"Hey Dave!" Mikan greeted her brother as he walked into the room. "How was the lil' twerp when you showed her the room?"

"Pretty shy." David shrugged. It was weird, he'd expected her to have been more chatty, more upbeat. You try being cheery if you get turned into a monster against your will. His consciousness reminded him. "Also, do you have to call her that? Remember what Mom said about nicknames?"

"Don't remind me." Mikan rolled her eyes. "Did you at least show her the rest of the house?"

"No, just her room." He wasn't sure if he should've given her a house tour or not.

Mikan disagreed. "Bad idea, remember how I was skittery until I got a full tour of the house? Maybe we should give her one."

"Do you think we should also give her some of our spare clothes?" David suggested. "Until we can buy her a new wardrobe?"

"Oh, I haven't thought about that." She should've, it was what her siblings did when she first arrived at the Ferns. "Good idea!"

So they spent the next few minutes gathering old shirts, pants, hoodies, and socks before dumping it in a basket. Mikan held the basket while David gently knocked on it. "Who's there?" Juniper questioned.

"David and Mikan." Her brother answered. "We brought some clothes, may we come in?"

There was a pause, it lasted rather long until they got an answer. "Yes."

David opened the door, and Mikan saw that Juniper was sitting up on the bed, surrounded by the plushies her siblings gave her; she even had David's old Scorbunny plush in her arms.

It was the most non-threatening Mikan had ever seen of the dancer, for once, she looked like an actual kid and not a supervillain thief.

"Um…" She mumbled, staring at the basket the snow-striped girl was holding. "What's that?"

"The clothes." Mikan deadpanned.

"Why?"

Did she even need to ask? "Because you're a guest in our home and we want to make you feel welcome, and also I bet you'd appreciate not wearing the same old outfit every day."

Juniper blinked in surprise. "Oh… thanks?"

David cut the tension with his signature grin. "No problem! Now that that's out of the way, we can finally give you a tour of the place!"

She blinked at them. "A tour?"

Mikan chuckled. "Oh relax, we're not gonna lead you into a butcher dungeon or anything!" But instantly regretted saying that when the dancer squeaked in terror. "Sorry, bad joke I know. And sorry about my cult joke earlier."

"As you can see, Mikan often lacks the ability to think before she speaks." David gestured to her. "Or think at all."

She jabbed him on the shoulder. "Hey!"

But for some reason, his jokes made Juniper laugh. "Ha-ha, laugh it up while you still can kiddo." Mikan grumbled, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Seeing the dancer flinch made her instantly regret speaking, was the poor thing so terrorized she couldn't even process her sense of humor?

Or maybe Mikan was just making bad jokes at the worst possible time…

At least the house tour started off well. "This is the living room, sometimes we watch TV on it, but mostly on weekends." David started off.

"We go to SFIT." Mikan noticed how her eyes widened a little. "I'm guessing you've heard of it."

"Ari's brother goes there." Juniper fiddled with the plush in her hands.

"Ah yes, the little gremlin does."

Juniper glared at her, for some reason. "Don't call Hiro a gremlin."

The temptation to "aww" was strong, she might've been glaring daggers, but the dancer's pouting made her look adorable!

David raised an eyebrow. "Have you met Hiro?"

"As a matter of fact, I have!" Mikan's eyes nearly widened, did she know about his secret identity!? But then the dancer deflated. "At Bridgeton…"

Both siblings winced. "Okay, next room!" David was happy to change the topic.

Next stop was the patio, which also served as a place to do yoga and drink your tea while listening to those boring instrumentals Sara put in her video backgrounds. "Of course you'd dislike being here." David grumbled when she voiced those thoughts. "You hate sitting still!"

"So wait, this is just a room for relaxing?" Juniper frowned. She thought there'd be more to the room, but it was just bamboo walls and floors, and a door that led downstairs.

"It's also for storage, sometimes." Mikan pointed to a few boxes resting by the side, then to the table. "Also occasionally we have supper here? Like when it's Shabbat."

"What's Shabbat?"

David, thankfully, did not give a dramatic gasp like he did when Mikan asked the same question back when she first was staying at the Ferns household. "It's the Jewish day of rest." She explained. "That's not going to be a problem with you, right?"

Maybe she shouldn't have said it with a frown, as Juniper had shook her head rather rapidly and her response came out in a stutter. "N-no problem w-with me!"

"Good because Dad makes the best challah when it's Shabbat!" Mikan eagerly licked her lips at the memory of the taste of the baked goodness.

"Uh, what's challah?"

This time, David did gasp.

After that hiccup, they showed her their favorite room. "We have all of our games here!" David gestured to the shelf next to the gaming consoles.

"Try not to delete any save files." Mikan explained. "Just ask us if you're going to play a game and there's no save files left, alright?"

"Oh, that's fine." Juniper reassured her. "I don't play video games anyway."

The snow-striped girl raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah, then again I haven't played any in years, if ever…" Except Pokemon, but it was hard to catch and train pocket monsters when she and her mama were going from town-to-town.

For some reason, both siblings were giving her weird looks. "I'm sorry to hear that." David looked as if someone was kicking a puppy in front of him.

"Why are you saying sorry?" Juniper frowned.

"Because that's really sad to hear."

She still frowned. "Not really? I mean you're not the one who broke all of my saves."

Mikan suddenly had the urge to scoop up the dancer in a tight hug and never let go, but she knew that if someone did that to her on day 1 of living with the Ferns, she'd toss them into the washing machine and make them sleep with the dirty and wet laundry.

"Do you wanna go see the gardens next?" She instead offered. "There's actually a juniper tree in the yard."

"Is there really?!" The smile was back on the dancer's face.

"Yes, yes there is." David's smile was also back. "Do you wanna go see it?"

Juniper's face said it all. "Yes!"

Ding-dong!

Barb raised an eyebrow at the doorbell. "Expecting guests?"

"Hmm, no." Sally shook her head, she hadn't ordered any packages this week, maybe her kids did? "Better so see who it is."

She got up, excusing herself from the kitchen to go answer the door. "Oh, hello there!"

"Hello." Baymax waved, it was him, Hiro, and Ari.

The bandana girl had this worried look on her face. "Are you alright?" Sally asked her.

"Umm, Hiro took me to visit Juniper and her mom at the hospital, but the guy at the front desk said they were discharged." Ari explained, fiddling with her sleeves. "The guy also said that you discharged them."

"So we came over and wanna know where they went, so she'll stop panicking." Hiro gestured to his sister.

Sally couldn't help but giggle a little at their worries, but their concern was heartwarming. "Oh don't worry, they're fine! Come in and see!"

She led them into the kitchen, where she and Barb had finished their miso soup and were just drinking tea and talking.

"Barb!" Ari was grinning and she ran and gave her old friend a big hug.

Barb smiled, hugging her back. "Hello Ariel, it's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too!"

"What are you doing in the Ferns house?" Hiro interrupted the moment with his questioning gaze, Barb narrowed her eyes at him.

"This is my brother Hiro, and yes, he's usually this annoying." Ari explained, she got a jab in the shoulder from him as payback. "Ow!"

"I was alerted to the need for medical attention when you said-"

"Not now Baymax!"

Sally rolled her eyes at the banter. "Barb's an old friend of mine, I wasn't going to leave her and Juniper with nowhere to go, so I invited her to stay here."

"Huh." Hiro didn't know that, it would explain why Sally got rather ticked with students who talked about the dancing duo during her classes. "That was really nice of you."

Barb agreed with him. "Too nice of her." After all the trouble she had caused in the city… there had been no need for Sally to take them in.

But her friend disagreed. "Hey, you're my friend, I'd always help you." She just wished she had the courage to go and speak to Barb before the whole Sycorax mess, if she had reunited with her old friend while incarcerated… and tried to help get her out… maybe she and her daughter wouldn't have suffered as eel monsters.

Thinking about what-ifs won't help. The professor chastised herself, she could help them in the present, by making sure they recover from the ordeal.

"Can we see June?" Ari was asking her friend. "I wanna check that she's okay."

Barb smiled at her, the bandana girl's compassion, especially towards her daughter, always warmed her heart. "Of course you can, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

"If you're going to see Juniper, can you do me a favor and hand her this?" Sally dug into her pockets and handed Hiro a phone with a black case. "And here's one for you too." She then gave a second to Barb.

Her friend was staring at the phone with wide eyes. "Sal, you didn't have to."

"Let me be generous, it's the holidays!" She argued, then turned back to the teens. "My kids were giving her a house tour earlier, I think they're still outside, check there first."

"Okay." Both of them nodded, dragging Baymax with them.

The healthcare companion waved as the teens went for the back door leading to the Ferns garden. "Goodbye."

Once left in the kitchen alone once more, Sally turned back to her friend. "So, you were talking about your stay at Austinbul?"

Barb shook her head. "Oh don't get me started on their security-"

"Hello Ferns!" Hiro exclaimed as he dramatically opened the door to the backyard, which startled poor David, who was sitting on the porch. Mikan was also sitting by the porch and blinked at the teens.

"Hiro, why?" Ari deadpanned at him while Baymax helped the older boy to his feet.

He merely shrugged.

"Dude!" Juniper hissed at him, she was by a tree. "You gave me a heart attack!"

Baymax scanned her. "I do not detect any signs of a heart attack."

He pointed to the robot. "June!" Ari practically leapt from the porch and gave the dancer a bear hug. "I missed you!"

"You saw me two days ago…"

"I still missed you!"

David and Mikan snickered. "Do you two need alone time?" The snow-striped girl was grinning wolfishly.

"Shut up!" Juniper blushed, dragging Ari back to the port entrance. "Goodbye!" Then went inside and closed the door.

Hiro merely raised an eyebrow at the two Ferns before and Baymax followed the girls.

"Should we go inside too?" David questioned.

Mikan shook her head. "Nah, let the kid have some time with her friends."

Juniper was nudging her friends up the stairs. "C'mon, I'll show you my room."

"Oh, you got your own room?" Hiro blinked in surprise, he thought she'd be staying in the guest room.

"I was equally surprised, thought I'd be sleeping on the couch."

Ari frowned. "They wouldn't do that! The Ferns are really nice, they helped me out a lot when I first came to San Fransokyo…" She then placed a hand to her head. "Er… well when I lost my memories because according to Rachel I had been in the city for about a year or something?"

"Still have amnesia?" Juniper thought it'd have worn off now that Ari remembered her biological family.

"I guess? I think my fuzzy memories are because they're really bad or something." She gestured. "Like that Emily lady, uhhhg, so glad she's not my real aunt!"

"Yeah, me too..." Juniper suppressed a shudder at the mention of the fake nurse. "She gives me bad memories."

At least those were easier to forget, the brief terror of getting hunted down by Emily/Voltrax was a pebble compared to the boulder that was- nope nope nope don't think about it Juni, don't think about her…

"Yeah, that's why I came with Ari to the hospital." Hiro crossed his arms. "So she'd be safe."

"I can keep myself safe!" Ari huffed, a little offended at the idea she couldn't protect herself.

Both her brother and friend gave her a look. "No offense Ari, but you tend to jump into reckless situations a whole lot." Juniper pointed out. "Like-"

She was about to say whenever Ari told her she faced her brother's wrath because she stole his snacks but the bandana girl interrupted her. "Like the school dance, I know." Ari rubbed her right eye, where the scar rested.

"No, that was on me!" The dancer protested. "I was the one who hurt you."

Ari stared at her with worry. "It's not your fault, June." Even though they had a talk about it back at the Sunset Boulevard Hospital, Juniper still blamed herself for Bridgeton. "Diane was the one who-"

Immediately, Juniper shrieked, shivering as her hands instantly went to her head. "Don't say her name!" That woman's laugh echoed in her ears, she couldn't see the warm walls of her room, all she could see were the cold and sterile floors of Sycorax and the cruel hazel eyes of her staring down at her like- "P-please don't say her-" She then felt something soft and warm wrap her into a gentle hug. it felt like being snuggled by a lamb, if the lamb had plush vinyl instead of heavy wool.

"She is not here, she cannot hurt you." Baymax was telling her. "There there, you will be alright."

Her consciousness came back as the laugh faded and she realized her hands were shaking. "Huh, why am I-?" Humiliation and shame crept down her back. "It's just a name, why am I getting upset over that?" Had she become so weak that the mere mention of a name sent her into hysterics? "I'm so stupid-"

"No you're not!" Hiro protested, joining the hug as well. "I get like that too, it's a natural response."

"Yeah, m' sorry I said her name." Ari bowed her head. How could she have mentioned the clone so carelessly after what she put her friend through? "You're not stupid, I'm the dumb one if we're going to be honest."

Juniper wished the bandana girl stopped putting herself down like that. "You're not dumb! It makes me sad when you say that, please don't!"

"Sorry…"

"Yeah, don't put yourself down sis." Hiro nodded in agreement. "That's my job."

He got a jab on the shoulder in response. "Ow!"

"I was alerted to your need for-"

"Not now Baymax!"

Juniper couldn't help the laugh that escaped her throat as the hug released. "Thanks guys, I'm really glad you came over." She was sitting on her bed, feeling tired from the tour. "It's really weird being here… David and Mikan have been really nice? And they also gave me clothes, and even Steven gave me food, and I don't know how to feel about it."

"Well of course they gave you stuff, they're the Ferns." Hiro told her like it explained everything.

She glared at him. "I thought they'd be mean because of what I did." But they weren't. Yet. Maybe they'd show that anger once she settled in, before she could get attached to them.

"Oh come on, they wouldn't do that!" Ari frowned.

"Hiro, Ari." Baymax spoke up. "This is your reminder that you are supposed to give Juniper her phone."

"Oh, right I forgot!" Hiro dug the phone out of his pocket. "Sally got you this."

Juniper stared at the phone with shock. "S-she did?" Why would Sally do that for her of all people? "She didn't have to…" Phones were expensive, after-all, and she was better off using her money for her kids, not the criminal she was taking pity on.

"You deserve nice things!" Ari exclaimed. "But now you can text and message me all you want!"

"Oh!" Her eyes lit up, no longer questioning the professor's motives as her gift sunk in. "Yeah, I can now!"

"That's gonna be so cool!"

"I know!"

Hiro rolled his eyes as the two exchanged numbers while giggling, then a lightbulb lit up in his head. "This is giving me ideas…" He grinned, rubbing his hands together.

Ari gave him a very concerned look. "Hiro what does that mean?"

"You'll see…"

"Hiro explain please, Hiro-"

"I am concerned." Baymax stated.

"Me too, dude." Juniper added. "Me too."

Hiro added Ariel and 3 others to "Traumatized Teen Squad"

Hiro changed Ariel and 2 other usernames

Ari: Oh THAT'S what you mean.

Hiro: Hehehehehehe!

Ari: We are literally next to each other, please don't laugh at your phone.

Megan: What did I just get roped into

June: !

Hiro: Welcome fellow teens to this group chat safe space bc this city has been a trauma coaster as of late

Karms: Omg never say fellow teens again

Ari: KARMI KARMI KARMI!

Karms: That's me.

Karms: Okay so I know Megan, who's June again?

June: It's Juniper… I can leave if you want

Karms: Oh no you don't have to leave D :

Ari: This is a space space you are fine here

Hiro: Mikan's chaotic mess of a chat on the other hand…

June: Yeah I don't want to bother anyone there, pretty sure they hate my guts

Megan: I don't!

Hiro: Understandable, have a nice day

Ari: How come Rachel isn't here? She is a fellow teen

Hiro: My chat my rules

Karms: I will overthrow you

June: I like Rachel.

Ari: Is it bc you guys are awkward interacting?

Hiro: Y E S

Hiro: But fine, y'all want her in so…

Hiro added Rachel to the chat

Megan: Hi!

Hiro changed Rachel's username

Rach: Why am I here?

Ari: Group therapy! Because trauma SUCKS thanks to SOMEONE

Karms: ^

June: ^

Hiro: ^

Rach: Sad but true ^

Megan: I am concerned

Ari: Hey Baymax just said that lol

Hiro: Oh yeah that reminds me

Hiro added Baymax to the chat

Karms: Oh my god you madman

Baymax: Hello everyone

Baymax: I am here to provide emotional support if you are feeling down and I am not there to provide care

Baymax: Please feel free to me if you need support

Rach: Ah yes, put the soft robot in the less cursed chat

June: What's wrong with the chat Mikan has?

Hiro: EVERYTHING

Megan: I'm not on there so idk what to tell you

Karms: Mikan is scary yo

"I'm inclined to believe her." Juniper looked up from her phone. "First thing she said to me was how I'd make a good cult sacrifice."

Hiro winced, she did have a morbid sense of humor. "That's Mikan for you, she didn't mean any harm though."

"It still scared me."

"I feel your pain." Ari mumbled, sometimes Mikan's jokes gave her the creeps too.

Baymax looked at the door, pointing to it. "Mikan is heading this-"

SLAM!

Everyone in the room jumped! "Way." The robot lifted his hand down.

The snow-striped girl had her eyes narrowed. "Were you guys talking about me?"

"No!" All three of them chorused.

Ari leaned over to Juniper. "That was creepy." She whispered, a little unnerved how Mikan seemed to sense she came up a few times.

"No kidding." The dancer whispered back.

Thankfully, Baymax gave them the perfect cover. "We are talking about emotional support." He told Mikan.

She looked to have believed that was the only thing they were talking about. "Oh alright."

"What'd you come in here for besides eavesdropping on us?" Juniper narrowed her eyes.

"Mom wanted me to make sure that Hiro and Ari gave you your-" She noticed the phone in her hand. "Looks like you did! Thanks Hiro."

"Did Professor Ferns think I was going to steal it?" He frowned, a little offended his professor had little faith in him.

Mikan shook her head. "No! But you forget things, like homework."

"Hey! It was one time! One time!"

"Pretty sure I could count more than one time on both of my hands, pal."

"I do not-"

Juniper rolled her eyes at the banter. "Are they always like this?"

"Pretty much." Ari shrugged.

Oh that's dramatic. But she didn't comment aloud. She felt uneasy, so far, none of the Ferns had gotten angry with her. She expected them to, considering what she had done and how they were spending a lot of their time and money giving her luxuries she didn't deserve to afford.

Maybe she was being paranoid? But Juniper disagreed, she deserved to get chewed out for all the trouble she had caused the city.

Meanwhile at Gogo and HL's apartment…

"Well." Gogo stared at the now emptied boxes of Sara's belongings. "I think you're temporarily moved onto our couch now."

"Mayoi!" Andre hopped up and down the couch with agreement, she and Honey Lemon were okay with Sara staying over at their apartment for a bit and helped her move her things into the living room where she'd be sleeping in.

The problem was, she didn't tell them what for. "Thanks again for the help." Sara smiled as she picked up Andre and held him carefully in his arms, his coat of fungi-fur was getting thicker due to regular meals and exposure to sunlight.

"How come you have to stay over anyways?" Gogo questioned.

Her girlfriend sent her a look. "Gogo, you can't ask her that! Maybe it's private!"

Sara stared at the Mayoi in her arms, she could tell them, but didn't have the energy to handle their reaction after spending a good chunk of time moving boxes. "Oh y'know, moving things around and I wanted to space from the house until things get back to normal.

Gogo looked like she bought the half-truth, but her eyes could sense that she was hiding some of the story. "Alright." Luckily, the engineer didn't push further with questions. "Need anything for dinner?"

"I'm good." Sara politely declined, she was tying up her sneakers. "I'm gonna come over to my uncle and aunt's for dinner, thought it'd be easier to get used to the house changes if I'm there often!"

"That makes sense." Honey Lemon nodded. "Say hi to your parents and siblings for me!"

She gestured back with finger guns. "Will do, bye guys, bye Andre!" She placed the Mayoi on the couch. "Try not to have too much fun while I'm gone!"

As the door closed, both girlfriends looked at eachother. "Mayoi!" Andre curled into a ball on the couch, his ears perked up.

"What did she mean by too much fun?" The chemist didn't get it.

Gogo did. "Well, since we're alone-" She wrapped an arm around Honey Lemon. "We could spend some time together?"

Honey Lemon blushed, her ears turning pink "Uh… like?"

"Order pizza and watch a movie?" The engineer grinned, relishing the look on her girlfriend's face. "What did you think I meant?"

Her girlfriend just squeaked. "Okay pizza it is gonna order now!" As she sped out of the living room and to their kitchen.

"I can still see you y'know." Gogo shook her head, sitting next to Andre on the couch.

He was curled up like a ball. "Mayoi!"

Gogo hummed, scratching behind his ears. "Well, at least you're not as jumpy as the last Mayoi we adopted."

Andre just squeaked in response.

The smell of ramen and honey-lit candles welcomed Sara as she entered her house. "Sara!" David squeezed her with a hug.

"You saw me this morning, dork." She rolled her eyes, patting his back.

Mikan walked up to them. "Looks like you came after-all."

"What else would I eat for dinner, Noodle Burger?"

She poked her head into the kitchen, the table already set up and the menorah lit with one candle burning. "Guess I took a little too long to get here."

"Sorry." David bowed his head, knowing she was upset to have missed the candles.

"It's fine." Sara waved it off, she had been humming the prayers on her way here, expecting to arrive a little late after-all.

Her aunt arrived from the kitchen, holding a plate with challah slices. "It's good to see you Sara."

"Hi Aunt Sally." Sara side-hugged her aunt. "Was everything at the hospital alright?"

Sally smiled, leading her to the table. "You can ask her yourself." Already sitting down, chatting with her daughter, was a woman with brown eyes and light blonde hair.

Sara at first, only thought she had seen her on the news, until recently when old memories were dug up. Old memories of those eyes staring at her kindly while offering comforting words.

"Hello Sara." Barb, thankfully spoke first, or else she would've kept staring with her mind blank. "It's nice to see you again."

She sat down next to her, her throat feeling dry as she scrambled to find something to say. "N-nice to see you too."

At least Juniper didn't tease her for the stammer, like her sibling's would've. "Hi Sara!" She did look up from her untouched ramen and waved.

"Hello, you like our house?" Sara waved back.

Juniper nodded a little. "It's nice."

A hot bowl of ramen was placed on Sara's plate, as well as some slices of challah. "Have you tried the challah yet?"

The younger blonde shook her head. "Juni's waiting until her nerves calm down to eat." Barb explained.

"I feel your pain." When Sara was a little, fresh out of the hospital, it had taken gentle coaxing from her uncle and aunt almost-every meat, when her stomach felt too sick and queasy to take bites of their cooking.

It couldn't have been easy for her uncle and aunt to try and fight her stubborn nature, but she could help Barb with her stubborn daughter, so Sara took a small piece of challah and offered it to Juniper. "At least try a small bit, challah tastes good when it's warm."

Juniper hesitated, but the smell of warm bread overtook her senses and she accepted the piece, eating it in small but quick bites. "How is it so soft?" She mumbled.

"That's a trade secret." She winked. "But was it good?"

"Yeah." Then she looked at Sara with puppy eyes. "Can I have some more?"

Sara couldn't help but giggle. "Of course!" And handed her half of her slices.

As she went to eat her ramen, she noticed Barb was giving her a look of gratitude, Sara simply smiled back and ate her noodles

It was halfway through dinner when she felt a poke on her shoulder. "Yes?" She looked up at Juniper, who's expression had turned uneasy.

"How come you're staying somewhere else for a few days?"

Her mind went blank again, she glanced at her uncle with a look of halp, as Fred would put it.

"Sara needs some space until she gets used to the house getting more crowded." Luckily he came to her rescue. "Remember David told you that at the hospital?"

But for some reason, Juniper didn't buy it. "You sure it's not because you don't wanna live in a house with criminals?"

Whatever conversations were happening in the background had ceased, Sara felt this uneasy feeling in her chest. "Juni." Barb spoke up. "Sara didn't imply that-"

"She doesn't have to." The dancer clenched her fists, before glaring back at Sara like a wounded animal. "I saw the way you looked at me at the hospital."

"It was none of your guys' business, how do you think my siblings and I felt?"

"You looked like you were ashamed to have known me!"

David and Mikan winced, did Sara accidentally spill the beans on their previous opinions about the dancing duo? They were ashamed of their past distaste for the two, none of them wanted Juniper to know that, but it seems she found out anyway.

"I…" Sara didn't know what to say, should she just lie? "That's not what I was trying to-"

"Don't, I don't wanna hear your excuses!" Why was Juniper getting so worked up? She seemed fine earlier, taking small portions of her food. But then again… she had been too uneasy to eat, were the thoughts swimming in her mind why? "I don't blame you though, I wouldn't want to have known a monster either-"

"Juni!" Barb frowned. "You are not a monster."

"Well, then why do I feel like one?!"

At that moment, Sara felt deeply concerned. "I think I know why she snapped." Mikan was whispering to David. "She looked like she was expecting us to yell at her, wasn't she?"

"Or get mad at her…" David mumbled. "But we didn't, those feelings didn't go away though."

Listening to her sibling's theory wasn't going to help anyone. "Hey, none of us think of you like that." Sara spoke up, cutting through the duo's argument. "It wasn't your fault."

Juniper turned away from her mama to glare at Sara, those cocoa brown eyes burned with pain and fury, it reminded Sara of the pain she felt when she was much younger. "I-I'm done." She stood up, pushing her ramen bowl away. "Thanks f-for the meal."

Before anyone could speak, Juniper left the table and made a dash for upstairs, the sound of a door opening and harshly closing followed afterwards. "Well that was intense." Sally muttered.

Barb's eyes gazed at the stairs. "I should go check on her."

"Maybe give her some time to calm down?" Steven suggested. "She looks really upset right now."

"I feel like it's my fault." Sara muttered. "I think she thought I hated her because of what I said during the hospital visit."

Steven shook his head. "I'm sure it wasn't like what she thought."

"But the way I worded it… uhg." She facepalmed. "I'm an idiot."

"You're not!" Her uncle protested, then the adults began to murmur amongst each other.

Sara felt Mikan tug her shoulder, she turned to see her older sister had a gleam in her eyes. "Sara, I just realized." Why was she grinning? "You know how I was taken in by you guys after I got separated from my dad?"

"I remember that."

"Where are you going with this?" David frowned.

Mikan simply grinned. "Well, like how I got adopted as your sister, it looks like we've got two new family members this time around."

Both her siblings tilted their heads in confusion, but then Sara's eyes widened in realization. "Ohhh, ohh! I get it!" She clapped her hands together. "Juniper's like our new little sister now, so we've gotta be there for her."

"Ironic how a couple weeks ago, we hated her guts." David crossed his arms. Most of that resentment towards High Voltage had been because of Bridgeton, and he was a little petty at the city for falling for the crime-dancer's charm of committing robberies in front of people's eyes and still getting cheered.

He didn't remember their family history at the time, to be fair, but he just felt guilty at his old hatred now that he did.

Mikan shrugged it off. "That's normal sibling behavior." She and her siblings went to war over the last cookie their dad made, after-all.

"Fair point."

Sara bit her lip. "Poor Juniper, she went through a lot and thought we'd hate her for it."

"Mhm." Mikan nodded, feeling bad for the little scrap, life had not been kind to her, could relate. "So, what are we gonna do to give her a warmer welcome into our family?"

She wasn't sure, but David did. "I think letting her know we'll be there for her is enough." He reassured them. "That's all."

That seemed to convince his sisters. "Yeah!" Sara perked up. "All we gotta do is let there know that we'll be there to help, and she'll be fine, right?"

Well, for the new youngest member of their family, Juniper had simply collapsed onto her bed, exhausted in both body and mind.

She just didn't get it, the siblings were nice to her, Steven and Sally treated her like she was one of their own and didn't even yell at her for her past screw-ups even when she deserved it.

Why were they so nice to her?! Was it because her mama was their old friend? Tears dripped down her cheeks, they were just so nice, so kind, it was too much to bear.

"Pull yourself together you stupid crybaby." She rubbed the tears until her eyes were sore. "Crying is a weakness, and you're not weak!" But that didn't stop them from continuing to form in her eyes.

Mama's probably worried about me downstairs, but I can't tell her about how I feel. She didn't want to ruin things for her mama, she was happy, Juniper would be a horrible daughter to ruin that for her. Just like how I ruin things for everyone close to me.

A buzz from her pocket interrupted her thoughts, it was some chatter going on in the group chat Hiro invited her to.

Hey… didn't he say that it was an emotional support group chat? Couldn't hurt to try. So she clicked open chat and began typing.

June: Baymax

Baymax: Hello Juniper. Do you need emotional support?

A part of her was surprised it actually worked. I'll have to thank Hiro later.

June: EXTREMELY

Baymax: What is going on?

June: I just can't deal with how nice the Ferns are. They're too kind!

June: I expected them to be mean or bring up the villain stuff but they're not even going to yell at me. I can't take it anymore!

Ari: *concern*

Karms: Woah woah woah, are you okay?

June:

June: no

Megan: Do you want me to call you?

June: I don't wanna bother you…

Megan: No it's fine! You wouldn't be a bother at all

Baymax: Perhaps it would make you feel better?

June: I guess it couldn't hurt.

Her phone started to buzz as she got an incoming call. From Megan. As soon as she answered it, Megan's very concerned face appeared on-screen. "Hey, none of the Ferns said anything mean to you, right?"

"No, they didn't." She shook her head. "That's what's bothering me."

"Why?"

Wasn't it obvious? "Because I... I don't deserve it." Juniper mumbled. "I did bad things, terrible things. They shouldn't treat me with kindness, I'm a villain, a selfish attention-seeker, and a monster."

But Megan disagreed. "You're none of those things, sure you did some things in the past, but at least you didn't try to blow up the city!"

"Just because I wasn't the worst villain in San Fransokyo doesn't mean what I did wasn't bad." Juniper pointed out.

Megan paused. "Right… but you wanted to get better! The monster stuff wasn't your fault, that lady blackmailed you two, you were just trying to protect Ari at that time."

"And that turned out great." Sarcasm dripped in her voice. "She got hurt because of me!"

"But you were mind-controlled, and Ari's fine now." Megan reassured her. "So it's okay now."

The guilt still weighed in her chest. You don't even know what she did to your friends. But that wasn't Juniper's secret to tell, Ari and Karmi's mutations were kept secret from the public for a reason.

"It's not okay." She sniffled. "I just can't stop thinking about what happened, and what I did-" She might've not remembered everything that happened while under the effects of the mutation, but what she did remember gave her nightmares.

Memories of terror, rage, and a hunger for blood, the instinct to lash out, attack anything in sight, the feeling that her mind had an unknown force still in it, making her move like a puppet attached to strings

Worst of all, she felt like her body had been torn apart and stitched back together, the pieces not fitting as they once did and it hurt so much.

"A-and it hurts." Shame crept down her chest as she wiped away more tears. "I-It hurts so much Megan, I just don't know what to do and..."

"It's okay, let it all out." Megan murmured from the other line.

That's what got Juniper to cry her heart out for the next minute, holding one of rabbit plushies close to her chest. Megan didn't judge her, didn't scorn her, she just kept murmuring "there there" until the worst of the tears were over.

When she stopped sobbing her eyes out, Megan spoke once more. "Juni…" The reporter's voice was soft and comforting. "I don't know much about what you went through, and I might not truly understand how much it hurts, but I'll try my best to be there for you." That kind gaze made Juniper realize she was honest. "You can always talk to me or the others if you're feeling down, is that okay?"

"Mhmm." Her voice felt less ragged. "T-Thanks, sorry you had to see me bawling my eyes out."

The reporter still smiled. "That's okay! Sometimes letting out all your feelings help." Megan reassured her. "Anything else I could do?"

"I guess keep talking?" Juniper felt her face blush from embarrassment. "You don't mind, do you?"

But Megan simply continued to look at her with those warm amber-brown eyes that made her feel safe. "I don't mind at all."

Traumatized Teen Squad group chat:

Karms: June you doing alright now?

June: Little bit…

June: Megan and I talked a little, but I feel bad for overreacting on the Ferns.

Karms: Honestly the Fern kids freaked me out in my first days at SFIT too

Rach: Really?

Hiro: Their niceness can give you emotions

Megan: Interesting…

June: I hope they're not mad at me for yelling at them

Hiro: They wouldn't, don't worry!

Ari: I wish I could give you a big hug rn

June: Can I have one tomorrow?

Hiro: A Baymax hug helps, he gives the best ones.

June: I wasn't talking about a Baymax hug n.n' Ari hugs are better

Ari: : O

Hiro: Okay so first of all, yes Ari hugs are nice

Hiro: However how dare you assume that they are superior to Baymax hugs your highness

June: Excuse

Karms: Uh guys?

June: You're one to talk, you act like a stuffy brat

Hiro: OH THEM'S FIGHTING WORDS

Ari: Baymax They're fighting!

Baymax: Please do not fight or else I will have to mute you to calm down

Hiro: :/

Baymax: Would you two like to apologize to each other?

Hiro: Juniper started it!

June: Hiro started it!

Megan: -_-

Ari: -_-

Baymax: -_-

June: Sorry…

Hiro: I'm sorry too…

Karms: I changed my mind adding Baymax was a GREAT idea!

Knock-knock-knock

"Come in!" Juniper said without hesitation, thinking it was her mama.

To her poor nerves, it was the Fern kids. "Hey, are you feeling better?" David spoke first.

"A little." She mumbled, "Are you guys mad at me?"

She expected the kind faces they wore to fade, showing true colors of anger and disappointment, but instead their faces turned into concern.

"Definitely not!" Sara exclaimed. "Look, we get it, adjusting to a new environment is really hard."

"I had a hard time when I moved in with the Ferns." David told her. "And I was five."

Juniper winced. "That must've been a struggle."

He groaned. "It was, you have no idea. I kept bumping into walls for months!" He threw his hands in the air in exclamation.

"Guys we're getting off topic." Mikan chastised them. "The point we're trying to make is that we know how you're feeling, and we get it, alright?"

The dancer felt relief, at least she wasn't the only one to feel confused and lost in this household. "Yeah…" But she felt exhausted after today. "Can we talk about it tomorrow? I'm really tired."

The Fern kids nodded in understanding. "Yeah, whatever makes you comfortable." Sara smiled at her.

"Get a good night's sleep, little sis!" David sang as the door closed.

She shook her head, the antics for those three never truly stopped- "Wait did he just call me…? Must've misheard."

Juniper did feel really tired, it probably was her imagination.

After a couple minutes of fiddling with her phone, her mama came to visit. "Juni?" Barb was by the door.

Hi Mama." Juniper slowly waved. "Sorry if I made a scene at dinner…"

"You have nothing to apologise for." She took a seat next to her on the bed. "Are you doing okay?"

"A little. I'm not used to this… this normal family lifestyle stuff." She felt more relaxed, but it just felt strange not having to watch her back wherever she went.

"Me neither." A comforting hand stroked her hair. "We overstayed our crime-dancing career, didn't we?"

"Yeah Mama, we did." Juniper mumbled, there were some good times and definitely bad times during her supervillainy, but both of them were so caught up in the fame, the glory, and the riches to where they didn't know how, or even want to stop. "I'm glad we came to this city."

They had been a few hours away from San Fransokyo when Juniper stated her intent to go put on a show there. Barb had protested at first, but eventually she caved. "Me too, I wouldn't have reunited with my old friends if we didn't."

"And I wouldn't have met Ari!"

Barb chuckled at the mention of the bandana girl. "You care about her a lot, don't you?"

Juniper beamed, did her mama ever need to ask? "She's my best friend! I haven't had one in… y'know." Not since before the crime-dancing, but she didn't want to think about that life, it wasn't hers anymore. "Makes me ashamed I hurt her so much."

That made Barb hold her close. "You didn't hurt her baby, don't blame yourself for the things that were out of your control."

She felt relaxed, being in her mama's warm embrace. "Don't fall asleep yet." Barb handed her a bottle of water. "You still have to take your medicine."

"Right…" The hospital prescribed medicine that helped with her feelings and side-effects from her unwanted eel mutation. She felt a little uneasy taking the pills, but her mama holding her hand made it bearable. I guess it'll be easier once I get used to it.

Once she was done taking her medicine, Barb tucked her in, turning off the lights. "Sweet dreams Juni." Then kissed the top of her head and exited her room.

Juniper yawned, holding Pete tightly in her arms as she curled up and closed her eyes.

She still felt uneasy, feelings prickling in the back of her mind, but she felt more calm, more sleepy.

Tomorrow was a new day, maybe things would be less stressful.

AN: Welp first chapter down!

Fern kids: one of us! one of us!

Juniper: ?!

She's trying her best tho! And I got to another gc! this time with all the kiddos!

You can never have too many group chats.

See ya next week!