself to understand why Christina had ultimately chosen not to make the move: she was scared. He had started picking up on hints that she returned his feelings a few months and he was now almost one hundred percent sure she did. So he wasn't as upset as he thought he would be when she pulled away; even if he chose to be with her and Spider-Man didn't get in the way, he would still wait until she was ready to pursue a relationship with him, not vice versa.

Although his brain was screaming at him to let her in and know everything, he just couldn't gather the strength to do so. He didn't want to hurt her or put her in any danger if someone eventually came along that directly threatened him. It would have all been too much if he ever lost her, which had almost happened that November night when she was dropped from the Brooklyn Bridge. Losing her was the last thing he ever wanted to happen, so he couldn't risk it....

But, every time their connection would grow stronger, Peter often found himself picturing what it would be like to have a romance with Christina. He always thought of moments where he could possibly take her out to places she wanted to go to, or nights where they could just cuddle and watch movies together. He imagined the kisses they could share and he tried his hardest to fight the hopeful smile creeping up onto his face...

Christina, who was currently walking to her car, suddenly remembered something and spun back around to face Peter. "Oh, I've decided to try your advice, maybe," she spoke up a little louder, looking right at him.

Peter's eyebrows scrunched together out of ever so slight confusion for just a moment before his face lit up with acknowledgement. "Oh... therapy?" he pondered with a small smile.

The brunette jokingly scoffed and placed a hand on her left hip. "No," she replied in a blatant lie that Peter could detect almost instantly, since he raised an eyebrow in return. Christina's shoulders finally slumped as she smiled in defeat. "Yes..." she added in a sheepish mumble.

The man she was slowly falling for brightened up a bit at hearing this news and he even grinned at her. "That's good, Chris," he encouraged. "Maybe that could actually help more."

Christina nodded shyly as she fiddled with her still trembling hands. "Yeah, maybe..." she murmured. "Hopefully..."

Peter then took a deep breath as he straightened his posture, still looking in her direction despite her being around ten feet away now. "Um... I'm going to see M.J's play tomorrow night," he began, smiling timidly when he had Christina's attention. "Would you like to come with me to see it?"

The young woman's eyes had a happier vibe in them now as she struggled to come up with a coherent answer. "You're... You're inviting me?" she asked in an optimistic tone.

"I am," Peter answered with a grin on his own face, his hands shaking as he grew anxious of what her answer would be.

"I-I'd love to go with you," Christina finally said with a look of anticipation in her blue eyes.

Peter relaxed at those words, also growing very excited for tomorrow night as he not only couldn't wait to see how good Mary Jane's play actually was, but he was looking forward to spending more time with his best friend that he had been in love with for sixteen years now. This would potentially be a step in the right direction for how they were around one another and, hopefully, he would finally be able to let his guard down in front of her and let her in.

"I'll meet you there around... 7:30?" he offered, since he wanted to get there thirty minutes before the play actually began. Besides, it would allow more time for the two to talk before the curtains parted that night.

"Okay," Christina mumbled sweetly as she grinned from ear to ear, finally feeling it reach her eyes. "Sounds perfect."

Peter's heart melted at the way she had said that, since he was so fucking happy that she was looking forward to tomorrow night. Dear God, how can she get more damn adorable by the second? he thought, as it seemed almost impossible. Just when he was sure she couldn't do something that made her look more precious to him, she somehow did it and he found himself falling harder than he possibly ever had for her.

"I'll see you then," he said in a nervous nature, his smile a little shakier now.

Christina just simply nodded before shyly waving in Peter's direction and finally walking towards her car.

_____

Sidney's POV

The pre-teen girl sat in the passenger's seat of the car, just staring at the interaction between Christina and Peter with a stupid little smirk on her face. Sure, she didn't know her sister's best friend all too well, but she was praying that they would kiss on that front porch; regardless, when the older woman had pulled away from him, Sidney had the slightest understanding of why she had. So, although she would have normally teased the brunette for being a scared little chicken, she decided not to this time as the thought that would seem too mean.

Sidney perked back up when she finally noticed Christina walking towards the Volkswagen and she went right back to reading her book; she tried her best to pretend to be engrossed in what she was reading, but her sister was already aware of what was really going on.

"You're bad at being sneaky," Christina pointed out as she opened the driver's side door and climbed into the seat, ready to start the engine of the car.

"It was so much fun watching you and Peter being fucking gross," Sidney smugly said while miming a vomiting emotion.

Christina actually giggled at this, turning the ignition and driving away seconds later. "Why are you so awfully interested in what Peter and I do?" she playfully questioned. "You should have just been reading."

"I was," Sidney said and held out the book she was reading: No Pun Intended – Volume Too by Will Livingston. "Besides, your love story is more boring than this is."

"What the hell is that?" Christina pondered in a genuine tone as she glanced at the book cover.

"It's a joke book," Sidney said before dramatically clearing her throat. "I'm glad I know sign language! It's become quite handy."

Christina raised an eyebrow as she darted her eyes over to her sister for a brief moment. "Okay... that's the worst joke I've ever heard," she bluntly said despite hiding a smirk.

"Oh, come on, that was a good one!" Sidney shouted as she lightly smacked Christina's arm with the book.

"Nope. A zero out of ten," Christina mumbled.

"Okay, okay... It doesn't matter how much you push the envelope – it'll still be stationary!" Sidney exclaimed in an over-the-top manner, laughing even more when Christina shook her head despite her eyes remaining on the road this time.

"Okay, that was more a three out of ten," Christina replied with a wider smirk, slightly leaning forward to turn up the radio.

The lyrics of Alone and Forsaken by Hank Williams filled the vehicle as the car ride turned more peaceful and quiet, as it often tended to whenever the sisters drove around the city on their own. Christina smiled a little as she placed her left elbow close to the window next to her and rested her head against her hand, using her right hand to keep steering the wheel.

"What is this?" Sidney asked in a curious manner, glancing over at her sibling.

"You don't know who Hank Williams is?" Christina replied incredulously, trying to stifle a shocked laugh.

"No, I don't know who Hank WIlliams is," Sidney bluntly said as she rolled her eyes a little. But she took a more careful listen to the lyrics and came to the thought that this song wasn't too bad.

The darkness is falling, the sky has turned gray
A hound in the distance is starting to bey
I wonder, I wonder what she's thinking of
Forsaken, forgotten without any love

"It's better than nothing," the young girl simply murmured.

And Christina smiled with relief, glad to continue the song as they drove towards home.

Alone and forsaken by fate and by man
Oh Lord, if you hear me, please hold to my hand
Oh, please understand

_____

One Hour Later
10:07 P.M.
Christina's POV

Christina suddenly awoke from a semi-deep sleep with a gasp, clutching at her chest with fear as her eyes darted every which way. When she realized she was back in her living room and that she had been there for a while, she visibly relaxed as she groaned tiredly. She rubbed her forehead before slowly sitting up on her couch, sighing to herself.

"I've noticed that you mumble in your sleep," Sidney gently spoke up from the recliner not too far from her sister.

The brunette glanced over at her with a humorless chuckle slipping past her lips as she shrugged her shoulders. "Can't stop that..." she murmured in return.

"Bad dream?" the young pre-teen questioned with a raised eyebrow, peering away from the television. When Christina nodded ever so slightly, Sidney frowned a little bit as she also sighed. "I'm sorry..." she added with a sympathetic tone.

"It's alright," Christina replied before standing up and walking over to where she was sitting. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"It's the weekend," Sidney defended with a small smirk. "I can stay up however late I want."

Normally, Christina would have insisted that her little sister go to sleep at this point; but, at this moment, she was more focused on what she had dreamt about – the same dream as what happened in the panic attack – and forgetting that ever happened.

"What are you watching?" she asked sleepily as she sat back down on the couch, grabbing the remote to turn the volume on the television up.

"Mulan," the younger girl answered with a nostalgic smile. "One of the best Disney movies."

"Agreed," Christina said with a smile as well.

The two sisters then continued to watch the action-packed animated film, laughing at some parts and remaining silent at others. Christina's paranoia fully left her as she allowed herself to truly be a part of this moment with Sidney, and she was at peace with what was happening.

Sidney, however, passed out in the recliner right before the movie ended, her mouth hung open with exhaustion. Christina saw this and silently laughed to herself and shut off the television as the credits began rolling. After making a quick trip to her room and changing into pajamas, the adult woman returned to the living room and saw that her little sister was still completely out of it.

With a soft smile on her face, Christina carefully scooped Sidney up into her arms and lifted her off of the recliner. Despite struggling as she didn't have much muscle, she still managed to carry the sleeping girl to her bedroom, an expression of utter tranquility at the silence of the apartment.

Once she made it to the pre-teen's room, she took her over to the bed and gently laid her down on the mattress, Sidney not moving or waking once as she did so. Christina then took the lavender-shaded blankets and pulled them over her little sister so she would stay warm as she slept. Her heart softened at the sight of her being in complete calmness as she kept dozing off and dreaming whatever the hell she happened to be dreaming about. She then tenderly patted her shoulder as she blinked once or twice, before heading off to go sleep in her own bed.

"Goodnight, sweetie..." she whispered to Sidney, knowing she couldn't hear her.

A/N: say hello to a shitty scene edit! it's not great but i hope you guys like it!

so, this is one of the chapters i'm most proud of despite the rushed ending.

thoughts on this overall chapter? did you like it? let me know!

was the scene of severe romantic tension between peter and christina adorable? did you think they were going to kiss? did it frustrate you when they didn't?

what about the funny moments between christina and sidney with the joke book? this scene is also a reference to the first Last of Us game!

was the ending kind of sweet when christina tucked sidney in for the night?

but seriously, sidney was just watching that whole interaction between chris and peter like this:

predictions for the next chapter? let me know!

i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! be looking forward to the next one!

-denbroughwife