Evening settled over Swellview, and Christina found herself standing outside the familiar chaos of Junk 'n' Stuff. She waved through the dusty window, catching Schwoz's attention as he tinkered with some malfunctioning gadget.
Schwoz's eyes widened. "Oh no," he muttered nervously, glancing around.
He scrambled to the door, cracking it open just enough to hiss: "What are you doing here?! Ray will literally explode if he sees you!"
From the backroom came Ray's booming voice: "Schwoz! Where's my wrench?!"
Panic flashed across Schwoz's face. He shoved a random tool behind his back while trying to block Christina's view. "Go. Away!" he whispered harshly.
The backroom door slammed open, and Ray stomped out, wrench in hand—then froze when he spotted her waving through the window.
"…Jesus Christ," he muttered, eyes twitching.
"Heyy!" Christina called, grinning and resting her chin on her hands against the windowsill.
"Schwoz. Why is she here?" Ray demanded.
Schwoz started sweating bullets. "Uh… good question!"
Christina's grin widened. "May I come in?"
Ray rubbed his temples. "Absolutely not."
He turned to Schwoz, scowling. "You're the genius here. Figure. Something. Out."
Schwoz gulped, still desperately blocking her view. "Uhhh… the door's broken?"
"Pleaseee!" she whined, voice teasing.
Ray massaged his temples, contemplating his life choices. "…Fine. Fine! Fine, whatever—just come in before some idiot sees you through the window."
"Yayyyyyyyy, thank you!" Christina cheered, stepping inside as Ray reluctantly moved aside. Schwoz breathed a shaky sigh of relief.
Ray glared at him. "Explain."
Schwoz's eyes darted around. "Um, well… you see… uh…"
"I don't have all damn day, Schwoz," Ray snapped.
Christina's gaze wandered toward a gadget, her eyes lighting up. "The fire is cool coming out of the dinosaur's mouth."
Schwoz brightened immediately. "Oh! That's one of my newest gadgets! Fire-Breathing Dino-bot! Isn't that neat?"
Ray sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yes, Schwoz. Very neat. The one good thing you've made here."
Christina tilted her head. "Is Jasper, Charlotte, and Henry here?"
Ray narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why do you need to know that?"
Christina shrugged. "Can't I see my friends?"
Ray gave her a very unimpressed look. "Friends? You mean the ones you spent the last hour tormenting?"
Schwoz cleared his throat. "Uh… they might be in the lair. Hypothetically."
"Schwoz," Ray growled.
She let out a soft sigh, chest tightening. Seeing her father in front of her after all these years—and he had no idea she was his daughter—stung more than she expected.
Ray noticed the change immediately. "…You okay?" he asked softly, cautiously.
"I'm okay," she said, voice small.
Ray frowned, unconvinced. Folding his arms and raising an eyebrow, he pressed: "Then why the suddenly sappy face?"
"Nothing. Give me a sandwich," she said casually.
Ray blinked, taken off guard. "…Excuse me?"
Schwoz, sensing tension, hurried toward the fridge, chirping: "I'll make you two sandwiches!"
Ray ignored him, studying Christina with growing suspicion. "You're acting weird."
"Thanks, Schwoz! You're so kind," she said brightly.
Schwoz beamed. "Anything for a friend!"
Ray muttered under his breath. "Yeah, right. Friends don't demand sandwiches."
Christina headed down toward the elevator, sliding into the lair once more.
The doors slid open, revealing Henry, Charlotte, and Jasper gathered around the console. The moment they saw her, chaos erupted.
Henry whipped around, nearly jumping out of his skin. "Again?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"
Charlotte groaned. "Oh, fantastic. She's back."
Jasper grinned. "I knew you'd miss us!"
"JASPEEEER!!" Christina shouted, throwing herself into his arms.
Jasper nearly exploded with joy. "It's been ages! Thought you forgot about us for a minute!"
Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Yes. Ages. Exactly five minutes."
Henry groaned, muttering, "Can we have one normal day?"
"Schwoz let me in AGAIN!" Christina shouted gleefully.
Henry rubbed his temples. "Of course he did. Schwoz and discretion are not compatible."
Charlotte scoffed. "Yeah, no kidding. Schwoz is about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face."
Christina smirked. "Stfu, Char Jar. You look like banana in chocolate. And Henry, give me a hug now that I'm here!"
Charlotte froze, while Jasper gasped. "Charlotte in chocolate?!"
Charlotte groaned. "Jasper—don't—"
Too late. Jasper hummed the Chiquita Banana jingle. Charlotte groaned, abandoning him, while Henry hesitated.
"Fine. One hug," Henry muttered.
Christina leapt onto him, wrapping her legs around him like a sloth. Henry stumbled, nearly face-planting into the console.
"Woah—whoa—whoa—!" he flailed. Somehow, he kept upright, utterly bewildered.
Jasper doubled over laughing. Charlotte's glare could melt steel.
Christina pressed a quick kiss to Henry's cheeks. He stiffened like he'd been electrocuted.
"WH—WHAT ARE YOU—" he squeaked.
Jasper, clutching his stomach, wheezed with laughter. "BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"
Charlotte's patience snapped. "…Get. Off. Him."
"Or what? JAR JAR?" Christina teased.
Henry, red-faced, muttered, "Thank god," as he finally shoved her off.
Jasper laughed harder than ever. Charlotte rolled her eyes.
She tightened her grip on him again, messing up his hair. "Henry's my bestie!"
Henry flailed, utterly helpless. "Okay—OKAY—personal space?!"
Schwoz peeked in. "Oh! Family bonding! How nice—"
Ray burst in, roaring. "WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?!"
Henry muttered, "Thank god."
Schwoz scurried away as Ray's eyes landed on Christina. "…You. Get. Off. Him."
Henry reluctantly obeyed, still red-faced and mortified.
Christina shrugged. "He loved it."
Ray's jaw clenched. "…Hart. Explain."
Henry buried his face in his hands.
Schwoz popped his head back in cheerfully. "Dinner's ready!"
"I LOVE YOU SCHWOZ!" Christina shouted. Schwoz blushed dramatically.
Ray pinched his bridge. "Schwoz, focus."
Henry, still recovering from trauma, watched as chaos continued—while Jasper happily slurped spaghetti that had appeared out of nowhere.
The room had quieted down, if only temporarily. Everyone paused, spaghetti untouched, as Christina stared down at her plate, silent.
Schwoz, frowning with concern, leaned closer. "Everyone's so quiet… Is the food bad?"
"No," she murmured, voice barely above a whisper.
Schwoz hesitated, then gently slid a plate closer to her. "…Eat something, yeah?"
Henry noticed, his earlier embarrassment fading into something more uncertain. He quietly scooped a bit of pasta onto a plate and nudged it toward her. A small, subtle gesture—but it carried more meaning than words.
Christina's eyes flicked toward Ray, her heart racing. The silence in the room was heavy, almost suffocating.
Ray stiffened, noticing her gaze. His jaw clenched, but he said nothing. "…Just eat before it gets cold," he muttered gruffly.
Charlotte sighed, shaking her head. "Yeah. Food's getting cold."
Jasper, usually oblivious, suddenly seemed overly aware. "…Extra garlic bread?" he offered awkwardly.
Henry shifted uncomfortably, still avoiding her eyes, as Christina remained quiet, barely touching the food.
Schwoz, frowning deeper, leaned closer again. "Is something wrong, kid?"
Christina shook her head. "No…"
Ray let out a humorless scoff. "Of course this would happen on spaghetti night."
Charlotte, usually sharp-tongued, just stared, quiet for once. Henry squirmed, wishing he could disappear entirely.
Christina finally spoke, her voice soft, almost regretful. "Sorry… everyone."
Ray's fists clenched subtly. Charlotte's eyes narrowed. "And why exactly are you apologizing?"
"For barging into your lives," she said, looking down at the table.
Schwoz tilted his head, confused. "But… you didn't barge in! I let you in!"
Charlotte groaned. "Schwoz. Stop."
Ray exhaled, clearly wrestling with something deep. Abruptly, he stood. "We're done here." He stalked off, leaving everyone else in stunned silence.
Henry glanced at Christina, awkwardly pushing his plate away. She said nothing, just stared at the floor, heart sinking.
"It's clear I don't belong here," she murmured.
Charlotte's annoyance softened slightly. "Look… it's not that you don't belong—"
A loud crash echoed from down the hall, followed by a muffled curse. Schwoz gasped, panic written all over his face. "Oh no! Did he break something?"
Christina's curiosity peaked, and without hesitation, she followed the noise. Charlotte made a half-hearted attempt to stop her but gave up.
Rounding the corner, she saw Ray stooped over a shattered trophy case, shards of glass scattered everywhere. Schwoz fluttered nervously beside him.
"Ray, please—you're gonna cut yourself!" Schwoz begged.
Ray ignored him, aggressively scooping up broken glass with bare hands—then froze when he heard her footsteps.
"What?" he snapped.
Christina didn't flinch. She knelt beside him, picking up a large shard of glass with her bare hands.
Ray stared, unsure if she was mocking him or genuinely helping. Neither spoke. Schwoz hovered anxiously, hands in the air.
"Be careful," she said softly, ignoring the sting of the shards digging into her skin.
Ray's jaw clenched. "Don't—"
She continued, steady and calm. Ray watched, frustration and something more flickering in his eyes. Finally, he grabbed her wrist, rough but not hurting.
"That's enough."
Schwoz gasped. "Ohhh, both of you—stop cutting yourselves on purpose!"
Ray's grip tightened, his gaze sharp. "…Why are you doing this?"
Christina stayed silent, heart pounding. Schwoz nervously chewed his bottom lip. "Maybe you both should—"
Ray snapped at him: "Get. Out. Now."
Schwoz hesitated, then scurried away, leaving the room silent. Ray finally released her wrist, but didn't step back. His expression was impossible to read—anger, frustration, something else.
"…You're just like her," he muttered, voice low and rough.
Christina blinked. "Like… who?"
"Your mother..."
The weight of those words hit her. A storm of emotion coursed through her—relief, hurt, longing, confusion—all tangled up.
Ray turned away abruptly, stalking down the hall. "…Clean yourself up," he called over his shoulder.
Schwoz, who'd been peeking, let out a soft whimper.
"If he wouldn't remember me… he wouldn't mention my mother," Christina whispered to herself. "…So he knows."
Schwoz looked uncomfortably like he'd stepped on a landmine. "…Uh… hypothetically… maybe?"
Charlotte, who had been hovering in the doorway, suddenly stepped forward. "Schwoz. Stop talking."
Jasper, for once, was silent—wide-eyed, observing the tension that lingered like a thick fog.
Ray was nowhere to be seen, but the message hung in the air. Heavy. Clear. Unspoken.
Christina's heart ached, but she swallowed it down. If she pushed too hard, the fragile connection might shatter before it even began.