Peter had been back from his mother's for half an hour and was practically banging down her door. 'Chrissy, if you're not downstairs in five minutes I'm taking you down no matter what you're wearing.' He was shouting at her now. Crystal hadn't been worried about meeting ms Maximoff at all until everyone started talking about it like it was a big deal. The looks they all gave her. The comments about meeting the parents on Christmas Eve. Once she'd realised what they were implying, she'd ran upstairs to change out of her sweats and just hadn't come down. 'Chrissy, I'm coming in.'

'What are you doing?' He was perplexed and had good reason to be. She was stood in her jeans and bra, with every top she owned spread over the bed. 'Chrissy, you're overthinking this.' In less than half a second, she was wearing her white, satin blouse with the v-cut and a pair of black kitten heels. 'You're sure these jeans match those shoes?'

'Chrissy, you look gorgeous. Why are you getting flustered by this?'

'I just want to make a good first impression.' She felt the air change and his hand round her neck. He must have had enough. Suddenly, she was in the hall facing a woman in her fifties. She smiled at Crystal, which filled her with ease as it was similar to Peter's.

'Well, Peter said you were beautiful. He wasn't doing you justice.'

'Thank you, Ms Maximoff.' Crystal was nervous, but she was trying to control it. There was no danger of a tornado forming in the hall, but she still wanted to make a good impression.

'Mary. Call me, Mary, please. I'm so excited that I'm finally meeting you. Peter talks about you, non-stop.'

'Thanks mom, why don't we go for a tour now before you embarrass me further. Any baby pictures hiding in your bag?' Peter clearly had a quick look in his mother's bag, he'd not fastened it back up all the way.

'Ssh you, Crystal I hope you're coming with us. I want to know everything about you.'

By the evening, Peter and Crystal had given his mother a full tour and introduced her to everyone. She'd had tea with the professor, and they had all settled in the drawing-room.

Crystal was sat next to Peter, with her head resting on his shoulder. He was running his fingers through her hair slowly. He didn't talk much when he did this. Crystal knew it was because he was focusing hard on maintaining a reasonable speed. Last time he lost concentration, he'd nearly taken a chunk of her hair out. 'So, what do people usually do on Christmas Eve?' Crystal asked as everyone sat quietly, exhausted from doing nothing, something she really didn't understand.

Her father answered first, 'Well, I can't speak for everyone but when I was little my family use to gather in this room, and we would sing carols at the piano.'

Peter scoffed, 'Sorry Professor, but you couldn't make your family sound posher if you tried.'

'Peter, don't be rude.' His mother went to give him a light tap on the back of the head, but he dodged it. 'I think that sounds lovely, and it certainly beats your tradition of breaking into people's homes and eating the cookies they left out.'

'Someone had to eat them'.

After a while, they decided that a few carols would be fun. Crystal was coerced into going first, as Mary was 'desperate' to hear her sing. She knew a few songs, as they had been playing non-stop all December. Hank kindly offered to play the piano for her as she sang. Instantly, the room calmed, the younger children in the room began to fall asleep as she wished them a merry little Christmas. Unintentionally she'd made everyone feel drowsy which led to the majority of them going to bed, carrying the smaller children upstairs with them. Before long, it was just Peter and Crystal left. They cosied up to each other opposite the fireplace, Crystal manipulating the flame, so it danced.

'Chrissy, I have something for you. I want you to open it now while it's just us.'

'Isn't that against the rules?' She teased as she nuzzled into his chest and curling her legs up onto the sofa.

'Just open it.' There was a box in his hand now. It was about the size of her hand and wasn't deep. She took it from him and began to open the lid. She gasped when she saw what was inside. A silver bracelet with two charms. The first was a silver lightning bolt. The second was a silver rose.

'Peter, it's beautiful. I love it.' As if he could read her mind, the bracelet was around her wrist before she could finish the sentence. She sat on her knees and turned her head towards him, placing a thankyou kiss on his cheek.

Very gently, Peter tilted her chin so their lips could meet. Her stomach was in knots, as it always was when Peter moved slowly, the anticipation building. Though they had started with a familiar rhythm, Crystal quickly became breathless. There was an urgency in her beau that was unexpected and primal. His hands caressed the side of her body until they rested on her hips, pulling their bodies together like magnets. Before she could comprehend the movement, she was laying on the sofa with Peter leaning into her, still kissing her with a fiery passion. Crystal could feel the flush in her cheeks as an unknown desire inside of her was awakening, desperate to meet Peter's level of urgency. She felt his fingers flutter down her neck, across her collarbone, undoing her blouse and...

'Goodnight Peter, goodnight Crystal.' Her father was speaking to them both. He must have heard their internal screaming desires for each other from his room in the otherwise quiet house. 'No need to disgrace the antique furniture. Off to bed, please. Your own bedrooms if you'd be so kind.'

'How's it feel to be the daughter of the world's most powerful psychic?' Sighed a frustrated Peter.

'Judging by the look on your face, about the same as it feels to be her boyfriend.' She stood up and walked around the back of the sofa. 'Goodnight, Peter. I really do love my bracelet.' She trusted herself to give him a gentle kiss goodnight and then headed upstairs towards her bedroom, knowing he'd be there by the time she fell asleep.